Having completed her fifth performance of the Forms, Song closed her eyes and lifted her head skywards. Were anyone watching, it appeared as if she were lost in thought while reflecting on her experiences, but in truth, she merely wanted to bask beneath the morning sun. Chest heaving and muscles aching, her repeated efforts were taking their toll, but as soon as she recovered, she would begin her sixth performance of the morning. Usually, she only performed them once or twice a day, but recently, she found herself with plenty of time and little else to do but train by her lonesome. Unfortunately, her diligence resulted in little to no gains of late, and today’s efforts proved especially fruitless. Too preoccupied by news from the front, she couldn’t focus on the mysteries revealed by the Forms, so she resolved to continue until Insight struck or she collapsed in exhaustion, whichever came first.

Though her lungs burned from exertion, the cool sea breeze rustled through her hair and wicked away the beads of sweat dripping down her skin. It was a welcome change from the dry gusts of fiery hot air emanating from the blacksmith’s forge across the courtyard. So used to the cacophony of hammering steel, she barely even noticed it anymore, though if she stood too close, the ringing blows were powerful enough to shake her to the bones. The resounding proof of Papa and Sister’s efforts filled Song with pride, yet also raised feelings of inadequacy, for while they busied themselves contributing to the war effort in ways few others could, Song idled her time away keeping unwanted visitors from entering the courtyard and disturbing Papa or Sister while they worked.

Ill-suited to a life of leisure, these dreary days of dormancy were driving Song to the brink of insanity. Less than a month ago, she’d complained of having too many duties and foisted most of her pet-brushing duties onto Rain, but now her hands itched for something to do. Sweet as they were, Erdene, Coto, and Gakai all disliked brushing and preferred to take part in the communal grooming sessions with their fellow quins, a necessity before their daily morning swim in the cove. So desperate for something to brush, Song even considered grooming the large, furry chickens so common in SuiHua, but she feared to grow attached to creatures slated for slaughter. This, along with the fact that these silky chickens were among the meanest creatures Song had ever encountered, meant she had little to do besides train and count the days before Sister grew bored of forge work and joined Mama on the battlefield, or perhaps even ride out to face the Defiled on her own.

Had she known there’d be so little to do in SuiHua, Song would’ve left with Mama and the Khishigs two weeks ago. They travelled from Nan Ping together and spent ten days tending to Papa and Sister’s seasickness, but soon after their arrival in this ramshackle port town, Mama left to carry out her duties. Song remained behind because she wanted to be at Sister’s side during her debut battle as Captain Sumila.

Or, more pragmatically, to ensure Mama had somewhere safe to retreat to.

From what Song gathered, the Legate did not intend to liberate the West, which came as no surprise. Instead, he committed his troops to defending a swathe of land stretching from the Azure Sea all the way to the Arid Wastelands, almost a thousand kilometres of contested ground between West, South, and Central. Far from an ideal choke-point, it was the best they could do since the Enemy struck sooner than expected and razed Sinuji to the ground. It would have made little difference in the end, for unlike the mountain passes which led to the North or the ocean shoreline leading to the South, the area between West to Central lacked any natural or man-made defences.

In light of all this, Song had little faith the soldiers of the Empire could hold such a wide line against the Defiled hordes, and from what little she knew of their troop deployments, it appeared the Legate shared her concerns. Instead of a single, static line of defence, the Imperial troops were positioned in multiple layers, with a screening line of skirmishers at the front, a dozen or so armies to hold the centre, and five major encampments at the rear. Should the Defiled break through any point, then additional soldiers would already be in place to close in around them from all sides, drawn there by the line of bell-towers currently in construction. A sub-optimal defence, but again, it was the best they could do until a proper wall was built.

Assuming their armies held out long enough to build one.

Despite Song’s reservations regarding the Imperial defences, she yearned to ride out and battle the Defiled, but with Mama gone and Sister busy at the forge, she was stuck in SuiHua due to military law. As the days passed, news from the front lines streamed in and spoke of Captains and Senior Captains clashing with roving bands of blood-drunk Defiled, and just this morning, Song overheard the coolies talking about Du Min Yan defeating a Defiled force which numbered thrice her own. Hearing about the half-deer’s accomplishments had put Song in a foul mood, and hence her distractions from the Forms.

