Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1
Billowing gray fog filled the once fragrant, green forest that whizzed past me with frightening intensity. My heart jolted in my chest as my field of vision continued to close into a small gap just a few inches before my racing body. Soon it would be too late to do anything but look for cover and wait for the moments of blindness to pass. Everything was churning, expecting the incoming drop into eerie visionlessness, but the fear fueled me to take one more step, one more running leap over a jutting tree root in hopes of ridding myself of this horrid forest forever.
There was no destination in sight, nor a oddly benevolent string of fate that wound itself around my heart. People from this corner of the Earth Kingdom- the people of my lineage- were plagued with existing at the bottom of all the squalor the so-called leader of Kouka collected, and in recent times, had found it worse than most. Villages were eaten by plague, ripped apart by dying crops or dwindling supplies, and battered into the dirt by twisted soldiers who dare lie about upholding their duties to the people. It was a world torn asunder from the inside out; a terrify mix of death, destruction, and dishonesty that would send any sane person packing.
The fog amplified itself when I paused to catch my breath, swimming until I could see only a brief speck of colored foliage before me. My body was screaming for me to give in and rest wherever I had found myself in the heart of the forest, but I gritted my teeth and barreled on blindly ahead. Wheezy, frantic puffs of breath pushed through my lips as my vision blurred and I could no longer tell what direction I was running in. It was dangerous to run haphazardly like this, but if I wanted to find what I was looking for, there was no time to sit and be weak.
My foot caught on something as the slope suddenly descended beneath my feet, and I was sent flying into the air, only to topple onto the ground shortly in a bevy of pain. The muscles in my legs had given up, and no matter how hard I grunted and attempted to push myself off the ground, my limbs would not obey me. Angry tears fell from my clouded eyes as I struggled to drag myself through the dirt in hopes of finding a tree to hide myself against; no matter how hard I fought, something always came to stop me before I could get my hopes up.
Bird began picking up their songs again as I huddled myself into the dirt, and I wanted to scream at them to take their blissfully happy songs elsewhere. There was no happiness left in this life for me. I scoffed. No; there had never been happiness. I was a lucky soul born in an unlucky world who would not merit favor. I was not the stuff made of legends, nor did I care. I just wanted to save my own hide, and live to show those who told me I wouldn't survive this life that I continued to take one more breath.
~
Warmth flooded my limbs, and I huddled myself beneath it with little care. A soft breeze passed across my exposed face and neck, and I shivered as it seeped beneath my skin. I pressed my nose into the soft, fur-like material that jutted over my weary body, and I found myself relishing in the touch. Ah, such radiating heat. Hadn't I promised myself that once the weather improved, I would spend the better part of my time hunting down a larger prey for some fur and decent meat?
But as far as I knew, I had not found hide nor hair of a best larger than a small hare or slithering snake under foot. Then how- My breathing hitched. The fur that had once filled me with blissful comfort was now an ensnaring blanket that kick-started my anxiety in one fell swoop.
Someone had found me. The time to be at peace was long gone.
My eyes flew open, and I found myself laying surrounded by bushes and a few half-opened burlap sacks. The fogginess, like usual, was gone when I awoke, though the pain of running for my life seemed to latch itself onto every fiber of my being until it almost suffocated me. My ankles were swollen and tender, jolting with stabbing waves of pain at the mere flexing of my stiff, battered toes against the dirt. There was no way I could walk much farther today, if at all; whoever found me had me trapped.
There was a faint tinkling of laughter somewhere in the distance, and I frowned at the carefree sound of it. There were at least three voices echoing there, if not more. It was a bigger contingency than I assumed; a band of thieves or vagabonds was the last thing I needed at this point in time. There was little I could offer them outside of my dwindling supply of money, and from the sounds of it, perhaps my body.
One man by himself could be dangerous enough, let alone three all together. I frowned. I knew that fact all too well. The soldiers who dared say that they would protect our village had been the very ones to rip it apart from the inside out. One glance- no, one breath of existence- in that place as a woman meant trouble. My mother had learned that so quickly, and from there was where my rage had grown. She used to complain and tell me that my anger would solve nothing, but neither did her silence when the men came to grab her through the door of our house when they grew bored.
