Some farmers heading home from the market had been kind enough to give him a lift for a few miles. Mitsu was unable to impose on them, though, and politely turned down a ride any further than their home, saying he didn't want to be an inconvenience. So he set out on foot again.

Mitsu was not a very good judge of distance, unless it was on a map, because he had never gone far from Rupanda in his life, so he was unsure of whether he was making good time for his condition or not. Along the road he consulted other travelers to get opinions on what was the way to get up to the Dunan Lake States. Some suggested Banner Pass, while others recommended the paths across the Omasas Plains, and he even received a tip promoting taking a boat straight up to the lake from the mountain rivers in northern Toran. For ease of walking he opted for the Omasas Plains. They were vast, but fairly flat. At one time they had been farmlands, but battles fought there and bad memories had driven the locals away. Now the land was covered in grassy fields.

The strategist was still far from even the most far-flung arm of these plains. He had made it up to Yvan and taken a ferry across the river to Kirov, and from that port set out headed northwest. The land was a bit rough here and he often found himself tripping over rocks in the beat up road. Mitsu was fairly sure that the revolutionaries would've made it out of the mountains by that time and when he stayed the night in Isaol he wrote a letter to Sanada, addressing it to the seat of the state of Efttal in the city of Tanrensho.

"Lady Sanada Morin,

If you are reading this letter I trust you have made it to Efttal safely and are currently with Father Jie Jhin and the other rebel sympathizers. Our signal to General K'aan will be as usual, so be on the alert. I wish you the best of luck.

Sincerely,

Mitsu Riyadh."

Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni

"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"

Chapter 35- The Roads and Their Preparations

Father Izador rode alongside Sir Kichitsu as they hurried along the highroad to Crona City. No one was exactly sure when Major Ko-Wen would arrive in the city and the rebels had to be prepared at all times. They had gotten together as much Imperial Army gear as they could find in all of Serif and Onwya. Even as the rode everyone who would take part in the deception in Crona City wore the purple and white crests of Aronia's Imperial Army. The only thing reminding the natives of Kesten that these were revolutionaries as they observed the rebels pass through were the banners of blue, yellow, and white. All of the rebel flags had been made at different times and by different people so no two banners had the same pattern. They flapped wildly in the wind as the revolutionaries kept up their pace.

"Father Izador, you make a pretty dashing soldier," the black-haired knight teased.

The priest straightened his heavy helmet with one hand while clutching his horse's reins with the other. "I never want to do this again," he said, "If I ever volunteer for a similar expedition please remind me how much I dislike wearing this armor!"

"Don't worry! I'll remember that!" laughed the knight; "I hate to wear any colors but my own."

"I'm glad you won't go home and tell Hyoko and Hittoko that you enjoyed it!" Lucien added, "They seemed disappointed to stay behind."

Kichitsu frowned sharply, "I was sorry that they couldn't come. ...It's just that the Imperial Army doesn't contain many woman...especially not Lirwanis..."

"And because this is a trap I still don't get to show you my kites!" Lucien complained, shaking his head. "At this rate my greatest skill will go to waste."

"Sooner or later, I'm sure we'll get to see these kites you keep mentioning," Kichitsu replied, "If the war ends without you getting the chance to use them, I promise to stick around long enough for you to show your talent off to me."

Lucien smiled and nodded, "That's nice of you. You're a fine young man. You remind me of my younger brother."

"What is your family like, Lucien?" inquired a rough, but unmistakably female voice.

The three men turned to see Haneh pull her horse alongside them. In the shining armor she looked like the most formidable warrior out of all of them. Father Izador shuddered, the warrior blood in the blond woman showed in the way that she held herself. She had come from a proud family, and she seemed that she could possibly restore all of that family's honor by herself. At this time her eyes were shining, but her face still looked cold and pale.

"All that's left is a niece and nephew living in Kuwan, but my younger brother was a real tough soldier. He became a captain in Kuwan's state army and sometimes I assisted him. His wife was very sweet, their kids both are artisan types, my father was a carpenter...there's not much to say."

"That sounds nice," Haneh murmured as she smiled.

"She isn't a bad one at all..." Lucien decided while Father Izador and Sir Kichitsu laughed.

*********

The leaders of three states in the Dunan Lake Region had awaited the rebels' arrival into Efttal. Kiisan felt a little afraid as he entered to meet with them, but when he saw the faces of the three rebel sympathizers, he immediately felt more comfortable.

