Consequences
Author: pkabyssinian
Rating: PG
Author Notes: Almost everyone has a Japanese name in this series and there is a heavy Asian theme, however they are not set in any actual Asian country. Also, none of these are beta'd as I didn't want to inflict anyone else with the terror of dealing with them. =)
The Lady Ran stood near the large picture window in her room and tried to forget who she was. Tried to forget that she was a lady of a royal house. Any moment now her father would appear and there would be hell to pay. Today during sword practice she had been caught taking her youngest brother's place. Which was unfair since he didn't want to attend and she did. They were of a similar height and build, it was easy enough to disguise herself in the sweltering padded armor and beneath the heavy helmets. She was thinner in the waist, he broader in the shoulder; small imperfections that were easily hidden.
However, women weren't meant to fight. They were raised to be delicate creatures who tended their homes, their husbands, and their progeny with quiet perfection. She was lucky that the thick armor hid her skin from the sun, there would be no tell-tale bronzing to mar her skin. Nothing to mark her outwardly as less than flawless.
With an unladylike huff she exhaled against the glass, fogging the clear pane and causing the brightly lit garden to waver into cloudy indistinctness. She was a better swordsman than her younger brother Botan and twice the bowyer her eldest brother Keitaro was. In fact, her arrows hit the mark more times than many of the guardsmen.
The fog from her breath evaporated quickly, leaving her faced with her own reflection. Her slanted, almond eyes were an unusual shade of blue that tended to look violet in all but the brightest light. With nimble fingers she quickly twisted her hair up into a loose bun, the dark auburn color was infrequent in her family-line. Only she and her mother had it, the rest were all graced with the dark ebony hair that was so in fashion at court right now. At least her skin was still the pale color of new milk, without any visible blemish save for the birthmark high on her right arm that proclaimed her nobility.
As she was searching her delicately made face in the window her father stormed into the room. Even from here she could here the low rumble of his displeasure washing outward in ever widening waves. There would be no simple lecture for this. All of her brothers, save Botan, as well as two regiments of guards had seen the practice helmet stripped from her.
“I'm shocked to find you here,” he hissed, his deep voice sounding strained. He towered above her, his jet black hair pulled back in a tight warrior’s braid.
“Father...” she began, only to be interrupted.
“I am no father to you! You do nothing but find new and inventive ways to disgrace me, what father would claim such a child?” he demanded, a flush of red darkening his high cheekbones. Ran ducked her head slightly, slanting her eyes to look up at him.
“I was only curious,” she whispered, tears silvering her lashes. Her father knew better than to think that they were tears of contrition, it was his only daughter’s innate stubborn anger at being caught that was causing this display.
“Curiosity is trying it once! Then learning that you aren't suited to it,” he bellowed, a mocking tone injected into his voice. He was baiting her deliberately, trying to get her to shed the normal act that she played with him.
“I am suited to it. Better than Botan,” she growled, her violet eyes flashing hotly. A fine tremor shivered up and down her arms making her seem cold.
“You disgrace not only me but your brother as well? How ever did you trick him into letting you take his place?” her father asked, his voice low and dangerous. He narrowed his eyes at her, taking in Ran’s pale cheeks and the sloppy disarray of her hair.
“Fa...Masa, I simply offered to take some of his training days so that he could study more. I thought I was helping him,” she responded slowly. She forced herself to use her father's given name so as to seem to be complying with his earlier statement. A sly smile flashed over his handsome features and she wondered what it might mean for her. She turned her head away from him, showing silent displeasure at his words by offering him her back. A bold move on her part.
“Ah, being the doting sister. Liar. Now tell the truth and perhaps I'll let you work off your debt,” he said lightly. With quick grace he pinched the ornate sleeve of her outer robe and rubbed it briskly between his fingers, almost as if he were judging the value of the fabric. Ran took it for the tacit condemnation that it was - she had changed into garb appropriate for her station. It was also a vague threat that such luxuries might soon be stripped from her.
“Work?” she hissed, whipping her head around to face her father. Her hastily pinned hair worked free of the lax knot and thick strands fell to frame her face.
“Certainly your life of leisure hasn't hidden the meaning of that word from you?” Masa teased harshly.
Ran's eyes narrowed speculatively at the tall man. She was in real trouble, real danger. Her father seemed intent of making his daughter work like a common servant, something that would mark her for life. It would make her unmarriageable, perhaps even lower her station permanently. She gave a short breathless laugh at the idea.
