Chodairean - Tradora

@(C) Lu Han The time was ticking and the prince was still in his place, not moving any forward. But as he thought about the consequences that might happen, he shievered. No matter who he was; a prince, a servant, anybody... He didn't have the right to invade someone else's palace. And what Hongbin doing was exactly that. Earthbenders were the ones who scared him the most, how could he beat someone who controls the earth. They worried him and amazed him in the mean time.

As he stood there a little more, he took his time to examine the other a little bit more. Who was he? He had told him his name but Hongbin wanted to know who was he in reality. He was beautiful which could belong to a prince but to say the truth, the man's beauty was something that could even compete with princesses. He was too small and fragile to be a knight and too attractive for a servant. And these thoughts drew Hongbin crazy as he couldn't get himself to move and leave the palace.

Soon he was faced with his biggest fear, hearing the foot steps from the grand all behind them. He took a step forward ready to run away and fight if he had to but he was stopped by the grip of the deer looking man. The airbender prince raised and eyebrow, questioning the other as he looked at his hand but soon he realized it was the best for him to follow the male like he had said.

They walked slowly and carefully through the halls with marble floors and well built walls with lots of frames on it. Hongbin was amazed by the everything he saw and he would like to stay and examine if they weren't running away from the guards of the palace. Soon they were inside a rather big room. Hongbin's eyes wandered around and he sighed. "I have to leave early in the morning than. My father won't be happy if I don't make it until morning."

() sorry for the wait OTL
you know i was just trying to find something good to write
you are really good at it and my answers were like so lame so i tried writing more?
i hope its better?

@(C) Kim Seokjin [ sorry for the long wait ; n ; ]

"RouEr! RouEr!" Luhan was close to crying. Oh, no. He was not someone who teared up easily. But his pet, a snow rabbit, was missing from its hutch and nowhere to be found. He had discovered the poor creature, injured and weak, in the royal garden with a trail of blood painting the grassy floor behind it. Without thinking much, he'd immediately taken RouEr in and cared for it until it was nursed into full health. They grew inseparable in the few months of being in each other's presence. And RouEr was his only escape from the nightmare that visited him everyday in the form of loathsome man when the sun conceals itself in darkness. And now, it's gone.

Too wrapped up in his loss, Luhan did not notice how he'd stray from the intended stone path to the one that led to the base camp for those knights who were assigned to remain within the palace walls, either to train, to rest, or to guard the grounds. The smell of burning meat drew him closer, dread turning his blood ice cold as the vision of RouEr getting caught or stolen out of its hutch invaded his mind---

Surrounded by a trio of knights was a makeshift bonfire, where a blackened object hung, a thin, sturdy stick pierced through the length of its body. No, no, no! Luhan's mind screamed, eyeing the familiar red ribbon he'd tied around RouEr's hindlegs to declare ownership, which lied next one of the men's boot, mocking him for his lack of ability to protect what he loved. Bile rushed up his throat and he turned to the side, heaving dryly as grief overtook his senses.

It seemed to have alerted the others of his presence, for before long, he was crowded by the three culprits. "Well, well, well. What have we got here? Who are you, pretty one? Lost your way, did you? Want me to guide you to our rooms?" One of them sneered, raising a hand towards Luhan's face, which he swatted with much disgust. How dare they, after what they've done to RouEr! "Don't touch me, bastard! Don't touch me with the hand you've killed RouEr with, you rotten scum!" He spat at him, eyes going red from cold fury.

"What- Why you stupid !" Before he could move though, his stocky build crumpled to the ground, twitching helplessly before Luhan, whose expression was merciless. "Anyone else?"

@(C) Lee Hongbin Kronia. The land of airbenders and healers. He had heard they were people of amity and peace, for they prefer to heal rather than harm. Was he wrong after all? Were they all wrong? Could it be that beneath the mask of selfless benevolence lies deceit and treachery equaled to that of the other three empires?

Ah. Luhan bit back the bubbling disappointment surging up his throat when the other had denied both guesses of his identity. Fate /just/ wouldn't let him go, would it? His petite shoulders slumped barely in resignation. If he should be toyed longer, so be it. His once young, unbreakable soul had already fragmented into a million shards. It couldn't get any worse now.

