The sun was still shining brightly in the sky when the proceedings at court ended. Xinyue thanked whatever gods were listening that she was free from the stuffy and entitled court.

  “General Xinyue!” The Grand Preceptor called out to the General as she walked down the steps of the court. Someone must have summoned an escort for her to the barracks because Xiaobo and Haoran waited down the steps of the Hall of Ceremonies. She had almost reached her destination when he stopped her.

  “Grand Preceptor.” Xinyue stared down at the small man in front of her. When she was a child, he seemed so tall and overpowering; now, as an adult, she could see him for what he was.

  “I would have a word with you.” The Grand Preceptor flinched back as Xinyue leaned closer to him. He suddenly remembered all the horrifying stories he had heard over the years. The Grand Preceptor also wondered if the General knew how many battles he created over the years to keep her from the capital, wishing for her to die at any one of them.

  “About?” Xinyue almost smiled when she saw the fear flash in his eyes.

  “Grand Preceptor!” From the right, a man dressed in ornate robes, the same as the Grand Preceptor and Grand Mentor, called out.

  Xinyue turned to face her maternal grandfather, It had been a long time since she had last seen him. His hair had gone gray and his muscular body had changed with age, but the scar along his right cheek remained the same. He didn’t even look at her as he came over to talk to them, his focus on the man beside her.

  “Grand Preceptor, I have a memorandum you must look over.” Direct and to the point, without much greeting or sweet words.

  “Grand Guardian,” The Grand Preceptor nodded to him and put on a fake smile, “Is it important right now?”

  “Yes.” Short and unflinching, as expected by someone who used to lead the military before Xinyue took over the position of head general.

  “A different time then, General. I need to talk to you before you leave for the Kingdom of Long. Make time, it is a necessary conversation.” The Grand Preceptor’s eyes were full of annoyance and anger at being interrupted. His voice still held the annoyingly presumptuous and entitled tone of the past.

  “I make no promises. Your needs are unimportant to me.” With that, Xinyue turned away from the Grand Preceptor. She heard him splutter and trip over words behind her, but she didn’t care. She did not work in the world of politics, and there was hardly anything more any of the people of the palace could do to her at this point. She had already been through and seen the worst that humanity could offer.

  Haoran and Xiaobo saluted her at the steps to the Hall of Ceremonies.

  “General.”

  Xinyue waved them off, “Let’s go to the barracks. I need to wash the day away.”

  They only made it a few steps when another person called out to the General.

  “General!” A servant ran down the steps of the Hall of Ceremonies to catch up with Xinyue, tripping over his shoes as he did so.

  “General,” the servant huffed in breaths of air, “The Crown Prince requests your presence.”

  Xinyue internally sighed, but could not refuse such a request, especially from the Crown Prince.

  “Lead the way.” Xinyue gestured to Haoran and Xiaobo to follow along as they walked past the Hall of Ceremonies toward the inner palace.

  Peonies filled the Crown Prince’s palace with a light floral scent, beautiful splotches of pink against the white marble walkways. Ramps led from different walkways throughout the courtyard, and there was a railing along the lotus pond in the middle of the palace. They had made every effort to ensure the Crown Prince’s safety, Xinyue smiled slightly at the thought.

  As Xinyue was led through the palace, she couldn’t help but admire the thought that went into such an intricately built building. The servant stopped just before a pond of blooming white lotuses and gestured for Xinyue to make her way down a bridge to a pagoda in the middle of the water. Xinyue was tempted to reach out a hand and to touch one of the white lotuses that crept over the edge of the railing, but restrained herself. The lotuses were enchanted to bloom all year, they would never wilt or discolor. One of the luxuries of the palace, their access to magic.

  Xinyue raised her right hand, stopping Xiaobo and Haoran from continuing with her. “There is no need for you to continue forward, wait here for me.”

  “Yes, General.” Both Haoran and Xiaobo saluted. Xiaobo shifted a bit in his shoes but didn’t argue with the direct order.

  The pagoda in the middle of the lotus pond was beautifully crafted of black walnut wood, with striking white tigers painted on it. Vines of ivy curled around the banisters that supported the domed roof. Xinyue dragged her fingertips along the iron railings built along the bridge as she walked into the pagoda.

  “Xinyue, you are back.”

  Xinyue’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. The Crown Prince had grown up well in the palace, his cheeks were round and full as he smiled up at her from his black wooden wheelchair.

  “Your Highness.” Xinyue bowed at her waist and put her hands in front of her.

