Writing Prompts & Short Stories

Burning Bridges... #SakuraBlossoms

I'd been running for over six hours trying to put as much distance as I can between myself and the palace. Half the day had passed and the sun was close to setting. The wind was blowing all of the newly sprung foliage around in the air as I traveled through miles and miles of dense forest, past the peasant farm towns and merchant villages near the outskirts of the city. Despite the thumping of my heart and loud thoughts running through my brain, the journey today was quiet. Only the springtime songbirds were out and about, gathering twigs for nests and finding food for their families. Traveling through the thick forests, I spotted an occasional deer but that's it. 

I had lost the group of royal guards who managed to follow me out of the palace days ago, and I didn't spot any traces of spies or other enemies hiding along my route. Since I hadn't seen anyone in the last 48 hours, for the most part, I had to be in the clear. Those royal guards would never catch me anyway... I might be a woman, but I'm a fast runner and I know a thing or two about stealth thanks to my father's fighting lessons. 

He actually didn't personally teach me to fight, but in between my daily reading and writing lessons as a child, I would sneak out of the house and observe my father teaching my older brother how to fight with his hands and with his weapons. I also listened as he taught my brother all sorts of tricks on how to never be seen by enemies -- something he'd learned in the military. With my self-taught skills in martial arts and sword fighting, I was confident that if I did happen to run into an enemy, at least I'd be able to defend myself.

As my tired and achy feet kept running through the musty woods, my eyes caught hold of a rustic, wooden bridge several feet ahead. As I reached the end of the forest, digging the foot of my sandals into the grassy open plains, the sound of the mighty river flowing underneath the old bridge filled my spirit with hope. I was almost free! Just past that bridge and I'd officially be out of state bounds and someone else's problem. The imperial palace was far behind me now... my old life and my family would only be memories... there was no turning back after what had occurred.

...

My name is Tokugawa Ume, or Princess Ume as members of the imperial family liked to call me. My uncle is the Emperor of the Japanese nation. Well... he was. All was peaceful within and without the palace, as it usually is, up until a few weeks ago. That's when I initially overhead from some royal servants (who were not very good at whispering) about my uncle's involvement in several illegal dealings with other countries. The servants also claimed that my uncle was gambling money that was supposed to be used to build new housing for the villagers, had a prison of prostitutes who he illegally sold for money and materials, and refused to report his personal stocks, bonds, and most likely illegal monetary gifts for taxes. These were just a few of the rumors that I heard about my uncle around the palace... but he was involved in so much more. And I had proof. (Don't ask about a lady's connections, that's very rude. Just know that he's guilty.)

Once I discovered my uncle wasn't the righteous leader everyone thought he was, I couldn't just sit back in my fancy little room within the imperial palace and do nothing. Someone needed to make things right. And that someone would be me. Too many illegal acts were happening behind the scenes by the hands of someone that I called family... and it needed to stop. Millions of villagers looked up to my uncle and respected him as the Emperor. They trusted him to tell them the truth, feed them, clothe them, and protect them from danger. But he's putting the safety of our nation's people in jeopardy with his demeaning actions.

So I decided to confront him. I requested a meeting with him in his private office to discuss the rumors that I had heard and my concerns about them. Of course, once he knew that I knew what he'd done, it was either my head or his. So as he attempted to call a group of his royal guards to punish me... I swiftly took out my kaiken dagger hiding in the sleeve of my kimono and killed him...