閉月羞花
Bì yuè xiū huā
Shut out the moon shame the flowers.
Beauty so great it eclipses the moon and puts flowers to shame.

Over a thousand years ago, the Dragon Lords of the Eastern Ocean went to war.

As with any war, the sources of the conflict were myriad, thousands of smaller issues feeding into bigger ones like streams into a river. At the core was this: stay separate, disjointed, hundreds of individual tribes and groups, or unite into one, great Dalong clan, as many other mu'ren species already had.

I had fought for unification. Young, idealistic, I believed together we were stronger. That we could put aside our differences, and, united, forge a new age for the dalong, one beyond the dark ocean deeps, on land, with the rest of the world.

I was young, idealistic, and foolish.

Needless to say, the side I fought for lost. In the closing years of the war, the 'war' was little more than a culling of all who had fought for unification. Those of us who survived fled to the land, or to oceans and seas beyond our own, left with only defeat and our scars.

It may seem strange, that I could forget ripping out someone's eye. But I did many violent things during the war, some I remember, some I have forgotten, most of which I regret.

Ripping out Guang Han's eye, or Han He's eye, as he was called when I knew him, was not one of the things I regretted. Given the opportunity and the ability, I would take his other eye from him still.

Han He, or 'wide ditch' as we had called him, had claimed neutrality during the war, and offered up his territory, a long deep-sea trench from which he got his name, as neutral ground where combatants could rest and recuperate, or die peacefully from their injuries.

We were all so busy fighting and killing each other for our ideals, neither side thought to question Han He's oddly selfless generosity.

I found myself in need of his shelter after one particularly bloody battle. Later it would be called the Battle of Brown Water, as it was said the ocean turned brown with rust colored dragon's blood for days afterwards.

Han He had agreed to offer me sanctuary, but told me he could not shelter me in the trench, as there were already several members of the opposing side there. However, he offered to escort me to a small island just inside his territory, where I could hide in human form until the others had left. Injured and exhausted, I had followed him without thought.

I remembered vividly coming to the island. Han He had taken human form to lead me on land, and urged me to do the same. Wounded as I was, it had been difficult, but I managed it, changing into the small tanned body of an island girl with a mane of wild hair that I customarily assumed. My wounds followed me, tracks of long sickle shaped gashes running along one side of my torso and dripping blood down my side. Claw marks.

The sun beat down as I waded through the shallows behind Han He. Broken white coral and shells dug into the soft flesh of my human feet as I pulled my legs through the clear water toward the shore. I did my best not to stumble, not caring if anyone was watching or not. It was never wise to show weakness.

"Where—" I started to ask the man in front of me. But he had turned, before I could finish, too swiftly, sweeping water with his hand into my eyes. I raised my arms instinctively, but my eyes were still full of salt water and I was unable to block effectively. Something hard connected with my skull.

I staggered back, slipping in the shallows. That slip probably saved me, and my upraised arm caught the next blow. I felt the bones near my right elbow split and shatter, and groaned with pain.

My eyes at last cleared and I had just time to see Han swinging a huge piece of driftwood at my side before it struck me, knocking me sideways into the water.

The blow, had it come from a human, would not have been a problem, however Han was many times stronger than a human. Before I could regain my feet fully, his next blow hit my other side, where my injury was. I gasped in agony, swallowing a lungful of sea water as I found myself once again knocked from my feet.

Taking advantage of the water, I kicked away, trying to put some distance between myself and Han He's relentless assault. I knew what he was doing and why. If he kept me distracted with pain, I could not return to my true form. He would be no match for me if I did. He had known that, and that was why he had lured me onto land, and tricked me into taking human form.

Human form or no, I would kill him for this.

A hand, strong like iron, curled around my ankle, and I felt myself being dragged through the water. I tried to focus, to slip back into my true form, like pulling on another skin, but just as I felt my claws start to grow and my skin prickle with scales, Han He dug something long and sharp into the soft flesh of the bottom of my foot. I screamed; the sound lost along with my air in a string of bubbles.

I could not drown in my true form. My human form was different.

Dazed, half drowned, in pain, I hardly comprehended as Han He threw me onto the hot sand of the beach. He knelt on my chest, forcing me down into the sand with his weight.

"We all have to eat," he said. Undistracted by pain like I was, he had managed to transform his hand, and long metallic claws gleamed where human nails should be. He pushed his curved claws into a point, and rested them on my bare chest, just above my heart.

I lay still, not moving, pretending that he had finally incapacitated me. My right arm was pressed down, into the sand, trapped beneath his left leg. I felt the nails of my right hand lengthen and sharpen, out of his sight.

Just as Han He's claws started to press into my chest, I snatched my hand from beneath his leg and shoved my own claws into his left eye. Stunned, we both sat frozen in place, my eyes on him, his right eye rolling as if to see his left. Then, bringing my claws together like a pincer, I ripped them from his head, along with his left eye.

