The soldiers followed her and the day started to become night making it everything dark but Ling Chang knew the way better than the soldiers but still they were four against her alone. Suddenly an arrow flew thought the air and Ling Chang almost froze when she noticed it but she keep going and knew she had to find somewhere safe soon or the arrows would hit the horse or her somewhere worse than the leg like last time. Her eyes got sight on a forest and she knew that if she could reach it then they would not be able to use the arrows but just as she was about to turn against it, a laughter appeared behind her and only a quick movement made her avoid his grasp. The soldier was surprised by her movement but tried to grab out after her anyway, making her move quick again and this time she pulled the sword from the horse and without a nerve in her body she cut the throat. No scream were heard as it all had happened so fast and the blood disappeared just as quickly from the blade with the help of the rain and wind. Ling Chang turn around and the soldiers who followed her, did not seemed scared at all even they just had lost one and now there were only three left. An arrow flew thought the hair and Ling Chang turned around to avoid it, only to feel it playing her hair. She looked at forest again and this time no soldier was there to stop her from turning and she started to make way against the trees which had become darker and darker. Ling Chang looked behind to check if the soldiers was still following her and only two were left, giving her a short warning of what happened next. “Arhhh” she screamed as a man managed to grab her hair hard. “Let me go” she yelled next while trying to get free and still control the horse as the got closer to the forest. Ling Chang made the sword sing against the man but he was to of reach and the two remaining men started to slow down as they felt they had the upper hand now. Ling Chang got an idea and in the next she managed to cut of her hair with the sword, leaving the surprised solider with her black hair in his hands. Before he could try again, she turned around and this time there was nothing stopping her from attacking him and as he eyes closed she pulled out the sword from his belly again. She turned around to continue her travel but in the next a branch hit her and the horse hard. She tried to open her eyes but the pain had entered her body, making it impossible. She tried to move without but the muddy ground made seems like a river bed. A ice cold feeling ran down her back as she heard the remaining two soldiers laughing and appear fast on their horses. Splash it sad as the men stood off their horse and they walked over to Ling Chang who still tried to get up. “You won’t need this” a soldier said and she heard a sword that could only be her family sword get thrown though the air and before she could scream a soldier pulled her clothes in pieces. “Let… Me… Go…” she tried to say fearless but her body were shacking in the cold weather. “a beautiful medallion, you have… I better take that” a solider replied not caring about what she had tried to say. Suddenly a lots of birds started making sounds and the soldier who had been pulled her clothes in pieces had dropped her back into the mud. “Who is there?” The soliders yelled in mouth of each other, trying not to seem scared by the birds. No answer was heard and so Ling Chang tried to open her eyes again and this time she managed to get eyes on her attackers and her sword not far from them. “Let… me go” she tried with more force in her words this time and then she jumped up from the ground which surprised the soldiers but before she could attack she fell to the ground like the rain. “So it was you who made the little trick with the birds” a soldiers said laughing while he retuned to Ling Chang. Ling Chang almost no energy left and closed the eyes again, thinking about how she had failed her town and family by dying already after her mother’s great attempt of saving her. A small smile appeared at her cold face, at least she were going to meet them soon. Suddenly a splash not far from her was heard and a dry old voice yelled “Who owns this medallion” The soldiers turned again the noise and yelled “None of your business old man:” but the voice repeated “Who owns this medallion” and Ling Chang knew she had to use her last energy. “Mi… Mine” She managed to say from the muddy ground. She could feel the soliders release her from their gasps and by the sound of the muddy ground walked away from her and the horse. “We said, it was none of your business, old foul” The old man looked at Ling Chang who did her best to open her eyes to see the man. “Let me ask a last time, who owns this medallion” he said while looking directly at Ling Chang. Ling Chang feel a tiny bit of energy jump thought her body and she raised her body from the muddy ground and yelled with the last of her voice “It is my family medallion, the dragon who protects every one in need and it has been in my family for ages” before returning to the muddy ground with a big splash and she felt everything around her lose its meaning while turning noiseless and dark before the rain stopped giving her any feeling.

But it was too late, the soldiers had found horses themselves and started following her thought the town now filled of death and smoke everywhere. “I have to get out” Ling Chang said to herself while moving the horse faster and faster until she reached the gate of the town. Enemy soldiers had blocked and started pointing at her as she got closer. “Get her” she heard some men yell but even with a bad leg, she could still handle the family horse and she speeded up and made the horse jump past the blockage and as the gate closed behind her, she were out in the open. She wanted to relax for a bit when her eye caught a girl at around her age on a horse too but before she got a closer look the woman yelled “Get her and bring her here now” and four soldiers started following her again. She quickly looked at the sun which was about to set to get a direction to go and then she made the horse go faster than before.

