"Would you mind handing me some clothes?" Ming Yue asked.
Zhao Weisheng went bright red. Spotting the woman's travelling cloak over a nearby chair, he quickly grabbed it and arranged it over her, covering her exposed skin.
He went to lift her, but she batted his hand away.
"It's not necessary, Your Highness. I'm perfectly fine."
He shot her a stern look.
"Who gives the orders here?"
She had the good grace to look sheepish.
Not waiting for her reply, he picked her up and walked out of the room.
The innkeeper was stood in the hallway, staring at the ruined doors in horror. Weisheng looked him directly in the eye.
"Someone has attacked this lady." He started to walk away, then turned back. "I will compensate you for the doors, but I suggest that in future, you are a little more careful about the customers you take in."
With that, he strode into his room and the doors closed firmly behind him.
Weisheng placed Ming Yue gently on the bed. As he went to remove his arms from around her, she smiled ruefully.
"I seem to be a bit of a trouble magnet at the moment. Sorry."
Weisheng was astonished. Quickly, he gathered himself, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She didn't respond, so he pressed further.
"Did he...touch you?" His face went red again as the awkwardness of the question hit home, and he realised he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"Pretty difficult when you're missing a key appendage," she muttered, recalling the satisfying crunching sound as she'd kneed the man in the crotch. In spite of herself, she giggled.
She looked up at the prince, whose face displayed a mixture of amazement and relief.
"Don't worry," she reassured him. "You arrived very quickly. Thank you." She smiled.
Weisheng stood up and grabbed the back of his neck in frustration.
"I don't understand you," he said. "You were just attacked. That man was going to..." he tailed off, unable to find the right words. "Any other woman would be crying and screaming right now. You, on the other hand. You...!" Again, he stopped.
"I have never met anyone like you," he said, quietly.
Ming Yue ignored the fact that her heart had suddenly started racing
"Is that a good or a bad thing?" she asked, brightly.
"I'll let you know," Weisheng responded, giving her a long look.
Suddenly looking down, Ming Yue realised she was wearing only the shawl and her travelling cloak. She flushed.
"Umm," she said. "I should probably go and find something to wear..." She started to get up, but the prince stopped her by taking her arm.
"Don't move. You are not leaving this spot for the rest of the night," he said, "and certainly not dressed like that! I will bring you some clothes." He walked out of the room.
Exhausted, Ming Yue put her head down on the pillow, intending to only close her eyes for a moment.
When Weisheng returned, she was fast asleep. He sat down on the bed beside her, and gently brushed some loose strands of hair from her face. The thought of him dressing her in her clothes made him blush, but he couldn't bear the idea of anyone else touching her, man or woman. He decided it was probably best to leave things as they stood, so he pulled the cover up to her neck and closed the curtains around the bed. Then, he sat down and waited.
He did not have to wait very long, as Luo Jian appeared within minutes. Weisheng put a finger to his lips, signalling that they should speak quietly to avoid waking the sleeping woman.
"Well?" he asked, in a low voice.
"Taken care of," Luo Jian responded grimly. "It was one of the men from earlier, downstairs. I recognised his face. He won't be doing anything like that again. Ever."
Weisheng nodded his head in satisfaction. Men like that didn't deserve an ounce of leniency.
***
After Luo Jian had returned to his own room, Zhao Weisheng finished writing his report. He was about to put his head down on the couch that had become his bed for the night but, just before he could close his eyes, he heard a murmuring sound from across the room.
Moving as quietly as he could, he walked towards the bed and pushed the curtain to one side.
Ming Yue was asleep, but her expression was tense. Her limbs were rigid, and she looked as though she was in pain."
He sat down on the bed, reached forward, and stroked her hair back from her face, making a soothing noise.
"Shush, shush, it's okay," he whispered. "You're safe now."
Clearly the events of earlier had affected the young woman more deeply than perhaps even she knew, he thought, although he was certain she would never admit it.
All of a sudden, Ming Yue reached out and pulled him down towards her. Without warning, Weisheng found himself lying alongside her, as she turned towards him and buried her head in between his shoulder and his neck, with one hand holding firmly on to his robes.
"Don't go," she muttered. "Just stay."
