"Evanescent"

"Love may be a battlefield, but ours will always and will be worth the fight."

After having ceremonial tea with two of his cousins, girls of eight and fifteen, Luhan politely separated himself and went on to find Minseok in the palace. He peeked on every room he could possibly open. Left to right, he haven't found Minseok anywhere inside. It was strange to think about it. Usually, he would do calligraphy right about now; detaching himself from everyone except for Luhan. "Where could he be...?" Without further decisions, Luhan found himself wanting to go out and walk by every Siheyuan doors he could pass. It was freedom for him at least. His heavy hanfu was replaced with a more lighter clothing, perfect for outdoors.

As he got out, with a few guards behind him, he smiled warmly at the people who greeted his very presence among them. The people of Han bowed deeply and stopped what they were doing just to recognize the prince. Luhan had let his eyes wander into every thing that catches his vision, colorful or not. But something had caught his eye though. At that moment, he saw Minseok standing by an old shop that sells sweets and different kinds of delicacies. When he was about to run off and surprise Minseok with his ever bright smile, he stopped half-way.

Junmyeon appeared right beside Minseok and gave him a bag of what appears to be candied fruit. It was Junmyeon's way for thanking someone who, even in the littlest way, had helped him. But to Luhan, it was quite a big fuss of misunderstanding. He hid himself first and ordered the guards to tell him who was the one with his trusted adviser. Two of the guards didn't know but the other did.

"He's Prince Junmyeon, my Lord Prince."

"P-prince? From where?!"

"Prince Junmyeon is the prince of the Song Dynasty. He is of the South, Prince Luhan."

Confusion sets in. Something was bothering Luhan deep in his gut as he walked away; leaving the two behind. He can't coin a word of what he really feels. Though it was too early for assumptions, it was never like that in Luhan's character.

No. I can't be jealous. 

Heading to a corner where there were no sign of suspicious people passing by, Junmyeon had thought about going for the run. It was nice there, well, at least for that moment. He grabbed Minseok's not-so-broad shoulders and looked him square in the eye. "I need to escape." Minseok was surprised as well as confused by Junmyeon's statement. "Prince, I-I don't think that-" Junmyeon cut him off as he shook his head. "I don't care what Yixing will do to me. I just need to get back."

"As much as I want to help you Lord Prince, there's nothing much I can do. Believe me, I've tried to escape when I was still younger...but, I'm still here." Minseok slowly put down Junmyeon's hands off his shoulders as he politely and respectfully bowed to excuse himself and gestured to go. Junmyeon grew desperate. He thought of his brother Sehun who he knows was a worrywart. He managed to smile about these thoughts but it wasn't enough to sustain it when Yixing himself came to lead him back to the palace.

"Had fun?" Yixing asked. Junmyeon made no sound and went on his way; leaving the man.

"I can hear them. They're coming." Yifan said in a whisper just behind Chen who was on a horse. Without Yifan's own battle armor, he looked to be like one of those regular soldiers standing behind high positioned warriors who are always in front of the line. They have got to pull this plan otherwise it would fail and Junmyeon would be forever in the hands of that bastard Yixing. 

Compared to Yifan, Chen was wearing a gold-like armor much similar to the color of bronze; indicating he is one of the leaders of the battle and that he has a valued price for his head. On the other hand, Yifan's armor was worn by a thief; a decoy designed to be killed for his crimes. It was brutal to let this man die as a decoy but rules are rules said Great Adviser Chou.

The plan of Yifan is to stage his death as a result for the enemy to halt the subjugation considering one of their main leaders had died. But it wouldn't be him though. It would be the thief who was now ordered to act like he was Yifan. His mouth was covered so that he wouldn't be recognized as a fake. Before he was going to be executed, like literally on the verge of ending his life by cutting off his head, Yifan barged in and startled the Executor. He ordered to let him go and so he did. The thief made a deal with Yifan that the palace would support and feed his family to which Yifan fastly complied without hesitation.

Yifan's POV

I was kind of anxious to the point that my hands are sweating and my spear is slipping from my grip. I wonder if Junmyeon knows what's happening now. If he doesn't know, sooner or later if he did, he'll be the one to drive a spear into me instead of Zhang Yixing. He's always like that back at the palace. Junmyeon wants to know every detail about what I am doing or who I really am. The same goes for me. 

A drum beat was heard on the vast field. I can sense everyone has already focused their eyes on the enemy. The single beat turned into a continuous battle signal. Admiral Wei gave his spear a lift as if meaning to say 'it's time to fight.' Then it all happened again.

One...two...three...

Before I could sense it, I was already running on the field screeching my battle cry while I purge myself from the calm man I once were into a raging wilder beast that was in for the kill. I drove my weapon where the enemy was; taking again another life. I did it again and again; covering the precious tip of the silver blade with blood as dark and red as any other tainted lips of a servant girl bruised by a kiss.

I looked around to find Chen with the staged thief on the side of the battlefield. The thief was still on his horse while Chen slashed every throat he could see that wasn't his comrade. The field was floating with dust that hazes the bloody scene on my eyes. But I still managed to get through to go beside Chen. The battle was still dense and it made me think about what Junmyeon said back while we were talking at the pond. As I recall, he was holding a lotus.

'Some thing's like this should be away from war. Away from all the slaying and the killing.'

Junmyeon, amidst a battle, how can you possibly appear on my mind and make my troubled heart be at peace...?