Title: Meeting in a Time of Peace
Fandom: Guardian
Rating: G-rated
Length: ~2161 words
Notes: Shen Wei & Fourth Uncle, pre-canon, backstory, mourning, kid fic. Inspired by the comments on this discussion post on sid_guardian. Much thanks to trobadora for beta. No Warnings.
Summary: Newly arrived in Haixing, Shen Wei goes into the forest and meets a man who is mourning the death of his brother.



The Envoy stood in a sun-dappled clearing in the forest to the west of Dragon City. Beside him, a stream glittered with tiny, darting fish, while insects hovered above the water’s surface. The land which had been all but barren for years after the meteor strike was now verdant and teeming with life.

The mission team had gone east and were due to report back in a few days, but Shen Wei couldn’t just do nothing, so he’d ventured into the wilderness to see if, by chance, he could find any sign of the Hallows himself. Haixing didn’t need the Lantern to light its sky, and it didn’t need powerful weapons, which meant the Hallows were most likely lost, not stolen. Had they been scattered, or were they still together? What had torn them from the Sky Pillar? In the past they’d seemed wilful, activating without an obvious trigger—had they come to Haixing of their own accord to create another wormhole?

He could detect no trace of them. Everything was bright and beautiful and ordinary, and—the search was an excuse, anyway. He needed a respite from the unrelenting activity and crowds of the city. He needed, for just an afternoon, to be himself.

Still, there was no reason to waste the journey. In all of Haixing, it would take a miracle to run into Kunlun in this random patch of forest, and the chances of stumbling across the Hallows were just as slim. But looking past green leaves and vines to vibrant blue sky, he saw a crow flying high overhead. Oh, yes. There were people he could ask.

A few hours later, instinct, dark energy vision, and what he’d learnt from Fu You about Snakes’ preferred habitats brought him to the edge of a small village. A man of about Shen Wei’s age (not counting his time in the energy seal), wearing a turban, sat on a low bench under a tree at the side of the path. His head was bowed, his shoulders slumped. Was he asleep? There was a baby in this lap, tugging on his bead necklace.

The sun was about to set behind the mountains. The rest of the village was quiet.

Shen Wei approached, making sure his footsteps were loud enough the man wouldn’t be taken by surprise, if he was awake.

Sure enough, the man looked up, his eyes widening as he took in the Envoy’s mask and robes. He put his arms around the infant as if to shield it. “You’re not Yashou.”

“No,” agreed Shen Wei, stopping a good few metres off. “I’m not human either.”

The man scooped the baby into his arms and stood, assessing him frankly, but Shen Wei thought his use of the polite form had quieted the man’s alarm. “Good. I have no time for humans right now. What are you doing here aboveground? And why are you masked?”

They were simple questions on the face of it, but Shen Wei had no simple answers. He introduced himself instead. “I am the Black-Cloaked Envoy. I knew your kinswoman, Lady Fu You.”

“Fu You? The Black-Cloaked Envoy? Those heroes from the ten-thousand-years-ago war? Ridiculous.” The man snorted. “Never try to trick a Snake. Who are you really?”

Shen Wei almost smiled. It was a relief to be greeted without obsequious ceremony. He stepped closer. “What’s your child’s name, sir?”

The baby was tugging on the beads again, brow lightly furrowed in concentration, hands and chin gleaming with spit.

“This little rascal is my niece, ah-Hong.” The man let out a deep sigh. “This week is her father’s burial at the top of Snake Mountain. I stayed behind to care for her.” He hugged her close, and the baby gurgled, oblivious to her loss.

Shen Wei suppressed a pang. This was no time to think about his own brother, who he’d believed to have died as a child. No time to dwell on how he should have looked for his brother further, for longer, how he should never have given up—and it was no time to regret the man his brother had become. “I’m sorry.”

The Snake man sat back down on the bench and gestured for Shen Wei to join him. He might not believe Shen Wei’s identity, but it seemed he needed someone to talk to in his grief. Shen Wei sat.

“My older brother was an idealist.” The man stroked his niece’s wispy hair. “Everyone said he was destined to be High Chief of the Yashou Tribes, like Fu You herself. But he was always looking outward. He thought the people of Haixing could live in harmony together. I told him there was no place in the human city for a snake, but—” He broke off and gulped down a sob.

Tears of sympathy pricked Shen Wei’s eyes. On impulse, he took off his mask and held it in his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said again, staring into the trees on the other side of the path to afford the man’s sorrow some privacy.

After a while, there was the rustle of clothing, and the man cleared his throat. “There’s no welcome in the city for Dixingren either. You’d do better to return to where you came from.”

The warning was well-meant, but Shen Wei couldn’t take the man’s advice. “I’m here to find the lost Hallows. And—I have a friend here I must meet.”

“The Hallows?” The man looked startled, then suspicious. “Who are you really?”

Shen Wei regarded him frankly. He was not a handsome man, and his eyes were puffy from crying, but he was the first to treat Shen Wei as a person rather than a myth come to life since Shen Wei had woken. And Shen Wei had always found the Yashou to be trustworthy allies. He summoned his blade. “I am the Black-Cloaked Envoy, newly appointed ambassador of Dixing. The Hallows trapped me for ten thousand years, but they were lost and the energy seal weakened. I am on a mission to find the four Hallows and bring them home to restore light to Dixing.”

The man’s jaw dropped. His niece grabbed at his chin.

Shen Wei sent his blade away again. “Do you have news of them, by any chance?”

“My brother always swore they were just legends.” It was obvious the man agreed.