I screwed my eyes tight as the wave of anger, remorse, and loss echoed through my body. Her compliance was what had ultimately gotten her killed. And ruined me. I had to complete this quest; for her, for myself, and this fabled line running through my veins.
Muted footsteps rumbled against the ground a few yard ahead of me, and my shoulders tensed at the thought of the bandits coming to check on me. The footsteps stopped for a moment, and were replaced by a soft rustle through leaves. A soft squeak pricked at ears, and grew louder until I felt a faint breathing beating down on my cheek.
I cracked one of my eyes open, blinking slowly as what appeared to be a squirrel cocked its head at me. It was standing in the dirt only an inch or so from my face, throbbing with the colors that pulsated in waves from the forest all around me. My eyes were laden with pain- the usual aftereffect of pushing my body well past its limit- and I thought for a moment that the squirrel was a passing autumn leaf my mind had tricked me with. Animals never approached humans so openly; not here in the forest, where one fell swoop of my hand could mean their sudden end.
The squirrel remained steadfast, though it did give a chirp of delight as it noted how I held its gaze for much longer than a hazy blink. It scampered to my side, nuzzling the contour of my face as if it had known me far longer than the past few moments we had both been aware of each other. It's warmth was so gentle, so foreign to someone like me who had spent the last few months running for my life away from people in search of something I wasn't even sure was more than a fable that I found myself weeping.
A sudden crunch through the bush in front of me halted the tears in an instant, and the squirrel lovingly tucked itself beneath my chin with another chirp of incandescent joy. My eyes lifted to see a set of arms pushing through the bush to reveal a hunched form, and my breath caught as my gaze held tight on the white bone mask that covered a better part of the man's face as he pushed through the bush. I could not see his eyes, and for a moment, all I could do was gawk in utter terror as the empty, almost hollow-like expression on his half-exposed face echoed in my mind.
“Is she awake?”
A gentler, feminine voice put in not far behind him, and the man offered a brief jerk of his head before closing the bush between us. His footsteps faded away quickly, and two smaller sets of movement filed in as his no longer remained. The bush moved again, and I braced myself; the group was coming to get what they wanted out of me.
But the pair of teenagers who came- a petite boy probably no older than fourteen in a mint green tunic and dirt-stained pair of trousers and an equally petite girl with raging hair the color of the morning sky dressed in a rose colored vest and light pink robe – did not approach me with weapons nor hatred in their eyes. They simply offered a wary smile, and kept their hands full with what appeared to be a steaming bowl of food and a skin of water dutifully bent in front of their bodies.
The danger was still there, even if it wasn't as imposing as I assumed it would be. Kindness could merely be a facade to try to gauge what they could get out of me.
The boy halted the girl a few steps away from where I lay, and gestured for her to put the water skin down on the ground. She did as he asked, and soon the food and water were within my reach without their presences bearing down over me. Still, I was reluctant to take the bounty of sustenance they offered. No one gave in this world without expecting something in return. One bite could mean my body in exchange; I could be allowing myself a horrible beating, or worse, once I lifted that spoon to my mouth.
The girl seemed to notice my hesitation, and gave a reassuring smile that last only a moment. Her face was pale, and the deep circles under her eyes signaled that she too had seen better days. They must have been on the road for some time; they did not appear to be the well-off bandits who captured passerby or unconscious women like me to improve their situation.
“The food is safe to eat.” She lifted the spoon to her mouth and took a bite to give some credit to what she was saying. “As is the water. You need sustenance and hydration.”
She returned the spoon to the bamboo bowl, and pushed it out towards me. Gods, did it smell delicious! I could not remember the last time I had any kind of porridge; the chalky, bitter taste of tree roots and the charred remains of small game had been my only source of nutrition in this desolate land. My belly clenched; only a fool would turn down safe food in this sparse forest.
