Chapter 2: The arrival of Linmei the Lotus Flower
Tiang was practising his weapon skills in one of the gardens of the Imperial palace. The monk spade, given to him by his father the Emperor a couple of months ago, was without a shadow of a doubt a powerful and fierce weapon. It always had been his father's primary weapon during the great Revolution which formed the Jade Empire, and was therefore aptly named Tien's Justice. Tiang was proud and honoured to be allowed to wield a weapon of this calibre. He did not yet quite master it, but he felt himself growing stronger and more adapt at using it with each passing day. He performed one of the basic moves. He struck the surrounding with a powerful thrust, leapt 4 metres into the air and hammered the soft grass quite hard. He pulled it out of the ground, for it had penetrated quite deep. Then, he heard a voice behind him.
"Not bad", it said.
Tiang turned around. It was Tang, son of the infamous outlander who had a close friendship with his own father. The Outlander, as he was commonly and appropriately named by the plebs, was a war hero who contributed almost as much to the Jade Empire's formation as Sagacious Tien himself. For it was the Outlander, whose real name was George Breydel, who commanded the army while Sagacious Tien seeked to appease the heavens. Gaining victory after victory under the Outlander's command, the Empire's formation went much smoother than was foreseen and foretold. And it was at that time that the Imperial Army was formed, lead by the Outlander, who had only one man above him: Sagacious Tien himself.
"You're quite good with that spade, Tiang", Tang continued. "I'd say you are almost up to par now."
Tiang grinned. Tang was known for his superior skill in combat, whether it were martial, weapon, magic, transformation or support styles. For his kindness however, he was not known.
"Then maybe you can finally beat me", Tiang replied with the grin still clinged to his face.
Tang answered with a smile of his own and approached him.
"If you're so good, why don't you prove it? Come on, attack me". And 3 long, steel claws sprung from the gloves Tang was wearing. He, being a master of the Leaping Tiger style, was very quick and agile. He leapt towards Tiang with one claw stretched high above him. Tiang rolled out of the way and turned around. He was just quick enough to block Tiang's incoming attack with his spade. Tang did a powerful attack and Tiang flew a couple of metres away. Tang's claws disappeared in his gloves again, and he sent out a purple circular beam that sprung from his fingers. Tiang felt his bodily functions slow down. He could still walk, but his feet only moved about a centimetre per second. He was hit by Tang's Heavenly Wave, a support style that slowed your actions. Tang walked towards Tiang, who had become too slow to offer any significant resistance to whatever Tang intended to do. Tang's claws appeared again, and he held them to Tang's throat. He had won, almost effortlessly. The effect of Heavenly Wave wore out, but it did not matter anymore. Tang had won and in a very fair way. Tiang was stupid to get caught in Tang's Heavenly Wave and he knew it. It didn't make him feel better about himself. Not in the slightest bit.
He sat down on the ground with a mistrustful look on his face. Tang sat down next to him.
"I really suck", Tiang said. "You always beat me. I've never won from you. How can I ever claim the throne of the Jade Empire and become its rightful ruler when I can't even put on a good fight?"
"Oh, come now, Tiang", Tang sighed, "don't go all whiny on me. You're not a bad fighter, I'm just the best there is, that's all".
There was a long gap in the conversation. After a couple of minutes, Tiang replied: "I just knew what I am supposed to do, that's all."
"What is that supposed to mean?", Tang asked.
"I'm sitting here in this beautiful palace, every wish of me is granted, no matter how banal, I am given elite combat training and I have good friends who I like to spend time with." Tiang stopped.
"Yes...?", Tang said.
"But what purpose does it all serve? When I look at my father now, I can see a powerful man, no doubt about it, but I can see that he's only taking a ceremonial role in things. Sure, he fought a lot of wars in the past, but now, he's just a puppetmaster, holding strings of people who do what he wants them to do. He does nothing himself."
"That's very interesting and all", Tang said with a sense of sarcasm, "but that doesn't answer my question, so say what you mean, please, or I will lose my interest in this conversation rather quickly I'm afraid."
