Zhea

1325 hours

Herbert Fletcher Zaeheri

The feeling of Yueru's head leaning against his shoulder did not go unbothered. He curled his fingers among the younger's hair, caressing the top of his head gently as they watched their hospitable hosts rummaging through different cupboards for a particular map. Of course, Erix and Arwan did not miss out on filling the holes regarding the earlier commotion. About an hour after the ruckus outside of their settlement, a young girl stopped by with a few other villagers holding oversized gift baskets.

It was easy to read the guilt that painted across her eyes and lips, but Yueru spared no mercy for her kind acts that were assumed to be too late for the protective prince. He held out his knives, pointing them at the visitors as a shield for the invisible torment they caused his uncle for the past seven months. Herbert could only suppress his laughter when Arwan tried to calm his hot-tempered nephew, dragging him back to his seat next to Actticus. Erix politely thanked them, shut the door and offered Yueru another cup of tea to prevent his next outbursts.

"Do you think the story has already ended? Or the boy's return is another route to possible miseries for Uncle Erix?" Yueru asked, tilting his head to see both his uncles debating on the torn map. "Will no one question his sudden return after seeing the dead body seven months ago?"

"It's a peculiar city, Your Highness," Arwan answered, snatching the broken map from his partner aggressively and proceeding with his choice of words that never matched their conversations. "I told you not to touch it when you were all worked up. Look at the damage you have done."

Yueru exchanged his glance with Herbert who could only lift his shoulders in defeat. As the youngest sibling in his home once, Herbert knew well to not interfere in a fight when two individuals are like broken fishballs in boiling hot soups.

"How can I not inflict this damage when you were sent home by an incubus?!" Erix argued. "Not to forget a glittering one wearing nothing by black drapes. I was worried sick about you, and you returned with a black glittering four-eyed incubus! Now, stop telling me about my temper and start mending the map for my nephew before I decided to leave you here alone with those condescending apologists."

"On second thought," Yueru whispered to his companion. "I think Roa is a less complicated kingdom."

"Erix would disagree, considering how he seeks comfort here," Herbert replied, pointing to the lovers who were already cooling off. "I am dying to know what happen to the boy, but they seemed to be too caught up in their battle of perfecting the best medicine for our map."

Just as Herbert thought he had to sit through another hour of argument, Erix slammed the map into Arwan's embrace and stormed towards them. As per his words, Erix decided to tend to the strings of unending meteor showers that could split their mind open just like how the Darius River split Zhea. Herbert was not sure if it was Erix's teasing or his way of expressing his care for them before diving into the route filled with walking sharks. The elder poured himself a cup of warm tea and sunk himself into the seat opposite them. Erix had a grin plastered on his face all the time.

"Arwan and I have our disagreements but fear not, it will subside after he patches the map for your purpose," Erix assured, crossing his legs and sighed. "To me, the boy's return is just the beginning of another misfortune. This time I believe that neither I nor Arwan will be a part of his story. Zhea hides a lot of its secrets. Do you know why I call it a small city, Yueru?"

Yueru shook his head.

"Because all the bags of skeletons are eventually found within Zhea itself. If we look closely enough at those who live around us, we will figure out who is behind all this, but the people of Zhea have always been ignorant. They leave the fate of the city at its leader's hands without knowing the plans or why it has been constant all along," Erix elucidated. "In Zhea, people go missing all the time, only that this boy was a merchant's son hence the chaos."

"All the time? And no one noticed?" Herbert questioned, patting his lap to gain Actticus' attention as the wolf snuggled close to him. "Not even their family?"

"This kingdom is ruled by the wealthy and the powerful. For those who lived below the line, trouble is not a decent game for them. Voicing out about missing family means gaining the commander's attention and that means, messing with the prince of Zhea who has a terribly loyal assistant who would do anything for him. That means assassinating not just the individual but the entire line," Erix spoke, shifting his gaze to a passer-by who stopped by his settlement. "No one can stop the prince so we all abide, playing by his rules. To survive."

"Do you not plan to leave this kingdom even after knowing the inequality?" Herbert asked.

Erix smiled, shaking his head. He let his back laid flat on the cushion, pushing his black hair backwards.

"I don't because the only person I have who cares for me is here. Even though he has his flaws, I still love him for being honest about everything and accepting me," Erix praised.

"Even the incubus?" Yueru interrogated timidly.

"Leave the incubus out of the story, Yueru or believe me prince or not, I will turn you into a dry tea bag," Arwan warned, stepping out from his place with a map that was overcovered with green stitches. He passed it to Erix, kneeling to the other's side and kissed the top of his forehead. "There, my love all fixed. Forgive me for my rude behaviour earlier. I will make it up to you when the kids are gone."

Herbert and Yueru whistled at the words, earning a sharp glare from Arwan.

"I forgive you," Erix spoke softly, handing the map to them. "I hope this helps you both to complete your mission. It is a simple map we drew while we were still in service in the castle. Now that it is of no use to us, we hope it will guide you to bring the roots for us so we could move to the next step."

