Yixing

As soon as Yixing had given the order, a soldier rushed in.

“Report!” He announced, “A single set of hoofprints have been located, heading for the Ming border!” Yixing’s hands clenched. It was Feiyan’s horse, it had to be. Then, the memory of Luhan presenting him with a report from their scouts a few weeks ago surfaced in his mind. In the mess of everything that had happened, he had almost forgot about it. If he remembered correctly…

“Luhan!” He looked up at his half brother, “Didn’t you say there was increased bandit activity along the main path towards Ming territory lately?” Luhan nodded.

“That’s true, but why…” His face fell, and understanding suddenly crossed his face.

“If Feiyan is heading for Ming territory, there’s no way she could avoid the main road.” Luhan realized, worry starting to fill his eyes. Yixing fought to suppress the rising panic in his chest.

“Get me a horse, immediately!” He yelled, and soldiers quickly rushed to fulfill his command. As Yixing hurried for the exit, he stopped short as he nearly knocked into a young woman standing just outside.

“Xing gege?” Ruyi looked at him in confusion. Yixing swallowed hard as he clenched his hands behind his back.

No, she isn’t Ruyi. She is a spy. Your Ruyi is long dead, and Feiyan will be too if you don’t hurry up!

The fake Ruyi’s voice, once so soothing and calm to him, now evoked fury and annoyance in his heart.

“Men!” He called, “Arrest this woman! Keep her under heavy guard with no visitors until I return!” The fake Ruyi spluttered out protests as soldiers immediately pushed her arms behind her back and locked her wrists together with thick rope.

“Xing gege, what are you doing? Today is our wedding!” She cried. Yixing closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face the spy again.

“I don’t know who you are, or what you wanted from me.” He declared, “But believe me: if Feiyan is not found alive and well, you will not live to see the sun rise tomorrow, much less enjoy the splendor of a wedding.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Feiyan

Feiyan yawned as her horse trotted slowly along the forest path. The forest certainly had not seemed so large and impossible to navigate when she had first arrived, perhaps because she hadn’t been the one leading the way. Feiyan was pretty sure she had been going in circles for at least two hours before finding the right path.

It’s almost like even the heavens don’t want me to leave.

Feiyan smiled wryly at the thought. Even if the heavens wanted to stop her from leaving, what use was it if Yixing was intent on driving her away? She was stubborn, but she certainly knew when it was time to give up. As she moved slowly along, she heard the sound of hoofbeats behind her, and for a moment, Feiyan fancied the idea that Yixing had come chasing after her, having changed his mind about everything. She scoffed to herself the moment she let the thought enter her mind.

Don’t be ridiculous, Feiyan.

At this moment, Yixing was probably preparing for his wedding to Ruyi and looking over the last minute preparatory work. But then, who was coming up behind her? Other travelers? Feiyan heard the loud shouts of men, and she turned her head slightly to see a group of men approaching on horses. Their clothes were ragged and haphazardly tossed together, their beards long and unkept. No flag announcing their master or family name could be seen on any of them. Feiyan felt a chill run through her as she realized who the men were.

Bandits.

She quickly urged her horse to go faster, and then into a gallop. In her panic though, her horse ran haphazardly, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Excited yells came from the men as they spotted Feiyan, and the thundering sound of hooves struck fear in her chest. Feiyan cried out as something whipped around her waist, yanking her cleanly off her horse and onto the leaf covered ground.

“Well well, what do we have here?” An amused growl spoke as Feiyan picked herself off the ground and looked up to see the scarred faces of bandits staring down at her. Feiyan swallowed hard and stayed silent, subconsciously tucked the folds of her robe closer together. The man who had spoken only laughed at her tiny attempt to protect herself and looked at his men.

“Take the prey.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Yixing

The wind blew Yixing’s long hair up and behind him, wild and free. It was quite unseemly for a prince to look so unrestrained, but at the moment, Yixing could care less how ridiculous he looked. If the bandits got their hands on Feiyan...he shook the ends of his thoughts away. No, he would not let any of that happen. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he rushed out of camp before a tiny figure in the distance appeared.

“Yixing, what is that?” Yifan yelled. As they drew closer, Yixing recognized the outline of an animal.

Could it be…?

He pulled his horse to a stop as they neared the animal, and Yixing immediately recognized the Mongol riding equipment on its back. A soft orange bundle still lay attached to the saddle. Yixing slipped off his mount and examined the situation. Besides a little exertion, the horse seemed to be fine, but Yixing’s heart dropped as he looked around the animal. It was clear that a physical fight had occurred near the animal. The leaves around the horse’s feet had been pulled and scraped in random directions, and spots of red glimmered in some spots. Yixing stooped down and sniffed carefully at one of the leaves.

