"Did you meet Adlai there?" Ye An asked curiously over her shoulders.

They were both on horseback with Xi Chen's arms circling around Ye An as he held onto the reins. The snow crunched under the horse's hoofs as he replied."He was."

Ye An tensed. "Was he the one who did this to you?"

Xi Chen gave out a rueful half-smile as he placed a hand over Ye An's with his thumb rubbing the back of her palm reassuringly. "No. He was there but he had no say in the matter. In fact, he had no say in any matter. Leader Wakhia was the one in control. And from what I had gathered, assuming that I'm not blind or deaf, Adlai's not fond of what Leader Wakhia has in mind."

"And what does Leader Wakhia have in mind?"

Their bodies swayed in harmonious rhythm as the horse climbed the mountainous terrain while Xi Chen recounted everything that he had learned of the Northern tribe leader during the short time that he was in the North. His story started from his encounter with Minister Sze to speaking to Prince Adlai in secret. "But this might have been a long time coming since Adlai told me that he suspected Chieftain Burat's assassination was an inside job. More specifically, that his uncle masterminded it." Xi Chen shook his head ever so slightly, reminded of his own connection to Leader Wakhia. "Our uncle." 

It felt unfamiliar, strange, and almost distasteful for Xi Chen to admit to their familial ties when he knew of the man's penchant for cruelty. Voicing out that the Northern tribe leader was in fact his uncle left a bad taste in Xi Chen's mouth.

Ye An, troubled by the information, especially on Xi Chen's chat with Prince Adlai, picked at the nail on her thumb. "I expected as much."

"What do you mean?"

"Despite his age, the last we've seen Chieftain Burat, he was still strong and healthy. Someone of his nature wouldn't put his guard down." Ye An paused. "The only time I saw him visibly letting his guard down was when he was having drinks with his men. So unless he was around friends or family, especially family, he would have been on his best wit. Adlai was with us during the time of the assassination, which only leaves Leader Wakhia."

Xi Chen nodded as he digested Ye An's words. Suddenly realizing Ye An's lack of reaction when he told her about Sze Chang, he asked, "Did you know about Minister Sze? About his claim to the throne?"

Then it was Ye An's turn to tell Xi Chen what had transpired on her side with the flyers and how Ah Lin and even she herself could see the resemblance between her and Sze Chang like they were made of the same mold. The mold being the late Great Emperor Lee Gang. "General Shao would've been planning for this moment for a long time. Probably even before any of us were born. We were probably just tools for him to reach his goal, whatever that may be. Minister Sze might've just been a pawn, but who knows anymore?"

Both of them fell into silence, leaving Ye An's remark up in the air with only the clip-clopping of horse's hoofs filling the space.

Ye An gazed over her shoulder when she spoke again. "Well, enough about them. You haven't told me what exactly happened to you."

Xi Chen expertlypulled the reins to guide the horse in another direction that was easierfor it to ascend the mountain while he spoke. "Right after I sent the letter to you and Ah Lin about their plans, I guess they discovered I wasn't there for a family reunion."

Ye An knew that Xi Chen was a man of few words but she wasn't going to put up with it this time. "And?"

A fond smile was apparent in Xi Chen's voice as he answered. "And they pulled me out of my room sometime yesterday, chained me in a wooden crate, left me out in the open field, and didn't allow me to have any food or water."

His answer was short, prompt, and direct. It was most probably why he excelled in the military. Ye An turned to look at him incredulously. "Couldn't you just fight them off? Aren't you a lieutenant general? And you're my personal bodyguard. Did I unknowingly put my life in the hands of someone incapable of fending for himself?"

A laugh escaped from Xi Chen as a stray ray of sunshine fell on his tanned skin, brightening his features and making his already light eyes lighter so that his eyes were now twinkling. "Are you putting the blame on me?"

"No.. That's not what I mean. I'm just joki-" Ye An didn't even get to finish her sentence when she felt Xi Chen's arms tightened around her.

"I know." Xi Chen said as he planted a kiss at the nape of her neck which started a strange blaze down Ye An's spine. Xi Chen's voice lowered. "I'm sorry that I got myself hurt despite promising you that I wouldn't be harmed."

Ye An coughed. "Well, at least you know that you're in the wrong." She exclaimed in a huff. Ye An wasn't really cross, it was simply a facade to shake off the unfamiliar sensation flowing through her.

"So, how were you when I was gone? Did my letter reach you in time?" Xi Chen asked, his voice tickling the sensitive part of Ye An's ear.

Ye An was so preoccupied that she wasn't even aware that Xi Chen had scooted closer until right now. Or was she the one who scooted back? Earlier, there was still a sliver of space in between them despite them sharing a ride. Now, Ye An's back was flushed against Xi Chen's body and the radiating heat of his warmth enveloped Ye An even with the frosty snow around them. With the sun slowly scattering its light through the gaps of the tree branches, it was difficult to know if the heat on Ye An's face was due to the heat from the winter sunlight or the close proximity.

