Eager to reunite with her returning daughter, Akanai woke at the break of dawn and snuck out to harness her quin. Five days had passed since Mila left the front lines and Akanai had expected the girl to return in three alongside Huushal’s all-mounted retinue, but instead, she dawdled and dragged her feet. Almost a woman grown and still the same silly little child who procrastinated and avoided doing her unpleasant chores instead of getting them over and done with. While this wasn’t something as simple as washing clothes or sweeping floors, the basic concept remained unchanged; good medicine tastes bitter, so best to drink it as quickly as possible.

Rain’s recovery would not be swift, so Mila had best get used to seeing him weak and in pain. At least the boy seemed happier and was smiling more, no longer the broody, melancholic teen who so loved to be miserable.

Though old and ornery, Kankin was still hale and healthy as could be, running up the citadel wall with ease before diving headfirst into the moat. Barely sinking beneath the water’s surface thanks to his Lightened torso and dense, buoyant fur, the quin glided across the moat in seconds and ran off into the morning gloom at a breakneck pace. The open plains were dotted with tens of thousands of soldiers returning from the front lines, some having camped in front of the walls to wait for the gates to open while others trickling in after marching through the night to reunite with their families in time for the new year.

The two-week long celebrations were always a joyous affair, a time of rest and renewal of mind and spirit where one gave thanks for the past year’s blessings and reflected on the trials and tribulations with family and friends. This year had been a turbulent one filled with weal and woe alike, which made unity all the more vital to helping her family get through this together. Thankfully, the worst had passed and there was much to look forward to in this coming year, so Akanai wanted to reunite with her daughter as soon as possible.

A sentiment Mila didn’t share as it took another two hours of riding to find her, plodding along with her Sentinels ahead of a host of ox-drawn wagons carrying Zian and BoShui’s retinues. It was nice to see her getting along with the two young Experts, the most stalwart of Rain’s allies and friends, even more so than her disappointing disciple Fung. Instead of fighting on the front lines for experience and glory or staying with his Mentor to learn, the little scamp was off in another citadel wooing a prospective bride on his father’s orders. While little Hai needed to secure his Magisterial office with allies and a line of succession, he put too much of the burden on his son when he should take a wife or concubine of his own and have more, possibly less talented children. In five days, Fung would be twenty-two years of age, a rare talent who Formed his Natal Palace two years ago and on track to Develop his Domain before twenty-five. Fung’s potential would be wasted as a mere politician, much like little Hai himself, but her old friend was adamant on securing a base of power in Shen Huo for his future descendants.

Bah. What good were paper-pushing politicians? Better for Fung to become a Peak Expert like his father and leave administrative work for clerks and scholars.

In contrast to Akanai’s disciple, the two Society outcasts were far more worthy of praise. Han BoShui cut a strapping figure seated atop his bulky beast of burden, a burly, brawny warrior with a neat, silken beard which framed his handsome face and covered his weak chin. Given his recent achievements and promotion, the Han boy was the talk of the citadel since a future Peak Expert in the making was far more rousing to speak of than a crippled young talent who’d fallen before he could truly fly. Luckily, young BoShui was a loyal and devoted friend who proved it by taking in Rain’s ragtag retinue instead of filling his ranks with Clan and Society adherents. Politically, aligning his rising star to Rain’s diminished one was a move which cost him dearly with the rest of the Empire, but given his powerful presence on the battlefield and his uncle’s steadfast support, there was little his detractors could do aside from mutter and grumble about BoShui’s choice in friends.

As for the former number one talent of the north, Zian’s star had been overshadowed in recent years, but the young man still showed promise, though not his face as he rode in his carriage with his venomous concubine and her handmaidens. If not for his Clan and Mother’s gross negligence, he might even have rivalled his famous father, though from what little Akanai knew, this was also likely the reason for all his current woes. The tallest tree attracts the wind and it was human nature to envy the virtuous and talented, and Zian was nothing if not talented. Pompous and arrogant too, but not beyond reason, and it was easy to see why he got along so well with Rain and Fung, for they were all lusty young men cut from the same cloth. Alas, where the former two were loved and cherished by their families, Zian had been largely left to his own devices, and his achievements were a testament to his staggering talent.

