A few days later, the Mongol delegation arrived at the Qing palace gates, and the royal family came to the entrance to greet them. Princess Feiyan looked at the approaching foreign delegation with great interest, her eyes bright with excitement.

“You didn’t look as excited last time, My Lady.” Yixing commented softly from his place behind her. Princess Feiyan grinned and turned to look at him.

“That was different.” She replied, “That was a prince, and this is a princess. Oh, I hope we can be friends!” She clapped her hands together in delight, causing Crown Prince Luhan to lay a hand on her arm to quiet the young princess. Yixing could not help but hide a smile at the sight of his mistress’s excitement. It seemed like she had completely recovered from the shock of the previous assassination attempt, and had returned to her bright and happy self. Princess Sarnai of Mongolia slipped off her horse as the delegation arrived, and she bowed politely to the emperor as she approached.

“Your Majesty.” She greeted. Emperor Kangxi smiled and lifted the princess up from her pose.

“Princes Sarnai, you are welcome here in Qing.” He said, “It must have been a long journey from Mongolia to here.” The princess smiled and shook her head.

“It was not too awful.” She replied, “It is my honor to be in charge of delivering this year’s tributes.” Emperor Kangxi looked past her at the piles of annual tributes and smiled in pleasure.

“Please come inside for some rest.” He said, motioning behind him. Princess Sarnai bowed again.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She said softly. Before she could move though, Princess Feiyan bounded up with a bright smile on her face.

“You are the Mongol princess?” She exclaimed, “I can’t believe you came all the way from Mongolia! Big Sister, you are so pretty!” Emperor Kangxi turned sharply to look at his daughter.

“Rongxian, don’t be rude!” He shushed her quickly, “Where are your manners?” Princess Sarnai laughed and raised a hand gently.

“It is fine, Your Majesty.” She replied, “The princess is full of boundless energy and frank with her words, just like the rumors say. I like her very much already.” Princess Sarnai reached out and patted Princess Feiyan on the arm.

“Princess, would you like to hear about Mongolia later?” She offered, “I can make arrangements for that.” Princess Feiyan’s eyes widened in delight as she nodded eagerly. Princess Sarnai smiled again, then her eyes traveled up slightly and then met Yixing’s watchful gaze. All of a sudden, it was like a jolt ran through Yixing’s body, his eyes widening slightly as something seemed to clench around his chest. The princess’s eyes were warm and inquisitive; there was nothing that was setting off his alarms, but Yixing knew what he was feeling wasn’t alarm. It was something else that he couldn’t quite place his finger on. Was it...familiarity? That made no sense at all.

“Yixing? Yixing!” Yixing snapped out his daze as a familiar voice called out to him, and he looked down to see Princess Feiyan looking up at him in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, “You’re staring.” Yixing cleared his throat and dipped his head politely.

“My apologies, My Lady.” He said, “My mind wandered.” Princess Feiyan gazed at him for another long moment before she shook her head and tugged on his sleeve.

“Come on, we’re going inside.” She said. Yixing dipped his head and followed closely behind the two princesses. Already, Princess Feiyan was engaging the mongol princess in friendly conversation, a bright smile never leaving her face as she chattered happily away. Princess Sarnai, for her part, was quite tolerant of the Qing princess’s rambling, which Yixing was grateful for. On the other hand though, his mind wandered back to the strange feeling that had went through him when his gaze had met Princess Sarnai’s.

What was that?

____________________________________________________________________________

After night fell and Princess Feiyan retired to her rooms, Yixing stood outside in the villa, his watchful gaze staring at her doors until the candles were blown out. He usually left after she began preparing for bed, but after the incident with the fake prince, he had gotten into a habit of staying just a while longer after her room went dark.

“Imperial Guard Zhang?” Yixing turned as a voice spoke from nearby, and he bowed slightly as Princess Sarnai approached.

“Your Highness.” He greeted. The mongol princess looked at him curiously.

“You are not so formal with your mistress.” She commented. “But why are you so formal with me?” Yixing smiled faintly.

“My Lady has been My Lady since childhood.” He replied, “She made sure I would not call her ‘highness’ ever since the first day I became her personal guard.” Princess Sarnai smiled in amusement.

“You are very close with your mistress.” She observed. Yixing chuckled softly.

