Sooo I had a bit of trouble with this one just because I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with it- when making OC characters related to cannon characters, I like to make it as close to history as possible so Lady Tokuhime was actually Ieyasu's real daughter. However, while Tokuhime did marry into the Hojo, her husband was actually Ujinao Hojo (son of Ujimasa), but that would make Lady Hayakawa Tokuhime's aunt and Ujiyasu her grandfather and with how they are portrayed in Samurai Warriors, I wasn't sure if I quite liked that, so I made a few changes. So perhaps not QUITE accurate to history, but eh, close enough.
Hooves plodded the dirt quietly as a white mare slowly cantered through the forest just outside of Sagami. Naomasa Ii lightly held the reigns as a troubled young woman, no older than seventeen, side-straddled the horse behind him. Her arms were wrapped softly around the warrior's waist and she stared solemnly at the ground. Naomasa sensed the girl's grief and gazed back at her, frowning deeply at how miserable she looked.
"That frown doesn't suit you, Lady Toku." Naomasa said suddenly, causing the princess to look up. Stunning chocolate eyes stared back at him and raven bangs outlined the right side of her pale face while the rest was secured back into a flawless ponytail- no, the frown didn't suit her at all. Perhaps the only noticeable resemblance of her father was her wide nose that somehow suited her quite well.
"It's hard to be smiling in such a situation," Toku muttered. Seeing the sorrow reflected back at her from Naomasa's eyes, the princess forced a believable smile. "I'll try my best though," She replied with a bit more cheerfulness in her voice. Naomasa hated her fake smiles- a skill she seemed to have perfected over the years due to her status; she always had to have a good appearance for the people of her kingdom. Naomasa knew she only put on a smile to keep others around her happy. Guiltily, the warrior presented her with an equally fake smile- though not as believable- and turned back to the trail ahead.
The duo was silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts of their destination and the situation the woman was put into. They were headed to Odawara Castle, home of the Hojo clan so Tokuhime could wed Ujiyasu's son, Ujimasa. The arrangement was a marital agreement for an alliance and was obvious something Toku eventually had to agree to due to her position, but now that the time had come, it was so much harder to deal with. "I should be happy, shouldn't I?" Toku suddenly murmured causing a baffled Naomasa to glance over at her. "Marrying Ujimasa… is essential to keep an alliance between the Hojo and us. That's good… right?" Naomasa frowned at Tokuhime, hearing her voice falter as she spoke.
"Of course, we need the Hojo on our side if we want to unite Japan." At his response, the woman smiled slightly if only marginally appeased that her sacrifice would be useful for the greater good. It pained Naomasa that she tried so desperately grasping at reasons to make her feel better and he knew she shouldn't have to settle, she shouldn't have to be forced into a binding marriage, but he could do nothing about it, and he hated it.
Suddenly and in a blur, a familiar blue figure appeared in front of Naomasa and instinctively the warrior pulled back on his mare's reigns. Hanzo stood with arms crossed, his eyes darting quickly to the princess before landing back on the red-clad warrior.
"Odawara Castle is just ahead," The ninja's gaze moved back to Toku for a moment and she gave him a wounded smile, this one barely holing up. He could see her hazel eyes gloss over and he had to tear his attention from her, trying to focus solely on Naomasa. Nodding, Naomasa tugged back on his restless horse's reigns to steady him.
"Understood, we'll meet you there," With a nod, Hanzo disappeared as fast as he had come. Looking back once more to Toku, Naomasa received a listless nod in return and the duo continued on their way to Odawara Castle.
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The Tokugawa visitors were welcomed warmly into Odawara Castle which felt a bit bittersweet for the princess and warrior. As they entered the main gates, a woman stood waiting for them, hands balled into fists on her hips and legs spread in a very unladylike stance. Naomasa hopped effortlessly off his mare and helped Tokuhime down gently, keeping her behind him in a protective habit as he approached the woman. With a wide grin, the woman threw her arms out in welcome.
"Lady Tokuhime! Glad to see you made it safely to Odawara! Lord Ujiyasu is waiting for you in the castle." The loudness of the bestial woman made Toku take a step back, but she gave her a polite smile nonetheless.
"Thank you," The princess said with a bow. "We shouldn't keep lord Ujiyasu waiting." Stepping out from behind Naomasa, the warrior stuck out a hand to stop her.
"Lady Toku!" He exclaimed, not ready to let his Lord's daughter leave without protection. Holding up her hand in reassurance, Toku gave Naomasa a genuine smile.
"It's ok, Naomasa," She whispered looking up at him. "Hanzo will watch out for me." Though the ninja couldn't be seen, the duo knew he was always watching. With some hesitation, he took an obedient step back and bowed.
