A Kingdom Apart
an excerpt

He wasn’t supposed to be here – not this early, at least. They weren’t expecting him for another week, during the start of the summer festival, but he was tired of traveling. It had been months since he’d gotten a decent night of sleep. While in the Mochizuki kingdom, he’d been expected to constantly read prophecies to the king and queen, to inform them of anyone he knew who might somehow fill them, and to help watch over the young prince whenever they were tired of listening to him.

It would be nothing like that now that he was home. The king and queen here rarely cared for prophecies, unless it concerned something dangerous, and they had no children for him to take care of. He would be allowed to rest as long as he needed to – after he reported his arrival so they knew he was still alive.

And that was why he’d returned home early. He knew he would have to report to them first thing; since he’d been gone for over two years, they’d be curious as to what he’d been up to and just how much information he’d given the other kingdom (something that he would not be able to tell them even if he wanted to, although he was sure they would ask many times – they usually did). He wasn’t ready to give his report just yet. He needed rest, a day away from the prying eyes of other people, and just some silence in general.

However, silence was out of the question. He’d forgotten that Hiroshi liked to have a festival at the beginning and end of the seasons; the king was strange that way. He could hear music and laughter from beyond the gate as he approached, and the guards themselves were humming along and grinning. They were quick to act when they saw him, though, their good moods suddenly vanishing as they armed themselves in case of an attack.