IMMORTAL WAR: Lost Chapter – The Warrior in Winter

“Who are you?” Moonshine asked a second time of the young man standing before him, twin katanas drawn.

 

“My name,” said the stranger, a half-smile flickering on his face, “is Nianzu Yin.”

 

“Yin?” Moonshine repeated.

 

“Yes,” the stranger nodded, emphatically. He lifted one of the katanas but it was clear from his stance that he was not attacking Moonshine but merely pointing towards Bo Yin. “I’m little Bo’s cousin. I’ve been drafted in to help my uncle with production of his swords.” Nianzu shook his head. “Don’t you remember me, Bo?”

 

Bo Yin stepped out from behind Moonshine and approached Nianzu Yin.

 

“Careful,” Moonshine cautioned her. “This could be a trick.”

 

“It’s no trick,” Nianzu said, with a laugh. He turned his attention to Bo. “Don’t you remember the winter you and your father came to visit us in the mountains? I taught you to ice-skate on the frozen lake. You borrowed my sister Rinko’s skates – the ones with the red laces. Don’t you remember any of this?”

 

Bo Yin glanced at Moonshine, nodding in confirmation, then back to Nianzu. She could picture the lake and the electric blue sky and feel the bone-tingling cold. Nianzu’s eyes were the same shade of blue and there was a certain coldness there too. “I do remember.” She cocked her head. “You say you are here to help my father?”

 

In answer, Nianzu held out the twin katanas once more. “I made these under his oh-so watchful eye. To my great joy, he has proclaimed them ‘adequate’.” Nianzu chuckled and explained. “They are for your captain, Cheng Li.” His eyes moved across to Moonshine. “We also have your order ready for collection, Captain Wrathe.”

 

“So you knew who we were all along?” Moonshine said.

 

Nianzu shrugged, clearly amused by his little joke.

 

“I want to see my father,” Bo Yin declared.

 

“He’s having his afternoon nap,” Nianzu replied, “but he gave me strict orders to wake him as soon as you arrived.” He turned and walked towards the workshop, which led to Master Yin’s bedroom.

 

“Wait!” cried Bo Yin, successfully stopping him in his tracks. “My father doesn’t take afternoon naps.”

 

Nianzu turned back towards her, the look on his face altogether softer than before. When he spoke, he was tone was gentler. “I’m afraid to say your father takes rather a lot of naps these days.” He nodded. “I think he is feeling his age. And doubtless this war has placed new pressures upon him. That’s why he called for me.”

 

Bo Yin frowned. This was a lot of information to take in. She felt as if both her mind and heart were under attack. “I don’t understand,” she said. “If he needed help, why did he call for you and not me?”

 

“Ah well,” Nianzu said, bowing before her. “You are an important pirate now, Mistress Yin. Your father did not wish to concern you or distract you from your duties.”

 

“Concern me?” Bo Yin was incredulous. Her eyes roved around the small kitchen. It felt at once achingly familiar yet suddenly foreign. Pots and utensils which has been in the same place all her life were either missing or had been moved. She felt caught adrift between two lives. “I’m his daughter. I’m supposed to be concerned. If my father needed help, I’m the one he should have called.”

 

“With respect,” Nianzu said, not unkindly, “you were far away, fighting battles and winning plaudits from the mighty Pirate Federation. I was in the neighbouring province, with time on my hands, getting up to all kinds of mischief. When Master Yin contacted my mother to ask for help, I was only too happy to answer his call.”

 

Bo Yin frowned once more. “These naps. You say he takes a lot of them these days?” Her eyes darted to Moonshine who was watching her, with evident concern. “It isn’t so long since I last saw him. How can things have changed so quickly?”

“I’ve been here three months now,” Nianzu said. “And this is the first I’ve seen of you. For someone of your father’s age, three months is a long time…”

 

“Someone of my father’s age? You talk like he’s an old man!” Bo protested.

