Martial Art Fantasy Short Story
Author: Hani Law Copyright © 2006
Author: Hani Law Copyright © 2006
SWAN BEAUTY
CHAPTER 10
“Now what should we do?” I ask him. “Why don’t we
go to the White Land which was awarded to you after
you had won the martial-arts contest? We can then
decide on our next course of action. We don’t seem
to have any other option now, for you need to regain
your strength and your normal level of fitness.”
“What about you?” the Prince enquires. “Don’t you
need to return to Swan Mountain?”
“I ought to, and I should be returning within a
month,” I tell him, “but I have left Master Swan for
over a month now. I am not sure how she would deal
with me if I returned. I am a bit scared to go back on
my own.”
“Let’s not worry about it now,” the Prince tells me.
“We will start the journey to the White Land early
tomorrow morning.”
We stay overnight at an inn located in a remote area.
On the way to the White Land, the Prince is very
quiet. I can feel him grieving for Precious Pearl.
Still heartbroken over his loss, he blames himself for
the tragedy that has befallen the Princess.
Two days later, we reach the White Land. Flowers
and fruits seem to grow in profusion everywhere and
there is a river running through the territory. By the
river, obviously abandoned, is a pair of beautifully-
carved boats, each with its own canopy. We quickly
set to work, collecting all the logs we can find in the
area to start building a house. After camping there
for a week, we manage to complete it. The Prince
works day and night to assuage his grief over the
Princess’ demise. Though it seems unkind of me to
entertain such thoughts, I am extremely happy to
have him all to myself. After all this time spent
together, I still cannot be sure, though, about his
feelings for me. Of course, this is hardly the
appropriate time to bring up the subject.
Furthermore, I am much too shy to initiate such a
conversation in the first place.
We make it a point to set up a routine and practise
our martial-arts skills every morning before we do
anything else. The Prince is still firm in his resolve
to take revenge on the Chief of the Black Head Tribe
one day. He practises his martial-arts skills with his
three-joint stick while I continue practising mine
with my dancing ribbon. But somehow, I am unable
to make much progress and attain a higher level of
performance.
One day, just as we are beginning to enjoy the
tranquillity of the place, a deep, thundering noise
comes from the river. An enormous crocodile in a
uniform emerges from the water and I recognize him
instantly. He is one of the sea officers from the Sea
Kingdom.
“You are in a position of deep obligation to our Sea
Emperor,” he announces to the Prince. “Because of
your failure to return to the Princess in time, she has
turned into a stone statue. Our Emperor wishes to
see justice done. He has, therefore, summoned me
and my fellow sea guards and entrusted us with the
duty of flooding the White Land.”
The Prince and I are absolutely stunned by this
message. Before we can explain the chain of events
that had conspired to prevent the Prince from
arriving in time for his wedding to Precious Pearl,
the level of the river rises rapidly. Tsunami-type
waves swirl up and rush towards us. Utterly horrified
by these developments, we waste no time in using our
light-steps skill to leap to safety on the treetops
around us. I settle on one tree while the Prince does
the same on another. The water, wave upon wave of
it, lashes against the trees, causing them to swing
from side to side. After a while, the wind dies down
and the waves subside and the place is calm once
again. But the land has been completely devastated.
All the plants have been uprooted and the ground
torn to pieces. We jump down from our respective
treetops and contemplate with sadness the kind of
havoc the Sea Emperor has wreaked in his
determination to take revenge on us.
“What shall we do now?” I ask, appalled. “It is
impossible to rebuild this place and restore it to its
original state.”
“Let’s go to Swan Mountain and get help,” the
Prince suggests.
Having failed to abide by my promise to go back to
Master Swan within the stipulated time, I am afraid
of returning to face her. However, as I wish to be
with the Prince, I reluctantly agree to his proposal
and follow him. I keep my feelings of unease to
myself.
We travel for three days to reach the house perched
on the summit of Swan Mountain. The person who
answers the door is Swan Orchid, one of the girls I
had rescued from my village. She is surprised to see
us both and shoots many questions at me.
“What happened to you?” she asks anxiously.
“Where were you? What took you so long to return?
Master Swan is quite upset about it all.”
I am in no mood to offer explanations. I am far too
frightened to face Master Swan.
“Your Master Swan is my aunt,” the Prince
interrupts. “Please tell her I have come to see her.”
From Swan Orchid’s expression, it is clear that this
is a complete mystery to her. Finally, she says,
“Please come this way. I will announce your arrival
to Master Swan.”
As I enter the building, I am really nervous. My legs
are trembling. I am expecting judgement to be
delivered soon. Master Swan comes in.
