Willem Brandszoon. Honorable Man

Several weeks had passed. Reika had quickly adjusted to life with Haruna, Willem and Misako. She insisted on calling Willem Yoshinobu. Willem had managed to ask her when they were alone for a while. He'd promised that her answer would not have any consequences. She said it was because his Dutch name gave her difficulties and she disliked how it sounded.

Reika proved to be a lot more educated than Misako, which didn't surprise Willem. She was a goldmine of information and he was learning the language a lot faster. Misako didn't seem to care about the fact that she'd been mostly replaced as a teacher. She did join in with chats once in a while, which didn't happen very often since Willem had been appointed Haruna's official bodyguard. Each time she went out, he had to accompany her, and this was a period where more ships came in.

"There will be a ship again today," Haruna said one morning as they woke up. The bed was getting a bit crowded, as Reika and Misako also shared it with them. "Fishermen saw it out on sea yesterday late in the evening."

Willem knew that she often got this news via Misako, who often had to be outside to run errands for them. "Soon today?"

Haruna grinned and crawled on top of him. "No. We have time." She looked to either side. Misako was awake and lying there, watching the two. Reika was still asleep.

Willem wrapped his arms around her butt and pulled her higher, so he could lick her nipples. He loved her dark, always hard nipples, and she loved it when he gave them this kind of attention. As he suckled on her breasts, Misako slowly got up and sat down near Willem's hips. He couldn't see what she was doing, but as Haruna gasped for air a few times, he guessed that the servant was sliding a hand between her mistress's legs and playing with Haruna's pussy.

Misako was very good at doing that, and teasing Haruna to the point of almost getting off and then stopping. Haruna adored being teased like that. From the corner of his eye, Willem noticed that Misako was pleasuring herself as well, and the woman softly whimpered as she continued playing with herself.

All that made that Reika also woke up. The first times she'd noticed a small orgy going on next to her, she'd been confused, but by now she was always eager to join in. This time she sat down behind Misako and started squeezing Misako's breasts from behind, teasing her nipples, and at some point one her hands replaced that of the servant between her legs.

Misako made Haruna get close to her climax a few times, after which the lady demanded to be fucked. She lay down and Willem got on top of her, his hard member penetrating her slowly, the way she liked it best.

Willem delighted in going inside her. Her face was an open book which showed him how much she enjoyed this, giving herself over to him and his cock. She pulled up her legs, giving him even more space to go deep inside her, and he gladly did so. The feeling of her soft insides aroused him with each stroke, and then Reika knelt down behind Haruna's head. The geisha started playing with herself, in full view of the lady and her bodyguard.

"Sore o yukkuri yaru, Reika," Haruna told the woman. "Do it slowly, Reika." She wanted to enjoy the view, and by the way Reika had positioned herself, Willem could also observe what she did. Her fingers toyed with the soft, fleshy lips, and occasionally Reika shoved a finger inside herself.

Willem heard the geisha moan and saw her fingers go faster and faster. That meant she was close to coming and she got up. Haruna and Willem knew what that meant. Willem pounded hard and deep into Haruna, hoping to make her get off in time. She was good at getting off by being fucked, which was nice.

It almost worked. Haruna was a bit too early, but that didn't matter. As she was moaning and squirming, Reika also got off and squirted over the two, her aim perfect.

Willem had needed some time to get used to that, but now he enjoyed that strange, warm shower. Haruna had never made it a secret that she was a big fan of it as well.

After they'd all gotten off, they took some time to clean themselves up. After that it was time for some lunch, and once that was done, it was almost time to go to the bridge into Dejima again. This time Haruna and Willem would go alone. His Japanese had gotten a lot better, so this should not be a problem.

*

Haruna told Willem to be vigilant. There had been rumors about assassins from another area, where a warlord was making trouble.

He tightened his grip on his staff and promised to defend her to the best of his abilities. He knew he lacked a lot of skill with the thing, but he would make up for that with his brute force.

The threat was clear when they approached the bridge. Lord Masamune was there, but this time there were six samurai with him. That looked serious indeed.

They greeted the man with a bow, then walked along to the quay where a few boats were waiting.

They visited the first one, where they were done quite fast.

