**_Han Kanna_**

The Emperor’s son is in my bed, or rather, I am in his.

After I rise up from the tussled sheets, bare chested but still with pants on, I sigh. I was supposed to be home by now. My mother may have already sent some guards into the woods to find me, but they won’t find me.

She would never guess that their obedient son was courting the prince of their enemy.

That prince in the narrative is Jan Twigs Yu, the son of Emperor Jan Twigs Hit and a random mistress. He’s sleeping at the moment, broad chest rising and falling, mouth open in a noiseless snore. Jan, I know, will be rather sad when he wakes up to me gone, but if someone found me here, I’d be dead in less than two seconds and then there’d be an all out war between the two biggest empires of the world.

Yes, it’s a scary situation. We should just end this for the sake of the world, but…I just can’t help myself and Jan, on his part, keeps letting me in. Literally; through his window.

So I slip out the bed, after giving him a soft kiss on his pale, stubbled cheek, and grab my shirt before opening up his window. When I finally climb down the wall and find my dragot, Gelly, who looks rather peeved I left her here during no the night, I see the window closing and two amber eyes staring out from it.

I wave, grabbing the reigns on Gelly, and take off into the sky, not knowing when the next, safe, time would be when I could see those bright, dark eyes of Jan Twigs Yu.

***

**_Jan_**

My father says that loves betrays you and that you should destroy any type of feeling that you have for a person or creature. That it only hurts you in the end.

So why do I feel so giddy whenever Kanna comes to visit? I do feel sad when he goes, but I always know that there will be a next time. And maybe that next time, I can show him the full extent of my love.

Suddenly, there’s a knock on my door. “Prince Yu?”

“Yes? I am awakened.” I responded, moving towards the door.

It opens, revealing my most trusted guard and friend; not to mention the only person who knows about Kanna and I’s relationship.

“The Emperor wishes to see you,” Ul Hida says. She steps into my room and gets a shirt out of my cabinet. “You better hurry too, he’s not in a good mood.”

I grimace, tugging the linen shirt over my head and catching the pair of trousers Hida shoots at me. “Is it because of the rebellion? What is it? The release of slave?”

“That’s not the only reason. Ul Gads has been killed.”

I look up, pausing in my rush to get my trousers on. “What?”

——

My father is waiting for me in his study. It’s a large, spacious room that looks more like a library with a single wooden desk more that anything.

Father is leaned against his desk, his arms supporting him and his eyes closed. He looks more weary than angry, but my father is known for his “quiet anger”.

I stop just shy of his desk, and genuflect. “You called for me father?”

“Someone poisoned the lord’s drink,” he says, getting straight to the point, “It was someone at the party, of course, and we can rule out the Keepers because they were seen standing still on the wall parallel to the scene.” He opens his eyes and stares at me with his dark gaze. “So it had to be on of their Keeps. They were the only other ones close enough to complete such a task.

“But who could it be? Ul Gads is a greatly disliked fellow and none of the lords and ladies are what I would call trustworthy.” He groans into his hand. I see him smile. “I wonder, I wonder.”

My father looks back up at me. “And that’s where you come in. You see Yu, I want you to take this list,” he hands it to me, “and go to every single one of these addresses across my empire.”

I scan the page. My heart starts to race. “T-this is rather a lot, Father.”

He tilts his head to the side. “Yes it is; that’s why you’re the only one I trust to do it. Are you alright, your face is rather pale.”

No, I’m not alright. Work like this would take months. And one of those months…Kanna may try to visit.

“C-can’t someone else do it, Father?”

He raises an eyebrow. “You’ve never been one to back down on an assignment I’ve given to you. You wouldn’t be expecting anyone, would you.”

I freeze. “I—“

My father, no, _the Emperor _stands. He towers over me with his caculative gaze. “Son, rumors travel along quick, and it seems you’ve been bedding someone at night. Don’t know how you expected to keep quiet about it when you two aren’t so quiet about it at night. Some of the servants have heard giggling when they passed by.”

“Father,” I mumble weakly.

“So, do you mind telling me who it is? Or shall you be off to do the task I have commanded you to do?”

I stay quiet.

“That’s what I thought. I will be glad to see whatever wench has captured your heart in a cage…and I will have fun killing them.”

“Father!” I yell. “No! You can’t—“

“Guards,” he groans, sitting back in his chair, “take him to the carriage that I have prepared. The guards take me by the arms, grips stronger than I anticipated. “Oh, and don’t try to escape, Yu, I had some enchantments cast just in case. Now I expect you to find and bring me the criminal by the end of four months.”

Then door to his study is closed by guards and I am being dragged away to my assignment from the Emperor.

_Kanna…._

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***

_(Anyway, this was fun to write. Fantasy is always my favorite genre because there are no limitations. If you noticed, this was from both my first story on here “Kill or Die” and another one called “The Keepers”. I said I was going to make a part two to the latter, and this is basically a part two. Anyways, thanks for reading and have a great day!)_