About Crystals and Stars (On hold)

3-2

He watched her for a while and sighed after a while. "Everyone has their secrets."

Grateful she nodded at him and asked, "Do you know someone, who sails over to there?"

Jinya-sama raised an hand to his chin, thinking about the question. He shook his head and said, "No, but I know of a man, who sells information. I can take you to him, if you'd like."

Bowing her head she thanked him yet again and he motioned her to follow him. They went through the town. Unlike Narukami this place didn't have a main street but a rather large and round market place with houses in all forms and sizes planted around.

They soon crossed the harbor, a long promenade was spread out over the coast, with three footbridges next to each other.

She could see a lot small fisher boats romping about the sea. The sun stood low over them, calling out a soon end of their day's work.

Never before had she seen the sea and she couldn't hold in her amazement, as she looked over the rippling water spreading as far as her eyes could reach.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made her stumble out of her stupor and she turned around to see Jinya-sama looking at her with a gaze of puzzlement.

She smiled at him and continued to walk.

Letting her gaze slide over the town, a lone, huge hut struck her eyes, placed uphill and away from the rest down here.

Intrigued she pointed a finger at it and asked, "What's up there?"

Jinya-sama turned around and looked at the spot she was pointing at. "Ah, that's the prisoner camp."

The words rang in her ear and she felt struck by them as she looked over to the building. The question ringing in her head, released itself in a mumble, "Prisoner camp?"

Jinya-sama continued his explanation, "It's where the hostages of the war are brought to."

This couldn't be true. There was no way her father, her strict but kind father, would allow such a thing.

Hostages of war?

For what purpose were they held as prisoners?

Mayura felt a pang of hurt and disappointment in her chest. How could her father overlook such cruelty? Words formed on their own, leaving her in a whisper. "How could the lord accept such a thing?"

"He probably doesn't know, it is still existing," Jinya-sama replied.

With a flutter of hope, she turned towards the monk. "What do you mean?"

He looked more serious than ever before, as he stared at the prisoner camp sitting on the hill, having planted his staff firmly onto the ground. "He sentenced an edict to stop taking prisoners. But the soldiers, the people here, have been taking prisoners forever. You could say, it's their form of payback for the losses, they've endured. Revenge for the sons, who never returned."

Relief poured through her at her father's lack of participation on this. Still she couldn't accept the circumstances. Locking up people to get back at them? That was the worst thing, she'd ever heard of. She drawled, "That sounds cowardly."

"Sssshhhh!", the monk hissed at her, skipping a scared gaze from one side to another, obviously afraid, someone might have listened to their conversation. When it was clear, nobody heard them, he said, "Fighting in a war, taking prisoners, that's what these people have done for a century. These are soldiers and their families. They work to feed the ones fighting, to bring them armor, clothing and salves to tend their wounds. They practically live for the battle front. You can't simply change their way."