Shu slunk onto the palace grounds in the wee hours of the morning.
On his way back he passed through the marketplace. The fire brigade suppressed the inferno before it could consume the whole of the district, but a half dozen buildings on the eastern side of the street were reduced to foundations. More suffered smoke damage. It appeared efforts to repair the devastation were already underway.
As he headed to his shop the blacksmith noticed the increased guard patrols remained in effect. Your paranoia is showing, Commander Liu. Shu thought in a singsong. Then again assassination attempts were practically a pastime in Xing. Lan Fan Liu's paranoia kept Ling Yao alive all these years.
Shu counted on Lan Fan's paranoia to bring her back to him. Soon enough Lan Fan would realize romantic entanglement with the emperor distracted her from her responsibilities.
One close call in a moment of inattention.
That's all it would take for Lan Fan to end things with Ling.
All I have to do is wait for it.
He convinced himself.
Of course, he didn't wish a close call upon his friend but he tired of waiting.
He imagined Lan Fan undressing for Ling before his lavish bed. Her blush spreading across her face and down her neck like a splotch of watercolor. Lantern light illuminating her tracing paper skin. Black uniform a puddle of ink at her feet. Ling studying her contours with an avaricious expression. Eliminating the negative space between them. Intertwining on a canvas of silk sheets.
The thought of them together made him gnash his teeth.
Shu entered his workshop with intention of climbing up the ladder into the loft and sleeping the entire morning away. He decided he deserved it after the night he had. Sleep should do something about the foul mood his imagination put him in. After several hours of shut eye he'd bother Wei for a belated breakfast.
Shu's plans scattered to the wind like so much ash at the sight in front of him.
"You bastard."
Jin sat on the floor with his back against the banked forge. The clandestine courier had his knees drawn up. In one hand he held a crumpled handkerchief. Jin's teeth were stained pink. He coughed. Blood peppered the floor in front of him.
Shu stared in shock.
"'Pick up some messages for me,' he says," Jin pulled a stack of missives from the inside pocket of his coat. "Here are your damn messages." He flung them toward Shu. The papers fluttered in the air and floated to the soot covered floor. The blacksmith let them fall where they may. He wasn't worried about anyone reading them. No one could break the code without his cipher.
"What the hell happened?"
Shu hopped the bench between them.
He dropped to one knee beside his friend.
"You happened, you lying son of a bitch. I walked right into a trap without so much as a word of warning from you," Jin winced from the use of his voice.
"You need a doctor," Shu pulled his friend's arm across his shoulder and hauled him to his feet.
"You're gonna need a doctor after I beat your face in," Jin told him.
He dropped his head forward and coughed again.
His blood spattered on the tops of their shoes.
"You can hit me all you want later," Shu promised.
Anything to get his friend moving. Shu knew a hollow threat when he heard one. He hurried Jin along as quickly as he could. The spy navigated them through halls with minimal foot traffic to avoid being seen. Fewer people meant fewer questions.
He found he had number of his own when he spied Tingzhe outside Master Hsu's office.
Shu started with, "What are you doing here?"
"Where have you been?" Tingzhe demanded. "The Dowager Empress sent for you hours ago."
"Working," Shu answered.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He's coughing up blood."
Tingzhe opened the door for them. Shu half dragged his friend inside. To his startlement the Imperial Inner Circle gathered around his heart's desire.
"Lan Fan," Shu gasped.
The absence of her automail diminished her more than he could have possibly imagined.
His Lan Fan looked beyond broken.
"Is she all right? What happened?" Shu looked to Ling for an answer.
The Dowager Empress turned toward him.
"Where have you been?" Lady Xue demanded.
"Don't expect him to tell you the whole truth," Jin advised before launching into a coughing fit.
Qiyin rushed forward to help Jin to the adjacent hospital bed. Between Shu and Qiyin they hoisted the stable master and subsequent courier onto the edge of the bed. Mei Chang moved over to them to help. Shu maneuvered himself out of her way to speak to Ling.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Lan Fan is fine," Ling insisted.
"She doesn't look fine," Shu hissed. "Do we know who attacked her?"
All eyes were on him save for Chang who examined Jin's throat with a pen light and tongue depressor.
"Attacked? What makes you certain someone attacked Lan Fan?" Ling narrowed his eyes.
Fuck.
"What haven't you told me Shu?" Ling inquired in a cold, clipped voice.
The spy swept his eyes over the room. He considered everyone in attendance trustworthy, yet he hesitated to divulge what little information he had. Shu settled his eyes on Lan Fan.
We're supposed to deal with these things together.
"Does this have anything to do with the attack on Wei?" The Dowager Empress queried.
"What?" Shu pulled himself out of his thoughts.
Shu warned him, specifically warned his friend, to be careful last night. Something he supposed he should've done a better job of with Jin.
"Tell me everything that's happened," The spy master damned.
