Blossoms of Love

Chapter 2: The Sun Wraiths of Ningyi

Song Mengyao had been walking the gardens, accompanied by his guards when Master Yin approached him. With a wave of his hands, the guards were dismissed, leaving the two men to themselves as they stood before the pond.

The prince paid no mind to the man beside him and rather, kept his attention on the frogs leaping around the water lilies.

"Play a game with me."

It was an unusual request; one the prince hadn't expected to hear. His eyebrow almost raised as he watched one of the frogs dive down into the depths of the pond.

"What game do you suggest we play?"

Shortly after their talk, the prince, unfortunately, found himself in the young master's room. The Go board was already set out, waiting for them to play. They sat either side of the small table, crossing their legs as they prepared for their game.

Not a word was said between them as they focused on their first few moves, placing their stones carefully as they began to set up their territory. Minutes of ghostly silence and not once did Song Mengyao glance up, although he was painfully aware of the dark brown eyes that were feasting upon his every move.

What the prince did not know was that those eyes were examining his long eyelashes as Master Yin thought to himself that they were much prettier than any he had ever seen on a woman.

When he grew tired of looking at his golden eyes flickering about the board, Master Yin found himself admiring the smooth skin of the prince's face. It looked so soft that he almost wanted to reach out and touch it, yet he withheld himself from that idea.

"Weeks have passed since you were first brought here, and you have yet to attempt to leave the estate. Why?"

The prince hummed, slender fingers slowly rolling the stone in his hand before he placed it down on the board. "I have no desire to leave."

"No desire to leave? Surely you wish to go home, to see your family."

Song Mengyao nodded. "I do. However, I know it would only cause them grief if I were to attempt to leave here without permission. Forgive me, but I would much rather return home alive so that I may see them again."

"We have no intentions of harming you. If we had we would have killed your entire entourage upon your capture. They should be back in Shiyanyi now, completely safe and sound, albeit missing their precious prince. When your father agrees to our terms you will be returned safely, you have my word," Master Yin reminded, placing his stone after so long deciding how to play his move.

"Perhaps, but I know better than to go against the wishes of such generous hosts."

The prince placed his stone carelessly, allowing a large portion of his territory to be captured with the next move. He sighed and picked up his next stone.

Their game went on for a while and, once it was over, the prince was quick to retire back to his room. He hadn't particularly wanted to spend time with the man who had trapped him inside Qingyi but when the young master came to him looking for a partner to play Go with, he had decided to entertain the idea. It wasn't a bad way to spend his time, especially when he had so much free time to spend.

It had been amusing, even if he had lost, but he was more than ready to turn in for the night. The bed in which he slept was the closest thing to home he had. It even began to smell like it the more he slept in it, his own scent rubbing off against the sheets. It was his safe haven, the only place he could go to be alone. Even if there was always the lingering reminder that there were armed guards standing just outside.

***

"The people of Ningyi have sent a letter, my Lord."

Yin Jianguo took the letter and cut it open, pulling the inked parchment from within.