TIAN GUAN CI FU Fan fic stories

UNTETHERED

CHAPTER 1 : I

Mountains — Hans Zimmer

When he was young, Xie Lian despised being out at sea. He would often get seasick by the steady back-and-forth rocking of the ship. The saltiness of the air and feverish heat from the sun didn't help, so young Xie Lian would stay cooped up in his cabin below deck, holding his nauseated stomach.

The royal family frequently traveled across the oceans to maintain strong relationships with allied kingdoms. Therefore, Xie Lian wasn't spared from the dreadful sailing trips. He eventually got used to the long days on the water without worrying himself ill, though it took many restless days and nights distracting himself from the surrounding stretches of blue that went on for ages.

Now, Xie Lian barely notices the subtle bobbing of the ship's movements, cradled by the natural currents passing through. It's not exactly peaceful, per se, but a mere constant that he welcomes with a numb mind. Currently sat at the vanity inside his chamber, still on the lower deck, Xie Lian stares wordlessly into the mirror, the intricate embellishments around the frame creating an illusion of warped vines and limbs.

His reflection blinks back tiredly, mouth set into an unhappy frown.

If his mother and father were to see him now, their disapproval would twist Xie Lian's insides until the corners of his lips lifted to resemble a perfect smile. After all, princes must be charming and cordial, self-assured and righteous. Being anything less than an utmost pleasure to the public's eye was unacceptable.

Until the day he weds, that is. After that, his behavior is expected to change to best accommodate his wife and the promise of children, his kingdom's prosperity, and a long, honorable life. This was Xie Lian's pre-conceived future, one that he had accepted years ago, but which felt like lifetimes away.

Alas, time waits for no one. Only one month prior had Xie Lian's father informed him of his arranged engagement to a princess from a faraway kingdom.

***

"Father, I'm not ready," Xie Lian pled, kneeling in front of the king, who sat on his throne in the private hall.

"Nonsense! You are beyond ready," his father declared resolutely. "We cannot put training above your marriage any longer. A twenty-five-year-old prince with no spouse is a disgrace itself."

Before Xie Lian could respond, the queen jumped in with words of her own.

"Your father is right, honey. It's time you get a wife and begin the next chapter of your life. Don't you want that?" she asks, placing her hand atop her husband's, giving it a small squeeze.

It's an indirect question: "Don't you want to make us proud?"

Xie Lian trained his eyes on their feet so they wouldn't see the devastation brewing within his irises. Appealing to the Xianle people, he could do. Taking on various studies to become the top educated prince, he could do. Practicing gratitude, discipline, and heavenly worship, Xie Lian could do.

But to be in a loveless marriage...a part of Xie Lian would die through a union of duty. While Xie Lian could wed a wonderful princess with the kindest soul and most clever mind, he would never come to love her. Not like a husband should love a wife.

That's what saddened him the most. Xie Lian would end up locking him and his wife in superficial wedlock with the responsibilities for both kingdoms weighing down on their shoulders. Despite that this was how most arranged marriages went, Xie Lian knew that he ultimately wouldn't be able to give his wife what she needed.