Chapter Text
the attendants around him waited in silence, making no move to rush him even after the mug had been emptied.
but he could feel them staring without actually looking up at them. you couldn’t see their eyes through the slits in their helmet but he didn’t really need to. the faint pull of curiosity restrained by discipline was the norm to be expected in this kind of situation. jaeyun wasn’t naive enough to believe that the guards of stormborn didn’t want to satiate their intrigue, especially when the subject of the same sat unguarded right in front of them.
the attendants on the other hand were less subtle. that said, they were notably different from the ones in lyonesse. back in lyonesse, his attendants had been his best friends – it had hurt most to say goodbye to them, especially since there had been no direct need to. he had always joked and played around with his attendants back home, and sometimes he believed that they were the only ones who treated him like a human.
here, the attendants didn’t hover. they also didn’t fawn or gawk over him – which was kind of relief actually if they didn’t simply stand there like statues, present only when their presence was demanded. jaeyun was aware he could probably ask things off them but for some reason it didn’t feel like his place to be commanding stormborn soldiers or attendants for that matter.
once again, he wondered how much say he’d have with the queen. if it’d be just to request her to allow him the lyonesse attendants again – new as they were, they were a part of home jaeyun didn’t want to budge on but heeseung had clearly left no space for argument back at the docks.
he wasn’t sure how much of the awkward time passed before the chamber doors opened slightly and one of the attendants entered and gestured towards the rest. the attendant closest to him moved closer, bowing politely with her head inclined.
“your chambers are prepared, your highness.”
jaeyun finally put the empty mug down, the body of which had long gone cold, “thank you,” he said, but before he could stand up, the attendant at the door hastily entered, standing before him holding out the folded garments which had been left before when heeseung commanded. he offered no explanation and jaeyun didn’t really need one. the statement was quite clear.
he’d been intentionally avoiding the said “winter garments”.
they were heavy and dark coloured, unlike anything he’d ever put on his skin. the material was nothing like the flowing silks of his hometown. the wool was definitely dense, the fur lining enough to shield against the winds which were definitely cold enough to flay the skin. don’t get him wrong – the dress didn’t look like anything not fitting a royal. the intricacies of needlework on wool was enough to say this was a luxurious item and one touch told him that it would definitely be gentle on the skin.
the problem was the stark cultural difference – not just in the style but in the colour as well.
a part of him knew that perhaps he was being immature in his thinking. he couldn’t expect stormborn to hand him lyonesse garments, neither could he expect them to let him freeze to death in his own clothes which he certainly would given the amount of skin that was exposed in his dresses usually.
but he didn’t care.
he didn’t like this. his stomach fluttered unpleasantly as he slowly took the folded set from the hands of the attendant, swallowing thickly. the attendant seemed to think that his discomfort stemmed from something else though as he immediately said.
“you may change in private,” he looked nervous, perhaps thinking jaeyun was scared that they would make him change as a public spectacle, “we will wait outside.”
jaeyun simply nodded once.
as promised, the room cleared quickly, the door closing behind the horde with a muted thud, which still echoed through the stone chamber. and just like that, he was alone again, even though it hardly seemed like that. he exhaled slowly through his mouth, his breath fogging in front of him from the cold. it was truly something unique how cold it was even inside. not even in the bitterest winters of lyonesse would your breath fog indoors.
changing took longer than he expected.
despite the heat from the drink and the gloves, his fingers were clumsy from the cold. the unfamiliar fastenings beneath his numb skin felt a lot harder to maneuver. the cloth was heavier so it seemed more clipping to stay on his form. the fabric did well to swallow his form. beyond not showing an ounce of skin, the dress hid the sharp lines and soft curves of his body, the ones he’d always treasured back at home.
without them on display, like at home, jaeyun felt more like a child, without his physical appeal to heighten his power.
part of him resented that.
the other part felt relieved that he wouldn’t be leered at on unfamiliar grounds.
when he was finally done, he dragged himself to the narrow mirror mounted against the wall. for a moment, he couldn’t recognize his reflection. the gold was still there, of course. it was there in the blonde of his hair, the golden ribbon that still clung on despite the mess the wind had made of his hair. it was there in the bronze of his skin, the tan from the hours spent under the sun in their courtyard back in lyonesse. you couldn’t just dim the glow of a sun-kissed omega – he’d always had it since he’d been a mere pup toddling around behind his mother.
