The Water Sprite

Festival of Peaches

49,800 years ago.

Bai Zhen was ready to go.  He had been for hours, but Bai Qian was still declining to accompany him.  She wasn't stupid, she knew full well he wanted her to find a husband, and dragging her to the annual Festival of Peaches on the pretense that she was accompanying him was a lie.  They all knew of his preferences, so the idea that she would assist him in finding a wife was nothing short of a joke.  One she had initially laughed at, but the more he insisted, the deeper she dug in her toes.

"Look, just come with me.  There will be free wine and food, even if we don't meet anyone of interest, at least we can have a little fun away from the den." he coaxed her with a big grin on his face.

"There's free wine and food here Zhen Zhen." she retorted which earned her a snort of protest from Zhe Yan.

"Is that all I'm good for Xiao Wu?  Free food and wine?" he asked clutching at his heart in mock indignation.

Quickly rushing forward, she threw an arm about his shoulder laughing.  "Ahhh, but no one has better wine that yours Zhe Yan." she said knowing the compliment would still any niggle of anger, because if there was one thing they all knew, Zhe Yan took great pride in his wine making and the man thrived on compliments. 

Releasing a soft scoff, the pleased look in his eyes and the small rise at the corners of his mouth had her knowing she had said the right thing.  But he too wanted her to go, even if it was just to make friends.  Because other than himself and her Water Sprite, she had no friends, she needed to be around girls her own age, so the festival was a perfect opportunity for her to meet the Realms Princesses, girls who would all have things to teach her.

But she was just not the kind of girl who liked to hang with other girls.  She liked her solitude, she liked the quiet and she liked that no one would have knowledge of what went on her head.  And that brought to mind her Water Sprite.  She missed the long talks and endless laughter, the lessons she hadn't realized she had received until that moment and most of all, the kind gentle voice that advised her while listening to everything she had to say as if her views were the most important things he had ever heard.  She missed him terribly, but after two hundred years of waiting for his return, she began to let him go, she had begun to think of her future and to move forward with her life.

That was until her ascension.  That had been two weeks before, but she could still clearly remember the man sitting behind the cascade just before the ascension bolts hit.  She had not seen his features but she did see the most darkest pair of eyes she had ever seen before everything went black.  He had been on her mind the moment she awoke and she had immediately questioned Zhe Yan.

"I'm sorry Xiao Wu.  But I do not have any water sprites in my Grove." he had said softly.  It wasn't a complete lie, so he did not feel any guilt, and because he had kept his eyes on hers the entire time, she had believed him.  

But as she thought about it, she wondered if perhaps Zhe Yan just didn't realize there was a Water Sprite in his Grove.  It was possible, Water Sprites were rarely seen, and because they were water energies, those who were not, would not necessarily feel them.

The moment she had awoken from her trial she not only fled the hut, she had at once returned to the rock pool and jumped straight into the water to stand under the cascade in the hope of seeing him again.  Calling out to him several times and getting no answer in return, she had immediately opened her new ascension magic and began to probe the rock wall behind the cascade to no avail.

Disappointed and disheartened, she had returned daily in the hope that he would be there, and the more she probed unsuccessfully at the rock wall, the angrier she became.  He had been there the entire time before she ascended, yet he had said nothing to her and she wanted to know why.  Thinking he had left because she had offended him in some way, or because of something she had done or said, she was prepared to apologize and even write him a letter, but he never showed himself again.