(WANG HUA)
"Be strong, my flower..."
Those words and a smile on her bloodied lips were the last things my Nanny gave to me before the sparkle left her eyes. Before life left her body.
My Nanny is dead.
Nadira killed her. With a dagger on my Nanny's chest that pierced her heart...my Nanny is dead.
And now I am pursuing the person who took someone so precious to me. As fury beyond anything I felt before start to wrap around my broken heart, I fixed myself on one mission.
Kill Nadira.
I will kill her. This day won't be over until I have her lifeless body on my feet.
I will kill her. Or die trying.
I continued running as I ready an arrow on the bow in my hand. I lifted that bow up, focused on my target and without any hesitation released the arrow.
"Uhmp!" Even with the distance between us, I still heard Nadira's gasp when the arrow I released caught the back of her shoulder. I readied another bow and stopped running. "Stop!" I shouted to Nadira. "Or the next arrow will be on your head." I added.
Nadira stopped. Then she turned around to face me. In the darkness on our surrounding, only the half moon serves as our light, I watched as Nadira reached behind her to snap the arrow embedded on her back shoulder. She wouldn't be stupid enough to pull the whole arrow out, that will leave a gaping wound on her body and she will bleed to death.
I don't want her to bleed to death. I want her to die while begging forgiveness for killing my Nanny.
My Nanny.
My poor Nanny.
My vision blurred for a moment before I retract those tears back. This is no time for me to cry. Not now. Not yet.
I still have to avenge my Nanny. From this...monster...who had the gall to smile at me.
"I'm not scared of your arrow, Wang Hua." Nadira said with full confidence. "You seemed trained like your brother but I highly doubt you are as fast as Wang Dao. Didn't I almost kill you inside your home?"
"Then run," I urged her. "Want to know a little secret? Dao is exceptional with daggers, like he said...he never miss. But the secret is, I am better at hitting my target with my arrow than my brother is with his blade. So run, Nadira...and you will learn more secrets about me."
I will give all my secrets to her. And then I will kill her...using all my secrets.
Nadira's smile vanished to be replaced by a fierce look on her eyes. "Kill me and you will start a war. Kingdoms go to war for their Royals." She said.
I shook my head to her. "You are no royal. And even if you are, I don't care. I will kill you, blue blood or not, and will take my just punishment. At least my Nanny will be waiting for me in the afterlife."
Nadira sneered. "You are willing to die to avenge a servant? What about Wang Dao...what will he do if his precious twin die? What about General Wang and that estate manager? The people who loves you..."
She is goading me, I know that. But she won't succeed, I already made up my mind to end her life. I won't be emotional. I won't be swayed. I have her on my sight.
"What will they do? They will raze the Mughal Kingdom for me," I answered in full cold confidence. "They will do what they have to do to rescue me or avenge me. Either way, you will still be dead. And for me, that's all that matters."
Nadira's eyes turn to steel. "I can see that you already made up your mind to die."
She won't be wrong. I have made up my mind the moment my Nanny breathed her last breath.
Nadira gave me an amused smile as she twirled the handle of the thin blade on her hand. "Then let us see who will die tonight, shall we Wang Hua?"
I let go of the bow in my hand to pull my scimitar. "We should. And it will still be you..." I said before attacking Nadira.
It's never my nature to attack. Training under my Baba to gain control so I can defend myself, being on the offensive was never instilled on me. Dao is the offensive one between us.
But tonight is different. This opponent is different. With Nadira, I will be anything I can be. As long as I can kill her. As long as the end result will be her death by my hands.
I swung my scimitar hard with a purpose of killing her but Nadira was trained like me. She easily met my weapon with her sword and a spar sparked between us. Swing after swing, attack after attack, block after block, I danced with her and her sword.
With the night air blowing around us, Nadira manages to avoid every killing move I threw at her. In return, I managed to evade her blade from killing me. I spied blood on her back from the arrow still impaled on her back shoulder, but Nadira doesn't move like someone losing blood. She is trained well.
Well enough that she manages to surprise me and caught my braid. She swung her sword to cut my head but I twisted from her hold and manages to escape. But my half of my hair remained in Nadira's hand when she cut it cleanly in half. My black locks flew all over my face and then fell neatly above my shoulder as I and my opponent stopped moving.
Nadira smirked at me as she threw my hair that she cut on the ground. "Should I apologize? I think your fiance won't be happy with this. I think Prince Jin is quite fond of your long hair."
True. Jin loves my long, shiny and straight hair. But that's not the only part of me that Jin loves so I think he will survive with me having a shorter hair.
Besides...
"It's just hair. It will grow again. You can take it. I will have your life in exchange instead." I said to Nadira evenly.
Nadira snorted in irritation. "I truly hate that confidence of yours. Funny, because I quite love it on your twin. Wang Dao's confidence is...alluring." She then gave me a pleased smile. "Don't worry Wang Hua, I will console your brother once you are dead. He won't grieve you for long."
