A/N: Thank you to everyone who's picked up my story again. I appreciate all your kind comments.

Also, The identity Zellen takes on is from Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events." That's a great set of books I love and I just felt like putting a reference in here. After all, Zellen is about to go through a series of unfortunate events.

Part 40:

Zellen opened his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. His chest was too bruised to get much air. He coughed and looked around the small encampment's prisoner tent. Sergei wasn't faring as well. The man was lying by him under a threadbare blanket. Fortunately, the need for skilled, circuit healers saved him from too much harm.

The older man's mouth had run away with him when the rebel army had invaded the small town of Murom. Sergei had received a beating as a result. The reason the man had created such a ruckus was to take attention off of Zellen. The younger healer had to quickly cast a glamor so he wouldn't be identified by the rebels. If Naidra Harvoan's foot soldiers knew they had Drysi's husband, it would certainly lead to large trouble for Zellen.

If it was known Zellen was among the captives, he'd be taken right away so the duchess could use him, or even maybe go as far as kill him. So far, they'd been lucky and no one recognized him, because he was imitating the face of a deceased solider he had tried to save during the invasion.

At first, Sergei and Zellen had traded posts with Sergei's friend with no problem. Everything seemed peaceful and Zellen was getting to know a little bit about the land his wife came from. Then disaster had seemed to strike all at once. There was suddenly a gathering of rebel troops out of nowhere lead by the escaped, older duchess and her five, Valerian boy-underlings.

Zellen thought he could gather information about the old duchess, but it had all been futile. He and Sergei were too bogged down with aiding people after sudden acts of violence from this rebellion that was spreading north towards Luval Castle. Part of being a healer was taking an oath to care for people above all else, hence, the bind he and Sergei were in now.

They had been identified as circuit healers loyal to King Ashura, even though Zellen constantly wore a glamor now. They were forced to heal the rebel foot soldiers. Both of them took their vows as healers seriously: to heal and comfort all that they encountered with needs, body, spirit, and mind. They would heal anyone, even if the person was a criminal low-life rebelling against King Ashura.

The thing that spurred Sergei and Zellen on to do their best was the idea of letting Judge Vlad, or worse... King Ashura, deal with them. Therefore, they made it a point of pride to save as many as possible for the tender "mercies" of Celes' Royal Court.

There could be a problem with Zellen taking on a glamor. Zellen feared Ashura appearing and giving no quarter. Ashura liked him and trusted him with Yuui, but Ashura ruled with an iron fist. He had to because of things like this. And with Zellen having to wear a glamor, the king wouldn't know him.

Zellen started from his bleak thoughts as Lady Kanoe came walking in. The hateful woman was in charge of keeping this town under control as the old duchess planned the next leg of their coup. From what Zellen had gleaned, Judge Vlad had just sent back a very colorful letter to the old duchess' demands for control over Yuui. At this moment, Zellen would give anything to see a pink hex caster: Vlad, Fai... anyone!

"We're moving on. Healers, get yourselves together and get ready to march north. We're ready to mount our invasion towards Luval. Our scry master has said King Ashura just arrived back from Nihongo Country."

"Scry master?" Zellen asked, as he wracked his brain for anyone at Luval who would dare betray Yuui or the king.

"You didn't think we'd attack Luval without inside information, Journeyman Healer?" Lady Kanoe said with a gloating expression and crossed arms. She then seemed to give Zellen an overly analytical look and then leered. "You're an attractive, young man. Why train as circuit healer? It's a waste when you could be some noble's personal healer."

Zellen's mind cast about and he realized a little too late he had picked a deceased soldier's face that was way, way handsome. It wasn't as if he had much choice, anyway. Males were something he never really thought of, him being attracted just to girls, unlike Yuui and Fai. And well, Drysi was his ideal girl. He picked the deceased soldier out of panic, not choice.

He emptied his mind of these petty thoughts and answered her as himself, from his own heart. "I chose this job to save people suffering from all sorts of horrors. If I can alleviate suffering, I want to do it. It's what I care about."

"You and your master here? Anyway, what was your name? It wasn't taken down, because Master Sergei here is a loud mouth," she asked.

"Klaus Baudelaire," Zellen lied easily enough. It was the name of a children's book character he had loved and he gambled this lady, at least three decades older than him, wouldn't know the reference.

"Well, get your old man up and get ready to march," she ordered.

"How many people do you have at Luval?" Sergei asked, sitting up with a grimace.

"None of your business, Master Healer! You'll do as you're told!" the noble woman snarled. With that, she left the tent.

Zellen stood and helped Sergei to his feet. Zellen whispered, "Now what?"

"We go with them and look for a chance to get away. They won't let us have our staves except for work, and they know we would just stop working. We have to just run off when there are no casualties. But you... no matter what..." Sergei said with a smirk. "Get back to your wife and your child."

