Disclaimer: My story, based on one by H.C. Anderson. Y'all know this by now. Okay, pack a lunch and make sure your permission slips are signed--this is a long trip!
Ikimashou!
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Final Chapter - "Death's Song"
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Mistress Ng moved through the palace, unaware--or uncaring--of the commotion that was building up behind her. Her mind was a tempest, and she was one step from destroying everyone and everything in her path. It was improper to show such emotions outwardly within the palace, so she held her temper until she reached her chambers. Once she closed the doors, the storm raged.
"How dare she!!", the advisor roared. "How dare she reject my love!! I brought her up from nothing; made her the center of the universe! And this is the thanks I get?" Whatever Mistress Ng could get her hands on was flung across the room in seething anger. "Mother? Sister? Friend? Is this what I have been reduced to?? Have all my years of absolute devotion and loyalty been wasted on a child??" She grabbed the edge of a fancy table and roughly upturned it, sending a delicate tea set to its shattered end. "She will pay dearly for this insolence!! She will pay for breaking my heart!!" When there was nothing else to break or rip, Mistress Ng resorted to tearing at her own robes.
Exhausted, the advisor sat on the floor and cried. All around her, items of immeasurable worth were reduced to rubble. None of that mattered--the one thing she truly treasured in this world was denied to her. "What have I done wrong?", she wondered. "Where did my plans err? Surely, she must have known my feelings! And with no one else to love, and seeking love, should I not have been the most logical choice?" No matter how she formulated it in her head, it still came out the same; one and one did not equal two.
A loud knock at the doors pulled Mistress Ng from her deep well of theorizing. "What is it!" she barked.
The voice on the other side of the door was unfazed by the advisor's harshness, for it had other problems. "I am sorry to bother you, Mistress, but the Empress...she has collapsed, and no one can rouse her! Shall we call for a doctor?"
"Of course, you idiot!! Get him as fast as you can! I will be there shortly!"
"Yes, Mistress!" The sound of feet running away from the doors confirmed the guard's haste.
"What a complete imbecile! Why ask my permission to fetch a doctor when--" Mistress Ng was struck mid-sentence by a thought that hadn't occurred to her before. It was something she had never--would never have considered before. "You reject me, and now you are ill...is this the payment you have received? Have the gods heeded my call once again?" She stood and moved across the floor, pushing the debris out of her way. She cleared a spot on her bed and started thinking out loud.
"You have taken from me what I most desired, my Empress...and now the gods will take from you in return! And as they do, so shall I!" The grin on her face grew wide with malice "If you will not give me what I desire, then I will take back what I have given to you! You will die, and I will replace you as Empress!" She laughed herself dizzy. "It is only right, after all; it is I who have done all the work, and now the gods have seen fit to reward me"
She went to her wardrobe--the only area untouched by her savage destruction--and pulled out a new robe. "Keep your frail and delicate heart, Reina. It appears I was not destined to have it anyway. I will simply take everything else!"
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"I am a singer, not a pack animal!", Fa Ling moaned as she carried two large bags on her back. She had followed Zhen Mei into the forest, but not before packing a few things they might need on their journey to find Song Mei. "You could help me, if it is not too much trouble!"
Zhen Mei put a finger to her lips to quiet her girlfriend. "Hush! I need to listen for her! I know she is here somewhere, as this is her forest!"
The comment made Fa Ling stop in her tracks. "If you knew this, why did you wait so long to come here? You could have at least sent me to look for her!"
"I...I could not," Zhen Mei answered. "I was so hurt, so confused, I could not think clearly. It is because of you that I did not go completely mad--even if I did remember to look here, I could not bear to be without you. If I had, and some tragedy were to befall you..."
Fa Ling dropped the bags and wrapped her arms around her lover. "Forgive my question, my love. We are together now, and soon we will find Sister Song."
Zhen Mei enjoyed the embrace for a little longer, before breaking it off. She grabbed one of the bags--much to Fa Ling's surprise--and continued along the forest path.
