Dragon Journal (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dragonjournal) wrote2010-10-07 02:20 pm
dragonjournal) wrote2010-10-07 02:20 pm
Entry tags:
Bingo spam #3 2/5
Title: Heir and a Spare
Prompt: Illness (major or minor)
Rating: PG
Content Note/Warnings: Takes place in my NaNo universe. Also talks about poisoning of children.
“There’s no help for it, Takeshi.”
He turned away from the sick bed. Old joints creaked as he pushed himself upright. The last few weeks had been trying. Takeshi Oshiro had never before felt his age so keenly.
He stepped into the hall, dragging the man who’d spoken – his King – with him. “You will have to forgive me, your Majesty but I will not hear from you what help there is and isn’t.” He snarled.
Takeshi’s grandson lay in that room, ill and possibly dying – victim of a poisoning that had claimed three lives already, and might even claim his son and daughter-in-law’s yet. Not to mention his grandson’s.
The King’s pale lavender eyes were sad, helpless in the face of what had happened. One of his concubines, a trusted member of the harem, had attempted to poison him, and in the process almost killed not only the one day head of the Oshiro clan, but a good portion of the harem as well.
“Adopting Riku as your heir does not mean that you’ve given up on Ryuusuke’s recovery.” The King sounded reasonable.
Takeshi didn’t want reasonable. He wanted to get his bare hands on the bitch that had done this and strangle her himself.
Known as one of the calmest men of the Inner Sanctuaries, no doubt such thoughts would surprise even his oldest friends.
“You know that Ulf and Ikebana are doing their best to help Ryuusuke, Takeshi.” The King continued in that same reasonable tone. “Riku even comes. He doesn’t understand, but he has to take care of his friend. Why not make them the brothers they already are?”
Takeshi couldn’t. He couldn’t. He loved Riku as if he were a second grandson – something he would never have, again thanks to that bitch – and doted on both boys. They weren’t quite two cycles old. They didn’t understand any of this.
But adopting Riku as the heir to the Oshiro clan just felt like betraying not only Ryuusuke, but his son. It felt like he was accepting that one or – ancestors forefend – both could die. Without them, there would never be an heir to the clan, and Takeshi would be forced to find one of his nephews to raise properly.
“Misa even agrees.”
Takeshi closed his eyes. The Royal Head Concubine wouldn’t agree to such a thing, unless she thought it necessary. She was far too politically savvy, far too cautious to have reached a decision such as that lightly.
He turned away from the room as Ikebana came bustling in to spend the next hour using every ounce of magic she could to save Ryuusuke’s life. She patted his arm as she went past.
Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at the King. “I don’t want the boys, or the Court to know. Not unless it becomes necessary.”
The King inclined his head. “He’ll survive, Takeshi.”
Takeshi Oshiro wished he shared that conviction.
Prompt: Illness (major or minor)
Rating: PG
Content Note/Warnings: Takes place in my NaNo universe. Also talks about poisoning of children.
“There’s no help for it, Takeshi.”
He turned away from the sick bed. Old joints creaked as he pushed himself upright. The last few weeks had been trying. Takeshi Oshiro had never before felt his age so keenly.
He stepped into the hall, dragging the man who’d spoken – his King – with him. “You will have to forgive me, your Majesty but I will not hear from you what help there is and isn’t.” He snarled.
Takeshi’s grandson lay in that room, ill and possibly dying – victim of a poisoning that had claimed three lives already, and might even claim his son and daughter-in-law’s yet. Not to mention his grandson’s.
The King’s pale lavender eyes were sad, helpless in the face of what had happened. One of his concubines, a trusted member of the harem, had attempted to poison him, and in the process almost killed not only the one day head of the Oshiro clan, but a good portion of the harem as well.
“Adopting Riku as your heir does not mean that you’ve given up on Ryuusuke’s recovery.” The King sounded reasonable.
Takeshi didn’t want reasonable. He wanted to get his bare hands on the bitch that had done this and strangle her himself.
Known as one of the calmest men of the Inner Sanctuaries, no doubt such thoughts would surprise even his oldest friends.
“You know that Ulf and Ikebana are doing their best to help Ryuusuke, Takeshi.” The King continued in that same reasonable tone. “Riku even comes. He doesn’t understand, but he has to take care of his friend. Why not make them the brothers they already are?”
Takeshi couldn’t. He couldn’t. He loved Riku as if he were a second grandson – something he would never have, again thanks to that bitch – and doted on both boys. They weren’t quite two cycles old. They didn’t understand any of this.
But adopting Riku as the heir to the Oshiro clan just felt like betraying not only Ryuusuke, but his son. It felt like he was accepting that one or – ancestors forefend – both could die. Without them, there would never be an heir to the clan, and Takeshi would be forced to find one of his nephews to raise properly.
“Misa even agrees.”
Takeshi closed his eyes. The Royal Head Concubine wouldn’t agree to such a thing, unless she thought it necessary. She was far too politically savvy, far too cautious to have reached a decision such as that lightly.
He turned away from the room as Ikebana came bustling in to spend the next hour using every ounce of magic she could to save Ryuusuke’s life. She patted his arm as she went past.
Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at the King. “I don’t want the boys, or the Court to know. Not unless it becomes necessary.”
The King inclined his head. “He’ll survive, Takeshi.”
Takeshi Oshiro wished he shared that conviction.