"I don't want to end up like that, Tang, don't you comprehend? I wanna become a powerful emperor, known for his connection to the people he rules over, loved by everybody and doing justice for all. My father tries his best to maintain order and keep social welfare on a high level, but times are changing, Tang, I can feel it in the air."
"Puh, that's a utopian vision, not making any sense, Tiang, and you know it. People don't need a connection with their leader, they need themselves, bottom line. Humans are egocentric by nature, and the only ones they care about are the peopleliving in their own skin."
"How can you say such a thing like that?"
"Well, I only care about myself, so I suppose everybody else does", Tang replied with the beginnings of a smile starting to form on his lips. "But seriously, think about it. If you don't take care of yourself, who will? I mean, suppose someone's in a forest and you're being hunted by a Horse Demon or something like that. A great warrior walks by and has the supposed ability to destroy the Horse Demon. Should he save him?"
"Well, of course he has to save him", Tiang replied, "He can not only save the man's life, but he will also be looked upon as noble, brave and skillful."
"Wrong", Tang said. "Well, I think it's wrong. If that warrior saves that man, how will that man have learned something? He will grow to depend on others, rely on others to save his life, out of the goodness of their hearts. That way you don't save the man's life, you weaken him immensely. And not only him, because it will create a society that is completely out of order, based on the beginnings of dependency and kindness coming from other people, and we all know people are rotten inside... But if the very same warrior walks straight past that man, that same man is forced to fight for his life and defend it with every bit of skill he possesses, how little that may be. The man can die, of course, but if he survives, he will be twice the man he was, and will have taught a valuable lesson."
"You are hopeless, Tang", Tiang said to his friend. "One day you will hopefully see that not every human being is as vile and corrupt as you consider it to be."
"I wouldn't count on it, Tiang. But you can always hope. As long as you live." Another pause came. Prince Tiang looked at the surroundings. They were in one of the many gardens of the Imperial Palace. A small plain of soft grass, an ideal sparring place, surrounded by beautiful flowers and rare plants, some of which were only found in the Imperial Palace itself. Tiang looked some more at the area he spent most of his free time. A bit further, there was a large fountain which had a statue of his father on it. It had its arm stretched out before him, and water, the life-giving liquid, sprung from the tips of its fingers. It had a symbolic meaning, or so he was always told. Tiang himself found the statue and the fountain as a whole a bit dumb. Of course, he was one of the only people in the Empire who looked at Emperor Tien as anything less than a God. The mere thought that he, Prince Tiang would sooner rather than later also be looked upon as a transcendent being was weird. Not disturbing or unpleasant, but just difficult to fathom. He looked at the servants giving water to the flowers. One of them, a girl with long black hair and with typical girly good looks that was watering an extremely rare purple fern, he found quite pretty, but his father always forbode him to talk to servants. One of the first traditions to go when he became emperor. She bent over, to rearrange the fern's branches. Not wanting to treat the girl as a mere object to satisfy his sexual lust, he looked at Tang, who was still sitting next to him. He was rubbing the back of his neck with his nails and was looking at the ground. Tiang looked upon him as a very dear friend. From their birth on, they played together, trained together, fought together and much more.
"So, tell me, Tang,... Why did you actually chose a spear as your primary weapon?" He said this more out of the sake for conversation than out of interest. Prince Tiang looked at his friend. Tang frowned his eyebrows and returned the look. Tang was not quite pleased with that question and felt a bit insulted. He took great pride in his spearmanship. "Why do you want to know?".
"Just... Curious, really."
"Remember when we were five years old? Me, you and Jin would get our first weapon from Weaponmaster Dahtan. " Tiang replied with an affirmative nod. "He had three weapons for us: a longsword, a pair of dual sabers, and a spear", Tang continued. "Naive as we all were, we of course thought that the swords would be the best ones. You, being the son of the emperor were of course given the weapon of your choice. You chose the dual sabers. And because I had upset you some minutes earlier, you gave Jin the second choice." Tiang smiled. He remebered this well, but he let Tang continue. It was nice to listen to him, which was odd really because Tang's voice wasn't really pleasant. It was cold and quite shrieky. But Tang considered his meant and frank words to be a nice change after hearing the groveling speeches of the servants or people at court all day long. "So, I had no choice but to pick the spear, really." Tiang looked up at his friends face, who was talking to him while keeping his eyes focused on the ground. "I was quite mad at first, being the only one to have to take a spear. But weaponmaster Dahtan walked over to me and said: "Tang, boy, you should prize yourself lucky. For you have the greatest melee weapon this Empire can offer". I remember cursing at him, but he appeared to be a very patient man."
