Her Warrior

by Alice Wilde

  I step forward, pushing Annalise slightly behind myself, and the commander and I remaining standing in silence opposite each other for a long moment before he finally speaks.

  “Which of you is in command of this ship?” he asks in Chinese.

  “I am,” I say quickly…too quickly. I’d already made my first mistake by allowing him to know I spoke Chinese. It wasn’t unlikely that he spoke several languages, and I should have waited to see which of the others he’d use to address us. I’d given him the upper hand in knowing that I can speak and understand Chinese. All I can do now is hope that I’m overthinking things and that it won’t be cause for concern later, but a twitch at the corner of his mouth warns me otherwise.

  “You speak Chinese,” the man says. “Interesting. So, what is a man such as yourself doing commanding a ship full off…these foreign devils?”

  “We have business with the emperor,” I say calmly.

  “Do you now?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is the first I’m hearing about it,” the commander says, stroking his chin, “and the emperor is never remiss in telling me his plans.”

  “The emperor doesn’t know of our arrival yet,” I say.

  “That’s what I thought. So, what is this business of yours?”

  “I’d prefer to speak directly to the emperor about it, but I can assure you it is of dire consequence.” I want to hit myself for talking to him so bluntly, but I can’t help but feel that something isn’t quite right.

  “Anything you have to say to the emperor, you can say to me. I am the eyes and ears of His Majesty,” the man says, his expression hard. “The emperor is under my protection. Your journey will end here and now if you don’t tell me what you are doing sailing these oceans.”

  “As I said,” I say, my voice growing harder, “what we have to discuss with the emperor is for his ears only. If you doubt our intent, you are welcome to escort us to the palace, but we will not speak without the emperor present. I can assure you, he’ll want to hear what we have to tell him. I dare say he won’t take too kindly to learning that one of the men in his command kept him from the information we have.”

  The commander’s mouth tightens into a hard line as he glares at me. I hadn’t exactly expected a warm welcome, but I hadn’t expected to make enemies with the first person I’d meet on my way back home. I just don’t trust this man enough to tell him any details. Right now, the secret information that we have may be the only thing keeping us safe. Even if it’s not really secret, he doesn’t know that. Not yet.

  “You don’t know who you’re speaking to,” the commander finally says through set teeth. “I could have you cut down here and now if I wanted to.”

  “Yes, but you won’t,” I say with far more confidence than I feel, knowing full well the ground I’m treading is wearing thin, but hoping my boldness will spark doubt within him.

  “Very well, but we’ll be escorting you back.”

  I let out a quiet breath of relief. “Thank you.”

  “And the girl will come with me.”

  “What? No!” I growl, catching myself before I shout the words at him.

  “It’s the only way you’re getting to the emperor alive. I don’t know who you are or where you’re from, and I’m not about to let you see His Majesty without some insurance of my own.”

  I know he’s right, but the idea makes me sick to my stomach. I doubt any harm will befall Annalise in his care, but I dislike the idea all the same…and I can imagine she’ll like the idea even less.

  “I need to speak with her first,” I answer as calmly as I can.

  “Oh, are you ruled by women where you come from?” the commander says snidely.

  “Aren’t we all?” I retort. “Besides, she is my queen.”

  The small smile that had been forming on the man’s face fades just as quickly as it had come as he looks from me to her and back.

  “Queen?”

  “Oh, did I forget to mention that?” I ask ruefully before turning my attention toward Annalise.

  Two

  Annalise

  “He says he will escort us to the emperor, but only if you board his ship and sail with him…as insurance,” Li says.

  I look nervously from Li to the foreboding man behind him. “And if I don’t?”

  “He swears he’ll cut us down where we stand.”

  “Let him try,” Roan says in a low growl.

  “Shh, Roan. I suppose that doesn’t leave me much choice.”

  Li watches me for a long moment, an expression of slight surprise on his face.

  “Does that mean you agree to it?”

  “Yes.”

  Another long moment of silence follows. I can feel frustration emanating from Roan.

  “Very well,” Li says before turning back to the commander and speaking to him in a language I can’t understand.

  The man nods to Li and then says something to the men standing behind him as he gestures toward me. I can feel Roan tense beside me.

  “I’ll be fine, Roan,” I say, looking up at him in a way I hope he finds reassuring.

  Roan looks at me, his face pained.

  “It’s not you I’m worried about, lass,” he says quietly.

  I open my mouth to try to say more, but the men waiting on me make a sound that I have no doubt meant to hurry me, and I all I can do is give Roan one more look before stepping into place with them.

  I know it’s unlike me to agree to do something with such ease, but I’m sure Li wouldn’t have even suggested it if he thought I’d be in any serious danger. Besides, I could do with a little space away from everyone to think.

  Especially Roan. There’s so much I want to say to him, but I simply don’t know how to go about it. Everything has changed so much in such a short amount of time, and I don’t want to make things worse than they already are by saying the wrong thing. Not that anything I can say will necessarily be right.

