Chapter Text
It was no secret that the kingdom of Xianle was growing weaker.
A war was on the horizon, a drought choked up their crops, and a nasty plague had swept through their armies and civilians recently.
It was hard for the crown prince, Xie Lian, to watch his kingdom suffer after it had been so prosperous in his childhood. In just a few years everything had changed from the riches and beauty Xianle was once known for.
Xie Lian knew where a prince should be in scenarios such as these: on the scene, helping his people. First, he sought out the sick and healers and physicians in an attempt to learn what he could do to help. Feng Xin and Mu Qing stopped him, claiming he may catch the disease if he’s there too long.
When he suggested he and his friends visit farmers in the area they were outraged at hearing even the slightest suggestion of their beloved Crown Prince doing manual labor.
Finally, he insisted on assisting Xianle’s generals but he was routinely blocked from doing so by his mother and father despite the fact that he was more than capable in martial arts.
But that didn’t keep them or even his bodyguards—his friends from thinking he was an expensive ceramic to be protected at all costs.
No, they didn’t say that directly to him, but he wasn’t so foolish to believe that wasn’t what any of them thought. For a few years now, they looked at the prince with worry clouding their eyes. Even in his youth he hadn’t been so closely watched but one day he realized his room was more guarded than others. His friends stayed closer to his side when they left the palace. Looks were exchanged between his parents when he asked certain questions. Eventually, he just… let it slide without another thought.
None of that kept him from making up his mind to help as directly as he could. The king told him to focus on training his martial skills. The queen asked him to keep to his studies. Feng Xin and Mu Qing insisted he delegate his charitable ideas to others.
It was after Xie Lian simply ignored the wishes of them all to help in the war effort that he was practically locked in his room.
“I can’t believe you would just go off like that! That was foolish,” Mu Qing stated after he was already chewed out by his father.
“Hey, don't call His Highness foolish!” Feng Xin frowned.
“As if you weren’t pacing about in worry when we found his room empty,” Mu Qing fired back.
“That doesn’t give you the right to insult him!”
“Oh, so you would just let the fact he walked head-first into danger slide as if it was no big deal? As if there weren’t spies or assassins out there looking to have his head?”
“You bastard! You know I care!” Feng Xin looked as if he was about to strangle Mu Qing.
“It’s alright Feng Xin,” Xie Lian stated, sitting down. “I won’t do it again.”
Feng Xin grit his teeth but backed down, letting out a huff and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Well, you probably won’t have the chance to, anyway,” Mu Qing muttered.
“Come again?”
“Mu Qing!” Feng Xin hissed.
“Like everyone doesn’t know already?”
“Know what?” Xie Lian demanded.
Feng Xin and Mu Qing spared a glance.
“There’s a rumor that the king is planning an arranged marriage for you,” he explained.
The room was silent for a beat. Feng Xin shifted uncomfortably and Mu Qing became interested in the curtains by the window. Xie Lian mulled it over, surprised by the rumor.
“To secure an alliance, I presume?” Xie Lian finally asked.
The guards solemnly nodded.
Xie Lian sighed. He should have known that was why his parents wanted him off the battlefield. And why everyone was attempting to keep him from any hint of harm. “Any ideas who?”
“…Jun Wu.”
Xie Lian’s stomach dropped. That man was at least twenty years older than him. He was the king of Wuyong, a neighboring kingdom that was well acquainted with Xianle. Thus, Xie Lian came to know him. The man was weirdly obsessed with Xie Lian. His father proclaimed he was a good king and amicable conversation partner, but Feng Xin and Mu Qing also felt some similar bad vibes from him.
“…It’s just a rumor, your highness,” Feng Xin repeated.
Xie Lian was certain there was merit in it, anyway.
“It makes sense, I suppose.” Xie Lian sighed. “His kingdom is quite wealthy and would certainly be a valuable ally to Xianle. Certainly against Yong’an.”
“Why would he want you though? There’s plenty of noble women around Xianle who—I mean,” Feng Xin caught what he was saying, suddenly. “I mean… no offense.”
What Xie Lian presumed Feng Xin meant wasn’t that he was not desirable. It was a known fact that Xie Lian was very handsome. However, Xie Lian had intended to remain abstinent and was uninterested in marriage.
No, it would make more sense for Jun Wu to want Xie Lian if he were to have a powerful gift. Jun Wu, for example, could manipulate fire—very powerful. The king of Xianle had the gift of persuasion and the queen could understand any tongue. It wasn’t uncommon for people to marry because of their spouse’s gift. An important aspect of marriage involved a ritual where the blood of the couple was shared—thus binding them and sharing their gift with the other.
Xie Lian, however, did not have a gift.
