The Golden Shackle

Opinions & Protestations

Wei Wuxian woke to the light. He tried to squeeze his eyes tight and shrink back into his bed, to get away from the pain blooming behind his eyes caused by the bright sun coming from he knew not where.

"A-Xian? Father! A-Cheng he's waking!"

His sister's melodic voice floated over to him and he tried opening one eye at a time needing to see her. He tried to lift his hand to shield his eyes but every nerve in his body fired in pain as he groaned.

"Don't move just yet, A-Xian," a deep voice commanded.

"Uncle Jiang..." He whispered, his voice all but gone. Managing to open one eye and then the other, at first everything was blurred. He blinked, hot tears coming to his eyes as they stung from the exposure. His entire body felt hot, too hot and he knew he must have a fever. He wondered just how injured he was.

He tried to recall what had happened. A quarrel with Lan Wangji he remembered, not unexpected as he had made it a point to rile the other ever since he first met him, though this time the consequences far exceeded what he considered to be fair. Then again he wasn't sure what had happened.

He remembered grabbing a random book from the shelves and sneakily hiding one of Nie Huaisang's drawings inside and later switching it for the one Lan Wangji was reading. He sat and patiently waited for his prank to bear fruit and when it did, they had fought, really fought. There was light and pain and pleading. He closed his eyes again remembering the pleading, how he had cried out for him to stop before screaming. Never in his life had he begged anyone during a fight and he felt embarrassment and shame as the words he said came rushing to him.

He tilted his head to his left and saw the three most important people in his life staring at him, not moving nor making a sound. If he could he would have laughed at their identical expressions.

"Somebody say something," he whispered and then carefully cleared his throat.

""How... how do you feel?" Jiang Cheng asked and then blushed already knowing the answer to such a useless question.

Wei Wuxian smiled. "Did I at least injure the Benevolent Pearl?" He asked.

Jiang Cheng laughed. "He was bedridden for three days."

"Three days?" His eyes widened and he wondered just how long he had been asleep.

"You've been sleeping for a week," said his uncle reading his own question.

A week? He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His sister reached for his hand and squeezed for comfort but there was only pain. He gasped and she yanked her hands away in apology.

"Why do I feel like I've taken one too many beatings?"

His uncle cleared his throat while he noticed his brother and sister giving each other quick looks.

"Uncle Jiang?"

"There was an accident A-Xian. Do you remember anything at all?"

He wasn't about to tell his Uncle he had made one of the Twin Jades of Lan angry with erotic art, so he simply shook his head, no, as much as he could.

"ZeWu-Jun told me you and his brother fought inside the library and while doing so activated sigils inside of a book of bonding spells."

"B..b..bonding?" He nearly squealed and then flinched, his own voice too shrill for his head at the moment.

"Yes, bonding," confirmed his uncle.

He swallowed trying to ease his aching throat while also trying to remember exactly what book he had pulled from the shelves. "What... what kind of bond?"