The Foundling: AU – In the golden years of the Celestial Empire, 16-year old Ying-Fa is a humble foundling raised in the Jade Temple. She is the object of pity and derision because of her lack of magic and her lack of a dowry--which is as good as a curse in the ancient city of Li-Cheng. Will she find answers in the magical tablets of Clow?
Disclaimer: CCS belongs to CLAMP.
General Notes: So sorry for the late update. I was swamped with work after the holidays. Thanks again to those who added this story to their Alerts/Favorites and for all the encouraging reviews sorry I wasn't able to reply to all but I did read all of them!
We start on the same night where we left off.
Chapter 6. The Allies from Nihon
Xiao Lang was meditating in the garden, sitting in a lotus position. The fragrant cloth he found near the mountain pool is floating in front of him. He was using tracing magic on it. He could sense a very faint but distinct magical aura from it but it seems that the spell is not working. He felt the same aura in and around the Jade Temple—it was quite strong there--but he could not trace it to a specific person. His face colored when he remembered Ying Fa—her innocent eyes and pretty face and how she hit him with a clay jar. He thinks that she is very pretty and he is drawn to her—but he also felt drawn to the owner of the cloth he found. He is a bit confused. Is it possible to be drawn to two different women? He could not sense any magic from Ying Fa so it meant that the owner could not be her. But knowing this did not diminish his attraction towards her.
He heard the sound of soft clapping as someone approached. "My cousin is now a man, I see, is that a souvenir from a romantic tryst? Personally I prefer loin cloths." a deep voice said from the shadows. It was dark in the garden, save for the cloth, which was illuminated with magic.
Xiao Lang gritted his teeth but did not reply. It was just like his damned cousin to say something indecent every chance he gets.
The other young man, whose name was Eriol, pointed to the floating cloth. "I didn't know that you had a naughty side, but this proves that we are cousins after all." His voice was very mischievous. He was about to summon the cloth towards him but Xiao Lang abruptly grabbed it and shoved it deep inside his pocket.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I would appreciate it if you kept your obscenities to yourself," came Xiao Lang's surly reply. He glared at his cousin.
"I think you just mean that you don't know what that cloth is for." Eriol started to rock with laughter. He sat on the ground, rubbing his stomach. "It's for a lady's chest and judging from the size of that cloth, I'd say you're a very, very lucky naughty…"
Xiao Lang stood up and surprised his cousin with a muting spell. He then walked briskly to his chambers, away from his silently laughing cousin. The young king's entire face, ears and neck were red and his hands were trembling from embarrassment.
Like every other family, royal or no, the Li's had a closely-guarded secret—Eriol Li. He served as the "decoy" Li King.
Certain members of the family had been gifted the special ability to travel long distances using magic. The most recent recipient of this magic was a sister of the previous Li King. This Li princess documented her travels of the "Silk Road" where she met and fell in love with a magician in Rome and from their union came Eriol. Since this was considered an illegitimate marriage, the child was considered a bastard and so was kept within the Palace grounds and tutored privately. He was also very strong in illusion and defense magic.
Since the dark magician who killed the previous Li King threatened to go after his heir as well, Eriol volunteered to become the "decoy" to confuse anyone who tried to harm the King. Xiao Lang was very reluctant to accept the offer because he feels that it is cowardly for him to do so, but Yelan and General Wei persuaded him to agree so that he can focus on his training in the mountains. Eriol would appear in place of the King in the usual daily court ceremonies in front of the Elders (who are not aware of this arrangement.) So far, there had been a number of magical attempts to trace or harm his cousin but Eriol had managed to thwart them. He had after all, inherited memories from the magician Clow Reed but is fated to lose them once his task is finished. No one knows yet what this task is.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Every soul in Li-Cheng was in a festive mood that morning—the day when they will welcome the Queen's guests from Nihon. All of the city's gates and the doors and windows of houses were adorned with yellow peonies, the color of welcome. It has been a long time since guests from Nihon have entered the walled city. Nihon had long been a strong and loyal ally of the Li's but had suffered more than 10 years of continuous war. Fortunately the wars had ended a few years ago.
A welcome dais was prepared outside the main gate. It is where visitors who were not relatives of the Royal Family were traditionally welcomed. The young noble maidens were particularly excited since the handsome and still unmarried Li King will be making an appearance.