The second ship was a shock for Willem. It was the very same ship on which he'd arrived here. He needed all his willpower to stay calm and focused. Climbing up the gangplank, the smell hit him again, like with the first ship they'd checked, but this was different. From under his hood he looked at the line of sailors and recognized three of them. His heart jumped but he put an iron clamp on that and did what he was supposed to do. He stood guard, this time joined by three samurai who were responsible for Masamune's safety.

The situation was entirely unreal for Willem as he stood there. He heard the muffled comments of the sailors. Comments he'd made himself.

A knocking sound made him step aside and open the cabin door. Lord Masamune and Lady Haruna exited. This time Willem took the lead and the samurai stayed around the two important people.

Willem checked the quay before walking down. The other three samurai looked up at them as they descended from the ship, and they kept an eye on their surroundings.

They reached the ground. One more ship to go. That was moored further away, which didn't make sense to Willem. "Sukide wanai," he said quietly. "I don't like it."

A samurai asked, "Nani. What."

"Tō sugimasu. Too far away," Willem whispered. He held out a hand and gestured the group to stop. "Anata to anata. You and you." He pointed at two samurai and then at the distant ship. "Kuru. Come." He didn't wait for a reply. He knew he was way out of line. Samurai were much higher in rank than he was, but he knew ships, they didn't.

Willem ignored Haruna's hissed words and walked off. To his surprise, the two samurai followed him.

The ship looked wrong, Willem thought. This ship had not traveled far over the ocean. It was too clean. Most sails were stowed tightly, telling him they hadn't been used for a while. No one would get this done so quickly if they'd just arrived from a long journey.

The sailor stopped and waved at the two. They also stopped walking.

Then it happened. Six shaped rose up from behind the side of the boat. They wore black and carried bows. Bows pointing at the three, and arrows ready to be released. A moment later, the arrows did fly.

Willem dropped to the ground and made himself as small as possible. The two samurai were either too proud for that or too stupid. One of them got an arrow in the eye and fell backwards, dead immediately.

The other one was in luck. An arrow hit him but it bounced off his armor. That man drew his sword and slashed at the next volley of oncoming arrows.

Willem thought the man was crazy. He got up, grabbed his staff, and shouted at the man to retreat, then he ran off towards Haruna and Masamune. They were safely out of range of the arrows, and that was where he wanted to be as well.

The samurai, who'd stayed with the two, had formed a protective layer between the arrows and the two, even though the archers could never reach them.

"Away," Willem said, pointing at the bridge. "Danger." He had no idea if he used the right Japanese words, but the safety of these two was more important than proper grammar.

Masamune clearly agreed. He turned and ran. Haruna was disadvantaged, though. Her rather tight dress wouldn't let her run, so Willem simply tossed her over his shoulder and went after Masamune, hoping that the other samurai would be smart and follow as well.

At the bridge, Willem put Haruna on her feet. She looked quite shocked and disheveled, but she was fine and safe.

Masamune stared at Willem. The man clearly couldn't believe what he'd just seen, but Willem didn't care.

They then turned to the end of the quay. The samurai had all stormed the ship and were waging battle with the people on it.

Willem didn't trust his eyes when he saw how the five remaining samurai dealt with at least a dozen people on the ship. It was over in minutes. Then he wondered if Masamune would have expected him to do the samurai thing as well.

In silence they waited for the samurai to join them on the bridge. Two of them carried their dead companion. Two others brought a man with them who turned out to be the captain of the ship. It was clear that Masamune had some questions for him, and Willem hoped he would not have to be present during that interrogation. That would be very unpleasant.

Masamune quickly talked with the samurai leader, who then led the others away save two of them who remained to guard their lord. The lord then turned to Willem. "Yoshinobu. Dozo."

It was short, but meant the world to Willem. Dozo, a simple 'good', coming from this man, was high praise, considering that 'Yoshinobu' was a mere bodyguard.

Masamune then turned and walked off, his guards near him.

Willem turned to Haruna. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"I am," she said. "Thanks to you. You saved my life. Again."

"Come. Let's go home."

*

Once they were inside the house, Haruna looked at Willem and threw her arms around him. "Thank you."

He held her tightly. "You weren't in any danger," he said, but he appreciated her gratitude.

"I felt in danger, Yoshi," Haruna said, "and then you were there. You protected me and also Lord Masamune." She looked up at him. "How did you know?"

He told her what he'd noticed off about the ship, and how that had paid off just now.

She nodded. "I need sake."

"I'll tell Misako," Willem said, ushering her to their room.

