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Description

“An old fairy-tale told me
The simple heart will be prized again
A toad will be our king and ugly ogres our heroes
Then you'll shake your fist at the sky
‘Oh why did I rely
On fashions and small fry?’

All promises broken -
Feed your people or lose your throne
Forfeit your whole kingdom
You'd sooner lose it than still live in it alone!
You were our golden child
But the gentle and the mild inherit the earth, while
Your Princess crown cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold…
You've wandered so far from the person you are
Let go brother, let go
'Cause now we all know…

Soon, someone will put a spell on you
Perfume, treasure, sorcery, every trick they know!
You will lie in a deep sleep
That's when your Princess crown cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold…
You've wandered so far from the person you are
Let go brother, let go
'Cause now we all know…”

Keane, ‘The Frog Prince’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o0Z9M…

Commission by ! Kyoko is wearing the title costume from Dead or Alive Extreme: Scarlet, the latest in the DoA beach game series that started way back in 2003 on the original Xbox…

(Wow, can’t believe I’ve been away so long… My last over-the-table gaming gathering was pretty emotional…. That game’s been running for 17 years now and there was plenty of drama on both sides of the table… Anyway, time to get back to everything else in my life…)

Despite the dangers sweeping the Dragon Empires, Kyoko was blissfully happy with ‘Okami’ at her side. Now she was not just a loving animal companion, but a human woman who could love her and kiss her and bring her more delights than she could have ever possibly imagined. This was what life was for, Kyoko thought to herself. This is why life is worth living.

For all the very real dangers that dogged their journey, she had someone to love, to love her back. Okami was also a very accomplished warrior and spell-caster both, and was invaluable to the success of their quest. And so together they sang, they danced, they laughed, in the face of the Dragon King and the horrors he brought forth against them. Kyoko had found her reason for fighting, something more personal than her duty to her people.

But as clearly delighted as the ‘Princess’ was, her companions harboured doubts about her new beloved. ‘Okami’ was an opinionated creature, who spoke her mind openly and did not care who she upset. She had travelled strange roads and knew strange magicks, and knew how to rely on herself and her own powers. She did not care for the opinions of others, and the ‘Princess’ heeded her counsel above all others.

Listening to the happy pair sing and dance, her other three companions discussed the matter quietly about the campfire one evening.

“We must give thought to the way in which her heart is becoming smitten,” Shigematsu cautioned, ever the wise and cautious counsellor.

His daughter, the Fire Sorceress Sumiko, braided her hair by the fire and looked unconvinced.

“She’s not a child,” she warned her father. “She’s a grown woman, and her love-life is her own business… I wouldn’t take kindly to anyone telling me who I can and cannot love…”

Her father was well aware of her wilful nature, but advocated caution nonetheless.

“Kyoko has great responsibilities – to her people and her father’s empire. Only she can unite the Heroes to her banner. Only then shall we be strong enough to face Sho-Ryu… It is not merely her own life affected by her choices… the survival of the Dragon Empires itself relies on her victory…”

Sumiko shrugged noncommittally. “Whatever,” she waved her hand. “It’s not our job to stop her having fun…!”

“The shamaness is not born to our lands,” her father warned. “I do not know how committed she is to our cause. Kyoko heeds her words above anyone else. I fear that she might turn her head from the defence of the Dragon Empire. If she takes Kyoko away to her own lands, our cause is surely lost…”

“I’ll talk to her,” Aiko mused, cleaning her long rifle, her pet monkey at her side. “She said I should speak my mind around her. Let’s see if she meant it…”

“I will speak to the World-Walker… and try to make her see how delicately balanced is the success of our quest… and how essential Kyoko is to that success…”

Sumiko sighed and shook her head. “That won’t end well,” she admitted.

A little while later, when Kyoko returned to the campfire, Aiko approached her cautiously. She had been friendly enough when she had nothing, standing in the rain watching her father’s people walk off into exile. But now she was gathering the Heroes of the land and they looked to her for leadership in the Shogun’s absence. Maybe she’d decide she no longer needed the help and advice of a common-born soldier’s daughter.

“Hey, Princess,” she began. Kyoko smiled happily.

“This stew is delicious!” the Shogun’s daughter smiled. “Okami is a good huntress! And her knowledge of spices and herbs makes for a wondrous meal! There is surely no end to her talents…!” she giggled, taking a sip of the broth.

“Yeah… about that,” Aiko sighed.

“You feel there is a problem with her?” Kyoko frowned. “You hunted together this morn. She says you are a talented hunter too.”

“Yeah, but… Well, you said before that I should speak my mind around you…”

“I meant it, my friend. You are not afraid of me, or my father’s position. I need to hear such counsel, one who speaks with the voice of the common folk.”

