LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS
/ LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS 11 Reminiscing the Past - The Goodbye
Both of them stood with wet clothes and sorry expression and none of them said anything. Xing looked at her mother with her big eyes knowing that it would work every time with her mother. She was holding Chenglie's hand tightly. He was looking down not knowing what to do.
"What are you kids playing in water for? Look at that! Your clothes are all wet. You want to catch a cold? Now both of you get in and take a warm bath", Ming Ling shouted at them. Seeing their troubled expression she continued, " What are you standing out there dreaming of? You want me to spank you? Both of you.. Get in.. Now".
Hearing this both of them ran inside and jumped in the bath. After bath, they ate the warm meal their mother prepared. Xing still remember the look of gratitude in Chenglie's eyes.
Xing's mother treated both of them the same. They would lie on her mother's lap and she would tell stories or sing songs patting their head. Xing would be the first one to sleep and those were the magical days where she would sleep on the floor but would wake up comfortably bundled in bed.
Some days later, Chenglie buried his sword under a tree in the forest. He cut his hair shoulder length and with Xing's influence started talking more.
Days passed by peacefully and he would take her to the pond she almost drowned to teach her swimming. They also practiced sword arts with sticks and he taught her to write.
Two months have passed. Even though Chenglie persisted, her mother didn't let him go to work. " Kids should behave like kids and have fun. Now go play", is what she said.
One day while they were wandering around in the forest like usual, they met a boy two years older than her sitting hugging his knees under a tree. His eyes were red crying.
"Hey, what's your name? What are you doing here alone? Won't your family worry?", Chenglie asked.
"No one will care", the boy replied
"Tell us your name big brother", Xing asked.
" I'm not your big brother", he scowled. "Why should I tell you my name? Now scram and leave me alone".
Bad big brother!
"You should go home. It is not safe here", Chenglie said.
" I don't want to go home. Home sucks", the boy rubbed his eyes.
"Then Haru you can.." come to my home is what she wanted to say but she remembered their promise when Chenglie was seriously looking at her and she said, " you can come play with us."
" Who.. Who is Haru?", the boy asked angrily.
" You are", Xing replied plainly. " You won't tell us your name, so you'll be Haru and we'll be playing together. Now get up",she said and pulled him by his arm.
Seeing her struggling, Chenglie went to her aid and both of them dragged him to the place where they usually played. They both saw the boy's mood lightened. In the evening, Haru said "I'll get back myself"
" Come back tomorrow", Xing said
"Why should I?", Haru said
" We'll be waiting", Xing said waving her hand.
The boy ran away and the next day they saw them sitting in the same tree.
" Crying again?", Chenglie asked mockingly
" Who's crying? I'll make you cry", he said clenching his fists.
Chenglie laughed hard holding his stomach. " Keep on dreaming". With this Haru threw a punch towards Chenglie's face which he dodged. The act of Haru trying to hit and Chenglie dodging continued for a while making Xing bored and she stood between them. She pointed her right index finger towards Chenglie while resting the other hand in her hips and said in a commanding tone,
" Lu Chenglie , you cannot hit a boy younger than you",
" No one's got hit, even though that one tried to hit me all this time" Chenglie said with a smirk.
"Shut up", Xing shouted at Chenglie before Haru would react. " Try to act like a big brother. And you..",she turned pointing Haru, " You should be nice to others. Otherwise you won't have many friends. Now both of you find a way to get along. Or else, I won't talk to both of you", saying this she turned her back to them with both her hands in her hips and a pouty face.
She only heard them both murmur for sometime and then they both came to her and said together, " We swear we'll get along fine. So please play with us, your highness"
Xing laughed and looped her hands in their arms and started running. Like that, They had many good days together.
Chenglie didn't like to talk about his past. Even when Xing told him how the place where people tried to kill him was cleaned and his mother's body was gone, he did not care much. "That's the way it will be", is what he said. But he gradually opened up to her. He told her that he was the third prince of the Wind Empire. He made Xing promise not to tell anyone about this because it would put their life in danger. Xing obediently agreed. She knew talking about his past always make him sad. So she never bothered to talk about it.
