I do not own the rights to For Honor, Having said that Enjoy!
Chapter 4. The Calm Before the Storm
William and Sayori walked along the center of the village, the streets were dead as the flames engulfed a few houses, the walk up to the gates seemed to be more a threat then the encampment they passed a few seconds ago. Sayori kept looking back past the battlements they crossed with each step. The little girl kept a firm grip on his head with each step when they came up to the ramp leading straight for the gates. She was busy looking around expecting to see something different other than the fires and ruined buildings. An arrow slammed into the ground next to Williams foot causing them to look up to the left seeing a group of archers aiming right for them.
"Sarani anata no gaikoku inu o sarani ippo fumikomanaide kudasai, anata wa bushō ga anata no dōrui o tanoshima seru kibun ni inai kazan-jō ni kangei sa rete imasen!" (Dont take another step further you foreign dog, you are not welcome in Kazan Castle the warlords are in no mood to entertain the likes of you) William looked at them and then to Sayori who looked at William,
"they say you are not welcome" William looked at them and then to Sayori.
"can you ask the girl what her name is?" Sayori looked at the little girl.
"Anata no namae wa nanidesu ka? Anata no otōsan wa daredesu ka? " (what is your name little one? and who's your father?) the girl looked down to William and tried to look at his Eyes.
"Shīna watashi wa Togawa Takeshi no Kastumoto no musumedesu " (Shina, I'm the Daughter of Samurai Tokagawa Kastumoto) William smiled as he looked at Sayori.
"can you translate for me?" She nodded as she looked at the men.
The archers looked at them as William leaned to Sayori as she looked up at them.
"Watashinonamaeha buru no U~Iriamu, watashi wa Katsumoto no musume ni shina o motte imasu, soshite watashi wa watashi ga kare ni kanojo o kaesu koto ga dekiru koto o nozonde imashita" (My name is William of Bru, i have Shina the daughter of Katsumoto and i was hoping i could return her to him) The archers looked at each other before they lowered the arrows and one of them nudged for them to come up.
They walked along the path of the battlements and further along the stronghold before they walked into a garden to see men running to the battlements past them.
"Gēto o ake nasai!" (open the gates) William took Shina off his head and watched as the gates opened to reveal a group of Samurai debating amongst themselves when one of them spotted William and Sayori with one of the archers. The Archer nudged them inside as they stepped further and further into the tea room when the spotted a man sitting on his knees in the center of the wall on the back wall. He was looking at William as they walked up.
"I speak your tongue Knight, and I must say you are not welcome here, it doesn't matter if you are accompanied by her, so please explain to me why you are here" William looked around as the Samurai all seemed to grip their weapons a little tighter, and the Women along the wall and in the hall.
"I'm looking for Tokagawa Katsumoto" the members in the room murmured to themselves as William and the Warlord looked at each other.
"what do you need with the man?" William nudged his arm as Shina came out from behind him, the man's eyes grew wide as from the hall he heard one of the noblewomen shouted.
"SHINA!" she ran out from the hallway as Shina ran from William and ran straight into her arms as they were both crying and smiling looking at each other. William smiled slightly as the women walked away and back into the group. He looked back over to the samurai who stood up and nodded to the balcony to his left.
"come with me" William looked to Sayori as they walked over to the balcony overlooking the burning village. "thank you for returning my daughter" William looked back into the room and back to him.
"your Kastumoto?" The man nodded and bowed without making any different expressions. Sayori bowed to Katsumoto as she smacked Williams hand getting him to bow as well. They all faced up and looked at each other.
"despite what you have done for me I am sorry, but I cannot let you stay here"
"I understand, I didn't expect you to I just wanted to make sure Shina got back unharmed" Sayori looked down at the village and back to Katsumoto.
"who is attacking the village?" Katsumoto looked over to her and turned around to face the village and the landscape.
"as far as I know it's a handful of lords who think that your grandmother shouldn't be on the throne anymore, but I do know one of them is Honda Takemori" Sayori Clenched her fist as William looked at her.
"do you know who else?" William interrupted the conversation between them and got both their attention.
"no, we've repelled two attacks but not the third" Katsumoto walked away from the balcony and back into the war room with the other two outside. William looked at Sayori before she rushed inside.
"what about my brother?" Katsumoto walked through the main room and into another room with a table in the middle with numerous flags. Sayori came into the room and looked at Katsumoto.
"Do you mean Tadashi?" Sayori nodded as William looked at her when he walked into the room. "how far away is he?"
"Maybe a day away if we are at the Kazan Castle, last I heard he's not far away" Kastumoto walked closer to Sayori as he took off the straw hat and lifted the mask as William looked at the hat blocking the back of Sayori's head.
"well, you are who you claim to be, so I'll have a raven sent to him for aid, and since we don't know when they'll attack ill rescind my option to let you stay until either we die or your brother comes" Sayori nodded as she placed her hat back on her head and looked at William with the white mask again.
"My thanks Lord kastumoto" William placed his hand on his chest and slightly bowed his head as Katsumoto fully bowed and walked away as a woman came and gestured for them to follow her.
Hours later
William looked at his gear and grabbed the small satchel he had been carrying around with him. as he unraveled it, he grabbed the yellow and black standards and wrapped them up and placed them into the same satchel. He than replaced them with the same design of Chevrons on the back with an double headed eagle imprinted on the back of the black and blue new colors, for the standards on his sides, the yellow and black checkered waves were replaced with black and blue waves with the same eagle as on his back. William scraped the paint off his shoulders and helm as he painted one side of each blue leaving the other the blackened steel until no yellow had shown. As he placed the final touches on his arms, he heard a knock on the door making him look at the sliding door.
