Fire City
It was midnight. Ying Kong Shi paced up and down in the former Fire King's quarters. Gao Yuqing had kept his promise. The palace in the heart of Fire City had been completely redecorated. Previously, the great heat of the lava flows had made it impossible to adhere to normal architectural rules. There had only been walls in a few places, so as not to build up the heat. Roofs hadn't been necessary either, in a country where it simply never rained. All of that had changed dramatically in the past few weeks. The best sorcerers and engineers of the Fire Clan had done a great job in the capital, so that during the intensive phase of rebuilding beautiful houses had been formed to offer the population protection from the regular rainfall. The sight of the many well designed, harmonious roofs was simply breathtaking. And the palace, which was extended according to a precise construction plan, had grown in height in the central area. Magnificent arched windows and generous room heights seemed to be a luxurious feature of the new Fire Palace. At the same time, the builders had installed a heating system in the palace floor so that it was pleasantly warm everywhere. Overall, Ying Kong Shi had the impression that he had seldom seen a tribe developing such an outstanding architecture in such a short time.
He hadn't had much time to tour the premises, however. After Yan Da had more or less dragged him here, they had both quickly been wrapped up in the meeting with her generals. Indeed, many subjects had accumulated. It quickly became apparent that the question of Yan Da's marriage seemed to be in her advisors' focus. Although Yan Da had proven herself to be a capable and powerful ruler, there were still many voices that worried about the succession to the throne and the political stability, since there was no royal aristocrat left apart from Yan Da. The word had gotten around that Ying Kong Shi was both a powerful ice prince and a skilled fire mage. With him, there was now an immortal who made the old legends of the Ice Fire Clan come true, and who met the Fire Tribe's expectation of a strong leader. When talking to the generals, Yan Da seemed surprised that Ying Kong Shi already enjoyed such a good reputation.
Ying Kong Shi knew she was actually glad about it. But Ying Kong Shi could also imagine that it bothered her being urged to marry so early. He frowned at the object in his hand. It had occurred to him that Ka Suo had once made a very personal wedding gift for Li Luo. It had been a bracelet made from a kite cord, a symbol of their connection. There had never been anything like that between him and Yan Da, since he had avoided such closeness successfully. So, whenever he thought about a particular landmark in their connection now, only two images came to his mind: one was fireworks. And the other was Yan Da herself, as she lay in his arms and died. Ying Kong Shi tensed up and had to close his eyes for a moment to dispel the memory. When he felt better, he stared again at his engagement gift. The ring was simple, made of gold. It had no stone, no features that caught the eye. Just like his love for Yan Da, which he had never shown to the outside world in the past. But its inner side revealed what had always been his most treasured secret. He twisted the ring a little and used his magic to light up the words engraved in it. Yan Da, I love you, my most beautiful and best friend.
Yan Da's advisors had unanimously welcomed the suggestion that she should be crowned as Ice Queen in the course of his coronation, and that the coronation itself should also include the marriage ceremony. They had sent the message immediately to the other tribal leaders and to Ren Xue City to give everyone enough time to prepare. Now he was worried about how Yan Da would react to the imminent marriage in the next days. Her clan obviously seemed very used to being led by a man. Should he refuse to be co-ruler, to show he supported her authority? He wouldn't mind if he didn't have a say in the immediate decisions of the Fire Tribe. But how would the other clans react to that, especially since he was planning to give Yan Da equal reign over the Ice Tribe?
And one more thing kept him awake. Yan Da had quickly withdrawn after the meeting, which lasted late into the evening. She hadn't even tried to meet him secretly. He felt like she wanted to be alone. But he was uncomfortable with it. Something seemed to be wrong with her. He remembered her words from the day before too well.
Ying Kong Shi, my whole family is gone. I live in an empty castle now, and I shoulder the burden of my people alone. In the past, you were my only friend. Now, you're the only person who comes close to family.
He listened restlessly into the night. In the past, he had spent a few days in this castle. He had been someone else, without any clear knowledge of his former life as Ying Kong Shi. He had been named Li Tian Jin by Huo Yi - the one born for vengeance. For nights he had listened to the clank of weapons during the practice fights and the changing of the guards in the courtyard. There had been constant comings and goings, uncountable messenger owls carrying news from the fire spies from every corner of the kingdoms. Now it was almost eerily quiet. The night air that blew in was warm and pure, and in the distance he could hear the scream of the fire eagles. What was it like for Yan Da, who had lived here her entire life? Even if her family had never treated her well, at least his friend had never been alone ... If this silence seemed strange even to him ... He couldn't take it any longer. He stored the ring in his sleeve. Within seconds, his form dissolved into black smoke, losing its shape to the darkness of the night.