Dawn had broken, painting the sky in bright vermillion and gold amidst the hazy blue. The morning air was chilly, but it had not been as cold as the winter that had just passed a couple of months ago. If not for the chirping of birds, all would be quiet.
A girl stood outside of a room, gently knocking. She was dressed in light blue. Her hair was braided into pigtails and pinned in a loop. Her cheeks were plump and rosy with youth.
“Sister?” She spoke, waiting for a response from whoever was inside the room. However, there was no reply.
“Sister, are you awake?” She stopped to listen for any sign of someone stirring from their slumber, yet like the previous attempt, there was nothing.
“May I come in?”
When silence was the only permission she was given, she decided to slide the bamboo doors open. She peered inside, scanning her eyes across the room. It was clean and tidy, everything neatly arranged to where it belonged, and vacant.
The girl hummed to herself, thinking where the room’s owner could be. She thought for a second before closing the siding door and turning around. As she trod throughout the building, making her way to the exit, more and more women slowly roused themselves from their sleep and left their bed chambers to freshen up for the day.
She made her way through the back doors and into the forest that stood behind their large yet humble building made from strong and sturdy wood. Minutes of silence walking through the forest and a clearing finally came. There, stood a small hill, and at its center a lone camellia tree at four and a half meters high.
Underneath the camellia tree, a young lady in a similar light blue robe with a sword in hand danced. At least, it appeared as if she were dancing. In reality, she was merely practicing the sword. The swift movements were gentle and fluid like water.
“Sister Shu Yue!” The girl beamed when she found the young lady she was looking for. “So this is where you’ve been.” She exclaimed skipping to the swordwoman.
The said lady stopped her sword and glanced at the younger girl. A small smile made its way to her lips as she sheathed the sword in its black cover she retrieved from the camellia tree. “Where else would I be, Mei Mei?”
The younger girl returned the smile with her own. “It’s time for breakfast!” She exclaimed.
Shu Yue extended her hands for Mei Mei to take, which she gladly did. Hand in hand, they walked off the hill, camellia petals falling behind them.
At last, they reached the sect grounds and made their way to the mess hall. There, countless girls sat themselves down while eating and making small talk amongst themselves. The two retrieved a tray of their meal, consisting of a bowl of rice, pickled vegetables, and grilled fish that had been caught from the river nearby. As Shu Yue took small bites of her food, a woman in her mid-forties walked through the doors. Some of the young girls and ladies turned from their meals or conversations to look at the older woman, wondering what had brought her to the canteen.
“Is that Elder Su Su?” A girl at Shu Yue’s table whispered.
“What is she doing here?” Another followed suit.
Shu Yue turned around to look at the elder at the door and they both locked eyes. With one gesture from Elder Su Su, Shu Yue got up from her seat to greet the elder, bowing her head.
“When you are done with breakfast, the sect leader would like to see you.” Her voice was deep and demanding, yet it was not daunting in the slightest.
Shu Yue nodded her head and with that, the elder left. Not wanting the sect leader to wait, Shu Yue promptly put her dishes away and went to see the sect leader.
Standing in front of the sect leader’s office, she tapped her knuckles against the wooden door. From the other side, she heard the soft voice of an older woman.
“Come in.”
Shu Yue opened the door, entered the room, and closed it behind her. She did all of that without any noise, almost like a noble lady. She turned around and deeply bowed her head.
“Greetings to sect leader.”
“Come, sit.” Sect leader Wei Min waved.
Just as she was instructed, Shu Yue pulled out a chair and sat at the table across from Wei Min. She sat down and waited for further instructions.
Wei Min cleared her throat. “What do you think of marriage?” She probed.
At that moment, Shu Yue understood what the sect leader was implying. Without any hesitation, she responded with a clear voice.
“I believe in your judgment, sect leader.”
Wei Min hummed with an exhale, nodding her head.
“Before winter had come, I received a marriage proposal from the Heavenly White Sword Sect. The elders and I thought long and hard and ultimately agreed to proceed, however, you have a say in this as well. Your opinion on this matter means more to me than the decision we have already decided on, my girl.”
Shu Yue smiled.
“For this sect, my sisters, elders, and you, I am willing to do anything- that is my opinion.”
Wei Min returned the smile, proud of the young woman in front of her. Though a wisp of sadness lingered in the crescent moons of her eyes.
“I will write a letter to the Heavenly White Sword Sect and inform them of the joyous news. You may take your leave, now.”
With that, Shu Yue swiftly and quietly excused herself. As she left the sect leader’s room, she felt her straight back heavy with an invisible force, her shoulders tense. Just as quickly as it came, it left as fast.
Comments
Post a Comment