Northstar Vale Once More With Feeling

Reiko had returned to them with the aid of her guardsmen and brought her newborns with her, which would have overjoyed any other family, but Hime was too selfish to see anything but fault in her sister's creation. Then they had gathered for a meeting among the peasants, with Takeshi taking the throne with no small amount of drama. It all left a bitter taste in Hime's mouth. Allowing anyone to speak out against the ruling class was wrong. If Hime was the one in control of this so-called empire, Yuudai would not have left with his tongue intact. Let that serve as a warning to others. Except, of course, Hime's power was limited. She'd wrenched some power away from Reiko during her sister's lengthy pregnancy, and thought she could potentially keep some of it for the duration of the whelp's youth, but that time was slipping through her grasp with every passing hour. Eventually those royal-born children would grow in to their bodies and Hime knew, too, that her power would begin to fade while their's grew stronger.

She had to be careful. Covetous of the power she'd managed to obtain, Hime was not about to relinquish it easily. She had been plotting for this moment for a while, granted, she thought there would be more time to solidify her position and gather pieces of the empire to her cause, but fate was not on her side. Nothing ever was — so she would take what she was owed, hold on for dear life, and do what she must to keep herself strong and in control. There was time yet for Hime to ingratiate herself further to her sister, and while she knew Takeshi would not easily trust her, he was a complication that needed to be addressed. Playing the role of Reiko's doppleganger had gotten old fast; she had gained very little for all the trouble except to seed concern and doubt among the collective.

All of these things swirled within Hime's mind. Bitter thoughts and spiteful plans. She had no time to look upon the empire with any glee; the beauty of the vale, the warmth of summer's heavy grip, all of that was put aside in favor of more important aspects of empyrean life. Hime would have tried to rule this place even if it burned to ash, leaving nothing but a withered husk of a valley behind — because it was Reiko's, when it should have been her's all along. She hunted through the greenery but not for food. There had been little sign of Queen Ibis in the vicinity; she had not been at the meeting, and that was a clear insult to those that held power, to Reiko and by proxy, to Hime. But it was not the little trollop that Hime found sunning in the green — it was one of the guardsmen.

Heat pulsed over Hime as a beam of sunlight slanted over her head, washing her with warmth that otherwise had no place within her. She glared at the shape as she approached it, making mental notes of the masculine scent while dragging her chilling gaze across the ugly patchwork of Collision's coat; she could not remember all of the menfolk of the empire, as they were unimportant. But she sought this one out and upon confronting them face-to-face, Hime took on the poise of a true Empress, her head and tail aloft. The water rippled beside her from a brisk little breeze, distorting her reflection so that she was a messy white blob besidie him.

You, she snaps at him, a commanding tone she once used back home among the clan.

I have need of a guard. That is your job, is it not?