As the man walked swiftly on top of the long and wide red-tiled hall, the ferocious-looking dragon's head entablatures seemed to smile at him. Even the ornamental javelins, displayed on the walls at both far sides of the tall columns and punctuated by huge open windows, twinkled like stars known only during the cloudless night sky.

Truly, the place might had been enchanted... or was it he who was still under some kind of enchantment?

He couldn't forget about her - she was very beautiful like the wildflowers gracing the high mountains.

Her beautiful face unmarred even by an angry scowl. Her cheeks rosy probably from the eager kisses of the sunlight; her eyebrows were like trimmed feathers though he suspected them to be uncut; her pretty little nose which complimented her face perfectly; her expressive beautiful almond-shaped eyes shone like black diamonds. Unfortunately, during the time that they had met, they were shining only because of anger.

If only he had seen her eyes shone not only in anger, he could have believed that his ancestors had been extremely indulgent on him; and her lips - he believed that he was not under some exaggerated imagination but he thought it had the color of the prettiest hue of pink.

Truly, the beautiful virago taught him to have a mind of a poet. Never had he been this attracted to a female though he had seen several beautiful faces such as that of the Imperial princess. But where the princess looked divinely ethereal and pale, the girl he met at the market was nature's gift and basking with life which made him thoroughly captivated.

She was indeed beautiful.

He wondered fervently when fate would cross their paths again as he took a right turn and headed to the imposing massive doors of the Imperial palace meeting chamber.

Two hall guards wore their lamellar armors with pride over their black cotton sleeves barely covering their dull brown cotton trousers; the armor had a circular plate on the front designed with two serpent dragons spiraled against each other, their heads facing apart. Both of the guards greeted him with respect due to a superior ranked official despite the swords held in their hands.

The massive doors were opened and he saw the emperor and his trusted officials as well as alliances gathered.

He kowtowed respectfully to the Emperor and said, "Son of Heaven, Lord of Ten Thousand Years, please forgive my error in the judgment of time, an unexpected circumstance has come along my way. I shall promise to be more heedful of the time in whatever circumstance that may come my way so as not to commit the same mistake again."

"Take your rise and take your place among the seats, Jinzhou Lu Wan Wei; you are forgiven." The Emperor said.

°°°°°

Still saddled with the irritation she felt for the man she had encountered at the town a while ago, Yan Mei Ling furiously removed her travelling silk robe and donned into her combat attire when she arrived at Master Tang Jiao Quon's domicile.

She knew that she should have eradicated negative emotions before coming here, as what her Master sternly advised so that she wouldn't get distracted but, at this moment, it was almost impossible.

She almost got hit by the horse and the fear she felt from the near-death experience had turned into a festering ire. She understood that he might be in a hurry but he should at least be considerate that the street leading to the Imperial Palace wasn't paved as it was crowded by people. Oh, she remembered his armor - judging from the way it was crafted, he might probably a palace official but she was skeptical for she hadn't seen him before.

Well, she hadn't really known everyone in the Palace except for a few. And, if he was indeed an imperial palace official, he should still not let his horse run so fast on a crowded street for he might hit someone. He was such an arrogant and unthinking man.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, and went outside of the hut. She saw her master meditating with his eyes closed and balancing on one foot. She was amazed - that was exactly the spot where she did her unsuccessful meditating stance. How did he do it? He seemed in perfect balance despite being crippled in his other leg. Ah, no wonder he insisted in using one foot.

Sensing the arrival of another person, Master Tang Jiao Quon opened his eyes and saw Yan Mei Ling. "Can you finally be in harmony with your body?" He asked her.

"I don't know, Master, I did try the last time but it seemed so difficult in the current state that I am now." Mei Ling answered ruefully.

Master Tang Jiao Quon stepped out of the stone where he held his meditating stance and, with the ease of the wind, he stood in front of Yan Mei Ling. "Do your thoughts still distract you, young lady?"

Yan Mei Ling remained silent unable to answer her master - her face looked dismal. She was in the trance of inner battle with herself - to tell or not to tell?

Master Tang Jiao Quon silently but keenly observed his young student and sensed her inner struggle. "I am your teacher, and as your teacher, I am concern about the things that will hinder your focus in learning such as what is currently inside you mind right now."

