When Tenji returned with Kaguya and Aino safely to the capital settlement at dawn, the Land of Sou was already moving, following his strategy. The two ministers of the Land of Ka were dead, and, as predicted, the large army of Ka fell into disarray without guidance. Their entire hierarchy had been built upon the authority of ministers who directed strategy on behalf of their largely idle emperor. With both gone, they had lost their head.
Yet chaos did not mean safety. It meant unpredictability, at least for a commander and strategist less talented than Tenji.
During the following weeks, the Land of Ka behaved like a deranged animal. They were erratic, lashing out with violent charges whenever their soldiers gathered enough nerve. There was no unified commander, only competing captains, each believing that he alone understood the ministers' final intentions and had the skills to become the next ministers. That's how the ministers were usually elected, especially during times of war. Those who were most skilled rose to command the soldiers and had a very good chance of succeeding the ministers should they retire or die.
As a result, some Ka detachments pushed deep into Sou prematurely, some burned farms at the borders, and others merely camped and waited, afraid but unwilling to retreat because they did not yet have someone willing to step up and take the chance at command.
That instability was precisely what Tenji exploited.
.
News arrived that the Emperor of Ka had not yet appointed successors for Suzaku and Genbu. Their deaths had struck too quickly and cut too deeply. The old emperor of Ka hesitated, searching for a minister who would support him the best and not share their predecessor's fate. The emperor was looking for sycophants who were skilled at their jobs. Something that wasn't easy and took time.
Meanwhile, Ka's commanders at the front lines argued among themselves. Some demanded full invasion. Some demanded withdrawal, and others used the moment to settle old grudges. It was a perfect storm of failure, adding to the Land of Ancestros' advantage.
Despite having no chakra, Tenji's strategic ability was so strong that it made the battles go to Sou's advantage. And the longer this went on, the faster his skill would grow. The plans he had designed long before, the distributed strongholds, the early-warning runners, the rotating spear-lines, the formation drills, were activated in unpredictable patterns.
Even those who had once doubted his "obsession with peace" now realised that the peace Tenji chased was built on thorough preparations for war.
The Land of Ka's fragmented squads attempted to raid villages located close to the border, but each time they ran directly into the traps Tenji had laid. Narrow paths through thick forests, whose trees he had personally planted through forestation, to ambush troop movement. There were irrigation channels that could be used to speed up troop movements, simple decoy storehouses which were targeted and then burnt and sharpened bamboo trenches.
Tenji's mind worked on multiple things at once, trying to stay unpredictable to the enemy, and since there was no minister who had any war experience leading the Ka soldiers, this was working brilliantly. While commanders considered what to do over the next day or two, Tenji thought about what might happen one or two weeks from now, based on reports on the enemy's psychology, morale, numbers, and terrain.
.
Though he commanded from the rear when necessary, Tenji sometimes went to the front himself. His presence alone raised morale and assured the soldiers they would win. Seeing Tenji charge the enemy at the front was a great thing for them.
On the seventh day of the war, the Land of Ka launched a reckless night attack on the northern pass. Tenji reached the battlefield before even his commanders fully understood the danger. The fighting had already started, but it would have taken a while and turned into a battle of attrition. Tenji did not want that, since they had the advantage in mobility and knowledge of the lands, not in attrition. The army of the Land of Ka was three times as large as theirs.
Tenji's tactics turned the loss, or rather the draw, into a winning strategy. A draw was equal to a loss in Tenji's eyes.
By the twenty-first day, Ka was losing more men to either desertion and infighting than to Sou soldiers. By the twenty-eighth day, it was clear even to the Emperor of Ka that the war had been poorly conceived and even worse executed. When the thirtieth day arrived, the Land of Ka's soldiers finally retreated. The once-aggressive army began withdrawing beyond its border. The emperor of the Land of Ka had finally named a new minister, who had taken control of the military, ordering immediate retreat. The soldiers were exhausted and frightened of what they had to go through. The lack of success, when success was expected of them, had severely lowered morale.
And so, the war had ended after barely over one month.
.
When the last Ka unit retreated, Tenji assembled the court.
"Lord Tenji, what have you called this meeting for?"
"I have called this meeting to announce two things. First, the war with the Land of Ka is over. The new minister has called his troops to retreat, and my fellow emperor has sent a message, offering a ceasefire."
"A ceasefire?! Preposterous!"
"The retreating party offers us this?"
"I say we ignore that and push our advantage. Take revenge on their impudence and strike as fast as possible!"
Tenji looked across the room. He had plans for his country and knew that things would have to change further. Nobility was a wasted concept in his mind, and he had to go. Merit should be all that matters—hard work and talent. Birth shouldn't account for anything. That might be hypocritical coming from him, who was born to rule as emperor, but he still abided by that.
"Lord Tenji, may we hear your thoughts on the matter?" Commander Hanzo asked.
The man had noticed the disappointed look on his emperor's face and understood that no matter what they could come up with, he had already considered it.
