Honour, She Obeys

by L. S. Slayford

  It was as if all the stories she’d heard about the palaces of the Jade Emperor and even that of the first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, had suddenly appeared before her eyes.

  Her gaze drifted to the front of the room. Sitting on a golden throne set adorned with cranes and dragons, was a man. Appearing to be the same age as her own father, he boasted a wide, square face with large deep-set eyes and a beardless face. A black and gold robe she recognised from paintings, a longpao, or dragon robes, encased his frame, which seemed to be tall and slender. Several strands of pearls fell across his face from a tall headdress marking him as emperor. Two men, dressed in dark blue hanfu and caps indicating their official status, stood beside him.

  Mulan thought they looked like prize pigs dressed up for a festival.

  All eyes shot to Prince Kang as they made their way to the throne, stopping a few feet away. I can’t believe I’m this close to the emperor! If only my family could see me now. Pushing down the nerves floating up in her belly, Mulan pressed one fist into the other palm and bowed, mirroring her commander.

  “So my son has returned,” Emperor Taiwu said, his tone as sharp as a blade as his eyes scanned them. “And has brought a little friend. You’d better be clean.”

  Prince Kang straightened and lifted his chin. “A word in private, Father?”

  The emperor nodded to the two officials who quickly scurried out of a side room. Once alone, Emperor Taiwu turned back to them. “What is it that you need to speak to me about without my aides present? If it’s news of your defeat, I already know.”

  “Not that,” Prince Kang said, the vein over his jaw pulsing. “It’s about what Zhou Mouhai learned from the Rouran.”

  A slither of trepidation coursed up Mulan’s spine at the sound of her brother’s name. Both sets of eyes settled on her face and she schooled her features into a neutral expression. She hoped, anyway.

  “Speak, soldier,” the emperor ordered.

  Inhaling deeply, Mulan recounted what had transpired in the Rouran’s tent. At the mention of the ancestral cave, something dark passed over the emperor’s eyes, as if he knew exactly what was going on. Finally, she stopped speaking and both she and Prince Kang waited for his response.

  They didn’t have to wait long.

  Cocking his head to one side, that dark look intensified. “And you say this happened after your men were picked off like sitting ducks.”

  “We were ambushed, Father.”

  “Yes, but why you? Why not your brother?”

  “I can’t say.”

  “I can. You were incompetent.”

  Prince Kang’s jaw tightened, and his shoulders straightened. “Yes, Father.”

  Hearing the tightness to his words, Mulan stepped forward, despite every ounce of logic telling her to shut up. “It wasn’t Prince Kang’s fault, Your Majesty. The black magic used by the Rouran is incredibly strong. No one could have seen it coming.”

  A heartbeat’s silence stretched within the room as she waited once more. Beside her, Prince Kang’s eyes widened, his lips parting slightly, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

  “The job I assigned him was to take his men and join his forces to his brother’s and eliminate the damn Rouran. Instead, he leaves a trail of corpses for the worms to follow.” The words were low and edged with ice, but it set alight the anger boiling in her belly.

  “With all due respect, Your Majesty, you sound like the woman we met in the street.” At this, Prince Kang’s eyes began to bulge out of their sockets. “She’d just lost her son in the war. You’ve lost some men. But to put the blame on Prince Kang’s shoulders is not a weight he should bare alone.”

  A muscle in Emperor Taiwu’s face twitched under the strength of her words and his fists balled. Slowly, he rose to his feet, the pearl strands clicking together echoing around the deadly silent room.

  Mulan’s heartbeat accelerated and she had only a minute to realise what an idiot she’d been to criticise the emperor to his face before he suddenly appeared in front of her and his fist shot out. She sucked in a sharp breath and braced herself.

  Only it never came.

  It took a second to register his fist within the tight grasp of Prince Kang’s grip, his features painted in anger as he stared his father down. “Don’t touch him,” he growled, his dark eyes glittering dangerously and his jawline hard.

