THE LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN LOTUS (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER 9

Valery was seated in the main hall reviewing the official documents the Left Guardian had gave to her the previous night. Most of the work was done by her guardians, all she has to do was make sure the palace stays safe and no one betrays it.

As she was going through the memorials Nora walked in looking so serious and she wondered who had angered that sweet child.

'Hail Oh Mistress!' she formally greeted her and that made it worst.

'Are you ill? Why are you so serious?' she asked her.

'I'm sorry I didn't get to inform you about something yesterday,' Nora apologized.

'What happened? There isn't an intruder on the mountain right?' she asked her.

'No, I invited someone here without your permission,' Nora confessed and she smiled at her.

'Who is it?'

'It's Daren Walkers,' Nora replied and Valery smiled at that.

'If he is here then send him in,' Valery said.

'Thank you,' Nora said and left the hall to bring the guest.

She watched as the two walked in and she knew she was right. It's been a few years and yet his face had never changed. She could see that there was something between those two and they only needed a little push.

'Hail Oh Saintess!' Daren greeted her.

'At ease,' she said and looked at Nora. 'Bring our guest something to drink and give him a seat.'

Nora gave Daren a nice seat and she left them alone.

'I'm sorry to intrude you on this and please forgive Nora for not telling you,' he said.

'Then I believe you must have a good explanation or else I will have to punish her right in front of you,' Valery gave a threat and saw the young man's face flinch.

'I beg of you to please show mercy. She has been serving you for years after all,' he pleaded on her behalf.

'On my mountain and in my palace, I set the rules and anyone who breaks them must be severely punished. An outsider will not dictate what to do especially when seated in my hall,' she told him with one her serious faces.

At that time Nora walked in with the other maids with trays of snacks. Nora brought her tray t her table while the other maids set Daren's table. Nora poured the citrus tea in her cup and handed it over to her. Valery took the cup and took a sip before setting it down.

'I won't tell you what to do but please forgive her,' Daren pleaded on Nora's behalf once again.

'Then I will find you an ultimatum.'

'Whatever you want me to do I will do it,' Daren said and Valery was pleased with it.

'Call the young lord here, Nora,' she instructed.

'Yes, Mistress,' Nora said and left the hall.

'While we wait for me to pass my judgment, I want you to tell me the purpose of your visit. Not even once had your family entered my mountain. So tell me, are you here to spy on me or what?' she asked him.

'I didn't come here to spy on you and my family is not even aware of my visit,' he answered.

'So why are you here? Don't let me ask you once more,' she asked.

'I came to see the woman who raised Lady Nora. I was amazed by her the last time we met and couldn't forget her ever since. Since you are like a mother to her I wanted to pay my respects,' he explained and she found it very amusing.

Such a young man was straight forward. He must really have a great liking towards Nora but she wouldn't let her go without a fight.

'That's very good of you but as for that matter you have to settle it with Nora yourself,' Valery said as Nora and Xavier entered the hall.

Xavier paid his respect before turning to Daren.

'What are you doing here?' Xavier asked Daren.

'You two know each other?' Valery asked.

'Yes, we met a few times back in the capital,' Xavier answered.

'Then that's good. I called you here to serve as my judge. Nora here broke a rule of the palace and invited a guest without my knowledge. Lord Daren here has begged for leniency on her behalf. I don't want to make things harder for the two of them which is why I will let you fight Daren here. Have a duel and I will pass my judgment after the duet,' she explained and saw Nora's face. She simply looked at her and shook her head.

'I will comply with your order Saintess,' Xavier said with a smile on his face.

'What about you Daren? Will you comply?' the Saintess asked.

'Do I have a choice?'

'You have. I can punish Nora myself, let you have a duel with Xavier or have one with Nora. Which one do you want?' she asked wondering which option he will choose.

'Last time I fought with Lady Nora and she caught me unaware, since I can have another chance to have a duel with her then I would like to have one with her,' Daren said.

Valery looked at Nora, she trusted her but she also wanted to see if she would agree.

'What do you think Nora?' Valery asked.

'If you want me to have it then I will,' she replied.

'But I should warn you, if you lose to him on purpose, I will have a duel fight with you myself and that is something you wouldn't want. Show me I haven't let you stay by my side for nothing,' she told her very seriously.

'I will not let you down,' Nora said.

'Good then. You will have your duel in the training grounds. I will call everyone to watch, don't embarrass me,' she said.

'You may both leave and prepare,' Xavier said and the two left the hall.

She smiled as she watched the two leave.

Xavier walked up to her and sat beside her.

'Who told you to sit on my throne?' she asked him.

'I just want to be next to you and ask you what are you really scheming this time?'

'Those two need to get closer. What other better way is there than for them to have a duel together?' she asked him.

'We have never done that before. Came we have a duel too?'

'Do you want to die?'

