Dawn streaks pink across the horizon. I’ve been awake for the whole night. I’m half asleep by the time the maidservants lead me to a room with a soft pallet of silk blankets. I lay my head down on the beaded pillow. Within seconds, I’m asleep.
* * *
My grandmother once told me the story of when the storms first began.
A long time ago, our people were ruled by a benevolent emperor blessed by the gods. Loved by them. By the Sea God, most of all. The world was prosperous then.
It was said that the emperor and the Sea God had a brotherly bond that was unbreakable, that one could not exist without the other.
Then one day, a conqueror came to our kingdom, and although our brave emperor fought him, he was defeated, his murdered body tossed from the cliffs into the sea.
It was the loss of the emperor that threw the Sea God into his vengeful wrath. And the usurper, triumphant after having slain the emperor and his family, learned what it was to rule a land cursed by gods.
Ironically, it was the conqueror who first sacrificed a bride to the Sea God, and in so doing, saved our people.
For five years, a terrible drought had ravaged the lands; the rivers and streams dried up. The bones of fish lay shattered in the barren riverbanks. The usurper consulted a priestess, who told him that only “a love equal to or greater than the love the Sea God bore for the emperor” could appease the god’s wrath. The conqueror, who had taken up residence in the slain emperor’s palace, had one child, a daughter. She was said to be the most beautiful girl in the kingdom, with pomegranate-red lips and dark-moon eyes. But more than that, it was said that she was the only person the conqueror truly loved.
She became the Sea God’s first bride.
For three seasons following her sacrifice, the sea was calm, and the land was safe. Until the summer months once again arrived. This time, rain fell from the sky in sheets of icy water, flooding the rivers and fields. People drowned in their beds, children whisked away from them by fierce winds.
Another sacrifice was prepared. Another girl was thrown into the sea.
And so it continued. Year after year.
It became known. It became myth.
Nothing appeased the Sea God’s wrath except the life of someone beloved.
* * *
I wake to light sweeping across my eyes and the sound of my grandmother’s voice echoing from my dreams. I recognize the room I’m in as the one from the night before, where the thieves attempted to steal my soul. Though someone must have come while we were gone to tidy up. The wooden floor is polished to a gleam, and the few pieces of furniture are upright and pushed to the side. The only evidence of the fight is the hole in the window from the crossbow bolt, through which birds can now be heard singing to one another across the pond.
There’s a soft knock, and the door slides open. Two maidservants enter, one carrying a tray of covered dishes, the other tools for grooming, a comb and a ribbon. The first maidservant places the tray before me and proceeds to take the lids off each mouthwatering dish. Savory soup. Grilled yellow corvina on a bed of lush greens. Chestnut rice. The last dish is a steamed egg puffing up from the stone pot like a cloud. As with the dumplings the night before, I devour the meal. The maidservants encourage me as I eat, pointing to the properties of certain dishes and asking if there are any particular foods I’d like to eat for future meals. Afterward, the second maidservant moves to sit behind me, brushing my hair and gathering it in sections for a braid.
“Could you tell me what this pavilion is used for?” I look out the window to where the pond sits serene and tranquil, but for the splash of a duck. “What is it called?”
“You are in the Lotus Pavilion, my lady,” the first servant responds, a girl with rosy cheeks and a kind smile. “These are Lord Shin’s personal quarters.”
I blink several times. “His personal quarters? As in…”
“Where he sleeps, where he spends most of his time when he’s not out in the city.”
I look around, remembering my impression when I first entered the room last night. I thought it a storage room. It’s empty but for a worn cabinet, the low shelf by the window, and the paper screen.
The second maidservant finishes with my braid and rises to her feet. Together, the maidservants fold the pallet of blankets into a neat bundle and place it against the wall.
“Thank you,” I tell them.
The first maidservant lifts the tray of now empty dishes. “It’s an honor to serve you, my lady.” They bow and leave the room.
I wait a few minutes before moving to the cabinet and opening the doors. I know I’m prying, but Shin should have known when he put me in his room that I would look through his belongings. Inside are shelves stacked with robes of dark colors, as well as pants and belts. I rummage around but find nothing of interest. Closing the cabinet, I turn to survey the room. There’s nothing here to indicate regular use, no scrolls, paintings, or board games. I move to the low shelf and reach beneath to see if there’s anything hidden there.