3. The Nightingale

The Nightingale


  • Taira's Notes II

    The Following is contained in a simple looking journal, filled with draconic looking characters running the page vertically, from right to left.

    Visited Fenz today… bought the Katana of an assasin, belonging to a man named Jubei Kigomi, who is apparently a man of some infamy in these lands. However, the man has not been seen here for many years, and from what Bromely Sensei said today, it is with good reason- Supposedly, he was dead.

    But now, Bromely Sensei believes this man may be alive, and infact may be the Shadow Man who took my voice from me. Needing to clear his head, Bromely Sensei decided to go for a walk in the pass, Mirkali and I following behind him. Suddenly, a great shadow loomed over head, and the ground next to us exploded into flames.

    The three of us ran to Peltarch, with Bromely Sensei behind, urging for Mirkali and I to go on ahead to safety. Finally reaching the city, we waited for Sensei, though he did not arrive for some time. Upon his reaching the city however, he seemed quite…. Well, very scared. His eyebrows also appeared to be missing from his forehead, though Sensei seemed to take little notice of that fact, other than a cursory feeling of his brow.

    After a bit of rest, Bromely Sensei seemed to have recovered, though still a bit frightenened, whispering to himself about how big the dragon was. Poor old Sensei. He does seem to have lost what little mental senses he has left.

    I also attempted to encourage Mirkali to take a bath today. He seems to need one, even more desperately than I previously thought, as he cannot smell how much he resembles the odors of a tavern taproom himself. I only hope he follows through on my suggestion.

    Mirkali also wants me to be his apprentice. I do not know if he does this because he wishes to teach me skills as a bard, or to continue to practice his poor wooing techniques. Either way, I suppose I shall tolerate him for now. He paid for the katana, and he is mildly amusing besides.

    Attached Note:

    Mirkali took a bath finally, and smells much better now, in addition to having his hair cut. I shall upgrade him to passable, from tolerable.


  • Taira's Notes

    The Following is contained in a simple looking journal, filled with draconic looking characters running the page vertically, from right to left.

    Finally met and found with Bromely Sensei. Though he seemed someone impressed with who I am, he didn't seem to believe it first. After a series of questions, he did seem to finally believe me though. Then, he proceeded to skip around his house like a school girl, saying something about writing a book about me. I don't understand why he would want to do that. Bromely Sensei is certainly an odd man, but then again, he was recently in prison, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

    Bromely Sensei travels with a very large, very strong looking blonde woman, named Maya. I think she must be some sort of bodygaurd for Bromely Sensei, as she is often standing next to him with a large sharp axe, either smiling, glaring, or looking out into the sky. She is a pretty lady, but I don't think I would ever wish her upset at me.

    I also made friends with a man named Ashen. He is actually very entertaining when he isn't frowning, which is pretty often. Though he seems nice, and has promised to help me find the Shadow Man, he seems sad. I overheard that a friend of his recently died. I am saddened for his loss. Ashen also seems to have some sort of eye affliction, causing his brow to chronically go up.

    I also met a man, who's name I can't remember. He was rather crude and rude, so I couldn't resist calling him baka. But he seems nice enough I suppose. He said that if I called Sensei Bromely, Sensei, then I was making his head big, and I must be baka too. How rude.

    Another man, Juno, seems nice as well. He and a red haired woman were sitting in the town Norwick, talking about love. She seemed against love, he seemed in favor of it. I wonder if he has affections for the red haired woman.. Miranda… Like Maeda has for Misa?

    One of the strangest experiences I have had while I have been here was meeting a strange spirit folk like woman, with green hair and skin. She seems to be a bit eccentric, and mean at first. She seemed to have much fun throwing fruit at me, though I didn't do anything to her. Then she made flowers grow on my flute, which was pleasing. It smells like magnolias now, whenever I play a song on it.

    This woman.. Kharbeh, seems to be sick and needs help from dark moon men. I decided to do what I could to help, by looking for some circle of... ears.. while I looked for the Shadow Man. I have yet to find either.

