Of Pride and Power - 36. Interlude: Lengths of Courage

In this era of chaos, death is inevitable for everyone. My father claimed that the Gods abandoned us, when Nippon’s people abandoned Shogun Ashikaga for the usurper Hosokawa clan, bringing about the Sengoku Jidai. Our lands in Mikawa province bordered the cunning Oda Clan of Owari province in the west and the powerful Imagawa clan of Suruga province in the east. When I was five years old, I was abducted by the Oda clan. Before my abduction, my father Hirotada Matsudeira had arranged for me to be a hostage to the Imagawa clan for a military alliance against the Oda clan. The Imagawa clan wishes to integrate their power toward the West to secure a direct path to Kyoto, the capital and home of the emperor. The Oda clan in contrast needed to expand east and increase their power to do the same. As the province that sat between these two larger clans, my father as the head of our clan chose the stronger Imagawa clan, who demanded a sign of good faith. A more powerful clan can demand a hostage from a weaker clan, who had asked for military support. Traditionally, hostages were the heirs to domains, because the threat of death for a noble male heir meant most daimyos, noble lords with control over a domain, would not betray the stronger clan. Losing the oldest son in a time of constant war, where death was certain meant an end for an entire family line.

It dawned on me later how ruthless and calculating these schemes were between my father and these rival clans, when an older boy, my sempai Nobunaga Oda, pointed out the various political and strategic issues at play. We met when I was a six-year-old hostage of his clan and he was the fourteen-year-old younger second son of the Oda clan head, but he treated me with kindness and understanding. Despite my inferior position to him, he was neither cruel nor indecent towards me. I had no idea that he was a transplant from a future era, like Lord Eli and Lord Robert. Upon reflection, I can now see that Nobunaga understood situations without an explanation despite his young age and lack of influence within his clan.

He offered me truth and friendship like one of Genji’s comrades in the ancient tales. In turn, I admired Nobunaga for his wisdom and could see him rise to his clan’s head, but I never imagined he would become Shogun after I left Nippon. Sadly, despite his kindness and friendship, three years later when I was nine, he negotiated my transfer to the Imagawa clan after his bastard older brother was surrounded in a castle siege by Sessai Imagawa, Yoshimoto Imagawa's uncle and military strategist. Nobunaga told me that I was supposed to be sent to Yoshimoto’s castle and become his hostage under the original alliance pact that my father, who had died in battle at this point, had previously arranged. He said I would come to no harm in Imagawa’s care, and we would meet again after my age of ascension, and he defeated Yoshimoto. Despite the defeat and capitulation of the Oda clan’s forces, I did not doubt my sempai’s assurances for my safety or his eventual victory over the Imagawa clan. As such, I do not believe that Nobunaga knew Sessai’s intentions for me or Sessai’s alliance with the White Face Demons with red crosses on their banners. Sadly, it was Nobunaga’s actions and assurances that led me to become a pleasure slave for the next five years of my life until Lord Francis Walsingham found me. I do not want to discuss those years where I lost my dignity and manhood, becoming nothing but flesh to lecherous demons. My name is Takechiyo Matsudeira, but Lord Eli calls me Ieyasu, which means “Peaceful Home”. As I had not been given or taken a new name with a rite of ascension, I accepted the name as a gift from Lord Eli.

I owe everything I have and am to Lord Eli and his companions, especially Lord Francis Walsingham. Without their aid, I would have died in ignominy without notice. Lord Eli’s permission allowed me to reform my body, repairing the parts of me removed out of spite by my slavers. While giving birth to a child has never been something I conceived as possible without divine intervention, the sight of Lord Eli’s first son, Henry, who everyone called “Harry” for some unknown reason, opened my mind to many possibilities. I was there for Lord Eli’s coronation ceremony to become Aelfric, a term I understood to be equivalent to a combined role of Emperor and Shogun as Lord Eli achieved his title through defeating his sibling in an open battle to claim hegemony. However, this event became the site of the first Omega’s childbirth in front of representatives from various nations. I had thought Lord Eli was a typical male with a robust figure that befitted nobility upon seeing him, but I had no idea that within his womb was a child. We did not have the concept of an “Omega” in Nippon, but we had something similar within our cherished legends.

