Kisa walked wearily along the footpath that would take her to the borders of the serpent clan's territory. She had been walking all morning, and she was once again grateful that she had given the heavy cloak to Axyll, for it was steaming hot in that area. The afternoon sun was not making the journey any easier either and as she rounded a steep hill, the tired girl was relieved to finally glimpse the serpent watchtowers from the distance. She stopped to rest beneath the last shadowy canopy of trees.

< Ok Kisa, you're arriving at the serpent territory, stay calm. You have traveling papers now. Plus, you have relatives in there who can help you. > She smiled. She should have arrived more than three months ago, if she'd followed her father's orders. But then again, she wouldn't have met either Ferendil or Axyll. < I wonder if I'll meet anybody new this time. People these days are so closed-minded about inter-clan relations. > She thought, and having rested enough, she stood up and prepared herself to cross the length of the forest edge to the tower under the blistering sun. She took a deep breath and began walking to the two looming serpent towers.

"Halt! Who are you and what is your business in the Serpent territory?" A guard stepped up to block the way, his sharp eyes giving Kisa a suspicious glare.

"Uhh..." Kisa muttered nervously, "I'm a trader but I was left by the trade caravans. I was hoping to seek shelter here while I'm separated from them,"

The guards continued to eye her suspiciously. "Do you have your traveling and identification papers?"

She nodded vigorously. "Of course, it's right here..." the girl felt around her garments, the frowned, "it was..." a look of panic spread on her face. < Not again! I was sure I had it, I don't remember even touching it after Onee-san gave it to me...I must have lost it...>

Mentally slapping herself, she nervously turned to the guard who was getting very impatient. "Well, where is it?" The angry cannoneer demanded. "I don't appreciate this waste of time!"

"Gomenasai, I seemed to have misplaced my papers, but I have relatives here who can help me." She thought fast, "I've decided to come here after I lost contact with the merchant caravans, because I have relations here, and I know my Uncle Seido could give me a place to stay for the night." The cannoneer raised his eyebrow suspiciously. "I do have relatives here, honest? My Uncle's name is Kenyoroku Seido. He is a ronin of the serpent defense troop. I'm sure if you check with him..." Kisa exclaimed in panic.

"I've never heard of him," the guard said curtly, angry at the claim he obviously thought was a lie. "We soldiers are familiar with all the living ronins, and forgive me if I find your claim quite unbelievable," the guard sneered. "I'm putting you under arrest for trespassing and trying to gain entry under the claim of false identity," he said as he grabber the girl's arm and signaled another guard to come.

"But..." Kisa protested weakly. She forced herself to swallow her words, realizing the she could do nothing but comply with the order. Resigned and frustrated, she allowed the guard to pull her inside into the territory of the ruthless regimen.

A small party composed of two soldiers and a young prisoner moved sluggishly under the heat of the sun along the Serpent Town Square. A young swordsman in his early 20's watched them indifferently. < Another prisoner for Budo to feast his whip on... > he thought, impatient. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. < If I'm ever forced to stand guard by a prisoner again, I swear they'll regret it! > He moved his gaze to the man beside him. A slave tied to the whipping post with slash marks all over his body. The poor man was barely able to stay upright under the sun's agonizing heat. He sighed, annoyed at his darned luck. < Of all the jobs they could possibly assign to me, why this? > But he, of course, knew the answer. His father, a rather prominent ronin, wanted his youngest son to begin garnering favor with the other highly ranked officers; sleazy trick, yes, but effective enough, nonetheless. It would help assure him of an honorable position in the clan just like his older brothers, unlike those who stand in the sidelines, waiting for their superiors to distinguish them. < Pitiful... > the young lad thought scornfully. He glanced about and let his eyes rest on the clusters of dying peasants heaped by the square walls. Worked too much, underfed, and thoroughly maltreated, these unfortunate workers were left on their own to suffer, often condemned by Budo himself as "ungrateful incapable and parasitic burdens unworthy of the name Serpent". < Our system is incredibly rotten, that's what!> He bit his lip, deep in thought.

Having fainted from the intense pain, the prisoner tied up near him was now beginning to rouse himself. The lad and another soldier turned to the prisoner who had begun to moan and call out for mercy.

