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The scent of fresh water and swirling dust suffused the air as their convoy neared the deep aru and three of his samurai in a clean set of barracks just beyond the curved stone wall at the edge of thesa before the first set of towering black gates at the castle’s entrance Gold-plated hinges and round-ringed handles glistened in the late-afternoon sun as Kenshin and his uard tower When two of the soldiers stepped forward to address Kenshin for on either side of the glossy black gates Even the rivets were plated in gold

No expense had been spared to make Heian Castle a worthy seat for the eid, inspecting all the weaponry Kenshin and his men wished to bear with them As samurai, Kenshin and histwo customary swords each--a katana and a shorter wakizashi Hidden weapons were considered dishonorable As was the act of unsheathing a blade in the eates, Kenshin and his samurai were instructed to leave their horses with one of the stable attendants waiting nearby Then they began to ascend the irounds The weight of his armor and the heat of the early summer sun slowed Kenshin’s pace But it also offered him a chance to take in the splendor of the iabled stories and gilded rooftops flashing, catching, throwing endless rays of light

When the first of eight concentric baileys rose into view, Kenshin paused This series of maru was fas were said to be enchanted Crafted by an ageless kind of sorcery The first and largest raveled by white stone The pattern of its spiraling ays served two purposes--one of beauty and one of befuddlened to confound, for the entrances and exits did not flow in logical order At all hours of day and night, the concentric circles moved in different directions, at different speeds, like wheels turning within each other Absent a knowledgeable escort, a guest could get lost at Heian Castle without even trying

And an intruder?

Would neverthe final step onto the trirass of the first maru

This marked the only occasion he had ever been to Inako without his father Without his family Today would be the first day he and he alone would represent his clan before their emperor

Kenshin had not expected to feel so uneasy at this realization

But he did not show it Would never show it

Instead he took the last step, careful to remain steady To enjoy these brief moments to himself

While he still could

--

Contrary to what Kenshin had expected, he was not instructed to go before the eave him pause

Instead Kenshin and his men were told to wait for a time on the enchantedonly to watch the hundred-year-old carp and its gaggle of orange-and-white koi flit beneath the waters of an azure pond One of the emperor’s attendants then bowed low before Kenshin, cal hiates As they round beneath him shift Felt it turn slowly to conceal their trail and keep him and his men from view They quickly exited the second bailey and flen a staircase leading to a grassy field ringed by a gathering of richly garbed onlookers

Soon Kenshin understood why he and hisformally received by the emperor