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The autumn air was a welcome respite after traveling through the hot summer.
After the monk dismounted, Ao Lie shifted into his human form and stretched.
“Are you sure you’re alright carrying both me and the luggage today?” Sanzang asked with a fretful expression.
“It’s alright,” the dragon insisted with a smile, “They had their hands full protecting you from those ogres, carrying precious cargo is the least I can do!”
“Well why don’t you rest now? The others and I can set up camp from here,” he smiles. The other disciples looked a bit put out, but none of them actually protested the monk.
Ao Lie laughed a bit, covering his mouth with his sleeved hand, “Thank you greatly, Master.” he bowed, “But I ask you at least let me refill the canteens.”
“Fair enough,” the monk nodded, digging through their belongings before handing over the jugs.
Ao Lie took them and hummed to himself as he walked down to a creek, dumping out what was left of the old water and refilling them.
He looked at his reflection for a moment. His hair was tousled from the day spent on the road, face slightly covered in dirt. He smiled, and his reflection smiled back.
“Hey Ao Lie!” Wukong yelled as he ran over, hugging him from behind.
The dragon giggled, “Yes brother?” he hummed, pretending not to know what he was going to ask.
“Can I braid your hair?”
I’m surprised you’re even asking.” he said, “Let me sit,”
In the seconds it took for the dragon to sit down on the grass Wukong was already fidgeting impatiently, rocking on his feet impatiently as his fingers twitched.
“Alright,” the dragon smiled as he untied his bun and let his hair down.
Wukong was practically beaming as he sat behind him, separating locks of jade and white into sections, “Your hair is so nice, Ao Lie,” he remarked as if he hadn’t said it a hundred times before, “It’s like silk.”
“Your hair is very nice.” the young attendant complimented, only to immediately be shushed by his superior.
Ao Lie giggled, “It’s alright, I don’t mind talking.” he assured.
The attendants looked at each other before continuing pinning locks of hair into place and intricately braiding in silence.
The prince frowned, but said nothing further. He couldn’t blame them for wanting to keep things professionally proper. He could of course command them to converse, but he’d rather the silence than forced small talk.
At last, his hair was topped with a guan of jade and pearls, trimmed with gold. He smiled, admiring himself in the mirror, “You’ve really outdone yourselves this time.”
“Thank you, Prince.” they bowed their heads and stepped back to put away their tools when the door suddenly opened. They both immediately bowed deeply before Ao Ji, who acknowledged them with a small nod.
“Hello Father!” Ao Lie smiled, oblivious as his father held his face and regarded his hair “Is the banquet almost ready? I’m starved!”
“Just about,” he told his son, humming in thought before looking back at the attendants, “Do his hair again.”
The prince blinked, “Huh?” he looked back to the mirror in confusion. There wasn’t a single strand of hair out of place or any crooked ornaments, what was wrong with it?
“Everything has to be perfect tonight,” the king said, before leaving without another word.
Ao Lie huffed as he sat back in his seat, crossing his arms, “It’s not like he’s any less fussy any other day.” he muttered as he stared at his reflection.
The attendants looked at each other before starting to remove the guans and pins from his hair, undoing hours of work. Ao Lie watched disheartened as his hair fell back down to his shoulders, sighing.
Some days, he really hated his hair.
“Ao Lie?” Wukong’s voice broke through his thoughts, “You’ve been really quiet, you good?”
“Just thinking, is all.” he replied vaguely.
The monkey tilted his head, but left it at that as he continued working on the braid as the monk came over to join them.
“You tend to Ao Lie more so than your own master. People may start to believe he’s the master instead of me.” the monk teased as he sat, smoothing out his robes.
“Well if you had hair for me to braid, I’d braid it.” Wukong retorted matter of factly.
Sanzang laughed at that, learning early on that the monkey’s bluntness was rarely meant to cause offense, “That is fair.” he conceded.
“What’s not fair is that you’re bald by choice,” Wujing chimed in, stroking his bare head dejectedly.
“Oh please, at least you have your beard.” Baije huffed, “All I’ve got is stubble!”
A cheeky smile spread across Wukong’s face, “Don’t be so hard on yourself brother, the sows all find you irresistible when we pass through the villages.”
Baije’s face turned absolutely beet red as his expression twisted with anger, “WHY YOU!” he spat as he raised up his rake, only held back by Wujing, “LET GO OF ME! I’LL RIP OUT HIS TONGUE!”
“ Wukong! ” the monk scolded.
“It was a compliment!” he batted his eyelashes innocently, finishing off the braid while disregarding the raging pig demon, “Done!”
Ao Lie rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless, fingers gently caressing his braid, “Thank you brother.”
