The Warrior

Warning: Those who don't like bittersweet romance, short stories or Asians, please leave now.

Still here?

Well, I hope you enjoy this one! It's short but I wouldn't want to change a damn thing about it.

Lillian.

1700s, China.

Lee dropped his armor onto the bed, uncaring to the damage that the spikes could do to the feather-ticked mattress. His muscles were weary and all he wanted was a hot bath and forty hours of sleep. He was denied either for the Emperor had summoned him for a discussion of the ten-month-old battle that they had just fought.

He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to think about anything. The blood, pain and fiends should be forgotten just like the passing winds. But he couldn't afford to lose his accounts of the battle for he was the Kingdom's Squire- a position held only by those who were the most worthy.

He settled onto the bed, waiting for some water and food. But even that small interval gave him an opportunity to think and whenever he thought, he thought only about one person.

Anna, he sighed, his countenance softening a little. He remembered the time that he had saved her from an Opium gang when she was a girl of eight and he was a man sixteen. It had been merely an act bound by honor, but ever since that night, she had haunted his dreams. He had even gone out of his way to track down her parents for her, but the British were nowhere to be found in this part of China. And so, at sixteen, he'd been saddled with a pretty little eight-year-old with eyes the color of nectar.

What else could he have done but set her up with an Ama, in a house by the river? He was a man with ambition and certainly couldn't afford to stay behind looking after little girls!

But the last time he had returned home, Ama Ming-En had told him that Anna would be turning eighteen in the summer, an age which should meet her married. She had already learned to speak Mandarin and would make the perfect bride for any man, Ming had boasted.

And so he had given her permission to find Anna a suitable husband. He didn't know why that order rankled him so much, but it did. Maybe it was the thought that she would be sharing the covers with a man that she didn't know or the fact that he had always thought of her as his possession...

The knock on the door made him snap out of his daydream. Distant water won't help put out a fire close at hand, he thought as he gave the order for the person to enter. He was expecting Chin, his assistant, to bring in some bathwater. Instead, there was a flurry of white skirts as women entered his domain.

Oh heavens, Lee groaned. Not again! His Majesty loved to send veiled women to bathe his top-in-commands.

He watched as the women set up their 'equipment'. Only one of them stood aside, waiting. All their faces were powdered white and their eyes were averted. He wondered just how many of them were sent by their fathers to seduce him into marriage.

Then, just as quickly they had come, they disappeared through the door. Only one of them remained -to help him bathe, he guessed - and Lee sighed, resigned to his fate for the Emperor would think it disrespectful if he sent the maid away.

The woman had abundant dark curls that were piled on top of her head in a knot. The white garment that she wore swept the floor as she walked. Her hips, well-outlined by the material swayed enticingly as she sashayed towards him with a wet cloth.

Lee took off his underclothes then, knowing that his scars would frighten the poor lady to the next province. But what could he do about the situation? The lady was here to do a job.

But the woman seemed unruffled by his wartorn body and just gestured for him to sit on the bed before kneeling before him to clean off the blood on his skin.

A wind picked up outside and blew a scent through the windows. It was the scent that had haunted him for most of his life; he was not surprised to find it in his chamber as well.

Anna, Lee thought as he stared out through the windows. If only...

Anna lathered the herbal medicinal powder onto the cloth and gingerly swiped at Lee's wounds, trying desperately not to cry. Oh, why did he have to go to battle? Her heart would ache every time he left the country to wage war on some foes that were not even his.

She recalled with great clarity of the times that he had come to visit her over the years. He would sit with her on the veranda talking to her about everything and anything, usually participating in a one-sided conversation. His peculiar jokes made her giggle and she could still remember every single one of them that he had told her. However, although a man and a woman were not allowed to converse before marriage, their relationship wasn't a conventional one for they were friends.

She sighed. Why was she lying to herself when the truth was that she was desperately, passionately, irrevocably in love with him? She would do anything for him but she knew that a donkey's lips would never fit a horse's mouth. In the same way, he would never fit in the village that she so loved. He belonged in a battle field with his men, his horses.

Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't realize that a tear had slipped unchecked onto his skin. But he had. Lee looked at her then and spied the beauty mark at the base of her thumb.

Anna.

He caught her by the shoulders and dragged her to a standing position. The cloth fell from her hand as he ripped the veil away from her beautiful face. Her skin was as creamy as he remembered, her eys as bright, her lips as cherubic. He felt an unknown emotion well up inside him but cast is aside, letting his anger at her ignorance consume him. What if someone had caught her sneaking into his chamber like she had?

