12 The Emperors New Family (1/2)

Mei Hua could not get back into the Traveler's Cave. After some time, Ye suggested it was because she'd left for too long and knew this part of the mountain too well. Basically, she wasn't ”lost” and so the path wouldn't appear.

”I think the only way to force it to appear is for you to get lost again. And to do that, you need to go to a place you haven't been before.”

Mei Hua groaned. Naturally it would take quite a bit of traveling before she got to an area that was new to her. But since she really didn't want to spend the winter sleeping outside, she clenched her jaw and accepted her fate.

Several days passed after that, Mei Hua telling Ye all about her adventures among the humans. She had thought he wouldn't be interested, and maybe even get mad if she mentioned it, so at first she'd kept quiet.

When Ye found out, he said simply, ”If you're going to be gone for two years, at least tell me what you were doing. Otherwise all that time you were away would end up being for nothing.”

So she explained all about the town, the people, anything she could think of. Ye was fascinated by all of it, asking detailed questions for anything he'd never heard of.

”Why hasn't the Emperor contacted me?” She asked when almost a week had passed.

”Did you want him to?” Ye looked astonished at the possibility.

”No, yes. Um. I thought for sure he'd demand a payment for me coming back, make some terms… I dunno, something.”

The leaf fairy was silent for a moment. When he finally spoke, there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

”He's always been a little odd with you, did you know? The fact that he made a deal with you to begin with was strange. Usually his fairies detest humans and go after them immediately, but his deal prevented them from touching you. And even the animals were hesitant to make trouble with you, since their Master was so ambivalent. In a lot of ways, you became like an untouchable existence here.”

Mei Hua heard this and her head drooped. ”…I lost that protection.”

Ye shook his head. ”No, he actually broke the terms of the agreement first.”

At her confused surprise, he shrugged.

”He said he'd not help or hinder, didn't he? But he cured your illness. That's helping. So he broke it first.” He scoffed. ”Isn't it lucky for him the agreement had no punishment if he broke it?”

”But the townspeople at least…”

”Didn't you sing? And didn't they?”

She stared at him stupidly.

”He'd broken the agreement, but you kept singing every day for all those years. And then the townspeople sang too, though not nearly as well as you. He probably counted it as payment.”

This time she scratched her head. ”I see… he really likes music, doesn't he?”

”He likes yours, I think.”

”Oh.”

They were silent, comfortably so, for a few minutes.

”I haven't sung in two years.”

”Really? Why?”

”I don't know. When I sang in the town, it didn't feel right.”

”That's strange. It shouldn't matter where you sing. Did you want to sing now that you're back?”

Her face scrunched up in thought and then she smiled.

”Do you know, I think I do? I'm not sure if I'll do well though. I'm out of practice.”

Ye laughed. ”So? You've got time to relearn. Let me get your pipa!”

When Ye came back, Mei Hua played the ancient lute and sang. At first the words were awkward, but with each verse her voice grew stronger and more confident.

She sang a song about greetings and partings, about leaving home and coming back, and saying you're sorry. Sometimes her own song made her sad, and sometimes it made her laugh. But each line was true to her own feelings, her own heart. It was the rain after a drought, two years worth of singing squished into one never-ending song.

She sang until her voice was raw and scratchy. Only then did she stop, exhausted.

The enchanted path to the Traveler's Cave appeared when she started thinking of sleep. Had she gotten lost without realizing it? Pulling that familiar wood ring, and seeing that familiar room, she'd have cried again if she wasn't tired.

When she lay down in her bed, she suddenly realized the bed had grown to fit her. She'd never noticed before, but now she knew. This Cave really was built to give comfort to the lost. After snuggling under the blankets, she instantly fell asleep.

Ye stayed with her for a while before leaving and going back outside.

Standing in the flower field was a Stag. It looked very old.

”What do YOU want?” Asked Ye with annoyance.

”She came back.”

”She did.”

”Will she stay?”

”Maybe.”