Chapter Text
7 weeks left for the said wedding to take place and the castle is restless. The soldiers are busy polishing their armors, the maids with the decorations and the mundane preparations for the wedding while the ministers are discussing with the matter of the country state if the wedding is allowed to proceed, which they’re strongly disagreed. Alliance with the water tribe, that’s what it means by taking a water tribe prince as the Fire Prince’s spouse, and they certainly couldn’t have that. Water tribe has always been like a thorn in their sight, water defeats the fire.
So there’s certainly no way they’ll agree to it.
One early morning, in the throne room, stood there were the Fire King himself and Changmin
“Did you hear that Changmin?”
The king has his eyes closed and is focusing on something.
“What is it your majesty?”
“The sound of resettlements. They kept building up by the minutes, wonder where this will lead to…”
“You don’t seem to bother much about them though. Tell me, why did you make such a bold announcement like that? I thought it was to be kept as a secret from your ministers.”
“What’s the point of having the power if you don’t let it be known? Besides, I doubt any of them dare enough to do something now, even if they do, I trust you’ll be ready for that? How’s the preparation going along?”
The king turned and eyes Changmin curiously before he stares on the bandaged knuckles on both of young man’s hands.
“It’s almost complete. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“I sure hope so. This is all seem so surreal, why do we, The Great Fire Kingdom has to rely on the water tribe for something so powerful?”
“Need I to remind you, your majesty, that the world lives in balance. You can’t simply survive on your own, even if you think you’re the strongest out there.”
“For someone that young, you sure do understand a lot about the world.”
The king patted on Changmin’s shoulder.
“I’ve seen enough to know that much.” Changmin answers that earned the king's laugh, if Changmin thinks this is how the Fire King really like, he wondered how the king could get to the position he is today, probably in a very sneaky and manipulative way.
“494, 495, 496, 497…”
Yunho keeps on counting as he tried to tempo his breathing, trying to suppress the need to rest from his intensive hour of training.
"Don’t you ever get tired of working out?”
Yunho tried to ignore the other present and keep on counting, he still have another 502 push up to go.
“….498, 499, …. 500…” 500 more.
“Why do you even work so hard anyway? Are you that motivated to being the strongest person ever?”
The other continued to ask as he swinging his legs while seating relaxing on one of the nearby branches.
“…501, 502, 503, 504…”
“Aren’t you going to answer me? Wow! You’re really sweating a lot, bet it’s a lot nicer being up here. Look at all these wind’s blowing.”
Changmin reached out his hand and tried to feel the wind breeze. It was a really relaxing day for him, as he leisurely spent it up on a tree, reading one of the literature works from the Fire Nation. Books from the Fire Kingdom are very interesting because unlike the Water Tribe where their libraries are filled with books on economic, fisheries and agricultural, the fire nation’s library seemed to be filled with books on politics, their country history and even on religion and human morals. Dangling one leg out while another resting on the branch, Changmin decided to bother the other as he was planning on taking a quick break from his reading.
“505, 506, 507, 508…”
“Oi…Jung! Are you deaf? Did you hit your head so hard that you weren’t able to listen anymore?”
Still…Yunho decided to ignore him and continue focusing on his push up, feeling his arms start to turn a little bit sore and tired.
“509, 510, 511, 512, 513…”
“Well I guess you’ll just keep on being a bull by yourselves then… Jezz, and to think that the fire king’s son was someone fun to play with..”
“513, 514, 515”
“You’ve counted 513 already…” Changmin obviously pointing out the other’s mistake before Yunho slumped to the ground, face flat, while panting.
“Fuck Changmin?! You’re so annoying. Do you have to talk so much while I’m concentrating?! What are you doing here in the first place? This is supposed to be my secret hideout for training, how did you even find your way here?!” Changmin chuckled and pointed at him.
“Easy, I followed you.”
He turned to look at his surrounding, before added.
“Nice hideout you got here. Mind shared it with me?”
“I do, actually. Now, get lost!”
“Come on Jung, I want a quite place to read.”
“Then read it in your room.”
