Instead of shifting to his human form like the others expected, Byakko shrank his size down to the size of a house cat. He looked up at Yuelan and batted at her skirts with a forepaw. Pick me up, please.

Yuelan smiled and bent down to pick up the ‘cat’, holding him in her arms. “He won’t scare the horses like this, right?” she asked Guangfeng.

The third prince sighed. “I’ll be able to get them to calm down so we can keep going,” he assured her. He raised his voice and turned to everyone else. “Prepare to continue. We need to reach the next town before dark.”

The guards and servants set to work calming the horses and everyone else got back into their carriages. Guangfeng got Yuelan settled in his carriage along with her luggage before joining the guards in preparing to leave. Once everyone was settled the caravan set off again.

***

It took another three days to reach Zhongshu’s capital and the procession stopped at the post house designed for visiting dignitaries. While Guangfeng was giving instructions and making sure the post house’s steward and servants were getting everyone settled, a eunuch arrived from Zhongshu’s imperial palace. A servant ran to inform Guangfeng, who went to meet the eunuch in the main hall of the post house.

The eunuch bowed when Guangfeng entered. “Your Highness is Longuo’s third prince, correct?” the eunuch asked. When Guangfeng nodded, the eunuch continued. “We received word that a dragon priestess has been named...would the holy priestess happen to be among Your Highness the third prince’s party?”

Guangfeng raised an eyebrow. “Is Zhonghsu more concerned about the priestess than about the arrival of my sister for the wedding to your prince?” he asked in return.

The eunuch smiled and bowed. “His Majesty the emperor sent this servant to see if additional preparations would need to be made to greet the priestess,” he explained. “There will be another group coming later to bring greetings to her highness, the second princess.”

“I see.” Guangfeng leaned back in his seat and studied the eunuch. “Yes, the priestess came with us. Her dragon companion and the White Tiger are with her.”

“In that case, His Majesty wishes for this servant to greet the priestess and invite her into the royal palace so that he may pay his respects to her.” The eunuch bowed again, hands clasped together respectfully in front of him.

“I will have someone go and ask if the priestess is willing to go. We have only just arrived, so the priestess may need to rest first.” Guangfeng looked up and waved his hand at a servant maid, who curtsied and hurried out of the hall.

After about twenty minutes, Yuelan came into the hall with Long He and Byakko on either side of her in their human forms. Both men were wearing white and had white hair while Yuelan was wearing bright red. A drop of blood on a piece of otherwise pure, white cotton that drew eyes to the spot of color.

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Guangfeng stood and walked over to Yuelan. “If you were tired you could have declined,” he said, looking at Yuelan with concern. “I know riding in a carriage is hard on you.”

“I’m fine,” Yuelan assured him, smiling. “But thank you for your concern. I’ve been sitting so much lately that getting up and walking around is a nice change.”

“Alright.” He smiled back at her before turning his attention to the eunuch. “The priestess is here. I will accompany her into the palace to greet His Majesty the emperor.”

The eunuch looked a bit hesitant when he heard Guangfeng would be going as well, but he didn’t dare to argue and only nodded. “There is an imperial carriage waiting…”

“No need for that,” Byakko said firmly. “The priestess will ride on my back.”

“Thank you, Byakko.” Yuelan smiled at the white tiger and started out of the main hall. “Won’t that cause the people to panic, though?”

“You are the priestess. It is more appropriate for you to appear mounted on my back than in a carriage,” Byakko insisted.

“It will also be easier for the people to recognize that they have a priestess again,” Long He added. “Riding on the white tiger is the most appropriate choice for formal occasions, Lady Yuelan.”

“I suppose that settles it then.” She turned to look at the eunuch. “Thank you for the offer of the carriage, but I will be riding on Byakko.”

The eunuch had nothing to say in response and only bowed.

Once they were all outside,  Byakko shifted into the form of a massive, white tiger and Long He helped her up onto the tiger’s back. As soon as Yuelan was settled Guangfeng and the eunuch followed her out of the post house with Guangfeng riding on his horse and the eunuch riding on the outside of the empty imperial carriage.

Yuelan smiled and looked around as they headed through the streets of Zhongshu’s capital and toward its imperial palace. Much of it seemed similar to Longuo, though there was a different feel to the shops and people they passed by. Without the hindrance of having to move curtains out of the way, Yuelan was able to look at everything without trouble and she kept track of the places she wanted to see while she was in the capital.

There is a shrine here that I will take you to tomorrow. Byakko's voice sounded inside Yuelan’s mind. There is something that we must begin there. I will explain what it is when we arrive at the shrine.

Yuelan looked down at the tiger’s head with a curious expression on her small face. “Alright. I won’t ask for now, then.” Even though she was very curious, Yuelan recognized that there was probably a reason that Byakko hadn’t explained immediately.

After about half an hour they reached the gates of the imperial palace. The guards outside it let them in and the eunuch guided them along the unfamiliar paths to the throne room where the emperor was waiting. Yuelan stayed on Byakko’s back the entire way at the tiger’s and dragon’s insistence. It wasn’t until they were in the throne room that Long He helped Yuelan get down and Byakko shifted back into his human form.

Do not salute the emperor. This time, it was Long He’s voice that entered Yuelan’s mind. As the dragon priestess you are his equal and possibly outrank him.

Yuelan had been about to curtsy, but with Long He’s warning she remained standing straight while Guangfeng offered a salute to Zhongshu’s emperor.

“You may rise,” the emperor said to Guangfeng, who stood up as soon as the words had finished being spoken. The man in the yellow, dragon-embroidered robes then stood from his throne and approached Yuelan. He put his hands together and gave her a slight bow. “Holy Priestess, welcome to Zongshu. It is our great honor to have the legendary Dragon Priestess join us for your first official appearance.”

Yuelan smiled and nodded at the emperor in return. “Thank you.”