A/N- Events in this oneshot aren't canon (at least to the show they're not.) So keep that in mind when reading. Thank you!

EVER SINCE YOU HAD BECOME the lover of Xie Lian, the Prince of Xianle, you had realized many things, and two things were always in your mind whenever you were with him:

One: A lot of people disliked your boyfriend for foolish reasons.

And two: Every time he would fall asleep without you, he would cry.

Due to this second thing, you would always try and stay close to him. You knew he had lost someone he loved, someone very precious to him, and that the stress of ruling Xianle always weighed hard on his heart. You wouldn't want him to break down in front of all his subjects, and you didn't want his sadness to get worse. So you treated him like a weak baby animal, always staying by his side and watching over him.

One night, he didn't return to the palace when he said he would, and he was staying out late. This worried you, as this was the one day that he managed to get you to stay back at the palace and let him go out alone. Maybe he had been hurt, and was lying on the street somewhere bleeding out, crying out your name when you weren't next to him. You didn't know what was keeping him so long, but you chose to go out and look for him. You didn't want him to be alone without you, or he would break.

You put on a simple dress and a hat with a veil attached, so that nobody would see you or guess who you were. Dressed like a common farmer girl, you went out into the streets of Xianle. It was late, and lanterns were hanging on wooden posts to provide light for pedestrians (like the lantern Xie Lian is holding in the picture above). You brushed your sleeves against many people in the crowded streets, and your senses were overloaded with the scents, sights, and tastes of the illustrious kingdom of Xianle.

You stopped for a moment at a stand that sold drinks to buy a cup of tea. You would need warmth on this cold night, to keep going. You hoped that wherever he was, Xie Lian was warm and safe. Without thanking the seller of the tea and wishing him a good night or day like you usually would, you simply left your empty cup on the wooden counter and continued your walk through the streets.

You saw many stands that looked like places you would want to stop at if you had time- fancy hanfu stands, stands that made accessories, and snack stands, which were all still open late at night- but right now, you were on a mission. You had to find the man you loved, before something terrible happened to him!

You searched all through the streets of the richer areas, not finding a trace of the prince. Perhaps he had gone down into the poorer district and the slums? But why would he do that? Why would a royal even look at the places where the peasants lived without cringing, and avoiding them entirely? You came from the poorer district, and you knew what it was like down there. Crime was rampant, and gangs of unruly young men and schoolboys would ravage the streets, robbing and beating up anyone who got in their way. You yourself had been beaten up by many of these boys, and you knew how to defend yourself. But Xie Lian wasn't at all well versed in the ways of the streets. If he was down in the slums, you had to get him out as soon as possible.

You ran back to the palace to get a weapon suited for going into the slums- a sword that had been sharpened recently, and shone like new- and then you raced back down into the streets, running through the streets of the richer districts like a cheetah, wishing that you could fly like the moths that frolicked among the soft, warm light of the lanterns. If you could fly, you could find Xie Lian faster. But you were just a human, and had the weaknesses and flaws of your species. So all you could do was run, ignoring the pain your feet were in, and ignoring the annoying stitch in your side that poked relentlessly at you.

By the time you had reached the slums, it was early in the morning, perhaps one or two, and everyone was off the streets except a few shifty looking men that you saw watching you in the weak light of the few lanterns that were set up in the streets. Because the people who lived in the slums were poor, they couldn't afford to put up many lanterns, so in nighttime, they constantly lived in darkness. It was worse tonight, when the moon was not out, and the streets were coated in darkness as if it was painted on with black paint. A few of the men approached you, and tried to harass you, but you drew your sword, and they ran away. You managed to avoid any conflicts while you were there.

Until you found Xie Lian.

He was lying in an alleyway, stretched out on the ground. A gang of young boys, probably teenagers, were standing over his body, laughing at him and kicking his body. You noticed, when you got closer, that his eyes were open, and he was sobbing. His bruised, bloody body was shaking from the pain and the sobs, and he tried to shoot at them with his ruoye, but they dodged the flying silk, and it returned to his skin, leaving him weak and helpless.

As the teenagers kept on harassing him, you got angrier and angrier, until you chose to stop watching and start fighting.

You dived at them, your sword drawn, and swiftly dispatched two of their gang by cutting off their heads. Their blood was staining your torn hanfu, and you dived at the other two, who were cowering in the corner. They begged for mercy, but you were so consumed by your anger you didn't hear them, just sliced their heads off like you did their friends'. As soon as they were all dead, you dropped to Xie Lian's side and tore pieces of your hanfu off to bandage the wounds he had all over his body. The boys had stabbed him in the side, but the blood had stopped flowing, and the wound wasn't deep or long, so it wasn't a worry. While you bandaged him up, he kept sobbing, and repeating two words over and over.

Hua Cheng.

Who was this Hua Cheng he was calling to? Was it the person he loved, that he had lost? But Hua Cheng was a man's name, and you didn't know that Xie Lian was attracted to other men. The words themself meant 'city of flowers,' but you didn't know the context of why he was saying them, so you had no clue if it was an actual city, a nickname for one, or just a name. It was probably a name. But then, who was this person?

His eyes were closed, and you realized that, because his face had been beaten, they were swollen shut. You took some water out of a canteen you had brought and tore yet another piece of your hanfu off to try and relieve some of the pain and wash the dried blood off. It worked, and he managed to open his eyes a little.

When he saw you, he stopped crying out, and reached his arms out for you. You took his arms and helped him up to a sitting position, and then he grabbed you and held you close to his chest, not letting you go. You could feel that his heart was still beating rapidly, but it was slowing down. He wasn't afraid anymore, now that he was holding you. Instead of saying "Hua Cheng," now he kept on saying your name.

"Y/N... Y/N... you're here... you came," he murmured, holding onto you tightly and breathing his hot breath onto your neck.

"Yes. I'm here, my love. I'm here. You can stop worrying now."

"I was asleep... a-and then... t-those boys, they-"

"Hush now. They're dead. They won't ever hurt anyone again."

"You weren't with me... I was afraid, so I was crying. And then they made fun of me, said that I was a weakling and I starved for my mother's arms. And then when I said to leave me alone and let me be, they started to beat me. I kept on calling out for you, but you wouldn't come, so I called for Hua Cheng, but I knew he wouldn't come because he was dead. And then I just broke. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm weak, I'm sorry."

He kept on repeating that he was sorry, until you pressed your lips against his. Then he was silent, and a blush darkened his cheeks. When you pulled away, you asked, "Who is Hua Cheng? Was he your past lover?"

"Yes. He would always comfort me, and when he was by my side, my sorrow and pain would stop. But when he left me, my heart filled with sorrow, and my cursed shackles began to ache again. You were the only one that alleviated my pain, and your kind ways and your precious smile made my sorrow leave me. So I had to be by your side, otherwise the sadness would overtake me again. When you aren't next to me, I become afraid that... that you died, like Hua Cheng... and I... and I-"

He started to sob again, and you held him and murmured, "It's going to be alright, love. I'll keep you safe. I'm here now, and I won't leave you."

"You... you won't leave me. Please... don't go..."

"I'll never go, Xie Lian. Now, let's return home, my prince."

He took your hands in his and let you feel his heartbeat, which was slowed to a normal pace now. He was alright, now that you were with him.

"Let's go, my love," he said.

Together, hand in hand, you returned back home.

And you would never let Xie Lian out of your sight again.