Disclaimer- I own absolutely nothing- except the plot, and Lian. Oh, and a rather interesting mug in my room thats developing its own form of penicillin xO

Notes- Hey all x3 Its been a while since I've posted anything on be gentle. I recently finished playing Jade Empire for the umpteenth time, and, as usual, got overly emotional at the ending xDD So, I decided to write my own story about what I think happened after the whole Sun-Li-died-oh-well thing. I should probably be doing Oh Sweet God I'm a Mary Sue, or Discovering the Stars or something, but Im too interested in this right now.

By the way, this follows the story of an Open Palm Wu the Lotus Blossom, with the romance Sky. Bwuha.

Edited- 15-4-06 - Name changes and grammatical alterations
And again on 16-4-06 - xD A few more prose and grammar alterations

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Saga of the Wyvern

Prologue

In which the Past meets the Present

A child learns the truth

And a danger is revealed

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Go home, pretender
I think this is the end here
It's been a long time decidin'
But I think I've found the right end.

You're gonna go away, start a new life
Forget today, start a new life
Start a new life.

Start a New Life Lyrics (c) to REO Speedwagon

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"Lian, I've told you before, stay away from the river. It's not safe, this time of year." A woman stood on the steps of a small farm, the wind catching through the dark tresses of her hair, which was tied up in a loose bun. Sharp hazel eyes surveyed a child from afar, neat lips pursed into a worried line of disapproval. She was garbed in a simple peasant outfit; a white shirt, grubby and worn, wrapped about by a sash obi, mostly hidden underneath a thick leather jerkin. Cloth arm greaves bound her forearms, matching the bindings that wrapped about her ankles and feet, which were thrust into plain sandals.You would have to look quite close to see the scars that lined her slender hands and body, and you would have to be strangely perceptive to notice the dagger thrust into her sandal side.

"But Ma! All the other kids get to play there! Why can't I?" A girl, a lean thirteen year old, glanced up from where she was crouched at the river bank, a scowl on her face. Her arms, toned with muscles that came from helping to run a difficult farm, were covered in mud right up to the elbows, as filthy as her black calf skin boots, and there were tears in her beige breeches. Only her kimono jacket seemed to have escaped distruction, the midnight blue material oddly clean compared to the rest of her. She had the same dark hair as the woman, pulled back into a careless horsetail, and eyes of chocolate so dark they seemed almost black. She stood up, dusting her hands off, and folded her grubby arms across her chest- well, so much for the jacket staying clean.

"You're not 'all the other kids'. Look, its not safe down there. There are... dangers in there you don't know about. Just come back up here- you can help me feed the horses." Wu the Lotus Blossom winced at the sound of her own voice- is this what it had come to? All her life she'd been the best fighter in the Empire, the Arena Champion, saviour of the people and restorer of the Water Dragon. The only Spirit Monk to have survived the destruction of Dirge- hell, the only Spirit Monk to restore and save Dirge, and here she was, scolding her daughter for having a little fun. At Lian's age, she'd been training with Master Li and her fellows at Two Rivers for a future she couldn't have percieved back then, training with Smiling Mountain, giggling with Dawn Star and generally running riot... She felt her heart wrench a tad, at the memory of her old friends, and found her eyes welling with unbidden tears. It was your choice... You chose this life, the life of a simple peasant, so you could be with Sky, hidden away from the public eye. Does your loss of fame hurt that much? To hear the villagers talk of you like you were dead, or a thing of the past? Your exploits are stories that became legends, and now? Now, they are becoming myths... And yet, you still keep the truth from your own daughter, though you know she suspects something.

"Can't Jin help you? Or Shen?" Lian frowned, eyes dark, as she surveyed her mother... Very frequently, she felt there was something her parents weren't telling her... Her father often left on 'business', and her mother sometimes just looked like there was a secret she was dying to spill- some secret that most definately had to do with the mass of scars riddling her body. And there were the gifts the strangers left on the doorsteps... Usually, it was something small, like a basket of fruit or a bag of firewood, laid there when they thought no-one else was looking, but sometimes... sometimes the gifts were from the ones who came in the night, leaving silver or weapons, even horses and cattle- highly valuable things, out here in the hidden Tiens Landing. By nature, Lian was a reclusive child- she was the one who sat in the darkness, watching the shadows, noting the way the lives unfold, and listening to things that the people never said. You could learn a lot, doing that. Most people never listened- they just heard.

