1 First Night

He was at that curious age of nineteen, barely a boy and barely a man. Of course, in the land of monsters and men, what was he but a snake in men's clothing but he was precarious in how he moved his body. So fluidly and with more thought than the average boy his age.

His life had begun as the oldest, tending to two cousins not much older or much younger than himself who were heirs to the throne of the emperor, Keenan Ali.

As typical to his day, Vy was reading through scrolls like he usually did. He always looked so serious, like this was work and not something he did for fun or pleasure. He'd been sitting in the pavilion for hours now.

Siam was behind him, putting them away in the cabinets but not without complaint. "Keelan gets special training and I'm stuck in the archive room." He growled, walking back to grab the basket. He grunted as he hefted it up from the floor, grunting as he took it down a further aisle, more than ten feet from Vy.

"Would you rather read through these?" He asked. He didn't mind putting them away.

Siam looked at him, "Do I look like I want to read them?" He asked, peering out from around the side of the dark brown shelf.

Vy laughed lightly. "No you seem like you want to get into trouble."

"Define… trouble." Siam grinned, "I just want to go out and have some enjoyment. I found this cool place Hajib was telling me about in the market. He said he'd show it to me today when I went down to his shop. I don't want to spend time in a stuffy old library."

"Did he say what this place was?" Vy asked looking at the scroll again.

"He wouldn't tell me. Said it was a surprise. Keelan is going to go with me." Well, he was but he didn't tell him yet.

Vy smirked. He knew his cousin well. "Is he?" He looked at him then.

"He will," he laughed, "especially if I tell him there's gambling involved. I know he'll be especially pleased if they have Rummy and shatranj." He snorted.

Vy nodded. "Right. So this is not a reputable place."

"That's insulting. A business is a business. They pay taxes as they should." He smarted off, "You act like it's so terrible, calling it as you are, but it wouldn't be a business if it didn't drive profits."

Vy tilted his head nodding. "Fair point." He closed the scroll and looked at him. "Don't get into trouble though."

"Trouble is for those who are caught. I'm hardly catch-able at my age now! Those old farts have given their best, but I can out move them now. They're getting old."

Vy laughed then. "Well then at least enjoy your time."

"Always," he smirked, stopping to look to the doorway as his father opened the door. "Good morning," he started.

"Siam," he nodded, stepping up to him. "Where is your brother?" He asked him, furrowing a brow.

"Keelan?"

"Of course, who else?"

"Right," he breathed. His other siblings were too small for that. "His room?"

Vy raised a brow. Wasn't he in special training? "Good morning, uncle." He bowed his head.

"His instructor says he wandered off."

"O-oh" he breathed, "I um… I'm not sure." He lied.

Keenan glared at him, sensing something was amiss. "Siam, if you see your brother. Tell him to come back to the courtyard. He's missing his sword training."

Vy picked up another scroll. Best not to get involved in this.

"O-of course," he breathed as Keenan walked away, leaving him alone with Vy again. "He's pretty angry." He breathed. Keelan kept skipping that class and now their father was catching on.

"So where is Keelan?" He asked Siam. He thought he had an idea. Vy looked at him.

"Probably hiding away from that one man," he was talking about Keelan's instructor. "At Baba's house, playing tiles with her." He was talking about shogi. " Keelan hates practicing with him. Says he keeps getting his hands smacked by the wooden sword." Obviously, he doesn't want to go anymore. He didn't even think he'd get good enough to satisfy the instructor, let alone their father.

Vy nodded. He set the scroll down and stood up. "Alright. Let's go get him." Vy needed a break and he was good at playing tiles.

"Yeah," he breathed. He didn't mind his grandmother much. At least she didn't scold them.

Vy enjoyed being around her as well. He got a lot of his patience from her. She was never loud and always knew what to say.

Siam stuffed the remaining scrolls into random places to finish up. He was sure no one else came in here besides them. If anyone else did, it's not like they knew it was him. The other boys put away scrolls too throughout the week. Surely he'd not get caught. "Come on," he breathed, tossing the basket to the side as he walked to the doorway, his grass sandals slapping against the cold stone.

