Yan Provincial Roleplay

[Li Dao Wen]

"What is power, Lady Yi? And what is glory?" Xun Jiang watched as she slid a little further away. He had caught what she wanted to say before she trailed off, and it pained him to think that she might actually leave him should he allow her to. "Xian Long Rui could be king of any land he wished, and he can conquer any foe in battle. There is but one thing that I fear deeply now, and that is losing you."

He looked at her, the cast his eyes downward, struggling to suppress a cough that could break his mind's momentum. "I would give up the throne for you, Lady Yi. The men of Yan and the men of Chu could surely find a better man to be king, can't they? I can only rule with force and discipline; without you to temper me with mercy and affection, then there is no point in ruling Yan. I would simply become another tyrant, for I do not know love. If you leave, then I will call on the King of Chu to send another to rule here. I will depart these lands and live beyond the Great Wall."

Then, at that instance, his face devolved into one of deep sorrow, and he began to quiver. The Demon Warrior of Chu was, for the first time in so many years, breaking down from a stoic, if not remorseless monster, to a man who knew how to shed tears. "I... I leave the choice up to you, if you wish to stay or leave. I... I want to marry to you, and I... beg you to stay. Stay with me. But I will not force you to, Lady Yi."

He turned his eyes away, hoping she didn't catch the shining glimmer in his eye.

[Meia]

Yi reminisced his proposal in the dungeon; how starkly contrasting this was… and how different Xun Jiang had become. He had changed so much, on her account she realised. She began to see that beneath the hard, menacing exterior and terrible reputation was a heart which could be a force for good. And never had Ding Yi imagined that a man would sacrifice rulership for her. It was only then that she truly understood his earlier actions; his tender caresses of her cheek, holding her in his arms, and how he looked and spoke to her in a different manner.

For a few seconds in almost torturous silence, she gazed at his sidelong face, tracing the line of his jaw; Xun had never turned away from her like this before. Finally she spoke to him, with a soft, beaming smile, “I think you do know love, Lord…Xian,” She hadn’t directly addressed him before; hence it felt unfamiliar on her tongue. Her hand patted softly on his. “..I am glad that… you are not a beast..." Yi said soothingly, before drawing a breath. "Stay in Yan, and be her good King and protector. Then I will stay, with you.”

[Li Dao Wen]

Xun Jiang closed his eyes and contemplated on her words. He too realized how different he was, how much more gentle he had become. Surely his gruffness and indifference towards the fickle matters of men were still there somewhere, and he wouldn't forget them easily. But towards his Queen, his wife, for whom he would lay down everything, he was as calm and gentle as a spring

"Yan will have a good king , I promise you," Xun Jiang said, smiling solemnly, briskly wiping away the cool tears from his eye. It was the first time in his life that he had felt so satisfied, so content. Not all the titles, victories and riches in the world could have equaled the exaltation he felt when Ding Yi agreed to stay with him. Had he been any less stoic, she would have found him shaking and dancing with happiness.

All his life he had been feared and admired, loathed and hated, but never loved. It was a strange feeling for him to be giving it so freely, so easily. She never did tell him how she felt towards him, and it was too soon for him to assume that she shares the feelings he was starting to express so freely. But that she would stay with him of her own free will... It was enough reason for him to believe that she had accepted him, even if just a bit into her heart. Her beaming smile held the promises of tomorrow for him, and she didn't need to speak of it for him to hold fast to it.

He could now rightfully say that he had everything he could ever want.

"Perhaps... this is what true glory is," he said idly, gently holding her hand in his. "For me to finally be freed of the hollowness that I've been trying to fill with blood and victory in battle, I never imagined that all I needed was you. Your faith is more than enough to help me conquer anything."

Impulse started to kick in, and he gently pulled her closer towards him, up from her chair, and into his arms once more. He held her firmly, his body trying to express how precious she was to him, that he would never let her go. The fever he had been suffering from had long been forgotten, tempered by a far more welcome feeling. He held her face aloft a tiny distance away from his, fully absorbing himself in the tremendous beauty of her eyes.

A few seconds later, he realized how the gap between their lips was a mere hair away. Almost completely overwhelmed by passion, he smiled as he brushed her lips with his. "May I... my love?"

[Meia]

She felt minute tremors beneath her skin, though not from anxiety or fear. Her heart fluttered, yet she felt strangely calm in his arms, not moving a muscle to wince or fidget in his hold. Instead, Lady Yi looked at Xun Jiang tenderly, slipping her arm under his so that her hand could wrap over his shoulder. It wasn't long ago when Yi believed she would be doomed to a loveless union run by terror and intimidation. Now as a tear streamed down her fair cheek, she saw Xun Jiang's endearing gaze and the passion he was radiating as clear signs that it would not be. Instead, she would have a husband to love and by whom to be loved. Of this, she could not be more grateful and elated.

With her body pressed against his, their faces contacted nose to nose. Her mouth was slightly open while his feathery breath tickled the top of her lip. “So you intend to pass your cold to me?” she couldn’t resist saying to him jokingly, before letting him kiss her...

[Li Dao Wen]

With her agreement, their union was sealed. Xun Jiang let go of his hesitations and delved straight into his passions. He pressed her body closer to his and consumed her mouth with increasing greed, feeling her hot breath and soft lips his grasp on her waist tightening like a soft girdle. She strangely felt warm to the touch, even though she had been exposed to the cold too long. His right hand then slipped the blanket over her head and around her body, covering her while exposing his own clothed back to the headboard.

But he could not let the joke pass without a shot of his own. Xun was barely able to stifle another cough and sniff, and felt a bit embarrassed at being reminded of his fever. Suffice to say, however, it was no longer the condition that was making his body hot. He momentarily broke off their kissing and grinned widely at her, using a playful finger to sneak in a light poke at her side. "Ah, but you've made me feel so much better, my Queen of Yan. I think I'd rather pass some warmth into you."

She was light and delicate, but soft and firm at the same time. He took every expression, every gasp, and every thunderous beat from her chest with affection and mirth, etching the sensations into his heart. As he explored her with his hands and mouth, he did his best to be considerate with regards to his own strength, to harness it to suit her liking.

Her floral scent was so enamoring, so intoxicating, like the smell of spring flowers. Yes, perhaps that's what she has grown to symbolize to him: a spring flower blooming in the middle of his wintry heart.