Chapter Text
Yin Zi Han. A name revered by his people, by the neighboring kingdoms, and by his parents— the King and the Queen. It was hard not to; Crown Prince Yin Zi Han, beloved Prince Yin Zi Han, brilliant Prince Yin Zi Han. Nobody could ever question his popularity, his wits, his strength, or even his looks. He was beloved by all and hated by most, though he knows in his heart that being as great as him would garner the greatest challenges known to man.
Only, he didn’t expect his challenge to be a man.
Ling Chao. A measly commoner, someone who wasn’t even noteworthy. Ling Chao, who slayed his first beast at 7. Ling Chao, who had successfully escorted the Supreme Sorcerer during a perilous time in the kingdom. Ling Chao who refused the King’s invitations three times and lived to tell the tale. Ling Chao, the uncrowned hero of their kingdom. Ling Chao. Ling Chao. Ling Chao.
Zi Han’s greatest battle was against some commoner who got lucky one time and rode that fame like a wave. He hated Chao. He wanted to defeat him in a fair battle. He needs to know how Chao viewed him. He swore that his enemy was Ling Chao.
And to beat him, he needed fame. He needed achievements. He needed to be on the same ground as him, someone who had nothing yet has gained more than everything. He yearned to be seen the way the people looked at Ling Chao. Such is the thought process of one in his age— everything was a competition, and everything was a challenge.
“But Father! I am old enough to go on an expedition! We’re only going to be fighting some bandits anyway!” Zi Han’s protests were loud and clear. They stood in front of the castle’s gates after the King had caught wind of Zi Han’s plan to go on an expedition by himself. He had almost rode the horse, but the unwelcome intrusion stopped him.
“No means No, so unless you bring along one of my men, you’re not to set foot outside on your own.” The King said firmly, refusing to indulge his son’s wishes. Zi Han fumed, unable to come to terms that while he was in the castle burning his bum out reading books, someone— Ling Chao, was out there doing heaven-knows-what, earning more fame than him. He hated the golden cage he was in as much as he loved how important it made him feel.
“Father…” He looked at his father in his eyes, but shrinked away again as he saw the glare he was giving him. He sharply inhaled and bit down the indignation that brewed in his chest. He’s Prince Yin Zi Han, which means he can’t talk back to the King, not in public.
“Go back inside, Prince Yin, you still have your political trades lesson to attend to.” His servant meekly spoke beside him, quivering like a leaf in a storm as they bore the brunt of the King’s glare.
“... I shall take my leave.” Zi Han muttered, bowing deeply before he got off his horse to walk back into the palace. Though he held the grudge deep in his chest, next to the indignation towards Ling Chao. He’s Prince Yin Zi Han, what he wants, he will get— one way or another.
Of course, that meant sneaking out later at night.
Sneaking out in concept and in execution was easy. He was lithe and smart, he grew up in the palace too, so predicting guard routes and looking for entrances/exits came to him like breathing. Sneaking a horse outside the stables unseen was a bit trickier, sure, but it was still easy. Bolting straight through town and out into the forest was a bit more challenging, as he showed his face way too often that he feared the citizens would recognize him with just one glance. Thankfully, the cover of the night and the fact that he used a newer horse made the onlookers confused or uninterested.
The horse galloped, its muscles taut as it sprinted across pebble and cobblestone. Zi Han’s blood pumped louder in his ears, the city gate grew closer and so did the image of him finally beating Ling Chao! It was so close, so very close— it was almost like his horse was about to run straight at him!
“WAIT! STOP STOP STOP!!” He panicked and pulled at the reins, but the speed at which the horse ran made it impossible to halt. The poor person cried out in pain as the horse ran over it. It shook its head, slowing down and moving to the side as it began to neigh while the poor victim groaned on the ground.
