A Trial by Halves

No Regrets

Alone in his tent, Ye Hua tried to meditate.  It wasn't quite dawn, but all was quiet and perfect for him to use the time to still his mind and racing heart.  He was nervous and excited all at the same time, and no matter how hard he tried to still his thoughts to keep his mind clear, he couldn't.  In the end he allowed it to run wild while remaining in the lotus position so that his body at least got to relax and it was then that his mind went back over everything that had brought him to that point.  

With just his presence alone, he had all but executed the son of the Mermaid King and that was because he had forced the matter.  It had not been an easy task for him, because the King of Chang Sea was against any form of retribution against an enemy he was trying his best to curry favour with.

For centuries Chang Sea and the Mermaid Clan had fought against each other without any assistance, and it was becoming more and more difficult to keep the Mermaids at bay and his people free.  However, having alienated himself from the Celestial Tribe, the support he needed was not there.  Or so he had thought.  

That was until Ye Huas presence was made known by Die Feng and it was only then that the Celestial Tribe involved themselves their war with his Grandfathers approval which Ye Hua needed in order to put his own plans into action.  And the way things were moving, everything he had planned out for weeks, was falling into place.  

But he was a pessimist at heart, so he did not take what looked to be a perfect plan for granted.  He might be meticulous in his planning, but he never ever underestimated the unexpected. 

But he was ready and the moment his Uncle Lian Song entered his tent not long after Dawn, Ye Hua took what he knew would be one last look at the only person in the entire Celestial Heavens who had ever shown him one ounce of love other than his mother.  Not even his own father had shown him mercy as a child, so he had no qualms in letting him go.

But there was immense sadness for his mother who he did love.  She may have said she was happy with her life and what the Palace gave to her, but he knew she wasn't really.  There was always a tinge of sadness and maybe even guilt that seemed to be present whenever he visited her.  

In her youth, she had been exceptionally beautiful and considered one of the five beauties of their world.  She had also had her heart set on another, only like him, she was forced into a marriage she had no say in so if anyone was to understand the decision he was making, it would be her.  

He had been taken off her at birth and kept from her for his first twenty thousand years of life.  He had grown up with his father who was so weak, he too had no say but his father never fought for him like his mother did.  And in her own way, she had made herself known in all the little things he had held close.  The new gowns that she had stitched small notes into, toys that she hid among his new brushes, sweet treats she would sneak onto his plate and even a small copper mirror that he could hear her talking through.

Sometimes she would tell him stories, sometimes she would sing songs from her own childhood, and sometimes she would sit quietly and say nothing as if knowing that he was on the other end was enough.  But he never answered her, because he knew if he did, she might lose her head and break the rules to force her way into his chamber, which he knew she would be punished for.  He knew it hurt her not to talk back, to let her hear his voice, but for her own safety, he remained quiet while his own tears rained down his cheeks in anger at the unfairness of it all.

But he treasured that copper mirror.  Their Palaces were only a mere few seconds away from each others but it may as well have been in a different Universe.  The mirror was the only thing he had to close the distance. 

So when he began to seriously consider leaving his own world behind to begin a new life with his own true love, he not only gave his copper mirror to Su Su so she could also talk to him, but he gave her a part of his life that held a very special place in his heart.  That mirror was also a symbol of freedom, love and happiness which were things his own child would know and Su Su would never feel the loneliness that he had, because he answered every one of her calls.