FATED - an adult LGBTQ fantasy romance (Excerpt)

Chapter 6

Torches carried by attendants cast long shadows in the main courtyard of the castle, and the blinking stars still shone in the sky when Date mounted his horse. Still, there was a hint of something brighter in the east, a shade of dark blue and not only pure black silk.

As the party waited for Kyoko, Date inhaled the warm air, filled with the rich and dewy scent of early morning; he hadn't slept well and was a little drowsy. But then he caught sight of Kyoko strolling with purpose toward the stairs with five ladies-in-waiting trotting behind her.

His breath caught, and a strangled noise escaped him, thankfully drowned by neighing horses. His blood stirred, and all remnants of sleep left him.

Her long hair held in a low ponytail, his wife had donned dark brown silky hakama pants tucked into calf-high black socks, and put on a leather breastplate over a beige two-layered kimono jacket, with strings holding back her long sleeves so that her archery skills wouldn't be impaired. A short sword was tucked in her belt on her left side, and she wore less makeup than usual.

By far, it wasn't the first time Kyoko had worn practical clothes that were so different from her usual heavy and bright robes, but like always, they reminded him of her warrior days and of the brazen circumstances of their first meeting.

The new social trends of Edo aren't for us. I don't know which one of us would turn more despondent if I locked her and all the women away. He couldn't help a wry grin at his train of thoughts. They'd burn the castle down with me inside if I were foolish enough to even talk about it...

"Good morning, goshujin sama, my apologies for keeping you waiting," Kyoko said with a low bow.

"Good morning, my lady. What a fine and perfect day for hunting boars. Oniniwa dono told me they were getting out of hand, wreaking havoc in the fields on the other side of the Kuromori forest."

"Boar hunting?" Kyoko said, with a quirked eyebrow.

She mounted her horse with a fluid grace that made Date's heart flutter; he knew first-hand how strong her thighs were. An attendant rushed forward, her bow and two dozen arrows in hand.

"So, no goshawks today," she said, wistful.

"Indeed not," Date confirmed, knowing Kyoko would be disappointed as takagari, traditional falconry, was another of her favorite past-times, and she loved the beautiful and powerful birds of prey that they trained.

"Well, those beasts are fast and vicious, so this will make for even better exercise," Kyoko said, her eyes sparkling with a dangerous glint. "We should also take spears, then."

"That would be prudent," Date approved before gesturing to Katakura who hastened to bring two spears to his lord and lady.

"The fields behind the forest... so, close to the Shirogane waterfall and the Shingu shrine?"

"Precisely. A solid hour of riding alongside the river, and we should get there right when the sun comes up and be able to catch a few by the stream." Date gave his horse a gentle squeeze, and the party moved toward the gates.

"Excellent," Kyoko said with a large smile, much brighter than what she allowed herself in the much more formal context of the palace, where everyone kept a close check over their emotions.

Date would never admit it out loud of course, but this was also one of his motivations for today's outing. He could never get enough of his wife's unadulterated pleasure, whatever the cause.

As soon as their group had cleared the streets of Sendai, they picked up pace and turned north, keeping the castle and the distant ocean at their backs. Their escort a hundred meters behind them, the couple rode side-by-side without speaking, enjoying the pre-dawn stillness of the luxurious nature around them.