Martial Art Fantasy Short Story
Author: Hani Law Copyright © 2006
Author: Hani Law Copyright © 2006
SWAN BEAUTY
CHAPTER 7
Having travelled for about a month, we can feel the
weather getting warmer by the day. We also see
shrubs and trees breaking out in blossoms. As
mountains appear in the distance, the Prince tells me
we have reached the north.
The landscape is beautiful, with trees of multi-hued
foliage growing on different mountains. Some trees
bear scarlet leaves, others green. Yet others are
covered with gold leaves. As I admire them, I cannot
help feeling that human beings alone are not treated
unfairly by nature; even landscapes are. For the
landscape unfolding before our eyes is infinitely
more charming than those we have passed through in
the previous month. The Prince assures me that we
will soon be reaching the mountains where,
hopefully, we will find the Magic Lake.
We continue with the journey and finally reach the
mountains where there are several beautiful lakes.
The water is so clear that I can see the fish swimming
beneath the surface. With the blue sky and the trees
in all their multi-coloured splendour reflected in the
water, the lakes shimmer with a golden brilliance.
But which of them is the Magic Lake?
“Surely, the Magic Lake has special features to
distinguish it from others,” I mutter.
“You may be right,” the Prince replies. “Let’s look
for one that is different from the others.”
We walk past several lakes and across several
valleys, but fail to see any lake with special or
distinctive features. As we walk along, we reached a
patch of land which is covered with grass that
glitters in the sunlight.
“This is unusual,” I remark. Then, as I look further, I
notice something that excites me. “Look!” I exclaim,
“there is a lake with a fountain in the centre! It must
be the Magic Lake! What should we do? Should we
leap over the water to the fountain and see what
happens? It may be the entrance to the Magic Lake,
for all we know.”
“All right,” the Prince agrees. “May I carry you
over the water to the fountain by applying the light
steps?”
I eagerly nod my consent.
The moment we touch down on the fountain, it is
transformed before our eyes into a fire-breathing
dragon. This happens so suddenly that I’m taken
unawares. Fortunately for me, the Prince is prompt
to react and dives straight into the water with me in
his arms.
As soon as we plunge into the water, the Prince
exclaims,
“Oh, look! That must be the gate to the Magic Lake.”
He is pointing, I realize, to a sparkling gate a few
yards away.
Without giving me any time to consider his words, he
takes my hands firmly, and lovingly, I feel, in his
before leading me towards the gate. Having swum
past the gate, we enter a transparent tunnel through
which we drift along with the current. A few minutes
later, the tunnel becomes very narrow and the
Prince and I have to hold each other tightly in order
to squeeze through. We are so close that I can hear
his heart beat. Although the water around me is cool,
I can feel myself blush. I can also sense the heat
emanating from my body. I have never experienced
such sensations before and wonder whether I have
fallen in love with the Prince. I can only hope that he
does not notice the way I am blushing. After a while,
the feeling changes to one of sweetness and
tranquillity and I allow myself to just relax in his
arms as I cling to him tightly in the water. I must
definitely be in love with him, I tell myself.
After drifting through the tunnel for another 200
feet, we reach a door made of seashells. It opens
automatically, and we find ourselves in a large
chamber, somewhat like a hall in a palace. Not too
far away is a huge mirror. We approach it and
accidentally catch a glimpse of our reflections in it.
Wow, the sight is a real shock! I can hardly
recognize myself I’m so pretty. My eyes and eye
brows have turned to beautiful half moon shape
instead of the old slity eyes. My lip has turned to a
small fuller lip and my skin has turned to translucent
pink colour. My long silky and wavy hair remain the
same. I turn to look at the Prince. He looks so
handsome! All the scars on his face have
disappeared and his features are irresistibly
appealing. He has big bright eyes, curly hair,
distinctive and well balanced nose and mouth.
He does not, however, utter a word about my
transformation. “Does he not care for me at all?” I
wonder silently. He has made no comment on his own
transformation either. Not a single word. He is so
composed about it all!
Before we can express our feelings about what we
have just observed, a procession passes by. It is led
by a man on a sedan chair that is carried by nearly a
dozen crabs and several octopuses. The man looks
like a very important person. The procession halts in
the middle of the chamber next to a throne decorated
with pearl ornaments. The sedan chair is lowered
and the man steps out. He approaches the throne and
seats himself on it.
“Welcome to the Sea Palace,” he declares. “I am the
Emperor of the Sea Kingdom. I think it is fate that
has brought you here. Please stay for a few days as
my guests. Come, let me introduce you to my
daughter, Precious Pearl.”