Yan Mei Ling swallowed audibly - a pandemonium of different opposing thoughts came to her but she was at lost the moment that she spoke. "I think I am in love, Master. The emotion is so new to me that my mind can't seem to imbibe it yet."

"Every living creature on Earth is susceptible to different emotions - one of which is love. You must know that loving is the most natural phenomenon on earth. Take courage to understand that emotion, young lady."

"But not in my case, master," Yan Mei Ling objected.

Master Tang Jiao Quon stared silently at his student and, then, a frown further creased his wrinkled forehead. "What is your case then, young lady?"

The question pushed Yan Mei Ling into the brink of hysteria making her heart shudder guiltily. How could she tell her Master about her predicament? She couldn't possibly tell him that she was in love with her best friend - he would certainly condemn her.

"I just find being romantically in love unnatural in my case because I'm still too young to feel such. I mean. . ." She stammered over her words trying to think of an idea that wouldn't invite more censorious questions. "I found such emotion as great impedance to my goal and focus as a warrior, Master."

Master Tang Jiao Quon momentarily reflected on what his student said then he stared at her. "I must explain an important thing that you must know, young woman; emotions, depending on how you perceive or handle them, can either be a catalyst or impedance in reaching your goals. The same thought applies to love."

"But I am not ready to experience such an emotion"

"It is not about you being ready or not; all unexpected things can happen such as being or falling in love. You need to understand that our emotions," he pointed to his chest, " although unseen are something that we can never compromise."

°°°°°

The whimsical music sang by the birds and the different colors of the spring flowers and plants in the Imperial garden reunited in the hopes of easing a quelling heart - Li Lei Shuang's heart.

She stayed the whole day at the Imperial Palace Garden in the hopes of relieving herself of the emptiness that she felt. She missed her best friend who hadn't visited since the past two days, and she was depressed with so much worry - what if Yan Mei Ling was fatally ill? Her best friend never forgot to visit her despite the onset of a bad weather or even during an unexpected illness. The thought already prompted her a while ago to go to Yan Mei Ling's house but her parents forbid her in fear that the Hsien clan might happen to attack the Empire in surprise and take her captive. But, what if the Hsien clan had attacked Yan Mei Ling's village first - what would happen to her best friend? Suddenly, dread had attacked Li Lei Shuang's entire senses so instantaneously that tears fell down from her eyes even before she knew it would came.

She walked to the garden's pond and was surprised to see its tranquil water disturbed by the relentless out-pour from her eyes. She felt utterly morose and full of fear despite the gayness of the scene in the garden brought by the spring season.

She couldn't help it. Visions of the enemies' monstrous siege and terrible waste of her people's lives came to taunt her even more.

'Li Lei Shuang, help me!' She could hear the frightened shout of Yan Mei Ling's voice in her head.

"Oh, Yan Mei Ling," she wept with a shattered heart. "There is nothing I could do - everything seems hopeless.. Oh, no."

All was lost indeed for the only panacea to avoid the terrible war from happening was to sacrifice her own happiness and tie her life eternally to the lecherous old warlord Hsien Mao Dong.

'If you feel sad during spring, just call me and we will watch the newly budding flowers caressed by the gentle wind while hoping for a glimpse of a butterfly that only comes during summer.' Yan Mei Ling had said gaily. 'But if winter comes and you also feel sad, just call me again, and together, we will reminisce the wonderful memories that happened during the last spring season.'

The memory of Yan Mei Ling's assuring words came back like a balm to a lonely heart but where was she?

°°°°°

"Where have you been?" Unit Commander Yan Bao Rong Di frigidly asked his daughter who had just arrived.

Yan Mei Ling silently swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and awkwardly looked at her father's hard and inscrutable features. "I strolled around the town with Yeng. We are looking for some things that we would like to buy, Bà."

Unit Commander Yan Bao Rong coldly looked at his daughter and told her, "I forbid you to leave the house ever again." He abruptly turned his back to go to his study chamber.

"Bà, you can't forbid me to go outside; I detest being incarcerated here!" Yan Mei Ling desperately cried after her father.

