Sincerely Yours

AN: I'm so sorry for the late update! Basically, I forgot about this story for a while, and so I didn't work on it. Now that I've started school again back in September, I didn't have a lot of time to churn out the ending as quickly as I would have liked. I started writing this chapter before November, but when the month rolled along, I got sucked into the NaNoWriMo process.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed this story, and also who reviewed my other stories. I was looking at the reviews some nights ago, and my heart just swells at the amount of wonderful things you guys have told me. I am really so, so happy that I get to write stories for you, and that you guys give my stories a chance.

And on to the ending!

Ling stuffed the letter beneath his pillow, and he tossed a robe around himself as he headed out. It was still early enough in the morning that it would not be too criminally scandalous to be lounging around in a robe, especially if there was an emergency. And a highly wanted rebel escaping from prison counted as an emergency.

He followed the guard quickly to the prison cells that lined the bowels of the palace. From the illumination of the orange torchlight, he could see a man wringing his hands in front of an empty cell. He probably thought he was going to get executed; he was, after all, supposed to be guarding the prisoners.

"What happened?" Ling asked. He did not have plans to execute anyone, but this was a serious transgression that Ling could not brush under the carpet, lest he lose face and control of his subordinates. That had always been a tricky balance to maintain as an emperor.

"I d-do not know, Your Majesty," the man stammered. He was past his prime, but not so old that he could use age to defend his negligence. "One moment he was there, and the next, he was just gone!"

"You did not hear anything? Did not even hear any tampering on the locks?"

"I... I did not, Your Majesty. As far as I know, the key ring was always around my belt, and the key was also always there. It was almost as if he vanished into thin air!" And with some surprise, Ling watched as the man broke down into tears and bowed way down to the floor, his forehead scraping the stained cement. "I did not notice a thing!"

It could be alkahestry, Ling thought. There were ways, from what he had gathered during his discussions with Mei, that human senses could be warped into misinterpreting reality.

"Alright," Ling said gently. "You will be questioned more about this incident by one of the undersecretaries of the Master of Domestic Affairs." Then he turned to the guard who accompanied him to the dungeon. "Please let General Hoang know that I need to speak to him immediately. Tell him to meet me and the other advisers in the conference room in the Serpent Wing." The guard bowed briskly and went to do as ordered with the efficiency of a seasoned soldier.

Ling's stomach rumbled in protest for breakfast the entire time he traversed the gilded halls of the palace to the Serpent Wing. But the coldness of his fingers and toes made the hunger easy to ignore. He dreaded to hear what the Ng clan representative would say about this. Certainly, he would insist that he'd been right all along to advocate the destruction of the village that had been attacked. Ling did not see how that could possibly make sense, but now that his plans had failed, Ling knew everyone would take the opportunity to point out that their alternatives would have been better.

Before he entered the Serpent Wing conference room, already his head was pounding with the tame beginning of a migraine. The Master of Domestic Affairs was already seated in one of the numerous chairs around the long table. He rose as the Emperor entered, and he bowed deeply. Ling waved for him to sit back down, and they waited as the other members of the council trickled into the room. All of them were in various states of disarray, unprepared for such an early summoning.

Once everyone was seated, Ling gathered his courage to break the scandalous news to the crowd. "I thank you for your punctuality in arriving here. I know it is most unusual. But I regret to inform you that as of this morning, we have received news that Zi Rao, the leader of the badlands rebellion, has escaped from prison."

Ling couldn't even continue. The room exploded in a flurry of outrageous cries and derogatory name-calling that Ling was embarrassed to hear from such distinguished men and women. After a few minutes, he felt that everyone had managed to release their first bouts of tantrum, and tried to regain control.

"I understand that this is unpleasant news, but the priority right now is to solve this problem and prevent even more dire consequences from occurring," he announced. He was met with some approving nods and some accusatory glares. The latter he decided to ignore. "Now, the most likely place he would retreat to is the northern stretches of the badlands, where we suspect there are camps of rebels hiding. And he knows that we know this. So he's probably not going to go there. My biggest bet is that he is still in the city, or somewhere close by. Somewhere so obvious that he thinks we would never search for him there."

Ling rubbed his eyes, trying to quell the burgeoning headache. He turned to his Master of Domestic Affairs and said, "Send some of your underlings to seek out any clues in the palace. And now that it's been mentioned, why don't we split the spies in the palace and the adjacent vicinity? The rest of them we can send to the neighbouring villages. Same goes for our soldiers."

General Hoang nodded his head, confirming the order. "Would you like us to add a bounty to his head, Your Highness?"

Ling looked to the Master of Trade. "How does ten thousand taels sound?"

"Sounds like we can find him within a few days," the older man said.

When everything was set, Ling set out to return to his apartments. He summoned for breakfast, and while he waited, he jumped back to bed with a loud, irritated groan.

"Your Majesty..." a whisper came from beside the bed post, and he was startled to find Lan Fan standing there. Through the slits of her mask, he could see the stark concern reflecting on her eyes. Immediately, he sat up with a little more dignity than he felt. Regretfully, he realized that Lan Fan had shadowed him the entire time to the trip to the dungeons and the conference room, and he had not even noticed.

"Lan Fan! I'm so sorry!" he cried out before he could stop himself.

"It's alright! Please do not apologize. Are you okay?"

Ling almost smiled at this curious breach in her reticence. Perhaps the letters were working. Not only did they manage to bridge a communication gap between them, but maybe they were also helping in encouraging her to break out of her shell. Could it be that...

His thought was interrupted by the coming of his meal, with his mother tailing the servants who brought in a magnificent tray of food.

"My son, I have heard what happened." She rushed to his side, and gave him an embrace atypical for emperors to receive from anyone, but not for sons from their mothers. "Why don't you eat some breakfast first? You cannot think through a disaster like this on an empty stomach."

