The Five Kingdoms

"Me?" Kisei whispered. "For fun?" the thought almost made him laugh. He shook his head slightly, staring across the garden as he plucked out a handful of dried berries. He nibbled on them, neither enjoying or disliking the flavor. There was something wrong with his senses. Or perhaps he had simply been pounded with too much of the palace's rich food. He could no longer enjoy these sorts of things.

"I'm afraid that there is no 'fun' here, for me," he whispered. "My brothers used to fight for sport. I watched them. Now they are too busy to do even that." He shrugged. "I sleep. I garden. When I am not too ill to stand, that is all there is for me to do."

Kazumi sat up to these words, her eyes shimmering with surprise. "That's no life to lead. It's no wonder you want to get out of here," Kazumi muttered angrily. She sighed and released her long, black hair from its bun to think better without the pressure on her scalp. With the resources of the palace, the prince was resigned to only sleeping and gardening? That did not seem right, or even fair.

Kazumi rose and looked about the garden, her hands place on her hips in thought. "There must be something else you can do." Kazumi crossed her arms and chewed on her lower lip in annoyance. "Have you ever played baseball? No, maybe not baseball," she said, considering his thin arms. "What about soccer? Do you have a ball we can use?"

Kisei started laughing again, amused by her attempts to find him some entertainment. She was not thinking clearly about the issue. She had seen him collapse earlier, seen his lungs robbed of their own breath.
"I can not run, Kazumi," he reminded her quietly. "My lungs and heart are weak. Too much activity may trigger an attack." There was sadness in his voice. Sadness and regret. "I am afraid you have been assigned a most... boring duty. Perhaps Fa Sheng was punishing you more than any of us realized."

Just then, a small breeze picked up, playing with the trailing strands of his dark hair. He closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh air. It bore scents from the villages beyond the palace - hot bread and flowers and farmland. This was all he had ever known of the world he had never seen. These smells were so very dear to him... they brought a gentle smile to his face. A smile which faded as the wind died and drew those scents away. He opened his eyes once more, staring straight ahead, calm and possibly sadder than before he had recognized those scents. Each little taste hurt more than the last. He picked a roll from the basket and began to nibble at it, grimacing at the taste. It was worth it. He had to believe that somehow eating would help his health... that he would get out of this hell in paradise.

Kazumi blinked once and then groaned softly, scolding herself for the foolish idea. In frustration, Kazumi plopped back to the ground with crossed legs, trying to find something to entertain the prince. She tilted her head curiously as he took a roll and began eating it slowly while loathing the taste.

"I do not feel punished by attending you," Kazumi said bluntly with a shrug. "You are interesting to watch and hear. I have never met anyone that says the things you do. Besides, if anything Fa Sheng was punishing you, Kisei. None of you royals know how persistent us commoners can be." Kazumi winked and chuckled to herself. She still could not understand why Fa Sheng allowed this arrangement. Would she be stealing the prince if she took him from the palace? He wanted to come, did that still count as stealing then? Kazumi shrugged, deciding that was a though for another time.

Kazumi tapped her chin, her mind searching for tasks that could be completed without much physical activity. "What about origami?" Kazumi asked suddenly, straightening up. "I used to make paper animals with my mother after she had fallen ill. Has anyone ever done that with you?"

Kisei gave Kazumi a curious look, out of the corner of one eye. He set his roll down on a large root of the cherry tree, disinterested in the disgusting, dry flavor of the food. This new proposition interested him far more.
"Origami?" he repeated quietly. "No, I've never tried it." He thought for a moment longer, then smiled. "I've heard the servants talk about it. I suppose they were all too frightened to teach me."

It was common knowledge that all the palace servants were scared of Kisei. That was, perhaps, the only power that he held in this world. They thought that, spending time with him, they might catch their own deaths. There were few people in the world who desired time spent at the bedside of a dying man.

Kazumi grinned to this, clasping her hands together with pleasure as she rose gracefully onto her feet. "You've never done origami? I has only joking about that.... In my village, different animals and shapes are strung from the rooftops during the festivals. It's quite amazing, actually. Since the festival runs during the dry season, we don't need to worry about the figures being ruined." Kazumi smiled. "Origami is done by folding sheets of paper into different shapes. It's not hard once you know what you are doing. My favorite is the swan. Do you have any paper that we can use?" she asked.

