Kill Me Slowly || Tartaglia/Childe

Chapter 09

Hot. It was too hot. You couldn't make anything out with your vision blurred from the smoke that accumulated within minutes that have passed. "Get the princess out of there!" One of the servants coughs, hands desperately pounding on the door in attempts to get you out of your room, and in a few seconds, the door breaks, falling onto the marbled floor. "I have her!"

He pulls out a cloth and covers half of your face with it. "I have her!" He repeats, this time directed to another servant outside. Despite the fire burning the Jade Palace, you could only think of your father. You break free from the servant's hold and ran as fast as you could, turning sharply at the corners to your father's office. "Father! Father!" You burst into the office, large fires and heavy smoke decorate the room. The scrolls that held a lot of knowledge from the emperors before him, all were burning.

"Father!" You cry, pushing yourself past the smoke. "G-Get out of here!" The emperor weakly says, emitting several coughs afterward. You came close to the voice and see your father stuck under a pile of fallen wood, his foot stuck below it. "Father, I'll get you out!" You try pushing off the wood off of him but it wouldn't budge. Your strength alone wasn't enough for a big piece of wood that weighed five times your weight.

"H-Help! Somebody help father!" You scream, still pushing onto the wood. Slowly but painfully, your hands were starting to turn red from the pain and the heat. Not too long, the two servants who were supposed to escort you out of the palace came rushing in as they heard your voice and tries to push the pillar away.

"It's no use." The servant huffs, sweat dripping down from his forehead. "W-We can do it! We can get my father out of here!" You shut him down, pushing even further but still, the wood wouldn't budge. "D-Darling, stop it... it's no use. Leave me... leave me. Just remember father loves you..."

"What?" Your brows furrow, eyes widen in disbelief. "As emperor, I command you to abandon me and take the princess out of here safely."

The two servants looked at each other, nodding their heads in affirmation. "Father, no!" Two hands grip both of your arms, lifting you away from your father. "L-Let go of me! I-I am not leaving without father!" You trash around, throwing kicks in attempts to throw them off but their grip only tightened, bringing you further away from your father.

☆

Jolting awake with a gasp, your hand desperately reaches out for your father but catches nothing but air. Beads of sweat decorated your forehead and tears welled at the bottom of your eyes. You blink once, twice, thrice, and look around your surroundings. Once you confirmed that you were at the camp, you breathe out a sigh of relief. "It's just a nightmare."

Your room was dim, the sun still not up at this time of the hour. And it was slightly cold, making you shiver a little. You remove your blankets and hop off the bed, deciding that you would clear your mind off the nightmare that still scared you.

After doing your morning routine, you exit your room and enter the kitchen. With the help of a wooden stool, you managed to grab a small box from the upper cabinet that contained osmanthus petals. Tartaglia had brought back several boxes and allowed you to take as much as you want, after all, he wasn't really into osmanthus tea like his old friend.

After brewing, you take a small cup and filled it halfway. You gently blow onto the hot liquid before taking a small sip. As a herbal tea, it has a delicate fruity apricot taste to it yet it somehow tasted bittersweet. A few more sips, you have gotten used to the taste and finish the tea before putting it on the sink. You exit the kitchen, casually walking to the small garden where Tartaglia taught you how to handle a bow.

You took a peek and didn't see anyone around as they were probably still sleeping so it was a good time to stroll around. Although there was nothing much to see, you enjoy being one with nature. Soon, the sun rises, casting light upon the green lands and your face, giving you a warm caress. A beautiful scenery unfolds before you as if the world was in black and grey until they were colorized but one thing that stood out the most was a greenish-yellow bird that stood in the middle of the grass, pecking the ground.

Suddenly, you got an idea. You rush back inside and grab a few seeds before returning to the small bird. With the seeds at your hand, you click your tongue several times to call the bird's attention. It perks its head up, looking at you with its brown eyes. You extend your hand out further, body staying in place as to not scare the bird away.

"I'm going to eat the seeds if you're not going to!" You tease the bird, taking a piece of seed and bringing it near to your mouth. The bird only stares for a while until it flies away. "Aww." You puff your cheeks followed by a small frown forming on your lips. "Maybe next time." And that's what you did.

On one day, you have left a trail of seeds leading towards you but it only stares at before flying away. The next day, you put the seeds following the shape of a heart but it flies away again. You have tried several ways to get the bird to come to you and even Xiangling's advice did not work. You woke up around the same time for the next few days after that and for the nth time, the bird does not come to you.

For the last time, you came up to the bird again. You told yourself that if it doesn't come to you, you'd leave it alone. You set the seeds in front of you and backed away, crouching from the distance. The bird, though accustomed to your presence, had come closer, which made your eyes grow wide in surprise. You couldn't help but break a large grin on your lips, unable to contain the excitement that the bird had made a move.

Although it came closer, it does touch the seed at all. You scoot closer little by little until you were a meter apart. Curious, you wanted to touch the bird, giving it a little pat on its head but when you try to do so, you feel two hands cupping yours from behind. "Come." A deep voice says, guiding your hands towards the bird.

The bird hops into your hands and the person releases his hands from yours. "Woah." You cry in awe. "Such a pretty bird." With the bird in close proximity, you could see how beautiful its wings were. Slowly, your finger approaches the bird and you give it a little rub on its head. It was well-received as the bird closes its eyes at the contact.

"Oh." You suddenly remember that someone was here as well. You turn around and see a man with dark medium-length hair with teal undertones. He wore a plain white hanfu with black streaks, accentuating his figure. Though he was not as tall as Tartaglia, he gave off almost the same vibe as him although he looked more stern.

"A-Ah, thank you." You thank the man in front of you and he hums in response, nodding his head. "I've been trying for days to get its attention—"

"I know."

"You know?"

"I've seen you try and I could tell you're not very good at it."

"O-Oh..." You avert your gaze away, eyes looking at the bird. A small blush decorates your cheeks, embarrassment evident on your face. "It's no wonder Seelie does not mind you."

"Seelie is its name?"

"Yes..."

"What a cute name you have, Seelie!" You try to pat the bird's head again but it flies away and lands on the man's shoulder. He turns around and starts to walk away. "W-Wait!" He hears you and stops in his steps but does not look back. "I didn't get your name."

"Xiao."