The Jade Dagger of Kunlun

A Far East Wedding

Waking before Dawn, Ye Hua slowly made his way towards Mo Yuan who was still in a deep sleep having spent almost the entire night talking with him.  He felt a little guilty for keeping him up so late, but having learned of the kind of people his parents truly were, had initially been heartbreaking for him.  Life could have been so different had his mother not lost him at birth.  But what he did learn, was her final words to his father had been of a mothers immense love for him, and even though he never got to meet her, he knew he would have loved her too.

He had also learned of his fathers creation of the Golden Lotus and his dedication to keeping his soul safe.  For millennia his father had fed him his own life force and when he passed away, Mo Yuan had taken over.  This to Ye Hua showed him just how much his brother had sacrificed for him and for a while Mo Yuan had held him in his arms as he wept.  

He now understood why he had been so tough with him.  The lessons he had learned to date, were not easy ones and some of them, like his last trial, would remain with him forever.  But within those lesson, had been a brother who only wanted him to see what he meant to him.  In his own round about way, Mo Yuan had done just that, while at the same time, strengthening him for what was to come.

It had been a very tough road for him to reach that point, and though he knew there was much to do and so much more to learn, and perhaps more angst in the near future, he not only turned to look at his brother, but his arms reached up and drew him in as he fully embraced their twinship.  He hadn't seen the tears in Mo Yuans eyes, but he didn't need to, he could feel the overwhelming love pouring off him.

Now stumbling about in the dark, having already decided how their wedding would take shape, he found is brother lightly snoring on a pallet under a full sky of stars.  The mist was already beginning to roll in, which could be quite heavy in that part of the forest, so shaking him lightly before the damp got to him, he then turned towards the Fox Clans tent.  

The Empress and Emperor had already informed her that today was to be her wedding day and he wanted to discuss the details which had been going through his head for most of the night before he finally fell asleep.  But no sooner had he raised the flap to their tent, then Bai Zhi and Zhe Yan rose to greet him.  

Sitting around a table that was lightly lit with candles, his eyes searched for Bai Qian, but not seeing her, he gathered she was still asleep, which did make him laugh.  Of course she was asleep, what else would she be doing at that hour of the morning, he asked himself with a quiet shake of his head.  She was the laziest creature he had ever met, and he certainly didn't expect marriage to change that.

As for her family, they were already awake and with them were two of his elders who were discussing their clans wedding rituals, which were rather short and simple.  So long as their entire clan was there to witness the union, there wasn't really much else to it.  

"Ye Hua, come in." The Empress called out the moment she noticed his arrival.

"Please forgive my early morning intrusion." he said softly bowing as he entered.

"Nonsense.  You are about to become a member of the Fox clan, do not stand on ceremony." she said kindly as he made his way towards his elders.

"Because there is little needed in the way of preparations, is there a specific place you would like to hold the union?" the most senior of his elders asked smiling at him.

"Yes.  Lady Yis field of Poppies.  It is where my parents were also married." he replied without any thought at all.  He could not think of any other place he would rather marry the love of his life than there.

Looking at him with affection, his elder understood his need to marry in that place.  As a child, it was where he could always be found whenever something was troubling him, or even if he just wanted to be alone.  The poppy field was also a special place to his entire clan, because Lady Yis  love story was one that all their children were raised on.   It filled their hearts with daydreams of the future and bravery, which was as close as they got to any sort of heroism, but the children clung to it.  As did Ye Hua.