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1418 Words
Reinforcements
Back at the valley, the battle had reached a desperate stage.
The imperial guards were exhausted.
Several had been wounded while protecting the attendants and buying time for Princess Meiling's escape.
The captain himself had a cut across his shoulder, yet he continued fighting.
Just as another group of masked men advanced—
Whoosh!
An arrow suddenly tore through the air.
A masked attacker cried out and collapsed.
Then another arrow flew.
And another.
The attackers froze.
The guards looked up in surprise.
More arrows rained down from the cliffs overlooking the valley.
Several masked men fell before they could react.
"What is happening?" one attacker shouted.
The captain's eyes widened.
In the distance, dozens of mounted soldiers were charging toward the battlefield.
Their banners fluttered beneath the moonlight.
One attendant immediately recognized them.
"Commander Wei!"
Relief spread across the faces of the surviving guards.
At the head of the cavalry rode Commander Wei himself.
His sword gleamed beneath the moonlight as he led his men forward.
"Capture them!" he ordered.
The valley erupted into chaos once more.
Realizing reinforcements had arrived, the masked leader immediately turned his horse.
"Retreat!"
Several attackers attempted to flee into the darkness.
Unfortunately for them, Commander Wei had already anticipated such a move.
His soldiers quickly surrounded every exit from the valley.
One by one, the fleeing attackers were dragged from their horses and restrained.
Within minutes, the battle was over.
The surviving masked men were forced to their knees.
Commander Wei dismounted and approached them.
His expression was cold.
"Who sent you?"
Silence.
The prisoners merely stared at him.
Wei narrowed his eyes.
"Speak."
Suddenly, one of the captured men laughed.
Before anyone could react, he bit down hard.
The man immediately collapsed.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The soldiers froze.
Then another prisoner did the same.
And another.
Within moments, every captured attacker had fallen lifeless to the ground.
Commander Wei's expression darkened.
Poison.
They had carried poison hidden in their mouths from the very beginning.
Whoever had sent them had prepared for failure.
No witnesses were meant to survive.
One of the soldiers checked the bodies before looking up.
"Commander."
Wei already knew the answer.
"They're dead."
The valley fell silent.
The mystery behind the attack had only deepened.
Commander Wei turned toward the wounded captain.
The captain immediately attempted to stand.
"Commander."
"Remain seated," Wei ordered.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
"Where is Princess Meiling?"
The captain's expression became serious.
"I ordered one of the palace maids, Xiao, to take Princess Meiling and Jing into the forest."
Commander Wei frowned.
"Which direction?"
The captain pointed toward the river.
"They escaped through the woods."
Wei's expression hardened.
The princess and Jing were still missing.
"Treat the wounded immediately," he ordered.
Several soldiers bowed.
"Yes, Commander."
"Escort the guards, attendants, and survivors back to the palace."
The soldiers quickly began carrying the injured onto horses and preparing wagons.
Commander Wei then turned toward the remaining troops.
"Everyone else follows me."
His voice left no room for argument.
"We search the forest."
The soldiers immediately mounted their horses.
Without delay, they followed Commander Wei toward the river.
The moon had risen high by the time they reached the riverbank.
The scene that greeted them caused even veteran soldiers to pause.
Several masked bodies floated near the shore.
Others lay partially submerged in the water.
Broken weapons drifted along the current.
Signs of a fierce struggle were everywhere.
Commander Wei dismounted and examined the area.
One soldier pointed toward a set of footprints leading into the forest.
"Commander."
Wei followed the trail with his eyes.
The footprints belonged to children and an adult.
Xiao had made it this far.
But whether she was still alive remained unknown.
Commander Wei slowly rose.
His expression became grim.
"Continue searching."
The soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons.
Somewhere beyond the darkness of the forest, two frightened children were still alone.
And every moment that passed increased the danger they faced.
eep within the forest, Princess Meiling and Jing remained hidden beneath the shelter of a large tree.
The sounds of battle had long disappeared.
