Of Wind and Jade

Chapter One

Two jade doors stood before him, the only thing keeping him from his destiny. In the meeting, he was instructed not to speak, regardless of his obsequious nature. He was not to interrupt, he was not to interject, he was not to provide an opinion. He was not to fidget, yawn, cough, or do anything of disturbance. He could not opine. He was told this was not the time, his opinion would be valuable in time. In time, he would be king.

Kunra pushed open both doors, each being much heavier than he expected. He could not fumble, or the court would frown upon him. Luckily, he did not. The conference had been much larger than he had expected; upon silk pillows sat at least two hundred generals, admirals, commanders, and lieutenants. Steaming teapots sat in front of each, implying this meeting was not going to end quickly. Jade pillars lined the walls, gold inlaid in each one. As most of the rooms in the palace, it presented simply and luxuriously. Soon, the doors closed behind him with a resounding thud, making him flinch.

"Prince Kunra. We welcome your arrival." His father gestured to the pillow next to his own, sitting a step above the rest.

He didn't dare speak, just as he was told. Kunra bowed and walked swiftly down the center of the room, squeezing his fist until his knuckles turned white. He couldn't help but ponder if he had been late or not, and assumed he was just the last one to arrive. His father most surely would've commented on his punctuality had he not been on time. Politeness was crucial in the court, and anything short of perfect would not bode well for his status. His mind had become a swirling pool of worry, each new thought moving around him and what he was doing. Was he walking too quickly? Too slowly? Did anyone notice his fist? If they did, what did they think of it? How long would this meeting last? Would they surprise him by asking for his input? Oh, Ryu'ma, what if he tripped? How would he possibly recover from that?

Once Kunra had reached his father, he had forgotten ever walking there. He took a deep breath and slowly lowered himself onto the pillow next to his father's. A servant scurried over from the corner to provide him with tea. She, like Kunra (or, like Kunra thought), looked visibly nervous as she delivered the tea but also tried to not spill it. If she had spilled it, she would be fired immediately. If she had spilled it on Kunra, her fate would be far worse. The servant set the cup on the floor in front of Kunra and poured the tea, a stream of deep fuschia from the spout of the pot. He thanked the servant quietly, and earned himself a disapproving look from the king. Servants were not to be thanked. They were working, and were not to be congratulated for contributing to the employer. He sighed and turned back to the meeting.

Back straight. Pay attention.

The king cleared his throat to begin. "Inil has been in a civil war for some years now. The traditionalists greatly outnumber the supporters of the secular Republic of Inil. Do we side with the secular Republic or stay out of it?"

Kunra knew little about the war meetings being held. Now that he was of age, he was able to take part, but no amount of books would have prepared him for the real thing. He hadn't read about any sort of debate taking place.

"King Michen, when was the last time we had conflict with the Inilians? There is not a reason to start one now. If we accept either the Republic's or the Traditionalists' requests, we burn a bridge with the other. We cannot afford to spread ourselves so thin. Inil is not a resource we can lose,"

Michen nodded. "Per my last meeting with the treasury, Chienmi can afford most anything. Economically, we are the most well off kingdom on this continent. Why should we not take a side? Wartime economies only grow,"

"Respectfully, my king—" a younger lieutenant spoke up. "—wartime economies only grow if we win. Should we, for any reason, lose a war with the Inilians, we would be left in shambles and have debts to pay off to Inil. Would this not add insult to injury?" He said. Kunra assumed this was also his first meeting. His father was not reasoned with that easily.