The last thing Bai Jian saw was Lianghu running towards him, but she was too late. Her brilliant blue eyes met his, burning in his mind as the world went black, and he stopped fighting.
The crowd erupted in uproar once again.
"NO!" Lianghu screamed, falling in front of Bai Jian.
The Rom Bora froze, his sword still hanging in the air as he stared at his daughter.
She stood between him and the enemy, daring to defy her own father.
Silence filled the air as the spectators watched quietly, not wanting to disrupt their leader.
"Lianghu, get out of the way," he growled.
"No. If you want to kill him, then you must strike me down first! I will not let you hurt him."
Her father glared, his hand trembling with anger.
Lianghu blue eyes were filled with fire as she stood her ground, refusing to move.
"Please…enough running. I-I can't live like this anymore," her voiced cracked as she spoke.
Her father studied her for a moment longer, then slowly lowered his sword, "…take him and leave. I never want to see you again," he growled.
Her eyes widened softly, "Papa…please-"
"I SAID LEAVE, NOW."
Lianghu jumped slightly and backed up, grabbing Bai Jian's hand. She helped him slowly stand as the crowd began to yell in anger.
"L-lianghu," the tiger softly said, "y-you can't leave him…this is your life."
She wrapped his arm around her shoulder, helping his weak body to stand and led him away from the screams and insults, "…not anymore."
Several tigers jeered and pulled out blades, threatening them and the Rom Bora.
Lianghu's father clenched his jaw as he saw them stumble off.
"Lianghu," He started. She paused and turned around to face him. The screams of the crowd grew louder, rattling in his ears. He glared, reaching for the dagger by his side.
"…If you change your mind, you have until sundown to return to us."
The blade flew into Bai Jian's side, causing him to scream with pain. Lianghu's eyes shot open with terror, shocked at the sight of blood leaking out onto the ground. He crumpled to his knees, his paws clutching at the piece of metal stuck inside him.
"BAI JIAN!" She cried, kneeling besides him. His paws grasped at the dagger stuck in him and quickly pulled it out, increasing the bleeding. He tried to stop it with his paws, but she pushed them away. "D-don't. We need to-" From the corner of her eye, she saw several figures heading towards them, armed with their weapons. "W-we need to get out of here, NOW."
He nodded, trying desperately to stand. Lianghu strained against his weight, helping him to get back on his feet.
"Traitor." A man hissed at her, "You will pay for turning on your own people."
She ignored him, pulling Bai Jian along with her as she dashed for the safety of the woods, hoping they wouldn't follow.
Bai Jian stumbled along with her, trying to keep up.
Li Ai watched with a raised eyebrow as Yao poured her a glass of dark liquid. He sat the goblet in front of her and went to pour himself one.
The tigress eyed the glass suspiciously, "…I don't drink."
Yao chuckled slightly and leaned back in his chair, "Relax, it's only pomela juice. Try it."
Li Ai picked up the glass and swirled its contents around, "…I'll pass," she sat the glass back on his table, "I did not come here to chat, I came here to get you off my territory."
Yao shrugged and took a sip of his drink, "Then I'm afraid we disagree on a few things. The Tiger Clan has been in debt to my kingdoms for decades now, and I just so happened to be the only king so far with a backbone."
She glared at him, "You can't just destroy all that we have. We'll get the money to you, but we need some time."
He scoffed, "You've had time. Over 40 years' worth of time! Your grandfather was a terrible businessman, and it apparently has been passed down through the generations. Since I apparently am not going to get my money, I will at least have my revenge."
"That would be a poor decision. You would lose a very powerful potential ally, plus thousands of acres of resourceful crops. I don't believe you want to do that. Every man has their price, King Yao," she leaned forward on the table, meeting him eye to eye, "So tell me, what is yours?"
Da ran to the palace alone as Li Ai raced through his mind. He had assigned the others guards to help protect the nearby villages while he checked on Li Ai. If anything happened to her, he didn't know what he would do. He was her protector; it was his job to keep her safe…
He finally pushed through the crowds of fleeing people and reached the palace gate, only to see hundreds of black soldiers lined up in front of it.
A lone servant ran into him, "Oh! M-my apologies sir."
"Where is Princess Li Ai?"
"S-she left about 8 hours ago with a Leopard officer, saying something about meeting the king."
"Which way did they go?" He asked frantically, shaking the servant by the shoulders.
"S-south!"
Bai Jian quickly dashed off, hoping that he was not too late.
Yao studied the tigress in front of him, smirking as he looked her up and down.
She had fiery determination in her eyes as they discussed her kingdom, and he liked it.
"…I know that you're not the true ruler of the Tiger clan, Princess Li AI. Your brother is. I want to talk with him."
Li Ai glared, "No. You will talk with me."
A crash outside caused both of them to stop their conversation as a certain tiger bolted into the tent.
"DA?" Li Ai shrieked, standing.
Da ran over to her, "Are you hurt? I swear if that mangy leopard laid a single-"
"GUARDS." Yao ordered. Before Da could fight back, he had been pinned back by leopard soldiers.
"Let the princess go!" He yelled, struggling against them.
Yao chuckled, "Go? She came here on her own good will. She may go whenever she pleases."
Li Ai bit her lip, "Da, I can handle this…"
His face was filled with bewilderment as the guards kept a hold on him
The tigress turned back to Yao, "Let's just get this over with."
"Fine," he shrugged and took another sip, "…In exchange for forgiveness of your debt, I am willing to offer you a trade."
"Anything."
He smirked slightly, "You had mentioned that the Tiger Clan could be a potential ally…I want to make an agreement between the Leopard kingdom and the Tiger Clan."