  Emperor Taiwu gazed up at his son, making no move to take back his fist. “You would dare strike your exalted leader?” His mouth curled into an icy sneer.

  “I do not strike you, my Emperor, but honour demands I protect the innocent from your misplaced wrath.”

  Swallowing, Mulan could do little but remember to breathe as she watched the mental battle between father and son, anger tracing every line of their bodies. If looks could kill, then Prince Kang’s corpse would lay on the floor ready for the funeral pyre, but fierce determination lined the contours of her commander’s face. There was no way he’d back down.

  And all to stop his father from striking her.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Emperor Taiwu snatched his hand away, his eyes simmering with rage. Whatever relationship they had, Mulan thought, it didn’t appear healthy. With slow, deliberate steps, the emperor retreated to his golden throne.

  Mulan breathed a silent sigh of relief as he sat.

  Prince Kang remained where he stood, his body twisted at an angle, so that he stood directly between her and his father.

  Protecting her.

  “Honour,” he spat. A moment of silence passed. Tapping his chin with a finger, Emperor Taiwu stared at them, his dark eyes thinking. After a moment, he opened his mouth. “I have a new task for you both.”

  Surprise took them both. “What task is that, Father?” Prince Kang asked.

  “If Yujiulu Wuti is searching for the Tuoba ancestral cave, then he must think that the legend is true.”

  A frown stretched over Prince Kang’s face. “What legend is that?”

  “Have you ever wondered why some people flourish for centuries only to be wiped out entirely? The Jie, the Yuezhi, the Qiang, the Di; the list goes on, but I’ll spare you the history lesson. Each group can trace their origins to one pair of ancestors created by the gods and emerged from a cave. We all have them; us, the Rouran, the Han. Those caves are the source of our powers.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Neither did she.

  An exasperated look passed over Emperor Taiwu’s face. “It’s simple. As long as our ancestral cave remains untouched, the Tuoba flourish. If destroyed, however ...”

  “Then we perish,” Mulan whispered, horror dawning over her.

  The emperor nodded. “The wriggling worms know they can’t beat us in strength on their own, so they resort to destroy us the only means they know how. By cunning and deceit.”

  “The sorcerer said the khan’s sons are close to finding it.”

  Emperor Taiwu nodded. “If I know anything about my abhorrent nephews, their persistence will pay off. And their aunt here in my palace is most likely helping them with whatever information she can steal from us.” A long sigh flowed from his lips. “Your task is to beat them to it.”

  “But how? I know nothing about such caves,” Prince Kang said.

  His father snorted, the icy look creeping at the edges of his face. “Use whatever means available. Spend every minute in the library. Talk to your mother if you can find her. Search under every rock for any scrap of information. I don’t care, just do it.”

  “What about the army?”

  The chill spread to the emperor’s voice. “What army? From what I understand, your men are mostly dead. You couldn’t fight a raiding party, let alone any real numbers on the battlefield. Your brothers will take the lead against the Rouran. You will find the ancestral cave. You have two weeks.”

  “Why two weeks?”

  “My sources tell me that as Yujiulu Wuti is bringing his forces south, Emperor Wen of Liu Song is marching his men n
orth. Both will be at our gates shortly,” he replied, the muscle that ran along his jaw twitching. “We have, at most, two weeks.”

  “Shouldn’t we be bolstering our numbers, protecting our borders?”

  “No!” Emperor Taiwu slapped his palm on the chair, the sound reverberating throughout the room. “Find the damn ancestral cave before the worms do. Those are your orders.”

  Inhaling a deep breath, Prince Kang nodded. “Yes, Father.”

  Leaning forward, a dangerous gleam appeared in his eyes. “Just one thing before you go. Failure is not an option this time. Come back victorious or don’t come back at all.”

  Seventeen

  The oppressive atmosphere hung heavy on their shoulders as they traced their footsteps back through the labyrinth of corridors. The grandness of the palace now felt a trap, a way of enticing victims in before being devoured completely.

  Never in her life had she expected to meet the emperor, but even if she had, today’s meeting resembled nothing her mind could’ve conjured.

