I looked up into the branches of the pine. A bird's chirp caused me to stop, as it sounded familiar to me. A faint wind rustled the needles, a shower of them falling on my head and shoulders. As I looked up, I could see a flash of black and white, a red beak, before the bird fluttered off, disappearing into the tangle of pine branches.

I looked back at the parchment pinned to the easel in front of me. I was sitting under the cover of pines, at the top of the wall that surrounded the house. From there, the sea stretched on and on, until I could no longer see the distinct line between the sky and the water. I knew that across that gray expanse lay the eastern kingdoms of Bakaar.

Grandfather had told me, before he died, that the islands were a tangle of sweltering jungles thick with the odor of rotting vegetation, where nothing could ever be dry, and where crawling things like centipedes and spiders were larger than a human could ever imagine. I could never picture a place so miserable. To me, I would rather have lived in eternal winter than spend one day in the jungles of Bakaar.

I shivered as a wind swept over the sea and hit me in the face. My nose was frozen, but I had wanted to at least get out and breathe a little before Komo and I practiced the wedding later that evening. I was tense, uncomfortable, and couldn't concentrate well on my work. I kept thinking of the wedding.

Tomorrow.

I focused on my ink painting, adding a small black shape for the fishing ship I could see bobbing on the water. The wind picked up again, rustling the paper, and causing my ink to smear. I gritted my teeth, tossing the brush aside and tearing the parchment from the easel. I crumpled it up and flung it across the wall, watching the wind carry it. I leaned over the edge of the wall to watch the crumpled white shape float down towards the walk below. I sucked in a breath, a picture flashing before my eyes. I could see a snarling mask, raised towards me, a hand reaching up to catch the crumpled paper…

I blinked and rubbed my eyes. There was no man in full armor, no entourage of mourning servants and soldiers. I watched the paper bounce off the rocks and go tumbling to its face in the white foam of the water below.

I straightened and began to fold up my easel. How strange to think that a man I had only seen from a distance, who I had only ever thought about in passing, was becoming my husband. Little eleven-year-old me, seven years ago, could not have guessed that she was to become a lord's wife.

I couldn't find the brush I had flung, so I put the caps back on the pots of ink and returned them to their wood case. I closed the case, taking it by the handle and taking the easel under my arm, before I went on my way back to the house. The clouds overhead were darkening, and I was unsure if it would bring a storm. I quickened my step, knowing Komo would be looking for me.

A black shape flew into my field of vision. I stopped, turning around in time to see a black and white bird perch itself on one of the branches of the tall pines. I recognized the red beak. It was the bird I had saved from the frozen fountain, I was sure of it. It tilted its head and chirped again.

Could it have remembered me? I watched it turn and fly up into the trees. It seemed to me very unlikely that such a creature would remember my action…

It didn't look like a very normal bird.

Father had told me that sometimes the spirits would disguise themselves as animals in need, to test mortals. I had no definite proof that it was a spirit in disguise, but the thought of the spirits watching over me brought me comfort. Perhaps if I had the eyes of a particular spirit on me, then I would be well off, and no danger or misfortune would have come over me.

I hurried along the walk, feeling a little better about myself after seeing the bird again. If it was a spirit watching over me, then maybe being wife to the lord would not be as bad as I had previously thought.

But my feeling of subtle happiness was swiftly washed away when I let my thoughts return to all I had experienced in just a few days on the island. Hotaki's bitter words of his father, his mention of being free, no one explaining why six women were dead, my feeling that everyone was feeding me lies, and the child…

Why was a child's presence so strange?

The wind over the sea picked up again as I hurried down the stone steps. I could feel the cold through my shoes, and as I went along, I found myself thinking of hot tea and rice. I picked up my pace, reaching the house in practically a run. I hurried inside, and I was halfway up the stairs when I realized I had forgotten to take off my shoes. I went down the stairs, passing a servant as I did so, and pulled off my shoes to leave them by the front door.

I stopped a servant as the servant passed me.

"Excuse me," I said, hurrying forward and catching the servant by their sleeve. The servant stopped and turned their face to me, and I stopped myself from appearing too uncomfortable.

"Komo," I began. "Is she here?"

The servant shook their head.

"Where did she go?"

The servant remained motionless.

"Did she head to the temple?"

This time, the servant nodded. I gave a slight bow of my head.

"Thank you."

I turned and went out of the house, shuddering at the empty feeling I had received from the servant. Emptiness was the best I could describe it. There were no eye holes to look through, no voice to reply to me, no feeling of humanity behind that mask.

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I slipped my feet into my shoes and went across the walk, keeping my pace quick so I would reach the temple in time. As I went through the round gateway from the house, I saw Hotaki coming my way, his nose and cheeks red from the cold. He hurried to me, grabbing my arm to stop me.

"There you are!" he said. "Komo was wondering where you had run off to."

"Run?" I laughed. "I was painting. Though I did get distracted."

He steered me in the direction opposite where I needed to go.

"Wait!" I said. "I need to get to the temple."

"That can wait," he said.

"Komo will be furious!"

"She never gets angry," he said. "Besides, she isn't even at the temple. There's something very important waiting for you."

I tried to pull my arm free. He noticed, and released me.

"What's so important that you have to drag me around like that?" I asked.

He shrugged with a grin. "Should I tell you now, or wait until we are at the guest quarters?"

"Guest quarters?"

"Come on," he said, offering me his arm. "You'll be very glad I dragged you along."

