Slivers of light pooled in from the thin wooden slates of the crate, splashing heat against Jianyu’s skin. He shut his eyes, trying once more to calm his breathing. How long had he been in this crate? Had they boarded the trains yet?

No, they wouldn’t have, not yet. His father promised he would come see him before he left the city. He promised he would come say goodbye.

The crate was small and stuffy and though they had yet to hit the roads, Jianyu was already feeling nauseous from being hauled moved around so much. The crate he was hiding in, like many of the others, was meant to hold rare spices and fabrics that would be sent to the capital. Jianyu had always thought it strange that the capital would prioritize such material delicacies when the surrounding cities were on the brink of destruction. Enemy troops had already invaded four of the seven kingdoms that surrounded the capital and still, they refused to send in reinforcements in favour of purging the falling cities of fine silks and seasoning.

Yújìn was already a city straddling the poverty line, even before the war. Though Jianyu’s fathers tailoring shop had lost many clients since the violence ensued and thus, had lost copious amounts of money, they were still doing a lot better than other civilians. The unrest between the capitals royal family and their enemies had little to do with members of the outer cities, as they were not involved with political negotiations, but still, they were the ones burdened with violence. Shortly after the peace treaty was broken by the capital, their many enemies allied together to take down the city and seize the country. It was just too bad that in order to get in the heart of the country, its surrounding city walls had to be destroyed and ransacked. Due to the construction of the country’s borders, the capital wasn’t exactly protected by physical walls, but by seven smaller cities that encircled the precious capital and protected it from immediate destruction. Yújìn, Jianyu’s hometown, was the fourth city to fall in 8 months.

Jianyu tried to twist his body into a more favourable position, but his joints still screamed in protest and his body cramped. Would he really last 6 more hours in this tiny wooden box?

His father had stuffed the box with rich silk garments for the nobility of the capital and they now lay beneath Jianyu’s body, cushioning him from the hard wood beneath him. It was ironic really that he, a poor and filthy boy, would be laying atop a bed of fabrics he’d never be able to afford in this lifetime.

Jianyu was dozing off to sleep, too exhausted to keep his eyes open when he felt a light tapping on the lid of the crate. Jianyu’s eyes immediately snapped open, and his heart surged in his chest. Had the guards found him already? If they had they wouldn’t hesitate before executing both him and his father for such treacherous behaviour as this.

But when Jianyu strained his ears, he could make out a familiar voice whispering:

“Ji?”

Jianyu let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and tapped the wall of the crate in the sequence he had rehearsed with his father only a few hours ago. The wooden box creaked and groaned as someone fiddled with the lid.

Bright, white light suddenly blinded Jianyu as the lid was lifted and his eyes watered at the novelty of sunlight after being in the dark for so long. When his eyes finally adjusted, he looked up to see a face hovering above him, the sunlight encircling the newcomer in warm orange light. The face, now thin from stress and creased with wrinkles smiled down at him. In the years that passed his fathers thick black hair had gone silvery and his skin had begun to sag, but still, the sight of his father was a welcomed refuge. Jianyu leapt from the crate, ignoring the way his muscles fizzled and ached in protest. He wrapped his arms around his father’s neck and breathed in his familiar scent, glad that his father had managed to get to him in time.

It wasn’t until half of his body had left the crate that the sounds of the war in the city reached his ears. Loud screams filled the air, and the sounds of metallic weapons clashing and houses being torn down were hard to ignore. All around him the city bled and cried as enemy soldiers ripped her apart and wounded her people. Jianyu squeezed his father tighter, and tears prickled his eyes at the thought of leaving his father behind in this nightmare of a place.

Jianyu’s father finally pried his sons hands off of him and pulled away, resting his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

“Jianyu, stay hidden. We can’t let them find you”, he muttered, pushing his son deeper into the crate. Jianyu lowered himself and peered up at his father, eyes wet.

“I’m so scared Papa. I don’t want to leave you behind”, Jianyu croaked, fighting the urge to cry.

His father gripped the back of Jianyu’s neck, threading his fingers through his hair lightly.

“I will miss you too, my Ji. But this is the only way I can ensure you are safe…I- I can’t lose you like I lost your mother”, His father confessed, voice thick with emotion. Jianyu had no recollection of a maternal figure, but the pain his father experienced embedded itself so deeply in Jianyu’s soul that he often felt as though he shared in his father’s grief.

“Tell me again what happens when I reach the capital”, Jianyu pressed, grasping his fathers’ hands in his. He already knew the plan well, but he was stalling, hoping to spend a few more minutes with his father.

His father smiled and squeezed his hands in return.

“You know the plan, Ji. I know you do”

His father knew him too well, it must’ve been all too obvious what Jianyu was trying to do.

A booming voice followed by jeers of laughter sprung in the air, the loudness clear enough to make it apparent that the group was near. Jianyu’s father glanced behind him quickly, a panicked expression on his face, before returning his gaze to Jianyu.

“Be careful at the capital Ji, and trust no one, you hear me? Trust no one and don’t let anyone get too close to you. Do what ever you can to stay hidden and do your best to blend in with everyone else after you’ve managed to stay unnoticed for a couple of months. They cannot know that you are from Yújìn, the capital is unkind when it comes to offering refuge. Do you understand?”, his father said hurriedly, his dark eyes swirling with thousands of emotions.

Jianyu nodded and hesitated before speaking.

“I love you so much dad. You promise we will see each other again, right?”, Jianyu said quietly, afraid that he would not like his fathers honest reply. But Jianyu’s father pressed his lips against his forehead in a lingering kiss. Jianyu didn’t fail to notice the glossy tears coating his eyes when he pulled away.

“I love you too my Ji. Of course we will see each other again. I’m always by your side, remember? You can’t get rid of me”, Jianyu’s father promised.

The sounds around them grew louder as heavy footsteps neared, the marching beat a clear indication that the guard were ready to haul the cargo onto the train. This meant that in no time at all Jianyu would be on the train and on his way to the capital.

Jianyu’s father sent him one last smile and pushed him gently into the crate before sealing the lid. If Jianyu had known this was the last time he would see his father, perhaps he would’ve said more or done more to convince him to join him. But his father had known this was how it was going to end long before it happened and though Jianyu wasn’t his biological son, he knew it was vital that he was sent back to the capital for safekeeping. After all, though he didn’t know it, Jianyu was in fact of noble blood and it was about time he was sent back home. His father wasn’t prepared for his identity to be revealed just yet; there’s no telling what their enemies would do if they found out the kings seventh son was still alive.