A light of hope
After talking to his closest advisers, he went to her Cherry Blossom Tree. Xian Xue had made a bold proposal. But it was good nonetheless, and Ying Kong Shi had agreed to it. While the others were preparing everything, he sat down under the now huge tree, where all the seasons mingled wildly. When he touched the bark, he felt her heartbeat again. At least she's fine, he thought to himself. Still, he felt the disappointment her disappearance had brought with it. Why hadn't she reached out to him to discuss the problems in the Fire Tribe? Did she want to show her independence from him? Or was she afraid he wouldn't let her go? Was it a sign of a lack of trust? Completely confused, he climbed into the top of the tree just as he had done as a child to pass the time. Cherries were hanging on the branches up here and he ate some of them. Suddenly it was as if she were with him. Through the comforting effect of the cherries he seemed to be able to perceive his surroundings more clearly, because suddenly he saw a small light flying towards him. He caught it in the palm of his hand. He couldn't help smiling as the ball exploded in tiny fireworks. There never had been a time, either as Yun Fei, as Ying Kong Shi, as a sword spirit, or as Li Tian Jin, when he had not understood the meaning of her fireworks. He wasn't alone anymore. Please, never give up on me again, Yan Da. As I won't give up on you. Even if you haven't told me about your plans, I will be there for you… I'll watch over you, my love. As long as I live.
The sky was still full of stars when Yue Shen woke up the Fire princess. Their journey went quick as planned, and brought them to the outposts of the Fire Kingdoms. Well hidden through Yan Da's cloaking spell they entered the Fire Territory without sound or sight. Yan Da decided against the direct route to the palace when she saw signs of poverty and disease in the first village. Her people suffered from the consequences of the long war. The children were too thin, the old too stooped, and the strong without hope. Her father, the late King, had always kept her busy guarding the borders. Her gaze had always been directed outward, not inward. Now it seemed to her that for the first time she was really seeing her people. What a foolish princess she had been! They passed a field full of withered fruits, more arid pastures followed. The rivers had dried up and there was shortage everywhere. But worst of all were the faces of the tired and melancholic immortals. Yan Da's heart burned with anger. The holy fire should keep warm, not burn everything down. When had the meaning of fire changed so much to be just a tool of destruction? As she absorbed the grief of her people, she felt how the sources of power within her almost erupted. The pain caught her off guard. She stumbled and managed to catch a branch of a dead bush so as not to fall. "Yan Da, what is it?" Yue Shen asked concerned. The fire princess shook her head and leaned against the branch. "It's all good, I'm just a little battered from the trip," she lied. Yue Shen was smart enough not to say anything when she saw the look on Yan Da's face. "I'm fine, let's move on, we'll be at the palace soon." Yue Shen nodded, and gave Yan Da an arm, which the Fire Princess reluctantly took. Soon they passed the Fire City guards without incident. However, the two only relaxed a little when they finally found themselves in Yan Da's spacious rooms. Yue Shen whistled through her teeth when she saw the wealthy furniture. "You seem to have an exquisite taste, Fire Princess." Yan Da shrugged and sat down on a divan. With her eyes closed, she cast a shielding spell. Their presence would go unnoticed for the time being. Yue Shen prepared a simple meal and brought out two bottles of wine. The two women strengthened themselves and then discussed their next steps. As a camouflaged messenger, Yue Shen would send a message to the generals that the Fire Princess wanted a report on the current state of the Fire Kingdom and that she and her entourage would arrive the next evening. They would wait for the generals' reaction and in the meantime gather information about their intentions. A spell transformed Yue Shen's clothes into the simple garb of the house servants of the Fire Palace. She then went to put her plan into action. Once Yan Da was on her own, she looked into the distance through the large arched window. The landside was interspersed with sharp rocks, lava flows rolled down the mountain slopes, and the sky was black with soot and smoke. She couldn't remember ever the sun to break through that black carpet. Far away she could see her own cloud front, which she had left behind at the borders of the fire realm. The spell pulled at her strength, a constant reminder of the powerful magic of the Ice-Fire Clan she barely had control of. It was only four days since Ying Kong Shi had saved her and had killed her father. Sometimes she seemed cut off from her feelings, as if it all happened a long time ago. She knew she should feel grief over the loss of her entire family. But she just felt a strange regret. As tired as she was, she lay down on the divan again and turned her gaze inward. The Six Leaf Ice Crystal was spinning faster than she knew it to be. The sacred fire seemed to have withdrawn into its structure, and in the center she could see a transparent pearl shimmering like a small diamond.
