The Red Orchid/Book I/Chapter 2
Part I The Seaside Song
Chapter 2
A Changing View
Untouched Snow was not enjoying his trek through town. The swelling sounds of animals, merchants and customers mingled together into waves of incomprehensible noise. He carried the last of their catch and wound his way through the throngs of people. A wooden pail covered by a damp piece of cloth occupied his one hand and the carcass of a large fish was steadied on his shoulder by the other.
The sizzling sound of evaporating fat and the rich aromas of cooked meat, the sour tang of sweat, and the unmistakable stench of other less pleasant odors assaulted his nose. A few times grey smoke and sooty ash blew into his eyes, almost blinding him. The harsh shouts of the sellers' voices rose and fell away as he walked passed their stalls, advertising their wares. Those around him gossiped and shouted as people jostled each other under the summer sun, trying to go about their business. The voices of the merchants were especially harsh, scraping themselves against his nerves and dogging after his footsteps with promises of great bargains and special deals.
Snow couldn't help but frown as he walked passed, balancing his heavy load as he wove his way through the crowd. Years of learning to fight made his body strong and agile, and years more on the road had given him an increase in stamina and endurance. He had lost quite a bit of both from his bout with the sea, but they were still assets to be used in his current situation. Even though he was especially adept at dodging people and had been specifically trained for such things, it still failed to make the marketplace any more pleasant. No matter where he went or how deftly he side-stepped thieving children and gossiping wives clumsily going about their daily shopping, the press of human bodies still invaded his personal space. On hot, muggy days like this one, it made him despise this necessary evil that was the activity center of all towns and cities even more.
This growing town, while smaller than many of the ones he had already travelled through, was still bustling with business. The noise agitated his ears, the smell clung to his clothes, and the heat, from both the crowd all around him and the unrelenting sun overhead annoyed him to no end. He had, however, promised the old man help and he had been taught to keep his word no matter the circumstances. Snow gritted his teeth and fought down the urge to snarl at the next merchant audacious enough to approach him despite the thunderous look that was starting to cloud over his face.
And yet, it was in this den of noise and stifling atmosphere, that Snow first heard her voice.
Her voice was clear and lilting. It had a cultured tone that softly cut through the incessant buzz of the marketplace like a sharpened blade. It reached his ears just as he spotted Little Dragon's stall. While he could not decipher exactly what it was that was being said, he spotted the woman hidden by the white and pale green parasol and knew instantly that it was her voice that he had heard. She wore a light blue dress, bordered by black and he saw the white of her trailing sleeves as the pale material of her seer and airy jacket moved ever so slightly from the breeze created by the motion of passing travelers. He next heard the old man's rough, unrestrained laughter in response to whatever comment she had made and Little Dragon's sly reply was heard more clearly as Snow approached. He had reached their booth, just as the old man bade her farewell.
Snow caught sight of her parasol lifting as she turned to go. His eyes were still adjusting to the shade when her head came into view. In a flash the white and green of her parasol came down again and her back was turned to him. He had only briefly caught a glimpse, but he had seen that her skin was fair with a pearlescent glow and that her hair was red like liquid fire, coiled and tied back in a rippling cascade accented by her parasol and white pearl combs. He almost stilled at the unexpected vividness of those contrasting colors, but he got hold of himself before he could do something truly embarrassing. Little Dragon still shot him a knowing look that told him the other hadn't missed the slight stutter in his walk as he entered their booth.
Snow's arms ached from the weight and the duration of his trek. His body was no longer as fit as it had been before he had left the port of his own country. Still, it felt good to move like this again, even if he didn't enjoy the locale or the weather. Snow set down the heavy cargo then, carefully depositing it. Little Dragon watched, fanning himself with a worn bamboo fan.
Snow lifted the cloth that protected the wooden pail's contents from the direct heat of the overbearing sun. Beads of sweat fell into the warm waters then, even as Snow straightened away. The fishes inside the wooden enclosure wriggled in agitation, showing that they too were discomforted by the unmoving heat and they didn't seem to appreciate the added disturbance to their environment. Snow couldn't blame them. It had been a long walk from the shade of the hut to the shade of the stall. Even with the protection of the wet cloth that was now warm and dry, it was nowhere near ideal. He turned then, carefully setting and unwrapping the carcass of the dead fish closer to the counter, a place where passing customers could see better their offerings.
"Ah," Little Dragon grunted in the heat with lackluster approval when Snow was done. "It's so nice to have a young man to do all the heavy lifting," Little Dragon continued with a nod. There was, for only a brief moment, a familiar nostalgia that Snow had come to recognize in the old man's grin. The expression was gone in a flash, and it had been mostly hidden behind the old man's beard and fan, but Snow still caught it. He knew what to look for now. The longer he stayed with the old couple, the more often he observed this one look that came over the two of them in strange intervals during the day.
He didn't ask though. Instead, Snow carefully wiped at his brow in the heat. It did no more than keep a few stray beads of sweat from stinging his eyes but it was still a relief nonetheless. His body continued to feel feverish after his earlier excursion and the hot air around him wouldn't be cooling him down any time soon. The sweltering summer sun beat down mercilessly, until the very air seemed to sizzle, vibrating when one looked over the heads of the passing pedestrians. It was a good thing they had been careful to arrive early enough to set up some shade over their own stall. The fore-thought had been a main draw for the customers since late morning.
"This is the last of it," he told the old man as he cleaned his hands and nodded at the carcass, flexing his fingers to rid them of the stiffness from carrying the heavy pail. Little Dragon grinned even wider at him and he noticed, now that his eyes had adjusted to the dimness, that the old man seemed a little flushed around the cheeks. Somehow Snow didn't think it was due to the heat of the day. The old man, unlike him, was as dry as a roll of aged scroll, lazily waving that worn, yellowed fan back and forth as they waited for more customers to arrive.
"Who was the girl?" Snow finally asked, trying to not seem too interested in the answer as he sat down and took a rest. The servants and her clothes gave the impression that she was from a well-to-do house or a merchant's family. The numbers in her company set her apart from common merchant stock. But what interested him was what she left behind. Snow eyed the package that was given to Little Dragon by said "girl" as he waited for the old man to answer. He had seen the exchange as he neared, but he couldn't deduce what the package contained. The basket was tucked safely away, close to where he had sat down. It was placed furthest from the gutting board, but still in-sight from behind the counter, so the old man could keep an eye on it without passersby being able to easily spot it.
Little Dragon reddened further at his inquiry and now Snow had confirmation that the blush wasn't due to the heat, as he had suspected. "My friend, that is the very famous, and very beautiful, flower of our village," Little Dragon declared, his wiry chest puffing out. There was such pride in the old man's stance that Little Dragon came off looking like a proud rooster, ready to crow at the rising sun to show off his voice. Snow was not entirely convinced by the old man's words and raised a brow at the other's show of pride.
The young woman did seem pretty enough from his glimpse of her, though he had not seen more of her than the pallor of her skin, the line of her brow and cheek bone, and the strange and otherworldly quality of her hair. She was definitely eye-catching, if nothing else, but one couldn't judge a woman's beauty on such small glimpses, even if the men who had seen her face all seemed to react with varying degrees of awe.
This was a small town, after all. Standards usually changed from place to place. He doubted this town was the home of any great beauty, and suspected that their flower was merely prettier than most in the region. Her coloring would certainly ensure that men would look twice when she passed and she seemed to have a good eye for fabric and dress, which reflected her father's station. Her father's ability to afford these luxuries probably helped elevate her looks to the villagers who lived here, but it was unlikely she would be able to out-shine the city girls he had seen waving their silk scarves and smiling their expertly painted smiles in the capital of his own country.
"Her name is Red Orchid. She's the head-man's daughter and only child," Little Dragon explained while he continued to openly study Snow's reaction to this tidbit of news. She had a lovely name. Snow, however, perked up on hearing about the village's leader being mentioned by Little Dragon for the first time. He had suspected her station from the quality of her clothes and the jewels in her hair. It also explained the entourage. Still, it was rare for a village leader to be a merchant. Usually they were more land-owners or someone who had some title. Rarely had he heard of the honor given to new money, though their wealth tended to buy them other forms of power.
The town was benefitting from this, Snow could see. It was growing and expanding and Snow would not be surprised if this was a reflection of the one who was in charge of it. Still a merchant's wealth was unstable, and no matter how clever the man was, Red Orchid was the child of new money and new money rarely lasted if it did not marry into a land-owning family of power. He would not be surprised if she was destined to be the wife of some impoverished lord, somewhere with a title for sale. Even as a second son, Snow was considered in higher standing than her father, despite the other's wealth. Ironically, he was the one currently in rags, but it was not uncommon.
"She was actually here to drop off some medicine, but she stayed to chat and bought a few fishes for her dinner tonight." Little Dragon continued with a slight hint of annoyance when Snow's face remained blank and unimpressed. Snow also noticed that Little Dragon sounded gruffer and gentler than usual, in a manner that one would expect from a man who was speaking about a daughter instead of a customer. Perhaps there was a story there as well, but it wasn't his place to ask any more than the grief he recognized passing like cloud shadows across the old couple's faces when they looked at him from time to time.
Red Orchid, it seemed, was well liked by the old fisherman. Still, a merchant's daughter was hardly worth getting worked up about. Snow would like to know more about the merchant who ran the town though. But... did Little Dragon just mention a delivery of medicine?
Snow actually widened his eyes at this little revelation and Little Dragon finally looked a bit mollified by his show of interest. "Is she an herbalist around here? Or is her father's business one that specialize in medicinal shipping?" Snow asked with piqued curiosity. He had yet to meet a head-man's daughter involved in such a profession, but it may be due to her merchant roots and the size of the village itself. However, rare was a man who shipped medicine in any great quantities. Snow would not have imagined such a business to be able to afford the silks he had seen Red Orchid wear.
No high-lord's daughter that he had met would be caught dead being involved in any such a profession or be put to the task of delivering goods for her father's business either. It tended to show a failure of the head-of-house's ability to provide for the rest of the family. However, why would the daughter of the leader of this village distribute medicine when there were far more qualified hands to do so than her own? And while women tended to be more into herb medicine as a profession, it was rare and usually only done by the widows of particular areas. The former choice usually involved fathers who did not dress their daughters in such expertly dyed hues and silks. The latter choice usually involved poor women who needed to make a living on the side now that no husband was around to provide the necessary income. Red Orchid did not fit either category. She must also have been some-what educated on plants, something that never interested his female cousins and the women paraded before his brother as candidates for marriage. Even in all his travels, this was the first time he had heard of a woman of her standing being so intent on such things. However, she also didn't look like she needed this particular type of knowledge any more than they did, not by the number of trailing servants in her wake or the growth of the village that must reflect the wealth of its head-man.
