The Other Side

The f*******n border

The strong wind hit against her face as the horse galloped faster.

Soon some thoughts began to race in her mind. "What if the priest was right?"

"What if she crosses the border; the other tribes shoots her with their arrows and she'll never make it home? What if...." Shan shan shook her head to clear away the disturbing thoughts.

"I've come this far. Why should I stop?" She thought. But somehow, somewhere in her head a voice told her she should just turn back. 'You've got friends and family. Why risk it simply for your curiosity?'

'You should go, Shan shan, for you do not know what awaits you. Who knows? There might be some really good people on the other side.' Said another voice.

"If I turn back now, I'll never know what's on the other side. But if I follow my heart....." Said Shan shan to herself.

Suddenly the horse stopped, causing her whole body to jerk violently.

“Why have you stopped?” She asked her horse. Then, she looked up and pointed the torch in front of her.

It lit up the whole area. In front of her was a river which separated another forest and hers'. Shan shan guessed that that was the border. She expected guards to be somewhere else protecting the border but her expectations were proven wrong.

Shan shan's eyes carefully scanned about the forest. Everything was silent, and not a single soul was in sight.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through the forest, sweeping the leaves behind her and scattering them in different directions. At that moment, she felt her heart beat fast.

Here she was. Seated on her black stallion, in front of a river and all alone by herself in the large forest with no one to protect her.

Why did I not let him come with me?“ Shan shan felt regretful and thought of her conversation with Gao Cheng.

”I wanted to prove to him that I was independent, that I was strong because I was tired of being a burden to my brothers,“ She sighed.

Suddenly, she felt something moved past her fast. At the left corner of her eyes, she thought she saw someone not far from her approaching her but when she pointed the torch at it, she was relieved to see that it was a fox.

Shan shan knew that she was taking too long to cross the river and in the back of her mind, she was worried that someone else in the village might realized she was missing.

"Father would be so mad if he finds out I went to the south. ” Thought Shan shan. She wanted to cross the river but was afraid of what might befall for her if she did. A lot of 'what its' played in her mind.

She felt so confused. To cross or not?

Finally, she made her choice.

With the horse's reins held tight in her hands, she raised them up and sent them down on the stallion's neck.

The horse whinnied and then galloped through the shallow river, crossing the other side safely and racing through the dense forest. Shan shan used her right hand to shield her face from branches and leaves that might hit her.

After what seemed like a long time, they were finally free from the dense forests.

She couldn't see what lied ahead of her so she used the torch but she was very upset when she realised the torch was not lit.

“The wind and the horse's speed must've put out the torch,” She thought.

Just at that moment, the horse whinnied and stand on its hind legs, dropping Shan shan to the hard, soiled ground before galloping away.

Shan shan was surprised by her horse's actions. The hard landing made her bottom and her lower back felt pain but she was thankful enough she still had her cloth bag and her rapier.

As she was struggling to get up, she could see, in the dim light, a figure slowly approaching her with a long metal object extended out at her.

Shan shan wanted to pickup her rapier, wanted to stand up but she found herself helpless to do so.

Her body was still in terrible pain so she decided to stay still, hoping the figure would not see her.

When the figure had finally reached her, Shan shan could see the person clearly under the moonlight.

Black, leather boots, a tunic dress with a waist clinching belt depicting the symbols of a wolf's head, gauntlet with symbols and writings Shan shan couldn't make out, black legging and a black hooded caped donned on the slim and tall figure.

"Who are you?" The girl asked in an authoritative tone of voice, her sword still pointed at Shan shan's chest.

Shan shan hesitated, she was not sure if she should tell a lie. Then her mouth said slowly, “I'm a traveler.” She tried to stare hard into the young girl's brown eyes, hoping that she would be convinced.

“A traveler?” The girl asked liked as if she didn't believe Shan shan.

“Yes.”

"You're from around here?"

Shan shan nodded her head.

"Your horse?"

"It ran away."

"How did you get here?"

"I crossed the river." Shan shan hoped that the girl would stop asking so many questions.

Stepping one step closer, the girl removed her sword from Shan shan's chest.

Shan shan felt relieved. The she looked up to the girl's face and figured that she must have been around the same age as her.

"Can you get up?''

Shan shan shook her head.

The girl extended a hand to Shan shan who then grabbed hold and pulled herself up.

When the girl was not looking, Shan shan quickly removed the necklace around her neck and shoved it into a small opening of her cloth bag. She knew that she was in the enemy-whom-Elm Tribe disliked-territory.

“Since you are lost and not familiar to our place, I'll give you a place to stay for the night.”

“But it's so dark. How are you going to see?” Shan shan wondered how they were going to move about as the girl had no torch with her.

“We can see in the dark.” The girl said plainly.

This was something totally unexpected for Shan shan.  “Do you have special powers or abilities? ”

“No. Our people were born that way.”

They made their way through the muddy and sandy grounds until they reached a village just like Vreni's village. Here, there were torches and oil lamps hanging outside each occupant's house and this made her felt safe unlike the dark forest where she only had to rely on the girl.

"This is where you'll be staying for the night." They stopped before a wooden house.

An oil lamp was hung above their heads. Shan shan could see that the wooden door looked in a bad condition—probably because it was old and weathered.

Shan shan took a step towards the door and pushed it slowly. The door creaked and the wooden floor made a sound whenever a step was made.

" This is my house actually."  The girl walked inside and went to a corner of the house. She litted an oil lamp and placed it on a small table.

It lit up the whole room.

Shan shan could see that there weren't much furnitures. Only a small, round wooden table, two chairs, a square table at a small window with papers on it, a bed by the window which is next to the door and a wooden chest at the foot of the bed.

The house actually looked small and she couldn't find a place to sleep.

"Where do i sleep?"

“ On the floor. ” The girl's reply almost sounded as if she was ordering Shan shan to do so.

Shan shan looked around for a spot to sleep before picking a spot next to the girl's bed. It seemed to be the only cleanest spot in the room.

As she was about to close her eyes, the girl said, “The name's Hong Lu, by the way.”

“Mine's Shan shan,” replied Shan shan.

“Night.” Hong Lu pulled the sheet up and closed her eyes.

“You too.” Shan shan also closed her eyes and both went into a state of deep slumber.

The night was long but not long before dawn. Shan shan suddenly sat bolt upright, remembering that she had to be at Elm Tribe before dawn. She quickly went over to Hong Lu side and nudged her.

“Hong Lu, Hong Lu, wake up!”

An annoyed Hong Lu opened her eyes slowly and looked at Shan shan angrily.

“It's still dark.”

“I know, but I need to cross the border so I will need a horse.” Shan shan looked at Hong Lu brown eyes with a pleading look. But Hong Lu turned to her other side and closed her eyes. Shan shan knew that Hong Lu was being difficult so she kicked the foot of the bed hard—hard enough that Hong Lu sat bolt upright looking annoyed.

“Okay! There's a white stallion behind my house. Just take him! ”

“Thank you.”  Shan shan hurried outside to find the horse.

“I doubt she would even find her way back.” Hong Lu threw herself to the bed and closed her eyes.

But she was wrong, Shan shan did remembered her way back from the forest to the border.

Having been through the forest until to the edge of them when she was a little girl, Shan shan developed an ability to remember routes even more difficult one.

Shan shan had crossed the river safely. She looked up to the sky, it was nearly dawn. She whipped the white stallion and it galloped until they reach the village. She pulled the horse's reins, got off the horse and hurried into her house.