#gemling

"At least this should make her stop since you're wearing green technically."

"No she won't."

"...yeah."

Then there's the calmer sisters that try to sooth their big bubby after being ruthlessly attacked by a partially green gremlin with a pincer tail.

Monster March 2026

Elemental Spirit

Written in Stone

Part 2

Upon putting the tethering stones on, Prince Rokujou immediately saw three glow blue and two more glow green and two more still, glow teal, revealing traitors within his own ranks. 

So his army tied those seven men up and interrogated them to find out that they were spies from Nagachika and the other enemy clans tasked to infiltrate his army to ensure his failure. They were the saboteurs and were the reason why he had gone so dismally until now. 

Prince Rokujou gave them a choice, commit Seppuku, or be beheaded. They did the last honorable thing they could and chose to commit Seppuku. He and his remaining troop all watched as the stones went clear before Rokujou took them back. 

“I’ll take those, thank you.” They all heard her voice say before all of the bodies and their heads vanished into the ground. 

“Thank you Lady Ashina Yasumoro.” They all thanked her gratefully. But none of the stones turned black. Which still puzzled him but relieved him at the same time. 

The several deer were indeed enough for them all to eat to satisfaction and then ration out for the next four days, along with the rice and other foods she had brought. And the soap was indeed enough so that it was cut into even bars for everyone to share, at least his men insisted that he wash himself and his clothes first before he did so, marveling at the huge washroom where the largest and indeed hottest and most comfortable tub was waiting for him, that literally had his name on it and special bars of soap to both wash himself, condition his scales and horns then wash his clothes with in one of the many wash basins for washing and drying clothes nearby. Then once he was full and clean and redressed, he found he had his very own bedroom on the other side of the fireplace with three stones that all glowed red, pink and purple along with his name. 

His room was equipped with a door for privacy and special lights that glowed like candlelight and he had a bed and a blanket of crystals, that instead of being hard and sharp, were actually quite soft and practically fluffy and it was, hands down, the most comfortable bed he had ever gotten into. The bed itself was so warm, practically hot and his being soaked up every bit of it that it could as his soft blanket of crystals was wrapped around him, everything was from Ashina, all of it wrapped around him and in him. And he had never in his life felt safer, felt more at peace, more secure, even in his palace home. Here, he was, for the first time in a long time- truly safe. He was warm, he was full, he was clean, all thanks to Ashina. Who had turned him from a desperate creature on a cliff, to the man he knew he was. 

She had given him another gift that had a value more infinite than any money could pay for- dignity. She had given him dignity and respect and the last thing he would do is not return it to her, at least twice over or as many ways as he could. And with such thoughts he fell into a deep restful sleep. 

Meanwhile Ashina proudly produced the seven men, now, practically hacked to bits before the Ronin when they met back up at the bottom of the mountain but they refused to take credit for the kills that they had no choice but attribute to her. 

The Ronin gathered up the hacked up bodies and put them into a cart to show her father when they would return. 

Ashina rode behind her favorite Ronin, Kunou, to her father’s palace, the whole way there, trying to think of a lie to explain how she killed seven soldiers, seven traitors to Rokujo, seven spies for her father.  

Once back, the cart was pulled in front of the gate and Kunou helped her down as he and the other Ronin knelt behind her in front of her father who came out, hoping that they were bringing the Prince’s remains with them. 

“Lord Nagachicka, your daughter Lady Ashina, shows her capabilities and her loyalties to you. She has dispatched not 1, but 7 of the enemy.” Kunou praised Ashina to her father as he gestured to the 7 severed heads and their torn up corpses next to her in the cart. 

“How did you do it?” Her father asked and thankfully, Ashina had come up with an answer she felt would satisfy her father. 

