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[Celestia]

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Yoshi Shimakaze awoke to the sounds of late spring and the buzz of hummingbirds outside her window. The plum blossoms had just fallen and the ground was covered with a bluish pink hue that moved in waves as the light breeze crossed the courtyard. Even the ponds within the walled estate were awash with floating pedals. She smiled for even in this strange country her new home was alive with the familiar. She was thankful her father had brought their architects and gardeners with them from Tokuno. This was important, for Yoshi did not know when they would be returning home again; if at all.

Today would be a special day as the Lady Mizuki Shinhara was to arrive to begin teaching Yoshi the traditional Tea Ceremony or "Chanoyu" which had been delayed due to their moving to Malas in the Land of the Great Lakes and the construction of their home and embassy. Leaning the Tea Ceremony, even the less formal "Chakai," would take many months and require Yoshi to apply what little free time she had to its practice. This however did not discourage her at all in fact she was looking forward to the peaceful study of an art form mastered by her mother.

Suppressing her excitement and calming herself Yoshi quietly rose and entered the family bath. Upon hearing her rouse the servants filled the large tub with hot, steaming water and place fresh linen towels on the Yew wood benches then knelt quietly to one side awaiting their mistress’s arrival. Upon entering the bath one servant helped undress the nineteen year old and pin her long jet-black hair up making sure no stray locks would fall out while another, older woman, sprinkled fresh rose pedals into the bathwater. These would later be removed to preserve the purity of the bath water.

Yoshi first rinsed herself with a ladle from a large wooden bucket next to the tub and then slipped into the deep hot bath allowing the heat to relax and refresh her body. Closing her eyes she listened to the notes being played on the Shamisen by the older woman who sat in a far corner. The younger woman knelt patiently near the door.

While the notes of the Shamisen filled the morning, Yoshi meditated on several new sword moves her father had taught her during the past week. She found one move rather peculiar in its application. Meant for disarming an opponent the move contradicted all others she had learned prior. Requiring her to be slightly off balance she felt it weakened her defense should her opponent be adept at parrying. But she resolved to learn it as best she could for if her father taught it to her it must be of some value. Perhaps the mystery would be cleared up later during one of her sparing lessons.

Now refreshed Yoshi exited the tub and knelt over the small basin near the floor drain. The older woman replaced the Shamisen on its stand and ladled cool water over the kneeling nineteen year old while the younger woman gently washed Yoshi’s raven hair with lavender soap. Lavender, one of Yoshi’s favorite scents, reminded her of the great fields of wildflowers near her childhood home. That and the smell of the ocean brought vivid memories of those happy days with her mother and father. At least those days when her father was not at war defending the Empress from the treasonous actions of others. She pushed thoughts of war from her mind and returned her focus to the coming day. Dried and refreshed Yoshi nodded to the servants and returned to her room. There, with the help of another servant, she would be dressed in a blue silk Kimono and embroidered Obi designed for the welcoming of honored guests. As she was a noble woman Yoshi wore her hair very long but on occasions such as this she would have her hair pinned up and finished with lacquered hair picks and small paper fan. In this way she would be properly attired for the formal greeting of her teacher-to-be.

Satisfied, Yoshi looked over her attire in the mirror and allowed herself a slight smile making sure the servant did not see as it would be undignified to do so. She then left her room and descended the stairs to the large meeting hall where her father held court over the lower lords of Clan Shimakaze and family. Here she would quietly await the arrival of Lady Shinhara.

But before she entered the hall she took time to pay honor to her long dead ancestors, in particular her grandfather who had died in battle long before Yohsi had been born. Highly superstitious the young woman took great pains to honor her ancestors at every opportunity. She knew in her heart her ancestors would watch over and bless her efforts if she showed sincerity in her daily rituals. How else could one explain her success in life to this point?

