Guardian of the Dream
Part 1 - The Dream of the Flower
Chapter 4 - A Room Without an Exit
The rumors of the First Queen's strange illness spread quickly but quietly through the Imperial Palace.
New Yogo's capital, Kosenkyo, sat nestled in a delta between two rivers, The Blue Bow River and the Bird Song River. The Imperial Palace rose above the place where these two rivers joined and forked. The palace complex was large and split into four separate residences. The Mikado lived in the far north of the palace complex, in the Mikado’s Palace. To the southeast of the Mikado’s Palace were separate palaces for the Mikado’s First, Second and Third Queens.
In between the Imperial Palace complex and the Nobles’ Quarter to the south was a tall tower that served as the seat of scholarship and research for the nation. This tower was called the Star Palace. Even farther south was the part of the city inhabited by commoners. The city of Kosenkyo was shaped like a giant fan, with the Mikado’s Palace at the tip of the fan. The Imperial Palace complex was called the Upper Fan. The Star Palace rested between it and the Middle Fan, where nobles lived and worked. Commoners dwelt in the Lower Fan.
The Queen that gave birth to the Mikado's first son, or the Crown Prince, was called the First Queen. A little over a year ago, the First Queen lost her beloved son, Crown Prince Sagum, to an illness. In her sorrow, she departed from the Imperial Palace and took up residence in the Mountain Palace to the north.
The First Queen had been asleep for the past seven days.
In New Yogo, it was said that if a person looked into the eyes of a member of the imperial family, that person would go blind. They were considered to be the descendants of a god, Ten no Kami, the Lord of the Heavens. People believed that some of the god’s power was contained within their eyes. If this power was directed at people who couldn’t tolerate it, those people could be harmed by the power of the god. Because of this belief, the news of a member of the imperial family falling ill filled New Yogo’s people with unease--nobles and commoners alike. People whispered that Ten no Kami’s power must be getting weaker.
But to a boy studying as hard as he could in a room deep inside the Second Palace, the First Queen’s illness was a blip of excitement in his otherwise dull, flat days. It wasn’t that he wasn’t concerned for her; he had no reason to dislike First Queen Liano. He wanted to help her get well if he could, but that meant he had to understand what was wrong.
This boy was the new Crown Prince, Chagum. He had recently turned thirteen. His stern eyebrows and sharp nose came from his father, the Mikado, but his lively black eyes were just like those of his mother, the Second Queen.
Chagum became the Crown Prince after his half-brother Sagum died. He’d never wanted to be the Crown Prince, and now that he was, he wished he could be anything else. Being Second Prince had been bad enough; being Crown Prince was nothing short of a curse.
In front of him on a large desk, there was a star chart drawn on very thin cloth that was practically transparent. The star chart overlaid a map of New Yogo beneath it. Afternoon sunlight spilled through the wide-open window. They were on the third floor of the Second Palace. From here, Chagum could see the deep, wide moat that separated the Imperial Palace complex from the rest of the city. The only sounds Chagum could hear were the cries of birds and the murmur of trees swaying in the wind.
Shuga, the young Star Reader in charge of Chagum’s education, was droning on about something. Chagum listened for a while, getting the gist of what he was saying but not really understanding everything.
"You say that Tendo has been around for over a thousand years, even as far back as the times of the old Yorsa Kingdom founded on the southern continent by my ancient ancestors. Has it remained unchanged in all that time?" Chagum asked.
Shuga nodded. "Tendo is the belief that Ten no Kami leads this world. That belief hasn’t changed for a thousand years, though interpretations differ, as you’ve read.” He had a quiet voice, but spoke distinctly, enunciating every word carefully. "As we practice Tendo, our knowledge and understanding of its governing principles grows.
“Take Kainan Nanai, for example.” Kainan Nanai was the Master Star Reader who guided Third Prince Torugal from Old Yogo to the Nayoro Peninsula from Old Yogo. He was a co-founder of the nation of New Yogo. “He established the Star Palace, so that Star Readers might study the heavens together and advance our research into Tendo.