“Well, let’s see if you really mean it,” the markswoman mused. “If not… that’s okay, I can go – “

“I do not want you to leave!” Kyoko protested. “And you have not even told me what the problem is…!”

“This barbarian woman… Leah.. Okami…!” Aiko began. “She’s not from the Dragon Empires. I’m not sure how much she cares about us or our plight. She likes you because you’re pretty and cute and your head’s in a spin over her – “

“She came to warn us of a great danger,” Kyoko smiled. “And stayed to fight that danger with us. She fights like a furious samurai and casts magik like a Wu Jen… With her at my side, surely we cannot lose…!”

“Yeah, I don’t doubt she’s very capable,” Aiko admitted. “But what if she gets bored, wants to go back to walking the worlds? What happens if she wants to take you with her? We’re screwed without you, Princess. You bear the seal; the nobles will listen to you. The Heroes will flock to your banner. If you leave us – we’re all royally screwed.”

“I am not leaving you,” Kyoko chuckled uneasily. “Okami is helping us. I do not know why you fret so.”

“Well, if you go… I’ll come with you,” Aiko offered. “If this place is going to hell, I’m not about to stick around…”

“You would desert your people in their hour of need?” Kyoko seemed surprised.

“I’m a mercenary, Princess. I don’t fight for honour or glory. But for money. And if you’re leaving us, I don’t see why I should have to stick around. I’m not fighting a losing battle, especially if you swan off with your new lover…”

“You worry so, without need,” Kyoko assured her. “I am going nowhere, I promise. Okami has expressed a great interest in the magik of our lands. She wishes to learn elemental binding for herself. And the Elder Evils are known and feared in her own lands. She has fought against them all her life. She will stand with me, Aiko – and I shall stand with my people.” She smiled. “But thank you for expressing your concerns. Your honesty is very welcome. I hope I can allay your fears as to my intentions. Okami will help my quest greatly, not hinder it as you fear.”

“Well, okay,” Aiko murmured. “If you’re sure…!”

Inwardly, she wondered how Shigematsu was doing. She guessed it likely wasn’t going to go well…

Deeper into the green woods, the Magister confronted the World Walker with a neat bow. His piercing eyes appraised her beneath bushy eyebrows. She was powerful, he reflected. She was strong and fierce, reminding him of his own daughter. She confident to the point of arrogance; she knew her own power well. He could feel the strong connection to the spirits from here; magik was in her blood, as it was with him.

“Ho, old man,” she smirked with vague mockery. “I know that expression – I am used to it. You think to warn me off, perhaps? You believe you can threaten or cajole me? Allow me to disabuse you of that notion – I care little for what you say, and I am not the least bit afraid of you.”

“Kyoko is a very young woman,” the Magician warned. “She is in the first flush of womanhood, the first pangs of love. I fear she acts as one bewitched. I do not think you mean to deceive us… but you wield your desires like a weapon, heedless of who may get hurt…”

“You are just jealous she hears my words above yours,” Leah smiled dismissively.

“Much relies upon Kyoko,” he said quietly. “She is her father’s heir – the only one whose noble blood can unite the Heroes who were promised, the one to whom the nobles should owe their allegiance…” He regarded her thoughtfully. “You come from across the Great Waters… You have few ties to our war-torn land. And yet your coming threatens the very foundations of our quest. Kyoko must see our goals clearly, but her thoughts are always of you.”

Leah laughed, loudly and triumphantly. “Your ‘Princess’ belongs to me now,” she smirked. “Her eyes shine with love for me. She would do anything for me… and there is nothing you can do about it…!”

Her eyes darkened, her posture aggressive, assertive. “It is fortunate for you, then, that your land intrigues me. Your priests are wiser than the White Men – they look to the spirits of the land rather than distant, uncaring gods. Your magik is fascinating – unlike anything I have seen before, yet powerfully familiar…! I very much desire to make it my own.”

She smiled winningly. “I desired to make _her_ my own also… and now she quivers at my caress. I get what I want, old man. And you cannot stop me.”

“There are greater issues than your desires – “ he began, but she cut him short with the stab of a finger.

“Not. One. Word, old man!” she snapped. “Consider yourself very fortunate that I have decided to remain here, and help Kyoko with her struggle, while I learn the secrets of your magik. A predicament, I should add, entirely of your own doing…!”

She tossed her hair, haughtily. “Be glad that I choose to stay and clean up this mess of your own making, old man. And do not ever threaten me again, or seek to come between us. Let me assure you; you would not like me when I am angry!”

