long guo A Crash Decision (Closed)

[Bellosh]

 

In the middle of the Void, a qilin emperor spoke from his perch on the Dragon Throne; "You must honor our traditions, my daughter."

 

The young qilin mare vainly attempted to reach out to the emperor; "Wait, Father...!!!"

 

Too late: the Emperor withered away into ashes right in front of the horrified mare.

 

CRASH! BOOM!

 

The heavens roared with the fury of lightning and the roar of typhoon-force winds! The qilin mare screamed desperately as she hanged onto her plummeting sky chariot. Before her laid nothing but the maw of the abyss, and sharp piercing cold.....

 

-----------------

 

With a great gasp, Empress Yuè shot up on all fours! She was on an icy mountaintop in the middle of an alpine blizzard, mere inches from a vertigo-inducing precipice. Startled, the qilin mare back away from the edge and took in everything around her to get a sense of her situation. Yuè's robes were in tatters, and bruises covered a good portion of her body. One foreleg even had a cut that was bleeding! No serious injuries though, that was fortunate. As the qilin exhaled, she was able to generate small puffs of flame which warmed the air around her, if only too briefly. Her ability to breathe dragonfire remained intact too.

 

The memories of Yuè weren't all that clear though. She and the Shogun of Neighpon had been making a joint voyage to Longri-La via sky chariot. There had been a large serpent dragon spotted off in the distance... except it looked more beastly than noble. The next thing they knew, the entire retinue was at the mercy of a freak storm and the chariot drivers couldn't maintain altitude. No safe spaces anywhere to crash land in the Ancients' Abode, but there was a flat patch of snow on a mountainside. In a snap decision, the bodyguards must have tossed the Empress and Shogun onto the smoothest patch of land there was. As flight wouldn't have been possible under such conditions, the bodyguards would have gone down with the chariot down in the rocky chasms below.

 

In front of Yuè laid an entrance to a cave... shelter! That must have been the other reason why she and Shogun Ryuichi were thrown onto the mountainside. Here was a place the royals could take refuge until a rescue party could recover them. But... where was the Shogun? The distressed empress cried out; "RYUICHI!!!" A couple more seconds later, and visual scanning finally found the ryuma stallion. It... didn't look too good for the Neighponese shogun.....

[PyroBlaze]

Ugh... Sandā's head was killing her now, she had hit it on the way down and now that she was awake she could feel that it was bleeding a bit. Not much thankfully, but still. The pegasus looked around the ravine as best she could, panicking when she couldn't find Ryu anywhere. After a couple seconds though, she remembered what she had done to spare him from the crash itself. 

 

With that, she looked for the Empress' guard instead, eventually finding the ryuma laying unconscious. 

 

"Hey. Wake up, no sleeping on the job." She said, shaking him lightly. She had attempted to lighten the mood a bit with her attempt at humor. It didn't work. "The empress is in danger, she needs you."

[Zeig]

 

Everything hurt.

 

And, well...to be fair, it wasn't exactly everything. Of that, he was most certainly assured.

 

...It only felt like everything.

 

Perhaps it was just the memory of the sudden storm that had seemed to engulf the chariot from seemingly out of nowhere, an earth-shattering roar their only warning before everything became a giant blur of madness and chaos. Ryuichi could vaguely remember instinctively reaching out one hoof for the Empress seated at his side, the other straining for Sandā's form that had immediately leapt upwards on the defense...brave, fearless Sandā, rising to protect and shelter as was her nature, even in the face of a rampaging Elder Long. 

 

And then -

 

Then the sensation of falling, of plummeting with no sense of up or down in the storming winds. Ryuichi remembered losing his hold on the Empress, buffeted too strongly by the storm that had raged around them and - the sensation of hitting something hard on the way down, and then -

 

Nothing.

 

Exactly how long ago that was, Ryuichi wasn't entirely certain. It couldn't have been for long, surely? With eyes half opened and a vacant expression on his face, the Ryuma watched the snow whip to and forth in front of his eyes. The winds were still howling, probably - there was mostly a distant sort of ringing in his ears, one that was slowly gaining some clarity in the form of a familiar voice that didn't sound like the winds at all...ah, actually, they sounded like the Empress. Ah, she must have fallen with him...or pushed with him? He had to...he needed to check on her status.

 

He needed to get up. And so he did.

 

Which is when white hot pain shot through his right shoulder, and all sensory input came flooding past the daze at once.

 

The darkly colored Ryuma couldn't hold back the cry of pain that escaped as he made to stand once more - his first attempt having been thwarted by that first unexpected burst of pain - golden eyes now wide open and aware as he surveyed the landscape. Nothing but ice and snow stared back at him, until his gaze swept across a form some paces removed from himself, near invisible if not for the dark color of her mane and tail. Ryuichi turned towards it, instinctively bringing his wings inwards to fold them against his body, and this time, was able to bite down the exclamation that threatened to escape his lips. Gingerly, fully aware of the injury now, Ryuichi ruffled his right wing a bit, gritting his teeth against the flashes of pain that echoed along his shoulder, and left his wing to drag along the snow behind him as he trudged towards the Empress of Long Guo.

 

"Empress" he grunted, eyes immediately running over the Qilin's form once he was close enough to actually see it through the blizzard around them. To the naked eye she seemed better off for wear than he, though her lavish robe may as well have been strips of cloth hastily glued together. Not that his were in any better state. The ceremonial armor was cracked and broken off in many places, unsurprisingly - it'd been made to look good, after all, not to actually stand up to any abuse - and his robe was torn in several places, although it still retained something of its original shape. 

