Chapter Text
Once upon a time, beneath the gentle, benevolent stars, a little stone monkey, unlike any other, was born. His name was Tianchan Shihou, the Heaven-Born Stone Monkey. As he swung from the trees and danced on the clouds, his sun-kissed hair glimmered and his golden eyes shone as if they themselves contained the expanse of the heavens within them. He was as wild and unbound as the wind and as bold as the sun in the sky. Whatever fruit he desired, he plucked from the trees, and wherever he desired to go, not even the heavens had the strength to stop him. There was nothing he feared.
But alas, even the sun, the brightest and most beloved star, can be drowned by the night.
One day, when storm clouds hide away the heavens and the sun and when the stars could not see their precious little monkey, the Lady Bone Demon came to him like a whisper in the wind, her voice as soft as silk and her power hidden beneath a shadowy veil of kindness. She extended her pale smooth hand to the stone monkey, promising greatness like none other. Power like none other, with destiny at his side.
But promises can be deceiving, layers upon layers expertly woven and hidden in between words. By the time Tianchan Shihou felt the nails of the pale smooth hands digging into his skin, heard the cruelty lacing her soft silky voice, and shuddered from the coldness in the Lady Bone Demon’s soul, it was far too late—the chains have already wrapped around his limbs, imprisoning him forever, casting him out of the skies in eternal separation.
The great Tianchan Shihou, the wild and bold stone money, had been bound. A golden circlet tightened around his head, an insignia to the world as to who has tamed the wild stone money. And with her power wrapping around him, the Lady Bone Demon gave him a new name: Sun Wukong, the Monkey Awakened to Emptiness.
Time became irrelevant, decades slipping into centuries in the dark halls of the Lady Bone Demon. Endlessly toiling under her callous gaze, his spirit crumbled, but pieces remained. For even with the chains pressing down on him, his golden eyes still held the heaven within them.
And the stars, distant as they were, still watched over him, waiting for the day their sun would rise once more.
…
“ Liu’er Mihou !”
A voice boomed from the halls, followed by loud footsteps. Gliding through the palace halls, monkeys jumped out of the angry princess’s way. Shoving the throne room doors with a resolute bang, she forced her way inside.
The throne room was like no other. While other kings sat in rooms of lifeless, oppressive stone, the king of Flower Fruit Mountain sat amidst an ever-blooming sanctuary, decorated with the mountain’s nature herself. The king’s throne was an extension of his being, a symbol of his connection to the mountain, alive and breathing. The throne was carved into the oldest tree of the mountain, its roots intertwining in between golden stones and its delicate white leaves hung from vines, catching the light like droplets of morning dew. Even the dust sparkled in the sun’s rays as if it were golden. The very energy of the mountain pulsed in the walls decorated with the mountain’s gems and moss and vines. The throne room was a perfect reflection of the living Flower Fruit Mountain.
But Princess Iron Fan was far too much in a mood to appreciate the throne room’s beauty.
“Brother,” she said, her neatly trimmed eyebrows pinched together. “Must we do this every time?”
Light spilled from the wall length windows with a certain dark-haired monkey standing in front of one, basking in the warmth. King Liu’er Mihou. The Macaque king. The sovereign ruler of the Flower Fruit Kingdom. Newly crowned, ten years ago, rumors of the macaque’s power and beauty rapidly spread across the land. Some believed that the rumors were greatly exaggerated, but that disbelief was often short-lived once they’ve come to see him face to face for he had a certain air of grace and mystery to him that enticed anyone who saw him; every movement deliberate and measured. His hair, as dark as the cool midnight, spilled down his back in silken waves. And it framed around his handsome face—a face that was perfectly symmetrical and flawless. But his most breathtaking feature? Those were his glorious six ears, in all their colors and glow, displayed out for the world to see.
Some even claimed that the king could hear a fly landing on a grain of sand on the beach, while others claimed that no lie or hint of deception could slip past the king’s ears which were able to distinguish between truth and lie. The rumors surrounding the king made the Flower Fruit Mountain all the more dangerous to its enemies…and made the elusive monkey all the more attractive to suitors.
Macaque turned around, his amethyst eyes burning against a red face mask. His hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, with some braids running through it—most likely the work from one of the younger cubs who loved to climb over their king.
He shrugged with quiet indifference, the dark fabric of his hanfu creasing as he faced his dear sister.
“Meh. Didn’t like him.”
“ Mihou . This was the fifteenth one this week. The fifteenth one leaving the palace cursing your name.”
“Actually the seventeenth,” he corrected, proudly smirking. “And please, sister. You and I both know that none of them were worth a second glance. All of them…just vipers.”
