One truly troubled soul (open)

"Help us! Save us! Princess what's happening? Why do we feel like this? Where is the emperor? Why won't you do anything? Why won't you help us? Princess why are your eyes so sad? Why don't you tell us? WHY DON'T YOU DO ANYTHING?"

Ao huffed heavily, her body tense as perspiration collected on her small brow. Her hair a tangled mess as her legs thrashed about. Onto her side she moaned and whimpered, groaning out in a weary voice. "It's.. it's not my fault.."

"Help us! HELP US! Princess don't just stand there! PLEASE"

The cries continued, haunting and paralyzing. Ao was motionless, her body immobilized and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't move. More blood, people fighting, plague, famine, poverty. Her eyes simply stayed wide open as the images continued. She could hear their begging and yet she was unable to move. Yet her body shifted, twisting and turning as more sweat accumulated. Her muscles spasmed, her eyes clenched tighter as she attempted to cry out. I can't do this. I need help. Someone please.

"Who will help you when you cannot help your country?"

The voice seemed to circle her head in a taunting way. An apparition finding its way towards her as more fire erupted. Beneath his feet was blood and those around him screamed with pained looks yet no sound came. Ao cried out to him. Help me.. please.. I-I need help with this.. please will you help me? Her voice didn't seem to release however. Somehow the man heard her.

"Help you? You can't help yourself let alone your people. Even if I help you, you're nothing more than.. a doll." Ao gasped out, her body suddenly limp and yet she felt her body. With failed attempts, the apparition held a mirror to her; showing the image of what the princess was. A porcelain doll that sat with its head to the side. A scream came from her and yet at the same time nothing did.

"Help me.. help us.. help me.. do something... God forgive us..." The apparition's voice seemed to spew the continued words of torture to the girl as she covered her ears. "Princess... Princess Ao.. why couldn't you..." His eyes seemed to glow red as they pierced her very soul making her body stiff and frozen. The face looked up, the wrappings falling and revealing a familiar face. The face young and handsome, black hair feathered over his gentle face. His eyes glowing cyan. He seemed fine and for a moment he was smiling, however the smile was faded. Blood began falling and the face became distorted with cuts and bruises. "Ao why couldn't you help me?"

As the body crashed at her feet, a scream of bloody murder escaped Ao's throat. Her mind coming to, but her bed was wet from her blatant fear. Her feet thrashed off the covers as she couldn't sit up. Sonai's dying image running through her mind. Her throat constricted more as tears poured from her eyes like sad rivers, soaking the range of her pillow. Sobs and wails came from her small body. Her body curled in a ball and despite the drummings on the door she didn't budge.

"Sonai.. Sonai I'm sorry." She gasped between her cries; voice barely above a whisper. Her small hands clenched the pillow. Her body still experiencing tremors and though her voice ran ragged from the desperate sobs of his name and the apologies, she ran her throat even further. At a point her throat felt like sandpaper and then she couldn't even breathe and yet still she was sobbing. Most would have fallen asleep and yet, she couldn't. Her mind ached and she couldn't stop crying. Yet fear prevented her from dozing off once more.

"Princess Ao please come out of hiding!" "Princess we heard screams are you alright?" The concerned voices rose more with each moment of her silent sobbing. "Please let us come in. We are worried." Ao still stayed to herself even hours into the day. Why was life so awful and why was it.. that fate was so cruel to her? Why Sonai? Why did you leave me?

"who are you to demand an audience from the Empress especially at a time of Mourning!"[/color]

Yeon-hwa was confronted by a group of Xing Imperial Gaurds dressed in black. Obviously her well armed personel dressed Amestrain Military gear raised a few eye brows. Without heading to their words Yeon-hwa carried on to walk towards the Imperial Palace, to be precise the royal chambers.

[b]"Halt!
The gaurd thrusted his spear looking to skewer the 19 year old through her body. Yeon-hwa stepped a simple right and pulled the spear and man towards her. A heavy thud was followed by sounds of choking. On the floor the Guard was writing clutching his shocked jugular.

" you dare attempt to strike Royalty! I am the Yeon-hwa of the Shin Clan! 3rd Empress of Xing! Stand fown or I will have you all executed for High Treason and disgrace!"

