66 chapter 66

The father speaks,"Mother is okay, she just got excited."

Londo looked relieved.

Londo grabs some water from one of the kitchen counter and pours it on the head of his mother.

Lascha cries out in shock as she jolts awake and grabs her son into her arms. The mother begins to bawl profusely.

The mother yells loudly,"Why does the shogun want to take our baby away? It is not fair and it is an act of betrayal! We had worked all these years and had been loyal to the master!"

Lort is trying to touch his wife in an attempt but she jerks away from him.

He shouts,"Stop with this nonsense before the neighbors hear!

Lascha is still ranting continually, while her husband lowers his voice.

The couple could not come to an agreement.

Londo shouts,"Stop it!"

The couple shot their yelling and both look intently at the boy.

Londo spoke,"I had always wanted to become to samurai ,so that Mother and father would not have to work so hard!"

The two parents were totally silent by the quite.

Lascha is holding her son tightly, as she begins to bawl endlessly at the sheer selflessness of her young son.

Lort has a veil of water over his eyes at the comment of his son.

The parents knew that they could not deny their young son his one and only dream. So they sent him to bed early so that he could get up early to see the shogun the next morning.

Londo struggled to get to sleep that night because he was so excited that he was finally getting to be trained by the shogun. He never thought that it happen but it seemed that it was going to happen.

Finally some time later, he falls asleep.

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The lad eats his breakfast and takes a bath to clean up for going in front of their leader. The parents dressed the lad in the most elaborate kimono that the boy had possessed. Lascha fussed over the boy's clothes and combing his hair.

Lort leads his son to the huge castle of the shogun with the boy following eagerly behind.

Two samurai stop the pair before they get near the entrance of the castle.

One of the samurai spoke,"Stop villagers, you can not enter unless you have business with the master.

Lort shows the pair the letter with the shogun's seal on it.

One of the samurai spoke,"That seal is the shogun's so you may enter."

The father and son enter the castle.

Londo and his father, Lort was being led by a female servant in a beautiful flower pattern

kimono down a long series of doorways and halls.

The boy, Londo was amazed that someone could live in such a large castle and he wondered

how did they find their way through such a tremendous building? But the boy had keep all those questions to himself like his parents had asked of him. His parents(Lort and Lascha) both told him to only speak while spoken to.

The female servant then stopped in front of a wood frame and paper covered double doors.

She bowed and said,"Please bow before we are let in to see the master."

Both father and son did as they were told without any hesitation on their part.

A loud booming voice spoke,"You may stand up and enter the room since your presence has been made aware to me. No need for such pleasantries since I also bleed as you three do. I am no god!"

The three all stood to their feet and was led into the throne room of the shogun. The female servant was the first to enter the room with Lort in the middle and the young Londo trailing closely behind his father. All three of them knelt in front of the aging shogun and paid him much respect and honor.

The shogun was very large at eight foot tall and over six hundred pounds. His massive size had diminished somewhat in his old age but his mind was as sharp as it ever was. You could see the scars of battle on the old man's face and that he as well that he was completely blind in both eyes. His pupils were completely absent and all that remained was the whites of his eyes.

The shogun speaks,"So you are the young samurai recruit that I have heard so much about! What is your name, young lad?"

The boy was startled by the large man's question and thus was speechless as a result.

Lort spoke,"Son, the master is asking you a question and you have to give him a proper response."

Londo finally spoke,"Yes shogun, I am Londo."

The answer was brief but it seem to please the old master.

The shogun spoke,"I do not blame you for not know what to say, my young Londo. This must

be a lot for you at such a tender age. I was just your age when I was trained to be a samurai all those

centuries ago."

Londo's mouth was agape at the thought of the master being centuries old that it cause the old master to grin from ear to ear.

The shogun spoke,"Londo, I am amazed at your sheer expression of honesty. You do not hide your feelings because that it is not a good thing for a samurai. Anyone can be a warrior but it takes a special person to fulfill the code of Bushido. It takes honor, self sacrifice, and much hard work! Can

you do that my young cadet?"

Londo bowed to the floor with tears in his eyes that begin to pour upon the floor.

This act of sincerity caused the old samurai to become very moved, so much in fact that he arose from his seat and walked over to the young lad.

The old samurai was very moved at Londo's desire to become a samurai that a veil of water was coveringr the old man's eyes. His memories back to himself as a young seeking to be trained by a master samurai.

The shogun put a hand on the young Londo while standing on just one knee.

This shocked both the servant and Lort. The father was frozen like a statue from the simple act of humility and concern that was coming from the old master samurai. Samurai were often seen by the shogunate leadership as nothing but as mere tools to be used and then thrown away when it's usefulness to the shogunate had ended