The first year of college for the two had ended. When Dawn thought he was going to go home and stay with his parents for the summer, he surprised her when he showed up to live in the small apartment housing that was for the workers on the farm. “Your dad hired me.” He said with a shrug. “I guess I get to learn about cows after all from the smartest person in the world.”
“I am not the smartest person in the world.” She said as she helped him unpack his car.
“You know the owner's daughter can’t be seen helping the lowest farmhand.” He chuckled.
“Sure, I can.” She said, “No one even sees me most of the time.”
“Dawn.” He said.
“Don’t worry, I am not feeling sorry for myself or anything. Just stating a fact. I am good at being invisible.” She said. “So are we still on for the meetings every other Fri
The night pressed on, and Mav stayed by her side. She was nothing but smiles the entire night. A simple birthday cake seemed more than she had ever had before. She was as bright as the moon itself. Throughout the night, she seemed happier than he had ever seen her.“When you're done with babysitting the princess, you should come to hang out with some of us in the woods.” One of the girls whispered into his ear.“I am not babysitting,” Maverick said. “I am here with my friend.”“Sure.” She said as she looked at him. “I mean, if you really want to be stuck with a kid all night. I just thought you would like to come to hang out.”“Well, I don’t,” Maverick said. He scanned the area and saw her starting to yawn. Knowing that she had hadn’t slept well in the past few days because she had been so excited. “Dawn?” he walked up to her and hel
Over the next year, the two often met even though they only had two classes together. She was carrying a course load of three times as many classes as he was. She was serious about the number of degrees she would be working on. He thought there might be four or five by the time she was done adding to her interests.Dawn was as normal as she could be when she was around him. She had sensed there was something that he was keeping from her, but she also didn’t want to hear it if it was what she thought it might be. He was nineteen. She knew that in her bones every time she saw him. She was on borrowed time with him. She expected him to pull back from the friendship that the two had. Though it was odd, he never seemed to think it really was. She just went along with it, knowing sooner or later the one thing she thought was safe was going to leave her in the dust.Knowing him, he would find the perfect woman to go out with,
After two more grueling years, the day he had not looked forward to for a year was now upon them. He looked at her standing before him. “Four years, and you still look the same.” He laughed. “Maybe if you grew some more, you would be taken a little more seriously.”“Maverick, I stopped growing a year ago,” Dawn said as he teased her. “This is the last one for me.”“How you managed to graduate four times already, including two master's degrees, and I still have only one to my name,” Maverick said with a laugh. “It is okay, though. I don’t mind being the dumb one in this relationship.”“Well, I am a certifiable genius.” She said. “Wait, I meant certified.”“You had it right the first time.” He chuckled. “So, are your parents coming?”“They said they had too. Since the press go
The phone's call never stopped. The video chats never stopped. There were text messages to start every day for both of them. Though they both had long hours and the time seemed to fly by. He was still working in Europe and had been there for a year and had come back for a year and a half. Though the time they had spent together was minimal during that time, they had still been close. She was working on her medical degree most of the time and her Ph.D. as well at the same time. No one really understood the power of her brain at this point.Though the schools had tested her at nearly every stage of her growth for her teenage years, they couldn’t get an accurate reading on her. They had to say though she was in the top one percent of IQ in the world. She had a brain that they just wanted to study, though, as she got older, she fought them on all the tests. She was over the fact she was different or
Dawn cried when he left as she watched from the airport parking lot. The plane took off, and she felt that hole in her heart again, knowing that he was going to be gone for over a year this time. It hurt in a way that she didn’t know it could.After she pulled herself together, she focused on her work at the hospital. She was doing more to be done with everything quicker. When he was settled in his new place, the calls and texts were the only things she looked forward to.Time seemed to move on at a grueling pace put soon enough, the day she wanted the most was finally upon her. He couldn’t come home, and she understood that. She had a friend’s wife hold up her phone, so he could watch overseas as she took those steps across the stage to finally be a doctor. When she made it back to get her phone, he was smiling like he had been the day they grad
Dawn woke and knew that it was odd there was nothing from him. She thought maybe it was just because of the day, but she had thought maybe something could come through. It was her eighteenth birthday, after all. A half a world away, but in her heart, it just didn’t seem right.The day's events were her going to her mother's and listening to how they had changed all the decorations for the party to fit Jenny’s wedding more than her and Christian’s party. Dawn didn’t even know if he was coming at all to the party. He didn’t seem like he cared too much for anything that was being done. Dawn didn’t either. Though she knew the reasons she had thought of that her mother had gone all out for the party, she had hoped maybe it was the last-ditch effort to be nice with her. Dawn knew that was a long shot, and the more the day went on, the more she knew she had no hope of that
Maverick led her out to the dance floor. He held her close to him. “So far, how is your birthday?” he asked as he smiled at her.“Well, I just got the best birthday present.” She smiled up at him. He laughed at her response.“I’m not a birthday present.” He said. As he spun her gently as the song played on. Then he brought her close to him and held her there as she stared into his eyes.“You chose the song?” she asked.“After some persuasion.” He replied. “It seemed your mother had a few ideas still.”“I know.” She said with a sigh. She looked around, and people were staring at the pair. The balloons were released, and they were in the middle of it. She laughed at the slightly surprised look on his face. “I think you stole her crowning moment of trying to make sure I knew I wasn’t really a par
Later that night, when the entire complex was quiet. He was rubbing her back slowly. “Are you okay?” he asked softly as he adjusted her weight to more of his chest than his shoulder where she had been propped for the past half hour.“Yeah.” She said as she moved her head to look at his face.“I’m sorry that I had to hurt you.” He said as he kissed her head.“But you didn’t really.” She said as she smiled at him. “It kind of had to happen. I think you made up to me with everything else.”“Lots of waiting and painful nights went into planning that.” He said as he chuckled, and then he moved to be eye to eye with her. “Dawn, I love you.”“I know.” She said with a smile. “I love you too. I have been telling you all this time.”“You have been?” He asked.