Blood.

“Yixing!” Luhan appeared by his side and held out a shoe. It was elaborately designed, clearly nothing that could have been made by Mongol hands. Yixing let out his breath slowly and looked back at the blood smeared leaf in his hand.

“They’ve taken her.” He concluded grimly. Yifan’s eyes widened.

“Then Feiyan is…?” He asked, not daring to finish the question. Yixing shook his head.

“No, they won’t kill her right away.” He replied, “The blood on this leaf is still wet. It couldn’t have been that long since Feiyan was captured.” Yifan pointed ahead of them.

“There’s a dragging mark going in that direction.” He observed. Yixing crumpled the leaf in his hand.

“Then that is the direction we will go.”

__________________________________________________________________________

Feiyan

Feiyan bit back a cry as she was knocked onto her side yet again by the of a bandit’s sword. The scratches along her arms stung terribly, but she refused to make herself look weak in front of her attackers. Still, she knew resisting could only keep her safe for so long. After having been dragged for some distance away from her horse along coarse and rocky ground, the bandits had now taken to knocking her around a circle of horses like a limp rag. Feiyan had heard before that bandits liked to play with their “prey” before finishing them off, but this... in their eyes, she was not even human anymore! The men laughed as Feiyan lay on the ground, her energy completely spent by what she had been subjected to.

“It looks like the little lady is tired.” One of them mockingly cooed, “Boss, should we finish her now?” The bandit he addressed as boss shook his head.

“Let us see what else this little lady has up her sleeve.” He replied. The men began circling their horses around her, their laughter mixed with the constant motion making Feiyan’s head spin. She closed her eyes, just wanting it to be over. Then, a thought entered her mind.

If I die here...I will never be able to make Yixing regret losing me. If I die here, wouldn’t that be what that Ruyi wants? No, I cannot let that happen! I cannot die so easily!

Feiyan forced herself to focus and carefully felt the thundering sound of the horses’ hoofbeats around her. Slowly, she caught the subtle gap between hoofbeats that signaled the end of one horse and the next behind it. If only she could...Feiyan waited for her chance, and then lunged forward, her eyes opening as her hand grasped onto one of the horse’s legs.

“What the-!” The horse’s rider let out a cry of surprise as the horse immediately lost it’s balance and tumbled backwards. Their rhythm broken and the other horses were startled, the other men immediately broke down into chaos. Seizing her chance, Feiyan pushed herself to her feet,  rushed out of the gap left by the fallen bandit, and ran as fast as her legs would take her. The men quickly regrouped and gave chase on foot, their yells only spurring Feiyan to run faster. As it turned out though, there wasn’t that much space for Feiyan to run. Before long, Feiyan felt herself reaching a cliff, and skidded to a stop close to the edge. The men laughed, knowing that their prey had nowhere to go. Feiyan hazarded a look over the edge and felt her heart drop. There was no ledge jutting out of the cliff as far as she could see, the only end being a thin blue river far, far, below her. Feiyan clenched her hands into fists as the bandits advanced. If the only direction she could go was down, then...As she prepared to jump though, the sound of riders advanced from the forest, and Feiyan felt her heart leap as she recognized the red color of the Mongol flag.

Could it be…?

Sure enough, a large group of horsemen broke out from the forest, their armor gleaming in the sunlight. And at the head of the group, Feiyan recognized a very familiar face.

Yixing!

For a moment, both groups of men carefully scrutinized the other, trying to size up the strength of the enemy. Then, a smirk broke out across Yixing’s handsome face.

“Kill them all and show no mercy.” He ordered coldly, “Do not let harm come to a single hair on the princess’s head.” Feiyan stared in confusion as the men charged under Yixing’s orders. Had he come to save her? Or was it something else that was pushing him to do this? The bandits were clearly no match for the Mongol warrior’s fighting ability. Most of the bandits were quickly distracted by fighting Yixing and his men, but as the bandits’ numbers quickly declined, one of them seemed to remember that Feiyan was still frozen at the edge of the cliff. Feiyan’s widened as he lunged at her and she barely managed to duck sideways to avoid him. Undeterred, the man lunged at her again, and this time, Feiyan instinctively twisted backwards to avoid him. As she did so, she took a step backwards as well. The ground suddenly gave way underneath her weight, and Feiyan’s eyes widened as she found herself falling off the cliff edge.

