Chapter Text
Success had flowed once through the fingertips of a man; a man so powerful with his mind that others began to understand the human capacity for knowledge was wider than the mouth of the Nile. It was a cacophony of eager learning, filled with white matter that foamed for materials and knowledge that it could drink like the foam of a latte.
He was ahead of his time. They didn't approve of his methods of study, no matter how many dogs remained unburied, no matter how many aborted babies he was hiding to perform surgeries on. They were fodder, they were something he could pick at with tools of trade and find out more about the human race than what was ever discovered by forefathers.
An angry father grabbed him by his coat, tearing the dyed cotton, shouting, "You beast! You've taken away my life from me! My son! Bring me back my son!"
His hands came up, callused from the hard work of his previous years of research. Torn lips spread to speak but it was silenced by the angry mob of the townsfolk, throwing torches and alcohol in rage. The chemicals lit, searing the body of the corrupted doctor. He fled into the moonless night, clutching the remnants of his scholarly uniform.
Her eyes focused on the food in front of her, chopsticks gently held between her polished hands. The plate was almost empty as the court hall cleared out. The royal coronation had been a fortuitous event, inviting people from far and wide to it that they were allied to. Many robes of shimmering colors filled the red and gold hallways, most descending down the stairs and wrapping around the curb to the Zen Buddhist garden.
Feng Min's thoughts had traveled distinctly back to the old storyteller's words; how they weaved their hands through the air as they told their long-lost story that apparently originated here. Here, in her own place of birth. It was a story of horror to keep children in bed, that she was sure of, but in a strange way she wanted to believe it to be real. Anything entrancing like that was a breath of fresh air compared to the palace grounds.
People had scattered to all ends of the rooms. She was still at the dinner table, her royal headdress heavy with the details that the seamstress had incorporated into it. Her eyes looked down, chin immobile to avoid weight shift. On her plate were expensive foods, fermented and seasoned to the most delicious degree with the blessings of the chef for longevity. She would have to compliment the cook later.
A woman of regal splendor, her mother, softly bumped her shoulder with a pristine hand of porcelain white. She had an observant and concerned face, where her painted lips were gently trying to turn into a desperate smile. There was a clear concern about her daughter lacking appetite on such a special night.
Feng smiled and looked back to the plate, picking up a slice of braised duck that perched between her chopsticks. "I'm fine, mother, really," she said, her voice low. "I'm just really slow tonight. Tired from the..." she paused, "festivities." It was clear that her mother didn't believe her but the older woman didn't press further.
Feng Min gradually cleaned her dish before she stood, eyeing a friend that was conversing in the corner with another. She was a Japanese friend, with elegant, long locks and a smile that was colored scarlet. Very little did she speak out loud, specifically due to the tradition of painting teeth black. It forced women like her to talk little but she really didn't seem to mind. The woman was always giggling in glee behind her kimono sleeves and her cerulean fan. She was a pretty young woman, with hazelnut eyes that glowed with warmth. She always lit up when Feng talked to her.
Their eyes locked and a connection was made, soft and inviting.
Feng Min excused herself from the table and immediately walked towards the Japanese female, who bowed. Her rose-painted cheeks flushed naturally underneath the makeup but it was invisible.
"Yamaoka-san, it's great to see you here. I didn't think you could make it."
Rin straightened with a soft smile, holding a fan up to her mouth as she spoke in a rough Chinese dialect, Japanese clearly trying to come out with certain words. "Have no worries. I got here just in time, right?" Her head tipped to one side, letting her dark eyes roam. "You look gorgeous tonight. The coronation gown looks excellent."
Feng Min flushed more and brought a hand up to her mouth to hide her sheepish behavior. "Thank you, Yamaoka-san. You're always too polite. More so than men who have tried to court me." The way her nose wrinkled was obviously a sight as the Japanese woman gave a soft, muffled snicker.
"That's how it is, isn't it?"
The princess sighed, almost rolling her head back in despair. "I guess," she quipped. "There was older man that attempted." She watched Rin raise a small eyebrow, mutely questioning her for more information. "He said he would go off and hunt some mythical beast and bring back its head and if he came back with it, he should be allowed to marry me."
A quizzical look crossed Rin's halfly hidden features.
"A beast? A mythical one, no less? Then he must be a man with acute tastes for hunting in the wild. And with a knack for getting into trouble."
Feng Min nodded. "That's what I thought. And..." she paused, considering hard what she wanted to say. "I want to go after him."
Rin's beautiful eyes widened. "What?" She didn't yell nor did she speak in such a low tone that it would draw attention. Feng Min was grateful.
"You have to understand, Yamaoka-san," she pleaded. "I'm so tired and bored in this place. I'm trying to finally decide my own fate before it falls into someone else's hands. Maybe I can even see if he's worth it. Maybe even I can see the beast for myself." She doubted it but it was something to doubly look forward to. The man was probably loony.