"No. Jin's gone to help Ru fix his boat, and Shen's with Scholar Six Heaven, arguing about something or other."

"Probably what they should eat for breakfast. What about Hua? She's old enough to help you feed the horses."

"She's playing over at Ai Ling and Chumin's warehouse with little Wu."

"You know, I've always wondered why Lan and Bei named their firstborn daughter after you." Seeing no answer was forthcoming as she reached the steps of their hand-built farm house, she stared at her mother thoughtfully, before suddenly blurting out, "Ma?"

"Yes, Lian?" Wu eyed her daughter carefully- there was a stubborn determination she knew all too well in those dark eyes that made her suspiciously wary... Great Goddess, its like looking at a younger me.

"What dangers are there?"

"What?"

"In the river... You said there are dangers I don't know about- and I found old records in the Minister's Office about the second flooding of the old town. Whats down there?"

Wu, floundering in the sudden bout of questions, settled instead on a typical motherly response, "Why were you in the Ministers Office?"

Lian rolled her eyes, pushing past her mother and kicking off her boots by the door, walking bare-foot into the finely decorated farmhouse... Suspiciously well decorated, for us simple farmers. One day, I'll find out an answer to all of this. "Oh, Ma." She caught Wu's expression and smiled guiltily, "No reason."

"Lian, tell me right now, or you're grounded for the rest of the week."

Scowling, Lian kicked at the table and swore under her breath as she stubbed her toe. She instinctively ducked under her mothers gentle, reprimanding slap, and rumaged around in the lader for a bag of oats, "Because I was trying to get Li Chen out of the cells. Why else?"

Rather than ranting about how it was wrong to break her thief friend out of jail, Lian was astounded when her mother chuckled softly, "What did he do this time?"

Quirking an eyebrow, as she tugged the strap of the oat bag over her shoulder, she glanced back at her ma before hurrying outside, terrified of this lax reaction Wu had shown towards her blatantly breaking the law. She's usually dead uppity about rules. Whats different about helping a friend out of jail? She began to fill up the feed buckets lined up near the back door, and whistled for the herd of wild horses that lived in the fields behind the farm- technically, they were feral, and Minister Yun had a heart attack if anyone fed them, claiming it would 'encourage the beasts', but for some reason, he let Wu get away with it. Come to think of it, Lian couldn't remember a time anyone had stopped her mother doing something, or said 'No'. Another suspicious thing to add to the never ending list. she mused, as she watched the eager group of shaggy-coated equines begin to race each other across the farm's fields; the young foals, born just this spring, were only now beginning to get used to their gangly legs, and tore ahead of their elders in keen spirits, whinnying and neighing, the sounds breaking through the serenity of the small town. Lian couldn't help laughing, as they approached at the gallop, the herd following at a more refined pace, and petted the first few as they began to greedily feed from the buckets.

So... secrets in the dark, silent gift-givers, scars that tell a story I can't figure out, an unmarked grave we go to every year, unspoken comments, a mother who approves of renegades and can get away with anything in this place, and conversations in the middle of the night. How can I know all of this and yet not piece any of it together? She growled in frustration, returning the sack of feed to the parlour, ignoring her mothers questioning gaze and tugging on her boots again. My fathers never here, the villagers act like they know things I and my siblings dont, and they fall silent when I walk into the teahouse. Old Mother Kwan gives us free tea, Minister Yun speaks of 'an old, trickster friend' in hushed tones to my parents, and my mother hints of dangers in the deep. Mistress Vo and Master Jian always stare when I walk past, as do Scholar Six Gardens and Dancing Lynx, and we're expressively forbidden to go anywhere near the dam site or the forest. We get those strange gifts that always explode every year, on the same day, without fail, and those letters from the Empire that put mother on the verge of tears. She grabbed her sheparding staff from where it rested against the wall and stepped out into the sunlight, yearnfully glancing across to where her fellows played in the water, cooling off the hot spring day in the Silkworm River. Why does none of it make sense!

