#This aint going on AO3 because its a multimedia au

[vegalocity]

The Red Groom

It seems as though i’m done writing horror for spicynoodles rn because all my brain wants me to do is get some real romance in here lol

SO WHO WANTS A PRINCESS BRIDE AU?

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Once upon a time, long long ago, there lived a prince.

This prince was the son of the Demon Bull King and his wife Princess Iron Fan, and as is the wont of royalty he suffered very little in his early years. Red Boy as he was called in his childhood, was a studious boy. Very eager to please his family and often would he train with his magic, his studies, and his weapons. He was a brilliant child, but he lacked kindness. He was loud and opinionated, the boy had a firey temper and had difficulty sitting still, thus he was rarely allowed to sit in as his parents went about the daily business of managing their demon court. He was often sent into the nearby town disguised as a human child to play with others of his similar assumed age.

This treatment continued long after he grew to reign himself in, It continued as he fell out of favor with weapons and began to take up tinkering, it continued as he proved himself the most brilliant student any of his tutors had ever educated, and it continued until he was old enough to change the 'Boy' in his name out for 'Son' as he properly grew into a man.

At this point he'd grown used to the treatment, no matter how many advancements in their way of life the prince now called Red Son had come up with, his parents would still give him little to no respect. However he continued to hold out hope that should he create something great or do something wonderful, his family would finally begin to put him through training to some day inherit the throne. Therefore when sent down into the nearby town he would find himself holing up in a nearby Inn to continue his work.

It was there that he met the Inkeep's son, a bright boy with a sunny grin named Qi Xiaotian.

At first the prince had nothing but derision for the Inkeep's son, referring to him derisively after the dish he would suggest to any who ask for recommendations in the restaurant potion of the Inn, his fathers 'famous' noodle bowl.

So the prince had at first very little opinion of the noodle boy beyond a passing appreciation for his looks and annoyance at his staunch desire to befriend him, he either did not know who the prince was, or he simply didn't care. Neither of which improved the noodle boy's stature in the prince's eyes.

However, one passing annoyance to another began to mount up, and out of a desire for the noodle boy to stop bothering him, the prince struck up a conversation with him, in hopes of talking his ear off about subjects that he was sure would bore him, things that he was interested in yet every time he'd try to speak of, even within his parents court, he'd get about a minute's worth of ranting in before he could see his conversational partner's eyes glaze over as they tuned him out.

But the noodle boy's gaze did not fade or waver. He listened with rapt attention even as the prince tried his luck and got into the nitty gritty of a current experiment. He asked informed questions, asked for him to define a word he used because he'd never heard it before. And once the prince realized he wasn't going to scare the noodle boy away, he'd grown silent and wondered aloud why he cared so much. To which the noodle boy responded that there was a sort of magic in asking people what they're passionate about, and how he loved watching a friend light up as they spoke of what they loved.

The prince hadn't known what to say so he simply asked the noodle boy what HE loved. To which he responded two things, stories, and art, especially stories of the Monkey King. Though the stone monkey was more infamous than famous, there had been whispers of the monkey recently escaping his prison under the Mountain of Five Phases to become Buddhist and escort a reincarnation of Golden Cicada on a quest of some kind, and the noodle boy had been fascinated with his story even before the rumors had made their way to this town. He found himself remembering something his father had told him of in his childhood and mentioned that his family were once allied with the Monkey King, though since his havoc in heaven had ended so tragically his father and the Monkey King's sworn brotherhood had since been made null.

It seemed the noodle boy really HAD not known who he was, as he suddenly was very formal indeed toward the prince. After the one true conversation and scores of attempted ones, the prince found that once it stopped he'd found himself bereft of company. So when he next returned to the inn he struck up conversation with the noodle boy, starting for once, by doing one thing he rarely did outside the palace, ordering something to eat. The noodle boy was flustered, and the only thing he'd been able to get out was a quick squeak of 'as you wish'.

That quickly became a running phrase between the two, the prince asking for the noodle boy to sit with him and tell him of the art pieces he would work on in his down time: 'as you wish', if he'd like to hear the story he'd been able to pry from his father about his time allied with the Monkey King: 'if you wish', if he would mind terribly if he vented his frustrations to him about this or that project that simply was not turning out; 'Do as you wish'

Even as the awkwardness and embarrassment on the noodle boy's part faded it turned from a nervous turn of phrase to an in-joke of sorts. Whenever the prince would ask something of the noodle boy, he'd respond with 'as you wish'. And soon enough the prince and the noodle boy became great friends, and the prince would complain far less about being denied entrance to his parents' political meetings. Oftentimes taking matters into his own hands to go down into the town simply to see the noodle boy and spend a time talking.

Then one day, as the prince was rambling about one of his planned projects that he simply could not wait to start on, he'd glanced sideways toward the noodle boy, simply from the corner of his eye, to check to see if he was even making any sense, only to find something the noodle boy had been holding so close to his chest that he would never have seen if he had thought the prince was watching him.

