Their honored guests entered to the rhythmic beat of deep drums and walked to the long table. 

Anshi took center seat facing the crowd and standing directly behind him was Lan Sya Mu, sharp eyes already scanning beyond the most trusted guests to the enormous trong of people. She was looking for cracks in facades, a furtive movement, a sudden change in posture. Her duty until death was his protection; she had sworn that oath before she had loved him. Even though he requested that she sit alongside him, she refused. Wife she may secretly be, but that was second to Guardian at all times. Next to her stood Han in his new role of Qian Protector General, equally as sworn and equally devoted. Anshi had never felt safer in his life. 

The next to enter were Lan Xi Chen, Lan Sect Master and Chieftain Maral of the Red Stag Leaping Tribe who sat on his right. Then Lan Zhan, Lan Sect Leader and Yiling Patriarch Wei Ying was placed next to his beloved

 The Lan contingent froze the crowd. Anshi looked on in astonishment, then c aollapsed into helpless laughter.

The three were wearing the clothing he had been tricked into buying them in Yunmeng that day soon before the caravan set out. The day was as fresh in his memory as today was.Wei Ying gleefully cornering him into buying the most expensive goods in the store.

Wei Ying was wearing the black felted coat trimmed in rare black fox fur and embroidered heavily in silver embroidery and boots trimmed with the same fur. Lan XiChen was dressed in a soft, golden-dun felt coat, trimmed in bitter-sweet chocolate mink that mimicked his eyes and he also wore matching trimmed boots

But the one who stole their breath away was the staid and constant Lan Zhan. Secretly harboring a desire to wear green just once in his life, his Wei had found the perfect match. A deep forest-green deel, embroidered in gold thread and pale topaz beads, and trimmed in the fairest, light gold lynx fur. His pale complexion glowed like pure white jade and those Imperial Topaz eyes shimmered as he looked directly at his husband. The pair could not tear their eyes away from one another and Anshi gathered himself to clear his throat and stop the two from breaking every rule of Cloud Recesses on the spot.

He rose and announced, "Once I offered to buy these three clothing as a gift. Master Wei Ying decided to pay me back for...I don't remember why..."

Hah!" Scoffed the unrepentant miscreant.

"So, he tricked me into the most expensive ones he could buy. And they did not want town fashion, or Sect attire. All they wanted was clothing to wear if they ever got to visit our caravan. They wanted to honor me, and you. How did they do, friends?"

The cheers were deafening and the three stood to bow to the crowd in front of them. It would be a legend told over campfires for generations.

The rest came to the table. To the right sat his three brothers. To the left sat Uncle Maral, Dawa Tuya and General Ge Ban. At the tables facing them sat more family made by blood and friendship and combat against mortal enemies. Anshi finally felt the magnitude of what he had gathered around him. The lost, the recovered.

The Great Eagle Tribe. 

The Lost Eagle Tribe.

The Red Stag Leaping Tribe.

The Lan Sect. 

Han and his men full of new freedom and promise.

All under one sky again. All rediscovering bonds thought long broken and vanished. Brought together by scarred and wounded brothers; those who never stopped hoping against hope. 

Anshi began to weep. He could not stop himself and he staggered momentarily as emotion overcame him. His brothers rose as one to embrace him and everyone lowered their eyes to give him the grace of privacy. The four men stood quietly, trying to sooth their brother, and the Guardians who loved him did not hide the tears running down their own faces.  The emotion swept over the rest of the gathering as they wept in unified grief for the dead and discarded, no longer among them. The release was gut-wrenching, irresistible and cleansing and it lasted as long as it needed to.

***************

The weeping carried on unabated for quite sometime, the celebration starting to peter out as the grieving continued. That changed ...quickly.

"Hey! Did I ever tell you about the time I was proposed to by the Sultan of Turkmeniastan?"

 And a lithe figure dressed in an amazing yellow sari bejeweled slippers and a violet silk scarf around her neck leaped on top of the table, feet spread on either side of a platter filled with steamed sweet potatoes. Hands on her hips, Dai Lu stared at the suddenly hushed crowd. She waited and someone finally shouted,

"Sultan of WHAT?"

"Turkmeniastan. Surely you have heard of Trkmerniastan! Since we were all telling family stories, I thought I might toss that one out there."

"Who...who the hell are you?"

"Your Chieftain's elder sister. Who the hell are you?"

 A small burst of chuckles followed that remark. She glanced at Anshi, who knew her too well and he nodded for her to go on, stopping Sya Mu's hand as it went to the hilt of her sword. 

"Dai Lu knows the tears were getting to be too ...much. Let her alone. She's a crafty minx.' He nodded at his sister and quietly asked for a handkerchief from his wife.

A woman's voice rose up. "A Sultan, really?"

"Umhmmm!"

Another voice asked, "Was he handsome?"

"Best looking male in his Kingdom!"

"What did he look like?"

He had thick, hair, about our chieftain's color" 

"Oooo. Sounds nice."

"But frizzy, like an orangutan's. But it actually was easy to put up with. He had a lovely smile., too. Until he grinned and two were looking a little grey."

"Grey?" Shouted another lady.

"Well, kind of black. But as long as he didn't open his mouth too often, I didn't mind. Much." Giggling stared through the crowd.

She smiled fondly.  "He had beautiful eyes though, but it was hard to concentrate when you looked at them."

"They were that pretty?"

"Yes, but it got tiring trying to figure out which one to look at. They both look out at his ears." At that she pointed outwards with her thumbs by the side of her head. The crowd erupted in laughter.

She waved her hands down for quiet. "But still, I was extremely tempted to say yes."

"Well why didn't you?"

"He was six years old and still had not been potty-trained."

The throng screamed with laughter

On man, already half-loaded, yelled out, "So how about marrying me?"

Dai Lu eyed him up and down and shouted, "I would but I doubt you've been potty-trained either!" As the gather began to lose it completely, Anshi signaled the musicians to start a cheerful tune and equilibrium was finally restored. NN