Chapter 1

A bad Council

It was a cold, wet morning outside Gifu Castle. Toshiie Maeda sat in the snow outside the gate gazing at the enemy main camp not too far away. A gust of wind flew towards Gifu and Toshiie started to shiver. He stood up and headed back inside the castle. The guard outside the gate waved and smiled at Toshiie. Toshiie smiled back while the guard opened the gate. The gates were huge oak doors that were a little rusty and hard to open. Toshiie quickly entered the castle and looked around. It was empty. He walked towards a post that seemed to have a letter attached to it. Toshiie stared hard at the letter then realised he had forgot the most important thing. He forgot the War council. Toshiie took off like a rocket and ran up the stairs. He finally reached the room where the meeting was held. Everyone was sitting down waiting for Toshiie's arrival. Nobunaga straightened as Toshiie entered the room and took his place next to Hideyoshi. "Good, now we can begin." Nobunaga announced. "What is our current situation?" Koroku, a bright young samurai, turned to Nobunaga and replied; "Our scouts have come back with the following situation" Koroku pulled out a military map and unfolded it. He pointed to the top of the map near the enemy main camp.

"Lady Kicho is positioned here. We must extract her safely but also keep our eye on the enemy. We must be careful of enemy ambush and traps as we make our way to the top. My lord how shall we deploy for this battle?" Nobunaga exchanged glances with Toshiie, but Toshiie simply turned away. Nobunaga took the little wooden blocks representing the Oda forces and clenched them in his hand as he began to think carefully. He placed the grey wooden block representing himself and placed it a few inches from the main camp. He then placed Toshiie's block next to himself as a support unit. Katsuie moved closer to the map and took his little block and placed it near the river line not far from the main camp. Nobunaga raised his eyebrows and looked at Katsuie as if to say 'Are you out of your mind?'

"Don't worry" Katsuie began. "I know what I am doing, but I will need a support unit" Nobunaga nodded slowly then moved Ujisato next to Katsuie. Ujisato nodded to Nobunaga then turned to look out the window. Nobunaga stood up and announced; "Good, the council is over. You all know what you have to do, now GO!" Everyone bowed and shouted "SIR!" Nobunaga was the first one to leave followed by Katsuie, Ujisato, Ranmaru and Oichi. Toshiie didn't move but just sat there thinking.

Nobunaga headed towards the stables outside Gifu. He bowed to the guard as he opened the gate. Wind gushed in and everyone was shivering. Nobunaga pushed against the wind and struggled to get to the stables. The horses neighed hard and loud as the storm only got worse. Shadow fall (one of the newly caught horses) slammed against his stable gate with brute force. The gate weakened and weakened after the many thuds. Nobunaga reached the stables and calmed the horses down. He took the saddle and reins that were hanging on the walls and placed them on the stable door of his horse. Its name was 'White Mint'. He was white, pretty close to silver and had always been loyal to Nobunaga. It neighed and reared up as it saw its owner. Nobunaga opened the gate. He took the saddle and reins and placed them easily on White Mint. The other horses sighed as they watched White Mint and Nobunaga leave the stables.

Toshiie finally took off down the stairs to gather his troops. He passed the Great Hall and entered another room where he bumped into Ujisato. "Oh! Sorry Ujisato. I didn't see you there"

"It's alright. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. Nobunaga wants to speak with you before we head off. I will gather your troops for you"

"Thanks." At that moment Toshiie went off to find Nobunaga. He looked all around the castle and was about to head over to the main gate when Oichi turned up behind him. "Lord Toshiie, please take this to my brother if you find him." Oichi gave Toshiie a small item rapped in silk, bowed quickly and ran off" Toshiie unfolded the silk then looked at the object. It was some sort of seal made of bronze. It had dragons and horses carved around it and held a small padlock at the front. Toshiie rapped it back up and continued to find Nobunaga at the main gate.

Nobunaga steered his horse through the gate and turned to see Toshiie running towards him carrying the seal. "My lord…" Toshiie began. "Lady Oichi begged me to give this to you." Nobunaga took the rapped object off Toshiie and stared at it for a few moments. "It seems to be some sort of seal" said Toshiie. Nobunaga placed the seal in one of the pockets on the side of his horse and nodded to Toshiie. Toshiie was about to turn back when he realised that Nobunaga wanted to speak with him. "You asked for me my lord?" Nobunaga dismounted his horse and walked over to Toshiie who was now a bit concerned. Lord Nobunaga never seemed to be so quiet. He was always the lively one. "Toshiie… I've noticed that you seemed a bit uneasy during the Council. Is something bothering you?" Nobunaga asked. Toshiie sighed then replied, "Oh, I just… I just didn't feel okay that's all. I am fine now and ready to carry out your orders." Nobunaga raised his eyebrows but turned away from Toshiie and mounted his horse again. "Alright. I will meet you outside the main gate as soon as night falls" Toshiie bowed and watched as Nobunaga kicked his horse and headed towards the main hall of the castle to gather the remaining troops. Toshiie sighed then went to collect his own horse from the stables. He pushed open the giant doors and wind gushed in. Toshiie almost fell back due to the storm being so strong. 'How are we going to fight in this weather' he thought. He hugged his arms and pushed against the strong winds to reach the stables.

