Fate I

XXVIII

The waves crashed against the harbor shore as the citizens of the Kou Empire stared in awe at the majesty that laid before them. Docked at the harbor were countless ships, each bearing its own flag stitched with its respective insignia. This had happened earlier in the week and though they had expected it to stop a while later, more ships simply kept arriving. Starting with Artemyra and the Kingdom of Sasan, it was soon followed by the Heliohapt Kingdom, the Imcuhakk nation, the Balbadd Kingdom, the Parthevia Empire, and many other small countries before the Reim Empire arrived. Countless carriages were dispatched, each one bearing its country's flag before being carried off to the Imperial Palace.

"So this is the Kou Empire," a young man glanced out the carriage window. "It's livelier than I expected. Isn't that so, Ja'far?"

His amber eyes reflected the scene before him as they shone brilliantly underneath the sunlight and his long, purple hair which was braided on the side and tied into a ponytail flowed behind him. He was none other than Sinbad, a young man who had made his name known across the numerous lands and seas by building up a small trading company to what would soon become his own kingdom. Sitting opposite him was his trusted aide, Ja'far. His white hair and emerald eyes along with his freckled skin was a pale contrast in comparison to Sinbad but when it came to strategizing and analyzing, he was second to none — despite the fact that he used to be an assassin.

"Though they have a distinct caste system, they fare their lives well and with a proper justice system in place, any wrongdoers are quickly sent and cast into prison. However, it's impossible to get rid of all evil in every country for even here, there are corrupt individuals," Ja'far said. "And Sin, please stop sticking your head out of the carriage! Don't blame me if you suddenly b-!"

Just then, the carriage hit a bump in the world and without saying, Sinbad banged his head on the top of the window. He quickly crumpled down onto the floor of the carriage, writhing in pain.

"This is why..." Ja'far trailed off, shaking his head in disgrace.

"Uuuggghhhh," Sinbad stood up and sat back down, rubbing his head as a huge bump soon became apparent. "Why do we have to ride in carriages? Just look at Rametoto and Hinahoho, they're not riding in one at all!"

"I highly doubt they could fit into one," Ja'far remarked. "Sin, use your head a bit more."

"I swear I've lost a couple of million brain cells from that impact."

"I doubt you had any to begin with."

The two remained silent before Sinbad grabbed Ja'far by the collar and shook him violently.

"Hey, what's with your attitude these days."

"What are you talking about, this has always been my attitude," Ja'far grabbed him back by the collar.

The two glared daggers at each other as they bickered back and forth, causing the carriage to shake with unease. Hinahoho lifted up the curtain and looked at the two with shameful eyes.

"I'm sure that Sinbad was the cause of it but is it too much to ask for you guys to settle down?" he asked. "Just look at Mystras and Sharrkan. They're going pale from all the shaking."

"Ah."

The two looked towards their companion and sure enough, they sat there, still as a rock. Their faces were pale and their eyes were white as if they had become ghosts. Mystras was the son of the Head Knight of the Sasan Kingdom and Sharrkan was the younger brother of the current King of Heliohapt. As the two had rarely been on boats before, it was understandable that they would get motion sickness for even now, they were still suffering from the effects of it.