The third day of the peace negotiations
The third day of the peace negotiations had dawned. So far they had achieved a lot. Nevertheless, Huang Tuo had the feeling that the aptitude test required by the Mermaid Clan could destroy the peace efforts of the Fire Queen. Who would trust her peaceful leadership of the Fire Tribe if she failed? In addition, Ying Kong Shi would certainly not allow Yan Da to be dethroned. From a political point of view, the Ice Clan would also find itself in a difficult position as a sympathizer of the Fire Tribe. And Ying Kong Shi's and Yan Da's future prospects would certainly deteriorate significantly. The Chief Healer decided with a firm face not to let it get that far. As a proponent of the test, he would express his thoughts to the council again. "Yue Shen, I want to ask your opinion. I would like to make my approval for the Fire Queen's test conditional on the type of test. "
Yue Shen, who was still angry about his speech yesterday, turned to him with a disgruntled expression. "So? Then let me hear how you will make up for your disloyal interference yesterday." Huang Tuo had lately not been as intimidated by his soon-to-be wife as he used to be. In his last life, his love for her had always been mixed with fear of death. As if you were in love with a tiger, who in the next moment could open your throat for fun. Now it only took him a deep breath and a brave look, and she paid him attention. He smiled. "Sit down, love." He offered her a chair and poured them tea. "I consider a test that provides an assessment of leadership ability with a" suitable or not suitable "test result to be inadequate. If Yan Da fails the test, her entire position as the Fire Queen will be challenged. This will anger her tribe members, who have already crowned her as queen. Rather, individual important qualities of a ruler should be queried in this test.
Let us say that there are several tasks to go through that can test different aspects of a leader, such as inner strength, wisdom, goodness, foresight, incorruptibility, or other qualities. If Yan Da didn't pass any of the tasks, which I really can't imagine, she could nevertheless continue to be the Queen of the Fire Tribe. For the security of the kingdoms, however, she could be given a council made up of envoys from all clans. Thus there would be a security for everyone that the Fire Queen cannot go unnoticed against the other clans. This supervisory board should exist for a few years before Yan Da could take the test again and thus gain her independent sovereignty. Furthermore, the wedding between Ying Kong Shi and Yan Da should not be banned by the clans. It would be enough not to make her the Ice Queen, right? And should she pass all of the tasks, there shouldn't be anything against granting her the double crown and the same political sayings as all the other ice queens had before her." Yue Shen tilted her head to one side and was silent. She thought hard about his words. Finally she nodded. "It could be an approach to protect Yan Da's position. But won't your suggestion make the other peace negotiators feel that Yan Da is weak and that the test must therefore be toned down to increase her chances?" Huang Tuo nodded. "Yes, one or the other will think so. But does that matter? I will once again clearly vouch for the fact that peace is inextricably linked to Yan Da's role as ruler, since she brought this peace to us. For the good of all, we cannot allow the Mermaid Clan to destabilize the peace out of a thirst for revenge or fear of Yan Da." Yue Shen looked up in surprise. "This will put pressure on the Mermaid Saint. That could work!" "Then let's go and see if we can get the Predor Mermaid to reason."
"Are you ready again for the lion's cave?" While he was helping Yan Da to attach her coat to her shoulders, Ying Kong Shi took his time to admire her beautifully curved neck and graceful shoulders that got a happy smile on his face. As he stepped back, he however got a strange feeling of fear. Because of her slim body, Yan Da seemed so fragile to him at times, even though she always tried to exude strength and self-confidence. Yes, she was proud and strong. But it had been those narrow shoulders he'd held in his arms every time she died. "Strange for you to say that," she replied, with a thoughtful gaze. "I've always considered my brothers and my father to be lions. One wrong step on my part and I knew they would attack and harm me. That's why I wanted to learn to fight, to defend myself and earn their respect. To do this, I had also to learn to deal with men's anger and scorn from young age." Yan Da put her chin up, as she now looked at him. "The way I see it, it was a good training for my future. How else could I have endured falling in love with you of all people?" When she saw his shocked face, she smile teasingly at him. "What? Can I not be a little bit proud of myself? I think I did a pretty good job not to let your disdain, distance, and insults get me down. It wasn't easy, but for some reason I had the courage to believe that you loved me. You hid your feelings very well, but not well enough." Yan Da laughed out loud, and Ying Kong shi wasn't sure if he heard a tone of sadness in her voice. "Ying Kong Shi. Do you know what always was proof for me when I had doubts about your intentions?" Ying Kong Shi shook his head in silence, not sure if he liked the turn of the conversation. "You never hurt me. You threatened me, you held me with your spell, but you didn't even scratch me, not once, even when you were mad at me." Yan Da turned to him, and lovingly touched his cheek. "Yesterday, you said you never gave me anything. But from my point of view, you still gave me much more than what I was used to receive from my family."
