The Prince’s Braid

Her delicate fingers ran over my smooth black hair, carefully undoing the long braid. It was considered taboo for princes to be seen in public without the braid, and even more taboo for a commoner to touch a prince’s hair. But I was already breaking more than a few rules by being here.

“Is something wrong?” Ayusha asked. I turned around to see her looking at me with concern. Her head was tilted down, and her short hair fell in front, obscuring the sides of her face from view. I smiled and leaned in, touching my forehead to hers.

“Nothing, my love.” I brushed my fingers along her cheek.

She swatted my hand away and looked at me sternly. “Is it your mother?”

I sighed. “There’s no hiding anything from you is there? She found out that I’d been sneaking out of the palace, but she hasn’t figured out that I’ve been coming here. I told her I’d been going sightseeing in the city, and wanted to get the ‘authentic commoner experience’.”

“That’s an awful cover story,” Ayusha said.

“I had to come up with something. Plus, I hear the emperor used to do it too.” I smiled sheepishly at her.

“You’ve never been good at lying. Anybody takes one look at your hair and they’ll know who you are.”

“I showed her the hat I’d been wearing the last few times I came to see you. She was furious.”

Ayusha snorted. “I’ll bet. A prince covering his hair is basically high treason right? Might as well renounce your identity.”

“It’s not that. It’s... I think my mother’s trying to curry favour with the emperor to improve our status in the court. She’s been on my case about behaving more like a prince. Keeps saying the emperor has big things in store for me.”

“No offense, but isn’t your mother a minor consort? And what about the empress?” Ayusha asked.

“There’s are rumours that the empress has been falling out of favour with the emperor,” I said. “Don’t tell anyone I told you that.”

She smiled at me. “I’m not the one who needs to worry about keeping secrets. So what are you going to do now?”

“I’ve been thinking...”

“Yes?” 

I hesitated, fidgeting with my hands. “I’ve been thinking that maybe I should stop coming here.” The spell was broken, and the smile dropped from her face.

“That’s not what I was expecting to hear,” Ayusha said.

“Don’t you get it? The minute my mother finds out about you she’ll have you executed in the same breath. I’m thinking of you.”

“And I’m thinking of us,” she shot back. “You’re giving up? Just like that? You made me a promise.”

“Please, Ayusha, try to understand. Maybe when I’m promoted and have more sway in the court I can figure out a way to bring you into the palace. But right now there’s no other option.”

She glared at me. “No other option? Be honest. Why is a son of the emperor wasting his time among the commoners?”

“Ayusha that’s not fair. You know I care for you. I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”

“I’m not asking you to be honest to me. I’m asking you to be honest with yourself.” She grabbed a steel dagger sheathed in a leather scabbard and pressed it into my hands.

“What...”

“Your hair.” Her eyes were hard and unwavering.

“That’s crazy,” I said. “You know how seriously they take this.”

“I’ve seen what the crown prince thinks of his hair. Acts like it’s a goddamn gift from heaven, the way he shows it off. And yet every time we go out you’re wearing a hat. Why is that?”

“We’ve talked about this. I don’t want to draw attention to you.”

“Maybe that’s true,” she said. “But there’s something else. You’re a different person when your hair’s hidden. You’re livelier, happier. There’s a light in your eyes. A light that’s missing when you’re acting the prince.”

“Acting? Ayusha, I am a prince. And besides, when have you seen me when I’m being a prince?”

“During the ceremonies.”

I blanched. “You attended the ceremonies? What on earth for?”

“To see you, obviously. Point being, you looked miserable. Why do you insist on keeping your hair if it’s just going to make you miserable?” she asked.

“Well because... do you know what my mother would do—”

“From what you’ve told me about your mother it sounds like your stupid braid is worth more to her than you are. Tell me, are you happy being a prince?”

“Alright,” I say. “Enough. You’re right. I hate it at home. All the scheming and backstabbing for political clout, and the stuffy, pretentious way we’re supposed to act. But it’s the only life I’ve known. I don’t know if I can give it up just like that.”

“Then we’re through.”

“Ayusha that’s not fair. What if someone recognized me? Do you know the trouble I’d be in? The trouble you’d be in?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re a minor prince. And not a particularly memorable one at that.” The look on my face made her flinch. “Sorry. Didn’t mean it that way. But I’m not going to back down.”

“Believe me, I want nothing more than to run away and spend the rest of my days with you.”

“Then why wont you?”

“I don’t know!” I collapsed on the chair, holding my face in my hands. “I don’t know. I’m afraid of leaving my life behind. I’m afraid of what might happen to us. To me.” After a moment, I felt Ayusha’s slender arms wrap around my shoulders. She pressed her cheek to mine.

“Do you remember what you said to me when I first discovered you were a prince?” she murmured.

“I just remember there being a lot of yelling.”

She laughed. “After the yelling. After I told you I was worried about what was going to happen to us. You looked me in the eyes and said, ‘In life and love there are times when we are tested by fate. And I promise...’”

“‘...to always take that leap of faith together with you. For you, I would jump eagerly into the depths of the earth.’”

“So come and join me. I’ll be waiting for you there.”