Da watched with an amused smirk on his face as Bai Jian led Lianghu up the path. He kept hidden in the bushes, making sure no one saw him. They only had about a mile to go, but the faithful commander kept a steady watch over them. He could tell that their prisoner was getting impatient. She would suddenly stop walking in protest, or throw some stick at Bai Jian. Da chuckled, they were certainly in for a ride with this girl.
Liangu glared at Bai Jian, "Where are we going?"
The clan leader shrugged, "Why should I tell you?"
"Because, you just have to."
"Hmmm…..nope." With that, he gave the girl another shove towards the direction of the palace. She sent him a piercing look then kept walking. Lianghu pulled her sash from a snagged bush, furious at the way she was being treated. Bai Jian, on the other hand, had an amused smirk on his face. It was obvious that the girl had never been handled like this.
Several shoves and glares later, the pair found their way to the palace. Lianghu's eyes went wide as she examined the colossal building. Two red columns guarded the doors, a golden dragon swirling its way up on each of them. The walls were not your typical structure. Instead of the intricate swirls laden with golden color, a great battle scene was depicted along the red barrier. Several life sized soldiers had their spears pointed to a cave, their faces displaying fear for whatever was inside of it. Lianghu quickly tried to remove all soil and leaves from her fur, but it was to no avail. A few clouds of dust would puff around the area she struggled to clean. Her bare feet brushed against the cool stone floors, making the dirt on her small toes crumble off.
Bai Jian noticed this and cleared his throat, "Try not to shed all over the floor. I just had the servants sweep."
A red blush crept over Lianghu's face, but a voice from behind spoke for her. "Don't listen to Bai Jian, he's just cranky because he didn't have his tea this morning."
Bai Jian rolled his eyes and faced Da, "Just take her to the dungeon."
The commander smirked at his boss. He looked over at a quaking Lianghu and put a comforting hand on her, "It's okay. I won't let him do that." The tiger faced Bai Jian again, "You're gonna put a delicate little flower like Lianghu in a dark, stinky, cold cell?"
"Da." Bai Jian warned. He ignored the grumpy tiger and continued, "Sir, with all due respect, you S-T-I-N-K at giving orders. Just let Li Ai give her a bath and find some clean clothing. We can at least let her stay in one of the empty barracks."
The leader clenched his fists, "DA, I am your leader and you will do as I say. Do NOT forget your place. Now take her down to prison cell 18C and keep her there!"
Lianghu shrank back, frightened, and Da inwardly sighed, "Yes….sir."
With that, the tiger led the girl away. He started for the doors, and her eyes widen, realizing that she was about to step into the grand palace. Their footsteps came closer and closer to the door. Surely her eyes never had nor never would see anything so grand!
"Right this way," Da softly said as he led away Lianghu past the magnificent doors. A side door swung open as the male tiger pushed on it. What was beyond this block of wood made the girl's heart sank.
The first thing that Lianghu noticed was the pungent stench drifting though the cold stone walls. It was horrid, making her nose crinkle in disgust. A torch here or there would light the way down the dark hall, but it was still dimly lit. The female tiger took a calm breath, she was strong. Nothing was going to make her quake in fear, especially not an arrogant tiger named Bai Jian. She put a bare foot onto the frigid floors, making her shiver. Da grabbed the nearest torch and started walking briskly. Not wanting to be left behind in the strange surroundings, the small girl quickly followed. At one point, Lianghu took a step too fast and slipped on the slimy moss covering the stone. A puddle of stale water greeted her as she fell.
The two tigers made their way down the corridor and ascended upon a cascade of stair steps. They passed several cells filled with vile prisoners. A wooden sign marked with strange symbols hung over each door. Lianghu stared at them curiously, trying to interpret the meaning of the mysterious carvings.
Da answered the question for her, "Those symbols tell us who the prisoner is inside, and what penalty they were arrested for."
She raised an eyebrow as they walked, "Why would you want to know that?"
He shrugged, "Different reasons. Food rations, location of cell and security. What their punishment is."
Lianghu nodded, trying to understand the confusing words. They continue walking at a steady pace until the two came at the dead end. She looked around, not sure why they had stop. "Um, I thought he said to put me in a cell?" She squeaked out.
Da chuckled and replied, "He did. 18C."
"So where is it?" She looked around, seeing nothing but stone walls through the dim light.
"You're standing on it." With that, the commander stooped down to the cold ground and raised a wooden lattice.
Lianghu peered into it, trying to see what was inside. There was a single candle to shed light in the small room. In a rock crevice laid two bowls, she guessed they were for food and water. A roughly cut wooden stool sat in the middle of the cell, standing alone in isolation. The only other object in the cave-like holding place was a bamboo ladder leading out of the dark room.
"Well…." Lianghu commented, "It's….different."