She flounced off; and the Magician sighed deeply. Their quest stood upon a knife-edge, and one slip now would bring disaster. He would have to be careful, and remain watchful…

Description

“An old fairy-tale told me
The simple heart will be prized again
A toad will be our king and ugly ogres our heroes
Then you'll shake your fist at the sky
‘Oh why did I rely
On fashions and small fry?’

All promises broken -
Feed your people or lose your throne
Forfeit your whole kingdom
You'd sooner lose it than still live in it alone!
You were our golden child
But the gentle and the mild inherit the earth, while
Your Princess crown cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold…
You've wandered so far from the person you are
Let go brother, let go
'Cause now we all know…

Soon, someone will put a spell on you
Perfume, treasure, sorcery, every trick they know!
You will lie in a deep sleep
That's when your Princess crown cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold…
You've wandered so far from the person you are
Let go brother, let go
'Cause now we all know…”

Keane, ‘The Frog Prince’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o0Z9M…

Commission by ! Kyoko is wearing the title costume from Dead or Alive Extreme: Scarlet, the latest in the DoA beach game series that started way back in 2003 on the original Xbox…

(Wow, can’t believe I’ve been away so long… My last over-the-table gaming gathering was pretty emotional…. That game’s been running for 17 years now and there was plenty of drama on both sides of the table… Anyway, time to get back to everything else in my life…)

Despite the dangers sweeping the Dragon Empires, Kyoko was blissfully happy with ‘Okami’ at her side. Now she was not just a loving animal companion, but a human woman who could love her and kiss her and bring her more delights than she could have ever possibly imagined. This was what life was for, Kyoko thought to herself. This is why life is worth living.

For all the very real dangers that dogged their journey, she had someone to love, to love her back. Okami was also a very accomplished warrior and spell-caster both, and was invaluable to the success of their quest. And so together they sang, they danced, they laughed, in the face of the Dragon King and the horrors he brought forth against them. Kyoko had found her reason for fighting, something more personal than her duty to her people.

But as clearly delighted as the ‘Princess’ was, her companions harboured doubts about her new beloved. ‘Okami’ was an opinionated creature, who spoke her mind openly and did not care who she upset. She had travelled strange roads and knew strange magicks, and knew how to rely on herself and her own powers. She did not care for the opinions of others, and the ‘Princess’ heeded her counsel above all others.

Listening to the happy pair sing and dance, her other three companions discussed the matter quietly about the campfire one evening.

“We must give thought to the way in which her heart is becoming smitten,” Shigematsu cautioned, ever the wise and cautious counsellor.

His daughter, the Fire Sorceress Sumiko, braided her hair by the fire and looked unconvinced.

“She’s not a child,” she warned her father. “She’s a grown woman, and her love-life is her own business… I wouldn’t take kindly to anyone telling me who I can and cannot love…”

Her father was well aware of her wilful nature, but advocated caution nonetheless.

“Kyoko has great responsibilities – to her people and her father’s empire. Only she can unite the Heroes to her banner. Only then shall we be strong enough to face Sho-Ryu… It is not merely her own life affected by her choices… the survival of the Dragon Empires itself relies on her victory…”

Sumiko shrugged noncommittally. “Whatever,” she waved her hand. “It’s not our job to stop her having fun…!”

“The shamaness is not born to our lands,” her father warned. “I do not know how committed she is to our cause. Kyoko heeds her words above anyone else. I fear that she might turn her head from the defence of the Dragon Empire. If she takes Kyoko away to her own lands, our cause is surely lost…”

“I’ll talk to her,” Aiko mused, cleaning her long rifle, her pet monkey at her side. “She said I should speak my mind around her. Let’s see if she meant it…”

“I will speak to the World-Walker… and try to make her see how delicately balanced is the success of our quest… and how essential Kyoko is to that success…”

Sumiko sighed and shook her head. “That won’t end well,” she admitted.

A little while later, when Kyoko returned to the campfire, Aiko approached her cautiously. She had been friendly enough when she had nothing, standing in the rain watching her father’s people walk off into exile. But now she was gathering the Heroes of the land and they looked to her for leadership in the Shogun’s absence. Maybe she’d decide she no longer needed the help and advice of a common-born soldier’s daughter.

“Hey, Princess,” she began. Kyoko smiled happily.

“This stew is delicious!” the Shogun’s daughter smiled. “Okami is a good huntress! And her knowledge of spices and herbs makes for a wondrous meal! There is surely no end to her talents…!” she giggled, taking a sip of the broth.

“Yeah… about that,” Aiko sighed.

“You feel there is a problem with her?” Kyoko frowned. “You hunted together this morn. She says you are a talented hunter too.”

“Yeah, but… Well, you said before that I should speak my mind around you…”

“I meant it, my friend. You are not afraid of me, or my father’s position. I need to hear such counsel, one who speaks with the voice of the common folk.”

