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Yan Xiaoyi had heard of Xie Bi'an.
All of the Imperial Guards had.
Who couldn't have?
He was an orphan from the streets, picked up by the Second Prince, and trained by Ning-cairen himself.
Talented, they said; a ninth standard swordsman.
Lucky, they said; of all the people he met, of all the people the Prince could have picked, by hand, personally, it was him, some orphan from one of the many orphanages of the city.
Favoured.
Because he was not just the Second Prince's, not just talented. There were swordsmen aplenty, so many of them congregating in the capital, eighth, ninth, standards. There were plenty of Alpha swordsmen in the world, in Beiqi.
That was nothing special.
But he was the Second Prince's only guard - he went nowhere without him. To see Xie Bi'an was to know that you might breathe a whiff of the Prince's scent in the distance.
He had been personally trained by Ning-cairen, who took no students except him.
Xiaoyi had heard he had been recommended - no, a favour, asked personally, by the Eldest Prince himself.
Xie Bi'an could speak with the Second Prince's voice, though he was used thus very seldom, so say the Imperial Guards, for why would he need to speak when the Second Prince was there in person?
He was a legend.
But what, precisely, was so special about him?
Xiaoyi couldn't figure it out. Chance, it had to be chance - for it was not uncommon for the Imperial family to pick up orphan children too.
Xiaoyi had been himself saved by the Princess, sister to the dragon, and every day he went through life with the chance of seeing her in the palace, even from the distance, was a blessing and a miracle. She had given him life, given him livelihood, him, a sole survivor of his village on the verge of death.
He had worked desperately hard, showing his talent in archery, to become the sole archer who had specialised and surpassed all in that discipline.
The days, the times, she called for someone to keep a watch at a distance, he would gladly give up his rest days, take triple shifts in a row, just for the chance that he could serve her.
That she remembered his name -- when he, starving and nearly dead, had whispered what he'd been called, Xiaoyi, our little second child -- was a miracle.
Why shouldn't it be the case for Xie Bi'an, an orphan like Xiaoyi, a commoner like Xiaoyi, to also be eternally grateful for the fact that his savior and lord remembered his name?
Xie Bi'an, the rumours went, was going to be the future Fu Ma - the Emperor's future son-in-law. Everyone knew it - his Highness let himself be covered in Xie Bi'an's scent, and sometimes Xie Bi'an would trail the scent of magnolias as he entered the palace to accompany the Prince.
What had he done, to earn this privilege?
What was so special about him?
Yan Xiaoyi didn't try to find out all about him, he didn't want to, but he heard all the same: Xie Bi'an was equally gifted in the martial arts, Xie Bi'an was his age. When the Prince walked the streets, this omega Prince, the only one in the entire empire, possibly the only omega Prince in the entirety of three countries, he had no guards but Xie Bi'an.
When Yan Xiaoyi earned the rank of one of the captains of the Imperial Guards, commanding his own squads, he would patrol the rooftops, knowing that under his sharp eye the Princess would be safe.
(but she would be safe under anyone's watch, under the twenty other captains' watch, under the two assistant commanders, the commander of the Imperial Guards.)
More than once, he had spied, from a distance, Xie Bi'an in the hougong, accompanying the Prince to visit Shu-guifei, close enough to touch the Prince, close enough to take a blade for his Prince.
The distance was never too far for him to close, if he wanted, with an arrow. It would have been so easy to shoot Xie Bi'an down. No one could escape him, when he was on shift.
He had been hearing stories and rumours of Xie Bi'an for years, before he met the Alpha.
Because this time, the Princess had asked for a guard.
And he'd happened to be on the tail end of his shift, and he'd heard the order and he told his men to go on, he would take this guard duty.
And the first time he met Xie Bi'an, the Alpha was saturated with the scent of eager, pleasured omega -- the sweetness of magnolia floating light over the spicier sandalwood, and Xiaoyi's teeth grit.
The other alpha guard was expressionless, and merely saluted him in acknowledgement of his presence, and stood outside the door as silent and quiet as any other guard would, waiting for his Prince to finish his discussion with the Princess.
