The King's Dancer

Chapter 6

Another two weeks passed by, in which Xie Lian kept practicing his expression management while making sure his dancing didn't suffer from the distraction it created. It was difficult, but he was starting to get the hang of it. At least he thought so, because Miss Fang criticised him less and less frequently.

He had also started wearing his dancer's clothes daily, in an attempt to try and get used to not being covered decently. It was working moderately well; he still wasn't exactly comfortable wearing these revealing outfits, but he also wasn't embarrassed anymore.

The days he didn't practice by himself were the ones when Banyue decided to forego visiting the king in favor of learning more self defence, which she was also starting to get much better at.

Today was one of the days he practiced by himself, or he would have, but since it was exceptionally hot today, Xie Lian starfished in the shade of the pavillon instead. He was sweating, despite wearing such revealing clothes and not doing anything. He closed his eyes, imagining he was still the prince of Xian Le, and could just sit on his small throne, next to his parents, and enjoy getting fanned. Maybe if he imagined it hard enough, he could deceive himself into actually feeling a breeze?

Xie Lian was pulled out of his daydreaming by the gates being thrown open, and Banyue's cries for him. He jumped up immediately, thinking that maybe those bullies had gotten the better of her again after all, but he was surprised to see her dragging someone else in behind her. From what he could tell at first glance, it was a boy, probably one or two years older than Banyue, with a rather bloody face at the moment.

"What happened?", he asked while already hurrying over to them.

"Xie-gege! Pei Su is my friend, can you teach him how to fight back against the bullies, too?", she asked somewhat desperately, without any sort of preamble.

When did you make another friend?, Xie Lian couldn't help but wonder.

"Of course, of course. But Banyue... why did you bring him here? He obviously needs medical attention first", he explained, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this child's antics.

So in the end, Xie Lian ended up carrying yet another bloody child into the infirmary, and of course Shi QingXuan couldn't let it go just like that.

"Again?!", he exclaimed, when he saw Xie Lian stepping through the door. "You know, I'm starting to think your only hobby is to pick injured kids off the ground. Or are you using them to have an excuse to come and see me? I promise, you don't need to go to such lengths for that."

Xie Lian was a bit amused, but didn't show it.

"Don't you have more pressing matters to tend to?", he asked, and nodded at the child in his arms.

"Yes, yes, I'm already getting to it, I'm just trying to lighten the mood, jeez", he said while plucking the child out of Xie Lian's grasp, and then disappearing to another room.

Xie Lian didn't follow this time, because he didn't know the kid, and instead used the time to interrogate Banyue.

"So, you have a new friend?"

She looked at him sheepishly before she started explaining.

"When I still lived in the main palace I met him from time to time, because he's an errand boy for King Hua. It's... true that we never played with each other and never had the time to talk much, but... he's always been nice to me! I'm sure those bullies went to him when they realised I got stronger than them", she speculated with a heavy frown, a look rather disconcerting to see on a young child.

"They might have. But don't worry, Banyue, I promise to help him, too. You two can practice together, hm? King Hua just has to allow him the time off to come to our quarters when we're not practicing with Miss Fang", Xie Lian explained.