The grave of my sister

Ruki stared out the window at yet another bright new dawn. She had seen them all… all the sunrises ever since Shanjahen had been defeated four days ago. Never mind that she had been asleep for most of the days and nights, she refused to miss another sunrise. They were simply so beautiful… the rays of light breaking the glow of the prana, allowing the trees and leaves below to shine on their own.

The only other reason Ruki had woken up the past few days was to talk with her mother and, apparently, her aunts Stelline and Hikary. It had been quite a shock to learn that the unicorn was in fact a younger sister of her mother. Stelline had recovered herself, coming to thank Ruki for saving them all. Even Sakurako had visited her once, but Ruki had been so very sleepy she had left swiftly again.

Today, though, for the first time in what seemed like forever Ruki felt truly awake. Looking around in her bedroom, she noticed for the first time how extraordinary big it was. The huge cupboard took not even half of the left wall, and the bed was big enough for three ponies. Richly decorated, the room was equipped to house a prince or a princess… which, Ruki was shocked to realize, was what she was.

Daughter to the heir of the throne of the Friendship lands, former throne of the High Queens of the west… It still sounded so alien to her. Sure, she had known she was some kind of princess, being the daughter of the ruler of Batafurai… but that was so insignificant compared to this! Let alone the thought that she had the option of becoming a queen herself once… Ruki shook her head, unable to even grasp the concept. What was more; apparently she had a younger sister… Frika. It was a concept so strange to her she refused to even think about it for now.

Ruki grabbed a brush and quickly brushed her hair, painfully aware that it was everywhere where it shouldn’t be. When she decided she looked at least a bit presentable, Ruki left her room behind her, venturing into the large castle. As she walked through the corridors she saw servants everywhere; serving food, cleaning, refreshing sheets, generally hurrying… But none of them looked sad or annoyed. On the contrary, they all seemed rather cheerful, which lit up Ruki’s mood even more.

When she reached a staircase, she was unsure of where to go. She could go either up or down, but she was pretty sure she wouldn’t find anyone she knew upstairs, so down she went. As she reached ground floor, she noticed things were even more hectic here than upstairs. The main difference was that it weren’t servants who were running around here, but officials and diplomats, politicians and guards, lords and members of the old Asana Bond.

Looking around for a familiar face, Ruki spotted Tanjo, a pony who was close to Takato and, she remembered, Takato had named second in command of the Asana Bond.
“Tanjo!” She yelled.
“Ah, my lady Ruki.” Tanjo said, making a slight bow.
“My lady? I don’t remember you ever calling me like that.” Ruki said, slightly offended. Tanjo laughed.
“You are the daughter of Taira, who is a princess and treated by our soon to be king like an equal. It is only proper. We are not in the Bond anymore, Ruki, but parts of a royal household.”

“Yea, well…”
“We have reached a decision yesterday. The coronation will take place exactly one week from today.” Tanjo said, not allowing her to finish.
“Wow, one week? Is that even possible? Surely lots of things need to be arranged.” Ruki pondered.
“Yes, that is very true. However, lady Ruki, Takato thinks it is important that he is crowned swiftly, so he can undo the laws his father forced upon the country, and the entire west.”

“That makes sense, I guess. Of course he can’t do that while he is without any powers. While we’re on the subject… Where is Takato anyway?” Ruki realized she had not seen him ever since the events in the gardens, now five days ago.
 “Ah, he went outside a short while ago. He said he wanted to visit the royal graveyard… see his sister again.” Tanjo replied.
“Ah… where is the graveyard?” Ruki asked.

“It’s in the royal palace garden. Take the left exit, follow the path. It’s an enclosed space marked by a low wall of bushes… you’ll see it swiftly enough if you follow the path.”
“Inside the garden?” Ruki asked, wondering why anyone would bury their dead so close to their house.
“It’s the belief that the spirits of the dead kings and princes of old strengthen the flow of prana in the gardens. I’m not sure if it’s true, but… Anyway, you will find him there. I should be going now. Bye, lady Ruki.” Tanjo made another small bow and left her.

Well, why not Ruki thought. She had not seen Takato in days, and she was eager to talk to him. She wandered through the castle, looking for the left exit. It took her a while to realize that for that, she had to go to the castles’ kitchen. It was the same door she had used to sneak into the castle for the first time. Walking into the gardens, she was greeted by the fresh morning air.

The leaves of the trees and plants were covered in a strange mix of prana and dew, creating droplets that shone like the brightest diamond. The insects and birds were already active this early in the morning, fluttering around doing whatever it was they judged important enough to get up this early. Ruki even spotted an owl, returning to its home to sleep for the day.

It did not take very long for Ruki to reach the cemetery. As Tanjo had described, the area was enclosed by low bushes which, of course, shone purple. The path led to a bow made of the same bush which granted entry into the graveyard. Ruki saw a lot of graves, all richly decorated with engravings and stones. At the far end of the graveyard, a blue color interrupted the endless shades of purple.

