ZZS: Han Ying I'm going to the Moors
HY: But why? You know you are forbidden from going there
ZZS: Because I'm going to go meet my husband
Thank you so much for reading!
Before Wen Kexing can stop the word from rolling off his tongue, he asks, "What?" slightly shocked and amused. He must have heard him wrong.
"Shifu." Zhou Zishu says again, further confirming that it wasn't indeed a trick of his flawless hearing. "I know you are watching me when I train, even if I can never see you."
"Oh my, do I have an admirer on my hands? Tell me princeling, how?" Wen Kexing walks closer to the man, now a couple steps away from him.
"Your shadow. It's been following me ever since that day you gave me fighting pointers. Even to this day, I remember the basic yet effective skills." Zhou Zishu does not back away from his close presence, standing his ground. He will not show weakness.
Before the dark fae could open his mouth to speak, a midnight black raven flew down and landed on a branch beside Wen Kexing. Zhou Zishu looked at the bird curiously, something tugging at the back of his memory of where he had seen this bird before.
"Do I know you?" He asked the bird, wondering why he was now talking to the crow. It's not like it can talk back...right? The bird wrapped the wings around itself, almost like it was displeased that it didn't remember it.
"This is Gu Xiang," said Wen Kexing simply and the crow did a mocking bow that almost made Zhou Zishu laugh. The prince was in for more surprises that night as the dark fae allowed Ah-Xiang to transform into her human form. Now that made the prince back up a couple steps, not expecting the bird to actually be a human girl.
"Human scum! I should teach you some manners here and now! I have known you since you were an annoying, crying, baby. How dare you forget me!" The feisty girl was an interesting person Zhou Zishu noted, since the girl was obviously far younger than himself, yet dared to criticize.
"Ah-Xiang be nice!" Wen Kexing said disapprovingly, grabbing a piece of her ear harshly which got the girl to stand back down and slightly bow her head in apology.
Zhou Zishu couldn't help but bite back, letting loose his sharp tongue. "Who knew such a hot headed bird brain existed. I think the rats that run along my castle's corridors have more class than you."
Ah-Xiang was slightly stunned, but she quickly recovered. A smile growing on her face. Turning towards Wen Kexing she asks, "Master, I like this human. Can we keep him?"
The dark fae's fascination was growing even more, for this human dared to talk back without any worry on his face. Wen Kexing was impressed, amusement playing at his sharp features. Yes, this prince was indeed a variable.
"Hmm, he is indeed a very beautiful - and handsome - human. Just look at his butterfly shoulder blades. Perhaps I will keep him so I can look at him forever."
Zhou Zishu couldn't tell if the fairy was joking or dead serious. Either way, he would not become a human pet and be contained here. He was already a prisoner of his castle and he would not sacrifice his plan of freedom to live in the Moors with this lunatic; even if the Moors were a far nicer cage than his home.
"Like hell you will."
Wen Kexing cackled with laughter at his threat. Yes, he enjoyed a challenge when someone was playing hard to get. "Aya you wound me! Tell me princeling, what's your name?"
Zhou Zishu fell silent for a couple of beats, for he was in an internal struggle of what to do. Should he snap at the man further? Or should he give the man an alias? However, his mind had already made up what he wanted to do.
"Zhou Xu." The man softly said his alias, his soft lips pronouncing each Chinese character beautifully.
Wen Kexing was silent for a couple minutes, playing his name over and over in his head. Though he was slightly displeased as to why the prince gave him a false name, he didn't dare to reveal how he already knew the man just yet.
"Zhou Xu. A name that suits your beauty." Wen Kexing tests the name on his slightly tinted red lips, and shows off his pearl white teeth. "Ah-Xu~ Yes, can I call you Ah-Xu?" This fairy's bipolar personality was starting to make the prince dizzy. One minute he acted like the scariest creature that could bring any kingdom to their knees, and now he was acting like a giddy child. Perhaps all moor folk were like this, but he highly doubted it. Something in the back of Zhou Zishu's mind told him that he was one of a kind.
The prince shrugged his shoulders, almost like he didn't care. However, his quickening heart gave his true emotions away.
"Am I going to have to introduce myself? I guess I will have to. My name is Wen Kexing~"
He waits to see if that name strikes any realization into the man, but surprisingly it doesn't. The dark fae is curious once more. Perhaps Zhao Jing did not tell his son about him after all. That, or he didn't dare tell him his name. Wen Kexing will just have to wait and see.
