Growing up in Imperial China, people always seem to have their place. Women belonged at home, in the kitchen, doing jobs deemed inferior by the men of the nation. It wasnt to say that they didnt work hard, it was just the natural order of things. Men went out, raised money, fought in wars, settled down with a woman hand picked by the village matchmaker, and then lived out their days together, raising children to do the same. It was just how things went. But, in this story, well meet a young man who was different. A young man who stood up for his family, even after being dishonored by everyone else. A young man who saved China. And that young mans name was Blaine Anderson. 

The bright, morning sun peeked its way into Blaines bedroom as he started to stir awake. Blaine had never been a morning person, so, when his mother had told him to be ready to meet with the matchmaker by sunrise, he simply scoffed it off and nodded, thinking nothing of it. He had faith in himself to be up and ready by that time. Besides, the chores around the house werent going to do themselves, now, were they? Ever since his older brother had gone off, gotten married, and settled down, everything in the Andersons' household had been placed onto Blaines shoulders, and, really, he was okay with that. He loved helping out his mother in the kitchen or his father with the animals they kept, but when he thought about meeting the matchmaker, his stomach turned. That was something he definitely wasnt ready for and just as soon as he started to stir, Blaine was already falling back into a deep sleep against his pillows. 

A loud barking sound was what finally woke Blaine up for good and it had genuinely startled him. "Oh no," he said, jumping out of the bed and quickly pulling on some of his clothing. The family didnt have much money, so, when it came down to things, Blaine was always dressed in plain clothes. He slipped on a beige pair of cotton pants and then a matching top, making sure to tie it shut with a brilliant green belt. He wasnt much for style, but he definitely had a thing for different colored belts to at least give some life into his look. He checked his hair in the mirror and then, he was off. First, he haphazardly sprinkled feed all over for the chickens, then made sure each of the horses stalls had hay in them. Finally, he went into the kitchen and poured his father a cup of tea, grabbing both a spare cup and the teapot along the way. Balancing all of that, Blaine took off out towards the backyard, managing to run into his father just as he had left the house. 

With a crash, the teacup fell to the stone walkway and Blaines face fell with it. "Oh, Father, Im sorry," he said, quickly getting out the spare and filling up the glass for him.

"Blaine, what are you doing? You should have been in town ages ago. You cant keep the matchmaker waiting, shes not a patient woman," his father said, to which Blaine just answered with a smile. 

"I was just leaving. Now, remember what the doctor said? Three cups of tea in the morning, three at night," Blaine stated, setting the teapot down on one of the rocks before he turned on his heels, heading over to the stables. "Wish me luck!" he called back to his father.

"Oh, Blaine. I think Im going to, uhm, go pray some more." 

"Cmon, Dalton, almost there," Blaine whispered as he tapped his horses side with his heel. He hated being late, but things happened and that was never a good thing in Blaines case. As soon as he pulled on Daltons reigns, the black horse stopped right in front of the stylist's house and Blaine jumped off. "Im here," he said, out of breath, but still smiling, trying to at least be a little bit positive about how late he was. 

"Blaine, lets go. Youre late. Weve been waiting and the matchmaker waits for no one," his mother scolded as she placed a hand on her sons back and lead him into the lions den. Or, at least, thats what Blaine felt like it was the minute two women and one man came over and started taking his measurements and bringing out different articles of clothes. Suits of armor, dress robes, you name it, they tried it on Blaine, finally settling on just a simple, black ensemble that matched the darkness of his hair. He wasnt quite sure if the look was totally, well, /him/, but beggars couldnt be choosers and Blaine knew his place well enough not to say anything that might make the stylists upset. He had learned from a very young age that you couldnt bite the hand that feeds. Or, in this case, the hand that dresses you for meeting your future wife.

Blaine felt his mothers gaze on him as he looked himself over in the mirror. "Oh, you look so handsome. It seems like just yesterday we were doing this for Cooper and now look at him. Married, a child on the way. Hes happy, and you will be, too." Blaine nodded his head in agreement with her words, but he knew that she was wrong. This wasnt what he wanted. From a young age, he had always known that he was different and the thought of marrying a woman really put him off. He wasnt sure why, but he had never been attracted to them. This was China, though, and Blaine knew better than to speak his mind. So, he would do as he was asked. He would marry a nice, young woman and he would try to be as happy as humanly possible. 

"I think youre ready," one of the stylists said, breaking Blaine out of his thoughts. 

"Oh, you can do it, sweetheart," his mother chimed in.

"Wait just a minute! Wait! Hes not ready yet!" came the voice of a tiny, older woman who had seemed to just appear from the woodwork. 

"Grandmother," Blaine said, facing the woman and bowing slightly to her. There were very few people that Blaine admired and his grandmother was one of them. All of her dark hair had turned grey and her skin had grown wrinkled over time, but she had the heart and soul of a young person, which was something Blaine loved about her. 

