Chapter 9: The Water Dance

At the kingdom of Jian, an absolute system runs. This system allows the people to be differentiated by their status by the time they were born. These statuses were mainly divided to five ranks; the underclass, the working class, the middle class, the upper class, and the highest and at the peak of all ranks, the elites, or the royals.

And this results to an immediate discrimination forced to them from the very day they were introduced to this unequal world. With this, the Ranking Crowns were created. Just as the name suggests, they are the crowns in different types that tells you which rank an individual of Jian belongs to.

Heavy and thick crowns filled with fancy ornaments and colorful gems, 'Cumulus', are the crowns belonging only to the people with the blood of the royal family which is the elites, the people holding the golden rank at the Jian's system. There were only three people who are allowed to wear the Cumulus crowns as of this generation. These men are:

Jian Hongwu, the King. He bears the highest of the Cumulus crowns which is the bright red crown, heavy with rare and famous gems. His crown had been in several attempts of robbery before, but failed to do so.

The second, Jian Li, as the Crown Prince. He was given a golden coronet, which is a sub and smaller version of the King's crown. But once he claims the position of King, the red crown will be passed onto him and he will do so to the next.

And lastly, Jian Morfran, the second Prince to the throne holds a silver coronet, a brother of the gold coronet Jian Li has. Once Jian Li ascends to the throne, the golden crown will be passed onto him, and the silver crown will not be worn anymore.

There are two types of Ranking Crowns, the Cumulus, and Stratus. Whilst Cumulus crowns are worn by royalties, Stratus crowns places below the Cumulus. These crowns are worn by nobles lower than the position of Prince.

Almost all high ranking nobles wear crowns, with commonly tiaras for women, and diadem for men, but both crowns are accepted as unisex. While the middle class, the working class and the underclass does not wear a crown on their heads except if they advance to the upper class but ranking up rarely happens since the gap of nobles to common folks are still huge.

While these crowns existed to brag in every occasion, it also has been a cause of lots of conflicts and continuous distrust to other people, the jealousy and temptation unwavering as these crowns were the sole reason for the people to keep pushing furthermore, to keep working, to gain higher ranking crowns that comes with more privileges, power, and luxury.

"Lord Ran, we should cease conversing those ignorant low borns, the god of the west might hear and curse us!" Playfully said a noble dressed in brown robes, the others chuckling inside the Grand Hall.

The god of the west was believed by the people to be the god of wind. The wind god was always told by being an all-knowing god. That he whom controls the winds could hear all news from it's breeze.

Although knowing it was just a folklore, people still are sometimes anxious about the several stories of "stubborn people" who was permanently punished for telling false and mean things by the wind god, their tongues cut, unable to utter a word. And of course there are also those who doesn't believe with the whole "legend" of gods and would take it as a children's joke.

"Why, you're right! The winds are getting angry!" laughed the two noblemen loudly, then leaving their respective tables to roam the Grand Hall while drinking those rose colored wines given by the servants, stopping by to see the commotion up front..

[Starting from here is a flashback.]

The door was opened and the personal attendant of Jian Li, Aren, a good-looking young man peacefully marched inside the Prince's chamber, dragging his white swaying robes behind him.

He bows. "Your Highness!" He smiles giddily. "It's almost time for the monthly hunting! Please vacant your room before the sun rises." Aren said in a very soothing morning voice. It was still dark outside and Jian Li's eyes had not yet been rested well from the book analyzing he did last night.

Jian Li groaned softly and sat up on his cozy bed, secretly not wanting to leave his warm nest. Compared from the present age of the Prince, the fifteen year old Prince is a few centimeters off his eighteen year old height.

"It's time already?" Groggily spoke Jian Li to Aren who was holding his gold watch in front of the sleepy boy.

"Yes Your Highness. Now, be dressed and be fed, we will leave at the breaking dawn." Instructed Aren with a soft smile.

Slow blinking eyes, Jian Li rubbed them gently. "Can't I stay at the palace? I want to study more." Aren chuckles and hid his watch inside his robe. "Unfortunately not, Your Highness. Your body also do needs a bit of exercise and sunlight, your skin is getting too pale." Aren clicks his tongue and nods on how right he is as he looks to his master's skin.

