An Emperor's Promise (Ch. 4): Blowing Off Steam
Summary: Our newlyweds find themselves having built a routine, but what was once mutual sympathy and a goal to expose a traitor, turns into a bit of resentment and confusion. Perhaps Lan Fan and May Chang can help Zahra blow off some steam! :)
Warnings: Mentions and descriptions of kidnapping, forced paralysis, mild swearing, mentions of needles
A/N: We're now at 8 chapters on AO3 and Ami is horrible at uploading on tumblr--but I WILL get better, I swear.
Masterlist
After much arguing, bargaining, and coming up with excuses--Zahra found herself in the main palace with Ling. Her stipulation was that she got to take the Ladies in Waiting from the Huang house, because she didnât want to teach a new set of ladies how to comb and care for kinky hair. So here she was, her own roomâŚin the Emperorâs quarters. Because now she was Empress. Yay.
Upon her first official week as Empress, Zahra discovered there was now her own âthroneâ or seat wherever Lingâs was. So now she had to sit with him. Everywhere. Very closely. Great.
The food was nice. She hadnât tasted such delicious food before, everything was crazy good and fresh. But after watching Ling down his 3rd bowl or rice and 8th chicken skewer, she realized just how rich and spoiled this guy must be. Oh god, would people think she was spoiled now??
The worst parts were when she would visit the Huang house. Out of obligation, she had to go and play nice with Bo. The only thing keeping her sane was Yichen. Ling would just sit there, holding her hand, and talking nice with him, even when no one else was around Ling would say how 'happy' he was and how 'blissful' this new phase was. She would just bite her tongue and sit on her other hand, cause if she didnât, Yichen would end up an orphan.
All these thoughts bounced through her head as she sat next to Ling in some council meeting. Sitting next to her was a girl in pink, cute hair and buns, with some sort ofâŚblack and white cat? No, no, she said it was a panda. And said cute girl was currently translating for her. Zahra didnât expect them to suddenly switch to English for her--they werenât her ladies in waiting or the other servants. Even then, it just made her realize how out of her depth she was. Zahra continued to listen along to folks bickering or bringing up issues, leaning close to May to hear her thoughts and comprehend it. A certain voice startled her though.
âWhat do you think, Your Majesty?â He asked in English. Zahraâs eyes widened, realizing who was addressing her. It was the other man from the car that day. She looked down at the plaque in front of his seat, âShenâ. Lee Shen. Zahra was shaking a bit, grasping Lingâs hand. She leaned towards him and whispered.
âThatâs one of the other menâŚhe was driving the car, I recognize his voice, he was--â
âYour Majesty, is something the matter?â He asked, looking at both. The others in the room looked at Ling and Zahra, confused.
Ling cleared his throat and smiled. âNo, nothing is wrong. The Empress is still getting used to being amongst such a large company, but she shares my sentiments on the matter, I assure you.â
Zahra had a difficult time hiding her disdain, but May gently touched her hand. Zahra already felt somewhat guilty, with how kind she was towards her. She figured her presence had apparently soiled May's grieving process--to be fair, she didn't have a say in replacing the late princess. She managed to compose herself and simply nodded. The meeting continued as she side-eyed Ling. Did he really feel nothing for what she had shared? Why was he just placating these people?
After the meeting, Zahra felt a bit frustrated. It was one thing, being showboated and talked to a certain way because she was a foreigner who now held the 2nd highest position in the land, but it was another thing that Ling didnât seem to care about what their goal should be: getting themselves out of this marriage.
âYour Majesty.â Zahra looked behind her and saw Lan Fan, gently bowing to her. She stood back up and smiled. âHow was your first meeting with the council? Did you enjoy the wonders of politics?â
Zahra snickered and covered her mouth. Lan Fan led them to a corner away from the other council members exiting the room. âIt certainly wasâŚa challenge. I mean, Iâm not sure what I should be doing. In terms of the âhouseâ I am responsible for--the Huangs and Yaos are doing ridiculously well. Also, you all have, what, 500,000 members? Thatâs a lot of siblings.â She said, jokingly.
Lan Fan laughed and covered her mouth. âPardon me, your Majesty. Those of us in a clan all just descend from the same ancestor, the first Yao. Think of the clans more likeâŚsmall countries or states within the full body of Xing.â She explained, still a bit giggly. She was so stoic and cool at the wedding, and it took Zahra 1 lame joke to get her giggly.Â
May Chang came up behind her and jabbed at her side, smirking as Lan Fan returned the hit. âYâknow itâs awful rude to keep her to yourself. I wanna talk with the new Empress too, Lan Fan.â
âUgh, please donât say it. Itâs bad enough that people call me âYour Majestyâ...I need to blow off some steam, but last time I tried to walk outside, they had--like--8 bodyguards and 4 ladies accompanying me.â Zahra complained.