  • G

    Adam Bromely???? Now she's really in trouble 8O


  • (( :oops: Thanks!

    It needs alot of editing and smoothing out still, but I'm proud of it. I'm glad others like what I have written so far as well, and plan to add more to it. ))


  • Very nicely told. A fun read. 🙂


  • Chapter VII

    It took three weeks for Maeda, Misa and Taira to ferret out the information of where the Shadowed Man might be going. He was apparently traveling to the trade lands, for some unknown reason, specifically, a land by the name of Damara.

    While it had been difficult to get the information of his destination, it compared nothing to journeying across the continent, which was a long road, then to pass through the Hordelands, which was a deadly road. The passage had been expensive, but fortunately, Maeda had been saving valuables and gold for the eventual escape from the palace, enough to meet the cost of a wagon, supplies, and a space on a caravan.

    It had also turned out, that besides gold, Maeda and Misa had been building a store of valuable items, the origins of which were… questionable. Using these items, a variety of silks, weapons, armor and other things, the three easily disguised themselves as a small merchant family, intending to move to the trade lands to make their fortune.

    Though there had been many near fatal misses along the way, seven cycles of the moon later, they had arrived in Damara.

    Upon their arrival, a number of startling discoveries were made, both good and bad.

    The first of which, was that yes, the Shadow Man had been in Damara, but he had recently left, to some barren land only known as Narfell. From what was said, the land had been forsaken by the gods, and was now only filled with criminals, small stubby people with long beards, and a variety of uncivilized peoples. Misa, Maeda, and Taira did not relish the idea of journeying to what sounded like a fiercely inhospitable land.

    As fate would have it, the three wouldn’t be journeying there.

    A week after their arrival, while they had taken a few days to refill their supplies, Misa discovered she would be expecting a child.

    Taira was very happy for both Misa and Maeda, for they had longed to be with each other for the years before the Emperor’s death, but had never been able to risk breach the social commandments that kept them apart. Though in the same instant, Taira felt a small rumble of jealousy. During her time with both Misa and Maeda, she had begun to think of them as adopted parents in a way, and now that they were to have a child of their own, she would only be intruding.

    Thinking more on this, and how things would change in the future, Taira came to a decision. She alone would travel to this Narfell.

    Misa and Maeda protested this decision, Misa insisting that she was more than well enough to travel to this barren place, Maeda insisting that Misa stay behind, and he go with Taira. In the end, Taira convinced both to stay, and allow her to hire an escort to take her instead. Grudgingly, both accepted this course of action.

    A few days later, Taira bid her goodbyes to both Misa and Maeda, wishing them luck, and promising to write soon. As she left the city, she looked back longingly, wanting desperately to remain with the pair. Fear began to take hold in the pit of her stomach, swirling up her throat. She had never been alone before. What if she failed?

    The trip to Narfell was uneventful, and Taira’s escort, Hedger Hobbins seemed to be a lively sort of man, doing his best to try to allay the girl’s fears and make her laugh or smile now and then. Though the verbal conversation was one sided, in Hobbins’ favor, neither seemed to mind. The man seemed to have more than enough to say for the both of them.

    Eventually, Taira and Hobbins approached a city, Hobbins looking towards it nervously.

    “Errr… Missy, sorry, but I jes can’t go in there ye see… Um… a bit o’ misunderstandin’ few years back in there…”

    Taira’s faced flushed with apprehension. She didn’t know anyone in this place, let alone this tiny city, and worse yet, she had very little means of communication without being able to speak.

    Hobbins’ patted Taira’s back, shaking his head wildly.

    “Missy, don’t ye worry! Hobbins got ye all taken care of! Ye jes gotta find this man. Nosey bloke he is, so he mi’ even find ye first. Err… Bromely. Right’O… errr… Alan Bromely. No no! Adam… Yeah.. Adam. Ye find him, and ye tell him Ole Hobbins set ye. He’ll help ye out. Promise on me hin’s heart!”

    Taira blinked at Hobbins, tilting her head. Hin’s heart? What was a hin? Some sort of local god she supposed. Nodding in agreement, she listened to Hobbins’ repeat the name once more.