“I never intend to leave her side.” He replied smoothly. It was strange; he had only met the princess today, but here he was holding casual conversation with her as if they had known each other for a year. Yixing was not about to spill all his deepest secrets,of course; but Yixing was usually on guard around strangers, a habit from being a personal imperial guard. Why did he feel so comfortable around her? Princess Sarnai had a curious look in her eyes as she gazed at Yixing for a long moment.

“Imperial Guard Zhang.” She said, “How long have you been by Princess Rongxian’s side?” Yixing thought for a moment as he counted.

“A decade now, Your Highness.” He replied.

“And...your family?” Princess Sarnai pressed cautiously. Yixing felt his smile fade slightly as he cleared his throat.

“If I ever had any, I no longer remember them.” He replied, “My earliest memories consist of finding ways to survive on the streets. Until Princess Rongxian chose me to be her personal guard, I did not even have a name of my own.” Princess Sarnai’s face fell and she ducked her head apologetically.

“I apologize, Imperial Guard Zhang.” She said quietly. Yixing shook his head.

“There is nothing to apologize for.” He replied, “You did not know.” Sensing the light mood darkening, Yixing bowed politely.

“It is getting dark, Your Highness.” He said, “You should return to your rooms.” Princess Sarnai sighed and nodded.

“You’re right.” She replied. Princess Sarnai turned to go, then paused and looked back at Yixing.

“Imperial Guard Zhang?” She called. Yixing looked at her curiously, and the mongol princess hesitated before speaking.

“Do you really have no recollection of what happened before you were on the street?” She asked, “You...remind me very much of someone I once knew as a child. We were both very little when we were separated, but your eyes in particular remind me very much of him.” Yixing smiled ruefully.

“Your Highness, no matter what I was doing before I ended up on the streets, I doubt it had anything to do with Mongolia.” He replied, “I hope you find your friend soon.” Princess Sarnai sighed and nodded before leaving. Yixing took one last look at Princess Feiyan’s darkened room before heading into his own rooms as well. As he shut the doors behind him, he couldn’t help but think back to what Princess Sarnai had said. He reminded her of an old friend? No, the possibility was far too tenuous to even try to probe. It was a fact that some people happened to resemble each other even though they had no connection whatsoever. This was surely just one of those cases. As Yixing prepared for bed, he couldn’t help but touch the small pendant that hung around his neck. It was usually tucked under his clothes, safe from public view, so Princess Sarnai had not seen it. In fact, few people besides Princess Feiyan knew he wore it around his neck. Yixing had been wearing the pendant around his neck since he was a child on the streets. He had no idea where it came from, nor how much it was worth, but he could never bring himself to part with it even when finding food was difficult. Tonight in particular, the small pendant seemed to glitter under the moon as Yixing lifted it up slightly. He chuckled softly and shook his head.

“Zhang Yixing, stop thinking nonsense.” He chided himself.

____________________________________________________________________________

As the days passed, Yixing could not help but feel increasingly curious about Princess Sarnai. There was nothing particularly alarming about the princess; she got along well with Princess Feiyan, and posed no threat to the royal family’s safety. But for whatever reason, Yixing’s mind continuously fluttered to the mongol princess. It wasn’t out of romantic reasons; of that much Yixing was sure. There was just some...air of familiarity to her, although Yixing was certain he had never seen the princess before in his life. Every time she came to visit Princess Feiyan, Princess Sarnai would take the chance to speak with Yixing, and conversation often flowed effortlessly between them, as if they had known each other for years. In all, it was very strange. As the end of the princess’s visit approached, she appeared one day as Princess Feiyan was watching the fish swim in the pond in her palace.

“Princess.” Yixing bowed as Princess Sarnai approached. Princess Feiyan’s eyes lit up as she dashed over to the mongol princess.

“Jie jie!” She exclaimed, “What brings you here today?” Princess Sarnai laughed softly and patted Princess Feiyan on the hand.

“I came to challenge your bodyguard to a friendly duel.” She replied, “I saw that you trust him very much, and I am very curious just how capable he is of protecting you.” Princess Feiyan looked over at Yixing hesitantly, as if remembering what had happened the last time he had sparred with visiting royalty. Yixing thought for a moment, then bit his lip and nodded. It was unlikely that Princess Sarnai was trying to harm him by requesting a duel; she was different from the fake Prince Galdan, he was sure of it.

