Taming a fox

I won't turn away from you again

Qin Yaozu mounted his horse first thing in the morning, intending to head to a market. Even though he tried to leave quietly, he still wasn't able to do so without waking up his pet fox. He felt arms circle around his waist and even though he didn't see the person behind him, there was no way he wouldn't know who it was. Luo An leaned closer to him and placed his chin onto Qin Yaozu's shoulder. "Thought I would let you go somewhere alone? I'm coming too." Qin Yaozu knew there was no way he could talk him out of it so he just sighed and set out of the sect's gates. Luo An smiled under his veil, tightening his grip around him. 
     They arrived in a nearby village not long after. As they passed a big house belonging to a wealthy family, a man rushed out. "Daozhang! Please help me, quickly!" he urged anxiously. Qin Yaozu jumped off of the horse. "What happened?" he asked. The man was shaking all over, almost unable to speak properly. "Inside! Please quickly go inside! My wife is in danger!" Qin Yaozu figured there was no time for asking any more questions and immediately rushed inside along with Luo An. To their surprise, there was nothing out of the ordinary. They lowered their guard and walked around, confused. 
     Qin Yaozu walked in front of Luo An, searching for a clue of anything our of the ordinary. He walked into the bedroom but before Luo An followed inside, a rope wrapped around his leg, making him fall to the ground with a loud thud. Qin Yaozu quickly turned around, rushing over, but before he could reach him, he was grabbed from the behind. The rope around Luo An's leg slithered like a snake and soon bound him completely. Before he could even come to his senses, he suddenly turned into his fox form, unable to turn back. He struggled but was unable to get the rope to loosen up. Qin Yaozu felt a rope wrap around him as well and he soon fell to his knees. His mouth was covered before he could say a single word so he could only watch as a figure walked out of the shadow in the dark house. 
     The emperor walked over with a smirk on his face.
     "Found you."
Guards followed right after him, picking up Luo An who kept struggling. The emperor touched the top of the foxes head and rubbed it gently. "You thought I wouldn't find out? How adorable," he said mockingly. "I knew from the beginning that you came back, I just needed to find you without attracting any attention."
     Luo An froze the second he touched him, his eyes wide open. There was nothing he could do. The emperor cast a glance towards Qin Yaozu. "To think that the person who brought you in and even executed you in the end would now be the one to hide you," he continued. "I'll let it go this time, but only because of the past." Qin Yaozu furrowed his brows, glaring at him. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the scared and wide opened eyes of the little fox.
     When he woke up, there was no emperor, no guards, and most importantly, no Luo An. Instead, Xia Li was on top of him, desperately shaking him. "Finally! You're awake! Where's Luo An? He went with you, right?" she asked with a hint of nervousness in her voice. Qin Yaozu's eyes snapped wide open and he immediately sat up.
     "That bastard took him! I need to go get him!"
     "Who took him? What are you talking about?"
     "The emperor!"
Xia Li's eyes opened wide. "He found him? Shit..!" She quickly stood up. "What should we do?! What if he's gone already?!" Qin Yaozu stood up as well and rushed outside, followed by Xia Li. "I won't give up on him this time." They mounted their horses and galloped to the capital as fast as they could, not stopping even for a single break. Qin Yaozu was determined to never fail to protect his beloved ever again. He loved Luo An and he was finally sure that he was the one. 
     They made their way all the way to the palace, slipping by the guards. Qin Yaozu dismounted his horse and fought through the guards all the way to the emperor who sat upon his throne. Luo An was bound tightly, covered in bruises and forced to sit on the emperor's lap. Qin Yaozu almost exploded from this sight. The emperor didn't seem surprised at all when he saw him. He took out a knife and pressed it to Luo An's throat to ensure that he wouldn't get attacked. Xia Li rushed inside as well, standing next to Qin Yaozu. The emperor still remained relaxed. "What guts do you two have to barge into our palace like this? Are you here for this?" he asked, gesturing towards Luo An. "Don't touch him," Qin Yaozu growled, gripping the handle of his sword. 
