�I mean it, Kojishi.� The Queen�s voice was sharp. �You are not to go out of the palace today. It is not safe.�

�Why?� asked Kojishi, suddenly curious. �I thought the war was restricted to the Lamarke district�?�

�We�ve been over this, Kojishi,� said her mother, sounding clipped. �They have spies.�

�Where?� demanded Kojishi, although she was only trying to irritate her mother. It was not a very difficult task. Her mother was easy to annoy, and Kojishi had nothing else to do.

�I don�t know,� said the Queen, snappishly. �But I do know that if you endeavor to leave the Palace today, you will be putting yourself in danger.�

The door shut smartly behind the Queen as she swept out of the room, leaving Kojishi to glare unhappily at it. Kojishi could not see any danger. None at all, really. As a princess, she was supposed to know less of state affairs and more of the household. She fulfilled the former requirement just as well as she did not the latter. The danger, which was apparent to everyone else, was quite obscure to the Princess. Kojishi was already bored, and the idea of spending another day in the Palace was infuriating. Yes, the day before she had not even wanted to leave. But now that there was no chance of her father letting her fight and defend the country, Kojishi was eager to leave. That would, in the very least, be a bit more interesting than being shut up here.

Abruptly, she stood up, and marched to the door determinedly. She would do something alright. There was no way she would allow herself to suffer one more day of boredom. Everyday was important... there was a lot to do, and a lot to learn, and Kojishi would do it whether her mother liked it or not. In this decided mood, she opened the door rather violently, and stopped short, staring in disbelief.

�A guard!?� she shrieked, a moment later. �She put guard on my door?! How could she!!�

The guard in question looked utterly uncomfortable. He had started to explain how the Queen had thought it would be good for the princess�s safety if she had a guard, but he never really got around to the safety bit. All it took was the mention of the Queen, and the princess was shrieking in a way that made the poor man feel very, very awkward.

�Er�� he said, and then decided to shut up, for the princess seemed to be on a roll. How could anyone speak quite so much in a time span of less than a minute?

�Unbelievable! She thinks I can�t take care of myself. I�ll show her! How could she? This is just atrocious. And WHY are looking at me?�

The guard quickly lowered his eyes, quite deciding that he would much rather go and face the Tzorkian soldiers in Lamarke than this glowering princess. Haughty, moody, and completely annoyed, Kojishi looked particularly frightening at the moment.

�Are you SCARED of me?!� demanded the princess, as he lowered his eyes, and the guard quickly looked up again. �Goodness, what sort of guard are you, really, if you�re scared of a princess!�

And she stomped off, muttering angrily under her breath. The guard caught a few words, mostly foul, and followed her in silence, quite taken aback. Kojishi could come on quite strong and scare the wits out of people when she wanted to. He was very much in favour of going out and facing the spiteful wind and harsh rain, but his duty was here, in the Palace, protecting the princess. Whether he liked it or not.

�WHY,� said the princess, suddenly rounding on the poor man, �are you FOLLOWING me?!�

It took the soldier a moment to be able to speak, because the princess looked particularly murderous at the moment. �I... ah... well, that is to say...�

Kojishi sighed, rolled her eyes, and turned around, stomping off once more. �Fool!� she declared, and the guard found he was too relieved to actually feel aggrieved.

The eyes watching the forest through the torrent of rain grew wide. Somehow, the boy had thought that merely telling someone of what he had most definitely seen would solve all problems. The reassurance that a member of the royal family knew had let him sleep somewhat peacefully. As peacefully as one can, in the very least, with the knowledge that there were, in the forest next to one�s not so sturdy abode, a whole large group of soldiers from another country. What Kazu now saw ruined that minor peace he had acquired.

Someone, he thought, furiously, had better have an explanation.

A good explanation.

A satisfying explanation.

In annoyance � which was just some very well disguised fear � Kazu pulled a thinning rug over his skinny shoulders, and, ignoring Hana�s questions, left the little hut. Not even the storm was big enough to stop a man on a mission, he told himself. Man on a Mission... that sounded rather grand for someone who knew precisely nothing about how he was going to demand that good, satisfying explanation.

Nevertheless, an hour later he stood within the castle, not entirely sure where, but inside nonetheless. Being a pickpocket of the first order had its pros and cons and being able to get into large castles without being noticed was one of the former. Not knowing the first things about castles was one of the latter. He might have smelt like muck and other disgusting things which an author does not like to mention, but he was in. It was a matter of triumph.