    Adam Bromely. Local nosey man. Maybe this man would know something about the Shadow Man and her voice.

    Taira skeptically entered the city, writing Adam Bromely’s name out on a small piece of paper in the trade language.

    Taira only hoped the people here were able to read their own language, or this could prove to be difficult.

  • R

    good stuff Beta…keep it coming.


  • Chapter VI

    The War, if it could even be called that, did not last very long.

    To review, the Emperor had gone insane, yes. Such was much of the reason for the people’s revolutions, because in that insanity, he had made the leap from simple apathetic self indulgent ruler, which they could tolerate- to mad, obsessive, brutal, cruel, torturous ruler.

    However, the Emperor had also fallen ill, his affliction caused by this mysterious plague that seemed also to grip the rest of the city. It was then, that someone had decided to forgo the risks of attacking a plague ridden city, which would strike many as very odd. However, it had happened anyways, and because of the illness, the War, if it could be called that, did not last very long.

    It was even said later that by the time the revolutionary forces reached the palace, the Emperor had finally died, somehow surviving the illness longer than anyone, but seeming to die knowing that his Empire was falling.

    After the revolutionaries had taken the Palace, their leader, if he could be called that, arrived to take inventory.

    This man, who shall be called the leader, was a tall man, wrapped in black, shadows hugging his body unnaturally. Though anyone who looked upon him could see features- Eyes, nose, mouth, ears and a brow- no one could ever see these things clearly, even in the brightest of lights. No one ever questioned this, for men who seem to be friends with the shadows are best left unquestioned.

    Directing his men to search the palace, he watched as each one of them obediently scattered to each corner and crevice of the palace, doing his bidding. Looking around the entrance way in which he was standing, he began to mentally calculate how much gold he would earn from this particular service he performed for the people of this tiny Empire. It should be more than adequate, he thought to himself, as the Emperor seemed to begin to hoard treasures at the end of his days. Though there was one in particular the man of shadows was interested in. The famed Nightingale.

    Shouts of men stirred this leader from his thoughts, and turning to face the direction of the noise, he saw that some of his soldiers were carrying three people up from the catacombs: A middle aged man and presumably his woman, and an odd looking girl about the age of sixteen years.

    “Sir!” said one of the soldiers, “We found these people locked in the dungeons of the catacombs. What do you wish done with them, Sir?” asked one eager and bright eyed young soldier.

    The shadowy man took one more cursory look over the three prisoners, and then shrugged. “They are not my prisoners, but the Emperor’s so they are of no interest to me. Let them go.”

    “But Sir!” began the young soldier, “What if they are criminals?”

    “It is none of my concern, or of yours. We are here to do what we were hired to do, get paid, and then leave. Understood?” said the shadowy man, his voice growing gruff and firm.

    “Yes Sir.”

    The soldiers began to release the three people, an audible sigh of relief coming from the former prisoners.

    “Wait,” said the shadowy man, watching the three’s muscles suddenly become taught with fear. He enjoyed watching their fear, and it was such a small pleasure, that he did not think that he was over indulging himself. Besides, he had a purpose for keeping them for just one more minute.

    “This Nightingale. Have you heard of it?” asked the man.

    The middle aged man jerked a bit in surprise, then quickly shook his head. “No sir. Well, yes, we have heard of it, but we know nothing of it.”

    “You do not know where I might find it?” asked the man skeptically. It was obvious the middle aged man knew something of this Nightingale.

    Another head shake. “No sir.”

    The shadowy man pulled a short, silver gilded dagger from a belt beneath his cloak, holding the tip in front of his nose to examine it closely. Slowly, he turned his eyes to the three prisoners. “If you know of the location of this Nightingale, I suggest you –“

    Soldiers running into the room interrupted the man’s threat, along with their shouts of excitement and joy. “We found it Sir!” shouted one soldier, followed by three others. Coming to a halt in front of their leader, one of the soldiers standing to the rear of the group elbowed his way to the front, holding out a statue of a small jeweled bird. The man looked at the statue, then up at the soldier’s face.

