Chance encounters

A light breeze was playing with her hair, unbound locks kept on tickling her forehead, even her nose. She was probably awfully disheveled, hopefully nobody would see her looking so unsightly. Truth be told, she was so ashamed she felt like dying. Well, maybe not yet. Actually, she felt like sneezing, surely it was a sign that she was not dead yet? Did ghosts sneeze for all eternity if their bodies died before doing it? She knew it would soon become an unbearable and inescapable urge but just the thought of sneezing was enough to make her feel exhausted. She was wondering how she could muster the courage and strength to move, a single sneeze would probably kill her.

The leaves rustled, now she could hear them. Birds singing, a nearby stream flowing happily, maybe this was paradise? Except that she was very cold. She never knew paradise was so freezing cold, but it made sense if it stood as the opposite of the burning hell. Anyway, she had to see for herself. She discovered no so long ago in a temple that she was not the weak child everybody, including herself, thought she was. She wasn't sure she could do anything but, as the priests said, she wouldn't know unless she tried. She would not give up the fight so easily.

Fortunately – or maybe unfortunately, it was too soon for her to decide – as her senses were gradually waking up, she was now almost sure that she was not dead. Or maybe she was still on the verge of dying, hanging on to life by a thin thread? In any case, even though her muddled mind was slowly becoming clearer, Qing Chan still didn't feel truly alive.

She remembered being hurled out of the dragon's maw, together with Xian. However, the dragon had immediately snatched Xian back into its mouth and she had been left hanging on Xian's braid for dear life but then, the braid snapped and she fell. She was sure she couldn't have survived such a fall on her own. Without doubt, somebody had helped her with magic. Was it Xian's doing?

A wave of warmth entered her heart and full of hope, her eyes naturally opened.

Not only did they open, her eyes were even wide open, almost popping out of their sockets with fright. As luck would have it, Xian had not been the one to save her, nor was it Soon-Yi's party and its powerful mages.

Qing Chan was currently face to face with a white snake. Its golden eyes were glowing with magic and its maw was gaping as if it had been about to swallow her whole. Its scales were slick and cold, its body coiled around her own, preventing her from moving an inch. It was mesmerizing, both beautiful and terrifying. Its aura resembled that of the huge dragon, except that with its small size, it looked much cuter to Qing Chan. Her complexion kept switching between white and all kinds of red, surely she was not in her right mind.

– Oh, you're awake.

The snake closed its maw, hiding its fangs. Its little bifid tongue was alternately showing or hiding, as if shyly trying to get closer without daring to. Qing Chan knew it was only to catch and locate the scents but it just looked endearing. She felt it wouldn't be too bad to die in this white snake's embrace.

However, the coils loosened, enabling Qing Chan to breathe freely. She eagerly gulped for air. She hadn't realized that her body had been so strongly constricted. She didn't think the snake had tried to strangle her, it had probably been the one to save her when she fell, killing her now would only be a waste of its prior efforts. With this thought, Qing Chan relaxed and stared at the beast in front of her with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. It could even talk – probably with magic – she was really looking forward to getting to know this mysterious creature better. All thoughts of the Imperial court with its scheming and betrayals were long forgotten or at least they seemed very far away.

After almost dying numerous times, she instinctively focused on the here and now. She didn't know if she was cut out for such an adventurous and dangerous life but she had to admit that she didn't hate being by Xian's side, even though she kept on blaming him for all the crises they encountered together. She didn't know why, from the very beginning of their running away when he stepped in to save her and looked like a knight in shining armor, she felt it was natural to rely on him. He was devoted to her rival, he was a magnet attracting disasters, nevertheless she trusted him. Just how unreasonable could she truly be?

And now, she was doing exactly the same thing! Beware of pretty boys and cute snakes ! However, knowing it in her mind didn't mean she could change the feelings in her heart. To begin with, she wasn't even confident that trusting them had been a mistake. Up until now, she was still safe and sound, albeit roughly, so she decided to go along with her intuition. Going with the flow was a novelty for her and she found it intoxicating.

Even disheveled, dirty, her clothes torn and her body injured, she had to admit that she was having fun. Meeting a talking snake was also an outstanding once-in-a-lifetime event. And not only did it talk to her, it even used magic to save her! This Spirit Beast probably traveled all the way from the Infinite Forest. How many people in the imperial capital or even in the whole Selnan Empire could boast about such encounter?

First of all, the Spirit Beasts almost never left the Infinite Forest and only mages could go there, with a lot of restrictions and conditions. She knew she was being childish but couldn't help but feel happy and proud. Only a few months ago, as she was wasting her life on her sick bed, she would never have thought that she would be met with so many wonders – and dangers – once she stepped outside of the palace. She had not been able to come to terms with everything yet and barely had time to even catch her breath.

