A Wuxia Tale: Blades and Flowers

Sands and Hilly Plains

(DAO)

When the desert storm passed, we got out of the tent we built to stretch our bodies. Yong accompanied the seer to relieve their bladders while Prince Jin and I took inventory of our supplies. His Highness smiled upon seeing our dwindling food choices.

"It looks like we will have potatoes tonight." He said.

"We had potatoes this morning as well." I said with a dejected tone.

Prince Jin frowned at me. "Do you have something against potatoes? They taste good."

"They have no taste." I said. "And there might not be anything wrong with them but I want bread or rice. Something with rice."

"Eat all the rice you want when you get back to Wang Estate." Prince Jin said as he counted eight potatoes to roast. Two for each person.

I felt excited at that thought. "Will you let me have weeks off from guarding duty once we get back home?" I asked hopefully.

Prince Jin stared at my face. "Don't you want to go back guarding your Crown Prince? Han might've missed you."

"I'm sure Manchu and Hua are looking after His Highness well," I said. "After all of these, I just want to coop inside Wang Estate and let my Father and Nanny coddle me."

Prince Jin laughed. "Oh, does the young master of the Wang family missed being served and waited for?" He gave me a teasing look.

"Yes," I admit that fact fast enough. Why waste time lying when speaking truth is easier and faster to do. "We have been living like political hostages for months, fearing for our lives, always alert. And now we forage like savages as we get back home, I want some pampering when I get to Wang Estate."

Whats wrong with that? I miss my easy and comfortable life under my Father's care. Life in Wang Estate is good. I live like a pampered prince there. Eating what I want, sleeping in a soft bed and I can come and go as I please as long as I will not give worry to my Father. When I get sick, Father and my Nanny are there to fuss over me. I miss that.

I even miss my Baba. I wonder if this longing for home is what my Baba felt everytime he will have a military campaign out of the capital. No wonder my Baba told me that staying alive to get back home is a priority in every mission. Having a home where you can go back to is important.

While having dinner of roasted potatoes and dried yak meat, we discussed the course we will take to get us to the Southern border of our kingdom. "If nothing untowards will come to us, we will get there in one and a half day." Prince Jin said while mapping the path we will take.

"When you say untowards..." the seer gave us a curious look.

"Unlucky events," Yong shrugged. "A horse getting sick. A rider getting sick. Some sand assassins spotting and attacking us..." the guard enumerated unfortunate events like he's counting change in his hands.

"Sand assassins?" Our little parcel looked at me.

"Paid mercenaries or plain desert bandits. We all have jobs to do. They have theirs as well," I said as an explanation.

"And you deal with these kind of people on a regular basis?"

Prince Jin laughed. "All the time. Mercenaries could be another term for palace ministers and courtiers. Bandits could be a substitute for royal bloods. Either way, a person always has an enemy targeting them."

"I see," the seer sighed but I think he got our point across.

We finished our simple dinner and went back to rest. The next day we got up early and continued our journey, we made good progress and found a good spot to rest. Once again, our food are potatoes and dried yak meat. This time, we noticed that our little parcel is not eating that well.