L5r - scroll 01 - The Scorpion

by Stephen D. Sullivan

  Bantaro stood as well. "And the new emperor, whomever he may be. The Hantei line may die, but the Emerald Empire will continue." He looked from the scroll to the Scorpion lord. His face drew into a thin smile.

  "For the good of the emperor, a man may give up his honor," Shoju said. "For the good of the empire, should a man do anything less? I devote my life and honor to averting this terrible fate."

  Tetsuo rose and joined the others. His stomach felt as if it had clenched into a fist. He looked at his lord's mask and saw the iron will of the Scorpion behind it. He swallowed his fear.

  "You are right," Tetsuo said quietly. "If it must be done, it must be done." He took a deep breath and drew himself fully erect. "I will follow you wherever you may lead, my cousin, even into the gates of Jigoku."

  "As will I, my lord," Bantaro added quickly.

  "Where you go, my lord and husband, I go as well," Kachiko said. "Thus it will always be, even past the end of the world. Perhaps, though, there is still another way."

  Shoju shook his head. "If there is," he said. "I cannot see it."

  Kachiko nodded. "But, my lord, there are others who could," she said. "I am reminded of the Dragon daimyo, Togashi Yokuni. Our spies tell us that he has the wisdom of the ages at his disposal."

  The tone of her voice conveyed her meaning to Shoju easily enough, and reminded him of something he'd almost forgotten: a secret learned by a clever Scorpion long ago.

  "He may be able to see what we cannot," she continued. "Surely we should seek his council before setting our feet on this path of destruction."

  For long moments, silence reigned in the chamber. Bayushi Shoju thought.

  "Yes," he said finally. "Though it is my belief that the Hantei line must be destroyed to prevent the return of the Demon Lord, before I set this doom upon our clan, I will seek the wisdom of the Dragon."

  THE COURT OF HANTEI

  Spring brought great beauty to the court of Hantei the 38th. The lotus blossoms were in bloom, and outside the graceful walls of the Forbidden City, the Lotus Festival had already begun. Visitors from all over Rokugan crowded the city, vying for space at the festival and hoping beyond hope for a glimpse of the emperor.

  Those who were not lucky enough to see His Imperial Majesty consoled themselves with Otosan Uchi's other magnificent sights: the towering cliffs, the swift, clear River of the Sun, the great waterfall, Fudotaki, and the Imperial Palace and gardens. Flowers filled the sprawling miles of the emperor's gardens to overflowing. Even the most jaded visitor to the city could not help noticing their sweet fragrance. "The scent of heaven," was a phrase often used by guests.

  Indeed, in the blossom of spring, there

  was no place on Rokugan closer to heaven than the "City of the Shining Prince." The great city was clean and well ordered. Even its back streets and alleys were spotless. The towers of the Imperial Palace shone white as sunlight within the Forbidden City. When the scent of flowers did not dominate the atmosphere, the clean sea breeze did. Even the sky seemed bluer within Otosan Uchi. The song of the great river and the roar of the waterfall mingled with the music of birds in the emperor's gardens.

  The weather was unfailingly perfect. Warm cloudless days followed cool moonlit nights in an endless procession across the sky. In such a place people found it easy to see that their emperor was descended from the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu.

  On perfect spring days like this, the Hantei emperor often forsook the high towers of his palace and held court in his gardens. The magnificent plantings sprawled for miles beyond the walls of the Imperial Precinct, but the emperor seldom conducted his business outside the secure courtyards immediately adjacent to the palace. Sometimes, though, he and his retainers ventured beyond the walls to see the wonders in the rest of his city.

  This morning, the Sun Goddess found her heir visiting his gardens in one of the outermost baileys of the Forbidden City. The view from this cliff-top vantage was spectacular, affording a panorama of the vast curvature of the sea beyond Otosan Uchi. White sails dotted the water, darting back and forth like kites in the sky.

  Hantei took a deep breath of the clean salt air and let it out slowly. A garden stream flowed quietly here, rejoining the river nearby. The emperor watched serenely as a lotus blossom floated past. He knew he was supposed to be attending to court matters, but at the moment, he couldn't keep his mind on them.

  Kakita Yoshi of the Crane sat at the emperor's left hand. His position as personal advisor and aide to Hantei gave him the favored spot.

