“Yes, Mother Queen.”
Tara’s gut took a flip when she heard that she was expected to lead a team of four concubines. This meant she was going to share one husband with four other women. Why didn’t that idiot tell me about this earlier? Tara was secretly fuming on the inside. Once again, she thought she was cheated by Prince Chen.
Seeing the remorsefulness on Tara’s face, the Dragon Queen’s initial rage and displeasure slowly dissipated. “Since this is your first transgression, I will not report it to the Dragon King, neither will I keep it in your disciplinary record. Remember, your admirable comportment as a principal consort will uphold the honor of the imperial dragon family. If you continue to violate the palace rules and customs, I will not hesitate to take tougher actions against you in the future. Now, return to your Emerald Palace to take some time for self-reflection.”
“Yes, Mother Queen. Thank you for your admonishment. I shall now return to the Emerald Palace.” After Tara did a full prostration in front of the Dragon Queen, she slowly retreated to her Emerald Palace.
Prince Chen was searching high and low for Tara, but he could not find her in his Sapphire Palace. Finally, he found her sobbing inside her own chamber in the Emerald Palace.
“Darling, open the door please, it’s me,” said Prince Chen, knocking incessantly on the door.
“Leave! Go away! I don’t want to see you!” sobbed Tara miserably. She refused to open the door despite multiple requests. Prince Chen had no choice but to use a spell to unlock the door.
Tara was hiding under the blanket, sobbing and weeping uncontrollably. Prince Chen went to sit by her bedside, waiting for her sobbing to subside.
“Are you feeling better now? I heard everything from Mother Queen already. It’s alright, my mother was concerned about your safety and security. She certainly did not want you to get hurt. If you’ve any concerns and worries, just share them with me. I’ll help you settle them.”
“Prince Chen, I’m a caged bird now; I cannot dance, I cannot fly my phoenix, I cannot be myself. Mother Queen said if I continue to disregard the rules and traditions, she will not hesitate to take tougher actions against me,” said Tara dolefully.
“Today, I was appalled to find out from Mother Queen that every dragon prince has one principal consort and four concubines, and that I, as a principal consort, will be expected to lead four concubines in the future. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Answer me now, how can five women share one husband? No way! It’s ridiculous! It’s absurd! It’s preposterous! I don’t want to live in an ancient feudal world. Don’t you know how painful my heart is; it’s like being splintered into thousands of broken pieces!”
“Calm down darling. I’m the youngest son, and my parents particularly dote on me. They will let me choose what I like to do. Don’t worry, I’ll only have one wife. I promise you,” said Prince Chen reassuringly, trying to hold her hand but she refused to let him touch her.
“No, you won’t. Sooner or later, your parents will force you to marry another four concubines as per the custom. Out of your filial piety, you won’t go against your parents’ wishes to have only one wife; you’ll choose to follow the tradition to please them and make them happy. This is the cold, hard truth. Are you sure you dare to challenge your parents and your traditions? No, unfortunately, I don’t think you can dare,” said Tara, without mincing her words.
Prince Chen was silent; he struggled to find words to answer her because she was probably right.
“There is no difference between a husband with five wives and a husband divorcing four wives to get the fifth wife. Men will always be men; they want novelty, variety, and excitement. To them, love is nothing more than canal pleasure. Prince Chen, if I knew that eventually I would have to share one husband with four other women, I would never have agreed to marry you. I’m just too gullible to believe in your sweet talk and all your empty promises; I’m just too naïve to fall in love with you, an impertinent jackanapes! I can no longer bear living in this suffocating cage. I call it quits, if not, I will go nuts!” said Tara, lashing out her frustration and resentment at him.
Prince Chen averted her gaze. His shoulder slumped dejectedly. Knowing that Tara was devastated, his heart ached sharply; it was as if a spear had impaled him.
“Do you hear me? If you still love me, please help me escape from this prison. I want to go back to the human world. No matter what. Come what may. I MUST RETURN HOME!”
