Once I had arrived at our destination, it took all I had not to gasp in wonder: the feasting hall was several times larger that the one back home that her family boasted, and as we entered, all eyes turned to my small form, causing my eyes to harden with the edge of mistrust and unease. I did not know these people, and neither did they know me. The meaning of this was not lost to me, and neither did this fill me with ease: being all but unknown in this place and being a female, I would be an easy target, with a very small amount of guilt attached to my torture. I should at least expect a heckling from these strangers the second my escorts left my service.
All eyes followed me, and I held my head high, falling upon court etiquette to get me through this ordeal generally unscathed. Whoever said that first impressions did not matter was an idiot. But I had to ask myself: What in the three worlds did they want from me? Did they want me to take up a lute and dance a jig? I grit my teeth in frustration. My hand flew to my bow which was strung across my back, brushing along my spine comfortingly with every step. I ran my cool fingers along the wood, worn smooth from years upon years of use and I relaxed. I convinced myself that I could be perfectly fine in this world, that I could make it through this, that, gods willing, I would find a place to stand in this world if only to do as mother had asked of me. Besides, few here seemed to come from my background. I doubt that many, if any at all, can match me in my control of a bow and arrow, and I am actually quite good with a dagger and a staff.
After I forced myself to relax, I rolled my shoulders to release the tension in them and to take the strain off of my neck, and I felt it: there was a shift in the energies around me. Perhaps it was something small, but it seemed to make all the difference. A long moment ticked past, and their attention shifted back to their previous duties, all interest in her long since passed. I had a clumsy grasp on something, something deep, deep down within me, and apparently the hold on it meant that I passed a test. Perhaps the first in the coming of many tests, but I had no way of knowing. I hastily followed along after the escorts who were truly not very good at their jobs, for they had left me behind. I ducked my head to keep myself from gaining any extra unwanted attention.
A few moments of uneasy silence between the three of us later, we came upon a set of large doors, covered from floor to ceiling in carvings. It was an attractive thing indeed. In our land of cold summers and nearly unbearably freezing winters had made it custom for those who lived here to normally refrain from such fineries. Unless one had an obscene amount of money just lying around. This brought a whole new slew of questions to the forefront of my mind. I tucked them away for later though, as I was pitched forward through the doors. I came face to face to a man. His broad chest and angular face nearly drew a gasp of surprise from me. He was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I drew into a bow that I had often used, the bow of equals. My viewing of him was cut short as the two escorts not so covertly pushed me to my knees.
A gasp of outrage was wrenched from my body, my eyes lighting up in unmasked fury. So this is where I stood? I was not an equal, but I had the status of a cleaning wench? I could taste my fury, and it sat heavily upon my tongue. I was poised like a snake, the words beginning to run from my tongue like quicksilver. But he cut me off, which only proved to further enrage me. How dare he? I attempted to stand, if only to restore my dignity, but the hands that forced me to my knees also forced me to stay where I was, at his feet like a lowly servant.
"Jin, Kio, you are relieved from my service. Please go back to your normal duties, and expect your bonus in your strongboxes before the morrow." The silk that was his deep baritone only incited my rage further, my eyes focused upon his, the pure hatred that poured from them freely unchecked causing my eyes to lose focus. It did not matter, and I continued to stare at him, unblinkingly.
After a moment's hesitation, Jin left swiftly, Kio following like a dog at his heels. Their hands gone from my shoulders. My escorts for the days that it took to get here were gone from me before I could draw another breath, not even offering me a backwards glance. The urge to swallow what little moisture remained in my mouth was great, but I pushed the desire back, finding that such a thing would likely be seen as a weakness. I straightened my back, rolling my shoulders as if to dispel the feeling of their hands forcing me into subservience. I took my time rising from my knees, first moving into a kneel, and then into my feet, my eyes never leaving his. I made sure that he knew what was happening, and that I was not just eager to once again stand again, but to also defy him as swiftly and as clearly as I could. I held my hands behind my back. I was not going to remain at his feet. My past as an heiress demanded that I stand, and glare at him, and so I did. The spark of anger in my eyes caused his to twinkle in response, and his face split into a wolfish grin. He shifted, a bubble of laughter raising from him in a ruthless torrent. He leaned against his throne (pompous ass) and rested his cheek in the cradle of his palm, his eyes fixed upon mine. I tried not to stare at the angles of his face, the relaxed tilt of his mouth or the fire in his eyes.
