WangXian Forever 3

Chapter 24 Solace

Most nightmares started from mundane things, a memory, or a smell, or the reminder of forgotten things. Wei Ying sometimes knew before they happened, that they were going to be painful. The worst thing about them, was not the intensity of the situation he may find himself thrown back into, or even the trauma they never failed to induce, but the fact that he couldn't tell if he was really there or not.

Tonight, it was faintest trace of mint in his nightly potion that triggered memories of Wen Qing and her medicinal concoctions. He was trapped, helpless and immobile. None of his limbs would move, weighed down by invisible stones, lying on his bed in the Burial Mounds. Incapacitated by her sharp needles, he could only feel them walking away from him, innocently throwing away their lives.

They did not know the true nature of greed, in all its forms, how the one infected would lie through their teeth to get what they wanted. Jin Guangshan was one of those wolves. A cunning, sinister man, capable of manipulation through politeness, gaining whatever he wanted through a myriad of lies. He promised no retribution for giving up, but his thirst for the Stygian tiger amulet was out of control.

Wei Ying exerted all his strength to try and get up, to run after them and stop them. Stop them from certain death, for nothing.

His own cry woke him from the disturbing dream, heart pounding as he tried to control his breathing. His body was covered in sweat, nerves tingling. Now fully awake, he nimbly jumped over his husband and went to sit on the deck outside.

Normally, the nightmares were plagued with violence and death, but this one...this one left him shaken. He remembered barely being able to walk, stumbling out of the mountain, knowing he was too late but filled with the need to try.

A warm bundle landed in his lap, sleepy eyes under long lashes watching him.

"Did I wake you, little rabbit?" He whispered, holding her close.

Her warmth and softness was comforting, and something he didn't know he needed.

"I had a bad dream." She mumbled, still not completely awake.

"So did I."

"You get them too?"

"Yes."

"S'okay, we're together now. We can beat them." She patted his shoulder and fell back into sleep.

That's how Lan Zhan found them, cuddled together in slumber, protecting each other with their warmth. He had panicked, finding neither his husband next to him or their daughter in the temporary cot in their room. He had flung open the door of the Jingshi, prepared to search all of Cloud Recesses, only to find them just there.

Lan Zhan picked them both up and gently lay them on the bed. He covered them both with a blanket and kissed their cheeks.
This was his family.

*****

SiZhui knocked on the door in the morning, anxiously waiting to see his parents. And his new sister. He had not really met her before, just seen her holding his father's hand, from a distance. The sight alone had him feeling pangs of loss.

Of course, one of his fathers had made sure he had lacked for nothing while growing up in Cloud Recesses. But this other father filled a place in his heart that always seemed empty. Like the memory of something tangible on the periphery of his consciousness, the knowledge that something, someone was missing, never left him until his father Wei returned.

He couldn't remember holding his hand, but he knew he had, in the same way that he couldn't remember sleeping with him, but he knew. It was in the familiar scent of lotus flowers and wine, a uniqueness only made real by this father.

And seeing this other child recieving this care, filled the rest of the hole. She seemed like such a bright presence, the light they all needed.

So when she opened the door and scowled at him, he was slightly taken aback.

"Who are you?" She mumbled, annoyed and still in the remaining vestiges of sleep.

"I'm your brother, Lan SiZhui. Birth name, Lan Yuan. Is father here?"

She didn't answer, just stared at him in confusion.

The door was opened wider by a similarly disheveled adult, who smiled at him.

"SiZhui!"

He was pulled in and hugged, much to the chagrin of the mini adult watching them, her annoyance increasing.

Wei Ying picked her up and introduced them.

"This is your brother."

"I have a brother?" She studied him intently.

"If Lan ge-ge or I am not here, you must find him. He is your SiZhui ge-ge."

"Do you like him?" She asked Wei Ying.

"I love him." Wei Ying laughed.

SiZhui blushed.

"Then I will like him too." She decided.

"Have you had your breakfast?" SiZhui asked.

"Yes, she has." Wei Ying answered for her and yawned.

"Then do you want to come with me to feed the rabbits?" He showed her the basket of carrots in his hand.

She looked excitedly at Wei Ying for permission.

"Of course you can." He patted her head affectionately. Then, watching them walk away, he had a thought that immediately woke him up completely.

He slapped a silencing talisman on the walls of the Jingshi and shouted, "Lan Zhan! We're alone now!"

*****

SiZhui watched his sister holding a carrot out to the bunnies and feeling frustrated when they ignored her.

She started chasing them, much to his amusement.

"Li Xiwang, you have to let them come to you." He smiled and pulled her down to sit next to him.

"I don't think they like me." She said, sadly.

"That's only because they don't know you yet. They have to get used to your smell first. You can't force this." He told her patiently.

He picked up a fluffy white ball and put it her lap, watching her face transform. She stroked it gently, noting how it sniffed her and the carrot carefully before committing to trust.

"I've never had a sister before." He whispered.

"I've never had a real brother." She smiled up at him, excitedly. "You can teach me everything!"