"Ah-Xu, please indulge this curious one. Every human that has ever caught sight of me has run away in fear, thinking that I would feast on their blood and bones. And perhaps there are days where that is surely possible. So, why not you?"
Zhou Zishu thought for a moment as to why this creature before him did not frighten him. Honestly, he had no clue why. Perhaps his curiosity outweighed his fear. He settled on saying, "Not every creature of the Moor is evil. If a human of dark intent could be forgiven by God by lowering his sword, why should one of pure intentions be sentenced to Hell from one bad deed? One should not judge based on appearance."
Wen Kexing fails to conceal his surprise, but he's quick to mask it. If Zhou Zishu was not already very good at watching his surroundings closely, he might have missed the gleam in his dark brown eyes.
"Hmm. As expected of a well spoken prince. Ah-Xu I'm surprised you don't write poetry with that beautiful brain of yours!"
Zhou Zishu has trouble making sure this face doesn't heat up, combating his rising blush. Instead he looks away from Wen Kexing and more at his surroundings. He can't look at this shameless flirting man right now. He clears his throat and disregards the compliment, "So, what do you do in the Moors? I notice you have horns that are unlike the other fairies, what species are you?"
"Why I'm glad you asked my dear Ah-Xu! This humble one is a dark fae and I'm the Protector of the Moors."
The prince has no clue what a 'dark fae' is, but with this new information he plans on learning more about this species of moor folk. Perhaps if he is lucky he can find a book about them in the palace's vast library.
As the crisp dove morning turned to twilight, Wen Kexing found Zhou Zishu's innocent curiosity endearing, allowing him to talk well into the night. Well, the dark fae surely talked more than Ah-Xu as 'silent' or 'mute' wasn't a word associated with the man. Gu Xiang took the hint, and left half way through the day to check on the palace.
Zhou Zishu was fighting his fatigue, not wanting to fall asleep in an unknown place. However, for whatever reason, he easily fell asleep on a log beside Wen Kexing. As the dark fae stared at the prince's relaxed features (for longer than he cared to admit) he felt his cold heart skip a beat. Gone was the traumatic memory from the last time Wen Kexing allowed himself to sleep by a log with someone, perhaps he was overcoming that hopeless feeling. But the rage forever stayed, and he kept it that way. He would never forget what happened.
Wen Kexing wordlessly and silently gathered Zhou Zishu into his arms making sure to not disturb the sleeping beauty. As he carried the man through the Moors, many of the creatures would peek their heads up in curiosity at the unfamiliar human. Once again, the dark fae made sure to not let the thorns harm a hair on his pretty head or the flawless milky white skin.
When he spotted Zhou Zishu's companion that seemed to always shadow the prince, he gently laid him down on the soft ground. Before he retreated, he softly whispered 'Goodnight Ah-Xu," and walked away when the guard saw Zhou Zishu's slumped figure. The prince instantly bolted up when Han Ying began to shake his arm, exclaiming how worried he was that he couldn't find him and was almost about to give up and bring a search party. The man honestly didn't realize how long he had been out, for when he was in the Moors with Wen Kexing time seemed to be nonexistent. He didn't even notice that he fell asleep until Han Ying called out to him.
The prince was thankful that his loyal friend didn't go to his father until he was desperate, for if King Zhao found out he went missing in the Moors...he shuddered, not wanting to give up the little freedom he already had. Giving a nod of his head, he was escorted back to his home once more.
#
Zhou Zishu is furious, his mood soured. He didn't dare express it, rather keeping his features emotionless. Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi who normally saw their rather calm prince, felt that something was indeed wrong. His hair was pulled up into a tight top knot, threatening to give him a headache. After he came home from his first time out in the Moors, he found he was unable to sleep, his mind forever racing repeating over his first encounter with the dark fae.
When he woke up, he was summoned to the throne room after having breakfast in his room, something that he hasn't had to do in awhile. He should have known that it was to end in disaster.
His father, Zhao Jing, had decided that now was the perfect time for a prosperous alliance. Since the neighbouring kingdom's don't have any daughters, he was given an arranged manage to a Prince Jin in the north. What the prince doesn't know is that this was his father's last attempt to try and get him as far away from the Moors - and Wen Kexing - as possible. The king was blinded by his paranoia to see how Zhou Zishu protested. Stating he didn't want to get married just yet.
Outraged, he left the throne room in a haste. Zhou Zishu no longer wanted to spend a minute in these sickening castle walls. Not bothering to disguise himself, he only grabs his cloak and silently leaves the castle as dusk was beginning to fall over the lands. He did not care where his feet would take him, for surely any place would be better than King Zhao's castle.