Yoshido and Akio continued to walk through the meadows of the castle. It was a bright afternoon with a warm breeze flowing through the Imperial Capitol. The two brothers were headed toward their secret base where they would play and hide. It was a small cavern upon a hill, about a couple of hundred feet behind their family's castle. Hidden behind large trees towards a forest, the cavern was the perfect place to hide. Yoshido and Akio often went to their hiding spot when they were in trouble or wanted to hang out and talk.
As they walked through the meadows, Yoshido looked toward a field to the right, where there were people working in a garden. He saw five women and one younger girl around his age planting vegetables. The ladies were wearing worn down, dirty gowns and used gardening gloves. There were two guards watching over them carefully as they made them work at a fast pace. With dirt on their faces and sweat running down their foreheads, they had a look of worry on their faces. They knew if they wouldn't go at a pace that the guards approve of, they would be punished for it. The punishment usually involved them getting beaten, thrown into the dungeon, or being sexually assaulted by the guards.
The young girl noticed Akio and Yoshido walking through the meadow and glanced over at them. She made eye contact with Yoshido and he could see the sadness in her eyes as it seemed that small twinkle of light that made people look alive was gone.
"Hey, get back to work right now!" one of the guards exclaimed as he walked towards her.
"I'm terribly sorry! Please forgive her, she just got distracted because she isn't feeling well!" the girl's mother cried out.
"I'm sorry, sir." said the girl as she hurried to continue working at her job.
Yoshido looked away and felt a small feeling of guilt because he thought he was the reason she got yelled at.
The two brothers passed through the meadows and made their way up the hill behind the trees. The cavern entrance was about five feet tall and three feet wide, so they could squeeze in. Inside the cavern was only about ten feet until it reached a wall and six feet wide. There were lanterns, a few quilts, and some sticks that the boys pretended were swords for when they played. Yoshido and Akio sat across from each other on some small boulders that they used for chairs.
"Papa's story was so cool!", shouted Akio with excitement. "I wonder if the story is true and where the crystals might be!"
"Yeah..." sighed Yoshido.
" What's wrong Yoshido you seem really down now. You were excited and energetic an hour ago, did something happen?"
"Do you ever wonder why the people who work for the castle are always unhappy, Akio?"
" I mean it's work, so I'm sure it's not fun. I'd probably hate doing it too, you know?"
"I know what you mean, Akio, but something doesn't seem right about it to me" says Yoshido as he thinks about the previous encounter with the young girl earlier.
"Whenever we go through the Capitol with mama and father, the people who are working in their stores always seem happy. They're energetic, cheerful, and they are always kind and smiling. They don't have dirty clothes on or have a sad look on their face, and they're not in chains either.", says Yoshido.
Akio sighs and says "I mean you're right, I have noticed that too, but maybe there's a reason because of it. Maybe they're in chains like that to protect us and our family."
An angry look became of Yoshidos's face as he stood up and yelled "That's stupid! There are guards around every corner of our castle, and everywhere we go we're always protected. The only reason we don't have guards with us now is because they don't know of our base."
Yoshido stormed out of the cavern as Akio followed behind him.
"Yoshido calm down! Where are you going?"
"I'm going to ask mother about the workers and why they all look so unhealthy!" exclaimed Yoshido.
"What if mother doesn't know why or won't tell you?"
"Then I'll just ask father then."
Akio stopped in his tracks, and Yoshido noticed the disappearance of the sound of footsteps behind him. "I don't think you should ask father about it, Yoshido. I feel like it would upset him, and you know how father is when he's upset." says Akio.
Arakan, the father of the two brothers, was a well-disciplined and tough man. Joining the Royal Army at a young age, he quickly rose to the rank of general. He is always hard on Yoshido and Akio because one day he wants them to join the Royal Army as well and become leaders. He's always been an un-compassionate man who never had pity for others around him. Namako, who is his father, was tough on him as well. Martial arts is practiced very frequently in the Miura family, so Yoshido and Akio have been doing it from a very young age. Arakan wants them to master hand-to-hand combat and become master martial artists as well.
