by Fynn Chen
“Prince Zhongtai! Stop! Wait for the rest to catch up!” Wanwan cried.
Her heart thundered and she could feel her blood coursing through her veins. However, the prince was too focused on controlling his steed and drawing his bow as the target came into his sight. His second arrow found its mark in the wolf’s hindlegs and Wanwan heard the animal yowl in distress. There were panicked shouts coming from behind them.
Wanwan slowed her steed, if Zhongtai had successfully shot the animal then maybe they would be safe after all. The little princess never could expect how wrong she was and realised it too late when she saw the gleaming eyes from the beasts that emerged from the thick bushes. Their padded feet had allowed them to move so noiselessly that Wanwan had not even noticed their presence. Then she found out that the wolf the prince had shot was just a juvenile wolf and it had led them to an entire wolf pack.
Her heart picked up speed again.
“Zhongtai, danger! Wolf pack! Run!”
Too late, one of the wolves was already upon Prince Zhongtai’s stallion. Wanwan drew her bow and shot at the animal. She had missed but the arrow had made the beast retreat. Then she heard a howl from behind her. She whirled and drew her bow again, releasing the arrow just in time for the arrow to catch the beast in its abdomen.
The shouts from the hunting party grew louder as they tried to pinpoint Prince Zhongtai and her location.
“We are here!” Prince Zhongtai shouted.
The first of their hunting party had burst forth from the trees, the light from their torches had intimidated the wolves slightly. However, it was also at this time when Wanwan’s steed had betrayed her and threw her from its back. In that split second, Wanwan managed to cushion her fall but never was she ready to face a vicious wolf that had its fangs bared and its giant claws ready to swipe against her. Whatever happened later was a blur as she felt pain lance through her and heard the cries from the men around her, of which, most distinct, was her own name.
“Princess Wanwan!”
Wanwan’s mind returned to the present, where she now laid in her sister’s arms and was in a swaying carriage. She was swathed in layers of silken blankets. Her sister was crying, again, as she checked and rechecked the slash across the entire right side of Wanwan’s body. The little princess knew it was a slash from the claws and not a bite as she vaguely made out what the young physician who had accompanied the hunting party had said.
According to the same young physician, the slash had been deep enough to reveal parts of her bone. Wanwan shuddered a little at the thought of it. She hoped there would be no lasting damage if she managed to recover from this assault, she did not want to live maimed for life.
“Wanwan, we are reaching the palace, everything will be fine once we have reached. The imperial physicians will mend you. They will not let anything happen to you,” Princess Yanyan said through her tears.
Wanwan nodded, her eyes glazing over, and she felt bullets of sweat forming on her head as the white-hot pain shot through her body once again. Her sister dabbed gently on her forehead with a handkerchief, and she recalled the birthday gift Princess Yexuan had given her right before the hunting trip. In her state of grogginess, Wanwan did not know why or how she was suddenly reminded of Princess Yexuan’s facial features, her glimmering eyes which looked melancholic most of the time, her prominent cheekbones, and her pale yet beautiful bowed lips.
Wanwan had told Yexuan that she would see her when she was back. Then Wanwan remembered that she had intended to invite Princess Yexuan into her quarters on her birthday before they were interrupted by the princes. Wanwan would have shown Princess Yexuan some of her weapons and her hunting collections sent by her father Khan and elder brothers. Too bad she did not manage to do so on that day itself.
Her mind was becoming foggier and Wanwan decided that maybe she should let it rest.
When Wanwan had fully regained consciousness again, she was greeted by the sight of a small figure resting her head on her folded arms, by her bed. It took several moments to realise that this small figure was Princess Yexuan. Wanwan was surprised that the last thoughts she had of a person before she became unconscious was the first sight she had woken up to.
“W-What…” Wanwan tried to say and found her throat so dry that she was almost choking.
The gurgling sounds she made must have woken up Princess Yexuan. The little courtly princess rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she looked at Wanwan.