“Well, let’s see if you really mean it,” the markswoman mused. “If not… that’s okay, I can go – “

“I do not want you to leave!” Kyoko protested. “And you have not even told me what the problem is…!”

“This barbarian woman… Leah.. Okami…!” Aiko began. “She’s not from the Dragon Empires. I’m not sure how much she cares about us or our plight. She likes you because you’re pretty and cute and your head’s in a spin over her – “

“She came to warn us of a great danger,” Kyoko smiled. “And stayed to fight that danger with us. She fights like a furious samurai and casts magik like a Wu Jen… With her at my side, surely we cannot lose…!”

“Yeah, I don’t doubt she’s very capable,” Aiko admitted. “But what if she gets bored, wants to go back to walking the worlds? What happens if she wants to take you with her? We’re screwed without you, Princess. You bear the seal; the nobles will listen to you. The Heroes will flock to your banner. If you leave us – we’re all royally screwed.”

“I am not leaving you,” Kyoko chuckled uneasily. “Okami is helping us. I do not know why you fret so.”

“Well, if you go… I’ll come with you,” Aiko offered. “If this place is going to hell, I’m not about to stick around…”

“You would desert your people in their hour of need?” Kyoko seemed surprised.

“I’m a mercenary, Princess. I don’t fight for honour or glory. But for money. And if you’re leaving us, I don’t see why I should have to stick around. I’m not fighting a losing battle, especially if you swan off with your new lover…”

“You worry so, without need,” Kyoko assured her. “I am going nowhere, I promise. Okami has expressed a great interest in the magik of our lands. She wishes to learn elemental binding for herself. And the Elder Evils are known and feared in her own lands. She has fought against them all her life. She will stand with me, Aiko – and I shall stand with my people.” She smiled. “But thank you for expressing your concerns. Your honesty is very welcome. I hope I can allay your fears as to my intentions. Okami will help my quest greatly, not hinder it as you fear.”

“Well, okay,” Aiko murmured. “If you’re sure…!”

Inwardly, she wondered how Shigematsu was doing. She guessed it likely wasn’t going to go well…

Deeper into the green woods, the Magister confronted the World Walker with a neat bow. His piercing eyes appraised her beneath bushy eyebrows. She was powerful, he reflected. She was strong and fierce, reminding him of his own daughter. She confident to the point of arrogance; she knew her own power well. He could feel the strong connection to the spirits from here; magik was in her blood, as it was with him.

“Ho, old man,” she smirked with vague mockery. “I know that expression – I am used to it. You think to warn me off, perhaps? You believe you can threaten or cajole me? Allow me to disabuse you of that notion – I care little for what you say, and I am not the least bit afraid of you.”

“Kyoko is a very young woman,” the Magician warned. “She is in the first flush of womanhood, the first pangs of love. I fear she acts as one bewitched. I do not think you mean to deceive us… but you wield your desires like a weapon, heedless of who may get hurt…”

“You are just jealous she hears my words above yours,” Leah smiled dismissively.

“Much relies upon Kyoko,” he said quietly. “She is her father’s heir – the only one whose noble blood can unite the Heroes who were promised, the one to whom the nobles should owe their allegiance…” He regarded her thoughtfully. “You come from across the Great Waters… You have few ties to our war-torn land. And yet your coming threatens the very foundations of our quest. Kyoko must see our goals clearly, but her thoughts are always of you.”

Leah laughed, loudly and triumphantly. “Your ‘Princess’ belongs to me now,” she smirked. “Her eyes shine with love for me. She would do anything for me… and there is nothing you can do about it…!”

Her eyes darkened, her posture aggressive, assertive. “It is fortunate for you, then, that your land intrigues me. Your priests are wiser than the White Men – they look to the spirits of the land rather than distant, uncaring gods. Your magik is fascinating – unlike anything I have seen before, yet powerfully familiar…! I very much desire to make it my own.”

She smiled winningly. “I desired to make _her_ my own also… and now she quivers at my caress. I get what I want, old man. And you cannot stop me.”

“There are greater issues than your desires – “ he began, but she cut him short with the stab of a finger.

“Not. One. Word, old man!” she snapped. “Consider yourself very fortunate that I have decided to remain here, and help Kyoko with her struggle, while I learn the secrets of your magik. A predicament, I should add, entirely of your own doing…!”

She tossed her hair, haughtily. “Be glad that I choose to stay and clean up this mess of your own making, old man. And do not ever threaten me again, or seek to come between us. Let me assure you; you would not like me when I am angry!”

She flounced off; and the Magician sighed deeply. Their quest stood upon a knife-edge, and one slip now would bring disaster. He would have to be careful, and remain watchful…