---

When Yue awoke in a land that was not her own, it was not fear she felt. Nor did she feel confusion – what she felt was of nearly immediate acceptance. There was certainly an explanation for this, she knew in her gut. What she did not know, was whether this explanation came from one of her own, or from the celestial gods themselves.

She only need to begin imposing her inquiries, and the great mystery that suddenly gripped her would soon unravel.

What did cause her some concern, was her solitude. The orchid luxuriated in being alone, but only when she knew her people were within limb’s reach.

This was not her chosen place of rest; it instilled her with no tranquility. She felt its foreignness in her bones; and for this reason, the empress rose from where she lay and glanced about, her gaze probing the inquiries that her voice refused to speak,

for if she spoke, she would be speaking to no one.

Yue began a smooth trot through the damp, wooded, frigid area. If she did not turn over something familiar, then at least she was working through her rising anxieties and would keep warm. Still, her nose searched fervently for a miasma of recognition.

Even she knew that 'alone' was not what a woman wanted to be, especially when on winter’s doorstep.

---

A flash of moonlight cut through the thick mist and gloom. Silver eyes caught the movement. The whispers surrounded Touying, words indistinct. He felt as if a breath washed over him, cold and sharp. He looked over his shoulder once, but the wind urged him forward, not back.

He followed the coursing moonlight quickly, but his breath grew ragged, rattled in his throat. A cough betrayed him as he picked his way over fallen stonework, twisted roots, and verdant trees.

Paused atop a stone, Touying saw her more clearly. It was Empress Yue. Had all of the Imperial family been plucked from their world to... wherever this was? The question pressed itself forward in his mind once more; had he been the cause?

---

Within moments, Yue knew she was being trailed.

The footfalls were silent, but the presence was palpable, and the empress (who was already in a somewhat heightened state) could not ignore it. She did not want to immediately assume that this thing meant to cause her harm, but as a result, she ceased her forward momentum right then, planting herself firmly in one spot, becoming a beacon of awareness.

It happened quickly. There was the sound of a rattling exhale, which drew her pointed attention. The man (for she could now see it was a man) was atop a promontory, and Yue strained her eyes only for a second before they opened wide with recognition.

In a world of presumed strangers, perhaps she should have been more surprised to see her husband’s manservant. Ease replaced any potential surprise, and this was clear in the way she softened and bloomed in his direction. She felt a slight shiver make its way down her spine, perhaps a subconscious attempt to shake whatever uncertainty had pursued her, amongst these silent streams.

She was a woman of her people. What was she to do, without her people? For but a moment, she was meaningless. Adrift.

Now, she was not. Touying, the empress breathed, stepping towards him, lifting her lilac gaze to watch him, as he watched her. I am relieved. was all she said; a sincere offering of her innermost feelings at that moment. She was not yet sure what else she felt, but one thing was certain.

She was adrift no longer.

---

The empress was always keenly aware of her surroundings, and even if Touying's breathing had not been so rough and ragged in his chest, he did think she would have still sensed him, as she did now.

Empress Yue, Touying breathed. He picked his way down the crumbled ruins, blocks of moss covered stone and came to a stop before her, bowing deeply.

It is good to see you well.

༻❁༺

---

With the knowledge that there was at least one familiar soul still in her life, Yue was able to relax a slight amount. She still nurtured an innate worry for her husband, her people, and her station – but alone, she was not.

Perhaps alone was not such a bad thing to be, but for a woman who had an attendant by her side since birth, it was quite an unfamiliar and daunting perspective. Yue had no desire to be alone, and the mere thought of losing all she had loved was nightmarish indeed.

There were so many questions that swirled in her mind, and she didn’t know which took preeminence. There was also the possibility that Touying was just as oblivious as she – thought at first glance, he didn’t look it.

Yue kept the surprise deep within, though it leapt and tore at its confines to escape and be known. Her voice was held low and controlled. I… must have been sleep walking, she suggested, though the orchid had strong suspicions that this wasn’t true. With her very statement, she dared the Crystal Dragon to prove her wrong.

She wished the affirmation of the Gods to come through the mouth of a manservant.

I woke up and I didn’t recognize where I was. More for him to deny, if he would just give her the pleasure of doing so.

Touying… Where are we?

---

༻❁༺