king & lionheart ii/iv
Early fall arrives upon them sooner than Sehun is prepared for.
This is always a bad time of the year for him, his least favorite, in fact. For it was during this time, seven years ago, that his mother had died. The pain usually is in the back of his mind, a dull throb that he's able to ignore on most days. But once the weather begins cooling off, and summer is still barely clinging onto everything, is when it overwhelms him the most. Reminds him that the pain is still as fresh as ever in his thoughts.
He can still remember how his seven year old mind had struggled to understand the fact that his mother was never coming home. Hadn't she told him that she would be back in a week's time? She had just gone to visit Sehun's uncle in the town a day's ride away, she always came home.
But not this time.
A raiding party from Zhanguo had ambushed her and her guards, the surprise of the attack and their small numbers causing them to ultimately fail in their duty of protecting the queen. For Sehun's mother to reach her premature death.
Sehun always thought that if his mother had been able to defend herself, if she had known how to use a sword, dagger, anything, she might have lived. Which is why he had begged Jongin to teach him how to use the weapons that he was always training with.
At first, Jongin adamantly refused to even consider it. Even at seven years old, Jongin knew the consequences of what would happen if he were caught teaching Sehun. And he didn't want his tongue to get cut out, the mere thought of it extremely horrifying to him, his sleep even plagued by nightmares.
But Sehun was determined not to give up. He whined, begged, and pleaded until eventually, Jongin couldn't stand his tears anymore and gave in. Jongin was terrified, but he didn't want Sehun to be upset any longer, so he found deserted areas around the castle and taught Sehun how to use a dagger to defend himself. Sehun had pouted because he wanted to use a sword, but Jongin had said that Sehun was too small and maybe once they were older he would teach the younger boy what he wanted to learn.
The lessons had continued for five years, until they had almost gotten caught. They had barely gotten away and hid, and Jongin was so terrified and furious that he had refused to teach Sehun anything else, no matter how much that Sehun whined.
That was two years ago, and with the memory of pain and loss fresh in his mind, Sehun pleads his case to Jongin again.
"Jongin, I have something to ask you." Sehun corners the other boy in the stables one afternoon, where Jongin is visiting with his horse, Ivory.
"The answer is no."
"You didn't even let me ask," he huffs, irritably crossing his arms over his chest.
Jongin just shrugs his shoulders in response, hands carefully stroking through Ivory's mane, expression soft and gentle and for a vague second, Sehun is jealous of a horse.
"Will you teach me how to use a sword?" Sehun asks, voice probably louder than it should be. "You promised me years ago that you would, and now I'm here to take you up on that offer, and I'm not--"
His words are cut off when Jongin slaps a hand over his mouth, eyes wide with fear as he drags Sehun back into the shadows of the horse's stall.
"Why are you being so loud?" Jongin hisses through clenched teeth, hand still pressed against Sehun's lips. "Do you want to get me in trouble?"
Sehun shakes his head. He really doesn't want Jongin to get punished, the guilt of it would probably haunt him for the rest of his life, because it would be his fault. But he also wants to get his way, he wants this so badly that he's not afraid to be vocal about it. Even if the risk is almost not worth it. Almost.
Jongin tentatively lowers his hand, eyes heavy with fear and suspicion, and he drags Sehun further back into a dark corner, where it would be harder to hear and see what they're up to.
"You know what this time of year means to me, and I think it's been long enough that we can continue with our lessons." Sehun reaches out and clasps onto Jongin's hand, partly to keep the older from covering his mouth again and partly because he knows that Jongin finds it harder to resist when Sehun is physically touching him.
Silence reigns for a few moments, Jongin avoiding Sehun's gaze, but grip never loosening on his hand. "I could get in so much trouble for this," he mutters, tone defeated, and Sehun knows that he's gotten his way.
"We won't get caught, I'm sure of it," Sehun reassures, a smile making its way across his face.
