Saya

Saya is the protagonist of Dragon Sword and Wind Child, the first book in the Magatama Trilogy.

Overview
Saya was found as an abandoned infant in the forests; her origins were unknown. She was adopted by a childless elderly couple and raised to worship the children of the God of Light. By the time she was a young maiden, Saya was regarded as being beautiful, though unusual. She also held a secret infatuation to become the bride of Prince Tsukishiro, one of the children of the God of Light.

On the eve of a village festival celebrating the Children of Light, Saya encounters Torihiko and other members of the People of Darkness, who worship the Goddess of Darkness. Saya is fearful of their presence, particularly when they recognize her as the Water Maiden, the princess of the People of Darkness, and mark her resemblance to Sayura, the previous Water Maiden. Soon afterward, Prince Tsukishiro appears before her; intrigued by her resemblance to Princess Sayura, he arranges for Saya to become one of his handmaidens at the Palace of Light.

At the palace, Saya immediately incurs the ire of Princess Teruhi, the sister of Tsukishiro, and realizes that Saya is the current incarnation of the Water Maiden. Despite her efforts to adjust to palace life, Saya feels out of place and quietly resents how Tsukishiro is actually more interested in her connection to Sayura than herself. When Torihiko appears at the palace under the guise of being her personal attendant, Saya reluctantly becomes involved with the plot of the People of Darkness to recover the Dragon Sword, the only weapon than can slay of Child of Light. Furthermore, as the Water Maiden, she discovers that only she can quell the angry spirit from which the sword was forged from. Saya discovers the sword is being quelled by a third Child of Light, Chihaya, whose attraction to darkness has made him suitable for acting as a proxy-Water Maiden. Saya, Chihaya, and Torihiko manage to escape the Palace of Light with the sword, though Torihiko winds up in the body of a crow when his human body is left behind.

While living with the People of Darkness, Saya gradually accepts her role as their princess and as the Water Maiden. She develops a close relationship with Chihaya, whom is recognized as the Wind Child, destined to wield the Dragon Sword in the war between the forces of Light and Darkness.