Yuelan’s face turned a little pink and she rolled onto her hands and knees to pick herself up off the floor. She hadn’t hit her head, so she couldn’t blame what she was seeing on a concussion. Falling had hurt, too. It looked like it wasn’t a dream either. “I thought dragons were supposed to be bigger…” She frowned and rubbed her shoulder where she’d hit the ground first.
The dragon’s mouth curved into a pointy-toothed grin. “Oh, I am,” he assured her in human speech. “But I had to adjust my size to fit the room or I’d destroy half the library.” The air around him shimmered again and the human-shaped Long He reappeared. “I hope you weren’t hurt by that fall.”
“No, I’m fine,” Yuelan told him as she used her hands to brush dust and dirt from the floor off of her white pants. “I didn’t fall hard and it was more surprising than anything.”
“Good. Do you remember how to put on traditional gowns?” Long He’s smile was as kind and gentle as usual, but Yuelan couldn’t help seeing an overlay of the pointy-toothed grin he’d shown her just a moment ago.
“Of course. I wear them every New Year,” Yuelan answered, shrugging. “Why?”
“Because you need to change into one now,” Long He informed her. He gestured to a doorway that led to another room. “There’s a set of rooms through there that you can use as your own whenever you’re here from now on.”
Yuelan frowned at him. “‘Whenever I’m here’? That sounds like I won’t be staying…Does that mean there’s a way for me to get back home?”
“You’ll eventually learn how to travel back and forth, which means you’ll be spending at least some of your time at home with your father. There’s also the politics that are currently going on here. They won’t allow you to hide in the library away from everyone else. Even I am being asked to come to the imperial court more frequently now, and the princes make occasional trips here to study the texts,” Long He explained. “There are clothes for you in there. Change and come out. We have a guest.”
“Wait...princes? Imperial court? What about a prime minister? Or are you saying this world is operating on an outdated imperial government?” Yuelan sounded surprised.
“It’s not considered outdated here, Miss Yuelan. And there’s also no electricity or running water,” Long He answered in a dry tone. “You’ll likely find their view of females quite outdated as well.”
“But I have no family here! Isn’t that sort of necessary in a place where everything depends on your family’s social standing? Doesn’t that mean I could get in a lot of trouble if I say the wrong thing to the wrong person? And if there’s no running water then how do I...” Yuelan forced herself not to keep asking that question and felt her face burn with embarrassment.
“Normally, yes, but I’ll be telling everyone you’re my ward. The emperor knows what I am and I make him nervous, so as long as you don’t do anything to upset anyone too much you should be fine. You know some of the etiquette already and I’ll ask the emperor to give you a servant from the palace to teach you what you don’t know. Now go change. I can’t keep Prince Guangfeng waiting forever.”
Yuelan looked over at the door the dragon man had indicated before. “Are there even clothes for me in there, Mr. Long?” she asked.
“Of course. Your arrival here was a bit early, but at least I’m somewhat prepared for it. Everything you need is in the closet and drawers. I’ll get you your own maid as soon as I can find a suitable one to help you with dressing and doing your hair and other needs.”
Yuelan gave Long He a strange look and headed for the room. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to know what he meant when he said she was early but expected. Inside she found a full set of rosewood furniture all carved with cherry blossoms and birds. Since there was no electricity, she assumed that the furniture was made and carved by hand. The intricate details must have taken quite some time. It only took a few steps to reach the nearest piece, a large, double-doored armoire with two wide drawers beneath the doors. Her fingers brushed against the carvings for a moment before she slowly opened them to find neatly folded and wrapped packages. Opening one of the packages she found a set of silk clothes in a light green with pink, red and white cherry blossom embroidery. There was even a pair of matching shoes.
In one corner of the room was a screen that matched the rest of the furniture, so Yuelan took the clothes behind it and started to change into the floor-length gown with sleeves that went to her knuckles and flowed down just enough beneath her hands that she could store small objects in them. The sash that went around her waist to hold the two layers of the wrapped gown closed was a light blue.
