On the subject of Honour

[Kendricke]

The Guards protested only slightly at the presence of the Defender of the Sacred Rose. Her presence was needed for their Lord and brother Kendricke. She was, after all, his kaishaku on this day. Though the boy they adored had given explicit orders to the Dominion that none should be allowed within his chambers, they allowed her entry with nary a hesitation.

 

"Konichiwa Kendricke-Sama", the First Knight and Samurai of the Legion of the White Rose performed a ritual bow within the waiting room of her young Daimyo.

 

"Guildmaster", she thought to herself, letting the word mill in her mind a bit. It was still too foreign a word to her, and she privately preferred to think of her Lord as Daimyo, but it was his wish to hold with the traditions of his lands, and she had no desire to disrespect her Lord.

 

"Konbawa Madoka-san". Kendricke replied quietly, and his voice sounded almost curious and inspired. He sat in the traditional lotus position, facing the large plate window that looked out upon the western borders of his own Kingdom, the Arakk Mountains. His head was newly shorn, and he wore his familiar sackcloth robes. Madoka noticed his ritual kimono hung upon the same rack she had given it to him on, some years ago.

 

"Is not the setting sun beautiful this evening?"

 

Madoka forced the tears away before they had the chance to well up. She knew that this would be Lord Kendricke's last sunset, and here he treated it as if it were just another day. In the morning, she would be one of two Honoured seconds at his seppuku, and the thought of a life as Ronin was nothing compared to the thought of a life without THIS one.

 

"It is indeed, Honoured Lord".

 

"Madoka!" He spoke wryly as he turned slowly, rising from his meditative posture.

 

"There is really no need for such formalities yet, is there ?"

 

He followed her gaze, and looked at the kimono across the room. He smiled gently, and Madoka felt her cheeks burn from the sudden embarrasment. In shame, she looked down.

 

"M'Lord...It's just...I...Wakarimasen!"

 

Kendricke looked away. Silence descended upon the room. Minutes passed with only the sounds of cicadas in the distance, and the young darkness that comes from a distant sun giving its last farewell to yet another day.

 

Madoka had been raised a Samurai. She understood duty, and Honour, and sacrifice. At her Lord's whim, she would thrust herself upon an enemy sword, and gladly lead her army to do likewise. Obedience to a Samurai was as natural as the stars in the night sky.

 

However, this mage was not Samurai, and her time within his "Legion" had changed her in ways she was only just beginning to fully understand. She found that her opinions mattered a great deal, and that sometimes disobediance was important - sometimes MORE important than blind faith. Those she encountered in this Legion were as varied as sea shells.

 

Yet, all shared common goals and visions. She's fought alongside 100,000 bushin at the Battle of the Thousand Rivers, and never felt the power she felt within a single meeting of the Orders within the Grand Keep at the Halls of Honour, the capitol of the Legion's vast member-kingdoms.

 

Madoka looked upon the still silent Guildmaster she'd sworn Allegience to so many years ago. He had not aged one day in all that time. The stories she heard had once seemed fantastic, and she originally thought them fancy, yet in all her time with the boy Guildmaster, she had never thought to ask him if they were true. She'd always assumed he would tell her of his origins, when the time was right.

 

Anger began to swell in her breast and she felt her temper rise, a flaw in her upbringing that she had never fully overcome. She had wasted her time! She could now see the many opportunities she'd missed spread out before her as a table buffet: He would never see another sunset from this room, and in fact, within another hour, he'd never see this room again either, when she helped him to his caravan bound for the Halls of Honour. He would never finish his Japanese lessons. He would never see her homeland. He would never perfect his mokuso. He would never share the story of his origins with her.

 

Just then, Kendricke broke the silence, "it is time, is it not?"

 

Duty. Years of training and conditioning took over at once, and the anger was gone as if it had never existed.

 

"Yes, M'lord. At once."

 

Servants were summoned and they began to pack for the long journey. One of the younger attendants began to pack some of the Guildmaster's personal effects. Kendricke stopped him with a gesture.

