The White Castle
Chapter 1: First GlimpseRin opened her sleepy eyes to the vast town in front of her. Her new home. She had passed many trees, roads and villages to get to where she was. She sighed as the towns' people busied themselves, not taking any notice of the wagon carrying behind it a young woman, a little boy and a stout old man sitting in the front, whipping away at the reins of the cattle.
Her body swayed to and fro as her little brother tried desperately to get comfortable leaning on the patch of hay that they brought along to feed the cattle. Her eyes wandered and rested on two couple arguing about some produce that was too overly priced. Another lady, right beside that booth picked her baby son's effortlessly to her hips willing him to take the apple held out to him.
She turned her head to the other side of the village. There wasn't much difference. Two men were carrying pounds of rice outside of a shop and placed it onto one wagon after another.
Rin smiled at the simplicity of the town. She smiled for the first time in two weeks. She'll learn to adapt; she had to. She didn't really have much of a choice.
Not long ago she was told that her long lost great-aunt—which she surely never heard of-had passed and she was to inherit the home that her great-aunt once resided. Her guardian had brought her the news two weeks ago.
"What does this great-aunt have to do with me? I have been living here contently, may we stay with you?" She begged the older lady. She had grew attach to the couple even thought they were of no relation to her.
For two and a half years she have been living with the two older couple. Throughout the years, Rin and her younger brother moved from one place to the next, one year after another she was seen residing in a new place. It was only until that couple of years ago, the elderly couple took them in as a way of blessing since they have no children of their own.
The older lady looked at her with sadden eyes, "No child, you must go. We are getting old as it is and we can't take care of you and Kenshi any longer." She patted Rin's head and then smiled warmly. Her face held wrinkled that looked like an extra skin. Her hair, although grayish was kept nicely bun on the back of her head. "It's for the best. I'm sure your great-aunt left you enough for you two to live comfortably."
Rin frowned then turned her head to the little five-year-old boy sitting right beside her. Us two? Did my aunt know about Kenshi - or as she called him, Ken? Her brother, although not by birth, was focus on the piece of wooden toy that he found on the nearby yard. He was always very fond of wooden toys.
Another home. When would this end? For once she thought they belonged somewhere. Working in the fields by day and wash up to go the bed by the end of the night. Never before had she felt like she belong until she met this couple. Now they have to live in a new home, a new environment, and start a new life. How awful would it be for her little brother's frail form?
She then looked up at the older lady again in despair. It was true what she said the couple was getting older. They couldn't finish a sentence without letting out a few coughs.
"Oh, come here child," she said opening up her arms wide. "Don't you cry now. Promise me you'll become a good woman and take care of your brother." The older lady patted Rin's black silky hair trying hard to be strong.
Two weeks later they were off towards the Western Lands where Rin would soon inherit her fortune from her great-aunt. A mysterious aunt she has never heard of until now.
The wagon passed more shops and inns before it slowed down to a stop.
"You two stay on the wagon, I'll go and see if I can get some water for the cattle." The old man said and disappeared into an open door of an inn.
"Are we there yet?" Ken asked raising his head from the wagon. His big brown eyes looked at the world around him. His eyes sparkled to the many people he saw and then to the children as they drew pictures with sticks on the dirt road. He smiled at the children and then sunk back near Rin's side hanging his feet out the wagon swaying them this way and that.
"No, Ken, we're not. Almost. But not quite." Came her reply. Rin turned to smile at the little boy.
Five years had passed since she had found him wrapped up in a towel underneath a tree. For the longest time she sat and waited for his parents to come, but there was no sign of them. She was only fourteen then and knew she couldn't even take care of herself. But the thought of leaving a little infant to die in the cold was more than she could bear so she took the frail crying boy into her arms and walked to the nearest village.
Fortunately, her last couple of guardians was grateful enough to teach her how to read and write and in turn she also taught, which she announced a year after she found him, her little brother Ken at the age of two.
Rin turned her head back to the road that they just passed. The wavy lines from the wagon were now piling of footprints left in the sand.
"Rin look," Ken whispered tugging on her faded kimono. She turned her head to the direction her little brother was looking.
"I don't see anything Ken, what is it?" She tired to squint her eyes for a better look.
"Up ahead, that man in a cloak, you don't see him?" Ken looked at her pleading. He knew he wasn't seeing things. "The man in a white cloak, he have a missing arm Rin." Ken said as if it was a secret not to be shared.
She focused her eyes again. There! She saw the figure. He was certainly missing an arm. Even thought his body was covered under the white cloak, she saw that he was tall and had a powerful present. Beside him was a little toad, holding a staff that looked at if it was too tall for him.
"Stop staring Kenshi it's rude," She whispered back to her brother, but she too couldn't stop staring at the figure. Her eyes wouldn't budge, couldn't budge. It was as if he was calling for her. Her heart tugged and pained. She brought her right hand to try to squeeze the pain away from her aching chest.
"Rin…" The wind had whispered, sending her a mental note.
"Rin are you alright?" Her little brother's chubby hands shook her shoulder. She looked uneasy at him and in an instance her pain subsided. She looked up at the two figures, and just as her pain disappeared, they did too.