Marked [COMPLETE]

four

"You'll never go back home. I'll make sure of it." I screamed in horror as Yanli's father grabbed my throat and squeezed as hard as he could.

"Father, please! Let her go, I beg of you!" Yanli cried, tugging at his much stronger father.

"This trash doesn't deserve to be alive, don't fight for her!" He replied, shoving him away and then throwing me across the room.

"Yusheng!" I woke up with a startle, screaming and backing away from the shadowed figure next to me. "Yusheng, it's me, Qianli."

"I'm, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" I asked, holding my throat in pain as the memories of that time rushed through my mind.

"It sounded like a nightmare. Are you alright?" He questioned, earning a nod.

"I'm fine. I've had these for a while, but I've been better since that man died." I answered, making him even more concerned.

"Did that man, hurt you? In more ways than one?" I nodded in response, not wanting to voice aloud what he did to me. I was past it, stronger than it, and I didn't want to have it crawl back into my life.

"It's in the past, I've made my peace," I said, earning a nod of understanding from Qianli. "How much longer?"

"We're about to land, actually. I was coming in to alert you when I heard crying. It made me forget about the initial reason for coming in here." He replied with an awkward chuckle.

I followed him to the cockpit, locking myself in the seat and awaiting the pull of gravity I was all too familiar with. Once we landed, I was nervous and excited all at once. The landscape was so familiar to me, but also so foreign.

"Don't forget to get dressed. You wouldn't want to meet your parents in your sleepwear, would you?" Qianli said, making me blush from embarrassment as I ran back to the bedroom. When I returned a few minutes later, he was a bit confused. "Not doing up your hair?"

"I, I don't know how. Yanli always helped me." I replied, a bit ashamed of my words as the guilt of how I left him ached my heart again.

"No worries. Once we get you home, you'll have plenty of servants to fix up your hair for you." He said, smiling as he took my hand and led me off the ship.

We walked slowly, allowing me to explore everything along the way to the Palace. All the sights and smells I had long forgotten came back to mind, and I smiled happily as we got closer and closer to my old home. I got strange looks at my wild hair, but I didn't even mind as I ran around happily like a child once again.

Once the tall gates were in front of me, my worries came back. Things were no longer the same, and I was no longer the Princess of the nation. I looked to Qianli for assurance, which he happily gave as he led me inside. He brought me to a smaller residence and took me inside, where a few servants were already gathered and ready.

"They will help you get washed and freshen up your appearance. The emperor would want a lively princess around, not that you're very dirty. But, as you understand, our rules are a little strict." He explained, smiling at me to give me strength. He then took his leave, allowing the girls around me to begin their duties.

A warm bath awaited me, one I hadn't had in a long time. The cold was all I knew, so it was very refreshing to feel the water ease my sore muscles. I was washed with the finest of soaps and perfumes, making sure I would appear presentable. After they dried my hair, the girls set to work on tying it up and pinning it with the best gold I'd seen in years.

A clean outfit of silk was given to me, and makeup was applied to my face. It wasn't something I was used to, but I knew that it was required for young women to do such work, so I did not complain. As I walked outside, Qianli was waiting for me by the doorframe. He smiled in awe at my newly found appearance, and stumbled a bit, even losing his footing on the steps.

"Don't trip. We wouldn't want a prince to cut his face without a war to prove bravery, now would we?" I said, earning a look of embarrassment from the elder.

"Forget about that matter." He quickly replied, clearing his throat and fixing his appearance. "Follow me to the throne room, Your Highness."

A sound of a gong announced our arrival. I flinched at the sound, not used to the loud noises of the planet, but kept my composure as best as I could while we walked into the grand hall.

"Crown Prince Zhiyan and Princess Yusheng have arrived!" A eunuch announced, earning gasps from the ministers and others in the crowd as we made our way to the front of the building.

The two of us bowed before the emperor and empress, showing our respects to the leaders of the nation. I heard a cane come towards me, and I looked up, meeting eyes with my father. I couldn't understand what had happened to him, since he now had a cane and a lost expression. It was so different from the fierce eyes I'd always seemed to remember.

"Is it, is it really my little Rui'er?" He softly asked, on the verge of tears. He held his hands out and touched my face, and I realized what had happened to make him lose his power.

"Father, it's me. I, I've missed you so much!" I cried out, getting up and hugging him, tears staining his clothes.

"She has the mark of royalty, and remembers what had happened that day. I can vouch and verify that this is the Lost Princess Yusheng." Qianli announced, bowing again before his parents.