Lianghu stared at the rock ceiling as she swished her tail back and forth. It had been only a couple hours since she was thrown down into this cell, but the tigress was already bored. She had tried singing, but the fellow prisoners would scream and yell for her to stop. There was nothing to occupy her active mind, and slowly it became idle.
The once tall candle now sagged down with the heat emitting from the single flame. The light danced on the walls, revealing carvings from previous inhabitants of the eerie pit. One marking in particular stood out to the young tiger girl. Instead of melancholic words scribbled across the wall, they seemed to tell out a story. The tigress took a small step closer, her feet making ripples in the murky water as she tried to get a closer look.
Lianghu never really had a strong education. Her father had always objected to it, even when her mother tried to teach her. Nevertheless, she learned at least a few Chinese characters. That was all though. The markings on the stone were hard to make out, something about a sword? Lianghu finally gave up trying to make out the unreadable words and turned back to her crudely carved table.
Li Ai briskly walked down the corridor; the teacups on the tray clattered as each step sent them jostling forward. Her hazel eyes seemed to be on fire as she broiled over her brother. The nerve of that guy! She fumed in her head, Putting a poor girl in that miserable pit. He should be ashamed, disgraced, dishonored-
A voice besides her interrupted her thoughts, "Li Ai, wait up!"
Da quickly caught up with the foul-mooded tigress.
"What do you want, Da? Have you come to drag me away from the murderous girl? Did Bai Jian tell you to do that? WELL YOU CAN TELL HIM TO BUZZ OFF! I CAN DO-"
"Woah, calm down." The tiger raised his hands in innocence, "Bai Jian didn't send me to come get you. In fact, he doesn't even know I'm here." Da gave her a goofy grin, his pearly fangs glinting in the torchlight, "You're always against his every word. Why?"
Li Ai shrugged and kept walking, "I never really had a say in anything when I was younger. It eventually drove me crazy and I finally decided to speak out one day."
Da halfway nodded as they reached the end of the hallway and looked down at the lattice. He picked up the metal bars and let Li Ai down then followed.
A creaking noise from above startled Lianghu, and she strained to see what was straining the lattice. To her surprise, a tigress around her age stepped down the ladder. She had soft lips and high cheek bones, the stripes on her face seemed to swirl instead of being jagged and straight like most felines. Piercing golden eyes adorn her face, yet they had a hint of gentleness to them. The girl was slightly taller than a regular female tiger, and she seemed to carry herself with a dignity only nobles were capable of. In her hands rested a tray filled with two dainty teacups accompanied with a teapot. Maybe their some kind of new torture device, Lianghu thought.
The girl smiled as she set the tray onto the rough wooden table, her laugh wrinkles appearing around her eyes and mouth, "I'm Li Ai, the infamous Bai Jian's sister. And this," she motioned to Da, who had come up behind her, "Is Da, captain of the guard and the worst secret keeper ever."
Da rolled his eyes, not bothering to comment. Li Ai set out the two teacups and saucers, "I hope we didn't startle you. I just thought that you might want some company, I know that this place can get lonely."
Lianghu was silent as she watched Li Ai pour the jasmine tea. It was still hot, making the steam swirl around the delicate painted cups. Li Ai took a small sip and sighed with content, "The perfect balance between honey and mint. Go on, try some," She wave a hand towards the teacup sitting before Lianghu, "It's not poisoned, I promise."
The tigress put a slightly trembling hand out and grasped the handle. She raised the cup to her lips and sniffed it. The tea certainly did smell good, and it had been hours since Lianghu drank any type of liquid.
Li Ai raised an eyebrow as she watched the tigress and whispered to Da, "She's sniffing the tea. Should we be concerned?"
The tiger chuckled and shook his head, "She's probably just terrified of you."
Li Ai stomped on his foot, causing him to yelp in pain. Lianghu stared at the scene before her, losing interest in the tea. Li Ai and Da acted like they hated each other, but they were obviously close. Maybe they're brother and sister? She thought, No. Da's the captain of the guard and Li Ai is Bai Jian's sibling.
"Um, pardon me," She half whispered, half spoke, "I was wondering if-"
Li Ai interrupted her, "I know exactly what you're wondering."
"Oh, um, uh, y-you do?"
She nodded, "Of course! Almost everyone wonders about it. So the answer to your question is no, Da does not have lice."
Lianghu looked at her with wide eyes, "Oh no, not that! I was wondering if-"
"I have lice? I can assure you with confidence that I definitely do NOT have lice."
"Um, no. It's-"
Li Ai raised a delicate black eyebrow, "You think I should wear more green? Because if you do, then my brother will hate you."
"Well, um, he already does, so there's not much more harm I can do there. But my question is-"
Da rolled his eyes, becoming annoyed with the conversation and stood, "Your brother will be searching for us, Li Ai, it is time for you to leave."
Li Ai sighed and raised herself from the wooden stool, "You're right, but even a mighty commander such as yourself could have some manners." The tigress turned to Lianghu, "I'll come visit you again tomorrow. It was wonderful talking to you." She bowed, her shoulders and back still carrying the elegance and grace of a noble.
