Chronicles of Fates

Izumo Scene Three

Tadashi stood next to Izuo as he sat in his throne with the smile plastered on his face. It was believable, but it was a facade. Tadashi knew it. A facade for his people to keep the feelings of peace throughout the country.

But Tadashi didn't mention it. Izuo knew what was Best. Who was he to question the man who practically saved his family from poverty and allowed his mother to pursue her passions? Tadashi owed everything to Izuo, so he would forever serve him like a king.

"Tadashi, where's Vixen?"

Tadashi And Vixen had a deal. If he wouldn't speak of her assasination missions to make ends meet with...herself then she wouldn't harm anyone in his family no matter how many contracts. As proof she showed him how many requests she had to take takemout his mother for continuing dead traditions.

"She's off doing errands, Milord. She told me she would be out until the afternoon. But we should just forget about her for now. Say, why don't we take a walk around Izumo?"

Tadashi tried his best to take Izuo's mind off the subject. The white haired Archduke looked down before nodding at the idea. Maybe a nice, leisurely walk around the kingdom's Capitol would be nice. Well, Izumo was the capital city. Izumo, Izumo. 

"Yeah... Lets go Tadashi."

Izuo stood up slowly. His white hair falling I've rhsi shoulders and his kimono shifting as hisnposition changed. He was definately tired. He was definately stressed. It was Tadashi's job to get and take that away. He needed to relax desperately, but the position he was in refrained him from doing so. Tadashi had to figure out how to change that.

He led the Archduke outside of the castle. The Izumoan people smiled and waved at him cheerfully which he replicated the same reaction. It was forced, but nobody could tell. Nobody but Tadashi could tell.

They strolled around the streets and Izuo was out of it. He was always a little out of it but now he  just seemed like a lifeless doll being dragged by the strings. This wasn't like Izuo at all. He just seemed so... so... dead.

"Milord, is everything alright? You seem worse than normal."

Izuo looked up. Even his eyes seemed dead. It killed Tadashi on the inside. The man who saved him needed rescue. Tadashi felt like he needed to be that emergency line that pulls him back up to the safety of happiness and bliss. 

"Oh...it's just... Late last night I was reading up in the war between Nohr and Hoshido. There's not a lot of information on it... even if my father died for this war, we don't know anything about it. All we know is that the monarchs dissapeared for a few weeks along with the majority's of the armies of both Nohr and Hoshido only to come back with at least fifty percent of everyone who dissapeared dead. The monarchs survived this but a lot of people lost their family and they never returned. There's a rumor they all jumped down the bottomless canyon but nobody could survive that... it's scary. What if more people start disappearing?"

Izuo cringed to himself. Tadashi looked at him. His father's was one of the men who dissapeared and came back. Henwas a Nohrian castle guard turned into a soldier who fought in the war. He told them about some sort of third party enemy they had to defeat but nothing more. Tadashi warped an arm around the cringing, frail Archduke.

"Don't worry, Milord. Trust me, everything is okay. There was a battle, nothing more. A battle that ended the war and ended everything bad. Peace has taken over the land. Right? Everything is fine."

He used the comforting skills he picked up from his mother. He sat Izuo down next to him on the brim of a fountain inside of the park they luckily were in. He rocked him back and forth until he stopped cringing and relaxed again. 

The Archduke was like a small, frightened child. Things spook him and he has to recover from it. He's frail but yet a kind soul who knows he needs to be there for everyone. But he needs to vent, or else it will blow up. Tadashi knew from the instance he was given the job of Izuo's retainer he would be his talking buddy.

"Everything is fine, I promise. Nothing bad will happen."

Or so Tadashi thought. He didn't know who Vixen was out to kill in Nohr. He didn't know how severe her actions were. How drastic the impact of one contract could go.

"You swear it?"

Izuo looked up at the redheaded Tadashi. He tried his best tomreflect a smile at his lord. His fragile, scared lord. 

"I swear on this Fountain we sit on as we speak."

He sniffed and sat back up. He wiped his eyes and let his hair flow behind him on his back. He got a smile on his face. Not the forced one, but a genuine happy smile of gratitude. It was a treat to see this, so Tadashi couldn't help But keep his smile on his face.

"Thank you. Now, Shall we head back to the palace?"

Tadashi nodded.

"Yes Milord, great idea."

Tadashi escorted Izuo back to the castle just as he escorted him out of the castle. When they got there he could see Charizard in the pen he had specifically made for him. Vixen was back. 

Tadashi had the gates of the castle open and it was the same as always. Servants buzzing with positivity and everyone wearing a calm smile. Izuo looked around in content. He looked back at Tadashi and met his jet black eyes with his own. 

"Thank you for the outing. It was serene..."

He had a real smile. Izuo doesn't smile this much. That war he read about last night, The battle, it must have scared him really bad for it to have this much impact on him. Maybe him researching that particular topic had a deeper meaning? Who knows.

"It was my pleasure, Milord. Now, isn't it snack time?"

Izuo smiled again to himself. 

"Yes, I belive today is Broiche."

He was correct. Vixen with the other chefs had just finished preparing it and had it set out for everyone in the staff and the Archduke himself. She was being her normal self. Vixen wasn't out of the ordinary. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

But yet everything was abnormal. Nothing will be normal ever again.