[Post here first!] Main Gate

To say that the Hizashi Estate was ill prepared to host the Empress and her entourage was an understatement. After all, her arrival was unprecedented before the abrupt announcement of the herald. The guardsmen who protected the daimyo and his home were roused from their sentry posts with the alarm of an approaching rider. The countryside home of Lord Hizashi flew into a flurry of activity as the estate guard was summoned to the courtyard beyond the gates. Among those men was the Captain of the Guard: Ashikaga Isao. Servants were dispatched to prepare the household and messengers were sent to find the studious Lord of the Hizashi. When thirty rank and file guardsmen were summoned to the courtyard Isao would signal for the gates to be opened.

Two armed and armored guards stood aside of the portal. The young commander, armored in an armor of deep indigo and laced in the splendid silks of a samurai, stood ready to receive the host marching on the mansion gates. Isao revealed his face by removing his kabuto, showing a stoic visage; his hair was mildly in disarray from wearing his helmet but otherwise like black silk with a piercing set of brown eyes. Beautiful patterned silks were identified as part of his gusoku-shita, kosode, haidate, hakama and suneate. He was the picturesque image of a proud Katashiman warrior.

Behind the samurai commander stood two columns of fourteen who lined the courtyard walkway leading to the estate proper. From the confines of the estate grounds the young Ashikaga walked outside of the gates with his eyes set hard onto the approach of the Empress. If the estate had been surprised he did not show it. He stood with the two swords at his hip unlike the yari his men behind him gripped in addition to their sidearms. When the procession arrived Isao prostrated himself on the ground, his forehead brought to the earth itself in a display of deep reverence. He would not rise until commanded to do do by his daimyo or the Empress herself.

With the leave of the Divine Empress the young samurai would stand but he would bow once more, from the hips and where he stood, to ensure his utmost respect was afforded to such an august guest. He bared his neck in the bow, a gesture that signified the utmost respect toward another. To do so was symbolic of offering one's life, for his neck was exposed to be beheaded - appropriate for one's Lord, no less the Empress herself. He seemed undaunted by the majesty of her entourage. It was apparent the estate was ill suited to receive such a sizable host. Nonetheless the estate staff scurried to and fro to prepare the mansion for such an esteemed guest and her entourage.

"My Empress, it is an honor to receive you this day," Isao spoke in practiced nuance, his attention to etiquette and stately speech a mark of his higher education. "On behalf of my Lordship, the honorable Hizashi Genji, I welcome you to his humble home."

He offered Suzume a curt nod and indicated with a hand to two guardsmen. Two armored samurai warriors stepped forward to receive the offered chest.

"On behalf of my Lordship, I thank you for your most generous gift. The Divine Empress need not provide such a bounty; her presence alone is a gift and I thank you." When formalities, etiquette and decorum were thoroughly observed the two men would escort the chest away to the estate coffers. Isao then returned his attention back to the Empress, his eyes hard set as his stoic resolve persisted. The young samurai adjusted the kabuto under his arm and replied.

"My Lordship is currently in meditation at this hour," Isao explained. "However, I have sent word of your arrival and I am sure he will receive you in short order. Until then, I would be happy to see to your comfort. If I might offer, my Empress, we can prepare you the finest tea inside or I might show you the gardens. As our guest, I would be honored to accompany you."

He inclined his head again and offered with his hand, gesturing to two paths: one led inside the estate, the other led around it and through the exterior gardens.

The Toku province was carefully governed by Hizashi Genji, a scholarly man who preferred noble pursuits opposed to military interests. While he was an accomplished warrior in his own right, his estate and province reflected his person: the gardens surrounded the estate were carefully tended and the countryside was generously governed. There was no sense of famine or banditry throughout that plagued other lands within Katashima. The land itself was rich and bountiful, a splendid glimpse for the eyes of an Empress deprived of views beyond her castle walls.

Isao accounted for the men who immediately stood behind the Empress. It was only appropriate a Lady of such esteemed station have a significant retinue of guardsmen to follow her person. He gave the six a cordial nod but otherwise focused his attention on Suzume. After all, it was only appropriate the highest ranking samurai in all the land was due the most attention. He would play the cordial host, attending the Empress until his lord had prepared himself to receive her. Due to the abrupt arrival of her, he was sure it would take a moment to adequately dress and ready the court.

So, the young Ashikaga warrior fell into stride beside Suzume as he escorted her around the estate through the beautiful gardens. Beautiful flowers of rich tsubaki, sumire, momo and sakurasou blossomed throughout among cultivated paths of meticulously laid stone. Archways of trees gently laid shadows for the Empress, Isao and her six retainers to pass beneath. As a gesture of ease he walked with his hands clasped behind his back and well away from his swords – he had no intention to such any harm was due to her.

