Rating: strong T
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Warnings: obligatory Bathtub Scene
Pre-Story Notes: Ever seen A Chinese Ghost Story? Episode 22 of Empress Ki? Basically every KDrama or CDrama with obligatory shower scene or bathtub scene with lots of petals? Just kidding, I think this is pretty tame. You can handle it. X)
Again, many thanks to Introvert-Dragon for the Beta, and both to Kelvin Wang and Bramble Sheep for fact checking and additional feedback!
Enjoy!
Story Playlist:
The Heaven Song (Empress of China OST)
Becoming a Geisha (Memoirs of a Geisha OST)
Three Lives, Three Worlds by Jason Zhang (Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms OST)
{II.}
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Without even thinking if what he would do would save his life or endanger it further, just to keep her from shouting, he leans in—and kisses her.
The maiden gives an incoherent cry of confusion, flailing her arms even more, but her attempts are rendered worthless when he grips her hands even tighter, pulling her soft body closer to him. A few more seconds pass when she was fighting back with all her might and he was holding her to suppress her strength, until she gradually calms down and dare he think it—kisses him back.
He does not know how it has transitioned from a desperate attempt at making her close her mouth to a feverish dance of demanding lips seeking each other's caress. He ends up easing his hold on her, her hands grabbing the collars of his robes to bring him closer to her. His own right hand falls on her lower back, gently pressing on the softness of her unrobed flesh, while his other hand cups the back of her neck to keep her in place as their lips dance together. He can feel almost all of her even when significant parts of their bodies are submerged underwater; with only the thin, wet fabric of his robes to separate them, he can feel the heat of her body, the desperation exuded by her ragged breaths and his own willingness to answer the hunger in their lip-lock.
When she grants him access to the inside of her mouth after running the tip of his tongue over her lower lip as a sign of permission, a new torture blooms anew in the lower part of his belly. His senses are now completely engulfed by her—of how her lips tasted like fresh saccharine syrup, of how her chest is so much closer now that she is pressing so frantically against him, and of how she smelled like fresh plum blossoms that bloomed in the middle of winter. The kiss is potent enough to intoxicate him, and he is drunk with the taste, feel and scent of her.
"Your Highness!"
The voices outside jolt them out of their trance, immediately tearing them apart. Panic sinks in his gut as the gravity of his actions slaps him; the punishment for seducing the Crown Prince in the State of Berk includes twenty lashes, branding on the face and permanent exile, and he wonders if the same punishments are applicable in this State.
"Whatever you do, don't say anything," the maiden whispers to him in a determined voice when they face each other. Her eyes are piercing, cold flames that clashed against his forest-green stare. "And don't breathe."
"Wh—What—"
His words remain unspoken when she crashes her lips unto his. Her body pushes him down so that he is totally submerged in her pool, her lips and her grip making sure that he stays put. Then her lips leave his own just as he hears the doors to her chamber burst open.
He immediately misses her touch, but he wills himself to concentrate on not breathing and at the same time not dying because heaven knows what's going to happen to him once they find out what he's done to their princess. He looks away from the direction of her body because it's the right thing to do, even though he's so tempted to see if her skin looked as soft and flawless as they felt.
He can still hear even when he's underneath the surface, but it takes time for him to understand what's been going on. He can hear the maiden's beratement at her guards, something about 'taking so long' and 'snakes'. The conversation takes longer than expected, and he struggles, trying to gasp for air.
She dives in all of a sudden, reaching for his face to give him another kiss. Despite his lips being sealed shut, she manages to exhale air into his mouth once she found an opening, and she goes up just as soon as she transfers the air. The ministration continues after a few more times, until she taps his shoulder to signal getting out of the water.
The blade of her fu greets his throat as soon as he emerges from the surface. He hasn't even settled himself, and now the fierce warrior has already set off on him. He raises his hands in defeat.
"Don't misunderstand, stranger," she breathes coldly, grip firm on the handle of her retrieved axe. Her eyes pierce his skin, as if she is trying to inflict pain on him with her gaze. "I sent my guards away only so that I can personally slit your throat and cut out your tongue."
"So you could feast on my cold lips?" he asks amusedly, a hint of cockiness of his voice. "And here I thought you enjoyed that kiss."
"I did not," she insists, almost fuming. The rosy tint on her cheeks give her away, though. "I don't enjoy kissing fishbones."
"Whatever you say, then," he shrugs. "I know you can't handle all… this." He gestures at himself, all inexistent muscles and noodle arms. She almost laughs at him, but she holds in her mirth.
"How dare you pull that on me!" she accuses instead. "I shall make sure you won't be able to do such an atrocious thing again!"
With a swift movement of his hand, he grabs the handle again and tugs her towards him. He stops the force just as soon as her face is significantly closer to his, their noses almost brushing. Her eyes are so close to his own now that he surmises that he can count the individual lashes on her eyes. Her breath tickles his lips in a tempting bait of another battle of tongues.
