Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Honor ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter One

Springtime had returned to the highlands, bringing with it
the promise of warmth and an easier life. The hardships of
winter were over; the land was shaking off its yearly
slumber. New shoots were showing on the bushes and
underbrush, their lighter green a contrast between the dark
trunks and deeper greens of the evergreen forest. Once
again, the clan had come through the cold weather, sparse
food and lengthy nights well, only losing a few oldtimers
and sickly newborns to the harsher time of the year. All
told, it had been a mild winter, and for that, the chieftain
of Clan Kiryuu was glad.

Around the noble figure of the leader, the fit and lean
forms of his clan's warriors waited on horseback as the
tracker searched around for signs of worthy prey. Already a
couple of the men held a freshly killed and field-dressed
buck suspended between them, the dead animal dangling by
tied ankles to a sturdy pole slung from one man's shoulders
to the other. Also tied to the pole was a boar, also
similarly field-dressed. A breeze blew through the
clearing, sending the chieftain's scarlet hair swirling
around him while he turned to stare at the two men holding
the downed game. "Take the game back home to the clanhold,"
he ordered. "We'll continue on to hunt more. Our larders
need to be restocked now that winter has depleted the
stores."

"Aye, Lord Touga," replied the taller and older of the two.
Looking over his shoulder, the brunette nodded to his
auburn-haired partner. "Let's go."

Smiling to himself, thinking of the grumbling his younger
sister Nanami -- ever since the death of their father, the
former chieftain, the energetic blond had been the lady of
the keep, overseeing the household staff -- would do in
herding up the kitchen staff in preparing the meat for
storage, Touga strained his hearing for any signal from the
tracker. The little fourteen-year-old tyrant would actually
enjoy another chance to boss around the staff that worked on
the upkeep of the stronghold. That thought made the
eighteen-year-old highland lord softly chuckle.

Just then, a shout from deeper in the woods rang out between
the evergreens. Holding up a hand in an imperious gesture
for silence, Touga listened for a repeat yell. Instantly
the surrounding warriors -- the fighting men of Clan Kiryuu,
the protectors and providers of the myriad descendants of a
common royal ancestor -- fell quiet. Only the whimpering and
barking of the waiting dogs, their leads held tightly by the
houndsman, broke the hushed silence of the clearing.

"Unicorn spoor!"

(A unicorn?) Touga thought, feeling a flush of excitement
flow through him. The creatures were elusive and highly
prized, their horns proof against any sort of poison. There
hadn't been signs of one around the Kiryuu glen for months.
There was true glory in capturing one of the gorgeous
creatures, and they'd already sent home some meat for the
almost bare larders. Tugging on the reins with his left
hand, he swiftly dropped his right in a gesture for the
gathered men to follow him. A touching of his heels to his
courser's flanks sent the white gelding cantering forward in
the direction from which the shout had come.

Horse and rider made their way between the trees, the rest
of the hunters trailing along in their wake. Spotting the
flash of the tracker's scarlet tunic, Touga urged Blizzard
onward then softly called to the courser to halt when the
kneeling man came into full view. "How close is it, do you
think?" he asked the youthful man.

"Not far at all, Lord Touga." The tracker, a dusky blonde
of about sixteen winters with intelligent-appearing
grass-green eyes, pointed down at the droppings amongst the
cloven hoofprints there near a small puddle in a hollow in
the ground.

(Good.) Gracefully turning in the saddle, the highland
chieftain motioned for the houndsman to come forward with
the dogs. The middle-aged clanmember did so, the pack of
black and brindle hounds becoming excited and starting to
bark as their keen noses detected a whiff of prey they'd
been trained to track. The braided leather leashes swiftly
became taut as the canines struggled forward, the pack of
animals threatening to drag along their handler through
their combined strength. "Let them go once they've got the
scent," Touga ordered.

