Panda-chan: Whee! New Samurai Warriors story!
Mitsue: Goodie…
Masamune: Ugh.
Panda-chan: C'mon everyone, cheer up! Besides, Mitsue! You need to introduce yourself to all of the readers!
Mitsue: Do I have to?
Panda-chan: DO IT! –aims squirt gun at Mitsue-
Mitsue: A water pistol. How scary…
Panda-chan: Intro. Now.
Mitsue: -sighs- Fine, fine, fine, fine. My name is Murakami Mitsue. Call me Mitsue.
Panda-chan: Mitsue-chan here is one of the OC's in this story! There is another one, and maybe another one, but who knows!
Masamune: Why did she have to say the introduction when you told the readers about her?
Panda-chan: Because I said so!
Masamune: Whatever.
Panda-chan: By the way, I don't own Samurai Warriors. KOEI owns it.
Masamune: Enjoy.
The Princess and the Dragon
Chapter One: "I didn't kidnap you!"
It was the third day. The third day of running away from my once precious home. Now that home is dead to me. Everything is dead to me. I was running to shed away the deadness of everything, and bring life back again. But I found no hope at the time. I don't think I smiled for a long time.
My name is Murakami Mitsue. I was a princess. But after our status in the war, I couldn't bear to see my kingdom collapse. Tears and sorrow would've blinded my eyes. I would've died shortly after that sight anyway.
I may sound like a coward, running away. But I assure you that you would've done the same as well. And trust me, it took a lot of strength to get out of my kingdom and walk away without warning or signal. I was leaving my honored father, mother, and little brother Takashi. What would become of them? Would they die anyhow? I had no other choice but to erase them from my mind until the news got to me.
I really shouldn't be telling this story. But I am, and you're very lucky to hear it.
The third day was almost over, and I decided to make a campfire in a small cave in a forest. Using wood and other objects found in the woods, I managed to make a decent-looking fire to warm me as the night grew chill.
My mission was to not be known as myself. If anyone saw me as the princess of my kingdom, they would only send me back to where I began my venture of escape. I made sacrifices to sell my valuable kimono and cosmetics to peasants, and bought peasant clothes in return. My hairpins I usually stuck in a high bun were all sold, and my hair was let down. My hair was actually quite pretty let down, as it was stick straight and went down to my waist, and my bangs were evenly across my forehead like a sunrise. My eyes were a green color so bright that they almost looked sea foam-colored. Truly, I once had the appearance of a princess, but not anymore. I was now a mere peasant. I still had money in the pouch lying on my right hip, but I was preserving it for food and water, or maybe winter clothes if I continued like this for many more months.
In order to keep my identity a secret, I also had to change my name. During my first three days of traveling, some peasants walked up to me and asked me if I was Murakami Mitsue. I said no, and hesitantly came up with an alias. My aliases keep changing, however. They've been Akane, Sakurako, Junko, and Hanako. I knew that I had to select a new name soon, but it greatly wounded my heart. Mitsue was my true name, and replacing it completely did not feel right. It was the feeling of a caterpillar never being able to transform into a butterfly, because the caterpillar somehow enjoyed being itself. But it had to be done for that caterpillar, and it had to begin becoming a butterfly anyhow.
Sitting around that campfire, I never felt more miserable. This strange melancholy wasn't because of regret of what I have done, but because I had to begin to change. My name, my appearance, everything. It was as if I were being a whole new human being. I had to expunge the memories of my family and friends permanently. I was a new seventeen-year old girl. I was now that caterpillar that had to become a butterfly.
It was a couple hours after building the fire, and stars were now in the sky. The fire was still going to my surprise. I had nothing to do but to listen to the sounds of the forest. Birds chirping and rustles of the trees from the small gusts of wind, and a nearby stream. It was actually a relaxing moment for me, but it didn't heal my wounds of melancholy.
Deciding to get some rest, I was just about to lie down on the cool grass…when it suddenly happened.
Out of nowhere, men in full armor jumped out from the bushes and ran towards me. Screaming, I made a daring attempt to run away, but two of them tackled me to the ground, pushing my face in the grass. Were they from my kingdom? How did they find me here? But as I managed to see the soldiers by slightly lifting my face off of the ground, I saw that they weren't my kingdom's color. My kingdom's soldiers have crimson red armor, but these soldiers had green armor. Another kingdom, another clan.