“My dear aunt,” says the Prince, “I have come to
ask for your help. After all, you are the only
surviving relative I have.”
“Do take a seat,” Master Swan tells him. She flicks
me a stern glance, then ignores me completely. I
stand back and allow the Prince to narrate to his
aunt the details of all that has transpired. He
recounts how the Black Head Tribe destroyed his
kingdom and killed his family members and his
people. He also tells her about his failure to avenge
himself against the Black Head Chief and his
subsequent imprisonment on the orders of Titi, the
Chief’s daughter.
The moment Master Swan hears about the Chief of
the Black Head Tribe, she becomes very agitated and
starts shooting questions at her nephew about the
man and his daughter. Her expression is suffused
with anger.
“I was lucky that Swan Beauty came to my rescue,”
the Prince continues. “When I was about to rebuild
my kingdom in the White Land, the Sea Emperor took
revenge on me and destroyed it completely.”
While he is busy relating the story to Master Swan, I
realize that there are many more girls than there
were at the time I left Swan Mountain. Master Swan,
I surmise, must have recruited more pupils to expand
her clan.
Dinner is served. Master Swan and the Prince sit at
one table. I sat at another with my fellow pupils.
After the meal is over, Master Swan makes a solemn
announcement.
“I was married to the Chief of the Black Head Tribe
for twenty-five years,” she declares. “We had a
daughter called Titi. One day, I caught my husband
in bed with a young woman who was my pupil. I was
furious enough at the discovery to want to kill them
both at once. However, they pre-empted my move to
strike the first blow with my dancing ribbon and
fought me off in unison. After engaging in combat, I
felt a sudden pain in my left shoulder. When I
managed to glance down at it, I saw that my left arm
had been chopped off. I was so heartbroken at what
had been done to me and felt so betrayed that I
retreated and left home forever. Before I did so, I
carried away a pair of love swords my mother had
left me. A mighty pair of swords, these can only
achieve peak performance when wielded by a couple
whose hearts are attuned to each other’s.”
Master Swan’s account makes it very clear to us all
why she hates men and does not want any of her
pupils to get married. She has still not addressed a
single word to me nor broached the subject of my
long-delayed return to Swan Mountain. The next day,
we all go for our martial-arts lessons as usual.
Several months have gone by and I am anxious to
know about the Prince’s plans for the future. I also
miss the time we spent together on our own in the
White Land before the Sea Emperor organized the
attack on us. There are so many of my fellow pupils
around me that I just cannot find an opportunity to
talk to the Prince alone.
Although we engage in our activities together, I have
noticed the Prince talking to Swan May in a tender
manner on several occasions. When he does so, they
seem quite engrossed in each other. It makes me feel
a bit jealous. Swan May is one of the girls I rescued
from my hometown and she is not good-looking by
any stretch of the imagination. During my stay on
Swan Mountain, I found her to be a very sensible and
kind-hearted person. From his expression, I am able
to gauge that the Prince is attracted to Swan May. I
fail to understand how he could have succumbed to
her charms when I, a beauty now, after my dip in the
Magic Lake, have spent so much time with him. I
keep wondering what prevents our relationship from
progressing to a stage where he might express his
love and tender feelings for me. Brooding over such
matters fills me with despair.
One day, Master Swan asks us all to congregate in
the courtyard. She declares that after suffering in
solitude for so many years, she has decided to take
revenge against the Chief of the Black Head Tribe
for the injustice he has done her. She also intends to
help the Prince settle his personal scores against the
Chief. She explains that the lovers’ swords her
mother had left her are a pair of male and female
swords. They have magic powers that can be released
when the swords are used by two lovers whose hearts
are one. Master Swan then hands over the male
sword to the Prince and asks him to try using it while
being partnered by each of her pupils, in turn, armed
with the female sword.
The test begins. As the Prince tries out the sword
with each of the girls, it seems that none can wield
the female sword effectively and elegantly. When my
turn arrives, I am full of confidence that I will be the
most suitable person for using the female sword. I
apply all my combat techniques, so painstakingly
learnt, to the female sword and the Prince joins in
with its male counterpart. But after a few exchanges,
it is apparent that the pair of swords lacks
compatibility. I am deeply disappointed, but from the
Prince’s expression, it is evident that he isn’t
surprised at all. I return to my place.
When it is Swan May’s turn, she springs up, light as a
feather, and plays the female sword so dexterously
with the Prince’s male one that both weapons are
flying in unison like a pair of fierce eagles. With
their light-footed steps, the Prince and Swan May
seem like airborne butterflies enjoying each other’s
company. Yet, their swordplay is so mesmerizingly
powerful that we can feel the energy emanating from
the swirls and clashes of their weapons. Everyone is
enthralled by the display, including Master Swan.