but all of that was undoubtedly muted. he was now framed with dark fur and wool, restrained in buckles that weren’t meant for his body.
not even the nightgowns he wore to bed were this covered and he didn’t like how it made him feel about himself.
it was safer though.
or perhaps easier to keep behind closed doors, without making a ruckus.
jaeyun forced himself to look away from his reflection.
when he finally left the room, the number of people waiting outside had thinned out considerably. there were two attendants and one guard, and jaeyun unconsciously relaxed a little. it felt easier at least not to have twenty pairs of eyes on him, like he was a prisoner who could make a run for it at any time. not that jaeyun would make it very far – its not like he didn’t think his palace would be far too fortified for even trained breachers.
the attendants led the way, the guard staying behind jaeyun.
the walk to his chambers was quiet. torches lit their path, casting long shadows that stretched and warped along the stone walls. the corridors in this part of the palace were narrower, a little more residential than the stone cold ones previously. but only in the relative sense. nothing in stormborn seemed designed for comfort first after all.
before he really knew it, they were standing in front of massive mahogany doors, the first thing which actually looked expensive in the building of this place. there were woodworkings done into the door, which resembled mountains and wolves and once again, jaeyun wondered what speciality wolves seem to have to the people of stormborn. he never really remembered reading anything about them in the libraries back home.
the attendants pushed open the chamber door to reveal a space that felt oddly intimate after going through the coldness of the rest of the palace.
there was a bed in the centre of the room, draped in thick blankets and curtains. a small hearth burned low in the corner, but its heat was stronger here than the waiting room, bringing a toasty kind of warmth to the chamber as a whole. a desk stood near the window that overlooked the sea, even though the glass was thick and slightly warped. there was a door to what jaeyun assumed was the balcony but there was a massive padlock on it with rust on it, which suggested no one had touched that lock in a while.
he wondered if heeseung thought he was likely to try to jump off the building in desperation that he’d had the balcony locked.
once jaeyun fully stepped inside, the attendants moved back outside, letting the door before them close with a small creak. given the size of the doors, it meant the doors were well oiled – he wondered for a while if someone had lived in these quarters before him. and if so, where had they gone now.
he stood there without moving for a while. he simply listened. despite the window being closed, the faint hum of the wind could be heard. there was a faint echo of stone from what he assumed were soldiers marching elsewhere in the building – stone always did carry sound well.
this place was meant to be his.
for now.
he crossed over to the bed, and sat down heavily. the mattress beneath him was firm. it wasn’t soft enough to sink into like the bed back home but it wasn’t hard enough to be uncomfortable either. it matched the entire air of discipline this place seemed to have – to not let people sleep in too much comfort lest they be needed in the middle of the night. he wondered if heeseung’s bed was like this too.
his shoulders sagged despite his overthinking.
only then did the exhaustion fully hit.
it almost felt like his body had been holding itself together out of sheer stubbornness, and now that there was no one to look at him and nowhere else to go, it finally gave in. his limbs felt as heavy as rocks. his head ached with a familiar throbbing and his eyes burned with what would probably have turned into tears if he was back at home.
he dropped down, laying on his back, staring up at the dark blue curtain which covered the bed.
he couldn’t help thinking of lyonesse. of the golden decorations, of the colours everywhere, the heavy scents and incense, the people bustling through everything. of his brother’s quiet presence and his mother’s careful hands. he’d expect his father to join them in his thoughts but instead, he thought about heeseung for some reason.
of the way he had looked at him, with something akin to curiosity and pity. it wasn’t cruel in a way some people would’ve expected. but unyielding in a way that jaeyun was far from used to.
you will acclimatize
heeseung’s words echoed in his head, cutting out his memories of lyonesse again. he turned over, closing his eyes, trying to fight off the image and his words to the best of his ability.
thankfully, his exhaustion was handy in finally putting him to sleep, deep and dreamless.
