Chapter Text
It was said that eons ago, a great power rose to threaten all of human and faekind. With a flick of his wings, hurricanes ravaged crops. With a nod of his head, entire villages were slaughtered, down to the last woman and child.
He wasn't the first magic-wielder of his power, but he was the first to strike visceral fear in the hearts of all who beheld him. For indeed, how can one summon the courage to oppose a magic-wielder who can flatten mountains and empty seas?
He divided the Empire into two, so the tale goes, forming the Moors, and the Jin Kingdom. From the Fire Palace of Nightless City, he unleashed a reign of terror, torturing and murdering all dissenters. After a decade of tyranny, a brave coalition of fairies and humans banded together to bring an end to this great evil. Each of them, with justice in their hearts and fire in their souls, fought the tyrant for two long years before finally vanquishing the evil that was Wen RuoHan.
Today, the Sunshot Campaign has long since passed into legend, bedtime stories to be told to unruly fae children. Having lost his name to history, the fairies only knew of this great evil as Maleficent. They knew not what he looks like, only that he was fearsome and draconic, they knew not the precise magic he wielded, only that it was immense. They knew not of his deeds, only its remnants.
Amongst the humans, even that much has since passed out of the collective conscious. But even there, Maleficent left his mark, for it is impossible to forget a force so great and so terrible as he. In the aftermath of his rule, every human felt an instinctive distrust of all faekind. Furthermore, year after year, King Jin GuangShan would remind his people of their indignation the the fact that the massive area which used to belong to a sprawling Empire was now inhabited by the fae and other such magical creatures.
But of course, ancient hostilities can be unlearned. Centuries-old injustice overcome. And whom better to begin rebuilding the over-worn bridge between man and fairy than the victorious descendants of the Sunshot Campaign?
The day was cheerfully sunny, the sort od weather that perfectly balances the intermittent shade provided by lazy clouds with the brilliant beams of sunlight that peek through. A wafting breeze urged people to throw open their windows in hopes of inviting in the scent of blooming azaleas. It was the sort of summer day that painters and poets obsess over, seized by that familiar compulsion to immortalize the delicate robin egg blue of the sky.
In a clearing just beyond the border of the Moors, three children - two human and one fae - were at play. It was the first time Jiang Cheng and Jiang YanLi had ever ventured past the tower sycamores and their eyes seemed about ready to pop out of their skulls with how intently they stared at every vaguely glowing plant and foreign seeming animal. Their eyes darted from their fae friend to the foliage and back again in open fascination while Wei Ying fluffed up his wings with pride.
On any other day, the three could be found running about the Jiang estate of Yunmeng, climbing trees, picking lotus seeds, flying kites, or holding swimming competitions. But today, Jiang YanLi and Jiang Cheng were thoroughly persuaded by the sky's perfect blue and the sun's lively warmth to go on an adventure. It certainly didn’t hurt that Wei Ying was especially persistent with his badgering for them to visit, now that he’d finally shed his down feathers.
For as long as the Jiang siblings had known him, Wei Ying was as earthbound as them, with little fluffy wings that he hid beneath black robes so he could pass as human. But ever since his flight feathers started comming in, he had been itching (literally, if Wei Ying's constant fidgeting was anything to go by) to take to the skies.
While Jiang FengMian welcomed Wei Ying’s fae nature and his presence, Madam Yu allowed it only begrudgingly and with the caveat that he couldn't do anything that hinted towards his fae nature. And so the three of them concluded that Jiang Cheng and Jiang YanLi had no other choice, really, but to sneak out of their home and sprint for the Moors the instant their mother's back was turned.
...a decision Jiang Cheng was now regretting as Wei Ying swooped about, dropped feathers in his, and cackled like a banshee. Just whose idea was it to give wings to the most hyperactive person on the planet? Jiang Cheng should have expected this.
“Get back here Wei Ying, so I can hit you!” Jiang Cheng raged, shaking a tiny fist after the figure loop-de-looping in the sky.
