[OOC] Poem of the Bladed Nightingale [Skull & Mistress Dizzy]

[Skull]

PROLOGUE

They will not see your tears in the rain
They will not see your blood in the soot
That crown you wear is worn with pain
Your family tree, they'll uproot

On the one hundredth and twenty second year of the Yomiyawa Dynasty, during the fifteenth day of the Falling Leaf season, the future of the empire cries on his father's lap.

"Now, now." The Emperor's voice, though frail and weak, still flickers like a dying light. "You must be strong, my son."

The child forced his eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. When that didn't work, he pressed his face against the Emperor's emaciated chest that rose and fell with every labored breath.

Ishawari shadowed the private chamber's sliding doors, keeping a close lookout.

"Master, please..." Ishawari's impatience was felt in the air. "We have to go!"

To speak to the Emperor in such a way would've been a grave offense under normal circumstances. Tonight was anything but.

"Now, Hotaru, repeat it again." The Emperor said, ignoring the bodyguard.

The son sniffled, trying his best to stare at the gaunt face of his father. He took in a deep breath, then said:

H-head to The Wilting Blossoms and offer the ferryman our...talisman
Keep The Smiling Monk h-happy so he can take you to the mountain men
Do not scare the... Tengu, but be sure to take the silver feather
And let it guide you to the east, to the islands of... The Mentor!

In the fading light of a single candle placed behind the Emperor, Hotaru could see his father's smile of approval.

"Good, my son...now, listen closely..."

Ishawari frowned, then glanced at his soon-to-be partner in crime, hands white knuckling the grips of his spear.

"Are you sure about this?" It almost felt like he was asking himself that question. The two bodyguards had been at Hotaru's side since Mother Isai gave birth to him many moons ago. Ishawari still couldn't grasp the magnitude of the situation, the consequences they will surely face.

"If you walk away...I won't hold it against you. Though, don't be mad if I come haunting you from the afterlife!" Ishawari joked, trying to lighten the mood like he always did, back when life as a bodyguard was less...complicated.

[Mistress Dizzy]

The briefest of chuckles echoed across the nearly dark chamber hosting the emperor and emperor to be. "Now, now, think about it. If you vanish, who will they come looking to first? Me, of course. And I'm bad with torture. I bruise like a peach."

A small, dark woman toyed with the hilt of her small swords, listening but trying not to at the royals behind her. Her stomach was churning with fear, but her face betrayed very little unless you knew where to look.

Ishawari knew where to look. A near decade of working together could get you to learn things about a person you never thought possible.

Jin flicked her dark eyes to the door once more, steadying her breathing. "We're doing the right thing. To leave him here, in this nest of vipers, just a child?" She sighed very softly. "If only he were older." She exhaled again, now the other hand going to play on the second blade on her hip.

Jin knew what they were doing was akin to suicide. If they were caught, they were as good as dead. And the young Prince would be truly alone. Maybe, if they were caught, she could blame it all on herself and spare Ishawari somehow. After all, it would be an easier story to believe. One small, dark, daughter of a foreigner, finally betrayed the empire and seduced her comrade in arms, in a crazy plot to sneak the Prince out of his very home? Craziness.

Though maybe the hardest bit of that lie would be the seduction. Jin was slim and wiry enough to pass as a man with the correct clothing. In fact, that was how they would be traveling.

But no, she couldn't think of being caught. Those thoughts would just invite trouble.

Gently, without turning, she spoke to the two royals. "We're running short on time..."

[Skull]

Ishawari let out a soft chuckle at her peach comment. In that moment, he thanked The Diamond-Eyed Dragon for her companionship. He couldn’t imagine doing this alone, so to hear Jin confirm her commitment to the cause was invigorating.

Emperor Mifune nodded to the bodyguards, then used whatever strength he still had to carry Prince Hotaru off of his lap, and stand him upright. The child’s cheeks were still wet with tears, but his eyes were now fiery and determined. Prince Hotaru walked toward the center of the room, then stopped in front of the wide brimmed wheat basket with corded straps. He looked back at his father one last time, who nodded to him sternly, then bowed to Jin and Ishawari.

“Thank you very much for your loyalty! I will try my best to make you proud!” Prince Hotaru said before crawling inside and securing the lid overhead.

“I ask a great deal from you both, this I know...” The Emperor said in between coughs. “...But for the sake of Majima, this must be done. We cannot allow the Court to end the Yomiyawa bloodline.” Emperor Mifune’s weary eyes glanced between Jin and Ishawari.

