LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS 180 The Wavering Hear

The day of the coronation came and there were a bunch of maids who were alloted to Xing readying her for the big day... The day she'll appear in front of the court as the Empress of the Wind Kingdom alongside the Emperor.

Xing was just standing there while they were putting on layers of Vermillion Silk robes and fixing her hair with a phoenix hair dress and a lot of other jewellery and one was painting her nails. Xing's mind filled with various thoughts and none of them were good. Human heart is a fickle thing and no matter how much you know what needs to be done should be done, there will be times when you don't want to.

No matter what, the more she thought about it and the more closer she got to actually do it, the more she felt it to be extremely wrong for her to be the Empress. She couldn't sleep the entire night, she didn't get to see Shengli since last afternoon, her entire body hurt for some reason and she couldn't swallow a single mouthful of food this morning.

Shengli couldn't meet her in the morning as she was getting dressed and no one was allowed and Xing felt her chest closing with the guilt, sorrow and helplessness she felt and she asked the maids to leave her alone for sometime and they left her reluctantly.

"Your highness, we still have to do your hair and makeup", one of the maids stood with her heads bowed and her voice was shaking fearing her life.

Everything Xing hated was happening to her here from everyone calling her 'Highness', the constant supervision and catering to her needs, to her wearing red presently , her hair being tied in the formal hairstyle of a married woman when she is not going to be standing beside the man she is married to... Xing could find a hundred reasons for not doing this but she had only one reason to do this... It was because, SHE HAS TO..!

She'll be here standing beside the Emperor and he... Chenglei will leave... Just like he did ten years back... But it is not the same as before.. Not the same at all... He won't give up the idea of joining Shihong...But.. Why can't he stay here? Why didn't I force him to stay here? Why did I even agree to this ridiculous proposition?

"Chenglei!", she called for him hoping that he'll be somewhere near to her and her voice broke as her heart already was. But she couldn't hear him back and her last shred of rationality broke and she began to panic.

Why is this happening to me?

Xing pushed everything on the vanity table down and a noisy clatter was heard on the outside and the maids outside panicked but no one dared to enter in except Bai Li.

'No way I'm doing this...', Xing decided clenching the hands that were trembling and her chest heaved up and down. Her clear dark eyes lacked the clarity she usually have and she bit her lips, 'I'll escape the palace and run away somewhere far away... Even away from the Gods and everyone... If I'm far, I won't know of the things happening here and I won't he bothered...'

Bai Li entered the room with other maids looking at him pitifully and closed the door,

"Are you having second thoughts?", he looked at her flustered and shaking and he couldn't understand her reasoning.

"I cannot do this... I cannot...", Xing stuttered looking down at the floor. Suddenly she walked up to him and grabbed his shoulders, "Didn't you say you owe my ancestor? So protect me when I leave"

Bai Li snorted and pushed her hands away, "You impudent mortal!", he gritted his teeth. "Are you even aware of everything happening around you? The three realms are in restless state and somehow you are in the middle of everything... You are supposed to stand firm on the right side and protect what's your own but here you are shaking like a coward... Why? Why cannot you do this? Moral..? Seriously... You are talking about morals..? You..? The one who ran around kissing other humans suddenly grew morality? "

He wasn't finished but it seemed like she was in deep thoughts, and wasn't listening to him, "Bai Li, dont they just want me to kill that god? I don't have to be empress for that, right? ", her eyes were wandering and she bit her lips

"Listen to me lass!", Bai Li cupped Xing's cheeks and he could see her face had lost all colour, " They made a big sign on the sky saying you are the prophesied one and you will be Empress. Do you remember that?"

Xing nodded affirming it. How could she forget what happened at the Martial arts tournament?

"That sign was seen throughout the entire continent... The five kingdoms witnessed it.. You think the Gods would let that glaring promise made by them turn into dust? If you are refusing to become the empress on your own volition, you'll be forced to and then you won't like what will happen to you and those around you", Bai Li tried to explain her the kind of bind she is in.

" Where can I learn spells to hide myself and everyone?"

If she cannot be let free, she can hide from them...asger Yuan seems to know how... Xing seemed to be not listening to him and Bai Li lost all his patience,

"Ignorant rogue! You are no different...", 'from him', he swallowed the rest of the sentence and tried to get some sense into the now riled up Xing who isn't thinking rationally as she must.

Then he took a deep breath and tried to talk to her in a soothing tone and explained to her about how she have to be separated from him in this period of time as one of the 'Trial of Love'. Even if she didn't decide to be the Empress and Shengli's plans to join Shihong, they'll be separated for the stipulated amount of time nonetheless... Be it for this or some other reason.

As Bai Li was explaining that he could see the clarity returning to her eyes and her relaxing.

"Is it because I fell in love with someone who is suppose to die?", Xing asked. She had heard about the 'Trials of Love' thing before and what Bai Li seemed to tell her is the truth as he nodded.

Xing took a deep breath and tried to put her mind at ease. She had heard about a person put through a series of strenuous tasks for the sake of his love and she could understand why she is made to do this too. Although her problem seems big for her as she is put in an awkward position, it is nowhere close to what that other person had to endure in his quest for his love.

"You've already finished one by returning back from the Netherworld", Bai Li gave her the fact to boost her confidence and give her hope. If he had known that this is what it takes to convince her to stay, he'd have lead with this. Apparently the statement, 'fate of the three realms depend on you' is worthless compared to 'It's for your love'.

Xing slowly composed her mind saying, 'It's fine. It will be over soon... Once I finish this I can be with Chenglei, as much as I want'

While Xing was going through a mental breakdown in her room, in the Emperor's room, the only one who had the power to make her go all emotional was going through a serious dilemma.

Rijun was there with the Emperor while the Emperor was getting dressed in his soft silk golden robes with dragons embroidered and his entire outfit eluded the regal elegance and power He held over everyone else.

Shengli was there and he was planning to leave without telling Xing as he didn't know how to face her. No matter how hard he tried to force his mind to accept it, he did not have the heart to see his woman standing beside another man.

He was the one who proposed for her to be the Empress and he had to force the two involved as both of them didn't like the idea as much as he did. But the God of wind who appeared to him and told him of the consequences of her not becoming the Empress and he didn't like the alternate scenario where his brother died, her family dies and only she and him survived at the end of everything. Apparently a small change in decisions can make a bigger ripple in the flow of fate and since she had already changed the fate a lot by making a supposedly dead person as her husband, she must at least follow her original fate as much as possible to not alter the flow of important future events too much. For the gods, the fall of that old Rong is pretty important and they'll not risk the outcome of the original fate for a measly forbidden love.

He had made her believe that he is nonchalant about it and he is doing this for her safety and it is just a simple thing to do but he himself is not well prepared to leave her again. So he even convinced his heart to leave her for sometime to avenge her. He wants to avenge for her but not by leaving her with another man..!

Noticing his brother wanting to tell him something, the Emperor sent everyone out and the room only had Shengli, the Emperor and Rijun left.

"I'm planning to leave today and before leaving I wanted to say something to you", he looked ragged with his unshaven face and his reddened eyes that clearly showed his tiredness.

Chapter end

Report