The two brothers made their way back to the castle to look for their parents. As they approached the entrance, they encountered their uncle, Hirito.
"Uncle! I haven't seen you in a while!" shouts Akio as he runs up and gives him a hug.
"Haha hello nephews, I've missed you. What are you two up to?"
"I'm looking for mother and father, have you seen them?" says Yoshido.
"Your father is at the barracks right now, but he's very busy. Your mother just went into her room, so you can find her there. Did you need me to ask your father something for you?"
"No, it's nothing, I'll just ask mother. Thank you, Uncle." said Yoshido.
Yoshido and Akio made their way to their mother and father's room in the castle. Their parents' room was on the fifth floor, just two rooms down from theirs. The room in-between was where Arakan kept all of his accolades and possessions from previous battles. Bloodied swords, possessions of enemies, and battle gear all resided here. Between each room, there were two guards at the entrances to protect over the family as they sleep or relax.
The brothers entered their mother's room and saw her standing on the balcony looking at the view. Their mother's name was Sakura, and she was a very polite and delicate woman. Her long brown hair fell past her shoulders whilst having traditional braids. Her rosy cheeks and red lipstick brought out the femininity of her face. She was wearing an elegant black dress, made from the finest of silk. An expensive diamond necklace rested around her neck and shined as bright as ever. As Sakura heard Yoshido and Akio walk in her room, she turns around and smiles gently at them.
"Hello, my loves." says Sakura happily.
Arakan and Sakura's bedroom was a massive master bedroom with two floors. An elegant purple carpet covered the floor and a spiraled staircase led up to their master bed. Beautiful pillars supported the upper floor and paintings of past ancestors were across the walls. Their bedroom was the size of a medium house and their bathroom, the size of an apartment.
"Mother, I've been looking for you because there's something I want to ask you about." Yoshido says.
"Go ahead, Yoshido. I'll listen to whatever you have to say."
Akio looks at Yoshido nervously as he's prepared for the worst if Sakura doesn't like the question.
Yoshido sighs and says "Mother, how come everyone who works around the castle is always miserable, dirty, and in chains? The people who work on the Imperial Capitol are always happy and nice. So why are the ones here so unhappy?"
Sakura slowly approaches the two brothers and kneels to speak to them. " I wish I had a good answer to give you." Sakura says disappointingly. "The people who work for the castle are like that because they're not given fair conditions of living. That's the way that your grandfather and father want it to be. I tried to speak on the situation and tell them that there should be better qualities for them, but your father has a temper and doesn't like when I mention it. They think that if the workers become too relaxed, then they won't get any work done and that makes your father very upset."
Yoshido sighed and said "I mean I guess you're right, but why can't they get cleaner clothes and more food? Even just a little will probably make them happier."
"I can talk to your grandfather about it, Yoshido and I'll just tell him that you think the workers would be happier if they were treated a little better. I can't promise anything will come of it, but at least I'll try." Sakura said.
Yoshido smiles and says " Okay mother, thank you."
Because the two brothers are so young, they are oblivious to the reality of the "workers" at the castle. The workers are actually slaves who have poor living conditions within the Imperial Capitol. There's a bunch of run down shacks that the slaves all live in just a little northeast of the castle. Yoshido and Akio aren't allowed near the area because Arakan and Namako don't want them interacting with the slaves. For possible safety measures and because they don't want the slaves to talk to them. Slaves are taken from the poorest parts of each nation by force. Families being torn apart and never seeing each other again is just the tip of the iceberg of things that are terrible about what the Imperial Capitol does.
Slaves only get three small meals and very few water breaks. They get to sleep at 9pm and wake up the next morning at 4am to continue working. The slaves are only allowed two baths a week and a new change of clothes once a week. The women work in gardens and fields, whilst the men are working by cutting wood and mining stone. Slaves who refuse to work will get punished by being beaten severely or even executed. The Royal Guards are very unfriendly towards the slaves and treat them terribly. Some guards even intentionally harm the slaves because they feel like it. There are no consequences for the guards, since Namako and Arakan don't care what they do to the slaves.