“You were injured and sick for so long that everyone lost interest in you,” Princess Yexuan said with a thin smile on her face then she added, “just kidding, you had visitors every day and almost every single hour of the day. Princess Yanyan usually stays by your bed side for half a day. I only came in at night.”
Wanwan managed a small smile of her own at the thought of that. “H-How long?”
“How long?” Princess Yexuan asked and hesitated for a moment before giving her reply. “If you were referring to when I had started visiting you at night it would be just three nights ago. If you were referring to how long you have been injured for then its… one week and a half. You were fading in and out of your consciousness; a nasty injury and a high fever. Your royal brothers, the Bo’er princes, are here. You almost caused a war between our countries.”
Laughter tore from Wanwan’s throat despite being in a state of pain. Then she coughed, her throat felt as if sand was rubbed against it.
Princess Yexuan immediately attended to her and held a cup to her lips. Wanwan drank from it slowly but gratefully. Their eyes met and stayed connected for the longest time when Wanwan said.
“Now I know how you must feel. Always bedridden.”
Princess Yexuan shrugged but returned a small smile.
“Anyway, are you sure your body is fit enough to do this? Taking care of me at night? Did the imperial physician allow this?” Wanwan asked, sounding more concerned than she had expected.
Putting on a smug smile, Princess Yexuan replied, “the imperial physician does not know, only our palace maids and the royal guards, who have all been bribed by me, know about this.”
“Seriously? Bribery… what a… courtly thing to do…” Wanwan said in jest and saw the corners of the princess’s lips tightened. “Anyway, thank you… what gave you the idea to come over to my quarters every night?”
Straightening her body pridefully, Princess Yexuan then said, “if you could harass me every day at my quarters to make me take my medicine, why can’t I harass you at your own quarters for three nights?”
Wanwan choked out another laughter, she had no words to counter Princess Yexuan. “I concede defeat, you win.”
It was Princess Yexuan’s turn to smile this time round and it was such a sweet smile that Wanwan felt her heart warmed.
Then as if just remembering her injury, Wanwan widened her eyes in fear, tested the movements of her right arm and winced in pain.
“What are you doing?!” Princess Yexuan asked in panic.
“Making sure my arm is not useless,” Wanwan said bluntly as she tried to make more movements with her arm despite the growing ache.
“Stop doing that! Your arm will be fine, you just need ample amounts of rest,” Princess Yexuan chided and placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
That moment of contact sent tingling sensations through her body which Wanwan was not familiar with and she shied away from the contact. Princess Yexuan must have felt that it was inappropriate too and withdrew her hand quickly. Clearing her throat, Wanwan asked nervously.
“Really? Will my arm work as before?”
Princess Yexuan nodded. “Yes, it will. The imperial physician said it would. Your injury will heal but it would leave a scar.”
Wanwan snorted. “Just a scar? It is not even on my face. It’s nothing then.”
Princess Yexuan looked sorrowful for a moment and Wanwan wondered the reason why. Then Princess Yexuan said, “you have a lot of scars.”
A not-so-long-ago memory tickled Wan
wan’s mind and she nodded. “The last time I had one on my forehead, you were there as well.”
As if disturbed by that memory, that sorrowful look on Princess Yexuan’s face deepened and Wanwan gulped.
“Yea…” Princess Yexuan muttered. “Anyway, since you seem really awake and well, I should be returning to my quarters.”
Wanwan blinked and nodded numbly at the abrupt words.
Before she left however, Princess Yexuan threw her head back and said, “right… the handkerchief I gave you… it was slightly stained with your blood. I took and washed it. Come to my quarters and get it from me when you are feeling healthy enough.”
Wanwan’s lips went dry as she remembered that she had the handkerchief on the left side of her robes the entire time during the hunting trip. It must have been slightly stained when the blood seeped through her robes. Wanwan suddenly felt relieved that the wolf had slashed her on the right side instead, saving the handkerchief from being ripped.