At his words, a young woman steps forward. She is
very beautiful, like an angel from heaven. Precious
Pearl bows to us. I notice how the Prince is staring
at her without batting his eyelids even once. The
Princess is dressed in a beautiful flowing gown of
turquoise which shimmers with a clarity that reminds
me of the ocean deflecting the rays of the sun.
Seashells shaped like petals are woven into her hair
and every step of hers produces a mesmerizing swish.
So light, so pure, so peaceful and so feminine, I can’t
help thinking. Although I consider myself pretty now,
Precious Pearl’s beauty is unrivalled. My heart sinks
at the thought.
The Prince and I stay in the Sea Palace for a few
days. Most of the time, though, he chooses to keep
the Princess company and I am left to my own
devices. Having a pretty face, I realize, is not that
exciting after all. One day, the Prince and I are
summoned to see the Emperor. When we reach his
chamber, the Emperor declares to him, “I believe it
is fate that has brought you here. Coincidentally, my
daughter has reached the right age for marriage.
Now that she has found you, would you like to marry
her? She is very precious to me and you must assure
me that you will love her dearly.”
I can see the Prince’s face glowing with happiness.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he tells the Emperor, “the
moment you presented her to me, it was love at first
sight. I promise to stay with her forever, till death do
us part.” Then he adds, “Before I marry Precious
Pearl, may I have your permission to go to my enemy’
s land for revenge? The Chief of the Black Head
Tribe has destroyed my whole kingdom and killed all
my people.”
The Emperor nods his approval, but cautions him,
“You must return here to marry my daughter as soon
as your personal business is taken care of.”
Keeping my personal sadness well-hidden, I
congratulate the Prince. He gazes at me and
something in his expression indicates that he can
sense my concern over the uncertainty of my future.
He suggests that I should master the martial arts and
recommends his aunt as a teacher.
“My aunt is a great master in the martial arts,” he
tells me.
“Although one of her arms was slashed in a fight,
her combat skills had reached their peak when it
happened.”
I thank him before retiring to my room. The next
morning, the Prince gives me a recommendation
letter to take to his aunt who lives on Swan
Mountain. As we leave the Sea Kingdom, we bid
farewell to the Emperor and the Princess.
Once we are back on land, we go our separate ways.
I, for my part, make my way to Swan Mountain.
Before bidding each other farewell, I am overcome
with sadness at the thought of being parted from the
Prince. He is aware of my despondency and promises
that we will be meeting again. He suggests we meet
at the Magic Lake two year from now. He has given
me hope and I agree to his suggestion.
CHAPTER 7
Having travelled for about a month, we can feel the
weather getting warmer by the day. We also see
shrubs and trees breaking out in blossoms. As
mountains appear in the distance, the Prince tells me
we have reached the north.
The landscape is beautiful, with trees of multi-hued
foliage growing on different mountains. Some trees
bear scarlet leaves, others green. Yet others are
covered with gold leaves. As I admire them, I cannot
help feeling that human beings alone are not treated
unfairly by nature; even landscapes are. For the
landscape unfolding before our eyes is infinitely
more charming than those we have passed through in
the previous month. The Prince assures me that we
will soon be reaching the mountains where,
hopefully, we will find the Magic Lake.
We continue with the journey and finally reach the
mountains where there are several beautiful lakes.
The water is so clear that I can see the fish swimming
beneath the surface. With the blue sky and the trees
in all their multi-coloured splendour reflected in the
water, the lakes shimmer with a golden brilliance.
But which of them is the Magic Lake?
“Surely, the Magic Lake has special features to
distinguish it from others,” I mutter.
“You may be right,” the Prince replies. “Let’s look
for one that is different from the others.”
We walk past several lakes and across several
valleys, but fail to see any lake with special or
distinctive features. As we walk along, we reached a
patch of land which is covered with grass that
glitters in the sunlight.
“This is unusual,” I remark. Then, as I look further, I
notice something that excites me. “Look!” I exclaim,
“there is a lake with a fountain in the centre! It must
be the Magic Lake! What should we do? Should we
leap over the water to the fountain and see what
happens? It may be the entrance to the Magic Lake,
for all we know.”
“All right,” the Prince agrees. “May I carry you
over the water to the fountain by applying the light
steps?”
I eagerly nod my consent.
The moment we touch down on the fountain, it is
transformed before our eyes into a fire-breathing
dragon. This happens so suddenly that I’m taken
unawares. Fortunately for me, the Prince is prompt
to react and dives straight into the water with me in
his arms.
As soon as we plunge into the water, the Prince
exclaims,
“Oh, look! That must be the gate to the Magic Lake.”
He is pointing, I realize, to a sparkling gate a few
yards away.
