THE FORGOTTEN ISLAND OF THE BLACK PEACOCK

Hi everybody!

This is my third fan fiction and in this story I wanted to create a sort of magical and Zen atmosphere: It will be a real walk inside of the analysis of the protagonist's soul. I used an elegant style of writing because I think It's the best to describe the historical period where I placed the story and for the description of places and for the different aspects of characters' mind.

I thought that It would have been a nice idea sharing with you some of the emotion I felt during the creation of this story.

I don't want to be boring but let me give you an advice, when the first thought came on my mind I was listening the song " Pale" sang by the group called Within Temptation.

Now try to figure in your mind some images of a forgotten island, lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where the habits are very old and the culture is the same of the Japanese one. In that story I'll talk about the era of the colonization and of all Its conquers on the East part of the globe.

Forgive me If you'll notice some mistakes about some historical details or grammar mistakes, I'm an Italian girl so my grammar is a bit poor.

Said this, I wish you a good read! ;)

Lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, hidden on a milky mist, there was a forgotten archipelago of islands called Japan: It was famous for Its trade of rice but also for Its precious tissues and Its culture was based on the respect among all the social classes. But my Queen wasn't interested on that kind of stuff, during that period; England was expanding Its confines to explore new territories to catch-all the natural materials It hadn't: It was the era of the Colonization. New inventions took place all around the world as the first gun, cars, many new machinery, a lot of wars were at the gate and to work, many of the military new inventions needed a lot of coal: England didn't have that primal material so, the Queen Victoria was blaming to conquer a little island, called Hokkaido, in the oriental part of the globe, to grasp from It all Its natural mines of that particular rock.

I always remember the day my story began: It was a temperate day of June and I was polishing my sword and my armor, when a page-boy ran into the military training field, yelling my name.

" MISS CAVENDISH! MISS CAVENDISH!"

The little boy was yelling too much so, snorting, I leaned on my bed the little rag, dirty of grease, and I went out of my room. He opened wide his enormous brow eyes as he saw me.

" A-Are y-You Miss Anna Cavendish?"

I nodded noticing how much scared he was, his body was completely shaking despite I was a woman.

" Yes I am! What do you want page-boy?"

" T-The queen …"

He breathed hardly and tried to pronounce better his speech to avoid any bad figure: he was so little and vulnerable that If I blew he surely would pulverized.

" T-The queen want to talk to you now … Into the throne room!"

My body became tensed suddenly: It was strange that the Queen Victoria wanted to talk with me with emergency; surely there was an extremely serious reason behind that call. I ran towards the castle and, escorted by two regal guards, I entered in the regal room where the queen was sat on her gold throne.

With a little shake of her right hand, Victoria obliged the two guards to get out from the room and then she stood up.

" My queen …"

I immediately bowed in front of her to avoid being not respectable and she gave me the permission to raise my head from my kneeled place.

" I know you respect me Anna, so please, stand up! I called you here with emergency because I want to promote you!"

My breast burned under the happiness: did she really want to promote my grade?

" Anna you are the person I trust most between all the guards! You put a total commitment into your job! You are my right arm and one of the four colonels of my army! So I'm promoting you because I want you to be the captain of the future expedition in the East part of the Globe! You know we have a colony in Singapore, you can stop there and place your base … You also know that we are having a big evolution of industries so, England need a lot of coal! I heard a lot of stories about an archipelago lost on the Pacific Ocean, directly under China, between these islands, there's one called Hokkaido: It's difficult to find but It's full of these wonderful rocks! There's so much coal hidden on Its subsoil to aliment an entire nation for decades!"

Her grey eyes shined under her happiness and her wish.

" So Anna … I want that you, and a hundred of your most trusted soldiers, will seal towards that Island and try to convince the king of that wonderful place, to make an alliance with England!"

Does she really trust me so much?! I … I don't know If I'll be able to carry out that important role! But I'll try!

" As you wish my Queen!"

I bowed again and she smiled kindly.

" You survived at a lot of internal conflicts and little expeditions in France and Spain! You also won against the poverty of your district where you were born so, I'm sure you'll be perfect for that grade!"

" Thank you my queen! Now I'll go to the military training field to choose my best warriors!"

I kissed her hand and she gently caressed my cheek.

" Your expedition will begin among three days so hurry colonel! I need that coal!"