After her prayers, Yoshi sat quietly on a goza mat near her father’s office and read from a small book of poetry while the servants busied themselves with cleaning and gardening. A gentle breeze rustled the rice-paper paintings and filled the hall with the aroma of spring flowers. Then the low ring of the chimes above the main entrance announced visitors. Several servants scurried to the antechamber ready to attend and carry baggage to the guest house or serve in any capacity as needed. Yoshi rose and walked quickly to the entrance to greet her new teacher but to her dismay it was not the Lady Shinhara who stood just outside the main entry but another woman; a woman Yoshi had been made aware of only several days earlier; The Honorable Lady Severn.

The difficulty of the situation required the utmost care and in her anguish Yoshi lost her common tongue completely and failed to speak in time before the Lady herself spoke. That caused Yoshi loss of face and she stammered a terse “hello” in the common tongue even before Severn was finished speaking. In an attempt to save all respect Yoshi bowed formally and stiffly before continuing in her broken common tongue.

“Lady Severn. I…I am most honored to see you again…so soon.”

Yoshi struggled to keep her dismay and shock out of her voice. Rising from her bow she glanced over Severn’s shoulder to see if she was once again accompanied by her retainer, or ‘guard’ as they are called in this land. Seeing instead a pack horse, which brought a slight frown to the young woman’s brow, as such animals were not permitted so close to the house, she wondered as to the ruler of Wolf’s Hollows visit. It was uncustomary for people to “drop by” unannounced and although Yoshi disapproved she did her best to appear pleased and stepped to one side motioning for her guest to enter.

The two women sat in the antechamber outside the meeting hall while the servants left them to their business. Yoshi calmed herself before speaking again.

“Lady Severn, to what do I own this pleasure?” She hoped she pronounced the words correctly.

Lady Severn went on to say that she had been shopping and had stumbled upon something that might be of interest to the young Lady Shimakaze. Yoshi studied the dark skinned, blue eyed elf with some interest as she spoke of the mysterious item she had found.




Their first meeting a few days earlier had been tense and uncomfortable. Yoshi was deeply suspicious of outsiders and, being alone in the house, was required to be as accommodating as possible as dictated by the customs of her homeland. The ruler of Wolf’s Hollow had arrived unannounced on that day as well and was accompanied by a fierce looking armored retainer, or ‘guard’, who’s name roughly translated into “White Lions” which led Yoshi to believe he was the lady’s bodyguard. She did, however, present a gift to the young hostess as a welcome to their lands. An odd assortment of colored egg-shaped beads called “jellybeans” which, to Yoshi’s delight, turned out to be a type of sugar candy tasting of fruit. As a child she was qute fond of the hard fruit candies of her homeland and found these new candies to be thoroughly delightful.

After explaining the custom of leaving shoes and weapons outside a home when visiting Yoshi, as prescribed, gave the two visitors a brief tour of the house and then situated them at a low table in the rooftop gardens. Thankfully Lord Ikrua Shimakaze, her father, arrived home early and the conversation turned to matters of diplomacy.

For the most part the conversation that day went well and the translations were fine until the subject turned to a philosophical topic of betrayal and punishment. The customs of this new land and those of their homeland were starkly different in every respect and Lord Shimakaze and his daughter; to whom he looked to after it became clear he would have no son’s and trained her in warfare, horsemanship and diplomacy to prepare her for her eventual ruling of the clan; were somewhat astonished by the forgiving nature of their guests views regarding such matters. There were several moments of tense debate and questioning and Yohsi, on more than one occasion reached up the sleve of her kimono to touch the hidden Tanto, but instead withdrew the paper fan which she opened with a flick of her wrist creating a loud ‘snap’ and thus distracted the visitors from the debate. Finally, when Yoshi took it upon herself to calm the situation with some well spoken and diplomatic words, much to the pride of her father, the visit ended well.




Their first meeting, having ended on a positive note, left room for both women to move forward in a sort of unofficial friendship. This no doubt played a large part in the Lady Severn arriving at the home of the young woman again on this important day. It took Yoshi some time to fully understand the reason behind the lady’s visit as she struggled with many of the words, but when she did it changed Yoshi’s opinion of her tremendously. The Lady explained that she found this object at a vendor purely by accident and when an aide took a wrapped bundle from the packhorse and set it before Yoshi; she was unsure what to do.

