A Wuxia Tale: Blades and Flowers

Negotiation

(DAYU)

I entered the small and dank smelling room. Seeing my son's personal articles around the sparsely furnitured room offends everything in me.

"Dao lived for months in a place like this?" The tone of Mei's voice suggests he shares my disgusted sentiment on the place. "I know we used to live in literal shacks and shadowed corners while we were training with Uncle Shu but this place is..."

"He did what he has to do to survive this mission," I told my cousin to cut his dismayed tirade of this place.

Mei winced apologetically at me. We are out of the rented villa and roaming the busy capital of the Mughal kingdom outside of the Shah's Palace. We are looking for some clues to tell us what we can do to force Princess XiLen's hands to produce her son. We found a way, Mei and I but it'll take time before our target will show herself. This predicament is asking for patience.

Captain Wang and Jiang are back on the negotiating table in the Palace. Personally, I am not putting too much hope in that. The Mughal Kingdom is stalling. Either this is all playing into Princess XiLen's goals or this is a plot the Shah himself approved. Either way, I won't let anyone sacrifice my son for their twisted game of royal checkers.

I will get Dao out of this predicament. Either my son will come home to me or he will start roaming the Mughal Kingdom as a free man to continue his mission.

"Judging from Dao's personal belongings here, its better if you buy him new things instead of trying to salvage anything here," Mei said while picking the dirty robes from a corner. "How my nephew didn't get sick from living in this squalid place is the real miracle to me," my cousin added with a sigh.

I smiled while looking at his dismayed face. Mei noticed my smile. "What?" He gave me a questioning look.

"Have we turned snob since living in palaces built for us by our lovers?" I asked my cousin with amusement. Mei grimaced. "Dayu ah..."

"Because you were right, we used to live in dank places like this. We once reside in a cave inside a forest while training under Uncle's care and teaching. We used to wash our clothes in dark streams clogged with rotting leaves and small branches. The beavers looking on us." I sighed while reminiscin'. "But look at us now, acting all appalled with this place that is no different from where we started just because we have now gotten used to the grand lives we are living in Beijing."

"I am appalled, I think you are worried." Mei said. "And I don't blame you for feeling way. True, this place is no better from the places where we started but thats us. We grew up in those rough places, those darn nooks and crannies. Not Wang Dao. Dayu ah, you raised that boy as a prince. His undergarments and socks made from the finest linen with embroidered designs made from silken gold threads. Who could blame you for worrying about your son,who was raised in comfort, living in a rathole like this...?"

"But he survived it, Mei. My Dao survived it." My chest were filled with pride. "I think its time that I admit the truth, Mei."

"What truth?" My cousin moved closer to me.

I stared into his face. "The truth that Dao is now strong enough to survive without me." I sad as the pride on my chest was replaced by a sense of loss and sadness.

"Oh Dayu ah," Mei moved to hug me. "You know Wang Dao will always need you."

"I know," I inhaled and sniffed at the same time as I try to manage my emotions. "I know he'll always want me around, so I can witness the great things he and Hua will do with their lives. So he can see how proud I am of him and his sister. But he won't need me to save him anymore."