“Yixing!” His name slipped unbidden from her lips, panic lacing her voice. She saw him turn, and terror fill his expression as he saw her falling. Yixing ran forward, but Feiyan wasn’t certain whether he could reach her in time. While he was the closest to her position, he was still some ways off. Feiyan closed her eyes as her entire weight left the cliff edge, certain that all Yixing could do was watch her fall. For a moment, her body felt entirely weightless, nothing supporting her except for empty air. Then, Feiyan felt something snap around her wrist, and her descent was yanked to an abrupt stop. Surprised, Feiyan looked up and found herself staring into Yixing’s smoldering dark brown eyes, his teeth gritted with effort as he grasped tightly onto her wrist.

“Yixing!” Feiyan gasped in surprise, unsure of how he had managed to jump the entire distance to the cliff edge.

“Don’t move.” He hissed as he tightened his grip on her, “If you move around too much, we’ll both fall off!” As he struggled to pull Feiyan back up onto solid ground, Feiyan shook her head and moved to push at his hand.

“Yixing, perhaps this is just my fate.” She said quietly, “I didn’t want to die, but the heavens just like to play these sorts of jokes on me. Why should I fight fate? Let go before we both fall, and then you can be with Ruyi forever!” Feiyan was taken aback by the sharp glare Yixing sent her way.

“Do you know what you’re saying?” He demanded, “Don’t think you’re being very noble and sacrificing yourself! Listen carefully, Xu Feiyan! I won’t let go of you, not now, and not ever! I’m never going to let go of your hand ever again!” Feiyan’s eyes widened in shock, all protests dying on her lips. Something had changed in Yixing in the time since she had left the Mongol camp. It was just barely there, but Feiyan could almost see vestiges of the Yixing she had come to know surfacing again. Somehow, Yixing found the strength within him to pull Feiyan up, and soon, she found herself on solid ground again. Yixing however, didn’t let go until they were safely away from the cliff edge. Around them, the sounds of fighting had finished, the bodies of the bandits lying still on the ground. Yifan, wisely, kept the soldiers from approaching Yixing and Feiyan. Feiyan felt a conflicting mess of emotions in her chest as Yixing gently cradled her face in his hands.

“How are your injuries?” He queried softly. Feiyan looked at her arms and legs before shaking her head.

“Nothing serious.” She replied, “Just some scrapes and cuts.” Relief flooded Yixing’s gaze, and with a deep sigh, he pulled her into his embrace.

“You stupid woman.” He murmured softly, “Don’t you know how worried I was? What were you thinking, running off alone like that?” Feiyan froze in confusion, torn between returning the hug and pushing him away with a slap to the face.

“We’re not married anymore.” She said at last, “Why should I stay? I have no right to.” Feiyan shot Yifan a confused look over Yixing’s shoulder, but he shook his head and ushered the little army back into the forest and away from them.

“Yixing, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting married?” She asked at last. Yixing’s grip tightened around her waist.

“How can I do that when you are in danger?” He replied. Feiyan felt her confusion grow, and she pushed him away.

“Zhang Yixing, I’ve done all you asked. I’ve given you permission to marry another woman, I’ve stayed away from your relationship, I haven’t forced you to love me!” She whispered, “What else do you want from me? Why won’t you just leave me alone?” To her horror, tears started rising in her eyes again, and she scrubbed at them futilely. Yixing stared at her tearful expression for a moment before his face softened.

“I want you.” He replied simply. Feiyan felt herself stagger in shock.

“What?” She could only ask dumbly. A tear escaped from her eyes and rolled down her cheek. Yixing hesitated for a moment, then placed both hands on Feiyan’s shoulders. Then, he leaned closer and gently placed a kiss on her cheek, literally kissing the tear away. Feiyan’s heart started pounding in her chest. Yixing’s lips moved down slowly, leaving a soft trail of kisses down her cheek. Then, cautiously, his lips captured Feiyan’s, the kiss hesitant, but growing more firm and certain with every second. Feiyan felt like her heart was going to explode, all resistance melting out of her body like ice placed in a hot pan. When Yixing finally pulled away, Feiyan felt like she could barely breathe. Yixing gently cupped her face in his hands.

“Perhaps it is too late for me to say this.” He said quietly, “But Xu Feiyan, I hope you will at least let me say this.” His gaze was steady as he looked into her eyes.

“I don’t know when it happened.” He said with a small smile on his face, “But at some point, you became an irreplaceable part of my life. I can no longer spend even a single day without knowing that you are by my side. From now until forever, no other woman can hold the same value in my heart.” He took a deep breath before continuing.

“I love you, Xu Feiyan.” Yixing confessed, “I love you so much, there are not enough words to describe it.” Feiyan’s eyes widened in shock, her heart starting to hammer in her chest again.

“But before...you...that woman…” She stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Yixing sighed guiltily.

“That woman is a spy.” He answered, “She gave me a type of poison that would suppress all my emotions for others and force the one I felt for her to grow uncontrollably. It is because of that medicine that I became so cruel to you.” He looked down in shame.

