Chapter 40: Lady Phoenix

Wei Tenth North Camp

Field Marshal Sima Yi was agitated and livid. "Still no sign of her?" he spat, raising his claws balefully. "How can you not capture one single woman with the forces I have provided you?!"

The scout outside his tent was trembling and on bended knee. "We… we have implemented everything we can, my Lord."

Sima Yi aimed his outstretched hand at the wretched soldier's head. "You incompetent fool…"

"Leave him be," chastised Galatea, placing a stern hand on the Chinese officer's shoulder. The latter recoiled, as if unaccustomed to human touch. "The man's done his best, along with the others. Besides, don't expect Flora to be found and captured so easily," she added, not bothering to hide her slight relief.

"She will be found. And when she is found, I will tear her apart with my own nails," hissed Sima Yi, glaring at her.

Galatea's eyes narrowed. "Don't get so full of yourself, commander. No matter how high-ranked you are, the King of Wei will always – and I mean always – heed my counsel above anyone else."

"What makes you so confident he truly trusts a silver-eyed witch like you with the burdens of empire and warfare?"

"Simple. He loves me and values my talent. It's for that reason that he's chosen me to carry his vision into the new world. Even Flora will play a grander role in his purposes than you. Of course, I'd rather that I could win her over without resorting to my Master's sterner approach."

She smirked at Sima Yi's stupefaction. "The Imperial Lancers should almost be at Jieting by now," she spoke again, walking past the fuming strategist. "We will catch up with them shortly and make defensive preparations. I will personally deal with the Continental enemy commanders, so sit back and relax."

I look forward to meeting you at Jieting, Flora.

*

She could not move or open her eyes just yet, but her sharp instincts quickly stirred to assess the situation. She had suffered bruised arms and a fractured leg. Her head throbbed wildly and her throat was parched, despite the fact that silver-eyed warriors required less sustenance than most living beings. Calmly, she allowed the Yoki to flow freely through her body, patiently repairing her severed nerves and blood vessels, stitching up the muscles within her that had been cut apart by Cao Pi's sword. It would take less than an hour for everything within her broken form to heal. Which was almost miracle, considering…

We… we really survived that plunge?

It seemed almost too good to be true. Surely she had died! Conceivably, she had awoken in the Elysian Fields, the final resting place for warriors journeying to the afterlife. Perhaps the Chinese have an equivalent belief, she pondered absently.

She raised her hand and stared past it, gazing up at the twinkling, glittery night empyrean.

Was she being arrogant? Surely she had died a warrior's death?

No… it was not unfair to ask for peace. She deserved nothing less than the Fields. It was not unjust to wander Elysium for eternity, after having lived such a miserable life.

A life that had seen nothing except war, demons, and bloodshed… A life that would never be remembered except by those who despised silver-eyed witches…

Her hand flopped back down beside her body, and she closed her eyes.

What on earth am I doing here? Why is there weeping and hurting… no matter where I go?

"Is cruelty and hatred all that the Continent… and China… have to offer?" she managed to murmur, as she slipped back into a coma.

"If that's true… then I hate them both."

*

She had lost track of time. It felt illusory and dreamlike, lying here on the highlands of a distant land, a foreign world. Only now did she notice that the grass was tickling her body. She shook herself out of her stupor and glanced to her side, glimpsing nothing except thin reeds and grass. She would not have turned her head the other way (the effort was simply not worthwhile), were it not for the groaning voice of Zhao Yun. "Zilong?" she mumbled blearily. "Is that you?"

"I… believe… so."

She felt too weak to laugh. "How long were we unconscious for?"

"I… I don't know," he forced out. "But it's as if I've become an old man, my Lady."

"My Lord…" she crawled to him, the pain in her sore leg shooting up her hip and into her abdomen. He lay on his back, staring up into the sky as she had done earlier. "Are… are you hurt?"

"Not mortally. I don't know… how we managed to escape from that spire with nothing more than these injuries." She laid her hands on his lap. He blinked in perplexity as she helped him up into a sitting position. "As grateful as I am… I can't remember a thing. It is as if we lost ourselves somehow, while we were hurtling through the sky. Surely our lives should have ended? Nothing – human or superhuman – could have survived a fall like ours. But… you are like a phoenix. Nothing can destroy you."

He lifted his circlet from his head. He tossed his aside, rubbing his face tiredly. "Where… where are we now?"

"I'm not sure. Our location could now be between Tianshui and Jieting. That is what I hope, so that we may reunite with the Shu and Wu forces as soon as possible." They stared at each other in silence, suddenly lost for words. And then, without warning, he began to laugh quietly. He shook with mirth, his arms holding her rounded shoulders gently while he closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"Why do you laugh?" she inquired curiously.