He screamed, a scream not at all like the one a man makes, and I managed to push him off me. The rest of the ordeal was a blur. I regained my true form, but by then, Han He had staggered away into the dense forest to hide and nurse his wound. Tired, injured, afraid others would come, I had left the island without finishing him off, though nothing would have brought me greater pleasure.

Eating one's own kind, barbaric though it seems, had been a common practice among Dalong once, as it was believed that in eating the heart of another dragon one gained their strength. However, this was usually after engaging and killing the loser in a fair fight. Preying on the weak and injured, as Han He had done, was despicable even by the monstrous standards Dalong adhered to.

Even before the war and his treachery, Han He had been known as a coward, and a liar. I had disliked him then, and it had been foolish of me to think I could trust him. My own mistake in allowing him to trick me into following him to the island only made me hate him all the more.

Looking at the man before me now, as he lounged on his dais, pipe in one hand, I felt a rush of hatred so strong I swayed. At times I feared I had changed from who I once was, that my time among humans had molded me into a soft, mellowed version of my former self. The hatred I felt now was as strong and fierce as it had been that day on the beach, under the burning sun as I clutched my injured side and stared at the blood trail leading into the bushes. It hadn't changed. And I was glad for it.

"Are you alright, Lady Yunyou?" asked Prince Zhangyu softly. He and Kageyama were both looking sideways at me. I realized I must appear pale.

"Ah yes, my Prince. Just a little overwhelmed." With violent hatred.

"Lady Yunyou?" repeated Guang Han from the dais. His single eye, haughty, familiar, found mine. Hearing him say my name, even my adopted name, caused my hands to clench. I reminded myself that the man before me was still a dragon, while I was now a weak human. I breathed deep to compose myself.

"And who might you be?" Guang asked, looking me over.

I forced myself into the appropriate bow. "I am Princess Ermi's propriety tutor."

"No doubt brought along to distract us all from negotiations," said Guang Han, turning his gaze to the Second Prince. "Prince Zhangyu is wise beyond his years."

Zhangyu smiled faintly and inclined his head to acknowledge the complement.

Guang Han placed his pipe, which he must have begun smoking while I had been reliving the past, to one side and stood, clapping his hands. "Let us eat, you all must be hungry."

In an instant, a bevy of servants appeared, carrying individual trays and tables for each person present. The meal was set out before us, complete with wine and a small lantern containing one of the beautiful moths in it, in less than two minutes.

"Please, eat," urged Guang Han, though he himself had nothing before him. He returned to smoking his pipe and watching the rest of us.

I sat beside Kageyama and Zhangyu. For once in my life, I had little appetite, but felt the need to keep up appearances, and so ate what was before me. It mainly consisted of seafood. Fish was popular in Zhanghai's cuisine, but also a favorite of dragons. I myself had loved the sweet white meat of sea bream more than anything, until I had come ashore and discovered chicken.

The three men from Wa sat across from us. The kappa called Kawashima took a few bites for propriety's sake before picking up his wine cup and turning to address Guang Han.

"I need you to do something about these bloody pirates, Guang," he demanded, wine in his cup sloshing already, though he had not yet taken a sip.

"Ah straight to business, as always, Kawashima," replied Guang Han, sucking idly on his pipe with a small grin.

"Three ships last year alone, all carrying goods for the court," continued the kappa. Behind him, I noticed the giant man had removed his mask and started to eat, but I could still not see most of his face beneath his elaborate helmet.

"Perhaps the court should consider paying for a guard for some of their more precious shipments," said Guang Han indifferently.

"There were guards! We sent our own bloody guards with the shipments! All butchered! They were some of our most skilled men."

"Not as skilled as my guards," replied Guang Han. He had come down from his dais and stood, leaning against the platform casually.

"About that," began Zhangyu, setting down his chopsticks on his tray with a soft clack. "It seems that many of our merchants here in the Green Kingdom find the prices charged for protection services for their goods... exorbitant."

Guang Han looked coolly at Zhangyu, and I had to give the prince credit for not flinching. "The costs are fair, my prince, I can assure you. Training men, feeding them, arming them. Making sure their families are adequately compensated should something happen to them at sea. It is no small amount. You should know well the cost of maintaining such a force. You are in charge of this kingdom's own military, small though it is, are you not?"

Zhangyu smiled his best diplomatic smile, and merely inclined his head.

"Wait, forgive me if I have misunderstood my lords," I said, in my most absent of voices. Kageyama's eyes shot to mine, desperately trying to indicate I should be silent. "You said there are pirates on the Eastern Sea?"

"That is correct, Lady Yunyou," replied Zhangyu patiently.

"Well, why doesn't Lord Guang simply take care of them? He is a dragon, is he not?" I said, batting my eyes and doing my best to look confused.

There was a pause, and then all present laughed at my expense, save Kageyama, who simply put his head in one hand, and the giant man, who seemed more interested in eating everything on his tray and the tray of the interpreter beside him.