Moments later, the dogs were loose, their excited barking
turning into baying calls as they dashed through the forest
in search of their prey. "Kiryuu, onward!" Touga called
out, shouting the battle cry of the influential clan.
Tapping Blizzard's flanks hard with his heels, the young
lord rode after the hounds, the pounding of his heart in the
excitement of the hunt echoing the thunder of his white
gelding's hooves. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of
the other's mounts and the excited shouts of his men as they
too gave chase to the elusive creature.

Long scarlet hair flowed like a silken banner as the elegant
nobleman followed the sounds of the baying hounds, his dark
blue eyes focused on the best way through the forest
foliage. This way and that he guided his courser by knee
and by rein, threading a path between tree and bush, brush
and trunk, using the sounds of the dogs to guide him. Horns
began to sound as his warriors spread out into small groups
to better cover the area, their crystalline notes signaling
to one another where each gathering of men were in relation
to one another. Aware of hoofbeats behind him, Touga knew
that a number of his warriors were staying with him, seeing
to their duty to keep safe the chieftain of the clan.

A flash of white caught his eye, off there to his left.
Though the barking of the canines continued to come from
straight ahead, the highland lord gave in to his sudden
flash of intuition and pulled the reins to the left.
Blizzard responded beautifully, slowing from his full gallop
to leap toward the left, running in the direction indicated
by his young master. Pushing their way past the still
mostly-bare branches of a thick bush, horse and rider
continued on, Touga looking again for that patch of white.

(There!) He actually saw it for a fleeting moment -- the
pristine equine-like body, the dangerous spiral horn, the
lionlike tufted tail -- as the unicorn dug its cloven hooves
into the ground and darted to the right, away from both the
pursuing lord and the sound of the dogs and other hunters.
Momentarily awed at his very first glimpse of such a
beautiful and noble beast, Touga could only stare in wonder
as the sleek and snowy form disappeared into the depths of
the forest. Even more determined to catch the wondrous
animal, the scarlet-haired lord tugged on the reins, urging
Blizzard to chase after their prey.

Leaping over fallen trees, splashing through small streams,
Touga kept after the fleeing unicorn. Though the animal was
darting this way and that, trying to use its graceful
agility to advantage, the determined chieftain would catch a
glimpse here and there of the noble beast's white hide and
turn in that direction. As the merry chase continued on,
the sounds of his followers eventually faded away, the
baying of the hounds and the calling of the horns impinging
on his determined concentration just enough to make him
dimly aware of becoming separated from everyone else. But
it wasn't until he no longer caught any sight at all of the
elegant beast that he tugged on the reins and called for
Blizzard to halt.

The white gelding snorted, shaking his head and making the
bridle jingle, as he patiently waited for his rider to give
the next signal. Frowning in slight annoyance, Touga stood
in the saddle, scanning over his current surroundings for
any sign of either prey or hunters. He didn't recognize
this precise part of the evergreen wood, but he was fairly
certain his dashing about hadn't taken him off Clan Kiryuu
lands. A swift glance up at the sky confirmed what
direction he faced, and he relaxed slightly. Even if he was
somehow off the lands held by his clan, the territory he
could be trespassing upon would be those of Clan Saionji,
their neighbors -- and vassals -- to the immediate west.

The thought of that made his frown deepen. It had been a
couple of years since he had last seen his foster brother,
Kyouichi Saionji; the temperamental man had been ordered to
return to his clan after a training mishap had concluded
with Touga being seriously wounded. Having been newly
confirmed as the chieftain by the warriors of the clan,
Touga had had to do something about his foster brother in
light of the incident. Under the circumstances, he had been
as lenient as possible.

As they had gotten older, their friendship had become a
turbulent one. Though he had always regarded the
green-haired boy as a true brother as well as a friend,
Saionji had become more and more distant as they had gone
from boyhood to being young men. Try as he might, nothing
he did ever truly stopped the growing distance; if anything,
his efforts had only made things worse. He had done his
best to counter Saionji's growing jealousy, only to see it
in the other's violet eyes that he thought he was being
patronized. Accepting the inevitable and locking the
sadness he felt about the situation away, Touga had given
up, letting Saionji believe whatever it was he wished to
believe. If being miserable was what made his foster
brother truly happy, so be it.