Lianghu stood and tried to mimic her actions, only to stumble and fall onto the floor. Li Ai laughed, her perfect white teeth flashing in the candle light.
"It's okay," Li Ai gently said, "It takes some practice. I took an entire two years to get it right." She bent down and helped up the small tiger girl, glaring at Da. He raised his hands in innocence, not knowing what to do. Lianghu stood up straight and brushed off the tattered remains of her dress. Li Ai noticed the rips in the material.
"Um, change of plans. Da, you go tell my brother that I'll be late for dinner."
The large feline raised an eyebrow, "Why should I do that?"
Hazel eyes sent daggers towards him, "Because I said so. Now I COMMAND you to go do as I say or I'll have your hand served as finger food!"
Da rolled his eyes and did a slight bow, "As you wish, princess."
With that, the tiger left, leaving the two girls alone. Li Ai started to climb up the ladder, motioning for Lianghu to follow her. The tigress obeyed, scaling up the long ladder as well. At first, the dim torchlight was a bit blinding to Lianghu. She squinted, trying to figure out where she was.
Li Ai smiled at the young tigress, who was still trying to control her eyesight. Something caught the noble tiger's eye. The sign beside the cell 18C. The idiot, she thought as she read the markings.
The wooden plank said: Prisoner Status: Extreme. Heavy weapon. Rations: One pint of water.
She clenched her fists in anger. Her brother was always a bit rough, but never like this. Li Ai quickly grabbed the board and snapped it in half. Lianghu watched with wide eyes. The tiger brushed off her hands and kept walking, with the young girl following behind.
"Um, pardon me but, where exactly are we going?" Lianghu squeaked out. Her barefoot feet were cold and clammy from the icy stone floor.
Li Ai grabbed a torch from a side of the wall, "To the treasury and then to the market. My stupid brother can be heartless sometimes, and it's about time I do something about it."
She led Lianghu out of the dungeon and into sunlight. Lianghu took a deep breathe, loving the way the rays of light helped warm up her frozen body. Sunshine danced around her body, showing streaks of gold in her dirt cladded fur. Li Ai took a deep breath also, only to look over at the small tigress. The stench arising from her was pungent and just plain awful. The treasury and market can wait, but first, this girl REALLY needs a bath.
Li Ai quickly grabbed Lianghu's paw and dragged her past the red columns leading into the castle.
Bai Jian rubbed his sore eyes and sighed. The message he had received from the Rom Bora proved that the gypsies were being rather….difficult to communicate with. Apparently, the gypsy king had moved his clan a day's journey to the west, and was not aware of his daughter's capture. Bai Jian looked over the crumpled letter once again.
To the leader of the Tiger Clan:
Our people have moved several miles west of your borders. You cannot reach us unless you are willing to enter into the Leopard Clan's territory. On the subject of my daughter, I will not be able to retrieve her until matters with the Leopard King are settled. Send a scout to find us and we'll destroy your clan village by village.
~The Roma Bora of the Liúlàng rén
Once again, the shriveled piece of paper was tossed back onto the table covered with scrolls and maps of the territory surrounding the Tiger Clan. It could be weeks before the thieving leader contacted them again. There had to be a way to get the gypsies back to the villages, and he was going to find it. It was possible that the gypsy king was bluffing, and hadn't moved his people. Bai Jian quickly unraveled a clean scroll and dipped his thin writing brush into the black ink.
Lianghu shrieked and clenched the sides of the porcelain tub as cold was dumped upon her. Her ears were laid back in terror as her bright blue eyes widened. Water streamed down her face, making streaks of clean fur across her cheeks and chin. Brown colored soap bubbles covered most of the now murky water. Li Ai watched with amusement as the girl was scrubbed from head to toe by her old nursemaid. The tigress's torn dress was currently being burned in the fire pit, and Lianghu was clearly not enjoying being bathed. The maid had furiously scrubbed every inch of her, and was now working on pulling the pieces of snagged bark and thorns from her fur. They had to change the bath water once already, and the girl somehow still had dirt on her. Li Ai could hear the murmurs of disgust from the servants behind the fogged glass doors.
Lianghu shivered from the cold water and watched with horror as Li Ai whispered something in the maid's ear then quickly exited room. She walked past the servants, giving them a few harsh words then pointing out other things to do instead of just listening to a poor girl howl with protest of being bathed. They quickly did as they were told, and once the tigress was satisfied that no one else was going to discriminate the young girl, she headed her way up the grand staircase and into her room.
Li Ai looked over the several dresses in her closet. She was several inches taller, so the dresses would be way too big for Lianghu's small frame, but considering that Bai Jian would get suspicious if she had the tailor come out and adjust a few to the girl's size, they would have to do for now. Li Ai tried to find a couple that were a bit shorter than the others, and finally succeeded. One dress was a light blue color, golden flowers decorating the hem and waist line. Li Ai had worn it before her major growth spurt in her younger teen years. The other dress was a more simple design. It was made out of wine red material, and no elaborate stitching. She quickly pulled the two dresses off the racks and made her way downstairs.