While I knew the food would still come with a price, I no longer cared. To ensure myself able on carry on my quest, I would take whatever help in whatever form it came, even if I knew the consequences. I weakly lifted myself until I could hunch over and take the bowl, shrugging off the white, furlike material that had been draped over my body so that I could hold the bowl in both of my hands. The squirrel that had been pressed under my chin now clambered across my collarbone to sit balanced against one of my shoulders. The spoon was shaking in my hand as I looked at the concoction of fresh mushrooms, roots, and rice pooled around some shreds of meat and sauce.
If the smell had been anything short of heavenly, the food passed divine. The savory, earthy tastes lingered on my unsuspecting tongue like physical bliss itself. I was ravenously shoveling down the food, only hissing in pain once or twice as the heat licked the inside of mouth. The other two laughed as I ate without discretion and chugged down cool mouthfuls of water while screwing my eyes at how foreign it felt to have something fill my hungry belly for once.
“Was it good?” The girl tilted her head to watch me lick at my lips to savor the lingering oils trapped there. I nodded slowly, and she turned to beam a smile at the boy. “See, Yoon. I told you that your cooking really is the best!”
The light-haired boy beside her flushed slightly, but narrowed his eyes in attempts of appearing unmoved by her soaring compliment. “I have to make do with the little we have. It's nothing special.”
I lowered the bowl into my lap and dipped my head in thanks. My mother had taught me to always have manners, especially if someone attempted to give you something you needed. The boy's blush deepened, and he crossed his arms over his chest before answering. “You're welcome. It's the least we could do when that damn idiot ran off and brought you back into camp like you were a sack of potatoes.”
I raised my eyebrow, and the girl stifled a laugh at my confusion. “You had passed out somewhere in the forest while we were stopping for our evening meal, and one of our comrades found you and brought you here to be safe with us.”
“He was here just a moment ago.” The boy jerked his head in the direction of the bush. “That squirrel on your shoulder is his, as is the furry mane.”
I gave the squirrel a long side-glance, and moved to gently scratch its chin. The creature chirped in joy, and I looked down at the fur with a bemused look of confusion. So much kindness all in one day; the price they must be asking for helping someone so helpless like me must be far steeper than I could afford.
Knowing it was better not to linger where I wasn't wanted, I dug around in my chest binding to pull out the last dented, dirty brass coin I had to my name, and placed it on the ground beside the bowl and water-skin. The two teens looked at it for a quick moment, before glancing up at me as I struggled to stand to my feet. Gods, everything was throbbing unbearably, but I couldn't stay. The more help these people gave me, the more I would owe them in ways money could not pay.
“Wait, don't go!” The girl called after me. “Your feet need to be bandaged. And your wounds-”
I cut her off with a sweep of my hand. My face was scrunched in pain and shame as I gently placed the squirrel down at my feet. I gestured to the coin on the ground, and made a clear signal that showed that that meager trade was all I could offer them in return for what they had already given me. I had nothing else to offer them. Surely the girl would understand that I held some faint glimmer of womanly pride that would not let me give my body just to see my feet cleaned and bandaged, or my wounds disinfected and packed with herbs.
“We don't want your money.” The boy put in flatly, and I felt my arms tighten against my torso until I felt my ribs pinch. Of course they wouldn't; it wasn't enough. It never was. “We don't need anything from you. It'd be stupid of us to let you just walk off on your own in that condition. You won't last much longer that injured.”
The surprise at his intuition threatened to keep me here, but I shook my head to shake it off. He was right, but I was too stubborn to refuse help. My mother had always said my spirit burned too brightly for someone like me; it was the curse of my unwavering soul. There were no words I could speak, nor would I allow myself to tell them how wrong they were. People did not help others out of the goodness of their heart anymore. Even if the old king had believe in peaceful non-violence, it did not mean his people agreed.
