"Your Highness!"
Lan Xichen flinched in surprise. He faced the direction of the sound, surprised to see his two royal guards running towards him.
He confusedly looked around until his eyes landed on the barrier behind him. He stared in confusion, watching as purple lightning wrapped around the barrier with an angry glow. The barrier seemed stronger than ever, and when he looked up, the hole was still there. He's back outside.
The barrier is still here. It's still the same.
So what was that just now..
Seeing the prince unresponsive, one of the guards inquired, "Your Highness, is everything okay?"
Lan Xichen blinked and turned around to face his guards, along with his horse who is suddenly by his side. Even with the confusion going on, he mounted his horse and replied with a smile. "Of course. How about the situation in there?"
The moment he asked, one of the guards stepped closer, pulling his own horse close. Lan Xichen immediately made out a small figure sprawled across the back of the youth.
"We found a young man chased by wolves down the hills. He must have entered the River Forest."
River Forest is part of a barely visited mountain, and because no one enters it with frequency, there are naturally wild animals residing in there. The only way people would actually enter the froest is by getting lost as that forest is in the center of other forests.
"This young man.. what do we do about him Your Highness? It seemed like he is a homeless orphan."
True to his words, the youth really looks like an orphan in the streets with all the tattered clothes and messy appearance. There were multiple wounds and scratched all over him especially his legs which tell just how much he ran. Lan Xichen motioned them to move forward.
"Take him back to recover first. We will talk after he is awake."
The royal guards nodded in understanding and followed after their prince who went on ahead.
Lan Xichen is absentmindedly riding on his horse. Luckily, his horse knew where to go, he didn't have to direct him that much. The event a while ago still startled him.
After pondering it over and making up with no sense, he looked down the head of the white horse, speaking slowly, "Was it just my hallucination?"
The horse responded with a neigh and Lan Xichen smiled at this he patted the head of the horse and straightened himself.
"It must be."
After all, he was already prone to hallucinations of his once beloved brother..lover.
Ah-Yao..
The horse snorted and began walking with a stomp-like manner as if it heard what the prince was thinking. Lan Xichen chuckled at this and caressed its head to appease it.
The horse has onlg met once Jin Guangyao, but somehow, it didn't like him at all. Lan Xichen guessed that it must be because his mood would always change whenever it was about Jin Guangyao and his horse senses his moods.
The horse calmed down and walked more steadily, but still huffing on the way.
Returning back to the palace is always easier than leaving. His uncle, Lan Qiren is waiting for him at the entrance. As soon as he showed up, the Marquis ordered everyone to prepare this and that for him.
Lan Xichen shook his head and approached his uncle. "There is no need to trouble yourselves, instead, please take good care of this youth," he asked the palace maids who stopped in respect of him. They immediately scurried off to take the youth from the two royal guards upon hearing the request.
Lan Qiren frowned. He was only being worried. His second nephew, Second Prince Lan Wangji left the palace to search for someone. No matter how hard Lan Qiren tried to tell him that the person was already dead, as he is part of the long fallen Jiang Kingdom, Lan Wangji wouldn't listen. He still left and blindly searched everywhere. It would be natural to dote on the prince left.
It was already miserable, but then the first prince just had to suffer the same fate again. Good thing he does the opposite and would lock himself in the palace. That was better than having them both leave. He sighed while thinking just how much the two changed. They wouldn't even listen to him anymore.
"Bring your horse back and quickly accompany me for dinner."
"Yes, uncle."
Lan Xichen lead the horse back to the royal stables. Lan Qiren wouldn't allow him to do things such as this if it were in the past but now that he and his brother started to rhink more and more independently, their uncle lets him do whatever now, just as long as it was nothing that would destroy anything. He is the prince, the future king, but he still listens to his uncle, sometimes.
Lan Xichen smiled when his horse entered the royal stables on its own and plopped down the ground,seemingly tired. He bent down to take off the saddle from the horse and give him a breathing space, but just as he raised it, something fell from the pockets.
With knitted brows, he picked it up, only to pause in surprise when it was a purple nine-petalled lotus, its petals so purple and clear it looks like crystal.
"This.."
The horse huffed and neighed, as if to tell something but none could really comprehend. This had him deep in his thoughts that in the end, he ended up going back up to his room, forgetting about dinner and Lan Qiren.
Lan Xichen sat on his study table as he inspected the lotus. It had him wondering over and over wether what happened a while ago really was an imagination or it was something else. But then it made his head hurt from over thinking.