Rin gave a nod but she didn't hesitate on the cons of the subject. "But your parents?"
The princess sighed, her gaze shifting to the marble floor. "They wouldn't like it."
Of course they wouldn't. She wasn't supposed to be out of the palace without permission or guardian observation. Someone had to be with her at all times. Even in the Zen garden there were guards standing at all of the entrances, one even making rounds to be sure there was nothing strange going on between the monks that blessed the spot. It made her want to rip her hair out.
"Well..." Feng Min looked up to Rin, who glanced to one side as she spoke, "if you think you want a taste of fresh air, I think you could do it. Just," she looked back, "very carefully. Right?"
Feng Min gave a soft laugh but it was almost void of humor. "Oh come on, you're joking, right? You wouldn't actually let me do that, would you?"
Her smile dropped into a small 'o' as Rin's eyes glittered with playful mischief and a childish gleam.
"You should do it, Feng Min," she replied. "I'm rooting for you all the way to fulfill your own dreams. I can keep my mouth shut, okay? But listen. You have to be careful. Don't go with some stranger. Go with someone you trust that can help you."
"You?"
Rin rolled her eyes. "I appreciate the sentiment but I'm not one for the job. I don't know anyone else either that's good at hunting aside from people who I don't bother with." A slight shudder cascaded down her body. It was muffled heavily by her beautiful kimono.
Feng put a hand up to her chin in thought, letting her painted nails gently tap on the dry paint on her lips. She knew of no hunters in the region aside from the man who wished to propose to her. Feng Min had never even been outside in a place full of hunters either, not without her mother being with her to guide her towards the correct directions for entertainment purposes only. Hunters were few and far between, no matter where she looked.
The conversation wrapped up like that to avoid suspicions and they parted ways for the night. Tomorrow night they would speak more to cover more ground and to see if they would really be able to do this. No, if Feng Min was able to do this.
Her room was a safe haven. Silk curtains were drawn over the bed, colored deep blues and rich violets. From the position of being by the front door, she always concluded that the colors reminded her of a large, beta fish with wispy fins. On her left was her vanity, morphed into shape with the help of a walnut tree. She could see the bright colors of her outfit, waist down, in the mirror. The rest was hidden, bleeding into a golden frame that was shaped to resemble the Chinese lion, protector of the royal family.
She wasted quite a bit of time undressing. It wasn't unusual for her to do this without help. She preferred it. It gave her silence amongst the time she was out in public, with her parents or outside of her room in general.
The headdress was removed slowly. She relished in the feeling of her hair falling down lock by lock, swinging towards her waist. The apparel was settled on her vanity and she took the time to fully look at her face, as the makeup needed to come off for a fresh coat tomorrow. A bowl of water and a clean rag was already tucked here, prepared by some of the servants that respected her wishes.
A tiny smile played on her lips before she began to clean up. The white smeared without hesitation, providing a hassle to let her jawline show. Only by a few shades of color was there a difference between the paint and her skin tone but that didn't stop anyone from powdering her face. The rag swiped at the cheekbones, removing the pseudo blush that was provided. Slight undertones of natural blush remained on her face.
Feng Min figured she had a very average face. She was not that pretty, with her round cheeks, pudgy chin and her narrow eyes. Her lips were small and the only thing that provided an advantage to her looks, as small features were looked upon as decent and cute. Feminine.
She dipped the rag into the cold water, swirling the cloth to remove the excess coloring. The cold water turned into a murky white and she continued on. The coral of her lips eventually shown through, followed by the eye paint that coated lid to lid, all the way up to her darkened brows. The rag became soaked in paint and was eventually dropped into the murky bowl, allowing her to take the time to pick up a dry cloth to dry her face. Any leftover smudges were gone by the time she glanced up at the vanity, at a face that wasn't desired by men unless coated in thick paint.
Feng Min sat in the cushioned seat, heaving a tired sigh. Her eyes scanned the face in the mirror, a hand coming up to grace her cold cheek. It was clean, soft but no one loved it naturally.
No one would love a natural face.
Her feet tucked under her weight to lift her from the seat. She stretched gently, enjoying the lack of heavy robes and silks before she dipped down, pulling on a nightgown that fit over her body more comfortably. Her fingertips ran through her hair to pull it up and over her shoulder, feeling the tiniest of tangles.
The oriental brush was scooped up off the vanity, the rose gold rim shimmering in the faint light that the room portrayed with wax candles and an oil lamp. The boar bristles ran through her hair as she contemplated what the rest of her night would be like, if she just decided to sneak out to the garden to soak her feet in the cold water. For once she wanted to get away from the palace temporarily just to feel something that could define her as someone other than a royal girl.