Born to the Bekhai and so talented Teacher Du accepted her as his terminal Disciple, Yan had everything Song only dared dream of and more. Now, after sinking her fangs into Rain, the two were betrothed and Song would forever be stuck with this living reminder of the Mother’s biased discrimination. Although Sister seemed unfazed by Rain’s philandering, and even seemed delighted by this turn of events, Song felt obligated to be outraged in her place. There was a word for the sort of woman who sneaks into a man’s quarters late at night, though Song was too polite to voice it. A good thing too, for Mama wholeheartedly approved of the union, her wide smile wholly at odds with the surly grimace Teacher Du wore throughout Rain and Yan’s celebration banquet.

Sadly, Rain’s new status as an Imperial Consort made him too tempting a prize, so Teacher Du made no effort to oppose the union and crushed Song’s last vestiges of hope. No, perhaps this was even their intention from the start, for Yan to worm her way back into Rain’s good graces now that his future seemed limitless...

“Li-Li!” Interrupting Song’s sullen brooding with their excited cries, the twins catapulted into her arms as they so often did. While her brother snuggled into Song’s embrace, Tali beamed and shouted, “Guess what? Rainy’s here!”

Unable to share in Tali’s delight, Song nodded and mouthed, “Oh.” It was about time. Whatever plans the Legate had in store for Rain, they seemed to involve little more than loafing about Nan Ping for days on end with his new concubine and... “Oh! Where are the animals?”

Giggling at her abrupt change in expression, Tali directed Song out the door where the animals sat waiting in their wagon, alongside Rain, Lin, Luo-Luo, and many others Song had no inclination to greet. The moment she appeared, the wildcats pounced upon her and Song struggled to stay upright while Aurie, Jimjam, and Sarankho took turns aggressively nuzzling her head. Not to be left out, Banjo and Baloo ambled over and wrapped themselves around her legs, grunting and chortling the whole while. Burying her face in Sarankho’s fur, Song struggled to hide how happy she was to see her four-legged family, and it warmed her heart to know they missed her too.

“I’m a little jealous, Martial Aunt,” Rain said, shouting over the clang of hammers. “They’re never this happy to see me.”

Likely because he kept them to himself all the time. Greeting him with a polite nod, Song handed the twins over and untangled herself from the bears and wildcats to check on the rabbits. She’d worried Rain would neglect them in her absence, but her fears were unwarranted as they seemed in good health. Having grown larger in her absence, she could no longer comfortably hold one in each arm, though the little darlings still clamoured to be held, showering her hands and forearms in little bunny kisses. Able to fly once again, Roc landed on her shoulder and laughed for a treat, but with no pets to feed, Song no longer kept dried meat on her, so a light pat would have to suffice. Otherwise, little else had changed with Rain’s pets. The Divine Turtle was still indifferent to Song’s presence, the octopus still peeked out from his cauldron and retreated at her approach, and Pong-Pong, the ridiculously named newest member of Rain’s menagerie was still firmly clutched between Mama Bun’s paws.

Though happy to see them all well cared for, a small part of Song’s mind wondered if this meant she’d would no longer be needed...

“Li-Li!” Stamping her foot, Lin puffed her cheeks and asked, “What about me?”

Cheeks burning with shame, Song apologized and hurried over to lift Lin off the ground. After spinning around thrice, Song put the laughing half-hare down and intercepted Aurie on his way over to harass Luo-Luo. Seeing this, the dramatic older woman nearly burst into tears. “Oh Li-Li,” she cried, throwing her arms around Song’s neck. “How I missed you! While we were separated, Lin-Lin and Lord Husband bullied me without mercy!”

Taken aback by Luo-Luo’s ill-mannered use of first-person pronouns, Song wondered what she was going on about. While Rain might bully her, Lin was far too sweet and innocent to do anything of the sort. Before she could ask, Rain cleared his throat and gestured at the forge on the opposite side of the courtyard. “Am I allowed to go inside, or should I wait out here?”

“Outside,” Song blurted, only now remembering her duties. “Papa and Sister are crafting Spiritual Weapons and must not be disturbed.”

