82nd Journey
[Assignment: History in the Kingdom of Kei | Continued]
HISTORY
For Keiki
After two decades from Tatsu-Ou's passing, the Kirin selected a new ruler. She was an older woman, past her sixties, called Koukei. Koukei did not possess any special political training or high education, her family were blacksmiths, like her husband used to be. A year before she was chosen, she had lost her spouse and one of their children in a youma attack. Some claimed that, even though she had no grasp in the palace intrigue, her commanding presence was feared as well as her temper. It had been speculated by several scholars that, if tragedy would not have touched her in the beginning of her reign, she could have been a good queen.
The yellow of Tatsu-Ou's imperial color was replaced by a shade of grey. In her first royal rescript, Koukei dismissed most of the old Court, boldly removed their names from the register of the immortals under the accusation of neglectful attitude in several provinces when the kingdom was in decline. She was a woman set into her ways, taking revenge for any personal transgressions, but kind and fair to the poor people suffering, reducing their taxes to 5%. She could only reach the fifty year mark in her reign with her inability to listen to any advice but her own and to disobey formal proceedings doomed her. Shitsudou killed Keiki and Koukei died after two months. She was posthumously called Sei-Ou, the Tremendous-King.
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[Audio]
Huh. I got one of my answers about death and the City in a way I wasn't looking for. I guess if an animal dies, they won't come back as people do. Even if you wait forty-eight hours, they stay dead. They are gone. Gone for good.
But I didn't reach any decision, in the end. I was afraid of taking a choice or have him give me an answer if it was possible. Maybe I could extract a lesson about mistaking indecision for patience to make me feel better. But I don't want to, not yet. Because I'm not sure if that's the lesson his death brought. I really don't know anything.
Perhaps this is all about how hurts losing someone and how irreplaceable every life is. I shouldn't have taken his for granted.
[Pause]
Happy birthday, Raku-kun. You were the best pet rat a girl could have had.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I really am worthless owner and even a worse monarch.
I'm sorry.
[Open comment log: Xanadu Garden + Graveyard]
[Youko knelt in front of small mount and placed a few wild flowers around the burnt candle that stick out the stones. She had buried Raku-kun yesterday in a clearing, a spot she chose before entering to the proper graveyard. He was wrapped in his favorite blanket; his little body almost bloodless and torn by Shouryuu's suugu last Saturday when the sun didn't rise and the animals acted wild. Raku-kun had been affected and, in the rush to help Rokuta and the others, she had neglected to notice he had scurried away from her room only to attack the furniture of the living to finally meet his demise under Tora's sharp claws. She had yelped and tried to rescue him, but it was too late, even her jewel couldn't heal the damage once the person died and Raku-kun was dead before she could do anything.
It's all my fault.
She stared at the pile of rocks in front of her, feeling her vision become blurry and her cheeks warm and wet by her tears. She bit her lip, but she couldn't stop crying.]
I'm sorry. I failed you.
[If he had been a shirei, Youko thought, bitterly, impotently, feeling angry with herself. He could have survived enough for me to heal him! He would be alive! But she was so worried, so reluctant to come up with an answer that this was the result: he died, not of age, but by accident. That was her arrogance to wait until she had life made the choice for her. Her hands balled up and tightened, she wanted to punch the ground with all her might. She understood that what she just thought was plainly wrong, but she couldn't help to think about it. She was grieving for her pet and that pain made her think terrible ideas.
She would mourn and she would move on. Rationally, that was she had to do as a strong ruler, but for this instant, for this cold, selfish moment she shared with her sorrow, the silence and herself, she would humor wishful thinking.
He wasn't the first life she had to bury. But he had been the first one who was close to her.
It was the fear of understanding that made her realize she would begin to lose people. By age, by accidents, by murders. They would die because they weren't immortal.
While she was the Glory-King and remain until Tentei decided she was unworthy to continue ruling.]
(ooc; Ono didn't give us details of Tatsu-Ou's successors and Jokaku's predecessors beyond the fact they were two more empresses and they didn't have long reigns = head canon!)
