Dynasty of Heroshida
The yellow sun rays danced ever so gracefully through the window of the room, landing gently upon the several ornaments occupying the beautifully adorned room. Silver, gold and gemstones had been given their place within, clearly not fitting for a simple farmer or merchant. But the woman sitting in her seat was neither; her family had acquired a valuable position, both socially and in terms of value. Behind her stood a woman donned in a simple set of clothes fitting for a handmaiden. She carefully braided the hair, carrying a midnight color to it. Strings had been weaved into unison around the edge of her head, whilst the rest of the hair was allowed to hang freely, dancing with every moment. The both of them silently waited, the maid handling the Lady's hair as if it was a fragile diamond in her very hands. Lady Mikasa allowed a quick sigh to escape her otherwise silent lips, which simultaneously caused a reaction from the maid.
“I apologize my Lady! I shall correct it! What part of it isn't adequate?” the maid broke out, instantly stopping her work, afraid that she might dig a deeper hole, though the young woman simply replied with a relaxed smile and shook her head carefully.
“Do not worry, Miss Hayashi. The hair is lovely, it's just…” Mikasa sighed, lowering her gaze to her hand, intertwining her fingers with a mournful look on her seemingly face. She was at a loss of words , which the slightly younger Naria Hayashi picked up on. After all, she had been in service to Mikasa for many years, since they were both young. She offered a kind smile through the mirror, to the Lady.
“Of course, I understand. It may be a day of celebration for the Dynasty, but..” Lady Mikasa carefully cut her off, finishing the sentence for the maid, which she seemed to appreciate. “It's barely a day of celebration for me. But I shan't trouble you with it, let alone make you feel bad on my behalf. Do not hold yourself back today, because of my mood.” Mikasa offered a kind smile back to Naria. The young maid returned to the braiding with a gentle rush. Over the many years, Nara couldn't count the amount of times she had taken care of preparing her Lady and her hair. She had become quite fond of it, and did an excellent job as well. They both appreciated their position, having grown into mutual friendship. Miss Hayashi looked her Mikasa and her outfit, nodding to herself. “Nonetheless, my Lady, you will look quite lovely today.”
Mikasa smiled, looking through the window.
The streets were already being filled in the city of Takanori, being prepared for the day to come. Lady Mikasa Shuenaii and Naria Hayashi rode through the streets in a silent manner, both having dressed up for the day. The Lady carried a smooth linen dress, being mostly white, though a few golden lines ran across it in a simple pattern. Naria were donned in one of her few dresses for any other occasion than being in the household. It was a simple thing, though still worthy of a maid for a Lady of the Shuenaii family. Dipping her head kindly to whomever might greet her on her way, Mikasa glanced around the beautiful mountain city. The region of Heroshida was mostly filled with mountains and valleys, though it had a few flat areas too, mostly towards the west. With a careful deep breath, the two woman rode on, setting course for the Hamaian Square.
Most of the noble families had arrived, taking their place within the crowd, or at their seats. The two women swiftly dismounted from their horses, which were handed over to a young boy, bowing and taking the reins.
“Lady Mikasa! And Miss Hayashi of course, I'm glad to see the two of you arriving!” A man in his twenties greeted the two, bowing down. He was dressed in an official uniform, though not one fitted for combat. Still, he carried his blade by his side. It was mostly just for any formal events like this, otherwise the Lieutenant would be fully dressed in his armor, a man of the sword as he would say.
“Lieutenant Nakita, a pleasure.” Mikasa curtsied down, offering a smile to the man, who simply offered her a grin. “I never get used to seeing you all dressed up, like all the nobles, I'm afraid.”he shook his head gently, still smiling. “The hair is your doing I assume, Miss Hayashi?” Naria suddenly lit up like a flame, smiling and nodding enthusiastically. “Indeed, Mister Nakita! Worked on it all morning!” The girl nodded once again, though stepping down afterwards. Daika Nakita nodded back at the girl, with an approving gesture. Without further words, he waved for them to follow, leading them through the crowd, as a man began to speak, standing firmly on a platform raised slightly above the common folk and nobility.
“Welcome! Welcome!” He began. Mikasa observed him carefully, already feeling the shiver crawling down her spine. “The houses are empty, the lights have been lit, and soon the evening will be upon us! Today, we celebrate not only the ending of a time, but the beginning of a new! For six years we have had peace!” He briefly paused. “Six years ago, we defended our homes, and pushed the fiends of the West back!” The crowd cheered, and already now, Mikasa simply began to cut the speech off. She found no joy in it, though most of the people did. A way to unite the people, Miss Hayashi had said to her once. The Lady shrugged to herself, she wasn't going to take that from the people. Daika led them on, finally stepping into a house, the noise from outside fading. Naria stopped in the door, looking out to the speech. Flashing a smile, Mikasa waved her hand towards the Square again, Naria nodding happily and moved outside again, the door being shut behind Mikasa. Within the room stood a few familiar faces, all being either wealthy and influential nobles, or military officers. They were in the middle of greeting each other, smiling and nodding. Mikasa were simply in a state of daydreaming, the speech ringing in her head. She met Daika’s gaze, who instantly knew what haunted her. He was the same age as her, having signed up in the military six years ago, as soon as he had turned eighteen. She envied him, being allowed to dress in a uniform on the day. It wasn't that Mikasa didn't find joy in dresses, she simply didn't feel as comfortable in them, for a strange reason.
“I'm afraid,” on of the men began. “”That today won't be much of a celebration. There was an incident.” The General paused. An older woman, dressed in armor fit for a battlefield, rested her hand upon the end of her sheathed blade, grimacing. “Define incident, General.”
The General looked toward the Swordmaiden, nodding. “I'll be blunt, then. There was a skirmish between one of our patrols…” He stopped, looking towards Mikasa briefly. “Between one of our patrols, and the Crusaders.” The words released a chilly sensation throughout the room, followed by complete silence. Mikasa was speechless, being stunned by the words. There hadn't been more than small disagreements with the Western warriors for years.
“The rest of the soldiers stationed in the Dorochai Pass are on full alert. Both sides lost far too many.” The General continued, before an elder man broke in.
“What caused this? Did anyone provoke the attack?”
The General shrugged. “We know little more than what I've told. But there has been movements. I'm afraid it isn't something they'll take lightly. We should prepare for the worst.”
For the first time in what felt like hours, Mikasa took in a deep breath, the images of battle coming back to her. She pitied the citizens cheering outside. None of them were aware, aware that history was about to repeat itself, like it did so long ago.