"It's just a girl." One soldier said.
"But why is a peasant girl all the way out in the forest?" Another soldier questioned.
"Who knows?" Another one stated.
"You imbeciles!" Another voice startled every one of the soldiers. "I told you all to refrain from attacking commoners, but you disobeyed my orders once more! Idiots!" This voice must've belonged to the commander.
"Forgive us, Masamune! We are terribly sorry!" One of the soldiers let go of me and bowed down to a figure in front of him. For some reason, the other soldier was still pushing me down to the ground, as if he didn't hear that he made a mistake of attacking me.
"Imbeciles!" The commander mumbled. Then, I saw him walk over to me, push away the soldier who was holding me down harshly, and knelt down to look at me.
He wore green armor, had a helmet with a large golden crescent on it. He had brown hair the color of chestnuts. But the thing about him that I noticed first was that he had an eye patch on his right eye.
That's when I realized who this was. Masamune Date of the Date Clan.
"Sorry about that, Miss." He said, a voice of kindness, unlike how he just yelled at his men earlier.
"It's nothing." I said, getting off of the ground. I shouldn't of spoken or looked at him in the eye, because he was giving the suspicious look. The look that read "She looks eerily like the missing princess".
"Say, what's your name?" He asked me. After this question, my mind panicked and was searching through names. I could've just easily selected the four names I had used in the past, but I was so afraid. But after a few seconds of silent panicking, I finally found a name.
"Nakamura Rei."
"Rei, huh?" He was peering at me up and down, and I blushed at this. A man had never looked at me allover before. Men should only look at a woman's face, and not the rest of their body. "Men! Grab her arms!"
I was appalled by his command. Two different soldiers walked up and grabbed my arms. Screaming, I tried to escape their menacing grasp, but it was of no use. It was like a rabbit trying to escape from underneath the tiger's paw. They were dragging me through the woods, through bushes and branches that would whip me once the soldiers moved past them. After about ten minutes of being dragged in the pitch-dark forest, I saw about a dozen horses. One was pure white, and the rest were a chocolate brown color.
"Masamune, should we leave her with you?" One of the soldiers holding me asked.
"Of course, you imbecile! Give her to me!" Masamune walked over and took me, forcing my hands behind my back. He tied them up with some rope and dragged me to the white horse.
"Let me go this instant!" I shrieked. Now, I would've said "Unhand Murakami Mitsue at once!" but because of my alias as Nakamura Rei, I had no choice but to keep quiet about my royalty.
"Don't be too alarmed." Masamune whispered in my ear. "We're doing you a favor."
"Favor? It's more like a kidnapping to me!" I screeched.
"Rei, stay calm. We're taking you to our camp. It's not too far away, I promise you." Masamune continued to whisper, ignoring my statement. All I could do was constantly squirm as Masamune put me on his horse. He got on behind me and we dashed off through the darkness of the woods again.
……….
After half an hour of having my mouth covered by Masamune from my constant screaming for help, we arrived at a campsite. There were many cream-colored tents around a large area, and one big one. I assumed it was Masamune's. Masamune got off of his steed and pulled me off. He took my wrist and guided me through to his tent. Two guards were in front of the entrance, and they both nodded in unison once they saw Masamune, and they let us inside. A bunch of candles were lit, but it was still too dim to see anything at all.
"Why do you have me here? What do you want from me?" I asked, quivering.
"Calm down." He said, walking over to a corner of the tent.
"You must answer my questions!" I demanded him, accidentally turning on my princess tone. He turned around and slapped me across the face.
"Commoners are so persistent!"
"I'm not a—," I stopped myself from saying 'commoner'. I had to face the truth now. I really was a commoner now. "Please, Masamune-Sama. I have to know why."
"Silence! I ask the questions first!" Masamune guided me over to a small chair, sat me down in it, and untied my hands. He still kept close by me in case I tried to run off, which I wouldn't do at the moment because I wanted my questions to be answered. "Now then, why were you in the middle of the forest?"
"Because I ran away from my village." I lied.
"Why did you run away?"
