Colour Amidst the Grey

     Even on the other side of the world, the encroaching Grey Curse cast a pall over Shenkuu.

     The muted morale was further compounded by the absence of the revered Emperor, who was attending an emergency council in Altador. Crown Princess Lunara was troubled over how to lift the people's spirits and asked various officials for advice. Eyebrows were raised, however, when she announced her intention to consult Imperial Astrologer Yueling; there was a famous joke at court that the Princess kept the keeper of the Shenkuu Lunar Temple at a distance that sought to rival that of Kreludor's from Neopia.

     The post of Imperial Astrologer demanded of its holder to not only maintain the official lunar calendar, but to also serve as lore-keeper and diviner. The incumbent, Master Yueling, was particularly well-regarded for his scholarly learning and divination skills. So when he divined at the Crown Princess's birth that she would encounter a great misfortune within the first twenty-five years of her life, her overprotective father reacted by effectively imprisoning her within the palace walls. Despite now being in her thirties and free to venture outside, Princess Lunara had never fully forgiven Master Yueling for the loneliness she had suffered throughout her youth.

     It was a credit to Lunara's royal training that there was no hint of her true emotions on her schooled countenance when Master Yueling received her in his private study. The room was empty save for the two of them, at the Princess's request. Master Yueling personally poured his distinguished guest a cup of his finest black tea.

     "Please forgive my inadequacies as a host," the old Gnorbu said as he set down the teapot. "Rarely have these humble walls been graced by such an august a presence as yours. To what do I owe the honour of this visit?"

     Princess Lunara reached for the lapis amulet around her neck and lifted it up to eye level. "What can you tell me about this amulet?"

     The amulet in question was one believed to be the Princess's favourite, for she always wore it. None of her personal attendants knew where it came from, but neither were they particularly curious. Lunara was heir to the throne of Shenkuu; what could be more natural than for her to own countless pieces of priceless jewelry?

     But the Imperial Astrologer did not answer with either professed ignorance or generic observation. He answered, "It is a magical artifact called the Wind Ear Amulet. It is named such because through it, its chosen bearer can hear faraway conversations as if the wind itself carried the words to their ear." The Princess's face remained a perfect mask; only the tightening of her grip around the amulet betrayed her inner disquiet. Master Yueling, seemingly oblivious, continued, "It first belonged to Empress Taizu, the founding ruler of the current dynasty. Apart from her, only two of her descendants have ever been acknowledged by the amulet as a rightful bearer, and none in the last 500 years... until now."

     Silence reigned. Lunara blew slowly on her tea, buying time to debate whether she should feel relief or chagrin that her companion was privy to the secret of her amulet's power. "The readiness of your response astounds. Did you divine beforehand the question I would ask of you?" The last sentence was threaded with sarcasm, like a needle wrapped in silk. "Or, like my younger sister recently confessed to me, it is because you are this amulet's true provenance."

     Yueling proffered a gentle smile. "Technically, its provenance is an antique box I found tucked away in a hidden compartment within the temple. Records I further unearthed in the archives revealed that a past emperor had entrusted it to one of my predecessors. I hoped that it might be of use to you, and so asked your imperial sister to gift it in my stead."

     "I would not use 'gift' to describe the manner in which either of you decided to present it," Lunara remarked dryly. "You used my sister as a proxy because you were too afraid of rejection to offer it yourself, while she thought it would be fun to stash it in a secret passageway and lure me hither during a game." She fixed a penetrating gaze upon the lunar official. "You implied that most of my forebears failed to be chosen by the amulet as its bearer. How did you know that I would succeed? Did you perhaps—" sarcasm slipped into her voice "—called upon your divine powers of divination?"

     The wise Gnorbu's mien was still kind, still patient. "In sooth, I was not certain of your success. Even a diviner as lauded as my unworthy self cannot presume to coax the cosmos to surrender all of its secrets—"

     "I am glad you are aware of that much," Lunara interjected coolly. "Maybe you are also just as aware of the misery I endured as a child because of you."

