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princeofdoomFrom a goretober prompt made by lemons_art on instagram, day one: Plants
There once was an old tsubaki tree growing along a mountain path. But, as many old trees were, it was a plant with strange attributes. While most tsubaki trees only flowered from winter to spring, its flowers bloomed brilliantly all year long, except for the short time after they dropped. After dropping its flowers in the spring, they grew back white as bone. And they would stay like this until O-Bon festival, when they would quickly take on a bright blood colored hue. Everyone nearby knew not to travel by that tree, and if they must, to only pass by it in the daylight.
There was a noble lady from Kyoto named Yuki Hime who was traveling with her entourage to see various temples and shrines, and to see the wonders of Japan. And though it was strange that a woman should be traveling, all her arrangements had been made carefully and were in order. And so she, and her ladies, and a few of her father's retainers all traveled here and there, taking in what sights could be seen.
Yuki Hime's entourage came to a town at the base of the hill on which the old tsubaki tree grew. She had an attendant secure lodgings for them all, though the people of the village told them that the lodging and food would be humble. This she accepted, but she also requested that she and all her attendants be served tea. The villagers could not serve her this, since they were not allowed to drink tea themselves and so had none.
One of the village elders told Yuki Hime's handmaid, "They say a tea can be made from tsubaki leaves. And we do have such a tree in the hills nearby. But it is strange and nothing good can come from going there. Especially not at night, and especially not to take its leaves from it. The mistress and her companions will have to go without."
The handmaid relayed this to Yuki Hime, and Yuki Hime sent her handmaid back with a reply. Yuki Hime and her entourage would go without tea, but she had decided she wanted to see the strange tree for herself and that she would travel up the hill in the morning. Even so, no one in the village wished to guide her there.
So Yuki Hime and her people settled in for the night, and as soon as the sun had risen, her palanquin was made ready so she could be carried up the mountain by her father's attendants.
The hill was not as steep as it might be, but it was still a difficult climb for Yuki Hime's attendants as they carried the palanquin. But finally they came to the spot where the old tsubaki tree grew. As Yuki Hime was admiring the bone white blossoms and her father's retainers rested in the cool shade, a woman appeared seemingly from nowhere. She wore clothing that was simple, but a striking shade of green. She also had a pale lovely face and Yuki Hime thought she must be the daughter of a minor noble staying in a country home in the mountains to avoid the heat.
"I was not informed that anyone lived here along this trail," Yuki Hime said, thinking she was speaking to a peer of a sort.
"No one living in the village below knows that I live here," the woman replied. "They believe this tsubaki tree is cursed, and so stay away. And I have no reason to go to the village to correct them. The leaves make soothing tea, the white flowers make the complexion clear and, later in the year when they are a vibrant red, they make all sorts of cures for the body. All I ask is that you tell no one in the village this, and you and your attendants each take no more than a handful of leaves for your tea. If all the flowers were gone before they turned red, it would be a pitiful state."
So Yuki Hime agreed to this and the woman disappeared as quickly as she had come. So Yuki Hime took a small handful of leaves from the tsubaki tree, as did each of her attendants, and she put them in the palanquin before they were leaving. But before Yuki Hime left and despite her promise, she thought, "It cannot hurt to take just one flower with me."
While her attendants had turned away, collecting what they had brought, Yuki Hime plucked a single flower and put it to her nose to smell.
The stem of the tsubaki flower took root in her palm. Screaming, she tried to fling it away from herself but it was too late. Roots grew into the flesh of her arm, and by the time her attendants came to her, it had spread up to Yuki Hime's shoulder.
The fastest of her attendants ran back down the hill toward the village. The other three of the attendants tried to remove the plant growth. But trying to pull it out only led to Yuki Hime screaming in agony. Trying to cut the plant where it started sprouting out of her skin caused it to bleed.
One of the attendants succeeded in cutting the flower off from where it had taken root in her palm, only for it to bury its roots into the first bit of skin it found to latch onto. The other attendants tried to save their comrade in turn, but that only resulted in a third victim. By this time the plants had taken root throughout most of Yuki Hime's form.
The one attendant still on the hill who had not had the plant dig into his flesh followed the one who had run down the mountain.
"Maybe the villagers will know what to do!" he called back, though the only replies he received were cries of pain.
The attendant who had run down the hill had not seen the full extent of what happened but tried to get the villagers to listen and bring aid.
"My lady Yuki Hime, she took a flower from the tsubaki tree and it began to grow into her hand! Please, help her, tell me how to stop it! Tell me how she can be saved! Why do you look at me with fear when it's Yuki Hime who is in danger?"
Then he realized his feet could not move, and had become tree roots. His legs quickly molded together, and soon He could not move at all, having been turned into a tsubaki tree.
Even so, his eyes still looked at the villagers around him.
It was about this time if not a little after, that the other attendant had arrived at the village. Before he could relate what had happened, he noticed the tsubaki tree that had not been there when they had left. The villagers refused to relate what had happened, but Yuki Hime's handmaid told him what had occurred in whispers. He however decided it was best only to tell her certain promises were made, and that the other attendant had broken one.
It was a long time before anyone went up the path along the hill. And when they did, they saw three strangely twisted tsubaki trees next to the old one that had been there before.