The silk felt nice against Yuelan’s skin and she smiled a little. It was good quality silk and the embroidery seemed to be in a style that couldn’t be replicated in her world, though there were a few antique clothing items that had been preserved in museums containing similar stitching. She took a moment to rub the sleeve of the gown against her cheek, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of the silk against her skin. When she stepped out from behind the screen she looked into a nearby mirror and frowned as she lifted a hand to pull the elastic and ribbon from her hair and let the side ponytail fall down in obsidian waves.
The rosewood dressing table had a brush and a comb laying on it, both with ivory handles, and Yuelan picked up the brush to run it through her hair before slipping the matching pair of embroidered, silk slippers onto her feet so she could head back out to find Long He.
The other man Yuelan had seen on the path had arrived and was seated at Long He’s table with a tea cup in his hand. Yuelan didn’t smell any tea, so she assumed it had water in it. He turned to look at Yuelan with green-flecked hazel eyes that made Yuelan feel a little uncomfortable. She had seen similar gazes from the chancellors and other high ranked government officials as well as her father’s competitors when they were sizing her up for one reason or another. It always made her feel like she was a commodity and not a person.
“Prince Guangfeng, this is Long Yuelan,” Long He said from where he stood to the side. “Her father has asked that I serve as her guardian while she is in this country and she has only just arrived here, so I haven’t had a chance to take her to the imperial palace as yet. Yuelan, please greet His Highness Prince Xiong Guangfeng.”
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Yuelan felt grateful for all the private etiquette lessons her father had forced her to take, though it still took a moment for her to remember how a girl was supposed to greet a prince back before Kilin had become a constitutional monarchy and things had modernized enough that the bowing and scraping was no longer required. She placed one hand on the other, which she closed into a fist and moved them both to her left hip as she bent her knees into a somewhat awkward kneel.
“You may rise,” the prince said in a velvety baritone.
As she tried to rise gracefully back to her feet Yuelan tripped over the hem of her floor-length dress and her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. It seemed she was going to have to really practice her salutes for royalty if she didn’t want to keep embarrassing herself every time she met someone of a higher rank than her. What even was her rank, anyway?
“Shall I get some tea, Your Highness?” Yuelan asked as she tried to cover up her embarrassment. She watched Guangfeng look at her hands and raise an eyebrow.
“If you’re capable of making it,” the prince replied. “Do you even have any, Long He?”
The dragon cleared his throat and looked a bit flustered. “I do, Your Highness, but only a small amount that was gifted to me by some court official...I forget which one.” Long He looked over at Yuelan. “It’s in the kitchen, through that door.” He raised a bony finger and pointed.
Yuelan nodded and headed into the kitchen, where she immediately realized her mistake. There wasn’t any electricity or propane, which meant the stove burned wood and Yuelan had no idea how to start a fire. After fumbling around the kitchen for a while she managed to find the woodbox, which only had some kindling and a single, small log only a little bigger around than both her wrists together.
Yuelan didn’t realize that she’d left the kitchen door open or that the prince was watching her and looking amused. It wasn’t until she’d started fumbling with what she thought was flint and steel to light her pitiful attempt at a fire that she heard footsteps behind her and the two stones were gently taken from her hands.
“I’ll send three maidservants from my palace,” the prince told Yuelan and Long He. “Officially they’ll be assigned to Miss Long.” He looked down at Yuelan and gave her an amused smile. “These are both flint. You won’t start a fire that way.” He glanced around the kitchen and picked up a small piece of shiny metal, rearranged the kindling and log, and struck the flint and steel together. It took him two strikes to catch the kindling, though he then put the fire out and turned his attention back to Yuelan. “I think it would be best if you don’t try to make the tea.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Yuelan blushing and feeling embarrassed behind him.
