Hello Darlings,
I am back...well slowly making my comeback. I am slowly revising Evermore, but I had decided to post this chapter of the founding times in the meantime. This was something I had always been working on, and after the anime had touched upon the history I went back and changed some things to make it closer to canon.
Please keep on showering me with the same love you all had been so generous with during these past two years. I hope you all will enjoy this upload! Please R&R so that I could determine this series' popularity and start working on the next installment ASAP!
With Love,
Blissful Illusion~
CHAPTER ONE
Tonight was to be the last night for her twelfth year of age. Needless to say, tomorrow would mark her first day of having lived up to her thirteenth year; therefore it would mark her first step towards the path of maturity and adulthood. For most this would be a celebrated and joyous occasion, but it was not the same in her case.
"I do not care about any of those meaningless explanations you dare to give. I will not let my daughter be sent away."
"It is mandatory for her to go. She is not the only girl to be sent away; all of the chiefs whose villages fall within the territory must send their daughters as tribute."
"She is our daughter. Is there no one else who could take her place? She is too frail and you know that she will not survive."
The night only continued to grow darker as the seconds passes by. The faint candle light flickers every-so often serving as a reminder of its limiting vitality. The evening was to be a time for silent tranquility, however tonight was far from the usually passive period.
"It has been already decided. She shall dedicate her life in servitude to exhibit our gratitude for all these years of fortune we had lived blissfully upon."
"I refuse to entrust my precious child to this cruel fate."
"You were mistaken to believe that you would have a say in this matter."
Her mother had always been compliant with her father throughout all these years in which they had shared together. Her mother was a woman of little words and had always supported her father whilst she remained hidden behind his shadow. Her mother was no different to all of the other women in this time. A woman's loyalty was never hers to keep; loyalty to her father as a daughter and loyalty to her husband as a wife. The ultimate aspiration was to be a dutiful wife who sires her husband bountiful offspring and nurture her children to bring forth honor to the family name.
"What of the chiefs without daughters? Who shall they send then?"
"There would be no exceptions to be made. She must be on her way by sunrise tomorrow morn."
"She may never return back to us…are you prepared for that possibility?"
She was not the only child between her parents, but she was the only living one. Her parents had no trouble conceiving, but the mortality of the time had impressed a dreadful burden upon the longevity of newborns. The first child, her eldest brother, passed away by the next morning following his birth. The second child, her second elder brother, was a stillborn. The third child, her third elder brother, was at the tender age of 18 months when he had mysteriously stopped breathing all of a sudden. The fourth child, her fourth elder brother, was only three years of age when he had caught a fatal fever which he never recovered from. The fifth child, the brother before she, never awoke from his slumber on the night of his fifth birthday. Her siblings, those who had passed before her, all never made it past the age of five. All of the children within the family were born frail, and she was no exception from that.
"You must resent me."
"You are mistaken, father."
"I only wish the best for you, even if there is a risk posed of losing you."
Despite being the only child of her father (up until now), she had always had a distant relationship with him. She was a daughter; to be a daughter had meant nothing of worth unless she was accompanied with a son. Daughters were bargaining chips for trades and treaties while the sons were the actual heirs who guarantee the progress of the clan into the next generation. If there was no prospect of a future for a clan, than what goods were trades and treaties worth now? She had always had limited interactions with her father throughout her life. She was a daughter; what vocations could a man pass off onto his daughter?
"What must you remember during your service?"
"Always be obedient and do as I am told. Never forget my place. Absolute loyalty and dedication towards my mistress."
"The Lady Kaguya "Usagi no Megami" of the Otsutsuki Clan is a benevolent ruler. She will be fair to you as long as you devote yourself to her."
Not many had the chance to witness the infamous Lady Kaguya Otsutsuki in person, and those who did had never failed to claim that it was a sight one would ever forget. Some shower her with praises of magnanimity and ovations of luminescent beauty. Others hail her with sneers of deeply imbedded hatred and proclamations of her being the Oni itself. Either it is those who admired her or those who begrudged her, everyone feared her. Her word was law and those who disobeyed them were surely never heard or seen from ever again. How could she bring it upon herself to loath her father when he had absolutely no choice in the matter? It would be her life in exchange for everyone else's in the village. Any sane person would realize which preference would be more rational.