Furious with herself for her inability to figure out the puzzles plaguing her life, she started towards the main town quietly, only waving silent hellos to those who greeted her warmly- she was too wrapped up in her thought to notice anything much, which may have been why it came as a shock when someone cannoned into the back of her, screaming shrilly down her ear.

Spinning around wildly, she was greeted with a terrified villager who was screeching every word as though it burnt, "Demon! Demon in the dam site! Its going to eat us all!" And promptly scampered off- towards, Lian noted, her own farmhouse. And what will my mother do about it? Why do they all act like they know something I don't! Ah, damn it. Im sick of this- its about time we had some excitement in this town! Not lingering around, knowing fully well she'd be ordered back to the farm if her mother caught her right now, and also knowing she might falter if she thought about what she was about to do, she tore off like a rabbit fleeing a fox, with an exhileration she'd never experienced before.

So this is what real adrenaline feels like... Fascinated by the sensation, and by the speed she didn't know she possessed -the speed that came with urgency- she raced up the grassy incline towards the old, abandoned building that stood alone against the world near the bridge that lead into Tiens Landing... This was as far as she'd been outside the towns grounds- it may seem odd, but her mother tended to enforce her will with sharp tongue and even sharper eyes, until you could feel your resolve crumbling under her intense gaze. A few goats grazed around the broken stone wall, bleating in mild interest as Lian sped past, terror giving wing to her heels- not fear at the 'demon' she was racing off to face, oh no- it was fear what her mother would do if she found outLian had disobeyed her. There was surely no demon in the world as bad as Wu the Lotus Blossom in a temper.

Even after all these years, the Dam Site was an ugly place. Dark, cast into shadow by permanent clouds, and filled with a strange, eerie, lingering coldness that refused to go away...Lian paused by the giant marker stone, complete with a scarlet engraving of a fish, to catch her breath, eyes drinking it all in as she sought out this attacker, dishevelled strands of black hair falling into her tan face. Respectfully skirting a few of the gravestones that littered the path, she cast about for the demon, keeping her staff at the ready. She was no martial expert, what with there being nothing to fight in her town, and no-one to train her, but she'd managed to persuade Mistress Vo and Master Jian to give her a few combat pointers, though where the old two found out such things was beyond her... Safe to say, she could hold her own in a battle against a potential danger, but a demon? Oh, this is clever. So... did you have a plan, or did we just leg it up here to get ripped to bits by a some unholy thing?

The shadows lurched- a pair of dark horns erupted from the darkness besides her, skittering away warily as she swung the staff instinctively in its direction. It turned around again, lion-like tail whipping at the air, clawed hind paws gripping the turf powerfully as the creature straightened up- Lian had to crane her neck, just to look up past the thick ruff of light fur and to look into yelloweyes, and rows ofsharp whitefangs bared at her dangerously, along tongue savouring the air. She felt icy fear clamp ahold of her as her courage drained away- maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. Her eagerness to see some excitement had just put her the way of potential death- that, combined with the fact a sword tip was suddenly pressed against the back of her neck, was a definate mood kill.

"Put it down, child. Chai Ka will not harm you." Instinct overruled common sense- there was no way in hell she was going to put down her weapon with this thing around. Spinning around, she brought the gnarled staff up in a quick upperthrust, a tight arc that should have collided with her opponents jaw, had they of not withdrawn and lept away from her hit with almost inhumanely speed. Lian caught a glimpse of a woman in scarlet clothes, black hair fastened in a tight bun and an attractive face with an amused expression before a blow from behind knocked the staff from her grip and sent her sprawling. Swearing under her breath, feeling the wind knocked out from her lungs, she managed to struggle to her knees before a strong arm gripped her and hauled her into the air. An arm with claws, she might add- sharp claws.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Dawn Star?" The great 'demon' turned Lian until she faced the woman in red, who was inspecting her quietly.