This seemed to be a shock to the Gaurds. Despite having left her seat to another she was afterall lady from another class of Xingese society. Wary and and unsure what to do the Gaurds stepped back sheathing theirs swords and lowering the spears. Yeon-hwa whipped her away and tied it into a single pony, afterwards rolling it into a bun and holding it in place with a pin.

" Do I have to say please?" She meant business anyone who resisted next would be blessed by having their blood paint the royal courts. " lead the way!"

Within minutes Yeon-hwa had by passed past Concubines and many other royal families. Blocking out the hushed whispers of old rumours and stories. "they say she killed the Lord Sonai!" such nonsense it was, She had met the man only once at Fort Briggs.

"empress Ao?" Her knuckles rapped gently on the doors. " I do not know if you remember me, I am Yeon-hwa of the Shin clan, previous Empress. I am here to help"

Ao let out a spare sob before wiping her cheeks. She could here the shouts of her subjects and the thud of someone hitting the ground. For a moment she thought she would die. However she couldn't move. Her body was still shaking and her face still held the streaks of her sadness. Her body was cooled by now Her eyes still lacked their luster.

The silent knocking barely reached her ears and as much as she knew she didn't want to answer that door, she had to. Forcing herself up, she pulled a robe over her body as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. The small flakes of clear water-like saline falling to the crevices of her robe. Hesitantly her hand rose as she pulled aside the door.

"Help me? You can help?" Her eyes shone with her pain and yet she was still able to go on. She knew she had to. "The previous empress?" Her eyes were confused. Was she Sonai's mother then? She didn't get it. Shrugging off the confusion she tilted her head, her body showing little signs of her earlier freak-out. "Yeon... I'm sorry I-I can't recall. My mind is gone right about now." she said with a soft, somewhat awkward and forced laugh.

She blinked again. This woman wasn't dressed as a Xingese and yet... Ao straightened her head, realizing she was staring. This woman traveled here to see her, the least she could do was hear her out. "Thank you for coming." Standing quietly, she awaited the woman to talk.

Dynamic Entry! no no not you retainers and attendants, waa no get out!

Yeon-hwa wiggled her way through a small opening that Ao had made for her. At that precise moment some other people had tried to enter, shoving and pushing poor winter as they tried desperately to attend to their mourning Empress. So with her own shoving and much tickling, Yeon-hwa successfully repelled the dogmatic Retainers back behind the door where they died down with an old dragon's Roar.

Daruh! ching chong fwa shung suh! Western manners! not very good!
Was that Amestrian he tried there? o-o
Yeon-hwa slammed the closed door with her hands. The iron echo was followed by shouts of suprise and a dull sound of someone being knocked out again. oops...With that she rounded on Ao.

It's natural you don't remember me, I'm almost like an old wives tale for children in Xing. I hear they're using " ride a horse and you'll ride it through the desert like the 3rd Empress!" Typical... I never really liked the Xing double standard...

She looked at Ao, really looked at her. Though she herself had never seen Ao before, she was in no state that a young girl should be. Those close to her might have noticed the loss of weight and traces of Fatigue and sweating at night. Fatigue by the yellowish hue under the skin of pale white from anxiety. Dry lips and slouching shoulders would hint dehydration, possibly from sweaty nights. Confirmation would come from the unusual shining lower neck region where the sweat would pour out in rings.

This would be a stupid question but how are you?

Yeon-hwa walked across the ornate room that would have been hers. She smiled lightly, she regret nothing, her home back at Briggs was much more comforting. Pouring clear water out of a jug, she offered a cup of water to Ao.

[ooc: bad post =P]

Ao watched Yeon curiously, cautiously, while on of her hands rubbed at her eyes. She let out a small sniff before coughing. It was obvious she wasn't going to reject the woman's entrance. Her blue eyes blinked slowly as she spoke. That was a saying she'd never heard before. She wondered where the woman had come from. Then she simply pushed it away. The woman seemed nice enough, she was pretty and her voice was softer and more composed than Ao's ever could be, but then again, there was no surprise there. Essentially Ao was a wreck beyond compare. "How am I?" she asked in an almost daze. As if words barely meant anything anymore. Once they finally registered though, she spoke. "I suppose I have been better." she admitted, her eyes staring at the mess of her bed she had yet to clean.

[ughhh sorry crappy post it's a bad day ~.~; ]