Characters: Ota, Kimondo
Word Count: 1171
It had been several hours since her argument with Umepatwa and Kimondo had cooled down considerably. She felt bad about what happened, though more because they had almost certainly caused a scene. Between that and the thread Ume had uttered of going to their mothers with the information that Kimondo was friendly with the prince.. she knew she had to go talk to her mother, even if she would have liked to leave it.
Luckily, Ota was generally pretty easy to find. She stuck close to her den later in the night and for just this reason. She wanted to be easy to find, at least for now. Kimondo was looking sullen when she arrived home, but she was relieved to find it was only her mother there.
"Mom, I need to talk to you," she said.
Ota was laying in the dark, watching her daughter approach with minimal concern until she was standing before her, sounding completely forlorn.
"Sit down," she said, nodding to her side, "What's up?"
"I had a fight with Ume tonight," Kimondo said, sitting down at her mother's side for a moment before sinking to the ground and leaning against her, "It was pretty loud, too. We might have caused trouble."
There was a catch in her voice that gave away how bad she was feeling, but also how serious it might be. Still, Ota leaned back against her daughter reassuringly.
"What was it about?" she asked.
"Prince Liuhe," Kimondo said with a heavy sigh, "I guess we're kind of friends now. I didn't mean to do it, I swear! But.. I don't think he's so bad, either."
Ota looked at Kimondo in surprise. Whatever she had imagined the fight to be about, this wasn't it. There was no hard work to be done guessing where it had come from, either. Umepatwa was a good lion but he would certainly have strong feelings about something like that.
"What makes you think that?"
Kimondo finally looked over to her mother, meeting her gaze. She wasn't prepared for that question, though she had been trying to shout-explain it to Umepatwa earlier in the night. Her mother was so calm, would it have been so hard for Ume to try being like that?
"He's spoiled and lazy," she said thoughtfully, "But he doesn't seem to care much about the throne. He's convinced his father is doing a good job, of course, but I'm.. not sure."
Ota didn't say anything, only nodded and waited for Kimondo to continue. Realizing she wasn't going to get an opinion from her mother that easily, she went on.
"He doesn't seem to care about anything but having fun," she said, looking down to her own feet, "And his interests and games aren't exactly the cruel kind of antics you'd expect from.. from.. I don't even know what. He seems harmless to me."
"Do you think he would fight for his father, if it came down to it?" Ota asked, her tone still genuinely curious. She had never met the prince, and there was some concern about the young royals coming of age while the rebellion was still struggling to get moving.. but more than that, Kimondo needed her to be calm and considerate and she knew that.
"Yes," Kimondo said after a long pause, "I don't think the thought has ever crossed his mind. If he really thinks Shangyue has done a good job, he probably would. If it came down to it."
It was a depressing realization. It meant Ume was right, that she shouldn't have been so foolish as to let herself become accidental friends with the prince. Ota, on the other hand, wasn't moved.
"Of course he would," Ota said gently, "Just as I expect you would blindly follow me and my cause, without a second thought."
"Of- of course!"
Kimondo answered before she realized what her mother was saying. That wasn't the right answer. It was, of course, but she wasn't blindly following her parents.. was she?
"Ume said that Liuhe is going to end up like Shangyue, that being his son makes it impossible he won't," she said sullenly, still feeling silly, "I may have yelled at Ume that he's the king's son, too, and it kind of went from there. Or.. well, we may have used the words usurper, monster and psychopath."
Ota stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again. That was a dangerous argument to have publicly and she guessed it was worse even than it sounded for Kimondo to confess so.
"I'm not going to tell you that that's ok, you both have to be more careful," she said sternly, "Umepatwa is right to be wary, but you're not wrong to be hopeful. The princes and princesses will be influenced by their parents, their grandfather, their supporters.. But they don't have to end up like them. Maybe it will be good for him to have a friend like you."
Silence fell between them as Ota considered what she was saying, and her own realizations for the night.
"And maybe it will be good for you, too," she added finally.
Kimondo started. Leaning away from her mother, she looked her square in the eyes and tried to figure out what she just said.
"Wh-what?"
It was a complicated situation to explain to anybody, let alone her own daughter. Ota hated to imagine her children following her cause blindly, even though she was so sure it was right.. There was no doubt in her mind, and many others', that Shangyue did not deserve to be king, even with claims of blood and conquest.. but what that meant for the pride, for the royal family.. nobody could yet know.
"Shangyue took the lives of his grandparents to get where he is now, he manipulated slaves to make his claim stronger and harder to fight," Ota said thoughtfully, "And it has worked. But his crimes are his own."
"That- that's what I said to Ume," Kimondo muttered, "Shangyue is the enemy, not Liuhe. Not yet."
Ota nodded.
"Be his friend, if you like," she said, "But be careful, and stay alert. Keep an eye on him, but don't forget that you have an opportunity to see the situation from another perspective."
It was hard to imagine wanting to know what the enemy thought, but until her argument with Umepatwa, Kimondo had not truly considered the prince the enemy. It had crossed her mind, of course, but quickly got lost in opinions about the prince himself. She had not expected for this outlook to be encouraged, least of all by her mother. That simple blessing was enough to make her mind spin as she began thinking about the situation she had been raised in. Dazed, she turned her head away from her mother and snuggled back in against her.
Ota watched her daughter carefully, thoughtfully. She was so rarely surprised, but she saw something unexpected.. something hopeful. Maybe, despite the painfully slow pace, the rebellion was on the right track.
Fin!