“Away from any of the things that related with the Fire kingdom, including the castle, the people or any other place.” Changmin completed his unfinished sentence, their exchanged stare somehow seem understanding and sorry with one another. Yunho somehow understand that feeling, sometimes he felt trapped as well, which is why he had chosen this secluded area to train, well training was probably just an excuse, an excused for himself to run away from reality.
“Well….you could have at least searched for another spot somewhere? Then, that way you don’t even have to be anywhere near me as well.”
“Why? I don’t mind being around you though.”
“I’m the Fire kingdom's prince.”
“And you’re also someone I’ve defeated and earned respect for my own existence, not as Shim Changmin, from the water tribe but as me.” He chuckled to mask the honest truth he was saying. “And hey, you’re probably the only closet thing I have to a friend I got here. Although I barely even know you.”
“How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
“You’re still so young and yet you agreed to be wed?”
“Unlike some else, I don’t have much choice on my own.”
“So you’re saying like I do?”
“Well…no. Maybe you don’t as well.”
A long pause of silent before Changmin decided to change the topic.
“Do you know about the 4 Mythical beasts?” Changmin asked as he carefully studied the other reaction.
Flashback
Earlier that morning when he was meeting with the king in the throne room, just the two of them.
“Did you even told him yet about the…” Changmin asks, but he was stopped midway by the king.
“No. It’s my son. I know him more than anyone else, he’ll be more than willing to do it for me.”
“You sounded like you’re so sure of yourselves. What if he couldn’t accept it that well? Being a jinchuuriki is not an easy thing, once everyone knows about this, they’ll start targeting on him for his life, some even start hating him or scared by his very existence. Don’t you at least felt sorry for your own son? Your bloodline?”
[note: Jinchuuriki – power of human sacrifice]
“He’s my son, he’ll get over this. And once he does, this country will be the most powerful kingdom in the world.”
In the king’s eyes there was the aura that scared Changmin a little. He knew now why the Fire King was considered as a threat to his father, the greed for power this man hold is insatiable. Changmin silently hoped that whatever happen wouldn’t result in such a terrible turn of event.
End Flashback
“Don’t everyone learnt about that in school?”
“Well I didn’t go to a fire kingdom’s kindergarten, so I don’t know. Then recite the tale back to me.”
Changmin requested, as he gave the other his hand and pull the other up to seat with him on the tree branch. Yunho settled down with comfortable seating position before he began the tale.
“Long ago, when the world was still young, there were 4 powerful mystical beasts that guard the balance in the world. There were the fire dragon, the grey eagle, the sea serpent and finally the wise turtle. As far as I know, back then, the fire dragon was the strongest among them and he lives way secluded in a cave away from the others three. It was folk tale that the fire dragon was the originator of the existing of the fire bending.”
Yunho muttered a small amount of flame using his finger, displaying the fire in a small dragon figure before moved it around to make the story more interested, just like how he was told by his kindergarten teacher, drawing more of Changmin’s interest to his tale.
“The fire was always at peace with himself until one day, he finds it to be really lonely living by himself, so the cave door that was closed for 500 years was opened. More days passed before one day, a human seeks for shelter from the rain. The human eventually met the dragon and then the dragon held capture of the human, keeping him prison. But one day, the human was able to escape and it was then, the dragon rage, attacking the human’s village.”
The story went on as Changmin was driven more into the story.
“Everything was a chaos. It was then the other three mythical beasts interfere, if they didn’t, they the whole world might have been burnt down to ashes. They fought, three against one and eventually the fire dragon was overpowered and retreat back to where he came from. However it was said that the originator of the fire bender was the one who escaped from the dragon, that one human that causes all these mess.”
Yunho laughed over the tale.
“The one human that survived from the fire dragon prison. He must be one hell of a guy.”
His own added personal comment to the tale while the other remained silent.
“Hmm…don’t you think you should have pity the dragon a bit?” Changmin commented before he was being stared at by the other.
“I mean, the cave was closed the entire time but one day, the dragon opened it and who know, someone just had to come across the opened gate. I think that’s almost like fate that it happen, don’t you think?”
“I guess…”
Yunho was silent by Changmin’s hand pressed firmly on his lips while Changmin turned a serious gaze on one direction. It was then Yunho realized that they weren’t alone, at least not anymore.
“Duck!”