Both of them sat in silence for a while before Tara spoke, “Just leave me alone now. I’m tired, and I need some rest.”
“I’m sorry,” said Prince Chen dolefully. “Please rest well. I’ll get Singha to bring you some food later.”
“No, thank you. The only food I want is Katong laksa.”
CHAPTER 41
THE ESCAPE FIASCO
Prince Chen was unusually somber once he was back at the Sapphire Palace. His mind was turbulent, and his heart was shattered. He could not bear to see Tara in pain and the worst part was that he was the cause of all her problems. He had to come up with a solution now. He started to formulate an escape plan to fulfill Tara’s dream of going back home.
“Singha, I need your help urgently. Could you get a large dragon ship ready by tonight? It’s a covert mission and it has to be done stealthily. I need to help Tara and all her relatives escape to the ocean in search of Qibaota.”
“Master, are you out of your mind? You’re going against your father, the Dragon King! You know your Father disapproves of Tara leaving. Now that you’re engaged to her and the wedding preparation is already underway, why would you let her go? All you need to do is cast a spell on her and she will follow your command and stay. Why make it so difficult? I don’t understand. It just doesn’t make any sense!” Singha blurted out.
Prince Chen sighed with slumped shoulders. “You know how much I love her, and it breaks my heart to see her in pain. I promised to respect her decision and support her in pursuing her dreams; casting a spell to control her and rob her of free will is never an option. Yes, it aches me deeply to let her go but I know, letting her go is the only way to make her happy. I know her and I trust her; she will definitely awaken the Qibaota, defeat the demons, and return home.”
Singha bowed respectfully and began to work.
It was two hours before mid-night. The wind was still, the crows cawed sinisterly, bats screeched spookily, and the owls hooted eerily.
“Master, a large ship is ready. It’s docked at the Dragon Quay,” Singha said. “I’ll wait for you there by the ship.”
“Good. I’ll get Tara and the rest to board the ship soon.” Prince Chen wore a full black suit complete with a black mask in an attempt to prevent detection in his spontaneous cloak-and-dagger operation.
Prince Chen cast a spell on the security guards outside Emerald Palace to make them fall asleep before sneaking into the palace. When he arrived outside Tara’s chambers, he unlocked the door using his spell, tiptoed into the room, and closed the door behind him.
“Darling….darling…wake up…it’s me, Prince Chen. I’m here to bring you and your loved ones to board a ship,” whispered Prince Chen, nudging Tara incessantly, trying to wake her up in the darkness of the room.
Tara was already asleep. Although she heard a voice, she refused to budge. “Don’t disturb me, I still want to sleep….I’m just so exhausted…it’s all his fault….”
What the heck is she thinking? Hey, I’m trying to help you.
After unsuccessful nudging and coaxing to wake her up, Prince Chen decided to carry her from her bed.
Tara finally woke up to find herself in a stranger’s warm embrace. When she saw a man donning a full black suit trying to kidnap her, she let out a loud shriek.
Prince Chen pulled down his mask, placed his hand over her mouth and whispered, “Hush…darling…stop screaming…it’s me, Prince Chen…I’m going to liberate you from your prison…”
Eyes wide with disbelief, Tara hissed, “What do you think
you’re doing? Saving me in the middle of the night? Are you crazy? Don’t you know there are eyes and ears everywhere in the palace and we can easily get caught?”
Affected by Tara’s intoxicating bodily fragrance, Prince Chen didn’t pay attention to what she was saying. He could not help but lower his head and plant a kiss on her lips, much to her chagrin.
He must be mad! How can he be in the mood to kiss me at this hour?
Tara struggled to push him away from his firm grasp. “Let go of me now, you idiot!”
“No, I will not let go of you. Never. I’m too madly in love with you to let you go so easily,” whispered Prince Chen sensually in her ear.
Flickering lamps and loud footsteps approached Tara’s bed chamber. Two imperial security guards stopped in front of her door and said, “Is everything alright, Princess Zenyora? We heard a loud scream coming from your chamber just now.”