  Emperor Taiwu was a madman with great power at his fingertips. The ice in his eyes not once thawing when looking at his son. How could any father treat their child that way?

  Thoughts of earlier years in Shenzhou flooded back to Mulan; of coming home soaked in mud after training with her friends, being caught in the rain instead of weaving, or attempting to take her father’s sword when he wasn’t looking, just to see if she could do it. Even now, she could hear his cursing her name as she attempted to stay out of his grasp. But after a while, he’d take her in those strong arms and comfort her, even as an adult. It was what you did when you were a parent. You disciplined, but you did it with love.

  She doubted Emperor Taiwu knew the meaning of the word ‘parenting.’ Or love.

  Beside her, Prince Kang’s face remained locked in a chilly expression. Not one word passed his lips since leaving the throne room. As they strode through the palace, she caught sight of servants and officials hurrying about, dressed in clothes finer than she’d ever seen in her life.

  But if it meant dealing with the emperor’s moods, she’d much rather take rags.

  The elaborately carved doors leading outside loomed across the way when the chill on Prince Kang’s face turned to ice.

  Standing between the doors stood a male figure, dressed in long robes the colour of goji berries, adorned with intricate geometric designs that reminded Mulan of moonlight. He stood a few inches shorter than Prince Kang, but the haughty expression within his wide, deep-set eyes were an exact match of Emperor Taiwu’s. A sword hung sheathed from his hip. Whoever he was, he was handsome, but something about him reminded her of Wang Luwei back home.

  A snide smirk curled his mouth upwards as he walked over to them. “I almost didn’t think you had the nerve to show your face after what happened,” he said, the smirk in his tone matching the one on his face.

  “What are you doing here, Jizi?” Prince Kang sighed.

  So, this is his brother, the one we were meant to have met at Long Horse Drop.

  The grin widened. “Why, to inform our father of my success against the Rouran. We decimated their forces just days ago and captured their leader. I sent his head back to Yujiulu Wuti in a basket.”

  I guess he inherited his father’s sparkling personality.

  “Congratulations. Now if you’ll excuse -”

  Prince Jizi stopped him from walking past with a hand on his chest. “You see, I had no choice but to send the khan a little message. One necessary to assert the Tuoba strength since you showed him how pathetically weak you are. I mean, who allows worms to defeat a dragon’s army?”

  The sneer in his tone had Mulan’s fists balling at her side as anger stole her breath away. How dare he talk to him like that? Still, she kept her mouth shut. It wouldn’t do any good to antagonise another member of the imperial family.

  Prince Kang dropped his gaze to the hand on his chest and then lifted to meet his brother’s eyes. Warning blazed in them. “This topic is not up for discussion.”

  A short chuckled flowed out of Prince Jizi’s mouth, but he removed his hand all the same. “Ah, dear brother, did you lose your sense of humour on the battlefield alongside your men?”

  The urge to smack that sneer off his face with her fist intensified.

  Deep lines etched over Prince Kang’s brow as his eyes narrowed into slits. “I’m sorry, but what is so damn funny about losing those fighting for you?”

  Prince Jizi held his hands up in surrender. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m not laughing at them.” His dark eyes glittered, and the smirk grew cruel. “I’m laughing at you and your ridiculous notion that you could be a great general.”

  The icy expression on Prince Kang’s face remained but his eyes blazed.

  Contempt flashed through her at his brother’s words and her mouth refused to obey her brain. “He is a great general.”

  Both pairs of eyes turned to her. A shiver snaked down her spine at the way Prince Jizi scanned her, as if she was nothing but dirt beneath his feet. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

  “I think I’m talking to someone who has no idea what we faced out there and who would probably soil his trousers within the first five seconds if he had.” The moment the words were out, Mulan wished she could shove them back in. What madness had possessed her to say such things?

  By the way the two princes’ eyes widened and their mouths dropped, neither had a clue what to say.

  But then Prince Jizi’s handsome features morphed from shock to rage. “Insolent mongrel! You have no right to talk to your betters like that. I shall have you whipped.”