"Geez, mother. Did you come here to make me feel better or to rub in my mistake? Because I can't tell."

His mother placed a hand on her chest. "You wound me!" she said in mock dismay. "If I was going to rub in your mistake, I would never be vague about it."

Ling rolled his eyes and reached for a sweet bun.

"The prison cell does not show obvious signs of tampering. As a matter of fact, the locks are still intact," he told them before taking a bite. "The guard did not notice anything. My first bet is alkahestry."

His mother placed her chin on her palm, no doubt already listing likely suspects in her mind. Lan Fan stared blankly at him with wide, worried eyes. He gave her a small smile, barely suppressing the urge to take her hand.

-o-

Lan Fan followed the Emperor throughout the chaotic day and the one that followed after that. The Emperor had very little time to himself, and was even unable to sleep for very long. His attention was required by almost every single Master of the court worrying about how Zi Rao's escape would affect their domains. Mostly, it was the Master of Domestic Affairs who apologetically accosted the Emperor about possible hiding places, dead ends in investigations, and hopeful clues from reviewing previous evidence. But then there were also people like the temple caretakers who wanted to know which incense scent the Emperor believed would attract the most fortune.

By night, Lan Fan had to help the Emperor stagger into his rooms and settle down on one of the cushioned sofas.

"Thank you, Lan Fan," he panted. "I think I was about to faint."

"I will call the servants to bring dinner," Lan Fan said, and she moved to the antechamber where some of the servants waited to be called upon. After letting them know that the king was hungry, she hurried back to the room and faced the Emperor.

His eyes, which had been inspecting the high ceiling blindly, shifted to her and his mouth quirked in a small smile. "Good thing you were there or someone would have had to peel me off the floor."

"Please don't talk that way, Your Majesty," Lan Fan said quietly. "You are tired, and that is understandable. No need feel ashamed about it."

His smiled widened, and Lan Fan had to look away before he spotted the deepening red in her cheeks.

When the dinner came, it became apparent that the Emperor still had quite a bit of strength left. At least enough strength that he was able to pester her for a few, persistent minutes to eat with him. When at last he managed to get one pork bun into her, he became slightly less insistent.

While the Emperor was dining, Lan Fan realized with a start that for the last two days, she had barely thought about Fangzhi. The sinking feeling that shot down her chest indicated that she felt more guilty about it than she initially thought she would. Had he managed to reply to her latest letter? What if it was sitting in the garden alcove right now, waiting for her? What if someone found it? An itch began to grow inside her, an impatience that insisted she ought to go to the garden. But her guardian instincts kicked in, and she stamped the feeling down. There should be nothing more important than guarding the Emperor who was right here, in this room, and no letter, no matter whom it was from, should take precedence over him.

Standing more vigilant than ever, she tried to make up for the lapse in her attention. However, as the night wore on, and the Emperor finished dinner, washed, and tucked himself into bed, Lan Fan found her mind wandering to Fangzhi again. It was probably best to let him know that the court was in shambles. It would pacify her mind, and his, if she notified him that her occasional letters would become even more infrequent. He would not await her responses, and she would not have to worry about answering his until they both had a little more free time.

Jung-woo would take over her shift come dawn, and until then, Lan Fan tried to devise a letter in her head.

Fangzhi,

I am terribly sorry to have to deliver this news to you, but I can no longer correspond with you. At least, not in the foreseeable future. Probably in a few weeks or if things are extremely dire, maybe months. Something terrible has happened in the court, and I need to concentrate on the Emperor as much as I can. I don't know if you have heard about what happened. It's probably not my place to tell you. But suffice it to say that I feel scared that something so dangerous had happened without anyone predicting it, without anyone knowing until it was too late. Imagine all the things that could have happened to the Emperor!

I hope you are well, wherever you are. One day, I hope we can continue our letters where we left off.

When the first rays of sunlight began to squeeze their way in between the window slats, Jung-woo appeared to take her shift. Lan Fan went to her rooms and wrote the letter.

-o-

The court tried to keep the news of the rebel's escape from infiltrating mainstream gossip. They succeeded mostly, but of course, courtiers were going to talk and that was inevitable. The general public though did not seem affected yet. Ling could only imagine the kind of societal collapse that would cause. Okay, well, maybe not collapse. That may be too aggressive a word, more reminiscent of Amestris than anything, but it would not be a walk in the garden. The people would question his ability to keep prisoners, and rebels would make him the laughing stock of the empire. It would even empower them, knowing that the rebellion leader managed to escape from his prison in his palace from his guards. That would be embarrassing, to put matters lightly.

His stomach roiled with anticipation, an unpleasant feeling only second to hunger. He tried to involve himself as much as possible in the investigation process. He sent Mei and Alphonse to question the soldier who guarded the cells. However, when they came to him with answers, it was difficult not to feel like he had hit yet another dead end.

"It's alkahestry, but not in the manner we initially thought," Alphonse said. "We found traces of a certain forgetfulness drug in the guard's system."

Ling nodded. Most of those recruited to become a guard in the Emperor's court were prohibited from consuming drugs that might affect their performance.

"How is this related to alkahestry?" Ling asked.

Mei nodded eagerly, as if she was waiting for him to ask this question all along. "Now this is where it gets interesting. This particular forgetfulness drug is actually derived from the plant called Heartache Balm."

Ah. Ling remembered the controversy around Heartache Balm. Until recently, the herb was used by traditional doctors to alleviate pain and calm the mind. It was used as an ingredient in many different teas. That was until two years ago when someone discovered that with alkahestry, Heartache Balm could be turned into a mind-altering narcotic. The demand for it suddenly increased, and there were violent outbursts in the west caused by over-consumption. Ling had to pass a new law that heavily limited the supply of Heartache Balm, and applied a large tax on its production and distribution. It was one of his first major challenges as Emperor.

