Scarlet Dandelions

by Fynn Chen

  Wanwan pushed Yexuan aside and gripped the hilt with both hands, barely intercepting another assault from the burly man. Steel rang shrilly against steel, and Wanwan felt the tremors of the force course through her body, chattering her teeth. This time round, the rebel maintained the connection between their swords, forcing Wanwan to channel all her strength into her wrists to sustain the rebel’s mounting pressure on her weapon. Wanwan trembled, and rivulets of sweat trickled down her temples as every joint in her body screamed in protest at the enormous strength that was bearing down on her. A feral grin broke out on the rebel’s face.

  “You are strong for a young child. But you are not strong enough,” the bulky rebel leered.

  Gritting her teeth, Wanwan could not even reply for fear of causing her energy to dissipate. It was maddening how she was about to lose due to lack of sheer muscle power. No, Wanwan knew she could never beat this man by relying on her brawns. She had to use her wits and her strengths. Breaking the connection between the weapons, Wanwan quickly ducked to avoid the sword thrust from the rebel and stepped quickly away. The rebel seemed slightly taken aback by Wanwan’s quickness, but he recovered from the surprise fast enough.

  “You must be the infamous Bo’er princess, aren’t you? So much for a wildling princess, it is my honour to be fighting you then. I am Tiancheng, the co-founder of our visionary group.”

  Scoffing, Wanwan replied, “that is what you call yourselves. You are nothing but an indiscriminate raider and killer. I do not care for your name and you are not fit to address me by mine either.”

  The rebel roared with laughter, baring his yellowed teeth. “Arrogant little thing. I will make you regret your words.”

  “No, I will make you regret your existence.”

  Wanwan had feinted an attack which the rebel fell for and followed up with a strike of his own. Rolling to a side before getting up quickly, Wanwan found the opening she had created and stabbed at the rebel. Wanwan’s first stab caught him in his thighs and the rebel let out a grunt of pain. However, the wound did not deter him for long as he began to lunge towards Wanwan as well. Surprised by the swiftness of her opponent’s recovery, Wanwan had barely managed to put some distance between them. Her opponent, as if humiliated by the first injury he suffered, became hastier and more careless in his attacks.

  Wanwan dodged those predictable strikes again and again before she found another opening and jabbed. Wanwan managed to sink the sword slightly deeper into his abdomen before the rebel backstepped away. This time round, Wanwan was at least treated to the satisfaction of watching the rebel’s face contort into a snarl of pain.

  “Don’t be too smug, kid. I will get you! I am Tiancheng! I fight for the wellbeing country! I will weed out all of the useless members of the royal family.”

  Wanwan heard the rustling of Yexuan’s tunic and guessed that she had slid out her own dagger to aid her.

  “No, Yexuan! Stay behind me!” Wanwan warned.

  There was a sharp intake of breath from Yexuan, as if she was surprised that Wanwan sensed her intentions.

  “Fine, I will. Focus on your fight,” Yexuan replied, her voice strained.

  The rebel guffawed. “You do not have to be worried about each other. I will kill the both of you and do justice to this country.”

  Not wishing to waste her breath on this misguided rebel, Wanwan let her parries make her point. Hindered by his two injuries, the rebel’s movements were becoming sluggish, and he had lost a great deal of strength. That was when Wanwan became bolder and closed the gap between them, aiming for his abdomen again. It was a wrong move as Wanwan had over committed and barely dodged a slash that was meant for her chest. It sliced across her arm instead. A cry escaped from her lips as she became aware of the stinging pain.

  “Wanwan!” Yexuan screamed as well and nearly rushed towards Wanwan.

  “No!” With one arm outstretched, Wanwan warned Yexuan to back away, well away from their fight. “Stay away, Yexuan. I am not hurt!”

  Just a slash… Wanwan told herself as she narrowly avoided another stab that was coming for her chest. Wanwan parried it away weakly as she tried to refocus her mind. Yexuan was there, she could not possibly let Yexuan watch her sustain any more injuries. That thought motivated Wanwan to readopt her original strategy of poking at this man slowly and tiring him out. Wanwan could only pray that she would not be the first to collapse. She would not be.

