Chapter 2

Prompt for Chapter 2: Use the words castle, princess, knight and earthquake. But they may NOT be used within the same context, meaning the knight can not rescue the princess from the castle during the earthquake.
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Chapter 2
As Master Cho flowed smoothly through his morning regime in the small valley surrounded by snow capped mountains, Lyn Nu looked at those same mountains from a much more southern and distant perspective. He knew the old man was up there, waiting for what was certain to be the final battle in a long life of battles.

It saddened Lyn Nu to know that he was the one that would bring an end to the old man. Times were changing and one had to be capable of changing as well. The alternative was to wither and die on the vine, like a fruit that had been left to hang long after the harvesters had passed it by. The old man had been left behind by the times.

Lyn Nu had no pretense that the old man up in the mountains was as harmless as an old piece of fruit. He was a formidable adversary regardless of his age; One capable of striking a killing blow with speed and accuracy. His years of experience and knowledge of the Art of War made him worthy of the greatest respect. But the same source of his wisdom would be his downfall. Age dulled even the finest steel over time.

The simple fact was that Master Cho had lost the razor edge he had only a few years ago.

There could be no doubt that the conditions were changing. The Emperor had grown less ambitious over the last few years. He seemed more interested in domestic issues such as commerce and governance. These were the pursuits of the weak minded. There was no place for warring and conquest under such a tame dynasty. The time was ripe for a new challenge to the throne. Lyn Nu and his small but growing army planned on being that challenge.

Now was Lyn Nu’s time.

He had grown up, the eldest son of one of the Emperor’s Black Silk Knights. His life had been dedicated to the study of war. Battle strategies were his bedtime stories. The toys of his youth were weapons of death. There was no skill he had not mastered. No skill save one; that of patience.

His father had often admonished him for this one serious fault. “Nature has its pace and cannot be rushed. The tide will come when it comes. The moon is full in its own time. The battle will come to the warrior. This is the way of the world. This is the way of the wise.”

Lyn Nu scoffed at such dribble. He knew that to take the battle to the enemy was the ultimate advantage. Choose the time and the place; don’t let them choose you. His father, in many ways was like the old man up in the mountain valley. He was stuck in the old ways of thinking.

Now, Lyn Nu looked at the distant passage currently filled with snow and said, “This one time, old man, I will be patient. When that mountain pass is clear, I will bring the battle to your very doorstep. You sit up there in your castle with walls made of mountain peaks as if you were beyond harm. When that snow melts, who will close the castle gate? Do you have an earthquake in your robes that can bring down enough mountain to keep me out? I didn’t think so old man.”

“Papi Cho! Papi Cho!”

Master Cho froze in mid-strike. He knew that voice. He exhaled slowly, releasing the energy in his sword. He had no need for it now.

He sheathed the weapon before spinning around and grabbing up his granddaughter as she came running into his exercise ring. Ordinarily, it was forbidden to disrupt Master Cho while he practiced. The little girl was the only exception to this rule. She was his princess; a priceless gem that filled him with light. She was always welcome.

With a last glance at the peaks, he turned and carried the little girl into his house where lunch had already been prepared. He wondered how many more days he had left for such simple pleasures.

Word count 685