Calliope, the muse of epic poetry

Inspiration: Lord of the Rings.

Seigaku: Come on, doesn't Tezuka just fit this? Traditional, gentlemanly, heroic (especially in the Nationals OVA) and he could totally be the star of an epic.

"Heroes, enter!" came the booming voice from above the stone corridor where Tezuka Kunimitsu was stood with eight other people whom he'd never met before. One month prior, Queen Ryuuzaki had released a missive to all the heroes of the land. She had a challenge for them to complete and they would be heavily rewarded for their efforts.

He and the others proceeded to walk down to where the voice had echoed from and entered the grand dining hall of the Queen. She sat at the opposite end of the room on her gilded throne, her granddaughter's empty but by her side and her advisors seated along the edges of the long, slightly solemn hall.

"You have all responded to my calls and for this, I thank you," Queen Ryuuzaki began, her piercing eyes focussing on all of them in turn. When she looked at Tezuka, he could see the royalty in her gaze, as well as her professionalism and stoicism. Underneath was a glimmer of despair and a glimpse of hope.

"You may not be aware, but the Princess, my granddaughter, was kidnapped one month ago. She was taken by the exiled traitor Sasabe. I am challenging you to retrieve her, alive and as unharmed as possible. You shall each be rewarded 1000 guineas (1) for the successful completion of this task."

Her advisors looked shocked at their Queen and began to voice their disapproval at the reward money. She turned to them, with a glare that could peel the colour from her marble walls and hissed, in a tone Tezuka had only ever heard from a wyvern (2). "This is my granddaughter and the heir apparent to the throne. She deserves that amount of reward. I shall hear nothing to the contrary." Their objections were instantly smothered under her icy gaze and none dared to speak up against her imperial manner.

Satisfied that her advisors would remain silent, for now, she turned back to the heroes she had gathered, pinning them under her stare. "You all are rumoured to have special skills that have helped you become the most successful heroes in all of Seigaku, so I am counting on you to succeed," she stood from her throne and looked down at them from upon her dais.

"God speed gentlemen."

It was when they were in the middle of a clearing in the forest on the first night that they did their introductions properly. They were seated around a small fire, the crackles of the flames filling their ears and the warmth heating their cold fingers. None of them complained about the temperature of the night, as they were all probably used to it, but the fire was welcomed by all.

They were seated in a circle and Tezuka was sat next to one of the brunets and one of the raven haired champions. Everyone's features were shadowed and lit only by the melancholic glow of the fire; orange hues danced across their faces and their cheeks became rosy with the heat, as meagre as it was.

They sat in silence and their own personal musings until the sound of someone clearing their throat echoed loudly throughout the still glade. Eyes of different shades flashed towards the sound and Tezuka noted that at least half of the others reached for some kind of weapon. Tezuka himself had inched his left hand down to his ankle where a small dagger was sequestered in his deer-skinned boot.

The unfortunate person who decided it had been too silent for too long seemed to be regretting his decision to break it. He was now looking down the shaft of an arrow, had the firelight reflecting off the surface of at least three metallic weapons of varying types and even had a vial of oddly shaded liquid threateningly uncorked. The tall raven haired male flushed badly and tried to shrink in on himself, like a turtle Tezuka had once seen on a beach in the Hyoutei Kingdom.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle anyone. I just thought we should find out a little about one another before we set off on the journey," he apologised in a soft voice. There was a smattering of agreement around the fire, but no-one wanted to start. It wasn't easy to tell a group of strangers about yourself.

"I'll start, shall I," he continued, with a soft smile. "My name is Oishi Syuuichiro and I'm a healer. I don't have many offensive skills, but I can heal anyone who gets injured along the way."

Spurred on by Oishi getting the ball rolling, everyone seemed much more willing to take part.

"I'm Kikumaru Eiji, nya," the redhead with the blue eyes said. "My specialty is, well…" he trailed off but for an answer, he took several items out of his pockets. There was a collection of daggers and a few phials of liquid. Tezuka also noted his money pouch amongst the spoils, which alarmed him slightly as he always carried his pouch in his boot.

The others reached forward to retrieve their belongings from the pile next to the hearth, some sparing glares at the shamefaced Eiji. The next person to reveal their identity was the tall raven haired one who was wearing some spectacles that previously Tezuka had only seen worn by the Rikkaidai advisor.

"Inui Sadaharu. I deal in apothecary and poisons," Tezuka was unable to see his eyes as the firelight reflected ominously on the thick lenses of his eyeglasses. "I am also adept at research."

