Ogunosuke Hikariryushi 

My family has always served the throne of Garudora; we’re known as the light that shines the brightest. So beautiful that it can pierce the toughest hides. 

Our clan of shine dragons were proud of our heritage and are regaled as the masters of the Ida sword; and my father, the clan chief, was no exception. He was the finest knight in the Royal Guard, serving as Lord Chronos’ brightest sword. 

Being the first born son of a dragon knight clan has its fair share of responsibilities; I’m expected to continue the tradition of serving the throne of Garudora, as the next emperor’s sword. But, to be honest, I have other plans; ever since I became a student at Caliburn, and I saw the first princess of Garudora, Princess Minerva, I knew I wanted nothing more than to be the light that shines and cause the deepest shadows for her to thrive. 

I had always considered myself courageous and confident, but detailing my affection to my father was like a Vorpal Rat facing a giant Ursadrake. He was the most skilled warrior in all of Garudora and despite the lack of wars, he’s known as a strategic genius. I told him that I wanted to serve Princess Minerva directly and I would follow her to the ends of hTraé. 

There were always rumors that I had affections toward the princess, and I was here confirming those suspicions to my father, the clan chief. 

“I see no flaw in your choice,” my father said sternly. He went on to tell me that since the princess was born in Garudora, then the responsibility of the next clan chief was to continue the service, even if that means a member of the royal family leaves Garudora. 

Much to the clan elders protesting the thought of the next clan chief leaving Garudora, my father had an ingenious idea. “The responsibility of my son is to serve the royal family, not the throne of Garudora. As clan chief, I support the decision of Ogunosuke being the light for Princess Minerva’s shadows' '. 

“You must speak to Lord Chronos, the only way we as Elders can accept this decision, is if the young master is betrothed to the princess,” Elder DeeGee exclaimed, furrowing her brow. 

“Consider it done,” my father stated with steel in his voice. I hadn’t thought that my attraction for the princess would cause such a commotion amongst the clan, but my father was determined to support my decision. 

The air in the throne room was thick when we were scheduled to meet with Lord Chronos. “My Lord, I, along with my son, request an audience with you,” my father began. He bowed his head in reverence to the emperor. “My heir wishes to serve the first princess, and I request that he be betrothed to Princess Minerva,” the room was silent, followed by a slight chuckle from our ruler.

A smile creeped on Lord Chronos’ face, “Hikariryushi Ogugee, what brings this up? Does your boy have feelings towards my daughter,” he asked my father. 

“Boy, bow your head before his majesty,” my father scolded. I quickly did as requested, feeling the weight of the emperor’s gaze upon me. 

“Emperor Myrddin Caslin Garudora, as your faithful sword, I request that my son take the hand of the princess,” his voice trembled as he spoke; beads of sweat rushed down his face. 

Upon hearing his true name, the emperor’s aura shifted, and the already thick air in the room seemed to be suffocating. Though I still had my head down, the gaze the emperor gave me pierced my soul. 

“This must be serious, you used my true name,” Lord Chronos' voice was laced with mana, as his face hardened and grew stale. Prior to our audience with the emperor, my father had advised me that our king was a being that possessed two names, a name that he uses casually, and his true name. The true name was not widely known amongst the people of the land, only to the servants and their families who were privy to this information. 

“Boy,” Lord Chronos said, “how old are you, and do you fancy my daughter?” The question was clearly a trap, so I answered accordingly. “I’m twelve,” I stuttered, “Your excellency, though it is my responsibility as a Hikariryushi to serve the royal throne, and it is well known that Lady Minerva is to take residence in Minami. As future clan chief of the Hikariryushi clan, I wish for nothing more than to be the light that casts the deepest shadows for the princess to thrive.”

A smile crept on the emperor’s face, “You didn’t answer my question, you’re quick witted,” the tension was cut by the emperor’s sudden laughter.

Immediately the air lightened as my father gasped for a much needed breath. The emperor got up from his throne and approached me with a large toothy smile, “I deem you worthy of my daughter’s hand, and with this betrothal, there shall be a new clan formed, The Minamiryushi Clan; Ogugee, you raised a fine young man,” the emperor’s voice boomed in the room. “I’ll have a royal messenger make their way to Minami now to let the princess know of this news”.

