Storytelling Week 6:

They could see the horses coming from a distance.

How did they find us? Kai thought, his chest pounding. His mother had warned him that men would try to come for him. They had been hearing reports of the same happening recently. But they were so secluded, so far away that they had not thought to worry.

The men were too close now for Kai and his mother to escape. She put her hand on his shoulder and tried to smile. "It will be alright, Kai." The two went outside to meet the five men, soldiers, on horseback.

The soldier in the front waved his arm. "Greetings to you, ma'am and young man."

Kai's mother curtsied to the men. "An honor, sir. What brings you to us, so far from the city?"

The man smiled, a gruesome sight. "We have come to recruit your son. The king is in need of able-bodied, healthy young men to fight in his army. He has ordered every young man to join him."

"No," Kai said quickly.

The man's smile disappeared. "It was not a request, young man. You are to come with us, whether you wish to or not."

"Well I don't wish to," Kai retorted. "Besides, I cannot abandon my mother. I'm all she has."

The smile reappeared. "And I am sure you would not wish any harm to come to her. Come with us, and I can promise you your mother will be safe and you will be well taken care of." To reiterate his point, the man drew his sword slightly, allowing it to glint in the sun.

Kai clenched his jaw, but knew it was useless. "Very well, I will go with you."

"Good choice, boy. Say your goodbyes then."

Kai turned and hugged his mother. "Don't worry," she whispered. "Perhaps you'll become a great warrior." She pulled away and looked at him one last time. "We'll see each other one day, I promise. I love you, Kai."

Kai swallowed hard. "I love you too."

They stood there until the man finally said, "It's time to go, boy." Kai kissed his mother's hand before turning and going with the soldiers.

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Weeks past as Kai was forced to train to be a soldier for the king. Surprisingly, to himself and to the man who brought him, he became an extremely good swordsman and a fierce fighter. All the frustration he felt at being taken away led him to battle hard and to refuse to surrender. Soon it became apparent that he was ready for a real fight.

He was sent out to defend the borders against a neighboring country. Kai suddenly found himself in the midst of clashing swords and dead comrades. His heart was pounding in his head as he struggled to defend himself against enemy attacks.

Up, down his sword went, blocking soldiers' thrusts at him. All Kai wanted was to defend himself, but he soon found it difficult to continue to defend when he was surrounded. He thrusted his own sword and soon drew blood, killing his opponent who was too slow to block the blow. Time seemed to slow as Kai realized he had just killed a man. He hardly had time to feel sick, as suddenly more enemy soldiers attacked. Kai fought well, and killed many, whether he wished to or not.

Eventually, after hours of fighting, Kai spotted the leader of the enemy country. If he dies, perhaps his soldiers will lose their courage and fall back, Kai thought to himself. Somehow, he must to get closer to the leader.

As he fought his way closer, he noticed bows and arrows lying on the ground next to their dead owners. An idea formed. Fighting the urge to vomit, Kai quickly grabbed a bow and a handful of arrows. While training, Kai had learned how to shoot a bow, although he was not as proficient with it as with a sword. He began to move back, away from the frontline. He would only have a short time to shoot at the king before he himself was attacked.

Notching an arrow and raising the bow, Kai quickly aimed at the king. He focused on the neck, which the king had carelessly, or perhaps arrogantly, neglected to cover. He's so far away. Still, Kai breathed in, took his aim, breathed out, and released the arrow. 

It was not a perfect shot, but it hit its target and the king fell over in response. The enemy soldiers quickly realized their king was taken down, possibly dead. Kai and his fellow soldiers grew in confidence and forced the enemy forward. Quickly, with the king gone, they won that battle.

Soldiers clasped their hands on Kai's shoulders, congratulating him. He was soon brought to the king and declared a hero.

"Well done, sir," the king smiled at Kai. "It is because of you I hear that we have victory. Anything you wish for, if is within my power, will be granted to you."

Kai looked down. "Your majesty, though I am proud to have served you, I did not come willingly. I was forcibly taken from my home to come fight in your army. I want nothing more than to go home."

The king studied Kai. "I was not aware I was forcibly abducting youths for my army. Go home, young man. I will make certain no man disturbs you again."

Still, the king did not send Kai away empty-handed, but gave him enough gold to allow him to live comfortably for the rest of his days. Kai decided it was time he and his mother reentered society, and so with some of the gold he bought a home in the city, for he and his mother. 

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Kai traveled back to his home to see his mother. He could feel that things were different, he was different. But one thing that still remained was his love for his mother. When he made it to his house, he knocked on the door and there appeared him mother. She cried and hugged Kai, and soon returned to the city with him. Throughout the city, Kai was regarded as a hero, whether he meant to be or not.

Author's Note: I got inspiration from Ozaki's tale of Kintaro, the Golden Boy. Kintaro is an extremely strong young boy who eventually is discovered by servant of Lord Raiko. The servant recruits Kintaro to become a samurai in the lord's army. Kintaro is of course very excited and willingly goes with him to become a samurai. Through reading this, I had the idea that what if Kintaro had not gone willingly, but had been forced to become a soldier. I decided to write about this. Since I do not know much about Japanese culture, I decided to write the setting ambiguously. Kintaro, or Kai, becomes a soldier who eventually becomes a great hero and then moves his mother to the city. I liked these elements so I decided to keep them while changing the details. I ran out of words, so some of the parts are not as descriptive as I would have liked. Hopefully is is still good.   

Bibliography: This is a retelling of the story of "The Adventures of Kintaro" from Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki. From the unit Ozaki. 

Image information: "Rodwewald Wooden House and Bunker" by Philip Graham, 2012. Web source: Wikipedia

Image information: "Arrow Flight" posted on Trinity Lutheran Church's website, 2015. Web source: Trinity Memphis