"My Lady Yolei, you must stop crying."
The young violet-haired woman reminded silent as she stared out the window of the carriage, ignoring the nagging from her elder advisor, who sat across from her, "You're bringing great honor to our village; you should be excited about your mission. Instead, you have done nothing but shed tears throughout our entire journey."
Yolei remained silent as her father's advisor, Yamato, continued to scowl at her for her "ungrateful behavior". Ungrateful her butt, she thought as her teary brown eyes scanned the scenery of the Land of Fire. There was so much more to see here than in the Land of Water. There was greenery everywhere and the sun; it shined so bright that she had to hold her hand above her eyes to see the sky.
"Lady Yolei! Are you listening to me at all!"
Yolei rolled her eyes as she kept her gaze upon the beautiful land, "Yes, yes, Yamato," she picked up her left arm, waving it in the air as the sleeve of her silver kimono softly ran across the advisor's face.
"Honor, ungrateful, acting like a child," she finally turned to the elderly man with the pin-shaped head, "I've heard this all month, I get it. I understand what my mission is, but I am allowed to not like it," she signed, "at least until we arrive."
The old man huffed, "I understand this is not something you wished upon yourself, My Lady, but as the daughter of the Mizukage, you are bringing great honor to the Village Hidden in the Mist." He pinched the brig of his nose as he looked at his unhappy Princess. "You are bringing peace between two nations while also educating a nation on medical ninjutsu. Think of how many lives you are saving," he smiled at her as he felt the pride of the mission.
The young woman signed as she turned away from the man and watched the deer that ran through the fields next to her; there weren't any deer in the Land of Water. "Please forgive my behavior Yamato, it's just," she signed once more as she played with her long violet hair, "I just always thought that when I would get married, it would be out of love, not, whatever this is."
"It's called honor, My Lady," Yamato dropped his tone as he stroked his beard, trying to comfort the Princess. They would be arriving at their destination soon, and he didn't want her new family to see her look so depressed. It would look bad on their part if the Princess looked as if she wanted to kill herself off before the wedding. "Marriage for love is a child's dream. You're a Princess. You are to marry to bring peace and honor between nations. Your marriage at the end of the day is a marriage of love, the love for your people. For without your bravery, a war would have started, and your people would be sent into battle and, well, we all know how that ends up, My Lady."
Yolei stared at the man and started to realize he was right. She nodded to the man as she smiled, wiping her face from any fallen tears, "You're right, Yamato," she told him as she gently grabbed his hands, "I will start taking this mission more seriously, for the sake of our people."
Yamato smiled as he gripped her hands tightly, "I'm glad, My Lady, just always know that your village is proud of your sacrifice."
She gave him a weak smile as a signal tear ran down her face, "Now, now, Princess," he took a handkerchief out of his jacket and patted her face with it, "No more tears."
She gave him a small giggle as she nodded her head, "Yes, sir."
"Lord Yamato, Princess Yolei," they heard their driver call out to them, "Take a look My Lady, we've finally arrived. Welcome to the Village Hidden in the Leaves."
Yamato smiled as he guided the woman to look out the window, "Take a look at your new home, My Lady."
Yolei's eyes widen with amazement as she stuck her head out the window, "It's beautiful!" she cheered. This village was unique. There were trees everywhere and animals that ran across the fields next to them. She waved at the villagers as they waved to her, and far out, she saw a mountain with the carving of a man on it.
"My Lady, bring your head inside!"
Yolei laughed as she kept her head out the window taking in the beauty of the land around her and its people. She looked up at the sky and smiled, "I can do this. I will do this," she whispered to herself.
"My Lady," she pulled her head inside as she felt Yamato pull at her arm and laughed, "I'm sorry, Yamato, I'm just," she stopped herself allowing her to think of the world she was looking for, "I'm proud."
Yamato proudly smiled; she was finally taking this seriously. He was genuinely proud of his Princess; she was finally taking this seriously. If she kept her spirits up like this, then there was no doubt in his mind that she was going to make a great leader for her new land. Yamato couldn't help but laugh at the young woman as her excitement dropped and was replaced with fear when the carriage stopped.
"Are you ready, My Lady?" Yamato couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "It's time."
Yolei stared at her advisor with fear, "How do I look, Yamato?" she whispered.
He gave her a proud smile, "Like the Princess of the Village Hidden of the Mist," he laughed once more as she glared at him frantically, fiddling with her hair, "You look, beautiful Princess, no need to worry. Now no more fearful eyes, put on your face of poise and grace and go out there and meet your new family."
