Anchhi experienced a floating sensation, her body drifting and being drawn into the gloom. It was chilly, dark, and unwelcoming space. With her teeth clenched hard and quavering lips, her palms continued to rub the sides of her arms repeatedly. The unfamiliar atmosphere tingled her spine as strange pain prickled her heart like a thorn.
When she turned around, the extreme inside of the space revealed a warm dim light. Anchhi moved swiftly and unconsciously in the direction of the light. The light became considerably more visible with her slow approachable steps. Upon reaching near, she witnessed an enormous lotus with a crescent moon hanging beneath the lotus's feet. An ethereal glow and seraphic aura had surrounded it, as it's only armor. Pure and unstained, the divine lotus was formed with the union of seven petals representing seven different meanings and causes. It was truly divine in its splendor. Anchhi believed someone resided inside that lotus. She could sense something feminine. Soft. Powerful. Heavenly. Someone who hadn't yet entered the world.
Bathed in the warm milky glow of the moon, the lotus appeared more beautiful and it's sight glistened in the eyes of beholder.Her fingers extended in an attempt to feel the mystic energy but, all she detected was a cold rigid cement wall.
She came out of her daze when she found herself back to the prison cells. She scowled as she scanned her surroundings in an effort to understand what had just happened. "What was that?" She whispered softly. The sweat beads on her forehead were like the dew of morning. "How did I reach there? And that lotus?" Her eyes sparkled with perplexity and uncertainty.
"My chest pain!" Anchhi reached out to hold her heart, which was threatening to choke the breath out of her body just a minute ago. Amidst of everything she was dealing with, her thoughts drifted to the Fourth Prince's precarious situation, who was at the brink of death.
Somehow, she managed to find herself crouching against the wall with her knees pressed up against her chest. Her recent emotions that had been suppressed all at once sprang to the surface. She wanted to burrow down inside of herself and stay there forever.
Anchhi let all her sentiments including hurt, betrayal, sorrow, anger, wash over her until her eyes burned and body ached from the power of her sobs. This whole situation seemed unreal. She kept telling herself that it was a nightmare and that she would soon wake up, but she never did. Just as she had given up her hope of seeing any light, a shadow appeared close to the prison cells.
She jerked her head up and saw Hui Jing, the Crown Prince. Only then did she force herself to stand up and hobble toward the figure approaching her. The moment he saw her, Hui Jing's chest felt hollow and eyes burned with a strange sensation that had been suppressed. He exhaled tremblingly as he struggled to make sense of the agony tearing at his insides.
"Your Highness, how is the Fourth Prince doing?" Anchhi rasped, clutching the metal rods. Her cheeks were smeared with tears, and she looked up at him with her wide eyes, her distress evident. "Surely nothing awful happened to him, right?"
"He is fine. He is safe." As she clung to the prison bars, Hui Jing took hold of her hands and placed his hand over hers. The voice that emanated from him gave Anchhi hope other than just being a voice.
A muscle ticked in his jaw, "You are accused of attempting assassination on him." "I would never do that." Anchhi retorted, her voice thin and reedy.
"I know." He eased her. "However, there is nothing to establish your innocence." His blood ran cold, "You may be tortured." And he halted when he noticed the expression on her face. "Even so, Jia'er you must go through it." A smile swept across his face, "I will get you out of here."
Anchhi clucked in hope, "I won't allow them to use me to frame someone else. I am prepared for it so don't worry." She flashed a faint smile, nodding her head.
Had Hui Jing not drew himself away, he may have stood there forever. His chest cracked. But, he was determined to rescue her. Just like her father, Anchhi watched Hui Jing disappearing from her sight.
Him, visiting her and comforting her, had fueled courage and hope inside her. Courage to make things better. Hope to trust things will get better.
~~~~~~~~~~~
On Hui Jing's way back to his residence, he tracked down Shoumen talking with a person in cloak. As soon as he noticed them, Hui Jing ducked behind a wall, intending to listen their conversation. Hui Jing overheard Shoumen expressing gratitude to the man in the cloak figure as he handed her some kind of goodies. He was aware of Shoumen's motives.
When she finished with that person, she was prepared to walk down her route. That's when, Hui Jing immediately tackled Shoumen from behind and caught her in a chokehold. He pulled the golden hairpin from his hairdo with his another hand and pointed it directly at her nape.
"I beg you not to kill me." Shoumen let out a nervous request. She gulped.
"You will live if you give an honest testimony." He mumbled loud enough for the intruder to hear.
"I will. I will." The fragile maid was frightened. "Why don't you introduce yourself? Is a royal family member okay with the maid servant dying like this?" His gaze sharp enough that were shooting glares.
While, the intruder didn't move. He could have scrambled out of the place but, not like this! Not by risking themselves in this situation. "Don't hide! I have my witness already." Every sentence he spoke demanded truth. With the weight of his words, his arm around Shoumen's neck grew even tighter.
The time was passing in a blur yet, there was no sign of the intruder revealing himself. But, when he eventually exposed himself, Hui Jing's spirit was ripped from his body. He froze, his mouth hanging open in shock. The land shook beneath him.
"Yes, it is me." Out of everyone, Hui Jing hadn't anticipated that it would be his own little sister, Princess YanYan.
"Why?" Hui Jing's eyes popped in shock and disbelief. "Why are you here?"
"Is the reason crucial?" Her mouth formed a half-smirk. "If you want, you can tell Father Emperor that I am behind it and I used Fei Jia as a scapegoat." She shrugged.
"The Royal family will be viewed as traitors if your wrongdoing is exposed."
"Yes." A malice smile tugged her lips. "I will be exiled and my title of princess will also be seized."
"Why? Why did you do this?" He trembled with wrath.
"You needed to be awakened, Second brother. You are our empire's Future Emperor but, you were tossing it aside for that girl!" Yanyan screamed out.
"She means to me more than the title." Hui Jing retorted, his voice cracking on the last word.
"Is that true?" YanYan chuckled. "Don't tell me you weren't scared even for a bit when First Brother made his reappearance in the palace? Don't you fear he will replace you?"
Hui Jing's face convulsed in pain and rage. Like a sharp dagger, reality pierced through him. After what felt like an eternity, he finally chose to make a move and abruptly stabbed the maid's throat with the hairpin he had been pointing at. His skin was marred by the smell of sweat and blood.
Resigning himself to his sister's control, he felt defeated. He was forced to do what he did, in order to save his family since he had no other choice, even though it meant giving up on Anchhi. YanYan knew Hui Jing couldn't just cast his own family aside for that girl. And she knew there were more than her, involved in this situation.
Even after everything that had occurred, Hui Jing nevertheless made his way to the prison the same night, clutching the bloody hairpin that he had taken out of Shoumen's neck. After casting one final painful, pathetic glimpse at Anchhi, who was shivering to sleep on the floor of her cell, he dropped that hairpin outside and turned to leave. The faint glimmer of hope that he had been holding, perished in his eyes at that precise moment. His gut twisted.