The Final Chapter

The Calm

She sat silently in a wide room filled with sent of jasmine and the sun's brilliant light that poured in from the windows. She wore vivid robes and stockings that masked the painful remnants of the past. In her hair was a pendant; a luminous butterfly that glistened brightly in the light. It had been a gift from someone long since freed from the wrath of this world. Now it was a tiny fragment of if his grief-stricken memory.

He had taught her so much, though she would never be able to express it to him in this life. He was gone, but the pendant would forever be a precious keepsake.

Since the fall of the Wei Palace a few months before, a calm cascaded through the Kingdoms of Wu and Shu. Peace never lives an eternal life, because there will always be an evil that will grow and erupt to consume that peace. But one learns to cherish everything while it is there to nurture.

The Wu Palace was silent today. Sun Quan had healed from his injury and was busy mending the many affairs that went unfulfilled when he was under Sima Yi's jurisdiction. Sun Shang Xiang was living with Liu Bei in the Shu Kingdom and it would perhaps be the source of trouble to come. Gan Ning had followed her there, dubbing himself as her protector. Only time would know what the future of them would hold.

Zhou Yu, with his wife and children, had traveled to a distant place. He had said that he wanted to visit an old friend's memorial, hoping he would be there, waiting.

Sun Xuan sat idly at a desk with a piece parchment and ink rested on the polished wood before her. The parchment, for now, was empty of words, but on it and numerous ones like it, she hoped to recollect on everything that had happened. Just as Lu Xun had done.

And if they should ever be separated everlastingly, she would entrust it with him for eternity.

With nimble hands, Xuan held the brush and placed it to the delicate paper and wrote:

'Late Spring,

There are many things in a life one should learn; to respect, to love, to forgive. I once knew not the meaning of these words and perhaps Heaven wanted to cleanse me of that ignorance. Yet there are those that I may never meet to express all that I've discovered. After that night in Xu Chang, I hadn't seen my mother, Da Qiao, since.

Some say she vanished in shame, but whatever the reason, I may never feel her presence again. Nor will I be able to mend to sorrowful gap between us. I fear she is gone forever, I long for closure that I may never see. She is somewhere within this cruel world, whether it be near or far, but I will always welcome heart into my heart again. If only she knew.

Tomorrow, Xun and I will depart to his birthplace, where he had documented much of his life and where we will be wed. It had been greatly rebuilt since his childhood, but when I look at him with the passing of each day, I notice he is uneasy. Terrible things had happened to him there, but I will do my very best to make it a visit to rejoice. Xian is excited for this new journey. I had decided that though different blood flowed through our veins, she would always be ours'

Xuan paused when she felt a gentle kick against her belly. Smiling, she started another line:

'I suppose everything that occurs is at Heaven's decree and it was meant to be. With all that I know now, I would not question my past or blame my father as I once did.

And if there ever was or ever be a time when true love ruled over tradition, I would be able to say that I was fortunate enough to feel what most long a lifetime for'

The door behind Xuan creaked open and Lu Xun entered, obviously weary. But he greeted her with a smile as she rose from the table and approached him, placing a hand on either side of his face.

"Tomorrow then?" She murmured with an encouraging smile.

"Yes," He replied, placing a tender kiss on her lips before adding, "Then the real adventure will begin"

The End.

First, I want to thank everyone who read and enjoyed this story all this time. Your support inspires me at an extent you couldn't imagine. And I hope I have made this read a decent one for you. Personally, I want to thank EverKitsune, Zhou Ying, Paupu, H.S., and Blufle, whom I miss and I hope is doing well. If it weren't for all of you, I don't think the conclusion of this story would have come. Also I want to thank everyone else who reviewed and added this fic to their favorites.

I'm still deciding on a story that might transpire from this one, but you'll have to let me know of your thoughts and opinions. As well as any ideas that you might have.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Thank you so much for reading.

-BlueSun91