“Yea, I figured as much.” Lips pursed in disappointment, Rain heaved a sigh and settled down to wait, peering at the doorway hoping to catch a glimpse of Sister’s fair visage. Pleased by his reaction, Song waited until Lin and Luo-Luo took their seats before joining them in the grass. Calling Sarankho to her side, Song pulled out her comb and set out to make up for lost time, staying silent as she pampered and coddled the animals, though she answered whatever questions were directed her way. Most were conversational topics from Lin or Luo-Luo, but Song had little to offer in the way of small talk. Instead, she shared the latest news from the front.

Too busy razing the West, the Defiled hordes had yet to gather for a concentrated push into Central. In spite of this, several eager warbands had already wandered east and engaged with the waiting Imperial Forces during the past two weeks. After explaining the general troop distribution for Rain’s sake, Song continued, “The skirmishers on the front lines are primarily composed of young talents and junior officers, allowing them a taste of battle before total war breaks out.”

“Sounds about right,” Rain replied, his smile cold and gaze eager. “I’ll be there soon enough.”

“It’s a five day journey,” Song said, hoping Rain at least knew this much. “Martial Brother Fung, Warrant Officer BoShui, and Warrant Officer Zian are already there.” She didn’t mention Yan, because the half-deer floozy was supposedly limping back to replenish her troops, having bitten off more than she could chew. So what if she emerged victorious while outnumbered three to one? Did she miss Teacher Du’s lessons on basic arithmetic? The Defiled hordes outnumber the Imperial forces at least ten to one, and some estimated the disparity could be as high as twenty. At a three to one trade, the Empire might as well admit defeat here and now.

“Five more days,” Rain said, nodding to himself. “It’ll be over in the blink of an eye.”

Lunch came and went, and they continued their idle conversation, but it was late afternoon before the forge finally fell silent. Rain immediately leapt to his feet, but Song gestured for Lin and Luo-Luo to remain seated, knowing there was still work to be done before they were done for the night. An hour later, the door opened and Sister emerged first, covered in sweat and soot. Though obviously drained from her arduous labour, Sister’s eyes lit up at the sight of Rain and charged over to leap into his embrace.

This time, it was Song’s turn to be jealous, but her envy soon turned to amazement as Rain held his ground before Sister’s zealous greeting, staggering back a meagre two steps before steadying himself. Holding her in his arms seemingly without effort, Rain gave Sister a small twirl as they kissed, and if Song didn’t know any better, she’d think Sister was as light as Lin.

“Well? Where’s my greeting then, lad? Come, lift your papa-in-law off the ground and give him a kiss.” Braying with laughter as Sister shamefully separated from her betrothed, Papa gave Rain a resounding clap on the shoulder. Enduring the blow with ease, Rain grinned and wrapped his arms around Papa’s belly before lifting with all his might. Though Papa’s boots remained rooted to the ground, his look of shock confirmed Song’s suspicions. Rain was noticeably stronger than he was when they left him in Nan Ping, not even thirty days past.

For the first time, Song understood what it meant to improve by leaps and bounds.

“Bah, give up before you strain yourself, lad.” Shaking his head in mild disbelief, Papa asked, “How long you in town for?”

“Only the night. We leave first thing tomorrow morning.” Glancing at Mila, he asked, “Care to join me, beloved? I could use your help running my retinue.”

Despite his teasing tone, Song could see the request was made in earnest, but Sister shook her head. “I’ll never make a name for myself riding in your shadow. Besides, Yuzhen asked for my help here. We’ll need all the Spiritual Weapons we can get in the days to come, and no matter how exceptionally you perform, there’ll still be plenty of Defiled left for me to kill.”

“True enough. What a shame. I supposed I’ll have to do without your expertise.”

“I’ll help.” It wasn’t until everyone’s eyes turned to her that Song realized she’d spoken without thinking. After organizing her thoughts, Song cleared her throat and repeated, “I’ll join you on the battlefield.”

It felt strange not using ‘this one’ to refer to herself. Liberating, but strange.

After a silent exchange with Sister, Rain asked, “Are you sure? If Mila stays here and you come with me, then it means... err...”