     Yueling regarded her sadly. "Yes, I am," he said. "More than you imagine." He raised a hand to forestall the Cybunny's scepticism. "Please, if you would allow me to say my piece:

     "Nothing is publicly known about my family background. There are some who believe that a desire to impart an aura of mystery led me to deliberately obscure my origins, but the simple truth is: I have none. I was born an orphan who did not know my parents' names or even where I came from. The previous Imperial Astrologer, bless his kind soul, took me in and raised me as his successor. But he was also very strict with my upbringing, and I was not permitted to have any friends or even hobbies beyond studying classical texts and tracking the movement of celestial bodies.

     "Decades have passed since the dreary days of my youth, but I never forgot that time of my life. That was why it broke my heart when I heard about how you, as a young girl, were being brought up in a similarly suffocating environment. Not to mention, guilt gnawed at me for being the root cause of your captivity. I tried to reason with your revered father to ease your restrictions, but you can guess how effective that was. In the end, the only thing this useless Gnorbu could do was beg a favour from one of the younger princesses to place in your hands a long-forgotten heirloom that just might accept you as its current owner and hopefully bring some cheer into the monotony of palace life." Yueling tried to chuckle; the sound that came out was too choked for that. "In hindsight, my actions seem quite l-laughable, do they not?"

     Lunara abruptly stood and walked over to a corner of the study where an exquisite painting hung. She proceeded to become inordinately absorbed in examining it. Yueling in turn was zealously focused on savouring his tea, the hands holding his cup coming so close to his face that they brushed against it.

     A tacit understanding fell over the two occupants of the room.

     Half an hour later, when both host and guest had regained immaculate composure, Lunara returned to her seat. She stroked the blue stone on her amulet and prefaced, "Yesterday, I overheard a concerning conversation through this amulet."

     Yueling set down his empty teacup and remarked facetiously, "Concerning enough to trek up the mountains to visit an old hermit in his hut?"

     One corner of the Princess's lips lifted slightly. "Yes, that concerning, and that which concerns you as well. It was an exchange between two people, one male and one female. I first heard the male voice say, 'What power that Grey Painter must wield, to paint entire worlds with a single stroke of his brush! Surely his feats will go down in the annals of history!'

     "Then the female voice replied, 'Which is why we must strive for equal greatness!'

     "Then they both cried, 'Off to the Lunar Temple we go!'

     "That was the extent of what the amulet relayed to me."

     Deep grooves furrowed Master Yueling's forehead even before Lunara had concluded her narrative. "One way to interpret that conversation is that presumed emulators of the Grey Painter are targeting the Lunar Temple. But how can we be sure that it is the right interpretation?"

     The Princess folded her hands demurely in her lap. "I profess I have no answer to that. I was hoping you might be able to divine one." Unlike the previous times when she referenced his skills of divination, her tone was friendly. "Or at least recall if any suspicious strangers had been seen skulking around the temple of late."

     From the direction of the window came a protest of, "We weren't skulking!"

     Yueling leapt up with surprising agility for his age and immediately shielded Lunara. "Who goes there? Show yourselves!"

     There was an unmistakable scrambling and shuffling along the eaves. Several seconds later, two fluffy Juma dropped into the room.

     Yueling was taken aback. Meanwhile, Lunara stared at the cute critters as if she had just seen a spectre, or at least seen something that was out of the ordinary.

     "...Master Yueling," the Cybunny managed with difficulty, "as the foremost lorekeeper of Shenkuu, can you enlighten me as to whether or not the stories of nine-tailed Juma hold any truth?"