After the audience, and my father and I were outside in the clear, my father passed out from the intense pressure from the king. He was a very stoic man, but he was visibly shaken when around our ruler. 

Some nearby guards helped my father to his feet and aided us outside into the main palace courtyard. It has been at least three years since I’ve seen her, and upon meeting, I’ll be her newest fiancé. The thought of serving the princess was like a dream come true, marrying her was something I never imagined. 

I had already started my knight’s apprenticeship with Lady Meera but the transfer request didn’t seem to bother her. In fact, she was more thrilled at the opportunity to train a new line of royal knights for another nation. 

“Congratulations, my little man is growing up,” Lady Meera teased as she tussled my hair. I learned that she, like my father, served the royal family as a knight; but unlike my father, she was more versed in using a spear to fight opposed to an ida sword. 

The training would more or less be the same as before, waking up at the ass crack of dawn to do morning exercises followed by out scheduled sessions with both the ida sword and spear. The only difference would be our sudden change in location. 

I’d grown so accustomed to the rocky, yet green mountain of Garudora, and I never would imagine myself living in the snow capped mountains of Minami. Adding to the fact that, once the marriage is officiated, I, along with Princess Minerva, will be the leaders of a new dragon clan, the Minamiryushi Clan. 

My father and the other clan elders prepared me for this new transition, much to the ladder’s dismay. Long ago, before the nation had split, the clan had served the royal family with their lives, and when discussions of a new nation, a sister nation was to be formed, the clan elders deemed it blasphemous to split the clan. However, with my father’s intervention, along with the emperor’s approval, they had no choice but to concede. 

“The people of Minami are too contradictory, they’re both docile and conservative. The nation is completely backwards!” Elder DeeGee exclaimed. She was the eldest clan of our elders and her opinion was usually the determining factor when it came down to important clan decisions. 

“Elder DeeGee, I’m sure the people of Minami are similar enough to us in Garudora,” I chimed, doing my absolute best to remember my etiquette. “Besides, would you really want the princess to leave Garudora without a clan member with her,” I asked with genuine concern in my voice. 

“Oh hush up, boy, I know already,” she snapped as she motioned me to come closer. She’d asked me to prepare her a pipe of Dracobis, and I obliged. The herb had an earthy musk to it, and although it was only permitted to the adults and elders of the clan, every blue moon, I was given the privilege to partake with Elder DeeGee. Spending time with the elder was one of my favorite things to do, she would tell me stories of when she and the other elders served the second emperor, The Diamond Dragon Emperor, Lord Samael. 

The elder took an extended drag from her pipe, “Ogunosuke, tell me, my boy, did you come up with decision on your own, or was this something your father came up with”? I was taken aback by her question.

I took a moment before answering, to some, it looked like a moment of hesitation, but our clan seldomly hesitates, so she understood that I was taking my time to answer her. 

“Honestly, Elder DeeGee, I would say, a mixture of the two. I understand I’m young, but I, like the rest of the clan, understand my role is to protect the royal family and the throne, my attraction towards the princess is just fuel to the fire,” I answered. 

When I looked up at Elder DeeGee, she wore a proud and accomplished expression on her face, “I see, taking that in consideration, and the orders given by our Lord, I give you my blessing to follow the princess. Just make sure this isn’t a task that proves itself to be more than you can handle”. A gentle smile spread across her face, “though it pains me to see the former heir of the Hikariryushi clan depart, I must say, I am surely looking forward to the growth of our official sister clan”. 

Upon arriving in the snowy country, rather, I’d expected it to be a snowy country, but to my surprise, the mountains were as green as the mountains in Garudora. There were dragonmen out in the fields farming and a few in the caves mining coal for the winter. It wasn’t as big of a culture shock as I was led to believe; the nation looked like, and even felt like home. 

“Are you nervous,” Lady Meera inquired. 

