Fen’s ears reared quietly atop her skull, turning slowly at the sound of the Empress’ words. A light laugh, held in the breath of a quiet worry, masked the concern that yanked at her heart. It was a conflicting sensation, one of good humor at the thought of being wrangled by anyone. And yet, a seed of fear dropped into the well of her beating heart at the notion of being wed.

Something was terrifying in that thought, one that Fen routinely disallowed herself from investigating. She was too young, an excuse she gave herself as if it were large enough to waive away the dropping sands of time. As if it could protect her from the inevitable fate that would surely come knocking down her door one day.

Fen wasn’t sure if she’d ever want to be married—perhaps for love, if such things existed. But the idea of being pawned off for the prospect that served her no good beyond a political arrangement benefiting the empire sat soured and bitter atop her tongue. Did that make her a bad daughter?

Maybe.

And perhaps that is why such fears of hers sat caged behind her teeth—never to see the light of day. Although they ached inside her, burrowing deeply into her flesh until they would certainly—

Her breath hitched, and Fen became forever grateful for the change in subject. She smiled sheepishly, a grin that sat shadowed within the night as she glanced at the Empress beside her. I am sure there is beauty to be found within these streams... she added lightly, somewhere beneath the muck.

A flash of jade flickered across the burbling paths of water, where a scent of moistened dirt and moss sat heavy and distastefully atop her tongue. But this land does not sing for Tianlong as ours had before. Her tail swayed behind her as she followed Yue’s words within her own mind, trailing behind like a shadow toward the beautiful memory that had once been their home.

I have faith that they will, she murmured in kind.

Somewhere new for them, somewhere that they truly belonged.

The thought made her smile, if only slightly.

And when the talk of glaciers arose—a piece of ice she could understand in theory, large and bulging, it was not anything Fen could easily conjure up in her mind. As large as the Great Wall, it almost sounded fantastical rather than based in reality.

Still, however, Fen hoped and prayed for Yue’s sake that she would get to see a glacier. If only once.

An ear turned at the hidden words she shared, and for a brief moment, jade colored eyes searched the lilacs of her own. There was understanding that washed across her gaze, a sorrow she couldn’t quite name, but an acknowledgement all the same as she gave a soft, but small smile.

Perhaps the Celestial Dragon will surprise us, Fen murmured as she turned her gaze back toward the glittering stars. And our whispered truths will be delivered to us as honored gifts.