However, as Kazu looked up and down the winding corridor � the lack of windows and the fact that he could actually hear water telling him that this was a part of the dungeons � he had to admit that, in or no, he was undeniably and utterly lost.

What, he wondered, was the best way to get to the prince�s chambers?

Hmmm...

A minute or two later...

�Excuse me,� said Kazu, politely, to the first guard he came across, �I was wondering if you would please kindly direct me to his Highness the Prince�s quarters. I would like to talk to him about a certain group of soldiers hiding in our forests.�

Bruised and battered or no, Kazu thought, in another five minutes� time, he was in. In the Prince�s room. Chained, bruised, hurt, bleeding a bit, but in all the same.

The lady watched the child as he walked around the bed that had been his father�s, haunted and lost. The look on the boy�s face was one of confusion, as though the entire concept of death had not grasped him yet. He did not understand how one moment, someone could be alive, and the next, just gone. It was odd, and the lady had to admit that in the boy�s na�ve confusion was some justification. Death was not something many people understood. But she comforted herself by deciding, in a determined manner, that the boy, and the soon-to-be King of Tzorke, would understand. One day, he would understand.

The boy�s large, dark eyes turned to her, and she turned away, unable to look into that abyss of utter perplexity. He was looking to her, she whom he had known as a guide and teacher, for an answer. Every time that he had done this, she had provided him with suitable information. Now, she had no words to explain. In her head, it sounded utterly strange, her trying to explain to a five-year-old boy what death was.

Death, she would say, is a part of the natural order of things. Everyone who is born must die. Every man, woman, child, bird, flower... everything that has a beginning has an end. It is ordained.

Upon understanding, after a long explanation, what �ordained� means, the boy would look to her with the dark, curious eyes, and ask if he too would one day die.

And she would hide her face and weep, because try as she may to not let herself love, she could not help herself. Years of bringing up children like her brothers and sisters, had brought her to an age and a point where she was alone, unmarried, and had no children. She now brought up one child, and he was like her own. With no mother and, now, no father, he fit into the picture conveniently, and the two of them together formed the perfect couple for a melodramatic tale of familial love and finding peace in bonds which were beyond love.

Life, however, the lady knew, was no fairy tale.

One day, she would be able to explain that to the boy, who now stood looking, aghast, at the empty bed in which his father had slept, the most pitiable sight she had ever seen. And perhaps someday, he would understand.

And on this thought, she rested all her hopes, and wondered, as the tall commander came into the room, if the boy would ever be able to understand this as well.

�What on earth�?�

Kin looked, eyes wide, at the boy now sprawling on the marble white floor of his room. Aside from smelling preposterously horrible, and being unbelievably dirty, the boy was clearly hurt. Kin was not used to seeing such sights, and was utterly taken aback. The book in his hand fell to the floor, and he looked questioningly at the large, but not too bring-looking, soldier who had brought him in.

�He wanted to see you, milord,� said the soldier, in a gruff, direct manner. �Said he had something to talk to you about.�

Kin could only stare. �But why,� he said, a moment later, �is he so beaten up.�

�He was being polite.� This, it seemed to the soldier, explained everything. Kazu, somehow, did not catch his drift.

�Polite?� asked Kin, looking keenly at the man.

�Yes� rude like,� said the soldier, by way of explanation.

�Rude like polite�?�

�Yeh,� nodded the guard, enthusiastically

�Ah,� said Kin, not understanding at all, and was about to say something more, when the dirty boy spoke up.

�It doesn�t matter,� he said, abruptly. �I need to ask you about the soldiers�?�

Kin, who had not managed to recognize the boy through the muck and grime, could only say, �What soldiers?�

�You know,� said the boy, frowning, which, mainly because of the dirt, made him look like an underfed monkey who had just bathed in a mud puddle (the good prince was not prone to thinking in extreme terms), �the soldiers in the forest I told you about yesterday? The ones who�re still there??�

Kin stared. It took him a good minute to realize that this boy was the same from yesterday. And another to receive the full impact of what he had said. The cold returned, and outside, lightning struck, burning down another tree of na�ve hope. �Leave us,� said the Prince, to the soldier, leaving, in his tone, no room for argument. As the door closed, Kin swallowed. �Get up,� he told the boy, and pointed towards a cushion. �Sit.�

Looking somewhat overwhelmed, the grubby boy sat down. �Er��

�Soldiers in the forest,� said Kin, by way of opening the conversation which was about to take place.

