RTYY 303 - Arc 13 - Cold Silence

Arc 13 - Cold Silence

Still in disbelief, Snow watched as ZaiWin silently obeyed every order he was given. From 'stand up' to 'walk', 'stop' or 'stay', it was almost as if he were MaoHan's obedient puppet. And Snow's heart ached with every movement he made, following MaoHan's short commands.

Even if he still hadn't recovered all of his energy, Snow knew there shouldn't be any reason why ZaiWin wouldn't simply jump to his side, grab him and jump them both away from that place. If he wanted to, Snow knew ZaiWin wouldn't even have any problems grabbing the two children on his way out of that place. Sure, they probably wouldn't be able to go very far, but at least they would put some distance between them and the others. And Snow could finally … explain … Explain what had happened. Tell him he had never meant to harm him in any way. That he had never thought things would come to this. And then he could maybe ask him to forgive him. Not that he deserved to be forgiven ... But, no matter how many times he envisioned that outcome inside his head, as time went by it became increasingly clearer that all his hopes were in vain, he painfully realized once more as he watched ZaiWin calmly cross one of YunZen's creepy dark fractures in space that would lead them who knew where.

ZaiWin hadn't even glanced his way, since they'd put that collar around his neck, his blue eyes cold and distance, as if his mind were simply absent. Which Snow now knew it wasn't true. So why …? What had they done to him to force him into obedience like that? The ZaiWin he knew would never have played along with being someone else's toy. He would have gone into a raging fit and would have kill them all with is dark swords in a blink of an eye. So what was that icy, almost disinterested calm that now surrounded him?

"Shall we go?" HuaQin sang happily, bowing to him as she gestured the dark passageway.

Snow didn't even hesitate. At least they were apparently keeping them together, he thought, stepping through the passageway, looking back to that sad, empty place full of memories he should never have remembered in the first place.

Like before, when he crossed the strange portal YunZen had created for him, he didn't feel a thing. One moment he was standing in an empty room, one step later he was in the middle of a forest.

Although it was still dark, the sound of horses immediately capture his attention, and he saw what looked like a large number of horses tied to nearby trees. There was also an old wooden cart, over which some kind a cage had been assembled. And, just like before, ZaiWin was already following MaoHan's directives, obediently walking towards the cart, bending his back so he could step inside it, his dark, long hair sliding over his shoulders.

MaoHan hadn't even opened his mouth, and he sure didn't look as if he was threatening him in any way. Which only made Snow feel even more confused, his heart slamming heavily against his chest. He wanted to freeze that entire forest and simply get them both out of that place. But then a small tug on his cloak made him lower his gaze, and he saw the little girl staring up at him with huge, frightened blue eyes.

Fine! He would play their game, he decided, smiling back at the child, trying to somehow reassure her. But if they thought he that he was going to simply do as he was told, they couldn't be more wrong. He could be patient, he told himself, watching as the others also stepped from the dark gateway, ZwaKim carrying a sleeping RimJan in her arms, and YunZen practically stumbling over his own feet and almost falling from exhaustion where he stood. Being patient was something Snow had learned a long time ago. What else could he have been, being forced to lie on that bed all those years? It was either that or going completely insane.

Instead of panicking, instead of filling his head with all sorts of scary theories, instead of uselessly blaming himself for placing them in their current predicament, he would carefully study them all, learn everything he could learn about them, try to understand why ZaiWin kept silently obeying them. Since Snow was sure that he would never simply do as he was told, there must be something he still couldn't see, forcing him to act like that. Taking any kind of action before he understood what it was could eventually do more harm than good. And Snow wasn't going to risk ZaiWin's life for anything in the world. So, the most important thing he could do right now was gather as much information as possible. And then, when the right time came, he would do whatever it took to get them both out of that situation. After all, that mess was his doing. It was his responsibility to solve it somehow. He just hoped ZaiWin would forgive his stupidity, and for dragging him into all that mess.

"Do you know how to ride?" RyuXin asked him, pulling one of the horses by it's reins. "His name is Dancer, and he's very docile. So even if you don't feel at ease …"

Snow snatched the reins from his hands and nimbly mounted the horse without a second thought, leaving RyuXin gaping up at him. HuaQin whistled approvingly.

"And there you were, fearing the little boy might fall off his horse! He probably rides better than you!" she clearly mocked and RyuXin frowned, storming away.

Snow gently patted Dancer's neck and sat on his saddle with his back very straight. He could still hear ZaiWin's voice inside his head, from the first time he had forced him to mount a horse, back at the Fortress.

