A Lost Hope, The Tattered Red and Green Ribbon: Chapter 5
XxXxXxXxX
Youko was stunned for a few tense seconds as she saw the blood on Rakia's hand and side where she had been slashed. With a fluid motion, she lowered her to the ground gently then sheathed her sword quickly.
"Gods," she whispered softly as she ripped the clothes a bit to get a better look at the cut, it was long but didn't look as deep as she thought. She reaches around to her back and pulled off the glistening gem on it. It had healing properties but she was not exactly how well it would work. A soft glow came from the jewel and the woman's face seemed to ease a bit.
"Your majesty," a soft growl came from behind her, turning she saw the shirei behind her. Hankyo stood there, there was almost a sense of worry in his large eyes, "Are you injured?" He rumbled at her.
"No, she is and she needs medical attention back at the palace," she said, the tone in her voice left no room for argument. The shirei stood there as Youko readjusted her sword so it wouldn't fall off her back before lifting the woman into her arms.
The shirei bent down a bit so she could put the woman on his back first before she climbed on behind.
XxXxXxX
The palace was abuzz with activity, a number of last-minute activities were being handled before the ceremony tomorrow. Guests had already arrived and most were settled, there was going to be a banquet this evening in honor of the coming event. Well, there is supposed to be one but there was one problem the queen was nowhere to be found.
Shoukei was fuming, not only was Youko late but she had heard that she had sent the shirei back with a message instead of herself. That would be the last time that she would not argue with her about leaving so close to an important event again.
In the almost 15 years that she had been working in the palace she had developed an odd relationship with the queen. She definitely was a bit unorthodox but she had developed quite a reputation. She was basically her official scribe/secretary so there was a mutual trust between them.
"Shoukei, she heard a familiar voice call out to her, she knew it was Suzu without really turning around.
"Please tell me she has returned," she said to the handmaiden as she turned to face her.
"She has but...," Suzu whispered softly shaking her head as if she didn't want to blurt it out in front of everyone. She looked quite worried, it took a lot to worry her now after all she had experienced in life. The two woman walked briskly down the wide halls, they were quite as they move into the aide of the palace that Youko used. Suzu took the lead, they were heading to a smaller unused chamber.
Youko was in said chamber leaning against a wall, there was a doctor there next to the bed that was in the room. She was still in her traveling clothes with dried blood on them and her hands. She looked a little frazzled standing there gripping her sword tightly.
"What... happened?" Shoukei said as she walked up to her. Youko looked up at her scribe shaking her head in a bit of disgust.
"Bandits, deserters from Kou most likely," she said waving her hand in the general direction of where she had been. "One of them got last me I guess, it happened so fast so i am not sure."
The doctor rose from the side of the bed and shuffled over towards the queen. He bowed to her, "Your guest is well, she will need some rest for a week or so but will recover with time," he said. Youko nodded her head and murmured thanks to him before seeing the doctor out.
It wasn't until he left that the stiff formality was left at the door. Shoukei stuck a finger up at Youko in an accusing manner. "Don't you ever do that again, you had everyone up in arms," she said with a frown on her face. Youko put up her hands in an apologetic manner.
"I was going to return yesterday but I got to caught up what I was looking for," she said grimly. Suzu moved over to the bed, she had always had a caring and nurturing nature, she seemed to be content fussing with the strange woman's blankets.
Shoukei looked at the woman in the bed, "Did you get the answers that you were looking for?" She asked her softly. Youko was silent for a long while before she nodded her head slowly.
"For the most part, I found the same records you found, the marriage, land registration," she paused a bit volume as she thought about what else she had found. "The man Raki died just before the shoku happened, I found the grave."
Youko moved from against the wall and moved to look out at the gardens where some of the guests were milling around talking amongst themselves. "He died bringing food to the village," she said. "Its so stupid something so basic costs your life," she seemed almost bitter as she spoke. The people were always the more important thing to Youko, those lives that were so precious.
"The woman," Shoukei ventured gently. There was a long almost tense silence before Youko would allow herself to answer that question.
"Her name is Rakia, she is the elder in charge of the Rike of the town I was in looking for the records." she let out a long sigh as if she was mulling over the things she had learned about and encountered in the last couple of days. "She seemed to be close to the man that was my father but I am not sure if she is whom I am looking for," she said.
"So you think that she may..." Shoukei said before trailing off when Youko waved her hand at her as if not to speak of it. The young queen was really not sure how to feel about the prospect of actually finding her mother alive. Some part of her had thought that they would both have been dead.
Suzu and Shoukei exchanged glances with each other, both were worried about Youko as she stood there in her thoughts. Youko had always seemed a bit awkward when it came to informal personal relationships with the few that she called friends.
"I had always wondered what it would be like to have a mother that cared for more than just appearances. My mother and father in Hourai always seemed to want perfection from me. So that is what I gave them. It was emotionless, fake and just wrong." Youko said shaking her head, her hair coming dislodged from its ponytail.
She slowly ran her fingers through her hair, the sun catching the deep red in a very becoming way. She had hated her hair color for so long when she had lived in Japan but grew to love it here in Kei. "The last real conversation I had with my parents was about my hair, they hated that it was red. My father always wanted me to dye it to black so that I wouldn't stand out amongst my classmates," she said with a bit of a harsh laugh. "It seems so silly now, to put so much effort into something so simple." Letting go of her hair she waved her hand as if she dismissed the memory.
