Solstice Souls

Of Sound Heart and Mind

There was a shout from one of the carriage hands, and a bag of peaches was given to XiChen. He tossed over a couple before going to share them with the others.

Lan Zhan held the soft fruit in his hand, watching the way Wei Ying bit into his, the slurp of juices doing something to his insides, while he could not take his eyes off the delighted man sitting right next to him. A stream of peach juice leaked out from the side of Wei Ying's mouth, making its way down his throat, down...down into his robes, and all Lan Zhan wanted to do was rip those clothes off and lick him clean.

He thrust his own portion into Wei Ying's hand once he'd finished his own one, too riled up to eat now, but in doing so, he only added to his own torture.

Wei Ying was oblivious, enjoying his sweet treat, and Lan Zhan was having trouble sitting still.

Right next to him.

He tore his gaze away, looking at his brother, who was discussing something with Jiang Fengmian, while Madam Yu was speaking to her son, who in turn was scowling at Wei Ying, who hadn't noticed anything amiss yet.

A ball rolled up to them, surprising them both. They looked up to find a group of little children too scared to come and get it, pushing each other forward in the hopes of finding someone brave enough to retrieve their property.

Wei Ying was already wiping his hands in his clothes and standing up, even before Lan Zhan could pull out a clean handkerchief to give him.

He eyed it dubiously, until he realised why it was being offered, and then giggling, he picked up the ball and ran off to play with the children.

Lan Zhan would have continued to watch him, if not for the presence of his brother, who chose to sit in the place newly vacated by Wei Ying.

He had a serious look on his face and Lan Zhan knew what was coming.

He readied himself.

"Didi... this is the first chance we've had to speak alone."

His tone was accusing.

Lan Zhan ignored it.

"Mn. What does Xiongzhang wish to say?" He kept his tone as neutral as he could manage.

"Are you sure about this? You know what I mean. You do not have to go along with it." XiChen kept his voice low and his back straight, wary of being overheard.

"I have promised, Xiongzhang. This punishment...it is acceptable to me." He stated, unmoving.

XiChen let out a noise of disgust.

"Even if you're okay about all this, have you given a single thought to how this will affect our clan? How do you think they're going to take the news? Do you really believe the Elders are going to welcome him into our home with open arms? If you do, you're more naive than I thought." 

XiChen stopped to breathe, lowering his voice further.

"We are at war with the Wei clan. Now you want to bring home the son of our common enemy, to live with us, eat with us, train with us in Cloud Recesses. I do not care how much you have been beguiled into thinking you have some sort of affection for him, you need to stop this, right now."

"I will not." Lan Zhan stood up.

What XiChen was asking him to do, it was causing him a physical ache in his chest. He just wanted to walk away, but XiChen grabbed his hand.

The familiar warmth, the trust he had always felt towards his brother, ebbed away, leaving just a lot of hurt.

"Xiongzhang...does not understand." He said quietly, before taking his hand away.

He had never actually been in a disagreement with his brother... this was the first time ever. He felt like a boat torn away by a storm from its safe harbour, left floundering in the currents of a chaotic sea.

Xiongzhang was always on his side, always knew how he felt. Always knew what to say to make him feel better. What could Lan Zhan do now? Now that it was the very person who always provided comfort causing his unrest?

Where could he go to ease his mind?

The sounds of children laughing loudly poured into his mind, breaking him free from his thoughts.

Up ahead, a child was asking Wei Ying a question.

"Gege, can anything be made into a weapon?"

"Of course!" Wei Ying answered confidently.

His answer made Lan Zhan proud.

"Even a rock?" Another kid asked before being pushed by another.

"Of course, silly! You just throw it!"

"What about a fan?" A little girl was holding her fan out to him.

The other children burst out laughing. The little girl retracted her hand, the look on her face as if she wanted to run and hide.

Lan Zhan frowned and resumed walking towards them.

Wei Ying was crouched down next to her, saying something that Lan Zhan couldn't quite hear. He watched Wei Ying wipe her eyes with the hem of his black sleeves, and Lan Zhan frowned, wondering why Wei Ying did not carry a handkerchief.

Then Wei Ying took the fan from her and stood in a fighter's pose. He stood with both of his legs about three feet apart, his right hand holding the fan slightly above his head. His left hand had two fingers folded and two pointing straight, together.

Lan Zhan did not want to interrupt his concentration, so he stood back and watched, mesmerized.

Wei Ying began to complete the Wei clan first form, usually performed either with empty hands or a sword, a sequence of twenty four moves, designed to stretch out every muscle in the body, to calm the mind and cleanse the heart.

Lan Zhan recognised his form from the basic training he himself had undergone whilst studying the fighting forms of all the clans and distinguishing between all the rest.

Every sect had its own style, and every sect thought theirs was the best.

But even as Lan Zhan watched, something about the way Wei Ying whirled and lunged, it was niggling away at him, like a phrase or word sitting on the edge of memory, wanting to be touched but staying out of focus.

Enraptured, his feet were bringing him closer and closer and suddenly, he was right there, caught inside the cage of Wei Ying's arms.