Then had come the fit of temper on the training field. One
of the best swordsmen in the clanhold, Saionji was truly a
master at wielding a blade, so long as his passionate nature
wasn't turned against him. Having successfully won a number
of duels against the Kiryuu men with the blunted practice
swords, he had become utterly enraged when a sore loser had
insulted him, stating that no matter how hard he tried, he
would never be as exalted as the lowest of the true-blooded
Kiryuu and that he and his bloodline were worthy of only
breeding with dogs. Dropping the rebated weapon, Saionji
had drawn live steel and had charged at the back of the
retreating man. Just then, a young girl maybe only three
winters old, having slipped away from her mother, came
toddling through the area right between Saionji and his
prey, stepping right into the space where the glittering
blade was beginning to thrust upward in a swing. Seeing the
danger, Touga had instantly reacted, dashing forward as
swiftly as possible and then leaping across that last bit of
distance. Pain had lanced through him as his back took the
blow, the infant huddled under his protective body. Utterly
shocked, Saionji had dropped the deadly sword, staring in
horror at the blood that had begun to stain the back of
Touga's clothing. Though it had turned out to be only a
grazing wound, it had still been painful and had required
his sister to stitch the edges together, and he had had to
keep his arm in a sling for a month to immobilize the
muscles of his shoulder so that they could heal correctly.
And Saionji had been sent away from the only home he had
truly known, back to the clan he would one day lead.

(Perhaps it's time to pay my dear brother a visit?) Touga
idly thought, dark azure eyes scanning over his unfamiliar
surroundings. (See how he's doing, see if he's gotten over
his jealousy . . .) One thing was for certain: he'd not
bring down the wrath of Clan Saionji by inadvertently being
there within their territory. They were his vassals; they
had no right to deny him safe passage on their lands.

Still no sign of either the unicorn or his men. Around him,
the sounds of the forest -- birds, the creaking of trees in
the breeze, the scurrying rustle of small animals -- were
all he heard. Sighing slightly, wondering just how far away
dogs and men were, Touga lifted up the reins and was about
to urge Blizzard to walk back the way they came when an
unexpected noise impinged itself upon his awareness.

A voice, one that seemed to have the higher tones of a
female. Though he couldn't make out the words, the tone
alone conveyed something he interpreted as irritation and
then awe. Curiosity overcoming him, he focused in on the
source of the sound and silently signaled his white courser
to move onward.

" . . . Such a pretty thing. I don't suppose *you* could aid
me?"

(What the devil?) the young highland lord wondered, finally
able to catch what the woman was saying. Azure eyes locked
in on the spot from where he believed the other person must
be, he fought back the impulse to dig his heels into
Blizzard's flanks and have the courser gallop over the
remaining distance. The moment he could see the woman in
question, he was instantly thankful he had chosen to be
patient.

A slender form wearing oddly mannish-looking clothing sat
perched upon the dark trunk of a fallen tree, the sunlight
shining down on her from the hole in the evergreen canopy
left behind by the death of the giant pine. At first
glance, the person looked like a boy, slender limbs clad in
form-fitting hose and undertunic of ivory hue. A sturdy,
knee-length tunic of dark rose pink was belted around a
willowy waist by a slim girdle of golden links, and a
shapeless cap of matching fabric covered the other's head, a
cockade of colorful feathers adorning the left side. No
hints at all of the color of her hair were revealed by that
soft fabric tam. Leather shoes covered dainty feet, though
from the way one of her hands was wrapped around the
hose-covered ankle of a foot resting up on the tree truck,
it seemed obvious to Touga that she had somehow hurt herself
there.

But the sight that truly took his breath away was the fact
that the unicorn was there, snuffling in curiosity at the
outstretched hand of the strangely-dressed woman. Its white
hide brilliant in the sunshine -- it seemed to faintly glow
to the bedazzled lord's eyes -- the horse-like animal lashed
its side with it's leonine tail and softly whickered. Then
it suddenly lifted up its bearded and single-horned head,
turned its fathomless gaze to stare directly at the
scarlet-haired nobleman and galloped off, swiftly
disappearing into the thick underbrush.

