Cupids arrow

The day was bright and sunny with hardly any clouds in the sky. The past few days the rain had come leading everyone to feel trapped inside or drown if they had to venture, out. She had been lucky and didn’t have to get out in the downpour and at a time was so bad the five warlords who had manors in the castle town had to stay at the castle. However, this day was beautiful and bright. Surprisingly the ground seemed reasonably dry as there were not many patches of mud left. She figured when her boss had ordered everyone outside for a day of hawking they would be knee deep in mud. The others themselves had reluctantly gone along even though they knew they had many things piling up at their manors to do. So nearly twenty people were there all riding to Nobunaga’s favorite hawking site including her and the six warlords.

The men had all started to begin as she stayed off to the side under the shade of a maple tree. Its leaves reasonably red in color as fall was nearly upon them. She had no interest in the hunting of whatever they were looking for. She did; however, the warm late fall air knowing soon it would be too cold for this to do for months. She was some distance away from all the men though she could see them all glance her way one time or another.

Nearly half the day was now gone. She had leaned against the tree and had drifted in and out of a waking sleep for what seemed like most of it. She had listened to them boast of their prizes of the day or joke with one another as they often did. It was a rare day that everyone seemed relaxed enough to let their guards down even Ieyasu and Mitsuhide seemed more human than usual. She thought to herself the day might possibly be the best day she had in the Sengoku period. Of course, nothing lasts for long in this period.

As she was drifting again as they had one or two rounds to go, she heard a rustling coming from in back of her. She figured it was nothing but a small animal making its way to its home through the wooded area. She looked up at the birds circling, and they were drifting away from her position. That was odd. If a small creature were behind her, the birds would have gone after it without hesitation. She began to wonder about what was behind her when the first trio of arrows was shot. She could see one of the vassals fall. The other two were misses. She hopped up and without thinking ran. She made it to the group just in time for the second set to come flying through as she pushed Nobunaga down to the ground with a thud. Pain lanced through her, and she couldn’t figure out why. Her shoulder burned but also felt icy cold it was the weirdest sensation. When Nobunaga shoved her off of him, she pulled his hoari with her, but it wasn’t her hands that held it. The arrow had buried itself through her into his coat. The vassals that were there all had taken off towards the woods to battle with the archers who dared take a shot at Lord Nobunaga. The five who had stayed behind to watch their men work and show their ability all now looked in horror at the small girl. She hadn’t made a sound. The arrow was high enough to not had pierced and vital organs but was entirely through her shoulder. When Nobunaga had tossed her off of him, he had pushed it even more through. Her kimono was now stained red instead of the light blue it had been. Time stood still for those five as Nobunaga got to his feet and saw her for the first time. His knees nearly buckled, she was always so entirely still though her face showed her pain. He saw red, and it wasn’t her blood that clouded his vision.

He began to shout orders as Ieyasu had got his kit that he kept with him in his saddlebags. They started to work on the arrow and removing it. That hurt the sweet princess even more as they pushed and pulled as they removed it. Nobunaga never left her side as the others now hold positions of defense around her. She finally yelled out in pain right before she passed out. They worked quickly to finish removing the arrow. She had lost a fair amount of blood at that point but nothing that was overly life-threatening. They all knew they had to get her back to the castle.

The small battle between the five archers and their swordsmen went reasonably quickly. They had been tied up and would be dragged back for they were destined to live out their lives in the dungeons, how long and how well they lived depended on her, but they didn’t know that yet. Each man vowed to make the archers pay in blood and pain for every second she was in pain. Nobunaga carried her to his horse and lifted her up and then hopped up himself and resettled her as she was completely unconscious. He vowed to himself he would make it up to her. He knew he had made her injuries worse when he tossed her. She had saved him, and he had callously pushed her away. His eyes were darkened with an internal pain he now held against his heart and mind.

They arrived at the castle first with the others not all that far behind. Instead of taking her to her room or to the infirmary he brought her straight to his chambers. He had called for all the supplies he would need to tend to her himself thoroughly. She woke a few hours later, and the dull aching pain was still there, but it was numbed. She didn’t recognize where she was as she was still in a haze of pain and wasn’t thinking clearly. She asked in a quiet voice, “where am I?”

“Princess.”, he took a sigh of relief when she spoke. “We are back at the castle. In my chambers.”

“Why?”,she asked her voice not even sounding like herself.

“You were shot with an arrow. Do you remember?”, he asked gently.

“Yes.”

“Why did you push me down, princess?”

“Do you really have to ask?”, She replied with a smile. He brushed her hair off her face and saw a light in her eyes he had never seen before. He looked away, and she sighed. He couldn’t stand the light in her eyes when he had caused him so much pain. His guilt was going to eat him alive.

“I threw you off of me. I made it worse.”, He choked out. She looked at him and saw his pain. She softly smiled at him as she reached up with her other arm and moved his face back to look at her.

“Did you know that I had been shot with an arrow?”, she asked.

“No.,” he replied softly.

“Then it isn’t your fault.”, She said, and he began to shake his head,“No listen to me, Nobunaga you didn’t know. You didn’t. You were reacting to the situation. Did you leave me when I needed you? No. My guess is you haven’t left my side at all.”

“I haven’t.”, Nobunaga watched her as she said all. He wasn’t surprised by her conviction and ability to read him. She always knew what he was thinking or what he needed. She would stand up to him when even his bravest of allies wouldn’t and here she was laying on his futon after being shot with an arrow arguing with him on his role in her pain. She was unbelievable. Her face softened as her words must have sunk into him and she then closed her eyes again. He sat there looking down at her and curling her hair behind her ear so he could peer down at her resting face. He knew she was his match in every way. He didn’t deserve her, but he wouldn’t let her go either. He placed a small kiss on her brow as he watched her sleep again.

Three weeks and she was back to work. The pain in her shoulder was still there, but with Ieyasu’s treatments, she could do her daily chores without to much pain. She was ordered by all the men not just Nobunaga to not lift anything over the weight of an empty vase. All had caught her doing more, and all had lectured her on it. She was growing tired of the coddling but understood why they did it. Every night since she returned to her room Nobunaga had come to sit with her in hers. He wouldn’t stop even when she told him she was okay.

Tonight was no exception. He was waiting for her to return to her room as he was waiting inside. She looked frustrated to see him, and she crossed the room to stand before him as he stood in front of the window. She began to give him a talking to as she was entirely done with being coddled by him. He reached for her and brought her close for a tender embrace. She was shocked however when his lips found hers she knew he felt the same as her. Neither needed words for the rest of the night they let their bodies answer each other instead. She woke snuggled next to him and smiled to herself, though she had a twinge of a pain in her shoulder she was happy in the long run of that arrow. If it hadn’t hit her, he would be dead her shoulder was at his heart level, she wouldn’t have realized how much this flawed man meant to her or how much she meant to him. As he awoke with her next to him, he lightly traced her face as he suggested maybe she should join him in his room next time. She hit him and laughed. This was all brought to her by an arrow, she sighed and thought about Cupid and Valentine’s day. She wondered to herself if cupids arrow was supposed to hurt that much and chuckled; however she got exactly what she had wanted, Him.