"To the Capital City"

Daifu and I rode silently in the carriage as It rolled against the wind on the serpentine path for the next few minutes. The air had gone heavy with the clouds gradually covering the sun, promising rain. The Capital was close, as the forest on the scenery was gradually being replaced by cut-down trees and rice fields popping here and there. Though having them seen for the first time, I sensed a strange familiarity between the paddy fields here and the ones in the Indian village I belonged from, back in the present. As I kept staring cluelessly at them, I noticed both of them had that strange warmth of home and the same stretch of sky where dark and pale clouds hovered with rain in them.

"It's going to rain", I exclaimed, watching the skies slowly darkening with black, rain clouds.

"We are very close to the Capital, Young Master.", Daifu replied, holding the reins tighter. "There... I think we can see the gates," He pointed his hand towards the far front.

I carefully moved towards the front of the carriage, trying to get a glimpse of the city I was going into. After all, The city I was going into was a place that was both foreign and historical at the same time. The wind rushed past me as I tried peeking my head out from the opening beside Daifu's seat, forcing me to squint my eyes against the sudden gust.

As I opened my eyes, I could see the carriage horses toiling hard to pull the carriage at its full speed, while the road ahead stretched towards the horizon like a snake. As I looked carefully, I noticed a walled stretch appearing on the snake's tail. The road, which had been a dirt track up until now, suddenly turned into a well-cobbled stone path surrounded by small huts and houses on both sides.

Moving through the small houses, our carriage rushed across the changing landscape, across flocks of people walking with goods and animals towards the city gate. Though I was on a carriage that was moving fast, I was not slow in catching the attention of their faces and the expressions on them. I could see the children crackle with laughter as they kept running around their parents. I smiled, as I watched them live their simple life. Some of them even smiled back at me, greeting me with words I could not make out in between the cacophony of the screeching wheels and galloping horses. 

These were ordinary, simple people. I was one of them. I belonged to them. Those warm smiles on the faces of the little children made me feel all the comfort of this world. I belonged to these smiles. But I was caged in that 'royal', 'Imperial' carriage of titles. Nevertheless, I brushed my thoughts off and brought my attention towards Dai Fu, who was gradually slowing down the carriage because of the crowd.

Dai Fu's brow furrowed as the carriage slowed slightly, navigating the growing throng of people. He glanced at me, his tone uncertain. "Young Master, forgive me, but… where exactly are we supposed to meet this Lady Zhao?"

I blinked, caught off guard. "You don't know?"

He gave a sheepish shrug. "I assumed you would know. It wasn't exactly spelled out for me."

I looked at him, widening my eyes. I had no idea, obviously. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind until now, and now a wave of embarrassment was very close to crossing me. I sat back, running a hand through my hair, feeling the carriage jostle beneath me.

"Well," I muttered, trying to mask my unease, "I thought you would've been told."

Dai Fu let out a short laugh, though it lacked any humour. "No, Young Master. All I know is that we're to meet her in the Capital. Beyond that, I'm as clueless as a blind horse on a mountain pass."

"So… what are we supposed to do? Wander the streets until we stumble upon her by sheer luck?"-I stared at him, incredulous.

Dai Fu sighed, pulling the reins slightly to avoid a slow-moving ox cart. "You have the letter, don't you?" he said, glancing at me sideways.

"Yes…" I replied hesitantly.

"Then read it properly!" he snapped, though his tone was more urgent than unkind. "Surely the answer is in there."

"Alright! Alright!-" I fumbled for the letter, my hands clumsily running around as I retrieved it from the folds of my robe. The parchment was slightly crumpled, the ink smudged in places from the humidity. I had skimmed it briefly earlier, but surely I had missed something.

Unfolding it carefully, I held it to the dim light filtering through the carriage's small window. This time, I noticed a dozen words written on the other side of the page that I had completely ignored. As I stared at them, The half-smudged strokes of Chinese characters stared back at me, and I squinted, trying to make sense of the language.

"Well?" Dai Fu asked, his eyes flicking between me and the crowded road ahead.

"Hold on," I muttered, scanning the text. My heart sank further as I struggled to decipher the finer points. "It says we're to meet Lady Zhao upon our arrival in the Capital… but it doesn't specify where."

Dai Fu groaned. "That's helpful. Very helpful."

"Wait," I said, holding up a hand as I caught sight of a line near the bottom. "There's more… 'Upon reaching the gates, seek the Dragon Alley, A carriage will stand prepared there. '" I exhaled in relief, though it was tinged with embarrassment at having overlooked such an obvious detail.

Dai Fu chuckled dryly. "There, see? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Ignoring his remark, I leaned back against the carriage seat, folding the letter carefully and tucking it away. "It's the Dragon Alley," I said, my voice steadying. "Do you know where that is?"

He gave a nod, his confidence returning. "I've heard of it. It's near the western gate. We're headed in the right direction."

"Good," I replied, relieved to have finally gotten over this conversation.