Chapter 38: The Hairpin

Chapter 38: The Hairpin

The stars covered by the sight of ominous clouds that had rolled over the sky from the west. There was only the pale light of a shrouded moon, which shone through the darkness on this night. Perturbed by the somber hush that fell over the grounds of the water god's estate, Jing Li felt a shiver trickle down her spine as she loitered near to the rounded window frame contained within her chambers. 

Jing Li's eyes, wandering further into the night as they sought some reassurance amidst the murky darkness, they abruptly returned to the room once she distinguished a startled cry from behind her. 

"Mistress, you'll catch your death if you don't come away from there!" Xiao Yu hollered, upon seeing her by the window. The reprimand, causing Jing Li to shuffle away from the opening sheepishly. She stood aside, whilst the young maid endeavored to once again slide shut the windowpane that Jing Li had prized open. 

The maid, throwing a castigatory look towards the Mistress she had just dressed in her nightly attire. Xiao Yu closed the latch on the window with a harsh click, before shooing Jing Li away with another chastisement. "Honestly, you should have enough sense by now not to give Death a reason to come knocking." Xiao Yu muttered, evidently exasperated with attending to the odd habits of her awkward Mistress. The complaint, vaguely reminding Jing Li of her late mother, she smiled forlornly as she replied, "You needn't worry, Xiao Yu. Death has other people to chase besides me." 

However, displaying no trust in this assurance, the lady's maid persisted to steer her Mistress away from the window. Still waving her towards the bed and she insisted that Jing Li seek immediate shelter in its warm covers, Xiao Yu said, "Regardless, there's no need for you to entice him with foolish pastimes, such as languishing over open windowsills in the dead of winter." 

"I would hope that the only man my future wife is trying to entice into her chambers would be me?" said a cool voice from near the doorway. 

The water god, obviously feeling no need to announce his comings and goings from his bride's chamber, unexpectedly inserting himself into the conversation. The two women stared at him in mild astonishment as he crossed the room towards them. His face, exhausted by the day, settling into a neutral expression of moderate severity. Xiao Yu bent into a nervous bow, which left Jing Li to answer the question Shui Long had posed upon entry. 

"Xiao Yu was just warning me of the dangers of stargazing on such a night." she said. The evidence of a soft smile forming in the corners of Jing Li's lips, suggesting that there was an element of jest to this statement. Shui Long too accepted her reply in good humor as he said, "There are no stars on this night, other than the ones that can be found in your eyes, my dear." The compliment, inspiring a slight blush to rise to Jing Li's unpainted cheeks. 

Transfixed by each other's gaze, the two did not even bother to spare a single glance towards the maid that bowed herself out quietly from the room. Her absence, allowing Shui Long to be drawn deeper into Jing Li's orbit. They grew ever nearer until he bent to kiss her at last. Their kiss made sweeter by the words of longing that it replaced, Jing Li savored the moment until a bitterness marred the embrace. 

Burdened by an issue that was not yet known to her, there was a sadness felt in the gentle brush of Shui Long's lips as they separated from hers. The source of his unspoken sorrow, causing a mark of worry to crease Jing Li's brow. Shui Long gazed deeply into her eyes once more, before he could convince himself to finally say, "I received word from the West Lake Clan." 

This announcement, already causing an unsettling feeling to gnaw at the pit of her stomach, Jing Li assumed that the members of Lu Qi's clan had not come to call on Shui Long without a reason. Her smile fading as she awaited for the water god to explain further. His unhappiness piqued even more by the departure of her smile, Shui Long confessed, "They were not content with my decision to banish Lu Qi's." Aware that it was her mercy that had once again burdened Shui Long, guilt already weighed on Jing Li's mind as she lowered her eyes away from his. 

The omission of her gaze, provoking him to pluck a lock of freshly combed hair from her shoulders. Shui Long twirled the soft tress wistfully between his long fingers, before he finally spoke the words he had been dreading, "They have declared a war." The announcement, provoking Jing Li's thin eyebrows to pinch together as she looked back towards the god. Shui Long responded to her gaze with a dejected smile as he said, "Do not worry, I shall not allow for any harm to befall you." 

Neither the god's attitude nor his words, able to negate the anxiety that had sunk into the bottom of her stomach, Jing Li asked, "But who will protect you?" The anxious lines on Jing Li's face, inspiring Shui Long's to lift a hand towards her rosy cheek. The water god gently cupped the soft curve of her face as he assured her softly, "I promise, I will always return to you as long as there is air left in me." His thumb beginning to caress Jing Li's cheek softly to ward off the tears that crept into the corners of her eyes, Shui Long repeated this motion until he was certain that he had at least abated some of his bride's concern. 

