The King's Gold

War Storm

The queen Rin attacked the capital of Shina late into the night as king Klha poisoned the river heading into the city with his magic insuring panic and no means of escape.

As a last resort despite the breaking up of their alliance Shina used their last efforts to send to send ships to Kīppon for help since it was their only hope but very few ships got passed the Mu-kang and those that did were very short on supplies and overflowing with stowaways desperate to escape the burning capital.

Within the next two days the capital was completely destroyed, it's once tall shining red buildings reduced to crumbling ashes and it's once blue skies filled with buzzards interested in the carnage below.

The emperor of Shina had barricaded himself and his most wives along with his most valuable jewels in a safe-valt and as it's iron doors were torn down he whimpered in fear knowing what awaited him at the other side.

Through the dust caused by the heavy falling door queen Rin and king Klha approached him slowly with The gleam of vengeance shining in their eyes as the once proud emperor begged for mercy.

"QUEEN RIN! NO PLEASE HAVE MERCY!"

Rin raised his sword and swung it down swiftly cutting off the emperor's hand, the emperor screamed and horrified pain grasping his arm to his chest now covered in pulling blood.

"Mercy?... You dare ask me for mercy! You showed no mercy to my child!"

"PLEASE IM SORRY! PLEASE I HAVE MANY GOLD AND JEWELS THAT YOU MAY TAKE PLEASE JUST SPARE ME!"

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Klha kicked the emperor in the face as Rin yelled.

"You dare try to bribe away your sin to the mother of the child you murdered! My child cannot be replaced by anything you have, not even your life but at least then I will have the satisfaction of knowing that the man who killed my child will be sent to hell by my hand!"

As the emperor cried like a child Rin rose his sword again this time to deliver a killing blow but one of the emperor's wives screamed and ran in front of the blade.

"NO PLEASE WAIT YOUR CHILD LIVES!"

"LYING WENCH!"

Screamed king Klha.

"I swear to you it is the truth! Years ago when I learned that my husband had stolen your child to throw into the river to be drowned as vengeance for you rejecting his marriage proposal, I could not let an innocent child die for I myself was with child and it was against all of my instincts as a mother! I paid off some of the guards and soldiers with my diamond jewelry to give me the child so that I could sneak it to one of my maids who left the child at an orphanage near the old red light district!" 

Rin began to shake with rage as tears fell from his eyes.

"YOU LIE TO SAVE YOUR OWN SKIN! I WILL KILL YOU AS WELL!"

Suddenly a maid ran next to the concubine's side.

"I swear to you great barbarian Queen it is true what my lady says for it was I who took the child to the orphanage, I have proof! I was instructed to get rid of the evidence of who the child was so I took the child's blanket to burn it however I was almost spotted by one of the guards so I hid the child's blanket in the brick wall of the old barracks and I have never been able to go back for it eventually I decided to leave it there! Please spare my mistress, I will take you to the barracks, I will show you the proof!"

Klha was not inclined to believe what the two women said and he almost strangled them with his magic but his queen bolted him.

"I want them dragged through the city on ropes pulled by horses all the way to the barracks if what these women say is true I will spare their lives but if they lie to me then I will kill them as well as the emperor and all of their families who are old enough to wield a sword!"

The people of Shina watched in horror as their royal family was dragged on ropes by horses through the city square all the way to the old barracks.

The king and queen pulled the maid to the barracks wall and instructed her to show them her so-called proof.

"I haven't been to this wall in so long I don't know if I can remember which brick..."

"You will remember nothing when my queen cuts off your head"

Reminded the angry king which caused the terrified maid to gulp and jump to her feet to look over all the loose bricks on the wall.

The king and queen were almost fed up then suddenly the servant girl cried in joy as she pulled out the old dusty blanket and handed it to the king.

"Please it is here just as I had told you please spare my lady!"

King Klha took the blanket and quickly wiped away the rest of the dust revealing the unique embroidery that his queen had made by hand for their child.

"...Rin it's true it's our baby's blanket!"

"What?"

Rin jumped off his horse with the speed of lightning and ran to his husband taking the blanket into his own hands to further inspect it with his own eyes now brimming with tears.

"I made this blanket...I used gold threads to make these little bunnies to bring our child good luck…"

Klha turned to the maid and ordered her to tell them where she had taken the baby.

"The orphanage you brought the child to take us to it immediately and we shall set you a lady free!"

Over the next few weeks of the Mu-kang invasion the nation had gone through many changes starting with the public execution of their emperor by Rin and Klha.

The next was that the entire nation was being turned over as the Mu-kang looked for any clue or sign as to the whereabouts of the lost prince.

"I queen Rin of the Mu-kang now rule Shina and I decree that any child with golden hair must be brought to me alive and unharmed! Those who obey this order will be rewarded greatly and spared any of the troubles of War during my conquest of this nation but any of those who disobey this order will be skinned alive!"