Through the Eyes of the Dragon

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – General Namikawa

And thus began a lifestyle that… was strangely familiar to young Namikawa. Though his father was a very loving man, Tatsuya-, no, Motochika and his brothers were heavily trained from the day they took their first steps. Political preparedness was his goal, educating his children from mathematics to war tactics, literature to economics, history to sciences, geography to overall presentation, and so on. Whenever the boy princes were not being trained for the future, they were putting up with annoying nobles or messing around as best as young boys could. The difference between then and now was simple.

For learning, Kojuro would patiently teach him the Aerosian languages while a general by the name of Oniniwa Tsunamoto taught him about the country’s system. In place of pesky nobles, Tatsuya was constantly speaking with Masamune, and his free time was either spent on Kojuro’s farm or on touring the kingdom. To the former Acquan, it was almost as if he had finally found his place in Aeros. He could meet everyday head on, unwavering, always full of energy and prepared to take on whatever crap his lord threw at him.

Apparently his efforts must have paid off, for merely six months into his new role, Tatsuya got a surprise summoning ‘concerning his current situation in the Aerosian government.’ So one Moon season he descended down to the War Room dressed in simple clothes, only to find himself met by the whole War Council.

“Glaaaaaad you could come! Normally it would take years and years for someone to get promoted like this but… we kinda figured you were already doing a good job at it, so why not make it final?” his lord Date Masamune said as he sat reclined in a plain old wooden chair.

Clearing his throat, Kojuro shot his lord a disapproving glance before motioning to his comrade to take a seat.

Tsunamoto had already risen along with the other four generals, picking up a scroll and reading off its contents. “After much speculation and evaluation on your work ethic, we the… er… Council of Elders have come to the conclusion that it is about time that another join our ranks. With approval from our mighty Lord Date M-Masamune, the Council officially grants you the title of ‘General,’” he began, pausing halfway so that everyone could watch Tatsuya’s expression shift from curious, to completely baffled, “… While you are still adjusting to the happenings of our country the title simply enables you the liberty to continue on as an advisor for our lord… Military wise, however, you most likely hold a similar position to that of a Lieutenant or Squad Leader…” he announced, making whatever revisions and edits that were necessary to fit the special occasion along the way.

Once the words were allowed time to solidify in Tatsuya’s brain, the Council took their turn bowing to their new companion and providing small statements of congratulations. He in the meantime was too stunned to react, wondering if this really was a good idea. After all, he hardly knew half the people in the Pagoda, and was still having troubles perfecting his calligraphy. Honestly, what was with this kingdom? Everything was so mellow, and yet so fast-paced at the same time…

After Masamune waved them all back down into their seats, Tatsuya took a moment to run the other generals’ names through his head, seeing as it was probably important information to know from there on out. The first and possibly most respected of the Council members was Oniniwa Tsunamoto, who the new general recognized better as being the man speaking with Masamune on the day he was first brought to Aeros.

The second was Mizuki Tadatsune, probably the eldest of them all. He seemed to be the goofball of the bunch, never afraid to tell what was on his mind or to hold back on what he was really feeling. He and Tsunamoto also appeared to be rather close, possibly because they had worked under Lord Terumune together.