    “You are sure this is the Nightingale? It seems to be just a plain statue to me.”

    “Wait sir…watch this!” said the bearer of the en-jeweled bird. Skimming his fingers over three runes at the base of the statue, they began to shimmer, and shortly there after, Taira’s voice filled the room. The shadowy man smiled.

    “Yes, this will go nicely in my collection,” he said, taking the small statuette from his soldier, staring at it with fascination.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smallest of the prisoners, the young girl attempt to jerk out of his soldiers’ grips’ as he passed her carrying the Nightingale. She seemed most agitated.

    “Did you want this Nightingale, young lady?” the shadowy man asked with a grin. “My most sincere apologies to you, however, I shall not relinquish my prize. But you are more than welcome to try to come and get it.” Nodding to the guards restraining her, they each suddenly released their grip, the girl flying in the direction of their leader.

    The young girl seemed intent on doing the shadowy man harm, and reclaiming the Nightingale, but he sidestepped her rush, thrusting out his fist to connect solidly with her jaw, causing her to drop to the ground in a thud.

    Shaking his head, he looked down at the crumpled, but conscious form. “If you want it that badly, you have some work to do. Until then… I wish you luck, and try not to die. It would be a shame to have released you from the catacombs for you only to rot in the streets.”

    Having found his prize, he ordered the evacuation of the palace by his men, leaving quickly. As the group left the palace ground, he noticed the middle aged man and woman leaving the grounds as well, carrying the young woman.

    Just before the palace broke into hungry flames, the shadowy man wondered why the girl seemed to feel so strongly about obtaining the Nightingale statuette. Skimming his hands over the runes one last time before leaving the Capitol city, he listened to the beautiful voice fill the air.

    Such memories the Nightingale’s song brought back to him, making him feel almost human once again.


  • Chapter V

    Though the three left as quietly as they could from the Palace, they did not escape without notice. Within minutes of their leaving, a messenger was sent to the Emperor to inform him of the escape of his beloved pet. Trackers had already been sent after Maeda, Misa and Taira to bring them back to face whatever punishment the now dying Emperor would devise for them.

    Upon their arrival back at the palace, each one of their faces bore scratches and bruises, obtained through their struggle to evade their hunters. The depression and regret of their failure lay beneath each one of their injuries.

    Lined up before the Emperor, he glanced at each one of them in turn, wheezing and coughing as he did so. It was apparent that he would not live much longer, but before he did, he would leave his impression upon Maeda, Misa, and most of all Tiara, his disobedient pet Nightingale.

    “Maeda. You were my trusted advisor,” the Emperor managed to say in his raspy voice. “You have betrayed me, so you shall be treated like a traitor, though I shall not kill you. But I promise you, you shall have your wish. You shall leave this Palace if you so desperately wish it. Though you shall leave blind.”

    Maeda was dragged off by two of the Emperor’s guards, though he struggled and fought all the way. He would never see another sunrise.

    “Misato. You are beautiful, it is true. But you are still a woman, and beauty is your only weapon. You too have betrayed me, and will also be treated as a traitor, but you as well have my promise. You shall leave this palace if you so desperately wish it. Though you never again will be beautiful.”

    Misa screamed out in horror, attempting to run for one of the sliding panels that lead to the halls of the palace, but she was quickly captured by two more guards, who took her down the pathway after Maeda.

    Finally, the Emperor turned to Taira, taking his time to look one last time over his Nightingale.

    “My pet. My Nightingale. You have the power to save Maeda and Misa from their punishments. All that I ask is that you sing for me one last time, and I shall let you and the other two go free, without harm.”

    Taira blinked at the Emperor in shock. A simple request fulfilled, and she could buy their freedom. Could it be so easy? Without further thought, she hastily agreed to the Emperor’s request, taking her place at a stool beside his bed, with instrument in hand, and began to sing to him, her song filled with even more beauty than she had ever sung before, lest he find fault in her.

