Beyond the Palace Ch. 04

Beyond the Palace

by Davina Lee

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Author's Note

The previous chapter ended with Matoaka waking to the howling cry of her wolf mother and the sound of horses hooves in the distance. When she sat up, she discovered her shrine maiden girlfriend Chihiro had slipped out and no longer shared their bed.

Add this in with the knowledge that visiting shrine maidens bring girls from The Palace to find a new home with their wolf mothers among The People, and it might give you a clue as to Chihiro's unexplained absence in the night.

Let's check in with Matoaka and see what she thinks.

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Chapter 4: The Weeping Somnambulist

Matoaka pushed the blankets aside and pulled herself to her feet. Stepping out of the lodge, she looked around. The sole illumination of her surroundings came from a sliver of moon overhead. "Chihiro?" she called into the darkness.

Only the chirping of crickets and distant croaking of frogs offered anything in the way of answers.

"Chihiro?" Matoaka turned her gaze toward a dim flickering of firelight in the distance. Alternating her gaze between the path under her feet and the dancing orange flames in the distance, Matoaka walked into the copse of trees.

"Chihiro? Is that you?" Matoaka squinted to make out the figures moving in the distance, two of whom were dressed in the familiar white kosode and red pleated hakama of the shrine maidens.

"Grandmother?" mumbled Matoaka as she approached closer to the bank of the stream. "In the middle of the night?"

On the far side, Grandmother was busy lashing a crisscrossing of willow branches being held bent by another woman of The People. The pair moved with swiftness and surety that appeared to be the product of much practice. Matoaka watched as they moved around the perimeter of a domed shape like a sleeping lodge, but smaller and lower to the ground. The firelight painted their shadows on the trees.

Matoaka stared into the dim light. "Theodosia?" she muttered, under her breath. "Theodosia, it is you. What are you doing out here with Grandmother? And before the sun is up?"

"Matoaka-chan?"

Matoaka whirled around to stare straight into the face of Chihiro, standing with an armload of blankets piled up to her chin.

"Help me with these," said Chihiro, pushing the bundle out toward Matoaka.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Matoaka, taking a number of blankets off the top.

"Helping."

"It's the middle of the night."

"This is when the help is needed," said Chihiro.

"What help?" asked Matoaka. "Who?"

"The somnambulist." Chihiro began walking toward the stream and the flickering fire on the opposite bank.

As they approached, Matoaka set her gaze on the two gray wolves lying on their sides, curled around, and nearly concealing, two girls in plain, loose clothing. Neither girl showed any signs of being aware of them as Matoaka and Chihiro drew closer. One of the pair appeared to be dozing, while the other shook with near constant sobs.

"But, why is she here?" hissed Matoaka, tilting her head toward Theodosia, who was still busy assisting Grandmother lashing together the last of the willow branches.

"Helping," said Chihiro.

"Hmph," muttered Matoaka.

"Oh, good, the blankets," came a new voice.

Matoaka turned around to see the medicine woman carrying bundles of sweetgrass and sage.

"You know the way to lay them over the willow frame," said the medicine woman, looking to Matoaka and the stack of blankets she held in her arms.

Grandmother and Theodosia had tied off the last of their lashings and stood up straight once again.

"Yes," said Matoaka, keeping her eyes on the medicine woman, as Grandmother approached with Theodosia in tow.

"And can you show Chihiro how it's done?" asked the medicine woman.

"Yes." Matoaka turned her gaze to the girls beside the stream. As their gray wolf mothers stirred, the two shrine maidens beside them knelt and each extended a hand toward the girls.

"Theodosia can help," said Grandmother, now standing beside the medicine woman.

"Ugh," muttered Matoaka.

"What's that? Speak up. My ears aren't what they used to be." Grandmother was smirking as she said it.

"Yes, Grandmother," said Matoaka.

"Thank you, granddaughter."

The new girls were on their feet now, being supported by the steady arm of a shrine maiden on one side and the watchful eye of a wolf mother on the other. Matoaka did her best to watch them and avoid Theodosia's eye.

"Matoaka-chan?" Chihiro drew close.

"I don't like her," said Matoaka. "It's her fault I have this bump on my head."

"These girls need our help. Theodosia is helping."

"Hmph," mumbled Matoaka.