I ran out from the castle, I haven't enough time to do my personal choice; I only trusted a couple of men, Kristoff and Hans, among the hundreds soldiers of my personal area of the army.

As my queen wished and ordered, I was able to select hundred trusted men and as planned, after three days my ship left England and sailed towards that mysterious island. We stopped a Singapore, as Victoria suggested me during the planning of my travel and I provided all our provisions.

I was so scared for what I was going to do but my queen trusted me so I couldn't fail my mission.

It was our eightieth day of traveling on the sea when we finally saw a group of a lot of islands hidden on a milky mist, the same mist Queen Victoria told me, we were arrived!

With the help of a man, we captured on the first island of that archipelago, we docked at and we entered in the confines of Hokkaido. Despite Han's intentions I decided to not torture that man and he kindly explained us a lot of details on the strange culture of the place we were going to visit.

" If you tortured him he surely would told us more details colonel Cavendish!"

" Hans … He's a poor man, we offered him a good lunch and a warm bed where to sleep … He was in debit with us so for extinguish his debt he told us every details he knew about that island! If I tortured him I would surely kill him! You know I don't approve tortures!"

Hans bowed in front of me and nodded.

" As you wish my colonel!"

My eyes were lost on the blurry skyline: the little and strange man, we "borrowed", told me that on that Island, the population venerated a son of a God, and he was the king of that island. No one ever saw that " king " but there were legends on that mysterious profile which narrated that It was a queen and not a king.

At four miles from the coast, some little icebergs attired my attention, we were traveling towards a dense ring of mist which, the man told us, was all around the island as a natural protection against enemies.

How many piece of ice we were going to meet?! That sounded dangerous to me.

" KRISTOFF! PAY ATTENTION AT THE ICEBERGS! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!"

That sound so strange, the temperature is tempered, how could icebergs be there?

Kristoff, who was at the helm, did a great work and after an hour we thrown, safe and sound, our anchor into an azure pastel water. We carried the man with us and slowly we leant our feet on a soft and white sand of a beach covered of grey and pink cliffs and little bushed of violet flowers.

Gidayu, the man who helped us to reach the island of Hokkaido, accompanied us towards a lot of fields full of flowers and a lot of woods full of trees of different colors till we reached a little village.

I was amazed by the wonderful landscapes and I really was trusting the man who was guiding us: but, was I making the good choice?

Kristoff seemed amazed as me but Hans was extremely serious, I turned my head to see what kind of feelings my little army was feeling and contrasting expressions made my heart jumped a beat … Was I behaving as a good captain of the expedition?!

The speech of the queen re-echoed into my head …

If It's necessary, you can intimidate the king using a bit of violence and … If things will go totally wrong, send me a letter and I'll start the war! Remember Anna, I want that alliance, but first I wish most to have the coal so … Bring it to me despite what will happen!

Wonderful white terraced houses made entirely of wood were on each side of the path we were walking on. After another hour of walk, an enormous and elegant castle, made with the same style of the other houses, appeared in front of us: two men, dressed with a white armor and a blue plumed helmet, extracted both their swords to stop our passage.

It's normal If they pointed towards us their swords, we presented in front of them as an army of one hundred men all dressed with armors, we have the aspects of a foreign population who wants to start a war!

Gidayu immediately started to talk with them with his foreign language and they lowered their arms: then, the man told me that only the captain of the expedition could meet their God so I decided to go, leaving at Kristoff and Hans the temporary administration of the rest of the troop.

We walked on a thousand of rungs and at the end, I finally reached the room of the throne, where their queen was: I was so excited and afraid of what was going to happen, all about that island was amazing and beautiful and peaceful, how was the queen I was going to talk with?

The man kindly offered himself to be my personal interpreter in exchange of other four meals and I accepted. I had to leave my sword, the chest of my armor and my little gun at the entrance of the castle so I was totally vulnerable If they would attacked me.

A wonderful perfume of flowers accompanied me during my walk and, when I entered in the regal room, I suddenly felt a cold breeze which created goose bumps on my back: In front of me, a beautiful shape of a woman, hidden behind a paper divider, stood up and everybody on the room bowed at her graze, me too.

" So you are the person who wants to talk with me! What do you wish to have from me and my island?"

… Is she talking my language?! It's unbelievable! How could she …?!

