Chapter Text
As the Prince of a peaceful kingdom, there wasn't much for Damien to do with his time aside from lessons on how to be a proper King. He liked to think he knew everything already as he'd been learning these things since he was a young boy. Of course, there’s only so much theory you can learn and as a result, Damien was only partway there. While he knew how the rule a kingdom and how to keep it afloat, unfortunately Damien would much rather spend his time in the castle town. He so desperately craved freedom and envied the carefree lives that his people had. They didn't have to worry about acting or dressing properly, heavens forbid anyone see you as anything other than perfect. It wasn't his father, King Dominic, that he had to impress; the King tended to spoil his only son and was a bit too soft on him. Rather, it was the nobles of the other kingdoms. They were very judgey, especially towards people who weren't their own. As a result, Damien was stuck in the castle of the crescent shaped island known as Derendia.
The land was large, with a lovely tropical climate, not too hot but not too humid. Heavy, dense forests rest on the outskirts of the nation, keeping the citizens enclosed but not trapped. All through his life, Damien was told to stay out of the forests as they harboured vicious monsters that would show no mercy. There was always a news story every week about some poor soul venturing into the forests and going missing, likely getting torn apart from whatever horrors dwelled in the dark abyss of trees. However, that didn't dampen Damien's curiosity. No matter what, he still wanted to go see what waited for him in the forests. Well, they do say that curiosity killed the cat.
He had been coming up with a plan to sneak out for a couple of months now. He thought it was foolproof, especially since no one would think that the Prince himself would even dare to leave the safety and comfort of the castle. Though Damien was no stranger to sneaking out, in fact he considered himself an expert at it. Most nights, he'd head to the town and spend his time in bars and nightclubs, often with the company of a beautiful person. He was getting to the age where he'd have to find a wife and have children, so why not spend all his time single with as many people as he could. His father of course disapproved but its not like he could stop his son as he'd just keep sneaking out. Anytime he was caught it was always by Wallace, the Grand Master of the Guard. Wallace would always subject the Prince to some hellish training exercise as a way to try to deter him from this bad habit. It never deterred him though. No doubt that when, not if, Wallace found out, the punishment would be so severe. Oh well, thats just something Damien would have to deal with at a later date.
The day to enact his plan had come. The day had gone by as normal with Damien's tutor droning on about relations with other nations and the importance of Derendia's peaceful and neutral nature. As the future King, it was his duty to prevent war and conflict, both within his country and between other countries. It's not like other countries cared much about Derendia anyways. The island's main priority was fishing and farming. However, the peace was good as it let Damien do whatever he pleased with his time outside of his studies. He took a glance at the clock on the wall and saw that the time was nearing seven in the evening. The young man stood from his chair and raised a hand to stop the tutor mid sentence. "Terribly sorry to cut the lesson short, but I have a prior arrangement to attend to. You're dismissed." He said with a quick and snappy tone, leaving the tutor no time to respond as he left the room with a quick and confident stride. Once he left the room, his pace quickened up to a jog. He was aiming to get to his room quick enough, so his father didn't catch him. He knew all the usual paths that his father would take in the castle, so the prince took care to avoid those routes and instead take a roundabout way towards the royal apartments. As he hurried on his way, Damien noticed that the castle was a bit colder than usual. He would have to get someone to lower the temperature later or put on a few more layers of clothes.
During his trek to his room, Damien passed by a couple of guards chatting about the kingdom of Toreuna. Recently the Queen had stepped down in favour of her eldest son, Jacob. The prince, well King now, had gotten engaged and would become the King soon. Damien had never met King Jacob personally before, but he had seen him. Damien was only a child when the King, a young Prince at the time, had come to his father for help. Jacob's sister had been abducted years prior, and no one had seen her since. The Prince was old enough to have some command over troops so he sent a few squadrons to neighboring countries to search for the lost Princess. Damien still remembered how the King's skin was tinged purple and his hair beginning to grey, he never understood what that meant.
