The Female Soldier

Chapter 33 - Heartfelt

Falyn ran down the abandoned alley, trying to avoid as many curious eyes as possible. The red stain on her white dress was spreading, making it increasingly difficult to conceal. After covering quite a distance, she checked if there was anyone tailing behind her.

When the coast was clear, she slowed her pace, looking for a place to rest. Climbing down the building through the window and running across town without being detected was among the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. She strode wearily to a lonely peach blossom tree and leaned against it before her aching knees gave way. Her ragged breaths were as erratic as her distracted mind. So many unexpected things happened tonight – Mei's kidnapping, the crazy general, the prince's guards. But why in the midst of all the chaos in her mind, all she could think right now was.... was him.

His eyes. His voice.

She exhaled the breath that was stuck in her chest. It would have been a lie if she said she was not afraid tonight. The Dark Prince she knew was the most terrifying authoritative figure in the army, who wielded his power in the battlefield unchallenged and unbending. Allies and foes alike that crossed him would mean facing the full brunt of his ruthlessness. The prince she pictured in her mind was a cold, authoritarian figure who was heartless.

Then why from the time their hands touched, she felt herself drawn closer to him? His hands that lifted her up, his hands that guided her sword, she somewhat expected them to be cold but they were unexpectedly warm...he was unexpectedly considerate.

Even his voice tingled differently in her ear.

Initially, she will admit this, that when she first heard his voice, it made her want to punch him. She didn't know why. His voice she had heard from somewhere before triggered a reflexive response to hit him. But as they moved along in their sword dance, those unpleasant feelings were naturally erased and a different sense of trust replaced. Could it be because she had duelled against him before and therefore a sense of competitive urge rose instinctively?

But the hardest to ignore was ...his eyes. His cold hard gaze that gradually softened as he looked at her. She couldn't tell for sure because half his face was covered by a mask, but from his eyes alone, she could somewhat figure that at times, he seemed to be smiling at her. Was it all just her imagination? The Dark Prince...smiling?

Falyn touched her chest and felt her heart beating wildly underneath her ribcage.

I must be crazy.

She walked towards the still lake in front of her and splashed a handful of cold water on her face. The veil on her face was long gone when she ran down the alley.

"What are you thinking, Falyn?" she scolded herself, "Playing with fire." She splashed another two more handful of cold water, washing away any heartfelt thoughts of the prince.

He is a prince, and I'm a daughter of a retired minister. It is likely that I would never see him again, so stop this girly nonsense right now, Falyn, and focus to the problem at hand. You are supposed to be tough like a man, a soldier.

Her plans tonight had messed up big time.

General Zhang had woken up when he was not supposed to. And of all people, the Dark Prince appeared when he was not supposed to. The general now thinks that her plotting was affiliated to the prince, that in turn might get the prince into trouble with the Emperor, and listening to the general tonight, the prince might be at risk of being dethroned. And all these was her fault. She would get beheaded, for sure, but that was secondary to everything. Saving Mei now should be her priority. She had promised Hong she would bring Mei back.

She pulled out scroll that she secretly took back from the prince and opened it. For times like this, she was always thankful to her brothers who taught her how to read despite their mother's disapproval. She sat down under the moonlight to get a better view of the words.

She didn't know what to expect when she opened up the scroll. At first, she thought it was some sort of a code, but only to realize not long after, that it was a list of names. Names of missing girls.

And after about twenty names, there would be a date and time, with a ship number.

She felt the blood draining from her face as realization dawned upon her. This was a human trafficking list. They were transporting women over to the Xing Empire like cargos to be sold! Her heartbeat began to race faster as she scanned through the list even faster, fear of what she would find.

Mei...Mei...please let your name not be over here, please, please do not let the date pass –

Her finger stopped cold at Mei's name, listed on the last ship. The ship was dated to depart in three days' time to the Xing Empire. She did not know whether to sigh in relief or scream in anger. General Zhang was trafficking women to the neighbouring kingdom and if she doesn't stop him, she might lose Mei forever. H-How could the Emperor allow such filthy pigs to serve the empire?! She grabbed a fistful of grass, almost tearing them out, not realizing the footsteps behind her.

"Is that why you were after General Zhang tonight?" a voice behind her said.

Startled, Falyn quickly stood up but in her haste, the abrupt action had caused her to lose her balance, stumbling dangerously close to the edge of the lake. Her startled gasp, the tranquil waters below her, the soft moonlight – time seemed to have slowed down as she was about to fall.

With a swift, fluid motion, the Dark Prince reached out and held her waist as she began to topple over. His grasp over her hand was both firm and tender, pulling her back with a sense of urgency. She felt the familiar warm touch of his hand seeping through her skin, grounding her in that fleeting moment.

As she steadied herself, their faces were inches apart. His eyes, mixed of relief and concern, searched hers with a depth of unspoken feelings. Her breath caught in her throat, her gaze locking onto his, revealing a vulnerability she had rarely shown.

The world around them faded into a soft blur as the moonlight casted a silvery halo around them. Their eyes remained fixed on each other, their hearts connected in an unspoken silence, not realizing in that tender pause in time, their souls had briefly intertwined with each other.

Under the soft moonlight, he found himself entranced by her beauty. His eyes, usually so steadfast and controlled, now softened with a mixture of wonder and tenderness. With the veil out of the way, she was even more lovely. The raw honesty in her eyes, mixed of fear and uncertainty, grew an urge in him to tease her. Yet, the urge – he resisted. Deep down, a more profound fear gripped him – the fear that she might vanish again. His heart felt heavy as he reached out. His hand moving with deliberate slowness, brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. In a careful moment, he asked, almost too quietly.

"Why did you run from me tonight?"