Dedicated to the like-minded companions I found on the way:

 For Snow, Erden, Xiao Che & Yunzhi.  

Originally written as a contest entry for Wattpad's Panhellenic Games 2022 - Pythian Games

Duang duang...

The doubled tones, one deep in the bass, lingered over the lake.

The sound was exceedingly soft, yet unyielding, pulsing outward from the pavilion in the middle of the water. With another strike, the upper note evolved, causing the faintest ripples on the lake’s surface, teasing the fish that had bobbed up to observe the young woman seated within.

As the breeze stirred her hair ornaments, the sound plunged like the swift strike of a knife, violent and silver. Fish exploded in a flash of white bellies, fleeing as the note hung in the air, swelling with malevolence.

The tension was only broken by the rustling of cloth as a figure floated over, toe tapping the water only once before landing inside the pavilion.

The zither was abruptly silenced.

“Master…?” the girl asked, looking up, as long fingers covered hers. They pressed hard enough that she felt her flesh fill the gouge that marred the surface of the zither. Despite her skill, she could not change the fact that a sword had once broken the zither’s sound. Like the indelible scar on her heart, that gouge had changed the zither’s precious, hundred-year-old base forever.

The man sighed.

“Qiu’er, we are the last of our clan. For the sake of the bloodline, put revenge aside. You can still avoid the festival summons.”

Avoid it? For a day perhaps, but not a lifetime.

“Master, I’ve roamed outside for a long time. I have given my song to every walk of man, be it the peasant in his hut or the noble in his manor. What will come, will come. This time, I only came back to give you my gratitude and my final bow as your student. Will you not accept it?” she asked serenely.

The waters of the lake roiled as the man struggled with himself. While rarely disturbed by the nuisance of emotion, his last student often caused him to feel things he didn’t want to feel. 

“Qiu’er,” he said. “If you are determined to leave, I won’t stop you.”

She looked at him obstinately, black eyes opaque and stark against her ivory skin.

He sighed.

“When you arrive in Xia, I can protect you from the shadows, but once you enter the palace, that’s impossible. The festival lasts for ten days with three rounds of competition. The last round is a private audience with the King. Even if you succeed, no court musician has survived his beastly condition for more than a year. They’re either dead or imprisoned.”

“Since I only want my parents returned to Su, there should be no issue. My life for their ashes. It is a small price,” she shrugged. “Moreover, someone must atone for the evil deeds of that woman. In the end, she used him--”

“But Qiu’er, a man who annihilates entire clans for his ends is not an innocent,” her Master interrupted with heavy irony. 

“While that’s true, these are two separate matters,” she laughed, the sound tinkling pleasantly like her namesake. 

He flung a sleeve at her stubbornness, but it was no longer his right to decide for her. 

“Go then, ” he said grudgingly.

“Thank you Master,” she whispered, and with a grateful curtsy took the zither with her.

---

Qiu travelled to Xia by boat.

“Are you also headed to the festival, Young Miss?” asked the old man across from her.

She nodded, turning her head toward the sound of his voice. It was kind, but held a note of pity, likely due to the strip of cloth over her eyes. Her lips quirked as her cultivation allowed her to ‘see’ quite clearly despite it.

“Well...” he said. “The festival’s been held the last seven years since the kingdom of Su was conquered by our King of Xia at the age of nineteen. A witch from Su cursed his Majesty and his younger brother, who was only six at the time. While the young prince fell into a deep sleep, the King turned into a crazy beast. He used to be a handsome man, but now he wears a mask.  Destroyed that witch’s clan...but he can’t go a day without music to calm the darkness inside him.”

The old man tapped his instrument as if to emphasize the last point.

That ‘witch’ was Father’s senior sister. If she hadn’t harmed Mother, she wouldn’t have been expelled from the clan. Borrowing the blade of Xia for revenge...Ultimately, there’s nothing more terrifying than love.

And with that thought, Qiu vowed never to love anyone.

---

Having cultivated in the way of music since she was three, Qiu passed each round of competition with flying colours. Peerless, carrying her father’s zither wrapped in silk cloth, Qiu stepped into the private audience chamber of Xiang Rui, the King of Xia.

Lowering herself elegantly, she carefully placed the instrument, before knocking her forehead onto the cold floor. Heart fluttering, she remained still, waiting for him to speak.

“Raise your head,” said the King. If it had not been the voice of her mortal enemy she might have been enchanted by its deep, resonant timbre. The sound was surprisingly pleasant to her ear.

She looked up.

The man seated on the dais in a gilded chair was partially concealed by a thin curtain, but it did not detract from his striking appearance. Dressed almost plainly for a king, he wore black silk, only very lightly edged with silver embroidery. Other than a jade token tied to a red sash at his waist and dangling earrings, there was no other adornment. Even his hair crown was plain, but as expected, most of his face was covered by a mask. Tilting his head, he rested his cheek against a gloved fist.

From his slight grimace and the way he gripped the chair’s arm, Qiu could already tell that he was supressing pain from his condition.

“What are you called?” he asked.

“This small girl is called Qiu’er, your Majesty.”

“Hah...as in ‘request’? ‘Demand’?” he snorted.

“Oh...that would be ‘embarrassing’, would it not, your Majesty?” she responded, continuing with the word play.

“A beautiful ‘autumn’?”

She shook her head, lips curving.

“A ‘companion’, then?” he teased, leaning forward, mask glinting.

She stiffened.

