先入為主
xiān rù wéi zhǔ
The first impression takes priority.
First impressions are strongest.
We left the courtyard of the old dowager through a smaller side entrance, then made our way through the majestic forest on foot, following well traversed trails through the trees and ferns. The rocks of the path were worn flat with years of passage, and between them well grown moss glowed like green velvet, looking so soft I wanted to lean down and touch it.
Lu had loved moss.
I turned quickly to Sanli where he walked beside me, holding my arm on his own. "Where are you taking me, my prince?"
Sanli looked at me and grinned. "To Wo You Nai, my courtyard. It's just a short walk further."
I glanced behind us, but Kageyama, who had followed us from Lady Lu's courtyard, had disappeared.
"Sho Sensei has things to take care of, I'm sure. Besides looking after me, he has a number of other responsibilities in the family," Sanli explained, when he saw me searching for the kitsune. "And we are safe here, in the valley. He does not need to follow me like a shadow."
"I was not worried. Just curious," I replied.
We walked in silence for a moment, then Sanli spoke. "I apologize for my... mother."
"She doesn't like you much, does she," I said, my painted lips twisting in a smile.
"No. And to spare you further shock, neither does anyone else in my family. Besides Ermi."
Sanli tried to say it lightly, as though it was no matter to him, but his ever present smile looked thin.
I shrugged, to show him my indifference. "I was not shocked," I replied. "I knew she was not your real mother—" I was wearing too-tall shoes, and at that moment the smooth wood of the bottom slipped on the slick stone.
Sanli held his arm still, to steady me as I found my balance. "Such behavior is expected, when a man adopts his bastard," I finished, finding my balance.
I saw Sanli's mouth twitch when I voiced the last word.
Gently I squeezed his arm, beneath my hand. "Do not take offense, my prince. Your birth means nothing to me. It is just a word."
Sanli's eyes trailed over the forest around us. "When you hear a word so often, it can become something more."
The way he said it, I realized this was indeed something that preoccupied him, that took up his thoughts.
Perhaps it is not only his family who draw a line between them, I thought. The little prince does it on his own.
I halted, pulling Sanli to a stop beside me, and grabbed his chin, turning his eyes down until they met my own.
"Listen. Even before I was what I am now, I had nothing. No name, no family. Everything I gained I took for myself."
Sanli's green eyes widened in surprise as I spoke. My grip on his chin tightened. "You decide who you are, prince. Not your parents, not your family. Not your name. And certainly not some word. Do you understand?"
Sanli blinked, tracing the outlines of my features as though seeing them for the first time. Then, eyes still on my face, he nodded.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Our talk turned to more light hearted topics. I enjoyed walking with Sanli through Lu's forest. The prince kept me amused with stories of all the awkward escapades the local deer population had gotten up to.
"And when I turned around, the stag's face was this close to my own!" Sanli held his thumb and forefinger to show a close distance. "I screamed so loud, it woke half the valley up. Haha, Sho Sensei got so angry at me for sneaking out, he forbade me from leaving my room for a month!" Sanli laughed more at the memory.
I smiled watching him. "You sound like you were a lot to handle as a youth."
"What? Me? No, not at all." Sanli shook his head, then winked. "Sho Sensei deserves a medal."
"And what of your mother? Your real mother? Did she not scold you?" I asked.
Sanli's laughing mood immediately disappeared. "She was dead, by then," he said.
I see.
After several minutes of walking along the loamy paths of the forest, we reached a small clearing in the woods, though it was not so much a clearing as a spot where the trees grew less closely together. Huge branches still stretched high overhead, light shining through the leaves like the mottled green glass ceiling of a mighty temple.
Through the middle of the open space ran a stream, water cool looking and crystal clear as it sluiced over dark rocks. Across the stream a small compound of buildings stood. Unlike the ornate, painted building we had just come from, this one was made of simple wattle and plaster walls.
The walls of the buildings were washed white, but in many places, moss and lichen and mold has started to turn the building back to the color of the forest around it, as though trying to drag the building back to a wild, natural state.
Sanli gestured with mock grandness. "It's not much. In fact, I think it's supposed to be the groundskeeper's courtyard. But it's mine, and it's home."
