A hand clamped down on her mouth and Anri awoke with a muffled start.

The room was dark, except for the long blade that was illuminated by moonlight at her side. Its glow reflected onto the face of her attacker. Chen Kou.

Wordlessly, he put a finger to his lips and motioned for her to follow him.

She quickly donned the pearl necklace her parents had gifted her, and stepped into the hallway after Chen Kou with her sword in hand, until he came to an abrupt stop at the sound of a scuffle in the courtyard. Anri's eyes widened– from the sounds of it, there were at least twenty men fighting their way into the estate.

Chen Kou sensed her confusion from the pause of her stride, and reached back to grab her hand. He pulled her towards him to whisper in her ear. "Rebels heard of your father's passing and they came to raid the place," he hissed. "We must go, now."

She tugged his sleeve and he leaned down. "Mama."

Chen Kou pressed his lips together and shook his head.

No.

A scream pierced the air, and Anri's body moved instinctively towards the sound. She ran as fast and as quietly as she could to Lady Lin's room. She hoped the rebels wouldn't hear her over the rabble in the field.

Chen cursed, and launched himself after her.

As they rounded the corner to Lady Lin's room, she crashed into a Northern rebel who's jutting elbow sent Anri flying to the ground.

"Anri!"

She watched in horror as the man raised a battle ax above his head, about to bring it down on her. Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears as she threw herself to a side, narrowly dodging the ax which splintered the hardwood floor where she had been just seconds ago.

Enraged, the man lifted his weapon again, only to be slashed in the neck with Chen Kou's sword. Blood spurted from the gash in a crescent arc, splattering across Anri's face. She tasted a familiar metal tang as a few droplets landed in her open mouth. She screamed.

"Anri, shut up!" Chen Kou grabbed her arms and heaved her to her feet. They tumbled over the body and into the hall and were greeted by the site of Lady Lin blocking them from the view of several Northern warriors. Her mother turned back to look at her, and for a brief second she was restored to her former beauty and composure, immortalized in the cold light of the waning moon. The first word she'd uttered in weeks would be her last.

Go.

Chen Kou's hand reached out and clamped over Anri's eyes, but it was too late– she had seen everything.

Her head lolled as she felt her legs grow weak, her body threatening to give into gravity. "Ma..."

The men heard the commotion and began to move away to find their next target. "I can't get us out of here alone, Anri. I need you to stay with me," Chen Kou snaked his arm around her waist and dragged her forward. "That's an order from a royal general."

Dazed, Anri focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The image of her mother slumped over in the moonlight threatened to overwhelm her with every beat.

Like drums, the blood pounding in her head drowned out all other sounds. In the place of screams and clashing metal, she heard the steady thrum of her own heart which quickened each time Chen Kou turned a corner.

"In here," he ushered her into a gap between two bushes in the garden. She followed obediently, wincing as the branches whipped her face leaving needle-thin cuts. The thicket came to an abrupt end, spitting them out onto the street.

"There!" A wild cry sounded through the air, and Anri saw several men run towards them. The air was hot and sticky with the stench of ash and something sickeningly sweet. The sky was alight, a gradient of the brightest orange and she saw the rooftops of the village reflecting the brightest red. They were burning her home.

Gritting her teeth, she placed her back against Chen Kou's and drew her sword. At the sight of its blade, the men halted.

"Get back," Chen Kou commanded with such authority even Anri almost shifted away. "I am General Chen, protector of the crown and servant to the king."

One man stepped forward, his less-crude armour marking him as a leader of these men. "I know you," he spat on the ground between them, "you're no general."

"Bastard thinks he's a general now," another man scoffed from the back. "What's it like, being the emperor's dog?"

Anri felt Chen Kou stiffen at the mention of his heritage. "Get back," he repeated, "I will not hesitate to cut you down if you try to harm a member of the Lin family."

The leader cocked his head to look at her. "Ah, is this what we have here?" His gaze fell upon Anri and his eyes darkened in recognition, slowing as he took in her hand gripping the pearl necklace at her throat. The corner of his lip curled into a chilling grin as he smacked the blunt side of his sword repeatedly into his hand. A deep scar ran across his jaw– an ugly thing composed of twisted skin and a mass of swollen tissue that time had neglected to heal.

"My father fought for you," Anri responded. She hated how young her voice sounded in the air. "He spoke of unity, and fought for the representation of your tribes at court."

"She speaks of unity!" the man at the front roared. He raised the arm holding his sword and turned to the others. The men yipped in angry agreement at whatever he was about to say next.

He turned back to her and pointed the tip of his sword directly towards her face. "This is not true unity. We will never be united until the South relents their attack on our people."

"You are entitled to your lifestyle and heritage," Chen Kou growled, "but what you are not entitled to is rebellion against the emperor himself."

The man with a scar growled, and Chen Kou snarled in response. The surrounding onlookers hollered out obscenities as the two men launched themselves into battle.

The air was filled with the sound of their fight. The rebels jointed their leader with yells, and Anri held them back on her side. Where she cut down one, two would appear in their place. She slashed her sword in an arc through the air in front of her and the men momentarily backed away.

They tried again, this time as a united force. Their heavy weapons, though crude, slammed into her singular blade, pushing her back into Chen Kou's vicinity. With a grunt, she twisted to the side and pressed back with all her strength. Remembering her training, she brought her left foot forward and parried to the side– flawlessly executing a Tayin-style parry. She blew the irritating strands of hair out of her face and returned to Chen Kou's side.

