Interlude: The crooked prince

„WAAHHHHHHH!" the man screamed in a girly shreak as he regained his consciousness. He tried to trash around to get away from the Bu Shin, who had almost strangled him. Still he wasn´t able to move his hands, since they were tied on his back. Furthermore his back hurt terribly. He was lying on a cold, hard, wooden floor. His heart was racing and the young man was close to passing out from his own hysteria. Hes green eyes were wide as he noticed that he obvoiusly was in some kind of prison, something that was unbefitting for his position and brought great shame to the man who had arrested him. He was a tax collector and hence a honorable official of the jade throne – even if said throne was unoccupied for the moment! Somehow his panic lessened a lot after this realization. Nobody had ever dared to harm a tax collector since the first southern campaing almost fivehundred years ago. That had a quite solid reason.

Tisho Chin, an otherwise nameless millitary officer in the southern wildernesses had decided to crown himself as king. That wouldn´t have been something uncommon in these regions and these times. But it seemed that the tropical fogs of the south had messed with his head quite badly since he defied the jade throne by decapitating the sent tax official and sending his head instead of the collected money. An army of fiftythousand had been sent south as a response and Tisho Chin had been killed. The savage tribes and any other self proclaimed monarchs also were subdued by brute force and the great city of Chengdu was formed as the personal property of the heavenly emperor. The south hated the heavenly people till this day for the campaign, which in cruelty and senseless slaughter almost equaled the air nomad extermination. Still nobody had dared to defy an imperial tax collector ever since. And Tian Shi Lang was sure that a civilized nobleman like Ling Hei Shong would not make himself equal to an honorless street performer. „Unbind me at once! And apologize for you rude and uncivilized behavior. I´ll see the lord AT ONCE!" he yelled enraged. Even if he had held no deep connection towards the dead soldiers he was furious about their death. They had died like loyal servants and that was something any lord HAD to honor. Even if he wasn´t able to avenge them he would make sure that their widows were taken care of, as it was a lords duty. The young man waited. „Open up the door and untie me you scoundrels – or I´ll make you be drawn to quarters!" he threathened the imbecile jailors which, without a doubt thought of him as a common criminal.

Still there was this – MONSTER lurking around. The young man curled himself up as he thought about the demon that was walking these lands under the dusguise of a mere mercenary. He had thought of the Bu Shin as nothing more than folklore but it seemed that a terrifying grain of truth was hidden in these myths. There were men possesed by war demons, what human could commit such atrocities otherwise? His shivering fingers formed a triangle to ward off the evil spirits. Still – nobody was opening the door, or even reacting at his words. The young lord wiggled on the rough wooden floor, even though splinters painfully pierced his soft, white skin. He finally was able to get up and kicked the door furiously. He yelled as a stinging pain shot through his toes in a moments notice. Some quite uncivilized words escaped his throath. He tried to clasp his hurting toes with his hands, tripped in the process and thundered back on the floor. His head connected with the floor, which led to him almost losing consciousness. The young man groaned, he had never been in so much pain before. „Get me a doctor – at once! I´m injured and you don´t want an officials blood on your hands!" he yelled. „If I die here Ba Sing Se will send an army and the Ling name will be crossed off the scroll!" he threathened. Nobody reacted and in tians foggy head a shocking insight was shimmering. The planes of Chu Da most likely were totally out of hand! To jail a tax collector was open high treason and if he had been inclined to overlook the brutal assault on his men and use his own money to ensure a polite solution for the sake of peace before – he would not turn a blind eye now.

Ling Hei Shong was insulting the jade throne and his family! That was something no nobleman was not allowed to forgive! He would have a Ling bow low – that was the least satisfaction he had to demand, even though the lone thought let him shiver in fear. The Lings were one of the mightiest families in the kingdoms! He cursed and remained silent. He would not loose any more dignity than he already had. Just now he noticed the horrid stink that was ingrained in the room – of course there was no toilet in the cell. Furthermore he could not imagine that somebody cleaned it on a daily basis. The noble was close to vomiting as he imaged the urine and feces of people to be left in the room. To be treated like some kind of lowly animal made tears of fury well in his eyes. No, it wasn´t indignation, since his body was sweating cold sweat. Tian Shi Lang was terribly afraid since he had no idea what would happen to him. The possibility of it being something good was frighteningly low. What was he going to do?