 

"Yuè," the Shogun repeated, and struggled for a moment on what to say. Military training was quick to kick in, however, and some semblance of calm settled over Ryuichi as he took in a deep breath. "Are you able to walk?" he questioned, head already turning in the direction of the cave that was nearby. "Lean on my left if you can't." The order, and the hoof he used to grab onto the Qilin's foreleg, all came from years of being the voice of authority at any given time, and Ryuichi didn't think anything of it as he began leading the other towards the cave, intent on getting out of the raging storm.

 

Shelter...shelter first, and then they would have time to discover exactly how deep in rot they were right now. 

 

[Blueblood]

Sharp observation was a skill that a short time of intense training could grant.  An instinctual sense of the presence of danger, however, could only come of long experience.  For Fēng Yīnhǎitāo, this journey would prove to be one hard, spiny stepping-stone on that weary journey of life.  He, like the Empress, had spotted the dragon; it was the keen Watcher who had first remarked upon the sight, actually.  It was Yu, however, who pointed out a distinctly... barbaric bearing about the creature.  Having only had a brief experience with the long himself, he had to defer to her judgment.  But even the Empress had not seen the storm coming until the chariot was caught right up in it!

 

From there, memories were turbulent, and yet, as he would find out in later years, they would prove to be indelible-

 

~

 

Crashing thunder rolls the chariot like an iron-sided die.  Lightning reveals a frightened face.  "Empress!  Please trust me on this!"  The cry goes out as limbs heave, the last sight remembered being a shocked face as guard and charge are blown away from each other...

 

~

 

The blizzard was still howling, bearing on the wind a numbing cold that at least could be said to dull the pain of impact.  Such an impact had taken its toll on Feng, who was knocked out, and in all likelihood, might never have woken up again were there not another around to rouse him.  "Mph... Yin, it's not even sunrise yet..."  The longma murmured, his brain making a long, ponderous journey back to the here and now.  Once it had caught up to the storm in its own personal timeline, he bolted awake.  "Empress!"  Even as he shouted, he knew it was in vain.  They were as like a mile away from the Empress and Shogun, and the wind would whip their cries to the four corners of the earth as soon as uttered.

Having jolted awake, he blinked in the face of the airborne frozen shards.  Having grown up in the mountains, he knew how dangerous it was to be caught out in them.  But his sacred sworn charge was in the same situation, he had to- no, no; he had to trust that she had spotted the cave near their landing site.  It pained his heart, for more than one reason, to make this call, but he did.  Never mind that Sanda was technically the senior officer present, in terms of rank and experience.  This was his home turf and, presumably therefore, his chain of command.  "We've got to find shelter until this blows over.  If we start wandering out in that, no one will ever hear from us again."  He waved a hoof out to the winds as he tried to get to his hooves, and collapsed, feeling woozy.  "Oooh... and I don't know if we're in a condition to mountain hike even in good weather..."  There sure were some nasty cuts and bruises, all over him in fact.

[Bellosh]

 

Shogun Ryuichi looked... horrible. Everything about him look mangled up; it was obvious the ryuma wouldn't be flying anytime soon even if the skies were crystal clear. After a fashion, Yù Yuè felt a pang of guilt that she hadn't been more injured from the fall. Whether it was due to the royal mare's physical training under the Fenghuang Monks or the small Long Pearl gifted by Grace which she kept on her person most of the time, Yuè was able to land on the mountainside with relatively little risk to her body.

 

Naturally, Yuè took a step when her Neighponese counterpart asked if she could walk, and it was only then that the qilin's ability to sense pain restored itself. That is to say that a sharp ache suddenly shot from the foreleg that bled as it bent to move. The qilin winced as, giving out a strained cry; “Aiyaaa!”. As quickly as that mouth opened however, she silenced her tongue. An empress always needed to maintain composure!

 

And yet Yuè had the good sense to accept Ryuichi's support when it was offered. The royal mare was no fool; pride would get the both of them killed! Flinching again when the Shogun momentarily took her injured foreleg, Yuè was nonetheless grateful as she leaned on him as instructed. At least the empress could keep the pressure off that leg until they reached the cave.

 

It could have have been the gusts of freezing snow blowing all around them, but Yuè did not feel as much heat from Ryuichi's frame as she would have expected. Even in harsh conditions, the gift of dragon breath allowed the Long Sun to keep warm without need of winter clothing or fur. Once the two royals make it to the refuge provided by the cave, Yuè would have to ascertain for sure that the embers insider Ryuichi's stomach still burned bright. If not... that could spell severe trouble for the ryuma stallion.

 

Meanwhile, Ryuichi had long since stopped grabbing at his counterpart's injured leg when he realized its poor condition. Attempting to maintain a positive attitude (something the Fenghuang Monks always stressed to their students if they caught in situations like these one day), Yuè turned her attention to the face of the Shogun himself. Mustering her inner resolve as the Heavenly Daughter of Dragons, the qilin compartmentalized her physical pain as best she could and questioned authoritatively; "How badly... do you hurt...?"

 

Just a few slow steps more to the cave entrance.....

[PyroBlaze]

"Agreed... on both fronts..." Sandā replied, somewhat surprised she was taking her injuries as well as she was. Aside from the various cuts and bruises across her body, her right wing seemed to be sprained. Possibly broken, but she hoped not. Thankfully, that seemed to be the only limb in that state. She winced as she tried to extend it, shaking her head with a sigh. Well, better that their charges end up near that cave than down here, who knows if they'd be able to find shelter in here. 

 

"We should get going as soon as we can, there's no telling what might happen while we waste time." She said, looking around in an attempt to see where they should go, using a foreleg to try and shield her eyes from the storm. "Do you need help walking?"

[Zeig]

 

Showing weakness was intolerable.

