The Dragon Prince's Warrior

When hope fades

The days of mourning and despair seemed to have no end in Forbidden City, once considered the most prosperous of all cities in China. Three days and two nights had passed since An's soul had left her husband and children forever, and even longer since the Qings had heard anything about the whereabouts of their youngest member.

Despite the pain he might have been going through, Prince Jin hadn't remained idle. He took to the streets to help in any way he could. He even had to take charge of the Palace's finances since his father Heng spent most of his time in his royal chamber, caring about nothing else but his grief. Shun remained in a deep slumber due to the deplorable state of his body. No one knew if he would ever wake up and recover as he should.

These three days had undoubtedly been a long odyssey of worries and tasks for the middle prince, something he was not accustomed to. What motivated him the most was the time he could dedicate to repairing the town, both in terms of construction and remodeling of damaged structures, as well as providing food and necessities to those in need in the refuge.

Everyone bowed to their beloved prince, who hadn't abandoned Forbidden City to its fate despite all the blows he was still recovering from. Many claimed that he would make an excellent Emperor and that Jin should assume the role after his father's passing.

Jin was beside himself when he heard, thanks to Lin, what the citizens were saying during their gatherings between meals and leisure moments. He, dressed as a laborer and smoking a cigarette, was resting in front of the refuge in the company of Jian and Lin, his best friends in the city.

"I hear them more convinced every time they see you as the future Emperor," Lin affirmed while biting into an apple without taking his eyes off the prince.

"Seriously, Qing... Listen carefully because the power of the people also matters, and something tells me that you will be our next ruler. I would support the cause," he said, raising his hand solemnly, then flashing a mischievous and excited grin, because deep down he liked the idea.

Lin chuckled quietly and nodded, as it was evident that the idea of seeing his great friend as Emperor suited him very well.

Jin snorted in disdain at the idea people were indirectly suggesting. He ran his hand through his chestnut hair, which he disliked wearing long, unlike his brothers.

"Let them keep dreaming... I won't be Emperor, and I don't want to be. I'm not interested. That's Shun's destiny because he's going to wake up soon, I know it, guys. So, they should stop talking nonsense," Jin retorted, taking a puff of smoke, then holding the cigarette in his mouth, and as he paused, a wisp of smoke danced like a snake.

"I get what you're saying, Jin. Just be proud; everyone here considers you a hero," Lin said, smiling.

Jin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"By the way... Still no news about Prince Yun?" Lin asked, looking very concerned.

Jin didn't want to talk about that. The idea that his brother might not return seriously distressed him. With Shun, there was hope, but with Yun...

"Nothing... And to be honest, I'm losing hope that he'll come back," he replied bluntly to his worried friends. Jin didn't want pity, so he looked up and extinguished his cigarette. "Alright, enough rest. Let's get to work!"

(...)

Upon regaining consciousness, the only thing Yun could see were the white walls surrounding him, the strong scent of natural and chemical medicines; he immediately knew he was in a hospital, but he didn't know the exact location. Weakness overcame him, and he would drift off to sleep at times, only to wake up in the same monotonous place, with the difference that one nurse or another seemed to be on duty to care for him.

"Mother..." Yun murmured, and the nurse opened her eyes with surprise and approached him.

"You've finally woken up, young man. How are you feeling?" The girl smiled at him, displaying a good bedside manner, although in Yun's opinion, she held his gaze a bit too much, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Yun attempted to sit up, but a sharp headache made him lie back down. Doubts flooded his mind like a euphoric torrent trying to break a dam. When he looked at himself, he realized he was dressed in white clothes.

"Where... am I?" the disoriented and anxious young man inquired.

"You are in the Jiuquan city hospital," the nurse confirmed as she measured his temperature with the back of her hand.

Yun frowned and had the impulse to turn his head away, but he restrained himself.

"Could you tell me, how did I get here? And Siu... What about her?" Yun asked with concern before glancing around the room, which had only a window covered with olive-green curtains and a red wooden door.

"The girl? Excuse me, what is her relationship to you?" The nurse then blushed as she realized what she had said and nervously waved her hands. "Don't get me wrong. It's just protocol that we need to have all the information, and since you address her by her first name and not her last name..."