And this hobby must surely bring disgrace to her father's honor...
"No, no," the old man shook his head and his fan at Snow, interrupting his thoughts. "She is this town's doctor," Little Dragon declared. The old man seemed indignant that Snow could even suggest that Red Orchid would be anything less. This time he couldn't help but show his shock, his spine straightening as he sat up in attention and he was quick to close his momentarily slackened jaw.
Doctors were even rarer than widowed herb masters. Female doctors were almost unheard of. This Red Orchid must be exceedingly well-educated then, which meant either her father was wealthier than Snow originally suspected or the other was very bookish, or a combination of both. Snow wondered then why even a fisherman like Little Dragon would know and spread such knowledge with ease and act as if the head-man would prefer it to be widely acknowledged. There were consequences to propagating something so unfavorable, especially when this type of growth in a town hinted that an ambitious man was at the helm. An ambitious man who would surely want to marry his pretty daughter off to a traditionalist lord, impoverished or not, to increase his own power. Little Dragon seemed utterly unaware that traditionalist families did not look greatly on daughter-in-laws with too many ideas in their heads. While an education was well-respected, and a clever girl was never shunned, too much of such a thing could out-weigh all the good points Red Orchid might have had in her favor. Snow had heard countless times how his own mother lamented the lack of cleverness in Older Brother's previous possibilities, but Father's comment that a too-educated woman was never desired had lingered in his mind just as long. Despite the old man having already shown Snow the other's considerable favor towards Red Orchid earlier, Little Dragon's actions in defaming her contradicted this impression. Surely, this was not something an ambitious man like the village leader would want to spread.
It was strange that such a thing was so well-known and Snow wondered at its significance.
"She's a hard bargainer too, that one!" the old man continued, blithely unaware of Snow's sharpening gaze. There was that unexplained smile again, the one that seemed a little sad, flitting across the old man's weathered face. "A true merchant's daughter to the last, she is," Little Dragon muttered, words spoken softly and directed at himself more than at Snow. The young man saw the sadness linger unusually long on Little Dragon's worn face, the deep groves seeming to deepen on the other's brown, leathery skin. The look usually came when the old couple watched him eat or mended fishing nets. It was a hungry look, full of longing, but this was the first he saw it aimed at someone else and lasting long enough to truly be observed with detail. The old man stroked his own beard thoughtfully as the other seemed lost in some distant memory. Then, Little Dragon blinked, and the moment finally passed. "I wanted to give her a deal for the fishes too, since she's been so good to us. But the child wouldn't hear of it! She's out-witted me in bargaining again, and then had the gall to make me laugh about it!" Little Dragon continued, as if the melancholy silence had not been awkwardly stretched. The old man's chuckle was natural, but Snow saw the fan wave quicken and wondered what meaning lay beneath these subtle movements and those lingering, sorrowful stares. "She even claimed that Little Treasure would be jealous if it was discovered that I was being such a flirt," Little Dragon boasted with a smile, amused as the other recounted the conversation to Snow excitedly. The young man raised a brow again at Little Dragon's words. It seemed the old man liked a pretty face as much as the other had accused his wife of earlier.
"She wouldn't take a discount?" he echoed slowly when Little Dragon finished talking, even though he was getting a little tired of this constant state of disbelief he was being put into. Surely he had misheard? This was the first time he had someone compliment the bargaining skills of a merchant's daughter, only to tell him that the woman in question bargained up.
Little Dragon chuckled at him again, only this time with an unseemly cackling that wrinkled up his face even more. The old man was really enjoying his reactions a bit too much for Snow's liking. "Said she didn't need the money even though she's practically giving away her salves and medicines already," the old fisherman said with a snort. So it was true. Red Orchid's father was well off enough for her to state that money was the last thing she lacked. Common sense, on the other hand, clearly seemed to be missing. "Granted, everyone knows she never keeps the little money she does make anyway," the old man added with a sigh.
Perhaps, Snow reasoned, she acknowledged that having an income with her status was improper and was trying to balance that out with the rules she was already breaking by having a profession at all. It seemed unlikely, but he couldn't think of another logical explanation to this.
"Well, I guess this means we'll have to make a few special deliveries soon," the old man declared, rubbing his neck. Little Dragon didn't think to elaborate despite the questioning look Snow shot at him. Did this mean they would be sending some free fish to Red Orchid's residence? The round-about conversation gave him a slight head-ache and the heat wasn't helping.
Snow paused and rethought asking his next question. This head-man's daughter was passing strange and her actions, by his family's standards, showed a lack of class that his father had often prejudiced on the new wealth that were springing up from the merchant class. From what he had heard of the village's leader and from what he had already seen of the town's progress, it made him exceedingly curious about the man behind it all.
While he had met many merchants in his travels, he had categorized them as either hard and mean or soft and greedy, but the daughters of such men tended to reflect their fathers more than some might think. Red Orchid did not fit the image of the merchant daughters he had met, or the daughters of village leaders. Her willingness towards charity was a trait that he rarely saw in women of her status, not even of women he had known in his life. His cousins were certainly more prone to such things than the daughters of the merchants he had chanced upon, but not to the extent Red Orchid had gone to. While his own mother had also liked to help out those under their protection, especially after great disasters that occurred on their vast land holdings when she could, no one he knew took up a profession and then mingled with the commoners as often as Red Orchid seemed to be doing.
It made Snow curious to the type of man who would raise such a daughter.
Still, he quietly added a lack of sensibilities to the growing list of eccentric failings that this Red Orchid seemed to possess from Little Dragon's revelation. He certainly was intrigued that such a woman existed and while he was curious, it was unlikely that he would approve of what she did with the little money she happened to have earned and kept. Snow, knowing this, kept the inappropriate questions that came to mind to himself. Further inquiries from him and he would come off sounding like a gossiping house-wife. He certainly didn't want to reinforce the image where Little Dragon was concerned, especially with the old man looking so gleeful. While he wanted to ask more questions concerning Red Orchid's father, Little Dragon might find other meanings in there that Snow had no intentions of implying.
Snow didn't want to show his disdain at Red Orchid's behavior, not when it would obviously displease his host. It was a perfectly reasonable reaction, but it seemed that tradition would not be a good enough excuse to mollify Little Dragon if he spoke ill of Red Orchid. Snow, knowing this, swallowed the remaining questions on the tip of his tongue and kept silent. He pointed instead at the customer Little Dragon had neglected to take notice of.
At first, Little Dragon narrowed shrewd, brown eyes at his gesture before finally turning to see what Snow was pointing at, and when the old man's gaze landed on the waiting customer, Little Dragon's face smoothed into an expression of delight. The old man now wore the look that one would think was reserved only for an old friend that had not been seen for some time, not a stranger hoping to escape the sun and buy some fish.
Snow sighed silently to himself at this act yet listened carefully nonetheless at the back-and-forth between Little Dragon and their determined haggler. At least this customer had the sense to bargain down, Snow thought wryly. While Snow disliked the whole market ordeal in the first place, the old man did bring him along today to teach him how to run shop and he had promised he would learn whatever was necessary to help out and he had meant that promise. He had planned to stay at least a year to see it through. Unfortunately for him, it didn't mean that Snow had to enjoy all of his lessons. After that discussion concerning Red Orchid, Snow realized there were worse things he could be forced to listen to and participate in.
"Do you sell peaches?" their customer suddenly asked, breaking through his thoughts as he tried hard not to look too incredulous at the customer's idiotic question. It seemed his day was quickly filling itself up with unexpected meetings and ridiculous exchanges. The current customer didn't notice Snow's expression since the other was too busy sniffing at the still summer air for that distinct, sweet fragrance. The man's dark eyes seemed to fairly gleam with anticipation as he looked expectantly to Little Dragon. Snow preoccupied himself with wrapping the customer's orders up, focusing on the task before him to mask the ridicule he might have otherwise expressed for the inquiry.
"No," Little Dragon answered slowly with a patient, pleasant smile as Snow kept his face wisely blank, "we only sell fish." Little Dragon gently pointed this obvious tidbit out without pause.
"Oh," the customer said with drooping, disappointed shoulders, even as his purchases were handed to him by Snow when the payment was received and properly checked. "But I was sure..." the man continued to mutter, mostly to himself, as he turned and walked away. Snow looked after the once shrewd looking man, slightly bewildered at the change.
Little Dragon didn't seemed particularly bothered by the encounter though, and lazily fanned himself in the stale, unmoving heat of the day.
Sea Lotus greeted them both with delight when they returned to the small hut by the sea. Little Dragon gave her a detailed report of their market day, animatedly strutting around the hut and imitating a few of their customers so accurately that even Untouched Snow was moved to smile -- just a little. Little Dragon and Sea Lotus noticed this though, and both grinned triumphantly at each other not-so-secretly, much to Snow's chagrin.
When Sea Lotus saw the package left by Red Orchid, however, her face brightened so much that Snow had a small glimpse of how the old woman might have looked in her younger days. "Oh, this must be from Little Orchid," Sea Lotus almost cooed over the basket. "She's such a dear, sweet girl. Always concerned about the welfare of everyone in the village! The town grows and her heart grows with it," the old woman said with a contented sigh. Sea Lotus looked touched and proud at the same time, reminding Snow of her husband.
"She was asking about you too, Little Treasure," the old man told his wife. "It hasn't been long since her last visit but she's always been a bit of a worrier," Little Dragon said with a grin. "The festival's coming up too! You'd think she'd be too busy for us now that it's almost here. Always surprises me when she gets around this time of year, but she manages somehow, our flower."
Snow looked to the old man with puzzlement. He had been here a month already, so he wondered if Red Orchid had visited just before his own arrival. He had also heard of the upcoming festival as well, despite the short time he had been to town, and wondered how any of this tied up with the eye-catching red-haired woman he had seen this afternoon. Red Orchid's role in the festival must be quite large to preoccupy her so much, and he was curious about what that role may be. Snow had never been moved to wonder what the proper duties of a head-man's daughter entailed, though he doubted that it involved being a doctor or any of the charity she had shown to Little Dragon -- and surely others like the old fisher couple. In the end, Snow doubted there were many women daring enough to do the activities that Red Orchid so proudly went about without even an attempt at hiding it.
