Wei Ying POV
Wei Ying and Lan Zhan both stared at her. She smiled at their innocent faces looking at her for answers. Taking the teapot in her hand, she offered both of them more of the warm liquid.
"Fate is a funny thing, boys. We worship it when it leads us to fortune or love and curse it when bites us in the arse. But Fate continues on its own path, regardless of what we think of it."
She stared at the two young men cautiously. "I believe there is more."
"More than what, grandmother?" Wei Ying asked, leaning forward. The teacup in his hands had stopped halfway up the path to his lips. His eyes were wider than the saucer on the table holding the steamed buns.
"More to the two of you being here. Together." Baoshen Sanren said thoughtfully with a sly smile.
Taking a sip of her own tea, she gave them a knowing look, her eyes falling to where their hands lay entwined under the table. Immediately, the two young men pulled apart. The motion was so obvious that Baoshen Sanren could not stifle her giggles, her voice as warm as the summer breeze blowing outside.
"Grandmother, I....we....it....." Wei Ying stammered, his face warming under a soft pink blush.
"Come, child. Do you think I'm bothered by that?" She winked at them both and the two relaxed again. "Love is love. A heart cannot be controlled. It answers the call of the soul it was destined to love. And, once that soul is found, there is nothing anyone can do to break the bond that forms from that love. Not even you." she said, pointing to the both of them.
Wei Ying gasped. His sharp silver eyes flew to Lan Zhan sitting next to him and noticed the young jade shifting in his seat. He wanted to slide his hand over and reclaim the large hand that had been his just moments ago. But Lan Zhan's hands were tucked deeply into his large flowing sleeves, safe from Wei Ying's needy fingers.
Baoshen Sanren sat up straight and smoothed her immaculate robes. "Now, let's get down to serious business. A-Ying, do you remember the song your mother used to sing to you?"
Wei Ying closed his eyes and nodded slowly. He was afraid if he spoke his voice would betray him. Placing his hands in his lap, he readjusted his bottom to sit squarely on the cushion. The nervousness that was building in his trembling body was making him squirm like a worm on a hook.
"Will you sing it for me?"
The last word was inflected as if his grandmother was asking him a question but Wei Ying knew better. He lifted his head and glanced at Lan Zhan who was staring at him in curious anticipation. Those damn golden eyes sparkled with the wonder of a child and Wei Ying had no defense against them when the handsome jade looked at him like that. His lips upturned in a tiny pressed smile, his dimples deepening on his tanned skin.
"Oh come on, now. I haven't heard you sing since you were.....what, ten years old? And now you're going to be sixteen!" she teased with a smile that drew out Wei Ying's own humorous grin.
"Grandmother, I'm turning eighteen this year! You know that. Or.....is your memory starting to fade? You do seem to have more grey hair than I remember. And is that.....a wrinkle?!"
Wei Ying leaned across the table and reached out his hand trying to touch his grandmother's hair. He was met with a hard slap that sent him back to his seat with a quivering pout which then turned into a contagious belly laugh. His grandmother and him laughed loudly, their voices almost harmonizing as they floated in the humid summer air.
When Wei Ying could no longer see because of the tears in his eyes, he turned his head to look at the silent jade still sitting next to him. Apparently, his laughter was not infecting the cold jade who sat silently waiting for the raucous commotion to end. Which it did quite suddenly when Wei Ying realized Lan Zhan was looking at him in nervous disbelief.
Baoshen Sanren's laughter dwindled off into short bursts of tiny giggles until she, too, calmed herself.
"Please, A-Ying. I miss hearing your heavenly voice and I'm sure the young master Lan would love to hear it. His clan is widely known for its appreciation of fine music and there is no one better than my gifted grandson to sing this beautiful song for him."
"Grandmother, stop!" Wei Ying whined, his smile growing brighter.
"Hanguang-jun, would you not like to hear your Wei Ying sing?" she asked politely.
"Grandmother st..... Wait! What did you just say?"
"Nothing. Nevermind me." she answered with a wave of her two hands in the air above her head. "I'm just an old woman whose memory is not what it used to be. So, Lan Wangji, would you like to hear my grandson sing?" she asked again, this time leaning forward, her neck outstretched in anticipation of his answer.
