The Return of the Sun - OPEN
Ā If the sight before him was anything at all to go by, it hadnāt taken long for word to reach Yuanzong of the tigressās return, her likeness having been spotted entering the palace grounds and reported to him accordingly. Ā In truth, once he had received her letter, the prince had forgotten that he had even asked some of the servants and guards to keep an eye out since her disappearance, the thought to dismiss them from that duty never once given a chance to cross his mind. Ā He did not know when he would see her again, only that he vowed to himself to remain patient.
But there she was, splendid in the moonlight, her armour carving a commanding and powerful figure and reflecting the warrior that lived within her and was often reflected brightly in her eyes. Ā Despite the tug in his chest that felt as though it threatened to pull him to the ground if he chose not to move toward her, despite every want and desire and worry that had eaten away at him during her sudden absence, Sun Hao could not step forward. Ā He was utterly captivated by that image ā by seeing his most precious person in her element ā and though it may have been his place to welcome her home before anyone else seemed to, something held him back, effectively stopping him in his tracks.
Perhaps she had formally alerted someone to her arrival and was waiting for an audience? Ā What if she had important news that his ears were not meant to hear just yet? Ā He doubted she expected to see him at this hour. Ā Indeed, he had been sleeping when the message came, but word of her return jolted him from his light rest and he found himself changed and striding quickly down the halls soon after.
On the other hand, perhaps the scarlet-crowned woman was waiting for nothing of the sortā¦? Ā Unless it were an emergency, an audience would likely not be called for at such an early hour, and she didnāt look particularly rushed or filled with the anxiousness of bad news that most people carried in such situations.
Taking one muffled step forward, the royalās voice sounded and reverberated between the pillars, and though the distance between them was too far for his liking and his tones were soft, Yuanzong was fairly certain that his words reached Sun Lai.
āYou have returned to us.ā
Lai watched the crimson-haired prince move toward her, having caught his silhouette in her peripherals. Her hair was longer than it had been, unkempt and wild as it ran down her back. It was slightly bleached from the sun, features marred by little cuts and bruises near the sides of her face.
Her expression, once solemn and perhaps a tad thoughtful, changed instantaneously. She smiled, the tops of her cheeks squishing against her lower lids. It did not last long however, and one set of slender fingers reached up to press against his face, hesitating just above the skin. Ā
"IĀ told you I'd be back." She replied, shifting her weight fully onto her left leg. The right was wrapped tightly around the thigh, though it caused her minimal pain now. She'd been careless, though she found it nothing to fuss or worry over as she imagined most might've.Ā
"Look like shit," The comment rolled from her tongue, arm falling to swing at her side. She unbuckled the belt that had attached to her her weapon, handing it off quickly to one of the man-servants beside her, careful as could be. "You do, I mean. Did you live in a cave while I was gone? Your skin looks like a baby's ass." Not that she had much room to talk with how unkempt she looked in her own right, but she had an excuse; she just didn't give a damn.Ā
Next to come off were the spaulders, clacking as they were taken aside, her shoulders feeling weighed down by the air around them once they were off. Sore as hell, stiff and uncomfortable.Ā
"Anyway... what've you been doing? Are the kids still in one piece? Please tell me you haven't been feeding them anything with chilies. They'll explode in the not-spectacular way and it'll--"Ā
She paused suddenly, having walked a small ways away, and turned to look back with fading enthusiasm in jade.Ā
It suddenly seemed to dawn on her just how long she'd been gone. That she'd walked back inside as if sheĀ hadn't disappeared. Though some things were best kept to one's self, especially when they involvedĀ other worlds.Ā
"...You're not... angry with me, are you?"Ā











