DISCLAIMER: All recognizable material belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.
Pairing: Ling Yao and Lan Fan
Prompt: Oath
Rated: K
The very first opinion Lan Fan ever formed about the Young Lord was that he was a bit of a moron.
He'd mispronounced her name upon meeting her, which was actually a fairly minor issue with her, but still, she couldn't help but note that it really wasn't that difficult to say correctly. From there, things only went downhill.
She knew he was a few months her elder, but if she were to judge him strictly based on personality, he was several years younger than she. He was childish, that much was obvious, and far too carefree and lackadaisical for someone who aspired to rule a great nation one day. She realized fairly quickly that he needed someone like her to watch his back, as he was apt to get himself killed in an assassination attempt by one of his many power-hungry siblings.
Despite the stress she could already feel coming on at the weight of her new duty, she couldn't help the momentary flash of jealousy at the fact that he seemed to have retained his youthful innocence. She had lost her own at a young age.
It was too late for regrets. She had chosen this path for herself; she would see to it that the Yao clan was put on the throne within the next five years. She had not trained extensively in the martial arts and in weapons handling since she could walk to even consider backing out now. Her grandfather would be greatly disappointed in her if she ever did, though that would probably be the least of her problems. She would have nowhere to go. Her clan would reject her; Xingese people weren't in the habit of adopting from other clans. She would have no options but to leave Xing.
No, being assigned to protect Ling Yao was the only viable path she could choose. Even if he was an irresponsible, unpredictable buffoon. So she took her oaths, kneeling before the Young Lord, swearing to protect his life with hers no matter what the cost.
The words were rehearsed, flat. Her reasons for speaking them were her own. She could not have known then how seriously she would someday take them.
She didn't bother to picture the man her Young Lord would one day grow up to be. She had no idea the skill he possessed, the way he was most certainly capable of protecting himself. She had no reason to imagine the lengths she would eventually go to to keep him safe when he couldn't handle himself.
Lan Fan could never have imagined, had it even crossed her mind, how deeply her feelings would one day run for the moron standing before her.