Prince Tsukishiro rose and stepped through the curtains. He was wearing a long, pale yellow robe, and, with his hair hanging loose, he looked totally at ease. The lady-in-waiting knelt before him and bowed low.
“I have brought the maiden.”
“You’re late,” said the Prince with some displeasure.
“I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness. The preparations took time.”
The Prince looked at Saya and inclined his head to one side, thinking.
“Servant,” he said abruptly. “Remove that sash. Pale blue is better. This color is something my sister would wear.”
Saya, who was wearing a crimson sash, blushed.
“To hear is to obey. I will bring another immediately.” The old woman responded in such a way that only Saya could detect the rebuke in her voice and quickly left the room. It was too late now to do anything about her deliberate unkindness. Saya raised a miserable face and looked questioningly at the Prince. Surely by now he must be tired of this ignorant country girl, but he smiled at her and said, “You prefer light shades, don’t you?”
Sitting down on one of the bearskins, he added, “A pale blue sash will suit you. You should wear one. After all, Sayura always wore that color.”
Saya’s relief had lasted but a brief moment. His last words robbed her of strength. She felt even more miserable than before, but it was useless to complain or give up now. She did indeed feel better wearing the light blue sash the lady-in-waiting brought, and she decided to concentrate on that thought alone.
Shortly after, a young woman announced the arrival of Princess Teruhi. Noticing Saya’s anxiety, Prince Tsukishiro said, “If you’re nervous, wait behind that screen.”
Who wouldn’t be nervous if the sun and the moon were to appear before their very eyes? Saya thought as she concealed herself gratefully. She could not stop trembling, but, although terrified, she did not want to miss the opportunity to see such a marvel. Soon she heard brisk, masculine footsteps and Princess Teruhi appeared. It was no wonder that she walked like a man. She had discarded all but the pale peach inner layer of her sumptuous robes. Pleated trousers with garters at the knees replaced the fine skirts she had worn before. All her hair ornaments were gone and, except for two small loops above her ears, her hair hung loose. It was so long that it fell down her back to the floor.
Looking up at her, Prince Tsukishiro said, “Well, well. So you’ve changed already.”
“Of course. I can hardly move in such garments. And I certainly can’t sit properly in them,” Princess Teruhi replied as she crossed her legs firmly on a bearskin.
There was not a speck of difference between the two faces confronting each other. Yet Saya had never dreamed that they could give such opposite impressions. Like day to night, the spirit of Princess Teruhi was in striking contrast to that of Prince Tsukishiro. She radiated passion; the Prince, sorrow.
Saya could readily understand that people instinctively feared the Princess more. Her beauty was her intensity, a shaft that pierced the heart. The faint musky perfume of her aggressive spirit quickly filled the room.
Smiling like a military commander, she demanded, “Is there no sake? Bring the sake! Let us celebrate your safe return, dear brother.”
Other than in her slender form, she gave no sign of being a woman: not in her gestures as she lounged against the armrest, nor in her speech. Yet her behavior was so natural that it was fascinating to watch.
“I’m well aware of your wishes, sister,” Prince Tsukishiro replied, and before he had finished speaking, a young woman had glided into the room bearing a tray with a slender-necked glass flask and sake cups. Saya had thought that there was little difference between the work of a village maiden and that of a court handmaiden, except that the latter would be charmingly dressed. This girl, however, was more beautiful and elegant than anyone Saya had ever seen, almost trembling with pride as she served them, a pride that shone in her face.
Staring at her keenly, Princess Teruhi said, “This is not the girl that you brought back with you from the east. I told you to have her attend us.”
“You can tell?”
“You underestimate me.”
Prince Tsukishiro said teasingly, “It appears that you have come only to see my new handmaiden, dear sister, not to celebrate my return.”
Princess Teruhi stuck out her shapely chin. “And it’s obvious that you returned despite the lack of progress in the war because of that girl.”
Her eyes swiftly swept the room, so that Saya, although she hurriedly ducked behind the screen from which she had been peeking, was too late to escape notice.
“What are you doing there?” Princess Teruhi said sharply, her voice severe. “This is no time for playing hide-and-seek. If you’re coming out, then come!”
Saya, her face on fire, reluctantly emerged from behind the screen. Prince Tsukishiro ordered the maiden serving them to leave the room. In Saya’s defense, he said, “She was late, actually. I had no time to tell her what to do.”
Saya knelt and, placing her hands on the floor before her, bowed low, saying faintly, “I am honored to meet you. I am Saya, from Hashiba.”
“Hashiba?” Princess Teruhi repeated dubiously.
“She was reportedly adopted by an old couple when she was a child,” Prince Tsukishiro explained.
The Princess’s penetrating gaze never wavered, and Saya could feel her eyes boring through her. What am I doing here? she wondered. When she thought of her parents and how they had been killed, she knew that she should see this woman as a demon, a deadly viper. Yet she could not hate her. Although she trembled with fear, at the same time, she could not help being drawn to her beauty.
