One Tail at a Time

Trial of the Spirit - 4

Quietly watching her from the low cushions where she had helped move him to rest having removed the rug he had all but destroyed, he said nothing as she laid out a small array of daggers, belt buckles, necklaces and rings to group them into small piles which he didn't need to be told came from the battlefield.  It was then that he realized where she got her wealth from and though he was sickened by it, he really couldn't blame her.

It was hard enough being female in a world ruled by men, but to have chosen a solitary life which he had now learned of going by the forest of trees through the open window, meant survival would be even harder for her and being so beautiful, even more so.  Though the mens robes and male head wear did nothing to hide her loveliness, he couldn't help but admire her courage.  If she was caught wearing mens clothing in public, she would be arrested on the spot, and goodness knows what would happen to her.  

Only the appearance of a few swords which she was obviously pricing going by the abacus she was using, soon had him thinking about his own swords.

"Where are my swords?" he asked as the ones she had just priced were placed into a long silk bag and moved to side where more of them appeared.

"I sold them." she replied instantly and without looking at him.

"You sold my swords?"

"Your bandages, balms and food aren't free soldier.  You paid your keep." she replied with a brief annoyed glance his way.

Gaping at her, Mo Yuan had no idea how to even respond.  One of the swords belonged to his father and had been gifted to him when he was named Crown Prince.  It was a priceless family heirloom and irreplaceable, so to be told this snippet of a woman , dressed as man had stolen his swords from his near dead body and sold them, did not go down to well.   In fact, the anger was rising.

"And just how much did you get for my swords?" he asked in a tone that had her fingers stilling over the beads of the abacus and her eyes narrowing in on him.

"Enough to save your miserable life you ungrateful shit!" she snapped furiously at him and ready to throw the abacus at his ungrateful head.

Used to the volitile and times unpredictable temper that sometimes exploded from her mouth, Mo Yuan was no longer willing to put up with it.  If he had paid his debts to her and hopefully given her a profit to live on for the rest of her days, then he no longer felt a need to keep his temper in check.  After all, she lived quite well going by the loveliness of her home, so he assumed she had been paid quite handsomely, especially seeing as she knew how to use the abacus to get a decent return for her hard work.

"One of those swords belonged to my father, the handle was solid gold with real emeralds in the hilt.  It is a family heirloom and priceless.  You had no right to sell it Bai Qian.  I want it back!" he snapped as his fist thumped down hard on the floor beside him.

"You think I didn't know that?  I am more than capable of working out what these are worth and what they are not.  If you don't like it soldier, you can leave." she snapped back with a swift flick of her hand towards the door.

"Well I don't like it, you had no right to sell them and obviously I can't leave!" he snarled angrily with a flick of his head towards his legs which were still bound to the wooden planks.  

Glaring back at him, Bai Qians lips quirked upwards at the sudden flare of anger.  It had been a very long time since anyone had dared raise their voice at her, so a momentary flicker of admiration rose before she slowly stood to make her way towards him.  She didn't expect him to be able to do anything, after all his legs were broken and his other wounds were still healing, but still, she wanted to see just how far he was willing to go before she completely lost it and going by the way he squared his shoulders and raised his head to glare back at her, said he was more than prepared to give her a fight even if he couldn't actually do anything.