In ancient stories, the Kitsune known as Daji, or the Kyuubi Nine-Tailed Fox of Shang China, had escaped execution from Jiang Ziya to the islands of Nippon after losing the apocalyptic war between men and Gods. The fox was nursed back to health by my ancestors, and then over time one of my ancestors fell in love with her, having children with her. In later legends the fox appeared as a beautiful maiden and in others the fox was a virile young male scholar, but the ending for all the later legends was the fox became my various ancestors’ lovers. Many of our people carry the blood of the Kitsune as a result, we enshrine foxes in temples to honor them just as the Chinese on the continent enshrine their ancestors. Lord Eli and Robert claimed that the legend was likely derived from Merlin, a mage from this island nation, who ventured to Nippon to spread such beliefs after the fall of the ancient kingdom called Camelot. I do not know how true their claims are, but my ability to be converted to an Omega at Avalon's stronghold meant Nippon and Britannia's destinies were intertwined.

In the last decade, I gained a working knowledge of the local language, known as “English”, through much trial and error, along with several others in neighboring lands. Their common written language has no functional connection to objects, instead, it represents ideas based on 30 distinct characters. In contrast, their formal written language, known as Latin, has 22 distinct characters with an entirely different syntax. I feared that I would never be able to learn such complex alien languages, but my new Omega body held innate mental capacities. Outside Lord Eli, Robert, and Francis Walsingham no one understood my native language for many years until Henry, the eldest of Lord Eli’s children began speaking the language of Nippon through observation of my studies. The young prince was merely the first to learn my language, his siblings, upon reaching the age of three years, also possessed a similar aptitude for language acquisition. They treated me as a beloved uncle, guiding them through martial exercises to maintain concentration.

I learned that sword training in this land was basic, but Lord Francis Walsingham learned advanced Kenjutsu, the art of the sword, through an ability that I did not understand. Though he understood the motions of martial arts from my homeland, he did not understand the principles behind them. As an heir to a province, I was trained in Kenjutsu at a very young age. My sempai Nobunaga Oda trained me while I was in his care as well. Despite being fourteen years old, sempai was an expert swordsman with many decapitated heads as trophies of his battlefield prowess. The training sessions were useful as they helped me focus my mind and reduce my innate childish urges. In the land of Nippon, where warring clans were constant, one had to be ready to fight and defend themselves at any moment. Though Britannia was far more peaceful, Lord Eli had only recently acquired his throne so his children could not be left without martial training. I knew my assistance was unnecessary with the various tools and abilities at Lord Eli’s disposal, but he allowed me to train with Lord Francis Walsingham and his children. Lord Eli and Robert even joined us several times. On the birthdate of Jamie, Lord Eli’s youngest Omega son, the training was a prescient preparation.

The young Francis Bacon approached Lord Francis Walsingham and me about what Henry had discovered about the movement of a transport boat and various oddities among the royal guards at a particular boathouse. Though the details sounded suspicious, Henry should not have investigated these guards on his own. Lord Francis Walsingham sent royal guards to the boathouse in question. Additionally, we gathered William, Lord Eli’s second eldest Omega son, along with young Francis Bacon, to the main throne room, where the guardian mecha knights were located. Knight Commander Gard and Knight-associate Marc were apprised of Henry’s suspicions. Commander Gard alerted the other four knights across the city of potential enemy infiltration, while Marc begged his leader and lover to allow engagement. Before more words could be exchanged, both knights fell silent suddenly. They had detected the presence of several servants and royal guards approaching the main throne room.

Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the throne room swung open with a thunderous crash. A group of nobles, dressed in the livery of palace servants and royal guards, stormed in, their faces set with grim determination. At their head, Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, a man of considerable stature and influence, stepped forward, his eyes burning with a rebellious fervor. He was the Chief Butler of England.

"My Lords," Throckmorton's voice rang out, echoing off the marble walls. "The time for change has come. We can no longer stand by as the unnatural Elias Tudor leads this kingdom to ruin. God’s order must be returned to England under a proper king."

Lord Francis Walsingham, ever the strategist, quickly assessed the situation. "This is no mere rebellion," he murmured in a softer tone to me. "Henry was right. They have coordinated too well. There are forces at work here beyond our borders."

As if on cue, a sudden commotion erupted from the shadows of the throne room. Figures cloaked in dark, foreign garb emerged, their movements swift and deadly. At their head was a well-dressed man, who was a tall and imposing figure with a fierce, regal bearing.

