Bow, Your Highness

Chapter 1: Cherry Petals

Cherry trees, like any being in nature, had a line of life and death. Pink dancing petals were beautiful from the branches. And when they fell. Even their death was to be admired. Scattered on the ground. Or, as in those moments, resting on the water.

The boy positioned his cupped hands into it, taking several petals between his hands. Kunikuzushi liked to think that he was like them. That he was as worthy of admiration as the Inazuman trees. As a member of the imperial family, he should be.

He dipped his hands again, and those floated back to the surface. Seeing himself reflected among them made him satisfied as if he definitely was one of them. He stroked the water with his fingertips, his cheeks flushed.

Being near it always reminded him of Mona. She was the princess of Fontaine, the most aquatic kingdom in all of Tyevat; of course she did. He decided to take two of them to give her one. After all, she was beautiful too.

His heart jumped with excitement at the mere thought that he would see her again in a few days. Every king, queen, and empress had been summoned to Sumeru. It meant their heirs and relatives would also be reunited; that Mona would be there to be the water where his petals rested.

Makoto was the empress of Inazuma, not his mother. Still, with no cousins in sight, Kunikuzushi assumed he would one day be emperor. He and Mona would eventually occupy their respective thrones. With luck, they would unify their nations as well. His cheeks flushed again as he stopped looking at the petals.

Pocketing them, he decided to return to where his sister and her guard were. Little Shogun was smiling slightly, drawing abstract shapes with a stick. Her other little companion, Sara, was sticking out her tongue and frowning as she twirled her long violet hair between her fingers. Kunikuzushi could not help but comment on something that caught his attention.

"Ooooh, how did you learn to do that braid, Sara?"

The tengu blushed, startled. She was so focused, she had let her guard down. Sara regained her composure, just as she was being educated. Though the imperial prince and princess were not treating her as a guard, or tool; but as their friend. She was their age, after all.

"I-I... I've practiced doing it to her highness. Is it appropriate, your highness?" Kunikuzushi nodded.

"Yes! You should do it more often, the usual ponytail is too simple."

That was enough to catch his sister's attention, who glared at him. Although Kunikuzushi was a quiet and kind boy, sometimes he did not mince words. And Shogun minced even less.

"No one asked for your opinion, Kuni."

"Guys! We're leaving soon!"

That voice had come from their aunt Makoto. The three turned to her and found a pink-furred kitsune in her arms, sleeping peacefully, Yae. Behind them, Ei followed.

Sara bowed immediately, showing respect for both of them. Shogun and Kunikuzushi both shrugged their shoulders and regained their composure. Unlike his sister's serious face, he remained smiling. Perhaps that was why his mother kept her focus on his sister and only looked at him for a few moments.