Wind blew softly through the trees, the sound of the leaves rustling pairing with the soft sounds of hooves against the well worn dirt road. A smiling young man called from his place near the front of the travelers.

“There’s such good weather today, isn’t there, Royal Brother?” He chirped cheerfully.

“I suppose.” The man next to him agreed with a little grumble.

“Cheer up!” The younger man urged him, “It’s not every day we get to travel out here.”

“I’d rather not.” The other man replied, a little sulk playing on his lips, though he knew better than to let it show.

“Leave him be, Luhan.” A third man rode his horse up between the two brothers, “He’s just being cranky because Father made him come.”

“I have no interest in diplomatic relationships with the Han people.” The grumpy young man replied with a soft huff.

“Don’t let Father hear you say that, Zhang Yixing.” The third man warned, “You are the crown prince, so you’d better act like one.” A soft pout settled onto Yixing’s lips, though he straightened his back as their father, the khan, turned to look at his sons briefly. Yixing glared at the man next to him.

“You know why I don’t want to go, Yifan.” He said with a frown. Yifan reached out and gently patted his younger brother on the shoulder.

“I know.” He said softly, “But there’s little choice when it comes to politics and diplomacy, Yixing. You know that.” Yixing sighed deeply. He was crown prince of the Mongols, one of the best generals in the army, and yet he didn’t have the ability to refuse one trip to Ming territory. Going there, seeing the people there, reminded him too much of her. But at the same time, he knew Yifan was right.

I just hope this is over soon.

______________________________________________________________________________

Ming Palace

In a place further away from the journeying Mongols, a young woman was feeling the same sentiments as the Mongol prince. Pink lips pouted in a light sulk, long fingers playing with an ink brush. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she looked out the window.

“Why do I have to dance at the welcome banquet?” She muttered.

“Because you are the best at dancing amongst all of us.” An older woman replied from her seat behind the sulking woman, her nimble fingers moving her needle skillfully through a swath of light green cloth. The younger woman scoffed.

“Yeah right.” She replied, “Father probably just wants to find me a husband. I hear the Mongol khan is bringing some of his sons with him.”

“Who are all very talented young men.” The older woman added, “Perhaps you’ll like them, Feiyan.” Feiyan’s pout deepened and she tossed her ink brush unceremoniously into the jar holding the rest.

“I will not be the victim of a political marriage.” She said firmly, “I’m going to marry who I want, Feiying, just like you and your husband.”

“I was also arranged to start with.” Feying reminded her calmly, “Besides, it is our duty to help keep the country in peace. The Mongols must be placated. Our dynasty just overthrew them not long ago after all. This is what you were trained for, Feiyan.” Feiyan huffed and stood from her seat.

“Father better not try to marry me off.” She declared, “Or else, I’m running away!”  Feiying laughed softly.

“I’d like to see you try.” She replied. Feiyan sighed, knowing that her words were just all talk. She’d never be able to escape a political marriage if her father, the Emperor, decided on it. Her only hope was that none of the Khan’s sons caught her father’s eye.

___________________________________________________________________________

Ming Dynasty, Yixing

Yixing stifled a yawn as music and the sound of chatter filled his ears.

“Would you like some more wine, Crown Prince?” Yixing turned at the query to look at the Ming prince sitting next to him.

“That would be lovely.” He replied, plastering a smile onto his face even though he couldn’t care less either way. As he sipped absently at his wine, his gaze traveled slowly around the banquet hall. As much as he hated to admit it, the architecture was indeed impressive, as Luhan had been happy to point out as soon as they had arrived. The walls were decorated tastefully, not so overly done that it became gaudy. Dragons s down the sides of the columns holding up the room, their golden bodies frozen in majestic splendor. Yixing sighed as he looked at his brothers. Yifan was deeply engrossed in conversation with another prince across the room, while Luhan was happily watching the dance performance.

Well, at least some of us are enjoying themselves.

Yixing closed his eyes for a moment, and he could almost hear the echo of her voice in his ear, as if she was sitting right next to him.

“Oh Yixing, it’s so beautiful! I thought I’d never get a chance to see the royal palace!”