Xian Xue stood under the cherry blossom tree that Ying Kong Shi was sitting on. He whistled once, and the Ice Prince quickly climbed down from the branches. Back on the ground, he felt a sudden change in Yan Da's heartbeat through the bark. Xian Xue also seemed to feel it, and he smiled again that unfathomable, knowing smile that he knew of this ancestor from their first meeting. "Is she in danger?" Ying Kon Shi asked. Xian Xue looked at him in amazement. Had he still not figured it out? "I think there won't be a moment in the near future when Yan Da is really safe. Don't give too much on her heartbeat, maybe she's just in a training combat with Yue Shen," he replied evasively. "Now hurry up, you don't want to be late, do you?" Reluctantly, Ying Kong Shi let the matter rest and went back to the castle with the Snow Bird Spirit.
They had disguised themselves as servants. Not the most genuine idea, but it always worked. Ying Kong Shi, Piang Feng, Huang Tuo and Xing Gui entered the Fire Palace through a side door. Xing Gui had found out about it, while she had been imprisoned here months ago. As she had to work as a servant, she came to know every corner of the Fire Palace. Quickly, they blended in the stream of the other servants. As it turned out, a large banquet was being held. The generals had been enjoying Yan Da's absence for days, celebrating and dining every evening as if the palace was theirs. It made Ying Kong Shi angry at the way they behaved. When he, Piang Feng, Xian Xue and Huang Tuo were assigned to the guards by a troop leader with a wink, he had to pull himself together so as not to blow his cover. Angrily he clenched his fist. Xing Gui had taken another door, and was already out of sight. He knew she would be careful. But Piang Feng turned a few times, as Ying Kong Shi noticed. It seemed the Eagle Tribe Leader had found another woman to put his interest on.
Xing Gui took one of the wine carafes and went into the throne room. The seven generals of the former fire king were seated at the festive table. At first sight it seemed like a happy celebration. But the new leader of the Dream Tribe was quickly able to find the more moderate generals, whose facial expressions revealed that they did not feel comfortable in their own skin. There were three who just laughed out of politeness at the other's tough jokes. "Imagine, my dear friends, the spoiled princess is honoring us with her visit this evening. I am curious whether she will dare to come alone, or whether she will bring the young Ice Prince's army with her as a precaution. It's no secret that she's been longing for him for a long time. If she should marry him, then at least she would be out of the way. But no, she demands a detailed report on the current situation." Indignantly, the fat general threw his wine goblet on the floor and immediately had a slave pass him another. "So I ask you, my friends: Are we going to allow our strong kingdom to fall into the hands of a weak woman? Hmm? Or would you prefer that she never arrived at the palace? For my part, I have decided to make it hard for her to come back. I sent my troops to pick up and arrest her as a traitor. It is her fault that we shall now bow to a stupid peace. We would no doubt have won the last battle against the Ice Kingdom and its allies without any difficulties. They were just a ragged bunch of weaklings that Huo Yi had an easy time with. While I must admit that our last king was completely crazy about eating the souls of other immortals, at least he did a good job, and left the Ice and the Mermaid Clan severely weakened. Both clans have now none of their former leaders. As soon as we get Yan Da out of the way, we will mobilize the army again and attack them. What do you say my brothers? Are you on my side?" The moderate generals looked embarrassed, and even the ones who also longed for power looked a bit unsure. Gao Yuqing, Yan Da's most loyal general, was about to reply when the palace messenger stormed in. "Generals, I hereby announce the premature arrival of the Fire Prin ..." He never finished the sentence. Yan Da entered the room with long, confident strides and shooed the messenger aside. She was in full combat gear, and her long black hair was artfully braided back at the sides in her usual combat hairstyle. Behind her, Yue Shen, also armed to the teeth, entered the room, followed by four soldiers from the palace guard. The Fire Princess's