Migong - Book 1

Chapter 2: Tangled Shadows (M)

Kingdom of Moutan

Present, 5th Year of Fangbei: Late Autumn, 1471

When Feiyan woke it was still dark, and she kept her eyes closed, trying not to frown against the broad chest of her companion.

"You don't have to pretend, Fei..." the chest rumbled with sleepy masculine humour.

"There's no fooling you, is there?" she smiled, but still didn't open her eyes. "I want to stay like this just a little longer..."

"Your father will skin me if he finds me in your bed, your Highness," the firm muscles of the chest complained. "It's not that early..."

"Coward," she said, opening her dark eyes to look up into the laughing green eyes of her fighting partner and lover, Gen. "And you can't call me 'Your Highness' when I'm not dressed as him...it makes me think you're using me as a substitute," she complained, threading her fingers through his light coloured hair and pulling his face closer to hers.

They kissed, gently at first, but with growing passion as the seconds became minutes. Cupping the back of her head, Gen rolled her under him, growling low in his throat as he became fully awake.

"Fei..." he whispered, meaningfully.

She laughed, slithering out from under him.

"I thought you were afraid of being caught by Father?"

"I'm not actually afraid..."

"Well, you should be, seeing as I'm about to have you flayed, and then your tendons and ligaments ripped from your bones..." said her Father, who had silently appeared next to the bed, arms folded with disapproval.

KYAAAH!

Fei shrieked from embarrassment more than surprise, covering her red face with her bed sheets while Gen threw something over his lower body and hit the floor, forehead pressed flat to the ground in submission.

"Lord Mu...this Shadow gives his greeting," he acknowledged, in a surprisingly steady, but subdued voice.

"Get up," said the Grand Chancellor, the candlelight reflecting off his silver half mask.

"Yes, my Lord," said Gen, and quickly stood, only to be punched back to the floor quite soundly and with frightening precision. Realizing that the Lord had stopped just short of breaking his jaw, Gen, once again put his now scraped forehead to the ground, ignoring the incredible throbbing that made the blood slosh back and forth in his head.

"Thank you for your mercy, my Lord," he mumbled around a mouth that was already swelling too much to talk.

Gen chanced a look at the man who was his master and swallowed. The grey blue eyes above him were icy with fury, hard and unforgiving, and for a moment, they glowed with something unearthly. The voice that sounded above his head was calm enough though, but a chill ran down Gen's spine at the words.

"Gen, you forget your place. I spare you this once out of respect for my daughter's feelings, but not because your mistake is forgivable. Your duties are reassigned. Go the practice ground. You will teach the young ones until I am appeased. Do it well or I will change my mind about making your skin into a drum."

"Yes, my Lord," the young man tottered to his feet, bowed at the waist, and hastily gathered his clothes before retreating out of the chamber.

"Father..." Feiyan said in dismay. Dammit!

Because the Grand Chancellor was a political advisor, many forgot that he personally trained his Shadows, thus his ability to move swiftly and silently, and to kill swiftly and silently, was often forgotten...and yet he still far surpassed any of those he had trained...except perhaps his daughter who, right at the moment, was having an internal meltdown.