King Gris moved his hand, signaling for Tanaka to come over to him. His gaze never left his son. His beard, white in the center and blackened on its sides, swung in the breeze as he turned. Tanaka walked slowly to his father, his arms wrapped neatly behind his back. His breath quickened. His overlapped palms became more and more sweaty as he drew near.
"Y-Yes, Father?"
He stood next to King Gris, barely reaching his waist despite being an average height for his age. The muscles that had tensed near the king's eyes relaxed.
"Have you been attending your training?"
A servant arrived and handed the king some papers. He scanned them briefly, signing each one after the other.
"Well?"
"Y-Yes."
"Do not stutter when you speak. It's weakness."
He handed the servant the papers and returned his full attention to Tanaka.
"Yes, sir," Tanaka said.
"Sir?" He chuckled as he knelt down to Tanaka's height. "What happened to 'Father'?" He smiled.
Tanaka's eyes brightened. He lifted his gaze to meet his father's.
"Yes, Father."
"Haha, there you go." King Gris stood back up. "I only asked because Gazi says you did not show up yesterday. Where were you?"
Tanaka looked into thin air as he tried to recall all the events of yesterday. The match. Ixris. The alley. And then...That's it.
"I was teaching Tanaka the class systems of Bakea. We lost track of time," Harun said, appearing behind Tanaka.
"Tanaka, interested in politics? That's good to hear," King Gris said.
Harun removed a strand of his uncut white hair that had wandered onto his face.
"Yes. And I just saw Gazi near the library. Tanaka can start early on his lessons to make up for it."
"Smart boy, Harun."
A servant ran to the king's side and performed a low bow.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty. The administrator from Yera Shato has arrived."
Yera Shato? They're one of the three kings. What are they doing here? Tanaka thought.
The king's face turned grim. He nodded to the servant, who departed immediately. He looked back to Harun.
"I have to go take care of this." He rubbed his almost fully whitened beard. "Remember to attend your lessons, okay?"
King Gris paused, his expression softening. He looked back to the servant who had come with the message. He closed his eyes as he let out a heavy breath.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but Bakea is not a fair kingdom. I'd prefer it if all my sons were strong enough that they stay on the better end of that unfairness."
The king turned, ready to leave. "Harun, if you see Hwasabi anywhere, tell him to come to the throne room."
Harun nodded. "Yes, Father."
______
Tanaka and Harun walked a distance from the king. "What was that all about?"
Harun narrowed his eyes and scrunched his nose. "Exactly how would I know?"
There's the Harun I know. Wait. Tanaka raised an eyebrow and chased after his brother, who was already creating a distance between them.
"Why did you cover for me?"
Harun's frown turned into a smirk as his eyebrows narrowed inward.
"It's simple, really. Now you owe me."
Harun laughed as he paced elegantly over to the library.
"Ugh."
Tanaka went in the other direction. He raced past the bushes to the royal garden nearby. Past the lush green bushes and blue fountains, there he was—sitting on a stone bench, basking in the sun. Still wearing his necklace. An excuse for one, anyway. It was merely an arrowhead with the Yera Shumba symbol engraved into it.
"Gazi!"
The man slowly opened his eyes, unbothered by the direct sunlight he was exposing them to. He straightened his head and looked straight at Tanaka. Three years Gazi had been Tanaka's instructor, and yet those seeming void brown eyes would always make him gulp. He calmly walked over to Tanaka.
"Your Majesty, I did not think you were coming today."
Tanaka scratched the back of his neck, squeezing his eyelids together, and laughed.
"About that, yesterday I was..."
Tanaka opened his eyes again, a coherent sentence failing to form on his lips.
"You were what?"
"Uh."
Why can't I remember? he thought.
"Never mind, Prince Tanaka. Let's go to the grounds." Gazi grabbed his spear lying on the bench. His eyes wandered the ground.
"I could have sworn I saw it a minute ago."
Gazi walked around the garden. He bent over, reaching for something in the grass. Straightening himself up, he threw the bladed spear to Tanaka.
"Uff."
Tanaka stumbled a bit as he grabbed the spear.
He saw what remained in Gazi's hands—a wooden spear.
"Let's go," Gazi instructed.
They traveled deep into the forest where duels used to be held for sport. The clacks of wood on wood grew louder. Tanaka ran toward the sand arena shrouded by the tall evergreen trees.
"Ha!" Kesi grunted as he swung his spear onto Dagan's.
"Shockwave!" Dagan's spear started producing ripples in the atmosphere, pushing Kesi back.
Kesi slid back a few meters, planting his spear into the ground to slow himself down. Clouds of dust rose from the friction. He stood back up, twisting his spear and holding its cane with the wooden sharp end pointing at Dagan.
"Not bad. Still not as strong as Hwasabi's, though."
He flipped his spear, letting it rest on his shoulder.
"Hey, I just learned this yesterday and it's already this good. Just wait a week—you'll see."
Gazi reached Tanaka. He looked at what Tanaka seemed to be staring at so intently.
"Sometimes it's hard to tell those two apart."
Tanaka laughed. "Yeah, Dad did too. He'd always call Dagan 'Kesi.' Why do you think Dagan shaved his head?"
"Ah."
Dagan and Kesi threw their dirty shirts on, covering their hard, dust-covered abs.
"Are you two leaving already? I just got here." Tanaka gave a mischievous smile. "Are you two really that scared of me?"
Dagan turned his head, finally acknowledging their presence.
"Ha! You wish, runt. Tomorrow, it's you I'm gonna make kiss the dirt."
"Oh, Dagan. Be careful. Wouldn't want your mouth making wagers your body can't make good on," Kesi muffled as his head was still stuck in his shirt.
"I guess we'll just have to see, right?" Dagan grabbed his spear.
Kesi followed suit, and they both headed towards the bushy entrance Tanaka and Gazi had come through.
"Well, we better get going. See you at home, Tanaka." Kesi waved.
"Hey, Gazi! Go easy on him, okay? Wouldn't want him crying during dinner." Dagan and Kesi laughed as their images faded beyond the grassy viewpoint.
___________
Gazi assumed his position at the center of the sand arena.
He unlaced the string of his black royal guard uniform. Stretched his shoulders and let the piece of cloth fall to the ground as he flexed the defined muscles that lay beneath. Tanaka followed suit. He knelt down and dropped his spear. He removed the royal gown, revealing a toned, semi-muscular physique. Gazi picked up his weapon. He extended it towards Tanaka, signaling for him to do the same.
"Are you ready?" Gazi asked.
Tanaka gripped his spear, a confident smile spreading across his face.
"Please. I was born for this."