Tuoba Chi was a little drunk.
The journey from Tuoba lands to Yeli had been long and grueling. He and his clansmen, his brothers, had been traveling for days.
It had been ten years since the Tuoba tribe last set foot here and things were no longer the same. Their tribe's power now blazed like wildfire, stronger and more unrelenting than ever. The Yeli tribe's pride in their ancient Gu magic was no longer enough to hold that fire back.
He thought of his father's gaze before their departure, and the whispers in the clan about who would become the next chieftain. The wine burned down his throat like smoke, curling and searing from within.
Then, Tuoba Chi caught sight of his brother among the crowd.
Tuoba Chong had always been quiet at gatherings like this.
He wasn't like the other sons of their father, whose eyes were filled only with horses and bows. His younger brother looked at the world with a broader vision one that stretched far beyond this endless grassland.
Because of that, even though he rode well and shot straight, he never won much favor among the tribe.
This brother of his some called him foolish. Yet he had always been the quickest learner among them. Some said he was clever, but then he'd go on about "changing old customs" and urge the tribe to follow strange new ways from the Central Plains.
He spoke of medicine, strange words from that distant land... To the tribe, this might as well have come from another world.
The thought made Tuoba Chi chuckle under his breath a scoff more than a smile.
"Chieftain! What do you say we liven things up with a bit of song and dance?" someone shouted from beside him, the air now buzzing with energy.
The bonfire roared, flames crackling, logs spitting sparks.
Tuoba Chi narrowed his eyes at the Yeli chieftain, who had lost to him earlier that day in the mounted archery.
"Then call Ruyin! Her music's said to stop wild geese mid-flight!" laughed Su Mu, clapping his hands.
It was the first time Tuoba Chi had heard that name.
And then she stepped forward from among the Yeli people a young woman in a crimson robe. Her clothes were different from everyone else's. She wore the sacred garb of a Yeli shamaness. Firelight danced in her eyes. But she didn't look at Tuoba Chi. Instead, her gaze swept past him and landed on the quiet youth pouring his own wine.
A few sparks flared into the night, only to be whisked away by the wind.
"Send out your best singer, your finest musician," Ruyin said, back straight, chin lifted, her voice clear and bright.
Tuoba Chi studied her, but didn't notice at that very moment, Tuoba Chong had looked up too, his eyes fixed on her with quiet intensity.