Lle na all yr haul cyrraedd: Part I (2/2)
Still feeling boneless from their journey through the portal and the lessons, Yixing pushes back his plans of seeing Minseok’s condition with his own eyes until he has found some rest.
When he wakes, it is still dark outside, close to how the surroundings were when he retreated to his room the night before. He reckons that it might be because it is still early morning and that the new bed doesn’t allow him enough sleep with it’s unfamiliarity. He quickly washes and changes to a new set of clothes, their make being the same as the robes given to him the day before but this one is of sapphire color, the hem lined with gold. It reminds him of the prince’s eyes and how their intensity is enough to make Yixing fall down to his knees. He shakes the thought off and focuses on his plans for the day, stepping into the clothes before marching out to find Jongin already waiting for him outside. The guard bows to him and he tries to communicate where he wants to go. The guard seems to understand as he bows and walks to a hallway Yixing hasn’t been to before.
The wounded astronaut seems to be in good hands, the planet’s royal healer, Hirsch, as he introduced himself to Yixing, tending to him dutifully and making certain his needs are well met as it will take quite some time for him to fully recover and do things on his own again. Sehun, who seems to be all over the palace, enters just when Minseok falls asleep. He pulls the healer and Yixing to a separate room where they can have a chat and still look over the astronaut without waking him.
“Hirsch, did you know?” Sehun asks enthusiastically, taking a seat even before the healer and Yixing can close the door, “I have a new name,” he smiles brightly, “the humans call me Sehun.”
Hirsch pats his head, smiling a little bit at his childish good mood, “You seem to like it.” The prince smiles even wider, showing his approval before turning to Yixing.
“Yixing, you should give Hirsch a name too.” The prince encourages the scientist, nodding towards Hirsch’s direction who places an assortment of snacks on the table for his visitors.
“If it’s okay with him,” Yixing smiles a little nervously, not knowing what kind of temperament the healer has. Fortunately, he is easygoing and smiles at the scientist, gesturing for him to continue. “Well, your eyes are as beautiful as a deer’s,” to this the royal healer tilts his head, as he knows that those are animals from a different planet, from Earth, “Please don’t be offended.” Yixing lifts his hands in hopes of helping his case, being compared to an animal isn’t really something one would fully appreciate if not explained thoroughly. But once again, Hirsch just urges him to continue and he seems not to be bothered much by it. “I think they’re very beautiful creatures and in our planet to have our eyes be compared to theirs is a huge compliment. Thus I think the name Lu Han fits you perfectly, as Han can be written with the character for deer in my language,” Yixing smiles, hoping that his chosen name is to the healer’s liking.
“Hmmm,” the healer closes his eyes, “Lu Han,” he repeats Yixing’s words before opening his eyes again, “I like it.”
To this affirmation, Yixing beams at him and breathes out, “I’m glad.” He picks up some of the snacks after Lu Han tells him good-naturedly that rejecting food from someone is considered a rude gesture on their planet.
“I have a question to ask,” Yixing breaks the comfortable silence in the room. Sehun has already moved out of his chair and has since been scouring Lu Han’s office for something new that he can play with as the other is not only a healer but also an inventor. However, upon hearing Yixing’s words, the prince settles back down to his chair, eyes trained towards Yixing, “It’s been bugging me and I know only you of royal blood can answer it since it seems like only you are capable of it.”
Lu Han and Sehun nod at the same time before the scientist finally asks, “How come you know how to speak our language?” The prince seems to allow Lu Han the chance to answer the question, gesturing a hand towards the healer before moving the same hand towards Yixing’s direction.
“Years ago, my father was inventing a new technology,” Lu Han starts, hands clasping around what seems to be a mug, eyes cast far from where they currently are, “it was meant to enable us to communicate with the other side of the planet without having to send messengers who have to travel hours and maybe even days, depending on their means of transportation.” Yixing understands the direction of where the healer’s story is going, but he still listens intently. “After finishing the first model though,” Lu Han points towards something huge placed at the center of the room beside his office. Although the thing is covered by a black cloth, Yixing can deduce that it’s the first model the other is talking about, “when he tried to connect it with the one on the other side of our planet, he intercepted radio waves from another planet. Back then he already had learned the possible languages from our neighboring planets and it didn’t sound like any of the ones he already knew. He consulted with the counsel of other planets and found out about the existence of yours.”
“Why did you study our language?” Yixing’s question made Lu Han smile. The scientist filing the fact that there are others like the Llwyth people in other planets, more otherworldly beings, for later processing.