“Oh please, you couldn’t hit me even if I stood still-” Suddenly, Wei Ying was behind him. As Jiang Cheng turned to face him, Wei Ying playfully poked at his cheek, “Boop!” and then darted away.
“Uraaagh! If you’re gonna be like that, I’m not coming back here ever again!”
Wei Ying flipped himself upside down and blew a loud raspberry, “Good because no one wants you here anyway! Li-jie and I will just play without you!”
The two continue to banter and annoy eachother as Jiang YanLi watched on indulgently. It was nice to see Jiang Cheng so relaxed after his week of back-to-back lessons on clan politics. Her brother may be the heir to the Jiang sect, but he was still a kid and it's unhealthy for him to work so hard without a break.
Wei Ying goaded Jiang Cheng some more and Jiang Cheng retaliated by throwing sticks. One stick struck the young fairy in the face, causing him to squawk and flail in the air.
“A-Ying, be careful!” Jiang YanLi called out, “Your wings are still new, don’t be so… A-Ying? What is it?”
Wei Ying had suddenly gone motionless, hovering almost eerily still in the air. He was looking at a shrub with odd intensity.
“Hey Wei Ying, why’re you staring at-”
“Sh!”
Jiang Cheng immediately started sputtering, “Wh-wha, don’t you-don’t shush me, you-!”
“I thought I saw something move,” Wei Ying cocked his head, birdlike, “It was wearing clothes so I don’t think it’s an animal?”
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes at the shrub, as if he could glare the person(?) out of hiding. The bush remains still.
“Um, excuse me?” Jiang YanLi said, feeling awfully silly for talking to a bush, but she trusted that A-Ying did see something so she continued, “If there’s someone there, um, please come out?”
The bush was silent.
Jiang Cheng growled, “Hey! We know you’re there! Quit hiding and being a creep.”
The bush gave no response.
Jiang Cheng turned on Wei Ying, “Are you sure you saw clothes?”
Wei Ying seemed less certain now, “I-think so? I… hold on…I think I can-” He closed his eyes and stretched out a tiny hand. Jiang YanLi and Jiang Cheng watch in fascination as his fingertips started to glow crimson.
The Jiang siblings have been meeting with Wei Ying for several months now and they’ve seen several feats of magic from Wen Qing and Granny, but thus far, their friend hasn’t shown them anything. Apparently Wen Qing had forbidden him from messing around with talismans and arrays until he had her express permission. Wei Ying rarely followed rules (exhibit A, Wei Ying’s two human friends even though fairies aren't supposed to interact with humans until Name Day) so it spoke volumes that he refused to do any magic when Jiang Cheng asked that one time. The Jiang siblings silently agreed not to pressure Wei Ying on this until he was ready.
Which was apparently now.
Wei Ying’s eyes snapped open, an unnatural red to match the energy swirling over his hand. Brows furrowed in concentration, he made a sweeping motion with his arm and a kid tumbled out from behind the shrub with a yelp.
“Haha! It worked!” Wei Ying cheered, he turned to the kid who was rubbing his back with a wince, “How was that? I didn’t shove you too hard did I? I wasn’t sure how much force to use since I couldn’t see you and-”
“Who are you?” Jiang Cheng cut in, crossing his arms, “Why are you spying on us?”
“Yeah,” Wei Ying crossed his arms too, “Why are you spying on us?”
The kid’s eyes darted about, from Jiang YanLi’s stern expression, to Jiang Cheng’s scowl, to Wei Ying, who was still hovering in the air, and suddenly broke down in tears.
“Hey, why are you crying?” Wei Ying finally landed. He reached out to the kid, “We're not scary. Stop crying, okay?”
Somehow the kid started crying even harder and Wei Ying turned towards Jiang YanLi, silently pleading for her help.
Taking her cue, Jiang YanLi approached the kid slowly. She sat down beside him and smiled, “Hey there, my name is Jiang YanLi."
