Scarlet Dandelions

by Fynn Chen

  “It won’t be on its own, it will survive,” Prince Zhongxiu said with confidence as he took the infant from Wanwan.

  Handing the cub carefully to a nearby imperial guard, Prince Zhongxiu said, “Feed this cub till it is strong enough to bite off one of your arms. Keep it in the palace, or wherever it fits. If the cub dies, you will be duly punished.”

  Yexuan had been finishing the last of her embroideries as she waited for Wanwan’s return. News of the wildling princess and her two royal brother’s capture of a great leopard had reached her ears. For some unknown reasons, Yexuan felt herself awash with an odd sense of pride and had promptly asked for the maids to prepare snacks and tea for the trio.

  Little did Yexuan know that the wildling princess would not show up even after a very long time. The tea and snacks were beginning to cool. Worrying, Yexuan hid her completed embroidered handkerchief as she wandered out of her tent and asked around. Her heart palpitated as she found out that the princes had long returned and were back in their tent. Breaking out into a brisk walk, Yexuan immediately made for the prince’s tent and her heart dropped further when she heard commotion from within. Yexuan’s mind was raided by thoughts of mishaps that might have already befallen Wanwan and she found it was almost difficult to breathe.

  The commotion simmered when Yexuan had announced her presence.

  “Sister, what brings you here?” Prince Zhongtai asked, there was a certain edge of nervousness in his tone.

  Yexuan steeled herself as her eyes darted around the princes’ tent. There was no sign of Wanwan.

  “I heard you guys quarrelling from outside the tent, did something happen?” Yexuan shot another question at them instead.

  Prince Zhongtai pursed his lips and gave a sideway glance to the other prince before answering. “Well… we were just… discussing about an incident during our hunt just now.”

  “Incident?! What incident,” Yexuan found herself raising her voice and her heart clenching.

  No one had mentioned of any incident to her, only of the trio’s successful capture of the beast.

  Prince Zhongxiu finally spoken up then. “It’s regarding Princess Wanwan actually.”

  Yexuan felt her blood freeze in her veins. “W-What?”

  “Don’t worry, sister. Princess Wanwan is unharmed… just a little… upset now,” Prince Zhongxiu added.

  The wildling princess is unharmed. Yexuan felt the knot in her heart ease up.

  “Why? What happened.”

  The two princes narrated the happenings in the forest to their sister. They spoke about how the wildling princess had been the one who had successfully led them to where the leopard was and buried the first arrow in the beast. Then they told their sister that it was later found out that the leopard was a mother and had a cub with her. Prince Zhongxiu said that he had observed the wildling princess, and it was apparent that the wildling princess knew immediately after she let loose the arrow which found its mark in the beast. Then, with a hardening of her heart, Wanwan put the last arrow which ended the beast’s life.

  Yexuan felt a tear in her own heart as she listened to the story.

  “We were arguing because my royal brother wanted to use the cub to claim another prize. I find no glory in that,” Prince Zhongxiu had said in such a malevolent tone that surprised Yexuan.

  “I told you I am sorry! I didn’t expect Princess Wanwan to cry,” Prince Zhongtai said irritably.

  “P-Princess Wanwan cried?” Yexuan asked in greater surprise.

  The princes nodded their heads sombrely.

  “What happened to the cub in the end? And where is Princess Wanwan now?” Yexuan asked more urgently, eager to start looking for the wildling princess.

  “Well… we got someone to take care of the cub and Princess Wanwan wanted some time away from us by the stream in the forest. Don’t worry sister, we made sure that the guards are with her at all times,” Prince Zhongxiu replied.

  Yexuan nodded gratefully and asked if they could get some guards to lead her to the same stream.

  Yexuan did not know what she was expecting but she certainly did not imagine the wildling princess to be knee deep in the fast-flowing stream, utterly drenched and trying to catch river trout with her bare hands.

  In the late afternoon sun, the water in the stream glistened and Wanwan who was in the water, seemed to reflect off the same glow as well. It was a raw sight to behold and Yexuan found herself drawn to the small form of Wanwan, the corners of her lips edging upwards to form a relieved smile. If not for the warning from the imperial guard, Yexuan might very well have traversed over the edge and into the stream herself.

