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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 2497824" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p>This is the first part of what will likely be a four part update. Part Two is almost done as well, pending something gets checked over by dragnfly. Hopefully, it should be up either tommorrow or the day after.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Assault on Liangxiang, Part One</strong></p><p></p><p>Nayu ran a hand over the fine new robes the scholars had given him, the silk and fine wool gently caressing his skin. He’d taken the time to properly put his now half-grown beard and mustache into place. <em>These men might be my future subordinates... I need to make a good impression.</em></p><p></p><p>He looked beside him, and saw with slight bemusement that Felonca’s jaw was working back and forth in irritation, and her ear flicked back and forth in annoyance. She had wanted to go in her normal battle-leathers, but it was Nayu that had explained, then cajoled her into finding a suit of armor of her proper rank of Xiao. Even after she’d taken the great plumed helm off of her head, it was rather apparent that the armor was a strange weight on her thin shoulders.</p><p></p><p>She turned, and flashed him one of her looks, at first sharp, but then fading into something else he didn’t recognize... the same strange look she’d been giving him every now and then since they’d rescued her father.</p><p></p><p><em>No... I saw that look before that,</em> Nayu thought, as Felonca suddenly averted her gaze to straight ahead, her jaw grating back and forth faster now. He thought her dark skin darkened even more, but he wasn’t sure. He closed his eyes and sighed. <em>She’s trying to put off being upset at me... but something else is grating her.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>She’ll tell me when she’s ready,</em> he thought simply, putting aside the thought of perusing her mind out of concern. Likely she’d misinterpret the move, for good reason considering what she’d gone through.</p><p></p><p>Their twin footfalls echoed down the marbled halls of the Imperial Palace, immense statues of great beasts, the spirits of Heaven and Below, lining their path. Nayu refused to allow himself to avert his gaze from his destination... a set of great bronze doors at the end of the hall. As they drew close, the bronze monstrosities creaked then opened.</p><p></p><p>“His Excellency Wakabayashi Nayu and Xiao Wa-Feng Felonca!” one of the attendants called out as the two entered the room. Before them lay a long ornate table, pillows set along the sides, the front, and the rear. At the head of the table sat Felonca’s father, resplendent in freshly cleaned white armor, at the far end, her uncle Dian clad in his blackened armor, his shoulder would newly healed. Clustered all around were the plumed heads of every concievable Imperial commander in the city, as well as the garish hats of Won Wei and several other scholars.</p><p></p><p>Most surprising was the person <em>not</em> seated at the table. To the side, raised higher than the rest by a dais and several pillows, sat the thin form of Emperor Yuandi, the immense silken robes not able to cover his small size. His eyes looked at Nayu, but the sorcerer saw the young boy’s eyes positively light up on seeing Felonca.</p><p></p><p>“I think you’ve made a friend,” Nayu whispered quietly, to which Felonca merely looked at the young boy and gave him an immense smile. The attendants in the room motioned Felonca and Nayu to two empty pillows, close to the front, by her father.</p><p></p><p>“I have called this meeting, of all the chief generals and commanders, to discuss what is to be done about the oncoming force from Langya,” the Emperor said weakly. Even Nayu could see the nervousness in those young eyes. </p><p></p><p>“It has been made apparent to me that you all are the finest commanders we could summon on such short notice,” Yuandi continued, “and I am leaving the salvation of not just my person, or the tomes within these great walls, but also the lives of the hundreds of thousands of my people within this city in your hands.” </p><p></p><p>Nayu’s eyebrows raised... those were not words he would’ve expected from a boy under the influence from a mother like the Empress Dowager... she would’ve filled his head with bombast and prideful words, if only to secure her crumbling position. <em>He speaks for himself...</em> Nayu’s eyes narrowed, as the Emperor went on, urging the generals to find a solution that would save the most people. <em>He cares for his people... his eyes are too deep, they reveal too much of his soul for it to be a lie...