“Any time!” he patted his shoulder, before running off as Baije broke free and gave chase.
Sanzang sighed and shook his head, “What am I going to do with that monkey?”
“A gift from the Jade Emperor himself!” his father cheered, laughing joyously. The rest of the clan shared in his delight, rejoicing and toasting their drinks.
Ao Lie blinked at the pearl as it sat on a cushioned stand, tilting his head. It was certainly very shiny, almost like an opal. It was big too, bigger than his whole head.
“Is it magic?” he asked his uncle, who chuckled in reply.
“No, my boy. It’s not.”
“Then what makes it better than any other pearl?”
There were several groans and shakes of the head across the entire table.
“Don’t be obtuse, Ao Lie,” his uncle scolded, before returning to his meal.
The prince sulked a bit and stared at his lap. He hated when people accused him of knowing better. If he knew better, he obviously wouldn’t ask in the first place.
“Hey, you alright?” his sister asked, “You haven’t touched your plate.”
“I’m fine, just tired.” he lied, “I think I’ll go to bed early tonight.”
“You stayed up late again last night, didn’t you?” his sister teased as he excused himself from the table. Nobody else even looked up as he left.
Night fell upon the ocean kingdom, but Ao Lie couldn’t sleep. He listened as the festivities continued late into the evening, before eventually fading as more and more of his family went to bed. As soon as he heard nothing but silence, he snuck back into the banquet hall where the pearl was still proudly displayed.
He walked up to, staring at his reflection on its smooth surface.
Just sitting there with no purpose.
Slowly, he reached out with his hand.
No purpose but to be shown off by his father.
His chest felt tight as he softly pushed it, slowly rolling it off its cushion.
Gawked at by the masses as it sat there doing nothing .
It dropped to the floor in the blink of an eye, bouncing twice against the floor before rolling to a stop. Ao Lie knelt down to pick it up, turning it over in his hands. There was the tiniest little crack on its surface, barely noticeable in the light. It brought him a sick sense of joy to see the pearl’s perfectness ruined.
He could stop here of course, place it crack down on the cushion and everyone would be none the wiser.
Instead, with hatred seizing his heart, he raised the pearl over his head and slammed it down the ground. This time it rang out as it hit the floor, chipping with the impact.
He laughed madly, picking it up and slamming it down again, and again, and again until the floor was covered with dents and the pearl became decorated with cracks.
It still wasn’t enough, so he took a deep breath as he picked it up and spewed green flames onto it. The pearl’s bright iridescence gave way to an ugly brown char, the cracks spreading across the entire orb now.
He dropped it to the floor once more, raising his foot and slamming it down. At last, the pearl shattered into ugly pieces that scattered around the room. It still wasn’t enough, he needed the pearl to be dust.
He reached down to grab a piece when he suddenly heard the door slam open behind him.
“STOP!!!”
He froze at the sound of his father back, whirling around to meet the king’s horrified gaze.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
Ao Lie blinked as if broken from a trance, looking down at the remains of his carnage. The pearl shattered and charred, the room alight with his fire which were quickly spreading to the surrounding rooms.
What… What had he been doing?
“What are you doing!?” Baije shouted, grabbing Wukong and yanking him back from the pot.
The monkey hissed and shoved him back, “I was adding mushrooms to the pot, what are you allergic!?”
“Are you sure those are edible though!?” he said as he snatched them away.
“I’m sure!” he snatched them back and squinted at the fungi, “... yeah. I’m like ninety-five percent sure.”
“Ninety-five!?”
“But I’m one hundred percent sure I’m about to kick your ass!”
The monk groaned as they started up again, burying his face in his hands.
“Don’t worry Master,” the dragon waved his hand, “My siblings and I used to roughhouse much worse than they do!”
“I fear it’s a matter of being at each other’s necks more than it is roughhousing.” he groaned, “Tell me, how is it you can stand to listen to their bickering on the road? They go at it for hours and you don’t even so much as react with a sigh.”
“Oh, that’s easy!” he beamed, “I just let my mind wander away until I can’t hear them!”
The monk chuckled, “Your mind must wander many miles then.”
“It certainly goes to some interesting places.” he said as he looked into the fire.
The marble floor was cold against his forehead as he bowed. His knees burned, but he refused to risk any more ire by shifting and fidgeting. He could hear the court attendants whispering behind him, word of his crime being spread in hushed voices that he could barely hear over his own heartbeat.
“Ao Lie” his father spoke, voice dripping with raging venom, “You have brought this family shame. You’ve recklessly destroyed not only half the palace, but a rare treasure gifted by the Jade Emperor! What have you to say for yourself!?””
