Fortunately, in the time Maria had been unconscious, Lady Berg had kindly had her formal suit washed and repaired, meaning Maria had something to wear when she went to the castle to see the rescuees.
It was very embarrassing, how she was imposing so much on Lady Berg. And unlike with Katarina, she couldn't just pay the woman back with baked goods. And Maria didn't feel comfortable offering to kill any of her political enemies in the night.
A problem for another time.
She was unarmed in this instance, not having had time to replace her absent sword with anything. Still, it was gladdening when the guards she passed gave her respectful nods in any case. Was it presumptuous to think of it as the approval of peers?
"M– Lady Campbell!" Katarina greeted, interrupting her conversation with a female knight in almost parodically heavy plate armor that looked as if hewn from stone. Maria couldn't help shuddering at the deathtrap, which was basically just asking to have your head torn off by beasts. The knight's head seemed strangely undersized without a helm on. "You remember Lady Lalatina? We borrowed her carriage." Ah, that was why the crest on her chest seemed familiar, it had been on the carriage. "She's a member of the Rocks of Havel, and has been helping us get new clothes for the rescuees."
For a wonder, the bow the Lady Dustiness gave Maria was very smooth despite the heavy weight she wore, a gesture Maria returned. "Lady M– Campbell," the knight said. "It is an honor to finally meet you."
"The honor is mine, Lady Dustiness," Maria said. "I apologize for leaving before we were properly introduced, but I had a beast to deal with."
"Apology accepted," Lady Dustiness said. "I only wish you had said something so I could have provided assistance. Have you considered joining one of the knightly covenants?"
"Not at this time," Maria demurred. "I fear I shall be busy for some time."
"Ah, yes, I completely understand," Lady Dustiness said. "However, if there is any assistance you need to help succor these poor souls, please let us know."
Maria almost demurred… then paused. "Actually Lady Dustiness, there is one thing. A personal matter that you may be able to provide a reference for so I may deal with it."
"And that is?" Lady Dustiness said.
"Can you recommend where I might find good horses? Ones capable of bearing great weight? I believe I will have need in future."
Lady Dustiness looked down at her armor. "I think it can help with that…"
Chiharu couldn't help running her fingers over the clear, smooth skin on her arm. Already the paleness had faded and if she hadn't known where it was, she couldn't have said where she had once been burned…
She shuddered, and once more tried to exile those thoughts into the deep, misty-valleys of her mind, where it would hopefully rot and be torn apart by wild monkeys.
Many of the others seemed to be doing the same. After being brought to this palace of stone by Claes-dono, they had summoned Healing Onmyōji to tend them of the wounds caused by hardship and the beastly men who obeyed the will of the Fire Onmyōji bandit. The men and women they had brought had not been as strong as the Onmyōji shinobi who had healed her and slew the skin-bound Shura who–
Chiharu shuddered, and closed her eyes, reminding herself she was free of that man, that she had been saved and he slain, his body thrown in a well. Her fingers ran over her skin once more…
Most of the others in the sleeping-hall they had been granted the use of were quiet, still bewildered by their change of circumstances or unable to accept they were free. Many slept, tossing and turning as nightmares plagued them. A few nursed upset stomachs from overeating, having forged themselves on the heavenly-seeming food they had been given for breakfast, a far cry from anything most had in a long time. Chiharu missed rice and sometimes woke crying to dreams of eating it with pickles and soy sauce…
The door to the sleeping hall was opened in an energetic way they were all coming to recognize, and Claes-dono strode in, her smile shining like the sun. "Good morning!" she said in Ashinago, if in the informal tongue peasants used. "How's everyone feeling? Did you have a good breakfast?"
There were some groans from those nursing stomach aches.
Claes-dono nodded in knowing sympathy. "Yes, I understand. Breakfast food is delicious, and I sometimes eat too much too. Will you be all right? Do I need to call one of the Onmyōji of Light?"