"Shut up, worthless cretin!" his companion yelled, smacking the prisoner heavily across the face.

"Hey!"

A scream of outrage rang out of nowhere, and along with it, a teenage girl with unusual orange clothing came running towards the peasant. "What do you think you're doing? Can't you see he's suffered enough? How dare you hit him?" She gave the soldier a hard shove and moved towards the peasant.

The lad and nearby soldiers stared incredulously at the girl. She bent down at eye-level with the slave, murmuring soothing questions such as "Are you all right?" and pushing the peasants hair clear of his face. The lad stared at the scene and watched the girl in astonishment, speechless and too surprised to do anything.

His companions have also managed to get over their shock and a look of outrage settled on their faces. "Insolent child!" one of them yelled. "Who are you anyway?"

The guards previously escorting the girl were giving the girl impatient looks. "She's a mere trespasser. She's under arrest and we were taking her to the dungeons."

The girl raised her head indignantly, "I am not a trespasser! I have a right to be here. My Uncle Kenyoroku Seido is a ronin of the Serpent..."

"How absolutely pathetic your lie is, there is no one by that name here!" the guards' face had turned red with annoyance. He yanked her roughly by the arm. "We shall take this impudent fool to the dungeons now," he said, facing the others "Tomorrow she's all yours for the whipping!"

The lad, greatly bothered with familiarity by the name the trespasser mentioned, opened his mouth to protest but closed in decidedly. He had been studying the girl, now recognizing her clothing as a dragon's garb. He had begun to admire her courage to stand up against all of them for the sake of a dying stranger. And something about her told him she was telling the truth. As the two guards pulled the struggling captive away, everyone settled back to their posts. The quiet state that previously hung over them had now been stirred, however, and what took its place was an air of both discomfort and outrage. That feeling reigned over everyone excluding the young man, (who went by the name Conrad). He thought of that event all day, at first with amusement, and later with deep consideration. He realized that what had occurred had awakened a realization within him, and he was not about to let it go.

Kisa sat on the dungeon's cold and dirty stone floor, singing softly to herself. She had long since given up making a racket and her requests for food were to no avail. Nightfall had settled in the region and it was late, but slumber had yet to approach her. < I was arrested again...I can't believe I let Onee-san and my father down. Why does everyone keep saying that Uncle Seido doesn't exist. > Those thoughts ran through her mind while she continued to sing softly to herself, unable to do anything else.

"The sad tune doesn't fit you, dragon," A voice suddenly echoed against the vast prison walls, startling Kisa from her thoughts. She stood up quickly, rather startled by the abrupt appearance of a young man wearing the outfit of a serpent swordsman. She noticed it was the same man who was present, earlier, in the whipping posts where she defended a peasant.

Although there were railings separating them, Kisa could see he stood high and had a confident stance, making him seem much bigger than he already is. His face was serious but Kisa could decipher a hint amusement in his face.

"Have you come to take me to my uncle?" she asked cautiously, a bit unnerved by his tone, which was evidently friendlier than those soldiers who have been talking to her the whole day.

At the mention of her uncle, however, the lad frowned, and Kisa noticed instantly, "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your uncle has long been dead. That's why they never, or otherwise, lower ranking soldiers didn't know him." He paused, observing the expression on girl's face. A combination of grief and puzzlement presented itself in her. He was sure the Kisa was wondering how he knew, so he continued, "I took the liberty of looking through my father's old serpent records, and saw that he died during the Lotus-Serpent battle more than 9 years ago. He was a rather solitary fellow, none of the records show much correspondence from him to anyone, which is why you probably never received word of his death," His face showed of pleasant sympathy, thus gaining Kisa's trust.

Seeing her sad face, he bowed gallantly, hoping he'd be able to get the matter off her head, "Before anything more, my name is Conrad, son of Ronin Migaku Radojin."

"I'm Kisa," the girl mused a little smile on her face. "Conrad? What kind of a name is that?"

Conrad cocked his eyebrow, "It's the name of the one getting you out of here," he said, pulling a ring of keys out from his pocket and bending to work on the lock.