While he had always been taught that a woman's role in being the good daughter or the perfect wife lay in running the household, Red Orchid seemed determined to defy all those expectations. It unsettled him. It also caught his attention. He wondered if this was what her father had planned all along and wondered how many other tradition-minded lords have been caught off-guard by this surprisingly clever ploy.
He was even more curious now about the festival than before he knew she was involved. The town was fairly abuzz with the excitement concerning the preparations for it. Snow had first thought it was the Moon Festival they were preparing for, and while he assumed correctly, it was obvious that there was something else underfoot, one of long standing. Certainly the villagers would celebrate the new Moon. Snow had seen the beginning preparations for paper lanterns of all shapes and sizes, lining the stalls set up specifically for the upcoming week of celebrations. Yet, the outpouring of foreign merchants lately, along with the growing number of strangely dressed men in the streets gave a different impression. He never quite gleaned the full details of the occasion because he had pegged that this increase in foreigners was due to business with the head-man and the general incoming of travelers for the festival, but some curious snippets he had overheard did bring doubt to these earlier assumptions. Snow acknowledged that he was still rather ignorant of the whole ordeal -- the one topic that everyone else seemed privy to. The main topic centered on certain games and contests, but he never got the full details for any of those half-heard conversations.
Snow caught Little Dragon's eye before he asked. "I have heard about the festival. Am I mistaken in thinking this is a celebration of the new Moon?" he asked.
Little Dragon studied him but it was Sea Lotus who answered him without guile, pulling Snow's attention away from the old man. "It is for the new Moon we celebrate," she confirmed. "However, it is also at this time that four of Red Orchid's most skilled suitors contest for her hand."
Snow kept his face as blank as possible. He was surprised but it confirmed his suspicions that Red Orchid's father was indeed a clever man out to ensnare a large fish. The bait was against everything he was taught to value, but even Snow had been intrigued to see for himself the extent of Red Orchid's over-education. A contest would certainly garner an audience and perhaps divert the attention away from the woman in question. "She has many men after her hand then?" Snow inquired. As soon as the question left his mouth, however, he regretted it. While he was curious about the head of the village and the man's strategy in gaining power, his line of questioning would surely get him a whole different sort of attention.
Little Dragon's expression, when Snow looked to the old man, confirmed this. Little Dragon was not just a lover of gossip, but one who claimed to have a romantic heart. Every afternoon spent in the marketplace confirmed for Snow the extent of Little Dragon's devotion to keeping tabs on the hearts of the villagers, young and old. The growth of the female population visiting their stall seemed to exacerbate this quality in the old man. Little Dragon turned out to be as interested in the faces and figures of his customers as he was in the rumors they spread. The ones the old man seemed to enjoy the most concerned love or lust, or a combination of the two, an interest shared by the women who frequented their stall more and more. The seemingly endless stream of who was seen with whom and who was caught cheating on who was a constant staple to Little Dragon's seemingly endless appetite. While Snow had gained the skill to tune this out by refusing to focus on the conversation going on next to him, he wondered now how much he had missed in gleaning information concerning the contests surrounding Red Orchid's suitors.
"Many more than even my Little Treasure could count," Little Dragon said with a sly glint in his eyes. "They preen about town throughout the year, though not as much in the last few weeks before the festival. Only the top four who has beaten all others in the challenges get to go against our Red Orchid." The old man said, leaning forward towards Snow with sharp, observant eyes.
Snow looked back, but this time he could not hide his surprise. "They--" he paused but his curiosity pushed him to ask "--challenge her?" he finally finished, keeping his shock out of his voice even though he couldn't keep it from his face.
"Oh yes," Little Dragon replied with a widening grin and Sea Lotus nodded eagerly along to confirm her husband's words. "None has beaten her yet in all four contests!" the old man proudly declared.
"Oh, but that young, handsome fox boy got her in two of the four already. He hasn't returned yet for this year though," Sea Lotus told Snow with a hint of a blush on her brown cheeks and disappointment in her final words.
"That boy is a wily one and obstinate to boot." Little Dragon said, his grin suddenly gone and replaced by a scowl. "The boy's been chasing after our Little Orchid for years and finally he manages to match her in Music and then Dance, and that last one was a cheat!" the old man continued with clear disapproval. "Doesn't know when to give up or shut up, the idiot. Even had the gall to promise her last year, before the entire village, that he'd win her hand one day! What arrogance!" Little Dragon added with a huff.
Sea Lotus quietly sighed at her husband's words but blushed at the memory of the aforementioned event, obviously she was remembering that moment with greater relish than her counterpart. A dreamy smile had spread across her lips as the silence stretched. "He's a real handsome young man, that Fox," the old woman finally said. Her husband grunted at her disapprovingly, but did no more than that. "He's one of the few who actually has any real feelings for her," Sea Lotus defended the suitor who was obviously her favorite. "Kind hearted and full of smiles, he really is a match for her..."
"You can't match an over clever animal with our delicate blossom," Little Dragon argued, looking exaggeratedly offended.
Sea Lotus snorted, the first time Snow had ever heard her do so. "She's far from delicate," the old woman shot back. "Our Little Orchid has a good heart, but she's as stubborn as a mule and far too clever for her own good at times!" Snow was not surprised by this particular revelation. "If her husband can't match her in will and mind, she'd walk all over him." For some reason, Snow suddenly remembered in that moment a cantankerous middle-aged woman haranguing her husband at the market. He had seen it days ago and had felt irritated that her husband was so spineless as to let such an ill-tempered woman trample him underfoot with nasty words and a nastier temper.
"Psh!" Little Dragon rebuked with a wave of his hand at his wife's protests, dispelling that image from Snow's mind with the same gesture. "No one would ever be half as clever as our sweet Little Orchid. The man should just accustom himself to wanting to do her biddings!"
Snow stared at Little Dragon and wondered if the man had come under a spell to say such a thing. If marriage customs had been different in this country, he might have understood this, even if he would never agree with it. Snow had noted in town that sometimes husbands married into the family of their wives here more often than his own birth place, but the differences ended there. Women still tended the homes and men still did most of the jobs outside. Certainly Red Orchid was a complete anomaly to him, and he had seen the extent of the village's willingness to accept her eccentricities, but she was also as outside of his norms as the ones set by her own countrymen. Women were more educated in this particular town, he had noticed that too. He had also seen, especially of late, foreign merchant wives from outside the town mingle and haggle over silks while puzzling over sign boards and counting their coins incorrectly as much as he would have normally expected them to. Many of the places these women came from were located in the same country he now resided in, so he was more than a little certain that customs were not so different here. He had begun to glean a better picture of the geographical layout of the town's neighbors from their new customers and had a better idea of the politics and customs that ran the country. The old men in town liked to discuss the state of the country more than Little Dragon liked to gossip. From them, Snow got a clearer picture of how this region was run. None of the things had been truly so different than the land he had come from, though subtle worships concerning gods were older and more sacred here than home. This particular area also held exams that allowed even a peasant to rise into an official position if he was smart enough to pass, which might be the explanation behind how a merchant like Red Orchid's father had come to power despite his lineage.
These similarities didn't surprise him too much, for once upon a time the two nations had been one. The language here was a bit more archaic too, but Snow had no trouble following what was said by the local people and, over time, he had gotten used to the lingo used here. It had helped that he had been taught the ancient tongue when he was young as a part of his education, along with several other languages of the surrounding kingdoms. This too had helped business at the fish stall. To Little Dragon's delight, as well as the astonished relief of some of their foreign visitors, he was able to communicate with many of the newcomers in town in the native tongue they were used to. The festival was bringing in a lot of money and Snow had been using the opportunity to make more coin. However, there was another pressing matter he needed to see to soon if he was to utilize the growing business potential presenting itself at the fish stall.
While these thoughts ran through Snow's mind. Sea Lotus had begun to challenge her husband on whether Little Dragon would truly enjoy it if she started bossing him around. Little Dragon was laughing at this notion with gusto, pointing out that she was quite bossy when she wanted to be anyway. Snow wondered as he watched them, if his parents had ever shared a moment like this.
At first these types of confrontations between the old couple made him uncomfortable. He was so used to seeing the women in his life defer to his father and brother, sometimes to him as well, that Sea Lotus challenging Little Dragon so boldly left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Once or twice, when he had first arrived here, Snow had to hold himself back from saying something uninvited when caught off-guarded by such a situation. Slowly though, he noticed that there was history in their exchanges. Like the well-worn groves on the knife hilt he borrowed to cut rope and gut fish, it didn't quite fit him when he closed his fingers around it but it had been there long before he had ever picked up the tool. He began to notice that Little Dragon had more warmth in his eyes even if his voice sharpened at his wife, and that Sea Lotus, despite her defiance, never fell into the sullen silences that sometimes hung around his cousins after they were reprimanded for speaking out of turn. Once, only once, had he ever sensed that from his own mother, but he had never found out why.
Instead, in the little hut, Snow saw that Sea Lotus's words sometimes held surprising humor and candor. It would unexpectedly break through Little Dragon's annoyance and anger, causing the old man to burst out into laughter at the height of his most volatile of emotions. Sometimes the change to the charged atmosphere was so quick that Snow would puzzle over what had happened days after the affair had ended, though he was not always successful. In its own way, once the words were said, the old couple would go about their lives as if no storm had ever brewed within the house. No heavy silence would follow, and subtle changes would occur that Snow often noticed but didn't always catch.
Snow had seen the closeness between peasant couples before, though not always in a good way and rarely ever the kind that was shared between Little Dragon and Sea Lotus. When he had first begun to travel, he had been disturbed at the easy way young farmers would touch their wives under an open sky and before an audience of passers-by. He had seen their lack of shame and had, at times, been shocked by their public displays of both affection and jealousy. For a long time, Snow had attributed the act to be one of the many indicators that showed how poor and uneducated some people were, often times behaving more like children than adults. Over time he had become more accustomed to these behaviors and had stopped taking note of it. Living so close to the old couple, Snow was able to observe all the closeness such a relationship could bring, though it was still a rare product to behold. He had not thought it possible for a man and a woman to share so much. He had never truly seen the possibility of an emotional bond like this, not outside of the friendships between men who could actually share philosophies, adventures, and experiences. Yet, now he wondered if he had simply missed the subtleties in his own parents' relationship, or if such a thing was possible if a woman hid her thoughts and guarded her feelings as vigilantly as his mother had done. He wondered then if Older Brother was so distant with his own wife, the way he had assumed was natural until now.