“I know what it means, I simply find it hard to believe that you would ruin our bloodline so,” Ran countered, fear making her voice waver.
“Child, I have plenty of sons to carry on our family name. What does it matter if one wayward daughter becomes a scullery maid. You seem to feel more kin to that calling than the station to which you were born,” Masa told her, his voice deep and even.
“Father...” she began and was abruptly cut off as Masa casually slapped her in the face. Her left cheek began to burn and sting shortly after the harsh crack faded from her ears.
“I told you, I am no longer your father,” he countered gently.
Real fear coursed through her. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing for a moment. Was he truly disowning her?
“Masa, what do you mean by all of this? Are you truly taking away my title and station?” Ran asked, disbelief flooding her features. Just a few short moments ago she was pretending to not be a Lady. Now, perhaps, it was a truth.
“I am doing more than that. You will leave this house and these lands by nightfall or you will become a guest of my guards. I assumed this would be your choice since you were so eager to join them earlier,” Masa told her evenly. There was no hint in his face or voice that this was some catastrophic joke at her expense. His guards would debase her, humiliate her with the favors that they would require of her.
“You can't, you can't just turn me out. Mother won't allow it,” Ran whimpered, her eyes sliding closed slowly. Tears, real ones born of terror, leaked from her eyes.
“You haven't even put on the court make-up after playing,” her father chastised as his strong fingers gripped her chin, forcing her face up to face him.
“I wasn't playing. I, I have always been good with the bow and sword. Botan and I agreed to switch. He would get extra time to study the magi texts and I would learn how to fight. We thought it was harmless,” Ran cried, sobs punctuating her words. Perhaps if she just explained, her father would reconsider.
“Ran.”
She peeked open her eyes, glancing up at him through tear heavy lashes. His face was kind for a moment, the father that she remembered. The one that dandled her on his knee, had spoiled her with toys, not the one who hit to hurt and threatened to disown her. The bright, shining memory of her father gave her hope that he would resurface and save her from herself.
“You have disgraced our family, you have dishonored me, and you have shamed your entire family. All of my men saw you, they saw my daughter take up arms. What did you think would happen? You have no standing, no position in this household anymore,” he explained, his words slow and carefully spoken.
“It was a mistake, I didn't know that Zinan's sword would catch on my helmet and remove it! It only happened because I managed to block him, I would have bested him if he hadn’t flipped my helmet off,” she shouted, fear making her shrill.
“And you think to boast that you would have beaten my Captain of the Guards would win me over? That in of itself is a disgrace. Child, I must cut ties with you if I am to retain my own dignity. You are cut free,” he answered, steel entering his tone.
“Where will I go?” she breathed out, feeling hollow. She had been raised to be a flower in a royal house, to be a beautiful and graceful decoration. The skills she had learned, the gentle arts, would serve her no purpose anywhere but in a noble home.
“Child, you can become a whore in the royal court for all I care. As it is, with your upbringing, you would fetch a fair price in any local pleasure house,” he told her, his face serious.
“A whore?” she gasped, feeling faint. For a moment he could see a bit of himself in her features.
“Whatever you can find to support yourself. You have an hour to gather what you will take with you. After that time Toshio will guide you to the borders of my land. What you do after that is your affair,” he explained. Now, at the very end there was pain in his voice and his eyes were heavily shadowed.
Fresh tears leaked down Ran's pale cheeks. She reached out a thin hand towards her father, the man who would pretend not to know her for the rest of her days. She knew that Masa’s heart would break over losing his child, but he was Lord of his domain and would do everything he could to protect the rest of his family.
Without touching him Ran swept passed him and left the room with as much grace as she could muster. She would leave the only home she had ever known with as much dignity as she could salvage from her actions. Truly, this was her own fault; Ran was notorious for acting without thinking through the consequences. Her grandmother had always warned that she would have a bad end if she didn’t learn to control herself.
With trepidation she packed one set of fine silk robes, the thin under robes, and elaborate belts that held them together. The rest of the heavy leather pack bag was filled with the masculine garments that she wore under the practice armor. In one tiny pouch she packed the thin golden ring that her father had given her for her thirteenth birthday.
