The Emperor part 2

Shiori listened and planned accordingly. Instead of a grand procession, she entered the city in a gilded palanquin carried by half a dozen of their strongest servants. It bore her mother's family crest, the Snake clan. It had been a gift from her mother's brother when she married Shiori's father.

Shiori's parents loved each other dearly, unlike most couples who married within their class. But the mountain climate did not agree with Shiori`s mother's weak constitution. She died shortly after giving birth to Shiori and Shiori`s father kept the palanquin that brought his beloved wife to him as a memento.

Due to the treacherous mountain paths, she only took her lady's maid and Kuro with her, aside from the palanquin bearers. She left the rest of her little entourage with a large sum of money, so they could stay in an inn while Shiori finished her business in the Palace.

Shiori was surprised that they got in with no trouble. Kuro knew the schedule of the guards' rotation and he timed it so they wouldn't be seen coming in. They waited for a while but Shiro hadn't arrived and Kuro left to find him.

Feeling bored, Shiori told Hinako that she would just look at the flowers for a bit. Usually, Hinako was vigilant and did not let her go anywhere unaccompanied. Their long travel must have tired her so much that she just nodded at Shiori and sat on a nearby tree to rest while Shiori wandered off. It was when she found the life-size dolls and stopped to rest that Emperor Asahi found her.

The sound of the Emperor's booming voice brought Shiori back to the present. Shiori and Asahi arrived in the middle of court, so probably all-important nobles were here.

"I present, Shiori of Kyon, Princess of foxes and the northern lands."

She stood, her pearl hair combs sparkled as she turned to face the assembled crowd. Shiori inclined her head at them in greeting. Those who knew her father, bowed their heads but the younger people just stared.

"Thank you for the great honor of presenting me Your Majesty," she said and clasped her hands to her chest once more. "And I am pleased to meet you all."

"You have heard of the Fox clan, I take it?" queried the Emperor to the people in the throne room.

Judging by their loud whispers, they all had. However, most of them were unaware of her purpose. And that suited Shiori just fine. She still didn't know who to trust and the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.

"If I may be so bold, Your Majesty." At his nod, Shiori waved her hand and her cousins appeared, bearing huge parcels. "It had been so long since we came down from our home in the mountains, the people might have forgotten us, and we are to blame for that, I'm afraid. The Fox clan humbly present you with these gifts and beg for your pardon, Your Majesty."

He raised an eyebrow at one of the twins. "Minazuki Shiro, you knew about this?"

Shiro bowed. "I am cousin to Princess Shiori, Your Majesty."

"I see," Shiori saw the Emperor's frown before he hid it with an impassive masque. "Won't you show me what you have brought then?"

The twins removed the paper and twine and presented their gifts. Polished rubies, sapphires as big as the princess' fingers and gleaming emeralds filled the first sack. The second one was full of thick purple silk, a color only worn by the imperial family. Shiori herself brought out a few jars of rich honey and placed them at the foot of the throne.

The Emperor bent down to take one of the jars as Shiori was about to let go of it. They moved at the same time and their fingers brushed. It was but a split of a second, yet, Shiori's skin tingled at the contact. Good thing she had an excuse not to look at the Emperor or he would have seen how red her face had become.

"Honey?" he asked and inspected the jar with a critical eye.

"It is undiluted honey directly from the beehive Your Majesty," Shiori said and opened one of the jars. "These little bees can only be found in the northern mountains and for that, they are said to be special. Can you smell it?"

As she spoke, the aroma of the special honey wafted through the air. It even reached the people at the back of the room. The corners of the emperor's lips twitched at this but he banished the expression as quickly as it came.

"Special indeed." He mused.

The northern mountains were the farthest territory of the Yamato Lands. It was the first emperor's gift to the Fox clan when he ordered them to watch from the shadows. In Shiori's mind, the first Emperor exiled and condemned them to leave everything behind for a thankless existence. Providing everything they could ever need was the least he could do.

It was a rich land, filled with abundant trees, rare fruits and fertile soil. Aside from that, Shiori's ancestors discovered a mine and cultivated it. Their wealth grew by exporting the gems they got from there. Not only that, rare animals lived there as well, and they learned to care for them. Her clan became breeders and sold them for a large profit. Since they seldom brought their goods, whatever they had got immediately sold out.

At first glance, the Fox clan truly had everything. The only drawback for Shiori was that they became isolated. Yes, they wanted for nothing but they were too far from the other clans. Since their task was to be the royalty's watchdog, it suited the next Emperors perfectly.