Getting to Lord Cao's was easy enough. Getting in was another matter if Anh didn't want Yara's parents, or the Chu soldier, to spot him.
The house was packed, initiating the beginning of the wedding celebrations. Townsfolk and Chu men sat about drinking and singing in the Hall and the guest rooms. None paid Anh any mind as he slipped through the Hall and poked his head into the quarters of Lord Cao's wives. It too was packed with older women readying their daughters for the weddings. Everywhere Anh looked, girls were having gowns hemmed, or their hair oiled. But Yara wasn't in there. A matron spotted Anh gawking and shooed him out.
Anh went out into the courtyard where the crowds varied with women, elderly and children. A traveller Anh had seen arrive yesterday was using the opportunity to busk for cash. He had a wonderful voice, though Anh couldn't understand what he sang of. He took a seat on a bench and felt about his senses again. His Second Sight hadn't come back. He wasn't sure if Yara really was here.
If he needed reason enough to prove his Second Sight was failing, it came – he felt a tap on his shoulder. Anh spun around half expecting Yara behind him. Instead he found himself face to face with her brother, Yulan.
"My father will kill you if he finds you here." Yulan said in a hushed voice.
"Yulan," Anh said bringing the young man to sit beside him. "I need to talk to Yara."
Yulan spoke through gritted teeth. "Did you not hear me? You need to leave before my father sees you. He will kill you!"
Anh brushed it aside. His qi could knock that old man out before he laid a hand on him. "I doubt that." Yulan opened his mouth to say something but Anh jumped in. "Is Yara here?"
"She's marrying that knobhead from Chu, Anh." Yulan said glumly.
"I know. I know, but Yulan – "
"You told me that if the Chu attacked, you'd take her with you."
Anh was impressed the young man remembered. After how ill Yara spoke of her brother and the jealous rivalry that came between them, he was surprised at how much her little brother cared for his sister. "They haven't attacked, Yulan."
"No, they haven't." Yulan said with clenched fists. "But they might. At any moment they could turn on us and Yara – " Yulan looked around them for any Chu who may be listening. He then leaned in and whispered, "and Yara would be in the belly of the beast when they do."
Anh studied Yulan's worried expression, understanding the weight of his concerns. He knew the balance between the Qin and the Chu – even under the banner now of 'The Han' – was delicate and could crumble at any moment. The risks Yara faced were real.
Determination filled Anh's eyes as he met Yulan's gaze. "Why do you think I came?" Anh said, his voice resolute. "I can help her and ensure her safety – if she wants that."
"How can you say that after what your dragon did to her face?" Yulan spat.
"I am not Hei Lei's Dragon Keeper anymore."
"Then what good are you to her?"
"Lu Yu is my dragon now. Several of us are leaving the Haven – and Qin – for a while." Anh didn't say that the move may well be permanent. "If it is her will, then I will take Yara with us and keep her safe. But I need your help."
Yulan hesitated, his inner turmoil evident. Anh's sense of knowing who was around at all times may have faulted since he and Hei Lei split, but he was getting stronger at reading hearts. He could see inside Yulan's. The thought of entrusting his sister's life to someone else was a difficult pill to swallow. Yet, he also recognized that Anh's determination stemmed from genuine concern and an unyielding desire to protect Yara.
YOU ARE READING
The Fall of Dragon Haven - A Dragonkeeper Fanfiction
Fanfiction"If it were the girl or the Haven," Hei Lei pondered. "Which would you choose?" "What kind of question is that?" "A rhetorical one I'd like to think." Anh sighed and began scratching Hei Lei under his chin. "It would never come to that." He whispere...
