In a galaxy far far away, there lived a boy with fair skin and light hazel eyes, called Lan Wangji. He did not know how special he was. For his mother, at least that's what the woman had called herself since the time the boy had begun to understand relationships, had never told him the truth of his heritage. His blood was priceless. It had the power to heal wounds and return dull and dying things to bright and youthful again.

Once a week, she pulled the boy in her arms and sang a melody so beautiful that it made the boy with light eyes, fall into a deep slumber. When the boy woke, instead of feeling refreshed, he always felt drained; his wrists hurt. He did not know of the things his mother did when he was asleep. Thus, he continued to listen to his mother; continued to believe her.

To keep the boy from abandoning her, she spun stories of how horrible and full of evil the outside world was. So the boy grew up knowing only that the outside world was full of danger; filled with cruel beings who only sought to harm little boys like himself. Even so, he was a curious little thing. Whenever his mom was not around, he bound up the tiny crampy stairs that led to the entrance of their underground home, to peep outside.

What little he could see standing on his tiptoes, however, was very different from what his mother had led him to believe. For the world outside was bright and cheery. Two suns, like glowing red Nomons; his favorite fruit, the kind his mother often brought for him when she returned, shone in the purple sky. Grey, maroon and blue beings who looked nothing like him, roamed on the white shiny streets, sometimes chatting, and at other times ignoring and walking away from each other, minding their own business.

Lan Wangji studied their features, and ran to the sole mirror in his home, to compare it to himself. He smiled and frowned; laughed and cried, and ran to the window once again. He did this every day, for he had nothing better to do.

So one day, he brought it up with his mother, "Ma, can I go out just once?" He pleaded, pulling at the hem of her plain brown skirt.

"And why would you want to do that, my beautiful boy?" The mother asked in a honey-dipped voice.

Lan Wangji, an innocent boy of barely ten, failed to see the malice and selfish evil intentions disguised under layers of fake love and concern, that his mother harbored for him.

"Mother, I have been observing the outside world. And I haven't noticed the horrible beings you mention so often," he reasoned. "Maybe, things have changed." He added.

"Well, well, well," his mother snarled, "looks like Lan Wangji has grown up enough to face the outside world."

Realizing that his words had hurt his mother, Lan Wangji backtracked, "I am sorry, Mother. I won't mention it again," said the boy in quivering voice.

But the mother had other plans. She smiled, "There there, dear boy, you must go out, for if you don't, how will you believe mother? How will you realize that mother knows best, hum?"

Falling for the candy-sweet smile, the next morning, Lan Wangji, with his mother's blessings, he ventured out. The only condition his mother had put forward was that he was not to remove the headband that he always wore, under any circumstance. Lan Wangji had agreed happily.

At first, it was exactly as he had expected: No one looked at him or paid any attention to him. For, many looked like him. But as he moved further away from his home, he noticed a young boy around his age, follow him. Intrigued, but wanting to know more, Lan Wangji pretended not to notice the boy who was dressed in black with a red ribbon tying his long hair in a high ponytail.

Soon, Lan Wangji forgot about the boy who was following him, and immersed himself in observing the world that he had wanted to experience for so long. Lan Wangji took a right turn and then a left, and found himself in a place that looked nothing like the calm streets he had left behind.

Thinking it wise to leave the area, Lan Wangji thought it best to backtrack, but as soon as he turned, he bumped into a Beleum, a race he knew was notorious for their money-hungry nature. They were titled as the Thugs of the Galaxy. Of course, not every Beleum- with their pale yellow slant eyes, and a footlong gray protruding chin- could be categorized as a Thug; this, Lan Wangji hoped for his sake, was the case now. But unfortunately, he was wrong. For the next moment, the seven feet tall Beleumian smirked, and took out a sharp two-foot-long sword and brought it down on the tiny boy, who though scared, was quick.

Lan Wangji ducked and thought, 'Mother was right.'

The Beleumian laughed and pointed the sword at him as if mocking his pitiful existence, but Lan Wangji was not the sort of boy who accepted defeat. As the sword came towards him again, he ducked once more, and he thought, 'Mother was right.'

The boy and the thug, danced across the narrow lane: one attacking and the other defending, till the Beleumian redouble his efforts and the boy, tired and out of breath, started to barely miss the attacks.

I am done, for now, thought the boy, as he fell to the floor and covered his eyes. He expected the sword to take either his head or his arm. The boy thought it would be better if the thug took his head, for he did not want to be captured alive. But just then, just before the sword could touch him, the boy heard a clang of swords. He looked up and caught a glimpse of black and red fly across his field of vision.

It is the boy who was following me, thought Lan Wangji, and stood up. He watched as the boy, who was armed with a small dagger, gifted multiple small cuts to the lower half of the Beleumian's body, making green fluid ooze out from his wounds.

