Shards of Time: The Political Marriage

When he said those words, I felt a chill run down my spine. His serious expression followed by a smirk kind of scared me. I pushed him away and I rode my horse. I didn't utter a single word. I rode back to Mino and into the Palace where my father and Nobuhide were waiting.

"Kicho, why did you run off like that?" My father said. I quickly knelt down and bowed before him.

"I'm sorry for what I've done. I have no excuse for trying to run away." I said. I felt my father's hand on my shoulder and I lift my head up. He took my hand and pulled me up to stand.

"Kicho, this is Oda Nobuhide, Oda Nobunaga's father." My father said while motioning to Nobuhide. I bowed to him and gave him my greetings. Nobunaga wasn't far behind me. He entered the Palace looking smug.

"Nobunaga, I see you've found the princess." Nobuhide said to his son. He just got lucky. I scoffed.  Nobunaga bowed in front of my father. I turned on my heel and walked inside.

"Kicho, where are you going?" My father asked. I sighed before answering.

"I'm going to prepare for the wedding." I said in the most monotonous voice I could make.

"Well, it's decided then." Nobuhide said. I ignored them and went back to my room where Sato was waiting for me.

"Milady, are you okay?" Sato greeted me at the door. I quickly went up to her and bowed.

"I'm sorry for pushing you Sato. Please forgive me." I said. She quickly made me raise my head.

"Milady, you don't have to apologize. I'm fine." She said. I looked up at her.

"Are you sure you're okay? You didn't get hurt?" I said. I made a huge fuss about it but she reassured me.

"I'm fine milady." She said. I breathe a sigh of relief. Sato giggled.

"Milady, you are very different from the other nobles I've served." She said. I raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" I asked.

"All of the nobles I've served before never cared about my well-being. They wouldn't even bat an eye if we servants get hurt. But you are different. You even bothered to ask if I was hurt." She explained. Wow. Being a servant in this period is tough. I unconsciously hugged her. I felt the need to hug her.

"I'm lucky to have served you milady. I wish to stay by your side until the end." She said. I was somehow touched by her words that my frustration about the wedding momentarily faded.

A week has passed and my wedding day was fast approaching. I hadn't thought about it that much but Sato and the other servants instilled a new fear into my head.

"You must be excited about what's going to happen after the wedding ceremony, milady." One of the servants said while we were bathing in the hot springs. What is she talking about?

"Oh yes milady." Sato added. I was getting more and more confused the more they talked about it so I decided to ask.

"What are you talking about?" They all looked at each other and giggled.

"Do you think the Lord will get milady pregnant on the first try?" Sato asked the other servants. I suddenly understood what they were talking about. I felt all of the blood rushed to my face.

"S-stop t-talking…" I said while face-palming.

"Milady, are you embarrassed because you've never done it before?" Sato asked. I was getting more and more uncomfortable. They all looked at each other.

"Milady, it's not that bad. I had my first time with my husband. It hurt the first time but you'll get used to it." The other servant said. I think my head going to explode.

"I t-think I-I'm done f-for today…" I stood up and went to go change. The other servants followed me back inside the palace. Oh no… what if Nobunaga wants to do it? What should I do?

Sato tapped my shoulder and I jumped from the contact.

"Milady, dinner is served." She said. She put a plate of food in front of me. I thanked her and started to eat.

The day of the wedding finally arrived. The day I've been dreading. The wedding will be held in Owari Castle; Nobunaga's stronghold. I was dressed in a traditional white kimono. I was in a carriage on my way to Owari.

"Kicho, listen to me." My father held my hand.

"When you marry Nobunaga, he will take over Mino. I'll give you this dagger. If he fails in leading Mino, I want you to kill him." Father handed me the dagger and I held it in my hands. What is happening? I was confused and he must've noticed.

"They say that Nobunaga is a fool for trying to unify this vast land on his own. If it turns out to be true, I want you to kill him and take back Mino." He said. His voice was firm. I'm kind of scared of him now. I hid the dagger inside my dress.

