Jin groaned softly as the scent of burnt rice hit her nose. Almost a month after the old man had brough them all to Hanowa and she still couldn’t get the cooking right. Oh well; the Prince (now named Han) was too polite to complain, and Ishawari (called Takumi) already needled her at least once a week about it. Someday she would learn to cook well, but today was not that day. Tomorrow wasn’t looking good either. 

Hanowa was a small, non-descript village about an hour’s walk to the port. It was full of hardworking people, mostly fishers and market workers at the port. The cover story for the three of them was that young Han had lost his parents recently, and Jin (who’d taken the name Akemi) were his childless aunt and uncle. They had all recently moved here from a faraway village to start over. The best cover stories were made with some truth and some fiction in equal measure. The Prince was an orphan now, and Jin and Ishawari were close enough to him to play parental roles. 

“Dinner’s ready!” She called out, loud enough to breach the walls of the small house they were in. She knew the Prince was outside playing. Ever since they came here, he’d worked hard at being a ‘normal’ boy. No longer did the neighboring children scoff at him for using big words or holding himself in a royal manner. Just the other day he’d come home splattered with mud from head to toe. Jin had been surprised and pleased to see him that way. Just a regular 8 year old. 

Just a few more days living here and they’d have to be on their way to the Wilting Blossoms. The old man had been very clear about the timeframe, as they could possibly miss the ferryman if they were not there in time. Soon they would have to pack up and leave everything behind. Jin had to admit, she was going to miss it. It gave her a taste of another life that she would never have. 

“I promise I didn’t burn everything this time!”