Plummet

Savior

Two days after the witless sabotage of the drains, my life had turned around.

Not in ways I disliked, of course. The night had been tense, because despite everything else, Anh and I had bickered over the sensibility of what she had done. There could have been a hundred other ways, this, the worst one possible. Almost a hundred people suspected her. Especially because she had arrived right before the drains bursting. But mostly I was the one vexed, because Anh had smiled radiantly.

"Oh, but Minh, how can they prove me guilty when I did not do it?"

I had stared at her, frustrated and confused at the same time, "What in the world are y-"

"I did not do it, Minh. All Bia needed was a little push."

I hate to say this, but in a rare moment of disbelief, I had slumped against the wall. "Have you lost y-"

"I had to convince her I was a friend. She knows this place ten times better than I do. She has ten times more objective to do so than me." Anh had advanced so close that she spoke right into my mouth - having to stand on tiptoes to do so. Her hands snaked around my neck. For all the women I had exploited, Anh, while baring coming up to my shoulders, was more than a match. I couldn't say that I wasn't a little bit scared of her. "They will all know that you had a history with her, but we will write that history, Minh. Nobody will ever know that you did her wrong. All they will ever know is that Bia was violent, unmanageable and insane. You were wronged, Minh. Bia is the villain."

I had pulled away, instantly, shook and scared at once, by the evilness Anh speaks with. Inhumanity had been writ upon such a tender, beautiful face. "And what about my soul, Anh? And your soul? We will have to answer Bia sometime - if not in this bi-"

"What are you talking about, Minh!" she had smiled, "Do you believe in all the crap? Bia is a sacrifice for the Greater Good. Besides, she wanted revenge. I got her revenge. Her goal is complete, why should she live?"

I had been able to see the Lord in her. Much more clearly than I ever before. And instead of that endearing her, it had scared me. 

I still loved Anh - just, I wished she hadn't spoken the words she had...

Perhaps once we achieved what we were here for, she would see things the way I was steadily seeing. The monster still lived in me, but I knew that the monster was much more harmful for me than for others. As a result, when I set out the next morning towards Princess Hue's new chamber, I resolved to end this as fast as possible. It was now that I could see certain things clearly. Respect was still important, power even more so. But if I was already dead inside by the time I got them, what value did they hold?

* * *

"So it's you," Princess Hue stated, unperturbed but clearly a little embarrassed. She sat facing away from me, in the terrace extending from her chamber, and has possibly seen me in the mirror she had in her hand.

I was still at the entrance, two guards on either side, trying to look ahead by staring at me. Well, hadn't they ever seen a good looking man? "Come in, Tutor Pham. Please come in."

Her voice shook, either she was trying to control her laughter or her tears. She was either amused or sarcastic. All I had come for, however, was a routine visit to the unwell Princess that everybody connected to her made. I did not see any reason for hesitation.

"If you had spent this amount of time staring at your tutor, you would've been more than a doorkeeper, okay?" I told one of the guards from the corner of my mouth. He jumped, instantly looking down. I was glad not to be a beautiful woman.

I stepped in, the floor sparkling too much for my liking. "How is your health now, Princess?" I asked, walking slowly. She did not reply, waiting for me to reach her. I registered another seat right across her - she gestured at me to sit. I sank into the soft cushion - realizing that quite a few before me had sat there.

Princess Hue stared at me for a long minute, as if scrutinizing every bit of me. Her doorkeepers had learnt from her, I could see. Then her mouth opened the tiniest bit. "You're quite handsome, I must accept."

My eyebrows shot upwards as she began laughing at the very same moment. Princess Hue... laughed like a child. All her stony face, angry tones and haughty demands began melting away from my eyes. I would never love this woman, but she was... much unlike my first impression. Adorable.

"So you saved my life." she nodded, "Thinking that it would make me love you." her challenging smirk reappeared, making my heart go heavy. She was much too smart. She was not falling for me.

"It was my duty, Princess. The castle was distracted, guards wouldn't have reached you in time."

"I remember," she nods again. Bold of her to not pretend of having no memories of clinging to my chest. "I was a mess."

"A beautiful mess." I say, very softly. If being gentle and honorable was not going to work, I had to flirt.

Princess Hue laughed again. "While I can't comment on that," she looked at me charmingly, "I must own up that you're a good man, Minh."

Two compliments in five minutes. Saving her life made me a good man...

"Not because you saved my life..." she trailed off, looking away. She then looked at me again. "Master Huynh holds you in esteem. Anh - other than being infatuated with you, as I suspect - believes you to be a respectable man. I have never encountered a single person speak bad of you in the past months... even my father, who is an astute judge of characters has been reminding me to change my conduct towards you. I feel..." she shrugs, looking at me, "I feel I might have been a little wrong about you..."

I was mute for minute, right now, I couldn't think straight, I had to act naturally, as whatever came over me. "I do not claim that my conduct has not been absolutely dishonorable towards women like Bia in the past, Princess. You were not wrong about me."

I was a good man, wasn't I? Good men never took compliments.

"Bia... yes." Princess Hue nodded with a small smile, swatting the topic away. "Anybody who knows me can second this for you, I am extremely direct about my feelings." my heart rate picked up, however calm I appeared to be. "I am not heads over heels in love with you, Minh, I never will be. But I was wrong about you - to you..." she doesn't pause, "I would be honored by your friendship."

Damn it.

Friends? What would I do with that?

+ + +

"When you're gone, just remember, do NOT make friends."

Mother is paranoid. She beams with pride one second, the very next begins to tell me how I must not get myself killed, come what may. She may have forgotten her words about my worthlessness six years ago, but I have not. I never forget insults.

"Don't try to contact me there." I tell her, quietly.

"You don't go and fall in love with one of her hairdressers again!"

"I did NOT love her, for heaven's sake Mother, can you just leave me alone!?"

She falls silent, perhaps thinking how well she would like to abuse me right now. Minor inconvenience - she cannot. I'm the breadwinner now.