When Jacob came to Derendia with a handful of soldiers in tow, King Dominic of Derendia greeted them with open arms, inviting the soldiers to stay in the castle. It was to keep the relations well, and since the Prince was grieving, Dominic couldn't say no. When asked about it, Dominic told his son that the soldiers were there to keep an eye out for the Princess and to bring her home if she was found, but after a few years, all but one soldier went back to Toreuna. That soldier however found a wife and retired to the countryside to become a farmer, so it was almost like no soldiers were left. Damien liked the soldiers; they were nice to him and snuck him candy. A common misconception was that Toreunian's were stuck up and aggressive, but those men were nothing but kind. One of them even hand sewed a cape for Damien's tenth birthday. He still had that cape and considered it a prized possession.
Soon, the Prince arrived to his freezing cold room. To a normal Derendian, the Prince's room was so cold that you'd need a thick sweater to go in. To Damien, it was a nice comfortable temperature. He was aware about the short window to execute his plan, so the young man quickly changed into clothes that would be much easier to move around in. Grabbing a backpack that was prepared ahead of time, he went to the balcony of his room. Shutting the doors behind him before climbing over the balcony, using the using thick ropes of ivy to keep himself steady as he climbed down the walls. He had done this many times before and had even gotten good at climbing around the castle walls, only using the ivy to support himself. And because of his constant sneaking out, he had a perfect memory of the guard's schedules and knew that at seven pm, there was a shift change which meant no guards around the area for fifteen minutes maximum. It took him fifteen minutes from leaving his class to getting out of the castle, and as the new guards came in for their shifts, Damien's feet hit the ground outside the castle walls. He kept close to the wall just in case anyone would be able to spot him tying his long periwinkle hair back before running towards the dense foliage that kept calling his name. He had admired the forest since he was young, for years having dreams of a silver haired warrior deep within. Damien had odd dreams since he was able to speak, a trait passed down from his mother. The dreams were supposed to be prophecies of the future but he only ever saw the same two scenes, over and over again.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
His Royal Highness, King Dominic was angry at his son, but also terribly worried. The brat had snuck out of the castle again and was missing for five hours. The King had first noticed his son was missing when his tutor had come to him, saying that the Prince had cut his lesson short again. This meant that Damien must have gone to the Castle Town to woo and bed someone as he often did. The King sighed and put a hand to his face. "I see. I'll have a talk with him then, thank you." Dominic waved his hand and the tutor bowed and left. Damien was usually back home within three hours maximum. The fourth hour had Dominic on edge, and the fifth hour had him panicking. After spending those previous two hours pacing his room, the King left and went to find the Grand Master. He found the tall man in the armory, sharpening his sword with his signature scowl on his face. "Wallace, my friend." Dominic said as he went over to the guardsman. Wallace didn’t look up from his work as he spoke.
"Let me guess, the Prince has left again but longer than usual." He set down his sword and brushed his choppy orange hair from his good eye before glancing behind him slightly to see his friend chewing at his nails. With a nod from the King, Wallace sighed. He muttered something about the womanizing brat before standing up. "I'll have my men keep an eye out for him. Something tells me that he isn't in the town however, perhaps he went to the forests?"
Dominic scoffed and shook his head. "That boy isn't foolish enough to go there." Wallace gave the King a blank look which made him think, what if Damien had gone to the forests? What if his son had gotten hurt? In the midst of his worrying, Wallace chuckled a bit, stepping forwards and placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
"I'll send a troop to the woods, don't fret Dominic."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The forests were three kilometers away from the castle. A forty minute walk or in Damien's case, a twenty five minute run. To his luck, no one saw him running, then again his dark clothes helped him blend into the darkening region. However, he wasn't prepared for how truely dark and frightening the forests were. Even if he was scared, he didn't let it stop him, though he wished he at least brought a flashlight to aid him. He ventured deeper and deeper into the forests, fearful of what he might find, or what might find him. Damien knew for a fact that he'd have to go to the infirmary when he got out as he had tripped numerous times on the thick roots sticking out of the ground. At one point he even felt blood running down his leg. He couldn't tell where he was, where he had come from, or even where he was going. The terror and regret were setting in and Damien fully knew how stupid he was for wanting this. He tried to look up to the stars but the large trees covered the night sky, making it impossible to see his hand in front of his face. Spots danced around and the sounds from deeper within made him jump at every moment. At this point, it had been hours since Damien first entered the forests and every moment since had been a paranoia filled hell.
