"Your highness, your highness! Quickly, you should wake now!"
A thick mountain fog seemed to cloud his mind, he had become lost within it. A sickeningly sweet scent surrounded him, but the more he tried to distance himself from it, the more it wrapped about it trying to drown him. There was a heaviness about it that he could not shed. His eyes struggled to open, his body struggled to move, but he was drawn to the warning in the voice. A groan slipped from his lips as two slender hands gripped his arm, trying to shake him from the drifting clouds.
"Your highness, please!" He tried to recall what had happened... he had been speaking with Feng Chun about... there was a summons so he had grudgingly obeyed and gone to the Yang Palace where...
"What do you think you are doing?" He knew that voice and in his nightmare it became a physical thing. The voice slid over his skin and made him feel disgusted. He tried to roll away from the voice, but the hand on his arm stopped him.
"Your majesty," the first voice quivered, like a harshly rang bell. It was higher in pitch than the second voice. Did it belong to a woman? "Please stop this, this isn't right!"
"Get out of my way!" The Second person approached with heavy steps. He felt himself shaking in fear. He had to get away, but it was so hard to move! "Who are you to argue with Zhen, lowly slave!"
"No!" His body felt the warmth of another. He didn't like it, but it did not make him worry either, but that warmth was torn away, abruptly, leaving evidence in a painful manner upon his arm. There was a thud and a sobbing.
"Zhen will deal with you later," the voice was angered but also full of lust. He felt sick. He commanded his body to flee. "Where are you going, Yu Er? Don't you wish the honour of becoming my Empress?" He shuddered and tried to crawl off of the bed, but his leg was grabbed in a tight, sweaty grip.
"No!" He protested, his own voice scratching past his dry throat.
"Don't fight it, Yu Er," the voice was thick and slimy, he heaved as it stroked his body with a heavy touch. "You will feel good soon, Yu Er..." he felt his robes begin tugged from his body, his fingers gripped them tightly trying to retain them, but he was weak and knew he was losing this battle.
"No!" He cried, his voice weak to even his ears. His eyes flickered open, but he wished they hadn't as he saw the round body of the Emperor hovering over him. His Imperial Father licked his lips, his tiny eyes darkened as he stared at the white skin of the Second Prince. A fat hand ran over his exposed shoulder and along his chest, he felt bile rising in his throat and tried to push the man away, but could not move him. "No!"
Suddenly a shadow appeared from behind the Emperor. A few sharp hits had the large man collapsing, his eyes rolling over into the back of his head. Yu Long's guard looked disdainfully at the Emperor. This guard had been protecting the Second Prince for many years since the two young Princes had gained the trust of he and other Palace Guards. He knew that the Emperor often sent amorous glances Second Prince's way, but he never thought the man would act upon them. Second Prince was his son not a concubine! He need inform First Prince of this. He turned to the maid sprawled upon the floor. "Look after Second Prince," he instructed, barely waiting for the maid to nod her head in agreement, before leaving as quickly as he came.
The maid wiped away her tears. Who knew that that fat pig was actually so strong! He lie unconscious beside Second Prince, who still struggled to move away. "Let me help you," she said and wrapped her arms about Second Prince.
*****
Jie Long glanced over the territories and knew within an instant that he had lost. He threw his head back dramatically and cursed, before examining the man sitting opposite him. He huffed like a child. He always did dislike losing at Go. "Ah, Wu Tian," he complained, "you are too strong."
The Palace Guard chuckled, before bowing his head, humbly. "You honour me, your highness."
"You should play my brother next," Jie Long decided. Yu Long would get vengeance for him! "Where is Second Prince?"
Wu Tian could not answer him, for he did not know. He gathered up the black and white stones as Yu Long's personal guard suddenly appeared before them. He knelt before Jie Long and said a few short words. Jie Long frowned.
"Gather the Guards that are loyal, have them protect Yu Long," Jie Long ordered. "Wu Tian, send men to the First and Third Barracks and have word sent to the Ministers who are loyal. It's time." Both Guards bowed and immediately left to follow his orders.
*****
"Your Holiness," Lian Guan Tian murmured to the person who sat upon the horse in front of him. "We approach the Capital." The Living God looked up at his black priest and tilted his head to one side.
Their party was formed of Imperial Soldiers, Temple Guards, two priests and one God, was ever such a strange group seen travelling upon horseback at night? Guan Tian's sister travelled with another Temple Guard and a few others rode together as there was simply not sufficient horses for their group.
"Why?" Xiang Ah Liû asked.
Lian Guan Tian frowned. "The Imperial Palace is located in the Capital."
"So? Yu Long is not there," the Living God told him. The black priest sighed. Ever was the Living God like this, preferring to keep his priests and guards guessing his thoughts.
"Would you care to tell us where we should go?" Wu Chang, the leader of the soldiers asked. His voice was calm, not a single accusation in his tone.
Xiang Ah Liû nodded and indicated where the voice was telling him to go and where is own feelings pulled him in way of agreement.
*Do you wish to save him* the voice had said.
"Yes," was his simple reply.
*****
The Ministers came to court to face the result of rebellion. Wáng Jie Long was sitting in an almost casual manner upon the dragon throne, although not all Ministers expressed surprise, many others expressed shock.
"May I ask what the meaning of this is, First Prince?" sneered Minister Shang, a wirey little man, who enjoyed fawning over the Emperor and displaying what he thought was superiority over the two young Princes, who always remained silent in Court.
"Ah, the Emperor came down with a sudden illness," the First Prince proclaimed, a look of amusement on his lips, though it had not reached his eyes. Yu Long was missing and his guards were unable to tell him where. He would have had them all killed in anger, but did not wish to begin his reign in bloodshed. He did not wish to reign at all, but Yu Long had always evaded him when he suggested his Second Brother ought to be heir and Fourth Brother was too young... "He felt it best to retire from the throne."
The Ministers stared at him, their mouths open wide. Minister Shang began to stutter in shock, but Minister Wen was like still water. "Is the Emperor's life is danger?"
"Wáng Yi Jun will live," the First Prince said, purposely correcting the form in which the man should be addressed. "Attending physicians claim that Imperial Father is suffering from stress and needs to live quietly from now on." There was much disbelief, what stress? The Emperor left all matters of import to them! "Oh, perhaps wise Ministers would care to examine this?" He tossed down the Imperial edict as if it were nothing but waste paper.
Eyes took in its words and its meaning.
"Long Live Emperor Jie Long!" Minister Wen said immediately.
"Long Live the Emperor!"
*****
Yu Long finally awoke from his heavy slumber, but his vision was still clouded. He was given water and told he was safe now. Indeed, the strong scented mist no longer suffocated him and though his body still shuddered in remembrance of that disgusting touch, he did not have pain where it should not be. That was a relief in itself and so he fell to sleep once more.
When he woke for the second time, he lie naked in a hard bed, rough linen covering his body. He frowned. This was not the Imperial Palace. He rose and winced; there was a pain in his head like a thousand drums being pounded with differing beats. He noticed a warmth beside him and looked at the curvy shape there.
"Who are you?"