Are you familiar with the song "Only Love" by Trademark?

"But only love can stay?

Try again or walk away

But I believe, in you and me,

The sun will shine one day

So I just play my part

Praying you'll have a change of heart

But I can't make you see it through

That something only love can do. . ."

This is how I will describe our story.

Let us just say, he is not my prince charming for her princess only deserves a KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR.

That person is really so arrogant. He is not gentleman either, and he really looks like a gangster.

We met on the most ridiculous part of the story. We fight like cats and dogs - before. He is not a type of person to be love because he is hardheaded and he already loved someone else, long before we met.

But. . . .

We fell in love, and that was Mr. Cupid’s miracle for us.

We were being drove further away by scandal and circumstances; we fought our love, but broke up sooner later. Our love always brought us destruction and in a matter of fate, we always comes to the point wherein we are caught between the feud of life and death.

Did I already mention that we are both popular?

Anyway, our love story is like a whirlwind and it does not have magic. Whether we have a happily ever after? Well, real life is different from a fairytale. Real life is much broader, fairytale is a fantasy. You cannot write a perfect ending in reality's love story, for love are not all fairytales.

However, love can make wonders, right?

And for me, the two of us just only play our part for. . .

. . . That is something that only love can do for us.

- Shin-li

~

Archer Master

A Novella

Written by: Madellene Kong Peñaflor

Copyright © 2014

Finished in the Philippines

This is a work of fiction. Any person, place or event are either product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. No part of this book can be reproduced without the permission of the author. All rights reserved.

This story is not a fairy tale.

This is all about the love of a hero to his heroine, of a savior to his damsel in distress, and. . . .

. . . Of a knight to his princess?

EPIC FAILED XD

Told ya! This is certainly not a fairy tale!

Now, let me start this one-of-a-kind, glamorous, clumsy, funny, and extraordinary epic story. . . .

~

“Introductory”

Unlike common epic tales wherein the settings focus on 2000 B.C.-1900 A.D., this love story somehow happened in the modern world of 21st century present time, in Beijing China, wherein there's a royal clan of an early Chinese dynasty monarch that made it to survived through time, and are still practicing the customs and traditions of indigenous, Chinese, communal heritage.

To introduce this clan, let us have a short refreshment first on history. . . .

Early China was being reigned by eleven well-known dynasties. Here they are:

1. Hsia dynasty

-ruled during 2000 B.C.

-founded by Yu

-early Chinese government referred all the kings of Hsia as the "son of heaven, but because of their tyrant government, this dynasty was easily vanished on the history of China.

2. Shang dynasty

-The second dynasty ruled in China at the middle of 1600 B.C.-1027 B.C.

-it is during the bronze period wherein they gave attention on the development of these certain industries: selling of polished cooking pots and jars, sculpting of jades and marble stones, and creating writings and pictures on stones, human remains, woods and bamboos

-Chou dynasty takes over their place after their defeat in 1027 B.C.

3. Chou Dynasty

-it ruled for over 900 years, back in 1027 B.C.

-during their reign, there's an improvement happen in agriculture, trades and transportation, while their government became more centralized compared to previous dynasties

-men riding on horses sprout during this period

-great philosophers like Confusius, Mensius, Lao-tzu and Hsun-tzu became well known

4. Ch’in dynasty

-Ruled during 221-207 B.C. after they defeated Chou dynasty

-during their reign, there had been an overall expansion of Chinese empire

-Shih Huang-ti is the greatest emperor of this dynasty, and his greatest contribution is the structure "Great Wall"

-Li Ssu became popular

-it was on this dynasty that the name CHINA was being used

-Han dynasty takes over their place after the death of Shih Huang-ti in 210 B.C.

5. Han dynasty

-founded by Kao Tzu in late 202 B.C. and continue until 220 A.D.

-this dynasty never practice "tight-fist government"

-Ch'ang-an became the central state

-China became well known in terms of power and fame under the reign of Emperor Wu Ti

6. Sui dynasty

-It is during this reign between 581-618 A.D. that states of Chinese empire became reunited again after 300 years of diversity

-Sui continues the building of great wall, and at the same time, the making of grand canal that connects the Yellow river and Yangtze river. These two, plus the series of wars leads to a tyrant government, and eventually results to the downfall of this dynasty

7. T'ang dynasty

-Sprouts from Sui dynasty, T'ang reigns between 618-906 A.D

-it is one of the golden age of China, being the culture center of Asia during those times

-Budhism became widely recognized because of the series of missionaries sent by king Kanishka of Hishan empire

-Ch'ang-an became popular on its monasteries, temples and palaces

-T'aitsung was their second emperor which was later on took over by Wu How who became their empress during 690, but she was being thrown out in 705

-series of wars ended T'ang dynasty's reign in 907 A.D.