To his luck, he saw a clearing with a bit of moonlight poking through the trees. He wasted no time running over, tearing up in relief at the thought of maybe being able to find his way home now. He saw in the clearing a few logs laying still and he went over to one, sitting down to take a small break before beginning to figure out a way home. He had just calmed down when he heard a growl under his legs and with a horrified scream, he fell off the 'log' and scrambled away till his back hit a tree. He started to take in deeper and deeper breaths till he was hyperventilating and silently sobbing in horror. Was he going to die? Most likely he would. He couldn't breathe and could barely see, but the scarlet eyes of the beasts about to kill him, shone in the dark. He shut his eyes tightly and braced for his impending death when suddenly something hot and wet sprayed across his face and the area went deathly silent. The liquid dripped down onto his lips and he couldn't help but taste it. It was no doubt blood but it had a rotten taste that made Damien gag and nearly throw up.
The silence dragged on for what felt like minutes before the monsters turned and began to growl at something else. In the sliver of moonlight in the clearing, Damien could see a figure with silver hair that almost glistened in the light. Then the sound of pain and metal slicing through flesh came a second later. Just as soon as the carnage started, it ended and the monsters were dead. The forest was silent yet again before the silver haired figure stepped towards him, the glint of a bloodied sword in their hand. "You..." They sounded out of breath and tired. Despite that, Damien picked out a feminine sounding Torunian accent. "You're too damned loud. Now, where am I?" Their words were sharp and clear but with a sweet and alluring tone to it. He couldn't speak, his heart was in his throat and the shock of the encounter was fresh in his mind. He wanted to throw himself at their feet and thank them for saving him, but he was frozen in place. The person sighed and sheathed their sword, stepping even closer. "I'm injured and I need to get to the nearest town. Where am I?" Their tone was more demanding, and he could hear them breathing quite deeply. However, before Damien could say a thing, the person crumpled to the forest's floor. The Prince jumped up and rushed to their side, a sudden rush of adrenaline and bravery coursing through his veins as he hooked his arms around their slender waist. They were a little heavier than he expected as he lifted them up and onto his shoulder. Once they were off the ground, Damien began to head in a random direction. Was this person the one he always saw in his dreams? It was the right set up, silver hair in the moonlight, it felt like deja vu.
Damien kept wandering through the dense forest, keeping the person up as best as he could, however it still took a few hours before Damien could see lights in the distance. He could feel tears in his eyes from relief and he started screaming for help. There were then guards yelling and coming into the forest with their lights. One flashed him in the face, and he had to bring a hand up to his eyes. The guards rushed closer to further aid the Prince and bring him out of the last stretch of dark woods. The tears forming in his eyes turned to big crocodile tears. He couldn’t help it; he was so happy to be alive.
He couldn't see his saviour yet, he had to get back to the castle first and to Damien's seemingly never-ending luck, the guards had a vehicle parked nearby. They got him and his saviour in the vehicle before speeding to the castle. He could partially see them now, properly illuminated by the stars and moon above. Their silver hair kept glimmering and their bangs were plastered to their forehead with sweat and blood. One of their eyes was seeping with black blood, probably the injury they collapsed from. Their skin was violet and looked smooth, aside from the black scars everywhere. He thought it was odd since Torunian's had white blood, not black. The whole time back to the castle, Damien stared at his saviour. He was scared that if he looked away, they'd be gone.
