Chapter
II
Nobuko rode her horse far away from
the palace grounds, through a forest and at last came to a quiet little
village. “Okay,” she said “I’ll rest here for a while, get some more food and
water and tend to my horse. Then I’ll continue my journey some more”. She had
packed up some food and a canteen of water, before she left, but it was always
a good idea to stock up just in case. In her bag, Nobuko also kept three small
bags of money; she had saved up the money from her salaries for a long time and
Tetsuya left her some money before he died as well. She took her horse to a blacksmith
to have its horse shoes checked. Then she bought some rice and pork buns and
filled up her water canteen from a well.
After getting everything she needed,
Nobuko was just about to leave when she heard a scream. Three thieves were in
the village and right now they were threatening someone to give them money.
Nobuko got angry with that, she hated thieves. “Stop that!” she shouted, in a
manly voice. Nobuko had decided to sound like a man whenever she spoke to
someone; she worried that talking in her real voice may give her real identity
away. The thieves stared at her. “Trying to stop us are you?” said one of them.
“Yes I am” Nobuko replied. The thieves laughed. “Let’s settle this pest with a
sword fight” said one of the thieves. “Good idea,” said another and turned to
Nobuko “if you wish to stop us you will have to fight us first”. “I accept,”
said Nobuko “but I wish to fight in an open field. It’s too crowded to fight in
this village”. The thieves saw nothing wrong with that.
As soon as Nobuko and the three
thieves got into a field outside the village, they drew their swords at once.
Of course the thieves decided to attack Nobuko all at once. Bad people never
fight fair. But Nobuko showed no fear. Thanks to the training Tetsuya gave her,
she was able to defeat the thieves with no trouble at all. “Now I suggest you
leave and don’t come back here again, unless you wish to die” said Nobuko,
pointing her Katana at them. The thieves ran away in terror, leaving their
swords and belongings behind.
Nobuko was just about to pick up the
thieves belongings, when she heard a sound of clapping behind her. It was a
middle-aged man, dressed in a green kimono, with a greyish green hakama and a
dark green haori. He was carrying a black, white and grey falcon on his
shoulder “You’re not bad with a sword” he said. “Thank you, but who are you
sir?” said Nobuko. “I am who they used to call General Masao Takeda” the man
said. Nobuko was surprised by that. She had heard of General Masao; he used to
be the general of Emperor Hisashi’s father, the late Emperor Yoshitoshi. But
General Masao also disappeared not long after Emperor Hisashi took the throne
twenty two years ago. “I am honoured to meet you General Masao,” said Nobuko
“but where have you been all this time? Everyone thought that you were dead”.
“I did not die,” replied Masao “but I cannot explain what I did to you now,
because right now I have some traveling to do, and I’d prefer it that you came
with me. I need a strong samurai like you around for a companion”. Nobuko was
surprised about this but she agreed. “I’d be honoured to travel with you
General Masao” she said, bowing to him. ‘Maybe General Masao could help me’ she
thought. “Very well, but I must ask for your name first before we go” said
General Masao. “I am Nobuo Okamoto” said Nobuko. Nobuko didn’t want to use her
real name, just in case it would also give her real identity away. So in her
disguise form, her name would be Nobuo. “Very well,” said General Masao “come
now it is time to depart”. The villagers, who were threatened by the thieves,
were grateful to Nobuko for sending the thieves away, and they gave her a small
bag of rice to say thank you. Nobuko accepted the gift, gave back the things that
the thieves stole from them and was happy to have helped them. General Masao
and Nobuko, gathered up their things, got onto their horses and left the
village.
Meanwhile back at the palace, Emperor
Hisashi had just been informed that the servant girl Nobuko had left the palace
without permission. “Do you want me to send someone to bring her back my lord?”
General Takeshi asked Emperor Hisashi. “There is no need for that,” said
Emperor Takeshi “one missing servant girl doesn’t matter to me. But there is
one thing that does matter to me. General Takeshi, do you remember when my
sister, Princess Annika, ran away twenty two years ago?” “Yes my lord,” said
General Takeshi “I also remember the day, eleven years ago, when we found out
that she had died after giving birth to a boy, two years later after she ran
away”. “Yes,” said Emperor Hisashi “and that is what is on my mind. The boy she
gave birth to would be twenty years old by now; the right age to take the
throne away from me. And since we also found out that General Masao was tending
to the boy, there is no doubt that it has become a fine strong man by now. So I
want your men to find General Masao and my sister’s son, and dispose of them
before they get here. Got that? The throne belongs to me and me alone, and I
will never surrender it to General Masao or that boy”. Apparently he was the
type of ruler, who would kill his own family members just to remain emperor.
“And if there is anyone else travelling with them, dispose of them too”. “I
understand my lord,” said General Takeshi “I will send my men off at once”.
“Before you do,” said Emperor Hisashi “get me my skilled huntsman, Shigeo
Morita. I have a task for him”. “Yes my lord,” said General Takeshi and left to
give his men his orders.
Emperor Hisashi smirked to himself. “My
sister may have escaped me by dying,” he said to himself “but General Masao and
the son of my sister will not. And since my curse is still upon them, getting
rid of them should be no trouble at all”. At that moment Shigeo Morita entered
the room. “You wanted to see me my lord?” he asked. “Yes Shigeo,” said Emperor
Hisashi “I have a special job for you. General Takeshi’s men are hunting down
General Masao and his son, but what I want you to do is this. I need you to
hunt down a wolf”. “A wolf?” asked Shigeo. “Yes there is a grey brown wolf
around that is a threat to me. There is a young man who travels with it only at
night time. If you find the man, you will find the wolf. Your task is to kill
both the wolf and man”. “Why is this wolf a threat to you my lord?” asked
Shigeo. “Your job is to hunt,” said Emperor Hisashi “not to ask me questions.
Now go, I want the wolf and man dead as quickly as possible. And once you do
kill them bring their bodies to me”. “I understand my lord,” said Shigeo, and
he left for his hunt.
