Chapter Text
As a child, Ren had been told that the forest on the border of Yongen was filled with unimaginable horrors. Even at five years old, he’d known not to properly believe it. Anything that dangerous would have invaded the village, and nothing ever did, so clearly it wasn’t true. Back then, Ren had stared up at the starry sky with wonder, charting courses across the sky like he was attempting to read the stars. His bedroom faced the village’s main hill, and he’d gotten into the habit of waking up in the early hours of the morning to watch the sun crest his small town every day. As always, when he got older, he’d lost the wonder in his eyes relatively quickly, coming to the conclusion that he’d always been a fool, and would continue to be one if he followed his childhood dreams. They were just that- childhood dreams. No use in clinging to them like lifelines. That childish hope had long since been drilled out of him, physically and otherwise.
Despite it, in the small hours of the morning, Ren often found himself climbing onto the roof to stare at the sun as it rose across the band between the kingdoms. The forest had no name, but it had always been in the back of his conscious thought. From the second he joined the court guard to his every waking moment, that forest had always been a blot on his awareness and a deep-seated longing, sunk into his bones and retained from what he could remember of his childhood. In the early morning, when the dawn had just broken, Yongen was lit up by soft orange light, broken only by the occasional cloud passing overhead and the rustle of leaves.
It was beautiful, in a divine sort of way.
When he felt particularly brave, he’d get closer to the forest edge and peer in as the sun rose. At fifteen, he cared somewhat more about life and survival than the rest of his fellow knights. From the training yard, there was a trail leading into the forest, a beaten dirt track leading into the gloom. On many occasions, Ren imagined sneaking away from Yongen before the sun rose and exploring until dusk. If he didn’t have obligations in Yongen, he would.
But since he unfortunately did have obligations in Yongen, he couldn’t escape just yet.
The training yard in the Yongen Barracks was a square box of yellowing grass, beaten down by numerous sets of boots in the years since its inception. Its perimeter was lined with both twisted trees and lush green foliage, with a wrought iron gate facing the forest band at Yongen’s border. In the summer, the sweet smell of the forest washed over the training yard, with the flowers blooming in the tree branches giving off delicate petals in the breeze. On more than one occasion, summer training was paused in favour of observing the movements of nature.
On this particular day, the air was clammy, accentuated with the blaring heat of the morning sun as it rose in the east. Ren shielded his eyes as he walked into the training yard alongside his fellows, casting a quick glance over the yard itself. An instructor he couldn’t remember the name of was talking through the itinerary for the day with the junior trainees, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. He paused when he noticed the increased numbers and turned to Ren and his fellows with a wide smile.
“Good morning.” The instructor gestured at the junior knights-in-training with a wide arc as he spoke. “You’ll be training with our younger recruits today.”
Ren nodded along with his peers, and the instructor began pairing the juniors with a senior. As the pairs joined together and moved to separate areas of the yard, the instructor gestured at a soft-faced junior and made eye contact with Ren.
“You’ll be partnering with Kaoru, Amamiya.”
“Okay.”
Kaoru blinked in surprise, grip tightening on the handle of his sword. He’s too soft for this.
“Are you sure? Ren’s my senior and I don’t-”
He stopped when the instructor raised a hand and simply nodded. The instructor turned to Ren with a soft smile.
“Are you alright with that Amamiya?”
Ren nodded and the instructor took a step back, placing himself safely out of the way in a position that allowed him to observe the entire yard. The other knights stood in their pairs around the training yard, waiting for further instructions. Kaoru looked around, a nervous tinge in the action. He’d never been used to attention, and on more than one occasion Ren had seen Kaoru shirking off compliments with an anxious smile. He’s really much too soft for this. Who signed him up for this career path?
The instructor gave a quick flick of his right wrist, and the pairs around the yard launched into practice without a second thought. Kaoru fixed his nervous gaze on Ren, head slightly inclined to the left.
“I can’t really promise that I’ll be any good.”
Ren gave a quick shrug, effortlessly slipping into a battle stance.
“That’s the point of training, Kaoru. You’ll get better with practice.”
Kaoru blinked a few times, seemingly processing the statement, before he too slipped into a similar stance, hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. The silence stretched between the two of them for a moment longer than usual, before Kaoru darted forward, leading with his left foot. Ren parried his half-hearted strike and stepped back a few paces, slightly bouncing on the balls of his feet. Kaoru tried to suppress a gasp of surprise and recovered quickly, turning his momentary stumble into a quick shift of his feet. He’s good, I’ll give him that. But there’s gaps in his defence.
In their momentary stalemate, Ren feigned a movement to the left before doubling back with a rapid strike to the left, giving Kaoru a drastically reduced window to react. The junior knight didn’t quite move fast enough, and Ren’s second strike connected, sending him stumbling off-balance. Kaoru’s arms went out, swinging wildly, and Ren dodged out of the way by stepping to the side. The younger knight whirled, using his momentum to spin his upper body in Ren’s general direction. The tip of his sword just barely glanced Ren’s nose.
Physical sparring came as easily to Ren’s muscle memory as breathing. He’d been told many times that he was lithe and slippery; quick on his feet, with even quicker hands, a fox-like speed and agility put behind every move. Compared to his fellow trainees, Ren had always favoured short distance hand to hand, striking fast and hard in less time than the others. He quite liked being undetectable on the battlefield- the pride he had in being able to manoeuvre his way out of any situation was matched only by his confidence.
It was, however, rather cruel to use all his numerous tricks against Kaoru, so Ren decided against being underhanded.