“They were straggling behind. I offered them fake shelter in a thin, rocky trail, towards what they saw and assumed was a cave. Once they were trapped in the trail, it was not difficult to use the very rock to kill them and cut them apart. But who they were following- could not be seen or felt by me. My half brother is testing me, to see if I have the heart and stomach for this bloody business. And once I proved I was, he then let me have these as my own spoils. But all metal from them, as you have seen, have been stripped from them, by him. For that was his price for allowing me to move in the mountain itself.” She answered as Lord Nagachika seemed to ponder her answer before he gave her a nod of acceptance. 

“Very well done, my daughter. I see this as you earning more trust than ever before. From now on, you will go with the Ronin, for your safety I can only trust to them. For you have proven yourself, as more than just their superior, but as my legitimate daughter.” Her father chose to praise. 

However, all recognized the severed heads as the very spies that were sent to undo Prince Rokujou’s efforts but none of them had the heart to point it out, not wanting to take this victory away from Ashina, for fear she would not be able to save face in front of her father. Ashina was a rare jewel, rarely let out to enjoy the world outside of her high tower. 

For the Ronin, they realized they desperately needed her for this task and this victory would help to gain her freedom. 

But her father, while outwardly tried to praise her for her loyalty, and lethality, he couldn’t let on his disappointment that she had killed the wrong soldiers in Prince Rokujou’s army. He would have been truly happy if she had managed to kill the Prince himself and the rest of his men. 

But with her half “wild” brother measuring her success or failure, testing her like this, was understandable. She needed to be able to move without limitations in that mountain and he was willing to give whatever it took for her to achieve that. Striking at his enemy for him. 

“However, my mountain…distant relatives, have agreed to do as I have requested to kill anyone not wearing a tethering stone, especially any one wearing one that did not glow green or blue or any color or shade in between those two colors. Since your clan is signified by green, and we are aligned with the Yoshitoki clan which is blue, thus the blending of the two colors.” Ashina repeated as she had to force her own tethering stone to stay green while in her father’s presence and the presence of the others. She did her best to  ignore her half brother Sago's leering gaze upon her since he was a full son of her father’s and technically her half brother. 

But despite her father’s words of praise, and the praise of the Ronin, Ashina could feel her father’s disappointment and feared her one chance at freedom was slipping out of her hands as she placed her hands on the stone and wished with every fiber of her being that she could just vanish into the stone without a second thought to any consequences but she still had her mother and her younger sister to think about. She needed to redeem herself, even her ‘victory’ was seen as a loss by her father. She couldn’t risk having anything short of success in front of him, not when so much was hanging in the balance. 

She needed a new plan, and fast. 

“Dismissed.” Her father dismissed everyone but she stayed, kneeling where she was as her mind was still reeling about how to move forward from here and how she could keep her newfound freedom without jeopardizing her mother or herself and sadly, no matter how she thought about it, the only way to make this work, was to run a double scheme. Her gut lurched at the thought but for her mother and her younger sister to have the freedom she had only had a taste of that day, she needed to. She could not do this all on her own. And she would rather her sire believe in her loyalty than suspect she was conspiring against him, because that would spell disaster to her and her mother and her youngest sister. And she couldn’t risk that. 

“Is there something else?” Lord Nagachika asked her when she did not move at all but suddenly looked up and knew it was now or never. 

“Yes, there is a private matter I wish to speak to you about.” She requested with a bow of submission. 

“Then please, come inside My Dear Ashina.” He smiled and invited her in as she made sure to make sure no dirt clung to her as she stood and walked the same way her other half sisters did, in the oiran style before he knelt on his own throne and she knelt before him once more. 

“What is it that you wish to discuss with me Ashina?” He asked before a servant came and brought them both tea to drink as she waited until the servant left before she spoke, trying to find the right words to say and the right tone in which to use them. 

