Xiaochuan stood to the side as servants loaded chests of silk and gifts into the lined up carriages, preparing for the long journey to the capital.
He stood by the lead carriage, draped in a soft, embroidered cream and pale violet colored hanfu, his pink hair braided neatly to the back.
The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of dew, it was refreshing. But it did nothing to tame the swelling of sadness in him as he turned to the side to face his mother, Zhiqing, who was already looking at him with teary eyes.
She reached out her hands and cupped her son's face. "You look like a prince, A-Chuan," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I never thought I would see the day you'd look like this."
Xiaochuan didn't say anything, he only managed a bittersweet smile as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Promise me you will eat well and stay warm in the manor the Emperor gave you."
"I promise," she said, squeezing his hands. "Just remember, Xiaochuan, that you are more than whatever the emperor sees you as, do not let anyone dull your fire. If you come across anyone trying to ruin things for you, don't be so empathetic with them, I did not raise a coward. Do not let the palace walls make you small."
Xiaochuan's chest swelled at his mother's words and he nodded, he knew things were going to change from now on and he was ready.
Few seconds later, the heavy thud of the palace's grand doors swung open and the bustle of the courtyard died instantly. Xiao Chengyuan emerged, looking every bit the powerful Alpha he was. He wore heavy black dragon-hide armor beneath a dark fur mantle, his obsidian eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on the small, figure of Xiaochuan.
As the Emperor approached, Xiaochuan and Zhiqing bowed low, paying their respects to him. When Chengyuan reached their front, he looked at Zhiqing, acknowledging her with a slight nod, before shifting his gaze to Xiaochuan. "The carriage is ready. The path to the capital is long, and I would like to have passed the mountains before nightfall."
Zhiqing took a step back, her eyes flickering between the Emperor's heavy gaze and her son's nervous face. She gave a final, encouraging nod to Xiaochuan before retreating to the side of the path.
Chengyuan extended his hand and Xiaochuan hesitated, only for a second before placing his hand in the Emperor's. The Alpha's fingers closed around his firmly, leading him toward the carriage.
As Xiaochuan stepped onto the carriage's footstool, he turned back one last time and gave her a small smile.
Goodbye mother.
And as if she could read the words on his mind, she gave him a small smile in return.
Chengyuan stepped up behind Xiaochuan, his hand resting briefly on the small of the omega's back before the heavy door was shut, sealing them inside.
With a sharp whistle from the lead guard, the carriage began to move. Xiaochuan watched through the small window as his mother's figure grew smaller and the only home he had ever known faded into the distance. He was no longer a poor Omega who lived in the forest with his mother, he didn't know where he stood now in his life, but he knew he was heading toward a destiny he could neither predict nor escape.
It was too late to go back on his decisions anyways.
°°•°°•°°•
Roughly thirty minutes into the journey, Xiaochuan believed his skin would burst out in flames no time soon. The heat wasn't coming from the morning sun, no. It was coming from the man sitting directly opposite him.
Cause ever since they started moving, the Emperor's heated gaze has been on him, he's made eye contact with him several times, every time he dared to peek away from the window, he found those obsidian eyes fixed on him, dark and unblinking, and the fact that they were sitting opposite each other only made it worse.
When will he stop looking at me?
Xiaochuan thought to himself. He sighed, looking out through the window, at that point, he was tired of looking outside, his neck was even begining to ache at the strain he's putting on it. But he'd rather endure a cramped neck than face the Alpha who looked like he was one minute away from pouncing on him.
"You look like you're trying to see through the wood of the carriage, Xiaochuan." The sudden deep voice of the Emperor made Xiaochuan jump in his seat. He looked wide eyed, at the emperor when he chuckled deeply, the sound was filled with amusement.
"Is the journey comfortable enough for you little moon?" Chengyuan asked with a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.
It took a while for Xiaochuan to find his voice under the intense gaze of the emperor. "It is…. alright, Your Majesty, It's comfortable." he replied quietly.
"Is it?" Chengyuan leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, closing the distance between them just enough that his scent filled Xiaochuan's lungs. Xiaochuan's breaths laboured silently at the sudden proximity, their sudden position wasn't something he was expecting.
"I had intended to tell you how radiant you look your attire, the color brings out the hue of your hair. However, it is difficult to give a compliment to the side of someone's head."
Xiaochuan felt the heat rush to his face, the crimson blooming against his pale skin. So he knew I was avoiding him.
"I was not avoiding you," he said the opposite of the words in his mind. It was a lie.
"Is that so?" Chengyuan asked, his gaze dropping to Xiaochuan's lips for a lingering second before meeting his eyes again Xiaochuan didn't say anything, just continued to stare at his hands on his knees as Chengyuan continued to look at his face, taking in all the details like he was seeing him for the first time. Xiaochuan gulped under his gaze, looking everywhere but the Emperor's eyes.
Xiaochuan bit his lip, his mind racing. Right now, when he had the unyielding attention of the Emperor, he had a question he wanted to ask. It was burning at the tip of his tongue.
Do you have a harem, your Majesty?
But he caught himself, swallowing the words. To ask would be to show he cared, and he wasn't ready to give the Emperor that satisfaction.
Chengyuan's gaze sharpened when he noticed the conflicted look in Xiaochuan's eyes. "Do you have something you want to say to me Xiaochuan?" He asked and Xiaochuan looked at him wide eyed, realized he'd been caught.
Xiaochuan decided to ask the question anyway. "it is nothing. I was just wondering about-"
Before he could finish, the carriage hit something and the entire vehicle lurched violently to the side, throwing Xiaochuan completely off balance. With a small gasp of shock, he was sent flying across the narrow space.
His hands reaching out blindly for balance, but instead of hitting the wall of the carriage, he slammed directly into the Emperor's broad, solid chest. Chengyuan's arms reacted with lightning speed, snapping around Xiaochuan's waist and shoulders and pulling him flush against his body protectively.
Xiaochuan gasped, his hands instinctively clutching at the Emperor's shoulders for stability as the carriage slowly tilted back to balance. The air was knocked out of him, replaced by the overwhelming heat of the Alpha's body.
He slowly looked up, breathless and dazed, only to find Chengyuan looking down at him strangely.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
Xiaochuan couldn't find his voice, so he gave the Emperor a silent nod, though heat immediately spreaded on his face when he found himself straddling one of Chengyuan's thighs. He immediately tried scrambled off and return to his seat, but the Alpha's strong hold said otherwise.
Chengyuan looked at the flustered Omega across in his arms and chuckled. Xiaochuan looked at him, confused at what was funny.
"Fate seems to have a habit of throwing you into my arms, little moon. Perhaps you should stop fighting it."