"We won..."

The Conqueror fell to his knees, spitting out blood as he leaned on his sword for support. Up above his head, the sun beat down on the soldiers down below as the glare of the sunlight compounded to a high intensity because of the arid desert sand at their feet.

A long, tiresome battle had been fought with an enemy kingdom from the North. They just about decimated their troops before the Northern General had gotten the upper hand and driven them into a corner. As of this last battle, his kingdom now reached right up until neighboring allied tribe territory. There was good and bad news to go along with the outcome of the skirmish.

The good news was they won.

The bad news is if the Japanese pirates decided to attack them right now, their remaining troops would be completely wiped out

"Your Majesty," uttered a messenger as he kneeled before his ruler.

Waving his hand, he listened to his subject's tale, face paling when heard what he had to say.

"The Northern General is dead? Really?", he inquired.

It had only been a day since he last saw head or tail of the famed substitute who had replaced the executed one. While cognizant of the other General's mistake, this one proved exceptional and only rivaled the Eastern General in skill.

His death was about the worst news he could hear, especially so soon after the Southern General had died unjustly. A replacement for one general was hard to find, but two?

There would definitely be unrest in the court when he came back as a result.

"I would not jest, Sire," said the messenger with his eyes still lowered to the ground. The Conqueror had borrowed this messenger from the Eastern General, part of the special unit he wanted trained, and so far he had proven a swift runner like the General claimed.

"Get up," he commanded. Lifting the messenger by the sheer force left in his arms, he used the body for balance as he stood up himself.

"Send a message to the Oriental Masked King," he ordered, black cape flapping behind him as the winds picked up in speed.

"I need a word with him."

Shortly thereafter, a gleeful dictator wearing a mask on half his face made his way towards him on horse. High up on his ride, he chuckled, and said, "What a pitiable state you find yourself in...Conqueror."

Reining in his emotions, he replied, "I believe an arrangement is in order."

"Which deal? I do not think a treaty would be in my best interest, with your handling of the pirates being..."

"Enough. Meet at my palace. We shall talk further there."

The foreign ruler looked on with disinterest. "Gold won't placate me."

Smirking, the Conqueror asked, "So you're not interested in what I have to offer?"

The Oriental Masked King sneered, and remarked, "Consider me curious."

Slowly, the Conqueror and his forces left the area as the neighboring Western nation sovereign yelled, "I expect it to be worthwhile!"

Grimacing as the messenger carried him back to his horse once they were out of sight, the Conqueror muttered, "This one will be."

Long ago, during the reign of his father, the kingdom of the Oriental Masked King and other nations had signed a peace deal that would for twenty years in return for...other things. Problem is the peace deal expired after his father, the former King, died, leaving the kingdom vulnerable to attack. Chaos reigned, blood was spilt, and the court was divided into factions: those who supported the Sixteenth Prince, the Noble Favored Consort's son to be named as Crown Prince, and those who supported the Other Prince, the late Empress's son to be named as Crown Prince. For their lovely father had decided not to name any of his male heirs as Crown Prince.

One of the many things he would forever be grateful for.

Spitting into the sand, he continued reflecting on the past.

Thankfully, it had only taken several months for the military to place him in charge as a compromise, but in the months following his ascension to the throne, several royals who contested the throne allied with various kingdoms who were former allies and pillaged their great nation.

It was then he proved his ruthlessness and earned his name, The Conqueror.

Eventually, most of the kingdoms who were in the peace deal had been dealt with severely, being beaten so badly they would never prove a threat again, or had allied once again with the nation, seeing him as the rightful King.

However, one of the most powerful nations that had not agreed to ally once again or been able to be beaten down to a bloody pulp belonged to the Oriental Masked King, who earned his name from the frightful scar that caused him to wear a mask off the battlefield.

If the Conqueror was ruthless, the Oriental Masked King was callous.

His implacable nature caused a shiver to run through the young ruler, and bile to run up in his throat at the thought of being in his presence for longer than he needed to.

There were even rumors...well, maybe those weren't true. Shortly, they couldn't be?

Reaching the palace, he climbed the steps, swung open the heavy doors only to be met with a cold smile on his full sister's face.

"What brings you here..."

Interrupted by the wave of her hand, she exhaled, bowed and with her eyes lowered started, "I volunteer."

"What are you referring..."

"I know about your recent defeat."

"Victory."

"Defeat. You need assistance from another nation now, one who is not an ally, and have lost so many troops..."

"That is not your problem to..."

"Yes, it is. I am a Princess and there is a way I can placate the situation."

Her full-blooded brother paled, before nervously chuckling. "Nice one."

"I am not joking, brother. Let me do my duty."

"No."

"But..."

"No. This has nothing to do with you."

"And swearing brotherhood with a tyrant is a wise choice?"

He stayed silent, not revealing what he had planned originally.

"If he is heartless, I am relentless. I think you know that better than anyone."

"Mother made me..."

"Promise? I am of age and have been hidden away from prying eyes long enough."

"Sixteenth will blame me."

"Tell the Sixteenth Prince to blame me. I am at fault," she reasoned.

Afterwards, the palace entrance was opened, letting in a masked rider in golden robes and his entourage on horseback. Eyeing all the minimalistic decorations, the Oriental Masked King gathered this country might be poorer than what he was led to believe.

That was not the case as their ruler, the Conqueror, favored simplicity and frugality above vanity.

Approaching the Conqueror, the respective rulers cupped their fists in greeting before the inner palace's doors were opened wide, revealing the beauty residing within.

"Your Majesties," she said as the Eighteen Princess curtsied before them.

"This is...", started the foreign ruler.

"My sister, the Eighteenth Princess," said the Conqueror through gritted teeth. Smiling brightly, he voiced he had to leave and was met with an outraged Sixteenth Prince.

"Not here," he murmured lower than others could hear. Further back in the palace, in a vacant concubine's room, the Conqueror turned to face his younger brother.

"How could you!", he cried out.

"She made the choice," explained the Conqueror with a deadpan delivery.

"You're the ruler! You could have stopped her!"

"And you're the subject. It's time you learn your place," he snapped.

Leaving abruptly, he glanced around, and spotting no one in sight, he plopped on the ground and started to sob.

There were only two siblings who shared his mother and father. One was the Sixteenth Prince, and the other was the Eighteenth Princess. Not many knew that she was his cherished little sister, the one that his mother made him promise to safeguard always.

As the Eighteenth Princess descended down the inner palace steps, he pondered over his failures as tears ran down his cheeks.

Why did he feel he had just sacrificed his sister to the lion's den?

____________________________________

Author's note: This chapter was added after the original outline, and her story will be covered in a spin-off. However, both stories can be read as stand-alone.

Update: The White Dove, a companion/sequel to the General's Cause, is now up! I will be writing it concurrently with this story.

Author's note: Drama: Princesses of the Eastern Palace. I watched the beginning, and my mother watched the entire thing. It had pretty visuals. If we had learned that the other title for this drama was Goodbye My Princess, we might have not have watched it. The song contains music that is in the Inuyasha anime (which came first).