**(Stella's POV)**
It was a morning like any other. I had woken up, washed up, and was brought a breakfast that could feed an entire family. I ate as much as I could because I knew that the leftovers were thrown away and wasted. While I was drinking a yellow tea with milk dissolved in it, I heard the tragic news. The shogunate had fallen.
The servants of the shogunate had betrayed them and seized power for themselves. They had killed the entire family, and somehow the entire capital froze. Maybe the gods punished them; perhaps they never wanted the city to fall into the hands of the usurpers.
"I heard that someone escaped from them... A child," a servant whispered.
"I heard that he is heading north alongside a raven," another said.
I don't know everything. Perhaps the servants are right, but the only thing I know is that if someone truly survived, blood will fall from the skies...
"Stella... I need to talk to you," a servant cried from outside the door. I hadn't finished my tea yet, but seeing her out of breath, I decided to call her in and hear her out.
"Let her in," I said, "and bring her a cup of water."
"Lady Stella... The monarchs, the retainers who betrayed the shogunate, are heading here... to your palace."
"What?" I screamed. Everyone looked at me, surprised, as it was out of character for me to lose composure. "How much time do I have?" I finally asked.
"They are heading here, but they haven't reached the city yet, so probably around an hour."
I got up and ran toward my chambers. I had some servants undress me and bring me a white and golden dress that would complement my blonde hair. To tell the truth, my hair was so blonde that one could mistake its yellow color for white.
I wore a long white dress with golden flowers around my neck and chest, white gloves, and a golden hairpin to hold my hair.
**(After some time)**
I walked toward the great hall to greet the monarchs. Out of the ten, only seven had come. They all wore golden armor, probably to show how "superior" they were. One of them—the eldest—removed his helmet to reveal a bald head with a scar on it.
"I obtained this scar while trying to overthrow the shogunate that suppressed us. I, a monarch, am here to ask a favor, Lady Stella."
A favor? You say you are here as a monarch, so it's an order, not a favor.
"What do you desire, fearless warrior?" I asked him, trying to conceal the fear in my voice.
"As you might know, Kamakura has frozen. We would like to request that Estella be turned into the new capital, the capital of light."
You want to do what? Are you stupid? I wanted to ask.
"That's a request that would change the lives of my citizens dramatically. If you would like to stay for a few days here to discuss it, I would be delighted," I said carefully.
"Of course, my lady, it would be my honor. Though, I will be the only one to stay. The other six monarchs will go to the other major cities to explain the current situation," the bald man said.
"Absolutely."
~~
"Seris, I need to talk to you," I called to my young apprentice as I sprinted toward the garden. My young apprentice, with her midnight-blue hair, almost navy, followed me into the garden, asking what was going on and why I was in such a hurry.
"Seris, the monarchs want to move the capital here. That would destroy the lives of my people. I'm planning to try something really dangerous, so I want you to go north and find someone."
"What? Move the capital? Dangerous? Who do you want me to find, Lady Stella?" Seris asked me.
"It is said that someone survived the betrayal of the shogunate and went north with a raven. I want you to find them and make sure they are safe. Can you do that, my beloved apprentice?" I asked her. She accepted my mission, though she kept pressing me about my dangerous plan.
"Seris, you know how much I love you. We grew up together. You are like a sister to me. I would never send you away to the north and ask you to commit betrayal against the shogunate if I didn't think this was the only way to ensure the well-being of my people."
"I understand, Lady Stella. I will head north immediately."
"Thank you."
~~
During dinner, no one spoke. It was just me, the bald man, and my servants in the room, yet it was dead silent. We ate chicken and drank some wine. When he finished eating, the bald man broke the silence.
"So... What would you like to do about the capital, Lady Stella?"
"I don't have a say in the matter, do I? Then just do it. I will make sure to prepare the plaza for the announcement," I said, and he thanked me by nodding his head. Then he got up and turned to leave but stopped.
"Can you send a lady to my chambers tonight, please? I believe you understand what I mean…"
"Yes, I do. I'll make it happen," I said, frustrated. Besides being a seventeen-year-old girl, I was a priestess. It is forbidden for me to have relations with a man or seek pleasure. He knows it, and yet...
I waved goodbye to him and turned around to leave, taking some wine with me, which the old servant noticed and confiscated.
~~
**(Yuu's POV)**
We were now moving on foot across some small hills. Aiko carried most of the luggage while Megumi was angry that her feet hurt. We were such an unnatural team, almost like a trouble magnet. We had already been attacked by thieves three times! How unlucky can we be?
We reached a small village. We paid for the inn and got two rooms. In the larger room, I would sleep with Aiko, and Megumi would have a room of her own. Some "personal space," she said, to which Aiko nodded to me not to press the matter further. Before we went to sleep, we took a small tour around the village, which had some shops selling food and knives. I bought bread, meat, and four flasks of water, while the other two came back to the inn with some knives and a small sword. I found them useless, but Megumi seemed to think otherwise, and she was right because, as Aiko told me, before they reached the inn, they were attacked again. The north was such a dangerous place...
I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. The image of my parents being murdered in Kamakura played over and over again in my head. I couldn't stand it. I thought about ending it all and joining them in the sky, but I couldn't. I brought the knife to my throat, but I couldn't push it through. I was pressing it against my throat, but it wouldn't cut my skin. I was sweating, breathing heavily, and thinking about ending it all.
But I couldn't.
I threw the knife across the room, waking Aiko, who seemed worried at the sight of me. I couldn't blame him, though. I asked him to talk with me and listen to my problem. Surprisingly, he is a really good listener—unlike his traveling partner—and gives some really good advice. From what I understand, he stayed up all night to make sure I wasn't going to kill myself.
What a friend.