</em></p><p></p><p>“I am also aware that two of you present are not generals,” the young eyes looked directly at Felonca, and his face broke into a partial smile before some inner teaching of decorum made the nascent grin fade, “or a part of the Scholars.” His gaze now rested on Nayu, and the sorcerer once again looked into those eyes, and saw earnestness, nervousness, and fear.</p><p></p><p>“Wa-Feng Felonca, and Wakabayashi Nayu, you are here by special Imperial request. Please give them...um...” he stumbled momentarily, sweat beading on his brow. Nayu’s eyes looked over to Felonca, and he saw her nod her head quietly, urging him on. After a moment, the Emperor regained his composure. “Please give them your attention as you would if the Son of Heaven was speaking their words.”</p><p></p><p>Nayu looked back at Felonca, and saw her smile at the boy’s accomplishment, and instantly his mind went to darker, more morose thoughts... thoughts that troubled him the more he looked at the Imperial face.</p><p></p><p><em>When I hadn’t met him, it was easy to blame all of our problems on him... but now that I see how young he is... and how much he cares... I can’t put blame on him anymore. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>And taking the throne from him would mean hurting Felonca...</em> Nayu thought, looking at his friend. The depressing thoughts grew even more. He smiled sadly when she grinned at the young Emperor as he finished his address, and the young boy beamed back at her. <em>I could never do that.</em> </p><p></p><p>He closed his eyes, and felt the cold, hard outline of his father’s seal, still trapped in his pocket. <em>I don’t know what I should do...</em></p><p></p><p>“Your Majesty, sirs,” he heard Felonca begin soon after, and he fought to pay attention. <em>I should listen... </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Should I be the Emperor, Papa?</em> he heard himself whisper quietly in his mind, hoping that somewhere far away, an ancestral spirit would hear the plea. <em>Should I be the Emperor, Papa?</em> he thought again a few moments later, a prayer that repeated again and again as Felonca recited troop numbers, and argued with her uncle and father over whether the city was defensible. Finally, almost a half hour into the meeting, Nayu realized all eyes were staring at him.</p><p></p><p>“Are you alright, Nayu?” Felonca asked him. “I’ve only asked you what you thought five times... and you didn’t respond. Your lips moved, but your eyes were staring someplace else...”</p><p></p><p>“I’m... fine,” Nayu said hastily. <em>I hope I wasn’t mouthing my prayer in the open! I hope no one here can read lips!</em> He glanced around, and only saw curiosity and concern on the faces of the other generals, not outright hostility. That alone put him more at ease.</p><p></p><p>“Um... well, the way I look at it,” Nayu stumbled forward. <em>Think on your feet! Large army approaching a large city, and we have very few soldiers...</em> “We only have a limited number of troops, am I correct?”</p><p></p><p>“With the remains of Quan-Shi’s force, perhaps thirty-thousand or so, half of which are Imperial Guards,” a grizzle old general whose name Nayu had ignored replied. The sorcerer merely nodded, avoiding the name issue altogether.</p><p></p><p>“And the city walls are immense. It is obvious we can’t defend the outer walls, or perhaps even the inner walls, but with that force, coupled with the Scholars, we should be able to defend the inner walls and the Jade City?”</p><p></p><p>“For a while,” Felonca’s father rumbled. “Under the full blast of Prince Hu’s magic, I doubt even the Scholars will prove useful.”</p><p></p><p>“We only need a while,” Nayu replied. “Long enough to get all the arcane tomes out, long enough to make sure the last evacuees are gone, and...” He paused momentarily, indecision in his mind. <em>Do you want to be Emperor, or not, Nayu?</em></p><p></p><p>“...enough time to get the young Emperor out of the city and safely to the north,” Nayu finished his thought, then sighed. “I trust that the Scholars have magical abilities that can aid us in this?” He glanced partway at Felonca, who had the same strange look in her eyes. She didn’t seem to stop him, so he pointed at Won Wei.</p><p></p><p>“Of course we do. We can move objects and even people over great distances with the our arcane powers, if needbe,” Won Wei bowed. “We were already thinking of detailing some scholars to supervise the removal of as many tomes as possible in this manner, while keeping some others prepared and ready to teleport the rest of us, yourselves, and a small number of others out as well.”