Grace squinted from atop the Fort of Tosa, on the island of Shikoku, where south she could see an impressive array of ships arriving.

"Look, we have visitors!"

Grace waved and hurried down to her horse, and forty riders surrounding her as the horses kicked divots to race to the Coastal Village. The ships were many and led by one in particular that was black with cannon and flying a sigil of four black squares on red.

"Who are they ?"

The ships soon surrounded the southern sea. A pair of errant corsair ships came into view behind them and were quickly engaged by arrows and shouts far off on the sea. Grace beamed as the Black Ship laid down the ramp that an impressive assortment of samurai stepped off, led by a heavily armored and decorated daimyo. Grace clutched her hands.

"Oh! Welcome to my place," Grace curtsied, and the samurai kept straight faces.

The Takedo daimyo removed his helmet. He, like her, was not Japanese, and they mirrored each other's surprise.

"Oh my gawd. You're in my session!"

The Takeda daimyo frowned.

"What the hell are you doing welcoming the enemy with open arms?"

Grace huffed and folded her arms.

"I didn't know you were in my session, but - oh my god - look at all your ships! And your men!"

Katana samurai, bow warrior monks and yari cavalry were arrayed as the protective force for the Takeda daimyo. The daimyo himself, battle-hardened and confident, nodded slightly.

"I've played tons of this - it's different when you have to face the enemy yourself - you have to learn the calls, and you don't see all of the map."

Grace exhaled.

"I know, right! Come in, let's have water."

"Not sake?"

"No, we ran out of supplies. I'm Grace. Can I call you lord Takeda?"

Lord Takeda rode beside Grace on the Trails, with his army as his entourage, and he glanced out at the farms which were Rice Paddies. The villagers were scared if happy, and Grace hummed as she rode her horse.

"Lady Grace - "

"That's me!"

"I have spent many seasons conquering many provinces. I have won many battles. But what I see here… "

"Oh, I know. You know, I'm glad Shikoku is out of the way. I heard about a lot of clans falling. But I didn't know it was you doing the killing."

Lord Takeda frowned as they reached the Fort. He could see the Chosokabe army sprawled out in the sun, and then recovering in a bow as they saw visitors. There was only one unit each of yari ashigaru and bow ashigaru. Grace's own mounted escort were lathered, their saddles were poor, everyone looked hungry.

"Just in here, Lord Takeda."

The Fort was shabby and had ruined walls and gates. Inside, the accomodations were meagre, and Grace offered the Lord Takeda price of place, and she sat on a cushion opposite. Her guards, fickle and worried, opposed his , who were sharp and malevolent.

"So," Grace said happily, as though the war through Japan had not touched her, "Are you staying long?"

The Takeda daimyo frowned.

"First of all - your people look happy, but your army is small and your holdings pathetic. Your buildings are in a state of disrepair that can only invite the enemy's eye!"

Grace sighed.

"Oh, that. Well, when I started, my General Chosokabe told me we were at war with Kono in Iyo province to the north west, and we had rebels harrying us in the west."

"That is the initial challenge for your clan."

"Yes. And my lord husband - the daimyo, before the game started - he died, so I became regent for our infant son at the time."

"Died?"

"Yes. It was so sad. A broken ankle."

Lord Takeda raised his eyebrow. Grace looked shocked.

"It wasn't me! Anyway, I had to take control of things. First of all what I did was, I ordered the archery dojo to be demolished."

"Demolished?"

"Yes. I wanted stables."

"But the Chosokabes don't start with horses."

"... well, I didn't know that then . Anyway, General Chosokabe was quite keen. He said, we need to fight the rebels so we can prepare in case clan Kono make an assault. He had all these ideas - "

"I do not see him here."

"... well, no. I decided to be brave. I said to myself, Grace, you're playing this game, you can be a general. I mean, all I'd have to do is stand on the sidelines, right?"

"If I remember correctly, the rebels would have had two units of yari ashigaru, one unit of bow ashigaru, and a unit of light cavalry leading them."

Grace clapped her hands. "Yes! That's right. And we had sorta the same - well, we had a yari samurai, too. And when I agreed to go with General Chosokabe, that made for two mounted units. So I figured, how hard could it be, right? I mean, it's like maths, if you have X amount and they only have Y amount, you win! Yahoo!"

