by Fynn Chen
Yexuan’s eyes turned frightful at the suggestion and wanted to say something but Wanwan had managed to reply the prince first.
“Of course not, I treasure my arm,” Wanwan said snidely and the prince laughed.
“Of course, I was just kidding. My father Emperor is in the party ahead of us, I would not want to get into trouble by endangering our esteemed Bo’er princess once again,” Prince Zhongtai said teasingly.
Wanwan shot him a wintry smile.
Prince Zhongxiu had also ridden up to them, but he enquired after his royal sister’s wellness instead of making japes like Prince Zhongtai. Yexuan replied that she was feeling fine. The two princes later rode away when they had received fiery neighs from Scarlet, eliciting much laughter from Yexuan.
“Seems like Scarlet is pretty tolerant with your mare compared to the prince’s steeds,” Wanwan commented casually.
After three full days of travelling on horses with multiple breaks in between, the hunting party had finally reached their site and settled into their camps. Naturally, Wanwan shared the same tent as Yexuan because they were such a large group and had to travel light.
Their hunting site was a larger and denser forest that was in a mountainous region. Wanwan immediately sensed that there was more game in this particular place than the woods they went to during the previous hunting trip and was itching to start the hunt.
The Emperor had made the trip even more exciting by increasing the competition amongst his children. All his royal children, and Wanwan, except for Yexuan, would be broken up into groups of three. All in all, there would be ten groups of three.
The hunting trio who had caught the most impressive beasts would be rewarded accordingly. There was no question that Wanwan would group with Prince Zhongtai and Prince Zhongxiu. Before they begin the hunt, Yexuan had nagged at Wanwan to be careful at all times, and Wanwan had to keep assuring her.
“I will be fine,” Wanwan said for the umpteenth time.
Yexuan nodded but her young face was still lined with worries.
“Safety above everything else. Your father Emperor has given us more than enough guards to prevent a repeat of the accident. Don’t you worry and just await my good news,” Wanwan said again and brushed Yexuan’s face with her fingers.
Finally, Yexuan gave her assent for Wanwan to leave.
Much to Wanwan’s disappointment, the dense forest had also meant that the animals became more elusive and with the short time given, they really had not caught anything impressive; only rabbits and squirrels. To add on to their dampened moods, the Emperor had ordered for the hunting parties to return to the campsite before evenfall. This, Wanwan suspected was for her safety.
When they had returned, Wanwan felt better when she realised that the other princes and princesses had not shot anything remarkable as well. Maybe they would have better luck the next day.
“Was it fun?” Yexuan asked Wanwan immediately when she had returned.
Wanwan shook her head sadly. “Not really. We didn’t manage to catch a lot of things.”
Yexuan relayed an apologetic expression to her. Later Wanwan’s moods brightened when she found out what Yexuan had prepared; her favourite Osmanthus tea accompanied with cooling Osmanthus flower jelly with wolf berries. Wanwan’s eyes had lit up and her stomach growled in immediate response.
“Thought you might miss these snacks so I asked my maids to bring some of them. Seems pretty fitting after a long hunt, right?”
Wanwan nodded her head eagerly with an open-mouthed grin, almost resembling a salivating wolf, a happy one. Yexuan looked at her with much amusement and pushed Wanwan’s lower jaw up to close her mouth.
“First, wash your hands,” Princess Yexuan commanded and Wanwan obeyed without arguments.
On the first night of this hunting trip, the mood was rather light as they settled dinners in their individual tents. Too light. Wanwan thought. An idea crossed Wanwan’s mind and she went out of the tent, casting her gaze skyward. True to her imagination, the inky night sky was studded with twinkling stars. The sight was still lacking compared to the night sky in her homeland, but it was beautiful enough to show Yexuan.
Returning to the tent, she found Yexuan practising her embroidery with an unrivalled focus. Yet, Yexuan’s head had snapped up when Wanwan neared her. Donning a look of slight curiosity, Yexuan spoke.
“You look like you are up to something, what is it?”
To which Wanwan grinned mischievously. Bounding to where Yexuan sat in a few more steps, Wanwan wrapped her calloused hands around Yexuan’s slim wrist and led Yexuan out of the tent.