"Do you want me to prove you wrong?" he whispers in a low voice.
She gulps audibly.
It does not take her long to regain her composure, however, using her leg to kick him away from her to break the eye contact. "That's for the kiss!" she hollers as she spins her axe away from him. He lets go of the handle in an instant. Even before he recovers, a punch hits him squarely on the chest. "And that's for everything else!" She raises her arms to strike another blow with her axe.
Suddenly, his sight is invaded by a rush of black, scaled yet sleek, monstrous and elegant. A dragon's figure settles itself in the middle of the pool, sending splashes of water and petals everywhere once again. The intrusion propels them both to either side of the pool, with a hissing dragon in between. Toothless turns to the maiden, baring his fangs and steadying to attack if needed.
The maiden freezes at the sight for a moment, clutching the axe tighter, still in a raised position. "A dragon god?"
"NO! No. It's okay!" Hiccup tries to assure the dragon, moving forward so that he stood between them. "It's okay... she's a friend. It's okay." Patting the dragon as soothingly as he can, Hiccup manages to calm him down though the dragon god remains hostile and seething.
He turns to the maiden. "Take the weapon away. You scared him."
"I scared him?!" she repeats disbelievingly. Realizing what he had just said, she narrows her eyes. "Who is him?"
He opens his mouth to answer her, but Toothless starts to nip his hands and arms to get away from him. "Stop doing that, Wú yá!"
"Toothless?" She repeats disbelievingly again. "You're calling a dragon god Toothless? Or is he…" she looks over at the dragon again, an odd mix of cautiousness, curiosity and confusion on her face. "Is he a fallen celestial dragon who has become a malevolent hunting monster? Has he become a demon beast?"
"Yeah, he's a fallen celestial dragon," Hiccup absentmindedly answers as he entertains Toothless' nudging which is slowly turning into a playful game. The tension disappears from his countenance. "But no, I just shot him down."
"You shot down a dragon god?"
"Well. Long story. It was nighttime, see, as all demon raids go. And I was so desperate to prove to my Sta—my clan, I mean—that I could also fight with fallen dragons as they can. One of my cousins repeatedly bullies me because of my lack of strength, you see—"
"You shot down a dragon god?"
"Yes. Now, pay attention. I made an invention to shoot down the demons, then. Took me a lot of time in the library and the blacksmith's place, really. At first my Lǎoshī didn't want me to go and told me to man over the forge, but me being the reckless little shit that I am went to the battlefield anyway. And I brought my invention, too! I aimed for something to shoot at then—"
"You shot down a dragon god?"
Hiccup turns to face her, slightly annoyed. "Can't believe a fishbone can do that? I told you that you can't handle all this."
"But he's a dragon god!" She emphasizes, and upon realizing the importance of Toothless, throws her fu away. "A dragon god!" She hurries to clasp her hands together, attempting to mimic a standing kowtow despite being submerged in a pool. "Please forgive your lowly servant, Great Dragon God!"
"Don't do that," Hiccup brushes her act away. "It's going to boost his ego."
"How dare you talk to a dragon god in such a manner?" she admonishes back, her blue eyes flashing in anger. Toothless snickers at him, sticking out his tongue playfully to tease him.
"See what you've done?" Hiccup mutters, rolling his eyes. He turns to Toothless to give him an unamused look. The dragon starts to lick him, though. "Now, now, don't you dare give me that. You know that doesn't wash out! Yeah, Yeah, thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."
"How can you talk to him so casually?" the maiden murmurs in observation, easing. She narrows her eyes at him again. "Who are you, really?"
"I told you, I'm a poet," Hiccup shrugs.
"But you're favored by a dragon god! You can't be so lowly."
"Favored? What?" he questions, scandalized. "Heavens, no. Didn't you hear what I said? I shot him down. Thought he had become a mindless demon. Don't you see that I'm being punished for that? I've lost—I've lost my clan and my title. And so much more…"
Hiccup pauses, looking into Toothless' green eyes that reflected his own. Now that he thinks about it, if given the chance to do it again, he would have done the same—if only Toothless will be with him again. He doesn't see it as a punishment, but more of a redirection in his life, a redirection that he honestly welcomes. If he must choose between his State and the dragon, he'd choose Toothless in a heartbeat.
"It's not that I've lost them, honestly. And maybe it's not a punishment," he says, his voice a bit more somber. His eyes are still fixed on Toothless. "It's more convenient that I've gone, knowing that it would be a win-win situation for everyone. I keep Toothless company now that he's being hunted by faithless Trappers. I have to protect him; it's my fault after all. So I left my home, my titles and my name. I do not wish to dishonor my family once they find out what I've done. I mean, I don't wish to further dishonor them. Not that I'm anyone to be proud of in the first place. And it's too late to go back…"
"You seem to have suffered a lot," she comments pensively. "What do you plan to do now?"
