Chapter 10: Reminiscing the Past - Meeting ’Her Prince’
After cleaning up, Xing made sure her mother was sleeping and tucked her in her blanket and went out. She called in not so loud voice "Peng Peng..". Soon after with a growl a greywolf came in front of her. Grey wolves are a rare breed of wolves only found in these mountains in their kingdom alone. It is a well preserved species by the government as there were laws against hunting them. They are a big breed and the adults can grow upto an average man’s height. They are extremely territorial predators who are shy around humans. Xing’s House was inside a grey wolf packs territory and so usually people avoid these forests.
Xing petted the grey wolf’s head that reached upto her shoulders without fear. The wolf was happily wagging its tail as if it was a dog. "Have you all had dinner?" Xing asked in the Guyu language.
The Guyu language is an ancient language that was the original language spoken in their continent which was later replaced by various other languages depending on the kingdoms. The Guyu language was later sanctified as ’The Language of Gods’ and only the Royal families were allowed to study that language and was forbidden to learn by the common and even the Noble class. Xing who grew up in the mountains had learned to speak the language from an early age as she interacted with Gods. Later she even learned the written form of that language too from ’her Prince’.
The wolf nodded in agreement. For some reason, Xing can communicate with animals in the Guyu language. She thought it was normal for a long time but Haru explained that she was the only one who could talk to animals and to keep it a secret. Peng peng was the leader of a wolf pack of nearly fifty wolves that lived in the forest she came to know some years back. Whenever Xing leaves home she leaves her mother under the protection of Pengpeng and he is loyal to Xing.
Xing told Pengpeng, " You and your pack guard the camp outside the village tonight. The Son of heaven is staying there. Remember to keep a distance and hide well, for they may misunderstand you. Be Careful and only alert them if there is danger. No need for you to engage directly. Will you...? ", she asked. The wolf understood and bowed to her and left. The people in the camp without knowing a pack of wolves are guarding them carried on with their duties.
Táng Jia Xing went to bed but for some reason she cannot stop thinking about Lu Chenglie her ’Prince’. She held a silver hairpin that had dragon at its head, in her hands that was given to her by him. Holding the hairpin close to her heart, she remembered the day she first met him.
It was winter eleven years ago. They were living in a small house in the forest. Her mother ran the house by doing embroidery and any small work she could get in the village. People really supported them. Xing usually wandered around in the forest. She usually wanted to spend time with animals than humans. She had many non-human friends and had no contact with humans back then.
That winter they had heavy snowfall in the mountains. The entire mountain and the forest was covered in white. Xing was told by her mother not to go outside the village area to the Imperial Roads from the city since many bandits were ambushing travellers . But that day Xing curiously went that direction. On the way, she saw two white tiger cubs playing in the snow in the forest. That was a beautiful sight and Xing joined them and threw snow at them, later joined by the mother tiger too. She then left them and walked to the place forbidden by her mother.
She saw a beautiful carriage driven by four horses. There may be a Prince in there like in the stories mother used to say. Thinking that she hid in a bush at an appropriate distance and watched the carriage that had stopped for some reason.
That’s when she saw him. A boy about twelve years old descending from the carriage like an immortal. He had silver hair upto his waist and was wearing white silk robes and had a short sword at his waist. Half of his hair was held up with a silver dragon hairpin. Xing couldn’t take her eyes off him. He should be a Prince, she thought.
As he came down a bunch of arrows started flowing towards them. The boy took his sword and deflected the arrows. Xing gasped on seeing this.
Oh no! They want to hurt him. Why would those bad people want to hurt that beautiful person?