“I wish… to ensure your success. To my understanding with the Ronin, the Shogun only had three sons and now only has one and no living grandsons to take his throne. Two sons and their sons have already fallen. That leaves only one last son, who has no sons himself. And he is so close, his soldier’s blood spills in your own courtyard. There is only one person, besides the Shogun himself, between you and the Shogun’s throne. Prince Rokujou Katsuhiro. I believe that your destiny is to be the Shogun. However, I fear the way in which you are pursing it, will be too costly for you to pay. Especially with the speed with which you are pursuing it, so I wish to offer an alternative, hopefully a better alternative, with your permission, I wish to lure the Prince- here to you. But to do so- will take time, it will take time for me to introduce myself and earn his trust. As I was kneeling outside, I got a message from my half brother, Akiko, he feels he may have found them. But I told him to not execute them yet. For such glory belongs to you and only you Father, my Liege Lord.” She tried to praise and placate. 

“How?” He asked, intrigued. 

“Firstly, I know that in chess, and go and all of your other wargames are done with strategy, and it isn’t clear until the last move what your endgame was all along. I fear you are playing the board too quickly, and the pieces are falling too swiftly in your favor, and if you do too much too fast, I’m afraid most of the current Shogun court, will not follow and accuse you of being an illegitimate usurper. I know that you have plans for me and Sogu to marry. However, he already has a wife and three concubines and six sons, and while I will obey you as my father and Liege Lord, I ask for your permission to conduct a farce. I have heard a rumor from the Ronin that Prince Rokujou Kastuhiro has no wife, no concubines, not even consorts and most importantly, no sons. The only legitimacy he claims to the Shogun Throne is only the blood that is in his veins, and has no other claims otherwise, but that blood is legitimate and if we use it to get you to the Shogunate throne, no one will be able to call you a usurper, much less illegitimate. Prince Rokujou  is already at a disadvantage, he is already in hostile terrain with your well trained and well equipped troops hunting him like a wild animal.  However, I have seen what wild animals can do, when they feel they are fighting for their lives. And I do not wish for any more harm to come to you or our family. So, the farce I wish to conduct is, instead of hunting him, draw him out.” She posed. 

“How so?” He asked, intrigued. 

“According to all in your palace, no one is denying my beauty. Your own sons acknowledge it, as do all the soldiers, all the commanders and all the captains and even all of the Ronin, none of them hide their attraction to me, and it is only you and your protection that keep me from harm from them. A protection I will always be grateful and indebted to you for. However, I do not dare let such things go to my head and selfish pride, or heaven forbid arrogance to think of myself as any prettier or more beautiful than any of my other half sisters or step mothers.” Ashina carefully pointed out, because granted, it did not take a woman of much beauty to be more beautiful than her half sisters, despite their mothers, who had decent beauty in their youth, but when they lost their youthful beauty, gained more vicious minds. Which her father desired more.

“But if I can appeal to the men outside our family, just by being present-, without a look, without a word, without a deed, maybe, I just might be able to appeal to Prince Rokujou Katsuhiro too. So, my alternative is this-  if I find him and offer him myself as his bride, in exchange to either call a ceasefire and end this battle with a marriage of alliance, but instead of him coming here to take me as his wife, he is lured here to his death? If, where my half brother Akiko has found him, is true and it is indeed him. He is hungry, cold and tired and at the mercy of the elements. Allow me to give him a reprieve, allow me to provide food, water and shelter for him and those with him in the mountain, to make him and his army believe that I am on their side. A lie by circumstance, maybe by words if he will hear them. Then, once I’ve gained his trust and his men have regained their strength, He will come here to claim me, and in so doing, put himself and those with him will be outmanned, out weaponed and outmaneuvered. Use me as bait for him to draw him out and he will come to you instead of you going out to look for him. The father of my half brother- Takoa, is king of the volcano- has agreed to grant me any request I make of him now that I have proven myself. He would accept  my request to not kill the Prince upon first sight, but let me do as I will with the Prince and those intruders with him- as my one wish, simply my first request. Of which I do not know how many he will give me. So my second, possibly last request would be this - to lure him out of the volcano mount into the trap you will set for him. Please, let me request this, that Prince Rokujou Kastuhiro and his men will not be harmed by anyone in King Takoa’s nation. Nor will they be harmed by my family in the Nagachika family and clan during my farce.” She explained and then continued once her sire was deep in thought about this ‘alternative’. 