A few moments go by and we could see Owari. Finally! My butt is numb from sitting all day. When we arrived the ceremony started almost immediately. After the ceremony, Nobunaga took my hand and lead me to a group of men drinking and talking.

"Men, this is Lady Nō. These are my men." He said. As I looked at them, they didn't seem familiar at all.

"This is my retainer Hirate Masahide." When he introduced him, I was taking a sip of wine. When I found who he was, I almost spat out the wine and as a result, it went up my nose. I was coughing the whole time while the men looked at me.

"Are you okay milady?" Masahide asked. Oh my god! The paintings of you guys in the future do not give you justice. Why are they all so handsome and the paintings of them were so ugly? Did the one who painted them held a grudge against these guys? I finally stopped coughing.

"You look so different from what I expected." I blurted out. They all turned toward me.

"Oh so you have heard of me?" Masahide asked. What should I answer? He and Nobunaga are famous, right? I should know him, right?

"Ah… Yes, I've heard of your deeds." I said.

"Like what?" Masahide asked. Crap! What do I say? This time period is confusing. I don't know what part of history had already happened and what hasn't. I was about to say something when an explosion happened. The next thing I know, the room was filled with smoke. The guests were frantic. I was starting to panic as well.

"Protect our Lord." I heard Masahide speak. I was suddenly left on my own. The smoke was thick and you could barely see anything. It's amazing how the others managed to find each other in this thick blanket of smoke. I couldn't see very well when all of a sudden, one of the attackers saw me. When I looked at him, a wave of memories came over me.

He was the driver who tried to kill me. I remember his face. I'm sure of it. I can't forget the face that sent me to my demise. He slowly came up to me. I stepped back until I hit the wall. I was paralyzed with fear. He lean next to me and whispered in my ear.

"You need to come with us, Asami." He said. Asami? That name… it's my name. My name is Asami. Memories came flooding in all at once. My head started to hurt badly. I could hardly keep my eyes open.

"Get away from her." I heard a voice but I couldn't make out whose it was. I tried to open my eyes and saw that all the men gathered in front of me while the assailant stood next to me.

"I'll come back for you." He said. And then all of a sudden, he disappeared. Paralyzed by fear, I didn't know what to do. I stood there, my hand on my head.

"Milady, are you okay?" Masahide walked up to me. My body was trembling. I couldn't focus on anything that was happening. The room became quiet but my body wasn't responding to me. I wanted to answer them but I couldn't.

"Lady Nō, what did he say to you? Did you know him?" Masahide asked. If I told them the truth, will they believe me? They probably wouldn't. My vision was starting to get blurry. I saw Nobunaga walking up to me. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell them that I was fine but my body wouldn't respond. The pain in my head was throbbing but I couldn't focus on it. I felt light headed all of a sudden. My vision blurred even more and the next thing I know, everything went black.

"Call the imperial doctor!"

Nobunaga and the others noticed that Lady Nō wouldn't respond. They tried to coax her into talking but she wouldn't. When Masahide held her, he felt her trembling. No one had any idea what to do. Nobunaga approached her then all of a sudden; blood came out of her nose. Nobunaga saw her slowly falling to the ground. He immediately caught her and carried her to his room.

"Call the imperial doctor!" He demanded. Masahide went ahead and called the doctor. The doctor arrived momentarily and started to check on Nō. After a while, he stood up and faced Nobunaga.

"My lord, the young lady has experienced great trauma. May I ask if she lost her memories recently?" Nobunaga and the others looked at each other. Suddenly, Saitō Dōsan arrived.

"What happened to my daughter?" He asked. Nobunaga stopped him from coming any closer to Nō.

"Tell me, has she lost her memories recently?" Nobunaga asked. Dōsan looked at them and sighed.

"She is not the real Lady Nō. My real daughter died long ago. I found her floating in the river near Mino. She resembled my daughter and so I adopted her. She didn't remember anything from her past. All she remembered was her name and her day of birth." Dōsan confessed. Nobunaga looked at Nō.

"Pardon my intrusion my lord but she must've seen something or someone from her past that evoked her memories. She was overwhelmed by her memories plus the shock she experienced resulted in her fainting." The doctor said.

