Chapter 14: The Mountain King's Trial
After their swift capture, Alex and his companions found themselves locked in a crude cave, a makeshift cell behind sturdy wooden bars. Frustration simmering, Shin and Ka Ryo Ten made attempts to escape, rattling the bars and testing the strength of their confinement. Their efforts were quickly halted by the massive Tajifu, the mountain warrior guarding their cell. He pointed to a chilling pile of bones in a corner, a silent testament to the fate of misbehaving prisoners. The message was clear: attempts to escape would be met with grim consequences.
As night set in, Heki remained deeply impressed, almost unnerved, by the evident intelligence of the mountain people. He'd seen their city, their tactical prowess, and felt a cold dread. 'The people of Qin... we have underestimated the mountain people for far too long,' he mused, a shiver running down his spine. His mind flickered to a name, a chilling memory from ancient history: Quanrong.
Shin, restless, finally broke the silence. "Quanrong? What's that?"
Ka Ryo Ten, equally ignorant, nudged him. "Yeah, what's a Quanrong, Heki?"
Heki turned, his face solemn in the dim light. "The Quanrong... they were a savage mountain tribe. Five hundred and twenty years ago, they brought down the mighty Zhou Dynasty. They sacked the capital, drove the Emperor into exile, and ushered in an age of chaos. No plains kingdom has ever truly recovered from such a blow from the mountains. They are not to be trifled with."
Suddenly, the air in the cave grew thick with the scent of damp earth and tension. Alex, Kaelen, Shin, Heki, and Ka Ryo Ten found themselves surrounded by a new group of mountain warriors, wielding crude, sharpened spears. Their eyes, visible through the mask slits, gleamed with hostility. The warriors moved towards the cage, their numbers pressing in, and began thrusting their spears inside, pinning Alex and the others to the back wall. Out of reach, another warrior notched an arrow to his bow, drawing it back, his aim directed squarely at Shin's chest. "Shoot!" the warriors snarled in their guttural tongue.
Just as the archer released the string, a blur of motion saved Shin. Tajifu, their guard, had returned. With a thunderous roar, he slammed his massive, crude weapon into the attacking group, causing the arrow to veer wildly, missing Shin by inches. Tajifu then began to beat back the hostile warriors, his sheer size and brute force driving them away from the cage.
"Why?" Shin blurted out, bewildered by the sudden intervention.
Tajifu began speaking in the harsh mountain tongue, a flurry of unfamiliar sounds. Then, out of the darkness, the masked captain who had led the group that captured them appeared. He surveyed the chaotic scene, his gaze lingering on Tajifu, then on the captive group. He spoke, his voice calm, translating for them. "Tajifu has been ordered by the King to protect you." His eyes narrowed. "Not all mountain people are in complete unity. Some still hold the old hatreds. But Tajifu respects Alex for breaking his mask. He is... disappointed. You will likely be executed with Ei Sei tomorrow."
Elsewhere, Ei Sei was escorted through the heart of the mountain kingdom, a labyrinthine marvel of stone and timber carved directly into the mountain itself. He was led into a vast, cavernous structure resembling a palace, its interior surprisingly grand despite its rustic materials. There, bathed in the glow of roaring braziers, he was brought before the Mountain King.
Ei Sei, ever composed, knelt and bowed deeply. "I am Ei Sei, the 31st King of Qin."
The Mountain King, a figure shrouded in animal pelts and a formidable mask, sat on a crude stone throne, surrounded by a pack of growling wolves. The beasts, their teeth bared, seemed to reflect the king's silent scrutiny. The Mountain King's voice, when it came, was surprisingly clear and commanding. "I know who you are, Ei Sei, King of Qin. And I know your pathetic plight. You are without power. Your brother has usurped your throne. You are a king in name only." A low growl rippled through the wolves. "So, I ask again: What do you seek, coming to my domain?"
"I seek the help and assistance of the mountain people," Ei Sei responded, his voice unwavering, "to retake the throne of Qin."
The King's masked face showed no reaction. "You have the wrong idea, plains dweller," the King announced, the growls of the wolves deepening. "You were brought before me not for alliance, but for trial. You are on trial for the crimes of your ancestors."
Ei Sei's brow furrowed slightly. "Trial? For what reason am I on trial?"
The Mountain King began to speak, the narrative flowing like a river of ancient sorrow. "Five hundred years ago, Boku Kou shared an extended relationship of friendship with the mountain people. We thought this was a way forward for our race, a chance to integrate into the world. But when Boku Kou died, everything changed. Your people... the people of Qin... they betrayed us. They turned on us with a hatred we could not fathom. They burnt down our homes and villages, they hunted us, they killed us, and they chased us back to these mountains. We were forced back into hiding, into a life of shadows." The King's masked gaze seemed to bore into Ei Sei. "We believe your head, shed here, will appease the mountain gods for the centuries of bloodshed."
When given the chance to speak, Ei Sei accepted the verdict with a stoic nod. "I accept. I apologize for the crimes my kingdom has committed against your people." He paused, his gaze resolute. "However, I do not believe this alone is enough reason for my execution." His voice grew firmer. "Over four hundred years have passed since Boku Kou passed away. And no war, no great idea, has ever been fought for without casualties. There is always suffering on both sides."
The Mountain King's head tilted. "Do you think our ancestors were naive, then? That their suffering was merely a 'casualty'?" The wolves snarled louder.
"I didn't mean that," Ei Sei quickly clarified, his eyes earnest. "But losing my head over the hatred between our races now... it is not worth it. It solves nothing." The King's masked face seemed to tighten. "You speak of a grudge. Know this, Ei Sei: if I wanted to, I could rally every clan in these mountains, and together, we could wipe Qin from the map. Turn your entire plains into a sea of blood and fire."