Without giving me any time to consider his words, he
takes my hands firmly, and lovingly, I feel, in his
before leading me towards the gate. Having swum
past the gate, we enter a transparent tunnel through
which we drift along with the current. A few minutes
later, the tunnel becomes very narrow and the
Prince and I have to hold each other tightly in order
to squeeze through. We are so close that I can hear
his heart beat. Although the water around me is cool,
I can feel myself blush. I can also sense the heat
emanating from my body. I have never experienced
such sensations before and wonder whether I have
fallen in love with the Prince. I can only hope that he
does not notice the way I am blushing. After a while,
the feeling changes to one of sweetness and
tranquillity and I allow myself to just relax in his
arms as I cling to him tightly in the water. I must
definitely be in love with him, I tell myself.
After drifting through the tunnel for another 200
feet, we reach a door made of seashells. It opens
automatically, and we find ourselves in a large
chamber, somewhat like a hall in a palace. Not too
far away is a huge mirror. We approach it and
accidentally catch a glimpse of our reflections in it.
Wow, the sight is a real shock! I can hardly
recognize myself I’m so pretty. My eyes and eye
brows have turned to beautiful half moon shape
instead of the old slity eyes. My lip has turned to a
small fuller lip and my skin has turned to translucent
pink colour. My long silky and wavy hair remain the
same. I turn to look at the Prince. He looks so
handsome! All the scars on his face have
disappeared and his features are irresistibly
appealing. He has big bright eyes, curly hair,
distinctive and well balanced nose and mouth.
He does not, however, utter a word about my
transformation. “Does he not care for me at all?” I
wonder silently. He has made no comment on his own
transformation either. Not a single word. He is so
composed about it all!
Before we can express our feelings about what we
have just observed, a procession passes by. It is led
by a man on a sedan chair that is carried by nearly a
dozen crabs and several octopuses. The man looks
like a very important person. The procession halts in
the middle of the chamber next to a throne decorated
with pearl ornaments. The sedan chair is lowered
and the man steps out. He approaches the throne and
seats himself on it.
“Welcome to the Sea Palace,” he declares. “I am the
Emperor of the Sea Kingdom. I think it is fate that
has brought you here. Please stay for a few days as
my guests. Come, let me introduce you to my
daughter, Precious Pearl.”
At his words, a young woman steps forward. She is
very beautiful, like an angel from heaven. Precious
Pearl bows to us. I notice how the Prince is staring
at her without batting his eyelids even once. The
Princess is dressed in a beautiful flowing gown of
turquoise which shimmers with a clarity that reminds
me of the ocean deflecting the rays of the sun.
Seashells shaped like petals are woven into her hair
and every step of hers produces a mesmerizing swish.
So light, so pure, so peaceful and so feminine, I can’t
help thinking. Although I consider myself pretty now,
Precious Pearl’s beauty is unrivalled. My heart sinks
at the thought.
The Prince and I stay in the Sea Palace for a few
days. Most of the time, though, he chooses to keep
the Princess company and I am left to my own
devices. Having a pretty face, I realize, is not that
exciting after all. One day, the Prince and I are
summoned to see the Emperor. When we reach his
chamber, the Emperor declares to him, “I believe it
is fate that has brought you here. Coincidentally, my
daughter has reached the right age for marriage.
Now that she has found you, would you like to marry
her? She is very precious to me and you must assure
me that you will love her dearly.”
I can see the Prince’s face glowing with happiness.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he tells the Emperor, “the
moment you presented her to me, it was love at first
sight. I promise to stay with her forever, till death do
us part.” Then he adds, “Before I marry Precious
Pearl, may I have your permission to go to my enemy’
s land for revenge? The Chief of the Black Head
Tribe has destroyed my whole kingdom and killed all
my people.”
The Emperor nods his approval, but cautions him,
“You must return here to marry my daughter as soon
as your personal business is taken care of.”
Keeping my personal sadness well-hidden, I
congratulate the Prince. He gazes at me and
something in his expression indicates that he can
sense my concern over the uncertainty of my future.
He suggests that I should master the martial arts and
recommends his aunt as a teacher.
“My aunt is a great master in the martial arts,” he
tells me.
“Although one of her arms was slashed in a fight,
her combat skills had reached their peak when it
happened.”
I thank him before retiring to my room. The next
morning, the Prince gives me a recommendation
letter to take to his aunt who lives on Swan
Mountain. As we leave the Sea Kingdom, we bid
farewell to the Emperor and the Princess.
Once we are back on land, we go our separate ways.
I, for my part, make my way to Swan Mountain.
Before bidding each other farewell, I am overcome
with sadness at the thought of being parted from the
Prince. He is aware of my despondency and promises
that we will be meeting again. He suggests we meet
at the Magic Lake two year from now. He has given
me hope and I agree to his suggestion.
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