"I hate these tight clothes. They're stifling."

"You'll have to get used to them sometime, Majesty."

He was age eighteen and had been wearing the formal, deep red robes of the Chiazuite nobles for most of his life in various sizes, and Prince Eri Mao was still not used to them. The small cap he wore on his head, made to compliment the entire arrangement, made him look awkward- or at least, he thought so.

He felt that he was better suited for his normal clothing, or his general's armor. His father was hard-pressed, due to the conflicts between the North and the islands, but still had time to teach his son how to dress properly. Whether he liked it or not.

Standing at five feet, six inches tall, and weighing one hundred and fifty five pounds, Eri was a handsome young man. His hair was longer than most boys his age, ending up in a pony tail that went down to the middle of his back. A sharp, angular face and cat-like brown eyes complimented his features. He had an almost bored expression as he re-adjusted his collar, but after a while his features regained that cool self-confidence that experienced generals had.

Wearing these silk robes, the black pants that accompanied them, the shoes, everything... it made him feel false. But no matter. Appearances were important to keep, at least outside of a battle.

The two guards next to him were stone-faced, devoid of emotion. They might as well have been living statues, with live swords and real armor, though it wasn't the entire getup. They made him feel false as well, and crowded besides. It seemed that the only time he felt comfortable in these clothes were when he wore them in front of his father.

But he's not here to back me up now, is he?

With a resolute sigh, the prince stepped into the doors. His name was announced immediately as he did so. His ears had gotten used to it by now- they used to sting when his entranced was declared with him in such close proximity.

"The Prince and Admiral of the Imperial Navy, Eri Mao." All who heard this stood and bowed as he approached the appointed table where he would sit, along with the representatives from each island. In the mere moments before he entered the room, Eri's posture and demeanor had changed entirely, and he stood tall and proud as he headed towards his seat with a confident stride.

Hoshimi had turned when the Prince was announced, and inclined her head in respect, but that was it. She couldn't look at him for long without feeling sadness at what would be his passing if things did not change. It was for his life, and the life of others that Hoshimi was planning what she was.

Instead, after the proper amount of attention had been paid to the prince, she turned back to the man to whom she was speaking and continued.

"That is why this war must not start. The lives that would be lost are not worth the price."

"And what of the lives already lost. Of the men that Erios has slain for no reason, milady?"

"Revenge is never a reason to kill men. Their actions are their own, but if we seek revenge, then we would be sending our own men off to die, and their blood would be upon our hands. And that is something not even the Leviathan herself can wash clean. We did it with full knowledge of our actions." She was passionate, but she was also young, and even through her position as the Emperor's personal oracle, some things never changed, and male attitudes were one of them.

The prince sat at the table, not wanting to interrupt this quite spirited debate. It was the same thing on all sides- those who wished for peace, versus those who wanted war. It helped if one was outside of the conversation, as he was at the moment, to look at the whole thing from a logical standpoint.

No one knew why the tensions were going on, really. That was the first thing he knew. Several misunderstandings were made between the two countries, who did not even share the same language, much less anything else. The second thing he knew was that the islands only shared with each other, not anyone else. No methods, no resources, no technology. And the third thing he knew was that his father was making a last-ditch effort to defend the peace of his country via the Expeditionary Fleet.

So the conclusion that he naturally came to was that the archipelago had been too isolationist for too long, and this was the result. With this in mind, he smoothly cut in.

"She speaks wisdom, sir," he said with a clear voice that made itself sure to be heard. "Passions are not a viable reason to enter a battle. The Northerners may not be a reasonable people, but we must remain so. We must discern why they are doing what they are doing, and attempt to work out a peaceful solution until all options are exhausted. To do otherwise is tactically unsound, and would be showing one's hand too early.

"However, with all due respect," he said, turning his head towards the High Priestess, "Military intervention is necessary. For example- it is my job to provide escort for the trade ships that will be launched as soon as the festival comes to a close. If someone fires on us just because of an impulse, what do you think we should do, talk it out?"

He said this with a bit of humor behind his words.

