Lovely Blossoms

Fen Hua turned towards Jingfei hoping to find some sort, any sort, of comfort. Jingfei was looking at the ground just like the rest of the maids. For some reason this hurt her even more. She took a step towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lady Meirong snapped. "Sit back down. We haven't finished disguising your marriage." Having heard straight from Elder Ruolan that she was being supported in her plans she was feeling bold. She didn't even hide the sourness in her voice. Though had she been alone with her it would have been worse no doubt.

Elder Ruolan was still unaware that it was Fen Hua that she was speaking too. She wasn't someone who took p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in loud conversations or quarreling. She turned her aged tired eyes towards Hualing.

"Listening to your Elders is your duty as a daughter of this home." She gave her a small smile hoping to have not angered the young girl too much. "Your mother wouldn't plan a marriage unless it was for your own good."

She stood up, the older maid quickly rushing to help her. As they were leaving the room Elder Ruolan noticed, once again, the strange aura that the figure near the entrance of the room had. She wanted to know where the memory was coming from, but it was like smoke, too hard to grasp. She shook the thoughts from her head, no use in worrying about it now.

Fen Hua watched as she walked away. Her hand gripped the side of her dress. Her fingers digging into the flesh of her leg underneath it.

"Now that you understand where this family stands, you will do as your told." Lady Meirong decided to do something that she felt she was not entitled to do, and explained thoughts to Fen Hua. "Your father is at a very important point in his career right now. Even though the Emperor has given him back some of his favor, all of the loss he suffered because of your mother has not been righted. With you marrying Lord Heshing we will have ties with the wealthiest clan in the country. Your father will return to his previous status. Our family will rise out of the crumbled mess that you and your mother created." She eyed Fen Hua. She felt completely and utterly right in her plans. The person who bore the cause, should be the one to fix it. Her mother was dead so she could no longer fix it, then the duty went to her child.

"I won't marry him," Fen Hua said simply. "You can beat me all you want, but it won't change my mind about it."

"You little wench! How dare you talk to my mother that way!" Hualing snapped. Her teeth were pearly white and her cheeks a soft doughy pink. She should have been a picture of sweetens and innocence instead she was like a jackal with it's teeth barred.

"Enough," Lady Meirong scolded. She did not hold the same level of rage as her young daughter did. She had already won this battle in her mind. Whether she went along willingly or was drugged and placed there sleeping it made no difference to her. One way or another she would be in the marriage chamber when she was needed. "Go back to your quarters."

Fen Hua did as she was told, not worrying about responding to Hualing, or fighting any longer. There was no way in this world or her old one that she would marry that fat pig. She headed to her room and looked around trying to decide what she would take. There were a few dressed that were casual enough to wear out without drawing too much attention. A silver brush and a few other odds and ends. Then there were all of her embroidery tools. She would not leave without those.

The night wore on in relative silence. Fen Hua had thought that Jingfei would come and speak to her, maybe try to cheer her up. But she never came. Fen Hua wanted to say goodbye to her at least. She let out a heavy sigh and grabbed her satchel. She had placed everything into a blanket and tied it together.

She stepped out of her room into the cold of the night. If she was guessing right it was around two in the morning. But there was no real way for her to know. Time had become nothing but guesswork since she arrived here.

Her feet made small tapping sounds against the stone walkway she headed down towards the servants quarters. Before she was even close enough to see the building a man jumped in front of her. In his hands was a heavy sword. His clothes were black, a red belt around his waist.

"Who goes there!" He demanded.

Fen Hua hadn't been expecting anyone to see her. She let out a startled yelp and dropped her satchel placing her hand over her racing heart.

"Fen Hua," she managed to whimper out.

"Who do you say you are?" He barked out just as loudly as before. The sound of other people running in their direction made Fen Hua feel like she was being swallowed whole.

Someone was carrying a lamp lighting up the path from an area that Fen Hua never really paid attention to. It had to be a guards quarters. Why hadn't she thought about the guards! Of course there would be guards! Just because they were never in her quarters didn't mean they weren't in all the others. She watched as at least ten men continued to file in around her. These men were strong and well built. Most of them had various scars covering their arms and faces. These were men who had seen war and lived to talk about it.

Fen Hua felt her whole body tremble as she realized who the last figure belonged to. It was her father. He had a commanding and terrifying disposition and seeing him walking towards her in the shadowed light of the lamp only made it worse. His lips were set in a straight line. His eyes looking as though they could kill with sheer will power. Those steely eyes were latched directly onto her frail figure.