eyes glowed red with anger as she raised her voice. "Since when do I have to keep to a schedule when I want to enter my own house?" She ruled at the messenger, who shrank back in fear. Then she threw back her cloak and turned to the surprised generals with a smug smile. "I see. As soon as the cat leaves the house, the mice dance on the table. General Dong Yunlan, would you like to summarize for me what plan you have just called the other generals to? And please, make way. You have yourself seated at the head of the table, which is, in case you forgot, my place." The experienced general blinked briefly, but quickly overcame his uncertainty, and started to laugh. His laugh grew even louder, making his belly shake. With a smile no less provocative than hers, he got up and took a step back. "Of course, your Highness! The seat is yours to take. As for the summary… we just asked ourselves whether we want to surrender to the will of a weak woman and traitor who stole our well-deserved victory after thousands of years of fighting the Ice Tribe!" The last words he had shouted out loud. When he made a gesture to the guards and shouted "Arrest her," Yan Da acted with lightning speed. She reached back and took out her whip. When she reached up to strike, she turned her upper body around its own axis in an almost serpentine motion and released the tail of her extraordinary whip. In a spiral movement, she fought the surprised soldiers and two generals off. General Dong Yunlan stared at her with wide eyes. The last unfaithful general quickly moved to his side, while the three loyal generals stood protectively in front of Yan Da. "It is good to have you back, Your Majesty," one of them greeted her with a visibly relieved expression. She gave him a friendly nod, then turned her attention back to her opponents. "How inconvenient that you've sent your troops to the border to intercept my escort. For a clever general you let yourself be fooled by the tactics of an oh-so inferior woman. Now I don't even need an army to overwhelm you." She smiled coldly as he slowly crawled back. But then a double door opened behind him and a squad of soldiers ran into the room. Triumphantly, the renegade general was about to order an attack when Yue Shen brought him and his ally down with a lightning-fast attack. A needle stuck in Dong Yunlan's throat, and he was clearly having trouble breathing. "Stop immediately," yelled Yan Da in a magically amplified voice that went through marrow and bone. Time itself seemed to freeze at her order, as Yan Da looked gloomingly at the generals at her feet. "So you don't want to acknowledge my leadership? You don't want peace among the tribes because of your vanity? Look at yourself, you're not even a warrior, you're a weak subject. And yet you belittle me?" She cocked her head and her dark smile intensified, as she looked up at the sky. "I will grant your wish for power. You and your henchmen shall have your war… I will give you an army of millions of soldiers. You shall forever be able to look down on the peace you hate so much. And I, the weak ruler of this Kingdom, won't interfere in you fighting each other forever to decide your supremacy. The winner takes it all, right? But I guarantee you, your ruthless way will cause many losses. But the heat of the Holy Flame shall give you the power to let your soldiers rise again, so that you can satisfy your insatiable greed for war forever." Yan Da's words made the blood freeze in the general's veins. Her words hadn't sounded like an acknowledgement but a curse. The hairs on the back of his neck slowly straightened as the air around Yan Da charged with a tremendous force. Even the bystanders stepped back, as they also noticed that something mysterious was going on. Out of the corner of her eye Yue Shen saw how the four soldiers who had entered the hall with them slowly approached. She opened her eyes wide in surprise as she recognized her friends, including Huang Tuo. But she didn't have time to shout at them, as Yan Da began to glow, forcing everyone around to step backward. The light in her center became so bright that even her filigree spine could be seen. Her face was twisted in pain, but determined. With her scream the power in her discharged in a blinding light. The golden spell spread like a wave, penetrating everything and everyone around Yan Da's figure for miles, quickly reaching the mountains and the land beyond.