Hoshimi turned before she even realized who was speaking. Someone had dared interrupt her. That was not at all the usual. "I never said that. You take my words out of context. Retaliation is fine, to defend oneself. But this talk of war is nothing but revenge. A thought I had hoped our country had done away with."

She finally realized it was the prince that had spoken, but the fact only fueled her desire to see things brought around right. For his sake, as well as others. There seemed to be some inner fire in here that made her eyes flash as if she were firey soul instead of a calm icy one. "If a man strikes you, it would be foolish to merely turn the other cheek and not strike back in defense. But to cold heartedly plan to go and send countless innocent into battle for men whose lives have already paid the price for their foolishness...It is not a country I wish to be a part of."

She bowed, but not as low as perhaps she would have normally, and defintely not as low as she should to the Emperor's son. "Then again, perhaps my time in this land is short."

Eri nodded thoughtfully, weighing and measuring. True, people had indeed been speaking of balancing the scales with a full-out attack. But no one knew about the Northerners' means of attack- how big their army was, what weapons they had, what allies they had. It was a hot-blooded time, of course.

After a while, he smiled graciously.

"You understand, then. Please, cool your heels- you talk as if I were the one who was making all this talk. I am of the same mind as my father- we are looking for a means to end this without any further bloodshed. But of course, if you have any ideas that we have not thought of yet... this is the place to air them out."

He spread his hands invitingly. He didn't want to piss her off- she was a High Priestess, and seemed rather passionate about her position. Didn't mean he was intimidated by her, though.

She wasn't one to intimidate anyone. She knew that. She'd only been appointed head priestess last year after all. She still hadn't proven herself, even though she knew the Emperor personally, and he considered her family.. Of his son, she'd refused to associate with because of the way things had been heading for the last year.

"What of an impartial envoy? One who wished to speak of peace for both countries. Not royalty or nobility, or one given to the airs of influence or bribery. One who truly sought what was best." She shook her head, it would be like talking to his father, who refused to listen as well.

"Excuse me, your highness. I have other places to be."

Eri raised a hand as she prepared to leave.

"Please, stay... I do hope I did not say anything to offend you." Which of course, he knew that he did not. If she wanted to say something though, she had best say it in front of him. "Finish your statement. It is apparent to me that you have an idea of who exactly should go as this... impartial envoy."

He had a grave expression on his face. "Two of those were sent... neither came back. For years on end. They are presumed dead until we can obtain more information. Do tell me that this... envoy of yours can properly defend themselves, or at least has a reasonable security measure."

Because the same trick could not be tried over and over again with repeated failure. This one had to be certain.

"I do have an idea, your highness. But it is a subject I plan to bring up with the Emperor." She smiled sweetly, but she was strained. The idiot she'd been arguing with before the prince had interrupted had disturbed her inner peace more than she cared to admit. Too many of the people were bloodthirsty. They wanted revenge.

The Prince shrugged his assent.

"So be it. But I have a feeling that father won't be as... reasonable as I am. Perhaps you should indeed let me know first. I can be more persuasive than I appear, High Priestess."

It had come to him just then, who she was talking about. She was considering going herself. The other two had been of no use, and whatever was bothering her had made itself evident in the conversation she had just had with him. This was a rather personal matter, in some ways.

Things that were personal most likely had a bad end, and especially with opening negotiations. This was her last chance to reason with him, so that he could reason with his father. An idea had already formed in his head... but he needed her to pay attention.

There was a moment of wavering. But the fact was, the Emperor could not deny the chosen petitioner as long as the request was under 1,000 gold in value. And her value was less than that. She had gone through the trouble of having a professional auditor actually weigh her value, in case she was ever in need of being ransomed. And the total was only 950 gold. This was a matter that not even the Emperor could refuse.

"Your father is the Emperor your highness, he must obey the very laws he sets down for the people or they will not follow him. What must be done, must be done. And I have the vision of what will be if he does not." At the last comment, her voice was sad as she looked into the prince's eyes. A sorrow for him perhaps, or perhaps for her own country.

