Disclaimer: I'm not sure if Hans Christian Anderson is rolling in his grave right about now, but if he is, I apologize. Then again, I could think of worse reasons for such an occurrence. In any case, the basic story is his idea, and the adaptation is mine. There, now back to our show.
================
Chapter 2 - Sister Song
================
Just this morning, Zhen Mei was covered in flour and toiling in a sweltering kitchen in the bowels of the royal palace. Now, she wore a blindingly white cheongsam and fine sandals as she led the royal procession through the outskirts of her village. She would have fully enjoyed the moment, if not for the task at hand.
"How much further?" Mistress Ng barked. "We have been traveling for almost an hour now."
"I apologize for the distance of our village, Mistress. Please excuse my question, but have you not ventured into the villages before? Most of them are quite a ways from the palace."
"We have no need to leave the palace, other than as emissaries to foreign lands. We need not see the country in order to rule it."
Zhen Mei kept her eyes forward, thinking it best not to advise the Royal Advisor in matters of state.
A low 'moooo' caught the attention of the group. "Wait!" cried Mistress Ng. "Did you hear that? What lovely low tones! Is this the singer we are searching for?"
Zhen Mei chuckled inwardly, forgiving the royal troupe their ignorance. "I am afraid not, Mistress. That is the sound of a cow." She pointed in the direction of a small farm, where sure enough, a cow had been grazing..
"It is a beautiful animal! The Empress is truly wonderful for having such a fine beast inhabiting her lands!"
"Forgive me, Mistress, but it is just a cow. There are many like it, and bulls as well. There is really nothing special about this animal."
"Surely you don't believe this is a wondrous thing?" Mistress Ng was beside herself. Her followers, not wanting to anger their mistress, loudly agreed with her.
Zhen Mei simply shook her head. "There are better things ahead. Please, follow me." The rest of the group did as they were told, with Mistress Ng watching the cow as she left.
-----------------
Soon they came upon a tavern near the center of town. Some people who had known the cook whispered of her beauty, while others thought her to be the Empress herself, and bowed down before her. For her part, Zhen Mei enjoyed the attention, hoping to catch the eye of a certain someone. "We will enter here for a moment," she said to the entourage. "I am sure you must be thirsty or in need of a bit of rest."
With her trailers nodding enthusiastically, Mistress Ng gave in. "If there is nowhere else than this...establishment...then let us rest here for a moment." With that, they all went inside.
The boisterous hall came to a sudden stop as Zhen Mei walked in. Gamblers put their games on hold, and even the drunkest of drunks quelled their raucous laughter, for to all of them, the Empress herself had just entered.
"Please, continue as you were," Zhen Mei said in a quiet voice. "I am one of you. I am not the Empress. I have visited her and was given the task of representing her. That is all."
A short woman in glasses ran up to Zhen Mei. "Daughter! Daughter!! Is that really you?" The woman stopped short, gave Zhen Mei a long look, then cried. "You are so beautiful!!"
"Thank you, Mother." Zhen Mei's blush could be seen throughout the tavern. "Where is Sister? I must speak to her as soon as possible."
"She will be here soon," her mother replied. "She was talking with a friend of yours who--oh! There is your friend now!"
All eyes turned away from the royal group to the suddenly lit stage, where a beautiful woman had taken a spot. Music had begun to play, and the woman swayed in time to the tune.
"Ah, this must definitely be the one the Empress wishes." Mistress Ng mused.
The woman began to sing, and was immediately drowned out by the catcalls of the crowd. "Quiet, drunken whore!" "Cover your ears before she kills us all!" "Who killed the cats?" "Why must you torture us!"
Mistress Ng was confused by the reaction. The woman's voice--what she could hear of it--was pleasing enough, but apparently not for the madding crowd. "Do they not recognize her obvious talent?", she asked Zhen Mei.
"Again, I apologize, Mistress. That is my friend, Ling Fa. She is known for her mocking of the one we seek. The comments do not bother her--she enjoys the attention!"
"She purposely wants people to dislike her? That is absurd!"
"No, Mistress...that is humor."
Mistress Ng, all rules and regulations, knew not of humor, but did not want to be taught about it by a common kitchen wench. "It is a brand of humor I am not familiar with, but I know of humor", she huffed.
After the 'song' was over, Ling Fa came over to join her friend. "Moving up in the world, are we?"
"This is temporary. I will most likely be a kitchen girl when I wake from this dream." Zhen Mei took her friends' hands in her own and kissed them, receiving a raised eyebrow from Mistress Ng. "Have you seen Sister?"