  “You’re not my better; he is,” she said in an identical tone to his, her thumb pointing towards his brother. She glanced at Prince Kang, feeling a lump in her chest. The ice melted from his face and mixed emotions swam within his dark eyes.

  The next thing she knew was the brief sting of pain as a fist connected with her jaw, sending her stumbling backwards and her senses reeling for a split second.

  When her eyes focused, they locked onto the bastard prince. Eyes narrowing, her jawline tightened as she stepped forward, her fists balled at her side.

  No one hits me for telling the truth.

  Strong fingers gripped her waist and yanked her back. Looking up at Prince Kang’s face, the anger somewhat dissipated. “Don’t,” he told her, his tone low and forceful. “If you hit him, its treason. He could have your head.”

  “I don’t care. He shouldn’t be talking to you like that,” Mulan hissed back.

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “It’s a good thing he does.” It spread, morphing into a full grin at her confused look. “Because it gives me the chance to do this.”

  Without hesitation, he swung a fist towards his brother’s face. Unlike her, Prince Jizi flew through the air, skidding on his arse several feet before a heavy statue forced him to come to a stop.

  Breathing heavily, and eyes narrowed into slits, Prince Jizi climbed to his feet, his hand covering his mouth and nose, blood dripping beneath his fingers. “You’re going to pay for that.”

  Prince Kang grabbed Mulan by the arm and ushered them past his bastard brother. “Send an invoice to my house. You may want to clean yourself up before you see Father. You know what he’s like about mess.”

  Curses blistered the air as they walked away, and Mulan couldn’t help the smug happiness that rolled through her at the sight of him bleeding.

  The bastard deserved it.

  “Your brother is a jerk,” she said once they were nearly down the stairs leading back into the courtyard. From their height, she caught sight of the tops of several buildings to the sides and parts of the city.

  “Jizi isn’t the worst. I wouldn’t suggest meeting Fuluo, however. He’s had a nasty temper since he caught one of his wives cheating with Yu.”

  “Who’s Yu?”

  “Another brother.”

  “How many brothers do you have?”

  “Too
many to count. Huang’s the eldest and the heir to the throne.”

  “Please tell me he’s not like Jizi.”

  Prince Kang pulled a face as they bypassed several soldiers marching past. A glimmer of sunshine broke through the clouds. “He’s not too bad, I suppose. Devout Buddhist. Intelligent on the battlefield. A good network of spies.”

  “You sound like you hardly know him.”

  “I don’t.” Seeing the line etched along her brow he explained. “Most of us have different mothers. I spent my early years with mine up north in my grandfather’s palace beneath Lake Bikal, far away from court.”

  “Are you the only one like you here?”

  “The only dragon, you mean?” Mulan nodded. “Yes. Which singles me out.”

  “Because of your abilities?”

  Prince Kang sighed. “Everyone expects me to be both greater and worse than what I am.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “As the grandson of one of the Long Wang, my strength is much more than most humans. I can take a sword to the gut and still fight, providing it’s not enchanted. But many still believe I’ll succumb to fits of madness and kill anyone around me. When I was a small boy, I heard the eunuchs and officials whispering in my father’s ears, how I’d destroy the kingdom if I lived. So many times they tried to convince him to send me away.”

  Mulan felt his anguish like a kick to the stomach. “But you weren’t. You stayed.”

  “It wasn’t fatherly love if that’s what you were thinking. As a dragon shifter, he knew my strength could be beneficial to his plans on expanding the empire.”

  Aghast at his words, Mulan stopped, forcing him to turn around and face her. “That’s terrible.”

  A small sad smile played at the edges of his lips. “That’s court life.”

  “That’s no way for a family to behave.” She took a breath and felt a stab of emotion. “My parents wanted me to be someone else, someone they thought I should be. To fit the mould they’d created, but at the end of the day, I knew they loved me. Even on the days when they wanted to kill me. Every child, no matter where they’re from should feel the same.”