The soldiers was now more noisy than every before and Ling Chang knew it was time to leave. She could see her mother’s eyes filling with tears and the dry stable made it impossible for it to be rain. “Go now my lotus” she said and spanked the horse so it got wild and ran out of the stables. Ling Chang did not have a chance to saying anything and could only hold on and when she finally got control of the horse, she were already outside the house gate. “Mom” She yelled but the servants had already closed the gate. The rain started to rain even faster and she tried to get call again but her voice died when she noticed the soldiers closing in on her. “I never forget you or father” she said and made the horse going.

The bandages was more hard this time, that by the servant before but Ling Chang did not want to show the pain to her mother as they got tied. A servant appear but before he could say anything Lan Chang held a hand up and then she stood up before bending down and took up Ling Chang. “The horse is ready” The servant said as Ling Chang against her mother tried walking on her bad leg but the pain felt like hammers. They took it slow and as they reach the stables to get a bit cover from the rain Lan Chang looked at the servants “Leave us and prepare the gate” and the servants who had been preparing the horse ran out without a single word or look of fear. The sound of rain and the horse breathing was all that could be heard in the stables before Lan Chang took Ling Chang and put her on the horse. Lan Chang was the first to say something “I do not know if your father lives or not but you are the only one who can save more people from dying” Ling Chang could feel more tears come and wanted to say something but her mother put a finger on her mouth and continued “I am sorry that you have to do this alone but the horse cannot carry us both all the way to your emperor’s palace” She took a medallion off and hang it around the neck of Ling Chang. “Show this to everyone who stands in your way on the way to the palace” Ling Chang held up the medallion, it was the family dragon which had been the symbol of the family in ages.

Ling Chang wanted to reply but the servants around her started going crazy. Lan Chang walked over and picked up the family sword and gave it to a servant. “Prepared the best horse” she said without looking away from the sword and as the servant disappeared from her side, she bend down to Ling Chang who was still on the ground with the blood red bandages around her leg. “Are you alright my lotus?” She replied while remove the bandages and a servant came with some new. Lan Chang did not know what to said but the tears started to run as she knew that her mother would not join her on the ride to the palace. “I… I… don’t… want to leave you” She managed to say while the tears ran faster and Lan Chang stopped her changing of bandages and took Ling Chang and held her close which for a moment made all the sounds disappear. The first sound that returned “I know… I know… my lotus” and then the rain came too. Lan Chang stopped her hugging and returned to the bandages. Ling Chang could see tears in her mothers eyes but was not sure if it were rain or real tears. The soldiers outside made more and more noise while a few screams also were heard.

Ling Chang stopped screaming and looked at her mother confused “Yes, that was what I said” Her mother stood for a second and asked “Was he death in it?” Ling Chang could feel a pain grow inside her so she almost forgot her injury and her screaming stopped for good but she could feel her tears getting bigger and as she looked at her mother, she knew that her father was death. “Yes, he was” her voice almost died in the rain. Lan Chang looked at Ling Chang and her mouth opened but a heavy hammering on the gate stopped her sentence and instead she yelled “We are not giving up” and she heard the soldiers outside yell course words back. Ling Chang joined and yelled “My father is the general and he will come and beat you all” New sounds came from the outside and the hammering continued. Lan Chang looked at Ling Chang with seriously eyes and then spoke with a soft voice “We have to save you and warn the emperor” Ling Chang wanted to reply but the servants around her started going crazy.

Ling Chang looked back and watched two soldiers coming closer and that the servant laid death on the muddy red ground. She turned back to the door and started hammering while screaming “Let me in” and in the next a servant opened the gate and pulled her inside the yard without knowing about her injury. Ling Chang screamed loud of pain and the servant almost drop her in fear when he noticed the blood. “Was… that me? My lady” he managed to say in the rain while a now awaken and confused Lan Chang appeared behind him. “No…” Ling Chang managed to say still screaming a bit of pain before her mother could react. Her mother looked at her, the injury and at the sword which Ling Chang had managed to transport back home too. “What happened my lotus?” the still confused Lan Chang managed to say. “An arrow hit me and the servant you sent to pick me up, took it out which made me dream about father” the word father made Lan Chang wake up from her confusion and she looked at her with big eyes. “Did you dream about him too”