"Here you go. An apple for serenity," she said, shoving an apple into his mouth. "A pendent for balance. Just hold your head up high and show how proud you are." Blaine swayed a little at the sheer weight of the pendent and placed the apple back down on the table, getting ready to open his mouth to say something when his grandmother beat him to it. "And here. A cricket. Just for luck." She took the little cage and pinned it to the back of his shirt, tucking it up under his belt so that it was out of sight. "Now, even you cant blow it," she teased, sending a wink in his direction and Blaine felt better. Much, much better. Maybe he could do this? Or, thats what he was thinking to himself as he was being pushed out of the door and down towards the matchmakers office. 

"You may look like a prince, but you will never bring your family honor!"

Meeting with the matchmaker had been a complete and utter disaster. If there was a list of things that could have gone wrong, then Blaine knew he had perfected that list. He'd said the wrong things, he'd done the wrong things. Hell, at one point, the matchmakers rear end had been lit on fire thanks to his antics and Blaine had had no one to blame but himself. The matchmaker was right. He was a failure and that was all he was ever going to be. He just needed to get used to it. 

Upon returning home, Blaine downcast his eyes so he wouldnt have to face his father. He knew that he would be so ashamed. Cooper had done everything right the first time around, so why was it so hard for Blaine? Maybe it was because his heart wasnt in it? Maybe he was just meant to be alone? He didnt know, but, as he knelt down in front of the shrine, he wasn't looking for a savior or anything like that. He was just looking for answers. "Ancestors, please, help me to find out who I am. Ive already done so much to dishonor you, maybe you could point me in the right direction of something that I would be good at," he whispered, letting out a heavy breath and closing his eyes. Maybe he just wasnt meant to be great.

It seemed like Blaine had been sitting out by the cherry blossom tree for hours when his father took a seat next to him. Blaine looked away from him, still completely ashamed of everything that had happened that day and not wanting his father to have to look at him. He felt terrible, but, something told him that his father didnt seem to be angry. 

"Oh, the cherry blossoms are late this year. But, my son, I think theyre going to be just as beautiful as ever," he said, picking up one of the fallen buds and holding it in his hands. "The ones who bloom the latest are always the most beautiful."

Blaine turned his gaze over and looked up at his father. He knew what he was doing. He was trying his best to make Blaine feel a little bit better about what had happened, but it wasnt working. Not yet, at least. He looked at the flower in his fathers hands and smiled just a touch. "Father, Im sorry I didnt impress the matchmaker. I promise, Ill make you proud next time."

"I have faith in you, my son. However long it takes, we will still be proud of you."

"Thank you, Father," Blaine whispered, not wanting to bring up Cooper or anything else. It was just enough that to know that his father wasnt angry with him.

Blaines expression grew confused when he heard a distant pounding of drums. It was then that his heart sank and his brain turned itself up to a mile a minute. Those were the drums of war. They were coming to collect soldiers. He watched as his father shakily stood up and headed out of the gates, Blaine following on his heels. This wasnt going to end well, he could already tell. 

Blaine heeded his mothers words and stayed back, scaling up the wall around their home and perching himself on top of it to listen in on everything. How could this be happening? His father was just starting to get a little bit better, and now this? This wasnt right. This wasnt fair. And, of course, since the matchmaker hadnt approved of him, Blaine wasnt able to go in his fathers place. It wasnt fair. It wasnt fair at all, but there was nothing Blaine could do. Or was there? He silently watched atop the wall as his father was handed the scroll, shaking his head and scheming. He needed to do something and with the General asking for them to report to the camp tomorrow, Blaine didnt have much time to figure out what. He had to do something drastic, though. Something very, very drastic and crazy. Something that might, in the end, cause him more dishonor than anything else, but it was better than to have his father die in battle. 

After everyone was asleep, Blaine sneaked out of his room and into his parents bedroom. Carefully, and quietly, he pulled the scroll off of his fathers night table and got one last look at his parents. He wasnt sure if he was ever going to see them again, but this was for the best. He would be able to protect his father and that was what really mattered to Blaine. 

In an instant, Blaine was entering the dressing room of the home and pulling his fathers armor out from one of the cabinets. As he suited up, he couldnt help but notice how it all seemed to fit like a glove, like this was what he was supposed to be doing. Or, maybe, it was just because that was what he wanted to think. Blaine grabbed a sword, a helmet, and then, that was that. He had everything he needed. He quickly worked his way through the rain out to the stables where he got Dalton ready for the journey, loading his saddle up with everything he might need and climbing on his back. "Cmon, boy. Yeh!" he said, tapping his heels on Daltons sides just as the horse took off in the distance towards the camp. There was no going back now and Blaine was alright with that. He was finally doing something right, he had to be. He was going to prove that he was worth something, even if he had to die trying.