</p><p></p><p>“Excellent,” Nayu said, his footing more steady now. “Now, there are how many scholars in the city capable of such magic?”</p><p></p><p>“Um... there are thousands of our ranks in the city, likely many of them, to find posting here, have access to such magic in varying degrees,” Won Wei replied. “We also have a few from the War Mages Academy here that can help more directly.”</p><p></p><p>“Nayu...” Felonca’s uncle started, “surely you don’t expect us to win this fight! Why, even if all the scholars in the Empire were here, we likely wouldn’t be able to teleport away the Imperial Court, the army, the arcane tomes, <em>and all the scholars?</em>” Dian looked about, gaining grunts of agreement from the other generals present.</p><p></p><p>“What we’re proposing isn’t to win one battle,” Felonca finally cut in, the strange look gone from her face, “but to survive to fight again, and have a chance at winning this war.”</p><p></p><p>Nayu nodded. “If we flee the city and let Hu capture the arcane tomes, there’s no telling what disasters he’ll be able to wreak. If we let the Emperor and his Court get captured, they can be hostages or worse. And... I will not stand by to watch several hundred thousand be massacred.” He looked about the room, not knowing his eyes were blazing with an Imperial glory of their own, and none of the generals challenged his gaze.</p><p></p><p>“Now... I have an idea...”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“Miss Felonca, if you please?”</p><p></p><p>Felonca turned around and smiled at seeing the Emperor looking at her. <em>He was so nervous speaking to the generals, yet he came through well!</em> As the other commanders left the room, she saw Nayu pause and wait. She waved him on, and watched him leave, feelings of her own welling to the surface momentarily. She pushed them aside, and looked at the young boy eagerly waiting before her.</p><p></p><p>“Yes Your Majesty?” she asked, sitting on the ground below his dais. </p><p></p><p>“You have been a great help to me, Miss Felonca,” the Emperor said haltingly. “But there is one more thing I...um... need you to help with.”</p><p></p><p>“What is that, Your Majesty?”</p><p></p><p>“I want to tell you something, Miss Felonca,” the young boy said. Before she could nod her head, he cut off her assent. “Before you say yes, you have to promise me that no one will hear of what I am about to tell you.”</p><p></p><p><em>What could be so important that the Emperor wants to swear me to secrecy?</em> Felonca thought. Part of her initially thought the young boy was joking around, until she looked into his eyes, the green of his distant tiger-hengeyokai ancestry shining bright and deep with resolve. <em>He really does have a secret then.</em></p><p></p><p>“Your secret will follow me to the grave, Your Majesty,” she bowed. “Though I am curious, Majesty,” she added when she rose, “about what is so important that the daughter of a mere soldier should be the only one told of it?”</p><p></p><p>The Emperor looked around, his eyes darting back and forth for a moment. Once he was sure no one was listening, he leaned close to her.</p><p></p><p>“You are an honest person. Master Won Wei trusts you, and so do I. But Master Won Wei even wants me to do things I do not wish to do. Unlike my mother, he has good reasons behind his wishes, and unless something happens, I shall follow them to the best of my ability for the safety of my people.”</p><p></p><p>“What wishes, Majesty?” Felonca asked guardedly. <em>Please don’t say he wants you to order something dark and foolish...</em></p><p></p><p>The Emperor looked down for a moment, and sighed, before staring at her with those same green eyes. </p><p></p><p>“He wants me to remain on the throne, Miss Felonca,” the Emperor said simply. “A place I no longer wish to hold. I may be young, but I’ve seen what that chair can do to people. It makes them mean, foolish, bitter and hateful.” He stopped again for a moment, as if thinking deeper than his mere decade would allow, before going on. “I would wish I had no part in it.”</p><p></p><p><em>What!?</em> </p><p></p><p>“Please, Miss Felonca, don’t be so stunned,” the Emperor gave a shy, distant smile at her when her jaw dropped to the floor. “An Emperor must be a master of magic, a master of talking with others, and a master of management, and it is quite apparent I am atrocious at the first, barely adequate with the second, and hopeless with the third.”