 

It was something that had been instilled within him almost since the moment of his birth. From foalhood to the military, straight to the Seat of the Shogun, there had been no room for weakness. Both physical and mental. A nation was only as good as its leader, and if a Shogun could not maintain face in times of strife, what good was he? How could a nation be expected to love and follow a Shogun who crumbled and fell to hardships? Show no weakness, give Neighpon the leader she needs, and keep all sorrows to the privacy of a bedroom. 

 

Sleep, awake, and repeat it all the next day.

 

At least his more turbulent or depressed feelings could be concealed behind closed doors...physical pain, however, was a different story. 

 

But a story that was nonetheless written by the same author. 

 

"A sprain, at best," the Shogun of Neighpon said firmly, teeth gritted as his eyes remained fixed upon the promise of shelter and safety. He wasn't so prideful as to outright lie - a prideful Shogun was just a danger to Neighpon as an unguarded one - but it wasn't really stretching the truth when even he himself did not know the full excess of damage. And the pain was beginning to recede, too...although whether that was from the waning shock of the injury or the cold beginning to numb the wound, he couldn't say. "To my wing. The pain is already receding." 

 

As was his patience with the onslaught of chilled snow to his side, and the Ryuma exhaled a relieved breath as they entered the mouth of the cave. 

 

The howling winds immediately died down with the appearance of shelter, but Ryuichi didn't stop moving until they were further inside, far enough removed from immediate exposure but still with an adequate view outside...where it would, hopefully, be easy to see a flash of yellow. Or, more probably, brown. Sandā would most likely blend into the whirling landscape better than Yuè's own guard. 

 

Assuming that the two of them would attempt to reach their location in this storm. For their sake, Ryuichi hoped - rather vainly, he felt - that they would not.

 

"And you? Yuè?" the Ryuma questioned as he gently removed the Qilin from his own self to guide her against a rock that looked marginally more comfortable than all the others. "Is it the one leg?" He'd pulled at that leg in his haste, unthinking but to get them to safety, and Ryuichi could only hope he hadn't inadvertently caused more damage. Not for the first time, the Shogun wished he had more skill with Breath craft - a healing Wood breath would have been an outright blessing at this point. 

 

Or hay, a simple Fire breath, Ryuichi thought a bit sourly as he abruptly shivered, a particularly windy blast buffeting their position, even removed from the entrance as it was. The Ryuma sat down on the Empress' other side with hardly a thought, far closer than protocol would have ever dictated - perhaps unconsciously seeking the heat that had been pressed against his side moment's before, or perhaps simply to give his injured wing, still trailing behind him, ample room to remain unbothered and undisturbed. 

 

He'd fold it back up eventually - stupid thing, to leaving it flailing out and open where the feathers might catch and be pulled at - but just -

 

Not now.

 

Later.

 

 

[Blueblood]

"Unh..."  Feng lifted a leg to brush the snow from his eyes.  A slight twinge sent an electric shiver down his spine, but besides that he didn't feel any trouble moving.  "Yeah, I'll be fine.  You see anywhere to hunker down?"  The closest thing Feng himself could see was the lee of their wrecked carriage, and that wasn't going to do at all.  
 

With visibility so low, the only thing to do was start moving in one direction, to at least get somewhere else.  Feng took the lead, focusing on going downslope.  The higher they were, the more exposed they would be, but lower elevations offered hopes for trees and hollows.  "Let me know when you see anything... I think that might be a forest up ahead!"

[Bellosh]

 

Shelter at last!

 

The Empress of Long Guo hadn't overly filled with confidence by her counterpart's strained claim, but for now, all Yuè could do was roll with it. Mending sprains and whatnot was nowhere near her area of expertise, so the qilin mare was best served focusing on other priorities. As Yuè was carefully positioned onto a rock by Ryuichi, she explained; "Yes... fortunately, my body doesn't seem to be severely injured elsewhere." Still, the empress could do without the aches.

 

Sigh... if only Sworn Sister Mei were here. Ache-relieving aromatherapy was one of her specialties.

 

Right then; to put a band-aid on that injury of Yuè's as best as could be done under the circumstances. "Ryuichi," she instructed firmly, subtly extending her bleeding leg out so the stallion would better notice; "A piece of your robe, if you don't mind." While the Shogun took care of that, the Empress would address their heating situation. Bless the heavens the two royals were no longer assailed by wind chill, but that still left the sub-zero temperatures inside the cave. Something had to be done lest Yuè and Ryu became frozen popsicles. Ryu especially was in alarming condition; his side remained dreadfully cold for Yuè's liking as the stallion tried pressing against the mare for much-needed warmth.

 

With unnatural serenity, Yuè inhaled and craned her head back. When she was ready, the qilin mare blew what appeared to be a warm mist onto the rocks in front of herself and Ryuichi. The result: nothing. For several seconds, not a thing seemed to happen. Half a minute went by... still no change. "Patience..." assured the Empress, her eyes shut as if in a state of meditation. A full minute passed.....

 

.......

 

Sizzle!

 

At last, the patch of cave floor Yuè breathed on started to smolder. A neat breath cantrip she learned from the Fenghuang Monks; one that gradually induced temperature change upon a solid surface. In the absence of burnable wood, this magic trick would be enough to produce adequate warmth. In an uncharacteristic show of pride, the Empress smirked as she beheld her work.....

[PyroBlaze]

"It looks like a forest. Better than nothing." She agreed, following the stallion down the slope and keeping an eye out for any more incoming threats. Before they had left, she had retrieved her spear from nearby, which had seemed to make it through unharmed. Maybe it was part of the magic used to enchant it, or just the result of quality craftponyship. In either case, she was glad for it as she did not relish the thought of having to explain to the necessary parties that she had lost the spear they had worked so hard on in a snowstorm. 

 

"I can take point should we run into trouble, my legs are not injured and I am still armed." She said to him, looking around again as they got nearer to the forest. Not that she expected to run into any malicious creatures in this storm, but it was better safe than sorry.