“I can always say to him and to his army that the Ronin were the ones to kill off the stragglers, I’m sure he would believe such a thing and see me as a weakling woman with no battle training at all. And once I have a marriage alliance down in writing with the Prince’s own hand, and if you would permit me to go to the Capital City to the Imperial Palace in Edo to see the current Shogun so that the Shogun himself may agree to the match and the ceasefire and the peace. Then there would be nothing the Shogun could say or do, should Prince Rokujou commit some crime in manners or customs or traditions and offend you and our great family and our great clan, that would incense us to kill him and all those with him- for it would be while he would be trapped inside these walls.” She gestured to the palace and its high walls just outside of them.  

“Because by then, the peace will be agreed upon, written in stone, literally. And all the other lords would have no choice but to accept you as the next Shogun, especially if I get close enough to the Prince, that I might feign a pregnancy, so that the current Shogun will accept me and the fake son as his heir. From there, your ascension would be all but assured. And then once you gain the throne, then I can feign a miscarriage of the Prince’s son so that I may marry back into the family.” She tempted with the best of a clever grin she could make. She had to make her eyes practically glitter in mischief and a cunning she did not think she could possess.  

“I see you have put much thought into this.” He noticed, intrigued by her ingenious plan. He was very pleased and impressed by the way she laid it out for him. A perfect endgame. An ingenious trap. He would be a fool to all the world and underworld if he did not take her up on it. It was true, there was growing dissension in the current Shogun’s court against him, this could possibly wipe it out and best of all, make it legal and legitimate. 

“I do not wish to see my half brothers, especially Sogu, or especially you, my Liege Lord and Father, to be killed off, or dishonored in any way. So once I had heard these things from the other Ronin who know Prince Rokujou by reputation, I formulated this plan, but of course, I would not dream of enacting it without your knowledge, approval or consent.” She placated as she bowed submissively as Lord Nagachika could not hold back his bright smile of approval. This was the best course of action, handed to him by the most unlikely but best source, one that was beyond reproach. She had proven her loyalty and faithfulness in full that day, and every day before and soon, every day after.

He was sure that it would be shown by her actions in the coming days and weeks. He knew his daughter Ashina, she was rather one minded and only focused on one thing until mastery before moving on. 

“Of all that is mine, you have been the greatest treasure of all - My Dear Ashina. Of course, this is the perfect plan. And something only you could be victorious of. If you succeed, you may marry any of my sons you wish to, instead of just Sogu.” He offered. 

“That would please me greatly. However I dare not choose until after I succeed.  I’m sure instead of receiving the sons you have always wanted from my mother, you will get the grandsons you have always desired, only breed the most desirable grandsons who will do your will without question or disobedience.” She appealed. 

“Agreed. So, what will you need for this farce?” He asked, delighted and intrigued by her plot. 

“I will need firstly, for you to recognize me as your legitimate daughter, or you could even claim that you found my mother and me abandoned by my yokhai father, but you have accepted her as your concubine and have accepted me as your daughter, the same way your daughters in law are also sisters to me and are daughters of yours also so that I may have a face in the current Shogun’s court and be known when I go to the Shogun in your name.” She offered as he stroked his chin before nodding approvingly again. Because on paper, it would not be incestuous for her to marry back into the family so to speak. 

“Agreed. However, your appearance may not be enticing enough for the Emperor and the Prince for them to agree, we will have to find a way to give you proper scales, make you appear more dragonborn.” He nodded. 

“What about the abalone shells? What if we shave them down to a thin sheet, cut them out like scales and then attach them to my skin. I will still appear dragonborn enough. But that will also show that I am also Yokhai.” She supplied, afraid of what else her sire’s diabolical brain would think up. 

“Yes, that would look quite beautiful. In fact, if I had known your mind about this, I would have had you come with me and presented you to the Shogun as Prince Rokujou’s wife. Then he may have agreed to such a thing in the first place.” He realized. 