Jongin still looks skeptical, but he releases Sehun's hand anyway and disappears from the corner, going back over to his horse. The expression on his face is worried, with an undertone of fear, and guilt creeps into the edges of Sehun's consciousness. But he pushes them away, because as much as he cares for Jongin, this is more important to him. He's not going to back out of what he wants for Jongin's sake, even if it probably was the right thing to do.
"Can we start today?" he asks, stepping up to Jongin's side and speaking quietly as to not be overheard.
"No, tomorrow. It'll give me time to think of a suitable place to go, where we won't be found," Jongin answers, voice equally as soft.
Sehun nods, giving Jongin's shoulder a light pat before he slips away. The worry in his chest seem to ease a bit with the thought that Jongin will help him, that he's finally going to be able to learn how to handle himself and not have to rely too heavily on anyone else to protect him. He's also confident in the fact that he knows that Jongin will find them a suitable place to practice, and place that they won't be found. It's just up to Sehun, now, to keep everyone off their backs when the inevitable questions of where they go start coming in. But Sehun is good at lying and at brushing off things that he doesn't want to deal with. There's no way that they're going to get caught, Sehun is sure of it.
Three weeks later and Sehun is proven horribly wrong.
As he had predicted, Jongin had found a perfectly suitable place for them to practice. There was a spot in the forest just outside the castle grounds, just west of the river, where there was a decently flat clearing. It was wide enough around that they had room to let their horses graze while they practiced with their swords. The training was hard and physically demanding, but they were good for Sehun. Already he could he feel himself becoming stronger, his body more lean and fit like Jongin's, and the knowledge that he was slowly learning to defend himself pleased Sehun greatly.
The excuses weren't that hard to make up, either. Whenever someone asked Sehun where he disappeared off to, he simply said that he would go where I please and my lionheart shall go with me, it's not of your concern. And it seemed to be accepted, for the most part. His attendants worried about him the most, but they were in no place to question the prince. And Sehun used that to his advantage whenever he could.
On this day, however, Sehun and Jongin had returned earlier than normal from their practice. They quickly left their horses in the stables and rushed into the castle, barely finding an abandoned corridor before they were on each other.
Jongin pressed Sehun up against the wall, lips forcefully attaching to his own, their teeth clashing painfully, but neither boy cared. It was all about the need they were both faced with, hands clawing at clothing and teeth biting into sensitive skin, breathless pants filling the air between them.
Just as Sehun is about to slide his hand into Jongin's pants, they hear the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. Immediately they break apart, fear and adrenaline coursing through Sehun's veins as he tries to fix his appearance. Both he and Jongin look extremely disheveled, hair sticking up every which way and clothes rumpled from where desperate hands had found purchase.
It's when Sehun is trying to fix his shirt that, with a jolt, he realizes that he's still got his sword strapped around his waist. Jongin notices too, and his face pales as he watches Sehun's trembling fingers try to yank it off. But it's a lost cause, they're too late to fix it because just then, one of Sehun's father's enforcers is walking around the corner, footsteps faltering at the sight before him.
"Prince Sehun, may I inquire as to what is going on here?" the enforcer asks, voice gruff as he eyes them suspiciously.
"Nothing, sir. We were only heading back to our rooms," Sehun answers, finally grateful for all of his lessons in proper royal etiquette. His voice doesn't waver or crack at all, despite how terrified he is at the moment.
A tense silence follows while the enforcer looks Jongin and Sehun over, eyes narrowing the more he takes in of their appearances. And then his eyes land on the sword on Sehun's hip, and a flash of anger is evident on the man's face. Sehun chances a look over at Jongin, and while he stands straight and still, Sehun knows him well enough to read the terror in his eyes.
"And what exactly is this?" the man snarls, stepping closer and yanking the sword out of its scabbard, and Sehun desperately wishes he hadn't done that. An angry enforcer with a sword in his hand is a sight he never wants to see - especially if he was caught breaking rules.
Sehun licks his lips nervously, all useful thoughts flying out of his head at the horrible reality getting caught. He doesn't know how he's going to get them out of this one, and he doesn't think that he can. "It's n-nothing, sir," he stutters out, "we weren't doing anything with it."