Zi Han jumped down from the horse and dropped down to the man’s side, wrapping his hands around his shoulders, “Sir, are you okay?” He asked out of pure concern, worried sick that he had caused someone harm, “Sir, where does it hurt? Let’s get you to the healer, quickly-”
“I’m okay.” Zi Han froze. The lending hand earlier wrapped around the man’s shoulder tighter than what was considered comfortable, making the injured guy flinch, “Ow! What are you doing?!”
Zi Han stared at him in careful detail now. The night had obscured his vision, so he failed to realize that the man he had just ran over was none other than Ling Chao himself. His sharp features looked way more angled underneath the moonlight, his tall nose bridge looked way more beautiful- NO, it looked ugly up close! Ling Chao is Ugly!
His pride made him start to insult Ling Chao mentally. He would’ve said them out loud, but just the fact that he ran over Ling Chao and he was the one who wasn’t improving the situation at all by gripping on his shoulders made him shameful enough to not start berating an injured person— not right away anyway.
“I’m terribly sorry,” he replied as plainly as he could, enclosing all the emotions swirling within his head in a box and swallowing it, “I- I’ll get you to a healer, you might hurt your good arm.”
“My good- excuse me, who even are you?” Chao’s confusion wasn’t lost to Zi Han. He stared at the injured man, who stared back at him, both had many questions.
“Do you not… Do you not recognize me?” He asked, incredulous and somewhat exasperated. Chao only shook his head, “Other than you’re quite airheaded for running me over with your horse, I don’t believe I know of you.”
“You don’t even know me-” Zi Han breathed in sharply again. It seemed like this day alone he had to deal with two people who didn’t recognize him— both figuratively and literally. “You really don’t?”
“I don’t personally associate with people who obviously have some problem in their head, so no.” Chao stood up on his own, still giving him sideways glances that were so judgemental Zi Han swore he was close to actually letting his insults spill in waves.
“You-” He stopped himself from provoking Chao, still worried about his injuries, “You need to come with me. We’ll get you to the healer. Immediately.” He didn’t take no for an answer as he grabbed Chao’s robe along with the horse’s reins.
He could hear the commoner mutter, “This freak’s going to kill me. Just great.”
“Oh, sir, you really should be careful next time~ I worry about your very big, strong, muscular arms~” Zi Han stood by the side as he watched the healer and his nemesis interact. The moment he had set foot inside the shack, Chao had gone extremely silent and the lady began to unabashedly flirt with him. Not that Chao gave her any chances to advance.
Not that Zi Han cared.
“Excuse me, is it going to take long?” He spoke up, growing more irate as he watched the healer grope around Chao’s biceps, not even hiding her intentions at all.
The lady only gave him a side eye, “Healing takes time. If you want it to be done immediately, go to the castle and get the healer there to do the job.” She sneered.
Zi Han’s jaw dropped at the woman’s audacity, “Excuse me?! I headed here because this guy was injured! If your poor excuse of a joint accommodation and workplace wasn’t nearby, I really would’ve sent him straight to the High Healer! See if I care about your failing job!”
She stopped focusing on the still-injured man to make a rebuttal, “Oh really? My place is poor to your taste? You must be some high-and-mighty king then! With your poor old boots and your ragged robes, I wouldn’t be talking that big, you oaf!” She waved exaggeratedly at his clothing, assuming he was poor simply because he wore a disguise.
‘ The disguise worked!’ He thought gleefully to himself. Which was unhelpful at the moment, but a win was still a win.
“Well I may not be rich but I know shitty service when I see one! Come on, we’re getting out of here!” He didn’t wait for Chao’s approval as he dragged him by the hand again, leading them out of the building and out into the cold, dark streets.
He looked back at Ling Chao, only to see him trying to suppress a smirk. “What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing.” He coughed into his hand a few times before he looked back at Zi Han, “Why didn’t you let her finish?”