"Kaidoh Kaoru," the one wearing the cloth over his hair began, "and my field is interrogation."

"Any good at it?" Eiji asked and he received a glare and a hiss in return. Everyone around the fire felt a little shiver run down their spines at the sound but none admitted it.

"Momoshiro Takeshi, call me Momo," the introductions resumed and the raven haired with the violet eyes spoke up. "I'm a fighter. Mostly bare knuckled but I have a little skill with broad swords."

"I'm a fighter as well," the timid looking brunet spoke up. "I'm Kawamura Takashi. I fight mostly with long range weapons. I brought some pikes and spears with me." Tezuka noted absently that he didn't look like a usual pike or spear fighter. They tended to have a fierce look about them, whereas Kawamura looked relatively harmless. Relatively for this group.

"Saa, I suppose it's my turn then? Fuji Syuusuke," the shorter brunet with the brilliant blue eyes purred. "I specialise in reconnaissance and assassinations. I infiltrate courts well but I am also skilled with daggers." He was the scariest one of the group by far.

All eyes turned to the last two to introduce themselves. Tezuka and the other exchanged glances, mentally asking each other to go first. The other heaved a sigh and gave up before Tezuka's face had even changed expression.

"Echizen Ryoma. Archer," he said in short clipped tones and was apparently finished with that.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu. Swordsman," he performed the final introduction and everyone relaxed slightly, knowing some of what the others were capable of.

"So," Inui spoke, a piece of parchment and a quill in front of him, poised and ready, "how are we going to go about this? We know what town Sasabe is in but how do we get the princess back?"

They spent the rest of the night planning their journey.

"We need information."

It was a bustling market day when Kato Kachiro walked through town. He'd been given an errand by Master Sasabe to collect some vital items from one of the merchants and he was on his way back from the stall to the manor with his wares. He was being jostled by a number of people so he took no notice when he was bumped into a little harder than before. Unlike everyone else, the man that bumped into him actually stopped and apologised. He even paused to brush him down and make sure he was ok. Kato noted that he had a curious cadence to his speech and that he used the word "nya" a lot. He disregarded it as unimportant information though.

He thought nothing more of it until he got back to the manor and found his package missing. He tried to remember what the man looked like but couldn't remember anything. He was at a loss.

"We need to discover where Sasabe has been and where he was going."

Inui looked over the package with a careful eye. The contents were nothing special; a gaudy set of clothes for a party. The silken material was a colourful purple and was lined with fur. 'Mink,' he noted absently, running his fingers through it. There were a number of jewels sewn into the fabric, which Eiji had already asked if he could keep. The shoes that were also in the parcel were heeled leather with a brass buckle on the front. The kind only worn to elaborate parties.

Simply from looking at the clothing, Inui could deduce they were clothes for a party. The garish mask included in the bundle hinted as a masque as opposed to the usual kind of party found in this area.

It took him less than an hour asking around the local tavern to find that the Sasabe's were throwing a party for the visiting nobles from Rokkaku.

"We need to get into that party."

Fuji approached the luxurious manor doors with a proprietary air. Like he was king of the world and that the rest of the people present, despite their fancy clothing and perfect manners, were worthless. He was dressed to the nines and had endured much laughing from Momo about looking like a peacock. Fuji smiled evilly; he wasn't smiling now though, standing behind him as one of his valets (3). The other was Kawamura.

He walked straight up to the doors, despite his lack of ticket. He was firm and steady in his walk and didn't pause when a redhead brushed past him to deposit a finely printed piece of parchment into his hand. He reached to door and produced his ticket to the valet on the door with a flourish. It was confirmed and he was allowed entry. He walked inside the opulent hall, paying no attention to the commotion behind him. Something about a lost ticket.

Fancy that.

Inside was mass of elegantly dressed women and smartly clothed men. All were wearing masks to obscure their identity, which only helped in Fuji's mission. He slid into the crowd and sidled up to a group of men, quickly picking up on the topic of conversation and adding his bit about the farming trade. He talked and talked, flattering ladies and complimenting men everywhere he went. He told little about himself but he managed to learn about the Sasabes easily. He learnt that they had received a "package" a month ago and no-one knew what it was. There was much speculation about the mysterious delivery that was kept in the basement of the manor.

Fuji smiled and left, taking a crystal glass of champagne with him.

"We need to get into that basement."

Momo and Kawamura crept down the stairs, into the manor's labyrinth. They walked, even as the marble floor made way for the much less showy stone paving. The torch brackets on the wall became fewer in number and even fewer were actually lit. They were silent as they neared the basement.