It hurt Ishawari to see him like this, a noble man in his 40s, looking as pale as an old phantom. His long black hair was rugged and soaked in sweat, with loose strands dangling in front of his angular face like docile serpents. It was hard to believe that this was the very same man that lead Majima into prosperity for many years. The only father figure Ishawari has ever known, and he was going to abandon him. He glanced at Jin, then back at the Emperor.

“My lord, you can still come with us!”

“I will only slow you down. Plus, I must keep the Court busy for as long as I can until you get the Prince to safety. This sickness will be my executioner, not their hidden blades. Now, go! Their assassins will be here soon. I sense it.” Emperor Mifune let out a ghastly cough.

Ishawari took in a deep breath, then stared his dark brown eyes into Jin’s.

“I’ll carry the Prince on my back. With my spear I can keep attackers at a distance.” Ishawari said, glancing at her short swords as he approached the wheat basket. “The question now is: Which way should we go?”

Emperor Mifune presented two options:

Decision

1. Behind the Emperor is a window that leads out to the roof tops of the palace. Scaling over to the far side and climbing down along the palace’s mountainside. Quicker escape, but higher chance of getting spotted/encountering guards & assassins.
2. In the center of the room, underneath the wheat basket is a secret door on the floor that leads to an underground passage. Less chance of getting spotted, but there are more traps that could make it equally dangerous.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Jin couldn't quite look the emperor in the face. She didn't want this weary, almost broken man to be the last image of her Emperor. So she shut her eyes briefly, trying to banish the sudden urge to cry, just a bit. Tears could wait until it was all over.

Her eyes flew open as they made a choice. "We'll take the passage. Less chance of being spotted, plus, it will be awkward getting you out of the window with that basket on your back. We'll have to deal with the hazards as they happen." Noticeably, she did not say 'the Prince'. It was best to banish that word from their lips now, lest they have a slip of the tongue later.

Once the basket was shifted aside, she opened the passage and padded down the old stone steps carved there. It was damp, and murky, and smelled of wet mold, but it was their best hope for freedom.

"...My Emperor." Jin bowed, one last time, then headed down to scout. Not 5 minutes later, she found the thinnest line of rope she'd ever seen. Another step and she would have missed it. Praising the Two-Faced Monkey for her luck, she snipped the thread with her dagger. A thin blade, hidden Gods knew where in the wall, shot across the path and embedded itself neatly in the wall adjacent.

"Huh. Well that would have been bad." She plucked the still quivering dagger from the wall, and fled back to the beginning to report. "The very first part of the way is safe. Let me lead for the rest."

[Skull]

Double post

[Skull]

Ishawari gently lifted the wheat basket, then strapped each cord over his shoulders.

"The Yomiyawa dynasty will live on." He said to the Emperor, bowing slightly. The gesture pulled the prince's weight forward and onto Ishawari's back, which made the bodyguard bow even lower.

"Sorry!" The prince whispered.

Ishawari couldn't help but smile at the boy's tender generosity, though in the back of his mind, he was concerned for the journey ahead. Be strong, young prince. You must be strong, for all of us.

***

Jin went off to scout the area, leaving the two in silence. Ishawari could hear the boy's breathing, which, given the situation, was surprisingly calm. And when the feint sound of sharp steel against wood echoed from the distance, Hotaru gasped, but even then, it was short and muffled.

"It's okay..." Ishawari refrained from using the boy's name. Things were different now. Aliases will be needed, but that will be for a later discussion. "Jin is clearing the way for us. Much like that time we got lost in the kami forest. Do you remember that?"

Hotaru said nothing. Just then, Jin's silhouette approached with a dagger in hand.

"The very first part of the way is safe. Let me lead for the rest."

"No arguments here," Ishawari grinned, "Though, please be careful."

He knew she would, but he said it anyways.

Ishawari adjusted himself to distribute the Prince's weight properly, then followed Jin's lead; spear held in both hands and pointed slightly off to the side. He glanced back at the secret door now sealed shut over head, then never looked back again.

"Off we go..." He whispered.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Jin padded through the tunnels slowly, distinctly aware of Ishawari's heavy footfalls behind her. She was also aware of the squeaking and skittering of rats around the watery floors. Ugh - Jin hated rats. Not to say she was afraid! No, no self respecting warrior would ever be afraid of such a tiny, filthy, disease ridden, sharp toothed, sneaky - No, she couldn't think about rats right now.