Inexplicably, Snow suddenly felt saddened by the thought that the beautiful young woman he had once admired and only briefly met in passing would not be able to make his brother laugh the way he had seen Sea Lotus do for Little Dragon countless times. Instead, he remembered the dignified stillness between his brother and his brother's new bride at the wedding party. He had admired her upbringing and manners that evening, thinking how she reflected Older Brother's calm perfectly beneath the soft music and the chatter of invited guests. Surely they would make a good match, he had thought then. Now the memory made him wonder how the two of them faired without the distracting noise of others.
Would Older Brother ever bring her to the peach grove they shared? Would he smile at her like he had done when Snow was a young child in need of affection? In his mind he saw their silence spread like cool frost between them and found himself unable to admire it like he had done years ago in his youth. In his letters, Snow had seen that Older Brother rarely mentioned his wife, and he had never noticed this absence until now. He wondered then if she had made a place for herself in their old castle. If she had changed the layout of the rooms or the servants who served them. He knew that the lack of news concerning a child must weigh heavily with all the members of his family, and in a way, he had excused this as the reason for her name to never grace the pages written to him from home.
Now he wondered what kind of smile his brother wore around his wife and if there was a history between them that could make Older Brother laugh without restraint...
Snow trekked up the path, relieved by the shade provided by the long slender bamboos lining the path. He followed a thinner trail that veered off to the side, recalling Little Dragon's instructions as to where the villagers usually cut their share. It was necessary that he make this journey. It was already late in the seventh month of the year. They needed to stock up on firewood for the coming winter, and his bedraggled arrival brought up new needs as well. Snow needed footwear, a hat, and a rain jacket for the rainy seasons that would come a few weeks after the Moon festival. He had been lent the somewhat battered remains of some old equivalents, but the sandals on his feet were already falling apart and the jacket he left at the hut didn't look much better. While being on the fishing boat did not require much for his feet, the marketplace was a far less forgiving place. This would be the first trip of many, and his arrival had delayed the necessity long enough.
Red Orchid had given the old couple salves for his hands, and he had used most of it on the new blisters he had acquired from going to town in the borrowed sandals. His parents would be appalled by the relative poverty he lived in, yet the work was interesting and the old couple had been so kind to him that he willingly went about his tasks without complaint.
In many ways, the small hut was warmer, more relaxing than any memories he had of home, and this thought disturbed him whenever he came upon it. All memories except the ones in the peach grove had been filled with small distances. While he had never doubted his mother's love for both him and his brother, she had also been the epitome of how a woman should be: her emotions never overwhelmed her, her movements were always measured and graceful, and her voice never rose in anger or with any great feeling. Sometimes he saw her love swimming murkily in her eyes, but her face was always smooth and blank. His father was a distant but expectant patriarch, silently demanding obedience and cultivating in his sons the desire to impress him by never showing approval unless some great deed had been accomplished. The only one who had ever truly expressed affection to Snow had been his brother. From Older Brother he had experienced kinship and gentleness, teasing and warmth. It was not often but Older Brother gave whatever the other could afford without alerting their father enough to disapprove.
Older Brother would not have disdained this life. No. The promise asked of him had allowed him to see the swift, disappearing yearning his brother had for the kind of life he now lived...
The bamboo next to the path swayed, bringing him back from the past. He had also come here to gather some much needed materials to make more money. He was saving up for paper, ink, and a chance to write home to detail what had happened and to reassure his brother, more than anyone, of his health and well-being. He usually kept in touch when he could and he was anxious to relieve the tension he knew Older Brother must be feeling now in not hearing from him for several months. He was just glad he had the foresight to write before his departure, yet a part of him worried that his continued silence since departing from port would add to the anxiety concerning his safety. Deprived of everything but the clothes on his back when he had drifted to the current town, he was in no position to write or send letters home when the old couple struggled so hard to feed him.
Little Dragon and Sea Lotus never even thought to complain for the added burden he imposed on them, and the two seemed genuinely happy with coming to his aid. This did not mean he shared the sentiment. They had saved his life and usually that meant some reward was necessary. Even though he was a second son, he was the second son of a very wealthy family, and an old lineage at that.
A part of him wanted to make sure that Little Dragon and Sea Lotus had enough to never have to work another day in their lives. Another part knew that he needed to make some money himself before he could see to it personally. His pride, on top of that, felt that it would be wrong if he simply asked his brother to reward them, as this was his debt and not Older Brother's. For another to pay this in his place would be dishonorable.
Perhaps he may need to stay longer than a year, Snow thought wryly to himself as he arrived at the fork in the road the old man had told him about. He went left as he had been instructed. The path flattened and curved around the rising base of the mountain. He walked a good while before turning into the forest, heading down hill instead of up. It took some time but he finally found a good spot. From there he began to select the healthiest of stalks, determining what their use would be and the size necessary for its future purpose before cutting the ones that would be best fit for the task.
He worked methodically, picking out several for side-projects he knew would bring him extra copper and silver that wouldn't involve the selling of fish. It was a good thing the old man was getting him used to haggling with customers, an activity he had always been excluded from for being beneath him. However, to his surprise, he managed to find some enjoyment from it now that he was improving. He had a ruthless and aggressive streak beneath his silence that he had been unable to indulge in recently through the usual fighting he did in the past, and bargaining was turning out to be a good, albeit temporary, outlet.
His body was recovering nicely, and the poverty he found himself dealing with meant that his time was mostly spent trying to get enough money to help put food on the table. The old man was shrewd and insightful with buying and selling and their profits have certainly improved from what Sea Lotus told him, but he was certainly in no position to ask for a wage from them. While Snow had noted the blatant use of his "pretty face", as Little Dragon liked to put it, to earn them more coins to accommodate his stay, it was not nearly enough for him to begin thinking that he could provide enough for Little Dragon and Sea Lotus to get out of the poverty they lived in after he was gone.
Lately, even he had noticed the steady increase in female customers around the stall. Sea Lotus had been quite vocal in her surprise at how much more money they'd been making and Little Dragon had cackled that strange, excited laugh of his. There had been too much glee in those knowing eyes when Little Dragon watched Snow blankly stare back on hearing this observation as well.
As time passed, he reluctantly understood the necessity of Red Orchid's insistence against bargaining down concerning the old couple's situation. However, it grated on his nerves to depend on such a blatant show of charity. He had never thought about it until now, but he was only beginning to realize how the poor may come to resent the very kindness that those more privileged than they may be moved to bestow aid upon them. It was almost humbling to see how graciously Little Dragon and Sea Lotus received Red Orchid's gifts of medicine, not just for Snow's hands but also for Sea Lotus' cough and the ache in Little Dragon's lower back.
Snow, however, was determined to get started on his other projects so he could put better food on the table and finally send off that much needed letter home. In a way, he was also looking forward to telling Older Brother about his current adventures and he knew the elder would want to hear of the things he had learned. Speaking of Older Brother, Snow thought as he ran his hand down an especially promising young stalk of deep green. This one will do, Snow observed with a small smile.
The occasional breeze from higher up the mountain flowed down like a cool brush of relief then, swaying the tall shoot in his hand and rustling the pale-green leaves overhead. It smelled of summer, without the tang of unwashed human bodies. The cool, calming sound of the breeze eased the tension of having to deal with too many people. Even the song of cicadas buzzing seemed farther away, as if they chorused closer to town for a larger audience than the forest provided. This part of the woods was quieter, though the occasional bird song or flapping of wings and the rustling of bushes informed him of the presence of unseen wild-life. For a little while, Snow pretended he was the only man in the world, and peace washed over him the way the wind washed over the mountain.
This must be how Older Brother often felt in the peach grove, Snow thought to himself as he methodically hacked at the base of the bamboo.
Still, it was strenuous work and sweat soaked his shirt as he swung the old stone hatchet back and forth. He had spent the last few days sharpening the worn edge until it was useable for this excursion, but sometimes he missed being able to buy metal tools, even if it was made out of a less durable bronze. His hands stung from gripping the worn handle, whose groves were set in by smaller hands than his. He was certain, as the day progressed, that he would be in need of the cool ointments again tonight for both his hands and feet.
The sky began to darken overhead before he was satisfied. The brilliant green of the bamboo forest around him seemed to shimmer then dim as another breeze passed through. The forest wavered as if it were no more than tall grasses, making him feel like a green cricket as their songs slowly started, greeting the oncoming evening.
Snow shivered in his sweat-soaked clothes now that air was beginning to cool more quickly. The temperature was dropping faster in the mountain. The sun's reach was eclipsed by the mountain's growing shadow and the shade cast by the bamboo around him. It was time to return before it became too dark to navigate safely, Snow thought as he began to pack up his gear.
The sharp tang of bamboo clung to him and he bound the sectioned shoots with the rope Little Dragon had given him. He then bound all the pieces to the frame he had brought to carry the contents back and checked again to make sure that the bundle was secured. When he was done, he hefted everything onto his back and begun the long trek back into town. A sound made him pause as he neared the path he had left earlier. His eyes immediately saw the flash of white, since it was so unnatural against the dark green of the bamboo forest. One could not help but follow the trailing brightness as it passed.
A tinkling laugh floated after the swift figure, startling birds into the skies overhead. He saw, through the swaying stalks, red hair in striking contrast against white and green, this time more green than white. The shouts of servants following broke him out of his trance, imploring the young woman to be careful as they too passed. The foot-falls that stumbled through the path were heavier and less sure-footed than the one who had gone before. The rougher spun clothing of the running men was soaked with sweat as they lumbered after their charge with gasping breaths and wispy cries.
Afterwards, when he was sure that Red Orchid and her entourage had passed, their voices fading down the trail, did Snow move to step out onto the same trail. The sour stink of exertion hit him immediately as it lingered over the empty path and he wrinkled his nose in distaste at the smell. Yet, beneath the unwelcoming scent of sweaty men and the contrasting crispness of the bamboo forest, he detected the faint sweetness of ripened peaches. It dissipated quickly before he could be fully sure. He did not linger, for the shadows of the oncoming evening warned him to move down the mountain as quickly as he could.
The further he descended, the quicker the darkness came, forcing him to slow down and pick his way more carefully as he left the mountain and the forest behind. He felt his sense of smell sharpen and his vision began to dull as the night encroached. There was only the heavy fragrance of the summer heat and the growing aroma of food as he neared the lights of the town. A thought from earlier would not leave him even as the lit lanterns of the village allowed him to move faster towards the hut and the old couple waiting.
He had a suspicious inkling then, as the warm lantern lights bathed his face, he had finally solved the puzzle of why a fisherman was asked if the other sold fruit.
to be continued...
Untouched Snow = Sasuke
Red Orchid = Sakura
Fox = Naruto
[ Table of Contents ]
Enjoy!
