Chapter 30

KATSUGAWA TATSUYA-The Third Prince

The Third Prince of the realm couldn't believe his ears as he sat infront of his mother in a tent outside the capital walls. His men had been barred from entering the city by the Fire Temple and the Guardian Twelve, thwarting their plan of taking over the capital.

The two groups' actions were clear interference in the war of succession, yet they had a twisted justification for their actions. Their interference had been a massive hit for his campaign until he found her mother riding out to meet him deep into the night, pale as a sheet, her gaze filled with fear, in a state of panic and fear, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"What happened, Mother?" he questioned, for while the actions of the Temple and Guardian Twelve were troublesome. The war was far from over; they still held more men and alliances than the up jumped peasant.

She was still in a daze as her lips quivered. She looked up and put forward a scroll, and he didn't miss how her hands shook as he took it from her and began to read its contents.

"What is i...." but he stopped as he read over the contents of the missive. And it all began to make sense.

As he read over it again and again, trying to make sense of it, he failed and uttered out.

"What Does this mean?" he questioned, his own voice sounding cold and troubled, for while he could make little sense of why it all happened, he was able to make sense of what had happened.

Lord Hayama Mahiro, his grandfather, and all his retainers had been put under arrest by the Fire Temple on charges of treason, his lands now stood sealed, the man, nothing but a prisoner until his fate was decided in by a new daimyo.

"It means your grandfather has been found guilty of treason, of colluding with rogue elements to interfere in matters of the country, and that all his lands and resources are now under the control of the Fire Temple until a new daimyo emerges and decided on his fate," she answered her lips thinning as she looked up at him.

"But ho..." and he halted as it clicked together, the man from the Hidden Village, her grandfather associate, Shimura Danzo. Somehow, the Temple had caught wind of their connection and had stepped in.

"This is a disaster," he reasoned out as all the implications behind this declaration began to dawn on him. Tatsuya drove much of his power from his connection to his grandfather, and the resources of his land. Without his backing the war effort would become troublesome.

"Indeed, it is, and it couldn't have come at a worse time, when the world of it spreads many a lord will pull back their support from us. They may not lend it to that accursed Akihito Shirahoshi, but their desertion will only hurt us," she reasoned, and he nodded.

"With his recent victories, he has gained a certain clout as well, we need to do something," he added and she nodded as she wiped her eyes, as her expression hardened.

"That we do, for all intents and purposes we must consider all of the resources of my father lost to us till the end of the war. We must now plan ahead with that in mind," his mother added, and it was a big blow to them.

The weapons, the money, and the connections would not be easy to replace, and if her words were true, they would continue to lose support with every passing day. They sat in silence, their minds racing as they thought of the way forward.

"Half of the Guardian Twelve stand in our way while the other half protect the castle," he began as he looked towards his mother.

"I have thirteen Master Samurai under my command here. If we plan it right, we could try and overpowe..." she said quickly, cutting him off.

"No, that would be futile," and he frowned at that.

"They say two master Samurai could match a jonin, that is the rank of the Guardian Twelve. Yes, it would be difficult, but if we succeed..."

"Special jounin," his mother cut in, and he nodded.

"Yes, but jounin still," he reasoned, and she shook her head.

"No, not a jounin. The choosing of the Guardian Twelve is highly selective, two master Samurai maybe able to take on a regular jounin, though that estimate has many faults in it by itself. Yet these aren't those jounins. They will slaughter your men easily. We cannot make a move against the order. They are too powerful, and it would decimate the little support we have left," she replied, and the idea was shot down.

He didn't know what was so special about these Guardian Twelve, and it was often believed that a master Samurai could take on a chunin while two could take on a jounin. It was a crude comparison given their vastly different fighting styles, but still one that had been used as a reference for decades now.

"Then what? We cannot move forward, for they won't let us enter the capital, and the longer we stay here, the lower the support for our cause becomes. We need to act, and we need to do it now!" he gritted out.

"You are right, my son, but our options are limited. We must act cautiously. We have already lost the momentum. We must act responsibly," she added as she stood up and began to walk to the tent.

"We still outnumber him. His forces, while high on morale from their victory, will be tired," she began as she turned to face him.

And he finished her sentence.

"So, you believe we must strike at him rather than the capital," he questioned, and she nodded.

"Yes, apart from him no other claimant remains, he is the biggest thorn in our side. We cannot hope to take the capital as it is, and waiting for the funeral proceedings to conclude would only diminish our support and give him time to recover," she added, and it was sound advice.

"Then so be it. I will have the men make preparations. We shall attack that little peasant directly."

0000

KATSUGAWA MIYUKI

"The battle is over!" the words from Nakiri-san surprised her as she woke up early in the morning. After the tiresome day yesterday, she found herself asleep in Nakiri-san's arms and woke up in a daze, realizing that Akihito was attacking the Hayama lands.

"But how?" she questioned with a frown, as anxiety bubbled inside her, yet Nakiri-san's smile gave her a semblance of hope.