"She's my... friend. Yes, that's it," Yun replied, swallowing hard. Why was it so hard for him to answer a simple question?

Yun felt nervous upon realizing that it was true... He treated her with a lot of familiarity at times, without even intending to.

"Well, thank you for the information," she said as she turned to grab a sort of notebook. "Yes, here's the information!" she emphasized and began jotting down some things. "Some citizens found both of you quite close to the city's entrance and brought you here in their carriage in an emergency, and they did a remarkable job. If not for them, I don't think you would have survived," the nurse explained.

"I see..." Yun analyzed the situation a bit, but he still found it hard to believe that he had run at an incredibly fast speed. "And how long have we been here?"

"You and your friend have been here for three days. The medical team has been closely monitoring both of you because the condition of the wounds you arrived with was quite severe. If we hadn't intervened quickly, you might not have lived. In fact..." the nurse explained very seriously but stopped herself.

Yun didn't like that last sentence at all, and he furrowed his brow in concern.

"What's happening? Has something happened to Si...Wu?" Yun asked, hoping it wasn't something irreparable.

The nurse lowered her gaze for a moment, seemingly debating with herself about whether to say it or not.

"I can't tell you, young man. That could affect your own recovery," she said firmly.

Yun truly hated being contradicted, especially when it concerned Siu's life.

"If you don't tell me, I'll go see for myself," Yun declared, getting irritated, and the nurse appeared offended by his tone.

"You can't do that; it's not allowed. Besides, you need to rest," the nurse retorted.

Yun didn't pay attention, stretched his arm, and grabbed the doorknob to open it, but a blow to his cheek left him completely stunned, with a burning sensation on his skin.

The nurse covered her mouth because she had slapped him. Yun could feel his anger rise again, and as he did, he trembled in terror as he saw his eyes lighting up unusually and his demeanor resembling that of a serial killer.

Yun noticed the nurse's fear, so he took a deep breath and calmed himself. He directed his gaze to the floor, sighed, and sat on the bed with a grimace of pain. Once he sat down, he stared intensely at the nurse, who was starting to calm down but still displayed fear and annoyance in her eyes.

"Listen, miss. If you could explain things to me, I would feel much calmer. Believe me, I have experience with bad news. My mother just passed away not long ago, and miraculously, I'm still breathing. So please... Tell me Siu's condition," Yun said, his worry becoming apparent.

The nurse pursed her lips at Yun's deep gaze. Her chin quivered with frustration. She wanted to tell him about his friend's condition, but she couldn't.

"I can only tell you that she's in a sort of coma. It seems like her heart stopped... It's as if her vital signs disappeared, but she's still breathing, so there's no diagnosis yet," the nurse disclosed and bit her lower lip before widening her eyes. "Please, don't say anything to the doctor; otherwise, I might lose my job."

"Don't worry; I'll be as silent as the grave. Thank you for telling me," Yun smiled weakly and made a small bow to express his gratitude.

Worry immediately set in. Was it possible that she was dead after all?

"Oh, by the way! I almost forgot," the nurse exclaimed as she opened the notebook again, "as soon as one of you woke up, it was a requirement to obtain your personal information. So... I just helped you, now it's your turn. Please provide full names and addresses."

"Of course, no problem," Yun responded, feeling somewhat nervous.

"By Buddha... If I reveal who I am, I don't know what will happen, but there's no point in continuing incognito. After all, the only reason I pretended to be an ordinary citizen is no longer in this world," Yun thought.

"Well, you can give me your friend's information first," the nurse said and winked at him.

After providing Siu's real information, Yun finally made a decision and hoped it was the right one.

"My name is Qing Yun, and I live in the Forbidden City Palace," he stated confidently.

The nurse began to write down the name, and when she finished entering the address, her eyes widened, her hand trembled slightly, and she looked up at the young man with a puzzled expression.

"You are... The prince?!" she exclaimed, shocked, and brought her hands to her head.

The notebook with the pen fell to the floor, and the nurse immediately knelt down and then ran out of the room. Soon, everyone in the hospital and probably in the city of Jiuquan would know about it.