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all newly embroidered, dyed and painted by the most skilled craftsmen of Hagi
and Maruyama. But the most important gifts
stood on the deck itself, under a straw shelter: the horses bred at Maruyama,
each fastened by two ropes to the head and a strap under the belly; and the
kirin, held with cords of red silk. Shigeko spent much of the day next to the
animals, proud of the horses' health and beauty, for she had raised them
herself: the two dapples, one light, one dark, the bright chestnut and the
black. They all knew her and seemed to take pleasure in her company, following
her with their eyes when she left to walk around the deck, and whickering to
her. She had no qualms about parting with them. Such fine horses would be
valued and well treated, and while they might not forget her they would not
pine for her. But she was more troubled about the kirin. The exotic creature,
for all its gentleness, did not have the easy-going nature of a horse. 'I am
afraid it will fret when it is separated from us and all its other
companions,' she said to Hiroshi on the afternoon of the third day of their
voyage from Hofu. 'See how it constantly turns its head back in the direction
of home. It seems to be looking yearningly for someone: Tenba, maybe.'
'I've noticed it tries to approach you closely, whenever you are near,'
Hiroshi replied. 'It will indeed miss you. I am surprised you can bring
yourself to part with it.'
'I have only myself to blame! It was my suggestion. It is a consummate gift:
even the Emperor must be astonished and flattered by it. But I wish it were a
carving, in ivory or some precious metal, for then it would have no feelings,
and I would not worry about it being lonely.'
Hiroshi looked intently at her. 'It is, after all, only an animal. It may not
suffer as much as you think. It will be well looked after, and well fed.'
'Animals are capable of deep feelings,' Shigeko retorted.
'But it will not have the same emotions that humans have when they are
separated from those they love.'
Shigeko's eyes met his; she gazed firmly at him for a few moments. He was the
first to look away.
'And maybe the kirin will not be lonely in Miyako,' he said in a low voice,
'because you will be there too.'
She knew what he meant, for she had been present when Lord Kono had told her
father of Saga Hideki's recent loss, a loss that had left him, the most
powerful warlord in the Eight Islands, free to marry.
'If the kirin is to be the consummate gift for the Emperor,' he continued,
'what better gift for the Emperor's general?'
She heard the bitterness in his voice, and her heart twisted. She had known
for some time now that Hiroshi loved her as deeply as she loved him. A rare
harmony existed between them, as if they knew each other's thoughts. They were
both trained in the Way of the Houou, and had attained deep levels of
awareness and sensitivity. She trusted him completely. Yet there seemed no
point in speaking of her feelings, or even fully recognizing them: she would
marry whomever her father chose for her. Sometimes she dreamed that he had
chosen Hiroshi, and woke suffused with joy and desire; she lay in the dark,
caressing her own body, longing to feel his strength against it, fearing that
she never would, wondering if she might not make her own choices now she was
ruler of her own domain and simply take him as her husband; knowing that she
would never go against her father's wishes. She had been brought up in the
strict
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codes of a warrior's family: she could not break them so easily.
'I hope I never have to live away from the Three Countries,' she murmured. The
kirin stood so close she could feel its warm breath on her cheek as it bent
its long neck down to her. 'I confess, I am anxious about all the challenges
that await me in the capital. I wish our journey were over - yet I want it
never to end.'
'You showed no sign of anxiety when you spoke so confidently to Lord Kono last
year,' he reminded her.
'It's easy to feel confident in Maruyama, when I am surrounded by so many
people who support me - you, above all.'
'You will have that support in Miyako too. And Miyoshi Gemba will also be
there.'
'The best of my teachers - you and he.'
'Shigeko,' he said, using her name as he had when she was a child. 'Nothing
must diminish your concentration during this contest. We must all put aside
our own desires in order to allow the way of peace to prevail.'
'Not put them aside,' she replied, 'but transcend them.' She paused, not
daring to say more. Then suddenly she was seized by a memory: the first time
she had seen the houou, both male and female birds together, when they had
returned to the forests around Terayama to nest in the paulownia trees and
raise their young.
'There is a bond of great strength between us,' she said. 'I have known you
all my life - maybe even in a former life. Even if I am married to someone
else, that bond must never be broken.'
'It never will be, I swear it. The bow will be in your hand, but it is the
spirit of the houou that will guide the arrows.'
She smiled then, confident that their minds and thoughts were one.
Later, when the sun was descending towards the west, they went to the stern
deck and began the ancient ritual exercises that flowed through the air like
water, yet turned muscle and sinew to steel. The sun's glow tinged the sails,
rendering the great heron crest of the Otori golden; the banners of Maruyama
fluttered from the rigging. The ship seemed bathed in light, as though the
sacred birds themselves had descended on it. The western sky was still
streaked with crimson when in the east rose the full moon of the fourth month.
Thirty-seven
A few days after this full moon Takeo left Inuyama for the East, farewelled
with great enthusiasm by the townspeople. It was the season of the spring
festivals, when the earth came alive again, sap rose in the trees and in men
and women's blood. The city was possessed by feelings of confidence and hope.
Not only was Lord Otori on his way to visit the Emperor - a semi-mythical
figure for most people - but he left behind a son: the unhappy effect of twin
daughters was removed at last. The Three Countries had never been so
prosperous. The houou nested at Terayama, Lord Otori was to present the
Emperor with a kirin; these signs from Heaven confirmed what most people
already saw in their plump children and fertile fields: that the evidence of a
just ruler is in the health and contentment of the people. Yet all the
cheering, the dancing, the flowers and the banners could not dispel Takeo's
feelings of unease, though he attempted to hide them, maintaining constantly
the calm, impassive expression that was now habitual. He was most troubled by
Taku's silence, and all that it might imply - Taku's defection or his death.
Either one was a disaster, and in either case, what had become of Maya? He
longed to return and find out for himself, yet each day's journey took him
further away from any likelihood of receiving news. After much deliberation,
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