...
It was the left fort; the guards were attempting to turn the fire down with the water buckets and no one dared to go inside. Screams were coming out.
"Help, Help me." He was pleading with the last drop of strength left in his body. Believing that no one was aware of him being chained here.
Maidens and valets were crying. Princess Huan rushed ahead to find a path and bring the child out but, the lash of flames avoided her from proceeding forward.
Her heart was pounding madly, how did this happen? Who was that child? Where was she?
A young boy passed by her like a flash of thunderbolt, turning to the back wall. He slouched and entered a small tunnel that only a skimpy meager figure could cross. She followed the boy and they reached a cell.
There was a boy with a messy appearance chained to the wall. His lame body said that he had starved there. The other boy had a hatchet in his hand and began to break the shackles.
"I am taking you out."
The chained boy began to cry, confessing who had done this to him.
"My mother chained me here, she said if I'm strong enough, I'll rescue from here."
"I know."
Xing Huan's heart ached, she sat beside the boy to caress him but it seemed, they couldn't see her. Tears left her eyes, she could not even imagine a mother being this cruel to her child, her mother wasn't like this, she was the true meaning of a guardian angel.
The boy couldn't walk so the savior had him on his back, they had no option but to cross through the fire, going among the lashing flames that were roaring as if a dragon had assaulted.
The boy hardly afforded to overcome the savage flames when for the lack of air, they began to cough. Huan stood ahead of them, screaming to show the way out. A flame lashed her but she was as if a ghost and it did nothing to her while she could feel the boys' pain.
Eventually, they got near a door, the savior boy had blurry vision, but seeing the white snow out there made him smile, they were going to survive. He made it out. Meanwhile, a palisade broke and caused a disaster. The boy dodged and turned to another path but the roof was unstable and trembled. Before he could get out, the burning wood rained on them.
The savior turned the fragile boy back and shielded himself from him, the wood fell on his face.
Huan shrieked, she couldn't breathe at all, her heart was beating so fast, she didn't want to see them burning. But the woods fell on them.
She jumped with screamed and distress, gasping for the air but her chest was hard. Fu Liu and some maiden quickly entered her tent, she was drenched with sweat.
"Your highness, was it the same nightmare?" He knew she had seen a nightmare again. He was terrified.
She shook her head, and the eunuch brought her a glass of water. She peered at it before having some, but those kids were thirsty too, tears welled down her eyes. Eunuch Fu persuaded her to drink.
"So, it was a new one."
The princess nodded and tried to breathe but her chest was heavy.
"The fire burned them; his mother let her son die."
Fu Liu frowned; the nightmare had a vicious impact on her, he should report her condition to the physicians. Her health was draining day by day, the much that she couldn't move quickly and dodge when the arrow flew at her. He was blaming himself for being slow, even though that low-born girl was faster.
A maiden came with a towel and began to dry her face. And the other one began to massage her hands.
"I am fine, you can leave." She asked her maidens.
Obeying the order, they exchanged glances and dashed out. But their whispers were coming inside.
"I must punish them for chirping around here." Fu Liu growled.
"Leave them alone, perhaps they are right and I am delusional. A mad person who shouldn't live."
Fu Liu shook his head, these words were dangerous, her mental health hadn't improved and he saw a sign of hope when they confronted that villager girl. His princess was smiling the whole time watching the girl's sheepish actions.
"Do you want me to bring that girl? You said that she is giving you good feelings when she is around."
"It is late, already. Tomorrow, you can bring her to me, but I'm not certain if she wants to be my daily maiden. She is an untamed human, she is different. If she is reluctant don't bother to bring it up straight, make her beg to work for us, you can use the bracelet matter, if she truly hates it."
She smiled recalling her face and the way she spoke and grimaced all the time.
Fu saw the tinge of smile on her face, even thinking about that girl made her eyes brighter.
"I will suggest her to do so."
"Did you survey about their identity? I slept before you come."
Fu Liu smirked, "the villagers call her a pure devil because she is blunt and has sharp language." He was agreed with this.
"That doesn't make her a devil, she is trustworthy if she is honest. What else did you get from them?"
"It seemed that Chaoxiang's father had two wives and his sister is from the second wife, the parents are murdered as they told us, here they had inherited a house from their grandfather and stay with their aunt. Her name is Gu Ju."
"Therefore, they have nothing to do with robbers."
"No, at least I couldn't find evidence, but the girl has an illness."
The princess's smile died, it changed into dejection.
"What sort of illness?" Her voice shivered.
"It is a night phobia; she is afraid of the night. I heard that can kill her. But also rumors said she becomes a beast at night."
The princess nodded, if she needed a good physician and could not afford the expenses to be healed, she would take the charge to heal her.
"We will take care of this later if she accepts us." She looked out through the small window of her tent, it was the full moon and she just remembered that her nightmares were getting worse during the full moon.
"What about her brother? Why does he wear a half-broken goblin mask?"
"The thieves had burned his face!"
She swallowed; it recalled her dream about the fire.
Eunuch Fu found his Lady drowning in her thought again. It could be the nightmare that distracted her.
"Your majesty, tell me about this new nightmare, there is a dream interpreter in this village that might help you understand the meaning of this nightmare."
She sighed, "My valets who died that day want me to avenge their life and these new ones, I don't know what is going on, why do the dead people keep asking me their wish?"