After a brief pause, Princess Teruhi turned to Prince Tsukishiro and said, “I despair of you, brother. Again and again you find and you lose. And now once more the same thing. Are you not weary of it? Why do you harbor an attraction to such an aberration?”
Prince Tsukishiro answered softly, “Is it not extreme to call the Water Maiden who yearns for the Light an aberration? Look at her. Don’t you want to scoop her up like water in your hands? She is youth itself, newborn.”
With a slight frown, Princess Teruhi brought the sake cup to her lips. “I certainly feel no such desire. Why should I? No matter what you may say, she belongs to the people of Darkness—to our enemy. They die, and then return to life, again and again. Which is why they can never escape from eternally repeating the same stupid mistakes.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” Prince Tsukishiro said in a low voice. “But might that not be a strength in this world? The reborn know defeat, and yet they know it not. They’re naïve, and yet they hope that they can move a mountain.”
Princess Teruhi glared at her brother. “Where on earth did you acquire such weakness?”
“Victory in the east is certain. Surely there’s no harm in viewing things with a more open and generous mind,” he replied rather hotly. When his eyes flashed with anger, the resemblance between him and his sister was even stronger. “Considering that we have the Dragon Sword, they are stubborn in their resistance, of which you, fighting on the western front, sister, must also be well aware.”
The Dragon Sword. The name caught Saya’s attention, for she had heard it before. Torihiko had mentioned it. And Lord Akitsu, too.
Princess Teruhi glanced sharply at Saya. Resting her elbow on the armrest and cupping her chin in her hand, she remarked in an amused tone, “Look at the little one—her ears pricked up at that. Listen carefully, and you’ll make a good little spy.”
“I–I came . . .” Saya stammered, then continued, forcing herself to speak clearly, “I came to the palace to cut any ties with such people.”
“I’m sure that you speak with all sincerity, but I doubt that’s possible,” the Princess replied coldly. “I know there’s nothing you can do to disrupt the Palace of Light, but I find the very presence of one of the people of Darkness here offensive. If you weren’t one of Tsukishiro’s handma
idens, I would have slain you at first sight.” She looked over her sake cup at the Prince and smiled. “Isn’t that so?”
Although she spoke lightly, her tone was serious. Saya could not help trembling, but she mustered the courage to speak, knowing that to show her fear would only increase the Princess’s enjoyment. “I have come here solely to serve Prince Tsukishiro.”
Princess Teruhi looked taken aback, and the Prince laughed aloud.
“You see, sister. She’s an interesting girl.”
“An infant will reach out its hand even to grasp hot iron,” the Princess said with a snort. “It realizes its mistake only once it has been burned. Whether this child will still appeal to you then is another question.”
“I have no intention of letting her get burned,” Prince Tsukishiro replied. “I will keep her just as she is.”
“Well said,” Princess Teruhi sneered. With a scornful smile upon her face, she resembled a sleek and elegant feline. “And I shall see with my own eyes whether or not such a thing is possible. Why do you concern yourself with this child of Darkness? I can’t decide whether you are brave or foolish to boldly invite a mortal enemy to your side. Of one thing I’m certain, though.” The Princess leaned forward and looked coolly at Prince Tsukishiro. “Whenever you tire of the war, you find the Water Maiden and bring her home.”
“Teruhi!” He scowled.
Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as if to say, You see. “I don’t understand you, brother. How can you tire of the war that prepares the earth for our father’s coming? I have never desired to rest from this task, anxious only for its speedy accomplishment. If it weren’t decreed that we should govern Mahoroba alternately, I would never leave the battlefront. Yet you persist in this perversity, suddenly deserting the battlefield in your attraction to the people of Darkness.”
Prince Tsukishiro looked grim. Although he did not show his feelings as much as his sister, his smile was cold.
“There’s no need to hurry, sister. Neither god nor demon can divert the will of the illustrious God of Light. What is the will of our divine father is the destiny of this world. His advent will surely come.”
“You are hard-hearted, brother. It’s difficult to believe that we’re children of the same father,” said Princess Teruhi, disgruntled.
“No, I am his child. Even what you call my perversity is part of him,” Prince Tsukishiro replied quietly.
“Our celestial father does not desire you to sully your eyes with Darkness!” Princess Teruhi shouted, slamming her sake cup down on the floor. Her anger flared like a sudden blaze of flame. Unconsciously, Saya recoiled and gradually began edging away.
“What business does the God of the Pure Light have with them? Only by sweeping the Darkness from the face of the earth will a new and radiant world be created. That’s the reason our divine father intends to descend to this earth.”
“I wasn’t proposing anything to the contrary,” the Prince responded, evading outright argument. “What you say is always true.”
Having lost a target for her anger, Princess Teruhi folded her arms and scowled at him. “Why is it that you always go round in circles? I have despaired of the youngest member of our family, who is a total failure, but you never do what I want you to either. What’s wrong with you?”
Prince Tsukishiro regarded his sister with an unfathomable expression. Finally he said, “We get along best when we don’t spend much time together. When you’re at Mahoroba, I’m at the battlefield. And when I’m at Mahoroba, you’re at the battlefield. So it has been since ages past. Yet originally you were our divine father’s left eye, and I, his right. Both of us should be looking at the same thing.”