"So whoever helped Zi Rao escape must have access to Heartache Balm," Ling mused. "Right now, the only people who have legal access to it are traditional healers and professional doctors."

Ling thanked them before dismissing them. His head buzzed with all the details and issues he tried to keep up with. Other than Zi Rao, there were other matters of court that needed his attention. He wished they would just evaporate so that at least he could focus on one thing only, but apparently Emperors needed to be masters of omniscience.

Sighing, he told his attendants that he would go to the gardens for a bit of a refreshing break. Jung-woo trailed behind him silently as he traversed the Eastern Wing garden. Ling tried to take an inconspicuous glance at the alcove behind the hibiscus flowers. He noticed there was nothing there. Disappointed, but at the same time, sympathetic, he continued to roam the paths lined with heady-scented flowers.

Lan Fan must be exhausted. Ling should not expect a letter from her when there are so many things going on. As a matter of fact, he should probably reassure her that she could take her time.

Deciding on that course of action, he told his attendants he quickly needed to bathe to get rid of the headache he was actually not feeling. In the privacy of the baths – which he managed to obtain only after convincing Jung-woo and the other bathroom servants that as an eighteen-year-old, he was perfectly capable of scrubbing himself – he snuck back to his rooms through secret passageways. There, he devised a letter for Lan Fan.

As he picked up a pen, he realized he had a bit of a conundrum. He couldn't quite tell Lan Fan that Fangzhi was aware of the problems in the palace, because all the officials tried their best not to let the common people know. Therefore it was unlikely that Fangzhi would have learned of Zi Rao's escape through his literary services. Ling supposed Fangzhi could withdraw for other reasons.

Lan Fan,

I wish to let you know that I might be unable to write in the same frequency as we had these past few weeks. I came across a friend of mine from childhood, and he has introduced me to a good opportunity up north in his hometown, where many people are willing to pay large sums of money to be able to read and write. I will stay there for a couple of weeks to teach the villagers.

I hope you do not consider this as an affront to our burgeoning acquaintance. I have grown rather fond of our letters, and I do regret it very much that I must postpone later ones. A man must eat after all. I do promise however to get back to you as soon as I am able. Please do not concern yourself overly much. I know that the court is always hurling something vile at you one way or another. Please take care. I would like to find you well next time I go back to the capital.

Will miss you greatly,

Fangzhi

Ling tucked the letter into his robe, and snuck back to the gardens to hide it in the alcove. Only after that did he return to the bathroom.

Another week passed, and to Ling's growing dismay, their already minimal progress seemed to be petering out. None of the first leads they followed revealed anything significant. He told General Hoang to expand his search twenty kilometers out of the capital. Everyday, he received more and more glares from clan representatives who had not liked his initial decree of leaving the village near the badlands alone. They had not outright accused him of being wrong – that would be illegal – but he could almost read their minds. If it was not the village that they took issue with, it was probably something or other, and it was probably all his fault, and they were right all along, and nobody should have put this slapdash youth on the throne.

Ling was embarrassed, but not ashamed, so he passed by those glares as stoically as he could.

One day while he was receiving supplicants in the throne room, a haggard looking messenger stormed in from a passageway and interrupted the old man who was just about to step up in front of Ling.

"Your Majesty! There is urgent news from the Master of Domestic Affairs and Representative Xiang!" the man exclaimed.

Ling promptly promised the rest of the supplicants they would be prioritized in the next session, and had the guards lead them out of the throne room. The Master of Domestic Affairs and the clan representative of Xiang walked into the room to stand before the dais. While the representative of Xiang looked infuriated and apoplectic, the Master glanced in Ling's direction with obvious anxiety and trepidation.

Ling's heart sunk. He didn't think this would be good news. Once the room had been fully cleared except for his two audience members, he waved for them to begin their story.

"Your Majesty!" the representative of Xiang began, his voice shaking with barely concealed contempt. "I am aghast to be the bearer of bad news. But we have unearthed some incriminating evidence that the High Guard has been colluding with the rebels!"

Ling's blood turned cold. He gripped the arms of his chair, and could not help the reproach that leapt from his throat. "Explain yourself!"

The Master of Domestic Affairs placed a placating hand on Xiang's shoulder and stepped up before him.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it is true." From an oversized pocket of his jacket, Ling watched as the Master pulled out envelopes upon envelopes of letters. His heart sunk even further, which he did not think was possible, upon recognition of the familiar brown paper and the forced penmanship written on their front. As if from a great distance, he felt his cold, cold hands begin to shake even as they tightened around the arms of the throne.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, his voice shaking. His felt Lan Fan's own chi become erratic and tumultuous. She was afraid. Very afraid.

"Last week we found a letter in the gardens as we were searching for possible clues as to how Zi Rao managed to escape," the Master explained. "It was a letter from your High Guard to a man named Fangzhi. At first we did not see the significance, until a day later, another letter was spotted at that same location. This Fangzhi claimed he could not continue a correspondence due to a 'friend' returning. We did not want to make accusations until we were sure there was something illicit going on. A few of my underlings managed to get a hold of your High Guard's other correspondence with this Fangzhi from her room. We analyzed them and – "

"She has betrayed you!" Xiang interrupted with a loud cry. He grabbed hold of the letters, crumbling them with a tense fist. "It was clear from our analysis that purposely or not, she had given this Fangzhi, who is obviously Zi Rao's accomplice, important information on how to help him escape from prison."

A dizziness overcame Ling, as if he was hungry and hadn't eaten for a day, but there were no hunger pangs in his core; there was just a massive, despairing dread.

"You – you don't understand!" he tried to say. "Those letters... they... they..." Ling trailed off, unable to sort through the hundreds of things he wanted to tell them. Those letters are innocent; they're not about politics, for goodness's sake! They are about food and feelings and friendship, and I read them and I wrote them.

He wrote them.

