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She smiled as she took Shiba's hand, accepting her guard's assistance in stepping into her carriage. A chain of wagons were lined up behind it, filled with goods as befitting the princess of the Uyghur as she left to make her residence among the Han. It was more than enough to ensure that she would live in comfort for the rest of her life: she'd tried to talk the Elteber out of it, but he'd insisted that she arrive with great circumstance so as not to be looked down on by the cityfolk. His vanity was laughable as always, but at least this time, she would accept his consideration. After all, it was unlikely that they'd ever see each other again.

As she took her seat, waiting for Shiba to settle in across for her, she leaned out the window slightly, gazing out at her uncle and her grandmother, dressed in their best finery. The old woman had been the hardest to convince, faced with the prospect of losing the granddaughter she had only just discovered after losing her daughter so long ago. But she wore a strong face now, her grief only present in her eyes as she stepped forward to cup Changge's face between her hands.

"If you are ever unhappy, Lili, you need only send word. Then your uncle will swoop down from these upper reaches to bring you home, we promise."

"I know, Grandmother. But you don't need to worry: I will miss all of you, but there is much to keep me occupied in Tang," she reassured the older woman. She didn't doubt that if she were to send such a letter, the Elteber would rally his troops to march on Chang An… and be utterly annihilated. Here, distant from the empire, they weren't likely to be seriously troubled, but it was a different story altogether if they were seen as a threat.

As the final checks were made, she also exchanged a few words with her uncle, still leaning out the window as they got underway. Only when she could no longer see their faces did she duck back into the carriage, her own expression falling into resigned neutrality.

"Mistress—"

"Will you stay with me, Shiba? As long as you are able?"

"Of course."

Changge nodded, lowering the window blinds before leaning back against her seat. She'd never doubted it, and while she ought to be fairly safe from any unexpected accidents, having Shiba at hand was still reassuring. Li Shimin had no reason to dismiss her personal guard in her position as an envoy, and between the two of them, they could probably keep her alive… until her illness claimed her.

That thought sent her memories back to her last conversation with Ah Sun. It was so strange, how much both of their lives had changed since the moment they'd met. But while he was moving forward, she was returning to her past…

She wished that she'd had the chance to speak to him one last time. But he wouldn't have understood. Besides, he had enough to deal with in taking his people out of Uyghur territory and establishing a new home for them. She'd done what she could to help him before she left, but all she could do now was hope that he could manage to get away without catching her uncle's attention.

But there was nothing to say now, so they rolled along in silence, each moment bringing her closer to her old prison. Maybe she ought to ask if they could lend her a horse: as improper as it was, it would be better than sitting in this stifling carriage. One last chance to enjoy her freedom before she accepted her shackles.

Before she could ask Shiba to convey her request, though, the carriage jolted to a stop, the distant sound of shouting and clashing metal carrying down the line.

"The Turks!"

They were already moving, Shiba throwing the door of the carriage open and drawing her sword as she alighted, Changge trailing closely behind her. Her fingers itched for a weapon of her own, but that, too, was something no longer permitted to her, and they hadn’t expected trouble on the return trip. Had Jieli Khan come back so soon, or were these stragglers from the army, looking for easy pickings?

A few riders had already broken through the front line defenses, riding down on them as Shiba set herself into a defensive position and Changge stepped back to give her space to maneuver, keeping her own back to the carriage to watch for attacks from her guard’s blind spot. Still, she saw the flash of a sword as it cut down the driver, who cried out—as well as an unexpected moment of hesitation from Shiba. But that was all it took for the other woman to be slammed into, throwing her back before the rider closed the distance between them and grabbed Changge, hoisting her over his saddle in one smooth motion without even breaking the horse’s stride.

“Let me go!” The saddlehorn dug into her side as she struggled against the restraining hand on her back. But the rider’s voice made her freeze.

“I will ask you now: are you unable or unwilling to come with me?”

She couldn't reply, not with the air being jostled out of her lungs with every stride as they galloped across the plains. But when the sound of fighting behind them had faded, he slowed his horse, dismounting and pulling her to her feet among the tall, windswept grass. Her clothes were rumpled, but she paid no attention to that as she stared at a familiar face, a whirlwind of emotions twisting inside her chest. And as Ah Sun stared back at her in his direct, unwavering fashion, she had to resist the urge to cry.

“I can’t. I have to go. You’ve done a very foolish thing, Ah Sun. Like this, the Uyghur—”

“Why should it affect them? This was an attack by the Turks.”

Changge’s eyes widened. From the outside, it certainly seemed that way: even the guards had believed as much. There shouldn’t be anything to dissuade them of that, either: Ah Sun had refused to accept anything from the Elteber, so all their clothing and weapons were still Turkish. There had been no reason for the envoy or any of his men to see them at camp, either, as their continued existence had been intended to be a secret.

“I told you that I would handle my own situation, and this is the path that I have chosen. You were the one who taught me about it in the first place, so I do not understand why you would have any complaints. Like this, your uncle cannot continue to insist that we fight for him and will have to let us go. And if you do not wish to leave with those men, then you can come with us as a ‘captive of the Turks.’ So I ask you again: are you unable or unwilling?”

The feelings in her chest continued to rise, bubbling out of her in a burst of unrestrained laughter. What sort of fate was this, for her to share a story so much like her mother’s? To accept being sent as tribute for a distant empire, only to be attacked along the way and spirited away by another force?

And yet, should she follow it, their stories would diverge here. It wouldn’t take long for the Elteber to realize who had actually taken her, and they would be able to communicate and visit without Great Tang’s knowledge with the leagues of distance between them. Furthermore, among Ah Sun’s people, she would be granted full freedom as a sworn brother of their leader, respected as the “little strategist” who had saved their lives many times over.

Still, Ah Sun waited in patient silence until her wild mirth had subsided, and Changge looked up at him, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“It is neither, Ah Sun. I will come with you of my own free will, as you have so brilliantly smashed through the obstacles in the way yet again. Let us leave quickly, before any of the Han catch up.”

His face split into a broad smile as he scooped her up, his large hands resting on her waist as he lifted her onto his horse before he settled behind her, taking the reins and kicking them into motion. She could feel the warmth of his body against her back as the grasses yielded before them, stretching toward the distant horizon. It created the illusion that they weren’t moving at all, trapped together in this moment in time atop an emerald sea… but that wouldn’t be all that bad, either. So she sighed as she leaned back against his broad chest, looking up at his face.

“Thank you.”