"So you are Kagome? It seems that our sources have lied to us. When I asked your teachers and that boy… Ken? Is that his name?" He let another chuckle fall from his lips at my quickly souring expression.
"Ah, so his name is Ken. Well, all of their reports were the same. You are supposed to be a good little girl who is capable of doing what she is told. You do not seem obedient, little princess, but I wonder if your prowess with the bow was also just a show of hyperbole."
Here he leaned close to me as if he was imparting the dearest of secrets to his closest of friends, the smell of sandalwood soap wafting under my nose. I glared harder at him.
"Would you care to show me your skill, little girl?" My eyes widened in outrage.
Little girl?
I had always been known of as the girl. Pathetic, useless, barely worth the effort in raising if but to strengthen the family ties with those of more power than us. I jutted my chin out proudly, quickly drawing my bow from my back. I reached further back, drawing an arrow from the full quiver strung over my shoulder. I drew back the string, feeling the surge of exhilaration running through me in a heady wave of happiness. I turned from him, releasing my arrow from the bow, watching its path going from me through the window, and through an apple suspended from a low branch of the tree. I turned back to him, smiling my triumph at him, my mouth tilted into a mocking smile.
"Skilled enough for you, my lord?" I asked, my emphasis on mocking him.
"Enough for now, although my the end of this I expect you to be better than what you are right now, girl-" He said, and I flew at him, blinded by my rage.
I wanted to choke the life out of him, and I wanted to do it now. But it was no good, the thick column of his neck was too wide for me to stop his air flow, and his eyes lighted up with a laugh. I at once regretted my frame that I had inherited from my mother. I was a tiny little slip of a woman, and my hands were no different than the rest of me. So I changed tactics, using the remaining momentum from my lunge to rear my hand back, ball it into a tight fist, and, taking a delightful notice of the look of surprise on his face, I brought my hand down. I grinned in delight at his look of surprise, and the squish of his flesh, even as I was thrust from him and onto my rear by a hand in my face.
"Enough skill for a little girl?" I asked, the smile plastered to my face, showing no signs of leaving any time soon. I ignored the throbbing in the back of my head from the impact of my head to the floor. There was no way that a little pain could ruin my good mood. But when I looked up at him, I realized that I passed some unspoken boundary, and that in all my rage I admitted that I had indeed gone a bit too far. What to do, what to do… The idea of prostrating myself at his feet was swift in coming and swifter in leaving. I resisted the urge to snort. After such a victory I would never dream of it. I decided instead to maintain my dignity. I allowed myself to smile, slowly, ever so carefully, and I batted my lashes flirtatiously against my cheeks, looking up at him. I had won this little battle.
"A child I am not, milord."
"Oh yes, I can see that. You are quite skilled at using the fact that you are a woman." He stood. "Let us see if you can appreciate how skilled I am at being a man."
A look of horror crossed my face, and I fought the urge to retreat. He stalked closer to me, his eyes alight with thinly veiled anger. I held my ground, even as he came within inches of me. I held my breath as well, not sure how to get him away from me.
To my rescue was a cleared throat, and my head snapped to look at the newcomers. I smiled at them, looking back to him with another smile of victory.
He stepped back, straightened, and looked at the three boys that had come. The boy in the middle looked down, blushing softly and it was to my complete horror that I realized that they had been there for quite an amount of time. I was hesitant to talk to them and I hoped that I needn't have too. They had seen their lord struck by a woman. I lowered my eyes in shame, tilting my head in that charming way that most believe meant that I was truly sorry for my actions.
"I am sorry, my lord" I murmured softly, not seeming to be able to make my voice lose the condescension in the title. "I beg your pardon. I do not know what came over me." I bowed my head, not daring to make eye contact. I knew that men in this realm liked their women weak, meek, and subservient. I knew better than to rile him up like this, but it was the sweetest treat I could give myself.
He too cleared his throat, " It is to be expected." He motioned to the three men in here
"This is the last member of your group." His eyes met mine, "At least for now. Leave me"
We all turned and left, not looking back at the trumped lord. I fought the urge to smile like a ninny.