The prince didn’t dare open his mouth, fearing the pathetic cry that would escape his throat.
“ SPEAK! ” his father commanded with a growl.
And say what? Would anything he say even matter at this point? It felt like his insides were being constricted by snakes, choking him from within. Was this what drowning felt like to mortals?
“So be it,” Ao Ji scoffed, “For your heinous crime, you will be executed!”
Ao Lie’s breath hitched, eyes burning with tears. Deep down he knew the Dragon Clan was to be treated equal to their citizens when it came to crimes, but hearing his own father order his death pierced his heart worse than any blade could.
“ Brother, ” he heard his uncle whisper in protest.
Hope rose within him, but it was quickly dashed when he heard his father call, “Guards!”
He heard the ring of a blade being unsheathed. Half of him wanted death to stop taking its time, the other half screamed that it didn’t want to die.
Suddenly, the court room erupted in a chorus of gasps and surprised screams. Ao Lie thought he was hearing the reaction to his beheading, only to realize his head was still firmly on his shoulders.
“Stop this!” an unfamiliar voice called out.
There was a pause, a stretch of silence that felt like eternity.
“Guanyin,” his father greeted.
Ao Lie gasped. Guanyin? The Bodhisattva? A glimpse of her was a sight any being would kill for and yet he could barely see her through tear filled eyes as he dared to look up.
“Spare this boy, please.” she asked in a gentle voice, but it wasn’t really said like it was a question. More of a command.
“He has committed a crime against the kingdom and must pay for it,” his father argued.
“I agree, but his death will not bring about reparation, only more heartbreak.” she replied calmly, “I ask that you allow me to put him before a path of redemption, so that he may learn and better himself for a greater purpose.”
Purpose ? What greater purpose could a reckless shamed prince possibly have?
His father grit his teeth, but even the Dragon Clan was not one to argue with the will of bodhisattvas, “Very well then.” he conceded, “But his path cannot start here. He is hereby exiled from these lands until I’ve decided he has atoned!”
Guanyin nodded before turning and offering a hand to the tearful prince, “Come now,” she said gently, “We must be on our way.”
Ao Lie looked at his family one last time. His father’s anger, his uncle’s disappointment, his sister’s heartbreak were all clear on their faces. He hoped he wouldn’t forget their faces, just as he hoped they wouldn’t forget his.
He didn’t recall the trip to the river at all, too lost in his own thoughts to be aware of the passage of time and place.
“Here,” she said as they stopped before the river, “This is where you will stay, until a monk on a Journey to the West comes to cross. You will help him on his journey, and become his disciple. There is where you’ll find your redemption.”
Ao Lie stared at his reflection in the water, tears dripping into the river.
“Ao Lie?” Guanyin gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
“... I don’t understand,” he sniffled, “I’m clumsy, ignorant and reckless… what greater purpose could I possibly have outside of just being a pretty face sitting on a throne? A throne that I no longer have…”
“Oh, poor boy,” she hushed as she stroked his head, hugging him softly (everything about her was tender and compassionate), “There is so much more for you to learn about yourself. Do not let your doubts deny you a chance to find your place in the world.”
He hugged her back, crying into her golden robes until he had no more tears left to cry. She left with a smile and a wave, leaving him to sit in that river and wait.
Years passed. He’d be lying if he said time hadn’t made him bitter about his predicament. At his worst moments, he wished he’d been killed rather than being forced to wait for the start of this journey.
Occasionally, he’d surface to devour whatever large animal was unfortunate enough to stop for a drink, swallowing them whole before returning to the bottom to sulk.
Then one day he arose to eat a horse that had been passing by, only for it to turn out to be the horse belonging to the monk he was waiting for.
Though it had been an awkward first meeting, Ao Lie wouldn’t have traded this journey for the world. These past years as a steed had given him more to reflect on than his time as prince ever did.
Respect was earned rather than a birthright. The ache in his back from carrying the monk on his sacred mission rather than from hours spent sitting up perfectly straight on a throne. The meager campfire meals nothing compared to the grand feasts which once filled his belly.
And yet…
“You know, it’s strange.” he said as he stared at the night sky.
“What is?” Sanzang asked.
“Had my life been perfect, I would still be in my palace at the bottom of the sea.” he said, “I would have never seen the stars, or the changing leaves. And I certainly would have never met you or my brothers. In some strange way… I’m thankful for my mistakes.”
The monk smiled fondly, “That’s the beauty of our struggles and mistakes,” he says as he follows the other’s gaze to the sky, “They open the doors to new experiences.”
Ao Lie nodded in agreement, smiling as he felt the weight of his braid down his back. He could say without a doubt this journey was worth its weight in silk and pearls.