"Go south. Or further east maybe," he answers absentmindedly. "Cross the seas as soon as possible and hope to the heavens that the land on the other side won't be as messy as the States right now. Find a hiding place for Toothless where the Trappers can't get to him."
"How many days will it take you to reach the seas?"
"Months, years maybe. I'm just hoping that Toothless won't be caught."
"I see." She pauses again, thoughtful. When she spoke again, her voice is calmer and more courteous, though it doesn't lose its assertiveness. "I'd like to propose a truce, then, in honor of the dragon god. The presence of dragons has always been a blessing to my family. Other than the fallen beasts, dragons have always been an auspicious force for our clan. I'd like to offer provisions and clothing to the dragon god for his travels, as well as rest for him. The dragon god can stay as long as he can if he wishes to."
"Wait, the dragon gets the food and the clothes and the rest?" Hiccup questions.
"He is a god after all, well respected and worshipped," the maiden answers fairly. "You will be spared from your atrocities also, of course. And that's only because the dragon god seems to have a liking to you."
"So… no beheadings? Whips? Branding?"
"The whipping can be negotiated," she thinks out loud. "The branding can be lessened. The beheading I can remove. The castration, on the other hand… I haven't forgotten what you've done, by the way."
"Oh, dragon gods, I had hoped you'd make it worse," he murmurs sarcastically.
"Are you always this exasperating?"
"Only for you," he replies in a teasing tone. "Seriously, though, we might need to leave as soon as possible. There could be more Trappers around and I'd rather not endanger Toothless."
"So long as the dragon god is fine with that," she tells him politely to which Toothless enthusiastically nods. "But I will call for the Royal Physician to have you and the dragon god checked tomorrow. Anyway, it is almost the Hour of the Pig, during which time my attendants shall come back for me. I shall order any provisions the dragon god would need."
True to her words, the attendants soon came back for her. After a double take, all of them kowtow down as soon as they catch sight of the dragon.
"Swear your silence of this event," the maiden commands them. "No one shall know that a dragon god has blessed us on this auspicious night."
"We swear, Your Highness," all of them chant together.
"Good. Now go and prepare the last room in this Hall and make sure that the room is as warm as mine. Then prepare a dinner feast worthy for a prince, as much food supplies that can be carried by a horse, and fetch robes and cloaks for winter—"
"—and fish," Hiccup interjects, "lots and lots of fish."
"A barrel of fish, then," the maiden adds. "And bring the medicinal items for wounds and bruises. Nurse this stranger whose name is…"
"Xī Kǎ Pǔ," he says without thinking.
"Hiccup?" She raises an eyebrow.
"My parents thought it would frighten off the mogwai. Like my charming twig demeanor wouldn't do that."
"Frightening off trolls and other monsters. Right," she mutters offhandedly. She addresses her handmaidens again, "As soon as you get back, tend to the wounds of Master Hiccup. Make sure that he eats enough for the night. Handle the dragon god carefully as well and ensure that he is pampered well enough."
"Yes, Your Highness," they murmur and leave to get her requests.
"That was too much, don't you think?" Hiccup asks her as soon as her attendants leave.
"Nothing is too much for the dragon god," she murmurs, glancing at Toothless. Said dragon coos at her, and she reaches out an arm to pat him, confident despite her nakedness.
"How can we thank you for your kindness?" he replies, clasping his hands together and bowing to her. He keeps a healthy distance between them as courtesy.
"I can think of a lot," she smirks at him.
"I can sing with the guzheng for you," he offers with a crooked smile. "But fair warning: my singing voice would only invite the most beautiful of birds—the vulture—because some court jester would surely murder me for being off-key."
"Compose a poem for me then," she counters. "A poem I can write on my skirt. A poem that would remember me by."
"Your skirt?" Hiccup asks with curiosity. "What an uncommon place to write a poem. Why your skirt?"
"The description of me should be like the length of my skirt: long enough to cover my qualities and short enough to make other ladies envious."
"I see," he murmurs thoughtfully. Giving her another crooked smile, he says, "then I shall do my best, Princess…?"
"Astrid."
"A—Astr… Astrid?" He tries her name on his tongue, unused to it.
"Yes, Astrid," she confirms. "It's not my real name, of course, but I have been called that a lot ever since I was called the same by a foreigner."
"I see." Hiccup smiles again at her, more relaxed and genuine this time, now that he knew her name. "I shall do my best, Princess Astrid."
Her attendants come back swiftly, bringing with them her requests. They beckon for him and Toothless to come out of the pool, assisting them as they resurfaced. Hiccup felt like he was back in the Imperial Palace again, being unnecessarily pampered by his aides as they helped him disrobe and get dressed. They lead both of them to the sleeping chambers on the opposite wing of the Hall, while some of them remain to assist the princess.
With quick skill work, the handmaidens moved to undress him and dry him off. Although he's had experience with women given that he's had his Imperial Harem since he was sixteen, he still feels uncomfortable being undressed by them; so much so that he forces to take the robes from them and independently dresses himself up behind a folding screen. They are able to force him out from the folding screen, nevertheless—(a habit he surmises they've taken from their princess)—and immediately asks him to take off his robes—(what is it with this place and their preference for nakedness?)—so that they can tend to his bruises. He allows them to partially undress him.