Silent, and smelling of the privilege he had been granted, to know the Prince so intimately, to wear his scent blatantly like a smug flag of possession.
The Princess came to the door, smiling as sweet as in-season lychee, all but escorting the Prince to the door.
A breeze picked up as they opened the door, her sleeve came close to brushing Xiaoyi's knee. He swallowed hard, and tried not to let his knees buckle.
"You don't have to, Aunt," the Prince was saying, and paused.
His nose wrinkled slightly, head tipping barely imperceptively, but he didn't look away from his Aunt, nor did he stint on his taking of leave, walking past Xie Bi'an, his own sleeve not even brushing either of them.
His scent was absolutely covered with sandalwood, thick with it, dripping with it, intermingling to the point that the sandalwood enriched fresh lightness of the Prince's magnolia, almost to the point of it practically being his scent, it was so much, so ingrained, and done so often that both their scents mingled almost to form a single rich perfume.
When Xie Bi'an turned to follow his Prince, though, his gaze on Yan Xiaoyi had, for the slightest moment, turned dark, almost sneering, before he spun on his heel and left.
The Princess looked to him, saw him and cocked her head.
"Yan Xiaoyi," she said after a long moment. "A Captain now?"
He hurriedly went down to his knees, "Your Highness--!"
He dared to glance up at her, and all he saw was the considering look in her eyes, dark and unknowable as onyx, and then a red, red smile.
She turned, a graceful wave of her arm dismissing him.
He met Xie Bi'an several more times, after that, like it was fate, cruel and capricious, intent on dangling what he could not touch in front of him.
What he could not have.
What was so special about Xie Bi'an, that his Prince kept him so close, that the Alpha's uniform was all but ingrained with magnolia?
An Alpha like Xie Bi'an, like Yan Xiaoyi, should be content with their liege and master remembering their name.
He should be content with being allowed to breathe in their presence, yearning for their single acknowledgement, the whisper of his name on their lips.
Why shouldn't he detest Xie Bi'an, for this? Flaunting his Prince's touch, like he had the right to, like he was worthy, when one such as he, was no more worthy than the polished wood under the Imperial Family's feet, when the best that Xie Bi'an ought to hope for was to be used the way Xiaoyi was -- a weapon, a tool, to be used when necessary, discarded when not.
Yan Xiaoyi had worked his way up, past Captain to Assistant Commander, where he could arrange shifts that put him closer to the Princess' quarters. It was inevitable that he'd keep running into Xie Bi'an, for the Second Prince, when he came into the palace, marked up and scented by that dog, would sometimes visit his Aunt.
"That is pathetic."
Yan Xiaoyi had known it was Xie Bi'an - his scent was rich with magnolia. He hated sandalwood, the thick, spicy musk of it.
"I am on duty," he said, not looking away.
"A master archer of the ninth standard, guarding a door," Xie Bi'an said.
"All of the guards take shifts," Xiaoyi said, between clenched teeth.
"And all archers guard doors," Xie Bi'an said, disgust colouring his voice.
"If their commanders say to," Xiaoyi said, and ignored Xie Bi'an's blatant, almost hostile glare at Xiaoyi's uniform, his rank of assistant commander clearly marked.
"A poor delegation of ability," Xie Bi'an said. "To post the world's only master archer at a door."
"You have no idea what it means to delegate or organise a guard for the Imperial Palace," Xiaoyi snapped.
"Indeed, I do not. I might have thought it a punishment for some misdemeanor, otherwise."
"It is an honour to guard Her Highness' door," Xiaoyi said, and Xie Bi'an snorted, derisive and disgusted.
"There is no honour in being unable to take a hint." Xie Bi'an checked his sword, an attempt at being casual, and only was evidence of Xie Bi'an's arrogance.
"To stand guard is to be silent," Xiaoyi said, furious.
Xie Bi'an tipped his head, not even bothering to lift his hands for the salute, driving home the fact that while he technically held no rank, while Xiaoyi had clawed his way up to Assistant Commander, Xie Bi'an was the private guard to the Second Prince, and answered to no one but him.
The silence between them was vicious and thick, until the Prince was done with his meeting and he and Xie Bi'an left.
