equally remote - the Fu-Ji and the Na-Shuwa, whose lands lay to the
north-west and north-east of the Hase-Gawa. Beyond them lay the Fog
People. Kamakura, on the other hand, resided on Aron-giren. As a
close friend and his swordmaster it was only natural to offer his house
to the younger man, even though accommodation was always available for
Heralds whenever they arrived and wherever the court happened to be.
The Shogun had four other palatial fortresses on the mainland and
numerous other residences on the Toh-Yota family estates.
Toshiro thanked Kamakura for the invitation and promised to dine with
him at the earliest opportunity.
Unfortunately, he could make no plans until he had reported to the
Shogun. Only then would he know whether he would have time to sample
the delectable joys of family life in the Kamakura household before
being dispatched on some new errand. In the meantime, he begged the
good captain to convey his respectful yet tender greetings to Yukio,
his wife, and her five daughters whose peerless beauty, selfless
devotion and pristine decorum reflected nothing but credit upon their
parents. Et cetera, et cetera.
Kamakura wheeled away and headed back across the bridge, his honour
satisfied. Since his respect and friendship for the young man
pre-dated Toshiro's elevation to the rank of Herald he knew that his
offer of hospitality would not be construed as an attempt to curry
favour. Nevertheless, as his wife constantly reminded him, any one of
their eligible daughters would make an ideal match for Toshiro. And
with a Herald for a son-in-law, the marriage prospects for the
remaining girls would be immeasurably increased. One noble scion was
the least they could expect. Maybe two!
Women! Despite their supposedly submissive, secondary status, it was
rare to find one able to resist the lure of social advancement. It was
just as well they had a multitude of domestic tasks to attend to:
otherwise their days would be filled with all manner of vainglorious
dreams, In his years of service with the Shogunate, Kamakura had seen
enough to know that, unless governed by an acute and disciplined
intellect, bodies freed from the daily grind of physical labour or the
demands of soldiering soon became breeding grounds for discontent.
Idleness led first to the unbridled pursuit of pleasure, then, when
jaded appetites could no longer be whetted by the most deviant
perversions, the ladies of the court turned into malicious gossips and
schemers.
Having destroyed their own sense of moral worth, they set out to
destroy those around them. There were men of privilege who fell into
this category too - and it had led to the collapse of more than one
Shogunate.
