The group arriving at the prison consisted of Constable Liú, Féng Wěi, Féng Wěi’s servant Péi, Mîn Jíng’s maidservant Sī, Jié Qiáng and his men.

 Jié Qiáng paid special attention to the item Sī had been ordered to retrieve from her mistress’ room. Féng Wěi had insisted it be brought with them to retrieve the princess. A light blue silk cloth was draped over it, so Jié Qiáng couldn’t see what was inside.

 They hurried in through the large guarded doors and continued down the corridor of the prison among the angry gazes of prison guards. Jié Qiáng was certain his presence was unwelcome, but was it because he was the enemy prince or because he was taking their princess away, as the constable had stated?

 As they neared a row of prison cells, he noticed one guard’s fierce gaze and distinctly heard him mutter something under his breath. He stopped and continued to look straight ahead for a moment before turning to speak to the disrespectful sentry.

 “Is there something you’d like to say to me?” he asked.

 His tone was calm but loosely masked an underlying dare to cross the line. Alliance or not, he wouldn’t be insulted by anyone in this kingdom.

 The guard grew nervous. If this foreign prince didn’t punish him, his commander and the king would.

 “Forgive my rudeness,” he replied with a deep bow.

 Jié Qiáng relaxed his posture.

 “I understand tensions are high for everyone at this time,” he told him. “I’m here for an alliance, not to make relations worse.”

 Constable Liú stepped up and glared at his foolhardy officer.

 “Explain yourself,” he ordered, “or you’ll be disciplined right here.”

 The officer bowed again and replied to Jié Qiáng, “Your highness, Princess Mîn is a strong, sweet girl, yet we’ve listened to her cry all morning. She’s like a little sister to us. That may sound impudent to you, but her brother is here to tell you it’s the way she wants us to receive her. She’s like a daughter and a niece to others. We would give our lives to defend her and take her place in any dangerous situation.

 Everyone has been hurt. There’s been no time to accept it. No one knew you’d be here, not even her. She only found out about the marriage this morning.

 I hope you can forgive my insubordination, your highness.”

 He bowed once more as the prince considered his words carefully.

 Looking toward her brother, Jié Qiáng asked, “She was only told today that she’s getting married?”

 This news made him angry. He understood her behavior. He couldn’t blame her for reacting so rashly.

 “Why?” he demanded to know.

 Féng Wěi took note of the concern in Jié Qiáng’s voice and added it to his list of reasons to feel at ease about his sister’s predicament. It was common for a man to care little about the feelings of a woman ordered to marry him for an alliance, but this wasn’t the situation with the prince. Being concerned that his bride was confused and upset was definitely a step in the right direction of earning Féng Wěi’s trust.

 “My father was worried she would run away,” Féng Wěi explained, “and with the help of my younger brother. I was the only one who knew. She cares about her people too much to jeopardize this alliance, but sometimes, she overthinks things and acts before considering the consequences. Once she’s married, I give you my word that she will honor her position and behave accordingly.”

 Jié Qiáng sighed deeply at her brother’s promise. In truth, he hadn’t really thought about how she would behave as his wife. She would stay in her own manor on the opposite side of his palace, and the two would never have to meet again after the ceremony. If she ran away, it would be her blame, not his.

 His thoughts on the marriage aside, he still recognized she was a person with feelings and the right to know what was being decided for her. Waiting until the last minute to give her this life-changing news was thoughtless, and he pitied her.

 Jié Qiáng nodded his reluctant acceptance of the explanation and turned in the direction they had been walking once more.

 “Shall we?” he motioned to the constable with an outstretched arm.

 “This way,” Constable Liú directed and hurried them along down the corridor to her temporary cell.

 As they approached the cell the constable arranged for her, Jié Qiáng could see the form of a girl in a pale blue robe asleep on a pile of blankets atop a pile of hay. He saw that the constable was telling the truth about keeping her separate from the prisoners. None of the nearby cells contained another person. Outside of the door to her cell was the guard the constable had mentioned.

 Constable Liú dismissed the guard and opened the door for her brother to enter.

 Instead of entering right away, Féng Wěi motioned for Sī to bring him the covered box. Jié Qiáng watched closely as her brother removed the cover and opened up a little door at the top. When he pulled out a small white rabbit, Jié Qiáng looked at him in question.