  Also to the left, and slightly behind the emperor, sat Shosuro Taberu of the Scorpion, a dark balance to the light of the Crane. Usually Bayushi Kachiko would have been in his place, but she had recently returned to her homeland to consult with her daimyo husband. Though Taberu wasn't as sinister as most Scorpions, the emperor secretly missed the Scorpion mistress.

  The seat reserved for the Lion, at the right hand of the emperor, remained conspicuously vacant.

  Members of the imperial house hovered nearby as well: Miya Yoto, the emperor's herald; Seppun Bake, Hantei's religious advisor and yes-man; Seppun Daiori, military advisor to the Emerald Throne. Descended from offshoots of the Hantei line, they stood outside the other clans. Their only purpose was to serve the emperor himself. They had no clan agenda— which made them unique within the power structure of the empire.

  Others graced the gardens of the emperor as well, chief among them Isawa Kaede of the Phoenix. She sat beneath a cherry tree under the watchful eye of the emperor's captain of the guard. Nearby, the Moshi twins played music on flute and Shamisen, charming a gaggle of teenage girls sitting by the river's edge.

  Doji Hoturi, daimyo of the Crane, had come to call on the court today. Doji Ameiko—formerly of the Kitsune, the Fox Clan—came with him. Hantei thought the handsome man and beautiful young woman a fitting couple. He nodded with approval as they politely approached him and made all the usual obeisances and spoke the traditional honorifics.

  They had brought with them Doji Shizue, a promising young courtier left lame by an accident of birth. The girl had spent time in Hantei's court before, and the emperor was always glad to see her. "You are another ray of light from our heavenly mother," he told her as she bowed low before him.

  Shizue smiled and blushed at the praise. She carefully stepped back into the shadows of her more illustrious relatives.

  "How goes your war with the Lion?" the emperor asked Hoturi.

  Hoturi smiled and bowed. "The fighting has all but ceased," he said. "As per your order, Majesty. Only a few rogue elements remain, but Toturi and I shall soon quell them."

  "Good. Good. And where is your partner in this new peace?" the emperor asked, looking at the Lion's vacant seat.

  "I do not know, Otennoo-sama."

  Hantei frowned. "Well, when next you see him, tell him we hope he will visit us in court soon. His absence has been noticed."

  The ancient herald, Miya Yoto, leaned close to the emperor's ear. "I believe such a visit is already scheduled to take place in the near future, Majesty," he said with a voice made of gravel. He fumbled with a scroll, looking for a reference. "Within the month, I think, though I could check my records...."

  "I am sure that, by then, Toturi will have returned from his tryst—whatever it may be," added Shosuro Taberu of the Scorpion.

  "We sometimes suspect," the emperor mused aloud, "that the Lion does not care for our court."

  Isawa Kaede, seated beneath a nearby cherry tree, spoke up. "Hantei-sama," she said, "my fiance was raised in a monastery and is, perhaps, still unaccustomed to the splendor of the Imperial Court. I myself had difficulty making the transition, Your Majesty, and I was raised in considerable comfort."

  The emperor nodded at her words, he noticed uncertainty on her face.

  The Scorpion said, "It is true the Lion prefers simple things. I would take that as no slight to Your Majesty, however." His eyes smiled, though his clan mask hid the rest of his face. "Some men are born to the pa
lace, while others find more comfort in the lush hills and forests."

  Kaede, the Mistress of the Void, looked at the Scorpion, trying to read the intent of his words. For all her magical training and enhanced perception, she might as well have been looking at a wall. Standing nearby, Seppun Ishikawa, the captain of the emperor's guard, gave Kaede an encouraging glance. She turned her eyes back to the emperor.

  Hantei addressed the Crane delegation once more. "Spring," he said, "is a time for love, even here. I hope you and your bride will avail yourselves of all the pleasures our court has to offer. May your union be fruitful."

  Hoturi bowed his head; Ameiko did so too, but blushed as well. "By your grace, Majesty," said Hoturi.

  With a wave of his hand, the emperor indicated they were free to go. The couple bowed low before him and then left. Shizue did the same.

  As the Crane left, a courtier arrived and bowed.

