A Thorn in the Side

"...and we estimate no less than a dozen incidents in the last month, My Lord," the functionary reported, reading off a report. They were in the keep of one of the local governors responsible for enforcing the Empire's laws in the southern block of baronies. The mood was grim as the remaining faces of guards and soldiers looked on with dour and demoralized expressions.

Governor Morio Doi swore with a vulgar tone as he nearly threw his wine chalice at the messenger. Normally, being the governor of a block of baronies was a prestigious and honored position that went to the most loyal politicos, men who had served the Empire for years of faithful service, climbing with ladder of ambition, usually stabbing a few rivals along the way. Having arrived, this was supposed to be a secure place where nothing could go wrong. Unfortunately, these past few months, patrols and supply lines throughout his territories had been getting hit, often with no apparent survivors or even remains.

"Your Lordship, the one clue we do have from the few who have managed to escape was the enemy was led by a young girl employing ambush tactics against our forces. Based on the pattern of attacks, they've been growing in size and boldness over time, which means we must conclude their successes are having results in recruiting additional volunteers. We must snuff this movement out before it grows beyond a mere nuisance into something dangerous," the senior keep commander emphasized.

"Sh-shouldn't we report this to the Emperor?" one of the functionaries suggested. "Perhaps they could send additional soldiers that would allow-"

Governor Doi glared at the man who just spoke. "Are you trying to get my family sent to the labor camps? We will find this insurrection movement and squash it with the forces at hand, then I will personally hand her to the Emperor myself!"

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The woods in the outskirts of Kalldrun had become a beehive of activity as the refugees that had escaped from Merwindolyn had managed to establish the semblance of a camp there with the tacit permission from Lord Belray. Over the past few months of successful raids against passing Empire patrols and supply trains, the group had slowly grown with a steady stream of recruits, some from the very patrols they had defeated, others from the surrounding breakaway provinces as their reputation spread.

With increasing size came the need for logistics, something that both Akiko and Keiko were woefully ill-equipped to handle in this world. Fortunately, several of their group were hunters and they had access to local sources of water, though making them potable required various systems to be set up ranging from boiling, filtration and distillation, with the occasional spike of alcoholic beverages.

"Blech...!" Keiko spat out a mouthful of water spiked with cheap beer from the offered wooden cup. "That's what all those delinquent kids are trying to sneak into clubs? Why don't they just pour bleach in their drinks and save money?"

"I'm... pretty sure the booze in Japan's better than the stuff they're making out of those vats they've improvised. Jun and Hiroshige say the beer and mead they've managed to get in Kalldrun proper is better," Akiko assured. "Maybe stick with the boiled water for now?"

Keiko groaned, "I'm pretty sure my stomach's not agreeing with something in that water, or maybe it's the food, I mean, half the creatures they're calling meat don't even exist back on our world."

Akiko smirked, "Maybe you should try and find a crystal that conjures clean food and water?"

"Yeah... if the Empire has a crystal of bountiful food and drink, I'll swap them for their Kingdom," Keiko sarcastically promised. She paused for a moment before continuing. "You know... it's been a few months since we got here... Do you think...Masako's still..."

Akiko shifted uncomfortably. "I... I hope so..." She sighed. "Sergeant Takeda warned us that if we just charged into the capital without any plan, they'd grab us instantly and it's game over. So, the only way we stand any chance is to build some kind of power base behind us before we try any kind of rescue. I just hope she can hold out long enough for us to be able to build our strength up enough to do that."

Keiko took a swallow of water before continuing, "So, let's say we finally do rescue her... have you thought about what happens next?"

Akiko looked at Keiko with a puzzled look. "What?"

"I'm asking... once we rescue her and we're back together, do we try find a way back to our world and just leave these people to their fight or are we sticking around for their rebellion? Because right now, it's sure looking like we're sticking around for the long haul."

"I... I hadn't thought about that," Akiko admitted. "I guess I was so focused on just getting through to the next fight, I..."