"Because I wasn't getting paid at all in my job, and everyone treated me like dirt." I lied again. He sat there and put his hand on his chin.
"Did I answer all of your questions?"
"Almost." He said. "My last question is why do you seem smarter than an average commoner?" This question startled me. I really didn't say anything that clever, did I? Was he suspecting me as my true identity and not this fake girl who was named Rei?
"That is a silly question to ask me."
"I need an answer." He gritted his teeth.
"Is it necessary to have a response?"
"Yes! Now answer me!"
"Because I spent my free time reading books and scriptures that I could afford." I lied once more. He seemed to buy it, because he relaxed his shoulders a bit after I responded to him.
"I see." Masamune walked up to me. "Now, your questions to ask me."
"Why did you kidnap me?" Obviously, that was my first question.
"I didn't kidnap you!" He shouted.
"That is not the answer I was searching for."
"Because it wasn't my answer in the first place." Masamune paced around. "In a few days there is going to be a battle in an area not too far from this campsite. Our greatest fear is that the enemy army makes an ambush through those woods and makes it to this camp." He turned to me. "Chances were that while the enemy army was passing through, they would've killed you anyhow."
When Masamune told me this, I realized that an act that I thought was filled with aggression and empty lust turned into a rescue. I almost wanted to thank him then and there, but I wasn't done asking my questions.
"But why did you take sympathy into a peasant like myself?"
"Because I do it for my people." Masamune said. "If I support others, I'll get more respect. Besides," He walked up to me. "I hate to see a beautiful face get hurt."
I felt my face burn up like charcoal in a flame. His kind comment reminded me of an arranged marriage I once had towards a prince whose name I forgot. He always wrote how beautiful I was, even when he never saw me. Unfortunately, he was in the war and got killed by many arrows. It was tragic, but at least the wedding was cancelled.
"One more question to ask of you, Masamune-Sama." I cleared my throat. "Who might you be in battle with in a few days?"
"The Oda clan." He replied. "You know the name Nobunaga?"
I've heard of Nobunaga Oda many times. He was the ruler of the Oda clan, and many people say that he was absolutely foolish. He was married to the beautiful Nohime and was the older brother to Oichi, who was married to Nagamasa Azai. Father used to tell me many things about all of the generals and officers in the war.
"Yes." I responded.
"We've been preparing this battle for a long time now…and the time has finally come to crush the Oda clan!"
"Well," I said. "I give you my confidence to support you in battle soon." I decided to give more respect to Masamune Date now, because of how he rescued me. But, for some reason, I couldn't stand up out of my chair. I could've run out by now, but a strange presence told me to keep sitting. It felt just like a bee staying on one flower instead of moving onto the next one, as if the nectar in that flower worked better than that bee expected. Masamune turned around after I said these words and stared at me straight in the eyes.
"You…look familiar." He said.
"I believe we haven't met sir." This wasn't entirely true.
It was about a year ago, and Date Masamune came to my kingdom to stop by for a rest. My father wanted to meet with him, so he came to the palace. My father introduced myself to him, but it was very early in the morning, and I wanted to get back to bed, so I made my introduction quick. I never got to see his face that day.
"Are you sure I haven't seen you around somewhere before?" He questioned me.
"No. I have only heard of your name and the great accomplishments you have made so far." He seemed to feel invincible at this statement because of the grin he had given me.
"And I will accomplish many more things until I conquer Japan!" He exclaimed.
"I give my luck to you." I said, standing up and heading towards the exit.
"Whoa, whoa," He ran up in front of me, blocking my way. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I have no business here. I must take my leave." I stated to him.
"Not yet!" He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back into the dimness of the tent. "I will say when you will leave! For now, you will stay with me and become my servant."
Once Masamune said the word 'servant', I felt like the ground when it is rained on. Although the ground is something people admire everyday, when it rains, people curse at it and want it to be its original self. The word 'servant' felt like that muddy, disgusting and pitiful ground. I couldn't disguise this sadness as I slowly nodded my head up and down in a grief-stricken approval. Masamune didn't seem to see this, but he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me closer so our faces were nearly touching. We were so close to each other that I thought he was going to plant his lips onto mine, but he only grinned, breathing slowly. I looked away from his gaze, but he brought my chin up to look into his eye. I was quivering in this process, but I did my best to keep myself from releasing tears. I was changing more into a commoner than ever.
