The King's Passage

At the Kouri palace throne room...

"Hey, horse face!"

Princess Pirika curtsied before her brother. King Horo Horo squinted at the two strangers standing next to her. They were scanning their surroundings with their eyes. The Kouri throne room was filled with statues of the koro-pok-kuru, the guardians of the butterbur. They have piqued the interest of the green-haired visitor in particular.

"The answer is no," the king replied to his sister's greeting.

"But I haven't asked a question yet!" the princess protested.

"If your lover is asking for your hand, the answer is no."

"Unbelievable! I'm not even of marrying age yet!"

"You don't need to concoct some story about your friends' lives being endangered just so you can come home for a vacation, and bring your lover... " King Horo Horo pointed at Prince Ren, "... and his assistant with you." then he pointed at Lyserg. The two scowled at him.

"Now is not the right time, Pirika." the king continued. "Kouku and Kaminari are attacking Kasai at this very moment and we could be next."

"What?!" Prince Ren and Princess Pirika couldn't hide their shock.

"But why?" the princess was the first to recover from it.

"We don't know yet. Probably because the Kaminari royal ship was bombed. They might be blaming us for the death of the prince if he went home after the ball just like you did."

"Ammm... About that horse face.." the Kouri princess looked towards the Kaminari heir's direction asking him to help her out.

"I'm not dead." The prince declared.

"Yes but you will be when you marry my sister."

"I wasn't aboard the Raikou when it exploded." Prince Ren explained calmly.

King Horo Horo let out a gasp. "Will everybody please go out?" He ordered the palace guards to leave the throne room. "Including you, Tona. I'm sure neither my younger sister nor her friends here would do anything reckless to hurt me under my turf."

His bodyguard hesitated but the king spoke with a tone of finality. An argument between the two siblings was brewing and he didn't want to be caught in the middle of it.

When all palace guards have left, King Horo Horo stood up from his throne and approach his sister and her guests. "Is he who I think he is?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes, he is the prince of Kami-"

"Don't say that kingdom's name out loud." the Kouri king hushed her. "What in Great Spirit's name were you thinking, Pirika?!" He wanted to shake his little sister so badly. "You brought an enemy here when you both know well that there's a death sentence for it. What do you want me to do? Ignore the laws and let him walk freely in our kingdom?"

"Well brother, it is your rule. I cannot contradict your decisions. But I trust your judgment. Ren came here looking for his fiancée, Anna, the princess of Kouku. I think I saw her with the Asakuras during the ball."

"How can you be so sure? Are you telling me that Yoh is capable of committing a stupid mistake like what you did - - - bringing an enemy's fiancée to his kingdom?" Color drained from the monarch's face as realization dawned on him.

"Blond hair, easily angered, and with eyes that pierce through your soul?" King Horo Horo asked for confirmation from the Kaminari heir.

"Perfect description."

"Oh what were you thinking, Yoh?!" the Kouri ruler walked to and fro trying to understand the situation.

"Are you saying that the Kasai prince took her?" Prince Ren asked incredulous.

"Don't jump into conclusions. She was his personal maid. It looked like they have known each other for quite a while. I even thought they were lovers."

"Her parents were murdered. She managed to escape and now she's living with the enemy?" the Kaminari prince can't put things together in his head. Moreover, he felt a bit jealous of this boy called Yoh.

Lyserg cleared his throat. "Please allow me to help you in your pondering, Your Highness. I think the only way to find out is to go to Kasai and hear the story from them. You mentioned that the war had started and you are unsure why. Perhaps we can prevent it from progressing if we were to find out what really happened from Anna and the Kasai prince's mouths. It would be helpful as well if Ren can show himself to the Kaminari troops. Just to let them know that he lives."

"Your assistant is smart unlike you," King Horo Horo criticized the prince as he gently took Lyserg's hands. "May I know your name, My lady?"

"In case you haven't noticed. That girl is a boy, horse face." Prince Ren smirked at him.

By the entrance of the Kouri tunnel...

"Hey, are you sure you're going to be alright?" Princess Pirika stroke the mane of her favorite horse carrying the Kaminari heir. Her brother provided his visitors two of their fastest horses. They were sending them off in an underground tunnel that was built for the royal family to shorten the travel time between Kouri and Kasai.

"No need to worry, I can take care of myself," Prince Ren teased her.

"I'm talking to the horse, not you," the princess stuck out her tongue.

"This tunnel goes straight to the Kasai palace entrance near the gardens. If you tell anyone about this secret passage, I'm gonna have you both beheaded. That is if you come back alive. The diamonds are off limits by the way." King Horo Horo warned them.

"Diamonds? I thought you were a poor kingdom," Prince Ren raised his eyebrow.

"Well, that's what we project to outsiders. Butterbur on the fields above, diamonds down below. This tunnel is littered with them. We mine the diamonds and use them to buy canons so we won't be too dependent on Kasai for protection." The Kouri king sighed. He had revealed too much.

"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret in exchange for your assistance." Prince Ren smiled and waved goodbye before heading off.

"I will go now, Your Majesty. Thank you for your hospitality." Lyserg bowed his head before the king then turned to face the princess. "Hey, Pirika, I like you. I'm saying this because wherever we are headed sounded dangerous. When I come back, I would probably ask for your hand. "

The future duke blushed and followed his friend without waiting for the Kouri princess to respond.