Reunion of a second chance

Chapter 11

The Emperor could barely wait to take the Blind Concubine to the small village which he had ordered to be constructed just for him. He was rushing with his meal so much, that the Blind Concubine actually asked him – again – if he was alright.

The Emperor would have liked to cut the meal and go right there and then. He had made sure that they would not be disturbed during traversing that part of the garden which separated the Blind Concubine's house from their destination.

He knew that no one would dare to go against his wishes and that all the servants have been warned. Still, he could not not fear encountering someone if they went a little later.

Suddenly, he realized that he was overthinking things again. He had wanted to wait for the Blind Concubine to get his fill of the food. But that was not really necessary, was it? There were several food stalls and even a small replica of a restaurant set up in the pretended village. The Blind Concubine could fill his stomach there.

The Emperor did not wait anymore, there was no reason to. He abruptly stood up, earning himself a confused expression from the Blind Concubine.

"Chime, what is wrong?" the Blind Concubine asked him.

There was no way the Emperor could explain everything just by using the chime to communicate. He did not need to either. He reached out his hand and got hold of the Blind Concubine's hand. The Emperor tugged a little on it, prompting the Blind Concubine to stand up.

The Blind Concubine obediently followed his urging. He still had a confused expression on his face but he did not ask what they were about to do anymore. He must have realized that it would be pointless since his companion could not tell him anyway.

The Emperor picked up the walking stick and gently pushed it into the Blind Concubine's hands. Then, for the first time since he had let the Blind Concubine live on the small island in the middle of the lotus lake, he led the way off of it.

The Emperor never let go of the Blind Concubine's hand the whole way through the gardens. He would have liked to hurry; he was way too excited. He kept himself back though. His steps were slow in order to match the Blind Concubine's pace. Since the other could not see, even if the Emperor was holding his hand, it was still not wise to rush.

Luckily, they did not encounter anyone on their way. It seemed like the servants and everyone in the palace were keeping their distance. Just like they had been ordered to. Sometimes, the Emperor could see a guard or a surprised servant standing in a distance, but they just waited motionless until he and the Blind Concubine passed by them.

All in all, the journey was uneventful and they soon arrived to their destination. The Emperor could not wait for the Blind Concubine's reaction to his surprise.

***

The Blind Concubine had been surprised when Chime had led him off his island. Although he could not actually see where they were going, he could tell they had left for the shore of the lotus lake. Their steps echoed when they walked on the wooden bridge connecting the island with the rest of the world.

The Blind Concubine had been even more nervous when they started walking all around. For a long while at that. He could no longer hear the gentle waves of the water. They must have left the shore some time ago and were now walking away from the lake.

The Blind Concubine could hardly keep his excitement in check. He could imagine only one place where Chime could be taking him. And that was Chime's village. He could not wait to get to know it. Chime was this gentle and kind, surely his village must be a good place as well.

He thought that they were now coming across some flower field or a garden. He could smell different kinds of flowers in the air. And there was also rustling of leaves not so far away.

The smells and sounds reminded him a little bit of the imperial palace's gardens.

But the Blind Concubine quickly abandoned this thought. He was not in the palace anymore; it must have been just some wild patch of flowers. Only perhaps coincidently filled with the same kinds of plants which decorated the palace's gardens. The Emperor had after all let him leave, the Blind Concubine could not be in the palace anymore.

The Blind Concubine shook his head slightly and hastened his steps. He wanted to leave this reminder of his past life behind him as soon as possible. It made the Blind Concubine recall painful things. He did not want to ruin this perfect day so he just decided to forget all about the similarities with the imperial palace.

The Blind Concubine perked up immediately when he heard sounds of a city market. Vendors were shouting and praising their merchandise. There was laughter and idle chatter to he heard in the distance. The Blind Concubine could also smell various delicious treats that he immediately wanted to try.

Chime had brought him back to his village after all. The Blind Concubine squeezed his hand a little to let him know just how grateful he was. Chime had read his mind even before the Blind Concubine could ask to visit his home.

Chime squeezed his hand back and rang his chime. The sound was incredibly clear and joyful. Chime must have also been happy to be bringing the Blind Concubine to his village.

The Blind Concubine did not wait for anything anymore. He was too excited to wait for Chime to lead him towards his home. He started walking again and headed towards the direction from which he heard the sounds.

Soon, his senses were basically overwhelmed. It had been a long time since he had last been in such a busy place. All the sounds around him and the smells were making him slightly dizzy. At the same time though, the Blind Concubine could not help but grin widely without cease.

He was too happy for words. He could tell that he was behaving like an idiot, just standing in what he guessed was the middle of the street and listening. He was way too overwhelmed to move or to actually thank Chime for this special occasion he had arranged for him.