"No, don't!" the woman called out after the disappearing
animal. Lowering her hand, her face a study in
disappointment, she abruptly jumped and looked over in alarm
at the man and horse that seemingly stepped out of nowhere
to invade the peace of the quiet clearing. "Oh!"

"Forgive me, m'lady," Touga hastily said, wanting to swiftly
lay to rest any fears she may have at his appearance. "I
didn't mean to frighten you so."

The woman shook her head, then gave the stranger a hesitant
smile. He was absolutely gorgeous, sitting as proud as a
king upon the back of his magnificent white horse. Long,
straight, scarlet-red hair framed a handsome and noble face,
clothing in the current style colored in shades of red,
white and gold covered a tall and well-made form. "That's
quite all right. I was more startled by your unexpected but
welcome appearance."

"Welcome, m'lady?"

"Aye . . ." Her pretty face taking on a rueful expression,
she gently massaged the ankle of the leg she had propped up
on the trunk upon which she was sitting. "I fear I must ask
for some assistance. I was thrown from my horse and she
seems to have wandered off."

"If I may, allow me to look at that -- " Touga offered,
beginning to swing down from the saddle of his mount.

"No, no, it's not necessary, kind sir," the woman hastily
replied, shaking her head in the negative. "My ankle hurts,
but it's otherwise intact. I merely need someone to fetch
me my horse. Could you please do so? I've been dreading the
thought of having to try walking to my destination."

"Of course. Just point the way and I shall fetch your mount
for you," the Kiryuu chieftain replied, giving the woman a
charming smile. A subscriber to the gentle sentiments of
chivalry, Touga was more than willing to offer any
assistance the lady in distress asked of him.

"The last I saw, she went past those trees," the maiden
responded, pointing to a stand of pines on the other side of
the clearing.

Peering over there, Touga caught a glimpse of a pale colored
horse happily grazing away on the available foliage of the
woods. Smiling to himself, he touched heels to Blizzard and
tugged on the reins to guide his own mount. "Come now,
naughty mare," he gently chided the grazing animal as he and
his courser drew close. "'Tis an ungrateful action to leave
your mistress stranded out in the woods so."

Snorting, the mare lifted her head and eyed both man and
horse. Turning, she started to bolt, but Blizzard was
faster, having been urged to speed up by his rider. Leaning
over to the right, Touga reached quickly out with a hand and
firmly grasped the mare's dangling reins. "Now, now, that's
not very kind of you," he murmured to the buff-colored
palfrey. "I promise I won't hurt you. Just come along . .
."

Turning Blizzard to the left and retracing their steps, the
highland lord lead the skittery mare back into the clearing
and toward the woman sitting there on the fallen tree. She
was still massaging her ankle, but the moment she heard them
approach, she looked up and smiled again. "Thank you, kind
sir. You are a true gentleman."

"Glad to be of service to one of the gentler sex," Touga
replied, returning her smile. "I'll hold her steady while
you mount."

"Thank you," the maiden responded, gracefully rising from
her impromptu perch. Though the silken-appearing hose and
tight sleeves of the undertunic gave hints as to the charms
of her feminine body, the overtunic hung baggily on her
willowy form, making most of her figure indecipherable. In
some ways, Touga found that even more intriguing than some
of the current styles that gave hints of a woman's body
under her colorful gowns. As she limped over toward her
palfrey, the scarlet-haired lord was surprised to see a slim
dirk belted to her waist, a plain leather scabbard holding
what was more than likely a keen-edged blade. (A very
intriguing woman, this,) he thought, his dark blue gaze
resting upon her as she lightly stroked her pale mount's
mane and talked softly to it.

"If I may be so bold," he began, the faintest of puzzled
frowns settling on his handsome visage, "why do you dress in
such a manner?"

