Once we reached the gardens, I looked around in disbelief. The garden was beautiful, empty with ponds and pavilions for moon-viewing and drinking. There were stone bridges and circular archways, but best of all were the plants. There were weeping willows, water lilies in the ponds, and the water reflected the beautiful, cloudless blue skies.

I was standing outside. Not outside, on my veranda, staring outside at the beautiful scenery I always longed to be in. Not outside, with the wind and light only on my face and upper body. No. My whole body was enveloped in it, the coolness and the warmth, all of it.

Once we were far enough, I parted the veil from my face with shaking fingers, and looked at Zhu Sha.

"I did it," I said, my voice cracking.

"You did it," she repeated, and her smile was warm, too. "There's nothing you can't do, if you set your mind on it. We will always be there to help you, like Rui said."

I pressed the back of my hand to my eyes, but the tears dropped out.

"Would you please not tell him—not tell Rui I cried?" I asked. She leaned back against the wall.

"I won't."

I laughed. "How strange. I'm so happy, and yet I'm shaking and crying."

"It's only natural," she said. "That proves you're truly happy."

I raised a hand, palm up, and looked at the light on my skin, like gold. My fingers curled and then I tightened my hand in a fist. I had caught the light, I thought. I have not only the Moon, but the Sun, too.

Some moments later Rui and Yang Jun appeared, strolling as casually as ever, as though they didn't just commit a national crime like sneaking a Priestess out of the grounds she was confined to. How could such a thing happen so easily? It made me wonder what I had been doing for the past nineteen years of my life.

"You're finally here," Zhu Hua said. I turned to them, and the two looked at me.

"Are you fine?" Yang Jun asked. I nodded.

"See? Didn't I tell you not to worry?" Rui walked over to me. I tightened my jaw. This boy!

"Do you you have any idea how scared I was?" I hissed, suddenly unable to suppress it. "I was so—"

"Li Xiang—you cried."

Rui suddenly touched my wet cheeks, making me draw back.

He must've been surprised, too, because then he looked away. I pulled back my veil, obscuring my face once more.

"You shouldn't go touching girls," Yang Jun murmured to him, as though I couldn't hear.

"Very tactless of you," Zhu Sha added. Rui simply turned.

"Let's go. We shouldn't waste any more time or the Chang'an fair will end." He headed to the stairs leading down and outside. Yang Jun looked at me and I nodded, and soon we headed down.

Once outside the stone entrance there were more guards, but thankfully the guards stationed there looked more like terra-cotta statues than anything, their thick leather armor and bronze spears intimidating, standing in a row to them, one hand on the spear and the other tucked behind them.

However, when they paid us a glance, both Zhu Hua and Yang Jun held up a wooden board with calligraphy facing the guards so I couldn't read it. The guards gave brief and quick nods, before addressing them politely.

"I bid you safety on your journey, Lady Zhu Hua, General Yang Jun," one of the guards said, and the rest followed. Yang Jun gave a nod but Zhu Hua only walked away, her red robe trailing behind her.

She had a way of walking that confidence shone from her, although to other it might seem like arrogance or even disrespect. If she was a man, she'd surely have all the girls over her. Then I blushed again at the memory of seeing her for the first time.

Yang Jun was looking at me.

"Are you fine?"

"Yes, I was just curious what those wooden plaques were for."

"It's a pass for important people to enter and exit the palace easily," Zhu Hua answered for him. "Although our faces are so well-known we probably don't need one anyways."

"Don't be so vain," Yang Jun said.

If so, then what Rui? I turned back to see Rui show them a plaque too then walk to us.

"So what is Rui's plaque?"

"Nothing. I told you—I'm not important," he answered and then laughed it off, like always. I only watched him.

He was lying.

I might be a Priestess and might not had a lot of contact with people, but I wasn't dumb enough to be fooled by a lie like that.

"I see," I whispered.

But it was fine. It wasn't my place to question anything in the first place.

When we reached the outside of the wall, I gasped and turned my head this way and that. It was the first time I saw such a gathering of people, such movement, and so many sounds. There were many buildings, red tiled roofs, doors with gaudy decorations, countless stalls with owners shouting, and wagons and people moving about.

"It's so busy!" I said, and a smile grew on my face.

