Heaven has fallen, the dragon is dead.
A wolf is calling, the storms ahead.
Raise banners high, spears to the sky.
The mandate is ours,
Spirits now to the stars.
A wolf is calling, the storms ahead.
Raise banners high, spears to the sky.
The mandate is ours,
Spirits now to the stars.
The year is 1655. Jijing has fallen; the Eastern Saints have broken the Mandate of Heaven. The dragon lays broken on the Jade Throne, the palaces of the East are burning. Armies of Keida march now on Touzen, the cross born aloft mighty tides of spear and sword in the name of a new, strange "God".
The greedy eyes of the Christ worshipers had turned their gaze westward, and four fort nights ago a new mass of crusaders set out with their mouths drooling with greed. The clan of Yu, who controlled the city of Xijie, had recognized the threat. Despite two years of infighting with the other clans for control of the province, the Lady Yu recognized the danger.
Her eyes looked upon the rising moon which crept up in the East, wondering which shadowy secrets it might illuminate for her. She was the daughter of the great warrior Yu Wolo, who had perished at the Battle of the Fields at Dawn. The last descendant of her ancestors, her lineage rested in her betrothal to the man who kneeled behind her, and she turned from the window to look at her champion with a weak smile.
"Lady Yee," he said respectfully, knowing his place. Though he was betrothed to her, she was still the head of the clan, and he nothing more than her finest warrior until the day their marriage was formally completed. He knew that day was growing ever more distant. "Armies in the West are continuing their advance into Yujin, the clan of Sun has met them in battle and failed to defeat them. Yunguang will fall in four nights."
Her smile faded and she stepped forward to the man kneeling before her, Song Yinlong. She knew he was a brave and able man of respectable birth. He had proven himself before, and she knew that, in his heart, he respected her. She needed to explore him more, she needed to know him better before he died. She ran her fingers along the edges of her silk robe, gently pulling it so that it slipped off her shoulders, slowly collapsing to the floor. Her bare body shone with a golden hue in the sun, and she could see that Yinlong was struggling to keep his eyes away.
"Please, do not deny yourself or me," she said calmly, watching his eyes move up to fixate upon her. She saw something she had not seen before in his eyes, something beyond the emotionless sentinel that she had once thought him to be. She saw passion, and she stepped further to him, grabbing his armored collar and pulling him to his feet. He struggled to unclothe himself quickly, much to her amusement. With something resemblent of fury he flung the golden scales off of himself and grabbed her with gentle forcefulness, and the bed shook as she landed. His head appeared before her, and she examined with fascination the sharp lines of his face as she felt the unique sensation below her waist cause the hair of her skin to stand up. Her body felt like it was pulsing, and she closed her eyes when his shoulders tucked under her chin, the wavelike rhythm of their bodies consuming the better part of the morning.
She felt him swell just before his body collapsed on her, but concern for what would result was not on her mind. And he lay there, breathing heavily, she rubbed her hands along his moist skin, opening her eyes and staring blankly at the ceiling. "Yinlong, I need you. We cannot undo what is done, and you have shared with me a unique bond of trust." She felt her lover pause and push himself up with his hands, and she admired his face once more, his scruffy hair damp and matted from sweat. "Tianjing needs to be stopped, and I know only you, my chosen, can save the country."