Disclaimer: I think you all know this by now, os I'll just get to the story, 'kay? :-)
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Chapter 4 - "The Caged Bird"
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Zhen Mei tried her best not to wear a groove into the hard marble floor of the palace throne room, but pacing back and forth was all she could do while waiting for her sister to return. 'Oh Sister,' she silently prayed.... "Please do not delve too deeply into our Empress' life! Please do not overwhelm her!"
The Royal Chamber's door opened, and Zhen Mei stopped in her tracks to see who would exit. "Mistress Ng?" She bowed to the oncoming woman, but received no acknowledgement from the Royal Advisor. "Please Mistress, is there something I could--"
"SILENCE!" The volume of her own voice shocked Mistress Ng, as she had not intended to take out her hurt and anger on the poor cook...or did she? "For most of my life, and nearly all of hers, I have stood by her side. I raised her, taught her, helped her regain her family's throne, and done all I was asked to do. Yet this is how I am repaid?"
Zhen Mei watched nervously as the advisor muttered to herself, fists balled at her sides. "Um, pardon my intrusion, Mistress, but--"
"I SAID BE QUIET!!" Mistress Ng was now facing the frightened cook. She took a moment to regain her composure, but it wasn't long enough, as she seemed ready to tear into the cowering girl. "Come with me. I am to announce you as the Royal Cook, and you are to prepare meals for the Empress and I..." She visibly cringed as she corrected herself. "...for the Empress and your cursed sister!" She turned to leave the throne room, not bothering to see if the girl was following her or not.
Zhen Mei picked up the pace, and followed the advisor out of the room. 'I wonder what went on in there that has her so angry?', she thought to herself.
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Hours went by without notice for the Empress, as she was totally enraptured by Song Mei. "How could such a plain girl hold such wondrous talents?"
"Do my looks not please Your Highness?" Song Mei said with a smirk.
The Empress was holding the singer from behind as they lay in bed together. Caught thinking aloud, she tried her best to recover from her embarrassment. "What I meant was, that, er, for someone so...natural, you have an incredible inner beauty!"
The singer laughed at her new-found master. "Do not fret, Empress. I am not known for my beauty; this is a fact. But I believe I make up for such a deficit in...other ways, do I not?"
The Empress choked on her words, while her bedmate chuckled.
"Now I must rest, Your Highness. I suggest you do the same." Song Mei turned and buried her head under the Empress' chin, and immediately fell asleep.
The Empress looked down at the sleeping form entwined around her. 'She does not fear me, my position or my power. She gives herself to me, and asks no pleasure in return.' This was no doubt a magical being, she mused, for no mere human would be so bold as to speak to her so plainly, much less be so bewitching. She left her questions for another day, and pulled the girl closer.
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After dropping off Zhen Mei, Mistress Ng returned to her chambers. Her anger had calmed somewhat, but the wound in her heart was still deep. 'I cannot let this go unchallenged!' She threw herself down on her bed, staring at the ornate dragons carved into the ceiling. 'I must find some way to free the Empress from that witch's spell! It has to be a spell, for my Empress loves beautiful things--she would never allow herself to have someone so...plain!'
It was true; the Empress had gone through great pains to surround herself with only the most beautiful things in her country. From the palace itself, made from the finest marble and porcelain; to the grounds, which included some of the rarest flowers and plants to be found. Even her Royal Guards, both men and women, would rival any army in both looks and skill.
'So why would she be so taken with such a plain girl?' Mistress Ng then got an idea that finally brought a smile to her face, albeit a crooked one. "Would she be so taken with a more beautiful, more talented singer? One who could not only sing perfectly, but dance as well, and never get tired?" She got up from her bed and began to pace around the expansive room "I cannot deny Song Mei's power to reach into my Empress' heart, but I know my Empress better than anyone; she is shallow and vain. She loves beauty above all else!" Another thought came to her mind, and she began to laugh. "Yes, that would work! I must get to work, as this will take some time to bear fruit!" She went to her desk and hastily scribbled out a note on a scroll, placed her seal upon it, and called for a guard. "See to it that this message is delivered to the person to whom it is addressed. Mention nothing of this to anyone other then the messenger. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mistress!" The guard took the note, bowed, and quickly retreated. Mistress Ng closed her door and then leaned on it, her head dizzy with giddiness. "Oh yes! I will rid you of that witch, my Empress, and we shall be together again!"
