A Tear Frozen in Time

25,000 Years Later

The Peach tree had grown substantially over the past 25,000 years, even outstripping the oldest tree in the Grove but for Bai Zhen, this tree would forever remain his favourite.  He had been feeding it a glass of wine at the end of the week in her memory and he never once forgot a day either no matter what he was doing or where he was.  He returned weekly to ensure she got her bottle of wine.

Lying down beneath the high branches, he smiled at a pair of love birds that Zhe Yan had added recently.  It seemed to him as if these two exotic birds found something peaceful in her tree too, because the nest, which had taken them only a couple of days to build, was nestled well into the foliage which kept it dry from the rains and out of the direct sunlight.  

Their song was the sweetest in the grove and for a while, their sweet voices sent his mind back to a time long ago when he had caught her dancing and singing in the tree tops.  Back then. Zhe Yan had allowed anyone who was anyone to visit his grove being overly proud of his accomplishment and just wanting to share the peacefulness with the rest of the world.

That day, a few visiting dignitaries from the Celestial Heavens had arrived to admire the ten miles of Peach Trees and the wine that the kind god left for their pleasure.  Only it was also her birthday and having been given a beautiful peach coloured dress from her favourite brother, she had decided to wear it to the Peach Tree Grove which she was grounded from.  Or at least until Zhe Yan forgave her for some misdomeanor he didn't think even he remembered.

Only she chose a day when the Grove was filled with visitors and not only had they all seen her dancing and singing in the tree tops, but the gossip that spread like wildfire reached the den by the end of the week when a much younger Mi Gu repeated the story he had heard at the markets.

According to the visiting dignitaries, a Peach Maiden as beautiful as the sun and as alluring as the wine they had filled their bellies with, was dwelling in the Grove and no sooner did Zhe Yan hear the story then it became apparent why his Grove was now inundated with all manner of men seeking a glimpse of this elusive maiden he was supposedly hiding.

The sheer number of visitors was overwhelming the grove to a point where he was not only fearful for the safety of his Grove, but he was also forced to raise a barrier to keep them out.  He also made it known as to who she was in order to put an end to the gossip.  It was also very lucky that she was so very young at the time, or her father would have had to deal with marriage proposals and at the tender age of ten thousand years.

Now smiling at the memory, he looked up at the love birds who were preening each others feathers, and he couldn't help but feel the downward spiral of sadness at what could have been.  Three men, three lifetimes and all for nothing, he thought morosely as the two above his head ignored the tears that began to gather as they continued to love each other as fate had deemed them to.

Ye Hua had undergone his rise to Heavenly Lord not long after the war ended.  Having killed Qing Cang and all but squashed the small rebellion that followed, his Grandfather had deemed him ready for the throne.  And so, the years of peace under his leadership rolled on.  Now and then, he would be seen in the grove lost to his memories, but neither he nor Zhe Yan approached him.  There wasn't a need anymore, because she had in the end forgiven him.  Also sensing the mans need for solitude, they had had left him be.

But from the gossip he had heard, Ye Hua had begun dating.  There were no wedding bells or even the likelihood of a Empress on the horizon, but after twenty five thousand years, it was certainly a step forward.  Many lovely ladies passed through the doors of Xiwu Palace, but as yet, he had not found the one who could heal his broken heart.  Bai Zhen had heard him crying in the grove not that long ago, so he knew the man still had a way to go, but at least he was now making an effort to move on.