  It was a dance, and Wanwan came out at the top of it as she stabbed at the rebel wherever there were opportunities while making sure Yexuan was a safe distance away from their fight. Her arm bled but she paid no attention to her wound. Finally, the rebel had slipped up and Wanwan took the opportunity to plunge her sword deep into the rebel’s abdomen. Wanwan did not waste another second as she unsheathed her dagger and stabbed that into the rebel’s chest as well. The rebel’s eyes went wide and Wanwan met them with fieriness.

  “You…” the rebel choked out as blood dribbled from the side of his mouth.

  There was an outpour of hatred from those eyes and Wanwan pushed the dagger in further. A final cough of blood. Then, the man was dead.

  Yexuan’s quick breaths were audible as she rushed towards Wanwan, and the first thing she did was to support Wanwan whose energy was entirely expended.

  “Idiot! You idiot! I will not forgive you if something happened to you, Wanwan.”

  “I am fine, Yexuan.”

  Wanwan managed a smile even though she felt weaker by the moment. Several imperial guards finally broke into the tent and Wanwan, knowing that Yexuan would likely be safe, allowed her eyes to close for a brief period.

  That brief period apparently translated to half a day. Wanwan had woken up to an achingly stiff left arm, and Yexuan’s worried-looking gaze. The red-rimmed eyes of Yexuan’s made Wanwan’s heart ache.

  “How are you feeling?” Yexuan asked as she brushed her fingers lightly against Wanwan’s arm.

  Wanwan wore a smirk as she shrugged. “Just a little sore.”

  Nodding, Yexuan must have believed her because that worried expression on her had immediately morphed into that of anger.

  “I told you to never endanger yourself!” Yexuan scolded as she stood up.

  Feeling wronged, Wanwan pouted and answered in defiance. “What was I expected to do? Watch him kill you?”

  “I was not referring to the fight in the tent,” Yexuan said, her voice lathered with cold fury, “I was referring to you charging out of our tent, without any considerations.”

  Wanwan flinched. On hindsight, Wanwan had to admit that she had been motivated a little too much by the act of valour and had not heeded Yexuan’s long-time advice. Then again, if Wanwan had not helped, she might have felt guilty and useless afterwards. Whatever it was, she knew that Yexuan would not accept any explanations until after the courtly princess’s anger had subsided. All Wanwan could do now was to admit that she was in the wrong.

  “I am sorry Yexuan,” Wanwan said reluctantly.

  “You are not forgiven.” Yexuan answered crassly.

  With the thought that she had already given in, Wanwan could not stomach Yexuan’s wilfulness and replied just as rudely. “Then suit yourself, I should not have come back for you in the tent then.”

  “And leave me to die?” Yexuan said, her voice distraught and Wanwan knew she was utterly at fault.

  Tears pooled in Yexuan’s eyes shortly after. In a softer voice, she said, “you are such a foolish wildling princess.”

  Before Wanwan could plead Yexuan for forgiveness, Yexuan had left the tent. The world tumbled before her and Wanwan was left in a daze for a few seconds. Realising the consequences of her mindless words, Wanwan shut her eyes tightly in regret. Tears had appeared in her eyes too, tears of madness.

  For the next few days, Wanwan was tended to by a maid and heard that Yexuan was living in a separate tent. Wanwan felt miserable, even more so than during the time when she had been mauled by the wolf. It was as though someone had lodged
a dagger in her heart and twisted it from time to time.

  Yexuan ignoring her presence was so painful. What was worse was that, Wanwan could only receive news about what Yexuan had been doing from the others since she was forced to rest in bed. On the third day after her quarrel with Yexuan, Wanwan finally wandered out of their campsite to where the building works were taking place and found Yexuan relaying instructions. From a distance, Wanwan could tell that the Yexuan’s complexion had become paler than usual and immediately recognised that Yexuan’s cough was returning.

  That night, Wanwan forced entry into Yexuan’s tent even though the guards had tried to stop her. Yexuan had looked as pale as a parchment, almost as if white powder had been intentionally applied to her lips. There were dark pouches under her eyes as well, and from Yexuan’s heavy breathing, Wanwan knew that Yexuan was unwell.