"I am sure we can find some paper," Kisei murmured, coming to his feet as well. He dusted off his flowing white robes, though there was hardly a speck of dirt on them to begin with, and started back up the garden path towards his rooms. His bare feet made no sound as he stepped up onto the porch, glided over the tatami matting. He knelt beside a chest in the far corner, tucked in amongst the useless treasures he would so willingly have allowed Kazumi to escape with. Swords, crystals, toys, baubles of all shapes and sizes, highly valuable. The fortune of an empire lay in this room, collecting dust, gifts to a boy who would never see their worth, and never come to use them.

He pulled a tiny silver key from his trailing sleeve, quickly unlocked the chest, and removed from it a packet of carefully inked papers. The patterns upon them were tiny, intricate, and each individual square had been hand-painted. They had been brought to him by a princess many years before - a gift of suiting, which she had given before realizing how sickly he really was. Needless to say he had never seen her again, but he had kept the paper. He had thought it might be useful someday.

"Here," he murmured, shifting to his feet once more and holding the delicate squares out to Kazumi.

Kazumi smiled and gladly accepted the papers, only hesitating when she saw how beautiful they were. She was amazed by the paters to a degree where she almost felt guilty to fold and destroy its natural beauty. But Kazumi also knew that Kisei did not appreciate such things. To him, this was just in item he had no worth for. He would be more disappointed if she refused to show him the art skill. With a soft sigh, Kazumi motioned for him to sit down at the small table in his room.

“Origami is a traditional artform,” Kazumi said softly, dividing the papers by pattern to decide what shape would suit it best. “Anything you can think of can be made. My favorite is the crane. My mother used to make them with me...” She sighed softly and shook her head to clear the melancholy memory. “All origami begins with the valley fold, like this,” she said, motioning his hands to follow hers on his own sheet. “You fold the square in half to make a rectangle. Make sure the corners line up or the entire thing will be off.” She smiled, going through every step slowly so he could reproduce it if a he desired.

“And there,” Kazumi said proudly, holding up the neatly folded bird for him to see. “A crane, small and perfect. They are also said to bring good luck,” Kazumi said with a chuckle.

Kisei watched Kazumi's hands move with unwavering eyes. His gaze seemed almost... hungry, consuming every tiny ounce of knowledge, every little detail available to him. This was a hunger he had never displayed before food, or any other form of entertainment or sustenance, for that matter. Kisei thrived off creativity, off of learning. Anything knew, anything which took little physical effort but exercised his mind, he devoured without any sign of restraint, or any desire to restrain himself. Carefully, he followed Kazumi's movements, listening to her instructions as he folded out his very first crane.

He had never folded one before, never found any use for the decorative paper. His work was, certainly, not nearly as fine as Kazumi's was, but she was practiced. For a first try, the delicate little paper creature which lay in the palm of his hand was exemplary. This was what he was good at. An artist - a thinker - it was this sort of practice which made him so completely unbeatable at his brothers' card games. Too bad that there was so little he could actually do with his genius.

Laying the crane carefully to the side, certain that he could remember the fold to practice it later, he looked up at Kazumi. His face was alight with eagerness, with fervor.
"Teach me more?" he almost pleaded.

Kazumi smiled, nodding as she was pleased with his work. "You did very well for this being your first try, Kisei. We can work on a few more beginner folds and then after you feel comfortable with it, we can move onto some more complex patterns. Even so, I often prefer the simpler ones." She blinked and chuckled, looking up to meet his gaze. "I guess we are not so different after all. They say it takes a special mind to enjoy the simple things."

Kazumi smiled and shifted in her place so that she was closer to the prince and he could better see her hands as they danced over the paper. "We can try a lily next, that one isn't too bad. Remember to make the valley fold first, right just like that," she said, pleased by his progress. "If I'm not careful, you'll become better than I am at this," she joked playfully. "Maybe you can even impress me by making up some of your own designs."

"I'll work on that," Kisei promised, a true laugh in his voice. It was rare that Kisei really laughed - there was really not all that much to laugh about in his life. It was the rare and treasured being who could bring out even the smallest of honest smiles. His fingers flew over the paper, dexterous, aided in their fluidity by the bone-thin structure of his entire body. There was no muscle to get in the way of his speed. Rapidly he mimicked her folds, a delicate lily taking shape beneath his touch. He felt his heart soar with the simple enjoyment of the process.