I sighed and gave him my arm, letting him lead me along the stone path. The icicles that had formed on the trees were melting, freezing drops of water falling onto my neck. I shivered, but Hotaki didn't seem to notice.

The sky grew darker, either with the approaching evening, a coming storm, or both. The wind over the island seemed to seep into my bones, like I was being soaked in ice.

Hotaki stepped forward to open the door to the guest house and its little garden. I could hear voices through the thin walls. A man laughing, his voice deep, a woman replying in a quieter voice…

I turned to Hotaki, only to see him turn away to hide a smile. He led me forward to the door, and we paused to take our shoes off, before he slid the door open and I stepped inside.

Five faces turned from the low table. I could see a man lowering a pipe from his mouth as he rose to his feet, and the sudden recognition sent a spark through me.

"Father!" I cried, darting forward and throwing myself into my father's arms. I could feel his arms wrap around me, hugging me tight as I buried my face in his shoulder. I felt a sting in my eyes, and knew I was going to start crying, but this time they were tears of happiness to see my family for the first time in days.

As a merchant, Father would sometimes be away from the family for months on end, but nothing could compare to the joy of seeing him on the lord's island, even though it had been less than a week.

I moved away from Father to Grandmother's arms, and turned to see Mother still kneeling at the table. I came before her and went on my knees, bowing low before her.

"Mother," I said, as I lifted my head. Mother simply nodded to me, reaching out to touch my face.

I looked about the table, my joy vanishing like a candle being snuffed out when my eyes fell upon the last guest. I rose to my feet, trying not to appear disturbed by the presence of this man.

"Itsua-han," I said. My voice sounded cold and distant to me. I turned to Father. "Why is he here?"

"Yori!" I heard Mother's scolding tone of voice, but I didn't look at her. I turned back to Itsua, who gave a bow of his head.

"It would only seem appropriate that I would attend the wedding of my employer's daughter," he said.

Komo, who was kneeling at the table as well, rose to her feet. "Perhaps I should fetch some tea," she said, her tone uncomfortable. She hurried to the back room, shutting the door behind her.

Father made a motion to the table. "We should be seated," he said.

I knelt between Father and Hotaki, and found myself directly across from Itsua. I felt faintly happy when I thought about how I would be in a position above Itsua once I was married. All those years of my childhood filled with his unceasing talk of my becoming his wife…they were gone. I wouldn't have to live in his house with his whispering daughters and be the mother of his children.

Though Itsua was not a man of secrets, I thought to myself, and he hadn't had six dead wives.

I became aware of Father speaking to me. "Are you happy with Lord Ashiro-han's decision?"

I turned to him. "I cannot say that I am happy," I said. "But I am grateful, and I honor Lord Ashiro-han's decision."

"She was the last person I expected to be a lord's wife," said Hotaki.

"Oh?" Father raised an amused eyebrow, and Hotaki turned red as Grandmother began to laugh.

"I didn't mean it that way," Hotaki said. "She surprised us all with how well she performed."

"She has never really been one to impress," Mother said. "So we are surprised as well."

Mother's words stung like the switch on my legs if I had misbehaved as a child. I could see Father, puffing on his pipe, throw Mother a threatening look. I took a deep breath, wondering why Mother would be insulting me in the presence of the people of Ashiro's house.

Komo came into the room with a tray of tea; I rose to my feet as she set it on the table, prepared to serve it, but Hotaki got up, shaking his head at me. I knelt back down, remembering that, aside from me, he was the youngest there, and I was a guest.

I tried not to look at Itsua, who had his head facing in my direction as Hotaki poured the tea.

Why had he come? I sipped my tea, staring at the knots in the wood of the table. I couldn't say I hated him. After all, he had had reason to be angry over the loss of my family's money, but his anger had been directed at me, and I remembered the way he had harshly pulled me to my feet that night he made us leave his house.

There had been other times in my childhood when he had treated me harshly, and as I took another sip of my tea, I found myself at least relieved that I would not be marrying Orya Itsua, though my husband-to-be was not an ideal choice over an accountant. I wondered if Itsua, had I married him, would be cruel to me as his wife. There had been a reason his wife had sought love from another man.

I could hear Mother and Father discussing with Komo the arrangements for more guests such as my brother and his family; Mother said something about all my possessions that had been brought to the island. I sighed inwardly, thinking of how it was the final step of my leaving my parents' household before I finally became a possession of the lord's house.

"Are you alright?"

Grandmother's whisper broke through my wall of thoughts.

I could see Hotaki glancing in my direction as I turned to Grandmother.

"Fine," I replied in a faint voice. "I'm just…thinking about my new life that lies ahead of me."

Grandmother patted my hand. "Marriage is a large step in one's life, especially for one as young as you."

"I just wish the decision was as much mine as it is Mother's and Father's."

"Your parents know what is best for you," she said.

"Do they always?" I leaned in closer. "Grandmother, surely they cannot know what's best, especially with my marriage to Lord Ashiro—"

Grandmother made a motion to silence me, turning her head away from me. Mother and Father were looking in my direction. I hurriedly lifted my teacup to my lips, looking down at the table. It would not do if I was showing resistance to my family's decision in their presence, especially the day before the wedding. By now, I was probably expected to show favor to the marriage, and I didn't want to seem like Ashiro had made a mistake in choosing me.

I finished my tea as the conversation carried away from me. I tried to think of the strange bird whose presence had brought me some peace. Itsua's arrival to the island was somewhat jarring to my peace of soul, and though I was with my family, I still faced the thought of the next day with dismay.