The Nightingale Hall of the Eastern Pavilion, The Golden Ring~
I sat silent behind the silk embroidered screen, which I noticed was delicately stitched with golden nightingales. I scoffed at the ridiculous amount of the repeated motif I found around the entire Hall.
I sighed as I gazed at the static beauty which enveloped me…suffocating me.
"Is there something the Queen wishes?" the head maid, the Nightingale Hall keeper, Mami spoke serenely as her elegantly garbed body bowed deeply from the corner of the room.
"No. Thank you," I hesitantly spoke back. I was still unaccustomed to the strict rules of the court, which were even more complicated then the ones followed by nobility.
"Perhaps the Queen shall like to practice the koto? The king has admired your talent for it before," she mentioned towards the gilded, elaborately decorated harp hanging at the west end of the parlor.
"I think I want to go for a walk," I suggested carefully.
"If the Queen wishes. I shall tell the maids to prepare for your excursion," she rose fluidly and shuffled silently towards the door to allow the maids to enter with my silk coat and embroidered slippers.
I sat still as the uniformed maids, who all looked the same, fluttered about me silently like butterflies attending to the magnolia flower. They quickly covered me with the appropriate robes and without any words I rose to leave the room.
I was not alone. I would never be allowed the privilege of just having the company of a nurse or a friend. My life now forbade does sorts of behaviors. I would forever be watched by a horde of maids whose allegiance lied with the most powerful lady of the court, the Empress Phoenix, even if they were meant to attend me.
As we walked I felt a tinge of fear seize in my heart as I spotted the large emerald silk parasol embroidered with elegant slate colored swooping birds. Queen Swallow and her even larger entourage were strolling through the Eastern Pavilion Water Gardens at the moment and she spotted me with her sharp eyes.
Even though she was 50 feet away from Mami gently suggested lowering my head in respect towards her higher rank. We all stalled as I bent my knees slightly and lowered my chin towards my chest. She smirked then passed without a word. I exhaled with relief at her passing. Being ignored was far safer than being admired in these palaces that was one thing Mami didn't need to teach me.
I lifted the hem of my daffodil yellow skirt to place my winter blossom embroidered slippers on the smooth dove grey step towards the circular arched bridge, which floated on top of the vast still lake similar to the design of the water pavilion of the Emperor's Winter Palace. I unclasped my hands and exposed my right hand to touch the smooth stone and a tear escaped my emerald colored eyes as I pitied myself once more. I missed my home…my fate, the one I was meant to have.
"Crown Prince Kuei," Mami spoke smoothly with no hint of her surprise and bowed deeply prompting me to lower my head ever so slightly as well. He instead bowed deeper for me, as I was his father's wife.
"Queen Nightingale, I hope that you are doing well."
"Thank you, Prince. I am…adjusting," I tried to give a smile though I was flustered at his sudden appearance.
"Please, call me Kuei, we are so close of age it is rather strange for our severe formality," he smiled widely as he extended a hand.
"Well, if you call me Reilan instead of Mother then I shall consider it," I teased lightly.
"That's a lovely name…Reilan. Do you think we can be friends, Queen Nightingale?" he mused.
"If you can," I smiled at his lack of fear and mock impertinence.
"Well…" he laughed brightly as Mami stiffened in our too familiar interactions.
He was in truth two years my senior. I was still sixteen and he was a month away from turning nineteen. The fact that we were both still children made the mother-son hierarchy ludicrous.
As he walked a step behind me, taking care to still follow court decorum, Prince Kuei gestured brightly at the grand history of the palace decorations. The sarcasm found in youth could be heard in some of his explanation of his royal lineage. Though he dared not outwardly criticize the hypocritical and cruel actions demanded by the elegant court manners I sensed the tinge of disgust that lingered behind his poetic descriptions.
"You are my father's 27th wife…he is quite young. Very young in fact, he is the youngest Earth King ever to be crowned. The Empress Mother Peacock gave birth only to numerous princesses. Even the Peacock Emperor's numerous consorts and concubines could not provide an heir. All hope seemed at a loss, for it appeared as if one of his daughters, a princess's son might have to take over the Jade Throne…until he met the beautiful koto player, Karin. She was but sixteen to the Emperor's fifty-nine. Yet they loved one another and my father, the current Emperor was born," he spoke with a soft smile.
"She is not the Empress Mother Peacock though…she is no longer here?" I questioned.
"The Empress Mother stated that Karin had been so devoted, she did the honorable deed. She followed him to his grave," his tone became slightly static and his kind face twisted into disgust.
"That is the honorable deed?" I could not hide my surprise.
"Well…some nobility follows this practice as well I hear," he brightened at my naivety.
"No…that is unheard of. No one loves each other to that extent. No love is worth sacrificing life for," I spoke adamantly with steadfastness.
"Is that what you believe?" he looked at me with a sad curiosity.
"Well, yes…do you believe in love? To me it seems as if it is the only thing that is impossible here in this life. It is the unattainable hope," I smiled wearily as I fingered a plum blossom.
"I am sad to hear you speak of such sadness…you are far too young to talk with such misery, your highness," he broke off a piece of the plum blossom and looked at it longingly.
"Yes, I am too young, aren't I?" I smiled back at him, tears winking in the corners of my eyes.
"Yes, Queen Nightingale. But I believe that there is great power in youth…the innocence unattainable by the matured. I hope that you utilize your powers well," he smiled as he extended the small plum blossom.
I gave him a half smile and accepted it into the sleeve of my voluminous robe. His eyes lingered upon my disappeared hand and smiled distantly. With a low bow he rose and left me to be alone with my maids.
Mami swiftly encouraged me to return to the Nightingale Hall and I did not protest. I bowed to all my superior sister wives and respectfully kept a distance as I hurried to my dwellings. Young concubines would in turn bow lowly to me as I passed by them and befitting my status as a queen, I acknowledged them to the minimum as called by decorum. When my slippers finally reached to the floral arch of the Nightingale Hall, I gave a sigh of relief as I silently clutched the plum blossom still.