He could not know it himself, but sitting there, playing with the paper, Kisei seemed physically to change. Life came into his frail face. He sat straighter, even seemed to breathe more certainly as he focused intensely upon this new craft. It was a beautiful being who sat in his robes now, not a fragile, broken porcelain doll. This was the Kisei which Fa Sheng had known when the boy was still a small child, still relatively healthy.

This was the Kisei that Fa Sheng saw now, from where he hovered in the doorway. He stood silently, not wanting to disturb the moment, enjoying the sight of his youngest brother finally having a little bit of fun.

Kazumi smiled to Kisei, satisfied that he could enjoy something. She could see him act truly happy for one, probably for the first time in many years. "You are very talented Kisei," Kazumi said, settling down in place. She laughed with him, her head tossing over her shoulder to see a figure in the doorway. She hesitated for a moment and them smiled in greeting to Fa Sheng, lofting her hand softly. Even so, she did not invite him inside. If the emperor wanted to join them, he was more than welcomed. It was not her place to force him either way.

"Why don't we make some cherry blossoms next?" Kazumi suggested, picking out the pink sheets of paper as she turned back to Kisei. "That way, once the season is over you can still remember what they look like."

---

Daiki sheathed his sword, returning to the main area of the palace after finishing his rounds for the morning. Everything seemed quite and peaceful. He paused on the way to his room, surprised to see Fa Sheng hovering Kisei's room. Did something happen?!

Daiki hurried over, peeking around his brother with bated breath. He frowned, seeing only Kisei and the girl. What were they doing? Folding paper? How pathetic. Even so, Daiki stood silently and acknowledged Fa Sheng silently. As Kisei laughed. It had been many years since that sound had filled the air.

Hovering in the doorway, Fa Sheng chose not to enter the room, not to make his presence known. Absorbed as he was, Kisei had not notice Kazumi's acknowledgment. The boy flicked happily through the paper, not smiling exactly, but intent upon his work. His eyes were bright, and his chiming laughter confirmed that he was enjoying himself. More than he had in many months.

"She is good for him," Fa Sheng observed to Daiki in a low aside, impossible for any but the middle brother to hear. "You and I could never make him laugh like that."
He smiled tiredly, tipping his head to get a better look at the tiny paper sculptures which churned out from beneath Kisei and Kazumi's fingers. Each light touch seemed to bring about a new miracle. Fa Sheng had wondered, for years, what Kisei would do with the beautifully painted papers. This seemed a suitable activity.

Even better, somehow, Kazumi had managed to bring out an interest in Kisei. Distract him. He was not thinking of his imminent death, not in that short instant. For this moment, Kisei was free.
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Practically glowing, himself, Kisei turned to Kazumi. A length of ebony hair slid off of his shoulder, brushing gently against his hollow cheek. He gazed at her for an instant, in silence. He was still, watching her work. He seemed to see something there that he had not before, recognize something in Kazumi. What it was, even he could not have said, but suddenly this new attendant felt... different.
Was this what someone might call... a friend?

Laughing softly to himself at the thought, he finished folding his cherry blossom and laid it carefully on the table between them.
"Tell me more about your village?" he requested quietly.

Daiki nodded gravely, pressing the tips of his fingers together with doubt. He did not like Kazumi. This girl was a street urchin, scum that should not even be allowed to see the palace, let alone walk inside it. And, she had attempted to steal from them.

However, for this moment, that was not why Daiki hated this girl. He hated her, no, was repulsed by her because could do what he couldn't. Never in his life had Daiki been able to make Kisei smile in that way this tramp had in less than twenty-four hours of knowing his younger brother. This, in Daiki's mind, was her largest offense. He cringed as Fa Sheng mirrored his own thoughts, claiming that this was good for Kisei. Daiki couldn't help but agree. Even this, scikened him. They were Kisei's brothers, his happiness should be from their bringing. Not hers, a servant!

"It should be us in there not her," Daiki snarled, soft enough not to bother the pair. Even so, Daiki could not bring himself to end Kisei's joy. He turned on his heels and marched from the room, fuming with hatred and envy.

