Chapter 11

"Then come down, I won't hurt you for now," he was curious, but not stupid. He wouldn't allow himself to fall into a trap. Especially one laid by a woman. He'd watched the darkness that laid in a woman's heart from the moment he was born. Every woman in that palace conspired against one another, against the children, against the servants. Women were like roses with poisonous thorns, he knew better than to believe their words at face value.

"I would ask one favor if I could," her voice was as calm as if she was having a conversation with an old friend while drinking tea.

"You think you have the right to ask a favor from me?" he said, continuing to humor her.

"Let that woman go."

His hand stiffened at his side. He could care less about that woman and her child. He, too, had heard of the stories in the village about the warrior woman. When the woman and her infant happened to run in this direction, he decided to join in to have a look for himself. But he was a Prince, and she was a peasant; he was the ruler, and she had no right to dictate his actions. He would only humor her so far.

"Guards! Pull her down!" He demanded.

"I will have to apologize to this second Prince, I only hope for a life to be spared today." Without another word, she was suddenly flying into another tree, her arms spread, and one knee lifted. The men began to give chase, but they were too slow, and before they knew it, she was gone.

The Prince was enraged. It had been a long time since he felt so frustrated. "Search the area," he ordered.

Shortly after, one of the men came back, informing him of the cabin. They headed towards the cabin and the soldiers searched inside before coming out, letting the Prince know it was safe. He stepped inside and felt strangely uncomfortable. There was a scent in this place that was feminine, but somehow not flowery or sweet like all the other women he'd seen. Even the maids always had light scents on. The smell always repulsed him. His mother practically bathed herself in it. This smell wasn't unpleasant, but it left him feeling distracted.

He searched around the room, stopping on a blue object. He felt a tightness in his chest as he lifted it up and looked it over. It was well worn and faded, but there was no denying the craftsmanship and quality of the material. His lips pulled into a tight smile. His eyes filled with loathing. So he'd found her after all.

While the men searched her home, she darted past them, navigating expertly through the trees. She kept her ears ready and open, giving out a short howl, then another in response to a call. The wolves instantly began heading towards the cabin, making an unknown perimeter at a distance far enough to not be seen.

She trained these wolves since they were pups, training them daily with whistles and various howling commands. They were so well attuned to her that it became their own language. When the wolves she brought back those years ago grew up they had pups, then they had pups of their own. All of the pups following after were taught by the parents, by following examples. It was engrained in the wolves basic nature now.

She rushed to the small hole where the woman had hid and peeked inside. They were both there still bundled together. The woman stared at her with fearful eyes, her hands tightly hugging the small child in her arms.

"Hurry and leave while they are distracted." She pulled out a small pouch with dried meats and rations she always kept on her person in case she was stuck somewhere. She put it in the woman's hands and stood back up. "Head in that direction, walk until you find a small clearing; from there, find a path leading down the mountain into Jin Guo. I don't know how life will be there, but at least it's a chance to live."

The woman crawled out with her bundled child; it was sleeping soundly in her arms after being fed. She kneeled to the ground. Liang Lai Jiao knew that she was about to kowtow and quickly helped her stand.

"Hurry up and leave before they come back. They will be busy with me for now, don't delay."

The woman raised her head and met Liang Lai Jiao's eyes. They were brimming with tears, "Thank you." With that, she continued her escape.

Liang Lai Jiao sighed. She knew that she needed to go back to see that person. She wasn't willing to run and hide for the rest of her life, especially if she wanted to see her family given back some of their honor. She slowly began to head back towards her cabin, already knowing that's where they were.

The wolves acknowledged her as she walked past, lifting their noses to sniff her hands. She clicked her tongue, and they headed back towards their den in silence. When she was closer to the cabin, the guard in the tree spotted her. He stared at her as she walked without an ounce of fear towards her cabin. He wondered if she didn't know that they were there waiting, but he couldn't believe that could be the case. She'd been able to hear the faintest brush of leaves as he moved before, how could she not have known they headed in this direction?

He stayed on guard and followed her slowly through the trees, somehow knowing that she wasn't going back to fight, but uncertain of what her goal was. When they were close enough for the sound to carry towards the cabin, she suddenly looked up at him, "Let him know I'm here," she murmured. Her voice was like soft rain.

He let out a tight-lipped whistle. The Prince turned towards one of his men, understanding what the sound meant. "Bring her in."

"Yes!" The soldier walked out of the cabin stopping at the door. All the other soldiers likewise stopped to stare. They were surprised that she was not only coming on her own accord but by the fact that she was stunning. She looked up towards the soldier that stood in front of her door. He felt his breath hitch. They were beautiful eyes, the eyes of a once in a lifetime beauty, but she was also haggard and wild-looking, even a little dirty.