Yixing let out a deep sigh and was about to call a maid over to refill his cup when a soft hush descended over the room, and the dancers cleared from the middle of the banquet hall. Some of the candles were blown out to dim the lighting, and Yixing looked over curiously as a single female dancer walked into the room. She wore a dress made from sea green fabric, paired with a similarly colored cloth over her face and a red silk ribbon to hold back her long hair. Her sleeves were long enough to cover her hands, and they reached elegantly towards the ground as the dancer raised one arm and tilted her body towards the floor.

Who is that?

A single musical note was struck by the musicians sitting nearby, and the girl slowly turned her head, one arm moving up in a circle. Her body moved to follow the slow rhythm of the music, and despite his reservations, Yixing couldn’t help but be entranced. The soft flow of her dress, the elegant twirls her body made...it brought an old memory to the surface of Yixing’s mind, a memory he had long buried in an attempt to forget everything.

The light twirls and leaps the girl executed on the grassland drew Yixing’s attention, and he came over to join her, their bodies moving in tandem. The girl laughed as he pulled her into his arms as they danced.

“Xing gege!” She chirped happily, leaning against his chest while looking up at him with wide, trusting eyes.

Green silk slipped through Yixing’s hands, and with a start, he found himself staring into a pair of shocked dark brown eyes. Startled, he realized that he had somehow risen from his seat and joined the dancer at the middle of the dance floor.

What am I doing?

___________________________________________________________________________

Feiyan

What is he doing?

Feiyan froze as one of the visiting Mongol guests suddenly rose from his seat to join her at the center of the banquet hall. Judging from his expression, he didn’t quite know the answer to that question either. Feiyan bit her lip as she felt all eyes staring at the two of them. Even the musicians had stopped, unsure of what to do. Feiyan swallowed hard. If anything, she knew one thing for sure.

I can’t stop now.

She reached out and pulled the mysterious man to her, turning him into a part of her dance. She had danced playfully with her brothers before, but never officially like this. But somehow, this man didn’t seem unfamiliar with dancing either. His body moved fluidly along to the beats of the music, and he seemed to sense what she intended to do next before she had barely even moved.

Who is this man?

The music faded away, and Feiyan let out her breath slowly as she found herself uncomfortably close to the Mongolian man. She cleared and stepped away, her heart pounding her chest.

What just happened?

The sound of clapping broke through her thoughts, and she looked up to see the Mongol Khan clapping, a broad smile on his face. The Emperor was smiling too, and looked down at Feiyan.

“Feiyan, say your greetings.” He said. Feiyan folded her hands together, placed them at her left hip, and dipped in a curtsey.

“Greetings, Great Khan.” She said demurely, “I am Xu Feiyan, second princess of the Great Ming.”

“You are a very talented woman, Princess Feiyan.” The Khan replied, and Feiyan ducked her head humbly.

“You are exaggerating, Great Khan.” She replied, “It is all thanks to my father’s grace and favor.” The Khan laughed and looked at Feiyan’s father.

“My son has also enjoyed dancing our traditional Mongolian dances since he was a child.” He said, “But it has been five years since I have seen him dance. I am both pleased and surprised that the princess could bring out the desire in him to dance today.” Feiyan peeked curiously over at the man standing next to her, who was looking more uncomfortable by the second. So he was a prince? The prince bowed, one arm pressed over his chest so that his hand touched the opposing shoulder.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” He said, his voice rumbling softly from the bottom of his throat. The Khan clapped his hands together, and Feiyan was starting to feel wary of the way his eyes had lit up.

“Emperor of Ming, this is my crown prince, Yixing. He is 18 years old, but he has yet to take a wife. It seems that he and your daughter are a very good match to each other.” He began, and Feiyan looked up in alarm before catching her father’s warning gaze.

“Yes, indeed it does seem that they are a good match.” The Emperor replied, “In fact, I was thinking of creating a bond between our nations through marriage. I think Feiyan would make the perfect wife for the Crown Prince. She is already 16 years old.” Feiyan heard Yixing in his breath next to her, and peeked over to see that his expression was one of barely controlled outrage.

At least I’m not the only one, Feiyan thought.

“Wonderful!” The Khan laughed, and Feiyan closed her eyes as reality sunk in. Her worst nightmare had come true.