"Do you take me for an imbecile, Prince? We have all turned a blind eye to your doings since the Queen's death, but this is going too far. You and your lionheart are to accompany me to the King, immediately." He gestures at the scabbard on Sehun's waist, who rushes to pull it off and hand it over.
Sehun's heart is sinking into his stomach, and guilt is clawing its way up his insides with every step they take down the corridors of the castle. Curious eyes follow their progress, Prince Sehun and his lionheart, following along one of the King's enforcers. There's going to be gossip about this all day. But he doesn't care, he can only focus on the well hidden terror of the boy beside him.
Jongin doesn't show any outward sign of his fear, but there's still something there that tells Sehun how scared Jongin actually is. The guilt is eating him alive at this point, knowing that it's his fault that they're being marched into his father's military room. They weren't caught actually doing anything, and Sehun knows that Jongin won't suffer the punishment of his tongue being cut out. But they will do something, and Sehun can only hope that it won't be too harsh.
But suddenly Sehun’s vision swims, and there’s a vague image of a whip flashing through the air, and he stumbles in shock. Jongin reaches out and grabs Sehun’s arm, steadying him while a small flicker of concern makes itself apparent over the fear on his face. That small emotion makes Sehun feel only more guilty, and he shakes his head to show that he isn’t hurt, but he is still shaken up over what he saw.
When they walk in, Sehun's father looks up from a map he's studying, and a look of displeasure flits across his face at the sight of his son so obviously in some sort of trouble. The enforcer leaves Sehun and Jongin standing at the edge of the room, going up to the King to converse with him quietly, shooting glances over the two of them every so often.
The King's expression darkens the longer that they talk, and soon enough Sehun is fidgeting nervously where he stands. Before he can completely break down, however, both he and Jongin are called forward. The eyes of every person in the room are on them, and it does nothing except to add to Sehun's growing fear and nausea.
"Sehun, my son - the possibility that you are training in secret has been brought to my attention. You are well aware that this is frowned upon in our customs. Do you have to anything to say in your defense?" Sehun's father speaks calmly, but there's a dark glint in his eyes that Sehun knows is not good.
The first time Sehun opens his mouth, nothing comes out, his throat is too dry. He clears his throat, face flushed red before managing to make his voice heard. "I would never defy our customs, father," he says, a little relieved that he managed to speak without trembling or his voice wavering at all.
Sehun's father looks disappointed in his answer, most likely knowing that Sehun is lying through his teeth right now. "The fact still stands that you were caught with a sword on your person. Evidence would suggest that you've been engaged in secret training… but considering you were not caught in the actual act of using a sword, your lionheart shall be spared the highest punishment," he says, gaze flickering over to Jongin.
Sehun wants to let out a sigh of relief, to cry because a huge weight is lifted off his shoulders and the guilt washes away at the thought that they're not going to be punished. But he's gotten ahead of himself, because his father is still speaking.
"But, another punishment shall be given in its stead. We make no exceptions for rule breakers, whether in the Prince's service or not. Your lionheart is to receive twenty lashings for providing you with a sword. And you, my son, shall watch." The King levels his gaze at Sehun, eyes cold and unforgiving. Sehun knows that he won't be able to get his way with his father this time, so he just nods slowly.
The guilt comes crashing back down in his gut as he looks over at Jongin, who's gone deathly pale and trembles where he stands. Two enforcers grab Jongin by the arms, holding him still while they drag the terrified boy out of the room. Sehun bows at his father, throat too closed up with unshed tears to even speak a goodbye before another enforcer is clutching at his upper arm, leading him out in the same direction that Jongin just went.
They're taken to the main courtyard, where Jongin is stripped of his sword and shirt, bronze skin glinting in the sunlight. And if the situation wasn't so dire, Sehun would have loved to admire how he looked right now. But the fleeting thought is pushed from his mind when he watches as Jongin's hands are roughly tied to the lashing post, to hold his body up when his legs eventually give out on him.
