Beginning of a 12k fic
Sep. 25th, 2009 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gun_smoke_blueRating: T to R
Genre: Action/Adventure
Fandom: The Twelve Kingdoms (booksverse: Sea of Shadow)
Unfinished, but off to a good start. ![[info]](https://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
italicsinindigo, here you go. Unbetaed, in all its sticky glory.
In late winter of the hundredth year of Sekishi, being the Era of Red Happiness, a scourge of demons attacked Kei from its ailing neighbor, Kou. The Glory-King known as Yoko Sun-Child rallied her great army to beat back the incursions, and in her compassion called for aid for Kou and a search for its new monarch. So great was the love of the people of Kei for their Glory-King that succor poured into Kou like rain. Though Kourin, minister of Kou, still resided on Mount Hourai, outriders and messengers flew from Goldenwave Palace to bring news of the search for Kou’s King to the far reaches of the Glory-King’s realm. Thus, in the spring of the hundredth year of Yoko Sun-Child’s rule, did the quest to find Kou’s monarch begin. –The Red Book of Kei
Spring in Kei was warm and sticky, not warm enough for true summer but too humid for fall. Clothes stuck to their wearers’ bodies with damp determination, and it was such a disturbing experience to peel them off the skin that most people gave up and walked around in as little as possible. The elders complained mightily at this breach of propriety, but in this case the younger set smiled, nodded, and went on doing exactly what they’d been doing in the first place.
The Red King of Kei and her minister were certainly no exception to this generational conflict, Keiki reflected sourly. No matter that his King had proven herself more than capable over the hundred golden years of her rule; sometimes, he still felt like a harping grandfather put in charge of a willful toddler. Case in point: this morning Yoko had appeared at breakfast wearing only soldier’s breeches and a tunic with the sleeves cut away from the shoulder, leaving her arms naked for the world to see. “It’s called a tank top, Keiki,” she’d said, and rolled her eyes at his glare. “The other soldiers are going shirtless—including the women. Would you have liked me to have done that, instead?”
General Kantai and Enho had hidden their smiles in their breakfast platters as Keiki had admitted defeat. Yoko had smirked and sauntered down to the practice yards to trade blows with common soldiers. The governor of Mai had been kind enough to open up her training courtyard for Yoko and her kingsmen to spar, but that just meant the provincial soldiers had an excuse to laze about and….ogle his King’s bare arms. Keiki felt his brows draw down in a dangerous scowl as he scanned the milling crowd in the center of the training courtyard. Yoko’s fiery hair flashed in the center of the circle of onlookers as she fought with General Kantai, both warriors moving in a blur of motion. He snorted and gripped the balcony railing until his knuckles went white.
Yoko gave a mocking grin and spun her practice sword in one hand, catching it by the grip and raising it in good-natured challenge. “You’re getting soft, old man,” she taunted. “What have you been doing for the last hundred years?”
The General of Kei’s armies raised an eyebrow, dropping back into a guard and hefting his spear. Even though he and Yoko were sparring with mere wooden simulations of their usual weapons, it still took three army regulars to lift the carved pole-arm he was handling. “I’ve been taking dance lessons,” he deadpanned, eyeing her stance for an opening. “They tell me I twirl very gracefully.”
“I always thought you would look nice in those shiny dancing dresses,” Yoko chirped, and then she lunged.
Kantai parried her opening salvo with ease, not even shifting his feet as he knocked aside her blows with the wooden spear blade. Yoko changed her approach in an eye blink, spinning with the next parry and sliding underneath his guard. The broad side of her practice blade slammed against his bare ribs before he leapt back, out of range.
“Slippery little thing, aren’t you,” he panted, and brought the spear shaft whistling in for a blow to her temple. She tucked her chin into her chest and rolled away, springing to her feet.
The crowd watching their bout gave a loud cheer. Both combatants ignored the outside noise, circling each other like wary wolves.
Yoko kept her eyes on Kantai’s torso, watching the interplay of muscles in his chest as he shifted. She reached out with one mental finger, nudging the watchful presence in the back of her mind.
Joyū?
My King.
How am I doing?
Your accuracy has improved since last month. So have your speed and stamina.
And you haven’t helped me this whole time?
Not even once.
