Moon River

Taken

Many winters have again passed and Ying Yue was now a grown adult.  Some things have changed in their little village and some things have not changed.  For one thing, she had forgotten the little boy that used to come over to her house and it is now harder for her father to walk.  Back near the Li River, there was little money in Ying Yue's house, but their hearts were rich with love.  The King also passed away a couple of years ago.  The King fought furiously and was killed by an enemy.  The young prince was now the King, but word around the village goes that the young prince is just as selfish and stubborn as his father was or maybe even worse.  No one saw of him much, but he had made new laws, that like his father, did not acknowledge the poor, but were only made to benefit the rich.

Life was quiet from the calm Li River and the surrounding mountains, but from time to time, something might stir the peace and quiet of the village.  While fetching some water from the river, the villagers heard a loud siren.  A knight galloped with his horse screamed out, "All villagers out now!!! This is an order from the King" Confused all the villagers stood in front of their house.  May it be boy, girl, man, woman, old or young, the entire village walked out.  Ying Yue held onto her father while the King and his men passed by looking at everyone up and down.  This was the first time the King's own flesh appeared in their village.  Qingshan, or King Qingshan, noticed the house that he once frequented, and slowed his horse down.  He put his hand up signaling the men to stop as well.  Qingshan got off his horse and approached the girl and her father with his sword right behind him.  Ying Yue's father hair had grown white and he lowered his head more and more as the King approached him.  Ying Yue stood in front of him.  She was taller, thinner, but still the same long, black hair, and dark forest fiery eyes. Her skin was still pale as the moon.  Qingshan stood in front of Ying Yue.  Him and her were both adults now. He gazed into her dark forest eyes.  Ten years since he has seen those dark forest eyes.  Afraid Ying Yue's father clung onto her.  She was now protecting him now.  Qingshan gazed at her and Ying Yue stared right back at him with her deadly eyes.  Qingshan's helmet covered his now adult face blocking their once good friend's recognizable face.  Qingshan approached them slowly.  Her father holding onto Ying Yue tighter, but her fiery eyes not blinking once glaring into the King's eyes.  For certain, Ying Yue did not want there to be a mess in her village.  Her mouth was so angry they clinched together and she was ready with any move.  Qingshan had a smirk on his face and reached for her father. Ying Yue pushed her father behind her.

She pointed directly at the King quietly, sternly and powerfully, "Don't come any closer."  He ignored her and walked even closer and put his arm down.  He bent his back a little, hovered over her.

She sternly said, "Leave or you will not see the light tomorrow."  The sunset made her dark eyes glow even more.  She was still the Ying Yue he once knew.  The King pushed her shoulder and she quickly grabbed his sword and swung it right in the back of his neck.  Indeed she was skilled and even better than him.  The knights immediately drew their swords and the King laughed while clapping.  Ying Yue's neighbors stood around in disbelief and one elder woman screamed, "Yue Yue!" They did not have many encounters with the King and everytime him and his family came around, it was always trouble.

Qingshan held onto her chin and directly said staring into her eyes "How could a girl like you exist." and shoved her. Ying Yue looked at her helpless father and lowered her head.  He signaled the soldiers and they all get back onto their horses and went about.  Her father fell to the ground and the neighbors ran to them.  "You shouldn't have done that!" "That's the King!" "You could have gotten yourself killed!" "Are you okay?"  They all said in a hurry, worried.  For Ying Yue, this was a scene that she was once familiar with and she knew there would be a day where she would have to protect her father with her own hands and sword.  Even the man that lived past the mountains was against her and her neighbors.  They were there to protect, but did quite the opposite.  That night, Ying Yue pondered at bedtime.  What was the point of him coming that day?  What were his intentions and what was he going to do?  Weeks passed on by.  The King and his knights would walk around their village.  If Qinshan noticed that she was not outside he would alarm the villagers to all stand outside while he cockily walked around.  The soldiers and the villagers were all confused as to why the King was doing this.  Everytime the King would approach Ying Yue, she would just look to the side as her father said she should only draw a sword if someone draws a sword on him.

One early morning seemed much stranger than the others.  The knights had bought a carriage with them.  The villagers start to freak out.  Were they taking villagers away?  Ying Yue searched for her father.

The King yelled, "The time has come!!!  We are taking villagers to fight in our army and in our palace. No one is dare to say "No" in the eyes of the King!"  Villagers screamed and cried as they were afraid of what will happen next.  Ying Yue, internally afraid, held onto her father.  Hearts of the Li River villagers beat faster and faster as the King and the knights were approaching each home one by one.  Eyes looked down to the ground, hoping that the King wouldn't choose them.  The King gave a chuckle as he approached Ying Yue's house with his horse.  Ying Yue dared not look into the eyes of the King or acknowledged his existence.  Her hands just held onto her father's.

He got off his horse and approached Ying Yue and her father.  "You there.  Bold lady."  Her face was blank, but her eyes spoke fiery words.  He whispered into her ear, "What if I took your father?"  She killed him with her glare, chest bumping in and out.  "Maybe, you didn't hear me. What if I took your father?"

She sternly said to him directly in his eyes, "You'll be dead before you can take him" and looked away.

He laughed.  "Waaah..." and grabbed her father by the collar. His father let out a yelp.

"Stop!!!" She screamed and tried to grab her father from him.

Qingshan looked at her father up and down.  "He doesn't look too bad.  He can help clean my feet for me.  Is that okay, father?"

Ying Yue pushed the King.  "How dare you call him father."

"What? You don't like it?  As he swiped the tip of her nose.  "All right guys take him in."  The knights grabbed her fragile father.

"Please! Don't take him." She pleaded on her knees.  She looked around as many other of her neighbors were being put in the carriage. "Take me...take me," her eyes were filled with tears.

Her father coughed and said, "Take me your honor. My daughter is still young and naïve.  She still has a long life to live."

She helped her father stand up and screamed, "Pa!!"

The King suddenly grabbed her wrist and said, "Release everyone.  We are only taking one."  He threw her in the carriage.

Ying Yue screamed through the cracks, "PA!!! I'll come back! Wait for me!" The King listened as those words sounded too familiar, but he in his mind, he had come back for her as he had promised.