"I know, I know..." Zellen whispered, knowing what Sergei was impressing on him. He had to stay under a glamor and NOT reveal his true self. Otherwise, his new family could come under tragedy.

"Tanya and I talked about it a lot. You and your wife come first, so don't think about either of us. Tanya's still a circuit healer, even if she doesn't want to acknowledge it; she knows how to make hard choices. We want you to only concentrate on that girl you're married to and the baby she's carrying. We want it that way. If you don't do that, we'd be really disappointed in you. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Zellen answered numbly. It was as if every person in his world was in danger: Drysi, Tanya, Sergei, and even Yuui. It was as if he had to wait on someone to fight back, and it was killing him.

"Lady Suwa, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Lord Takenaka."

She started and swirled around. Hitomi glanced around the empty courtyard and started to feel some offense. It was unseemly for a lone man to approach a lone woman and introduce himself, especially if the lady was married and the setting was without a relative of hers around.

This man, being of the noble class, should know that he should have gone through Hondo for an introduction. At the very least, her adult son, Kurogane, should be with her if the man dared approach her.

What Lord Takenaka was doing was considered extremely rude towards her and towards Hondo. Also, it would be considered disrespectful towards Kurogane for someone to approach his mother like this. Now that Kurogane was an adult, he and his father, both, would be expected to address an insult like this.

However, she had to wonder about this man's sudden appearance in Suwa and what had unnerved Hondo so much about this man. She set aside her offense and nodded towards him because she wanted answers about her husband's recent, odd behavior.

"Welcome to Suwa, Lord Takenaka. If there is any comfort we can provide for you during your stay, please let my husband know and we'll see to it," she said, establishing a reminder of propriety in a firm, but polite, manner.

"Your husband has shunned my request. I left him so he could confer with the Ice King over some matter. The foreigner seemed to have some concerns in his own land." Then Lord Takenaka smirked unpleasantly. "It seems your husband doesn't care for the man."

"My husband and the Ice King are adjusting to a situation not of their making," she said, getting offended all over again. What business was it of this man what Hondo and Ashura's relationship was like? She decided to put on her most formal baring. "So what is Lord Takenaka's business with my noble husband?"

The man guffawed and said, "It has to with you, actuality."

"What request would you make of me, Lord Takenaka?" she asked, now feeling some anger. This man was being so improper!

"Your husband did something years ago that harmed the dignity of Takenaka. There was a settlement of rice, however, rice is no substitute for life," the man said with a snarl. Then he got a nasty smirk. "Rice is also no substitute for a province lord's reputation."

"What are you saying, sir?" she said firmly, with a crisp tone. "My honorable father-in-law settled a land dispute with your father years ago. There was nothing about the loss of life."

The bitter twist of his lips and the hardness in his eyes caused a shock to run through her. He said, "My sister, Miho, is dead because of your husband. He dishonored her during her bridal visit and caused her injury by raising his hand to her and sticking her down. She grew so despondent from the rejection, she eventually killed herself. So, is rice enough to replace her life?"

Hitomi had been told she was the first and only bride for Hondo by his lady-cousin, Ren. This was a total surprise, but she kept her expression schooled. She said, "If what you say is true, then the matter was settled by Father Akira and your predecessor. You have no standing."

"I don't care about what transpired between my father and the old Lord Suwa. I only care about justice for my sister."

Lady Suwa shook her head. "I don't believe my husband would ever strike an innocent woman! That's not the man I know!"

"Then ask him about his drinking days back in Edo. Ask him about the engagement between him and my sister. Don't be naive like most province ladies. Know that I'll start sharing Hondo's secrets unless you comply with my request."

Hitomi's throat grew dry. She asked, "What is that request?"

"Order your son to marry my niece and produce an heir to Suwa with her." Lady Suwa said nothing, she just stared at him in dread. Lord Takenaka confirmed, "I will make sure Hondo is disgraced, and then I'll leverage a complaint against your son.

"It'll be successful, because I'll appeal to your villagers with this news. Some of the older leaders know, but they kept it a secret out of respect for the former Lord Suwa. Some of the younger ones, though, will be appalled that your husband has been living a lie. So get your son in line, and I'll keep my mouth shut, otherwise, your family will be driven out of Suwa."

"You're a horrid man," she hissed, and drew her hand up to her blue, fluorite pendant. She was feeling angry at this man for demanding such a thing. She also felt angry at Hondo and his family for hiding this from her. If only she would have known, she could have planned to protect Kurogane. Now she was in a very bad position, along with Kurogane.

"Understand that I think you were used in this whole thing to quickly cover up my sister's death. I pity you, but make no mistake. I will use you to get what I want."

"Which is?"