</p><p></p><p>“Majesty, I...” Felonca stammered, before the royal voice plowed on.</p><p></p><p>“I told you before that I wanted to learn swordplay, and to be a soldier. If I were to not be the Emperor, that is what I would become. A soldier. Wouldn’t it be a sight, me leading a band of cavalry into a deadly charge to emerge victorious, like you did?”</p><p></p><p>“Like I did?” <em>Wait...</em> “Majesty, with all due respect, you do not know what you are wishing for!” Part of her mind was surprised at her tone with her superior in station, but the rest of her charged ahead. “You have no idea what happened there! I was almost killed, and so many of my men died...” She stopped her thought, the images of the dead filling her memories again. <em>He knows NOTHING of what happened there! Nothing!</em> </p><p></p><p>“You did something that day that I wish I could do,” the Emperor’s young voice spoke above hers, “You looked something bigger and stronger right in the eye, and then fought it head on!” His bright eyes looked back down towards the ground, dimming with sadness. “If only I had been able to direct myself better...”</p><p></p><p>“You’re a ten year old boy!” Felonca said, forgetting to add the proper royal title. “Your own <em>mother</em> was the one misruling things! How can we expect a ten year old to react differently...”</p><p></p><p>“I am the Emperor, too,” Yuandi said quietly. “I am the living appointee of Heaven’s Will, yet I could not use my own to cow people who harmed my realm.” He looked back up at Felonca, and with his small hands grabbed her own. “When you talked to me, the day the Scholars finally confronted my mother, you showed me that I <em>should have been confronting her!</em> I should have seen she was using me because of my position... I should have used my royal authority more, to appoint Won Wei as my chief advisor sooner, and not listened to my mother and my uncle!” He looked down, and Felonca saw his eyes begin to shimmer with nascent tears. </p><p></p><p>“I shouldn’t be Emperor. I’ve allowed too much to go bad... too many people have been hurt because I did nothing,” the young boy said, his voice cracking from the strain of holding back tears. “I wish I could set it all aside, forget all of it.” Felonca’s heart fell as she watched his small frame given a slight shudder, a tear running down his cheek. </p><p></p><p><em>He’s just realized his own family has used him for his position... only care for him because of that. He feels overwhelmed and alone...</em> she thought. Her mind thought momentarily of someone that could help with this quandary, but for the moment, she saw before her a young boy that needed a simple hug. She wrapped her arms around him, as he started to cry.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 2497824, member: 15043"] This is the first part of what will likely be a four part update. Part Two is almost done as well, pending something gets checked over by dragnfly. Hopefully, it should be up either tommorrow or the day after. [b]The Assault on Liangxiang, Part One[/b] Nayu ran a hand over the fine new robes the scholars had given him, the silk and fine wool gently caressing his skin. He’d taken the time to properly put his now half-grown beard and mustache into place. [i]These men might be my future subordinates... I need to make a good impression.[/i] He looked beside him, and saw with slight bemusement that Felonca’s jaw was working back and forth in irritation, and her ear flicked back and forth in annoyance. She had wanted to go in her normal battle-leathers, but it was Nayu that had explained, then cajoled her into finding a suit of armor of her proper rank of Xiao. Even after she’d taken the great plumed helm off of her head, it was rather apparent that the armor was a strange weight on her thin shoulders. She turned, and flashed him one of her looks, at first sharp, but then fading into something else he didn’t recognize... the same strange look she’d been giving him every now and then since they’d rescued her father. [i]No... I saw that look before that,[/i] Nayu thought, as Felonca suddenly averted her gaze to straight ahead, her jaw grating back and forth faster now. He thought her dark skin darkened even more, but he wasn’t sure. He closed his eyes and sighed. [i]She’s trying to put off being upset at me... but something else is grating her. She’ll tell me when she’s ready,[/i] he thought simply, putting aside the thought of perusing her mind out of concern. Likely she’d misinterpret the move, for good reason considering what she’d gone through. Their