Before he was Taken (Prologue)

The road ahead is long....

There came a time when Macaque could not quell his need to see Wukong. Gongzhu seemed to anticipate this, as she never intended to keep Macaque from the King indefinitely. She only needed enough time for the tension to dissipate slightly.

So, in the quiet of a dull afternoon, while everyone else began to settle after dinner, Macaque set out. It took only a few minutes to arrive at his destination. At the boarders of the mountain, guards still patrolled. He figured they would for a while, but not nearly as many as before.

He could slip around them easily, knowing that he just needed to see the inside of the mountain once to teleport straight there in the future.

As Macaque delved further into the depths of darkness, he feared getting lost as he followed the path illuminated by large golden chains. The chains coiled downwards, seemingly descending into the very core of the earth. Until finally, they led to an open area where a lone pillar stood with its prisoner bound to it.

The King of the mountain was entrenched, bound to the very heart of the towering peak. Only his face and left hand remained untouched by the mountain's grasp.

Trapped for his sentence of forever.

Macaque hadn't laid eyes on Wukong since the Jade Palace, unsure of his whereabouts or condition after his defeat. For all this time, Macaque had worried about him so.

He approached slowly, his heart pounding in his chest. He could see Wukong's chest rise and fall slowly, indicating he was asleep or unconscious. With a deep breath, Macaque stepped forward until he was mere feet away from the bound Monkey King.

"Wukong," he whispered, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.

There was a slight twitch in Wukong's fingers, and then his eyes fluttered open. They were glazed with pain and confusion, but recognition quickly dawned on his face when Macaque came into view.

"Mihou..." he rasped out, struggling to speak. His voice was hoarse from lack of use, the sound barely audible above the low hum of the golden chains.

"Wukong...!" Macaque stumbled towards him, throwing himself into the sun monkey with no regard for his current condition. He buried his head in Wukong's soft fur and nuzzled against his nose. "Peaches!" he chirped, peppering Wukong's cheeks and forehead with kisses.

Wukong remained still, his gaze distant as Macaque showered him with affection. Then his eyelids fluttered shut, and he let out a deep breath. A defeated and downcast expression replaced the usually cheerful look on the King's face. Was this a dream...?

"Peaches," Macaque whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm here. I'm so sorry it took me so long to get to you."

Wukong's eyes slowly focused on Macaque, recognition dawning in them. "Moon?" he croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse. "Is it really you?" He had daydreamed about this scenario too many times; it was hard to distinguish between imagination and actuality anymore.

Macaque nodded, cupping his cheeks,"Yes, it's me. I'm here, Wukong."

Wukong tried to move, to touch Macaque, but the mountain held him fast. A grimace painted his features as he struggled, and Macaque moved in swiftly to place a hand over his, an attempt to calm him. He interlocked their fingers to secure him.

"It's alright, Wukong. No need to move," Macaque said, a hint of desperation coating his words.

Wukong's chest shuddered with each inhale, fear creeping into his gaze. His eyes locked onto Macaque's, the usual spark of mischief dimmed to an ember. "Mihou," he rasped, the name clawing its way out through ragged breaths, "Stay," he whispered, his gaze filled with pain and longing, as if he thought this was a dream. "Stay with me, Moon."