Snow started falling. The serene nature of the fluttering white fluffs at odds with the chaos that they were about to land on. Ye An could hear Ah Lin yelling at the top of his lungs. "Fall back! Get into formation!"
The soldiers shuffled away from the wall as one when thousands of Northern warriors pushed their way through the now breached border.
Xi Chen turned to Ye An, urgency coloring his eyes, "Your Imperial Majesty, I need to head down at once. Please keep close." He didn't wait as his feet started their motion and his eyes zeroed in on the Northerners' attempt to infiltrate the towers by the gate.
"Of course." Ye An replied, the slight tremble in her voice was drowned by the hubbub of the men around them. She didn't want to let her fear show, especially after saying all those things to Xi Chen. But to be honest, she was scared. Ye An had never encountered anything like this and she was too preoccupied during their journey here to fully realize the gravity of what was happening. Now, just like the snow melting into the ground, the weight of reality was finally sinking in. Like an anchor on the seabed, it was holding Ye An captive, bringing everything to her attention.
Xi Chen turned away from the Northerners and quickly bellowed at the archers around them. "Lock the towers this instant!"
After giving that instruction, Xi Chen finally focused his gaze on Ye An. If it was anyone else, they might have missed the dread and fear in Ye An's well-composed eyes. Not him though. With soldiers rushing and bustling around them, Xi Chen's sharp eyes softened as he gently held Ye An's hand. "It's alright, I'm here."
Ye An jerked her hand away. She didn't want Xi Chen to treat her like some tragic damsel in distress. But she caught the hurt look in Xi Chen's eyes, albeit for a brief moment. "It's-" Ye An started to explain but ended up sighing. "There are too many people here."
Ye An could practically see the thoughts running through Xi Chen's mind. His honest eyes bored into hers. "Your Imperial Majesty, I think we need to have a proper talk when all of this ends."
Ye An looked away. "Maybe. But we need to focus on this battle for now. Since I don't plan to die here and I assume that you don't either."
Xi Chen gave Ye An a meaningful look, the gold in his eyes swirled like fresh honey. "Yes. I don't. Not yet, anyway."
After that exchange, Xi Chen led Ye An down the tower. They were at the bottom of the wall in no time. While descending the stone steps, Xi Chen grabbed a soldier who was passing by and ordered him to lock the door after them which he gladly obliged. The door was instantly locked after both he and Ye An stepped out to the now snow-covered ground.
Xi Chen's original plan was to make a beeline towards Ah Lin but that plan was smashed into smithereens when a throng of Northerners noticed them. It didn't help that they soon recognized Ye An based on the dragon motifs on her armor.
As the Northern warriors marched towards Ye An and Xi Chen, both of them brandished their swords at once. The battle had only just started but Ye An could already smell the iron tang of blood in the air. The cold chill of winter had long since held a tight grasp here and the snow was falling heavier by the minute. For the acrid smell to reach her, there must already have been a significant loss of blood somewhere. It took a lot of effort for Ye An to keep the hand that was holding her sword steady.
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THE DAY EMPEROR: 阳明王 【The Night Emperor Book 2】
Historical Fiction"There are enough bad things in life, hold on to whatever it is that gives you joy." In the months after Ye An had ascended to the throne, she has learned about all the secrets that were kept from her. Secrets that had spanned generations. But is th...