 

“If I talk that way,” Nianzu said, carefully, “it’s because he is old. In truth, I think he has been tired for a while but he’s made strenuous efforts for you not to notice. Why he’d probably run me through with one of the katanas if he overheard me saying this to you now.”

 

“Looks like we’re about to find out!” Moonshine said, brightly, as Master Yin appeared at the threshold of his workshop, hair askew, dressed in a black kimono.

 

“What’s all this…” Master Yin began. Seeing his daughter, his jaw fell open and he stared at Bo Yin, arms open and eyes wide with joy and wonder. “You’ve come back!”

 

Bo Yin ran into her father’s embrace. As his arms clamped around her, Master Yin glared at Nianzu. “You were supposed to come and fetch me the minute she arrived.”

 

“That minute has barely passed,” Nianzu said, patiently. “I was on my way to your chamber.”

 

“A likely tale!” Master Yin grumbled, then found himself distracted by Bo Yin.

“You feel different to me, daughter. You are all grown up. I can feel your muscles. The plump little puppy is gone!” He seemed rather saddened by this.

 

Bo Yin stared into her father’s eyes. “It’s good to see you again,” she said, though the voices in her head were saying a thousand different things to her. He looked so tired and frail. Even more than she had expected, after Ninanzu’s warning. Pushing aside the internal chatter, Bo Yin put on a brave face and turned towards her travelling companion. “Father, I would very much like you to meet a good friend of mine, Captain Moonshine Wrathe.”

 

Master Yin brushed Bo to one side and stepped over to Moonshin to give him a considered examination. “You’re very tall,” he said. “We Yins are not blessed with height.”

 

Staring back at Master Yin, framed on his left by his daughter and on his right by his nephew, Moonshine could not disagree with the swordsmith’s assertion. “What you lack in height, you make up for in reputation,” he said, offering his hand.

 

Master Yin continued to stare at Moonshine as he pondered his words. Glancing up, he squinted as if he was staring up at the peak of a mountain. “And you,” he said, “what you lack in reputation, you make up for in height.”

 

“Father!” Bo Yin exclaimed, horrified by his rudeness.

 

But Moonshine only laughed. “You’ve hit the nail on the head there, Master Yin. A tabula rasa, that’s me. I’m just at the beginning of my career as a pirate.”

 

“And I,” Master Yin replied, “appear to be approaching the end of my years as a swordsmith.”

 

“No father!” Bo Yin protested. “You have many years ahead…”

 

Master Yin shook his head. “I’m afraid that maths was never your strong point, daughter.”

 

“You look a little tired, father,” Bo Yin said, glancing at the kitchen clock. “It’s almost time for supper. Why don’t you go and get dressed and I’ll prepare some food? Just like the old days.”

 

Master Yin looked uncertain. It was Nianzu who spoke. “I’m going to prepare the meal for us all. I’m rather proficient at sushi as it happens. It fits well with my job as a swordsmith, don’t you think? I’ll just return these katanas to the workshop and then I’ll get busy with the salmon.”

 

As he disappeared, Bo Yin reached out to her father once more, shocked at how frail he seemed. “Father, if you needed help around here, you should have called for me.”

 

“I called for Nianzu,” Master Yin said. “And he came.”

 

“I’d have come too,” Bo Yin said. “All you had to do was call.”

 

Master Yin’s eyes narrowed. “You think I should have summoned you back across the ocean, called you back from pursuing your cherished dreams?” He shook his head. “What kind of a father would that have made me?”

 

It was Bo Yin’s turn to shake her head. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go and find some fresh clothes for you, and run a comb through your hair.” She looped her arm tenderly through his and held him close. Turning to Moonshine, she added. “You don’t mind waiting here, for us, do you?”

 

Moonshine shook his head. “Take all the time you need,” he said.

 

“Time,” Master Yin mused, his hand reaching out to brush Moonshine’s arm as they passed. “The funny thing about time is there’s never as much of it as you imagine.” His eyes twinkled for a moment. Then he and Bo disappeared into the shadows of his world-famous workshop.

