Empress (A Tickle Commission)

A Night In

Cao Lee, the name Yuanji had adopted to keep her identity secret, stood behind Meiling as the two approached her new friend’s home. The walk was not a far one from the village square, but the location of Meiling’s house was remote and isolated from the rest of the village. Meiling had led her through a discreet, wooded patch on the outskirts of Xian. Bushes bloomed bright yellow flowers. Trees stood towering as tall as Lee remembered the palace walls being. The scent of fresh blossoms danced in a summer breeze. A distant stream trickled playfully by its own direction. Lee spent most of the walk in stunned silence. Her pack bounced against her backside. She stomped fallen leaves to revel in their dried crunch. Lee kept looking back to see the village becoming smaller and smaller until it was just a memory nestled behind a thicket of tree trunks.

“You live all the way out here?” Lee asked.

“Sure do,” said Meiling. 

“Then you must know where you’re going,” said Lee. Meiling laughed.

“No, I lose my house every time I step through the front door,” said Meiling. “Of course I know where I’m going.”

“S… sorry,” said Lee. Meiling looked down to the girl.

“You really haven’t gotten around much, have you?” Meiling asked.

“No,” said Lee.

“And yet, you’re a traveler.”

“Not a very good one,” said Lee. Meiling gave a hearty laugh that echoed through the trees.

“I’ll take it!” Meiling said. The two followed down a path through the trees. Meiling helped Lee around stumps and tree roots protruding from the ground. Lee followed close behind her new friend. She looked up to Meiling. The stowed thief wore a warm smile, the heart of a scoundrel but the soul of a protector. A warmth draped over Lee when next to Meiling, one that covered her like a sheet when the darkness would unsettle her as a child. “So, have you ever been to Xian before?” Lee took a moment to answer.

“N-no,” said Lee. “Do you like it?” Meiling shrugged.

“It’s okay,” said Meiling.

“Do you get out often?”

“As much as I can,” said Meiling. “I’ll visit Huang and Shira as much as I can for the markets, but I never stray too far away from home.” Lee nodded. She looked toward the palace, now completely hidden behind the trees. “Where are you from?” Lee froze. A sinking chill bore into her chest. Lee swallowed a lump out of her throat and fumbled an answer.

“Um… uh, Yiangshu,” said Lee, recounting a nearby village from her teachings in foreign relations. 

“Oh, Yiangshu,” Meiling blurted. “I’ve been there. Cute little place.” Lee buried her face. 

“Y-yeah, it’s okay,” Lee piled on. Her voice softened as she walked, speaking down to the fallen leaves. “Smaller than Xian.”

“I guess it is,” said Meiling. “What made you leave?” Lee looked away.

“I, uh… had to get away,” Lee said.

“From what?” Meiling spoke with the tenderness of genuine concern. 

“My parents,” Lee said. “They never let me get out of the house and wanted to marry me away to some guy I didn’t know. I just… had to leave.” Meiling paused. Her head dropped.

“I’m sorry,” said Meiling. “I can’t imagine what that must feel like.”

“It’s okay,” said Lee. “I’m out now.”