Gigayu seemed astonished as me.

" Hi queen of Hokkaido! I bring you the homages of Victoria the queen of …"

" Didn't Victoria teach you good manners? What's your name?"

I blushed for the ignoble figure I made, she was totally right and her voice was so sensual and authoritative …

" I'm Anna Cavendish my queen!"

" I'm queen Elsa, the first daughter of the clan Tokugawa and the queen of Hokkaido! What does your queen want from me?"

" Victoria is the queen of England … She wants to make an alliance with you, queen Elsa! She'll guarantee you a lot of supplies and technological devices, If you'll give her the coal on the subsoil of that island!"

I heard her giggle a bit, her shadow seemed so perfect behind that pale yellow wall.

" How can I make an alliance with a queen who was too lazy to come here and sent one of her best warrior? She surely trust you a lot Miss Cavendish, do you know that?"

I literary was out of words and breaths, she was so authoritative but also so arrogant and despite of all she was right: I knew that my queen had to administrate our state and because of that she couldn't come but, queen Elsa made me thought.

" She couldn't because she had to administrate our state, queen Elsa!"

" That sounds quite funny! Doesn't she have a husband?"

" I'm sorry queen Elsa, but she hasn't!"

" I got It! But … She trusted you so much to send you here … Why didn't she do the same for the administration of her state?"

I was completely in difficulty, I wasn't able to make her ratiocinate and I didn't want to intimidate or hurt her because she was sounding so pure …

I can do It! I can do It! Victoria trusted me!

" We travelled for three months to come here! England is living a period of wars and she really can't leave her throne for such a long time!"

" If you are saying that, It means that your queen isn't a good one because England is under a continuous threat of imminent wars! So, tell me, Miss Cavendish, how can I make an alliance with that queen? I always been neutral and I've never made any alliances! A lot of persons offered me a lot of richness If I would give them the coal but I've always refused! How could you think to be capable of convincing me?"

I swear to God that I heard the sound of her smile curving her cheeks.

" If you will give us some of your coal, my queen, we will give you a lot of new inventions! I noticed that your island is full of cultivated fields … We have a lot of new machinery that can massively cut the work of men, with our inventions you can travel the sea with big boats which are a thousand times faster than a normal one! I know Queen Elsa, you aren't interested on wars, but we can give arms that can kill a person from high distances, just pressing a button … I'm sorry that you don't trust my queen but I can say that she's a good one! When I was a child, I was orphan and poor, so poor that I had to learn how to rob to survive! At the age of eleven I was a criminal and I had just killed a person only for the want of survive! A day, when I was twelve, guards captured me and brought me in front of her to be executed for my crimes … When Queen Victoria saw me and noticed my desperate conditions she gave me a second chance! She appreciated my determination and offered me a place into her army, saying that she would forgive me If I would hug the justice and applied my quality on that side! Well now I'm her most trusted woman among thousands of men! She behaved with me as a mother …"

Do whatever you want queen Elsa but don't you dare saying again, that Victoria isn't a good queen! For me she was a mum!

" So she surely isn't that bad but … What will she say when you'll come back with a fist of smoke on your hands?"

" I … I don't know! But I'll assume all my faults! She asked me to do that and I promised to do my best but I can't oblige you to make that alliance!"

" You surely are a brave girl Miss Cavendish but, What will you do If your queen will justice you?"

Queen Elsa surely likes to put me to the test!

" I'll accept my fate!"

I literary was going to cry but I didn't want to seem weak in front of Queen Elsa.

" You have also the soul of a respectable warrior! What did she tell you to do If I refused the alliance?"

" Honestly she told me to intimidate you and after to send her a letter with the summit, to start the war …"

" Hmm I've understood! What do you think about that, Miss Cavendish?"

" I don't want to intimidate or hurt you nor start a war … This island is so beautiful and peaceful that It would be a pity ruin all the landscapes and kill a lot of innocent people! An alliance would be the best solution!"

The queen laughed.

" She told you to … Intimidate me?! She surely doesn't know who I am! I give you the permission to stay here for the time the letter will take to reach your England and the answer to come back!"

She suddenly snapped her fingers and a cold breeze went in through a window and made me shiver: What was happening? Did she create that breeze?