Even though she was fast asleep, Ming Yue's grip on him was tight, and after several attempts to extricate himself, Weisheng gave up. He shuffled around, looking for the best sleeping position, which ended up being with his arm extended under Ming Yue's head as a human pillow, then he closed his eyes. He didn't think he would be able to sleep with his heart racing this fast, but he had not appreciated how physically and emotionally drained he was, and he was snoring gently in moments.
***
The next morning, Zhao Weisheng woke first, to find Ming Yue still lying in his arms. If it was even possible, their sleeping position had become more intimate overnight. One of her legs had been thrown over his own, and a slender arm rested comfortably on his chest.
As if this wasn't bad enough, she was still only wearing the travelling cloak and the shawl she had wrapped around herself in her moment of urgency the night before.
Weisheng took a moment to look closely at the face of the sleeping woman, resisting the urge to trace a finger over the delicate bone structure. Then, realising that it would be a world of embarrassment for both of them if she woke up now, he shuffled painstakingly across the bed until he was free from their entanglement. He stood up and closed the curtains on the sleeping young woman behind him, groaning at the stiffness in his limbs.
By the time Ming Yue woke, the prince had washed and dressed, and was taking breakfast downstairs in the inn's main dining room. She looked around to see a set of clothes laid out on a chair beside the bed, and a basin of water on a table nearby.
She took her time getting ready, as it was still early, then went next door to her room to retrieve the remainder of her possessions. The doors were barely hanging on to their hinges, and furniture was strewn haphazardly across the floor.
The window was still open. She closed it and gathered her things together. Looking down, she saw the knife her attacker had dropped in his haste to escape lying under a table that had miraculously survived last night's encounter. She picked it up and saw that it was of good quality and a nice weight and size; perfect for concealing in a person's clothing. Seeing no reason to leave it behind, and banking on the fact that, as part of the prince's party, she would not be searched on her return to the palace, she tucked the knife into her boot, then left the scene without a second look.
***
The rest of the journey back to the capital passed without incident until they were within one hour of the city walls. The weather was fine, and the group had made good progress, the general mood lightening considerably the closer they got to home.
Then, they had stopped to water the horses at a small stream, when something at the water's edge spooked one of the animals. The reins were ripped from the hands of the waiting royal guard and the horse took off with a frightened whinny.
Most of the other royal guards received enough warning to get the other animals under control, but another three took off in the same direction as the first, terrified creature.
Luckily, Ming Yue was tending to Xun herself, and was able to project reassuring thoughts into the momentarily startled animal, calming him almost immediately. Looking around at the scene of panic in the temporary camp, she hesitated for only a moment. Throwing herself into the saddle, she pointed Xun in the direction the horses had run and focussed her mind.
The more specific the thought or need, the harder it was to communicate to a creature. Projecting general emotions was never a problem. It came almost naturally to her now. However, sending a real message like the one she was about to try now, required a great deal of concentration.
She took a deep breath and reached out to Xun with her senses.
"Please find them," she said, silently.
Xun skirted impatiently, as if he was eager to move, and Ming Yue gave him his head.
As she had expected, he took off like a shot, galloping across the wide plain in pursuit of his travelling companions. The sheer momentum, and the power of the wind as it whipped across her face, shook Ming Yue's hair free of its bindings, and she laughed with joy at the sensation as they flew across the ground.
Unfortunately for the prince and Luo Jian, they had been inside a carriage with Eunuch Wang going over the plan for when they returned to the capital, including the delivery of the former governor to the Palace of Justice. Consequently, they were unable to react with any speed to the sudden turn of events, only exiting the carriage as the royal guards were bringing the remaining horses under control.
"What on earth is going on?" exclaimed the prince.
A quick glance around the group in front of him told him that they were missing a number of horses and one very important person.
"Where is she?" he demanded of the closest royal guard, without any need to elaborate further.
The unfortunate man gulped.
"She went after the other horses, Your Highness. We were all too busy trying to calm the rest of the animals, and hers was the only one that wasn't spooked," he explained.
Weisheng ran to his own horse, calling for Luo Jian at the same time. After they had both mounted, they turned in the direction of the man's pointing finger and set off at speed.
"I swear, Luo Jian," Weisheng shouted. "She's really done it this time! When I catch up with her, I am going to..." The rest of his words were taken by the wind.