The man’s eyes gleamed with cold determination as he stepped forward, his voice cutting through the din. "I am Fyodor Vasilyevich, son of Czar Ivan Vasilyevich. England has drifted away from the will of God and we are here to support a proper order," he declared. "The time has come for a new regime, one that will not be bound by the weak rule of the Tudors."

Gard and Marc, their senses honed by years of training, moved with lightning speed. Their bodies cracked the stone façade and their armor flashed in the dim light. They parried an attack from one of the soldiers who fired a shot at us.

"Be ready, Lord Takechiyo and Walsingham," Gard said, his voice calm and resolute. "We are under siege from within and without. We, the Mecha Knights, will not allow another kingdom to fall under our watch. All traitors and foreign foes will not escape our wrath."

The throne room erupted into chaos. The nobles-turned-rebels drew their weapons, clashing with two mecha knights who rushed to defend our small group. The sound of bullets crashing against armor reverberated through the hall, mingling with the shouts and cries of the combatants. Unlike our foes’ firearm weapons, Gard and Marc’s weapons were based on air rather than metal. They cut through the numerically superior foes like a hoe reaping wheat. The invisible enemies under Fyodor were also being cut down despite our inability to observe them after they re-engaged their ability to disappear. Just as they cannot escape the laws of the sea, which Henry observed, these soldiers could not hide their severed limbs and heads after leaving several feet from the source of their invisibility.

I remained behind to guard the two children in the corner of the room with my sword and firearm. Lord Francis Walsingham, ever the capable tactician, maneuvered through the fray, directing the knights and setting traps for the intruders. His keen mind worked furiously, seeking any advantage in the chaos. "We must isolate their leaders," he called out. "Cut off the heads of Throckmorton and Fyodor."

Fyodor Vasilyevich, having abandoned his invisibility along with his considerable force, heard the exchange and ordered his men to engage us. They were glowing with a bright blue aura that appeared to shield them. The air-based weapons of the mecha knights were no longer effective against the visible enemy. Fyodor’s presence sent a wave of intimidation through the room. "Your efforts are futile," he called out. "The Russian Empire will see to it that England is brought to its knees."

As the battle raged, the tide slowly began to turn. Gard and Marc brought out their six-foot longswords and began engaging the foreign and domestic enemies in melee combat. As the enemy charged us with swords, Lord Francis and I also engaged several foes with Wakizashi swords. Our superior kenjutsu helped us fend off attackers.

With a final, decisive strike after going through many combatants, Gard disarmed and decapitated Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, sending his sword clattering across the marble floor. The rebel’s body fell to the ground. Fyodor Vasilyevich, seeing the defeat of his allies, scowled and attempted a calculated retreat, but Marc did not allow him an opening. Fyodor was also dispatched similarly.

As the remaining rebels and invisible soldiers were subdued and the throne room fell silent once more, Lord Francis Walsingham knelt before William. "Your Highness, we must remain vigilant. This was but a single battle in a larger war. Your father and brother must also be facing their difficulties."

Prince William cried, “Papa Francis will Papa Robert and Father Eli be safe from the shadow soldiers?” he looked around trying to find someone, “Where is Henry? Where is Henry? Is he hurt?”

At that moment, Marc’s audio speaker system began playing a radio broadcast from Henry.

“People of England, I am Prince Henry Tudor. An enemy force infiltrated London and Whitehall Palace. They have allies among our guards and servants. The main enemy forces are invisible to sight. We need…”

An explosion could be heard from the recording. Then, everything fell silent.

After a moment of shock, Marc and Gard cut down all the surrendered rebels in a fit of rage. With a simple nod from Gard, Marc ran outside the palace. He was likely grieving for Henry’s death at the hands of the enemy like Bushi warriors of old seeking revenge for a fallen sworn brother. I cannot fault them for their bloodlust, even against surrendered enemies. In Nippon, surrender is done through death, only the most magnanimous offers mercy in a deadly existence like ours.

Commander Gard with an angry determination looked over at us, “I’ll lead you all to a safe location outside London. The other mecha knights will locate Aelfric Eli, Archduke Robert, and Prince Jamie, then we will cut down every foreign foe and rebel alike. There will be no quarter given to any of them.”