Author's Note: Thank you to Wake Robin, lavitz of basil and emillaa for
reviewing. I know the chapters are short, but that's the length they ended
up, sorry. I'll try and update as often as I can, but I can have problems
getting on the Internet.
Two weeks later, Kel was disembarking alone from a ship in the Yamani Islands. With her hair dyed black, and wearing boy's clothes, she intended to try and join the training scheme for the samurai, the elite Yamani warriors. She knew from her father that they were the elite of the soldiers, the equivalents of the Tortallan knights, but they went through a much tougher training regime. Kel carried on her back a small pack of clothes and her prized weapons. She looked up at the great palace with something similar to awe. It was huge! Ramparts were lined with soldiers standing like majestic statues against the sky and the great gates were reinforced with iron bars. The roofs were domed, and even the brickwork was ornate and spectacular compared to the maze-like confusion of the functional Tortallan palace.
"Please sir," she shouted up to the guard above the palace gate. He was a samurai, of course. No one else would have been trusted with the palace security. He looked down attentively. "I want to try out for samurai training!" There was a pause and the smaller gatehouse door swung open, and Kel stepped nervously inside.
"Name!" the soldier demanded. He was small, as many Yamanis were, and wore the soot black armour of the samurai as if it had no weight at all. At his side hung a sword, and he had a glaive slung easily on his back. He wore them with an ease that spoke of great experience, and both looked like they could be easily drawn.
"I'm Akio, sir."
"You want samurai training?"
"Yes sir."
"What's in your pack?"
"Uh, clothes, some food and money, polishing kit and exercises balls and a dagger." Kel handed it to him, he checked this, and nodded.
"And you have a sword and glaive as well?"
"Yes sir."
"Very well, son. Takuro, take this boy to Nariko."
A young man ran over. On his black armour, he wore a single red stripe, denoting his status as a turako, the equivalent of a Tortallan squire. He bowed formally to his master and led Kel through passageways that seemed vaguely familiar from her time spent at the Yamani court, to the training yard where Nariko, the woman who trained the samurai, held court. Nariko saw them, and as she came over the guide left. She was a small, wiry woman, very similar to the Shang Wildcat, the woman warrior who had taught Kel some of the weaponless Shang style of fighting at the palace. Barefoot on the dust of the practice ground, she wore a plain white tunic and breeches.
"What to you want, lad?" she asked kindly. Kel swallowed nervously - she didn't want to fail again, but at least her disguise seemed to be working on someone who had known her as a girl. "I want to try for samurai, sir."
"One would assume that, considering where you are. Have you had any training?"
"Some sir, I've done some glaive work, a bit of swords, daggers and weaponless in the Shang style." Nariko told her to put down her things, take a glaive and demonstrate a pattern dance. Seeing Kel was competent, she then added extra variations until Kel lost the pattern. She stopped, panting. Next, she did a series of stretches and exercises and had to list all the weapons she had used in the past.
"You'll do, boy," Nariko grudgingly agreed at last. "What shall I call you and where are you from?"
"Akio sir, Akio Yukira" Kel said, having chosen a common Yamani boy's name to be known by. "But I'd rather not say where I'm from. My parents do know I'm here."
"If you have their consent, it is of no matter to me. Your past life is over, and you are a samurai sakuro. Go to the sakuros' barracks and tell Hiroshi that I sent you. Its eight bells now, and you can start training tomorrow."
"Yes sir." Kel bowed and backed out through a door before realising that she didn't actually know the way to the sakuros' barracks. As soon as she was out of sight, Kel punched the air triumphantly. She'd show those conservatives back in Tortall. Even Lord Wyldon respected the samurai.
In time, having asked about a dozen people for directions, Kel found a door in the samurai wing marked sakuro barracks and pushed it open. Inside were about ten curtained off cubicles. The one nearest the door was open, and Kel guessed it would be hers. It contained just a small, hard bed, a functional weapons rack and a small clothes chest at the foot of the bed.
