The Stolen Princess And The Blind Prince

A leap, a leap… A leap of what?

I don't know where I am. I'm floating… in a fountain?

It was midday. The sky was a bright blue and went on forever. Sitting up, I could see our little house in the middle of a giant field of flowers.

What was I doing again?

Oh, yeah Daddy and I was playing hide-and-go-seek!

I climb out of the fountain, absolutely soaked. But it's a good hiding spot! Daddy hadn't even found me yet!

I walk quickly- Mommy doesn't like running through the fields- bumping into my older brother.

"AhnAhn! What happened?!" he shouted, putting down his buckets of milk. When did milk start looking like ink?

"I was playing hide-and-go-seek with Daddy!" I was proud of myself, answering with a big moony grin.

"Ah," he said scratching his head, "Yeah he did say he was looking for you. Well, first things first, go see Momma, she'll get you out of those wet clothes." He picked up his buckets of milk heading off… somewhere.

Where'd he come from anyways?

"Oh yeah, AhnAhn! You need to wake up." His face was deathly serious.

"Huh?" Did I hear him right?

"You got water in your ears sis? I said: If I see Dad, I'll let him know you're with Momma."

Oh, I guess I really was hearing things… I skip towards the house. This doesn't count as running!

Giggling I open the door, smelling Mommy's famous hot-pots.

"AhnAhn!" she said, embracing me. "AhnAhn? You're soaked, what happened?"

"Hide-and-go-seek!"

She smiled, "I think I understand," she walked over to the stove and ladled out some broth. "Here, to warm you up, why don't you have some?"

I happily take the ladle from her, gulping the broth. It was ice-cold, and the taste… was bitter, like iron.

"What's in this?" I ask, the bitter taste ringing on my tongue. It was sour, like bad milk.

"Kyu," she responded, beaming at me. My skin went cold. My palms were starting to sweat. Something wasn't right here.

Kyu? Our dog? Wait, did we have a dog? I don't remember.

"Don't you remember? We were in the forest…"

Forest? No, we live in a flower field. There's no forest around here. Just flowers.

"There were bandits…"

This bitter taste wasn't going away…

"You ran away…"

And met a tiger

---

Memories came rushing back.

Suddenly, I was sitting back in the creaky carriage. Kyu was next to me. He was warm, alive, real.

"Kyu!" I hugged him. He huffed, chewing… cured meat.

This damned dog! Gets two meals in a day! What am I, chopped liver?!

Ugh, never mind.

The last thing I remember was the tiger leaping at me. And then that weird dream.

Who was driving the coach now? I glanced out the window, and saw a massive garden, with more than one pagoda and glittering pond in the distance. Our path was well lit by lantern light, and examining the armor on our coach driver, he must have been a guard.

This was the royal palace.

Yay, I made it! A warm bath, food (finally), and nice cozy bed! And no leaping tigers!! Wait. Nooo. I didn't want to even be here! That's means I have to marry the peachy prince!

I wrap my arm around Kyu, wondering "What should I do?" He barked; his meats gone.

"You're awake?" Came the guardsman. "I apologize for the hard trip, we're about to arrive."

Before I could think, he cracked the reigns, pulling us at full speed.

Just how far away is my reception?!

In less than a minute, our over-eager guardsman pulled us through a set of fancy gates.

Ok, time to get into the mindset: You. Are. A. Princess. I smacked my cheeks each time. No swearing, frowning or yelling. It doesn't matter that they're the enemy. You are a princess. Act like it!

The carriage stopped just then, cutting my pep-talk short.

Alrighty! That'll have to do then.

"Kyu, Lily." I commanded. It was our code word for 'be nice and follow whoever takes your collar'.

Kyu and I sat up straight, our eyes forward. We must've looked funny, a dog and a woman, stiff as boards…

The door swung open, and an armored hand slipped in. I took it, taking light steps off the carriage.

The reception was… enchanting. The palace walls loomed overhead. Three handmaidens and menservants flanked a tall, muscled man. There were guardsmen there too, holding lanterns.

We were in the garden, and the gentle smells of flowers and water eased me, but only slightly. Thanks to the lantern-men, the light was just right, shining a spotlight on me, and the tall man.

"Princess AhnAhn!" one of the lantern-men shouted. The servants bowed in unison, greeting me as well.

So far so good.

I took the guardsman's arm and began taking even steps towards the small crowd.

The tallest man stood up straight. As I got closer, I took note of his features. He's tall, taller than most men, his skin was a bit darker, like an iron worker's. He must spend a lot of time outside. His hair was cropped short, framing his strong jawline, complimenting his features. His eyes were a warm hazel, with specks of green when the lantern light struck just right.

In summary, he was quite cute. Was this my husband? I hoped so…

"General," the guardsman stopped in respect. I quickly let go of his arm, trying to hide my disgust.

A general. Came to receive me. Was he there when my father was murdered? Did he kill my father?!

He dares show his face to me. In a mocking gesture he bowed offering his hand.

I took it, blurting, "Why am I being received by a General? Is it customary here to mock the loser in war? Or are the Prince's too busy swallowing peaches?!"

The General's handsome eyes widened in surprise. The air around us froze, the servants and guards unsure how to respond.

Good.