"Is that why he trained you?", Tiang asked.
"Yes, it appeared he was a spearman himself. And apart from myself, I've never seen anyone who could match his skill with a spear. And, you know what? He was right. A man or woman who has been well trained with a spear is a devastating opponent. It's a shame that not many people know how to wield it properly."
"Then why did Dahtan leave the Imperial Palace all of a sudden? He was your personal weapontrainer!"
"Yeah, maybe he envied my skill and couldn't bear the fact that I overclassed him. He was a proud man as well, apart from being patient you know. Or perhaps he could no longer deal with my impudence, who knows... I think the latter option is the most probable one. But anyway... I teach myself nowadays, I don't need some old goat to watch over me and tell me what to do."
Tiang smiled once again. This was so typically Tang.
"Hey, guys!" Both Tang and Tiang looked up. It was Jin who had called them. He came walking towards them and sat next to them. Jin was Tiang's nephew, the son of Emperor Tien's deceased sister. She died during childbirth. It was too much for Jin's father to bare, and he committed suicide. Ever since that day, Emperor Tien looked upon Jin as his second son. Jin was much taller than Tiang or Tang and had a much more impressive physique. Tang, who was the only pale-skinned inhabitant of the Jade Empire apart from his father, was quite short, with very short brown hair, blue eyes, detailed muscles and a tight body. Tiang was a bit taller, with short, spikey black hair, but was not very muscled whatsoever. You don't need any muscles to be a master of the Thousand Cuts style, if you know the body's trigger points. Jin however, was strong. His long black hair that was bound together in a tail accented his heavily muscled body. He was a typical master of the White Demon style, a martial style that focuses on strength and range utilising powerful kicks and punches. But even he had never been Tang's equal in combat. Jin went to sit next to Tiang, and he looked at his comrades. "Ready for the ceremony this afternoon, guys?", he asked them.
"What ceremony?", Tang asked.
"Tang, how could you forget!? Count Pon the Vein is coming to introduce his daughter to court later today", Tiang said.
"Oh yeah, that ceremony. I almost forgot. Is that today? Man, I have things really mixed-up lately."
"Yes, well, get ready for things to become even more mixed-up when she arrives", Jin said to Tang. "I heard she is so beautiful even the Great Dragon envies her, and that her skill in combat is only matched by the Emperor himself."
"Hah, she obviously never met Tang Breydel, son of Georges Breydel the Infamous Outlander!!", Tang said with a fake pompous undertone. "I wanna see her fight as soon as possible."
"Why, do you think you can learn something from her?", Tiang asked.
"No", Tang replied. "The sooner I see her fight, the sooner I can prove I'm better than here." All three laughed and they went silent for a while.
"I'm off to my room", Tiang said. I'm going to prepare for the ceremony.
"What, already?", Jin asked. "It's starting in 6 hours!!"
"I like to take my time. I'll see you guys in the throne room, then?"
