A gust of warm air signaled Lee Chun's return, with Chen Kou close behind him. She had long since cleaned up during her wait, but the rusty scent of blood once again filled the room. Anri took in the sight of Chen Kou, his poor and unkept state a shock in comparison to the organized and easy-mannered general she'd first met. His nose was a coagulated mess where he'd been kicked, and he cradled his arm gingerly to his stomach. His dark hair was matted with blood. She hoped it wasn't his. Despite his injuries, he reached out to her, though his wince did not go unnoticed when he knelt to wrap an arm around her.

"Everything I have is gone," she said plainly. It hadn't been a question, but he nodded in confirmation.

Anri reeled back and stuck out an arm to prop herself up. "Why did those men raid our home?" She thought back to the glint of avarice she'd seen in the eyes of the men who'd attacked them. "They wanted something from us."

Chen Kou stared at her unwaveringly, before dropping his gaze to her neck. "There is something you should know."

"Is this your fault?" her voice rose in volume and pitch.

"No!" Chen Kou arched away from her. He signaled at Lee Chun, who left the room eager to never return. "The king and I will make this right. I promise."

He gave her a small smile, and she heard the honest tone in his voice. "Go on," she heard herself say.

"Remember when I first came to your family's estate, and I had no idea of the news to come?"

She nodded.

"I claimed that I had arrived early to herald your uncle's return. However, I was also sent for a secondary reason."

The room felt as if it had dropped ten degrees. Despite the laughter and moans that echoed outside, their conversation continued in false silence which locked them away into their own other dimension.

"I was told that your father left behind an item of legend that would bridge the Northern and Southern people, uniting Kyutan into one force."

Anri felt the gem at her throat grow heavy, as if eagerly awaiting its mention. "A dragon pearl," she whispered.

"Are you familiar with the legends?"

"I know the pearl was a gift from the dragons to the first king of Kyutan, so that he would rule over all the people with unquestionable wisdom, power and mercy," her voice faltered as she struggled to recall the bedtime story her mother had told her. "But neighboring nations saw it and wanted it for themselves, so they launched fruitless sieges on our land. Eventually, the king gave the magic back to the dragons. Or he destroyed it and used the remaining remnants of power to establish Kyutan as it is today."

"I've heard both endings too."

"I thought it was just a child's tale." Magic. Her breath hitched at the thought.

"No, it's real." He shifted her collar down just a nudge to reveal the pearl at her throat. "And it's right here."

She swallowed, unnerved, but did not lean back from his touch. The tip of his finger was rough, but his gesture soft and warm. Their eyes met.

Chen Kou removed his hand quickly. A familiar darkness settled behind those dark eyes of his. She realized that his thinking expression had grown on her, and she now derived great comfort from seeing him speak so earnestly with her outside of a spar. He spoke the next words quietly under his breath, and they were both made keenly aware that the brothel was not a private space, despite what the rooms would have them believe. "The Northern raiders likely heard of your father's death and rushed to your home. They had good reason to suspect that it was in your possession. All of Kyutan has heard the stories of how General Lin was both wise and invincible on the battlefield.

My people have always been more connected to old ways, and they know that the ending of the legend is fabricated. The pearl wasn't destroyed by the Old King. And it wasn't returned either. Strength. Wisdom and mercy, Anri. The power to split mountains, and drown villages. To heal, to humble, to unite. Do you know what this means?"

Anri unclasped her necklace and cupped it in her hand so that they could both see it better in the dim lighting. "Chen Kou, look at this. It's just a trinket that my parents got me as a souvenir."

He shook his head and closed her fingers around it. "I could feel that you were blessed since the first time we met in the stables."

Our daughter is blessed.

Her father's words on the night left her feeling as if someone had smacked her between the eyes. Come to think of it, the necklace had been a gift from her father when retiring, after his second-last call to war with the North.

"What should I do?" she asked.

