Passion

Snake Coiled Around Jade

A large, built man stood upon the platform, clutching a staff forged from ancient wood and embedded with jade-- the mark of a royal. He towered above those next to him, exuding confidence and poise; yet, he did not look down upon the people before him. He humbled himself, lowering his head to bow upon thanking the people- his people- for joining him.

"I thank you all, many of whom have traveled from the edges of the kingdom, for being here today. It is my honor to be your king, to rule over such courageous and lively people" he boomed. His voice carried naturally, echoing over the large crowd gathered in the castle square.

"Today we are gathered for a Ceremony of Appointment, to the position of General of the Royal Army." The King paused for effect and motioned toward his right, diverting attention to the man kneeling on the platform. "He grew up in the heart of our kingdom, trained every day from the day he turned 10, and has fought bravely to protect all of us. Today, he is to become my right hand man, an official Counsel of the Royal Court, and the General of the Royal Army; succeeding his father, Miyuki Kaoru, and just a year younger than him, at that. The people of Seidou Kingdom, I present to you, Miyuki Kazuya" the King gestured in a large sweeping motion, eliciting cheers from the people.

The king bent and latched a jade sash onto a slim metal piece atop the soldiers armor that cascaded down to where it would connect at the opposite hip. After securing the sash, Miyuki stood and pulled his sword to salute the king. This signaled the beginning of the festivities, which sent the people every which way. Small children ran towards the candy stalls with their parents in tow; the teenagers dipped and weaved their way through throngs of people, donning wooden masks with elaborate faces; women eagerly awaited the chance to catch the new General's attention as he stepped off the platform. They wore slim satin dresses, adorned with golden laid lace and sophisticated jewelry. As a bachelor in a Counsel position, Miyuki was vied after by both the common and court ladies alike. He tried his best to be courteous but made haste towards the castle square's exit. He was uneasy and visibly alert-- the King's remark dissipated the festive nature of the morning and started the adrenaline in his system.

Snake has coiled around Jade. Eyes everywhere. Find Takigawa.

The King had whispered in his ear upon fastening the sash to Miyuki's armor. The look in the King's eye was grave and Miyuki knew better than to ignore his orders. He stopped at his quarters near the edge of the castle to switch his newly acquired Counsel armor with some travel garments. He was weary of his status now and avoided grabbing anything bearing the mark of the Royal Army-- the last thing he needed was unwanted attention. After he packed the essentials and clothed himself according to the stealth needed for his mission, he rushed to the stables where his horse waited patiently in the foremost stall.

"Hey beautiful, no saddle yet?" he chuckled as he prepared to saddle his horse.

"No, we're supposed to put her Counsel saddle and bridle on after the Royal Brass plays for the King" a voice called to Miyuki's left. On high alert, Miyuki readied for close quarter combat and didn't relax even as the stable boy rounded the corner and dropped a bucket of water and a pouch full of apples on the ground.

"I don't know her name, but I've been told that she's the horse of the Royal Army General!" the boy beamed. He was all smiles as he stepped forward to run a brush through her mane, feeding her an apple all the while. His features softened as he tended to the knots in the locks that fell across her forehead. "She really is beautiful, isn't she? And kind, as well" the boy turned to face Miyuki, "you can tell she's loved by her owner."

Miyuki froze upon seeing the genuine smile on the boy's face. He was shorter than him and had hair the color of mahogany wood coupled with eyes the color of a spring evening sunset. He stood frozen beneath his golden gaze for a half second before assessing his surroundings, looking for signs that would insinuate danger. His behavior was engrained in his every bone since the day he started training to join the Royal Army. A stranger approaching him like this definitely warranted vigilance. After a brief, but thorough, assessment, he relaxed.

Before he could respond, the boy began to ramble.

"Anyway, you must be the new stable boy. My name is Sawamura Eijun and I'm gonna be training you! First, I must say, your clothing choice is quite depressing, but I think we'll get along just fine!" Laughter reverberated off of the walls of the semi-confined space as he began to walk off.

"Well, let me show you around fir-" he was cut off by the sound of leather and metal shifting around. He turned to see the taller man strapping the saddle onto the white horse's back.

"Hey what are you doin-"

"Her name is Elara, named after my late mother. And l like to think that she enjoys our time together." The horse snorted and rubbed her head against Miyuki's in response to her owner's proximity and affection. He placed a kiss upon her head and turned to grab the bridle from the wall.

Sawamura stood in disbelief at the sight before him.

"You- you're the- you're Miyuki Kazuya??? The new General??" he yelled, pointing his finger at the man in front of him.

In one second, Miyuki closed the distance between the two of them. He had the stable boy pinned to the wall, a hand covering his mouth. The boy stared at him in wonder, eyes studying the serious features not even half a foot from his face. He let his gaze wander to his sharp jawline which sported strong sideburns that eventually faded into light stubble. The sharp eyes of the General were alert once again, mentally running through the checklist of potential threats.

"Keep it down unless you want to die, Sawamura" he said, low enough only for the stable boy to hear. His deep, raspy voice and serious tone left Sawamura's skin riddled with goosebumps. He may bumble around and shout like an idiot, but he understood danger. And right now, he's a hair's width away from triggering his fight or flight response. He knew that the General wasn't pulling his leg. Miyuki's eyes retrained upon the disheveled, dumbfounded stable boy who stared back in kind.

"I need to leave, and I need to do it now."

Miyuki grabbed the bag of apples off of the ground and in one fell swoop mounted atop the horse, which spun to accommodate the quick movement.

"Wait but where are you going, whats going on-"

"I can't tell you that, love" he teased casually as though he wasn't just ready to fight someone to the death a few moments ago.

He swiftly took off out of the stable leaving one stuttering Sawamura Eijun in his wake.