Work Text:
She has seen the Emperor from a distance.
He seems sage and kind.
And when she remembers seeing him she feels a yearning.
A hope, and a heartbreak, as if from another lifetime.
She has seen the Imperial Noble Consort too, strolling at the Emperor’s side.
And felt a flash of envy.
Jealousy.
As if the Imperial Noble Consort has wronged her by stealing him away.
But she has never met the Emperor.
She has only seen him pass by.
Like an image traced in the air.
Like a cloud and a swallow that will never meet in the skies.