They soon came to a wide clearing. Fa Ling thought it strange that the clearing was circular in nature--as if someone had cleared out a portion of the deep woods just for themselves. "What is this place?" she wondered.....
"I...I do not know, but I believe we will get our answers there." Zhen Mei pointed to a small hut on the far end of the clearing. As they drew near, the familiar, melodious sound of laughter could be heard coming from inside the hut.
"She is there! We have found her!" Zhen Mei dropped her bag and ran straight for the hut, leaving a puzzled Fa Ling behind. The former cook reached to knock on the door, but Song Mei opened it before she had the chance.
"You two must be tired. Please, come in!" She smiled warmly and started to move aside, but was tackled by her sister.
"Sister Song! Why have you not come back to us? It has been over six months! Why did you not at least send word that you were well?"
"So many questions, Sister Zhen!" Song Mei returned the strong hug, then waved to Fa Ling. "Come have some tea, and I will answer them all."
Soon the three women were seated around a small but elegant table. "First of all,' Song Mei said with a smile, "please accept my apology. It was not my intention to worry you so. I could not let you know I was alright, because I was not." She took a sip of her tea, then continued. "What had happened with the Empress had been quite shocking indeed, but not altogether unexpected. She wanted to keep me as a pet, not as a lover. She also has a great desire for beautiful things. So when Lady Nightingale arrived, she became the new pet." Song Mei kept a brave face, but the tears came anyway. "I offered my body and soul, even gave up my freedom, in exchange for her love and loyalty. I was a fool to ask this of a woman such as her "
"This is not your fault!" Fa Ling nearly slammed her teacup on the table.... "You cannot blame yourself for her actions!"
"Ah, but I do, Lady Fa. It was I who sought her out, knowing full well what kind of woman she was. I guess you could say it was a challenge--to see if she could love someone such as I." Song Mei wiped the tears from her face, then smiled. "Believe it or not, this experience has taught me something. I was quite arrogant to believe such a thing, and to force myself on her--to even make a game of it. In a sense, I deserved what I got, but still..." She trailed off, and lost her smile.
Zhen Mei noticed. "You did not deserved to be...discarded. How did you manage to disappear so quickly?"
"I had been planning for awhile to make my way out of the palace--if only for a few moments, to be back here in my forest. I had meant to always return, to show my loyalty. When she chose Lady Nightingale over me, I decided right then that I was free, and left as fast as I could. I came here, and cried for days."
Zhen Mei took her sister's hands in her own. "Why did you not come to us, Sister Song? We could have helped you through this!"
"No, you could not. I needed to be alone, to sort things out and make sense of what happened. I have done so, and now I am fine." Song Mei smiled broadly, as if to punctuate her statement. "Besides, in the state you were in, there was not a lot you could do to help me. It is why I am most grateful to you, Lady Fa."
"Me?" The other singer gave her idol a curious look. "But...why?"
"You have done what I had asked--you have taken very good care of my sister, more so than I could possibly have done. It is another reason I did not trouble you both. I knew she would be in capable hands, and I was right." Song Mei took Fa Ling's hands and brought them to her lips, kissing them tenderly. "Thank you ever so much for loving my sister, Lady Fa."
Their eyes met, and Fa Ling knew there was much more in that simple sentence--words of gratitude that didn't need to be said. She simply bowed; to be praised by her idol, and loved by Zhen Mei, that was more then enough for her.
Song Mei bowed in return, then let go of Fa Ling's hands, turning to face her sister. She was about to speak when a small bird flew into through the window and landed on the table. It immediately faced Song Mei and sang with great agitation.
"Is that so?" The singer watched the bird for awhile, then whistled a tune. The bird chirped in response, then flew off. The surprised looks on the other women's faces caught Song Mei a bit off guard. "What is it?" she asked. "Is there something wrong?"
Zhen Mei tried forming words, but they came out of Fa Ling's mouth instead, and quite loudly. "What was that about? Were you just talking to that bird?"
"Yes," Song Mei said nonchalantly. "She usually keeps me informed of things that go on outside the forest, and this time she said that the Empress had taken ill."
Zhen Mei finally found her own voice. "You mean to tell us that bird told you this, itself?"