"Excuse me," she said tentatively, as no one was in sight. "Is Hiroshi here? Training Master Nariko sent me." A youth of maybe sixteen slipped out of the end cubicle. He was about sixteen years of age, and wore a black tunic with a diagonal red cross sewn on the front and back. Kel guessed that this must be the sakuros' uniform. It made sense, if takuros had a single diagonal stripe.
"I'm Hiroshi, senior sakuro at present. Who are you?"
"Akio."
"You're a new sakuro, then? How old are you?"
"Eleven, um do I need a uniform?" Another boy stuck his head out and asked,
"Who's this, Rosh?"
"Akio, new sakuro. Will you take him to get a uniform? Akio, this is Koji. He was the youngest of us until you came, he's only been here a month." Koji looked to be at least fourteen and he chattered endlessly in a most unconventional manner for a Yamani as he led her towards palace stores. "We do some lessons here, of course: maths, history, strategy, oh, and reading and writing if you can't already. I couldn't when I came but I'm learning fast. Mostly we train, though. You must be good if Nariko let you in at eleven. Of course, I couldn't fight at all when I came, but my father's an acrobat, so I was very fit and flexible. Rosh has been here two years now, I think, and he'll be a takuro soon. That's when a proper samurai takes you into the field. Once he can stand up to a warrior in a fight and has proved himself in battle, he'll be made a samurai. Zinan's eighteen though, been here four years already, and I think he'll be thrown out soon if he doesn't improve. I can almost beat him, and I've only just started. Here we are, come in."
Kel was issued a set of uniforms and practice weapons and Koji helped her carry them back to their barracks. She packed them away in the chest and on the weapons rack above her bed and changed into a uniform for the first time. It was quite a bit too big, despite her being very tall for her age. Then, if very few boys started until they were fourteen, she could see why. Even Koji was a head taller than she was. Sighing, she turned up the ends, and borrowed a needle to stitch them in place. After that, it fitted well enough to do for the moment. It was almost lights out already, but Koji showed her the washroom, the classroom and the armoury before they had to return. To her surprise, all of the youths turned in at an early hour without comment. Even the pages with their regime had an extra hour before even the youngest were expected to turn in for the night.
Two weeks later, Kel was disembarking alone from a ship in the Yamani Islands. With her hair dyed black, and wearing boy's clothes, she intended to try and join the training scheme for the samurai, the elite Yamani warriors. She knew from her father that they were the elite of the soldiers, the equivalents of the Tortallan knights, but they went through a much tougher training regime. Kel carried on her back a small pack of clothes and her prized weapons. She looked up at the great palace with something similar to awe. It was huge! Ramparts were lined with soldiers standing like majestic statues against the sky and the great gates were reinforced with iron bars. The roofs were domed, and even the brickwork was ornate and spectacular compared to the maze-like confusion of the functional Tortallan palace.
"Please sir," she shouted up to the guard above the palace gate. He was a samurai, of course. No one else would have been trusted with the palace security. He looked down attentively. "I want to try out for samurai training!" There was a pause and the smaller gatehouse door swung open, and Kel stepped nervously inside.
"Name!" the soldier demanded. He was small, as many Yamanis were, and wore the soot black armour of the samurai as if it had no weight at all. At his side hung a sword, and he had a glaive slung easily on his back. He wore them with an ease that spoke of great experience, and both looked like they could be easily drawn.
"I'm Akio, sir."
"You want samurai training?"
"Yes sir."
"What's in your pack?"
"Uh, clothes, some food and money, polishing kit and exercises balls and a dagger." Kel handed it to him, he checked this, and nodded.
"And you have a sword and glaive as well?"
"Yes sir."
"Very well, son. Takuro, take this boy to Nariko."
A young man ran over. On his black armour, he wore a single red stripe, denoting his status as a turako, the equivalent of a Tortallan squire. He bowed formally to his master and led Kel through passageways that seemed vaguely familiar from her time spent at the Yamani court, to the training yard where Nariko, the woman who trained the samurai, held court. Nariko saw them, and as she came over the guide left. She was a small, wiry woman, very similar to the Shang Wildcat, the woman warrior who had taught Kel some of the weaponless Shang style of fighting at the palace. Barefoot on the dust of the practice ground, she wore a plain white tunic and breeches.
