Variation #3 - The Four Seasons
Title: Wintry Oracle
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Characters: Miaka, Hotohori, Tai Yi-Jun
Word Count: 857
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. Tai Yi-Jun tells Miaka something important... three months too late. Sequel to Wedding Day.
Table link: http://airelement.livejournal.com/57564.html
“Your majesty, the emperor wishes to see you,” a servant said, bowing deeply. Miaka still wasn’t used to being called ‘your majesty’ - ‘milady’ had been hard enough to adjust to - but every time she heard it she felt a little thrill because it reminded her that Hotohori and she were married now.
In a way, it was odd how quickly she’d fallen out of love with Tamahome. She hadn’t forgotten him - the roguish thief would always have a place in her heart as her first love. Her first love, but not her true love - Hotohori was the man who filled that position.
Sometimes Miaka wondered how Tamahome was getting on. Maybe he was married to Yui now. She hoped so. They both needed someone to love, even though they were her enemies. Or maybe they were ‘living in sin’ - although Miaka knew that if Yui ever heard her say that she’d get slapped. Not that Miaka thought she had much chance of avoiding a slap if she ever met Yui again.
Miaka hurried through the palace, heading towards the temple. It was the middle of winter and absolutely freezing cold, with icy wind and snow to add to her misery. When she entered the temple, brushing the snow from her hair, the first thing she saw was Tai Yi-Jun. It hit Miaka like the proverbial sack of bricks. She was still the priestess of Suzaku, even if she was the empress of Hong Nan now, and she had a duty to her people. A duty which she’d been neglecting.
“Uh oh,” she muttered, and wished she hadn’t when Tai Yi-Jun turned to face her.
“Well, well, well,” the oracle said angrily. “The two of you couldn’t possibly wait, could you?”
“Huh?” Miaka said, looking at Hotohori for enlightenment. The only enlightenment she received on the deeper meaning of that statement was when Hotohori’s strayed close to his sword, and all that told her was that it was insulting - something Miaka had already figured out. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The priestess of Suzaku is supposed to be a virgin,” Tai Yi-Jun hissed crossly. Miaka stared at her.
“It can’t matter all that much, can it? I mean, come on, when I summon Suzaku he’s hardly going to ask me ‘excuse me, are you a virgin’ and refuse to appear if I say no, is he?” Miaka said.
“Apparently you can’t summon Suzaku now,” Hotohori said quietly. Miaka stared at him.
“I can’t summon Suzaku? But - why?” she asked.
“The priestess of Suzaku has to be a virgin,” the oracle repeated.
“You couldn’t have told me this before?” Miaka snapped at her. “You had to wait three months after I got married to tell me? Did you think perhaps we wouldn’t have made love?” Hotohori placed a calming hand on her shoulder; Miaka took a deep breath and settled for glaring at Tai Yi-Jun.
“Gather your celestial warriors,” Tai Yi-Jun snapped. Miaka shot a look at Hotohori that begged for help.
“We have had a slight… problems…” Hotohori said.
“Get on with it,” Tai Yi-Jun said. Grumpy, grumpy, Miaka thought.
“Tamahome was given a love potion and loves Yui now,” Miaka said. Although she knew she’d moved on, she was a bit surprised at how little it hurt to say that out loud.
“I know that. Gather the others,” Tai Yi-Jun commanded. Miaka scowled and stalked out of the temple, Hotohori following at a more sedate pace.
“Miaka, calm down,” he said once they were outside.
“I’m just really annoyed that that stupid hag thinks she can just appear and tell me that I wasn’t supposed to make love to you three months after our wedding,” Miaka said, clenching her fists. Then she passed out. Hotohori caught her before she fell into the snow.
-----------
Miaka sighed in contentment. She was warm and being held in strong arms which were carrying her somewhere, hopefully somewhere warm. Then she shifted her foot and the cloak that had been hastily wrapped around her slipped, allowing the icy wind to cast its freezing spell upon her. She shivered, which told Hotohori that she was awake.
Hotohori set Miaka down on their bed, and called a servant to bring warm drinks. He took one of the warm towels from where they lay heating on a hot pan and dried her hair, wet from the snow. Miaka relaxed back into the pillows and enjoyed the loving treatment.
“Are you ill?” Hotohori asked when he was sure she wasn’t about to come down with a chill. Miaka shook her head.
“No, I’m fine. Hungry, though,” she said with a grin. Her face lit up when a servant knocked on the door, bearing food and drink.
Hotohori couldn’t stop the grossed-out look making an appearance on his face when he saw that Miaka had piled pickles onto a sardine.
“What?” she asked defensively. Hotohori indicated the food. “Hey, what’s wrong with pickles and sardines?”
“Nothing. But I believe that most people eat them separately,” Hotohori pointed out. Miaka shrugged.
“Hey, being an empress is supposed to include getting to eat what I want,” she said.