The enforcer that caught them is handed a whip, and soon enough a crowd of servants and guards is gathered around to watch the scene. Sehun is standing at such an angle that he can clearly see Jongin's back, but also the profile of his face, and Sehun feels so horribly guilty seeing the fear that Jongin is so poorly hiding. He sends out a silent apology, an apology he knows will never be enough, and braces himself for what's to come.
Before Sehun, or even Jongin, can brace himself, there's suddenly the crack of a whip, and Jongin jerks in his bonds, a red welt already rising on his back from the hit. The crowd is whispering all around him, but Sehun can't focus on anything except Jongin's face. His teeth are clenched together, expression growing increasingly more pained after each sting of the whip against his back. Sehun knows that he's not going to be able to keep up his mask for long; lashings are painful, and already his back is beginning to ooze trickles of blood.
By the sixth lash, Jongin begins sobbing. Once the seventeenth is reached, he's unconscious.
As soon as the punishment is complete, the enforcer holding Sehun in place releases him, and leaves with the rest of them back to his father. Sehun is frozen where he stands for a few moments, eyes locked on the bloodied mess that is Jongin's back. But then the world moves around him again, the crowd dispersing and he's rushing forward, running over to Jongin, tears blurring his vision.
With shaky fingers he brushes Jongin's hair out of his closed eyes, doing his best to avoid looking at the mess on the other boy's back. He doesn't want to know what it feels like to blackout from pain, but Sehun figures it's about the same as he feels right now. If he could, Sehun would fall unconscious too, because the guilt and horror of seeing his best friend reduced to this is something he can't bear.
He doesn't even know he's sobbing until gentle hands are pulling him away, a handkerchief pressed into his palm. Sehun wipes at his face, only distantly taking note of his childhood attendant holding him against her side, watching as two castle doctors are carefully untying Jongin from his bonds. They sling the unconscious boy's arms over their shoulders, carrying him back into the castle, a dazed Sehun following in their wake.
At this arrangement of walking, Sehun can't avoid looking at Jongin's back. The lashes are overlapped, clearly having run out of room on his back to hit unmarked skin. Blood is seeping from the wounds that the whip left, a steady flow that indicates that they're deep. Jongin's back will forever be scarred from this incident.
And so will Sehun's mind.
Three weeks have passed and Jongin's back is finally healing. For the most part, anyway. Whenever he overexerts himself the wounds in his back tend to open up and bleed through his clothing, the pain as fresh as it ever was. The doctors have told him to take a break from training until the wounds fully heal, and he's been bored out of his mind with nothing to do around the castle.
The empty hours also fuel Jongin's growing bitterness towards Sehun.
It's not that he dislikes Sehun, not at all. Jongin is just getting fed up with having to go along with Sehun's schemes all the time, and nearly always being the one to pay the price for their antics. The lashing he was dealt is almost his final straw, the one thing that was needed to push him into the dark void of unhappiness.
But he manages to hold out, to not fall into a depression - Jongin knows that he's stronger than that. He knows that he has to tough it out and not give in to his selfish whims. It would be wrong of him to put himself first, not when Sehun is still around and needs him. That's not what a lionheart does, so Jongin is going to do everything he can to keep it from happening.
Which is why, despite the bitter feelings that linger around him, Jongin goes along with Sehun's whims once again. The younger boy had begged Jongin to go into town for him, to a certain apothecary that carried a special kind of bath salt that Sehun loved using. He hadn't really wanted to go, but Sehun had pouted and whined and pulled the I'm your prince you're supposed to listen to me card, so Jongin had no choice but to go to the stables and saddle up Ivory.
The small jolts that come from riding a horse sting the wounds on Jongin's back, but he keeps his expression as pain free as he can. The citizens of the town stare as he rides by, still not entirely used to a high member of the court exploring the town freely without any guards. Of course, Jongin by himself is worth a whole troop of guards, but he doesn't think that everyone is completely sure of his status as the new lionheart. It's rumored, of course, but he won't be officially announced until the day that Sehun himself ascends to the throne and accepts his title as King.