[Zeig]

 

A piece of his - ?

 

...Ah, right. Of course. His robe had held up much better than Yuè's own - which wasn't saying all that much, considering. But relatively speaking, much easier to utilize than the shreds that that remained of the Empress' garb. 

 

Wordlessly, Ryuichi carefully ripped off a section that had been seconds from peeling off on its own, using it to wrap up Yuè's outstretched leg. He had little to no knowledge of healing arts, but the proper way to bandage a wound had been part of the bare basics learned in the military. Tight enough to stifle the flow of blood, but not tight enough to cut off supply of air, that was the key. The hardest part actually came at the end as Ryuichi fumbled tying the bandage into an adequate knot, unable to repressed the shivers that ran through his frame. Eventually however, the job was done, leaving Yuè's wound freshly wrapped and the Empress herself...blowing at some rocks.

 

That was...useful? Some sort of calming technique, perhaps?

 

The young Ryuma had just opened his mouth to comment, however, when Yuè advised patience, causing Ryuichi's mouth to snap shut as he turned his attention back onto the rocks. Apparently something aside from inner peace was suppose to be happening...

 

And quite abruptly, it did.

 

"That is...useful," the Shogun praised, breathing a sigh of relief at the warmth that surged into the cavern. Not enough to completely assuage the cold, but far better than nothing at all. With quick and light touches of his hooves, Ryuichi crowded the rocks closer to the both of them, intent on soaking in as much heat as possible. Perhaps when they cooled off a bit, he could take one to the shoulder of his wing, allow the heat to help massage away the ache. "Does that work on anything?" Ryuichi couldn't help but wonder, "or only stone? If only my mentors had taught me such useful techniques," he lamented, and wasn't half-joking. Breath magic in and of itself was harder for a Ryuma to achieve than a Kirin, but even still, his lessons had always been steered more towards the grander scheme of things.

 

...Not that he had ever been a shining example of a proper disciple of breath magic in the first place. 

 

 

 

[Blueblood]

Feng wasn't too badly hurt, at least he didn't think so.  It was possible that there was still sufficient adrenaline pumping through him that the pain was pasted over; or perhaps the cold simply numbed him.  Either way, though, he wasn't too confident in how he would be able to fight, say, five minutes from now.  "Go ahead!  Try to find... tree root hollow!  Facing away... from the wind!"  He spoke in short, sharp shouts, straining to be heard over the wind, all the while keeping his eyes peeled through the veil of blinding white.

 

It was the Long Sun son of the mountains that first spotted it, though, when the pair stumbled into a dip in the lee of a pair of trees.  The break to the wind seemed to suddenly lessen the blizzard, improving visibility enough for the longma to spy the dark hollow between two pines.  "There, see?  There's a little dip in the ground!"  Just large enough to hold two ponies, if they huddled together.  They could keep each other warm, hopefully, until the storm died down enough for them to start searching for their charges.

[Bellosh]

 

With Empress Yuè busy with the rocks, her wound had been attended to by the skillful hooves of Shogun Ryuichi. For someone with a royal background, Ryuichi was surprisingly talented in field dressing. It took some moments for Yuè to remember that her counterpart once served in Neighpon's armed forces. That thought warmed the qilin mare's heart; between her spiritual training and the stallion's military background, the two of them ought to have the know-how to make it through this ordeal in a satisfactory fashion.

 

Ryuichi responded well to the heated rocks, but Yuè knew their relief would only be temporary for her counterpart if she didn't act soon. That didn't stop the Empress from chuckling bemusedly as she shook her head; "Warming breaths can be applied on any object, although great care must be taken to prevent the incineration of living tissue. Heh heh."

 

Yuè then turned towards Ryuichi, her hoof carefully feeling for the longma's stomach. .....Still chillness when there should be warmth. "Your fires burn low," she gravely declared; "I'm afraid you require additional warming Ryuichi. If your body isn't generating heat on its own, the cold will start overwhelming you again." The qilin's hoof found itself traveling to Ryu's cheek; the mare's gaze not as stern as it was several seconds ago. "With some mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, I should be able to reignite the embers of your stomach....."

[Zeig]

 

That was...slightly worrisome. 

 

Though Ryuichi highly doubted the Empress was about to incinerate his flesh in an attempt to heat him up, so...likely he had nothing to fear. 

 

He was fine with just the heated rocks, though. Really. 

 

Ryuichi let out a breathy chuckle at the mare's own attempts at - slightly morbid - humor, which was, in all honesty, a far better cry than a complete meltdown. Not that he'd had any inclination to believe Yuè would go to pieces in a dangerous situation. World leaders were trained not to completely shatter in the midst of a crisis, after all. But still, training and knowledge only took one so far, and a life or death situation made one hay of a learning curve. 

 

Humor, though...humor was good.

 

So was heat, especially in this Door-cursed blizzard...although, it took Ryuichi a rather long time to realize where this particular heat source was originating from. The Ryuma glanced down at the hoof feeling along his belly, more bemused at the sudden touch than anything else, before Yuè's words made him realize exactly what she was feeling for. The light touch against his cheek did much the same, and was only compounded by the seriousness with which she spoke of the problem...and proposed a solution.

 

He should have figured. Ryuichi had heard of such things in the military, usually only in the form of sharing body heat with an ailing Ryuma or Kirin. However, it wasn't unheard of for more...direct measures to be taken if one's inner fire fell to a dangerously low level. Even still, it was...awkward, to be staring down at the sovereign of Long Guo who was so easily proposing such a solution, as if she were any random mare caught in this blizzard with him. Not that Ryuichi believed the Empress the sort who would allow him to simply keel over and die rather than provide that sort of help, but Long Guo was nothing if not traditional. He wouldn't be surprised to learn that there was an entire list of things an Emperor or Empress could not sully themselves with, for fear of tampering the royal line. And yet here she was, offering her own inner fire to keep his burning bright.