“None taken,” Xie Lian stated.
“His highness has taken an oath of chastity which I’m sure Jun Wu knows of and just… enjoys his company. It’s bound to simply be for political reasons,” Mu Qing said.
Though Mu Qing said this confidently, Xie Lian knew it couldn’t be true. They all did. Mu Qing spoke only to soothe any nerves. Xie Lian didn’t want to worry his friends, so he kept a cool demeanor and agreed with Mu Qing. His friends all agreed they’d leave Xianle with him to keep him company if the rumors were true.
Xie Lian thanked them both before excusing himself.
He didn’t want to marry. Had never wanted to marry. Jun Wu had something sinister in mind, surely. He’d speak to his father and mother about the issue.
Xie Lian went straight to the throne room to speak with his parents.
“We’ve decided it is high time that you were married,” the king said, in response to the prince’s inquiry on the rumor.
“Despite my vows?” Xie Lian asked.
“This isn’t easy for any of us, my son,” The queen frowned. “Unfortunately, we must put Xianle first.”
“Yes, uniting our kingdom with that of his majesty Jun Wu, is our best option, truly,” the king agreed.
Xie Lian prepared himself to speak his mind on the matter. That Jun Wu would simply overtake Xianle. Or that he may even want Xie Lian for more nefarious reasons rather than a simple political alliance.
“Father—”
“Xie Lian,” The king interrupted, an edge of his power in his voice. “You have been attempting to save Xianle, have you not?”
“…I have.”
“If you care for your kingdom, you will do this. It is the best way to ensure no more lives are lost,” he stated.
Xie Lian’s mind buzzed as he attempted to come up with another way. There was always another way!
But as he looked his mother and father in the eye, the bags under their eyes had grown more prominent. His father looked to have streaks of gray in his hair that weren’t there last he checked.
If he refused, was he not just being selfish?
“The wedding is in a week.”
The prince went into some sort of haze after that. There was no fighting any of it now. It was already set in stone—even before he knew it. Surely, this must all be a dream? Everything seemed to happen so fast… Yet, when he went to sleep and awoke again, his reality was the same.
Xie Lian went for a walk in an attempt to clear his head. Feng Xin tried to stop him initially, but when the prince pleaded with him the guard found it difficult to deny him anything with the approaching wedding.
It was a gloomy day. Overnight, it had rained and heavy clouds hung in the sky promising a downpour later. Mud squelched underneath his boots and dirtied the hem of his robes. A crisp chill blew Xie Lian’s hair into his face as he walked.
While he was out, he found he had wandered deep into the woods on the outskirts of the city in order to be alone.
It was then he happened upon a small structure—too small to be a home but big enough to step inside. Clearly, it hadn’t been visited by anyone in a long time. It was covered in moss and plants had snuck through holes and slats between planks of wood. Its door was long gone—if there had ever been one. The forest seemed to be attempting to reclaim the structure.
Upon seeing this, Xie Lian felt a long-forgotten memory resurface. After a particularly troubling day as a child, he had run off into these very woods. He had happened upon this same structure and spent the afternoon inside, crying. When his tears dried, he finally noticed a small, worn, stone statue that had been overtaken by moss and weeds. He spent the remainder of his time in the shrine cleaning it up.
It seemed no one had visited the shrine since he was last here. Or, no one paid it any attention if they had.
Xie Lian ducked his head to enter the shrine. It was too short to fully stand up in, and no more than two individuals could fit within. Feeling nostalgic, and supposing he may never see this shrine again, he decided to fix it up a little like he had once done.
He started with pulling the weeds in and surrounding the shrine, using the ends to wipe off any cobwebs in the process. Next, he used some twigs to fill in any holes in the structure. After picking up other debris, such as leaves, he got the moss off the structure and statue. Lastly, he used a little of the water he carried to wipe down the statue to truly clean off anything left.
“There,” Xie Lian smiled. “Much better, yes?”
Though the statue was clean, it was hard to see any defining features whatsoever. The only thing he could see was a small red stone on its right side—appearing like an eye.
Xie Lian picked a small white flower and set it before the statue as a little offering. “Sorry I don’t have more. I didn’t really bring anything with me.”
He sat in the tiny shrine for a short time, speaking to the statue. He wasn’t really one to pray but talking felt good.
“I probably won’t see you again. My father and mother are having me get married in a few days so I’ll be leaving Xianle. For the good of the kingdom I suppose,” he sat for a moment in silence, watching a white butterfly from afar. “I don’t really like him, though. I can’t tell anyone that. Except for you.”
Xie Lian smiled at the statue. A strong gust of wind blew his hair into his face and he turned back around. The butterfly was gone.