There once was an old tsubaki tree growing along a mountain path. But, as many old trees were, it was a plant with strange attributes. While most tsubaki trees only flowered from winter to spring, its flowers bloomed brilliantly all year long, except for the short time after they dropped. After dropping its flowers in the spring, they grew back white as bone. And they would stay like this until O-Bon festival, when they would quickly take on a bright blood colored hue. Everyone nearby knew not to travel by that tree, and if they must, to only pass by it in the daylight.
There was a noble lady from Kyoto named Yuki Hime who was traveling with her entourage to see various temples and shrines, and to see the wonders of Japan. And though it was strange that a woman should be traveling, all her arrangements had been made carefully and were in order. And so she, and her ladies, and a few of her father's retainers all traveled here and there, taking in what sights could be seen.
Yuki Hime's entourage came to a town at the base of the hill on which the old tsubaki tree grew. She had an attendant secure lodgings for them all, though the people of the village told them that the lodging and food would be humble. This she accepted, but she also requested that she and all her attendants be served tea. The villagers could not serve her this, since they were not allowed to drink tea themselves and so had none.
One of the village elders told Yuki Hime's handmaid, "They say a tea can be made from tsubaki leaves. And we do have such a tree in the hills nearby. But it is strange and nothing good can come from going there. Especially not at night, and especially not to take its leaves from it. The mistress and her companions will have to go without."
The handmaid relayed this to Yuki Hime, and Yuki Hime sent her handmaid back with a reply. Yuki Hime and her entourage would go without tea, but she had decided she wanted to see the strange tree for herself and that she would travel up the hill in the morning. Even so, no one in the village wished to guide her there.
So Yuki Hime and her people settled in for the night, and as soon as the sun had risen, her palanquin was made ready so she could be carried up the mountain by her father's attendants.
The hill was not as steep as it might be, but it was still a difficult climb for Yuki Hime's attendants as they carried the palanquin. But finally they came to the spot where the old tsubaki tree grew. As Yuki Hime was admiring the bone white blossoms and her father's retainers rested in the cool shade, a woman appeared seemingly from nowhere. She wore clothing that was simple, but a striking shade of green. She also had a pale lovely face and Yuki Hime thought she must be the daughter of a minor noble staying in a country home in the mountains to avoid the heat.
"I was not informed that anyone lived here along this trail," Yuki Hime said, thinking she was speaking to a peer of a sort.
"No one living in the village below knows that I live here," the woman replied. "They believe this tsubaki tree is cursed, and so stay away. And I have no reason to go to the village to correct them. The leaves make soothing tea, the white flowers make the complexion clear and, later in the year when they are a vibrant red, they make all sorts of cures for the body. All I ask is that you tell no one in the village this, and you and your attendants each take no more than a handful of leaves for your tea. If all the flowers were gone before they turned red, it would be a pitiful state."
So Yuki Hime agreed to this and the woman disappeared as quickly as she had come. So Yuki Hime took a small handful of leaves from the tsubaki tree, as did each of her attendants, and she put them in the palanquin before they were leaving. But before Yuki Hime left and despite her promise, she thought, "It cannot hurt to take just one flower with me."
While her attendants had turned away, collecting what they had brought, Yuki Hime plucked a single flower and put it to her nose to smell.
The stem of the tsubaki flower took root in her palm. Screaming, she tried to fling it away from herself but it was too late. Roots grew into the flesh of her arm, and by the time her attendants came to her, it had spread up to Yuki Hime's shoulder.
The fastest of her attendants ran back down the hill toward the village. The other three of the attendants tried to remove the plant growth. But trying to pull it out only led to Yuki Hime screaming in agony. Trying to cut the plant where it started sprouting out of her skin caused it to bleed.
One of the attendants succeeded in cutting the flower off from where it had taken root in her palm, only for it to bury its roots into the first bit of skin it found to latch onto. The other attendants tried to save their comrade in turn, but that only resulted in a third victim. By this time the plants had taken root throughout most of Yuki Hime's form.
The one attendant still on the hill who had not had the plant dig into his flesh followed the one who had run down the mountain.
"Maybe the villagers will know what to do!" he called back, though the only replies he received were cries of pain.
The attendant who had run down the hill had not seen the full extent of what happened but tried to get the villagers to listen and bring aid.
"My lady Yuki Hime, she took a flower from the tsubaki tree and it began to grow into her hand! Please, help her, tell me how to stop it! Tell me how she can be saved! Why do you look at me with fear when it's Yuki Hime who is in danger?"
Then he realized his feet could not move, and had become tree roots. His legs quickly molded together, and soon He could not move at all, having been turned into a tsubaki tree.
Even so, his eyes still looked at the villagers around him.
It was about this time if not a little after, that the other attendant had arrived at the village. Before he could relate what had happened, he noticed the tsubaki tree that had not been there when they had left. The villagers refused to relate what had happened, but Yuki Hime's handmaid told him what had occurred in whispers. He however decided it was best only to tell her certain promises were made, and that the other attendant had broken one.
It was a long time before anyone went up the path along the hill. And when they did, they saw three strangely twisted tsubaki trees next to the old one that had been there before.