 

And, despite the dull throbbing of his right shoulder, instantly throwing him back into a more innocent time.

 

"I, see..." the Ryuma said grimly, as memories of young colts and fillies running through palace gardens chased each across across the recesses of his mind. "Yuè, you...after all this time, you still..."

 

...

 

"...have intentions on becoming my bride?" 

 

A beat, followed by another...before Ryuichi was no longer able to hold in his mirth.

 

"You've grown bolder these past years," Ryuichi continued to tease, no longer speaking to the Empress of Long Guo but rather the young filly Yu Yuè. "And all the more subtle for it. If you wished a kiss, you simply needed to ask." Something that sounded suspiciously like the voice of his Gaikoku Bugyō was screaming in the back of his head, and Ryuichi had no doubt that his words would have given heart attacks to no less than eight Long Guonan officials of Yuè's inner court, if they had been around to hear them. But they weren't, and humor was good, because they were two world leaders stuck on a mountain top amidst a whirling blizzard, and if he couldn't keep things light-hearted and calm, then what sort of Shogun was he? "I jest," the Ryuma chuckled, the last of his teasing laughter abating and losing itself to the roaring winds outside. His features remained genial and mirthful, however, as Ryuichi leaned in closer, eyelids lowering halfway to meet the gaze of the pale dragon mare.

 

"Then...if you wouldn't mind?..." 

 

 

[PyroBlaze]

It didn't take Sandā long to spot the hollow in the trees once Feng pointed it out. Now all that remained was to get into it. The pegasus nodded before helping the stallion into the hole, climbing in after him and trying to get comfortable in the cramped space. She had no doubt they would have had to huddle for warmth or build a fire, though the latter would require either a larger shelter or no storm, and they couldn't waste time or energy looking for different shelter. Sharing body heat it was then. 

 

"I hate this... unable to do anything while Ryu is in danger..." She muttered, giving a sigh as she settled in, pressed firmly against Feng's side so they could keep each other warm. Why did this have to happen like this? How was she supposed to protect someone that she didn't even know how to get to? All-in-all, she hated this situation, but her training kept her focused and on the job. She had to find him and protect him, whatever it took. 

[Blueblood]

Pegasi and longma both shared an instinct, when huddled together, to wrap their wings over the other.  Feng obeyed this instinct automatically, spreading his wing and pulling Sanda just that little bit closer to himself, a bulwark against the chill of winter and despair.  Not much of a bulwark, considering the circumstances under which both guards found themselves, but at least they could each commiserate with each other.

 

"Oh, I know exactly how you feel..."  Feng peered out through the snow himself and sighed.  "And when you're staying still, that lets all the dark thoughts and worries catch up with you..."  That last part had been true for him, even before he became a guard, or Yu Yue became Empress.  Now, of course, his feelings regarding her and his position towards her supercharged those shadows of his mind.

 

He was the first to look away from the entrance.  It hurt too much to reflect on his impotence, and there wasn't anything to do but wait.  Looking for something, anything to get his mind away from what hunted it inside, he asked, "When did you first serve Ryuchi?  What led you to become his guard?"

[Bellosh]

 

Intentions on... WHAT?????

 

Yù Yuè's face blushed with the redness of a thousand rising suns. H-h-how could Ryuichi accuse his counterpart of a motive so SCANDALOUS in a dire time like this! A couple moments of stunned silence followed, Yuè's hoof covering her wide-open mouth as she vainly attempted to calm herself. Well aware of her childhood feelings towards the ryuma however, the qilin mare found that to be a tall order. Surely the Empress had purged those immature desires of romance from her heart by now.

 

...Hadn't she?

 

Yet such frentic introspection proved for naught when Ryuichi revealed the true jest behind his words. T-that... SCOUNDREL! The redness on Yuè's cheeks remained, but her shock yielded to a cute pouting face so desperate to conceal any trace that the royal qilin actually found amusement in her unwarranted worry. Although Yuè's muzzle visibly threatened to break out into laughter, she maintained enough control to get by with only an exaggerated "Hmmph!"

 

...Sort of like old times, really.

 

Thinking back on those days showed Yuè's display of offense for the front that it was, as her warm smile took the place of a scowl. But there was still a resuscitation to be done if Ryuichi's intimately positioned face was any indication. "Oh yes," replied a self-conscious Yuè as her eyes too became half-lidded; "Most certainly. Tell me when you feel anything in your belly."

 

The qilin mare was almost glad now the Shogun made that joke of his; it was a reminder that Yuè needed to mentally block out all earthly attachments whatsoever when performing the Fire Resuscitation spell. If she thought of her past feelings for Ryuichi even once while working her magic, there was the danger of, well... doing more than intended. On the other hoof, a properly performed Fire Resuscitation would simply reignite the flames in the stallion's stomach, and nothing else.

 

First, to chant a short mantra. Focus on the job that needed to be done. Clear the mind of all distractions. Breath calmly, but deeply. Proper breath control was paramount in yielding the power of Fire.

 

When she felt ready, Yuè closed her eyes and dwelled intently on her counterpart's breathing. She noted how Ryuichi inhaled, exhaled, and repeated the cycle of breathing.

 

Once getting the timing down pat, the qilin mare finally made her move during one of the ryuma stallion's inhales. Graceful hooves on the cheeks kept the target face in place, eyes were shut, muzzles made contact, and a small puff of warm mist blew forth from Yuè's mouth down Ryuichi's throat into his stomach. During the ryuma's exhale, Yuè pulled back to a moment to breathe... then rinse and repeat. No other sensations entered her mind; nothing but the position of Ryuichi's mouth and the cycle of his breaths.

