To Love An Emperor

I Think I Want To Love You

It isn't like it particularly means anything, at least - not in the way a traditional marriage of love should be handled. But arrange marriages - marriages of conveniences more like - are just as, if not more, common and highly practiced.

Feelings like love have no place in these arrangements.

Though it would have been nice.

Unfortunately, an alliance is more valued over one's own feelings and therefore a marriage of convenience has been placed - the union of the Emperor from the Four Seasons Kingdom and a highly valued member of the Ghost Valley Manor.

Essentially, a recipe for disaster according to Gu Xiang.

The Imperial Word and the Martial Arts Word tend to keep each other's at arms length - have done so for nearly a century now - so the union between these two respectable titles would be both bold but smart to strength outside ties. What a joyous idea! Said no one ever.

An awful idea, if anyone had chosen to ask Wen Kexing for his opinion.

Annoyingly enough, no one did.

Lady of the Ghost Valley Manor, Luo Fumeng, Wen Kexing's beloved aunt had been the one to approach this questionable arrangement to Wen Kexing one beautiful Winter morning.

The snow of pure white hugged the area of their home, a winter wonderland as the younger disciples made snowmen or threw snowballs at one another, running around in childish glee - wrapped in their warmest robes. Watching the entire scene was Wen Kexing and Liu Qianqiao, drinking a cup of hot tea and chattering senselessly in content.

Then she came, in all her red robed glory, hair as white as the snow that surrounded them, face as youthful as any newly turned thirty year old - graceful and elegant in her steps as she comes to a stop before the two cousins.

An offer - a marriage arrangement, either of the two would be the best candidate to be the one to unite the two worlds. Wen Kexing saw Liu Qianqiao lower her eyes in defeat, the slight slouching of her shoulders, a barely audible sigh leaving her pink lips - he decided to speak before she could.

Liu Qianqiao had goals - a whole dream. She wanted to be a priestess, and her training was so nearly complete. She had to maintain a purity in all body, mind and soul - she had worked so hard to get this far.

Wen Kexing couldn't allow her to give it all up, not like this - not if there was an alternative. Liu Qianqiao is older, yes, but only just barely. She may feel that she should be the one to carry this burden, but Wen Kexing refused to allow her to do so. He was not going to allow her to waste her potential future to be some spoiled Emperor's arm candy; to be just a pretty face - seen but not heard.

How dare that thought ever cross her mind!

"I'll do it," Wen Kexing had volunteered, before Liu Qianqiao could so much as get a word out.

He ignored her look of bafflement and when she tried to protest, threw a ball of snow at her to shut her up. She spluttered in outrage but Luo Fumeng had smiled and her eyes had thank him.

Luo Fumeng, though she loved them both, was the mother of Liu Qianqiao - adoptive, yes, but still she raised and cared for her. She seemed relieved that Liu Qianqiao could follow her dream, even if she also seemed regretful as she helped him pack for the trip to the capital. Her eyes were teary as she helped him get ready for his wedding, probably an improper thing for the Lady of the Manor to do such a thing - but Luo Fumeng was always one to do things unorthodox.

Gu Xiang, his martial sister and the second disciple now head disciple of the Ghost Valley Manor, was sent to spend a year with Wen Kexing during the first year of his marriage.