Author's Note: I'm back! This story's really lagging on, so I'm hoping to include the big finish soon.
Chapter Twelve: The Blind Boy
Long Zhou, having needed to travel to the Mechanic's District for extra parts, left Lanfan and Ling on their own for the time being. They considered their plans on the carriage.
"You can have a day off," Ling said. "Enjoy yourself."
Lanfan looked desperate. "Please, Young Master. Don't do this!"
He laughed. "Maybe go shopping. Relax, Lanfan, and that's an order."
Lanfan buried her face in her hands yet again, muttering both curses and prayers.
The carriage stopped. Ling tipped the driver and sent him on his way Lanfan retreated to the guard's quarters, looking forlorn.
After an hour of wandering around the village, Ling realized he was truly bored. Just to his luck, he spotted Lanfan inside the teashop.
Ling scratched his head. She looked… different. Her hair was down, halfway pinned with an ornate clip. Even though she was clad in peasant's garb, the fabric was no-doubt formal, embroidered with soft cherry blossoms. Despite himself, he blushed.
Ling burst into the shop. "Hi Lanfan!"
Lanfan's mother was there also, as was a young man that Ling didn't recognize. The boy had shorter hair than what was expected of a Xingese man. The tidy dark locks reached his shoulders and weren't restricted by a hair-tie.
They all stood to bow. Lanfan opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by her mother, who shook her head disapprovingly. "Young Master, I apologize, but Lanfan cannot attend to your service at the moment. She is meeting with her betrothed."
The boy stood up. He was skinny, lithe. "I am Sou Li."
Lanfan's mother beamed. "He is the heir to a quite prestigious family of scholars."
Lanfan stared at Ling helplessly. This must have been the reason she did not want to have a day off. It was Xingese custom for a woman not to speak out of turn; the rule did not apply to her mother, who was a widow.
Ling was intrigued by Sou's eyes. They were milky, colorless. "Sou, are you blind?"
He lowered his head in a half-bow. "Yes, Young Prince. Ever since I was born. That is why I was named as such."
Ling nodded, not really understanding. Lanfan were to fall for either a man who could either see more or one who was brave. Sou didn't really seem to fit either description. He possessed a more benign, submissive demeanor.
Ling supposed that he should be happy for Lanfan. But something about Sou really just annoyed him. "Sou, are you a good fighter?"
Sou shrugged, his gaze darting to Lanfan ever-so often. "I suppose…."
Ling grinned, but not in his usually carefree way. It was more threatening, like a shark's. "I challenge you to a duel."
Sou's eyes widened. "For what?"
Ling laughed. "Nothing. It's just that I am so out of practice." This was a lie. Ling had no problem with going for long periods of time without fighting. Plus, he'd gotten into that spat in Port Town.
Sou frowned. He had a boyish air about him. Ling however, was a man. "If you say so…."
Lanfan's mother laughed as if the whole thing amused her. It would make good gossip later. "May my daughter and watch, Young Master?"
Ling smiled, back to his happy-go-lucky ways. "Of course! The more the merrier!"
And so, the female guard, the woman, the prince, and the blind boy set off for Yao Manor, which had very large training grounds.
Ling and Sou stood on opposite sides of the courtyard. Ling unsheathed his cutlass. It gleamed, ready for a fight.
"Call it, Lanfan," Ling ordered.
Lanfan sighed. The whole thing was a farce to her. She just shook her head and muttered, "Ready, go!"
Ling ran towards the boy, his form simply a blur of yellow and white. Sou tensed. Before Ling could raise his sword, Sou ran up the wall behind him, dodging the stabs that Ling aimed at him. He pulled out some kunai, throwing one of them at Ling, who effectively blocked it with his sword. It buried itself into the floorboard.
Ling laughed. "Do you think some silly blades can stop me?" He charged again, aiming a kick at the boy's head. He ducked, swinging a kick at Ling, who jumped. Sou threw another kunai. It missed again.
This game of cat and mouse went on and on, until Sou paused. He placed his palm flat on a pentagram he'd drawn earlier. Ling hadn't noticed.
Flashing shards of red light sparked onto the kunai. Sou grinned. "You say that silly blades can't stop you, huh?"
Wood sprang from the spots in the ground where the kunai were, shooting towards Ling. They wound their way around the prince until he was trapped in a floorboard cocoon.
"You win…." Ling muttered. "How did you do that?"
Sou smiled ruefully, patting his handiwork. "When you can't read, you find yourself playing chess a lot. I'm a bit of a strategist."
"A bit?" Lanfan said, joining the two on the courtyard. "That was amazing!"
Ling growled something, slicing through his encasement with his sword. "I suppose it is. I am out of practice, I guess." He bowed to the blind boy.
Sou bowed in return. "You'd better practice then, for the big tournament."
Ling paused. "What big tournament?"
Sou nodded to himself. "Didn't you hear? The emperor's dying, so he's organized a championship for all of his heirs to compete in, the one who wins will be the next ruler of Xing!"
Author's Note: In case you hadn't caught it, "Sou Li" means "Blind and Clever". Good describer for him, I think. Please review!