 

After a good half-minute or so, Yuè momentarily broke the cycle to place one of her hooves on Ryuichi's scale-covered stomach. Finding the warmth levels not to her satisfaction, the royal mare recommenced the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She would keep it up as long as needed until Ryuichi's internal fire was restored.....

[Zeig]

 

The immediate red that sprang to life on the QIlin's usually composed features did it for him, and Ryuichi burst out into full-blown and unrestrained laughter at the sight, the same way he had back in their shared youths. His mother would have been shaking her head if she could see him, warning him of the folly of laughing at a young mare's expense, but hearing Yuè's huffs of mock-offense only succeeded in making his laughter trail off into chuckles, the pain in his shoulder only a vague throb in the growing warmth of the cave. His chuckles continued even as Yuè's features smoothed out into seriousness and intent, and Ryuichi attempted to nod solemnly at her instruction as the Qilin leaned forward to meet him halfway.

 

Whether it might have been for lust, love, power, or simple admiration, being in such a situation that would have caused undoubtedly several stallions to go green with envy gave Ryuichi only a moment's hesitation before he forgave himself, chasing after retreating lips with his own.

 

For he could comfort himself on the knowledge of his own innocent intentions in reclaiming her lips. Surely.

 

Because the immediate heat that had assuaged the Shogun's belly had simultaneously summoned a relieved sigh to escape his mouth, smothered as it was by the Empress' own, and Ryuichi honestly reacted without thought, instinctively pressing forward to chase after that warmth the first time Yuè's lips moved away from his own. He probably threw off her rhythm at that point, and if the Shogun of Neighpon could have ever afforded to look sheepish, he would have at that moment. As it was, Ryuichi only smiled apologetically, an almost silent huff of laughter shared in the space between their muzzles, before composing himself to sit still and allow the Empress to work.

 

And work she did.

 

The first Breath had done wonders already, but Ryuichi made no complaint on the ones that followed, quickly composing his breathing into a steady pattern to better allow Yuè to time her Breaths. Every lapse in contact seemed to leave him cold and grasping, before being reignited by a return Breath, and Ryuichi could only attribute that to mare's skill with the Harmonious Paths. The sensation was so enticing, that the Ryuma hardly even realized why Yuè had paused to check on his stomach, before returning to her carefully measured Breaths. 

 

And it would be another half-minute before remembering exactly what she had instructed beforehoof. 

 

"Ah, there," the Shogun sucked in a sharp breath as their lips parted yet again, leaning his head backwards slightly to indicate a wish for a pause in her ministrations, "I felt something." Somewhere along the way his golden eyes had fallen closed, lost in the warming sensations on both his muzzle and in his belly, but Ryuichi opened them now to stare down at Yuè. "About a minute ago..." Still no sheepishness in his gaze at the admittance, but the reignited warmth in his stomach was too wonderful a feeling for the Ryuma to feel much guilt. A single Breath would have been a welcome reprieve from the cold, but wouldn't have done much in the long run, after all. "Thank you, Yuè." 

 

Despite the newfound heat in his gut, Ryuichi made no move to place more distance between the two of them, too content with the shared warmth to bother. By this point, the heated rocks at their front had cooled off somewhat, and the Ryuma carefully picked up one of the smaller ones to gingerly set it on his right shoulder, hissing lightly at the burning contact that quickly trailed off into muted warmth. It was a bit of a balancing act, but with his wing splayed out over the rocks behind him, the stone was able to sit flatly on his shoulder, allowing soothing warmth to sink into his skin. 

 

"Yet another useful skill," the Ryuma sighed, his uninjured wing coming up to circle the Qilin's body now that the pain on his right was beginning to fade, "though I suppose you'd never imagined using it like this." It was meant to be said lightly, another tease at the expanse of the mare sitting beside him, but that didn't stop the slight drop in tone as Ryuichi stared out at the swirling white vortex. "I don't think I imagined it like this either...any of it. It seems like so long ago...when my intentions as the Shogun of Neighpon were to witness all the golem fights that I wanted." A pause, before Ryuichi turned pointedly sly in an instant. "And to sneak off and play with princes before their sisters caught on to us."  

 

 

[PyroBlaze]

Sandā had, despite the raging thoughts and conflicting feelings running through her, remained staring out into the storm, looking like she was trying to find a way to kill it. She couldn't, and she knew that, but she really wished she could so the two of them could find the royals faster. Following his lead though, and finally giving in to her instinct, she wrapped a wing around him in return. 

 

"I have known him for a very long time..." Sandā said, eventually breaking the silence left after Feng's question. "My father was the last Grand Admiral, so I've known Ryuichi since we were both foals. It wasn't until after his mother's death that I truly began serving him though. As for why? He's my best friend..." She sighed slightly, her tone suggesting she thought of him as more than a friend. 

 

"What about you?" She asked after a few more seconds of silent contemplation, finally looking away from the storm to look at him instead. 

[Blueblood]

Feng, knowing blizzards a bit better than Sanda, sniffed and tasted the air.  No storm was immortal; if he had to estimate how long this one had to live, he would have said two hours more.  It would have been an almost cozy moment, snuggled up against a mare in a den of feathers, watching the bluster outside.  But, he knew that neither of them would be able to shake their fundamental anxieties.

 

"Only since I started in my duties."  He replied, still peering into the distance.  "I joined because I needed to get away from home; the past of my family meant I had no future there.  She became Empress in the middle of my academy training... heh, I'll admit, I developed something of a serious crush on her."  It was an increasingly ill-kept secret at this point; at least Sanda wasn't from Long Guo.  His confession was hardly going to hurt now.  "Of course, I know it's probably not going to come to anything... but it's hard to let go of that, for me."  He looked down at the pegasus, his expression giving an impression of understanding Sanda's own unspoken feelings towards Ryuchi.