     The emperor raised an eyebrow. "Is that a threat? Very well. Maybe there's another way we can talk, don't you think?" he pressed the knife against Luo An's throat harder. "First of all, drop your sword. Unless you want to leave with him in two pieces." Qin Yaozu hesitated but ended up dropping his sword, which pleased the emperor. "Good. Now kick it forward," the emperor continued his demands. Qin Yaozu could only obey, for Luo An's sake. Xia Li watched him the whole time, trying to think of a plan. She was fully aware that this wasn't going to be very easy. Since the focus wasn't on her, she searched for something useful in her sleeve.
     Luo An kept his eyes down the whole time, looking as if he lost all emotion again. On the other hand, Qin Yaozu couldn't keep his eyes off of him, looking him over to see if he's alright. The emperor watched every single one of his moves. He decided to push his limits further than this, leaning in and licking a stripe up Luo An's neck. Qin Yaozu was on a verge of snapping but he held back. 
     "You want him badly, don't you?" the emperor mocked him. "This kind of beauty is hard to find. Since death can't tame him, maybe we can do the same as the emperor before us and keep him." These words were like waving a fire near dry leaves, yet Qin Yaozu kept holding back. The emperor wanted to push him even further off the edge, wrapping and arm around Luo An's waist. "If only he could bare children, it would be perfect." Luo An finally raised his gaze, glaring at the emperor. "Who said I cannot? I just wouldn't do it for you." The emperor's smile froze. This didn't shock just him though, Qin Yaozu and Xia Li were also at a loss for words. "You're really a special thing aren't you? No wonder my father paid more attention to you than he ever did to me." Luo An looked away again. The emperor let out a sigh. "Too stubborn for my liking. I'll have you rot in a cell instead."
     Qin Yaozu was really on the edge at the moment, trying his best not to attack that bastard right then and there. The emperor noticed his struggle and couldn't help but laugh. This laugh ended up being shorter than he wanted it to be. Blood dripped down his chest, right from a blade that went through it. Everyone stared at him in shock, not expecting this outcome at all. The blade was soon pulled out and a boy of about 15 to 16 years old stepped out from behind the throne. The emperor turned to look at him. "You... You ungrateful brat! How dare you do this to your own father?!" he yelled. 
     The person that stabbed him was no other than his eldest son, Li Fenghua. "You aren't my father," he said coldly before turning towards Qin Yaozu and throwing the sword at him. Qin Yaozu caught it right next to his head. "I believe this belongs to you," said Li Fenghua. Qin Yaozu nodded as a 'thank you' before rushing to Luo An, picking him up into his arms. The emperor was furious, trying to pull him back. "You'll pay for this! You will... you..." The sentence died in his throat along with his heart. Li Fenghua didn't spare his father even a single glance. "I promise you that nobody will come after you from now on. I'll personally take care of that." 
     "Why did you do it?" asked Qin Yaozu. "I know about everything that happened and I do not agree with what my father and grandfather did," Li Fenghua replied. Luo An raised his head that hung low until now to look towards him. "Who told you about it?" Li Fenghua didn't need to answer as an older woman stepped in. Luo An's eyes opened wide. He struggled out of Qin Yaozu's hold and rushed towards her, hugging her tightly. The woman returned the embrace. "You have grown so much, A-Yi."
     This woman was no other than a maid that took care of Luo An when he was the emperor's concubine. Her name was Mo Su. Luo An cried into her embrace as she patted his back. "Don't cry, child. Everything is alright," she whispered, holding back tears of joy. Qin Yaozu walked over to them. Mo Su looked towards him. "Young master Qin, thank you for taking care of him. I thought I'd never see him again." Qin Yaozu smiled. "Do not thank me. That's the least I could've done for someone I love." Luo An turned around to look at him with wide open eyes. "You love me?" Qin Yaozu's ears turned red as he nodded. Mo Su let go of Luo An, urging him to go to Qin Yaozu and he did just that, pouncing on him. "I love you too!" he yelled out. 
     Li Fenghua who still stood nearby decided to take his leave after witnessing that. On the other hand, Xia Li ran to them, hugging them both. "Finally! I knew since the start! You owe me so much money for this!"