Kensei Jon's Arc

Chapter 9 of 49

The gold doors had shut hours ago. Kensei stood outside the palace in the garden while the sky went pale. He was free to marry Jeon-min. But his father had not spoken to him, not once, not even to say goodbye. Kensei could not rest. He needed to hear it from the king's mouth: was he still a son, or only a servant his father had thrown away? Jeon-min found him under the cherry tree by the palace wall. Pink blossoms fell on the stone bench. "You've been out here since dawn," Jeon-min said. "You look ridiculous, waiting like a beggar for a man who won't come." "He'll come," Kensei said. He watched the palace door. A small gecko with ears like a cat's clung to the wall beside him. It did not move. Neither did Kensei. The door opened at last. The king walked out alone, no guards, no crown. He stopped when he saw his son under the tree. For a moment neither man spoke. "You waited," the king said. "I need to know," Kensei said. He stood. "You struck the law. You let me marry. But you left without a word. Am I still your son, or did you bury me when you signed the paper?" The king came closer. He looked at Jeon-min, then at the joined hands the two men did not hide. His jaw was tight. "I cannot give you your rank back," he said. "The judges watched me fall. If I pardon you now, they'll say I bought my crown by favoring my blood. I would lose the throne. You would gain a name and lose a father who has one." "I didn't ask for the rank," Kensei said. "I asked for you." The king was quiet. A blossom landed on his shoulder. He brushed it off slow, like his hand had grown heavy. Then he reached out and put that same hand on Kensei's cheek. "You are my son," he said. "You were my son when I signed you down, and I hated myself for it. Marry him. Be happy where I could not follow." His voice cracked on the last word. "That is my blessing. It is all I have left to give." Kensei's throat closed. He nodded. He could not speak. The king dropped his hand. "Go now, before I'm seen crying in a garden." He turned and walked back through the door. It shut behind him. Kensei stood under the falling blossoms. He had the blessing. He had the man. But his father had said it plain: no rank, no name, no place in the world above a servant's. Jeon-min squeezed his hand. "You got what you came for," Jeon-min said. "Half of it," Kensei said. "He blessed me. He can't lift me." He looked at the shut door. "If we want a real life, I have to build a name he can't give me."