  The wildling princess had perked her head up when she heard Yexuan approach and gave her a grin so wide it resembled a wolf. There was absolutely no hints of Princess Wanwan being upset like what the princes had described. Beneath that grin however, Yexuan knew that Princess Wanwan must be hiding her sorrows.

  “The princes told you I am here?” Wanwan shouted over.

  Yexuan nodded and the wildling princess returned her nod with a raise of her brow.

  “Well then, what do you plan to do here anyway? Waste your time while watching me try and catch something?” Wanwan asked in a mocking tone, a slanted smile slashed across her face.

  Yexuan pursed her lips at the wildling princess’s venomous words. Then without warning, Yexuan had gotten feet-deep into the stream with the wildling princess.

  “I won’t be wasting my time if I try to catch something too,” Yexuan replied with equal mockery.

  Wanwan seemed slightly taken aback at her actions and seemed about to rebuke her but Yexuan had prevented the wildling princess from doing so.

  “Don’t tell me that I might be down with a cold or anything, just make sure we quickly catch something and that you feel better, then we will return back to our tents.”

  “Who knew that a courtly princess could be so crazy. Anyway, you have got to get your shoes off, if not you will more likely slip in these waters.”

  Yexuan did as she was told and removed her shoes gingerly with the help of a palace maid supporting her by the elbows. Slowly, Yexuan inched towards the edge of the bank and tested the water with a dip of her toes. The feeling of the cool water assaulted her and made her wince slightly. Yexuan heard the wildling princess chuckle unreservedly. Pouting slightly, Yexuan tried to waddle across to where Wanwan was standing at but found the wildling princess to be bounding towards her instead, making loud splashes in the water.

  “Princess Yexuan, are you certain your sole is thick enough to not get cut by the small pebbles?” Wanwan asked teasingly as she held Yexuan by her arm. “Anyway, don’t walk around in the water too much and you should be fine. I will be the one catching the fishes anyway.”

  Yexuan wanted to scold the wildling princess for belittling her so much but decided against it because she knew that the wildling princess was already feeling terrible. After all, Yexuan’s purpose in looking for the wildling princess was to cheer her up. A fish swam past Yexuan’s feet and she squealed in surprised, eliciting a bout of hysterical laughter from the wildling princess. Yexuan saw a few of the palace maids trying to contain their laughter as well and immediately felt embarrassed.

  “Stop laughing!” Yexuan scolded.

  Wanwan’s laughter sputtered, and she eventually stopped as she dared to meet Yexuan’s fierce glare.

  “Okay, okay, I will. Anyway, that is going to happen more frequently so… may your courtly princess get used to it,” the wildling princess said in a smooth, irritating tone.

  Wanwan was not wrong as Yexuan felt fishes swimming past her every now and then. After a while, she had stopped getting surprised, and was beginning to be able to see the fishes more clearly. Yexuan never knew that she could have so much fun simply by waddling about in the stream after the wildling princess who was concentrating really hard as she tried to catch those elusive fishes. Yexuan giggled when Wanwan had struggled to get the fishes to the bank in her smal
l hands while maintaining her balance. Wanwan had successfully caught two large fishes and let the small ones go but not before bringing them close to Yexuan to scare her with it.

  As they continued to splash about in the water, Yexuan had almost slipped. Fortunately, Wanwan had been quick enough to react and supported Yexuan by her waist. Yexuan felt heat spreading across her cheeks as their drenched bodies came into contact with one another. The hand that was clutching Yexuan by the waist was so firm that it might appear overprotective to the others who had witnessed it.

  “Told you to be careful,” Wanwan said in a reproachful tone. “Let’s go back now, I am feeling a lot better, and you shouldn’t stay drenched for so long.”

  Yexuan nodded shyly. The heat across her cheeks intensified as the wildling princess led her carefully out of the stream and wrapped a fur towel around her.

  “Don’t catch a cold, I don’t want to sleep next to a coughing princess at night,” the wildling princess said sternly.