---

Kazumi smiled to herself. For the first time in many years, she was having fun. Pure, simple, childish fun. She did not need to worry about Kiko's safety or question where their next meal would come from. She could just sit here and fold paper, enjoying time as no weight hung over her head. To Kisei's question, Kazumi paused. She swallowed softly and finished her own flower as she collected her thoughts on the matter. "You speak like a royal," Kazumi mused softly, smiling coyly to him. "You questions are manipulated into demands that one cannot refuse. It is an interesting technique to use, Kisei. You have not spent much time with people, have you?" she asked softly, brushing his cheek with the back of her hand and tucking away his stray lock of black hair.

"My village," she began, settling down and folding her hands in thought, "is loud. From dawn the farmers being to wake and start their day. And then the traveling merchants are not far behind with their carts of treats and brightly colored toys. The woman will typically go down to the stream together for laundry as the young children scamper about to trade their nonsense chatter and riddles. It is loud, but it is peaceful." Kazumi smiled, her head turned out to the garden. "Everyone knows eachother because my village is small. But in one word... my village is home."

Fa Sheng lingered for one moment longer, staring into the room, watching Kisei with Kazumi. Their little brother was safe - he knew that - and even better he was happy. The young emperor could leave the pair of them and feel secure that Kisei would be alive when next they met. That was a very, very new feeling for him. Smiling slightly and shaking his head, he turned and followed the middle brother.

It was not difficult to find Daiki. The prince was not exactly quiet, nor subtle. Fa Sheng stepped up behind Daiki on silent, slippered feet.
"Daiki," he murmured, "you are being ridiculous."
He stepped out ahead of Daiki, gazing directly into the boy's eyes.
"And you are being cruel," he pressed without giving Daiki a chance to defend himself. Servants spotted the two of them coming down the hall and faded out of being, seeming to dissolve through doorways. Their conversation would not be overheard. "Should it not be Kisei's happiness that you think of first?"
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Kisei listened to Kazumi, as though infatuated with the information. The image she painted was one unfamiliar to him. There was a reason that he had never had "much time with people" - trapped within the palace, he was surrounded every minute of every day by three sorts of people. The servants who bowed and scraped to his every whim, the nobles who asked his favor in their ventures - son of god as he was - and his elder brothers, the only people in the world who could bend his will to theirs. He need not obey anyone, and all were forced to obey him. He was accustomed to it.

That did not mean he wanted to be that way. The community Kazumi described... he wanted nothing more than he wanted to be part of it. He lowered his eyes, trying to imagine what his life would have been like, had he been born among them and somehow, remarkably, managed to survive. No doubt he would do laundry with the women... but that did not matter. He would never have survived his childhood, not there. Without the court physicians he would never have been alive to meet Kazumi.

"Will we visit them there?" he asked in a hushed voice, not raising his eyes from the floor. "When we... go?"

Daiki scowled, balling his fists tightly as he glared up at Fa Sheng. "Of course Kisei comes first," Daiki snarled, "I just think it should be us to make Kisei happy." 

With a groan of frustration, Daiki slammed his fist into the palace wall. "What does she have that we don't? Why can't we make him laugh like that? We are his brothers, and she is just a lowly thief!" Daiki shouted. He did not bother to conceal his rage, Fa Sheng could see through him anyway. 

Daiki groaned and slid to the ground, cupping his face in his hands. "She is taking him away from us. He isn't dead yet, and I'm not sure why, but I feel like we have already lost him."

---

Kazumi turned her head toward the door for a moment, seeing only a shadow disappear from the room. Had Daiki been there also? Kazumi shrugged, not caring either way. There was no reason that Daiki could become angry at her over this act. All she had to make sure of was that the elder brothers did not learn of the plot for freedom. At least, not until they came back. Kazumi did not want to break her promise to Kisei, not this one.

Kazumi turned to Kisei with surprise to hear his hushed words, her eyes watching him intensely. "You want to go to my village? I don't see why not," Kazumi said, shrugging gently. "It is not too far from the cherry tree path anyway. And it would be good to see old friends. But, I would suggest you borrow one of the male servant's clothing. What you wear would draw too much attention." She smiled and plucked another sheet of paper from the pile, gracefully molding it into another crane. "There is another legend," Kazumi mused softly, gazing to the bird, "That hanging one thousand of these cranes in a room will bring good luck also."

