Red Snow

Chapter 14

Bai Qian woke up drenched in a cold sweat. She looked around her surroundings, Bai Qian was still on her bed in the peach orchard. Ye Hua was still asleep soundly beside her. The world wasn't blazing around her.

As quietly as she could, Bai Qian got out of bed. She sat down by the porch wearing nothing but her sleeping robe. Although the air was chilly, it did not bother her. Bai Qian had faced much worse.

She wrapped her arms around her knees, a lot worse.

The nightmares were getting worse. Every night, Bai Qian had been plagued by dreams she didn't understand. Some of them were vague childhood memories, others were eldritch visions. The worst of it was her past crimes. The places she burnt down, the people she killed, the battles she fought. As if the universe were laying out her mistakes for her to see.

"Can't sleep?" He asked her.

Bai Qian sighed and rested her head on his lap, "Yeah, " 

He ran his fingers through her hair, "Was my snoring too loud?" 

Bai Qian laughed and nudged his chest, "No, " 

"Then?" 

"There's a lot on my mind, that's all," she confessed. 

"Why?" He asked.

Bai Qian looked out to the peach orchard, winter was fast approaching, and the trees were bare now. Various animals were preparing for hibernation, the whole forest seemed to be quieter now.

"When one thinks of the future, one couldn't help but to recall the past, " Bai Qian murmured out.

Ye Hua stopped combing her hair, "Are you that nervous for the future?" 

"No, " Bai Qian said, "I'm just afraid my past will come back and haunt me, " 

She looked up at him. Ye Hua looked so much like Mo Yuan, it's scary. If her dreams about her father were a memory resurfacing, did Mo Yuan really kill her entire family just to get Da Ji?

No wonder, she drank the soup of forgetfulness.

If this was true, Bai Qian couldn't marry Ye Hua. If she does so, it would seem like a betrayal. Then again, Bai Qian didn't know how to feel about her family's demise.  Because Bai Qian couldn't remember them, she couldn't recall their love and affection for her, their time and attention. Nor are their arguments or tantrums.

To Bai Qian, her family was nothing, but titles. Da Ji was her only family. 

Ye Hua just smiled down at her, "Qian Qian, as long as we're together, there's nothing to worry about, " 

Bai Qian snuggled closer to him, he's right of course. As long as they're together, they could face anything in the world. And soon enough, Bai Qian would form a new family with him, the one that she would never forget. 

On the day of their wedding, they had everything set up ready. Red garlands decorated the walls. Offerings were arranged on the table outside. Despite the snow, they managed to light the red candles with the incense burner between them. 

When Ye Hua came out wearing his wedding robe, Bai Qian was awestruck. He had never looked more handsome. The vermilion robe complemented his golden skin, his hair tied neatly into a knot with a long red ribbon. 

Her blush matched her wedding dress. Thankfully, Ye Hua couldn't see her embarrassment under her red veil.

Ye Hua stepped closer to her and held her hands delicately. 

"I can't wait to lift off that veil, " he told her, "After tonight, you are mine, " 

Bai Qian squeezed his hands, "And we will be together forever, "