His Favored Empress

The Military Camp

Akechi and Kazim vowed to be earlier to serve but were shocked to find that, once again, Shaugn was already dressed and waiting for them. He was dressed in plain black and looked like one of the guards instead of the empress. His hair was pulled into a neat bun at the back of his head without adornment revealing his full face. His eyes were dark and piercing.

Pursing her lips, Akechi bowed respectfully and greeted him. "It's early, your majesty."

Shaugn gave a slight hum then looked at Radagar. "We need to make a change to the guards' dress. We're going to the military camp this morning."

Radagar's eyes flashed in surprise. "You want to go to the military camp, your majesty?"

"Yes." Shaugn looked at their dumbfounded expressions and raised a brow. "Is there a problem?"

Even Rou who protected him in secret, frowned at this as he listened to their conversation from his hiding place.

"No, majesty. It's just...you've never been there." The implication was that he didn't know anything about the military so why was he going?

Akechi's disgust was written on her face. "The camp is dirty and there are sick and wounded."

"And dangerous weapons," Kazim added.

Shaugn rolled his eyes. He was not some clumsy, delicate maiden from the movies. Rubbing his chin with narrowed eyes, Shaugn looked outside the window. Originally, he was going to go to the camp later in the week. He didn't sleep too well last night and this morning when he got up, there was a nagging feeling that he needed to go there today -before reviewing memorials.

He couldn't tell them 'something tells me I need to go there.' People were still superstitious in these times. They would think he was a demon or worse. They would question is ability to be empress.

Tugging a black fan out of his sleeve, he flapped it open with loud snap and covered his mischievous smile. "The generals in the capital are complacent. They have full bellies every day and things are too peaceful so they have been arrogant and condescending in the court. It's hard to get anything done with them. It's time to shake things up a bit."

Radagar's brows drew together. "What do you plan to do, your majesty?"

Shaugn smoothed out a non-existent wrinkle on Akechi's shoulder and smiled. "Depends on what I find. I can't do too much without the emperor, though." He tapped his fan against Radagar's chest and his mood turned serious. "But it's enough to let them know I'm watching them and not to keep taking me lightly. I'm not the same empress from before."

Akechi looked him up and down. "Do you not need to dress a little more like the ruler of the empire, your majesty?"

Shaugn snorted. She just wanted to dress him up like some pretty doll. "These men are warriors. They are bathed in blood and hardship. Their bodies are used to secure the peace and harmony of the empire. They are plain men with no care for jewels and extravagance. Me showing up looking like a wealthy aristocrat will make my task there harder."

Biting her lip, Akechi acquiesced to his demands. There weren't too many restrictions on how men were to wear their hair like many other cultures during the feudal period. They just couldn't cut their hair. Most nobles chose to put their hair into buns with adornments. Men in the military often only wore a braided ponytail or a half their hair pulled up into a ponytail so it stayed out of their eyes when fighting and exercising.

After a light breakfast, Shaugn called Nirik and Toshi to check in on them. After good bath and new clothes, Toshi looked like a nobleman's son. His hair had been washed and detangled. His dark, wavy hair was pulled into a braid over his shoulder. He wore an embroidered blue tunic with matching pants and boots. Nirik was dressed in the same outfit and his hair was put up in a bun.