twin footfalls echoed down the marbled halls of the Imperial Palace, immense statues of great beasts, the spirits of Heaven and Below, lining their path. Nayu refused to allow himself to avert his gaze from his destination... a set of great bronze doors at the end of the hall. As they drew close, the bronze monstrosities creaked then opened. “His Excellency Wakabayashi Nayu and Xiao Wa-Feng Felonca!” one of the attendants called out as the two entered the room. Before them lay a long ornate table, pillows set along the sides, the front, and the rear. At the head of the table sat Felonca’s father, resplendent in freshly cleaned white armor, at the far end, her uncle Dian clad in his blackened armor, his shoulder would newly healed. Clustered all around were the plumed heads of every concievable Imperial commander in the city, as well as the garish hats of Won Wei and several other scholars. Most surprising was the person [i]not[/i] seated at the table. To the side, raised higher than the rest by a dais and several pillows, sat the thin form of Emperor Yuandi, the immense silken robes not able to cover his small size. His eyes looked at Nayu, but the sorcerer saw the young boy’s eyes positively light up on seeing Felonca. “I think you’ve made a friend,” Nayu whispered quietly, to which Felonca merely looked at the young boy and gave him an immense smile. The attendants in the room motioned Felonca and Nayu to two empty pillows, close to the front, by her father. “I have called this meeting, of all the chief generals and commanders, to discuss what is to be done about the oncoming force from Langya,” the Emperor said weakly. Even Nayu could see the nervousness in those young eyes. “It has been made apparent to me that you all are the finest commanders we could summon on such short notice,” Yuandi continued, “and I am leaving the salvation of not just my person, or the tomes within these great walls, but also the lives of the hundreds of thousands of my people within this city in your hands.” Nayu’s eyebrows raised... those were not words he would’ve expected from a boy under the influence from a mother like the Empress Dowager... she would’ve filled his head with bombast and prideful words, if only to secure her crumbling position. [i]He speaks for himself...[/i] Nayu’s eyes narrowed, as the Emperor went on, urging the generals to find a solution that would save the most people. [i]He cares for his people... his eyes are too deep, they reveal too much of his soul for it to be a lie...[/i] “I am also aware that two of you present are not generals,” the young eyes looked directly at Felonca, and his face broke into a partial smile before some inner teaching of decorum made the nascent grin fade, “or a part of the Scholars.” His gaze now rested on Nayu, and the sorcerer once again looked into those eyes, and saw earnestness, nervousness, and fear. “Wa-Feng Felonca, and Wakabayashi Nayu, you are here by special Imperial request. Please give them...um...” he stumbled momentarily, sweat beading on his brow. Nayu’s eyes looked over to Felonca, and he saw her nod her head quietly, urging him on. After a moment, the Emperor regained his composure. “Please give them your attention as you would if the Son of Heaven was speaking their words.” Nayu looked back at Felonca, and saw her smile at the boy’s accomplishment, and instantly his mind went to darker, more morose thoughts... thoughts that troubled him the more he looked at the Imperial face. [i]When I hadn’t met him, it was easy to blame all of our problems on him... but now that I see how young he is... and how much he cares... I can’t put blame on him anymore. And taking the throne from him would mean hurting Felonca...[/i] Nayu thought, looking at his friend. The depressing thoughts grew even more. He smiled sadly when she grinned at the young Emperor as he finished his address, and the young boy beamed back at her. [i]I could never do that.[/i] He closed his eyes, and felt the cold, hard outline of his father’s seal, still trapped in his pocket. [i]I don’t know what I should do...[/i] “Your Majesty, sirs,” he heard Felonca begin soon after, and he fought to pay attention. [i]I should listen... Should I be the Emperor, Papa?[/i] he heard himself whisper quietly in his mind, hoping that somewhere far away, an ancestral spirit would hear the plea. [i]Should I be the Emperor, Papa?