12 Someone to Protect

Xue Qin walks into the house, "Da Xia, all this time I've spent looking for you..you were hidden here the entire time?"

Jia Yi pulls Da Xia over, "Don't listen to him, the Prince is always like this." She looks at Jia Yi, "He's my fiancé, the one I've been talking about.." Xue Qin tries to explain," I'm not here to hurt anyone, I am only trying to find my fiancée, Jiang Da Xia, and to find our way back home."

Xiao Jian clenches his teeth, "Someone here reeks of blood mommy." Jia Yi was out of her mind, if anyone it'd be Xue Qin. Da Xia was also a possibility since she's unknown of her powers, but she was more innocent than Xue Qin. The chill air seeps into Xiao Jian's skin, giving him the goosebumps, "Mommy, I'm scared."

She covers Xiao Jian with a blanket, "It's okay, I will take care of this." Then she looks over at Da Xia, "Listen to me, he will hurt you. Did you not hear Wen Qiang speak of her story??" Da Xia suddenly remembers, terrified, she slowly looks over to Xue Qin.

Agitated he pulls Da Xia into his arms, "Quit playing around with her mind! I didn't do anything!" He looks into his fiancee's eyes, "Da Xia, we've only been here for some months now, who are you to trust better? Your fiancé or some woman you just met??"

She stood silent. Before Jia Yi began to speak out again, Xue Qin carries Da Xia and leaves the house. Worried, Jia Yi pulls him back, "Leave her here! Don't you dare take her away!" His blood starts to boil .

Why won't she just let him take his fiancée in peace?!

Angered he shakes Jia Yi off him, "Don't touch me, nor Da Xia. I'm warning you." His cold stone eyes terrified Jia Yi, leaving her to let go of his robe.

Xian Jian runs over to her, "Mommy don't go near him, he's powerful! He will hurt you!" His third eye never tells any lies. Jia Yi begins panicking, full of worries, "What do I do?! The Prince is up to something with Da Xia!"

Xue Qin helps Da Xia get in the horse. He looks behind him, "Hold me tight, don't fall off." His voice was as soothing as ever. She places her arms around his waist tightly as the horse began walking. "Return to the palace!" Xue Qin orders his men.

Ying Pei bumps Wu Zhou's shoulder, "We're not heading to Jin Xing Palace are we?" He looks at Ying Pei, "We're not?" Wen Qiang continued walking past by them. Wu Zhou then asks Wen Qiang, "So where are we going if not Jin Xing Palace?"

She looks back at them, "Someone keeps calling me over..." Worried, Wu Zhou switched his place with Ying Pei, "Who's calling you?"

Giving off a tired look she feebly replies, "My core..fragments.. Ice King has one.." she then falls down and black out. Startled Ying Pei loudly questions, "FRAGMENTS?!! They broke her core into pieces?!" Frustrated he stops walking and crosses his arms, "There's NO way we can find it all."

Wu Zhou catches onto Wen Qiang before she fell onto the dirt ground,"Why's she like this?!" Ying Pei answers, "It's because she doesn't have her core that why's she doesn't have any strength to do anything."

He sighs then tells Ying Pei, "Let's head back home so Jia Yi can help cure her then. And...something's been bothering me lately too. Especially with Wen Qiang." They both take out their swords and flies back home to recover Wen Qiang's health.

Xue Qin and Da Xia finally reaches the palace. He holds her hand as they walk in the King's meeting. "I will hold a private meeting with her when I get the chance to even meet her," Zhang Yong tells one of the ambassadors. Then, the door bursts open, "I kept my words. I found Jiang Da Xia," Xue Qin tells his father.

Chen Zhang Yong smirked, "Never mind, seems like I can hold the meeting today." Scared, Da Xia hides behind Xue Qin. His eyes looks over his shoulders, seeing Da Xia hiding her face behind his back.

"Bring her into my room, I'll see what's so good about her. Then I'll think about if I will allow you to marry this woman or not," Zhang Yong tells him. Xue Qin turns around and hugs her, "I'll lead you there. If anything happens, just call for me, I'll come immediately."

Da Xia replies nervously, "I don't want to go alone Chen Xue Qin, can't you be there with me too?" He smiles, "Don't worry, I'll be right outside the door." He kisses her forehead then walks her into the King's room.

When they reached the room, Zhang Yong finally entered after them. "You may sit here," he tells Da Xia as he sits in his spot behind the little wooden desk.

Da Xia clenches her fists in nervousness. He begins talking, "I heard my son proposed to you." She remembers, 'Right..Xue Qin is a Prince...' then she nods her head to answer him, "Yes, he proposed to me not too long ago."

"Where are you from? And who are your parents?" He questions her continuously. Da Xia panicked, she didn't know any places here! "...Yan...Yan Ze Village.." she lies. Then she gathered her courage up to look at the King face to face, "My parents are Rong Su Yin and Jiang Li Jun."

"What does your parents do for a living?" He balls his fist on the desk. She replies without hesitation, "My father owns a book store, and my mother sells silk fabrics."

"Your status?"

She bows, "Noble."

Xue Qin waited outside the door anxiously. His mind were filled with crazy thoughts:

What would the King say?

Would Da Xia be alright?

Would they be able to go back home to where they belong?

His heart pounded in extreme anxiety. Then, Da Xia came out the door. He immediately hugged her, "What did he say?" Da Xia smiles, "I can stay here in the palace with you until he thinks it all out."

Xue Qin sighs in relief, "'The probability of you staying here with me will be high.' That's what I will keep believing for now." Da Xia begins to worry, "But what if things don't work out as planned..?" He holds her hand gently, "I will make sure nothing ever goes wrong. We will always be together."

His words lifted Da Xia's murky mood. "Let's go inside my room, we can stay there as long as we want," he smiles softly at her.

Ying Pei and Wu Zhou finally returns home. Their eyes widens at the sight of their house. Why was the barrier gone? Quickly, Ying Pei bursts the door open. He sees Jia Yi holding Xiao Jian as he fell asleep, "What happened here?" Wu Zhou scans the home, "Where's Da Xia?"

Jia Yi looks up at them in guilt, "The Prince took her," a crystal clear tear dropped from her hazel brown eyes, "I couldn't stop him. What should we do? Da Xia could be hurt right now."

Wen Qiang opens her eyes and sees that she's back home. Wu Zhou dashes out the house angrily, "Damn you stupid Prince! I'll take our Da Xia back!" Ying Pei rushes after and grabs him by the collar of his robe, "Don't act without thinking! We need to find a way out first!"

Wu Zhou was impatient, "What is the plan then? How can we get Da Xia back!?" He slicks his long hair back, "The Prince could be torturing her already.."

Ying Pei looks at him, "Not to change the subject..but were you always this worried and caring about her? The two of you always fought and seemed to dislike each other?" Wen Qiang looks at Wu Zhou and spoke in her mind, 'What the hell is wrong with him? Has he lost his mind? Caring about someone whom he'd just met some months ago?'

Jia Yi then realizes, "That's true..I've noticed that a lot lately. You both kind of have a love hate relationship."

Wu Zhou sighs, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just feel like I have to protect her. After all she is my friend too."

Ying Pei puts an arm around him, "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get our friend back."