Ling's voice tripped in his throat at that one thing that he could not confess. Not here in front of these men, not in front of Lan Fan. This was a horrible misunderstanding, but revealing his part in it would shame her even worse.

Xiang continued fiercely. "The Master of War himself inspected these letters. All the highly-intellectual strategists under his command agree that your High Guard's letters contain clues about the court that could have given Zi Rao's supporters knowledge of how to get him out."

Ling couldn't help the laugh that erupted from him, but it was a cold, unfeeling laugh. "Well, they must be highly-intellectual indeed if they can see something that isn't there! There's no proof that this Fangzhi is even remotely associated with Zi Rao!"

Xiang shook his head. "I understand that this must be a very difficult conversation for Your Majesty, but we must take action swiftly! The very person who might have betrayed you is the one most responsible for your safety!"

Before Ling could even do anything, guards poured in from the hallway, and climbed up the steps of the dais to grab Lan Fan. Ling's heart broke when she didn't even resist. They dragged her down the steps, and forced her to kneel in front of him and the Master of Domestic Affairs and Xiang.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Xiang demanded. "Do you deny in front of His Majesty that you have participated in this correspondence?"

"Wait! That's not – " a fair question! Ling wanted to yell, but Lan Fan's usually soft voice silenced all others.

"It's true," she said, her head hanging in shame. "I wrote letters to him, but I didn't know... I..." she shook her head, unable to go on, because he knew that she knew that in cases like these, intention never took precedence over the outcome. It didn't matter that she inadvertently revealed something, that she did not know what Fangzhi might really be. All it mattered was that in everyone's eyes, she just committed treason.

Ling found himself standing, ready to move down the steps of the dais, before he even realized that he had stood up and walked the length of the platform. He wanted to reach for Lan Fan, to snatch her out of guards' vicious hands, to slap the accusatory glare from Xiang.

"Your Majesty," the Master of Domestic Affairs interjected in a sympathetic voice. "I would suggest that we take the High Guard in custody for now as we investigate the issue further. It would be highly irresponsible of us if we do not observe the law for something such as this. I promise you, as far as I am able, I will try to assure that the High Guard gets a fair trial. We will do everything we can to get to the bottom of Fangzhi's letters."

The confession was clawing its way from Ling's mouth. They were almost out, the words "It was me, I wrote them," but hearing what they would sound like made him stop. They sounded childish. Petty.

And he realized just then that that was true. That this entire system of exchanging letters had been driven by his own selfishness and pettiness, because as king, he couldn't accept that there were things that he couldn't have. That there were boundaries he couldn't cross.

And now Lan Fan was suffering because of him.

He would not be able to confess. They would not believe him. They would think he's just trying to save her. He watched helplessly as Lan Fan was led away, her eyes studiously trained on the floor. Ling felt as if he was witnessing everything outside of his body. His mind had slid to a stop, replaying over and over again the scene that had just transpired, and seemed to be unable to move on from that. He couldn't feel his hands anymore, wasn't even sure if they were still cold or not.

It was then that Ling fainted not out of hunger for the first time.

-o-

Lan Fan did not know how long she'd been in the prison cell. Probably closer to two days. It was long enough that she actually felt exhausted sobbing on the stone bench at the corner of the cell. Her eyes were so sore and burned so much that she could hardly keep them open. She didn't think she would have tears left for the rest of her life.

She couldn't believe how idiotic she had been! She let herself be fooled by someone she hadn't even known! How stupid was that? She would keep a courtier at arm's length because they happened to insult the king's pinky, but she would blabber away to a man she had not even met? Outrageous! Her grandfather must be rolling around in his grave.

She could not keep away the Emperor's distraught face from her mind. He didn't want to believe it! She could tell. It was so painful for him to hear the accusations against her, because he trusted her! Lan Fan saw his shocked face against the darkness of her lids and the shadows of the cell.

She wished she never wrote to Fangzhi. She didn't know if the strategists were correct in their conjecture that Fangzhi was affiliated with the rebel leader, but the Master of Domestic Affairs was an intelligent man. He was also sensible and one of the few masters that Ling could truly trust. She would not be surprised if Fangzhi really did turn out to be Zi Rao's accomplice. And if he wasn't, well, what right did she have to go dallying with him anyway? None at all! She let her foolishness get the better of her, merely because she received flattery that she didn't get elsewhere. She had been convinced when the Emperor said it was alright for her to write back, but as High Guard she was supposed to be even more vigilant than the Emperor. She could not take liberties that the Emperor might think harmless, because sometimes the High Guard was supposed to protect the emperor from his own folly.

Lan Fan sniffed. The only foolish one now was her. There was no denying that.

There came a rattle from the cell door, and before Lan Fan could get an arm over her face, the bright light of the torches from the hall came streaming in as the door swung open. Shadowed figures came inside the cell in a cloud of feverish whispers, and she recognized the Emperor's voice to be one of them. Lan Fan pushed herself up from the bench, just in time as the Emperor crouched in front of her and pulled her into a very tight embrace.

"Oh, Lan Fan! I'm so, so sorry!" he said into her shoulder. She squirmed, feeling uncomfortable that he should be the one apologizing. But his hold on her was tight, and she could not shrug him off. "They wouldn't let me see you. They said you might be dangerous, so I had to find a way to sneak in here."

It was then that Lan Fan looked up at the other shadows blocking the doorway. She could sense her cousin Jung-woo, but he was not one of the people by the door. Before her eyes could even adjust to the sudden onslaught of light, she felt the telltale signature of Alphonse and Mei's chi.

The Emperor pulled back a bit and inspected her. "Are you okay, Lan Fan? They didn't harm you, did they?"

The guards had not done anything worse than throw her in the cell. They didn't even mock her or make jokes. She was tormented by nothing other than her own conscience.

