Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Restoration ❯ Construction ( Chapter 2 )

Ryo watched the construction from the balcony and sighed. There was nothing for him to do while the palace was being repaired. Well there was, but he didn't exactly want to go down to the courtyard because he knew that his services would immediately be needed. Lee had left to help choose the colors on the interior so he had no companionship. He turned away from the outside and sat on the throne. He picked up his sword and swung it a couple of times and sighed. So much of his life had been spent in battles that he didn't know what to do now that the threat was over.

"You've grown since I last saw you," an elderly voice said and Ryo looked up. An old demon stood there, possibly in his late two hundreds and Ryo frowned as the tried to remember the name. The older demon smiled at his confusion and finally Ryo's eyes glinted with recognition.

"Karu, my teacher. How could I forget about you?" Ryo asked.

"Youngsters seem to forget their instructors. It's very common."

"Why are you here?"

"To advise you. Surely you've learned some things during Levin's reign."

"I learned how to survive. Do I have to take the throne?"

"No direct descendant from the original has refused the throne."

"I'm not refusing. I don't reject my heritage. I just don't know if I'm ready to accept the responsibility. Sure, I've learned a lot in the past eight years but what is learned in war does not translate to times of peace. What I learned in the palace has been shelved deep within the library of my mine. I don't remember how to run a kingdom."

"You were never fond of your studies were you? Well never mind. That is why I'm here. One does not run a kingdom alone. I am here to advise you and help make correct choices."

"That gives me some comfort."

"You also have an extremely competent mate."

"Lee? I don't understand him at times."

"There you are. The cook has been wondering when you are going to eat," D said as he walked into the room.

"Eat? That's right, I haven't eaten yet. I'll come down in a while. Tell him not to worry," Ryo said as he stood up. He unsheathed his sword and swung it a couple of times then walked out onto the balcony. He watched Lee for a few moments, trying to figure out what he was up to. Lee appeared to be selecting flowers for some strange reason.

"You don't understand him because he has a woman's temperament," Karu said and Ryo glanced at him. "Lee sees things for artistic value. He always has. He understands the need for presentation as well as the need for force."

"That's right. He was the sissy that would spend his mornings arranging flowers. I never had much to do with him back then. I didn't know what to make of him. He was always trying to cling onto me back then which was just entirely too strange."

"And six years later you met him again."

"I didn't recognize him and he came across me while I was injured in the snow. He wouldn't leave me alone so I came with him to a stable not far from the city. I thought he was just an annoying human."

"Obviously he found out about your birthmark otherwise you would not have become so close."

"That's right. He was the one that informed me about the demon prejudice in the city."

"You also know that his family has been the chosen companion since the original ruler, don't you? Lee's father was your father's…"

"Yes, I'm fully aware of that. So what you're trying to say is that our relationship didn't happen by chance."

"We are deeply rooted in our ways."

"Then how did Levin take over the throne?"

"Levin was a descendant of one of the families that deserted Shorel during the battle to conquer this planet. Resentment was buried deep within Levin's actions and when your father was preparing to go hunting, Levin made his move with the help of Xylphara. You, of course, know the rest."

"Hey Ryo!" Lee called and Ryo looked down at him.

"What are you doing now?" he asked and Lee smiled as he pushed his bangs away from his face.

"Choosing trees. Come on down, honey."

"Why are you choosing trees?"

"Have you seen the ones in the courtyard? They're in terrible condition. Some bright new trees will add life to this place. Come on down."

"I don't understand him when he gets this way," Ryo said as he turned away from the window.

"True love sometimes involves the inability to understand," Karu said as he followed Ryo out of the throne room.

"What do you want now, D?"

"Nothing. I'm going to clean your father's room," D replied as Ryo descended the stairs. Ryo paused for a moment and closed his eyes in grief. He then opened them and continued walking down the stairs.

"Get rid of everything in there," Ryo said and Karu followed D.

"Let's see what's left. Some important things may be there. Come on D," Karu said as Ryo continued down the staircase. He didn't want to have anything else to do with his father's bedroom. He would prefer not to see that room again. Its contents was too traumatic for him.

Lee met Ryo at the bottom of the staircase and lovingly embraced him. Ryo grinned and stroked his hair. He gazed down at Lee and gently scraped his nails against Lee's cheek. Lee gazed up at him and smiled.

"You're not going to spend your mornings arranging flowers like you did when you were young, are you?" Ryo asked and Lee flushed.

"You remember that?" he asked and Ryo nodded his head.

"Yes."

"It's the way I am. I can't help it."

"I know. I'm on my way to the kitchen. I haven't eaten yet."

"That's what you get for getting up before dawn."

"I don't need your sarcasm Lee."

"I'm sorry, honey."

"Stop that."

"All right. I've got work to do anyway," Lee said as he moved his hand away from Ryo's crotch.

"At least something is keeping you busy," Ryo said and Lee looked at him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You weren't busy enough in the city. Even between work and all that you did, you still obsessed over me."

"I thought you liked our time then."

"I did. Now let go. I need to eat."

Lee let go of him and turned to walk back outside. He jumped slightly and glanced at Ryo who was walking down the hall and smiled. He was going to make the palace something Ryo could be proud of.

