As they neared the door, Qīn'ài was waiting with a younger maid.

 “General, your highness,” Qīn'ài greeted them.

 “Năinai,” Ānníng acknowledged.

 “Mĕilì,” he said as he turned to face his wife, “this is Niăo, your new maidservant.”

 The girl who appeared to be only a little older than Mĕilì bowed and greeted her new mistress. “Princess Mĕilì Xīng, I’m honored to serve you.”

 Mĕilì chewed her bottom lip and looked up at Ānníng before returning the girl’s smile and nodding her head at her in response.

 “It’s nice to meet you,” Mĕilì whispered before moving behind Ānníng to hide.

 Qīn'ài smiled sympathetically at the princess. She knew her shyness was due to what their general had told them in the courtyard. His account of her father’s abuse shocked and saddened them. When he told them of how she had saved his men, they were stunned and impressed with the loyalty she had exhibited for their soldiers.

 This sweet girl hiding behind their tall strong general was long overdue for kindness and peace.

 “We’ve straightened up her highness’ room, General,” Qīn'ài reported to him. “It’s clean and we’ve placed the new bed linens and pillows as you asked. The food is waiting and the hot water will be here by the time she’s ready for a bath.”

 Ānníng nodded and replied, “Thank you, Năinai. I’ll have more for her room tomorrow and for the next few days. I would appreciate if you and Niăo help her adjust to everything she isn’t used to. I’ll be with her the rest of the day, so you can leave until morning. I’ll be visiting soldiers’ families early tomorrow, so she’ll need you until I return.”

 “Yes, General,” both maidservants replied and bowed as he went inside with his wife.

 Mĕilì stared at everything as she stood in the center of the large main room. Her eyes grew in amazement at the brightness from the sun shining in through the opened windows.

 She looked to the bed and smiled broadly at the light teal colored silk drapes hanging on the sides from a carved wooden canopy frame. Embroidered on the drapes were white flowers and blue butterflies. She walked closer to touch the blanket and sighed in wonder. The silk was soft and cool to the touch and matched the teal curtains. The pillows were the same.

 “Do you like it?” Ānníng asked hopefully as he set the bundle of new clothes onto the bed.

 “It’s all so beautiful,” she answered. “I’ve never had anything like it. I was never allowed to use the bedroom Father told Uncle was mine.”

 “Where did you sleep?” Ānníng hesitantly asked.

 “A storage room,” she answered as though it were a simple reply. “Father allowed Shàn to make a bed for me on the floor. I couldn’t use a good blanket, though, so Shàn made me a pretty one from the blankets used for the stables. She sewed flowers and birds and rabbits all over it,” she smiled at the memory, and again, he felt his heart breaking.

 He watched her a moment longer as she glided her hand across the silk bed covering and then the carved bed.

 “Let’s eat, angel,” he said softly and pulled her toward the table already set with their meal.

 She sat across from him and looked over all of the food. She had never seen so much just for her. He set a bowl in front of her and filled it with rice, then another in front of him with the same. She took the chopsticks he offered and continued to watch as he piled vegetables and meat into both of their bowls.

 He started to eat and watched her in wait for her to eat, as well. She only held the chopsticks over the bowl in one hand while holding tightly to the tiger in the other.

 “Aren’t you hungry?” he asked when she only stared at the food.

 She shook her head.

 “Not really,” she said. “I’m not used to eating so early in the day. I certainly can’t eat this much.” 

 He stopped picking up food to think on her words. He rolled his eyes upward as if he knew he would regret what he would learn next.

 “When did you eat and what did you eat?” he worriedly asked.

 Mĕilì chewed her bottom lip as she played with the ears and tail of the tiger. She wondered how much she should tell him and where would be a good place to begin.

 “Once before bed,” she answered quietly. “Mostly rice but sometimes Shàn would add vegetables and meat.”

 He watched as she once again picked at the bowl of food. He looked over the clothes she wore and noticed how big they were for the first time. Those robes came from Niăo, her new maidservant. The seventeen-year-old was a healthy, fit size, but her clothes were baggy on Mĕilì.

 At just that moment, there was a knock on the door.

 “Hot water for the bath is here, General,” came a voice from outside.

 “Enter,” Ānníng replied.

 As the servants hurried in with the buckets of water, he stood and helped Mĕilì to her feet.

 “Take a bath and eat after,” he told her. “I’ll wait here to eat with you.”

 He walked her over to the bathing room and led her inside as the servants left.

