The Peony flower - Part Two

"He is such a young and good looking man," Aya said with a dreamy look in her eyes. 

"That is a fact," one of her friends told her. 

"He saved my life and I did not even have the time to thank him." Aya continued.

"I saw one more fact about him." Aya's friend spoke again. 

Aya eagerly looked at her friend as she continued. "Under the moonlight I saw the jeweled mount of his sword. It had peony flowers."

Until this day Aya had been fresh, fair and happy.

But from this day on, she fell sick. She was no longer able to enjoy the rich wedding garments that were being made for her. She wandered about like a ghost and lay speechless in her room. 

People from around the province came to see her but they could not heal her. 

Sada went to Aya's father and told him about the youth that they had found in the pond near the Peony flowers. Sada told the father everything. "I think Aya is in love with this beautiful man."

However the chief of the province was confused. "It is not possible for any stranger to enter the garden. Do not utter such foolish words because they may reach the ears of the chief of Ako.”

However Sada wept some more. "If you do not solve this Aya may not survive this sickness which has fallen on her."

One of the musicians who lived in the castle sang a song to sooth Aya. When the musician sang and touched his instrument it was unbelievable, because a handsome youth stood up from the sea of peonies by the pond. 

At that time all of them saw the young man clearly. 

Aya gave a wild cry of happiness and ran to the garden trying to hold out her arms. 

However immediately the young man vanished from there. 

The musician picked up his instrument and sang the continuation of the love song. 

At this the mysterious young man rose up from the bed of the peony flowers and he stood straight and tall and his eyes were fixed on Aya.

One of the men who was working in the province father drew a sword and jumped down among the peony flowers to do battle with the stranger. 

At that time a cloud went over the moon and a sudden great hot wind blew from the south. The garden was plunged in darkness and all the flowers of the peony bed were tossed about like a troubled sea and the pink and white petals flew everywhere.

When things had gone back to normal the man picked up a flower from the peony garden. “This is the youth. He will not escape me.” 

Aya however took the flower from the man. 

Aya then went to her room and slept with the peony flower. 

For nine days she kept the flower. 

The sweet colour of her face and the light in her eyes was back. She was perfectly healed. 

She put the peony flower in a bronze vase and it was surprising because the flower did not droop or fade but grew larger and more lovely. 

At the end of this time the son of the chief of Ako province came riding to claim Aya as his wife. 

He and Aya were wed in the midst of much fasting and happiness. 

However, everybody claimed that Aya looked very pale as a bride. 

On the same day the peony flower withered and it was thrown away

Adapted from Japanese folktales