'I don't mind dying in your hands. But do you think they will lose to each other?'

'I will have to see that. I just want to see if Daren takes Nora, will he be capable of taking care of her as well as to protect her. I won't let her suffer for anything,' she said.

'You are being considerate.'

'You can see it as that. Gather everyone at the training grounds, we have something wonderful to watch,' she said.

'Yes, my lady,' Xavier said and stood up. He looked at her and bent down to give her a peck on her forehead.

Xavier left the hall and she continued reading her memorials.

Minutes later she stood up and took the palanquin for the training grounds. The ground was already full with disciples. She was using this time to see how well Nora had been training and to send a message to everyone in the palace that everyone was judged no matter whom you were.

She sat in her usual position and Xavier joined her.

'Is everything ready?'

'Yes, it is,' he replied.

'Let it begin, I have things to do,' she said.

The duel was announced for it to begin and she watched as Nora was dressed in her warrior outfit. It has been long since she saw her wearing that. Some would look down on her thinking that she was just an ordinary maid but to her she was an outstanding warrior and she should be respected for that.

They both bowed to her and they began the duel.

'Bring me my zither,' she said as she watched the two dueling. It was very funny watching the whole thing. She could tell that Daren didn't want to hurt her and neither did Nora. They were both great fighters and were a match. They complimented each other something that she was really admiring. After watching for a while she got really bored with the way they were fighting, they were very compatible but she was not going to let them leave the ground very soon.

She received her zither and placed it in front of her. She pulled the strings and the tune came out making everyone to be quiet and still at the same time.

'I think this duel we will have no winner which is why I'm going to make things very interesting,' she said looking at Nora. She could see her fear and that was for her to enter the grounds. Of course she would never humiliate her personal attendant by having a duel with her. She was going to promote her disciples instead.

'Anyone who can fight those two and manages to attack them ten times will be promoted immediately,' she announced and saw the look on her disciples faces.

'Mistress, are you sure about that?' the left guardian asked.

'Just see it as a way of training Nora. I want to see how well she adapts to pressure,' she explained.

'If you say so then it's settled.'

She watched as the disciples came into the ground and she knew that the real game was starting.

'To you my beloved Nora, if you win I will grant you three wishes. So make me proud,' she said and let the battle begin.

Valery began to play a bizarre tune with her zither, it was meant to create confusion and only the strong would manage to fight in that situation. She never stopped playing as the battle went on and on. She watched as her disciples fell one by one to the ground. She has really improved and she was very proud of her. The two worked well together and got rid of everyone they were fighting with. She stopped playing and looked at them and smiled.

'Well done,' she said and looked at the left guardian, 'Did anyone managed to attack ten times?'

'I'm afraid that no one did but someone managed seven times,' he replied.

'Who is that?' she asked being curious.

The left guardian called up the disciple who just did a miraculous deed. He stepped forward and she was a bit shocked. He looked very young for someone with such great martial arts skills.

'What's your name child?' she asked him.

'Paulo, mistress,' he replied.

She looked at his robe and noticed that he was of the lowest rank but how was it possible for him to be like that?

'I'm very astonished by what you did. I will have you promoted to be a third rank disciple,' she said and Paulo kowtowed to her there and there.

She felt so good to see such a thing happening. She turned her head to Nora and Daren who had defeated their opponents so well.

'I forgive you for what you did the both of you. Since you have both won I won't be dueling with you. I'm no longer in the mood. Like I promised, Nora I will grant you three wishes but you will have to think of them first and tell me when you are ready,' Valery explained and stood up.

'Thank you mistress,' they both said at the same time.

'Dismiss everyone and starting from today increase their training. How can they be so lacking?' she said very angrily.

'I will do that,' the left guardian said.

'Anyone who slacks off will be punished. I can't believe they walk around wearing my logo. Don't embarrass my palace!' she yelled and left the training grounds.

It was very disappointing to see that her disciples were doing nothing. How could they fight like amateurs? If someone was to wage a war with them how would they even survive? She needed them to be strong and so she was going to be ruthless once again. If she has to make two or three of them as examples then she will do it as long as her intentions were heard.

Xavier caught up to her and the palanquin was put to the ground. He stretched his hand and she took it and got off the palanquin.

'What are you plotting this time?' she asked him as she stood next to him.

'I just want to have a nice walk with my lady. I can tell that you are frustrated, so let me accompany you. I have something that I need to show you,' he told her and she put a smile on her face.

'What can it possibly be?' she asked.

'You will see,' he said.

The two of them began to walk and she wasn't bothered by the disciples that were seeing her. She loved him and he loved her, they will have to get used to it. They continued to walk until they arrived in the garden. It was a cherry blossom garden. The trees had bloomed and it was beautiful. The leaves were flying everywhere and it was just lovely, lovely enough to dissipate the anger she was having after what happened in the training grounds.