"You are not the only one whose presence is requested. There will be many other girls around your age from other neighbouring lands amongst you. All of you will be expected to give the rest of your lives in servitude for the Lady Kaguya…until she decides that she has no more use for you. If she is pleased with you, you will continue to remain amongst her court until she is done with you."
"What happens to those she has no uses for anymore?"
"Always be in her gracious favour."
Her mother had asked her father if he was prepared for the possibility of her never returning before she had stormed gracefully out of the room. Her mother was a straight forwarded woman with no tendencies to sugar coat anything. Her mother was truthful; even if it would mean exposing the foulest nature of things. There was a high possibility of her failure to return. That possibility could mean spending her remaining days within the Otsutsuki Clan's household. That possibility could always entail that she would die there and her corpse will never even make it back for her people to give a proper burial…she could vanish from existence.
...
Father was right when he had mentioned that many other girls around her age will be in her company. She looked around her to observe so many young maidens dressed all in their most vivid attires gathering around the attendance hall. This was the first time she had seen so many girls in such close proximity to her. Unlike her sickly appeal, they had all radiate health and brilliance.
They socialized amongst each other; some had asked where the other hails from, and others had started to discuss about the latest trends in fashion and beauty. She stuck to herself and stayed as far away from any cluster of wildly excited girls as possible. She was different from them…she was too different.
"Why else would she order the presence of all of the maidens of eligible age in the land? She must be looking for a bride candidates for her two sons." One of the girls nearby spoke with confidence.
"Oh! The Lord Hagoromo and the Lord Hamura!" Everyone seemed to screech in excitement.
"Lord Hamura is so handsome. His features are so refined!" All the other girls nodded in unison.
"Lord Hagoromo is wise beyond his years with the strength and maturity to prove it!" Once again the girls all sighed in unison.
She listened carefully to the conversation going on nearby as the names of the Lady Kaguya's twin sons surfaced. She did not know much about the two other than the fact that they were sons of the Lady Kaguya and had shared much of her appearance.
"I only saw them once from afar when they had crossed my father's lands." One girl added to the conversation.
"Well, I had seen them close up. They were discussing the crop harvest with my father then. Mother had warned me not to disturb them, but I still managed to make myself noticed." Another bragged.
"And how did you manage that?" Another taunted the one before.
"She ran up to them like a mad woman and then fell flat on her face. It was just charming." A girl had snickered.
"Well, I had purposely run over there and tripped myself. The kind Lord Hagoromo came to me himself when he heard my cries of distress." The girl continued her to tell her tale.
"Ami, you always make such a big deal of things as trivial as this." The story teller's friend jested.
"Emi, you are just jealous of my lucky fortune. How could a girl not remember the fair Lord Hamura's tender touch on her injured ankle?" Ami pronounced ever-so proudly.
"I was quite sure that the both of them just had enough of your pig squeals. I still remember the birds making flight as soon as they can once you started howling away." Emi spoke sharply towards Ami.
"Why you-!" Ami was enraged with anger clear in her eyes.
The socializing was soon cut short as an elegant lady came on to the platform.
"Welcome, ladies." The woman spoke in a composed manner.
The two girls from before gave the other a quick glare before settling down. All of the girls had dipped their heads low in unison to show their respect towards the figure before them.
"I am Yuna. I am to be your governess during your stay here with the Otsutsuki Clan. I shall be the one who will oversee your progress in this journey. I shall start with the attendance list of all of those who are expected to be present."
Soon a long scroll was brought forth towards the governess. She starts to announce the names of the girls who had also been sent here to share her fate. Too many different girls from too many different families; everyone was under the influence of the Great Usagi no Megami.
The list goes on. With every name the governess calls, it would end in faint whispers amongst the other girls. They were gossips; some of them good while most of them were in a distasteful nature.
"Lady Haori, daughter of the Lord Hino."
This name seems to draw the most attention as the girl around all focused their attention onto the young girl standing up in acknowledgment of her name being called. She was not a great beauty nor did she wear the most fetching of gowns. She possessed the same long black hair and large brown eyes that many also had shared. She had no idea why this girl had congregated so much attention.
The attention slowly died down after the governess had moved on to the other names down the list. The list continues on as many other girls were called upon.