10When dinner was brought to the private rooms of the Master of the castle the three young women who did saw the couple on the back deck, they were wrapped up together deep in conversation to which none of them could hear. They glare at the woman who had just shown up with no warning, while their eyes rested on their lord the six of them softened.“I know what we have to do.“, one whispered.“What is that?“, the smallest of them asked.“A Yosei.“, the first young girl said.“That is a legend. She is just like you are me.“, the third girl spoke.“Look at her. She has the lord wrapped around her finger. She is Yosei. That is the only explanation.“, the first one hissed.“What do you plan on doing?“, the third asked.“We ha
9The announcement went as he expected. His people all loved her he could see that. That made him pleased as well. It was one thing he didn’t think he really cared about, but he did. She was now his intended bride. He did see the looks from some of the staff, the younger females, as he made the announcement within the castle’s walls. They were not happy with his choice. Though he meant to file that information away if any problems should arise he would know where to look, he was simply too happy to remember. He had done the unthinkable for himself, he had found a woman that wanted to stand next to him, not for the notoriety of it or the power of it, but one who wanted to be there.She had worn a traditional kimono for the announcement. Though it played with the
8It had been a quiet week for the two as he caught up with his own work as she had stepped in to help the staff with whatever needed to be done. Mitsuhide was watching her talk to the senior housekeeper on doing something a little different than they usually did it. As like every other time she had suggested something it went smoother and saved time. The head housekeeper was in awe of the tiny slip of a woman as were most. Except for a select few of the younger staff, everyone loved her, and they all had hoped an announcement would be made sooner rather than later.The longer he waited to make the announcement the closer it was that she would either leave or one of the other warlords would show up at the door and try to whisk her away. He was honestly surprised that it hadn’t happened yet. Hideyo
7“Do you see anything you wish to have?“, Mitsuhide asked as he followed her from stall to stall as she looked at everything.“Oh no, you have done too much already, Mitsuhide.“, she replied.“Have I?“, he asked. “I don’t see that I have. Do you like the colors in your room?”“The blue. Yes, it is my favorite.“, she replied.“You do not make it easy, Princess.“, he chuckled. “Let me get you something.”“Mitsuhide, I don’t need anything.’, she smiled.“Then I will have to guess, my dear.“, He said softly. The older man who was the stall keeper smiled knowingly at the exchange. He nodded to Mitsuhide and smiled softly toward the Princess.“Might I interest you in something My lord?&ldqu
6Usually an early riser Mitsuhide he often beat the others in the castle awake. After the night before he had allowed himself the comfort of sleeping until daybreak, but he was not the first awake. As he looked at the open door, he saw a shadow of the person who must be sitting out there. He at first wondered who it could be, it took only a few seconds for the realization to hit that it was her. When he rounded the corner, he saw her golden hair slightly wild, and her pale cheeks flushed from the slight wind. Her eyes widen and seemingly ready to learn. He could see the intelligence in them. She softly smiled. “The bed was much more comfortable than the ground.“, her voice soft.“Well, I should hope so.“, he replied. “What is that bag you hav
5“You know who I am?“, she asked as she looked at the man who was staring at her.“Should I?“, he asked.“You said you like you knew who I was.“, she said as she let her disappointment show.“You do not know who you are?“, he asked.“No, I do not. I hit my head last night. It must have been hard. I don’t know who I am or where I am.“, she stated. “The first thing I remember was looking at the lake in darkness. I can remember certain things but not others. I knew the sound of the horse, but not the name of it. I knew a sword and how to use it, but can’t remember how I know. The man who brought me here said it is uncommon for a woman to be able to do what I did.”“You killed three men?“, Mitsuhide asked.“Yes
4The morning light woke her from her slumber. She began to walk around a little further than she had the night before. She was still a little tired from whatever had brought her there to this place. She yet couldn’t name herself or where she was all she knew was she could get another fish when she was hungry. She looked at the lake again, sitting on a rock she watched over the water for what seemed a few minutes but when she looked up the sun was directly over. She worked the rest of the time to make a stronger shelter for the night.She was proud of the lean-to she had made. If she didn’t know where it was, she would have lost it. She lit another fire as she waded into the water and grabbed another fish. She repeated the process as the sun wa
3When she made it to her office an hour later as everyone had stopped her for the gruesome details of the night prior. She was disgusted with the behavior of the grown adults acting like school children waiting for the next piece of gossip. She forgot about the underside of how to be an adult. They were some unspoken accusations of maybe she didn’t do enough because she wanted the job that her boss had. This from a group of people who also could have jumped in and helped but did not.She hated them. Hated all of it. She went into the office and plugged in her drive. She uploaded the files and sat there looking as they were copied into the drive. She saved each one
2“What?“, he sister replied.“Come on I just had the day from hell just tell me what you need.“, the tiny woman replied.“Well, I kinda need to ask you for a favor.“, Susie started.“I figured as much.“, she replied.“Come on sis, you sound like dad when I ask him.“, Susie stated.“Suz, I just told you I had the day from hell. I really mean I had the day from hell. I’m tired, worn out, and well frankly I hurt like a mother-“, she started.“Come on now.“, her sisters normally calm voice went up an octave.“So what or how much do you need?“, she asked. Knowing this conversation was going to go around in circles for hours, and she wanted to sleep jus