Chapter 23: The Phoenix King

The friends arrived at a giant colourful palace in the heavens, with marvellous gardens full of blue waters, evergreen trees, and beautiful flowers. The foxes led Lucy and Lily to the gates guarded by two armed peacock spirits. These latter ones crossed their spears, not letting the friends in.

“What is the reason for your arrival?”

Huli Mei walked up to them, coquettishly wagged her nine tails, and grinned:

“I wish to see His Highness Lord Kujaku Zefiro.”

Yuehong rolled his eyes seeing his daughter pull such a flirtatious face. The peacock guards, on their part, freed the path and smiled courteously at the Huli Queen:

“Ah, it is you, Lady Huli! Please, proceed. His Highness is free at the moment. He’ll be able to receive you.”

Mei stuck her tongue out at her father and proudly stepped through the gates. Yuehong snorted and followed her, crossing his arms with irritation. Lucy and Lily chuckled at the two foxes’ goofing off.

In the gardens, two peahen spirit servants met the friends, bowed to Huli Mei, and led her and her companions into the palace. It was green and blue, with silver roofs. The interior was green and blue as well, with colourful curtains. The throne was golden, and there was now a little boy sitting, with long white hair and ruby red eyes. He wore a precious white silken kimono-robe and had three big white peacock feathers risen on his head, with red spots on them. He also had a soft long white peacock tail with the same red spots. He was a white peacock spirit.

There was an older and taller man standing beside the throne, near the young king. He looked around twenty-five in human years. He had beautiful long blue-to-green hair, and red eyes like the little king. He too had three big peacock feathers on his head, but they were of blue and green colours like colourful peacocks had. He wore a blue-to-green kimono-robe and had a soft and long colourful peacock tail. His eyes were expressive, wise, and stern. However, once he saw Huli Mei enter, he brightened up a little.

Mei bowed slightly to the young king and his advisor, and Yuehong gave Lucy a sign to bow too. Lucy immediately obeyed, for she remembered that Kujaku peacocks were the same man-eaters as the Huli foxes, and one of the most powerful clans, too. Lily and Yuehong didn’t bow, as they were of superior rank to the Kujaku brothers. The older prince smiled and bowed back to the guests (particularly to Mei, Yuehong, and Lilith), and then spoke in a calm, somewhat stern tone:

“Welcome to the Kujaku Palace, dear guests. The guards have informed us of your arrival. We are glad to receive you.”

He then glared at the young king who was sitting there as if nothing. The little white peacock boy rolled his eyes and murmured:

“Yeah, welcome…”

“Your Majesty, that is not how you greet the Huli Queen, the Queen of the Underworld, and the Celestial Fox of Nine Heavens, Lord Huli!”

“Cut it out, Zefiro. Queen of the Underworld is a nice lady, Uncle Yuehong is a carefree man, and Mei-chan[1] is your girlfriend. You expect me to be formal with them? Give me a break!”

Hearing such remarks of the king, all the three – Mei, Yuehong, and Lilith – chuckled. Lucy instead blinked with astonishment – Phoenix King, Lord of the Kujaku – the clan of noble peacocks who were known to be fond of their traditions, and he talked like this?! Zefiro, the older brother, frowned:

“Lord Hoshiro! Mind your manners as a king!”

Hoshiro, the young king, pouted and murmured reluctantly, giving the guests a slight bow:

“I welcome you into my kingdom with open arms.”

Yuehong and Mei chuckled at the child’s sulky face. Zefiro instead nodded with apparent satisfaction, and turned to Mei:

“So then, what is the reason for your gracious visit?”

“Lord Zefiro, we need your and His Majesty’s help.”

Mei walked up to him and placed her tender hands on his chest. Zefiro looked down at her with loving eyes:

“We’re listening.”

“My father, Lord Yuehong, has accepted a bond with a human,” Mei pointed at Lucy, who fearfully clung to Yuehong’s arm.

Hearing the word ‘human’, Zefiro gasped and let out a raging cry of a peacock:

“A human, in the sacred palace of the Kujaku?!”

His long blue nails formed into blue claws, and he began unfolding his colourful tail. Yuehong frowned and covered Lucy with his body.

“No, Zefiro, don’t! She is not like others!”

Mei tried to stop her beloved, but Zefiro’s eyes already flashed red. One more second, and he was going to attack even if it was Huli Yuehong, if not for a strict order of the young king:

“Hold up, big brother!”

The elder prince glanced at Hoshiro, who had furrowed his brow and stood from his throne.

“What is it? She is a human. No human can be permitted in this palace! You know the rules our very first Phoenix Queen established!”

“Ugh, I’m sick of it! You always go about rules, big brother! You often advise me to think with my head more, but now you’re acting so recklessly yourself! Lord Yuehong would never form a bond with a human – he hates humans since I can remember. So, there’s but a single explanation to this matter, and I can see it well with my phoenix powers.”

He glanced at Lucy, and she felt his red eyes pierce her very soul.

“That girl is not a human.”

“Huh?” Lucy gasped – what was he talking about?!

Yuehong widened his eyes:

“Hoshiro-chan, don’t_”

“I knew it, Lord Yuehong – I knew it the minute I saw you had allied with Lady Lilith there,” Hoshiro glanced at both the astonished Lilith and the frightened Yuehong, “That girl is not a human, rather a bunny spirit you have called back into this world and locked in a human body. You are willing to perform the highest transformation technique which is difficult even for you alone, so you called Lord Yanluo for help, and now you have come to seek my aid too. That girl, or rather a woman, is Lutecia De Lapin of the elder days – the one you failed to protect from that scum fire rabbit Feuer von Kaninchen. I admit I feel a little offended that you wanted to hide all these facts from me, but I assume you haven’t forgotten that no matter I am still a prodigy, as a phoenix level peacock spirit I can see the truth in one’s eyes. No matter you were so careful even with me, I will still offer my help to you, because I truly love you and cherish our friendship, Uncle Yuehong.”

Lucy was shocked – a bunny spirit locked in a human body, Lutecia De Lapin?! Killed by a fire rabbit?

Fire, in her house, back then…

She fainted in Yuehong’s arms.

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[1] Chan (ちゃん) – is a diminutive suffix in Japanese; it expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. It is used for babies, young children, close friends, grandparents and sometimes female adolescents. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, or youthful women. Using -chan with a superior's name is considered to be condescending and rude.