—
he woke up to the sound of wind.
for a brief disorienting moment, jaeyun thought he was still at sea. his heart leapt into his throat, his body tensing instinctively as though expecting the floor to sway and pitch beneath him again.
but then the stone walls and dark blue curtains came back into focus.
right, he was in stormborn now.
the realization settled with a dull kind of resignation.
light filtered weakly through the narrow window, pale and cold. given the colour of the sky, he could only assume it was around the sixth hour of the morning and he wondered just how long he’d slept given that it had been daylight out when he entered these chambers. no one had come to wake him up though, which was a relief in a way. he had needed the sleep and he was light enough sleeper as it was.
jaeyun sat up slowly, rubbing at his eyes.
he’d fallen asleep at an awkward angle, his legs dangling off the edge of the bed. his body ached still in unfamiliar ways. it wasn’t so much the pain as the stiffness though. it was the kind that came from cold, stress and a complete lack of rest. jaeyun was unfamiliar to that kind. back home, he always had a healthy amount of sleep and more often than not he prided himself in his flexibility – he needed it during the dance classes his mother had made compulsory ever since he was a child.
he swung his legs towards the side of the bed, and hissed softly as his bare feet met the stone floor, icy cold spiking through his entire lower body.
“seven hells…” he muttered under his breath, quickly biting his tongue out of his habit. his mother had always forbidden cursing and usually he’d never minded that restriction – it wasn’t like his daily schedules had demanded much in the way of profanity before now.
he slowly reached for the woolen slippers which had been neatly left beside the bed and slipped them on, grateful for the warmth.
he didn’t know if he was somehow being watched because almost on cue a knock sounded on the door.
he stiffened, hand immediately falling on his chest as the surprise jumped his heart into his throat.
“yes?” he called out once he got his heart to slow down a little.
“your highness,” it was a female attendant, who slowly peaked through the heavy doors, pushing them open. he recognized her from yesterday, she was one of the two who’d led him here and he wondered if this meant she’d been assigned to helping him out – he made a mental note to ask her her name later, “may we enter?” she asked.
he hesitated for a moment before nodding. he was still dressed in the clothes from yesterday but he doubted that mattered much – if she was meant to be his attendant, she’d end up seeing her in states of undress and unkempt later on anyways. he was in fairly put together state now anyways, if you ignored the bird’s nest that was his hair.
the doors opened further to admit the two attendants from yesterday. they’d changed out of the more fashionable clothes yesterday. they were still the same dark blue, but they were no longer sporting the crest of stormborn, and they were much more practical. they moved with quiet efficiency, changing out his tablecloth, ensuring his chamberpot was prepared and other such. they didn’t make a big deal out of anything, nor did they speak much. it made him feel more awkward than he’d like to admit.
the attendant closer to him smiled gently at him, as though she could feel his discomfort. he hoped she was just perceptive because he didn’t like the idea of them being able to scent his awkwardness in any amount.
“you’re expected before the council at midday, your highness,” she said slowly, “we will bring you your breakfast soon.”
jaeyun could not hold back a groan at that. he remembered heeseung’s words from yesterday. he’d mentioned meeting his mother but he hadn’t said anything about the council – the same council which had believed it would be justified to rip a young omega away from his home for no reason apparent to anyone but them. his stomach twisted at the thought of having to meet such people.
the attendant looked at him with something akin to understanding, “the prince doesn’t favor postponing things,” she said slowly, as though that was supposed to bring him any comfort.
of course heeseung didn’t.
the attendants continued their work. they brought him water, filling the tub beyond the folded screen, warmed just enough to wash himself without giving himself frostbite. it was a comfortable temperature – not enough to burn his skin but also to soothe his tense muscles a little. while he bathed, they lay out fresh garments, layered on top of each other, drawing them out from the cupboard which had apparently been filled with stormborn clothes since before he’d entered.
the also set up a small table in front of the bed, and brought in a tray of food as jaeyun emerged from behind the curtain, now only in his white underlayer. breakfast was simple thankfully. there was a variety of bread with an equally admirable cheese platter. there was something stewed and savoury that jaeyun didn’t know the name of. it smelled unfamiliar and a little spicier than he was used to but the smell wasn’t unwelcome. the sight of the food reminded him that he hadn’t had anything since the tea yesterday as his stomach gave off a less than dignified rumble making him blush.
