Letters

Shiro Ide, 3rd day of Winter Court 1197,

Hida Benjiro Looked pensive, his opening to the winter court had been successful so far but now that the shogunate had given him a duty his options would be limited. He put down a black stone, and smiled to himself, the Go problem in front of him had been solved, from a surrounded position he had managed to create territory for his side.

He looked over, his desk was covered in papers, ink, quills, pieces of wood and incense. This was something that did not come naturally to him, he had to put all his focus in doing this properly. His first letters seemed to have been well received but this was only the opening gambit of the court. He now understood better what they meant when they said that court was like a battlefield.

He had letters to write but he wasn’t sure which one to start with and how to write them. He should of course write to his clan delegation to apologise for not being able to be of service. Then he wanted to write to his family, his mother should have been informed by his father but his grandfather might not know about this great honour that had been given to him. He also needed to write one to his future spouse, this was after all their only chance to really get to know each other before their gempukku and the subsequent marriage. And that time had now been reduced significantly, he would need to organise a meeting before his duties over took all his time.

In the end however all these were personal letters, his next move would need to be strong but not reckless. He was only a pawn that his betters would seek to use, but this was only for now. He needed to establish himself before trying to reach higher. A single stone was easily captured, one that was part of a wall could weather many things.

He grabbed a new piece of paper, a practice one, so he could start writing the first draft of this next letter. He had finally made up his mind, but this would take time and he was going to need more than just a letter and a flower.