"I am alright, Your Majesty," she managed to utter. "Please, forgive me for my carelessness! Those letters, I never – "

"Shush, Lan Fan!" he said, and brought her close to him again. Lan Fan felt bewildered, unsure how to feel about this closeness with the young lord. He was warm and kind, but she was sure she didn't deserve this display of affection. Even now, he still believed the best of her. "I know you didn't betray me."

"Your Majesty," she whispered. "Please don't say such things. If it turns out that Fangzhi is indeed Zi Rao's accomplice... I..." She didn't know what she would do. Not that she could do much. She would be executed of course, if she did not die of shame before then. But there was still one way to restore honour both to herself, her family, and most of all, to the Emperor. "I would take my own life!"

"Stop it!" the Emperor exclaimed, shaking her hard. "You don't understand! You're innocent!"

She shook her head, closing her puffy eyes. "You always thought too kindly of me."

"I know you're innocent," he insisted. "I know it because..." he closed his own eyes and took a deep, measured breath. "I wrote Fangzhi's letters."

Lan Fan couldn't have heard that correctly. She blinked what would have been owlish eyes if only her lids weren't so swollen from crying.

The Emperor buried his face in his hands, and slowly raked his fingers through his bangs in a manner that made it seem such a burden. His face looked pained as his hands came away.

"I wrote those letters," he repeated.

Dully, all Lan Fan could stammer was, "W-well, what happened to the real Fangzhi?"

The Emperor chuckled sadly. "There never was a real Fangzhi. Not as far as I know. He is... he is just a figment of my imagination, someone I cooked up so I could exchange letters with you."

Lan Fan felt like the world turned, not quite upside-down, but sideways. With a sudden jerk. And she couldn't quite orient herself in it.

"It was me this entire time." He gave a dejected shrug, unable to look in her eyes again.

A silence stretched between them. At length, Lan Fan finally asked, "But why?"

Still keeping his eyes on the ground, the Emeperor shook his head and shrugged again. "I wanted... I wanted to be friends with you and it seemed the only way I could do it."

"Friends?" Lan Fan repeated. "Your Majesty, if ever I have acted in a way that suggested you were not my priority, I am terribly sorr–"

"No, Lan Fan. It isn't devotion I'm looking for, because I know I already have that from you," Ling cut her off, still looking away.

Lan Fan was deeply confused by what he was trying to get at. All her life, she had cared for him and showed it in the best way she knew how. Everything her grandfather taught her, she imprinted in her manners, her lifestyle, her very being, and she didn't know what else to be, how else to act to her lord. There was no denying that the Emperor was the single most important person in Lan Fan's life, and she ached knowing that somehow, this was still not evident to him. That somehow, she still fell short.

"Tell me," he whispered softly. "Did you ever consider Fangzhi to be your friend?"

She didn't know what to say. Who was this Fangzhi that had lived in her head for weeks, if his physical identity was the Emperor himself? She couldn't wrap her mind around it. It seemed that Fangzhi was as much a figment of her imagination as he was the Emperor's.

Then the Emperor chuckled again. "Never mind. It was a silly question." Then he finally looked at her. "I need you to be strong, okay? I got you into this mess, and I promise I will get you out."

"You're going to tell them that you are Fangzhi?" she asked, surprised. She didn't think people would take that very well. She could already imagine all the conspiracy theories.

"I am afraid that won't work," he said, echoing her thoughts. "The only thing I can think of is to find the real culprit who managed to get Zi Rao out. Then we'll show that you and Fangzhi had nothing to do with it. I started my own investigations separate from those of the Master of Domestic Affairs. We're going to set this right."

Lan Fan nodded, understanding the unstated fact in his explanation. That she would have to stay imprisoned until then.

"What can I do from here?" she asked.

The emperor sighed. "Not much. If they question you, I want you to answer all the questions as truthfully as you can, at least up until the point where I told you the truth right now. Just pretend that you still don't know Fangzhi's real identity, and answer in the same frame of mind as you would before I came now."

Lan Fan nodded, biting her lip.

He continued, "I will try and convince the interrogator not to take it too hard on you. Most people believe you've been careless, but that you didn't intentionally sell out. I think you would be fine. For now."

She was surprised. She would have thought everyone hated her by now and wanted her dead.

However, it seemed painful to her that she couldn't do anything or help the Emperor during this turbulent time.

She looked to the side; it was rare she would forget anyone in her surroundings, but seeing Alphonse and Mei standing there reminded her that she and the Emperor were being watched. She blushed and retracted herself from his hold. He took it as his cue to leave.

"I don't have much time, after all," he explained. "Mei activated an alkahestry script to make the guard fall asleep. Hehe, it isn't much different as the trick used on the soldier guarding Zi Rao. But he's going to wake up soon, and I have to return to a court function before they realize I'm probably not in the bathroom."

Lan Fan nodded, and she watched the Emperor retreat out through the door, and she felt the chi of her cousin follow the three away from the cells.

-o-

His High Guard was set to have her trial in a week. Ling was pressed for time. The court didn't dare push it off any longer.

Ling sat on his desk, a pile of notes in front of him. He hid these stack of papers in a special drawer with an alchemical lock that Alphonse made for him, so that nobody, not even Ling's own spies, would realize that he's conducting his own investigation.

He'd been writing notes of everything he knew so far. They had initially been able to capture Zi Rao, not in the badlands, but in the estates west of the capital. Ling had deployed one of his mother's friends to snoop around, because he could not use one of his own spies. His mother had always been so good at intrigue. When the friend came back, she bore tales not of Zi Rao, but of the worsening circulation of the narcotic version of Heartache Balm among the people who lived there.

Another story came from his mother herself. She relayed to him rumours of the Fung Family's sudden interest in alkahestry, although very few of their members had the ability to perform. The distant nephew of the Fung's chief who went by the name of Dan Fung seemed to have learned quite a bit in the past few months, progressing in his studies at a rate that surprised even his mentor. People said he was using alkahestry to advance himself within his family's ranks, and also to change the perception that the Fungs were no good at it.