he didn’t bother to dress before sitting down at the table, quickly picking up the fork and spoon offered at the side of the spread.
the food wasn’t bad. and moreover, it was filling. his attendants didn’t bother him as he ate, taking their place a little behind him, standing instead of sitting. jaeyun would’ve told them to take a seat but he had no idea if that was the norm in this kingdom. he couldn’t bring himself to think too much about it though. his attention was more focussed on the food.
once he was full, he felt a little more human.
as they dressed him, the attendants caught snippets of quiet conversation in a dialect he didn’t fully understand. stormborn didn’t have an entirely different language outside of the common tongue but the accent was different, and the edges were clipped, the consonants were sharper and the vowels more looped. it hardly registered as the language he knew, and he didn’t have it in him to attempt to translate what they were talking about.
“will the crown prince be present at the meeting?” jaeyun asked suddenly, interrupting them.
the attendants paused, as though a little surprised that jaeyun wanted to speak to them again.
“yes,” the second one said, “your highness always presides over the council meetings since her majesty made him in charge.”
jaeyun nodded at that, expression as neutral as he could manage. he didn’t really know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. heeseung was someone who left an impression but he doubted the first impression was all that was there to the crown prince. he had hardly seen his political side yesterday and jaeyun had no doubts whatsoever that he had to be terrifying in court.
when they were done dressing him, jaeyun stood once more before the mirror beside his bed. the stormborn garments fit better this time, tailored more to suit his figure than the one yesterday. it made it seem like it was actually tailored for him instead of a cover up meant for a political prisoner. his hair had been braided back more tightly, his mother’s gold ribbons replaced now by dark ties. they had put a light shade of powder and colour on his face, which made him look paler, but a little more awake than he’d looked yesterday.
he looked… less foreign like this.
the thought unsettled him more than he would admit.
once he sat back on the bed, the attendants moved to leave him, having cleared out the remnants of the breakfast plate. before they could leave though, jaeyun found himself speaking again.
“can i… know your names?”
that seemed to surprise both of them, even though they didn’t hold the expression for too long. one of them smiled at him, tilting her head forward slightly, “your highness, you may call me maya,” she said, before pointing to her friend, “her name is ilya.” jaeyun nodded with a smile of his own. if he was supposed to survive here for the rest of his life – as horrifying as that time frame seemed – he couldn’t let normalcy slip away from him.
“thank you for your help, maya, ilya,” jaeyun said slowly, trying to channel his normal brightness into this conversation, “you don’t always have to address me as your highness,” he added, “my attendants back home simply used my name.” both of them went a bright shade of red at that, with maya vehemently shaking her head.
“no, no!” she said, her voice almost an octave higher than before, “that’s unthinkable, my prince!” ilya didn’t announce it but she looked just as scandalized as maya. jaeyun couldn’t help find their expressions a little funny, their over politeness so different from the casual friendship from attendants he was used to back home.
“please though,” he said, “i insist. jaeyun is enough.”
once again, ilya and maya bowed their heads albeit this time neither of them argued against his statement before leaving. jaeyun didn’t know if it meant he’d made a point with them or if they’d just deemed him too irrational to argue with. he hoped it was the former but who really knew with people from stormborn.
the rest of the morning passed relatively uneventfully.
at some point, four guards came in bringing into his room the three massive trunks they’d probably finally unloaded from the ships. there was a lot more cargo in there but these three trunks were the ones jaeyun had handpacked – the things which he’d deemed irreplaceable when he’d left his home behind. lyonesse had sent more – perfumes and spices and colourful cloth to be used for him, but he doubted they would actually ever reach him. it was more likely to simply be seen as a gift from lyonesse and left at that.
he spent the next few hours arranging the chambers to look more like his.
he ended up taking out almost all the dresses of varying levels of formality from the wardrobe – the dresses were all wool and heavy to hold so by the time he’d removed and inspected everything half his energy was already gone. none of them bore any resemblance to any of his clothes from back home, but there were some among them which were noticeably prettier than the others. he segregated them out before arranging them with his lyonesse dresses. the rest of what was offered was stashed in the back – he had no intention of wearing those unless he was forced to.