There is also a lot of human trafficking that goes on in the Imperial Capitol. Women and girls get sent to the dungeon, where they await traffickers to come and purchase them from the Royal Family. Girls as young as six years old have been taken from their families and are still considered missing in their towns. Yoshido and Akio are still unaware of everything that's currently happening behind closed doors because they're so young. Women and girls being sold to human traffickers are sent to shacks, where they're sexually assaulted and abused by the men who pay to have sex with them.
Sakura is aware of everything that is happening, and she's not happy about it. She doesn't have a say in anything that happens around the Castle. The fear of being beaten by Arakan prevents her from speaking up about what's happening. It makes Sakura sick to see girls being taken away, but all she can do is turn her shoulder and pretend like it isn't happening. Arakan is a powerful man, but a lousy husband of Sakura. He's repeatedly hit her over the years when she talks about the issues of slavery and human trafficking. Unfortunately, even though Sakura said she'd talk to Namako about Yoshido wanting better quality for the slaves, she won't do it. Her fear is that Namako will tell Arakan and he'll take it out on her and Yoshido.
The two brothers exited their parents' room and proceeded to go to their room.
"I'm excited to see what Papa and Father will do about better work conditions." said Yoshido.
Akio took a slight sigh as hearing his brother's words brings him discontent. He says "Yoshido, I don't think it's a good idea to bring this up. I don't want to see Father getting upset because we doubt him."
Yoshido brushed off Akio's words as if they were meaningless. "Whatever we'll see what happens" Yoshido grins and says.
Later in the evening, the Miura family gathered in the dining room for their dinner. The lavish room had a very expensive and an exquisite chandelier made from diamonds hanging over the table. Delicate vases on pillars and art pieces on the walls decorated the room. The table they ate at was over twenty feet in length and width. Made for a family to feast, the table was covered in all foods from meats to potatoes, cakes, and various vegetables. There was enough food to feed a whole ball of people.
At one of the ends of the table is where Emperor Namako sat. The other end is where Arakan resides. On the right side of the table next to Arakan sat Sakura along with Yoshido and Akio. To the left sat Hirito along with his wife Hina next to him. Hina had wavy, short, black hair. She met Hirito during an invasion where the Royal Army was fighting off ogres invading Vasketta. They have three children together: Akari who is 9 years old, Koran who's 7 years old, and Hatsu who's 3 years old.
Namako's wife was named Neira. She unexpectedly passed away due to an illness four years ago. Her death affected Arakan the most, as it caused him to be more harsh and angry in his daily life. He usually takes it out on the slaves around the castle, or every so often his family. Hirito understood how life can become, so he handled it a lot better. Emperor Namako at this old age, doesn't have much time left himself. Him being able to stand up on his own is rather difficult at times.
As the rest of the food arrives at the table, the royal Miura family locked hands and said a prayer.
Namako clears his throat "Ahem. Dear gods, thank you for blessing us with this delicious meal. Our family is eternally grateful for the wealth and blessings we have."
Everyone smiles and unlocks their hands from each other's and begin to eat.
Hirito says " Have you all heard of the trade war going on between Marenia and Nyrmyn? There's been a huge finding of gold in Wendur so those two nations have been feuding with who trades what."
"I've heard." says Arakan. "They should be focused on the war against those damn savage ogres instead of feuding each other."
There are three different races of intelligent life in Feltivia.
There are humans, which dominate most of the population of intelligent life. The other two races are ogres and sprites. Ogres usually reside in the mountains and high up near Wendur where there are big caves. They also live in deep forests in small tribes. Humanities biggest threat are ogres, but they typically aren't violent creatures. A typical ogre is the size of a grown man with plenty of muscle, so they're physically more dominant.
Humans have always seen ogres as a threat and typically treat them as savages or enemies due to misunderstandings. Hundreds of years ago, humanity and ogres had a bloody battle before Wendur was established. The ogres ruled all the lands in the mountains during this time. All the precious minerals and gems belonged to these lands, so humanity wanted to colonize it. Due to language barriers and misunderstandings, a war broke out that left tens of thousands dead on each side. Over half of the ogre population was killed, and ever since then they've hated humanity.
