the sweet fragrance of the meadows; I can picture the red sun sinking down, and its light—its brilliant light,
dyeing the blue sky and the drifting clouds into shades of crimson and pink. Sometimes I think, the world would
be perfect if there wasn’t a Great Wall. How strange it is, a ruined monument in remembrance of heartbreaking
wars we don’t want to remember, standing amid the nature’s beauties. Sometimes I have wishful thoughts, mere
crazy dreams, and most of them are about our grasslands, the exact color of dusk and the whinnying of our
horses, if there is no Wall to prevent us to get into another era; the era which none of us can imagine.’ He
breathed in the cool fresh air of the approaching dawn, and continued with increased determination, ‘But if I am
to die, I will sacrifice myself for the sake of the nomads’ safety, and fight like a true East Nomad, until my last
drop of blood is shed. This is my promise…my promise to keep, my promise to my homeland.’ His pupils
focused on his sister, where unspoken words linked them together. ‘I am facing it alone, and I know, albeit my
body is bound by the enemy who captured me, that my heart yearns only for the better world beyond this Wall.’
Narki finished with a sigh. Gwen merely nodded, her stomach aching and she was torn apart inside. What a
brother I had got, she stared at her brother through watery eyes, thinking. This might be the last time she had a
chance to speak to him; Narki had heard that an ambush was planned to destroy Gwen’s remaining forces. She
had already told her people to be prepared, but it was hopeless and impossible to win, like ants fighting against
elephants.
But that was exactly why they would not give up fighting. It was because winning was that difficult,
surrender was that easy, and the cruelty of it propelled the people to form an alliance and fight. We were not
surrendering…this was our promise to keep, thought Gwen; this was my promise to keep. She thought about her
home, the reason behind why she was working so hard to prevent it from falling apart; she thought about Narki,
her brother who didn’t give up hope when there seemed to be no hope. ‘I am facing it alone, and I know, albeit
my body is bound by the enemy who captured me, that my heart yearns only for the better world beyond this
Wall.’
‘
That is my promise to keep,’ whispered Gwen. She raised her head and looked at the Great Wall. It had
been treated as a barrier to the enemies, an obstacle which was hard to overcome. But there would be a day
when no more walls were needed to separate each other; there had to be a day. What would our world be like,
thought Gwen, if there were no longer any barricades which prevented us from reuniting?
‘
Here, sister. This is the Key.’ Narki unclenched his fist, and a tiny figurine made out of yak’s fur dropped
into Gwen’s palms. It was a keepsake given by mother. Getting on his feet slowly, Narki grabbed his sister’s
hands through the gap between two iron bars. Their fingers entwined for a couple of second. Gwen stared into
his dark eyes, and realized how pure and clear they seemed for the first time.
‘
Thank you, Narki…my brother,’ whispered Gwen.
The dawn broke. The sky sung a new tale of hope, of a better world beyond the Wall.
* * *