Mîn Jíng guided them from the road they had taken to reach the pond to another that would take them directly through the village toward her hidden trail. Along the way, Jié Qiáng stopped her to ask about a secluded area barely lit by stone lanterns but aglow with the moonlight.
“What place is this?” he asked as he took a step onto the rocky path leading in.
She stepped forward with him and answered fondly. “A garden the villagers created for me.”
Sī shoved her elbow into Mîn Jíng’s side, and her eyes widened at yet another slip of her tongue. Why did she feel so comfortable with him that she continued to forget her secrets?
He looked at her in thought.
“They really love you,” he remarked with more curiosity than admiration.
Who was she that an entire village befriended her and created such an enchanting sanctuary for her?
The slightly questioning tone of his remark made her anxious, but she was quick with a vague answer.
“I’m here a lot to visit the merchants,” she answered honestly. “They were grateful for help I provided, so they built this for me to visit when I’m here.”
“Oh,” he answered and decided not to press her for more.
He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable enough to run off alone.
Forgetting the urgency of returning home, she took another step forward into the garden.
“Walk with me,” she invited in a soft voice, and he found himself unable to resist her gentle command.
He turned toward his brother and guard and motioned for them to stay. He wanted her to himself for the short time they had remaining. They reluctantly obliged and sat down on a nearby bench to guard the entrance.
Sī shook her head in disapproval when Mîn Jíng gave her a pleading look and motioned with her head to stay behind. With an exasperated huff, she plopped down on another bench near Yǒng Ming and Yáng Ning and obediently waited.
As the pair strolled along the bordering flowers, Mîn Jíng observed Jié Qiáng to find more clues to his identity. She could always ask him to remove his mask or even for his name, but that would ruin the fun she planned when she created the mask in the first place. She wanted to solve the mystery on her own.
She noticed before that his clothes weren’t simple or common, and upon closer inspection, she was sure she was right that he was the son of a rich family. His long, deep blue embroidered robes draped his tall, strong figure nicely. White and black layers beneath peeking out from the neckline looked to be the finest quality silk.
Around his waist was a wide black belt with buckles that held his expensive sword. Hanging below the belt in the front was a bright white jade figure adorned with silver, jade beads, and a black tassel.
Instead of allowing his sleeves to drape as most men at the festival, he had wrapped them securely around his wrists with black leather straps. Her brothers did this when they wanted their sleeves bound for fighting. He was on alert here at this happy celebration, and she wondered why.
Looking up to examine his features, she noticed for the first time the intricately carved silver clasp fastened around the wrapped section of hair at the crown of his head. The rest of his black locks flowed smoothly down his back to the top of his belt.
The black mask suited everything about him perfectly, and she shook her head in disbelief at another coincidence.
He looked around at the flowers, pretending not to notice her visual appraisal of him. Was she admiring his physical qualities, or had she become suspicious about his identity? He silently laughed at the possibility he was more eager about her true persona than she was about his.
He dared not allow his gaze to linger as long as hers in worry he would make her uncomfortable or afraid. He had seen enough to know she was young, beautiful, and obviously from a social class higher than anyone in this village.
He suspected her identity was the reason behind this dedicated garden, but he said nothing to alarm her. She hid herself for a reason, and he would respect it. A young rich girl on her own would be a more delicious target than the simple prey those men were after. She wasn’t so naïve after all.
As he looked ahead, something caught his eye. He squinted in the moonlight and motioned with a nod.
“Is that a swing?” he asked.
She pulled her eyes away from him to find what he was asking. When she saw it, she smiled broadly and grabbed his arm to pull him once again.
She sat on the seat large enough for adults and began to push with her feet. He stood behind her and gripped the ropes to help her.
He looked around to see if they were alone. His need to kiss her had grown stronger, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to behave so thoughtlessly. It would be wrong to steal what would certainly be her first kiss when he knew they would be separated before the end of the night, though not for long.
As he gently pushed the swing and listened to her soft laughter, he knew he would never let her go. He would find her again and make her his. Something about her made him feel whole. Being with her made him realize half of him was missing his entire life, and he would never let anyone take her away.
He took a deep, quiet breath as he thought of the marriage contract. He had failed to convince the king that the girl and her father were schemers and couldn’t be trusted, that their promise of a rare herb they needed to win the war was a lie to marry into the royal family. Like always, King Zhāng refused to believe Jié Qiáng’s argument was anything more than self-serving.
Regardless of what anyone else planned for him, he would have this mysterious girl in the swing, whose laughter called out to his heart like a song from the heavens.
He knew the struggle he would have convincing his father, but what about hers? She mentioned a strict father and brothers who had left her when she needed them. Who were they? Did they hold any power that should concern him?
“Do you want to know a secret?” she whispered, and he held his breath in anticipation. “Today is my birthday,” she said a bit louder.
