Fan Fiction ❯ Sleep well, Xianghua ❯ Xianghua fails... ( Chapter 1 )

"Chai, I am very disappointed in you, daughter," my father, the Emperor, said to me as I returned from my quest to find the Soul Edge, a very powerful weapon forged specifically to make its wielder very powerful and possibly immortal. I found the sword, but didn't bring it back to my village like I was supposed to do, but destroyed it instead. I sought out the evil residing within this weapon and knew it had to be no more. Not wasting any time in doing so, I got rid of the sword and returned to my home, the Ming Empire.

"I'm sorry father, but you do not understand what I saw within the blade!"

"I don't care what you saw!" my father roared. "You're the only one with the skills of swordsmanship, the only one that was capable of doing this mission and you failed me! You know how important this was to me that I take possession of the Soul Edge!"

I bowed my head. "I do father. I'm very sorry, but being a member of the royal guard, I had the ability to see the sword for what it truly was."

I looked around at my villagers. All of them had hoped and prayed that I'd return one day with the Soul Edge, safe and sound. They were hoping more for the Soul Edge to live off of, to help them be more powerful and take over other villages that were wealthier than we. More importantly, they believed that the Soul Edge would grant them their most deeply and desired wishes if they asked it to. I was the only one in that entire village that knew of its real demonic power.

"Your seeing abilities mean no matter to me! As of today, you are stripped of your rank and will be reassigned to a menial position!"

My mouth dropped. "Father…!"

"I don't want to hear it!" he yelled, pointing his finger at me, then snatched my weapon, the No Name, which my mother had passed down to me before she died. I had learned to wield the thin, two-foot long blade very carefully and expectedly. The sword promised to surpass evil and bring on the good. It crushed me when I learned that I wasn't going to possess it anymore.

"Change out of that foolish outfit at once as well! You sicken me and disgraced your people!"

Just before he had turned around to leave me, he used his knee to snap my weapon into two. My mouth hung open in despair and surprise. He turned to leave, leaving the sword lying in the sand.

"What are you all looking at, get back to work!" he yelled at the deprived part of the village.

The wealthier side he ignored and allowed them to fight and claim whom I would work for as a slave. While they were bickering, I laid my eyes on my fallen sword. I knelt down into the hot sand and scooped up the two pieces with tears in my eyes.

"How could he have been so cruel?" I sobbed to myself and held the broken sword close to my heart. Telepathically, apologized to my mother and sworn I'd mend it and put it to good use again.

As it had begun to quiet down in the village, I saw a shadow behind me as I knelt down. It got bigger and bigger as a sign it was coming to me. I didn't dare move.

"You will belong to me now," the man said. I recognized the voice right away as the wealthiest man in the area and had his own mansion on the other side of the hill. "Kiss your father and everyone else in this village goodbye because you won't ever see them again."

In that short minute I felt everything ever good in my life be yanked from my soul. I was going to be someone's whore.

"My father won't allow this!" I said.

The tall, lean man laughed. "You forget, servant, your father's the one who arranged this. Stop this nonsense and come with me this moment."

I was only twenty years old and would have to spend the rest of my life with this man controlling me.

I picked myself up, taking the sword with me, and walking behind this man.

"My name is Sir Hylam, as you know, but you will call me Master and only Master."

I lowered my head and watched my feet step one in front of the other. "Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Master."

Hylam was satisfied.