Thos urged his horse to go faster. The damning letter was in his saddlebags. The angel Penemue was guiding him to Zhao Xin Town, where Nikola of Troy was. In the last moment, Thos made his horse stop before a pile of leaves. It was winter and snow blanketed the earth. So, where did these leaves come from?

Getting off his horse, the boy of eight years bends down and threw a stone at the leaves. A net sprung up and shot to the tree tops. It could have made his horse to fall. It could have startled it. Thos looked ahead for any more traps. Something metallic glinted among the snow. Moving closer, Thos found it was a bear trap.

Cursing, Thos went back to his horse and took everything he could from the saddlebags. Then he set the horse free. He must be close to Zhao Xin Town if there were hunter traps. The town was besieged, and the people must be hunting in secret to supply it with food.

Moving forward, he shivered. He hadn’t thought to get some extra furs when he escaped from Bartu, and so now he was cold. Laughter made him sink low to the ground and to keep his ears open.

Those were Scythian warriors! Thos entertained the thought of going to them. But then thought better of it. His uncle had kept him locked up and few knew how he looked. Expect from his personal trainers and tutors.

Had his uncle had his way, Thos would have been an illiterate nobody without skills. However, the tutors and trainers had been appointed by Thos’ father, and so his uncle couldn’t dismiss them without raising complaints from his rivals.

Thos waited in the snow for the warriors to settle down. They were just a patrol. He wondered whatever lady Penemue would put them to sleep too, but then shook his head. He had to be worthy of Wei Liling, and he couldn’t be if her mother, aunt or whatever lady Penemue was to her kept bailing him out.

Thos looked at the camp. There was a roasting duck on a stick. He really wanted some of this meat. He was low on rations, and he rather save them for the long trip.

Placing his hands around his mouth, he mimicked the hooting of an owl. The men around the campfire looked around. It was noon and so no owls should be out hunting.

Thos moved from his position as silently as he could and repeated the action in his new position. The warriors have already trampled the snow, and so Thos’ footsteps were invisible among the many already there.

One of the men broke from the group and made his way towards Thos. Thos quickly climbed a tree and mimicked the call of a bull. The man ran back towards his comrades.

“It’s those man eating bulls the mage makes. Let us get out of here!” Came a shout from the camp, and Thos watched as the men ran away like children. With great effort, Thos made his way down. He took out a knife and took some meat of the duck. Savoring the hot meal, Thos began to think.

His future father-in-law was said to make monsters out of paper. Except they became flesh and bone after he gave them magic. How was Thos going to pass them and reach him? No portrait of his had been sent to the Wei family when the marriage was being negotiated.

Getting more of the duck, Thos wondered what he could do. Giving himself over to either a Scythian or a Xiongnu patrol was not an option. He was already declared dead, and so Bartu would just turn his lie into a reality. That left him with only one option. He had to blend in with the Chinese army somehow.

But how? He was small, just eight years of age. No standard armor would fit him. Then he looked around the camp and saw something red and gold laying on the ground. It was the Han Empire’s flag!

Scrambling to the flag, he picked it up. Wrapping it around his shoulders, he grinned. He would make sure this flag returned safely back where it belongs and when they saw him carrying it the attackers of Zhao Xin Town would surely hold their attacks.

With a grin, he ate as much as he could from the duck and left the rest over the fire. If he were lucky, the smell would attract wild beasts, and if the patrol returned they would be in for a bad surprise.

Righting the bow back on his back, the child moved on. He followed the general direction of the south, thinking that the town was that way. At night, he found some caves and went to sleep inside.

In the morning, something large passed by Thos’ cave. The boy peeked outside to see a large winged lizard. There was a man riding it. Could this be Nikola of Troy? Thos exited the cave and waved his arms to get the man’s attention. Said man dismounted and in a couple of brisk strides he had Thos by the collar.

“Where did you get this flag from, boy?” Asked the man. He looked Chinese and Thos felt fear. This was not Nikola of Troy. He couldn’t be convinced by lady Penemue that Thos was who he claimed to be.

“Thos, rightful prince and ruler of Scythia…”

The man’s grip tightened, and he snarled, the lizard behind him mimicking him.

“I asked you about the flag, not who you are, whelp.”

“I found it with a Scythian patrol not far from here. They ran away when I made bull noises,” said Thos. The grip relaxed and the man chuckled.

“Ah, yes. The Aoyin are quite the terror. And that monkey leading them? What was his name? Ah, yes, Victor. You are lucky you didn’t see him, boy. He doesn’t ask questions.”

Thos had heard of no Victor, let alone a monkey named like that. He unwrapped the flag from around his shoulders and gave it to the man.

“May I ask that you escort me to Nikola of Troy? I am going to marry his daughter,” said Thos, and the man raised an eyebrow.

“Wei Lihua will marry prince Han Guo,” he said as he took the flag and inspected it for any wears and tears.

“I was speaking of Wei Liling,” said the boy, and the man finally looked like he understood.

“Wei Liling? You are the one Bartu Chanyu proclaimed dead, then?”

“Bartu is the Wise King of the Left, not the Chanyu,” said Thos, already fearing the next words of the man.

“He had his father killed when his brother took General Nikola’s offer of founding his state on Han funding. He is the Chanyu now, and he is not holding back. He even jailed the Wise King of the Right.”

That meant that Thos’ uncle was more powerful now! And that the letter Thos had kept hidden was now old news.

“I need to meet my father-in-law,” said Thos stubbornly, and the man clapped him on the shoulder.

“He may break off any deal you have made with him, boy. You are no longer a prince. But I will take you to him. Now get on the dragon.”

The man pointed at the giant lizard who snorted smoke at Thos. The boy approached it gingerly and climbed to it’s back slowly. The man climbed much faster.

In the air, Thos clutched to the scales of the dragon, and he looked down. Columns of smoke raised from the two sides of Zhao Xin Town, from both the camps of the defenders and the attackers. There were other dragons in the skies, and there were also large dots charging at cavalry. The dragon landed in a clearing and Thos was let down slowly.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he was taken by two soldiers. The man who got him here shouted that he was to go to General Nikola, and the soldiers marched him towards a modest tent.

Entering it, the boy saw a man hunched over a table moving different paper figurines this way and that. He didn’t look Chinese. That made Thos happy. Bowing his head, the boy approached.  

“Nikola of Troy, I am Thos of Scythia. The intended of your Wei Liling,” said the boy, and the man finally looked at him.

“Penemue told me about you, you must know who I am to pray to her. Tell me, Thos, how did you lose your throne?” There was accusation in Nikola’s tone, and Thos looked down, shamed.

“My uncle tricked me. He sent me alone across Scythia and Xiongnu, giving me only twenty men for my safety. Then he married Bartu Chanyu’s daughter.”

“I will need to reinstall you to your position,” said Nikola, and Thos looked up, hopeful. “Tell me, Thos, how would you like to learn how to curse your uncle to kingdom come?”

Thos responded with the brightest smile he had ever given anyone.