As they approached a corner, they carefully inched their heads around to see the two people standing guard in front of a locked door. They were stood at attention, with swords at their waists. Momo and Kawamura exchanged a look and Momo leapt out from behind the wall.

"Hello, good sirs," he began, "I don't suppose you could show me the way back to the ball, could you?"

The two guards simply responded by readying their swords and running towards him. Momo simply stood his ground and waited for them to get into reaching distance. When they neared, Momo reached for the guard on the right and ducked under his forward thrust. He felt the sword parting some of his hair but paid it no mind. Instead he rushed forward unfalteringly and punched the guard under his chin with his left hand. He used the time that he spent fumbling from his missed strike and punch to disarm him and he used the flat of the blade to knock him unconscious.

Whilst he was occupied with the guard on the right, Kawamura had leapt out from behind the corner and tackled the guard on the left. He delivered a devastatingly powerful punch to his jaw that left him on the floor in seconds. As a precaution, he took his sword as well.

Both of them bound the guards with the rope they brought with them and unlocked the door they were guarding. They prepared themselves to see the princess in the room, so when the only thing they found were barrels upon barrels of wine, they were confused and unprepared. What did they do now?

"We need to know where she is."

The two guards woke up with splitting headaches and in an unknown location. They weren't bound to anything but they were in a cold stone room with only one entry. It was a thick wooden door that they had no chance of breaking. Not because it was heavy or impossible, but because of the threatening person sat in the only chair right in front of it. His cold grey eyes were fixed on them, unmoving and looking like he was hunting them. He hadn't moved an inch since they awoke, but his eyes were trained on them as they stood and moved back towards the wall.

"You will tell me where the princess is," he hissed in a voice as cold as death, "or I will get angry."

He stood and slouched over to them, looming threateningly. "You wouldn't like it if I got angry."

"We need to get into that tower." (4)

They were crouched outside the place where the guards had said the princess was being kept. Laid face down in the tall grasses, Tezuka glanced at those that had accompanied him for this stage. Echizen was to his left and Kawamura and Momo were on his right. Fuji was slinking somewhere in the background and Eiji was perched on a tree branch just in case. It helped to not be careless. As he always said: "Yūdan sezu ni ikō".

He, Kawamura and Momo approached the tower, slinking in the grass so as not to be seen. As they got closer, they could see the large number of guards posted outside the tower, heavily concentrated around the only door, bolted and locked on the outside.

Tezuka didn't doubt that there would be more guards inside that would come running at the first sound of a commotion. It would take too long to tackle them all before getting the princess, but they had little other choice.

The three stood and charged at the guards. Tezuka and Momo had their respective blades and Kawamura was brandishing a spear with a ferocity not normally seen on his face. They easily cut down the first six guards whilst they were wondering what was happening. They aimed for non-vital areas, hoping not to kill them as they would make valuable witnesses for Sasabe's trial.

They were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers that the other side offered. Tezuka lost sight of the other two and just had to trust in their abilities to defend themselves. He couldn't count how many blades he parried or how many thrusts and ripostes he delivered but he was tiring quickly. If this kept up, he wouldn't have the energy to tackle those inside the tower as well.

Just as he was worrying about this, the opponent he was fighting fell unexpectedly. He collapsed on his front with the shaft of an arrow protruding out of his back. In a flash, the others he, Kawamura and Momo were fighting fell in the same way. They glanced over to where Echizen had been laid to find him stood, unwavering in the breeze, his bow taut and poised to fire. He had three arrows cocked at once and let loose the volley, each one hitting its target successfully.

Tezuka wondered how skilled he truly was.

The outside was cleared and they regrouped momentarily before entering.

"They will be expecting us now," Tezuka noted dispassionately. He was met with silence and nods from the others until a voice spoke up. Aside from the introductions, he had yet to hear Echizen speak, so his voice came as a shock.

"They will be expecting us through the door."

The others thought about this carefully. "In order to keep her alive for at least a month, there would have to be one window," Tezuka said. Kawamura and Momo took this as a hint and sprinted around the circular tower. On the opposite side, there was a single window, at the top of the tower, open to the world.

It took Echizen less than ten minutes to rig one of his arrows with rope to let them climb up.

"We need to get the princess out."

The room was plain and Spartan. By the time they had all climbed up Echizen's rope, they were crowded around the small window. The stone walls were cold and the bed looked uncomfortable, sheet less in the cold autumn nights. There was a small, huddled form on the bed, shivering under the nightgown she was wearing; the nightgown she was wearing the night she had been abducted one month ago.