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Song Mei enjoyed the life of an Empress' consort. Being tended to hand and foot, surrounded by opulence, and best of all, being loved and in love with the most powerful person in the land. It was quite a change from her former life...one that she now was beginning to miss. For all its beauty, the palace grounds were not the forest of her home.
"Your Highness, I must return to my forest," she said idly from the balcony, sipping a cup of tea. "As much as I have enjoyed being with you--and still do, mind you--I have things I must attend to. And I do miss the beautiful trees and my friends, both human and animal." The more she spoke, the more wistful Song Mei's voice became. It bordered on taking on a nostalgic tune.
The Empress, seated across from her, simply huffed. "I forbid it."
Song Mei blinked and drew her head back in disbelief. "I beg your pardon, Empress? You 'forbid' it?"
"Yes," the Empress said matter-of-factly. "You may roam the palace grounds, and you have your run of the entire palace itself. I forbid you to leave."
The singer's eyes widened at the remark, as well as at its casual delivery. "What? Are you saying I am to be your prisoner here? That I cannot come and go as I please?"
"You are my most prized possession, Song Mei," the Empress said between sips. "I simply cannot allow you to leave. Why would you want to? Everything you need is here, and whatever isn't, I can have brought to you. I can even have the forest itself placed here," she waved over the balcony to the grounds below. "I will meet your every need, satisfy your every whim. All that I ask is that you stay with me. You did say you would be mine, after all."
Song Mei started to argue, but remembered that she had in fact promised to give herself completely to the Empress. "Even so, I wish to be among my people and my forest again! If you truly wish to satisfy my every whim, then please allow me this!"
"No."
"You cannot keep me here! I am not your prisoner!" Song Mei pushed herself away from the table and left the balcony.
The Empress put down her cup, and rose her voice to the singer. "You are forgetting your place, girl. I am the Empress! I do as I please, and my will is to be obeyed!"
"How could this be?", Song Mei cried. "I have given myself to you, without doubt or malice, yet you wish to keep me a prisoner?"
"I wish no such thing.' The Empress came up behind Song Mei, placing a hand on her shoulder and wrapping her other around the younger girl. "I wish to keep you beside me. You are very precious to me, and the best way to keep you safe is to keep you here. I know you are a free spirit--I was warned as such by your beautiful sister. I know you value your freedom, but I value you more." She turned the singer around to look into her eyes. "Please, Song Mei, do not leave me! Whatever you want, I will give to you. As long as you stay with me!"
"Nothing you could give me could replace my freedom, Empress.' Song Mei broke from the gaze of her lover's eyes. "I will stay, but only because I love you--not because you force me to stay. This I do of my own free will." The Empress smiled, but Song Mei held up a hand to her lips. "But know this--do me wrong in any way, and you will find me gone. You will not even notice me leave, for I will have found my own way. Are we clear on this?"
The Empress replied with a kiss, but Song Mei broke it off and stared at the taller woman. "Are we clear on this?" she repeated.
"Yes! Yes! Do not worry, all is well!"
Song Mei allowed the Empress to kiss her again, but she felt the woman had not heard her entirely. 'I may come to regret this,' she sighed inwardly.
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"Your Highness," Mistress Ng began as they walked through the courtyard. "Your birthday is coming up, and I would like permission to arrange something special for you."
The Empress' eyes shone. "Special? How so?"
"A royal ball, with a performance by Song Mei and other distinguished singers and poets. I am sure you will enjoy this." Mistress Ng let the comment hang, giving the Empress time to digest it.
"Ah yes! It has been some time since we had a ball! And I can show off my latest treasure!" The term of endearment irked the advisor, but she let it go for now--it proved her theory that the Empress saw Song Mei as a possession. "Yes, Mistress Ng! You have my permission! Do as you wish!"
Mistress bowed, hiding a smirk. "Thank you, my Empress. You will not be disappointed."
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End of Chapter 4
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