Join the Dance
Chapter 1
Kirara sat up slowly, feeling the silken sheets under her rocking and hearing wheels under her. She opened her eyes too see that rather than being in the cart with Ukyo, may birds pick off his creepy face, she was next to a girl about her age who was napping near a woman in her middle years. The older woman servant's plain clothes, but the girl wore silk robes and pants with pretty gold bracelets on her wrists and earrings in her ears.
"Oh, you're up."
The girl sat up and smoothed her mint green hair with a hand that shook slightly. Her wide grey eyes searched Kirara's brown and she smiled. When she saw that the older woman was still asleep, she lowered her voice to a whisper.
"I heard so much about you that I decided that I would come with Ukyo to get you. You really got his attention, girl. What's your name again? Kamima? Konichiwa?"
"Kirara. And you?"
Kirara wasn't sure what to think of the girl sharing her cart. She seemed nice…
"I'm Kaen. I'm of the first rank right now in the harem, but you'll be taking my place soon, no doubt. But until then, I'll stick with you."
Kirara swallowed hard and looked out one of the slatted windows, shivering in the heat of the summer. She jumped when she felt a hand run over her hair. She spun to see a soft smile on her companion's face.
"I'm sorry. You have such beautiful hair, just like my sister's. She was so little when I was taken though, I doubt she would remember me."
Kirara felt a twinge of pity for Kaen. She had been stolen from her family, just as Sanae had? She scooted a little closer to the girl and examined her hair. How had she gotten green hair of all things?
"What was your sister like?"
"She was pretty. I was six when I was taken, and she was about two, I think. Big brown eyes, brown hair that grew so fast that it could be tied back already… She wasn't my real sister, but I adored her. She was all I had really, other than our parents."
"What was your village like?"
Kaen scrunched up her face in thought, tapping her chin and biting her lip for a moment before shrugging.
"I don't remember much about the village. I wasn't let out very much beyond the door. But I remember bandits. The day I was taken, they said something about training me to be a concubine. So, here I am."
Kirara, feeling a little nauseated from all the motion in the cart, rested her head on Kaen's lap and closed her eyes tightly. She smiled slightly when she felt one cool hand touch her forehead and the other play with her hair gently.
"You were trained to be a concubine?"
"Uh-huh. Not really a lot of training involved, but there were a few things I was glad for later."
"Like what?"
She couldn't help it that a little trepidation slipped into her voice. Kaen must have heard it, because she spoke very quickly.
"Oh, nothing bad! Things like, uhm, etiquette, what not to wear, how to sing and dance… Stuff like that. Don't worry, I'll help you. I'll be like your Older Sister! You want to be my Younger Sister? A lot of girls do that in the harem. Come on, it gets lonely there sometimes."
Kirara nodded and looked up to see that Kaen's face had split into a wide grin and the old woman had woke up.
"How old are you Younger Sister Kirara?"
"Eighteen. You?"
"Ah, I'm an old woman. I'll be twenty-three in a few weeks, but don't tell anybody!"
The old woman in the servants clothes cleared her throat politely and held out her hand to Kirara.
"Oh! This is Ume. She can't talk. She's been my governess for years… Since as long as I've been in the palace actually. Oh, you'll love it there Kirara! Silk everywhere, good food, hot baths, anything you want! If they don't have it, they'll buy it for you! Ukyo really is a very nice man. If a girl is tired, he doesn't yell at her like the previous Amanushi did, oh no, he lets them rest. Even calls in a masseuse for her if she wants!"
"Hm."
She was still scared, but now that Kaen had established their relationship as friends, she felt a little safer. If she didn't in the cart, Kaen proved that she would protect her new friend when the other girls started in with their snippy comments and haughty looks.
"At least she doesn't need to have jewels dripping from her body to catch the master's attention and cover her age."
After a little bullying, Kaen got the other women to back off and settled down with a little harp on her knee and motioned for Kirara to lay down.
"You still look tired. I'll sing you something and you can take a nap. I may take one with you. Ukyo's usually in meetings about now."
"Do you know any water songs?"
"I do. Lots of them. I came from a town that was very water-based."
She plucked the strings of her harp and closed her eyes and rocked slightly, slowly opening her eyes. She looked dreamy and far away as she sang, and Kirara began to feel sleepy and let her eyes fall shut.
…That song was so familiar…
…River lullaby…
A/N
Hello all! This story is for Daughter of Horus, but I hope that you all will like it! I already like this, and can't wait to see where the river leads us.
Stick around, for the next posting will be soon!