“Well because-” He huffed, “becauseee she was obviously touching you inappropriately! Healers don’t do all that! They just cast a spell and you’re cured, or they make you drink very bitter herbs and tell you ‘ Oh but it's for your own good blablabla’ . Not whatever scheme she was trying to run back there!” He helped Chao onto the horse, and Chao didn’t say anything.
“And besides, she had a good point. If I want to make sure we’re not being scammed, I need something I can trust.” He gripped on the reins, ready to set off to the palace and barge into his personal healer’s quarters.
“But we’re commoners, we can never hope to enter the palace. Much less get one of their healers.” He piped out from behind him. Zi Han stopped mid-whip and panicked, “We-Well I’m sure- uh-”
Ling Chao’s breath was so close to his ears, “You’ll what?”
Crown Prince Yin Zi Han The symbol of regal and composed and smart. Prince Yin Zi Han, born from a family of royalty, raised to be the epitome of perfection. Yin Zi Han, at this moment, was panicking. He turned to face Ling Chao—
“Careful.” A hand rested on his hips as he almost fell over. He looked up to see his sworn nemesis, his enemy, his rival, look down at him with his sharp eyes that seemed to glow ethereally underneath the moonlight. He didn’t know what to think at this moment other than the heart-shaped lips and the moles on his face—
“Are you okay?”
He sat up properly then, ashamed at the moment of ‘ whatever that was’ consume him. Without a word, he slapped his hands over his cheeks. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
He shrugged, “Didn’t look like that to me, but sure.”
They sat in silence as Zi Han contemplated what to do next. He couldn’t just barge in the palace again, not when they didn’t even know he escaped in the first place. Even if he did, by some miracle, enter unseen, his healer still wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. So getting any good healer for tonight was off the table. Not to mention, he only had tonight before he went back to being Prince Yin Zi Han. His hopes of beating up some bandits have been thrown out the window ever since he ran Ling Chao over.
A thought crosses his mind. It was a solid idea, and also, he was not going to see this man any time soon anyway. “This is going to be quite a surprise, so I need you to trust me. Do you trust me?”
Chao scoffed, “I think I’ve trusted you enough already.” before vaguely gesturing at him being on the horse with him, “I usually don’t just ride on anyone’s horses like this but here we are.”
Zi Han rolled his eyes, “Not that way, idiot”
Seeing that Chao didn’t say anything, he reached over to touch his shoulders, “What are you-”
A dim light emanates from Zi Han’s palms, soothing and shaky as he tried to cast a spell.
Ling Chao watches in both awe and fascination as he could feel his bones begin to realign, the strained muscles around his shoulders ease. The light had casted a soft glow over him and the stranger, painting his face in an ethereal glow. He observed his face, noticing how his lush hair made his face look small, the small mole beneath his eye that looked like teardrops, and how his face kept contorting into an ugly frown before it all stopped. Zi Han was gasping for breath while Chao stretched his now-healed arms. It felt better than earlier, sure, but it still felt somehow off , like a wound that hasn’t fully healed yet. Maybe that was what it was.
“I’m sorry.” Yin Zi Han said through his labored breathing, “I- I didn’t think that- your injuries were that serious-”
Ling Chao gave him a small nod, “It’s better than nothing.” He clenched his hand again, testing out the efficacy of his healing, “I must say, that was still pretty half-assed.”
Yin Zi Han’s exhausting breathing quickly turned into indignant huffs, “Excuse me?! If only you weren’t hiding the fact that you were actually heavily injured, I wouldn’t have done that myself! You should be grateful I even thought of healing you!”
He gave Zi Han a smile that he wanted to wipe off the man’s face badly, but they both didn’t say anything. They sat on the horse’s back silently while Zi Han recovered from the strain of casting a spell. Chao, on the other hand, remained silent as he looked around.
One of them finally broke the silence, which was growing way too comfortable, “So… Can you walk home on your own, or do I have to send you home, Your Majesty?” Zi Han asked sarcastically
Chao sneered at him. He leapt off of the horse’s back with ease and walked off on his own, not even giving Zi Han any response. He glared angrily at the man’s retreating back, taken aback for words at how annoying he was. “LING CHAO! YOU WILL PAY!”