Father Jie Jhin, who led Efttal wore glasses and had somewhat unruly seeming brown hair. Lord Hal de Calico, who ruled Saiyonn, had tan skin and reddish-brown hair. The leader of Miiro, Duchess Sita Katyana, had short black hair and dark skin. Kiisan smiled at them and bowed slightly.

"Please, none of that," the young woman giggled, "Have a seat."

"Thank you," Kiisan replied, sitting down across the table from them, flanked by Mio, Sanada, and Louis Abdul.

"I was informed," the green-clad woman began, "That the rebels came here with a plan ready for taking on Generals Raecliff and K'aan and their accompanying strategist Sir Kiyon de Silverburg. Is there truth in this matter?"

"Yes, there is. You were accurately informed," Sanada responded calmly, "The Imperial Army is in Wesder and Daymer, and hoping to make a pincer movement into these three states and we will engage them at Windfall Hill."

Father Jie Jhin turned somewhat pale at the suggestion, "You mean to let them that far into Efttal?"

"Is there a problem with that?" Sanada said, eyeing him coldly.

"It's just..." the leader of Efttal mumbled.

"We don't want their scorched earth policy going on here," Lord Hal stated firmly for his less resolute associate.

Mio smiled faintly, "I understand that, sir. Don't worry; just leave everything to us. If the Imperials want to attack us with speed they will not spend time burning the countryside. We have a friend in the Imperial Army who will do his utmost to advise the others that hurrying to the hill is the best course of action."

Jie Jhin nodded and looked relieved. Lord Hal raised an eyebrow. The most verbal leader, Duchess Sita, took over for the two men and posed the next question, "You do not appear to have a very large force at your disposal. We will supply you with all the aid we can muster, but it leads me to believe that you will not be able to win without a good plan. What is the strategy for this battle?"

Mio opened his mouth, but before he could let out a word Sanada started to explain, "We will be ready with a small portion of our forces on the high ground. The enemy will believe that they have the advantage and attack. However, once General Raecliff and his troops are far enough into their attack, my good friend, General K'aan will give his troops a change in orders and will turn on his former allies. At this point, the rest of our force will come out of hiding on the low ground and head up, cutting off General Raecliff's only route for retreat."

"I see..." the duchess replied, "You have worked this out very well in advance."

Sanada pushed some strands of hair back out of her face, "Preparation is preferable, but when necessary one must be able to think on their feet. We will see how it goes."

********

Louis Abdul stood up on the steps giving the troops a general overview of their next movement. He spoke through a rolled up map to amplify his voice somewhat and gesticulated furiously with his free hand, adding emphasis to every word.

Yuki, Sasshalai, and Yuber stood awkwardly to one side, unsure of whether or not these orders applied to them. Yuki was confused about what detachment he belonged to, Sasshalai wanted directions straight from Kiisan, and Yuber did not care what anyone said, because he would do what he pleased during the battle anyway. Tiko approached them as Louis Abdul finished up to discuss the situation and suggest that they use their free time to check out the city.

Tiko was too caught up in his conversation to attempt to sound like an adult as Sonoa, Mai Mai, and Dr. Clark passed by.

"I haven't been on this side of the mountains before! I wanna see what's so different about this place!" he told Sasshalai and Yuki enthusiastically.

Although Sonoa noticed nothing unusual and continued walking, Dr. Clark stopped for a moment in surprise. "That voice sounds so familiar..." he thought to himself. He turned to take a better look, and as Tiko tipped his hat back so it was not shading his face so drastically the doctor's suspicion was confirmed. "Tiko!" he shouted, "What are you doing here?!"

"Uh-oh!" was Tiko's only response. His eyes grew wide and his face turned pale. "I'm in trouble."

"You bet you're in trouble, Tiko! You were supposed to stay back at the citadel with Father Shiku! He must be worried sick about you!" Dr. Clark scolded.

"Well, I left him a note..." Tiko mumbled, looking at his boots.

"Tiko, look at me," the doctor said calmly.

The boy slowly looked up and made eye contact cautiously, "I'm sorry, Dr. Clark...I just thought it would be so much more exciting..."

Dr. Clark ran a hand through his thinning hair before sighing and putting an arm around Tiko, "It's alright...I forgive you. Just make sure you make it up to Father Shiku when we get home," he glanced over towards Yuki, who was trying to slip off unseen, "Sir Yuki, what I really want to know is how long have you been keeping this from me!?"

Note- In later years, Efttal will become northern Muse and eastern Matilda, Saiyonn will be Greenhill and western Matilda, and Miiro will become the southeastern part of Muse and the area around Kyaro.