It was mid-afternoon, and the air felt sweet as gentle winds whirled through the grass. Fan Mingli sat still amongst the field, his legs lounged out in front of him. The sun kissed his freckled cheeks, spreading a subtle warmth to his skin.
He eyed the bustling of flowers in the corner of his eye—Chrysanthemums raising their buds to the sun, a few scattered daylilies with flapping petals against the breeze.
A faint smile curved on his lips before he returned to the thick sheets of paper on his lap. He scanned them, bringing a brush to a map for adjustments.
Suddenly, his body flinched at the sound of a crash in the grass right beside him, followed by a grunt. Looking over, Yin Changpu sat there with probing eyes.
"What's all of that?" His large, roughened fingers poked at the written words and jotted points in his notebook.
Fan Mingli huffed and reverted his gaze. "I'm constructing a plan to develop poison inserted bombs for when the Tuhan attack."
Yin Changpu blinked. He chuckled to himself as he shook his head before laying his head down in the grass, staring up at the sky.
"Don't you want to use this chance to relax? You've been working really hard these past few days." He commented casually.
Fan Mingli glanced over to him, releasing a sigh. "I have to do this. Advisor Lan is counting on me. Besides, this is the only thing I can do. For now, anyhow."
Yin Changpu bunched his brows as he propped himself up on his elbows. "What do you mean?"
Fan Mingli shrugged, eyes never averting from his notebook. "Well, let's face it. I'm not strong. I don't have the guts to kill. Even in my family, I was the weakest. All I have ever had is tactics. Hopefully, this way, I can be a use to everyone."
Yin Changpu frowned. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he spotted a certain head bobbing along the road.
Jin Yue. She was walking along the river's path, two large, heavy sacs of sand on both her shoulders. And as always, her expression was as still ever.
Yin Changpu's eyes lit up, however, recalling the conversation beforehand, he held back the urge to chase after her.
He turned to the freckled young man writing in his journal. "Listen here Mingli, no matter how weak, scrawny, or a coward you may be, you are worthy. In your own way, you have been a use to us throughout everything. So don't think you are less of a member than any one of us!"
Stunned, Fan Mingli stared at him wide-eyed. His mouth was open, but no words were spoken. He couldn't find them. After saying his peace, Yin Changpu stood up and slid down the hill, walking in Jin Yue's direction.
Just before vanishing, he turned around and shouted, loud and clear.
"Don't forget what I said, all right?!" With those words, he turned around and ran off.
Unable to respond, Fan Mingli could only watch him rush away. A faint blush ran up his neck, and he muttered quietly to himself. Looking back down at his notebook, he saw the petal of a white chrysanthemum on the paper. As a gentle breeze passed by, it drifted away into the bright, pink sky. With clear eyes, a jerk of a smile appeared on his lips.
…
In the armory, An Sun sharpened and cleaned the swords. They were all different lengths, but each sharper than a mountain's point. With his head bowed low, no one could see the man's deep and terribly dark eyes. His grip on the hilt of the blade tightened.
"You might cut yourself if you hold it any harder." A soft voice came from behind.
An Sun's movements paused. Turning, he looked at the girl standing at the entrance without a word. His expression was unreadable to her. Rin watched him revert his gaze to the sword in his hand. But this time, he no longer cleaned it, just stared.
"You're leaving tomorrow." She said, watching the sword as he stroked it. She could see the rippling deep within the steel, where the metal had been folded back on itself a hundred times in the forging.
"I am." His deep voice responded calmly. There was almost a sigh to it.
Again, the long silence descended upon them. There was a tension that neither needed to explain. For a while now, they knew this moment would come.
An Sun didn't say a word for a long minute. Rin walked over to stand next to the man. As she did, she saw his jaw clench.
"I wish you good fortune." She said faintly.
He turned to her, eyes deep. He didn't actually smile, but the corners of his eyes crinkled together in what she decided was amusement.
"Thank you."
Managing her own faint smile, Rin asked softly, "May I hug you?"
An Sun stared at her for a long minute without saying a word. He couldn't take his gaze off her. Her words were so angelic. Her face, so lovely…The look of astonishment on his face was slowly replaced with a soft smile.
He cleared his throat. "Do you need to ask?"
Rin chuckled and twined her arms around his neck, pulling him into her embrace. His hands dropped to her shoulders, skimmed down her arms, and came to rest at the small of her back.
The sun was falling slowly, and the air was cool around them as the wind passed through the doors and windows. But with his body close to hers, and their arms bound to each other, all she could feel was his warmth. Rin closed her eyes to savor the moment.
The words 'don't go' could never slip from her. The world they lived in could never allow her to say such a selfish thing. Even if she did, it was only wishful thinking.
But sometimes…it was nice to dream. To hope.
"Don't be reckless…please." She whispered, her voice almost hoarse.
An Sun tightened his arms wrapped around her waist, crushing her to his hard body, then he kissed her lightly on the forehead. His chest felt like it was tightening, and his throat hurt as if it was seizing up.
"I won't."
...
Just before dawn, Rin woke the next morning to the sound of the wind howling against her window. Bai Han was still drowsed beside her, and she left her grandfather to sleep.
Outside, the sky was cloudless as the day before; the sun only just coming up. A few bright stars lingered in the cobalt sky. Rin sat on the stone steps and felt the wind brushing past her skin and clothes.
In less than an hour, their first battle would begin. For days, she had fallen asleep thinking of it, waking up to it even. Every hour of the week was spent thinking of this day.
Bai Han emerged from his bedroom, already dressed and ready. He sat beside her, enjoying the morning glow. They were silent. Their hands grasping one another's in a tight lock as there was no need for words to express how they felt.
The world they lived in was one of blood and honor.
A world of peace they sought was many battles away.
…
General Guo and Donghai were already up, marshaling the troops who would accompany at the forefront. An Sun stood and strode toward the men, conversing seriously with them. He held his sword as he spoke, almost lazily, eyes sharp and dignified.
Rin arrived, eyes scrutinizing the various faces of men who were soon to disappear into battle. Their fate in the hands of strength.
When she looked up, her gaze met An Sun's. His pair of gray eyes focused closely on her before reverting to the men in front of him. Rin's brows furrowed. There was something within his stare she couldn't quite name.
After he finished talking with them, he was striding toward her. To her surprise, he grabbed her wrist and trailed her away from everyone else. She was baffled but also shocked by his sudden actions.
"Sun, what are you doing? The troops are—" His mesmerizing gaze pinned her in place as he cupped her face.
When his lips covered hers, she gasped. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, groaning into the contact. Despite his abrupt actions, it was so soft, his lips and the kiss. It was enough to make her heart tremble.
"Rin." He straightened himself, looking down at her face with tender, deep eyes. His hands were cupping her face, and Rin nuzzled lightly against it.
His eyes deepened. With his hand holding her face toward his, An Sun lowered his lips to hers and gave her the faintest whisper of a kiss.
"I love you." The words were deep, fierce, and filled with so many emotions.
Rin froze, still as a statue, her heart-stopping as the words slipped from his lips. With wide eyes, she looked up at him.
"Sun—" Before she could speak, he leaned down and kissed her. His mouth brushed over hers just long enough to feel her softness before he pulled back almost immediately.
The feelings of his soft lips lingered as she watched him walk away, his back disappearing from her view to join the rest of the troops. There were no words for her to describe what had happened. No emotions.
All she could do was watch him leave into battle.