"Wait!" I shouted, the realization hitting me like a bolt of lightning.
"The palace? No way." I shook my head in disbelief. "What in heaven's name are you suggesting? How do we even get there, or survive a single day inside? How am I supposed to keep my cover? Do you really expect me to walk straight into trouble when I'm not even ready for it?"
In just a few seconds, all these questions burst from my mouth, one after the other, as the weight of what Hei Hei was implying sank in. The palace? It was such an impossible plan. I wasn't ready to accept it.
"The palace?" I repeated, looking up at the towering walls once more before turning back to Hei Hei, trying to make sense of it all.
But something was odd. While I was rambling, Hei Hei hadn't made a sound. She just stood there, staring at me with an unflinching gaze, as if waiting for me to finish my outburst. Of course, I wasn't expecting her to talk, but a reassuring neigh or even a nudge would've been something. Instead, she simply waited, letting me spill all my anxieties, patiently enduring my frantic words.
Her silence finally got to me. The way she stood there, calm and composed, gave me the unmistakable feeling that there was no escaping this. Getting into the palace wasn't just an idea—it was a necessity.
I sighed deeply, my frustration swelling inside me like a rising tide. The realization that this was our only path hit me harder than I expected. I turned away from the river, walking to a drier patch of ground before sinking to the earth. I sat down, resting my head in my hands, trying to hold myself together.
I glanced up at Hei Hei, who had followed me and was now standing a few feet away, still watching. The questions echoed relentlessly in my mind: Why the palace? What even gave her this idea?
Lowering my head again, I pressed my hands against my temples, feeling the weight of everything crashing down. It was all too much. I felt a deep ache in my chest, and suddenly, I missed my mother more than ever. Before I knew it, hot tears began streaming down my cheeks.
"If Mom were here, this would be easier," I whispered to myself as the tears fell silently, leaving salty trails on my skin.
Hei Hei sat beside me, her eyes fixed on something in the distance—something I couldn't see. She made no effort to console me, didn't even glance in my direction. Her unusual silence was unnerving, but I couldn't bring myself to question it at that moment.
I wiped away the tears, trying to pull myself together. I couldn't bear the silence anymore. "So, how do we go about it?" I asked, my voice quiet, almost defeated.
But Hei Hei didn't respond. She remained silent, her gaze unwavering, still focused on whatever had captivated her attention. I frowned, confused and frustrated. What's going on? I wondered. Why the silent treatment?
The silence stretched on for several minutes, thick and heavy like a weight pressing down on my chest. It made me uncomfortable—angry, even. Why wasn't she responding? My patience snapped. Without thinking, I hit Hei Hei's side harder than I meant to and shouted, "What's with the silence?!"
Finally, Hei Hei turned her head and fixed me with a long, deliberate gaze. Her eyes seemed to say, Are you done? Are you finally ready to talk seriously?
Her calm, knowing look stopped me in my tracks. My anger deflated as quickly as it had risen, leaving me feeling foolish. She had been waiting for me all along—waiting for me to let go of my panic, to face the reality of what we had to do.
I couldn't ignore it anymore—the growing sense of doubt creeping into my thoughts. As much as I wanted to believe that entering the palace was the right move, I couldn't help but wonder if this entire plan was madness. I had no idea how we'd manage it. As I glanced at Hei Hei, whose calm expression betrayed no concern, the flicker of uncertainty grew stronger.
"No," I whispered to myself, shaking my head. "I can't start thinking like that. Not now."
Still, the questions gnawed at me. How could I walk into that palace, knowing Hei Hei didn't even have a concrete plan? It felt reckless. Foolish, even. I clenched my fists, my mind racing with possibilities, but I refused to let fear take over. I needed answers, and the only way to get them was to confront the situation head-on.
"So, what's the way forward, Hei Hei?" I asked, finally breaking the heavy silence between us. My voice was steady, though tension lined every word.
Hei Hei turned her gaze toward me, her large, calm eyes reflecting a quiet wisdom. But the answer she gave was far from clear. She neighed softly, nudging my shoulder as if offering reassurance instead of an actual plan.
"That's not what I'm asking," I said, frustration rising. "How are we getting into the palace? You've been pointing at it all day, and now I'm ready to listen. But I need specifics. What's the plan?"