Grace's laughter faded.

"But it was not meant to be, Lord Takeda. Oh, here's our water."

A shambling old man with shaky hands offered chipped cups and Grace sipped eagerly.

"Mmm. So where was I?"

"You were discussing how you first began your - your regency for clan Chosokabe. Where is your son, by the way?"

"Well, he's almost of age now - he's into calligraphy, so I told them to stop training him in swordsmanship. When I say, stop training him, I mean use wooden sticks because we ran out of swords."

"... I see."

" So ," Grace took a breath and smiled at Lord Takeda, "There I was, on the battlefield with an advantage of numbers against those rebels, and I totally expected General Chosokabe to lead. I mean, I didn't know what to do! How to battle!"

"That is only the strongest requirement for survival in this game, Lady Grace."

"... well, anyway - so I'm there, and General Chosokabe looks to me, and I go red, and I see those cheeky rebels - they've gone and run up a hill! They're running! But nope, they were in an even better position than before."

"What did you do, then?"

"Well, I didn't want to appear weak in front of my General. I could have asked him, but I wanted to be strong for my infant son. For my clan. So I told the two yari ashigaru units to go up the incline of the hill, one after the other, and then my bow ashigaru unit and yari samurai unit to stay back. You know, in case I got ambushed. Oh, yeah. And my General stayed back to."

"You ordered your yari ashigaru to go to the hill alone? One after the other?"

"Yep!"

"Not even to flank from opposing sides? Or reinforced by archers? Or for your General to run around and rout the rebels? Or - "

"Well, you see, I didn't have a lot of experience then. I have some experience now - "

The Takeda daimyo choked on his water and waved away one of his samurai, and nodded.

" - and the next thing I knew, I was seeing my two units of yari ashigaru run away. Run! Can you believe it? They ran through our ranks, and we're still standing there, watching the rebels reform on the hill, and then - "

"They stayed atop the hill, awaiting another attack?"

"Oh, yes. I could hardly retreat. So I told the yari samurai unit to go up the hill the same way, and for the archers to go behind them - "

"Not the worst option."

" - but use their swords instead of their bows."

Lord Takeda growled. "What?"

"Well, they can't fire bows if they're moving, can they? So anyway , I ask the General - I tell him, can he please ride behind the two units, so that if they fall, he can try a last attempt. Because I was out of ideas and scared."

"You ordered essentially the same manuever and exposed them all to arrow fire?"

"I know they say to be crazy is to do the same thing twice and expect different results, but hey! That's what experience is called!"

The Takeda clenched his teeth. "And what did this experience teach you?"

"Well, we did end up routing one of the rebel's yari ashigaru units. The yari samurai fought quite well. But the rebel's Light Cavalry burst through! And the yari samurai ran away, then the bow ashigaru soon after that, and then the horse which used to carry my General ran past me… "

"You fled?"

"Oh, yes. I had to! You see, I had not defeated the enemy."

"By no means could a more foolish offensive have been mounted."

"I rode home, and the Light Cavalry was too far away to catch up with me. I returned home to Tosa, and the only unit I had left was the samurai retainers, aside from my mounted unit."

Lord Takeda growled.

"I cannot, having accomplished all that I have, permit such a lapse to exist in any player. That is shocking and dishonorable that you should have even made an attempt."

Grace wailed.

"Hey, I tried!"

"How have you managed to survive thus far?"

" With difficulty, I can tell you."

Grace's tone became bitter.

"After the retreat, I had no General. There was no army but for as I have mentioned. Only villagers. And then, the rebels did not attack."

"Luck."

"Well, not so much. They came out of the forests each season to strike at my Rice Paddies. I lost villagers and food, and then I would pay for the repairs, and they would strike again… "

"Did you raise another army?"

"Well, that was hard, you see."

"Why?"

"Cos I got rid of taxes."

Lord Takeda's eyes bulged out of his head. "What?

"Well!" Grace shifted on her cushion, "I have to say, I had to make hard choices. My villagers went happy. Of course, it made it harder when corsairs started to attack my dock… "

"You are infinitely inexperienced in all the ways of war."