“You can explain that you only wanted pure blooded dragonborn in the Imperial Family. And that I as a halfling Yokhai, would not qualify which is why you left me out in the first place. And I can explain that the coup was just a series of accidents and blame the coup on the Black Skye Clan, who are responsible for all the earthquakes in the first place and wished to rid the land of the dragonborn. And they have always been enemies of my mother’s yokai family and since you took us in, are out to disparage you and your family's good name. Since it is understood that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, until they become my enemy again.” Ashina supplied 

“I think both the Prince and the Shogun would accept such an explanation and agree to a ceasefire and end the war. And if we succeed in making me look dragonborn enough, to appeal to the Shogun to accept me as Prince Rokujou’s wife, or concubine or consort or whatever he desires for me to be. I will offer the Shogun a special treasure that only a yokai can make. I will have my yokai extended family help me make it for the Shogun, in your name and honor.” She offered to her sire. 

“Yes, that would work out very well.” He readily agreed with another nod, bigger and firmer than all the others. 

“Then for Prince Rokujou Katsushiro, and his army, I will need foodstuffs to sustain them since the snow can melt to be their water, otherwise I will need soap, and other supplies, such as pots and pans and things to cook their food with that I will help hunt for them, and gather for them among the wild mountainsides. Along with teapots and tea sets for them to drink their tea, and other supplies, like furs, fabrics, needles and threads, or even bits of armor, should any of their clothing or armor need mending, I can even give those dead soldier’s armor back to them to show that I at least brought back something useful to them.” Ashina added. 

“However, in order for this to work, only two Ronin at a time, should be on a patrol on the mountain and if you would perhaps move your forces elsewhere as if looking for them in any other place. But if it is not the Prince and those with him, then I will use these soldiers' very weapons against them to cut them down myself after I interrogate them of course and come back with what they had to say. Or if you feel that my victory today was purely a fluke, I can bring the Ronin in with me, surely all the Ronin together will be no match for whoever these other beings in the mountains are.” She began to list off. 

“But if it is indeed the Prince, and his army, then the biggest thing I will need is time. If this group in the mountain really is the Prince and his forces, I will need a lot of time to be in their presence so that they are comfortable with me and let their own guard down to speak candidly around me, and time to gain their trust through my words and deeds towards them, at least three months, six months at the longest, to gain their friendship and hopefully gain the Prince’s affections or at least his own honor and loyalty. I will force my stone to glow red, to show I am aligned to the current Shogun. For that is how they will see a sign that I am on their side when I am with them. Like this.” She said as she made a show of great difficulty in changing her stone with a touch. Her stone turned red as opposed to the deep pine green it was when she was ‘out of her cage’ before she turned it back to green. That change appearing easy with relief. 

“But please, allow me to go to the Shogun’s palace alone. For I do not wish for any harm to come to you if you will go with me or anyone from here to go with me for they may kill you until I can give them an alternative explanation of the coup. I will only go into his Zen garden, deliver the alliance once Prince Rokujou will write it into a stone tablet and sign it and then once he does seal and sign it himself, I will have them make an ink blot copy of it, but deliver you the original stone tablet as proof and evidence.” She offered. 

“Agreed, go to the storehouse and take whatever you can carry or whatever you can move, enough to be shared among them, but in small enough quantities to not be noticed too much by everyone else.” He advised. 

“What if I replace the sacks of rice, with sacks that on the top and on the sides, will still show rice, but the center will be stone, to make it look like nothing is missing at all?” She asked hopefully, since that is what she had done with the first two bags of rice she brought to the Prince before. 

“Yes, yes that would do very well and if it’s discovered, I will excuse it for you. You, nor your mother nor your sister will come to any blame or harm over it.” He nodded in agreement. 

“Thank you my Liege Lord and Father.” She bowed down low so that her forehead touched the floor mat which pleased her sire greatly. 