"What are you doing here? I told Ming-En to get you married off," Lee asked through gritted teeth, not knowing if he really wanted to hear the answer.

"Yes. But no one wanted me. You should remember that you ordered my feet not to be bound when I was but a child. No one would take in a big-footed daughter-in-law," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lee cursed, remembering his order. He should've just let her feet be bound and be done with it. But he had seen it being done to his sister; the way she had screamed in pain over and over again made him take pity on Anna. He didn't want her to even feel the slightest touch of pain.

"We'll talk about this later, Anna. Go back to the village now. I'll send a missive to Ming-En," he said, not knowing if he really wanted her to go or not. He had missed her over the ten months, missed their conversations, missed her smile. And now that he knew she wasn't married, all sorts of unholy thoughts were bombarding his senses.

Anna didn't move. She stood there, coveting the feeling of his hands on her shoulders as she looked into his eyes, trying to tell him all the things that shouldn't escape her lips. Please, she thought. Don't ask me to leave you just yet. I want to be with you, feel your touch against my skin. I want you to keep me close, so close that maybe someday, you'll learn to love me.

Saints in Heaven, Lee thought. Her eyes were tempting him to the dishonorable. She was so beautiful, so fragile that she stroked his instincts to protect and possess.

"Do you remember," she whispered, "the time when you came home with your friends to practice on the grounds? And one of your friends tried to make mischief with me. You held my hand that day when you talked him out of it. And I believe that with that, you took my heart as well."

Lee felt like he was going to cry. He couldn't remember crying once in his twenty-six years on earth, but her words were melting his heart. The love and passion in her eyes made him want to bind her to him by marriage, give her all the love that she wanted and needed. But it couldn't be done- his position demanded that he take a Chinese bride.

But it couldn't hurt if he tasted her just once, could it?

Her mouth opened willingly as his came down upon it. She didn't fight him. Instead, she inched closer, resting her palms lightly on his exposed abdomen.

The kiss was enlightening for Anna. His lips were soft and giving, in contrary to his hard body. He sipped at her lips gingerly at first, then pressed against her firmly, using his tongue to swirl over her moist folds.

She shivered in delight as his hands stroked down the length of her arms and raised it around his neck. He was just a little too tall and she went on her toes and leaned into him for support. The heat from his skin burnt through her silk garment and she gasped into his mouth when she found her nipples hardening.

Even if she couldn't have him as her husband, Anna thought, she would have this one night.

She leaned away from him and unfastened the white cloth that she wore, letting it slip to the floor like foam from the sea. Holding her head high, she stood proudly as he devoured her with his eyes.

By the Spirits, she was beautiful. Unlike any woman he had ever seen! Her rosy nipples stood out proudly against her chest, as though the twins were waiting for his administrations. Her hips were well-rounded and although Chinese men usually preferred skinny women, he thought that she was the most ravishing creature that he'd ever laid eyes on.

And she was giving herself to him.

Freely.

He was a man of honor, yes, but a man could not be made of stone. His want for her spread through him like a fever and made his manhood twitch almost painfully. He shouldn't. He would spoil her for any other man. But there was some part in him that felt a twinge of glee at that idea.

She took his hands then, and placed them over her breasts. Cupping his wrists, she uttered one word: "Please."

It was all Lee needed to hear. He picked her up in his arms and moved toward the ornate bed, watching the candlelight flicker over her pale skin. The dew of their kisses was still upon her lips and he leaned over and licked it at it. She made a sound at the back of the throat that intensified his need sevenfold.

His caresses were just a little urgent now, Anna thought, a little more ardent. His tongue trailed moist kisses along the curve of her shoulder and she sighed as delight consumed her. He was being so gentle with her, as though she were a porcelain doll. She just wished that she knew what she could do to please him.

His mouth came back to her lips, claiming a teasing taste that stirred the juices of her own hunger. Gold dust sparkled behind her eyes as he deepened their kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth, drawing a moan of need from her.

Her hands slid up his muscled back and she moved her body against him, needing him to touch her everywhere. And he obliged, stroking down the length of her torso before settling his mouth over the bud that rose from her breast.

Her breath was coming out in shallow pants and she couldn't seem to hold a thought in her head. Pleasure like none other was consuming her. She tangled her finger in her beloved's hair, loving him the most at that moment when he held back to give her pleasure. His tongue laved her nipples; turning the turgid peaks a darker shade of pink before his teeth bit the tip and pulled.

Anna's breath caught as her eyes rolled back in her head, the pleasure too intense for her.

