Chapter 9

"He's dead." Yin frowned, checking his pulse.

The merchant's cold body lay on the ground in front of them. Raindrops fell from the sky, their percussive melody gentle and hesitant. Small droplets rested on nearby leaves and along their hair. Within moments they had become frantic and heavy, the droplets now pounding against the forest floor like watery bullets.

"Pity." Prince Li leaned over, rummaging through the merchant's pockets. "I was promised a handsome sum to bring him back alive."

"You're getting paid?" She asked, masking her bewilderment with a playfully raised brow..

"You don't think I'd go through all this trouble for free did you?" He replied, sorting through the folded pieces of paper he found in the merchant's pockets.

"But it's your brother."

"I got paid to tag along for this visit too." He said nonchalantly. "Again, I don't work for free. Especially not my brother's dirty work."

"It's not dirty work." Yin replied, mildly annoyed this time.

"Is it not?"

"No." She smiled, upon hearing him say nothing else. "I don't know about your kingdom, but in mine it's quite natural to do such favors for family members."

It was the popular consensus that one would do favors for free, simply because they were family. Of course, Yin had always felt the need to go beyond tradition when it had come to her brother. She hadn't spared a thought when spending every waking hour for the past decade ensuring her brother's safety and wellbeing. Anger surged in her chest at the thought of someone so casually disregarding her way of life. Just when she found him somewhat endearing, the Li Prince just had to find some way to irritate her further.

"I see." He said slowly, but entirely unconvinced.

XXX

"Two rooms please." Yin stumbled into the inn, stopping at the front desk.

"We're full tonight." The old woman replied without looking up.

"Are you sure?" Yin placed 6 gold coins on the counter.

The woman raised a brow, frowning at the faint stain on the floor left by her muddied boots. They had stumbled into the inn, their robes heavy with water after a long ride in the rain.

Prince Li looked around, inspecting his surroundings. Paint had chipped off corners of the walls, leaving tan colored spots to be illuminated by the flickering candlelight. Old wooden tables were neatly set out, porcelain wine jugs and teapots sitting on top.

Upon seeing the innkeeper's lack of response to her meager bribe,Yin slowly added another 2 coins to the pile.

Prince Li raised a brow at her, leaning over to whisper in her ear, his breath brushing against her bare skin. "Surely there's no need to spend so much on an inn."

"If you would rather sleep outside in the rain," She replied, turning towards him, ignoring their close proximity. "You are more than welcome."

"I didn't say that." He straightened his back, glancing at the pouring rain outside before narrowing his eyes. "I just can't stand seeing money wasted."

"How unfortunate." Yin said dismissively while placing another coin on the counter.

"I suppose," The innkeeper said, taking the money while nodding towards the door. "We have stables out back."

"Thank you madam."

The air was heavy with the mingling scents of earth and rain. The ground beneath their feet, bore imprints of their passage, transforming into a mosaic of damp footprints. As they moved through the rain-kissed landscape, the stables came into view.

The space left behind by the horses was much smaller than either of them expected. It seemed they had no choice but to squeeze into the last remaining stall together.

They set down their bags; mounds of leather slouched against the hay-covered walls. Yin took out a bottle of wine, carefully pouring it against the wound she had all but forgotten about, clenching her jaw at the sharp pain that greeted her.

"Missed the hilt?"

Yin looked up, he had taken off his outer robes, leaving only the flimsiest layer on. His wet hair had been let down, clinging onto the sides of his forehead as he wiped his neck and face.

"Bad throw." She teased, wincing as she tore out a piece of fabric from her skirt with her teeth and spare hand.

A period of silence passed between them. Crickets chirped in the background as the horses shuffled in the stalls beside them. Night had fallen; the stars, like distant jewels, shimmered against an obsidian canvas. The only other source of light was a small lamp, casting a pool of golden light in the corner of the stables.

"I'm sorry," Prince Li said, his voice softer this time, nodding at her wound. "I can do it for you if you'd like."

"No need." She shook her head, pulling on the fabric to tie a knot.

Yin brought the bottle to her lips, taking a gulp of wine. The subtle burn lined the walls of her throat as she swallowed. She stuck out her arm, offering the bottle to Prince Li once she was finished.

He shook his head.

"So," She shoved the bottle back into her bag, "What did you find in the merchant's pockets?"

"Just some…" Prince Li said. "Things."

"Things?"

"Letters." He continued reluctantly, "In code."

"May I see?"

"I'll have my people decipher them after we get back."

"You're not still wary of me are you?" She slipped off her coat, smiling to herself when Prince Li turned to avert his eyes.

"You are." She said in bewilderment, placing a hand on his shoulder and turning him towards her. "You think I'll do something unsavory to them."

"Perhaps." He looked back at her with a mixture of defiance and guilt.

"You can't be serious." Yin folded her arms. "Besides, I can't do that much harm by looking."

"Yes you can." He raised a brow, "You know you can."

"If I had bad intentions I wouldn't be asking," She said. "I would simply take it."

"Right," He scoffed, "Because that worked out so well for you last time."

Prince Li's gaze met hers with a quiet confidence. The wind teased against the seams of his shirt, lifting it to briefly reveal a flash of gold ink.

"Very well since you insist," She sighed, "I'm tired anyways, let's go to bed."

"Together? Us two?" His eyes widened.

"Do you see anyone else here?"

"Men and women should keep their distance." He said slowly, "I can find somewhere else."

Almost as if it was tired of their bickering, the nearby lamp flickered out. With their only source of light gone, they were thrust into a deeper blackness.

"Princes and Princesses should also refrain from frequenting brothels together." She chuckled, "I think we're beyond custom now are we not?"

"I-" He audibly swallowed. "I suppose."

"Thank you for your concern." Yin teased. "I didn't know you were such a gentleman."

"I try to be."

She waited for him to lay down first, but to no avail. After a few moments of silence, as if her patience had evaporated, she grabbed onto his wrist. She pulled him down onto the floor, their bodies falling against the cold concrete as well as each other.

"This doesn't feel right." Prince Li said while squirming in the dark.

"I don't think it's supposed to." Yin replied, trying in vain to locate her own right arm.

They were back to back, but had barely fit in between the narrow walls, the limbs awkwardly crashing into one another.

"No one must know about this." He said, letting out a breath in frustration.

"Yes yes," Yin rolled her eyes, pulling her arm out beneath his torso.

In one swift motion, their orbits collided, his teeth meeting her forehead in a clumsy collision of bone against skin. The unexpected impact reverberated through the stillness. She moved her hands, pushing against the surface beneath her as if trying to carve out a haven of separation. Her palms landed on a hard, curved plane. Her eyes widened when she realized she had just placed her hands square on his abdominal muscles.

"Sorry." They chorused at the same time.

Yin flushed with embarrassment, intensely grateful that he was not able to see the expression on her face.

Laughter, warm and vibrant, suddenly unfurled from the depths of Prince Li. It was an unfamiliar sound from the usually stone-faced Prince, but his joy was undeniably infectious. Yin had forgotten anything she had found irritating about him.

"This is absurd." He said in between bouts, "What in the heavens are we doing?"

"Our brothers would faint if they knew about this." She gave in and pressed her forehead against his collarbone, only barely aware of the heat that rose to his neck.

"Yours would murder me first I'm sure."

"You know," Yin started, "I really didn't mean to touch your-"

"I know." She felt his smile against the top of her head. "Don't worry."

They paused again, the only discernible sound being the gentle cadence of their breaths that had somehow fallen in sync.

"Goodnight Princess." He broke the silence, his voice soft and drowsy.

"Goodnight." She sounded before her consciousness gradually slipped away.