“Up until that point, only noblemen from four specific families could study Tendo. One of these noblemen had governance over the others as the Holy Sage. Kainan Nanai did away with that system. Anyone can study Tendo in New Yogo, as long as they’re a bright student and interested in learning. The Trial of the Stars tests the aptitude of boys who study in the Star Palace. Those who pass this trial become Star Readers. Their contributions to Tendo and Star Reading brought radical new ideas to those disciplines.
“Kainan Nanai did away with the social ranking system among Star Readers, as well. Anyone with sufficient knowledge, will, and determination can become the Holy Sage, whether they were born a commoner or a noble.” Shuga smiled. “If Kainan Nanai hadn’t done all that, I wouldn’t be here now. I’d probably be out rowing a boat with the other fishermen in my village.”
Chagum shook his head. “People say you’re a genius, and I know you’re brave. I think Nanai was a smart man to open up research to everyone.” His gaze dropped to the desk. “I wish that the Mikado’s Palace would see the same reforms. The ruler of New Yogo should be selected based on merit. Having it pass from father to son doesn’t make any sense at all to me.”
Shuga’s expression became grim. "Your Highness."
"Don't worry, Shuga. I only say what I truly think when I'm alone with you."
Shuga motioned for Chagum to keep his voice down. He understood the Crown Prince's feelings painfully well. Crown Prince Chagum wasn’t raised as a Crown Prince, and unlike other members of the Imperial Family, he understood what life was like beyond the palace walls.
A year and a half before, when Chagum was still the Second Prince, a Nyunga Ro Im had laid an egg in his body. This egg hatched into a water spirit that lived in Nayugu, a separate and invisible world that overlapped with the ordinary, visible world called Sagu.
When the Mikado discovered that Chagum, who should have been descended from god, had been contaminated by what he saw as a Yakoo spirit, he gave orders to assassinate his son. No child of Ten no Kami, the Lord of the Heavens, could have their spirit and body corrupted by a spirit like the Nyunga Ro Im.
But the Nyunga Ro Im’s egg wasn’t harmful or corrupting. It simply needed time and a safe place to mature. By chance, Balsa thwarted one of the Mikado’s assassination attempts and saved Chagum. With Tanda and Torogai, she kept Chagum safe as they figured out what the egg was and helped it hatch.
Shuga had also helped Chagum then. He was only twenty years old when the spirit laid its egg inside Chagum, but even then, he’d been a close confidant of the Holy Sage, who was the leader of all the Star Readers. In the process of helping Chagum, Shuga uncovered long-buried secrets about New Yogo’s history. Sometimes he wished he could have remained in ignorance, as those secrets were dark and frightening.
Shuga had encountered Torogai for the first time while searching for Chagum outside the palace. She introduced him to a different way of seeing the world as well as knowledge of magic weaving that he hadn’t even known existed.
Shuga’s star was rising in the world. There were whispers that he would be the next Holy Sage, though he didn’t believe it. He had doubts about his own place in the palace.
After a long consideration, Shuga lowered his voice to a confidential whisper, then said, "I understand how you feel, Your Highness. This palace is physically confining, and everyone keeps you in ignorance regarding what is happening around you. It’s understandable that you want to escape from it all, at least once in a while, but please try to restrain yourself. Others will suffer if you fail to suppress your emotions. Holy Sage Nanai's Great Reform guided the Star Palace in the right direction, but there are still those who clamor for how things used to be before New Yogo’s founding. You might not feel that anything has improved regarding your personal freedom, Your Majesty, but I assure you that things used to be much worse.”
Chagum let out an impatient huff. "If it’s better now, that’s no comfort to me. I wasn’t there in the past when things were worse. I say the palace needs more reforms!"
Shuga smiled. "I understand, Your Highness. Please don't speak with such frankness in front of anyone else. Open honesty is not a desirable trait in a Crown Prince."
Chagum frowned, dissatisfied, but he let Shuga talk.