8. Sung dynasty

-Ruled in southern China between 960-1126 A.D.

-during this period, China became popular on porcelains and garments which led on its further development

-there's a progress in arts and technology

-its greatest inventions are papers, printers, wheelbarrow and dynamites

9. Yuan dynasty

-ruled during 1260 A.D. after they defeated Sung and ruled for over 34 years

-founded by the Mongols led by Genghis Khan which was later on succeeded by his grandson Kublai Khan

-this dynasty is the greatest empire ever built on the history of the world

-the death of Kublai Khan in 1294 led on its downfall

10. Ming dynasty

-founded by Ming

-brought back the soul of Confucian classics

-sent many expeditions led by Admiral Cheng Ho

11. Manchu dynasty

-Reign between 1644-1912 A.D.

-well known as the Ch'ing dynasty

-it introduces a modern Chinese government

Now here we goes. . .

Some of the descendants of Ch'ing clan survives and made it to continue the ruling of their monarch. . .

Well, only for those few states whose loyalty are still on their family. The consequence is, the present communist government and the prime minister are both against on their stand-alone monarch. What drives this further are their misunderstanding on their sovereign territories.

Anyway, that is not our story is all about.

In an epic love story of an outrageous and naive princess, and his modern courageous but a Casanova knight, is love possible for two different person in exactly two different worlds?

“Just to Name a Few”

Our epic starts on the simple life of Ch'ing crown princess, Shin-li. Well, just to describe her, let's take a look on this short list:

1. She is not pretty, but certainly beautiful with long, straight, black hair that is always tied by a ponytail.

2. She is easy-going, joyful and fun to be with.

3. She is not a princess type but more deserves to be a female knight with her bow and arrow that are always at her side.

4. She is outrageous and easy go lucky.

5. She always gatecrash their palace just to get along with the commoners.

6. She is certainly not feminine - eats a lot, talks a lot, laughs a lot.

7. She is fond on horses and her favorite sport is archery.

8. She sings . . . sad to say, it is not ideal one just like what everybody thinks it is.

9. Her circle of friends are the boys in the neighborhood.

10. She always skips her lessons.

Take note: She hates target shooting - A.LOT.

If a typical princess is the one who always stays inside her room and learning how to be an ideal woman and an ideal wife someday, well, princess Shin-li is not the type that a typical prince charming of most fairy tales dream of.

She is a princess who always dream of freedom and enjoyment, away from the critic eyes of the King’s Counsel. Being the only child , Shin-li grew up, living her life on wherever or whatever the king and queen chooses for her - what type of clothes she will going to wear or on what food she will going to eat and even on what type of character or personality she should be.

Her life is so simple because she always disappoints the whole monarch on her every ways.

But, what if it is now already time for the whole kingdom to find for the deserving successor of the throne? And all of a sudden, Shin-li's simple and silent life turn into a whirl wind?

Okay, here goes the list of the three "aspiring" prince charming on the rescue:

1. Yuan Gheo'to [pronounce as: ge-yo-to; "Gio" for short]

- The easy-go-lucky successor of Yuan clan. He is the son of the king's secretary of state and the best friend of Shin-li. He is her protector and he knows all her flaws. They are best buddies on orgies. Being her only childhood sweetheart, he already loves her ever since. The question is if whether she feels the same way too?

2. Tang Kent-li (English name: Dione Tang)

-a prince charming type, Dione was race in the family of surgeons. As a result, he became one too, with a specialization on cardiovascular surgeries. He grew up on States, though he is a full-blooded Chinese. What is interesting about this man is his great passion on the sport known as archery. Monarchy always attracts his interest and he is familiar on Confucian classics. He is a smart young man who had a great likes on brave girls and is attracted on women that can ride on horses.

3. Seto Dom 'yo-gi [pronounce as: Dom-yow-ji]

-often called as Yugi on most characters of this epic. He is the hardheaded, windbag and prime topnotcher Casanova ever lived. He is the son of the prime minister. He likes to bullied people with atmosphere that is far from his world. He do not believes in love and always wants to play because for him, everything are all games - even in terms of hearts. He was born with a silver spoon on his mouth and believes that he already have everything, only except for her, and this girl challenged his pride so much. He had a strong front though loner and deserted inside. He is happy-go-lucky and is engage from one fight after the other. Favorite sport: TARGET.SHOOTING.

Now, the biggest question ever is who will be her knight?

One warrior princess and three handsome cavaliers. On these three right ups, one is the pretender; the other is the shadow, while the other one left is the knight in shining armor.

Who will emerge victorious? Who will stand up as the best? And most of all, who will wins her heart?

Is it the pretender?

Or the shadow?

Or the knight?

Who is this knight . . . ?