The night fell black and moonless, but for once, the sky was clear. The candle had guttered out in a pool of wax, but the moonlight was shining through the shutters of the library window.
Books spread on Rin's table, tall stacks of them. That night's meal had turned cold beside her elbow, scarcely touched.
In the library, a figure crossed the room, their footsteps echoing on the stone floor. The man lifted his lantern and flicked its shutters wide open, light washed over the walls.
The sound of wings batted in the air behind Rin, before a weight landed on her shoulder. The falcon nestled against her cheek. Rather than responding to the affection, Rin turned to meet the man standing behind her.
"Did you know?" She fixed him in a sharp stare.
No one spoke. No one moved. The two of them stared at each other in silence. It seemed to Rin that Wei Jingyi broke first and was about to sit, though sullenly. He set the lantern on the table, the pages on the books lighting up. Seeing the written words, his eyes dimmed.
He stared at Rin helplessly for a long moment and then sighed.
"From all my years of knowing your mother, I am bound to pick up on a few things."
For a moment, it seemed as though Rin had not heard. She showed no pleasure at the news, no anger, no disbelief, not even relief.
If this was the truth, then was that why the An Clan was after her? Did An Ruo know about her and who she was?
A descent of the Tuscahara.
Rin stared at Wei Jingyi with teeth clenched hard. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"If your mother never thought to tell you, then what right did I have?" He shrugged.
"Then the very least you can tell me, how did she meet my father? Was she…" Her voice trailed off into uncertainty.
Again, he sighed. "I can't deny your mother didn't stay with your father willingly at first. But in the end…they really did love each other. Even more so after they had you, princess."
Rin stared down at her hands and said nothing. She stood up from her chair, the falcon on her shoulder flying down onto the table. She left everything behind her.
Returning to her room, she buried herself deep within the covers. Though she tried, sleep would not come for the rest of the night.
On the morning of the fifth day, everyone woke up early, and like normal, training began. Taking the time to distract herself, Rin worked alongside Fan Mingli longer than usual. The time passing, along with the memories.
"Advisor Lan?"
Rin lifted her head to see a pair of small, black eyes and a freckled face staring back.
"I'm sorry, can you say that again?"
Fan Mingli nodded and scooted closer on the bench. He lifted the notebook from his lap.
"I was asking what you thought of us creating three trenches at the front of the palace. We can release arrows and cannons from there." He flipped a page. "And if the men need to retreat, we can construct tunnels on the sides."
Rin took hold of his notebook, her eyes drifting over the many notes and drawings.
"This is incredible." Her eyes shone brightly while flipping through the pages. "You really thought this all out, Fan Mingli."
The young man lowered his head; the tips of his ears tinged red. "Thank you. But you don't have to say that. It's not really impressive."
Rin turned her face to him and then sighed. She gently set the notebook on the table, fixing him with a solemn stare.
"Fan Mingli, you have more potential than you think. But you will never grow if you don't acknowledge it yourself." Rin played with the end of a page, her voice growing softer. "We all forget our lives are all worth something…"
Fan Mingli stared at her in astonishment. Slowly, he nodded his head.
"I-I will remember that." His lips curled up slightly, his eyes lowering timidly.
Rin managed a faint, little smile and stood up. "Good. I hope you continue to work hard."
The smile on his face widened, and he nodded. "I will."
...
Sunlight shimmered on the river, gliding across the surface of the waters as they rolled past the palace. Rin shaded her eyes against the glare; body sprawled on the grass. A wind was sighing through the hills, heavy with the scent of fall.
"Slacking off I see." A deep voice spoke from behind.
Rin's head lifted. A shadow fell over her, shielding the sun from her view. From where she lay, a man's serious face stared down. He was older she noticed, with a neatly trimmed black beard. It was her uncle.
She sat up. "Uncle. I—"
"Sit." He said and then settled down beside her on the grass, one leg propped up.
"I just needed a little break." She looked down at her feet.
