MORNING ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY and the three of them departed from the Maynard residence toward Yokina’s palace. That grand display of power rested in the very center of the city, donning a dome made of quartz and standing over 300 feet tall, but only about three stories tall considering the abnormally high ceilings. Because of the incredible size of the palace, it was not hard to spot in the city.

“So,” Ite mocked, “what do we do here? Do we just ask to be let in, maybe throw on a ‘pretty please’?”

Yukan was very seldom the strategic type. All too often he would be blindsided by factors outside of his control. One venue that he selected a work of his to be performed at, for example, was an outdoor venue. Unfortunately, it had rained on the day of the performance, forcing it to be postponed lest the instruments be damaged. Meeting with a king was a task that Yukan had even less experience with. It would no doubt be a trying task.

“We could find a way to sneak in,” Yukan suggested. “Perhaps we can pose as generals.”

“The guards would know about any generals in the army,” Kadaina mentioned. “They could sniff out a fake faster than we could forge an alibi.”

“On top of that, we’re still teens,” Ite added. “People our age typically don’t find themselves in this position.”

“Right,” the swordsman conceded before his eyes widened. “But you know what they wouldn’t know?”

“What?”

“Royalty…”

“I feel like that’s even more likely,” the mage protested.

“...from a different country,” Yukan continued.

Kadaina fell silent for a moment. It is highly unlikely that the guard has left the country of Akuni, meaning that hiding as a family of foreign royals could be a plausible strategy. Kadaina nodded and the three crafted their facades. Once everything was sorted out, the three of them approached the guard standing at the gates of the palace.

“Halt!” the guard called out. “Who are you and what is your business?” After a brief hesitation, Yukan answered.

“My name is Yukan Kenshi,” he stated. “This is Ite and Kadaina. We have an urgent message for His Majesty, King Yokina.”

“Yeah, sure,” the guard mocked. “Alright you three, why don’t you three go back into the woods and play hide and seek? Maybe you can find your king there.”

“How dare you treat the nobles of Jusho this way?!” Ite exclaimed, now donning a fake, more regal, accent in her voice. “I am Lady Ite Rosenlace. If my father, the Duke, were to hear of this sleight upon our name, I would imagine a very swift end to your career, or worse, your life.”

“Is that so?” the guard began. “I know enough about the royal families of Crenon to know that there is no Rosenlace family. At least none of royalty, that is. And especially none from Medikai, let alone Jusho.”

“In truth,” Kadaina began, also taking on a fake accent, “the Rosenlace bloodline has direct ties with the throne of Medikai.”

“Like what?”

“She’s the late Empress Tamara’s long-lost sister’s third cousin, twice removed.”

“Such a distant relation, if any,” the guard scoffed. “Who even are you anyway?”

“Look here, buster,” Yukan shouted as he grabbed ahold of the guard.

“Yukan, stop!” Ite yelled out, dropping her accent.

“We don’t have time to debate the royal heritage of Medikai. We desperately need the king’s help. This isn’t some joke!”

While Yukan was shaking the guard throughout his pleas, the guard saw a familiar symbol on Yukan’s right arm, just below the inside of the wrist.

“You…” the guard began. “What was your name again?”

“Yukan Kenshi.”

“Why, I should’ve known!” the guard exclaimed as Yukan began to lighten his grip on him. “You related to Oji?”

“My great-grandfather, I believe,” the swordsman continued.

“So you-” the guard stuttered, gobsmacked by this revelation. “You’re one of those Fabled Sword wielders! Christ, you should’ve just told me! His Majesty loves that sort of stuff. C’mon!”

“You’re letting us in because he’s a celebrity?” Ite inquired.

“Well, kinda yes and kinda no,” the guard explained as he escorted the three of them into the building. “Firstly, it gives His Majesty a reason to see you as worthy of a meeting. Second, it communicates to me that you have nothing up your sleeves. Well, other than that rose marking, anyway. And thirdly, you’re probably smart enough to understand the importance of having one of those things.”

As the guard escorted them through the halls, the three that accompanied him took in the luxury of their surroundings. This was the first glimpse these commoners had within the Palace of Akuni. They were lined with all sorts of artifacts from days of old, one of which was a suit of armor apparently worn by the first King of Akuni, Saisho Attling. Eventually, they reached the dining hall, above which was the trusty longsword of King Aschar Okibo during Akuni’s Civil War.

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A great amount of noise was coming from the dining hall as they approached. Sounds of speaking, laughter, the gentle clinging of the cutlery, it all resonated against the high domed ceiling of the room. Once the guard opened the door, they saw a large amount of Akuni’s nobility having a meal at the table, with King Yokina at its head. He had black, shoulder-length hair and a clean-shaven face. His stature was impressive as well, standing at least 6 feet 6 inches and with a rather broad build to boot. Yet, the most recognizable aspect of King Yokina was a black patch over his left eye, leaving only a single brown eye to see with. It’s because of this, and several other injuries sustained while quelling the small rebellions that often occurred within his kingdom that he became a man fitting of a moniker like “The Ravaged”, which he wore as a badge of honor.

The King of Akuni looked over toward the door to see the four of them enter.

“Your Majesty,” the guard announced, “we have a visitor. He claims to be the great-grandson of Oji Kenshi.”

“One of the Kenshis?” the king replied with a somewhat coarse baritenor. “What is it this man requests?”