�Yes,� said the boy, �still there.�

Kin felt his hands go cold. It was not a pleasant feeling. A sick churning, a terrible fear... all of which he controlled before the boy. No subject of his was going to see him tremble. It would not do at all. But he could not stop himself from paling.

�Why didn�t you send troops?� asked the boy, in a tad gentler tone, as though he had noted the prince�s pallor and was going easy on him.

�We sent a spy,� said Kin, and took a step in the general direction of the window. �He found no one.�

�Impossible. I saw several moving figured. I was there...!�

�I know,� said the prince, and said nothing beyond. There was little to be said. The silence that hung between them spoke of odd camaraderie, as though each understood. The boy seemed to see this as well and said nothing.

Thunder rolled in the distance, as the door banged opened and in walked the princess of Lajandra, stating in her clear tones, �Kin! Tell this man to stop following me around!� She stopped, abruptly, eyes on the dirty beggar boy. �Kazu?� she said, stunned, and then, missing the point a bit, �Why are you so dirty?�

�Good morning, your highness.�

Blank silence. Then, �Good morning.�

Older eyes bore into younger ones. Neither would look away.

�You are king now, Baiko.�

The young boy looked taken aback. �My father...�

�Is gone.�

�Gone�?� Aghast.

The lady stood up abruptly, and walked out of the room. No one stopped her.

�Gone.� Confirmation of the worst.

Hesitantly, ��dead?�

A small span of silence. Then, �Yes.�

The silence grew heavier as the child just stared. �Oh,� he said, finally.

More silence persisted. �I will leave you now.�

And the commander walked out of the room, leaving behind a wide-eyed shell of a boy.

It was, in Kin�s opinion, rather strange that Kojishi had noted how dirty the beggar boy � whose name, as it turned out, was Kazu � before she realized that there was a beggar boy in Kin�s room.

Kojishi found it interesting that Kin was more mystified by her noticing the dirt on Kazu more than by the fact that she knew a beggar boy at all.

In Kojishi�s defense, Kazu was really very dirty.

In Kin�s defense, Kojishi being acquainted with a beggar boy, dirty or otherwise, was not specifically surprising.

To return to the matter at hand, Kojishi�s question was followed by an exclamation from Kazu. �Kojishi!?�

Explanations ensued. Yes, Kojishi was a princess. No, she wasn�t adopted. Yes, Kazu had made his way into the castle through the sewers. He wouldn�t have needed to do it if Kin had done his duty in the first place. Oh, so Kin had neglected a duty? Yes, Kin had neglected a duty.

Subsequent glaring and raised eyebrows compelled Kin to defend himself. �I did not neglect a duty. I told father of the soldiers. Gushiken reported that there were no soldiers.�

�But there are!� said Kazu, looking at Kojishi pleadingly, as though he was certain she would believe him, even if Kin wouldn�t.

�There couldn�t be,� said Kin, although every bit of him disagreed.

Kojishi frowned. A princess brought up in a sheltered manner, no matter how adventurous, was unlikely to want to break out of the protected shell and explore alternatives such as the one Kazu implied next. �Gushiken said there weren�t.�

�I saw them, Kojishi,� said Kazu, emphatically, and Kojishi stared at him disbelievingly. �I saw them in the forest.�

�But��

Neither royal child had anything to say to this.

�Maybe,� began Kojishi, in the sort of voice that made Kin nervous.

�No,� he said, before Kojishi could even proceed.

�But I haven�t even...�

�I know what you�re going to say, Kojishi, and no.�

�No?� said Kazu, raising an eyebrow, very unclear as to what was going on.

�No,� affirmed Kin.

�Oh, come on, Kin!� said Kojishi.

�No! I don�t care what you say Kojishi, we are NOT going to the forest by ourselves!!�

�Kin�!� said Kojishi in a placating tone.

�NO!� declared Kin. �You�re MAD! We are NOT going, and that�s FINAL!�

So, naturally, they went.

The soldier would never fully comprehend how it was that he got mixed up in what followed. Even to him, he who was meant to carry out instructions of any nature from commanders and the King, he who was meant to be able to penetrate castle walls and rage war against all foes and what not, even to him the idea seemed impossible.