The young man had proven himself a brilliant warrior and able tactician, but a second-rate leader lacking the charisma required of a commander beloved by his soldiers, as evidenced by how he separated himself from his soldiers. Cold and aloof, he made enemies and drove away associates with his prideful demeanour, so despite all his skills and accomplishments, he had no close friends outside of Rain and BoShui, and a lone tree does not a forest make. Following the death of his Mentor, the Twinned Dragon Jukai, Zian had fallen on hard times as the Situ Clan all but abandoned him, and were it not for Rain’s support and Vichear’s protection, the Society might have even quietly assassinated their so-called Young Patriarch. Considering his near suicidal behaviour on the battlefield, Zian’s death would come soon enough if not reined in, and though he had not responded kindly to her overtures, Akanai was patient. If the Situ Clan would not have him, then she would gladly take him in despite his apparent death wish. While yet to Develop a Domain, Zian was only turning twenty-six, with most of a decade ahead of him before he could be called average.

Putting the Society talents out of mind, she ignored Mila’s petulant scowl and greeted her with a smile. “Daughter,” Akanai said, reaching out to run her fingers through the sweet child’s tangled locks. “It is good to see you.”

“Good to see you too Mama.” The scowl deepened as Mila grumbled and shook herself free, for she was a leader of warriors who shouldn’t be seen being coddled by her mother, but Akanai couldn’t help herself. She was so proud of her little girl, and it seemed like only yesterday she’d been a snaggle-toothed child who challenged her parents on every little decision and disagreement, a girl who blossomed overnight into a beautiful warrior and gifted blacksmith who stood at the forefront of her peers.

Leaving her sweet daughter to pout, Akanai greeted her Sentinels and Rain’s friends as a senior should and exchanged words with Alsantset and Charok before returning to Mila’s side. Forcefully taking her hand, Akanai rode in silence while envying how close Kankin and Atir were as the father-daughter pair took turns grooming each other while they ran. Wanting to hear the girl’s voice, she Sent, “Any battles of note?”

“I’m sure you read the reports.”

Reports which painted a bleak future once the Defiled finished making their preparations, a concept Akanai would have laughed at if brought up ten years ago, but now...

Shaking off her grim apprehension, Akanai focused on her difficult daughter instead. “Any progress to report on the Martial Path?” The girl was on the cusp of Aura Condensation and Natal Palace Formation, and though frustrated by her lack of success, she would still be ahead of most if she took another two or three years to achieve both. She spent too much time comparing and competing with her peers instead of forging her own path, a shortcoming which only presented itself after coming into contact with so many geniuses of her generation. Akanai blamed Rain most of all, because when had there ever been a talent who ‘accidentally’ Formed a Natal Palace at seventeen?

“No Mama.”

“...Have you any questions then?” Always a gamble to answer the girl’s insightful queries, and Akanai always struggled to respond without revealing too much. Mila already knew far more than she should, which could be why she was having so much trouble reaching the next milestones on the Martial Path. Rain knew next to nothing and accomplished more than any of his peers, albeit in unconventional fashion and at great cost.

“No Mama.”

What happened to the sweet, smiling little redhead of memory, a curious and precocious child full of fire and zeal? “What is the matter, sweet child? Is it because I rode out to find you?”

Rolling her eyes, the girl sighed and Sent, “No Mama,” for the third time. “Well... a little, but I don’t mind much. I missed you, but... How is he?”

Ah, of course. “Apologies child. Your beloved is doing well and slowly recovering, so well the possibility of concern slipped my mind.” Though not quite the conversation Akanai wanted to have, she regaled her daughter with tales of the boy’s antics in recent weeks until Mila was satisfied, and only then did the sweet girl ask about her father. Shaking her head at Mila’s transformation as the girl straightened up and smiled, Akanai teased, “Oh unfilial daughter of mine, not even married and you’ve already tossed your parents aside, waiting until now to ask how your father fares. Poorly without your smile to brighten his day, for the Marshal works him hard and his wife harder still, with many a soldier and Sentinel still to be armed.”

