Hero of the Hour, Villain of the Day
They didn't know it yet, but their protests were in vain.
They knew a lot of things, 'they' being the large mob rioting outside the royal palace. They knew that the army had been decimated, not that they knew the reason: the pay cart had been robbed by bandits on the north road. They 'knew' it had been used for other purposes, but of course, that was wrong.
They knew the Emperor wouldn't speak to them. They knew the war would soon be over.
What they didn't know was that the Emperor would have very much liked to talk to them, given the opportunity. Unfortunately, this wasn't really possible.
The Emperor, contrary to public 'knowledge', was on his deathbed. News had come in that his only offspring, his son Buwei, had been killed in the fighting in the north. That had been enough to send the old man's health spiralling. Now, his two grandsons - twins - who had seen but twelve summers, stood beside him. Tears streamed down the face of one, Qián. The other, Xin, stood stoically, face and eyes betraying no emotion.
"Sons. You know your father was a good man. He should have lived. If he had, he would have succeeded the throne. But, and it may be the worse for all of us, he did not. I cannot in good conscience hand over the throne to a twelve-year-old, let alone one of you above the other. You are both equal in your ability to rule. But you are too young, and so you must instead know this.
I summoned my first general, Shang Lun, before me earlier. I will be giving the throne over to him, but", and he held up his hand for silence before they could protest, "I have a different plan for you. Jinyi is a dangerous place for the young at present. The youth of Xilatang itself number around twenty thousand at present, and three thousand babes in arms, along with their mothers. You two are to lead them away from here."
"Why us?" Qián interjected, though quietly and somewhat meekly. "Couldn't you send a soldier? Your guards? Isn't there someone more experienced than us who could do this?"
"We need every man here. Lun is leading a desperate charge here, and we can't afford to send away anyone else with the sort of leadership capabilities this expedition will need."
"You mean..."
"Yes... except the two of you. I've tutored the both of you since you had only seen four summers, and I know you're capable of this. Everyone over the age of fiteen will be staying here, except for the mothers of young children. I need someone I can trust to lead them. I need to know I can trust you two. Can I?"
"Can I trust you?"
After a short while:
"Yes. On our lives."
"That's only what I'd expect."
"But..."
"What?"
"Where are you sending us?"
"Zhanggu. It's far to the west of here, in the mountains."
"How will we know when to come back?"
This was the hardest part, he'd known it would be. The Emperor sighed.
"...You're not coming back. Whatever happens here, this place is going to change forever. For the good of those you will lead, you're going to have to make a new start. You've read only those parts of the great writings I believe to be correct and applicable, and for good reason. A fresh start means a new society, and what I have taught you is as good a basis for that as any."
The Emperor sighed again. The two boys heard a thumping sound on the bedroll, and looked up.
The Emperor's once clear eyes had glazed over, and his face taken on a deathly pallor.
Xin, always the sensible twin, took a breath.
"Shang Lun."
The burly captain of the guard and chief general walked through the doorway.
"Yes, my princes?"
"You know the plan?"
"Yes."
"Then go. The crowd is waiting for you.
Tell them... tell them he was a good man. And for goodness' sake, don't tell them their wives and children are being led into the wilderness by two twelve-year-olds."
![[party]](/images/smilies/partytime.gif "Party [party]")