Joyū answered her silent whoop of triumph with a wave of affectionate amusement, then fell back into silence.
“Stay sharp!” Kantai warned. “You’re not quite good enough to daydream during a fight.”
The jump of his arm muscles was followed a scant second after by his lunge. The tip of the wooden blade twisted in the air as he stabbed at her stomach. It was fast. Too fast for her to parry or dodge. Too low for her to duck under. So that left…
“Hup!” She leapt straight up, tucking her knees into her chest so that his strike passed right below her. Kantai overbalanced as the blade whistled through the air where she’d been just seconds before and . Landing on the part of the shaft just below the spear tilt, Yoko ran up it, forcing him to use his own strength to hold her weight or risk having the pole-arm dragged out of his hands.
His eyes widened as she got in range and leapt at him, feet thudding into his chest with enough force to knock him onto his back. They went down in a tangle of limbs—or rather, Kantai toppled like a tree and grabbed her ankle to drag her with him. Swiftly, to avoid getting pulled to the ground in a grappling match she was sure to lose, she swung her free foot around and kicked his wrist.
Kantai grunted as his grip broke and rolled, knocking her off balance. He planted one foot in her gut and pushed, sending her flying into the air. Ignoring her suddenly very aerial view of the courtyard, she gritted her teeth and arched her arms over her head. As she fell groundward she slapped her palms on the ground and turned it into a controlled flip.
“That’s two out of four matches I’ve won,” she said once she’d gotten her feet back under her. She buffed her nails on her shirt and inspected them in ostentatious boredom. “Want to go again?”
“Actually, the King has some paperwork she needs to finish,” a very familiar voice broke in. “Seeing as how she spent the entire morning practicing with General Kantai, who I’m sure has other important business to attend to.”
Yoko’s shoulders were slumping before she even turned around to face the speaker. “But, Keiki…more court orders?”
With his long blond hair, fierce scowl, and overall state of being more clothed than everyone else in the courtyard, her kirin stood out like a white rose in a wildflower field. “Yes, Your Highness. More court orders. The governor of Mai has kindly lent us her office for the day. Would you want to waste this opportunity?”
“Productive,” she muttered darkly, turning to offer a bow to a smirking Kantai to conclude the match. “The clerks we brought along could finish those orders in a fraction of the time I take, Keiki. You just don’t like seeing me surrounded by sweaty, half-naked soldiers.”
“It is rather inappropriate,” Keiki admitted without batting an eyelash. “But these documents require your personal seal and signature.”
“Feh,” Yoko threw her hands up in disgust and handed her practice sword to a passing servant, nodding in thanks. She turned and started to make her way through he courtyard, her minister following a step behind. “We came to Mei to help with the demon attacks, not to take over Governor Tsuru’s office. We could have easily done this “paperwork” back at Goldenwave Palace.”
Now that their leaders had stopped being interesting, the soldiers were quickly separating into groups in different parts of the training yard. Their movements were organized and swift, but they still paused whatever they were doing to offer deep bows to Keiki and his King as they passed.
He eyed her sidelong as she nodded in acknowledgment. “You have a point, Yoko, but we also could have sent just the King’s Guard to Mai to assist the Governor. There was no requirement that you come in person to assist Kantai.”
She winced. “True, but—“
“Your Highness!” a slim girl wearing just soldier’s breeches and a breast band waved and jogged over to them. Behind her, Yoko could hear Keiki clear his throat at this close-up example of improper nudity.
“Commander Sen!” Yoko smiled warmly at the girl as she clasped her hand in greeting. “It’s wonderful to see you made it to Mai safely. When did you get in?”
Sen gave a theatrical groan. “We got in this morning, Highness. It was horrible—roads all clogged, inns full up…trials and tribulations the whole way! I had to take my squad camping into the mosquito infested night. Horrendous, really. I didn’t get my beauty sleep and was forced to brush my shiny locks using just a horse comb.”
Yoko fought to keep a straight face. “Your sacrifices for Kei will not go unnoticed, then. General Kantai will be especially unsympathetic to your plight.”
“He just does not understand the pain I go through,” Sen replied with equal solemnity. “I bet the mosquitoes don’t even affect him. They bounce off his iron hide.”
*********TO BE CONTINUED
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Date: 2009-09-27 01:57 am (UTC)no subject
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