  Once they were back in their tent, Wanwan had fussed over Yexuan changing out of her wet clothes quickly. Wanwan had personally saw to picking out her fresh clothing from their travelling chest and nagged at her so much that Yexuan had to place a finger on the wildling princess’s lips. Letting out a breath of frustration, Wanwan finally gave Yexuan some peace and went about to get the palace maids to prepare them some foods.

  Their evening was spent over hot tea, snacks, and Yexuan’s zither-playing. The wildling princess must have been exhausted because it did not take long for Yexuan to send Wanwan to sleep. The wildling princess had been stubborn enough to try and keep herself awake but had nodded off multiple times and eventually stayed asleep on the desk.

  Yexuan paced over to the sleeping princess and felt the urge to touch her especially when she noticed the creases between the wildling princess’s brows. The story of the leopard mother and its cub began replaying itself in Yexuan’s mind and Yexuan remembered that this wildling princess had lost her mother as well, even witnessed the death of her mother. It made Yexuan wonder if that was the reason why the wildling princess had been so upset. Unable to resist the urge, Yexuan finally stroked the spot between the wildling princess’s brows, where a crease had formed.

  “Mother…” the wildling princess muttered.

  Letting out a surprised gasp, Yexuan withdrew her hand immediately. Fortunately, the wildling princess was only talking in her sleep and Yexuan relaxed. Yexuan thought of her own mother and felt like crying herself. In a way, she suddenly felt really connected to this wildling princess as they were both motherless and pinning for their mother in some way or other.

  Wanwan, I only wish I have the ability to take away your bad dreams.

  13 Scattered Paths of the Vermillion Butterflies

  On the last day of the hunting trip, the Emperor had called upon an outdoor feast. It reminded Wanwan briefly of her twelfth birthday feast back in her homeland, except this time round the performances put up were in the Eastern Pei style. Most enrapturing of all was Yexuan’s zither performance. It was a piece that the courtly princess had practised the day before. Yexuan had played it in a slower rhythm back in their tent, and Wanwan realised that the courtly princess must have intentionally lulled her to sleep.

  It was a divinely beautiful piece, titled the Scattered Paths of the Vermillion Butterflies (朱蝶散径), composed by Yexuan herself. The performance by the talented young Yexuan was met with equal amounts of both awe and jealousy from the other princesses. Yexuan was akin to the incarnation of the goddess of music, the most enchanting being that sat amongst them, but at the same time, in Wanwan’s eyes, she was simply Yexuan.

  Wanwan found herself lost in Yexuan’s music, like the scattered butterflies who had deviated into a field of darkness. However, as Yexuan peered up from her zither, her soulful eyes meeting Wanwan’s, Wanwan realised that she was gradually being guided back to the path of light again. Blinking, Wanwan wondered what sort of phenomenon she had just encountered. Taking swift glances around and observing the expressions of the people who looked as if they had been trapped in a dreamscape by Yexuan’s melodies, Wanwan learnt that she had not been alone in the sensations she felt.

  Later, Wanwan’s gaze fell upon her sister, Yanyan, who sat beside Prince Zhongxian. Unlike Wanwan herself, Yanyan must not have emerge from the field of darkness yet. The loneliness in her sister’s eyes had broken Wanwan’s heart into smithereens. Wanwan clenched her jaws, sensing her sister’s pain as if they were her own. Yanyan had rarely revealed the sadness of her own plight before Wanwan, behaving as though she had submitted completely to her own fate. A fate that devoid her of all the brightness in this world. A fate that trapped her in this eternal gloom. A fate that had no Miying in it. Wanwan would not allow that to happen. Wanwan would extend her own hand into this dark realm and heave her elder sister out from misery. As Yexuan’s music continued to play on, Yanyan almost looked completely disoriented. If not for the soft squeeze on her shoulder from Prince Zhongxian, Yanyan might have fallen further into that dark abyss conceived from within her mind. Offering the prince a courteous smile, Yanyan seemed to have stilled her heart and mind as she listened on to the music without any emotions invested.

  A soft sigh of relief escaped from Wanwan’s lips as she plucked her attention away from Yanyan and returned her attention to Yexuan.