For a while, it seemed that the prince would not agree to be a part of such foolery. Kojishi tried to convince Kin that this was perfectly normal, that anyone in their situation would have done the same, and it was the most logical thing to so. This, of course, made no impression Kin, and the soldier felt reassured. Kazu pleaded. Kojishi whined. Kin was still quite adamant. However, the moment Kojishi threatened to go off alone, his reassurance was shattered. He knew that no man in Lajandra ever let a woman go off alone to face danger. Mostly they weren�t compelled to make such a decision, but when faced with such circumstances, they were chivalrous. That had done it, in the soldier�s humble opinion.

However, the princess went on to emphasize on the fact that they would not be utterly alone, seeing as the Kojishi�s shadow guard � it took him a while to relate himself with the designation � was going with them. This convinced Kazu that the entire scheme was not entirely harebrained and insane, and pushed the poor soldier to the very pits of discomfort.

But all he could say was, �Is... er... is that me?�

�Yes!� snapped Kojishi, who did not appreciate having her elation at having convinced her brother to come along disturbed.

�Ah,� said the soldier. �Only... how, precisely do we plan to execute such a tactic?�

This did not, as the soldier had, indeed, hoped for, bring down Kojishi�s spirits or unconvinced the prince. Even the beggar boy seemed to be confident.

�That,� said Kojishi, smiling for the first time at him, �is easy.�

A good hour later found them outside the walls of the castle, an odd group of a boy who carried himself with feminine grace and dignity, a girl whose hair blew about her head wildly, a soldier with the stiffest of demeanors, and a filthy, smelly beggar boy. No one questioned their oddity, although they were gawked at thoroughly. The soldier was utterly taken aback, having been lead through winding passages and holes in walls he�d never known existed. The princess�s knowledge of the palace was impressive, even if it was somewhat thief-like and perhaps a little disconcerting.

The prince did not seem to notice the people staring at him, though Kazu and the soldier did, and found themselves very, very uncomfortable. Kojishi managed to ignore that as she purposefully strode up the street, turning every now and then. Kin was suddenly glad of his sister�s knowledge, for he knew exactly nothing, and being lost in his own capital city would be embarrassing. It struck him, suddenly, that he, as crowned prince, or whatever, knew very little about his country. He was not even entirely sure where he was going right now. The twists and turns were confusing, and by the time they landed up in front of the forest, Kin was quite bewildered.

�Alright then,� said Kojishi, all efficiently, �what now?�

�Er... we go in?� asked Kin, apprehensively, for it seemed like the thing to do.

�Yes, but under what pretext?�

�Pretext...?�

�My dear Kin, we cannot just walk into the forest without seeming like we have some business there, can we?�

�We�re picking berries,� said Kazu, and then raised his eyebrows as they all looked at him. �For soup,� he clarified.

�There are no berries in the forest,� said Kin, matter-of-factly.

�Mushrooms, then,� said Kojishi, settling the matter with a wave of her hand.

�I don�t think those are very edible,� Kin informed her.

�Do you think it matters, really, Kin?� demanded Kojishi, hotly.

�Well, if you�re going to have an excuse, make it a valid one.�

�I don�t really think...� began Kazu, but Kojishi was speaking already, and for the first of many times to come, Kazu shut his mouth and let the pointless bantering proceed.

�What a perfect time you pick, Kin,� said Kojishi, in a voice that was meant to be cold and condescending, but came out somewhat high and pitchy, �to be a perfect ar...�

�Princess!!�

Kojishi stopped, shocked at being yelled at by someone other than her mother, and turned to look at the soldier, who almost quailed under her gaze, but managed to summon some of the courage he was going to employ in the battlefield when faces with spears and arrows and big, evil men, and said, in more respectful tones, that as it was, after all, his binding duty to protect her from any harm that may come to her, perhaps it would be better for the her brother and her to remain outside, while the filthy beggar boy (Kazu glowered) and him went into the forest and checked for signs of danger.

�But...� began Kojishi, but Kin interrupted, knowing what she was about to say. Her inclination towards adventure caused her to be on the verge of toppling at all times, like this one. While she wanted to go with them desperately, the urge to be in the thick of things strong in her, Kin, in his opinion and in the opinions of a great any besides, had his head screwed on right, and sensed danger besides the obvious. The capture of a member of the royal family would put the country in more trouble.

�Yes,� said Kin, before Kojishi could object, �that would be a suitable plan of action at this juncture.�

�But...�

�Good luck,� said Kin, firmly, and argued Kojishi down as the other two left, the soldier looking highly important and Kazu somewhat grumpy.