The compound was small in comparison to Lady Lu's residence, yet still an impressive size. Many smaller buildings, at least ten in number, were all connected together via covered walkways and stone paths. As the compound was constructed on a slope, some of the buildings sat higher than others, offering a view of the woods and stream around them.
The path we were on split, one fork running over a small bridge and across the stream to Sanli's courtyard. As we crossed the bridge, I looked down at the clear brook, and admired the gurgle of the water as it poured over rocks and into pools. "It's lovely," I said.
Sanli's grin broadened as he led me up to his courtyard.
When we entered I glanced up at the gate arch. 我由乃 a sign read, in roughly carved zih. Wo You Nai. My Reason for Being.
"An... interesting name for a residence." I said.
"I may have picked the name when I was in the more romantic stages of my life," said Sanli, laughing with self deprication.
"Oh? And what, or who, was 'your reason for being', my prince?" I asked slyly.
"Who knows? I've all but forgotten," said Sanli, with more laughter and a shrug.
Inside, the staff had gathered to greet us in the courtyard. However, instead of an orderly line, the group of around ten servants, guards, and gardeners, were milling around the courtyard like aimless sheep.
I was about to criticize Sanli for the poor discipline of his staff, when raucous exclamations broke out at our arrival and the group swarmed around us.
"Aich, the boy always comes back skin and bones," an old woman complained, checking Sanli over with a beady eye. She was at least as old as Lady Lu, with worn hands and a dirty apron.
"Woohoo, Lord Sanli's back!" a small boy cheered. He was dressed in a much too big green uniform. The boy was so tiny I had overlooked him at first, thinking he was another of the green ferns that littered the courtyard.
"It's been a while, Sanli. Thought you had forgotten us," said a large man, stepping forward to clap Sanli on the shoulder. His uniform and build suggested a guard.
"Hey, who's this pretty lady?" said the boy in the too-big uniform, gazing up at me. By his lean little legs I guessed his chief job was running messages through the forest to the different residences.
I stood, awkward, surprised by the informality. Sanli laughed and spread his arms. "Alright, give her space to breath, everyone. This is Lady Yunyou. She will be staying with us for a while. She's a fine lady used to good treatment, so give her all the courtesy and respect you don't give to me."
"Whatever you say, Little Lord Lu,' said one of the gardeners with a chuckle. The staff greeted me and then quickly dispersed back to their duties.
"I apologize," said Sanli, taking my arm once more to lead me along a covered walkway. "I don't spend much time here, so everyone gets a bit excited when I come back."
"You hired them?" I asked.
"Yes. Well, I had them moved here when I was given my own residence. Some I've known since I was a boy." Sanli looked sheepish. "Kageyama doesn't like it, me being so informal with the staff. But they're not servants to me. They're closer to family."
Having met the head of his 'family' earlier today and seeing her attitude toward Sanli, I could understand why the prince would say such a thing.
Sanli led me along walkways and into one of the many buildings. We stepped into the house proper, taking off our shoes, and Sanli guided me down an empty hall to a large room. Two sides of the room were made up of sliding doors, pushed open to let in the forest.
Indeed, it seemed as though two walls of the room were made up of the forest itself.
I went to the veranda, reaching out to stroke a soft new leaf. "You like it?" Sanli asked from behind me. I nodded. "It used to be Sho Sensei's room. My room is right down the hall, and he wanted to keep an eye on me. Now though he has his own wing, across the courtyard."
I murmured my assent, moving back into the room and looking around. Kageyama's room. That explained the lack of furnishings. The wooden floor was bare, and aside from the low bed, there was nothing in the wide, empty room except a hanging scroll of calligraphy in one corner and my lute—
"My lute." I crossed the room, carefully lifting it and stroking the strings. "You had it brought in."
"Yes," said Sanli, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Even if you hadn't so royally snubbed my mother, I had planned to have you stay with me. The rest of your things from Chuanfang are next door in the dressing room already. And your horse is in the stables. The piebald."
It's not my horse, to be exact, I thought, but murmured my thanks, sinking onto the edge of the bed beside Sanli and stroking the strings of my lute.
It was out of tune. It had been a while since I had played. Events in Zhanghai had kept me busy.