Scrambling to find a place to hide himself, Prince Chen had no choice but to stand just beside the door. He prepared himself to cast an immobilizing spell in case the security guards barged through the chamber’s door.
“I’m perfectly alright, don’t worry. I was screaming just now because a large cockroach climbed onto my bed and bit me. Now, I’m fine. You may all leave,” said Tara loudly to make sure the security guards heard her.
“Okay. If you need any help, just let us know.”
“A large cockroach! Haha…” sniggered Prince Chen.
“If you’re not a cockroach, who are you? Batman?” Tara was irritated by Prince Chen’s poorly planned attempt to save her.
“The cockroach did not bite you; he kissed you just now,” Prince Chen said with relish.
Tara gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, suppressing the rising flames inside her thinking about his silly acts at an inappropriate time.
“Darling, get changed quickly and inform your loved ones to meet me at the back gate. A carriage is ready to bring all of you aboard a ship at the Dragon Quay,” whispered Prince Chen.
While Tara felt a sense of deep apprehension inside her heart, an uneasy sense of impending doom gripped her. “Prince Chen, I really don’t think it’s a good idea to attempt an escape tonight. My heart is tight and constricted, and I don’t feel good about the whole thing.”
“Don’t you want to go back home? Darling, I love you deeply and it pains me to see you in pain. I have decided to help you escape from this prison, and tonight is the night you attain your freedom. Once you board the ship, we shall arrive at the vast ocean to look for the Qibaota so that you can bring your loved ones back to the human world,” said Prince Chen.
Tara was touched by Prince Chen’s intention to rescue her. “Honey, are you sure you can bear with my leaving? Do you know what you’re doing is against your father’s wishes? What happens if you get caught?”
When Prince Chen heard Tara call him “honey” for the first time, his gut took a somersault flip and his heart bathed in a warm and fuzzy glow. “Yes, letting you go feels like thousands of swords stabbing into my heart. But I agreed to support your dreams. Since going back home has always been your aspiration and I know it will bring you happiness, why can’t I help you fulfill this dream? Remember I told you before, I’ll be the kite’s string that helps you fly high in the sky and bring you back home?”
Deeply touched by Prince Chen’s expression of love through concrete actions, Tara went over to embrace him tightly. “Thank you, honey, I love you too. I’m terribly sorry. Once my missions back in the human world are accomplished, I’ll look for you again. I promise.”
Prince Chen lowered his head, wanting to give Tara another kiss.
Clunk.
A loud sound of a fallen object outside the chamber distracted them. One of the guards was the Queen Dragon’s spy. Standing beside the window, he overheard the conversations between Tara and Prince Chen and went off in a haste to inform the Dragon Queen.
“I think we shouldn’t tarry any longer,” whispered Prince Chen. “Let’s go and get the rest from the servants’ quarters. I’ll follow you and keep a lookout” Tara nodded.
Having changed into daytime attire and carrying a small bag of belongings with her, she went over to the servants’ quarter at the back of the Emerald Palace to wake up her loved ones.
It took her a long time to wake up all seven of them – Patrick, Rashid, Uncle Yong, Auntie Siew Lan, Roshni, Geetha, Jun Yang. By the time they were ready to escape, it was already past midnight.
“Tara, please help me understand. Why do you want us to board a ship tonight? We’re going back home by tomorrow morning. The Dragon King has already ordered the rescue team to take all of us back home, isn’t it?” said Auntie Siew Lan, dumbfounded by the secret operation.
“I also want to go back home with all of you as I need to look after my ailing father. The Dragon King disapproved of my leaving; therefore, Qibaota is the only way for me to go back home with all of you,” explained Tara.
“But it’s so risky! There is a high chance that all of us will get caught. I’m sure the Dragon King would not let us off lightly if we were caught,” said Auntie Siew Lan matter-of-factly.
Tara was tongue-tied; she knew what Auntie Siew Lan had said was right. But she had no other choice other than Qibaota; it was the only way for her to go back home.
