The coronation
"I hereby announce Princess Yan Da as the new and rightful heir to the throne of the Fire Kingdom. Her deeds and her power brought us the end of the war and healed our country from the consuming rage of the last King's mad fire. May her crown be a symbol of peace and prosperity for all of us. May her wisdom ensure the well-being and future of our children." With these words, General Gao Yuqing placed the crown on her head and gave Yan Da her royal symbol, a new staff. It was not terrifying like the old black one of her father, but golden, with a socket at the end that resembled a dragon holding up a three-colored flame. The loud "Long live the Queen" of the crowds on the palace's forecourt echoed towards her. As she raised the staff to greet her people, they cheered, and fireworks turned the sky into bright colors. Yue Shen smiled and Xin Gui looked curiously at her face. "What is on your mind, dear friend?" asked the leader of the Dream Clan. "I believe that her staff is well chosen. I believe she will be a good queen for her nation, who will bring about justice and peace with the strength of a dragon." Xing Gui smiled, and nodded at Yue Shen's words. It had only been two days since Yan Da and Ying Kong Shi had used the Ice Fire Rock and made the kingdom bloom again. Since then, events had rolled over. Letters from the Ice Palace had called for Ying Kong Shi and his friends to return quickly, as preparations for the peace negotiations had been completed and all participants had gathered. As Ying Kong Shi insisted Yan Da to be crowned first, so that no one at the peace council could question her legitimate participation, there hadn't been much time to prepare for the coronation of the Fire Queen. But in the end the Fire Council and the generals had succeeded in giving the important event a suitable festive setting. As Xing Gui remembered with amusement, only one thing had been important to Yan Da. She really had wanted a huge fireworks display. "What do you think, Huang Tuo?" She asked the Leader of the Healer Tribe. Yue Shen's fiancé didn't look like he particularly liked the noise and bright colors above their heads. "To be honest, I hope that our wedding won't include such a noisy element." Yue Shen smiled, and silently took his hand. As Xing Gui saw the affectionate gesture, she felt a sting inside of her. How she longed to be loved by somebody, too. As long as her brother had been around, she had never felt the need of a bond with another man. Not that she liked him in that kind of way. But it simply had been enough for her childish heart. Now she was grown-up, and she was all alone. She glanced sideways, and noticed Piang Feng's gaze. He had obviously been staring at her for some time. Now he blushed cutely, as he felt caught. He managed a smile. "Even though I am an Eagle spirit, I can't help the feeling that the most beautiful things are not to be found in the skies, but here on earth." His innocent words masked another truth, and now it was her turn to blush. When his fingers secretly brushed hers, she took his hand without hesitation. So they stood together until the crowd of celebrants slowly dissolved and they were called into the throne hall for the actual festival.
Large braziers had been set up in the great throne room, over which large tufts of herbs hung. Their nourishing essences evaporated as a mist and exhilarated the immortal guests, some of whom were eventually ambassadors from the other clans. Ying Kong Shi watched as the new leader of the Bear Clan enthusiastically inhaled and patted himself on the chest in front of Yan Da. Apparently, the handsome man in the bearskin was very impressed by the Fire Queen. When he waved to his servants to bring forward a heavy chest, Ying Kong Shi stepped also closer to get a better look. Inside were two golden bracers set with rubies. The leader of the Bear Clan helped her put on the bracers, which upset Ying Kong Shi deeply. How dare he touches her. The bracers had been made for Yan Da, as it turned out. They looked great on her. When the leader of the Bear Clan leaned over to whisper something in her ear, a look of surprise appeared on her face. She seemed honored by his words, because suddenly she smiled and bowed slightly to him. Ying Kong Shi watched the whole evening as guests of honor presented her gifts. He patiently waited until all presents had been given to Yan Da. Then he nodded to Piang Feng, who made the hall gong ring with a powerful thud. "The Ice Prince greets the Fire Queen." Ying Kong Shi stepped forward and bowed deeply to Yan Da. When he straightened up, he smiled proudly at her. "My respect goes to you, Yan Da, Bringer of Peace, Goddess of Creation, and Tamer of the Unholy Fire. I am proud to finally be able to count you among my friends. Only few people know that you have tried numerous times to find peaceful solutions to our tribes' conflicts since the first day we met. Even