Da remained silent as he motioned for her to climb down the ladder. The tiger girl obeyed, and slowly descended down into the "death trap". The second her bare foot scraped against the jagged floor, she knew that her dress made of thin and torn fabric would not be adequate against the icy air. Da quickly pulled up the ladder once she was fully submerged into the cell.
"Da," She whispered, her voice barely audible as the words escaped from her lips.
The commander looked at the young girl, thinking that she was probably going to plead for her life and tell him some sob story. "Listen," He answered, "I may have a soft side, but I am also a soldier who will do as his leader commands. You will get one cup of water a day, along with the allotted food rations. If you try to escape from your cell, the penalty is immediate death. Any screaming, plotting with other prisoners, or violation of rules will result in a merciless beating. At noon every day, we will bring you out to the courtyard for exercise and to complete tasks we give you. If you fail to fulfill these requirements, you shall receive a merciless beating. Any talking back, unwanted physical contact to guards, or resistance to the soldiers will result in a merciless beating. If you try to starve yourself or refuse to eat food, it will result in a-"
Lianghu finished the sentence for him, "A merciless beating. I get it."
Da slammed the lattice down onto the opening of the hole, making the iron hinges squeak and rattle.
"Good." With that, the tiger left, leaving her alone in the darkness, a single candle for company. Lianghu's eyes watered, blurring her vision as she sank to the floor. Her once beautiful dress crinkled around her slumped form, the golden dragon that had swirled so lively around her now hung its head as if death had squeezed out its last breath. The tigress knew that she had to be strong, but how can a single ray of light shine through such darkness? If her father could see his daughter now, he would be ashamed of the way she showed this weakness. Tired from the long hours of being shoved through the forest, Lianghu's throat was dry and parched. A pair of trembling hand quickly reached out for the clay bowl on the rock ledge. She quickly emptied the bowl's contents, letting a few droplets of the cooling water trickle over her dirt-laden fur. The water felt good against her cracked dry lips. All too soon, the nourishing liquid had disappeared from the container. Lianghu leaned against the wall, the stones slightly heating up from her body heat. Heavy eyelids closed down on her face. She needed to rest, but the candle could burn out if she didn't keep a close watch on it. The classical struggle of flesh vs. will played out in the prisoner cell, and no matter how hard the tiger girl fought it, her body gave in and slumber overtook her.
Bai Jian studied the map laid out in front of him, concentrating on both the minor and major details. A door creak opened behind him, but the leader didn't care to glance over his shoulder.
Da walked over to his commander, arms crossed over his chest, "Surely there's a better solution to this than to torture the girl."
Bai Jian's eyes remained on the map as he answered his friend, "My father once said that if you want to chase your enemy away, you simply scare it off. If you want to capture it though, you must strike fear deep down into the bottomless pit of the heart."
"That's a bit disturbing." Da commented, "You can't just throw her into a cell and forget about her."
"You're questioning my orders?"
"No, but I'm questioning the man who gave them."
Bai Jian didn't answer and marked a certain area on the map. He didn't want to get into another argument with the headstrong tiger.
Da peered around his shoulder, looking at the paper, "I wonder how your sister is going to react when she hears about this."
"Li Ai won't find out about this."
A feminine voice greeted them, "Find out about what?"
Bai Jian quickly turned away from the table and faced his sister, papers rustling as he did. "It's none of your concern."
Li Ai raised an arched eyebrow as she set down the tray she had been carrying, "It just became my concern. What's going on?"
The tiger turned back to his map, "Just our solution to the gypsy raids, that's all."
The tigress looked at Da with a questioning look, and he swallowed, "I-I can't tell you."
"Da." She said as she quickly pinned him against the wall, arms over his head. Hazel eyes seemed to pierce through his soul, "Tell me or say goodbye to your left foot!"
"Bai Jian!" He cried, shrinking in terror at the tigress, "Tell the crazy cat woman to let me go!"
The tiger sighed and lifted his eyes from the parchment paper, "Li Ai, release him."
"Not until you tell me what's going on!"
"Fine." He casually leaned against the wood table, "We have a new prisoner named Lianghu. We're holding her hostage until the gypsy leader agrees to stop plundering our villages."
"Oh." Li Ai quickly lifted her hands from Da's arms, causing him to slide down upon the floor. "Where is she?"
"Cell 18C."
"WHAT?" She shrieked, "Why on earth would you stick her in that mud pit?!"
He shrugged, "She's a prisoner, not the emperor's daughter. Besides, gypsies don't do well behind stone walls."
"That prisoner of yours is also a girl." Li Ai picked up the tray filled with two teacups and a pot of brewed jasmine tea, "Honestly. Would you put ME in that ratpit?"
"No, but you're my sister."
"She could be someone else's sister too! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have tea with this Lianghu." With her head raised high, Li Ai started for the door.
Bai Jian smirked, "What if she's a cold blooded murder?"
"Then I'll be with my own kind." A door slam followed her answer, and the tigress made her way down to the infamous cell 18C.