"My grandsons, eh? Which one did you have in mind?"
She fought to keep her voice from shaking. "Why, the one I carry now. Son to the prince, my husband, who seeks an alliance with you for a lasting peace."
"Some husband this prince is, sending a woman as his envoy. Such a coward should not be emperor of anything, let alone husband to one of my daughters."
"I am no coward, sir," Yun said, his boots crunching as he strode to Ava's side. She could see the dusty toes of them, though she didn't dare raise her head. "I am Prince Yun Bataar, the Emperor's son and heir, and husband to Princess Ava. She begged to be allowed to speak to you first, and I granted her wish, for she has been a good wife to me. I admit to a certain curiosity about her father. Your reputation as a warrior and a conqueror are well-known, but she spoke so highly of you as a father, a man for whom family is important. I, too, wish to protect my family, what is left of it. She is my family, but so are you, honoured father-in-law." He bowed low. "I do not wish to war with family. If you allow us to reach the Winter Palace, we will set up court there, leaving these lands to you. The lands that remain to me will become a place of culture and learning, and no enemy to you. We will be allies, and I will instruct my sons in peace, not war."
"And what of your daughters?" the King demanded.
"Their mother will instruct them, for women are a great mystery to me. All I know is that it is a rare woman who thinks of war with anything but fear," Yun said.
"You have countrywomen who think differently. One who fancies herself a general," the King grumbled. "Cost me some of my best troops when victory seemed certain. There are witnesses who swear they saw her slay my son, their general."
"Da Ying? If you support me as emperor, I will make sure she retires from the army. I'll find her a good marriage where a husband and children will occupy her for the rest of her days. Consider it a favour to my father-in-law."
Ava's breath caught in her throat. The maids had told her stories about Da Ying, the general's daughter turned general. Though the stories Ava had heard included both a husband and child.
The King laughed. "So you wish to be emperor of half a kingdom with no army? You are a strange man, Prince Yun. I could kill you now where you stand, and take all your lands and people for myself. What is there to stop me?"
Ava couldn't muffle the squeak that came out of her mouth at this. She felt both her husband and her father's eyes on her.
"Family," Yun said gravely. "Far easier to name your daughter Empress, with me as Emperor by her side, and you will always have allies at your back, leaving you free to conquer other lands wherever you choose."
"We have a bargain," the King announced. "As long as my daughter is Empress, and you do not raise an army against me, you may have the Emperor's throne and the lands that remain."
Ava breathed again. "Thank you, Father."
"My Empress prostrates herself to no one," Yun said, helping her to her feet. "Especially not when she carries the next emperor in her belly."
Ava blushed to hear Yun repeat her lie. Surely he didn't believe…
"Come, Princess. Your father is a busy man, and we have a long way to travel to reach the Winter Palace, with much work to do once we reach it." Yun tugged her arm, pulling her out of her father's tent.
He helped her mount her horse, before leaping onto his own. With his helmet on, he appeared every bit her bodyguard again. "Shall we go, Princess?" he asked.
Not trusting her voice, Ava nodded and nudged her horse into a walk.
Thirty-Three
After an hour's ride, they reached a stream, and Yun called a halt. He dismounted and filled their water skins. He passed Ava's up to her and she drank deeply, gratefully, before thanking him.
"So is there a baby?" Yun asked.
Ava reddened. "No. In the western kingdoms, they tell stories about a virgin who gave birth to a son, but I am not her. I…lied. I am sorry."
He swung back into his saddle. "I'm not. Your lie won us an alliance."
Ava shook her head. "No, your charmed tongue pleased my father. The alliance is your doing, not mine. I merely bought you safe passage through the camp to my father's command tent."
"You bought me a kingdom that should never have been mine. Truly, you deserve to be its Empress." Yun brought his mount close beside hers and reached out to cup her cheek. "Empress Ava Asuka, the bird who flew from her father's court and will be the jewel of mine. The finest poets will proclaim your virtues, and every dancer in the kingdom will clamour to perform for you. I am honoured to call you my wife."