“ChaoChao! What happened to you?! You took way too long to return!” Ling Chao only rolled his eyes at his friend, sitting down on his bed while Xiao Tu began to nag at him nonstop, “Auntie was so worried about you! Don’t you care about a woman’s heart?! This is why you’re still single after all this time!”
“TuTu,” he muttered, “You don’t even have a lover to call your own. Don’t talk like that to me.”
“THIS MAN!” Xiao Tu raged, slamming the door shut as she stomped off to talk to Chao’s mom, hopefully to find an ally to talk some sense into him.
Finally alone, he got up and lit the small lamp in his room. He removed his dirty robe, “Tsk, I’ll have to clean this again.” He grumbled as he saw the horse hooves all over it. Now that he inspected it closer, it was actually a miracle that he survived that encounter. The horse could’ve easily trampled him to shreds; thankfully, his years of adventuring had made him stronger than most.
“I guess I have to thank him…” He reluctantly muttered. Thoughts of the loud-mouthed man in shabby robes returned to his mind. Without realizing it, he had a small smile on his face as he reminisced about him. Though he didn’t like the first impression, the man was obviously kind-hearted— a rare type of person around that part of town.
He took off his shirt and inspected his body. To his shock, his skin looked better than usual. The scars around his stomach had somehow vanished without a trace, along with the deep wound on his forearm that he got during one of his expeditions. “Just what did that guy-”
He stopped himself mid-thought. Alarmed, he headed for the mirror that hung behind his door and looked at his reflection. He gaped in surprise as the burn mark that he had grown up with now magically disappeared.
It was a scar he got from his own father’s doing. Apparently, he was so repulsed for having a son with his mom, so he tried to burn Ling Chao alive. Though he lived with only a mark that ran down his chest, he could never rid himself of the ugly reminder of his own father’s hatred, the sudden panic he feels whenever any kind of fire gets close to him, or the discomfort he gets whenever he moves his body a certain way, as the burnt skin made it difficult.
In his reflection now, his body was smooth. No signs of any ugly past at all; the only signs it was ever there now existed solely in his memories.
“Just… what did he do” He muttered to himself, running a hand over the skin appreciatively. He knew in his heart that scar treatment was expensive— he had been the one trying his best to keep his mom and himself afloat all this time. One fatigue relieving spell already cost him a good chunk of whatever he earns from killing beasts.
If something as trivial as alleviating fatigue already cost him that much, all of this healing could cost him three lifetimes. He’d heard from Xiao Tu how other girls would kill just to remove one scar, much less all of them.
“I owe him…” He grumbled in realization. Though, somehow, in the corner of his mind, he actually didn’t mind at all. Maybe he’d get to meet that guy again, though hopefully he doesn’t get run over again.
“I’m telling you, Prince Yin, you’re already ahead of your peers when it comes to magic, what’s with the sudden-” Zi Han’s tutor didn’t get to finish their sentence when he raised his hand to silence them. “No more. I will focus on my magic and horse riding. I’m sure Father would be pleased that I’m finally focusing on something.”
His tutor bowed deeply, “Understood, Your Royal Highness.”
As soon as his tutor left his quarters, he looked off into his window. The night had already passed and it was already morning. The birds perched on the palace’s windowsills, chirping songs as they go about their day.
“I should never slack off… who knew that a simple healing spell would leave me panting like that?” He grumbled angrily to himself. He will never let Chao see him panting like a dog again trying to do just one simple healing spell— the magic itself was already rare, being unable to even do it properly was the defeat he didn’t expect to confront that night.
“I swear, I’ll make Ling Chao eat my dust… One day” He raised his head, ready to overcome the challenge that was beating Ling Chao. Come what may.