Beside the fire, the medicine woman was laying some of the sweetgrass over the flames. She then made a trail of sage on the ground, laying a path to the opening in the domed willow frame and around the perimeter inside.

"Come on," said Chihiro. "They'll need our blankets."

"I'm sorry," said Theodosia. "I'm sorry for what I said before. That you were born in The Palace."

Matoaka said nothing. She simply handed Theodosia a blanket. Then, turning on her heel, Matoaka marched up to the domed frame and unfolded the first of her own blankets. She laid it over the willow branches. Chihiro and Theodosia followed her lead, laying their blankets over and beside Matoaka's.

"These girls came from The Palace," said Theodosia, unfolding another blanket.

Matoaka offered nothing in return. Instead, she watched Grandmother passing her hands through the smoke of the fire, rubbing them together, and then trailing her fingers over each of the girls' shoulders and arms in turn.

"I'm sorry," repeated Theodosia.

"You need to stop talking," said Matoaka.

"Matoaka-chan!"

"I don't know about The Palace like you seem to," said Matoaka, "but looking in these girls' eyes, I can see it's not a good place. We should stay silent and not burden them with our chatter."

Theodosia held her lower lip in her teeth and raised her eyes to Matoaka's.

"I forgive you," whispered Matoaka. She handed Theodosia another blanket and stepped toward the half-covered dome.

As the trio of young women finished up covering the willow frame, Grandmother stood beside the two new girls, offering a few words to each of them.

"It's ready, Grandmother," said Matoaka, her arms no longer burdened with blankets.

"Thank you," said Grandmother, pulling at the blanket covering the doorway to one side and motioning to the two girls to follow her through the opening.

The two wolf mothers took up their places on either side of the doorway, while the shrine maidens using long forked branches, pulled red glowing rocks from the base of the fire to carry them into the lodge. A bucket of water and a ladle was brought next and the blanket covering the doorway was moved back into place.

Matoaka turned to Theodosia. "Theodosia," she said, "I'm--"

"I know. Me too." Theodosia paused for a moment and then turned. "I'm going back to bed. Sleep well, Matoaka."

Matoaka nodded.

"Matoaka-chan," said Chihiro holding out her open hand.

"I know."

They'll be alright. Let's get you back to bed."

"But--"

"They're being well cared for. Your grandmother is an elder. She's been helping girls before you and I were even born. She knows what she's doing." Chihiro pushed her hand closer.

Matoaka put her hand in Chihiro's. Chihiro closed her fingers around Matoaka.

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"Matoaka-chan, are you warm enough?" asked Chihiro, as she pulled the blanket snug around them.

Matoaka nodded. "Yes," she said.

Chihiro kept the corner of the blanket gripped in her hand, as she pulled her arm tighter around Matoaka's shoulders. Matoaka wiggled and pulled her knees up to fit herself into the C shape Chihiro made behind her.

"Good night, my lovely flower," said Chihiro.

"Chihiro?"

"Yes?"

"The wolf howling in the night," said Matoaka. "That was my mother. I'd recognize her anywhere."

"Yes," said Chihiro.

"My wolf mother no longer looks after children. She keeps watch now. On the bluff."

"Yes."

"And there's a new girl down in the lodge with Grandmother tonight. I don't mean the three new girls who came here with you, on horseback. This girl. The one who's crying. She wasn't with you, was she?"

"She was not."

"Where did she come from?" asked Matoaka.

Chihiro dipped her head and puckered her lips. She laid a series of three kisses in a neat line down the back of Matoaka's neck. "We can talk about it in the morning," said Chihiro, planting a fourth and final kiss. "Are you warm enough?"

"I'm always warm enough when I'm with you," said Matoaka. "I might not remember everything about how we met, and the nights I've spent in your arms, but I know enough to realize you would keep me warm."

Behind Matoaka, Chihiro let out a soft sigh and felt around under the blankets until she found Matoaka's hand to weave their fingers together. Chihiro puckered up to lay another kiss on Matoaka's neck.

"I also know enough to realize when you're deflecting my questions with kisses. Not that I mind your kisses." Matoaka pulled her hand from Chihiro's and rolled onto her back to look up at her.