Ying Kong Shi's mouth felt dry like a sand desert as he digested her words. It was now clear to him why she had gone so far as to sacrifice herself for him for those few good moments with him. How could you, with this extensive ability to love, survive in the Fire Tribe and that other dimension for so long? How could I have valued your love so little? If proof was ever needed that you are the creator of love, then this very unique quality of unconditional love would be it. "Yan Da, I have no doubt that you are very very strong-minded. I will never belittle you as your relatives did. It's only that I wish to protect and support you more openly." He looked at her longingly, and for a moment time seemed to stand still. Then he resolutely picked up the crown on her dressing table and stood in front of her. "Yan Da, I hereby promise that I will forever respect and honor you as the queen of not only the Fire Clan, but also of my heart." With these words he gently placed the crown on her head. Then he took Yan Da's face between his hands and kissed her tenderly. "Whatever comes on the table today in the trial against you, I will support you, but also respect your decisions." A happy smile spread across Yan Da's face. "Meet me in front of the hall. You can support me by entering the lion's den together." Ying Kong Shi nodded. Then he disappeared in a turquoise light.
"Yesterday, the majority of the Peace Council agreed to put Yan Da to an aptitude test. We will not tolerate interferences from outside, so we reject Huang Tuo's proposals. The Mermaid Clan has consulted and we have found three suitable tasks that can give us certainty about Yan Da's mental sanity as well as her commitment to this peace. In order not to put our relationship under a bad star, we have decided to recognize Queen Yan Da as the ruler of the Fire Clan. But we will not accept her as the future Ice Queen and the queen of all three kingdoms until she passes this test." It had been going on for quite a while, and Huang Tuo had long since given up repeating his suggestions. The Mermaid Saint was just too adamant. Finally, Yan Da spoke up, as she couldn't bear that ongoing discussion any longer. "I bow to the will of the Mermaid Clan and will face the tasks if the Peace Council agrees." Ying Kong Shi sat on the throne and leaned forward. "It is still not clear to me why the Mermaid Clan refuses to allow the other clans to help with the test. I also find it nonsensical that you are so vehemently against a marriage between fire and ice." The Mermaid Saint looked around in awe, and waved her staff. "Our dynasty was destroyed by King Huo Yi. Despite our neutrality, we became the real victims of the last war. We are concerned about the growing sympathy between fire and ice. Who will protect us in the future if not the Ice Clan, whose loyalty has always been based on the family ties with the Mermaid Clan? It is up to us to design this test at our discretion. Only in this way are we willing to voluntarily place ourselves under the leadership of a descendant of the Fire Tribe. "The Ice Prince frowned. The whole thing seemed to degenerate and promote a general uncertainty among the council members.
When he looked into the faces of the council members, he realized that most of them had already accepted the terms of the Mermaid Saint. Yan Da also nodded confidently to him. "Then let's take a vote and hereby end it." Almost all hands went up. It was clear: The Fire Queen would have to face the test. The Mermaid Saint finally spoke triumphantly. "It will take a few days to prepare the test. We will notify the chiefs as soon as we have set the date. I thank everyone for supporting our request. I pay my respects to you, too, Queen Yan Da. We'll make sure the test does you justice. Until then we expect discretion from everyone. We consider it best if Queen Yan Da returns to her kingdom for the time being to report our decisions to her ministers and to make appropriate arrangements for her absence." Yan Da's head jerked at the words of the Predor Mermaid. What was this young ruler up to? Apparently she wanted to keep Yan Da away from Ying Kong Shi. Could it be that Lu Yian was interested in him? But, so far she hadn't shown any personal interest in the Ice Prince. Finally, Yan Da bowed, grinding his teeth. "Your foresight exceeds your young years. I'll be leaving soon and await your message." Ying Kong Shi stood up and let the gong sound again.