“Lord Long, why don’t you show me the scroll with the prophecy on it and then we’ll take your ward into the capital to get her some food?” Guangfeng suggested. “My carriage is at the beginning of the path and you riding with us would suit the needs of propriety. When you return here I’ll send the maids back with you.”
Yuelan came out of the kitchen as Guangfeng finished speaking. She had managed to get her expression back under control, though her hands were clasped together in front of her a little more tightly than normal.
Long He glanced at Yuelan and then at Guangfeng. “Thank you, Your Highness, for the kindness. If you’d follow me I’ll get you that scroll.” He looked back at Yuelan. “Miss Yuelan, do you still want to look at the scrolls I mentioned last time?”
Yuelan’s expression brightened and she relaxed completely. “Yes please!”
***
Xiong Guangfeng looked over the prophecy, studying the words on the ancient scroll carefully. Occasionally he would glance over at Yuelan, who was bent over a pile of scrolls with the expression of one absorbed in happiness at a nearby table. He could just see the bottoms of her slippers under her dress and could tell that her feet were crossed at the ankles under her chair as they balanced on one set of her toes. Her long, dark hair tumbled over a narrow shoulder and hid part of her fair-skinned face. The girl was quite beautiful, and as Long He’s ward she could be useful in the ongoing fight for the throne.
The prince turned his attention back to his own scroll and studied it for a while longer before rolling it carefully and handing it back to Long He. “How much longer will she be?” he asked the librarian.
Long He chuckled. “If we don’t disturb her she’ll be there until she’s read every word on every scroll,” he answered. “Miss Yuelan has enjoyed reading since she was a child. Her father and I are good friends, though we don’t meet often. She, however, has been to the library frequently since he first brought her when she was small.”
Xiong Guangfeng frowned a little. “Have I met her father before?” he asked.
“No. It’s likely you never will, either,” Long He answered. “She’s the only child of her father’s only wife. He never took another after her mother died of an illness when Miss Yuelan was six and he dotes on her excessively.”
The prince’s eyes narrowed as he studied the girl’s slender, slightly hunched form as she read. “She seems to have come from a high ranked household, even if her etiquette is a bit lacking…”
Long He chuckled. “It isn’t where she comes from. Her culture is quite different from yours. She at least knows the etiquette here, even if she isn’t used to it and has never had reason to use it before. With a bit of practice she’ll do just fine.”
Guangfeng nodded. “How old is she?”
“Sixteen, Your Highness. Though she’s of marriageable age here, she won’t be in her country for another two years. I’m afraid if you’re considering her as a candidate I would only be able to accept on her behalf with her father’s permission, and he will only agree to it if Miss Yuelan is amenable to the idea,” the librarian explained.
“And you can’t convince her father to let me speak with him directly? What sort of rank does he hold?”
“He’s the prime minister of his country, but it means something a little different there than it does in the imperial court here. And no, I’m afraid it would be impossible for you to meet him. He’s much too far away for it to be convenient for either one of you.”
Guangfeng’s eyes narrowed. “He’s a prime minister and allows his daughter to travel without any servants or guards?”
Long He sighed. “It’s a complicated situation, Your Highness. One that I’m truly not at liberty to discuss due to the oaths I made long ago.”
“Oaths made to a power higher than the imperial family?”
Long He smiled. “Of course. If you ever become emperor I might explain it to you, though at the moment that seems quite unlikely.”
Guangfeng’s eyes narrowed. “You’re saying Father Emperor is aware of the situation, then?”
“He is, though he isn’t aware that Miss Yuelan is here nor who she is as of yet,” Long He confirmed. “Shall I go and rouse Miss Yuelan from her reading, Your Highness?”
The prince nodded. “We should be leaving, though with how late it is getting you will likely need to stay in the capital for the night.”
“That won’t be a problem, Your Highness. Finding a good inn to stay in is only a matter of money, and I have plenty of that.”