It was just in time when they ducked from five arrows being shot into their direction. In no time Changmin was already launched toward the direction of where the arrow came from and there, he spotted three people of their assault. It didn’t take more than three minutes for both of them to finish them off. Changmin wanted to find out who sent them but before he was able to pull that information out of the last one remained, he killed himself by stabbing himself with a hidden blade, ending his pitiful life.
“Well, I guess we’ll never know who sent them then.”
“Try search on their belonging, maybe they’ll left a trace.”
Yunho suggested as he carefully looked for any clue. After a good ten minutes of searching, they gave up. These are trained assassins, they don’t do job half-assed. They buried the bodies nearby the stream not far from the location. Changmin took the time to wash his blood-stained hands, he never likes them dirty in the first place, especially not with blood.
“You’re strong yet you’re scared of taking people lives away, which I found that to be really irony. Why keeping all the strength if you’re not going to use it?”
Changmin stared into the stream before met back with the other’s stare.
“Then you should also answer my previous question, why are you training so hard? Is possessing strength and power meant everything to you?”
Yunho was taken aback by the other’s question, he never thought about why he wanted to become strong, all he know is, as the prince of the Fire Kingdom and one day to be the king, he needs to be strong.
“I want to be strong, because that’s what I find value myself in. My purpose of existence.”
Changmin silent for awhile, only then he starts water bending, taking a small amount of water from the stream and circulate it until it formed like a dancing crystal ring. Yunho held his breath, amazed overseeing the other manipulating his own element, water.
“Strength doesn’t always come in that form, taking people lives. Repressing one strength can also consider as a strength.”
Changmin brought the moving crystal ring closer to the other’s cheek, there was a wound on it and when the crystal touched, the wound immediately closed up and healed.
“You know, Shim Changmin, for an outsider, you’re not that bad.”
“I beat you once in a match I have you reminded.”
Yunho chuckled over the remarked.
“Defeated by my younger fiancé, ouch! My pride must have been wounded that badly.”
“You don’t have much to begin with.” Changmin’s remark.
“Why you little brat?! Come here you!”
Yunho head-locked Changmin with his arm and pulled him around playfully. The younger boy tried to shove the other away and succeed once before being attack by the other again, playfully shoving and tickling one another. Yunho forgot when was the last time he had a really good laugh with anyone? Maybe having a Shim Changmin as his spouse doesn’t seemed too bad after all.
‘thok, thok.’
The door to Changmin’s bedroom was opened by one irritated Changmin, already readied for the night, with one grinning ear-to-ear Jung Yunho at his door.
“What do you want Jung?”
“Well so I figured since we’ve already engaged, spending the night together doesn’t sound strange isn’t it?”
“Go back to your room, I’m tired.” Changmin tried to shut the door but the other was faster.
“Come on, I want to have pillow talks with you, see?” He childishly showing him his pillow, “I even brought my own pillow here.”
“Which you’ll be enjoy talking to in your room, good night.” The door was shut closed, leaving a sulking Yunho on the door. He was just about to retrieve back to his room when the door was opened again, revealing Changmin in his half guilty mind state.
“On second thought….just….just come in.”
“What makes you changed your mind?”
“Just a thought of something….”
“Want to talk about?”
“I rather not.” Yunho knows not to pounder on it when the others was being reluctant like that.
“Okay.” Yunho entered the room and looked around the room, it was one of the main guess room in the palace. The space is filled with books, some are what he’s already familiar with and some he never pays his mind to them.
“You read all these? Just in the past few days you were here?” Yunho seem to be impressed, he could tell the other was an intelligent type, and today just prove it more.
“I’m planning on finishing them, yes.”
Changmin fondled with his loose shirt, hand still remained bandaged as he let the other roomed through the space, he settled back on his side of the bed and picked up the book he was previously reading when Yunho had decided to disturb the peace. Yunho behaved like a child, exploring a new area before his focus was back on the one on the bed, legs extended and a fluffy pillow cushioned his back.
“You’ve changed the bandaged?” Yunho asked, curious even from the second time they’ve met.
Changmin startled by the question, if he felt a bit self caution, now was the best time. He timidly lowered his hands, covering them behind the book from the other’s view. “Yeah, I gotta kept the wound clean to avoid infection.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you get yourself wounded like that? The first time I met you, you don’t seemed to have it before?”