"That ninja… Lady Nō must've been their target. But how is Lady Nō connected to them?" Masahide asked. Nobunaga stayed silent. Just then, Lady Nō woke up. She slowly sat up and looked around the room.

"What happened?" She asked. The doctor warned the men not to evoke any more of her memories but Nobunaga spoke without listening.

"Who was that ninja that tried to take you?" He asked bluntly. Nō tried to remember but a head-splitting headache came over her. She held onto her head while wincing in pain.

"Milady, do not think of it. It'll only make the pain worse." The doctor advised.

"He… He t-tried to k-kill me… H-he was the r-reason I ended u-up in the r-river that d-day…" Nō answered honestly. Her headaches were getting worse.

Her father tried to comfort her. Nō stopped trying to recall her memories. She breathed heavily as the doctor tried to calm her down.

"Masahide, I want to know who those ninjas were and why they were after my wife. Find out everything you can." Nobunaga ordered.

"Yes, my lord." Masahide bowed and left the room. When Nō was asleep, the doctor left. He was escorted out by Dōsan. Nobunaga was left in the room with Nō. He sat next to her on the bed and he caressed her face. No one is allowed to take what is mine. Nobunaga thought. He quickly stood up and left the room.

"Dōsan, I request you send Nō's personal maid here to serve her." Nobunaga ordered. Dōsan agreed and left to go back to Mino province as soon as possible.

The day was almost over when Masahide strolled in.

"Did you find anything?" Nobunaga asked. Masahide bowed at Nobunaga before talking.

"We manage to catch one of the ninjas involved in the attack. We found out that the ninjas who attack the castle were rogue ninjas. They didn't belong to any clan whatsoever. The one we caught even confessed that their leader ordered them to get Lady Nō." Masahide reported.

"Did he confess why they needed to get her?" Nobunaga asked but Masahide shook his head.

"No my lord." Masahide answered. Nobunaga ordered for a tighter security around the castle. Masahide agreed and left.

A day has passed and Sato arrived in Owari. Nobunaga ordered for Nō to transfer to her own room. Sato sat in Nō's room and waited for her to wake up. She had been sent by Dōsan to take care of Nō here in Owari. Sato was pleased to know that she would continue to serve her.

"Sato? Is that you?" Sato turned to see that Nō had woken up.

"Yes milady. I'm here to serve you." She said. Nō had a smile on her face as she sat up.

"I'm glad you're here." Nō said.

When I woke up, I saw Sato in my room. I thought I was sent back to Mino but upon closer inspection, it wasn't my room. It was a room in the Owari Castle.

"How are you feeling milady? I travelled here as orders from Lord Nobunaga to take care of you." She said.

"I'm fine now Sato. You do not have to worry." I reassured her. I tried to stand up but Sato stopped me.

"Milady, the doctor said you shouldn't---." I stopped her.

"Sato, I want to take a bath." I said. She was reluctant but eventually she agreed. She prepared the bath and helped me undress. The feeling of warm water on my skin was a relief. While bathing, a thought came before me. That guy… What did he want from me? He said he'd be back for me. Should I tell Nobunaga?

After bathing, Sato helped me get dressed and I went out and explored the castle.

"Is it okay for us to roam the castle without the Lord's permission?" Sato asked. I didn't know that I had to ask permission to explore the castle. From what I can remember about Nobunaga, he's relentless and doesn't like to be opposed. I don't want to deal with him so I might as well not cause any trouble.

"Let's go to the garden." I said. Sato nodded and I followed her. When we arrived at the garden, I sat down on the ground and just stared out into the pond.

"Milady, are you hungry? I can bring you some food." Sato asked. I shook my head. I really have no appetite to eat anything right now. I am so confused about what's happening. Who was that man? Why is he here in this time period? Why does he know my name? So many questions yet not a single answer.

"I see you're awake." I turned my head and saw Nobunaga standing behind me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Am I not allowed to wander in my own castle?" He said. I really can't say anything about that.

"I came here to talk to you about the other day." He said. Did he mean the wedding? Should I just tell him? Will he believe me?

"What about it?" I asked.