  "What is it, Matsuo?" the emperor asked.

  "The royal heir begs a few moments of your time, Most Esteemed Majesty."

  The emperor nodded his graying head, and a smile cracked his thin, weathered lips.

  Miya Matsuo bowed again and backed away, allowing the royal heir, Hantei Sotorii, to approach.

  The adolescent who was next in line for the Emerald Throne bowed and spoke. He was a strapping youth, good looking and full of vigor. "Greetings, Celestial Father," he said. "I am pleased to find you looking so well on such a fine morning. Your radiance truly lights the world."

  "Have you come to bask in our reflected glory then, Hantei-chan?" the older man asked.

  "No, Father," the younger Hantei said. "I merely came to request permission to visit the festival tonight."

  "Would this, perhaps, have anything to do with the troupe of traveling Kabuki players we have had word of?"

  The heir turned bright red and bowed slightly. "Nothing escapes your eyes, Father. Have I your permission?"

  "Kabuki is a base form of theater, unworthy of the

  Hantei," Seppun Bake said from behind the emperor's right shoulder.

  The emperor nodded and said, "Our advisor Bake is correct. We shall order a Noh performance instead, to be held in our imperial theater."

  "But these players have traversed the breadth of Rokugan," Sotorii said impetuously. "I have heard that there are no finer anywhere."

  The emperor looked as though he might have a fit of temper, but the Scorpion advisor leaned close to his left ear. "Great One," Taberu began, "it is said a man may not rule the people without truly knowing them. Perhaps going to this . . . performance ... could be part of your son's education." He added in a lower voice, "Once the heir has seen the Kabuki, it will no longer hold fascination for him."

  Hantei the 38th leaned back on his platform. "The Scorpion speaks with the wisdom of his house's mistress."

  Taberu bowed, taking the compliment.

  "A fine idea," said the Crane, Kakita Yoshi, from his place in front of the Scorpion. "Though perhaps if a suitable teacher were to accompany him, the education of the heir would be enhanced even further."

  "An excellent idea as well, Yoshi-san," the emperor said.

  "If I might suggest..." said Bake, trying to break in.

  Hantei fixed the aging Seppun courtier with a cold stare. "We will decide whom to ask for advice, Bake-san."

  Bake bowed and backed away, taking the cloying scent of his perfume with him. "Of course, Your Majesty," he said.

  The emperor looked about, taking inventory of those present. "We have not heard from your kinsman recently, Bake," Hantei said, turning toward Seppun Daiori.

  Daiori was leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree. He was a tall man with a stern face and hawklike features. A long, black braid of hair fell down his back. He had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he were not paying complete attention.

  "Whom would you suggest?" the emperor asked Daiori.

  "Majesty, of military matters I know much, but of theater . . ." He let his voice trail off, causing some laughter among the other courtiers.

  "And though a fine military advisor, lately you've been a bit of a bore," Hantei said, smiling to show that it was a joke.

  Daiori bowed. "The truth may be seen in the emperor's light," he said self-effacingly.

  The emperor laughed. "A remark worthy of Bake, if we are not mistaken." This induced laughter from the rest of those present. The emperor turned back to the man on his left. "Well, we know that the Crane never lack for anything to say. What is your advice, Yoshi-san?"

  "There can be no better teacher to separate the mind's wheat from its chaff than Isawa Kaede," said Yoshi.

  This startled Kaede, who had started to drift away under her cherry tree. "Yes, of course, Majesty," she said. "It would be my honor."

  "Perhaps young Doji Shizue would benefit from the experience as well," Yoshi added.

  "And make a fine companion for the heir," Taberu put in.

  Yoshi looked at the Scorpion but couldn't tell if the man was being serious, or subtly pointing out that the Crane sought to advance the lame girl's standing with the future emperor. The Crane cursed the Scorpion's practiced nuances.

  Young Hantei Sotorii watched this political volley with bewilderment. He hadn't expected to be given permission to go, but Taberu—whom he did not consider his friend—had stuck up for him. Then Yoshi mucked things up by suggesting an escort. The young man wasn't sure whether to be happy to be going to the theater, or disappointed to have so many people tagging along.

  "Well," said his father, "since your mother died, we never could refuse you anything. You have our leave to go. What do you say to that, Hantei-chan?"

