MOONLIGHT NINJA

EPILOGUE

I smile in relief upon hearing his words but I need to bring back my strong father who never cries and is always looking brave. The father that I very much admire and look up to; the person who inspires me to be a warrior — my father; my hero. "Baba, I am alive. Please stop crying. I never died; I was somewhere safe and... the villagers are safe too. They are currently in the Mountain of Dark Skull." I lift his face and wipe his tears. "I am strong just like you, remember? It will take more than the entire Hsien army to kill me. I am, after all, your daughter; your very own flesh and blood!" I lift my arms to flex them.

My father chuckles but this time out of humor. "Am I not talking to my daughter's ghost?"

"No, baba."

He exhales deeply and smiles. There are still tears in his eyes but those are happy ones. "I am happy that you are alive." He pulls me to him and engulfs me in a warm embrace. Surprisingly, a memory of me surges through. A memory of him cradling and comforting me, an infant me, lovingly in his arms as I cry.

"You say that the villagers are alive?"

"Yes, baba..."

We both stand up and he tells me, "Good. We better hurry and fetch them so we can start rebuilding our village."

"Yes, baba." I reply. "Oh, I have something to ask of you."

"What is it, my daughter?"

I bow my head respectfully and request, "Please allow me to become a warrior, baba."

There is a moment of silence so I start to blabber, "I mean, I don't need to join the military since females are not allowed but I really want to become a warrior..."

My father smiles and I know that I get his approval when he taps my shoulder. "You are my daughter. Being a warrior is in your blood so there is no sense saying no to you." He looks behind me and say, "I see that you have something with you."

I touch the linen-wrapped sword hanging at my back. "It is a jian given to me."

"I see." He comments while nodding his head. " Anyway, I haven't told you this but we are actually descended from the first dragon warrior."

"What is his name, baba?"

My father beams brightly and looks ahead. "Well, I will tell you everything I know about him while we walk to the Mountain of Dark Skull, how is that?"

I bob happily and we start to walk to do the direction of the mountain.

°°°°°°°°°°°°

The moon looks glorious as it stakes its claim on the milk-streak dark sky. It's light shone like a glimmer of diamonds descending down the World Under Heaven. Beneath the light-splashed cape of darkness, a gentle fall of thin snow cascades down to the sparsely covered wet ground.

The trees and plants in the garden are in hibernation but nonetheless they still look beautiful in the winter-conquered land. But their beauty lack a certain luster, maybe because of the somber palette or the absence of colorful butterflies and playful birds that are conspicuous during the spring and summer; or maybe something else.

Li Lei Shuang stares listlessly around, noticing the dreary stillness of her garden. Everything may have looked beautiful but it feels so unnatural.

'If winter comes and you feel sad, just call me, and together, we will reminisce the wonderful memories that happens during the last spring season.'

The princess breaks down in tears at the recollection.

'I promise that I will become the strongest warrior in Chixian Shenzhou because I want to protect you. I will never leave you, Li Lei Shuang.'