"I've been hearing some rumors in the Star Palace,” Shuga said. “Your Highness, is it true that you found fault with the longsword that the Mikado selected the other day?"
"I didn't find fault with it. Father was asking for my opinion. I only told him what I thought."
The Mikado liked beautiful longswords. He didn’t see them as weapons of war, but valued them for their aesthetic. He had a large collection of them. A few days before, a famous sword seller with an ornately decorated sword came and presented it to the Mikado. Chagum was there for the presentation, since the Mikado had summoned him to ask about the progress of his studies.
The sword was exquisitely beautiful. Both the pommel and the sheath were lacquered and inlaid with gold and mother-of-pearl. The Mikado unsheathed it and asked what Chagum thought of it.
Chagum was disappointed in the quality of the blade. When he was asked for his opinion, he gave it. "As an ornamental treasure, I think it's wonderful. However, as a sword meant to stab people, a flat blade without a groove such as this one would not stand up to the trials of war. It cannot stab or slice well--it is not very sharp, and once it had made a wound it would be difficult to pull out, and to clean."
The Mikado nodded and said nothing, but Chagum noticed that he appeared displeased.
“Is my father really so upset about that? He should know better than to buy a sword that can’t cut. People would laugh at him."
Shuga looked at Chagum, considering his words carefully before replying. "No, Your Highness. People wouldn’t laugh. Remember that the Mikado is not human--not a man like them. His choices have greater meaning.
"If the Mikado was ever forced to take up a sword for the sake of defending New Yogo against a military threat, it would mean that our country has already fallen. The Mikado doesn't need to know about real swords. One of his assigned military advisers counsels the Mikado on those matters.”
Shuga paused, then said, “The Mikado's spirit is as pure as white cotton, unlike those of commoners. That’s why he is considered to be the spirit of the nation. The Mikado shouldn’t even be able to consider impure and impious things, like killing people with swords."
Chagum's eyes flashed with anger. "That’s just rhetoric. He’s thought about killing me often enough to put his precious inner purity in danger, I’m sure. And carried those thoughts further into action."
"Yes,” Shuga said, “but the Mikado’s secrets are kept in this palace. No one knows of him acting against you outside these walls. The rhetoric is important, even if it’s a lie.”
Chagum reflected on Shuga’s words. After a while, he rubbed the nape of his neck in irritation, then spoke again. "I think I understand. But I don’t want to become a Mikado who lives a lie. I don’t think I could do it. I lived among the commoners, after all. I can’t pretend to know nothing about the real world, and I certainly can’t pretend to be nothing but some pure spirit. That’s… not me.”
Intelligence was usually a beneficial trait, but Chagum’s clear-eyed understanding of what was expected of him wouldn’t help him fulfill his duty. It was a fine line that Crown Prince Chagum walked even now--and he’d be even more restricted in his actions and thinking when he ascended as the next Mikado. Unless he found a way to reconcile who he was with who others wanted him to be, he would have a lonely and unfulfilling life ahead of him.
But maybe Crown Prince Chagum could walk the line long enough to reform the palace from within. What Kainan Nanai had accomplished once might be attempted again.
"No real change is ever accomplished from the outside,” Shuga said. “Until you have enough power and knowledge to support this country, you must make pious noises and do as you’re told. After that--after everyone accepts you as the Mikado, and infallible--you’ll be able to make some changes. I believe that you can, and that when the time comes, you will, and that those changes will benefit us all.”
Those words pierced Chagum to the heart. He sighed heavily, then smiled. “I hate it when you’re right; it means I can’t do anything at all to change things now. But I’ll remember what you said.”
The scent of suraya flowers wafted through the open window. The flowers were in full bloom, their petals fluttering in the wind. Chagum breathed in the flowers’ perfume. “Certain smells always bring memories back to me… When I smell suraya flowers, I'm always reminded of the Mountain Palace. There’s an old suraya tree in the courtyard there."
Chagum turned away from the window. “That reminds me… is there news of the First Queen’s illness? The last I heard, she was recovering in the Mountain Palace.”