Everything he did, every deed he accomplished, was expected, as an orphan granted the honour and privilege to be in the Imperial Guard. His title he could wear with pride, to know that he had earned this with his hard work and sweat; that he was given orders to guard the Emperor when he went out of the palace, to guard the Princess when she moved from palace to palace, it was no more than his due reward to know he had done his job and had not failed.
And yet.
And yet.
They all heard how the Second Prince sent Xie Bi'an to the borders when Qing declared war on Dongyi and Beiqi for the assassination of the Prime Minister's son.
They all heard how Xie Bi'an accrued honours like a child picked flowers, the Eldest Prince sending Xie Bi'an back to bear the news of Beiqi's defeat, and how the Emperor had, in a warmth of delight, conferred upon him the rank of colonel, and the rumours of how Xie Bi'an was definitely the future Imperial son-in-law were cemented in fact.
Such fortune, that Xie Bi'an was so accomplished, and that his accomplishments were recognised! A swordsman of such talent, indeed, when there were so many ninth standard swordsmen. A difficult feat indeed, to be able to stand out from such a crowd.
Such fortune, that Xie Bi'an gained personal recommendation from the Eldest Prince and Imperial favour both, when it should have just been his duty to go where his Liege ordered him, accomplish what he was told to do.
Such fortune, such great fortune indeed.
When the Princess was disgraced, and banished from the Capital, Yan Xiaoyi could only kneel outside her residence as all the rest of her people deserted her, rushing to find new masters like disloyal spineless curs.
She was a disgrace, and a traitor, and the Emperor her Brother did not care to see her again, and therefore the only thing he could do was to bear part of the shame, letting it tar him and strip away his rank.
To be associated with a traitor was to lose the trust of the Emperor and the Imperial Guards, but it was a shame that he could bear proudly, if it meant he could share some of her burden.
And even then he couldn't finish her last task for him, the task she'd asked of him to personally do, the task he had disobeyed orders for, dragged loyal men with him to try to complete.
He could only retreat to the border as ordered by the Emperor, and serve his disgrace, knowing that he was a broken, useless tool; that his deeds here would never gain recognition in her eyes, nor would it result in a position of trust, for she was in no position to ever grant such a thing.
(Even if the emperor were to confer a title and rank on Yan Xiaoyi, it would be like ashes to him, knowing it had no meaning, if he could not serve the one… the one who had saved him)
The news of the capital travelled slowly to the border, so far away and wild as it was, and as long as he heard nothing of her, he could imagine that she was living peacefully and safe. He was lulled by the dearth of news, and for almost a year, everything was quiet.
So quiet that he could almost believe that everything had remained the same.
Then, on the cusp of the season's change, messengers and heralds on the fastest horses arrived to the little provincial city he had been stationed. Those men had unrolled the scrolls that kept the Emperor's words while every official, from the highest Magistrate to the lowest guard, knelt in the Great Hall of the city.
Fortune had smiled on their province, for it was no longer masterless: it would now be ruled by a Count. An Alpha - of course it would be an Alpha - who had won Imperial favour with his courage and talent. This Alpha, the herald announced in strident times, had saved the Emperor's beloved Imperial Noble Consort and his twin children, the new Heirs apparent to the seat of the great dragon.
(Oh, of course the province would not have heard about that piece of news: the Imperial Noble Consort was a new title, and granted specifically for this individual. Little surprise, really: he was the Emperor's Omega, after all, and he had once been the all-powerful Chairman of the Investigative Bureau. Surely anything less than a whole new rank would be unfitting to his station.)
The fortune of their province was indeed great, for so blessed by the gods of the Temple that their Count had been granted the hand of an Imperial child. What? Of course it was not Lin Wan'er; who might that even be?
No, the new Count of Hudong would be marrying the second Imperial child, once known as the Second Prince, and now known as the Beloved Princess. The only Princess, for the Emperor's newly-born children were both Alphas.
What is the Count's name? Why, we have no right to speak aloud the names of such august personages, Captain Yan; you should know that. But if you truly wish to know, I can show it to you: it is written on the edict.
When Yan Xiaoyi took the scroll, he already knew the name he would see at the bottom:
Xie Bi'an.
END