3 From Now On

The blood in Yun Yong's veins froze. Cold, sinking despair weighed on his chest, but he brushed it off in a hurry. "Mei mei, what are you talking about?" His weary chuckle grated on Yun Wei's nerves.

Yun Da Xia inhaled sharply, feeling like her lungs were incapable of releasing air. Only she would know to mourn for the young miss this family had cherished so greatly. Bowing her head, she let a curtain of hair fall to shield the solemnity in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I meant what I said. I don't know who you are."

Outside, peace settled in the cracks of pebbles and rippling brooks. Creatures danced under the moonlight, feathers and tails moving with the breeze. Elders drank together while the young whispered sweet nothings to their beloveds. But in the general's residence, abooming crack disrupted the calm air, shaking people to their core.

A gaping hole graced the wall before the Yun Yong. Scarlet flowers bloomed on the floor below his fist. Before anyone could react, his blazing eyes fell on the frightened physician.

He cupped his fists, one bleeding and one not, bowing. "Thank you for checking on my sister. Please continue to care for her."

Physician Li could only stammeringly assure him of such. The heir to the general residence stood straight and imposing, but his gaze filtered past the young woman that resembled him so closely. Pivoting, he left the room without another word.

Yun Da Xia didn't know how to react. She likened herself to a spectator watching a drama unfold. This show was uncomfortable to see and wore heavy on the soul. A sigh escaped her lips, resigned that her life was intertwined with this world whether she liked it or not.

"If it's alright with you all, I would like to be alone for now." Though polite, her steady voice was unyielding. Yun Wei opened his mouth to disagree but bit back his protest. Looking at the frail body and pale countenance of his daughter, a resolution formed in his mind. Sighing, he waved the servants away.

General Yun was an unparalleled figure, decisive and ruthless in the throes of war. He had honed himself to be the sharp blade of this nation, but that glory and prestige fell away when facing the young girl before him. His role as a father to this daughter was a path he could only stumble and crawl through.

Alone with the father, Yun Da Xia's head remained bowed with shoulders taut like a bowstring. He frowned, looking at her with flashing eyes. Gently, he took her chin in his hands, lifting her tiny face to meet his. The pheonix eyes that looked so much like her mothers held an edge unbefitting of a pampered noble girl. At sixteen, her face was sharpening into that of a young woman. To him, the change was so abrupt; regret swirling in his belly.

"Xia'er, pride must reign from the marrow of your bones. Never lower your head for such miniscule things."

A memory followed his words, her breath going shakey.

Yun Wei left, a complicated feeling tightening his chest. Though it was well into the night, his soul could not rest.

"Where has Yong'er gone?"

A guard on duty bowed his head, "This servant last heard that the Young Master left the estate on horseback."

The general sighed, waving a hand and striding through a familiar path. He steeled his heart, approaching a finely engraved wooden door. Before he could knock, the entrance swung open; a pair of red rimmed eyes greeted him.

"Wei, why can't I see her? Is she okay? Is my Xia'er okay?" Shen Huiqing let out a heart wrenching cry, "Is my Xia'er okay?"

Yun Wei enveloped her in his ams, attempting to subdue the sobs that wracked through her body. Small fists hit his chest as she sputtered about. "Why wasn't I allowed to see her? Can I see her now? I want to see her now!" He continued to hold her until sobs turned into whimpers, and eventually silence. Looking at his wife's tiny face, he lightly wiped away the tear tracks on her cheeks.

Kissing her forehead, his grip on her tightened. "Huiqing, Xia'er is in top physical condition. Physician Li said it was a miracle and that our daughter is blessed by the gods. She's resting now, see her in the morning."

Relief crashed like a wave through Shen Huiqing's body. She fell limp in her husband's arms. "Thank you, thank you." She muttered over and over, remnant tears falling away.

"That's not all." Yun Wei sighed. At the tone of the words, she immediately stiffened. "What do you mean?" Wasn't her daughter completely fine? Weren't those the words he just said previously?

"Xia'er seems to have forgotten all but her name. I had Yong'er come to test her, and she told her brother that she had no idea who he was."

The mother's face crumpled; a terrifying storm attacked her mind. Crystal droplets poured down her cheeks again while her husband rocked her. In her internal tempest, Shen Huiqing tried to calm herself, drawing breaths to a regular tempo.

"Is there any hope for her to regain her memories?" Her hoarse voice held resolution, but a tinge of hope laced her words. The man shook his head, his whisper warm against her ear. "I'm not sure."

She nodded, taking her sleeve to wipe her face. Her husband smoothened her long hair back, waiting for her to collect herself.

"Though I wish it wasn't so, we can only accept and make new memories from now on." The madame of the general's household dried her eyes and held a firm tone. She found her crying thoughtless. How could she be ungrateful when her daughter had made a heavenly recovery?

She looked to her husband, letting a small sad smile grace her face. He returned it with one of his own.

Perhaps this time he could make a place for himself in his daughter's heart.