Ye An decided that it was from the sun and cleared her throat of the sudden snag there, effectively clearing her head as well. "We did receive your letter but barely." She then quickly added, "But still, we managed to hold ourselves and did much better than our previous battle."

Ye An could feel Xi Chen nodding to her statement. But Ye An's shoulders soon droop as she recounted what had happened earlier today.

Xi Chen sensed the change in Ye An's mood. "What's the matter?" He  asked softly.

The lump in Ye An's throat returned, now for a different reason. "We might not be so lucky anymore if another battle comes. The other troops have decided to pull their men back to their respective regions."

Xi Chen pulled at the reins and their horse came to a halt. His voice was serious when he asked, "What do you mean? Tell me."

"There was an attack earlier. On the food storage. The entire building was rendered to ash. We probably don't even have enough for the northern troop. If the other troops stayed, there's no way that we could provide everyone with adequate rations. Things would only end up in disaster if we couldn't feed the soldiers. Even I know that." Ye An pursed her lips. "I'm not so shameless that I'd ask them to stay."

Xi Chen sighed empathetically. "It's alright. You did well."

Xi Chen's quiet consolation flipped something in Ye An. At first, it was half a sob that barely gurgled. And then, she was bawling.

Xi Chen only stayed there quietly. Like the sturdy rocks that cradled the waterfall from the side, his body was a steadfast support to Ye An as she leaned on him.

Once the crying stopped, Ye An said in a hushed voice, "Thank you."

Xi Chen waited patiently until Ye An spoke again. "In all honesty, I never wanted to be an emperor. It's not something that I would choose for myself."

"But then, we might've never met." Xi Chen managed to imbue his smile into the statement to lighten the mood as their horse continued to climb the mountain.

Ye An smiled. "That's true. I guess everything happens for a reason, huh?"

Xi Chen smiled too, but soon became pensive. "I've never asked you this. But what makes you happy?"

"You." Ye An blurted out without any hesitation.

Xi Chen chuckled and gave Ye An an affectionate squeeze. "And? What else?"

Ye An gave it a thought. "Playing guqin." She sighed. "It's been too long since I played."

"I love hearing you play the guqin." Xi Chen commented.

That brought a laugh out of Ye An. "Yes, I've noticed. Since the first night we met."

Xi Chen grinned in embarrassment, one hand naturally leaving the reins and scratching the back of his head bashfully.

Ye An thought about it more and continued, sadness trickling into her voice. "And Governess Hsu's dumplings."

The hand that was at the back of his head just a moment ago found its way to circling Ye An's torso and resting at the side of her stomach. Xi Chen held her close to him and his hand rubbed soothingly at her side. "I'll make it for you in the future."

Seeing that Ye An wasn't giving him any reaction, Xi Chen cautiously added, "If you don't mind. That is."

Ye An turned to look at him. "Of course I don't mind!"

Only now could Xi Chen see the tears swirling in Ye An's eyes, threatening to fall any second with each blink.

Ye An faced the front again. This time she put a hand over Xi Chen's hand that was still on her waist, interlacing her fingers in between his.

Ye An realized that she haven't asked the most important question. "Hold on. How did you escape?"

Xi Chen smiled wryly. "I'll have to thank my mother for that. No matter what I did, I'm still the son of a priestess. So, watch guards were stationed by my side to ensure that I wasn't mauled by the wild animals in the open. In fact, it was Khenbish and Baagvai who were the ones watching me. You remember them?"

"Aren't they the ones you brought back to the North?"

"Precisely. It was their punishment for bringing me into the North. Then, I bid my time until I told them that I needed a bathroom break." Xi Chen grinned in embarrassment.

Ye An couldn't hold onto her snigger. She could guess what took place after that even without Xi Chen's further explanation. "Ah. Classic."

"But Khenbish and Baagvai are probably giving their all to find me right now. Losing me might make them end up in worse standing with Leader Wakhia if they return without me in tow."

Ye An sobered up instantly. "How long ago did you lose them?"

"About half an hour ago, but I'm pretty sure that they're still in the forest."

"Then we need to pick up our pace to get back to our side of the mountain."

Xi Chen agreed. He guided the horse to the most efficient path to the mountain peak as if he knew the terrain of jagged rocks like the back of his hand.

"I think I see the top of the mountain." Ye An squinted her eyes to peer into the distance as the mountain peak slowly came into their sight. "There!" She pointed to the front where the highest point of the mountain could be seen. It would've only taken a couple of long gallops to reach the peak.

Ye An turned to Xi Chen excitedly. She was so thrilled that she twisted her entire upper body to face Xi Chen. That was when she spied movement out of the corner of her eye and gasped.

"Well, well, well. Look who's all lovey-dovey." Khenbish's heavy accent echoed in the bleak forest.

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

*Writer's note: Sooo I'm just gonna write an impromptu poem here 😬

Winter Sun
She saw the sliver of light;
And expected its tender warmth.
She stood under the twilight;
And forgot that it's the north.