Lady Samurai

Chapter 28

Lord Takeda's stay at the Imperial Court was as frustrating and unproductive as he had expected. He was forced to participate in countless official visits from other Lords, take part in celebrations, applaud during the Imperial performances and suffer hours of excruciatingly boring meetings with officials reporting progress in their respective fields... All that with a fake smile and an attentive face.

All he wanted was to go back home!

Eventually, he dared to ask the Emperor for a permission to leave Kyōto. "Your Highness, I humbly beg to be allowed to leave the Imperial Court and return home." He bowed low.

"Why?"

"Your Highness is aware that I have never been much interested in politics. Besides, I miss my son, who I haven't seen for many months now."

"Is that the only reason behind your request?" The Emperor's dark eyes appraised him carefully.

"Your Highness..." Takeda didn't understand.

"Is it the Gai-Jin woman you are so eager to re-join?"

"Your Highness, I have no intention or plans to return to Kanagawa."

"We haven't had a chance to talk about her so far." The Emperor stopped his assurances with a gesture.

They sat in a pavilion, situated on the side of a lake in the Imperial gardens. It was a truly magnificent view to behold. The trees casting a shadow on the rippling surface of the water, the fragrant flowers and the refreshing breeze. It was all designed to calm and inspire minds.

With a nod the Emperor sent all his attendants away. They were alone now.

"Tell me about her."

"Her name is Anna and she is the official interpreter for the Americans." Lord Takeda was very careful in divulging any information. He wasn't sure how much the Emperor already knew and what was the real purpose of these questions.

"How does she know our language?"

"She had been to Japan before."

"How? When? And where?"

"I am not sure, Your Highness. Her accent betrayed that she had lived somewhere on the west coast."

"Didn't you interrogate her?!" Despite the sharp voice, the Emperor's face was an impassive mask.

"Your Highness, she was very reticent..."

"Whoever was hiding her should had been punished!" Takeda was cut off.

"I can only guess that was the reason for her silence."

"What else?" His Lord demanded.

"She is very intelligent and accomplished in many areas. She comes from a noble family and her father was a Daimyō in his country. She is also a skilled warrior. I was fortunate to admire her reflexes and fluidity of movements during the attempt on my life..." His voice trailed off.

"Please, continue." The Emperor's voice softened.

"After she saved my life, she herself became the target for the assassins, so I offered her protection and hospitality in my house. I managed to get to know her a little during that time. Her heart is pure and she is incapable of betrayal. She didn't come here with any hidden agenda."

"Yet..."

"Yet, Your Highness?" Lord Takeda didn't understand.

"Yet, she managed to seduce you. A member of the Imperial family."

"I am afraid, it was me, who seduced her." Takeda smiled, recalling the moment in the garden, when he embraced her for the first time. "It shames me to admit, but I took advantage in her moment of weakness... Ana-San has no family, nor home. We met, when she was lonely and vulnerable. My embrace dispelled her sadness for a time."

"Nothing else?"

"I haven't seen or heard from her, since we parted ways in Kanagawa."

"But you miss her?" Again, it was more of a statement than the actual question.

"Yes." He admitted truthfully. "It seems that I was also lonely."

"You should have taken a new wife a long time ago. It is not good for a man to be alone."

"Your Highness, I don't want another woman, who will marry me for my position or because her relatives forced her to!" Takeda exclaimed, shocking even himself.

"Oh... And what kind of a woman do you want?" The Emperor gazed at him with curiosity.

"I want a woman who will love and honour me for who I am and not what I am."

"And you believe that you have found that in the Gai-Jin woman?" His dark eyes were now penetrating Takeda.

"No! Your Highness, I know well that I would never be able to marry her. But... I wish..." He stopped, unable to finish his thought.

"I have been told many disturbing things about her. Did you know they call her a witch?"

"Your Highness, she is not a witch!" Takeda exclaimed with passion.

"Takeda-Sama, your behaviour is extremely unorthodox." The Emperor's voice was stern again. "However," Suddenly his tone changed again. "The times are changing and I believe we must change as well." Takeda stared at his Lord with his eyes wide open, not daring to believe. "I have been meditating on that for a long time now." The Emperor continued. "You say that she comes from a noble family?"

"Hai, Your Highness." Takeda confirmed.

"And she is an accomplished warrior?" Another nod of confirmation. "Therefore, according to our customs, she is also a samurai. Perhaps there would be a place for her here, if she decided to remain in Japan." Lord Takeda was speechless. He couldn't believe his own ears. "Perhaps we could use her knowledge to learn about Gai-Jin? But, can we trust her?"

"Your Highness, I would trust her with my life." Takeda bowed very low.

"From your expression I gather that you wouldn't object?" The Emperor's voice was light, as if he was amused.

"Hai!"

"Only one question remains, is she ready to stay. Can I trust you with this mission?"

"I will be honoured, Your Highness."

"Good. You must, of course, wait until Hayashi is finished with Gai-Jin. But after that I expect you to bring her to me. I need somebody who knows the foreigners and who would advise me truthfully. Tokugawa's Council had to bow to their superior power, but perhaps we could use her knowledge to our own advantage?"

Lord Takeda prostrated himself in the lowest and humblest bow he could manage. He simply couldn't believe that the Emperor had found a way for Anna to stay in Japan without fearing for her life. Not as a concubine, but a samurai in her own right.

On his way out he realised two important things: one - that the Emperor was thinking of reclaiming power from the Shōgun, and two - that inadvertently and despite his life's policy, Takeda was now fully involved in politics.

And that the side had been chosen for him...