  “Huifen, leave us.” The Crown Prince spoke to the eunuch who stood just behind his wheelchair, he carried a parasol that had silver beads dripping from the edges of the embroidered silk in his hands. He held it so it blocked the sun filtering into the pagoda, so not even a ray of sunshine would hit the Crown Prince’s pale skin.

  “Your Highness, are you sure-“ Huifen shifted uncomfortably, causing the beads to swing and catch the light of the sun, creating small rainbows on the floor of the pagoda.

  “Yes, now leave.” The Crown Prince’s voice was calm and sweet, but laced was steel. Xinyue could finally feel relieved, knowing her older brother had grown up and could maintain order in the palace.

  Huifen hoisted the parasol and stepped quietly away from the Crown Prince. Xinyue could guess that he would make his way to the Queen’s palace to report the Crown Prince’s behavior. After all, the inner palace belonged to Her Majesty.

  “Xinyue, come here,” The Crown Prince beckoned her closer, and Xinyue silently stepped forward to see her brother.

  Now that the parasol was gone, the sun was free to shine diagonally on the Crown Prince, making his eyes glow a soft golden color. While the King and Xinyue’s eyes could only be described as cold and distinctly golden yellow like a tiger’s, the Crown Prince’s eyes were those of warm honey, richer and more brown than Xinyue’s own. His nose bridge was flat, and his lips were full; he had a compassionate and welcoming face.

  “Your Highness, you look well.” Xinyue was happy that her brother had survived. She hadn’t been sure when she went to the battlefield if the court would let him live or, heaven forbid, if his mother had another son. Xinyue was sure the Crown Prince would have mysteriously been drowned in this very lotus pond by the one who gave birth to him.

  The Crown Prince chuckled, “You mean I am alive.” His smile was self-deprecating in a way, with the corners of his mouth lifting slightly to show off the dimples in both his cheeks.

  Xinyue did not deny his interpretation; after all, he was right.

  “Xinyue, it has been a long time since we have seen each other.”

  “Almost fifteen years, Your Highness.”

  “Yes, do you remember your time in the palace? After all, you were quite young.” The Crown Prince reached out a hand to Xinyue and let her place her hand in his. His hand was smooth and delicate, contrasting heavily with Xinyue’s rough, calloused, and scarred hand.

  “As were you, Your Highness.” Memories flashed in Xinyue’s mind. Entering the palace, meeting her father and the Queen, and being exiled to the temple. All of the moments bundled and shoved together. They twisted and pulled at her heartstrings, as the face of her mother, tear-stained and sobbing, came to the forefront of her mind. “Yes, I remember most of it.”

  “Xinyue,” the Crown Prince’s soft voice pulled her out of her reverie, “I am sorry.”

  His voice was small, not befitting of the next ruler of the Kingdom of Wu, and he wouldn’t look at Xinyue, his eyes glazed over as he looked at the lotuses blooming nearby.

  “It wasn’t your fault… Your Highness.” Xinyue paused before his title, almost slipping and calling him by his given name. The title came out lovingly and with care. Out of all of the royal family, the Crown Prince was the only one who would dare to call the General by her given name, and the Crown Prince was the only one Xinyue saw as deserving to be addressed politely.

  “If I did not have the incident, you would not have to be out on the battlefield.”

  Xinyue could almost feel the order in her hands, the paper rough with the command of His Majesty to become a representative of the royal family. The stone of the temple floors was cold and rough on her knees as she knelt before the palace’s eunuch. The orders are simple: To take the Crown Prince’s place and to ride out to the battlefield, to become the royal family’s sword and the shield of the Wu Kingdom.

  “There was very little choice for you either, Your Highness. You were not at fault.” Xinyue’s eyes softened as she watched the Crown Prince grapple with their past. She still remembered the incense-clouded room and the small boy who lay on his bed, ravaged by a fever. He had just learned he would never walk again, and yet he still made time to thank the illegitimate child of the King that would take his place as his substitute. In all of the Wu Kingdom’s history, a member of the royal family had to be on the battlefield; it was a sign of luck and prosperity, and signified the strength of the kingdom. There were no other sons of the King, and the Queen was not going to let her daughter sacrifice her life, not to mention Concubine Ruxuan.

  “I have been waiting all this time to apologize to you. To express my regret. Will you not accept it?”

  “You don’t owe me an apology, it was His and Her Majesty who sent me to fight all those years ago. It was my maternal family’s wish for me to go to the battlefield, and the lack of my mother’s influence, which made me into who I am today.”

