The carriage rattled unceasingly over uneven ground as they travelled further away from the city. The hard seat made Jiang Zhilan's butt hurt as he was bounced around but the serene sight outside made up for it; a little. It was nearing winter but the trees still clutched onto their leaves, forming a canopy of red and gold. 'Such an auspicious colour.' The king thought, moving his hand away. The curtain fell over the window and blocked his sight of the trees.
He sat boredly for the next while, snacking on snacks and occasionally staring out the window. But the silence stretched on and Jiang Zhilan found himself wishing for a travel companion. No one dared to of course. And his good friend Fu Wei, General Fu's son, had his own party to travel with into the mountains. He was fun to have around; shameless, but not as much as Liu Qingyuan.
Jiang Zhilan hurriedly slapped the silly smile off of his face. He cleared his throat embarrassedly, although no body was there to witness his slip-up. After another stretch of silence, Jiang Zhilan got up, scooting to the opening of the carriage and pushing aside the cloth partition.
Unexpectedly, he almost shoved his face into Liu Qingyuan's shoulde, drawing back hurriedly in surprise. Liu Qingyuan, who'd been driving the carriage, startled a little. "Is there anything you require, your majesty?"
After a month of chasing chickens and grinding wheat and whatever else the palace chefs pushed onto their poor employers, Jiang Zhilan thought his guard's shoulders were a little broader... "Your majesty?" Liu Qingyuan asked at the silence. He only glanced back briefly. He hadn't seen that face for a month and still, that time wasn't enough toâ
Liu Qingyuan hastily turned his head away as the king looked up at him. "Hmm? Ah...I'm bored," he admitted, a little embarrassed. He warily glanced up at Liu Qingyuan's profile. One month was enough to forget that incident, right? Their relationship couldn't have been destroyed from a kiss... Jiang Zhilan smacked the thought away. One month was enough?! What BS! Oh, why didn't he put more effort into forgetting?!
"..." The smack startled Liu Qingyuan and he stared disbelievingly. "Are you...okay, your majesty?"
"Huh? O-oh, uh there was just a bug on my cheek..." Fuck! Jiang Zhilan wanted to dig a pit and crawl into it. No need to get him out for the next hundred years.
"If there are bugs, you should stay inside the carriage." Seeing the embarrassed expression on his face, Liu Qingyuan had a sudden urge to start laughing. He bit the inside of his cheek and turned away.
"No need..."Â Jiang Zhilan waved him away. "I'm a man, why would I be scared of bugs." The pair descended into silence, the rhythmic horses' hooves accompanying them. Every few seconds, Jiang Zhilan glanced over at his handsome profile, still wondering whether he'd been forgiven or not. Liu Qingyuan could feel his gaze but he ignored it; that and the strange desire to look over and catch his gaze.
After a while, his hands were gripping the reins so hard, his knuckles were white. Finally, he glanced over, their eyes, one pair lowered and one pair raised, met. Caught off guard, Jiang Zhilan smiled tentatively. Although Liu Qingyuan lowered his gaze immediately, he'd seen something change in them.
Perhaps their fate wouldn't end in disaster after all.
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"Let the hunt begin!"Â Jiang Zhilan raised his glass high, the liquor sloshing slightly on his hand from the movement. A resounding cheer rose up from the crowd below as the participants returned the toast. Jiang Zhilan watched the eager nobles disperse, turned to Liu Qingyuan and smiled brightly from the excitement coursing through his veins.. "Let's go hunt!"
The side of Liu Qingyuan's mouth quivered and he followed the king to their mounts. His innk black horse stood proudly, it's muscles large and powerful.
Once in free reign, the pair galloped ahead of the king's entourage, racing on the mountainside path despite the protests of the guards and servants. The wind whistled softly past their ears, the king's dark hair flying out behind him like the wings of a bird, giving a sense of unshackled freedom.
"Your majesty." Although he didn't really want to, Liu Qingyuan called out. The entourage was making a ruckus far behind, scaring away all the animals. Jiang Zhilan understood. Although reluctant, he slowed to let them catch up. Eunuch Shuang wanted to complain but the king held a finger to his lips and nocked an arrow.
Liu Qingyuan had leisurely been watching the wild pig in the brush, but now he turned his attention to the king. To his straight posture and the easy flow of his bow and arrow and the gleam of playfulness in his eyes. The arrow struck true, straight between the pig's beady eyes. The entourage let out an embarrassing cheer and Liu Qingyuan almost laughed at the look on the king's face.
"Hao le, hao le." Jiang Zhilan eyes the unruly crowd, so excited after only one kill. "You can all go back. And take this pig with you. Find someone else to guard."
The crowd immediately calmed down and Eunuch Shuang took the lead. "Your majesty, I'm afraid we can't leave. It is our duty to protect you."
"This small army will scare away all the prey before I'm within twenty feet," Jiang Zhilan complained. "How embarrassing it'll be when I return to camp with no catches."
