A Trial by Halves

The Long Road to Healing.

"Qian Qian.  Help me to sit up." he whispered softly as his hand fisted against the bedding to anchor himself, only to jerk his head back when she burst into a loud sob.

"I hoped that you would call me that." she spluttered back at the wide eyes which quickly filled with laughter.

"Well, I should call you Su Su.  I did fall in love with her first." he chuckled softly as she tried to bring herself under control.

"Then again, I quite liked Si Yin, she was certainly something." he added with a twinkle in his eye and giving her an idea as to where his mind had suddenly flown.

Rolling her eyes at him, the small chuckle lingered a little longer as his mind delved back to Su Su, Si Yin and now Bai Qian.  A woman who was both of those two rolled into one and for a moment he wondered what kind of woman she truly was, because what he had seen on the battlefield was not his innocent and kind hearted Su Su and nor was she unpredictable and at times irrational Si Yin. 

 This woman was powerful, cultured, revered and beyond beautiful.  The one in front of him, was a combination of the other two but there was something else about her that he noticed in her eyes, which he wasn't all that sure of.

"Ye Hua.....  I thought you didn't know." she replied smiling through the tears.

"I learned of your true identity not long before Qing Cang escaped the Bell only I thought you had died." he replied slowly as that illusive trait came to him the moment he mentioned Qing Cangs name.  Those bright eyes momentarily darkened.

And suddenly the words she had spoken the day they had married came back to him.  She had told him that she would not suffer betrayal and at that time, he had been given a glimpse into a part of Bai Qian that rarely rose only now he was understanding it.  

It was the unyielding stubborness of a woman who lived by her word.  This Queen was unforgiving, uncompromising and unrelenting in her beliefs which she was not afraid of making known.  And that was something else he saw.  Her peronality may have been divided as a Mortal, but when he put both sides of the Disciple with the Mortal, he got what he saw throwing Qing Cang across the Heavens, yet could hold their son so tenderly and look at him as if he were the only man in her entire world.  The love for them both was pouring off her, and he knew then without a doubt, that he need not worry about Mo Yuan either, because she was his.

"Ye Hua?" she called his name to draw him back to her.  She had noticed his mind had delved off and she began to wonder if she should have left him be, because the expression on his face had began to tighten.  

Realizing his mind had drifted away from her, the smile was quickly put back on his face.

"I think I have fallen in love with you all over again." he chuckled softly as he drew her back towards him.

"You lost your love for me?' she asked not understanding.

"No.  Never.  I just think that Su Su and Si Yin have nothing on you."

"So you don't mind that I am not really them?" she asked grinning up at him.

"But you are them Qian Qian.  You are now a complete whole, and I love you even more." he replied as her parents re-entered the chamber with Haode who had learned that she was there and wanted to meet this woman who had sent his Grandson on a chaotic journey and all for nothing.

The visit was too short and for a moment Ye Hua thought she might actually throw them back out again, the darkening of her eyes as she lifted her head off his chest had him quickly shaking his head her which she caught before drawing the annoyance back in.

Then rising to her feet, she faced the man that Ye Hua called Grandfather, whom he loved very much.  She had also seen for herself how much Haodi loved him by the way he had cried over his body on the banks of the Ruoshui River.  And though she was not overly impressed with the way he had dealt with Ye Huas disappearance, she did understand it.

Ye Hua was the Crown Prince of the Celestial Heavens and chosen by Heaven itself and now that she was in her true form, she did understand the reasoning behind his Grandfathers actions even if she didn't agree with them.  Still, he was the Skylord and one who had earned her respect having taken up a sword to fight a man he knew he was no match for and that alone had her rising up onto her feet to greet him appropriately.

"Your Majesty.  I am Bai Qian of Qing Qiu and this is our son Er Li." she said softly and drawing his attention to the child that Ye Hua was now cradling in his arms.

"Queen Bai Qian." he said with a rising smile as he looked over the woman who had not only caused a whole of trouble, but he could see why.  He may have been an old man, but he could still appreciate beauty when he saw it, so the smile was warm and genuine.

"I was just visiting Ye Hua and to see for myself that he was well and healing." she explained as her parents moved forward to look at the man who shared the same face with Mo Yuan.

"I am sure that now he has seen you, his healing will improve." he said as he took in the bandages and uneven hair.  

In fact it was the first thing Bai Qian noticed when she entered.  It wasn't as bad as she imagined it to be seeing as her mother had tried to explain his injuries before she had arrived.  It was uneven in some areas, but the majority of his hair was still at its full length.  If anything, a few shorter strands about his face, softened the severe disposition he sometimes allowed himself to fall into.

Nodding her head politely, she wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to say to that or even if she should answer, but it was soon taken out of her hands, when Haode moved closer to inspect the child.  His eyes were gleaming as he took in the little hand clasped around Ye Huas finger and the face that was squashed up against his chest and for the life of him, he could not hold back the smile even though he wanted to thoroughly berate his Grandson for his stupidity before throwing him at the mercy of Lord Pua.  

Only the way he was also smiling down at the angelic face of a child who was the very reason for why Ye Hua had deserted his post, he couldn't help but also find understanding in that look.  It was the way he himself had once looked at him when he was little.  But still, there were things that needed to be said, and seeing as the most important person was present, then there was no time for dalliance.

With a wave of his hand towards the door, his eyes then fell back towards Bai Qian.

"If I may have a private word with you." he said which instantly had her parents moving forward only to have her shake her head lightly at them.

"Of course your Majesty." she smiled softly at him.  "If you would be so kind as to lead, this is my first visit to the Celestial Heavens." she explained which soon had him offering her his elbow, which she gratefully took with a quick glance back at Ye Hua.

He didn't think she was in any danger now that it was known who she was, not to mention both parents were in the Celestial Heavens to protect her, but still, he knew his Grandfather. That he wanted to talk privately, was not necessarily going to be in his favour or even Cheng Yu who he had a strong suspicion was the reason for the sudden departure.

And the moment her mother moved to uplift the child, then Ye Hua was forcing himself out of bed much to the dismay of The Empress who was quickly moving forward to prevent it.

"I'm going to need your help to save Cheng Yu.  Please ......" he gasped as pain once again raked his body.

"She protected my daughter, Bai Qian told me.  I will help." she replied as Bai Zhi moved forward to insist that he remain in bed seeing as Ye Hua was trying to force her back so he could sit up even though he could see the effort was taking its toll on him.

"There is nothing you can do to save her Ye Hua, but we can.  Remain here and let us deal with it." he said before suddenly throwing a spell over him to force him to sleep.  

Then as quietly as they entered, they left for the only person who would take heed of what they had to say.