I snuck silently across the loose stones of the back-way lane. The rustle of sheets being taken from washing lines and the far-off tune of a lone bird was merely background noise. What was really grasping my attention was the cries of agonised screams and shouts of disbelief and fury.
I'd never heard so much disturbance in my life. The empire of Baî was supposed to be a little rough around the edges, only due to exchange routes being blocked off by sudden floods of growing rivers. But the city of Baî shouldn't have any problems at all.
I climbed up a drain pipe, the food I'd gathered sitting in my baggy pockets contently. I allowed my fingers to latch onto anything screwed into the wall. And, soon enough, I was on the roof, able to run across and look at what was causing all the commotion. As I leaned, clinging determinedly to the gutter rail, I saw the crowd part and a group of palace soldiers huddled expertly into a small circle was revealed. They were protecting something, or rather, someone.
They foolishly took another step forwards and their perfect circle was broken. I saw a young boy, around my age, cowering in fright. His hair was cut in such a fashion that I almost took him to be a girl, but I knew he wasn't when I saw his golden eyes, the eyes of the Queen. It was Prince Hirokazu, hated by all of his people. Well, except for me apparently, the only thing I felt was pity and sympathy for the poor thing.
He was so scrawny and skinny, his cheeks flushed a light pink and his hair looked as though he'd stood in a blizzard of wind for one too many seconds long.
"Make way, make way, the Prince wishes to go to the rice fields! Make way, make way—!" The guards shouted this out. As they did so, a young boy, younger than the Prince, threw a rock. He didn't know what he was doing of course, but everyone went utterly silent when that rock whacked Hirokazu very harshly upon his head. He fell to the floor immediately. I felt something stir in the pit of my stomach.
Why did they have to treat an oblivious young boy in such a manner? He didn't look very Mist Tainted to me. I frowned as the guards shouted out hoarsely for everyone to move away. And when I finally got a good look, I sucked in a breath of shock.
The boy's irises were red, the white of his eyes was yellow and a small wind picked up in a whirlwind around him. I peered closer, only one of his eyes seemed to have an intricate pattern. Instead of a red iris, it was yellow, and a black ring showed where his iris ended and the yellow-white of his eye began. So this was the power of the Re Istuwari.
I watched as the Tainted Prince pulled himself up and looked around, the forceful Mist driving him to this state of anger. I saw the flicker of fear in his eyes. The true side of him, the compassionate one. The human.
"Who…t-t-threw…that rock!?" He shouted, his voice warped and abnormal. It wasn't the prince speaking now, I was sure of it.
Everyone was silent, and it echoed dangerously throughout the streets. All eyes were on the heir, to see what the Prince would do to his people. What punishment would prevail?
"Who threw it?!" He shouted again, shattering that deathly still silence, breaking through like walking out of a thick fog. I shuddered, and the impossible happened.
His eyes fell on the young boy, huddling in his mother's skirts. Too afraid to peer at the Prince. Too afraid to fully understand what was happening. "Did you do it?" He asked, his voice as smooth and soft as velvet. Poisonous as snake venom.
The boy whimpered and the mother crouched down, hugging him in a desperate embrace. Trying to calm both her racing heart and her son's. I saw the Prince's hand twitch, my mouth fell open. No one would stop him? He would kill those two where they crouched. If that happened, then no one would truly even bash an eyelid in his direction. He'd be a murderer.
I closed my eyes, I had to do it, I didn't care what the consequences were. It had to be done.
I jumped down and shoved past all the cowering bodies, I ran directly towards him, and his face flashed with shock just before I slammed into him and knocked him to the ground.
"What're you—?" His question made me stop, the Tainted side of him had turned back into his conscience. He was normal again. I looked at him and realised I was sitting on top of him. And when I looked at him closely, I noticed a hazy, dull look in his eyes. I saw the blood on the side of his head and stood up, gently pulling him up with me. He stumbled into me and I ended up on the ground, the Prince's unconscious body leant heavily against me, his face buried into my neck.
I sighed and scrubbed the blood vigorously off of my shirt. I listened to the shifting of feet in the other room, and the muttering of my family as they all decided on what to do with me.
I was only eleven, I just did what I thought was right, that's all. I looked up from the red tainted water and out the window, the sky was covered with tinged grey clouds, the blue peering out from behind them.
"Jae, get in here!" Mama's voice rang strong and true. They must've come to a decision on what to do with me.
I placed my shirt in the water and abandoned my spot by the washing basin, walking quietly into the other room. I was shocked to see my father and mother standing behind two officers of the palace, they were sitting at my table. My family's table.
"Jae-wun Song." The officer to my right said. The golden badge of two dragons proved his loyalty to the crown. Even with the hatred, his family must feel.
"That's me," I said. I didn't know where this was going, why were they involved in such a simple act of help? I saved three people's lives. And they saved hundreds every day. What difference was it if the Prince was saved? A large part of the community probably hated me for it.
The other officer stood up, pulling out a piece of paper, I stared at it. Judging by its thickness, it was probably worth thousands in the market. "You have been invited to live at the palace, as a special guest." He said, folding the paper up, and as he did, a fraction of sunlight projected the outline of my parent's signatures, giving their permission to get rid of me.
I frowned and looked at them. "Is this my punishment?" I asked, looking into Mama's eyes. Hoping to see a glimmer of something.
She shook her head. "If you go with them, you might save the royal family's reputation." She smiled and looked at Pappa before back to me again. "We're so proud of you for standing up for yourself and doing what your heart tells you."
I looked away and smiled, if I was leaving this was the best way to do it. With smiles and warmth. So that nothing hangs unanswered between us. So that I can leave knowing they're fine and I'm fine, as long as they're happy.
"I'll go," I said, hoping to hell that my being in my night dress wasn't a bad first impression.