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My ultimate goal, naturally enough, under the circumstances, was to bring the situation between the rival houses of Temmu and Yamada to the point where neither house could achieve, or plausibly claim, victory. - (Rebels of Gor, Chapter 61, Sentence #421)

Interestingly, I had never received the opportunity to give Aiko to Ichiro, my bannerman. It may be recalled that Haruki had ventured to the hiding place of Ichiro and the tarns, where Aiko was in attendance, and that they had then returned, by tarn, to the grounds of the palace. It was after that that Ichiro had waited for darkness, to retrieve me, if possible, from the camp of the house of Temmu, where I had presented myself to Lords Nishida and Okimoto, in the hope, first, of preventing the advance of the invasion force, and, secondly, of somehow managing to make contact with the cavalry. My ultimate goal, naturally enough, under the circumstances, was to bring the situation between the rival houses of Temmu and Yamada to the point where neither house could achieve, or plausibly claim, victory. In this way neither Priest-Kings nor Kurii could claim the benefits accruing to the outcome of a dark, portentous wager, one in which the stakes were, substantially, a world, and perhaps two. So Aiko found herself on the palace grounds, brought by Ichiro and Haruki, while Lord Yamada, Nodachi, I, and some others, and the many peasants of Arashi, advanced to meet, and discomfit, the forces of Temmu on the north road. Once I had arranged the peasants, and set them about their diversions, and had arrested the progress of Lord Yamada, in such a way as to suggest he was fully ready for battle, but hoped to lure the invasion force farther south, perhaps deeper into a trap, I had contacted Lords Nishida and Okimoto under the pretense of warning them of imminent danger. - (Rebels of Gor)