Yuelan had never been on a boat before. Leila’s boat was in front of all the others and Yuelan stood at the prow looking at the river ahead. They flowed along with the current and Yuelan’s hair was tossed around in the wind behind her as her elbows leaned on the wooden railing in front of her.

“Glad to see you don’t get sick on boats.” Leila’s voice came from behind Yuelan and she turned to smile at the Hechuan woman.

“Me too. This is the first time I’ve ever been on one.”

Leila looked surprised. “Isn’t there some boat festival in Longuo every year?”

“I’m not from Longuo. And there is one in my country a month after the new year, but I was never allowed to go on the boats. My father is the prime minister and I was a target for enemies of our country and my father. He thought it was too dangerous to let me on them.” She shrugged.

Leila snorted. “You just need to be able to defend yourself. Then no one can mess with you. I can teach you how to use a whip if you want.”

Yuelan shook her head. “Thanks, but I have ways of defending myself without hurting anyone. Besides, my father was just concerned for me. My mother died when I was little and I’m his only child. He didn’t want to lose me too.”

“And yet he lets you run around as you wish in Longuo?”

“He’s still back home. Once his time as Prime Minister is over I’ll bring him here.” Yuelan smiled and propped her chin up on her hand. “It’ll be nice to have time with him again.”

Leila reached out and patted the top of Yuelan’s head. “I’ve never spent that much time with my father. The men teach the boys here and the women teach the girls. We stay on separate boats and don’t interact much unless we’re not traveling or we’ve stopped for the day. Sorry to hear about your mother.”

“It was almost eleven years ago now. I remember a few things about her and sometimes I wish she could be here with me, but there are ways for me to remember her and honor her memory. I have her guzheng. It was passed down from mother to daughter in her family from the first dragon priestess.” Yuelan looked down at the water and smiled. “She started teaching me how to play it when I was five years old. After she died, my father got a new instructor for me. I play my mother’s favorite song whenever I miss her.”

“That’s a good way to remember her, I suppose.” Leila looked out at the river ahead and frowned then turned to shout at the women steering the boat. “Prepare for the river to fork! We’ll be going down the port side!”

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The women made a sign of acknowledgement and one of them started ringing a bell to let the other boats know.

Yuelan turned around to watch the bustle and smiled. It had been so quiet just a moment before and now everyone was running around to get to oars or shouting back and forth to one another in preparation for the direction change while bells rang out everywhere.

Leila watched her people for a bit then looked over at Yuelan and smiled. “We’re a pretty relaxed people, going where the currents take us, but there are times when action is needed for us to stay together.”

“It’s amazing.” Yuelan grinned at Leila.

You should head inside, Mistress. You’re going to burn if you stay out here any longer. Byakko’s voice in Yuelan’s mind was calm and the tiger came over on silent paws to nudge her toward the door into the boat’s house with his head.

Yuelan laughed and patted the white tiger. “Alright, Byakko, I’m going. I’ll make sure to put sunscreen on before I come back outside.”

Leila chuckled. “Get some rest, Priestess. It’s quite a journey and we don’t want you to tire yourself out.”

“Thank you, Leila. I should be alright though. Boats are easier for me than carriages, it seems. I don’t like horses and carriages aren’t all that comfortable. Too much bouncing.”

“Don’t get too comfortable. We haven’t hit a storm yet.” Leila patted Yuelan’s shoulder in an easy and familiar manner then went to go help her people navigate the river.

Willow was standing by the door waiting for Yuelan as soon as she entered. The maid looked anxious and was relieved to see Yuelan. “Miss! You can’t stay out in the sun all day. Your skin will get dark!”

Yuelan laughed. “So what if it gets a little dark? If Guangfeng can’t accept me no matter what I look like then I won’t bother to marry him.”

Willow’s eyes widened. “Miss! You shouldn’t say such things!”

“And why not? I’ve agreed to marry him, but I can always break off the engagement if it turns out that we don’t fit well together. Of the choices I was offered he’s been the best, but that’s only as a candidate for emperor.”

“Miss, his highness cares a great deal for you,” Willow coaxed. “He has shown it in every way he can, but you are not very good at giving back. His highness may grow discouraged.”

Yuelan was a bit surprised as she studied Willow and after a moment she smiled. “Are you scolding me, Willow?” She sounded amused. “But you do have a point. I’ll think about things a little more seriously from now on. Marriage wasn’t something I expected to even think about for another two years, but Guangfeng is serious about it. I suppose I should at least acknowledge that much.”

Willow looked relieved and bowed a little. “Miss, I’ve prepared your room for you if you’d like to get some rest.”

“Thank you. I think I will go sit down and read for a while.” Yuelan followed her maid to the room in the boat.

It was small and cramped, barely enough space for herself and Willow. Byakko had to shrink himself to the size of a housecat to fit. Yuelan went inside and pulled a book from the shelves bolted to the wall then sat down on her bed to start reading. Within fifteen minutes she’d fallen asleep.