"Because we are alive," he said in between his amusement. He looked at her, beaming. "My phoenix. Don't you see? This is nothing short of a miracle. That you and I have survived together must surely mean something." His irises glimmered as he moved from her shoulders to her hands. "Surely it must mean that I am worthy to stay by your side, for the rest of my life."

She blushed. "I… I am flattered, but is this the right time to be making advances on me, Zilong? Cao Pi remains at large, we have lost contact with our Grand General, and Shu and Wei are to engage in a titanic battle at Jieting – "

"If not now, when?" he challenged immediately. "If not here, where? If not me… who?" he looked away, anguish momentarily flashing in his eyes. "I almost lost you. I… don't wish to wait any longer. And… I saw how he looked at you. The son of Cao Cao… I have heard that his marriage to Zhen Ji was one of genuine love. But he still enjoys playing games that torture the hearts of human beings. Whether or not those games serve a purpose, I don't know." He glared at Flora, although his anger was not directed at her. "Beware of the Wei Prince. He – "

"I am well aware of that, Zilong," she interrupted. "He indeed expressed a keen interest in me, and urged me to defect to Wei." She smiled. "But to surrender means to call him my Lord. And I already have one. I cannot fight alongside two."

"Flora," he whispered. "I mean, my Lady…"

"We both already know what we mean to each other. It is stamped into our hearts." She nestled in his arms. "You are right," she whispered. "It shocks me likewise, that I was prepared to die a short while ago, whilst we were tumbling amongst the clouds. That I would leave the world in your arms was enough for me, a woman who has known few instances of love. The love of friends like the Grand General's… and of course, the love of a man like you." She reached up and kissed him. "It matters not what you say, Zilong. I will not deny you. You are my champion, and I am your Lady. That is enough for me to accept you into me – fully and decisively."

His throat was instantly dry. "You... you are ready for this?"

"We have waited long enough."

She undid his sash and tossed it away. He cuddled her tightly and swept her up onto his lap as he sat back onto the grass. Their eyes glued to each other, they blushed, and as if to seize the momentum of their young passion, they kissed again, desperate to hold onto this most precious moment. Their lives coursed through their lips and through their locked embrace. Ensuring that she would not forbid him later, his hand quickly moved to unfasten the joints in her chrome armour. She observed with slight amusement that he no longer seemed groggy or unsteady. In fact, his entire person overflowed with life as he clutched at her waist and back and laid her upon the soft grass of central China, working at her top and guiding his hand along her sore legs. His young voice was husky, as if it had matured overnight. In many ways, something akin to such really had happened. "I may sound like a fool… but I am overjoyed that you are alive."

Life…

He gently pulled at her grey uniform, revealing her collarbone and her delicate shoulders. His eyes were nervous, but hers remained steady.

My experience was once merely a half-life, thanks to my Yoma flesh and blood.

Her breasts were slowly exposed to the cool air. He quickly dipped down to warm them with his lips. He did not want her to feel cold.

But now, I am reborn, like the phoenix he has attributed me to.

"You fought with unsurpassed skill," murmured Zhao Yun, in an attempt to forestall his wild passion. "To have held Cao Pi back from mauling you like a wild animal…"

"Do not speak of him anymore. You are here with me, that is all I wish for; that is all I have ever wished for." She was now completely naked, her damp, sweating body agonizingly delightful to caress. The green, fresh grass accentuated the enticing texture of her pale, silky-smooth skin. "We… fought a difficult battle. It is only natural that we are both grimy and unclean."

"Y… yes." His gaze fell upon her thighs and her womanhood. Swallowing to wet his dry mouth, he shyly bore himself over her, kissing her again and again. His hand found her waist and slender fingers. He clasped them to him, expressing his affection no longer through words, but through his lips. "Let me make you clean again." He sighed in respectful awe. He had never laid eyes on such full, rounded, perfect breasts. Almost frantically, he fumbled at the slots in his armour, anxious to reveal everything of himself before she somehow lost interest. She moved to assist him, to discard his leg armour and to have him reveal his erect manhood through those black undergarments. "Have… have you made love with a fellow soldier like me before?" he mumbled.

She shook her head as he tossed aside his breastplate and undershirt and gathered her in his arms, licking at her neck. "I… I am a virgin," she stuttered honestly, suddenly afraid that he may say one thing… or another.