"At least I am assured that someone will grieve for me. What about you, who will grieve for you?" I couldn't help the amuse laugh from escaping my throat. "Not Wang Dao, my brother won't ever fall for you. Want to know another secret? Dao trusts my judgment. He won't marry or be with anyone that I won't approve for him. And my brother knows that you won't do for him. That I am against any match with you. Dao won't like you. He won't because I said so."
That soured Nadira's expression. I let the amusement from my lips fell away. Now it's my turn to goad her. "The only chance you have of being with my brother is to get me out of the way, Nadira. Maybe, if I am no longer around, Dao might let himself fall for you. But believe me when I said, as long as I am breathing, you will never sink your claws on my brother. I won't permit it."
Nadira inclined her head sideways, "Then I guess I really have to kill you."
"You can try," I readied my blade for her attack. I want her to attack first. I want to play defense. It's what I am best at.
Nadira moved to do what I want her to do. She attacked me with her blade, but instead of meeting her sword with my scimitar, I did something that surely will scandalize my Father. I let my scimitar go to start my campaign to disarm Nadira.
Hand to hand combat has always been my strongest method aside from archery. Using my body, my Wang gift of strength, has never failed me before.
This time is no different.
As I targeted Nadira's sword to get it off her hand, she did everything to skewer me with it. I danced around to avoid her blade, Nadira being faster than me was a problem for sure. Having a faster opponent has always been a problem to me, but training with Dao equipto me with the knowledge on how to handle quick opponents. And no one is faster than my brother.
Besides, all I need is one opening. One touch. One hold. If I could just get a hold of Nadira, any part of her...she is mine.
That opportunity came when I pivoted to my right to avoid her sword again. I grabbed her left arm and focus on my target...the broken and protuding tail of my arrow that is still embedded on Nadira's back shoulder.
I hold Nadira's arm, twisted it and pressed my palm on the broken arrow tail to push it farther in her shoulder. Nadira shouted and more blood spouted from her wound. I pressed on that arrow tail hard until I touched blood and the arrowhead emerged from the other side of Nadira's shoulder. And for the better part, dislocating that part of Nadira as well.
I didn't stop until I broke her shoulder. I only let her go when Nadira got into her knees in pain, her other hand letting go of her blade so she can use it to hold on to her limp, broken shoulder and left arm.
Her face whipped around to look up at me. Fury in her eyes. "You bitch! You useless bitch!" She shouted at me in hatred.
I am not that familiar with the term she is using on me but I do enjoy seeing her in tremendous amount of pain while blood oozes on her wound.
And I also enjoyed watching Nadira's body flew and skittered to the ground when I kicked her. I heard her gasping as air left her body when my leg connected to her limp arm and she was thrown a few feet from the force of the kick.
I calmly walked towards her as Nadira started gathering herself. She finally looked at me with fear in her eyes. She tried getting up but I kept her on the ground by crouching low and grasping her hair in my hand. She struggled in my hold but I tightened my hand on her hair until she shouted in pain. Nadira's good hand moved to take a dagger hidden on her clothes but I easily grabbed that hand as well, gripping it painfully and almost breaking that as well until Nadira let the small blade go.
When I had her securely where I want her, I forced her to face me and I let Nadira see in my eyes the amount of hatred I have for her.
She killed my Nanny...so I will kill her. That's been decided a long time ago.
My eyes went to the arrow protuding on her broken shoulder. Nadira noticed where my gaze landed and her eyes widened in panic. "No! Don't touch it! No!" She cried in fear, clearly remembering the pain when I pushed the rest of that broken arrow on her shoulder from the back.
"It's numb already anyway," I said to her in a tone even I don't recognize I ever used. It's devoid of emotion. Like Nadira's shoulder, my tone sounded numb.
I reached for that arrow, Nadira flinched from my hold but I tightened my hand painfully on her hair again. I pulled her head back, exposing Nadira's neck and shaking her slightly. "Keep still or this will hurt some more," I told her as I grasp the bloodied arrowhead and slowly...ever so slowly, pull the whole thing out of Nadira.
I stayed quiet as Nadira shouted her pain again. It looks like I am mistaken, her bloodied shoulder is not numb yet. Inside me, I struggled to look for my usual sympathy on seeing someone in pain to this feeling of not caring even if I have someone on hand screaming in pain as I inflict it on her.
I am not the Hua my Father raised as a noble lady of our house. This Hua is not the Lady Wang my Father painfully cultured to be the dutiful daughter of General Wang.
I don't know who this person inside me is...but all I can say is that person is enjoying seeing Nadira, the person who killed my Nanny, in pain and suffering.
I turned my eyes to the arrow I pulled from Nadira's body. It was soaked on her blood. Nadira tried struggling again but she is losing more blood as ever, now that the arrow is out of her body. She now sport a gaping, open wound from the arrow. More blood escaped her body.
"You will soon feel lightheaded from blood loss," I told Nadira in a conversing tone. "I read it in a book my Father encouraged me to read. He likes to see me reading, my Father. My Nanny too. She cannot read that well when she got into our household but she quickly learned with me. We studied together, my Nanny and I."