The young prince of Tzorke stood for an age before the empty bed upon which his father had breathed his last, simply staring. The boy had been protected, given everything he�d ever wanted. He belonged to a time in which all wars had ceased. Everything in life had been lovely. Even though his mother had passed away during childbirth, he�d never felt her absence. After all, he had never known her, and Lady Kumiko had brought him up well. He had never needed anything, and thus, couldn�t identify this sudden ache inside him. It was like he needed something, something he could not have. There was an emptiness inside the boy who had never wanted anything in his life, short though it had been, and it made him feel hollow, unsure of how to react, lost and unhappy.

For how long he stood there was anyone�s guess. He only moved an hour or two later, when his knees began to hurt, and that was only to sit down on the floor, where he sat for another hour, until Lady Kumiko came to get him for his afternoon rest. And he clung to her, as she picked him up and carried him to his room. Right now, he was no prince. He did not feel like someone who was going to become king tomorrow. Right now, he was just another boy, just another five-year-old who had lost someone he loved very much and did not know how to get him back.

�Commander Ajibana said I will become king tomorrow,� he said, as Lady Kumiko carried him into his room. The woman was startled. She had thought he was asleep, for the boy was uncharacteristically still and quiet.

�Yes, you will,� she replied. There was no use beating about the bush with this boy, ever. He didn�t understand hints, he didn�t read into metaphors, and he viewed life with simplicity. Given that he was five, he could not be blamed, but the lady had a feeling that this desire and ability to simplify life would remain with him for years and years to come. And she envied that in him. Blessed were those few who could look at matters without complicating them. Everything could have so many meanings that many got caught in the various possibilities, without holding onto the reality of life, harsh or not. Baiko could do that, and while, perhaps, as a king, this would not be an asset, as a person it would grant him peace of mind and the ability to sleep peacefully at nights.

�I don�t know what to do,� said the boy, his dark eyes looking at her directly. Thankfully, this was not a question she did not have an answer to.

�You don�t have to do anything just yet,� she assured him, as they entered his room.

�But my father did. And he was King.�

�Your father was older, Baiko,� said Kumiko, putting him down, so he could clamber into bed. �You�re five. You don�t have to take decisions till you are ready.�

�When will I be ready?� asked the prince, not moving.

�When you�re older,� said Kumiko, pulling the covers back. �Now climb into bed.�

�When I�m older,� repeated the boy, considering. �Is that when I�ll die?�

Kumiko stopped adjusting the pillows abruptly. �No,� she said, after a moment. �You won�t die for a very long time.�

�But I will die?� asked Baiko, sounding more curious than apprehensive.

Kumiko didn�t see the point in lying to a child. �Yes,� she said, and, as though compelled, by the nature of the subject, to do so, elaborated. �Every beginning has an end. No one lives forever.�

Baiko nodded, and climbed into bed. Kumiko tucked him in. The procedure was routinely and neither spoke. The conversation was over. �Good night,� said Kumiko, drawing the curtains and opening the door to leave.

�Good afternoon,� emphasized Baiko, logically.

Kumiko nodded, and smiled slightly. �Yes,� she said, and the door closed behind her.

The boy closed his eyes and went to sleep.

�Ugh,� said Kin.

�Be quiet. I�m tired.�

�Yes,� agreed Kin, �but ugh, nonetheless. Mother�s not going to be too pleased.�

Kojishi had just sat herself down upon a patch of particularly wet ground. The mud seeped through her clothes, dirtying them terribly. While this was of no concern to Kojishi, who disliked bathing, was not particularly fussy about cleanliness and did not feel incapable of proceeding without a bath, it bothered Kin very much, who was quite the opposite of the princess when it came to such matters.

�Actually, mother hates this garb,� argued Kojishi, lightly, �so she will be very pleased.�

�I don�t understand how you can...�

�It�s nice and cool,� said Kojishi, bluntly, cutting him off. �Why don�t you try it?�

�Because I am a self-respecting individual.�

�And you love your clothes.�

�Of course not...�

�Girl.�

�Shut up!�

�Girly girl.�

The pleasant banter came to an end rather abruptly, as a loud yell from a nearby hut shattered the lazy afternoon silence. Kojishi bolted up, Kin forgot to comment on the now muddy and somewhat wet backside of his sister�s clothes, and a tiny bundle with a mass of black hair atop its head came running out of the shack, at the speed of a small pony, and headed straight for Kojishi�s legs.

