Chapter Eighty Eight: Why Shimeko Killed Her Mother
Christina's Arc: Bend or Break
Yua held a strong middle guard and slowly inched toward me. I've seen this play out before. She could strike from four possible angles, each fatal.
I slowed my breathing.
If I attacked first, she—
Yua dashed forward and raised her bokken in one swift motion; she came down with it, but I blocked.
The impact vibrated through the wooden blade and into my wrist, but my form held strong. I pushed back, sending her stumbling backward.
She stopped herself and reset her stance. Sweat dripped from her face.
I rushed her with a sharp series of swings from a low guard, only tightening my grip just before impact.
She backpedaled on the first two strikes.
As I prepared the third swing, Yua shouted, "Stop, Christina."
I paused mid-swing, and my body ached all over.
"Look at your edge alignment," she said, pointing at my blade.
The blade line was wrong again—my wrists had turned just enough that the strike would have landed flat instead of clean.
"Fucking shit! Every time we practice, it's always the same. I'm never going to master the sword."
Yua rushed over to me.
"Hey, hey. Don't worry about it. You just need—"
"More time?" I said, cutting Yua off. "It's been four years, Yua!"
I sighed and wiped my forehead.
"What kind of queen can I be if I cannot fight with a blade?"
"Well, maybe we just need to try a different weapon—"
"I wish it were that simple, Yua, but I've tried several, and it's always the same, or they break."
Yua touched my shoulder.
"Are you okay, your grace?"
I looked around the dojo. My other royal guards kept sparring as if nothing had happened, or they pretended not to see.
"Let's take a break outside," I said.
"As you wish, your grace."
***
We went to the inner courtyard and sat on a wooden bench with a view of the pond. Once there were fish in the pond, but the servants complained that it was difficult to keep the pond clean while keeping the fish alive.
Yua fixed her hair. Her black robes swallowed her.
"So, Christina, what did you want to talk about?"
"You mean besides my inability to wield a weapon?"
"Christina, you're overthinking this." My eyes cut low. "Could you read my stances?"
"Yes."
"Could you predict potential strikes?"
"I could."
Yua touched my shoulder.
"And you blocked my advance."
I exhaled.
"How's your hand-to-hand combat?"
"It's sufficient."
She released my shoulder, rested her hand on her lap, and smiled.
"Is this where you start telling me about how perfect Trish is because she can use every weapon with equal proficiency, and that Shimeko was called a martial genius by mastering every weapon?"
I nodded.
"Well, Christina, my mother tells me that you remind her of your great-grandmother."
I rolled my right shoulder.
"Why?"
"Because she was too strong as well. That's why she used a modified Yari instead of a Katana. Maybe you need to find something that works for you."
I rubbed my hands together.
"Well, my grandmother killed her with a Katana, so what good did it do?"
Yua sighed. "Well, I'm sure there was a reason why your grandmother killed your great-grandmother, and I'm sure it wasn't that simple, but I wasn't around to see it, and my mother was probably too young to understand it." She leaned back, nearly falling off the bench. She smiled.
I reached over and pushed her off the bench. She fell back and stared with surprised eyes.
"Y-your grace," she stuttered.
I looked up. "Did you know that Ayame claimed Jun right here? I was so happy for her, because now she can continue to lead her family."
Silk rustled, and Yua sat next to me. "No shit! Tetsuzaki finally claimed someone? I'm sure her mother would have been proud to know that her shy little bud has blossomed."
I nodded.
"All thanks to Antwon."
"You don't say. How did he manage that?"
"He worked with the landscaping servants, and I think he taught him to flirt with Ayame." I giggled. "I even caught him spying on them to make sure things went well. Ayame even pushed him down into the dirt… I blushed because… Am I trapped, Yua?"
"What—are you talking about?"
"Antwon made me a bowl of meat soup…and I refused to eat it without someone to test it. Yua, I watched him make it, but I was afraid. He…he took such a bite that I felt ashamed; I couldn't even look at him. Has ceremony trapped me my whole life?"
…
Yua's jaw was ajar, and then she slapped her cheeks with both hands.
"Christina…your grace, Mr. Carter wasn't born into nobility, so he wouldn't understand what you must go through to ensure the continuation of your bloodline."
"Answer my question!"
She looked down, and her eyes tried to escape, but couldn't. I closed the gap between us and slowly, gently took her wrist, and Yua looked at me with soft eyes.
"Maybe I—I shouldn't be qu—"
She grabbed me by the arms, and fear took hold of her face.
"Don't you say that, don't you dare say that, Christina!" Yua screamed. She dropped to her knees, shaking all over. "You are the queen of the Iron Fan; there must always be a queen of true blood on the throne."
The sun was warm against my skin as beads of sweat ran down my forehead. I'd always known my role in the world, but now I questioned whether it fit my position.