Toothless seems to be enjoying himself well enough, though, gobbling up the barrel of fishes offered to him. In no time, the dragon curls up on a mat especially made for him in between two lanterns.
The doors open and Astrid steps in, now dried off and dressed in a simple but flowing blue ruqun set, with transparent sleeves and crane designs on the hem. A part of her blonde hair is tied in a low bun behind her neck, secured by a pair of embellished jade chai, while the rest of her hair tumbles down past her shoulders as blonde fringes frame her face. Her attendants, including the one tending his wounds, follow her as she settles in front of the sleeping Toothless to kowtow.
"Please accept our offers of gratitude to your presence," she murmurs with devotion as her servants place packed food and thick robes beside the dragon. They perform a few more rituals, after which she dismisses her attendants.
"I'll tend to your wounds," she announces as soon as her attendants leave. She faces him as she bends down and settles herself in front of him. "Remove your robes."
"Wh—What?"
She appears as nonchalant as ever. "I can't tend to your wounds if you don't remove them."
Hiccup tries to scramble away, clutching his robes to his chest. "What do you know about wound tending?"
"More than you do," she assures him, seemingly uninterested. She reaches out for his wrists to pry them away. "I've been in a number of wars since I was fourteen. I've tended to the wounded a lot of times."
"Is there any way to tend to them without getting naked?"
"I won't be able to dress your wounds properly if they remain." She inches closer to him, slightly more aggressive this time. "And well, you've seen me naked. Almost. I really don't see why you're being so fussy about it."
"It was totally unintentional!" he almost screams as he jumps on the bed, arranging his robes to make it look more decent. He doesn't want her to see just how un-manly he could be, what with his frail body and noodle arms. "And it's not like I haven't dealt with these before; they're totally fine."
"You protest too much," she complains as she hovers over him on the bed, straddling his hips and reaching for the collars, all sense of appropriateness gone. "Just. Un—dress!"
Hiccup looks away when she successfully pries his hands from himself and opens his robes. Goosebumps erupt on his flesh as soon as air hits his bare chest. Despite the coolness of the winter, heat rises in his gut under her scrutiny of him, the fairness of his skin slowly being replaced by pink patches that ran from his neck to the tips of his ears. It isn't until the Princess removes herself from his form to take the wet towels, salve and other herbs on the medicine tray did he ease down.
She begins to wash the bruises that has accumulated on his body since he has started on his journey, muttering a soft apology when she passes by the injuries that she has given him earlier. She chances a glance at him at the same time he looks at her, and they both look away in a hurry, the memory of their kiss earlier seared in his mind. Her touch on him is soft and gentle—caring even—and so unlike the demanding and feverish grip she held him in not two hours ago.
"So what's your story?" he says, trying to distract himself.
"My story?" she asks, raising a brow. "Why does it matter to you? It's none of your business."
"Just trying to get to know you. And I'm pretty sure you're as excited as I am with a stranger showing up in your bathing chambers and now sharing your room. Anything I should know about you?"
"Well, you know that I'm a princess," she recounts as she starts dressing his wounds. "I'm the third daughter of the King of this state, with a foreign courtesan as a mother. She died in childbirth, though, and I was raised with my older brothers. All of my older siblings have already married, as well as some of my younger ones. According to my attendants, I should get married soon so that I don't end up an old maid."
"Do you not have suitors?" Hiccup asks, partly curios and partly hopeful. Not that he has any chances with her. "Surely a maiden as noble as you already has proposals."
"I do," she says indifferently. "But marriage is the last thing on my mind right now; I am a general who serves my State, and I'll do my best to protect them with all my might. What about you?"
"Other than me being a poet who accidentally shot down a dragon god and is now on the run?" She nods her head. "Well, I come from a good family, I guess. It's from a State that's far away from here. I'm not good at martial arts or weapon handling, which was why I turned to poetry and weapon designing. It didn't sit well with my Baba, see, since we come from a long line of martial artists. But despite that, I wanted his approval; so, I made inventions and all that. It backfired, though, now that I'm taking care of an injured dragon. And I left home because I didn't want to dishonor them for what I've done. I wanted to go back, but my clan has already fallen apart. Someone stronger has taken over the family."
"I see," she murmurs, focused on his bandages. "And you're just letting it be? Why don't you go back and try to make everything right again?"
He shrugs. She ignores him, tying up the wrappings and helping him get dressed after it. Once she ties up his robes in place, she looks up at him, her face dangerously close to his.
His breath hitches again as he sees her smile. Just when he thinks that the earlier events will repeat itself, she retreats and bows to him.
"Good night, Master Hiccup."
Then she leaves him to settle in her chambers.