"I do, Chai Ka. The resemblance is uncanny..."

Lian struggled against the tight hold, about to resort to the childish use of nails and teeth against her captor before a third voice cut across the small group.

"Can I ask what you're doing with my daughter, Chai Ka? Kindly put her down. Gently." Wu stepped out from the shadows, a heavy sword pierced with thick metal rings along the edge held in her hand with ease. She seemed... so different, to how Lian knew her. So much more confident, alive- almost as though the Dragon Sword in her hand had filled a hole in her that had been hollow for a long while. Okay, so Ma knows the demon. No big deal... Theres a perfectly rational explanation for this... I just can't think of one right now.

Lian felt herself set on the floor with exagerated care, and the staff was even returned to her... Did the demon just wink at her!

"We should have guessed she was yours when she came tearing out here with no thought to her safety- she looks just like you, when you were that age, though admittedly, you had more scars." Why were these women talking like they were old friends? What the hell was going on

"I blame them all on Gao." Wu grinned, striding forwards and gripping the scarlet woman in a tight embrace. "It's been a long time, Dawn Star."

"Too long, Wu. So whose this delightful little whippersnapper? She almost had my jaw off. Have you been teaching her your old tricks?" The two women turned to Lian- she felt herself shrink under her mothers sharp gaze, then strengthened her resolve- her mother's secrets were finally coming into light. It was not she who had kept thing from the family... Associating with demons? And where had that sword come from? Little bits of her past and her present collaborated to form a bit of the jigsaw puzzle that she had for so long been trying to make up, but it still wasnt enough...

"Did she now? No, I haven't. I gave up that lifestyle a long time ago, Dawn Star."

Chai Ka lumbered forwards, a massive paw reaching to grip Wu's arm lightly, whichLian understood was some sort of silent recognition, "You say that, and yet you hold your sword like you've never been apart from it."

Wu sighed, glancing at the Sword in her hand, then across at Lian, "It would seem my past doesn't want to leave me to my life, Chai Ka. What of you? I thought you had returned to the heavens, what with Wild Flower returned to life... No, wait." she held up her hand to stop the Heavenly Gate Guardian replying, "We will discuss it, but not now. In private- I'm sure theres a reason for you coming here." She grinned, "Minister Yun's going to have a heart attack- is the Whirlwind here? Turns out Spear Catches Leaf is looking for him."

"We have not seen the Black Whirlwind in a long while- though the last we did see, he was complaining about the East not having enough wine." Dawn Star smirked-Lian just swayed on the spot. The Black Whirlwind? Her mother knew the Black Whirlwind? What legends surrounded that man! They paled only in comparrison to the legends surrounding the warrior known only as Silver Phoenix, who freed the Empire from Sun Hai and Sun Li's tyrannical, terrible rule with the help of their friends.

Thinking them too caught up in their reveries to noticed her, she began to slide away when she heard her mother's voice freeze her in her tracks, "Lian! I have not forgotten you. Come back here, this instant. We have much to discuss, young lady."

Dawn Star too, turned to face her, and smiled encouragingly, "Oh, don't mind your mother. She was getting into worse trouble than you were at your age. And... why did you name your daughter after---?"

"Dawn Star, you're not helping."

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy, Wu. She didn't die, and you'd already defeated several bandits in the swamps at thirteen- remember? And remember the time you beat up Gao because he set Kia Min's bed on fire? And you said he was old enough to take responsibility for what he did?" She nodded to Lian, "She's old enough."

Wu shifted uncomfortably under the amazed gaze of her daughter, "Uhm... I may vaguely remember something of the sort. Look, we need to discuss this elsewhere- Lian has chores to do, and we've got memory lane to visit. Lian, run back and pour some tea for our guests- then go straight to bed."

"Ma! It's only midafternoon!"

"The rest will do you good, after all of this excitement."

As Lian trudged off, she was sure she heard Dawn Star giggle and mutter, "You sounded just like Smiling Mountain, when you said that..."

