A Wuxia Tale: Blades and Flowers

Secret Visit

(YONG)

I stood silently by the wall of Prince Guo's room while the Prince faced his mother, her Majesty herself...Empress XiaoTong.

After the heated conversation Prince Guo had with his Majesty, we found the Empress waiting alone outside the Throne Room. The Empress ordered us not to move from the door of the Throne Room as she stepped inside it to converse with his Majesty. Prince Guo and I didn't hear what that conversation was all about but when the Empress came back to our side, she ordered us to follow her and she lead us to Prince Guo's room in the Prince's wing of the Palace.

"Stay here and rest for the night..." the Empress said to Prince Guo who is sitting at the edge of his bed. My Prince looked tired and drained from his fight with his Majesty. His emotions flashing on his face nakedly, when Prince Guo was usually good at concealing what he truly feels.

He wears his masks well. Prince Guo.

"Did you know?" Prince Guo looked up to stare at her Majesty's face. Then he sneered, "Of course you know, you are here in the Palace. You know that my sire sent my older brother away and you did nothing..."

"I tried to stop Prince Jin," the Empress spoke calmly through Prince Guo's emotional statements. "You may not believe me but I am telling the truth. I tried stopping your brother from leaving with Princess XiLen but Prince Jin was truly convinced that this is the only way for him to protect his engagement to Lady Hua."

"You should have tried harder," Prince Guo stood up from his bed.

The Empress snickered, "You Princes of the Crown have stubbornness issues," she said. "You don't do listening well. You make up your minds and stay your course. Deterring you from your chosen paths is frustrating at worst and a total waste of everyone's time."

"So you let him go?" Prince Guo looked away from her Majesty. "You let him be dragged into that treacherous kingdom..."

"He's there with ample protection." The Empress interjected on Prince Guo's words again. "We maybe useless from stopping him but we are not total imbecile, Guo. The Emperor and I made sure that Prince Jin will be duly protected while he was there."

"Who is protecting my brother there?" Prince Guo demanded.

"Wang Dao," the Empress calmly answered.

Prince Guo and I both grew still at that name. "Wang Dao?" Prince Guo recovered enough to react. "And some others," the Empress said vaguely. She sighed loudly. "I know you don't have any good reason right now to trust my words but I am assuring you my Son, Prince Jin will be fine. You, on the other hand..."

"I will leave again early tomorrow," Prince Guo said in distaste. "I hate this place..."

"I miss you," the Empress said in a soft but clear tone. The annoyane on Prince Guo's face melted. He nodded, "And I you, Mother. I miss you and Cai and Han..."

"And your father," the Empress smiled before moving to wrap her arms around my Prince. Prince Guo hugged his mother back. "We miss you and you miss us, lets leave it at that. I know you must feel betrayed and confuse about the situation of Prince Jin but that is not good enough reason to invite your father's wrath. You are the Prince of the Crown, a Royal blood...start acting like a Prince and use your head before your mouth."

"He keeps on sending us away. Who will be next? Cai?" Prince Guo let his mother go to wait a reply on his answer.

"Not yet," the Empress said. "Cai is hinting that she is ready for marriage but the Emperor and I are delaying the selection of a husband for her. And we will not send Han away, he is the Crown Prince."