There was no way he could break out of this solid cell, he wasn´t an earthbender like his father. And even if he were he would have no idea what to do next – he wasn´t supposed to be in jail! He was a noble! So he sat there in desperation and gave himself a good cry until his nose was snot clogged and he felt even worse. He was hungry and really needed to relieve himself. „I-I need to use the bathroom – please!" he again yelled in a rather pleading tone. „Please let me out – I didn´t do anything wrong. I, I just did my duty!" he whimpered as he was short of pissing himself but even then nobody opened. So Tian Shi Lang wobbled into one corner of the room. He jelped in disgust as he tapped into something soft and creamy that filled his nose with a well known, disgusting smell at once. Still he pissed against the wall like a dog. He had no idea he would be capable of doing something so indignating. His stomach growled violently afterwards as he francitcally tried to wipe the shit from his foot by dragging it over the wooden floor. It didn´t work and he wasn´t inclined to use hins hands to get his foot cleaner. Also he was thirsty and would without a doubt feel cold very soon. He lowered his head in despair and sighed. He had no idea how long he was locked up in the room anymore, but it seemed almost like an eternity. The young man jolted awake, he wasn´t sure if he had eaten something or if had dreamt of eating some kind of slimy soup without using his hands. Also he could not feel his arms anymore, just a pricking, pulsing numbness.

He heard the clacking sounds of heavy boots. The nobleman rushed to the door at once and baged his head against it, since his toes were still pulsing like crazy. Most likely they were fractured. „Please – open up the door. I´m a royal tax collector, not some criminal scumbag!" he whined. The clacking of boots stopped and a man laughed a mocking laugh. „Oh...I´m a tax collector." the squeaked in a high pitched voice, that somehow sounded familiar. „Where´s all you bravado now you little prick." the voice changed and Tian shi Lang recognized it instantaneosly. It was the demon! The puny wooded door would not protect him from this thing, nor would the ancient signs. Spirits were far more terrifying than he had ever imagined. Tian Shi Lang let out a terrified shreak and scrambled back into a shit stained corner of his room. The man on the other side of the door chuckled humored. „Knock Knoock...who´s there?" the mercenary hummed. The tax collectors throath felt dry and so constricted he could not even breath properly. He clamped his eyes shut, while uncontrollable shivers shook his whole body. A wooden bolt was slid backwards and the door swung open with a slight, creaking sound. Tian Shi Lang screamed. „No – No I didn´t do anything! P-Please don´t kill me!" he wailed as the mercenary stood in the doorframe with an almost lazy seeming grin in his face. His eyes were sparkling merrily as he shifted the smooth, seven span long club in his hands.

He slowly started wrapping cloth around the weapon, while the prisoner sat in shit and piss while whimpering in fear. That was right – a puny coward like him SHOULD be afraid of the mighty Ma Gong Ran, who was the mightiest sword under the heavens! „Well- well. Who am I?" he the still blood stained man mused in a thoughtful voice. Tain Shi Lang gathered all the courage he had left and bowed low as a warm stain impregnated his fine robes. He did not care that his face was stained with the filth of other people. „Master may forgive this idiot who doesn´t know anything!" he yelled shivering. All playfullness left the warriors emerald eyes as he heard the nobles words. Hes eyes were turning reddish as his knuckles turned white around the bats grip. He crossed the short distance and forcefully kicked against Tian Shi langs head. The nobles world spun as he was hit and and dull pain erupted. He screamed and an ugly taste flashed though his mouth.

„Don´t kill me...help – heeeeelpppp!" he yelled in panic. „SHUT UP! A lowly animal like you isn´t allowed to call me master -to speak to me at all!" the mercenary yelled enraged. „I´m a student of the seven great demons you filth – you´re not even allowed to breath the same air as I do!" the mercenary was shivering in rage. „If it weren´t for the lords orders I´d hang you with you own guts and feed your remains to the reindeer dogs!" he growled feral. The bat connected with Tians back with a dull, crunching sound. The man screamed as his ribs were cracked and the mercenary kept pushing on the fractured spots. Then he lifted the bat again and again until the noble wasn´t able to move anymore. Tain Shi Lang was in a world of pain, an like a beaten coondog the only thought in his head was finding a way out of his misery. A calloused hand gripped his long, rich haird and dragged him out. Tian Shi lang screamed, but since his nose was broken just gurgling sounds excaped his throat. „Time ta see the lord filth." the Bu Shin stated genuinely annoyed. The lord, Tian Shi lang didn´t want to see anybody, he just wanted to wake up and find himself in his cushions! But he wasn´t dreaming and he had no idea what this insane, cruel bastard was planning to do with tried to keep up with the long strides of the mercenary ,which of course didn´t work due to his long robes and the fact that he was being dragged on his backside.