Jian Li stared down on his fluffy blanket, wanting to go back. "But—"

"If I may remind you, you have skipped the Royal's Monthly Hunt last month, I've already taken your excuse of stomach ache, i dont think the King may be fooled no more. Would you want your father to be visited with disappointment that his library-jailed son does not want to see him?"

"Its not—"

"-Do you think you could help your people under a bad health in the future?" Pushed Aren more, looking at the dazed, sparkling Prince sitting on the comfortable bed.

After a moment, the Prince sighed in defeat while Aren smiled in contentment, locking both of his wrists behind his back.

Aren walked over beside the bed and assisted the Prince to get off his warm nest. Aren and the servants guided the Prince to wear his black and red hunting attire.

"Hya!" Thundered Jian Hongwu, riding his black horse which was pacing on full speed. The monthly hunt had began.

The Royal Monthly Hunt is an event which only the royals perform each month to develop their skills. But it's mostly to show off their King's multiple capabilities, not only ranging in physical strength but also in his strategic planning and decision making. The Princes are dragged along in hopes that they would learn from their father's techniques and to increase their potential and skill in physical hunting and as well.

The Royal Hunt is the sport Jian Li most honestly sucked at. The animal hunting. He had the lowest energy and is a very unsportsmanlike person, wanting to do immobile sports instead just like archery.

While Morfran specialized in his brute strength just like his father, Jian Li grew inside the castle with books just like his mother. He was the type of boy who liked to read and sit, instead of running around, holding swords and training his body. Ever since he could remember, he had liked reading books regarding plants and medicine, so he never actually thought the time would come that each month he had to shoot such sharp pointed arrows to deers, boars or any passing animal inside the hunting forest.

Jian Li and Morfran were closely following behind their father. The contest here is to catch the largest hunt of the month, which Hongwu, a broad shouldered wild beast specialized at, mercilessly taking down any animals he sees, never taking it easy in front of his sons with zero losses.

Fourteen year old Morfran rode a black horse just like his respected father. At hunting, he wears green clothes and leather attire with brown boots, carrying a bow and arrows behind his back. In the other hand, his older brother, Jian Li wore red clothes and thin leather around his body, his feet suited in black boots that extended up to his knees, riding a pure white, confident looking horse.

"I want to end this quickly and go back to my room.." Mumbled Jian Li under his ragged breath, the horse shaking his entire body while his eyes begged for sleep. The fast wind were slamming hard to his blessed face, his black hair were floating behind him with the horse's each gallops.

He looked beside him, seeing Morfran energized to his highest. The thrill were instantly showed inside his black eyes and his fangs appeared when he rides his black horse, he really looks like a split image of the King.

Following behind Jian Li was his personal attendant slash all day guard, Aren, who was a trained knight, a skilled horse rider who followed behind him in ease and even gave Jian Li a thumbs up to cheer him up.

He groaned inside his head. 'Ten horses are too loud for one road. All the animals are going away. This is such a painful task, really.'

"Hya!" Jian Li then curved his way, his white horse separating from the rest.

"Well then, let's see here." Jian Li roamed around his eyes.

It was a sunny day and yet the trees had blocked the rays and filled his road with shadows with only spots of lights which was of course, a comfort for him. Riding in relaxation, he doesn't spot any sort of animal movements or even traces, he pulled his horse to a stop and listened to the wind.

'For the mean time, lets rest here.' Unmounting his horse, he huffed. Under his boots crunched dried leaves and the breeze arrived as if lulling him to sleep. The young Jian Li then tied his horse's rope around the tree and rested under its shadow, leaning his back against it's tough trunk.

'Good chance to nap a bit. I'll just tell them there are no catch at my area mm.' He closed his eyes and melted his mind one with nature, wanting to just sit back and listen to the rustling of leaves, and the soft ripples of the water. Wait, a river?—

A loud growl of an unmistakably big animal disturbed Jian Li's ears. He snapped his eyes open and turned his head to where it came from. He immediately stood up and grabbed his tall bow, cautiously getting one of the arrows at his back and slowly went deeper inside the forest.

