As I cascaded down the steps, all eyes were fixed on me. The look of lust clouded one man's eyes, he watched me like a frog to an insect, as if I were his prey. He came to me quite happily and his lips lowered to my ear as he began to whisper softly. I wasn't paying attention to him I was too fascinated by the group of odd me, did my father hire them for protection? They look quite different from a normal samurai, stronger, deadlier. When he realized my mind was somewhere else he turned me to face him.
"I've never seen a princess so beautiful" I could feel his breath, and detect the smell of sake. He held a bright pink carnation and placed in my palms; in the language of flowers this meant love. Without a second to spare I let it slip from my fingers onto the floor were I then trampled them, in my language this meant 'not interested'. My father had seen from where he was standing and rushed over to the furious man.
"Hiroto, I see you have met my lovely daughter" my father said and the man gave a displeasing look.
"She has quite the attitude"
"Father who is this sad, sad man?"my father jolted at my words, trying to lessen the man's fury.
"This is Kanagawa Hiroto, an aristocrat to help aid us in the war". War? We are going to war? For whom and against whom? My eyebrow raised in questioning, my father always knew my signals, he sighed, a common thing he does when he about to explain a lot of serious information.
"We can to longer allow Nobunaga Oda to have his way, we must unite the ninja together and eliminate him" my father's determined eyes shined with a goal in mind.
"Unite the ninja? How do you propose to do that?" just then a man appeared behind me almost out of nowhere. He was in that strange group of men who have also completely vanished.
He walked out in front of me "Shall I explain your majesty?", my father nodded and he turned to look into my eyes "Setsuna. How great it is to finally meet our princess, the unifier, you have been blessed with a great task, a task that will undoubtedly change the world".
"How can I possibly do that?"
"I am a ninja of Iga, Hanzo Hattori and tonight princess we celebrate for what will begin, what you will do. Surely the people will follow a wise, mystical and beautiful woman like yourself. They will rise on your order to slay Nobunaga"
"You want me to slay Nobunaga? Have you hit your head?" I blinked and he smiled amused.
"We need a leader, someone who has the will to lead our country in the right direction. Someone with authority,eloquence and a heart of gold. We have searched for this very person and with our long search led us to you"
I scoffed "So I'd be some kind of ninja princess?" I said this in a joking manner but he nodded.
I took a few steps back in horror and knocked into something sturdy, I looked up to another man who had black hair, he also was in the strange group. Does that mean he is also a ninja? He looked down at me with cold eyes and three others joined him.
"You are our princess?" a dark haired man folded his arms "I doubt you've even held a blade in your life, yet you expect to be our princess?"
Well, of course I've never held a blade, or fought. I'm a sheltered princess who isn't even allowed to go outside. Suddenly being nominated for a role of a 'ninja princess' isn't exactly what I wanted to hear either. I wasn't suited for a position like this.
"This isn't exactly my ideal choice either" I retorted.
"Saizo" the other ninja with silver hair and an expressionless face said to the black haired man "If she is to be our princess you shall not disrespect her" and with that the one called Saizo clicked his tongue with annoyance.
"You're too nonchalant Kotaro.." Saizo back.
"I guess the rumors were true, a beauty unlike any other" said another with fiery red hair. He grinned as our eyes met and took my hand, he intended to kiss my it. Instinctively I pulled my hand back.
"Don't touch me!" my voice rose and the last of the ninja spoke.
"Goemon don't be so casually with our princess" he said.
"Classic Sasuke trying to play the hero, it's not like I'd do anything bad to her" Goemon said to him.
"We've all heard that story before" Saizo said under his breath.
Hanzo held up a hand and all of them immediately stopped talking. He again stood in front of me with his eyes beaming down on the four as if to scold them. "Are you ready?"
"This 'task' is far beyond me, I don't know how to fight, it's out of the question" I shook my head.
"We will train you, we will make you ready for this task" Hanzo tried to reason with me but I was adamant, that was to say until my father stepped in.
"Setsuna, I expect great things from you and with this you will receive one of the highest honors" my father's fingers interlocked "If you don't want to then be all means don't accept, it's a shame though, I thought you wanted to be free of this castle and see the world"
My eyes lit up, accepting this meant leaving? It meant I could finally leave? With excitement I held my hands together and a vase suddenly smashed onto the floor. My emotions affected the spirits who flew around me, when I'm happy they tend to be a bit hyper. They come and go as they please. And usually caused a ruckus when they did.
"Fine" I looked at the four of them begrudgingly "I'll train to be your princess, under one condition"
"What is it?" my father questioned with wide eyes.
"After this is over, I will be allowed to go where I please" he hesitated with his eyebrows looking worried. If he all of a sudden wishes for me become a symbol of peace and freedom I should be allowed to actually be free.
"Yes..you will be granted your freedom"
I once again looked to the moon and for some reason I can fathom, it looked all the more beautiful at that moment. Soon I can feel the moonlight beam down on me.