"Mn." Lan Zhan replied.
That single syllable spoken with a voice as deep as the ocean sent shivers down Wei Ying's back and curled his toes. Unable to deny Lan Zhan's request, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, his hand was enveloped in warmth and given the gentlest squeeze. Wei Ying looked up and found himself drowning in amber eyes staring back at him.
Without turning away, he began to sing. The first note was clear, pitched perfectly, and Wei Ying could see the amazement spread across Lan Zhan's face like ripples on a still pond. His deep tenor voice reverberated flawlessly and floated across the courtyard. The walls surrounding them only amplified the elegance of the music emanating from a body that no longer seemed human.
An angel of the clouds
And a beauty of the lake
Their hearts are bound
As their true souls awake
When dark loves the light
And ice becomes fire
Each one's heart
Will find their desire
Two solstice suns
Each bound by their fate
Can bring back the peace
With love over hate
Wei Ying never broke eye contact with Lan Zhan. He refused to look away and lose whatever connection was building between them. Each word that left his bow-shaped lips was sung exclusively for the jade. The added vibrato on the sustained notes added yet another level of beauty to his rich voice.
When he had finished, Baoshen Sanren took a staggered breath and wiped the single tear that had slipped from her silver eyes.
"A-Ying, that....that was even more beautiful than I imagined it would be." she said faintly, her eyes still sparkling from the tears she was trying to hold back.
Wei Ying smiled and dropped his head. "I miss m-mama." he choked out.
Lan Zhan lifted their hands and squeezed them harder as if he was trying to mold them together. "Will find whoever hurt her. Promise."
Wei Ying looked up and nodded at the jade. It was all he could do right now. His throat was so tight that if he sang now he would probably sound like he was going through his second puberty.
"I believe I can help you." Wei Ying's grandmother said gently. "I have a suspicion. Something that's been gnawing at me since I saw the two of you together holding the key."
Wei Ying turned towards her, dropping one of Lan Zhan's hands but refusing to do so with the other one. He needed to stay connected to the jade. For whatever reason, he never wanted to let go and break this bond he currently had with the other man.
"But, you knew we were coming, right? The combination was our birth dates." Wei Ying pointed out.
"Of course I did, silly. But so did the fates, my boy."
Both young men tilted their heads in unison, making Baoshen Sanren shake hers and sigh deeply.
"A-Ying, think back on the words you just sang to us."
"An angel of the clouds. That's obviously you." Wei Ying said with a wink, looking at Lan Zhan who sat there quietly. "So that means I must be the beauty of the lake?" he asked in disbelief.
Lan Zhan's eyes flashed. "Wei Ying is beautiful."
Wei Ying saw the jade's face darken after speaking those unexpected words and wondered if Lan Zhan regretted saying it.
"Go on." Baoshen Sanren said a wave of her hand.
"Their hearts are bound as their true....souls....awake." His words faded and slowed as realization began to hit.
Wei Ying looked down at their bound hands as did Lan Zhan. Slowly, they disentangled their fingers and pulled apart as the prophecy's words took root in their hearts.
"Don't worry about the next part, think about the last verse." Baoshen Sanren encouraged.
Wei Ying raised his head, silver eyes misty.
"Two solstice suns....." He stopped. Silence filled the air as the world around them stilled.
"Us." Lan Zhan said coldly.
"Not suns as in the bright ball in the sky but.....sons. Us. We're the sons of....the summer and winter solstice." Wei Ying exclaimed softly. "When dark loves.......the light......"
Wei Ying could not bring himself to say the rest. It all made sense now. The lullaby he had known since birth was referring to him and Lan Zhan. His heart thundered like a rampaging storm in his chest, cold sweat beaded on his skin like a reptile's scales. He looked up at the jade who also seemed to be having difficulty internally processing this revelation.
"A-Ying, breathe, my child." Baoshen Sanren murmured as she scooted closer to the two men.
"Breathe?! You want me......to breathe after finding out......WE'RE the two people in the lullaby? In the prophecy??!!"
