Hear Me

A Tale from the World of Heathmoor

PART I

“I am invincible!” My rambunctious brother Xuan hollered as he overtook my lead on a sharp switchback. We had been racing through the countryside on our horses all afternoon. With the wind at our backs, we felt free.

“Continue pushing your horse beyond its limits, and you will soon put that theory to the test...” My other brother Zhen trailed behind, patiently waiting for us to tire so he could pull ahead.

“Zhen is right, Xuan. I know your strategy, and it rarely serves you. For myself, choosing the faster horse is a much more reliable tactic!” I smirked as Xuan’s face fell when I quickly pulled ahead again on the open path. “Mark the peach garden as our finish and let the true victor be decided!” I declared, causing Zhen to pick up speed and finally release all the energy he had saved up. I glanced back, impressed that he might pass us, but the sound of Xuan’s cry quickly eliminated any desire I had to finish the race.

“Hnnghwaaaah!!” Xuan blurted out as his horse tripped and he was thrown off the saddle. Hushed in panic, I slowed to a halt and dismounted. Moving to Xuan, I was surprised to hear the continued galloping of Zhen’s steed – and our eyes locked as he finished the race.

“Brother, speak! Are you hurt?” I attended Xuan on the dusty ground, then loosened my grip on his hand when he startled me with a small laugh that grew into a hearty howl.

“I told you; I am invincible!” Xuan winced in pain through his chuckling as Zhen finally joined us.

“Xuan, I beg you! Please forgive me, brother! I never saw you fall! The shame is crushing me!” Zhen’s feigned appeal left me baffled. As did his choice to finish the race instead of helping his fallen brother. It was the first time that I no longer looked up to him.

“Oh, stop crying, Zhen. I obviously heeded your warning to stop pushing my horse and decided to let you win the race.” Xuan groaned through a grin as he dusted himself off, while relief washed over Zhen. I was annoyed that Xuan believed him and suddenly I had no control over the mess of words that boiled up and spilled out of my mouth.

“Zhen… Why? You saw—I saw you…” My frustration obscuring what I meant. I never felt more like a babbling infant than in that moment.

“You saw me what, Yi? Finish the race? And?” Zhen crossed his arms, giving me a chance to accuse him and drive a rift between us, or let things be.

“I… saw you win. It is a shame Xuan fell, but it was still a close race. Well done! As long as one of us wins, we all win!” I forced an awkward smile, and Zhen’s cold look told me I had narrowly avoided his ire.

“Hahaha! You need to practice your inspiring speeches, Yi.” Xuan snickered and shoved me aside to get back to his horse, while Zhen’s glare never left me. I spent the ride home feeling naive and self-conscious. Had Zhen not been selfish? I would much rather help those in need than exploit their desperation or even betray them for victory. The ends did not justify the means in my eyes. That said, I would need to follow Xuan’s advice to convince others that this was true…

PART II

“We are invincible!” Xuan’s declaration echoed along the foreboding path before us. Once again, we were three brothers racing on horseback, but we were no longer mere boys vying for bragging rights. We rode to fend off Mongol forces invading a crucial Wu Lin trading post.

“But the people of Shuanglin Pu are not.” I solemnly reminded my brother. “If we are too late, many innocents will inevitably be hurt. Were there some other way—”

“We would have tried it, Yi.” Zhen snapped. “This is Guljin’s “peace” in action. By refusing to bow, we have accepted the only alternative. Now steel yourselves…” He growled as we finally arrived at the port.

“Very well, Zhen! Then let us fight with courage and remind them who we are!” I declared while leaping off my horse and drawing my blade. Xuan and Zhen roared with approval, and though I sounded more assured than when I was a boy, a strange suspicion gnawed at me. Something was not right...

“Your band is a welcome sight, Yi!” A Nuxia fighter hollered at us from further up the dock as she disarmed and executed a Khatun warrior. I estimated another hundred allies were already in the fray among us – stretched too thin for my liking.

“What is it, Yi? Are you with us?” Xuan asked, sensing my unease. We moved in tandem, our blades swirling and slicing our enemies as we caught up to Zhen.

“Of course I am with you. But the Khatuns would not attempt this attack without a strong advantage.” I replied before a blaring foghorn abruptly diverted our attention. BRAAAAAAPP.

“Reinforcements?! Worry not, Yi. With fresh soldiers added to our ranks, this battle shall end quickly!” Xuan shouted alongside Zhen and rallied with a band of fellow warriors to rendezvous with the arriving vessel. I lagged behind, observing from a distance while ushering a few fleeing civilians away to escape.