"who's there?" William placed the small bar of blue apply paint and walked to the door opening it to reveal Sayori without any armor but keeping the mask and straw hat atop her head. William moved out of the way allowing her to come into the room. William closed the door and watched as she walked over to his gear and looked to him.
"I thought it would do good for a change in colors"
"I like the idea" William smirked as he looked over to the open doorway to the balcony. "I sent the raven to my brother, he should get it soon" William nodded as he looked at her without a word. "about what Honda said in the swamp" William perked up and looked at her a little irritated now. "I am sorry for what he said was true but not all of it was"
"what was the lie and what was the truth?" Sayori looked at William as he inched a little closer to her.
"that I assumed you wouldn't be around much, so I figured not to learn your name"
"did you plan to kill me?" Sayori shook her head.
"no, but I also didn't think you would live long with me, but not for the lack of skill you have" Sayori came a little closer. "Honda and his party are notorious for killing those I know or are around me" William looked at her with a hint of compassion.
"I understand and I don't blame you, if I was in your place it wouldn't have maybe be much different" he heard her sigh heavily as if she was holding her breath and turned around to see the armor on the ground again and picked up his helmet.
"how can you wear such heavy armor?" William took the helm and placed it on the ground with the other pieces of the armor.
"you would get used to it all after a while" Sayori looked at William again and this time didn't move around but stayed focused on him. "how about this, ill give you an important question if you give me one" Sayori looked at him and then to the ground.
"alright, you have a deal"
"ask away" William said as he walked over to the balcony overlooking the rest of the courtyard filled with solders.
"so your full title is William of Bru, and the Wolf of the west correct?" William leaned onto the balcony and look at Sayori with a small smile.
"I'm surprised you know my name now" Sayori scoffed under mask and walked out there with William. "is that your question?" She shook her head as she leaned over the balcony.
"normally Wolves are known with the fallen warlord, is that how you received your title?" William took a deep breath and looked at her.
"no, I was born years after her death at the hands of the champion. I received the title due to an event" Sayori looked at him instead of out to the castle and beyond. "a few years ago the fallen legion attacked and killed Holden cross and most of the Iron legion who attacked the fortress"
"I heard about that attack; I think I wasn't more than at least 14 at the time"
"well I was only 17 when we launched the attack three weeks later against them and the few still loyal to Apollyon, we attacked in the night and slaughtered every man who had a hand in Cross's death"
"but that doesn't say how you got the name Wolf of the West"
"it's not one of my proudest moments but during the assault against the fallen legion I personally managed to wipe out four of the generals under her command that didn't fall when her fortress did"
"with your sword?"
"I fed them to the wolves inside the compound, they grew obsessed with the animals and kept dozens of them in cages for sport. After I killed them, I threw there corpses to the wolves and made sure the only things left of them were the bones and armor" Sayori took a step back as she looked at William.
"I wouldn't be proud of that either"
"ever since I've been known as the Wolf of the West" William looked at Sayori as she looked back to the balcony.
"Do you have your question ready?" William nodded.
"How did you get the scar?" Sayori looked over the balcony and took a deep breath.
"my father gave it to me when he felt I deserved it for not being what he wanted"
"and what is that?" Sayori looked at him.
"a different question for another day" Sayori walked back inside and over to the door when she stopped and looked at William who was still on the balcony looking back at her. "if anything, else comes up I will let you know" William nodded and turned around to face the balcony again as the door slide open and closed again.
Sayori walked down to her own quarters and opened the door slowly closing it behind her as she walked to the bedding and removed her hat and mask.
William watched as the sun went down and the torches around the courtyard were lit. it seemed triple the guard were moving to the wall before he heard another knock on his door. He walked back inside the room and waited for the sliding door to open this time Katsumoto was standing in front and walked inside. William bowed and came back up to see Kastumoto doing the same and then walk over to his armor.
"you know, in the time I've been alive there has always been a small goal I wished to find" Kastumoto turned to face William, "that was to find the perfect blossom, ive looked for over 17 years and ive never seen one"
"it sounds like something to make you stop and look" Kastumoto smiled at William.
"that is exactly what I thought, however I did not come here to discuss the perfect blossom" William nodded and looked at Katsumoto.
"I figured it was for something else"
"I know who you are Wolf, many of the generals in my war room do as well… many of them also want your head" William looked at him a little weary. "however, I refuse to give it to them" William changed his expression of Concerned to confused. "I think you would be better put to use helping me"
"last I checked you had to rescind your comment of not allowing me to stay, now your asking for my help" Katsumoto nodded as he took a step closer to William.
" it is not usual for me to ask for help but I am afraid I have become a desperate man, and you can call me the fool but the man who would go through an enemy camp just to get a little girl back to her parents, I feel he might be someone who I can ask for help"
"and what is it that you need?"
"someone vicious in battle and someone who's not afraid to fight even if they are certain to die" William looked down as Katsumoto held out his hand and than back up to his face as he grasped his wrist and shook it.
"what the hell, I've already escaped one death why not another" Katsumoto smiled again before he withdrew his hand and walked over to the door.
"when the bells ring five times they have begun the assault" William nodded as he was again left alone, this time for final time that night.
As always feel free to leave any comments or reviews its always welcome, sorry this was a little short but the next chapter is gonna be pretty long so i hope that'll make up for it, ill try to get it out soon!