With a soft, feminine grunt, the maiden lifted herself up
into the saddle. "What? This?" she asked, tugging on the
dark rose-colored fabric of her sturdy tunic with one hand
as she tugged on the reins with the other. "I find that
dressing in such a manner is more convenient on my travels,"
she answered, looking over at the noble-appearing redhead.
"And it reminds me of -- Oh!"

The palfrey had looked calm, and the woman had appeared to
be in control, so Touga had released the reins at her
tugging with no qualms at all. However, it seemed as if the
buff-colored mare had designs of her own. The moment her
mistress seemed firmly in the saddle and holding the reins,
there was a crashing through the forest, followed by a shout
of discovery. Startled by the abrupt noise, the palfrey
bolted into the woods, cutting the maiden off in
mid-sentence.

Touga turned and shot his men a look of exasperation. He
couldn't blame them for their noisy entrance, nor could he
truly get upset at their shouts of greeting after having
found him. After all, the trio of raven-haired warriors had
been assigned to be their chieftain's guard. "Stay put!" he
shouted to the three Kiryuu men. "I'll be right back!" With
a shout and a light kick to his courser's flanks, the
scarlet-maned lord chased after the panicked mare.

They thundered through the woods, weaving among the bushes
and underbrush, the young nobleman's dark blue gaze focused
on the slender figure atop the other horse. She seemed to
be clinging tightly to the saddlehorn, her surprise at the
palfrey's bolt having cost her the hold she had had on the
reins. To Touga, she looked as if she was afraid of taking
yet another spill from the back of her mare.

"Hyah!" he shouted to his courser, urging Blizzard to catch
up to the runaway animal with another tap of his heels.
Long hair rippling behind him, he kept his focus on the
maiden's willowy form, fervently praying that misfortune
would not happen to fall upon the strangely-clad woman.
Nearly bare branches tore at him and his horse as they made
their way through the foliage, and once he had to lean low
over his courser's neck, the strands of the animal's mane
tickling against his face, in order to miss being swept off
by a low-hanging branch of a pine. Even so, the faster
gelding gained on the panicked mare, the distance between
them swiftly disappearing as the chase continued.

Leaping over a small stream, the galloping mounts and their
riders dashed through more thick brush to emerge into a long
but narrow clearing. Finding the room to draw abreast of
the other animal, Touga quickly lashed the reins of his
white gelding, trusting in the courser's training to remain
predictable. Taking a breath and gripping tightly with his
knees, the highland lord leaned far over to the left. Arm
contacting the warm solidity of the maiden, he grabbed for
her with his other arm and pulled, hard. Grunting with the
effort, feeling a strong grip clutch at him, fingernails
digging into his shoulders through his scarlet-trimmed white
tunic, Touga jerked himself back to an upright position as
he gathered to his chest the slender form of the maiden.
Settling her onto his lap as best he could, he reached
around her and tugged on the reins. "Ho, there, Blizzard."

Ever responsive to his young master's commands, the white
gelding came to a halt. Her breathing rapid from her
fright, the maiden -- oddly enough, Touga idly noted, her
rose-colored hat remained perched perfectly still upon her
head -- turned her gaze to look up at her rescuer. Her
mouth opened, but nothing came out as she stared at him.

Her eyes . . . They were large, a captivatingly luminous
blue. Up close, they were her best feature, a shade of
azure that was enough to take someone's breath away. A man
could easily get lost in those eyes . . .

For a timeless moment, they remained like that, the Kiryuu
chieftain holding against him the lovely stranger in the odd
garb, each staring into the other's eyes. The runaway mare,
the evergreen forest, everything else was forgotten, their
entire existence focused only upon themselves and that
particular minute. How exquisite her beauty, her visage
certainly one of a noble heritage. Though from a distance
she may pass for a youth in that outfit of hers, there was
no mistaking the feminine structure of her face, the
lushness of her rose-tinted lips, the thickness of her long
eyelashes . . .

(He seems . . . familiar . . . somehow . . .) the maiden
thought, her gaze focused on that angelic face, those cobalt
blue eyes, the scarlet hair that framed his noble visage.
Suddenly aware of how close she was to him, sitting upon his
lap as she was, she suddenly pinked slightly and looked
away, scooting forward on the saddle slightly. "Thank you
again, kind sir," she murmured.