Wanwan intended to get some distance away from their campsite, away from all the campfire that would mar her view. Wanwan had lied to the guards and maids that they would be visiting the princes’ tents before creeping silently away in the opposite direction.
The night was quiet and Wanwan had let her cautiousness slip, almost forgetting the existence of the peripheral guards. She had almost come face to face with them before dragging Yexuan aside, to hide behind one of the tents.
Having no clue of Wanwan’s intention, Yexuan asked confusedly, “aren’t we going to the princes’ tent?”
“Shhh…” Wanwan gestured to Yexuan to stay quiet as they skirt about the tent. Fortunately for Wanwan, she found some rocks and threw them at the guards, causing a rift amongst them and successfully distracting them. The two princesses then slipped through the opening without anyone noticing.
“Wanwan, what are you doing?! Where are we going?” Yexuan asked, panic rising in her voice.
“Well… just… look up,” Wanwan said.
When Yexuan did as she was told, there was a momentary dazed expression on the courtly princess’s face. Taking in the sights herself, Wanwan sighed in contentment. They were blanketed by a field of stars, in this place of wilderness, these celestial objects shone more brilliantly than ever.
“S-So beautiful.” The words had escaped from Yexuan’s lips and sounded so sweet on Wanwan’s ears.
Those words were all that was needed for Wanwan to find their efforts in sneaking out worth it. Wanwan laid down on the hard ground and patted the space beside her for Yexuan to follow suit. Yexuan looked slightly hesitant before she finally acquiesced and laid by Wanwan’s side. The view of the night sky with the twinkling stars was infinitely more beautiful as they watched from this angle.
Wanwan closed her eyes for a few moments as she thought about her homeland again. These should be the same stars that her brothers were looking at right at this moment. The siblings, including Yanyan and Wanwan, would often go out stargazing and bathe themselves in the glow of the soft moonlight. Wanwan wondered if the rest of her family members were doing well right now. Her father Khan had been so mad at her before she left and had not even seen her off. It made her slightly sad.
“Princess Wanwan… what are you thinking?” Amidst her gloomy thoughts, Yexuan’s gentle voice reached her.
Wanwan pursed her lips for a moment and opened her eyes. “My homeland. My father and my brothers.”
Turning just in time to face Yexuan and see her troubled expression, Wanwan berated herself for souring the moods.
“Don’t feel pity for me. It was my choice,” Wanwan said before Yexuan could pour sympathy for her.
No words were passed between them as Yexuan held Wanwan’s hands. Wanwan felt her heart warmed up even though Yexuan’s hands were so chilly. Flipping to lay on her side, Wanwan brought up her other hand to cover Yexuan’s and rubbed her tiny hands to warm them up. A smile stretched across Yexuan’s face, one which conveyed gratitude and shyness. Wanwan did not know how she managed to gather such thoughts, but at this moment, she found Yexuan to be the most beautiful being on Earth. A celestial being. Yexuan’s smiling, perfectly crescent-shaped eyes reflected all the goodness of this world even as they took on worldly-pains in itself. Hers was the most gorgeous pair of eyes anyone could lay sight of in this universe. None could rival it. Wanwan had to sw
allow hard to bring her mind back to reality and not be lost in those pair of mesmerising eyes.
“I-It’s cold, l-let’s get back before they find out we are gone,” Wanwan stammered as she said.
Nodding, Yexuan got back up on her feet swiftly as well and followed Wanwan back. They snuck about the imperial guards as they did before and hoped that no one would find out about their disappearance.
Too late, they were still found out by Yanyan..
12 The Sinful Arrow and the Cold Stream
Wanwan sensed that something was amiss even before she had entered her tent. True to her instincts, she found Yanyan sitting by her tea table, barely containing her rage.
“S-Sister,” Wanwan greeted.
The sheepish look on both Yexuan and her face must have given their deeds away and the rage that was barely contained within Yanyan spilled over in the next instant.
“Wanwan! I told you not to get into trouble!” Yanyan screamed as if forgetting that Princess Yexuan was in the tent as well.