"Of course! She is a lark, and is quite knowledgeable. It was her who taught me to sing, after all!" Song Mei laughed, and rose from the table. "I will tell you more about it later. Right now, I must make my way to the palace."
"WHAT!?!" If they were shocked by Song Mei's conversation with the lark, then the two women were downright dumbfounded by this reaction. "But Sister Song...after what she did to you, do you still wish to be by her side?" Zhen Mei asked incredulously.
"Even more so now." Song Mei's voice was free of its usual mirth. "I know what you both must be thinking, but I have never stopped loving her. If there is some way I can help her, then I must. Even if she refuses me, it will be her choice to make. I want to be there for her--not as a pet, but as a friend and a lover."
"But Sister! What about Mistress Ng? And Lady Nightingale?"
"It is because of them that I must be there, Sister Zhen. Lady Nightingale is no more, and Mistress Ng...well, I cannot speak for her, but what I have heard distresses me. Now if you will both excuse me, I must prepare to leave."
Fa Ling gathered the bags she brought in. "We shall accompany you, Lady Song! Please allow us!"
"No, Lady Fa. This is something I must do. Besides, I am sure Mistress Ng will bring harm to my sister and maybe even yourself if you near the palace. I will enter the way I left--unnoticed. Keep my sister safe in the village. I will send word when it is safe to come."
Zhen Mei gave her sister a hug before leaving. "Please, be careful, Sister Song!" She wanted to say more, but was pulled away by Fa Ling.
"She has to go, my love. It is something only she can do--it is a matter of her pride, and her heart. We must not interfere. Let us be on our way." The two women bowed to Song Mei, and headed back into the forest. Zhen Mei took another look back, giving a worried look over her shoulder.
"Fear not, sister," Song Mei said to herself. "I have been humbled, but I have also gained strength. All will be well in the end."
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That evening, Song Mei had made her way through the very same garden wall she used so many times before. It was where she found the Empress; where she spied on her, called out to her, entered to challenge her, came in to live, and eventually escaped. And now she found herself here again. An ounce of doubt entered her mind, telling her to leave this place; leave it and its memories far behind. But she could not--especially now. Whatever the Empress had done to her, she did not deserve to die. "If I can prevent that in any way," the singer said to herself, "then I will, as best I can." She took a look around to make sure she was not spotted, then entered the palace grounds.
Upon reaching the balcony, she was greeted with sights both familiar and unnerving. The Empress lay under a blanket on her bed, hands crossed over her chest. Around her, medical personnel and servants of all kinds scurried here and there. Even Mistress Ng was there, standing to the side, wearing her usual stone-faced expression.
That in itself surprised Song Mei--she had thought Mistress Ng would be grieving, or at the very least giving orders and making sure the Empress was comfortable. But the advisor did no such thing--she just stood there, as if she was waiting for a carriage.
"The humans there have no faith in her condition, you know,' a voice whispered to Song Mei in the darkness. "And neither does she herself. It is just as well, as it will make it easier for me to take her "
"You will do no such thing!" Song Mei turned to answer the voice, but saw nothing. She didn't have to. "I know you are here, and I know what you desire. I am here to deny you."
"You cannot," the voice hissed. "All things must die. That is the nature of things. She may be an Empress, but she is no different."
"But must it be now? She has already been through so much, and persevered...why take her now?"
"Because it is her time, Lady Song, just as it will be yours in years to come. As I said, it is the nature of things."
The voice took form, and it was Death. She stood tall and firm in the center of the balcony. Her appearance was total darkness, save for the white make-up on her face. She carried a large, tattered book under one arm, her bony fingers curled around the spine. In her other hand she held a scythe, which she would lean against when the mood struck her. "If you do not mind, I must proceed with my business."
All traffic in the room came to a sudden halt upon Death's entrance from the balcony. Many screamed in terror and fled, hoping they were not the ones for whom Death had come. The spectre glanced around the room and caught the eyes of Mistress Ng, who had not so much as blinked. The advisor bowed to the moving darkness, and when she rose from the bow, she wore a smile that would have pleased Death greatly, if that was at all possible. Death nodded and moved to the bed, rising to stand on the mattress and above the prone Empress.