The two girls looked at each otherâŚLan Fan shook her head while May Chang excitedly grabbed Zahraâs hands. âCome with us!â She said and dragged her along and down the hall while Lan Fan followed reluctantly.
The trio ended up in a large room with punching bags, an assortment of weapons, and punching mitts. âTa-da! This is the palace training room, a place to sharpen fighting skills, exercise, and blow off steam after the most excruciating of meetings.â May Chang smiled while Shao Mao demonstrated her little moves. âWeâre going to help you get some of this energy out of your system.â
Zahra looked around at the different parts of the room, impressed with how organized and large this space was. âWowâŚIâve never seen a place like this before. But, I canât exactly fight in this.â She said, gesturing to her dress and shoes.
âDonât worry, we have that covered.â May Chang smiled and opens a wardrobe with an assortment of t-shirts, shorts, sweats--next thing Zahra knew, she was wrapping her hands with bandage and had on a black tank top and shorts. She stood up barefoot on the cool, cushioned floor and looked at the punching bag.Â
âSoâŚI can just hit it and stuff? Is there like a limit or--â
âYour Majesty, have you never punched a punching bag? ItâsâŚin the name.â Lan Fan said, trying to tread the line between superior and dumbass carefully.
Zahra twiddled her fingers. âI just didnât want to ruin itâŚokayâŚokay here I go.â Zahra seemed to get into someâŚsort of position. Lan Fan adjusted her discreetly and tapped her fist in approval. Zahra smiled and swung her arm, her fist coming into contact with the bagâŚthe heavy bag barely moved a centimeter.
The two Xingese women looked at Zahra, trying so⌠so very hard not to be disrespectful to their Empress. â....That wasâŚa good form.â May said, Lan Fan nodding as she realizes this woman couldnât even win against a heavy box.
âWith all due respectâŚyou seem to have a lot going for you. What are you, like, 5'6? You arenât as slim and built for agility, at least without the proper training, but youâre pretty curvy and plump, with good legs and arms. You should have had way more power in that punch.â
âThat seemed like a long-winded way of saying Iâm too big to not punch hard.â Zahra said, a bit embarrassed.Â
âWell, Iâm 5â2 and Lan Fan is 5â8.â May Chang said. Without hesitation, she punched the bag in front of her--making it swing on itâs rope with enough force that Lan Fan had to catch it. Zahra stood there in shock, realizing this princess could literally kill her. âMind you, Iâve been training since I was 9--but basic physics would have me thinking youâd have a bit moreâŚoomph.â
Lan Fan circled Zahra. âIt may still be the effects of any leftover paralyzing agents fromâŚthe incident. But, even then, it seems more like youâre holding back. Your Majesty, we brought you in here to blow off steam. Itâs okay to be angry andâŚpunch the bag for punching.â
Zahra sighed. âMaybe this was a silly idea, I don't have a violent bone in my body! The most 'fighting' I've done is chasing around, wrangling, and breaking up fights amongst my siblings.â Zahra mumbled, still embarrassed.Â
May Chang thought for a moment...she got behind the punching bag. âOh yes, your siblings...they arenât here. At all. Theyâre pretty far away, without you to wrangle them.â
Zahra didnât know how to respond to thatâŚshe pouted a bit. âYeah, okay, you kinda said that like you wanted to--â
âAnd your mother. Your father. All alone. They might think youâre dead. Or maybe Bo sent someone to âtalkâ to them.â Lan Fan added on, smirking behind her.
Zahra looked at the two of them. âWell damn, I came here to calm down, you guys are being kind of mean..â
âOh no, no mean is kidnapping you. Mean is paralyzing you. Forcing you to get married to someone you donât even know!â May said and shoved the punching back, hitting Zahra a bit. Zahra growled and hit the bag, moving it a teeny bit.
âMay! That isnât nice! Iâm trying hard here.â
âJust like your siblings must be trying hard to get over their big sisterâs disappearance, huh? Lan Fan egged on, making Zahra hit the bag again, harder. She began to punch it again and again.
 Ling walked towards the training room. He saw a crowd of nervous servants outside, peeking into the doorway. He had walked out the meeting hall, only to find Lan Fan, May Chang, and Zahra gone. It had been about 3 hours, considering he didnât want to bother them and figured they were safe--but a frantic, out of breath servant said something about âtearing each other apart. As Ling poked his head inside, he watched the scene in front of him unfold.
