Nervous Dream

Twenty Two

"Is Rian inside" Yifan asks at the door to the crown princess' chamber, from Yixing.

"Her highness is not doing well, your highness" Suho informs as he pays his respect to the prince.

"What do you mean not doing well ?" He turns to Yixing "Have you not performed your duty well ?"

"Yixing has done the best in his ability, your highness, her highness the crown princess only needs some rest" Suho cuts in.

"Hm, okay." Suspicious but with no choice, Yifan takes his leave.

--

"You wanted to see me ?" Rian asks peeking her head to Yifan's chamber that evening.

"Are you okay ?" He asks, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, just a little headache"

"Headache ?"

"Yeah. just, migraine, Yixing did his best. I thought I should rest a bit"

"You are okay now ?" He asks again.

"Hmm" She beams at him and averts her gaze to the bouquet of Lilies resting at his bedside in the vase'

"It is beautiful" She says. Yifan finds himself lost to the thoughts as he stares at the smile on her face.

"The Lilies ?" He asks.

"Hmmmmm, Father used to bring me one white lily everyday, because I love them. Never did I ever see a Lily, after I saw him dissolving in the fire, right in front of me." She sighs long and presses her lips to a thin line as she tries to smile.

"Why was this prophecy there, Yifan ? Why was I the only one to be saved ? Why not my father ? Why not my mother ? My neighbors ? My friends ? Why only me ?"

Yifan looks away for he did not have answers lying on his palm. However the fire had caused he had witnessed the huge efforts of the army guided by Suho and Xiumin trying their best to rescue everyone. But the sole reason had been the prophecy. While they worked hard to rescue everyone, they worked harder to spot the future queen. 

Kris recalls the first moment he saw her. With the exact features they explained, exact scenario the foreseer had explained, she was there, in the middle of the giants of flames, helplessly lying on the floor, crying her heart out for she was barely an adult. Only if he knew, he was rescuing her to be wed to LuHan, only if he knew the fate of her was lying in his hand, may be, maybe he could have chosen, to alter the cause. So she would have not been in sorrow. Not would have been living in pain. Maybe she could have been ........ Happy.

***

"What ???" Yifan narrows his eyes as he hears the same excuse the next morning.

"She was fine last night, what do you mean she is not well just now, the morning ?"

"Forgive me, your highness." Suho kneels down at the prince apologizing.

"What are you hiding from me ? Did she say she does not wish to see me ? What is this ?" 

Suho and Yixing exchange glances but speak nothing. Kris walks away in disappointment. 

***

The next morning Kris watches Rian's guards as they wait outside of the sacred cave waiting for half an hour since she had gone in. He tries to think about the possibilities of why she had gone in but fails to come up with any.

"Your highness" Suho greets Rian as she comes out of the cave where the sacred lake was. She walks out as if she is half asleep, slow and weak. Yixing gets up from his knelt position and walks fast to her. She almost falls to the ground when Suho holds her safely in his arms.

"Forgive me, your highness" He mumbles when Yixing takes her hand. Suho looks away from her hand which was spilling blood all around her forearm. Yixing takes her hand to reveal a huge scar on her palm which was still spilling blood out of it. Suho's breath runs heavier as he witnesses it. Rays of light erupt from the inside of Yixing's palm as he holds Rian's hand in his. Minutes later he let go of a completely healed hand, yet Rian was still unconscious in Suho's embrace. Suho puts his arm over her legs and carries her to the chamber.

Kris walks to his chamber before calling Chen.

"Bring me that book" He orders. He turns the page to where what he was looking for was mentioned.

.

The sacred bond

"For their  souls are not bounded by love , their hearts do not yearn for each other anymore the sacred bond shall grow weak. Weaker and weaker it grows, and the power of the planet will grow weaker and weaker. Souls shall melt in gods' wrath. Life shall leave the planet as the time passes. Only by one's blood spilled in the name of the gods' at the break of the dawn, shall stop the bond from dying until the the sun may rise again.

.

.

"A blood sacrifice then, everyday." Yifan finds it hard to breathe, the mention of the words.

"....to keep the bond from failing ......because.... He doesn't love her...."