Chapter 2
A Changing View
Untouched Snow was not enjoying his trek through town. The swelling sounds of animals, merchants and customers mingled together into waves of incomprehensible noise. He carried the last of their catch and wound his way through the throngs of people. A wooden pail covered by a damp piece of cloth occupied his one hand and the carcass of a large fish was steadied on his shoulder by the other.
The sizzling sound of evaporating fat and the rich aromas of cooked meat, the sour tang of sweat, and the unmistakable stench of other less pleasant odors assaulted his nose. A few times grey smoke and sooty ash blew into his eyes, almost blinding him. The harsh shouts of the sellers' voices rose and fell away as he walked passed their stalls, advertising their wares. Those around him gossiped and shouted as people jostled each other under the summer sun, trying to go about their business. The voices of the merchants were especially harsh, scraping themselves against his nerves and dogging after his footsteps with promises of great bargains and special deals.
Snow couldn't help but frown as he walked passed, balancing his heavy load as he wove his way through the crowd. Years of learning to fight made his body strong and agile, and years more on the road had given him an increase in stamina and endurance. He had lost quite a bit of both from his bout with the sea, but they were still assets to be used in his current situation. Even though he was especially adept at dodging people and had been specifically trained for such things, it still failed to make the marketplace any more pleasant. No matter where he went or how deftly he side-stepped thieving children and gossiping wives clumsily going about their daily shopping, the press of human bodies still invaded his personal space. On hot, muggy days like this one, it made him despise this necessary evil that was the activity center of all towns and cities even more.
This growing town, while smaller than many of the ones he had already travelled through, was still bustling with business. The noise agitated his ears, the smell clung to his clothes, and the heat, from both the crowd all around him and the unrelenting sun overhead annoyed him to no end. He had, however, promised the old man help and he had been taught to keep his word no matter the circumstances. Snow gritted his teeth and fought down the urge to snarl at the next merchant audacious enough to approach him despite the thunderous look that was starting to cloud over his face.
And yet, it was in this den of noise and stifling atmosphere, that Snow first heard her voice.
Her voice was clear and lilting. It had a cultured tone that softly cut through the incessant buzz of the marketplace like a sharpened blade. It reached his ears just as he spotted Little Dragon's stall. While he could not decipher exactly what it was that was being said, he spotted the woman hidden by the white and pale green parasol and knew instantly that it was her voice that he had heard. She wore a light blue dress, bordered by black and he saw the white of her trailing sleeves as the pale material of her seer and airy jacket moved ever so slightly from the breeze created by the motion of passing travelers. He next heard the old man's rough, unrestrained laughter in response to whatever comment she had made and Little Dragon's sly reply was heard more clearly as Snow approached. He had reached their booth, just as the old man bade her farewell.
Snow caught sight of her parasol lifting as she turned to go. His eyes were still adjusting to the shade when her head came into view. In a flash the white and green of her parasol came down again and her back was turned to him. He had only briefly caught a glimpse, but he had seen that her skin was fair with a pearlescent glow and that her hair was red like liquid fire, coiled and tied back in a rippling cascade accented by her parasol and white pearl combs. He almost stilled at the unexpected vividness of those contrasting colors, but he got hold of himself before he could do something truly embarrassing. Little Dragon still shot him a knowing look that told him the other hadn't missed the slight stutter in his walk as he entered their booth.
Snow's arms ached from the weight and the duration of his trek. His body was no longer as fit as it had been before he had left the port of his own country. Still, it felt good to move like this again, even if he didn't enjoy the locale or the weather. Snow set down the heavy cargo then, carefully depositing it. Little Dragon watched, fanning himself with a worn bamboo fan.
Snow lifted the cloth that protected the wooden pail's contents from the direct heat of the overbearing sun. Beads of sweat fell into the warm waters then, even as Snow straightened away. The fishes inside the wooden enclosure wriggled in agitation, showing that they too were discomforted by the unmoving heat and they didn't seem to appreciate the added disturbance to their environment. Snow couldn't blame them. It had been a long walk from the shade of the hut to the shade of the stall. Even with the protection of the wet cloth that was now warm and dry, it was nowhere near ideal. He turned then, carefully setting and unwrapping the carcass of the dead fish closer to the counter, a place where passing customers could see better their offerings.
"Ah," Little Dragon grunted in the heat with lackluster approval when Snow was done. "It's so nice to have a young man to do all the heavy lifting," Little Dragon continued with a nod. There was, for only a brief moment, a familiar nostalgia that Snow had come to recognize in the old man's grin. The expression was gone in a flash, and it had been mostly hidden behind the old man's beard and fan, but Snow still caught it. He knew what to look for now. The longer he stayed with the old couple, the more often he observed this one look that came over the two of them in strange intervals during the day.
He didn't ask though. Instead, Snow carefully wiped at his brow in the heat. It did no more than keep a few stray beads of sweat from stinging his eyes but it was still a relief nonetheless. His body continued to feel feverish after his earlier excursion and the hot air around him wouldn't be cooling him down any time soon. The sweltering summer sun beat down mercilessly, until the very air seemed to sizzle, vibrating when one looked over the heads of the passing pedestrians. It was a good thing they had been careful to arrive early enough to set up some shade over their own stall. The fore-thought had been a main draw for the customers since late morning.
"This is the last of it," he told the old man as he cleaned his hands and nodded at the carcass, flexing his fingers to rid them of the stiffness from carrying the heavy pail. Little Dragon grinned even wider at him and he noticed, now that his eyes had adjusted to the dimness, that the old man seemed a little flushed around the cheeks. Somehow Snow didn't think it was due to the heat of the day. The old man, unlike him, was as dry as a roll of aged scroll, lazily waving that worn, yellowed fan back and forth as they waited for more customers to arrive.
"Who was the girl?" Snow finally asked, trying to not seem too interested in the answer as he sat down and took a rest. The servants and her clothes gave the impression that she was from a well-to-do house or a merchant's family. The numbers in her company set her apart from common merchant stock. But what interested him was what she left behind. Snow eyed the package that was given to Little Dragon by said "girl" as he waited for the old man to answer. He had seen the exchange as he neared, but he couldn't deduce what the package contained. The basket was tucked safely away, close to where he had sat down. It was placed furthest from the gutting board, but still in-sight from behind the counter, so the old man could keep an eye on it without passersby being able to easily spot it.
Little Dragon reddened further at his inquiry and now Snow had confirmation that the blush wasn't due to the heat, as he had suspected. "My friend, that is the very famous, and very beautiful, flower of our village," Little Dragon declared, his wiry chest puffing out. There was such pride in the old man's stance that Little Dragon came off looking like a proud rooster, ready to crow at the rising sun to show off his voice. Snow was not entirely convinced by the old man's words and raised a brow at the other's show of pride.
The young woman did seem pretty enough from his glimpse of her, though he had not seen more of her than the pallor of her skin, the line of her brow and cheek bone, and the strange and otherworldly quality of her hair. She was definitely eye-catching, if nothing else, but one couldn't judge a woman's beauty on such small glimpses, even if the men who had seen her face all seemed to react with varying degrees of awe.
This was a small town, after all. Standards usually changed from place to place. He doubted this town was the home of any great beauty, and suspected that their flower was merely prettier than most in the region. Her coloring would certainly ensure that men would look twice when she passed and she seemed to have a good eye for fabric and dress, which reflected her father's station. Her father's ability to afford these luxuries probably helped elevate her looks to the villagers who lived here, but it was unlikely she would be able to out-shine the city girls he had seen waving their silk scarves and smiling their expertly painted smiles in the capital of his own country.
"Her name is Red Orchid. She's the head-man's daughter and only child," Little Dragon explained while he continued to openly study Snow's reaction to this tidbit of news. She had a lovely name. Snow, however, perked up on hearing about the village's leader being mentioned by Little Dragon for the first time. He had suspected her station from the quality of her clothes and the jewels in her hair. It also explained the entourage. Still, it was rare for a village leader to be a merchant. Usually they were more land-owners or someone who had some title. Rarely had he heard of the honor given to new money, though their wealth tended to buy them other forms of power.
The town was benefitting from this, Snow could see. It was growing and expanding and Snow would not be surprised if this was a reflection of the one who was in charge of it. Still a merchant's wealth was unstable, and no matter how clever the man was, Red Orchid was the child of new money and new money rarely lasted if it did not marry into a land-owning family of power. He would not be surprised if she was destined to be the wife of some impoverished lord, somewhere with a title for sale. Even as a second son, Snow was considered in higher standing than her father, despite the other's wealth. Ironically, he was the one currently in rags, but it was not uncommon.
"She was actually here to drop off some medicine, but she stayed to chat and bought a few fishes for her dinner tonight." Little Dragon continued with a slight hint of annoyance when Snow's face remained blank and unimpressed. Snow also noticed that Little Dragon sounded gruffer and gentler than usual, in a manner that one would expect from a man who was speaking about a daughter instead of a customer. Perhaps there was a story there as well, but it wasn't his place to ask any more than the grief he recognized passing like cloud shadows across the old couple's faces when they looked at him from time to time.
Red Orchid, it seemed, was well liked by the old fisherman. Still, a merchant's daughter was hardly worth getting worked up about. Snow would like to know more about the merchant who ran the town though. But... did Little Dragon just mention a delivery of medicine?
Snow actually widened his eyes at this little revelation and Little Dragon finally looked a bit mollified by his show of interest. "Is she an herbalist around here? Or is her father's business one that specialize in medicinal shipping?" Snow asked with piqued curiosity. He had yet to meet a head-man's daughter involved in such a profession, but it may be due to her merchant roots and the size of the village itself. However, rare was a man who shipped medicine in any great quantities. Snow would not have imagined such a business to be able to afford the silks he had seen Red Orchid wear.
No high-lord's daughter that he had met would be caught dead being involved in any such a profession or be put to the task of delivering goods for her father's business either. It tended to show a failure of the head-of-house's ability to provide for the rest of the family. However, why would the daughter of the leader of this village distribute medicine when there were far more qualified hands to do so than her own? And while women tended to be more into herb medicine as a profession, it was rare and usually only done by the widows of particular areas. The former choice usually involved fathers who did not dress their daughters in such expertly dyed hues and silks. The latter choice usually involved poor women who needed to make a living on the side now that no husband was around to provide the necessary income. Red Orchid did not fit either category. She must also have been some-what educated on plants, something that never interested his female cousins and the women paraded before his brother as candidates for marriage. Even in all his travels, this was the first time he had heard of a woman of her standing being so intent on such things. However, she also didn't look like she needed this particular type of knowledge any more than they did, not by the number of trailing servants in her wake or the growth of the village that must reflect the wealth of its head-man.
