A Special Meeting

1.5K 51 25
                                    

Qing Qiu

Two days later, Bai Qian was back on her horse and heading for the training grounds where her meeting with the Demon Overlord was to take place and having already informed her generals, she arrived at the main tent which had been prepared for her in plenty of time.

For the past two days, she had gone over every concievable scenario that might take place while wondering what it was that she had that he might want.  Like everyone else, she too had spies in many lands including his, and from what she had learned, there was not a lot he could gain from an alliance with Qing Qiu that he didn't already have elsewhere unless it was marriage alliances that he wanted, which she was more than happy to allow as long as her people were taken care of while also insisting that any women who chose to marry into his lands remained her own people and not his.

And apart from that, there wasn't really anything else that she could think of that would have him traversing the world just to sit and have tea with her.

On the table which sat square in the middle of the room and surrounded by six chairs, were refreshments, hot tea and wine as well as one inkwell, a brush and two blank scrolls should an agreement be reached and rather than take a seat at one end of the table which she would share with her adviser and brother Bai Zhen, she instead took to pacing the room as her mind went back to Mo Yuan who had been in her thoughts the entire time despite trying her best to keep it free for the meeting.

She had seen the way he had looked at Guotin moments before he left the Celestial Heavens and she knew how he felt about the man, so she also knew that this meeting would not be to his liking and though she smiled at that thought, she realized she had to work hard to keep it on her face.

"Are you that excited to meet the Demon Overlord?" a soft voice interrupted her thoughts which had her quickly turning to the entrance where Bai Zhen came into view and though he too was smiling, she could see the apprenhension in his eyes.  

But like everyone else who knew their place, he did not question her decision to meet this Overlord, because he like everyone else, kept their thoughts to themselves whenever she made decisions as Qing Qius Queen.  And it wasn't because he was afraid of her, in fact some had suggested this was so, which was utterly laughable, because he wasn't.  He merely respected her right to rule unhindered, but was always there to offer solid advice should she ask for it.

Only that wasn't why he was nervous.  His father had just informed him of a special visit and it seemed to him that she was not yet aware of it, because he was absolutely certain the meeting would have been called off.  Only he said nothing, instead choosing to wait for the fireworks and going by the way she was now pacing, he knew it was going to be grand, her nerves were wound tight.

"Zhen Zhen, is he here yet?" she asked craning her neck to see behind him.

"Not yet, why not sit down, I'll pour you a cup of tea, I know I could use one." he replied just as anxious as she was.

Looking at her brother a little more carefully, she realized he really was anxious, probably even more than she was.  Though she hadn't really spoken to him since leaving the Celestial Heavens so she gathered her unsavoury departure was still on his mind.

"Its just a meeting, a get to know you a little more meeting." she said with a smile that did help to ease the tension a little.   "I don't imagine we'll be discussing any heavy issues today" she added as the sound of her guards bowing soon had her quickly sitting down to make it look as if she had not just been pacing seconds earlier.

Wearing full riding gear and not looking all that queenly, she forced herself to assist Bai Zhen with the tea while ensuring the mask of indifference was firmly planted on her face and the moment her guest entered she kept her focus on her brothers cup as she poured before slowly moving to fill the cup to her left.

A Tear Frozen in TimeWhere stories live. Discover now