Ming Yue opened her eyes to familiar surroundings, but from an unfamiliar perspective.  She felt stiffness in her limbs, and went to turn her head to the left, but a sudden pain radiated from her neck and left shoulder.

The memory of Li Jun's disgusting mouth on her skin triggered, and she fought back the instant urge to vomit.

Turning gingerly to her right instead, the two figures of the prince and Luo Jian slowly came into focus.

Seeing her wake, Weisheng jumped up immediately and came to sit next to her on the bed.  As she tried to sit up, he pushed her back down gently, but she was not willing to talk to him in such a vulnerable state, so she went to rise again.

Seeing her persistence, Weisheng sighed and moved position so that he was now sitting behind her.  He gripped her arms and helped her up, resting her back against his chest for support.  Had it not been for the fact that they had found themselves in such a state of closeness several times previously, Ming Yue was sure she would have turned bright red at this point.

Weisheng motioned to Luo Jian to hand him the bottle that Doctor Xiao had left.

"You have to take this medicine," he said, "so that the...wound on your shoulder doesn't get infected."  He poured the concoction into a nearby bowl, and she reached out for it with her right hand.

She took a sip.  Surprisingly, it wasn't as foul as she expected, and she was able to finish it quickly.

That side of things taken care of, Weisheng shuffled slightly back and, with his hands on her upper arms, turned her to face him.

"Don't worry," he said.  "Doctor Xiao has been here and examined you.  Other than your shoulder, your throat, and a cut here," he gently touched the edge of her forehead, just underneath her hairline, "you're uninjured."

Ming Yue looked down at the simple shift dress she was wearing, and then back up at the prince, an unspoken question in her eyes.

"Xu Rong changed you after we brought you back," he said.  "Your dress was damaged.  Just here," he motioned to his left shoulder to demonstrate.

Ming Yue thought she understood what the prince was telling her, and sighed with relief.

"How...?" she mouthed.

Again, Weisheng knew what she wanted to know, and he knew that there was no easy answer.  He motioned to Luo Jian to come closer, and the man moved to stand at the corner of the bed, just behind where the prince was sitting.

Weisheng chose his words carefully, knowing that as soon as he had finished, Ming Yue would realise that this time she had to give them some proper answers.

"We found you in an abandoned summer house, where the orchard meets the forest at the back of the palace," he said.  "You were unconscious, and you were alone."

Ming Yue's eyes widened quickly. If she was alone, then did that mean that Li Jun had finished...?

Weisheng quickly realised his mistake.

"No, please.  Don't worry!" he said quickly.   "We were late, and for that I am so sorry Ming Yue. But," he continued after a brief look at Luo Jian, "from the looks of things, something else wasn't."

Weisheng went on to describe the scene that he and Luo Jian had witnessed, leaving nothing out, however strange it sounded to him coming out of his mouth and, by the time he had finished, Ming Yue's eyes had grown even wider.

"I think," said Weisheng softly, "that it's time we heard the truth."  With that said, he sat back and waited.

A hundred thoughts ran through Ming Yue's mind.  The easiest thing would be to do as she had done last time and deny any knowledge of it.  Of course, this time it was obvious that the strange behaviour of the trees and plants was linked to her, but that did not mean she could not claim ignorance.  Still, looking at Weisheng's calm expression, she was reluctant to say the words.

The fact was, she was tired of lying to the two men.  The three of them had been through so much together in such a short space of time, and she felt that she owed it to them to be honest, at least on this matter.

Of course, her real identity was something she would still have to conceal from them.  After all, this was a matter affecting all of Jin, so it was not really her secret to reveal.  But, when it came to her abilities, it was her own choice entirely.

In normal times, she would not have dreamed of telling people she had only known for a few months one of her deepest secrets.  But, she reasoned with herself, these were not normal times, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that their three lives were in considerable danger.  There was every possibility that Ming Yue would need to rely on her powers again to save herself or one of them, and so it was probably best to come clean now.  However, in doing so, she would be placing her life firmly in Weisheng's hands.

Weisheng waited while Ming Yue processed all of these thoughts, trying to remain expressionless.  Her lengthy silence alone told him that she knew more than what she had previously divulged.

After a long while, she looked directly into his eyes and nodded.  Then, she turned away from him and laid her back against his chest again, as if she had suddenly become weary.  He did not force her to face them.  He had a feeling that she would find it easier to say whatever she had to say without being subject to their scrutiny.

"Ever since I was a child," she began, "I have been able to communicate with animals."  She felt Weisheng's body stiffen behind her, but she resolved to continue, however crazy it sounded.

