The fated ones

Chapter 8

“your medicine is ready. Would you need something sweet to set off the bitter aftertaste?” she asked evading his question.

“yes, please.” He answered forgetting his question and just staring at her dreamlike beauty.

She came and sat beside him, handing over the bowl of medicine. He was disappointed to see that she won’t be feeding him the medicine herself. This reminded him of the question he had asked her a few minutes ago. He wondered if she had evaded his question or just hadn’t heard it like before. So, after finishing the medicine he asked her again.

“where do you come from xaio jiu? Tell me about your family.” He asked again softly.

But instead of answering him, she just took the bowl of medicine from his hands and handed him a plate of cut up tangerines saying, “here, this will help cut the bitter taste of the medicine.”
With that said, she took another bowl and moved out the back gate.

She was definitely evading him, he thought to himself trying to figure out why. The only valid reason he could come up with was that she was shy and not familiar enough with him to confide in him yet.

Getting up, he slowly moved towards the back gate to see her. He stayed out of her line of vision lest he ends up getting scolded again for moving around too much. He saw her feeding the medicine to little white, her face full of concern for the horse. She looked so serene in that moment with her long black hair falling luminously like a waterfall down her back. Her eyes filled with affection for the horse, her eyebrows all scrunched up with worry and her full red lips pursed up in concentration. He studied every facet, every curve and angle of her face, committing it to memory. Never in his life had he seen a face so ethereal. after being with her just a few hours, he could confidently say that it was not just her face that was beautiful but her heart too. The way she cared for the horse showed a soul full of love and compassion. She treated that wounded animal with more care and respect than he had seen humans treat other humans with. He felt his heart beat rise so rapidly that his cheeks flushed at the thought.

Moving back to the bed, he lied down and waited for her to come back inside. This time, he would not be asking her any intrusive questions but he would tell him all about himself, he resolved. This way she would not be weary of me, the more she will know me, the more she will feel comfortable and then she might talk to me on her own accord, he surmised.

Confident in his plan, he started talking about himself, the moment she walked back in. he started by telling her about his parents who had always been good to him and loved him unconditionally.

“they would dote on me day and night. They were always looking after my every need.” He said lovingly.

“were?”

“they passed away when I was 15. Killed on their way back home one night”, he said lost in their memories.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It is what it is. It’s been 20 years since then. I no longer grieve them and wouldn’t have wanted me to. they had a happy life and I like to remember them by those.”

She was very surprised to hear that. How much he must have suffered to have such maturity, she thought.

“after their deaths, my grandfather had to step in. the old man loved me too but he had to harden up for the sake of the country. After my father, the throne couldn’t have been left empty. He was too old to take the throne again so I had to step up. That was the hardest part of it all, not being allowed to mourn for them properly. My grandfather took over my education, he showed me how to handle the responsibilities that came with being an emperor. He was a strict teacher but I understood that I didn’t have the luxury of time to learn which in turn did not give him the luxury of leniency. What was usually done over a period of many decades, he had to do in as short a time as possible. He had to turn me into a ruler, the people respected from a boy prince they used to love. That’s why his harshness showed me his love. It was in respect of that love, I devoted myself to him and the kingdom fully. And I have never regretted that decision.”

he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t see the tears running down feng jiu’s face. Her heart had been so moved by his story that she could feel his pain seeping into the air through him towards her. This boy had suffered so much but never said a word; he had loved his family so deeply that he had taken every hurt silently for them, she thought.

Looking back at her he saw tears running down her face. For some reason, this was more painful for him than all his injuries combined. He slowly got up and walked to her side. Cradling her little face, he wiped her tears with his thumbs softly.

“don’t cry jiu jiu. Never cry. No one is worth your tears least of all me. Never cry, jiu jiu, never cry.” He kept repeating until she finally looked up at him, no longer crying.

“I am sorry for getting all emotional on you. It’s just when you said you never got to mourn for your parents that broke my heart. i understand your situation but my heart still says that every kid should have the right to mourn his parents.” She said looking at the pain in his eyes that he so desperately tried to hide.

He knew she could see the pain inside him but didn’t have the heart to let it out now. caressing her face, he softly murmured, “maybe one day that kid will get his chance, maybe one day.”

She took her time studying his face, she had already known he was a part of the nobility but she couldn’t have guessed he was an emperor. He didn’t have that arrogance on him. Pondering on this fact she suddenly realised, he hadn’t told her his name yet.

“you know, you never told me your name”, she said softly.

Hearing this, he laughed.
“you mean all this while that you have been taking care of me and you hadn’t known who I am?” he asked thoroughly amused.

“how is this related to me taking care of you?”

“my little jiu jiu, did you just got to know I am an emperor when I told you?”

“judging from your robes, I had thought you must be a part of the nobility. i had no clue about anything else. Why are you laughing?” he was confusing her now.

“because my little jiu jiu, you are a beautiful and kind soul. Most of the people would only care for someone they could gain anything from. And for them, I as the emperor, am the most prized possession. Aside from my parents and grandfather nobody had ever cared for me as a person. That is why I am laughing jiu jiu, at the situation I am in. the next person to care for me is a small and loving woman who has no clue who I am. you xaio jiu, you are a breath of fresh air in this stale and rotten life of mine. You are so kind, compassionate and loving. You had no clue who I was or what I could give you in return but you still saved me again and again. thank you jiu jiu.”

She blushed at hearing this and turned away from him to hide her reddening cheeks. But he had already seen her blush rising and chuckled softly.
Irritated at being the source of his humour, she redirected the conversation back to her original question. “you still haven’t told me your name.”

“I am the emperor of chen dynasty. My name is wen chang”