Year of the Boar, Tenth Month, Day 14.

These past days have been fraught to say the least. It has been quite a challenge to recruit spies and an army without being found out. I have been giving the matter of war a great deal of consideration and I have concluded that in order to honour my House, I will not be able to wage an entirely honourable war. White Lake must not know we are coming until we are upon them. The other Houses must also remain in ignorance lest I ignite a Kingdom-wide war. This is not my intent, of course. I have no quarrel with most of the other Houses but I do not think I can ever rest again until I have razed White Lake to the very ground it stands upon. I fear that if the other Houses discover what I am about, I shall have to deal with them as well as White Lake which will lessen my chances of a speedy success. The child within me has been active these past few days and I tire easily but I must try to put it aside so that I can concentrate on avenging my House. 
So far, Azusa has interviewed the veterans who remained on my lands after White Lake left and all but three of them have agreed to fight once more for their House. I have had to promise all but the Moon herself in order to secure some younger men and still, we have only two cohorts. Azusa and I have talked extensively about tactics and our most senior military man is of the opinion that we must have at least twelve in order to take White Lake without too much blood on our hands. We must also leave cohorts behind to defend Silent Thunder for although White Lake is only across the border, it would be foolhardy to leave my own House completely undefended...
I ventured out to the temple yesterday evening and offered sutras and a lotus as the bells rang for evening prayers... the sticks burnt down completely as I knelt there communing with the Goddess but I know not if she hears me... I spoke to the monks and they pray constantly for my child... I have not told them my intentions regarding White Lake for monks wander and I cannot have the news spread accidentally ... nor can I be completely sure that another House has not planted a spy in my temple... it would be the perfect cover after all...a monk arriving for alms and shelter whilst he journeys about the Kingdom, deciding to stay a little longer... no one would raise even an eyebrow...Perhaps I should not have told them of my pregnancy... enough...! I grow even more paranoid. This self-indulgence will not win a war. I must sleep for there is much to be done in the morning...