“I will be alright, My Lady.” He said, “Princess Sarnai, it would be an honor.”

“Wait!” Princess Feiyan stepped forward quickly, “If you two are going to spar, I have one condition.” Yixing and Princess Sarnai looked at her quizzically, and Princess Feiyan sent a eunuch hurrying off with a flick of her hand. A few minutes later, he returned with a small tray, and Princess Feiyan picked up the two contents on the tray. Yixing raised an eyebrow as he recognized what his mistress was holding.

“Wooden swords?” He said, “My Lady, why do you want those?” Princess Feiyan smirked and promptly handed one to Yixing and the other to Princess Sarnai.

“The last time you sparred, you were injured.” She stated, “To minimize the chance of that happening again, this time you two can only use wooden swords.”

“My Lady, I have not used wooden swords to spar since I was a novice fighter.” Yixing protested, but a glare from Princess Feiyan shushed him.

“Yes, My Lady.” He said with a quick dip of his head. Truth be told, even a wooden sword was capable of doing some damage if the user hit hard enough and in the right places, but Princess Feiyan was not to be deterred. To keep her happy, Yixing could only do as she suggested. And besides, she did have good intentions behind her insistence. Princess Sarnai weighed the wooden sword lightly in her hand and smiled.

“It has been a while since I last used this.” She said, “It will be an interesting challenge.” Before Yixing could think twice, Princess Sarnai charged at him with the wooden weapon. Yixing pushed Princess Feiyan back on instinct with one hand, the other hand reaching out to smoothly parry the blow. The sound of wood against wood echoed through the courtyard, and the fight quickly continued. Princess Sarnai’s movements were sharp, her style completely different from what Yixing was used to. Somehow though, he instinctively found ways to block each and attack, his body moving in ways he had not physically told it to, as if he had been doing this for years.

I don’t understand what is going on.

Yixing pivoted smoothly on his left foot and struck out at Princess Sarnai. She swung backwards as she reached out to block his blow, but the movement sent her off balance at the same time. Her eyes widened slightly as she began to fall backward, and on instinct Yixing leapt forward and grabbed her around the waist to keep her from falling. The momentum sent them both tumbling back though, and instead of pulling the princess to her feet, both of them were sent falling to the ground. Yixing found himself hovering over the princess on the grass, his hand lightly tucked under her head to keep it from hitting too hard against the ground. Princess Sarnai stared up at him, her eyes wide with surprise. The princess’s gaze traveled down, and Yixing realized with a start that his collar had fallen open during the sparring session, which meant that his pendant was dangling freely from his neck for all to see.

“Imperial Guard Zhang…that necklace…” Princess Sarnai gasped, “Where did you get it?” Yixing quickly let go of the princess and rose to his feet, brushing dust from his clothes.

“It’s been with me since I was a child.” He replied as he quickly tucked the necklace back inside his clothes and fixing his collar, “I’m not sure where it came from.” Princess Sarnai’s face paled as she rose to her feet and pulled something from under her collar.

“I have a necklace just like that one.” She said as she took the necklace off and handed it to him, “The design is a little different, but it’s made from the same material and has the same design style on it.” Yixing’s heart began to pound as he took the necklace and compared it to his own. Indeed, the Princess was right. Although the design was different, the two pendants were made from the same material and clearly out of the same hand.

“Where did you get this, Your Highness?” He asked, his throat going dry. Princess Sarnai hesitated slightly before responding.

“From my Father, the Khan.” She replied, “No one is allowed to possess a jade of this caliber or design besides the royal family.” Yixing frowned in confusion, his mind beginning to spin from the sudden rush of information. The Mongol royal family? That was all fine and well but...did that mean…? No, it was absolutely impossible...right? Suddenly finding it hard to breathe, Yixing reached out and quickly handed the necklace back to Princess Sarnai.

“I...I think you should go, Your Highness.” He stammered as he took a few steps back. Yixing’s head was beginning to pound, his heartbeat becoming increasingly loud in his ears.

“Imperial Guard Zhang?” Princess Sarnai touched his arm lightly, her eyes wide with concern. Yixing’s gaze met her wide brown eyes, and he froze as his mind seemed to be transported back in time. In his mind’s eye, the girl in front of him was small and young, but the same brown eyes stared up at him, wide and inquisitive.

