This story is part of the Wanderer series.
The palace shimmered with the light of the falling sun. Between two of the buildings was a shaded corridor, sheltered with a roof and flanked on either side by lattice walls. One of the panels slid open. Miyako stepped out, dressed in her night robe. Her long, flowing dark purple hair was not bound with any ornaments, loosely hung over her shoulders, running down either side of her chest. Although relatively simple for what the princess usually wore, the robe still bore vibrantly deep, purple and magenta colors and elaborate stitchings down the collars. The robe stretched down to her ankles. Though it loosely wrapped her legs, it still restricted her movements more than her royal robes would, which had a wide skirt, and certainly much more than her military attire.
Sliding the door shut behind her and tightening her sash, she brought her hands together under her sleeves and began walking down the corridor towards the open air, her sandals clacking loudly against the brick. Reaching the junction, her steps wavered as she spotted movement out the corner of her eyes. Pupils dilating, her eyes dart to the right, head slightly turning with them. She realized she wasn’t alone.
It was her uncle. Several meters down the walkway, he was strolling towards her direction, hands casually clasped behind his back, still dressed in military attire. He raised his slightly dipped head as Miyako appeared around the corner. Even though his face was shaded by the palace eaves, his wrinkled smile clearly shone.
Coming to a stop, Miyako’s expression widened to a mixture of surprise and naive curiosity, locking her beautifully deep, dark eyes with her uncle’s gray eyes.
“Asahi.”
Her uncle dipped his chin, keeping his hands clasped. “Your Highness.”
The princess smiled, breathing out. “It’s just us, Asahi.”
Nodding again, he slowed his pace as he walked up to her side. “Very well.”
Miyako turned, proceeding along to her original destination, but kept her endearing gaze on her uncle, making sure he followed her as well.
“Did you come here to find me?”
Asahi nodded. “I have some spare time before I have to return to the front to conduct another survey. I figured I would stop by.” Briefly letting go of a hand, he half-waved it out towards the garden. “Not to mention, the palace is beautiful here during sunset.”
“Isn’t it?” Miyako agreed.
They walked together, strolling under another shaded corridor and coming out on the other side to a large, open space circular stone platform, nested on the side of a hill, overlooking the mountains far beyond. The orange sun was approaching the horizon, igniting the clouds around it. Asahi and Miyako came to a stop behind the stone guard rails, continuing to talk as they gazed out at the scenery.
“How are the other Wanderer children?”
She straightened, adjusting her clasped hands. “They are making steady progress towards the new technique.”
“How are they doing? Are they feeling well and happy?”
“Oh. I can only assume so. I have not received any complaints from Akasuki in some time, other than a complaint about one of the generals visiting frequently during curfew.”
“Good to hear.”
“I trust Akasuki to report to me honestly. And if there are any small problems, he would solve them himself.”
A pause of silence between them as a warm breeze wafted by.
“How is the youngest adapting to the palace?”
“She is still shy, and cannot speak up. There is substantial work to do with her.”
“I see. Perhaps she needs more time.”
“Kaori has lived at the palace for over a year at this point,” Miyako sighed.
“A year is not a long period of time.”
“For a girl as young as her, it is.”
Asahi had no remark.
“I still cannot get her to look at me in the eyes.”
“Not many people can do so.”
“I’m not using my eyes against her!” she groaned. “They glow very brightly when I do. You can clearly tell.”
“Not everyone understands that.”
She sighed again. “She simply needs to build confidence. Simple as that.”
“Are you mentoring her?”
“No, I cannot do that. She will not let me approach her, and I do not have the time to mentor her.”
“What about Akasuki?”
“I do not know. Miu seems to have taken a liking to her, though.”
“That does not surprise me. She took in the other two girls as well.”
“The twins? Yes.”
“They trail her like little ducklings,” he chuckled. “I wonder if Miu can take on a third.”
Miyako giggled at the expression. “She is very motherly. If there is anyone who could take on the task, it would be her.”
Breathing out, Miyako corrected her posture, raising her drooping clasped arms up her abdomen again. A few long strands of hair had fallen in front of her eyes, picked up by the breeze, but she did not move to brush them aside. Though she retained a certain air by habit, she was not concerned with her informal looks in the company of her uncle, letting her hair fall wherever they pleased. Smiling as she gazed across the land, she breathed slowly, becoming mute. The distant chirping of cicadas filled their silence.
Asahi too gazed out over the treetops, but his gaze was blank, as if he was seemingly staring at something even further beyond the mountains. His smile lightened, his face relaxing. Eventually, his eyes dipped, and he turned his head.
“Does Akasuki attract your interest?”
Miyako looked up at him, slightly taken by surprise. Seeing his soft, yet faintly prying smile, her eyes quickly darted away, back towards the landscape. Raising her chin, she lightly scoffed at the question.