he lined up his scent perfumes along one of the shelves. his mother had been generous enough to give him enough that would probably last him through at least eight seasons. given his conversation with heeseung yesterday, he couldn’t be more glad that he wouldn’t have to depend on them to keep up his veils. just to be careful though, he ended up putting another of those heavy stormborn dresses in front of them, making it look as if that shelf was full of clothes too.
next he went to work on the books he’d brought from home, arranging them on the table to his whims. he’d brought far too many to fit on so he took out the few he knew he’d read first, putting them in order of the genre, the colour and even the height of the books. his bookshelf back at home had been meticulous and a sight for sore eyes and jaeyun made a mental note to ask heeseung for a proper bookshelf. the room was minimalistic when it came to royalty standards – he could do with a few adjustments.
long before he knew it though, two guards knocked on his door, telling him it was time for him to go. ilya and maya were waiting for him outside, as they joined the two guards at either of jaeyun’s sides.
the walk to the council chamber felt longer than it had felt the night before. the corridors widened as they entered the centre building, ceilings rising more and the air growing colder. heeseung hadn’t been lying when he’d said the eastern wing was warmer. the two guards flanked the three of them now as though they were afraid that jaeyun would wander off somewhere else.
the council doors were larger than his own, looming ahead, massive slabs of black stone instead of wood, with old runes etched on it which he couldn’t read. maya and ilya both paused though, making jaeyun stop in his tracks alongside them while the guards moved ahead to push the stone gates open.
this time it was ilya who spoke. her voice was deeper than maya’s and she was clearly less chatty than her friend. but she looked jaeyun in the eyes as she spoke, a little hesitant but clear all the same.
“prince jaeyun,” she said quietly, “stormborn high council values composure over finesse. speaking freely without embellishment will earn you more favors.” it was a very odd suggestion to come from an attendant who had likely never been allowed into any council rooms during session but jaeyun appreciated it. it felt less like the robotic approach of yesterday and more like he was talking with real people and being treated like one.
jaeyun smiled slightly.
“i’m very good at that,” he said.
but before the conversation went further, the doors opened fully. it wasn’t warmth which greeted them at the very least.
this chamber, unlike the waiting chamber from yesterday was vast, circular with tiers of stone rising around a central floor. there was a long table at the centre, and it was filled with people draped already in dark cloaks and heavy furs. most of them were alphas. jaeyun couldn’t scent the betas but the two women at the edge of the table were clearly omegas in the way they dressed and smelled.
heeseung stood at the head of the table, his expression unreadable.
while his seat was clearly free, he never seemed to want to sit before other people from what jaeyun noticed. he had refused to sit down yesterday in the waiting chamber as well. jaeyun’s heart raced as heeseung’s gaze found his. it was sharp and assessing, lacking but the initial warmth he’d seen during their carriage ride together.
jaeyun stepped forward, straightening his spine and lifting his chin more.
this was the moment when he couldn’t afford to look weak.
behind him the doors shut with a sound that echoed in the chamber. he belatedly realized that both the guards and ilya and maya had stayed outside. which meant he was in here all alone. not that any of those people were on his side, but somehow it felt like more support than the emptiness he felt behind his back.
and almost on cue, every gaze in the room turned to look at him. no one spoke and jaeyun realized that part was intentional. it made it feel more overwhelming for someone like him – someone who wasn’t used to this time of scrutiny.
he moved forward, walking as far as the edge of the carpet. he didn’t know why but his instincts told him that that was where he was to tow the line, as far as he could go without accidentally disrespecting anyone. he drew the barrier there, gently tilting his head in the way maya and ilya had done with him. it wasn’t a clear bow but it wasn’t framed as disrespect either.
that seemed to be the correct move.
“second prince jaeyun of lyonesse,” an older alpha spoke from next to heeseung, “you stand before the high council of stormborn.”
his voice was rough with age and similarly held the confidence of command. it was when he raised his face more than recognition struck in jaeyun’s mind – it was the same man from the docks, the one who who’d announced jaeyun as an object to be presented. the sourness immediately hit him and he was glad his veils were there.
jaeyun nodded in acknowledge of his words though, “i understand,” he said.
a murmur rippled faintly through the chamber, although he couldn’t for the life of him tell what the implied for him.