She raised her gaze to meet his dark eyes, and found she could not look away. "I'm not truly your wife yet," she whispered, before he cut her off with a kiss.
The moment stretched delightfully, until with considerable reluctance, he pulled away. "When we reach the Winter Palace, you will be, I promise."
A shiver of anticipation shook Ava from her head to her toes as she swallowed. "Thank you, my prince."
He laughed and spurred his horse forward. "We should hurry home."
What could she do but follow?
Thirty-Four
High in the mountains, huddled closely together to share the warmth of their tiny campfire, Yun waved at the city in the valley below. “The second largest city in my father’s kingdom, crowned by the Winter Palace. This will be your home, my Empress.”
Ava still wasn’t used to the title. She doubted she ever would be. In her mind, the Empress was an incredibly courageous woman who had used her dying moments to save her son’s life. And the traditional crowns of the Emperor and Empress, which Yun had found in the saddle bags on the first night, were almost too heavy for her to lift, let alone wear.
“I am afraid,” Ava admitted. “Afraid that I will never live up to the honour of the title that your mother held.”
“You have nothing to be afraid of, my Empress. You are the fish who leaped to the top of the waterfall, and tomorrow, you will become the dragon herself.” Yun held up her crown which featured a jewelled dragon and set it upon her head.
Ava removed the heavy gold crown and handed it back to him. “No one can fly with so much metal on their head. I would sink to the bottom of the river wearing such a thing.”
Yun laughed softly as he returned the crown to its hiding place. “Tomorrow, you will sink into the Empress’s silk bed, and as your Emperor, I will love you until your spirit takes flight once more.”
He had said similar things every night, never pushing Ava about her promise to give him a son, and she had been grateful for it in the beginning. Now, she felt her courage build.
“I would like to be loved as a princess first,” she said slowly. “Loved by a prince, just like in the stories my sister used to tell me in the women’s palace when we were children. A prince who saves her, and loves her, and who will lead her to a life of happiness.”
“Here? On the ground, without the silken sheets and soft mattress that a princess deserves?” Yun asked.
It was Ava’s turn to laugh. They’d slept on the ground for every night of their journey, wrapped together in a rough blanket to share their warmth. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like to sleep in Yun’s bed in the palace.
“Yes. Here, in my husband’s arms, on our last night alone together before we become part of the world again. Tonight it will be just us – you and me. I am willing, Yun, more willing than I have ever been.” Ava kissed him, untying the lacings at the front of her gown with the practiced skill of a woman who didn’t need servants for such a thing any more. She shucked off her shift without a second thought, feeling only the joy of her husband’s gaze on her as he devoured her body with his eyes alone before he moved in closer for another kiss. His hands on her bare skin felt heavenly. Ava tensed at the slight sting as he eased inside her, before her only sensation was pleasure. Pleasure at finally being one with her husband, and the spiralling desire he coaxed to greater and greater heights until she screamed for joy to the very stars above.
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And when the first rays of dawn touched Ava’s aching body, she vowed anew that the child they had created among the stars that night would live to see his parents live a long and happy life together. But first, she would wake Yun and enjoy his lovemaking for another hour before they headed down from the heights to take their places at the head of a new and peaceful kingdom.
If you'd like to read the story of Yun and Ava's son, it's in Dance: Cinderella Retold, which you can get HERE.
If you'd like to read Bianca's story at the Summer Palace, it's in Revel: Twelve Dancing Princesses Retold, which you can get HERE.
If you're looking for more of Demelza's medieval fairytales, you can find the whole the series HERE (http://www.demelzacarlton.com/fairytale/).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today Bestselling author Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.
She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.
Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.
The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by her suspense thriller Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.
Want to know more? You can follow Demelza on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or her website, Demelza Carlton’s Place at:
www.demelzacarlton.com
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