"You, a virgin?" he blurted in disbelief. "Impossible! I mean – forgive me…"

"Please don't say that, my Lord. I would never lie to you." She stared at him intently as he moved to kiss her scarred stomach, her navel. "I… I have not experienced the love of a man before," she confessed. "I share the physical composition of a Yoma. Who in this world would ever desire to make love to a relation of Yoma? I… I am, in the eyes of the Continental people, a sub-human – "

"Oh, why would you ever listen to their garbage, my love? " he murmured supportively, feeling her hands behind his neck as his erection brushed lightly between her, nudging eagerly at her moist vulva. "You are far more human than they can ever be, for you possess an unshakable will, and a formidable heart. Your worth… humanity's worth… isn't something to be measured."

She suddenly kissed him violently, her ardent moan of pleasure shocking him out of his attempt to comfort and invigorate her. There was no need to hold back any longer for his Lady. She had unleashed something locked away in the depths of her soul for many years, and only now did it resurface, surrounding itself around Zhao Yun and embracing him completely. She did not want to lose him. No… she never wanted to part with him. That was why…

That was why… she would seize the night, and make it hers. I wish to see what this is like. I wish to see… what a life with him will be.

"I forbid you to leave now, Zilong," she whispered, stroking his long hair. It matched hers well. "I forbid it completely."

She heard herself inhaling sharply as he gently lifted her legs and pressed them down onto her, turning her world upside-down. She was now helpless, at his mercy, and her eyes widened as she stared at the grass that tickled her face.

Batter down the door… the virgin gate. Open it and come home, I am yours forever.

His face suddenly tensed in concentration. He eased himself towards her, and she twitched as she felt a warm penetration gently massaging the interior of her womanhood. He was coming in. She gasped in surprise and awe; he was really coming inside her. So this was what it felt like, to lose one's virginity at his hands. To give oneself completely to such a gentle, adoring man. She closed her eyes as he began to move, to bring her the pleasure he itched so desperately to give.

It was everything she fantasized it to be, when her thoughts ran wild while she lay under the cool covers in her room. No. He was everything that she imagined he would be.

His confidence was growing, and so was his member, and she felt every bit of it within her labia. The friction was exquisite, exotic, and so very unique – it was a tension that was irresistible. It was a tension that she wished to dance within. She began to gasp louder and pant more heavily. This… She opened her mouth to express her awe, but she could not even speak, only salivate in silence as their eyes met. This… this is magical.

He sighed, pulling her against him closer, his pelvic power gaining in momentum. He was young, slightly inexperienced too, but he was energetic, full of willpower, and she likened his thrusting to that of a strong masseur, stroking, kneading, pressing, coaxing her to the infinite. Or perhaps, even, beyond the infinite… her toes curled while he retreated slightly and lifted her back off the dewy grass. Lifting her, he slid her around him, allowing her absolute control of his body as he slammed to the ground. "Beloved," he whispered, "have your way with me."

She moaned again, her high-pitched voice breathy. She shyly reached for his chest, clutching it tightly as she obeyed his directives, gliding herself up and down his rigid member. "You are mine," she cried in fascination, and he grunted loudly, barely able to hold back the astounding pleasure. They both understood each other's beauty, each other's marvels, yet… this was something totally different; a whole new world to be explored. The world of the Continent… the world of China…

No. There is a third, thought Flora wildly, as she continued to make love to the knight of Shu. There is the world… that belongs only to Zilong and myself. It is this world that I can escape to, for here, there is no war, no pain. Only him… and me. She gasped as she felt his palms and fingers working at her breasts and nipples, and she suppressed an already loudening wail. She caught herself, panting as she gripped him almost forcefully. What if there were Wei soldiers on the prowl, hunting down for any stragglers from the Shu forces? But he didn't seem to care at all. He was lost. He had abandoned himself to her, and while she feared for his safety, she wanted to match his confidence; she wanted to match his exhilaration. So she did, and they thrashed and grasped and clung to each other amidst the grasslands. Moment after eternal moment, they touched the empyrean as one.

They sanctified central China with their love.

Then it all came crashing down – their tongues, their lips, and their bodies. They kissed again, their face scorched by their hot breathing. "Zilong," whimpered Flora. Her fingernails dug lightly into his lean, sweating back. "Zi… Zilong…" Her silver eyes shimmered, and she beamed, saturated with contentment. "I am in love with you. I have been in love with you for many months now."

"My Lady honours me with her trust, and with her affection. This is… this is a dream come true." Their embrace grew tighter as his sighs grew louder, more desperate. He smiled excitedly, and thrust himself upwards again, filling her with yet more pleasure. It shot through her like a bolt of lightning, a searing hot, electrifying rod that shook her out of her despair, from her apathy and desolation. He made her remember. He made her recall it all.

She now vividly remembered why... why she had come to China in the first place.

To do nothing less than to save an entire people from the dark side of the Continent.

