Tuesday, April 28, 2015

From Lady-in-Waiting to Warrior: The Secret Life of Bayan

 


From Lady-in-Waiting to Warrior: The Secret Life of Bayan

When Bayan first entered the Imperial Palace, she was meant to be just another lady-in-waiting. But palace whispers say she never quite mastered the docile grace required at court. The Emperor, however, noticed something others overlooked—her restless energy, her commanding presence, and yes, her famously strong thighs.

Instead of sending her away, he reassigned her to someone unexpected: Beatriss, the Empire’s most enigmatic guard, to be trained not in embroidery or etiquette, but in combat.

And that’s where Bayan’s transformation began.


The Making of a Fighter

Beatriss, known for her cool precision and mysterious past, began Bayan’s training with bare hands and bare feet. From unarmed throws to the fluid, birdlike movements of the Blackbird Style, Bayan learned quickly. “You shouldn’t need a weapon to be dangerous,” Beatriss told her. Soon, Bayan was kicking, grappling, and striking with grace that bordered on dance.

But martial arts were only half the lesson. Beatriss also taught her how to move in silence, how to sit so every eye lingered, how to observe while appearing to be observed. Court presence, it turned out, could be as sharp a weapon as any blade.


The Party That Changed Everything

Her first true test came at one of the Emperor’s private gatherings. While the other women floated like silk, Bayan stood stiff, preoccupied with the dagger hidden beneath her gown. She hadn’t been trained to perform, only to protect. “I didn’t know how to belong,” she later admitted to Beatriss.

It was a misstep—but not the end. Beatriss doubled down, blending lessons in balance and strikes with lessons in allure. Bayan wanted to learn it all.


Danger in the Dungeon

Soon, the Emperor summoned Beatriss—not to a hall of splendor, but to the dungeon. There, in the glow of braziers, he tested them. While he teased Bayan’s newfound confidence, a shadow stirred. In a flash, Beatriss exposed an armed man hiding in the dark, sword pressed to his throat.

“You have many enemies, Your Majesty,” she said coolly.

The Emperor’s reply? A smile. “He’s one of mine.”

It was all a game, but the stakes were deadly clear. Bayan’s training would continue—in secret, in silence, in shadows.


From Court to Combat

By spring, Bayan was no longer just a court outsider. She was a weapon in her own right. She could pin Beatriss in a clinch, disarm guards without spilling blood, and speak entire conversations with a tilt of her head. Her strength had been sculpted into something the Emperor could use—and something Beatriss quietly admired.

But palace intrigue is never still.


The Mystery of Ciuciu

A new arrival to the harem, Jiaohu, whispered a dangerous rumor: a girl hidden in a distant monastery who looked like Beatriss—“younger, prettier, and with thighs just as strong.” The Emperor, first amused then impatient, demanded Beatriss find her. His promise? Freedom.

Beatriss’s response was measured, almost cold. She told Bayan nothing at first, then finally, one evening, turned to her apprentice.

“Get your sword,” she said. “We may have to fight some monks.”


What’s Next for Bayan and Beatriss?

In the palace halls, the story of Bayan is whispered like a legend. Is she just another concubine? Or the Empire’s most secret weapon?

One thing is certain: under Beatriss’s watchful eye, Bayan has become far more than a lady-in-waiting.

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