He stopped pushing her for a minute, disappointed it wasn’t her name or where she came from, then pushed again as he replied.
“You should have told me sooner,” he said. “I would have bought you a gift.”
She shook her head at his kind offer. “You saved me from those men and then stayed with me so I could have fun. This was my best birthday in a long time.”
He let go of the swing to walk around and sit beside her. Reaching around her back with one arm, he held the rope again and pushed them with his boot.
“Why would your brothers abandon you on your birthday?” he asked, feeling a bit angry at their neglect.
“They didn’t abandon me,” she replied. She enjoyed the feel of him sitting so close and his arm behind her. “They were called away to the battlefield a few days ago. They didn’t want to leave, but they were needed for supplies and reinforcements.”
He was silent and dared not breathe. There was so much she could say at that moment that would reveal the movements of the enemy army. On one hand, it was his duty to let her continue speaking. On the other hand, he didn’t want to take advantage of her trust.
“Have you fought?” she asked as she looked up at him.
He returned her gaze and wondered if the truth would disappoint her. His father had made it clear his only usefulness to the kingdom was marriage, not as a soldier like his brother.
“Not yet,” he answered honestly.
He waited to see if she would think less of him for being idle while her brothers and so many of her kingdom risked their lives.
“Oh,” she replied and looked back to the flowers soaked by an early afternoon rainfall.
She watched them glisten in the moonlight and closed her eyes at the sweet smell of fresh water.
“Does it make me less of a man?” he asked in concern over her opinion of him. “Am I less than your brothers?”
She quickly looked up at him and forced the swing to stop with her foot.
“Of course not!” she said firmly. “Many brave men have stayed behind to safeguard their homes and the kingdom in other ways, like the men who make the supplies our soldiers need. I’m certain you have your reasons for not fighting. You’re obviously not a coward.”
He breathed deeply and couldn’t resist petting the back of her hair affectionately. She seemed willing to see all possible sides to an issue and not make rash judgments.
He wanted to tell her if it were his decision, he would have joined the fighting to support his kingdom as soon as his age allowed. Instead, his father insisted on preserving his life for a marriage alliance to secure much needed medicine.
She wasn’t wrong in that aspect. The herbs in this medicine aided the soldiers in healing much faster than new medicine that only worked half of the time. Even this enemy kingdom didn’t have access to it.
He began to think of the wedding again and his blood ran cold. This marriage was necessary, but if he could find a way out of it, he would do whatever he must. He found his wife in this tender girl beside him. He only needed to think of a solution to solve the ramifications of calling off the wedding.
“I’m sixteen now,” she revealed, changing the subject.
She realized she had once again said too much to this stranger who could repeat her words to the wrong people. She hoped she hadn’t endangered her brothers.
His gentle caress over her hair sent a warm feeling down her back, making her notice for the first time how the night air had become colder. She tried to move closer to him in a way that he wouldn’t notice and become bolder with his attention.
“Ah,” he replied. He returned his hand to the rope and pushed them once again. “Twenty-one,” he responded with his own age. “My birthday is in autumn. We celebrate during the Moon Festival.”
“I love the Moon Festival,” she replied looking up at him again. “You may think I’m strange, but I like talking to the moon.”
She waited for him to laugh but he surprised her by replying, “I do, too.”
They stared at each other for a while in silence until she decided to tell him about his mask.
“I made your mask,” she revealed.
He tilted his head in question and she continued.
“I tell stories and this one about a black butterfly and a white crane became a favorite of my mother’s. I like to do fun things only I know about for the festival each year. This year, I dressed as the white crane and made this mask for the vendor to sell on my behalf. I wanted the adventure of finding the buyer. I never would have guessed the person would find and rescue me,” she laughed.
He touched the mask to feel the beads and smoothness of the ink. The coincidence of his appearance at the festival on that night, buying her mask, and then meeting her could only be explained as Fate. As he’d already begun to feel, she was made for him and he was made for her.
“Can you tell me the story?” he eagerly asked.
“Hmmm…” she thought carefully. “It’s a love story. Do you really want to hear it?”
He laughed and nodded.
"Absolutely," he replied as he continued pushing the swing.
She then recited the story of the butterfly and the crane that she had written at the school. When she was done, she glanced up at him as he still pushed the swing. He was staring down at her with a gaze that confused her but made her heart jump.
“I know men don’t care for love stories,” she smiled, “but it’s the meaning of that mask and my own.”
“I appreciate any story that’s interesting and wise,” he replied. “I think yours is charming. I would like to hear more.”
She watched him as he spoke in a soft, deep tone. Although she could only see the bottom half of his ivory face, she knew he must be handsome. Even if he had an ugly scar that covered the top half, everything she had sensed about him was as beautiful as the butterfly in her fairy tale.
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