Chihiro hadn't made a scene as she was escorted away from her father. Everyone thought she was being quite reasonable, but really she was too numb to react just yet. The knife she always carried on her, the knife her father had given her as a gift and her mother had taught her how to use as a samurai's wife or daughter should, was taken away before she ever even thought of using it. What they thought she would do with it she wasn't sure, but still it was taken away. She was escorted to a room with several men in armor standing before the door, two older women were waiting for her inside. The women chattered at her the whole night through, saying things like "duty" and "great honor" and much more that Chihiro soundly ignored. She simply sat in one place, staring at a fixed spot on the wall.
As if on a loop the traveling monk's words ran through her head: "We looked into the village's records and found that though the drought certainly got much worse three years ago it actually started a few years before that. Seven years ago, the same year you were spirited away..." So it had come back to that again, it felt like every time she turned around lately someone was talking about the time she was spirited away as a child.
Some time later, with the sky still dark and full of stars, the room was suddenly invaded by a horde of women. They crowded into the room carrying various things, including the many layers of the wedding kimono she had helped make. Chihiro silently complied with every order she was given, letting them strip her of her own clothes, obediently holding still as they washed her, holding her head in whatever position they asked as they applied make up and styled her hair, standing perfectly still as layer after layer of white silk were wrapped around her. Her silence must have unnerved them because at least one of the women was always chattering inanely on. As she stood with arms outstretched while the sash was being tied Chihiro curled her fingers in and felt the embroidery along the sleeve edge. Cranes frolicking among rolling waves, probably stitches she had carefully put in herself.
Lady Tachibana came into the room and inspected everyone's handiwork. "Yes, good work, she looks very well. All except that sour face. Chihiro, you needn't smile, but must you look as if you were trying to slay us with your eyes? You should feel honored, being offered as a god's bride is a great distinction."
Chihiro turned her hard stare on Lady Tachibana, "Would you feel the same if it was Tomiko being offered?"
Lady Tachibana's face turned an unbecoming shade of red, "Why you insolent little peasant!" She moved to slap Chihiro, but one of the other women stepped between the young woman and the noblewoman.
"Chiyo, don't do anything disgraceful. Not today, not to Miss Ogino."
Lady Tachibana reeled back as if the older woman had slapped her, her face darkened even further as she glared haughtily at Chihiro, "Remember your duty, girl. Remember why you are doing this and why it must be you and no one else." With that she flounced out of the room, leaving the others to sigh in relief.
The older woman who had stepped in front of Lady Tachibana turned around to face Chihiro, "The ceremony will begin soon, do you have any last wishes or words you'd like to say?"
Chihiro briefly looked the woman over, then returned her gaze to the wall. Let her retort to Lady Tachibana be her last words, anything else she might have said she didn't want sent along second hand.
Someone said, "It's time," and Chihiro was ushered out into the courtyard where a crowd had gathered in little, huddled groups around lit lanterns. Everyone was dressed in the most extravagant outfits she had ever seen, a tall boy in clothes too big for him hurried over with a parasol he lifted over her head. In the east the sky was just barely beginning to brighten. The groups move to line up in two neat rows facing the mansion's gates. Chihiro wondered over that, she hadn't put much thought into where the ceremony was to be held but she hadn't even considered that it wouldn't be at the Tachibana family shrine.
With the chiming of bells the procession began, a slow crawl that would lead who knew where. It seemed ages just to exit the Tachibana grounds, Chihiro stared out at everyone who had gathered to watch the procession pass by. It felt like the whole village had come out, many of them faces Chihiro knew very well. She was struck by how thin and miserable every last one of them looked, and then dismayed with herself for not noticing the obvious sooner. Of course they were thin and miserable, hard times did that to everyone. Even little Haruki had grown noticeably thin and wiry over the summer. Sweet little rambunctious Haruki, who now slept through half the day and always wolfed down what little food they had as if he hadn't eaten in a week. Mother had grown thin too, she always gave herself such small portions so the rest of their family could have that little more. There was so little to go around anymore.
They were passing by her home, but her family wasn't outside watching like the rest of the village. Between all the skinny, dirty villagers lined up along the roadway she saw the grounds around their home, the ground all torn up and all the trees missing. Some stones were piled up next to the house but they hadn't been arranged yet. Chihiro looked away, bowing her head to hide the painful sight of her once beautiful home in such a sorry state. Her family wasn't there to see her go, she wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad. She never got to give them a proper farewell.
The young woman silently followed the procession, not lifting her head until suddenly everyone halted. She looked up to find herself right at the foot of a bridge. The Bridge. The largest bridge in or around the village, the one she had been told she fell from as a toddler and then swept ashore by the current despite how anything else that had ever fallen from the bridge was quickly dashed against rocks. Further up, at the very center of the bridge, she saw the wandering monk and a priestess waiting for her next to a shrine. Probably hastily put together for today. Chihiro had to suppress the laughter that was bubbling up through her, it all made sense now. The river! Of course they were trying to gain favor with the god of the river. The same river she had never feared for as long as she could remember. When others said the waters were too swollen from the summer runoff or a recent storm Chihiro had fearlessly shed her clothes for a refreshing swim. She danced over the rocks of the rapids without a second thought she hadn't wanted to bother going all the way to The Bridge to cross over. She laughed when others were too fearful to wade out past the shallows to get at the cleanest water away from the muddy shore. Looking out over the dark, seemingly sluggish water she realized even now she didn't fear the river at all. She stood tall and straight as she stepped onto The Bridge and slowly walked towards the monk and his shrine. She idly wondered if she would be swept ashore like she had as a babe all those years ago.
Before she knew it the ceremony was half over and a cup of wine was offered to her. Chihiro took the cup, sipped from it, then flung the remaining wine, cup and all, over the railing and into the river. Then she hitched up her skirts and stepped up onto the railing. It was a struggle to get up there, the layers of white, embroidered silk were heavy and the sash was restrictive. Several hands reached up and tried to pull her down to safety but they wouldn't be enough, she heard footsteps pounding up The Bridge but they wouldn't be in time. Fingers fisted in the expensive fabric, she stepped out into space "just as if she expected to step onto solid ground" others would later tell the story. There was a glorious moment of short lived free fall before Chihiro hit the muddy water below.
Thank you YarningChick, glasshibou, RainDragonSpirit, morninwarri0r, and James Birdsong for you kind reviews! Also a big thank you to Catsafari for patiently and generously giving your time to help me get this story written.
I would think Chihiro had other weapons hidden on her person. All throughout history in every part of the world women's fashion has been driven by the weapons women chose to hide on their person. Large, round jewelry, especially rings, came into fashion in western Europe as an easy way to sneak poison around. And hat pins at the turn of the last century are a truly interesting subject. But enough of that, we're now officially past the half way point! Thank you everyone who's read so far and I hope you stick around for the rest, someone very important is finally going to make an entrance next chapter.