Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hern tells a story about a young boy named Takeo and young girl named Kaede who embark on an epic journey after unimaginable tragedies. Many characters in the story exemplify characteristics that contribute to the plot and adventure of the main characters. The second protagonist Kaede is supervised by her maid Shizuka whose characteristics are mysterious, loyal, and strong. Shizuka’s traits contribute to Kaede’s adventure and affects other characters around her as well. When Shizuka was first introduced, she seemed to be a rather mysterious character. According to Hearn “He leaned low from the saddle to tell her something; she nodded with deep seriousness and then gave the horse a slap on its flank…There…show more content… In the beginning she had seemed to be a scatterbrained maid who seemed incapable of anything. However later on she demonstrates her strength, for example, “I tried harder after that, but she was skillful and amazingly strong. It was only after the second bout that I began to get the upper hand, and then only after her instruction.” (143) Takeo fights with Shizuka for the first time, however in the first bout Takeo was reluctant to try very hard until later, which still did not help him. This is significant because even Takeo could not lay a scratch on Shizuka despite sparring a couple bouts. Takeo had been learning how to sword fight at the Otori residents for with top sword fighters yet up against Shizuka, he couldn’t trip her without her instructions. Another way Shizuka is portrayed as a strong character is when, “Shizuka went with a slow reluctance, and Kaede heard her complain quietly to the guards, heard their laughter in response. She called for the maids to bring her tea and, when she had drunk it, sat gazing out onto the garden, trying to calm her fears, trying to be as courageous as Shizuka”(216) Shizuka asks Kaede to write a poem for her so she can take it to the Otori and deliver a message. She tries to hide a fear from her face which Kaede catches and wishes she could do the same. This is significant because Shizuka, despite being worried and fretful, was able to remain clam and act quickly. She was able to get past the guards and make her way to the Otori, which fascinates Kaede to how brave she was in doing so. Conclusively, Shizuka proves herself to be strong both physically and