Really, I had no need of the instrument now. All my wants were taken care of. I had food aplenty, and a closet filled with ornate robes. A soft bed to sleep upon. It was no longer necessary to play for my dinner, or a roof over my head at night.
I began to tune my lute anyway, out of habit, giving soft strokes to the strings.
Next to me, Sanli folded his hands, spinning one thumb around the other. I felt him watching me, as I tuned my lute. "You know," he began slowly. "I thought it was you that night, the night we met in Nan'ye."
I twisted first one tuning peg, then another, giving a faint strum to check the sound.
Sanli continued. "You stood out, and not just your looks. When you approached us at our table, with that plate of steamed buns, and then picked a fight with Sho Sensei, I thought to myself 'Who else could be so ostentatiously confident but a former god?' And you had your rings."
Then Sanli sighed with mock tragedy. "But then you lost to me in our musical race. I was so disappointed. I thought there was no way a former god would lose to a mere mortal."
I stopped what I was doing and turned to the little prince beside me. Sanli's eyes were alight with mirth. Hah, he dares to tease me? Knowing who I am?
"I didn't lose," I snapped. "I made a tactical mistake."
"A tactical mistake? Ah, you mean you underestimated me." Sanli laughed and raised his hands to protect himself as I swatted one hand at his head.
I scoffed. "I find it confusing, how you now openly acknowledge my identity, and yet have become more impertinent than ever." I stood, placing my lute aside so as to better hit him. "You should revere and respect me!"
I attempted to box his ears, as I had taught Ermi to do to the stable boy, but Sanli ducked, catching my wrists and twisting away. Our movement caused my lute to slip from the bed, and it fell to the floor with a discordant thrum of the strings.
I had intended to trap Sanli with my legs so he could not move while I hit him, but somehow we had ended up in the opposite position, Sanli above me with an arm on either side of my body, pinning my hands to the bed so I could not hit him.
Sanli's smug smile told me our present position it was no accident. You are 10,000 years to early to seduce me with such an obvious move, Little Prince.
Sanli dropped his smile then, and looked down at me. "I do revere and respect you," he said, voice low. His face was serious, but I saw just a hint of humor lingering at the corner of his mouth.
"You do not," I said. "This is not how you treat a... a..." But the word 'god' died in my throat before I could voice it, disappearing to nothing. I could not acknowledge who I was.
"A...?" asked Sanli.
I ground my teeth with frustration. "You can't say, can you?" said Sanli, studying my face. "You can't do anything to give away who you are. I thought it strange, how you never mention your own name."
So he noticed. Smart little prince.
Sanli looked contemplative. He said, "Such seals are not so hard to unravel. I will see what I can do about it." He stood up from the bed.
To my surprise, I found the space where he had been strangely empty.
I twisted and kicked a leg out, catching Sanli just behind the knee. "Ow!" he exclaimed as his leg buckled, and he fell back onto the bed next to me, where I had been a moment before.
Then I was on his chest before he could try to stand again. My legs weighed down his sides, his arms, hindering his movement. Trapping him against the bed.
Savoring the surprised expression in Sanli's eyes, I drew a slow finger along the prince's collar bone, exposed by the shifting of his shirt. This is how it's done, Little Prince.
I bit my lower lip purposely, and the prince's eyes focused on it.
"Shall I show you how to revere me?" I said, voice soft. I curved my neck down. Sanli's eyes widened as he followed my movements.
At the last moment, he turned his head from me, looking to the side, so my lips grazed the ridge of his cheek bone.
Denied, I sat back, feeling the little prince's heart beating erratically beneath my legs. It fluttered like a bird in a cage, like his eyelashes did as he glanced at me and then quickly away.
"Hah, why so nervous, Little Prince?" He does not know what to do when the advances are not his own, I thought. I pushed off Sanli's chest and stood from the bed.
Sanli lay without moving, still watching me with wide eyes. "Hmmm... speechless, are we? I guess that's an improvement to your glib tongue," I said as I straightened my robes.
Sanli sat up, cheeks flushed. "I- I think it would be best if we kept our relationship one of friendship," he said, nervously running a hand through his mussed hair. He would not meet my eyes.
I snorted. "Friends kiss. Do you not want to kiss me, Little Prince?"
Sanli looked embarrassed. "I am not known for my successful relations with women."