" Send her that message: You'll stay here till she will reach Hokkaido! I don't care If this will take two or three months or a year! You and your little army will stay here as my prisoners! And … When she'll come, I'll show her myself!"

" What? … My majesty I have to go back to England to help my queen …"

I literary was out of breaths: How could she trap us here? She couldn't! But she did It!

" It doesn't matter! If she really blames so much my coal, she has to come here and talk with me face to face! I respect you, Miss Cavendish but your queen has to respect her responsibilities!"

If she really can create a cold breeze with just a snap of her fingers, she can kill us with no difficulties! I have to pay attention and I want to bring back all my men! I have no choices, I failed my queen! I totally failed! Please, don't make me suffer If my destiny will end as soon as I'll come back!

" Have you heard what I said, Miss Cavendish? You can choose, If you'll agree I'll detain you here as my hosts and we won't hurt you But … If you will choice to run away from that island without my permission or one of your men will hurt someone of my people, I'll kill you all in five seconds!"

My blood froze into my veins, I was right when I thought how much dangerous she was: I could choose but there was only one safe choice.

" We will stay here my queen! Thank you for your benevolence! Now I'm going to talk with all my little army to explain my choice and If someone of my warriors will hurt anybody of your people, I'll personally pay with my life for that kind of outrage! If I'll die no one will cry for me but all my warriors have a family and children to feed … So please, If something bad will happen, kill me and not my warriors! I'll sacrifice myself for a good reason!"

The queen seemed to be out of words for a while and then I heard her release a deep breath.

" I'm moved for your courage Miss Cavendish! And for that reason I'll accept your request but … If, after your death someone will do something bad I'll kill everybody without thinking on that! Now my personal guards will show you where you'll stay with your warriors! You can go now!"

" Your majesty!"

I bowed deeper than I was and then I left the room with Gidayu: two guards accompanied us to a little village behind the castle; I explained what kind of pact I made with the queen and everybody laid on a comfortable bed made of goose feathers. I was worried for Hans' possible reaction but he agreed without saying anything. Every house contained four warriors so we occupied an entire village of twenty-five houses, I was the last one to be placed but Gidayu told me that I had to live in the castle because my life was the price of any kind of outrage.

The guards opened me a door entirely decorated with a white and blue marquetry and my personal interpreter was located on a nearby room. I get undressed from my armor, when the two guards went out and on the bed, I found a strange dress.

Am I obliged to wear this?

I knocked on the door of Gidayu's room and he explained me that the dress was a kimono, a habit of the entire archipelago and I had to wear that, to show my respect for their customs. I went again inside my room thanking my new friend and I studied the dress: It was surely beautiful because It was dark blue with white flowers embroidered on Its soft tissue, but I never wore a shirt … NEVER!

I was lying on the comfortable bed when a piece of paper glided from the rent of the door to my pavement. I took It and I read the message:

Take a bath, wear the kimono and be ready for dinner which will be served when the sun will rise down. A guard will go with you to our personal thermal baths and then to the room where you will take your dinner.

I've just finished reading the message that someone knocked at my door, It was the guard. We walked inside the castle till we went outside into an enormous garden and, after ten minutes, I started to smell the perfume of sulfur, we were near the baths. The guard showed me my personal bath and pointed with a finger, all the stuff I had to use to clean my body and then he left the little woody room.

I was completely alone and I had my personal enormous pool: I got undressed with a bit of shame and I opened the door which was at the entrance of the outside thermal bath.

I hope that no one can see me naked! Fortunately there's wall of rocks all around the area that cover me, but I'm a bit suspicious!

I brought with me some perfumed oils and a couple of white towels and then I leaned a foot on the water to taste the temperature: It was pleasantly hot. I entered completely with my body on the enormous pool and I swam a bit all around the little lake. After twenty minutes my body felt reinvigorated and I noticed a little hole in one of the rocks walls. I went outside the water and quietly I approached my eye to the hole to see what there was on the other side and I noticed her: I recognized the same shape of the body, Queen Elsa was taking a bath exactly near me!

I only saw her shoulders because she was going out when I peeked, but I noticed that on her graceful white skin of her back, there was an enormous and beautiful tattoo of a black peacock. She wore a pure white towel and she went out: how beautiful she was, I only saw her back and her platinum hair, which was tied into a lateral braid, but the shape of her body was simply amazing.

That was the first time I saw her and I'll never forget that.