And this hobby must surely bring disgrace to her father's honor...
"No, no," the old man shook his head and his fan at Snow, interrupting his thoughts. "She is this town's doctor," Little Dragon declared. The old man seemed indignant that Snow could even suggest that Red Orchid would be anything less. This time he couldn't help but show his shock, his spine straightening as he sat up in attention and he was quick to close his momentarily slackened jaw.
Doctors were even rarer than widowed herb masters. Female doctors were almost unheard of. This Red Orchid must be exceedingly well-educated then, which meant either her father was wealthier than Snow originally suspected or the other was very bookish, or a combination of both. Snow wondered then why even a fisherman like Little Dragon would know and spread such knowledge with ease and act as if the head-man would prefer it to be widely acknowledged. There were consequences to propagating something so unfavorable, especially when this type of growth in a town hinted that an ambitious man was at the helm. An ambitious man who would surely want to marry his pretty daughter off to a traditionalist lord, impoverished or not, to increase his own power. Little Dragon seemed utterly unaware that traditionalist families did not look greatly on daughter-in-laws with too many ideas in their heads. While an education was well-respected, and a clever girl was never shunned, too much of such a thing could out-weigh all the good points Red Orchid might have had in her favor. Snow had heard countless times how his own mother lamented the lack of cleverness in Older Brother's previous possibilities, but Father's comment that a too-educated woman was never desired had lingered in his mind just as long. Despite the old man having already shown Snow the other's considerable favor towards Red Orchid earlier, Little Dragon's actions in defaming her contradicted this impression. Surely, this was not something an ambitious man like the village leader would want to spread.
It was strange that such a thing was so well-known and Snow wondered at its significance.
"She's a hard bargainer too, that one!" the old man continued, blithely unaware of Snow's sharpening gaze. There was that unexplained smile again, the one that seemed a little sad, flitting across the old man's weathered face. "A true merchant's daughter to the last, she is," Little Dragon muttered, words spoken softly and directed at himself more than at Snow. The young man saw the sadness linger unusually long on Little Dragon's worn face, the deep groves seeming to deepen on the other's brown, leathery skin. The look usually came when the old couple watched him eat or mended fishing nets. It was a hungry look, full of longing, but this was the first he saw it aimed at someone else and lasting long enough to truly be observed with detail. The old man stroked his own beard thoughtfully as the other seemed lost in some distant memory. Then, Little Dragon blinked, and the moment finally passed. "I wanted to give her a deal for the fishes too, since she's been so good to us. But the child wouldn't hear of it! She's out-witted me in bargaining again, and then had the gall to make me laugh about it!" Little Dragon continued, as if the melancholy silence had not been awkwardly stretched. The old man's chuckle was natural, but Snow saw the fan wave quicken and wondered what meaning lay beneath these subtle movements and those lingering, sorrowful stares. "She even claimed that Little Treasure would be jealous if it was discovered that I was being such a flirt," Little Dragon boasted with a smile, amused as the other recounted the conversation to Snow excitedly. The young man raised a brow again at Little Dragon's words. It seemed the old man liked a pretty face as much as the other had accused his wife of earlier.
"She wouldn't take a discount?" he echoed slowly when Little Dragon finished talking, even though he was getting a little tired of this constant state of disbelief he was being put into. Surely he had misheard? This was the first time he had someone compliment the bargaining skills of a merchant's daughter, only to tell him that the woman in question bargained up.
Little Dragon chuckled at him again, only this time with an unseemly cackling that wrinkled up his face even more. The old man was really enjoying his reactions a bit too much for Snow's liking. "Said she didn't need the money even though she's practically giving away her salves and medicines already," the old fisherman said with a snort. So it was true. Red Orchid's father was well off enough for her to state that money was the last thing she lacked. Common sense, on the other hand, clearly seemed to be missing. "Granted, everyone knows she never keeps the little money she does make anyway," the old man added with a sigh.
Perhaps, Snow reasoned, she acknowledged that having an income with her status was improper and was trying to balance that out with the rules she was already breaking by having a profession at all. It seemed unlikely, but he couldn't think of another logical explanation to this.
"Well, I guess this means we'll have to make a few special deliveries soon," the old man declared, rubbing his neck. Little Dragon didn't think to elaborate despite the questioning look Snow shot at him. Did this mean they would be sending some free fish to Red Orchid's residence? The round-about conversation gave him a slight head-ache and the heat wasn't helping.
Snow paused and rethought asking his next question. This head-man's daughter was passing strange and her actions, by his family's standards, showed a lack of class that his father had often prejudiced on the new wealth that were springing up from the merchant class. From what he had heard of the village's leader and from what he had already seen of the town's progress, it made him exceedingly curious about the man behind it all.
While he had met many merchants in his travels, he had categorized them as either hard and mean or soft and greedy, but the daughters of such men tended to reflect their fathers more than some might think. Red Orchid did not fit the image of the merchant daughters he had met, or the daughters of village leaders. Her willingness towards charity was a trait that he rarely saw in women of her status, not even of women he had known in his life. His cousins were certainly more prone to such things than the daughters of the merchants he had chanced upon, but not to the extent Red Orchid had gone to. While his own mother had also liked to help out those under their protection, especially after great disasters that occurred on their vast land holdings when she could, no one he knew took up a profession and then mingled with the commoners as often as Red Orchid seemed to be doing.
It made Snow curious to the type of man who would raise such a daughter.
Still, he quietly added a lack of sensibilities to the growing list of eccentric failings that this Red Orchid seemed to possess from Little Dragon's revelation. He certainly was intrigued that such a woman existed and while he was curious, it was unlikely that he would approve of what she did with the little money she happened to have earned and kept. Snow, knowing this, kept the inappropriate questions that came to mind to himself. Further inquiries from him and he would come off sounding like a gossiping house-wife. He certainly didn't want to reinforce the image where Little Dragon was concerned, especially with the old man looking so gleeful. While he wanted to ask more questions concerning Red Orchid's father, Little Dragon might find other meanings in there that Snow had no intentions of implying.
Snow didn't want to show his disdain at Red Orchid's behavior, not when it would obviously displease his host. It was a perfectly reasonable reaction, but it seemed that tradition would not be a good enough excuse to mollify Little Dragon if he spoke ill of Red Orchid. Snow, knowing this, swallowed the remaining questions on the tip of his tongue and kept silent. He pointed instead at the customer Little Dragon had neglected to take notice of.
At first, Little Dragon narrowed shrewd, brown eyes at his gesture before finally turning to see what Snow was pointing at, and when the old man's gaze landed on the waiting customer, Little Dragon's face smoothed into an expression of delight. The old man now wore the look that one would think was reserved only for an old friend that had not been seen for some time, not a stranger hoping to escape the sun and buy some fish.
Snow sighed silently to himself at this act yet listened carefully nonetheless at the back-and-forth between Little Dragon and their determined haggler. At least this customer had the sense to bargain down, Snow thought wryly. While Snow disliked the whole market ordeal in the first place, the old man did bring him along today to teach him how to run shop and he had promised he would learn whatever was necessary to help out and he had meant that promise. He had planned to stay at least a year to see it through. Unfortunately for him, it didn't mean that Snow had to enjoy all of his lessons. After that discussion concerning Red Orchid, Snow realized there were worse things he could be forced to listen to and participate in.
"Do you sell peaches?" their customer suddenly asked, breaking through his thoughts as he tried hard not to look too incredulous at the customer's idiotic question. It seemed his day was quickly filling itself up with unexpected meetings and ridiculous exchanges. The current customer didn't notice Snow's expression since the other was too busy sniffing at the still summer air for that distinct, sweet fragrance. The man's dark eyes seemed to fairly gleam with anticipation as he looked expectantly to Little Dragon. Snow preoccupied himself with wrapping the customer's orders up, focusing on the task before him to mask the ridicule he might have otherwise expressed for the inquiry.
"No," Little Dragon answered slowly with a patient, pleasant smile as Snow kept his face wisely blank, "we only sell fish." Little Dragon gently pointed this obvious tidbit out without pause.
"Oh," the customer said with drooping, disappointed shoulders, even as his purchases were handed to him by Snow when the payment was received and properly checked. "But I was sure..." the man continued to mutter, mostly to himself, as he turned and walked away. Snow looked after the once shrewd looking man, slightly bewildered at the change.
Little Dragon didn't seemed particularly bothered by the encounter though, and lazily fanned himself in the stale, unmoving heat of the day.
Sea Lotus greeted them both with delight when they returned to the small hut by the sea. Little Dragon gave her a detailed report of their market day, animatedly strutting around the hut and imitating a few of their customers so accurately that even Untouched Snow was moved to smile -- just a little. Little Dragon and Sea Lotus noticed this though, and both grinned triumphantly at each other not-so-secretly, much to Snow's chagrin.
When Sea Lotus saw the package left by Red Orchid, however, her face brightened so much that Snow had a small glimpse of how the old woman might have looked in her younger days. "Oh, this must be from Little Orchid," Sea Lotus almost cooed over the basket. "She's such a dear, sweet girl. Always concerned about the welfare of everyone in the village! The town grows and her heart grows with it," the old woman said with a contented sigh. Sea Lotus looked touched and proud at the same time, reminding Snow of her husband.
"She was asking about you too, Little Treasure," the old man told his wife. "It hasn't been long since her last visit but she's always been a bit of a worrier," Little Dragon said with a grin. "The festival's coming up too! You'd think she'd be too busy for us now that it's almost here. Always surprises me when she gets around this time of year, but she manages somehow, our flower."
Snow looked to the old man with puzzlement. He had been here a month already, so he wondered if Red Orchid had visited just before his own arrival. He had also heard of the upcoming festival as well, despite the short time he had been to town, and wondered how any of this tied up with the eye-catching red-haired woman he had seen this afternoon. Red Orchid's role in the festival must be quite large to preoccupy her so much, and he was curious about what that role may be. Snow had never been moved to wonder what the proper duties of a head-man's daughter entailed, though he doubted that it involved being a doctor or any of the charity she had shown to Little Dragon -- and surely others like the old fisher couple. In the end, Snow doubted there were many women daring enough to do the activities that Red Orchid so proudly went about without even an attempt at hiding it.
While he had always been taught that a woman's role in being the good daughter or the perfect wife lay in running the household, Red Orchid seemed determined to defy all those expectations. It unsettled him. It also caught his attention. He wondered if this was what her father had planned all along and wondered how many other tradition-minded lords have been caught off-guard by this surprisingly clever ploy.