The young King and his mother arrived together in a large carriage and waited for the guests to arrive. Eriol accompanied them closely but cast an illusion spell on himself so that the crowd would not see him; only the King and the Dowager could.
The avid crowd offered bouquets of peonies to the Queen in an orderly fashion but all eyes were on the King, who is very handsome. He is wearing white inner robes and a green overcoat with the Li symbol on his chest. On his head was a green, gold-bordered hat that covered his entire head, with only a few stray strands of brown hair visible.
While he warmly acknowledged the greetings of the crowd, Xiao Lang's eyes scanned the crowd for the Temple delegation. He bit his lips to hide a smile when he saw who he was looking for. Ying-Fa was beside her foster mother and appeared to be as excited as everyone else to see the guests from Nihon. She appeared to be busy looking for someone in the crowd too—and he prayed that it was him. Although he admitted to himself that he felt a little relieved that she was not looking in his direction. She might recognize him—that's why he chose to wear a hat today. He continued to discreetly observe her, thinking that her smile must be more dazzling in the morning light. If only he could go nearer. He was fully-occupied with this pleasant observation while appearing to be attentive to the crowd until he was nudged on his side by the "mute" Eriol in red soldier's robes beside him. Apparently the spell that Xiao Lang cast on him last night was too strong—it may take days before he recovers his voice.
Xiao Lang received a telepathic message from him: "We could go look for the owner of that chest cloth right now, cousin, the conventional way. Just say the word and I'll manually inspect the bosoms of these young ladies."
The King pretended to straighten his robes. "Don't you dare do anything you lecher. I know other strong spells." It would look weird if he looked like he was talking to himself since the crowd could not see Eriol.
Eriol merely grinned. "Such brave words from a King, if you want you can take the right and I can take the left?"
The King was about to give a strong reply but Yelan motioned for the two young men to come closer to the edge of the dais. They could now see the banners of the Nihon delegation in the distance from where they were standing.
From another side of the crowd, Lady MeiLing of the Rae clan felt her heart beat faster as she gazed at the Li King. She had seen him on a number of occasions at the royal court prior to this—he was either speaking with the elders or presiding over dinner with the Elders, but for some reason that she could not account for, she strongly feels as if this was the first time she ever saw him since they were children. (It was Eriol she had been seeing before at court, not Xiao Lang, except when they were kids.)
FLASHBACK:
Lady MeiYee strongly pinched the shoulder of her 4-year old daughter. "Now listen to what I'm saying, you stubborn girl."
MeiLing winced in pain. She greatly feared her mother. "Yes mother."
"You will go crying to the young king and tell him that you lost your bird of fortune."
(AN: The Li Queen traditionally gave a "bird of fortune" to all young maidens in the realm once they reach their 4th year, which is considered an unlucky year for young girls, hence the Fortune Bird.)
"But you released it mother. It's from the Queen, I might get in trouble."
"I know that, stupid child. I just want you two to be friends. Pretend that you lost it, is that so hard?
"No mother. It's not hard."
MeiLing did as she was told. She pretended to cry and recited her mother's words to the letter when 4-year old Xiao Lang approached her. He retrieved the bird for her in the wooded area near the palace, but that did not bring them closer.
She had never felt at ease with the boy-king especially since he was very distant towards her even if they trained together for about a week for fighting magic. He left to train for the mountains with General Wei very soon after.
MeiYee was so disappointed upon hearing this that she whipped her daughter mercilessly using her magic (it left no scars). She is very ambitious and wants her daughter to be the next Queen. MeiLing still shudders at this memory.
END OF FLASHBACK
Loud trumpets blared as the guests from Nihon drew close. The carriage stopped in front of the royal dais. The Nihon soldiers who escorted the delegation lined up in a neat row and saluted before the Dowager Queen and the King.
Lady Sonomi emerged from the carriage carrying a large, gold-embroidered cloth bearing the seal of the Empire of Nihon. She was closely followed by her long-haired daughter, Lady Tomoyo.
They bowed low and presented the cloth to the King. "Our Emperor sends his warm regards to Your Majesties and wishes for the good health and prosperity of your kingdom. He has sent his humble servants to present his Seal to you."
"Please rise Lady Sonomi." The King said warmly, taking the cloth from her. "Thank you for visiting our land. Our best regards and prayers are directed as always to your Emperor."
