"There was a long time in the Camelia's history when the ruling family answered to no one." Lord Yin's tone was gentle, conversational, almost. "The Arnheims and those who came before them were powerful, powerful enough to survive most of the Age of Warfare, and before that, the Dawn of Time and Creation. They were families of singular skill and power to have built what they did in those times."
Eirian nodded. She agreed, having read extensively about those times in her studies in Aontacht and in the Histories here.
"They were not questioned, they were not held accountable, they only left their thrones when they were forced to. They did great things, and sometimes they did terrible things, and unfortunately, sometimes the great things would not have happened without the terrible things."
"That is life sometimes." Eirian pointed out, surprisingly interested in where he was going with this lecture.
Lord Yin nodded in agreement. "The First Lord Ye understood that, but he also understood that there needed to be accountability. That those in power could not be left to do as they pleased without any kind of oversight. That is where the court came from."
"Courts were developed as a reward for those loyal to those in power. The idea of oversight came after."
"Yes, in most places. But there is no throne in the Camelia." Lord Yin explained. "The First Lord Ye requested and received permission from the King of Sorrow to establish a court at the estate in order to ensure that all decisions and actions taken by the estate are within the bounds of the law and what is best for Sorrow and its people." Lord Yin was still as he spoke. Eirian had had many tutors who couldn't help but move their hands and bodies as they spoke, especially when teaching, but Lord Yin was practically a statue. "This court is one of a kind, and its sole purpose is to support the estate by ensuring its Lord follows the law and does what is best for it at all times."
"That does not mean you can ignore the law," Eirian said, voice tight.
"That is not what we are doing." Lord Yin insisted.
But Eirian just shook her head. "It is. You are pushing Lord Zhao to step down before he has been found responsible for anything. You are not ensuring Lord Ye is following the law; you are going around him and it. You are doing exactly what you're supposed to stop him from doing."
Lord Yin paled, eyes wide. "That is not- We are not…" He fell silent, and Eirian watched him think, trying to find a gap in her argument.
There wasn't one.
"Your intentions may be in line with your responsibilities, but your actions are not." Because Eirian could give him that. The motivation could be noble and pure, even when their actions were the opposite.
Lord Yin seemed to have a hard time understanding that. Eirian wasn't totally surprised. Some people believed so strongly in what they were doing that they actually lost sight of it. The forest through the trees and all that.
Lord Yin couldn't figure out what to say, it seemed. He lapsed into a frustrated silence as Eirian watched him across the tea table.
***
"You are in danger." Hikari's voice was low, small even. "You are in more danger every day. Would you not be safer out of sight?"
"I am more guilty out of sight." Mingzhe snapped, unable to stop himself. "I have done nothing wrong. Why do I have to disappear?"
"What does it matter if it saves your life?" Hikari snapped back because he had the same temper.
"What kind of life is that?" Mingzhe demanded. "All I'll be remembered for is this. These rumors. My soldiers. Everything good I've done will be forgotten, and I won't be able to do anything else. My entire family will be under this cloud for the rest of their lives. How is that acceptable?"
Hikari didn't have an answer for that, not that Mingzhe had expected one, but he still had it in him to argue. "So you decide to die instead?" He leapt to his feet in a burst of anger.
"I'm not going to die!" Mingzhe stood, uncomfortable with Hikari looming over him.
"You don't know that!" Hikari yelled right back. "You are not some unkillable god, Mingzhe. You are just a man and Lord and Lady Ye are not all-powerful. They are human just like the rest of us, no matter what power she may have." There was a vitriol in his voice that Mingzhe had never heard before. Underneath the hurt and the worry. "You do not know what is going to happen. You're being reckless!"
"I am not going to back down or run away." Why couldn't he understand? "There is no life in that." Mingzhe wanted a life. He wanted a life at Chenzhou and Eirian's side. Or at least one where he could still serve and protect them.
What else was there for someone like him?
Hikari of all people should have understood. He'd risked his own mother's wrath to do something more than simply exist.
Hikari's face fell, tragic and lost. "But-"
"No." Mingzhe was firm. Angry. "I am not going to give up."
"I'm not asking you to!"
"Yes, you are." Mingzhe snapped. "I refuse. And I cannot believe you would even ask that of me."
Hikari paled and jerked back like he'd been struck. They'd never argued like this before. Part of the reason their friendship had been so strong was that they shared the same opinion on pretty much everything. To suddenly find something they didn't agree on was a shock. That it was something so significant felt like a betrayal of the worst kind.
Mingzhe took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. At least enough to leave without storming out. "I'm going to go."
"What? No. We have to talk about this."
Mingzhe shook his head and headed for the door.
"Mingzhe!" Hikari called after him, but he didn't stop or turn back.
He needed fresh air. Needed to be alone.
The hallway was empty, thankfully. The Yang servants were practiced at staying out of sight and giving the illusion of privacy. Mingzhe was thankful for it as much as he was aware someone was probably watching every step he took.
He made his way down the hallway, taking the longer route to the front door to give him more time to calm down. The hallways of the Yang house were lined with trophies taken from their victories. Weapons, armor, and artifacts taken from those they'd defeated. He recognized a few from the Bandri, a flag from one of the kingdoms of Song and Snow. Even a few that were from bandits that had been hunted down over the years.
He entered another, smaller hallway. Trophies gave way to awards. Medals and statues and gifts from grateful admirers. There were a couple that had been gifted to the Yangs from the Zhaos and every other family in the Camelia at one point or another.
A shield caught his eye halfway down. It wasn't meant for battle, decorative only. It was too small, only a couple of feet in diameter, the metal pounded so thin it looked like a sliver of glass.
Mingzhe stared at it. Something wouldn't let him look away.
"Lord Zhao?" Lady Yang's voice rang out from further down the hall, and he turned to her. She stood in the doorway to her private solarium, eyes sharp and assessing. "Is everything alright?"
Mingzhe looked at her, glanced back at the shield, then walked forward and shook his head. "My apologies, I was walking to clear my head."
"It's not trouble." She offered him a small smile, the most she ever gave anyone. "Would you like to stay for the afternoon meal?"
Mingzhe shook his head and offered a weak smile. "No, I should be getting back, but thank you."
She nodded in understanding, and he bowed politely as he walked past her and headed for the main hall that would lead to the front door.
The shield stayed at the front of his thoughts as he passed several metal statues, all of them sharing the same marks distinctive of the tools used to pound the metal thin.
The same marks that had been on the assassin's masks.
~ tbc