 

"Where I go, these trinkets and baubles will not be needed."

 

The servant suddenly seemed to remember where Lord Kendricke was going, and fell to his knees weeping. Madoka struggled to keep her own composure for the second time in as many hours. Silently, she cursed herself for her lack of discipline.

 

Without a word more, Kendricke left the room, leaving his overcome attendant to grieve his Guildmaster, who rode off for his own death.

[Kendricke]

NOTE: I wrote this story some time ago, so many of the references may seem incredibly dated. However, I have chosen to not update the writing in favour of paying my younger self some measure of respect. Your patience in this matter is appreciated.

[Kendricke]

They rode hard through the night, with a small flight of angels overhead, the Guildmaster's personal bodyguards. Though the Halls of Honour traditionally resided within Lord Kendricke's kingdom, it was not safe these days.

 

Yesterday, diplomatic talks had apparantly failed when the Army of Darkness had declared war upon the Legion of the White Rose. When Madoka, as First Knight of the Guild, had been summoned to Kendricke's side, she had never guessed his true intention was to ask her to be one of two Honoured kaishaku at his own ritual suicide, yet here she was, riding in darkness, each step taking her and her Lord closer to this ceremony. Death was not stalking her Lord, he willingly rode to meet him full on!

 

She watched him now, in the darkness. Still young in form, he rode as a master horseman, as if he'd spent decades perfecting it. She smiled slightly, and chided herself for choosing to believe that all was as it appeared with the boy Guildmaster, something she found herself doing several times a day.

 

"Of course he was not a child," she thought. After all, hadn't she known him for many years beyond his given appearance?

 

She allowed her smile to grow slightly as she watched him charge his steed onward. He was not riding recklessly, but he was not taking his time either. If she didn't know better, she'd have guessed he was riding for the first time, the expression on his face showing such joy and wonder.

 

A quick chirp from one of the angels halting the company in its tracks. In one motion, Madoka had stopped her horse, and pulled her paired katana and wakasashi from their scabbards. Around her, the sounds of scraping metal and bowstrings pulled taught, let her know that her mean had done likewise. Curiously, Lord Kendricke did not seem concerned. Madoka glanced at him, while 6 armored Dominion alighted next to him, most already shimmering in preparation for their powerful Holy attacks. In the starlight, she heard their chanting begin.

 

She knew that the Angelic Tribes worshipped her Lord as some sort of saviour. She knew that they would die to protect him, completely content in their strange religion that they had performed their duty.

 

"Oh, what Samurai they could make, given the right training," she thought to herself quickly.

 

Realizing that her Guildmaster was as safe as he could be, considering the circumstances, she kicked her mount into a slow walk. As First Knight, it was up to her to make sure the Guildmaster made it safely to his destination, or die in the attempt. Now, she would give her unseen opponent the chance to die with Honour.

 

"Watashi wa Madoka-desu!" She began her challenge with a shouted introduction to her opponent. They would know the name of their executioner, at least. She realized the risk at exposing the importance of their mission if her name was recognized as that of the Legion's First Knight. However, that recognition was a double-edged sword, and it could work to her advantage as well. Her abilites as a warmage and warrior were well known throughout the Terras, and it was this side of her reputation that she now banked on, for their mission required haste, and she could ill-afford conflict if it could be avoided.

 

She continued the bluff, "Show yourselves now, or be cut down where you stand!" Behind her, she could hear the chanting of the Dominion steadily increase. Her own men were silent, and would remain so till she gave the signal.

 

"Ohaya gozaimasu Madoka-san," came the reply from the darkness. She recognized the voice at once.

 

"Buzzrock!" Her joy was evident. Buzzrock had been her first Mentor so many years ago. Her own father had learned his Bushido from the same teacher as Buzzrock, known then as the Onimusha, or "demon warrior", within the borders of her homelands..

