One Tail at a Time

Trial of the Spirit - 10

Staring up at the ceiling, Bai Qian quietly drew the sheet back up over their sweat covered bodies.  Making love all morning, she thought life wouldn't get any better, only now she was in his arms naked, breathless and stunned.  Mo Yuan had just informed her who he really was and though she had suspected it, she honestly didn't give it a second thought.   He had arrived in a common foot soldiers uniform and severely wounded.  Had she not found him when she did, he would have died.

Only now he was telling her that he had snuck out of the Palace to join the army because his mother fought tooth and nail to prevent him from fighting even though he had recently passed the age to fight.  Only his father agreed in the end, seeing as Mo Yuan was the Crown Prince and their only son, they could not afford to lose him in a battle when they had hundreds of thousands of lives to fight their battles for them.   And not only had he almost died, but he had just spent the passed three months in her company which explained the poster and why she was almost arrested.

"Your parents will be very worried about you Mo Yuan..... in fact......" she stammered as she tried to find the words for what happened that day which she had not yet informed him of.

"What is it" he asked smiling at her, as if she were just worried about what his parents would think of her, when he really couldn't see a probelm.  He was the Crown Prince and he had chosen his Empress, so there was nothing to worry about.

"That day, I came home in a maids outfit...." she began in a small voice which had his arm tightening about her shoulders.

"What about it Qian Qian?"

"Well.... I think your parents have soldiers out looking for you.  They had a poster of me all over town, and I was almost caught by them." she explained while leaning her head back to look at him.  "I thought it might have been because of your swords, and they were coming to arrest me."

Thinking quietly for a few seconds, Mo Yuan nodded his head slowly.  "Yes, well, my sword is as I said, a priceless heirloom and had they caught you...." he trailed off with a deep frown.

"I also sold your ring." she reminded him only he hadn't realized.  In fact, until that very moment, he hadn't noticed it missing, because his hand had been heavily bandaged and by the time she removed them, he was falling head over heels for her and just hadn't noticed.

"That too was a priceless heirloom, though I wouldn't worry.  If they found the items, they would have been returned to the Palace anyway." he replied now looking most seriously at her as he sat them both up.

Then pulling her up against his chest, he held her tightly even though deep down she could feel his unease.  His body had tensed despite the warmth of his embrace and the soft smile that he was giving her now.

"I won't pretend that it will be easy for you, but I have made my decision Qian Qian.  I meant what I said, you are going to be my wife and the next Empress, nothing of the past will change that.  Unless you have objections?" he asked with a softer look on his face.  He expected her to feel uneasy, but the frown on her face was deepening which worried him immensely.

"Qian Qian, I will never allow you to be hurt.  I am the Crown Prince, I have a say over who I marry regardless of who my mother wants.  I will not take anyone else but you and nor will you suffer in my household, there is nothing to fear." he added strongly and convincingly, that she couldn't help but think she might actually be worrying for nothing.

Though the thought of him being the Crown Prince was still shocking to her and even more so, being the next Empress.  All she had ever wanted in life, was to live quietly and comfortably.  Of course she knew her war scavenging wouldn't last forever, but having created a nice home for herself and somewhere to live out her elder years in peace, she thought that it was a life style that she could share with the man who had all but taken over every thought and they would live happily ever after in the woods without a care in the world.