“I am Ashikaga Isao, son of Lord Ashikaga Masaru, Daimyo of the Ashikaga, vassals of Lord Hizashi,” Isao carefully introduced himself and his rank. His station marked him as the son of a banner lord beneath Hizashi who faithfully served the Hizashi family. “I serve his Lordship as the Captain of the Guard here at the Hizashi Mansion. I command the samurai here sworn to his immediate service and protect the estate grounds from his enemies, my Empress.”

He inclined his head once more as he walked with her. He maintained that rigid sense of decorum, more so in the presence of six heavily armed and armored samurai prepared to do violence on her behalf. The samurai would not show it but he was nervous with her presence for he knew little of the recently ascended Empress. So, he adhered as closely to formality as he could. While he tried not to directly meet her gaze, his view occasionally slipped from the path to catch a glimpse of the woman by his side.

The gossip of court was beyond the young samurai. The reason Suzume had never seen the young lord was because he had never been in attendance of the Imperial Court in Mitzushima. His father, the vassal lord Ashikaga Masaru, had generally represented his family or one of his dutiful retainers. Isao was far too young, far too entrenched in his youth training, to have been submerged into the affairs of court. So, while courtiers whispered silken promises and poisonous lies behind their fans, Isao was none the wiser to such inappropriate words. In the eyes of the young Ashikaga the Empress was just and it was the will of Heaven that she ruled in absence of a man.

When she paused atop of the bridge the indigo clad samurai stood beside her. The late spring day was beautiful to behold as the wind whispered through the gardens. The sun stood high in the sky and pale blue skies stretched far across the heavens in inviting quality. The day was perfect and a painter’s touch could not capture its beauty. As the natural yet artistically cultivated gardens sighed around them, with their scents enrapturing the senses, Isao felt disarmed. It was an odd sensation to be in the company of one of such importance and a small detachment of no doubt highly skilled warriors.

With the question poised Isao turned his eyes fully upon the Empress. “If you might excuse me, my Empress, I cannot readily admit to whether my Lordship shares a love for the other great lords of the land,” he politely intoned. “However, he has parlayed with many great men, of low and high station, in the line of his duty as daimyo. You would be inclined to speak with my master personally on the matter. He is, above all, a sincere man and has little to hide from you if you so ask.”

His own sincerity was evident with his words which flowed with careful precision yet a comfortable ease. Disarmed as he was, he spoke truthfully on the matter to the inquiring lady. Isao was only vaguely familiar with the matters regarding the Empress and the Yanata Clan. Such affairs were beyond him – the politics of the Imperial bureaucracy, the great clans of Katashima and other stately affairs were not of his realm. He could more readily speak of the martial arts, the gentle arts and of calligraphy if she was curious but he felt inept to provide deep discourse on external affairs. Lord Hizashi would provide a far keener insight.

Isao would watch as a falling leaf met the course of the babbling stream beneath the bridge and was whisked away on the current. His dark eyes followed the leaf and in that moment he was struck with inspiration. For the first time since her arrival the young samurai shared a small, genuine smile. With a resolve to capture the moment, the young samurai constructed a poem. He spoke slowly in a poetic tempo as he offered it aloud to his divine companion.

“Leaf borne unto wind,
Falls gracefully onto stream,
Carried gently on.

Spring season promises life,
Turbulence stirs new questions.”

The tanka poem he constructed perfectly captured the moment while at the same time had a deep, insightful and thought provoking quality. Within the beauty of the moment he explored the principles surrounding her arrival. In a moment as quickly as a falling leaf, Isao veiled that exposed smile. His face resumed a passive, stoic as stone appearance. His eyes flickered to her, curious about her appreciation of the arts. A cultured soul promised much and spoke volumes of character. Perhaps he tested her own identity in such a small yet meaningful way.

Like a leaf on the surface of a flowing stream, neither Suzume nor Isao could alter their course. Fate was mercurial in its paths it placed before people – peasants, samurai and daimyo were all subject to the will of Heaven. Even the Empress was a vessel for Heaven to enact its will on Earth. Isao watched the fleeting image of her vanish from the surface of the stream as she climbed over the bridge. The footsteps of six armed and armored samurai followed, with or without the young commander. Isao sensed a great displeasure within the Empress. Had he misspoke before her presence? He was quick to follow, to maintain her presence so that the Lord of the Hizashi would not be caught off guard.

It was true that an Emperor had not visited the lands of the Hizashi in many, many years. From his understanding of history, the Imperial family seldom made its way beyond the lands of Mitzushima, no less the prefectures governed by the great daimyo. By all accounts this was a momentous occasion. While nerve wracked with her arrival, Isao had the breadth of understanding to know her visit heralded good tidings. The lands of the Hizashi would benefit from her presence. He was even sure the courts would be abuzz with her time with Lord Hizashi – the Empress had chosen to visit Genji, first and foremost, out of her most direct vassals. Any courtier worth his weight would leverage this fact.