Grace sniffed and nodded.

"The few scouts I did have reported that clan Kono was massing an army just beyond my border. We kept getting harried by the rebels who would slink into the forest. I levied a yari ashigaru unit but I never heard back when I sent them in. And then clan Kono arrived… "

"How big was their army?"

"Big. They must've had at least six or seven units, with their daimyo and the daimyo's son. They marched from the border halfway between and positioned at my Fort. I was scared."

"But you are alive."

"Oh, yes. At first, I thought - I should write to clan Miyoshi and ask anything for an alliance. But their army would not arrive in time. Then I thought - I should build a ship and escape. But the corsairs remained to burn my Coastal Village, and there was not enough time for a ship. So, I went in person."

"You went - in person?"

"To Lord Kono. I took with me, my mounted units, and with Tosa at my back, I rode for Lord Kono to talk."

"To talk - with the enemy?"

"Oh, yes. I mean, I didn't want to die, or my son, or to lose my home."

"So you delivered yourself into the enemy's camp?"

" Anyway . I had to show honor, didn't I? I couldn't hide behind my walls. Ahem. So, I go to him, and I present him my terms."

"Your - terms?"

" Yes . I told him, I would give him indefinite military access to my land, a trade agreement, I would join all of the wars he was currently invested in, I would give him all the koku I had - which wasn't much - I offered him payments per season of everything I would have each season - which wasn't much at all, even when I raised the tax back to normal levels - I offered for Chosokabe to be a vassal of the Kono clan, and offered my son as a hostage to seal the deal."

"And he accepted?"

"I think so - well, I mean, he did - but I think he must've had other problems, from what happened later."

"Later?"

"Yes. Well, once we had reached a peace agreement, Tosa remained. I remained as Regent of Tosa. And we had no koku, very little after we gave our tribute to clan Kono each season. I could not build or field an army. And the corsairs were packed around my docks, and the rebels still attacked my farms - but at least clan Kono was not a threat."

"And still you survived?"

"I had a trade agrement with Miyoshi, and their army was quite big. But they wanted to take over Shikoku, and clan Sogo was convinced to join with clan Kono. So there was a lot of fighting between them, and although I thought I was safe, clan Mori landed on Iyo province and took it, sailed away, then rebels were raised and took it over. So my payments to them ceased, but if you were to ride to it now, Iyo province remains to rebels."

"And the rebels which harried you?"

"Before clan Mori took over Iyo province, and while the fighting on the island was north of Tosa , the rebels launched an assault. I could not ask clan Kono to help, though I was their vassal, but that by their focus was split. And I had to defend Tosa."

"You?"

Grace frowned.

"Your tone is not very nice! As I was saying, the rebels attacked. And they had only one yari ashigaru unit, one bow ashigaru unit, and a light cavalry unit. Their other yari ashigaru unit, if you remember, had been routed when first I fought them. That was my success."

"If any."

"Hey! Anyway, so they attacked. And the Rebel Light Cavalry watched from afar, and the rebel yari ashigaru unit was heading for my walls, and the rebel bow ashigaru unit was whittling down my samurai retainers, who were quaking to face the rebel yari ashigaru. And I thought - I should be there for this. But, no."

Grace cleared her throat, shifting on her cushion.

"I decided I would ride out to the rebel light cavalry and offer him terms."

Lord Takeda gripped his chest.

"You cannot be serious! In the middle of battle?"

"... well, I figured that was to my doom, because they didn't even give me a chance . I was waving a white flag made out of my best kimono, not like this mottled grey one. And their archers started firing at me, and some of the yari ashigaru stopped climbing the walls to run at me, and the light cavalry came at me, and I thought - no."

Grace sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"So I went back into the Fort, and just in time, too. The rebel yari ashigaru who had climbed the walls were fiercely fighting my samurai retainers who were holding their own, and I ordered my mounted unit to crash into them. I stayed on my horse out of the way, of course. And my samurai retainers were few, but the yari ashigaru unit was routed, for the ones who had not climbed the walls, were few."

Grace coughed and wiped her eyes.

"So I couldn't just ask my samurai retainers, or my mounted unit what to do next . I had to be a leader, right? And all the while the bow ashigaru were continuing to hit us with arrows. And then the light cavalry were dismounting and climbing the walls."