"Take that, Ugly!" The boy in black exclaimed repeatedly, continuing to dodge one attack after the other, till the Beleumian lost his balance and cursed in his native tongue.

Lan Wangji thought himself lucky to not know the Beleumian tongue, for he was sure that the words that the thug had used, were not meant for his innocent ears.

Lan Wangji, was brought out of his musings when his savior held his wrist, and yelled, "What are you waiting for? Run."

Then, without giving Wangji a chance to reply or act upon the said suggestion, the boy in black, pulled him along, as he broke into a sprint.

Who are you, thought Wangji, as he matched the boy's steps, and stored his queries for later.

The boy leads him further and further away from the Beleumian, until they came across a busy street filled with merchants and customers alike.

"You need to be more careful." said the boy in black, and Wangji bowed to his savior, "Wangji thanks you for saving his life," he added humbly.

"See, this is what I don't like about you higher-ups." Wangji's savior said, folding his hands over his chest, "You all are so uptight." he added.

"Mn?"

"What? Did the truth hurt?" The savior chided, and Wangji retorted, "I am neither higher up, nor am I uptight. I was merely thanking you. But if that is not something you are accustomed to, then I take my gratitude back."

With that, Lan Wangji pursed his lips and turned on his heel. He had kept his eyes wide open while being dragged along, so he knew he would not need assistance on his journey back home.

"Aigoooo!" The boy in black blurted and grabbed hold of Wangji's wrist once again, "Don't be like that." he requested and grinned at Wangji.

But Wangji, who had already formed a rather unflattering impression of the red ribbon boy in front of him, freed his wrist from the other's grip and stated, "You are rude."

"Well, I have been called worse." The boy shrugged and added, "By the way, what is your name?"

"I don't give away my name to strangers," replied Wangji.

The savior chucked, and Wangji frowned.

But you have already given me your first name, thought the black-robed boy, finding Wangji's feisty temper, adorable.

"But we are not strangers. After all, I saved your life." The boy reminded, and Wangji let out an exasperated sigh, "Lan Wangji," he said, and as an afterthought, added hesitantly, "And you are?"

"Wei Ying. Well, that's what I want you to call me." The boy smiled and bowed, "And earlier, I was just teasing you. Sorry."

Maybe I misjudged him, thought Wangji, and smiled.

"Wow. Beautiful." Wei Ying gushed, poking Wangji's cheek gently, "If only you would have smiled at the Beleumian, I think he would have let you go."

"Mn?"

"Why, my friend, don't you understand my words?" Wei Ying teased with a mischievous glint in his eyes and winked.

Lan Wangji felt scandalized, "I am not beautiful." He retorted, making his savior laugh again.

"Shameless!" Wangji exclaimed, and started walking towards his home, thinking it best to stay away, but his newfound acquaintance was persistent. He kept following Wangji till the other ran out of patience, "I can walk back on my own." He said resolutely, but Wei Ying ignored his words, "Please do me the honor of escorting you home." He insisted, bowing down exaggeratedly.

"Suit yourself." Wangji sighed and continued walking.

"I have seen you looking out your window." Wei Ying said after a few minutes of silence, making Lan Wangji look at him.

"Mn?"

"How did you get out?" Wei Ying questioned.

"Mother let me out," Wangji answered. His brows creased at the thought of getting locked up again. Though he was attacked, he had still felt happy to have left the confines of the dimly lit basement that he called 'home'.

"When can I see you again?" Wangji's almost friend enquired, and the boy shrugged, "Maybe never."

The answer did not please Wei Ying, and he held Wangji's wrist just like before, "Wait. What do you mean?"

"The outside world is filled with evil beings who want to hurt me. It's not safe for me to do as I please." Wangji replied dejectedly, for he wanted to venture out again, but knew that he won't be allowed to.

"Evil beings? Ha!" Wei Ying snorted.

"Are you referring to the Beleumian?" he asked sarcastically, to which, Wangji nodded, but before he could reply, he spotted his mother waiting for him outside their house, "There you are, my dear boy!" she exclaimed and embraced Wangji, who felt like he was being choked, but chose to remain silent.

What Wangji did do, however, was that he looked back at his newfound acquaintance with eyes filled with something akin to regret; to sadness. But what he saw on Wei Ying's face, confused him.

The boy mouthed, 'Who is that?' to which, Wangji mouthed back, 'Mother,' and Wei Ying's eyes widened in shock and fear. He gasped and sprinted away.

Wei Ying's unexpected behavior confused and upset Wangji, who was now being led inside the prison that he called home, once again. But just when Wangji was about to cross the threshold of his home, someone pulled out his headband, making him fall to the floor. Wangji turned back to look at the culprit, but instead, his eyes fell on Wei Ying, who was dangling Wangji's headband in front of his face.

