BY THE TIME THE MAN ALFRED had contacted finally showed up, Calissa had celebrated two more birthdays and was half a year away from turning five. The young girl was now the spitting image of her mother, and just as sassy as always managed to find was to get into trouble and step on her father’s last nerve. Alfred could never stay mad at her forever, and even the village had a hard time being mad at their miracle baby as she was just too cute. While he was waiting for the man he wrote to arrive, Alfred was working on the basics with her, teaching her the things he knew about fighting and how to hold a sword properly. He only allowed her to use wooden swords but knew that Calissa would have to train with a real one eventually. The man he wrote to was an old friend that Alfred had met during the war. They had fought a common enemy during the great war and survived so many great battles that many wouldn’t believe if they were told about them. There was one battle where Alfred had saved this man from certain doom, and he was so thankful that this friend had offered to repay Alfred in any way that he could. It was this debt that Alfred had called upon in his letter, ordering him to make the trip to his village to repay it in full. Within the letter Alfred explained what had happened to his wife, and what he wanted from him to make sure that it never happened to his only child. He also detailed what kind of creature he encountered that day and how it was different from the other wolves he had encountered before. Alfred was hoping once his war companion had read the letter, he would pack up and started making his way to the village to report for duty and honor his oath. Yet the man was residing in another continent, so Alfred knew it would take a very long time for his friend to eventually arrive, but it did happen several months before the young girl was to turn five.

As the man slowly approached the wall surrounding the village, the guards standing on the wall noticed him first. They could tell he didn’t look local, as his light brown oriental robes and triangle shaped hat was a dead giveaway. What seemed odd as well is that the man was pulling a small wagon behind him, with a harness strapped to himself instead of to a pony or horse. The man never said a word or made a single gesture to the guards above the doors until he was about twenty feet from the wall. Upon arriving at the wall, the man unstrapped himself from the wagon and proceeded to sit down in the ground. He took off his hat which revealed his bald head, put down his sword, and sat down before him wagon, waiting to be addressed.

“Hello!” one of the guards called out.

“Greetings.” The bald man replied.

“What are you doing here?” the other guard called out.

“I was summoned here,” the man answered, “I carry a letter written by Alfred Higgins, requesting that I come to this village to see him.”

“Oh, I see.” the guard said, as he turned to face the other guard. “Go get Alfred and let him know that someone is here to see him.”

Upon hearing the news, Alfred left Calissa with a neighbor and ran to the wall as quickly as he could. Upon reaching the top, he smiled at the sight of his old friend as he was genuinely happy to see him again.

“Miyamoto!” Alfred called out to the man sitting before the gate, speaking in a language neither guard could understand. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you!”

“I am honored to be in your company again, Alfred-san.” Miyamoto said, as he stood back up, and gave a very honorable bow. “I received your letter and have come across the seas to repay my debt to you.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Alfred said, as he also returned the bow. He then turned to the guards, “Let him in.”

The guards didn’t question the order and opened the gates for their new guest. Miyamoto, put the harness back on and walked his wagon into the village and was smiling as Alfred walked over and gave the bald man a big hug.

“Thank you for coming,” Alfred said, “I am thankful for your efforts to come here for help me. I am honored you came to help me and my child.”

“Your story moved me,” Miyamoto informed him, “Even if I didn’t owe you a great debt, I might have been motivated just by that alone. I am very sorry about what happened to your wife. I knew you cared for her a great deal.”

“Thank you, my friend.” Alfred said, looking at the wagon. “You didn’t pack light, did you?”

“I am here to stay for as long as I’m needed.” Miyamoto said, “To do this right will take years, maybe even a decade to complete her training. I brought everything I needed to do the task right and fulfill my debt.”

“Then follow me,” Alfred said, as he gestured the direction they needed to travel.

People were talking and whispering as both men walked down the street together back to Alfred’s house, where he had been preparing for his friend’s arrival. Miyamoto parked his wagon in front of the house while Alfred fetched his daughter from the neighbor’s house. When they returned to the house, young Calissa made a respectful bow of her own to the bald man before her.

“Welcome,” she said to him, in his own language. “We are honored to receive you as our guest.”

“Very impressive,” Miyamoto said, looking back to Alfred. “You’ve been preparing her for me. That will save me time.”

“I did my best, but I knew you’d help her with the more advanced stuff.” Alfred said, as his enjoyed teaching his child the new language. He was also aware that he needed to brush up on it himself, aware that his guest would prefer to speak it most of the time he was there. If would allow them to also keep his true reasons for being here a secret, as he didn’t tell anyone else what he had seen that fateful day.

“Come inside,” Alfred said, as he opened the main door. “We will celebrate your arrival and give you a chance to settle in. I have a room waiting for you.”

“I am honored that you took the time to prepare a room for me,” Miyamoto replied, “It acknowledges your confidence in me. You were quite sure I would arrive someday to start her training.”

“What training, father?” The child suddenly asked.

“You will find out soon enough,” the bald man answered for her father. “For now, we shall eat and be merry. I have traveled a great distance to meet you, little one, and it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

Miyamoto took the better part of the afternoon unpacking his wagon after they at sat down to eat. Calissa was so curious to see what the bald man had brought across the sea and watched from a chair on the other side of the room as he unpacked each item. To her surprise, there was a lot of weird looking armor and weapons such as swords that were oddly shaped compared to the ones her father used.

“What kind of sword is that?” Calissa asked.

Miyamoto stopped what he was doing and picked up one of the swords, and unseathed it before the young child. It was a thinner blade, but the handle was thicker and long enough to use both hands with.