What she didn't know was that Weisheng had reacted that way for two reasons.  First, was the confession itself.  Second, was her voice.  It sounded rough, and almost broken.  Too late, he was reminded of Doctor Xiao's instructions that she should talk as little as possible, and he immediately felt a surge of guilt at making her tell what was obviously going to be quite a long story.  He thought about stopping her, then realised she was already too invested in what she was saying.

"It's not as if I talk to them and they talk back, though," she explained.  "That would be too strange.  It's more like they can feel my emotions and, if I focus, they can sense what I need from them."  She carried on, trying to answer in advance the various questions she thought they would have for her.

"I don't use the ability very often, and never to harm another person.  And I can't force any creature to help me.  It's their choice.  Also, no one in the Li family knows about it," she added, choosing her words carefully to avoid telling a lie about her fake family, and making sure that she was the only one implicated.

"What happened that night, when we were running from the assassins, that was new for me too," she explained.  "I have never felt anything with trees or plants before.  Please believe me, I was just as surprised as you.  But, when I had time to think about it afterwards, I realised that because they were living things as well, it sort of made sense.  I suppose that part of my ability was only triggered when," she stuttered a little, "when I saw you falling," she finished, almost reluctantly.

Weisheng let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding.  It wasn't what he had expected to hear but, then again, he wasn't sure what he was expecting.  Thinking about it, it certainly made sense, no matter how fantastical it all sounded.  It explained why Kuai had taken such a liking to the woman, and also why she had been able to find the spooked horses so quickly.

"Earlier, in the forest..." he said, leaving the question unspoken.  Ming Yue nodded.

"I didn't know what to do," she admitted.  "It was my only option.  I didn't even know if it would work.  I hadn't had a chance to test my theory after the assassination attempt.  He was choking me and, in my mind, I just begged for whatever was out there to come and help me.  I don't remember anything after that until I woke up here."

At the mention of her assailant, Weisheng's jaw tightened.  He didn't want to ask the next question, but he knew he had to.

"Who was it, Ming Yue?  Who did this to you?"

Nothing.  He wrapped his hands around her upper arms again and shook her gently.

"I asked you, who did this to you?"

Still, nothing.  In frustration, he pulled her around to face him.

"Tell me," he said.  "That's an order!"

Finally, she answered, with tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't remember.  Please don't ask me anything else.  I'm so tired."

Knowing that she was, once again, lying to him, but unwilling to press her any further, Weisheng released her and she turned away.  But not before she directed a look towards Luo Jian, willing him to understand what the prince could not.  Luo Jian gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.  He understood the situation perfectly.

The reality that Ming Yue and Luo Jian had grasped, but that the prince had been too emotional to realise, was that for the young woman to accuse the eldest prince of such a crime would put them all in the most difficult of positions.  Even if it was Weisheng who made the accusation against Li Jun instead, it would still be the eldest prince's word against Ming Yue's and who would believe her?  And if they did, the most likely course of action for the men in charge would be to avoid a scandal by making her disappear, and she knew that Weisheng would put himself at risk trying to protect her.

Also, Ming Yue did not want Weisheng to be in the situation where he was plunged directly into conflict with his older brother.  Tearing the Han royal family apart would definitely not be a good outcome for her mission or for the second prince.  As long as she remained silent, all the prince had were suspicions, and he was far too reasonable a person to act publicly on those.  She chose her next words carefully.

"I'm alright now," she said.  "That's all that matters.  And after what he most likely saw, I don't think he will try to hurt me again."

Weisheng quickly sat up straight.  If the attacker said anything, he thought.  Then, he relaxed again.  No, it would never happen.  To make such a crazy accusation, a person would have to have evidence, and for that, the man would need to admit to his crime.  No, he was confident that Ming Yue's secret was safe, at least for the time being.

Suddenly, after what seemed like an age, Luo Jian spoke.

"Living things, you said?"

Ming Yue nodded.

"Then, what about people?" he asked.

The young woman paused.  That was a new one.

"I don't know," she said.  "To be honest, I never even tried.  I doubt it though.  I'm sure someone would have noticed something by now.  Or I would have felt it."  She considered further.

"Also, peoples' minds are much more complex than plants and animals don't you think?  I doubt they have room in there for my thoughts, much less all of their own," she said, showing a rather unconventional kind of logic.  Luo Jian nodded.  It made a strange sort of sense.

After another brief period of silence, Ming Yue spoke again.

"I haven't thanked you yet for bringing me away from there, so thank you, both of you," she said.   Then, in an attempt to avoid any awkwardness, she followed up quickly as she started to swing her legs over the side of the bed.

"Now, I am tired so, if you will excuse me, I would like to go back to my room and..."

Before she could finish, both of Weisheng's arms were fully around her from behind in a tight hold.  He brought his face closer to hers, and she felt her cheeks blush when his breath tickled her ear.

"You are not leaving my sight," he whispered.  "Not tonight and, if I had my way, not ever again."