Katsuie was in the main hall preparing for battle as Nobunaga trotted in. "My lord, are you quite all right?" Nobunaga's eyes rolled then turned white. He felt his legs weaken and his arms shake. Katsuie ran up to Nobunaga. "My lord?" he questioned again, but there was no answer from the Lord. Nobunaga collapsed and fell off his horse. He hit the floor with a thud. Katsuie was shocked and shouted for help. Oichi heard the scream and immediately ran towards it. Toshiie finally reached the stables when he heard Katsuie's cries. He forgot about his horse and ran back inside the castle to see what all the commotion was about. Hideyoshi ran from upstairs and reached Nobunaga. "My Lord? Can you hear me?" pleaded Hideyoshi. Katsuie looked at Hideyoshi and shook his head as if to say 'No he cannot hear you' Toshiie and Oichi ran in at the same time, both with concerned faces. Toshiie knelt beside Nobunaga and searched for any sign of injuries. There were none. "Someone help me to carry the Lord up to his bedroom" Toshiie requested. Katsuie nodded and lifted up Nobunaga's legs, while Toshiie carefully lifted up his upper body and head. They both carefully carried Nobunaga up the stairs and into his bedroom. Oichi and Hideyoshi followed after. Toshiie and Katsuie placed Nobunaga on the floor of his bedroom and rested his head on his pillow. Oichi removed his armour plates and shoes while Hideyoshi grabbed a blanket and placed it on top of him. All of them knelt beside Nobunaga and waited patiently for him to wake up. Toshiie closed his eyes and lowered his head. A tear fell down from Oichi's delicate face as she grasped her brothers' hand and held it close. A few moments went by and Nobunaga started to shiver. Everyone brightened up as they knew he was alive. Toshiie leaned close to Nobunaga's face and felt for any breathing. "He IS breathing, but it is very shallow" Toshiie said. They waited a few more moments to see any improvements.

Night was falling. Toshiie walked back and for across Nobunaga's bedroom. Katsuie sat next to the window and looked out. Hideyoshi was fast asleep in the corner and Oichi was still grasping her brother's hand. Nobunaga stirred then slowly opened his eyes. "Oichi…" He whispered. Oichi looked in surprise and shouted, "HES OKAY!" Everyone jumped up and quickly kneeled beside Nobunaga. Nobunaga sat up slowly and started to shake. "Night has come we must…prepare…" Nobunaga coughed and was unable to finish the sentence but everyone knew what he was going to say. "You cannot fight my Lord, not in this condition." Toshiie pleaded. Oichi placed her hands on Nobunaga's shoulders and gently eased him back down. "Rest brother… Lord Toshiie, Katsuie, Ujisato and Hideyoshi will ride to battle for you." Katsuie's eyes widened but nodded. Everyone left the room in order for Nobunaga to get some rest.

When everyone left, Nobunaga jumped up and walked over to his wardrobe. He slowly opened it and took out the armour plates and shoes. He slipped them on carefully, trying not to make any noise. Successful in putting on the armour Nobunaga headed towards the door. He poked his head out first to see if anyone was there. No one. He creaked open the door and slowly made his way down the stairs. Oichi appeared at the bottom with her arms crossed and her foot tapping at the ground. Nobunaga gulped then grinned slightly. "Brother." Oichi said firmly. "You know better than to run off when you're unwell" Nobunaga nodded slowly then made a run for it. Oichi shouted but Nobunaga ignored it. He kept running but bumped into Toshiie. Toshiie raised his eyebrows. "My Lord? What ARE you doing?" asked Toshiie. Nobunaga straightened. "I'm going to battle and there is nothing you can do to stop me" Nobunaga barged through Toshiie and headed for his horse who was still in the main hall. Toshiie sighed then gathered his troops and some supplies.

It was late and the sky was dark. Toshiie, Katsuie, Ujisato and Hideyoshi all waited for Nobunaga who was still preparing his horse. Toshiie wriggled about and could not keep still. Katsuie giggled. "Is something wrong Toshiie? You look like you got ants in your pants" Hideyoshi burst out laughing. "Nothing is wrong" Toshiie replied. "I just don't feel right. This battle… there is something strange about it" Katsuie stopped giggling and looked at Toshiie in concern. Nobunaga soon joined them with his sword in hand. Everyone mounted their horses and waited for Nobunaga's orders. "Okay men! We march towards the Mori enemy camp" Nobunaga announced. Everyone raised their weapons and cheered.