Alexander S. Numachi

Saiyo Alexander Numachi, more commonly known as Alexander S. Numachi, or in Sakura as Numachi A. Saiyo, is a former Rathnir Tagavor, or Emperor, of the Second Empire of Plagatèa, and therefore a former Monarch of the Sapphire Commonwealth. He is an architect, historian, archivist and Daimyo of Yamagake. He is also the son of former Queen and King of Asarakaen and heads of House Numachi Aisuru Numachi and Techno Numachi and is thus part of House Numachi. Due to his age upon ascending the throne, he was known in Plagatèa and the Sapphire Commonwealth as the ‘Young Tagavor’, ruling for 16 years SMP/6 years SKE; winter 97 SMP - summer 113 SMP. He was married to Joanne Numachi of Bai.

Family
Alexander has seven siblings - two sisters (Kyanoqueen and Hitomi) and 5 brothers (Knuckles, Cync, Simon, John and Tyranno). He is the second youngest. His mother is Aisuru Numachi, and his father is Techno Numachi, and thus is a senior member of House Numachi. Upon the signing of a treaty admitting the Bai Federation in as a protectorate of Plagatèa, he married the Baghra of the Bai Federation, Joanne, who became Matriarch Joanne Numachi in Plagatèa, the title given to the spouse of the Tagavor. Whilst initially this was only through a legal treaty, he married her later in a traditional Sakuran union. His eldest child is a girl, Kaori Elizabeth Hitomi Numachi. He also has younger twins, Adeline Rose Numachi and Alaric Dezhou Futushu Leonidas Numachi.

Early Life
He was born in full as Saiyo Alexander of the Numachis, Winter 68 SMP/Kinbenohi 7 Seinaruōki 5 SKE. When he began to make the step to national politics, he chose to use his middle name Alexander as his first name, as he saw it as beneficial in his burgeoning political career to have a less overtly Sakuran name. He was however obligated to take this name as his Princehood title during the Numachi's time ruling the Realm of Asarakaen, making him Prince Saiyo A. Numachi of the Realm of Asarakaen, or in Sakura, Numachi A. Saiyo. In time, he would come to embrace it, and became gradually more known by it again, though still predominantly addressed as Alexander.

He grew up closest to his adoptive sister Hitomi Numachi, who as a young boy he had discovered on a bridge in the small mining settlement on Numachi Mountain (that would later become Yamagake). Their personalities were polar opposites, with her a hot-headed fighter and him the cool-tempered noble-in-making. She practiced combat while he studied the world and its writings from his room in Sakura Castle. This would come to define their relationship - his even temperament and reasonable, reassuring demeanour meant he was often getting Hitomi out of situations where she was out of her depth, or tending to her after a particularly intense fight. Whenever Alexander felt the weight of the family on his shoulders, she was always there to brighten his mood, and comfort him with her enthusiasm and liveliness. They were each other’s best friends, especially due to growing up slightly apart from the other siblings.

Early Adulthood
He has been responsible for much of the growth and construction of Yamagake, building on the chief architect of the town Cync Numachi's designs to bring the town to life. From this, he would also rise through the provincial Sakuran government, to some disgruntled accusations of nepotism, though these accusations were generally discredited as most acknowledged his good mediative and administrative skills as the reasoning behind promotions. He eventually reached one of the most senior ministerial positions in the region, Mujanaibu-Sakuratochi Shujin, the Minister for Sakuran Internal Affairs, aged only 16 (SMP) during the Sakuran Cultural Revolution (Sakuratochi-bunkashinkō), from which he would help conduct reforms. The most notable of these reforms, and one of the most lasting, was the standardising and officialising of the Sakuran Calendar, or Sakurakitochi Hananotochi.

In Winter 85 SMP, he was appointed as the Royal Historian and Archivist of the Realm of Asarakaen by Isujhaj Dezhou Tchangsui of Seivija, aged 18 (SMP). A year later, in Winter 86 SMP, he was appointed as Minister for Economics by Prime Minister Why? and inducted in to the Senate of the Realm. In Autumn 86 SMP, he resigned as Minister for Economics after implementing the groundwork for the new Guild System, the revised national version of the Radrac Reforms first established in Veldion, citing a desire to return to his building roots in Sakura, having initially stayed on after the coup. He was appointed Minister for Building by Tagavor Leon Olsen-Tanaka on the Winter 87 SMP, and began overseeing construction of places of worship nationally, primarily for the worship of the new national religion, the Zavtranian Pantheon, the first of which was constructed in Kitaichi.