Herbert took a peak at the outline of the plan. It was simple, yet Herbert doubted if they could make it past the heavily guarded route that led to the castle. They needed a perfect plan for this.

"I am confident," said Yueru with a bright smile. "With Herbert and our teamwork, we will be able to get it. Besides, it is just a tiny root, not stealing the whole plant. No one has to know if a part of its limbs is missing."

"Missing limbs?" Arwan repeated with raised eyebrows as he turned to look at Erix. "Are all the Raos these dark? We just need to push their dark side buttons to make sure they are your family."

"Well, Yueru's not wrong. We have hands and legs, but since plants have roots, it makes the roots their limbs or maybe we can call them their veins. One snip and it might lose its life," Erix paraded, taking the cloth next to him as an example.

Arwan met Herbert's eyes and pat his shoulders as he leaned to whisper.

"Are you sure you have chosen the right life partner?"

Herbert turned to look at Yueru who headed over to his uncle to ask for advance guidance on the map. His determination since the beginning of their journey was enough to convince his choice. He did not need to think twice.

The vampire prince fought his father just because the king's beliefs were unacceptable. He even condoned the transformation to a werewolf and a vampire despite the hate his father had towards wolves just to survive. Yueru's strong desire to live had proven how strong his soul is.

Herbert is certain.

If there is anyone he will pick to live his life with, it would be the one and only Prince Rao Yueru. 

The prince who raced through mountains, seas and lands to save his people. 

== xxx == 

Zhea

1630 hours

Rao Yueru 

Succeeding in searching for his uncle was the most gratifying moment. With the map packed tightly in the side pocket of his coat, Yueru continued his journey out in the market to get some dinner for himself and Herbert before heading back to JAL. They planned to spend a night at the party ground so that they could experience the hype that both Erix and Arwan had mentioned. Initially, Yueru never wanted to be involved in parties filled with snakes and dragons, but when he heard the specialities JAL could offer, his curiosity took over the best of him. It was a lucky moment that Herbert decided to drop his worries and joined him. By now, Yueru knew that Herbert loved silence and dislike balls or parties. He seeks comfort among the few people he trusts and would do anything to steer away from large crowds. Yueru mentally noted in his mind to get candies for Herbert as small gratitude for agreeing to accompany him.

Next to him, Ac began sniffing around at the tempting roast meat coated with light barbecue sauce. The sight of a large stand parading freshly fried meat gained Ac's interest as the wolf nudged closer to him, a plea for his upcoming dinner. When Yueru's memories returned, he held a grudge against his uncle for leaving his mother and him alone under his father's autocratic reign. However, after listening to his side of the story, Yueru understood the possibility of his uncle turning astray should he remain in Roa during the days when the ground was made out of light bubbles. To begin with, his father and uncle never shared the same ideology. His uncle Erix had always wanted to strive for a freedom throne, but his father desired for the throne to belong only to the Rao family forever.

Herbert had headed to the opposite side of the market to get desserts for them, leaving the wolf to be in charge of him at the moment. It was something Yueru would not complain about since they are in a new kingdom and they needed the company. He was confident to head out alone, but when Herbert had warned him regarding the possible spies around, Yueru kept a close watch on the people around him. He had to admit that he was not as skilful as Herbert in determining spies since he spent his whole life in Roa and just beyond its borders, unlike Herbert. He should not have parted with him, yet he believed that nothing could have happened to him in such a short time.

Just as he took a turn by the side of the market, Yueru felt a heavy weight over his body. His head sunk right among the grass, kissing the bare ground that tasted of fresh fertilizer. Next to him, Ac growled at the unknown intruder, baring his teeth angrily. Yueru grabbed onto the arm that reached out to him, twisting it in its opposite direction as he stood upright while the wolf struggled against the whip around his neck, howling in distress. He could make out the tiny purple marking on the wrist, almost like a flower while he reached towards his sheath for his knives. Those flowers seemed familiar to him just like the ones he had seen recently in a book somewhere.

Swinging the knives forward, the attacker jumped backwards and just like tango, Yueru danced according to his rhythm. The prince blocked the sword with his left one, twirling the other to hit his opponent. He noticed Actticus biting into the skin of the enemy, drawing blood onto the soil as if to quench their thirst. His white fur was drenched in red, emphasizing his predatory nature. Once his knife met the neck of his enemy, Yueru smirked at his victory that was robbed by three tiny needles stuck right through his cervical spine.

"You are not too proud of your childish skills now, are you, Prince Yueru?" the man sneered, pulling onto his hair to prevent his gaze from dropping to the ground. "How does it feel to have melted gold running in your veins? Helpless?"

Yueru felt his breath become heavier. His grip loosen as his knives slipped from his palms. Air seemed to have cut off from him, teasing him for his stupidity and naivety in the complicated city. He heard Ac howling in his direction, chomping off another piece of flesh before disappearing from his sight. As Yueru felt his sight getting blurry, he could only pray on Ixant's tail that no harm had reached the elder vampire.

"Bring him to His Majesty," the leader barked. "Make sure that the gold does not leave his systems."

Word Count: 2186 words

Cumulative Word Count: 17,573 words