'It's beautiful,' she said looking at the trees.

'I know this will make you happy.'

'I'm glad you brought me here. So tell me, what you are hiding from me?' she asked. She knew it whenever he was hiding anything from him just like how she always knew how he felt for her.

'I can't hide anything from you, can I?'

'No, you can't. What have you done this time?' she asked him.

'Nothing much,' he lied to her and she looked at him.

'Should I do something to you again?'

'No, please don't. I don't know where to begin,' he told her.

'Just say it,' she said looking at him.

Xavier took something out of his robes and he gave it to her. She looked at him and then at what was placed in her hand and she was confused. Xavier had placed two white jadeite rings in her hands. They represented marriage, a union between a man and a woman. If she put them on then that meant she was agreeing to a marriage proposal.

'I know this is sudden but I don't think I can ever wait. I want to spend every second of the day with you. I want the whole world to know that you are mine and I'm yours. I don't want anyone to persecute you. I just want to spend the rest of my life proving my love to you. Can you be my wife?' he asked her.

She was shocked and excited at the same time. It's been days since they confirmed their feelings for each other and yet now he was proposing for marriage. She wanted this so much but she knew the great sacrifices that would come with it. Should she tell him what was going on or not? It was better left unsaid. She was going to follow in her mother footsteps and follow her heart. He might leave her one day but she was going to grab this chance of happiness and live in the moment. Whatever was going to happen next would come after that.

She looked at his face and then back to the rings in her hand. They weren't that expensive but they really meant a lot to her.

'Are you not going to put them on me?' she asked him with a smile.

Xavier didn't hesitate for a second. He put the rings on her finger and he embraced her in a tight hug. She could feel his warmth, his blood racing all over his body and mostly his heart thumping so loud and for her.

'Thank you for giving me the greatest gift of life,' he said to her as he looked into her eyes.

She didn't know what to do. She was filled with so much happiness that she felt tears stinging her eyes. Xavier noticed that, he didn't scold her but he gently kissed her tears away. Valery closed her eyes and let this moment linger for a while. Xavier kissed both of her eyes before lowering down to kiss the tip of her nose. She was feeling like a child, she remembered how her father used to kiss her before he died. She felt his warmth in Xavier; it was as if her father had woken up in Xavier. He kissed the corner of her mouth before capturing her mouth with his in a kiss so deep and warm that she felt lie drowning in ecstasy. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to him as they both shared an intimate kiss. She hooked her arms around his neck and fell deep and deep into the kiss. She wasn't caring for anything else except for that moment in time. It was just her and him and no one else was going to take that from her.

After a while Xavier broke the kiss and wiped the tears that were running down her cheeks.

'You don't have to cry anymore. I will always be here by your side every day and never leaving you,' he told her.

'I won't cry anymore again. I will always protect you like I have always done so make sure you keep your promise and stay by my side,' she said.

'I will never break my promise,' he told her and hugged her again.

'I'm so happy,' she told him the truth.

'I am happier. There is something I wanted to tell you,' he said suddenly and she pulled a bit away from his embrace.

'What is it?'

'I told my parents about my intentions towards you and they agreed. They are sending marriage gifts and they would be arriving pretty soon,' he said and she looked at him.

'That's very nice of you. I'm happy to see that you take this serious,' she said.

'I can never toy with you Valery,' he said.

'So when is the wedding ceremony?' she asked.

'Let's have it in a fortnight, everything will be prepared by then. I have to make our wedding robes,' he said kissing her on the cheek.

'Okay, you do what you are best at and I will do my thing,' she told him with stars in her eyes.

'I love that look. I will make sure you become the most beautiful bride our state had ever seen. It will be a wedding people will talk about in history,' he promised her.

'I hope so because I am not an ordinary woman,' she said.

'Indeed you aren't. You are special and I will make sure that it remains that way,' he told her.

She was very happy but she was also scared at the same time. Something was wrong she could see it but she needed to get rid of Xavier first.

'It's getting late. How about you go and check up on Nora and Daren and see how they are faring? I need to take another walk,' she said and he looked at her with that questioning look.

'Okay, I will see you later. I will send a few guards over,' he said.

'Sure, I will be just fine. Now go,' she urged him to leave.

After a while Xavier finally bulged and left. She took it upon herself to walk to the holy pond where she stared at the golden lotus for a long time.

She could always feel it when there was an attempt on her life. So many people had tried to kill her and they used all kinds of despicable methods to do so and someone she had taken care of, loved and gave everything to, was trying to commit such a sin. Why would she try to kill her twice?

She forgave her the first time but now she was about to do it again. She was going to see what was in store for her this time. She wasn't going to utter any word to Xavier. She knew his temper, it will cause a lot of strife and that was something she was going to avoid but first she couldn't wait for the gifts to arrive.