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Prologue
She didn’t tell anyone, she didn’t
need to, after all how could they understand? She kept everything inside only
crying when she felt she would explode otherwise, and she only did that behind
closed doors. For some reason things always seemed to go wrong, especially when
something good happened before the bad.
Miyako thought of her life so far
while she stared into the stream running through the garden behind the clan’s
First Branch house. Miyako had a hard time growing up although many envied her
social status in her village. She was the most powerful clan in the village’s
heir after all. But with such a status came things that were only shown behind
the closed doors. Miyako had to be the best at everything, she couldn’t
disappoint anyone it just wasn’t done. The women in her clan were known for
their honor, kindness and purity, while the men were known for their wits,
strength, and unyielding will. These traits seemed to be genetic at least for
most in the family. If you asked any passer by in the village about Miyako they
would all say the same “Oh she’s the heir to the Chiba clan. She has potential I
can tell you that.” But that’s about all they would say or let on. Miyako had
physical strength, but the thing was she never used it(mainly because of her
using her free time reading books instead of putting in extra training like her
cousins). She had wits like her male kinsmen, that much was sure. She knew more
of the world from reading books than her father and forefathers who had actually
seen the things she read about. She was stubborn but would one call that
unyielding will? Of that no one was sure. She had very few of the traits that
would have made her an outstanding warrior in her village, just as the rest of
her clan. Miyako had inherited her mothers kindness, honor, and purity. Tamaka,
Miyako’s mother, was one of the most well known female warriors in the village.
Tamaka had been beautiful, kind, spirited, strong, honorable, and a wonderful
mother. Well, that’s what everyone in the village said at least. Miyako
remembered very little about her mother. She had died when Miyako was only
around 7 and so she really hadn’t had time to get to know her mother. But back
to Miyako, there was little to say when it came to beauty. She just saw herself
as well, herself, she didn’t think of herself as beautiful, and it wasn’t like
anyone had ever told her she was. Miyako always kept her hair up in a messy bun,
and if her nursemaid allowed, was wearing baggy comfortable shirts accompanied
by boys breeches as worn by noblemen boys in the city (although they were not of
village custom). This clothing which hid the blooming curves that were appearing
as Miyako came closer to womanhood. Her eyes were hard to describe, on most
occasions they were a dark hazel with tiny flicks of bright gold. When Miyako
was angered they were engulfed by the flicks turning them completely liquid gold
(which caused a many of jittery housemaids to avoid the girl). She had a slim
figure, and she was well toned and muscular in a lady like way. She was shy, for
some odd reason, when it came to standing up to her cousins who insisted they
would make far better heirs to the clan than she would and that Miyako was a
disappointment to the clan. But alas when confronted with anyone else she merely
stood there and took whatever they had to say. Her father was always kind and
understanding, he never forced anymore on Miyako than he had to. After all it
was his duty as the leader of the clan to train the heir at all costs. He could
have remarried after Miyako’s mother died, he was handsome in his own way. With
a strong chin, jet black hair, and aqua eyes. Many women had wanted to be his
bride when it came time for him to choose one but to many women’s disappointment
he chose not them but Miyako’s mother. The advisers of the village had even
suggested that it would be in her father’s best interest to remarry but he had
refused, he had loved Tamaka far too much to love another. Miyako was brought
out of her train of thought by her nurse maid, Nana, who had approached her.
“Miyako honestly you have things to do other than sit by the stream all day,
come now your father wishes to speak with you” At this Miyako rose an inquiring
eyebrow and followed Nana into the main branch family’s small wooden castle like
home.
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