HOW TO LIVE AGAIN (girlxgirlxgirl)

Seventeen; Isolated

"Although I have been proven right, this was definitely not what I had in mind"
43

🦚

⚠️ violence⚠️

"Did you hear? Five members of the empresses council were fired today, and I heard there are more people in the dungeons now than-"

"Quiet! Are you crazy?! They might hear you!"

Aiguo stands on a beautiful long bridge, the one connecting two gardens outside the palace of flowers. It's a terrible day. Rain has plagued them for days on end, but today it seems like a constant mist and cloudy sky is taunting them instead. It's giving him a major headache. Makes him want to bend over the railing and puke, and also lay down and scream his head off at the same time. Much like the weather, the situation inside the place has been glum to say the least.

Aiguo hears two consorts speak as they walk past him on the bridge, one of them whispering excitedly and the other shushing him with worry. Those are the two main reactions of the people at the palace right now. Some are interested in what's happening, baffled and constantly talking about it. Others are scared to be caught up with it, nervous and silent and tense all the time. Aiguo doesn't know which one he is.

"But aren't you curious about who's behind it? The empress is gone and somebody is making decisions in her place, it's a big deal!"

The boy behind him is close to whining to his friend, clearly wanting to talk about it and exercise his non existent freedom of speech. But all he gets in return is another shushing, which is probably for the best. Aiguo wishes that it wasn't so, but he knows that more than just one person has been caught and arrested for talking and gossiping about what's happening right now. While the world outside the palace continues living in a blissful ignorance, inside the palace somebody is stirring up trouble and it's getting quite serious.

It started with a few people being fired from the empresses council, four days after her departure. That was already suspicious, considering that somebody is making extremely important decisions without talking to her excellency. Nobody knew exactly who was making the decisions, everything seemed a bit blurry and weird. After that it only got worse. People were arrested for protesting the firings, and people were arrested for simply discussing it. Whoever is behind it, Aiguo isn't sure. But he's been suspicious of Bolin's involvement since the beginning.

The two boys pass by him as quickly as they came. Silence surrounds Aiguo once more. He looks out over the pond and the palace of flowers, deep in thought. His surroundings surely are beautiful, despite the horrible weather. The water of the pond is a greenish blue, the water usually clear enough to show the fish and plants on the bottom of the lake. Even now as a heavy mist lays itself over the garden, the water looks clean and pleasant. The trees in the gardens hang over the pond with their long branches, decorating the surface with their leaves and flowers.

And although it is tempting to just forget about everything that is happening and just enjoy the beautiful nature, he can't bring himself to even try. That's why he left his room early in the morning, early enough for Constantine to still be sleeping, and headed for a walk in the park. It's the only way to clear his mind. He can't sleep nor eat, worrying every day about the situation at hand. The only one who doesn't worry is Bolin, and that aggravates him further. What is that evil man hiding? How can he put a stop to him?