Princess Astrid visits Toothless early the next day, paying her respects to the dragon god. She had come in so quietly and so swiftly that she almost catches him off guard. She only spares him a glance once—it's short but heated, sending his heart into a frenzy—and he instantly looks away before she kowtows in front of Toothless. Then she leaves him.
The Royal Physician arrives after the Princess, checking on his injuries and on Toothless. Hiccup surmises that the Princess has also demanded of him the same oath of silence, judging by his carefulness of him. He is even more careful and dutiful to the dragon, which earns an eyeroll from Hiccup when Toothless flaunts it. The Physician recommends for Hiccup to take at least five days' rest, prohibiting any strenuous activities. He has no plans to follow, of course, and he has already planned for their escape, but the Princess stops him and the dragon in the afternoon before they can even get away.
"You still owe me," she hisses at him, brandishing her fu at him again. "And I shall not let the dragon god go starving again because of you. You shall stay here until the Royal Physician advises otherwise."
Thus, against his will, he stays in her complex for a few more days.
His interactions with the Princess have been short during this time. She visits only for Toothless early in the morning and late at night, paying her respects. She spends a lot of time outside the Palace grounds to probe their domain, which the Maids say includes ensuring that the villages are well-supplied for the winter (and maybe a few beatings here and there). The length of her journeys usually varies, but what time she has left with daylight is spent in the courtyard, with her practicing her skills when she's not resting. On the other hand, he spends most of his time in the library, designing a new tailfin for Toothless and trying to see if he can figure out where to go to next in his travels. Their meals are eaten in relative peace in their own chambers.
Hiccup borrows a nearby forge in the complex and starts working on the tailfin with what available resources he has. He eventually fashions a tailfin for the dragon during one night, which earns him a few more days in the Palace ("Strenuous activities would include metallurgy, Master Hiccup!" the Royal Physician tells sternly the next day). When the Princess is out, he ventures into the forest to test the tailfin on Toothless, and he makes adjustments once he figures out any flaw.
Try as he might to deny it, he longs to spend time with her when she's not around. He tries to figure out her routine every day, waking up early in the morning to greet her on time and staying up late at night to join her in her worship of Toothless. He spends the time with Toothless when she is not around, but when she is, he looks for a possible excuse to be near her. He chances upon the Lotus Pavilion near the Garden of Blossoms where she practices her skills—by accident, of course—and he spends a lot of his time reading and designing there, with Toothless curled up beside him.
(Of course, he's reading. His eyes absolutely do not wander off to where she is, observing her graceful movements carefully. Not even when she catches him staring at her.)
Despite his best efforts to remain discrete, the Princess picks up his preferences and allows her maids to set up a table with books, parchments and a few other instruments in the pavilion for his resources.
He'd play the guzheng at times and use an ancient tune that has been taught to him by his father. The first time the Princess hears him play, he thinks that she freezes for a second, but she resumes her training in the next, and he does not know if she understands. He does not know if she is familiar with the song, but he has never played the tune of Feng Qiu Huang for someone else before.
She joins him in the pavilion at times when she is not training. She usually demands a round of xiangqi when she is not playing with Toothless, though it usually ends up in an endless barrage of rematches when she loses. He'd let her win at times just to assuage her anger for him, though he knows that she suspects him of going easy on her.
"I'm not letting you win," he lies as he stares into her eyes one time, and he half-wishes that he could stay like this forever with her. "I'm just… distracted."
"Distracted?" she raises a brow at him, and he does not know how even such a simple act would look so pretty on her.
"Yes," he drawls out. "You have very pretty plum blossoms here."
She soon forgets it when they play the next round of xiangqi. He lets her win the next few rounds, just so that he could see her smile again.
When the Royal Physician clears him for travel the next day, he does not know if he is happy or distraught.
She appears on the Lotus Pavilion the night before the day he plans to leave.
"I now want my payment."
Hiccup looks up from the stack of books that he is arranging on the table. "The poem?" He does not expect her to be here, not when it is almost the Hour of the Dog, and thus the time for her nightly bath.
"Of course," she replies, raising her chin. She is an ethereal figure on the steps of the pavilion, the moonglow and the light from the glazed lanterns around them playing on her skin as it did the first night he sees her in her bath. He moves the table to the side to accommodate her, and she gathers her skirts, kneeling to spread out the fabric on the floor.
He stands up to collect the calligraphy tools, pouring ink on the inkstone and grabbing hold of the brush. He begins to compose on her skirt after dipping the brush into the inkstone.
.
.
.
Her splendor made a city fall with just one look;
A second glance doomed a grand empire to ruin.
Soft and demure like others, she can be mistook,
But her winter endurance remains unbroken.
.
.
.
He reads his composition to her after he finishes writing, gently setting the brush on the table. He looks up at her for her validation. To his disappointment, she remains indifferent.
"I've read better," she shrugs, trying to look unimpressed. "This poem cannot even compare to any of the stanzas in the poem for Consort Yang Guifei."