“Okay, I will. Thank you, Princess Yexuan,” Wanwan said before Princess Yexuan closed the doors behind her.
The room suddenly felt empty without Princess Yexuan’s presence and Wanwan almost felt a pang of sadness. It took a while for Wanwan to convince herself to recover more quickly by willing herself back to sleep.
Over the course of the next few days, Wanwan realised that greater attention was paid to her. The reason was primarily because she was being hailed as a heroine, Prince Zhongtai’s saviour. That title made her extremely uncomfortable and everywhere she went, she could sense people looking at her in a different light. Palace maids about her watched her with a strange sort of awe and Wanwan had to hurry past them most of the time.
Usually, this area where Princess Yexuan and Wanwan lived was quiet, lately however, Wanwan sighted a few princes and princesses loitering about their area. Princess Yexuan seemed to have minded the presence of her other royal siblings a lot and had shut herself in her quarters. It inconvenienced Wanwan greatly because she would always arrive at a tightly sealed and stuffy room, but as long as Princess Yexuan took her medicines regularly, Wanwan did not have a single word of complaint.
In fact, despite being shut in her room, Princess Yexuan seemed to have opened up more to Wanwan as they hid in her quarters for longer periods of time. Princess Yexuan would read to Wanwan poems from famous poets and explain to her the intricate meaning behind certain compound words in the language of Pei. From frivolous phrases of love to grave expressions of worldly understanding, Wanwan memorised them all.
Princess Yexuan would also unveil some of her most precious stowed away paintings and allow Wanwan to marvel at them to her heart’s content. From the emotional depictions of the human figures to the atmospheric elements captured within a landscape painting. Wanwan, after some time, saw in great detail, the intention of every line and contour. Eventually, upon Princess Yexuan’s careful guidance, Wanwan was able to connect every piece of artwork to the sentiments that could be felt from within herself.
Sometimes, Princess Yexuan even brought out her favourite set of calligraphy brushes and taught Wanwan the art of calligraphy when her right arm had become better. Self-admittedly, Wanwan was not a graceful person but under Princess Yexuan’s patient tutelage, she began to learn every curve and rhythm of the stroke, every pressure exerted from the wrist, every angle the brush was held at, it all contributed to how the calligraphy piece would turn out.
Aside from all these past-time activities that Wanwan busied herself with, like what Princess Yexuan had told her before, her three most favourite royal brothers, Prince Zhenxing, Zhenyin, and Zhenxun were in the palace. The Great Khan would have wanted to visit the palace if he had not been deeply involved in a war against the Jing army together with several of her elder brothers.
It was told that the Great Khan was so furious about the misfortunate that had befallen his daughter that he had upturned an entire meeting desk. The Emperor of Pei had sent chests filled with gold and silver as well as other priceless treasures to placate the Great Khan but Khun’in Khan was not so easily appeased.
Whatever transpired between their negotiations, Wanwan had no care for them. All that mattered to her was how she spent her time with her brothers.
It was a lazy afternoon as Princess Wanwan rode around the city in an open carriage with her brothers. Word had also spread through the imperial city about the hunting mishap and the young Bo’er princess was looked at by the Pei civilians with reverence and respect. It was as if Wanwan had turned into a legend within and outside of the palace walls after the hunting quest and it irked her.
The Bo’er royal entourage and her royal brothers, especially Zhenxing, had also charmed the civilians with his tanned skin, broad shoulders, and thickly muscled chest. Despite having stayed in the capital city of Pei, Wanwan never had the opportunity to explore the city. It was beautiful. However, beneath its sheen of beauty, the Bo’er royal siblings had also caught sight of its ugliness.
As they had made a turn into a backway alley, against the advice of the accompanying Pei royal guards, they found themselves in a corner of the city that was wholly different. They saw families living in slums, dilapidated shop houses, and streetways strewn with beggars. Wanwan nearly choked at the sight of such degradation.