  “The God of War?” The Crown Prince said her title almost bitterly, a touch of resentment coating his words. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would have been worthy of the same moniker if he had been the one to ride out to battle. Irrational and petty it may be, but the Crown Prince had a touch of resentment for a life that could’ve been his.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Yes, Your Highness, the God of War.” Bloodthirsty, cold, and merciless, Xinyue knew what her title meant.

  “Do you not resent them?” The Crown Prince once again met her eyes, his face tormented and full of some unspeakable emotion. He actually seemed like a family member asking her about her feelings, not a stranger and the Crown Prince of the kingdom.

  “No.” What was done was done. There was no room for resentment, although there was space for regret in Xinyue’s heart. Without regret and mistakes, there would be no growth or change.

  “Why?” Gutturally, as if the words were torn out of his throat, the Crown Prince asked.

  “If I were to stay here in the palace or even my maternal family’s estate in the capital, I would have died.” It was impossible to imagine a scenario where the Queen would have let Xinyue live; however, Xinyue was careful not to say the Queen’s name explicitly to the Crown Prince.“At least fate blessed me with a way to survive.”

  Xinyue’s success on the battlefield and her popularity with the people safeguarded her life from the Queen and her family. By becoming the bloodthirsty general of the State of Wu, Xinyue had freedom and the means to defend herself.

  “Ah, I see.” The Crown Prince looked at their hands and the scars covering Xinyue’s.

  There was silence between the two of them as the Crown Prince took in the moment and let the past settle. Xinyue waited for him to continue the conversation.

  “I heard you will travel to the Long Kingdom?” The Crown Prince finally let go of Xinyue’s hand, and she let it drop to her side. His hand went to the handlebars of his wheelchair, his index finger tapping the wood.

  “Yes, Your Highness, I will escort the princesses.” The moment between the two of them had passed, it was time to discuss the present predicament.

  “The State of Long is powerful and unpredictable.”

  “I am aware, Your Highness.”

  “Yes, I heard about your contributions; both in fighting against and fighting with the State of Long.” The Crown Prince looked up at General Xinyue in awe, “I heard you even bested the Crown Prince of Long in battle.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” Bested may have been a strong word considering the sacrifices that were made.

  “If you are known as the God of War, he is known as the God of Death. Did you know this before fighting him?”

  “I was aware.”

  “Were you not afraid?” The Crown Prince’s voice was full of curiosity. As someone who had limited interactions with people, as well as having never left the palace, the Crown Prince felt younger than his age of twenty-four. Although he was older than Xinyue by a year, she felt far older than him, almost as if she was his older sister. If he had gone to war like he was supposed to, would he have been as innocent as he was now, or would he have been as jaded as Xinyue?

  “No, Your Highness. There was no time for fear.” Xinyue was truthful. She could still remember fighting the Kingdom of Long, their deep blue banners waving, and the gold dragon imprinted on the blue dancing with each gust of wind. The long expanse of field and the snorts of horses as the cavalry moved into place to begin the never-ending fight. The damned God of Death on his stallion with his gold painted armor. It took all self-control for Xinyue not to touch the scar on her left shoulder where he had stabbed her.

  “What about fighting with him? Did you not feel honored?”

  “He was a brilliant tactician.” Xinyue had to admit that the Crown Prince of Long was worth his reputation. He was a truly skilled adversary and a respected ally.

  “That is it?” The Crown Prince pouted his bottom lip, protruding a bit.

  “He is also skilled with the sword.” Her mind flashed back to their days at camp together and their training together that became a competition. Although he did lose to her when shooting bows and arrows, she had to admit to a draw when sparring with the sword. Since that time, she had woken up each morning to train, picturing his gold armor each time she drew her sword.

  “But-I heard his chosen weapon was a spear?” Xinyue really looked at the Crown Prince, at his wide eyes and flushed cheeks, and recognized him for what he was, a fanatic.

  “Your Highness, have you been reading the gossip pamphlets in the capital?” Xinyue kept her voice as even as she could, but couldn’t help the hint of amusement that crept into her tone. The gossip pamphlets were everywhere, depicting the Crown Prince of Long as a hero of epic proportions. Xinyue could only guess what they wrote about her and tried to avoid them as much as possible. Xiaobo read them and chattered about them often, especially about the tales and deeds of the Crown Prince of Long. Only Haoran and Zixin had met the Crown Prince of Long when the two armies fought off the bandits along their shared border; Xiaobo had been injured and stationed at a different encampment. Like the Crown Prince, Xiaobo talked incessantly about the man.