 “Her pet,” Féng Wěi answered. “She never would have left this little rabbit behind, so we knew she hadn’t gone far. It’s the only thing that has calmed her these last few years when she’s upset.”

 Féng Wěi stepped inside the cell and bent down to release the rabbit. Instinctively, the animal sniffed the air and hopped its way to her mistress.

 Jié Qiáng watched as the rabbit went directly to the beautiful girl’s arm resting at her side. He wondered what her brother meant about her being upset for so long. He knew her mother had died when she was younger, but after five years, why would she suddenly be depressed over it? It had to be something else.

 He took another deep breath. He was feeling pity again but still nothing close to a change of heart or mind about the marriage. He wouldn’t allow anyone to take the place of the girl he would never stop seeking.

 Mîn Jíng felt familiar paws as the rabbit clamored over her arm to reach her face. She smiled when the whiskers tickled her nose and turned to her side to pull the rabbit against her chest. She remembered as she hugged it close that she hadn’t brought it with her to the prison. Her eyes opened quickly to search the room.

 As soon as she saw Féng Wěi resting on one knee in the cell with her, she hurried to sit up. She crossed her legs beneath the skirts of her layered robes and pulled the rabbit onto her lap. Tears welled up as she focused more on the rabbit than her brother.

 “Princess Mîn, please forgive me,” she heard Constable Liú say from just outside the door. She looked up at him as he bowed and continued. “I didn’t want to betray you, but had I kept this from the king…”

 “You did nothing wrong,” she interrupted in a soft voice, still weak from crying. “I shouldn’t have put you in that position. I hope you can forgive me.”

 Jié Qiáng was impressed. Everyone's praise of her began to ring true. 

 Constable Liú bowed once more before returning to his post at the front of the prison, leaving the royals to tend to their family matters in private.

 Féng Wěi watched as she ignored him and continued petting the rabbit.

 Sure she wouldn’t be the one to speak first, he began, “Mîn, why…”

 “Where is Yǒng?” she asked, ignoring him. “Why is it you?”

 She was still angry. Discovering he knew for so long without telling her broke her heart.

 Féng Wěi smiled. “Do you think Father would have sent your co-conspirator to bring you home?”

 “Of course not,” she replied. “He would rather send the traitor.”

 She glared up into his saddened eyes and didn’t like the hurt her words had caused.

 Féng Wěi bent his head and gave it a slight shake.

 “You know why Father kept this from you,” he said.

 She looked at him again and replied, “He still doesn’t trust me. It’s been two years and he still treats me like I’m an impetuous child.”

 Her brother cleared his throat and looked around the cell at her situation.

 She rolled her eyes and replied to his facetious, unspoken suggestion defensively. “I needed to be alone.”

 She started silently crying, unable to hold it back.

 “Why here?” he asked, his patient tone still devoid of anger.

 She sniffed as the tears continued to fall.

 “When I returned to my room after leaving Father’s study, servants were already packing my things,” she sobbed. “It hurt and I couldn’t stay. I tried to find another place to be alone, but everyone was sad and saying words of farewell and crying,” she continued.

 She started crying harder and pulled her rabbit to her neck to rest her face against its soothing fur. “I had to get away. I was sad and afraid and I felt like I was hurting everyone.”

 Jié Qiáng could feel his throat tighten as her crying had an unexpected effect on him. He didn’t know why, but her voice did something to his heart. He almost went in to comfort her. He continued to listen in silence, learning from her words and demeanor the kind of person who would become his unwanted wife.

 Féng Wěi leaned forward and patted her knee in brotherly concern.

 “You’ve always been a strong girl,” he told her. “You’ve always considered others, and you did so this morning when you agreed to this marriage for the sake of both kingdoms. I knew you hadn’t run away, but I didn’t understand why you disappeared after expressing your concern for the people.”

 He took a deep breath for a moment to consider her frame of mind. “Are you afraid of what will happen to you?”

 She shook her head with new tears falling and replied.

 “No,” she sniffed. “I know how important this alliance is to everyone, especially the soldiers and their families. I don’t care how they treat me there. Emotions and mistrust can be changed. As long as I can help with this peace, I’ll do it.”

 She paused as she thought of being completely honest.

 “It’s something more,” she cried and she held the rabbit even closer.

