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Alone in my room, I sat by the table until the golden fire of the sun dwindled to a glowing ember. If not for my lapse of weakness this morning, I had believed my heart whole, freed from the ties that had bound it. A glorious future beckoned on the horizon. Yet I still clung to a shred of my past, as a flowering peach blossom tree yearning for its fallen bloom.

23

Shuxiao slipped into the chair across from me, setting her tray of food on the wooden table. Her eyes slid around the large dining hall, already crowded with soldiers hunched over their morning meal. “Princess Fengmei has been abducted,” she said in hushed tones.

My spoon fell into my bowl, splattering congee onto the table. “How? When? By whom?” The questions rolled off my tongue. This must be why Liwei and Wenzhi had been called away yesterday.

“All I heard is Prince Liwei will be leading the rescue.”

Beneath the table, my hand gripped my knee. If not for yesterday, this news would not have affected me so. Yet he had kissed me as though I was the only one in his heart. Such tender words he had spoken . . . and now, he was risking himself to save his betrothed? An engagement he claimed he had not wanted? A cold, prickling sensation slithered tight around my chest. I breathed in and then out, trying to unravel its hold. I was behaving like a selfish child. As her betrothed and ally, who else but he should go?

“I wish him every success. I hope he brings her back safely.” If my words came out a little hollow, I was at least glad that I meant them.

“To spirit the princess away is no easy feat. I wonder who—” Shuxiao’s voice cut off abruptly.

General Jianyun stood before us with his arms folded. We leapt up at once to greet him.

“Lieutenant Shuxiao, I don’t need to know where you heard this from, but I want an end to this discussion, or any other regarding this matter. Is that clear?” he commanded.

She shot me a panicked look before replying with uncharacteristic meekness, “Yes, General Jianyun.”

He glanced at me then. “First Archer Xingyin, follow me. I must speak with you.”

I stared at him in surprise until Shuxiao kicked my shin, the pain breaking my daze as I hastened after him.

“The news is true,” he said without preamble, as he sat behind his rosewood desk. “Queen Fengjin is distraught. The abductor sent terms, demanding that she break off the alliance with us. Warning that her daughter would be shown no mercy should any attempt be made to rescue her. Which is why it falls upon us to save her.”

“Was it the Demon Realm?” I asked.

“We suspect so, though we have no evidence. Regardless, our priority is to retrieve Princess Fengmei safely. His Highness will lead a small team to rescue her, no more than a dozen soldiers to avoid detection. Given the threat, discretion is crucial to not jeopardize the princess’s safety.” He tapped the table in a steady rhythm. “Prince Liwei has requested that you join the rescue.”

I could not have been more astonished if a bolt of lightning had struck me from the cloudless sky. At a loss for words, I struggled against the emotions that swelled within—tangling and twisting, burning, yet cold. But one thing was clear: I did not want to do this.

His expression darkened, perhaps reading the refusal in my face. “While I cannot command you to do this, I strongly urge you to. For the kingdom. Our alliance. Nothing matters more.”

His argument did not sway me; I was neither so noble nor valiant. It was not the physical danger which repelled me, but the hurt to my heart and pride. This was not worth the rewards the Celestial Kingdom had to offer, those I had already declined. “There are many others more suitable, more skilled than me,” I said.

“With the bow?” It was Liwei who spoke, from where he stood in the doorway. I had not heard him arrive.

As General Jianyun rose to greet him, I followed suit, quelling the leap in my chest. I would not linger on what had happened between us; it was no more than a momentary lapse. Perhaps being in the Courtyard of Eternal Tranquility had clouded our minds with memories. And now, we were plunged deeper into a new reality, one where Liwei and I would drift further apart until we could never find our way back to each other again.

“With Your Highness, himself, leading the rescue, surely you have all the skills you need.” This was what a courtier might say, hoping to flatter the prince—if not for the edge in my tone.

Liwei crossed the room to stand before me. “Not all. You surpassed me in archery a long time ago, as we both know.”

When I did not reply, he took one of the chairs opposite General Jianyun and motioned for me to do the same. I sat stiffly beside him, wishing I were anywhere but here.

“Continue, General Jianyun,” Liwei said.

“We believe Princess Fengmei is being held in the Eternal Spring Forest, close to the mountains south of the Phoenix Kingdom. That was the last trace we had of her.”

The name struck a chord in me. “Was that the home of Lady Hualing, the previous Flower Immortal? Before she disappeared?”

He nodded grimly. “Since then, the forest has been veiled from sight by a strange magic. No one has ventured there for centuries. We don’t know what other dangers lurk there in addition to the hostile forces holding the princess. Stealth and subterfuge will be crucial, as will your skills.”

General Jianyun expected me to accept with grace. I would not. Some might think me unkind, but I could not so easily cast my feelings aside. My own desires mattered, too. Guilt pricked me at the thought of Princess Fengmei’s peril, but I was not so arrogant to imagine I was the only one who could perform this task.

I stood, raising my cupped hands and bowing from my waist. “General Jianyun, you promised that I would have the freedom to choose my assignments. I refuse this one.”