Her abrupt shyness made his expressive mouth turn up in a
smile. "I never could ignore a damsel in distress," he
replied.

Looking around, she took on an expression of vexation. "Now
where has my ungrateful mare gotten off to?" she complained.

"I'm sure she'll not run overly far," he reassured her.
"What was your destination, m'lady, if I may ask?"

"I was traveling to Kiryuu Keep."

Touga blinked, surprised. He hadn't heard of any guests
coming to visit, especially not any maiden of such
loveliness. "Pardon my inquisitiveness, but what business
do you have there?"

"Oh, nothing overly important," she responded, still not
looking at him. There was something about him that made her
faintly uneasy; she was very aware of his nearness and the
warmth of his magnificent form. "I enjoy traveling, kind
sir, and have made it a goal to visit as many holdings as
will allow me to stay."

"Do you travel all alone?" Touga wondered aloud, frowning
slightly. The thought of any maiden braving the forests of
the highlands by herself, even if she should know how to use
the blade at her side, made him feel like throttling her for
her foolishness.

"Oh, no, I do not. I just happened to get separated from my
party and then my palfrey threw me." Taking a breath and
looking back at him, she faintly paled at the displeased
expression on his face. "I'm sure they've continued on to
Kiryuu Keep, thinking that I may have reached there ahead of
them. I'm certain I'll be reunited with them were I to go
there."

"We shall see," the young lord replied. Leaning over, he
tugged open a saddlebag single-handedly, fishing around in
it until he pulled out the object that he sought. A horn
from a highland bull, hollowed out and bored into in order
to allow one to blow it as an instrument, it was decorated
with the intricate knotwork common to the artistic styles of
the area. Raising the horn to his lips, Touga blew two
short notes followed by a lengthy tone. He knew that his
waiting men would recognize the signal and come to his side.
"I shall take you to the keep," he added, lowering the horn.

"But what about my mare?" the woman queried.

"My men will look for her and bring her back."

"Your men?" she echoed, frowning thoughtfully.

"Aye. The ones that came crashing into the clearing and set
your palfrey to flight are warriors of my clan," Touga
responded, his tone matter of fact.

"*Your* clan?"

Before he could reply to her astonished query, the sounds of
the trio of Kiryuu men came to his ears. Tugging the reins
and getting Blizzard to turn around, he waited with a smile
as the raven-haired warriors rode into the clearing on their
fine steeds. "Is everything all right?" the man in the lead
called out.

"Aye, is it?" added the second of the similar-appearing men.

"There's no danger?" the third chimed in.

"Everything's fine, I assure you," Touga answered, nodding
slightly to the three. "However, the lady here has had her
horse run off. I wish to return home with her, so I'm
charging you with finding her mare and returning to the keep
with it."

"As you wish, Lord Touga," the apparent leader of the trio
said, bowing in acknowledgement of the order, a gesture
swiftly echoed by the other two. The three then spurred
their horses onward, leaving the chieftain and his guest
alone.

(*Lord* Touga?) She stared at him in awe, realizing that the
gorgeous man was the one she had hoped to observe. So this
was the young lord of one of the most powerful clans in the
highlands. Feeling her cheeks warm with a blush, the maiden
turned her gaze away from him.

Sensing her pensive mood, Touga was content to find his way
back to Kiryuu Keep in silence. Intrigued by the mystery of
her, he was willing to let her reveal things at a pace she
wished. Perhaps she would explain more once she was
reunited with her people and behind the safety of the walls
of the strong fortress. For the moment, he would certainly
enjoy her company there before him, breathing in the
tempting rose-tinged scent of her. There would be time
enough to satisfy his curiosity once he got her home.
________________