I had noted earlier, in the courtyard, that there were no young women on the staff, as there normally would be in a household this size. I suspected Kageyama had had a hand in that.
"Your reputation suggests otherwise," I countered.
"I mean... I am not known for successfully sustaining relations," said Sanli, with an awkward cough to clear his throat. "I would hate for something to happen to come between us. We both have too much at stake."
As he said it, Sanli looked out at the green forest around us.
"Hmmm," I studied his face. The fine angles of his cheeks, his smooth perfect skin. The way his shirt fell from his shoulders down his softly muscled frame.
He was handsome, yes, but I had met many handsome men. I had not felt the need to follow them half across the empire.
I wondered what it was that drew me so to this little prince. That kept me by his side. That led me to indulge him, even when he denied me what I wanted.
"Fine," I said at last. "We will stay as friends. But do not expect me to sit meekly in my room and wait for you."
Sanli laughed. "That is fine. I can think of several handsome stable hands who might catch your interest."
"Stable hands are no substitute for a prince," I replied, hand on hip. Sanli shifted awkwardly, expression clearly uncomfortable.
I somewhat regretted pouncing on him now. But it was good he learned not to tease me.
I sat down on the bed again and picked up my lute, tuning it once more after its fall from the bed.
Sanli turned away from me, toward the wide open wall of green.
"What was your first impression of me, Lady Four Strings?" he asked, moving on to the deck of the small veranda and looking out at the trees all around us.
"What?" I asked, confused by the change of conversation. I put down my lute and joined him on the veranda. The smooth wood planking was cool beneath my feet. I could hear the sounds of the distant stream, soft over the rocks.
"The night we met, in Nan'ye. I told you what I thought of you," Sanli said, still regarding the forest, the trees and their trunks and the ferns around them. "What was your first impression of me?"
I shrugged, not sure why he was asking me this. "That you were handsome. And too regal for your clothes. That you walked with such pretension, it was as though all around you was a play for your own amusement." Sanli laughed, and bowed as if accepting a compliment.
"And," I continued. "I thought that you had a secret no one else knew."
I watched Sanli's hands tighten on the railing infinitesimally.
"That's what I first noticed about you." I leaned forward, on the wooden rail of the veranda, watching my prince carefully.
Sanli stayed quiet, eyes scanning the forest.
"And what do you think now?" he asked.
"The same," I replied.
He said nothing, just continued staring out at the green around us. A pair of birds flew by, appearing and disappearing into the branches just as quickly, and Sanli's eyes followed them.
Finally he turned back to me, customary smile in place.
"Well," he said. "If you're ready, I'll show you around a bit more, to help you familiarize yourself. And then perhaps we can head to the kitchen and see what Cook has to eat."
"Good. I'm hungry," I said. Then I remembered. "Where's my book?"
*~*~*~*~*~*
I spent the next few days settling into my new home.
I would wake, eat a light breakfast, and dress in one of the elegant robes or dresses I had received second hand from Ermi. I would do my hair and make up to the degree I desired, until I was worthy of the royal court and not just a walk in the woods, my true goal.
"Where are you going?" Kageyama asked me early one morning as I passed him in the courtyard, about to leave Wo You Nai.
"A walk," I replied.
"You're going for a walk, dressed like that?" the fox said, confused.
"I am the guest of a prince. I should dress as such," I said over my shoulder.
I liked the feel of walking through the woods, fully attired. It made me feel like a princess, like Ermi, with every resource and luxury at my disposal. I would follow the trails through the trees, taking whichever turn caught my fancy, exploring whatever road I had not traversed the day before. All in an attempt to familiarize myself with the vast network of paths and compounds that made up the summer palace.
As Ermi had mentioned, the 'Summer Palace' was in truth no single palace, but a collection of hundreds of residences scattered throughout the valley. Each of the residences, or 'courtyards' as they were often called (despite the fact the residences were all much more expansive than a single courtyard) was independent of the others, with its own kitchen, laundry, and baths.
Thus, the residents of the courtyards had little need to leave, and those I passed on the paths were usually servants or messengers, or sometimes guards, going about their business in the green livery of the throne. Seeing me and realizing from my clothes that I was not a servant, they would bow to me silently, then quietly go on their way, soon blending into the forest in their green attire.