Wanwan winced and jerked her head in Yexuan’s direction, an embarrassed look on her face. As if just remembering Yexuan’s presence, Yanyan had simmered a little as she asked Yexuan to excuse Wanwan and herself. Surprised to see the elder Bo’er princess’s wrath for the first time, Yexuan had given a leaden nod and watched as Yanyan nearly dragged Wanwan to her own tent.
Once they were in Yanyan’s tent, the scolding was unleashed in its full intensity. “Where did you go?!”
“To the princes’ tent,” Wanwan tried to keep up with the lie but knew the chances of it passing Yanyan was slim. She was right.
“Don’t lie Wanwan! I went to the princes’ tent when the guards told me that too. You were not there, and I had to pretend as if nothing was going on because I know about your troublemaking tendencies all too well. It would have caused such a commotion if they knew that the Emperor’s favourite princess was missing with the Bo’er princess. Do you know how much trouble you would have gotten in?” Yanyan scolded mercilessly.
Wanwan felt indignant but she could find no points to rebut her sister. Yanyan was right in everything. If not for the fact that she had been lucky to sneak out successfully without notice and be found out only by her sister, Wanwan would have been duly punished. Even if she was a guest from Bo’er, even if she was just a child, and even if she was a companion to Yexuan. Whoever had flouted the palace rules of Pei would be duly dealt with and she would have embarrassed her father Khan and her Bo’er people. Blaming herself for not considering the consequences in greater detail, Wanwan felt her eyes stung by hot tears and she apologised crassly.
“Fine. I am sorry, sister. I went out to gaze at the stars with Princess Yexuan.”
“Gaze at the stars?” Yanyan looked befuddled for a moment before she regained her thoughts and asked belatedly. “Where?”
Wanwan pouted and kicked at the ground, angry that she was treated like a little child and even angrier at herself for behaving like one. “Somewhere beyond our camping grounds.”
“You got past the guards?” Yanyan asked incredulously.
“Yea… I did.” Wanwan said and immediately regretted her honest words.
Yanyan flew into a bigger rage right then. “Why Wanwan?! You could have asked the guards to bring you out! Do you know how dangerous this foreign place can be at night? Have you forgotten that you were mauled and almost killed by a wolf?”
Wanwan’s head dipped lower as she held back her tears. Wanwan understood her sister’s concerns but those considerations were not important in her mind just now because she merely wanted to bring Princess Yexuan out to look at the stars. Wanwan then remembered the expression on Yexuan’s face and decided that perhaps this scolding from her sister was worth it.
“I know of the dangers… but I… just did not want anyone else to disturb us and also… they might not have let Princess Yexuan stay out because of her health…”
Blowing out a breath to control her temper, Yanyan spoke again, this time with an unnatural calm. “You knew Princess Yexuan might not be able to withstand the night chill and you still brought her out.”
“I merely wanted to let her see the stars… like how we used to enjoy doing when we were younger. It was a view that could never be afforded in the palace,” Wanwan replied with a softer voice, apologetic voice.
Her elder sister’s body had gone so still that she looked almost carved from marble. Shutting her eyes, Yanyan finally mellowed. “Don’t do this anymore. I really don’t want you to get into any mishaps. Wanwan, do you understand?”
Gritting her teeth, and wiping the tears of indignance that had escaped, Wanwan nodded.
When Wanwan returned to her tent, she was so exhausted and was in no mood to retell anything to Yexuan. So, Wanwan just buried her face in the pillow, shutting out everything else. Nevertheless, she still felt Yexuan stroking her hair and whispering into her ears.
“Goodnight and thank you for bringing me to see the stars.”
Wanwan pouted and replied a goodnight in a muffled voice before closing her eyes.
**
The competition resumed on the second day of the hunting trip, with a renewed vigour.
“I swear I saw it going that way!” Prince Zhongtai shouted.
They were on a trail of a large leopard and were in close pursuit of it, their progress hindered by the large party of hunting guards with them. They were further slowed because the guards were exceptionally cautious when it came to their trio, for they knew their heads will roll should any mishap befall upon any one of them.