Before he can get uncomfortable with the staring, Jongin arrives at the apothecary, much to his relief. He slides off his horse, wincing as the impact of his boots hitting the ground agitate his injuries even more, and instructs a young boy lingering nearby to watch Ivory, promising to pay him a gold piece for his efforts once Jongin is done getting what he needs.
The shop is empty when he enters, so he takes his time to study the jars and vials that neatly line the shelves along the walls. Jongin is lurking in a dark corner when someone bustles out from the back, a young woman who appears to be older than himself, dark brown hair falling straight down her back. She has an open bag in her arms, and begins placing various items into it, muttering to herself and completely oblivious to Jongin's presence.
Clearing his throat he steps out of the shadows, trying not to feel too guilty when the woman starts in surprise, nearly dropping her bag as she whirls on the spot to face him, eyes wide.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you! I just need to purchase a few things," Jongin quickly apologizes, bending down in a small bow.
She seems to get over her surprise then, gathering her simple red skirts in her hands and giving him a small curtsy, polite smile on her lips. "It's alright, my fault for not paying attention. I have an order to deliver, but I can get someone to help you with what you need, sir."
Jongin nods in acknowledgement, and the woman calls out to the back of the shop from whence she appeared ("Soojung, we have a customer, get out here!"). Another girl bustles out, looking quite like the one before him, and Jongin thinks they must be sisters. But once he turns to get a better look at her, his mouth goes dry with nervousness. This girl is around his age, and her hair is a pretty black that falls down in waves, framing her pale face prettily. She's very attractive, and Jongin isn't quite sure how he's going to deal with speaking to her once they're alone.
Before he can worry too much, he hears a gasp from the woman, and peers over his shoulder curiously at her, where she's staring with wide eyes at his back.
"You're bleeding through your shirt!" she exclaims, hurrying forward and peeling the material away from Jongin's back. He grits his teeth as the fabric pulls on his skin, and hears a tut of sympathy from behind him. "Soojung, get the ointment we use for cuts from lashings, and take care of him. I'll be back once I've delivered this."
And then she's gone, leaving Jongin with a nervous feeling settling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of being alone with the pretty Soojung. He tries not to let it show as the girl shyly motions for him to follow her into the back, which is where there's a small workroom that appears to be where they bottle and label all of their medicines and products.
Soojung pulls up a stool, and quietly instructs Jongin to remove his shirt while she gathers the supplies to clean his back. He obeys, grimacing at the lines of blood on his shirt while he takes his seat, knowing that the wounds reopened because of the stress from riding into town from the castle. It frustrates him, because he knows that this should never have happened in the first place. He should have been smart enough to not go along with Sehun and his rule breaking.
Before Jongin can delve deeper into those thoughts, though, a cool substance is being carefully applied to his back by small hands. The sting of it draws a surprised gasp from his lips, and Soojung hesitates in her work before continuing on a moment later.
"The sting will go away soon, I'm sorry..?" Soojung speaks softly, letting her question hang in the air between them.
"Jongin. It's fine, I can deal with it, please continue," he answers, glancing over his shoulder and smiling at Soojung, who flushes before dropping her gaze.
"We see these types of wounds often, there are many lashings that happen here in town," she says after a few moments of silence. "I guess even lionhearts can't escape these types of punishments though, hm?"
Jongin turns in his seat, brows furrowed slightly as he studies Soojung's face. "How did you know I'm to be the next lionheart?"
Her face flushes a pretty red again, and she nervously cleans up the medicines she used on Jongin. "I've seen you and the prince riding around town, and I've seen you when you've come out on your own."
He nods slowly, watching as Soojung avoids his gaze as she bustles around the room, putting the medicine away and rummaging for something in the cabinets. Jongin is flattered and a little surprised that someone has paid attention to him in such a way, no one usually does. The attention is always on Sehun, everyone going out of their way to please the prince and give him what he wants. No one notices the dark and quiet presence at his side, and that's how it's supposed to be. Jongin's job is to protect Sehun, not be noticed as a person. But he would be lying if he said that it doesn't make him utterly happy to know that someone has paid him attention, and even bothered enough to keep track of him.