“He did not say,” the guard continued. “This man wishes to speak with you directly.”

A silence fell over the table. Common folk were rarely able to have an audience with the nobility, as they tended to reside in the same general complex in Acophis. The King of Akuni almost never saw direct petitions, only receiving them from a lucky few that were selected by their city’s presiding Mandrall, a title similar to a Count in Aotoshi. After a few tense seconds, the king arose from his chair and walked toward the three of them.

“Well then,” he began, looking at Yukan as he spoke. “I suppose you have plenty to talk about. Let’s make haste, then. If you wouldn’t mind stepping out into the corridors.”

Yukan, Ite, and Kadaina went back out into the halls outside of the dining room. King Yokina turned to the guard.

“You are dismissed,” the king stated. “Return to your post.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The guard left Yokina and the three travelers to be alone. After another brief silence, the king spoke once more.

“What is it that you request of me?” Yokina asked his subjects.

“This is going to be a lot,” Yukan began. “We’re being targeted. Two weeks ago, my house was burned down and my family was killed. Five days ago, my friend Kadaina lost his mentor to the same person.”

“I see,” the king continued. “So you three are seeking sanctuary?”

“Sanctuary won’t be enough for us, I’m afraid,” the swordsman continued. “We’re not being targeted by some random person. We’re at the mercy of Emperor Kunshu Mujihina.”

“Emperor Mujihina?” inquired King Yokina. “That’s hardly believable. What would the Emperor of Aotoshi want out of you?”

“I don’t know what,” Yukan answered. “The only thing I can say for certain is that he’s after my head. I’d done nothing to slight him, but he still seems all too persistent.”

“If this is to be believed,” the king continued, “what am I to do about this?”

Another brief silence swept over as Yukan mustered up the strength to make his request.

“I’m afraid that our only option,” he began, “is war.”

“What?!” Yokina’s reaction was almost instant. “Do you fools know what you’re asking of me? A war?! And for what? So a few commoners can feel safe at the cost of thousands of others?! Outrageous! We lost far too many lives in the past by trying to bring peace to Crenon, and now you want to throw that all away? To think that all those men and women fought to make the world a better place, only for you to come in and ask that we go back to the way things were. I will not start a war at the whims of a commoner!”

“What would his victims say?” Yukan began. “What would the people that Kunshu has killed think when they see that their king has opted to sit idly by and not avenge them?”

“Yukan!” Ite exclaimed, holding the last Kenshi back from approaching Yokina any further. “I apologize for his rudeness, Your Highness.”

“He didn’t mean any harm by that, Your Majesty,” Kadaina added. “He’s just worried about Mujihina’s future actions.”

“Childish, I say!” the king rambled on, storming toward the throne room. “To think that a descendant of the great Oji Kenshi would wish to bring bloodshed upon his homeland.”

“You don’t know what Kunshu’s done!” Yukan yelled out, breaking free of Ite’s restraining. “That monster has-”

“I know much more about Emperor Mujihina than you do,” Yokina interrupted. “If I were you, I would leave this path of revenge. It will turn you into a husk of a man, consumed by hatred.”

“You’re going to regret this!”

“I regret a lot of my decisions,” the king said as he reached his throne and sat upon it. “The choices I make upon this powerful throne weigh on myself and every other citizen of Akuni. I know my choices, young man, and I won’t regret the choice of saving the lives of millions from reckless ambition.”

“But I-”

“I know what you wish. You wish to pursue your own twisted form of so-called ‘justice’ and you care not of the human cost. With power like yours, that moral compass only endangers us all. Guards! Take them to Silverhold!”

A group of guards answered the king’s call almost immediately, grabbing hold of the three commoners and carrying them out of the throne room.

“Kunshu is a greater threat than you think!” Yukan yelled out desperately. “We can save lives by defeating him!”

“But those lives would be lost anyway!” Yokina called out in response. “Worse yet, this entire kingdom could fall!”

Before Yukan could come up with a response, the guards had carried the three far away from the throne room, eventually reaching Silverhold Asylum, one of the most notorious prisons in Akuni. Historically speaking, only the most dangerous people in Akuni were kept there, a majority of which are assassins and conspirators. Yet, despite this, Yukan, Ite, and Kadaina still found themselves sharing a cell in this prison. Yukan kicked at the wall as the guards left, locked in and unsuccessful in his goals.

“Great,” Kadaina huffed. “Now what?”

“What do you mean, ‘now what’?” Yukan replied. “This is the end of the line. What are we supposed to do, break out of here?”

“I mean,” Kadaina began, “it is possible. We would just-”

“No, it’s not,” Ite interrupted. “I’ve heard about this place. Once you’re behind the bars of a cell in Silverhold, there’s no getting out. What would we even break out with?”

Kadaina began scouring the prison cell, inspecting every nook and cranny. It was only after these inspections that Kadaina sat down on the bed in the cell, defeated.

“And there’s no bail for us either, is there?” Kadaina sighed.

“I doubt it,” Yukan answered, “but they can’t keep us here forever. We need to be sentenced, after all. We just need to make sure that all goes well during the trial. If not, we can try to escape then. It may be an admission of guilt, but at least we’re not here.”

They never would see trial for any crimes from this meeting, as an unexpected development emerged and granted them their freedom.