Nadira gave me a baleful look. "What are you sprouting about now, you crazy bitch?!" She shouted at me.
I stared into Nadira's face, but all I can see is my Nanny's killer. I let her hair go so I can grab her throat instead. As tears blurred my vision, I grabbed Nadira's throat and tightened my hand around it. I heard Nadira sputtering and coughing as I make it hard for her to breath but it sounded so distant from me.
I don't sympathize on her suffering. I rejoice in it.
I slowly got into my feet, easily taking Nadira with me. Effortlessly raising my hand and let her dangle in my hold. I look up at her, watch her struggle against my iron hold on her neck. Blood oozing from her wound, her one good hand she used to claw at my hand around her neck.
I watch as Nadira struggle to breath.
"Do you wanna know my biggest secret? I could break every bone in your body, pull you apart limb from limb, using only my bare hands. I could do that...because I am strong. As strong as ten men. It's supposed to be a gift, given to me by my Baba. Passed down in our blood." I looked into Nadira's eyes, now filled with terror. I chuckled at her, "That should have been your first clue that you will die tonight. I am giving you secrets that should never be repeated. I am not stupid to give away our secrets to anyone who will stay alive to spread it around. My Father didn't raise any stupid child. Dao and I, we were not raised like that."
I tightened my chokehold on Nadira again. I watched as she made gurgling sound while turning paler. Her slim neck I can break easily.
I want to kill her so bad. I will kill her.
"HUA!"
Someone shouted my name and my head suddenly cleared from the rage I am feeling. I slowly turned my head slightly to the side to see my brother hurriedly unmounting from his horse, Gentleman, to stand and stare at me in horror.
"Hua, let her go." Dao took a step towards me and Nadira. One hand raised in a halting gesture. "Let her go, Hua. You don't want to do this. You are not like this." He held out that raised hand to me. Pleading on his face my brother continued. "Let her go and I will kill her for you. Let her go, Hua."
Unadulterated fury filled my whole being. My brother is finally here. Wang Dao is here. Wang Dao...his Nanny is still alive. Wang Dao's Nanny is still alive. Mine...mine is dead. Nadira killed my Nanny! My Nanny is dead!
Why is my Nanny dead?!
"Why?! WHY?!" I shouted at my brother as I shook my hand so Nadira will swing in the air like a limp rag doll. I glared at Dao, "I will kill her. She deserve to die. I will kill her with my own hands."
"Hua!" Dao shouted my name. "Stop it right now! Whatever she did, I will punish her. I will. You want her dead, I will kill her. You are not for this, Hua. You are not! Listen to me...Wang Hua!"
"HUA!" Another voice get into the mix and I saw my fiance arriving in his horse as well. Jin jumped from his horse to stand next to Dao. "Hua...my love..."
Hua...his love. Am I really his love? Does he really love me? Does Jin know me? This Hua who holds Nadira in a choking hold with an intention to kill.
How can he say he loves me when he doesn't even know me? The real me...
My brother and my fiance. The two men I intent to grow old with...the two people I want to spend my life close with. They stared at me with scared looks on their eyes. Like they are seeing me for the first time.
Pathetic fools. They don't know me at all. Maybe I should show them who I really am.
I lowered my arm so Nadira's face will be leveled into mine. I look into her struggling face. See into her scared eyes as her one good hand clawed on my wrist with the hand I am using to choke the life out of her.
"S-s-spare m-me..." Nadira struggled mightily to cough those words.
Spare her? Never. I moved her face closer to mine so I can look at the fear on her eyes clearer and so she can hear my chuckle.
"The last secret I will tell you is this...you don't know me. My brother doesn't know me. My fiance doesn't know me. You all think you have me figured out...you are all wrong." I choked Nadira harder as I let hatred fill my whole heart. I turned my eyes to my brother and fiance before continuing. "I am stronger than Dao. More vicious than him. I don't do mercy. Dao is the softhearted one, not me."
As I said that last word, I completely crushed Nadira's neck on my hand, severing the head from the body. Blood spluttered at me as the lifeless form of my Nanny's killer fell on the ground. My eyes remained on my brother and Jin as they watch me kill someone using my bare hand. They couldn't even hide the shock on their faces.
I shook the excess blood and other matter on my hand. My feet slowly move as a certain kind of cold that I never experienced before creeped up on my body. I walked towards my brother and fiance without seeing them. My surrounding not registering on my head.
I just want to be with my Nanny. She needs me. I failed to protect her. But I avenged her death so...maybe Nanny will forgive me soon.
"Hua," Dao's hand on my arm stopped me from my track. I turned my head to him and to Jin. I looked into their faces, pale and scared. "Where were you?" I asked my brother.
Dao gave me a confused look. "Hua...?"
I let the anger in my heart mirrored on my eyes. "Where were you when I needed you? When I called for you? Where were you both?" I looked into Jin's eyes and I pulled away from Dao's hold to continue walking back to the main house. Back to my waiting Nanny.
I didn't wait for their answers. I don't need it. Any answer will just sound like an excuse to me.
They were late. I don't need them anymore. I can kill my own demons now.