"Take her, Lady Death! Take her and be done with it!" Mistress Ng's voice was full and harsh, demanding and without fear. "She is yours...do with her soul what you will!"
Death turned and glared at Mistress Ng, giving her a look that cut through the advisor's cold exterior and clutched her heart. "I do not take orders from you, Advisor. I come of my own accord; not as a favor to you. So be mindful to whom you are speaking." The spirit turned her attention back to the dying Empress. "This soul has been deemed void, and I have come to claim it!"
Song Mei shook herself out of her terrified state, and rushed to the bedside. "You cannot!! You must not take her!"
"You!?! What are you doing here?" Mistress Ng stared at Song Mei in disbelief. "Tell me why I should not strike you down where you stand!"
"Quiet! I have no time for you, Mistress Ng!" Song Mei kept her eyes on the menacing demon standing over the Empress. "Leave us, advisor! I must stop this!"
"As I have told you, Lady Song," Death said without emotion, "you cannot stop me. I will have her soul, regardless of your actions."
A shrill laughter came from Mistress Ng. "Well, well! So, it seems you have come to try to save the woman who abandoned you, only to be turned away yet again! How does it feel to be twice denied, 'Lady' Song?"
Mistress Ng's derisive mocking of Song Mei's title angered the singer more than the advisor's cackling, but she stayed defiant, keeping her eyes on the spectre. "Tell me, 'Mistress', how does it feel never to be loved at all by the one you desire most? At least I have known her as a lover as well as a friend. Though she mistreated me, I still feel love for her.. Can you say that? Even now, as you wish her death?"
This turn of events piqued Death's interest. "Tell me, Lady Song. This woman treated you as a pet; discarded you when she found someone better; and has not sought you out when that replacement died. Yet you still wish to spare her life?" Death then faced Mistress Ng. "And you, Advisor, who have been by her side for her entire life; placed her on the throne; and lusted after her deeply, only to be denied her love. You not only wish me to take her life, but have the nerve to order me to do so?"
Both women stood silently, resolute in their answers. Death then let out a hearty laugh. "Humans are such fragile creatures, and love has always been my favorite weapon with which they use to break themselves."
'As all things live and die, all things love." Song Mei sat at the edge of the bed, taking one of the Empress' hands in her own. "While it is true we are fragile because of love, it also makes us strong and wise. It gives us the ability to learn from our mistakes, to help others learn from theirs, and to grow stronger together. That is what I wish for us, Lady Death. That is why I beg of you not to take her life!"
"Fool!" Mistress Ng spat out. "She does not love you! She does not know how! If she could not love me--the one who has done everything for her, and given everything to her--she cannot possibly love you!"
"You are wrong, Mistress Ng," Song Mei cried. "She does love. She loves you, just not the way you wish her to. That is not enough cause for her death." She looked lovingly at the still Empress and wiped the tears from her own eyes. "She loved me, but she is not wise in how to keep a loved one. She is spoiled, Lady Death, and foolish; but I know I could help her learn to be a better person. To love and be loved, and to cherish the person she loves."
"You ask much, Lady Song, but you have not moved me. I care not about love, only Death." Death raised her scythe, but once again Song Mei interrupted her.
"If I can move you to feel something other than death, will you spare her life?"
Mistress Ng nearly suffocated from her own laughter. "You wish to draw emotion from Lady Death herself?? Even with your power, you will surely lose this bet!!"
"How sure are you of this, Mistress Ng?" Death's voice had a hint of a sneer in it. "Would you like to wager something against Lady Song's talent?"
Mistress Ng stopped her laughing and thought for a moment. Then she stood and strode over to the bed. "I have but my life to wager, but it is such a sure bet I am willing to risk it."
"So it is, then." The spectre lowered her scythe and sat at the foot of the bed. "If Lady Song can extract even one tear from my eyes, I will spare the life of the Empress unto her, and take your soul instead. If I remain unmoved, the Empress is mine. Either way, I get a soul, so it is of no importance to me either way."