Of course finding the Hallows would not be so easy. But the bench was not uncomfortable, and it was refreshing to be able to speak freely. “And you, sir? How may I address you?”

The man caught the baby’s hand and let her clutch his finger, still looking stunned. “I’m the Head of the Snake Tribe, but you can call me Fourth Uncle—everyone does.”

It was a designation more suited to an elder, but it fit him nonetheless.

“Thank you, Fourth Uncle,” said Shen Wei gravely. “Your kinswoman, Lady Fu You, was a great and wise leader.” He hoped she and her people had lived long, happy lives after the end of the war. It was hard to believe they were a hundred centuries dead and he’d never see them again.

“Those were different times,” said Fourth Uncle, as if Shen Wei had asked an unwelcome question. “The Yashou lead a quiet life now. We keep to ourselves, in accordance with the Treaty.”

“It’s what she wanted for you.”

Fourth Uncle sighed heavily. “I wish my brother had agreed.” The baby Hong began to grizzle, her little fist curled against her uncle’s tunic. “She’s hungry. I need to get her some milk and egg. Can I offer you wine, Lord Envoy? You know, Snake Tribe wine is renowned for its flavour and potency.”

Shen Wei suppressed a rueful wince. “Do you have tea?”

“Yes. Yes, of course.” Openly disappointed, Fourth Uncle stood up, then hesitated and indicated the little girl. “Could you—?”

Which was how Shen Wei, the Envoy, found himself sitting at the edge of a Yashou village, with his mask tucked into his robes, holding a crying Snake baby as the sun set behind the mountains. “Live boldly,” he told her. “Speak truth. Treasure those who love you.”

Her wails grew louder. Too young to understand. Too young to remember. Shen Wei bounced her experimentally, as he’d seen mothers do at the Allied Forces camp, but it made no difference. Well, of course, that wouldn’t cure her hunger. He summoned dark energy, formed it into a small butterfly with jewel-coloured wings and made it flit and dance above her, in the hope it would divert her for a moment. The Guardian Treaty set new limits on his powers in Haixing and he didn’t have his full reach, but a small display like this was nothing.

Her cries cut off with a hiccough. She watched the butterfly, wide-eyed, and tried to snatch it from the air.

Fourth Uncle returned with a tray and beckoned Shen Wei to one of the outdoor tables between the rough houses, and soon they were settled there, baby Hong noisily sucking egg and milk, and Shen Wei with his hands curled around a hot cup of bitter tea. He made the energy butterfly land on the table and stay there, flexing its wings as if the sun still shone. Fourth Uncle eyed it without comment.

“Lord Envoy,” he said, when the baby had eaten her fill and her eyes were drifting shut, “after all this time, not much is known of the ancient war. If you would care to tell me about it and about the Yashou’s role in it, I’d be glad to listen. We should know all we can about our history.”

Shen Wei didn’t know if he was just looking for a distraction from mourning his brother, but a request for learning couldn’t be refused. So Shen Wei told him.

He talked until the evening dew began to fall, whereupon he put up an energy guard to keep them dry. He talked until the night sky sparkled with a billion stars. They shared an evening meal and more tea, and baby Hong cried and was fed again and slept, and Shen Wei spoke of Lady Fu You and Lord Ma Gui, of Da Qing and his own role and the men who had fought at his side. Of the Rebels’ atrocities, and how the Allied Forces had vowed to protect Haixing. “And then another joined us, the great general Lord Kunlun, who helped to turn the tide of the war.”

He paused, hardly daring to breathe, but Fourth Uncle didn’t seem to recognise the name. Which didn’t mean anything, Shen Wei told himself. The Snake Tribe had cut itself off from the humans. Of course Fourth Uncle wouldn’t know a human general. Nonetheless, it was disheartening, and he finished quickly, explaining about the Hallows and, briefly, his own part in how the war had ended. He didn’t speak of his brother, unable to admit his own failure, ashamed of who his brother had become.

“The Hallows,” repeated Fourth Uncle, with a frown. “They are too powerful to be lost in Haixing—they’ll bring all kinds of troublemakers out of their cracks.” He shivered, and baby Hong, sleeping in his arms, snuffled.

“They’re not just weapons—they’re also a crucial factor in Dixing’s infrastructure,” Shen Wei pointed out. “If you hear anything, please send me word. A message sent through these will always reach me.” He put a small handful of his incense cones onto the table, next to the empty teapot.

Fourth Uncle nodded. “You should come back soon and meet the rest of the tribe. We’ll hold a feast in your honour.”

“I would be pleased to after I’ve found the Hallows and fulfilled my mission. Until then, I’m afraid my time is spoken for.” The pendant around Shen Wei’s neck seemed to glow with hope and promise. He covered it, pressing it to his skin, resolved. He would find the Hallows and find Kunlun, too, and only then would he return here. He’d bring Kunlun, and they’d share in the honours. Kunlun had always enjoyed a feast.

In the meantime, he had to finish establishing his cover identity in Dragon City, learn how to get by in the modern milieu and decide how to pass his days. He couldn’t search all the time. He had to live, too.

“Fourth Uncle, despite the sad circumstances, I’m glad to have made your acquaintance. I wish you, your niece and your tribe prosperity and peace. Now I must be going.” He stood, put on his mask and summoned a portal, its edges luminous in the clear night air.

Fourth Uncle stood too. “You will find what you’re looking for, Lord Envoy, however long it takes. Just remember, our cooking fires are always hot.”

Shen Wei bowed his head in thanks and left. He had allies in Haixing now just as he’d always had and, as always, much to do.



END