[/i] he thought again a few moments later, a prayer that repeated again and again as Felonca recited troop numbers, and argued with her uncle and father over whether the city was defensible. Finally, almost a half hour into the meeting, Nayu realized all eyes were staring at him. “Are you alright, Nayu?” Felonca asked him. “I’ve only asked you what you thought five times... and you didn’t respond. Your lips moved, but your eyes were staring someplace else...” “I’m... fine,” Nayu said hastily. [i]I hope I wasn’t mouthing my prayer in the open! I hope no one here can read lips![/i] He glanced around, and only saw curiosity and concern on the faces of the other generals, not outright hostility. That alone put him more at ease. “Um... well, the way I look at it,” Nayu stumbled forward. [i]Think on your feet! Large army approaching a large city, and we have very few soldiers...[/i] “We only have a limited number of troops, am I correct?” “With the remains of Quan-Shi’s force, perhaps thirty-thousand or so, half of which are Imperial Guards,” a grizzle old general whose name Nayu had ignored replied. The sorcerer merely nodded, avoiding the name issue altogether. “And the city walls are immense. It is obvious we can’t defend the outer walls, or perhaps even the inner walls, but with that force, coupled with the Scholars, we should be able to defend the inner walls and the Jade City?” “For a while,” Felonca’s father rumbled. “Under the full blast of Prince Hu’s magic, I doubt even the Scholars will prove useful.” “We only need a while,” Nayu replied. “Long enough to get all the arcane tomes out, long enough to make sure the last evacuees are gone, and...” He paused momentarily, indecision in his mind. [i]Do you want to be Emperor, or not, Nayu?[/i] “...enough time to get the young Emperor out of the city and safely to the north,” Nayu finished his thought, then sighed. “I trust that the Scholars have magical abilities that can aid us in this?” He glanced partway at Felonca, who had the same strange look in her eyes. She didn’t seem to stop him, so he pointed at Won Wei. “Of course we do. We can move objects and even people over great distances with the our arcane powers, if needbe,” Won Wei bowed. “We were already thinking of detailing some scholars to supervise the removal of as many tomes as possible in this manner, while keeping some others prepared and ready to teleport the rest of us, yourselves, and a small number of others out as well.” “Excellent,” Nayu said, his footing more steady now. “Now, there are how many scholars in the city capable of such magic?” “Um... there are thousands of our ranks in the city, likely many of them, to find posting here, have access to such magic in varying degrees,” Won Wei replied. “We also have a few from the War Mages Academy here that can help more directly.” “Nayu...” Felonca’s uncle started, “surely you don’t expect us to win this fight! Why, even if all the scholars in the Empire were here, we likely wouldn’t be able to teleport away the Imperial Court, the army, the arcane tomes, [i]and all the scholars?[/i]” Dian looked about, gaining grunts of agreement from the other generals present. “What we’re proposing isn’t to win one battle,” Felonca finally cut in, the strange look gone from her face, “but to survive to fight again, and have a chance at winning this war.” Nayu nodded. “If we flee the city and let Hu capture the arcane tomes, there’s no telling what disasters he’ll be able to wreak. If we let the Emperor and his Court get captured, they can be hostages or worse. And... I will not stand by to watch several hundred thousand be massacred.” He looked about the room, not knowing his eyes were blazing with an Imperial glory of their own, and none of the generals challenged his gaze. “Now... I have an idea...” “Miss Felonca, if you please?” Felonca turned around and smiled at seeing the Emperor looking at her. [i]He was so nervous speaking to the generals, yet he came through well![/i] As the other commanders left the room, she saw Nayu pause and wait. She waved him on, and watched him leave, feelings of her own welling to the surface momentarily. She pushed them aside, and looked at the young boy eagerly waiting before her. “Yes Your Majesty?” she asked, sitting on the ground below his dais. “You have been a great help to me, Miss Felonca,” the Emperor said haltingly. “But there is one more thing I...um... need you to help with.” “What is that, Your Majesty?” “I want to tell you something, Miss Felonca,” the young boy said. Before she could nod her head, he cut off her assent. “Before you say yes, you have to promise me that no one will hear of what I am about to tell you.” [i]What could be so important that the Emperor wants to swear me to secrecy?