Fa Sheng paused, gazing sadly at his younger brother, huddling miserably on the floor. He could not deny that he felt it too, but not so sharply. He saw more clearly than Daiki did, thought with more logic. It only made sense. Sighing quietly, the young emperor crouched before, brushing back a strand of silvering hair before laying a hand on Daiki's shoulder.

"The problem is that we are his brothers," he whispered. "He has spent his entire life competing with us. Think of how you would feel in his position, Daiki. If you had grown up knowing you could never fight like your brothers? You could never match up in the eyes of the public?"
__________________________________________

Kisei nodded silently, wondering what servant might have clothing of his size. He silently resigned himself to the fact that only a woman's clothes would fit him. It mattered little - servants' uniforms were largely identical regardless of gender.
Before he fully registered what was happening, the topic had moved on. Kisei looked up, listening to Kazumi. Another legend? One thousand cranes...? He glanced at their relatively meager pile of folded paper.

"I do not think we can fold one thousand cranes," he observed softly. "Not before we go."

Daiki moaned into his hands, shaking his head softly as he did so. "I know, I know," he mumbled miserably, lifting his head but refusing to meet Fa Sheng's eyes. "I just feel that it is... Unfair." 

Daiki groaned and rose from the ground, shrugging away Fa Sheng's hand. "I didn't think Kisei even knew how to laugh he hadn't done it in so long. To see him like that... Oh, I don't know!" Daiki complained, throwing his hands into the air and turning around. "I never expected that anyone but us could make time for him. He is so weak, how can she tolerate it?" Daiki knew he was being hurtful. He would have been ashamed if Kisei heard what he said. "I need to train now," he scowled, fleeing deeper into the palace. He needed to clear his head.

Meanwhile, a foreign servant stepped into the hall, nervously gripping his cap as  he bore a white flag and anxiously watched Fa Sheng. "Your majesty," he murmured, falling to his knees with respect. "The emperor of the Tao state wishes to offer his plea for harmony between our waring empires. In return, he is willing to open his borders to trade and a military alliance." The servant glanced up, unsure of his next words. "If you accept, in knowledge of your predicament without an heir and to bind our two lands, the emperor  is also offering his eldest daughter, Hatsue, for marriage. He insists on this, Emperor Fa Sheng." 

---

Kazumi smiled and nodded to Kisei's observation. "You are right, we won't be able to make that many. I've never seen it done, anyway. It's only been spoken about." She shrugged and allowed her eyes to drift about the room, hands absently taking another piece of paper and folding it into a design. Everything in here was too pure and perfect. It almost made her nervous. She would be thankful to return home to her village.  

"When you grow bored of this, let me know. I'll try to think of a different activity that is new for you," she said softly, her mind drifting away with her thoughts. 

The whole encounter occurred so suddenly that, at first, Fa Sheng was not sure what he should say. This offer of peace was sudden – he had only that morning sent out new orders to his men. Part of his mind worked chaotically to understand this change of heart from the leaders of Tao… the larger part of it prayed that his men would not begin the attack before the treaty could reach them.

“An offer of peace,” he whispered, not quite believing the servant’s words. At first he simply glossed over the offer of the Emperor’s daughter. Hatsue… Fa Sheng had seen her before, at a distance, when they had both been children and the two countries were not yet at war. Back then the two Imperial families had often attended one anothers’ social events. Fa Sheng knew the road to Tao’s Emperor as well as he knew the roads around his own kingdom.

Taking a deep breath, Fa Sheng nodded.
“You may return to your Emperor,” he told the servant quietly, struggling to conceal the racing excitement in his chest. “Inform him that… his offer will be accepted.”

It rubbed him the wrong way, to take a woman as an offering of peace… but this woman’s freedom was not worth the lives of the thousands of young men who waged war across their borders even now.
___________________________________________

“A new activity?” Kisei repeated, continuing to absentmindedly fold the paper between his fingers. Rapid practice had made him an acceptable artist already. To the unpracticed eye his work was perfect, but Kisei knew that he still had much to learn. “What sort…?”

Bored with the paper or not – and he most definitely was not – Kisei would never turn down the opportunity to discover something new. His health was too fragile, could fail him too suddenly to waste time lingering over any one thing.

