Yifan was used to being ignored on his birthday, his twin brother would be spoilt and praised and given a huge number of presents and he’d have a cake with a big celebration and all the possible ts but no one ever dared to mention that there was a second prince whom should also rightfully be receiving the exact same attention. However, Yifan did not mind too much, for the simple fact that there wasn’t an apparently mean bone in his body and if he was just a little on the patient side then he knew that Jiaheng would turn up in his secluded quarters with a piece of left over cake and a present for him so that he was never forgotten about. Sometimes Luhan would appear as well, with Kai in tow as was normal for the pair of them but over the last few years that had become harder to achieve as the King demanded that the Crown Prince become more well known to his subjects and his time was extremely limited.

This year though, Yifan did not feel like celebrating his birthday. He didn’t even want to acknowledge the existence of it because he knew that no one else would as now there was no one who would sneak out of their rooms at night to come and visit him. No one to bring him toys or extra servings of food, or a new book which had been snuck out of the library or a new painting of some mythical creature which was kept tightly bound in a leather note book so that no one would steal them away to be burnt. Jiaheng was dead, passed over to the other side and that left Yifan all alone.

He had thought of running away, leaving the palace walls as they were filled with nothing but contempt for his very existence but Yifan did not even know where he would begin with something like that. Whilst he could read, write, sew, embroider, cook, clean and play the guzheng to almost near perfection according to what he had overheard the maids saying though he did not personally believe it in the slightest, Yifan did not really know how to interact with people on any great scale. He was not unsociable par say, it was just that no one was particularly willing to talk to him excluding his two elder brothers and the bodyguard of one of them. So running away would lead to nothing but trouble because he would not know how to address anyone and would end up attempting to beg on the streets before probably giving whatever he had managed to get to someone else because he was just that way inclined.

So waking up in a bed with silk sheets and his skin feeling clean came as a little bit of a shock to the now twelve-year-old boy who sat up in a state of panic before a gentle chuckle came from the opposite side of the room and he turned to see Luhan place a gold pressed marker into the book he was reading and rise to cross the room in his black and gold styled hanfu which shimmered in the light. “I was beginning to think that you were not going to awake, dear little brother,” Luhan spoke softly, gently patting down the boy’s hair and pressing a kiss to his forehead, “Happy Birthday.”

Yifan blinked, looking up to Luhan with wide eyes but the other just smiled and gently sat down on the side of the bed, “Don’t look so confused young one. Today is a very auspicious day for you.”

“How do you mean, gege?” Yifan asked, feeling a strange tingle go down his back and letting out a slight sound when he felt something just brush sharply against his skin. Looking down he found himself staring at a gold pendant that was shaped like a dragon but almost as if it had been created for a fan with long sharp lines that rose and fell gracefully. It was the sort of pendant that Yifan would imagine a warrior to wear which only served to confuse him even more as he was no warrior in the slightest and he looked up to his elder brother again. “Gege?”

Luhan gently smiled at the boy, brushing his fingers through his hair, “Yifan, today is the day you leave us to take your rightful place on the Shenlong Dao.”

The young untitled prince pulled back from his brothers hold, staring at him in disbelief, “You cannot mean that.”

Softly Luhan brushed his fingers down the side of Yifan’s face, “I do. You are the Dragon Prince Yifan, Jiaheng was protecting you throughout these years to make sure that you were not influenced by those who would turn your power into something for evil or else ensure your own death so they could claim you for their own. He probably meant for you to receive the pendant today and then begin your journey but…well, we all know how that goes.”

Yifan shook his head, trying desperately to wake up or else find the fault in what was being said, “But I’m no warrior and I’m not gifted with anything. The Dragon Prince is supposed to be someone who is beloved beyond all others and…”

“By his dragons who are his loyal followers and family throughout the years of his life,” Luhan cut in as he gently brushed back the long black strands of Yifan’s hair and idled for a little on what style he would put it up in, “You are more than what you believe yourself to be Yifan and I know in my heart that you will become one of the greatest Dragon Prince’s in history. Now no more questions, or delays. Jongin should be back soon with your provisions and then you must leave before the evening dawns upon us.”

Desperate to argue more against this whole strange situation, Yifan found himself merely following along with his elder brothers wishes because there was nothing else for him to do. No matter how many times he asked further questions or tried to pry information out of the elder, he was told only that this was how it must be and he had to believe in himself. Yifan was bathed and dressed by his elder brother in a white hanfu with blue overcoat and had his hair pulled up into a firm knot at the top of his head which was set with a golden head piece that made him for once actually look like a prince and for the first time in his life was given a present by someone else other than Jiaheng on his brother.