I took off through the bushes in the direction away from them, wincing as my battered feet bounded over sharp rocks, twigs, and uneven ground. The two of them called for me to stop, but their voices garbled into nothingness as the trees thickened. My eyes were throbbing even worse now, and the colors were beginning to spin in a tumbling cycle of greens, browns, and russet. My stomach was churning, and I knew that if I stopped moving, I would spew the contents of that wonderful meal all over the forest floor and be back at square one again.
A sudden blur of blue passed on my left, and I instinctively trudged on in the opposite direction. But just when I thought I had swerved my retreat away from it, it lunged forward and moved to block my path. I barreled into a warm body, lashing at it when a set of steady hands came to hold me in place by my shoulders. I snarled, but suddenly quieted as I realized it was the same masked man who had come to see me before. He had come all that way after me? It seemed inhumanly possible for him to have caught wind of me leaving so quickly and caught up to be so quick.
I frowned. The boy from before was right; I was much weaker than I thought I was. I could not run to save my life anymore; not that there was much of a life left to live.
The tears streamed down my face as I gave into the defeat. I hiccuped, wishing so fervently at that moment for my mother's fables to be true. That there was someone out here who was looking for me to relive our intertwined fates from thousands of years ago. I wished for it so badly I thought my body would disintegrate and leave the story undone. It would give my weary legs the soaring hope they needed to walk another day.
My legs crumpled beneath me as the momentum of no longer running caught up with me, but the man was one step ahead of me. He bent me into his body, cushioning my descent so that we both fell in one slow, steady drop to the ground. It was only when I sat that he removed his hands with a quickness I understood to be uncertainty. Whoever this man was, I seemed to be continually perplexed by his depth of kindness.
He nodded at me when he noticed me staring into his ivory mask, and for once, I wondered what colored eyes this strange man held. My heart lunged at the childish urge to see them, but when my hand moved to touch his mask, he caught it without forcefulness and shook his head. Perhaps he had marred his face, or had some terrible disease that had left most of his face twisted. Perhaps he was growing blind, and did not wish for me to see the cloudy film that now covered his once alert eyes. The mystery mesmerized and amazed me, but I did not press for more. He was a man; my stomach churned. It was more than enough to convince me that I did not want to know more.
“Come.” He nodded back in the direction I had fled from.
I shook my head with some force. I could not allow myself anymore help.
He waited for me to move, and when I did not, slung me over his shoulder like I was nothing more than an empty burlap sack. I yelped at the sudden intrusion, and pummeled my fists into the man's back to attempt to have him drop me. He held steadfast, and continued at the brisk pace he set once I had safely been in his position. My temper flared; why did these people seem to disregard everything I did as if I had no sense?
I was placed gently back onto the ground once a bevy of familiar voices warbled in the air around us, and found myself now surrounded by a larger group of people. The man who had rescued me was there, along with the two teenagers from before and two additional men. I had been right in thinking this group was large, and from the formidable look the dark-haired man joining us offered, they had more than enough power to do harm to anyone that crossed their paths. I clenched my fists into my robe; this was not a situation I found myself comfortable with.
“First time I've ever heard of someone running away from having free help.” He confessed before giving the girl beside him a humored smirk. “You two must have scared the living daylights out of her.”
The girl pouted. “We didn't do anything out of place.”
“It's true.” The other boy from before nodded slowly in agreement. “She offered us some money for the meal, refused to have us treat her, and ran like the royal army itself was on her heels.”
The white haired man turned his deep blue eyes to look at the others. “Which is understandable. I doubt that she expected to find any help in the forest while being in such a condition.”
“Still, she's a tough one.” The dark-haired man's smirk had landed on me. “Walking around barefoot in this place takes guts that most of you wouldn't have.”
The fair-haired boy frowned as I shuddered under the man's attention. “Trust me, we know.”
“Right.” The girl clapped her hands to bring order back to the group. Her soft eyes landed on me, still trembling slightly, and she offered a patient smile. “Now that Shin-ah's brought her back, Yoon can treat her safely while we hear her story.”
“If she'll share it.” The tall, dark-haired man beside her seemed reluctant to believe I'd say anything. “She may not have anything pleasant to tell us.”