"Yes! She is in her usual place. After you are rested, go there immediately!" Ling Fa pulled her hands away, then gave Zhen Mei a kiss by her ear. "And when you're done," she whispered, "come see me. It has been quite awhile, has it not?"
The royal group watched as Ling Fa bounced happily into the throng of drunkards near the bar. "A close friend of yours, I assume," Mistress Ng snorted.
"You could say that, Mistress." The heat from Zhen Mei's blush could have cooked a steak.
---------
Another hour's journey, and the procession came to a wooded area at the far edge of the village. "We will find her here!", Zhen Mei cried happily... "Sister! Sister! Are you here?"
"This singer is your own sister?"
Zhen Mei put a finger to her lips, signaling Mistress Ng and the others to be quiet.
A song wafted out of the forest and toward the group. Zhen Mei heard it first and smiled warmly, but it was Mistress Ng who was completely overwhelmed by it.
"Oh! What joyous beauty! What glorious tones! This cannot be made by a human! Surely the angels themselves have fashioned such a wondrous sound!" Mistress Ng was schussed into silence by the rest of the group, as they all had cupped their ears to better hear every note of the song. It had touched each person in the caravan in a different way; some cried, others laughed and clapped energetically, while a few had been totally lost in themselves, running their hands over their own bodies.
Even Mistress Ng herself--once she actually gave in to the song--felt an overwhelming need to be consumed by it, like a moth to a flame. It had cut through the forest of logic and protocol and went straight to her heart, causing her to smile fondly of her younger years when she was free and without the pressures of being advisor to the Empress.
Soon the song had faded to an end, and a collective groan erupted from the group. "Come, Sister! There is something we must discuss with you!" Zhen Mei called out.
All eyes turned in the direction of the trees as the singer approached. Gasps could be heard from the procession, as they did not expect what they saw. They had expected to see the most beautiful woman ever created; a being of such beauty, some of the followers had even shielded their eyes in advance of her radiance. What they saw was nothing of the kind. In fact, one would have to look hard to even notice her.
She seemed to be part of the forest itself, dressed in a simple brown robe and worn sandals. Her hair was just as plain and brown as the bark of the trees, and her face was soft yet almost featureless. And yet, for all that blandness, she carried an air of serenity about her. Confident and content, without a care in the world. She stopped a few yards ahead of the entourage when she saw her sister. She approached the cook, bowed before her, then gave her a gentle hug.
"What magic is this that has changed my sister into such a raving beauty?" the singer chided.
Zhen Mei blushed, then laughed. "It is not magic, Sister! It was the Empress! She has sent me to fetch you...she wants you to sing for her!"
"Ah, so she has taken my offer, then." The singer smiled in a way that made the advisor nervous. "Then you must be Mistress Ng, Royal Advisor."
"How...how do you know me?" the advisor asked.
"I know many things, Advisor. Things you could only dream to know." She then turned to face the group. "I am Song Mei, sister to your cook and keeper of this forest. I know of the Empress' desire to have me, but as it was not she herself who came to get me, I will not leave."
Mistress Ng was beside herself with anger. "You dare refuse the Empress?!?"
"I do," Song Mei replied casually, disregarding the advisors shocked expression. "I had asked for her to come, but she did not--she sent you instead. What more is there to say?"
Zhen Mei stepped up and pulled her sister aside. "Please, Sister. The Empress cannot leave the palace by rule. It is true that she desires you greatly--so much so that she had taken the time to make me presentable enough to stand in for her. She would not do this for just anyone, especially one as lowly as myself."
The singer put a hand to her sister's mouth. "Do not ever let me hear those words come from you again, sister! You are worth more to me than a thousand empresses!" She gave her sister a hug and whispered in her ear. "Do not worry so. I will return with you to the palace--I just wanted to see the expression on Miss Stone Heart's face when I turned her down!" They both glanced at a confused Mistress Ng, and laughed like little girls.
"What is that about?" the advisor hissed.
"Nothing that concerns you, Mistress Ng." Song Mei bowed to the advisor. "I will accompany you all back to the palace. I do have one condition."
"And that is?"
"It is that your Empress remembers to keep her promise. My sister is to be raised to the position of Royal Cook, and is allowed to keep her finery. Such a beautiful woman should not be hidden in flour."
Zhen Mei started to protest, but was waved off by her sister. "Is this acceptable?"
"It is," Mistress Ng said without hesitation. "And what of yourself? What do you require?"
"A Royal ear to listen to my song. Nothing more."
Mistress Ng gave the plain woman a curious look, but nodded in agreement.
"Shall we go, then?" Song Mei took her sister's hand as they led the procession back to the palace. "The Empress awaits!"
-------------
End of Chapter 2
-------------