The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

civil servant as a spouse.
    "To the people of this world, such are the limits of marriage. It is important to those who want children, and lacking in significance to those who do not."
    "Huh," said Youko, taking a breath. And right now, getting a partition in the right place was more important to Rangyoku than having a child. That was the extent of the problem.
    "It really is different," she said to herself, and then hung her head. "But can I get married?"
    Enho forced a smile. "The monarch is not a human being."
    "I'm not . . . I guess."
    "If you were already married, technically speaking, once you acceded to the throne the marriage would be annulled and become a common law marriage. Consequently, you can't have children. However, you can bestow the rank of royal consort upon a companion, such as queen or prince. Your children, Youko, are the citizens of Kei. You serve Heaven by serving them. A married couple serves Heaven by rearing their children. There is no difference."
    "I guess not," she said with a nod.
    Enho smiled. "Go wherever you must. It is well and proper that you see to the welfare of your children."
    Youko bowed. "Starting tomorrow, then, I shall ask for your leave."
    Youko rolled over on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Your children are the citizens of Kei. You serve Heaven by serving them.
    Back in Japan, she had never given much thought to God. She had a hard time grasping what the existence of a god like Tentei was supposed to mean to her. "Serving God" was a concept she was not familiar with. She sighed deeply. She heard from somewhere the sound of a firm voice. "Your Highness . . . there are men."
    "What?"
    Begging her pardon, Hankyo's presence vanished and then shortly reappeared. "There are at least five men outside the rike."
    Youko got up. "Who are they?"
    "I do not know. Ah, they have left."
    "Follow them."
    "By your command," said Hankyo and slipped away.

    Hankyo was back the next morning. "They spent the night in Hokui, left the gates this morning and were looking for a wagon going to Takuhou."
    Youko fastened the straps of her knapsack. "No doubt about it. I've got to go back to Takuhou and see for myself what's going on."

Part XII
    ey, Suzu."
    She was wandering around looking for an inn when she heard the voice behind her. Because she had the sansui, she had to stay at an inn with stables. Stealing a pegasus was a serious crime, but they were so valuable that given the chance, no thief was likely to pass it up. At least according to the man who sold it to her. Pretty sure that there ought to be an inn with stables that wasn't all that expensive, she set off for the neighborhood where she'd stayed before.
    She turned around. There amidst the bustle of people was the boy she'd met at the cemetery. "It's you . . . . "
    He slipped through the throng piling up at the gates before closing and ran over to her. "You came back? Why?"
    Suzu tilted her head to the side. "What are you asking for?"
    "You went somewhere, didn't you? You left the inn, so I thought you'd taken off for good."
    Suzu remembered that his name was Sekki. "How do you know what inn I was staying at?"
    On the day they had met, he hadn't come with her to the inn. They had gone their separate ways in the main boulevard.
    Sekki shrugged guiltily. "Ah, sorry. I tailed you."
    "Why?"
    "I was worried about you. I thought you might try to get back at Shoukou somehow."
    Suzu gulped. "Don't be silly."
    "So you're fine, then? And the pegasus? You went to buy it?"
    "Yeah. I got tired of traveling by wagon. I don't have to worry about carrying a sick kid around any more." She laughed cynically and Sekki looked away. She said, "Fine by me. So, do you know a cheap inn with stables?"
    She didn't have much left in her purse, and inns with stables just weren't that common.
    Sekki raised his head. "I live at an inn. It's a bit run down and it doesn't have stables, but the back yard should be big enough for a pegasus. But that's okay, 'cause nobody's going to try and steal anything from us." He took hold of her hand. "You can stay with us. Besides, our rates are good."

    Sekki's house was located in a run-down block of the city. Men loitering along the way gave Suzu and the sansui suspicious glances as they passed by.
    Leading the sansui along, Suzu asked, "You're sure this is okay? It looks like a pretty dangerous neighborhood."
    Sekki grinned. "No worries. Ah, here we are."
    Suzu looked in the direction he was pointing. It was a bit old