Ling didn't know how that was related to anything, but his mother said that was the only thing of note she could find out so far.

From the Master of War, Ling heard news of the badlands. The village that had been attacked was doing better, and even after several thorough searches, there still was not any proof that the tiny village was harbouring any rebels. The villagers were probably well aggrieved by now, and Ling was sorry for that. He would have to make it up to them. He had never believed that they were anything but victims in this whole fiasco, but there were many who were suspicious.

However, General Hoang also reported that one of the lieutenants spotted a small tent hiding among the foliage on the northern stretches of the badlands. Convinced that they've finally found the camp of the rebels, the lieutenant went back to request backup, but the tent was no longer there by the time they got back.

Rubbing his eyes, he decided that there were some thing he just could not learn from staring at browned pieces of paper. He summoned a page and asked for Dan Fung, the alkahestry student. The young man came in a few minutes later. He was in an elegant apparel, with his long hair sleekly pulled back in a tight ponytail. He had a fresh face that had understated features, but he was not terrible looking. The young man gave Ling a proper bow.

"Hello Dan, I just have a few questions for you. This shouldn't take long," Ling began. He tried to give the boy a warm smile. "I hear that you have been studying alkahestry very hard."

"That's correct, Your Majesty," Dan confirmed.

"Remind me, who is your mentor again?"

"That would be Professor Wei."

"Ah! She is absolutely brilliant, I hear," Ling responded. Wei was the wife of the alkahestrist who took in Alphonse as an apprentice. "And how long have you been under her tutelage?"

"A year and a half, Your Majesty."

"Before then, what did you do as a young boy in the Fung province? You must have always had a distinct interest in alkahestry to be doing so well after only a year and a half."

Here, Ling noted that Dan shifted uncomfortably for a split-second, before recovering. "My family managed the Fung botanical business. I helped with the accounts. And yes, I always was interested in alkahestry, but there wasn't an opportunity for me to pursue it until recently."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that," Ling said. "But since you are here now, I suppose that an opportunity did eventually open up?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Dan looked down on the polished hardwood floor. "The business began to struggle, and I wasn't needed as much anymore. I could make more money here in the capital, so I was apprenticed to Professor Wei."

Ling nodded, and for the first time in a long time, the gears of his mind actually began to rotate in tandem. Some of the Fungs were botanists. Two years ago their business declined. Now one of their members was an alkahestry student making prodigious progress in his studies.

To thwart off any suspicions about Ling's intentions, he redirected the conversation to a slightly different angle. "And what a great decision you made coming here. I am, for one, quite happy to have you here. I wonder if you could fulfill one of my self-indulgent requests."

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

"There is an official Youth Congregation for the Advancement of Medicine occurring in about a month's time. I am wondering if you would like to be a representative from the capital in this meeting? I was hoping to send my acquaintance, Alphonse, but he would be unfortunately vacationing in Amestris at that time."

Dan Fung took the pamphlet from Ling's outstretched hand. Ling hoped it was enough of an honour to have the Emperor personally request his presence at the congregation, that Dan Fung would not pay too much attention to the questions that Ling asked. It was a diversion, and Ling hoped that Dan would not see through it. The truth was, Ling had already surmised what had happened from Dan's answers.

"I am honoured, Your Majesty," Dan said, without showing in his face whether he actually meant it or if he was reciting a polite statement.

"I am glad to hear it," Ling returned, and the young man took his leave. When he was gone long enough, Ling requested General Hoang's presence. When the General came into his room, Ling told him to investigate previous cases of rebellious attacks.

"In particular, I want you to search for any presence of the Heartache Balm drug."

General Hoang assented and went to do as ordered. Ling headed to the Master of Trade's office to confirm whether the Fung botanists actually grew Heartache Balm, which was likely, since it was in the west where many of the violence erupted two years prior. It was exhilarating to have his mind going at a speed faster than a turtle's pace for the first time in a week. By the time he reached the Master of Trade's office, he knew his next step was to obtain copies of his letters as Fangzhi to Lan Fan.

Ling now had a plan.

-o-

Lan Fan's trial came. Ling watched as she was brought in from the same passage as she was dragged out nine days before. They were once again in the court room, and Ling was sitting in his throne. By the base of the dais stood the Master of Domestic Affairs who held the evidence against Lan Fan. Ling would have to question her and then judge her; though the judgment was based solely on the Emperor's discretion, there were councilors lined up in chairs just beyond the dais. The councilors would not openly question Ling, of course, but if any of them thought he did not judge fairly, or if they just did not like his decision, they had enough influence in the court to colour people's opinion of the Emperor.

Ling was a little relieved to see that Lan Fan did not look too roughened up. She looked dirty and anxious, but not hurt. Some of the councilors were giving her evil looks. Xiang was among them.

"Lan Fan," the Master of Domestic Affairs declared to the quiet room. "You have been accused of treason. How would you plead?"

"Not guilty," she said in her usually soft tone.

"These letters," the Master of Domestic Affairs continued, and he held up the letters that Fangzhi had written and the ones she wrote in return, "stand as evidence against your crime." He then spent the next few minutes reading all of the written letters out loud to the room. When he finished, he reiterated the charges that he and Xiang had previously proclaimed when they had Lan Fan imprisoned.

"After careful analysis by strategists in our War Department, we have concluded that Fangzhi is in fact in alliance with the rebels, and that your letters contain vital information about the court that helped Zi Rao escape. First, you described the court as 'treacherous and hostile,' which the strategists believe gave the rebels enough sense of how heavily guarded their leader is."