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"Your mother hid things from you, for your future lies in ignorance. The secrets protected you, child, until now... She is the Last- but you are the First. The First of a new Order. You must continued where she left off- but I see fog on your path, difficulties, enemies and allies. Even romance. The snows of my winter have long since been banished- but it is difficult to live through the thaw. All she has done, she has done for you- but it is time you knew the truth. A Master is no longer gone- I am not the only one who knows the secrets of my realm. Old haunts reawaken, old stories are being told anew. There is a cycle, in this life, a tale of rebirth. It is only a matter of time before you come to understand my riddles. Beware, my young dragonheart- ancient enemies that are not yours will hunt you down. The story starts near my mountain temple- this is just a prologue. Ask your mother, the Last, and be ready for the answer. Your path is difficult, child, and I fear that you may be too young to burden under it."

The blue woman always spoke in riddles- it really was beginning to frustrate Lian. She'd been visited several times in the past few nights by the glowing 'Lady', as Lian had taken to calling her, but her words rarely made sense- this was clearly no time to stop, though at least this riddle was a tad more logical in her mind. They were sat in an old garden, bordered in wildly growing trees and hedges, filled with an abundance of exotic blooms, and always covered in a thin layer of snow that was gradually melting in light of the warm sun.

"Lady, my mother will tell me nothing. I've asked her over and over, but she shares none of her secrets with me- theres so many things that just dont fit. And what about Da? Some old friends of Ma's turned up today, Chai Ka and Dawn Star.They would speak of nothing infront of me. Why will my Ma suddenly decide to now?"

"Your mother knows theCelestial Beaurocracywould not involved you if it were not deemed necessary. This is not her tale, anymore- but she has an important part to play. Mention me- and lest she does not believe you, give me your wrist."

Obediently, Lian held out her arm- the woman gently wrapped her icy white fingers about it and murmered something under her breath. There was a flash of light, a burning sensation and a cry of pain fromLian before she let go-Lian stared down at herarm. The flesh, previously marred by a life of rough farmwork, was nowsmooth and unbroken- and a large, silver and blue tattoo of a dragon was wrapped about it. The head, finely detailed, complete with a golden eye that winked occasionally in the light of the strange garden, rested on her palm, with the cyan body curled about her wrist andwapping about her forearm and upperarm in a thin block of fantastic colour, with the tail curling about her shoulder, barbed end brushing against her neck. Lian's mouth dropped into a shocked 'oh' of awe and wonder, flexing her arm and marvelling at how the movement of the muscles shifted the body so it looked like the celestial dragon was moving.

"Ma's going to kill me..." she breathed, "She said no tattoos until I'm eighteen."

Sounding slightly amused, the Lady stood up, elegant dress billowing about her, "She will understand, I'm sure. Go, dragonheart- the spirits call to me. Your prologue draws to an end- your first chapter will soon begin, and it begins in the forest, in the company of an old, familiar trickster... Be well, daughter- I will not visit you again for a while. I have matters to attend to elsewhere."

Feeling vaguely disappointed,Lian nodded and stood up, suddenly diving forwards and wrapping the Lady in a tight embrace. The Water Guardian, bewildered by this, awkwardly patted the girl on the back until she let go, smiling sheepishly, "I'm sorry... Its just, you've been more help than you can understand. I'll speak to you soon, Lady."

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Lian awoke from her dreams with a groan- her arm ached oddly, and she was bewildered to see that the silver and blue dragon tattoohad closed its golden eye and seemed to be sleeping... Hell, if she concentrated enough, eyes straining in the faint light of the setting sun, she would have sworn that the chest, passing over the top of her forearm, was rising up and down in a steady breathing pattern... Or maybe it was just her imagination.

Throwing off her covers, she crept silently from her bed, bare feet making no sound on the neatly fitted wooden floor, gently easing her door open, wincing as it creaked loudly in the house. The voices, which had been murmering softly on the edge of hearing for the past few minutes, suddenly stopped, and there was a scrape of a feet on the floor as someone got up... Cursing the ominous creaking off her door, she adopted an innocent smile as Wu stepped out of the living room, where Lian could see Dawn Star and Chai Ka peering around the edge of the door at her, curiosity written on their faces.