“you have been brought here under treaty,” the elder continued, “your presence secures the peace between our two nations during a time when neither can afford fracture, and subsequently our futures together.”
jaeyun’s jaw tightened but he didn’t argue the wording.
“do you acknowledge this purpose?”
the omega inhaled slowly, deeply. he felt the weight of his responsibility as a lyonesse prince on his shoulders, of his parents’ expectations, of all the stories nations had heard about the legend of the famous sun-kissed omegas of lyonesse. suddenly, he was hyperaware of everything. even now, he could hear the wind outside. he could feel the eyes of the council on him, as though the heavy woolen clothes did nothing to cover his skin, which felt a little too much right now.
“yes,” he said, instead, “i acknowledge it, my lord.”
“and do you consent to remain within stormborn, under our protection until such a time as the treaty no longer requires it?”
until you die.
it was kind of amusing how they were asking his consent for something which hadn’t involved his opinion in the first place. to him this had come as an order – it was funny that he had to give his consent for something which hadn’t involved him in the first place. the hypocrisy of it all almost made him laugh out loud.
but jaeyun didn’t have to be in stormborn to know that sometimes safety meant choosing the less dangerous wording.
“i will remain, of course,” he said, “i shall always abide by the treaty between our nations.”
heeseung’s gaze seemed to sharpen at that. something different flickered in them. but like usual, jaeyun couldn’t tell what it was. he was interesting like that. hopefully, it wasn’t hostility – at least it didn’t feel like it.
the elder alpha didn’t seem to notice the shift though simply nodding, “seems acceptable,” he said to no one in particular as though jaeyun had just passed some kind of test. but it was almost as though this was an interrogation in levels, because this time the woman at the edge lifted her head, looking jaeyun in the eyes.
“you’re a sun-kissed omega,” she said, but it wasn’t exactly framed as a question.
jaeyun broke his gaze from heeseung to look at her instead. her posture was restrained and despite her omega scent she looked just as authoritative as the alphas at the table. atop her robes, she wore an armour plating and jaeyun wondered if he’d ever be allowed to wear something like that.
“yes,” he simply said, even though the statement hadn’t required a response.
“and a sacred one by your people’s reckoning?”
“by our traditions,” jaeyun corrected gently. her lips curved at the corners at that, but not quite as a smile. she raised her eyebrows slightly at him, looking him up and down like he was some kind of painted portrait.
“here in stormborn, young prince, we do not value sanctity, or pureness,” she said, “we revere strength, restraint,” she made a face gesturing to all of him once over, “and honesty.”
jaeyun felt something tighten in his chest at that, “then i will strive to embody those,” he said instead, not letting his chin drop.
a few of the council members, including heeseung exchanged gazes at that. some of them felt like mocking, the rest assessing. he didn’t know what to make out of it, but he knew what it had to be about. it was confirmed the moment the next man decided to speak.
“you veil your scent,” the alpha noted, leaning forward slightly, “why?”
there it was.
“because my scent is mine alone,” he said, “it is tradition in lyonesse to not reveal it to outsiders.”
the alpha man’s brow furrowed, “do you fear we will take advantage of you?” he asked.
“no,” he said, “but my traditions aren’t meant to be questioned.”
that drew a reaction.
the low murmur grew louder and there was a visible shift in posture in all of the council members. even heeseung’s gaze flickered from the councilman who’d spoken to jaeyun. he looked nervous and scared jaeyun. he didn’t know why.
“explain,” heeseung said, something sharp in his tone.
jaeyun knew this was dangerous territory. clearly, this matter involved more politics than he’d initially come to believe, but also something he refused adamantly to concede on this.