The 3 young women were silent as they all seemed to be in their own thoughts for a time before there was a knock on the door. Suzu seemed to snap out of her thoughts first and silently she moved to slide the door open. She stepped back and bowed at the person on the other end of the door. "Taiho," She said softly. Keiki nodded at the girl as he stepped into the room. His eyes seemed to light up just a hint when he saw Youko in the room and he moved to stand before her.
Youko held up her hand for him to keep his distance, "I have not washed yet," she gently warned him. Keiki hesitated for a moment as if thinking about the blood he smelled in the room before he moved to just a couple feet in front of her and knelt down.
"I am glad you have returned safely," he said his head bowed just a bit. Youko felt a smile start to form on her face, even now after 15 years he still worried for her each time she left the palace. "Preparations have been completed for tomorrow's ceremony," he said as he rose from the formal bow even before she had a chance to tell him to do so. His eye flickered to the bed where the strange woman lay still asleep, her wounds bandaged and she seemed to be resting comfortably.
"I will explain later after I have bathed," Youko said gently. "Thank you for preparing everything in my absence," she said. Keiki seemingly satisfied that he would get a full expectation soon turned without another word or glance and left the chamber.
XxXxXxXxX
She hurt, it seemed like she hurt everywhere one could hurt. It was this that awoke her from her sleep. Raika slowly opened her eyes, her vision was a bit blurred but she knew that she was somewhere unfamiliar with the canopy above her. Her mind was muddled, foggy about what had happened to her. Her eyes focused finally on the fabric, the bright vibrant colors, the different shades of red.
"Youshi," she said in a harsh whisper, her memories of what had just happened seemed to wash over her like a wave cresting a beach. She tried to sit up quickly but the pain in her side stopped her before she could move too much.
"You are in no condition to move so much," a gentle voice said softly to her. Raika looked towards the voice and saw a young woman sitting in a chair beside her. She had a kind smile on her young face, but her eyes showed wisdom that was many years older then she appeared. "Please lay back and rest," she said softly. Raika slowly laid back on the bed as she was gently bid.
"Where am I?" she asked softly the older woman could tell that she was in a lavish place just by the trappings of the room. The younger woman shifted a bit gently putting a hand on Raika as if to comfort the woman in the unfamiliar surroundings.
"I am Suzu, I was asked by Youshi to keep you company should you wait up as she has some business to attend to." She said. Raika seemed to sense the honesty of the woman and she relaxed a bit and let out a soft sigh.
"What happened, the last thing I remember was the bandits an then just pain," she said her hand moving along her bandaged side as if inspecting the wound through the bandages.
"Youshi said that she disbatched the bandits and found you injured, thus she brought you here to be treated," Suzu said gently. She was trying to avoid telling her that she was in the palace at the request of Youko. "She called for a doctor to treat your injuries, you arrived yesterday." She said. Raika nodded her head slowly and the two were silent for a while.
There were many sounds from outside of the room, conversations, happy chatter. Raika wondered absently mildly if it was due to the celebration today, the 15th anniversary. From the chatter, she had heard in her village over the last year or so it seemed the citizens were quite happy with Youko as their ruler. She had broken the 'curse' of female rulers with her openness and interest in actually running her country.
Suzu stood up and walked over to a table that was full a small array of food and selected a few on a plate and brought it back on a tray along with a pitcher of water for Raika to eat if she wished. "You should eat something, it will help your body heal faster." She said gently setting the tray on the woman's lap. Raika shifted a bit so that she was sitting up a bit in the bed as comfortable as she could.
"Thank you Suzu," Raika said, it was strange to be taken care of for once but she wasn't on to be rude to those that showed kindness to others. She gingerly took small bites enjoying the lush food and sips of the spring water. "Today is the celebration correct?" she asked her as she ate.
Suzu smiled brightly as what she asked, "Yes it is Ma'am, the celebration started with the rise of the sun in Gyouten. As has become the tradition in the last couple of years." She said. "The people gathered for a glimpse of the Queen as she descended from the mountain, it is always a sight to behold." Youko had taken to actually going in her full regalia down to the capital city to address the citizens of Kei in a ceremony that welcomed the sun on the day to begin the celebration. Of course the first year it happened had been quite a 'scandal' to some that she would come down from the mountain. Youko herself quite enjoyed the whole thing because as she saw it, the people were the most important.
"I have heard many tales of the morning ceremony, some of the youngsters feel it is something that they must see before they take their assigned land in the kingdom, something like a right of passage," Raika said with a gentle smile. "It seems to have strengthened the kingdom as a whole, it makes my old heart light to see a good future finally for Kei." She said. Raika was what most would consider old especially for a kingdom that had such a rough recent history. At 50 or so years she was a bit of a rarity in her area.
Suzu held her laughter in, she remembered the aghast look Keiki had given Youko about 5 years ago when she had spoken of the new ceremony she wanted to start doing along with the others that filled the day. The Taiho had of course been dead set against the idea but of course, Youko had gotten her way in the end, as she saw it she was there for all the people not just a select few in Kinpa Palace.
Raika finished the food on the place and she gently pushed it away from her and turned her attention to looking around the room. She saw from the windows a lavish garden, unlike anything she had seen before. "This is a beautiful place," She said softly. Suzu lifted the tray from her lap and moved to place it back on the table by the window. "Perhaps when I am finished healing you could show me around before I return to Amesa."
"I would happily do that when you are able Ma'am," Suzu said after returning to sit on her chair next to the bed once more. She was quite enjoying her conversation with the woman. She could see why Youko had been so taken with her so quickly. There was just a presence about Raika that put anyone at ease. She was curious though how she would take to knowing that her long-lost daughter was the Queen they were speaking of now.
XxXxXxXxX