Chapter setting: Original Universe 

SPOILER of the original universe 

It was a dark, hot night, the moon high in the sky and the mild sound of the frogs and different insects filling the air. A gentle breeze moved a bit the window’s small door that were open, making them creak a bit.

Wei Li woke up all of the sudden, sitting up straight. He looked first at Tao Qiang, sleeping naked next to him, calm and quiet. One of his arms was hugging his waist, and he could hear his quiet breath. Then he stood up, taking a random clothe to wear while inspecting the house, getting his sword in the process. 

He didn’t properly hear something, but he had faith in his sixth sense for dangerous situations. If his sixth sense was telling him someone was there, it was because someone was there. He was going to the room again to wake up Tao Qiang when he saw a shadow outside.

He said nothing, going out then, sword in hand, and pointing to the person that was now in front of him.

Wei Li’s eyes opened wide in surprise. 

“Y… Your Highness?” 

Fang Li-Jun was standing in the door while carrying two kids in his arms. He looked at Wei Li, but Wei Li couldn’t see any emotion in them, as if the Crown Prince was empty inside. The gentle breeze moved his hair and feathers, and he could notice the kids light breathes, as they were sleeping. 

“Ah-Xia? Why ar-…. Your Highness?”

Tao Qiang woke up after hearing some sounds, getting some messy clothes too for checking what was happening there. He thought that maybe a neighbor needed something, but the last thing he expected was seeing his prince in the door of his house.

Still, Fang Li-Jun didn’t answer.

Wei Li and Tao Qiang shared a look before taking him inside, making him seat in front of the table. It took some attempts to take the kids from Fang Li-Jun, but after explaining some times that they would be better sleeping in the bed, he finally let them go. Tao Qiang prepared some tea, the three of them sitting in the table. 

“Your Highness, say something, please.” Tao Qiang begged while Wei Li caressed the prince’s hand. “What happened? Are you injured somewhere? Who are this kids?” 

“We will try to help you, Your Highness. The thing is if we… if we don’t know what happens, we don’t…” Wei Li looked at Tao Qiang, and smiled softly one more time to Fang Li-Jun. “But there is no rush. You can take all the time you need. We will be here.” 

Wei Li kept caressing Fang Li-Jun’s hand, and Tao Qiang sighed. He looked at the prince, confused. What could make him be in such a huge shock? What could be so…?

Tao Qiang glanced at Wei Li at that moment: His warm smile, his tender eyes… The sweet tone of his voice trying to make everyone feel good. He opened his eyes wide then.

“Is it Lei XianLiang? Did something happened to him?”

Fang Li-Jun lowered his head. It was the first reaction they had from him. Wei Li and Tao Qiang shared a worried look, and before any of them could speak, Fang Li-Jun did.

“It’s my fault.” The voice came out broken, so low that it was hard to hear it. Tears started to fall down his cheeks when the words filled the air. “It’s my fault. They are all dead. Lei Ying, Yi Quan, Bi Yu, Wu Lin… They all… They…”

Neither Wei Li nor Tao Qiang felt when they stopped breathing with such news, and they didn’t noticed when they moved. But when they realized it, both of them were hugging Fang Li-Jun strongly, trying to calm the loud crying of pure agony of their prince while attempting to hold their tears, unsuccessfully.

It took long time for them to calm down properly, and even more time for Fang Li-Jun to explain all that happened. They couldn’t believe it.

As they settled in a far, lost place purposely, the news about what was happening with the Lei XianLiang's people didn’t reach their ears. All of them becoming slaves? Forced works? A massacre? All of this was happening and they didn’t have a clue. 

 “The bodies we found will have a proper ritual for… them to rest. I’ll personally check it.” It was the least he could do. Fang Li-Jun was tense, his eyes red and his expression tired.

“What is going to happen with Fang Hua and Yi Rong?” Tao Qiang asked, trying to keep the composure the best way he could. He was holding now Wei Li’s hand on the table, as he was trying to stop crying too. “As you said, it’s not safe for Fang Hua to stay in the palace. And Yi Rong…”

“I… came here for that.” Fang Li-Jun looked finally at Tao Qiang in the eyes, and then at Wei Li. “I do not want to ask you for such a huge responsibility, but I couldn’t think in anyone else I trust. But if you don’t want to-“

“You… want us to take care of them?” Tao Qiang asked. Fang Li-Jun nodded then. 

“Only if you truly can. You can refuse it and I will understand.”

“Your Highness, of course we will. We would help you with anything you need.” 

 Wei Li wasn’t able to speak, but he was nodding, agreeing with what Tao Qiang was saying. Of course they will give the kids a place to stay. How in earth would they say no to that?

