YEARS OF WAITING

PAST:CHAPTER 9

After a week, I walked to the streets of
Wruya where I heard something that shocked me. A group of middle aged men of 5 were standing there and talking about someone trying to kill the king of our empire. The news of an attempted king assassination sent shockwaves throughout the village. As such, the village had gone into a heightened state of alert, with increased security presence and people discussing the news of the attempted assassination. This was why Qiao had been away for the past three days. It was likely that he had been involved in security measures to ensure the king's safety.

Following an hour of searching, I found Qiao in the palace and asked him about the news I heard. At the time, he was quite sad, angry and messed up. I understood that he had found out who tried to kill the king.

I asked him-"who is it?"

"What are you talking about?" Qiao
asked me

"Don't lie, just spill it out Qiao" -i said in frustrated tone.

"YEON" - he angrily shouted.

I was taken aback by his reaction. He had never shouted at me like that before.

"Yeon...what are you talking abo-"

Suddenly he cut in the sentence and said-" I know you won't believe me without any proof, right. Is this enough evidence for you?"

By showing me the chain , Yeon always wears.

He gave me the yeon's chain and said - "give it to him and one more thing Aera , doesn't even try to come to in front of me."

I was in shock. I couldn't believe what I heard. Qiao kept the chain in my hand and stormed out. His words were so cold and blunt, it made me realize that our bond had broken somewhere.

The words he spoke weighed heavily on my heart. Although I didn't support Yeon, I never disagreed with Qiao's views. I have been trying to find Yeon ever since, but to no avail. I have come to the exact spot where he rescued me from Zorrel, but he is nowhere to be found. Yeon had mentioned that he was a sun lover, so I've been coming here in the mornings, but he still has not appeared. For the past three days, I have been trying to find Yeon, but at the same time, Qiao has been avoiding me and not letting me speak with him.

I used to visit there in the morning while searching for Yeon, but today I visited there at night. Lately, I've been feeling unsettled, so I thought going to that place might help clear my mind. As soon as I arrived at the place, I unexpectedly encountered Yeon which startled me. However, upon calling out his name, he turned towards me but then avoided me and began walking away. I ran towards him and grabbed his hand to stop him.

I asked him - " so you are intentionally
avoiding me, right?"

"Don't you hate me now, Vaniah"

"Did I ever tell that?"
He looked at me with surprised but
heartbroken eyes.

"Yeon...I know everything and no need to act strong"

I tried to hold back my tears and smiled weakly.

"Yeon, I know why you tried to kill the king? He killed your mother and sister without mercy and even framed your father "I continued - "He even tried to keep you apart from me and Qiao, right?"

"Who told you these things?"

"Is it relevant now?"

"Just say it, Vaniah"

"My father said it and he asked to say sorry to you for not helping.
My father and Qiao are the only ones who I believe in the palace."

" and I even know why you hurt Qiao before five years, it is because you the general got the order to kill him so you followed the orders to make a small cut on Qiao to show that you had executed him, but you made sure that he would survive and not face a fatal wound. As a result, you were sentenced to three years in prison when the truth was revealed that Qiao was still alive."

"Don't say a word Qiao"

"Why Yeon? He should kno-"

"If he gets to know everything about the king and his deeds he will surely join me but it will hurt you and Qiao more than me"

Yeon was about to leave, but when I said "Yeon, wait", he stopped and turned back to face me. It was clear that he was waiting for me to say something else. At that time rain fell lightly. I said, "Qiao told me to give this to you" and I handed him his chain.

He took his chain without saying a word. He looked at it and smiled. He put it around his neck .

At the time I said -" Yeon, I have more to say to you" By saying that I stand near him and pressing my lips to his, I showed him my intensity. I could feel his breath on my skin as I stayed close, and I knew he knew what I meant. The intensity of the moment overwhelmed Yeon, and he was unable to respond. His body reacted instinctively, and he pulled me closer to him and kissed me deeply.We were both standing there in the rain, both of us lost in the moment. We felt so connected, and I wanted that connection to last forever. The moonlight and the rain only enhanced the moment, and I felt like we were the only two people in the world. His embrace was strong and passionate, and I could feel every inch of his body against mine. His kiss was gentle yet intense, and I could feel my heart beating rapidly as I clung to him, never wanting to let go. I knew in that moment that I was in love, and that I would never forget this night. His touch, his kiss, and the smell of rain in the air are memories that will stay with me forever.

As soon as we pulled away from the kiss, I hugged him and said: "I want to spend my entire life with you. Whether it's possible or not I want to be with you." I was crying when I uttered this and he tightly embraced me. He replied with a whisper in my ear, "No matter what, I'm here for you - always and forever." It was an emotional moment that spoke to the depth of the connection between the two people and the desire to be together forever.

"It's getting late, we can go to our camps" he said as he wiped away my tears. Nodding, he grabbed my hand and we walked to the border where we bid goodbye He gave me one last hug, and then we parted ways - I to my camp, and he to his.