"Esteemed Councilors! I thank you for this gathering and your help in creating a common future. The leaders will soon return to their territories, but the emissaries will stay as my guests for the next few days to work out the contracts. I'll see you all again in the realm of the Mermaid Tribe. Until then I hope to keep in touch with you and to receive regular reports on the state of your clans. Finally, I would like to announce something positive. Due to the many decisions that will have to be made over the next few years, the Council of the Ice Tribe has decided to appoint me as the new Ice King in fifty days. You are all cordially invited to the coronation. I hope you will appear not only to celebrate my reign with me, but also to strengthen the bonds of friendship between all of us." A happy surprise spread among the guests, and shouts of approval rang out. When servants streamed between the guests and offered the conference participants food and fine drinks, the official part of the peace negotiations was over. Ying Kong Shi's gaze followed Yan Da, who quickly left the room with her entourage. Why is she in such a rush? Have I done something wrong to offend her? Before he could go after her, Xing Gui suddenly stood next to the Ice Prince and looked with him into the crowd. "I have known your majesty's unmoved expression for a while now. What is on your mind, my prince?" Ying Kong smiled briefly as he turned to the leader of the Dream Tribe. "You know, you keep reminding me of your brother. Neither Ka Suo nor I could ever hide anything from you or him…. Have I ever thanked you for helping me to protect Yan Da during the last battles?" Xing Gui continued to look into the crowd when his words made her smile sadly.
"I have a lot to repent. I once made a pact with Yuan Ji to protect my brother. I know my brother will love me forever, but I also disappointed him with how far I was willing to go to save him. I sacrificed my conscience and morals, and, to save one life, I put thousands at risk. Ying Kong Shi, you and me, aren't we alike?" Now she looked the young Ice Prince directly in the face. "We are both the younger siblings who got lost in their blind loyalty to their siblings because we never met unconditional love elsewhere. It is our punishment and our repentance that our brothers sent us away to learn this lesson and to grow up and become wise without their guidance. Instead of thanking me for a little act of compassion, make a promise, Ying Kong Shi. Promise me that whenever you falter again, and you intend to single-handedly pursue an amoral plan to save Yan Da or whoever, that you will not shut out the five of us? Please believe that we stand up for you, because like you, we have all gone through hell for this new beginning. So never underestimate our motivation to follow you. Promise me this?" He couldn't help but admire this still so young looking woman with that firm expression on her face that slowly changed into a sincere smile once he nodded in agreement. "I will take my leave, now, your Majesty. The day is still young, and I need to sleep a couple of hours before the night begins." She bowed before she went out of the throne room.
Xing Gui was close to her guest chambers, when she felt a sting to her neck. The sharp pain made her halt. With her fingers, she tried to find out what had hit her there. But she wasn't able to reach the spot. Before she could even realise it, she lost consciousness and fell to the ground. A dark figure leaned above her. Eager hands searched her body in a hurry. Once they found what they were looking for, the attacker smiled, and put the holy Magic Cube in a small glittering box that vanished under a black robe. Without a sound, the assassin disappeared, leaving Xing Gui carelessly lying on the floor.
The alarm bells soon shrilled through the corridors of the Ice Palace, as Piang Feng found an unconscious Xing Gui and cried for help. It didn't take long for the Chief of the Healer Tribe and his betrothed to arrive, too. Huang Tuo looked helplessly at Yue She, who was about to identify the poison that had been inflicted on the leader of the Dream Tribe. Suddenly, the young woman started to spasm, leaving the two of them with the horrible feeling that they came too late. "I don't know the poison that was used. Please, can you do something to slow down her blood circulation to slow down the effect of the substance?" Huang Tuo nodded and took out his needles. Two strong hands shoved him aside. To his surprise, it was the Fire Queen. „Let me try." "Yan Da, did you forget? You don't have the Ice Fire Stone anymore, so you have no more healing qualities of the Six Leaf Ice Crystal in you," the healer responded. Yan Da didn't reply, but instead, kneeled down beside Xing Gui's body. "You can channel my energy, healer. Let's see how much of the power of creation is still in me. Or do you have any better option right now?" He hesitated for a short moment, but then he gave her a look of agreement, and they began to work. The light that flashed out was golden and healing, Huang Tuo bathed Xing Gui in it and directed the magic along the infected lines of her body. He couldn't help but enjoy it. This magic felt so healthy and easy. When Xing Gui was stable, he grinned widely at Yan Da. "I cannot express my gratitude to this experience, your Highness. Your magic is indeed unique…" His voice trailed off, as he saw Yan Da's worried expression. "I can't feel the Dream Source near her. Can you?" Huang Tuo and Piang Feng shook their heads, and slowly they began to understand what that attack had been all about.