“Thank you. I…” Fang Li-Jun couldn’t find the exact words to express himself.

“There is no need for that between us, Your Highness.” 

 “I think that… the best thing is not telling them where they come from. Not until they are old enough.” Fang Li-Jun said. 

They discussed a bit more about what could they say or not to the kids, and what could they said to the people in the town about them suddenly having two kids. After it, and after they congratulated Fang Li-Jun for his ascension, he leaved the house and went back to palace. There were a lot of things to do.

The firsts days were a nightmare. They had no idea of how to take care of such young kids, and they were still tense with the news. They had no time for grieve Lei XianLiang nor anyone, too busy and tired and stressed for it. Fortunately the people of the town, after telling them the kids were sons of different relatives of Tao Qiang and Wei Li and because of the war they became orphans, helped them with all they could. 

“They are sleeping.” Wei Li said, sighing after closing the door of the room. Tao Qiang was sitting in the table, lost in his mind. “Ah-Fen?”

He reached him and stroked his back, sitting next to him. In the past few days he saw him too quiet and constantly lost in his mind, but he thought that it was probably because of all the things that happened in only one night.

“Ah-Xia…” Tao Qiang took one of Wei Li’s hands, kissing it softly. “There is… something I didn’t tell you.”

“Hm?” He kept caressing his back, calm. “And what is it?”

Tao Qiang swallowed hard, kissing Wei Li’s knuckles again. He tried to speak several times, but every time he would end closing his mouth and giving another kiss.

“Ah-Fen?” Wei Li started to worry. With the hand his husband was kissing made him look at his eyes, placing it on his cheek and moving it. “What is it?”

 “Do you…” Tao Qiang swallowed one more time. How was it possible he needed to swallow so much at the same time he was feeling his mouth dry? “Do you remember the night when the King found out that His Highness was ‘drinking on his own’? When Lei XianLiang ran away…”

“Yes, I do.” Of course he did. He would never forget the punishment for that. 

“That night, I…” The words were heavy, pressing his chest and his heart. “I…” His eyes filled up with tears, trying to hold them. “Please, don’t hate me, Ah-Xia- I- I didn’t know-“

“Eh, eh, Ah-Fen-“ It had to be something really bad. Tao Qiang was the kind of person that never dropped a tear, always keeping the composure. He remembered seeing him crying only a few times in their entire life together. “Why would I hate you? I would never- Look, it is impossible it could happen. Look at me.” With both of his hands placed on his face made him look at his eyes one more time. “I love you. I love you with all my heart. And whatever you gonna say me won’t make any change to that.” 

Tao Qiang nodded then, taking Wei Li’s hands and stroking them with his thumbs.

“I can’t look at you while I say it.” He said. He was truly embarrassed and angry with himself. “That night, I…”

Tao Qiang explained to him how angry he was, not with Lei XianLiang, but with the situation of them being discovered. He was scared and furious knowing Wei Li and Fang Li-Jun would have to face a very severe punishment, incapable of thinking in a solution for it. And then he told him the things he said to Lei XianLiang.  

“This is all your fault.

“I don’t even know why you come here! What do you think you are doing?!

“Do you think is funny? Playing around every time as we had nothing else to do, messing around with the Crown Prince, distracting him from his duties?

“I’m sure you feel like someone important, bragging about it with your friends, telling them you are close to the Crown Prince! But, do you know what? You are not! You are not even from here; you are not related to us in any way and the only thing you bring us is problems! And you don’t even realize it, you are just there, as if none of these problems have something to do with you! I’m sure Wei Xia and His Highness think like me: You are just an annoying, troubling outsider, just like all of your people!

“Go away.” 

“It’s my fault he ran away. If I… I…” Tao Qiang was crying loud, trying to hold it but incapable of it. “I didn’t think that of him- I didn’t- I was just furious and-“ It was true, he never thought about Lei XianLiang in that way. “It is my fault he didn’t ask us for help- It is- And I made you come here with me, h- he had no one to go for asking for help and that’s my fault-“

Wei Li was hugging him, letting him cry in his chest. He hid his surprise the best way he could, stroking his hair and back, letting him vent and release all this heavy weight on his chest.

“It’s not your fault, Ah-Fen.” Wei Li said, kissing his temple. “And our Xiao Liang was smart enough to know that you didn’t mean that. I’m sure he knew it.” He kissed his temple again, with all the love he felt for Tao Qiang. “And you didn’t made me come here, I came because I wanted to. It’s not your fault what happened in the capital, neither you nor me knew what was happening. It’s not your fault, Ah-Fen.”

But even if Wei Li repeated it several times, Tao Qiang couldn’t change his mind about it.