"I thought I told you to go to bed."

"I couldn't sleep." Lian glared at her mother, trying to hide her arm from view- unfortunately, her night gown did not have long sleeves, and Wu was well known for spotting things people tried to hide. Gripping her wrist, which was slightly sore from her dream, forcing Lian to bite back a whimper, she stared at the tattoo with her mouth slightly open, turning her hand palm-up to examine the dragon head, which Lian was sure had changed position. Hadn't the head been facing the other way, when she woke up? She couldn't remember.

"Where did you get this?" Lian was startled to hear her mother's voice shake slightly- there was a glimmer of something in her eyes... Fear? No. Wu the Lotus Blossom feared nothing... What was going on? Dragging her arm back, she cleared her throat and stood to her full height- which didn't help at al, considering she only came up to her mothers shoulder,

"The Blue Lady gave it to me... She said I had to ask you about the Last, and me being the First. She said I had a story now, and it was not about you anymore, but you had a part in it. And she said I had to go to her mountain temple and this was just a prologue and my first chapter was going to start in a forest with a trickster and this was just a prologue and she called me dragonheart and---" She was cut off in her flow, in her eagerness to spill out all her dream had told her, but her mother lifted up her hand and halting her chatter.

"I think you'd better start from the beginning. Come- Chai Ka and Dawn Star should hear it, to."

And so, faltering slightly under the intense gaze of her mothers companions, and of her mother herself, she sat on one of the floor mats andtold themher tale, which she seemed able to retell word for word- judging by the look on her mothers face, though, the news was not welcome. When she'd finished, she sat back nervously as Dawn Star and Chai Ka investigated her tattoo, which seemed to still be sleeping soundly, and fell into a quiet conversation which she could not overhear, before her mother coughed tactfully.

"Lian, I know you're suspicious of me. You were always a bright girl- and you knew, as soon as you began to think independantly, that life outhere didn't add up properly. I had so hoped She wouldn't involve you, not yet... You're so young." Wu sighed, "But you've told me your story. Now let me tell you mine."

It was every legend Lian had ever heard about Silver Phoenix- only this time, told from her Ma's point of view, altered slightly by the Guardian and Dawn Star, who Lian understood was a childhood friend... So... her mother, this simple farmer here, had defeated two emperors, saved an empire, put the Empress on the throne, saved a lot of people, avenged deaths, restored a temple, restored a Goddess, (whom, Lian noticed,turned out to be the Blue Lady), died, been reborn, lost close friends and a home, fallen in love, won the Arena Championship, dragged down the Lotus Assassins from the inside and did a whole load of other crazy stuff Lian could only imagine, not in that particular order. Well... It explained a lot, and the sincerity on her face, as well as her companions confirmation and the words of the Lady made her believe it.

"I see... So, you're the Last Spirit Monk?" Wu nodded, "But the Lady said I was the First of a new Order. What did she mean?"

Wu sighed, softly, running her hands back through her hair before tugging it out of the leather binding holding it back, "I would presume she means the Spirit Monks are reborn. I was the Last of the old Order, the only one to survive the attack- but you are my eldest daughter, and therefore the First of the new Spirit Monks."

"So these Old haunts are spirits, of some kind... But... Wait... Thats not right, about the First. Jin is older than me- so is Shen. Surely one of them would be the First?"

Wu glanced at Chai Ka with a sigh, then back to her daughter, "I told you about Wild Flower, yes? She was granted a new lease of life after our victory over Sun Li- and she chose to stay with me and Sky, here in Tiens Landing, long before I had you, and she renamed herself Jin, to escape her past life. She's not your real sister- andShen is not your brother. He was an orphan Kindly Yushan found shortly after the pirates left- he looked afterShen until I returned, thenbegged me to look after him. I could not refuse, especially as the poor man had already borne so much guilt in his life." She rubbed at her eyes before continuing, "Hua is, however, your real sister- but she is too young for this, and the Water Guardian tells me she will not inherit the Spirit Monk ways- Hua has another path of life to take. So you see... There is only you. There will be others, scattered across the Empire- the Spirit Monks had brothers and sisters, just like everyone else who, whilst they did not become Monk's, carry the same blood in their veins as the Water Guardian's subjects. They, and you, are the new Order- clearly, you are the First, and I would presume you will have to do something to bring your Order together."