"The poem composed by the poet Bai Juyi?" Hiccup asks in earnest. "The Song of Everlasting Regret?"
She nods her head, getting up from her kneeling position. She paces the pavilion and looks toward the moon, and then she begins to recite. Her voice is yearning and reverent, although arguably fond and soft.
"The Emperor of China longed for a beauty able to topple the empire.
Despite many years of reign, he could not fulfill his desire.
Meanwhile, a lass in the Yang family had reached puberty.
As she was raised deep in her boudoir, no one knew her beauty.
Her heavenly glamour could not be concealed forever.
One day she was chosen to entertain the Emperor.
When she turned and smiled, the coquetry created was tremendous,
Rendering all concubines of the six palaces lusterless."
Hiccup blinks at her. "I can compose a song for you as well, though I do not wish for you to hear me sing. And that poem also reminds me of you, you know."
Her head snaps back at him, the longing in her countenance gone. "But do you deny the inadequacy of this payment?"
Hiccup shrugs, defeated. "Even if I affirm it, I've nothing else to give you. I've nothing to my name."
"I will still demand something else in return," she says with a finality that he can't refuse. She paces towards him, hypnotizing blue eyes fixed on him as she inched closer, her gait slow but determined. "And I'm sure you can provide it to me."
"What is it?" he asks, holding her gaze and almost losing himself in her eyes of blue.
"Another kiss," she whispers, leaning in on him.
He also leans in in reflex, his hands sliding down her waist as her fingers grab the collars of his robes. He closes his eyes, reveling in the sight and scent of her. Then its inappropriateness hits him, and he turns away in the last minute.
"What's wrong?" she asks, confused.
"It's inappropriate," he answers, letting go of her and stepping back to maintain distance. "We're not engaged."
"Didn't stop you before, did it?" she challenges. "Or is it that you find me undesirable?"
"Heavens, no," he admonishes, mortified. "You're the most beautiful maiden I've ever met, and that's saying a lot, considering that I've visited harems and brothels."
"Then what is it?" She has never faltered in her look, but in that moment, a hint of uncertainty crosses her features.
"I'm…" he starts, but his hesitation prevents him from saying more. Finally, he says, "I'm not worthy of you."
She blinks at him. "What?"
"What if you find out that I was useless?" He places more distance between them, stepping back from her. He paces around the pavilion, determinedly not looking in her direction. "Remember when I told you that I left my home because I did not want to dishonor them? The truth is that I ran away because I am a coward. I—I couldn't face them when I shot down a dragon god instead of a demon beast. And when I went back, someone else had already invaded my lands, and I was too much of a coward to face him. I… I am a failure to my clan, to my people."
"It's a mess, then," Astrid says regretfully, her voice surprisingly calm and understanding. "You must feel horrible. You've lost everything. Your father, your clan, your titles..."
"Thank you for summing that up," he murmurs despondently. "Why couldn't I have gone back and saved my people when they needed me the most? It would have been better for everyone."
She nods in response. "The rest of us would have done it. So why didn't you?"
"I don't know," he answers, shaking his head. "I couldn't."
"That's not an answer."
He turns to her, almost annoyed. "Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?"
She raises her chin, defiant but understanding. "Because I want to remember what you say, right now."
"Oh, for the love of—I was a coward! I was weak! I wouldn't dare face a madman who controls a dragon!"
"You said 'wouldn't' that time."
"Whatever! I wouldn't!" he exclaims in frustration "...I wouldn't go back because my dragon looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him, and I saw myself."
"I bet your people must be really frightened now," Astrid tells him. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Eh, probably something stupid."
"Good," she nods, "but you've already done that."
"Then maybe something crazy?" he suggests. "Facing a madman and saving my people from fallen demon beasts with an injured dragon and a toothpick fishbone. That doesn't sound bad at all."
"That's more like it!" she announces, grinning at him. Her smile is neither coy nor condescending; it's genuine and bright and so innocent that it's hard to believe that she was a general-princess.
How?
How can he keep up with her? She is both a perfect goddess given by the heavens to bless humanity, and a bewitching sorceress sent to torment mankind. He does not think that he will ever deserve even her gaze.
He thinks to himself, as a joke, that in order to do that, he has to do something crazy. Like going back and reclaiming his titles and saving his people from bewitched dragons.
Then it happens.
He looks at her again, gazing fondly upon the serenity of her grin. Upon her smile he resolves upon himself that he'd change for her—that he'd be someone worth her while.
.
.
.
To prove his worth to the plum blossom's affection
He was going back to his roots to take a chance.
He will resort to training and cultivation
Until he can become a dragon worth her glance.
.
.
.
A punch suddenly hits him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. He retracts, clutching his shoulder where her hit landed.
"I've just recently been cleared for travel, you know," he complains as he rubs his shoulder.
"That's for interrupting me in my bath," she declares, her haughtiness coming back.