"Your lips are soft, and your arms are strong." Matoaka curled her fingers around Chihiro's shoulder and followed with her eyes as she trailed her hand down to Chihiro's elbow. "But you're avoiding my question."

"What question is that, my sweet flower?"

"The girl," said Matoaka, fixing her gaze on Chihiro's eyes. "Where did she come from?"

Chihiro sighed and felt around under the blankets once again, until she had Matoaka's fingers wrapped up in her own. "The girl was found wandering on the plain of the tallgrass prairie. This is why your wolf mother keeps watch, and the other wolf mothers as well from atop the bluffs where they make their dens. When a girl is alone and afraid, the old mothers can smell it on the wind. They call out so the girl can be found and brought home."

"But I've never seen this girl before."

"No. You wouldn't."

"Did I forget about her, like I forgot about you?"

"No," said Chihiro. "She's never been here before."

"But she's one of The People?"

"Of course she is," said Chihiro. "She was born of Mother Earth, just like you. She just got lost."

"Lost?"

Chihiro reached out to brush her fingers against Matoaka's hair, tucking a wayward strand behind Matoaka's ear. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep, my lovely flower?"

Matoaka shook her head.

Chihiro continued. "Sometimes girls get lost on their way home and they need a little help."

"From the wolf mothers keeping watch?"

Chihiro nodded. "And from us, the shrine maidens, with our swift horses."

Matoaka looked into Chihiro's eyes. "That's why you were gone when I woke up? You were helping?"

"Yes. We can get to the girls quickly."

Matoaka reached out to grip Chihiro's bare shoulder. "If I were lost?" asked Matoaka, trailing her hand down over the curve of Chihiro's bicep to rest there, just above Chihiro's elbow. "If I were lost, would you ride out to bring me home?"

"Of course I would."

"Because you're a shrine maiden? And it's your duty?"

Again, Chihiro nodded. "Because I would want to see you home and safe."

Matoaka held her lower lip in her teeth. She reached up to wipe under her eye with the back of her hand while fighting to keep her face from scrunching up.

"Matoaka-chan, what is it?"

"How could I have forgotten?" asked Matoaka. "How could I have forgotten you?"

Chihiro reached up and wiped under Matoaka's other eye with her thumb, catching the tear just rolling down from the corner. "It happens," said Chihiro. "Sometimes it just happens."

Matoaka nodded. "Will you help me remember?" asked Matoka. "Like you did before?"

"Yes, my lovely flower. I will help you remember."

Matoaka craned her neck, closing the distance. "Like you did before?" she asked again.

"Like before," said Chihiro, smirking as she puckered her lips.

Matoaka flashed a quick smile before mashing her lips against Chihiro's. Chihiro pulled a sharp breath through her nose and moved her hands to Matoaka's cheeks.

Matoaka continued her attack on Chihiro's lips, pressing her body into the fray. Chihiro held fast, moving to weave her fingers into Matoaka's hair.

Matoaka wrapped both arms tight around Chihiro's shoulders and rolled, ending up on her back with Chihiro looking down. Chihiro smiled. "You do remember, don't you?" she said.

Matoaka grinned and nodded. "I remember your kisses. And your body pressing down on mine."

Chihiro dipped her head for a quick peck on Matoaka's lips.

"And I feel safe in your arms."

Chihiro, still covering Matoka with her body, propped her weight on her elbows and slid her hands under Matoaka's neck and head. "You are no longer lost, my lovely flower," said Chihiro. "You're safe with me."

A small tear began to well in the corner of Matoaka's eye and started a slow journey down her cheek. Chihiro reached in to wipe at the tear with her thumb.

"It's not this bump on my head," said Matoaka, looking into Chihiro's eyes. "That's making me forget? It's not the bump is it?"

"Just close your eyes my lovely flower." Chihiro rolled onto her side, wrapped her arms around Matoaka, and pulled her in close. "Rest your head on me and close your eyes."

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Afterword

This is a work of fantasy fiction, but the scenes of preparing the sweat lodge in this chapter borrow heavily from descriptions of sacred ceremonies of First Nations, particularly those descended from the Mississippian peoples in North America. My hope is I have portrayed these scenes with a degree of accuracy and most of all respectfully.

For the ending credits, use your favorite streaming service to find the song Common Blue by the band Warpaint.

Next up... The Somnambulist Awakens