1 Mifune

"Please wait just a moment. Mifune-sama will be with you shortly." In response I bowed towards the man that had led me to this room in which my future would be decided, something I was acutely aware of, indicated clearly but the rapid thumping of my heart hammering against my ribcage.

Turning away from the closing wooden doors that slid back into place behind me I took in the room I had been shown to for the first time.

It was a simple room, containing no art or other ornaments of fine crafting, only another pair of wooden doors on the other side of the room, opposite to me, and a desk on top of which a number of oil candles burned, serving as the only light -and warmth source in the room.

That lead me to a couple of assumptions I could make about the man I was about to meet. The absence of any art inside his main study indicated either a no-nonsense mindset, solely focused on his work, or a humble nature in the man. Both could be possible.

Then there was the lack of cushions, meaning Mifune sat on the hard, wooden floor while working, something I had not expected from a man of Mifune's position. Then again, I had never met someone that led an entire country's military before so I had not much experience to speak from.

All of those assumptions led me to one definitive fact. Mifune, the leader of iron country's military was a disciplined man. Of that there was no doubt in my mind.

Sinking down onto the floor, in front of Mifune's desk, I crossed my legs beneath me and tried to calm my wandering thoughts back down. It mattered little anyway what I thought to read from the environment Mifune worked in. Either I was right in my assumptions and wasted a little less time analysing the man I was about to speak with or I was wrong and had to start from scratch.

Having arrived at that conclusion I finally managed to calm down a little. With every breath that I took in the rather cool air of the room my heartbeat began to steadily decrease in frequency until all I could hear was the howling of the frigid air on the outside and the all-consuming silence of the dimly lit room I was sat inside.

I don't know how long I sat there in silence, with nothing but the wind on the outside as my conversational companion. And yet I didn't dislike those minutes of silent contemplation. In fact, I enjoyed them quite a bit.

My silent contemplation however was interrupted rather suddenly by the sounds of wooden doors opening and closing to my right side, indicating that it was finally time to meet Mifune.

Standing up I turned around and came face to face with the leader of the land of iron's military. Bowing towards him, both as a greeting and a show of respect and deference, it seemed appropriate to do so, but as I didn't know the man yet that was an assumption on my part as well.

"You must be Makoto. Please, rise. I am not a noble but a simple man." Mifune spoke in a smooth and calm voice while he closed the wooden doors behind him with a silent click of wood meeting wood.

Righting myself from my bowed position I took the opportunity to take in the man before me for the first time before responding to his words.

Mifune, as he was known throughout the country as I've heard, was a man of advanced age, indicated by his long and dark but already greying hair and deep wrinkles in some places of his face. Clothed in nothing but a simple dark violet kimono and a pair of black Tabi socks Mifune truly appeared to be nothing but a simple man, and yet an air of nobility clung to him that I had never witnessed before.

"And yet you are known to all as 'Lord Mifune'." I respond to which the man gives me a small smile while tilting his head slightly in acknowledgement. After a second of silence between us Mifune moves towards his desk and smoothly sits himself down behind it while indicating for me to sit opposite him.

I do so while Mifune pulls a small scroll from some compartment of his desk and unrolls it in one swift motion.

In no rush Mifune begins to read the contents of his scroll while I am once again made to wait, but I don't really mind, and it doesn't take long for me to return back to my contemplating state I had assumed before Mifune's arrival.

Thus, the two of us sit in silence until the doors are slid open once again with the man that led me to this room standing in the doorway with a service of tea on a small tablet.

Placing two cups and a can of hot tea on Mifune's desk, the man leaves once again.

"Would you like some?" Mifune asks into the silence while he poured himself a cup of steaming hot tea.

"Yes please." I reply, to which Mifune nods in acknowledgement. Setting the can of tea back down we both take our respective cups into our hands and look at each other until Mifune begins to speak once again.

"I was told you were found not far away from our border leading to fire country, passed out in the cold snow. Even though I normally am not one to pry into the lives of those around me, as the leader of our military it falls to me to make sure no threat enters our border, which leaves me no choice but to interrogate you, no matter how young you are. I hope you understand that." Mifune tells me, his eyes not leaving mine, while he absentmindedly rolls his scroll back together.

"I understand." I reply to which he nods in acknowledgement.

"So then, let us begin. Please tell me how a nine years old boy, malnourished and bruised ended up in the land of iron." Mifune continues, folding his hands in his lap while his whole attention is focused on me. An unnerving experience, despite his calm appearance and posture.

Taking a deep breath, my spine straightened slightly as I firmed my mind and pulled forth the dreaded memories I had buried deep in the furthest recesses of my mind, where I had hoped to shackle them for the rest of my life, which I now knew was a foolish notion. A festering wound won't heal by ignoring it but by treating it, hence I resolved myself then and there to not ignore them any further, no matter how this conversation would end. After all my life would continue, and I had been a fool often enough to recognise when I was acting foolish again and stop doing so.

Thus, I began telling my story from the moment I opened my eyes for the first time in this world.