  The heir bowed. "Thank you, Majesty," was all he could manage.

  The emperor turned to Ishikawa. "See to a suitable escort," he told the captain of the guard.

  Seppun Ishikawa bowed, turned, and left to arrange it.

  The emperor turned back to the others. "Now begone, all of you," he said, waving his hands as if flinging water from his fingertips. "We would like to enjoy the rest of our morning in peace."

  The members of the court bowed, gathered themselves, stood, and did as the emperor bade. Soon Hantei the 38th sat alone in his garden, contemplating the clouds.

  xxxxxxxx

  Isawa Kaede caught up to Ishikawa before he reached the inner wall of the palace grounds. He slackened his pace slightly so that the diminutive Mistress of the Void could keep up with him.

  "We've been dismissed," Kaede said, "so I thought I should help you arrange this sojourn to the festival."

  Ishikawa grunted his assent. Kaede laughed.

  "You're even less pleased about this than I," she said. Then, in a moment of insight, she asked, "Or is it the heir you disapprove of?"

  "It's not my place to say," Ishikawa said.

  "I give you leave," she said. "And, upon my honor, I won't repeat it. To tell you the truth, I sometimes worry about the young Hantei myself."

  "He is undisciplined and lacks manners," said the captain of the guard.

  "He misses his mother," Kaede said.

  Ishikawa huffed. "She's been dead for years," he said. "And the emperor indulges the boy. That's bad enough in itself, but when he drags the rest of us into his pampering ... well, let's just say I have no stomach for it."

  "Sometimes a kind hand can accomplish what a harsh word cannot."

  He turned and looked at her. Kaede was short, but she was as beautiful as a newly-fledged dove. She had deep black eyes and hair, dark skin, and a pleasing figure. She dressed impeccably, though not as well as Kachiko of the Scorpion—but who on Rokugan did? Ishikawa admired her greatly and was proud to be her friend. There was no one else in the Imperial Court with whom he could talk so freely.

  "I just don't think," he said, "that you can turn a cub into a lion by feeding it goat's milk."

  Kaede nodded thoughtfully. "Possibly you are right. But maybe this trip will give the heir a whole new perspective. Perhaps it will show him his true p
lace in life."

  "Only if his place in life is to be a bad actor," said Ishikawa. "This expedition is beyond all sense. I wonder who puts ideas like this in the emperor's head?"

  Kaede pondered a bit. "The Scorpion, I think."

  "What?" Ishikawa asked, stopping in his tracks so quickly she almost tripped over his sword.

  "I said I think it's the Scorpion. I've watched their people carefully at the court, but I still can't figure them out. They say one thing, mean another, and seem to get their way no matter what happens. Even when I think they've lost, I sense that they feel triumph."

  Ishikawa spat. "Sometimes I think they have more than one face behind those masks—or maybe no face at all. The emperor should have them all killed. I don't know why he doesn't."

  "I suspect that would prove harder than you might think," Kaede said.

  "Why should it? The Lion and Crab are mightier, the Dragon and Phoenix more skilled with magic, the Unicorn and Crane better equipped."

  "But I've noticed," said Kaede, "that those who step on the Scorpion are most often stung and die themselves."

  Ishikawa scowled and began walking again. Kaede followed. They passed through the inner wall of the Forbidden City and into the courtyard of the palace.

  After a few minutes of silence, she asked, "What do you think the Scorpion meant? About my fiance, I mean?"

  "I'm not sure I understand you," Ishikawa said.

  "When he said that Toturi preferred plain things, what do you think that meant?"

  "Am I to know the mind of a Scorpion, then?" Ishikawa asked. "You know your fiance. What do you think Taberu meant?"

  "I don't know," she said, turning her eyes down. "No more than I know Akodo Toturi. We've seldom met. Our parents arranged our marriage when we were but children."

  "Hai," Ishikawa said thoughtfully. "Such things can be difficult at first. But you have to trust that your families and the emperor knew what would be best."

  "I do trust... but I've also heard ..."

  He turned to her. "What have you heard?"

  "That Toturi loves another."

  "He's a fool if he does. Who's been telling you such things? The Scorpion, I suppose."