  I’m shaken from my thoughts as a hand appears before my face. I look up and into the face of my temporary captor as he offers his hand to me from the plank connecting our two ships. Hesitating for only a second, I reach out and take his hand, and he pulls me up next to him with little exertion on his part. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought he was one of my own men merely by his surprising strength…and height.

  He doesn’t let go of my hand as he turns toward his own ship, and I barely have time to look over my shoulder at Li and Roan before I am pulled along behind him.

  The commander steps down onto his ship and then takes me by my waist and lifts me down onto the deck. The men who had boarded our ship quickly file onto the ship behind us as the commander begins to shout orders at his men. I watch, open-mouthed, as the men on deck fall into orderly chaos and prepare the ship to set sail in record time. I’m not even sure Ero could have made his own men follow suit half as quickly.

  Wind fills the sails and we’re soon moving, although it’s more like gliding than anything, and I’m thankful. Already my stomach feels less queasy than it has in weeks. Perhaps Li knew it would be smoother sailing in more than just the figurative sense?

  I whirl around at the thought and hurry to the side of the ship, looking out over the water toward Li and Roan. We’re still within sight of one another, but this ship is easily out sailing them. I can feel the panic rising within me when a large hand lays itself heavily on my shoulder. I turn my head to look up into the commander’s face.

  “There is nothing to worry about, for the time being. You may address me as Commander Luo.”

  “You speak my tongue,” I say in astonishment.

  “I speak many languages,” Luo says flatly.

  “I—”

  “On my ship, you will obey my orders. Queen or otherwise.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Very good. You’ll be staying in my quarters.”

  “But—”

  Before I can protest, Luo turns from me and speaks to one of his men, g
esturing toward me. The man takes me by my arm, nearly dragging me down the deck in his haste to do as the commander has ordered.

  The door to the commander’s quarters slams shut behind me as I’m pushed so roughly inside that I’m unable to keep my feet. I hadn’t expected to be treated like a queen, but I certainly hadn’t expected to be quite so literally shoved around either.

  Slowly getting to my feet, I look around the room. The design is far different from the ships I’ve been on in the past. The wooden interior is so ornately carved that if I didn’t know any better, I’d have believed I was in a small palace room, not a ship. On the far side of the room, a beautiful lattice divides the space, a circular opening in it leading to a large, stunning bed. Perhaps the most striking I’ve ever seen.

  The bedding almost seems to shimmer as twinkling rays of sunlight filter through various small windows, catching on the fabric. Walking over to the bed, I gasp as I see how magnificent it truly is. It might seem insignificant, but I don’t remember the last time I saw silk this fine. Even the loveliest of gowns that I’d worn back home had never been as elaborate as this.

  I run my fingertips across the bed, shivers of pleasure running down my spine as I do. The red silk has been embroidered with gold thread, images of dragons, mountains, and small villages sprinkled perfectly over the fabric. The commander must be a very powerful man to sleep in a bed as extravagant as this, fit for any prince.

  I carefully lower myself onto the bed but frown. Although beautifully adorned, this bed is the hardest I’ve ever sat on. This couldn’t possibly be where he actually sleeps, could it? Shifting in place, I try to make myself more comfortable, but to no avail. Sure, our ship’s beds weren’t luxurious, but this is downright awful.

  Standing, I walk over to one of the ornately carved chairs and sit. I want to laugh out loud. How is it possible the chairs are more comfortable than the bed?

  Glancing around the room, my eyes fall on a locked cabinet. The cabinet is made up of same intricate latticework, although the spacing is much more closely knit. Through the small openings, I can just barely make out the shape of a suit of armor.

  I stare at it for a long time from my seat, curious as to why the commander would have two sets of armor when the set he’s wearing looks as though it’s still in pristine condition.

  Crossing the room to get a better look, I am left speechless. The armor looks as though it’s made of gold, delicate engravings etched into every inch of the metal. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and I’m starting to wonder how anyone besides royalty would have such lavish possessions…especially at sea.

  There’s a loud creak and I quickly turn to face the door as it swings open and Luo ducks his head as he enters the room. He looks even taller in contrast to the height of the room, the hair of his topknot nearly brushing against the ceiling.

  “I see you’ve found my most prized possession,” Luo says.

  “Yes, I think it’s the most beautiful set of armor I’ve ever seen.”

  “I should hope so. It was gifted to me by the emperor himself.”

  “Oh,” I say with a soft gasp, no wonder it looks fit for a king.

  “We’ll reach port in a day or so. Until then, you are to remain here. I will take supper with you, but the rest of the time the door will be locked—for your own protection as well as that of my crew.”

  “I doubt I could do much to harm your crew,” I say with a small laugh.

  “You’d be surprised,” Luo says, looking at me curiously. “But no, that’s not what I was inferring. My crew distrusts you, and I won’t have them worried beyond what is necessary. After all, you are a foreign devil and supposedly a queen at that. There are larger concerns than merely your physical threat to us.”

  His words make sense, although I am having a hard time understanding why he brought me aboard if it would make him and his men so uneasy.

  “Why did you take me aboard instead of one of my men?” I finally ask.