As the ship’s bow sliced through the morning mist, I instantly recognized it as General Zhi’s flagship and my stomach burned with dread. Zhi had recently overstepped his authority and entered peace talks with Guljin against our wishes. The results of his efforts were revealed in front of me as I watched his loyal warriors emerge from the boat. Instead of joining our forces – they swiftly struck down the nearest of our allies. Finally, it dawned on me that my uneasy feeling was well-founded. These Wu Lin were here to reinforce the Khatuns. They were here to silence us.

“Quickly, brothers! Fall back! Zhen! Xuan!!” I called out of breath as I sprinted nearer to Xuan. My pace slowed when I finally glimpsed the Snake himself.

“The stubborn fools reject progress, while I build our future… Show them only death awaits those who cling to the past!” Zhi spat his command and pointed his gleaming Starfall Sword forward – our surprised forces directly in his sights.

“Betrayers! Curse you all! You defile your own people!” My screams bounced off the uncaring Wu Lin soldiers disembarking Zhi’s ship. This outside alliance that Zhi had so selfishly orchestrated would only harm our people. If we are to adapt to a changing world, let it be on our own terms – not by assimilating with our oppressors and swallowing false peace.

PART III

“To me, Zhen! We must regroup—” My warning was silenced when what I saw next abruptly drew my breath away. As the sheer number of our enemy swiftly overwhelmed Zhen, a daunting Shaolin warrior struck and broke his neck.

“No! Brother!!” Xuan dashed to recover him, but I instinctively held him back. It took everything I had to restrain his wild struggle – especially because I wanted to join him.

“He is gone, Xuan! And we will suffer the same fate if we stay!” My words fought to penetrate through gritted teeth. I gripped Xuan tight and fought for every step away from the port as he kept looking back for Zhen, who was lost in the sea of Wu Lin and Mongols. They had closed the distance in the blink of an eye, and we were at risk of being enveloped in their killing wave.

“Zhen… I should have been there—” My brother wept.

“Do not blame yourself. Blame Zhi and Guljin!” I felt my sorrow flirt with rage and then quiet when Xuan clumsily fell to his knees. I rushed to pull him up, wishing he would laugh again, like when he fell from his horse as a boy. No laugh came, for he was stricken with grief. Meanwhile, the enemy had nearly caught up with us within a few paces.

“The Wu Lin… Our kinsmen are strangers! Killers!! Who are we—” Xuan’s spiraling dread froze as an enemy Zhanhu’s sword burst through his chest. It was retracted just as quickly as a few allied Nuxia downed the assailant and formed a barrier around us. My jaw dropped and the fighting fell silent around me as I held my dying brother in my arms. “You were right, Yi. If one of us wins, we all win. Only you can save them now—"

“Xuan…” My heart felt like it had stopped beating. Xuan and Zhen were gone, and I had finally suffered the anguish so many had already experienced throughout this horrendous conflict. Stifling the notion of lingering here to mourn, I returned to reality with renewed purpose. I would do what I had often failed to in days gone by: speak with my heart and inspire every warrior who would listen. There was no other option.

“Hear me, comrades! You have fought bravely, and our cause is just, but we must forfeit this battle! Too many of our allies, including my brothers, have fallen to Zhi’s shameful alliance with the Khatuns.” I knelt near Xuan’s body and shouted louder. To my relief, even those in the midst of mortal combat lent an ear. Soon, every single ally who still stood attended to me.

“We must retreat to the forests – not to flee, but to survive. Shuanglin Pu will fall, but our fight is only beginning! We have a new enemy now – not just the Mongols, but ourselves. Wu Lin, who chose to abandon what they used to cherish. I still remember valor! I still remember how to resist! Do you?” My audience roared. And still the enemy closed in.

“Then we gather the fallen – they will not die in vain! Now, fall back! Regroup, and together we will restore the Wu Lin legacy!” My vow repeated in my mind as we pressed on into the safety of the woods. All these years later, I had finally found the strength in my voice and saved the bulk of our force with it. I just wish my brothers were here to see me. Instead, all I felt was a venomous gaze at my back.

“You can certainly try, Yi. And I will be waiting to strike.” General Zhi watched the last of us disappear, displeased by our survival. He believed this victory would bring him one step closer to ruling the Wu Lin. But as long as just one of us lives, we will fight on. We will resist.