I wake up and find myself alone in the room. My head hurts; my body feels like it is trying to move after ages of disuse. I pull myself out of bed and am surprised to find that I was still in my adventure costume.

I try to recall the events of the night before and draw a blank. The last thing I remember is entering the carriage and looking for anything suspicious.

What happened after that? 

Did I manage to find something useful? 

I try to concentrate, but it only serves to magnify the pain in my head. 

 I see the mask on the tiny table by the bed, and panic grips me.

Had Zhan seen it? 

In all likelihood, he had. After all, it looked like I had been careless and left it lying around.

I hear the door creak, and a moment later, Weredra walks inside. Alone.

Where is Zhan?

"How are you feeling?" Weredra asks, sitting by my side and handing me a piece of bread.

"Like I downed a jar of alcohol. Where is Zhan?"

"He left." Comes the short response, and my heart plummets, "What!?"

"He left for work. He told Lung Chi that you were sick and won't be able to work today." She elaborates and purses her lips, "Do you remember what you did last night?" She asks, her brows crease.

I shake my head, "I can't. I have been trying for the last few minutes, but I can't recall what happened after I entered the carriage."

Weredra sighs, "I wish I were stronger." She takes my hand in hers and adds, "Last night, I somehow managed to lead you back here. Do you remember eating the sweet?" She enquires; I nod, "Yes, but I can't remember anything after that. Why?"

"It was a magically altered aphrodisiac." She states calmly, pulling out the square white sweet I had found in the carriage. She turns between her fingers, "It seems like it also causes some kind of amnesia. You couldn't remember me at all last night."

"What happened last night?" I enquire, a tight knot forming in my chest, "Did I hurt you?"

Weredra remains silent and shakes her head. It's a first. During the time I had known her, she had never been so quiet. She always had something to say. Always.

I am about to push her for answers when her head snaps up, and she runs to the door and bolts it shut. "Change. Now!" She orders. A few seconds later, there is a knock on the door, "YiJun, are you up yet?" I hear Bai Luo call from the other side, "I brought you something to eat." He adds.

'Hurry!' Weredra mouths and gets rid of the cloak, boots, sword, and my mask.

"Give me a minute. My body feels sore." I reply, putting on my mask and fixing my nightclothes.

As I open the door, Weredra, instead of disappearing, hides under the bed. 

 Bai Luo smiles and limps inside. He sets the bowl filled with porridge on the stool, "Master is very kind. He cares about you a great deal."

"Why are you limping?" I ask, pointing at his gait, and he shakes his head, "Master was a little rough last night." Then catching my eyes, he adds in a voice dripping with scorn, "Your curse is a blessing in disguise."

 With that, he leaves.

"Lung Chi is indeed cruel. Bai Luo looks like such a nice young man, why would he hit him like that?"

Weredra sighs again and gives me a 'you dumb fool' look but continues to remain silent as I gobble down the tasteless porridge.

After I have finished my meal, I remember that Weredra had not replied to me. "So, what happened last night? And why did you hide like that?"

"Do you know what an aphrodisiac is?" She asks; I shake my head, "I don't know. But I am guessing it's something bad."

"It's a drug that makes you horny."

An unexpected fit of cough hits me.

"What!?" I exclaimed, wiping my eyes.

 Weredra gestures at me, "When you returned last night, I tried to use magic to sober you up. It didn't work. You were loud. It woke him up." She hesitates before continuing, "When you saw him, you went straight for him."

"Did I hurt him!?"

"You kissed him and touched him inappropriately." She answers, cheeks coloring. "It startled him, and he pushed you away. But you were unstoppable. You kept pulling him close-" She trails off, leaving me hanging.

"Weredra, why didn't you do anything?" I ask, feeling betrayed. "You have magic. Why did you not..."

"I tried. I couldn't. I have lost most of it. It has become unpredictable. All I could do was make sure that no one heard you." She bites out, tears rolling down her cheeks, "And I am stuck like this! How can a child stop a grown man!?" She wails.

Fuck! What the hell is happening!? 

I brace myself and press on, "What...did... Was-" I fail to put words to my thoughts.

Looking at my predicament, Weredra gives my hand a squeeze, "Senior gege realized that something was wrong with you, so to shut you up, he gave in."

"No!" I cover my mouth. Shame, guilt, and regret make my eyes blur, and my heart aches. 

"Finally, he couldn't... he kissed you back. There were tears in his eyes." A pained look crosses her features.

"No. No. No." My mind stops working.

Why can't I have good things? Is it too much to ask for, hum? 

I had just found a good companion, someone who was beautiful inside and out, who was selfless and caring, and now I had gone and fucked it up.

Will he hate me now and leave me?

Could I blame him if he did that? 

I feel Weredra's arms around my neck. She holds me close and strokes my hair, "YiJun, you were lucky that he was here. The drug was powerful. But somehow, it lost its charm as soon as he kissed you. You fell unconscious almost immediately."

"Nothing happened?" I pull away.