 

* * *

 

As he sipped the last of his bowl of green tea, Moonshine’s eyes darted towards the clock once more.

 

“I hate to say this,” he said, “but we should be making tracks.”

 

“So soon?” The pain was all too evident in Bo Yin’s face.

 

Moonshine nodded. “I wish we had more time but the escorts are due to rendez-vous with us shortly and we should begin the journey back.”

 

“Wouldn’t it be safer to return by daylight?” Nianzu suggested. “Less chance of attack by the Vampirates, I’d imagine.”

 

“My nephew makes a good point,” Master Yin said to Moonshine. “In speech, at least. If only he could achieve such a good tip on his swords, my business would be assured of a future.”

 

Nianzu smiled and shook his head. “I never tire of this non-stop praise!”

 

Ignoring him, Master Yin addressed Moonshine once more. “It would make sense, don’t you think, for you and Bo stay here tonight and begin the return journey by the light of dawn?”

 

Moonshine was about to argue that there was no danger, given the number of guards that were travelling with them. But, before he spoke, he saw Bo send him a pleading look across the table.

 

“We have an arrangement with Commodore Li,” Moonshine said, but it was clear that his head and his heart were already tugging him in different directions.

 

“You’re a captain now yourself,” Master Yin said. “You’re entitled to change your plans.”

 

“Well, yes,” Moonshine began. “But there’s the escorts to think of. We’ll need to find them somewhere to stay tonight.”

 

“They’re welcome to bunk here too,” Master Yin said.

 

Bo Yin shot Moonshine another pleasing look. He was powerless to resist.

 

“All right then.” Moonshine said, watching Bo break into a wide smile. He glanced back to Master Yin. “Thank you for your hospitality, Sir. If you’ll excuse me, I’d better go and talk to the escorts.”

 

Master Yin nodded and Moonshine rose from the table and headed for the door.

 

“Watch your head on the…” began Master Yin.

 

“Door!” chorused Bo Yin and Nianzu as Moonshine’s head bashed the top of the door jamb. The young captain staggered back, then turned, somewhat dazed, towards the smiling faces of the Yin family.

 

Master Yin seemed particularly amused by the incident. “So you see, height is not always a blessing!” he said.

 

“No indeed!” Moonshine rubbed his head and ducked as he made a second attempt to step out into the night.

 

Master Yin shook his head. “Another buffoon! Once the ocean was a place for heroes. Now….” He left the thought hanging in the air.

 

Nianzu began clearing the tea-bowls. “Well, I rather like him. And it’s clear he likes you, little Bo. And you like him!” With his free hand, he ruffled Bo’s hair.

 

Bo Yin shook herself free and reached out her hand to her father. “Do you like him?” she asked.

 

“What?” He stared at her as though he was a long way away.

 

“What do you think of Captain Wrathe, father?” Bo Yin asked.

 

“Ah!” Master Yin brought together his hands and considered the question carefully. “Captain Wrathe is like one of Nianzu’s swords,” he said, with the merest trace of a smile. “Adequate, but with considerable room for improvement.”

 

* * *

 

Much later, Moonshine walked back along the coast towards the little stilt home of Master Yin. After accommodation had been sorted for the Federation Escorts and Nianzu had headed off to his room (on the pretext of reading a sword-making manual), Moonshine had sat with Master Yin and Bo for a while, over more bowls of hot tea, enjoying the warmth of their relationship. But he knew that this time was precious; it might be a good while before father and daughter would see one another again and they deserved time on their own. And so, declaring a need for fresh air but shunning all offers of company, he set off along the peninsula.

 

Now, as he climbed back up the steps to the stilt house, he saw a shape sitting, waiting for him on the wooden walkway, legs hanging down through the gap. It was Bo Yin. Smiling, Moonshine sat down beside her.

 

“Nice walk?” Bo Yin inquired.