Both Tang and Jin nodded affirmatively. Tiang left the company and went inside. The temperature difference was minimal, because they were in the middle of summer. Tiang felt quite sweaty and dirty so he decided to take a bath. He went up the stairs that led to the royal bedrooms. It consisted of 20 suites. One for the Emperor and the Empress, one for Tiang, one for Jin, one for Tang, one for Tang's father (he never really knew who Tang's mother was, Tang was delivered to him as a baby with the message that he was his son), one for Priest Djethunc the spiritual advisor of the Emperor, one for Minister Thai Lee the general advisor of the Emperor and one for Scholar Kimton the official doctor at court. The rest were lodging rooms for important guests. Tiang realized that tonight, Linmei, for so the daughter of Count Pon was called, would also be sleeping in one of these rooms. He got a bit excited at the idea that a girl of his own age would be sleeping in this area. Tiang had never felt a woman's warmth, to his annoyance. At least, not the warmth of a woman who wasn't his mother or at least thirty years older than him. Tiang called a servant to prepare a bath for him as he went inside his room. Soon after, five servants entered his room and started pouring hot water into the big tub. Tiang's suite consisted of three separate rooms: a bedroom, a bathroom and a room to study or read. All three separate rooms were magnificently decorated with red silk and a lot of gold. The costs that were spent on his room could feed an entire family with 10 kids for over 15 years. Tiang realized this, but thought that was one of the reasons he was royalty. Having more money than most people. He went to the bathroom, and started undressing. The servants, all girls, looked secretly at Tiang. He noticed it and was flattered by their interest. He knew he could have them if he asked it, and that he could deand their 'love' if they didn't want to. But Tiang wasn't like that, he was a romantic idealist. He believed in love and the thought that only true love would be satisfying if fulfilled and that true love will find its way no matter what happens. So he told them to leave the room, rather than take advantage of his power. He went to sit in the bath. It felt perfect. The hot , steamy water cleansed his body and relieved Tiang from all the muscle-ache and stress he felt. Tiang sat in the bath for at least an hour and a half. The water started to get cold, so he went out, grabbed a towel and put it around his waist. He left his bathroom. Servants immediately flocked in, to clean up what Tiang had left behind. While they were at it, Tiang put some shorts on, and started meditating, until an hour before the ceremony.
As soon as Tiang left their company, Jin and Tang started to speculate about what would happen later tonight. Jin thought the newcomers at court had to perform a ritual, during which they had to show their skills. Tang hoped that the newcomers had to fight each and every single member at court. If he was really serious about this or not, Jin did not know.
"So, want a small sparring match before we also go and prepare ourselves?", Tang asked Jin.
"Yeah, sure. I could use the exercise", Jin replied.
"Yeah, we don't want you starting to look flabby, huh? And besides that, it will be more than an exercise for you, Jin. I'll make you suffer like never before". Tang grinned, and so did Jin. But then, they became serious. "Magic or martial?", Tang asked Jin.
"Magic".
Immediately, Tang burst into flames. Jins body became covered with ice. Tang held a large ball of flames between the palms of his hands, while Jin had a lump of ice floating between his palms. Tang jumped 5 metres backwards. Jin shot a chunk of ice towards him and Tang rolled out of the way. In the middle of his rolling manoeuvre, Tang shot a ball of flames at Jin himself. Jin ducked underneath it, and followed it up with another node of ice. It hit Tang right in the chest, and Tang fell backwards. He immediately got up and blocked one of Jin's incoming ice shards with his superheated hands. It melted instantly and fell to the ground as water. From the same hand he blocked the ice with, he sent forth a ball of flames towards Jin. Jin was well-prepared however, and he jumped over it. But Tang used his internal energy to change the flame's direction, something only the very best magicians could. Jins legs got scorched, and he fell torso first to the ground. Another ball of flames came soaring towards him, but was bound for his head. Jin rolled to the right and blocked the next incoming flame with his hands as well. The ice around his hands quickly melted, but came back even faster. He shot three lumps of ice at Tang and followed them as fast as he could. But Tang sprung upwards, letting both the ice and Jin pass underneath him. When Jin turned around, he was staring at a fistful of fire right before his eyes. If it were a deathmatch, his face would've been burned to a crisp.
"I win. Again", Tang said. The fire that was circulating around his skin disappeared, and so did the ice that had covered Jin's body. "But, you gave it quite a fight, pal. You've been practising in secret haven't you?"
Jin grinned. Tang was right, he had been training the channeling of his internal energy,his movement with an ice-covered body and control over pieces of ice very intensely during past weeks. "Yes", Jin admitted.
"And still, you can't beat me, Tang said with a smile. But don't worry, chum, perhaps one day you'll come close. What time is it, by the way?"
