11 I Am Afraid

It was a scenic moment,

Wherein I fell down on a city like the Beaumont,

You and I are alone,

And I was mesmerized by your shadow white eyes that shone.

***

THE YEAR 1904, a century away from the present time.

Althea was startled by his sudden moves on the fourth step of the stairs that she caught off balance. Qing Long unclasped the sword from his hand and quickly stepped up to catch Althea. The Jian rolled and bounced down towards the stairs as Qing Long wrapped his arms over her waist. Qing Long's heart beats so much louder than usual.

Althea landed on his strong arms as Qing Long's face was much closer compared to earlier when they were on the Yangtze River when she slipped her heel on the wet lawn. Qing Long inched his face closer towards her and Althea felt his breath on her lips. Althea realized how tight his grip was on her waist, and she was being steadied by his muscular, well-built arms.

He held Althea closer to him that made his heart skipped a beat. He didn't know what to react as he stood still by the steep steps of the stairs while the wind gusted louder from the east. The distant shout coming from the event on the Qing Empire was evident. The Jian landed safely on the foot of the rock stairs as Althea and Qing Long stared into the depths of their eyes.

Althea could not attempt to push him out of her body because he will fall. Qing Long was the first one to release his arms leisurely from her waist, careful not to fall. He steadied himself on the bottom while Althea was regaining her balance. She spent the time composing herself on the top of the stairs as she cleared her throat. Qing Long also felt the circle of awkwardness around them as he looked the other way and pursed his lips.

"Why... why would you follow me when you can't even balance yourself?" Qing Long asked while he was looking at the foot of the stairs. Althea opened her mouth slightly as she shook her head and scratched the back of her neck, unsure of what she had to say. She knuckled her fists as she saw Qing Long turned his head towards her.

"Let me tell you something, woman. I am not in the mood to explain to you that you can't touch my things, but please, don't even lay a finger on my sword. Please, I'm begging you," Qing Long ordered as he sighed and closed his eyes out of annoyance. He turned his back around as he stepped on the foot while Althea was furrowing her eyebrows.

Each second that had passed, his character was changing. From being someone who cared for you, someone who wanted you to shut up, and to someone who doesn't want to be touched. What does it mean? Althea was pursuing the questions in her thoughts and she doesn't know how to answer them.

King Wang Qing Long was disparate compared to what she had in mind. Or was it? Does Althea ever think about how the king could transform anytime now into a vicious and ravenous dragon, ready to nibble down her whole existence and body in his slurping mouth?

Qing Long picked up the sheath of the Jian as Althea was frozen in her place, unable to move. Althea was thinking of the Legend of the Cursed Dragon, and she thought that she had to ask if Qing Long was really the one on the curse. She tilted her head to one side as she knew that it was not him. King Wang Qing Long should be a dragon himself, hiding somewhere, and not seen by any other people right through their naked eyes.

"The Cursed Dragon had been dead several centuries away, how could it be Qing Long?" Althea asked herself as she smirked and looked like crazy whispering answers to her own questions.

"That was the one that made you disqualify from the competition, how could it be Qing Long?" Althea asked herself once more as Qing Long stopped behind her. She was putting her finger on her chin as he opened his mouth to say something.

"What is it that you are pertaining to my name?" Qing Long asked that made Althea jumped from her place. She took a step back, careful not to slip once again, as she held onto her chest, and looked at those inquisitive shadow white eyes. Qing Long rolled his eyes slowly and raised his eyebrows a little.

He walked past ahead of her as the embers of the fire were now vanishing. He put a strip of barks of the wood inside the fire and it raged through the air. The smoke erupted in the air as Althea was left dumbfounded on the stairs. The stars were now appearing on the skies as Qing Long lightened up lanterns inside the cave.

"My plans got ruined because of a single slip of the heel," Qing Long mumbled furiously as he placed the sheath of the sword on the strap of his robes. He continued lighting up the four lanterns as Althea looked at the glistening waters of the Yangtze River. She thought about asking again Qing Long about the one he said earlier before the night fell down completely.

Althea ran over the entrance of the cave and was not perplexed about the lanterns. The view was completely normal for her, except that it gave a glow inside the closed area. Qing Long halted on his tracks as Althea puffed her cheeks and was determined to ask once again.

"Can you please state your explanation on why you know I fell down the river? I mean, it was something unusual for you, am I right?" Althea asked while standing up straight and her hands were on her sides. She swallowed as Qing Long creased his forehead a little. Qing Long knew what she was talking about, but he knew that she was not ready for his explanation.

"I mean... how can you say that I am not from here? I am sure that... it's not the first time you saw someone wearing those kinds of clothes, aren't you?" Althea asked as Qing Long looked up at the cave, removing his gaze from her eyes, and she knew it from that split second. Qing Long swallowed as he looked up and nodded completely.

"I wanted to know why... and how did you know that I am not from here," Althea quivered her lip a little as she knuckled her fists by her white robes. Qing Long removed the sword from the straps and walked, approaching Althea in just a beat. He stopped in front of Althea, smiled a little, and what got Althea taken aback by that recognition.

"Your eyes... that was what I had been waiting for after years," Qing Long muttered while the tears rolled back down once again. He looked the other way as he was reminded of that eyes once again. Althea looked back down as she doesn't know what he was talking about.

Qing Long stared at her face once again, with that azure eyes that were reminded him of Julissa, the one he had loved 300 centuries away from the year 1904. Qing Long smiled a little as he looked down while Althea was looking at him with a puzzled face.

"You had been born again, Julissa," Qing Long whispered as he teared up and Althea was getting baffled in every second that had passed. Althea opened her mouth to ask something, but Qing Long just raised his hands slowly and put it on her shoulders. Althea felt electricity even though there was a cloth covering her skin.

"Thank you... for you are here again," Qing Long muttered to her, and it made her so befuddled. Althea raised her hands as she looked at his arms. She touched his wrists and removed them from her shoulders. She pursed her lips as Qing Long was awoken from reality and gasped for some air. He wiped his nose as he licked his lips.

Althea asked, "Who is her? The one you are talking about. The one named Julissa?"

Qing Long swallowed as he looked up and smiled at the corners of his mouth. He puffed his cheeks as Althea was longingly looking at him, searching for answers through her prying eyes. Qing Long shook his head as he said, "She's the one I love. Julissa is her name, and she looked exactly like you."

Althea raised her eyebrows from what she had heard and gaped at her place. She swallowed as she heard the wind gusting on the trees as Qing Long knuckled his fists.

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