After seeing that he had successfully encouraged the slow retreat of her tears, the water god removed the hand that held her cheek to reach into the inner folds of his robes. His fingers carefully curling around something that was contained inside, Shui Long soon withdrew a long bundle from the space next to his left breast. The package, wrapped in silken fabric and tied with a light blue bow, held out between them. Shui Long placed the parcel in Jing Li's hands as he said, "This was supposed to be a gift for your birthday, but I would like you to have it now." 

Considering the weight of the object inside of the soft bundle in her hands, Jing Li admired the neat ribbon and greyish cloth for a moment. Thinking that it was almost a shame to disturb the delicate wrapping, Shui Long eventually instructed her.

"Open it." he said, waiting to observe her reaction to his present. Her hesitancy, causing her to glance at the water god, before again looking back down at the bundle she held. Jing Li gave a gentle tug to one end of the bow. 

However, the ribbon, not needing any further enticement than this to unfurl from its tidily looped shape, the clothing wrapping opened in her hand. Unfolding to reveal the shine of a cool metal object, Jing Li nudged the gray fabric aside with her timid fingers to find that it contained an elegant hairpin. The silver ornament, depicting a serpent that had intertwined itself gracefully around the stem of a proud lotus. Shui Long caressed Jing Li's cheek with his long fingers to tuck a lock of her dark hair behind her ear as he said, "I hope that you can always keep a part of me with you." 

Admiring the artfully crafted hairpin held in the small palm of her cold hands. Jing Li was reminded of Shui Long's words and the last night that they had spent together before he had departed for war with the West Lake Clan. Envying how the lovely curves of the snake and lotus remained permanently interlaced with one another as she felt the ache of the water god's absence once more. The pain of this yearning released in a long sigh as Jing Li placed the metal ornament down onto her lap. 

Watching the breath collect into a little cloud amidst the cool morning air, she wished that there was a breeze that might at least carry her breath away to where Shui Long now was. However, observing that the sigh merely faded into the obscurity of the pergola overlooking the gardens. Jing Li frowned mildly as she replaced the ornament back into the ornate hairstyle that Xiao Yu had devised in order to distract her from the fact that they had received no news from the battlefield this week. However, despite her maid's valiant efforts, Jing Li's worry could not be mitigated this morning. 

The renewal of this pining feeling, prompting her to resume her walk through the grounds of the water god's estate. Jing Li pulled the fabric of her thick winter cloak closer to her body as she rejoined the path beside the pond. The garment's barrier not protecting her cheeks from the cold, they became a vivid red in the cold winter air discovered alongside the pond. Reminded of the blissful days she had spent floating over its surface in summer, Jing Li skirted the frozen edges of the water forlornly hoping that those days might return to her.

This doleful reminiscence was soon interrupted by a distressed squawk, emanating from the tall reeds beside the pond. The noise, dissipating the haze of her thoughts, Jing Li blinked in mild bewilderment before another screech beseeched her to investigate the source of this tortured cry. Descending the frosty embankment until the water nearly lapped at her toes. Jing Li extended her hands out to gradually part the tall stalks of the brown vegetation that obscured one side of the pond. 

Finding an injured heron concealed among the reeds, Jing Li observed the creature that laid pathetically between the bent stalks. Holding a bloodied wing to its side on the frozen embankment, the bird released another miserable coo from its pointed beak once it had perceived her presence. Moved by the creature's plight, Jing Li dipped her toes over the edge of the pond. Hearing the ice break beneath her feet, there was the unpleasant sensation of frigid water entering through the soles of her shoes as she proceeded. 

The delicate footwear evidently not designed to combat terrain more rugged than cobblestones, Jing Li did not let this dissuade her from wading into the reeds. Careful not to make any sudden movements as she came to squat beside the heron. Jing Li gradually inched a hand closer to the bird, hoping to inspect its injury. However, suspicious of her intentions, the creature recoiled away from her. 

This game of withdrawal and cautious advancement continued between the two for quite some time, before Jing li was finally permitted to touch the animal. The bird croaked another miserable cry as she dabbed away the blood surrounding the wound with the edge of her sleeve. Uncovering the small wound, which had provoked the heron to crash haphazardly into the water god's garden, after several minutes of delicately repeating this action.

Relieved to find that the injury seemed superficial and had not persisted to bleed, Jing Li thought to at least retrieve the heron from the biting waters of the pond. However, the heron, possessing other plans that were unbeknownst to her, sprang up from his feeble position amongst the reeds. His sad eyes now filled with a fieriness that had been concealed beforehand as he now struck out at her with his razor-like talons. 

Jing Li fell backward into the shallow water of the embankment as she felt the sting of the heron's claws rip through fabric and skin on her forearm. However, this minor injury, not enough to satisfy the heron's fervent ire, he launched himself again in her direction. This time clutching the tresses that Xiao Yu had so carefully styled atop her head with his talons. He gave a harsh yank of Jing Li's long hair, taking clumps of hair along with the silver hairpin as he flew away.