"I haven't a clue. Perhaps we'd better go inside as well."
"Yeah, maybe I can seduce some servants while waiting for the big event of tonight. I'm certain I can find some that are up for the job."
"Does your father know about your ... relationships with the servants?", Jin asked Tang. "I mean, I don't think there isn't a servant in the Imperial Palace that hasn't shared your bed. Surely he must know about it."
"Yeah, probably. But I don't think he minds. He was quite the wooer himself back when he was young. Going from town to town, having bacchanalian orgies with courtesans, rich girls, even female bums. That was right after the formation of the Empire. I'd be immensely surprised if I were his only kid. But later, much later, he met my mom and the old horny bugger finally settled down. I guess I'll end up like him one day. Perhaps it's in our blood."
"And you don't mind? You don't want a steady relationship, just loose sex with everybody that you encounter until you're 50 years old, after which you finally meet someone you love?"
"Well, the latter part isn't necessary, but the rest of it pretty much covers what I have in mind for the future, yes.", Tang spoke and he smiled at Jin. Jin returned it, and they went inside, to their respective rooms, to prepare for the ceremony.
Tiang, Jin and Tang were standing next to Emperor Tien's throne. The old Emperor sat there, looking weak, with a painful grimace on his face. Tiang looked at his father with an aching heart. He couldn't even hold his father's hand anymore, out of fear he would peel the skin and flesh right off the bone. That's how bad it had become. But his father, Emperor Tien wasn't gone yet, and as long as he had any strength left, until he had a single breath, he would rule this Empire. And ceremonies like this were a part of it. It was not unusual that rich folk would send their children to court, where they would finish their education, become familiar with the political aspects of the Jade Empire, and above all receive the Emperor's blessing, which was required for them, as noblemen or -women, to succeed in life. It had been almost a decennium since the last time this had happened, though, and Tiang barely remembered it. But tonight would be a night to remember, he was sure of that. If Linmei the Lotus Flower was as beautiful as poets said she was, he had big plans with her. Plans that involved a marriage, and a handful of children. He took a deep breath. On his right side, Tang and Jin were talking to each other, sharing strategies about how to woo Linmei, when she had arrived. Tiang felt uncomfortable even listening to them, and turned his attention elsewhere. He looked at the left side of his father's throne. There stood The Outlander, Tang's father, his own father's best friend, best general and best counsellor. He was speaking to the Emperor. Tiang eavesdropped a little bit, and heard shreds about Horselords and battle plans. Undoubtedly they were discussing the threat of the Horselords of the Plains of Barren Hope, who lived to the north of the Jade Empire. He looked a bit behind The Outlander, and saw some more counsellors, some yes-men, and lots and lots of servants. To his right only stood Tang and Jin. He heard The Outlander say that he feared the Wall left great areas vulnerable to attacks if the Horselords considered an assault, when suddenly a loud gong resounded throughout the throne-room. An announcer yelled "Count Pon the Vein!" Everybody went silent instantly. Jin whispered some last words to Tang, but was silent as well eventually. The throne room was a giant hall, with the throne of Emperor Tien being the entire focus of it all. The room was decorated with paintings of Emperor Tien and his family, with artefacts, mostly weapons and armour, that helped the creation of the Empire (Tiang's current weapon hung here until his father gave it to him), some hunting trophies from the Emperor and the Outlander and lots more. A long, crimson carpet, almost a 100 metres long, was lain out before the throne, and on the far end of that carpet, where the gates. Gates of thick, dark, strong ebony, with golden touches. It were easily the mightiest and most expensive gates in the Empire. It were those gates that now opened. Standing in two long rows, at the sides of the carpet, were Palace Security Guards. They all had the same longswords and uniforms: blue robes with silver linings, covered with a black steel plate across the chest and over the upper legs. It was quite a colourful picture, Tiang thought. He looked at the opening gates, and saw a rather small man, who looked quite fragile and was not at all very good looking coming forth. He was wearing magnificent green robes and a golden headpiece. He looked at his father. Emperor Tien sat up as straight as he possibly could without having to be in complete agony, and watched the little man come towards him. Count Pon the Vein had not stolen his name. Although he was not very good looking, he always had the illusion he was, and even went as far as to pay people to make them say he wasn't as ugly as a rat demon's rear-end. He always wanted the most beautiful women he could get his hands on, and with his financial capabilities, that didn't form much of a problem. Tiang hoped the Count's daughter would look like her mother, or else he would give the poets that sung the beauty of Linmei the Lotus Flower the award of "Greatest exaggerators since Xen the Stableboy called his specially bred horse manure a 'refreshing and delicious meal, that would give you a small part of heaven after every bite'". The Count had reached the Emperor's throne and kneeled down before his potentate.
