Sze Chang raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, the minuscule movement was not lost on Xi Chen.

However, Leader Wakhia didn't seem to notice it. His booming voice bounced off the tall walls of the tent as he said, "Well, then. Both of you could take this opportunity to be acquainted with each other. The future of the North!"

Leader Wakhia clapped on Prince Adlai's back vigorously as he said that. The sudden gesture surprised the prince who only nodded timidly in reply. Xi Chen was so preoccupied with the peculiar presence of Sze Chang that he only realized now that the prince was heavily guarded with a pair of heavy-set men standing close behind him. He also noted the lack of guards behind Leader Wakhia.

As if on cue, Leader Wakhia spoke to Xi Chen which made him returned his focus to the conversation. "Your name is Xi Chen? Do you have a Northern name?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Well, you should get one soon. I heard from His Majesty here that you'll be staying with us from now on, isn't it?"

"You've heard right." Xi Chen answered without wavering.

Leader Wakhia gave Xi Chen an approving nod before turning his attention to Prince Adlai. "Adlai."

Prince Adlai flinched again at the sudden mention of his name. "Yes, uncle?"

"Bring Xi Chen to the divination master after our meal. Your cousin here would need to be named since he'll be living here now."

"Yes, uncle." Prince Adlai lowered his gaze to the food in front of him when he replied.

Satisfied with the answer, Leader Wakhia returned his focus on Xi Chen. "You probably need guards as well."

"I don't thi-" Xi Chen started to refuse but before he could finish his sentence, he was unceremoniously cut off by the middle-aged man.

"Trust me, you'll need them. Even Adlai needs them."

Prince Adlai pursed his lips at those words. The tiny movement was the only act of defiance Xi Chen saw coming from the prince ever since he stepped foot on the North. The memory of Prince Adlai telling him and Ye An about the Northern custom of reigning leaders not having any guards with them to gain respect and political strength suddenly resurfaced.

By assigning guards to them both, Xi Chen realized that Leader Wakhia was effectively sending the message that they were not fit for leadership. That no one was fit for the leadership role except for himself who had zero guards trailing his steps. Realizing his scheme, Xi Chen couldn't help but to let out a small laugh.

"What's so amusing, Lieutenant Yun?" Sze Chang finally spoke again.

"Oh, nothing much. Just a funny memory." Xi Chen quickly lied.

Sze Chang's face darkened instantly, his voice as thin as newly-formed ice on the surface of a lake. "I'm glad that you have a memory you think so fondly of. Some of us aren't as lucky."

That statement sobered Xi Chen as he recalled their last interaction before they went their separate ways. "Pardon my manners."

Sze Chang watched him for a while before resuming the conversation that he was having with Leader Wakhia prior to Xi Chen's entry.

Xi Chen took this as a cue that he could start eating. Prince Adlai also picked his cutlery up and started on his food. As the prince lifted his arm to put the food in his mouth, the sleeves of his clothes slipped, showing his wrist and the scars on it. Prince Adlai met Xi Chen's eyes and roughly pulled his sleeves over those scars to cover them before avoiding eye contact. Xi Chen frowned in concern. Those scars looked fresh. What exactly happened after the Northern prince returned home?

The meal dragged on longer than Xi Chen would have liked it to. When they were finally finished with their meal and exited the tent, the sun was already hanging on the west side of the clear sky.

"Why don't both of you quickly run along to the divination master?" Leader Wakhia commented at the door of the tent. "He should be in his tent at this hour."

"Yes, uncle." Prince Adlai answered meekly before quietly spoke to Xi Chen. "Follow me, please."

Xi Chen only nodded his farewell to Leader Wakhia and Sze Chang before tagging alongside Prince Adlai with the pair of the guards following behind them.

When he was sure that they were out of earshot, Xi Chen tried to get Prince Adlai's attention. "Ad-"

Prince Adlai shot him a sharp look and flicked his gaze to the guards behind them. Xi Chen immediately understood. He cleared his throat and continued their walk in silence.

They arrived at their destination in no time. This time, the tent was draped with animal skin on which thick line drawings of animals and elements of nature were scrawled on it using charcoal.

