Su Lan

1301 years after The Long Night

Yán Tan

“It’s like the gods don’t want us to succeed…”

“Hmph! Good luck telling that to the King-”

Su Lan rolled his eyes at Yuan Ning.

The dark-haired man exclaimed, “What?! Are you looking forward to telling him we came home empty handed?”

Su Lan knew the two younger soldiers both had their qualms about returning with an unfinished mission hanging over their heads. Yuan Ning and Tan Zhi didn’t know the King like Su Lan knew him. Yi-jun would ask after their health first, and then he would make plans to try again. He didn’t give up. And Su Lan refused to as well.

“Who said anything about empty handed?” He grinned, listening to his two companion’s questions as they continued towards Yan Tan, away from the mountainous avalanche which had blocked their path into Xuêshan a few days prior.

Of course it was Yuan Ning that spoke up first-

“What do you mean?! Are we not going to Hei’an City?”

Su Lan was still trying to remember the exact position of the mines that he knew the Xueshanian King used to have running from their capital to the coastal border, so he was hardly listening.

At last, the crushed snow beneath their feet turned back into hard earth, dirt giving way to sand after a few more hours. Before nightfall they were already at the ridge; the southernmost edge which became the thrashing sea, several hundred feet below.

It was beautiful in the dark, at a time like this when the moon was so bright. Their silhouettes against the moonlit ocean and horizon made Su Lan pause for a moment.

For a few seconds, there was only the sounds of the nightlife and creatures, and the waves far below. There was no war, there was no one dying unnecessary deaths, only nature taking and giving in an eternal cycle. That was what Su Lan believed. And he prayed that someday if they all fought hard enough against Meng Bai, life could return to the proper cycle once again.

“You want to get down to the flats, right?”

Su Lan looked over his shoulder at Tan Zhi and nodded.

“Correct. If any of those tunnels still exist, that’ll be our way into Xueshan.”

Of course, Yuan Ning thought this was less than appropriate-

“Sneaking underground into a foreign city, weapons on our backs, do you really think that’s the best way to approach an alliance agreement?!”

Su Lan knew it wasn’t the best way. But it was their only way. He also didn’t want to return to Hei’an City empty handed. Yi-jun would be glad they were back, but he hated to give his friend bad news. Again…

Half-crouching, half-sliding down one of the steep, sandy hills, the three of them managed to make it to the flats with only a few scraped up hands and a muffled curses.

The flats were actually, not flat. Well, not entirely. The flats were what was left of a desert that had almost completely dried up however many thousands of years ago, half of it dropping off into the sea and creating the cliffs. Scattered all throughout the desert were ventifacts; tall pale-colored rocks in various sizes and shapes, abraded and shaped overtime by the harsh sea winds which blew sand and ice toward the area.

It was shockingly eerie looking at night. Su Lan saw the shadows of these stones out of the corner of his eye and for a few seconds here and there, they would appear almost human-shaped, lifelike and as if they were staring at him.

Silly, I haven’t been afraid of the dark since young…

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Beside him, Tan Zhi yawned though he tried to hide it. Looking at the way Yuan Ning was slowing down too, Su Lan suddenly remembered that they’d been awake for the past twenty-six hours.

Eventually reaching an expanse of land that was guarded on all sides by the rock formations, with none dangerously close, Su Lan told everyone to stop.

“We’ll sleep here for a few hours and continue, the mines shouldn’t be too far away.”

Both Tan Zhi and Yuan Ning seemed relieved at that, and without further questions they began to lay out their things, which were; a simple bedroll and their bags as a pillow.

Su Lan watched from propped up on his elbow, an amused smile quirking his lips as he listened to the two soldiers bicker with each other over who should start a fire.

“Didn’t the King specifically send me to help you? My magic is of higher quality, anyway… now, move over!”

Tan Zhi snickered, “I’ve been nice up until now and let you have your way. Yuan Ning! Hands off! I don’t desire another sleepless night of shivering-”

If A’Jun were here, there’d be no question who’d light the damn thing, Su Lan mused. Ah, it’s still so hard not to call him that, even in my mind, that rascal-

After a bit more scuffling, Tan Zhi folded once again as he had every night of their journey, sharing a look with Su Lan which said very clearly; it’s still better to be cold than to listen to his nonsense!

