This story is written for those who finished the game more or less Open Palm and as a male player having chosen the "noncommittal" romance with both Dawn Star and Silk Fox.

Positive reviews are welcome but not necessary. I am more interested in hearing what you don't like -- if and where you get bored, confused, or otherwise stop reading. Thanks, and I do hope you find the bulk of it enjoyable!

PROLOGUE

Lord Lao considered himself, first and foremost, to be an inventor, and a rather explosive one at that. But when he wasn't designing his latest mad scheme or tinkering with the laws of physics or otherwise blowing things up just for the fun of it, he found that he enjoyed the telling of a good tale. And having personally endured the trials of tribulations of the Jade Empire's greatest hero, he had come to acquire a very good collection of stories. He presently found himself sharing one--which he referred to as 'The Redemption of Furious Ming' or 'A Tragedy of Love and Lust' depending on his mood--with a very attentive group of young fox spirits.

Fox spirits were curious creatures by nature, and fox spirit children even more so. They gathered around him on the floating grassy knoll tucked behind a secluded cloud in their own fox spirit version of heaven, and stared up at him with their large inquisitive eyes.

"This story begins five years after the fall of the Sun brothers," Lord Lao spoke, in his customary high-pitched yet professorial voice. "You remember that one, yes?"

The fox spirits all nodded in unison.

"Yes, well that one had a reasonably happy ending. But few things truly end completely, so let's start anew five years hence and see what happened to the hero of the Jade Empire. Or perhaps I should say, fallen hero…"

CHAPTER 1

Ming couldn't remember the last time he had been physically restrained. Perhaps when he had been a child, but certainly not in recent years. And yet strong arms held him down now, crushing his face into the cold stone of the darkened room. He felt confusion at first, and then terrible rage. How insulting. I will kill them all! He tried to rise but the searing pain upon his skin told him he was beyond escape, bound by chains that tingled with the hint of a magical imbuing. He forced his head to the side and glared malevolently up at the lone source of light--a torch, clutched by a delicate hand. The torch moved lower, and an indistinct face appeared above it. A woman's face.

"By my ancestors, you were right," said the woman. "I wouldn't have believed it without seeing the tattoos myself. Light the room!"

Ming knew she was referring to the elaborate dragon artwork that reached from his waist to his neck and from shoulder to shoulder. The one indulgence his master had allowed him as a young man, it also made him immediately recognizable to those who knew the patterns well. And this woman certainly knew the patterns well...

The lights flared as several other torches around the room sputtered to life. Ming gasped as he recognized the face of the woman holding the torch. Even if he hadn't seen her face, the clothes belied her station as high royalty, the long wisps of gold and pearl white silk woven together in a gown befitting a goddess.

"Lily!"

Gasps echoed throughout the hollow walls of what Ming now guessed was a prison or dungeon. A hand as hard as rock came crashing down on his skull, slamming his face into the hard floor.

"Stop!" the regally dressed woman commanded, her voice strong and imperious.

"Aw, come on, he can take it," said a deep male voice, even as the hand pulled Ming's head up for another smash. Ming strained a glance out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but grin through the blood that trickled from his lacerated brow. Black Whirlwind. No wonder I can't move.

A second woman stepped forward from the shadows, this one dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Army.

"How dare you speak to the Heavenly Lily that way?" she demanded. "After all that you've done... you should at least show the proper respect. What happened to you, Ming?"

"Thank you, Captain Kia," the regal woman continued, "but I sense this is not the Furious Ming we used to know." She looked down at him, her eyes a mixture of anger and pity, and then her voice took on the mocking tone he hadn't heard since their earliest meetings. "Not so Furious now, are you Ming?"

Ming fought off a fresh upwelling of anger but the confusion remained. How did he get here? Why was everyone accusing him? The only thing he knew for sure was that he was in some kind of trouble, and of the people in the room, the Heaven Lily was the one with the most authority. He would have to appeal to her.

"I'm sorry, Princess Lian," he mumbled as sincerely as he could manage.

Another murmur of shock traveled throughout the cold chamber, and the enormous hand holding him by the hair tightened as if to slam him down again. With a single motion from the Heavenly Lily's hand, however, the stillness returned. "That would be Empress Lian, or have you forgotten the last five years of my reign?"

Ming felt a tightness in his chest. Five years! He remembered the fall of the brothers Sun, remembered striking the final blow against the second of the two brothers. Sun Li had been his own master, but that blow had been necessary. His defeat had ended the darkest period in the empire's history. But what had happened after that? Ming found only darkness and confusion in his memories, certainly not five years worth of anything.

"Raise him up," the empress commanded. She looked him straight in the eye without flinching. Her face had always been beautiful, and the flowing silk tresses did little to hide the curves of her figure that he remembered so well from their moment in Dirge. That night had brought them all much pleasure, although it had been a guilty pleasure to be sure. He remembered all too well the embarrassment on the face of his childhood friend, Dawn Star, as the princess had taken her hands and drawn her to him.

Now, however, there was nothing in the eyes of the empress--empress! when was the coronation ceremony?--that suggested even a hint of warmth for Ming.

"I don't remember anything," Ming said, knowing it probably sounded foolish.

"Is that really all you have to say?" she said, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"What did I do?" he asked.

The Black Whirlwind tried to stifle a giggle, but it came out as a low rumble. "Sounds like he's been drinking."

"You've really been ruling for five years?" Ming asked.

The empress rolled her eyes and exhaled in frustration. "Don't try to play stupid, Ming! Do you have any idea what position this puts me in?"

"It can't be half as bad as the one I'm in," Ming managed with half a grin.

She slapped him hard, but the blow was more psychological than physical. "You were always a little callous, but when did you stop caring completely? Do you have any idea how this makes me feel? How it makes any of us feel?"

Ming glared at all of them. "Do you have any idea how I feel? I just lost five years of my life! Now, what the hell did I do to deserve this?"

He struggled against his bonds even as he knew it was futile.

The empress looked him over as if appraising his veracity, or insanity, then looked at her captain of the guard. Kia Min stepped forward and proceeded to speak in a stern voice.

"You stand accused of desertion from the Imperial Army, of raiding villages throughout the empire, of murdering innocent citizens--"

Ming scoffed, the sound coming out as a harsh cough. "That's ridiculous. First of all, why would I join the Imperial Army?"

"Silence!" Captain Kia shouted. "By far, your greatest offense against the empire occurred last night, when you brazenly attacked the imperial palace."

"I did what? Why would I do that?"

The empress spoke this time, her eyes bearing into him. "I'd like to know that as well, especially since you broke into the Imperial Bedroom and killed one of my decoys."

Now it was Ming's turn to stare in disbelief. Despite the anger that boiled in his veins, he could not imagine anything that would motivate him to kill Sun Lian, the Heavenly Lily. Sure, she had been imperious, haughty and even selfish when they had traveled together, but that was her nature and the result of a royal upbringing. She had also proven to be decent, honorable, and pretty good in a fight; and on top of that, she had given him the greatest gift a woman could give--her own body. If anything, she should have had the grievance with him.

Her eyes burned into his, and for the briefest of moments, Ming knew shame. If what everyone said was true, then he had obviously lost his mind and deserved whatever punishment he had coming.

"If you must kill me, let me die in combat," he muttered in resignation.

"I would be honored to do the honors," the Black Whirlwind rumbled.

"No!" the Empress commanded. "There will be no more killing tonight. But I can't let you stay, either, Ming. That leaves me with only one option…"