Unable to think further, he ended up sleeping on his table.
Lan Qiren who was dining alone on a long table has his veins showing. His mood is extra dark and nobody dared to approach the angry Marquis.
Even the maid who came to inform him that the First Prince was already asleep had to run out and avoid his wrath.
In the end, because Lan Qiren is a Marquis, he calmed himself down and plopped on his chair in the most ungraceful way, perfectly breaking their long cared for etiquette. He sighed out, muttering with gritted teeth, "Xichen."
Dragging himself out, he decided to look over the child his nephew brought in. He knew this is another problem of this nephew of his. While it's true that Lan Xichen is a significant figure, there was no doubt that his weakness is his softheartedness. He was too kind.. too kind that one can't even help but break his heart.
Shaking his head, he entered one of the rooms where the youth was placed. When he saw the figure sleeping on the bed, he suddenly paused.
...Prince Jin?
There was no mistaking it. Even if his clothes were nowhere near royalty, Lan Qiren is sure of it. This young man is the Jin Kingdon's prince.
He shook his head, recalling that the Jin Kingdom just announced that their prince ran away again for what sounded like the tenth time and called for help to alert them if they ever see him. Lan Qiren sighed and massaged his temples.
He might as well just send a letter to them tomorrow.
He went out and asked a maid to prepare better clothes for that little royalty. As he walked to his room, he can't help but replay what history that child had.
Long ago, when the Jiang Kingdom was still alive, their princess was betrothed to the first prince of Jin Kingdom as a truce but then the Jiang Kingdom fell and not long after she has given birth, she and her husband died.
Their child was raised parentless. It was a good thing he had an uncle, Jin Guangyao...but even his uncle was bound to go.
The pitiful child kept on rebelling ever since. He would always escape from their palace and end up everywhere in this continent.
Truly pitiful.
.
Lan Xichen woke up the next morning with an aching body. The way he slept last night was just too unhygienic. Sighing to himself, he stopped moving when he caught sight of the lotus again. Shaking his head, he stood up and searched for a glass and a vase.
When he did, he placed the lotus in it. The way this landed in his possession makes him guilty. He doesn't know why it ended up with him as the events yesterday was still too unclear and unreal. He can only result to trying to keep it alive and find a way to return it back.
He had a feeling the barrier would break someday.
Lan Xichen left the palace alone after sorting out his problem with the lotus. He knew Lan Qiren was still mad after he skipped dinner yesterday and thus he needs to give him space.
He entered the stables silently and lead his horse outside without as much noise.
The land of Elysium is full of different sceneries, mostly landscapes. Lan Xichen liked visiting two places. One of them is this valley of rock forest which is in the middle of the Jiang Kingdom and the Lan Kingdom.
Flowing along the morning breeze with all elegance, the two white figures dashed in quick motion. Even without the sun's bright shine, they were still able to make out a perfect prince charming picture.
It took them a few minutes to reach the said location. The white horse was strong enough to be able to jump on a huge rock and stand over it. Lan Xichen smiled at it and got off.
This location is a little private, but it was still open. It was a wonder why aside from Lan Xichen, no one really bothers to come here. He can even remember the first time he came here as a youth. He knew someone brought him here before he came back alone everytime. Until he was not so alone anymore when he brought Jin Guangyao here.
But now he's alone again.
The white horse grumbled, snapping Lan Xichen out of his reverie. He glanced at the annoyed horse and chuckled. He patted the horse and appeased it. He stopped when he heard movements from somewhere around.
With one last stroke on its mane, he motioned it to jump down. Lan Xichen landed down, his forehead ribbon fluttering in the wind. His horse landed with a loud thud. Lan Xichen grabbed the reins and walked around the boulder to check what the noise was.
He stopped in the center of two thin but tall rocks. He went around the left rock, but stopped when he heard movements from the right. With furrowed eyebrows, he walked over there but there was no one.
He glanced at his calm horse, wondering why it wasn't making any noise at all like it usually does when there are circumstances like this. He faced the calm horse, asking it in a soft whisper.
"Is there anybody around?"
The horse huffed, confusing Lan Xichen. The white horse's eyes roamed until it was glued on one spot behind Lan Xichen. Sighing, he turned around to check what it was, only to stop midway when he spotted a person leaning on the rock. Proud and dignified yet cold and undefined.
"You. How dare you steal my lotus."
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[a/n: unedited]