He walked out of the throne room with Princess Iron Fan closely following his heels. They walked out of the halls of the palace, stepping underneath the warmth of the sky and into the paths through the kingdom and the mountain’s plentiful forests. A monkey threw a plum to his king and Liu’er offered another one to his sister. She gracefully declined. The birds sang above them as they walked.
“You’re upset,” Macaque said, rolling the plum in his hand.
Princess Iron Fan sighed. “Mihou. I only wish for your happiness. But it’s been years now since you’ve first sat on the throne and now hundreds of suitors have stepped onto your shores…and you have casted every single one away. Brother, I fear one day you’ll find yourself with no partner by your side…or hurt again by a slighted suitor.”
“That won’t happen again.”
“Brother.”
“Sister, I…” He stopped walking, the princess joining him at his side. They have reached one of the cliffs looking over the ocean. He stared up at the sunset before them, its golden and pink streaks reflected in the waves. Soon the stars will come out. Macaque took a deep breath, ears twitching in the gentle breeze. “All these suitors—their expensive gifts, their flowery compliments—it is all empty to me. I want someone that I can share my triumphs with…my triumphs and my burdens. Someone I can trust.” He huffed, shaking his head. “I know it sounds silly, but I—“
Princess Iron Fan placed a hand over his and he looked over at her as she gently smiled at him. “Brother, I understand. I would never ask you to cast yourself into a loveless marriage. Just…be careful with your suitors. Please.”
“And if one of them offends me? Should I simply let it go?”
“If one dares to do so, I will personally burn the flesh from their bones and feed their hearts to the howling winds,” she said, her face darkening. “And no one will dare to find you at fault.”
He chuckled. They stood, watching as the sun sunk below the horizon.
“I truly do wish that you would someday find someone to hold close to your heart,” his sister said. “Love…it is a wonderful thing.”
Macaque gazed lowered, settling on the forgotten plum in his hands. Suitors from all over had been coming before him, hoping to court the king. Never for him , though. It was always for the power that came with his throne and Flower Fruit Mountain which was well known as a paradise with the trees that bore the plumpest, juiciest fruit, and for the jewels and gems, of all shapes and sizes, which are encrusted beneath the mountain. And even the ones who spoke in sugary sweet rehearsed poetry, trying to win his heart, their admiration was for a title, a legend—not truly the monkey who bore it. For that reason, he couldn’t stand them. The ones who were respectful received respect in return (though there were few like them), but the proudful swines who strode into his palace as if it were their own were tossed out by the hind. He would never let such self-obsessed, power-hungry pretenders to run his kingdom to the ground.
And once they were removed from his mountain, the pretenders quickly revealed their true colors. Tossed out, their words grew venomous, cursing him and calling him vain and narcissistic. How ironic of them. But sometimes their anger and shame morphed into something far more dangerous. The scars in his side still twinged occasionally from a hot-headed demon, who felt slighted by the Macaque King’s disinterest, and hid in his mountain, waiting for him to be alone. Though one couldn’t say that certain scenario wasn’t common, it was far from being the last. It was perhaps why his sister began to insist that he accept one of his suitors—one of the tamer ones. But he…just couldn’t.
Macaque was far from a romantic fool waiting for a handsome demon to stroll past him and capture his swooning heart. However, he hoped for at least…something. What that something was, he didn’t know. Trust? Mutual understanding? Something to give him a sense of completeness?
But he said none of this out loud.
“Like you and Demon Bull King?” he asked with a sly grin, tail flicking behind him as he leaned toward her. “How are you two anyway? Can I expect my dear nephew soon?”
He laughed harder as his sister’s cheeks flamed. She swatted her fan at him. He easily ducked.
“Why not a ball?” she mused as they returned to the palace, distant laughter and music in the background.
“A ball?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Imagine. All eligible suitors gathered before you during a grand celebration. Perhaps one might catch your eye.”
“That sounds ridiculous.” His face twisted. “Gathering of all those sycophants together, watching them prance around me all night? Gongshu, please,” he scoffed.
“Oh, don’t be so dismissive.” She rolled her eyes. Her fan rhymically tapped against her hand as she was deep in thought. “It’s a perfect idea. You announce that you are searching a mate, and then you get to see all of your options right before you. You might finally find a kindred spirit—someone to share the weight of this crown. And if you truly do not find anyone even then, at the very least no one will whine that you did not give them a chance.”
“Hmph. I suppose it would cut down the amount incessant suitors…” Macaque mumbled to himself. He frowned at his sister’s smug expression. “I didn’t agree to anything yet,” he complained.
“Oh, of course not,” she said, with a knowing look in her eye. “When shall we set the date?”