Lung Tien Lien
Contents
Character Profile[edit]
| Name: | Lung Tien Lien |
| Date of Birth: | c.1775 |
| Breed: | Celestial |
| Captain: | Prince Yongxing (deceased), Napoleon Bonaparte? |
| National Loyalty: | China |
| Appearance: | Albino coloring; white with red eyes |
| Special Abilities: | Divine Wind |
| Status: | Active |
Biography[edit]
Lien was believed to be cursed because she was born in "mourning colors" (albino). Her name may be based on 蓮 ("lotus"; Pinyin lián, Wade-Giles lien2). Prince Yongxing took her as his companion even though it removed him from the Imperial succession. However, many other people and dragons in China continued to regard her with superstitious fear.
China, 1775-1806[edit]
Lien was a dedicated scholar and took the rigorous Imperial Examinations, although her status as a Celestial would have exempted her from that requirement. She earned the title of zhuang-yuan in taking the first place among the ten thousand scholars who took the exams in that year, but it is not known whether she received the bureaucratic appointment and responsibilities that would have been awarded to other such scholars.
Lien did not accompany Yongxing to England in 1805, but they reunited with great affection when he returned to China with the British delegation. She tried to protect him from Temeraire, who suspected him of repeated attacks against Laurence, but the ensuing duel accidentally killed Yongxing with flying debris.
Exile, 1806+[edit]
Blaming Temeraire for Yongxing's death, Lien agreed to leave China with the French ambassador De Guignes and help Napoleon Bonaparte against the British Empire and its European allies.
Underneath the great wall marking the Chinese border, Temeraire saw a recently-inscribed poem which may have been written by Lien, in memory of Yongxing:
- Ten thousand li between me and your grave,
- Ten thousand li more I have yet to travel.
- I shake out my wings and steps into the merciless sun.
(As an albino, Lien found bright sunlight difficult to bear.)
En route to France, they stopped in Istanbul and persuaded Sultan Selim III to break his agreement to sell Turkish dragon eggs to the British. She may also have been involved in the deaths of the British embassy staff in Istanbul.
In Paris, De Guignes introduced her to Bonaparte. At first, she was unimpressed by him and appalled by the status and treatment of dragons in France (which were still similar to the equivalent British conditions). She did not like the three dragons-- Fraternité, a male Grand Chevalier; Sûreté, a male Chanson-de-Guerre; and Lumière, a male Flamme-de-Gloire-- who were sent to her as "companions", and she was mortally offended on realizing they were intended as prospective mates. However, Bonaparte won her respect by seriously addressing her suggestions and complaints, even dismissing generals who were unwilling to take her advice.
Lien's influence on Bonaparte resulted in better treatment of dragons, huge changes in the architecture of Paris, and revolutionary improvements in French military strategy and logistics. She introduced more effective flight formations to the French dragons, utilized them for the efficient transport of troops and equiipment, and integrated them into infantry and cavalry tactics.
Several years older and more experienced than Temeraire, she knew how to use the Divine Wind in more varied ways. For example, at the siege of Danzig she used it to break up the frozen ground so it would be easier for the soldiers to dig trenches. During the Battle of Shoeburyness she created a huge wave which sank Nelson's fleet and gave Napoleon the chance to escape.
Although Temeraire disliked her, he learned from her example, not only in ways of applying the Divine Wind but also in political maneuvering.
Relation to other Celestials[edit]
Because little is known about the family tree of the Celestials, the following chart is conjectural. A detailed explanation on how this conclusion was reached exists on the page for "Grandfather".
Two Imperials | | Grandfather(Lung Tien Xian?)(M) | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Lung Tien Qian(F) Lung Tien Chu(M) | | +------------------+ + | Lung Tien Chuan(M) Lung Tien Xiang(Temeraire)(M) Lung Tien Ming? (M) Lung Tien Lien(F) | | Lung Tien Zhi? (M)