"Emperor Shimoda is no fool. He has strong beliefs in the old system and wouldn't risk his position and power for something like the Land of Ancestors. He is aware that the idea of turning the tables would cross our minds. We are not the smaller country, but the militarily weaker one. A smaller man might believe this is the perfect chance to 'prove' ourselves or 'take land' and punish them. But that would be a mistake. Emperor Shimoda has planned, and the new minister has prepared for that. We would not win and instead lose all the advantage we fought for."
"Then... what shall we do?"
"Nothing."
"..."
"Nothing? Surely, you have a plan, Lord Tenji?" a noble asked, trying not to sound disrespectful and speaking around his true intentions.
"This leads me to the second announcement. I intend to marry," Tenji revealed.
"Marry?! That's great, my Lord. And who is the woman you have chosen?"
The light in the three nobles' faces returned. Naturally, they thought that Tenji would be smart about this. Because the smartest thing to do, if you didn't use the advantage they had fought for in this war, would be to marry the daughter of the emperor of the Land of Ka. Of course, the nobles also hoped that it would be one of the women in their household. It was natural—the powerful married other powerful people or those with money.
"I will marry Kaguya."
"..."
"..."
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
The nobles protested, fearing for their power and that this would "further enrage" the Land of Ka. Kaguya was one of the objects they were after. But Tenji no longer entertained their opinions. He stood up and declared it with a deep voice.
"I will wed Kaguya Otsutsuki. She is no concubine, but my chosen bride, and you will accept that."
Whispers sounded through the hall. There was shock, anxiety, jealousy, and reverence. Some tried to protest openly. However, many remembered how they lost influence through their open disapproval and soon shut up.
From that moment, preparations began.
.
The ceremony was held at the Pavilion of the Eastern Garden, where Tenji's parents and his paternal grandparents also held theirs. The structure was ancient and traditionally built: Hinoki pillars, a curved roof of lacquered tiles, and white curtains embroidered with cranes and sakura trees. Lanterns lined the path to the platform, lighting the afternoon.
Kaguya wore a white junihitoe, a style of formal court dress first worn by noble women. It was composed of several kimono-like robes, layered on top of each other. The colours were chosen to be elegant and complement her otherworldly beauty. Aino dressed her carefully and with trembling hands.
Kaguya's impossibly long hair was brushed smoothly and left to cascade freely, being tied to a single knot at her waist.
Tenji, on the other hand, wore a deep indigo sokutai, the attire of a sovereign in those times, though he despised ornamentation. His presence was soothing and controlled, but his eyes softened when they met Kaguya's. He was genuinely happy, and so was she.
The verses were recited, and they bowed to each other. Again, this was something every marrying couple went through, but the emperor was technically exempt from it, since he never bowed. The emperor never bowed to anyone, but Tenji ignored that unwritten rule, showing Kaguya the greatest respect. Another point, the conservatives nearly had a heart attack from.
But Tenji wasn't done yet. In the ancient tradition of the Land of Ancestors, emperors seldom spoke vows aloud. But Tenji did.
"Kaguya, descended from the stars,
bearer of our love who is of our blood and spirit
I swear upon my lands and upon my life
that I will honour you above all things."
Kaguya didn't hesitate.
"I will walk with you… Tenji."
Finally, a red cord was wrapped around their hands. A symbol that they were now bound by fate. Their two worlds now tied together... forever if they had anything to say about it.
.
After the ceremony, a feast was held to celebrate the grand occasion of the marriage and the successful war efforts. Rice, river fish, vegetables, and sake brewed from the new year's rice. Tenji cooked some of the meal himself, to the horror of nobles and the delight of Kaguya. She only ate his food at that point, refusing to consume anything else. Tenji's increasing skill in the art ruined her taste buds for anything else.
It was a calm and beautiful affair that all the guests, including the two newlyweds, enjoyed. But they were thankful when it was over eventually.
When all the guests had withdrawn and the stars lit the night sky, Tenji and Kaguya returned to their chambers. The room was quiet, and they had decided to remain on the veranda for a while longer, gazing up at the sky as they always did.
Tenji wrapped his coat around her shoulders, as he had done before, when they first talked on the evening. Quite a bit of time had passed since that evening, but it felt like yesterday. Kaguya leaned into him.
"Why did you want to marry me?" Kaguya asked after a while of comfortable silence.
"Because I love you and it was the right thing to do. I have no interest in other women."
Kaguya looked at Tenji for a moment. It looked as though her cheeks may have taken on a light shade of red. But no one could ever prove that.
"Did you not sooner?" she asked him.
"What, love you?"
Kaguya nodded.
"I did."
"Then why didn't you ask me sooner?"
"Because only when you finally told me the truth about yourself and our first meeting, did I know that you no longer looked down on me and saw me as something lesser. You showed me respect by revealing everything. And since we were finally on equal footing, I decided to ask you to marry me."
"..."
"A relationship built on trust is unbreakable, Kaguya. I am honestly so excited."
"Hm? What for?" she asked cutely.
"For our child. I can't wait to teach him or her all kinds of things. It will be amazing!"
Tenji was beaming with happiness and expectation. And even the Ice Queen, Kaguya, was affected by it. The night was filled with very passionate... sounds. The marriage was properly consummated; that was certain.