fewer people know that you saved my life more than once, not out of tactics, but out of compassion. I want all immortals to be able to see you as I do. Therefore, I have commissioned my best scribe Yun Fei and some of my friends to write down a summary of the encounters with you. My gift shall be this book that becomes reproduced at the very moment. I will see to it that it is soon distributed in all three kingdoms, until the last immortal recognizes your good heart. Your and my story shall be the basis for peace and ignite friendship between all the tribes and the Fire Clan." With that, he handed her a book crystal which, in addition to her story, contained beautiful illustrations of her. Yan Da's face beamed and she nodded approvingly. "Prinz Ying Kong Shi, thank you very much for this very personal present. I really do hope that, in the future, there will be time to read this book together." As the crowd applauded, he made a sign for the musicians to continue. Curious, the first guests came closer and marveled at the book. Yan Da was soon surrounded by a cluster of immortals and they had no choice but to exchange a secret smile. They would have time to talk later. But he didn't know whether to look forward to it. The fear crept back into him that she would press him further to tell him what would surely drive her away from him. When he got tired of all the hustle and bustle, he retired to the balcony secretly. As he half-expected, it wasn't long before Xian Xue joined him. He had wrapped himself in a splendid cloak for the celebration, and the tips of his feathers were decorated with gold. Ying Kong Shi was mildly astonished by the appearance of his ancestor. "Vain peacock," Ying Kong Shi greeted him. Xian Xue smiled. "I won't miss an occasion like that to show my handsome appearance. You have made quite an impression in there. Yan Da will be very pleased, for now. But if you continue to keep secrets from the Fire Queen, she will one day get surely very angry with you. Who knows if she'd find me suitable to comfort her when she finds out what a coward her Ying Kong Shi is." Suddenly, the temperature of the air around the two men dropped some degrees. His voice was more like a growl when the Ice Prince finally answered. "Don't test my limits, ancestor. Another word like that from you, and I will understand your insult as an invitation to tear your feathers out." The bird stepped forward, and stared unimpressed in Ying Kong Shi's eyes. "If you do choose to do so, it will only expose your shame and weakness once more. Whatever you do, don't blame me for being the cause of your bad mood. So far you've done a good job with this fresh start. But your new lies make you both vulnerable. She'll find out one day, and the deeper she'll love you by then, the worse the wound will be. It will cause a deep abyss between your hearts. I wonder which bridge you want to come up with in order to get back to her, then."
Ying Kong Shi clenched his fists, and suddenly, all his anger seemed to vanish. He looked at Xian Xue, and his eyes showed nothing but despair. Xian Xue grabbed his descendant's arm. "I think you need to clear your head. Come on, I know something that always helps." With these words, he let his magic flow into Ying Kong Shi. Before the Ice Prince was even aware of his new form, the great Xian Xue Bird pushed him over the castle wall and he fell down. It only took a moment for Ying Kong Shi to spread his wings and swing himself into the air after the other bird. Once he realized his own speed, a wild sensation shot through him. Xian Xue's bird form carried out daring flight maneuvers between the smokes of the firework. When he began to do the same, the fear of losing everything in the end had lost its grip on him.
It was long after midnight, when Yan Da finally went to her chambers. Quickly she undressed and put her travel clothes on. Tomorrow the peace negotiations would start. When she was done with her preparations, she summoned the generals to her quarters and gave them her last instructions for the time of her absence. Then she went outside to meet her friends and her travel escort. This time she traveled with significantly more luggage. She couldn't believe how many chests had been packed for her. In the entourage were her servants, her ambassadors, her bodyguards and even a pre-taster. When Gao Yuqing led her to a luxurious carriage in which Xing Gui and Yue Shen already sat, she almost laughed out loud. All her life she had fought against being made a lady. And now she was forced into exactly this role on the very first day as Queen. Yan Da sighed and reluctantly got into the carriage. When she looked back again, she turned to her general. "Where is the Ice Prince?" Gao Yuqing gave her a strange look as he pointed his finger at a snow bird soaring high in the sky. What is he doing up there? Disappointed, she closed the curtain as the entourage began to move.