    The Emperor listened to Taira’s song in contentment, closing his eyes, and for a time, the wheezing and death smells left his room. Upon the finish of her song, he reopened his eyes, and smiled at Taira.

    “That was well done my pet. It warms my heart to be able to hear your song one last time.”

    Taira bowed her head to him. “Thank you my Lord Emperor. You are most kind.”

    The Emperor sighed, the raspy sounds and wheezing returning. “A shame that your song shall never be heard again…”

    Taira looked up quickly, not sure that she had heard the Emperor correctly. Giving a nod to the last two guards in the room, the Emperor sent Taira to be taken down to the catacombs after Maeda and Misa.

    When Taira awoke some time later, she saw Maeda and Misa chained to the walls perpendicular to where she too was chained. She opened her mouth to speak, but yet nothing came out but a sad mewling sound.

    “Taira? Is that you?” asked Maeda, his voice deep with concern. Taira tried to speak her reply, but again, all that came from her mouth was the same whimpering sounds.

    “The Emperor has stolen her voice Maeda,” Misa’s voice coming from the other side of the room.

    Taira began to cry, a darkness falling over her heart. She had not truly appreciated the love for her talent, until her talent had been taken from her. Maeda and Misa knew this, as such a thing is often a flaw of the young, but they could do nothing to help.

    Before Maeda and Misa could offer what little comfort they had to give, rumbling began to echo through the halls of the catacombs. All three listened to the sounds as they quietly came to the same conclusion-

    War had come to the capitol.


  • Chapter IV

    More and more, Taira became limited to only what was within the palace walls, for her own safety. Her face would always be concealed by a mask, unless she was in her private quarters, again, for her own safety. Both of these were at the Emperor's express commands, which she was to follow, for her own safety.

    The Emperor, when she saw him, would stroke and pat the top of her head as though she were a dog, or some other sort of pet, calling her “My Pretty Nightingale” in his wheezing, sickly voice. Taira had always felt that the Emperor was a bit odd, but it seemed to be getting worse every day, along with a dreadful cough that came from a mysterious illness that no one would speak of. All she knew of it was that all of the Sages and Shamans that had once served the Emperor were being summoned back, each one of them charged with finding a cure.

    Word came from outside of the palace that the country had become gripped in drought, giving rise to unrest and revolutionaries. Though the drought did little to affect the goings on within the palace, talk of how the empire’s armies must crush the foul, ungrateful, revolutionaries seemed to be everywhere. At first, there seemed to be very little worry that this was anything other than just a passing uprising.

    Then it was said, that the revolutionaries had growing support from the people.
    No matter, the people would be made to see reason.
    But they didn’t see reason.

    Then it was said, that entire towns had pledged their support to the revolutionaries, and farming communities had begun to hide what little crops they could sow from the Empirical Administration.
    No matter, these villages would be reprimanded, and punished.
    But the Empire’s Army had begun to lose to these people, who were naught but villagers.

    Little worry over small uprisings soon turned into talk of war amongst each other, and against the Empire itself. Only the rumors of a plague spreading throughout the capitol city seemed to compete with the talk of battle.

    However, the Emperor himself remained unaffected by the talk of the Empire’s decline. Though his illness progressed rapidly, even it had difficulty matching his growing obsession with Taira. The Emperor began to make suggestions of having wings made for her, to be sewn to her back so that she might truly begin to look like his favored songbird. He later proposed the idea of moving her into a large, human sized bird cage, which would be kept in his room so that he might always sing for her. One servant even spoke of seeing plans on the Emperor’s desk of how Taira would be buried with him upon his death, alive if necessary. Talk of all these things was kept away from Taira as much as possible, though she was not deaf. She could hear the whispers of the Emperor’s dreadful plans for her, and she was secretly frightened.

    One particular day her fears began to become realized, when Taira awoke with some difficulty, from a sleep that didn’t seem to want to let her go. As she attempted to rise from her bed, she quickly dropped back down to her stomach, her back seeming as though it was on fire. Calling for Misa, who she found to her surprise, was already beside her, she asked her what had happened to her back.