Ashina had always been the most pleasant and in his opinion- the most malleable of all of his daughters and he had thought he had done very well in bringing up a well educated, well formed, well disciplined and obedient daughter, whereas his others seemed to have too much will of their own for his liking or no brains in their heads. But this, this was proof that all of his efforts had not been in vain, but to his absolute advantage, and soon, his victory, and well worth the time and effort and expense. Ashina rose up to continue to kneel submissively towards her sire. 

“If you- will take out the middle portions of the various stock piles of food, so that those who inspect it- do not notice that it’s missing, take whatever you think would serve your mission best. Whatever you feel would endear you to the Prince. I hear he is fond of the food from the sea. Surely, you can go out to sea and get the catch from the various traps we set out for the various kinds, take up to half of the catch for him and his army. And I will make sure that the special water baskets are handed over to you for you to collect such things, or I can send others to purchase it for you to take instead, if you will need the time with the Prince instead.” Her father got up and began to pace as ideas bloomed in his head. 

“Oh! You should even bring some games for them to play while they rest and recover. And blankets and pillows, for them to stay comfortable, perhaps some coats and cloaks as well and furs, many, many furs. I will give you a portion of the family’s consignment of furs, as well as cotton, silk and even brocade for that Prince to wear under his own armor. And wool of course, wool coats and cloaks- since it is so much colder up in the mountain especially during this time of year where winter refuses to give way to spring on the mountain still. Also, take any livestock you wish for your purpose as well.” He added as she began to “write” such things down on the inside of her sleeve to keep up. 

“And I will have a series of special brocades brought so that you and your figure and complexion are flattered in the Prince’s eyes as well. But do not approach the Prince and his army until we can give you scales, for they will fear you as a dangerous Yokai without them. Since you are my daughter, you should also dress so- since you already know how to act so. And I will have my men ignore any sign of campfires on the mountains and I will insist to the Ronin to obey every command you give to them. This is your mission. You are in charge of its success, but you are also responsible for its failure. Even though I sincerely doubt you will fail since you have never failed me before.” He awarded her. 

“Nor do I plan to fail you in the future, my Liege Lord and Father.” She answered with yet another low bow of her head. 

“I must congratulate you Ashina, this is the most ingenious plan I have heard yet. I wish my other generals, captains and commanders were as smart as you, or even that my other daughters were as clever as you. For their own plans of the Prince’s demise are practically the doodles of toddlers compared to this. And for your hard work, I will let you feed on all the metal I can spare. I will feed you gold and silver, as well as your mother and sister, all that you and they can eat.” He smiled with lots of nods of approval.

“Thank you for your grace and generosity my Liege Lord and most gracious, and generous Father.” She bowed again, a small, demure smile on her features as she was still too afraid to breathe a breath of relief just yet. 

“Then, please, allow me to take my leave and set this plan that we have made together, into motion.” She requested before he smiled and nodded. He then gave her- her own special pass, to go anywhere she wanted to go, in or outside of the palace and it’s surrounding fortress and to not stop her but grant every request she would make. He had to go into a special hiding place she did not know existed but now that she knew was there, would love nothing more than to access again, hopefully after his death. 

The leash he kept her on was getting longer, but the metaphorical noose was beginning to be made and affixed around her neck at the same time. 

He then also gave her along a box of silver and gold for her to eat, which she did eat half of it, being incredibly hungry from all her hard work that day already, before she made her first stop was to her mother, to share the gold and silver with them as her youngest sister was the hungriest and ate three quarters of what was left, as Ashina used a form a telepathy by touching her hand to her mother’s to tell her mother the truth of the matter, so that her mother would know what to say and what not to say and how to act and how not to act until Ashina would liberate herself, her mother and her youngest sister. 

Her mother was so proud, she cried diamonds and gave them to her daughter, to help beautify her appearance and advised her to talk to her real father about the scales, because while thin sheets of abalone would look quite pretty, she feared her daughters face, neck and hands would feel incredibly itchy or painful for her to wear for how her sire would want to attach them as Ashina agreed to ask her real father such things. 

