Post by xuan on Sept 4, 2008 19:03:36 GMT -5
xuan gave a small chuckle to the girls sudden aversion to talking on the subject of love and nodded, "That sounds like a wonderful idea, a nice bed and a hot meal is always good. My treat, I'll pay for your food and lodgings," she smiled and then turned away to make it very clear that she wouldn't take no for an answer.
The small village came closer as they moved and it was only about a half hour before they arrived asmong the few sparse huts and the small inn. It was little more than a large thatched house with a few extra bed rooms, all but one of which was occupied. Xuan gave a few coins to a stable boy to tie up their ostrich-horses and went inside, a sleeping jiang in her arms and a groggy Bo at her side.
Nanny Ti had gone ahaead to purchase their rooms and came back with the news of only one room.
"I hope you don't mind sharing a room with us, Kinue, I know a young girl of your age needs her privacy," she had wished their would be more vacancies, not that she didn't want the girls company, but she was sure she would be up several times during the night to puke becuase of the baby, that's how it had been with Jiang and Bo.
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((Sorry Kinue, Xuan has to move forward, hopefully we'll meet in the future.))
Settled into the Inn Xuan was unable to sleep, much like she had suspected. Her and her children were wide awake after sleeping almost the whole day in the back of the wagon. So as the others drifted off she took Jiang and Bo down stairs to sit in the cool night air.
She felt a bit naked without her vest-robe on, it had been so much of her daily wear that its minimal weight felt like pounds were missing from her shoulders. But it couldn't be helped, it would have been damaged on the road and she loved it too much to let it succumb to travel. She had taken off her circlet for the same reason and though she knew it was sitting at home on her bed she could still feel the cool metal on her brow.
"Bo, don't play in the road," She said absent-mindedly to her son and he scooped at the dirt to make a little muddle pile near the rickety wooden bench she was sitting on. Jiang rested on her knee, playing with the small, but somewhat noticable bump on her stomach that would be her next child. Tsuki hadn't known about the new baby, she had kept the bump hidden under her vest easily, and it tore at her heart to have kept the news from him.
The pounding of an ostrich-horse played through the quiet night and it was only a matter on minutes before a lone rider was seen on the road coming toward the town. Xuan felt the urge to run inside, grabbing Bo's arm to bolt, but she was frozen in place as the man practically fell off his still moving animal in front of her.
"Miss Yen?" She recognized him as her husbands personal messenger, he had delivered many letters to her and he held out a rather tattered one now. She took it almost afriad to open it and read its contents, "The Captain says it's urgent," that pushed her along.
The ink on the battered paper was scrawled in a hurry making some words almost indisciferable, but she made it out well enough:
A tear rolled down Xuan's fair cheek, but she brushed it away. She would have to act fast and she would have to leave Kinue top her own path, but first things first she had to wake Ti.
The small village came closer as they moved and it was only about a half hour before they arrived asmong the few sparse huts and the small inn. It was little more than a large thatched house with a few extra bed rooms, all but one of which was occupied. Xuan gave a few coins to a stable boy to tie up their ostrich-horses and went inside, a sleeping jiang in her arms and a groggy Bo at her side.
Nanny Ti had gone ahaead to purchase their rooms and came back with the news of only one room.
"I hope you don't mind sharing a room with us, Kinue, I know a young girl of your age needs her privacy," she had wished their would be more vacancies, not that she didn't want the girls company, but she was sure she would be up several times during the night to puke becuase of the baby, that's how it had been with Jiang and Bo.
----------------------------------------------------
((Sorry Kinue, Xuan has to move forward, hopefully we'll meet in the future.))
Settled into the Inn Xuan was unable to sleep, much like she had suspected. Her and her children were wide awake after sleeping almost the whole day in the back of the wagon. So as the others drifted off she took Jiang and Bo down stairs to sit in the cool night air.
She felt a bit naked without her vest-robe on, it had been so much of her daily wear that its minimal weight felt like pounds were missing from her shoulders. But it couldn't be helped, it would have been damaged on the road and she loved it too much to let it succumb to travel. She had taken off her circlet for the same reason and though she knew it was sitting at home on her bed she could still feel the cool metal on her brow.
"Bo, don't play in the road," She said absent-mindedly to her son and he scooped at the dirt to make a little muddle pile near the rickety wooden bench she was sitting on. Jiang rested on her knee, playing with the small, but somewhat noticable bump on her stomach that would be her next child. Tsuki hadn't known about the new baby, she had kept the bump hidden under her vest easily, and it tore at her heart to have kept the news from him.
The pounding of an ostrich-horse played through the quiet night and it was only a matter on minutes before a lone rider was seen on the road coming toward the town. Xuan felt the urge to run inside, grabbing Bo's arm to bolt, but she was frozen in place as the man practically fell off his still moving animal in front of her.
"Miss Yen?" She recognized him as her husbands personal messenger, he had delivered many letters to her and he held out a rather tattered one now. She took it almost afriad to open it and read its contents, "The Captain says it's urgent," that pushed her along.
The ink on the battered paper was scrawled in a hurry making some words almost indisciferable, but she made it out well enough:
My love,
My father is in a rage, he thinks you have abandoned me and claims he will have you imprisoned for disobedience. I can not let that happen to you, I insist you do not go to Tachi Dai, he plans on meeting you there. I wish to be with you and I am sorry that you were driven to run away, i believe it is my own failings as a husband that have lead to this. Take yourself and out children somewhere safe, we will find eachother some day, I am sure of it.
I love you more than life, be safe and give our children my best.
Your regretful Husband,
Tsuki
My father is in a rage, he thinks you have abandoned me and claims he will have you imprisoned for disobedience. I can not let that happen to you, I insist you do not go to Tachi Dai, he plans on meeting you there. I wish to be with you and I am sorry that you were driven to run away, i believe it is my own failings as a husband that have lead to this. Take yourself and out children somewhere safe, we will find eachother some day, I am sure of it.
I love you more than life, be safe and give our children my best.
Your regretful Husband,
Tsuki
A tear rolled down Xuan's fair cheek, but she brushed it away. She would have to act fast and she would have to leave Kinue top her own path, but first things first she had to wake Ti.