“Have some decency, Hak.” The white haired man shot him a look of reprimand. “It isn't kind to speak of people when they're right in front of you.”
“Shin-ah,” The girl looked over where I sat to the masked man, who had not budged an inch from his spot a few inches behind me. “Could you help her to our fire please?”
I heard him make a noise of agreement, and I was yet again tossed over the man's shoulder. The walk to the fire was much shorter than our return had taken, and I was just as cautiously placed beside its warmth as I had been before. I huddled my legs close to my body and wrapped my arms around my shinbones. The group didn't desire to rid themselves of me any time soon.
Each of the five slowly made their way around the fire, strategically placing themselves at the outer reach of the flame's heat as not to impose on me. Yun and the girl from before were the only ones who approached, and sat in front of me with a knapsack opened between them.
“Here.” The girl gestured for my hands, and I offered them to her with some reluctance. A warm, familiar feeling of fur was cradled in my palms, and I felt the squirrel from before curl itself into my hold. “Ao seems to have taken a liking to you. Hold her for a while if you'd like.”
I secured the squirrel against my chest as Yoon began to work on my feet. The compress he offered was cold at first, but he slowly slid it across the different arches in my foot to dab salve or wrap a festering blister as needed. Neither he nor the girl said anything, and I did my best to keep my silence. My body did tremble and there were quite a few instances when I would yelp at the removal of a stubborn splinter or stitch of a deep gash, but each time I did, Ao would nuzzle my fingers with the side of her face and give a reassuring squeak to keep me from bolting off again.
By the time Yoon had finished, the sun had already set and darkness was beginning to fill the forest all around us. I felt weary and battered, though I was thankful for the patience the teen had with me at times when I knew I wouldn't have if I was in his shoes. The girl had walked off to join the other four men, and had quietly been discussing something out of my earshot until Yoon stood to his feet.
“Rest here awhile, and try not to put any pressure on your feet.” He instructed while gathering his medicinal items back into his knapsack. His aquamarine eyes were cautious, but thorough as he looked at his handiwork, and he offered a fleeting smile of understanding. “They'll be in enough pain as it is, so you probably won't want to move any time soon. I'll go brew some tea to help ease your muscles.”
“Should we give her some loquat juice?” The girl offered. She had returned from her talk with the others, and was giving us both a small smile.“It might help her body rehydrate sooner.”
Yoon nodded. “Smart thinking, Yona. Pass the skin over this way; I'll fill her a cup.”
“I'll do it.” She offered before looking at Hak and the white-haired man. “Hak, Ki-ja, go and gather some more firewood. We'll need to keep the fire going a little stronger to warm our guest.”
“It'll be our pleasure.” Hak grumbled before moving to sling a joking punch at Ki-ja. “You heard the lady, White Snake. Let's get going.”
Ki-ja narrowed his eyes at Hak, but the expression eased as he looked to the girl. “We'll be back soon.”
“Be careful!” She called after them with a beaming smile. “And don't do anything stupid!”
Yona moved around the fire near me, taking a skin from the side of the trunk she had been reclining against as she sat beside me. Yoon had passed her a cup from the far side of the fire, and she poured a small quantity of it before extending the cup out to me. I placed Ao against my belly, and the squirrel sat without complaint when I moved to take the cup from the girl's hands.
I sniffed at the fragrant liquid, then took a short sip. It was slightly bitter, but nicely sweet once the tang dissipated. My parched throat was no longer dry and scratchy; it was clear this juice did exactly what the girl had said it would.
“It's good huh?” I offered her a short nod. Her face lifted. “I'm glad. You must be worn out. How long have you been on the road? Do you have a name?”
The cup was transferred to one of my hands so I could scribble in the dirt beside me. I slowly traced the number 3 into the dirt. I then turned to scribble the symbols for my name, and grimaced as the familiar word sent echoing memories of my mother into my ears.
