Chapter Text
Xie Lian was bored. Very bored.
One may think that almost anything can be considered entertaining to a seven year old like him and it'd be true. That kind of conception does not apply today though. The king and queen were especially busy with their royal duties, leaving the little prince inside his quarters to mope.
What was he expected to do at a time like this?
Perhaps that's actually the problem here. He was expected to stay still and do nothing when he could be saving the world out there.
...Alright, so maybe he's exaggerating a little, but he's going to do that when he grows up. His mother had always told him that if he is strong, he'd be able to achieve the goals he set for himself.
For now though, his main goal is to do something that is actually worthwhile because apparently, he's still not strong enough to smite every man's relentless enemy—boredom.
Xie Lian heaves a deep sigh and looks out through the window. Outside the castle, there'd be people he hasn't met, places that he hasn't gone yet and things that his young pair of eyes hasn't seen.
His heart leapt at the mere thought of it. Adventure awaited him beyond these walls and it called for him. Life in the castle was filled with routines and he sometimes can't help but feel tired of doing things that are planned for him.
This time, Xie Lian is going to do something that he planned for himself!
First, though, he needs clothes that would make him inconspicuous. He was a second away from calling for the servants to fetch him clothes when he remembered he was moving in secret.
So the little prince made a beeline for his wardrobe, tiptoeing and barely reached the simple, white robes that hung on the deepest corner of the wardrobe.
That was, needless to say, hard for a seven year old who wasn't going to have a growth spurt anytime soon.
The gold-tasseled cream robe slid off his shoulders and was replaced with the plain white one that he had conveniently found.
Xie Lian tied his hair into a (very, very messy) bun and readied what he deemed necessary for his journey.
All of this seemed more laborious than it initially seemed, but his hard work is not without a purpose. Later on, he'll come back here after either making a friend or saving a life.
With a firm resolve, he left his room with stealth, each step taken with caution. Xie Lian peeked at the hall to check and when he saw no one, he grinned to himself.
"Coast is clear," he whispers excitedly to himself as he went to tiptoe out of the hall, making sure to make no noise at all.
The palace was huge and one could easily get lost in these walls. Xie Lian, however, knows the palace like the back of his hand. This is where he's ever been his whole life after all.
He knows where the most number of guards are, and of course, where the least number are also positioned. Surely, they won't notice him go if he's as swift as the wind and—
"Who goes there?"
Xie Lian froze. How could he have been noticed so quickly?
"Wait, that's a kid. Why's there a kid in the palace?"
Right. Other than the him, the crown prince, there shouldn't have been any other kid in the palace who would be his age. His cousin, Qi Rong, would sometimes visit, but today is not one of those days.
Xie Lian stayed still with his back turned, not wanting to meet the eyes he knew were trained on him. There was pure silence until he decided to make a break for it through the window.
He heard the guards calling for him, shouting for him to stop, but Xie Lian ignored them. He continued running and running to where his legs could take him.
Xie Lian stopped only when exhaustion finally caught up with him. Scanning his surroundings, he saw trees. A lot of trees.
The little prince was more than sure that he'd be out of the palace grounds once he neared the mountains, but looking at it from where he is, it almost seemed... too far.
Xie Lian resisted the urge to sigh. This was one of the times he wished he had a friend. A friend who'd help him make decisions at times like this. It'd be really convenient if that friend possess a good fortune; perhaps it would be able to overpower Xie Lian's ridiculously bad luck.
But for now, he needs to figure his way out on his own.
Suddenly, the sound of leaves rustling somewhere behind him reminded him of the guard he he had let down while he was deep in reverie.
He turns his lithe body around and caught a glimpse of orange. It was a shade of orange that was so deep it was almost red.
He heard some noises again when he finally decided to ask, "Who's there?"
There was a whirlwind of leaves before a creature that Xie Lian has never encountered before, but has definitely heard about from the books his father had given him, had appeared before his eyes. It was of a hue the little prince was still undecided about.
The little prince decided to come closer to it and he was more than sure of what it was.
It was a fox. With an eyepatch.
How curious.
"Hello, little fox. Do you have a name?" he asks after a whole minute that was spent staring at each other, unmoving.
Any other seven year old would've become frozen in fear just upon spotting it and would've run away where it won't find him, but, besides being unlike any others, Xie Lian simply did not see any reason to fear this particular fox. He just felt like it won't harm him.
Attempting to converse with it was a bold enough move.
And well, from what he knows, foxes (or any kind of animal) aren't capable of speech, but still, he tries.
The fox tilts its head and Xie Lian got the feeling that it would've been raising its brow if it were a human.
"Why are you here?" he asks again, and maybe it was just his mind being weird, but the fox seemed to make a gesture that was far too close to what might have been a shrug.
Either way, one could tell from his expression that he was intrigued.
"I don't see anyone with you. Are you alone?"
Xie Lian watched every move the fox made so when he noticed it getting closer to him, he instantaneously became elated.
Slowly, he reached out and scooped the fox into his arms, caressing its fur and admiring how soft it was through his hand.
Xie Lian chuckled when he heard it make a sound that was close to a purr, "You like being petted?"
The fox had its eye closed by now, indulging in the tender touch of the seven year old. That was, until it suddenly emitted a pained whimper.
"What's wrong?" The next words he was about to say died in his throat as he felt something wet and sticky on his fingers. It was blood.
"You're hurt!" he exclaimed, only remembering to look for the wound after a few moments. In his eyes flashed worry as he found blood running languidly from its abdomen.
It looked like it was stabbed by something.
Xie Lian kept the fox encircled in his left arm as his hand grasped his right sleeve, tearing it with all the strength he had. When that didn't work, he tried it with his teeth. It hurt a little, but his efforts paid off. He immediately wrapped the white cloth around the fox's body, tying it in a butterfly knot.
In one of his classes, he was taught the first aid in case any situation like this happens to himself (and heavens forbid that should happen). He knew knowledge of this would come in handy one day, but he just didn't expect he'd do it to someone else (and to a fox, at that).
"There!" he heaved a sigh of relief, "You were practically sashaying earlier, so the thought of you being injured never came to mind."
"I don't understand why anyone would do such a thing to a harmless and adorable ball of fluff like you," he pulled the fox to his chest and enveloped it in his arms.
"I guess this is a reminder that the world is dangerous. People can do a wicked thing like that to you, so who's to say they won't do the same to me?"
He smiles gently at the fox, patting it on the head, "Well, I guess it's time to say goodbye, little fella. I'll be going home now and so will you."
He was about to pull away but realised that he can't.
Xie Lian blinked, "...?"
It was then that it dawned to him that the fox was holding onto him and tightly at that. It basically stuck to him like glue. The little prince didn't know what he should do until an idea popped up in his head, "How about I let you stay in my home until you heal? How does that sound?"
Only then did he feel the fox loosen its grip on his clothes. Xie Lian chortles and starts walking to the direction of the palace.
"You know what," he says after a couple of steps, "I seriously want to go somewhere; anywhere, really."
The fox looked directly at Xie Lian, its gaze unreadable. Well, Xie Lian supposes that any look he gets from an animal shouldn't mean anything at all, but this fox really was just different.
"I haven't gone anywhere that far and saved or befriended anyone yet. I guess this is simply my fate," he murmurs sadly to himself.
The fox, seeming to have heard and understood him, made a noise that could be interpreted as one of disagreement. Xie Lian chuckled, "You truly are a weird one."
The fox closed its eye, making no move to confirm the statement and only nuzzling against the little prince's neck.