Ai of the Mountain (A Fairy Retelling #2) Read Online Free Page A

time I wake up from a dream I share with him. For a moment, there is elation as I think he is there, and then sudden despair overwhelms me as I remember that he is only a figment of my imagination. He is not real, though in my dreams, I swear he is as real as I am. The dreams are so real. I want him to be real. But, I understand that there is truth to Kaito’s words. He can never hold me in the waking world. We can never be married. Never have children. He is nothing but a fiction, and it is okay if I find someone who can truly live life with me.
    Unbidden, a picture of Kurasawa-san flits through my mind.
     
    The next morning, Father stops by my room before he leaves for the castle, long before the sun has risen. He was silent during dinner the evening before. I know he is very concerned about the daimyo’s sudden interest in me, but he is also caught in between his concern for me, and the damage the daimyo could cause to our family, to the whole village. Father is an elder of our community. I know he will not do anything to jeopardize the wellbeing of all the people he feels responsible for.
    Father looks at me for a steadied moment, then places his hand on my cheek, and gives me a kiss. “Be careful today, my daughter,” he says. I nod. I have every intention of being careful. “I will see you today at lunchtime.”
    The door to my bedroom slides closed with a swish, and I lay back down on the futon. Though it is still dark, and morning has barely begun, sleep does not return, and I decide to get up and begin my day.
    Mother is already up as well, and I’m happy to see that today seems to be one of her better days. Her cheeks are more pink than grey this morning, and she is busily working in the kitchen.
    “Ohayou,” I say when I see her. She greets me warmly with a “good morning” as well, and I set myself to getting busy with the household chores that need to be done before I leave. The clothes washing and futon airing help to draw my mind away from my own visit to the castle. Unfortunately, they are done too soon, and before I know it, I must start my journey up the mountain.
    I pack up a meal of salted eel, rice, and boiled vegetables. Simple peasant food. We have nothing elaborate to offer the daimyo, even if I felt inclined to do so. At the last minute, I remember to include something sweet in my father’s lunch, and hesitate – should I include a dessert for the daimyo as well? He doesn’t deserve it. I pack his lunch without anything sweet to finish the meal and wrap the obento boxes in furoshiki cloths to make them easier to carry with me up the mountain. I did as Lord Nakaguchi instructed and included enough to share the meal, though I have decided to not eat much and only included a little extra rice and a few more eel slices. The obento boxes are heavy in my hands, and I know my arms will be sore by the time I reach the top of the mountain.
    The sun has finally risen by the time I say goodbye to my mother. She smiles and waves me off. I can tell Father has not told her about Lord Nakaguchi’s interest in me. I’m glad he hasn’t. While Father is overly worried about me, my mother would be quite the opposite. She’s always believed that I am blessed, destined to fulfill a great destiny. “Why else would the gods spare you in the forest, all those years ago,” she often says about me. “You are meant for more than just the life of a peasant girl.”
    I want to believe her words, but in my heart, I know she is wrong. I am just a girl of the mountain. There is nothing remarkable about me. Other than having the interest of the daimyo, that is.
    Although I am fearful of what might happen when I reach the mountain’s summit, I still enjoy the walk to the top. The song of the birds and the sunshine peeking through the trees both help to soothe my agitation. I even see a red-eared fox peeking at me from its den. I stop to stare at it a moment before it turns tail and hides back in its hole in the