Well now, things were beginning to look up. The Clan Kiryuu
men had returned from a successful hunt, bringing home a
brace of boar and a couple of stags along with four
pheasants, putting to ease some of her fears about the lack
of food in the keep's nearly depleted larders. With her
usual cheer, the slim blond exercised both will and tongue
to whip the kitchen staff into frenetic activity. One of
the stags was skinned and dressed, its body now turning on a
spit within the massive fireplace within the kitchen while
the rest of the meat was being stripped from the carcasses
in preparation to being cured and salted for preservation.
After being reduced to feeding the household on what
legumes, roots, tubers, and grains remained in the sacks,
boxes and barrels in the basement of the shell keep for the
last couple of weeks while they waited out a last cold snap
and hard frost, she knew that a feast tonight would improve
the clan's morale greatly. With the coming of spring, her
brother and the warriors would be busy replenishing the
stores by hunting; it was a yearly ritual that was familiar
and comforting both. They had made it through he toughest
part of the seasons.

Crossing her arms over her bosom -- though small, it was
already showing the promise of her coming physical maturity;
she would more than likely be as beautiful as her brother
was handsome -- the fourteen-year-old watcher scanned over
the approach to the keep with her violet gaze. From her
perch on the stone balcony overlooking the single entrance
into the fortress, she could see the whole of the clanhold
and the surrounding fields beyond. The keep dominated an
artificially made hill on the site of what had once been a
hill-fort first constructed in time immemorial, the granite
shell covering the majority of the top of the motte. A stone
curtain wall had replaced the wooden palisade that had once
ringed the inner side of the ditch around the motte, the
change made during the last chieftain's lifetime. In the
shadow of the keep, still surrounded by a wooden palisade,
the rest of the clan's cottages and barns were arranged
around the stronghold, the royal stables being the building
closest to the gateway through the curtain wall that lead to
the pathway up the hillside to the entrance to the tower.
Of course, there were other villages scattered throughout
the valley in which Clan Kiryuu made its home, each one a
gathering of homesteads of men who were either descendants
of the first royal Kiryuu or were vassals of the clan, but
here was the place where the prince of the Kiryuu maintained
his traditional home.

"Lady Nanami?" called out a voice, breaking the silence.

Frowning petulantly -- she wanted to assure herself that her
beloved older brother had made it home safely -- the slim
girl turned and glared at the one who had disturbed her,
violet eyes narrowing. Though the locks of her shimmering
blond right around her face were caught in a braid she wore
across her crown in a style reminiscent of a tiara, the rest
of her medium-length hair was unbound, free to fall in
graceful waves about her head and shoulders. Looking every
inch the princess in her orange-colored chemise and
saffron-yellow sideless surcoat, she imperiously queried,
"What is it, Keiko?"

The girl addressed hastily bowed, her twin light auburn
ponytails swaying with the movement. Averting her
brown-eyed gaze, the other fourteen-year-old cleared her
throat nervously. "Begging your pardon, m'lady, but where
should the guests be placed for the night?"

"In the guest room, of course," Nanami swiftly answered, her
tone suggesting that the maiden must be a simpleton to not
have figured that out herself.

"We weren't sure, since they'd be crowded in there -- "

"'Tis the only place we have for them," the young lady
pointed out, her voice sounding both matter of fact and
irritated all at once. "They'll have to make due with cots
if they wish to partake of our hospitality." (Thank god Big
Brother managed to get some meat in the house,) Nanami
silently added, frowning at the reminder of the extra mouths
to feed. Two men at arms and two apparent handmaidens had
shown up, asking for hospitality and stating that they had
somehow become separated from their noblewoman, who had been
traveling here to Kiryuu Keep. Though alarmed when they had
been told that their lady wasn't present -- as they had
apparently been expecting -- the news that the chieftain was
out hunting in the immediate caused the group of strangers
to decide to abide at the keep and see if their lady should
show up on her own. From what little Nanami had overheard
of their conversation, they figured that no blackhearts
would dare try anything on Kiryuu lands while the prince was
out and about.

"As you wish, m'lady," Keiko quickly replied, bowing again
and hastily walking backwards toward the oaken door that
lead from the balcony to the women's solar.

