Twin Star-Commencement-Lian and Ju-long

      Ju-long quickly packed his belongings into his backpack, then began helping Lian arrange her things in her trunk.  She had never bothered to collect so much until they came to live with Marin and his coven. They had always traveled light, in case Jūnfá found them, but Ju-long catered to her passion for healing and collecting herbs.  She had gathered quite a collection in their travels all over Europe, Russia, India, Africa, and Asia.

        As their time with the coven endured, and her knowledge grew with Emmaline’s tutelage, Lian had begun cultivating her own plants.  She found an expansive alcove on the back side of the underground lake that allowed the sunlight to filter in through a large crevasse in the ceiling.  She spent hours nurturing each herb, plant, and tree she could grow, and Ju-long worked tirelessly to build an irrigation system leading from the lake into the alcove, so she would not have to carry buckets of water back and forth to water the plants.  He knew it pained her greatly to leave her greenhouse, but she worked quickly to gather roots, seeds, leaves, cuttings, and any other parts she might need in the future.  

        “Fěnhóng sè, are you sure you wish to leave?”  When she ignored him, he knelt behind her and placed a hand on each elbow.  “Please, do not be angry with me.”  His plea was almost a whisper.  “I did what I believed was necessary to keep you protected from Jūnfá.”  He felt her stiffen beneath his grasp.  “You know my feelings for you, Fěnhóng sè.  I have never hidden them.  I have stayed by your side for hundreds of years and endured unbearable tortures just to be near you.  I would gladly do it again and in every lifetime for eternity, but I cannot bear for you to be angry with me.”

        Lian slowly turned to look at him over her shoulder.  Her tears ran freely, as she answered, “My anger has abated, my beloved Lán sè, but you have wounded me deeply.  What you have done is an affront to everything we feel for one another and the things we have endured.  You knew she was like me when you aided Marin with his plan, and you had no intention of telling me of any of it. You would willingly condemn her to live as we do?”

        “To protect you from Jūnfá, so that he could never…” Ju-long swallowed the bile that rose in his throat at the memories of watching helplessly, as Lian was at the mercy of that monster.  “I will never allow him to put his hands on you again.”  He wrapped his arms around her, and this time she permitted the embrace.

        She was hyperaware of his lips at her ear and his breath on her skin.  She wanted so much more than that embrace, had always wanted more from him.  “Lán sè… I will no longer allow Jūnfá to govern my treatment of you.”

        Ju-long released her, and she turned to face him.  He looked hopefully at her and asked, “What does that mean, Fěnhóng sè?”  She answered him with a soft kiss on his lips.  “Are you sure you want this?”

        Lian smiled.  “Yes, Lán sè. I have always wanted this, to my Fùqīn’s exasperation and my Mǔqīn’s amusement.  I knew you felt the same when you began leaving the gifts beside my bed.  That is why Fùqīn attempted to send you away, but then Mǔqīn changed his mind.  It took many months to convince him to allow me to marry you.  Fùqīn was to discuss arrangements with you that week, as I refused to see his other prospects, and Mǔqīn threatened to move into the guest wing if he did not submit.  I should have told you when we were living in the mountains, but everything had changed. You were a vampire, and I was… something else.”

        Ju-long needed to hear nothing more.  He pulled her to him and kissed her.  He let the years of longing and denied passion free, as she parted her lips to invite him in.  His fingers entangled in her hair, and his other hand pulled her tighter to his trembling body.  His lips left hers to find her delicate neck.

        “Lán sè,” his name hung, breathless, on her lips, and it further stirred the passion within him.  His hand found its way around from her back, and she grabbed his wrist to stop him.  “Please, Lán sè,” she smiled at his confused expression, as he pulled away to look at her.  She took a moment to catch her breath, then explained, “We must finish packing, and leave before sunrise and Marin’s return.  Once we have found refuge for the day, we can continue this long-awaited endeavor.”  She kissed his still trembling hand.

        He smiled back and sighed, “Forgive me, Fěnhóng sè, I should not have lost control of my emotions in such a way.”

        She laughed.  “Feel free to lose yourself again once we are settled in for the day.  I quite enjoyed it.”  Ju-long kissed her once more, this time with constraint, then returned to helping her pack.  

        He found the task went more quickly, as Lian used some of her reserved speed to collect the specimen’s she needed.  He smiled at the knowledge that she, too, longed for the sunrise and their first time together.  He carefully wrapped each sample and placed it in the trunk.  After almost three hundred years, they could finally love each other openly.  She was soon by his side helping to pack away the last of the herbs.

           Lian picked up Ju-long’s pack, and slung it across her back, as Ju-long lifted the trunk onto his shoulder.  They both said a silent goodbye to the beautiful greenhouse and their small cabin then headed for the trail around the lake.