He first saw battle fighting in the Battle of Silva on the side of the unionists (the supporters of ZenoHUN) during the Simulami Civil War in Winter 86 SMP alongside other Asarakaenis in a small detachment sent to aid the military junta by Queen Aisuru Numachi. He also attended the wedding shortly after of Azara McSpiegel and Kolvar Bezchar, representing the Numachi family.

He was also involved in the negotiations that led to the establishment of the Second Plagatéan Empire, as a senior member of the Senate of the Realm of Asarakaen at the time. He did so reluctantly however, disliking the idea of negotiations under threat of armed response if a satisfactory conclusion was not reached.

As Tagavor
Alexander became Tagavor aged only 30 (SMP, 10 SKE), earning his reign the title of 'Wakairīdān Ochesei' in Sakuran, meaning Reign of the Young Leader. He pursued numerous policies of reform, fitting with the perception from his citizens of him as a young, energetic but calm reformist. He reformed the guild system, dissolving the miners guild and the builders guild in favour of a new Mercantile Guild for trading and quotas and a new more functional Builder's Guild, and sanctioned Lord Shogun Tempo to reform the military as he saw fit. He also began regular taxation, based on national census data conducted every 1-2 months, and a budget was created, directing money to relevant valuable causes such as the military, a financial reserve and other building and contractual projects. He also introduced national immigration control, to boost the populations of struggling provinces, Veldion and Valreign.

In foreign policy, Alexander continued the long-term policy of preventing external influences in Plagos, seen for example in the collapse of Alamayn and treatment of Aurora Novum before and during the Donfuer vassal dispute. His foreign policy was largely pragmatic and issue-by-issue, though there was strong moral conviction in his policy to seek peace in Plagos by using the diplomatic weight of the Sapphire Commonwealth. He also put great emphasis on shifiting the warmongering reputation of Plagatèa and by and large succeeded during his reign (though this was not shifted within Plagos, something that would precipitate the collapse of the Second Empire). He signed a military alliance with Seaside-Baronov, and negotiated a non aggression pact with the Osteri Plagos Trading Company for the entirety of the Sapphire Commonwealth at his behest. During his reign, Plagatèa expanded greatly in territory, integrating the former Alamayn lands in Plagos as the new province of Aljazair, under Lord Akihiro Oda, the bastard child of former Tagavor Nero. The Kingdom of Seaside-Baronov and Donfuer also became protectorate lands later during his reign. Plagos gradually united under the Sapphire Commonwealth, partially at his behest and also the long-term desire of all Sapphire Commonwealth states to unite the North of Rathnir, with Skjoldbrodir and Czervoslavia (after the collapse of the United Commonwealth) also joining, and close relations established between the Sapphire Commonwealth and the Osteri Plagos Trading Company (O.P.T.C).

Following an escalation of tensions with Aurora Novum after the Donfuer annexation crisis, in which Aurora Novum were perceived to have illegally annexed the Plagosi city-state of Donfuer, and Aurora Novum's assistance of squatters and raiders during the war on the Aljazair raiders, Alexander and the Plagatèan government became convinced Aurora Novum could no longer stand as an independent country, as they threatened Plagatèa and the Sapphire Commonwealth's stability and reputation. Especially for Alexander, the claims of Plagatèan warmongering, despite his clear action to remove this reputation, were unsubstantiated and insulting, as well as damaging diplomatically across Rathnir, prompting the issuing of a statement to shut down the claims by an Aurora Novum official. Thus, the Sapphire Commonwealth as a collective requested that Aurora Novum either submit to their demands, of peaceful integration into Plagatèa, or face war. After a referendum in Aurora Novum, their citizens voted overwhelmingly for war, widely seen as a suicide note.

Despite an Aurora Novum government officials initially believing they could win the propaganda war, and score a damaging moral victory, the Monarchs of the Sapphire Commonwealth, coordinated by Alexander, would each release statements condemning the lies spread by the Aurora Novum government. Alexander in particular took care to address every accusation levelled at Plagatèa, his eloquence giving him an advantage. The lack of a response after this from the Aurora Novum government demonstrated that this issue had been put to rest.