"I need you to say it, Christina, please. You are the queen of the Iron Fan."
I looked down, and she slid her hands down to mine. She gently rubbed her thumbs across my knuckles.
"Christina…"
I pulled my hands away and balled them into fists. "I am the queen of the Iron Fan! The world will bend before me, or break."
She smiled and then bowed her head before me.
***
I took a drink of my red wine and sat back in my bed. I hadn't had breakfast and didn't care for it. Masayuki was still asleep, Christina was training with her Iron sisters, and Rika's fucking ass was still in the wind, and after her little stunt in the Veil, I wanted my supplicants to bring her ass before me.
I scratched my head and contemplated filing some paperwork before Tsubaki jumped down my throat about peace in my kingdom, or some shit.
I took a sip, not wanting the pleasure to end.
A gentle knock at my door, too gentle to be Subaki.
I slid out of the sheets so as not to disturb Masayuki and went to the door, unrobbed.
I opened it completely.
"Good morning, your…. Your grace, your clothing."
"What do you want, Yua?"
She looked around.
"Big sis, can you please get dressed? I need to talk to you about Christina."
I rolled my eyes and stretched my back.
"Yeah, just give me a minute to grab my robe, and don't speak so loudly. I don't want you to wake him. That's the last thing I need this early."
"But…it's almost the afternoon."
"What did I say?"
She frowned and lowered her head.
***
I stood at my desk. I poured another glass of wine. If not Subaki dragging me back to this fucking office, it's her damn daughter. I turned to see her in her black training uniform. It brought back sweet memories of when Subaki and I trained her.
"What is it, Yua?"
"Your daughter is starting to doubt herself."
I exhaled.
"Already? Fuck! I thought this shit would happen at eighteen. Well, what caused this little spiral?"
…
"I'm not completely sure."
I sipped my wine.
"You know, it's not as if I put too much pressure on her. It's not like I run around like my mother and siege the fucking Bind. I mean, fuck! A martial genius. That's what they wrote on her placard."
I sat down in my chair and pressed my finger to my forehead.
"I've done everything to ensure she wouldn't have to compete with some fucking legend."
"But you are a legend, big sis. The Ash is terrified of you."
"That's Shimeko's fault. She forced me to spar with her until my fingers had splinters, and then she would switch weapons. Do you want to know the worst part about being her daughter?"
"We…should focus on Christina—"
"She never yelled. Shit! The bitch hardly spoke to me, to anyone, except for Ghost. Gods! I hated her, hated that I loved her even more."
"Trish, how many glasses of wine have you had?"
"Fuck… How many glasses can you get out of seven bottles?"
…
Yua ran her fingers through her hair as if she were irritated.
"Okay…" she said, stepping forward, "what do you mean when you say that your mother spoke with ghosts?"
I took another sip.
"She just walked around muttering shit to herself, but she made it seem like they were real."
"Like an imaginary friend?"
"Yeah."
"Big sis, I feel weird asking you… personal questions like this."
I sighed.
"Nah, it's okay. Consider it training for when you and Christina are the ones running the show."
I lay my head on my desk. I heard footsteps coming toward me.
"Okay, I do have one question, but it's kind of personal, big sis."
"Shoot."
"Why did Shimeko kill her mother?"
…
I raised my head.
"Damn, that is deep. Well, back before my time, we had a tradition." I took a huge sip. "The current queen was entitled to sample the daughter's consort, or some fucked up shit. I don't know, and when Shimeko took on a consort, Yoshime Shiranui, the beauty that veils the fan, if you believe that shit, wanted to sample him."
"Damn. I…had no idea a tradition like that existed."
"Well, a lot of shit changed when Shimeko took over, and that was the first thing to go. Once Yoshime went to sample her son-in-law, Shimeko threw a bottle of red wine at her, and you know what they say about spilled wine."
Yua placed her left hand on my desk and the other on her hip.
"I'm pretty sure that's spilled milk."
"Oh."
"So what happened after she threw the wine?" Yua asked.
"The rest is history, Yua."
Yua squatted down, bracing with both elbows on my desk.
"Whoa. Did Shimeko tell you that?"
"Yup, but as a warning not to repeat her mother's mistake. Then, when I claimed Masayuki, she told me he wasn't good enough. Can you believe that shit? The woman went weeks without saying a word to the living, and then stabs you with an icicle like that."
"Dang."
I went to sip, but I was out.
"Yeah, dang." I set the glass on the table and sat up straight. "As I said, everyone has doubts, but the moment I took Masayuki into my bed, they all went away. First, I lived for the pleasure, then for warmth; now I live for that little blond monster, but she hates me."
"Oh."
"Have they fucked yet?"
She shrugged.
"Oh! Ayame claimed a boy."
"Well, we will have to throw her a ceremony."