The servant rose to his feet humbly, bowing to show the pleasure he felt. He would not need to return home with sad news and fear his emperor's wrath for disappointing him. Fa Sheng had agreed. He bowed repeatedly, grinning to show his enthusiasm. "My emperor will be very pleased to hear this," he said, nodding vigorously. "And now my country will have two reasons to celebrate: the unity of our nations and the betrothal of our much loved princess."

He bowed again and backed up, his hands pressed together. "I will return to my kingdom and fetch the lady Hatsue, she is very anxious to hear your response." The servant smiled, and turned to leave. With hast, he figured the princess could be delivered by evening.

---

Hatsue rode silently in the carriage, her expressions motionless with hands neatly folded upon her lap. This was it. This day marked the beginning of the rest of her life. The knowledge of her husband's name was not as blissful as a childish Hatsue had once imagined. There was no playful courting or wooing of her nature. Only a white flag and an agreement between two men that sealed her fate forever.

Fa Sheng.... She could remember when he was better known as Katsuro. Hatsue knew him briefly then, from family gatherings or other formal events that all local nobility felt the need flaunt themselves at. Although they had never spoken, at least that Hatsue could recall, she had admired his personality and often watched him when he did not know. It always upset her when her father did not allow her to join the games between Katsuro and his brothers. But a man's life was very different from a females. Hatsue knew that she was meant only to be seen, never heard. As long as her exquisite beauty lasted, she would remain a public trophy. She was a wallflower and nothing more.

She had not been surprised to hear that Fa Sheng accepted her father's offer. He would have been a fool not to with the feud between their lands. Hatsue had no opinion in this matter, no desire or protest to her impeding fate. Her loyalties remained to her people, not herself. She would do her best to keep them safe and if her freedom was the price, so be it. If not Fa Sheng, she would have been married off to some other prince in a neighboring kingdom anyhow.

The carriage pulled to a halt and Hatsue allowed herself to be escort into the palace. Her eyes drifted upon the lavish artwork that mirrored her own home. It was a pity to have so much when everyone else had so little. Hatsue smiled to a servant boy that passed. He was no older then twelve or thirteen. "Young boy," she called out, her voice soft and sounding like a flute, "Would you tell emperor Fa Sheng that Tao Hastue has arrived? I'm afraid I do not know my away around the palace to do so myself." She smiled to him as one would a younger sibling. Despite her nobility, Hatsue believed all other humans deserved to be treated equally. It was a gift that she had, not looking down upon anyone and welcoming all as family immediately.

Fa Sheng had retreated, as was his custom, to his study and his work. A scroll lay before him again, perfect and delicate and not yet covered over with the graceful writing for which he was so praised. His calligraphy was said to be some of the most beautiful in his land, only appropriate for the Emperor. This order, he was determined to make the most beautiful he had ever written. The armies had already received, and obeyed, their command to pull back. They were on their way home now, marching for their farms and their families. That knowledge set a glow in Fa Sheng's tired soul. This scroll would turn that glow into a flame.

His Highness, Emperor Fa Sheng, hereby declares the war with Tao to be over.
The young men of this, the Lu nation, have served honorably. Welcome them back into their homes with open arms.

As he stroked out the last few pieces of the final word, he breathed a sigh of relief. This war which had continued since before the day he had become Fa Sheng was finally, finally over. He hoped that his father would be pleased. He had done well, had he not? He had not backed down, not been the one to stoop and offer surrender. But when the opportunity arose, he had taken it. "Fight only as long as you must to maintain your honor," that was what his father had always said.

Sighing, he laid his brush down and sat back to wait for Hatsue to arrive.

The young servant nodded to Hatsue, blushing slightly as he cast his eyes from her beauty. "This way, Lady..."

"Please, call me Hatsue," she cooed to him softly. Hatsue smiled warmly to him, obediently following the path he paved through the mighty palace. Her hands were neatly folded inside the sleeves of her pink silk kimono with yellow trim. She sighed softly, allowing her eyes to press close in a moment of regret. Unconsciously, her hand drifted to the necklace she wore that bore the emblem of her country. She wondered if this should be replaced, but found the that the task may be too difficult to go through with. The simple piece of jewelry held so many memories.