Though his skill was undeniably better, the Northern man's size and strength was greater. "Anri!" he called out over his shoulder. "You must go!"

"What?" she parried against her opponents blows.

"You need to leave, I can't keep this up much longer."

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, the scarred man raised his blade and brought it down on Chen Kou's shoulder. The general cried out and fell to his knees, carried by the momentum of the blow. The man kicked his face back ruthlessly.

"Chen Kou!" she cried out.

One of the rebels grabbed at her arm in an attempt to hold her back, but Anri twisted away before slashing at him. The man howled at the sight of his hand, bloodied and fractured where fingers had once been.

The leader brought his sword down again, but Anri caught the blade with the flat edge of her sword. The blade shook both her strained arms, and she quivered beneath the full weight of his blow. Ribbon, her blade, glinted in the warm light of the arsonic flames and her necklace fell out of her nightgown collar. It dangled precariously between her and the attacker, who gazed at it with an avarice expression.

"Anri, go!" Chen Kou slammed his knee into the man's groin, and punched him across the face as he howled in pain.

Arms weak, she struggled to help Chen Kou up, but he pushed her out of the throng before she knew what was going on. Gasping for breath, Anri ran. The blood on her face had now dried into a thick crust, which burned into her skin. She turned to see the Northern rebel leaders blade fall to the ground, and Chen Kou rose up, mouth open in a yell. His eyes were filled with an unfamiliar rage, and she felt a chill run through her body. His hair slipped from his usual bun, and in that moment he reminded her of a wild, stray wolf cornered by an enemy pack.

Chen Kou caught her eye and was temporarily knocked out of his trance. Go, he mouthed.

She turned and ran.

"After her!" one of the men yelled, following her steps in swift pursuit. he was quickly stopped by a thrown knife sent from Chen Kou, which buried itself in the back of the man's head. She saw him slump to the ground in the corner of her eye and stifled a scream.

Ignoring the pain shooting up her legs as her feet made contact with the jagged cobble stones, she fled into the heart of the village, hoping to lose her pursuers in the throng of tourists who came out to enjoy the city at night. Surely one of them would see the tall flames coming from the Lin estate on fire.

Thought it was late, the city was still lit with lanterns and night lamps. She headed for the noisiest section of town, hoping to run into anyone who could help her. Who could she go to? Where would she run? Ah jie. Ma. Ba. She swallowed and grit her teeth, choking back tears. Everyone she knew was dead.

She peeped behind her and saw no sign of her pursuers. Having lost the Northern rebels, she hid in an alley to catch her breath.

"Hey, pretty lady," a man with dirty nails and missing teeth clamped a hand on her shoulder. "Aren't you a pretty thing?"

Mute, she flung his hand off her with such strength his arm was wrenched to the side. He hissed in pain and tried to grasp her again but she was too fast for him and he was left grabbing at empty air.

Anri ran into the main road again and made her way past merchants selling mysterious ailments like sand beast bone soup and soap made from dragon scales. The fortune tellers cried out their absurd prices, and the air was thick with the scent of oil, sweat, and spices. Ba never let her roam around this part of town, back when he was around.

"Get your ground dragon teeth here!" One herbal merchant cackled. "One dose guarantees success in the bedroom!"

Heart pounding in her throat and thighs threatening to give away any second, Anri streaked past the stalls paying no heed to the merchants and fortune tellers. They were loud, but worst of all were the brothels. These, Anri could hear from miles away. They were an enticing sight to see, filled with the shouts of travelling men and moans that bordered on inhuman. It was this twist of silk scarves, the hub of salt and crooked desire that attracted the worst attention in the city at night.

A hand pulled at her hair, yanking her head back. Anri cried out in a choking gasp, and swung her sword out behind her, slicing into her attacker's hand and taking her own hair with it. Strands of her hair fell into thin curls around her, draping the muddy ground. Her beautiful hair. The man from the alley grinned at her, flecks of spittle decorating the corners of his mouth. His cheeks were enflamed, most likely from a night of excess alcohol.

She positioned her sword in front of her. "Touch me, and I'll cut your hand off."

"You want to fight?" he drawled, less wobbly. "Let's get all tangled up."

Anri curled her lip in disgust and swiped at him. The man hissed and swung a blow at her in response. Her face stung where his finger nails had scratched her cheek.

"I'll have you tonight," he smirked. She shoved the man back with a roundhouse kick and he crashed into a cabbage merchant's display stand. The air in front of her exploded with shards of moldy wood and vegetable shavings.

"Watch it!" the vendor yelled angrily.

"Lady Lin!" a voice called and she slammed into someone's chest. They grabbed her hands and she cried out in pain. The Northern rebels had found her.

"No," she gasped and tried to wriggle out of the man's grasp. He lowered his head into the crook of her shoulder, and jerked her wrist back. She heard her sword fall to the ground. Shivers crept up her spine as the rebel took a slow inhale of her scent. "I'll show you a safe place," he gave a lecherous smile and wet his lips.

Anri looked around at the faces around her. People refused to meet her eye, while some smiled in confusion. Perhaps they thought it was a roleplay, best not to intervene. She saw a group of young men walking their way, and saw one glance at her.

Their eyes met and her body thrummed in recognition. It was the baker's boy.