Sky grew strong, his feathers gleaming in sunlight. He began mimicking not
just her voice, but songs from soldiers, even lines from scrolls she read
aloud. His intelligence startled even General Yuwen.
One morning, as a shadow passed overhead and an arrow flew toward the
camp, Sky shrieked and called out — "Duck! Arrow!" — just in time to save a
guard's life. From that day, the soldiers treated him like a divine talisman.
> "The Girl with the Spirit Bird," they called her.
She was no longer just a healer. Her presence lifted morale. Her voice
calmed the broken. Her bird became a second set of eyes.
But not all shadows came from enemy blades.
One night, Li Xian sat at the camp's edge with Ren Xu and General Yuwen,
the three of them staring into a fire that crackled like a restless spirit.
General Yuwen spoke first, voice low: "Your uncle sent another messenger.
He demands your return to Chang'an. He says you've defied family honor."
Li Xian stared into the flames. Her fists clenched.
> "Family honor? He wants to bind me into a royal marriage like livestock.
He sold my name for silver long ago."
Yuwen grunted. "We could protect you here. But he has power in court."
> "Let him send his threats. I won't return to that gilded cage."
Silence followed. Then Ren Xu, usually the quietest among them, spoke.
> "You might have to return someday. Not for him. For something greater."
Li Xian turned. "Why would I ever set foot in that place again?"
Ren Xu met her gaze. His voice was like gravel, low and steady.
> "Because sometimes... even revenge can't erase your roots."
He paused, eyes reflecting the fire.
> "I was once a palace guard. A soldier for the court. My mother was a
concubine. The emperor's blood runs in me — but not his name."
Li Xian blinked, surprised.
> "You… you're the emperor's illegitimate son?"
Ren Xu nodded once. "But I was never meant to rise. I chose the battlefield
instead of the throne."
She looked away. "And I chose freedom over silk robes."
Yuwen chuckled dryly. "Strange company you keep, girl. A forgotten prince,
a healer with a spirit bird, and an army held together by dreams."
Sky perched on Li Xian's shoulder, whispering, "Dreams. Fly. Free."
Li Xian smiled faintly.
> "I won't return to the palace. But one day, I will return — to my parents'
grave. To kneel and say I lived by their truth."
Ren Xu nodded. "Then I'll go with you."