"You serve at the pleasure of His Imperial Majesty," Lieutenant Qiyin Gao reminded him with venom. "As such you will mind your tongue should you wish to keep it in your head."
Gods how Shu despised the Lieutenant. A mutual feeling to be sure. No love lost there. Even before Shu and Ling's squabble over Lan Fan in garden the Lieutenant made his detest for Shu known.
Never in front of The Emperor nor The Guard Commander, of course.
The one and only time Shu made the mistake of attempting to coax information about Lan Fan from Qiyin the Lieutenant Guard threw him up against a wall. He informed Shu the next time he stuck his nose where it didn't belong regarding Commander Liu, or in any other matter where it didn't belong, Qiyin would cut it right off his face.
"Forgive my impertinence," Shu said through his teeth.
The Emperor of Xing stood from his seat beside their beloved's bed. Ling still wore his party clothes, though he'd lost the bowtie and unfastened the top two buttons of his dress shirt.
"Lan Fan hit her head last night. She required surgery. Mei said it might take awhile for her to wake," Ling informed him.
The puzzle pieces didn't match the picture on the box.
"If she hit her head why is her arm off?" Shu narrowed his eyes back at him.
Ling grimaced.
"Hypothermia. Tingzhe found her unconscious out in the cold," The Emperor confessed.
"Why wasn't she with you?" Shu inquired quite incredulous.
I take my eyes off of her for one second!
An unmistakable look of guilt flashed across the emperor's face. Meanwhile, Qiyin excused himself to the hall to dispatch orders to his subordinate.
"Three of my agents broke off their assignments. Another washed up in the sewers with his throat cut," Shu told him of the same information Lan Fan the day before. "Commander Liu and I were looking into it. There wasn't anything to tell. Not yet."
The emperor turned away to address his trusted sister.
"How is your patient, Princess?" Ling inquired.
"He's suffering the effects of smoke inhalation. There are blisters on the back of his throat, which I haven't seen before," The alkahestris answered.
The Dowager Empress approached Jin's bedside. Lady Xue laid a delicate hand on his knee.
"Were you in the marketplace last night?" Xue inquired.
Jin coughed. He spit blood into the basin Mei held beneath his chin.
"Yes, Your Majesty," The clandestine courier appeared ashamed. "I-I'm afraid I might've started the fire. Two individuals in masks attacked me. They had smoke grenades and I-" A hacking cough cut him off momentarily.
Lady Xue moved her hand to his back.
"Take your time," Lady Xue cooed.
Jin got his coughing under control.
He continued, "I kicked a smoke grenade at one of them. Sparks went everywhere."
Ling's blood ran cold. The emperor stepped over to Jin. He put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
"How much of the smoke did you inhale? Did any of the sparks get on your skin?" He asked in all urgency.
"A good lungful or two. On one of them but not on me," he answered. "Why?"
Ling released the breath he held.
"Good. That's good."
He turned to his sister.
"He's inhaled white phosphorus, but I should think not enough to cause toxicity."
Mei grabbed the grease pencil off the table between the beds. The princess drew a pentagram on the bedsheet.
"You're going to be all right," Mei told her patient with conviction. "Lay back for me."
The alkahestris wasted no time activating the array. Mei healed the blisters in the back of his throat, along with the unseen ones within his lungs. The Seventeenth Princess prayed her brother had it right. Mei thought Ling had it right. Jin hadn't inhaled enough of the chemical to suffocate, nor did he show signs of liver damage.
The Dowager Empress rested her hand over her patient's heart.
"Do not trouble yourself over the fire," Lady Xue instructed. "It wasn't your fault."
"Did anyone die?" Jin asked, apprehension etched on his features.
Xue Yao smiled faintly and shook her head.
"Rest now," The Dowager Empress commanded.
Mei borrowed the automail surgeon's stethoscope from the medical bag Margot left behind in order to listen to Jin's heart and lungs. The princess picked the emperor's pocket watch from the bedside table. Mei took his pulse. She watched the second hand tick ninety degrees then multiplied her count by four.
While Mei conducted her exam Jin closed his eyes.
"What about Wei?" He asked.
The Princess and the Dowager Empress shared a look.
"Wei is well cared for, I assure you," Xue answered.
"He's okay?" Jin inquired again.
"Hush now."
While the occupants of the room concerned themselves with the injured courier Shu only had eyes for his favorite girl. In silence Shu stole Ling's spot by Lan Fan bedside. He took her hand for a moment.
"I'm here. I'm right here," Shu intoned. "Just like I said."
Shu felt eyes on him. He lifted his gaze. The emperor stared at him expressionless.
"Forgive me. I know I'm late."
It didn't much matter for whom he meant the words.
In one corner of the room, those hale and healthy in the Imperial Inner Circle convened to converse. The Emperor crossed his arms over his chest. The Dowager Empress tucked her tiny hands into the trailing sleeves of her elaborate robes. Lieutenant Gao stood at attention against the wall. The spy crossed one arm over his chest and pressed the fist of his free hand against his mouth.