“Ming-hua.” Yona seemed awed by my flourishing name; my mother had given me the name in hopes of having something grand to me. She always murmured how beautiful a flower became when it bloomed in adversity; it remained to see tomorrow, and the bright hopes it brought to the earth. I was nothing like my name sake; I plowed foolishly on ahead for my own sake. There was nothing beautiful or resilient about me. “How pretty. It must have been hard to be alone for three weeks? Or is it three months?”
I drew the symbol for month into the dirt; it had been closer to four now, but I didn't feel like telling the whole truth to a stranger who probably did not care. “That's quite a long time. Do you have a family somewhere? A husband maybe?”
I made a face of disgust before shaking my head. There was no way on this green earth any man would want to offer me his partnership for anything other than a quick rendezvous. I imitated a man by squaring my shoulders and puffing my chest, before pretending to hold a sword in my hands. My father had been sent off long ago to work as a solider and had never returned. I mimed the sword running through my heart and shrugged. Yona nodded that she understood, and I mimed a swaying a baby and cooking- a mother's work- before offering a forced cough and an x with my arms. Disease had came rampantly once the soldiers retreated with the new king's coronation. They had more pressing matters than torturing sickly peasant people who were dying of malnutrition and gods know what else.
“And where exactly are you going?” She asked gently. “Is there someone or somewhere you need to get to?”
I shrugged. Who knew? Mama had always prayed that I would be the one to see some valiant tale be brought to glory again, but I doubted it was actually true. It was a foolish dream she clung to to make the miserable, deplorable conditions we lived in like a trial of some sort. There seemed to be no magic left in this world; whatever fairy tale she believed in might have been a farce.
Still, I tried my luck, and drew few symbols that made sense into the ground: a crown, a pair of eyes, and a warrior. It was the only clues I really had to go on at this point. Stupid, childish pictures from my mind that my mother's words had conjured. A foolish dream I wish I could have laid to rest with her death.
Yona sighed. “I'm sorry. I don't understand what exactly you're trying to say.” I didn't blame her; most times I had a hard time understanding my attachment to this story too. “Can you speak to me?”
I frowned. No; the words had left the night the soldiers had made me their next target. It was safer if I made no sound; my sins could remain safe within me.
“I thought not.” She murmured. Her face was filled with soft grief, and a single tear fell from her eyes. “How horrible. This must all be so difficult for you to deal on your alone.”
I was flustered by her empathy, and moved to frantically grasp her hand in one of my own. I offered a fleeting smile of reassurance before removing my hand to gesture to the woods all around us, the fire, and lastly her. This kindness was more than I could have ever dreamed of; it sole presence made the disheartening passing of dismal, traumatic times seem far away. Her warmth rekindled the little human emotion I had left, and reminded me that there may be some goodness left on this planet. If it existed in me, it could exist in another with even stronger resonance.
The somber look morphed into one of tender happiness. “Thank you. I'm glad that we were able to help you.”
“It's Shin-ah she should be thanking.” Yoon had returned from behind Yona at the fire with a steaming cup of something that smelled like meadow flowers and mint. “If he hadn't dashed off into the forest without informing us, I'm sure Hak would have stopped him before he could reach her.”
I turned my torso to look at the man in question. He was standing calmly as he had been before, and didn't seem at all flustered by my unwavering gaze. It was astounding; how had he found me so deep in the forest so quickly? Still, he had saved me none the less, and I offered the most humbly reverent bow I could manage. Without him, I would have never found these people and the generosity they gave so selflessly to someone like me.
Unlike before, Shin-ah now seemed a little flustered, and jolted in shock at my silent gratitude before fidgeting with his hands. It was hard to tell what sort of expression he was making from behind the heavy mask he wore, but I'm sure it must have been as nervous as I imagined it to be. His reaction left me smiling, truly smiling, and the action, although foreign, was one I clearly missed.