"Leave us." Prince Adlai commanded in Northern quietly. The guards complied wordlessly and stood guard at either side of the entrance.

Xi Chen followed Prince Adlai's steps into the tent and almost passed out from the fumes. No wonder the guards complied so easily. There probably wasn't enough air between them if they both came in as well.

The room was stuffy in a way that was only possible if the room wasn't aired in years, maybe even decades, not to mention the sweltering heat that was coming out of the burning logs at the center of the tent. In addition to that, the air was laced with a confusing mix of spice and herbs that invaded Xi Chen's sense of smell. In the midst of the different smells, Xi Chen could pick up the faint scent of the spiced tea he had with Ye An in Xiao Yan's room at the brothel all those months ago.

"Good afternoon, Master Akara. I've brought my cousin here to be named." Prince Adlai spoke in his mother tongue.

"Ah, Prince Adlai. Always a pleasure." Unlike Northern locals with their guttural pronunciation that grated at Xi Chen's ears, this person's accent sounded full and rounded.

A foreigner? Xi Chen thought to himself. He couldn't discern if the person was male or female from the voice and he could barely make out the person's figure through the fumes.

"This is Master Akara. He's from the west. He has been the only person in charge of divination since a couple of decades ago." Prince Adlai introduced Master Akara to Xi Chen.

Master Akara perked up at the switch of language. "Oh? You came from the Middle Kingdom?"

Xi Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Yes. You speak our language?"

Master Akara laughed amicably as if it was a question from a toddler. "I speak a number of languages, yes."

"Come closer." Master Akara continued.

Xi Chen did as he was told. Even at this distance, he couldn't make out if this person in front of him was a man or a woman with the layers of androgynous clothes draped over his or her body with a scarf loosely-wrapped around their head. However, he could make out one thing for sure. Master Akara was blind. The strikingly whitish-grey pupils of Master Akara were currently drilled into Xi Chen's chest.

"Your hand, please. Palm up." Master Akara requested with an extended hand.

Xi Chen complied. Despite the deep lines on Master Akara's forehead, the skin on the master's hand was almost as smooth as a baby's.

As Master Akara started feeling the lines on Xi Chen's palm with only a thumb, a frown started forming on the master's forehead which deepened with each second. It took longer that Xi Chen expected which in turn made him feel anxious.

Suddenly, he felt a soft nudge on his other arm. It was Prince Adlai. Xi Chen turned to look at the prince in question only to be met by the bounded paper that the prince bought when they visited the morning market many suns ago. On it, were words that were scribbled on hurriedly.

What was it that you wanted to tell me earlier?

Catching on, Xi Chen mouthed, Ye An has a message for you.

Prince Adlai took the bounded paper back and scribbled more words underneath the initial sentence before showing it to Xi Chen again.

What is it? This might be the only chance for us to communicate without the entire upper echelons of the North knowing about it.

Master Akara suddenly cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to bring their focus to him which startled both of the young men.

"I know I'm blind, but I'm not deaf. I could hear the wispy rustles of your paper and the swishing brush strokes that your brush is making as if I was seeing you writing your words with my bare eyes, Prince Adlai."

"Uh. My apologies, Master Akara." Prince Adlai quickly apologized. "I hope you don't take offense of this behavior."

"None taken. I just thought that the both of you might be more comfortable speaking normally. The leather draped over my tent is not to just keep me warm but to keep whatever was spoken in this room from getting out." Master Akara replied. "And I believe that you know me well enough to know that my lips are sealed."

Prince Adlai wordlessly watched Master Akara without really looking at the master as if he was looking at a memory that they had shared.

Xi Chen who was the only audience to their conversation cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I was told to pass this letter to you."

Xi Chen pulled the slightly crumpled envelope out of the folds of his clothes with his free hand and passed it Prince Adlai. "I think it covers everything that I wanted to speak to you about and maybe even more."

Prince Adlai promptly broke out of his reverie and reach for the letter.

+* Thanks for reading! Please vote, comment, and follow if you like the story!*+