  The flush spread, and the Crown Prince’s whole face and neck turned a light shade of red. “Sometimes Huifen or one of the other servants leaves them around. I happen to see them and glance over at some of the articles. It is good for the Crown Prince to know about what is happening in all of the kingdoms.”

  “I see.” Xinyue struggled to keep her mirth at bay. She tamped down on her laughter and managed to answer the Crown Prince seriously. “Yes, the Crown Prince of Long uses a spear during battle.” Again, Xinyue resisted the urge to rub her shoulder. The iron spear had pierced straight through; it had taken months to heal, and even still, on rainy days, sometimes the muscles ached. The bitter taste still lingered on her tongue from their spar with spears when they were no longer on opposite sides of the battlefield. At least they were even, if he had won at sword sparring, Xinyue doubted she would be able to hold her head high.

  “Really?” The Crown Prince’s eyes brightened by knowing that the gossip magazines had some truth in them. He seemed to come alive when talking about the Crown Prince of Long. “Is it also true that he shines brilliantly?”

  “Shines? Brilliantly?” Xinyue’s eyebrows raised, and she hurriedly pulled them back down in place. There were not a lot of conversation topics that could make Xinyue express emotion, but the Crown Prince of Long was one of the rare instances where she lost her composure.

  “Yes, I heard he is very handsome,” the Crown Prince looked down into his lap, “far more handsome than me.”

  “He is…okay.” Xinyue wanted to talk about the battle again, weapon choice, or anything else unrelated to this topic. The unnerving eyes of the Crown Prince of Long flashed in her mind.

  “Who do you think will be chosen as the Crown Princess of Long?” The Crown Prince flitted to the next topic, voice brimming with curiosity.

  “I don’t dare to speculate, Your Highness.” Xinyue didn’t know who would be able to marry such a person. She had met him in several instances and still didn’t know how to describe him to others.

  “Whoever it is would be someone blessed by heaven.” The Crown Prince had a small smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. His voice was full of impatience and youth. He sounded excited about the possibility that he would be related to the Crown Prince in some way. “Do you think one of the princesses would be the person chosen by the Long Kingdom?”

  “I do not know, Your Highness.”

  The Crown Prince let out a loud sigh, his cheeks puffing out as he released the breath. “I wish you would pretend to guess. Give me some type of joy.”

  “That is not why I am in the palace, Your Highness.” Xinyue reminded the Crown Prince. She didn’t dare to reprimand him, but boundaries needed to be set. While Xinyue appreciated the Crown Prince’s demeanor and feeling of closeness, she was all too aware of her status.

  “Yes, yes, I know.” The Crown Prince waved his hand in the air with a frown, dragging down the corners of his mouth.

  “Your Highness! Your Highness! Her Majesty the Queen requests your presence.” Huifen ran along the bridge to the pagoda, probably trying to cut off their conversation as much as he could after telling the Queen who came to visit the Crown Prince. He huffed and gasped at the air, his chest heaving from running.

  “Ah, yes, help me make my way to Her Majesty.” The Crown Prince was not the slightest bit surprised by the news that the Queen would want to interrupt their conversation. In fact, he had probably been expecting it from the moment he called Xinyue to accompany him.

  “General Xinyue, thank you for your contributions to our kingdom.” The Crown Prince prepared the most diplomatic farewell he could think of, “and I hope heaven guides your journey to the State of Long.”

  He looked up at Xinyue, his eyes scanning rapidly over her face. He looked closely, as if he wanted to see beneath the cloth she wore over the bottom half of her face. After a few seconds, he seemed to give up and only stared deeply into her eyes for a bit.

  “Thank you, Your Highness.” Xinyue bowed forward, and as Huifen pushed the Crown Prince’s wheelchair past Xinyue, she couldn’t help but add one more pleasantry, “Be well, Your Highness.”

  The Crown Prince reached down and gripped the wheels to halt Huifen from pushing him further, and for a moment, Xinyue thought he had something more to say, but after only gazing at her one more time, he let go of the wheels.

  “You too, Xinyue.” With those last words, the Crown Prince was pushed past Xinyue on his way to the Queen’s palace. Xinyue was uncertain when or if she would see him again. She rose from her bow and took one last look at the lotuses. The blooming flowers burst from the muddy depths of the lake, a reminder of the fact that it wasn’t your origins that matter, but the outcome. She stared for a bit before making her way back down the bridge to where Haofan and Xiaobo waited for her.

  There was much to do before they set off for the Kingdom of Long, and it would be best to be as prepared as possible for any outcome. After all, they would be meeting the God of Death once again.