Princess Mei Ling was the youngest daughter of Emperor Kai Tsao Shou Chin of Shou Lung.[1][3]
Description[]
Mei Ling was noted to have inherited her mother's striking beauty, much like her older half-sister.[1]
Personality[]
Mei Ling, like her older half-sister, was an intelligent and accomplished woman.[1]
Relationships[]
Mei Ling secretly dated Gisen, a prince of T'u Lung, for several months in Shou Year 2607 (1357 DR). However, that relationship was cut short after her father deduced from a fictionalized song about their romance written by the traveling minstrel Tan Hikao Nong that they had been in love.[2][3][note 1]
History[]
In Shou Year 2607 (1357 DR), Mei Ling was captured by pirates, having likely been caught in the crossfires of their enmity with the Jade Throne, and subsequently rescued by a certain young merchant captain (in actuality, the disguised Prince Gisen). Following this chance encounter, the two of them became close companions and eventually lovers, but it was only after they had already fallen deeply in love that the two discovered each others' secret identities. Nonetheless, though the lovers knew their romance was doomed by the rivalry between their nations, they continued to meet in secret whenever possible under the auspices of Kwan Ying.[2][3]
Several months later, Tan Hikao Nong, who was visiting the Shou Court at Kuo Te' Lung at the time, performed a ballad based on a fictionalized version of Mei Ling and Gisen's romance, singing of a kidnapped princess and her rescue by and subsequent forbidden romance with a brave prince. Most of the Court never caught on, simply enjoying the tale for the fictional love story it supposedly was, but the Emperor was able to connect the dots, linking it to the incident of Mei Ling's prior kidnapping and rescue. Mei Ling was subsequently taken away to an undisclosed location as her eldest brother sent assassins against Gisen, but Gisen never gave up on her, biding his time as he traveled to Kozakura and Wa to find allies and magics that might aid in his quest.[2][3][note 2]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The tale of Mei Ling's romance with a T'u Lung prince is retold in both Hall of Heroes and The Eastern Realms; however, while the former names Gisen as her lover, the latter names Wai Gada Anku as the prince in question. The Eastern Realms, which is set in 1357 DR, makes no statement about Anku's age but seems to imply he is a young adult; however, later sources place his birth year a mere five years before The Eastern Realms, thus rendering him incompatible with Mei Ling. This article assumes that the account told in Hall of Heroes is the correct version and that Tan Hikao Nong, the narrator of the T'u Lung chapter, had mistaken one prince for another or obtained his information from a source that did.
- ↑ In Hall of Heroes, an otherwise-unknown character by the name of Tam Nong Hikong fills the role played by Tan Nong in The Eastern Realms. Given the name similarity and identical role, it is extremely likely that Tam Nong Hikong is a typo for Tan Hikao Nong; this is the assumption this article makes.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 7. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ed Greenwood, et al (1989). Hall of Heroes. (TSR, Inc), p. 80. ISBN 0-88038-711-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 33. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.