The problem with educated women
Prolog.
If you know anything about string theory and the wonders the theory presents, than perhaps you know about the multiverse and the many many bubble like universes that are floating about. Except they are not just floating about bumping into each other willy nilly. They are connected. And there are those that have learned to travel through these connections. Some call this magic. Some call this science. Some are along for the ride. And some are dragged along. But they are not where our story begins.
Our story, or my story, begins before I was ever a thought. Here in a small town, called Umino, on a large island, called Rentai, in a place, we time masters like to call, second earth. It is home to a terrapin type creature. Called tarpinians. No not overly creative. But that's ok. Creativity isn't what they are known for. And what they are known for is not overly relevant. It is fish however. The islanders do a lot of fishing. Now what is relative to our story is certain lord. A lord who also happens to be a father to thirteen children. Three boys and ten girls.
An old father worries about the futures of has many daughters. All will someday need to be married. Such things need to be arranged. And with any luck, a girl will be matched well.
The father's name is Lord Nakame Maru. He sits at his low desk, listening as shrill laughter echoes its way down the halls of his keep. He is considering his choices. Lords from the east, lords from the north. All too old, too married, or too young to take a wife, as men can't take wives till the age of twenty here on the island. There is no age limit per say, but Maru's heart twists at the idea of one of his daughters sharing a bed with a man old enough to be his own father.
He leans back on his haunches and sighs. As the door to his study is thrown open unceremoniously. Two of his daughters come tripping in laughing between chatter.
"That is not how you enter a room!" He chides two of his eldest daughters. They were Lyra, 26, and Rayen, 24 years of age. Beautiful women, intelligent women, stubborn women, educated women…and prime examples as to why most women aren't educated. As educated women asked why? They have ideas and question a man's desires and motives. They have dreams and know how to obtain them. Being that these two had found their way into serving as part of the town guard, by scouring an abundance of rules and regulations finding no specifications that a woman could not serve. The head of the guard had been flabbergasted, As a woman had never questioned his ability to say no to her before.
"Our apologies father." Lyra said breathlessly as her laughter abetted her blue eyes still glistening with tears from her joyous out burst. Quieting the two knelt before their father and waited.
"To what do I owe this interruption?"
Rayen, being the more out spoken of the two, answered first, "We have a gift, father."
She hurried forward and placed the gift on Lord Maru's desk. It was a scroll. Humble by appearance, made of parchment around a wooden dowel. Picking it up he began to pull it open.
"It's a story about a man and his brothers." Lyra began
Lord Maru smiled as he held the scroll slightly pulled open. "Do continue. I would prefer to not have to read it. As I have little time."
"Well that isn't right! You have to read it." Rayen complained.
Lord Maru started to open the scroll further.
"It's a true story father." Lyra informed. "About a man named Hamato Leonardo, his brothers and a man named Usagi yogimbo. They're from the mainland."
Rayen pushed her sister's shoulder. "Do you intend to ruin the story for him."
"Well he did say he didn't have time to read it." Lyra smiled smartly.
Lord Maru chuckled. "Be gone with you. I will read it later. I have work to do."
He smiled as the girls bowed and left the room chattering. Sighing he turned back to the business at hand, and frowned deeply at his options. A small smile tugged at his lips as he picked up the scroll and began to read. The legend of some far off hero would be a nice distraction from marrying off his beloved daughters. And as he read a wide smile spread across his face. Maybe there was a lord…or in this case a clan leader, worthy of at least one of his daughters.
Chapter 1
Third Earth, New York City. The city bustled about, despite the early autumn heat, noisily as usual. The sun was high in the smoggy sky. This meant that four, oversized, mutant, humanoid turtles and their humanoid, Rat sensei would all be sleeping. Except, the visitation of an old friend, through a "magic" portal, had woken Hamato Leonardo. Who now sat with at the kitchen table with Master Splinter, his sensei, and his longtime friend, Usagi.
Leonard's brow furrowed as he read over the letter for a second time. "Isn't everyone in your world like… anthropomorphic mammals?"
Usagi, a long eared, anthropomorphic, inter-multi-universal (this means from a universe other than the one he is in now), white rabit, ronin from second earth, blinked at his friend. "Of course not. Mammals just seem to populate the mainland. But I have heard of this island, Rentai, and others like it, that are reptile dominant. Lord Maru particularly is Tarpinian."
Leonardo raised an eye ridge at the word Tarpinian. Perhaps it was some butchery of the word Tarapin, Which is a under the species umbrella of turtle.
"Don't you remember fighting Lord Heavy?" Usagi continued. "He was snake."
"Oh ya. Of course." Leo mumbled as he glanced back over the letter. "I feel a little stupid for not questioning it before."