Further on down the tunnel, she noticed the rocks on the ground seemed a little different. "Halt!" She called out to her companion, and went to test them. Her light weight danced across the stone, and the floor seemed very normal to her. "Hm... something isn't right here." Looking back, she stepped onto one of the miscolored stones, put both feet on it, and jumped.

Then she had to throw herself to the ground as an axe swung down, missing the back of her neck by inches. She was up again before it could swing back, and pushed it off to the side.

"This part is safe. I wish there was a better way to test these than with my own body." She leaned casually against the deadly sharp axe as she said this. "I can't rely on luck and skill the whole way through this tunnel. There have to be some kind of clues or something."

[Skull]

“If there were any clues, it wouldn’t make for much of a security system I’m afraid.” Ishawari said, slowly uncoiling from his fighting stance after the abrupt springing of another trap. The old contraptions in these dark and musty passageways must be older than both Jin and Ishawari combined.

“I do, however, remember going over the layouts of this place with the chief engineer years ago.” He took a deep breath, trying to fish for detailed bits of his foggy memory.

“Chief Gao. Real, creepy guy, remember him? He used prisoners like rats to make sure these mechanisms still worked.” He shuddered at the thought, excluding the more graphic details in Hotaru’s presence. “He had to do maintenance on everything...and there was a method he used...”

Ishawari’s eyes lit up.

“A dragon!” He looked at her with a smile, then gestured with one hand in a wave-like gesture, like a snake coiling forward. “I don’t remember the exact pattern, but I remember him saying to never walk in a straight path.”

Ishawari unstrapped the wheat basket then set it onto the stone floor. Hotaru said nothing. Was he asleep? He opened the lid to check on him and sure enough, the boy was resting peacefully. He looked up at Jin.

“I’ll take point from here. I can’t let you proceed on the whims of an old memory, one that involved a lot of sake.” Ishawari grinned.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"The lead is all yours, my friend."

Jin grinned back, despite the dangerous situation. She poked her head in on the sleeping Prince, shook her head a bit and wished she could sleep half as well. Slowly, she hoisted the basket to her back. It was a harder task for her than Ishawari, but she could still manage.

"I do remember Chief Gao. Wish I didn't. He always leered at me in the worst way. Did that with all the female soldiers. Ugh." Jin resisted the urge to rub her arms, not wanting to jostle the basket. "People like that are just... useless. Though if he put all of this together, he was a little less than useless. I'm conflicted. But at least you have some intel."

She grunted slightly as she shifted her weight. So many things with this plan could go wrong. For one, if the Prince had been a year older, she probably wouldn't have been able to carry him this way. For another, they were still in these tunnels, and it was unknown who else knew about them. For all Jin knew, their position was already compromised.

"I'm thinking too much... Let's get going."

[Skull]

Ishawari was a clumsy lout compared to the methodical proddings of his cohort. He advanced through trial and error, trying his best to emulate what Chief Gao told him. After narrowly dodging spiked floors, needled projectiles shooting from wall-to-wall, and whirling blades launched from unseen mechanisms, he, somehow, survived.

“See...” He panted, hands on his knees as he gasped for air. There were needles lodged throughout his body. Most of them were stopped by the padded areas of his cloth armor, but some still got through exposed areas, as dark blood stains were strewn throughout his arms and legs. “Like a dragon.”

In what must’ve been two hours worth of trekking through these godforsaken passageways, light was finally spotted at the end of the tunnel. The group entered a large area with a vaulted ceiling, discovering that the light source were lanterns hung on beams jutting along the walls.

“Hello, friends! We seem to be lost. The furnishings around these parts are quite, hostile.”

Two masked figures in black garb emerged from the shadowy corners where the light dare not shine. The man who spoke, the shorter of the two, wore a blue demon mask.

“Oh, no, you poor thing. It looks like you’re hurt. Do you need a healing aid?” The other one’s voice was more feminine, and alluringly delicate; an eerie juxtaposition to the glaring red demon mask that covered her face. She towered over everybody, but was so slim in the darkness, that it was hard to make out the shape of her body.

“Don’t you think you’re a bit old, playing hide and seek with masks on?” Ishawari straightened up, slamming the butt of his spear into the stone floor.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit foolish, trying to escape the royal court?” The female snapped, her voice now fiery and menacing, as she twirled a sai weapon with one hand.

“We know he’s with you.” The short man pointed one of his daggers at the wheat basket. “If you hand him over, we promise to let you live.”

Shit, this isn’t good. Ishawari wasn’t in serious pain, but fighting trained assassins wasn’t an ideal situation, not with the prince in present company. He glanced over at the tunnel. They could try and make a run for it, but who knows how many traps were left waiting for them. Wait. Ishawari thought back to what the man said:

“-The furnishings around these parts are quite, hostile.”