And it occurred then to the prince that the noodle boy loved him. It took the prince a time to get adjusted to, a time to assess his own growing regard for a peasant boy whom worked in his family's inn, and came to the conclusion that he just may love him back.

So he confronted the noodle boy with his discovery, and under little pressing the noodle boy confessed his own feelings.  That he'd been pining from afar long before he'd recognized the prince as who he was, and that in part was why he was so adamant to befriend him. That in his own foolishly pining way every time he'd said 'as you wish' to him he'd really been meaning 'I love you'.

They spent only a single night together, as any more would make the prince's parents suspicious. Their relationship carried on in secret for a time, conversations in the inn carried on innocently, yet letters full of secret truths were slipped between either of them at every meeting. But no secret can last forever, and the noodle boy decided that before the prince's parents found out about the two of them and likely forbade the prince from ever returning to town, that he'd travel afar, gain fame or riches and return with enough of a title or enough gold that his parents would have no qualms with him courting their son the proper way.

So the prince and the noodle boy parted with a promise. A promise that the prince would staunchly keep for three years, even as his faith began to wane that his beloved would return the prince would continue to turn away suitors, claiming that he would not marry someone whom he cannot have a conversation with. Even those whom COULD keep up with him had such a smug arrogance about them that the prince turned them away as well, this had begun to grate on his parents whom had believed him free for too long already and would need to pick a bride soon to ensure an heir.

The prince however had no interest in humoring this train of thought, one of the few times he would hold his ground against his parents, and would often return to the Inn in town to keep his ears open for any news of his love's return. And on one of those trips, the inn's doors were locked. Asking around town the prince received news that none left waiting would ever wish to hear.

His love had been staying for a time in a small village that was housed to a great battle, Where the Monkey King had apparently split ways with his new master and his traveling party to return to his mountain and devour any who dare come near. The entire village was razed to the ground in the Monkey King's wrath, and other than his former traveling party, there were no survivors, ensured by the Monkey King himself.

Qi Xiaotian, his precious noodle boy, was dead.

The prince's despair was so great that he needed to be escorted back to the palace by a kind stranger, wherein he locked himself in his workshop and refused the door for anyone. The sound of the forge long into the night revealing he dared not sleep, and the scarcely touched plates left outside the door around meal times implying he barely ate. His parents, who were informed of the affair by the same stranger whom had escorted the prince to them were furious with their son's secrecy, but below that, were deeply worried for his health.

For three weeks the prince stayed in his workshop, and when he finally emerged he had written down all operational guides for all of his completed projects and set them beside his parent's bedroom door. For another two months the prince didn't say a single word to anyone. Not to the court, not to his former tutors, not to either of his parents. His work began to consume him, as it was understood to be the only thing he could focus on without remembering.

At the end of two months his parents' worry far overshadowed any anger still harbored toward their son, and the prince ended his silence upon one night, the moon was high and the stars were bright, as his mother came into his room to try and coax him into bed properly instead of letting him work himself into collapsing onto the stiff pile of cushions in his workshop once more.

The prince's voice was barely over a whisper, weak and cracking from disuse.

“I will never love again.”

And for the first time since he was very young, his mother wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tight.

Another year passed, as the prince slowly regained his will and strength. Though his voice returned, and his studies picked up once again, the fire and passion that had thrived in him had dimmed. And to many surrounding demon kingdoms that meant nothing but good things. Most notably, that he'd likely be far less antisocial to their suitors that sought out allyship with the Demon Bull Family.

And it was true, though the prince still held no interest in the new swath of suitors that had begun to form his once near offended dismissals had become halfhearted and resigned. The prince had no heart left to give away to another after all, his heart had been burned away in a small village far far away from there.

But the prince and heir to the throne needed to marry SOMEONE, and as another year closed out, it was decided that the prince had spent long enough mourning over a peasant boy he could never have truly been with anyway, and his parents ensured his engagement to another prince from a kingdom far away. The prince put up resistance, as he had no intention on ever finding another to love, but his parents reminded him bluntly that for those in their position, marrying for love was a rare, nigh unattainable gift. But if he was willing to put in the work he could GROW to love this other prince, just as his parents had grown to love eachother before him.

This prince's father was dying due to a curse of some kind and he was slated to be king very soon, so it was decided to send the prince to his palace for their betrothal instead of the other prince coming to his own.

But this other prince had no interest in a union of houses. He had planned for the prince we know to be kidnapped and murdered by a small yet fearsome group of mercenaries while in the territory of an enemy kingdom of his, so when the Demon Bull Family found out of their son's wretched slaughter they would lend their forces to the prince's own and he would be rid of his enemy for good.

But of course, unknowing of this plan, the prince resigned himself to his parents forcing him to betray what little remained of his ashen heart, and prepared himself for the journey. Though there was ONE good thing about it.

The prince you'll remember was gifted in his studies, and part of those studies were in mastering his fire magic. And the path between his family's palace and his betrothed's palace was near a very particular mountain. Perhaps he could move on and accept his betrothal if he were able to avenge the love he lost.