"Daiyu!" Jia shouted as she ran over to me, engulfing me in a tight embrace, her skinny arms coming around my body as she clung to me. "I've missed you."
I had just arrived at the palace a few moments ago. After the servants had let me bathe, they had dressed me in a pretty hanfu. It hadn't taken long for Jia to hear wind of my return, thus causing her to rush to the palace and embrace me so affectionately.
Pulling back, she stared at my face, her gaze darting from my face to my body before she bit her lower lip. "Are you truly alright? Fang had written to me saying you were fine, but I couldn't stop from fearing that . . . that something unimaginable had happened to you."
"I'm fine," I said. I motioned towards Nikator, who was lounged on one of the couches in my room, fast asleep. "Nikator was assisting me throughout the journey, and prior to coming to the base, I had a run in with Atreus, who helped me escape from the men that had captured me."
Jia sighed in relief and sat down on the padded ground as servants came in to pour our tea. I took a set across from her. "That's reassuring," she said as she took her tea. "You're very lucky that Atreus came to your rescue."
"I wouldn't have made it out safely without him."
"Still, it must've been terrifying."
"It was," I recounted. "I thought I was going to . . . have horrible things done to me."
"They didn't touch you, did they?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, Atreus was with the party. He was sent as a spy, and he didn't expect me to be their target."
"I see, that's good." She took a sip of her tea and lowered it in her hands. "General Hai—you know, the man that used to lead the rebel army before Meilin did, the one that Meilin wanted to become the emperor?—well he's been in charge of the palace since Meilin is away, and he's been trying to weed out all the enemy soldiers within these walls."
I shivered. "Enemy soldiers?"
I remembered my captors saying something about how the guards were taken care of. Were they able to take me because there were enemies within the palace?
"Yes, he's found quite a few that had a role to play in your capture."
"Have they been executed?"
She shrugged. "I don't really know; I would assume so. Either that or Hai is trying to get information from them."
"I still haven't met General Hai," I said. "You know, a year ago, I never would have thought that I would be so caught up with this empire and its leaders. I never thought that I would meet the emperor or the generals or the commanders."
Jia bobbed her head, taking a long gulp from her cooled tea. "I know exactly what you mean. Feels kind of weird, doesn't it? I sometimes look at Fang and wonder how any of this even worked out. It always surprises me with how life twists and turns. Speaking of life changing, have there been any changes with you and Meilin? Have you at least kissed him yet? Or maybe even more?" Jia's pretty face was colored with mischief as she waggled her brow at me.
Red and pink hues stained my cheeks and I vehemently shook my head. "Of course not! He hasn't touched me that way and I haven't either."
Her shoulders dropped in disappointment. "Really? That's a disappointment. I thought maybe he'd kiss away your worries since you were kidnapped and all."
"Meilin wouldn't do that," I mumbled, embarrassed. I took my own tea cup and sipped on it, tasting the honeyed tea. "Besides, I'm sure he's waiting until the wedding until . . . you know."
"I can't believe Meilin is going to wait!" Jia giggled. "Good for him and good for you."
"Jia, you're embarrassing me." I shot a look at the sleeping Nikator and lowered my voice. "Plus, what if Nikator hears this? That'll be even more embarrassing."
"It's not like he hasn't heard of it before." She rolled her eyes. "Nikator is a young man, Daiyu, I'm positive he knows what happens under the sheets."
I blushed darker at that thought, knowing full well what was going to happen on my wedding night. "Still, no need to talk about it!" I said.
"You're so cute like that," Jia said as she patted my shoulder. "Anyway, enough of me teasing you, I want to know how my stupid husband is doing. Is my darling really as injured as they say? Is he healing?"
Pushing a stray hair that had fallen from my up-do, I smiled. "Fang is doing well. He is recuperating just fine and he should be completely healed soon. "
"That's good to hear," she breathed out. "Kang has been crying and wanting to see his father for such a long time, and I've been worrying so much too. It's really hard to tell about people's condition through letters, you know? I'm not really sure if Fang is saying he's alright so to not cause me worry, or if he really is ok. It's frustrating."
