Sheng Zhan looks at my belly with what can only be described as second-hand embarrassment. 

 He looks at the compass once again, "I think we should first look for something to make your stomach stop grumbling."

"Haha." I laugh awkwardly and pat him on the back, "It can wait. It's not that serious."

I hear Weredra chuckle a second before my stomach makes embarrassing noises once again.

I laugh louder, trying to drown out the noise, but Zhan looks at me with, 'Give it up already' look in his beautiful eyes.

Did I mention his eyes are beautiful? Because they totally are beautiful.

I walk forward with renewed vigor trying to put space between him and myself.

I have only walked a few hundred meters when I spot an apple tree laden with vibrant red apples.

'It's not even the season, Weredra. Can you at least try to be a little subtle?' 

 I school my features into a happy/surprised look before turning back and pointing at the tree, "Zhan, we are in luck."

Before I can say more, Zhan runs past me and starts climbing the tree like a pro. Once he is high enough, he plucks a few and gestures to me to walk closer. Without warning, he starts tossing the apples to me. 

 Obviously, I catch them like a hero is supposed to. I don't even drop one!

"I think that's enough," I yell in a few minutes, and he starts climbing down.

I hear Weredra chuckle, and a split second later, Zhan loses his footing and almost falls on the hard ground.. almost. Because obviously, I catch him... in my arms. But before I can gloat about my skills, Zhan literally jumps out of my arms.

"Get the fuck away from me!' He yells with an offended look on his face.

I blink a few times and turn away. I don't want him to see my tears. I immediately make an angry expression and turn back. "Sheng Zhan, is that how your parents have taught you to thank someone who has saved your life!?" 

 I am fully aware of the words I have used and how bad they might hurt him. I couldn't help it, though. I had been observing him for a while now, and I was starting to get the feeling that he was perhaps homophobic.

I pick up the apples I had dropped and start walking forward. I hear Zhan following me in silence; it's awkward. I don't like it. But I had self-respect and a bit of ego, and I had decided that I would not be apologizing to him. At least, I would not be the first one to apologize.

After a few minutes, he increases his pace and starts walking next to me like before, "I am sorry. That was uncalled for. And thank you for saving me." He says without looking at me.

I nod, "Mn." and keep walking, trying to look cool. 

 But that was not to be, as once again, my stomach growls. 'Fuck!'

I stop abruptly; I walk to a nearby tree. Zhan follows. We eat apples in silence before resuming to walk towards our destination. 

"It's strange."

I look at Zhan questioningly, "Mn?"

"It's not apple season. Also, we haven't come across any more apple trees either."

"Mn." I nod but don't voice my thoughts. I know that I am coming across as cold and distant. 

I have every right to be upset, alright!

As we get closer to Dezhutang, we start spotting villagers, mostly peasants. They all seem to be heading the same way. 

 Zhan looks at me and gestures. I nod, agreeing with him. We follow them and reach what looks like a town meeting. We see a few people standing on a make-shift stage, with a small crowd gathered in front of them.

"How far is he planning to go?" A middle-aged woman yells at the people on stage.

"Calm down, Feng. We are all in this together." One of the older men on stage speaks directly to the woman. He pauses and addresses the crowd, "I spoke to the rations minister earlier today. He assured me that he will speak to his Majesty."

Murmurs erupt in the crowd once again, and the same woman speaks, "How many more times will he give the same excuse? Kuo takes everything. What is he doing with our grains? It's not like they can eat it all!"

We stand there listening to their back and forth and conclude that the King was confiscating most of the produce, leaving the peasants with mere scraps. In other words, my people were starving. Whoever tried to raise their voice disappeared overnight. Now, though everyone was desperate, they were scared to voice their thoughts.

What these people need is a hero: me. But before I recklessly stand up for them, I decide that it would be best to take stock of the situation in its entirety. I wanted to know everything that was making life difficult for my people. If my father were alive, I am sure he would have done the same. 

I step away from the crowd and gesture towards Zhan to follow me.

"I think we should help them," Zhan says, putting a hand on my shoulder and stopping me when he realizes that I am not planning on staying and helping the people.

I shrug off his hand, "And we will, but first, I would like to know everything that needs to be fixed."

Zhan's brows crease, "Are you planning on becoming some kind of vigilante?"

I had not thought about how I was planning to help my people, but now that Zhan had said it, the thought has struck a chord. I could be a masked vigilante. That way, I would be working alone and wouldn't have to involve innocent people. I rampage through my bag, and sure enough, there is a mask. 'Weredra, obviously.'

 I wear it and unsheathe my sword to look at my reflection. Just as I had expected, I look hot as hell.

By the way, in case you are wondering why despite being a princess, my language is so crude, let me remind you that I didn't exactly have a princess-like upbringing. I was raised with servant's and maid's kids. Thus, just like them, I am crude and unrefined, especially where language is concerned. Not that LiFen didn't try to teach me etiquettes, she did; it's just that I feel more like myself when I am being myself.... that didn't come out right. Trust me, it sounded much better in my head. Anyway, you get my point, right?

Zhan clears his throat.

"Mn?" I ask belatedly, realizing that I had not answered Zhan's question.

He looks at me with a, 'Are you still here?' look in his eyes.

I nod and sheath my sword before answering, "Yes, I am planning something exactly like that, Zhan."

No one in their wildest dreams would be able to guess who I am. And with skills I know I have been blessed with, to help my kingdom rise to its former glory doesn't seem so impossible anymore.

Weredra's words echo in my ears, 'I will make sure that your wishes are satisfactorily granted.' 

I turn, and sure enough, I find Weredra smirking at me. I smile optimistically and wink at her, 'I guess it's a good thing that I didn't read the fine print, after all.'

{Word Count 1248}