Lian just sat there, saying nothing, in bewilderment...Jin and Shen weren't her real siblings? They weren't family? Of course they are, you fool. They could not be closer to you, even if they did share your blood- family is determined by more than lineage. They are your brother, and your sister, in every way but the actual. She finally managed to find her voice, "So... what happens now?"

"Now?" Lian glanced at Dawn Star, who smiled delightedly, "Now, we train you. We have to cram years worth of training into you in a few short days. But we can do it, and Im sure---"

"My lady Wu?" A peasant stood in the doorway of the open farm house enterance, looking about nervously, "My lady?" His voice was urgent, shaking slightly.

Wu stepped into the hall, the other threepeeringaround the cornercuriously, "Yes? What is it? Can it wait? I have important---"

"Im afraid not, lady! I'm sorry to intrude, honestly I am, but its Master Sky!"

"What about him?"

"He... He, uh..."

Wu strode forwards, resisting the urge to grab the peasant and shake it out of him, and instead just glowered. The man seemed to get the message, and stammered out an answer,

"He got caught in the forest, My lady... On his way back from the Empire..."

Wu started as though stung, panic flashing across her face before she tucked it away, and Lian definately heard Dawn Star gasp.Lian thought hurridely over the Blue Lady's words... It begins in a forest... She spoke up before anyone could say anything else, "How do you know?"

The peasant turned to her in surprise, as though only just realising she was there, "I saw it happen... and then this man... This man all dressed in black, with... with a pale face and markings, with eyes like the devil-" he shuddered, "-appeared and told me to tell yer that yer wont ever see him again! And that the Lotus was back in bloom, whatever that means."

Lian, quickly registering the mans words with her own dreams and the tale her mother had just told, swore under her breath, but Wu barely noticed. She seemed in a state of shock, something which happened very rarely -Lian would know. She'd tried to shock her several times- She stepped forwards before the man could run off, which he clearly wished to do, "Where was this?"

"Near the Pilgrim's Rest, though it weren't in th' tavern, 'cuz thats all caved in now. I dunno where they went." He tugged at his jacket frantically, not liking the look on Wu's face.Lian quickly rumaged in her pocket and tossed him a silver coin, "Thank you for the warning."

The man scarpered quickly, and Lian glanced at her mother, who seemed to be growing by the instant with a barely surpressed rage- Kaede noted she hadn't let go of the Dragon Sword, and instinctively backed away. Ma's in a temper... Oh dear. Shequickly slippedinto her room, leaving Dawn Star to try andprevent her mother doing anything rash, and hurridely changed into a fresh tunic, breeches and boots. She gripped her staff, having no other weapon, and emerged from her room just in time to see Wu shake off Dawn Star's hold and stalk from the house, growling about 'Flower Guardians' and how it was about time she had some 'fun'.

Shooting Chai Ka a terrified glance, All technicalities aside, he isn't human, he has vicious teeth and he looks like a demon, and chased after her mother, intent on enjoying herself now something exciting had come her way... Though she wasnt sure being thrown into a world of politics, legends and her Da's kidnapping was classed as 'excitement'. It was just sinking into her that her mother... her mother ... was a legend in her own right. That was a scary thought, especially when she listened to the part of herself that told her she'd one day have to live up to that legend... Jogging to keep up with the striding Wu and running Dawn Star, she and Chai Ka caught them on their way into the main town centre, which was deceptively quiet in the lull of the dusk, and fell into step. Gripping her staff grimly, eyes narrowed and adrenaline coursing through her system, Lian couldn't help but feel thrilled.

Hold on, Da. We're on our way- and Ma's in a bad mood.

Strangely enough, she felt sorry for whatever 'Flower Guardians' crossed Wu's path this evening.

To be Continued...

Soooo... My first JE fic... My first fic in a while... Reckon I should continue?
Rate and review xD