Unit Commander Yan Bao Rong stared back at her. "You have to follow my order because it is for the good of your own sake."

Bitter tears escaped from Yan Mei Ling's eyes and she felt a deep angst over her unfeeling father. "You never know what is good for me. How would you? You barely do your duty as a father to me."

Unit Commander Yan Bao Rong 's impenetrable eyes became bleak but before his daughter could see that her words had affected him so much, he turned his back. "You have no choice because you are just my daughter; you will follow whatever I say. No more arguments."

"I hate you, Bà!" Yan Mei Ling retorted in desperate anger and hastily ran to her room.

The Unit Commander went to his study chamber fully aware that the sorrowful sound he heard was his daughter's cry. His heart wrenched in great sadness and regret over his inability to fulfill his duties as a father to his only child.

°°°°°

The gauzy silk curtains embroidered with auspicious patterns were draping lazily around the wooden awning of Yan Mei Ling's four-postered bed. Though the shelter provided by the drapes seemed to provide comfort to the throb within her heart, it was only temporary because with every passing moment, the pain just kept on escalating.

The wind passing freely from her lattice window might have been comforting but it reminded her that she wasn't as free as it, and the thought only made her feel suffocated with too much envy. She had nothing else to do but to rage the contents of her heart to the pillows.

Every thing in her house, even her room, seemed to intensify the sadness she was feeling-from the wide yellow fan painted with exotic mountain flowers hanging on the wall above her canopied bed to the gilded red coromandel screens lacquered with golden geometric patterns.

'If you feel as if your heart is troubled, don't hesitate to come to me; I shall embrace you and all your troubles will be suppressed, Mei Ling'

She remembered Li Lei Shuang's words which made her cry even louder. She would never go back to her best friend's loving arms unless the insanity that was boiling within her heart would ebb.

Amidst the storm of her heart, the night was not entirely oblivious to it. The nightingale began to sing - the melody heartwarming and soothing. She took her face away from the pillow as if hypnotized by the bird's song but the moment she did so, the moonlight struck her straight in the eyes making her flinch away from it. As she swiveled her head to the other side, her eyes were drawn to the unfamiliar scroll on top of her wooden drawers.

Driven by curiosity, she went out of her bed and immediately took the scroll. She slowly unrolled it while walking around her room. When the scroll was completely opened, her legs seemed to lose its strength and, just in time, she sank down to the corner leg stool beside her tea table.

My dearest Yan Mei Ling,

How are you?

I have written this letter to express my concern about your absence in the imperial palace during the last few days. I terribly miss your jovial presence which never fails to lighten up my day.

As much as I would have loved to visit you, I was not given the luxury to do so. Actually, a lot of ghastly thoughts have troubled my mind such as the thought of you being ill. Oh, I hope you are not! I would never be there to take care of you. But it is not only that, since the past few days, my mind has been on constant wondering. I feel utterly sad that I think my eyes would never be dry again. My spirit is hopelessly despondent that I want someone to confide my troubles to. Though the Imperial palace might have been filled with wonderful people but I prefer no one to confide my troubles to but you.

Oh, my beloved best friend, I really miss you. If you are indeed afflicted with an illness, please write to me so that I may have a very good reason to tell my parents of the need to get out of the Imperial Palace.

Please be well and always be safe. I love you so much.

Li Lei Shuang

After reading her best friend's letter, Yan Mei Ling's heart swelled with so much emotion that she found herself drowning in her tears again. She had resolved to shut Lei Shuang from her life but it seemed so hard. She would always feel guilty especially when she had no logical reason to tell her best friend why she did so.

'All unexpected things can happen - that is something that we could never compromise.' Master Tang Jiao Quon's words echoed in her ears like a bell's clear shrill sound.

Li Lei Shuang might have been in deep anguish as what the letter seemed to imply. As her best friend, Mei Ling didn't have the heart to deny her the comfort that she deserved.

Remembering her Master's last words to the heart, she felt like braving the worst of all storms.

'Love is not only for two lovers in a romantic bliss - there are other kinds of love; some are unimaginable but uncontrollable.'

-------------------------

Author's Note:

Bà [爸] - father