“My father and the King would always tell us that it was just out of curiosity but we knew about your plans of exploring the universe, your people sent messages to us and inhabitants of other planets, this I am sure you are aware of.” The scientist nods, knowing exactly what Lu Han is talking about, remembering NASA’s efforts of sending messages of peace projected towards other planets. “We wanted to be able to communicate with you once you arrive here.”
“How come you didn’t contact us first?” Lu Han chuckles at Yixing’s query, light and amused.
“To put it bluntly, we didn’t want you here.” Sehun looks away, clearly annoyed by the healer’s answer but knowing at the same time that it is the truth. “We wanted to, in the beginning. We are friends with inhabitants of our neighboring planets so why not Earth as well. But,” Lu Han looks meaningfully at his drink, pulling it close to him, “your people, they have destroyed and are slowly destroying your planet. Is it not the reason why you’ve been so intent on finding a place where you can settle next?” Yixing gulps. It is true, their planet seems to have a disease and the humans seem to be the parasites that brought the illness upon it. “Our planet is not at all perfect, it only is habitable because we make it to be. We are afraid of what your kind will do if they find out that there are places they can invade and take over.”
“That’s not-” Yixing wants to say that that isn’t their plan but he knows the kind of greed humans have and what Lu Han is saying is not far-fetched at all.
“I know you only mean good for your people.” Lu Han smiles at him, melancholic but still beautiful, the brown mixed in his rosy pink and silvery grey eyes making him look more human than alien. “But, I would suggest that if you can, teach the inhabitants of your planet how to treat it and not to just find an escape from it.” The healer’s words, although a bit harsh, mean well and Yixing nods, eyes looking towards the window where the moon is still hanging above their heads.
Yixing and Sehun eventually say their goodbyes to Lu Han, the scientist promising to visit Minseok again after he’s had his rest.
“You seem to be all over the place, Sehun,” Yixing comments when the prince informs him he will have to part ways with the scientist soon as he is needed somewhere else. The prince chuckles and Yixing is quite tempted to ask just how old he is.
“All over the palace, yes. All over the place is my brother.” Sehun informs him. Now that the prince has said it, Yixing realizes that he’s never once bumped into the heir despite having walked around the hallways of the palace quite a lot to get to one place from another. “If you’re looking for him, he might be in Sonnenstadt at the moment.”
“He’s in So-He’s where?” Sehun laughs at the human’s confusion and difficulties in pronouncing the name, barely able to keep the boisterous noise to himself when he sees the way Yixing’s eyebrows furrow.
“Ah, my brother or your tutors should be the one teaching you these things.” Sehun makes a face then shrugs, “But I guess it can’t be helped.”
“Let’s start with your Tuhwntmae’rsêr lessons, walk with me.” Sehun seems to not get tired, if he really has been going around the palace this whole time and still has the energy to teach Yixing, “Sonnenstadt is the name of the city we have built on the other side of the planet, it faces the sun.” The scientist nods in understanding, “Mondstadt is where we are now, this part is facing the moon,” the prince points to the window where the moon can be seen as if to prove a point. “The palace itself is named Dinas Hynafol, just in case you hear it somewhere and wonder what it means.” Sehun looks at Yixing then and winks before turning at a corner and opening a door that leads them to the kitchen, the different appetizing aromas mixing in the air makes the scientist hungry.
Then Yixing suddenly realizes the meaning behind the prince’s words, “Wait, you described them as places facing the sun and the moon.” Sehun nods, taking what seems to be a spoon before dipping it into a bowl, scrunching his nose before giving further instructions to the woman on the other side of the table.
“Our planet, Tuhwntmae’rsêr, has two sides,” Sehun takes a plate from a server and offers some of its contents to Yixing, who has no choice but to try whatever it is, be it good for his body or not, “one that faces the moon and one that faces the sun. As we’ve grown up on and have studied our planet, we have discovered that our planet,” the prince stops at a table where things that look like vegetables to Yixing are scattered. Sehun takes three different-coloured round objects, placing them in a line on the table. “Our planet,” he repeats, taking the purple object then putting it down again, “orbits around the sun,” Sehun points to the orange object that he placed on the left side of the what he said was their planet, “alongside the moon.” The prince holds both the purple vegetable and one that looks similar to a potato before making them circle around the object representing the sun. “I believe your planet doesn’t work the same way.” Yixing shakes his head, barely hiding his astonishment. That explains why it is constantly night time where they are.
After Sehun makes his final inspections, they leave the kitchen, the aromatic scent of the food lingering on the scientist’s clothes. He sees Chanyeol say a few words to Sehun before the prince redirects his attention to him.
