I AlwaYs havE AnD I AlwayS WiLL --PART-2-TimE & AgaiN" Ongoing.

Part-2 --" BacK In TimE".....CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2

Back In TimE

The same place..Or was it?

Getting to his feet and looking around, Wei Ying changed his mind about him being in the same place as before. True , he was still in the forest. But this one was different. The trees were much closer together, making it seem darker than usual. The shack that he thought had been gutted was missing as well. Could he have imagined the whole thing? No, he couldn't have : he was still holding the newspaper. Wei Ying switched on his mobile, but strangely there was no network.

Suddenly he felt a sense of panic. Where was he? He started running from the place where he had come, but the forest was scary now that he had no idea where he was.

He felt as if he was running around in circles. Exhausted, thirsty and sleepy, Wei Ying flopped down on the ground. He didn't have the strength to cry either.

Eventually, he got frustrated with sitting down.

He got up again, pushing back the dense undergrowth so that he could find a way out. But there was no road. Instead, there was a narrow cobbled pathway, which left Wei Ying more and more bewildered. Finally, after a minute's hesitation, he set out on it.

Night had fallen and it was dark. As he walked, he suddenly saw a light nearby. He moved near to it, and then saw a small hut with a lantern.

Wei Ying stared in surprise- where was the electricity? Just then, a woman came out of the hut holding a candle. She seemed old but there was something in her face that made one feel that she was young. She came up to Wei Ying and took his hand.

"Hello, Wei dear," she said softly. "You took a long time to come."

All of Wei Ying's anger and frustration bubbled up to the fore. "You!" He shrieked. "You brought me here? Where have you brought me? What have you done with me? Answer me now!"

Instead of answering, the woman took his hand and led him inside.

There was a lantern hanging from the ceiling but no electric lights. Wei Ying opened his mouth to speak but before he could talk, the woman beat him to it.

"First of all, since I know your name, it is only fair that you know mine, " she said. "You may address me as Reina. And yes, I brought you here. I have done nothing to you, so far, and do not intend you any harm. As to where I brought you...You asked the wrong question. You should have asked when I brought you, but let me answer that anyway. I brought you to the year which is 1858, and no , I am not joking, and this is not a hypnosis, and you are not dreaming. Don't give me those looks. You wanted answers, didn't you? You wanted to know what was going on, and nobody would tell you-I thought it was best if you had a first hand account of what really happened. "

Reina stopped speaking.

Wei Ying's mind was in a whirl. "You- you brought me back in time," he managed to say at last.

Reina inclined her head.

"But-how is that going to help?" asked Wei Ying, finally grasping the situation.

"You leave the helping bits to me, Wei," said Reina. "You must know that you are in Lady Qing's time, the princess you were curious about. And- I should warn you in advance- her looks are extremely similar to your own. One might call you doppelgangers..or twins. Therefore, you will wear a veil around your face to avoid confusion. I will introduce you to the court, but as my cousin's son. You will be Lady Qing's personal attendant, if I get my way. And you will wear these clothes. Sadly, the 19th century does not permit these dresses."

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An hour later, Wei Ying stood dressed in an 18th century blue hanfu complete with a veil on his face.

"Your cover, I shall tell the king," said Reina. " You are an orphan who has travelled a lot all over the world. Your face has been badly disfigured, hence to protect your modesty, you have covered it. You are asking to be allowed to be Lady Qing's attendant as you are unsuitable for labour work, Am I clear?"

Head still reeling, Wei Ying nodded. "What position do you hold?" asked Wei Ying.

"That of an old saint," replied Reina with an impish smile that made her look 30 years younger.

They walked in silence along the cobbled pathways. Wei Ying tried to adjust himself to the situation . So he was now stuck in the past. Surely it could be an improvement- There would be no Lan Zhan to hurt him. Somehow he trusted this Reina woman. There was also something strangely familiar about her, was it her face? Or her voice?

"We have arrived," called out Reina breaking Wei Ying out of his reverie.

They sought an appointment with the king, who agreed even due to the late hour as Reina was a revered saint.

Wei Ying stood silently as Reina told the king of his so-called background, remembering to keep his eyes cast down as Reina had told him to. The king stared at him for a long time. Then he summoned a servant to call the Princess.

A few minutes, and a rustling of skirts.

Wei Ying looked up and his heart lurched. Nothing that Reina said could have prepared him for this. He had thought there would be a resemblance in their faces. But he had not expected such a perfect match as far as their face contours were concerned. Except the hair- instead of straight like his own, and the mole beneath his lips, her hair was curly and silky. And there was no mole. Also she was so white in complexion that it put the moon to shame. She looked beautiful, and her walk could have put many Paris models to shame, thought Wei Ying wryly.

She smiled back at Wei Ying. And Wei Ying desperately tried to control his eyes',his expression in front of Princess Qin Lu Dina of Song Dynasty.

To be Continued .......

Word Count: 1,104

Dated: 30.09.23

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Note : Since I'll be a bit busy for a while and probably won't be able to come online frequently, I thought to squash in an update.

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-- Yours Isa