Ch 16

Lyra glared out her window as she watched The Hamato brothers leave the compound. How could she have let him under her skin like that? Making her think that… that she could ever be… be anything but a silly girl with sword.

She had managed not to look at him through breakfast. Eating quickly and excusing herself as soon as she could. If anyone had spoken to her, she answered in monosyllables through unladylike mouthfuls of food.

Now, as she stood in her room, warm tears trickled down her cheeks. She gripped her discharge papers. Crumpling the paper on the scroll. She knew she would be giving up her place on the guard with her marriage if she was chosen, but that was supposed to be a choice. That's at least how HE presented it. She wondered if he even noticed that she was mad at him. Probably not.

Lyra sighed. It didn't matter. Why did she even care if Leonardo noticed she was mad at him… not that he shouldn't notice. He was the one that gave her all these ideas of feeling equal…right?

Wiping the tears from her cheeks with her sleaves she turned and tossed the scroll to the corner of the room. She took a slow deep breath as she gathered herself and walked from the room to find her mother so she might put herself to good use doing womanly duties.

Leonardo didn't know what dam of luck broke open, but by God he was grateful. Breakfast was seamless! All his brothers were present and none of them made any children cry. Usagi had reappeared from where ever he had disappeared to the day before. All the girls were happily chattering…. Well, most of them. Lyra had eaten quickly and quietly as though she had not eaten in a week, while Rayen had quietly poked at her food as if there were bugs crawling on her plate. Most likely she was still sore from the day before. Which was to be expected. And now Leo and his brothers, the lord's sons, and Usagi were on their way to get fancy clothes and spend the morning at a bath house. Finally, something was going as planned.

"I honestly can't wait to take a bath. The little water basin and rag only cuts it for so long." Raphael stated as he sauntered along the cobble stone road. He stretched his arms out then tucked his hands behind his head just soaking in the sun as he walked.

"You're telling me." Leo replied. "I Have been here twice as long as you."

"We can tell." Mike teased as he pinched his nose.

"Haha, very funny." Leo chuckled.

"We could have the servants bring up a bath." Tonyee suggested then smirked. "But the girls at the bath house are awfully pretty." He nudged Octavian playfully.

Octavian frowned.

Donatello's brow furrowed in thought. "Would Min take issue with the bath house?"

"What do you mean?" Tonyee asked.

Donatello looked at his betrothed's brother for a moment, feeling the reason for concern should be obvious. But Tonyee only continued to look puzzled. "Well… she might not be comfortable with her future husband carousing with other women." Donatello came to a stop. As did everyone else but Raph who apparently didn't care what Don's moral issue was. "Perhaps I should go back. Like you said I can order a bath there and meet up with you guys at the tailor's."

Octavian and Tonyee shared a confused look then looked back at Donatello.

"Why does it matter what she thinks?" Octavian asked.

"Woah now man!" Mikey exclaimed. "It matters like… everything. I'm no relationship expert or anything but I do know it's a bad idea to piss off the person you're gunna sleep next to."

Leo, Donnie, and Usagi nodded agreement.

"…Why?" Octavian lifted a quizzical eye ridge.

Donatello blinked at the young man. "Would you like the ways she could poison me alphabetically or by level of pain they would cause before death? Not to mention I promised to… make a … promise… and I plan to keep that… promise… of…fidelity." Don sat on that thought for a second. "Does that make sense?"

Don's brothers chuckled at his badly delivered explanation.

"So, it's a matter of honor, and …fear?" Octavian asked.

"More or less." Leo offered on Donatello's behalf.

Don nodded in his acceptance of the explanation. "More good sense than fear."

"Mhmm…" Tonyee nodded. "I can see where your concerns is, but…. We aren't going in the back way so it is all innocent. Just getting a bath and the attendants happen to be pretty." He slapped a hand on Donatello's shoulder. "You're in the clear my friend."

"You're sure?" Don asked as they all started walking again.

"Absolutely not. But some things are worth the risk."

Don slowed letting Tonyee walk ahead. He then leaned into Leo and Usagi. "I can't tell if he is serious or joking."

Leo shrugged and Usagi chuckled. "I have been to plenty of bath houses, my friend. It will be fine."

Shawna wandered about the great hall placing bouquets of early fall flowers into vases, followed by Espin who rearranged every stem to her liking. The bright yellows, purples, and pinks of golden rod, sage, and dianthus filled the room with herby scents. A few toad lilies graced the tables as well. These were Shawna's favorite.