The guests from Nihon rose elegantly from their positions. Yelan gave Sonomi and her daughter a formal hug, such as Li Queens do to female guests. For some reason, Eriol looked a bit flustered as he stood beside the King, especially when Xiao Lang presented the ladies with bouquets of yellow peonies. Lady Sonomi walked in between Yelan and the King towards the royal carriage, followed closely by Tomoyo.
Tomoyo enjoyed the scent of the peonies she is holding. She saw the young man in red-robes with a monocle in his right eye—he was walking a few paces behind her—he seemed to be openly observing her. She smiled at him and he looked so startled. He looked away. Tomoyo shrugged, he was probably just shy.
She turned away from him and saw the warm smiles and friendly faces of the people of Li-Cheng. She smiled and waved back. Her mother did tell her stories about this great walled city when she was growing up and having seen it for herself, she felt fortunate to have come here. "It's nice here." She said to Eriol, who had come closer to her. He could not reply since he was still "mute" thanks to Xiao Lang's spell.
Her eyes were then drawn to the green-clad Ladies to her right. She liked how their robes were styled. She noticed a row of white-haired ladies in front, beckoning to her to approach them in a friendly manner. Mistress Cixi wanted to make a good impression on the guests from Nihon, so she and the other Ladies thought of giving tokens to them.
Sonomi was busy speaking with the King and the Dowager ahead of her so Tomoyo paused, not knowing what to do. She looked at the red-clad young man, wordlessly asking him: 'Should I go to them?' All Eriol could do is nod.
Tomoyo grew more curious about the young man beside her. She approached the Temple Ladies. Mistress Cixi inclined her head and gave her a crescent-shaped pendant. She walked on and received various trinkets until she reached the end of the row where Lady Ziyi stood. Tomoyo's attention was drawn to the green-eyed girl standing beside the Lady. Ziyi gave her a roll of green silk.
"This is lovely. I'll make a dress or two from this." Tomoyo said when she accepted. She smiled warmly at the Lady and the girl. In a few minutes, her arms were laden with welcome gifts, even the children offered her a peony or two and she accepted them all.
The King, the Dowager and Lady Sonomi were already seated inside the carriage when Tomoyo reached it.
"Thank you very much, kind sir." Tomoyo whispered stealthily because she suspected that the young man was under a spell of some sort. She looked directly at him and felt her face color. He was easy on the eyes, tall, dark-haired, his eyes were as blue as the sky. She smiled shyly at him and inclined her head. He did the same and assisted her as she climbed the carriage. Eriol waved blankly at her as she took her seat beside her mother.
Xiao Lang discreetly looked back at his now-befuddled cousin, standing on the street with his mouth slightly open. "So somebody was able to get past your concealing spell huh?"
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Ying-Fa felt disappointed as she walked with the Temple delegation towards the Li Palace. She had been looking around discreetly, searching for Xiao Lang in the crowd. A group of men clad in brown were walking just in front of them but she could not find him. 'Maybe his mistress did not permit him to go.' She thought. She had taken extra care with her appearance today.
She tried to cheer herself up by counting her blessings: she was going to see the royal palace at last, second she was going to see the young lady from Nihon again, who looked kind. She had no friends among the other young ladies her age.
There was a long line of people at the gates of the Palace, waiting to offer little tokens to the guests. Ying-Fa was fascinated when she first saw the large and intimidating building. 'To be a servant girl in such a place would be so grand, especially if Xiao Lang works there too.' Her face colored when she realized what she was thinking about.
By protocol, the Temple delegation is always the last in line whenever foreign guests arrive so by the time they entered the throne room, the Nihon guests were reclining on large red cushions with a large pile of small gifts were on either side of them.
The Li King was sitting on his throne while the throne beside him is vacant. That is where his wife would sit, when he marries. The Dowager was seated some distance from her son. The 54 Elders were seated in a lower row and they represent each of the 54 different kinds of magic that they believe existed. Ying-Fa looked very fascinated with all that she is seeing. The Li King's face colored when he saw her enter the throne room.
Tomoyo stole a glance towards the Li King's throne. She did not see the dark-haired young man there. But she did see a small fragrant piece of silk with the characters: "My name is Eriol." She had a strong feeling that she was being observed, but she did not feel unnerved about it.
Eriol was seated behind the king's throne, concealed by a gold screen. He had a very good view of Tomoyo from where he was seated. He surmised that she must be gifted in illusion magic as well since she saw him even if he cast a spell on himself since even the Elders could not see him.
