When Feiyan exited the East Palace and turned down the avenue, she did not expect to see the King's eunuch, Byul, standing in the cold, waiting for her.

"Byul!" she said, trotting up to him with concern. She had known the kind old eunuch since childhood, and he was probably one of the few who knew that she shared a face with the Prince. Pulling her cloak from her shoulders, she wrapped it around the old man who was shivering under his robes. Smiling gently, he still tried to observe formalities of greeting, but Feiyan caught him to prevent his bow and patted his arm.

"No need..." said Feiyan.

This child has always been kind. As kind as the Prince...what a tragedy that her young life has been wasted like this...

"Thank you, Your Highness!" he said, clutching at the fur lined cloak.

"Byul, there's no need to stand here!" Feiyan chided. "Next time, just send a servant to the East Palace."

"Your Highness, I've not been waiting long, and I come at the behest of the King. Before you leave the palace, the King wishes to see you," he said, gesturing for her to follow. "We're only going into the garden here..." he said, pointing at the moon gate.

"You will not come in?" she asked, hesitating.

"The King would speak with you alone, your Highness...and this cloak...you will need it for your journey," he said, putting it back about her shoulders.

"Byul...thank you..."

The eunuch simply bowed and took his leave.

When Feiyan entered the courtyard, she immediately realized that she was in the forbidden garden that had belonged to the King's mother. Xiao Jing Feng was standing in much the same place as he had the last time they'd encountered each other, but instead of a bowl of fish food, he carried a sword in a heavily scarred leather scabbard.

Eyeing it cautiously, Feiyan slowly approached the man who was her biological father.

"Mu Feiyan," the King said, acknowledging her presence. Similar to their last encounter, he was standing at the end of the bridge. Seeing her dressed as the Prince, he sighed ruefully.

Perhaps the curtness of the greeting stung her heart a little. Seeing that she was going off to die for the son he'd always prioritized over her, maybe a tiny part of her wished that the man in front of her would properly acknowledge her. That he had not done so didn't surprise her, but it was the taste of her own bitterness that did. Struck with wilfulness, she did not kneel, only following the level of courtesy required of a Prince when greeting the King.

"Your Majesty," she said as she bowed. Then she straightened and looked him square in the eye. She knew she was being childish, but after years of hiding herself and her feelings, she felt she was entitled to show a little dissatisfaction.

Xiao Jing Feng did not miss the implications of her bow or the proud tilt of her chin, but he only smiled, recalling another strong willed and spirted woman who had refused to be supressed.

"You remind me of my mother," he said to her, in less than formal speech. "Do you blame me for what's happened?"

"Your Majesty is the King of Moutan. This one doesn't have the qualifications to place blame."

"Is that so?" he huffed.

Huuh...what a child! She desperately wants to be acknowledged, but she rejects it at the same time. I suppose I deserve that having given up on her the day she was born.

Even though he knew he was not entitled to feel anything close to regret, his heart squeezed.

"Your Majesty, it has always been Feiyan's honour and glory to protect the Royal family of Moutan. I do not regret my decision to go to Shobu in place of the Prince," she said, eyes steady. "My only regret is leaving my Father and Xiao Feiyu."

Ouch, thought the King, wincing at the barb.

"I see," said the King, eyes taking on a hint of frost. Though he was not entirely heartless, Xiao King Feng had always considered Mu Feiyan as a weapon that Grand Chancellor Mu had fashioned...and such finely honed blades had only one use. Thus, the only thing left was to test the blade's edge.

Shifting his feet suddenly, the King drew the sword and slashed down towards her with fearsome speed.

Feiyan hopped back, easily avoiding the arc of sword light that flashed her way. She blocked it with a dagger, but the strength of the sword light had forced her to counter heavily with her own internal power. If she had been even a moment slower, his sword would have cut her in two from the top of one shoulder across her chest to the other side. Grinning as she skidded back, she recognized that Xiao Jing Feng, even after all these years, had never revealed the true breadth of his power. The small exchange that she had had with him so many months before had only given the smallest hint. He had held almost everything back in reserve.

That cunning is why he has remained the King of Moutan for so long...even under these circumstances Shobu may have completely underestimated his ability to turn things around. This is a patience that I do not have...thus, I'm still too weak.

Tapping down lightly on the other end of the bridge, she gazed at him with narrowed eyes. The King also appraised her with a calculating look.