"And then what?" Ei Sei countered, his voice resonating with an inner strength. "Would your ancestors truly be avenged by more death? There is something more than revenge, something greater that can be achieved."
Sensing Ei Sei's resolute demeanor, a flicker of interest seemed to cross the King's face. The King ordered men to a different part of the cavern. Soon after, they returned, herding Alex, Kaelen, Shin, Heki, and Ka Ryo Ten, all of whom were now trapped, arms and heads confined by heavy wooden pillories. Ka Ryo Ten was whimpering, fear in her eyes. Ei Sei's gaze sharpened. "Why are they here?" he demanded.
The King did not answer immediately. Instead, the King ordered a warrior to strike Ka Ryo Ten. The warrior drew his sword, its blade glinting as it descended, aimed directly at Ka Ryo Ten's neck.
"STOP!" Ei Sei's voice rang out, sharp and clear. The warrior froze, his sword mere inches from Ka Ryo Ten's skin. Ei Sei stared directly at the King, his eyes burning with conviction. "Instead of using the sword to kill the people you hate, you should do the opposite. You should use it to make a path so that people may live." His words were a beacon of pure idealism. "I want eternal peace. I want to remove all the borders and become King of a unified China. I am willing to fight for this. That is why I sought out the mountain king—to achieve this goal."
Ei Sei's audacious claim to unify all of China shocked Shin, Heki, and Ka Ryo Ten. Even in their confined state, their eyes widened in disbelief. Heki, still locked in the pillory, began to explain, his voice strained. "Your Majesty, no dynasty has ever managed to accomplish that in over five hundred years! It would entail endless war, endless bloodshed!"
Shin, equally astonished, added, "It's an impossible dream!"
Ei Sei's bold declaration caused Yo Tan Wa, the Mountain King, to pause, her mind replaying ancient conversations. She recalled questioning the elders about why they had yet to invade Qin, given the long-standing grudge. The elders, set in their ways, would always explain that "the time is not right." Yo Tan Wa would then suggest that if the time was never right for conquest, then perhaps they should seek peace. The elders would scoff at the idea, expecting Yo Tan Wa to avenge their ancestors, to forever cling to the old hatreds. But Yo Tan Wa had always seen beyond the walls of their mountain kingdom. She knew that while they lived and fortified their walls in the mountains, the world was becoming smaller and smaller for the mountain people. Yo Tan Wa wanted to broaden the mountain people's world, to provide wider horizons, whether that be through peace or through conquest.
The same elders, now standing watch over the trial, began to protest once more. "Your Majesty!" one cried, his voice raspy with age and anger. "Allow us to execute Ei Sei and his companions! Their blood will cleanse the stain!" He then vividly described what they wished to do to Ei Sei.
"Enough!" Alex's voice suddenly cut through the air, sharp and clear despite the pillory around his neck. "You speak of grudges as if they are the only truth!" He strained against the wood, challenging them. A mountain warrior, angered by his audacity, leaped forward, a sword raised to strike. Seeing Alex make a move, Kaelen was ready to spring into action as well, his massive muscles tensing.
With a surge of almost inhuman brute force, Alex and Kaelen managed to get free from their bonds simultaneously. Alex, surprisingly agile, used his momentum to shatter the wooden pillory. Kaelen, roaring, simply ripped his apart. At the same moment, Shin, propelled by a burst of instinct and a memory of Hyou's teachings, somehow managed to contort himself free from his own restraints. He launched into a counterattack against the warrior who had leapt at Alex, his body a blur of motion. "Told you!" Shin yelled, a wild grin on his face. "Hyou taught me how to untie ropes and escape these things!"
As they stood, bruised but free, surrounded by a ring of shocked mountain warriors, Yo Tan Wa let out a deep, resonant laugh. "Impressive, plains dweller," she boomed, her voice carrying across the cavern. "Now, Alex... you who call our grudge an illusion... how do you propose to resolve this situation?"
"Your grudge is an illusion," Alex retorted, his eyes burning with conviction. "It's a shadow of the past, preventing you from seizing the future. You stand in the greatest city built into these mountains, yet you fear the world beyond. Your ancestors sought peace and suffered for it. But you, King of the Mountains, can choose a different path. You can make their dream a reality. You can broaden the mountain people's world, not with a grudge, but with purpose. Help Ei Sei reclaim his throne, and together, you can forge a new world. A world where this ancient hatred dies, and your people can truly thrive, not just survive hidden in these peaks."
The elder continued to protest, sputtering about their ancestors and the betrayal.
After Alex's bold address, Ei Sei stepped forward, his gaze firm on Yo Tan Wa. "I offer to revive the alliance created by Boku Kou. An alliance not born of desperation, but of shared vision for a unified Qin, where both our peoples can prosper as equals."
Before the Mountain King accepted, Yo Tan Wa had one final question. "Ei Sei," she stated, her voice deep, "are you willing to side with savages who could very well turn your palace into a sea of blood?"
"That," Ei Sei responded without hesitation, his eyes reflecting a chilling resolve, "was exactly how my throne was taken. And I will take it back in the very same way."
At his words, Yo Tan Wa reached up, her fingers moving to the ornate mask covering her face. With a deliberate motion, she removed it, revealing the Mountain King to be a woman. Her face was striking, noble, and bore the faint scars of countless battles. The elders recoiled in shock, their protests rising to a frantic crescendo, shouting about the ancient grudges.
But Yo Tan Wa silenced them with a single, powerful glare. "Enough!" she roared, her voice echoing through the cavern. "I, Yo Tan Wa, and Ei Sei, King of Qin, have forged an alliance!" She turned to her warriors, her voice ringing with authority. "Raise the troops from every mountain! Prepare for battle! Our destination: Kanyou, the capital city of Qin!"