  “What good are your men if what your companion says about you is true? Besides, I know men, and taking you was my greatest guarantee at ensuring not only the safety of my own men but that of my country. Most men want to be a hero, whether or not they’ll admit to it. Now, knowing that I have you aboard my ship, they must follow my orders to ensure their own safety as well as that of your own.”

  Although Luo’s words are reasonable, and I’m certain Li knows what he’s doing, they put me on edge. Over the past few months, I’ve been both our greatest weapon and our worst downfall, and all I can do now is hope that we’re making the right decision by putting our lives in the hands of this man. At least from what I’ve seen inside this cabin, it seems as though he really is connected with the emperor. We don’t have much time, but I’m going to have to try my best to put myself in the commander’s good graces. Perhaps if I can earn his trust, we may have a good in with the emperor himself.

  “Let’s eat,” Luo says, crossing the room to a low table and sitting down on a cushion beside it.

  I follow suit, and a moment later, several women enter the room carrying aromatic dishes I’ve never seen before. I watch as they lay each of the dishes out on the table and then place a small cup, a bowl of steaming rice, and two long, thin sticks of wood in front of Luo and myself. One of the women pours tea into our cups before removing herself to the far side of the room.

  Remaining motionless, I watch quietly as Luo pours tea into each of our cups and then takes his own two sticks in hand and begins selecting from the various dishes, placing food from each within his own bowl of rice. Grasping my own two sticks in hand, I try to copy his movements, but no matter how hard I try, my fingers can barely manage to keep the sticks in place, let alone use them to pick up anything.

  I struggle with the instruments for several minutes before I realize the clinking of dishes has stopped, and my heart nearly jumps out of my chest as a hand closes over my own from behind.

  “You’ll starve to death if you try to hold your chopsticks like that,” Luo says in a low voice, maneuvering my fingers around the sticks until he’s satisfied with my grip. Keeping his hand on mine, he guides my hand forward and moves my fingers against the wood to pick up a small morsel of food before returning it to my own dish of rice.

  “Thank you,” I murmur, wondering how I’ll ever be able to replicate the movements on my own.

  “You’ll get the hang of it with time,” Luo says, his hand lingering on my own for a moment longer before he stands and returns to his place at the table to continue eating.

  I’ve nearly lost my appetite when I finally manage to get some of the food from the dishes to my mouth and I’m amazed at the flavor of it all. Of course, we used spices to help liven up dishes back home, but I’ve never tasted anything quite so delicious. My mouth waters and I attack the food with more fervor than before.

  My side of the table is a mess by the time I’m finished eating, bits of food and liquid strewn across it.

  Luo has long since finished eating and is sitting quietly, sipping at his tea as he watches me curiously.

  “Finished?” Luo asks as I put my chopsticks down on the table, my hand cramping slightly.

  I nod, and Luo says something to the woman waiting on the other side of the room. Within minutes, the dishes are cleared from the table and Luo and I are left sipping tea from our cups quietly.

  “I’m surprised there are women working on your ship,” I finally say, breaking the silence.

  “Really? Why?”

  “Only men are allowed to work aboard ships where I’m from.”

  Luo frowns. “Ah, yes. Superstition,” Luo says. “Ridiculous notion. Why would I waste my men’s time with cooking when they have more important things to do? Besides, having women aboard serves more than one purpose.”

  I look up from my tea at the commander. “What do you mean by more than one purpose?” I ask hesitantly.

  “I think we can both agree that having a large number of men cooped up
aboard a ship for weeks on end is not always the best idea. The women, along with handling the day to day living tasks, provide a form of entertainment and release for my men. You’d be surprised by how much it helps.”

  I continue to stare at him as I try to comprehend what he’s telling me.

  “Do you mean,” I start slowly, failing to hide my distaste for the idea in my tone, “that these women are also used by the men?”

  “It’s their job,” Luo says with a shrug, casually sipping at his tea.

  I don’t know what to say in response. I wonder how the women feel about this, or if they really had a choice in the matter.

  “It’s another reason why you’re to remain in my quarters for the duration of our trip. This is a military ship, and while there are a number of women aboard, they are not to be bothered, and I don’t want my men further distracted by the thought of you.”

  I shudder at what he seems to be implying, but it’s enough to cull my curiosity for exploring the ship further…at least for now.

  “Finish your tea, it’s getting late.”

  Swallowing the last bit of liquid in my cup, I set it down and get to my feet, my body aching from the unfamiliar sitting position. My heart starts to beat fast in my chest as I look over and find the commander has begun removing his armor, laying each piece carefully out on a table as he takes it off. Until this moment, I hadn’t thought the commander would actually be staying in the same room, not that I had any reason to believe otherwise.

  Luo turns back toward me as he sets down the last piece of his armor on the table. With the metal removed, his shirt and pants look to be made of soft, comfortable fabric that is wrapped around his body in a surprisingly flattering way. I can’t help but wonder what Li would look like dressed similarly.

  “Are you going to wear that to bed?” Luo asks.

  “I didn’t bring anything with me.”

  Luo crosses the room and opens the door, saying something to someone standing outside. A minute later, Luo is handed a small bundle of fabric. He turns to me, shutting the door behind him.