Dream On, My Peony Flower... Located somewhat in between the north and the south, Hefei was stage for the interaction of many folk, by the means of deals, travels, or war. The divided city had its secrets, its beauties, its tensions. It was attractive and full of possibilities, but had its dangers. It was only to call Hefei "the heart" of The Land. And Xu Lien loved it. Joyful and passionate, her beauty would hardly find match in the whole Land - some would say she was as delicate as the porcelain her rich father negotiated at the city's marketplace. And there, where travelers would come and go after profit or enlightment, she would spend much of her time, sometimes interested on the tales travelers would share with her while enchanted by her narrowed almond eyes. The porcelain doll's most sincere thoughts were restricted to her own poems and writings, however. These were vastly inspired by the reports she collected, and rarely shown to someone else. Those interested in more than just her literary aspirations would be ultimately heartbroken; "I'm only interested in your stories", she would say eventually. It was on a tranquil afternoon, lost on her thoughts while sitting by peony flowers, that Xu Lien saw Fong for the first time. His humble clothes were battered like those of many travelers from distant territories that crossed Hefei. There was something on the way he walked; firmly, yet gracious, his slender silhouette walked into the town, a rag bag hanging loosely from his back. He tipped the straw hat to the girl, was replied with an innocent nodding, and followed his way to the marketplace. Alone again, she smiles. *** Night fell over the city, and at her bedroom, the young lady remembered the stranger's smile. Her thoughts were interrupted by noises from outside. The fresh night air kissed her face and shoulders as she leaned by the window looking into the darkened streets. At distance, she saw Fong, practicing a deadly choreography with only his shadow: repeatedly, he would move a few steps, and then a series of fast attacks would follow. Where did he learn that curious art? What inspired those swift sequences, flowing like his breath into the night? She needed to know! Eventually he stopped in position for a long time, the moonlight reflected on his sweating arms. With the impression he would notice her any moment, Xu Lien shuts her window. Decided to approach the wanderer tomorrow, she goes to sleep, dreaming of an acrobatic shadow dance. *** No one could avoid noticing Xu Lien as she walked by the market square the morning next. With a pink peony flower decorating her black hair, Xu Lien had a beautiful troubled expression. "I didn't see him today", said the herbs vendor. "Ah, Fong! He went to talk with some guards", informed the inn lady. "Oh, that stranger recovered my stolen goods! A humble man with a noble soul, Fong is", said the town's soldier. "Just bought a bottle of sake this morning", told the tavern maid, "before hitting the road. Did he had something of yours?" By the sunset, the bridge guard confirmed - Fong, the vagabond, was gone. Frustrated, Xu Lien went to the gardens, the place where she first saw him, and removed the peony flower from her hair. She considered writing, thinking of a story about a story that would never be told to her. About knowing someone. About romance. She sketched a few ideas on the rice paper sheet and the hours passed, the sun died, and there, leaning against a tree, Xu Lien fell asleep. Swift noises, someone approaching, a shadow cast over. Lazily, her eyes opened, slowly focusing the figure in front of her, tall, slender, with a straw hat. It was him. "Are these flowers in bloom already?" He laughed. Graciously, she adjusted her hair. "I thought you were gone from Hefei, yes?" "I am", he replied. "But I noticed you are writing, and I'm curious. What's it about? Just out of sleep, she didn't considered resisting, and told him. "About a girl, who dreams a lover." He crouched, getting to her eyes level, intrigued. "She realizes it was a dream, when she wakes up, and it hurts her, so she wastes away… and dies." Both agreed it was beautiful, but the vagabond asked what came next. Xu Lien explained that it ended on her death. Fong proposed that the lover should actually exist, and bring her back to life. She chuckled, politely protesting that it made no sense. Fong approached her and softly placed a kiss to her lips. "Love doesn't need to make sense", he pointed. Embraced, they spent the night together until Xu Lien fell asleep again, comfortably under his arm, head resting near to his heart. *** The sun announced the start of a beautiful day, and slowly, Xu Lien wakes up, happy, confortably against the tree. She remembered. She blinks, looks left and right. Gone. Intrigued, Xu Lien realizes the flower is back on her hair, and reaches the thin paper she had with her before that night. An unknown calligraphy inked a message on the paper. "Is love real, or do we dream of it?" Alone again, she smiles.