“But Feiyan, I will not put the entire blame on the medicine.” Yixing continued, “If I have to blame something, then I will only blame my own weakness and blindness in not recognizing my feelings for you sooner. If I had, perhaps I could have resisted the effects of the poison. Then, things would not have come to this.” He reached down and took Feiyan’s hand in his.

“I know I have no right to ask you to return with me, or to love me anymore.” He said softly, “Of course, I do wish that you can be my princess consort again. But in the end, the choice is up to you.” Yixing smiled sadly.

“If you choose to return to Ming anyway, then I will return with you and personally explain to your father what happened.” He concluded. Feiyan took a deep breath, barely able to take in all that had just happened.

He...loves me? He really truly loves me?

“Zhang Yixing.” She said quietly, “How do I know I can trust what you are saying?” Yixing thought for a moment before a bitter smile crossed his face.

“I know that nothing I say can make you believe me now.” He answered at last, “Not after all that I have done to you.” Feiyan took a deep breath as she turned away from Yixing to think. She wasn’t ridiculous enough to doom a person to condemnation forever because of a one time mistake. Even her father offered forgiveness to his subjects. At the same time though, what Yixing had done went far beyond any normal circumstances that happened within royal circles. Coming to a decision, Feiyan crossed her arms and turned back to look at the crown prince.

“Crown Prince Zhang Yixing.” She announced. Yixing visibly twitched at the use of his full title.

“Yes?” He said quietly. Feiyan sighed.

“I am not an immature woman who is unwilling to offer forgiveness in the face of sincerity.” She said, “And I know this matter is not entirely your fault. At the same time, what happened cannot be simply wiped away like dirty in a rainstorm.” Yixing’s gaze grew more ashamed.

“I know.” He mumbled. Feiyan took a deep breath.

“Since it seems that even the heavens do not want me to leave Mongolia, I will return with you.” She announced. Yixing looked up hopefully, but Feiyan raised a hand before he could speak.

“That being said,” She continued, “If you expect me to place my full unconditional trust in you like before, that is not going to happen.” Yixing’s gaze fell again and he looked down at his feet in shame.

“I’m aware of that.” He replied sadly. Feiyan reached out her hand to him.

“I will give you a chance to earn that trust back.” She added, “I will watch what you do in every situation, in all your interactions with me and other women. I will watch carefully from your side...as your wife.” Yixing’s eyes widened as he looked up at her.

“You’re willing...to marry me again?” He asked hopefully. Feiyan smiled and nodded.

“Since fate isn’t willing to let us go our separate ways yet, then I will not fight it, nor will l deny that I still love you.” She answered, “This is the limit of the little trust I am willing to invest in you, Zhang Yixing.” She raised a finger.

“However, if you ever do anything to make me lose even this last shred of trust,” She warned, “I will pack my bags and leave without even leaving a single note behind. I don’t care what the situation will be when that happens, I will leave and never return again. Do you understand?” A hesitant smile spread across Yixing’s face, and he nodded eagerly as he grabbed both her hands tightly.

“I will never disappoint you again, Feiyan!” He declared, “I swear!” Feiyan finally allowed herself to laugh a little.

“We shall see about that, Zhang Yixing.” She replied. Yixing grinned and kissed her again, and at last, the deep ache that had been been sitting in Feiyan’s heart finally eased and melted away.

____________________________________________________________________________

Yixing

To be honest, Yixing truly didn’t know when he had first fallen for the headstrong Ming princess. Perhaps it was when she had boldly stood up to her father to protect Yixing. Or perhaps it was when she had found strength within her to run headlong into the forest in an attempt to ask her father to find Tianjun’s assassin. While it had been a foolish act, it wasn’t something every princess could bring herself to do. Or perhaps it had just been a combination of everything that had happened in the half year since they had been forced to get married. Still, the exact moment wasn’t really important anymore. What mattered now was that Feiyan was in his arms, sitting on the horse in front of him, and he knew that he had a chance to make up for his wrongs. Feiyan giggled as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Stop it, everyone is looking!” She protested.

“Let them look.” Yixing replied nonchalantly, “I have nothing to hide.” He truly could care less what others said about him at the moment. He was certain he would get an earful from his father later, and there would certainly be gossip about how he had divorced and decided to marry the same woman within a week. But from the moment a small taste of the sweetness of love had welled up in his mouth along with all the dark feelings that had burst forth when he had taken the antidote, he knew there was no going back to the days when he ignored Feiyan.

“I don’t see anything!” Yifan called helpfully from behind, and the soldiers laughingly echoed the same. Yixing let himself laugh happily along with them, and let himself bask in the temporary peace.