The sky was changing to afternoon as Ryo rode silently through the forest. Lee had offered to come along but Ryo rejected him. He wanted some solitude to think about his past and future. He brought Nightwing to a halt and sat up straight, ears twitching intently. He had heard something. His eyes narrowed as he searched the forest for the source of the noise. Nightwing neighed nervously and without warning took to a gallop. Ryo fell to the ground and lay still for a moment, his back hurting from the fall. He listened for the noise, the sounds of Nightwing's hooves pounding the ground fading from his ears. It was not like his steed to run away and abandon him. Something must have really frightened him, Ryo decided as he struggled to get up.

A shadow passed through the trees as Ryo sat up, tightly holding his sword. A hissing noise came from behind him and Ryo unsheathed his sword. The hissing turned to menacing laughter as Ryo stood up. His eyes bored through the forest, searching for the source of the noise as his tail began to twitch nervously. Was it that strange cat again that he and Lee had come in contact with? No, it couldn't be. The scientist's house was located in the south and he had been heading in a western direction.

"Demon son, yess?" a voice asked and Ryo stepped back. An old hag enshrouded in black robes stood in front of him. Ryo pointed his sword warningly at the stranger. He had learned not to take unnecessary chances. For someone who seemed harmless, it was quite possible that she was a dangerous person.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded.

"Sso cold you are. You are sstranger here. No one comes thiss way. No one. Lonely I have been. Yess, lonely. Niezon pays me visits no more. Ssad I am."

"You must help me recover my horse."

"Sservant I am not. You ssound like you are royalty yess? You come from rich house?"

"If you help me find my horse, we will talk."

"I like talking. Sso long it hass been ssince I sspoke with another demon. You are young and handsome. You musst be important yess?"

"Who are you?"

"Find horsse we will. Ansswers later. Animal go thiss way. I am ssure of it."

"How long have you lived in these parts?"

"Animal firsst."

Ryo hesitantly followed the old hag who was muttering to herself, not entirely sure whether the ancient crone could be trusted but he had no choice. He refused to return home without his horse. He followed her through the brush, cutting low branches down with his sword. He raised a hand to his eyes and shielded them as he squinted at a black outline near a small stream. It was Nightwing, patiently waiting for his master on the banks of the stream. So he hadn't abandoned him. That was good to know. But he still didn't completely trust the old woman.

"There iss animal. My home iss right there. Come, we ssit and talk," the old woman said as Ryo walked up to his horse. He patted Nightwing on the nose and then led him to where a small cabin sat. He tied the reins around the trunk of a sapling then followed the old woman into the house, prepared for the unexpected.

"Ssit and talk we will."

Ryo took a seat and watched as the old woman walked over to an old-fashioned stove. She filled a teapot with some water and placed it on the stove then lit the burner underneath. She turned to where Ryo sat and set a small basket of fruit on the table. She smiled kindly and sat across from him. Ryo watched her for a second then gazed around the room.

"You mentioned Niezon. How do you know him?" Ryo asked. Who was she really? Was she another person like the scientist that had not heard about the defeat of Levin?

"He vissited me a lot on his way to and from the human village. He wass interested in my knowledge of the Purity Stone, a gem losst from the sword of Shorel during hiss lasst battle. You knew Niezon?" the old woman asked and Ryo tried to pull up his knowledge of history, which wasn't that good. This was an instance where Lee's presence would be helpful. He decided not to tell her of his relationship to Niezon. He didn't want to get himself in a predicament he couldn't get out of.

"I knew him quite well. What do you know of his death?"

"Terrible, terrible. Evil thingss chase after him when he went to help ssave the village from drought. He gone for many dayss. Then horsse return without a rider. I knew he wass dead."

"You didn't se him die?"

"Oh no. Evil thingss would not want a witnesss. I hear of hiss death from birdss that lived in the treess near where Niezon wass killed. They ssaid it wass terrible. Terrible."

"You talk to birds?"

"They trusst me. Are you going to human village? Not many left there, birdss ssay."

"No, I'm just out for a ride. I really must be getting back home. I'm sure I'll be missed soon."

"Have ssome tea at leasst. It'ss very good."

"Thank you," Ryo said as she set a cup of tea down in front of him. She definitely made the king's death up because he knew full well that his father had been slain in the throne room but what her true intentions were, he did not know. He slowly picked up the cup and sniffed it. His past had forced him to be suspicious with everyone and he wanted to make sure that the tea was in fact safe to drink. An old woman in the middle of nowhere that talked to birds didn't seem likely to poison a prince but Ryo wasn't taking any chances. She did lie about the death of his father, after all. Satisfied that there was no poison contained inside the cup, he slowly drank the contents in an attempt to be careful and polite, which was a difficult thing to do. The old woman watched in pleasure as he set the empty cup back on the table.

"Thank you for everything. I really must be going," Ryo said as he stood up. The room began to pulsate with a strange colored light as Ryo picked up his sword. He blinked his eyes as he tried to hold a state of consciousness. He hadn't been poisoned but he had definitely been drugged. He should have just left when he had realized that she was lying. But he was also trying to be polite like he had been taught. A large hulking shadow cast over the fireplace and Ryo tried to raise his sword in defense. The shadow raised a club and smacked Ryo's head with it. His senses reeled in pain as he lost his grasp on his weapon and fell unconsciously to the floor.