“It means someone else must hold my chain.” Repressing a shudder, Song took a deep breath and said, “Lin can hold it.”

“Sorry, but Lin’s staying here.”

“No!”

“Yes.” Rain’s tone left no room for argument as he pinched Lin’s cheeks lightly, unswayed by the sweet girl’s tearful pout. “This isn’t a pleasure trip through the plains. I’ll be eating, sleeping, and fighting on the front lines, and I won’t be able to focus if you’re in danger. I already spoke to Teacher, so you’re staying here and that’s final. Luo-Luo’s staying too, along with a hundred Death Corps Guards and all the animals besides Ping Ping.” Turning back to Song, Rain smiled and offered her an escape route. “Actually, I was hoping you’d help look after them in my absence. Mother knows Lin won’t brush them every day.”

All of the animals were staying behind? Not even a single rabbit or wildcat? Discarding her disappointment, Song considered her options for what felt like an eternity. This was not a decision to be made lightly, for it concerned her freedom and everything that came with it. Who among Rain’s retinue could she trust to be as kind and benevolent as Mama? Mister Rustram? Though she enjoyed their spars together, she felt comfortable in his presence because he was harmless. Put her chain in his hands and this would no longer be true, not in her eyes at least. Dastan? A slave himself, but only in name, for he still had the same ego and personality of a free man. No telling what he would do if offered unrestricted power over another person, especially with his freedom so restricted. A woman perhaps, like Chey or Neera? Song knew no others by name, and she trusted those two less than Rain. Not only were they themselves former bandits, their lovers were former bandits as well.

Which left only one option.

Gathering her courage, Song looked Rain in the eyes and said, “I am unneeded here. You hold it.” Bewildered by her choice, Rain blinked several times before pointing at himself, as if unable to believe his ears. He showed no sign of delight or anticipation, only confusion and even a little apprehension. Releasing the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, Song nodded. “Yes. You.”

“Are... you sure? I appreciate the offer, but -”

“Stop arguing,” Sister said, interrupting Rain’s attempt to dissuade her. “Song’s made up her mind, haven’t you?”

“Yes Sister.” Song didn’t feel the need to explain. Sister understood. There was nothing for Song to do here, and it made her feel worthless. She needed purpose in life, but all she knew was how to fight, so fighting she must go. Lifting the necklace over her head, Sister slowly moved to place it into Rain’s hand, giving Song plenty of time to change her mind. When Sister finally let go and Rain held the necklace, Song’s Oath gripped her heart and warned her to obey her new Master. It took every scrap of willpower she had to remain on two feet, though every instinct she’d ever learned screamed for her to kneel before him. Instead, she clasped her fist in a military salute and bowed her head, a greeting to someone equal in status or perhaps only slightly higher. “This one is here to serve,” she said, choking back the urge to call him ‘Master’.

Gesturing for her to straighten up, Rain returned her salute and said, “This one is honoured by your service, Martial Aunt.”

Though she knew the true test had yet to come, Rain’s sincerity filled Song with relief, and the tension drained from her neck and shoulders. Even more reassuring was Papa’s hand on her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace. “That’s my brave girl. You go give the Defiled hell, then come on back and tell Papa all about it.” Fixing his one eye on Rain, Papa growled and said, “This don’t need sayin’, but I’m gonna say it anyways. You hurt my girl, I hurt you. Understood?”

Reverently slipping the chain over his head, Rain tucked the pendent into his shirt and nodded with all the gravity he could muster. “Understood.”

Unaffected by the solemn atmosphere, Lin ran over and hugged Song. “Thanks Li-Li,” she said, popping up to kiss her cheek. “Okay, now let’s go eat. Char-Char’s waiting with dinner, ya?” And just like that, they left for dinner, with Papa’s arms around her shoulder and Sister on her arm. They ate and talked, laughed and shared, and when night fell, Song returned to her quarters to sleep with Sister, Lin, and Sarankho. Though Rain wore her chain, nothing else changed.

Regardless of her circumstances or what the world thought, she was no slave. Not anymore.

She was Li Song, daughter of Akanai and Husolt, Sister of Sumila and Baatar, and soldier/Martial Aunt of Falling Rain.

Chapter Meme