Lunar Convergence

by rampantwolfhound

Chu Qiao and Yuwen Yue have survived the icy lake and have returned home to Green Hills Courtyard to build a life together. Most of the good guys are alive and most of the bad guys are dead, but that doesn't mean that life in chaotic times is easy for those living in the Yuwen family holdings and beyond. XingYue all the way with a bit of Meng Feng/Yuan Song thrown in.

1. Prologue

AN: This story began on the Soompi forum thread for "Princess Agents" after I posted the following vignette before the series ended. I never intended to write more, but then we got such an open ending that I felt compelled to write another story in this world. Then I wrote another, and another, and another, and here we are.

In short, this is an AU where most of the bad guys are dead and most of the good guys have gone back to Green Hills Courtyard and Red Hills Courtyard. Life is mostly happy, but there are still enough challenges to remind everyone that they are living in chaotic times.

It's night. A year or two has passed. Yuwen Yue and Xing'er have somehow overcome all of their trials and are back safe and sound—and married—at Green Hills. They're both walking sedately through the courtyard, bantering about something or other. Their words are heated, but their body language is relaxed as they go through what's become a comforting ritual for them.

They walk up the steps to the master bedchamber, passing through Yue Qi and the other guards without missing a beat of their "discussion". Xing'er closes the doors behind them, and all is quiet—for a few seconds, at least.

Almost instantly, the familiar sounds of bedroom kungfu sparring start coming from behind the closed doors. Occasionally, the parrot will mimic some of the noises or cheer on Yuwen Yue (or insult Xing'er, of course). Fighting noises eventually give way to other sorts of noises as they almost always do these days. The parrot confirms the guards' suspicions, gleefully repeating some of the things that Xing'er and Yuwen Yue say to one another.

At last, silence settles over the Green Hills Courtyard for another night. The guards all smile at each other, but nobody says anything since they've all become used to the antics of their master and mistress. Yue Qi grins in contentment, obviously pleased that the troubles of the past several years seem to have come to an end in a surprisingly satisfying way. He tips back his head and looks up; it's a beautiful, clear night without a cloud in sight.

Suddenly, we see things from his perspective as the camera pans up, settling finally on the moon and stars. Fade to black. Roll credits.