Espin could have spent her whole life organizing and placing the décor of the room and not once complained. She loved placing the colors in such a way to create a flow and movement around the area for dancing, joy and comfort around the tables where people would sit and eat, and an easy meandering feal around where the food would be set out. The colors and the way they were placed and complimented or contrasted was so important to all of this. Even if no one else knew. Like a silent form of mind control. And secretly it made the shy Espin feel powerful and strong. It gave her a voice where she otherwise couldn't find one.

Ming ming directed servants in the aiding of setting up the place settings, and serving wear for the following day. Occasionally checking on her daughters and their progress. Making sure the servants were diligently following their direction as well. It was nice to have the help these days. Since her oldest daughters had little interest in the craft of running a house hold. At least she had had Emery working diligently in the gardens. The fresh fall fruits and vegetables would be a lovely addition to food that Lia was helping the cook's prep in the kitchen. Tomorrow would be a busy day for them and it would be hard to pull Lia from the kitchen to the party. But alas how else was a mother to get her daughters to merry with out it being arranged.

A quiet storm entered the main hall pulling Ming Ming's attention.

One could practically hear the thunder in Lyra's mood as she approached her mother. She wasn't wearing her usual trousers and guard's uniform. She instead wore a deep gray dress that matched her mood.

Lyra bowed to her mother and asked. "How might I help? Apparently, I am to attend to more womanly duties now." The venom in her voice was subtle but stinging.

Ming Ming frowned and sighed. "There is nothing wrong with being a woman, Lyra."

Lyra seethed but kept her tone cordial. "How so? You are stuck in these halls with no grandeur, or adventures to tell of, making lives comfortable for ungrateful men. This is not what I wanted."

Ming ming smiled then. "Who else would have the strength to manage all this…" She put her arms out gesturing to the home as a whole. "If not women. Do not think you have been put in a place of servitude or that that place makes you lesser my dear. For we have much grandeur and adventure with in these walls. Why just yesterday I helped your sister organize the saving of a child. In my kitchen no less. We have plenty of adventure here. A woman in the home is no less valuable than a man in the field. We do everything he can not do for himself simply because he does not have the time. And we do this while bearing and raising children. I am lucky that I have the servants to help. Many mothers simply must strap their children to their backs and do it any way as her husband does not have the time to mend the clothes and make the meals, or care for the house and children. Though I can understand the frustration with lack of gratitude. This can be a problem in many relationships."

Lyra shook her head as she watched the servants bustle about the room. "But this isn't what I want. I want to be out there with Raya, on a horse's back, with the city around me my sword on my side. I want a choice."

"Well, my dear you should have tread more carefully. You knew the rules and chose to go against them anyway." Ming ming turned to smoothing a table cloth.

Lyra glared. "And What of Jayden's choices. Why is there no consequence for those?"

"as women we have to keep our selves safe, and make wise decisions for ourselves, because men simply don't…"

"Oh, that's a crock of shit."

"Lyra!" Ming turned on her daughter. Surprised at her foul language and willful mouthiness. "In no way do I deserve your disrespect."

Lyra's shoulders sagged under the pressure of the servants and her sisters staring at her as if she had just sacrificed a baby goat. "I don't mean you mother. I mean that we deal with all the weight of men's lacking. Many of the woman working for us have families they raise. They work all day here then go home and do everything their husbands supposedly can't. have they not been on their feet all day working hard as well? Then add Rayen's suffering, maybe she shouldn't have been where she was and I should not have left her alone, but that did not give Jayden the right to harm her. If women are the home makers are men not supposed to be the protectors and the providers? Why did none of the men protect her. And why did father hold any one accountable for not doing their job. Being harmed by a man should not simply be a hazard of being a woman. We should have choices and be safe exercising those choices… and we should not feel like we are lesser because we are forced to care for a home we may or may not wish to care for."

"A good man will recognize a woman's worth and her work."

"But how many do? How many good men are out there? And how many woman are silenced whether they voice their thoughts or the wrongs against them."

Ming ming let out a long sigh. She had so much to do and really didn't have time for her daughter's outburst. "It's just the way it is Lyra. Perhaps you should go help Emery and Rayen in the garden. They are gathering fruit."

Her mother's dismissal was… defeating. She felt almost as though she had been betrayed. But she couldn't pinpoint exactly why. And truly she just didn't have the emotional fortitude to fight it at the moment. Too much had been stripped from her in the last day. Fighting beck tears of loss and betrayal she turned and walked from the main hall.

The broken look on her daughter's face tugged at Ming ming's heart, but in truth there was nothing could say to comfort her daughter because what she had said was the truth. It was the way things were it was the way things had been for a long time. And such things do not simply change because we wish they would.