Straighten your back and relax your legs. Just feel how he moves and adapt your body accordingly. He's bigger and stronger than you, so don't try to go against him.

He obeyed every one of those silent commands. Sure, he had never ridden a horse on his own. But he had spent many, many hours ridding on the same saddle as ZaiWin, watching attentively every move he made, from the way he held the reins to the small pulls he gave them, and how those small gestures accurately conveyed his wishes to Black. He would be fine, he decided, glancing towards the prison cart where ZaiWin now sat, as still as a statue.

The children were also doing their best to climb inside the cart, helping each other since no one seemed willing to lend them a hand.

YunZen practically dragged himself to his horse and, once he finally managed to mount it, he simply fell forward, lying on his horse's neck, his eyes closed as if he'd just fallen asleep.

As to be expected, MaoHan took the lead. And, to Snow's annoyance, HuaQin immediately guided her horse towards the prison cart, leaning down on her saddle to peer inside. A disgusting smile took over her lips at the sight of ZaiWin, even though he had pulled one knee up, resting his head on one arm, his black hair hiding most of his face, looking very much as if he too, had just fallen asleep. She better not dare land a hand on him!, Snow thought, grinding his teeth. He would kill her if she did!

"Is everyone ready?" MaoHan asked, peering back, obviously not expecting an answer. "Okay. Let's move out. We have a few days of travel ahead of us."

Days?! Snow wondered when his horse simply followed the others. Where were they taking them? What for? Were they intending to keep them prisoners until Snow agreed with their distorted view of the world? Until he accepted breaking his bond? Yeah. Because that would never happen! He had made a promise to ZaiWin. He would always stay by his side, no matter what. And even if he hadn't promised. He still wouldn't do it! They would have to kill him first!

"You remember I told you about InnArg, right?" RyuXin asked, slowing down a bit so that Snow could catch up with him.

Snow didn't even glance his way, much less answered. He might be willing to play their game, for the time being. But he most definitely was not going to engage in friendly conversation or socialize with those people. No matter how nice they were to him or how well they treated him!

"I told you he was very worried about you, after you disappeared, remember? We're going to meet him. Maybe then you can see what we're trying to show you."

As if he were some naive child! He wasn't blind! He understood all too well what they were trying to show him! The problem was that, for once, he felt that he actually knew more than the people around him, his vision of things somehow much wider.

He kind of felt a bit sorry for them. It must be hard, believing you're living in a world full of people that want nothing but to do you harm. Believing the entire world condemns your very existence and wants you dead. It must be very lonely, Snow concluded. Even when he'd been a prisoner, he still had had the memory of Sand, of her kind and warm hands, of her gentle humming voice, to hold on to. Apparently these ... Blessed ... didn't even have something like that to help keep the darkness at bay. Reason why RyuXin seemed so attached to this idea of having, and constantly finding, new brothers and sisters. Even if those siblings looked at him with scorn, like ZwaKim did. Or kept mocking him every time he opened his mouth, like HuaQin did.

Snow suddenly understood why RyuXin always looked so eager, every time he came talk to him, and why, at the same time, his smile never reached his eyes. Yes, he had lots of brothers and sisters, but those were nothing more than words. From what he had seen so far, they didn't behave like a family at all. Not that Snow was an expert on how families should behave. But, somehow, even ZaiWin's group, while they'd traveled from Wei to Woodbridge, had felt more … brotherly. Although only ZenTar and MenTar had actually shared the same blood, everyone had always been ready to help in anyway they could. They would worry about one another, and they would instinctively watch each other's back.

Looking at their much larger group now, Snow felt nothing even similar to that. Even though he was sure they had known each other for a long time, they still felt like complete strangers who had just met by chance.

Right from the start, YunZen seemed about to fall off his horse from sheer exhaustion, but no one had even glanced back at him to check on his condition. And looking at the way ZwaKin carried the still sleeping RimJan on her saddle, she might as well have been carrying a sac of potatoes. There was nothing there, but cold indifference and loneliness. And so RyuXin would constantly slow down to try and talk with Snow, even though he had been utterly disgusted with him just moments ago. He probably kept hoping Snow might be different from the others, that he might actually become the brother he had been wishing for for so long.

Realizing this, Snow couldn't help feeling sorry for him. Because, as things stood, he would be the farthest thing from a brother that could ever be. He would be his enemy. And he wouldn't hesitate to kill him if his or ZaiWin's survival depended on that.

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Hmm, Snow has finally opened his eyes. I'm sure this new truth actually makes him very sad. But things are just the way they are. 😔