“No, brother, it went that way!” Prince Zhongxiu said calmly.
Not wanting to add to the brothers’ argument, Wanwan jumped off her horse and examined the tracks closely. It was hard to find but with some perseverance and a whole lot of concentration, Wanwan spotted half of a paw print with its front toes pointing in the direction Prince Zhongxiu had claimed it went in a patch of soft loamy soil.
“It went that way!” Wanwan supported Zhongxiu’s claim as she showed her evidence to the hunting party.
They all gave nods of approval and helped the little princess back up Scarlet.
“Let’s go,” she urged the party.
With great enthusiasm, the scouts of their hunting party headed forth. Wanwan sighed, she was the one who spotted the tracks, she should be the one doing the reconnaissance. The Bo’er princess had to remember her sister’s constant reminder about not getting into trouble and shrugged the matter off.
After another hour, the party finally encountered the wild beast. As per the Emperor’s rules, the animal must be shot and killed by the princes or princesses for it to count. Wanwan did not need to be reminded of the rules, her body had reacted upon instinct as she drew her bow and loosed it without blinking. The animal leapt out of the arrow’s way but that did not bother the princess, she was already drawing another. This time, as the princess let go of the bowstring, she thought she saw a cub amongst the bushes, behind their targeted leopard and realisation dawned upon her. As the arrow sailed through the air, Wanwan thought she could see everything with unnatural clarity. It was too late for regrets, her arrow had found its mark and was lodged in the leopard’s chest as she leapt once more. It was joined by two other arrows from the princes which caught it by its front limb and abdomen respectively. Together, the injuries were fatal, but the leopard was still struggling for its life.
Wanwan clenched her jaw as she repressed her feelings and drew one last arrow of mercy; the last shot to the leopard mother’s head.
A final cry from the beast reverberated through the forest simultaneous with the cheers of her hunting party. However, Wanwan felt no joy as her arms fell limply to its side. Her memories ravaged by those dark recollections of the past. Mother… The image of Wanwan’s mother filled her mind, piercing her heart. Steering her steed away, Wanwan could not bear to look at the beast for even a second longer. Prince Zhongxiu seemed to have caught her expression of guilt and rode up towa
rds her.
“Are you alright, Princess Wanwan?” Prince Zhongxiu asked gently.
Unwilling to reveal her emotions to the princes and the imperial guards, Wanwan nodded numbly.
“I am perfectly fine,” Wanwan said, betraying no expressions of hurt.
Yet, Prince Zhongxiu’s concerned gaze remained affixed on her. Wanwan wished Prince Zhongxiu could stop staring but she did not know how to put her mind across.
“Oh! There is a cub!” Prince Zhongtai suddenly shouted as he went to examine the kill.
It was unmistakable what the mother leopard had been trying to do as she leapt. Thinking that the arrow was meant for her cub, the leopard had shielded her cub from danger, a final act of motherly protection. Wanwan felt tears stinging her own eyes then as the imprinted memories played itself in her mind, of her mother standing protectively before the six-year-old her and receiving the final deadly slash to her chest.
“Wow! We caught two beasts then!” Prince Zhongtai’s exclamation returned her back to present.
Wanwan hopped down from Scarlet so hastily she had almost twisted her ankle. The helpless cub was yelping in Prince Zhongtai’s hold and Wanwan snatched the leopard cub away from the Prince swiftly.
“Let it go,” Wanwan snapped and caught Prince Zhongtai by surprise with her falling tears and words.
Prince Zhongxiu had leapt off his steed as well and stood by Wanwan’s side. “Brother, let the cub go.”
Scratching his neck, Prince Zhongtai answered uneasily, “yea… sure… of course we could just let it go but it really would not survive on its own you know?”
Wanwan glanced at the animal and felt her heart throbbing with ache again. Prince Zhongtai was right, the chances of the cub surviving was slim. Wanwan looked at the animal for a long moment with regret as she unsheathed the dagger. A dagger which she had not used in a long time. A dagger that belonged to her mother. Wanwan was about to slice the cub’s throat when Prince Zhongxiu had gripped tightly onto her hand.