Isao returned to her side, his stride eased as they continued through the gardens. He pondered her intention here in the remote Katashiman countryside. While beautiful and robust in its appearance, the Hizashi lands could be viewed rustic and far too rural for the tastes of a lady raised in the Imperial courts. Life here was far too different to be understood. Perhaps she had grown all too quickly bored of the gardens themselves? He had no idea how to cater to the selective tastes of an Imperial princess – no less the ruling Empress of Katashima. This reality stirred a desire to impress her in some manner. The poetry, if her words were sincere, had been a point in his favor. However, he wondered if her patience was being tested.

Time was fickle when intimately pressed as it was. So, he resolved to keep her entertained less her time in the Toku province be considered anything but hospitable. His eyes swiftly cut to her as he searched for words. “I take it you enjoy poetry, my Empress? You humble me with your appreciation of my tanka,” he spoke with a bob of his head. “However, if I may be so bold… I might share with you additional poems I have written and composed. In fact, I would be honored if you allowed me to compose something in honor of our meeting. These lands are truly blessed with the light you bring to us.”

He hoped she would appreciate the gesture. He was grasping for straws – if the Daughter of Heaven was anything less than satisfied, he worried for his Lordship. Isao was thrust into a dangerous position by meeting with the Empress before his lord. However, duty demanded he stand ready to the task. The young Ashikaga was not quite prepared to parlay with such a divine guest yet he stood undaunted before her.

    Roused from meditation in a private room by a few servants, the lord Genji of Hizashi domain understood he was being visited by the Empress. His heart began to pound, and he quickly suppressed any visible representation of such a fluster.
    "Very well."

    He stood to his feet, adjusted his swords and his haori, and strode out into the gardens. Fortunately, Genji was well dressed for the occasion, having chosen one of his more complex, flamboyant attires that presented him in flashy reds and purples, good for staying at home with expectation of a rather festive evening, but presenting his wealth and status appropriately for any unannounced guests. Walking alone, he approached the Empress and Isao, and to the former he bowed suddenly, pressing his forehead to the smooth stones that made up the pathways that wove thoughtfully through the quiet garden. He spoke sparse words of welcome, and awaited her instruction to rise.
    "Ah... Suzume-heika! It is an honor."

She smiled gently at how flustered Isao became by the offer. Oddly enough, he seemed like such an innocent, although she knew that her father's reign had been wrought with strife between the daimyo, so no doubt Isao had been to battle before. Even so, there was an innocence about him that made Suzume feel.... old.

When Lord Genji approached, he bowed low to the ground as Isao and the Hizashi samurai had done, and the Empress bowed her head with respect to him as well. The six samurai that accompanied Suzume also bowed with deep respect, although they rose more quickly than Suzume did, given they wanted to keep guard over the Empress. "Daimyo Hizashi," she murmured quietly in greeting. "Please, rise."

Isao briefly explained himself, and then bade his good-byes. She nodded her head to him as well, her lashes swept over her cheeks as her gaze lowered, her golden jewelry and decorations in her hair quietly chiming. When she lifted her dark gaze again, it was upon Genji.

"I must beg your forgiveness, to force myself and my people upon you and beg hospitality. Your warriors and the Lord Ashikaga have been most welcoming, and your countryside most beautiful."

The young samurai bowed. First, he bowed to Empress. Secondly, he bowed to Lord Genji. The order was important as the strength of their importance was observed. Additionally, he bowed lowest to Suzume whom he bowed to a near horizontal position from the hip. When his courtesies were formally observed he readily departed the presence of greater samurai to attend his duties directly as indicated. Isao would meet with the attendants, hatamoto, karo and other dignitaries with the Empress overseeing her envoy. The Hizashi Clan and the Empress personal retinue would work together to ensure her stay was safe and hospitable. No doubt a wing of the mansion would be prepared for her presence and housed with her most direct, personal staff. So, the young commander would begin to coordinate security with her guard.

The Swordmaster and his pupil would be received by none other than the young samurai they had met before: Ashikaga Isao. Omura and Isao had sicne returned to the Hizashi Mansion, in which the two would find was far busier than was normal. In fact, a great many Imperial banners were flown at the mansion gates on their arrival as a swelling encampment surrounded the small keep. The young swordsman looked as surprised as the two likely were to see the other. Imperial guardsmen from Mitzushima and Hizashi retainers were all buzzing around the gates but in that instance Isao had happened by the gates.

"Lord Genji is currently unavailable attending a distinguished visitor," Isao politely informed the two.

"If I might suggest, I would invite you inside and I will inform him of your arrival. He will of course attend you when his schedule permits, mina-san."

The young Ashikaga nodded his head as his eyes cut between the two with an almost impassive quality. He was readily armed and armored for battle, wearing an indigo yoroi as a part of his duties. A heraldic device signifying his role as the Captain of the Guard hung from his armor. He would step aside, flanked by two guards, and gesture through the gates into the interior compound courtyard and the manse beyond. He was admittedly surprised to be visited by the two so soon. However, he was happy the young woman was in good health.