“N-no, I mean, maybe a little, it’s been a few years since I’ve seen the princess, I’m not too sure she’ll even remember me,” I responded. Whenever I would think about the princess, all my nerves go ballistic and I find it hard to keep my composure. This time was no exception, the entire ride there, I’d been a sweaty mess. 

Lady Meera would often have to use her magic to create a makeshift fan to help regulate my temperature. “If you keep sweating like before even seeing her, I’m afraid what’ll happen once you see her face to face,” Sir Daisuke teased.

“No one asked for your opinion, Daisuke,” Lady Meera scolded. I didn’t blame him for teasing me, all throughout my training, I remained vigilant and steadfast, but the mere mention of Princess Minerva’s name was enough to cause me to turn into a bumbling fool. 

“It’s alright,” I remarked, “I don’t think I’ll have an issue, seeing as I got engaged well before you, Sir Daisuke”. The carriage was dead silent, until Lady Meera erupted with the most intense laughter. 

“Spoken like a true Hikariryushi! He definitely got you to shut up Daisuke,” Lady Meera’s words extinguished the fire in Daisuke’s belly, and until we reached the courtyard, he’d remained silent. I hope I didn’t offend him, I thought.  

As we approached the entrance of the palace, and I saw the princess for the first time in years, my heart began to beat uncontrollably. However, Lady Meera gave me a reassuring smile and pat on the back, “It’s normal to be nervous,” she said. Lady Meera glared at Sir Daisuke while motioning her head toward me. 

“Right! You’re still growing, so I’m sure your nerves will pass in due time,” Sir Daisuke replied with a calm voice. The carriage had suddenly stopped, and every passing moment felt like an eternity. 

“I’m ready. I’ll be the light to cast her shadows,” I unknowingly spoke aloud. The door opened, and I exited the carriage; once my eyes had a chance to adjust to the light, I saw her. She stood in the courtyard wearing a modest black and purple kimono; her rich reddish dark brown skin glistening, no it was more like the light was dancing on her skin. She wore her hair in two massive puffballs, and each puff was adorned with the finest jewelry I’d ever seen. Simply put, she was beautiful, the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. 

She approached me with a toothy smile, it reminded me of the same grin her father gave me. She smells nice, I thought. I knew, then and there that I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her. 

Minerva Cosmina Wyllt-Minami 

Once all the knights and their apprentices had gotten settled in, I had time to read the letter from my father. It had detailed how a new dragon clan would be formed in Minami and that I was betrothed to Ogunosuke Hikariryushi. And once the wedding is officiated, the Minamiryushi clan will become the new sister clan of the Hikariryushi clan. Furthermore, I, along with Ogunosuke, were to become the new clan heads. 

The letter went on to further elaborate on this new clan. Essentially, the men born in this new clan will serve as the daytime reconnaissance and espionage unit. The women of the clan would assume responsibility of running the clan political affairs, serving as ministers and other officials titles. 

This development would usually be something that I was opposed to, but I’ve grown so accustomed to this new life, I was ultimately relieved to see a familiar face. Adding the betrothal to this was expected, I was a royal, after all. 

I sat on one of the couches in my bed chambers, reading the letter, and there was a knock at the door. I’m not sure why, but I was nervous. I opened the door and to my surprise, it was Ogunosuke. He had changed his clothes and wore a white kimono that had golden embroidery. His hair was cut short in a fade with a double part along the side. My heart had nearly skipped a beat when our eyes met. 

Although he was darker skinned, there was no hiding his blood red cheeks and the hundreds of beads of sweat rushing down his face. 

“Ogy, I wasn’t expecting to see you,” I spoke with a slight nervous quiver in my voice. Ogy took a deep breath before speaking, “Princess Minerva-“.

I shot him a glare, “Ogy!”

“R-right, Lady Mini, I’m sure you are aware of the engagement,” he began. He took another deep breath and by doing this, he seemed to be a bit more relaxed. 

We sat in my room in total silence, I had to admit, aside from spending time with my brothers, I hadn’t actually been alone in a room with a boy. So it was a bit awkward, that was quickly cut short by the sound of both of us speaking over each other, “so Ogy-“.