As I blacked out I still could hear Lee struggling to help me up. But he was overwhelmed by the soldiers who were determined to retrieve their Queen, who's me. It's weird but I guess one has to get accustomed and go with the flow.
I was carried by one of the soldiers on his back and then they mounted their horses and took me with them. "Where are you taking her? She's my friend stop..." Lee shouted desperately trying to catch up with them but they were on horses and he was on foot hence couldn't keep up.
All I felt were the horse's hooves pounding away. Up and down and it almost felt like it will never stop, I grew anxious and tried to wake up but I couldn't. I was stuck in a nightmare where I couldn't even scream for help. A nightmare in the middle of the day and it was yet to be dark.
The soldiers came into a halt after sometime and they stopped waiting for a gate to be opened and when it did, they all went inside of it and closed it. I heard a loud bang when it closed and I knew it would take a long time for Lee to rescue me from them.
"General! We have our Queen" I heard a soldier's voice. And then he dismounted the horse and carried me in his arms as he walked towards the general who I presumed it to be General Chun who I had met yesterday at the market.
"Her Majesty" said the General when he leaned it to have a look, still I couldn't open my eyes. "Take her inside and have the servants look after her"
"Yes General!"
From there I was taken inside of the place I didn't recognize what it was at that moment. But if they were revolutionary soldiers then it was predictable that they would live in a hideout and not on an open space. I wasn't familiar with war techniques or whatsoever but the little I knew was that rebels most live in exile. And something clicked to me that perhaps that we landed on some small town inhabited by rebels, and then maybe there is a place somewhere else in the land where this mighty Qianlong Emperor resides.
I finally managed to open my eyes and found that I was in a cozy warm room surrounded by lit up candles with two servants beside me. They wore similar uniforms which were white robes with a red belt surrounding their waists. One of them noticed I was awake and she came to me, she was old enough to even be my mother.
"Your Majesty Yae Lin! You are awake" she said.
"Yae Lin?" I asked confused by the name I was being called by them. Then the other servant joined us on the bed with a bowl of hot water and a piece of cloth. This other one was also a middle aged woman.
"How are you feeling your majesty. My name is Gang Ho. This is my friend Chang Chun. We are here to help you" said Gang Ho and then she placed the piece of cloth inside the warm water. When she took it out she moved closer to me and I was scared so I moved further to the corner of the bed.
Gang Ho paused and then she said "Don't be scared of me your majesty. I am only just a servant"
"Why am I here?"
"You are here because it's time. You promised us when you are back it will be time for you to reclaim your throne. Kill the traitor who murdered your father and mother, Qianlong Emperor"
"I did?"
The servants looked at each other and they both replied "Yes!" but still I could tell they were amazed by my lack of knowledge regarding everything including the name they just called me.
Gang Ho placed the warm piece of cloth on my head and massaged me slowly and carefully I could feel myself relaxing. She must've been a healer too I thought because she knew how to make someone feel good.
"Gang Ho" I called out to her.
"Your Majesty"
"Tell me everything about my parents"
I could tell she wasn't expecting that question but she placed down the bowel and narrated the whole story. From the start I was the only daughter of the crowned prince Shi Mi and crown princess Jinsha who ascended to the throne after the passing of his majesty. My critically acclaimed father Shi Mi became King of Tong'an and I was the crowned princess of Tong'an and the first in the succession of the throne.
I was a young eight year old when that happened and I grew up in the huge palace filled with servants and everything at my disposal. "You weren't a kind of princess that loved to do the princess things though..."
"Really? What did I like to do?" I asked excited to know more about this Yae Lin who somehow I felt connected to.
"Fighting with men and sword training everyday with your father. He taught you everything about protecting yourself and made you ready to be the Queen of Tong'an. Your mother was against it but your father made sure to train you like a soldier"
"Well that does sound familiar..." I said and I meant it. It all sounded like Xinjiang where I trained with my father but my mother wished I could just stay inside and sew clothes.
"Until..." Chang Chun intervened "Until the brutal Qianlong killed his majesty"
"Who is this Qianlong?" I asked them.
"He was the general and close advisor to the King. He was greedy and wanted to be the one who succeeds your father but he knew he had no chance so he killed his majesty and your mother"
"What about me? What happened to me after Qianlong came to power?"
"Your majesty! You don't remember?" Gang Ho asked me.
"No...I do but...I would like to know more" I lied and somehow they looked at me curiously. Especially Gang Ho I felt like she understood me and knew that I wasn't Yae Lin.
"You fled the kingdom with general Chun"
"The General Chun?"
"Yes general Chun helped you out of the city for your safety. You promised him you will be back"
"Yes I did..."
"Your majesty, are you alright?" Asked Gang Ho.
"Yes yes... I am alright. I..."
Before I could finish we heard the door banged from outside. Chang Chun stood up quickly and opened the door, it was the general.
"How is her majesty doing?" He asked.
"She's fine"
"Prepare her for the royal ceremony tonight. Make sure she gets everything she needs"
"Yes general"
The General Chun left and Gang Ho looked at me "Let's prepare you for the ceremony your majesty"
"But it's still afternoon, he said tonight" I said.
"You are ought to be prepared early your majesty. We haven't yet decided on your attire it may seem not much but once you reclaim your throne. You will have as many robes as you'll like" she said and smiled at me.
I somehow felt like I was back at Xinjiang all over again. Like in the night of my engagement ceremony where I was washed up and adorned by my servants to please the man who I was to marry. The only difference this time was that I was actually getting prepared to meet my subjects. Gang Ho and Chang Chun bathed me in a warm jacuzzi and I had never felt that much peace in my entire life. I even closed my eyes during the whole process and just indulged it.
Then after my bath I was taken into another room which was a bit far from the servants room. It was on another household and there I had a glimpse of the place they called the flying tower. It was a huge space filled with houses and I counted them to over twenty surrounding the area. There were trees and gardens, but also an army of soldiers training as we passed through them they all stopped and bowed before their Queen.
There was no tower so I wondered where did the name actually came from but the whole space was surrounded by a tall wall which obscured everything that was going on inside. I guessed perhaps it was to keep all the Qianlong spies away and have the rebels conduct their activities in peace.
When we reached the house made for the Queen, Gang Ho stopped me and she stepped in first. Fixed some things for a short time and then motioned Chang Chun to bring me inside and just so you wondered my face was covered in veil hence I couldn't see where I was going. I guessed it was Tong'an traditions and I just obliged with it and went along. As I stepped inside still with my head down, I experience the over flow of memories and they weren't mine. They were Yae Lin's memories and it was like I had lived and experienced them before.