Princess Wei Lan ran for all that it was worth. The snow fell in two sheets, covering her steps as fast as she could make it. Darkness hovered over the mountain as the rocks tore against her skin. It was dangerous, it was risky, but it was worth it. Freedom was close.
She only needed to survive this part because somewhere beyond the valley was a place she could call her own, her father's palace. Her gown soaked up all the moisture it could get, making her steps slower and heavier. If only she could make it there before dawn. She told herself, but the mountains were merciless, and so was he.
She heard a howl from the castle behind her, and she knew Wang Wei was close by. She quickened her steps, but to no avail. Soon, she heard steps behind her. She broke a branch from the tree beside her and faced the darkness.
'Show yourself,' she threatened, 'let's see if your wolf has teeth.'
From the darkness, Wang Xu stepped out, peacefully and steady, as though her disappearance hadn't sent a shock through his spine.
'Keep this up and you would freeze to death,' he said flatly, with no intention to fight her.
'That would be more befitting of me than to die in a cage,' she rebelled.
'And to think you could escape these mountains. How foolish.'
'It is wiser than to die in that house.'
'So what's it going to be?' he asked her, 'your father has out rightly sold you for an outrageous deal, which is quite sad.'
'I'm surprised you seek righteousness since you stole me from my owner,' she scoffed.
Then the ground below her shattered, and she went down with a scream. The ledge had broken, but she struggled to hold onto a branch at the mouth of the ravine; the water beneath her rushed like a storm.
Wang Xu leapt after her and grabbed her hand tightly, but she resisted.
'Let go of me,' she protested.
'If I do, you'll die,' he told her.
'I'd rather die than be a prisoner.'
Their eyes met, hers blazing with pride and his with something dangerously close to respect.
'You have gone mad,' he told her.
'Then, I believe you have met your match,' she panted, her arms tired from holding her weight and that god forsaken gown. He grabbed her sternly and lifted her into his arms, the air around him swirling like a whisper of fate.
'Next time, run somewhere warmer.'
She didn't answer this time, nor did she protest. She let her body lean against his out of exhaustion. It was warm, but her heart was cold towards him. He carried her back to the castle in a fraction of a minute, where he ordered her to be taken care of. And all this time she thought, maybe being here wasn't all that bad.
***
Dawn bled slowly on the fortress, and the snow was stained with gold. The air was as cold as ice, but the soldiers were out training in formation in the valley. Banners bearing the black wolf sigil snapped in the wind. Wang Xu observed from above at the accomplishments of his hand with a satisfaction only years of bloodshed could tender.
Captain Ren, his second in command, entered the study with some sort of urgency. Wang Xu stepped away from his view and sat at the table as if expecting some already known news.
He bowed, 'My lord, a letter came in this morning. The Wei kingdom has declared the abduction of their daughter as an act of war.'
'He demands that you surrender and return the princess immediately. He has begun to mobilize his armies as we speak.'
'As expected,' he answered.
Wang Xu gestured, and the letter was brought forward. He scanned the scroll, wincing at the words plastered across the paper. The letter dripped with false righteousness, promising mercy, vengeance, and divine judgment.
'Have we not all been here before?' Wang Xu said flatly as he tossed the letter aside.
'Your orders, my lord.'
He strode to the map spread across the table full of mountains, rivers, and jagged lines separating the rebel lands from the empire, 'our spies report that the emperor's general is gathering a thousand men. They will move through the southern pass in ten days.'
'That's the same route you use to elope with the princess.'
'Right, he would expect it to be unguarded. We would use that. Collapse the pass and trap them in the valley,' he said as his hands traced the map.
'And the princess?' Captain Ren asked, 'Keeping her will pose more risk for us.'
'She's safe here. She is simply a game for bargaining with her father.'
'And what are we to her? Liberators? Saviours?'
Wang Wei's expression hardened. Reality tasted bitter today. 'We are what history will call us when this is done. Gather five hundred men, we move in a week.'
When Captain Ren left, his eyes drifted to a piece of crimson silk on the table. A piece of her wedding dress. He wondered why he kept it with him. Was it a silent reminder of vengeance, or was it something more?