“Beautiful.” Yoon breathed, and I turned to see the boy's cheeks burning at my inquisitive stare. Was he talking about me? It was hard to believe it was. After all, I was a scraggly girl with mundane black hair, cloudy gray eyes, and marred skin. There was nothing pleasing here; not after the soldiers had had their way. He pursed his lips and hurried to close the top of his satchel.“I-I mean, you would be, if you weren't all covered in cuts and bruises. You're lucky we're the ones who stumbled on you, and not someone else. They would have done you a lot of harm.”
I nodded deeply. Little did he know that I knew that truth better than any of them. If you traveled alone, you were more vulnerable than you were when you traveled in a group. Ambush was a high probability if you chose to skirt the main roads, and attack from wild beats were inevitable if you opted to travel in the deeper parts of the untraveled forest. You had to be lithe, agile, and productive with your time. One wrong move and you could end up in a set of circumstances you couldn't unravel with one decision.
“Still,” Yona sighed happily. “She's found us, and that's what matters for now.”
Yoon nodded his agreement. “I agree.”
The other two returned not long after, and oddly, the amiable aura we had shared on their outing remained steadfast with their return. Hak had moved make a quip at something Yona had said to Ki-ja, and the girl was soon pouting in joking retaliation to whatever the broad, dark haired guy had said. The white-haired man came quickly to her defense, and even Yoon seemed drawn into the banter as he offered a sarcastic remark in turn. I watched, mesmerized, as the group seemed drawn to this girl with beautiful hair and a genuine smile; a bevy of suitors was what they were. Yona was pretty, young, and wholesome despite whatever situation she was in. The complete opposite of a disgusting scrap of existence like me who dreamed more than she thought.
The group was soon disbursing themselves with yawns into the dirt around us, giving their good nights to one another with affection before resting their heads. Hak was the only one who did not seem to budge, and sat quietly while watching the group as they each drifted to sleep. Everyone, oddly, offered me a wish for pleasant dreams, and I nodded, so oddly perturbed at the notion of having people genuinely remember I existed.
Still, I knew that when morning came, they would have to part ways with me and be off wherever they were journeying to. This group seemed to have some kind of common bond; whatever it was, it had nothing to do with me. Although a night surrounded by people and not wild animals was blissfully wonderful, I understood that it would be short lived. And tomorrow morning, I would swallow my tears, thank the group again in my own way, and be off in hopes of finding any small clue I could to proving my mother's fable as truthful.
A sudden warmth came to fall around my shoulders, and I jerked my head up to see Sin-ah dropping the fur pelt back over my shoulders. He did not smile, though I could tell from his stance that he meant kindly by the gesture. I offered a fleeting smile in exchange and held the white fur close to my skin. Its warmth was unlike anything I had ever felt before, and its familiar scent flooded over me like a wordless story.
He nodded when I lifted the now sleeping Ao in my hands out to him, and gingerly allowed me to maneuver the slumbering squirrel into his outstretched palms. The animal seemed to know its master and buried himself even deeper into Sin-ha's hand. The man made a small sound of humor at his pet's antics, and a fleeting expression appeared on his face. The look was genuinely amused, and I could only tilt my head and be warmed by its appearance. He seemed to notice my lingering look and fidgeted again before heading off somewhere behind me to rest.
Hak seemed to be the only one awake at this point, though when I turned to look at him, the imposing warrior of some sorts had the hilt of his lengthy weapon resting against his shoulder as his eyes remained closed. I knew it was a brief way to recuperate some strength; he was listening without having to watch. He must be weary of me, despite the group's casual inclusion of me. I didn't blame him. A few scant hours and feigned muteness would not win anyone over completely. It didn't faze me; better for him to be wary than trust me more than he should.
My legs were weary from Yoon's treatment, and my muscles felt heavy from whatever herbs he had given me in that steaming cup of herbal concoctions he had whipped up. The thoughts in my mind continued to buzz around in a dizzying whirlwind, but I soothed them away as I coaxed a few blades of grass and bent twigs into the edge of the dying flames near where I sat. My mother's voice was beginning to fill my ears as I stared into the fire's mesmerizing dance, and I retold myself the story she had always told me growing up:
Many, many moons ago, when the world was thousands of years younger than it was today, a radiant storm of change overcame the kingdoms of this world. At the time, the gods and human race were beginning to mix to rid the earth of its festering evils. Thousands were told of the legends of the four dragon warriors who sprung up to protect the noble and honorable King Hiriyuu in the time of his great expedition against evil, but only the scarce few who knew of the woman who stood in the shadows and kept the warriors spirits from ever wavering while the king was alive continue her legend.