Maybe they set the traps off, making for a clear exit, but what if more assassins waited for them outside? He looked back at Jin as if to ask, do we stand and fight, or do we run? Either way, he prepared his mind and body for what came next.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Jin was too worried to laugh at Ishawari's slight clumsiness. He looked like he'd had a bad date with an acupuncturist. She instead did her best to tug a few needles free of his armor and skin, once they were both through the 'dragon' traps. "As soon as we get further, I'll help you with the rest, I promise." Hopefully that was the last time they'd have to do that.

They lapsed into a companionable silence for the rest of the way. Jin liked this. Having a friend you could be quiet with was just the best thing in the world. But her happy feeling was snuffed almost immediately as she also noticed the 2 figures ahead. The masks immediately made her nervous. She stopped in her tracks, feet planted, as Ishawari did the talking. The fear crept into her belly then, as soon as the woman spoke. They were in trouble.

If Ishawari had been fresh, and she hadn't been carrying their precious cargo, she would have wanted to fight. They easily could have taken these two. But with the Prince to protect...

Jin stared back at Ishawari, and flicked her gaze away from the two assassins. As if to say 'we run'. Then she very slowly started to shift her weight in various ways, subtle as a cat. Move her weight to the balls of her feet, hoist the basket just a bit higher, loosen the arms.

"Sorry, we're not interested in your offer." And she prepared to run.

[Skull]

The unspoken interaction between Jin and Ishawari was instant. Even the tilt of her head wasn't needed, for their collaborative years prompted an almost automatic understanding of each other's nuances; from just the slightest twitch in her eyes, he knew her answer.

Ishawari pointed his spear forward, then circled the bladed edge as a distraction, while Jin shifted her momentum, and said:

"Sorry, we're not interested in your offer."

Her first steps toward the exit ignited the assassins in a frenzy. The female was the quickest, whipping after Jin with a Sai in each hand as the male threw a dagger in Ishawari's direction. An unskilled warrior would've lost focus, likely stabbed by the flying blade for trying to stop the female's advance, but not Ishawari. Springing traps was not his forte, but he was in his wheelhouse now.

Ishawari back stepped, rose the pole arm of his spear to parry the incoming blade, sending it ricocheting off with a loud pang! back at the man. The blade lodged into the assassin's arm, stifling him momentarily, before giving chase. From the parry, he immediately thrust the spear in front of the female assassin, cutting off her trajectory, hesitating her advance at Jin. Amateur. The hesitation was enough for Ishawari to regain an advantageous position, back stepping until he put himself more comfortably wedged in front of the assassins.

By now, Jin carried Hotaru out of the large room. As Ishawari followed suit, he kept his stance engaged with their attackers. In such a narrow corridor, it was much easier to control both of their advances, and began putting more and more distance between them, and Jin and Hotaru. With his back turned, he couldn't make out how far off they were. He only hoped the exit was close.

scenario

Ishawari is moving backwards, using his spear to keep the assassins from getting to Jin and Hotaru. This corridor is like the ones they've cleared earlier. Some of the traps were sprung by the assassins, but not all. Bright moonlight can be seen less than a 100 yards away. The exit! Though what leads into the outside world is a narrow ledge with a long drop down into a ravine.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Jin's arms and legs were pumping, jostling the basket on her back heavily as she ran.

"What's going on?!" The Prince's voice was laced with panic. Jin flinched, she'd hoped he was a heavy sleeper. No such luck this time.

"Keep yourself down, Highness. Everything is going to be just fine." Her voice came out much calmer than she felt. And she kept running, darting between the small markers for some of the traps she recognized. Behind her, she could hear Ishawari doing what he did best. He'd always been the better fighter, and while even she didn't think he could outright kill 2 assassins, he could certainly slow them down.

"There!" She found another trap marker, and this time triggered it just as she ran past. A large axe creaked above them and started to come swinging down. Jin and the Prince were already moved from the trajectory, and she prayed that Ishawari was paying attention enough to dodge it. Jin's short legs ate the distance slowly. Far too slowly, she felt. If only they had switched places - Ishawari's long legs would have made the Prince long gone, leaving her to dip and dodge and duel with the two adversaries. BUt now was not a time for 'if onlys'. The moonlight ahead marked the path.