– Could you perhaps show me this braid in your hand? I feel like its magic is really appealing. It must be filled with the magic elements I was looking for. I come from far away just to get some. Of course, I'm happy to have this much but the real source just slipped out of my hands. I'm no match for a dragon this size. It's such a shame !

He sighed theatrically. Regardless of the fact that it had no hands, Qing Chan felt that his manner of speech was strange and overly courteous. Such dramatic pose did not match its cute looks. Something felt off about it and she was quite the expert in hypocrisy and deception.

– What happened to me? I was falling and then, I don't remember anything...

Qing Chan couldn't for the life of her recollect a single memory. Her mind was blank, she surmised she must have fainted during her fall. It was far from the first time she lost consciousness but usually it was because of her poor health or weak body. She had never fainted from fear.

Under the snake's intense gaze, she boldly affected her most sincere, innocent and slightly bewildered expression. She was quite adept at eluding troublesome requests like this. And obviously, she didn't want to give in to quickly and surrender Xian's braid. It seemed to be the only valuable thing she owned, its worth much higher than a measly human life in the snake's eyes.

In her heart, Qing Chan blessed the extravagant politeness of the white snake. Had it been a crude brute, it would have been easy for the beast to take everything she had. Even letting her die was a simple option if the snake's purpose had been theft. She couldn't help but feel grateful but what would happen once the braid was no longer hers?

As she was racking her brain to find a way to keep both Xian's braid and her life, dozens of wind blades sliced into the nearby trees. Splinters flew everywhere and Qing Chan only had time to curl up into a ball, protecting her head with her arms.

The group of mages had closed in on them and a fierce battle started. The snake was bravely facing several mages, deflecting the wind blades and ice swords. Thankfully, no fire mage was in the group to set the whole forest ablaze, turning it into an inferno.

– Run! I can't hold out much longer! Go away now!

The snake was shouting desperately and Qing Chan stood up at once, as if she had been energized by her own fears. She hesitated a split second, and the snake was about to spur her again, but she decidedly shoved Xian's golden shining braid around the snake before turning tail and running for all she was worth.

Even in the middle of her mad dash, she was still worried about the white snake. Turning her head, she saw a bright flash of light where the snake had been. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes were blinded by the light and already full of tears. She stumbled and everything went black once more. A trickle of blood marred her dirty face as her head hit a small rock.

Fortunately, she didn't black out for long. When she woke up, an unknown woman dressed like a man and a tall red-haired foreigner were bandaging her wounds. Of course, she was the worse for wear. It was the first time she'd ever run so wildly. She wondered how Xian had managed to run so fast and for so long while carrying her in his arms. In her current state, she looked like anything but a dignified imperial princess.

With but a few words, the three of them managed to come to an understanding. The tall man, Chen Yu, was following Xian, claiming to be his friend. He seemed to know about Xian's shining skin and the description he made of the young boy was very accurate and so detailed it was a bit unsettling. However, even though Qing Chan didn't know Xian all that well, she agreed wholeheartedly with the depiction which was weird in its own way.

The woman, going by the name of Apsara, was merely trying to flee the capital with Chen Yu. She didn't know about Xian at all but didn't mind as long as she had reliable traveling companions. Therefore, they decided to continue chasing after the dragon that abducted Xian.

Qing Chan felt a little regretful to leave the forest without knowing what happened to the white snake but she needed the horses of these travelers. She probably could not fend for herself if they left her, alone and injured. She didn't have much choice but, as she was also worried about Xian, she readily followed Chen Yu as well.

She felt lucky and grateful for their help. If not for them, she would probably have died in the forest, either because of her injuries or the attacks of wild animals, bandits or the unknown mages who ganged up on the poor snake. Indeed, danger was lurking everywhere. She just hoped she made the right decision as she rode together with Apsara in the South direction where the dragon was headed the last time they caught a glimpse of it.

In a clearing, deep in the forest, a young silver-haired man was standing quietly and looking intently at the long golden braid in his hand. His clothes were pure white with a silver sheen and close-fitting like a second skin. He had already absorbed all the magic elements within the braid but couldn't resign himself to throwing the useless hair away. He smiled wryly. Even though it was not her hair per se and even though they might never meet again, he wanted to keep the only memento of their encounter.

Raising his head, he looked around him. As expected, the magic elements in the braid were wonderful and tremendously potent. With just the amount enclosed in the braid, he had become a lot more powerful and grown significantly. He was already an adult but even though he was of royal blood – not the direct bloodline however, being a white snake, the weakest and most despised of all, he had not been adequately nurtured. Thus, he had kept his shameful childish physique both for his snake and human bodies. At least now, his pride had been a little bit restored. He smiled proudly and transformed into a dragonling, a small dragon but a flying dragon nonetheless. And with a loud and slightly undignified roar of joy and relief, the white dragonling soared into the sky.