  “What do you want, Princess Wanwan?” Yexuan asked coldly.

  “I want you to tell me how you are feeling,” Wanwan replied, trying to sound mellow.

  Yexuan must have misread her question as she answered, “how I am feeling? I feel nothing.”

  “That is not what I meant, I meant… your health condition,” Wanwan said exasperatedly.

  Yexuan then set down the scroll she had been reading and stalked over to Wanwan. “I feel fine,” Yexuan said between her gritted teeth.

  Yet, as if being jinxed, Yexuan’s body had betrayed her, and her knees buckled. Wanwan caught her just in time with her good arm. A soft gasp escaped from between Yexuan’s lips. Their eyes stayed locked with each other before Wanwan half carried the princess to her bed. Yexuan had not put up a struggle.

  “You feel fine, indeed, Princess Yexuan.” Wanwan could not keep the sarcasm out from her tone as she tried to tuck the princess beneath the blanket.

  Wanwan’s words were met with silence from Yexuan. Looking into Yexuan’s eyes again, Wanwan’s heart softened. There was turbulence in those beautiful eyes of Yexuan and Wanwan would have liked to behold them for longer. However, as if unable to suppress her illness any longer, Yexuan broke out into a bitter cough.

  Wanwan had come prepared. She had asked for a palace maid to brew the medicine for Yexuan, and it arrived shortly after. Yexuan was more than surprised by it but still refused to drink.

  “There is no vase for you to throw the medicine away and I will not leave until you have drunk this,” Wanwan said insistently.

  “What are you going to do if I don’t consume it then? Are you going to force me?” Yexuan challenged.

  The softness in Wanwan’s heart melted away and frustration brewed in it instead. Wanwan barely contained her annoyance when she spoke. “Yes, I am going to force you.”

  “How?” Yexuan challenged with an unwavering stare.

  It was then when Wanwan felt something snap her mind. Without second thoughts, Wanwan put the bowl to her own lips and took a sip of the bitter concoction.

  Yexuan gasped as she wrapped her hand around Wanwan’s wrist in a weak attempt to restrain her. “What are you…”

  Before Yexuan could complete her sentence, Wanwan had closed her mouth over Yexuan’s, and forced the medicine from her own mouth into Yexuan’s mouth instead. Yexuan’s eyes widened in shock, and her body went rigid. After the first sip, Yexuan was forced to swallow, too stunned to even say, or do anything. Wanwan then drank another large mouthful and closed her mouth over Yexuan’s again. This time round, Yexuan had closed her eyes, her body relaxing a little as Wanwan held her firmly by her shoulders. Wanwan repeated the procedure until the bowl of medicine was finished. Wanwan felt a little breathless and it was unsurprising that Yexuan was too.

  Wiping away the medicine that had dribbled out from the side of Yexuan’s mouth with the silk handkerchief, Wanwan swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before she spoke.

  “I am sorry, I did not mean a single word I said that night. I would never ever leave you in the tent alone. I would fight and protect you even if I might die doing so.”

  Shaking her head fiercely, Yexuan closed her mouth over Wanwan’s, an action borne out of need. Wanwan had read from numerous novels that what they were doing was known as kissing. It was an intimate action that stemmed from the most profound affection one could have for another. Wanwan knew and she had given in to her instincts, relishing in this sensation, deepening their kiss, and cupping Yexuan’s cheeks while doing so.

  When they finally broke apart once more, with her chest heaving heavily and tears in her eyes, Yexuan said, “I don’t want you to die from anything, not even if it is to protect me. Don’t you know that is what scares me the most?”

  Wanwan had her jaws clenched as she anticipated Yexuan’s confession.

  “Losing you. Losing you is my greatest fear.”

  Wanwan felt her heart tremble as she let out a withheld breath. Never had she considered that before, of Yexuan’s greatest fear. In that instant, it all made sense to Wanwan. Yexuan had lost her closest kin when she was young and had grown up largely in solitude if not for Wanwan’s appearance. They had enjoyed every moment with each other over the past few years, even through bickers and tears. Wanwan wondered what she was to Yexuan, especially after the kiss they had shared and their gazes upon each other. Maybe she knew. Maybe the fluttering feeling erupting from within her stomach was testament of her knowledge.

