We hop onto the back of a carriage heading towards our destination, resting.
"Soo… how do you plan on getting us there?" I ask quietly, looking at her through closed eyelids.
"I asked a friend of mine for a map. Since it'll take us a few days to get there, we can't risk anything." She says as she pulls out a scroll painted with a map, delicately embracing a wide area surrounding us. I look over her shoulder for a peek.
"Is this really the 900's…?"
"Yeah. I'm surprised you have it hard to believe."
"Yeah…I'm also surprised at the situation myself."
We remain silent for quite a long time during the trip, just regaining the energy we spent walking. The sun's golden rays creep through the tall trees' green crowns above our heads. If I'd look up at them, I could say they were the height of the sky itself. I reach up my hand to the sky, playing with little strings of lights that fall on my face. I take a glance at the girl beside me, only an arm's length away.
"Hey"
"What?"
"I… never got your name."
She giggles, her laughter only brightening the view.
"It's Li Qiao."
"Li Qiao…" I repeat it, like tasting it on my tongue. Even her name was as unique as her. "It's nice, I like it."
"I'm glad you like it." Her smile was intoxicating. Like an angel's way of greeting. That action alone made me flustered just now, making me turn my head around, not facing her. "I'm… James." She doesn't answer, just gives me a nod and turns her head away too, refocusing on whatever she was doing.
Not long passes before Li Qiao takes out her flute and plays it quietly. Her fingers working on changing tunes and notes, her lips pressed together on the top of the instrument. Her eyes closed, concentrating fully on the song. The slight wind plays around with her long hair, and her ribbon, which is attached to her slightly, gets messier by the breeze.
I stare at Li Qiao subtly, not wanting to scare her off, just listening to her play the instrument. Out of reflex, I reach for her head and gently place her ribbon in her hair, my fingers brushing the material, intrigued by its silky surface.
Her eyes lock onto mine, the blue in them wandering around, searching for unknown answers to her unknown questions. She stops playing the flute, slowly lowering the magical weapon as she quickly flutters her eyelashes, her slight blush barely visible.
I regain my composure and clear my throat. "Sorry." I pull away. "Didn't mean to startle you." A long pause. "You sing beautifully… I can't help but wonder, why did you decide to help me?"
She looks surprised by my question. A silent moment heavies around us as she averts her eyes down at her hands, avoiding my gaze. I couldn't help but notice her cheeks are as pink as fresh dandelions, sparkling like the dew on them. She hesitated a little and then answered: "I can't really put it into words… when I see the opportunity to grow and gain knowledge and strength, it's like the gods speak to me and push me to take the chance."
Her voice is gentle, full of emotion. Her eyes linger on, past the mountains up ahead. The breeze brushes through her hair, her flute hanging off in one hand as the other tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Pretty chilly out here" She chuckles awkwardly, curling up.
"Yeah…" my instincts kick in, taking off my suit that I brought along and slinging it over her shoulders. "Not the coziest, but still something."
"Thank you-" I give her space, sliding back into my spot, closing my eyes to rest.
After a bit, she also falls asleep.
…
Suddenly, the carriage stops harshly, the horses acting strangely agitated by something or someone. I woke up and see Li Qiao holding her sword ready to counterattack. "Get back!" She jumps down from the carriage, taking out her sword. The horses turn restless, and the man holding the leash barely. We suddenly find ourselves surrounded by what seem to be the "mountain men," wearing little clothing and covering their faces with painted wooden masks. I've only read about them; I didn't know they existed in the 21st century...
Their leader steps to the front, facing Li Qiao. Holding up his spear, he orders the men to taunt us, circling us like prey.
"You dare step on our territory?" He speaks loudly and clearly behind his mask.
"We're fair travelers, we mean no harm!" Li Qiao speaks.
"Noone shall mess with mountain lords!" He says.
I couldn't just stay back and watch; I needed Li Qiao to guide me to the mountain.
"Why would we upset your lords when all we do is pass by here and mind our business?" She adds.
"Because we must hide from people like! Your people massacred our people for hundreds of years for their own selfish reasons!"
"If we were here to kill you, we would've done it without trying to bring peace!"
They keep on bickering.
As soon as he raises his hand to command his people to attack, I stand behind him like a shadow. "Wouldn't you like to be like them then? I see no difference between our ancestors and your words. I hope your actions speak otherwise."
Only when the leader turns around to my voice, his neck meets my two-bladed sword. His green eyes meet mine.