The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

orphan girls was standing stock still in the doorway of the barn.
    "What are you doing here . . . . "
    "You mean, Gyokuyou's father was Chuutatsu? So that means Gyokuyou is the princess royal?" Her eyes crawled over Shoukei. "That means she's Princess Shoukei!"
    Gobo was at a loss as to how to answer. Shoukei just stared at the girl. With a start, the girl spun around and ran to the back of the orphanage. "The princess royal is here!" she called out. "The daughter of those killers!"
    The children came in a rush. They stared at the dumbstruck Shoukei in amazement. Several of them darted up to her. Shoukei's face went white. Children's voices rang out from the front yard. She soon heard a loud commotion and the sound of more footsteps approaching.
    "She's the princess royal?"
    "Really?"
    The inflamed throng surrounded Shoukei, driving her into the corner of the shed.
    "It's true! Gobo said so herself!"
    "Is that right, Gobo?"
    Their gaze all fell on Gobo. Shoukei gazed beseechingly up at her. They locked eyes for a second. Gobo turned to the assembled crowd.
    "Yes, it is."
    There followed a moment of silence, and then the jeering cries shook the barn.

    Shoukei was dragged from the barn and thrown into the snow.
    "Wait . . . please . . . . "
    As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the blows rained down. She screamed and was sent sprawling.
    "Stop!"
    The shrill voice rent the air. The realization sank into Shoukei's dazed mind that the voice belonged to Gobo.
    "Why should we?"
    "Think about it, what do you think she's doing here?"
    "What do you mean, what she's doing here?"
    "Somebody registered her on the census. And didn't have a bit of trouble doing it. Like I said, think about it! Who could pull off something like that?"
    "Who could pull off something like that?" The throng all raised the same question, and then called out the same answer. "The Marquis of Kei!"
    The Province Lord of Kei, the commander of the province lords, he who had killed the king.
    "If it was him that done it, do you think he'd like it if we beat her to death? The Marquis rescued us from that black bastard. We don't fear the king's henchmen. We don't worry about being dragged off to the gallows. All those odious laws were repealed. The Marquis has given us lives of peace and safety."
    "But . . . . "
    "I hate the little princess as well. But if the Marquis chose to save her, I'm not taking it upon myself to do contrariwise. It'd be like spitting in his face. I know how you feel, but you've got to keep it in check."
    Now she says so. Shoukei clawed at the snow. "You're telling me this now! When up till now you've done nothing but torment me for your own entertainment!"
    A snowball hit her in the nose. Shoukei covered her face with her hands.
    "What are you protecting her for, Gobo? You were the one beating on her!"
    "That's right! We get to get even with her, too!"
    "Listen, you all . . . . "
    "While this bitch was lounging around the palace, my mom and dad was getting murdered!"
    Shoukei screamed, "They got punished because they broke the law!" It had always been so. People were always criticizing her parents. But her father didn't execute people because he enjoyed it. "If things are ever going to get better, a kingdom has got to have laws. Otherwise you would all do as you damn well pleased! So of course you're going to get punished! You just resent the people that made the laws because you got caught! If nobody was afraid of being punished, nobody would obey the law in the first place!"
    Another snowball came flying at her. Shoukei crouched down as the hard balls of ice pelted her one after another.
    "So it's okay to kill people then?"
    "Just because they get sick and can't work?"
    "We had to leave the fields before the harvest to take care of my parents. That's reason enough to cut off their heads?"
    "I don't know about any of this!" Shoukei yelled. "It's not my fault! I don't know what my father did! All I saw was what he let me to see!"

    They grabbed her and bound her and threw her into the town jail and left her there. After sundown, Gobo came to see her.
    "I brought charcoal," she said. "Don't want you to freeze to death."
    Shoukei sat back against the cold wall. "I'd rather freeze to death."
    "You will soon enough. Right now they're deciding what to do with you."
    "Feeling sorry for me, are you? It really is too late in the day for that."
    Gobo gave her a cold look. "I don't feel sorry for you. I just don't want to do wrong by the