Thus, a state of war was declared, and Sapphire Commonwealth forces massed in Valreign, before marching for Black Hollow, one of the two Aurora Novum cities. Aurora Novum would initially plan to meet the forces in battle, however it soon became clear that the war was not winnable, and they would be crushed. They submitted with 24 hours before the planned battle, surrendering unconditionally and signing a peace treaty proposed by Alexander and Imperare ZenoHUN of the Simulami Empire. This sparked massive victory celebrations across the Empire, as Aurora Novum were seen as the last toxic remnants of what had toppled the first Empire.

Originally, his marriage to Joanne of Bai, ratified in a treaty with no intention of an official ceremony, was borne solely through political motives, largely for Tagavor Leon's foreign policy need on Eldham, officially married summer 107 SMP / Saigokarahi 4 Kazokuōki 20 SKE. As Alexander had written in his personal diary, he saw no potential for any romanticism in the way his younger self had hoped he might find. However, over time, he began to fall for her. He would eventually marry her in a traditional Sakuran union, making her Joanne Numachi, on Chūnichi 48 Kinjonimaitiōki, 20 SKE / spring 111 SMP, shortly before the birth of their first child, a girl. Kaori Elizabeth Hitomi Numachi was born on the same day as Alexander's birthday, Kinbenohi 7 Seinaruōki 20 SKE / winter 112 SMP, in Ieon Castle. in the latter stages of Joanne's pregnancy, Alexander would move his new family into the old Tagavor residence of Ieon Castle, Kitaichi, to be in his home province of Sakura where he felt more relaxed and able to work and raise his daughter.

Within four years however, Alexander began to succumb to illness. The stress of being Tagavor and protecting his family made his body exhausted and vulnerable, and he soon was forced to make a decision he never wished nor thought he'd have to make. His newfound love of his family had prompted a reassessment of his life, with his illness sapping the energy out of him more consistently than ever. For the betterment of Plagatèa, he saw fit to make preparations to abdicate the throne, to be succeeded by his regent Dezhou Tchangsui of Seivija. He began to further introduce Dezhou into the inner workings of government and gradually immerse him in the day-to-day of being Tagavor, whilst also being given ample opportunity to grow himself into the role. Alexander abdicated his position officially on Keiseihi 1 Kazokuōki, 21 SKE / summer 113 SMP, on the first day of the 21st Sakuran year.

After being Tagavor
Alexander did not wish to lose the opportunity to watch his children grow old, which played a large factor in his decision to move from Ieon Castle. However, he did not to Sakura Castle, where his mother had offered him apartments for himself and his family, but to Yamagake, the town where he 'found himself' when he was growing up, so his child could grow up there too. It marked a noticeable change in his character; from an politically gifted noble, who knew only playing the game of politics, to a warm family man, who valued nothing more than his home. Alexander and Joanne would also later have twins, Adeline Rose Numachi and Alaric Dezhou Futushu Leonidas Numachi, born Kyūjitsuhi 75 Inkaihoniōki 21 SKE / winter 116 SMP, in Yamagake.

The seniority of his previous position meant he retained some influence over events through his advice, and wrote books on his life, historical events and on political theory, even lecturing occasionally at the University of Baronov. He would primarily continue working at the Ōritsunero Kyujikenai Yamagake, or Yamagake Royal Research Institute, that he had set up as Tagavor. His health was not good, but he occasionally visited his mother and father in Kitaichi, and was well enough to retain a normal life with his family.

However, the tragic death of Joanne Numachi would push him to the brink, much of his life becoming a blur. A governess was hired to take care of the children, and he became increasingly distant from nearly everyone, except Shigetada Futushu and his mother Aisuru, who he remained in close contact with.

Update #1 (beginning of Coup of Asarakaen)
(Late evening, 5th September 2021.)

(Yamagake, the Lordship of Sakura province, The Realm of Asarakaen.)

Alexander sat at his desk, his quill scratching away, almost carving rough lines in to the rough brown-white sheets set before him. The economy was not in a good place, and so proper writing materials had been difficult to come by. Ink had been scarce, and so had been good quality paper. Nonetheless, he worked diligently through the night, not just burning but incinerating the midnight oil.