HISTORY
For Keiki
After two decades from Tatsu-Ou's passing, the Kirin selected a new ruler. She was an older woman, past her sixties, called Koukei. Koukei did not possess any special political training or high education, her family were blacksmiths, like her husband used to be. A year before she was chosen, she had lost her spouse and one of their children in a youma attack. Some claimed that, even though she had no grasp in the palace intrigue, her commanding presence was feared as well as her temper. It had been speculated by several scholars that, if tragedy would not have touched her in the beginning of her reign, she could have been a good queen.
The yellow of Tatsu-Ou's imperial color was replaced by a shade of grey. In her first royal rescript, Koukei dismissed most of the old Court, boldly removed their names from the register of the immortals under the accusation of neglectful attitude in several provinces when the kingdom was in decline. She was a woman set into her ways, taking revenge for any personal transgressions, but kind and fair to the poor people suffering, reducing their taxes to 5%. She could only reach the fifty year mark in her reign with her inability to listen to any advice but her own and to disobey formal proceedings doomed her. Shitsudou killed Keiki and Koukei died after two months. She was posthumously called Sei-Ou, the Tremendous-King.
|
[Audio]
Huh. I got one of my answers about death and the City in a way I wasn't looking for. I guess if an animal dies, they won't come back as people do. Even if you wait forty-eight hours, they stay dead. They are gone. Gone for good.
But I didn't reach any decision, in the end. I was afraid of taking a choice or have him give me an answer if it was possible. Maybe I could extract a lesson about mistaking indecision for patience to make me feel better. But I don't want to, not yet. Because I'm not sure if that's the lesson his death brought. I really don't know anything.
Perhaps this is all about how hurts losing someone and how irreplaceable every life is. I shouldn't have taken his for granted.
[Pause]
Happy birthday, Raku-kun. You were the best pet rat a girl could have had.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I really am worthless owner and even a worse monarch.
I'm sorry.
[Open comment log: Xanadu Garden + Graveyard]
[Youko knelt in front of small mount and placed a few wild flowers around the burnt candle that stick out the stones. She had buried Raku-kun yesterday in a clearing, a spot she chose before entering to the proper graveyard. He was wrapped in his favorite blanket; his little body almost bloodless and torn by Shouryuu's suugu last Saturday when the sun didn't rise and the animals acted wild. Raku-kun had been affected and, in the rush to help Rokuta and the others, she had neglected to notice he had scurried away from her room only to attack the furniture of the living to finally meet his demise under Tora's sharp claws. She had yelped and tried to rescue him, but it was too late, even her jewel couldn't heal the damage once the person died and Raku-kun was dead before she could do anything.
It's all my fault.
She stared at the pile of rocks in front of her, feeling her vision become blurry and her cheeks warm and wet by her tears. She bit her lip, but she couldn't stop crying.]
I'm sorry. I failed you.
[If he had been a shirei, Youko thought, bitterly, impotently, feeling angry with herself. He could have survived enough for me to heal him! He would be alive! But she was so worried, so reluctant to come up with an answer that this was the result: he died, not of age, but by accident. That was her arrogance to wait until she had life made the choice for her. Her hands balled up and tightened, she wanted to punch the ground with all her might. She understood that what she just thought was plainly wrong, but she couldn't help to think about it. She was grieving for her pet and that pain made her think terrible ideas.
She would mourn and she would move on. Rationally, that was she had to do as a strong ruler, but for this instant, for this cold, selfish moment she shared with her sorrow, the silence and herself, she would humor wishful thinking.
He wasn't the first life she had to bury. But he had been the first one who was close to her.
It was the fear of understanding that made her realize she would begin to lose people. By age, by accidents, by murders. They would die because they weren't immortal.
While she was the Glory-King and remain until Tentei decided she was unworthy to continue ruling.]
(ooc; Ono didn't give us details of Tatsu-Ou's successors and Jokaku's predecessors beyond the fact they were two more empresses and they didn't have long reigns = head canon!)