He saw some servants, which wore fine clothing but none of them dared to look at him. The turned away their eyes and continued with their work dilligently. He noticed that the parklike garden was meticulously kept. Koiponds, rhododendrons and even more exotic plants from the far west. Tians heart froze as he observed the two soldiers that were guarding the Lord´s main hall. They were clad in emeralt and brown – the well known crest of the Dai-Li proudly adorning their chests, and they did look every inch as emotionless and perfect as the Dai-Li if stories. They opened a sliding door, going so far as lowering their head in front of the filthy mercenary who dragged his prisoner over the finely polished maple-floor. At once a maid hurried out of the room to get some cleaning utensils. The room was excellently furnished, with old valuable furnitures that were dignified even for a man of the Ling clan. Finely clad ladies were playing the harp, the two string violin to a complicated royal tune that only could be mastered after years of hard training. The Lord, Ling Hei sho was resing on an excuisitely carved wooden chair and might have already passed his thirties.

He wore richly ornated jade-green robes. Ruby earrings, a long heavy gold chain as well and a lot of white jade rings showed his dignity and face. He was a rather ordinary looking man with a slightly broad face and a straight nose. His skin was slightly brownish, but his deep black hair and goatee made up for this lack of elegance. His eyes were of a deep, somehow muddy green that indecated firenation ancestors somewhere down his lineage. He looked at the scene like a man of standing, without any readable expression on his face. His nails were perfectly painted and shaped like a dragon´s claws. They were violet and cruel as a panicked Tian Shi Lang observed. The mercenary let go of Tian´s hair and the noble hit his already spinning head on the floor and passed out. As he finally was able to see and hear properly again the mercenary had left the room and only the slightly terrified ladies and the lord were in the room. Hei Sho still was sitting in his chair. „So you dare to collect tax for these ursupers!" he noted cooly. „As a member of the Tian family...don´t you have any shame?" he asked tian with a crooking of hes slim brow. Tian had no idea what the lord wanted him to say. So he said nothing while he wetted himself for a second time. He simply stayed on the floor like a wet rug. „It´s not befitting for a fellow nobleman to kiss the dirt in front of me. That also destroys my face." The lord responded, gripped Tians Shi Langs collar with a veiny hand and dragged him upwards, not regarding the blood that stained his hands.

It took all the strength the young man had to stay in the upright position, even if his body wanted to scream. He swayed slightly. Hei Shong clasped his hands behind his back, he was quite well built, even if he was a bit chubby. „So...if you don´t want to be drawn to quarters for your insolence like a peasant, explain why you´re here." he smiled. „I´ts my – my duty...I – I collected the tax under the Queen... the oath of a noble." he stammered while tears were blurring his sight. He didn´t want to die – there were so many things he wanted to do with his life. He hadn´t even fathered a son! „That is... indeed a dilemma. If one stops serving the jade throne he looses as much face as when he continues his service." Hei Shong responded in a surprising warm voice. „Y-yes my prince!" Tian Shi lang felt a spur of hope running though his chest. Maybe Hei Shong wasn´t as crazy as his underlings, and maybe he was willing to forgive him!

„Yes – I am your prince. Don´t you ever dare to forget this Shi Lang! I´m your liege from this day on. For this one time I´ll share your indignation. I´ll give you a chance - you and the rest of your family. To reclaim their BIRTHRIGHT as the tigerdillos of Mount Tai Shen!" he declared in a loud voice. The beat up man looked up into the suddenly warm eyes of the man. „ You two – take care of him, make sure my friend Shi Lang looks like a worthy sucessor of the Tian family." he waved over two women who put down their instruments and came over in trippling, small steps. „T-Thank you my lord. Th-Th-thank you so much." Tian sobbed and hit his head against the floow again. He did not care that he passed out, he was spared – spared from a horrible fate!