Silence stretched between them as the pretty male pondered over the taller male's words, eyes searching the other's dark pools for signs of insincerity or malice, but all he was presented with were genuine honesty and profound candor locked away in them.

A secret, eh? He'd had so many, adding another one to his pile wouldn't hurt no one.

Before he could reply with a positive answer though, the familiar clicks of soldiers' boots alerted them of the danger of being discovered by those who were on midnight patrol duty. Without thinking much, Luhan's hand shot out and curled around the other man's wrist in a firm grip, finger pressed to his lips to order about his quiet cooperation. "Come with me." He leaned in closer and mouthed, before pulling away quickly and turned sharply towards the direction he had come from.

Beckoning Jinah, who gave him an alarming expression at his decision to protect this unknown stranger, he led the way into the gargantuan structure, later a hallway, and finally his room.

"You'll be safe here. for now." Luhan released him immediately after stepping foot into the familiar chamber, neck prickly hot from a foreign feeling which he knew better than to dwell on. "I would advise you to stay here tonight, Nian. I'll lead you to a secret exit tomorrow. Unless you'd like to risk your life sneaking out the grounds and battling them ferocious guards." He ended his suggestion with a shrug, sliding into the wooden chair before a mirror to undo his hair, which was fixed meticulously with hairpieces.

@(C) Kim Seokjin How strange it was for a traveler in a foreign place. Unfamiliar places, unfamiliar people, and everything just seems so odd. Eunhye looked around quietly, hiding her face well in her cape. It was very peculiar, she thought to herself. It's calm, it isn't scorching hot, and there are barely any fires lit nearby. She looked at the streets and the landmarks, observing the vendors and the workers that are crowding the alleyways. She did her best not to look lost, but she was almost sure she looked like a black sheep in the midst of hundreds of thousands of perfectly white sheep. She clutched her messenger bag and adjusted the cape so it'll hide her face even better. She might be a little lost, but she knows what she's looking for. A certain type of metal that can only be found in this place that has gifted land. And she sure is not going to leave this place without it.

@(C) Lu Han As the man got closer to the Hongbin, he could know see him better under the dim lights of the entrance. He inhaled deeply being lost in thoughts for some minutes as the other talked about himself. The curiosity filled his eyes as he examined the deer looking male. Young airbender couldn't dent that the beautiful man seemed attractive. But he shook his head, trying to clean himself from sinful thoughts so he could sleep. his mouth opened, voice low and hesitant. "I.. I am coming from Kronia.." His words were nothing but mere whispers. Exposing himself wouldn't cause any good to nobody. A prince from another empire shouldn't have been here. He knew the rules very well but still his young blood had dragged him here, taking the risk of breaking the rules once again. "I am not a spy nor an assassin. I shouldn't have been here, I apologize. But please, I have to go." He took a step forward, in his mind thinking of thousands of escaping plans. But as he looked at the young man's eyes, all his plans fell down on the floor and Hongbin sighed. He didn't know who the man was but he was going to find out for sure. Han... He did not have any intension to forget this name. "Can I be your little secret?" He didn't know what was he thinking when he said that but he couldn't take the risk of the man telling people about him.

@(C) Lee Hongbin Aided by the stingy bits of light from the lanterns lining the castle walls, Luhan could make out an impressively tall physique topped with handsome features as he neared the unfamiliar silhouette who had gone obviously stiff from his unexpected exposure of his hideout. Though he did not mean to alarm the other with his presence, it appeared his intention missed its mark for the stranger's posture had fallen into a defensive one, coiled and ready to strike if things go awry.

Luhan frowned. Such arrogance, he thought distastefully, already boxing the taller male into a category of less than likable individuals.

However, being an 'treasured' captive for so long, locked behind daunting palace walls, made him thirsty for anything different, anything interesting. Or... anything dangerous enough to be the salvation of his hell, even if it meant ending him. If the person standing before him were an assassin, might as well have one between the two of them to return home with a report of a good kill.

"Me? I'm no one. Ask anyone and they would not know about me. But you can call me Han, if it makes you feel better."

He wasn't lying. There's a reason why he's a secret after all. The king's nefarious secret. What a scandal and moral degradation it would bring upon the royal family if it were revealed that their most powerful and respected ruler had a male lover to warm his bed at night. And Luhan craved to do so. To drag the despicable man down from his pretentious throne, but he couldn't, for his loving parents and innocent brothers.

