by C. J. Anaya
I lifted my head and met his eyes for the first time without being given permission. “I cannot give you information that does not exist within the soldier’s memories, and beating me as if you were a spoiled child throwing a tantrum will do nothing to change that fact.”
His brief look of astonishment was a look I knew I would treasure for the rest of my life—however short that may be. I waited, resigned to my fate and the brutal beating that was sure to follow my outburst, but it never came. Instead, my father eyed me thoughtfully and then let out a slow, deliberate chuckle.
“All this time, I wondered if my daughter, The Healer, had any kind of backbone.” His eyes narrowed, and he considered me for a few more hair-raising seconds. “It would seem you might be worthy of your destiny after all.” He stood up quickly, and I hurried to follow, feeling a bit unsteady at his uncharacteristic reaction to my uncharacteristic outburst. “You may go, daughter. I will see you tonight at table. I expect you to do all you can to make a good impression on your betrothed. I fear Katsu is not happy to be strapped to a woman for the rest of his life, but you just might be worth all of this.”
My father’s praise was more nerve-wracking than his beatings. I wasn’t used to his approving gaze or the idea that I had somehow pleased him. I was angry that his praise made me want to please him more—win him over and prove to him I was a daughter worth loving. He was a monster, yet I continued to crave his love.
The idea that Katsu might hate this arrangement as much as I did was news to me. He hadn’t given me that impression in the forest. Was it possible I wasn’t the only one frustrated with the inability to choose my own fate? Was it possible I could convince him to dissolve the betrothal and give me some semblance of a normal life without repercussions from my parents?
It was too much to contemplate at the moment. I nodded to my father, bowed from the waist and backed out of the room, never turning my back on him until I was out of his presence and hurrying down the dark, cavernous hall.
There was much to accomplish before nightfall came, but first there was someone I needed to visit, an individual in my life who loved and accepted me for who I was, and not who I was destined to become.
My younger brother, Prince Saigo.
My brother’s rooms were situated in the northern wing of the palace, but I knew he was most likely with his tutor this early in the morning. Prince Saigo was considered the heir to all of the wealth my father possessed and received the best education and samurai training money could buy. He would soon reach his sixteenth year, and I could not help but be proud of the strong, capable young man he had become.
Reaching his door I tapped twice. I heard him bark, “Enter,” in his best, most authoritative man-voice. I withheld an amused smile as I opened the door and entered his study room.
“Princess, to what do we owe the honor?” Kenji said, my brother’s wizened old history tutor. He had stood up and bowed respectfully.
“Please, Kenji, you know how that silly behavior irks me.”
I looked over at my brother and gave him a wink. He smiled at me and then stood and bowed from his waist as well. His clothing was less formal, with a simple brown kimono wrapping around his muscular frame. The sleeves were short and narrow, unlike the longer more cumbersome sleeves sewn on women’s robes.
“Nonsense, sister,” he joined in, “we must insist on treating you like the noble, genteel princess you are.”
I waved my hand at him dismissively, closed the door behind me and sat down at their table. “You two are impossible.”
They began to chuckle as they returned to their seats. I felt as if I could always relax when my brother and Kenji were with me, providing no one else was present. In closed quarters like these we were able to push the ridiculous rules of etiquette and formality aside while enjoying one another’s company. Titles, royalty, positions of authority…these were of little consequence when it was just the three of us.
I was feeling better already.
“I’m glad you’ve come to rescue me, dear sister. Kenji’s recitation of the history of our First Parents has been particularly torturous this morning, especially considering how nice a day it is.”
“You’re the worst pupil I’ve ever been unlucky enough to be strapped with. Your inability to focus has far surpassed that of your sister’s. It’s a wonder you two have learned anything at all.” Kenji shook his gnarled fist at Saigo.
My brother and I both laughed at his pitiful attempts to be stern or cross with us. We knew he cared for both of us very much. This playful banter was exactly the thing I’d been desperate for.
Kenji gave a tired sigh and straightened out his frail limbs beneath the table. He winced in pain, and I carefully studied him.
“You’re having joint pain again, Kenji. Why didn’t you summon me?”
He raised a pacifying hand and grunted as I stood up and crossed behind him.
“One does not simply summon The Healer to their quarters to relieve joint pain. One does not summon The Healer for anything unless they want your father to chop their head off.”
I bit my lip in anger at my father’s ridiculous edict. I wasn’t allowed to use my healing powers to help anyone truly in need. He had this silly notion that healing others’ aches and pains would lessen my ability to ascend to full immortality and become a kami when the time came. It was pure nonsense and yet another way he was able to control every aspect of my life. The hypocrite held no qualms about using my powers when it came to healing his commanders or torturing his enemies.
I placed my hands on either side of Kenji’s head and connected with his ki immediately. It was easy to do so. Kenji knew he could trust me. I felt a sharp jarring pain wash over me and pinpointed the source of it on his left side close to his hip. It appeared that he had a small crack in the hip bone close to the joint. It was small, but a crack was a crack, and it was causing him an enormous amount of pain, throwing off the balance of energy within his body, leading to an eventual infection and fever. I instructed his ki to heal the crack and correct the balance of energy flowing through his body. Once I was certain the healing would take effect, I released his head and stepped back.