     "Are you referring to the folk tale that if a Juma manages to live to one thousand years of age, it will acquire eight additional tails as well as the ability to speak and use magic? Such transcendental creatures do exist, but they are exceedingly rare—" Catching on to why Lunara had posed such a question, Yueling swivelled his attention back to the furry intruders. To his eyes, they had but one tail each. He recalled that nine-tailed Juma were notorious for their illusory powers. But if these were indeed magical Petpets in disguise, how was Lunara able to see through their spell?

     The Juma were staring at the Princess just as intently as she was them. The one on the left opened its mouth and asked, "Are you a descendant of the imperial bloodline?"

     Lunara quickly overcame the shock of hearing the Juma vocalize. She brought her hands together and inclined her head the proper degree for an heir apparent to show courtesy. "That I am. I am called Lunara, eldest daughter to the Emperor. Who do I have the honour of making the acquaintance of?"

     The Juma who had just spoken — female, by the sound of her voice — replied, "I am Xin, and this is my twin brother Nian." She approached Lunara and peered up at the Cybunny. After a while, Xin commented nostalgically, "You look just like your revered ancestress, the Empress Taizu. You even bear her favourite amulet."

     Lunara instinctively rubbed Xin's ears, the way she did with her own Kazeriu. "You knew the progenitor of my family line?"

     "We remain forever her loyal Petpets!" the two Juma declared proudly. Lunara felt strong emotion well up inside her chest at their sincerity.

     Xin began, "She cherished us dearly—"

     Nian continued, "—we returned her affection with devotion—"

     "—after her passing, we retreated deep into the mountains—"

     "—successfully obtained nine tails—"

     "—and, sensing that our homeland was in peril, have emerged from seclusion!"

     Their voices joined in a twin lament. "Everyone's been so down because of that Grey Painter!"

     "But fret not, Your Highness!" Nian exclaimed grandly. "My sister and I are devising a spell which, once manifested, should be able to counter the effects of the Grey Curse!"

     "That would prove most invaluable! How far along are you with the spell?"

     Nian's confidence deflated like a balloon. "Well, we might have encountered a few setbacks—"

     Xin patted her brother encouragingly. "—which is why we came to the Lunar Temple, the greatest repository of esoteric knowledge in the empire, to request permission to access its library!" The twins gazed up beseechingly at Yueling.

     The Gnorbu glanced at Lunara, who nodded her assent. He bent down to address the Juma. "Allow me to formally introduce myself: I am Master Yueling, Imperial Astrologer and keeper of the Shenkuu Lunar Temple. My students and I have been hard at work scouring for information pertinent to overcoming the Grey Curse; you would be more than welcome to join us."

     It was soon settled that Xin and Nian would be admitted into the Lunar Temple as interim researchers. Lunara also extended an invitation to them to visit her in the palace any time they wished, an invitation which the Petpets happily accepted.

     The Lunar Festival was in full swing. The imperial court had spared no expense to ensure that, if but for a little while, citizens could cast aside their worries and celebrate whole-heartedly. Red lanterns of various shapes and sizes lined the streets, their paper sides stroked with elegant calligraphy that bid prosperity and good fortune to all. The air rang alive with the clanging rhythm of cymbals and drums, accompaniment to the Noil dancers prancing and leaping with acrobatic flair. At night, the skies lit up with wondrous fireworks, so wondrous that some members of the audience swore that they must be magic.

     From the seat of honour at the traditional New Year banquet, Princess Lunara observed the jubilant atmosphere with a rare joyful smile. Around her shoulders flitted her beloved Kazeriu, and in her lap snuggled two adorable but ordinary-looking Juma. On Lunara's right lounged one of the younger princesses, which was perfectly usual and expected. But many attendees were shocked to see that directly to the Princess's left sat the Imperial Astrologer who she had longed disdained. Bets were placed as to whether the seating arrangement had been accidental or intentional. As the banquet progressed, the attendees gradually realized that the Princess had indeed genuinely made peace with Master Yueling.

     Surely, everyone thought, this reconciliation was a good omen for the future. As one, the people looked to the year ahead with renewed hope and optimism.

     The End