"What to you want, lad?" she asked kindly. Kel swallowed nervously - she didn't want to fail again, but at least her disguise seemed to be working on someone who had known her as a girl. "I want to try for samurai, sir."
"One would assume that, considering where you are. Have you had any training?"
"Some sir, I've done some glaive work, a bit of swords, daggers and weaponless in the Shang style." Nariko told her to put down her things, take a glaive and demonstrate a pattern dance. Seeing Kel was competent, she then added extra variations until Kel lost the pattern. She stopped, panting. Next, she did a series of stretches and exercises and had to list all the weapons she had used in the past.
"You'll do, boy," Nariko grudgingly agreed at last. "What shall I call you and where are you from?"
"Akio sir, Akio Yukira" Kel said, having chosen a common Yamani boy's name to be known by. "But I'd rather not say where I'm from. My parents do know I'm here."
"If you have their consent, it is of no matter to me. Your past life is over, and you are a samurai sakuro. Go to the sakuros' barracks and tell Hiroshi that I sent you. Its eight bells now, and you can start training tomorrow."
"Yes sir." Kel bowed and backed out through a door before realising that she didn't actually know the way to the sakuros' barracks. As soon as she was out of sight, Kel punched the air triumphantly. She'd show those conservatives back in Tortall. Even Lord Wyldon respected the samurai.
In time, having asked about a dozen people for directions, Kel found a door in the samurai wing marked sakuro barracks and pushed it open. Inside were about ten curtained off cubicles. The one nearest the door was open, and Kel guessed it would be hers. It contained just a small, hard bed, a functional weapons rack and a small clothes chest at the foot of the bed.
"Excuse me," she said tentatively, as no one was in sight. "Is Hiroshi here? Training Master Nariko sent me." A youth of maybe sixteen slipped out of the end cubicle. He was about sixteen years of age, and wore a black tunic with a diagonal red cross sewn on the front and back. Kel guessed that this must be the sakuros' uniform. It made sense, if takuros had a single diagonal stripe.
"I'm Hiroshi, senior sakuro at present. Who are you?"
"Akio."
"You're a new sakuro, then? How old are you?"
"Eleven, um do I need a uniform?" Another boy stuck his head out and asked,
"Who's this, Rosh?"
"Akio, new sakuro. Will you take him to get a uniform? Akio, this is Koji. He was the youngest of us until you came, he's only been here a month." Koji looked to be at least fourteen and he chattered endlessly in a most unconventional manner for a Yamani as he led her towards palace stores. "We do some lessons here, of course: maths, history, strategy, oh, and reading and writing if you can't already. I couldn't when I came but I'm learning fast. Mostly we train, though. You must be good if Nariko let you in at eleven. Of course, I couldn't fight at all when I came, but my father's an acrobat, so I was very fit and flexible. Rosh has been here two years now, I think, and he'll be a takuro soon. That's when a proper samurai takes you into the field. Once he can stand up to a warrior in a fight and has proved himself in battle, he'll be made a samurai. Zinan's eighteen though, been here four years already, and I think he'll be thrown out soon if he doesn't improve. I can almost beat him, and I've only just started. Here we are, come in."
Kel was issued a set of uniforms and practice weapons and Koji helped her carry them back to their barracks. She packed them away in the chest and on the weapons rack above her bed and changed into a uniform for the first time. It was quite a bit too big, despite her being very tall for her age. Then, if very few boys started until they were fourteen, she could see why. Even Koji was a head taller than she was. Sighing, she turned up the ends, and borrowed a needle to stitch them in place. After that, it fitted well enough to do for the moment. It was almost lights out already, but Koji showed her the washroom, the classroom and the armoury before they had to return. To her surprise, all of the youths turned in at an early hour without comment. Even the pages with their regime had an extra hour before even the youngest were expected to turn in for the night.