The people parted like water, broken by two long lines of marching soldiers. They were all dressed in armor specially worn by the capital's gaurds, and each holding a sword. There were twenty in each line and at the head were three men riding horses, and wearing capes of three different colours; red, blue, and black.
From their vantage point higher up, the Lu siblings watched as the soldiers dominated the street and caused fear among the people. The three generals, as they assumed them to be, wore arrogant expressions as they glanced down at the lowly commoners.
Meiwan wondered why they had come to this quiet street, so she called the waiter over. The young man bowed and smiled before glancing over the edge, his eyes catching the scene. His face dropped and he frowned.
"Waiter, can you tell me who those generalls down there are?" She asked while her brother sat at the table.
The waiter's expression turned to disgust, but fear was the underlying emotion he felt. "Miss must not be from here." He stated.
"No, I'm new. I've just come from Jiangzhou."
He nodded. "That's understandable." He stepped over to the railing and Meiwan joined him, they looked closer at the three. He pointed to each one as he spoke. "The one wearing the black cape in the front is, Death's Judge."
Meiwan felt taken back at such a strange title. Her face showed her thoughts and the waiter sighed. "A name earned through brutality and force. His given name is Wei Heping." He spoke as if that name said it all.
Wei Heping? Fourth Prince? Meiwan remembered her cousin telling her all about the royal family. One character that had really caught her attention had been the fourth prince. A young man, just twenty, and already one of the most feared and frightening people of their An country. Though it was mainly a negative reputation, she still felt it spoke volumes of his talent and drive.
"The other two are his top hands, Sui Kang in the red and Bai Pei in the blue. Both nearly as reputable as their master." Meiwas was sure the waiter was about to spit.
Looking down at them, they almost looked like children. Meiwan hadn't expected him to look so young, his face was white, and his hair was sleek and black while tied up in topknot and falling down his back. His armor was lighter than most and black to match his cape, and he had a sword tied to his horse's side. However, despite his youthful appearance, a dark aura seemed to surround him.
"How did the fourth prince get his reputation for being so vicious?" It was hard to put the person and the description together.
"For killing of course." The waiter pointed at the prince. "He's killed more people than a first class executioner. Rumor has it he drank his enemies blood after defeating them, when he went to war a few years ago. Then when he came back, he hadn't had enough so he began torturing prisoners to satisfy his thirst for blood."
His words made her shiver.
""A'wan?" Zhanyi's voice was somewhat shaky. She'd forgotten her brother was sitting behind them listening, and she felt horrible for what he'd just heard.
"It's just a legend, don't think about it." She went to his side and squeezed his shoulder.
"But how do you know?" He whispered. "I've heard the rumors too. That prince must be evil!"
"Of course he is!" The waiter exclaimed, but became silent when Meiwan glared at him.
A moment later and the dishes were brought to the table. Zhanyi was fine all of a sudden and he brought a Lion's Head Meatball to his bowl and began biting into it. Meiwan took the distraction to ask more about the scene on the street, and went back to the waiter's side at the rail.
"Then what is happening down there right now?"
By now, Sui Kank and Bai Pei had dismounted and stood with swords by their sides at the entrance of the building across the street. It seemed to be a wine shop, one of good quality. The soldiers had broken from the line and stood gaurd outside the doors, waiting for their orders while four others barged into the shop.
"I'm not sure. But this happens all the time throughout the whole capital city. The second prince drags people from their shops, homes, or off the streets and throws them in his dungeons. No one ever sees them again."
It was as he said, moments later and a few soldiers who'd entered earlier, exited now with two men at swordpoint. They were brought to stand before the fourth prince, where he seemed to be questioning them, but they were too far away for her to hear what they were saying. She watched as the two men shook their heads vigorously, they spoke quickly, their eyes wide. The prince's gaze was fierce and unmoving. His finger twitched, and a blade pierced through the back of one of the men. He fell to the ground dead.
Meiwan gasped and stepped back from the rail, her own eyes wide at what she'd just witnessed. A man, murdered in cold blood, right there on the street! Was there no justice?
"Poor Mr. Ning." The servant muttered.
Turning away from the sight, she focused on the young man. "Mr. Ning? Was that the man killed just now?"
"Yes miss, Mr. Ning owns the shop across the street, he sells wine. Most of the wine in this restaurant was bought from him."
Unable to keep watching, she thanked the waiter for his time and dismissed him. She retook her seat across from her brother, who'd continued trying the different dishes. Her heart though, was having a harder time slowing to a normal pace.
"Sister, this meatball is delicious! Also the crab is tasty too, and the lotus seed soup!" His brown eyes dashed from dish to dish, before settling on one he hadn't touched yet.
"Hmm, let me try." She smiled against the discomfort that had settled in her mind.
"A'zhe was telling me about archery and horse riding fields outside the city, I'd like to go. Can we?"
Meiwan thought a moment, "I guess we can go, since we'll have time later this afternoon."
She took a bite of a fresh slice of cucumber, enjoying the crispy crunch. Letting her eyes roam the room, and watch all of the other customers eat on the open air floor, her mind relaxed. There were several couples dining together, a few tables occupied by just one person, and a large group in the center, having joined three tables together. Many waiters hurried around, serving the customers as well, making the enviroment lively. It was as if the matter across the street had never happened, and she didn't want to know what followed.
Until her eyes caught a motion hurrying up the stairs, the second man who'd been arrested along with Mr. Ning. His eyes were frantic and he searched for a hiding place. The shouts of soldiers racing after him began drawing attention towards the stairs and he dashed off into the crowded second level.
Meiwan realized that the man must have escaped the hold of the soldiers and made for a safe place, this restaurant! Something in her told her the right thing to do would be to hide him, to keep him safe from the killer's blade. Without even understanding what she was doing, the girl rose from her seat, leaving a wide-eyed brother, and approaced the man. He's found a post to stand behind, keeping watch over whoever made it up the stairs.
"Sir, may I help you?"
At first he looked ready to strike her down as if she was one of the ones after him, but upon seeing her small and frail appearance, nodded gratefully. "How?" He asked quickly.
She had noticed a smaller staircase in the farthest part of the second floor, commonly used by the waiters. It wasn't easy to see and had curtains draped next to it, so that it could be hidden within a moment's notice. Meiwan grabbed his sleeve.
"Follow me!" She whispered.
"Sister?!" Zhanyi called to her as he began to rise from his seat and join her. But she motioned for him to wait.
Meiwan led him to the staircase and pointed down it's steps, and the heavy boots of the soldiers had almost reached the second floor. She pushed him and he immediately descended, dissapearing into the darkness. The girl, with racing heart, pulled the curtain over the opening just as the first soldiers spilled out into the open area.
"Search!"
Steadying herself, she began walking back towards her brother, hoping to take her seat and pretend nothing had happened. Keeping her head low, and her footsteps quiet, she made directly for her table... until she bumped directly into the body of tall man.
She gasped and stepped back, before looking up into the cold gaze of prince Heping, Death's Judge.