The Bride of Dragon

1. Wedding

Wei Wuxian manages to stay still and wait ten whole minutes before he hazards a look outside,peeking out from behind one of the blinds his palanquin is embellished with. He is too low to the ground to gather any sort of helpful information and has to strain his neck to try and peer above the sparse hedge blocking most of his view. 

He's looking for Hanguang-Jun—surely he knows his sacrifice is here—and doesn't know what to make of the disappointment he feels when he can't spot God anywhere nearby.

"That Hanguang-Jun," Wei Wuxian grumbles, pulling back from the window to sulk on the chairinstead. "Surely he's not the type to keep his husband waiting!" After another twenty minutes, spent much less silently, Wei Wuxian decides to exit his palanquin.

The flowers are already beginning to wilt and Wei Wuxian tugs, expressionless, on one of the delicate petals before taking two more steps towards the base of the mountain.

There, he waits.

Nothing stirs.

"Hanguang-Jun!" Wei Wuxian shouts, his voice clear and crisp in the cool air. This timesomething rustles in the treetops, but it's only a songbird who chatters at him in an annoyedmanner. Wei Wuxian offers it a short apology with what's almost a smile before he refocuseshimself on the task at hand.

(Did all sacrifices have such a hard time?)

"Hanguang- Jun!" Wei Wuxian shouts again and when he still receives no answer, he lets out ahuff and begins to stomp his way up the mountain, muttering the entire way.

He's nearly halfway to the top and his teeth are chattering—wedding robes don't make for thewarmest of clothing—his arms wrapped tightly around himself as he trudges on. Every so oftenhe'll shout again, calling for the dragon or simply express his frustration at being ignored, butthe only response he continues to receive is the gentle breeze and the occasional songbird. He stops to ask one if they know where his soon-to-be husband is, but they have nothing of value to give him and decide to focus on cleaning their wing instead.

Wei Wuxian's in the middle of wondering how high he'll need to climb before he finally meets hisdragon groom when he comes across a plateau and lets out a small gasp. At the other end, almost nestled into the mountainside itself, sits a large mansion. A white fog enshrouds most of it so Wei Wuxian has to squint to try and make out any fine details. It seems deserted, from this distance at least but hasn't fallen into too much disrepair despite, Wei Wuxian can only assume, being deserted for several decades. 

(He, at least, has never heard of a hidden palace in the mountains.)

The wind suddenly picks up and Wei Wuxian immediately decides to start for it—even if it isdeserted it should have something he can use to stop himself from freezing to death—but whenhe's nearly halfway there, a sharp chill starts up his spine and leaves him frozen in his tracks.

(At least he didn't need to climb to the top to meet his groom.)

Wei Wuxian has only ever seen Hanguang-Jun from a distance, and often in the light of the fullthe moon which reflected off his scales, blurring his figure to any who dared look at it straight on.Many villagers claimed it was then bad luck to do such a thing, but Wei Wuxian had found such logic ridiculous and always opted to stare when the mysterious god drifted high above their tiny village.

 Even now, in the bright afternoon sun, with Hanguang-Jun descending on him, WeiWuxian can't find it in himself to look away. When the dragon lands, he's surprisingly silent. As if the earth is too frightened to be disturbed. He stands impressively tall, the cool blue horns that twist from his head lending even more to his height that is easily well above Wei Wuxian's own. There's a soft sheen to his scales that reflect the light similar to snowflakes and piercing golden eyes that keep Wei Wuxian's own trapped.

He's beautiful. In a way. So much so that Wei Wuxian can't be sure if it's awe or fear that'sholding his tongue. It's only when the dragon shifts, eyes narrowing in an assessing stare, that Wei Wuxian remembers his purpose. He falls to a kneel and recites empty words.

"O great Hanguang-Jun. I am from the village of Lotus Pier in Yunmeng, and I have come to offermyself as a way to atone for our village's misgivings against you. Please let my life be enough tolessen our winter's grasp."

Wei Wuxian tried not to have too many expectations of this meeting, as he mostly expected to beeaten, so he's a little surprised when he hears a sharp exhale come from the creature before him,one that almost sounds annoyed, before said creature begins to turn and walk away.Away from Wei Wuxian.

"W-Wait!" Wei Wuxian cries, scrambling forward. "I know I'm not much of a bride but surely I'mgood enough to be a sacrifice!"

This halts the creature, but only so he can turn and deliver a short glare."What? Am I not your type?" Wei Wuxian asks with a raised eyebrow and a snort. "I guess Ishould have expected the gods to be picky."

The glare grows even more frosty than before, the dragon turning away to march forward again,but not without flicking his tail dangerously close to where Wei Wuxian is standing."Where are you going?" Wei Wuxian shouts after it. The dragon simply flicks his tail again andWei Wuxian wonders if he's beckoning him to follow.

Does he wish to eat me in a special place...? Wei Wuxian thinks to himself before taking off afterthe creature. Gods were known for their particular (and peculiar, Wei Wuxian is learning) natureafter all. He leads him back to the edge of the plateau, which Wei Wuxian whines about, loudly, and stops, as if waiting.

Wei Wuxian approaches after some amount of hesitation, deciding that if he is doomed to death he may as well play along with whatever game the creature is starting. However, when he finds what the creature is trying to show him, he makes a small sound of surprise. It's a path back down.

"Why...?" Wei Wuxian asks, incredulous. "You... You're letting me escape?"

The dragon gives a single nod."But you can't!" Wei Wuxian shouts, distressed and frustrated, spinning to face and moving intowards the dragon, who could almost be named shocked. "I have to— You have to—!" A shakyinhale. "How else are we supposed to stop the worsening winter..."

The dragon makes a strangled sound of this, an expression akin to hurt flashing across his face. At least, that's what Wei Wuxian can guess it to be, as he's hardly versed in reading a dragon'sexpressions. The look is gone quickly, replaced by one much more impassive, and the dragonspares him no more attention.

Wei Wuxian can hardly believe he's managed to fail at being a sacrifice.He watches the dragon walk towards the palace, slow and methodical, and Wei Wuxian's mindspins wildly before landing on a desperate decision. "Hanguang-Jun!" He shouts at the retreating dragon. The dragon doesn't turn, but he does pause.

That's all Wei Wuxian needs. "If you won't accept me as your bride, then I'll simply have to winover your heart!"

Wei Wuxian is a sacrifice, after all.

Wei Wuxian will stay.

Chapter End...

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