"Now. Go with the guards." He whispered. He let go of my shoulders roughly and led me outside, where one of the guards outside of the tent took my wrist insensitively and led me to a whole other tent. I looked back ay Masamune to see him walking back into his tent in pride, like a cat that caught the mouse.
The guard led me to a much smaller tent, but it was brighter with more candles that Masamune's tent. The guard led me inside, where I saw poorly made mats that were probably made as makeshift beds. There were some people in the tent, mostly asleep.
"You. Masago." The guard kicked one servant awake. The rude awakening startled her, but she stood up, bowed down to the guard, and then looked at me. Scanning me slowly, she nodded her head and took me to the corner of the small tent. The guard left the tent.
"Let me go." I ordered. The girl didn't respond, as she was clutching onto my arms.
"Calm down." Masago said. She took one of the candles near her and put it between the both of us, so I could finally get a better look at her face. She was a very pretty girl. She had short brown hair and hazel eyes. There was some dirt on her face, but she still looked like a beauty with it. She looked a little younger than me, but was probably close to my current age. Around this time, I let the tears run wild. She brought me into a hug. "Don't be so afraid. Although I felt the same way when I worked for Masamune-Sama, too, I knew that the future would be brighter soon. Not like it is any brighter now…but I know that someday it will happen. You'll be freed, too." She whispered, trying not to wake the other people in the tent, who were probably Masamune's other servants.
"I do not belong in a place such as this," I wept silently. "I belong in my home."
"Your…speaking," Masago said to me. She bent down and looked at me in the eyes. "It's so cl-clear…you don't stutter or say words wrong." As Shizu said this, I realized that Shizu's grammar was not very good. I learned later that she stuttered like a frightened child and mixed up her words to make her sentences sound confusing. Commoners mostly don't have enough money to afford for education, so their speaking and words are very poor. Even when I knew this during my identity-changing phase, I always forgot about this. This is also what Masamune realized earlier.
"I was educated very well." I said.
"I can tell. You talk just like something like a princess." Masago said.
"I could assist you with your own grammar if I could, Masago-san." I stated.
"Wow," She smiled. "No one has ever called me Masago-san before. Well, Masago's not even my real name."
"What is your real name?"
"Miyuki." She said. "But when I beginned working with the Date clan, I had to change my name to something not honor…honor-ah-bull." I didn't know what was sadder: Masago's forced name change or her terrible grammar skills. "Sorry, but I never asked what your name is." I paused before I said "Mitsue", as I suddenly remembered my new name.
"Rei."
"Rei is a simple name. Don't think they'll change it." She said. That was actually a great relief. The last thing I needed was another change of my name, because Masamune knew me as Rei already anyway. "But you look really…good…for a servant."
"Do I? I do not think I do." I stated.
"Believe me, you're pretty." She said. But after she said this, her smile faded away and she had a look of nervousness sprawled across her face. "But…it could happen…"
"What could happen?"
"Well…every once in a while, Masamune gets a very pretty servant to go with the clan…" She stated. I was expecting her to continue her sentence, but she only looked down on the floor.
"How come that is so bad?" I questioned with puzzlement.
"The pretty servants do more than work…" Masago said. "You see…sometimes Date-Sama gets…feelings…and…you know…" I knew exactly where this was going. "He would want to be…with you." The tears returned immediately. Not only was I a servant now, but I was also a prostitute. And this upset me even more because of my current innocence. And now that I began to think about it, Masamune treated me very kindly when he first put me into his hands. There was no way he could not just leave me be.
Now I knew what it felt like to be a firefly captured by a child's hands.
To be continued…
Wow, I took quite some time writing this up. But it's finally completed! WOOO!
I like Mitsue, or Rei, or whatever!
I was waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy too lazy to think of a kingdom place for Mitsue-Sama to live in, so I made it sort of like a "make up your own kingdom" place. So, please don't leave a review with something similar to this; "WTF, where the heck does Mitsue live?"
Please keep reading, I'll make chapters nice and long for you!
-da Panda