The next morning, the sun rose as usual not knowing if everybody wants it or not. We packed our weapons and left with Chen.
There were small roads filled with grasses. Besides the grasses there were mountains far away, villagers resided close to them.
There was a peaceful terrain on the other side. Water flowing calmly helped me recover from the palace's tensions.
Chen didn't exactly say where we were going yet. So I assumed villages to repay like the last time.
I went ahead riding a horse. "I was thinking of meeting some friends. What do you say?"
"Will you listen to what I say?" She said looking at me, her gaze sharp and calculating as always.
"Yes, of course." I said with small smile.
"We meet them after finishing our works."
"Oh, yeah."
"Works are important over friends tangled with emotions. Right?" She said tilting her head a bit.
"Never gave that a thought." I said looking up.
"You should...sometimes." She muttered going ahead.
Dannyal rode up to me after Chen got ahead,"Don't you think she is a bit mysterious or...scary?" "We need her."
"Other than that?" He said gesturing his hand.
"Nope, I think comforting." I said going ahead to catch up with Chen.
Dannyal didn't say anything but his confusion could be felt not just seen.
After a while, we passed by a village. I saw a farmer getting attacked by some rebels. Dannyal ran to help him without thinking twice.
Chen flinched at his fast reaction. He ran to them and gave rebels some coins to drive them away.
I walked to Dannyal. Chen moved seeing me go. She followed. I asked Dannyal from the behind of his shoulder,"You could have beat those rebels." He laughed a bit and helped the old farmer get up.
"Those rebels are fighting for survival anyway." He said looking at the clouds. Chen said standing beside me,"Are you guys planning to help everyone survive?"
I said with a joking huff,"That would take a long time."
Dannyal smiled at Chen,"I guess I will try to help as much as people I can."
Chen said with a silent defeated scoff,"Let's not delay anymore." Then started walking forward.
While I and Dannyal were walking behind her, Dannyal said looking at the ground,"You hesitated before helping." Then walked ahead and rode on the horse.
I stood there and looked at my palm but they didn't have the answers.
I asked Chen with a bit of impatience,"Where are we going exactly?"
"You don't need to know that yet."
"Why? Don't you believe me?" I asked with a tilted face.
"I just want your mind to remain at peace. Believe in me."
Then she rode ahead. Her hair flying with the wind. I stared at her from behind.
I got the feeling for the first time...maybe I don't have to know everything. It's...easy when you can rely...on her.
After a while, we reached a rebel group. They were waiting for us. They asked Chen,"How much?"
She said with a smirk,"Enough for you to sleep with full stomach the rest of the life." Their eyes widened with happiness as they cheered for her.
Then the rebels took us to their tents, browinsh orange colored. The smell of oil lingered. Maps of the palace etched out on the table.
Ways carved in it. Weapons were scattered all around. They showed us all the ways there could be.
Among them, Chen chose one,"We might lose fifteen here,"she said tapping on the map,"but otherwise it would be thirty."
"So we will take the Eastern gates?" I asked. She nodded. Dannyal stepped forward,"Fifteen people? We can't let them die like that."
"Otherwise we lost thirty." She said calmly.
"These are people not toys." Dannyal said, his voice was...not calm.
"They are rebels, they came here to die anyway." She said tapping on the table, gesturing the rebels to notice at the route.
"But they put their trust on us." Dannyal exclaimed. The rebels looked up at him. The way people do when someone finally looks at them as humans and not slaves.
"Are you winning wars with trust or tactics? I heard about your winnings in the Mughal Empire." She finally looked at him with a tilted head and questioning look,"Did you win with trust? "
Dannyal looked at the ground,"We take the Eastern gates."
"It takes you long to understand." She huffed.
The planning took up to nightfall. After everyone went out, including Dannyal; I and Chen were folding the maps " Dannyal feels a lot, doesn't he?" Chen asked handing me a map and leaning on the table.
"Hmm." I said with a small smile, treating this as a joke.
"What about you?" She asked with a tilted head.
"Does it matter?" I asked tilting my head jokingly as her.
"At least to me...it does." She said holding her gaze towards me. I was a bit flustered, didn't say anything.
"You observe, everything. How my hand moves, how I talk. Don't you?" She said tracing her hands around mine. Didn't touch just moved around it.
My eyes couldn't stop following the places she moved her hand. It was just a habit.
"You see?" She said tilting more to meet the way my eyes were looking."It's actually a really good quality. But..." She suddenly stopped.
My heart skipped a bit to know what she will say,"But what?" I said a bit too fast. She gave a chuckle,"Don't use it for lame reasons like counting emotions."
My eyes widened, just a bit, then I looked away to the maps,"Counting emotions?"
"Yes–"
Before she could finish her sentence, a rebel came with a child, bound with shackles. The child was almost crying.
The rebel said,"He was hearing our plans." The child resisted,"They told me. I don't even know what this plan is about."
"Who told you?" Chen said bending to his eye level.
"Those empire people." He said, terrified.
Chen placed her hands over his small shoulders,"I believe you. What's your name?" "Liang."
"Liang, why did you do it?" She said with a voice colder than the night.
"They said, my mom would get grains."
"Petty reasons." She said in front of the child.
"Liang will be executed tomorrow dawn." Liang started screaming and crying.
Dannyal stepped forward,"What madness is this!"
"Madness or rationality?"
"He's a child." Dannyal said pointing at Liang,"You can't choose this alone!" His breath hitching.
"Of course I can, that is what leadership is called." She circled around Liang, increasing his fear,"This child could have caused the death of all of us."
"We can send him away. Hide him." Dannyal said.
"And when the empire comes searching?" She replied,"You understand me, don't you?" She looked at me.
All the eyes turned towards me. Dannyal's with hope, Chen's with expectations.
"Killing him won't do us any good." I said,"I say we send him back with misinformation. "
"What?" Dannyal's fingers trembling. Surprised at my words of...coldness.
"What if he betrays us?" Chen said with a smirk.
"We captivate his mother." I said, my heart felt...hard.
"Then it's decided, he stays with us tonight." Chen said, something in her voice was about pride. Everyone seemed pleased with the decision. All walked away except Dannyal.
"Why?" He asked standing at the entrance of the tent.
"He won't be killed...at least." I said with a face filled with shame and confusion.
"If you are fine with this reason." He didn't say anything, just walked away.
That night in the tent, everyone ate and danced. For all those rebels, it was probably their first time enjoying.
I couldn't stop looking at the child, my heart kept saying, I could have said something easier, humanitarian. Chen came to me at that moment and sat beside me.
I was sure, she came with words of philosophy and justifications of my cold decision. But she said something else this time.