Between his hearty guffaws, Kawashima barked, "Tell the fool to be silent, Kageyama."

"You flatter me, Lady Yunyou," said Guang Han, silky smooth. He gestured with his arms. "I may be Dalong, but the sea is vast, and it is impossible to protect every ship."

"Your fleet must be vast as well," I said in an impressed tone, making reference to his own name, as he had done a moment before.

"It is," he said, his single eye finding mine over the top of his pipe. Repellant though it was, it gave me a small amount of satisfaction to know I had his attention already. Men were so predictable.

The men continued their talk, while I debated over the information I had gathered. No self-respecting dragon would allow someone to steal from them, continuously, without reprisal. Dalong were masters of the ocean, and I had a hard time believing that Guang Han couldn't find these pirates and put their thieving to a stop.

Which meant one thing. He allowed them to steal from him.

"It seems to me that both sides would prefer if I offer protection services at a lower cost," said Guang Han, stirring the leaves in his pipe. Small embers burned there.

"Perhaps, given the right offer, I could be persuaded to do so," he continued, packing the leaves down and resuming smoking once more. He had the air of a man waiting.

Kawashima frowned, "My lord just offered you a whole bay to build your new shipyard in."

"I am already a man of material means. I was thinking of something more... intangible. A title, or name perhaps." As Han said the last words his eyes found Zhangyu's.

"We have already given you an honorary title," replied Kawashima. "What more do you want?"

"I was thinking of something with more substance, more color," said Guang Han, eyes still on Zhangyu, who was steadily saying nothing. Realizing the prince was not going to cooperate, Guang Han turned to Kawashima, demeanor changing. "For example, I rather like the way 'Yama-no-Umi' sounds."

"Hah!" Kawashima laughed. "You dare. My lord will not be giving his position up anytime soon."

The men continued to talk, Kawashima doing the majority of it, cajoling and complaining and occasionally calling for the servants to bring more wine. The big man continued to steadily eat all that was put before him, while the translator might as well have been absent, as he was never needed.

Guang Han put up with the kappa's banter with good humor, but gave in to none of his demands. Zhangyu spoke little, and when he did it was business like and to the point. Kageyama spoke even less than Zhangyu, and when he did it was in quiet asides to the Prince.

I found myself growing bored. Guang Han could not recognize me as the one who had ripped out his eye all those centuries ago. Even if he could, it was not like we could continue where we left off. There were three other mu'ren in the room, and he would have a hard time getting through them all to kill me.

I wonder if I could get through them to kill him? I would have the element of surprise on my side. I glanced around the room. There were no decorative weapons or other furniture I could use. The best I could do was the chopsticks I had just used to eat my dinner. Tempted though I was to try, I knew there was no way, at my current strength, I could kill him with those. I let myself dream anyway, imagining driving them through his neck, or using them to pluck out his other eye...

My fantasies were cut short when I realized the tone in the room had changed. Beside me Zhangyu's posture was tense, and if possible Kageyama's jaw looked even tighter than it had since we had entered the room.

"It is not my responsibility, nor can I legally return the humans to you, Kawashima. They are free citizens here," Guang Han was saying.

"Then I demand the Green Kingdom return what was stolen or compensate us adequately!" Kawashima near bellowed. His face was red, with anger and wine.

"We refuse," said Zhangyu calmly.

It seemed as though one of Guang Han's sea captains had, either for profit or some other motivation, smuggled several humans from Wa to the Inner Kingdom, along with his cargo. The Wa landholder who the humans had belonged to was demanding them back.

I recalled what I knew of the laws of Wa. Humans had little to no freedoms, and most were treated as property, near slaves, bound to the land they were born on, to farm it until they died. All for the sake of ruling class, who were, by law, always mu'ren.

"Perhaps, Lord Guang, since this situation was created by one of your captains, it would be seen as a reconciliatory move for your company to pay the landholder for their... loss," Zhangyu said tactfully.

Guang Han thought a moment then acquiesced. "I will see that the captain in question does so. If he cannot repay the monetary value, then he will repay with his own labor and the labor of his family."

"It is not his money we are after! You insult us by ignoring our laws. The humans are nothing more than runaway cattle, and should be treated as such, though some of us forget that," Kawashima's eyes were on Kageyama as he said this, and his words were clearly meant for the kitsune.

Kageyama's face was like stone. The room was silent.

"Lady Yunyou, you must be bored by all this," said Zhangyu, his voice artificially pleasant. "Kageyama Sensei, why don't you escort Lady Yunyou out to the veranda. I believe you can see the Wall from here, can you not?" Guang Han nodded in confirmation.

Kageyama stood slowly and made his way out onto the balcony. One hand cupped in my skirts, out of sight, I followed him.

*~*~*~*~*~*

❤️ Art by ssenpaiaa !