At first Su Lan had wanted to make this trip by himself. Yi-jun was adamant he had help, and now he was grateful. These two were ridiculous sometimes, but they were of home, and Su Lan was happy to have them to stave off the loneliness and uncertainty that was so deeply ingrained in his bones during this war, which to him, had raged for the last twenty years instead of the last four.

This war began with the birth of my King, of A’Jun… maybe even before, with the death of his father-

Yi-jun didn’t like to hear it, but Su Lan still talked about the things he’d heard growing up, his parents leaving him to linger outside the doors of the meeting hall as they talked with other officials on “what is to be done about the young prince?!”

People have argued Yi-jun’s right to the throne since before his birth, and they argue it to this day. Was he really the rightful King when he had a mother born outside of Hei’an City? A foreigner, commoner’s blood…

Yi-jun’s father had been the eldest brother. His right was clear. Upon his death, the crown should have been passed to the younger brother, or the brother’s young son, Xie Meng Bai. As it happened, Yi-jun’s father passed away after the poor boy had already been conceived, but not yet birthed.

So Yi-jun’s mother, the Queen, fought tooth and nail to keep her crown, her rights, and by extension, Yi-jun’s crown. That unborn Prince’s destiny, to one day become King. Despite her vigilance, A’Jun’s upbringing had been difficult. Su Lan was his only friend, and he’d watched so many rules be put in place to keep the boy safe. All the while, conspiracies were being plotted to kill, kidnap or overthrow him… if Yi-jun hadn’t given up after all that, he was truly the King that Su Lan wanted to lead them all. Meng Bai, that shitty dicktator, he could go rot in a pigsty for all anyone cares!

Su Lan closed his eyes, rolling onto his back and trying to cross his arms to get to sleep. Flickers and flashes kept seeping into his mind. The day Yi-jun’s mother died, the day of his coronation. Su Lan wasn’t sure which of those days his friend had cried more.

Eyes opening, stars twinkling in and out of view above, Su Lan recalled the day all those years ago, when Meng Bai returned from a ‘business trip’ to present Xie Yi-jun with a formal declaration of war. Su Lan had been there, watching as Yi-jun’s forced laugh turned into an angry scowl.

“More than half your citizens have defected to my side,” Meng Bai said cooly. “I’m giving you this chance to back down now, avoid anything unsightly.”

Su Lan had watched as Yi-jun’s smile returned slowly, but this time it was one of fierce determination. His response rang in Su Lan’s ears to this day.

“That sounds remarkably like a threat. Well, you know my answer, cousin. How about I give you a chance as well? Say that again, just so I know you mean it.”

Su Lan had stood by Yi-jun’s side all his life, watched him come to deserve his crown, his name. Su Lan didn’t want to let his friend down, he thinks he’d rather die.

Sleep came slowly, as did dreams. In a nightmare, Su Lan watched as Yi-jun was pulled under Darkling Pond, that black water swallowing him up. Su Lan tried to move, he did… but he couldn’t. There was something wrapped around his legs. The pressure became so intense that he screamed, screamed until he woke up. When he did, the pain only got worse-

The sky was gone, there was only dust. There was only itching, burning pain that felt like Su Lan had gone and dipped both his legs in an active volcano.

The sound of screaming continued, making his ears ring, until he realized it was him. He couldn’t move. He just wanted his legs to get off of him-

Su Lan doesn’t know how long he chokes on his own tears before he forces his trembling hands down. The moment he tries to push at his legs, he feels the skin of his fingers split open on something sharp and hard. Stone?

His chest is rising and falling so fast, Su Lan knows he’s going into shock and will probably slip away soon. He wonders if the others got away before whatever happened. He thinks about how his dreams bled into reality just now, and how he wishes reality could bleed back into a dream, and take him with.

I’m not giving up, I’m not giving up! I’m letting go, let me let go-

Su lan feels something cold and wet dripping from his hands, his fingers. He hopes when Yi-jun comes to find his corpse it isn’t too terrible-looking. Su Lan waits to die. But Tan Zhi must have been right, because the gods don’t let him die. No, the gods, those blasted gods… they keep Su Lan horribly, hopelessly alive.