Sahohime

The Second Daughter - Part 1

When I was a child the sky seemed so far away. It was a place beyond my reach, one I could only gaze at from my window in the castle. For a time my wet nurse told me the outside world was not a place for someone like me. She used to tell me stories of how the common folk lived, how they interacted with the most demonic of yokai, the strange happenings of mundane life, in order to thrive. On the other hand, she would say, the castle was my safe haven, a place void of problems and blights. As a child I believed in my wet nurse's words. She told me that the castle was a safe place, and I believed her.

I was born into the main family of the Mogami Clan, one of the greatest warring families who serve the King of Taiwa, the Land of Great Peace. Father was one of the Great Generals, a Taisho, who aided the king in his military campaigns. There were four other Taisho in Taiwa, each of them members of the most prominent clans. Their primary job is to maintain peace and protection measures in the kingdom. Thus, they are often commanded to raise armies for the king. All sorts of privileges come with this title, such as land, money, and prestige among the nobility.

Aside from the Mogami there were the Takasugi, the Yamanoi, the Otaka, and the Sakurai. The five Taisho usually came from these five clans, which was probably why Father was so harsh on his children.

Being of a noble household meant that I had better opportunities to raise my status and reputation. It meant that I could become the wife of a powerful man and lord over his domain alongside him. It meant that I could be one of those many wives who kept their husbands under their thumb. Concubinage is technically legal in Taiwa, but most men choose not to have multiple legal wives because of the new movement. Apparently, the first legal wives of all the lords, the daimyo, decided that having more wives in the family wasn't worth the trouble.

It also meant that I had better opportunities for scholarship. Taiwa's Royal Academy trained the best swordsmen and court ladies. It was for families who wanted their children to start networking at a young age. What's more, the Royal Academy housed the Department of Onmyodo, which produced some of the best spirit guides in the continent.

The spirit guides, including onmyoji and miko, are people who connect with the spiritual realm. They are the ones who speak to the kami, the guardian spirits or gods of the land, as well as yokai, the strange and mysterious occurrences, often in the form of monstrous creatures. The prime role of a spirit guide is to bridge the gap between the spiritual world and the mortal world, taking on roles such as onmyoji, the diviners of fate, and the miko, the shrine maidens. Taiwa's very own founder was a miko spirit guide, so you can imagine what honours come with this title.

Now, you'd think that with all these factors that I might have a better chance of deciding my own fate, right?

Wrong.

I'm told that Father only came to see me after my birth. One of the maids told me that Father came after being told that his fourth child was born. He rushed out of his office, his vassals trailing behind him, all the way to the birthing room, only to find that his precious fourth child was nothing more than a mere girl. The midwife had cleaned me and wrapped me in warm cloth and offered me up to my father. As his gaze fell upon me a great shadow fell over his face. He turned his back on Mother and I and returned to his duties. I'm told that day was the first and last time my parents ever felt affection for me.

As the fourth child in the family, a worthless second daughter, no less, I was ranked lowest in the family. Before me came my eldest brother, elder sister, second eldest brother, and third eldest brother. The four of them were what you might call "golden children." Father had such high hopes for them. My brothers would one day follow in his footsteps, one of them inheriting the title of Taisho. My elder sister, meanwhile, would grow in elegance and prestige, becoming a woman worthy of marrying into the Royal family. Compared to them, I was just an afterthought.

Now, this didn't mean I was completely useless. Daughters of nobles often get sold into marriage for political reasons, something that even my eldest sister, Sakuya, would not be exempt from. This would be expected of me as well, but my parents knew that my plainness would never catch the eyes of anyone of actual value.

For the first five years of my life there was nothing particularly special about me. Compared to Sakuya I was but a simple child. I had a rounded face with skin pale and lifeless from being stuck inside the castle my whole life. My black hair had been grown and cut into a simple princess-style: lengthy locks with long bangs framing my face, topped with shorter bangs touching just above my eyebrows. The other maids said I looked like a commoner dressed in noble garments.

Once, when my maid was brushing my hair (even useless daughters can have at least one personal maid), Mother happened to be making her rounds. She stopped by my room to see me, flanked by her entourage of three female attendants. Even at such a young age I understood the custom of bowing before one's mother and reciting a formal greeting. Formalities existed among nobles for a reason; rank and status must be respected for there to be order and peace.

"Great kami, is that truly my daughter?" Mother asked in distaste. She covered her mouth with her sleeve as though she was disgusted by my presence. "Are you certain she was not swapped with a yokai?" I trembled as she spoke those words, trying my very best not to topple over. She'd basically suggested that I was of supernatural blood and not her own, which, in this situation, was an insult.

"Hai, my Lady," said my maid. "This is Sahohime-sama, your Ladyship's second daughter."

"Pitiful," my mother spat. "I don't understand who she takes after, for it is certainly not I."

And her entourage proceeded to kiss up to her. "Of course, my Lady," said the one on the right, "Your Ladyship is far more beautiful than this insignificant child."

"How sorrowing that she will never become as elegant as my Lady and her first daughter," said another.

"Even more tragic that she will not find a suitable husband because of this," said the third. All three of them exchanged glances, knowing full well that they'd just found their new punching bag.

I don't completely blame them, strange as it might sound. Looks are essential to the nobility. Your face is their first impression of you. Even if you should write a letter of greeting beforehand, or send a representative in your stead they are always followed by a formal greeting done in person. That is when you must show your face, placing yourself upon a stage where people can expose your greatest flaws.

One of mine just happened to be my face, though I suppose that's the misfortune of not looking like either of your parents.

––––––––––

Hai: yes; that is correct; OK; pardon?

-Hime: suffix for a young lady of noble birth used in nobles' official names; can also be a title on its own

Kami: god; deity; divine spirit; guardian spirit

Miko: a category of spirit guide; shrine maiden; shamaness; priestess

Onmyoji: a category of spirit guide who specializes in divination and exorcism

-Sama: a suffix meaning Mr, Mrs, Ms but more polite; equivalent to titles of Lord and Lady

Taisho: Great General; one who serves as a pillar of Taiwa's military

Yokai: apparition; spirit; ghost; monster; something strange and mysterious