"The outside world is like this, there's no one who waits for you," Yang Jun mused. I laughed.

"How wonderful. No one will notice us!"

"That's why I said you wouldn't have to worry," Rui said. I watched as people dressed in rags and others in beautiful dresses walked by. There were straw hats and other head accessories I never saw before, and some even played instruments by the sides.

I was drowning in the noise of people haggling and chattering, the smell of sizzling food and, and the occasional snub-nosed little kids who were playing tag and bumped into me.

"Look at these brats," Rui teased, laughing, "they look so carefree and happy."

"And you fit right in," Yang Jun said.

"I do not!"

"You do."

"Fine, it's not a bad thing either. You too, should stop looking so sad all the time," Rui scolded Yang Jun. Then Rui turned around. "Wait—is that a candied hawthorn vendor? I'll get us some, Li Xiang, it's really good! Wait here."

In a moment, Rui was off, and I was left with Yang Jun and Zhu Hua on my left and right.

"I think it's you that's made him so excited," Zhu Hua teased, nudging me. "He's finally got you to come outside. He's going to make this the best day you've ever had."

"Look at him, buying more unhealthy fried street snacks," Yang Jun added, but he was also smiling again. "It's all for you, I bet."

"Why does he care so much?" I stopped myself. "I mean, why does he bother himself with me so much? It's like he wants to ruin the Priestess of the Moon or Tang Kingdom on purpose."

"It's not your title that makes you special, dummy." Zhu Hua sighed. "Do you still not realize it?"

"Realize what?"

"You're different from me and Yang Jun."

I looked at the two of them. "What do you mean?"

"We are Rui's friends," Yang Jun explained, "but more by force than choice."

"Your families forced you to be friends?"

"Not exactly—" Zhu Hua caught Yang Jun's eyes and then stopped, shrugging instead. "Well, I suppose you can say that."

"Either way, you were the only one he actively sought out," Yang Jun said.

I looked down at my embroidered slippers. They only made me more confused. Rui sought me out, but why exactly?

He couldn't have known before even meeting me. Did our first meeting do something to him?

"Li Xiang, Zhu Hua, Yang Jun!"

His shout made me look up, and we all gasped as he pushed towards the crowd with fried snacks, candied fruits on sticks, and various other food in his two hands. Before looking at such a sight I wouldn't have believed that a single person could carry so much.

"You fool! How many did you buy?" Zhu Hua shouted at him.

"Enough for everyone, of course!" Rui grinned and started distributing it to us, giving us a brief description of each one, "so apparently this is sour, and this is some sort of dried meat-cow, maybe?-and this is roasted sweet potato and this is some rare southern snack made with chicken feet."

"I can't finish all of this," I said, horrified by some of what I was seeing. I always lived eating the same food, and never saw any of these strange things.

"Then try a bite—I'll finish what you can't," Rui told me, smiling. "Oh, that looks good!"

He suddenly placed his face close to the candied stick I was holding and took a bit out of it.

As he closed his eyes, I could, once again, see how long his lashes were. Maybe even longer than mine. A loose strand of hair fell over his forehead. Without thinking, I reached out and brushed it back from his face.

His eyes flickered open and looked at me. I drew back my hand immediately.

"Your hair—it was going to get stuck to the candy—" I stammered.

"Oh, my hair?" He pulled back and then adjusted the leather strip he used to tie his hair. "Ah, it's getting loose. Yang Jun, can you help me?"

"I can't, my hands are full," he replied. With a sigh, Zhu Hua went over, and being the same height as Rui, easily tied his hair back into its previous short ponytail.

"Thank you, Zhu Hua," he said, and then turned to me and beamed. "You too, Li Xiang, or else my hair would be full of caramel now."

I could only look at the bitten candied hawthorn in my hand.

He was so close. And he was eating straight out of my hand. It was a strange sensation, but not a bad one.

"Now let's get going and find a place to sit," Zhu Hua said, and Yang Jun nodded.

"My fingers hurt, if I can't use a brush after this, it's your fault." Rui only laughed. They walked, and then looked back to make sure I was following.

"Don't stay so far, you'll get lost!" Zhu Hua scolded, and my heart felt strangely light. Maybe it was from all the festivities, or the food.

I smiled, and followed.