“lyonesse omegas are taught that unveiling is an act of trust,” he said slowly and carefully, trying not to offend anyone, “not obligation, or for display. trust that rivals family or a partner.” he moved to look at heeseung, straight in the eyes, making full contact, “i have not been given to trust all of your nation as a whole yet.”
a sharp silence fell over them.
the woman to heeseung’s immediate right, an alpha studied him intently, raising her eyebrows, “you speak boldly for someone in your position.”
a lone omega in a foreign country.
jaeyun’s fingers curled into fists under his sleeves, “i speak honestly,” he said, “as i’ve been told, you value.”
heeseung chose to lift his hand in this moment, pausing the chatter of the table. it was kind of shocking how much power the crown prince commanded because the entire table went silent immediately, “enough,” he said, clearly. he looked at jaeyun before finally sitting down in his chair, folding his arms on the table in front of him.
“you won’t be forced to unveil by anyone in this court,” he said with a finality that jaeyun knew wouldn’t be questioned, “for now. but as you say, we hope to earn your trust enough one day for you to follow our traditions as well.”
and when jaeyun meant those words weren’t to be questioned, it included himself too.
he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding as heeseung, nodded at the rest of the council with that same certainty.
“as you already know already,” heeseung said, “you will be housed in the east wing. your private chambers will not be intruded upon by anyone without permission,” he continued, “you shall be continuing your education by stormborn standards alongside our scholars and nobles. your movement within the palace will be observed as you are new, but you are well within the rights to move around as you please. none of it is restricted.”
jaeyun knew that was not all.
“that said,” heeseung continued, “you will not leave the palace without prior intimacy and proper escort. neither will you engage in any kind of bonding with alphas or courtship without approval from the high council.”
jaeyun’s throat tightened at that.
he had hardly considered his romantic ventures here in stormborn when he’d come here, especially since they hadn’t asked for his hand in marriage, but clearly restrictions on the same felt once again, a way of being two-faced. like they wanted to keep their options open with him, even when it came to him choosing a partner. of course, jaeyun had always known he wouldn’t be marrying out of his own preference, but he’d at least assumed it would be his family making the choice instead of people he never knew.
“and,” heeseung’s word once again snapped him out of the spiral, “you will be under my authority.”
jaeyun didn’t know what about that statement made him feel bold but he did. suddenly, it felt as if the other people in the room didn’t mean much – it was just him and heeseung.
“as crown prince,” he asked, “or as something else?”
his words were thrown as a challenge but clearly heeseung was up to play the game because the bastard had the audacity to smirk at him and lean back as though this was merely amused by jaeyun’s choice of words. but he didn’t do anything to admonish him. his expression tickled something in jaeyun that he didn’t have a name for, but he knew it was vastly unsettling.
“both,” he said, no hesitation in his tone.
no one objected to what was said. heeseung didn’t make a big deal out of dismissing the council after that. there was no clear word, people just seemed to get up and leave. heeseung too stood from his seat, and without talking further with jaeyun walked out of the chamber with a kind of urgency jaeyun didn’t understand. he couldn’t help feel a little unsatisfied, as though he wanted heeseung to continue talking with him even though he didn’t understand why.
—
the guards escorted him in silence. while they didn’t rush him, they didn’t slow down for him either. it forced jaeyun to match their pace or get left behind and he doubted getting lost here was the image he wanted to leave on his second day here. so instead he focused on not tripping over the heavy skirts of the dress, as they moved towards his chambers.
this time they let him open his chamber doors himself.
while they made no move to enter, before jaeyun could close the doors, one of them spoke up, “by orders of the crown prince, for the time being you’re to stay here mostly. your attendants will bring your meals to you. your lessons are to start in three days.”
without further ado, both guards bowed once and turned on the heels and walked away, leaving jaeyun on his own again. he didn’t move from there, until the sound of their footsteps faded completely.
only then did he exhale.
his legs suddenly went weak, the tension bleeding out of them now that there was no one left to watch him. he barely managed to cross the room, and collapse onto the edge of the bed, hands folded tightly in his lap.
he had survived the council.
that alone felt like an impossible accomplishment.
his gaze drifted to the window. he’d left it open from when he’d been arranging his books and today, the sea was visible at a distance from the high vantage point of the palace. it was darker than the skies of lyonesse had ever seemed, even during stormy days.
he pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek.
heeseung hadn’t defended him outright in front of the council.
he didn’t know why that bothered him.
