Interlude

Content Warning: Some profanity

Leiyu followed the attendant that Prince Thallios had summoned. They walked silently through the corridors until they reached the guest quarters. The attendant opened the doors. Once Leiyu stepped across the threshold, he saw Chen Yun and the others huddled on the floor. They were passing time by playing dice with other random guests. Leiyu watched them for a while until Chen Yun looked up at him.

“Leiyu! Where have you been?” Chen Yun said in Dongyu as he stood up. “You were gone all night.”

Leiyu inhaled, trying to collect his thoughts before opening his mouth. What could he tell them? That he went to one of the gardens and met the prince? That the prince brought him to the rooftop garden for a friendly chat? That he ended up staying there overnight and then sparred with the prince in the morning, had breakfast, and then fed some interesting looking bird? It would sound ridiculous if he said all of that out loud.

“I was exploring the gardens,” Leiyu said. The merchants gave him dumbfounded looks.

“Mm-hmm, gardens,” Liang Fusheng said with a sneer. “I’m sure you saw some lovely flowers.”

Chen Yun furrowed his brow. “Fusheng, this is neither the time nor place.”

Leiyu shrugged and turned his back to them. He started walking back across the threshold.

“Wait,” Chen Yun called out as Leiyu disappeared through the doorway. He then turned to Liang Fusheng and whispered angrily, “Honestly, you can be such an asshole.”

“What?” Liang Fusheng shot back. “Don’t you think it’s suspicious that he’s gone all night? How do we know he’s not stealing the gemstones off the walls? I’m surprised he even bothered to show his face here.”

“Well, don’t piss him off too much,” Chen Yun said. “I asked him to be our bodyguard on the return trip to the East, so we can’t jeopardize that. Otherwise we’ll get killed by the bandits on the way back.”

“Ooh, that would be bad,” Wang Yihui said. “And we have to deal with those mountain ghosts again. Yes, let’s not make him hate us.” He looked at Liang Fusheng. “Or at least, let’s not have him hate you. I think he’s fine with the rest of us.”

“Shut up,” Liang Fusheng said.

“I mean, why are you so hostile to him?” Chen Yun asked Liang Fusheng. “You were kowtowing with the rest of us when he first saved us. And you were so drunk last night that he and I had to help you come back here.”

“Fine, fine, fine, I’m just being a jerk again. I apologize. But why are you so trusting?” Liang Fusheng said. “Don’t you think there’s a reason he has no family name? Even his given name sounds made up. Who the hell names their kid ‘Thunderstorm’?”

***

As Leiyu walked down the corridors, he could hear the merchants arguing amongst themselves from the guest quarters. Although he was annoyed by Liang Fusheng’s remarks, it did give him an excuse to leave the room quickly so he did not have to explain his whereabouts. Although he now had the challenge of looking for Prince Thallios. The prince did not let him know where he was going, and had just said “I’ll have an attendant find you.”

Leiyu sighed. Must be nice to have so many people to do your bidding, he thought. But he found it hard to feel resentment toward the prince, even with the residual back pain from this morning’s spar. The prince was surrounded by luxuries and privilege, yet felt a profound sense of loss from his mother’s untimely passing.

Leiyu also wondered about the prince’s dynamic with his father. If the prince mentioned his father at all during conversation, it was in brief moments and generally related to what his father did rather than how he was as a person.

Although he had only glanced briefly at the king in the throne room, Leiyu felt that the king looked both young and old at the same time. The king had a clean-shaven chiseled face, but his deep-set eyes looked tired and world-weary. He seemed cordial enough when he had invited them to the banquet yesterday, although there was a certain detachment to it, like he was going through the motions.

As Leiyu walked further down the corridor, a different attendant approached him.

“Good sir, are you the one named Leiyu?” the attendant asked in Sargeshi.

“I am,” Leiyu replied.

“His Highness the Crown Prince sends his apologies, but he is unable to meet again today, since he just remembered that he needed to prepare for the Summer Festival’s opening day tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Leiyu said, feeling a twinge of disappointment, but also relief that he was now free for the rest of the day.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has invited you to attend the performance in the main courtyard tomorrow, and he can meet with you afterwards.”

Leiyu perked up. “Main courtyard? How would I find it? And what time exactly?”

“There will be a luncheon in the dining hall and the performance will commence shortly afterward. You can ask any of the attendants and they should be able to direct you to the main courtyard.”

The prospect of a free lunch and a show sounded good to Leiyu’s ears. “Thank you. For tonight, will there be another dinner or should we find food on our own?”

“The dining hall will be open all week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Tonight’s dinner will not be as fancy as yesterday’s banquet, but there will still be ample food. You are free to eat as much as you like, good sir.”

This sounded very good to Leiyu’s ears. “Thank you. Is the palace still open for everyone to walk around in?”

“Of course, good sir. If you walk along our outdoor corridors, you can see all of our gardens and courtyards.”

“Thank you. I would like to check up on my horse.” Leiyu hoped Bakhat was doing okay in these fancy surroundings.

“Ah, of course, good sir. Would you like me to take you to the stables?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

***

When they arrived at the stables, Leiyu found Bakhat in one of the stalls. The horse’s mane and tail had been brushed, and another attendant was feeding him fresh apple slices. Leiyu smiled as he approached the steed.

“You’re getting the royal treatment too, aren’t you?” he said to his horse.

“Would you like assistance with anything else?” asked the attendant who accompanied Leiyu.

Leiyu looked around. He saw the merchants’ horses in the other stalls, and some unfamiliar steeds.

“Does the prince have a horse?” Leiyu asked.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has many horses,” the attendant replied with a strained smile.

Leiyu bristled. Of course he would have many horses, he thought. He wondered whether he should keep asking questions. Curiosity got the best of him, although he reminded himself to use the prince’s formal title. “Is His Highness the Crown Prince a good rider?” The two attendants stared at him. Leiyu felt tingles run down his face. Said the wrong thing again.

“Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince is very skilled with horsemanship,” the attendant feeding Bakhat the apples replied. “He has been learning since he was young.”

But the prince said he never left the palace, Leiyu thought. Would his skills be that good if he’s never rode a horse in the open fields or the mountains? He decided not to ask any further questions, and felt like he should make his exit soon. Small talk was never his strong suit anyway.

“Thank you for taking care of my horse,” Leiyu said. “I will be on my way now.”

The two attendants bowed and Leiyu walked out of the stables.