A Crown for a Tail

The Banquet

By the time they had reached the Banquet Hall, all of the guests were already inside and waiting for his arrival, though having spent a good hour if not more chasing a still unknown goddess through the coral gardens, Ye Hua was tired and in no mood to play nice, but putting the smile on his face, he made his way inside once his arrival had been announced.

Waiting in a side garden, Bai Qian watched the procession making their way to the Grand Hall.  Having already made her presence known to the Herald who would officially announce her arrival, she waited as the man in black reached the lower steps before his friend left his side and went on ahead, leaving him waiting to be called in.

Interesting, she thought to herself.  Being called in, suggested he was of High Rank, though she had a feeling he was going by his robes.  Though his attempts to search the crowded hall from where he was standing almost had her laughing out loud, it was so obvious that he was searching for her.  Even the disappointed expression that suddenly flitted across his face when he realized she wasn't in the hall, was obvious and nor was fidgeting and restlessness to move forward.

Then suddenly his name was called, which she could clearly hear from where she was standing.  No sooner were the words out of his mouth, than her mouth dropped and her eyes bulged widely.  It took several minutes for the shock to wear off as everything she knew of him came back to her, before a wide smile began to spread across her face.

"Ahhhh, so you are The Crown Prince Ye Hua." she said suddenly laughing.  His was a name the whole world knew, and like her, very few had the pleasure of seeing him in person, even some of those in the Hall would be meeting him for the first time.

And nor was he immune to the gossip, though like Zhe Yan, no would would dare to allow themselves to be caught gossiping about him either.  According to one lot of gossip she had overheard, he was very much a ladies man who not only had women throwing themselves at him, it was well known that he had taken many of them for his own pleasure only to toss them aside when he was done, and nor did he care for their titles or rank, they were merely a means to an end, their names irrelevant.  

He was also very difficult to understand, let alone know personally.  He rarely showed himself to the public, instead keeping himself well away from the worlds politics and intrigue, instead preferring the seclusion that his Palace gave to him.  And to some, his stoic and fully closed demeanor was near impossible to break through, and that was because of the difficult childhood he had under his Grandfather The Skylord,  though once Mo Yuan had found out he was struggling under the strict upbringing, the damage was done.  

And it was Mo Yuan who had freed him from his Grandfathers harsh grip, that finally saw the child taken out from under his strict rule and sent to Kunlun Mountain to learn and receive safety and guidance, though not as his Disciple.  And it was there, that he had met his senior Disciple Die Feng, and had formed a very close friendship.  In fact if anyone knew him better, it was his brother and Die Feng.

But there he was, chasing her around the East Seas Palace gardens without a care in the world, and though his eyes were very dark and there was a definite dangerous edge to his persona, he was far from the unreachable character that the gossip led her to believe.  If anything, she had found him to be somewhat likable, someone who could perhaps become a friend.

And as she waited for the aide to arrive to guide her forward, her mind once again dwelt on his dark eyes that had bore into hers with such an intensity, she had almost felt herself lift off the ground, they were that magnetic.

She would be the last of their honored guests to be announced, and she was nervous.  Being last would make an even bigger impact as she would be the last on their minds when the doors closed.  Taking a deep breath, she waited for an aide to lead her forward.