Chapter Text
The Crown Prince had been born beneath the Star of Solitude.
The royal priests said that it was a good omen.
The King had laughed and dismissed them after gifting them pouches of gold bars. The Queen only lowered her head to look at the child sleeping in her arms.
One month later, the Royal Capital celebrated the milestone of the Crown Prince’s birth.
It was also the first time the Queen of Xianle appeared before the Royal Court after giving birth.
From the outer streets to the palace gates, the Royal Capital was draped in festivity. Silk banners fluttered, hanging from the city walls. Lanterns lined the streets in endless rows, their warm light reflecting against polished stone and wood. Music floated through the city like rippling water, joining the laughter of people gathered beneath the evening sky.
Within the Royal Palace, the celebration lasted until nightfall.
The great hall stood illuminated by countless lanterns. Ministers lined both sides beneath painted beams and golden pillars while the King sat above upon the throne. Beside him sat the Queen, dressed in robes of layered gold and white, the small Crown Prince, wrapped in the rarest silks, resting quietly within her arms.
Outside, the first lantern rose into the sky.
Then another.
And another.
Before long, thousands of lanterns drifted above the palace roofs, turning the heavens into a sea of warm light.
The Crown Prince slept through all of it.
___
Years passed.
The Crown Prince had learned to walk.
And soon after, he had learned to run.
The palace servants quickly discovered that the young prince possessed far more energy than dignity. White robes flashed through corridors and gardens alike while attendants hurried helplessly behind him.
“Your Highness!”
“Please slow down!”
“Your Highness, you will fall!”
He did.
Frequently.
There was one maid in particular who always cried whenever he tripped or stumbled upon stairs. The little Crown Prince, meanwhile, would sit upon the ground with wrinkled sleeves and laugh at her crying face.
The King called him lively.
The Queen called him curious.
The palace called him beloved.
___
More years passed by.
And the little Crown Prince finally reached his teens.
Yet some things remained unchanged.
The Crown Prince who had once raced through palace halls still moved as swiftly as the wind itself. The cries of maids continued to trail behind him through gardens and pavilions exactly as they had years before.
Only this time, the boy who ran beneath flowering trees had grown taller and his features had softened into something refined.
___
Then, the Crown Prince began to slow down.
Xie Lian no longer ran through palace corridors.
He walked with grace carried in every movement, composure worn as naturally as breathing.
The servants who had once chased after the little prince no longer needed to run. They only stood aside now, smiling softly as he passed.
The little Crown Prince, now twenty years old, had grown to be gentle by nature. He was knowledgeable beyond his years, kind even where kindness was difficult.
He gave as naturally as others breathed.
On the second month of the lunar year, the Crown Prince stood before the throne and before the Royal Court officials.
Far from the throne, stood Feng Xin.
Once the personal guard who followed behind the Crown Prince through palace grounds and beyond.
But not anymore.
Xie Lian motioned Feng Xin to come and stand in front of him.
The Crown Prince looked towards the court and then at Lao Wen.
Lao Wen nodded and announced, “By the orders of our great King and the Royal Crown Prince, from this day onwards, Feng Xin shall assume the position of the General of Xianle!”
Feng Xin took in a long breath.
“Feng Xin shall no longer remain confined to the Crown Prince’s residence! He shall guard the borders of Xianle!”
Xie Lian extended a scroll towards Feng Xin.
Feng Xin went down on one knee and lowered his head, extending his hands to accept the decree.
That evening, sunset painted the palace in gold, as always.
The residence of the Crown Prince overlooked the inner gardens, its raised corridors and carved railings catching the last light of day.
Xie Lian leaned on the railing of his balcony. He could see the attendants changing lanterns for the coming night.
And, of course, Mu Qing remained by his side.
Unlike Feng Xin, he had not left. He still served the Crown Prince as his loyal servant.
The evening breeze moved gently between them.
“I always thought you had potential,” Xie Lian said suddenly. “And so did royal father and royal mother.”
Mu Qing looked towards him.
“I had a talk with royal father about you too. But nothing is possible because of...”
The distant ringing of a bell echoed faintly within the palace grounds.
Mu Qing lowered his gaze.
“I understand my responsibilities, Your Highness. And I understand the crimes of my father.”
Xie Lian turned towards him. The final light of sunset rested softly against his features.
“No child should be bound to the wrongdoings of their parents. And one day I will be able to change that.”
Feng Xin was a General. Perhaps one day, when he stood at the highest rank, Mu Qing would have a title of his own in the Royal Court.
Far beyond the palace walls, evening descended over the capital.
And somewhere beneath the same sky, a child who had once fallen through darkness continued walking towards a future that had yet to meet him.
_____
Two years had passed.
Springs came and left. Summers turned into autumns. The borders of Xianle remained peaceful under the watch of its soldiers, and the prosperity of the kingdom continued undisturbed.
General Feng Xin had settled into his role well.
