The Journey - Part 5

Content warning: Mild profanity

The next day, while eating a breakfast of roasted sparrows, Leiyu noticed that Prince Thallios was quieter than usual. His amber eyes had a dullness to them, and his movements were lethargic.

“Is everything all right, Your Highness?” Leiyu asked.

“I don’t know,” the prince said. “I just feel very tired this morning.” He placed the sparrow bones to his side, and laid down on the cave floor. “Maybe we can just stay here today.”

“Are you feeling ill, Your Highness?” Leiyu asked, putting aside his food.

“Maybe,” the prince said. “We’ve only been on this journey for two days and I’m already succumbing to the elements.” He closed his eyes. “We won’t even make it to the Sword of Ages.”

“You mustn’t say that, Your Highness.” Leiyu walked over. “Do you feel feverish?”

“Hm?” the prince asked, opening his eyes. “Perhaps. You could check.”

Leiyu felt his cheeks heat up. “If that is all right with you, Your Highness.”

“I don’t mind,” the prince replied.

Leiyu placed his hand on Prince Thallios’ forehead, next to the ruby diadem. The prince’s skin was clammy, and his forehead was burning up. Leiyu frowned.

“It definitely feels like a fever,” Leiyu said.

Prince Thallios sighed. “I’m so weak. I could never take back the kingdom.”

Leiyu reached into his sleeve. “There’s no need to worry, Your Highness. I have fevers sometimes. Everyone does.” He pulled out a small pouch. “I have medicine.”

The prince turned toward him. ‘What’s in that?”

“Mint to disperse the heat. Ginger to drive out the cold and nausea. Licorice root to boost qi. Cinnamon to warm the meridians. I’ll grind it up so it’s easier to eat. Usually you’d brew these in a tea, but I don’t have anything to boil water in.”

The prince had a confused look on his face. “I’ve heard of those herbs, although I don’t quite understand the other terms you’re using.”

Leiyu smiled. “It’s all right, Your Highness. I just memorized what the apothecary said when I used to go with Shifu to pick up his medicine. Shifu had a lot of ailments near the end of his life. Qi is your life force. It’s the energy that flows through you. Meridians are the channels in which the qi flows.”

Leiyu found two nearby loose rocks. He poured some of the contents of the pouch onto the surface of one of the rocks, and used the other one as a pestle. Once the herbs were ground into a powder, he slid them off the rock onto a small piece of cloth.

“Here, Your Highness,” Leiyu said, handing the cloth full of herbs to the prince. “I’ll give you some water to wash it down.” He took out his flask.

Prince Thallios poured the medicinal powder into his mouth and took a swig of water.

“Thank you, Leiyu, for everything you do,” the prince said as he laid his head back on the cold rock floor. “I’ll repay you someday.”

Leiyu winced. “You don’t have to worry about repaying anything, Your Highness.”

The prince sighed and looked up at the cave ceiling. “Not that I have anything of worth to offer at the moment. How strange it is, to lose everything in the blink of an eye.” He turned back to Leiyu. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling on and on.”

“It’s just the fever, Your Highness.”

“How quickly does this medicine work?”

“It should take effect within a quarter of a shichen.”

“A quarter of a what?”

“Sorry, Your Highness, that’s another Dongyu word. A day is divided into twelve shichen.”

“I see.” Prince Thallios exhaled and returned his gaze to the ceiling. “Could you tell me more about yourself? I still feel like I don’t know very much about you.”

Leiyu blinked a few times. “What would you like to know, Your Highness?”

“Mm. You said before that you don’t remember your parents. But do you ever wish that you knew who they were?”

Leiyu was silent for a long time. Prince Thallios turned towards him again.

“I’m sorry,” the prince said. “You don’t have to answer if it’s too painful. I guess I was just thinking about my own parents, so maybe that’s why I asked.”

“Um…” Leiyu began. “I have wondered from time to time, but…I think it’s best that it stays a mystery.”

Prince Thallios’ eyes widened. “Oh? You don’t want to know who they are? Or were?”

Leiyu shifted to a cross-legged position, as if he were about to meditate. He rested his elbows near his knees. “People back home would criticize me harshly for saying this, but the way I see it, there is no good that comes from knowing.”

Leiyu saw the prince give him a strange look, and took a deep breath. “If my parents were good people who wanted to raise me, but couldn’t afford to, then I would feel sorry that things didn’t work out. Even though my life turned out okay, I’d always have a sense of wanting to find out what could have been. However, if they had abandoned me because I was just another mouth to feed, then I would feel bitter knowing that.

I could have also been born out of wedlock, so my existence would be considered shameful. Maybe my father was long gone and my mother was struggling, and that’s how I ended up alone on the streets at such a young age. That would make me angry, bitter, and sad.”

“Oh,” the prince said, blinking away nascent tears. “I didn’t think of any of these.”

“It’s all right, Your Highness. But there is also a possibility that I really did not want to think about.”

“Which was?”

“If my parents had wanted to raise me and were not struggling, but their lives were cut short by bad people, then not only would it be a tragedy, but I would be obligated to spend the rest of my life seeking out the ones who killed them.” He saw the prince gasp. “And not only that, if by avenging them, I end up creating another orphan, that orphan will spend the rest of their life seeking me out to avenge their parents. So in a way, it’s better that I don’t know who my parents were or what happened to them, as unfilial as that sounds.”

Prince Thallios’ face turned pale. “Oh…but I’m avenging my father…”

Leiyu’s heart sank. Damn it, I said the wrong thing again, he thought. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I shouldn’t have spoken.”

“Oh, no, Leiyu, please don’t feel bad. I wanted to hear your thoughts. This has given me a lot to think about now. This quest is not going to be straightforward at all, and I’m afraid it’s going to have a lot of unforeseen consequences. Ah, my head is hurting now, thinking about all of this.”

“Is the medicine not working, Your Highness?”

“No, I think it’s starting to have some effect, but I’m also fretting over what I have to do.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness, whatever happens, I’ll support you.”

“Leiyu, you’re so kind. But, promise me one thing. If this quest to avenge my father and kingdom leads me down an ill-fated path, please pull me back before I fall off the precipice.”