Hmm, he looked ... okay, FeiWan thought, discreetly raising his gaze from the document he had been asked to approve. Something about the establishment of new routes of commerce between Hen and the neighboring Province of Ren.
It had been his mother's directive, the moment he'd reached the age of sixteen. Even though Hen had its own Governess, every time a new law or project was approved, it had then to receive his personal seal, before it could actually go into effect.
The decision had been made a long time ago, by his own birth Clan. Apparently the ruling Clan of Hen had decided to make the most of the advantage they held, by having two of its members belonging to the Imperial Family. And, since the level of information gathered inside the Palace's walls was a lot higher and accurate than they could ever gather on the streets, the last word concerning any legal changes in Hen's government, no matter how small, always required their approval as well.
When he'd been a child, his mother had been the one in charge of that task. But, the moment FeiWan had gotten old enough to understand the basics of inter-Province politics, Hen KimLay had happily delegated that boring task to him. It would make him a better ruler, she'd argued. It would help him prepare for his undeniable bright future as the future supreme ruler of Wen.
Sighing deeply, FeiWan glanced down at the stack of paper awaiting his attention.
It made him lose a lot of sleep, that's what it did, since he had been forced, on more than one occasion, to spend the entire night going through those damned, bureaucratic documents. Above all, it bored him to death!
Glancing back at CalRimRan, he took the time to carefully observe him.
CalRimRan was sitting cross-legged on one of the pillows placed on the floor, by the small white table where a cup of tea, that had certainly gone cold, silently awaited him. He had his eyes closed and, from the peaceful, relaxed expression of his face, FeiWan knew that he must be in the middle of one of his deep meditations.
He'd seen him do that many times before, during his stay at the Demon Clan's village. In fact, they all practiced it, sometimes individually, other times in groups. They would just sit down, close their eyes and … what? Be very still and quiet? He knew that other people also practiced this … meditation-thing. Especially those blessed with daitai. It was said that it could help one control the flux of their inner energy and keep it untainted. But FeiWan had never had any trouble accomplishing any of that with his eyes wide open. Nor had he had any difficulty controlling his daitai. All that had come as naturally to him as breathing and at a very early age. As such, as a child, unlike some of the other noble children that had frequented the Palace when he was younger, he had never been advised to make time for such tedious practices.
He had, however, been invited to join the Demon Clan in their meditation sessions, while visiting their village. And that's when he had learned that just sitting there, doing nothing and keeping quiet, just wasn't for him. If going through bureaucratic documents like the ones stacked in front of him bored him out of his mind, that meditation-thing just out flat stressed him so much that he just couldn't stand it. His legs would always itch, demanding that he would move them as fast as possible. His fingers wouldn't stay still, constantly drumming whatever strange rhythm popped in his head. And his thoughts … his thoughts only got bleaker and bloodier, the more he forced himself to simply sit there. Soon enough he would start to envision those he knew that meant him harm with their throats cut, their warm blood pleasantly coating the blade of his sword. So, yeah. That meditation crap definitely wasn't for him. He also couldn't help admire how other people managed to bear with it. Especially CalRimRan who, FeiWan knew, would easily sit like that for an entire day!
Taking a deep breath, he propped his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand.
It had been three days, since he had found him all alone in that damned White Pavilion. Back then FeiWan had been really worried, since the distinguished CalDai had obviously not been his usual self. He had even made a point of spending the night by his side, watching him closely, wanting to be there in case whatever sickness was ailing him got worse. But CalRimRan had simply slept through the entire night. In fact, he had slept like the dead, like he always did. All the times FeiWan had actually managed to catch him sleeping, had all been like that. CalRimRan would sit down and close his eyes. And would wake up in the morning, in the same exact position that he'd fallen asleep. No waking up in the middle of the night. No mumbling in his sleep. Not even turning his head to change its position.
At least now he looked a lot better, FeiWan sighed inwardly, that sickening ashen color gone from his face.
But then those meditation sessions had begun. And yes, FeiWan had seen him annoyingly waste time like that. But never like this, following a rigorous daily schedule, going at it for hours at a time. And so, even though CalRimRan did look a lot better, FeiWan refused to allow his outer appearance to fool him. He was probably and successfully putting up a strong front, hoping to deceive him. As if that would ever happen! No!, he had immediately decided. Even though he hated the White Pavilion, as long as FeiWan wasn't completely convinced that there was nothing wrong with CalRimRan's health, he would not leave him there, all alone, in those empty white halls.
Not to mention that there were other annoying problems that would inevitably arise from the fact that CalRimRan had decided to stay at the Palace, and that he had been the only one of his people to do so. And FeiWan didn't need to consult a Varsen to know that CalWan, with his wide network of ears and eyes spread all over the Palace, wouldn't lose any time swooping in the moment he stepped out of the door. After all, now that CalRimRan was basically alone, isolated from the only people he could depend on and trust, he was definitely an easy prey for someone as cunning as CalWan.
And so FeiWan had grudgingly stayed. Which, in turn, had resulted in the eventual relocation of some of the documents he had to urgently go through, so he could keep fulfilling his boring duties. At least, for once, his mother had seemed to agree with his decision, even though he was sure that her motives to agree with him staying in that accursed place were completely different from his. Well, it didn't matter, as long as she remained on his side on this. Because having Hen KimLay disagree about something meant a whole lot of sudden and unwanted problems rolling his way. Problems he didn't need right now.
And so there he was, sitting at that damned table again!, when he had promised himself that he would never set foot in that Pavilion again. Going through a bunch of papers that didn't mean a thing to him! At least the sights from where he sat weren't all that unpleasant, he conceded, noticing how the bright light of the day pouring from the tall widows caught in CalRimRan's pristine white hair, making it flare almost like white fire.
Ah, FeiWan sounds so much like a petulant, mischievous child being forced to do his homework while constantly being distracted by the big white cat sleeping in the room. 😁
Language:
FeiWan: Literally fei (raging / furious) + wan (fire)
Hen: Literally hen (heal). Where Hen is the name of the Clan, also the name of a Province.
Ren: Literally ren (river). Where Ren is the name of the Clan, also the name of a Province.
KimLay: Literally Kim (perfume / scent) + Lay (seed).
Wen: Literally wen (sun). Name of one of the three Empires, Wen, Ran and Sen. (Sun, Moon and Star). Also used as a surname by the members of the Imperial Family with ascending rights to the throne
CalRimRan: Literally cal (bright) + rim (cold) + ran (moon)
Daitai: Literally dai (light) + tai (mark), or holy Markings, considered Heavenly Blessings. They're the source of power.
CalDai: Literally cal (bright) + dai (light). Unlike the Empires, the Dragon Clan has no royalty. They have a Leader. CalDai is a personal title (not inherited), and it refers to the youngest son of the Leader, reason why ZaiWin and the others sometimes refer to him as a prince (which he is not).
Varsen: Literally var (sky) + sen (star). Meaning that who reads the stars in the sky. Name given to the Temple's Seers. They can live in the Temple or as honorable guests of a Clan.
CalWan: Literally cal (bright) + wan (fire)