âYOUR LADIES IN WAITING DIDNâT EVEN KNOW HOW TO DO YOUR HAIR!â Lan Fan shouted while currently pinning Zahra down. Zahra grunted as she reached in front of her, grabbing a padded mitt and hit Lan Fan in the head with it, and kicked her in the gut.Â
âI KEPT TELLING THEM, TIP TO ROOT, ITâS NOT THAT HARD! THEY ALMOST YANKED IT OUT!â She shouts. May Chang came from behind and locked her arm around Zahraâs neck, knocking her knees out from under her and flips her.
âHOW MANY TIMES DID THEY HIDE THE WRITING UNTENSILS FROM YOU AND UNPLUG THE PHONES BEFORE YOU COULD TALK TO YOUR FAMILY!?â May Chang laughed as she brought Zahra to the ground. Zahra swept her legs under May and stood over her, panting.
âTheyâŚthey didnât evenâŚleave Yichen âsâŚcrayons around me.â She said and wiped her forehead of sweat.
Ling walked into the training room, surprised. It was nearly torn apart, a punching bag had the stuffing leaking from it, Meiâs throwing daggers were stuck into the wall, and the three girls were laying on the ground, sweaty and out of breathâŚand Zahra began to laugh. A loud, hearty laugh. âIâŚI havenât had that much fun since I was a kid. You guys were totally going easy on me.â
âOh of course we were, we'd be dead if we ended up killing the Empress.â Lan Fan laughs and sat up. âBut you definitely have potential, and you fight pretty good when youâre angry.â
May Chang giggled and sat up. âIf it were anyone else, you may even win a fight. But not us.â She gently nudged Zahra.
Zahra turned and noticed Ling standing there. âOh. Hello.â She said, stretching and stood up. âYou okay? You look like you saw a ghost.â
Ling clears his throat. âIâŚdidnât expect you were into this kind of stuffâ
Zahra rolled her eyes. âYeah, well, after..the âincidentâ, I figured Iâd need to learn to protect myself and find an outlet.â
âYou know the guards and Lan Fan are basically with us 24/7, you donât need to worry--â
âI do when you donât seem to care.â She snapped. May and Lan Fan looked at each other, sensing the tension in the room. Ling stared at ZahraâŚhe sighed and began to strip. Soon, he was just in his white trousers and was wrapping his hands. âAlright. Come on. Take me.â
Zahraâs jaw dropped as she looked at Lan Fan and May to see if they just witnessed what she did. She was a bit flushed, but thank god you canât see cherries through a chocolate bar. â....IâŚI beg your pardon?â
âYou clearly are mad, even after sparring with Lan Fan and May to the point youâve nearly tore the room apart, so take *me*. Try coming at me.â
Zahra glanced at him. He was really fit, muscular and toned in a way that didnât seem to match a spoiled royal. He was also taller than her too. She weighed her options. Either get embarrassed and have him wipe the floor with herâŚor maybeâŚjust maybe ...get a single punch in and knock some sense into him.
Zahra was coughing, and currently laying face down on the ground. Ling stood over Zahra, looking down at her. â....Zahra. I think at this rate we should talk. Iâve flipped you, pinned you down, done just about everything but land a hit on you.â
Zahra stood up again and let out a shaky breath. âIâŚI donât careâŚIâm angry at you.â
âBe angry all you want, itâs not changing the fact this is ridiculous.â He reached his hand out to place on her shoulder. She grabbed it and tried to flip him--like Lan Fan and May Chang had taught her to do earlier. Instead, Ling wrapped his arm around her neck and held her in a chokehold.
âWill you quit it! I donât know why youâre mad at me, you havenât said a damn word since we started, so just cut the crap and accept youâre being stupid!â
âAnd how stupid are you for playing politics with people who kidnapped me and blackmailed you??â She shouts. Ling was shocked to hear this, his grip momentarily faltering. Zahra used this opportunity to elbow him off, though he probably let her. âHow could you just sit in that meeting and not say anything to him! How could you just go about your day with these meetings and playing happy couple? Everyone keeps saying weâre the most powerful people in this country, and we are TRAPPED!â
âZahra--â Ling tried to speak but Zahra ran out the room. He wanted to go after her but May grabbed his hand.
âHey--hey, let her goâŚshe needs to calm down before you two speak again.â May said softly. Ling stood there, feeling a weight in his stomach. Why was he suddenly feeling so upset? Why did his chest ache as he just let her leave? Ling squatted to the ground and sighed, face in his hands. Damn it.