"I know. I'm glad. Usually, you would work day and night without rest. It always worried Han and me." General Guo sighed.
"…I'm sorry about that. Really I am." Rin murmured softly.
Her uncle patted her on the back. "Don't be. As worried as we are and always will be, we will support you. All we want is for you to rest once in a while."
Pursing her lips, Rin turned to look at her uncle. He returned her gaze, regarding her a moment.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing."
"Is it about Sun?"
Her expression froze, and the heat rose to her cheeks. "What?"
General Guo smiled. "Don't worry, I won't tell Han about it until you're ready."
She cleared her throat. "Uncle, that's not it."
"You're sixteen now. It is normal to be—"
"Uncle!" Rin stared at him with a flushed face.
Chuckling, General Guo rubbed her hair with a faint smile. "Well, whatever is wrong, I will be there to listen. And if he's willing to push aside his personal feelings, Han as well."
Rin's head lifted. The 'thank you' she had wanted to say remained unsaid. Her mouth felt swollen and numb, too thick to form words. The people she thought she knew were not who they were. The feelings she felt could no longer be distinguished.
Everything, all of it had changed.
And yet…throughout the constant change of emotions, occurrences, and beginnings, the feelings from her family never changed.
To them, they will always protect and cherish her.
But who knew when that limit would be reached.
Rin swallowed. "Uncle…I need to tell you. something..."
...
Miles away in a resided camp, two men entered the main tent.
An Rou's eyes skimmed darkly to the two sweating men that approached him. His legs were firm to the ground as he sat still and quiet, a light tap from his foot. He eyed the light bandage around the one man's hand, cocking his head.
"So? Where's my strategist?" His voice was like ice, threatening to crack into vicious shards.
The one man sighed a little to himself, raising his eyes; a look of strangling fear that An Rou recognized.
"We were not able to capture the strategist. He...He had reinforcements."
An Rou nodded to himself slowly, and his tongue poked from the side of his cheek. He rose from his chair, walking over to the kneeling men.
"You've come to tell me that you've failed?"
An Rou's foot rose to the man's stomach with a sharp kick, causing him to lurch forward with a choking wheeze.
The other man gritted his teeth in pain when An Rou's foot crushed down on his hand with full force. The man's fingers cracked and bent, and he forced another blow to his chest.
An Rou clenched his jaw, gritting the words behind his teeth. "That is only the beginning of your punishment. Leave."
He turned his back to the scurrying figures. His hand steadied himself on the wooden table, and he closed his eyes.
Shen stood quietly across from him. He reached for a bottle of wine and poured him a cup, inching it in front of his master's palm. An Rou disregarded the offer, his eyes burned to the brazier of flames.
"There are only two days left…" His voice was in a low whisper as if he spoke the words to himself.
The burning glow of coal flickered within his darkening eyes.
"If I can't bring him on my side, then I'll just have to remove the damage."
Shen stood with his gaze low as he held the cup of wine. With dark eyes, An Rou walked toward him.
"How do you suggest I remove him?" He asked.
Shen was silent for a moment, eyeing the fraught expression on his face. The man looked as though he hadn't slept.
Shen licked his thin lips, deep in thought before he spoke, "Poison."
An Rou raised a brow. "Poison?"
Nodding his head, Shen fixed his soft gaze on the wine.
"It can be doused easily on food and beverages, completely unnoticed."
An Rou's eyes roamed his face as he said this, sounding the faintest, approving hum. He grabbed the golden cup of wine, bringing it up to Shen's pale lips.
"Drink."
Without hesitation, Shen took the cup and sipped. His soft, white lips were stained red, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed the bodied liquid.
An Rou took the cup back from his hands, bringing it to his own lips with a gaze fixed subtly to Shen's emerald eyes. He drank every drop that remained before dropping the cup with a loud clang.
His palm reached out. His thumb rubbed the wine from Shen's lips, flushing warmly under his touch.
With dark eyes, he smiled. "Poison it is, then."