Not far, he sees a small cave, nearly concealed itself with hanging green vines. Listening harder, he hears growling and moaning of an animal with a hieght maybe twice of Jian Li's body judging from how large and loud its roars were.

Jian Li couldn't help but walk nearer as he spots something white moving in front of the cave. The figure looks like a cloth. It moved again, was it a person? a girl? No, a boy? Moving closer and hiding behind trees, the person, as if kneeling down were dressed in white, pale skin like his, and cloud-like white hair, almost looking like a ghost. As his back were facing Jian Li the Prince would notice his shoulders shaking.

'He's in trouble if he doesn't get out of that cave soon, he'll get eaten.' Jian Li panicked and for no choice, he swiftly ran towards the boy and pulled him back away from the cave.

The beast roared loudly before they can even run away. Jian Li flinched, and took the boy behind his back, assuring him: "It's okay, stay behind me." A large, black limping silhouette moved and faintly shook the ground, walking its four legs towards the small Jian Li who had his feet stuck to the ground, too scared to move.

'Calm down, move.. move!' he yelled to himself inside his head, immediately drawing an arrow to his bow, he pointed his bow to the low rumbling black shadow, trying not to shake too much. Stepping outside the cave, Jian Li finally saw what it was. A wild, gigantic lion.

Jian Li's eyes seemed to pop out, he and the boy behind him recovered some distance. The lion's fur stained with blood, its fangs dripping with blood and his paws and claws were soaked with blood as well, and then he realized, he had disturbed a lion which was in the middle of its meal. He gulped, looking up to its menacing eyes, never had he felt so small to stand in presence of a beast. It was as if his angry father and this lion were one when it comes to being frightening, at the same level of bone striking horror for Jian Li.

The thin boy behind him seemed to want to move, Jian Li saw him gripping medicinal plants. It must be that weeds he saw in front of the cave. This boy risked his life to get medicinal plants, creeping and plucking out herbs in front of a lion's den.

"Hey," with no glance to spare, Jian Li called out to the boy behind him. "Don't move—" but boy ran towards the lion. Jian Li nearly had a heart attack. "Wha—?!"

'Is he still trying to get more herbs?!'

"Hey! Stay away! Run!" Warned Jian Li, the lion was slowly advancing towards the boy. With no choice, Jian Li breathed in and took aim for the lion's eye, drawing an arrow as far as possible, he released the string from his grip and the arrow made a piercing sound as if like a whistling sound.

The lion wailed loudly, its loud roars engulfing the entire forest, Jian Li had hit it at its left eye. The boy gasped and fell at his bottom, crawling back to Jian Li. "Hide behind me." Jian Li took the smaller boy behind his back again and served him protection. He grasped one more of the arrows fixed at his back and drew it, taking another aim, as the lion began moving berserk, slashing the air with his claws recklessly.

Jian Li gritted his teeth and pulled the string harder to the point of snapping. Muttering, "I'm sorry. Forgive me." Then he released the spinning arrow, Its force drilling through the lion's forehead, immediately taking it down to the ground, unmoving.

Jian Li panted his stress, quickly looking back to check for the other boy. The long haired boy, a centimeters smaller than him had tears silently breaking free his golden eyes. Jian Li stared down at the now sobbing boy. He bent down one of his shaking knees and patted the white haired boy on his shoulder.

"Its over. Don't cry anymore." Said Jian Li, then spotting a bleeding wound at the boy's arm. The boy looked at him, his eyes still dripping fresh tears.

"Can i treat your arm?" Asked Jian Li. The boy nodded slowly. "Its okay, would you come with me to the river right there? I'll carry you at my back if you can't stand." Jian Li tried to smile, copying one of Aren's. The boy nodded again a bit unsurely.

Jian Li had bent over, the boy slowly getting on his back. He seemed to notice that there were more wounds from the boy's body. When did this happen?

They walked in the middle of the day, the cicadas were making noise as usual. The trees provided them shade and the wind seemed to get a bit chiller, maybe because Jian Li had calmed down a bit from all the fright he experienced just a moment ago.

The river finally was in sight. At the side, he placed down the boy and made him sit on a small boulder to soak his feet at the running water. Jian Li sighed, scooping a water on his palm and took a small sip.