Once the locked snapped open, the young girl stepped out of the cell. "I'm sorry if I insulted you, it wasn't my intention to do so,"

Conrad blushed slightly, but kept his stance, "It's okay"

"Why are you doing this? If you're father is indeed a Ronin, why are you helping an enemy like me?"

"To tell you the truth, I admired your noble act of defending that peasant. I am a serpent, and I see the error of our ways, but I don't have the courage to fight it, not even for my suffering fellow clansmen. You, on the other hand..." He gave her a little smile, barely visible amidst his serious expression. "You defended that peasant disregarding clan differences. You knew what was right and stood to fight for it, and for that, I pledge you my allegiance,"

Kisa just stood there, eyes wide and speechless.

"You aren't my enemy," He continued, "Many things are to be corrected in the system of this clan and of the others. You have the potential to do so, and I intend to help you. But the light of change won't do much good if it can't touch the dark, so I'm getting you out,"

Kisa smiled and nodded happily.

He led the girl out of the dungeons and across the shadows of the serpent settlements for a few minutes when Conrad suddenly held up his hand and signaled Kisa to stop.

"Shh..." he put a finger to his lips. "This is my house," he whispered, stopping before a huge wooden building. "I need to get a few things here for the escape," he led her to the back of the structure. "Wait here, and whatever you do, don't make a sound."

Kisa nodded, putting a hand over her mouth to emphasize that she would be silent.

Conrad slipped into the house leaving Kisa in the darkness. She sat down and dutifully kept quiet, but this absence of sound called her attention to some turbulence in the second story of the house. Apparently, Conrad's father was having a discussion with someone, the subject being a source of great tension and displeasure.

"What do you mean these bandits have once again breached our security and taken over a third of this month's harvest? You assured me last time that you would get this situation under control!"

"But Sire, these...these dark bandits are different. They are very organized and everything they to seems to have been planned most strategically,"

"I don't care! I ordered you slaves to take care of this matter! How could you possibly not withstand such measly attacks, and by mere bandits at that? Has this time of peace rusted your abilities that much?"

"N..no..no sir,"

Kisa held her breath, her brow furrowed in concentration. < ...bandits...of a different kind... > she was deep on thought when her new companion slipped out of the house. His garb was now covered by a coat and was carrying a medium-sized bag on one arm and a cloak on the other.

"Here, put this on. I noticed you didn't have one when you came," He handed the girl what he had hanging in his arm and offered a hand to pull her up.

Kisa stood up wordlessly, still troubled by the conversation she overheard. Conrad led her through a set of side roads, still pulling her by the hand, until they reached a wide-open area.

"Wait, what are we doing in the main entrance?" Kisa asked, again startled out of her musings.

"We'd seem suspicious if we passed through anywhere else. Security has been really tight here lately, especially in the minor entryways," the lad explained patiently. "Besides, if your features and your clothing are hidden by that cloak, we can manage a rather clean escape,"

Convinced, Kisa allowed him to lead the way without stopping until they slowed down their pace and reached the watchtowers.

"Halt! Who comes here at this time of night?" The guard on duty called dutifully.

"Not to worry, it is Conrad, son of Migaku Radojin. I've come to escort my guest out of the clan territory, for she has finished her business here."

"Ah," the guard replied, more respectfully the second time. He tried to peer at the "guest" but Conrad stood protectively before her, guarding her from view.

"I'd appreciate it if you don't glance at her too closely, kind sir." Thinking quickly, he continued, "To tell you honestly, this is my betrothed, and I am quite old fashioned about such things,"

At hearing this, Kisa blushed, while the guard knowingly nodded. "Alright." And so the gate was opened for them.

The lad hesitated then added, "Please don't mention this to anyone, my father doesn't want it known,"

The guard nodded, eager to please the well known Ronin Landlord Migaku.

Conrad led Kisa by the hand again, and together they stepped out of the territory.

"Sorry about that," the lad murmured,

"It's okay," Kisa replied, then paused. "Are you really coming with me?"

"If you don't mind," Conrad nodded, "I've had many realizations today, one of which is that I can no longer ignore the cruelty of my fellow clansmen. I am determined to strive for change, and I believe you are the key to this change. I will not be a burden and I will protect you if I have to,"

Kisa smiled delightfully, "You're a great help, and a great friend."

The lad answered, "Thank you."