The servant halted and bowed suddenly, signaling that they had arrived at the room. Without another word on either party's part, Hatsue stepped forward and entered the room. She smiled softly, wanting the please the man she had been given to. She was met with an interesting sight. Even to untrained eyes, it was clear that the young boy she had once known did not exist any longer. "I am Tao Hatsue," she said softly, bowing in respect. "My father offers his blessing to the health and wellness of your family." Her dark eyes flickered upward, watching him silently to see how he would accept her.

Fa Sheng turned at the approach of soft footsteps. He had not expected her so soon - it was a good thing, sometimes, to be Emperor and so forced to constantly don formal attire. He was never caught off-guard in common clothing, always garbed in the flowing robes of the Emperor. Today, he wore deepest scarlet. It made him look somehow even older than he appeared, setting the silver streaks of his long hair aglow. He turned towards the door as the servant folded himself nearly in half, silently announcing the arrival of the graceful daughter of Tao's emperor.

Hatsue looked just as he had expected, though Fa Sheng could see in her eyes that he did not appear the same for her. She was slender and beautiful, wearing the most elegant and colorful of kimonos. She seemed to him more a spirit than a princess. Then again, he had not spent time with women in quite a while. He did not really know what to expect from one.

His mother... did not really count, in his mind.

"Hatsue," he whispered in greeting, shifting gracefully to his feet and bowing to her. He listened silently, expressionlessly to her introduction, flinching only once when she mentioned 'health' and 'wellness'. Between himself and Kisei, health was something that they could very much use. "I thank you for your well-wishes," he murmured with traditional formality. He gestured towards the small circle of kneeling cushions surrounding a low table at the opposite side of his study. "Please, join me."

Hatsue smiled softly, her head held high and proud to the mighty emperor. Their words were so expected and could fit any conversation between nobles. She hoped, one formal introductions were past, that she would be able to engage in more intimate conversation with this man. If not, she feared a dull life ahead of her.

Hatsue remained mute as she followed Fa Sheng to the table and settled down across from him, her hands neatly folded upon her lap. This was an awkward situation for both parties, no doubt. Although Hatsue was well versed in social manners, a young noble was trained to keep their thoughts to themselves. Hatsue did not want to offend the emperor before their unity was made official. If for any reason he decided to end the treaty and return her to the Tao empire, Hatsue knew that she would be outcasted. And that was worse than losing her freedom.

Her eye drifted about the room slowly and noticed the penned scroll. His writing was phenomenal. More than she would have expected from one with such power. Even her father did not wright his own doctrines as he preferred to rely on scribes to do his bidding. Hatsue noticed that the mentioning of why the feud had ended was absent from letter. This both amused and alarmed her.

"Your palace is lovely," Hatsue mused softly, unable to bring herself to say 'our' as apposed to 'your.' She sighed softly, unsure what to say. "How have you been, Fa Sheng?" she decided upon, watching him intently. Hatsue hoped that one day, they would be able to trust each other enough to tell the other anything. If there were secrets within the noble family, Hatsue was wise enough to know that eventually that bitterness and decay would spread down to the commoners.

Fa Sheng did not respond immediately to Hatsue’s questioning. He watched her through steady, emotionless eyes, giving nothing away. This manner had unnerved many, in his time, but it was Fa Sheng’s practice to know all he could about someone before he engaged them in any sort of battle. Yes, conversation, too, was a battle. A combat of words, a challenge of wit. That was how his mother had taught him to see the world. A depressing view, yet he could never quite shake it. She had raised him, after all, constantly breathing her cynicism in his ear. He had done remarkably well, considering.

Finally, after a pause which seemed to pass an eternity, he decided that honesty was the best policy where Hatsue was concerned. She was not a political challenge - she was the beautiful girl who was to be his wife, the mother of his children. If they could not trust one another, the entire empire might fall into chaos.

“I have been better, Lady Hatsue,” he murmured, nodding his appreciation for her concern. “And will be again, I pray, with the end of this war.” He shook his head slightly, throwing back a silver strand of hair that seemed completely mismatched with the natural youth of his face and eyes. “And what of you? I can not imagine you are pleased... to be given away to your father’s enemy.”

It was a question which had bothered Fa Sheng. How would Hatsue feel, knowing that she was offered no choice in this marriage. Though he would never dream of it, Fa Sheng could be as abusive as he pleased, and she would never be saved. Her removal would return Lu and Tao instantly to war. Such a great responsibility to be laid on such slender shoulders. Such a harsh removal of freedom...