Sprites are small fairies, about the size of an adult's hand. Their wings glow with different colors, and they can communicate with humans and ogres. Very few have been seen because they reside in a land away from Feltivia called "The land where dreams come true". To reach this land you would have to go through Nyrmyn and cross the Great Ocean. A few ships voyaged out to the direction of the land where dreams come true, but none have returned. It's said that there's a deadly beast which is unknown to humanity that lives in the Great Ocean.
If you miraculously achieve to make it to this land, they say you'll have one of your greatest wishes granted. Sprites aren't a violent race, so people speculate that the monster in the Great Ocean is protecting the land. Only rumors of what the land where dreams come true look like exist. It's said to have a beautiful clear blue sky that also has elegant sunsets and rainbows. Waterfalls falling over beautiful plains, as well as gorgeous forests where the life prospers.
Yoshido rolls his eyes as his father's words are uninteresting to him. He looked at his mother and gave her the look of , "Are you going to say something?"
Sakura gently smiles and pats Yoshido's lap and whispers, "I'll talk to him about it later, don't worry."
"Just tell them now, it's the perfect time since everyone's here!" Yoshido whispers.
At this point, Arakan notices the two whispering to each other and questions it.
"Is there something that you two would like to talk about? It's very rude to have a private conversation at our family dinner" Arakan says.
Sakura smiles and says, "Oh it's nothing, dear, Yoshido was just asking me about dessert."
Yoshido stands up at the table and interrupts his mother. "There is something I want to talk to you about, Father and Papa."
"Okay then let's hear it." Namako says as he smiles.
A nervous and shocked look became of Sakura's face as he stood up and began to speak. "Yoshi-!"
"Enough Sakura, I intend hear what the boy has to say!", Arakan exclaimed.
Yoshido says " I think that the people who work for the castle should be treated better. They're always tired and look unhappy, but the people who work in the Imperial Capitol are always happy. The guards need to stop being so mean to them, too!"
Namako smiled and said " I kind of had a hunch you'd bring something like this up eventually"
"Father I'll handle this." Arakan says. "Son we have to be harsh on the workers, or they won't work. If we give them nice things, they wouldn't bother trying at their jobs. Do you not want to eat? How about not being able to go play outside safely? We do things like this so that we can all live comfortably."
A confused look came of Yoshido's face as his father's words failed to reach him. "But-"
"Enough!" says Arakan. "I don't want to hear anymore of this, do you understand?"
Yoshido nodded his head and quietly sat down. The tension in the room was very present, as the irritated look on Arakan's face prevented anyone else from wanting to talk. Akio and Yoshido look at each other nervously, unaware of what might become of their father's actions.
Later that evening, the two brothers made their way to their bedroom to prepare for bed. Neither of the two are saying much after seeing Arakan get angry.
Akio breaks his silence and says " Yoshido I really think you shouldn't have said that."
"Why? I know it made father upset, but it's something someone should've said."
"Yeah I know, but I don't want to see something bad happen to us because of father's temper."
Yoshido sighs and says "I just wanted to see if they can be nicer to the workers."
Yoshido has a good heart and wanted everyone to live comfortably. Akio, being younger by two years, has a harder time grasping the concept of what his brother is trying to say. He just sees it as them working and doing a job, instead of seeing the inhumane work conditions. The two brothers got in their beds and proceeded to go to sleep.
Arakan in his evening robe walked to the throne hall to meet Emperor Namako. "Father." he says. "You said you wished to speak to me earlier?"
"Ah yes.", says Namako. "It's something I've been meaning to discuss with you for a long while. But first, there's another thing I want to bring up."
Arakan says "Go right on ahead then, my lord."
Namako clears his throat and says " You know son, your boys are very young now, but eventually, they'll get older and start to ask questions. Today was a prime example with Yoshido. Ever since we lost your mother, you've been very irritable and seem to be losing yourself."