She raised an eyebrow, "Really? That's it?"
He chuckled, "My dear, trades work both ways…I want something to seal our agreement."
"And that is?"
He leaned over, close enough to where she could smell the pomela juice on his breath. She grimaced with disgust. Even though he wasn't intoxicated, he was definitely acting like it. His voice grew softer, "I want the hand of the Princess Li Ai."
Her eyes widened as she leaned back, "You've got to be joking! That is absurd!"
Yao smiled, "And why is that? You will save your kingdom PLUS form an unbreakable alliance with the Leopard clan."
The princess studied him, "And why exactly would you want some princess instead of an entire kingdom?"
He shrugged, "I have enough on my hands as it is…plus, I find you rather…attractive."
She shuddered slightly and looked at him, wondering what to do. This seemed the only way to save Bai Jian and the others…She couldn't let them get hurt.
"Li Ai, don't!" Da pleaded, "We can find a way around this." He struggled against the firm grip the guards had on him.
She glanced at him, seeing him hopelessly surrounded, and looked back at Yao.
"…Deal."
"W-we can rest for a moment, I think they're gone." Lianghu murmured as she helped Bai Jian slowly sit down. Pain was etched on his face as he eased onto the ground and leaned against a tree. His breathing was labored as he laid his head back and closed his eyes.
Lianghu scanned the area before sitting beside him, making sure that they weren't being followed. She had a dagger tucked inside of the sash wrapped around her dress, but that was it. A small blade couldn't do much against a band of thieves, especially while she had to protect an injured Bai Jian.
"Let me see…" She slowly lifted his shirt and grimaced at the sight before her. The wound was deep, cutting through muscle and continuously bleeding. She quickly ripped off the hem of her skirt and bandaged it as best as she could, but she knew that it wouldn't be enough to make it back to the Tiger clan's territory…He might-
"Lianghu…" He quietly whispered.
She glanced over at him, her blue eyes filled with concern.
"You…you need to go back to your people…You won't be happy in the Tiger Clan, you'd be trapped behind stone walls."
She smiled sadly, placing her paw over his. "…You are what makes me happy, Bai Jian. I'd rather live a caged life than roam this land forever…as long as it means I can be with you."
A half grin appeared on his face as his emerald eyes looked her over. He knew that he was dying…and he couldn't let her destroy the only chance of freedom that she'd ever have again.
His paw weakly reached up and brushed her cheek, wiping away the streaks of dirt from running through trees and stumbling over mudpits.
"You…are the freest spirit I've ever met," he quietly whispered. "I..I don't want to be the one to tie you down…you deserve to run through life without a care in the world, not to be bogged down by royal duties and responsibilities."
A tear fell down her cheek as she swallowed back a sob, knowing what he was going to say.
"I-I'm not leaving you, Bai Jian, Leader of the Tiger Clan…Y-you'll get back home a-and have Dr. Ka look at y-you, and e-everything will be fine…you'll see."
He chuckled slightly, "You always were the stubborn one…" He groaned as a sharp pain hit him in the side, "But…I know that I can't make you happy…go back, I-I'll be fine…"
She looked down, feeling another tear slip down her cheek. Before she could answer, a familiar voice called her.
"Lianghu…"
Her heart froze, knowing who it belonged to. She didn't dare turn around, afraid of what she might see.
"Father…" She quietly stated.
The Rom Bora stood in front of them, looking at how his daughter was choosing to stay with a sick, pathetic man instead of returning to the safety of her home. He smiled in his mind, remembering how she resembled her mother in almost every way possible…After the crowd had gone after them, he knew that his daughter wouldn't stand a chance, so he stopped them, ordering them to pack up their things and get ready to leave…It was time for them to move on, but he knew that his daughter wouldn't go with him...not this time. He wanted her to be happy, even if it meant letting her go.
"…We are heading north, back into Russia."
She remained quiet, her back towards him as she sat beside Bai Jian.
"…I'm….sorry….I hope that one day, you can forgive me…If you ever need us, we will come for you."
He sat a small box and a jar of herbs before her, meeting her eyes. She glanced up, and he saw the tears that had been falling.
"H-hopefully the herbs will at least let him make it back to his territory…"
"Papa.." She quietly whispered before throwing her arms around him. He tightly held onto her, knowing that this might be the last time he saw her.
"I'm…I'm so proud of you, Lianghu…"
She nodded, not able to utter anything through the tears. A horn in the distance signaled for the Rom Bora to let go, backing up.
"I…I have to leave…I love you."
She nodded, and with the blink of an eye, the Rom Bora was gone.
Bai Jian looked at her, having remained silent throughout the conversation.
"You…you should go with him," he finally said.
Lianghu bit her lip, hearing the horn blow once more..
"No…" She quietly said as she picked up the box, seeing the engraved names on top. Her heart caught in her throat as she read them, knowing who it belonged to. Slowly, she opened the lid, revealing a small dancer whirling to the music softly playing. The melody swirled around her, echoing the lyrics through her ears.
"Darling, I
Will always be
The one you can run to
By your side, I'll never leave
If not now, then someday soon
For you are my sun, and I am your moon."
The tiger figurine's brown eyes smiled bittersweetly at her, bring up tender memories of the past, when everything was innocent and simple…when life was perfect.
Lianghu slowly turned to face Bai Jian, a final tear falling from her eye.. "..My home is with you, mighty warrior."
Hey!:D Hoped you enjoyed this chapter! If you want to hear the melody to the music box, use this link:
watch?v=mSZ4hEk8_Dw
Or look up "Promise -Kyoto Music Box Ensemble"
Thank you guys again so much for reading, you're seriously the best.
Later Lovelies,
- Kung Fu Tiigress