Everyone applauds, except me.
CHAPTER 10
“Now what should we do?” I ask him. “Why don’t we
go to the White Land which was awarded to you after
you had won the martial-arts contest? We can then
decide on our next course of action. We don’t seem
to have any other option now, for you need to regain
your strength and your normal level of fitness.”
“What about you?” the Prince enquires. “Don’t you
need to return to Swan Mountain?”
“I ought to, and I should be returning within a
month,” I tell him, “but I have left Master Swan for
over a month now. I am not sure how she would deal
with me if I returned. I am a bit scared to go back on
my own.”
“Let’s not worry about it now,” the Prince tells me.
“We will start the journey to the White Land early
tomorrow morning.”
We stay overnight at an inn located in a remote area.
On the way to the White Land, the Prince is very
quiet. I can feel him grieving for Precious Pearl.
Still heartbroken over his loss, he blames himself for
the tragedy that has befallen the Princess.
Two days later, we reach the White Land. Flowers
and fruits seem to grow in profusion everywhere and
there is a river running through the territory. By the
river, obviously abandoned, is a pair of beautifully-
carved boats, each with its own canopy. We quickly
set to work, collecting all the logs we can find in the
area to start building a house. After camping there
for a week, we manage to complete it. The Prince
works day and night to assuage his grief over the
Princess’ demise. Though it seems unkind of me to
entertain such thoughts, I am extremely happy to
have him all to myself. After all this time spent
together, I still cannot be sure, though, about his
feelings for me. Of course, this is hardly the
appropriate time to bring up the subject.
Furthermore, I am much too shy to initiate such a
conversation in the first place.
We make it a point to set up a routine and practise
our martial-arts skills every morning before we do
anything else. The Prince is still firm in his resolve
to take revenge on the Chief of the Black Head Tribe
one day. He practises his martial-arts skills with his
three-joint stick while I continue practising mine
with my dancing ribbon. But somehow, I am unable
to make much progress and attain a higher level of
performance.
One day, just as we are beginning to enjoy the
tranquillity of the place, a deep, thundering noise
comes from the river. An enormous crocodile in a
uniform emerges from the water and I recognize him
instantly. He is one of the sea officers from the Sea
Kingdom.
“You are in a position of deep obligation to our Sea
Emperor,” he announces to the Prince. “Because of
your failure to return to the Princess in time, she has
turned into a stone statue. Our Emperor wishes to
see justice done. He has, therefore, summoned me
and my fellow sea guards and entrusted us with the
duty of flooding the White Land.”
The Prince and I are absolutely stunned by this
message. Before we can explain the chain of events
that had conspired to prevent the Prince from
arriving in time for his wedding to Precious Pearl,
the level of the river rises rapidly. Tsunami-type
waves swirl up and rush towards us. Utterly horrified
by these developments, we waste no time in using our
light-steps skill to leap to safety on the treetops
around us. I settle on one tree while the Prince does
the same on another. The water, wave upon wave of
it, lashes against the trees, causing them to swing
from side to side. After a while, the wind dies down
and the waves subside and the place is calm once
again. But the land has been completely devastated.
All the plants have been uprooted and the ground
torn to pieces. We jump down from our respective
treetops and contemplate with sadness the kind of
havoc the Sea Emperor has wreaked in his
determination to take revenge on us.
“What shall we do now?” I ask, appalled. “It is
impossible to rebuild this place and restore it to its
original state.”
“Let’s go to Swan Mountain and get help,” the
Prince suggests.
Having failed to abide by my promise to go back to
Master Swan within the stipulated time, I am afraid
of returning to face her. However, as I wish to be
with the Prince, I reluctantly agree to his proposal
and follow him. I keep my feelings of unease to
myself.
We travel for three days to reach the house perched
on the summit of Swan Mountain. The person who
answers the door is Swan Orchid, one of the girls I
had rescued from my village. She is surprised to see
us both and shoots many questions at me.
“What happened to you?” she asks anxiously.
“Where were you? What took you so long to return?
Master Swan is quite upset about it all.”
I am in no mood to offer explanations. I am far too
frightened to face Master Swan.
“Your Master Swan is my aunt,” the Prince
interrupts. “Please tell her I have come to see her.”
From Swan Orchid’s expression, it is clear that this
is a complete mystery to her. Finally, she says,
“Please come this way. I will announce your arrival
to Master Swan.”
As I enter the building, I am really nervous. My legs
are trembling. I am expecting judgement to be
delivered soon. Master Swan comes in.
“My dear aunt,” says the Prince, “I have come to
ask for your help. After all, you are the only
surviving relative I have.”