 

“Yes,” he nodded. “It’s so peaceful round here, isn’t it? I think I might get up early and go for a run before we ship out.”

 

Bo Yin looked sad once more. He knew this was hard for her but he couldn’t pretend that they weren’t going to leave here tomorrow. That wouldn’t help matters any.

 

“Has Master Yin gone to bed?” he asked.

 

She nodded. “Yes, one minute he was incredibly animated, then it was like the light went out.” She paused then said, quietly. “Thank you.”

 

“What are you thanking me for?”

 

“For agreeing to stay tonight. For giving me this bit of time with my father.”

 

Moonshine shrugged. “No biggie. It’s good to escape, if only for a night.”

 

Bo Yin bit her lip. “I think you might be going back to the Tiger without me,” she said.

 

Moonshine turned his face towards hers. “Are you sure that’s what you want? After all the years you dreamed of being a pirate, you’re going to give that up now?”

 

“I don’t have any choice,” Bo Yin said. “My father is old. I never saw it before, but now I do. He needs me here.”

 

“He has Nianzu,” Moonshine said, gently.

 

“Nianzu isn’t me,” Bo Yin said.

 

“No,” Moonshine agreed. “And you’re impossible to replace. But your cousin seems dependable and kind. He’s clearly doing a good job of looking after your father and helping to run the workshop.”

 

“For now,” Bo Yin said. “But what if…”

 

“Let me stop you right there,” Moonshine said. “Questions which start ‘what if’ are rarely worth considering. You said it yourself, Bo. Things are okay for now. So come back with me and continue with the work you are doing. You must know how proud you’re making Master Yin.”

 

“You really think so?” The moonlight fell upon her anxious features.

 

“Yes,” Moonshine said, drawing her close to him and rubbing her shoulders soothingly. “I watched him watching you and I swear I thought he’s burst with pride.”

 

“Really?”

 

He nodded and she smiled back at him, laying her weary head on his shoulder.

 

They sat in companionable silence for a while, then Moonshine spoke once more. “I think you’re great, you know,” he said. “And your father is completely awesome too.”

 

Bo Yin lifted her head again. “I wish you’d seen him when he was younger, stronger…”

 

But Moonshine shook his head. “No,” he said. “Now is the perfect time. He has such wisdom, such dignity and strength. I keep thinking of this poem my dad taught me years ago.”

 

“What poem?” Bo Yin asked.

 

“Just a little haiku,” Moonshine said, clearing his throat before continuing.

“Wind, rain and snow stalk

the Warrior in Winter.

Smiling, he walks on.”

 

Moonshine nodded. “That’s Master Yin. The warrior in winter.”

 

“I like that,” Bo Yin said. “I like that very much. And now, I’m a little tired myself. Shall we go inside and find our beds?”

 

Moonshine nodded, following Bo Yin inside. Before he shut the door behind them, he lingered on the threshold, taking in the view of the night sky, filled with stars, which were reflected in the still waters of the harbour. He wanted to remember this scene in every detail. This was a special place. He felt privileged to be here, if only for a night.

 

As he finally shut the door, he thought of something Master Yin had said earlier. The funny thing about time is there’s never as much of it as you imagine.

 

Yawning, Moonshine followed Bo Yin through the darkened kitchen and into the Yins’ living quarters. Here, in a spare room, his Federation escorts were already deep in slumber and a spare futon lay waiting for him. It had been a long and eventful day and he was more than ready for a few hours of shut-eye.

 

“Goodnight, Captain Wrathe,” Bo Yin whispered.

 

“Good night,” he whispered back. He suddenly had it in his mind to take her in his arms and kiss her but, before he could act on the impulse, she had slipped away. Shaking his head at the missed opportunity, Moonshine began to strip down to his underclothes, careful not to wake his dorm mates. From the chorus of their snores, it seemed he was successful. He lay down on the bed and drew the covers over him. Within minutes, he found himself drifting into deep, restful sleep.