Yunho was met with a silent gaze from the other before he was being answered after a sigh escaped from the other’s mouth. “I’ve been training.”
“But you’re already strong.”
“Well…. I need to get stronger.”
“What about the skill you showed me earlier, can’t you use it to heal yourself?”
Changmin sighed again and untying the bandage on his hands to show the other the answer, seemed like words alone can’t described the whole situation to the other.
Yunho eyes widen once he saw what was hidden inside the bandaged hands. It was like a burnt wound on the pale skin of the other, the blistered hands showed how much the other had been put through his training.
“If I could, I would have done so in a long time ago. But I couldn’t, because this is all part of the training.”
Flashback
The last pile of stone marked the last grave they had buried. The last body of their attackers.
“Who do you think that send them?” Changmin asked, thought he might have guess he can’t show the other that he knows a lot, not in front of Yunho.
“No idea, but this is not unusual for me. With father being the king, basically that put all the enemies around us the whole time. I was kidnapped when I was little, kept starve and locked for a whole week,just when I was about to lost hope that anyone would come to rescue me, the whole army was there, unlocking the door and I was back home.”
If Changmin thought he saw a moment of weakness there, Yunho had already carefully covered it with an act he knows how, and done more than thousands times, he’s the crown prince thus any event like that shouldn’t scare him that much anymore.
End flashback
The sound of peaceful breathing greets Changmin when he was awakening in the middle of the night. It was from the person who was deep asleep next to him, eyes half opened and mouth open-wide like it could fit a fist in it, completely oblivious to his surrounding or the danger that was approaching. Changmin suppressed the desire for throwing a pillow on his so-called fiancé, honestly, how could that man is older than him with all the childish act he’s been showing him. The bed is large enough to fit another two persons on it, and Yunho was keeping a tolerable distance between them on the king sized bed, that make Changmin grateful for it, at least the other wouldn’t realize it if he’s slipped out for a while.
Making as minimum sound as possible, Changmin put on his slipper and slipped out of his room heading toward the source that was keeping him awake in the first place.
A few doors away from his own room, was Yunho’s room, the large, well-furnished chamber for the Prince of the Fire Kingdom. Changmin pressed closed on the door, confirming the numbers that had readied for the attack. 4 people.
Not that many, he can handle this on his own. He snickered,
‘The ministers are taking this too lightly, did they really think they can killed the prince that easily...’
Sheathing of the shield to his sword, he entered the room and begin cleaning up the mess the king had brought upon to them, despite the warrant he had given to the king.
An hour and a half later, Changmin retreats back to his room, making sure no trace of the fight or blood left in the room. He slipped back into the bed and continued his slumber, sword long hidden under the secret part of bed.
Next morning, Yunho wakes up first after having his good night of sleep. He stretches like an overgrown cat on the king-sized bed, completely unaffecting the other’s peaceful slumber. Only then he realized he wasn’t alone. He stares onto the other’s features, for once, Changmin looks like his age, sleeping all scrunching like an overgrown koala bear, eye lashes long and well defined cheekbones with a little baby fats on his cheeks, cute.
For once, Yunho thought his fiancé is cute. Not all the mature and strong image he usually puts up with but when they’re in this state. When Changmin is soft and defenseless.
“Is it morning already?”
“Yup, good morning to you too.” Yunho smiles, waiting for the big brown eyes to open and gaze at him the only way the other know how.
“G’d morn’g.” Voice covers with sleep as he flutters his eyes open, taking in the bright light. Changmin finally opens his eyes and takes in the view right in front of him, that proves to be the wrong moves, the other’s face was just an inch away from his, he was caught off-guard.
“What are you doing Jung? Get your face away from me!” With their close proximity, Changmin could practically smell the other’s morning breath away, mixed up with his. It’s stink. He shoves Yunho’s face away from him and get off the bed.
“You know, you’re the first to ever shove me away in my advance. Do you not find me attractive?”
Changmin ruffles his hair in distaste, wondering if he’ll ever be able to spend the rest of his life attending to this whinner.
“Not to me, you don’t.”