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Oh how she loved teasing her love-struck daughter until her freckled cheeks matched her scarlet hair, but little Mila soon rallied and Sent, “I’ll stay and help.”

Raising an eyebrow, Akanai asked, “Not returning to the front lines?”

“No Mama.” The same two words as before, but this time filled with fiery determination. Good, good, the girl wasn’t running from her problems anymore. Hatred and anger were easy to vent, but it would do nothing to help Mila’s sickly betrothed, and together, they could support one another through this most troubling trial.

Her mood much improved, Mila returned to her bright and cheery self as they rode hand in hand. Upon arriving at the citadel gates, they found them blocked by thousands of soldiers milling about and waiting for inspection. Pulling rank to push Mila, Zian, and BoShui’s retinues to the front of the line, Akanai ignored the sullen scowls and muted protests as she rode through the gates. A Lieutenant General was too important to waste hours waiting to use the only sturdy stone bridge available within a twenty kilometre radius and she’d be damned if she trusted a horse or cow to navigate a suspended rope bridge without falling off. Once through, they were met with a welcome surprise as they found Rain waiting outside their building with Song, Lin, the twins, and his pets, all smiling and waving to welcome everyone home.

Even the pets were waving too, an adorable and embarrassing sight, but one Akanai was smitten by. She especially loved the bears, sitting like people with their mouths opened in a silly little grin...

It was a bittersweet moment seeing her daughter run into Rain’s arms while the adorable Tali and Tate ran in the opposite direction towards their parents, so painful Akanai considered adopting another young orphan or three just so she could experience this same joy once again. Though she didn’t smile or run, Song made up for it by greeting her Mama with a proper hug even though they’d only been separated for a night and half a day. The girl’s mood had improved in recent weeks as she no longer cried herself to sleep, though every now and then, the poor girl would still accidentally trigger her Oaths and be left gasping for breath. Before the destruction of her token, Akanai had never seen her stoic Song rebuked by the Heavens, but after Sinuji, the poor girl defied them and broke down into tears multiple times each day. It was frustrating to see her daughter in such misery, and Akanai hated how she hadn’t known just how much pain Song kept hidden, but at least she appeared to be improving. The errant thoughts and panic attacks had dropped in the last two weeks after she stopped avoiding Rain like the plague, and now the girl spent most of her days at his side. Akanai wasn’t sure if this improvement was because her daughter had come to terms with her fate, or if she had simply gotten used to hiding her misery once again, but either way, Song was too servile towards him for her tastes. Sadly, there was no helping it. Thanks to the girl’s Oaths, they were bound closer than most husbands and wives, and would remain so from now until the day one of them died.

Not so terrible a fate since Rain treated her well and would never force her against her will, but even still, Akanai would give anything to free her sweet daughter from the bonds of slavery.

As things stood, Akanai worried she’d already lost a second daughter to the womanizing scoundrel, though she could hardly understand his appeal. Even at his best, the boy had been too slim and pretty, lacking the rugged brawn or dangerous grace of her barrel-chested husband. Young BoShui was far more pleasing to her eyes, but oddly enough, the Young Tiger of the Han Clan lacked a suitable marriage partner. Perhaps she should speak to Sarnai to see if there were any eligible young women of the People who might be interested in a foreign husband, though all this talk of political marriage and alliance was still new to her.

Truth be told Rain was far from the worst candidate for Mila or Song. The former loved him so, and the latter found comfort in his presence, but no mother would be happy seeing their daughters wed to a lecher. Including Song, Rain had five marriage partners lined up, a troublesome boy who would be the death of Akanai. Oh how her heart had ached upon seeing him return from Sinuji, little more than a burned, emaciated husk of his former self with agony etched into his sleeping face. Too scared to even touch him, she’d cursed the pup for a fool for leaving the poor boy to suffer so and almost ended his life with her own hands, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Once, she worried this foundling would bring disaster down upon the people, and he almost did, but this stupid, stubborn child was her grandson, grand-disciple, and future son-in-law, and so long as there was hope, she would cling to it with all her might.