    Misa chewed her lips, looking down at Taira apprehensively. “I am Sorry Taira. We did not think he would do such a thing. I am very sorry. Forgive us.”

    Still shaking her head to clear it, Taira whispered, “What did he do to me Misa?”

    “I can only show you…”

    Misa ordered two women into the room to help assist Taira to a mirror, her back directed towards the long scope of the glass. Another mirror was brought in to be held in front of her, so that she might see the reflection in the mirror behind her. As the women took wet cloths to her back, to wash away dried on blood, intricate designs began to peek through. First, the tip of a wing, followed by a bird’s head, a tail, and then the opposing wing, all coming together to form the elaborate design of a Nightingale in flight.

    Taira looked over to her friend Misa in confusion, her face flushing with a mixture of fear and anger joining in. Again, Misa could only shake her head.

    “He said it was to remind everyone that you were his Nightingale, and you belonged to him.”

    After the women had placed Taira back on her bed mat, only Misa remained, lines of worry beginning to etch her aging face. Sitting next to Taira, Misa lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper, her lips close to the young woman’s ear.

    “Taira… Maeda and I… we think you should go. You must leave here. The Emperor is growing worse by the day in his sickness and madness. Many of his doctors have died by now from this same cough, though mysteriously the Emperor remains. Other’s who have survived the cough have been executed because of the Emperor’s insanity. There is no telling what he might do to you next.”

    Stroking Taira’s hair, Misa paused, placing a kiss atop her head as though a mother would. “Maeda and I love you as though you were our own daughter Taira.” Taking a deep breath to bolster her courage, Misa continued on, “The Empire is dying. And if we do not leave, we will die with it.”
    Taira only nodded, her eyes distant, thinking of her true parents. She wondered if they too would die with the rest of the Empire as Misa said.

    Three days later, Misa, Maeda, and Taira left the palace, under the cover of night.


  • Chapter III

    After the initial bathing, Taira seemed to adjust with progressive ease into living life at the palace. As promised by Maeda, she was brought a wide variety of paints, books, musical instruments, and other luxuries, all of which pleased her greatly. However, he had very much neglected to mention the tutors, which did not please her at all. For weeks upon weeks after the beginnings of her lessons, she fought with the tutors, played pranks on them, and generally tortured them in any manner that a young girl can. Even months after having first come to the palace, the longest any one of her tutors had remained was 3 days. And that tutor had arrived ill to the palace, making two of those three days time in which he spent in bed, unable to perform his duties of educating the child.

    Having eventually exhausted the options of using any self respecting tutor that resided within the borders of the country (for even those who had yet to fill the position had heard of Tiara, her legend of terrifying antics becoming quite notorious amongst the community of educators.), he turned to an old friend of his, Misato.

    Though the employment of Misato as a tutor would be rather unconventional, to say the least, as she was a courtesan of sorts, she was well known for being very well educated. How she would fare with Taira however, would most likely be something else all together.

    Misato arrived within minutes of being summoned to the palace, greeting her friend Maeda with a graceful formal bow, executed to perfection.

    “Where is the little girl that you wish for me to tutor?” Misato inquired.

    “She is… upstairs, down the hall and to the left. I shall take you to her, but I should warn you…” said Maeda nervously. He began to have second thoughts on inflicting Taira on Misato, as Misa was a rather nice woman, and he had always had a special fondness for her. If Taira was to terrorize her like all the others, Misa might begin to think that he was trying to drive her away.

    Misa shook her head, offering a small smile. “No, I shall find her on my own, so that we might become acquainted. Come fetch her when it is time for her mid-day meal. That shall be soon enough.” Misa bowed once more, taking her leave in the direction of Taira’s room.

    Hours later, Maeda came to fetch Taira for her noon meal, just as Misa had instructed. Expecting to find Taira’s room in disarray as usual, and Misa in terror, he was greatly surprised by what he found when he slid the panel to the room open. The room was clean, mat folded in the corner, books, paints, and instruments organized neatly. Taira sat on the floor, looking up at Misa, who was animatedly telling a story of the country’s history, making it sound as though it was some grand, epic tale. Misato had always been famous for being able to do this, but never had he imagined her talents would extend to this height.