"Lord Hayama has been found guilty of treason, and so his lands and castles have been seized by the Temple until a new daimyo sits on the throne," she replied as Miyuki tried to make sense of her words.

Treason.In such a scenario, the Temple was forced to step in and make it so that it could only be.

"Shinobi?" she guessed, and Nakiri-san nodded.

"Indeed, you guess right. The man was colluding with shinobi, something that constitutes the level of treason in these times," she confirmed, and that was alarming.

"Is Akihito-sama fine?" she questioned, and Nakiri-san nodded.

"He is and rides back home with the men," she added as relief flooded her.

"This is a big win for us," added Nakiri-san, and she nodded as well, as elation filled her.

"It is," she agreed.

"Lord Hayama was the Third Prince's biggest backer; his connections, his men, and his gold were as much the Tatsuya's as they were his. With that gone, and Lord Hayama guilty of treason, the lords will have no choice but to support Akihito," she reasoned, but no affirmation came from Nakiri-san, as the older woman smiled ruefully.

"I believe it will not be as simple," she said as she helped her into her formal kimono as the servants braided her hair for today was a somewhat special occasion, and she needed to look regal and do her duty as the lady wife of Akihito Shirahoshi.

"Why do you say that?" She questioned.

The lords were mostly opportunistic men, driven by ambition. They must see that the Third Prince's cause has lost its heat and hence would turn away from him. She knew they had little love for herself or Akihito and that most of their actions would be driven by self-preservation and ambition rather than any sense of righteousness.

"I don't believe that the lords will be rather eager to support Akihito sama's bid for the throne," added Nakiri-san as Miyuki looked herself over in the mirror and found herself the perfect image of a noble wife.

"Why?" she questioned as Lady Nakiri's lips thinned.

"For while popular and known as a visionary, many a lord still consider Akihito-sama as an outsider, an upjumped peasant," and she could tell that Nakiri-sama was hurt by that sentiment by the way her fists balled up.

Yet, it also made sense. It was something she had overlooked. Most of the noble families had been elevated decades before their ascension. Akihito-sama's family, on the other hand, had only been elevated a generation before.

"Add to that the fact that Akihito-sama isn't a more traditional lord. They look down on him and would not wish to see him on the throne," Nakiri-san finished, and Miyuki nodded as she made sense of her words.

"Well, for their sake, I hope they come to terms with it sooner rather than later," she said, finishing her belief in her lord husband, and Nakiri-san smiled.

"Indeed, they should," and with that.

"Indeed, they should," and with that, the doors to the room opened as a servant entered and conveyed the message.

"My lady, they are here," she nodded. She looked over herself one last time in the mirror before mouthing to Lady Nakiri.

"Let's go."

.

.

Then she found herself outside the castle gates surrounded by guards on both sides, with Lady Nakiri behind her as Gin-san knelt down on one knee and greeted her ceremoniously.

"May I present Lady Himiko Chiba?" With that, the gates to the carriage opened as the Lady who was set to be Akihito-sama's second wife walked out of the carriage. Her height was greater than hers, and the lady in question was older as well.

Her hair was tied in an elaborate braid, and she had a small smile on her face as she glanced up at her. She couldn't help but notice how her lips seemed to turn up.

"I greet the moon of the and my empress, lady Miyuki. Please accept my humble greetings," she began with a bow, the words surprising her. She had expected a taunt, defiance, yet she seemed rather docile at first glance and had seemed to defer to her as one of higher status. Yet she didn't let the surprise show as she nodded.

"I welcome into these Halls, lady Chiba," she said as the older girl raised her head and smiled radiantly.

"You are truly gracious, my lady."

0000

Rin Nohara had thought her life ended when she had found herself captured by the Kiri forces. Yet in the end, her fears had been proven wrong, for she had found herself out of one group of Kiri nin into the hands of another.

Though her treatment had been different. She was still a prisoner yet was now afforded much freedom and had been assured of safety. And so she had found herself a guest in this massive castle in Water Country. She was not allowed to leave yet was afforded everything else.

And it was all because of this person, the lord of the castle who now sat opposite to her for the first time.

"Who are you? And why are you so interested in me?" she questioned and saw the young noble Prince smirk. His face was regal and sharp. He seemed only a bit older than herself, and his black hair flowed nicely behind him as he sipped his tea.

"I am Fushio Suzuki, the daimyo of the Water Country," he remarked, and the words stilled her. She had just insulted a daimyo, that was not good.

"And my interest in your well being is because I have been entrusted with it by someone I hold in high respect," he replied his words coming as a surprise to her.

"Who?" she asked.

"My brother-in-law."

"And who might that be?" she questioned with a frown as alarm bells rang inside her head.

"The fire daimyo..." he began with a smile as the severity of her situation began to dawn on her.

"...Akihito Shirahoshi."

And the only thing that went through her head was.

'What have you gotten yourself involved in Rin?'

0000

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