Chapter 12

Would this young Soldier mind stepping to the side," she asked in her soft voice. He quickly moved as though he had been commanded by a superior. The other men might have laughed at him at another time, but they too had been caught off guard.

She stepped inside the cabin and quickly kowtowed in front of the Prince. "This Servant greets Second Prince and begs for forgiveness." A flicker of humor passed through his eyes. She had been so bold and haughty before, but now she was prostrate as if she were a lowly slave.

"Lift your face," he commanded. She lifted her limpid eyes towards him. Meeting them head-on. He wanted to see if she truly was that child from the past. His eyes roamed over her face for a moment, causing her to blush uncomfortable with such overt attention. He scoffed and looked away. All women were the same in the end. "So, you know you were wrong then?"

"I know. I came back to ask for punishment." Inside she felt blackness in the pit of her stomach. Being used to living alone and being free, to suddenly having to prostrate oneself was not easy to swallow. But she wasn't ignorant of the power that the royal family held. In the end, no matter how strong she was, or how capable, she was always just a subject to the royal bloodline. She wasn't foolish enough to think otherwise. She could only imagine what kind of hell she would bring to this mountain if she tried to run. She didn't have people in her life, she had beasts and forests. To her, these things were as worthy as any human life could be.

"It's good that you know you were wrong." He called in one of the guards, "this servant is guilty of disobeying the orders of the Prince. Bring her back to the barracks and throw her in prison to wait for her punishment."

The guard moved forward, taking away her sword and her bow tossing them to the side. Her eyes panicked, pain creasing the corners. Prince Yi Feng smirked; he'd been waiting for her to beg for mercy. They were all the same. "Please," she said quietly. Prince Yi Feng waved his hand, stalling the guard. He wanted to hear her beg him. "Please take care of my weapons." He stiffened in surprise and glanced towards the weapons. He could see that the sword was rather well made and wondered who had given it to her.

"Take her away!" He ordered. Liang Lai Jiao felt her heart sink. She knew that it was asking a lot to keep them, but she had to try anyway. She stared at them with sorrow in her eyes as she was dragged out of the house. When she was outside, she let out a sad sigh, she didn't know if she would ever see this place again. She glanced back once, a feeling of loneliness washing over her. She'd always hoped that Xiang gege would come back for her. He came and went from her life, but he had left a deep impression in her heart, and now it felt as though she was being suffocated.

Prince Yi Feng watched from the window as she was led down the mountain. She didn't resist, only turned back once with big sorrowful eyes. Does she like these weapons that much? He bent down and picked up the sword. It was much lighter than the one he had, but it was obviously crafted by a master. He turned towards one of the men at his side, "Gather all of her things, then burn down the cabin."

She wouldn't be coming back here.