“If you are not tired yet and have no lessons, you can come with me.” The prince smiles, walking further and further towards a giant door that Yixing remembers from the day before to be the entrance of the palace, “Let’s pay my brother a visit.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The ride to Sonnenstadt is quiet for Yixing as Sehun is in constant communication with Chanyeol in their native tongue, flipping through charts using a tablet that the prince later folds to the size of a square inch before tucking it into the pocket of his clothes. Yixing can see the sun even before they cross the border that separates the two cities. Compared to the Earth’s distance to the sun, Tuhwntmae’rsêr is far closer to its sun. The scientist wonders how it is possible for these beings to endure such long hours under the sun. With it being this close, Yixing can figure out just how scalding hot it must be once he steps foot into Sonnenstadt. He can see sparse clouds above the dry land, doing nothing to shield the inhabitants of the planet from the scorching rays. If not for the protective glass that wraps around their vehicle, Yixing’s skin would have been toasted by the sun already.
Sehun informs him that they are close to the city and when he redirects his attention to where the prince is pointing at, he understands how they function under such heat.
Sonnenstadt is completely different compared to Mondstadt. It seems like the whole city is covered by large domes, some transparent, some white, some half and half, and varying in sizes, confining compared to the open roofs of the palace. They are obviously built around the city to protect its people from the harsh sun. They stop at the center of the city where a tower stands. Yixing remembers seeing an identical one in Mondstadt, and he is surprised to find people strolling around. He quickly removes his seat belt and stands up when he finds the prince already making his way out the door of the vehicle. As soon as part of his body is out of their transportation, Yixing feels the same breeze he felt the night before when they landed in the gorge. He would have expected something more burning rather than soothing but he isn’t one to complain, he can study these matters later on. Quickly, he falls in step with the prince, following him wherever he may be going, hopefully towards Prince Teyrndlws.
Then Sehun stops, making Yixing bump his head against the prince’s back.
“S-sorry,” the scientist apologizes, rubbing his forehead as he, for the first time, looks around the building they have entered. The first thing he sees is glass, everywhere. When he looks up, he sees the sun and the sparse clouds, not a white block of cement. He drops his gaze and he realizes that they’re in a library, or what seems to be one, shelves of tomes line the borders of the dome and the center, the circular area lowered by a story and surrounded by the floor where they currently are.
The second prince points a finger to a certain portion of the library and there Yixing finds Prince Teyrndlws sitting on a chair with children flocking him. There is a smile on the prince’s face, an expression that the scientist has never seen before from the stern-looking prince but it easily pulls a dimpled mirroring smile from Yixing as a certain warmth starts spreading across his chest. His smile grows wider still when he sees his future husband talking to one of the children, his large hands almost covering the kid’s face as he comforts the child.
Prince Teyrndlws looks up and finds his brother with Yixing. The scientist bows when he notices the prince looking his way. Sehun then pulls the other to a walkway that will take them to the prince.
“It seems your future husband is very curious about our planet and your whereabouts,” Sehun opens when they are close to where his brother is already standing up, a child in his hold, “so I brought him to you.”
A blush spreads across Yixing’s cheeks. He doesn’t know what he is allowed to say and even if Sehun seems to be very easy going, he isn’t quite sure about Prince Teyrndlws just yet.
“I’m sorry for leaving you in the palace.” The heir apologizes, putting down the child as the others seem to gather around Yixing, fascinated by the human.
“It’s alright.”
Sehun decides to break the awkward tension between the two by informing Prince Teyrndlws of the new name the Korean crew gave him the previous day, his laugh ringing in the library as he tells his older brother that he might want a change of name to be able to keep it. Yixing decides to let the children grab him by the hand and take him wherever they please, so he can escape the gaze that’s been following him ever since the prince spotted him.
After having nothing more to say to his brother, Sehun bids him farewell to carry on with his duties in the city. The prince allows the children to play with Yixing, looking at them fondly as they talk to the human who doesn’t understand a single word they are saying.
“They said that you are beautiful even though you are quite a bit shorter than an average Llwyth.” The prince interrupts the giggling children as he walks to the small garden placed in the middle of the library where the children are free to play. Yixing instantly blushes at the words, wondering if the children really said that or if it is the prince’s way of charming him, forgetting the second part of the sentence to indulge himself in the first part. He sees the royal smile again as the prince pats a child, who presents a kind of flower to Yixing, on the head. “That flower is only given to someone worthy of it.” The scientist looks down and finds a flower that deeply resembles a stargazer. It is mostly white, except for the tips, which are faintly pink, and the middle of each petal is lined in pink, connecting the five petals in the middle where the rosy colour is far richer. The stem is of the same shade of pink as the middle of the flower, becoming a shade deeper as it reaches the end. Yixing is half expecting the colour to bleed into his hands, but it doesn’t.