On to part 4
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Characters: Miaka, Hotohori, Tai Yi-Jun
Word Count: 857
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. Tai Yi-Jun tells Miaka something important... three months too late. Sequel to Wedding Day.
Table link: http://airelement.livejournal.com/57564.html
“Your majesty, the emperor wishes to see you,” a servant said, bowing deeply. Miaka still wasn’t used to being called ‘your majesty’ - ‘milady’ had been hard enough to adjust to - but every time she heard it she felt a little thrill because it reminded her that Hotohori and she were married now.
In a way, it was odd how quickly she’d fallen out of love with Tamahome. She hadn’t forgotten him - the roguish thief would always have a place in her heart as her first love. Her first love, but not her true love - Hotohori was the man who filled that position.
Sometimes Miaka wondered how Tamahome was getting on. Maybe he was married to Yui now. She hoped so. They both needed someone to love, even though they were her enemies. Or maybe they were ‘living in sin’ - although Miaka knew that if Yui ever heard her say that she’d get slapped. Not that Miaka thought she had much chance of avoiding a slap if she ever met Yui again.
Miaka hurried through the palace, heading towards the temple. It was the middle of winter and absolutely freezing cold, with icy wind and snow to add to her misery. When she entered the temple, brushing the snow from her hair, the first thing she saw was Tai Yi-Jun. It hit Miaka like the proverbial sack of bricks. She was still the priestess of Suzaku, even if she was the empress of Hong Nan now, and she had a duty to her people. A duty which she’d been neglecting.
“Uh oh,” she muttered, and wished she hadn’t when Tai Yi-Jun turned to face her.
“Well, well, well,” the oracle said angrily. “The two of you couldn’t possibly wait, could you?”
“Huh?” Miaka said, looking at Hotohori for enlightenment. The only enlightenment she received on the deeper meaning of that statement was when Hotohori’s strayed close to his sword, and all that told her was that it was insulting - something Miaka had already figured out. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The priestess of Suzaku is supposed to be a virgin,” Tai Yi-Jun hissed crossly. Miaka stared at her.
“It can’t matter all that much, can it? I mean, come on, when I summon Suzaku he’s hardly going to ask me ‘excuse me, are you a virgin’ and refuse to appear if I say no, is he?” Miaka said.
“Apparently you can’t summon Suzaku now,” Hotohori said quietly. Miaka stared at him.
“I can’t summon Suzaku? But - why?” she asked.
“The priestess of Suzaku has to be a virgin,” the oracle repeated.
“You couldn’t have told me this before?” Miaka snapped at her. “You had to wait three months after I got married to tell me? Did you think perhaps we wouldn’t have made love?” Hotohori placed a calming hand on her shoulder; Miaka took a deep breath and settled for glaring at Tai Yi-Jun.
“Gather your celestial warriors,” Tai Yi-Jun snapped. Miaka shot a look at Hotohori that begged for help.
“We have had a slight… problems…” Hotohori said.
“Get on with it,” Tai Yi-Jun said. Grumpy, grumpy, Miaka thought.
“Tamahome was given a love potion and loves Yui now,” Miaka said. Although she knew she’d moved on, she was a bit surprised at how little it hurt to say that out loud.
“I know that. Gather the others,” Tai Yi-Jun commanded. Miaka scowled and stalked out of the temple, Hotohori following at a more sedate pace.
“Miaka, calm down,” he said once they were outside.
“I’m just really annoyed that that stupid hag thinks she can just appear and tell me that I wasn’t supposed to make love to you three months after our wedding,” Miaka said, clenching her fists. Then she passed out. Hotohori caught her before she fell into the snow.
-----------
Miaka sighed in contentment. She was warm and being held in strong arms which were carrying her somewhere, hopefully somewhere warm. Then she shifted her foot and the cloak that had been hastily wrapped around her slipped, allowing the icy wind to cast its freezing spell upon her. She shivered, which told Hotohori that she was awake.
Hotohori set Miaka down on their bed, and called a servant to bring warm drinks. He took one of the warm towels from where they lay heating on a hot pan and dried her hair, wet from the snow. Miaka relaxed back into the pillows and enjoyed the loving treatment.
“Are you ill?” Hotohori asked when he was sure she wasn’t about to come down with a chill. Miaka shook her head.
“No, I’m fine. Hungry, though,” she said with a grin. Her face lit up when a servant knocked on the door, bearing food and drink.
Hotohori couldn’t stop the grossed-out look making an appearance on his face when he saw that Miaka had piled pickles onto a sardine.
“What?” she asked defensively. Hotohori indicated the food. “Hey, what’s wrong with pickles and sardines?”
“Nothing. But I believe that most people eat them separately,” Hotohori pointed out. Miaka shrugged.
“Hey, being an empress is supposed to include getting to eat what I want,” she said.
On to part 4