For a moment, Hei Hei was silent, her ears twitching slightly as she continued to hold my gaze. Then, she tilted her head as if to say, There will be a way.
I blinked in disbelief. "Wait—what? 'There will be a way'? That's all you've got?" My voice rose in incredulity. "You've been leading me toward this palace, making me think you had some grand plan, and now you're telling me there isn't one?"
Hei Hei huffed and stamped her hooves lightly, her expression unbothered, as if this was nothing unusual.
I threw my hands up in frustration. "So, we're just going to walk into the palace without a plan and hope it works out? That's your idea?"
The silence that followed felt louder than my own voice. I stared at Hei Hei, waiting for some kind of response—anything that would make me feel less crazy for even considering this—but Hei Hei remained as calm as ever, offering nothing more than quiet assurance.
I bit my lip, feeling a mix of anger and helplessness rise inside me. It wasn't like this was new. Hei Hei had always been this way—calm, mysterious, never giving me more than vague guidance—but somehow, it always worked out. Still, this time felt different. The stakes were higher. The palace was a whole new level of danger.
"Look, Hei Hei," I said, my voice softening as the weight of my words settled between us. "I know we've gotten through impossible situations before, but this is the palace we're talking about. If we mess this up, it's not just us—it's the entire kingdom. And I can't… I can't just walk in there without a plan. I'm not ready."
Hei Hei didn't move, her gaze soft but unwavering, as if to say, When have we ever been ready?
I sighed deeply, my shoulders sagging under the weight of the truth. She was right. We were never really "ready." It had always been about surviving, adapting, and trusting each other to figure it out along the way. But this… this was different. The palace was different.
"Fine," I muttered, crossing my arms. "Let's say I go along with this madness—no plan, just hope and guts. What happens if we fail? What then, Hei Hei?"
Hei Hei simply stared at me, not giving me the reassurance I so desperately needed. I groaned, running a hand through my hair in frustration.
"I hate when you do this," I said, my voice laced with exasperation. "I hate when you make me feel like I'm the one being unreasonable."
Hei Hei neighed softly, nudging me again, as if to say, You'll figure it out. You always do.
I stared at her for a long moment, weighing my options, before finally sighing in resignation. "Fine. We'll go," I said, shaking my head. "But if we get caught, this is all on you."
Hei Hei gave a small, almost amused huff, as if to say, Fair enough.
Still uneasy about the idea, but knowing we had no other choice, I stood up and dusted off my clothes. The truth was undeniable—if we were going to survive, we had to get into the palace. The plan was shaky at best, but it was the only way forward.
"Alright then, let's get moving," I said, my voice filled with reluctant resolve. "No point in sitting here by the river forever."
Together, we set off, leaving the riverbank behind us as we walked back toward the lonely street we had passed earlier. The sky had grown darker, and the eerie quiet of the place hung in the air like a shroud, but this time, I didn't even notice it. The dark, creepy streets that had made my skin crawl when we first arrived were now the least of my concerns. I was too deep in thought, trying to piece together a plan where there wasn't one. How would we get past the palace guards? How would we blend in without being recognized? Every scenario that ran through my mind felt impossible.
I didn't notice the shadows looming over us or the wind that picked up, sending soft whispers through the trees. None of it mattered. The only thing I could focus on was the daunting task ahead of us—the palace.
As we moved through the narrow streets, I kept my head down, my mind spinning in a thousand directions. I knew Hei Hei had confidence in me, even without a concrete plan. Despite my doubts, I had always trusted Hei Hei's instincts. They had gotten us this far, after all. But still, the uncertainty gnawed at me.
We approached the kingdom's edge, the faint glow of lanterns in the distance signaling our approach back into the heart of it all. The creeping anxiety that had once filled me was slowly being replaced by a new kind of fear—one rooted not in the unknown, but in the realization that we were about to face our biggest challenge yet.
And there, as we stepped onto the main road leading back into the kingdom, I whispered under my breath, "So, we're really doing this, huh?"
Hei Hei neighed softly, her calm presence beside me both reassuring and maddening at the same time.
I took a deep breath, my heart heavy with anticipation. There was no turning back now. One way or another, we were going into that palace. Ready or not.