The Soundless One

2 : Still a Muted Boy

''Han Han, faster!!'' a cute girl calls for the boy. The boy was playing by himself when he heard the call. It's the princess. Well, not technically the Princess, but she wanted to be called like that from the moment they knew each other.

Han Han leave the leaves he scoured, and went to the girl's direction. Being 6, he doesn't look like it. Calm, well mannered, a bit of a lone wolf feeling to him. Other than being a beautiful boy, his looks says nothing else about him.

Maybe because of his origin, kids out-casted him. Not that they care, but because their mothers says to. A few even bullies him due to his disability, and not to mention his  eyes and hair, that's a bit different than others. He walked to the girl with smiles all on his face, as the girl's grinning face is funny to him.

He recalls when they first met, the girl was very shy, hiding between the adults. He's there at the Qing Manor because of her grandfather took a liking at his looks and demeanor. He's originally with the merchants people, but being sold in a slave house due to the bandits raiding the merchants, killing his foster parents and taking him away.

Its when he realize, that the world wasn't always all smiles. And there's many type of smiles too.
His foster father smiles when he helps with chores, his foster mother smiles when he's back with foster father, Ah Yi smiles when she visited him for the last time, his foster brothers smiles when they all plays and his friends smiles when they've lost a game..

Then he saw a maniac smile, when the bandits crazily slashing the merchants who defends, and his foster father's smile, when he saw who was hiding under a big,secluded container before he died and muttered 'stay safe' to me. There's another smile, when a haggard bandit with a jaggered mouth smiling crazily while raping his foster mother who's already dead by then.
He still remember the bandits faces. The one who killed his foster father, the one with a blind eye on his left eye. The jaggered-mouth ,who raped his dead foster mother.
He didn't know about the others, as when he's been discovered, he tries to fight but being a little man, the bandit smacked him and he's out of light.

Those tragedy happens when he's 3 about 4. After that, he's been taken to a house, with cells like a cage, with people in it. It reeks of smells in here. He's been thrown into a cell with kids among his age into. Life is tough there. They are to be fed a stale bread once every 3 days, with water from a rain water container. Food is scarce that some even take the other's portion. There, Jing Han learns how to be alive with minimum options. How to get tough.

One day, he saw an opportunity to escape, when the bandit's guard told him and another girl to fetch water from the front gate. Upon seeing the chance, he ran for his life with the girl, all in vain when they are captured back by the bandits. That's mainly because the girl had tripped on the way of their running. Jin Han saw, and turns back to the girl, but its too late now. So he tried fighting back, but being food deprived for days had weakened him. That instant they are defeated, he was battered badly, injuring his body,but he still fights with all his might when the bandits try to hurt the girl. The bandits are careful not to hurt their faces, because the face is a selling factor in the slave industry too.

Little did he know that's when Chief General Jou Qing, pass by.  

He heard a commotion nearby, and went with his men towards the sound. He then saw few adults kicking,slapping and saying vulgar things to a pair of kids. One of the kids, a boy, desperately bends himself, defending the girl with him.

'' Ha Ha Ha Ha! Trying to run you mutt?! You sure do have lots of guts huh?!'' says  a man who now was pissing on the boy. The boy was still bending even though the kicks haven't stopped.
He doesn't make any sounds either, just few grumbles coming from his nose and the sounds of manic men abusing them. The girl just cries like a typical damsel in distress.

Jou Qing was amused. He had seen youth rebels, but the boy who doesn't even make any sounds keeps on sheltering the girl from the abuse. Bruises and blood are all over him. Plus the smell of urine and the dirt too. He didn't cry, but kept on holding his ground.

''lets take 'em back. They still worth of money if we sell them.'' says the tallest men there. The boy and the girl was ushered up and kicked occasionally until they are back in the house.

Jou Qing follows their trail, leading him and his men to the house. It's a typical abandoned house, quite big, but also barren looking. These types of house is typical for a bandits hideout.
Because they are always on the move seeking for wealth and to avoid being discovered ,the bandits can't afford a permanent building. 

Jou Qing told his men to get the area mapped. He's decided that he's going to raid them after all the preparations done. The sight of the boy, is like, calling for him to be saved fast.

That night, chaos begun. He and his men first surrounded the house and beheaded the nearest guards to them. Then moving with stealth towards the inner side. When noticing a few of the bandits were down, the prisoners (?) began to chatter noisily. They want to be free.

throughout the chaos, Jin Han were wide awake. His pained body were on alert. He could be free! When he saw a man wearing an armor with an imperial branding,  slashing the lock of his cage, no words could describe his feeling of thankfulness. He could finally get out of here.
The man then reaches for him, urging him to get out form his daze and move out.
He follows the man's direction and together with all the slaves, they were being held at the wide field just nearby. Its just for identification and mere chat for the slaves that they are now free, should be living in harmony and etc.

after all has passed, Jin Han's arm was held by the man he saw slashing the lock.
''Boy, what's your name?'' says the man. Jin Han then crouch down, and scribbles on the dirt below. ''Jin Han''
''Hm, no wonder you didn't say anything. You are mute.'' says the man, but not in a degrading tone.
''Come, follow me boy. Then let's see if you're worthy of being a man like me.'' Jou Qing says without an order. He will not force him if he won't follow. All he fancies was the boy's eyes, the look when he fights the bandits earlier. Nothing could be determined by just a strong look. So he decided if they boy follows him, Jou Qing thinks to form him to the least, he'll be a decent human, not a mere slave or his future enemies.