"How dare you!? Give it back this instant, you insolent boy!" Bellowed Wangji's mother, talking towards Wei Ying, who winked and lopped away with Wangji's headband.

"Catch him!" Mother shrieked, and Wangji broke into a run behind the headband thief.

"Nooo! Not you. Get back here this instant!" Mother commanded, but Wangji ignored her. He kept running while keeping an eye on the turns he was taking and the lanes he was crossing, committing them to memory.

He followed Wei Ying relentlessly, till the boy in front of him stopped abruptly, making Wangji bump into him.

"Ouch!" Both boys winced simultaneously as their butts hit the floor.

Wangji was the first to stand up. He put his hand out, "Give it back." he demanded, but Wei Ying did not oblige; he shook his head, "Only after you have answered me." the boy in black replied, dawning a serious expression.

He looks better when he is smiling, though Wangji, and instead of refusing to speak to thieves like he had been taught, he nodded, "What is it that you want to know?" he inquired, wiping sweat off his forehead; exposing the mark of Himlie that his bangs hid.

"That's the mark of Himlie!" Wei Ying blurted out, walking closer to the boy whose life he had saved not too long ago.

"Mn?"

"You are from the royal family of Himlie, the lost prince." Wei Ying informed, "But how can that be?" He though out loud. For everyone knew that the prince had gone missing, and thereafter presumed dead, on his first birthday.

"You are not making any sense, Wei Ying," said the boy with light eyes and pressed on, "Give me back my headband!"

"You don't know who you are!" Wei Ying realized and put his hands inside his robes, pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper. "Look, that's the mark of your people. Can you read what it says?" He asked, handing the paper over to Lan Wangji.

"I can't read this tongue, " stated the boy, scanning the words and images, before touching the mark that adorned his forehead.

"Lan Wangji....I don't think that's your name. If I am correct, then your name is Wang YiBo." Wei Ying guessed.

Mother always refused to talk about my mark, though the boy, feeling intrigued. What if I am the prince? What if I am indeed a prisoner?

Doubt crept into Lan Wangji's mind, and he decided to give Wei Ying a chance to prove himself, "When you saw Mother, it looked like you were scared for a moment. Why?" He questioned, remembering how Wei Ying had looked at her.

"Just before you walked out of your home, I saw her speaking to the Beleumian and handing him coins." Wei Ying paused and continued confidently, "I overheard her instructing him to injure someone," and added hesitantly, "I didn't stop to listen to the whole conversation. But when I saw you loitering about, I decided to follow you on a whim."

"How do you know so much about me?" Wangji asked, to which the boy replied, "My mother is very sick. She needs spice. We got a tip saying that someone here supplies it."

"Spice?" Wangji repeated, "What's that?"

"It's a fluid that can heal. It was found... "

When the boy fell silent without completing the sentence, Wangji got curious, "Continue." he urged, but Wei Ying gasped and looked around. He handed the headband back to its owner, "Wear it." he instructed before asking, "Your mother, how does she make her living?"

"I don't know. She never answers me. But every day, except Monday, she goes out at the break of dawn and returns at dusk." said the hazel-eyed boy, shrugging his shoulders, to which Wei Ying narrowed his eyes, "What does she do on Monday?"

"She sings to me, and I fall asleep. I wake up after a few hours, and she feeds me. After which she disappears into her room."

"Hours!?"

"Yes, and when I wake up, I feel tired and my wrists hurt... I don't know why."

"Oh heavens!" Wei Ying blurted, and pulled the clueless boy into his arms, "Wangji, come with me. Your mother is not who she pretends to be. I fear that if you return now, you will never be let out again."

"How so?" asked the boy, leaning away from the one who had made him doubt his mother, and Wei Ying replied, "Come with me to my home. Help heal my mother. If you are who I think you are, I will help you get back to where you belong, and if you are not, then if you so wish, I will escort you back to your mother."

"How can I heal your mother?" enquired the hazel-eyed boy, and the boy in black replied, "I think your blood is the Spice that your mother sells to make a living."

"That's preposterous!" exclaimed Wangji, but the truth was, that what Wei Ying had said, had made sense. To add to that, was the fact that Wei Ying had returned his headband to him, no doubt, trying to protect him from prying eyes. For if his blood indeed had the power to heal, then he was priceless.

"Please trust me just once," begged Wei Ying, pulling Wangji out of his reprieve, and he nodded.

"Thank you, " said Wei Ying, once again holding on to the other's wrist and leading him to revelations that not only healed the cheerful boy's mother and reunited the lost price with his long-suffering parents, but also made sure to end the evil Mother's monopoly on Spice trade.

But was that the end of Spice trade? No, of course not. For the prince had a heart of gold and decided to help those who needed Spice the most.

And what of Wei Ying, the Prince's savior? Well, he and the prince became the best of friends and then more; and lived happily ever after.