S:1 Ep: 1-2 The Secret Rose
In King Avan's twisted mind, he was as good a father as any man..better even. He would raise his son to be strong..not too strong of course, he wouldn't want the lad taking the throne early...no.
The King had nothing to do with Noretaku when she or in his unknowing mind..."he" was a babe. When "he" was able to walk and talk a bit however, Avan would bring him to all manner of place not suitable for a child to be...the tavern...the whorehouse...when asked about it the King simply replied "He will be a man someday...I must begin introducing him to a man's pleasures."
The King thought his "Son" was very strange. He never cried...never flinched...when he was able to speak well enough, he hardly said a word..but the King didn't mind that part much. He did however mind how feminine his son's face looked. The long lashes and girlish lips and cheeks bothered him. Many times he showed this my smacking the "boy" across the face and Noretaku would simply take it...then stare up at his father unphased. The King liked this for it showed strength in the boy.
Over the years however, the King grew uneasy. It was uncanny how the boy never spoke to his father or asked his father to take him hunting. All day long the boy was either out in the stables with that damned horse Bloodbane or practicing combat with the newly recruited soldiers.
"The boy needs to loosen up is all..." Avan would think to himself...and one evening, the King found the perfect thing for his son...a woman.
One bright day, a large group of new recruits came all ready to fight for their King. All of the boys looked small but this was expected....all but one who stood taller than the others with squared shoulders as if he were ready for battle. This solider caught the eye of the General assigned to train this group of recruits..General Beckley. He wanted to see what he could do so the drills were harder, longer and by the time they were finished, more than half the recruits were ready to collapse...some had already. The tall soldier however though sweaty and panting, still stood.
"Line up boys!" Shouted Beckley. "Inspection!"
Those recruits that could manage all got in line side by side backs as straight as they could hold them. The recruits that were to tired and weak were all clubbed by the Honor Guards that the General kept by his side...motivation for the recruits indeed.
The general walked back and forth among the boys stopping once in a while to give an insult and soon came to a stop in front of the tall soldier who had their head down as if their boots were the most interesting thing in the world to them.
"Raise...your..head soldier!" Commanded the General. There was a pause..then the lad raised his head slowly and stared Beckley in the eyes. "What is your name recruit?"
"Chern Sir..." mumbled the soldier in a strange, deep voice.
"Well Chern, you have been a fine example to these boys all day and now you start slacking?!" He punched the recruit in the stomach but the soldier kept his place in line. "Are you a weakling?!"
"...No sir..."
"What was that?"
"No sir..."
"I can't hear you!"
"NO SIR!" the soldier broke the line and hunched his shoulders angrily, one hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Restrain that recruit!" Yelled the General to his Honor Guards who grabbed each of the tall recruit's arms but struggled to hold him. The recruit fought against them and in the struggle, his helmet fell off revealing the face of a beautiful woman. Everyone stopped and the recruit fell to her knees.
"I...am...not...weak.!" She shouted between breaths.
"This is an insult to the King...take her to him at once...she needs to learn her place!" Spat Beckley.
The Honor Guards had to use every ounce of strength they could to restrain the girl and drag her into the castle.
The King was having a discussion with the castle mage when they dropped her in front of his throne. One of them placed a weighted foot on her chest to keep her still but she still struggled.
"What is the meaning of this?" Asked King Avan. "Why is this girl in the armor of my soldiers?"
"She was found impersonating a new recruit your Highness." Declared an Honor Guard. "Shall we..dispose of her Ser?"
"Yes..yes get her out of my..." The King was waving his hand impatiently but stopped just as they began dragging her away. "No..wait...come with me...bring her to my son's chambers...."
Noretaku was sitting on "his" bed staring at the far wall of his bedroom. It was crimson and he was lost in it. His mind was filled with thoughts of battle and of his last trip with the King to the whorehouse.
The boy was not ignorant about the things men and women did behind doors. His father made sure that he was quite "educated" on the subject but not once did Noretaku ever bed a girl and this was quite disconcerting to his father.