A good thing too. When he finally opened his eyes and saw her standing there, Rain flashed his roguish smile and quipped, “Be honest Grand-Mentor: are my eyebrows crooked? Teacher says he grew them back exactly as they were, but they don’t look right.”

With such firm fortitude and unwavering determination, perhaps Rain might bring about yet another miracle. While he never spoke of his intentions to mend his shattered Core, one look into his eyes and anyone could see he had yet to give up, so Akanai hoped for the best and planned for the worst. The Legate had already announced he would visit all three citadels during the new years celebrations, so Akanai would confront him then. If the poncy nobleman refused to give a proper reason why he’d ordered Rain to remain in the citadel instead of allowing him to recuperate somewhere safe and quiet, then she would bring the boy away even if it meant falling out with the People and the Empire to do so.

While Mila and Rain stared silently into each other’s eyes, Akanai noticed a crowd of young fops idling nearby, speaking in none-too-quiet whispers at the side. “Mother’s tits,” one cursed as his lecherous eyes took in Mila’s form. “How many half-beast women does the Crippled Consort have?”

“Fat lot of good he’ll do them with his broken sword,” another said between chuckles. “The tiny thing was probably burnt to a crisp and the ashes scattered on the fields of Sinuji.”

“Don’t worry,” a third added, while suggestively grabbing his crotch. “If they’re looking for a bedroom sparring partner, I’ve got a greatsword in my trousers they’ll -”

Snarling in fury, Mila charged the offending youngsters and slapped the closest one with an open palm, the meaty smack echoing over the bustle of the busy courtyard. Knocked senseless by her prodigious might, the boorish fop’s teeth went sailing through the air as his head bounced on the paved stone ground, and two of his friends followed soon after. Had the girl held her temper for another minute and let them talk some more, then perhaps she’d have justifiable cause to trounce the rest of those idiots or even kill them outright, but alas, Mila acted too soon and could only reasonably defend her honour against the three fools who had spoken, leaving the rest gawking in wide-eyed terror.

While Rain might not care about their disparaging comments, Akanai had long anticipated seeing this very scene unfold before her eyes, yet it was still so much more satisfying than expected.

Intervening before Mila took things too far, Akanai grabbed the girl’s wrist and flashed a toothy smile at the remaining fops, all frozen in fear with eyes wide and knees trembling. “Enough, dear daughter,” she said, speaking slowly as she drank in their shock and disbelief. “The offenders have been punished, but these other children are mere bystanders. They cannot be held responsible for insults given by another’s tongue.” Perhaps this would teach the girl some restraint, for it was mildly unsatisfying to let these others leave unscathed. Every one of these pompous dandies had insulted Rain at one point or another, and they deserved far more than a slap across the face.

“Last week, the one dressed in red and white alluded Lin and I were beasts.” Delivering the accusation in her customary monotone, Song’s testimony sealed the fate of yet another dandy as Mila broke free from Akanai’s grasp and backhanded him across the jaw. With only the whites of his eyes showing, he spun in place and sprayed blood over all his friends before collapsing into a puddle at his feet.

“Who else?”

Mila’s growled question shocked the fools back to their senses and they ran away screaming of murder and assault. The soldiers on duty came over to inquire what all the fuss was about, but once Akanai told them why four dandies were lying unconscious in the streets, they merely nodded and dragged the dandies away. None of the fops held rank, so it would be up to their families to report this to an Adjudicator, which would only see them fined for slandering a Captain of the Imperial Defence Forces.

“Oh beloved,” Rain said, wiping the blood off of Mila’s face with a handkerchief once the soldiers were gone. “I appreciate you standing up for my honour, but why let yourself get so worked up over these idiots? If you stop to teach every fool a lesson, then there’ll be no end to the beatings.”