“Kenji, how in the world did you manage to injure your hip like that? Did you fall down again?” I could feel frustration creep into my voice as I thought about his stubborn refusal to enlist a manservant to assist in dressing him. My father would have given him anything he asked for, considering his status as the royal historian, but Kenji was prideful and refused the help he so desperately needed.
“Of course not. I’m quite offended at your lowered opinion of my level of grace and coordination.”
Saigo snorted in a most unprincely manner. “Grace and coordination? Kenji, you’re an excellent tutor, but the gods help us all if ever you manage to get a sword in those wrinkled old hands of yours.”
“Saigo!” I said, shocked at his forthright manner.
Kenji threw his head back and laughed heartily. “You children are good for me. Never a dull moment, I must say.” He turned and took my hand in his, planting a grateful kiss on the top. “Thank you, my dear. I didn’t realize how badly I hurt until the hurt was made better. You take too many risks for an old nobody like me.”
I squeezed his hand and sat back down. “I wouldn’t have to if you would employ a little help when it comes to dressing yourself.” We both let out a dissatisfied grunt.
“Can you imagine a man at my age having someone dress me?”
“Mortifying thought.” Saigo laughed.
I threw a piece of parchment paper at my brother and leaned back in my chair.
He smiled and then studied me thoughtfully. “What’s on your mind, big sister? I’m sure your visit holds purpose.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Father has just informed me that I will be having a large dinner with Katsu tonight.”
Saigo leaned forward, alarm transforming his boyish features. “So soon? I had thought you wouldn’t be made to meet him u
ntil your eighteenth birthday.”
“Apparently, the engagement ceremony will take place tonight. Father has arranged it sooner rather than later so I might make a favorable impression upon the warrior god.”
Saigo looked puzzled. “How uncharacteristically generous of him.”
“He is hoping it will cement the warrior god’s commitment to the match. Father hinted that Katsu wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of being forced to marry.”
“He’s not happy about being forced to marry you or just being married in general?” Kenji asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Does it matter? Either way, Father seems to think he isn’t sold on this betrothal. He wishes for me to spend time with him and convince him otherwise, and to start my training as soon as possible.”
“Well, that would make more sense. Father always has his own agenda when it comes to managing yours.” Saigo gave me a sympathetic smile. “I don’t like this. I thought we would have more time to plan your escape from this hellish situation.”
I nodded. I too had hoped I would have more time to escape this prison I’d lived in for so many years. There was much Saigo knew about my current predicament, including my father’s abuse of my powers. He didn’t know about the abuse to my own person. I couldn’t let him know about that when there was nothing he could do to protect me from it.
“What father doesn’t realize is that I’ve already made a favorable impression on Katsu quite by accident.”
“How so?”
I then related the events of the night and early morning, starting with Hatsumi’s predicament, the woman I had healed and finishing up with Katsu’s efforts in saving me from a nekomata.
“I could tell you were in pain at table last night,” Saigo said. “I had no idea it would be Hatsumi’s time. The baby’s coming was too early.”
“True, but she carried her son longer than any others she’d conceived. We were fortunate to get this far.”
Kenji patted me on the back. “I’m proud of you, child. It’s a wonderful thing you’ve done for that family. I know how much it has meant for all of you.”
I smiled, rubbing my tired eyes. “Yes, she and her son will do well.”
“Now we have Katsu to deal with,” Saigo said, looking unhappy. “Why is Father under the impression that Katsu doesn’t want to marry you when the warrior god himself made reference to your betrothal?”
“The more alarming question to ask would center around the assassination attempt. Did you just happen to run into the nekomata on his way to the palace to kill you or had he been there already and gone searching for you once he realized you weren’t there?” Kenji asked.
“How would he have known to look for me in the forest?” I wondered.
“Nekomata have a strong sense of smell. They are perfect assassins in every sense of the word. You were fortunate to have Katsu arrive when he did. I wish you would consider taking someone like Saigo or myself when Daiki summons you to the village.”
“You know why that is impossible. You two are highly recognizable, and the fewer people who know about my late night excursions the less likely my father is to find out about them. Plus, I hardly had time last night to organize an escort. Hatsumi’s pain was too intense.”
“It did seem as if your anxiety grew, and then Father summoned you to his receiving room. Bad luck, I must say.” Saigo looked as if he’d eaten something sour. “Back to Kenji’s question, however—we have to wonder if someone in the palace knew your whereabouts and sent the nekomata after you.”
We sat silent, contemplating that frightening thought.
“I agree that your sister’s safety is a real concern. Katsu may be your only hope in keeping you safe, child. I know you wish to leave, but you must consider the prophecy,” Kenji began.
“Kenji, you and I both know the prophecy is merely a legend,” Saigo said.
“Then how do you explain the princess’s gift for healing?”