"Control of Suwa. When my niece has the heir, then I'll vow to never repeat what happened. Until then, know I don't have any restraint on how far I'll take this."

"I will talk to my husband and son. We'll all have dinner tonight and discuss this." She turned and headed straight for Hondo's sitting room.

Ashura noted how many mayors were absent. It was close to a forth of them, enough to cause an upheaval in Celes, however there was nothing he was allowed to do until his grandchildren were born. He had to leave it up to Yuui.

"I'll not make this a long session. It has to do with two matters."

The mayors all quieted down and took their seats in the large meeting hall. Judge Vlad wasn't at this meeting; he was out trying to suppress the rebellion. That was what he expected of the man. And Ashura was relived Boris had kept Yuui in Valeria. He couldn't be here otherwise, because of his agreement with the Dimensional Witch.

Yuui's happiness meant everything to Ashura, and he'd bargained away a great deal for it. Yes, he adored Fai and Yuui equally, but he had to make sure Yuui had a chance at becoming the ruler he needed to be, otherwise Celes could be lost very quickly.

"The first is the matter of Naidra Harvoan. She's committing treason against the crown. I understand that you've all read Judge Vlad's reports?" They all nodded and murmured that they had. "As you know, I'm the only one who can sign her death warrant, but I must have the support of the mayoral board. I ask that you give me the vote to sign the warrant. All those in agreement, raise your hand. Anyone abstaining from the vote, please stand."

It was almost unanimous. The only curiosity was that Mayor Tanya holding her hand up with a lowered head towards the floor. Ashura admired her courage to protect her town's people; from what he knew, her new husband and nephew were in deep danger. Her vote could cause more retaliation against Kella.

He slammed his gavel down and said, "The motion has passed. Naidra Harvoan and her supporters are to be annihilated with extreme prejudice. The only ones with authority to spare any of the rebels are myself or Judge Vlad. No one may approach my son, Prince Yuui, in this matter. Not that it'll happen, but to make it clear, no one can approach Duke Fai about it either. Understood?"

"Yes, Majesty," they answered uniformly.

"Now, the other matter before us is the matter of Naidra's demand of regency, which would include control over my son, Prince Yuui. I ask that you officially vote this down so there will be no question of the line of succession, should I pass away into the spring goddess' arms. I want assurances from you all, no matter what, that you trust my judgment in declaring Yuui my heir. I want to know you'll support him if, goddess forbid, I were to pass away. Vote now and vote honestly. Trust me, my scry master has made a report I just read."

He was relieved to see everyone voted to support Yuui and it affirmed Lantis' report. The mayors that had abstained from attending, mainly southern towns, would have voted against Yuui anyway. At least Ashura knew the vast majority of his people would support Yuui.

Ashura added, just in case anyone had any sly thoughts, "If for some reason Prince Yuui can't ascend to my throne, then it goes to Duke Fai and his twin boys- unnamed as of yet, but they are to be addressed as 'master' in front of their names when in our realm. Yuui will be the one to determine their titles, if they receive them, and Yuui shall determine his lineage once he is declared king.

"The children Fai carries are my grandchildren and to be treated as such." He knew, from his deal with the Wish Caster, that probably wouldn't happen. Fai's children wouldn't inherit most likely. Still, he wanted to be firm and settle his affairs. "From this day, the Tvardovsky Dynasty is dead. That's why I gave my children a different surname from myself. A father always wishes his sons to carry his name, but in my case, I wouldn't wish that upon them.

"They need to create a change in our land and move us towards the future without me and my family's past, and without the burdens the Tvardovsky name brings. A new, fresh spring needs to be brought to our land, and someone like Yuui can rejuvenate our dying world. He'll bring things this world will need after this rebellion is put down, things like compassion and sympathy.

"I ask to see your support for Yuui, because I believe that our dying world does have a hope and does have a future. I trust my son to have that vision for all of Celes' children. All of you that support me, have the courage to cast off the Tvardovsky name when my time has come to an end."

Dayken stood up and started clapping. This inspired others instantly. The support was wide and the relief in the king's heart was great. He suppressed tears in his eyes and stood. He dropped his normal, genial expression to one that was made of granite.

"Now, I ask that you suppress these rebels that threaten Celes' children. Because I've sacrificed something for your success, I can't be here for several more months. I trust all of you to support Yuui and make a way for a new, brighter future for Celes."

The mayors all came up and congratulated Ashura and reaffirmed their support. He shook their hands and was kindly. It was Tanya he stopped and took aside. She was afraid for Zellen and Sergei. He recommended she appoint a temporary mayor and go find out where they were. After all, she had been a circuit healer herself and was still young enough to handle the job's rigors. She nodded and left quickly in a flurry of yellow runes.