“Do take a seat,” Master Swan tells him. She flicks
me a stern glance, then ignores me completely. I
stand back and allow the Prince to narrate to his
aunt the details of all that has transpired. He
recounts how the Black Head Tribe destroyed his
kingdom and killed his family members and his
people. He also tells her about his failure to avenge
himself against the Black Head Chief and his
subsequent imprisonment on the orders of Titi, the
Chief’s daughter.
The moment Master Swan hears about the Chief of
the Black Head Tribe, she becomes very agitated and
starts shooting questions at her nephew about the
man and his daughter. Her expression is suffused
with anger.
“I was lucky that Swan Beauty came to my rescue,”
the Prince continues. “When I was about to rebuild
my kingdom in the White Land, the Sea Emperor took
revenge on me and destroyed it completely.”
While he is busy relating the story to Master Swan, I
realize that there are many more girls than there
were at the time I left Swan Mountain. Master Swan,
I surmise, must have recruited more pupils to expand
her clan.
Dinner is served. Master Swan and the Prince sit at
one table. I sat at another with my fellow pupils.
After the meal is over, Master Swan makes a solemn
announcement.
“I was married to the Chief of the Black Head Tribe
for twenty-five years,” she declares. “We had a
daughter called Titi. One day, I caught my husband
in bed with a young woman who was my pupil. I was
furious enough at the discovery to want to kill them
both at once. However, they pre-empted my move to
strike the first blow with my dancing ribbon and
fought me off in unison. After engaging in combat, I
felt a sudden pain in my left shoulder. When I
managed to glance down at it, I saw that my left arm
had been chopped off. I was so heartbroken at what
had been done to me and felt so betrayed that I
retreated and left home forever. Before I did so, I
carried away a pair of love swords my mother had
left me. A mighty pair of swords, these can only
achieve peak performance when wielded by a couple
whose hearts are attuned to each other’s.”
Master Swan’s account makes it very clear to us all
why she hates men and does not want any of her
pupils to get married. She has still not addressed a
single word to me nor broached the subject of my
long-delayed return to Swan Mountain. The next day,
we all go for our martial-arts lessons as usual.
Several months have gone by and I am anxious to
know about the Prince’s plans for the future. I also
miss the time we spent together on our own in the
White Land before the Sea Emperor organized the
attack on us. There are so many of my fellow pupils
around me that I just cannot find an opportunity to
talk to the Prince alone.
Although we engage in our activities together, I have
noticed the Prince talking to Swan May in a tender
manner on several occasions. When he does so, they
seem quite engrossed in each other. It makes me feel
a bit jealous. Swan May is one of the girls I rescued
from my hometown and she is not good-looking by
any stretch of the imagination. During my stay on
Swan Mountain, I found her to be a very sensible and
kind-hearted person. From his expression, I am able
to gauge that the Prince is attracted to Swan May. I
fail to understand how he could have succumbed to
her charms when I, a beauty now, after my dip in the
Magic Lake, have spent so much time with him. I
keep wondering what prevents our relationship from
progressing to a stage where he might express his
love and tender feelings for me. Brooding over such
matters fills me with despair.
One day, Master Swan asks us all to congregate in
the courtyard. She declares that after suffering in
solitude for so many years, she has decided to take
revenge against the Chief of the Black Head Tribe
for the injustice he has done her. She also intends to
help the Prince settle his personal scores against the
Chief. She explains that the lovers’ swords her
mother had left her are a pair of male and female
swords. They have magic powers that can be released
when the swords are used by two lovers whose hearts
are one. Master Swan then hands over the male
sword to the Prince and asks him to try using it while
being partnered by each of her pupils, in turn, armed
with the female sword.
The test begins. As the Prince tries out the sword
with each of the girls, it seems that none can wield
the female sword effectively and elegantly. When my
turn arrives, I am full of confidence that I will be the
most suitable person for using the female sword. I
apply all my combat techniques, so painstakingly
learnt, to the female sword and the Prince joins in
with its male counterpart. But after a few exchanges,
it is apparent that the pair of swords lacks
compatibility. I am deeply disappointed, but from the
Prince’s expression, it is evident that he isn’t
surprised at all. I return to my place.
When it is Swan May’s turn, she springs up, light as a
feather, and plays the female sword so dexterously
with the Prince’s male one that both weapons are
flying in unison like a pair of fierce eagles. With
their light-footed steps, the Prince and Swan May
seem like airborne butterflies enjoying each other’s
company. Yet, their swordplay is so mesmerizingly
powerful that we can feel the energy emanating from
the swirls and clashes of their weapons. Everyone is
enthralled by the display, including Master Swan.
Everyone applauds, except me.
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