"You are at least trying to be honourable, even if you are an imbecile."

"Oh, shut up. This is my story. Anyway, so there the light cavalry are climbing the walls, and I tell my samurai retainers to fight with everything they have, and that my mounted escort should dismount and fight the rebel light cavalry the same. And I go out the gate - "

"Out?"

"And I ride out to distract the archers. The bow ashigaru turn to me, and I am alone on my horse, and it is not difficult to keep out of their range, but it was scary. And my horse was growing tired. But I could hear the cheers from within the Fort. I could hear and still see my flag raised above the donjon. And so I knew we had won but for these archers."

"... you are not without some small measure of skill, much too late."

"Gee, thanks. So, an arrow hits my horse, because I'm too giddy thinking we won to measure the distance, and I go rolling. And when the bow ashigaru, huffing and puffing, while I stand defiantly in their path, I see my mounted unit having reclaimed their horses, riding out of the gates, and as the bow ashigaru whirl, they are taken in the rear. Of course, few of my samurai retainers remain. And my mounted unit was not without casualties, I barely had half a dozen. But I rode on the back of one of the horses into my fort, and the rebels who reformed snuck further into the forest, to harry my lumber yard. That has never worked since, I can tell you."

"Quite a story."

"Oh, well, that's a compliment I'm sure, even with your tone."

"I cannot conceive at first how you did it, but you must grow weary living on such a lifeline."

Grace covered her face and nodded and showed him her tears.

"It is hard. We are hungry and poor. Clan Miyoshi cancelled our trade agremeent when clan Kono ordered I go to war with them, and when Iyo was taken over by clan Mori, then by rebels, neither would trade with me. I have raised the taxes, but my people are not happy, and should they revolt, I have not the men to prevent it. We live hand to mouth."

"But you were so happy, when you met me on the docks."

"I took something from Shogun , when I knew I could not read a thousand pages. That it is Japanese not to show fear. That, and I had to do all I can. You would have annihilated me."

Grace nodded and stood up.

"Our audience is at an end, Lord Takeda. I have professed to you all I can - and knowing your ambition, it must be my province that shall be yours, if you seek the Shogunate. No clan did in the early days, but news reaches even here, in my day-to-day world of trying to survive, that there are larger threats out there."

Lord Takeda rose. "There is a way."

"For my clan to survive?"

Lord Takeda stared down at Grace.

"For you to survive, in any case."

Grace gulped, and glanced up at Lord Takeda. The doors flew open and the samurai in the room gripped swords and all eyes turned to the entrance. A quaking old man stood there.

"Please excuse the interruption. My lady, it is your son."

"My son?"

"Yes. He snuck out from his calligraphy to play with wooden swords, and he injured himself with a splinter."

"I must see to him - "

"My lady, it is too late."

"No!" Grace choked tears. "He was not even my - but he was with me, and all I did was for him! We must prepare the - "

The old man coughed. "My lady, please excuse me."

"Oh, you are so kind - "

"You are not the Regent anymore."

"But if it is not me - who is?"

"A distant relation has been found. He is the new daimyo."

Grace stared as one of the villagers walked in. He looked unaccustomed to position but held it well. He was middle-aged and wore ornamental armor with a sword. Grace pointed.

"That was my late husband's!"

The Chosokabe daimyo glanced past Grace and to Lord Takeda.

"My lord Takeda. I am the new Lord Chosokabe. And I will offer you the terms you see fit to keep my clan whole and as a vassal - that we might finally hope to prosper, away from the hold this - this - "

Here, the Chosokabe daimyo brought only cold hate into the look he gave Grace.

" - she has rid of us of any chance. We have been underprepared since her husband's death. I seek to restore clan Chosokabe to its former glory, with you as my liege."

Lord Takeda frowned.

"You must know, my terms will be as heavy as once the terms were with clan Kono. I can have no reason not to attack, in these times. I do not take vassals. It is safer to simply take over a province entirely."

Grace quivered and stared at the ground. She was overwhelmed with grief for her son, and then Lord Takeda placed a hand on her chin and she looked in his face. Lord Takeda smiled.