 

"Did you ever tell him, though?"  Well, there he went again.  Feng never could leave well enough alone, as he would go on to explain.  "I confessed.  I had to; keeping silent was making it harder for me to do my duty.  Bottled-up emotion was pushing me to violate protocol left and right... it hurt, though, when I finally did.  Overall, though... I think it was necessary.  I certainly learned a lot from the experience.  Doesn't make being stuck here any easier, though, I'll tell you that much!"

[Bellosh]

 

There was a moment right at the beginning of Yuè's procedure that seemed off, when Ryuichi's lips tried moving after Yuè's in search for pleasing warmth. A lesser wielder of breath magic might have freaked out over the disrupted rhythm and made things much worse in the process. In Yuè's case, her Fenghuang Monastery training prepared her not to panic in that situation. Instead, the qilin mare waited for Ryuichi's mouth to remember its place, then went right back to what she had been doing.

 

Yuè knew her work was complete when her counterpart, seemingly lost in contentment, indicated to the Empress that no more breaths were required. On a less life-threatening occasion, Ryuichi waiting an entire minute to tell Yuè that he was feeling warmth reemerging in his gut would have earned a mild admonishment. As it was, a relieved smile from Yuè indicated her thankfulness at the Shogun's stabilizing condition.

 

One final hoof to Ryuichi's stomach confirmed that his gastrointestinal furnaces were in order. A quick glance at the cave opening revealed Ryuichi recovered in time; the light from outside looked darker, meaning that nightfall was approaching fast. It was not a time to be spent helpless to the elements. for the night in the mountains was dark and full of terrors.

 

As for that other hoof of Yuè's still lingering on Ryuichi's cheek? Well uhhhh... that was probably just the mare's residual affection for the ryuma she used to crush on briefly resurfacing. Becoming aware that her touch was lasting for just a little bit longer than socially acceptable, a slight flush of red showed itself as the Empress put her foreleg back down onto the ground. Still, Yuè didn't show any apparent signs of internal conflict as Ryuichi's wing draped over her.

 

"My ability level is inconsequential," the qilin mare humbly deflected the longma's expression of gratitude as she gently pressed herself in close to bask in Ryuichi's newfound warmth; "My mentors and those they've learned from deserve all the credit for- .....oh." Realizing the true jest of Ryu's words, the qilin mare let off a soft chuckle at her expense before nestling her head on the stallion's firm shoulder. The air inside the cave was getting a little bit more chilier, making the need for shared bodily warmth that much more important.

 

Or so Yù Yuè mentally rationalized, anyway. She obviously knew better than giving into base impulses when nothing permanent could last between two independent sovereigns like themselves.

 

For the longest of time actually, the Empress of Long Guo never thought she'd end up in a predicament quite like this. Between her training in the ways of the Harmonious Path and her ascension to the Dragon Throne, the royal qilin naysayed the desire for romantic intimacy as nothing more than the fantasy of preadolescent minds. Some time back, she even exchanged harsh words about the matter privately with her personal bodyguard, who couldn't keep his feelings for the Empress a secret any longer. When Feng had come to grasp that Yuè's dedication to her royal duties precluded any chance of her reciprocating the other's affections, Feng had proceeded to argue strenuously about the importance of avoiding loneliness; things the Empress would have been inclined in the past to not heed strongly.

 

...Perhaps Feng had been onto something though. That adolescent gratification-seeking side of Yuè which was normally heavily suppressed lamented that come her return to the Capital, there'd be nobody available for the sort of physical and emotional closeness Ryuichi was providing now. Such was the cost of a crown.

 

Inevitably, reminiscing about her Imperial Watcher made Yuè think of those two bodyguards stranded somewhere in the Ancients' Abode were holding out, wherever they were. Knowing Feng was nothing if not tenacious, the Empress had every confidence that he'd make it through. And the Empress expected no less from the Shogun than the same faith in his bodyguard. All the positive thinking mattered.

 

"Speaking of sisters," the royal mare coyly added, making herself cozy on the ryuma stallion; "I don't think I ever had a chance to meet your youngest sibling... Soyokaze, was it? Tell me; how is she like? I would like to invite her to the Imperial Palace one day....."

[Zeig]

 

The fact that Yuè had immediately deflected his teasing as praise for her skill was almost enough to illicit another chuckle from the Ryuma. Instead, Ryuichi shot the Kirin a knowing grin and contented himself with a raised eyebrow as she caught onto the jest, before allowing himself to relax slightly against the weight and heat radiating snuggly from his side, golden eyes fixated on the swirling snow and darkening night sky.

 

...Aside from the dull, throbbing pain in his shoulder, this was almost...nice.

 

And entirely inappropriate, in the grand scheme of things. Cuddling like two adolescent school foals rather than two grown adults struggling to survive in the harsh wilderness. Just thinking of the tabloid covers that would have undoubtedly run if any journalists had been within even one hundred meters of this mountain was almost enough to make the Ryuichi's head spin. And make him grimace in disgust. It was a complete shame, really, that a Shogun couldn't enjoy even the small comforts of life without the risk of it being spun in a negative light. 

 

Like the comfort of a warm body to take strength from, a friendly shoulder to lean against. Ancestors, she felt good by his side...and her lips had left an impression on more than just his inner fires. How long had it been?...

 

Not since his time with that one mare in the military - his first adult relationship, and the last one, subsequently followed by his ascension onto the Seat of the Shogun. She'd been the only mare he'd ever fooled around with, for a couple of months when he'd been young and foolish and hot-blooded. Luckily for him, she had been the honorable sort who'd sought no place in the Palace, no money, no recommendation. No extortion or blackmail of any kind, that she could have easily gotten. She'd only been interested in shared body heat during the cold nights, and a friendly shoulder to lean against.