Chiao-Xing was the priestess' name, and from her do we draw this tale today. She was of noble birth, and was of so pure a soul that she channeled all the prayers of the kingdom's people through her body. The priestess tasted their despaired, ached for their yearning hopes, and offered unwavering petitions for the dragon-warriors and their dragon king to be successful in their quests against tyranny and deception. The heavens were pleased with her offerings, and passed her prayers to the dragons' other halves in times when their human counterparts felt uncertain of their paths.
But when the great King Hiriyuu passed, and the dragon-warriors all wept for his passing, Chiao-Xing knew that her prayers had finally been answered, and her work as a priestess was done. The people she had heralded prayers for would soon see their wishes come to fruition, and though the warriors grieved, they too had done such good in the name of their master to need any prayers for strength at his departure. But so great was her beauty, and purity of spirit, that when she began to tell her goodbyes with tear-soaked cheeks to the people in the palace she so dearly loved, she was stopped by the warrior of the blue-dragon, who confessed his love for her and desired to have her rear the next generation of his dragon bloodline when he too wished to depart from the palace.
The woman fell undeniably in love with the warrior, whose golden, shimmering eyes spoke of the universe in ways she could only hope to fathom, and agreed to become his first wife. They retreated into the foothills of the kingdom, and produced many heirs there. And while Chiao-Xing was not the woman who reared the next child to inherit the blue dragon's powers, her husband adored her above all his other wives and concubines, and asked her to give one selfish prayer that he may channel to the heavens when she lay on her deathbed.
Chiao-Xing knew she could ask for one of her children to produce the next heir, or that his bloodline be revered about all the other warrior's predecessors, but she knew, deep in her heart, there was only one thing she truly desired.
“Allow me to be reincarnated as a woman when King Hiriyuu is born again on this earth.” She smiled as she reached for his beautiful golden eyes, now filled with tears of grieving. “So too will our fates began to intertwine verily as they did in this lifetime, and we will see the world brought into the light as we did now. My soul will hunger for the power of your golden eyes, and while your soul will never stir for me the way it does for your king, allow that reincarnation of yourself to be drawn to my likeness like a moth to a candle's flame. Allow me to rear your children again, and let us live in the gentle bliss the gods have granted us with in our union.”
“Even if it takes many centuries, so shall your wish be fulfilled.” Her husband pressed a powerful kiss to her lips, and with it, sealed her heaven-sent desire. “My soul will await the day when we two shall be reunited. Until then, have strength, heart of my heart, and do good in this world in whatever form you come.”
And although thousands of years have passed, every soul that passes on this story hopes that one day soon, her final wish will be brought to life, and Chiao-Xing will finally be reunited with her warrior husband. In every lifetime that carries her spirit echoes with this prayer, and dreams of the day that the warrior will be joined again by the selfless priestess who mesmerized him all those many, many moons ago.
My eyes drooped as the warmth of the tale coupled with the fire that was now burning brightly again lulled in my veins. I cradled myself against the hard earth, and buried my limbs within the furry comfort of Shin-ah's pelt, praying all the while that this was the lifetime Chao-Xing's soul would finally find her beloved again. My heart ached more tenderly than it ever had before, and I allowed myself to weep in the sleepy silence that settled between the crackling pops of the flames not far from where I lay. I could not tell you the source of my tears as I fell asleep that night: was it because I knew I could not be this pure priestess of old come back to life, or that my soul ached from the kindness I had received from these people?
All I could do as I fell asleep was conjure the vision of the golden-eyed man she so valiantly loved and smile sleepily at how I pictured their reunion would unravel after so many life cycles of being apart.