“She has an immortal father who happens to be the god of health and longevity. It isn’t that hard to put two and two together.” Saigo gave me a happy grin as if that answer discharged me of any responsibilities I might have as The Healer.
“She fits the prophecy’s stipulations on every point,” Kenji argued. “She is female, a half kami born of a god and an empress. She has healing powers and can use them to heal the veil between our world and the next.”
“Ah, yes, this notoriously elusive veil. Tell me, Kenji, how do we know she is capable of healing it if she can’t even see it?”
“Excellent point.” I smiled. Saigo was always so clever, and always trying to find ways to prove the prophecy wrong.
“That’s where Katsu comes in. He will train her on all of that. It’s probably another reason why your father has arranged tonight’s meeting a few months before your birthday.” Kenji rubbed his hands together and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course, I would love nothing more than to help you escape from that damned prophecy’s abysmal future. Nothing is worse than arranged marriages, and who really wants to heal a veil between the living and the dead for the rest of eternity?”
“Also an excellent point.” I grabbed both their hands and squeezed tight. “Perhaps there is a loophole. Shall we pore over the prophecy again?”
“Yes. Any plan at this point is better than no plan at all.” Kenji stood up and walked over to some large shelves on the far side of the room. He pulled out a scroll, a copy of the original prophecy. The real prophecy was framed in glass and held at a Shinto shrine that paid homage to the god of love and marriage. I thought it an odd place to house the original prophecy, but the monks in residence preserved all sorts of ancient writings, so I supposed the prophecy was in good hands.
It had been written in the original formal language of our First Parents, a language very few kami spoke today. It had been translated into a variation of Japanese that most everyone in my country used now. Who knew how much of the translation was actually accurate?
After all, languages are always evolving, much like people and their ever lowering levels of character.
Laying the prophecy on the table, Saigo unrolled its scratchy exterior and flattened it with a few books. Then he read the awful words, a selection of words I knew by heart.
Once strong and firm the veil grows thin
Amatsu, with his vengeful heart
Will rend in two and tear apart
The earth and all therein
One warrior god will not suffice
His sword cannot undo this fate
Unless he meets his true soul mate
And love unite, but for a price
For only she, half mortal born,
Can heal the one that’s turned to stone
A kami father, a royal throne
Where mother sits, a kingdom torn
Her gift to heal is only part
Of when and where she must become
The Healer, but to heal the one
Death she must overcome
I closed my eyes and felt the weight of the prophecy sink my spirits.
“Okay, so clearly the warrior god is Katsu, the kami who was charged with maintaining the strength of the veil. He can’t keep the veil strong without a mate by his side, but it can’t be just anyone. It has to be his soul mate.” Saigo paused for a moment considering. “Perhaps we can prove you aren’t his soul mate, sister.”
“Of course she is, child.” Kenji shook his head. “The prophecy spells out exactly who she is. Half mortal, born of a god and a royal mother, she can heal…is any of this sounding like someone we know?” Kenji reached across the table and smacked Saigo lightly across his head.
“But maybe there is another princess out there with the same problems.” Saigo insisted.
I had to laugh outright at the way he labeled my parentage and gift. They were problems, indeed.
“I still don’t like the ‘Death she must overcome’ part.” Saigo clicked his tongue against his teeth, a nervous
habit of his.
“You know the prophecy is referring to my mortal side. I can’t become The Healer completely if I haven’t transitioned into a full kami by the time Katsu and I begin to heal the veil. If I haven’t overcome my mortal side, then I will die working alongside the warrior god.” I sighed. “Although, I can’t help but embrace that idea. Death seems like a welcome relief and a great escape plan all rolled into one. If only I were the suicidal type.”
“Yes, how terribly unfortunate to value one’s life over impending servitude,” Kenji said dryly.
“What does the prophecy mean when it says ‘when and where she must become The Healer’? Isn’t she considered The Healer already?”
Saigo had asked this question hundreds of times before, and I always gave him the same answer. “I’m not The Healer completely until I’m a full kami, genius.” It was my turn to reach over and smack him lightly across the head. “As far as the ‘where’ is concerned, I’m assuming it is talking about the exact location where the veil is the weakest.”
“That’s the problem, sister. There’s quite a bit of assuming going on where your future is concerned. I can’t help but think we are missing something important here.” He clicked his tongue against his teeth again, and then blew out a heavy sigh. “What if the scholars who translated this were wrong?”
“I would have to agree with Saigo,” Kenji said. “The prophecy is obscure at best and, at worst, open to interpretation. It’s the only reason I’ve been willing to support this mad escape plan of yours—against my better judgment, I might add.” He wagged his bony finger at me and then winked.
Warmth filled my heart at the clear concern he was willing to show for my welfare. It was certainly more emotion than I ever received from my father, the nurturing paternal kind of emotion anyway. I was often the recipient of a myriad of other more unpleasant emotions from the emperor. Kenji had been my tutor for many years, and if I truly wanted to be honest with myself, he’d been much more of a father than my current one had. I valued his opinion on most matters, which was why I decided to reveal the most recent events of my day with him still present.