For a moment, they had eye contact. She was adamant about seeing his father about this. She was however correct- the law was the law, and even nobility had to succumb to it. There would be no order if one did not follow the rules. Even the universe itself had rules and laws, or so he had heard.

There was a sadness to her eyes that he noticed, and it affected him. He felt sad- not for himself, but for her. His father would most likely not agree with her unless the stars themselves aligned this evening. Indeed, she could use divine intervention.

Hoshimi was stubborn to a fault, and that which did not bend would break sooner or later. Still, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Go your way, seer. The spirits defend you, because as you yourself have stated, I cannot."

And that earned him a smile. But that was it. She was still saddened, and would do anything within her power to make it so that the future she had seen was not the one that would happen. Hoshimi glided out of the room, and made her way to the hallway where the maiden attendant was waiting for her. The dinner was still going, and Hoshimi had to rush in order to be on time for the petition ceremony.

The cloak surrounded her as it should have, obscuring the fact of her distinctive face and form as she made her way to the court where the ceremony was being held. She handed the card to the guard, and waited for the Mizano region to be announced.

It would be a few minutes of waiting in the court. Many people had things to say these days, but after about fifteen minutes of hopefully patient waiting, her number would be up. The guard would announce her region with a loud, booming voice, which would be most sure to be heard.

"Representative from Mizano, step forward!"

**

The Lion Dance Inn

Dressed in red and gold silk, with a phoenix pattern trailing up the right sleeve, they walked the halls. Hair colors and eye colors of various types, every size and shape of body, various ages. In contemplation or simply in friendly conversation, twenty-five of them walked the halls, or stayed in their rooms, or ate dinner that evening.

The monks and nuns of the Temple of the Phoenix were staying here. In fact, the entire inn had been rented out, as with every year. Most of those that were here were anywhere from fifteen to twenty five, though there were a few that were younger.

One young monk had managed to make his way to the roof top of the building, in silent meditation. Age twenty two, with his skin lightly tanned, the moon shining down on his black hair. His mind was unusually troubled this evening. Or rather, preoccupied.

Lao Fei was thinking about the decision he had made earlier and why he had made it. His instincts, intuition, and everything else compelled him to set his path. But was it the right thing to do?

The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. He could not focus. It was pointless to fight a raging fire without some kind of water, and his mind burned with the implications of his choices. If he left, there was possibly no coming back. No return to the temple, no return to the country.

However, that was only if he was denied to leave. If Tsai accepted him as Hoshimi's guardian, he would leave with blessings. But that was assuming that he would actually consider him as a choice. There were too many factors, too many doubts.

Becoming frustrated with the conflict, he fell back on his training, surrendering his mind to the ebb and flow of thoughts, opening himself to the heart and will of the Phoenix. And something happened that had never happened before.

Stillness.

It wasn't quiet- the quiet of his mind that came with daily meditation did not compare to this. It was complete and total stillness- an absence of distracting thought without a hint of resurgence. It had not worked before, opening himself- there were things in the way. Fear, anxiety, concentrating too hard or too little.

Now, there was not... and all at once, he knew what to do.

It seemed that he had zoned out completely, but he was entirely aware when someone else joined him on the roof top. There was a prickling of the skin as the man approached, and a single thought entered his head. In the state he was in, thoughts did not exist. They immediately became words.

"...Tsai."

The man smiled as his hand went to Lao's shoulder. "At least you haven't gotten sloppy." There was a faint chuckle as he wanted to Lao to turn around. Tsai was a large man, even for a half breed. He looked more like his father, though Lao would never have known the man.

Fei found it hard to break his meditation. The grip of something so powerful was not easily forgotten or shaken off, but the clarity of his mind gave him courage. His eyes opened at that moment, and for a brief second, they appeared to be of honeyed gold rather than the sky at daytime. However, his back was still turned, and thus the man he called sifu could not see it.

Lao Fei stood, turned around, and bowed respectfully.

"The High Priestess is rather interesting. Sad that she will be leaving soon."

He raised his head and immediately went into his queries. No sense in beating around the bush when your subconscious just sent you a wake-up call.

"One of the monks is to accompany her, I assume?"

