No more masters
Yan Da was leaning against a rock and looked over the celebrating crowd when she suddenly felt someone approach her from behind. She turned her head only half the way. She knew Ying Kong Shi was standing there, just a few inches away: the man who had come to love another Yan Da, the man who had rejected her as the despicable daughter of his archenemy in both her pitiful lifetimes, and whom she nevertheless loved more than anything in the world. "Don't you want to turn around to me, Yan Da?" she heard his familiar voice ask. Her heart was in her throat. She had all the new memories of him in her head, and of what they had done in the past few weeks. In the Realm of Transition, she hadn't had the time to process the memories of the younger Yan Da. But here, on the beach, the flashbacks left her breathless. Desire, jealousey, love, despair, passion, hate and loneliness, those feelings closed in on her in quick successions. She had tried not to let it show, but Yue Shen and Xing Gui still had noticed that Yan Da was having trouble enjoying the spontaneous party. Yue Shen had wordlessly put a cup of wine into her hand, and Xing Gui had promised to help her to adjust between her old and her new selves with her dream magic. The whole evening, Yan Da had been very grateful to be with her friends, some of whom she had known for sixty years. But she had never been able to really touch or look at them, or to taste wine and feel the wind on her body. Sure, Xian Xue had created a body for her with an illusion, just like he had done for himself and the others in the time stream. But being here, as part of the reality, made her dizzy.
She wanted to turn around to him, but something was holding her back now. It was strangely empty in her head. She almost expected Yan Zhu to push out of a corner and regain control. When Ying Kong Shi came closer, and even touched her arm, fear shot like an arrow through her guts. Yan Da breathed heavily, the air was suddenly too thin. She felt how her legs slowly gave way under her. "Yan Da, what's the matter with you?" Ying Kong Shi caught her and let her slide gently to the ground. Feeling his arm under her shoulders increased her panic even more. She knew that touch all too well from him. Darkness and death had always followed when she finally found herself in his arms. Yan Da's cheeks were suddenly wet. Where did all the tears come from? They couldn't possibly be her tears, could they?
"Help, something is wrong with the Fire Queen!" Several people were approaching them now. Someone felt Yan Da's pulse, and she heard the voice of the Bird Spirit talk to Huang Tuo. "It was all too much for her. She woke up in the Realm of Transition, and then this evening followed. She hasn't had time to adjust to this reality yet." Yan Da's ears heard everything muffled. The only thing she was able to see clearly was Long Wang's massive dark body, which had come close to the shore now. Yan Da saw herself in his expectant yellow eyes. Get me out of here, please! Immediately a huge paw pushed the frightened crowd apart, even Ying Kong Shi and Xian Xiu were swept aside. I thought you would never ask, little phoenix. It was the last thing she heard before a biting wind whistled around her ears and the cold air of the night enveloped her.
She woke up on the shores of the frozen lake in the Kingdom of the Ice Tribe. Her upper body was leaning against the old cherry tree under which both Ying Kong Shi and Ka Suo had once died. The dragon's body lay on the thick ice and was covered with delicate pink cherry blossoms. When Long Wang saw her move, he snorted a curling trail of smoke from his nostrils. "You are awake, amazing! Shouldn't you sleep much longer?" Yan Da held her aching head and waited until the hammering inside stopped and she slowly dared to sit. "I don't even know if I slept at all or if I just passed out." Slowly Yan Da got up and frowned at the puddle that had formed under Long Wang's body. "Why are you lying on the ice? Are you not afraid it could break?" The dragon shook his head. His scales sparkled blue in the glow of the stars. "I promised you in the Realm of Transition that I would never set foot on the surface of the Ice Fantasy World if you set me free. So I stayed in the water at the shore of the Endless Sea, and I'll stay on the Ice of this lake, for it is not really part of the land." Yan Da's eyes got big and round, and then a sad giggle rose in her throat. What a life! She had never convinced Ying Kong Shi to love her, but the last dragon had come to her aid, and kept his promises better than any man in her life ever had. She laughed even more when an almost embarrassed expression spread across the large dragon's face. "There is nothing to laugh about. A dragon's promise has its own magic and cannot be broken."
Yan Da's laughter faded into a friendly smile as she got very close to Long Wang's head and gently put her hand on his nose. "And I will not release you from this promise, my friend. We both know you don't belong here. Nothing should bind you to this world, because your family is waiting for you up there." Long Wang lifted his eyes, following her finger that pointed to the blinking stars.
"I knew you would understand my dragon heart. I can hear them singing. I look forward to going home to them, soon. But I stayed today because I wanted to see how you would do after the merge. After all, you only have a very small head in which all the memories and pain of your past lives hardly fit… Don't look so amazed, Queen Yan Da. I read in your mind while I carried you, and your story touched even an old heart as mine." Yan Da swallowed hard. "I don't know if I can live this life here. Can't you take me with you?" The dragon sighed and looked at her pityingly. "You are no longer the dead Guardian of the Holy Flame. You have made up your mind to live, and no one can force you to get entangled in a hopeless love story with this Ice Bird again. But you took over the body of the Yan Da who carried the Ice Fire Rock inside of her. With its creational magic, she made the Kingdom of Fire a fertile land again. And now you are responsible for the maintenance and care of her creation. Like it or not, that's your job now."
Yan Da hadn't expected these words. But they helped to stop her mind from racing. Long Wang was right. There was no need to put pressure on herself. She was under no obligation to Ying Kong Shi. In this life she was her own master now. She would never beg for love or approval again. Ying Kong Shi had become the partner and lover of her younger version in the past few weeks, but that meant nothing, right? Yan Da was only too aware that Ying Kong Shi had not chosen her of his own free will. Xian Xue had offered the younger Yan Da to the Ice Prince on a silver plate, like a sick animal that only ate when you put the food right in front of its nose. There was just no guarantee that he would face her, the Yan Da whom he had hurt, lied to, and betrayed so many times. As she knew him, he would surely avoid her again.
The younger Yan Da inside her whispered that he had truly changed. But old Yan Da looked into the shiny eyes of the dragon and saw in them the reflection of her own freedom. She nodded. "I love him, but my world no longer revolves around him alone. And I know I am needed and valued by my people. Thank you, Long Wang, for everything. We only met briefly, but we changed each other. I will never forget you, and my heart will forever hope that you'll live happily under the stars!" The dragon blew gently at her and she enjoyed his fiery breath on her skin. "I'll look after you, little phoenix. You and me, we sing the same song. Look up to the sky, if this little world narrows you too much." With these words the Dragon King spread his wings, which in the blackness of the night now revealed their true dark blue glowing colour. One jump, a gust of wind, and he was gone.