I was surpised by the extent of the buildings. It confused me, as sometimes I would come upon the same courtyard from a different direction, and mistakenly identify it as a new one. But even after reading the name plate that always hung over courtyard's main gate and identifying it, I managed to count upwards of 100 courtyards scattered across the valley.
It surprised me. When I had lived here with Lu, there had been but a single estate, deeper in the valley, which I knew was long since gone. Lu had had a few other, smaller residences in his life time, but nothing on the scale of what there was now.
It was like a whole city was spread out across the valley, separated by trees and winding paths.
Many of the courtyards I came upon were abandoned, suggesting that despite the current opulence, previous generations had lived even more extravagantly. These courtyards, with their shadows of the past, were eerie. Weeds grew from flagstones, and windows were shuttered and boarded shut to keep out animals.
I wondered why there were so many empty buildings. Had they simply been left to decay, as other, grander buildings had been built? Or had there once been a much greater number of Lu's progeny living in the valley?
I did not like these deserted courtyards. Once I knew where they were, I did my best to avoid them.
I spent most of my walks among the trees. I would set out to wander in the forest till midday. Then, thoroughly lost, I would ask the first servant I passed to direct me back to Wo You Nai.
In the afternoons and evenings, tired from exploring, I devoured the books I borrowed from Ermi.
I admit, I was thoroughly addicted.
"Ah, reading again?" said Zakhar at my door one evening. "Dinner is ready."
"I'll eat later," I replied without looking up. I was stretched out on the bed, and already in my night robe, despite the fact it was to early to sleep.
Zakhar surveyed my state and chuckled. "I'll tell Cook to have your dinner sent up, yeah?"
I grunted my reply.
Explore in the morning, find my way home for lunch or dinner, and read one of Ermi's terrible romances until it was time to sleep. This soon became my daily routine.
The other residents of Wo You Nai also had routines. In the morning while I wandered, Zakhar, Sanli, and Kageyama would train together, in the courtyard grounds or in the forest nearby. We would all meet back at Wo You Nai for lunch, when Kageyama would usually reprimand me for reading while eating or for some other slight I had committed. Then we would separate to our respective rooms until the evening meal.
I was not quite sure what Kageyama and Zakhar did in their rooms, but sometimes I would stop by Sanli's on my way to my own. I often found him reading or pouring over old scrolls.
Once I found him asleep, head slumped across his low desk by the window, despite it only being just past noon. Under one of the little prince's arms was a book of advanced spell seals. Lines of poetry marched relentlessly across the page, and a wild swirled scrawl scurried between them. I realized they were Sanli's extensive notes, all done in his elegant, looping hand.
I pulled the book out from under his arm to read the spine. A Compendium of Silencing Seals and Their Uses, the title read.
He really is trying to remove my seals, I thought, surprised. Sanli's joking air, his constant smile... it was hard to believe he meant anything he said.
Sanli stirred when I moved the book, only to yawn, tuck his head in the crook of his elbow, and drift off once more.
I shook him awake. "You will hurt your neck, sleeping like that," I told him. He groaned and stretched, yawning. "A difficult training session this morning?" I asked.
"No. Well, no more difficult than Sho Sensei's training usually is." He muffled a second yawn and scratched the back of his neck. "I've been sleeping badly since we've been here. That's all."
"I see."
I left my door open a crack that night, and heard Sanli when he woke. He didn't scream, but when he emerged from sleep it was with a great gasp, like a swimmer surfacing after a long time under the water.
I wondered what he dreamed of, that caused him to wake like that.
*~*~*~*~*~*
I rose earlier than usual one morning and prepared for my walk.
I dressed in a robe of dark green silk that Ermi had given me, after saying the color didn't suit her. The silk was patterned with trees. Around the trunks of trees, red brown deer peered, watching any watcher who beheld the pattern.
Perfect dress for a walk in the forest.
I put rouge on my lips and kohl along my eyes, and left the powder. I wanted to feel the cool air of the forest on my skin.
I planned to take a path into the hills today, that wound and climbed over slippery moss covered rocks. As such I omitted the ornate shoes, and instead went for a pair of silk lined leather slippers.
Finally, I took my lute, safe in its case, and hung it across my back.
As I left my rooms, I saw Sanli's door was ajar. I assumed he was gone, already left for training with the men.