"How long until Lan Fan wakes up?" asked Shu.
Princess Mei, still dressed in pajamas and bedroom slippers, sat in an armchair with one leg dangling and the other tucked beneath her. She swung her foot as she thought. The rosy slipper on her foot threatened to fly off.
"Honestly? There's no telling," Mei Chang sighed.
"You must have some idea," Shu insisted.
"Best case scenario?" Ling prompted.
"A matter of hours."
His mother followed up with, "Worst case scenario?"
Princess Mei hesitated.
"Mei," Ling pressed.
"Weeks. Months." Mei's eyes flicked from Ling to the floor. She said, "Never."
A knock came at the door. Lan Fan's second-in-command stepped away to answer it. Qiyin returned with the sizeable envelope Tingzhe brought upon his request.
"What's this?" Lady Xue inquired.
"The worst case scenario," Qiyin responded. He broke the royal blue wax seal on the envelope. From it he produced a notarized document signed in triplicate for the emperor's examination. "This is my copy. Commander Liu's copy may be found in her office. The original resides in a safety deposit box in the Imperial Branch of the Bank of Xing."
Ling accepted the document.
The Emperor read the paperwork furiously.
"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded.
"In summary, in the event that Commander Liu becomes incapacitated or deceased, command of His Majesty's Royal Guard transfers to me until such a time as she is able to resume her duties or a permanent replacement is confirmed," The Interim Commander recited.
"You can't be serious," Ling deadpanned.
"Did you have that memorized?" Mei marveled.
"At Commander Liu's insistence, yes. If you would please refer to page-"
The Emperor gestured wildly with the papers.
"It's been six hours," he exclaimed.
The Dowager Empress extracted the document from his hand.
Ling hardly noticed.
"Nevertheless-" Qiyin attempted to argue in favor of his commander's directives.
Xue Yao skimmed through the legalese of the first page before flipping to the second.
"He's right," Shu interjected.
"I won't have it," Ling sneered.
The Dowager turned another page.
"Then I must tender my resignation."
"You cannot resign an oath of fealty," Ling replied altogether appalled.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I just did."
Ling threw his hands up in the air.
"Unbelievable."
"I ignored Commander Liu's directives when I let Ms. Fontaine revive her through extraordinary measures. I stand by that decision, but I will not stand on circumstance when decisions regarding your security are paramount."
Shu clapped a few times. The mock applause drew everyone's attention and Qiyin's ire.
"Did Lan Fan write that one for you, too? Are you working off mad libs?" Shu quipped.
Qiyin put his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"That's enough, gentlemen," The Dowager Empress declared dead serious.
Xue Yao turned towards her son. The floor length silk robes she wore whispered against the floor as those in attendance felt silent. Lady Xue commanded attention with minimal effort. A testament to the respect she garnered over the years.
"This is Lan Fan's design," Xue said to her son while holding the document with the reverence it deserved.
"It's only been a few hours," he insisted.
"Perhaps only a few hours more. In the meantime, she's trusted her responsibilities to Qiyin."
A bevy of emotions warred for dominance over Ling's face as he listened to his mother.
"This does not mean we're giving up on Lan Fan," Xue softened her tone.
Ling nodded albeit with great reluctance.
"What is your first order of business, Commander Gao?"
"A conscription, sire."
The Emperor raised his brows in surprise.
"If you will permit it I should like to enlist the services of an actor."
"I don't follow," Ling confessed.
"We need someone who can play the part of Commander Liu. Of the right height and similar build. An individual with serviceable fighting prowess with a vested interested in keeping our secrets."
Ling Yao finally caught on to where Qiyin was going with this.
"No."
Xue Yao laughed once.
"Inspired," she proclaimed.
"Absolutely not."
"Who?" Mei questioned.
"I forbid it! Lan Fan already forbid it," Ling protested.
"Look at that second-string actually has a feasible plan," Shu drolled.
Commander Qiyin Gao tapped his fingers against the hilt.
"Permission to shed the snake of his mortal coil," he requested.
"Denied."
"Who did you have in mind?" Princess Mei asked again.
"It doesn't matter because I forbid it!"
"We must send someone on good terms with her family. I believe, Alphonse Elric is in Lady Suyin's good graces," Xue mused.
"Oh!" The Princess realized. "That's a great idea! I bet he and Edward could make a gauntlet that looks like her automail."
"Et tu, little sister?"
"The whispering campaign will cease the moment they see a facsimile of Commander Liu," Lady Xue reasoned.
Ling ran his hand down his face to cover his mouth. He looked over at his beloved bodyguard. As much as he hated to admit it the idea wasn't the worst.
"She's going to strangle me herself when she wakes."
"That's the spirit," Xue lilted.