Shuga shook his head in disapproval. “You are supposed to be studying, Your Highness. Palace gossip can wait.”
“You’re no fun at all,” Chagum said, but he was smiling. “Besides, it’s not gossip. I really am concerned for the First Queen. Have you heard anything new?”
Shuga hesitated, but he had heard news and he had no reason to keep it from the Crown Prince. “A messenger arrived this morning. The First Queen has not awakened from her sleep in the past seven days.”
Chagum leaned forward. "She doesn’t wake up? Is it a disease, then? Or some kind of curse?"
"I've heard of a sleeping sickness before, though I’m not sure if that’s what it is. The First Queen’s grief is like a wound to the heart that will not heal. When she first refused to wake, I thought that she might simply need the rest. But now…"
Shuga lowered his voice. "I tell you this in absolute confidence, Your Majesty. It seems that the First Queen is not the only one in the palace to fall sleep without waking."
"What?"
"Your Highness, I must ask you to swear that you will not tell anyone what I'm about to say."
Chagum nodded. His eyes were wide and round with curiosity, and perhaps a touch of fear. "I swear."
Shuga spoke in a bare whisper. "I've been going to see Torogai in the city about once a month."
Chagum's eyes became as wide as saucers. "Really?!"
"Yes. In return for teaching her about Tendo, she tells me about Yakoo magic weaving. Of course, if the Star Palace found out about this, I would be expelled, and many would rejoice at my departure." Shuga's face split into a broad grin. "We’re exchanging information in secret."
Shuga realized that he was doing the same thing with Chagum now: sharing forbidden information. They were both in the same boat, and were in similar danger.
Chagum grabbed Shuga's hand. "How is Torogai?” he asked quickly. “Is her tongue as sharp as usual?"
"Yes. She's quite sprightly for her age."
"What about Balsa? Is Tanda all right?"
"She hasn't seen Balsa in a while, but Tanda is well."
Chagum’s eyes teared up at the corners. He closed them before his lapse in self-control could be noticed and scolded.
Shuga could have scolded Chagum, but he understood the boy’s excitement. When he spoke again, he kept his tone level and even. "I just met with Torogai the day before yesterday. We talked about some interesting things. In a village in the middle of the Misty Blue Mountains, there is another woman who won’t wake up--just like the First Queen. I'm thinking of meeting with Torogai again, as soon as possible, to discuss all this. Whatever’s going on, we can’t allow it to spread."
Chagum opened his eyes and looked up at Shuga. "Shuga… please. Will you keep telling me about what happens to them?"
Shuga understood Chagum's feelings so well it hurt. He suddenly felt a deep sense of regret.
This was a mistake. I shouldn't have told the Crown Prince about this.
Chagum felt that this life, the life of a Crown Prince, was like being locked in a room without an exit, or even windows.
Shuga allowed him to see a bit of the world--glimpses of the outside, like what he received through the Second Palace’s windows. But seeing the world was not the same thing as stepping out into it.
***
The night following his conversation with Shuga, Chagum had trouble falling asleep. Memories flashed before his eyes: Balsa's spear stance; her warm, sturdy hands; her pleasant, deep voice...
Balsa, in the small cave hidden within the snow-buried mountains, talking about her sad past. Tanda's cheerfulness and his tasty vegetable hot-pot.
Those nostalgic days of living with Balsa, Tanda and Torogai in that crude house where cold wind came in through the countless gaps in the walls.
I wonder if anything happened between Balsa and Tanda? Did he manage to tell her? But Torogai said she hadn't seen Balsa in a while, so maybe she's off being someone's bodyguard again.
Chagum smiled.
Even I could tell how drawn to each other they were when I was younger... Why are they so awkward?
His smile suddenly twisted. He was crying.
I want to see them again!
They were his family, once, and he might never see them again. His chest hurt as if his heart was about to split in two. In the past year, most of these feelings had slowly faded as Chagum became more resigned to his fate, but his conversation with Shuga today had opened those wounds again.