"This..." Eunuch Shuang started to sweat. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. His majesty's safety or his majesty's prestige. Both were not a matter of child's play.
"Okay okay," the king relented. "A few can stay to help carry back the prey. But the rest of you must leave!" The entourage reluctantly agreed, the majority splitting off to head back to camp with the wild pig in their arms.
"Aren't you afraid someone will attack you?" Liu Qingyuan's voice came from the side. A strange expression came over the king.
"It's the autumn hunt, so while it's not likely...there's still a chance." Jiang Zhilan waved away the thought. "Don't say such un-auspicious words! Besides, I have you beside me, don't I?" 'You'll protect me, won't you? At least for a while, right? Even if your mission is to kill me...'
Liu Qingyuan didn't reply, but he didn't refute either. Jiang Zhilan's smile turned genuine. "Let's go, ba. There's more prey to catch."
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As the sun rose and fell, the king managed to get another pig, a few smaller prey and a deer. Liu Qingyuan just trailed after him, occasionally shooting at the smaller prey. In a rare moment of showing off, Liu Qingyuan skewered two pheasants at the same time as they tried to escape to the skies.
Liu Qingyuan was a little regretful of the month he'd spent away from the king. He was now unsure of the dynamic between them and there had been no opportunity to analyze the degree of tension between the factions of the court...
"What are you thinking about?" A healthy flush has risen high on the king's cheeks and with the sun at his back, he looked like he was glowing. Liu Qingyuan's breath caught in his throat. Jiang Zhilan frowned, waving a hand in front of his face. "Qingyuan~"
"Ah...It's noth-" A beam of sun glinted off metal. Liu Qingyuan broke off his train of thought and lunged forward. He grabbed the king by the waist and in a flurry of robes, pulled him into his saddle. In the next instant, an arrow sliced through the space where the king had been.
"..."
A guard shouted out from behind them, falling from his saddle with an arrow through his throat. "Protect his majesty!" Another guard roared, drawing his sword and swivelling around in his saddle. At hia cry, a barrage of arrows rained down on them. The few guards did their best to defend their group from the shower of sharp edges, but the horses didn't fare well. Jiang Zhilan's brown mare startled, running away with a neigh and startling the other skittish horses. The clearing descended into chaos.
With one hand wrapped around Jiang Zhilan's waist and one clenched on the reins, Liu Qingyuan managed to wrestle his horse into a semblance of control. He was about to turn back to the others but an arrow split the ground in front of the horse, further startling it. Three black-clad horsemen rushed towards them. Regretfully, Liu Qingyuan pulled the horse in the other direction. Seeing how the guards were barely fending for themselves, the best course of action was to find another route back to the camp.
Jiang Zhilan, who was sitting with both legs thrown over one of Liu Qingyuan's, eyed the bow and arrow on the saddle. He wanted to retaliate to their pursuers but the position wasn't quite right. Liu Qingyuan was between them and himself. With the horse running at such a speed and sitting in such an awkward angle, Jiang Zhilan could only clutch onto Liu Qingyuan and hope a misstep wouldn't fling him off.
Jiang Zhilan shifted, wrestling a leg over the saddle to sit somewhat properly. He felt the arm around his waist tighten in response. Liu Qingyuan's solid build pressed against him like a shield, but that shield was still human and the king was afraid of arrows piercing his guard in the back.
The trees flashed by and through wind-stung vision, Jiang Zhilan could vaguely see that more shadows pulled up, flashing through the trees to their left and right and slowly creating a circle around them. "Yuan-"
An arrow bolted backwards from the right, skimming the horse's neck. In a sudden movement, it reared up, voice full of fear. Jiang Zhilan's eyes widened, feeling them both fall backwards. The reins had already snapped away so Liu Qingyuan reached to the king, trying to soften his impact. Unexpectedly, there was a 'puchu' sound and immense pain bloomed from his shoulder. He lost his grip entirely and the two of them hit the ground, rolling in opposite directions.
Jiang Zhilan sat up dazed and aching all over as he lay in the dirt. He'd barely collected himself when a flash of silver flitted in front of his face, slicing apart the arrows aimed at his head.
"Cough, run!" With the corner of his mouth smeared with blood, Liu Qingyuan swung his sword, sweeping aside a few more arrows with his sword. His hit arm was completely numb and there was an itching pain crawling up his collarbone. Blackish blood leaked from the wound, filling Liu Qingyuan's heart with dread. Poison...
He knocked away a few more arrows and glanced behind him, finding the king still dazed, the breath knocked out of him and scratches all over his hands. He grabbed his arm, forcibly hauling him up. "Jiang Zhilan!"
Calling the king's name so informally was a severe crime but in this situation, it at least helped the king snap out of his daze. With Liu Qingyuan pulling at his hand, the pair stumbled through the brush, weaving between the thin trees. Arrows whistled by, the pursuers still too close for comfort.