Turning her back to the retreating handmaiden, Nanami once
more gazed out over the clanhold to the fields beyond,
searching for any sign of her brother's return. The roasted
stag along with a hearty stew made from what vegetables
remained as well as the bread baked from what little
stone-ground flour they had left would make for a decent
feast, even with the five additional people. There was
certainly enough ale and wine remaining in the kegs down
below in storage for a celebration, and if the weather held,
she could count on a trip in the near future to the nearest
market city in order to purchase more supplies with what
scant money her brother had along with any game with which
they could barter.

There, across the fields, she thought she saw movement.
Leaning forward, stretching out over the embattlements of
the shoulder-high wall of the balcony, Nanami's breath
caught in her throat as she strained her eyesight to catch a
glimpse of who was riding over the currently-fallow land. A
flash of white, a glimmer of scarlet, and a jolt of joyous
excitement ran through the young noblewoman. (Big Brother's
home!)

A bright smile on her pretty face, she couldn't take her
violet gaze from the magnificent form of her older sibling;
how wonderful he looked -- how utterly noble! -- as he rode
across the dark earth on his gorgeous white steed. She was
the luckiest girl in the world to have the prince of the
Kiryuu as her big brother. Hardly noticed at all were the
trio of dark-haired warriors that rode in their chieftain's
wake, their figures astride almost identical chesnut-colored
coursers, though a part of Nanami's mind acknowledged their
return as well. After all, Suzuki, Yamada and Tanaka had
made it known that any one of them would like to one day
have the chieftain's sister for a bride.

As Touga rode closer to the keep, Nanami's smile faded ever
so slightly. The moment the young lord was through the open
gate in the wooden palisade that protected the homesteads of
the clan members, his people warmly greeted him, calling out
and waving. It was obvious to any observer that Lord Touga
was beloved by the clan, both male and female alike --
though the women were much more vocal and demonstrative.
(Why must they make such fools out of themselves every time
he comes near?) Nanami mentally growled.

(No matter,) she continued, straightening up and pushing
away from the gray granite wall. In her mind's eye, she
watched as her brother came riding up to the stables. She
would then dash down through the keep, her long skirts held
up out of the way in her hands, run out the single door,
sprint down the incline of the grass-covered motte and give
him a joyful hug the moment he dismounted from Blizzard.
She would tell him how happy she was he made it home safely,
and he would hug her back and tell her how much he missed
her company as he was out hunting. Life would be wonderful
as they walked arm in arm together back up into the tower
that was their home. Sighing happily at her warm vision,
Nanami began to act on her decision when she suddenly
noticed something that brought everything to a crashing
halt.

Touga was riding with someone else on his courser.

(Who could *that* be?) the slim blond mentally hissed, her
violet eyes narrowing in annoyance. Staring at the form
perched between Blizzard's neck and her older brother's
white-clad torso, she couldn't decide if the figure dressed
in dark rose pink was a boy or something else. The clothing
hinted at a masculine identity, but there was something
about the slender figure -- and the way her brother was
holding that person . . .

Gasping, Nanami felt a nameless sort of dread as the Kiryuu
prince and his followers made their way through the village
upon the central path and halted before the long,
rectangular, thatched-roof building that served as the royal
stables. Continuing to watch from her perch high atop the
three-story shell keep, Nanami absently clenched a hand shut
into a fist as her brother dismounted and then gallantly
helped down his unexpected passenger. From the way he acted
and the way he moved, she knew.

The stranger was a woman. Though oddly dressed, she had to
be a woman nonetheless. Otherwise, Touga would be behaving
in a different manner altogether.

(How *dare* that tramp get in the way of my happy reunion
with Big Brother!) Nanami fumed, a stormy expression marring
the loveliness of her face. (Look at her! She can't even
dress properly. Well, I'm certain she's of no consequence.
Big Brother wouldn't look twice at such an abnormal female.)
Reassured by her thoughts, the young blonde stepped away
from the balcony wall and headed for the door to the women's
solar. It was time to welcome home the lord of the keep and
to find out just who it was he'd brought home.