Prince Chen was waiting for them outside the servants’ quarters to guide them out through the back gate. “Follow me. Hurry up, a carriage is waiting outside the back gate for us. We’re running late.”
When Prince Chen opened the back gate, he was surprised by an army of imperial soldiers already waiting outside, ready to catch them red-handed.
Prince Chen and Tara were locked inside their room under imperial house arrest. Tara’s loved ones were thrown into jail. The Dragon King was so infuriated that he ordered their execution by noon the next day.
Back at her chambers in the Emerald Palace, the security was tightened with more imperial guards assigned to prevent her from leaving.
Tara dissolved in tears, blaming herself, “It’s all my fault, all my fault! I shouldn’t have insisted on leaving. I will never forgive myself for causing the death of all my loved ones!”
A bright light appeared in front of Tara. It was Bo who magically materialized in mid-air. Tara was delighted to see him, knowing that he came to rescue her and the rest.
“How on earth did you…” Tara wanted to say something, but she was interrupted by Bo.
“Hush…I’m bringing all of you to board a ship and leave immediately.”
He held Tara’s hand and with a puff, he magically transported her to the large dragon ship.
CHAPTER 42
THE PHANTOM ISLAND
Through his magic power, Bo was able to rescue Prince Chen, Tara, and those in prison to board a gargantuan dragon ship without a hitch.
The dragon ship was a humongous, ancient ship with three masts. In front of the ship was a gigantic dragon head, which is why it was called the dragon ship. Bo made the ship invisible to escape detection from the Dragon King who had already dispatched his navy in search of them.
“Bo, thank you so much for your help! How can I ever repay your kindness?” said Tara gratefully. She did not hesitate to give him a warm hug of gratitude.
Prince Chen felt a tingling sense of jealousy inside him. His supposed covert mission was a downright fiasco; and he had never felt so useless and incompetent.
“Darling, I think you need to start training for your Qibaota mission,” Prince Chen said, deliberately pulling Tara away from embracing Bo. “Although we don’t know when the Qibaota will appear, to conquer the demons successfully, you have to master the Dragon Fits martial arts and meditation soon.”
“Yes, you’re right. Bo will teach me meditation and you will train me in the Dragon Fists. What do you think?” replied Tara.
“You will need to practice and polish your Phoenix Silk Dance as well,” Bo reminded her.
“Oh yes! I almost forgot about
it. I love Phoenix Silk Dance the most,” said Tara, reminiscing the sweet days when she learned the martial art with Bo.
A sumptuous celebratory dinner was organized to celebrate their odyssey in search of Qibaota. Tara performed an aesthetic classical Chinese dance. After the dance, Indian songs blared out from the speakers and everyone participated in the mass Indian dance. Roshni, Geetha and Tara broke into an Indian dance to their hearts’ content. Next, South American and Carribean Latin music started to play. Tara and Prince Chen had fun dancing salsa together.
After the dinner celebration, Tara and Prince Chen retreated to their chambers, where a modern round bed was ready. Prince Chen slept like a log, but Tara was still awake. She decided to go out to get some fresh air.
In spite of the lone lamp in one corner, it was completely dark, and the sky was full of glittering stars. She went to the bow of the dragon ship, stood there and admired the stars, reminiscing about the times when she stargazed with Prince Chen and Bo.
“Ah choo..” Tara was feeling a little chill as the wind was blowing strongly. Someone put a thick cloak on her.
Turning her head and seeing Bo, her heart swell with delight. “Bo, you’re still awake? I’m glad you’re here with me.”
He nodded and smiled. To Tara, Bo was her perfect Prince Charming. He was gentle and kind, yet calm and dignified. Just being in close proximity to his golden aura made her entire being fill with peace and happiness.
“Time flew so quickly. I still remember the first time I met you at the Banyan Tree,” said Tara, her mind was thinking of how he saved her and the electrifying experience of momentarily meeting his lips. “Everyday I’m thinking about Qibaota, I’m thinking about going home, and I’m thinking about you.”
Tara Zenyora : and the Seven-Jeweled Lighthouse Page 26