When Lady Ziyi approached the guests, the faces of Ying-Fa and Tomoyo brightened up when they saw each other. They finally got the chance to introduce themselves to each other. Tomoyo secretly slipped a small cherry blossom brooch in Ying-Fa's hands. "It's my gift." She whispered. Ying-Fa smiled her thanks, the Li King tried hard not to stare too much at her from where he sat.
Sonomi silently observed the young temple girl. "Your daughter is such a fine young lady." She said to Lady Ziyi.
"Yes, she is a fine girl but I am but her foster mother, Lady Sonomi." Ziyi replied.
Sonomi nodded thoughtfully as Ziyi and Ying-fa walked away from them and towards the thrones. Ying-Fa kept her eyes on the floor for it was the custom when meeting the royal family. The King and the Dowager were some distance from them so she would not have seen his face clearly anyway. But for some reason, she tilted her head a little and tried to sneak a peek at his face. Was she imagining it, or was he looking at her? Of all people, why her?
"Hey, weren't you ogling at someone from the temple earlier?" was Eriol's message to his cousin, who concealed his nervousness by acting formally.
"How about you--ogling innocent visitors from Nihon?" Xiao Lang retorted.
Ying-Fa was confused. She felt that she had seen the King's face before but it was impossible since this was her first time in the palace. She hurriedly followed Lady Ziyi to the far side of the large chamber since she was not eligible to join the Brides' Dance.
The young noble maidens had formed a neat row as they prepared to perform the Brides' Dance. It was a way for young men, including the Li King; to meet their future wife since only eligible young women participated in this. It was customarily performed in almost all social gatherings. On the other hand, each of the young noble ladies' goals was to catch the eye of the biggest catch of them all—the Li King.
MeiLing joined the line, praying fervently that he will notice her. Even though she did not attend the Temple classes, was also trained to do this dance.
"Here we go. Brace yourself. I had to endure all of this while you were enjoying yourself in the Mountains." Eriol sighed telepathically.
Xiao Lang did not reply because he saw how bad the dancing was last night while he was watching with Ying-Fa. He knew also why she did not join the Dance. It was his great-grandfather who decreed that only maidens with dowries can do so, which he thinks is very cruel. But since he is king now, maybe things will change. He was thankful that Eriol could not read minds. He had no doubt that the dancing would be worse today since the ladies were all nervous.
The musicians played the opening strain. From the very first steps to the last, MeiLing of the Rae clan showed her exceptional grace and poise. She glanced frequently in the direction of the King, whose eyes seemed to be scanning another part of the room.
Lady MeiYee was watching carefully and followed the direction of his gaze. She frowned when she saw that he was looking at Ziyi with that temple girl. She had a bad feeling that that temple girl is bad news. 'She'd be almost as good as a prostitute, after what I'm planning for her. No one should get in the way of my plans.'
XOXOXOXOXO
After the Welcoming rites, most of the people left the Throne room. The King and the Dowager were speaking with Lady Sonomi in a smaller chamber. Tomoyo had retired for the night.
Sonomi summoned a circle on the large table with her magic. A column of silvery smoke appeared and surrounded the table with a thin, shimmering blanket of light. They then saw a bearded but strong-looking man with white hair who was about 50 years old beside him is a young gray-haired man. They appeared to be related. Xiao Lang recognized the older man as the Emperor of Nihon; he was not sure about the other man.
Sonomi bowed to the old man reverently. "Your Majesty."
The Emperor of Nihon acknowledged her greeting with a stately nod. "Good evening friends from Li-Cheng. Thank you for welcoming my messenger with your usual warm hospitality."
Yelan inclined her head. She spoke warmly to him: "It has been so long since we received word from you, Emperor Amamiya."
"Aye, that is true. I see that Xiao Lang is now fully-grown."
Xiao Lang acknowledged the Emperor in turn. "What is it that we can do for you, Majesty?"
"So business-like, just like your father, eh?" The old man chuckled almost fondly. "Very well, I would like to humbly offer my aid in the fight against the black wizard, the same black wizard that ravished our lands for many years. We have word that he has fled north—to the Celestial Empire. It seems that he has allies there and will surely cause trouble for you. I am willing to send 20,000 troops to help protect your lands."
"Yes, the Elders have sensed as well." Yelan said. "But we suspect that their forces are still not united enough to be a threat."