"Well, you'd better start," Keiko urged, "because the camp here is growing and people are talking about that little speech you gave a few months back about stepping up and making a choice; I mean, were you serious, or were you just blowing smoke?"

"I... I... really don't know. Half the time, I'm not even sure whether I'm really me or Akira, especially when I fight," Akiko confessed.

"Well yeah... it is weird that you kind of have a wife and kid now," Keiko suggested lightly.

"P-please don't say it like that..." Akiko nervously beseeched.  "Every time Hiroshi looks at me, I get this freaky feeling of connection, even though we've never met.  And yeah... he's Akira's kid, but come on, I'm not his dad.  At best, I'm an older sibling or cousin."

"Yeah... just what you need right now, a little brother," Keiko smirked, before turning serious.  "As far as your other dilemma... maybe try and find out more about what kind of person Akira was.  That way, maybe you and 'Akira' can... you know... try and reconcile the two parts of yourself. I mean... if you are a reincarnation with one spirit or soul, split between two different lives, then maybe you need to find a way to make peace between those lives to move forward."

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Akiko went to another set of tents and looked around until she saw who she was looking for. "Lady Hiromi, may I have a word with you?"

"Yes, of course, Lady Fujiwara," Hiromi sat down by the table with Hiroshi by her side. "I'm happy we have this chance to speak again. It looks like you've begun to find your footing as a leader."

"Yeah... that remains to be seen, it's still a long way to go," Akiko admitted. "I wanted to ask you though... you said Hiroshi was... Akira's child. Are you...?"

Hiromi bowed her head slight with a nod. "Not officially on any document within the Empire... but in the most important way that matters, yes. We... met during one of the major battles in the north against one of the rival factions during one of the regime disputes and Captain Fujiwara's unit were assigned as the tip of the spear for one of the offensives in the Agnor's Valley, a vital choke point for the whole battle. They held the line but at great costs, including Captain Fujiwara, who took significant injuries that day. I was a life mage working behind the lines, mending those who could be saved before they were sent back into battle. We... saw something special in each other... but we both knew we couldn't act on it at that time. In the years that followed, we... arranged time to be with one another and became close."

Akiko found herself drawn towards Hiroshi before speaking, "But you never actually made it official..."

Hiromi sighed, "We both saw what the Empire was becoming, and once Hiroshi was born, neither of us wanted him to grow up in that world. If we had made our bond an official marriage, then our child would have become known and likely taken into the Empire's education system to be indoctrinated as they do for all their officers' children and family, and we wanted more than that for him. So, in that final year, Akira begun to set aside some money from his earnings to buy a farm all the way out in Dafoe Meadow in Turuk Barony, beyond the reach of the Empire. Once he had the farm and savings set up, we were supposed to meet at a designated place after his last mission, slip away one night, then never be seen again. Sadly, he never returned from that mission. The Empire claimed that he had been fell by insurgent forces during a raid that went wrong, but frankly no one believes that. I maintain that he was betrayed by the very Empire he had served his entire adult life. Why they chose to do that, I will never know."

"Maybe, someone got wind of this... prophecy and decided to try and preempt it," Akiko suggested.

"No, the prophecy only became known in the past year or so," Hiromi corrected. "It was divined during a seance last year, a few months after Akira's passing. Whatever they might have thought or divined, it didn't come from us. Despite our mutual feelings, neither of us had any interest in changing their system back then. We were more than ready to just disappear and have a quiet life away from it all."

"Sergeant Takeda pretty much said the same thing," Akiko recalled. "He even suggested that had they just let Akira retire, there might not even be a prophecy." She looked at Hiroshi as their eyes met. "So, he was ready to walk away from all of this to raise a family..." 

Hiromi sighed, "I think he would have preferred to say that he wanted a better future to raise a family but didn't see a path forward from where we were. If there had been a way, the man I knew would have moved mountains or died trying if it meant a better life for the ones he loved."