Soojung breaks him out of his thoughts as she holds out a clean white shirt, and Jongin notices the nervous tremble in her fingers as she keeps flicking shy glances up at his face. "You can't wear that dirty one out. This is an old shirt of my father's, he won't miss it. Please keep it, Jongin."
"Thank you, for the shirt, and for treating my back, Soojung." Jongin nods, smiling as he takes the clean shirt from her and slips it over his head, noticing the way that the nervousness in her body language lessens slightly once he's clothed.
"It's no problem at all. Now, what is it you wanted to purchase?" she asks, gesturing to the door that leads back to the front of the shop, and Jongin obligingly steps out.
He waits until Soojung's followed him out, and leans onto the counter in front of her, partly to ease his back and partly because he likes the red tint that creeps onto her cheeks the closer he gets to her.
"I came here to get bath salts, for Prince Sehun. He didn't specify which kinds, so maybe I could just get a sampling of some of them?"
"Would you like a bit of each? Or just the most popular ones?" she asks, already walking over to the shelves to begin pulling down small bags.
"Just a few," Jongin finds himself answering too quickly. "I'd like to come back and see you again, soon."
Soojung turns the brightest shade of red that Jongin's seen yet, and it makes him feel less embarrassed over his thoughtless outburst.
It takes only a few moments for her to fill up a handful of small vials of the salts, and she carefully slips them into a small bag before handing them over to Jongin. Their fingers brush, and Jongin feels a rush of something, but he isn’t quite sure what. It’s similar to the feeling he gets sometimes with Sehun, but yet this is still different, in some way. The rush is more of a warmth, spreading from his fingers and slowly crawling along his veins and spreading to the rest of his body. With Sehun it’s more of a shock, electric and intense and altogether more powerful than what he feels with Soojung, but the newness of the sensation with her is what intrigues him the most.
Jongin fumbles with his coin pouch, fingers trembling slightly from this whole interaction, and when he tries to inquire about how much he owes, Soojung says softly, “There’s no need for that.”
“No, I insist. You cared for me and gave me new things to wear, I’m not leaving without some sort of payment,” he says stubbornly, pulling out three gold pieces and setting them down onto the counter.
Soojung nods meekly, shyly accepting the coins and depositing them somewhere underneath the counter that Jongin can’t see. He lingers for a few more moments, teeth worrying his bottom lip as he studies her face, trying to contemplate his next words. Another thoughtless outburst is the last thing he needs. The embarrassment of the first one is more than enough for him for one day.
“Can I come back and see you again, soon?” he asks, tone laced with a shy hope.
“Yes, I would like that,” Soojung answers, glancing up at him to finally meet his gaze and flash him a small smile.
Jongin returns her smile, feeling the happiest he’s been in days, and leaves the shop with a new sense of thrill about him. The boy that was watching Ivory for him earns himself two coins instead of one, and just when Jongin is about to leave he sees the first girl, and flashes her a bright smile. She stares curiously for a moment, but then realization dawns on her face and she returns his smile with her own knowing one.
When Jongin returns to the castle and to Sehun’s rooms, the latter flashes him a suspicious look as he takes the bag from him. “What has you so happy?” he questions, inspecting the bottles and trying to appear disinterested, but Jongin knows him well enough to realize that Sehun is dying to know.
“Nothing, it was just a successful trip into town. Were those the ones you wanted?” he lies easily, gesturing disinterestedly to the bottles in Sehun’s hands.
“They’re acceptable. Next time you go get me different ones to try. You can go.” Sehun nods, obviously dismissing Jongin when he turns his back and wanders away.
Jongin is only too happy to go, he doesn’t want to deal with Sehun at the moment. His thoughts are filled with Soojung and how much he’s anticipating seeing her again soon. This is the first time he’s had something of his own to enjoy, something that wasn’t given to him or had to be earned. It’s a thrilling and freeing feeling, and Jongin is full of fantasies for the days to come.
part iii