 

He had recently tracked her down again, and immediately joined the Legion of the boy Guildmaster, swearing his fealty to Lord Kendricke as well. If he was here, then she had no doubt they were as safe as if they were in their own beds.

 

She dismounted immediately, sheathing her weapons in the process. Remembering duty, she called out for Buzzrock to show himself now, as she had challenged.

 

"Ever the dutiful soldier, eh Madoka-san?" Buzzrock came forth from the treeline that concealed him. Her joy turned to dispair almost at once when she realized what he wore - the traditional kimono of a kaishaku! He was here to aide in her Lord's death as well.

 

Composing herself quickly, she approached Lord Buzzrock solemnly.

 

"Konichiwa Onimusha-Sama." She would not betray her misgivings at Lord Kendricke's decision, certainly not to one of the few men alive she truly respected to such an extent. She would fall back on ceremony, and hide her emotion in its comfortable familiarity.

 

"Lord Kendricke, is that you?" Buzzrock's gregariousness would be impossible to supress in any situation. Even while wearing the robes of his Lord's death, he could not be anything but optimistic. To Buzzrock, there was a silver lining to everything, and no doubt he'd found one here as well.

 

"It is indeed, old friend. How have you been m'lord? It has been too long."

 

"That, it has M'Lord," Buzzrock chuckled lightly.

 

"Shall we continue on then, or will you block my way even now?"

 

Madoka heard the seriousness of the question hidden within its joking tones. Her Lord was curious if Buzzrock would allow him to travel onward, knowing that it was to his death. Madoka considered this, since it had not occured to her that Buzzrock would ever disobey Kendricke. If he did, that would mean she, as First Knight, would be Honourbound to do whatever was necessary to see that her Lord's wishes were met - even cutting down Lord Onimusha!

 

Madoka's lips tightened, and she realized that her hands had already found the hilt of her no-daichi. Though only a second or two of silence actually existed between Kendricke's seemingly innocent question, and Buzzrock's answer, it seemed as if hours had passed to the war-hardened samurai.

 

Buzzrock sighed heavily and continued, "What if I did? What if I told you what a damned fool idea this was? What if I told you that in order to kill yourself, you'd have to kill me too? What then?"

 

"It is the only way to end this war old friend. They will not listen to reason."

 

Buzzrock's anger became evident, "And you are being reasonable?"

 

Kendricke dismounted his horse, and the Dominion ceased in their chant. The young Guildmaster approached Buzzrock slowly. As he did so, Madoka felt her sword arm tense, and perspiration beaded across her brow.

 

Kendricke now stood directly in front of Buzzrock. He outstreched his arms, and then embraced the old warlord. Buzzrock immediately returned the embrace, and Madoka suddenly felt alone, so very alone. It hurt her in ways she could not explain, how her Lord could show such affection openly for others, usually men, but not her. Had she not served her Lord far longer than Lord Onimusha? Why did he merit such comfort, while she was bound to formalities and ritual?

 

She dismissed the envious thoughts as others might dismiss an annoying fly. One moment it was there, and then the next gone to annoy another. Duty took over, once again.

 

"M'Lord?" She lowered her gaze in respect, and allowed her question to find Kendricke in the darkness.

 

"Yes, m'lady, it is time." The men released their hug, and Lord Kendricke moved once more toward his mount. The Dominion silently took to wing, and Buzzrock made his way back into the woods. He returned, mounted, and surrounded by his own bodyguard of samurai.

 

The ride was no longer silent however, and Madoka soon realized how much she had truly missed her old mentor. Stories flowed from his lips as a mountain creek, and in the distance, they could soon see the outline of the Halls of Honour contrasted against the coming dawn. Madoka began to compose a haiku in her head.

 

The sun always rises...

 

She thought again of the sunset in her Lord's bedchamber - the sadness she felt at the realization that her beloved Guildmaster would never see another.

 

In the last remaining moments of darkness, the First Knight of the Legion of the White Rose finally allowed her tears to come, hidden from the view of those she truly cared about.