"Come with me to the palace. The king needs our help- he needs you to save us. The North has always launched small ineffective attacks, but now we have confirmed that there is a war brewing. They have a new leader: Lord Huida, whom they intend to install as king, with no understanding of the different peoples and cultures in Kyutan. The stone was entrusted to your for a reason, and I believe that you are destined to help establish a new era of peace for Kyutan. After all, isn't that your namesake?"

He continued in her silence, "I'm sorry about Lady Lin. I know that we won't be able to get your previous life back in the fullest, but allow me to help you gain even a small resemblance of the life you once had."

Her necklace grew warm in her grip and she could barely hear Chen Kou holding onto his breath over the cacophony of her own thoughts. The thoughts rose to a roar in her mind, and she blurted out her answer to make it stop. "I'll do it. I'll go back with you."

Chen Kou sighed in relief, though she doubted he would have let her go easily if she'd said no. She fiddled with the necklace and clasped it back around her neck.

"I'll warn you it won't be easy," he eyed her, to which she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a quick study and hard worker. You don't get these without practice," Anri showed him the calluses lining the upper section of her open palm. She acquiesced to alleviate him of his worries, "but I'll need your help with court etiquette and the other rules. Can you teach me?"

He smiled at this, pleased to be of help. "I'd be honoured. For now, keep this hidden until you meet the king," he pointed at her necklace. "We want to keep it a secret for as long as possible."

She nodded in mute agreement.

"We'll leave tomorrow. Get some rest now." He grabbed the pillow from her and crawled away to place it several feet away from the mattress.

"Hey! I was going to use that," she protested.

"You get the cot, I get the pillow" was the response that came from the other side of the room. She tch-ed in an unladylike manner, but felt the ghost of a smile on her lips watching Chen Kou tuck the pillow under his head and shifting it around several times, dissatisfied. She turned on her side to face him.

"I'm glad that you were the one the king sent to visit us," she said quietly. She heard a pause in his breath before he replied.

"Me too," he turned around, eyes creasing downward into the crooked grin she had grown so used to in the past few months.

"Do you struggle with it? Siding with the king and going against your people in the war." She'd been curious ever since he'd revealed his heritage.

Chen Kou frowned, taking time to ponder her question. "I wouldn't say it's a struggle... They gave me up at a young age, and I don't know anything different," his lips pressed together into a thin line. "But it does nag at the back of my mind, I guess. It makes me wonder what they're fighting so strongly for."

"The North has always wanted to have their culture recognized, but merely lacked proper representation. It's no wonder they leapt at the opportunity to overthrow him the minute Lord Huida stepped into power." She too had heard whispers of this new lord in the marketplace.

He grimaced at this. "I can't deny that the king has always been a patron of the arts."

"Why doesn't he just include some Northern representatives in court?"

"It's not that simple. In recent years there have been rumours that Northern peoples have been dabbling with dark magic, the kind that destroyed the dragons in the first place."

Anri's eyes widened despite the fatigue that crouched threateningly behind her heavy eyelids. "I thought all forms of magic disappeared when the dragons went instinct."

"Some have been resurfacing lately, and I know that it has to do with Huida's thirst for power," he set his jaw with a cold expression that made her wonder at the other reasons underlying his accusation of the Northern lord. "He's always dabbled with powers we can't trust."

"Magic is magic, we could use it for the betterment of people." Her mind leapt to the old legends of dragons and the gods who partnered with them. There would be no more drought, villages could prosper and flourish with the blessings and power of the gods.

"You'd understand better if you met him. Trust me," he shuddered, "magic that powerful and manipulative can't be trusted in men like Huida. I won't let him rip the people of Kyutan apart for his whims."

"We'll make this right. Together, you and I," she mumbled as much to Chen Kou as to herself. She pressed a hand to the gem at her throat which seemed to hum in response; it's smooth, cold surface dug into her all night as she fell into her dreams filled with dragons, magic, and kings.