I don't want to be a damn Mikado.
The Mikado wasn't human. Once Chagum became the Mikado, no one would treat him like one anymore. He wouldn't have any close friends that he could talk to.
Chagum was hiding feelings of deep despair. Up until now, what had helped him hold them off was his memories of the scenery of Nayugu: those bottomless, clear, and still-as-death depths he saw when he was the Nyunga Ro Chaga, the Guardian of the Spirit.
What he’d seen in Nayugu was difficult to put into words. But those visions supported his emotional state, so that he didn’t crumble in public. Tonight, those visions no longer gave him support; they bogged him down, just like everything else.
There’s no way out.
He was in a room without an exit.
As Chagum’s heart sank, heavy, he heard a peculiar melody, beautiful, that lifted him up. He remembered hearing the song recently at a banquet in the Mountain Palace that had been held to console the First Queen. The song told the tragic story of losing something that could never be regained.
Chagum wanted to leave the stuffy darkness of his rooms and breathe in the mountain air with Balsa and Tanda again. If only he could be free and fly back in time…
Chagum’s eyelids drooped in sleepiness. He still heard the song, the voice reverberating in the back of his mind. Suddenly the voice changed, becoming familiar and kind. Chagum turned in the direction of the voice and saw a warm, soft light in the distance. He fell towards the light, away from himself.
Before he fell asleep, Chagum smelled the gently wafting perfume of some unknown flower.
***
"I don't want to!"
Yugno was mumbling in his sleep.
Balsa, on her back, sat up and looked over at him.
"Please stop! Stop…" Yugno took in huge, gulping breaths of air and choked as if he were being strangled.
Balsa stood up and looked at Yugno. It was almost dawn, but the world around them was still dark. Yugno tore at his own throat as if to rip someone else’s hands away.
"Yugno! Hey, Yugno! Are you okay?"
Balsa grabbed his shoulders and shook him. Yugno woke fully, then sprang away from her. He took another deep breath and then, finally, opened his eyes. He shook uncontrollably. His breathing was ragged. He stared into the darkness at something that wasn’t there.
"Are you all right? That must have been some nightmare."
Yugno turned to Balsa. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then said, "Uh, yeah… That was terrifying."
Balsa offered him a wry smile. "That's my line. What did you dream about, anyway?"
"Just... the usual, at first. Normally, it's a good dream. I don't know why it suddenly changed into a nightmare."
Yugno looked at Balsa with terror in his eyes. "I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep. Could I ask you to hold my hand, Balsa?"
"Eh?" Balsa looked at Yugno in utter amazement. The frightened and trembling Yugno looked young, like a small boy. His expression was definitely not that of a fifty-two year old man. His eyes were like those of a little brother begging his older sister to stay with him because he was still afraid of the dark, but too embarrassed to go and tell their parents.
He’s not just younger than he looks. He hasn’t matured on the inside, either.
“Don’t make bad jokes,” Balsa said, deadpan. He might be acting like a child, but that didn’t mean she had to treat him like one.
She waved her hands around to communicate that she wanted distance. "I'm gonna try getting some more sleep. You should, too. They say you can't have the same nightmare twice."
Yugno watched Balsa lie down, then sighed. “That’s mean of you. How do you know I won’t have the same nightmare? What should I do?”
His voice grew louder as he spoke, but Balsa did not so much as twitch in reaction.
Yugno scowled. Since he couldn’t sleep and he couldn’t break camp without Balsa, he stayed still and thought for a few moments. Eventually, he took out a small shaving knife, about the length of his index finger, from the bag that he was using as a pillow. He placed the hilt on his forehead, wrapped a towel around his head so that it wouldn't fall, and then lay down again.
Wrapping the knife in a turban was a ritual that Yugno’s mother had used to ward off sickness or monsters that might come after his soul while he slept. Yugno was still afraid and couldn't sleep at first, even after closing his eyes. Balsa’s quiet breathing lulled him into a fitful doze. He had no more dreams that night.
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