Karmagisa: Our Fate Upon The Crown

17 | The High Tides of Faith

<Karasuma>
I had only left Karma for a second and to think that such a commotion would happen! I rushed over and saw that a fellow palace guard, who was within the ranks of where I was, challenged Karma.

"Takaoka! What is the meaning of this!" I exclaimed infuriated, "draw back your sword this instant!" I demanded.

"Draw back my sword you say?" He laughed childishly, "You have no right to order me around. We are the same rank, therefore that does not apply." He spoke with a low tone, still holding his sword to Karma who was on the ground.

"S-sir what should we do?" My students questioned with fear crawling down their backs.

"My King!-" I tried to get ahold of Karma's attention but he raised his arm to silence me.

The knights all saw his gestured and took a few steps back, as Karma had demanded.
What is he thinking!? Do something! Say something!

With alarm, I looked around to make sure Nagisa was safe and untouched. With both Kaede and Terasaka bedside him, I have faith that they will do their job regardless of Nagisa's current class he is portraying.

Takaoka slightly brought back his sword and licked the top of his mouth with a sadistic intent and his eyes screamed with the joy to torture.
I've known him to be violent and brutal towards the men he trained, but like this...to the King...it's unforgivable! Are you blind Takaoka!?

<Karma>
I purposefully remained on the ground and just stared into the eyes of the knight who interrupted my sword fighting with another man.
Takaoka was it? He dares raise his head above mine? I look the little patience that I had, and restrained myself from beheading this man. Those weren't eyes of respect, he really wants to kill me.

"Speak will you?" I said waiting.

Takaoka chuckled to himself and waved his sword to the side and back. He took a step closer and I heard swords being ripped out from their sheaths and I hollered out loud.

"Stay down! Do not approach!" I demanded and Karasuma was the one who couldn't accept it.

"I cannot stand here and watch him raise a sword at you! You must know that this cannot be tolerated!"

I replied back to Karasuma's words without breaking the eye contact of Takaoka.

"Do you intend to cut down every man that points his sword at me?" I questioned, "is the will of the people no longer important? Do the people of this kingdom cut their tongues and follow obediently without resistance?"

"You're mad!" Karasuma commented, "can you not read the situation! This is no time to have a friendly chat!" He clearly made the obvious, but I wasn't going to dismiss the fact that someone is angry at me for a reason.

"I've come to realize my role in this kingdom and the Original King himself stood against the Crown because he knew of his rights. Are you to question his actions and the kingdom he had built with that kind of principle?"

Karasuma didn't reply back and I asked Takaoka again.

"Speak!" I shouted at him once more, banging my hand into the hard stone.

"Role you say? That's very noble of you to say that. But compared to the current monarchs, you're simply no match for them. I've seen you, and you're nothing, but a twig about to be snapped. I implore you to cut that crap of yours before you make a mess of this Kingdom. Why don't you hide your face frightfully, just like the Nameless Queen?"

Everyone around gasped in shock by the words he was spurring and to be told, I was affected by his words that degraded Nagisa.

"Why do you think I will fail, when I've never even sat on the throne yet?" I asked.

"Takaoka, you're taking this too far!" The men around started to get riled up, but his intense bloodlust startled them.

"Tch, isn't it obvious? You of all people should know that the Gods above are cursing us, bringing forth calamity! Your birth and the Nameless Queen, simply rotting the thousand year chain!"

"There is no doom that you speak of! Sir, you're blinded!" A knight with light silver hair, raised his voice at him and even got close. "It is not safe to further escalate." He warned.

Takaoka turned his head and his expression changed. He wore a simple smile, "maybe you're right." He dropped his sword to the ground.
But everyone knew that he wouldn't submit like that.

Suddenly Takaoka with great force, kneed the knight in the gut who wasn't wearing any armor and grabbed ahold of him to continue to hammer him.

"S-stop!" I heard Kaede voice rang loudly and the silent crowd choked back, not knowing what to do.

"Sir! He'll die!" Others started barking.

Takaoka finally released the man and threw him to the side where his comrades eventually caught him. Takaoka was making an example out of him.

"You're next! And I won't go easy on you because you have that birthmark on your chest! I'll take my knife and carve it off if I have to! You and the Queen have no right to exist!"

Had he figured it out? That Nagisa is...

"I'll take that head of yours! Then we'll be free from this blackening cloud you've laid upon the Kingdom! We can wait can't we? For new reincarnated children to come into this land!"
Takaoka shifted his sword and the gripped tightly.
"There shouldn't be two kings!"

In that time, I think I heard the clattering of metal echoing throughout the palace. I don't know why I just sat there.

WHOOSH

But a flash before my eyes simply took my attention away from Takaoka who was about to slaughter me. Then all of our eyes laid on the wall, to the left of us where an arrow had pierced between us.

It remained silent.
I know who shot it. I glanced over to see Nagisa with the bow in his hands, the threatening glare that stunned us all. And I saw the spirit of the Original Queen holding the same stance as him. The fire in their eyes.

Nagisa pulled another arrow from his quiver and restarted.

"Take one more step, and I won't miss the second time."