"It was so sudden..." Arakan says softly. "Mother didn't show any signs of illness until her last week. If only I had known she was ill sooner, I would've done everything in my power to help her."
Namako smiles and says " I know you would have, that's the man I raised you to be. You should work on calming your anger, Arakan. Nowadays you seem more irritable, and less patient. Is there anything else troubling you?"
"I need to be stern in order to become a great emperor like you some day." Arakan says. " For that to happen, I mustn't let anything stand in my way or distract me."
"Those are good qualities, my son." says Namako. "I think you shouldn't be so harsh on the boys at this age. One day, they will soon be men and I understand you're preparing them for that day. Like I said, they're going to ask more questions as they get older, but how will you handle it? Are you going to calmly assess the situation and be kind? Or are you going to become angry and agitated? This is important to think about, especially when becoming a ruler."
Arakan says "Father, though I know I'm not currently ready to succeed you, every day I'm learning to become a better ruler. My sons need to be tough so that one day they may be able to become a general or a ruler as well. They've already begun their martial arts training. Leave this situation to me, and I'll handle it how it needs to be handled."
"Very well." says Namako. " You know son, as I reach my older days I'm slowly running out of time. I'm already in my seventies and I can feel myself becoming slowly weaker. I'm not going to be around one of these days. On that day, you will take the throne and become the new emperor. When that day comes, are you sure you'll be ready? Are you ready to rule a nation? Do you have the pure judgement to act righteously if something abrupt comes out of nowhere? These are a few of many things you need to realize and think about Arakan."
"I also trust that you'll keep the telekinetic crystal in safe keeping. We haven't heard anything of any other crystals being found. For all we know, we may be the only ones who've found one. What's perhaps more terrifying is the others have been found and even possessed. You'll have to know what to do in that situation as well." Namako says.
"Yes father." Arakan said. "The day you reunite with mother, I will succeed you and do what must be done to make Feltivia a thriving nation."
Arakan leaves the throne hall as Namako prepares to go to his room for bed. As he heads back to his bedroom, Arakan sees Sakura gazing at the kingdom from their balcony. He approaches her and stands next to her. "Magnificent isn't it?"
Sakura smiles and nods. "I'm excited to see what this nation becomes of."
"I am as well. I must ask though, what is it that Yoshido and you are speaking of without my knowledge?"
Sakura looks at Arakan confused as she pretends to know nothing of what he speaks. "What do you mea-"
"Enough of this!" Arakan shouts as he storms back in his room." I don't want you talking of what goes on in this kingdom with them in private! I don't need my boys manipulated into thinking we're being heinous and evil."
Sakura approaches Arakan to try and calm him. As she puts his hand on his shoulder, he pulls away aggressively. Sakura can see the anger building up inside him and gets nervous.
"My love, our sons are going to ask questions eventually. I haven't been telling him anything, Yoshido came to me and asked. One of these days they'll realize what has been really going on-"
Before Sakura can finish her sentence, Arakan hits her across the face, and she falls to the ground. She holds her face and sheds a tear as her cheek and right eye become red.
Arakan says " If the boys have questions or feel a type of way about how I will someday rule, then they can come to me about it. I will set them right, so they know that their father and lord isn't to be questioned."
A tear comes down Sakura's face as she slowly stands up and heads to the bathroom.
"A kingdom cannot thrive without sacrifices. A kingdom cannot thrive without a leader willing to do what others are too coward to do. I don't shed tears over mere peasants." Arakan said.
The next morning came, and The two brothers awaken from the sun beams coming from their window. Yoshido gets out of bed and heads towards the bathroom across from his room. As he enters the hallway, he sees his mother approaching to see if they were up.
"Good morning, mother." Yoshido says as she approaches. He then noticed her face and eye were swelled up like she's been hit. "Mother, what happened to your face?" he says curiously.
"Oh it's nothing, I just accidentally bumped into a wall is all." she says as she smiles.
Yoshido knew that Sakura was lying because he's seen his father hit his mother before. As he starts to realize this was after they discussed the castle workers, Yoshido began to question more things. Slowly, he started realizing that things aren't right around the Imperial Capitol.