Kingdom of Power, of Courage, and of Wisdom

Dragmire's War - Dog of Qin

-Kanyou, Capital of Qin, Chancellor Ryo-

Ousen Mitagi was a patient man. He listened to Ryo's proposal without a word. He sat, stroked his beard, and even offered Ryo a drink. Chancellor Ryo's plan was bold, ambitious, well-thought out, had no flaws or setbacks, and left no room for error. It would benefit all parties involved.

"I must say, Chancellor, you never cease to amaze," Ousen said. "Your proposal is perfect. I can think of no flaws to the plan. You have all of Qin in the palm of your hand. Were it anyone else, I would say it is too good to be true. But you are a well-thought out man. This plans for every conceivable error but is just risky enough to be dangerous. Now I know you have not directly stated it, but I can plainly see where the culmination of your plan lays: with you on the throne and the princess safely tucked away where she can retire safe and sound."

"Yes," Ryo smiled confidently. "Her bloodline is valuable and so far as investments go... she is proving to be amongst my greatest. She will excel in whatever capacity I choose."

"Indeed she will, no doubt. However, I must decline your offer."

Ryo's smile quickly dimmed into a frown, "Pardon?"

"I must decline your offer."

"I heard you. What I want to know is why."

"Because, my dear Chancellor," Ousen cleared his throat. "I only fight the battles I am completely confident I will win. I leave no room for error. I am a winner, Chancellor. You are a loser." Seeing Ryo growing heated from the brash insult, Ousen continued, "The plan is perfect. Flawless. You do have all of Qin in the palm of your hand. With a single move, you can take it all."

"Then how can I lose?" Ryo demanded.

"Because you have lost sight of your ambition," Ousen declared. "I remember the young man whom Chancellor Abhdan brought into court. I remember the burning desire in your eyes, the longing, the focus, the intensity! I remember how you beat all odds to go from the humblest of beginnings to the most powerful Chancellor of Qin. Ryo held all the powers of the king and used him as a puppet! Sure, you were good friends, you cared for him, and he allowed you that power, but you still overcame the entire world! You still put the top of the mountain within your reach! And now... You have forgotten all of that."

"I have forgotten nothing!"

"Oh? Remind me, Chancellor. Who was it that replaced a buffoon in the making for a talented girl? In a few years, the throne would have been yours! You could have it by now if you had just kept Zelda in Zhao and bid your time with Prince Kyou!"

"The order of the king-"

"Was pure sentiment," Ousen cut him off and put up a finger. "You could have torn that order and burned it. If you truly wanted to balance sentiment with ambition, you would have rescued the girl and given her to be daughter to a noble. You could have married her off to a wealthy man who would take care of her or adopt her yourself. But you didn't. You took a girl with talent and put her on the very throne you want. Now she is apparently bringing back myths, legends, and extinct people. She is rising from the dead, gaining the allegiance of ancient fireflies, and creating forests with a wave of her hand. And that was only a year in. In her second year she is fighting rebellious Sheikah with the power to become a giant snake thicker than the hallway out there and defeats him by shooting pure light from a bow like a Goddess. She gains the allegiance of Ouki Mitagi. Each day she learns more... And in all of this, you do absolutely nothing. Realms, you even help teach the girl!"

"As I said, she is an investment! What use is an investment without the profit!?"

"That is why I say you have lost sight of your ambition," Ousen replied. "The fact is this, Chancellor: you already have all of Qin in the palm of your hand. I have said it time and time again and you have agreed. Yet instead of reaching out and just taking it and getting rid of her, you choose to come up with elaborate plans. Instead of winning, you choose to play around. Instead of sitting on the throne, you choose to stay where you comfortably are as Chancellor. You are not a winner, Chancellor, you are a player! You are here to play. You are NOT here to win, and I ONLY accept winners! You are no longer that young man I saw with the burning passion and ambition, Ryo. That young man reached the top of the mountain he envisioned and stopped to retire. That young man grew older..."