He was even more curious now about the festival than before he knew she was involved. The town was fairly abuzz with the excitement concerning the preparations for it. Snow had first thought it was the Moon Festival they were preparing for, and while he assumed correctly, it was obvious that there was something else underfoot, one of long standing. Certainly the villagers would celebrate the new Moon. Snow had seen the beginning preparations for paper lanterns of all shapes and sizes, lining the stalls set up specifically for the upcoming week of celebrations. Yet, the outpouring of foreign merchants lately, along with the growing number of strangely dressed men in the streets gave a different impression. He never quite gleaned the full details of the occasion because he had pegged that this increase in foreigners was due to business with the head-man and the general incoming of travelers for the festival, but some curious snippets he had overheard did bring doubt to these earlier assumptions. Snow acknowledged that he was still rather ignorant of the whole ordeal -- the one topic that everyone else seemed privy to. The main topic centered on certain games and contests, but he never got the full details for any of those half-heard conversations.
Snow caught Little Dragon's eye before he asked. "I have heard about the festival. Am I mistaken in thinking this is a celebration of the new Moon?" he asked.
Little Dragon studied him but it was Sea Lotus who answered him without guile, pulling Snow's attention away from the old man. "It is for the new Moon we celebrate," she confirmed. "However, it is also at this time that four of Red Orchid's most skilled suitors contest for her hand."
Snow kept his face as blank as possible. He was surprised but it confirmed his suspicions that Red Orchid's father was indeed a clever man out to ensnare a large fish. The bait was against everything he was taught to value, but even Snow had been intrigued to see for himself the extent of Red Orchid's over-education. A contest would certainly garner an audience and perhaps divert the attention away from the woman in question. "She has many men after her hand then?" Snow inquired. As soon as the question left his mouth, however, he regretted it. While he was curious about the head of the village and the man's strategy in gaining power, his line of questioning would surely get him a whole different sort of attention.
Little Dragon's expression, when Snow looked to the old man, confirmed this. Little Dragon was not just a lover of gossip, but one who claimed to have a romantic heart. Every afternoon spent in the marketplace confirmed for Snow the extent of Little Dragon's devotion to keeping tabs on the hearts of the villagers, young and old. The growth of the female population visiting their stall seemed to exacerbate this quality in the old man. Little Dragon turned out to be as interested in the faces and figures of his customers as he was in the rumors they spread. The ones the old man seemed to enjoy the most concerned love or lust, or a combination of the two, an interest shared by the women who frequented their stall more and more. The seemingly endless stream of who was seen with whom and who was caught cheating on who was a constant staple to Little Dragon's seemingly endless appetite. While Snow had gained the skill to tune this out by refusing to focus on the conversation going on next to him, he wondered now how much he had missed in gleaning information concerning the contests surrounding Red Orchid's suitors.
"Many more than even my Little Treasure could count," Little Dragon said with a sly glint in his eyes. "They preen about town throughout the year, though not as much in the last few weeks before the festival. Only the top four who has beaten all others in the challenges get to go against our Red Orchid." The old man said, leaning forward towards Snow with sharp, observant eyes.
Snow looked back, but this time he could not hide his surprise. "They--" he paused but his curiosity pushed him to ask "--challenge her?" he finally finished, keeping his shock out of his voice even though he couldn't keep it from his face.
"Oh yes," Little Dragon replied with a widening grin and Sea Lotus nodded eagerly along to confirm her husband's words. "None has beaten her yet in all four contests!" the old man proudly declared.
"Oh, but that young, handsome fox boy got her in two of the four already. He hasn't returned yet for this year though," Sea Lotus told Snow with a hint of a blush on her brown cheeks and disappointment in her final words.
"That boy is a wily one and obstinate to boot." Little Dragon said, his grin suddenly gone and replaced by a scowl. "The boy's been chasing after our Little Orchid for years and finally he manages to match her in Music and then Dance, and that last one was a cheat!" the old man continued with clear disapproval. "Doesn't know when to give up or shut up, the idiot. Even had the gall to promise her last year, before the entire village, that he'd win her hand one day! What arrogance!" Little Dragon added with a huff.
Sea Lotus quietly sighed at her husband's words but blushed at the memory of the aforementioned event, obviously she was remembering that moment with greater relish than her counterpart. A dreamy smile had spread across her lips as the silence stretched. "He's a real handsome young man, that Fox," the old woman finally said. Her husband grunted at her disapprovingly, but did no more than that. "He's one of the few who actually has any real feelings for her," Sea Lotus defended the suitor who was obviously her favorite. "Kind hearted and full of smiles, he really is a match for her..."
"You can't match an over clever animal with our delicate blossom," Little Dragon argued, looking exaggeratedly offended.
Sea Lotus snorted, the first time Snow had ever heard her do so. "She's far from delicate," the old woman shot back. "Our Little Orchid has a good heart, but she's as stubborn as a mule and far too clever for her own good at times!" Snow was not surprised by this particular revelation. "If her husband can't match her in will and mind, she'd walk all over him." For some reason, Snow suddenly remembered in that moment a cantankerous middle-aged woman haranguing her husband at the market. He had seen it days ago and had felt irritated that her husband was so spineless as to let such an ill-tempered woman trample him underfoot with nasty words and a nastier temper.
"Psh!" Little Dragon rebuked with a wave of his hand at his wife's protests, dispelling that image from Snow's mind with the same gesture. "No one would ever be half as clever as our sweet Little Orchid. The man should just accustom himself to wanting to do her biddings!"
Snow stared at Little Dragon and wondered if the man had come under a spell to say such a thing. If marriage customs had been different in this country, he might have understood this, even if he would never agree with it. Snow had noted in town that sometimes husbands married into the family of their wives here more often than his own birth place, but the differences ended there. Women still tended the homes and men still did most of the jobs outside. Certainly Red Orchid was a complete anomaly to him, and he had seen the extent of the village's willingness to accept her eccentricities, but she was also as outside of his norms as the ones set by her own countrymen. Women were more educated in this particular town, he had noticed that too. He had also seen, especially of late, foreign merchant wives from outside the town mingle and haggle over silks while puzzling over sign boards and counting their coins incorrectly as much as he would have normally expected them to. Many of the places these women came from were located in the same country he now resided in, so he was more than a little certain that customs were not so different here. He had begun to glean a better picture of the geographical layout of the town's neighbors from their new customers and had a better idea of the politics and customs that ran the country. The old men in town liked to discuss the state of the country more than Little Dragon liked to gossip. From them, Snow got a clearer picture of how this region was run. None of the things had been truly so different than the land he had come from, though subtle worships concerning gods were older and more sacred here than home. This particular area also held exams that allowed even a peasant to rise into an official position if he was smart enough to pass, which might be the explanation behind how a merchant like Red Orchid's father had come to power despite his lineage.
These similarities didn't surprise him too much, for once upon a time the two nations had been one. The language here was a bit more archaic too, but Snow had no trouble following what was said by the local people and, over time, he had gotten used to the lingo used here. It had helped that he had been taught the ancient tongue when he was young as a part of his education, along with several other languages of the surrounding kingdoms. This too had helped business at the fish stall. To Little Dragon's delight, as well as the astonished relief of some of their foreign visitors, he was able to communicate with many of the newcomers in town in the native tongue they were used to. The festival was bringing in a lot of money and Snow had been using the opportunity to make more coin. However, there was another pressing matter he needed to see to soon if he was to utilize the growing business potential presenting itself at the fish stall.
While these thoughts ran through Snow's mind. Sea Lotus had begun to challenge her husband on whether Little Dragon would truly enjoy it if she started bossing him around. Little Dragon was laughing at this notion with gusto, pointing out that she was quite bossy when she wanted to be anyway. Snow wondered as he watched them, if his parents had ever shared a moment like this.
At first these types of confrontations between the old couple made him uncomfortable. He was so used to seeing the women in his life defer to his father and brother, sometimes to him as well, that Sea Lotus challenging Little Dragon so boldly left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Once or twice, when he had first arrived here, Snow had to hold himself back from saying something uninvited when caught off-guarded by such a situation. Slowly though, he noticed that there was history in their exchanges. Like the well-worn groves on the knife hilt he borrowed to cut rope and gut fish, it didn't quite fit him when he closed his fingers around it but it had been there long before he had ever picked up the tool. He began to notice that Little Dragon had more warmth in his eyes even if his voice sharpened at his wife, and that Sea Lotus, despite her defiance, never fell into the sullen silences that sometimes hung around his cousins after they were reprimanded for speaking out of turn. Once, only once, had he ever sensed that from his own mother, but he had never found out why.
Instead, in the little hut, Snow saw that Sea Lotus's words sometimes held surprising humor and candor. It would unexpectedly break through Little Dragon's annoyance and anger, causing the old man to burst out into laughter at the height of his most volatile of emotions. Sometimes the change to the charged atmosphere was so quick that Snow would puzzle over what had happened days after the affair had ended, though he was not always successful. In its own way, once the words were said, the old couple would go about their lives as if no storm had ever brewed within the house. No heavy silence would follow, and subtle changes would occur that Snow often noticed but didn't always catch.
Snow had seen the closeness between peasant couples before, though not always in a good way and rarely ever the kind that was shared between Little Dragon and Sea Lotus. When he had first begun to travel, he had been disturbed at the easy way young farmers would touch their wives under an open sky and before an audience of passers-by. He had seen their lack of shame and had, at times, been shocked by their public displays of both affection and jealousy. For a long time, Snow had attributed the act to be one of the many indicators that showed how poor and uneducated some people were, often times behaving more like children than adults. Over time he had become more accustomed to these behaviors and had stopped taking note of it. Living so close to the old couple, Snow was able to observe all the closeness such a relationship could bring, though it was still a rare product to behold. He had not thought it possible for a man and a woman to share so much. He had never truly seen the possibility of an emotional bond like this, not outside of the friendships between men who could actually share philosophies, adventures, and experiences. Yet, now he wondered if he had simply missed the subtleties in his own parents' relationship, or if such a thing was possible if a woman hid her thoughts and guarded her feelings as vigilantly as his mother had done. He wondered then if Older Brother was so distant with his own wife, the way he had assumed was natural until now.
