Aoi's view

We went faithfully to the blacksmiths each day for a couple of years. As I sat watching the work, a twinge of memory would happen. I do not know why, but it felt like my memory was almost remembering something; I often found my hands busy deburring. I had found it a simple task I could do while I watched and no-one commented that I shouldn't do it, so I did it whenever I had the chance. It was not until the third year of their apprenticeship, when my master had taken off his shirt to help with the sledgehammering of the metal, that my memories flooded back to me.

My head hurt, and I clasped both sides of my head with my hands and screamed in emotional and physical pain. Master stopped immediately, looking at the master blacksmith, "May I take her home?"

"Yes, I think that is best for everyone," he said, looking at me as I rocked backward and forwards in pain.

"Come on, Aoi," Master said, picking me up and carrying me as if I were a twig, "Let's get you home."

I nodded with tears in my eyes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and buried my face in his neck. I will be honest, I had a crush on the master for as long as I could remember, but I knew nothing would come of it. When he was young he showed no interest in women, I would go as far to say that he despised women. I was surprised then when he showed up with his wife and the obvious affection and love he showed her.

I was obsessed with the woman. I wanted to know what sort of person she was changing the master that much. I wanted to talk with her and see for myself who she was, which was why I had seen what happened to her the night she died. Despite her death, the love for his wife had never faded, and knowing his personality he would never love another the same way. He was only carrying me now as a kindness, and it would likely not happen again. Despite knowing this, I relaxed into him, drawing on his strength to face my early memories that had flooded in.

We arrived home, and the master took me to my room and placed me gently on the bed before settling himself on a chair next to me, "Aoi, what happened?" he asked with concern, "Do you think you can tell me?"

I nodded, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, "My memory before the slaver beating me returned."

Master looked at me expectantly and said nothing, and I felt I should explain to him what I remembered.

"As you know, my last name is Tokugawa," I looked at him, and he nodded, "My father was the youngest brother of the ruler in the clan, and he had chosen to become the clan's swordsmith. My Mama always told me if anything happened to them to find a way to return to Yoshida Castle to my Uncle."

"Swordsmith?" Master looked excited for a minute before collecting himself, "Go on."

"The shogun leader wanted to invade Chosun again, but my father did not want to go without his family, so he was allowed as it was deemed he would not be fighting but rather repairing or making new katanas. My siblings and I were bought up in the forge, and my father would often work shirtless like you had today, and for some reason seeing you like that with your muscles bulging and sweat pouring down your arms reminded me of my father. He often looked like that."

"You said you were bought up in the forge? Did you do work?"

"I did, I was too young to do much, but my father had me deburring his work. He would often compliment me on my skills," I nodded.

"Ah, so that was why you were so good then, even from the start, you looked professional at it," Master complimented me, "Can you remember anything else?"

I nodded, "We were overrun one night by the Chosun soldiers, and my father and older brothers were all killed. My mother was raped and then killed in front of me.

I remember her begging for my life, "Please Sir, spare my daughter Aoi she's a good capable child. She doesn't eat much."

"Your last name?" The man replied as he thrust into her.

"Tokugawa." Mum answered tears falling down her face.

"Alright I will keep her alive since you were good," and I remember her face relaxing that I would live, and a second later filled with horror as her throat was sliced open.

"Sorry, lady, this is the best I can do for you, we were ordered to burn anything to do with the Japanese." The man apologised to my mother's corpse before grabbing me by my hair and pulling me around the place, saying, 'If you want to live, brat, keep up with me.' I wanted to live, so I did; I could not even cry, for if I did, I would be beaten within an inch of my life. He said afterward that he did so as I was to remain inconspicuous for, I should have been burned with the rest of the Japanese army. I was lucky that I was a small brat that I could hide when others were around.

He kept me with him until I was about 13 doing chores like cleaning and cooking. He would offer me the leftover food scraps. I was thankful for them as I was alive. He showed me the occasional kindness by buying me sweets and new clothes.

When I was thirteen, he started looking at me differently. Not long after he took me to his bed and forced himself on me. 'Good brat, your mine now, brat,' he would say; he never called me by my name. This continued for a while, and I came to look forward to his rough attention as he tended to buy me gifts afterward. I thought that it was the natural progression of things being a slave.

One day, I was about 15, when he came home drunk, tied me up, and handed me off to a man with not so much as a "goodbye". I was confused and cried, "Master, what are you doing? What is happening?"

"Sorry, brat, this is your new master," he said and turned away.

I screamed after him, and my new master dragged me along behind him with little understanding. "Come on, Aoi, give up on that man. He gave you up in a card game. You are now my property."

It was then I was beaten for being too slow. I brought it on myself, really, my new master tried everything to get me moving, and it was only when he hit me that I moved. I found out later my master, who called me a brat, knew my name and had told it to my new master. My new master was the slaver that sold me to your family."

"I see," my now master said thoughtfully, not moving. I lay back down and closed my eyes, wondering what would happen now.

"Aoi," my master called me sometime later.

"Yes, master?" I replied, opening my eyes.

"We will need to go on our journeyman journey soon," he said, "Did you want to try to return to your people?"

"Can we?" I asked hopefully; I am sure my eyes were shining with hope; I wanted to return and see my family.

My master nodded, then got up to go, "That is what we will do come time to travel."

"Alright," I snuggled up again, happy, dreaming of the faces of my family that I remembered that I had not seen slaughtered but had seen sail away on boats escaping the wrath of the Chosunians.

🍀A/N If you enjoyed this chapter, please take the time to vote by pressing the star. If you see any errors, please let me know, as this is unedited.🍀