"May our efforts… and our love… serve as an example for others," she moaned out, barely able to mouth the words.

They had both lost sense of time; they had no idea of how long they had lain together in lust and passion. He slowly stood, forcibly lifting himself from the ground, and took him with her, carrying her by the buttocks and supporting her by his strong arms and shoulders. "I… will devote all my martial skill and power to you." He growled, quaking, on the verge of climax. "Yet… for… forgive me, my love. You are… simply too beautiful."

Oh, the relief she felt when he uttered those words! I… I cannot resist him any longer, either. He… is too much!

She a phoenix, and he a dragon… the phoenix of Shu and the young Dragon embraced each other harder in union, until the heat of the cosmos beyond saturated them both in a healing splendour. The harmonious melody of their sighs reached a crescendo, as they had done during their first dance in the hall of Chengdu palace. In this one primeval act, the future suddenly opened before them, stretching out towards the dark horizon in a kaleidoscope of endless possibilities. Of endless love…

He clenched his teeth, sighing out his lover's name. "My Lady…!"

A tear of joy rolled down her cheek and dashed his lean shoulder. "My Lord…!"

A blistering moment of utter loss of self – and her Zilong brought her back again. Crying, she thrust back her head and he did not hold back either, shuddering in delight and bringing a most enlightening warmth throughout her. It was done, and the gift was given. Flooded with his essence, she slumped against his chest, kissing him in zealous attachment as they fell into silence. He fell back, landing hard on the earth. Their moans quietened into rapid panting, before settling into grateful gulps of breath. And when he moved to brush his lips onto her again, she quietly repeated his name whilst nuzzling him by his neck and cheek. He pulled her onto him, wrapping his arms protectively around the lonely, gentle-hearted woman. Their tresses intermingled. Fair locks came together with dark hair.

So this is… this is… the joy of love.

"You must be tired," he suggested quietly, stroking her face with the back of his fingers, and with the tenderness of an angel.

"Why do you assume that? I have plenty of strength left… for you."

He chuckled. "Of course. But rather, I have in mind the fatigue you must have suffered when resisting Cao Pi. So, rest. I will watch over you with the vigilance of the eagle, and protect you with the strength of the stallion."

"Thank you. I thank you… for blessing me with such kindness," she whispered.

The two fellow warriors who adored each other fell asleep amidst the starry skies, having survived Awakened Beings, the Prince of Wei, and a fall from the heavens.

*

It was morning. The darkness had fled, and the warmth of the morning star invigorated the couple that lay together amongst the bed of reeds. They slept quietly in each other's arms, rising only when the glare of the sun became too great for their comfort. They had not put on their clothes; the early dew of the grass still licked along their bodies. "Good morn, phoenix," he offered, stifling a yawn. He wrapped his arms around her. "You must be hungry. Shall I forage for some fruit?"

"Should we not hurry back to Lady Huang and the Shu reinforcements?" murmured Flora, watching him stroke her hair intently. "I do not wish to worry her any longer."

She received another kiss from his lovely lips. "We still have time. We'll reunite with the Grand General first, and then move on to Jieting. Seizing it from the Wei forces will directly threaten their capital as well as Luoyang, the centre of the world. It's crucial that we hold the line there." He lifted her naked body to a standing position, and they stood before each other's nudity for several moments, admiring the intimate aura that bound them together as one.

"I understand, Zilong," she mumbled, looking away shyly.

"Then… let us go," he said softly, lowering to take up his armour. He smiled cheekily at her as he went on bended knee. She looked particularly splendid from this angle. No… she was splendid, and that was the end of it! He pulled on his undershirt first, before fastening his protective leggings. She watched him slowly don his silver armour, smiling in remembrance at the pleasure they had shared together the night before. She was lost in thought; she could not flee from her wild fantasies, the fantasies that still lingered in her head, the excitement of a new, consummated love, and the desire for more of his devotion.

She had not even moved to retrieve her underclothes, and she did not break out of her silence until he was completely clad. He lifted his spear, cocking his head curiously. "Oh… of course," she faltered, hurriedly forcing herself out of her trance and reaching for her grey uniform. She pulled up the belt that held together her faulds and hastily clipped on her metal greaves. She clipped on her mantle and slid her sword in between the slot in between her pauldrons, which was donned last.

The peaceful, loving happiness of their first night together would once again be cut short. They gazed at each other as the sun spread its beneficent light across the land. He nodded, and together, they began to walk silently, in the direction of the city of Jieting. Their feet rustled the grass and weeds in unison as the morning star shone upon their faces.

"Hold me again… once we've settled in at Jieting fortress," she whispered, as she felt his hand grasp hers.

Peace was ephemeral, but war was perpetual.