"Do you wish to survive?"

Grace nodded numbly. Lord Takeda glanced up.

"Then we will leave. With Lady Grace."

Grace whispered, "You will not attack?"

Lord Takeda walked out of the room with Grace hopeful by his side, and his many bodyguard samurai. Lord Chosokabe stared, brittle with fury, and Lord Takeda's entourage wound out of the donjon and onto the open courtyard and then out into the waiting entourage of horses, where north could be seen the winding path to Iyo, west and east into the forest, and south the great sparkling ocean with the sun rising above.

Grace's hands shook to be lifted into the saddle of her horse, and Lord Takeda smiled down at her.

"Such a paltry animal. In Kai, we have the Bajutsu Master Dojo. Soon, trade will allow me to make it into a legendary building. My circumstances are not yet such that I have enough koku, enough provinces, and few warring factions. There is much you have to learn."

Grace squinted up to her Fort.

"But what of Tosa?"

Lord Takeda stared grimly at the Fort.

"They would not have attacked a guest, out of honor. Though I would have, if it would mean my survival. But I have not come close to tarnishing my honor. You will hear it in the whispers of the samurai in my camp. As a wise man once said, excellence exists in breaking the enemy's spirit without fighting."

"Can you?"

"I am still learning, but then, so are you. Once, I took a province simply by my monk inciting a rebellion, then the rebels were not against me, thus giving me time to mount an assault that actually would succeed. There are many battles I have fought, and many still to be fought , that require me not to give pause. Even now, there can be no pause."

"But you have not killed me."

"I fear not. Perhaps I might regret it. Would I?"

"I am not as naive as I once was, but I am grateful."

Lord Takeda stared ahead.

"I suppose that is close enough to loyalty. You, as yourself, can pose no threat. Yet I mean to be Shogun. I did not stop here for a picnic. The lands east of Kyoto are all mine but for the Ikko Ikki holdouts, and to convert them to Buddhism takes time - which I have used to arrive here, with which to subjugate Shikoku."

"If I was not a real person, would you have killed me?"

"Of course," Lord Takeda grinned, "I would not have taken the chance. Would you be my consort?"

"I do not know you!"

"Then you are still naive. For I should kill you for that. But look - you see, there my archers line up now. Now it is honorable to attack."

"They are my soldiers! My villagers!"

The Takeda archers fired from below, and though their arrows did not always hit, the Chosokabe samurai inside were stuck. They ran out of the gates, and were promptly routed by Takeda cavalry at both sides, and Grace watched as they fled past their horses.

"And not a man of mine lost," Lord Takeda nodded, "You cannot rule as a daimyo as a woman - but I mean for my fourth son to hold the island of Shikoku when I have captured it, and I will reward one of my Takeda generals with it when I have conquered Japan."

"And what is to be of me?"

Lord Takeda glanced down, his face shaded, holding the reins.

"Why, I mean to take you with me. To show you how war really is. How battle is won. I will have you by my side as I reclaim Iyo and defeat clans Sogo and Miyoshi - how, even now, ships are ready to provide me reinforcements for when I march. I shall divide and conquer. Now is the time. The remaining clans want the Shogunate. I am as big a target as any. Will you accompany me?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You would rather sail to Kai, and play with the horses?"

Grace sniffed and pulled at the reins. She raised her chin.

"No. I will come with you. Because there is learning in what you have to teach me. But I will not marry you or - be your consort ."

Lord Takeda laughed, and as he rode, she with him, and all his army behind him but for the contingent now holding it secure, commanding repairs, adjusting taxes, raising levies, Lord Takeda smiled.

"You are not Japanese. No offence - but they pleasure a man better than - than you look like you could."

"Then I should be a geisha for conversation."

"You are pretty enough for it."

"Oh, stop." Grace pointed. "Look!"

" That way is our future. Would you one day see me Shogun?"

"I fear," Grace laughed bitterly, "I fear I can do nothing to stop it, even should I wish to prevent it. And any ambition in me makes me say, it would be better to be along for the ride. I do not want to commit seppuku."

"Then you are not completely with honor."

Grace smirked up at Lord Takeda.

"As you say, I am not Japanese … but then, neither are you ."