Misako already came hurrying along, as if she'd sensed she was needed. Willem told her to get sake. She just nodded and hurried off again.

Willem held an arm around Haruna as they went into the room, and he made her kneel down at the low table. He didn't leave her side, noticing how upset she really was. She'd kept a straight face all the way here, which was amazing.

Misako was there with the warm rice wine soo, and Reika came in as well. She had a koto with her, a stringed instrument. Willem had no idea where she'd gotten that from, even when he'd seen and heard that before.

Reika asked if Haruna would like some music and song.

"Yes."

Reika sang and played, as Misako poured the sake. The servant looked a bit worried, seeing how distraught her lady was, but she didn't ask what had happened. She never asked. It was not for her to do so. She'd hear it if anything concerned her.

After the second small cup of warm wine, Haruna told the two women what had happened, and how Willem had protected her and Masamune from harm.

The two were shocked. Willem was stunned that Reika didn't stop playing and singing, even when her eyes told him she was shocked.

Haruna drank more. Willem wasn't sure if he should stop her. He knew she didn't handle drinks very well, but she had gone through something frightening. This was a way to deal with it, to push it away.

"I'm getting so warm," Haruna said, her voice clearly affected by the alcohol. She peeled off her clothes until her upper body was naked. Slowly the woman stroked her shoulders and arms. Her hands then moved to her breasts and nipples, which she fondled with her eyes closed while she softly whimpered.

Misako sat down on Haruna's other side and slowly ran her hands over the lady's back. Haruna smiled at her and leaned over for a kiss. Then she turned to Willem for another kiss, and lowered her hands.

Misako cupped one of the small breasts. Willem put a big hand over the other.

"You make me feel so good," Haruna sighed. "I want to dance."

Willem and Misako helped her up. The robe fell down, leaving Haruna naked. Willem noticed she was very unsteady on her feet, so he stayed close to her. He didn't want her to get hurt by falling to the floor, drunk as she already was.

Clumsily she tried to get him out of his clothes so he helped with that, and she pressed herself against him, singing along with Reika.

Haruna almost stumbled as she tried to step back. Willem caught her and lifted her up. Her naked, hot skin against his, her presence, the look in her eyes, all that made him want her, and his cock stood up.

Misako slipped a hand around it, looking up at Willem cheekily, and he loved it.

"Dance with me, Yoshi," Haruna whispered. "Dance..." Her head leaned against his shoulder and she went limp. She'd fallen asleep.

"I think I need to put her in bed," Willem said. Misako nodded and went to pull the covers aside.

Soon the lady was put away safely.

Willem wondered what to do next when they heard sounds from outside the room.

Misako rushed out to see what was going on, and she returned soon. "Lord Masamune wants to see you."

*

Willem stared at Misako. "What?"

"Lord Masamune wants to see you." The message was the same.

He looked at Haruna, who had passed out in the bed. "I have a problem."

Reika put her instrument aside and got up. "I will go with you, Yoshi."

"But..." Willem felt a sweat break out. Going out to see Lord Masamune, with Haruna? The mere thought frightened him, but he knew that he couldn't stay away unless he was dead.

"You must go. I will watch Lady Haruna." Misako nodded and sat down with her mistress.

"Yes, Yoshi. We must go." Reika fell completely out of her role as she helped him rearrange his clothes. He tried to object by stating that he couldn't leave Haruna alone, but Misako and Reika assured him that she'd be fine in her own house.

Willem now wished he hadn't drunk so much, even when it hardly affected him. He wanted to be levelheaded now, so he'd have to pull himself together.

With Reika and his trusty staff he left the house, and they made their way to Masamune's castle.

During the walk Reika whispered to him he should be calm and that she was there to help him if he had trouble finding the right words. That helped him a little, so when they were led through the stone corridors and into the hall where the lord sat, Willem didn't feel quite as upset.

The two went in and knelt down as they were supposed to. Lord Masamune looked surprised to see Yoshinobu appearing with the geisha instead of Lady Haruna, and he immediately asked what was wrong.

Willem managed to explain that the lady wasn't feeling well, and that Misako was looking after her.

Masamune accepted that answer, and got up.

"Yoshinobu," the man said. "I know what you are."

Willem couldn't have been shocked worse.

"You are not Japanese. I saw your face when you came running, to protect me and the lady."

This was not going well, and Willem knew it.

"I have not seen this kind of dedication and loyalty from a gai-jin before, Yoshinobu. Haruna chose well."