"That will conclude the attendance section of the day. Please follow me to the outside courtyard where I will be showing you all your lodgings." The governess spoke before she led the way outside.
…
"You all shall remain here, at the branch manor, until you have successfully concluded the required teachings."
One of the girls stood up from her kneeling position in objection.
"Lady Naya, is there anything you would like to include?"
Following the girl, now known as "Naya", many others followed in her stead.
"Do all of you have something to add?"
The head governess looked at the scene before her with nothing but indifference in her eyes. It was either that nothing could faze this woman, or that she had seen the same scenario enacted countless times before.
"We were told that we would become ladies-in-waiting amongst the court of the Otsutsuki Clan. Why are we to stay at this side manor and be subjected to the mere duties of a servant?" Naya exclaimed in a prideful manner.
"The expected conclusion would be for you to become a lady-in-waiting to the Lady Kaguya, however not many of you would be able to achieve that in reality."
"We are the daughters of noble chiefs! We should not be subjected to harsh labours fitting to that of a low-life maid." Another girl shouted towards the governess.
"How are you to properly serve the Lady Kaguya when you have required no such skills in the first place?" The governess never changed her static tone.
"This is disrespectful!" One of the standing girls had exclaimed in anger.
"Do you not know who we are?" Another joined in.
"I wish to speak to my father!" Then another.
"I demand to see the Lady Kaguya!" And soon many others.
Soon, in the midst of confusion, there was shrieking from one corner to another as those in rebellion argued their discontent towards the situation. She looked around to find many other girls kneeling beside her in frightful tears accompanied by the shaking of their trembling bodies. What was happening? What was once a gallant gathering had took a turn for the worst in such a brief period of time.
"Psst." She heard a noise made beside her.
"Behind you." The voice whispered again.
She had shifted her eyes to the directed direction to find a girl merely a year of two more her age looking straight at her. This girl looked at her with the brightest eyes and a cheerful beam. Wait…this was the famed Haori from before.
"Pay them no mind. This will be sorted out before it gets too out of hand. Just continue to kneel and stay quiet." She spoke and followed with a playful wink.
*Bang!*
The audience became mute quickly at the sound of the deafening grand drum beat.
"There seems to be a conflict of interest amongst us, so I will offer you maidens an opportunity to make your own decision. We need to know if you are here to serve the Lady Kaguya or are you here to serve yourself." The governess spoke calmly with a cleverly disguised intent behind the smoothness of her voice.
The eyes of the bewildered girls focus themselves onto the platform with eagerness to hear what the governess had to offer.
"Listen well as I will only say this once."
Everything became silent with anticipation.
"If you have no quarrels with my directives then stay kneeling where you are."
"And if we do?" The one called Naya spoke up once more in superciliousness.
The governess stared the girl down with eyes with bitter mercilessness while her elegant thin lips curved up into a venomous grin.
"Then if you do not agree, then please follow Hisane and be on your way this instant." The governess used her hand to direct the attention towards the timid-looking maid beside her on the platform.
The one named Naya strutted towards the maid Hisane with incomparable egotism as her eyes never left their match against the governess for dominance. Naya was followed by many others as they all made their way towards the exit. The governess smirked in amusement at the sight before her.
"Now, is there anyone else? This would be your last chance." The governess asked again.
Hesitation ran throughout the girls around. Some were unsure of which option to choose while the others were just too frightful of even standing up in this intimidating aura.
"Stay kneeling." She could hear Haori whispering from behind her in warning.
Despite everything, she still knelt down with her eyes closed to calm her racing heart. She calmly repeated the motto her father had made sure she engraved into her consciousness before she was sent on her way.
*Slam*
She opened her eyes to find the gates to the courtyard have been closed. There was about half the amount girls here than before. There was not a noise to be made as everyone had remained silent from the shock of what had just occurred shortly before. Fortunately, the rest of the girls were soon led to their lodgings to retire for the rest of the day.
Those who had left, there were no longer any traces of them ever being here. They had vanished before her eyes behind those massive gates. She did not need to ponder much to know that those girls will never be heard or seen from ever again; just like those who had opposed the Great Usagi no Megami.
It will only be in the future that she will know exactly what have become of them, to those who did not live by the motto.
Always be obedient and do as I am told.
Never forget my place.
Absolute loyalty and dedication towards my mistress.
This was only the start of it all.