When she had satiated her hunger, the princess thought to explore a little; she would not remain a ghost in this fortress. She draped a heavy fur cloak over her shoulders and made her way out of her chamber.
Two men followed her closely, warily like a creature they struggled to understand. The corridor was carved from black stone and lit by flickering torches. The faint of iron and smoke. As she passed by, the men paused, fixing their gaze on her. Was she a hostage or a guest? No one dared to challenge.
She followed a narrow path leading into a garden supplied by a small pond over which a bridge was built. On that bridge stood a fair lady. Her statue tall and upright, her skin fair as milk. Her hair was packed half up, leaving the rest to flow down her back and be adorned in little gold.
She couldn't help but notice the difference in fashion for her kingdom, where hair was held up in all possible ways by pins and adorned in heavy gold. The woman had an elegant white fur coat around her. She was admiring the frozen pond below her when she heard footsteps behind her.
'Your highness has recovered well enough to wander,' the woman said softly.
'I didn't know the wolves had even the slightest idea of beauty,' she answered.
'Beauty is scarce in these lands. Perhaps that is why his lordship brought you here.'
Wei Lan arched her brow, 'and who might you be?'
'Lady Yin,' she said as she curtseyed slightly, well enough for Wei Lan to deduce that she was a noble, 'I cater for these courts. My family has served the lord for the longest time.'
'Oh, so you must be his keeper,' she teased.
A smile touched on the corner of her lips, 'hardly. I simply serve when I am needed.'
The two women took a walk in the garden, their cloaks occasionally brushing, and something unspoken passed between them as curiosity was played with rivalry. Lady Yin's eyes glimmered with the sort of intrigue that women shared when they knew their presence stirred the same man.
'His lordship chose to save you when it was easier to let you die,' Lady Yin said.
'He saved me to use me. Once more, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.'
'Perhaps,' the lady admitted, 'But he must undoubtedly care for you.'
Wei Lan stopped, something in her chest tightened, 'You seem to know him an awful lot about his lordship.'
'Of course,' she faced the princess, 'well enough to warn that the wolf of the north is not tamed by beauty, he devours it.'
Before she could respond, she felt a shadow go over them. Wang Xu was standing at the other end of the garden, his robe trailing in the snow and his hair loosely tied. He looked like an immortal being descended from the gods. His features were not rough, but his brows were fixed in a permanent scowl. In every light, Wei Lan had to admit his handsomeness.
'Lady Yin, your attention is needed at the stables,' he told her. But she knew this was his clever ploy to separate the two.
'Yes, my lord,' then she turned to the princess, 'enjoy your stay. The mountain air is colder when one stands alone,' and walked away.
He came close, 'I see that you have met Lady Yin.'
'Yes. She speaks as though she owns half of the kingdom.'
Wang Xu observed her for a long time, trying to read her and simultaneously calculating what to say next, 'she was my brother's wife. After the war claimed her husband, she remained here, maintaining loyalty to the courts.'
'And you?' she asked him, 'where does your loyalty lie? In vengeance? Or something more dangerous.'
'My loyalty lies with my people,' he told her as he stared into the distance where the sun peeked from behind the mountain. And from this angle, she saw him for the first time again, not as a tyrant or a blood-starved beast, but as a man, striving to revive his kingdom.
The war had left their land desolate, and the mountains had seen more blood than water. The people were starved, nothing was within reach to hunt, and of the four kingdoms, no one wanted to trade with the north.
'What is the real reason why you have brought me here?' she asked him.
'The reason is simple,' he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and took her up to the very top of the mansion that oversaw most of his kingdom. He let her down beside him and pointed, 'The land is too vast, hence easily stricken with famine. The mountains are too cold to cultivate, and the fear of barbaric wolf clans scares the people from hunting.'
'So, you are trying to force my father's hand on the table of negotiation.'
'Precisely,' he answered.
'My father would not cave,' she told him, 'his pride searches the clouds.'
'The emperor will cave,' he said with a confidence that told her that she was not the only trick he had up his sleeve, 'like I said, princess, choose your side of the table meticulously,' his voice laced with danger.
He carried her back to the courtyard where he met her, 'the sooner you decide, the sooner I know my next course of action. Don't wander beyond the gates,' he warned, 'the mountains do not forgive intruders.'
With that, he left her with something to ponder about. The voice of Lady Yin reiterating in her head, the wolf of the north is not tamed by beauty; he devours it.
She smirked, her eyes narrowing, 'he has yet to meet fire.'