Weredra nods, "The charm must have a loophole." She concludes and points at my hidden sack, "He looked disappointed when he noticed your mask and sword. YiJun, he knows that you left the room last night, and he is hurt because you kept secrets from him."

"I can't tell him the truth; you know that. My work is not complete yet. I can't go back to being a princess on the run. I need to bring my uncle and aunt to justice." I admit woefully.

Weredra nods, "I know."

"Can't you help me?"

"No, I can't. Once a bond is signed, it is binding."

"I need to go to him. I need to make him understand that- He can't leave me, Weredra. I need him." I break down and find myself in Weredra's tiny arms once again, "I don't want that either. I know he cares about you."

"He does?" The admission makes me feel warm. Weredra nods, "Now go to him. I am sure you can think of something." She suggests.

Something occurs to me, "If your magic is gone, how come the boots and cloak still work?"

"I guess it's because they have their own magic."

That made sense. "So you can't do anything?"

"I don't know. But it looks like something is drawing magic out of me."

"But aren't you a creature of magic? Can you survive without it?"

She lowers her eyes and lets go of me, "I don't know."

"Does it still feel like your condition has something to do with me?" I ask, but she ignores it; instead, she hands me my work clothes, "Go to him. And don't return without fixing things between you."

"Easy for you to say." I retort, trying to mask my lack of confidence with a forced smile.

"You are on your own, Junior gege. But something tells me that you will not disappoint me." With that, she winks and leaves the room.

To say that Zhan was surprised when I taped on his shoulder and whispered a "Hello." in his ears would be an understatement.

His eyes widen as if he had seen a ghost, or worse, a molester. He staggers back. When I try to walk closer, he puts his hand out, "Stay back."

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, a whip lands on his back. He winces. Anger bubbles inside me, but I refrain myself and put my hands up in surrender and mouth a 'Sorry.'

Zhan seems to calm down somewhat, and averting his gaze, goes back to digging.

It is only when the guards leave us, and we break for lunch, that Zhan side-eyes me, gesturing me to follow him to a sparsely crowded corner after we have filled out plates.

"You should have rested at home." He reprimands sternly, "How are you feeling?"

"I had to see you." I blurt out and regret it instantly. I sound like a love-struck hormonal teen!

He blinks, his lips part, but no words leave them. He turns away a second later. "Why did you want to see me?"

"To make up." I state and immediately add, "Weredra is scared that after how I behaved... "

"Hey you!" I hear a sharp voice and turn. I see a guard come towards us, "What the hell are you doing?"

I feel irritated and angry. But before I can reply, Zhan speaks, "He is my brother. He was not well last night... "

"Do you think I am interested in your excuse? Just shut up and eat. You can catch up later." The guard commands and leaves.

Knowing how things worked, we decided it best to not stir up trouble for ourselves and get back to work.

When we finally return, we go to wash up. After the first day, to avoid entering the room in a dirty state, we had decided it was best to carry our change of clothes with us. But on this day, I had forgotten to do so. I am about to go and fetch my change of clothes when Zhan stops me. "I will get them for you. You can bathe first."

The whole day I was feeling hungover and drained. I had attributed it to the aphrodisiac I had ingested the day before, so when Zhan offers, I accept.

I let the cold water wash over me and feel the fatigue leave me. I close my eyes and lean against the cold stone wall for support.

"YiJun!" I hear Zhan's panicked voice; my eyes snap open. Zhan charges towards me, and I can't but help think that this is it. He is going to take his revenge on me in this semi-naked state. I stagger to the left, lose my balance and instinctively throw my hands out and around Zhan. It doesn't help as I fall and hit my back on the cold, wet floor. A sharp pain shoots from my ankle and travels up my calf muscle.

For a moment, though, I don't care. For Zhan is lying on top of me, sweaty and covered in soot, yet somehow still gorgeous.

Zhan's eyes widen as they meet mine, and he lifts himself up and off of me.

His eyes travel over my body before coming to a stop at my legs. His brows knit.

It is at this precise moment that the pain in my ankle makes itself known.

"Ah! Fuck!" I wince and try sitting up. My head spins, and I fall back, hitting the back of my head. "Sssss!"

"What are you doing!?" Zhan reprimands, but his tone is seeped in concern. "Are you crazy? Are you trying to kill yourself!?" He continues, squatting next to me and helping me up. "What would I do if I lost..." He starts but stops abruptly. He cups my chin and checks the back of my head.

"It isn't broken or anything." I jest, wanting to lighten the mood.

He continues his examination as if I had not opened my stupid mouth, and a few moments later, I find my cheek pressed against his chest. I notice his heart speed up.

I should have been more careful. I realize that I had worried Zhan unnecessarily. I try to explain myself, but before I can do that, he clears his throat and picks me up in his arms.

"I wasn't trying to attack you. There was a scorpion..." He trails off, and without looking at me, he carries me to the edge of the bath. Setting me down, he orders, "Stay here. You are hurt. I will be right back." he wraps a drying cloth around me before walking away.

{Word count: 2139}