“If this was father’s city, he would never have allowed for this to happen,” Prince Zhenyin said angrily.
Prince Zhenxun nodded his head fiercely in agreement. “Never. No one person would be left behind in any Bo’er tribe. Less so for an entire street of citizens.”
“If this could truly happen in the capital city of Pei then I wonder how much worse it would be in the outskirts of the city,” Prince Zhenyin added.
Both the younger princes were met with a warning glare from their elder brother Zhenxing who reminded them to speak softly and respectfully. Wanwan felt her heart aching, a pain that was greater than the injury she was nursing. All these people, they were left behind from an unsustainable progress made by the ruling family of Pei. She was reminded of the glamour in the palace; of the frequent banquets organised, of the many luxurious quarters bestowed upon members of the royal families, and of the expensive gifts that they indulged themselves in. These were all at the expense of the civilians, they were all taxpayers’ money that could have been better managed to maintain the city. Her brothers, Zhenyin and Zhenxun, were right. If this were her father’s city, the Great Khan would never have allowed this to happen. When her father Khan was not at war with the other countries, he was amongst his tribesmen, understanding their needs and ensuring that resources were properly disbursed, especially to the sick and elderly.
Such was the difference between the countries of Pei and Bo’er when it came to management. Yet, the sufferings of humans were all the same, Bo’er tribesmen or not. There was no discrimination when it came to the endurance of agony brought about by poverty, and Wanwan felt an indescribable surge of passion. She loathed to witness mothers’ not being able to provide for their new-borns. She could not withstand the sight of scrawny children dressed in rags, their eyes void of any promises for a better future. She hated to see the sick and elderly lying abandoned at the side of the streets, waiting for their time to be up. Wanwan had a new goal that day, she would make this country a better place for all citizens to live in.
8 Scarlet Promises and False Happiness
It took nearly two months for Wanwan’s injury to stop throbbing with ache.
Wars still raged at the borders of Bo’er and Jing, and the Great Khan had been unable to visit his youngest daughter. However, her royal brothers had been dutiful in keeping their father updated and only left the palace when Wanwan was healthy enough. Before they did, they had even playfully remarked that Wanwan seemed to have stopped growing taller ever since leaving the great plains and Wanwan answered their comments with kicks to her brothers’ sheens.
She missed her brothers and was getting frustrated with Prince Zhongtai’s frequent apologies for causing h
er injury and Prince Zhongxiu for fussing over her every movement. The two princes had also visited Wanwan at both her and Yexuan’s quarters almost daily. Some days they had fun since both princes would bring new entertainment to show off to the princesses, but most times, they were boring and getting overbearing. Wanwan sometimes wished that they could leave Princess Yexuan and herself with more private time to themselves so that they could practice poem making, painting appreciation, and calligraphy writing
During that two months, Wanwan had also gone to her horse’s stable every single day to bond with her young mare. Little did she expect that Princess Yexuan had made her way to the stables as well.
“Are courtly and sickly princesses supposed to be interested in handsome steeds?” Wanwan asked as she fed a bushel of hay to her mare.
“Handsome?” Princess Yexuan asked in a mocking tone, “she looks normal to me. From the rumours, I thought my Emperor father had given you a Qilin.”
A Qilin was the mystical Chinese beast whose appearance signified the appearance of a sagely individual. Wanwan glared at the courtly princess. “That’s because she is in the shed, wait till you see her in full glory in the sun.”
Wearing a thin smile on her face, Princess Yexuan proceeded to ask, “what name did you give her?”
“Scarlet,” Wanwan said with pride as she stroked the mare’s breast, and the animal gave a grunt.
Princess Yexuan casted a wary glance at the equine. “is she tamed?”
Cocking a brow, Wanwan said, “well… I haven’t ridden her yet. They would not allow me to, not until a month later when mobility has fully returned to my arm. But I have been spending time with her every day and she recognises me now.”