“He’s my lieutenant. It’s nothing like that.”
Chuckling, Asahi straightens his head. “That is a shame to hear.”
“A princess like me… doesn’t have time for children.”
Asahi responded heartily. “I certainly hope you do not believe that.”
“It takes too long to have a child!” she laughed along, playfully swinging her hands out to her sides. “Nine moons! I will miss an entire campaign season!”
“There are others who can step up to take your place while you are away,” her uncle pointed out. “Our ranks have grown since the past days.”
“So have our responsibilities,” she argued. “To shirk them is to put the burden on someone else’s shoulders.”
“Well… You certainly take on too much of the burden yourself. That much has not changed.”
“I am the strongest. And I am the princess.”
“We are not fighting for survival anymore. A short absence from the front is a worthy trade for building the future’s foundation.”
Miyako did not reply, debating how to respond.
“Both you and Akasuki are Wanderers. I am sure you would both have a fine child.”
“Oh, stop it, Uncle,” she dismissed, slightly blushing now. “Having two Wanderer parents does not mean the child will also be a Wanderer. There is no precedent for that.”
Asahi chuckled again. “Humor this old man a chance to daydream.”
“You are not old, Uncle.”
He sighed, gazing out towards the setting sun. “I certainly feel myself growing old.”
Glancing over, Miyako briefly studied Asahi’s expression, her smile fading a bit. Dropping her eyes, they flashed a bit of pity. Returning to the landscape, she brought her hands back together under her sleeves.
“If I could help you slow down your aging, I would.”
Asahi looked at her with surprise, then broke out with a bewildered laugh.
Pursing her lips and pinching her eyebrows, she pointed her chin away from him, slightly puffing her cheeks as she pouted, and drew her hands higher up her abdomen. “I would!”
“Where did such a thought come from?”
“I can slow down my aging!”
Her uncle blinked. “You can?”
“Wanderers with mastery over themselves can greatly slow down their aging,” she hastily clarified. “I was just wishing I could do the same for others!”
“Well… I did not know that.”
“I told you that before.”
“I must have forgotten.” He tapped his head and smiled. “I am growing old.”
Miyako exhaled, shutting her eyes and crossing her arms. “Why don’t I get my mages to make you a potion of youth, huh?” she quipped.
Uncle played along. “That would be appreciated, thank you.”
They both stopped talking for a moment. Gradually, Miyako relented, drawing back her puffed chest and lowering her arms, keeping them crossed.
“If only that were possible,” she murmured.
Asahi did not move, keeping his eyes on the horizon. “I have faith, one day, the kingdom will unlock the secrets to youth.”
“I’ve studied some scrolls about a desert kingdom in the south…” she began. “… where the ruling dynasty is known for their lasting youth.”
“Is that so?”
“A Wanderer is born into their family every generation. The same one… or so I’ve read.”
“Is their Celestial responsible for their longevity?”
“Perhaps. I want to find out.”
“I am certainly curious as well.”
Miyako turned, suddenly becoming animate. “Could you imagine? A Celestial so loyal that it pledges itself to a family!”
“Or perhaps members of their family are the only ones that can produce such a vessel for it to reincarnate into.”
She pondered for a few seconds. “Perhaps. But that should not make sense. Vessels are just vessels. There are various sizes, but they should not vary that significantly.”
Asahi nodded along.
“Someone else in some point of history should have been born with a vessel large enough. Yet the Celestial stays within the kingdom.”
Her uncle said nothing for several moments, then finally nodded again.
“The subject is outside my knowledge, so I leave it to you to figure it out.”
Miyako murmured an affirmative grunt, saying no more.
Dipping his head, Asahi turned around, facing away from the scenery. “I must leave soon.”
She looked at him with disappointment, but affirmed with a murmur again. She uncrossed her arms and clasped them under her sleeves, walking away from the ledge and following Asahi as he began to walk back.
“And I am already disrupting your curfew,” he added with a chuckle.
“You needn’t mind,” Miyako insisted, her clasped hands raising higher. “Those are my rules. You can visit any time you wish.”
“Well, I have my own curfew to attend to,” Asahi pointed out. “That is your Father’s rules. I must obey them.”
Lowering her shoulders, she acquiesced. “Fair enough, then. We don’t see each other often enough these days.”
“You will see me at the front in a moon’s time.”
“I mean, at home.”
“Ah, well, we are both busy individuals now. We cannot relinquish our duties without good reason.”
“I suppose,” she sighed.
Smiling, Asahi chuckled a bit as he proposed a solution. “Perhaps if you have a child, I could relieve my duty for a while to help you raise it.”
Miyako immediately pouted, barking up at her uncle. “That’s not a fair trade!”