Now Willem fought himself not to look up. This was a twist he hadn't expected. He'd already imagined his head rolling in the village square, wondering if he'd see the world roll over before he died.

"Yoshinobu. Get up."

The big sailor trembled as he did so. He was much taller than Lord Masamune, but this was not about size. This was about power.

"Yamato. Bring it." Lord Masamune looked at a young guard who'd been standing against a wall. The man, Yamato, walked over to his master and presented him with something wrapped in silk.

Lord Masamune looked at Willem. "Take that off, Yoshinobu."

Willem knew he meant the hood, and slowly he pushed it back. Now everyone in the hall saw him. No one made a sound.

"Yoshinobu." Masamune's voice was powerful now. "You served Lady Haruna well. You risked your life for mine. For that courage I give you this." He held out the wrapped package. Willem took it. "You can never be Samurai, Yoshinobu, but you have proven your worth, so you are raised to the status of 'meiyo aru hito'. An honorable man."

Willem couldn't believe what was happening. Honorable man? That meant he was as good as Japanese. Haruna had talked about that a few times.

Lord Masamune pointed at the gift and nodded. Reika prodded Willem, to shake him out of his disbelief.

The sailor slowly unwrapped the gift and found a sword and a scabbard inside the silk wrapping. This was beyond crazy, and he knew it. Lord Masamune trusted him to have a sword in hand, standing close to him. He bowed deep. "Domo arigato gosaimasu, Masamune San. Thank you very much."

The lord nodded. "Now go home and guard the lady. I will send word if I need you."

Again Willem thanked the man. Then he picked up the staff and slowly walked backwards, together with Reika. Only when they had left the hall did Willem start to shake uncontrollably.

Reika looked at him, almost as proud as if she was his mother. "You impressed him, Yoshi."

"I did, huh?" Willem looked at the sword again. "I'll need someone to teach me how to use that, before I kill myself."

"We'll find someone," Reika said. "Now we have to home. Masamune san ordered it."

"Yes. We have to go."

*

Willem still felt confused after what had happened. Instead of losing his head, for being a Dutchman in the city, a foreigner, he'd been awarded praise from Lord Masamune, and he'd been given an actual status and a sword. He'd never held a sword in his hands before, and he wondered how on earth he was supposed to use it. Or even carry it.

Those were questions for later though. First they had to get home and see about Haruna.

"She will be proud," Reika said as they were getting closer to the house. She glanced at Willem. "I am proud too, Yoshinobu."

"Thank you," he said. He still kept his hood over his head, though. Reika and he knew about his new status, people in the city might not react too well to his face yet.

Once inside, Willem relaxed. He put the staff down and grinned at Misako, who came from their room, completely naked. She'd obviously slept with Haruna. Or Haruna had woken up.

Misako stared at the sword, then dropped to the floor and bowed low. "Yoshi san," she whispered.

Willem begged her to get up. "I'm still me," he said, very happy that he could express himself adequately enough in Japanese by now. "How is the lady?"

Misako got up and pointed at her nipples. "The lady is very sucky," she said with a grin.

At that moment, Haruna appeared in the open door, as naked as her servant. "A sword?" She looked as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Yes," he said. "And an honorable man. Meiyo aru hito."

Reika nodded. "Yoshi speaks truth," she said. "Lord Masamune made him meiyo aru hito."

Haruna slowly came closer and looked up at Willem. "I am so proud of you, Yoshinubo. I chose well by choosing you." She looked at Misako and asked for the best tea that was in the house. "We need to celebrate. Reika. You must sing for us." She took Willem's hand. "Come. Tell me everything."

Before Willem could start talking, they first found a good spot for the sword, where everyone could see it. Haruna told him again how proud she was, and how happy. Now he was an honorable man, so more people could learn about him, and that would make everything a lot easier. They would find a teacher for using the staff, and one for using the sword so he could wield it without cutting his own head off.

Misako had returned with the tea, and Reika patiently sat waiting until there was time for her to sing. The former geisha and also Willem had taken off their clothes, because Haruna hadn't bothered to put something on.

Willem told her what the lord had said and how he'd gotten the sword. Haruna wanted to hear it a few more times, and even interrupted Reika's singing, to hear her version of the meeting as well.

She could hardly believe that she had missed such an important event in Willem's life and seemed very sad about it. "Because I drank too much. I am such a foolish person." She looked at him. "Can you forgive me, Yoshinobu?"

