AN: This is the backstory of Sinjuin, to help with the understanding of my very erratic murder mystery, Masqued. Any questions, click on 'fili' and read what's on my main page.

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Sinjuin curled his lanky body against the wall of the gym. It was silent; most people—most normal people, at least as normal as people got around the Palace—were in bed at this hour.

But the demons of his past still haunted him.

His earliest memories were of his sister. They were close—they were twins. With memories of Yvonne- her pouting, her getting away with everything, her alternately frustrating and charming—came memories of Kellin. A serious little girl, his mother had sat her down for some reason or another and that talk released the merriment that had danced behind her big purple eyes. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that sometimes she hid behind her merriness. Ah, they all hid at times. Yvonne and Kellin—for all Kellin was two years or so older, they were never quite sure—were almost as close as he and Yvonne.

And then there was Chase. Every boy needed another to pal around with, but with the death of their parents, so close together, they were as stuck together as if they had been forged by fire. In a way, they had.

Now Chase was his eyes and ears about the country, and Sinjuin had to play Royal Fool to the Court.

He wasn’t sure if this was a relief or a method of torture by the Council. He personally thought any idea of an Heir was ridiculous—he loved his aunt dearly, but she was barren—everyone in the entire Empire knew it. So what was the High Counselor trying to pull?

But he wasn’t sure he wanted to rule an entire Empire. Yes, he had been preparing for it most of his life, even more so after his parents died, but his aunt was young, she was expected to live a long time.

So he was free to scamper about doing what he wanted. Bed women. Drink. Go off on a lark and chase the pirates out of the west.

Gods.

That lark had turned out to be anything but. It had taken everything he had to manage to trick the tricksters. So many had died. He’d killed, for the first time during that. And he’d killed so many.

Not even just by sword.

The torching of the ship by Longbeard was the worst. The captain had deserved it, no doubt, his crew too, but Sinjuin hadn’t known about the slaves. He had ordered archers to fire the ship; a storm had swept up at the same time. The ship went up in flames; those who hadn’t died in the fire drowned. Sinjuin and his men had retreated to a cave in the cliffs—a good half mile from where the ship was sinking. But the screams of the dying rang from the hills…

Chase tried to reassure him. But what could you say to someone who had caused the death of innocents?

Sinjuin lost the taste for blood, if he had ever had it to begin with. The Empire was founded on blood—first by the bloody hands that forced trade on others, then by the naked sword. That was what made it the most powerful nation on the three continents. Even the Empress had to send in troops in the far reaches to maintain order. Blood couldn’t make a ruler queasy.

The screams had still rang in his ears occasionally. He worked hard to block them out—he wrote fanatically to his sister in her castle in the North, he trained endlessly with Chase and his men, and he flirted and bedded women whenever possible.

But now he was in the Palace. He was intrigued—hells, he lusted—after Rayne—the little tagalong cum spitfire from his childhood. And now she was going to play priestess to catch the murderer? And he was stuck in the Palace playing politics and trying to unearth information while Chase snuck around trying to dig up evidence, and Yvonne used whatever power she had to try to keep the peace. And Kellin, keeping them all sane.

She really needed to get with Chase.

He snorted mentally. First, gain control of the kingdom. Then you can set up your friends, he told himself.

Sinjuin didn’t know if he was ready for this. But having a little boy rule the Empire? He knew he wasn’t ready for that. And who would be Regent for the time being? Sinjuin doubted he’d be allowed to stay in power.

The High Counselor would try to take over.

He’d best set Chase on that track as soon as possible.

As soon as he could get up from the mat.