"The black wizard has almost fully recovered from the wounds he received about 16 years past, when he battled Fujitaka and your husband. He is after something in your lands. We just don't know what it is."
"So he was in Nihon at that time?" Yelan asked.
"Yes, he destroyed several villages in his path and many lives were lost. We spent many years and lost many lives until we finally forced him to leave Nihon."
"What does Your Majesty want in return for his help?" Xiao Lang asked.
Emperor Amamiya's face turned grim. "I want nothing in return but the severed head of the black wizard as my trophy for all the suffering he had caused my family and my people."
Xiao Lang looked thoughtful. "And where are the troops that you speak of?" The Nihon delegation arrived with only a few escort soldiers.
Here the Emperor turned to the young man beside him. "Your Li Majesties, let me introduce to you my nephew and heir, Tsukishiro of the Yukito shogunate."
The handsome younger man courteously nodded to them. He looked like he was about five and twenty years old. "Your Majesties. Lady Sonomi. I have wanted for so long to see Li-Cheng with my own eyes—I've heard many good things about your lands and your people."
The Emperor appeared to be very proud of the young man, "He was very strong force in driving out the Black wizard from our lands. He will lead my forces there if you would agree to my proposition."
Xiao Lang spoke again: "We would need to consult this through a council with the Elders." Yelan looked on silently, very proud of what her son had become.
"I understand I would do as much." The Emperor replied. "Sonomi can send us your decision using her magic."
Tsukishiro spoke, "We wait expectantly for your reply." They said their farewells and the shimmering light on the table disappeared.
Sonomi turned to the Li monarchs. "You can also count my daughter and I to help you in any way that we can."
Yelan and Xiao Lang thanked her for the offer. "Lady Sonomi, you may retire if you desire for tomorrow, I will escort you to the Jade Temple."
"Certainly, Your Majesties." Sonomi bowed and left the room to retire for the night.
Eriol emerged from where he was hidden. He had heard the entire conversation and now had his voice back. "The Nihon emperor must hate the black wizard so much for him to send his heir and nephew here."
"Who doesn't hate him, honestly?" Xiao Lang said thoughtfully. "I've heard that Tsukishiro is an able general."
"I've heard he is haunted by the loss of his fiancée, who was but an infant when the wars in Nihon started." Eriol informed them. "They believe the black wizard killed the child."
"And where did you hear that?" Xiao Lang asked incredulously.
"Here and there…" Eriol replied enigmatically.
XOXOXOXOXO
Shenfa Mountain, across Shenxi Mountain
Inside a dark cavern in the upper ridges of Sheena, a cloaked woman lifted her eyelids, revealing her white, unseeing eyes—she had no pupils.
She had just awoken from deep meditation. She stood and held out her hands with a hopeful expression on her face. She softly murmured an incantation. Beads of light converged around her outstretched hands. The light took shape into a gold crescent-shaped bell with a long purple tassel. She felt the floating object with her hands. She looked elated. "Good. At last, she is ready."
The woman reverently wrapped the bell with a cloak and snatched her cane. She started to dress herself for a journey to Li-Cheng.
The woman's lips wore a hopeful smile. "I will be free of my curse soon with your help, Cherry Blossom."
TO BE CONTINUED….
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A list of places mentioned in this story:
Li-Cheng – the walled city of the Li Royal family. Seat of government
Shenxi – the mountain where Temple maids do the laundry and is also where XiaoLang and other noble boys do their training
Shenfa – the "enchanted" mountain; inhabited by a reclusive blind prophetess, who pays for goods with ginseng roots that turn into gold once the seller reaches town.
The Shenxi and Shenfa mountains – legend has it that the two mountains were once lovers who did not want to part even in death, so they prayed to the Jade God and he granted their request by turning them into mountains.
Nihon – present-day Japan; a close ally of Li-Cheng
Fusang – ancient, mythical name for Japan in Chinese myth
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Hope this chapter did not give you information overload—lots of new characters and events happening here with clues and foreshadowing.
About your reviews for Chap 5, I thought you were getting bored with all my details and descriptions so I had decided to shorten it a bit—I didn't think that anyone would notice if I take it away.
Thanks for bearing with me, I'm learning more and more about organizing my ideas and writing them with every chapter with the help of your reviews. Please drop a review if you have time. Thanks!