She stepped onto the ledge, inhaled once, and had to slow her steps. It wasn't like she was expecting a plush carpet under their feet, but this route was treacherous. She moved carefully, her own weight trying to displace the weight of the increasingly heavier basket on her back.

"My Prince, do me a favor. Stay as still as you can. I promise, on my honor, everything will be fine."

She heard a muffled assent from inside the basket, and prayed to all the gods watching, that everything was, in fact, going to be fine. After all, they were only halfway across the ledge.

[Skull]

“Give us the boy!” The man lunged forward, moving from side-to-side, narrowly dodging Ishawari’s spear thrusts.

The slender female assassin grew impatient; seemingly blocked off by her partner’s movement, which gave little room for her to pass.

“For the good of Majima!” She screamed, now leaping from wall-to-wall. Ishawari’s eyes widened as she flipped onto the ceiling, defying the laws of gravity by running at him, upside down. This was no doubt the product of some magical enchantment; not even Jin could perform such an acrobatic feat. The male assassin lunged forward, and grabbed ahold of Ishawari’s spear.

“The Yomiyawa will die with the old world! Long live the Iron Fangs!” The female roared, Sai raised to strike down Ishawari, who struggled to pull his weapon free from the man’s grip.

“There!”

Ishawari barely heard Jin as the trap mechanism spurred to life from above. Was it projectiles? Spikes? Another blasted axe? Whatever it was, he gambled on it coming down in a straight line. He released his spear, then tumbled off to the side, the violent whirl of metal cleaving air, rang in his ears.

“Argh!”

While the blue-masked female was quick enough to evade the axe, the male was not. After getting caught off balance from pulling the spear from Ishawari, he had no time to evade.

“Guanjo!” The female dropped down from the ceiling, ready to strike Ishawari.

“Go, Asana!” He lurched, pulling himself free from the axe blade jammed into his shoulder. “Never mind this pawn! Kill the boy, now!”

Before Ishawari got onto his feet, Asana was already bolting toward the exit.

“Damn it!” He said, glaring back at the wounded man. Blood was streaming out from the breathing holes of his red demon mask, but he puffed his chest, defiantly.

“You cannot outrun us. Even if you make it out here alive, you’ll live the rest of your days looking over your shoulder. Why go through such a hassle? Just give us-“

Ishawari picked up his spear and struck the assassin down. There was no time for discussion. He turned and ran as hard as he could, making his way to Jin.

***

Though most of the scenery was shrouded in darkness, the moon did well to emblazon the high ledge. The sound of rushing waters from down below, echo throughout the cold Yga mountains. Jin makes her way across the narrow ledge, carrying Hotaru towards the far end where a dirt path awaits. She has but 50 yards left of ledge left to scale, to which the path will then guide her down into the ravine. However, the assassin, Asana, has made her way out of the corridor.

“Hmm... did the divines grant us mercy?” In the moonlight, Asana’s black garbs sparkled with ethereal magic, shifting and spiraling towards her hands and feet. The blue mask tilted down, then left, and right, until she heard rubble tumbling off in the distance. “Perhaps not!”

Like a spider, she scaled the side of the mountain on all fours. Fortunately, Asana did not spot Jin, but was fast approaching in her direction.

“Oh, Little Prince, where are you!?!” Asana screamed.

[Mistress Dizzy]

“Oh, Little Prince, where are you!?!”

Jin felt her stomach drop to her knees, as the assassin's cry echoed through the mountains around them. She heard the faintest whisper from inside the basket. Bless the Prince's little heart, he was trying to be so brave for everyone. She kept moving, her normal running speed split nearly in half as she made their way in the dark.

"Oh, Little Prince..."

Was it her imagination, or were the assassin's taunts getting closer? Jin started to hustle, stepping on a rather large rock at one point and feeling her balance waver. But she could see the widening path just ahead, and took her chances running for it. That turned out to be the right choice. Not sooner than she put one foot in the grass, did the masked female assassin simply walked over the side of the mountain, onto the path.

"...I hate magic users." Jin muttered, shifting her weight to slowly set the basket down. "You're all cheaters, making up for what you lack in training."

"Better a cheater than a traitor." The woman Asana hissed in a mocking tone.

"I'm sure you know plenty about both." Jin shot back, pulling her twin swords. Without any further ado, she struck forward, her body light and nimble without the weight of another person on her back. Sword and sai clashed in a ring of metal, as Jin was parried again and again.

"Hm. Not bad. It will be such a shame to kill you." Jin grinned fiercely, her eyes blazing with fury. In that simple pattern, she'd determined a few things. One - her opponent was left handed. Two - her opponent was just as tired as she was; perhaps the magic took something from her? And three - there was just the slightest hesitation in her right step. That meant an opening.