Big Brother? Big Brother, what’s wrong?

A young girl’s voice echoed in his head, and Yixing gasped as pain shot through his head. Letting out a cry, he stumbled back from the mongol princess, one hand grasping his head.

Big Brother! Big Brother, come play with me!

The little girl’s voice continued to speak in his head. Who was that? Someone he knew? Someone he had once known?

“Yixing!” He heard Princess Feiyan run towards him as his legs went weak and he fell to the grass below.

“Yixing! What’s wrong?” He could hear Princess Feiyan’s voice near him, panicked and frightened, but he could not find the strength to even attempt to reassure his mistress. Spots filled his vision, and all Yixing could do was curl into a ball and bite back a cry as the pounding in his head worsened.

“Call for a royal physician!” Yixing heard Princess Feiyan scream. Her hand clasped his tightly, but Yixing could not find even a little strength to return the grasp.

My Lady...My Lady....

____________________________________________________________________________

A little while later, Yixing sat in a daze in bed, his head leaned back against pillows that had been propped up behind him. The pain in his head had faded to a dull ache, but Yixing still felt exhausted, as if he had just been through a whole day’s worth of training with Yifan. Princess Feiyan came in after speaking to the royal physicians and handed him a cup of tea.

“The physicians said you had suffered some of shock.” She said, “That is why you suddenly reacted that way.” Yixing scoffed weakly.

“Me? Suffer from shock?” He said, “Those old men don’t know what they’re talking about.” Princess Feiyan sighed and wrapped his hands around the teacup. The cup was warm and soothing, as were the princess’s small hands.

“Yixing, what happened out there?” She asked, “You were doing just fine until Princess Sarnai showed you something.” Yixing shook his head.

“It’s nothing, My Lady.” He replied. Princess Feiyan frowned and shook her head too.

“No Yixing, you are not going to get away with that sort of answer this time.” She insisted, “What happened?” Yixing opened his eyes slowly and turned to look at his mistress. The princess’s lips were pursed firmly, her brow furrowed in the way that Yixing knew meant there was no way to refuse her question.

“I’m not sure.” He replied honestly, “Princess Sarnai showed me her necklace and told me it was from her father, the Khan. Then...I don’t even know what happened.” Princess Feiyan huffed and crossed her arms.

“Well, from now on, you’re not allowed to spar with visiting royalty anymore, even if they ask!” She declared, “Nothing good happens any time you do!” Yixing chuckled softly.

“My Lady, I am sure the answer is not that simple.” He protested. Princess Feiyan sighed.

“In any case, you must rest for today.” She said, “I will not be going anywhere out of my palace, so you don’t need to worry.” On a normal day, Yixing would have protested, but he felt too exhausted to even get out of bed to find a replacement for one day.

“Be careful, My Lady.” He replied simply. Princess Feiyan smiled and nodded.

“Of course.” After the princess left, Yixing finished his tea and was about to close his eyes to sleep when he heard the sound of footsteps by the door.

“Who’s there?” He called. Princess Sarnai stepped in cautiously, her gaze uncertain.

“It is me.” She replied, “Can I come in?” Yixing hesitated for a moment before nodding. The mongol princess walked cautiously over to him and sat down at an arm’s length.

“Are you...alright now?” She asked quietly. Yixing sighed deeply and nodded.

“You must have been shocked, Your Highness.” He said, “I apologize for frightening you.” Princess Sarnai shook her head quickly.

“No, Imperial Guard Zhang.” She said, “It was my necklace that triggered all this. I should be the one apologizing.” Yixing bit his lip and swallowed hard.

“I don’t know why I reacted that way.” He admitted, “I am still very confused right now.” The two sat in silence for a few moments before Yixing spoke again.

“Your Highness...you once said that I reminded you of someone you once knew.” He said, “Would you mind telling me who that person was?” Princess Sarnai looked up at him sharply, then sighed deeply.

“My older brother, the crown prince.” She said, “He was abducted by rebels when we were very young, and I never heard from him again.” Yixing frowned as he struggled to make sense of the new information.

“Then...what was your brother’s name?” He queried. Princess Sarnai’s hands folded tightly in her lap before speaking.

“Fengmian.” She replied, “His name is Fengmian.”