 “I can stay if you need assistance,” he said. “You know you can trust me. I can send for Qīn'ài or Niăo if you prefer.”

 She nodded in memory of the river.

 “I know I can trust you and I’m grateful for the offer. I don’t like to bathe with people around. I look ugly,” she said quietly as she looked down at the tiger.

 He pulled her into his arms and patted her back.

 “You aren’t ugly to me,” he said with a small smile. “You’re the most beautiful person I know.”

 She leaned away from him and looked up into his kind eyes. He had repeated her words to him from the carriage. She quickly wrapped her arms around him and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears.

 He kissed her head and unwrapped her arms. “Take your bath, angel. I’ll be in the other room if you need me.”

 She nodded and waited for him to leave before walking behind the privacy screen to get undressed.

 By the time she emerged, he was at a desk fully engrossed in writing.

 “Ānníng?” she called out softly when he didn’t notice she was out.

 He looked up from what he was writing and couldn’t stop himself from smiling. She was adorable in her new bedclothes holding the tiger as she tiptoed across the room. At her age, though, she should be more mature. Under his care, he would make certain she would blossom and become the beautiful young woman she didn’t believe she could be. Until then, he would enjoy spoiling her and being the guardian she needed.

 “Come here, angel,” he said as he set the writing brush down.

 She gave him a big smile and hurried to him as he opened his arms for her. She plopped onto his lap and laid her head against his chest.

 He chuckled as she curled up against him and snuggled in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and smoothed her wet hair down her back.

 “Do you feel better?” he asked.

 She nodded and looked at the table. “What were you writing?”

 “I’m making a report for King Rénlóng,” he answered.

 She watched as he picked up the brush and finished the report. He placed everything in order on the desk and folded the papers to tuck them into an envelope.

 “Is it about the bandits that attacked us?” she asked as he helped her to stand.

 He stood with her and brought her to the table where the food was still waiting.

 “Yes,” he replied. “I want him to know the situation with your father since he’s evidently paying them to do his bidding. I, also, want him to know of your bravery.”

 He sat her down beside him and pulled over her bowl from the other side of the table. He noticed her nervous expression and held her hands that were playing with the tiger.

 “He’ll be proud of you,” he told her. “I promise.”

 She looked up at him and could see he was being sincere. She smiled and looked at her bowl of food.

 “Are you hungry now?” he asked.

 She quickly nodded and he watched her eat a few small bites. When she had barely eaten half the bowl, she pushed it away and washed it down with the cup of tea he had poured.

 “Is that all you’re going to eat?” he asked.

 She nodded. “I’m really full. I think I ate too much. I don’t want to get sick.”

 He brushed his hand over her cheek and nodded. “All right, angel, don’t overdo it. I want you to eat a little more each day, though. I’ll come see you for breakfast, and I want you to eat it, as well.”

 “All right,” she agreed just before she yawned.

 Ānníng patted her arm.

 “I’ll help you into bed,” he told her and helped her stand.  

 He walked her over to her bed and helped her beneath the blanket. He tucked her in and held her hands as he smiled down at her.

 “Sleep well, angel,” he said softly.

 “Are you going back to your room?” she asked with a small pout.

 He could see the worry in her eyes and he brushed her cheek with his thumb.

 “For the night, yes,” he answered. “I need a bath and I want to get what I need for tomorrow ready. You know where my room is if you need anything. There will be servants walking around with lanterns so it isn’t too dark. You’ll be all right. Get some rest. You’ll have a lot of new things to enjoy when I return from my trip to the market.”

 He smiled reassuringly at her and kissed her forehead one final time before standing to leave.

 She watched him step outside and turn around to wink at her. He closed the doors and she watched his shadow pass across the closed window across the room.

 She lay still for quite some time trying to get used to her new surroundings. It was too big there. The ceiling was too high. The room was too wide and too long. The extra rooms were too scary at night when she couldn’t see what was casting shadows on the walls.

 As panic started setting in, she leapt from the bed and hurried to the door. She wanted to sleep in his room, but she stopped herself from opening it.

 “I’ve already been enough trouble,” she told herself. “It’s his first day home. He shouldn’t be worrying about me when he needs rest.”

 She sighed deeply and returned to the bed. She stopped and looked beneath it. It rested on a carved frame with large enough spaces for her to slip through. She took her blanket and pillow and slithered through one of them until she was comfortably under the bed. She set up the pillow at the back and pulled the blanket over herself. She kissed the tiger goodnight and concentrated only on her husband to put her to sleep.