Vy walked after him, not in too much of a hurry though. He looked up at the sky and winced at how bright and sunny it was. "When do you think the rains will hit this year?" He asked. Should be soon, he thought to himself. It would cool everything down and make it much more pleasant to be outside.

Siam crossed out into the hot desert sun, "Probably late, like last year. I assume the rivers will flood." He looked at Vy, "You're not one for the sun, much, are you?" He asked him, looking him up and down. Then again, he always wore the most amount of garb, it was probably hot.

He shook his head. "I like the sun, I don't like so much heat." He sighed. "I do prefer more cloudy days though." He loved the rain. He loved the water and things that were cool.

"I love the heat," he breathed, he could bask in it all day. It warmed his skin, making him feel alert and awake instead of sluggish and tired. "Are you sure you're a snake?" He teased, grinning widely as he went down the large steps into the palace grounds on the second level of the building.

He smiled at his cousin. He followed after him quietly. He wondered if their grandmother would be up to playing a game with all of them.

Yu Yan quietly looked at her tiles and then back to Keelan. "The longer you stare at them will not change what they are," she told him. It sounded like she was chiding him, but she meant it lightly.

"I know," he told her, thinking about it slowly. His hair fell down over his shoulder as he leaned forward to stare at the board. "You just- You've got me kind of sandwiched." He mumbled to himself quietly, trying to think of something before he picked up the tile to move it but he stopped, pausing to look at the board and wondered if he was doing this right. Maybe- He hissed quietly, before clenching his teeth and set it down in the next space.

She grinned and laid her tile quickly. She looked up then and saw her other grandsons. "You're brother and cousin are here."

Siam looked back behind him as they crossed into the small garden and he saw the doors to the small hut open in the center of it. His hair whipped back behind him in a long ponytail as he grinned to Vy, "I told you he was with Baba." He snickered, pointing at the open door to see him sitting inside with her.

Vy saw Baba look at them and he bowed his head slightly to her.

Siam looked at her, bowing his head before walking up to her and he climbed up onto the wooden porch before kicking off his shoes to walk over to her and sit down next to his brother. "Is he losing yet?" He asked her.

Keelan glared at him but held his tongue in front of his grandmother. "Siam, you don't even know how to play this."

"He is improving," she laughed lightly at them. She looked to Vy. Her quiet one. "Are you going to join the next one?" she asked.

Vy slid his shoes off and sat across from Siam. "I would like to."

"Siam it is time you learn."

"Why?" Siam puffed, "I don't need to learn that."

"It's called strategy," Keelan sighed, turning his nose up at him as he stopped to look down at the board to watch it. "Something you hardly practice."

"At least I do it. Father came looking for you today," he smirked, poking at him. "Said you ran away from the sword master again, 'cept this time he noticed."

Keelan froze, looking at him. Shit! Now he knew?! Did Siam rat him out?! No. He wouldn't. "Who told him?" He saw his brother shrug and he looked down at the table, groaning. He was screwed. He knew it. If he didn't get a thrashing tonight if he caught him, he'd get it tomorrow and a lot of bruised fingers again from that old man. He always hit so hard with the wooden swords!

Yu Yan shook her head. "I'll talk to your father about that instructor…" She promised. She looked to Vy then. "I heard Koto is taking another concubine."

Vy looked at her. "He is?" he didn't pay attention to that. On the rare occasions his father talked to him, that was not brought up.

Keelan looked at her, his eyes wide. "Really?" He asked her quickly, his expression brightening.

She looked at Keelan and nodded. "She is coming to the city tonight. Your father wants to have a big dinner to show her off."

Vy wasn't interested. His father seemed to think that because he was bored he needed a new partner. Vy's mother had died so it made sense that he took Bao Ma. She was clearly his favorite so was he just mad?

Keelan laughed a little, not too enthralled at the idea of another concubine but he smiled to his grandmother, nodding. He was more excited about getting out of sword practice. "Is ever-yone going?" He choked.