The once personal guard of His Highness the Crown Prince now spent more of his days among military quarters and command halls than within palace grounds.
Yet traces of his old habits remained. The junior soldiers often joked that their General still carried the temperament of someone accustomed to chasing after trouble.
Well, the trouble no longer ran through palace corridors in white robes.
The military quarters of the Royal Capital stood near the border of the city, occupying broad grounds lined with training fields, armouries, and barracks. Even near dusk, the place remained alive.
Within one of the command halls, Feng Xin sat surrounded by several junior officers.
Maps lay spread across the table before them. And the conversation had long shifted from border reports to complaints.
“General, the western group still insists their horses eat more than everyone else’s.”
“They probably do,” Feng Xin replied without looking up.
A few soldiers laughed.
Another began speaking of some records when hurried footsteps sounded from outside.
A soldier entered and bowed deeply.
“General.”
Feng Xin finally raised his head.
“There is a young boy outside. He wishes to join the army. He says he has no home. We got him from the streets.”
“...”
Outside, the distant sound of training weapons striking together carried faintly through the open windows.
Feng Xin rested an arm upon the table.
“Fortunately, Xianle is not at war. Nor are we in such desperate circumstances that we drag kids from the streets into the army.”
“No one dragged him, General.”
Another voice entered the hall.
A second soldier had arrived with a boy beside him.
He looked young. In his teens, perhaps.
His clothes were worn from long use, the fabric faded and uneven at the hems. Dust clung to the edges of his sleeves. Bandages covered his right eye, wrapping across part of his face in white against dark hair.
“...”
The youth stood straight despite his appearance. There was nothing timid in his posture.
“Why do you wish to join the army?” Feng Xin asked.
“I live in the streets,” the boy answered. He met Feng Xin’s gaze without lowering his head.
“I need money. Can’t you see I’m wearing rags?” he added, his eye moving briefly towards his own clothing.
“...”
The boy’s tone was not disrespectful. He was just... blunt enough to border on insolence.
Feng Xin almost laughed.
Almost.
The visible eye staring back at him was dark. Not empty nor frightened. It held something difficult to name. Too hollow for a fifteen year old.
It was the look of someone who had survived longer than he should have.
Yet beneath it all—
Only purpose.
Feng Xin finally spoke up, “Get him checked and put him in the Capital Protection group.”
The juniors around him looked mildly surprised but said nothing.
The youth remained motionless. Only after a moment did he lower his head. And then the two soldiers turned to lead him away.
“General… was that wise?”
Feng Xin looked towards the doorway through which the three were walking away.
He did not know why.
Perhaps it was instinct, perhaps experience.
Or perhaps it was simply that he had once known a person who carried impossible determination while standing in borrowed circumstances.
Feng Xin suddenly called out again. “What is your name?”
___
Noon sunlight poured over the military quarters beyond the borders of the Royal Capital.
The morning drills had long ended.
Soldiers moved through the wide grounds carrying training spears and practice swords while others gathered their belongings, preparing to return home for the festival. The distant sounds of horses galloping mixed with loud laughter.
Near the entrance, Feng Xin stood among several juniors, finishing the final reports before dismissal.
“The Royal Crown Prince has arrived!”
“...”
Then every soldier within hearing distance straightened.
“The what?”
Before Feng Xin could react more, a familiar figure had already crossed through the gates.
White robes brushed lightly against the stone path. Gold embroidery caught beneath the afternoon light. Behind him followed only a few attendants and guards, their presence intentionally modest.
Mu Qing was not beside him—
“Feng Xin.”
Xie Lian smiled the moment he saw him.
The greeting came so naturally it almost sounded as if they still stood within the palace courtyard rather than the military quarters of the Royal Capital.
Feng Xin let out a long sigh. “Your Highness.”
Then he folded his arms.
“What are you doing here? If there was something you needed to inform me of, you could have sent a letter. You did not need to come here personally.”
“I came to look around. And meet my old friend.”
Childhood friend.
That was how Xie Lian referred to him.
Feng Xin clicked his tongue softly and looked away.
“You…”
“I only stopped by on the way back from the mountains. Carry on with your work. I will simply look around,” Xie Lian said with a smile.
Feng Xin stared at him for a moment. Then sighed again and scratched the back of his head.
Xie Lian laughed softly before he could say anything, stepping past him.
The buildings of the military quarters stood open beneath the afternoon sky. Soldiers passing through the corridors immediately lowered themselves into respectful bows upon seeing him.
And obviously, Xie Lian greeted each of them in return.
He walked deeper into one of the training buildings.
The interior was cooler than outside. Wooden pillars lined the open hall while benches rested against the walls for soldiers returning from drills.
On one of them sat a youth.
He looked quite thin compared to the other younger ones. Not weak, simply lean in a way that suggested years of surviving on little.
The youth sat lazily with one leg bent on the bench while a bottle of water rested in his hand. Sunlight from an open window touched the white bandages covering his right eye.