Song Mei looked in horror at Mistress Ng. "I do not wish to cause your death, Lady Ng! Please reconsider this!"
Mistress rebuffed Song Mei's plea with a scowl."Sing, witch! Sing with all your might, for you will not win! With the Empress gone, I will become the new ruler, and I will keep you as a pet--and constantly remind you of your utter failure to save a woman that did not even love you!"
Death, it seemed was enjoying this whole thing, and was in no great hurry to end it. She watched as Song Mei fought to restrain herself from striking Mistress Ng. "Do you need time to prepare, Lady Song? Or are you ready to begin?"
Song Mei took one long look at Mistress Ng, then turned to the dark spectre and gave an emphatic nod. She stood and walked back to the balcony, facing the room. Framed in the moonlight, it seemed as though she was on a stage, waiting for her cue to perform. "Lady Death, please close your eyes."
Death did as she was told, and was greeted with a low, sorrowful moan. It was barely audible, but Death recognized it right away--it was the sound of someone who had lost a loved one. She had heard that very same moan many times, and just as many times she reveled in it, for it meant she had caused great pain.
Soon the sound grew, in both volume and depth. It became a roar of sadness--as if all the people of the world had lost their soulmates at once. It was a horrible, blood-curdling sound; so much so that even Mistress Ng fought to shield her ears from it and hold her stomach at the same time.
Death enjoyed this new sound--she had not heard anything like it before. Sure, she had heard the cries of many dying on the battlefields of war, or through the sufferings of plague and disease, but not to this magnitude.
Song Mei moved from the balcony and closer to Death, changing the song as she approached. With each step, the sound grew less and less intense, until she was once again at a whisper. The tone of the song had also been altered; the moans of millions had been interweaved with cries; light lilts and wails moving in and out of the overall dirge.
Death also knew this sound; the sounds of those left to carry on; to fend for themselves. She had not thought much of those people: they were not her concern, until it was their time to be taken. She paid close attention to this part of the piece, to see where it would lead.
Song Mei noticed Death's sudden interest, and stopped singing for a moment. She then moved over to the Empress and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She then returned to Death's side and sang once more; this time, her song was more like a prayer. Her voice was soft, but it was also high-pitched and full of emotion, as if to make it fly to the heavens and carry a plea to the gods.
Death had heard songs like this one; where those left behind begged for the return of their loved ones, but she had always ignored those cries. She never had to worry about what those humans actually felt before, other than pain and death--it was her job after all, and nothing else seemed to matter.
Song Mei's plea had ended, and once again she sang with a sorrowful tune--apparently the gods had not heard her, and the ones left behind did not get their loved ones returned to them. Death smiled, because that is the way of death--once you are taken, there is no coming back.
"Why?"
It was the first word in the whole piece, and it stunned both Death and Mistress Ng.
"Why? When there is so much beauty in this world, why must there be such sadness? This is why she craves so much beauty, and why she wishes to surround herself with so many beautiful things. It is because there is so much death, so much sadness, so much hatred, so much fear. There is so much, that she cannot bear it. She has lost the most beautiful things she has ever had--above all, her parents--and now, she will lose the thing most beautiful, her life. Why?"
Death wanted to make a cold statement about things just being the way they are for a reason, but decided not to. She sat silently, and listened as Song Mei sang. Death was beginning to understand why the Empress was the way she was, and why Song Mei loved her so. She had never taken an interest in a particular human soul before, but she was beginning to care about this one. The Empress, thought Death, was not simply dying of overexertion or even a broken heart--she had lost the will to live, to share in the beauty of life. Normally, this would make Death all the more eager to take her soul, but something made her take pause.
Once again, Song Mei sang a plea, but this time directly to Lady Death herself. "I live in the world, Lady Death. I can show her how sadness and beauty co-exist; how they are necessary partners in life. She needs to know this, but she cannot if you take her from me."
Death listened as Song Mei's plea faded into a soft hum, and then to nothingness. She rose from her seat, and then turned to face away from the singer. "I am sorry, Lady Song. Often I do not take souls before their time has come. This time I must, as per our agreement."