“This is called a Katana,” Miyamoto said, as he struck a deadly pose with it. “This is a trusted blade, and the soul of a warrior. It is one of many weapons that you will be trained to control and master.”

“I’m going to be trained to use weapons?” Calissa repeated.

“Not just weapons,” the bald man corrected, “You will be taught more than just fighting skills, but sacred customs and traditions that have been the way of my people for centuries. When I am finished with you, young lady, you will know the way of the Samurai.”

“What is that?” the young girl asked.

“The Samurai may be considered nothing more than a noble status to some,” Miyamoto replied, “But to those who take it more seriously, it is a code that is strictly followed in order to live a better life as an honorable warrior.”

“What is that smaller one?” Calissa asked, “Baby katana?”

The bald man laughed, as he found her guess to be rather amusing.

“Kind of,” he joked with her, “But this is actually called a Wakizashi, the companion blade to the katana. Swinging around two swords of equal size can often cause chaos in situations where you need order to be victorious. In order to perform to your highest potential, your weapons much have a hierarchy so that they all work in union like a team. Each weapon serves a specific purpose, so that they are more efficient and don’t get in one another’s way.”

“That’s neat,” the little girl said, “And you’ll show me how to use them all?”

“I will,” Miyamoto said, “You are to be my pupil, and over the course of the next several years, I will train you to become a fine warrior worthy of the samurai.”

“Thank you, master.” Calissa said, giving a partial bow from her chair.

“You’re a quick learner,” her master replied, “That will help us save time, but this will not be easy. This is a long, and often painful process. Are you sure you’re ready to walk this path, little one?”

“I am,” Calissa said, “My dad told me how dangerous the world is out there and that I must be ready to defend myself and the town.”

“That is very honorable, young Calissa.” Miyamoto said, as he resumed his unpacking, “To defend those who are incapable to do so themselves is noble, and the way of a warrior. Our role in life is to fight those who mean to oppress and take our very lives. Like those creatures that attack your village. I will teach you the proper way to kill them quickly so that they are no longer a threat to you or your father. I’ve dealt with such creatures in my homeland, and we’re rather good at dispatching them.”

“Is that so?” a voice called out from the doorway. Alfred was standing there and had been listening to the two of them converse.

“It is,” his friend confirmed, “I believe what you wrote to me in that letter to be true. The creature you described that attacked your village the day your child was born is not uncommon where I come from. Wolves that walk on two feet and act human are known to my people as the Hakken, deadly creatures we assumed were only restricted to our lands. It appears we may be mistaken if your story holds true. I showed your letter to my master and the other Samurai, and they deemed it necessary for me to come out here to investigate.”

“So, you didn’t just come out here to train Calissa?” Alfred asked.

“I will train her,” his friend confirmed, “The wise men thought it was a good cover for me to use when doing my research. If there really is Hakken out here, training her is in her and the village’s best interests. She can use the skills I teach her and give them to her own children or anyone else she wishes to train. That will only make your people stronger and better to handle the Hakken if they truly are here.”

“A sound plan,” Alfred said, as he understood their thinking. “I am glad you’re here anyway. I missed you, my friend.”

“As did I,” Miyamoto said, “I was in need of a task, so I was glad to receive your letter. I was starting to feel unneeded in my homeland, as a warrior without a war is not a sight for anyone to behold.”

“I know the feeling,” Alfred said, “I don’t like being a retired soldier either.”

“We have a new enemy,” The Samurai said, looking rather serious. “We must train hard and prepare for the next encounter with the Hakken, whenever that day may be.”

Calissa stood up from her chair, “Then let’s get started!”

“We shall,” Miyamoto said, patting her on the head, “But I am still weary from my travels. It would be best for us all to rest tonight and start fresh in the morning.”

“He’s right,” Alfred said, “And I’m pretty sure someone has chores to do.”

Calissa gasped as she realized her father was right. She bolted from the room and went to the kitchen to do her fair share of the cleaning up around the house. A duty that she took seriously as both she and her father split the duties. As the sound of her cleaning the lunch dishes came from the kitchen, the two warriors looked at one another and smiled.

“She’s a good kid,” Miyamoto said, “I look forward to training her.”

“Thank you,” Alfred said, “I appreciate just having you here. That incident really shook me to my core.”

“The Hakken are not to be underestimated,” Miyamoto said, as he put his katanas up on a mantle that he brought with him. “They are fierce creatures that kill without mercy, but I’m sure you already know that part.”

“I do,” Alfred confirmed, as he looked at the half dozen katanas that his friend had brought with him from his homeland. “Which one of these will be Calissa’s?”

“None,” Miyamoto said without hesitation. “I commissioned her blade just before I left. It is being constructed as we speak but it will take more than few years for the sword maker to construct. In exchange for doing the mission for the elders, they will have Calissa’s katana delivered when it is finished.”

“What kind of sword is this?” Alfred asked.

“A special blade, that will take care of your Hakken problem.” Miyamoto answered, “I have melted down and donated hundreds of pounds of precious metals that will be folded over a few thousand times to construct the sturdiest katana the world shall ever see. By the time this sword arrives, I swear to you that Calissa be ready to weld it. You have my word.”

“Thank you,” Alfred said, unaware to what was being done to help him.

“I am the one who must thank you, Alfred.” The warrior said, giving a slight bow. “You not only saved me from war, but you have also saved me from a dreary life after the war as well. I traveled here because I have purpose again, and I shall not waste this opportunity to put the Hakken into the ground where they belong.”