The sun had just risen over the horizon when The Grand Priestess found herself walking down the hall headed to her only child’s chambers, it was a bit too early for the teenager to be awake but she wanted him to make an early rise because of how special the day was. Her ears twitched when the wind brushed against it just as she arrived right outside her child’s door.

She smiled as she knocked on it gently and listened but there was no sound on the other side so with a shake of her head she pushed the door aside, she walked into his chamber and had to push another door aside before she entered the room and had to stifle a laugh back at the sight of her poor son. She had no idea how the child could be fast asleep in such a position.

He was literally half way off the bed; the only thing that kept him from hitting the floor was the fact that his hand and foot were tangled in to the blanket. She quickly rushed over to him and placed her hands around his torso and lifted him onto the bed, happy that she was able to do it because of her lucky descent.

She watched as he reached for his pillow and quickly reached snatching it from his grasp receiving a pitiful whine as he tried to bury his head into his bed, she shook her head and placed her hand on his back gently tapping it “Xiao-Ping my child it is time for you to rise, I know you wish to spend it sleeping but the day is much too special for that.” All she received a muffled rumble before her son reached to pull the blanket over his head.

She arched her brow and took hold of it, she snatched it away from him and off the bed thanking the heavens that he child had at least been wearing his underwear. She smiled as he groaned but slowly slid onto his knees and then lifted his head from the bed, he turned it to face her and she looked into his piercing golden green eyes.

He blinked a few times before adjusting himself so that he was sitting on the edge of his bed looking up at him, she moved forward and brushed his Rose Gold locks from his face, she clicked her tongue “this frazzled look doesn’t sooth you my child, your hair is much too thick to be this long, it will give you a head ache if you were to try and comb it, come let’s get you in the bath and I’ll send someone to fetch my sheers so I can make you look proper, okay?”

Xiao-Ping nodded as he looked up at his mother with sleepy eyes “that’s my babe, come on.” She took his arm and helped him to stand leading him out of his room, they turned left and she pushed aside another door that revealed a wooden tub in the center of a tiled room with the necessary things for bathing around the edge and the tub had already been filled with warm water as she had asked.

“Go on have a bath and wash your hair and I’ll go pick out your outfit for the day my sweet.” She went out the room and shut the door in before going back to his room, she smiled at the sight of maid who was already in there changing the sheets and tidying his room. She went up and went into his wardrobe and flicked through the clothes he had.

She sighed at the choices and looked down at her own outfit, would it be too much trouble if they matched. She twirled a little and watched as her white and light blue robes followed her movement. She was dressed in four layers, he first being her under dress which was white followed by her white robe, and after that the light blue robe and then finally another silk white one, all had sleeves of different lengths so each color was able to show itself beautifully.

To top it off she was wearing a light blue belt that matched her robe and hung down her front and stopped just at her ankles, and of course she was wearing the jewelry to match with her hair done up nicely with blue, gold and white ornaments hanging from it. She appreciated the time it took her to put on the robes because of how beautiful it was.

She shook her head and went through his things again finally deciding on a white and dark blue shenyi along with a black cloak with grey trimmings that had grey swirls going up the sleeves, She smiled and placed it on his bed, then went on to decide on how she would cut his hair, thinking that maybe she should leave it long just trim it a little.

She had finally made up her mind when Xiao-Ping walked in the room looking fully awake, he smiled at her and pulled her into a hug, she smiled and patted his back before pulling back and placing a kiss on his head “now you look all better, you always look so much better after a wash.” He smiled as she ran her hands through his hair “do you want to cut your hair or just trim it?” he seemed to think before agreeing to have it cut.

She nodded and went out the room and sent someone to go fetch her sheers while she waited for him to get dressed, soon one of the servants retuned with it and a cape that would keep her son’s clothes from getting dirty. He let her know he was done and she cooed at the sight of how handsome he looked, even going up to adjust his coat just a little.

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She moved and pushed the doors that were on the side of his room top the side revealing a small garden area with a stand, one of her servants ran and placed a chair in the middle as Xiao-Ping took her hand and helped her to walk down the small path to the stand, once they were up he took a seat and she tossed the cape over him.