Jin started to pour on more speed, her strikes coming faster and with more rhythm. As soon as she felt the assassin falling into step again, she changed things up in a snap. She darted forward on the left side, feinting a hard swing. The assassin fell for it, thank the gods. Jin went to the right side with everything she had, forcing Asana to dodge on her right foot. The woman wobbled, and Jin took her chance. She shoulder-checked the other woman right in the stomach - a benefit to being shorter.

"No- no!" Asana tilted, and then started to tumble from the side. Jin could see the magical glow starting up, and knew she had to do something quick. So she simply and unceremoniously stabbed the woman in the foot.

A scream of pain burst from the woman's lips as the Jin yanked her blade free. Then she coolly watched as the woman fell down, and down, and down the mountain side. The screaming cut off abruptly in the dark.

"...whew..." Jin had not come out unscathed. She was covered in slashes and shallow stab wounds from the woman's sai. She really had been skilled. If only she'd been on the right side of things.

Jin jogged back to the basket and peered into it.

"Prince Hotaru, are you alright?"

"Yes, I think so." The boy's face was streaked with tears, and Jin realized he must have heard the whole thing, maybe even seen it. Jin sighed, and reached in to hold the boy's hand. His fingers were shaking. "I was so scared."

"Oh, it's alright to be scared. I was too. The thing is, you don't let the fear keep you from doing what's right." She offered a little smile to the Prince, who grinned vaguely in her direction.

"Now, where is our Ishawari?"

[Skull]

“Oh, you know, just enjoying this lovely hike.” The calm demeanor Ishawari meant to convey was betrayed by his labored breathing.

He released all of the tension built up in his body from scaling the ledge, and tumbled onto the spacious path with a sigh of relief. They did it. They made it out of the castle alive, and in one piece, more or less. Though visibly exhausted, Ishawari rose to his knees.

“You did well, my Prince. You are very brave. We will need more of that for the journey ahead.” He bowed, then rose his head up at Jin with an affectionate nod, “I knew she would keep you safe.”

The night was cruel and violent, but there was a moment of peace, out here in the moonlight. The soft winds cooled his sweaty brow, and the sound of rushing water from the ravine, calmed his mind. He wanted to hold onto this moment for another minute, but he knew he was stalling. It was time to leave this place he called his home.

The sound of trudging hooves were heard coming up the path. The adrenaline came back to him. Rising to his feet after scooping up his spear, Ishawari pointed the weapon down the path, ready to throw it.

“No! Don’t kill me!” A figure dressed in a wheat shawl and rice hat put his hands up in defense. Judging by the sound of his voice and the hunch in his posture, he was likely in his 70s. The horse pulling the cart next to him whined, sensing his master’s distress. “My name is Daigo, one of many of the Yomiyawa’s secret agents! I’m here to transport you to safety!”

End of Prologue

[Mistress Dizzy]

Jin groaned softly as the scent of burnt rice hit her nose. Almost a month after the old man had brough them all to Hanowa and she still couldn’t get the cooking right. Oh well; the Prince (now named Han) was too polite to complain, and Ishawari (called Takumi) already needled her at least once a week about it. Someday she would learn to cook well, but today was not that day. Tomorrow wasn’t looking good either.

Hanowa was a small, non-descript village about an hour’s walk to the port. It was full of hardworking people, mostly fishers and market workers at the port. The cover story for the three of them was that young Han had lost his parents recently, and Jin (who’d taken the name Akemi) were his childless aunt and uncle. They had all recently moved here from a faraway village to start over. The best cover stories were made with some truth and some fiction in equal measure. The Prince was an orphan now, and Jin and Ishawari were close enough to him to play parental roles.

“Dinner’s ready!” She called out, loud enough to breach the walls of the small house they were in. She knew the Prince was outside playing. Ever since they came here, he’d worked hard at being a ‘normal’ boy. No longer did the neighboring children scoff at him for using big words or holding himself in a royal manner. Just the other day he’d come home splattered with mud from head to toe. Jin had been surprised and pleased to see him that way. Just a regular 8 year old.

Just a few more days living here and they’d have to be on their way to the Wilting Blossoms. The old man had been very clear about the timeframe, as they could possibly miss the ferryman if they were not there in time. Soon they would have to pack up and leave everything behind. Jin had to admit, she was going to miss it. It gave her a taste of another life that she would never have.

“I promise I didn’t burn everything this time!”