Lady Severn smiled and suggested she open it. As Yoshi undid the wrapping and saw what was within she stood up suddenly with a look of complete astonishment and surprise on her face. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open in the most unbecoming manner. Realizing her show of emotion Yoshi quickly regained her composure but her red cheeks could not be hidden. Sitting down she gently and reverently removed the rest of the plain paper from the object and stared in disbelief at what was before her.

Before her sat a black lacquered sword stand holding a set of personal swords carried by all warriors of her homeland; but these were no ordinary swords. These were the long lost “Honorable Swords of Yoshi”; the woman’s own personal swords bestowed to her by her grandfather who bequeathed them to the firstborn son of Lord Shimakaze. But since no son was to be born the swords fell to Yoshi who prized them above any other of her possessions.

When Yoshi was eight years old the swords were stolen from the family estate by a ronin who had no honor. The ronin and the swords vanished never to be seen again. Yoshi deemed it her fate to have such an item removed from her care for failing to honor her ancestors properly and with honest sincerity. Distraught at their loss the young girl offered to commit Seppuku but her father refused her and later said he could not ask for a more loyal son than his daughter had become at that moment in her young life. Now this Elf woman who had no knowledge of Yoshi’s past finds her precious swords somewhere in the back of a vendor shop in a land far from home and brings them to her without fanfare and asking nothing in return. Such acts of selflessness were not what Yoshi had heard of these foreigners. Indeed she had been taught of their greed, desire only to possess and acquire all manner of things including those of no use to them in their own lives.

Yoshi gently and with reverence lifted the Katana from its rack and, fighting tears, slowly unsheathed the blade. The blade slid from the black lacquered wooden scabbard smoothly and soundlessly save for a barely audible ring that spoke to the craftsmanship of its maker. Steeped in mystery and tradition the formula for making such a sword had been passed down through twelve generations. A secret so valuable that many men died under the jealous swords of other craftsmen who coveted it and who had hired thieves and assassins to retrieve it. All had failed.

As she drew the blade forward she saw the mark of the maker etched on the metal just above the guard and recognized the intricate workmanship. The swords were in perfect condition. Both the Katana and the Wakizashi polished to mirror finish and sharp as the first day they tasted air. Her heart leapt and her mind reeled. These swords would once again sit in a place of honor next to her in the meeting hall for all to see. These were her legacy and would be handed down to her son’s should she be honored to bear any before she grew old or died in battle.

Yoshi struggled with her emotions and turned to the Lady Severn who now seemed far different than any other westerner. Swallowing hard Yoshi spoke in a soft voice, which cracked only once as she bowed her head slightly.

“Lady Severn. You have done a great honor by returning what was once thought lost forever. This act is most unexpected and I have no words to express my gratitude but please for you to know that you are forever welcome in our home as friend.”

Her composure regained the young woman stood and, in a completely uncustomary gesture, gently hugged the Elf leader for the briefest of moments before taking one step backwards and bowing in the formal Tokuno fashion. The Lady Severn returned the bow and left.

An hour later the young warrior/diplomat knelt before a small altar in the rooftop garden and placed three sticks of burning Sandalwood into a bowl of fine white sand. She then placed small offerings of food and a tiny dish of Sake in precise positions on a highly polished tray painted with the symbol denoting fate. Laying the tray before the altar she clapped her hands together three times and bowed once. She then placed both hands, palms down, on the cool grass and, bending from the waist, bowed low and in her native tongue whispered:

“Grandfather, what was lost to us has been returned. The fate of the swords has been brought to fruition in the hands of a foreign woman who knows little of our ways. This cannot be a mistake but the will of our ancestors and I shall honor their wishes and yours and strive to better understand their ways. For this is my fate and I shall fulfill it as best I can.”

Rising, she bowed once more then left the garden to answer the chime of the house gate and to welcome the arrival of her newest teacher.