"Let's have a platonic relationship."
Those were the words you told me, near the lotus pond, on the night after your brother announced the marriage alliance between Wu and Shu during a feast. I remembered how your voice sounded so hollow while your eyes were filled with forlorn from the news. At that moment, I was speechless to those words. A platonic relationship? How could you erase everything between us with the history we had? My beloved, we had finally decided to be one. Selfishly, I didn't want this to end us.
None the less, all I wanted to do was to comfort you and pretend this whole thing didn't happen. Admittedly, even when I expressed a calm face, I was furious and highly offended by this proposal. I couldn't believe Sun Quan, your own brother, was using you as a tool for his own gain. Despite being a childhood friend of his, I held no authority or position to say this out loud in the open, but it didn't hide my feelings that this was all wrong. Did he even valued what you wanted before his own desire?
I took a step closer to you.
"I know the news is very surprising, but my beloved-"
"Don't call me that," you replied sharply.
"Shangxiang, this news-"
"Don't call me that either! You are to only call me Princess or Lady Sun," you raised your voice harshly.
When you said that I felt as if a sharp blade stabbed my chest. It was painful to hear those words. To only call you Princess or Lady Sun meant I would be just a mere Wu soldier to you.
I then looked at you and noticed your teary eyes.
"I've decided as family, my brother needs me for this. My kingdom needs me for this alliance," you said as you took a hold of my hand. "…And we cannot be. As a princess, I must do my duty."
Tears fell from your eyes. Seeing you with tears truly hurt me. I wiped away your tears with my free hand. This was the last time I was able to touch you like this. The last time to express affections to you. The last time to allow myself to see ourselves as lovers. After all, you were a Princess of Wu and I, a Wu general. We promised to place Wu as our priority despite that it would sacrifice what we find precious. We were Wu's arrows.
"Zhu Ran, let's have a platonic relationship," you repeated quietly.
I managed to nod as a reply. A platonic relationship. Would everything turn out the same if I wasn't coward enough to not confess to Sun Quan my feelings for you before all of this happened?
A/N:
Historically, Zhu Ran was a childhood friend of Sun Quan.
Sun Shangxiang is one of my favorite characters in DW, but so far I only wrote one fanfic of her.
I also noticed that Zhu Ran and Sun Shangxiang are the only Wu members who are archers. Thus, inspired me to make this fanfic. :p