    Waiting until Misa finished the telling, Maeda then cleared his throat.

    “Taira, it is time for your meal. Come now.”

    Taira’s face scrunched up, her lips forming into a pout. “But Maeda! I don’t want to… Misa was going to tell me about…”

    Misa then held up her hand, shaking her head in denial. “Taira, go with Maeda, and give him no trouble, or I shall think you unworthy of hearing my next tale. And if you behave… I shall teach you that dance I performed for you earlier.”

    Taira eagerly rose to her feet, running over to take Maeda’s hand. The Advisor was at a loss for what he was to do, so stunned was he by the immediate change in Taira. He only hoped it would last for at least some time.

    A few short months later, Taira began to perform her singing for the Emperor at his command. She continued on with her tutoring with Misa, and even eventually convinced Maeda the wisdom of allowing one of the guards to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow, as well as use a sword. Though he could never quite remember what the wisdom was of the argument, after Taira had won it with the aid of Misa. Taira’s talent and intellect grew more and more over the years, as well as her age, though the later seemed to come upon her much slowly.

    The Emperor would keep himself informed as to Taira’s progress, as well as who was and was not coming into contact with her, both of which was controlled strictly. It was said by some that his interest in the young girl bordered on obsession, most shrugged it off. After all, the Emperor was the Emperor and he was allowed his little quirks and oddities, and if he wished to keep a no-name common girl as his guest and moon over her, who were they to say?

    Eventually, she had reached the age of becoming a young woman, growing more unusual looking, yet prettier by the day. This fact did not go unnoticed by the other males of the palace, and most especially, not the Emperor, who became enraged by this. It was then he decided that she would wear a mask over her face whenever she was outside of the palace walls, which would be rarely, and never without escort. He had also then decided that her singing recitals would now occur twice a day: once in the morning to wake the Emperor, and once in the evening to send him to sleep. Only she, Maeda and one guard would be allowed to be privy to these recitals, no one else. The Emperor gave reason that things would now progress this way, for Taira’s own safety, for anyone who saw her face or heard her voice would be tempted to take the Emperor’s most treasured pet away from him.

    All seemed well, until one day, when a young man made the mistake of touching Taira’s shoulder, sending the Emperor into a rage.

    The Emperor ordered the young man’s hands to be removed, as to teach him the lesson that one did not touch that which belonged to the Emperor.


  • Chapter II

    Only a few hours from her former home, the Emperor’s adviser commanded the train to stop. Exiting the compartment in which Taira was riding in, he ordered her to stay, not to move an inch from her seat, lest she be punished. Having been a good daughter all her life, she did as she was told, waiting patiently in the compartment. Some minutes later, she sniffed the air, noting the scent of smoke that began to fill her nostrils. Glancing outside of the window, gray smoke began to billow past the train, carried by the wind which always seemed to blow in the direction of the capitol. Shortly there after, the Advisor returned, ordering the train to begin moving once again.

    Fighting her curiosity, Taira stared at the Advisor, wanting to ask why they had stopped, and where the smoke had come from. Had there been an accident of some sort? Squirming restlessly in her seat, as children are wont to do, she mulled over the possibilities of how and why. The Advisor merely sat and watched her wrestle with her indecision, his eyes looking upon her with a faint glimmer of sympathy.

    His voice, suddenly shaking off the chill that permeated it earlier, came smoothly from his lips, but yet kept its practical air.

    “You wish to know what that smoke was, don’t you?”

    Taira nodded, afraid to speak to this intimidating man.

    “It was your luggage. You are to forget all things of your home. They are gone now.”

    Eyes widening in alarm, she scrabbled for the door to the compartment, grasping her small hands tightly around the latch, threatening to release it. Without notice of movement by Taira, the Advisor was suddenly there, taking her hands, and bringing her to sit beside him, her body held in a restraint that seemed much stronger than the wispy advisor should have been capable of.