Before she knew it, her hour was up. Toshio, with out a hint of the smirk she was sure he wished to wear, lead her out into the main courtyard. She still wore the heavy brocade robe she had worn with her last meeting with her father, however underneath the under robe were the practice clothes from her sword lesson. Horses were waiting, only one had a saddle however. With thinly veiled hatred Ran glared at the second in command of her father’s guards. In the expensive robes of a noble she was going to have to ride bareback.
By sunset they were at the border of her father's land. The pale red of the dying sun painted the land in memories for Ran and she wondered how much she would miss it in the days to come. With ill grace Toshio allowed her to keep the horse she was riding, but only because she refused to dismount. With a muffled curse he wheeled his horse away from her and began to gallop home.
She felt like crying at the thought but refused to give into the emotion. She had larger problems to face, ones that crying wouldn't help. She turned the horse to face the deepening night and kicked it into a slow trot. Her horse had only gone a short way when a familiar whistle pierced the growing night.
Ran turned, almost falling off her saddle-less horse in the process. Galloping down the road was her brother Akiyama.
“Ran, hold a moment!” he yelled, kicking at his horse as if he thought he could get more speed from it.
She waited in the gloom, curious as to what her brother wanted with her. Surely they had all been warned that she was outcast now?
As he drew abreast of her, she noticed that he was overburdened with items. What was he doing? Aki wouldn't risk his own hide for hers, would he?
“Botan, Keitaro and I all pulled together when we heard what father had done. Botan is confined to quarters, he might be tossed out as well. That’s the rumor at any rate. As long as he denies that he had any involvement he'll be OK,” Akiyama told her, a sad smile on his face.
“Tell him to deny it, tell him I told him too. It's not worth it. Masa will need all three of you,” she told him with a hitch in her voice. It was almost overwhelming, having this calm conversation as her world crumbled.
“He won't listen, but I'll tell what you said,” Aki told her, with another one of his poignant half-smiles. With a grunt he dismounted and began to divest his horse of it's burdens. Somehow he had managed to smuggle out an extra saddle, a set of light armor, and a complete sword set. The hilts of the set were all plain, with no family crest or house markings on them.
“How did you manage all of this?” Ran breathed, overawed at the trouble her brother had gone through.
“I kept to the wood paths, not the main road. We knew you would need these,” Akiyama answered with a blush. It was endearing that he still would color with simple praise, Aki detested his blush reflex but it triggered a wave of nostalgia in Ran. His coal colored eyes narrowed with embarrassment but he didn't respond to the teasing light in his sister's eyes.
“Thank you. Tell Botan and Keitaro as well. Thank you,” she whispered again, her voice hitching at the end.
“If you head north once you reach the river you'll hit the capital eventually. You can try to get work as a mercenary, you're certainly good enough to do so,” Aki told her levelly. “You'll have to hide what you are, but you should be getting good at that by now.”
Ran nodded, not trusting her voice. With a sad smile she embraced her brother, fear of the unknown causing her to cling to him with a desperate strength. After a moment she brought herself under control then gently patted his cheek. It was a gesture from their childhood, one that Aki smiled at now. When they were little he had detested it.
Without further words being exchanged Akiyama remounted and turned his horse toward home. He was moving at a sedate pace, waiting to see if his sister would call out to him again. Ran wouldn't. She knew that she couldn't. With quick fingers she saddled her horse, the heavy saddle fitting easily into place over the wide back. She walked the horse for a few moments, waiting for the beast to retract it's distended belly so she could tighten the girth before mounting.
Shortly she was in the full darkness of the woods. Ran halted the horse, hobbled it and loosened the recently tightened girth. She grinned in grim irony at that. With tired grace she sat down and pulled the blade of the long knife from it's navy-black sheath. Ran took a deep breath, trying to not think of what she would do next. In her left hand she gathered the heavy length of her hair, which fell almost to her waist, and hacked it off. The thick strands fell haphazardly around her as she brutally but methodically removed her hair. It would be strange to be without it, but ultimately easier. She knew that the shorter locks would lend a sense of masculinity to her features and further blur her gender. It would also be easier to wear the helmet that was a part of her armor.
She settled herself for the night, too exhausted emotionally to eat or to build a fire. It should remain mild enough overnight, she decided and curled up. As Ran was falling asleep she smiled, tomorrow she would make her way to the river, but continue on westward. She had heard that there was a small mercenary troupe, one that didn't look to hard at the reasons for one to join. As long as she could be a convincing enough boy she should be alright. It was better than whoring.
With this thought fast in her head, Ran fell asleep. In the morning her new life would begin.
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