The Immoral One

Four For A Boy

The little boy was beautiful like his mother, and the General raised him up like he was his own son. If one were to ask the boy who his father was, he might give the wrong answer. The child could not comprehend how the cold man who ignored him except once a month could have sired him. He rather thought it was the gruff man who had treated his mother well and pushed him to study hard.

The child turned out to be smart and strong too, under the General's guidance. His actual father was not pleased at the development. He began to favour his stupid illegitimate son who would never outshine him. The Crown Prince of the Empress was nearly poisoned three times, and the General stopped half a dozen assassination attempts in the months following his twelfth birthday.

It was only when the ministers began to doubt the security and ability of the Emperor to protect his own son in his palace that the problems miraculously stopped for a time. The child grew to a young man that many people in the empire admired, and grudgingly the Emperor was forced to believe that if he did not accept him as Crown Prince then his own ministers would revolt.

Strangely enough, the General stayed as a strong and fierce protector to the Crown Prince even after leaving the Empress's side. The Emperor was enraged to find that he did not diminish at all with his so-called reward. The General was ever strong and virile, handsome and unchanging. Unbeknownst to almost all, his friend's concoction was keeping him fit as ever. He just could not reproduce.

The General was pleased that the Crown Prince was turning out to be a better man than his father. He was rather proud of the boy as he grew into budding manhood. He was an excellent swordsman for one. They sparred together regularly for practice, though the General did not go easy on the young prince in the hopes it would make him a formidable opponent.

"DaDa! Careful or you will cut my arm off!" the Crown Prince cried out, barely missing the sword that flung down at him at the last minute.

"If you lose an arm now, perhaps it will teach you not to lose your life later." He replied sternly at the boy.

"Ai, you are as scary as the guards say, DaDa. You would injure your Ōji so?" He complained as he blocked another fierce hit.

"What injure? I teach you. If you cannot learn then it is a shame and you will get hurt." He was grinning a little bit at the pouting boy who was actually holding his own quite nicely against the seasoned veteran without realising it. He was only fifteen after all.

"But I am tired! I want to take a nap under the tree by the koi pond. Can I?" The boy asked with a hopeful expression. The General rolled his eyes and the prince took the opportunity to disarm him while he was distracted. "Aha! Got you."

"Alright then. Let's go rest. You have succeeded with your annoying words if not your skilled sword. It will have to do." He relented with a grin. The prince cheered and passed his sword off to a waiting servant. He took a cool cloth from another and wiped his face and hands before being led by his General to the pond. Some of the guards at the palace bowed to the General in respect as they passed.

"DaDa, is it true what they whisper about in the hall?" The boy asked as they walked into the garden. The General smirked as he thought about another conversation he once had which started very similarly.

"Is what true, little Ōji?" He asked the boy, with a wickedly raised brow daring him to go on. The boy had no shame and an abundance of curiosity though.

"Is it true you defeated whole countries before? As a soldier, I mean." He was looking at him with a hopeful expression. The General laughed. Of course the boy wanted to know about his battles.

"Yes, it is true. I defeated three countries in your father's name and handed them to him." He replied with a humble expression. The child did not understand about the true horrors of war, and he was not going to enlighten him today.

"Urgh. That man is not my father. My sire at best. If it is true you did so much for him, then why did he punish you?" The boy asked with the innocence of youthful inexperience.

"The Emperor was jealous, plain and simple. There were those who liked me better because I was very accomplished, and that made the Emperor feel threatened. He therefore sought to make me undesirable as a potential Emperor." The General explained to the boy. He watched the child process what he said.

"Is that why he let people try to kill me? Because the ministers and people like me?" The Crown Prince said candidly. The General grinned at the boy's quick thinking and nodded.

"Probably. When it made him lose face though, he had to stop. He must appear to be perfect and unchallengeable." He said darkly.

"So how did he make you agree to..." The boy stopped, wondering if he stepped too far into his DaDa's private thoughts.

"It's alright. You should know what kind of man he is. He threatened my whole family down to the babes. I had two choices at the time. Accept the gift of becoming the Empress and your protector or watch my entire family be wiped out for treason." He told him.

"Do you have any regrets?" The boy asked.

"Only that I could not sire a son of my own." The General admitted sadly, looking out over the water.

"But... I can be your son. I will be your family instead, okay? The Emperor does not want me, so you can be my father." The boy said with a proud grin. The General smiled back at him.

"I am honoured that you would offer such, little Ōji." He bowed at the boy and was surprised when he was hugged instead. He patted his back and then they settled in, the sleeping boy and his guardian.