Ling cringed inside so strongly that it took all of his strength not to let it show on his face. That was supposed to be an incriminating evidence against Lan Fan? If the entirety of Xing didn't think that the court was naturally treacherous and hostile by now, then everyone must be ingesting Heartache Balm.

The Master of Domestic Affairs was no idiot. Ling admired very much the man's composed questioning, since he knew that no doubt, the Master must also be banging his head on a metaphoric table, wondering what kind of standardized tests students now had to take to be qualified as a strategist. Ling would have to look into that matter after all of this was over. He couldn't have incompetent folks accidentally ruin people's lives.

He went on. "Secondly, you mentioned that your 'friend,' no doubt a reference to the Emperor, loves to eat! The strategists do not think that it is a coincidence that Zi Rao had been freed in the same night that the Emperor overate and had to rest early due to a stomach ache."

What a load of crap! Ling thought. It was just a coincidence. But of course, to these 'strategists' there couldn't possibly be such a thing. Everything must have been orchestrated.

"And thirdly, your comment about 'pandering courtiers' was the last clue they needed to know exactly how to free Zi Rao: which was, as the strategists stipulate, to appeal to one of the courtiers' greed and bribe them into letting Zi Rao go free."

Lan Fan sighed. Ling could tell she wasn't impressed with the evidence either. But she was in no position to call out the fatuity of this entire setup. And it really seemed like a setup. The proofs were not substantial, but for some reason, everyone wanted to pin Zi Rao's escape on Lan Fan. She was an easy target. Not born of noble blood, yet important enough that this was actually causing a scandal. People found it delicious. And those frustrated with the rebellion could use her as a scapegoat.

"I do not refute that there are descriptions that some people might interpret in a way I did not intend," Lan Fan said, trying to defend herself. "There could have been a bribed noble, or there could not have been. I would like to request evidence of this."

Silence enveloped the room.

Xiang cleared his throat in a haughty way. "There are thirty-seven Families currently represented at court. Obviously it will take a while to conduct a proper investigation of all these nobles, and it is quite unseemly to demand such a thing while our investigation has not finished yet."

Ling decided this was his chance to put his plan to motion. "On the contrary," he spoke up. "I would personally like to propose that there is a noble who has been technically bribed into freeing Zi Rao."

The council looked at him as if he had just turned into Greed. Even the Master of Domestic Affairs stared backed at him with curiosity.

"Could one of you lovely, straight-backed guards send for Dan Fung?" Ling ordered one of guards by the wall. When he had exited the room, one of the councilors stood up.

"What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty? Dan Fung is a respectable young man!"

"Ah, my High Guard is a respectable young woman as well, and none of you would have thought she was capable of treason until recently. Until of course, this – " dismal, Ling thought," – evidence seemed to show otherwise."

When the door opened once again, there was not only one guard who came in, but three. All three were struggling to drag in Dan Fung. The councilors were shocked.

"What is happening?" Ling demanded.

"Your Majesty!" the guard whom he had sent exclaimed, nearly avoiding a punch to the gut. "We found him trying to run away."

"Ah."

Seeming to realize that it was rather too late to resist, Dan Fung went limp in their arms, and he was deposited at the foot of the dais on his knees.

"Dan Fung, why the early leave? I thought you were honoured to go to the congregation in a month?" Ling's question was met with silence.

Ling looked up at the council, then at Lan Fan, and finally at the Master of War. "No explanation? Then perhaps I can give you one. You see, you are all correct that Fangzhi is related to the rebels. But he is not an ally. Actually, it turns out he was a spy trying to solve how the rebels managed to become so powerful this past year or so."

Lan Fan gave him a curious frown. He could almost hear her thoughts. Where are you going with this?

Ling stretched his hand out to the Master of Domestic Affairs. "Please pass those letters to me. Thank you. Now, here I will tell you all the reasons I believe this. Why don't you all play along with me? Let's allow ourselves to get rapt up in this story:

"Fangzhi first appeared to Lan Fan as someone from the village near the badlands. Here, it seems as if he was investigating the raids that the rebels were conducting on those poor villagers. When the attacks came, he had gotten caught up. What he discovered after in that village is rather interesting.

"Heartache Balm." Ling looked meaningfully at Dan, who squeezed his eyes shut, as if he knew now that his fate was sealed.

"There were leaves found there. General Hoang could attest to this. The problem though is that Heartache Balm did not grow there. So someone must have brought those in during the attack. And like anyone with a quick wit, he's bound to know that one of the places that grows Heartache Balm is none other than the Fung farms in the west."

"This was your fault!" Dan exploded in a sudden outburst. "You imposed all those taxes and controlled the distribution of Heartache Balm that my family became poor! Only the rebels bought large quantities from us!"

Ling nodded. "So it is. The rebels use the narcotic version of the plant to bribe people and make them easier to manipulate. They have high demand of it. Your family needed the money. And when Zi Rao was captured, it seemed as if the rebellion would actually be defeated. You couldn't allow that to happen. Your family's business depended on it.

And so you helped Zi Rao escape. You fed the guard Heartache Balm yourself, and while he was under the effects of the drug, you spirited Zi Rao away."

Dan Fung gave him a seething glare that said it wasn't only out of desperation that he had done this, but also out of a strong loathing against Ling and what he had done two years ago. But it was also a glare that confirmed Ling's accusations.

"Take him away!" the Master of Domestic affairs signaled to the three guards again. "He will be questioned later."

The room descended into silence again. The councilors, especially Xiang, all looked like they did not know what to make of this situation. Lan Fan looked as if she was trying really hard either not to cry or not to laugh.

"Well," Ling said as he plopped himself back down on the throne. "That cleared up a lot of things, didn't it? I suppose it is now safe to say that the verdict against Lan Fan is that she is innocent!" he declared.

"Y-your Majesty!" one of the councilors spoke up. "What about this Fangzhi? How did you know about this 'story' you just told us?"