Once she was done, she went back into the store room, where her sire had apparently, and very quickly abandoned the previous plan of keeping it secret and covert, and instead had immediately shared the plan with the rest of the family and then his household and then his servants. All of them trying to give Ashina and her plan the best possible chance of succeeding- to get to Prince Rokujou- through his stomach and through every other sense he had and was adamant that they send the best of what the family had, and while the servants loaded up the carts,  The large group of servants had everything she needed and so much more than she thought to ask for, for her to take. Even the specialty and more precious food stuffs and even a whole cart full of the best coals for fires for both heat and cooking too and had already gathered some of the best of Lord Nagachika’s livestock for her to take with her. 

Then Ashina was escorted by her sire, and brought back inside his palace to receive basically overly accelerated lessons on how to be a High Born Dragonborn Lady. Lord Nagachika, his Lady, and all of his Concubines and Consorts were all around her in the family’s main audience room, all of them kneeling around Ashina who was placed on a comfy cushion to sit on- in the middle with each person in the Nagachika family practically all around her with their various things besides them to give to her and special treasure chests to put their gifts into. The entire Nagachika family and household was there to help Ashina with her plan and all of his servants and even his other sons and daughters were all there to help too, which surprised Ashina the most. But even she could see that they were doing so, to please Lord Nagachika, there was still resentment and begrudging. But it was clear that Lord Nagachika made compliance absolutely necessary and the threat of any sabotage or double game on their part intolerable. He even remembered their nicest kimonos and asked the servants to exhume them from the closets to compare to her complexion as the ones that flattered the most were immediately given to Ashina. 

Lord Nagachika gave Ashina the best set of school books that his own sons and daughters had used in their educations, to better her own literary skills as well as books on poetry, on classical literature and the scrolls of the wizened ones, so that when she would speak with the Prince, she would do so on equal footing and speak with elegance and sophistication. And there were calligraphers there, to also help her with her writing skills, when she would come back to confirm that it was indeed the Prince. 

Lady Nagachika, for the first time, treated Ashina as if she was her own beloved daughter and gave Ashina something of a dowry, and other special ornaments for her hair and body and other accessories and a series of kimonos for her to wear for when she would confirm that the Prince and his army were in the mountain, to appear like the proper Lady Ashina Nagachika, daughter of Lord and Lady Nagachika. Lady Nagachika also gave Ashina, her first official lessons on etiquette, and exactly how to kneel, how to bow, how to walk, how to move with grace and dignity befitting a true noble lady which Ashina had already gleaned from but now had a proper instructor and proper instruction, along with instruction on how to eat and drink tea, how to perform a proper tea ceremony and such, and Ashina had no problems with mimicking such lessons and movements perfectly, since she had been watching and copying them for most of her life in that cage in the middle of the palace. Ashina really only had to be shown such things only once, to mimic it perfectly, which pleased the Nagachika family greatly that she was such a quick learner. 

Her ‘aunts’, her sire’s other concubines and consorts also, for the first time, treated her like a true, beloved step daughter as they were quick to give her even more gifts for her dowry and advice on how to act and behave, they were more genuine because their positions weren’t so lofty so that they didn’t feel ‘threatened’ the way his primary wife and other daughters did. And then her half sisters for the first time, treated her like a real, true, beloved sister and were quick to give her lessons on conversing with the Prince and that if that group really was him, that they would let her borrow any of their kimonos or anything else that she liked, just in case the kimonos their mothers had given her, were not to either Ashina’s liking or to the Prince’s liking and that would look good on her and her complexion, because while they had felt insulted by the Shogun’s rejection, this was revenge for them too as the longer this lasted, the more they warmed to her and to the idea. As they agreed a group of Geishas would be invited to teach her even more, should Ashina be able to confirm that the group really was the Prince. So that any time she wasn’t spending with him, was to be spent with them as all of his daughters would also be Ashina’s fellow students to practice such things with. 

