The Lotus and the Dragon

Two - Hibiscuses and Magic

Chiến's laugh reminded Liên of summer. Saccharine and light, always full of jubilation, his voice painted a picture of a clear blue sky with the scintillating sun's heat on the shoulders of children at a midyear festival with lilting music drifting through the air. Happy. He never failed to sound happy.

Liên missed his laugh. She missed his cockiness and brash actions. She missed his constant reminders of his position as a god's son. She missed having a friend who saw her not as Princess Quyền Liên but as Liên. She especially missed the way his jade and kaitoke green eyes sparkled with flecks of gold.

Giang twirled around her wrist and looked up at her with his large black eyes. Her lips curled upward and she pressed her lips to his head's scales.

"I'm so lucky to have a dragon for a friend, Giang," she mumbled. "Who knew six months could feel so long? I miss him."

She curled up into a ball, the grass brushing her exposed ankles and wrists. A deep sigh fell from her mouth and shut her eyes. Giang crawled towards her shoulder, comfortably wrapping himself around her upper arm.

Liên liked keeping her eyes closed, taking in her surroundings with her other senses. The warm grass and wildflowers tickled her skin smelled like how she pictured the scent of the color yellow. She appreciated the light breeze filtering through the usually hot July air, bringing food and spices from the nearby stalls. With the four-day long Quyền Trầm Festival beginning in the evening, already she heard dozens of vendors preparing and children cheering as they attempted to bargain for broken cakes before the events began.

After a few minutes of uninterruptible peace, Giang slowly slithers off Lien. A soft nose replaces Giang's touch, and Liên leans into the familiar fur before opening her eyes.

"Hi, Khai." She sits up and pets the fox spirit who is close in size to Giang. "I thought anh Kiệt is helping anh Trí."

"His meticulous ways don't mix with mine. You know that, em Liên." Kiệt steps up to meet his sister on the hill, dressing casually in a plain áo dài matching the color of the sky. Giang greets the prince at his feet. "Hello Giang."

The snake and fox spirits return to their respective owners, with Khai leaping to Kiệt's shoulder and Giang finding his place on Liên's arm once more.

"Of course anh Trí kicked you out. What'd you break this time?" Liên teased. "Oh no. Please tell me you didn't drop the crystal from the Emperor of the South."

Kiệt placed a hand on his heart and exhaled sharply. "He would kill me. Thankfully, no, I was just in his way. Even bố agreed I should just go. Lực, Thằng, and Thạch are all already mingling with vendors. Vương is doing Vương things. You all are so lucky you didn't have to prepare with Trí."

Liên rolled her eyes. "Well, you got out of it. Besides, you didn't have to do anything. And I've been doing my job of weaving more hibiscuses." She gestured to a large pool of blue flowers next to her, all connected with intertwined stems.

"Those look amazing by the way. Nice job. But I seriously had to make it up to him after last week. Even though I was very unhelpful, I think he got the message." Kiệt shrugged.

"Yes, he knows very well your apologies never come in the form of a 'sorry'," Liên remarked. "We all do."

"True. Now, I know you were relaxed here on this hill, but please join me and our brothers at the festival. The earlier celebrations are always fun, and they're setting up the statue right now. Let me see my sister who is always filled with energy and insistent on running around the place."

"Alright. I have been sitting here long enough, anyways. I finished the flowers half an hour ago."

At the bottom of the hill and throughout the designated festival grounds, merchants finished preparing their stands with savory grilled meat and vegetables, sugary gelatin treats, bowls of thin noodles, and multicolored cloths and toys. Folded paper dragons, water buffalos, and turtles lined up on tables.