Princess Teruhi rose indignantly. Her long hair swept the floor. “Nay, brother, you and I look at all things with our backs turned to each other,” she said bitterly, looking down at him. “As you have said, now that you’ve returned to Mahoroba, I should leave as soon as possible for battle in the west. However, I didn’t foresee such a sudden return, and therefore there is still much to do. We will have to endure each other’s presence a little longer until I have completed the work at hand.”
With those words, she stalked out of the room. It was as if a sudden storm had passed. Only her sweet perfume lingered behind. Saya remained staring after her blankly.
After a time Prince Tsukishiro sighed quietly. “It’s always the same. We rejoice at our reunion and the very same day we begin to quarrel.” Although there was sadness in his words, he smiled when he looked at Saya. “It would seem that the people of Darkness are not the only ones who excel at repeating the same mistake.”
REPEAT, repeat. I wonder what they’re talking about, Saya thought absently. A spool for winding thread came to mind. And the girl who held the spool in her hand as she wound was someone with a face unknown: Princess Sayura.
Everywhere I go, they tell me it’s not the first time; it’s a repetition, a rebirth. It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all, when for me everything is new and I’m still struggling to find my way. She was upset at being talked about as if she were some kind of puppet. Besides, it did not make sense. After all, I thought very carefully before I chose what seemed right to me . . .
“Do you intend to sleep all day? It’s time to get up.” Saya started when she heard the lady-in-waiting snap at her. “Everyone has gathered in the morning room. The sun rose long ago.”
Saya blinked. She did not feel that she had slept at all, yet the morning sun poured through the latticed window and spilled across the wooden floorboards. She could hear sparrows chirping.
“The morning room?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
“We gather together to pay obeisance to the immortal Prince of Light, and then break our fast. If you do not wish to eat, there’s no need to rise.”
“I’m coming.” She was starving.
After dressing hurriedly, she followed the lady-in-waiting along the passageway, but suddenly a horrible suspicion entered her mind.
“Will you be serving me from now on?” she asked.
“So I have been commanded,” the lady-in-waiting replied with obvious displeasure. “Most of those honored to become handmaidens employ both a manservant and a child servant, but as you have none, the extra tasks fall upon my shoulders.”
Oh dear, Saya sighed to herself.
The morning room was long and narrow and ran along an outside corridor. Trays on short stands were arranged in two rows, facing each other, and young women with their long black hair neatly tied at the nape of the neck knelt on the floor before them. The morning ceremony had already begun and the room was hushed. There was a dais at the front with an ornately decorated seat, but the Prince was not present. It seemed that he did not necessarily attend. Saya slid into the last empty place. There were about forty people. A dazzling light poured in from the corridor, and the girls sitting in two neat lines appeared as fresh and elegant as lotus flowers blooming in the early morning. The diverse colors of their garments—white, pale blue, soft mauve, grass-green—reflected the season, refreshing the eyes. Most of them were maidens in the first blush of youth, but as far as Saya could tell, she was the youngest.
The ceremony ended, and Saya, mimicking the actions of the others without really understanding, began to eat, but the food stuck in her throat. Although they whispered among themselves, none of the handmaidens spoke to her. Not only that, but they rose one by one and left after barely picking at their food, as if they wished to get away from her as quickly as possible. Saya soon found herself sitting on her own. While she was wondering whether or not she should lay down her own chopsticks, she sensed someone approaching. Looking up, she saw the two older women who had been sitting closest to the dais looking down at her. Although both were past their prime, they preserved a well-polished beauty. The woman robed in purple appeared to be the older of the two.
“You’re the novice who arrived yesterday. His Highness informed us. I am the senior handmaiden and this is my assistant.”
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br /> “My name is Saya,” Saya said hastily, placing her palms formally upon her knees.
The assistant, who was wearing indigo and white, raised her sleeve to her mouth to hide a smile. “It would seem cheap to call you by such a name, don’t you think? As if you were a mere servant . . .” There were hidden thorns in her voice. “Let’s see. As light blue suits you so well, how would it be if we call you Lady Blue? Would that be acceptable?”
“Yes.” Saya nodded uncertainly.
The senior handmaiden continued, “We’ve heard that you received no training for your new position. Our instructions are to train you in etiquette, comportment, prayer, and oracles every day from the end of the morning meal until the evening chores. You must be able to perform your duties as a handmaiden by the time of the purification ceremony, which will take place at the end of the sixth month of the lunar calendar. You’ll be very busy, but I’m sure you’re prepared for that, aren’t you?”
Feeling their gaze upon her, Saya started and answered hurriedly, “Uh, yes. Of course. Thank you.”
She was taken to a drab-looking building, which she later learned was where handmaidens of lower rank worked, and there she remained without setting foot outside until dusk. She practiced walking for the entire day. She walked from one corner of the room to the other hundreds of times, and by the end she was so exhausted that she could barely stand. Her instructors, however, paid no attention.
Dragon Sword and Wind Child Page 6