Once they got to the castle, the guards offered to carry the person, but he refused, saying it was his job to do. He carried them inside but as soon as they were in, the guards took them from his arms. He protested and demanded to come with to the infirmary, but instead he was steered to the throne room to speak with his father. The Prince walked in and opened his mouth, but no words came out, instead silent tears fell down his face. Damien looked at his father, who looked horrified and had tears of his own in his eyes. Dominic saw his son covered in blood and ran over to him, brushing his long hair away from his face. "Damien! My son, are you okay? Are you hurt in any way?" Damien could only nod and shake his head, before shakily lowering his head to look at his shirt. It was covered in an almost neon green colored blood as well as his saviour's black blood. He looked back at his father before his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed in his father’s arms. Dominic dropped to his knees as Damien passed out, before quickly wrapping his arms around the young man and hoisting him up. "I'll take him to the infirmary. Tell me what happened." He told the guard who had come in with his son. The King began to speed walk out of the throne room, not wanting to aggravate whatever injuries the boy had, the guard trailing behind him.
"We aren't quite sure what happened, Your Majesty. We were patrolling the area near the forests and heard screaming for help. When we found the source, it was Prince Damien carrying an unconscious Torunian. The Torunian was injured and unconscious, but the Prince was seemingly fine aside some minor injuries." The guard explained to Dominic as they walked. When they got there, there were doctors surrounding a bed with some machines and IV drips next to them all. With a quick 'ahem' the doctors turned and saw the King. Half of them went over and gingerly took the Prince, putting him into the bed next to the one with doctors crowding around. They checked the Prince's vitals and relay that he was fine aside from some scratches and a gash on his left thigh. Dominic breathed in relief that his son was otherwise okay. He then noticed the young lady laying in the bed next to Damien. Her right eye was slashed open, the eye itself looked like it would heal blind due to its damage. Three very fresh, long jagged scars rest from the top of her brow to just under the eye. Those three scars now accompanied all the other scars that Dominic could see. No doubt she was a warrior, especially since a sheathed sword lay against the bed next to her. He decided he would just let the doctors stabilise her and let her rest for now. He could ask her some questions when she woke up. In the meantime, the King went to his son and picked him up again, stating that he was bringing the young man to his own room. No one objected to this and he left the room. Outside, he came face to face with Wallace.
"He was in the woods?"
Dominic sighed and nodded, motioning slightly with his head for his friend to walk with him. The two men began to walk towards the apartments. "He was. I'm guessing he came face to face with a monster and the young lady in the infirmary saved his life. Damien's got her blood on him so I'm just piecing together what I can."
Wallace scoffed and shook his head. "Irresponsible. I'm hoping you have some sort of punishment ready." He gave a bit of a laugh knowing that Dominic was more one to scold the boy rather than dish out a punishment. "I know, I know, you won't do such a thing. However, if the young lady did save his life, he does need to thank her properly. A banquet in her honor?" The Grand Master shrugged a bit, but Dominic did think that was a great idea. Someone who saved the Crown Prince's life deserved celebration. He'd have to bring it up when Damien woke up.
"The boy will be punished. I am furious at him. But, at a later time. I am going to let him rest. No doubt this event will weigh heavily on his mind for the days to come. Oh what will I do with him." Dominic groaned and shook his head. Wallace gave a hearty laugh and slapped his friend on the back, causing the man to stumble a bit and glare sharply. "You try raising this boy, Wallace. You see how impossible it is at times! How did this womanizing brat come from my sweet Dahlia!" Wallace only laughed even harder and earned a swift kick to his shin. "So help me, I will end you if you keep laughing." He stopped and stared at Dominic before starting to laugh more. Dominic sighed then cracked a smile and laughed a little with his friend. He would scold Damien when he woke up, but for now, he would have a hard drink with Wallace to ease his nerves.