[/i] Felonca thought. Part of her initially thought the young boy was joking around, until she looked into his eyes, the green of his distant tiger-hengeyokai ancestry shining bright and deep with resolve. [i]He really does have a secret then.[/i] “Your secret will follow me to the grave, Your Majesty,” she bowed. “Though I am curious, Majesty,” she added when she rose, “about what is so important that the daughter of a mere soldier should be the only one told of it?” The Emperor looked around, his eyes darting back and forth for a moment. Once he was sure no one was listening, he leaned close to her. “You are an honest person. Master Won Wei trusts you, and so do I. But Master Won Wei even wants me to do things I do not wish to do. Unlike my mother, he has good reasons behind his wishes, and unless something happens, I shall follow them to the best of my ability for the safety of my people.” “What wishes, Majesty?” Felonca asked guardedly. [i]Please don’t say he wants you to order something dark and foolish...[/i] The Emperor looked down for a moment, and sighed, before staring at her with those same green eyes. “He wants me to remain on the throne, Miss Felonca,” the Emperor said simply. “A place I no longer wish to hold. I may be young, but I’ve seen what that chair can do to people. It makes them mean, foolish, bitter and hateful.” He stopped again for a moment, as if thinking deeper than his mere decade would allow, before going on. “I would wish I had no part in it.” [i]What!?[/i] “Please, Miss Felonca, don’t be so stunned,” the Emperor gave a shy, distant smile at her when her jaw dropped to the floor. “An Emperor must be a master of magic, a master of talking with others, and a master of management, and it is quite apparent I am atrocious at the first, barely adequate with the second, and hopeless with the third.” “Majesty, I...” Felonca stammered, before the royal voice plowed on. “I told you before that I wanted to learn swordplay, and to be a soldier. If I were to not be the Emperor, that is what I would become. A soldier. Wouldn’t it be a sight, me leading a band of cavalry into a deadly charge to emerge victorious, like you did?” “Like I did?” [i]Wait...[/i] “Majesty, with all due respect, you do not know what you are wishing for!” Part of her mind was surprised at her tone with her superior in station, but the rest of her charged ahead. “You have no idea what happened there! I was almost killed, and so many of my men died...” She stopped her thought, the images of the dead filling her memories again. [i]He knows NOTHING of what happened there! Nothing![/i] “You did something that day that I wish I could do,” the Emperor’s young voice spoke above hers, “You looked something bigger and stronger right in the eye, and then fought it head on!” His bright eyes looked back down towards the ground, dimming with sadness. “If only I had been able to direct myself better...” “You’re a ten year old boy!” Felonca said, forgetting to add the proper royal title. “Your own [i]mother[/i] was the one misruling things! How can we expect a ten year old to react differently...” “I am the Emperor, too,” Yuandi said quietly. “I am the living appointee of Heaven’s Will, yet I could not use my own to cow people who harmed my realm.” He looked back up at Felonca, and with his small hands grabbed her own. “When you talked to me, the day the Scholars finally confronted my mother, you showed me that I [i]should have been confronting her![/i] I should have seen she was using me because of my position... I should have used my royal authority more, to appoint Won Wei as my chief advisor sooner, and not listened to my mother and my uncle!” He looked down, and Felonca saw his eyes begin to shimmer with nascent tears. “I shouldn’t be Emperor. I’ve allowed too much to go bad... too many people have been hurt because I did nothing,” the young boy said, his voice cracking from the strain of holding back tears. “I wish I could set it all aside, forget all of it.” Felonca’s heart fell as she watched his small frame given a slight shudder, a tear running down his cheek. [i]He’s just realized his own family has used him for his position... only care for him because of that. He feels overwhelmed and alone...[/i] she thought. Her mind thought momentarily of someone that could help with this quandary, but for the moment, she saw before her a young boy that needed a simple hug. She wrapped her arms around him, as he started to cry. [/QUOTE]
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The Celestial Empire (Romance of the Three Kingdoms-ish, Updated 12/09/05)
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