"Mighty, divine Emperor Tien", Count Pon spoke. "It is an honour to be in your presence. May the Heavens reflect your glory for the infinite ages to come."
"Rise, Count Pon", said Emperor Tien with a voice that was shaking, but still determined. Count Pon stood up. "I have understood, my old friend, that your daughter Linmei has reached the age where she is a woman, instead of a girl. And thus eligible to serve at court. But tell me, Count Pon, what qualities does your daughter possess that should make her worthy of receiving this rare honour?"
"My wise Emperor", Count Pon said with a smile, "my daughter possesses all skills that are required to become a woman of great renown. She is very skilled with a staff, she controls the frozen element we call ice, she is a true master of the Legendary Strike martial style, and she can tap the internal energy of others. And then I haven't even spoken about her Storm Dragon mastery, along with her ability to transform into a fox spirit."
"A fox spirit, eh?", Emperor Tien replied. "That is very, very exceptional indeed, especially at her age. But what other qualities does she possess? Because at court we have no need of brainless fighters only."
"My daughter, oh mighty Sagacious Tien, has written some brilliant essays about the Open Palm philosophy. Other than that, she has also written about the connection between the Emperor, his people and the Celestial Bureaucracy. It is during the writing of this last thesis that she has learned her transformation style."
"I see", Emperor Tie replied. "Very interesting. I'd like to read those documents one day. But... What else can she do?"
"Well, mighty Tien, surely you must have heard of her beauty? Her fairness will make the Imperial Palace shine like never before, reflecting your glory upon your empire, like the sun that shines upon our glorious nation."
"Very well. I think I've heard enough, count Pon. Send her in."
Tiang was extremely excited. He looked at his right. Jin was looking at the gates, Tang was inspecting his fingernails with utmost concentration. Tiang looked at the gates as well, which started to open.
The ebony gates banged against the wall, and through the doorway, stepped Linmei the Lotus Flower.
Tiang's jaw droppes about 10 centimetres and hung there like a fish hanging on the hook of a rod.
Jin's eyes widened when he saw her, and stared at her like a big fat oily guy stared at a bowl of wine.
Tang formed wrinkles on his forehead out of pure amazement, for he had never seen a creature so beautiful before.
Even the old Emperor Tien was extremely impressed by her appearance and good looks.
Linmei strode forth. Her green robes fell perfectly over every magnificent curve that her body had. Her dark eyes shimmered like 2 great rubies, which were accentuated by her even darker hair. Her nose was tiny and extremely cute, and she had full lips that were of a more intensive red than the carpet she walked on. Her breasts were quite big and very round. They protruded a little and gave her a very sexy appearance.
Tiang's doubts had gone away. Linmei the Lotus Flower had to become his future wife, no matter what the cost! He felt a lust he didn't even know he possessed, and it scared him a little bit, because he always had thought himself to be a pure, modest and demure guy.
She arrived before his father's throne and was only a couple of metre's away. She kneeled before her Emperor and Tiang tore his glance away from Linmei to look at his friends. Tang was licking his lips, and Jin was pursing his. Tiang didn't like them doing this. If they were thinking they could challenge him for a shot at her love, they were badly mistaken.
"Mighty Emperor Tien", Linmei spoke, with the voice of an angel. "I come here before you to try and prove you my worth. It is my greatest wish to become a lady at your court. I shall do anything you ask."
