Tah Min had eaten breakfast alone for the first time in 6 years. She glanced at the seat next to her and sighed. She knew it wasn't an act of spite. Ea just needed some time to himself and she understood that. However, as she gazed at the empty seat, she couldn't deny that it was indeed rather lonely without him. She shook her head. She supposed she should get used to it now. After all, Ea was leaving in a day. Tah Min shifted under the stares of the servants in the room. She hadn't quite noticed when they began to look at her differently nor did she know what exactly was hidden behind their gazes. All she knew was that something was amiss, but the thought was banished the moment it entered her head. Tah Min dismissed her unease as simply an afterthought from the night before.
Tah Min finished her breakfast quickly and left. As she walked through the corridors, the distinct sound of metal clashing grew louder and louder. Tah Min followed the sound until she arrived at a balcony. The sound echoed loudly beneath her as she peered over the rails. Ea stood among soldiers of the Summer Isle sparring with them leisurely. It brought a smile to Tah Min's face, seeing him dance with his sword the way he did. Ea seemed to be on a winning streak, winning match after match until the soldiers could take no more and they decided to take a break.
"Your skills haven't dulled even a little since we last saw you," spoke a tired soldier.
"And yours have all improved," responded Ea with a chuckle.
"Looks like we made the right decision in leaving the Priestess to you...although...is everything alright with her?"
Ea's face immediately twisted with concern. "What do you mean?"
The soldiers glanced at each other awkwardly. "Well uh...one of the guards came back to the guard's quarters last night saying that his friend had told him that when he was coming back after having gotten off duty he stumbled upon you and the Priestess...um...talking. He was probably just tired and misunderstood something but everyone's talking about it."
Ea's glare sent the soldiers scrambling to remedy the situation. "I-It was probably just...just a rumour anyway! I'm sure it's nothing to worry about Your Highness."
One of the braver soldiers spoke up. "A word of advice though, you shouldn't get so close to the Priestess. I say this so as to avoid other misunderstandings. As I'm sure you're well aware, our people are very big on tradition and are highly religious. If there is any reason to doubt the Priestess' purity, there will be horrendous consequences."
Ea lowered his head, brows knitted and fists clenched. "Well, then there is nothing to worry about. I have not laid a hand on her with such intentions. I know my place. My apologies for making it seem otherwise."
Ea had said it loud enough for any passersby to hear. This also meant that Tah Min, who was within earshot, also heard him and with a heavy heart, walked back inside. The soldiers seemed to believe him and the whole conversation was forgotten in a matter of seconds.
"That's good then! Don't worry too much about it Your Highness! Now that I think about it, this isn't the first time such rumours have arisen about the Priestess."
Ea perked up, turning to the soldier. "It's happened before?"
The soldier nodded. "Once, when the Priestess was around sixteen years of age, she seemed to have fallen for one of Lord Cheng's generals. He supposedly felt the same way and began secretly courting her but when Lord Cheng found out, he exiled him and the Priestess had to spend a few weeks in the tower of repentance, cut off from the rest of us."
As Ea listened he realized that he knew very little of her past. They had talked quite a bit about their childhoods and how they grew up etc, but Tah Min never provided any real details. This realization only seemed to make the distance between them grow and Ea looked away with a sigh.
"So does anyone know what happened to him after he left?"
The soldier tapped a finger on his chin in contemplation. "If I remember correctly, I think he was allowed to return last year. He's been staying in the ancestral hall paying tribute to Lord Cheng since he wasn't able to attend his funeral. I'm not sure the Priestess even knows he's back. I'm certain she'd be happy to see him again."
Ea felt the sting of jealousy rise within his chest. It further irritated him to think that he was jealous because as far as he understood, he had no reason to be. She hadn't seen this man since she was a young girl and what's more, she already made it very clear that her position as Priestess was very important to her.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
In a stroke of bad luck, Gabriel was walking by when he saw Ea walking back with the soldiers. He ducked behind the pillars, moving slowly and quietly as he tiptoed around them.
"Now that I think about it, this isn't the first time such rumours have arisen about the Priestess."
He heard one of the soldiers speak and he broke into a grin. "Looks like it was worth the trouble of going back to the guards quarters to sell them out last night," He thought to himself. As Gabriel shuffled around them, he listened closely to what they were saying. Gabriel briefly glanced down at his pocket, where a small bottle lay tucked away. "Li should have given me enough but..."
"The General was quite handsome too and he was always very loyal so even though he was exiled, his picture still hangs in the war hall next to Lord Cheng's."
Gabriel snickered to himself. "I suppose I should head over to the war hall before my little appointment then."
As soon as Ea and the soldiers were out of sight, Gabriel emerged from behind the pillar and began heading towards the hall.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