“It’s beautiful,” he finally breathes out, fingers tracing the silky surface of a petal. He’s never been one for flowers despite having potted plants that he cares for in his apartment, their smell not as pungent as flowers, relaxing his senses and giving his eyes some good rest after looking at a computer screen half of the day.
“Exactly.” He hears the prince’s reply. The response only makes his cheeks color even deeper than the stem of the flower in his hand.
“It’s named Serenliebe.” The prince reaches out and traces the back of the petal, eyes following the movement of his finger before looking at Yixing once he’s reached the pinkish tip. The scientist is still reeling from the prince’s earlier off-handed compliment to respond to this information so he just hums and looks at the flower once more, avoiding the royal’s gaze.
“Would you like to come with me?” The prince offers his hand to Yixing. The children around them have long since dispersed to find something far more interesting than the prince’s future companion, “I still have one last thing to do before I can go back to the palace.” The scientist takes the offered hand, as he feels that rejecting things here, no matter how courteously you do so, would be seen as a lack of etiquette.
“I am sorry for not being present to answer your questions,” the prince tells Yixing as they walk hand-in-hand along a hallway that connects the library to a different dome, “but it seems my brother has been of help to you.” If Yixing is being honest, he would say that he heard a hint of jealousy in the prince’s voice but the fact that they have only known each other for barely a day makes him think that the royal is merely stating a fact, most likely. “However, if there is anything that you are curious about in the future,” the prince pulls one wing of the door open, Efydd quickly grabbing the other when he notices the prince’s arrival, “I would appreciate it if you came to me and not to anybody else.” The tone of claim in the prince’s words makes Yixing shudder, a reminder that he is betrothed to this man and will one day be married to him.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
It has been a few days, maybe even a week, into Yixing’s and his crew’s stay on Tuhwntmae’rsêr. After his visit to Sonnenstadt where he saw a different side to the prince, their relationship has been more open. The royal would always ask Yixing if there is something he wants to know about their planet or the prince himself. At first the scientist was hesitant, afraid that the being would laugh at his apparent ignorance. However, as time went by, he has come to realize that the prince likes his curiosity and feeds it, answering every question the scientist has and tickling his brain even further to make the gears work and ask him some more.
Every day when the prince rises, the first thing he does is to see if Yixing is already awake. The prince gave him something similar to an alarm clock, showing him that their days and nights are shorter; something that the ancestors of the Llwyth have decided upon long ago because they lack the natural rise and set of the sun and moon to dictate the length of day and night. They have no dates though, just time.
Unlike before, the prince now always makes sure that he brings Yixing to his lessons before leaving for Sonnenstadt. Upon reaching home, the prince’s first port of call is always Yixing’s study, a place adjacent to the heir’s office that the prince had asked to be renovated for the scientist. If he doesn’t find Yixing there, he goes to the human’s room, finding him either alone, lost in his readings or with his friends gathered around him, listening to their plans and what they might need to be able to return home. The humans always disperse though and leave whenever the prince arrives, meaning the royal has Yixing all to himself as they have supper before parting once more to rest.
The prince is kind enough to allow Yixing and his crew to roam around the planet to find the portal that they passed through. They are also given the freedom to use whatever equipment they need to do their studies and repair their vehicle. According to Jongdae and Baekhyun it will take at least three weeks in human time to fix it if, and only if, they find the right materials.
The scientist, in the times that he isn’t occupied with helping out his crew, has since been diligently studying in his lessons for him to grow accustomed to the traditions of the Llwyth. He still has troubles with the language, so his tutor decided for them to focus on the customs and traditions of the Llwyth first, learning the words along the way. The prince has taken responsibility in teaching Yixing the use of their weapons, not allowing anyone to touch the scientist and possibly harm him. Those lessons, whether Yixing would like to admit it or not, are his favourite. The prince touches him more openly and in turn, he has an excuse to put his hands around the royal’s lean arms and, if he is brave enough, he even grazes his fingertips on the prince’s clothed toned chest and arms.