Inexplicably, Snow suddenly felt saddened by the thought that the beautiful young woman he had once admired and only briefly met in passing would not be able to make his brother laugh the way he had seen Sea Lotus do for Little Dragon countless times. Instead, he remembered the dignified stillness between his brother and his brother's new bride at the wedding party. He had admired her upbringing and manners that evening, thinking how she reflected Older Brother's calm perfectly beneath the soft music and the chatter of invited guests. Surely they would make a good match, he had thought then. Now the memory made him wonder how the two of them faired without the distracting noise of others.
Would Older Brother ever bring her to the peach grove they shared? Would he smile at her like he had done when Snow was a young child in need of affection? In his mind he saw their silence spread like cool frost between them and found himself unable to admire it like he had done years ago in his youth. In his letters, Snow had seen that Older Brother rarely mentioned his wife, and he had never noticed this absence until now. He wondered then if she had made a place for herself in their old castle. If she had changed the layout of the rooms or the servants who served them. He knew that the lack of news concerning a child must weigh heavily with all the members of his family, and in a way, he had excused this as the reason for her name to never grace the pages written to him from home.
Now he wondered what kind of smile his brother wore around his wife and if there was a history between them that could make Older Brother laugh without restraint...
Snow trekked up the path, relieved by the shade provided by the long slender bamboos lining the path. He followed a thinner trail that veered off to the side, recalling Little Dragon's instructions as to where the villagers usually cut their share. It was necessary that he make this journey. It was already late in the seventh month of the year. They needed to stock up on firewood for the coming winter, and his bedraggled arrival brought up new needs as well. Snow needed footwear, a hat, and a rain jacket for the rainy seasons that would come a few weeks after the Moon festival. He had been lent the somewhat battered remains of some old equivalents, but the sandals on his feet were already falling apart and the jacket he left at the hut didn't look much better. While being on the fishing boat did not require much for his feet, the marketplace was a far less forgiving place. This would be the first trip of many, and his arrival had delayed the necessity long enough.
Red Orchid had given the old couple salves for his hands, and he had used most of it on the new blisters he had acquired from going to town in the borrowed sandals. His parents would be appalled by the relative poverty he lived in, yet the work was interesting and the old couple had been so kind to him that he willingly went about his tasks without complaint.
In many ways, the small hut was warmer, more relaxing than any memories he had of home, and this thought disturbed him whenever he came upon it. All memories except the ones in the peach grove had been filled with small distances. While he had never doubted his mother's love for both him and his brother, she had also been the epitome of how a woman should be: her emotions never overwhelmed her, her movements were always measured and graceful, and her voice never rose in anger or with any great feeling. Sometimes he saw her love swimming murkily in her eyes, but her face was always smooth and blank. His father was a distant but expectant patriarch, silently demanding obedience and cultivating in his sons the desire to impress him by never showing approval unless some great deed had been accomplished. The only one who had ever truly expressed affection to Snow had been his brother. From Older Brother he had experienced kinship and gentleness, teasing and warmth. It was not often but Older Brother gave whatever the other could afford without alerting their father enough to disapprove.
Older Brother would not have disdained this life. No. The promise asked of him had allowed him to see the swift, disappearing yearning his brother had for the kind of life he now lived...
The bamboo next to the path swayed, bringing him back from the past. He had also come here to gather some much needed materials to make more money. He was saving up for paper, ink, and a chance to write home to detail what had happened and to reassure his brother, more than anyone, of his health and well-being. He usually kept in touch when he could and he was anxious to relieve the tension he knew Older Brother must be feeling now in not hearing from him for several months. He was just glad he had the foresight to write before his departure, yet a part of him worried that his continued silence since departing from port would add to the anxiety concerning his safety. Deprived of everything but the clothes on his back when he had drifted to the current town, he was in no position to write or send letters home when the old couple struggled so hard to feed him.
Little Dragon and Sea Lotus never even thought to complain for the added burden he imposed on them, and the two seemed genuinely happy with coming to his aid. This did not mean he shared the sentiment. They had saved his life and usually that meant some reward was necessary. Even though he was a second son, he was the second son of a very wealthy family, and an old lineage at that.
A part of him wanted to make sure that Little Dragon and Sea Lotus had enough to never have to work another day in their lives. Another part knew that he needed to make some money himself before he could see to it personally. His pride, on top of that, felt that it would be wrong if he simply asked his brother to reward them, as this was his debt and not Older Brother's. For another to pay this in his place would be dishonorable.
Perhaps he may need to stay longer than a year, Snow thought wryly to himself as he arrived at the fork in the road the old man had told him about. He went left as he had been instructed. The path flattened and curved around the rising base of the mountain. He walked a good while before turning into the forest, heading down hill instead of up. It took some time but he finally found a good spot. From there he began to select the healthiest of stalks, determining what their use would be and the size necessary for its future purpose before cutting the ones that would be best fit for the task.
He worked methodically, picking out several for side-projects he knew would bring him extra copper and silver that wouldn't involve the selling of fish. It was a good thing the old man was getting him used to haggling with customers, an activity he had always been excluded from for being beneath him. However, to his surprise, he managed to find some enjoyment from it now that he was improving. He had a ruthless and aggressive streak beneath his silence that he had been unable to indulge in recently through the usual fighting he did in the past, and bargaining was turning out to be a good, albeit temporary, outlet.
His body was recovering nicely, and the poverty he found himself dealing with meant that his time was mostly spent trying to get enough money to help put food on the table. The old man was shrewd and insightful with buying and selling and their profits have certainly improved from what Sea Lotus told him, but he was certainly in no position to ask for a wage from them. While Snow had noted the blatant use of his "pretty face", as Little Dragon liked to put it, to earn them more coins to accommodate his stay, it was not nearly enough for him to begin thinking that he could provide enough for Little Dragon and Sea Lotus to get out of the poverty they lived in after he was gone.
Lately, even he had noticed the steady increase in female customers around the stall. Sea Lotus had been quite vocal in her surprise at how much more money they'd been making and Little Dragon had cackled that strange, excited laugh of his. There had been too much glee in those knowing eyes when Little Dragon watched Snow blankly stare back on hearing this observation as well.
As time passed, he reluctantly understood the necessity of Red Orchid's insistence against bargaining down concerning the old couple's situation. However, it grated on his nerves to depend on such a blatant show of charity. He had never thought about it until now, but he was only beginning to realize how the poor may come to resent the very kindness that those more privileged than they may be moved to bestow aid upon them. It was almost humbling to see how graciously Little Dragon and Sea Lotus received Red Orchid's gifts of medicine, not just for Snow's hands but also for Sea Lotus' cough and the ache in Little Dragon's lower back.
Snow, however, was determined to get started on his other projects so he could put better food on the table and finally send off that much needed letter home. In a way, he was also looking forward to telling Older Brother about his current adventures and he knew the elder would want to hear of the things he had learned. Speaking of Older Brother, Snow thought as he ran his hand down an especially promising young stalk of deep green. This one will do, Snow observed with a small smile.
The occasional breeze from higher up the mountain flowed down like a cool brush of relief then, swaying the tall shoot in his hand and rustling the pale-green leaves overhead. It smelled of summer, without the tang of unwashed human bodies. The cool, calming sound of the breeze eased the tension of having to deal with too many people. Even the song of cicadas buzzing seemed farther away, as if they chorused closer to town for a larger audience than the forest provided. This part of the woods was quieter, though the occasional bird song or flapping of wings and the rustling of bushes informed him of the presence of unseen wild-life. For a little while, Snow pretended he was the only man in the world, and peace washed over him the way the wind washed over the mountain.
This must be how Older Brother often felt in the peach grove, Snow thought to himself as he methodically hacked at the base of the bamboo.
Still, it was strenuous work and sweat soaked his shirt as he swung the old stone hatchet back and forth. He had spent the last few days sharpening the worn edge until it was useable for this excursion, but sometimes he missed being able to buy metal tools, even if it was made out of a less durable bronze. His hands stung from gripping the worn handle, whose groves were set in by smaller hands than his. He was certain, as the day progressed, that he would be in need of the cool ointments again tonight for both his hands and feet.
The sky began to darken overhead before he was satisfied. The brilliant green of the bamboo forest around him seemed to shimmer then dim as another breeze passed through. The forest wavered as if it were no more than tall grasses, making him feel like a green cricket as their songs slowly started, greeting the oncoming evening.
Snow shivered in his sweat-soaked clothes now that air was beginning to cool more quickly. The temperature was dropping faster in the mountain. The sun's reach was eclipsed by the mountain's growing shadow and the shade cast by the bamboo around him. It was time to return before it became too dark to navigate safely, Snow thought as he began to pack up his gear.
The sharp tang of bamboo clung to him and he bound the sectioned shoots with the rope Little Dragon had given him. He then bound all the pieces to the frame he had brought to carry the contents back and checked again to make sure that the bundle was secured. When he was done, he hefted everything onto his back and begun the long trek back into town. A sound made him pause as he neared the path he had left earlier. His eyes immediately saw the flash of white, since it was so unnatural against the dark green of the bamboo forest. One could not help but follow the trailing brightness as it passed.
A tinkling laugh floated after the swift figure, startling birds into the skies overhead. He saw, through the swaying stalks, red hair in striking contrast against white and green, this time more green than white. The shouts of servants following broke him out of his trance, imploring the young woman to be careful as they too passed. The foot-falls that stumbled through the path were heavier and less sure-footed than the one who had gone before. The rougher spun clothing of the running men was soaked with sweat as they lumbered after their charge with gasping breaths and wispy cries.
Afterwards, when he was sure that Red Orchid and her entourage had passed, their voices fading down the trail, did Snow move to step out onto the same trail. The sour stink of exertion hit him immediately as it lingered over the empty path and he wrinkled his nose in distaste at the smell. Yet, beneath the unwelcoming scent of sweaty men and the contrasting crispness of the bamboo forest, he detected the faint sweetness of ripened peaches. It dissipated quickly before he could be fully sure. He did not linger, for the shadows of the oncoming evening warned him to move down the mountain as quickly as he could.
The further he descended, the quicker the darkness came, forcing him to slow down and pick his way more carefully as he left the mountain and the forest behind. He felt his sense of smell sharpen and his vision began to dull as the night encroached. There was only the heavy fragrance of the summer heat and the growing aroma of food as he neared the lights of the town. A thought from earlier would not leave him even as the lit lanterns of the village allowed him to move faster towards the hut and the old couple waiting.
He had a suspicious inkling then, as the warm lantern lights bathed his face, he had finally solved the puzzle of why a fisherman was asked if the other sold fruit.
to be continued...
Untouched Snow = Sasuke
Red Orchid = Sakura
Fox = Naruto
[ Table of Contents ]
Enjoy!