Only the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves filled the night.
The two girls sat close together.
Although Jing had tried to remain brave, she could not stop worrying.
What if the maid had been hurt?
What if the masked men had caught her?
Even Princess Meiling, who usually spoke endlessly, had grown unusually quiet.
Then—
A faint voice drifted through the darkness.
"Your... Highness..."
The voice was weak.
Barely audible.
Jing immediately lifted her head.
"Did you hear that?"
Meiling looked around.
"Hear what?"
The voice came again.
"Princess..."
This time it was clearer.
Jing quickly stood.
"Someone's calling us."
The princess rose as well.
Both girls listened carefully.
A moment later, Jing pointed toward the trees.
"It's coming from over there."
The voice sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
Then realization struck Meiling.
"Sister Xiao!"
The girls hurried toward the sound.
Pushing through bushes and low branches, they followed the voice deeper into the forest.
Soon, a figure emerged between the trees.
It was Xiao.
The maid was limping heavily.
Her left arm hung at her side, stained with blood.
The sleeve of her dress had been torn apart during the fight, and blood continued to seep through the makeshift bandage wrapped around the wound.
Even so, she kept moving forward.
"Your Highness..."
The moment Meiling recognized her, relief flooded her face.
"She's alive!"
Without hesitation, the princess ran forward.
Jing followed closely behind.
"Sister Xiao!"
The maid looked up just in time to see the two children rushing toward her.
Before she could say anything, Meiling threw her arms around her.
The force nearly caused Xiao to lose her balance.
"Your Highness—"
The princess buried her face against the maid's shoulder.
Tears immediately began streaming down her cheeks.
"I thought you died!"
Xiao froze.
For a moment, she simply stood there.
Then a gentle smile appeared on her tired face.
"I'm sorry for making Your Highness worry."
Meiling only cried harder.
The fear she had been holding back all night finally poured out.
Jing reached them a moment later.
Although she was trying to be strong, her eyes had also become red.
"You came back..."
Xiao looked toward her.
"Of course I did."
The maid carefully placed her uninjured hand on Jing's head.
"I promised I would find you."
For a moment, none of them spoke.
The three remained together beneath the moonlit trees.
A princess.
A lost child.
And a wounded maid who had risked her life for both of them.
Eventually, Jing noticed the blood running down Xiao's arm.
Her expression immediately changed.
"You're hurt."
Xiao glanced at the wound.
"It looks worse than it is."
The statement convinced absolutely no one.
Meiling quickly shook her head.
"You're bleeding!"
The maid laughed weakly.
"It is only a scratch."
"It is not!" both girls protested at the same time.
For the first time that night, Xiao genuinely laughed.
The sound eased some of the fear lingering in the air.
However, before anyone could say anything else, distant voices echoed through the forest.
The three immediately became alert.
Xiao instinctively reached for her dagger.
The voices grew louder.
Branches snapped.
Footsteps approached.
Then a familiar voice called out through the darkness.
"Princess Meiling!"
Xiao's eyes widened.
Relief immediately washed over her face.
The soldiers had found them.
They were safe.
At last.
The tension that had kept her moving finally began to fade.
Her vision blurred.
The trees seemed to sway around her.
The blood she had lost during the battle and the journey through the forest suddenly made itself known.
"Commander..." she whispered.
Before anyone could react, her knees buckled.
"Sister Xiao!" Meiling cried.
The maid collapsed forward.
Commander Wei emerged from the trees just in time to catch her before she struck the ground.
The soldiers rushed forward.
One look at the wound on her arm was enough to make several of them grimace.
Commander Wei's expression darkened.
"Call the physician immediately."
Meiling clutched Xiao's hand.
"She's going to be alright, isn't she?"
For a moment, nobody answered.
Commander Wei looked at the unconscious maid who had risked her life to protect the princess.
Then he turned toward his soldiers.
"Take them back to the palace."
As the moon shone through the forest canopy, the children followed beside the unconscious maid, praying that she would wake again.
- Writer