“Qiu for the tinkling of a gem or a beautiful jade, your Majesty,” she answered.

A small silence.

“Your eyes are covered. Are you blind?” he asked, narrowing eyes at the strip of white cloth.

“No, your Majesty. I was told that you dislike those who look upon your face.”

The King burst out with a roar of laughter. He had not expected such a blunt answer.

“I see,” he chuckled. 

No fear. What an interesting girl...

“Play then,” he commanded, sitting back. “If you can soothe the curse inside me, then I will grant you a request and a position at my court. If you don’t, you might die...whether I wish it or not.”

Qiu beat down the sudden spurt of fear she felt as his gaze bore into her. For a moment, she’d forgotten about his madness. She raised her chin.

“As you command,” she said softly.

Duang!

Xiang Rui sat up abruptly, eyes widening as the first note shot through the air with piercing clarity. The sound seemed to flex, then expand, overlayed with immense power. The waves of qi that had condensed with that single sound shattered his mask. He was too shocked to even defend against it. As the mask fell, revealing blackened scars and an eye stained blood red, he felt his entire being resonate.

His shadow guards rushed in, alarmed by what they thought was an attack on their King, but they were buffeted by the power imbued in the notes that rose and fell without end. The aura projecting from her was like a ring of gold light. Though there was no breeze, her hair lifted, swirling around her as she continued to play at a heady pace. 

They drew their weapons, but the king stopped them with a raised hand. 

Even though he was still in shock, the pain in his body had begun to fade, and the sensation of burning was also dulled. His mind cleared, like the sound had pierced through the darkness. All his senses became focused on her, filled with her. 

Only her.

Your fate will be determined by your soulmate’s zither...

The words echoed in his memory as bitterness welled up inside him. Since he was the one who had driven his sword through it...how could he not recognize it? Seeing it again after so many years, Xiang Rui, thought he might die from the joke that the witch had played on him.

Soulmate? How will I ever obtain the love of this girl when I’ve been the cause of all her sorrows? But why didn’t she kill me?

With her level of cultivation, she could have killed him with the first note, but she had not.  Ignoring the guards, she continued to play, skirting away from the deeper more insidious notes. The sound became light and airy, teasing his mind and tugging at his heart.

“Stop,” he said, standing abruptly. 

The music stopped.

Sweeping the curtain aside, he cut the distance between them in three strides. Kneeling, he tilted her chin and pulled the blindfold away, staring down into lustrous black eyes. His heart quickened as he took in her features, seized by the inexplicable desire to memorize the soft curve of her cheek, the slight twist of her lips. 

Beautiful...

“What is your request, little witch?” he whispered huskily.

She scowled, unfazed by his monstrous appearance.

 “Return my parents’ ashes!” she demanded, breathing hard.

The guards hissed as she dared to address the King so insolently.

“What will you give me in exchange?” he asked, squeezing her chin slightly.

“My songs,” she responded, jerking away. “Now, return my mother and father!”

“Very well,” he said, standing. “I agree to your request, and confer on you the title of Royal Consort.”

“Y-you what?” she blurted, looking shocked. 

“Didn’t you say you’d stay with me till the end of my days?” he asked, with an amused smirk.

“Yes, but as your court musician!” she protested. The idea of becoming his consort horrified her.

“Do you really want your parents’ ashes?” he demanded, mood shifting instantly.

“I-I...”

He waited, glaring down at her.

Her eyes flared between hatred and panic. Finally they lowered.

“I do,” she whispered, swallowing.

He would have said more, but he was interrupted by his eunuch stumbling in. 

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! His Highness...the Prince is awake! He’s awake!” he cried, expression filled with joy.

Xiang Rui turned sharply, staring at her.

“You woke him,” he said uncertainly, searching her face, hoping against hope.

“Those who cultivate the Seven Toned heart method have that power...” Qiu whispered, feeling dizzy.

Xiang Rui’s elation turned to alarm as blood suddenly trickled from her nose. He caught her in his arms before she could hit the floor.

“No!” he gritted. “You’re not allowed to die. Your life and death belong only to me.” 

I’ve only just found you...please, please don’t--

“Your brother is innocent, but you are not....how can I die before my parents are avenged?” she laughed softly, black eyes opaque.

He flinched, but her tenacity even now only strengthened his resolve. He vowed to woo her and win her...but first, he’d have to atone for what he’d done.

“Hatred is better than apathy,” he breathed, wiping the blood from her face. “What I owe, I’ll repay...”

“Then, I look forward to killing you, your Majesty” she said with a smile.

“And I look forward to dying at your side, my dear Consort,” he replied gravely. 

Just not right now...

She snorted and closed her eyes, but allowed him to lift her up in his arms.

“Promise?” she asked, tiredly.

“Forever,” he answered, brushing his lips possessively over her forehead.

 ____________________________

Author’s Note:

The zither being referred to is the Chinese guqin. It is a seven stringed instrument...hence the Seven Toned Heart.

璆 - Qiu: meaning the tinkling of a gem or a beautiful jade. The word play that the two engage in centers on the fact that ‘qiu’ can be pronounced with multiple different intonations resulting in very different meanings: 求 - request/demand, 糗 - embarrassing, 秋 - autumn, and finally 仇 - companion/spouse. For interest, ‘qiu’ can also mean congested nose, armadillo, or d*ck... (>_<)/...Ahem...well...

翔睿- Xiang Rui: meaning soaring intellect.