The kid calmed down almost immediately.
It might be Wei Ying who could fly around and make his fingers glow red, but Jiang Chen and Wei Ying still thought that Jiang YanLi was the most magical and amazing person in the world and this clearly proved it.
Jiang YanLi continued, "This is my brother Jiang Cheng and our friend, Wei Ying. What’s your name?”
The kid looked at her with red-rimmed eyes and sniffled, “M-Meng Yao.”
“A-Yao,” Jiang YanLi smiled at him kindly, “Can you tell me why you were in the bushes?”
Meng Yao fidgeted with his sleeve and Jiang Cheng’s eyes were drawn to the kid’s robes. They were plain and a little threadbare, quite unlike the rich purple fabric draped over him and his sister’s shoulders. He wondered why kid would keep wearing such ratty cloths when he can just ask his parents for new ones.
“I was scared… I saw you, I wanted to play…”
“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Wei Ying interrupted, “We love making new friends! Even this sourpuss here,” Wei Ying nudged Jiang Cheng with his elbow and got shoved in retaliation.
“I-” Meng Yao’s eyes were wide and he looked somewhat overwhelmed, “You’re not mad? You want to be my friend?”
“Sure do!” Wei Ying said.
“You really-” Meng Yao’s eyes began tearing up again but he quickly wiped it away upon seeing Wei Ying’s distressed expression, “I-thank you.”
Jiang Cheng scoffed, “You’re so weird. What are you thanking him for? Wei Ying is literally the most annoying person you’ll meet ever. Give it a week and you’ll wish he’d leave you alone.”
Wei Ying pulled Jiang Cheng into an aggressive noogie, “Aw don’t be like that, A-Cheng! You know you love me!”
Jiang Cheng kicked him in the shin and took a swing at Wei Ying, who dodged with a laugh, “You gotta be faster than that, little A-Cheng!”
Jiang Cheng growled and started chasing Wei Ying around the field.
Meng Yao looked on with confusion, “Um, Jiang-guniang, I thought they were friends?”
“They are,” Jiang YanLi assured.
Meng Yao was silent for a moment, “And… they’re always like this?” he said, like someone slowly realizing the full implications of the predicament they'd unwittingly gotten themselves into.
“Yup!”
“Huh,” Meng Yao said.
In the distance, Jiang Cheng somehow managed to grab a handful of the fairy’s wings. Wei Ying yelled at him while his other wing flapped madly as he tried to escape. Black feathers were everywhere.
“Should you… help Wei Ying?” Meng Yao asked.
“Nah, he’s okay.”
“Ack, stop it, why are-ow, that hurts-Jiang Cheng let go-!” Wei Ying yelled.
“Huh,” Meng Yao said again.
And that was how, quite by accident, the happy trio became a happy quadruple. Jiang Cheng thought Meng Yao was much more fun than the spoiled rich kids his parents always introduced him to. Jiang YanLi was glad to have someone level-headed around to help talk down A-Cheng and A-Ying when they get too rowdy. Wei Ying, as always, was very happy to have made another friend. All three of them were later shocked to learn that Meng Yao was actually the oldest of them, despite being the shortest, beating out Jiang YanLi by about three months.
"Why were you crying so much then?" Wei Ying asked, "I totally thought you were a lost little kid!"
"You shouldn't hover over people like that, you giant idiot," Jiang Cheng chided after Meng Yao failed to respond.
As Meng Yao stood beside Jiang YanLi, watching as Wei Ying flew about erratically while Jiang Cheng clung stubbornly to his legs, he considered telling them that they were the first people to be nice to him outside of his mother and SiSi and he was crying because he thought they would chase him away. Meng Yao considered telling them that he’d been watching them play in the Jiang estate gardens for weeks now and he’d always wanted to join them but didn't have the courage.
Jiang YanLi glanced over at him, “You look like you have something on your mind?”
Meng Yao smiled and shook his head, “It’s nothing important, Jiang-guniang. But thank you. For asking.”