Clinging to the princess�s legs, it said, �NEECHAN!!� in an elated tone, which baffled Kin and made Kojishi grin in a most un-princess-like manner.

�Hana!!� she said, and picked the girl up, swinging her around twice before banging into her brother hard. All three of them fell to the ground, where they lay still for a moment before Kojishi remembered her manners, and said, �Kin, this is Hana. Hana, meet Kin, my brother.�

And Hana, in a very �Hana� way, put her arms around Kin�s neck and cried, �NIICHAN!!� in an earsplitting tone which Kin simply had to smile at.

Hana�s presence closed the rift.

There were some issues upon which the twins were divided, such as sitting in a mud puddle. However, they shared views on several other, more subtle, and probably more important, things. In moments when they were people and not royalty, they were quite alike. They fit into roles, which they did not have to play, roles that came naturally to them, and were complete as a duo. They were brother and sister, not the to-be-rulers of the country. Few ever got to see this side of them, so forced were they to operate within an assigned sphere of thoughts and actions.

Right now, they played. Sure, they were waiting for news. Sure, war might have come knocking on their doors. Sure, they were probably all going to die. But it didn�t matter in that moment, and somehow, both Kin and Kojishi understood that. So they played with Hana, Kojishi teasing her lightly, and Kin protecting her from the mockery, the hideousness that Kojishi inevitably brought into her games. He had been too tormented by the ugly faces she made to want to inflict such torture upon a little girl, no matter how annoyingly pitchy her voice was.

Kojishi was the assailant � or the Evil Monster of Doom as she preferred to call herself � and Kin suddenly became the protector, the Defender of All That Was Good in the World. Hana was the Lost Princess, the one who needed to be defended from the Evil Monster of Doom. The Evil Monster of Doom chased after the Lost Princess, making terrible faces, ridiculous noises, and splashing the Defender of All That Was Good in the World with a considerable amount of dirty, muddy water, upon which the latter squeaked and the Lost Princess had to come to his rescue.

The war raged on, as the Lost Princess and the Evil Monster of Doom pelted each other with mud and small stones. The Defender of All That Was Good in the World ducked out of the way and did his bit by shouting encouraging things to the Lost Princess, and the Lost Princess threw more mud at the Evil Monster of Doom, who stumbled and fell. And the world was then safe.

But the Lost Princess was not done. She went and launched herself on the Evil Monster of Doom and round and round they rolled, gently pummeling each other, squealing and laughing and giggling...

�Are we disturbing you?�

A slightly breathless and very amused voice made the two of them look up. Kin had already straightened his clothes and was looking very serious and grown-up, which made it all the more obvious that he had been a part of what he would, if asked, call �this juvenile behavior�.

�Kazu!� said Kojishi, and sat up, wiping her forehead free of strands of hair in an attempt to look more serious, which didn�t actually work, seeing as she ended up streaking the upper half of her face with mud. �What ... news?�

Kazu turned to the soldier, who was standing a little behind him, looking shocked. Whether this was from the sight of the princess rolling around on the dirty ground with a four-year-old or from what he had seen was unclear. �Tell them,� said Kazu, in a somewhat triumphant tone.

�There are soldiers in the forest,� said the man, gruffly. �Definitely not ours.�

Kazu nodded. �I told you so,� he said, looking accusatorily at Kin.

�Yes, you did,� said Kin, whose eyes were, however, on Kojishi, to see if she could tell what this meant.

�But Gushiken said he checked,� she said, soberly. Mud-covered or no, the implication was not lost on her. �He� oh, dear.�

�Yes,� agreed Kin, and bit his lip. �Oh, dear.�

They raced back, as overhead, the clouds began to gather once again. Their father had to be told of this. They were quite prepared to burst into the throne room and scream it out. Never did it cross their minds that their father would not believe them, because their father always believed them. He was not one to doubt his own kin, because he trusted them to have enough reason and good judgment to be able to make an accusation of the magnitude they were about to make.

And to be fair, had their father been in the throne room when they burst in, had he been anywhere around, even, anywhere at all in the Palace, he would have believed them.

But a shock awaited them as they raced back to the Palace to tell their father what they had discovered, for all that awaited them in the throne room was their mother, who was sitting on her own throne, talking quietly and seriously to her oldest serving woman.