Seeing Mila was still struggling to contain her anger, Akanai smoothed the girl’s hair and replied, “The beatings will end once fools learn to show proper respect.” Patting his cheek to show she wasn’t upset, she added, “You should have let your Death Corps teach them weeks ago.”

“I disagree.” Though crippled and wounded, Rain had lost none of his nerve as he faced her head on, a feat many of her veteran Sentinels couldn’t match. “They’re a bunch of idle layabouts with nothing to do during a time of war. What does their opinion matter? Let them wag their tongues all they want; I have better things to do than waste my time on dead weight. Save your anger for people who matter. Besides,” he added with a sniff, "I had plans in motion to deal with them myself.”

“Hmph.” Glowering adorably, Mila knuckled Rain’s gaunt cheeks ever so gently. “Two months I’ve been gone, and this is how you greet me? With a lecture?”

“Sorry beloved.” Kissing her hands in a shameless public display of affection, Rain teased, “Alright, I’ve taken up enough of your time, so why don’t you let me handle everyone’s lodgings while you head up and say hi to your father? If I keep you any longer, he’s going to throw something down and accidentally kill me.” Glancing up, Akanai spied her husband’s bearded head peeking out from their bedroom window, but only for a split-second as he darted back like a startled squirrel. Chuckling beneath his breath as he eyed the blood-stained stones, Rain added, “Luckily for them, he’s busy working upstairs; I still remember the last idiot who insulted you. In retrospect, a few broken bones and missing teeth is a small price to pay.”

Hmph, had they insulted Mila directly, Akanai would’ve strung them up by their ankles and left them to die of exposure, which was far better than they deserved.

Confident Rain could handle things here, Akanai brought Mila away and left him to sort out the Sentinel’s lodgings. Most already had families living inside the citadel, and those who didn’t were left with a choice: either share a room with three other Sentinels, or ride an hour east to Rain’s recently purchased farm where food and proper lodgings would be provided free of charge. The offer earned him much-needed goodwill as most chose a yurt on his farm, but even Akanai thought the boy was being far too generous.

Less than a year had passed since the People almost exiled him from the village, and while she still held a grudge, she was glad to see Rain didn’t share her resentment. Others saw his friendly, but polite and distant demeanour as pride or arrogance, believing he kept to himself because he thought himself better than others or because he refused to lower his guard, but they were letting their preconceived notions colour their judgment. The boy remembered nothing of his origins, nothing before the age of twelve even, so he kept himself apart because he was scared and slow to trust. It took him months to warm up to his family, and years to feel comfortable enough to share his innermost secrets, and though he never spoke of it, it hurt him to know he’d almost brought calamity to the People and tainted his fond memories of the village.

Once, Akanai thought Rain wanted nothing to do with the People, but in truth, he yearned for a place to belong. Though born of the People, he did not see himself as one, nor did he see himself as a citizen of the Empire, a sad, lonely existence which drove him to create a fake brother just so he’d have someone to confide in. Poor child, much like Song, he kept his suffering hidden from the world for fear of burdening others, but after confiding in his family once, perhaps he’d do so again before his problems grew out of hand again.

Though still worried about her troublesome grand-disciple, Akanai could barely contain her smile as she watched her big bear of a husband melt in Mila’s embrace, gently cradling his sweet daughter as if afraid to break her. Almost regretting her decision to ride out, she brought Song over to join the hug and they held each other tight until Mila begged leave to go bathe, claiming she was covered in sweat and dust from her travels even though everyone knew she wanted to look pretty for her beloved.

Once Mila was finally finished primping and preening, they left to have lunch at the pup’s manor, where the entire family ate, drank, laughed, and generally enjoyed each other’s company. The pup and his wife, Taduk and Lin, Alsantset, Charok, and the twins, Rain, Luo-Luo, and Song, Akanai was not used to having a family so large, one which would only grow once Yan joined them with Du Min Gyu, but she wouldn’t trade this for the world. Strange to think she had Rain to thank for all of this, because without him, everyone here would not be bound by familial ties.

At least some good came from his lecherous appetite...

Chapter Meme

Chapter Meme 2