Choices

16 - Sword Dance

A/N: An encounter that happened a bit differently, but still came to pass.

Enjoy!

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The morning after the midnight incident, as Fengjiu referred to it in her mind, she stepped out into the courtyard to find snow stakes installed in the midst of the bright white landscape, just off to the side of the Japanese Cinnamon tree.

"His Majesty left instructions that Your Highness may continue to stay in the courtyard and practice until the day of the competition," the Biyinao maidservant who was waiting on her said.

Fengjiu blinked, wondering if last night was but a figment of her imagination. "Dijun went somewhere?"

The maid bowed, as if unable to meet her eyes. "His Majesty left Fanyin Valley with Her Highness the demon princess last night."

He left her, and went away with Ji Heng. Even if she managed to win the competition and get the Saha, how can she even hope to leave Fanyin Valley?

Betrayal crawled its way to her already battered heart, and only pride kept her tears at bay even as she thanked the maidservant and went to the pantry to make breakfast.

The next two days passed by in a blur. Meng Shao came by, along with Jielu and some of the Imperial College students she met at the Zuilixian, although Fengjiu couldn't help but feel that they did so on some tacit understanding so as not to make her feel abandoned. She knew they meant well, if only she didn't see the pitying glances they exchanged whenever they thought she wasn't looking.

The day of the competition arrived, a clear day with the chill of winter, and a certain foreboding aura that nipped at Fengjiu's senses for some inexplicable reason.

In the final round it was her against Meng Shao, no surprises there, since the prince was the best swordsman in the valley and Fengjiu, at thirty two thousand years old, had no competition among earth immortals who are only several hundred years of age. She had just found an opening in Meng Shao's defenses and was about to deliver the finishing blow when something strange occured.

The prince's eyes flashed red, and it felt like the strength of his attack tripled when his sword clashed against hers. With a surge of power - wasn't their magical arts supposed to be disabled!? - Meng Shao pushed against her without mercy, forcing Fengjiu a few good meters back, the stakes crumbling under her feet at the speed and intensity by which the attack was delivered.

"Meng!" She exclaimed when he got close enough, in an attempt to break him out of whatever spell he was obviously under. "What's wrong with you?"

On the dais, the Queen and the rest of the Biyinao's royal coterie had stood up, watching the scene with alarmed eyes. After a few more minutes, Queen Junou gave a signal to the Imperial College fuzi who was appointed as master of the competition, making him hit the gong and announce in a loud voice tinged with panic, "HALT!"

Meng Shao did not stop his assault. Even as she parried his attacks, Fengjiu's sixth sense tingled, knowing that something wasn't quite right not only with her opponent but the rest of their surroundings in general. It was as if the air had become tainted, unpure -- a miasma of something evil floating in the air and whispering tempting nothings to the deepest, darkest desires of one's heart.