But as I passed his door I heard a chortle. It was so raucous and uncouth, at first I thought someone else was sitting in my prince's room.
But when I pushed the door open I recognized Sanli's back at his desk, his elegant shoulders shaking with mirth.
"And what is so funny my prince?" I asked.
Sanli whirled. "Ah Ao. I didn't hear you. Nothing, just reading a letter from my friend from my university days." He placed a piece of folded parchment down on the desk as he spoke.
"The university in Linjing?" I questioned.
"Yes," said Sanli. "I graduated about... 5 years ago now. Where are you off to, looking so lovely?"
I laughed off his flattery. "I thought I would head to the western edge of the valley. There is a spring there, amongst the hills. I plan to take a picnic and drink. Would you like to join me?"
Sanli shook his head. "I wish I could. I told Sho Sensei I would attend a meeting today, with our generals. Can't let Zhangyu keep all the fun to himself."
I laughed. "I will see you this evening then."
Sanli smiled, and waved me off. "See you this evening."
I made my way to the kitchens. The old bent-back woman who had complained that Sanli was skin and bones was there, and gestured one crooked finger at a pack of food I had asked her to prepare for me last night.
"Thank you, Cook," I said, calling her by her job, as everyone else did. Sanli said even he was unsure as to the woman's real name.
The woman was by far the most competent member of the Wo You Nai staff, and all others obeyed her. Even Kageyama treated her with utmost respect.
"Aye, girly. Have a fun day now. No trouble, you hear?" the woman said, one beady eye regarding me suspiciously over her shoulder as her hands sunk into a trough full of dishes.
I thought it odd, that I had scarce spoke two words to this woman, and yet she beheld me with such suspicion. As though she knew who I was. Or what I was not.
Despite living only a fraction of the time, the elderly human seemed to have all wisdom and intuition of a millennia old mu'ren.
Solemnly, I agreed to avoid trouble at all costs, and left.
I crossed the courtyard of Wo You Nai, heading for the entrance. It was still early, and the birdsong had just started, hesitant chatter as the birds woke and remembered their purpose.
I slung the pack of food across my chest. It was heavy, and I was just regretting asking for so much food to be prepared when a gruff voice called out.
"I'll carry that for you Ao. Where are you off to?"
I turned to see Zakhar approaching. There was water in his beard, as though he had recently washed his face.
"Good morning, Zakhar. For a walk and lunch in the hills. Would you like to join me?"
Zakhar reached out and took the pack from my shoulders. He hefted it, feeling the weight, and then asked. "Is there wine in here?"
"There is," I replied.
"Then I can't think of a better way ta spend the day." He grinned at me, and threw the pack over his shoulder.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The forest was bright and beautifully lush in the morning sun. It was warm, and felt more like an early summer morning that an almost autumn one.
It reminded me of that bright sunny morning I had first surprised the men outside Nan'ye, and then followed them to the shrine, and I told Zakhar so.
He chuckled. "You don't know how glad I was to see you again that morning. Traveling with Kageyama and Sanli can get rather tiresome."
The path we have taken was wide enough to walk side-by-side, and I laughed at his expression. "Why?"
Zakhar rolled his eyes. "They act as family. Always squabbling. Half the time Kageyama is like a parent, half the time a guardian. Always lecturing. And then Sanli just acts like a bloody toddler to get his way, and Kageyama gives in."
I thought of what I had seen, of Kageyama and the prince's relationship. Yes, that sounds about accurate.
"I have heard that Kageyama raised Sanli, more or less. Why? What happened to his mother?" I asked.
Zakhar looked uncomfortable. "Not really for me to say. But yes, since San was nine, Kageyama has been looking out for him. Nearly 20 years now. I guess 20 years makes you family."
I wanted to say that in most mu'ren terms, 20 years was barely long enough to form an acquaintance.
A thought struck me. "What of your family, Zakhar? Who were you before you became a servant for the Black Lord?"
Zakhar looked even more uncomfortable than he had when I asked him about Sanli's mother. He tried to cover by bending down and ducking under a tree branch that I did not even reach.
I thought he would not answer, and started to regret my intrusive question, when Zakhar finally spoke. "No family, that I can remember. I was a mercenary. Sold to a mercenary band when I was a child. They raised me, taught me to fight."
