Special Delivery

The governor’s study was quiet as a tomb. The governor himself was dozing off as he read the province’s harvest reports when suddenly there was a rapping at the door. The governor shook himself from his sleep and grunted for the servant at the door to come in. The servant girl, rapidly approaching servant woman, entered and bowed deeply before the governor.

“There is an Imperial herald here to see you my lord,” she said demurely in a voice hardly above a whisper. The governor simply nodded to let him in.

The messenger walked in. He looked a bit ragged but stood tall and confident, his chest proudly displaying the Miya-mon. He bowed to the governor and offered with both hands a folded letter, written on thick, wood-pulp paper. The kind specifically made to endure travel in a military campaign.

The governor quickly scanned the letter and began drafting a response. He held the newly penned letter out for the Miya to take however, no hand was extended in return.
“Forgive me Mirumoto-kakka, but, before I relay your message, may I ask why you refused the Taisa’s request for reinforcements?” asked the Miya.

The governor, too flabbergasted by the messenger’s apparent precognition to question his presumptiveness narrowed his eyes at the Miya. “How did you…”

“If you had intended to agree to the Taisa’s request, you’d have taken the time to detail which units you were sending and who the commanders were. You’d have also likely have drafted messages for me to take to them as well,” said the Miya, his face a mask of tranquility.

“Ah, but then you admit to reading the Taisa’s letter to me?” said the governor trying to trap the infuriatingly arrogant little messenger.

“Of course, Mirumoto-kakka. I drafted it for him. Of course, even had I not, it would be hard not to surmise as much, given your reputation Mirumoto-kakka.”

The governor was stunned by what he was hearing, “I see, and what reputation is that?”

“You are your father’s son. Some say you even surpass him in strategic brilliance. Of course, there are other, less flattering whispers as well, but I choose to disbelieve them Mirumoto-kakka. I find it difficult to believe a commander as accomplished as you has lost his will to fight.”

The governor regarded the Miya warily, “Do you think me so naïve as to be persuaded by your obvious manipulations?”

“Has Mirumoto-kakka grown so jaded that he would mistake my praise for him as insincere?” said the messenger, his eyes burning with intensity briefly met that of the governor and in that instant, the governor understood that this letter was no simple request. His response would shape how others saw him for generations.

The governor crumpled the letter he had intended to send with the Miya. He instead wrote three more and handed them to the Miya. “I’d tell you who the other two were for but I suppose you already know.”

“Hai, Mirumoto-kakka.”

“What is your name Miya-san?” asked the governor as he handed the letters to the messenger.

“Kabuto, Miya Kabuto” said the courier bowing as he accepted the letters.

“Make haste Miya Kabuto. We wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong impression now would we?”

“Hai, Mirumoto-kakka,” and with that the messenger took off into the night.