 

Just like now.

 

...Well. Sans the imminent threat of freezing to death - or perhaps more spectacularly, stumbling off a cliffside in a raging blizzard.

 

Slightly morbid thoughts aside, Ryuichi was glad for the distraction of Yuè's question, even as it took a familial turn. "Ah yes, Kaze," the Shogun chuckled lightly, as if the mere thought of his younger sibling brought endeared laughter to the forefront, "no, you wouldn't have. She was born just a few years shy of...of my ascension." Only the slightest pause betrayed Ryuichi's thoughts, but it was how he'd come to terms with statements like those. Centered around his ascension to the Shogun of Neighpon, not his mother's death. The positive event that had come out of the heart-wrenching one. "You would like her," Ryuichi continued, confident and bold in his statement, "as do all who inevitably succumb to her charms." 

 

The wry grin on his face probably let on exactly who fell to said charms the most often.

 

"Ah hah," the Shogun laughed briefly, mind already conjuring images of Kaze running around the Imperial Palace, "I'm sure she would gladly welcome the invitation. Kaze is...free-spirited." Running up to the sit atop the Dragon Throne like an Empress-to-be. "And adventurous." Rampaging through the gardens and finding them lacking to the clearly superior gardens of the Palace Castle. Certainly. "And...full of life." Introducing every single Palace staff to Koeda-san, and unwittingly sparking up an international war as every single Palace staff passed out...courtesy of some future upgrades he had planned for the construct. 

 

"And Lián?" Ryuichi questioned after a moment, now that the subject of siblings was well and truly underway, "he is well? He's back from his venture into Equestria, by now." That one wasn't a question, and wouldn't have been even if he didn't have access to all of the Karasu's networks.

 

He was a Ryuma who kept tabs on his friends, after all.

 

 

[Bellosh]

 

That brief instance of hesitation when Shogun Ryuichi mentioned his ascension did not go unnoticed by Empress Yuè. She knew full well the tragic chain of events that lead up to the declaration of Ryuichi as Neighpon's current head of state. In turn, Yuè still had difficulty remembering her coronation without recalling the loss she suffered beforehoof. By compartmentalizing those bad memories away, the qilin empress had managed to press on with her daily life, although times came along when things weren't always that easy.

 

Right now however, Ryuichi's focus on adorable Kaze (or so her apparent nickname went) kept the mental darkness at bay. Ryuichi's kid sister almost reminded Yuè of herself back in the day; a little filly more at home sneaking out of palaces than playing the part of the dutiful royal daughter. Kaze would just have to make sure she never got into any trouble, like the one time Yuè ate wild poisonous berries while running off in the Ryushima countryside without Father's permission...

 

Sigh... Lián. Relations had cooled somewhat between brother and sister since the banquet welcoming Prince Lián home. "My brother is still the same stallion you remember from when the two of you played together," Yuè answered with faux courtesy; a careful listener would be able to detect a very subtle edge to her voice. "I'm surprised he didn't come to meet you before we set off for Longri-La."

 

Nighttime had finally arrived, bringing with it chilled air and pitch blackness at the cave's mouth. Yuè's melted rocks still shimmered with light and warmth, but another fire spell would be required to rejuvenate it before the rising of the next sun.

 

"Get some sleep, Ryuichi." Yuè recommended with the intimate tone one used with a close friend. The mare's eyes started to shut, her body still very much cozy on her counterpart in survival; "We have to save our strength for tomorrow."

[PyroBlaze]

"No... how could I? I'm under no illusion that we could make it work, and besides, I don't want to endanger our current dynamic..." She sighed, staring out into the storm. "There has been no negative effects that I have noticed so far, though perhaps the fact I am his personal guard is helping somehow... Maybe all the time I spend with him allows me to show my affection in ways that can just be friends being friends..."

 

"Or maybe it's the daily sparring sessions where I get to train the others by beating my frustrations out on them." She gave a small snort before looking over to the stallion. "Sometimes it's good to be in charge."

 

Well, at least this talking was helping to distract her from her own feelings of uselessness right now... Once this storm was gone, she was not going to waste any more time. She was not going to fail him. 

[Blueblood]

"Hmm..."  Feng folded his hooves to rest his head upon as he listened to Sanda.  "That might work for a while, but I can tell you from personal experience that sooner or later, jealousy will be given a chance to rear its ugly head, and then your job will be a lot harder to do.  Because then your duty is not just to protect your charge, but their consort as well.  You may want to have the air cleared by then, before emotion has a chance to compromise your duty."

 

Speaking of emotion... feelings of uselessness could be just as dangerous to their ultimate mission as feelings of jealousy.  Staying up and being anxious only taxed their reserve of energy before it needed to be used.  Sniffing the air, Feng drew upon all his mountain experience to try to gauge the likely length of the blizzard.  "We'll be here for a couple of hours, I think.  Best we nap in shifts; we don't want to be tired when we find Yue and Ryuchi.  After all, we need to get them back from this mountain, too.  I can rest first, if you're having trouble."  Resting on command was one of those little skills that guards picked up over the course of their duty.  After all, it was a very intensive job, you had to get your sleep when you could, just to be able to do your job.  The Watcher Academy had made that clear from the outset, and Feng had occasion to be thankful more than once for that lesson.

 

~***~

 

Two hours later...

 

The howling abated, as the wolves on the wind lost their breath one by one.  A flurry of flakes still hung in the air, but above them could be seen breaks in the clouds, revealing the shining stars.  Feng, awakened from his nap now, knew that this was as good a time as any to leave.  The moon was waxing gibbous, enough light to see from the reflected snow.  He prodded Sanda with a wingtip.  "Storm's over.  There's light enough to see.  Best we get a move on."