Teatime for Two
- Location
- Maryland
Gawain Goldenfeather sighed in contentment, gently gripping the steaming mug of green tea in both talons. Much like his father and mentor, he had developed an affinity for the invigorating beverage, though it was rare that he got the chance to enjoy it as he was now.
He glanced up from his drink to his companion for the evening, the female Qilin seated across from him enjoying her own cup with a similar amount of relish. Not for the first time, the Prince marveled at just how much Ki Seong met the expectation of a noble Neighponese heiress. Refined, graceful, demure, cultured, intelligent...she embodied every positive stereotype that others could have expected of her.
But, as he was quickly learning, that was not all there was to the foreign maiden. For though she projected an image of a delicate flower, she had a hidden core of steel. From the way she casually manipulated flames and tamed infernos that a Qilin years her senior would struggle with, to her almost encyclopedic knowledge of both magical lore and military history, to her uncanny skills at games of skill and strategy, the Lady Seong seemed more like a warrior than her bearing and her father's position would initially suggest. But then, the Qilin philosophy in matters of diplomacy was to speak politely while keeping a sword at the ready. And speaking of games of strategy...
The Gryphon prince took another moment to inspect the board before him, examine the positions of his pieces and those of his opponent. Ki had introduced him to the Neighponese game of Shogi when he had told her of his passion for chess, and the two had met frequently to mentally spar against each other over a cup of tea, moving their pieces of carved bone across the board, silently ordering their simulated columns of soldiers about an imaginary battlefield.
Ki Seong's strategy in such battles was curious though. She never engaged in a general assault, never aggressively pressed her advantage, even when she had a greater number of pieces than him. She always conserved her pieces, carefully husbanding her resources, even when it didn't strictly make sense to do so from the perspective of someone trying to win the game.
When he had questioned her on this habit, her explanation had given him pause.
"A victory that costs you the majority of your army is hardly a victory at all."
He supposed she was right about that. Especially when viewed from the perspective of the Qilin as a culture.
It was no secret that the population of Neighpon was a fraction of that of Gryphus or Maretonia, an issue compounded by the Qilin's notoriously poor fertility rates. The Qilin often said it was a consequence of their long lives and powerful magic, but Archimedes had speculated that it was a result of their nature as hybrid creatures. Whatever the reason, it was no surprise that any losses taken by a Neighponese army would be dearly felt.
It had taken his father a year to replace the losses sustained during the Winter War and the invasion of the Crystal Empire. Had the Neighponese suffered such losses, it would have taken them decades to replenish their numbers.
Gawain shook his head, mentally dispelling that line of thought, returning his mind to the game as he moved another one of his pieces, removing one of his opponent's from play. As Ki Seong considered her next move, Gawain asked a question that had been on his mind a lot lately.
"What do you think I should do?"
His companion looked up from the board with a raised eyebrow. She knew he wasn't talking about the game. He'd picked up the rules and mechanics remarkably quickly.
"Regarding what?"
The prince ran a talon through his headfeathers, sighing.
"My father is the Emperor. The first worthy of the title since Discord. Even if he doesn't do anything else of note for the rest of his reign, he'll be remembered as one of the greatest Griffons of all time."
He met her gaze, his eyes belying a worry that shouldn't belong to one so young.
"And I'm his son, his heir apparent, the one who will assume the throne after him."
Ki Seong nodded in understanding, the game momentarily forgotten.
"You worry that you will not be able to measure up to him. That you will not be able to escape his shadow."
Gawain nodded. Seong took another sip from her cup, contemplating the issue. She understood why he had asked her this question. Of those in his circle of friends, she was the one most able to sympathize with his plight of living up to the expectations of others and meeting the high bar that her family had left for her. Though his case was much more extreme than hers.
"You are only nineteen."
Gawain snorted, waving a talon dismissively.
"And? When my father was my age, he was leading Trade caravans through dangerous territory and fighting off raids from bandits and monsters alike. When my mother was my age she was part of a mercenary outfit renowned for taking some of the most dangerous jobs and succeeding every time."
He sank into his seat, looking up at the ceiling.
