The journey forward

(Misaki)

The day seemed to drag on and on; weaving class required patience that was not common to me. I was prone to messing up the stitch and ruining the project most of the time. My etiquette class should not have been necessary but given the tragic case of my absent mother and she never having a chance to teach me the ways of table settings and serving tea, my teacher deemed me unruly. My father never had the time either, always busy with delegations, commerce, and matters of trade.

My mood remained sour from the words he had uttered in the dining hall at breakfast. There had to be more for me; I was not desperate to rule. But I was not very content with remaining idle either. I could not stomach the thought of being a delegate for the rest of my life; a queen only regarded when needed. Since I was part of the royal family I would remain here long after my father passed. Therefore, since my father had no male heirs, I would be required to marry. Unfortunately, I did not often depart from the palace walls, so I'd never had and Ai Kyomi, and trusted others so little that I never saw the appeal of one. Different rulers from all over the world came in hopes of forming an alliance with our great king in marriage. I held my breath each time he welcomed one of the power-hungry strangers into our home. I read people quite well and could usually tell their motives the moment they stepped into the greeting hall. Although, one would need to be chosen, when the time came. I prayed that it was no time soon.

The walls were painted with ivory scaled dragons and tall pale green Bonsai trees with congested bamboo shoots. The black marble floors ran in every direction down the narrow maze-like hallways. I jogged in the same direction the guardsmen had just gone, taking the steps up to the second floor. I could hear shouts as I took the last few and stepped out onto the wide balcony overlooking the gardens and broad gates just ahead. The rain was heavy and caused a thick sheet to fall around the many pillars. It made the view of my father in the next corridor across from me seem distorted. They were speaking in hushed tones with one of the generals to the royal army, along with one of the few advisers my father kept around. He was tall and thin, his back hunched at an odd angle with the years displayed in every wrinkle on his face.

Just beyond the wall I could see a horse the color of burnt wood pacing anxiously in place. My attention went quickly back to my father as I heard his voice grow an octave before he waved his hand quickly and the general moved back to the men to open the gates. As the men wound the ropes attached to the dark wooden gates open, the horse came trotting hastily through and into the courtyard. Its hair hung in sections, curled against the foam collecting on its brooding chest. One of the servants down below rushed to grab a hold of the horse reins. On top of the horse was a man in a mask that resembled a hollow-eyed demon, hunched over on the mane of his animal. His body shivered from the cold. Father moved faster than I had seen him move in a long time. He was down in the courtyard only moments after the servants calmed the agitated beast. The person atop the horse, his armor drenched in cold rain lay on the ground. Saying no words at all.

(Chi)

I thought that if we moved quickly enough, I could beat the storm clouds that had started to roll in halfway through our journey to Hiroshima. I'd pushed Okami as hard as my conscience would allow but the storm caught up to us anyway; we got drenched, but I further embraced the weather and took it as a good sign of the gods welcoming my father's spirit into the heavens. But the roads grew flooded more quickly than I'd anticipated and stopping frequently contributed nothing good to the hailing rain. By the time we reached here my head pounded and my entire body ran hot with fever. I could barely stay atop Okami as he ran through the gates. He seemed to understand that I was not myself. The rain was cold and racked my body with violent shivers. Warm hands took hold of my arms and my body leaned abruptly to the left. Subconsciously, I prepared for my head to hit the ground hard, but it never did. Instead, the voices I heard were urgent and rushed.

"it can't be…"

And then, "Get him inside where it is warm. Now!"

The strangers Japanese was rough and quick toned. It was commanding and stern, leaving no room for question. I wanted to look at the person who was attending me but before I was out of the rain everything faded to a cold dismal black.

When my vision returned, the opalescent orange hue of candles and the smell of burning Kampo plants somewhere within the room made my head spin and play elaborate tricks on me. The shadows from the flames I could not see took on the forms of demons dancing across the ceiling. I desperately wanted to tell someone, but my mouth was dry and my lips badly cracked. No sound would form on my tongue. My eyelids were heavy with sweat and heat making my irises burn every time I blinked. I couldn't have made it this far only to die at the king's feet! That was not what I was here for.

I had to get better. I had to fulfill my purpose here. I groaned and rolled my head to the side. My eyes caught a glimpse of black strands running away from the crack in the door. Before I could even attempt to question who that had been my body shook and back into darkness I went.