To Kiss the Blade: Liu Fai {1}

Kidnapped at only a moth old, Liu Fai is raised believeing that she is a member of the Sun Kingdom. Will she ever discover the truth about her new family?

 Intro:         Deep within an often war-stricken, three main kingdoms arise. Sun (Soon), or the Red Kingdom, is known for it's agression and harsh fire tactics. Pac (Poss), or the Green Kingdom, is known for it's strength and wise leaders. Zin (Zhen), or the Blue Kingdom, is a mix between the two. It contains warriors of strength, strategy, and agression, making it the strongest of governments.

            These three kingdoms have been at war for centuries over the portion of China they are forced to cooperate in. Each wishes to take full control but none has succeeded in overcoming the others. But for now, we focus in on the life of a young woman. Liu Fai. Beginning in the kingdom of pac.

Chapter 1:

              I paced the wooden hallway and tried my hardest to ignore the screams of my dear wife. They wouldn't allow me in the room for the birth. They say my wife's condition is worsening and that it would be too hard on me to see her like this, and that she didn't need any extra stress right now. But I can only see that having me in there would lighten the stress.

          I heard footsteps coming my way. A messenger, dressed in green and yellow servant robes kneeled in front of me, holding out an envelope. "Your Highness." The messenger said in a whisper. I gracefully took the letter from his hand and thanked him.

         I opened, taking one more worried glance back at the door to the room my wife was being held in. The letter was from my top General, General Zhao Wen.

Dear Liu Jin,

            I am pleased to announce that this morning, as the sun began to rise, my wife gave birth to our son. We have named him Zhao Yun. If your Xing Cai is to give birth to a daughter when she does have her child, I hope to be able to arrange a marriage between our children. I pray everything goes well with Xing Cai. I wish the best of luck on your family.

   General Zhao Wen

           Brilliant of Wen to think of that. Who better to run my kingdom after I'm gone than the son of my best warrior?

           Someone cleared their throat behind me. It was the woman delivering my child. "How is she? What's going on." She gazed down at her feet. "Please come with me." I said nothing but followed her. Relief flooded over me when I heard the soft cry of a baby girl. I pushed ahead of the nurse and ran into the room.

            Xing Cai was laying in the bed, weakly holding our daughter in her arms as the little girl screamed and kicked. I rushed to her bedside. "I want to see you holding our daughter before I go." She whispered, holding her out to me. "Before you go?" My voice was weak and beginning to break. She nodded. I hesitantly took the child out of her arms and held her in my own. She was so beautiful, just as her mother.

           "She's amazing, our Fai." Cai reached out her hand and softly stroked Fai's cheek.  Then she dropped her arm back to her side, and her eyes slowly closed. I turned back around to the nurse. "Is she gone?" I asked quietly.  The nurse took ahold of Cai's wrist. With sorrow, she nodded.

             I gulped in the tears. I couldn't let any weakness show. But as I gazed into Fai's eyes, now wide with curiousity at the man holding her, eyes so much like her mothers, I gave up and let the tears flow.