Whenever it is possible, Prince Teyrndlws brings Yixing along with him to his visits to Sonnenstadt. There the scientist sees how the royal treats the people under his reign, how he would lower himself and give what is his as an answer to his people’s needs. He sees how the heir interacts with the people, not putting himself high on a pedestal but instead talking to them as if they are equals. The genuine smile on the prince’s face whenever he is surrounded by the Llwyth always makes Yixing’s stomach flip and his heart skip a beat. And slowly the scientist realizes that being with the prince isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Just like that, the royal has gotten around to being nonchalant whenever he’s with the scientist; even foregoing his heavy responsibilities whenever Yixing asks to be accompanied to the garden in the royal’s chambers, where the Serenliebes seem to glow under the light of the moon. The royal still finds it hard to show affection though, as it has only been close to a week since Yixing and his crew crash-landed and even with years of studying humans and their language, he still doesn’t know how to get his point across without being helplessly blunt. So he tries his best to say and do things in moderation, gauging the scientist’s reaction to decide whether he can do more or should do less. The prince still has to perfect it but he’s getting there.
Yixing knocks on the door of the prince’s study, located just below the scientist’s room as he is staying in the heir’s chambers. Once he hears the royal give him permission to enter, he pokes his head in and greets him, “Prince Ternthdoos.”
“It’s Teyrndlws, Yixing.” The scientist flushes as apologies for his mistake cascade down his mouth. The royal waves his hand to extinguish the fear in the human’s eyes, “It’s alright.”
Without the human saying a thing about why he is in the prince’s study, Prince Teyrndlws stands up, dons his cape and walks towards Yixing.
“The garden?” He asks, putting his arm out for Yixing to take. The scientist nods and happily takes the offered arm.
The walk to the garden is quiet, as it usually is. Normally, Efydd, who Yixing has given the name Zitao, and Jongin would be following the prince and the scientist around wherever they go but they have long since understood that once the two step into the garden, they are not to be followed anymore. That night is the same and they fall into their routine once more. Zitao and Jongin stand guard by the entrance while Prince Teyrndlws and Yixing roam around the garden.
Yixing almost says the prince’s name wrong once more but is able to catch himself before doing so. Instead of calling out to the royal, he bravely asks, “Would it be alright if I called you by a different name?” The prince switches his gaze from the moon to Yixing, his eyes questioning but no words of protest come out of his mouth so the scientist continues, “Your name is quite hard for me to pronounce, I’m afraid.” He suddenly looks down, afraid that he might have said something wrong since the prince isn’t saying anything. “I just don’t want to keep making the same mistake and if anything it should be your name that I know best.”
The prince considers this for a second, thankful that Yixing is able to be honest with him. The human, as the royal has observed, seems to be quiet if not engaged in a conversation. So for him to open the topic and share his worry that he might be offending the prince every time he makes a mistake with his name, draws a smile on the royal’s usually stoic face, “What name would you give me then?”
Yixing seems to perk up from where he is seated, eyes instantly meeting the prince’s at the sign of permission. He smiles then worries his bottom lip before saying one word.
“Yifan.”
The heir tilts his head to the side, his long silvery hair almost touching the ground, “Does that mean anything in particular?”
This question seems to make Yixing more enthusiastic, his eyes landing on the nearest Serenliebe before them, “In my native language it means capable of being a man or to be a man. It’s more poetic and the deeper meaning is that you are someone of high status but you are willing to humble yourself.” The scientist lifts his eyes up to meet the prince’s, “I think the name fits you perfectly.”
The prince appreciates it, smiling at the fact that the scientist thought well of the name he is giving the royal and that it isn’t something he chose for convenience’s sake.
“Yifan,” the prince tries the name and tests the way it rolls from his tongue, satisfied to know that it is far easier to say than his original name.
Beside him, Yixing’s dimple digs deep into the scientist’s cheek as he mirrors the prince’s expression, catching the royal’s breath as one word is affectionately uttered by his lips, “Yifan.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
GLOSSARY
word/phrase/sentence (language): meaning/translation
Byd Newydd (Welsh): New World
만나서 반갑습니다 변백현씨 [read as Mannaseo Bangapseubnida Byun Baekhyun-ssi] (Korean): Nice to meet you, Mr. Byun Baekhyun.
Eindringling (German): Intruder
Kudzipereka (Nyanja): Surrender
Symud o fy ffordd (W): Move from my way
Tywysog (W): Prince
Tuhwntmae’rsêr [originally ‘tu hwnt mae’r sêr’] (W): Beyond the stars
Llwyth (W): Tribe
Peidiwch a mynd yn bell (W): Don’t go far
Sonnenstadt (G): Sun City
Mondstadt (G): Moon City
Dinas Hynafol (W): Ancient City
Serenliebe - It’s a word that I made up by combining Seren (Welsh for ‘Star’) and Liebe (German for ‘Love’): Star Love