Emperor Daishoga looked down at the female intently for a moment, studying her features closely from behind his desk. This went on for around five or so minutes until the Emperor got to his feet. He stretched and then walked over to the castle windows and pulled them open. A cold breeze swept across the room. It was still raining outside, but not as hard. In fact the storm finally seemed to be breaking.<br/><br/>"I do not envy you for enduring such a fierce storm," Daishoga said, not turning to face her. "The last time such a storm ravaged these fair lands, I was but a child. My mother took me by the hand and led me out into the overgrown courtyard.  She had a sort of magical touch with plants. She could make almost anything grow. A mere look down below at the maze like gardens should reveal that much. But, I diagress. She led me outside with not even an umbrella to keep me safe from nature's fury. The rain sliced at my skin, the thunder barraged my ears, and the wind cut at my clothes. It was freezing. But she showed not an ounce of fear. She told me that the storm was nothing to be afraid of. And I heeded those words."<br/><br/>The Emperor turned back to face her after he finished what he was saying and moved around his desk. He walked over until he was directly in front of her and then slowly descended to his knees. One of Daishoga's hands reached out and gently grasped her chin, pushing it up so that her eyes were level with his.<br/><br/>"I sense a great fear in you. It is the same fear that I felt when I faced the storm for the first time. But I am nothing to be afraid of," Daishoga said, his eyes fixed upon her own. "The world fears that which it cannot understand. Please keep these words in mind. They have done me very well since I was a young child." His hand drifted from her chin and caressed her cheek briefly. Then he dropped his hands.<br/><br/>It was such an informal way for an Emperor to act. But this was the way Daishoga was sometimes. There was a knock on the door.<br/><br/>"Come in," Daishoga said.<br/><br/>A soldier marched into the room. His eyes furrowed when he saw the Emperor sitting like that with a servant girl in front of him. He was new. A transfer from a station far to the west. His name was Calbrand. He had yet to assimilate well to the ways of life in ShindCom.<br/><br/>"Do you have something to say?" Daishoga whispered, softly.<br/><br/>"I think you look ridiculous sitting there on the floor with that whore of a peasant," Calbrand remarked, snidely. "The peasantry are only good for cleaning up the mess the royals make and yet here you sit upon your knees in front of her. Know you no shame?"<br/><br/>Even those less wise than Calbrand knew to talk to Daishoga like that. The Emperor sighed.<br/><br/>"If it had only been me you insulted...."<br/><br/>Calbrand suddenly drifted up into the air. He screamed. "Hey, what's-" Blood sudderly began spewing from his mouth. It frothed and then gushed down the front of his chin and drenched the front of his robes. It wasn't long before there was a pool of blood beneath his body.<br/><br/>Daishoga waved a hand and Calbrand's corpse fell to the ground. After his initial reaction he hadn't uttered a single word. Not even a scream.<br/><br/>"What a mess," Daishoga cursed. He got to his feet and stepped out into the hall. "Excuse me, could you two remove this corpse from my office?" He was speaking to the two soldiers stationed outside his study. Apparently this was nothing new because the soldiers didn't even react in a surprised fashion as they saw the corpse. They simply gathered it up and carrried it out of the room. Then they came back and took care of the blood that had spilled upon the ground.<br/><br/>Daishoga watched them with his arms folded across his chest. He seemed quite bored with the proceedings. Once they were gone, he turned back to Sage with a smile upon his face.<br/><br/>"I do believe you said your name is Sage, correct? Welcome to life at the castle. I have been told that you're going to be my personal servant from today onward. Do you have any experience in such a position?" As he spoke, the Emperor made his way back over to the desk and seated himself. He acted just as calmly as he did before. It was as if he hadn't just murdered someone.