"That is my wish, yes." Tsai smiled at the man who he'd had the pleasure of training. He looked up to the sky. "I have never asked anything of the man you call father, and whom I would call brother despite the many years I have been gone at his request. I doubt he will deny me this."

There was a moment of silence before Tsai continued, "I would go back, except it would mean the death of one I hold as dear as your family in my heart. She is a so called hostage in the kingdom my father was exiled from. She has grown to a young lady by now. But if I were to go back, her life would be forfeit."

And thus, the reason was revealed. It would have been, sooner or later. Lao Fei nodded in understanding. "I see. Discretion is the better part of valor."

He paused for a moment, basking in the newfound peace of his mind. The clarity of action was astonishing to him. Everything was so easy now... felt right.

"If I may suggest myself as a candidate... I believe I would be the best person for the situation."

He would not explain why, though. Some things one just kept to himself, after all. How could one explain that after four years of training, trying and failing, that they had finally been touched by the Phoenix herself? The ascension had finally come to pass, and by merely giving into the constant stream of thoughts in the mind instead of denying them passage?

No... no, he had to keep it to himself. Enlightenment was a personal thing.

"Honestly, I do not think that the wisest course of action." There was something guarded about Tsai, something he wished not to share, and this was shown by his reluctance to elaborate further. "Your father will probably send one of the Higher acolytes. Perhaps one of your older brothers."

Upon entering the dinner, Suki had felt extremely happy that she had managed to get some new dress clothes for the event. She had no idea that the type of personages that would be there would be of such important influence. When Captain Terrin had suggested that there would be people of importance, he had neglected to mention that there would be the High Priestess of the Leviathan Temple present. Without the Prince or the Emperor himself there, she was pretty much as high on the societal ladder as one could get. That was of course, Suki's opinion entirely.

Lucky enough to be sat down at the end of the table near two merchants, Suki was able to speak with them about business and politics and all that polite conversation without having to worry about treading on anyone's toes. Captain Terrin was sat higher up the table near the High Priestess. Lieutenant Heimat unfortunately was not able to come last minute as when he was giving his breeches a last minute press with a hot iron, he burnt a large hole in the buttocks. He was very sad not to go, but they both couldn't help but laughing at the silliness of his burnt breeches. Suki had promised to give him a full account of the evening when she returned.

During what Suki thought was polite conversation that Captain Terrin and the High Priestess were having about politics, the Prince was announced. Suki's mind immediately raced and all her senses were on edge. The Prince?! She had seen the empty chair at the end of the table but she had figured it would be for some other important person like a Royal Representative for the Prince or the Emperor, not the Prince himself. She watched him walk in with such presence and authority that it almost bewildered her, but she was still very much in awe of him.

Listening to the Prince talk was wonderful. He had such clear points for both the High Priestess and Captain Terrin. Whilst Suki entirely agreed with Captain Terrin and his reasoning, Suki felt that the Prince qualified the High Priestess' arguments well and was extremely diplomatic in presenting both sides of the argument. All Suki wanted to do was speak with him personally, to learn more from him, but she knew that to speak to him would be a complete breach of protocol unless he spoke with her first. So she forced herself to only admire from afar and continue in conversation with the gentlemen on either side of her.

It was odd, how Fei could pick up on things. Tsai had agreed with him so far, but now his defensive nature had come forth. He was trying to protect something again, as was his inclination. Fei smiled and said, "That's nice of you, Tsai. You always did look after me. But there comes a time when one must do what is necessary. I cannot tell you why, but I insist that I be at least considered as a candidate."

Then again, even if he couldn't go, he'd leave anyways. Consequences be damned- he had a star to follow.

"Of course you'll be a canidate. But as the girl's guardian, I will be selecting the one to go with her. She is not yet as of age. So I wish to be certain of things. And your family has already had too many tragedies to lose a son before their time." It was simple words and after they were said, Tsai moved away and looked to the palace, wondering how his charge was.

Lao Fei bowed in acquiescence, but his mind had already been set. Tsai's words took on a different meaning to the monk. He would make every attempt to become the one who left with the High Priestess. At that very moment, something within him whispered its support.

