The Twelve Kingdoms: Dreaming of Paradise

he could usually be found on his farm. When Taiki arrived at the fields, sure enough, there was Seitaku in his peasant garb.
    "A good day to you!"
    His utterly unaffected smile and manner always delighted Taiki. Given a minute of spare time during his official and ceremonial duties and here is where Seitaku would come. Taiki had been "helping out" from the start. Not so much really working as wandering around, and getting things for Seitaku when he asked for it.
    Taiki had no experience doing any kind of farm work. He wasn't sure what even constituted "help" in the first place. Going this way and that and following Seitaku's directions wasn't a whole lot different from what he did back in Tai.
    "I must be getting in your way a lot," he said, gathering up a pile of prunings he had run into and knocked over.
    "Not at all," Seitaku's smile assured him.
    Taiki had the impression that this king never stopped smiling. "I know I'm a pain in the neck, but since we have to leave tomorrow, I was hoping you could put up with me for another day."
    "You're not a pain in the neck in the slightest. When I was a kid, I worked alongside the people in the village and learned the ropes the same way you are now." He added with a bright grin. "Ah, but I guess learning how to be farmer won't do you a lot of good. And here I am running you around in circles."
    "It's nothing like that. I think it's really fun helping you out like this."
    He was telling the truth. This was the first time he had ever seen farming up close, so he found it very interesting. It felt nice moving about in the warm breeze. Watching Seitaku working so energetically gave him a good feeling as well.
    More than anything, Seitaku's easy-going attitude made him fun to be around. Taiki didn't understand the logic of this world or the reasoning of adults. Just being around adults all the time was the most stressful job he could imagine.
    Taiki said dejectedly, "But I was thinking that if I was getting in the way, I could always go somewhere else—"
    Seitaku tilted his head to the side. "Did something happen?"
    "Something happen?" Taiki echoed.
    "If I asked you to help me, then I shouldn't think that you were also in the way. So why would you ask such a question?"
    "Because—I really can't do anything."
    "You gathered up all those prunings, didn't you? Helped fetch the water, carried all that straw—"
    "All I did was carry it."
    "That alone constitutes help, doesn't it? When you talk like that, it makes me think you don't see yourself as being very useful."
    Seitaku looked at him with his clear, warm eyes. Taiki nodded. "I don't want to think so, but I'm afraid it's true."
    "Why is that?"
    "Because I'm so totally useless. Not just farming. Everything. Gyousou-sama says it's just because I'm small, but I can tell I'm a disappointment to everybody."
    "Really?" Seitaku asked. Taiki nodded his head. Seitaku patted him on the back. "Why don't we take a break?" he said, indicating a pile of hay.
    "No, we can keep working."
    "Well, I'm pooped. How about some tea?" Seitaku directed his voice at the levy bordering the adjacent rice field where Tansui had withdrawn to observe from a comfortable distance. "Hey, Mr. Bodyguard, would you like some tea too?"
    Tansui waved his hand, declining the offer.
    "Not a job I'd want to have, sitting around like that all the time," Seitaku said, getting out a big earthenware teapot. "I used to think it'd be tough being a bodyguard because it was dangerous. But times like this, when there's no danger at all, could be just as bad."
    "Yeah," Taiki laughed. But the smile quickly faded. Staring into the teacup Seitaku passed him, he said, "So there's a difference between your job and your duty—"
    "That's right."
    "When I heard that, I thought it must be true. The duty of the kirin is to pick the king. I've done my duty. It'd be nice if I could just do my job the best I knew how. Except as Saiho, as Province Lord, I'm too small to really do anything."
    "I've always thought the kirin's duty was to act with compassion."
    "Not choose the king?"
    "Choosing the king is one aspect of that, is it not? Choosing the ruler who will best serve the people?"
    "So there's still a duty left for me to perform."
    "I would say so."
    "Then what is a kirin's job?"
    "Taiki's job is to grow up." Seitaku smiled. "That's the job of every child, isn't it?" He plucked a red kasho from a low-hanging limb and placed it in Taiki's palm. "You've got a lot on your mind. And