"What have I done? Nothing but sit on my tail, play games and eat food from gilded plates."
Ki Seong frowned. Personally, she thought he was being too hard on himself, but she knew that simple reassurances wouldn't be enough to help him with his issue. So she took another direction.
"So do something."
Now it was Gawain's turn to look at her with a raised eye ridge. She continued, returning his stare with the gaze of velvet steel that she would one day become famous for.
"Stop 'sitting on your tail' and do something to make a name for yourself. Join a Knightly Order, become a diplomat, build something..."
A teasing edge slipped into her tone, a lip quirking upwards.
"...become head of that Cult that likes your father so much."
Gawain's face told her exactly how he felt about that particular suggestion. Momentary amusement gained, her demeanor returned to the steely mask she'd had before.
"It doesn't matter what you do, just that you do something."
Gawain looked at her, silently contemplating her words with an unreadable expression before responding.
"I'd considered that...but if I were to do something along those lines...I feel I would still be known simply as 'the Son of Garrick'."
Ki Seong sighed.
"Maybe so. But do you not owe it yourself to try?"
Gawain was opening his beak to respond when the door to the room suddenly slammed open, a Griffon in the full armor and regalia of the Imperial Household Guard entering the room with a look of concern upon his face, one that momentarily abated when he sighted the Prince.
Before Gawain could ask the obvious question, the guard was already right in front of him, gently pulling him to his feet and herding him towards the door.
"Sir, I apologize but we need to get you back to the Palace."
Gawain stopped, a mixed look of confusion, frustration and concern on his face as he pulled on his bodyguard's arm, forcing him to stop at look at him.
"Why, what's happened?"
The soldier's eyes darted to the Lady Seong, still sat upon the floor, staring silently at this bizarre and unexpected occurrence.
"The Emperor requested I bring you back to the palace with haste sir, I can explain on the way."
Gawain was having none of it. He stood his ground, his tone uncompromising.
"Sergeant, what is going on?"
There was a tense pause as the two Griffons stared each other down, the young Qilin bearing witness to a silent debate between protectors of the Empire. Finally, the guard spoke, his words heavy in the air.
"There's been a coup in Maretonia. Queen Mareia is dead."
He glanced up from his drink to his companion for the evening, the female Qilin seated across from him enjoying her own cup with a similar amount of relish. Not for the first time, the Prince marveled at just how much Ki Seong met the expectation of a noble Neighponese heiress. Refined, graceful, demure, cultured, intelligent...she embodied every positive stereotype that others could have expected of her.
But, as he was quickly learning, that was not all there was to the foreign maiden. For though she projected an image of a delicate flower, she had a hidden core of steel. From the way she casually manipulated flames and tamed infernos that a Qilin years her senior would struggle with, to her almost encyclopedic knowledge of both magical lore and military history, to her uncanny skills at games of skill and strategy, the Lady Seong seemed more like a warrior than her bearing and her father's position would initially suggest. But then, the Qilin philosophy in matters of diplomacy was to speak politely while keeping a sword at the ready. And speaking of games of strategy...
The Gryphon prince took another moment to inspect the board before him, examine the positions of his pieces and those of his opponent. Ki had introduced him to the Neighponese game of Shogi when he had told her of his passion for chess, and the two had met frequently to mentally spar against each other over a cup of tea, moving their pieces of carved bone across the board, silently ordering their simulated columns of soldiers about an imaginary battlefield.
Ki Seong's strategy in such battles was curious though. She never engaged in a general assault, never aggressively pressed her advantage, even when she had a greater number of pieces than him. She always conserved her pieces, carefully husbanding her resources, even when it didn't strictly make sense to do so from the perspective of someone trying to win the game.
When he had questioned her on this habit, her explanation had given him pause.
"A victory that costs you the majority of your army is hardly a victory at all."
He supposed she was right about that. Especially when viewed from the perspective of the Qilin as a culture.
It was no secret that the population of Neighpon was a fraction of that of Gryphus or Maretonia, an issue compounded by the Qilin's notoriously poor fertility rates. The Qilin often said it was a consequence of their long lives and powerful magic, but Archimedes had speculated that it was a result of their nature as hybrid creatures. Whatever the reason, it was no surprise that any losses taken by a Neighponese army would be dearly felt.