"Is it always going to be like thi—"
He is cut off when she grabs the front of his robes, yanking him and pecking him shortly on his lips. She lets go just as fast as she grabs him, looking away, apologetic and shy. "And that's for—for everything else."
He smiles down on her in delight. She suddenly takes her chai from her hair, her tresses tumbling down in soft waves. She holds up the jade chai, taking its double pins and forcing them apart. The hairpin snaps, and she thrusts one stick into his hand.
"Are you giving me—" he breathes, aghast; hairpins are only given to lovers—lovers who are forced to part.
"Shut up and prepare for tomorrow," she tells him as she turns around exits the pavilion. She gives him one last fleeting look before she saunters into the direction of her Hall, excitement and hesitation evident in her gait.
"What are you looking at?" he admonishes the dragon who is sitting completely silent on one side of the pavilion but is giving him a knowing smirk.
He does not know what time it already is; it is already deep into the night when he decides on a plan to go back home and reclaim his State. He's going to go back and become a better version of himself, so that when they meet again, he'd be someone worthy of her.
He enters his chambers in complete silence and chances a glance again in her direction, smiling tenderly at her serene face. Grabbing a piece of parchment and a brush, he composes one last message to her. At the break of dawn, he wakes Toothless up and they exit the Palace, leaving one last glance at her Hall before they part.
When she wakes up in the morning, she finds her Palace cold, her guests for the winter having left her. A feeling of sadness engulfs her, until her sight lands upon a piece of parchment on her study, the calligraphy strokes belonging only to one person.
.
.
.
"The winds are desolate, and the fog is widespread
While rain pours as the boundless snow tear me apart.
All these catastrophes I am willing to tread
'Til I become a dragon worthy of your heart."
.
.
.
.
.
—for the dragon throne ::}
Even before she reaches the curtains, a black shadow slides forth from between the parting and rush past her, enveloping her in a warm embrace.
"Daughter!" Her father shouts in alarm; she can hear the rest gasp audibly.
"Toothless!" she exclaims as the dragon pounces on her, sending her to the ground. She assures her father that she is all right, her laugh erupting when the dragon licks her. She pats his head, scratching him behind his ears and feeling the cold scales under her touch. She notices that Toothless looks different, with more sophisticated contraptions and a saddle on his body and a tailfin to replace his missing tail.
The dragon drops a scroll from his mouth and nudges it towards her, and she picks it up from the ground. She opens the scroll, curious to know its contents. Her mouth almost drops at what she sees, recognizing a handwriting that she has memorized over the years. A handwriting that is unmistakably his.
.
.
.
The dragon's abode stands majestic proud and vast
And gardens are said to fill the dragon's palace.
But high walls hide all and can make mystery last
One wonders what lies behind such great elegance.
.
Behind the garden walls are flowers of all kind
And the great dragon protects them as is his task.
A day will come when he shall have to choose his bride
And for the flowers, there is none more they could ask.
.
The peony is noble, virtuous and wealthy;
Bright, lucky and refined is the chrysanthemum;
The camellia is beautiful, divine and timely;
Which of these blossoms will the dragon bride become?
.
The entire land knows of the dragon's little past;
He was once a salamander, useless and weak.
He left his home to travel the world at long last
For he was deemed unconventionally unique.
.
In his lengthy travels the salamander found
The sweet scent of a flower blooming in winter.
In her stance of perseverance, he was spellbound
Her beauty was unparalleled like no other.
.
Her splendor made a city fall with just one look;
A second glance doomed a grand empire to ruin.
Soft and demure like others, she can be mistook,
But her winter endurance remains unbroken.
.
To prove his worth to the plum blossom's affection
He was going back to his roots to take a chance.
He will resort to training and cultivation
Until he can become a dragon worth her glance.
.
"The winds are desolate, and the fog is widespread
While rain pours as the boundless snow tear me apart.
All these catastrophes I am willing to tread
'Til I become a dragon worthy of your heart."
.
.
.
It hits her.
Toothless, the handwriting—the Dragon Emperor who ran away from his home and who returned to save them from a great catastrophe…
Why hasn't she realized it sooner? All the clues were there for her to look—even after defeating the Dragon Madman, after the Dragon Emperor rose to power, he began courting her from far away. And she didn't mind him, partly due to her pride and partly due to her desire to be with the poet again. But he was there all along!
"You've finally arrived," a voice whispers behind her, nasal and boyish. With trembling hands, she clutches the scroll and slowly turns around.
The first time she's seen him, he was nothing more than a stick figure being beaten to the ground. He was handsome, yes, what with his messy auburn hair and deep, forest-green eyes, but what remained of his beauty was marred by destitution and frailty. But she did not deny his charm—the adorableness of his awkwardness, the curiosity in his quirks, the sincerity in his frustrations.
And the passion in his kisses.
She wonders if he is still the same even after being the Dragon Emperor.
A tall figure greets her, and she immediately recognizes the familiar mop of auburn hair, messy yet endearing on his chiseled face. His green eyes glint like emeralds, looking upon her with a fondness she hasn't seen in five years. He looks strikingly the same, but also surprisingly different.
