The next morning, Wei Lan woke up not to cold, but warmth. Her body ached, her throat was raw, but she was alive, yet again. She shifted under the warm fur on her, and the fire crackled, keeping her warm. She recalled the events of the night and wondered when she fell asleep.
She could still hear the voices of men outside, training, maybe. She sat up on the bed, scanning the room yet again, this time, not preparing for an escape. She was too tired of that. But surely, by now, her father must have heard of her abduction, and god forbid his deal fell through. She knew he would trade half of his army and a quarter of his court to get her back.
She spotted a steaming bowl of soup on the table beneath her. It was minimalistic but enticing, laced with a rich amount of meat. Someone had thought to feed her. She bit her lip, her mind racing from pride to hunger. Then she gave in and picked it up.
Just then, the lord of the palace walked in. This time, not armored but wearing a simple black robe. He stood before her, hands behind his back. Not in the slightest bit intimidated by her daring attempt to escape.
'You have learned a great lesson yesterday,' he told her.
'You can trust that I have,' she told him, 'I have learnt that security is a bit too lax around her, as your guards could not spot their hostage escaping,' she smiled.
'I have equally learned that you do not care for your life. That, in itself, defeats the purpose of your rescue.'
She scoffed, 'You call abduction and imprisonment rescue?'
'Depends on the angle you see it from. If I left you there, you would be a frozen statue by now.'
'Oh, and what a beautiful sight that would be to see.'
He examined her closely, 'You don't seem to fully understand loss, do you?'
His question was rhetorical, but it tore at the strings of her soul. She never had anything to lose to begin with. For a moment, none of them moved, the air striving to bring understanding to the two distant souls.
'You don't seem to understand what compassion is,' she finally said.
Then he turned away, making his way to the door, 'Your strength will serve you here. But choose your battles wisely, princess. The wolves do not obey the crowns'
'And they obey you?'
'Only when I remind them why they should.'
Her eyes didn't leave him until he disappeared from her sight. Anger and curiosity tangled like twin flames. What does she make of this man? There was a kind of depth to this man that she was curious to uncover.
***
Back in the Wei palace, the court fell silent. From the marble walls to the carved pillars, the weight of the emperor's anger pressed down on them. All the court officials were bowed, their faces pressed to the ground.
The emperor pressed on the arm of his seat, his veins protruding like cords, 'a vast array of guards and yet one man was able to snatch my daughter from her wedding chamber,' he said quietly, but angrily. His pride was shattered to pieces.
And rightly so, his daughter, his most prized jewel, was within his enemy's grasp. The emperor had eleven sons to his name, two from the empress and the rest from his concubines, but he had only one legitimate daughter. It came as naturally for him to use his daughter to seal a trade deal between the Wei and Zhou kingdoms, which would bring him more profit than he could grasp for the rest of his life.
'One man,' he repeated.
'It's not just a man, your majesty,' a voice came from the corner of the room. The man, poised and set in armor, came forward: General Lian, the second in command of the emperor's army. He gave a simple bow to the emperor, 'he is the legend of the north. Not even his closely guarded men can defeat him.'
'Are you saying you know this man?'
'Yes, your majesty, I fought him once, when he still wore the colours of an emperor before your council betrayed him.'
Whispers spread across the council. None was as eager to lose his head as this young man.
'Then, are you saying you know how to kill this man?'
'Precisely, your majesty, but not before I find the princess.'
'Take an elite force with you and move separately. While we move through the southern pass, secure the princess and bring her back safe and unscathed. You can manage that.'
'I have vowed to do so,' the general answered, 'I will not fail your majesty.'
Long before the emperor had his scheming eyes on the princess, General Lian knew her; he taught her everything she knows about the art of fighting and war. She was his first love. He bowed and saw himself out of the court.
Behind a veiled curtain, the empress dowager, Lady Mei, in royal apparel, spoke for the first time, 'Be careful what you wish for, your majesty. If General Lian brings back the princess with the wolf of the north still alive, she may bring back more than a daughter. She may bring his wrath.'
The rest of the court members sighed uncomfortably. But they all dreaded that day to come.