The seeds of the Phoenix had been planted...

**

Imperial Court, Xi'an Palace

As Tsai thought about Hoshimi, she was about to speak in front of the Emperor himself. As he sat on his quite comfortable seat, eyes not entirely bored yet, he looked at the woman with the cloak that hid her eyes. These Leviathan Temple maidens did love drama, did they not? Still, there was the Sight to consider. They could see the future with those eyes of theirs, and thus had to hide them beneath a hood.

That much, he could understand.

"Well then... another representative from Mizano," he said in a cheery voice. "It appears that the Leviathan Temple has come to my court quite often, don't you think so, Priestess?"

**

Private Banquet Hall, the Crane's Beak Tavern

The merchants were busy speaking of trade issues, especially the Expeditionary Fleet that was to be announced soon. Matters of the language barrier that had to be surpassed came into mind, as well as instilling chapters of the Merchant's Guild overseas. It would be a good way to foster relations, not to mention expand their horizons.

But the talk of war had made some of the merchants wary. Some were even thinking of pulling out, to protect their investments. It wasn't the first time that members had disagreed with one another, but it was the most hotly debated issue.

"...And I say we should go anyway! Their language should be easy enough to learn if one put effort into it! And there's no war yet, so why are you worried?"

"I'm worried because we know absolutely nothing about them! No scouts, nor diplomats have returned from that place, and I don't want to go off and vanish as well. I have a family, do you understand that?"

Hearing the conversation, Eri couldn't help but intervene. His voice was qutie clear as he spoke to the men in question. "Then perhaps you should consider your position in the guild... as I understand it, there are many in your numbers who have family, and are leaving them behind in order to pursue their efforts. For their country. Perhaps if you explained to them what is to happen, they will understand and you will be at peace."

The man did not respond. He tried to, working his lips to form an answer, but could not.

Damn that Eri! Always knows what to say...

"...I will take your advice under consideration, Majesty," the merchant said with a hint of reluctance.

"Indeed your Majesty."

Luckily for her, her voice thickened with emotion of what she was about to do and so would be unrecongizable as she knelt before him. Today she was not a priestess, for a priestess knelt before no mortal man.

"I have come with the petition of the Mizano District. We wish for you to send one of our representatives as the next envoy to Erios. The priestesses have given their blessings and ask this of you."

Zen stroked his beard thoughtfully, wondering if he should break the news to her quickly or slowly. This would not be good for him if he refused a priestess. Or was she a priestess at all? The way she kowtowed like that, one would swear she wasn't even from Mizano. In any event, he shrugged and began breaking it down for her in steps.

"Your proposition interests me. But I will share a story with you..." He stood and cleared his throat before going into the explanation. "Did you know that I have sent two ambassadors already? Yes, they were seasoned at negotiation and diplomacy, and knew their language well enough for it to be a natural thing. They were the perfect candidates, seeing as they were the only two with any experience of the outside world. The only two who were brave enough.

"They never returned. It's been four years since we sent the first one- two since the second. I fear for the safety of anyone else I send, and thus have been hesitant about sending people without a proper escort. That said, I am sending an entire fleet, and from the quite unbiased Merchant's Guild. This is my grand plan to secure our peace."

He smiled. "Far be it from me, however, to not hear your request. Who are you planning on sending?"

"This humble petitioner would boldly ask his majesty to remember the promise he and his ancestors have made to the people. This is the one day a year a petition cannot be denied." Her voice was low, so that only he would hear her impertinent words. Indeed, she must be a priestess in order to dare speak to him so.

Outloud, she answered his questions. "Yes, your majesty. We know of the two failed expeditions. However, we would send a representative of the Leviathan Temple. Even the Eriosians respect the Oracle's of the East. And there has been a request that one preside over the Prince Regent's crowning ceremony. For his father has chosen to step down."

This was not common knowledge. No one but the higest circles knew of the information, so the truth was someone had requested a priestess to come. And she would be under the Eriosan protection as well. If something happened to her, it would be a cause for war, even without knowing who the chosen one was.