Even her half brothers were there to give her, their own advice, how to act and treat those in the Prince’s army, with caution and weariness, since they did not want her to become a ‘camp follower’ for the Prince’s army, and warned her to always be in a group with the soldiers but could be in private and alone with the Prince, how to be modest and not to say anything that would have a double entendre, or would be in any way flirtatious or make her the object of the army’s desire, but to save such expressions and actions, only for and to the Prince. 

Even as much as it pained Sogu to give her such advice, his father had simply told him that Ashina would be free to make her own choice of who to marry of his sons, instead of knowing she would be his, he now knew he would have to compete for her and her affections and good graces, so he had to make himself the best option and gave her nearly everything he had, and had his wife, and his concubines and consorts do the same. 

But he wasn’t the only one to do so, all of Lord Nagachika’s sons did the same, even Harada, who was only a boy of 14, his mother had helped him give her the best gifts they could, an embroidered fan and handkerchief since his mother was one of Nagachika’s consorts and the ‘lowest’ in the family. But she readily took them and thanked them just as graciously and even the most genuinely. Appreciating that the fan and handkerchief were embroidered with the prettiest pink and purple flowers with green foliage surrounding it- that matched her coloring the best as she put the precious things into her own pockets of her stone kimono. 

All their gifts and efforts were so that Ashina would be the one Nagachika to succeed in this coup and by acting as ‘an adopted yokai daughter’, with her explanation of her yokai family and the Black Skye Yokai’s, it would free them from harm to their prestige and reputation. And it would ensure that the Prince would be impressed with their family’s wealth and resources. All the gifts were put into Ashina’s new bedroom inside the Nagachika’s family’s Palace while her own Palace was being built, this time, directly onto the ground as special stones were being cut to act like her floor since it was clear, she could be trusted not to run away, but stay loyal to the Nagachika family. 

Yamune was then officially recognized as Lord Nagachika’s second wife, second only to his main wife but above all of his concubines and consorts, and officially recognized Ashina and Yamura as Lord Nagachika’s adopted daughters as they were noted ‘to be Yokhai halflings, and a story about how her mother was a daughter of the Black Skye Clan, sent to marry the Crown Prince of the Yokhai family in the mountains, but that when she gave birth to Ashina and was a daughter, the Crown Prince cast her out of the mountain, where Lord Nagachika took her and Ashina in and then had been lovingly caring for her and Ashina ever since until they ‘fell in love’ and had Yamura and that the reason they lived in such a high tower was to protect them from both clans, should the Black Skye Clan send a tsunami, or an earthquake. Or the mountain Yokhai make the volcano erupt.’ 

And that gave Ashina the best idea. 

“My Liege Lord and Father, if we are to make this farce believable, may I please put, in the center of each of the stone timbers, volcanic rock, so that should the volcano erupt, my mother and my sister my be safe and if I could do the same for each of the beams here, to make them extra strong so that when the earthquakes do come, while the wood itself will shake and move to stay stable, otherwise, it would only strengthen this fortress, that even in a fire, only the outside of the beams would ever catch fire but nothing inside ever would?” She asked. 

“Yes of course, that is an excellent idea My Beloved Ashina.” Lord Nagachika agreed. 

“However it is a bit too much work for just myself to do, would you please allow my mother to assist me? But we will need more metal to eat to give us the strength and stamina for such a work, since I know the King of the Yokai has only given me permission to make perhaps these only two requests, which I will be using the second to protect the Prince and his army, if the group really is them. But if it is not, then I will ask for this work to your fortress to be my one request of him.” Ashina cunningly asked. 

“Yes agreed, you and your mother will be given any food you hunger for and need for this task if you are to do it for just the two of you to do.” He nodded in agreement before he told the manager of his treasury who was also there to set aside the best gold, silver, copper, iron and mercury for Ashina, Yamune and Yamura to consume, because if Ashina was would be this magnificent in mind, he would need to make better efforts with Yamune and Yamura.