"I am not sure I would question much of anything after seeing the things you have?" Usagi chuckled. "Though your previous assumption of my worlds inhabitance explains why you have never sought out a wife there previously."
Leo smirked. "Why else wouldn't I? Trust me. I am not celibate by choice."
"I dared not speculate." Usage stated with a shrug before pouring himself a cup of hot tea.
"Wonderful." Leo grumbled. It didn't matter if the non-speculation had been that he was gay or had taken up some holy vow, neither were accurate.
One should know, there simply aren't any female mutant turtles on third Earth. The only mutant turtles here were male and Leonardo calls them brother, by blood or not, they were raised as such. So even if he or any of his brothers had been gay, the incestual implications would still have been an issue.
"Are you going to accept the invitation, my son?" Master Splinter asked before taking a slow sip of his tea.
Leo sat the letter down and poured himself a cup of the hot tea as he mulled the letter over. It was an invitation to choose and wed one of the daughters of Lord Maru. Marrying a tarpinian and bringing her to New York to live with him and his family would not be without complications. On one hand if he was the only one with a wife this could breed jealousy between his brothers and himself causing unnecessary turmoil. Not to mention it would be an arranged marriage for the girl. Which was something that didn't sit overly well with him. On the other hand taking a wife could have benefits for him personally. It would curb the accepted loneliness of his existence. Yes he has his family of rowdy brothers and his sensei he calls father. But having a mate was something else altogether. He sipped his tea letting the warm bitter liquid rest on his tongue for a moment before swallowing.
"He mentions daughters in the letter. So he has more than one…perhaps he would be willing to introduce Raph, Don, and Mike to them." Leo suggested as he tried to find a solution to his dilemma.
"Ah, so you are going to accept." Splinter smiled.
"It won't hurt to talk to him and at least meet the women." Leo thought about this for a second. "But perhaps we shouldn't give all the information to my brothers. I don't want to create a false hope in case this turns out to not be as great as it sounds. And in the end I don't think they want to force a woman to marry them and live here. So if the girls are being pushed…"
"I understand." Splinter nodded. "A pilgrimage then, to consider the future of your clan."
Usagi chuckled. "No one can split hairs quite like you can master splinter."
"I have four sons. One who was a very literal child. I had to get good at it… for survival."
Leo smiled and shook his head at the joke that was at his expense. As a child everything was very black and white. It was right or it was wrong. Accepting that there was a large gray area was difficult especially when it came to applying that as a warrior. His brother Raphael, (Raph ) seemed to love living in the gray. All ethics seemed to be situational to him, which caused a lot of arguments between the clan leader and his brother. That and shear stubbornness.
"Will you show me the way, usagi?" Leonardo asked his friend.
"Of course, Leoanrdo san. Though when we get to the island you may want to not where your bandanna over your eyes. Ninjitsu is not readily practiced there and someone might miss interpret your intentions."
"Dually noted." Leo finished his cup of tea in couple gulps. "Let me gather a few things and I will be ready to leave." Bowing quickly he made his leave of the kitchen table and hurriedly collected what he would need for the journey. He wanted to leave before his brothers woke. Less questions from Donatello, (don) and Michelangelo, (Mikey) And less glares from Raphael. For some reason Raph never liked when Leo would leave for some long training but had a habit of storming off and disappearing for days himself… Hypocrite. But then maybe he just didn't handle change well. Which Leo honestly couldn't understand. Change is inevitable. What good does it do not to accept this?
Leo double checked that he had all his gear in his back pack then slung it over his shoulder. He would have to get different clothes once he got to second earth as they were still in the feudal age and very much like old japan, at least in the area Usagi called home. He stopped in the bathroom and reached for his tooth brush, catching his reflection and for a moment wondered if one of these lord's daughters would even find him attractive. He had never considered this to any great depth. He had no one to compare himself to besides his brothers and who knew if one of these tarpinians would find any of them attractive. He was six foot two inches tall. Which he guessed would be good unless tarpinians were excessively short. He was broad shouldered and fit. He trained in Ninjitsu excessively and had a competitive streak with his brothers. Though Raph had everyone beat with pure muscle bulk.
Did that matter? He considered his tattoos that his brother, Mikey, had artistically designed and Raph had placed. Would these tarpinians like them or consider them taboo? He looked his reflection in the face as he slowly pulled down his blue bandanna. It was more of a mask, wrapped around his head zoro style, knotted at the back of his head with the excess cloth hanging down to his chest. He considered the oval shape of his face, his blue eyes, the scars. One that nipped through the ridge where a human's eye brow would be. Another streaked across the side of his head, marring the skin. Frowning, he decided picking himself apart wouldn't really be helpful. He shoved his toothbrush into one of the side pouches on his backpack then left the bathroom to follow his friend through a magic portal to another world and a faraway island.