Emperor Tien looked at Tiang, who returned the look. Emperor Tien immediately saw his son's burning passion for the girl, and a smile started to form around his lips.
"Everything? I see...", the Emperor said. He paused for a while.
"At the court of the Jade Empire", he continued, "there is not enough unity. Many people are strangers to each other. I want this to change. I want that the court becomes a solid community. Therefore, I have a proposal."
And the Old Emperor pointed at the three boys next to him.
"Here you can see the future of the Empire. Tiang, my son, the future Emperor. Jin, my nephew and adopted son, future High Judge. And Tang, son of my best friend The Outlander, future Grand General of the Imperial Army, like his father. I value these boys ver highly. Your father spoke of your combat skills before. I want to put these words to the test. This night will determine the rest of your life, and that of one of these three. For the first one of these youngsters who can defeat you in a sparring match, will be your future husband."
The words struck Tiang like a flash of lightning. He felt ecstatic. His father was a genius. If he beat her, then... But that might be a problem as well. He was the least skilled fighter of all three of them, and judging by how highly her father spoke of her combat skills, he wasn't too sure that he could defeat her. And then there was Jin, and Tang. Jin she might be able to handle, but there was no way she would ever lose to Tang.
Anyway, the words of the Emperor had bee spoken, therefore it was final. He looked at Linmei. She seemed rather ahppy about it. Marrying one of them would indeed guarantee her future. But Tiang panicked. People in the throne room started to move towards the sparring area, where the fights, or perhaps even just one, would take place. Right away! Tiang looked from his father to Jin to Tang and back to his father. As soon as he had the chance he whispered to his dad: "Father, I'm not so sure about this."
"Why not?", the Emperor said to his son. "You're madly in love with the girl, I saw that from the moment she came in."
"Yes, but I'm not sure if I can beat her or not."
"Well, I'm sorry, but if you can't, then you're not worthy of being her husband either, Tiang. That's how I feel about it. You've been given appropriate training, I think. The best there is. She might be a good fighter in the countryside, but this is the Imperial Palace, my boy", and that was all the Emperor had to say about the subject. Tiang wasn't convinced at all though. His father had to be moved, so he left him alone.
Then, he felt a pat on the back. It was Tang. "Well, well, well, what a lucky bugger I am. Not only do I get to fight this divie creature, I also get to marry her! Yeah!"
This was too much for Tiang. He grabbed Tang by the collar and pushed him against the nearest wall. Tang was so surprised by Tiang's agressive outburst that he didn't resist. And Jin, who was standing next to them all along, didn't do anything but watch.
"Now look here, you son of a bitch. Let's set some things straight", Tiang said. "First of all, you're fighting last. Secondly, I'm going first. Third of all, and this counts for you too, Jin, if I lose, you two are going to lose as well. Okay!?"
Tiang was breathing heavily, and both Jin and Tang were very surprised. They had never seen their otherwise so friendly and pacifistic friend like this before.
"Look...", Tang said slowly. "I understand your feelings for this bombshell, and I know you want to marry her. I understand that, and if it were up to me, I'd wrap her into some paper and give her to you as a birthday present. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We have to fight. And I would like nothing more than to see you beat her in the first match. But if you lose, and Jin as well, and it's my turn... I'm not backing down. I won't lose on purpose. I have a reputation to uphold."
Tiang pushed Tang even tighter against the wall.
"If you take her away from me, Tang, I will break you, you hear me? I will break you! You're just going to use her as some fuckpuppet anyway. That's everything a woman is to you. A way of satisfying your filthy needs. So mark my words well, Tang, if it is because of you that I cannot marry this girl, I will make sure the Imperial Guards decline you of any further sexual pleasure. Got it?"
Tiang released Tang, who looked amazed. "Let me tell oyu something, Tiang", Tang sad. "What you just did here... Wel, let's jst say that I've never had as much respect for you as I have now. And therefore, I will try to honour your wishes."
"No, Tang, you will not try, you will do as I say. And by the way, Jin... The same counts for you!"
Tiang walked away, leaving his two best friends alone, not knowing what to do...