It had taken his father a year to replace the losses sustained during the Winter War and the invasion of the Crystal Empire. Had the Neighponese suffered such losses, it would have taken them decades to replenish their numbers.
Gawain shook his head, mentally dispelling that line of thought, returning his mind to the game as he moved another one of his pieces, removing one of his opponent's from play. As Ki Seong considered her next move, Gawain asked a question that had been on his mind a lot lately.
"What do you think I should do?"
His companion looked up from the board with a raised eyebrow. She knew he wasn't talking about the game. He'd picked up the rules and mechanics remarkably quickly.
"Regarding what?"
The prince ran a talon through his headfeathers, sighing.
"My father is the Emperor. The first worthy of the title since Discord. Even if he doesn't do anything else of note for the rest of his reign, he'll be remembered as one of the greatest Griffons of all time."
He met her gaze, his eyes belying a worry that shouldn't belong to one so young.
"And I'm his son, his heir apparent, the one who will assume the throne after him."
Ki Seong nodded in understanding, the game momentarily forgotten.
"You worry that you will not be able to measure up to him. That you will not be able to escape his shadow."
Gawain nodded. Seong took another sip from her cup, contemplating the issue. She understood why he had asked her this question. Of those in his circle of friends, she was the one most able to sympathize with his plight of living up to the expectations of others and meeting the high bar that her family had left for her. Though his case was much more extreme than hers.
"You are only nineteen."
Gawain snorted, waving a talon dismissively.
"And? When my father was my age, he was leading Trade caravans through dangerous territory and fighting off raids from bandits and monsters alike. When my mother was my age she was part of a mercenary outfit renowned for taking some of the most dangerous jobs and succeeding every time."
He sank into his seat, looking up at the ceiling.
"What have I done? Nothing but sit on my tail, play games and eat food from gilded plates."
Ki Seong frowned. Personally, she thought he was being too hard on himself, but she knew that simple reassurances wouldn't be enough to help him with his issue. So she took another direction.
"So do something."
Now it was Gawain's turn to look at her with a raised eye ridge. She continued, returning his stare with the gaze of velvet steel that she would one day become famous for.
"Stop 'sitting on your tail' and do something to make a name for yourself. Join a Knightly Order, become a diplomat, build something..."
A teasing edge slipped into her tone, a lip quirking upwards.
"...become head of that Cult that likes your father so much."
Gawain's face told her exactly how he felt about that particular suggestion. Momentary amusement gained, her demeanor returned to the steely mask she'd had before.
"It doesn't matter what you do, just that you do something."
Gawain looked at her, silently contemplating her words with an unreadable expression before responding.
"I'd considered that...but if I were to do something along those lines...I feel I would still be known simply as 'the Son of Garrick'."
Ki Seong sighed.
"Maybe so. But do you not owe it yourself to try?"
Gawain was opening his beak to respond when the door to the room suddenly slammed open, a Griffon in the full armor and regalia of the Imperial Household Guard entering the room with a look of concern upon his face, one that momentarily abated when he sighted the Prince.
Before Gawain could ask the obvious question, the guard was already right in front of him, gently pulling him to his feet and herding him towards the door.
"Sir, I apologize but we need to get you back to the Palace."
Gawain stopped, a mixed look of confusion, frustration and concern on his face as he pulled on his bodyguard's arm, forcing him to stop at look at him.
"Why, what's happened?"
The soldier's eyes darted to the Lady Seong, still sat upon the floor, staring silently at this bizarre and unexpected occurrence.
"The Emperor requested I bring you back to the palace with haste sir, I can explain on the way."
Gawain was having none of it. He stood his ground, his tone uncompromising.
"Sergeant, what is going on?"
There was a tense pause as the two Griffons stared each other down, the young Qilin bearing witness to a silent debate between protectors of the Empire. Finally, the guard spoke, his words heavy in the air.
"There's been a coup in Maretonia. Queen Mareia is dead."
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