Faithful Heart (Flesh of my Flesh...Blood of my Blood 2)

Chapter 22

Author's note; Another sad chapter. I promise to write happy moments after three more chapters. xD This is a long fanfic.

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Feng Jiu had recovered from her injuries quickly, only a slight ache remaining whenever she breathed was present and had taken over caring for Ah Li who would not sleep at night nor eat. Her cousin was hysterical, crying nonstop and wetting the bed at night in terror.

"Ah Li has lived up to his name. Father is gone." The little boy had wailed, and Feng Jiu had cried with him as she would rock him in her arms.

She had spent a whole night trying to sooth him to sleep without success, until Donghua had come into the room, and sitting besides her had placed a sleeping enchantment on the little boy. Feng Jiu reclined against his chest as she ran her hand on her cousin's hair.

"Why would my Aunt have named Ah Li with the character for separation? This was a bad omen." Feng Jiu whispered in consternation. "He will now forever think everyone who ever leaves him is related to his name."

"He is a but a young babe, little love. He will grow to understand it is not so." Donghua said and kissed the top of her head. "You need rest. Your Aunt has kept the body of Crown Prince for too long in her Den, the day after tomorrow she will have to allowed for Heavenly Regulation to be followed. I can no longer delay this process, Xiao Bai."

Placing Ah Li back in his bed and tucking him in, Feng Jiu and Donghua left his chambers, Nai Nai who had been waiting outside quietly entered and lay down in a cot provided for her to keep watch over her charge.

"I have written up a prescription, the palace kitchens will feed it to Ah Li in his milk daily to keep him calm." Donghua told her as he led her back to his chambers.

Tai Chen Palace had been constructed with only the needs of His Lordship in mind, Dijun himself had drawn the working drawings, never thinking he would ever marry he had not allowed for quarters for a wife. This led to Feng Jiu sharing his chambers and he had ordered a much larger bed to be brought in as well as another chest of drawers for her clothing. Donghua had apologized to her, in the Nine Heavens it was not customary for married couples to share the same room, but Feng Jiu had told him this was alright, in Qing Qiu the opposite was the true. Beds where circular in Quing Qiu with many goose feathers cushions and coverlets, snuggling down for the night and sharing body heat was active quality time for Feng Jiu's fox nature, she had not done this briefly because of the newness of their marriage. This had been a relief to Donghua who had gone to bed cold and alone in his head for too long.

Once inside their chambers Donghua helped Feng Jiu out her clothing and into her nightgown before he tucked her into bed. "Please put a sleeping enchantment on me. I feel so much anxiety, I cannot sleep." Feng Jiu begged and Donghua obliged before heading for the War Chambers in the Celestial Palace to plan for war.

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Bai Xuan was the first son of the Fox King, amongst his brothers and sister, he was the only one to be able to shoot lightning from his tails, and after his Lord Father, was the only one to still be able to call on a warrior fox form in battle. This power had been lost with the dilution of their fox blood, the Bai's hailed from the Primordial Spirit of the Red Nine Tailed Fox but the last red nine tail fox had been his great-grandfather who had been born with red hair and grey eyes. His niece, Feng Jiu, was the first nine tailed red fox in three generations and the only one in the known Universe, Bai Xuan had been pleased to hear from intelligence reports that she had finally manifested but had been discomfited when he learned she had married His Lordship, Donghua Dijun.