Ling smiled. "Like my amazing strategists, I took some time analyzing those letters. Did none of you catch his movement? That he went from the badlands to the capital and then to the west? There was obviously a connection!" There wasn't really. Ling made up the story in accordance to what he suspected really happened and what Fangzhi had written. But hey. If the strategists could make up their own conclusions just by randomly rolling dices and seeing which sentences they landed on, then Ling could also derive his own magical conclusions. The only difference was that Ling actually had additional evidence.

He continued, "From there it was not difficult to put together the puzzle pieces. The man guarding Zi Rao had traces of Heartache Balm in his body. The producers of Heartache Balm are mostly in the Fung province. And we have a Fung prodigy in alkahestry right in court. Fangzhi's letters gave me an epiphany! As a matter of fact, I would like to personally thank Lan Fan for her correspondence with Fangzhi, whose letters were integral to my enlightenment. She is not a traitor or a criminal at all!"

"And this Fangzhi? Can we ensure that he really was trying to investigate the rebellion?"

"I suppose we should question him," Ling suggested. "Once we find him."

He gave Lan Fan a broad smile.

-o-

Lan Fan was returned to her rooms. The Emperor had her name cleared officially that afternoon. Now she was heralded as a pseudo-hero, integral to solving of the mystery of Zi Rao's escape. How tides turned.

Now the Master of Domestic affairs would be questioning Dan Fung to find out where Zi Rao and the other rebels were. It wouldn't be long now. Everyone predicted that they would be found soon enough. The Fung Family too would be questioned.

Lan Fan had just finished taking a rather long and self-indulgent bath. She hadn't been allowed to bathe while she was imprisoned. She'd washed a couple of times from a basin, but that was it. She was so glad she didn't reek anymore. She sat on her bed, stretching out the tight muscles on her shoulder. She had been really tense this past week.

It had been hours after the trial, and she couldn't believe what the Emperor had done to convince the council of her innocence. She couldn't help the fond smile that came on her lips. She always believed the Emperor to be loyal and clever. Why was she even surprised now? The only thing she was disappointed about was that she didn't get to play a bigger part in her own release. She shouldn't have burdened the Emperor like that.

There was a clattering from behind her, and by the time she turned around, the Emperor himself emerged from the door that led to a hidden corridor that connected her room to his. His chi was muted. No wonder she didn't feel him coming.

Lan Fan stood up and bowed. He smiled back softly.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," she answered. She needed to thank him after all.

But a few seconds ticked by and her lord seemed at a loss for words. She realized belatedly that perhaps he wasn't here to talk about the trial after all, but about... the thing he confessed in her cell. He looked out of her window, before facing her.

"You know, I remember when I was a young boy and my mother told me that she believed I would be something other Emperors had never been," he began. "That I would be great and kind."

Lan Fan blinked.

"What I'm trying to say is... growing up with you, I have always been reminded by my mother that I hold so much power. And it's true. I would tell you to steal rice cakes from the kitchen, and you would. Just because I asked you to. I didn't know the gravity of my power until we went to Amestris.

"I know it's no excuse for deceiving you. I wanted you to talk to me like friends do, but I could never ask it of you, because I know you would only be doing it because I asked. And that's not what it means to be friends. I didn't know what else to do, other than pretend to be someone else. It's not an excuse, I know. I didn't have to do it. I just couldn't resist."

"Your Majesty..."

"Would you not call me Ling?" he asked softly, sadly.

Lan Fan paused.

"You know, friendship isn't a one-way street. I could be your friend too," he offered. "I'd be a good friend."

"I know that, because you've always been one," Lan Fan said, and she went closer to him. "Your Majesty, when I follow your orders or when I answer your questions, it's not because I feel compelled to. It's because I want to. In all my time serving you, you had never asked me to do something I didn't want. Except, of course, when you told me to take time-off, but I see no selfishness in that. Don't you think friends ask each other favours too?"

Ling chuckled. "I just couldn't tell, sometimes, because you're always so obedient. And I was over-analyzing things, thinking that you would only tell me things I want to hear. I was so concerned about myself that I didn't give you enough credit." He laughed, and combed back his untied hair with his fingers. "I'm such a fool. I am so sorry for my deception."

"I know you are," Lan Fan said. Truly, she also felt like such a big fool for falling for the Emperor's trick. She had mulled over it while she was still imprisoned. "But I forgive you."

Ling's eyes snapped to hers. 'I forgive you' was not a statement that subordinates said to their betters. Forgiveness was not in their place to give, and no self-respecting high-ranked man or woman would even request it from those beneath them. Lan Fan gave him a shy grin.

"Come here you," Ling grabbed her arm and pulled her in a warm embrace not unlike the one he gave her when he visited her in prison. "I am such a pig-headed idiot."

When he released her, he looked much more energized and refreshed. "So... how about it? Will you call me Ling?"

"Eh..." Lan Fan thought for a few seconds. "In private."

Ling seemed to give it a thought, and seemed to agree it would be a stretch of propriety if she did so at any other time. "Fair enough."

"I could also call you Fangzhi," she teased.

"Oh dear lord, please don't!"

Lan Fan giggled. "What happens to him now?"

"I will have to make sure nobody catches him. He's not real, so of course nobody really can, but if some people can blame you for treason, who knows what kind of things they'll be convinced they'll find? No, I will just have to make sure he becomes some kind of urban legend."

Lan Fan nodded. She moved to a table and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. "I think I can help with that," she told him.

AN: Aaaaah, it's finished! I'm so sorry it took so long! And I'm so sorry that the intrigue is so messy this time around. It's definitely not as tightly planned as The Heirloom Match, that's for sure. But see, this is what happens when you leave a story for months at a time and keep losing the threads of the story.

Anyway, for those of you who patiently waited for this conclusion, I want to thank you! And to everyone else who read this story and enjoyed it, thanks as well! See you guys around!