Ruki followed the path slowly, trying not to make too much noise to leave Takato’s ancestors at peace. She saw Takato standing on the path a little ahead of her, staring at one of the graves. Assuming it was Asana’s grave, Ruki had thought it would not be very richly decorated, but nothing was further from the truth. The green stone’s edge was decorated with a wrath of stone flowers, each separately painted. Asana’s name was written on the middle of the stone in purple graceful letters. Real flowers grew on the ground, blooming brightly in the morning sun.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, you know.” Takato said without looking up. “This graveyard… It’s only meant for kings. Anyone who is a member of the royal family but not the king or crown prince is supposed to be buried outside of the city, on a special graveyard there. But Asana… to cover up for his crime, my father pretended to grief so badly he did not want to lose his precious daughter out of his sight.” Takato spat.

“Who knows? Maybe the vision of seeing his baby girl die haunted my father… maybe he was afraid she would come back for him, and he wanted to keep an eye on her. Maybe it was all a big lie to keep the suspicion off himself. Now that I am standing here… I can’t help but wonder if there was something I could have done to save her life. If there was something I could have done to rescue her…”

Ruki did not know what to say. She had never seen Takato so upset before. Looking at the grave again, Ruki realized that below those flowers, his sister would rest for all eternity. Here, she would sleep…
“Asana and you… I’m sure you two would have gotten along, Ruki. You two are very alike.”
“It’s a shame I never got the chance.” Ruki replied, genuinely sorry that she never had the chance to meet her.

“But it’s over now.” Takato said. “Justice is done. My father will pay for his crimes… no, you made sure he already is. When I am crowned king, I will send him to a deserted tower in the south, where he will spend his days as the zombie he is now. Nothing can save him… he will pay. Not by death, but by being forced to endure life in the most painful way.”

Ruki agreed that being locked up forever sounded more painful than a swift death, especially in the state Shanjahen was in now. Her mother had told her he had made no improvements, though his spasms had stopped. Shanjahen however, did not speak, he did not eat on his own and he did not recognize anyone.

“It’s all over…” Ruki repeated, the truth of those words sinking in deeper than ever.
“In a week, you’ll be High King, Takato. You reached your goal.”
“I did, didn’t I? And you… you found your mother, your family. Have you already decided what you will do?”
“I’m sorry?” Ruki asked, not understanding Takato’s question.

“Will you leave for the east? You could stay here, you know… I could offer you a home in the city, or in the countryside; whatever you prefer. For what you did for the Asana Bond, what you did for me… I could provide for you forever.” Takato said his eyes fixed upon hers. For a moment, Ruki envisioned such a future; never having to worry again, being provided for for the rest of her life…

“I could never do that, Takato.” Ruki said smiling. “For too long now, we’ve been dragging it on. You know it’s not fair… or right. You and me… we’re both the same. Maybe, because of that, neither of us could resist. But I know now. I let it out. I am not going to run away and hide in whatever house you could build for me. And neither should you. Go to Flora, marry her, live your life. Forget what happened between the two of us and so shall I.”

Relieved that she finally managed to utter these words, Ruki took a deep breath. The fresh air filled her lungs, empowering her from within. It truly was a special morning.
“I know… I know you are right, Ruki. It’s over now. Flora and I will be together, ruling this country. And you… if you so wish, you can become a queen yourself. You have the wisdom to do so, Ruki, and we have seen you have the strength to even overcome a High King.”

Ruki did not feel as if the last words were meant to encourage her; instead, there was something hidden beneath them, which was not beautiful at all; was it anger? Jealousy? Or maybe even fear? Ruki knew Takato had wanted to defeat Shanjahen himself; she also knew he had not been able to do so. Whatever it was, she couldn’t put her hoof on it. She decided not to dwell on it further, but she decided to remember it.

“Let this not be a morning of endings alone, Takato.” She said. “Let’s begin something new here; an alliance between the west and the east. A friendship between your family and mine. A brighter future for all ponies that look to us for guidance.”
 Takato smiled. “That sounds like an excellent proposal, Ruki.” He agreed. Takato looked at his sister’s grave once more, and bowed slightly.
“Rest well, sister.” He said and left the grave behind.

“I will have meetings to attend all day. Please, make yourself at home. I have instructed all staff to take the best of care of you and your family. Feel free to ask them for anything you might need.” Takato said to her.
“I will. Thank you, Takato.” Ruki nodded at him.
Takato smiled once more and then took off, leaving her behind in the graveyard, alone with the spirits of the past.

Ruki walked up to Asana’s grave. From up close, it was even more graceful than from afar, Ruki noticed as she saw all the details put into the carvings.
“I hope you can rest in peace now, Asana…” Ruki whispered, realizing for the first time that it was her who had passed judgement upon the murderer of this innocent girl, even though the rest of the world would soon believe otherwise.

Watching Takato walk towards the castle, Ruki felt peaceful. It was over… finally, it was over. The yearning inside her that she could barely suppress but a week ago was gone, replaced by a peacefulness she had never felt before. Very soon, Takato would be crowned High King, and he would marry Flora. And then, Ruki realized, she would really be able to leave it all behind, going to the east with her family. Family… what once had seen such an alien concept was now her driving force.