“Yes, I guarantee there will be some level of decentralisation, Lord Ravdrac. The central government would retain oversight and the ability to intervene where necessary, but it will not meddle in the everyday affairs of the guilds so long as things are successful” he assuringly scratched. He had always been an indefatigable worker, but the arguments at the day’s Senate of the Realm meeting had been almost too much, even for him. They had finally agreed on something when he slammed his Guild system draft down in the middle of the table, bidding them all to read it. He had written it based off of Lord Ravdrac’s ideas expressed in the Veldion Council Meeting, though the guilds were centralised enough to be palatable to the others. He had drawn it up at the side of the Senate room, not bothering to take his seat at the main table, while the others sat for hours, in what had begun with them discussing, then debating, then them arguing. Now he wrote letters of assurance to make sure things did not fall apart, to Lord Ravdrac in particular.

He remembered Queen Aisuru’s exasperated expression, as she sat at the head of the table, with the Royal Advisor desperately attempting to organise the dispute in a somewhat civil manner, which to her credit, she had achieved by the end. He hoped he might see Queen Aisuru smile again, as she had the day she and King Techno had adopted him, as she became his mother. They had both filled a void long left unfilled. Things were looking up. Once the economy could be kickstarted, the rest would hopefully soon still fall in to place. The military was in dire need of both finances and personnel, and hopefully they both would be forthcoming once things were in order again.

He paused, glancing around at his surroundings. He was glad to be back, bathing in the lantern light of his cliffside house. It was not big, but there was only him. The palace life had not proven to be to his liking. It was one of the first houses in Yamagake he built, and he could almost sense his blood, toil, sweat and tears emanating from the wood.. Things had been difficult back then; the manual labour was tough, but far more simple. There was a small part of him that wished to go back. The quagmire of national politics was already a near constant mental drain, and he had not even been Minister for Economics for long. He closed his eyes, feeling the orange light of the lanterns dance over his eyelids as they swayed.

Wait a minute, swayed?

He jolted upright, and heard the canter of hooves and the rumble of a cart. He threw open the orange shutters and peered out in to the cool night air. A man in a messenger’s uniform dismounted his horse quickly, his black leather boots striding with purpose across the bridge, before rapping in the door.

“Prince Alexander? Urgent message from Polskrige!”

Alexander practically leapt down the steps, throwing open the door haphazardly. He never got urgent messages, not like this anyway.

“What is it?”

The messenger’s panicked expression created a similar image on his own. “The Magistrate, Leon Olsen-Tanaka, is in Polskrige right now. He’s announced Kardovia is being reformed into the Second Empire of Plagatèa, with him as the last rightful ruler of the previous Empire, and that they are going to ‘take what is rightfully theirs’. He’s got an army and he’s used the threat of it to open negotiations around the inclusion of Asarakaen into the Empire.”

Alexander was managing to stay calm so far, and interpret what he was being told. “And where is Queen Aisuru?”

“She’s on a diplomatic visit on a different continent, and thus isn’t involved in the negotiations. The Royal Advisor is opening negotiations on behalf of her with Magistrate Olsen-Tanaka in the Senate alongside the rest of those in it. You need to get there as soon as is possible.”

“Shit.”

The curse masked the rest of Alexander’s feelings, but he could not afford to express them right now. He’d get a better handle on things once he got to the Senate, he assumed. He pressed some money in to the messenger’s hand, grabbed his brown leather boots from the rack and stuffed them on to his feet, and swung his navy blue coat over his shoulders. He noticed the paper on his desk that he had been writing before he was interrupted. It was signed, with his signature, ‘Prince Alexander W. Numachi’. Wondering if that was the last time he’d sign those words, he turned out the door.

His coat rippled like a cape as he slammed the door shut behind him, running across the bridge and down the stone steps to his horse. He swung his legs up over on to the saddle, thankful that he had not taken it off when he had got home. He had been too tired to even think at that point. He set off almost as soon as his body rested in the saddle, galloping down the road along the desert coast, with no idea of what he’d find at the end.

Update #2 (After Coup of Asarakaen)
(Nighttime, 7th of September)

(Yamagake, Sakura Province, Second Empire of Plagatèa)

Alexander kept his head low as his horse trotted under the dark, rocky overhang from Numachi Mountain, the mountain that bore his surname, a fact that had once seemed awe-inspiring and now felt only like a cruel mockery. The lanterns he had hung some time ago dangled, casting a warm orange light across his features, just enough to expose the dark rings under his eyes, if one could see underneath his dark riding cloak. His youthful looks had soured in the days he had gone, and one could be forgiven for at a glance assuming his age to be twice that of his actual years.