He has become taller now, more mature and more respectable. His facial structure has sharpened, all angles and straight jawlines, littered with a faint stubble on the edges. The shoddy robes he once wore are now replaced by the luxurious set of golden lóng páo, a long robe reaching the ankles with a circular opening for the neck. Intricate dragon designs adorn the garment, with a sea of elaborately patterned geometric designs and natural scenes. His topknot is held up by a golden guan, with two pins to secure it in place, one of them being the pin she had given him five years prior.
He looks majestic and regal, and with the backdrop of the equally majestic dragon throne behind him—all high pedestals and gilded motifs on a grand chair covered behind golden curtains—he looks mighty and imposing.
But his crooked, innocent smile gives him away.
Everyone in the throne room kowtows again as soon as he appears. She can hear her father's voice urging her to do the same, and even the Head Eunuch's coaxing to show respect; but she is distracted at the moment and she pays them no heed, for his green gaze holds her in place and she is transfixed at his transformation.
When he reaches out to touch her cheek, all of her restraint breaks. She embraces him tightly despite everyone's horrified gasps at her audacity, clutching him tightly in her arms to make sure that he's real. Then just as fast as she holds him, she lets go of him again and sends a fist his way.
If the horrified gasps earlier were not shocking enough, the appalled shouts of everyone in the room at that moment were sure to send his father into a state of a mild heart attack. Or maybe send a consort fainting.
"That's for making me wait!" she shouts at the Dragon Emperor, ignoring everyone around her.
Hiccup laughs, waving away his attendants that have gathered around him. "You're as feisty as I have remembered you," he comments as he gets up on his feet, Toothless weaving his way beside him.
She hugs him when he stands up, burying her face in his chest. Her huadian makeup might be destroyed at it, but it does not bother her a bit. "And this is for everything else."
Hiccup returns her embrace, cradling her in his arms tightly. When they let each other go, he reaches up to remove a hairpin. "And I think this belongs to you." He shows her the broken half of her chai, and he carefully sets it in her bun so that both pieces of the hairpin are now together.
She smiles up at him.
"And now, I have a question for you, one that I have been longing to ask."
He motions for a servant to bring him brushes. She knows exactly what he wants as soon as her sight lands upon the set, and she carefully gathers her skirts like she did that one night five years ago. Kneeling down to spread out the fabric on the floor, she welcomes him with a small smile as he dips a brush in inkstone and begins to write on her skirt.
.
.
.
At last the winds have halted, the fog has scattered;
The rain has finally stopped, the snow has melted.
I have become a dragon, my weak self shattered.
Will you stay, dear blossom, and be my Selected?
.
.
.
She smiles wider after he reads the poem to her, and motions for him to kneel as well.
The court behind them looks on, waiting with baited breath.
Her eyes focus on his golden robes, sparing nothing, not even a glance for him as she picks up a brush in one graceful movement. Her right hand holds the brush like how a musician reveres his instrument, and the fingers of her left hand delicately holds the sleeve of her right hand in place. Her brush strokes are surprisingly strong but smooth, and her penmanship was aesthetically pleasing.
She smiles as she writes down her reply—her reply that she has composed long before, her reply that she been holding on for five years now. Their eyes meet for a moment as she finishes her reply to his poem.
And she thus reads—
.
.
.
.
.
Even if the winds howl on and the fog won't clear,
Whether the heavens cry with snow or rain unknown
Or even if you stay weak as you once appear
Let me be a plum blossom for your Dragon Throne.
{END}
Notes:
Hour of the Dog – 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hour of the Pig – 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Feng Qiu Huang – "Male Phoenix Pursuing the Female Phoenix"; think of it as a courtship song
Lǎoshī – teacher
Mogwai – "monster"
guzheng – Chinese zither
xiangqi – Chinese chess
chai – a hair ornament that is basically zan (hairpins) combined together. In ancient China, lovers will split a chai at farewell and each person keeps half. When they meet again they combine the two halves into one
Yang Guifei – said to be the most beautiful of the Four Beauties of Ancient China
Bai Juyi – Tang Dynasty poet and court official
Also:
The writing of the poem on the skirt is based on a scene from the KDrama Hwang Jin Yi
The poems have influences from the songs Jia Ren Qu (Beauty Song) and Three Lives, Three Worlds
The last two stanzas of the poem are based on the poems presented in the film Garden of Words:
[A faint clap of thunder,
Clouded skies,
Perhaps rain will come.
If so, will you stay here with me?]
—from Man'yōshū, Book 11, verse 2,513
[A faint clap of thunder,
Even if rain comes or not,
I will stay here,
Together with you.]
—from Man'yōshū, Book 11, verse 2,514
I hope you enjoyed it! Please read and review, if I may be so bold to ask. Or fave or follow or something. X) Thank you very much for reaching the end of this page! :)