Warnings: As before, mature situations, adult topics, and a bit of OOC.
Disclaimer: All demon clan wedding traditions are mere products of my imagination, and in no way part of the 3L3W canon.
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Donghua knew he was in trouble, the moment he emerged from Yangshi Tower and found only Gungun and Zhonglin awaiting to welcome him on the main hall.
"Father!" The silver-haired child exclaimed, bounding over and diving straight into Donghua's waiting arms. "Welcome back!"
"I am back." Donghua dropped a kiss on the top of his son's head, his gaze finding Zhonglin's over the smooth, thick mane of silver silk. "There is only you today?"
Zhonglin flinched and averted his eyes. Gungun, from his perch in Donghua's arms, took the cudgels for the unusually hesitant steward. "Mother went to the demon realm to stand as witness in a marriage ceremony two days ago. She sent a message this morning that there were some delays and the wedding banquet was still ongoing, so Brother Zhonglin and I should just go ahead and welcome you on her behalf."
"Did she now?" Donghua kept his voice soft and calm, if only for the benefit of the child in his arms. His eyes, though, told a different story as he instructed, in a tone meant for Gungun but was directed at Zhonglin. "It's already this late, way past your bedtime. Why don't you go back ahead with Zhonglin, while I go and fetch your mother?"
The young yet sensible Gungun seemed to sense that something was amiss, and went with Zhonglin without demur.
As he descended to the realm that the demons call home, Donghua's thoughts strayed to that old tale about Bai Zhi, and the difficulties the Fox King had chasing and coaxing a pregnant Ning Cang after a particularly big fight. While he had long been aware of the unique temperament of the nine-tailed foxes of Qingqiu -- passionate and fiercely loyal to those they love, cold-hearted and uncaring to those they don't -- he had never thought that his empress will come from the Bai line, and so did not pay close attention to Bai Zhi's predicament back then. A regretful fact, considering his current dilemma.
The demon realm was vast, but it was his territory, and in no time at all he found the stone cave palace where the wedding banquet in question was being held. The most elite guards from his Southern Realms domain stood guard outside the cave's mouth, and they knelt down in unison upon his arrival, a pale-faced, exhausted Qingti at their lead.
"Well?" Donghua asked, fixing a teeny-tiny crease at the hem of his sleeves.
"Dijun, Dihou descended to the Southern Realms two days ago, and proceeded to the territory of the Green Demon Clan to witness a marriage ceremony. Her Majesty said it was not official business and did not send word about her plans, so we only knew of her presence in the demon realm yesterday." Seeing the steel that flashed in Donghua's eyes, Qingti's fists clasped even tighter, and his bow became ever lower. "This servant deserves to be punished for my incompetence."
Donghua let the tension linger on for a moment longer, then waved a careless hand to relieve Qingti and the rest from their bow. "What is Xiaobai doing now?"
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Choices
FanfictionA well-loved tale, retold. Set in a universe where our single-minded deity did not make the same choices as he did, and peace was achieved a little bit differently. Because, no matter the time, place, or universe, DH will always fall in love with...