Mistress Ng laughed without mercy. "What did I tell you, foolish girl!! You could not move Death! She does not care about us! Only that she collects her souls when they are due!" She tried hard to regain breathing, when she suddenly felt the cold, bony hand of Death grasp her shoulder.
"You are wrong, Lady Ng. I was moved by Lady Song. She did not sing for herself, or ask me to do her bidding--she wished for the life of a woman who needs to live. For a woman who must learn to live. While I have taken the lives of children, I do not relish it; I could not in good conscience and without just cause take a life that has not been lived." She closed her grip on Mistress Ng's shoulder. "And since you have staked yours, I do not need to take hers."
Mistress Ng tried to protest, but Death closed her grip, crushing the advisor's shoulder. Song Mei cried out, "Please stop, Lady Death! You cannot take her! I did not wish this!"
"Is it as it was bargained, Lady Song." Death pointed to the bed, where two teardrop-shaped rubies lay at the Empress' feet. "Those jewels are the hardened form of my tears. Give them to your Empress, to remind her how close she has come to my grasp, and to remind her of the debt she owes to you."
"But Lady Ng--"
"Belongs to me!", Death interrupted. "It is by her own will she put up her life, and by her own will she lost it. Look to see her no more, Lady Song. And look to see me, as I will undoubtedly see you in the future."
"It is as she says, singer," Mistress Ng's broken voice slurred. "Take care of my...your Empress." And with that, Death took Mistress Ng, and faded into the night.
When the room was still once again, Song Mei pulled a chair and sat beside the Empress. "You need not fear, Your Highness," she said softly into the other woman's ear. "Rest, for you will need your strength. There is much I have to tell you."
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The next morning, Song Mei awoke to find the Empress staring at her. "You have returned, Lady Song!"
"Since last night, Your Highness." Song Mei's reply was groggy, but as cheerful as she could make it. "I had heard of your condition, and came to your aid."
"I am most grateful, Lady Song. I also feel I should apologize to you. I had missed you, but it was my own fault that you went away. Can you forgive me?"
"I suppose I must," the singer joked. "Being that I will be your new advisor. We must start on the right foot, do we not?"
"My new advisor? What has become of Mistress Ng?" The Empress looked around and started to call for her former friend, but Song Mei held her hand.
"She is...no longer with us, Your Highness. I will tell you all about it shortly. For now, you must get dressed. Your court is anxious to see you."
The Empress slid to the side of the bed and tried to stand, but wearily fell back to the bed. "I may need your assistance, Lady Song. Will you stay here in the palace?"
"Only until you are well enough to be on your own," she answered. "Then I will return to my forest. Call for me, and I will come whenever you need me. Come to me, and I will welcome you and teach you all you need to know. I will not stay here--I must come and go as I please. Is that understood?"
The Empress thought for a moment, and nodded. "I understand. I cannot always rely on someone else. And I cannot keep you trapped here." She smiled and noticed the two rubies, still laying at the foot of the bed. "What beautiful jewels! Did you get these for me?'
"You could say that, Your Highness."
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In time, Song Mei had related to the Empress the story of how the rubies came to be. She also told her about Mistress Ng's plans, and how she paid dearly for them. In return, the Empress had promised to treat the singer as a person, and not as a possession; she had learned what Song Mei had told Death about her, and was both embarrassed and honored that someone knew her so well, and stood up for her.
The two women became very close, and when it was announced that Song Mei would be the Empress' official consort, a great ball was held. Zhen Mei--reinstated as Royal Cook--provided a lavish feast, and Fa Ling left the singing to Song Mei, while she herself danced.
The Empress learned more about her country's inhabitants than Mistress Ng have ever taught her, simply by going out and meeting them. It was Song Mei's idea; for she knew that the people loved their ruler, but they would also love a person who was not so high above them as to ignore them.
She also knew that the Empress needed to see that beauty is fleeting; that freedom is important, and that love can be found in even the saddest of times.
All this made Reina a better Empress; Song Mei's love made her a better person.
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