The tournament grounds that had sprung up around the Emerald Champion's estate were impressive, but just while approaching Asahina Beniha could see several means by which they could have been improved. A change in the layout here, the addition of a small garden there...all of it would have facilitated the interaction of clans at the tournament in one way or another. But of course, she had not been consulted in the arrangements – nor had any of her clan, more than likely. Unfortunate that others had not yet recognized that any major event of this nature was more than a simple tournament: it was an opportunity for social manipulation on a scale rarely seen outside the Emperor's Winter Court. Perhaps some other samurai were willing to let such an opportunity to waste away, but Beniha certainly was not.

“I know that look.”

The tone was mildly reproving, and the young Crane courtier smiled coyly. “I am certain I do not know what you mean, my lord.”

Asahina Handen frowned, but his expression was not severe. “Remember why we are here, Beniha. This is not another political machination. This is the most prestigious tournament of shugenja that will be convened in your lifetime, Fortunes willing.”

“It is more prestigious than the Jade Championship that was convened while I was a child, then?” she asked, mischief in her voice. “How can one tell the difference? Or is it simply that the most recent is the most prestigious? That would be simpler.”

Handen ignored her teasing. “A tournament, Beniha. Not a political opportunity.”

Beniha smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps, my lord, it can be both.”

At least the Crane tents were next to the Otomo area, directly bordering on the section reserved for the Imperial families. There were obvious perks to serving as the host of the Otomo family's estate, it seemed, and this was among them. Beniha spent several hours observing the comings and goings of the various clan representatives and delegations as they reported to the Imperial headquarters. Beniha recognized many individuals of great importance, but there were also many shugenja she had never seen before. That was to be expected, of course; an event of this sort would bring out reclusive and powerful priests, who had perhaps never physically left their clan's holdings before.

As the morning dragged on, Beniha's mental list of all the individuals she hoped to speak to before the tournament ended grew ridiculously long, and she had no choice but to admit to herself there was little chance to accomplish all she had intended. Perhaps if she did not have to compete, she might have more time...but of course that would not do. She could not betray the trust Handen had shown her in recommending her as a competitor, and while she had little hope of winning, she could not deny that even the remotest possibility that she might seize the position of Jade Champion was too much to pass up. The things she could accomplish with such influence at her disposal...the possibilities were endless. “You seem an odd choice to participate in this tournament.”

The voice was unfamiliar, so Beniha craned her neck to see who had spoke. To her surprise, it was a young woman clad in blue and white, much like she wore, but of course somewhat less fashionable. The woman's long black hair was in sharp contrast to the lighter colors all around them. The two had traveled together from the Asahina provinces, yet Beniha had never heard her speak. “I beg your pardon?”

Asahina Itoeko sat on the bench a short distance down from Beniha. “I said that you seem an odd choice for this tournament,” she repeated.

Irritation welled up and dispelled shock. “I find myself crushed beneath the irony of your statement,” she said in her most pleasant voice. “You are, after all, a woman of no particular standing, with no reputation for either skill or power, and who has never held a duty of any note. I would suggest that perhaps it is you who are ill-suited to participate in such a tournament.”

“Ill-suited?” Itoeko considered it. “I would not disagree. Still, if the sensei at the temple believed I was their finest choice for the position, then who am I to disagree?”

“Is my appointment of any less prestige, then?”

“No, of course not,” Itoeko said. “It is a political appointment, however. I believe we are both aware of that fact.” She looked at Beniha with a completely innocent, sincere expression. “I do not mean to belittle you by that, not at all. Your value to the clan far outstrips my own. I merely mean that it seems an odd choice. I suppose the consideration is that, should you win, you will be far more adept at wielding the power of the Champion than I or Nizomi-sama.”

Beniha frowned. “I could not venture judgment as to your abilities, given that we know so little about one another,” she said, her tone somewhat sarcastic, “but I have no doubt Nizomi-sama would excel in the position. He is a skilled Jade Magistrate after all.”

“Experienced, certainly. But young all the same,” Itoeko observed. “He struggles to live up to the incredible legacy he bears. His strength is also the source of his uncertainty.”

“Uncertainty?” Beniha laughed at the thought. “I do not believe I have ever met anyone as steadfast and certain as Asahina Nizomi.”

“He struggles with it, as do we all. He simply conceals it better than most.” Itoeko idly spun a flower with her fingertips. “Should he win, the power of the position will give him few chances to dwell on his own doubts. They will be purged from him like an impurity from steel. He would excel in the position, I think. To him, the mandate of the Jade Champion is more important than life itself. Unlike you.”

Beniha felt her ire rising. “And you know me so well, do you?”

The other woman shrugged. “I know the position wields incredible political power that has rarely been used by those who held it. And I know you would change that. If you are victorious, the position will finally rival that of Emerald Champion, and the Crane would benefit greatly from that tenure.”

The young courtier drew back in surprise. “Thank you,” she said. “But what of you? You are a competitor in this as well as I.”

“I do not know,” Itoeko admitted. “I am as surprised as you that I was chosen for this duty. To me, however, the Jade Champion is not merely an arbiter of the Emperor's law, and not merely one of the most powerful positions in the Empire. Too many forget that the duty is a spiritual one as well. I think if I were Jade Champion, I would focus my energies on restoring the faith of our people.”

“Restoring? Is it in need of restoring?”

“War has raged across the Empire nearly without interruption for half a century,” Itoeko said sadly. “There are many who believe the Fortunes have abandoned us , or worse, seek our destruction for our failures. Someone must address such beliefs, before they consume those who hold them. The world has become too political, too militant. Healing is needed, and needed badly.”

Beniha said nothing for several minutes. Her lord, Handen, was the nephew of the previous Asahina daimyo, Asahina Sekawa, who had also been the previous Jade Champion. By all rights, Handen should have ascended to the position of daimyo. Beniha was not certain why he had not, and he would not discuss it. Their new lord instead was Asahina Keitaro, one of Sekawa's chief aides and a man who was no stranger to either the military or political battleground. In Beniha's experience, although she would never share it, Keitaro had little in common with the philosophies and policies held so adamantly by the Asahina family. The same could be said of Sekawa, of course, but he had been content to allow more monastic sects of the family to continue their traditions, and she was not as certain that Keitaro would be so benevolent. The entire matter was somewhat ridiculous for her to contemplate, of course, as there were few who would ever accuse Beniha of traditionalism. No, she was a progressive mind with little use for the pacifism and monastic traditions of her people. But that did not mean she did not respect them.

Privately, Beniha remembered an incident some months ago when word of Sekawa's disappearance had reached her lord. It was the only time she had seen Handen drink, and he had drunk far too much. He alluded to some secret shame he had committed in the past, some incident of cowardice that haunted him and assured him he would never be worthy to take his uncle's place. If he recalled the incident the next morning, he never spoke of it, and neither had Beniha. Still, it was a symptom of the ailment that plagued the Asahina, and possibly the Empire as a whole.

“I think I understand why you were chosen to compete, Itoeko-san,” she said quietly. “And I wish you the greatest of fortune in your matches. I fear we will have need of a Champion like you.”