Noretaku's thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on his door.
"Wake up son!" The voice of King Avan boomed behind the door. "I've got a present for you!" The door swung open and Noretaku stared at the strange assortment of people before him. His eyes fell to the bound girl on the floor. She was dark and her hair even darker. Her eyes had a fire behind them.
"Father...I don't" Started Noretaku.
"No excuses this time my boy...you will both stay here until the deed is finished...kill her afterwards if you wish..." He turned to exit the room. "Damien." He said to one of the Honor Guards. "Unbind her."
The Guard called Damien reached into his jacket and withdrew a dagger with which he cut all the restrains that had bound the girl. With that, the King and his guards exited the room and the King slammed the door behind them. Noretaku heard the locking mechanism click.
Chern stood, wobbly at first...took one look at the "Prince" and her surroundings and immediately bolted for the window which she opened and began climbing out of it.
"Stop!" Shouted Noretaku who raced across the room, wrapped both arms around the girl and pulled her back away from the window.
"Let me go!" Shouted the girl with eyes like daggers.
"I can't do that, if you go out the window, you fall to your death and if you go out the door...which is locked from the outside anyway, you get killed by my father or his damned Guards..." Noretaku sighed, let go of the girl and walked back over to the bed where he sat down and slumped against the bedpost. "Do what you like...I do not wish you harm but I will not stop you."
The young girl standing in the middle of the room looked upon the "Prince." She was still frightened and breathing heavily but curiosity got the best of her.
"My name is Chern..."
"A pleasure to meet you friend Chern." Said Noretaku grinning slightly. "I am....Prince Noretaku."
"You don't seem very...Prince like."
"I am not"
"What does that mean?"
"....I suppose you are trustworthy...you did resist my father and his Guard?"
"Y...yes...yes I did." Spoke the girl straightening up and squaring her shoulders. "No one can keep me down!"
"A fighter...I could use one of those." Noretaku stood and crossed his long legs as he bowed in a feminine manner. He reached back and removed His hat and then what looked like pins from the back of his hair. As he did this, a long, crimson curtain of hair fell over his head. He straightened back up to look at his guest. Chern looked uncomfortable.
"What are you doing?" She took a step back. "You will not have your way-"
"My way?" Noretaku was confused for a moment but then realized what was going through Chern's mind. "That is not my intention I swear it...walk to the far wall if you wish I will stay here and show you."
"Show me?" Said Chern "Show me what!?"
"Alright, alright here, this will set your mind at ease...I think." He slowly brought his hands up to the top of his jacket and undid the buttons. Every now and then Noretaku would glance up at Chern who was standing stalk still with her hand clasped firmly around a candle holder, ready to strike. He removed the jacket and then pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall onto the bed.
There was a crash and Noretaku heard Chern gasp loudly.
"Let us start again..." Said the "Prince" "He" curtsied. "It is a pleasure to meet you friend Chern. I am princess Lenore."
"A...girl...but..." Stammered Chern.
"It is a long story..but alas, we have time..come..sit and will tell it..but then..we have work to do." Noretaku noticed that the bandages around her chest that helped hide her bosom were loosening. She tried but could not reach them to fix.
"Here..um..let me get that for you...friend Lenore" She walked over to Noretaku and began tightening the bandages.
"Yes..I am a friend but you must never call me by that name...do you understand?"
"I do."
"Good...thank you Chern." Noretaku put her shirt and jacket back on and walked to a cabinet in the corner of the room. She removed two glasses and a bottle of wine. She filled both glasses and motioned for Chern to join her at a table next to the window. The two sat down and sipped at their drinks.
"Now...tell me how you got into this situation Chern." Noretaku grinned. "..and I shall tell you how I got into this one."
"Well...it all started when your...father.....sent soldiers into my town to claim it...."
"I see." Noretaku who had finished her glass poured another and stared at the setting sun from her window. "Continue...I am listening"
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