'Its sweet.' Noted Jian Li inside his head, sweet bluish water indicates that it still comes under the territory of Jian, the miraculous water.

"I will wash your wounds now okay?" Then Jian Li scooted a bit more closer, washing away the blood from the boy's pale skin, sometimes wincing when the wound hurts.

He only meant to wash the wounds but he was shocked why the cuts are closing and healing itself. He never knew these waters had healing properties too.

Putting away the questions inside his head and prioritizing the wounded, he reached on his pockets and drew a pouch. "Here, you should ingest these herbs. It'll help your system to calm down." He handed him the greens and the other took it.

"Thank you.." Spoke the white haired boy who then bowed, munching bitter leaves quietly.

Jian Li was a bit surprised. 'So he could talk.'

The Prince bows. "Helping comes normally."

"Right, could i ask your name?" Jian Li would not let this chance fly, remembering to ask names because there was one who he regretted not asking.

"Oh, i am called Es-"

"Estes! My son Estes! Where have you gone? Estes!" Called out a beautiful lady with pointed ears, she was dressed and looked snow-white, resembling the boy he saved.

"Mother!" Called out Estes, a sweet smile on his face. The mother tip toed and ran, gasping as she hugged her child so tightly between her loving bosoms.

"Oh! You've made me feel too anxious! That lion! Oh!" The mother kissed her son's forehead.

"This fellow saved me from it." The boy gasped out of her mother's embrace, pointing at Jian Li with a soft smile. The mother gasped, seeing a golden crown above his head, which Jian Li grew conscious of. The mother bowed with a smile on her face.

"I am called Hestia. Thank you for saving my child's life, i owe you." Hestia grasped the Prince's hand and shook it warmly. Jian Li felt really warm and for the first time, the fullness of his heart from saving a person feels fulfilling.

He smiled, "I am very grateful to meet you and your son, my name is Jian L—"

"Your Highness! There you are! Are you wounded?" Aren called out from afar, his white horse thumping, then he unmounted, running towards Jian Li and kneeling over.

"Was it you who took down the lion? We heard a loud roar, and rushed over here. I didn't thought you'd do it." Aren immediately searched the Prince's body. Puffing his cheeks, peeking at the sides of his neck, checking his arms, going around Jian Li's torso, and running his eyes at Jian Li's feet and legs.

"Um, yes— but i have company, if you may, please check on—" Jian Li looked back, the mother and her son Estes were gone. Their presence behind him quickly dissipated.

"-Him...." Jian Li was completely shocked and confused. Looking around aggressively.

"I knew it, there's something wrong with your head!" Aren immediately ran his hand to Jian Li's hair, examining it and poking both his eyes so seriously.

Then he began rambling. "Its just like last time! You said you saw a boy but there was really none, and now you tell me that theres a new boy whom was with you and now there really isn't. I bet you see illusions after a great shock!" Jian Li gasped, his eyes still searching behind the woods. Trying hard to prove he's not insane to his closest attendant.

The galloping horses doubled and tripled. The King and the second Prince followed by the royal guards had arrived at the river side. The King got off his horse, worriedly rushing over to Jian Li with a pale face.

"Son, is everything alright?" Asked the King, Jian Li hurriedly cleaned his hands and bowed.

"I checked the Prince thoroughly sir, fortunately he is not harmed." Aren bowed lowly to the King, the King sighed and held Jian Li up to stand.

Morfran from afar clicked his tongue. Not pleased his brother was not scratched even a bit.

"It was a nice shot, son." The King smiled to Jian Li, maybe referring to the arrow pushed inside the skull of the lion. He then patted Jian Li's back and turned to face Morfran and the others.

"Crown Prince Jian Li wins this hunt!" Declared the King with a proud face, while everyone cheered and raised their arms in delight. Morfran in the other hand felt bitter to lose in the second place again. Throwing the deer he caught and left the camp in silence.

"We'll take rest at this river, everyone is free to treat themselves refreshments." The King added, the soldiers nodded and unmounted their horses. Drinking cold sweet water from the river, feeling their energies getting replenished.