"Lee, please," she begged, not knowing what on earth she was begging for, only knowing that he was the only one who could grant her what she desperately needed.

And Lee, cursing himself for being as weak-willed as a cat, let his fingers trail down to her dark curls, kneading the mound with his palms, feelings the moist heat there. She was more than ready for him, he thought on a haze of pleasure as he toyed with her there, slipping his fingers into her, playing with her as though stroking the oo-zheng, a musical instrument. In and out his fingers delved and she arched into his hand, wanting him to go deeper.

He thrust his fingers into her heat, priming her for his possession. She was so tight that he wondered how he was going to enter her without hurting her. But she was arching into his hand and he felt her muscles contracting around him in desperate need for release. He had to have her. Now.

Pain lanced through her as he penetrated his length into her moist folds. Anna held herself rigid, unaccustomed to pain in her nether regions. But he was whispering lovely, sweet words into her ear. And slowly, the pain faded away on a breeze of pleasure. Every time he rocked within her, sparks seemed to spread throughout her body.

And he started to move. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist and gasped as he seated himself deeper within her, his groan telling her that he liked her response. Their bodies were slick with sweat and they molded together as he moved against her, the friction of skin upon skin bringing them to the unfamiliar ecstatic heights.

He was rubbing against a sensitive spot in her and Anna gasped, clutching at his shoulders as she neared some glorious pinnacle. Pinpricks of sweetness danced along her skin as she tumbled over the edge, the pleasure spiraling out of her body as she cried out and contracted around him.

He followed in her wake, spilling his seed deep inside her. Exhaustion claimed him for a moment and he collapsed onto the bed, pulling her up against him before tucking her into the curve of his shoulder. She felt so right.

It was wrong, Anna knew, but she didn't care. She had experienced the surmount pleasure love could bring and she would never forget it. He would always be the one she would love, she thought, be it in this century or the next.

****

Lee awoke to rapid knocks on the door. Anna was still nestled against him, her breath warm on his shoulder. He called out, asking whoever it was to leave the message.

"Sir Lee, you have to hurry. We are being attacked by the Manchus on the Northern border. Your horse is being readied as we speak," the messenger announced before retreating in a hurry.

Anna was awake by then and she stared at him with knowing eyes. Lee felt his heart ache with sorrow at having to leave her behind after their night of loving, but it could not be helped. His country needed him.

Anna helped him dress, knowing that he would be leaving her. But duty called out to him and he was honour-bound to answer.

Trailing her fingers over his armor, she leaned over and kissed him, a good-bye kiss full of longing and despair.

And with one fleeting look, he was gone.

****

Anna waddled out of the countryside house, her eyes scanning the route from the city.

Nobody.

She had thought that for a moment she'd heard the telltale noise of a horse's hooves. But no, she was fooled yet again.

Picking up the writings of Confucius that she'd been reading, she made her way to her favorite tree stump, under the large cherry tree. It was such a comfort, she thought, to be reading in the shade with her little one for company.

But as usual, the allure of the afternoon humidity became too hard to ignore and she dozed off, leaning against the tree for support.

And that was how he found her, nestled against the tree with the half-open book in her hand. She looked so at peace, so beautiful and so very... large.

Ming-En had written to him about her condition and the letter had only reached him two days ago. He'd gotten on his horse, then, without a second thought and rode home like there was no tomorrow.

She was carrying his child.

Nothing less could have brought him to his knees. His Anna was carrying a child because of the night that they'd spent together. Just the thought of it made him long for her touch, her love. Because now he knew now that he could return it fully; he'd spoken to the Emperor about her a few months ago and he'd consented to their marriage.

He crouched before her and watched as her perfect golden eyes blinked open. She smiled.

"I knew you'd come," she whispered as though she was still in a dream, holding her arms out to him.

He embraced her, reversing their positions so that she was nestled in his lap, her belly protruding from the pink silk dress that she donned. He trailed his hands over it, appeasing his curiosity of the life inside her that was more than a part of him. He jumped when he felt the baby move within her.

Anna watched him and watched his reactions. He still looked like the man that she loved, even after the eight months of separation. Granted, he had a fine stubble outlining his jaw and his skin was much darker than propriety allowed, but he was hers. Hers to keep, she hoped, for there could only be one reason for his return to her side in the midst of war. And he looked very pleased about the little one as well, which made her smile.

He cupped her face in his hands then, looking deep into her eyes. She was as beautiful as he remembered, much more so when she was with his child. His heart swelled with potent emotion as he held her close under the cherry tree, whispering his love into her ear.

She was the only one for him, he knew, and she would be the only one for him in the many years to come.