Chapter 4.3 - A New Mystery

Willow was having a hard time believing she was really here. She couldn’t quite process the fact that everything had worked out, that nothing had come up last minute to keep her from going. She wondered when she had become such a pessimist.

But she was really here! In China! And it was everything she’d ever imagined it would be.

In some ways, it was a little sad to be here by herself. China had been the first stop on the trip she and Conor had planned, and being here without him made her nostalgic for what might have been.

But even being here alone, China was magical.

The very first thing Willow did, after she had gotten over her jet lag, was go to the martial arts academy. She had been sent here on a mission, and she was determined to fulfill it.

“What is your name?”

“Willow Doe.”

He paused, visibly thrown off. “Doe is… your family name?”

“Yes…” Willow didn’t see how this could be relevant, except in the unlikely case that one of her father’s minor scandals had made it all the way to China.

“Is it a common name, Doe?”

“Moderately.”

He looked her over more carefully, then nodded. “You have been sent here to study martial arts, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will teach you. First, show me what you can do.”

After she had sparred with him, he nodded.

“Good. But you still have a long way to go.”

Her week in China flew by in a blur of sparring, tutoring, meditating, and similar activities.

But interspersed with her martial arts training, she had several strange encounters with locals.

Many were friendly, and she didn’t usually have a lot of trouble when she went down to the base camp, or to the market where most of the tourists shopped. It was when she ventured farther out that she ran into problems.

Her first troubling meeting happened when she went out to the dragon cave, having sought out a quiet place to meditate.

“What are you doing here, child?”

Willow was first surprised by the use of the word “child”, since the woman didn’t appear to be much older than she was. “I’m studying at the martial arts academy, and I wanted a quiet place to meditate.”

The woman seemed to assess the validity of her words, then nod. “What is your name?”

“Willow. Willow Doe.”

Her face hardened. “Doe? What sort of Doe?”

“Um… the Doe sort? I didn’t realize there were types of Does. My father’s name is Alaric, if that makes a difference.”

It didn’t. The woman’s face remained guarded. “And your mother’s?”

“Madeline. I think her maiden name was Milne. Why this sudden interest in my ancestry? Does it matter?”

The woman looked her over. “You are welcome here… for now. But tread carefully, child.” 

Then she left, and Willow stared after her in confusion and a little frustration. What was that about?

Unfortunately, that was only the first brush with the bizarre she had over the course of her vacation. Almost every time she left the relative safety of the academy, a pale stranger would confront her and question her about her name and parentage. Finally, on the last day of her training, she resolved to ask about it.

“Willow Doe. Do you have a question for me?”

Briefly, she outlined her experiences with the strangers. “Why are they so interested in me and my parents? Why were you, when you first met me?”

He frowned. “There is someone who is… well known in these parts. A foreigner, who goes by the name Doe. Many are… concerned that you are here on that one’s behalf.”

She sighed. “I promise that no one in my family has ever been to China, let alone this one town. Doe is a fairly common name, and people often use it as a pseudonym.”

He nodded. “But people do not know that, so they are concerned.”

Still, she didn’t really know what was going on.

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When she finally got home, Willow walked into the house with a spring in her step. “I’m home!”

“Willow! Thank Plumbob. I can’t… I can’t do this without you.”

“Felix? What’s going on?”

“Marissa… she’s gone.”

Author's Note: I've made the executive decision that this generation isn't going to be as picture-heavy as they have been previously. I'll still try to get pictures for every scene, but I find I enjoy doing this a lot more when I'm not constantly focused on having pictures for every individual line. That said, I'm really excited about this generation! I've written/played pretty far ahead (all the heir candidates of Generation 5 have been born), and I think it's going to be really interesting. Next time: we see the fallout of this cliffhanger!