"Yes, please be careful. I'll be here if you need me." His voice was quiet so only she could hear, and she nodded thankfully in return. Turning back to the woman, Tokuhime gave another reassuring smile.
"My apologies, shall we go?" With an enthusiastic nod, the energetic woman led the young royal into the magnificent castle. It was just as large on the inside as it looked from the outside and perhaps one of the more impressive castles the woman had seen. Tokuhime was led up several flights of stairs to the top of the fortress and the duo stopped in front of a shoji door decorated with a large painting of a lion. The woman quickly dropped to the floor in a bow and bellowed out loudly.
"My Lord, Lady Tokugawa has arrived!" A deep voice returned with permission to enter and Toku's gut dropped as the door slid opened. She wasn't ready for this. The Hojo woman ushered Tokuhime to enter and she obliged wordlessly. She was scared. Entering the room, the Tokugawa princess saw several people waiting for her- the intimidating man and head of clan, Ujiyasu; a beautiful young female who Tokuhime heard was Ujiyasu's daughter, Lady Hayakawa; and her fiancée himself, Ujimasa. Immediately she felt like running. Seeing the man that she was destined to wed made her reality all too apparent and she felt sick. Seeing her previous escort pass her and take her place on the zabuton next to Lady Hayakawa, Tokuhime pushed her ill thoughts to the back of her mind and forced herself to smile politely and bow deeply.
"Lord Ujiyasu, Lord Ujimasa, Lady Hayakawa, a pleasure to finally meet you." A smile graced the features of the powerful family as Ujiyasu took a puff from his pipe and gestured to the zabuton in front of him.
"Please, no need for formalities, we will be family soon. Have a seat," At Ujiyasu's words, Tokuhime swallowed hard, though composed herself quickly and took the man's offer. Straightening her Tokugawa blue kimono as she sat on her knees, she racked her brain trying to figure out what to say. Thankfully Ujiyasu spared her with words of his own. "I know you must be nervous, so far away from Mikawa, but know that we'll make you feel as much at home as we can." The hospitality gave Toku little reassurance, but it was enough to earn the man a small, genuine smile.
"Thank you, Lord Ujiyasu," She cooed gratefully, dipping her head into a curt bow, "It really means a lot to me." Waving his hand in dismissal as smoke bellowed from his nostrils, Ujiyasu gave the girl a sly glance.
"What did I say about formalities? You can call me father." A nervous frown found the girls face and Ujiyasu chuckled deeply. "I only jest, my child. No need to be so nervous." He could see the relief wash over her features and decided to keep the jokes to a minimum. "All jokes aside, we only wish for you to feel welcomed here in Sagami."
"I'm positive you all will make my experience here very welcoming, My Lord." A little off-put by the girl's incessant formalities, Ujiyasu gave her a sad smile. He knew how hard an arranged marriage was and hoped he never had to force his own daughter into one, so he would try his best to make the young Tokugawa's stay in his home a bit more bearable. Placing the pipe to his lips, Ujiyasu closed his eyes for a moment deciding how he wanted to word his next statement.
"Unfortunately, your bodyguards cannot stay here in Sagami forever." Toku's eyes widened slightly at his words. 'Bodyguards', so he was aware of Hanzo as well, and at her bewildered expression, the Hojo leader preemptively blew the smoke from his lungs. "You may be comfortable with these guards of yours, but fret not, you'll be well taken care of and guarded by the Hojo family ninja." As if on cue, a man apparated behind the clan's leader with an unnerving grin. At the ninja's appearance, Toku tensed- he was oddly inhuman looking and his very aura unsettled her. The ninja eyed her and his grin widened at her obvious discomfort. "This is Kotaro Fuma, he will be your bodyguard. Feel free to use him as you wish." The ninja said nothing in return and Toku forced herself to pry her wary eyes away from him.
"Thank you, My Lord." Ujiyasu waved his hand in dismissal and the ninja retreated back into the shadows. Pulling the pipe from his lips once again, Ujiyasu bowed his head slightly.
"Unfortunately, this is all the time I have- I have important matters to attend to." Turning toward his son, Ujimasa, the head of the household continued. "Ujimasa, perhaps you should take her to see her allies off and introduce her to the rest of the family?" With a bow, Ujimasa moved to stand.
"Yes, father." Tokuhime's fiancé approached hand offered his hand to help her up off the floor. "Lady Toku," Dropping the title from the end of her name made Tokuhime flinch slightly. Soon he would be addressing her without the rest of her formalities. Carefully placing her hand in his, he gently lifted her up. Locking eyes with him, she noted he wasn't all that unattractive, but was obviously a fair many years older than herself.
"The rest of you are dismissed." Ujiyasu declared taking one last his of his pipe before the room was cleared out.