Dragonfire ~ Part 1 of 3 (My first post in the community! :D )

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The music lively filled the wooden doors of the okiya, as the geisha gracefully paced her steps along the floor. The apprentices stared, hypnotized, sitting around to make a big circle. They wore the same apprentice uniform, strongly differentiated from the geisha’s kimono: brilliant colors as signature, made of light silk that softly reflected light in an aesthetic show which made believe the drawings in their outfit come alive.

Miko was practicing the play “Dragonfire”. The story of a young girl, left orphaned by the evil deeds of a dragon. Vengeance shaped her as she grew a great sword maiden to face the creature before being burned to death after striking the evil being a mortal blow. It wasn’t an easy play. The Japanese guitar had to be violent, determined in its strings to represent the sword maiden determination and fiery will, matched by the unnatural blind fury of the dark dragon, and so had to be the dance moves. The geisha must always have the piercing look of battle in her eyes, and the steps firm, defying, which is why it wasn’t a very popular play because women weren't supposed to devote themselves to such endeavors. Yet, to Miko, it was her favorite play.

The apprentice maikos looked at her in awe. She went by the tatami as a goddess of war, wielding the wooden sword as if she were possessed. And perhaps she was. There was a fury inside of her because of what was taken from her in the past. The dragon personified the war that took her parents away. The bright red of the higanbanas in Miko’s kimono seemed to attest to the blatant fury she kept for herself, and the black fabric background represented the darkness of her past. Her friends thought those were very gloomy colors, especially because the higanbana was a poisonous flower but it was perfect for Miko. At the state of the art, everyone needed to heed the hint that she was poisoned and poisonous at the same time.

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“That’s enough for today’s lesson.” Mother said, clapping her hands once.

Immediately the music stopped and the room went silent except for Maiko, who smiled at the Mother of the okiya, taking a deep breath.

“How did I do it?” Miko asked.

“Perfectly, and maybe more” She replied, approaching to softly caress Miko’s cheek.

The maikos were envious since they rarely could behave with such naturality around Mother because she was very strict. They are all wearing the same uniform and the same makeup. Partially invisible, yet Miko, as a full-grown geisha, barely wore any and had her very own kimono. Mother thought that was supposed to inspire them to reach for excellence.

“I hope you have all learned.” Mother started saying, looking at the apprentices around “Discipline, learning, posture… These are all necessary and must be impeccable. This is the fruit of such labor. Once you know all the laws, you can use them to be the canvas of your passion. An empty canvas is cheap, empty… common. That’s what you are right now. But if you strive for more, this is what is waiting for you in the end.”

“Yes, mother” They all replied in the same voice.

“Dismissed” Mother shouted, taking Miko by the hand.

A maiko approached to open the sliding door for them as they went

“We need to talk.” Mother whispered.

Miko felt the worry in her voice and she feared ill news. She knew the flames of war were increasingly approaching the town. The landlord of Shinzo town, a venerable man, didn’t have enough manpower to face the terrible warlord Oda Nobunaga. Rumor has it, that the warlord enslaved the women and enlisted all men in town to quench his delirious fantasies of world conquest. That would mean the end of all beauty. Of arts, and of course the okiya, but most importantly of her beloved.

As they started to walk on the porch, the sound of water pouring from the bamboo fountain increased Miko’s nervousness, but the sound of birds gently singing on the nearby cherry tree filled with pink leaves distracted her with their beauty.

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“A horseman from the front came. Shinzo will surrender to Oda to avoid bloodshed. Shinozuke it’s all right”

Miko tried to disguise her joy at hearing about the landlord’s son.

“I am glad to hear about the prince’s good health, but what does that mean to our house, Mother?.” Miko replied seriously.

Mother smiled, congratulating herself for training such a fine geisha.

“I am afraid he’s not a prince anymore. Shinzo will be absorbed into Oda’s. But I am sure your beloved will be just fine”

Miko felt her own cheeks blushing as the old Okiya keeper took a deep breath. Her covered feet slid in the wooden floor as she revealed a grave face.

“About the okiya, I am afraid that depends on us. The landlord has asked us to bring a play to Oda. He’s hoping that by doing that, entertaining him and his forces would help in avoiding any trouble… You have heard the rumors about him. It’s wise to keep his attention somewhere else. The problem is, I can’t find a geisha brave enough to do it. They are afraid about what he would do to them”

Mother stopped walking. She could see the weight of what she was asking in Miko’s shoulders by the way her eyes were wide open in fear.

“And now you are asking me…?”

An old phantom took grip of the geisha’s heart. Warlords, wars, unification. Death it’s all that meant. And she would take part as a courtesan for one of these men? As a piece of meat?
Her eyes slowly started to shade in a frown of visible hate and disgust, but only to trained eyes, like the ones of the very mother who took care of her for long training years.

“Yes. Precisely because of that” Mother said, pointing towards her defiant face. “You know the consequences. You have felt them in your very flesh and soul. So you know why we must do it, why have you trained so hard! Men are volatile, violent, like children. If we keep them occupied, Shinzo might survive. Oda’s forces will move on and the okiya and the children's lives will remain untouched”

Miko closed her eyes. Just the thought of another child having the same phantom over their lives made her sigh. She knew almost all the faces. While she danced in the moonlight festival the bright innocent faces admiring her, looking up to her. Their parents were beside them, pointing at the dancing beautiful geisha while sharing candy. For them, it was a spectacle to see her dancing but to Miko, it was a spectacle to see those families together, being happy at least for a moment in their lives. But she opened her eyes as she remembered something, another loving face.

“S-Shinozuke. He… he will never allow anything happen to me. If things come for the worse, I know he will fight”

Mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I know. Arrangements will be made if it crosses the prince’s mind”

Biting her soft, lower lip, Miko threw herself at her mother’s embrace. The geishas held together for a time, crying softly.

“Oh dear! For you to live in such an era! If I could do it myself I would!”

“No, no…! You have done so much for me, It’s the least I can do!”

They both looked at each other, smiling lovingly.

“What play will you choose?” Mother asked.

She already knew the answer when she saw the beautiful face become even more dazzling by the piercing, determined expression filling it.

“Dragonfire”

Hi there dear @scholarandscribe community! I am honoured to present a tale that went a little out of hand when it comes to lenght. Still, I hope you enjoy reading Miko's adventures as I enjoyed writting it!

Images from pixabay