Kingdom of Power, of Courage, and of Wisdom

Dragmire's War - Ease of Manipulation

-Ryo-

Ryo's attention to the scroll was interrupted by a sound as quiet as a whisper. It was faint, but the sound continued on a few times in repetition, in a pattern.

Ryo looked briefly at the door. He heard no one, save the Royal Guard, so he quietly placed his scroll down and, without a sound made his way to the window. With another glance to be sure no one was entering, Ryo tapped in the window frame in response to the before mentioned pattern. He then stuck a rupee in. The rupee disappeared.

A piece of paper slipped through the cracks beneath the window. Quick as a snake he snatched it, stuck it in his robe sleeve, and returned to his seat. He inscrolled it by the candlelight.

With a turn of his hand the edge of the paper touched the fire. He watched, with a smile and gleam in his eye as bright as the candlelight, as the fire spread across its surface. The clay seal of Ouki Mitagi being all that was left of the message. He stuck the round seal into his purse along with his coins and rupees.

Ryo resumed his work as if nothing had happened. In truth, he did not have to pretend to have moved on. He had a great deal of work to do and he held his work in too high of a regard to slacken.

The next day, Ryo rose and gathered his things. The meeting with Zelda's ministers would not be for many hours and he wanted some perspective. He understood the animosity the court held for him, and from Zelda specifically, and believed him to be capable of dealing with it despite being the only one from his own court in attendance. Ryo would handle them all as smoothly as he always did.

Ryo would defeat Zelda. He held all the pieces, he held the Queen piece, the King piece, and all the other pieces as well. Even the checkmate piece, if there was one. It was unfortunate to lose his Bishop, but it was a worthy sacrifice to stay in the game. The game was moving on its way as both sides rethought how to move forward. Ryo would allow Zelda her reprieve, and in the meantime he would see his legacy, his Qin, prosper.

Ryo requested to know where Abhdan was, and after questioning several he finally tracked the slippery man down to the king's study.

Ryo entered and to his surprise, Zelda was there as well. He did not show his surprise but kept his composure genuine. Didn't this girl ever relax? It was before dawn and she was already deep in her studies. If the number of scrolls around her was any indication, she had not.

Abhdan stirred from where he was reclining in a chair as Ryo approached, and Zelda visibly stiffed. Under her gaze, the air around Ryo felt frigid. It would have made him fear for his life if he was a lesser man. His mere existence seemed to be an insult to her.

"Teacher." Ryo greeted. He brought his hands together and bowed to him slightly.

"Ah! Oh-ho! Ryo! It is good to see you this fine morning!"

"You as well, teacher. If I may impose, I wished for some perspective on a matter."

"Oh?" Abhdan asked, his curiosity piqued.

Ryo reached into his outer robes and handed him one of the scrolls he kept on his person. Zelda's eyes widened slightly at the sight of how many scrolls Ryo had hidden on him.

"See something curious, princess?" Ryo asked with a smirk. Zelda blushed in embarrassment at being caught. She looked away.

"I have never seen anyone with so many documents on them all the time." Zelda furrowed her brows. "Didn't one of them just now bear the mark of the king?" She accused lightly.

Abhdan looked up from his reading to watch them. Ryo continued to smirk.

"You have a good eye. Indeed, it is a scroll of the king. If you recall, you gave it to me when my men returned you from Zhao. You allowed me any wish, and I wished for this scroll."