I paused, and reached out to the nearest sapling to steady myself. I was surprised. I knew well life in the north was often not easy but... raised as a mercenary? That was not a life I wished on anyone.
And Zakhar was so.. kind. So gentle. And always ready to laugh and see the bright side of things. I could not understand how someone with such a violent upbringing could be so.
I glanced at my friend, a new found respect and pity in me.
"Aich, don't look at me like that," said Zakhar with a chuckle, catching my gaze. "It was a good enough life. I was fed and well treated. I was valuable merchandise after all," he gave a laugh that sounded like it was forced for my benefit. "When I was old enough, I bought my freedom."
Then Zakhar's face changed. He tugged at his beard angrily, and laughed coldly. "I had only been free of the band a few months, working on my own, when I found myself in a... unfortunate situation. That was when I swore myself to the Black Lord."
I suspected unfortunate was an understatement. I knew that most did not enter the Xuanhei's service willingly.
I wondered what happened to Zakhar, that swearing himself to the Lord of Death was preferable.
Zakhar sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Then instead of a sellsword for mercenaries, I became a soldier for the Black Lord. Just when I thought I was free. If that isn't irony, I don't know what is."
Zakhar's voice faded to silence, and I could tell from his fixed expression, staring at the path ahead of us, that he was thinking of the past.
I wanted to ask Zakhar more. To ask him how he came to be here now, and what mission his grim master had sent him on.
But I did not like the look on my friends face. As though he was becoming lost inside himself.
Quickly I stumbled. Zakhar reached out and caught my arm. "You alright?" he asked me.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said, using his arm to settle myself on a nearby log. "But perhaps we should rest for a bit and see what Cook packed us. We are still about halfway from the spring."
Zakhar settled beside me, causing the old wood to sink beneath his weight. "The spring? Have you already been to it?" he asked, passing me the pack of food.
I nodded. "I have...the water is sweet as wine. I used to visit often with a friend."
Zakhar's eyes narrowed. "Visit? How? This is the royal valley. Not just anybody can come in here and drink from a spring."
Instead of answering, I dug in to the pack that Zakhar had handed me and pulled out a bottle. "Speaking of sweet as wine..."
*~*~*~*~*~*
When we found the spring, we were only slightly drunk. I played my lute, and Zakhar sang terribly, and we joked and laughed while we ate the remainder of Cook's lunch.
The spring was exactly where I remembered it. Cool clean water bubbled up from cold dark stone, collecting in a basin of water so clear it was as though it was not there.
The water was impossibly sweet.
Once we had drunk our fill of spring water, we filled our now empty wine bottle with it and headed back to Wo You Nai by early afternoon.
As we were returning, along the same, wide path, a sudden sound of horse hooves reached us.
Zakhar grabbed my elbow. "Here, let's wait to the side."
He pulled me into the bushes, and we ducked behind a huge fern whose fronds were big enough to shield the both of us.
"Why are we hiding—" I started to ask.
At that moment a group of horses came into sight, cantering along the road we had just been on. The riders had been closer then I had though, their hoof beats muted on the soft loam of the forest floor.
There were about ten riders all together, men outfitted for hunting, with an assortment of bows and hunter's knives slung across their chests and their horses' backs. They wore tunics of mottled browns and greens to help them blend with their surroundings.
I was not particularly interested in the group passing, until I realized the rider at the front, outfitted in a white shirt and breeches with a green brown tunic over the top, was actually a woman. She was about 50, her black hair streaked with a few threads of grey and done up in a tight bun. She was so lean with muscle I had mistaken her for a man.
"Who is that?" I whispered to Zakhar.
As though she could hear me, the woman turned her face in our direction as she rode past. Bright copper eyes seemed to pierce the foliage where we crouched.
I felt gooseflesh run over my arms at the severity of her expression.
Zakhar waited until the riders were gone to answer me. He was frowning.
"That," he said, "was Erli, Ermi and Prince Zhangyu's mother. She's Sanli's sister."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Read author's note / historical details HERE!
The art in this chapter is called 'Tranquility' by AndreeWallin on deviantart.com. Check them out! http://fav.me/d5jrd3b
Don't forget to vote!