"Hgn-" Jiang Zhilan stumbled, crashing into Liu Qingyuan's back. His ankle throbbed where an arrow had left a gash. Fortunately, it was an ordinary arrow. Liu Qingyuan caught him but Jiang Zhilan pushed him away hurriedly. "I'm fine." He glanced behind them. "What should we do?"
The moment the words left his lips, a dagger flew at his back. Liu Qingyuan grabbed him, swinging him away like a rag doll in his grasp. Their blunder had given the assassins the opportunity to catch up, and they were upon them. Liu Qingyuan raised his sword to block the assassin's blade, turning his hand to change his grip and stab them deeply in the chest. They fell, but soon, more replaced them. As more figures gathered, Liu Qingyuan was forced into battle. His numb arm was a bit of an obstacle but the battle wasn't hard. It was just that the poison was slowly crawling through his body with the feeling of ten thousand needles. He felt the king's presence disappear from beside him and he turned hurriedly.
An assassin took advantage of his momentary distraction to grab the broken arrow shaft still slightly sticking out of his shoulder, and rip it out. It tore the wound open and forced out a mouthful of blood. Liu Qingyuan coughed, unable to completely avoid the blade that sliced across his abdomen.
"Qingyuan!" From the scuffle, two assassins dropped to the ground, deep gashes in their necks. The king had picked up an abandoned blade and was unleashing his fury upon the ground. With the distraction, Liu Qingyuan cut down a few more and together, they nearly finished them off.
Seeing the dire change in the battle, one assassin fled, scrambling in his clothes for a small shell-shaped item. He raised it to his lips and blew, evoking a shrill sound. He was calling for reinforcements!
Jiang Zhilan threw his blade which skewered the running figure straight through the back. Although he collapsed, it was already too late. " Come on!" Liu Qingyuan grabbed the king's arm and pulled him from the scene. As they ran on, Liu Qingyuan slowly became the one being dragged along. Whatever was on that arrow was making his vision blurry. His usual graceful countenance was lost in his unsteady steps and unfocused eyes.
The ground swirled like a whirlpool and Liu Qingyuan almost fell. "Qingyuan!" A cool hand patted his face. "Are you okay?!" Liu Qingyuan didn't reply, only taking a deep breath and forcing his shaking legs to steady. He could hear the rustling behind them grow louder. If they didn't move, they might not have another opportunity to.
They'd only taken a couple steps when Liu Qingyuan fell like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Jiang Zhilan propped him against a tree. "Qingyuan, what's wrong with you?" His breaths were laboured and his eyes would fade in and out with clarity. His lips were already pale and cold sweat ran from his temples. Jiang Zhilan resolutely hit some acupoints and pulled the sword from Liu Qingyuan's grasp. Hopefully a small break would help him.
Ignoring the pain in his leg, Jiang Zhilan turned, sword clashing with the assassin's blade. Like a wraith in gold, he spun through the attackers, felling them like trees. But he was already exhausted and didn't dare stray far from Liu Qingyuan. He had to buy him as much time as possible. Such that, he received numerous cuts for his trouble.
His ankle flared in pain and he stumbled, a hooked blade sinking into his arm. Jiang Zhilan cried out, raising trembling hand to block another hit. His grip was weak and the sword flew out of his hand, spinning away into the trampled underbrush. Jiang Zhilan reached into his belt, flinging out a sweet-smelling sachet. Although the powder was useless, it still stung the eyes.
He used the moment to turn back to Liu Qingyuan, who, through the commotion, had at least managed to stand up. Jiang Zhilan grabbed him and the pair ran away through the brush.
The trees thinned, the dirt becoming sun hardened, until they reached a small outcropping. And here the path ended. Below roared raging waters, tumbling over each other in a churning race. The spray flew up to them, splattering Liu Qingyuan's face with ice-cold droplets. Liu Qingyuan sensed the danger and halted, forcibly dragging the king back from the edge. His fingers pinched into his waist.
"We have to jump!"
"No, we can't-" Jiang Zhilan pulled him and they lurched forward.
"The water will break our fall!" Jiang Zhilan tried to convince him, sending a nervous glance behind. With their condition, even if they got away by fighting a way out, it probably wouldn't end well for one of them. Although it wasn't a guarantee, jumping into the water would definitely have a higher probability of survival.
"I can still...fight!" Jiang Zhilan shot him a glance. Why was he so stubborn?! Weren't they supposed to be enemies too?
"Look at your condition. Can you really still fight?" Unexpectedly, in the middle of such a crisis, there was still time to scold him. It really made you wonder what the heavens had in store ba...
Liu Qingyuan, who couldn't even really stand on his own, was silent. But still he refused to let go of the king. "It's the only way!" Jiang Zhilan protested. Behind them, six or seven more black-clad figures emerged from the trees. Taking advantage of Liu Qingyuan's weakened state, Jiang Zhilan pulled the both of them directly off the cliff.
The weightlessness stole his heart but the king just closed his eyes, clinging onto the other heavy mass and bracing himself for the impact.