The man, Aston, still walked a little in front of me to show the way, but kept to my pace. So when I dawdled to look at my surroundings, he and the other guards waited patiently.
I’d seen a balcony emerging from one room we were about to cross and made a beeline for it. Now, for the first time, I looked out into my new world.
Well, I tried to. There wasn’t much to see of the world. This balcony let me look down on a part of the building complex, which did indeed look like a castle or palace. There were a number of courtyards and terraces rising in tiers until they met the massive main building. We were in a wing of that one, judging from what I could see here. Beyond the complex was a mountain range. In fact, the mountains rose into the sky so high that I couldn’t see much beyond the first ones. Definitely higher than the Alps, although that was the only great mountain range I’d seen in person. Apart from that, they were just mountains, with forested slopes rising into rocky terrain, glaciers and snow-covered peaks.
At least I knew a few things. The sky was blue, there were clouds, the temperature was mild but with a chilly breeze, and this was one hell of a castle. It had to be, what, ten kilometers until the outer wall from here? At least. The architecture looked a little weird, with some buildings having sloped roofs and others not. There were a high number of ornamental gardens with strict layouts, and even ponds and little groves of trees. I only thought of it as a castle instead of a settlement because there weren’t many people, and the inner complex was pretty massive, so the outer part wasn’t that big in comparison. And this was probably the back side.
“Okay, let’s continue,” I said. I still had a lot of things to learn.
Aston made a weird gesture, cupping his fist in the palm of his other hand and bowing slightly. “Of course, Your Highness. This way.”
This time, I paid a little more attention to my escort as we continued to walk through the castle. “I don’t remember you, I’m afraid.” Should I apologize? Were we close? “Your name is Aston?”
“Yes, Princess. Tener Aston.”
“And you’re my bodyguard?” I guessed, going by the impression I had of him being a soldier.
His eyes finally flicked to meet mine. “I am. Actually, I am a member of the Imperial Guard. It has been my duty to protect you for many years now, Your Highness. I oversee the other guards assigned to your protection.”
Hmm. I think his respect is genuine, but he won’t let me get away with things. There’s steel in his bearing and expression. Makes sense if he guarded the princess since childhood. Damn, he must have known my predecessor well.
I nodded at that, unsure how to respond. “And where are we?”
“The Imperial Palace. It’s located beside the City of a Thousand Stars, the Imperial Capital.”
I could hear the capitalization. Liked their fancy names, did they? But at least I had some sort of referent for my location.
We descended another staircase, this one broader, flatter and without handrails. The floors after that were also broader, with slightly arched ceilings and the occasional decoration in the form of paintings and murals. The noise of the palace got louder, too. I had the feeling we were still not in the “impress visitors” part of the palace, but we got closer to officially used areas.
After a while, we saw other people. They wore what I could only assume was business clothing in this world: robes, dresses and suits, mostly in blue or gray instead of black with longish jackets and embroidery. About half of them looked like they had Eastern Asian ancestry, or would have on Earth, the rest European. But that was only a rough impression and I had to remind myself I didn’t know how ethnicity worked in this world. It should already make me suspicious that there were humans on two worlds.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
But it was their reactions that really drove the point home that I wasn’t on Earth. Whenever we passed, the people would make way and perform some sort of obeisance in my direction. Most cupped their hands like Aston had and bowed deeply, but some knelt or even kowtowed! On the floor and everything. Despite that, I could sense the way their eyes followed me.
They probably knew about my coma. Maybe even the transmigration. I needed to ask Aston how common that knowledge was, in the palace or otherwise, but now wasn’t the right time or place. He didn’t slow down or acknowledge the people much. So I occasionally gave a nod, tried for a regal and confident posture, and hoped they couldn’t see me wondering about them. And this was only walking down the hallways!
At least it felt like my body was familiar with trying to be regal. I could tell I must have looked graceful, and it was easy to keep my face calm and composed. That’s good, I’ll need to rely on my subconscious memory of how to act.
Finally, we reached a side entrance and stepped out into a courtyard. I took a deep breath of the fresh air, smelling traces of plant life and rain. But I didn’t dawdle to look at the scenery, instead following Aston onto a gravel path. We were high up, and several paths led to different courtyards and buildings.
I had a lot of questions, about the world and who I was supposed to be, but was still trying to process everything I’d learned, so I kept silent. There was enough to do just trying to take everything in.
Aston stayed close to the palace, leading me beside the main wall for a bit before we descended. It didn’t take long to reach a stone walls-enclosed courtyard. To the side were wooden stands with weapons, and a few of the guards in colorful robes lingered around the periphery. I could sense the ones accompanying me spreading out behind us as I stepped onto the courtyard. It was paved in stone, but with wide mats scattered around.
Someone else was waiting for us. He looked Asian, but not like the stereotypical old master. For once, he couldn’t be much older than Aston. His presence was veiled in the same way the Empress’ had been, but not as carefully, and I had the impression it was more perfunctory. His strength still definitely outstripped mine.
When he saw me, he smiled and bowed fluently. “The crown princess has returned! But I’ve been told you do not remember what you need to know. As such, it will be my honor to once again instruct you in the basics before we can continue where we left off.”
“Thank you …” I answered hesitantly.
“My name is Ling Ta, but you used to call me ‘Teacher’.” Now his smile had turned a bit melancholy.
I bowed slightly. “I’m ready to learn, Teacher.”
His smile widened. Then he sat down in the lotus position and gestured for me to do the same, so I copied him.
“Sense the qi around you,” he instructed quietly. “Still your thoughts and reach out to it. Cultivation. Your body and inner self know how to do it, they need simply remember.”
So, I was right in my guess. I nodded and closed my eyes, trying to clear my thoughts. I’d never really meditated before, although I’d done a few exercises.
It took a while for me to settle. When I did, I stopped paying attention to my breathing and instead focused on the qi around me. I could sense it far more clearly now. It was everywhere, layered over the world like bundles of cloth. It had been there before, but I’d only gotten the barest glimpse of it, the rest filtering out of my awareness because I didn’t know how to process it.
My senses expanded. I could hear the rustling of leaves on trees a kilometer away, smell a hint of spice from a bonfire two courtyards over, feel the subtle differences in pressure the folds in my clothing created. It didn’t overwhelm me, because my mind had widened to take it all in. The sensations of my old life seemed pitiful in comparison.
“Qi is everything,” my teacher’s voice rang out softly. “Everything lives in it, and it lives in everything. Cultivation is the art of interacting with it, of taking part out of the whole and making it yours, shaping it to your will, and understanding that which it entails. It is the process of refining not just qi, but yourself, your own body, mind and soul, of transcending your mortal limits. Of making yourself the best you can be, and then pushing beyond it.”
“And now, let it fill you and take it into yourself.”
I breathed in, following a pattern ingrained into my body, and qi flooded into my lungs. It flowed into my center, and from there out through the vessels in my body. I circulated it, watching as it became denser and yet lighter, taking on the characteristics of my own qi, that in my core. I started spinning my core, the light rotating around a darker center, slowly growing as the qi I pulled in was absorbed. I hadn’t realized I was close to empty, but now that qi ran through me, I came alive. New strength surged into my body, and my mind stilled even more, as if sinking into the qi flowing in my core.