The vast beautiful ground and according to the empress. A fruitful place they could have grown plants and other things but was used to train animals was where he had to take a piece for himself.
The sun was setting casting a beautiful shadow on the verdant grass with the horses trotting around. The golden hue tainting everywhere including the trees, he insisted on growing around it after the death of his mother, their leaves flying with the gentle breeze.
As he ambled his way down the gravel paths to the dragon crested handle, this was the only thing he listened to his father concerning this place. The former wooden fence was taken down by the horses so he insisted on iron.
As he pushed the gate open, the creaking sound caught the horses and groomer's attention and their eyes swerved at him and he smiled. One of the things that cleared his head was riding on his horse and though Xin-yi wasn't allowed to ride her horse, he left it on the palace grounds.
She did sometimes but rarely which was sad with the paddock initially made for her. Her horse galloped to him, a milk coloured horse with a white mane. The same colour she dreamed about and his mother knowing it wasn't his bought it for her.
The one thing he's father had hated after the appearance of Xin-yi, was his mother undivided attention and care and motherly love she bestowed on her but he couldn't do anything about it until the demise of his mother where he showed the true design perfecting the artwork on the empty canvas he's mother had been seeing.
He just didn't understand and tried to add up everything instead it's like his brain regressed trying to expound his father. He was a puzzle, each time you think you've solved the mystery to get to the end, a new world of answers springs up.
Nothing made sense but her in this palace and world he found himself in and the universe had to curse him by putting him in this position.
He tipped his head up to the sky, he didn't know if he could call after her but following their little fight she would hate to spend any time with him. He sighed, squatting to rub the horse on the body and it whined bending low.
It really missed the owner but there was no way they could meet each other. She was occupied.
The crunching of dried leaves and thumping of the ground alerted him of more people coming, which was the groomer who bowed his head in greeting and his horse by the side.
Midnight black. A colour that suited him and his thoughts and life. This was bought a year after Xin-yi insisted they both have a horse, so they could be riding it together.
The smile that graced both of their lips that day was one of his fondest memories where he went and remembered what life was before they both grew up and his mother…
"Your highness?"
His eyes opened wide as the groomer pointed at his horse that had left his hold and was cantering off with Xin-yi's horse. He nodded to the groomer and sprinted after them.
Li-Rong successfully took his horse away from the hold of Xin-yi's horse, ordering the groomer to take her back to the stable for the day. He was going to send his back to the stable if he was able to return that same day.
He climbed on the back of the horse, almost tripping from the saddle's stirrups but regained his footing. He sat astride, laughing then hitting the horses' side "Are you trying to get me on the floor?"
The horse neighed and he laughed again, his robe scratched at his skin and he itched to pull the outer robe but knew he couldn't. He hit the horse's body again and it began trotting and then cantered before he bent to the head and slapped it on the side and it galloped away.
It jumped the low iron wrought fence which made him laugh as he rose up in the air, he could use some air and space alone. As they ran across the field and raced past the trees now going out to the back exit of the palace.
Not everyone knew this path or more like only the imperial family knew about the exit, covered by trees lined at the sides and out of those trees was a lake.
The palace was guarded by water, surrounded and protected by a large lake and even then no one could dare infiltrate, his horse stopped and his eyes veered to the front of the pathway they stood.
Darkness cloaked the lane, down that pathway, there was an old fountain that didn't produce any water with wildflowers growing around it and then out of the palace to places that were still owned by the imperial family. To make sure no one had access to any house or property anywhere close to the exit.
He nudged the horse with his heel, he thought about coming down and leading the horse to the exit but thought against it, jabbing the horse that kept whining as it stepped into the dark.
"Don't be scared" he said in a low voice as they walked in and like a breeze in an early spring, so fast and cool on the skin if you aren't sure you would guess it for something more or other-worldly but it wasn't.
And like he wasn't the only one that saw and felt the ghost of someone fleeing the space by the side of the dry fountain, the person had been on their haunches with a lantern in his hand but blew it off upon his arrival.
But he knew what he saw
He dismounted his horse, pulling out the dagger he kept inside his inner robe, he swung it back and forth before steadying it in his hold ready to launch at any threat.
His face stern and stoic as he quietly prowled the trackway, his horse whined and he hushed it but the low voice didn't fade. He carefully treaded the place but found nothing and sighed.
There was nothing but he was sure he saw someone there who had taken their fire out after probably hearing the noise his horse was making while walking.
He exhaled, licking his lips at the image of catching his prey and slashing their throat or outing them in his special dungeon and interrogating them but no they'd to run like the coward they were.
He backtracked to his horse, the crushing of the dried leaves and wild flowers under his foot made enough noise to have the few birds that perched on the fountain's dilapidated stony decoration flee.
He was going back. There was no need for where he was about going, as much as he hated his father. A spy in the palace grounds wasn't to be a secret but let out to the soldiers to put into action in guarding this place.
A big function was just three days away and this was the more reason for things to be taken into consideration. Everything looked sketchy and dubious.
He felt wary about this party his father wanted to throw, he could feel it in his guts about this ending bad but it couldn't be stopped when the attendees must be on their way and the maids who'd been working their hands off to keep everywhere sparkling their work not appreciated.
Xin-yi.
He rushed back to his horse and climbed on him, hitting him for him to move fast. The sight of her coming out from his father's chambers, he didn't see her face or expression.
Of what might've transpired between them giving away on her face but no she had to keep her face down. The emperor was a conniving bastard that would do anything to win and get what he wanted at the end.
He couldn't care about the repercussions but the end result which sometimes wasn't even worth what he had gone through to get that thing.
He shoved his sons who weren't useful to him aside and the few amongst them he barely communicated with were only pawns in his big game. A game he was yet to find out.
Big. So big and destructive. His heart dropped and he wheezed at the mental image of his father using Xin-yi as a pawn in whatever he was doing. A dark sinister laugh eased from his lips as he bent down to escape a branch but it still nicked his face.
Oh what he was going to do.
A small but visible gash. The horse galloped and he saw the towering buildings of the imperial palace, so high and great, how beautiful it would look in flames.
The trickling of liquid down the side of his nose to his lips and throat didn't deter him as he jabbed his horse to go faster. He only wanted to see her face and body to know she was okay and free of scratches.
His father was not averse in handing out punishment when and where he saw fit on them. Even the empress received a few hits from time to time. Everyone had shared a potion of that particular care from him.
But he wouldn't dare touch her. Not after everything he had sacrificed for her to be safe and secure. Away from troubles and harm from everyone in the palace yet his father couldn't keep away for just the time being.
He growled. Things were getting worse and out of his control. His father was putting him in a place, his hand wouldn't be able to get but then he forgets, he could cut someone else's hand to reach that place to obtain that control.
He could do anything and everything as much as he would go to attain his goal.