She collected the comb from a tray that one of her servants were holding and started to run it through his hair, it was long going below his butt, but with how lazy he was when it came to caring for it, it normally looked an unpresentable mess. She slowly ran the comb through his golden locks and then took the sheers cutting at his hair.

She stopped when it was in a medium two-block style, she ran the comb and brush through it bring some down in front of his face and clapping at her work “you look perfect, now at least you won’t have to try hard to keep your hair presentable, can I count on that?” Xiao-Ping looked up at her and nodded as he smiled “that’s my boy, now come along, eat breakfast with me.”

They soon made it out to the main garden where a table had been set out for them with the different dishes all aligned perfectly. The Priestess was all too happy to help dish out Xiao-pings meal and they ate tho there fill and watched as everything was taken away before she turned to him and smiled “Now I’m wondering if my child knows what to day is, what makes it so special?” he shook his head and she smiled “Ah, I’m a bit surprised that you don’t but just because I wanted to I’ll tell you what today is.” He smiled and waited on her to speak so she leaned in taking his hand “today is the day that my son becomes a man.”

Xiao-Pings eyes widened at what she had said “I wanted it to be a surprise and from what I could see you are as surprised as you’ll ever be. Just like my son to keep himself composed no matter what, you make me so proud that you are mine.” She pulled him into a hug and kissed his head “now today there are many things to be done and it all leads to the grand coming of age ceremony that will be held at the royal palace and I’ll be able to bestow your blessing on you as I will the other boys, but I’ll make sure you get the best one.” She winked at him and he laughed “Okay now I must go and you go find something to do that won’t get you in trouble.” She placed one last kiss on his head and walked away to go begin her day.

::

Xiao-Ping waited until his mother and her servants had gone out of sight and then let the smile he was holding onto drop, he sighed and leaned forward resting his head on the table and throwing his arms over them “She makes it look so easy…” he mumbled to himself and just let the silence take over his space.

He could never understand the Priestess, she was one of the most powerful people in the kingdom and could literally speak to the gods, she could do whatever she wanted whenever she liked, get whatever she sought after but yet she chose to bring someone like him into her home and called him her child, what was so special about him?

He sighed and stood up deciding to go to the library, he had to walk out the sleeping area where his, the Priestess’s and the helpers chambers were all located. He passes the bathing area that all of those that worked in the temple used, he had never been in it so he didn’t even know what it looked like but he did remember a servant saying it was the best bathing area he had ever used.

He passed the kitchen are and then he was out into the actual temple, it was needlessly huge, packed with different prayer rooms, rooms for different scenarios and offices scattered here and there, his mother’s study was the biggest and set on the highest floor. He ignored the statues of the gods that lined the area and quickly made his way to the west side of the temple.

The west Side of the Temple was actually one large room that was made of lacquered wood that covered every surface, along with shelves that stretched up every available walls, any walls not used held windows that could be swung wide open and when they were shut you could see out but no one could see in.

There were boots, chairs and tables all made of the same wood just a bit lighter than the floors of walls, with different embroider pillows of all sizes, that you could sit on or hug if you wanted. When it was dark, there were floating lamps that hung around all over the room, they would come down to be lit at a certain hour and then return to their perch and when the library was closed they would out themselves.

He walked in and stepped on a board that was raised slightly off of the ground, as soon as his feet touched I, the board rose into the sky and he faced the shelf he wanted to go to and the board floated over there. He went down the line looking for a certain book sighing when he saw that it wasn’t there, the board floated him down to a desk where Bao one of the Temple helpers who worked as the Librarian sat happily reading a book.

Xiao-Ping frowned when he saw it was the book he was looking for and didn’t even say a word as he snatched it from her grasp, she moved to yell at him until she saw it was him and smiled shyly “Ah you’re here, I didn’t think you were coming today, especially seeing it was your big day, oh and congratulations.”

He kept his face blank and just nodded at her “I told you not to touch this book, you always fold the pages and this book is old so it couldn’t take much abuse before it falls apart, so don’t touch it.” He spoke sternly and she shrunk back saying that she only wanted to know what he was reading, he shook his head at her “Curiosity killed the cat and the blasted thing had nine lives what do you think it’s going to do to you?” Bao looked down and he sighed before turning on his heels and walking away.