After the death of Father, things had greatly quieted down. Ling Yao and his trusty bodyguard, Lan Fan, planned to return to Xing with his younger half sister, May Chang. With the dream of becoming the emperor in mind, Ling couldn't wait to return home with the secret to immortality. However, all was not well. The death of Lan Fan's grandfather, Fu, still hung like a storm cloud, weighing down the prince. He was so frustrated that he couldn't be there to save his subordinate, his bodyguard, his friend. Then there was Lan Fan to think about, too. She had lost her arm to protect him, and also her grandfather. Both of his body guards had sacrificed so much for his sake, and Ling couldn't take it. How could he be king if he couldn't even protect his own subordinates? How could he live with the burden? He didn't know.
They all decided to travel on foot through the desert. If they had done it once already, who said they couldn't do it again? Lan Fan stayed close to the young lord, in case someone had decided to harm the prince. She kept her face hidden behind her mask, as always. But it wasn't just her face she was hiding from the prince. It was her emotions. The fall of her grandfather had taken a heavy blow to Lan Fan. But she knew it would be unacceptable to show her despair in front of the young lord, he would be disappointed in her. She could almost hear her grandfather's scolding tone.
"You're first priority is the young lord. Your emotions are to be cast aside."
She smiled at the thought. Then it disappeared, and a pain in Lan Fan's heart overwhelmed her. Lan Fan's tears defeated her, and they threatened to stain her eyes. She held them back as best as she could. But for everytime she tried to hold them back, her throat ached with an intense pain. Oh well, she would have to deal with it.
By the time night came, they all arrived at the ruins of Xerxes, exhausted, but glad they made it this far. May made a fire, and they all settled around it except for Lan Fan.
"I'm going to scan the area, and see if anyone is watching us."
Ling stood up,"Lan Fan, wai-"
But she was already gone.
Lan Fan walked onto a dusty and broken platform. She had already seen everything. No one was here. She looked up, the moon was full, and the sky was clear, showing the many stars. The platform she was on was cracked, and she was surprised to find vines coming out of it. Lan Fan sighed and sat down on a pillar that was on it's side. She stared at the moon with blank face. She remembered when she was a small girl, and she sat on her grandfather's lap. He would point out the different constellations. A tear escaped from her eye, and the pain returned. Only this time, it was impossible not to cry. Her vision became cloudy as an endless amount of tears escaped from her eyes. She sobbed. Her emotions got the best of her, and Lan Fan couldn't hold it in any longer. She dropped to her knees.
"I'm sorry grandfather, I have failed you,"she whispered.
"Lan Fan!" She heard. It was the voice of the young lord.
Ling hastily ran to his bodyguard's side. He looked down at her. Lan Fan was on her knees, and he saw tears through the small slots of her mask that showed her eyes. Her dark eyes showed shock and a deep amount of despair. She quickly stood up.
"Young Lord," she trembled,"I'm sorry that you must see me in this condition. Please punish me anyway you'd like, I deserve it."
Ling looked at her, shocked at what she just said he balled his fists and stammered,"Lan Fan, I could never do that to you."
Instead, he reached for her hood, and he pulled it down. Then he untied the back of Lan Fan's mask, and let it drop to the ground,"My lord,wh-"
He pulled her into a hug,that stopped her. Ling stroked the back of her head tenderly, and whispered,"It's okay to cry you know."
Lan Fan was at a loss for words. The young lord had just pulled her into an embrace, while she was crying in front of him. This made Lan Fan's cheeks turn red, and it was clearly noticable. Her mask was on the floor, and it couldn't hide the blush. He told her it was okay to cry.
And so, she did.
She buried her face in the young lord's shoulder, and let the tears flow. She sobbed silently, and wrapped her arms around the prince, hugging him back. The aching in her heart began to disappear, and she felt safe and sound in th prnce's arms.
Soon, silence enveloped them. Ling broke it by saying,"Lan Fan."
"Yes, my lord?" She whispered into his chest.
"Do you.." he hesitantly paused,"Do you... are you angry with me?"
"My lord, what are you saying? I could never,"
"Lan Fan, I let your grandfather die. Your arm... You cut it off for my sake. How can a king live with himself if he can't even protect his own subordianates?" Ling began to shed a few tears of his own. Lan Fan pulled back, and saw Ling's face, contorted with pain, and sadness and the tears running free. She sadly smiled and gripped his shoulders
"My lord, please do not think this way. We chose this path knowing the consequences that we may face. Do not burden yourself with us, your life is more important than ours. It may seem difficult to believe, but this is the way it has to be. At least that's what he said," She wisely said. Ling looked at her through his tears, and for the very first time, saw her as more than a bodyguard and lifelong friend. He saw her as something he wanted, something only he could have. He laughed mentally, Greed really did stick to him. The minute Ling's hand had gently touched her cheek, Lan Fan turned red. The prince leaned in, and let his lips touch hers. Lan Fan froze. Never before had she been kissed by another person othe than her family, and she never envisioned having her first kiss with the prince. It had suddenly occured to her, that she had strong feelings towards him. And now, she never wanted this moment to end. So she relaxed and gently kissed back. They both pulled away and looked at each other, blushing.
"I love you.." They both blurted out at the same time. They paused for a second, and laughed.
Lan Fan wondered what her grandfather would say. The thought of it all!
They'll both know when they get there, together...