She looked up at the sounds of them intruding with wet brown eyes. She had a small smattering of cuts and bruises over her body, but she looked like she'd been kept in relatively good conditions.

"Who're you?" she asked, sniffling slightly.

"We were sent by Queen Ryuuzaki to rescue you," Tezuka replied, holding his hand out for her to take. She used it to lift herself off her bed and, as she stood, the others could see the chain that led from her left leg to a bracket on the wall.

Momo had a quick try at removing the chain but it was locked tight. In the end, it was easier to just snap the chain and get Eiji to take a look at it later. The princess looked like she wouldn't be able to handle going out through the window, so it became Echizen's job to guard her as the others cleared a path down the stairs. Echizen did not look impressed at his new task, but didn't complain. He just readied his bow, prepared to fire if he was needed.

The descent was easier as there were fewer guards, but the space was narrow and uncompromising, so Echizen's bow was of little value. They exited the tower and made their way to the horses they had gathered earlier for when they left. They seated the princess and Kawamura sat behind her to guide the horse. The others crouched around Eiji as he had a look at the chain around her ankle.

"It looks easy enough to remove," he said after a moment's contemplation and stood. As he turned to mount his horse, he froze. Ever so gently, he could feel the cold touch of steel to his neck and swallowed carefully.

"Don't move," a voice echoed from behind him and Eiji stopped breathing. The others, concerned at Eiji's lack of movement, looked back towards him and saw the bedraggled guard holding Eiji at the point of his sword. For a second that lasted a lifetime, no-one moved but then there was a breath of movement behind the guard.

Fuji had slunk out of the shadows and captured the guard in a parody of an embrace. His left hand was on the guard's wrist, restraining his hand and his right was caressing his neck with the wickedly sharp edge of a dagger.

"Let him go now," he whispered into the guard's ear. "There's a good boy now. Drop the sword, there we go." A flash and the guard was on the grass, unconscious.

"Now we have a witness," he said, a cheerful grin plastered on his face and he mounted his horse, easily dragging the unconscious weight of another man with him.

"Saa, shall we go?"

"We need to get her home."

After being healed by Oishi, who carefully wrapped the princess in bandages and salves, and having the chain removed by Eiji, they were ready to send the princess home. They entered the gates of Seigaku like conquering warriors, met in the streets by the people, cheering at their princess coming home. They were lavished in attention and were easily allowed access to the palace, the palace guards bowing them through.

The reunion of the royals was a restrained affair, what with all the council members present. Doubtless there would be a more emotional one in the privacy of their rooms later, but for now, Princess Sakuno simply bowed to her grandmother and regally sat in her throne without a second thought for the state of her dress.

Queen Ryuuzaki looked at those who had returned her granddaughter to her with gratitude. "Thanks to you, the princess has returned. You shall be rewarded and I personally thank you for your actions in this endeavour. I have something else to request."

She paused, whether to collect her thoughts or for dramatic effect was unknown, but she resumed quickly. "I would like you to stay here, as a team, to act in matters like this that may arise in future. You shall be handsomely paid and well cared for. Between tasks, if you would train my soldiers, I would be grateful."

The nine, who little more than strangers a month ago, exchanged looks, and deferred to Tezuka, each already knowing what the others would want.

One of the council members spoke up. "With all due respect, My Queen, these men are heroes. They should be doing tasks that befit heroes, not training your army," he scoffed. He was met by glares from the royals present and also from the nine in front of him.

"Don't presume to know what we want," Inui said and Kawamura nodded.

"Heroes can only exist in heroic worlds (5)," Fuji said, "Until there is need for us, we are regular men (6)."

"And to be a hero is to light a way for men to follow (7)," Tezuka followed. "Queen Ryuuzaki, we accept."

(1) One guinea is the equivalent of £1.05, so it's not that much different to £1000 in total, ballparking about $1300-$1500. It was considered a lot of money in the time I'm basing this, which would be just a vague 17th Century. In a fantasy land of course.

(2) A wyvern is a mythological creature with the head of a dragon, the hindquarters of a lizard (with or without legs) and a barbed tail.

(3) A valet (with the "t" pronounced) is similar to a butler. A valet (with the "t" silent) is someone who drives your car for you.

(4) Princess in a tower. I know, cliché, but it's an epic, and I didn't want to go too Greek. I really wanted to put in something about "Your princess is in another castle" but decided it would be too Mario.

(5) Nathaniel Hawthorne: A hero cannot be a hero unless in a heroic world.

(6) Christopher Reeve: I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming consequences.

(7) Felix Adler: The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by.

Next: Clio's History

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