The Proving

Koyuki tapped the marble island impatiently as the food that rested upon the top of the stove, an aroma of meats and dairy, steamed. She sat in a kitchen much smaller than the royal palace’s eating quarters. It didn’t have the vast stretches of tables that occupy thousands of guests; it could perhaps barely host more than ten-fifteen people at a time, but to Koyuki, this kitchen was more warm and welcoming than any feast in the royal palace. There was no politics here, no deals and agreements occurring behind her back, no assassination attempts of the sort. It was just home. When she would grow tired of the duties of an emperor, Koyuki would retreat here, a place that only select few people knew about: Thatch, Aoshin, and Isshin to be specific. Aoshin’s acquirement of the area, however, was less intentional. Koyuki particularly didn’t like being seen alone with that one. However, none dare set foot in this place without her permission, all except for the two other individuals who were aware of its existence: Heili, and Static, her two children. Here, she waited for them to arrive.

Afterall, before an Emperor, she was a Yonko, or so she desired to be. Often, she found herself unable to bear the weight of the responsibilities of a mother while acting as the Pirate Queen. She lacked the time to see her children, and when she did, she lacked the energy needed to entertain them. She recalled missing birthdays, missing important events, yet, rarely did she recall ever missing meetings with other kings and queens, or diplomatic assignments. She regretted every bit of it. Now, as her children grew older and more entrenched in their respective duties, Koyuki realized that they soon would go off to become their own people, and eventually they would follow similar paths as her. Thus, there were certain days during the year she would allocate to her children, not by canceling her own duties, but by involving them in her affairs. They were, afterall, the heirs to her empire; everything she had built was for them, and would be sustained by them. Thus, this morning before the biggest war council they would ever have, Koyuki made breakfast and ordered her children here, to prepare them for their appearance.