Concerns before a wedding
"That's not good either." Yan Da looked doubtfully at Xing Gui, who was still holding a list to the Fire Queen with a questioning look in her eyes. They had put together ideas for what Yan Da could present Ying Kong Shi as her wedding gift. After he had given her his lovely ring, she had felt guilty. Yan Da had never given him any kind of love tokens, and yet he would soon be her husband for the rest of her life. Now Yan Da sadly admitted to herself that she hardly knew Ying Kong Shi's interests. It was something that always gnawed at her a little, considering the way other couples around her seemed to be experts for each other. Yue Shen, for example, seemed to know everything about Huang Tuo - his favourite colour, his favourite dishes, his most beloved walking route in the evening to calm his mind from the exhausting task of treating his patients. But Yan Da couldn't come up with any particularly detailed knowledge when it came to Ying Kong Shi. She knew that, like her, he liked to drink alcohol on occasion. He dressed well and was to some extent interested in his looks. But most of the time he seemed to be concerned with his task to be a good king. Xian Xue once had told her that Ying Kong Shi had had a very long childhood in which he had been a playful adventurer at the side of his big brother. This impartiality flashed through sometimes, well-dosed, and only with her or his closest confidants, soon to be wiped away again by the controlled and seclusive man Ying Kong Shi had become.
"I will not be painted with cherry blossoms on my body. I know you think I'm frivolous, but I'm sure it won't make Ying Kong Shi happy to have a picture of me that he can't hang anywhere." The list went on, and Yan Da continued rejecting the proposals. Sighing, she finally sank down on a chair. She couldn't create anything artistic. She had never had the opportunity to develop any other skills with her hands but martial arts. And she didn't want to just give him a ring, too. The whole matter with her marriage suddenly seemed to weigh Yan Da down. "I need fresh air. The ceiling falls on my head in here." Yue She and Xing Gui exchanged a confused look when Yan Da abruptly stood up and started to leave her quarter in the Ice Palace. As she went out, her gaze fell on her wedding dress. It was white – a pure terrifying tone of white. She had never worn white. If it had had at least a touch of colour, it might have seemed less scary to the Fire Queen.
Yan Da fled. She hurried down the hallways, bumped into someone more than once, and mumbled apologies. She couldn't help it, she was nervous. In less than twenty-four hours she would end up being a wife. And, at least half of her time, she would live in this place, as they had agreed to share their reigning time between the two kingdoms, changing the court frequently. But could this place become a home? She felt that she was being treated politely at the Ice Palace; she couldn't really complain. The Yan Da of this world had spent the first time after the end of the war in this place, and she had already tried to make it clear to the people of the Ice Tribes that she was no longer the enemy. In fact, her servants were very kind to Yan Da, they even reprimanded the people on the lower levels of the palace who held back their children when they saw the Fire Queen. But the fact that she was to become the queen of these people who looked at her so fearfully distanced caused her an aching stomach. She had dealt long and hard with Ying Kong Shi and his advisers, who together had continued to insist on crowning her Ice Queen. It had been important to her husband-to-be to put her politically on the same level as him. Therefore, Ying Kong Shi did not accept any difference in the royal ranking system.
Yan Da's heart raced as she hurried out into the courtyard. Suddenly she slowed down when she realized that she was drawing people's attention by running. She stepped forward and leaned heavily against the waist-high rim of the outer balustrade. How could she be a good Ice Queen when she was secretly afraid of not being able to win the affection of her people? She held on to the castle wall as her gaze fell on the ring on her hand. She knew the message that was hidden inside the ring band, the words that she had never been able to hear… he had written them in his love token, so she would never again have to live without the secret in his heart.
Ying Kong Shi is now so good to me… and still, there is so much grief that we have to cross to heal those thousands years of war and bitterness. What can I give him that will have a meaning for him for the next thousands of years to come? What can possibly be a proof for him that I am not only willing to die for him, but also to live and cherish life with him?
The harder she tried to think of a symbolic gift for Ying Kong Shi, the more their differences pushed into her focus. Fire and Ice, Ice and Fire. Yan Da felt sick, and she leaned forward to inhale the frosty air. The snow-capped peaks of the mountains glowed in the evening sun and provided breathtaking light reflections. Yan Da sighed. Slowly, the wide and clear view over the Ice Kingdom helped her to regain control of her thoughts. The sun shines peacefully on the ice, bringing out its most beautiful properties. And the ice greets the fire of the sun without melting. If only the tribe's co-existence were already so balanced. I wish Xian Xue would be here. He would know what to do…. "Whenever you miss me, just remember the two children that once lay in a nest in Snow Fog Forrest, warming each other on the cold winter nights." She smiled, when his words came to her mind.
A little boy hurried past her, towards a group of other children who were chasing a ball in the evening's play of colours. Yan Da looked thoughtful at the mixed group of youngsters and smaller children. "Wait, little one. I have a question for you." The child turned around, a questioning look in his eyes when he became aware of Yan Da's red robe. "Are you our new queen?" Yan Da smiled, the frankness of this young boy was refreshing. "Yes, exactly. Tell me, do you know Ying Kong Shi?" "Of course I know him, I even know him best. He is our brother, always playing with us, when he has some time to spare." "Do you happen to know what he likes most?" The boy looked at her in amazement, and then started laughing. "Why are you laughing, you little threesome?" The boy wiped his face with a sleeve. "I laugh because it's obvious. Fun, of course! Our prince never smiles much, only when he is with us in Snow Fog Forrest. Playing with us makes him carefree." The boy left her standing right where she was." Fun ..." muttered Yan Da, whose expression suddenly brightened.
She turned to the group of kids, who looked at her expectantly. "I have a very difficult task to master. Would you, by chance, want to help me?" "With what?" asked an older boy curiously. "I want to give Ying Kong Shi a wedding present that is supposed to bring him fun. Unfortunately I only had the idea today, and tomorrow is the wedding. I can't do it alone. The more people join in the task, the better." "That sounds exciting. Shall we ask our parents if they can help us, too? "Yan Da looked at the boy in surprise. "Do you think they would be willing to help me?" The boy gave her a thoughtful look. "Your majesty, we all are well aware of your story, we read the great book of your adventures, the one with the pretty pictures." The little boy from earlier nodded eagerly and with shining eyes. "And we know you're not a bad person. Even the Kingdom Guardians speak well of you. You ended the war, and before that, you even brought our king back from the dead with Ka Suo. And since you've been in the palace, there have been these warm yellow lights in the streets everywhere. We are used to the cold, but we like the warmth you brought with you. Our parents are often silent when we talk about you. But I think they are already more used to you than they want to admit. And they will surely be ready to help if they know they can partake in a wedding present for our King." Yan Da's mouth fell open at the boy's kind words. They were balm for her unsecure soul. Dimples appeared on her cheeks as she began to smile widely. "Great! Thank you! Let's go pick up your parents." Surrounded by the group of boys, Yan Da set off. Xing Gui and Yue Shen came out from behind a pillar and watched their friend go. "What do you think she came up with?" Yue Shen looked down at Xing Gui and took her friend's hand. "Definitely something great. Come on, let's go after her, I want to help with… whatever. This needs to be a success, for I think that Yan Da just discovered the key to the Ice Tribe's heart."