Jian Li sat again, his mind preoccupied with that boy. Was he really just a hallucination? How could they leave without him noticing it?

His hand played with the water, staring down at his own reflection, a serene view as he always are.

The three personal attendants of the Royals including Aren was preparing the three royals' meals busily. Morfran who got back from his sad phase now laughs loudly when he speared one of the fishes on the river.

The King noticed how Jian Li are staring over the air again, worried that he may be still feel frightened over his encounter with the lion. Yet inside Jian Li's head, he kept thinking how it would feel to have a mother by his side just like Estes' mother. Curious how the warmth would feel to have someone to lean on and share intimate conversations.

Hongwu tucks both his hand behind him and went closer to Jian Li. "You see when i was young, just like you, I've killed one of those beasts as well." Spoke the King beside Jian Li, the boy looking up to his father with sparkles in his eyes.

Hongwu laughs. "It was terrifying. I was frozen on the spot." The huge man took a seat beside Jian Li. Their figures almost looked like a bear and a cat sitting together.

"Then when i saw someone who needed my help," He continues, "It was as if I've been boosted by a sudden wave of braveness." His eyes sparked. "That person gave me a task that i must do, it was a mere conscience that was telling myself to save him." His voice turned solemn. "I had a purpose, i was no longer afraid. Well- maybe a little- but i kept moving to save that person so i could save him from his death." Jian Li continues to listen quietly to his father's words.

"It's one's responsibility to help the weak. If you can, then you must."

Hongwu raised his clothes, and turned around, showing his skin on his back having traces of long scars and stitches. "With a huge claw wound across my back, i carried and brought back my young friend sir Deverus alive. Along with a matching wound on his back of course!" Playfully told his father to him that made Jian Li even more amazed at his father, highly admiring his values. Jian Hongwu patted Jian Li's head and they both smiled widely.

Morfran shouted with a smile, waving a spear full of wriggling fishes around the air, "Father! look i—" then he stopped yelling, seeing from a distance that the King and his elder brother were having an enjoying conversation together. He closed his palm into a fist, trembling in mad jealousy.

[The flashback ends here.]

Jian Li sought the fan and flicked it open.

With a veil covering his face, he performs an entrancing fan dance piece in front of the deeply enchanted nobles at the grand hall. The honey-sweet music filled their ears and their eyes were busily occupied watching Jian Li's fascinating delicate movements.

Long blue robes dances around the air. A long blue fabric attached to the fan flows through the air as though the fan and the Prince's body were connected as one, so perfectly coordinated with Jian Li's graceful dance.

It was a dance pulled off so carefully that it felt like your soul floats and being pulled to a dazing daydream. All by simply waving his fan with his arms outstretched to the air, every movements guided by the slow melodies from the musician's instruments.

With a troubled heart, he frowns, 'Power, rank and obligations..'

The Prince under the veil were shutting his eyes, completely sealing away everything and focusing with the rich music playing deep inside his head. He breathed in and moved, his unbelievable flexibility and body control surprising them. The chiffon fabric attached to the frames of the fan were like smoke floating around the air, little by little lulling them.

He moves so artistically as if he was painting sea waves on the air like it was his canvas. The whole dance were performed like he was slowed underwater, dancing so beautifully with eager and soft movements, every wave of his fan were filled with emotions, making the picture lool like it was water and smoke itself, dancing together in harmony.

He was dancing along the complex and sophisticated piece, his body moving like he was a flower bud, painfully bloossoming to the world.

"Noblesse Obligue.. Was i the foolish one?.."

He shed a tear, faintly hearing the little girl's screams of pain of having her thin skin burned with the flaming iron. Her ear numbing cries when her body was being violated by many men over and over again. The sin of holding a book as an underclass has a miserable fate. The brutal punishments that the underclass people has to bear makes Jian Li wonder if this treatment happens way more often to other people around his kingdom's slums.

As the music was slowly reaching its climax, Jian Li angrily gritted his teeth, both his eyes shed sympathetic tears under his veil.

He closed his fan with a flick and ended his dance of an elegant yet sorrowful piece.

Keeling over, he bows in front of the clapping nobles, muttering under his breath. "Let me change this kingdom."