"Now, identify yourself, gentleman, for I have given you my answers, and what kind of matters brought you here at the dead of night?" Luhan had sauntered forward until he was right in front of the suspicious man. Call his reckless, for even if the other had drawn a sword for his advance, he'd have impaled himself upon it without a second thought. If he had died accidentally, his family would be safe, wouldn't they?

@(C) Lu Han He could feel the closer steps around the palace, making him shiever on his place as he leaned his back to the cold marble. He exhaled not realizing he was being too loud since he had been holding his breath for a quite a long time now. He shook his head, face palming himself mentally.

Even though it had been years that when he forst started escaping from the palace at nights, he was still a little clumsy about the whole thing. Especially being inside another palace was a big mistake for someone who belonged to another empire. Being a prince was not helpful to this situation too. Since the four empires were inside an ongoing war, they could easily mistaken him as a spy. And that would be his way to his execution. Hongbin didn't want to die in such a young age, he had plans for a long peaceful future.

Being lost in the thoughts, he gasped when he heard somebody talking to him. He looked his opponent, the man looked so.. beautiful. A beauty that people wouldn't see often. He had deer like features and he looked so fragile with his not so tall posture and skinny arms and legs that coulnd't hide even under the large kingdom costumes. "I.." He opened his mouth but nothing came out. What could he tell him in a situation like this? Who was him anyways? "I am sorry but I can't tell you that until you tell me who you are."

@(C) Lee Hongbin It wasn't until Jinah, his maid of six years, had admitted herself into his room to light the lamps fixed at the four corners of this chamber did Luhan realized night had fallen. A grateful smile adorned his lips when he looked up from the elaborated details of a painting he was working on to pass the time, earning a bright one in return as well. "Han-ah, the guards saw a magical chameleon in the royal garden yesterday. They claim it glows in the dark!" Raising a single brow, Luhan's eyes glimmered with interest, as if the pair of pristine stones occupying the exact shade of midnight sky has stolen stars from the sky. "Shall we go see for ourselves?" Jinah nodded vigorously, eliciting an amused chuckle from between those cherry bows.

And so they slipped into the garden when the daylight noises finally ceased, trapping the air in a bubble of welcomed quietness.

The only sound occasionally interrupting the silence was the shuffling of their footwear over the floor of willowy grass carpeting the garden. Eyes intent on catching sight of the so-called otherworldly creature, Luhan failed to notice they've ventured closer to the entrance of the palace, where huge double doors remained unforgivingly closed, as if mocking his years of imprisonment. A wry smile crept onto his pretty face, no longer filled with neither hope to escape nor wish for vengeance but heartbreaking resignation.

Jinah, after all this time, learned to keep mum at moments like this.

Letting out a breath, he mustered his will to walk away, but before he could, a quick movement snatched his attention. It came in the form of a tall figure who was, from what he could tell, was attempting to sneak in with much stealth. Intrigued, Luhan ignored Jinah's pleas to leave - because Han-ah that might be an assassin or a rebel or someone dangerous! - and made his way to the stranger cautiously. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" He asked outright, but not unkindly, for he was never someone who could intimidate or threaten. Plus, he never intended to, so long as the other did not do him harm.

[ oh no it's good enough~ but of course I won't say no to anything better > u < ]

@(C) Lu Han It was one of those nights when Hongbin had left Kronia just to explore around. By exploring around, he always meant doing dangerous things out of his father's control. This time, first in a while, he was inside Tradora's borders. The earthbenders were all seemed to be asleep since the city was burried in long silence. Among all empires, he was really afraid of good earthbenders. Because being able to play with the whole world with the slight move of their finger always amazed the young prince. Tiptoeing around, he entered the palace. Actually he had used an air balloon to flew around so that the guardians couldn't catch him but it was okay. He was finally knside the palace. His finger tips touching the marble and wooden designs on the walls, imagining to what they had been witnessed before... It all was calming for the young prince. But soon he woke up from his thoughts with some footsteps getting closer to him. And he soon turned the corner to hide himself behind the grand entrance.

() sorry for the lame start.. i'll be better soon i promise^^