Daughter of Heaven

Chapter 10 - The Day of the Siege

It seems that you have a lot on your mind tonight." The Doctor leaned against the rough wooden door frame as the soft melody faded into the silent night. "Old friend, even someone as tune deaf as I can tell that song isn't a happy one." Doctor Li rubbed his wrist, Xu Long Hui had to help extract him from Hua Er's grip.

Xu Long Hui's icily handsome face was turned to the moon, "I was just reminiscing. How many years ago has it been?"

The doctor sighed and came to sit next to his friend. He had brought a pitcher of his home made plum blossom wine, "When I freed you? "

"Yes."

The doctor shrugged, "Five or six. You were barely human. It took all my teacher had to revive you."

Xu Long Hui let out a sad chuckle, "I wasn't human. But I do owe Master Tan and you my life."

Doctor Li shook his head,"You are only a demon if you believe yourself to be. You have saved so many lives since then, don't live in the past."

Xu Long Hui said nothing, for a moment, both men were quiet, lost in their own thoughts.

"When I met you again, three years ago, I thought you were just a lonely wander, roaming the world." Doctor Li sighed, he could remember the sight of the handsome Long Hui on his blue roan, traveling with the Emperor's Army. For a brief while Li Sun had thought Long Hui was fully cured, but seeing him today, he realized the ice in Long Hui's heart had grown.

"And now? What do you think of me?" Xu Long Hui asked as he poured himself a glass of plum blossom wine and sipped. The sweet spicy wine was perfect for the deepening night.

The doctor was silent for a moment, "I don't think you came to this kingdom on a whim."

Long Hui turned around with, the corner of his mouth twitched in a humorless smile, "Enough of your baseless guessing. Shall I tell you a story from my past?"

Doctor Li's curiosity was piqued, "A story. How rare. You've never spoken of your past before. "

Xu long Hui turned to his friend, the bitter sadness enhanced the beauty of his face, "It is about the day I died."

Siege of Palace  - 10 years ago

Kun Ming Empress Pavilion

"Your Imperial Majesty, I have bought you only a little time. The enemy has broached the western side of the palace gate. And while Lord Lu may spare you for the sake of your beauty, he and Lord Mou will kill and then scatter the ashes of the Crown Prince into the wind once they find him." A tall, broad shouldered man leaned on a bronze spear as he spoke to his queen, calmly ignoring the rivers of blood that flowed from his arm to pool around his knees.

"We have a carriage waiting to take you and the prince out the hidden gate now." Even if he had to tie the Empress and her son to a carriage, he would do so, anything to get them out alive.

High on the dais, an impossibly beautiful woman in the regal silver robes sat on the Tiger Throne. Her grey black eyes blinked once in surprise and again in calculated contemplation. Empress Xi Yang Yue was no weakling.

She calmly smiled the general kneeling in front of her, "Honored General Hong, you forget that I am the mother of this nation and the mother of both Crown Prince Han Qin and Princess Yu Zhu. And unless I am a spineless worm, I will defend my home until I die"

She thought quickly, "But it is important that we get the children and the Emperor's seal out of the palace.  To own the Emperor's Seal is akin to having the Emperor's authority and I will died before those traitorous bastards lay a finger on it."