He kept his head low as he emerged from underneath the cliff, just about making out Sakura Castle in the distance. It would have been easier to see, but there were no lights on within the castle. On another day, perhaps he might have been more inclined to check on the home of his parents, but this night was not one of those times. He had defended their honour enough for a lifetime, let alone two days. His shadowy figure led his horse toward the stables, where he settled him for the night. He moved his leaden legs step by step up the stairs, pausing halfway on the bridge to cast a wistful gaze over the small town and beyond, before resuming and entering his home.

He closed the door behind him, and the last vestiges of his will to keep standing evaporated. He sunk to his knees, then backwards, in an almost foetal position, his head falling back against the door. He closed his eyes, and exhaled as though he had not taken a breath since leaving.

“What happens now…?”

He was almost pleading with himself, as though he could find the answers that would assuage his own pain and uncertainty.

Both fortunately and unfortunately, he was nearby his drinks cabinet, and didn’t even have to stand to open it, merely reaching around and opening the small door. He rarely drank, but he selected the spirit he had purchased on his brief visit to Aurlunor Velande a month prior, pulling the cork out haphazardly and sending it rolling across the floor. He took a long drink from the bottle, feeling the warm, numbing feeling of alcohol spread throughout his body. Now he was ready to think back.

He remembered everything in all of its painful glory, try as he might to forget. Images flashed in his mind, snapshots in time. The Senate of the Realm of Asarakaen had already been in total disarray when he arrived in Polskrige, with news of the establishment of the Second Plagatèan Empire reaching them as it reached the rest of Plagos and probably Rathnir. With no Queen, and with Magistrate Olsen-Tanaka supposedly prepared to order his military to sail for Plagos if negotiations were not opened, they had little choice but to negotiate on her behalf.

It had been chaos. The ideas of statesmanship and order appeared to be nearly entirely lost on the crowd that was apparently a Senate, on men and women supposedly his superiors no less. Leon Olsen-Tanaka had merely sat there and waited, trying unsuccessfully not to smirk. He didn’t need to do anything to win except sit back. He’d already won, and Alexander couldn’t fault his execution of whatever plan he had. Begrudgingly, even, he respected it. The Royal Advisor, Abigail Akihiro, had eventually taken charge, pleading for everyone to quieten and listen while she put forward points to Olsen-Tanaka so as to hear his terms. He wanted to be Tagavor, alongside Queen Aisuru. And he wanted to form the Second Empire of Plagatèa, with Michinaru in Eldham and Sakura, Seivija, Valreign, Veldion and Sakurai Tempo in Rathnir. So simple, yet so devastating.

Very soon after arrival, Alexander had used one of the breaks in the pace of negotiating to quickly draft a letter to Queen Aisuru informing her of the situation, figuring his letters were likely to escape checks and be fast-tracked to Najer.

Dear Mother,

''I shall be straight to the point. There is a coup ongoing in Polskrige. Leon Olsen-Tanaka, the Magistrate of the Colonies, has declared Kardovia to be the Second Plagatéan Empire, and is set on claiming his rightful place as Tagavor both here and there, threatening military action. Simulami backs him. I am here in the Senate, as involved as I can be with the negotiations. We need you here. I bid you a safe journey home, so that we may even dare to hope of picking up the pieces when you arrive back on Sakuran soil. Too much longer, and you may be expected to sign an end to the negotiations upon your arrival, though you may already wish to as I write this.''

Your son and your loyal servant, now and forever,

Numachi Alexander Saiyo

(P.S. Send Hitomi my warmest regards. Under different circumstances, I was planning to sail to meet you both today.)

He slammed his ministerial seal on to the letter aggressively, marking in sharp red ink the word URGENT, and handed it to a messenger for immediate dispatch.

Everyone had been too busy trying to save their own skins to think about the consequences. Queen Aisuru’s foreign policy had been built around placating the surrounding Plagosi nations, some of them hungry for a chunk of Plagatèan flesh, some of them wary due to the warmongering of the first Empire. Alexander winced at the naivety. Aisuru had not been so conflict averse out of naivety, and these threats had not gone away. Indeed, she was on foreign Najer soil because of these things, rather than on Asarakaeni soil. The signing and the formation of the Confederation of Plagos was a remarkable achievement regarding this, showing Asarakaen’s commitment to stability in Plagos. In fact, had some of the Senate not seen fit to send word to it saying otherwise, it might have intervened to protect Asarakaen in the negotiations now. It was one of the few times where Olsen-Tanaka seemed worried, throughout the whole affair, which Alexander revelled in perhaps a little too much.

