Blackbeard; The Legend

The Month Before

Akahana gazed out from the balcony of the castle, the spring winds chilling her bones. Mountains filled the horizon, as her family's estate was located in the valleys between hills of stone. She sighed, and walked back inside, closing the fusama behind her.

"Lady Akahana," A mouse servant scuttled towards her in a hurry, bowing before speaking. "Your father wants to you to greet the prospects."

"I'm coming." She murmured, following the servant towards the main area. Walking down the stairs, she repressed her discontent of this daily event and put on a smile.

The line of suitors that wished for her hand never seemed to end. Her father Isamu was one of the most legendary heroes in the land, and thus, the sons of multiple wealthy families were given the chance to be her bride. Entering the room, she felt everyone's eyes fall on her, but the most she felt was her father's.

"Ah, there she is!" Isamu's voice boomed across the room. "My little water lily! These young boys have been waiting to see you!"

"I apologize, father," Akahana bowed. "And I'm sorry for making all of you wait as well." Some of the men chuckled at this. Akahana had grown accustomed to this kind of behavior from her suitors, so she wasn't fazed.

Akahana took a seat, and a few of her potential husbands sat next to her. One was a lean orange cat, with eyes that she recognized as those of a conman; calculating and cold. Another had the form of a samurai, his velvet fur lining his muscles, scars adorning them. The other suitors ranged from chubby and lazy to meek and cowardly; the types of people that usually came, and people Akahana came to know quite well.

"Akahana," The orange cat spoke. "Bright red flower." He smiled at her. "And a bright red flower you are."

"Oh you flatter me," Akahana innocently hid her face behind her decorated fan, which also might've hid her disdain from the orange tabby's attempt to seduce her.

"But how could I not?" He took her hand in his. "For you are not just a single cherry blossom petal. You are a-"

Suddenly, a rough and burly "ahem" drew the attention of her and the tabby. It came from the samurai, who rolled his eyes and quite frankly, looked a bit bored.

"Hey pal," He growled. "I'm starting to get a bit annoyed by your haiku recital." He looked at Akahana. "And besides, you're not the only one waiting for her."

"A samurai, eh?" Instantly, the tabby's amiable demeanor switched into something of disdain. "I bet you're just one of those uneducated country folk."

The samurai bared his teeth and stood up, staring down at the amber furred cat. "What did you say to me?"

"I said, I bet you're one of those uneducated-" Without warning, the samurai suddenly punched the tabby, sending him crashing into another table. The men at the other tables "oohed" as the tabby got up, and wiped the blood streaming from his nose. Akahana subconsciously groaned as the tabby and samurai stared at each other, a fight about to start, when her father broke it up.

"Hey!" Came Isamu's voice. "What do you two think you're doing?" Her father was a towering man and had even more muscle than the two combined. Immediately, the two cats bowed before him. "Why do you fight?" He asked, and he looked to the tabby, demanding an answer.

"Lord Isamu," The tabby spoke up. "This brigand is the one who initiated the fight first by attacking me without a reason-"

"Excuse me, Lord Isamu," The samurai interrupted. "This man wasted the time of your daughter Akahana and all of the other prospects. Surely, with her 18th birthday coming soon, you must find a suitor for your daughter's hand." He glared at the orange cat. "As well as that, I don't think you'd want your daughter to be married to someone with a foul mouth." The orange cat hissed, but didn't say anything else as Isamu raised his hand, silencing them both.