The Last Dahlia

048

His cheeks were gaunt and his frame emaciated, with an unnatural shade of grey painting his wrinkled skin. For a moment she wondered if he was already dead, but the erratic rise and fall of his chest told her otherwise.

"You are the princess of Dahai, child, and this is your father the king. He would be glad to know that you are safe, and that you have returned to us," Lady Kang explained.

The princess of Dahai?

She let the title roll back and forth in her mind, but somehow it didn't seem to fit.

"What happened to him? To me?"

"We are at war, and the other kingdoms have turned their backs on us. If we lose, Dahai shall fall into the hands of those who wish to steal our riches and our land. They have poisoned your father in an attempt to debstabilise our army, and they tried to hold you hostage too. Now that you have returned, we are depending on you to lead us to victory. The time has come to make our final stand, Your Highness."

Yuehwa sat down beside the old man—her father—and took his bony hand in hers. Was this her father? How had things become this way? Why could she not remember? The more she tried to recall past events, the worse her headache became.

"Why can't I remember any of this?"

"They have a master of poisons among them. The White Scorpion. Ask anyone, and they will tell you how cruel and bloodthirsty he can be. He is the one responsible for your condition, and the king's too."

"The... White Scorpion..."

Her heart trembled. A slight fluttering, barely noticeable, but there nonetheless. She recognised that name. A hazy silhouette formed in her mind—a man, with robes of flowing white—but she simply could not make out the features of his face.

"He also has a second identity. Hwang Minjun, crown prince of Feng."

"Feng... They are the ones who are leading this offensive against us?"

"Not only them. Feng, Hwa and Gi have banded together. They hanker after the wealth that the ports of Dahai provide. They want to divide up our kingdom like a slab of meat. We cannot allow that to happen. You cannot allow that to happen." The lady walked up to her and placed a heavy stone seal in her hands, carved out of red coral. "This is the royal seal of Dahai. Before he lost consciousness, your father wanted you to have this." She knelt before Yuehwa, bowing her head in deference. "The survival of our kingdom depends on you, Your Highness."

Yuehwa wrapped her fingers around the smooth surface of the steal, staring down at the dragon carved on top, riding upon turbulent waves. There was an inexplicable anger that was rising up inside her, one that she could not put a finger on.

Feng. Hwa. Gi.

Hwang Minjun.

Hot tears began to well in her eyes. Frustration at not being able to remember. Helplessness at not knowing what she was supposed to do.

Lady Kang wrapped an arm around her in a comforting embrace. The lady's perfume, a subtle fragrance of orchids, calmed her nerves and made them settle back down. Like a sedative. The anger and confusion she had been feeling subsided back into the fog.

"Hush darling, it's alright. Everything will come full circle. We shall get our revenge..."

She closed her eyes, drifting back into a restless slumber.

#

In the depths of night, Shoya slipped unnoticed past the weary Dahai guards and into the enemy camp. He did a quick survey of the surroundings, trying to determine where they might be keeping Yuehwa.