  Yexuan, I am fond of you, fonder than a mere companion should be. It was worth trading my freedom back in Bo’er for you, if I could choose again, I would come back for you once more.

  Wiping away the tears from the courtly princess’s eyes with both hands, Wanwan replied, as gently as she could. “I didn’t understand fully before, but now that I do, I will make sure to allay you of your fears. Yexuan, I will live well, for you. You won’t lose me, not so easily.”

  Yexuan sniffled as she held on to Wanwan’s hands. “Wanwan, remember your words.”

  “I will. And I will remember our kiss,” Wanwan said boldly.

  Seeing the emotional expression on Yexuan, Wanwan knew that their thoughts about the kiss were aligned. Every touch from Yexuan had conveyed far more emotions than words could express.

  Taking in a deep breath, Wanwan found the resolution to say the next few words, “I will be your companion for life.”

  They both broke into smiles.

  “I don’t want another companion. I only want you,” Yexuan said in affirmation.

  Those words filled Wanwan’s heart and the Bo’er princess thought they had sounded so beautiful that she wished she could hear it again. It has been four years, four years since they first met each other at the banquet, four years since their lives intertwined with one another. Wanwan took Yexuan’s hand, and she kissed the back of it. Both broke into chuckles before Yexuan nestled into Wanwan’s embrace and they held each other’s hands while they slept.

  In this life, I will acknowledge you, and only you, Pei Yexuan, as my companion for life.

  18 Wild Ambitions and a Charitable Heart

  It was a windy day, and the sky was slightly overcast when Wanwan resumed physical work along with the other labourers, masons, and artisans.

  “Yexuan still isn’t feeling well?” Prince Zhongxiu asked in concern.

  “She said she is, but I don’t believe her. You know how your royal sister is like,” Wanwan said as she hefted wooden planks up and rested them on her shoulder.

  Prince Zhongxiu took a half-step forward to help her but Wanwan waved him off.

  Upon witnessing the pair, Prince Zhongtai laughed and said, “come on, brother, do you not already know that our Princess Wanwan is a male in disguise despite her short stature? She has the strength of a bull, stronger than us combined.”

  Wanwan shot Prince Zhongtai a fierce glare as she shouldered past them.

  From a distance, Prince Zhongxian seemed to have spotted the trio and made his way towards them.

  “Princess Wanwan, you do not have to do all these. Your arm injury is still of great concern and we cannot aff
ord for you to sustain further injuries,” Prince Zhongxian interrupted the trio’s conversation.

  One of the military men who was following behind Prince Zhongxian immediately lifted the planks effortlessly from Wanwan’s shoulders. Wanwan watched balefully as the man carried on with her work.

  “Princess Wanwan, perhaps you could join us in our logistics discussion since my royal sister is still abed. It is an equally important task too and one that could stimulate your mind better,” Prince Zhongxian suggested.

  After a brief thought, Wanwan accepted the offer.

  The logistics meeting was one with a fairly large number of stakeholders with the attendance of several military leaders and captains of the guards. All of them had a common goal of transporting building materials to the affected areas in the most efficient manner.

  Much to Wanwan’s delight, the discussion was not as boring as Wanwan thought. In fact, she could understand why Yexuan enjoyed it as well. It required a lot of thorough planning and insights, something which played to Yexuan’s strengths. Every single route they chose, every allocated budget, every manpower harnessed, it was all heavy work.

  Wanwan caught Prince Zhongtai’s eyelids shutting a few times and she shook her head. Prince Zhongxiu was quiet but gave numerous helpful suggestions. Amongst the princes, Prince Zhongxian had the deepest thoughts, and it was demonstrated through the way he had asked pointed questions and challenged his brothers. In a way, Prince Zhongxian and Yexuan’s style of politics seemed to be more similar. They both prized efficiency but at the same time concerned about their human resources. Meanwhile, Wanwan listened as she absorbed things from all contributing parties, learning as she went along. This, along with the knowledge she had acquired from the captains of the imperial guards on the strategic deployment for defences, made Wanwan realised just how complicated it could be to manage resources properly.