A rush of interest claimed her as she flipped her hair off her shoulder, watching the black silk fall and disappear. The weight of it was very much there on her back.
She set the boar brush down back on the wood, turning towards the doors. With a hand on the cold, lion-faced knob, she pushed the heavy door open slightly. The guards greeted her with stern looks and with a blush to her cheeks in shame, she closed the door once again, letting it click into place.
Feng Min pinched her lips, sighing in disdain as tonight would be another night of nothingness.
Festivities happened once again. Dancers were up in the front, wearing extravagant silks that were traded in from India thanks to the new, reopened trade routes. The servers were sneaking glances at the spectacle as the bamboo flutes took the soprano pitches and the two Guzheng were strumming along to create the bittersweet undertone that matched the languid movements.
Feng Min watched the ladies and gentlemen dance, sing and make merry before the royal court. They smiled on the gold and red carpet, heels clicking out of rhythm with the music as positions were changed and some gentlemen took a more domineering, fluid control of the waltzing dance.
The chef gently bumped her shoulder as she had, once again, left her food unattended. She glanced up at the American, who smiled broadly with cutely crooked teeth. He didn't seem to mind that she didn't eat all that much but there was still a look of worry in his eyes.
Unlike her parents, Bubba always seemed to smell something was off when Feng Min got into a sour mood. He always came up in the strangest of times, offering food and nodding with his head towards the kitchen. He rarely ever spoke but that was probably due to his heritage of barely making a living off of his family's wages before they perished, supposedly. Her father never talked about it and, of course, Bubba never exchanged information like that. Not like he could, anyway.
His little worried head tilt made her smile a little. She gave a soft nod towards him, mutely explaining that she was going to be alright. Of all people she wanted to worry, Bubba was one of the ones that she didn't want to cause trouble for. He had been too nice to her ever since he was recruited to work.
After dinner, she spoke with him in the kitchen, gnawing on a sticky rice cake.
"You don't have to worry about me, you know," she said, speaking slowly. He seemed to understand her just fine but didn't say a word as he kneaded his hands into tomorrow morning's breakfast. "I can take care of myself, too."
A smile stretched across his face but it wasn't enough to show his teeth. There was a warmth in his eyes that touched her heart.
"So..." she began, "you know I can." He gave a strong nod before he focused back on the prepping at hand, skillfully using the knives and cutting board at his disposal. The smell of crushed, sweet red beans reached her nose. "I...do you think I can do things without my parents yet?"
Bubba didn't necessarily stop in his work but he managed a shrug in-between.
Feng Min hesitated, taking another bite of the treat before fully asking another question.
"Do you think I can do things on my own yet? Like, um..." She stopped for a moment. He glanced up once again, letting his hands come to a rest as he focused his attention back to her. Bubba gave a nod, her single signal to let her thoughts roll out of her mouth.
"Do you think I can be my own prince?"
Feng Min stopped, judging Bubba's reaction. There was nothing there except a slightly quizzical expression in his brow. She continued.
"I mean...like, if I took up hunting like a man. Or if I just decided to not marry and move out of country."
His quizzical expression grew into surprise, his head tipping slightly again to one shoulder as his eyebrows raised upwards into his hairline. It looked like he was assessing the situation for a long moment, his fingers resting against the wooden cutting board.
Feng Min watched him gesture towards a part of the kitchen. She knew where. He had pointed to that specific spot many times before and she quickly sighed.
"I know. They'd be worry, wouldn't they?" He always addressed her parents, trying to show how important family was. Although she understood it, adventure was aching at her hands and she wanted to do something so, incredibly badly. "But that doesn't stop me from craving time to myself. Craving a time where I can just be young and free, like the people who aren't living in a palace. Like how you used to, Bubba."
Bubba finally pulled away from his prepping, hands resting on the hips of his apron. His look became expectant but interested, his head once more leaning to one side.
"Do you want to know what I want?"
He nodded once.
"Well," she began, tapping the last of her sweet treat, "I want to at least hunt first. Just a little. Just to go outside the castle walls and run through the deep greenery."
His entire body seemed to say, "Ahhhh, okay." His shoulders relaxed but his smile widened just enough to show off those crooked teeth that made him so adorable. However, the only straight answer Feng Min got was that it was time to go to bed. He showed it by hovering his head over his clasped hands, his eyes closing in a fake sleep.
She let the last of her nightly snack pop between her lips as she pouted a little, chewing before she spoke.
"But, Bubba, you surely have something planned if you're going to send me off like that, right?"
She never got her straight answer but she felt that she would in the morning, before the festivities began and gifts were presented to her as the heir and to her parents as the royal couple.
What did Bubba know that she didn't?