"This will be the last time Moutan sends tribute to Shobu. Your mission is to buy time. You alone have inherited the ability to use the Peony sword technique to its fullest. Even Yu'er cannot wield it as you do. Use it well as it is the last and only thing that the Xiao family can give you."

Hah! she thought as contempt rippled through her, but it subsided just as quickly, leaving her only with the feeling of emptiness. She had not wanted a meeting like this.

"Feiyan thanks your Majesty for the lesson. I've learned it well. This one takes leave."

He nodded, but when she had finally left his side, his shoulders drooped. Sheathing the sword with a sharp clack, he turned his back on the forlorn little garden and returned to his own palace feeling much gloomier than before.

***

Feiyan arrived before the main gate of the palace only accompanied by two maids and a palace eunuch.

'Yan'er...' her adopted father's voice inserted itself into her head. She instinctively turned toward it.

A moment later, she saw him heading towards her from the opposite end of the avenue.

Father...even though I'm not your blood, you've treated me more like your own child than any other...

"Grand Chancellor," she said, as he bowed to her.

"Your Highness, may we talk a moment?" he asked, silver mask glinting in the semi-dark.

Feiyan nodded, feeling her stomach flutter. She gestured at the servants and they respectfully backed off to give her and the Chancellor some privacy.

"Yan'er I won't delay you. Furusawa brought a sorcerer with him, so—"

"Father, did you take me in knowing that I was a Princess of Moutan?" she asked, interrupting him.

There was a pause.

"I was there when you were born. How could I not know?" he admitted, blue eyes as deep as the ocean. The look on his face was gentle under the mask. "What? Does that change something?" he asked, a hint of humour threading through his voice.

She took a deep breath and was suddenly very grateful that Mu Shan was her father.

"No," she said, shaking her head.

He smiled.

"Ask what you want if you have questions. I'll definitely give you an answer."

She shook her head: that her father had already said this much, answered any question that she might have had. Despite being at the center of all the scheming going on in the palace of Moutan, the one thing that she had always been sure about, was his love for her. He had never disappointed her in the past, and he would likely never do so in the future. In the end, that was enough.

Seeing that she had made her decision, Mu Shan smiled. Yan'er had always been decisive. Once she made her decision nothing would move her from it.

"Here, take this," he said, passing her the things that he had prepared for her, just as he had done earlier with Hajoon.

Taking the items carefully with both hands, she felt her heart squeeze as she realized what she was holding. The first was a jade token. On the front, was inscribed the character 'Bai' and when she turned it over, she saw the back was carved with a beautiful crane. She ran her thumb over the character.

"This is the person you've been writing to all these years...?" she asked, thinking of the special ink stick with the two cranes on it. "In Shobu?"

Her Father nodded.

"His name is Bai Xie An. He'll recognize the token. You can depend on him."

She nodded and tucked the token into a secret pocket in her travelling clothes.

The other item she didn't need to open to recognize, but she snapped it open anyway, feeling her eyes sting as the black metal fan with its razor-sharp blades spread to its full range. On one side, inscribed on the central blades were the characters for "reward good" and on the other side "punish evil". The fan was exquisite, each individual blade embossed with interlocking patterns over its outer edges.

"You've always been a good judge of right and wrong, but in Shobu, your heart and your mind will be challenged by what you see. The fan will remind you. The fan can change it's form to suit your needs...but only if recognizes you as its true master."

Feiyan let that sink in and then snapped it shut.

"I can't take Father's fan..."

"Who says you can't? You're my daughter and the future leader of the Shadow guard. I'm giving it to you. Now go, before they suspect us."

She moved to drop to her knees, but he grabbed her by the arms.

"Don't...don't forget who you are supposed to be. You don't need to bow to me."

"Father...thank you for raising me," she whispered.

"Please protect yourself, my beloved daughter."

He touched her forehead with a finger and muttered under his breath.

"I've put a spell on you. It should protect you for now, but beware of Seigen's consort, Sakurako. She's a powerful sorceress and she'll be able to see through the enchantment, but right now, even if you're standing naked, you'll look like a man. Supress your inner power and breath. They don't need to know what you can do as yet," he said, smiling with a confidence that she did not feel herself.

"Father..."

"You don't have to say it. Go."

Bowing as low as she could... she abruptly turned on her heel, almost running, so he could not see the tears in her eyes. From today onward, she would never see him again.

In his mind, Liwen Yi's words echoed: was it worth it?

"Fly away my precious little swallow. Become the person who stands at the top of the world," he whispered after her. "Then we shall see."

END OF BOOK ONE.