Luhan presented him with a sword that had been designed for his own hand, with a belt and scabbard that had matched the blade perfectly. Yifan shivered as he felt the weight of the blade and wondered if he would be able to ever actually swing it around in any great way or if he would just fall flat on his face with every passing attempt. His elder brother chuckled, “If you keep wearing that scowl Yifan it will forever remain on your face. Believe in my words, if you will be stubborn and refuse to believe your heart for now. This is your path didi, you will succeed and when you walk back into the kingdom all will bow down and acknowledge you because you will be the hero who saves us.”

Yifan blinked down at Luhan before throwing his arms around his neck to hold on as tightly as he could, “Gege will be a good Emperor. He won’t need my help.”

“Oh sweet youth, full of innocence,” Luhan chuckled as he held the other close, “You are so precious to me that I heart breaks for having to make you leave like this but promise me that you’ll never hold a bitter regret in your heart for all that has come to pass. Our parents were wrong to treat you the way that they did, even I will admit to that, but they were scared of shadows that they did not fully understand and sought no information upon. When I ascend to take my duties I shall try to make sure that the world is a better place for all and I swear that when I send the call out to you, it shall be that of a brother seeking aid, not an emperor looking for more power.”

Setting Yifan back down on the floor, Luhan pulled back to look upon the youngster one last time and noticed that there were tears silently making their way down his face. Without saying a word, Luhan reached up to gently brush away the water droplets and pressed a kiss to the boy’s forehead once again as he knew that words would not change the youngster’s feelings anymore. Instead he turned to Jongin as he approached with a bag filled with probably a little more than Yifan needed but since neither of them had any real idea about what he would be facing it was probably a good thing that he had too much.

One final hug was delivered to Yifan before Luhan rose and nodded towards Jongin, “I shall look forward to our next meeting, didi.”

Yifan opened his mouth to speak but found the words caught in his throat as black smoke engulfed him and Jongin. Suddenly they were no longer in the crown prince’s room, they were on a stunning white sand beach with the sun blazing down upon them from above and a crystal clear ocean lapping at the shore. There was only the sound of the wind blowing through the trees and the smell of sea salt on the air and Yifan turned slowly to stare up towards the Island that he would now call home. A well-worn pathway led through the tree line towards a rocky sloping side of a very tall mountain that rose almost too high up towards the cloudless sky with only occasional strange outcrops that looked to be some kind of watch tower.

Dark eyes scanned the rocks carefully, not spotting any movement at first and an incredible loneliness began to fill Yifan’s heart until distantly he heard a roaring call and twisted himself around to look at the opposite outcrop to the one that he had been looking at. His eyes widened in surprise as he spotted the unmistakable form of a dragon, long bodied with slim wings folded down towards its back in a dark green colouring with brown undersides and tips to its tail. Large owl like eyes seemed to narrow and focus on Yifan even from the distance of over a mile and with a roar the creature elegantly rose up into the sky only to come charging straight towards the beach with what could only be described as a battle cry from the very dawn of time.

It was only then that Yifan registered the lingering trail of black smoke as Jongin had disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared and the just turned twelve-year-old boy found himself alone on a strange beach with a dragon bearing down upon him with a clear intention to rip him into a million different pieces for having the audacity to suddenly appear there. Panic gripped his mind almost immediately but instinctively he raised his arms up in front of his face and braced himself for impact.

Only to hear a none too gentle thud as the dragon crashed into a barrier that sent it sprawling back along the beach as it rolled over in the sand. Yifan was just as surprised as the beast which righted itself onto its four legs and charged at the boy once again, only to be blocked by another barrier which Yifan had thrown forth by merely extending his hand towards the creature that was coming towards him.

“Please stop!” he called towards the dragon, still fascinated by the creature even though he was terrified of it, “I don’t mean you any harm!”

The dragon snarled as it rose itself back up and prepared to pounce towards the boy, not interested in listening to any words it seemed but Yifan had to try. “Please, great dragon, I did not come here to hurt you or your kin. I was sent here cause…” his fingers grabbed the pendant from underneath his robes and he held it out hoping that the creature would see it and recognize it.

For a few seconds the dragon still looked about ready to eat him but then slightly lowered the defensive stance and took a few calm steps towards him. Fear suddenly gripped Yifan so hard that a terrible pain rumbled through his chest which he clutched at desperately before tumbling to the sand covered ground though not hitting it as he expected to do so. Instead he thought he found himself carefully being cradled in the large paw of the dragon who had just tried to attack him before he got the sensation of flying through the air. His dark eyes drifted shut however as the pain throbbed before dulling completely and he allowed himself to be consumed by the blackness.

Hopefully when he opened his eyes, the world would make a little more sense.  

authors babbling:

Well there you go, chapter one down and hopefully it was interesting. 

Any guesses on whom the first dragon encountered is? 

And also how cool is the poster and background, sooo pretty 

Hope to see you all again soon 

Chia