诀爱 (Jué ài) Farewell Love
Summary:
Original Mobei-Jun finds Shang Qinghua's body - spinoff from The Hidden Flower (隐花), Chapter 33 False Hearts and Broken Vows
Notes:
Because some (masochistic) ppl asked for a OG!Mobei-Jun's point of view. N because I woke up & chose violence.
For full effect, please listen to Faye - Farewell Love [诀爱] || Love Between Fairy And Devil(OST). You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT2fWtJm97s&list=RDX8PBbc_aUkA&index=17
诀爱 (Jué ài) Farewell Love
Mobei-Jun stood silently over the body of his lover as coagulated blood stained his boots and the hem of his white cloak. He vaguely hoped that it would permanently seep into his clothes.
"Get someone to clean it," Junshang said dismissively before striding away, his mood sour ever since he returned after days of disappearance.
Mobei-Jun said nothing, eyes still trained on the unmoving chest. Shang Qinghua laid on his side in a foetal position as if in sleep, if not for his extremely pallid features and unnatural stillness. The human was usually a restless person, even in sleep. Seeing him so still unnerved Mobei-Jun.
The ice demon leaned down and slowly, gently, pulled the cool body into his arms. Rigor mortis was already setting in and Shang Qinghua's limbs were already stiffening in death, but Mobei-Jun ignored all of that.
Returning Qinghua's body to the north where the permafrost was the thickest would preserve the body's integrity and reduce the damage done by rot.
It was the least Mobei-Jun could do now.
***
His uncle was the biggest threat to his position as the King of the North.
With Luo Binghe's support as his Junshang, Mobei-Jun ensured his place upon the death of his father. However, with the support from some of his father's previous vassals, Linguang-Jun continued to pose as a threat to the permanence of his ascension as king. It would only be with either of their deaths that this particular matter would be permanently settled.
Mobei-Jun knew that things would come to a head soon enough, but he had been too foolishly confident in his abilities and his Junshang's support.
When the first assassination attempt happened, Mobei-Jun was fortunately present to stop the hired hitman without cluing Shang Qinghua in. His human had thought that the assassination was aimed at Mobei-Jun, but the ice demon knew better.
His uncle had found out his weakness and was now exploiting it.
He couldn't afford to leave it be anymore.
Unfortunately for him, the rebels were making waves in the South and he couldn't leave without his Junshang's approval, so he resolved to end Linguang-Jun's attempt when he returned.
***
Junshang had been getting worse lately because of the accursed sword.
Because of that, the Southern Palace was constantly on edge and Qinghua's minor mistake in info gathering had them underestimating the number of the rebels and it lost them an advanced platoon.
Mobei-Jun held himself still as Junshang threatened to end his life, knowing that speaking up would only propel Junshang into a worse temper. Qinghua looked at him pleadingly but Mobei-Jun couldn't afford to be moved by his wordless plea.
There was a hidden spy in their fold and Mobei-Jun didn't know who it was. Until he was sure and could present his finding to Junshang, he couldn't afford to say anything.
He could only have patience.
***
"Would you care? If I died?"
The question threw him off momentarily but Mobei-Jun allowed no emotion to cross his expression.
He couldn't tell Qinghua the truth, not when the threat was so close and Mobei-Jun was about to go into battle with Junshang. It would be better to keep a distance until everything had been taken care of.
Until then, the red robes he had commissioned would remain hidden in the trunk in his study.
"Why would I?" he returned as coldly as he could, letting whatever spy eavesdropping on them return to his uncle to report his findings.
Then, he left with Junshang to remove the rebels, telling himself that once the threat was eliminated, Linguang-Jun would be next.
He should have looked back.
But he didn't.
He had never regretted anything more in his life.
***
Mobei-Jun sat at Shang Qinghua's bed side, watching as frost slowly enveloped every inch of his former lover's skin, tattooing his countenance with frost flower.
It was pretty, especially on Qinghua.
Qinghua had always been afraid to stay at the Northern Palace because it was so cold. Too cold for his human constitution.
But now, it was this coldness that would ensure the integrity of his body.
Mobei-Jun wasn't in denial. He had seen it. The extent of Qinghua's injury, which he had bled from. it was obviously self inflicted.
Which meant that Mobei-Jun had failed to protect him in the way that mattered the most.
He continued to sit there for a very long time, ignoring all that was happening in the palace and the coup that took place under his uncle's leadership. Even going so far as ignoring the summons from the Southern Palace which had devolved into complete chaos upon the discovery of the bodies of the Emperor of Three Worlds and several concubines.
Here, in the permafrost cave of his ancestors, Mobei-Jun sat with the body of the only person who had ever touched his frozen heart with his sincerity and devotion.
The single tear that fell unseen by any other soul hit the ground with a lonely clink.
End of 诀爱 (Jué ài) Farewell Love
“There was something special placed before my eyes but I knew not how to cherish it. Words can’t describe the regret I felt when she was gone. If I am given the chance to meet that girl again, I want to tell her three simple words, ‘I love you’. If my love for her has to have an expiry date, let it be 10,000 years.”
~ A Chinese Odyssey: Cinderella
Notes:
I was listening to the song while writing part two of Shang Qinghua's redemption chapter and I thought that 诀爱 (Jué ài) was the perfect song for the OG couple. TT___TT so i just had to share the misery.
And A Chinese Odyssey is like my most, most favourite HK movie of all time. So I had to use the quote that struck me the hardest and reminded me so deeply of this tragic couple.
Happy Angst! LOL