    “I know you’re upset, but you must forget it now child. That part of your life is gone, and over. The sooner you forget it, the better it will go for you. Trust me.”

    Taira’s chest heaved, but her body remained still. The Advisor loosened his grip on the child, thinking she had seen reason. However, the Advisor had never had much experience dealing with children. Quickly, Taira gripped the man’s arm, biting down as hard as she could into his skin, drawing blood. A second later, she was yet again gripped tightly in the Advisor’s impenetrable hold, this time, not to be fooled by false compliance.

    Having nothing else to do with Taira to keep her from hurting both him and herself, the Advisor pressed one of his hands over her mouth, depriving her of sweet air until she passed into unconsciousness.

    No others were there in the compartment to witness the look of compassion, sympathy and sorrow in the Advisor’s face as he held the limp form of the child Taira.

    She would have a life filled with luxury, this was true. But nothing comes without a price.

    Arriving some time later in the city, the caravan train of the Emperor was greeted in the streets with fanfare. Though the crowd was boisterous and noisy, it still yet failed to wake the sleeping girl that rode in the Advisor’s compartment. After the customary rounds of the city which come with the return of the Emperor to his capitol after a journey, the train drew its way through the palace gates, coming to a halt.

    The Emperor climbed out of his compartment, going down the line of compartments, looking in the windows of each one, as though he were a child eager to collect his gift. Finally finding her in the third to last cart, the Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. Regaining his composure, he directed a short nod of authority towards his Advisor, who had been watching over the girl.

    “You shall be in charge of my pet, Kyubei Maeda. See that she’s put in a room far from the men, bathed and whatever else needs to be done with her. I shall expect her after my evening meal and my prayers.”

    With another simple nod, the Emperor left his Advisor still standing in the courtyard recovering from shock. ‘I am an advisor. Not a nursemaid!’ thought Maeda to himself. Grumbling in resignation, he turned back to the cart, spotting the sleeping form of the child. Through his upset, he managed to pick up the girl as gently as possible, still not yet waking her from her sleep as he carried her up the palace steps.

    Taira woke a bit later in a large, beautifully adorned room draped in shades of pale gray silver and gold. Looking down on the mat which was softer and more comfortable than anything she had slept on, she concluded that it alone was probably worth more than her parents’ home. No, her former parents’ home.

    Suddenly, a large group of women bustled into the room, carrying a variety of garb, tubs for bathing, and other supplies. Without preamble, one of the women began to stalk Tiara, holding out a long pair of scissors and a towel. Taira, shaking her head in complete denial, crawled around the room, trying her best to escape these women. Though she was clean by the standards of her farming community, her current state wouldn’t do in a Palace.

    Chaos began to ensue. Tables were knocked over, vases tossed and dogged, spitting, kicking… when finally the women gave up, and left the room, met by Advisor Maeda.

    “Ladies. Does there seem to be a problem?”

    The largest of the women, and presumably the leader looked with complete disgust at the Advisor, the cheeks of her face puffing out in red. “Indeed. You asked us to bathe and clothe a little girl. There is no little girl in that room. We have yet to decide what is in that room, but it’s most likely a wild animal crossed with some sort of demon spawn.”

    “I see,” Drew out Maeda. “One moment. I shall return.” Pushing open the doors, and letting them fall closed behind him, Maeda left the group of women outside of the room, watching the door in curiosity mixed with fear. Rumbling sound from the room, causing the women to look at each other, worried for the Advisor. Though she was a little girl, she was a hellcat, and could do some damage to Advisor Maeda, who was a nice enough man over all. Two more crashes echoed from the room, accompanied by the Advisor’s smooth, but muffled voice. Then silence. Just before one of the women was to leave to fetch the guard, for the girl surely had murdered Advisor Maeda, the man in question exited the room, the picture of composure.

    “She shall be more compliant now Ladies.”

    The women watched in wonder as the Advisor strode down the hall, curious as to what he might have done to obtain the girl’s agreement. The Advisor had learned his first lesson in dealing with children that day.

    When all else fails, use bribery.