Willem smiled. "There is nothing to forgive, Haruna Sama. The end result is the same. It happened, and now we all know it." He then shared with all of them how scared he'd been of losing his head.

Misako and Reika both understood his fear. Haruna seemed convinced that would never happen, because he was -her- bodyguard. Willem wasn't so sure about that, but he put that aside.

The lady smiled as she slipped a hand inside his clothes and located his cock. She held it for a while. "We need you to keep your head, Yoshi," she said, "so we can enjoy this head too."

Misako and Reika grinned behind their hands, a signal that they absolutely agreed with her.

Haruna got up. "We have to go outside. The people have to see you, Willem. Yoshinobu. They have to know that you are legally in the city. You must take the sword with you. Reika will show you how to carry it."

Willem didn't feel that confident yet. There were lots of people, lots of guards and various samurai out there. Surely they couldn't all have heard about Masamune's decree. Still, she was the boss, so he got up, let Reika adjust his clothing, and then he took the sword in hand.

Reika told him to shove inside his belt. "If you carry the sword in the hand, it means that you are planning to use it. This way, in your belt, it shows your status." She pointed at a small symbol on the scabbard, near the hilt. "This is Lord Masamune's sign. People will see and know it. They will also know that you got the sword from him. Someone who has such a sword and doesn't own it, would remove the symbol or have their head removed."

That sounded safe enough for Willem.

*

Willem and Haruna left the house. He felt unsafe. Haruna had ordered him to leave his hood down so people could see him. He did so, but after wearing it over his head for so long, he felt very exposed. From the first few steps, people looked at him as if he was a curiosity - which he was here, no doubt about that.

No one approached them, though. Haruna walked as confidently as she always did, and Willem matched her walking speed as well as possible. His long legs always made that tricky. After a short while he got the impression that she was actually proud of them walking here together, which gave his confidence a much needed boost.

Some people with market stalls bowed to Haruna as they always did. It seemed to the honorable man that they bowed even longer now. Was that for him? He didn't dare to ask.

Haruna stopped walking and turned to him. "It is good that they see you, Yoshinubo." She pronounced his Japanese name louder than he'd expected, and she spoke Japanese to him. "They must know you have Lord Masamune's trust. They have to know this."

Willem nodded, because it was true. The more people that knew about it, the faster the news would spread.

"Give me your ear," she then said, not so loud. He leaned over. "This is important too," she shared with him, whispering. "This shows them that I trust you with secrets. Because I trust you, Yoshi. You have become... very important to me." She smiled at him, their faces very close together.

"You've always been very important to me, my lady," he said, keeping his voice down as well.

Again she smiled. "I wish you could fuck me right now. I want that."

Of course, that didn't happen. They had to finish the walk she had in mind, so as many people as possible could see her bodyguard.

They walked on, and Willem asked her if there would be people in the city who might not accept him in his new status.

"There will always be such people," she assured him, "but they won't act against you. You have the lord's seal on your sword and that is a very good life insurance. Oh..." She turned into a street. "This is good."

Willem walked with her, to a small house where two men sat outside, both maintaining a sword. The two got up quickly and bowed. "Lady Haruna."

"Master Yamamoto. Please meet Yoshinobu. My bodyguard. Lord Masamune entrusted him with a sword and we need someone like you to teach Yoshinobu how to use it well."

The older of the two men bowed. "It will be my honor, Haruna Sama." He then bowed to Willem. "Yoshinobu San."

Willem was almost shocked. This -was- for him. He carefully bowed. "Yamamoto San." Haruna would probably kick him later if he shouldn't have bowed, but she just smiled. This clearly was a good move.

They spoke about a schedule for Willem to come here for lessons. Haruna's house was not a good place for that. With that arranged, the two returned home. Willem felt a bit dizzy after all this excitement.

Once they were inside, Haruna walked into their room and dropped her clothes. Willem first placed the sword where it had to be, he knew how important that was, and then took off his clothes. By that time Haruna had laid down on the bed and he joined her there, kissing her while stroking her naked body everywhere. Not much later he lay on top of her and moved inside her slowly, the way they both liked and could maintain for a long time.

"You must still learn how to use the new sword, Yoshi," Haruna said, "but you are an expert with the one that is inside me now."

He grinned, and then he had his way with her until she screamed.