Ashura dismissed everyone and walked down the hallway to his study. He opened it and looked instantly at the large shadow. "Come out, Lantis."

The shadow dissipated and revealed the tall, dark-haired man and his fair-haired ward. They both bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

"So who was it?"

"Lady Kanoe. She helped with Lady Bresha's rebellion. Duchess Olena is loyal, however. She is trying to convince several nobles in the south to remain loyal to you."

"Send her some support, then. And...?" King Ashura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's your steward and the head quartermaster for the army. They've been feeding information to your aunt," Lantis reported. He smiled and said, "It was Nikolay that found out the quartermaster was corrupt. A really good piece of work."

"Good indeed," Ashura said, giving the shy child a smile. "You know what I expect. Kill my steward and quartermaster. Send their heads to Lady Kanoe and make her next."

"Are you going back to Nihongo Country?" Lantis asked when Ashura picked up his staff.

All Ashura could say was, "It's beyond my control." He then cast the rune set to take him back to Fai.

Kurogane was about to barge into his father's sitting room, but he couldn't ignore his distressed mother as she rushed in the same direction. "Mother! What's wrong?"

"It was... It was... Lord Takenaka! He... Son, he said... I can't even..."

Kurogane burst into anger at an instant. No one was allowed to upset his mother like this! "The man will pay for whatever he said to you! Where is he?!"

"No, please, Son, don't! You don't understand," she pleaded with tears streaming down her cheeks. Seeing his mother's tears only infuriated Kurogane more.

"Tell me where he is, Mother!"

"You-ou! Enough! Don't trouble your mother any more!" Lord Suwa said after sliding aside his door with a loud bang. Kurogane was shocked to see his father's narrowed eyes along with using his sacred name.

"Husband, we need to talk. Lord Takenaka told me something. He has made a demand of me!" she said obviously distressed.

Kurogane watched his father's eyes slide shut and his face took on a tense look. "He told you, didn't he, Hitomi?"

"He told me about some things in your past before our marriage," she answered, her voice sounding tense, too. "You must speak with me."

Lord Suwa stood aside and let Lady Suwa enter. Lady Suwa paused and said, "Come with me, Son. This involves you as well."

"Please, Hitomi, don't involve Kurogane," Lord Suwa pleaded.

"You involved him in this business long before he was born."

Kurogane knew his mother was a genteel lady, but her anger could be fierce at times. Lord Suwa nodded and waved Kurogane in as well. Lord Suwa shut the door and the three of them sat around the tea table. Kurogane's nose caught the odor of sake, so he wondered how sober his father was.

"So he told you about his sister?" Lord Suwa asked with a lowered head.

Kurogane let his mother talk. "Yes. He said you struck her down during a bridal visit and she never recovered. Your father told all that rice going to Takenaka was over a land dispute. Admit to me what it was really for or you dishonor me."

Kurogane's back stiffened. He realized Fai was right as his father related the whole story in a grim tone. He even confessed about his past difficulties with drinking and that striking Miho Takenaka was what spurred him into leading a more righteous life.

"And now what about your drinking?" Kurogane asked. "You've dishonored my mate about this."

"I know and I'm truly ashamed. Your mage was correct about my drinking. I will apologize to him before dinner."

"There is something more dire we must handle before dinner, Husband. Lord Takenaka demanded I arrange a marriage between our son and his niece."

"How dare that man go behind my back and confront you with that. I warned him Kurogane would never agree," Lord Suwa said, still not lifting his head.

Kurogane's shoulders stiffened and he shook his head. "Fai is already carrying my children. I'm already committed."

"He is threatening to tell the village leaders and make trouble using your past," Lady Suwa said. She turned towards her son. "He's going to publicly shame your father and our family name, Kurogane."

Icy dread crept into Kurogane's stomach. He was afraid his mother was about to ask him to do the unthinkable. Lord Suwa raised his hand and said, "Kurogane, go be with your mage. Don't panic him with our troubles. We will meet before dinner and finish talking about this before we meet Takenaka."

Kurogane nodded at his dismissal and sought out Fai. He was in their room studying kanji. He sat beside Fai, who gave him a bright smile. "So my sneaky, little sissy is back from his reconnaissance mission? What did you find out?"

"You were right, Fai. I'm afraid my father is in a very bad position right now."

"Tell me about it," Fai urged, setting aside his calligraphy brush. Kurogane told Fai everything and ended it with the news about Takenaka blackmailing his mother. Kurogane could tell nothing from Fai's serene expression. He just nodded and picked up the calligraphy brush again. "This will work out, I'm sure. I'm not worried at all. Magic, like wards, can always be revoked."

Kurogane wished he could be as confident as his mage. Lord Suwa's reputation was everything. It's what made Suwa stable. Without it, things could get ugly very quickly.

To be continued.