The Princess of the Eastern Island

~ Ask yourself this question of yourself what manner of a woman do you wish to become? ~

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~🧌 As told by Kami, the Earth Spirit...

~🧌 Himeko loved Kimyo from the first day she met him. Beautiful Himeko, daughter of the Master, Kimyo's Master. Masuta's two younger brothers, Shisho and Shihan, were Kimyo's mentors and trainers.~

~🧌 Little chubby Himeko always trailed behind Kimyo, full of laughter and questions, as he practiced and did his chores. Teenage Himeko, all elbows and knees, was always by his side as he worked and practiced twice as hard as any Islander.~

Kimyo had advanced quickly in the warrior ranks of her father.

~🧌 She had to admit that she had been a pest initially, but Kimyo soon grew accustomed to her presence. As she grew and blossomed in her beauty, so did Kimyo's love for her. She could sense it. She knew he loved her in return, but what should she do?~

To be truthful, was there anything she could do about it?

~🧌Kimyo was different from the other boys. He spoke to her as if she were real; her thoughts and feelings mattered to him. Kimyo was always polite and kind to her and everyone he talked with.~

Despite the apparent hardships Kimyo had experienced in his life, he was not mean or bitter.

~🧌 Kimyo was not afraid to show his feelings. Most importantly, he was her very best friend, and she knew she could trust him with anything. She knew Kimyo would die for her- if she asked it- of him.~

~🧌 How could she not love a young man like Kimyo? He was never impatient or unkind, always spoke the truth, and did not brag, exaggerate, or even go out of his way to impress her.~

~🧌 Yet, he impressed her simply by being the young man he was. The truth was that Kimyo was more like her father than any other student.~

Was that why she cared so much for him?

~🧌 The poorest peasant girl on the island was free to choose whomever she wanted to love. Himeko, one of the most important personages on the Eastern Island, was given no choice on whom she could love and marry.~

~🧌 It was not fair that Himeko could not love whomever she wished. She wanted most in this world to become the manner of a woman that Kimyo could respect and love.~

Kimyo made her want to become a better person.

~ 🧌 For her entire life, Himeko had been raised to honor her duty to her family. It was her duty to marry whom she was told to marry; Himeko had no choice. It had been this way for the entire history of the Island.~

Himeko had heard stories of what happened to young royal girls who neglected their marriage duty.

~🧌 These stories always ended badly for the young girls; either they were cut off and shunned by their families or ran away with their true loves. In both examples, the young women in these stories always became shamed, impoverished, and died young.~

~🧌 The young woman's father, Masuta, was a firm believer in tradition, and he believed that their traditions separated the Eastern Island from the rest of the world. Himeko did not doubt that her father would shun her and cast her out of the Masuta line if she tried to marry Kimyo.~

She knew in her heart that if she prayed for her father to make an exception for her, it would be a waste of time.

~🧌 Everyone in the House of Masuta could testify that Himeko had a very kind heart. She was constantly helping the servants with their problems and needs. She was always on the dojo field, treating all as equals in her mind and heart. ~

~🧌 She was an exceptional young woman, but this is not her story. She was somewhat spoiled and used to getting whatever she wanted. Her father, two uncles, and the family servants, the critical people involved in her life, loved Himeko.~

~🧌 Himeko was easy to love and shared many qualities with Kimyo. We could speak much more about Himeko's acts of kindness and her ability to make all feel equal and important.~

~🧌 However, this story is about Kimyo, so we will simply recognize Himeko's many good traits.~

~🧌 For a while, she could still be around her true love daily in the practice dojo. But she knew that Kimyo's fourth-year Tournament was fast approaching. She also knew he was too good of a student not to graduate and become a full-fledged warrior.~

~🧌 Kimyo's Tournament was coming in one short moon. One moon after that, Himeko's coming-of-age sixteenth birthday would occur, and on her Island, this meant she was old enough to be married.~

~🧌 For the first time in her brief life, Himeko wanted something she could not have. Could she marry someone she did not love?~

The real question was, could she marry someone who wasn't Kimyo

END

Questions to consider...

Did you assume that rich people are always happy?

Can we buy the most important things in life with money?