"How is Kang doing?"
"He's fine. He's a little sad that Yat-sen is gone, since he liked to play with him. I guess playing with me gets a little boring for him," she said with a soft laugh. "He misses Fang a lot and doesn't understand why he has to go away."
"Hopefully this war ends soon." I took another sip from my cup. "It's odd, isn't it? Four years ago Meilin took over the throne with his rebel army, and now there are rebel forces trying to take the throne back. No matter what happens, there's still war."
"A lot of people aren't happy with Meilin on the throne. They think he's oppressive and that he's a ruthless leader," Jia said lightly. "But in all honesty, Meilin is a great leader and if you go to any poor village around the Huo Empire, they'll tell you that their lives have improved with him on the throne."
That piqued my interest, considering how my village hadn't gotten better or worse. "Really? Why is that?"
"The poorer villages, especially on the outskirts, were usually raided by the tribes and clans. Children and women were usually taken and sold off to slavery," she explained. "Meilin has made it so that his people—the people from the Huo Empire—aren't sold off to slavery. He's really fighting to make sure no one gets taken from those villages and he's posted many soldiers on the borders."
"He doesn't like the concept of slavery," Nikator suddenly said from his spot on the couch. He sat up and rubbed the back of his head, yawning loudly with his mouth wide open. "Master knows it's foolish to think he can stop all slavery, but he doesn't want it to happen in his empire, at the least."
Jia bobbed her head in agreement. "Meilin has banned the selling, capturing, and ownership of slaves in our empire. Haven't you heard of this all, Daiyu?"
I shook my head. Truthfully, matters like that usually concerned the capital and bigger cities, whereas my small village had no interest in those matters. I had heard that the Dragon had applied some odd laws, but I had never had any interest in them since they had nothing to do with me, my family, or my village.
"Anyhow, I hope this war ends soon," Jia said with a sigh as she placed her tea down. Meanwhile, Nikator snuggled against the couch and tried to get comfortable once more. "I can't wait for your wedding, Daiyu. So many dresses to choose from, jewelry, food, and celebration! It'll be a thrill."
"I suppose . . . "
"It'll be lots of fun," she said enthusiastically.
I didn't say anything and only stared at my tea, looking at the still water-like liquid. Marrying Meilin was a hard concept for me to grasp, since I still didn't understand who he was and why he did whatever he did.
"Don't worry too much," Jia said once she saw my expression. She leaned over and patted my hand. "Fang has known Meilin for twenty years now and he says that Meilin isn't as bad as everyone thinks he is. He might be cruel at times and he might not be the nicest person to be with, but he's honestly not that bad of a person."
My brows came together and I tilted my head to the side as I watched her. "Twenty years? How old is Fang?"
Jia smiled. "Twenty-seven."
"He's known him . . . for a long time." Since Meilin was thirty-seven, that meant that they had met when Meilin was seventeen and Fang was seven.
"Did Meilin tell you how old he is?"
I nodded.
"Isn't it a shock?" Jia giggled and waved her hand around. "I honestly had no idea he was in his thirties. Can you believe that? He can pass as an eighteen year old and here he is, twenty years older than he looks. If that's how Dragon's blood works, sign me up!"
We both laughed at that and once our laughter subsided, I asked her simply, "How did Fang and Meilin meet?"
"Fang and Bohai were both orphans in their village and they were friends. Meilin stumbled upon them one day and took them along on his adventures. They're all like brothers to each other; though, Meilin would never use the word brother." Jia tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I've never really asked much about them meeting. All I know is that they traveled together for a long time and it wasn't until five years ago that they returned to the Huo Empire and decided to participate in the war."
I still couldn't figure out Meilin. Was he evil or good? I had so many questions about him, but I sadly couldn't ask him anything or spend time with him to understand his character, since he was far away fighting in a war against people that wanted his head.