The sealed gate had a lattice-work arch carved from petrified elder wood. Etched on it were many runes and wards. A measure to keep the captive prince from escaping its luxurious cage, if the crumbling, weed choked, gloomy looking pavilion could still be called an abode.
Yeyan paused for a breath beneath the shadowed frame and placed his finger on the center of the seal, spoke to unsealing spell, grounded himself and pushed the gate open. It opened silently even though it hadn't been opened in a month, it's been that long since the last keepers body was taken away from here.
Yeyan stepped inside without hesitation, the inside of the onece noble house was devastating to look at. It was far worse on the inside than he had thought from looking at the outside. At least the weeds were fewer and has no poisonous ones among them, but this place had many. It's as if someone planted them here on purpose, maybe so the prince who was starving would eat and pass on.
Another thing he is realised was that, the place was too quiet. Although a prince was said to live here there was no sign of that. The pavilion seemed extremely ghostly and deserted. Dust covered every surface with mold and other things he couldn't name present, this was not a place for a person to live.
After entering many places, he finally went to the main hall to check. It was the largest room, so maybe he might have gone there.
When he stepped inside, he immediately felt eyes on him. The young prince was staring straight at him. He was laying down on a makeshift nest atop the main seat in the hall.
The tiny child, looked more beast than human as he laid there covered in filth that had accumulated for who knows how long.
His hair or fur, as he couldn't which it was looked badly matted and possibly has lice or worse in it. He had beast ears atop his head, his hand seemed more paw like as he had long blackened nails and fur all the way to his elbow, from his mid thigh downward was also covered in fur with claws on his toes too. He was also naked with what looked like rages hanging on his body. Something moved behind him and yeyan spotted a tail, long, equally dirty and matted. The prince looked more like a sick and emaciated cat inside of a scary beast.
A low growling from the prince brought yeyan's wondering mind back on track. This was his master now, the tiny thing that was supposed to be six years old this past autumn. He looked even younger than he should be. His slit bloody-gold eyes stayed on him, sharp, predatory like, as if accessing if he was a treat or not. The growl was meant to threaten, but it had come out soft, weak and broken, a very bad sign as the prince already looked like he was dieing yet holding on stubbornly.
Yeyan walked towards him, causing him to try to stand and failing miserably. But even then he still tried to look menacing.
Yeyan exhaled, got to his knees and bowed with his head to the ground towards his master, a ritual of acceptance on his part of his master. He lowered himself so the prince would not see him as a threat, especially in his severely weakened state.
Yeyan raised his head but kept his eyes down.
" l am yeyan, the eunuch assigned to you by the court. Please let me help you. I have heard of how those before me cared for you but I promise to not harm you. I hope you would not harm me either. "
No answer came but he already knew from the jade slip that although the seventh prince Yuan wu could understand human language, he couldn't speak it. He needed to be thought it patiently but non had wanted to be near him for long, much less teach him.
But there were many who took advantage of his situation to harm him. He was often ignored, treated like a beast and hit. His nanny has tried to help but there was so much a person can do, instead she got framed as the one harming the prince and was executed. This caused then five years old boy to kill for the first time, his beast taking over and making his tortures forever silent.
The nanny had been his only sincere friend and ally but now yeyan was here to take up her duties. To hell with what the court thought would happen, he needed the prince to live so he could. In his weakened state now the prince could die and he would be blamed for it. Both of them had to live and for that to happen the prince must trust him.
Yeyan could feel prince Yuan wu's feline like eyes on him as he knelt before him. He knew the prince thought beast - like was very intelligent. He knew he was just clearly being distrusted but he didn't mind. After awhile of not hearing movement or sound from the prince, yeyan raised his head to check if he was alright but met the prince's eyes.
They both froze, drawn to each other's eyes in a mysterious pull, like tides to the moon.
The prince broke trance first, the eyes of this new strenger were too familiar yet he had never seen them before.
His ancient beastblood awakened again, but this time without rage but ease.