  Their eyes were locked onto each other for a long moment before a faint smile spread itself over Yexuan’s face. It was as if she was trying to communicate something to Wanwan. Then, before Wanwan could react to the smile, Yexuan had begun another piece, The Drifting Seeds of the Scarlet Dandelions (漂泊的赤红蒲公英). It was Wanwan’s favourite song. A piece that Wanwan had commented on multiple times and each time Yexuan played, she would add an embellishment or two. It was yet another saintly piece by Yexuan. One that narrated the tale of a noble heroine who gave her life willingly to the greater cause of good and in the process, suffered injuries grievous enough to dye the field of dandelions scarlet with her outpouring blood. However, her sacrifice would not be all in vain as the dispersed seeds from the dandelions would carry her stories adrift, be told to people far and wide, and be translated into a hundred tongues for centuries to come.

  There was an over-enthusiastic applause in appreciation of Yexuan’s performance and the Emperor of Pei seemed to be basking in the glory of his princess’s talents. After the performance, the Emperor had fulfilled his promise of rewarding the best hunting trio with a night luminous pearl each, a treasure that was considered legendary. The only night luminous pearl that Wanwan had a glimpse of was in the sketch of the Dragon throne in Yexuan’s study. Despite the congratulations from the other princes and princesses, Wanwan could sense that their eyes were glowing green with envy. Wanwan knew that the pearl was invaluable across the lands, but she had never been impressed with great treasures as such. To her, it was but of no use, even more worthless than a pot chamber gilded with gold. Wanwan thought a new sword or bow for her might have been a more suitable gift. Regardless, Wanwan had shown the Emperor immense appreciation for his generosity. Wanwan knew she must have behaved appropriately enough when she saw the relieved smile on Yanyan’s face.

  As the hunting trip drew to a close and the two princesses spent their last night in the tent, Wanwan had caught Yexuan staring fondly at the priceless pearl, and a smirk stretched across Wanwan’s face. They laid in bed that night, with Wanwan holding the large pearl in her hands and beckoning for Yexuan to hold it as well.

  Usually an individual who exhibited well-practiced restraints, the wonder in Yexuan’s eyes could not be concealed as she cradled the pearl as if it was the most precious thing in this world. Wanwan could not hold back her amusement as her sight was occupied by the adorable Yexuan.

  “Well… Yexuan, you know… if you really like the pearl, you can have it. I have no use for it anyway.”

  Yexuan’s mouth had fallen open slightly. “How could you say those careless words, Wanwan. Rem
ember, no one is ever allowed to give the Emperor’s gifts away. You will get into trouble! Promise me to never utter such words again.”

  Wanwan’s smirk grew more pronounced at the courtly princess’s concern for her. “Well… I mean… of course the pearl can still be mine in name, but you can keep it with you from time to time, and stare at it during those times for as long as you like. And I promise to not say such things to anyone else but you.”

  Yexuan blushed but was later afflicted by an expression of conflict as she stared harder and harder at the beautiful pearl. The fondness in Yexuan’s eyes grew and Wanwan waited for the courtly princess to cave in. Alas, Yexuan gave a nod, taking up Wanwan’s offer.

  “Thank you,” Yexuan said gratefully in a small voice that made Wanwan’s heart swell.

  “You’re welcome,” Wanwan said. Then, Wanwan remembered the divinely entrapping zither performance by Yexuan and added a pair of phrases as an afterthought. “The pearl should go along with a courtly princess as beautiful as it is. A waste it would be if its glow could not shine upon another being that is as greatly admired.”

  Distracted from marvelling at the pearl, Yexuan swallowed and squirmed a little at Wanwan’s saying. “Where did you learn those from?”

  “From your books, remember? I would read one or two while you were playing the zither and you had even explained the meaning of those phrases to me. My grasp of the Pei language has improved drastically, perhaps even surpassing Miying’s knowledge, because of all the readings.”

  Yexuan blinked and laid the pearl back into the box, setting it aside by their bed before she turned to face Wanwan.

  “Of all the things you could have learnt, you picked up such… frivolous phrases,” Yexuan said.

  Still lying down, Wanwan tucked her hands beneath her ears and shrugged. “The phrases seemed fitting to be used on you. It is not frivolous at all, you are beautiful, Yexuan, especially with that healthy shade on your face. I am surprised you did not catch a cold from getting soaked the day before.”