A Tear Frozen in Time

Explanations

"Is it even possible to win a war without fighting...." she whispered softly as the most beautiful warm energy washed over her.

"No war breeds winners." her father whispered down at her tired eyes and grim expression.

"Then if there are no winners, then why am I here?" she asked as the battle continued to rage around them.

Her father didn't say anything for a while, he merely kept his eyes down and his energy flowing as he considered her question which in his mind deserved an answer, though more from her than him.

"Lets just say, that if you win, any explanations needed are merely for yourself.  If you lose, you shouldn't be here." he replied having quoted some general from his distant memories. [1]

Her eyes closed as his words lightly brushed against her mind. His words came nowhere near to explaining the raw emotions she was feeling at that moment, emotions she felt she was no longer entitled to, not when she knew without a doubt that this war went far beyond Qing Cang.

From where they were situated, not much could actually be seen, but she could certainly hear it.  The battle had now reached a crescendo, the sounds of the dying were rising up to meet her and Qing Cang and Ye Huas battle had almost reached a conclusion.

And now and then, familiar voices could be heard.  Her Disciple brothers whom she had turned her back on centuries before, had never seemed closer to her at that moment.  But she guessed that being so close to dying, that explanation her father was talking about was one such example of why she was there.

As a child growing up on Kunlun Mountain, the sixteen boys she grew to know and love dearly brought back a multitude of memories to her as she lay unmoving while the rest of the world continued with their crazy determination to bring about a win or a loss.

Back then, she had seen them all as an extension of herself, this was what growing up among boys as a boy had given her.  Back then, their often loud and exurberant yelling only added to her exciteable disposition and of course, from that, untold mischief would erupt.  Only the last war saw very little excitement and loud exclamations of victory.  If anything, it was as if they had known just how dire that war was going to be, as if sensing something was amiss, but like her, completely unprepared for when it came.

In fact, she had not even considered that they would lose.  Under Mo Yuan and with her brothers beside her the entire way, she had vainy assumed that not only would they win the war and end Qing Cangs reign, but she would then go onto becoming a household name for her bravery and then marry her beloved shifu as soon as she graduated.

Only that ..... her mind wandered briefly as her father watched the tears spill from her closed lids and knowing exactly where her thoughts had gone.

The wind was picking up again, though she wasn't sure if it was the battle producing it, or the wind itself.  On that hill top disconnected from everyone else, she suddenly began to notice the little things.  The tangy scent of a nearby blueberry bush, the flutter of wings as minor flew overhead, the rush of water in motion not far from where she was lying.

Somewhere in her distant memories, the sound of a zither began to play.  Its melody soft and gentle.  Flowing like a soft summer rain on her mind as she lay quietly trying her best to forget.  Only the face that came with the music roared into her mind as a chaotic symphony, an orchestra without a conductor.  

Her eyes opened, but he remained firmly fixed in her mind and refusing to budge.  Not even the sight of his robe suddenly coming into view above her head could shift the memory of his gentle form lightly plucking the zither as she lay her head on his knee relishing in the delight of his presence she thought would last forever.