Chiharu had arisen, moving carefully in the strange foreign clothes. After so long in rags or naked, having any clothes at all was a relief even the strange garments of this land. Somehow, she had become the one to speak to the foreigners, especially to this Ojou-sama who seemed the only one who spoke their civilized tongue. "If it would be no trouble, Claes-dono, I believe it would be appreciated," she said, trying to remember the scraps she knew of how one was supposed to address a noble. She suspected at least some of the women with them had once been nobles, disgraced or disowned daughters cast out for one sin or scandal or another, but if so they were among the most silent, as if the fall of grace had robbed them of all will. Ironically, this had made them less appealing to the Shura bandit, who had chosen Chiharu because she 'had spirit'–
Chiharu shuddered again, willing herself to stillness, to not break down in fear and panic–
A hand patted her on the head. "There, there," Claes-dono said, her face saintly and gentle. "It's okay. No one will hurt you anymore. You're safe here. "
Chiharu gathered herself, and in so doing saw the woman who had entered the sleeping hall behind Claes-dono.
Her clothes were different, no longer wearing one of the strange, puffy kimono with the wide skirt, but rather dark clothing, with a hat and coat of what seemed darkened leather. Though she bore no visible weapons or tools, the pale-sunhaired woman looked every inch the sort of shinobi that this land would have.
"Ah, I forgot," Claes-dono said, raising her voice to be heard and drawing the attention of all the Ashinajin. "Everyone, know that this is Campbell Maria-chan, a noble and heroic samurai of the Land of Sorcier. She's the one who saved you all and placed you under her protection."
Chiharu reflected in a distant, panicked way that Claes-dono must have been of much higher rank than she seemed if she could so glibly address a powerful samurai so informally. Was Chiharu going to be executed for her presumption?
"As she has still not learned Ashinago, she had asked me to translate for her in speaking to you," Claes-dono said. She exchanged glances with the shinobi– for she was undoubtedly a shinobi, naming her samurai aside– and the sun-haired woman stepped forward, drawing their attention.
To the surprise of Chiharu and everyone else, she bowed low, as if she were apologizing. She spoke in their incomprehensible tongue, and Claes-dono spoke for her.
"'I apologize for not having arrived sooner, and of being ignorant of your plight for so long'," Lady Claes said. "'You have all needed to endure pointless suffering because of my failure. I have little to offer, but I grant you my protection, for what little it is worth. I own a small estate and house. It is not much, but I open its doors to you until you find a home you wish to call your own. We are far from Ashina, but if you wish to return to your homes, then I will aid you all I can.' Um, does anyone want to take her up on her offer? I mean, I understand if you don't want to stay here, so far from the rest of your family…"
At the mention of her family, Chiharu shuddered again. Those ghosts tried to rise up from the misty-valleys, wielding spears of lightning as in the old tales of the gods against the dragons, but she had long learned how to beat them back. They no longer held power over her.
And looking around at the others, Chiharu recognized the look.
"If I may be so bold, Claes-dono," Chiharu said softly, "Many of us have no homes to go back to that would take us."
One of the women Chiharu suspected was of noble birth started to sob.
Hesitantly, someone raised their hand. It was the dragon-kin child, with her scales at ankles and neck, skin and hair like bleached bone, and eyes like a serpent. "Are there fields to run on in your estate?" she said in this land's tongue, according to Claes-dono.
"Yes," the shinobi said, according to Claes-dono. "I have many fields, and many children who would not mind having a new friend to play with."
"Play? They'd play with me?"
"As much as you want."
"That would be very nice. When can I go?"
At this the shinobi hesitated, and an expression like embarrassment came over her face. "In seven days. Your rooms still need to be prepared. I am sorry for the delay. Do you still wish to go?"
"Yes, please," the dragon-kin girl said. For an envious moment, Chiharu wondered how she retained her innocence…
"Then I shall take you there in seven days," the shinobi said. "You and all who wish to come. You may think on it until then. I take my leave."
Making a shallower bow, for some reason placing their hand to their heart– a gesture of these lands?– the shinobi glanced at Claes-dono.
Claes-dono said something to her in their tongue, and the shinobi nodded and left.
In their part of the sleeping hall, two of the Gerudo women looked at each other.
"Wathini?" one said in their strange foreign tongue.
"Sidenge, uyazi ukuba andithethi ulwimi lwabamhlophe," the other said, sounding exasperated.
"Ah…" Claes-dono said, looking nervous. "We really need to find someone who speaks Gerudogo…"
Chiharu did not know what the others would decide, but she knew her answer. The shinobi had saved her from the Shura bandit. There was no safer place than at her side.
Bad Google Translate Xhosa:
What did she say?
Fool, you know I don't talk white people language.