�Traitor!!� blurted out Kojishi, as soon as she entered the room, without actually looking around the room to check for Gushiken. Kin followed her closely with the soldier. Kazu had refused to come, saying that he was going to take his father and his sister and leave the Capital in the opposite direction, towards the mountains. Kojishi had embraced him and Hana, and wished them luck in a very calm manner. All of which seemed to have evaporated at the moment. �Where is that lying traitor!?�

Kin would have asked her to take a moment to consider that if a traitor was also a liar, then what precisely did the phrase �lying traitor� imply? But now was, obviously, not the time. However, Kin showed more foresight and looked around the room, noting before he said anything at all that his father was missing. �Where�s my father?� he asked, a question which made Kojishi look around too, and come to the rather startling, defeating conclusion that her father was not there.

Nor, it appeared, was the lying traitor in question.

�Kojishi!� said her mother, missing the point entirely. �You�re filthy!�

�Yes, mother, I know,� agreed Kojishi, congenially, seeing no point in arguing.

�How on earth did you get this way?� demanded the Queen, rather pale with rage. �What have you been doing?�

�Sitting in a mud puddle, mother,� replied Kojishi, and Kin made an impatient noise. �And there are...�

�Where is father, mother?� asked the young prince, looking at his mother questioningly, hand suddenly very tight on Kojishi�s arm.

The Queen seemed to have to deliberately look away from Kojishi before she could answer. �He has gone.�

�What?� demanded Kojishi, shocked.

�Where?� asked Kin, in a more controlled manner.

�To Lamarke,� said the Queen, delivering this bit of news rather unceremoniously. �The war had begun.�

�What?�

�The war has begun, Kojishi,� said the Queen, but this was not what was troubling either Kojishi or Kin.

�And I suppose,� said Kin, slowly, as Kojishi went considerably pale, �that Gushiken went with him...?�

�Of course!� said his mother. �You cannot expect a King to travel without his principal advisor.� Then, taking a look at their faces, she said, �He left a few hours ago... we looked for you, but you seemed to have more important things to do.�

Kojishi opened her mouth to object, but Kin shook his head. �Mother, we�ll go and change now,� he said, before his sister could say anything.

�But...�

�Come on, Kojishi,� he said, looking at the impatient girl meaningfully. The princess looked at him with mistrust, and shook his head, and began to argue again, but he took her firmly by the wrist and led her out of the throne room.

�What are you DOING?� Kojishi demanded, enraged, as Kin led her down the corridor, hand still gripping her arm. �We have to TELL mother!�

�No,� said Kin, very pale, and his hand on her arm, Kojishi realized, was horribly cold, �we can�t. She would not believe us, and would worry pointlessly.�

�But...!�

�We need,� said Kin, with a firmness that took Kojishi aback a bit, �to send a messenger the father. Gushiken�s with him and... and he should know.�

�I�ll go,� said Kojishi, immediately. �I can ride fast, Kin. Let me go.�

�No.� The prince�s voice was suddenly very firm and mature. �You have to stay and leave with mother tonight.�

�No!� objected Kojishi, shaking her head. �You can�t make me go, Kin! I am not leaving!!�

�Kojishi!!� cried Kin, and shocked them both by raising his voice. �I mean,� he said, in a forcibly restrained tone, �you have to go, Kojishi. Think about it, idiot,� and his voice broke a little here, sounding somewhat affectionate. �The soldiers are here, in the forests. The King has gone to Lamarke with the bulk of the army. They�re going to attack any time now, Kojishi. You have to leave with mother. She won�t leave without you, and we need to get her to safety.�

From the beginning of this little speech to the end, Kojishi just stared at her brother, eyes wide with mingled shock, disbelief, disinclination, and a number of other mostly negative things. And she continued to look at him for a while, before closing her mouth abruptly, and nodding. �Alright.� She did not ask him whether he was coming, for she knew he was not. There was something deeper than just desire involved in this. Something along the lines of duty, and doing all it took to fulfill it, and Kojishi, somehow, despite every attempt to stretch the limited boundaries of her freedom, understood this, and did not want to make it any harder for him than it already was.

�Good,� said Kin, and they stood there for a moment, wherein they felt the kinship they�d never actually given thought to. Then, �We should send that messenger.�

�Yes, we should,� agreed Kojishi, and the two of them made their way to the stables.

Overhead, lightning struck, making arcs of fire in the sky that vanished as they appeared, and once more, Lajandra fell victim to the inevitable, stormy assault of nature�s fury.