Siam looked at him and then to his grandmother. Tonight?! She couldn't be serious! The market! Siam groaned, falling back against the floor. "Noo!" He groaned, "Not tonight! Anything but tonight!"

Yu Yan looked at Siam. "You had plans?" She asked. She looked at all of them. "I tell you we're celebrating an addition to the family tonight and you're acting like I just ruined everything."

Siam looked at her, his face stricken with fear. He shut up, looking at her. "N-no," he lied, looking away.

Keelan looked away, wincing. He hated seeing new concubines. It just made him bitter, reminding him of his mother long-since replaced. "I don't want to go," he said, becoming pensive.

Vy didn't either. He looked down at the board holding his tongue.

Yu Yan frowned. "Honestly," she sighed heavily. "I don't either."

Vy looked at her then his eyes wide.

"Oh don't look so surprised!" she scoffed at Vy. "You think I don't know my sons… Koto's boredom rivals even yours Siam."

Siam looked at his grandmother and he looked like he'd just been caught in the act of sneaking away. He looked at her, his eyes wide before he looked down again, his lips pursing. He was like his uncle?

Keelan looked at the table, quiet, but he didn't seem to cheer up. "Why do it then? Is that what we grow up to be?" He asked her, looking up. "I don't want many brides. I want one." He told her quickly.

"You'll grow up to be whatever you want. Times are changing and I feel like you won't follow so strictly to tradition." She looked at them. "Let's play a game together and then I'll pretend I didn't hear that you had plans tonight." She smiled at them.

Siam looked away sheepishly, unable to contain his grin.

Keelan nodded, holding back from saying more. "Thank you Baba," he told her quietly, looking back at the board.

Vy had a feeling they were going to drag him into their nightly shenanigans as well.

When the sun finally started to set over the valley, Keelan had managed to play his grandmother four times over. In this time, Siam had dozed off long ago. Finally after losing a second time in a row, Keelan stood up to stretch. He raised his arms above his head and groaned a little at how sore he'd been from sitting in the same position for hours.

Finally, Keelan looked at Vy, then to his dozing brother, "You two came to watch me play Baba?" He raised a brow. Surely they didn't and had meant for other things.

"Not entirely. We wanted to be sure this is where you were hiding." And he had wanted to play but he'd ended up just helping Keelan.

Keelan smirked at Vy, "Boredom?" He stood up then, stretching before walking over to his brother to flick him in the head. "Oi, wake up."

Siam opened his eyes to glare at him.

"Let Baba relax. Let's go." He told him, walking over to the porch to slide his black slippers on and step onto the ground. He looked at Siam's shoes and made a face. He still wore those stupid grass sandals that salesman conned him into purchasing. He rolled his eyes. "Are you going to the party?" He asked Vy.

Vy slipped his shoes on and looked at Keelan. What else was he going to do? Watch his father make a spectacle of some woman he'd just met. "I'll go," he told him.

"Seriously?" Keelan asked him, raising a brow.

Siam got down after them, "The market!" He whined, coming up behind them. "We have to go tonight! The special events! Tusa said if I come tonight, he'll give me a special discount at the new shop he's going to take me too."

Vy looked at Siam. That sounded very suspicious. "Did he explain what you'd be getting a discount on?"

"Said somethin' new I might like." He whipped out a pipe from his pants beneath his long shirt and waved it at him. "Gave me one of these," he gleamed. "Said he'd give me some stuff for it later."

"That's a tobacco pipe," Keelan looked at him, "The stuff smells like the camel dung from the stables." He waved his mouth, turning away.

"You never know. It may smell awful but it could taste great."

"They could roll that into chips and give it to you and I'm sure you'd say the same thing." Keelan shivered, looking at him. "Put that away before one of the servants reports you."

Vy shook his head. Someone could sell Siam air and he'd buy it. "Let's get going before it's too late."

"Lies! I would not!"

Keelan shook his head, "Come on Siam," he told him. "We have a party to get ready for."