 Jié Qiáng looked over at his guard as she spoke about how she would be treated in his kingdom. He felt guilt over his plan to treat her as nothing more than a game piece. He knew he didn’t have to let her into his heart to be considerate of her sacrifice.

 “What else could…?” Féng Wěi inhaled sharply as he realized what she was insinuating. He sighed and rubbed his head in frustration. “Mîn, you can’t do this anymore,” he told her with a mixed tone of aggravation and sympathy.

 “You don’t understand,” Mîn Jíng cried loudly.

 Her brother grabbed her arms firmly and shook her until she looked up at him.

 “You have to stop this, Mîn!” he ordered, and the men in the corridor became concerned and confused. “It’s only a fairy tale. You’ve created so many. Why are you obsessed with this one?”

 “It isn’t only a fairy tale,” she argued. “You don’t understand!”

 “Mîn! It’s a character you made up,” he argued back.

 He was becoming angry at what he always believed was a lonely delusion. He had forgotten about her betrothed nearby as he tried to wake her from her fantasy.

 “There is no black butterfly!” he insisted. “He isn’t coming for you, and you can’t keep waiting for a dream!”

 Mîn Jíng pushed him away forcefully and cried all the harder into her hands. She never told anyone about that night. She was afraid her father and brothers would be disappointed in her more than they had been. She was afraid her father would punish her more severely, especially if he knew about the kiss. She allowed them to believe she was only consumed with her own imagination.

 As she was crying, Jié Qiáng was struggling to understand the words he’d just heard. He stepped into the cell and looked at her brother for an explanation.

 It was at that moment Féng Wěi remembered their guests. He began to panic over the consequences of revealing that his sister suffered from delusions.

 “My sister is a story teller,” he told him as he stood. “For the last two years, she has fallen in love with one of her stories. It was one of our mother’s favorite about a butterfly and a crane. She’s dreamed about it and has convinced herself there is a real man behind the butterfly character she created. Since Father promised our mother he would never make her marry anyone she didn’t love, she was allowed to believe such fantasies could exist.”

 Féng Wěi seemed oblivious to Jié Qiáng’s reaction as he stared in shock at Mîn Jíng. “I hope you can give her time to face reality and adjust to what she’s endured today.”

 By the time Féng Wěi stopped talking, Jié Qiáng was standing between him and Mîn Jíng. As her brother spoke, Jié Qiáng started recalling everything from that festival night. He compared it to everything he had learned about her since the alliance was arranged.

 No matter how many parallels he was able to draw, nothing stood out like the fairy tale. His little crane wrote it and shared it with him. He made her a promise to find her and told her to wait for him.

 “He isn’t coming for you, and you can’t keep waiting for a dream!” Her brother’s words echoed in his mind.

 To the confusion and surprise of everyone but his guard, Jié Qiáng fell to his knees in front of her and gently held her face in his hands.

 “Why are you sad, sweet girl?” he asked as he had that night on the swing. “I told you I would find you and marry you.”

 Féng Wěi stared in bewilderment and worried what the prince was doing. Was he going along with the delusion to calm her? If so, he didn’t feel it was a good idea. He was about to pull him away, but Yáng Ning stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

 “I wouldn’t,” Yáng Ning said as he looked on in awe. “He’s been waiting too long and fighting too hard for this moment. He found his little crane.”

 The night they met her, the prince told him and his brother the story behind the masks. As soon as he heard the princess’ brother speak of it, he looked quickly at his prince to find he had the same awestruck expression.

 Mîn Jíng stared up into her betrothed’s teary eyes.

 “Impossible,” she whispered, refusing to allow her broken heart to believe a lie just to feel better.

 Jié Qiáng gave her a big smile and blinked back tears threatening to fall.

 He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “I still have the butterfly mask.”

 She pushed him away in shock and clasped her hands over her mouth to muffle a loud gasp. She stared at his lips and remembered them so vividly. She pulled him closer to smell the scent she would recognize and found that it covered him from his hair down to his robes. She looked down and even the sword was what she had remembered every day they had been apart.

 Without another moment of hesitation, she threw her arms around his neck and began to cry in relief and happiness.

 “It’s really you,” she cried with her chin rested on his shoulder.

 He held her tightly and caressed her back.

 “Shhh…” he soothed, “I’m here. I’ll never leave you again.”