The Tiger Within

The Queens were busy preparing for the ceremony. No one noticed the Emperor had gone out into the gardens where the lions rested. His eyes took in the emerald vines and golden flowers that looked as though they caught flame the evening light. The wooden swing slowly drifted back and forth in the wind.

His mind drifted back to the day he had it installed. A beautiful wooden swing, delicate and serine, carved for two people to sway together in the sunlight. Eve had always said how perfect this tree was for swinging. The view from this tree was beautiful, it gazed down into the valley below, the forest laid out before them. So many nights she had spent here, alone when he watched her from his study. Then when the children were born she had frequented it with them as well. He watched his son and daughter grown in this little wooden swing.

Not for the first time, The Emperor sat down on the swing and let his mind wander over his choices. Some of them were wrong, and he knew that now. He had done so to protect her… to protect their family in the beginning. Yet somewhere, something went wrong and she needed to be protected from him. Tears p.r.i.c.ked his eyes as he swung his legs slightly to achieve some motion from his lonely perch.

The View to the west of the swing drew his eyes. The cold palace outlined against the sky. A simple garden and little palace that now held the love of his life. Pride warred with his heart as one yearned to go to her, but the other refused to give himself the chance. She had defied him… but he had wronged her. Did he truly have a right to expect her to apologize?

Without thinking further, The Emperor slipped off the swing and began walking. Consciously he was still preoccupied with what he had done. How to face her and fix this. His feet had their own plan as he made his way to the cold palace. Lost in thought, he felt the chill in the air just before the scream erupted shattering the night"s calm.

He took off at a full run for the cold palace. The familiar tone of that scream chilled his heart to the core. If she was in danger...so far from the main palace…

The bodies of the two Cold Palace guards laid dead on the path. Only increasing the Emperor"s speed. As he threw the door open he gasped in surprise.

Beauty Adela was on her knees, holding the Empress"s head on her lap. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to wake her mistress. Angry eyes turned on him as she saw him enter. Though she would never say it, he knew she blamed him. Little did she know she could never blame him more than he blamed himself

The Emperor knelt over her searching fo the damage. A b.l.o.o.d.y patch on her dress near the abdomen caught his eyes. He gripped either side of the gash in the soft fabric and ripped it open with all his effort. The whole in her waist was pouring blood. It didn"t look like a wound he had seen before.

"Adela Call the Imperial physician, now." he ordered checking her pulse. Several long moments pa.s.sed with his fingers pressed to the inside of her wrist. For several terrifying breaths there was nothing, his worst fear nearly confirmed but then he found the soft beat. Weak but familiar no feeling had ever been more welcome.

Adie ran out the door as the Emperor poured his aura into her system, trying to strengthen her against this wound. He feared poison, or the damage would take her away. Sweat poured from his brow as he did all he could to help her.

"Why didn"t I learn basic healing!." he growled at himself and her brow wrinkled at his voice. His eyes softened as he smoothed her hair with his hand. "Shhh Eve… Evelyn, it"s okay. You will be okay." He whispered to sooth her. Though he wasn"t entirely convinced of his words, he sounded sure. There was no room for uncertainty facing death.