She nodded her head at him and grabbed his hand before he opened the carriage door, "Will you walk with me, Yamato?"
He gave her a proud smile as he took her hand, "Of course, My Lady."
As the door opened, Yolei took a deep breath allowing Yamato to walk out first. She took his hand as he slowly led her out. Once she was entirely out of the carriage, she smiled and looked around her. There was a crowd of people all around her but far enough back that she did not feel overwhelmed.
"It seems as if the whole village is here," Yamato whispered into her ear, "Look up and stand proud. Show this village how the people of the Hidden Mist do it."
She smiled as she ran her hands down her kimono and pushed her hair back, taking the advisor's arm, "I'm ready."
She walked proudly up the stairs as she spotted the Hokage in his formal wear. He smiled at her as he nudged the man to his right before leaving his post walking over to them.
"You must be Lady Yolei Inoue from the Village of the Hidden Mist," He smiled brightly at her as he took her hand from Yamato, squeezing it tightly and comfortingly.
She nodded her head as she removed her hand and bowed to him, "It is an honor to meet you, Lord Hokage."
The Hokage was not what she had expected. He was surprisingly young. He was a tall man with tanned skin and dark eyes with waist-length black hair. He looked utterly opposite of her father.
"Nonsense," he told her as she stood back up, "We were going to be family soon. Please call me Hashirama."
She stared at him, not knowing how to act with his lack of formality, "Umm, okay, then please just call me Yolei."
He smiled at her as he took her hand, leading her up the stairs. She quickly looked at Yamato, but he simply nodded his head as he made a smile and pointed to it. Right, she thought, smile with poise and grace. She took a deep breath placing a smile on her face as she allowed the Hokage to walk her to the top of the stairs.
"Yolei, please meet my wife Mito," Yolei smiled as she looked at the wife of the Hokage. Mito had long, bright red hair and large, pupilless eyes. She wore an elaborate, high-collared blue kimono. Her hair was arranged in buns with hairpins in them and three clips in the front. She also wore a dark shade of red lipstick and had a rhombus marking reminiscent of the Strength of a Hundred Seal on her forehead. She also wore tags with kanji written on them in her hair decals. If she had to guess, they were about a few ages apart from each other and the same size, but she felt so small under her gaze. She did not look as opened and warming as her husband.
She bowed to her, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Senju."
"Please," she felt the woman place her hand on her shoulder, "As my husband as told you, you will soon be my sister. You may call me Mito."
Yolei looked at her in shock at her kindness and nodded her head at the woman, still not knowing what to say to them. She had met her future brother and sister in law, now, she took a deep breath as the Hokage led her in the opposite direction. Now it was time to meet her future husband, the man she will be spending the rest of her life with. She softly closed her eyes, praying to Kami that he was a gentle and patient man. A man that will provide for her and keep her safe, a man like her father.
"Lastly, Yolei, my brother, and your betrothed, Tobirama. Tobirama, this is Lady Yolei."
Yolei looked nervously at the man before her as she bowed, "I am honored to be in your presents, Lord Tobirama. I will go from here on out, dedicating my life to serve you and my new home, the Village Hidden in the Leaves."
She lifted herself up and took a better look at her future husband. Tobirama, like his brother, was also young and very tall. She was a tall woman, to begin with, but he was taller than her as her head reached his nose. He was a fair-skinned man with silver, shaggy hair and red eyes. He had three red markings on his face, one under each of his eyes and one on his chin. He stood proudly in front of her as he wore blue armor with a distinctive white fur collar over a simple black suit.
She felt naked and petite under his gaze as he looked her over. She wanted to put her head down and cover her face with her hair, but she fought the urge as his red eyes met hers. She could see the look in his eyes, the look of duty. So, she thought, he was as thrilled about this arrangement as she was. She then gave him a small him. She had accepted her duty. She had hoped he had as well.
"Brother," Hashirama nudged the man, "Stop being weird. Say something," he whispered. Yolei tried not to giggle as the Hokage scolded his brother.
Tobirama narrowed his eyes at his brother and then at the woman in front of him as he bowed to her, "Lady Yolei, the honor is mine. Together, we will unite the Land of Fire and Water and bring peace between our villages." He took out his hand, signaling her to take it.
Yolei sadly smiled at him as she nodded her head, taking his hand and standing next to him as she looked down at the village people. She made eye contact with Yamato and bowed her head to him, not daring to blink. For if she did, she knew a tear of sadness would fall from her eyes. This was her new life now, and the man standing next to her was her new husband. She knew that this was a man who was assigned a mission, and that's just how he was going to treat this, as a mission. There would be no love between them, only the love for their villages.