fengqing bodyguard/royalty au‼️ PART 1
prince mu qing, stuck in an arranged marriage
ask anything else of him & he would gladly do it for his mother, the queen & his people
but this? he’s torn between his duty & his heart
because he’s actually in love with his bodyguard
his bodyguard, feng xin, who’s been by his side for years
his mother had no idea he had fallen for the gifted archer she had assigned to him when they were just 13, after his father had been assassinated
how could she have? he never told her..
he hadn’t even told feng xin….
yet the karma of keeping his mouth sealed so tight seems to have caught up to him
because here he was - standing next to his mother, as she explains how now that he’s 18, he’s of marrying age
he nearly lets out a small gasp, but masks it, as he realizes what she’s implying
“mama….surely you don’t mean….” he hopes his voice doesn’t actually sound as strained as he thinks it does
“qing’er….I’m sorry…..the court has my hands tied here…they demand you marry…..to produce an heir…”
“mama?” mu qings eyes widened, his composure finally cracking. he whips his head towards her, finding her head tilted forwards, a common posture she took when hiding her face
“i know, I’m sorry qing’er….they’re having candidates come to meet you as soon as possible….”
his mother didn’t raise her head to meet his eyes, as if ashamed.
his hands trembled as they curled into fists
he stopped himself, biting his tongue
he couldn’t tell her about his love for feng xin
yes, his mother was a caring woman, a caring queen, basically his best friend - if he was being honest
yet, what if she found out her son had fallen for someone most consider palace staff
HE sure as hell didn’t think of feng xin as just some random staff member hired to protect him
no, he was mu qings closest friend & confidante, even if mu qing didn’t act like it at times
mu qings mother loved him & respected him greatly, always listening intently to what feng xin had to say, always making sure he was fed & had the warmest clothing for the colder nights
…yet would that change if she discovered mu qing loved him?
would she kick feng xin out?
he told himself no, his mother would never do something as cruel as that, not to anyone - but especially not to feng xin
but what if she did? what if she blamed feng xin for ruining mu qings shot at what she hoped would be a happy marriage with a complete stranger
no, he couldn’t tell her.
he bit his lip, bending slightly in a bow, before all but stomping away from his mother & towards his chambers
he had half a mind to let the doors behind him slam, but he knew it wasn’t his mothers fault - and he refused to disrespect her like that. it was that stupid courts fault after all, & their bullshit about heirs
he shut the doors behind him slowly, before turning towards the hallway & coming face to face with feng xin - whom as usual, was waiting for him
“oh. hey.” he nods, cringing at the way his voice cracks
“what’s wrong? did something happen? are you hurt?” feng xin springs into action, noticing the littlest change in mu qings usual attitude & tone
he frantically looks over mu qing, simultaneously touching him as little as possible - since he “wasn’t allowed to touch royalty” (his words, not mu qings)
once feng xin decided mu qing was not in any immediate danger nor sported any wounds, he came back to stand before him
“the hells up with you?” he asks, eyebrow raised
mu qing sighed, pulling his arms around himself before swiftly walking ahead
“h-hey! your highness!” feng xin shouts, running after him to catch up
once beside him again, feng xin bends his head slightly to match mu qings height so that when mu qing turns, they’re making direct eye contact
“what’s wrong? what happened?” feng xin asks again
“nothing, don’t worry about it” mu qing huffs, picking up speed in order to get out of the air that smells faintly of feng xin
“it is quite literally my job to worry about you, come onnnnn, tell meeeee!”
his eyes roll “if i tell you im safe, & moms safe will you drop it?”
“no, but thanks for trying!” feng xin smiles
mu qings heart beats three times faster & he feels his face heat up
gods…feng xins smile had always had an embarrassing effect on him
it always tore down his walls & made him feel warm & safe & trusting
he sighed, eyes flicking to feng xins smiling face once more before darting to the hallway ahead
“i have to….im……mama said….”
he bit his lip, pulling his arms impossibly closer in on himself
if he said it out loud, it would be too real
he looked to feng xin once more, seeking the bravery that the archer always radiated
feng xin nodded, gesturing for him to go on
with a deep breath, he rushed out “i’m getting married”
then, seeing the door to his chambers, he sped up even more, wanting to hide away forever
he could hear feng xins heavy footsteps race after him
he was so close to his chambers, so close….
he moved to pull open the door…..yet it was slammed shut, feng xins palm flat against it as he cornered mu qing
“married?! you’re getting married?!”
(being posted on twitter in thread form first, if you’d like to follow along there!)