Wei Ying felt like he was moving through a tunnel with no light at the end. He could hear his grandmother's words but they did not make any sense to his tumbling mind. He tried to stand but fell backwards into the arms of a stunned Hanguang-jun. Struggling out of what he was sure was supposed to be a comforting embrace, Wei Ying spun around with his arms flying around him.
"How are we supposed to stop a war that has raged for centuries? Lan Zhan and I aren't even Clan Leaders yet! We have no power!" he shouted loud enough for the heavens to hear.
"But you do, my child. You both do." Baoshen Sanren said with a conviction that brought Wei Ying back to his senses.
Lan Zhan stood and walked over to stand next to him again, both of them facing the beautiful immortal that was Wei Ying's grandmother. She smiled at them in a way that magically put them both at ease, their hearts no longer racing like wild stallions on an open plain. Her eyes reflected the gold and silver staring back at her, tiny crinkles appearing at the corners as her smile widened.
"I need you both to do something for me. I need to be sure. If I'm right, and I usually am," she said with a cockiness that caused Wei Ying to cough a giggle. "You, Hanguang-jun, and you, Wei Ying, have a longer history together than either of you realizes."
Wei Ying swallowed the knot in his throat. "Just what are you saying, grandmother?"
"Hush! No more talking. Follow me."
Baoshen Sanren turned quickly, her robes flaring out around her in a dramatic fashion. Her steps were forceful and the two young men had difficulty keeping up with the shorter woman. She led them out of the courtyard and into a room that looked similar to an ancestral hall but none like Wei Ying had seen in any sect.
There were glowing candles of various colors and sizes lining the walls, tucked onto shallow shelves carved directly into the smooth white marble. Their flames flickered lazily, creating eerie shadows that danced on the ceiling like long lost lovers. Wei Ying eyed the unusual talismans that were placed in discrete areas. He did not recognize the writing on them and wondered just how old they were.
Wei Ying was so busy studying the room, he failed to notice the jade crowding closer to him. When their shoulders brushed against each other, Wei Ying turned his head to the left and took in the sight of Lan Zhan walking next to him step for step. The jade's eyes were blinking a bit more rapidly than normal and his face was no longer unreadable.
Wei Ying saw the uncertainty in Lan Zhan's nervous head movements and gently grabbed Lan Zhan's hand in his. He held it close to his side to steady the young man who was now slightly leaning into him.
"I'm right here, Lan Zhan. I'm sorry. You must really want your brother right now, am I right?" Wei Ying murmured softly.
Lan Zhan looked at him, his brows furrowed but only enough that Wei Ying noticed.
"Mn."
Wei Ying smiled, his silver eyes glistening in the candlelight. "I promise you, grandmother will not do anything to hurt us or make us do anything we don't want to do. We'll face this together. Whatever "this" is. I swear to protect you until I can bring you safely back to Zewu-jun."
Wei Ying could feel the tenseness of Lan Zhan's grip diminish and was thankful for the jade's trust in him. He knew that whatever their future held for them, he would never let Lan Zhan face it alone.
Baoshen Sanren stopped in front of a large door that was decorated with elaborate designs covering its worn wood. Wei Ying could see flowers. Camellia flowers. His clan's symbol. The perfect replicas of the fine petaled blossoms were interspersed amongst mountains touched by the clouds. Cloud Recesses.
There were other symbols but again, Wei Ying did not recognize them. But, there was one symbol that stood out to both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. It was the symbol for Yin and Yang. Yet it was not the typical portrayal of the iconic sign for the ancient emblem.
Instead of a simple circle of the opposite color in each of the black and white halves, this one had a blazing sun on the white or Yang portion while the black Yin had a moon with stars. Wei Ying reached out and brushed his fingertips over the elaborate artwork.
Lan Zhan's fingers joined his and together they traced the outline until their hands met at the bottom.
"Us." Lan Zhan said simply, his eyes searching for Wei Ying's calming silver ones in the semi darkness.
Wei Ying nodded in agreement. "Yes. But how?"
He turned to his grandmother who was smiling like a cat who had swallowed the Clan Leader's prized canary.
"Fate, my dear boy." she answered with tempered giddiness. "Fate."