Lord Revo turned first, announcing his and by extension Valreign’s support for the new Empire as a province of it to the room, then to all Rathnir, as a stunned Senate watched on. Alexander rattled off a line of expletives in his head, but was careful to not let his emotions rule his mind, not that his own opinion mattered anyway. Revo had always been a usurper, hell, Alexander was pretty sure he was proud of it. Lord Ravdrac of Veldion saw which way the wind was blowing too, and quietly pledged support at the side of the room and allowed the news to spread throughout it, becoming a vassal of the new Empire in return, finalised by the Treaty of Polskrige. By then it was over.

Alexander couldn’t help but smirk at the irony, though, the negotiations concluded with the only finishing touch still required being Queen Aisuru’s approval, the woman who did not even know what had happened yet. All awaited her return, assuming she would sign on the dotted line. One senator even remarked that she would of course sign - who would turn down being Tagavor in this situation?

Well, apparently Aisuru Numachi would. And she’d do it with confidence as well, as night turned to day without any in the room noticing. All the senators got word of was her announcement, causing loud murmuring and stirring the room from its hushed factional discussions. The Queen wrote a letter to all involved with the negotiations, in ink black as the night, that she would rather abdicate than sit on the throne with Olsen-Tanaka, and that she would not give in to an armed coup and break her word she had given to the nations of Plagos - that she would never revive the previous Empire. Her verdict was simple, her words the same. She would not sign.

She had also stated she would be moving to Viodoxa to be with family, and as soon as Alexander’s tired eyes swept the page he knew he had to stay, for Sakura’s sake. He’d left soon after, making sure the Sakuran government was in order and knew to come to him necessary. He saw no attraction in ruling, but he would do anything to protect his homeland. No one had asked him to do so, but none needed to. Alexander knew. “Times change. Duty endures.” he had muttered to himself. Whatever the times would bring, anyway. He was barely old enough to sit in government, let alone take on the responsibilities of a province, even if he had got through on merit.

Alexander’s mind was dragged back to the present as his ears picked up a wood pigeon’s hoot, looking up at the window, his mind still on that same question.

“What happens now?”.

Update #3, The Normal after the Coup
''10th of September. Numachi Mountain, Sakura Province, Second Empire of Plagatèa.''

A few rocks dislodged from their place as Alexander swung his leg over the mossy outcrop, clambering up the next level of the mountain. They hit the water of the lake below with a rather satisfying noise. He’d picked what he’d thought to be a clear day to survey Numachi Mountain, but as he felt the first drops of rain in his hair he realised he’d evidently been mistaken. He inhaled the familiar scent of rain, a corner of his mouth turning up in a quiet half smile. He continued his way up the mountain, reaching the summit just as the rain began to intensify.

He yanked out a crop of paper from his back pocket, of decent quality again now the farms and ports seemed to at least be somewhat functioning, sketching out the lay of the land. Being Minister of Building didn’t have quite of the glamour of Minister of Economics, but he embraced it nonetheless. After all, it was he who had tendered his resignation to Tagavor Olsen-Tanaka, only to be given this position afterwards. The lines he sketched were a far cry from the intense, cursive black lines he had worked tirelessly for days on for the guild system, yet again revised under the new government. He felt he done enough after, and had left his position, leaving it to Lord Lieutenant Joseph, a new compatriot from the Eldham provinces of the Empire.

Alexander regretted nothing. The mountain air did him good, and he felt his spirit lift. His mother’s return had softened the blow too, her presence in Sakura lifting the province from its worries again. For now, the status quo endured, though Alexander got the impression this was merely while power was consolidated. It would be unwise for any new government to immediately embark on measures that might create further instability. Regardless, he didn’t have to care. As long as Sakura remained untouched, he could work in peace directing projects and getting his hands dirty. He’d heard some townsfolk in Old Sakura muttering about ‘the proactive Prince’, some meaning it as a compliment and some as an insult. Alexander didn’t care either way, only finding the use of the term Prince ironic since the title was now defunct.

The twin castles of Ieon and Sakura towered in the distance, the last rays of sunshine just poking through between them. The lanterns were lit in Sakura Castle again. Crisis was not imminent. Perhaps in Plagos, for now anyway, that was all one could ask for.