he frowned, dropping back onto the bed with a huff. jaeyun knew there had been something in heeseung eyes when he’d spoken of trust. something which had looked an awful like something akin to recognition, the more jaeyun thought back on it. it was unsettling, like so many things about stormborn and heeseung seemed to be.
once fidgeting with his hands wasn’t enough, jaeyun rose and began to pace. the room was hardly enough to exhaust him but the movement did help burn off the restless energy crawling under his skin. he knew if he sat down now, he would most definitely spontaneously combust or something just as exaggerated as that.
he missed the incense from back home.
some of them always helped him relax whenever he was like this.
he missed knowing for sure where he stood in the grand scheme of things.
after what seemed like an eternity later, a soft knock interrupted his thoughts. jaeyun froze almost immediately, not expecting anyone right now.
“yes?’ he answered, more as a question than an invitation. but the tenseness relaxed a bit when the door opened to reveal ilya. she stepped inside alone this time, maya not with her, as she closed the door behind her gently.
“prince jaeyun,” she said slowly, inclining her head, “i was sent to check on you.”
“by whom?” jaeyun asked without missing a beat.
ilya didn’t answer immediately, her face taking on a certain look.
“by the crown prince.”
jaeyun gestured vaguely at himself, “as you can see, i am in fact, in one piece,” he said.
ilya’s lips twitched in a faint smile, and jaeyun noted how pretty she looked like this, “he did not doubt you being in multiple pieces, my prince,” she said, playing along with jaeyun’s attempt at a jest. she moved further into the room, setting a well folded bundle on the armchair close to the hearth. these clothes were darker in colour than his previous garments, almost black. but they were finer, and from what it looked like, they would be softer too.
“these are for the nights,” she said, “belatedly, you can’t sleep in your formal dresses.”
“thank you,” jaeyun said automatically.
ilya hesitated again before speaking, “stormborn is direct, my prince,” she said, “sometimes it can feel like cruelty when it isn’t intended as such.”
jaeyun looked at her more sharply.
“is that meant to reassure me, ilya?” he asked.
“no,” she said as she moved to pick up the dress from yesterday which she would presumably wash, “only to prepare you.”
he nodded slowly, “i appreciate the honesty,” he said.
she studied him for a while longer before nodding at him, “i hear you did well today,” she said with a knowing hint in her tone. jaeyun blinked awkwardly at that, taken aback at the statement.
“how did you know?”
ilya smiled, “word travels fast in the stone corridors,” she said, playing on the mystery of the statement.
jaeyun didn’t question that, instead looping back to her first statement, “you think i did well?” he asked.
“you were not diminished,” she said, “if they lost their respect for you, that would have happened.”
with that, she bowed once more with a smile this time before slowly making her way out of the room, leaving jaeyun alone again, with both less and more to think about. he slipped his slippers off, sliding to the centre of the bed. his fingers clenched at the material of the blanket.
not diminished seemed like a low bar to go off on.
but beggars couldn’t be choosers and jaeyun would take the small victories he could get.
he gave himself a moment to breathe freely.
he had three days left before he was thrown right into the middle of what stormborn considered up to his standard. he was hardly stupid enough to believe education was the same here and in lyonesse. back in lyonesse, education depended on what you were expected to do. alphas were taught more on battle strategies, about building about markets. omegas were taught more about the performing arts, about etiquette and politics. he doubted that was what stormborn would be expecting him to learn.
which meant he had three days before stormborn got down into carving what they taught he ought to become.
heeseung drifted back into the back of his mind, like he’d permanently made himself space there. he hadn’t been direct today but he wondered if that was always how their conversations were going to go from here on. a part of him hoped not – he had preferred heeseung in the carriage, from before he suddenly seemed to take on this air of duty that made him unreadable and cold.
jaeyun lay back down.
he remembered something his mother had told him a long time ago. he’d only been around three or four years old and he’d scraped his knee while attempting to chase after his elder brother.
she’d stroked her hand through his golden hair and said – “jaeyun, gold doesn’t survive by yielding. it survives when it put through the heat that shapes it” – and jaeyun, whether in lyonesse or stormborn, had known how being tempered into a particular shape felt, even though the mould was different.
he wouldn’t let that shape look like something he couldn’t bear to look at.