She also remembered how fondly he would talk about his ninth brother. It would seem like his brother was the only good memory for him in the palace. He would say How his ninth brother was cute and how he would follow him around. How his other siblings would abuse him and he would run to him for protection. Xing hated this brother of her Snow Prince for no reason, and only later did she realise what she felt was jealousy and not hate. So she she magnanimously decided to forgive this ninth brother who actually did nothing to gain her forgiveness.
But suddenly after nine months Chenglie started disappearing at certain times. When asked he would pat her head and say that he had to take care of something. He looked deep in thought and kind of was in an alert. Xing felt sad but didn't ask him. But the three of them wandered around as usual at other times. Haru knew of Chenglie's identity too and he kept their secret. He always cled him, 'Brother Lie' fondly. Chenglie taught them how to write using sticks in sand. He really was not one with patience in teaching. Both their heads will have bumps at the end of lessons. But they didn't give up. By the winter that year both can write without mistakes.
Before that year ended, Chenglie took her alone to the pond. He gave her his silver hairpin and said, " This is something of mine to you. Do you accept?", he asked her with mirth in his eyes. She didn't understand his mirth, but replied, " I do".
He kissed her forehead and said "Then keep it safe. It might come in handy in the future". Xing still didn't understand, but the fact that it's a way of proposal by men of noble birth is only to be known to her in the future and also the significance of that hairpin.
He said, " I don't understand why you were named a star (Xing means star). You are a moon, at least for me", holding her hands. Xing looked at his honest expression and blushed. The gold specks in his green eyes were shining in the setting sun. His silver shoulder length hair shined with a golden hue. He put his right hand in her cheek blushed red and said, " Yue (means moon), my moon, my beautiful little moon, how bright and lively you are.. I cannot put into words how you had lightened up my dark world", he bent and kissed her in the cheek. Xing froze for the first time in her life. Her mind blanked out completely and she could not understand what was happening. But she knew she was happy.
He then cupped her cheeks looked in her eyes and said, " Táng Jia Xing, My moon, my light, how I wish I could stay with you all the time. But listen to me very well. I have somethings I have to finish for me to live in peace. So I'll have to leave for a short while. I really wish you will wait for me".
He is leaving? What is going on. I don't want him to leave. Why doesn't he want to live with me anymore?
" Why? Don't you like me anymore?", she asked tears flowing down her cheeks.
He hugged her tightly really close to his heart. " Listen carefully my moon, listen to my heart", he said with his voice trembling, " Now listen clearly and engrave what I'm going to say in your heart. I, Lu Chenglie would never stop loving you or not want you in this or any life even if heavens and hell together stop me. I will always love you. This is the promise I make on the wind that flows without shape and gives life to everything.", he kissed the top of her head.
Xing heard all those beautiful words and she felt his teardrops on her hair. She pulled away and saw his reddened eyes. She cupped his chin and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. He put his hand around her waist. She said, "I don't understand everything, but you said you'd return and so I'll wait for you. So don't be sad and do what you have to do. Please be careful not to die.",and wiped his tears.
He smiled like usual and patted her head. "I'll be leaving tomorrow. Now let's go home", he gripped her hand firmly and they both walked home. He informed her mother of his decision and she agreed seeing his resolve.
Next morning he woke up early and went to Xings bed who was still sleeping. He kissed her on the cheek which woke her. " I'll be leaving, now be a good girl and wait for me. Take care of your mother and Haru . Don't cry and eat properly. Ok, bye.". She smiled "Be safe. I'll wait". He rubbed her lips with his thumb gently and turned suddenly and left. That was the last she saw him.
Oh! My precious Snow Prince.,how are you doing? Did you finish what you were doing? When will you return? Are you thinking of me as much as I do? I'm still waiting for you.
Xing drifted to sleep clutching the hairpin she holds dear to her life.
Chapter end
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