The young recruit rushed forward, blade slicing upwards in a shaky arc, and Ren caught the cut with his own blade, sparks flying from the friction. He pushed against Kaoru’s blade with his own, taking a step forward and forcing Kaoru back. Panicked, Kaoru quickly swept his feet from under him, and Ren hit the ground with a heavy thud, all the breath leaving his lungs in an instant. Kaoru, despite his earlier reservations, looked awfully confident- if a little surprised- now, smiling at the instructor in awe as some words passed between the two. Ren couldn’t hear what was said over the thundering of his pulse in his ears. Kaoru bowed at the instructor before he offered Ren a hand with a small, nervous smile. Ren blinked at him for a second before taking his hand. Kaoru pulled him up to his feet and handed his discarded blade over.
“You fight well. I almost lost.”
You would’ve lost if you didn’t go for the knees, he thought, but Ren elected to keep his mouth shut, if only to save his own dignity. Kaoru gave a small chuckle before one of his fellows clapped him on the shoulder and he turned, speaking to the small congregation of young knights. Ren watched Kaoru walk away before sighing and tucking his blade into his belt. He tried his best not to wince at the way the other trainees looked at him and laughed. As the morning wound down, he hung around by the back gate of the training yard, arms crossed and eyes not focusing on anything in particular.
Against his better judgement, Ren looked around for the instructors, and when he couldn’t find any, he ducked under the overgrown tree branches to follow the trail into the forest. It was silent, with a small breeze dancing through the trees and lifting stray leaves along the floor as it moved. Branches snapped under his feet as he stormed through the forest, mumbling curses and pulling at the twigs that got in his way. He clutched the twigs as he went, whittling them down with the flat edge of the blade he kept tucked in his boot.
Ren stopped after a while and threw what remained of the twigs to the side. Looking around, it seemed just like any average forest- and would be one, had Ren not known that the band divided the two kingdoms. Somewhere in the forest band was the border between Shibuya and Yongen, but nobody had cared quite enough to hire a cartographer and publish a map of the forest. Perhaps if they had, Ren would’ve known where he was.
Ren stooped a little to tie his hair up with a ribbon he’d stolen from one of the maids. He’d been told to cut his hair repeatedly in the past, but just never listened. It wasn’t a particular subject he’d want to argue anyway. He just always nodded along and disregarded the talk the moment it was over.
Before continuing deeper into the gloom, Ren kicked at a pile of leaves like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum. He couldn’t quite figure out if it was cathartic, but it improved his mood considerably. When the sun had reached its peak overhead, Ren stopped and looked around for a sign of anything. As he expected, all he saw was trees, spanning in every direction like an endless sea of nothingness. He exhaled a sigh and ran a quick hand through his ponytail. I may have made a mistake coming here. I don’t regret it, but this might’ve been a mistake.
In the distance, if he squinted hard enough, he could vaguely make out a silhouette, highlighted with the noon sun and stood in a clearing not too far off. He watched for a while, head tilted to the left, and jumped back a step when the silhouette moved. Curiosity overtook his judgement, and he walked closer, stepping over fallen branches as he went. The shadow hadn’t moved from its new spot, and in the back of his mind Ren was careful to make his steps quiet and meticulous, just in case he was tracking a wild animal. He’d never been a particularly adept hunter, but his previous embarrassment spurred him on in a burst of rather annoyed self-deprecation.
Getting closer, Ren hid behind a tree and observed his strange finding. With such close proximity, it was hard to deny that the shape was strikingly human, bowed a little over a small cluster of colourful plants. They held a small notebook in one hand and a sharpened pencil in the other, with which they gently lifted the leaves of the strange plants to look underneath. They took notes after putting the leaves down and straightened up, tucking their pencil behind their ear and closing the notebook. The noon sun overhead cast a sloping shadow on the ground by their feet as they tucked their book into a pocket on their jacket and took a deep breath. A few strands of their hair fell from their ponytail, and Ren had the sudden impulse to dart forward and fix it.
He leaned away from the tree a little to get a clearer view, completely puzzled, before the stranger turned around and caught his eye. He froze instantly, fear lancing through his blood like poison. The stranger inclined their head to the side and quickly looked Ren up and down before a soft chuckle delicately shook their shoulders.
“I’ve never actually seen another person in these woods.”
Ren stuttered, attempting to find the words to respond. The stranger simply smiled and took a step closer.
“Which town did you come from? I don’t recognise your clothes.”
Ren’s tongue finally obeyed him and he faced the stranger with as much tenacity as he could. I should be prepared for a fight. Nobody comes into these woods without an ulterior motive.
“Yongen.”
“Ah.” The stranger nodded in recognition, but Ren didn’t drop his guard. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t have come from the central city. Those types tend to avoid coming in here.”
Ren just mutely nodded, and the stranger continued.
“I’m from the neighbouring kingdom. We’re on the border.” They motioned a line between the two of them with a gloved hand. “It’s right here. It’s a bit of a ways in though, so most of the time the maps say our territory ends where the woods begin.”
“Same.”
“We’re on impartial ground. Kingdom hostility doesn’t matter here, and I can tell you’re on your guard.”
They offered a hand in Ren’s direction.
“I’m Goro. I’m a trainee knight for the Shibuya Counsel.”
Ren swallowed what remained of his pride, crossed the metaphorical border with a step and shook Goro’s hand.
“I’m also a trainee knight. Name’s Ren.”
Goro gave a smile a little too fake to be genuine and bowed his head. He hadn't let go of Ren's hand.
"Why did you come in here? Not many people do."
Ren gave a casual shrug.
"Just felt like exploring a bit. Nobody ever comes in here so I knew it would be empty."
"Ah, I see."
Ren let go of Goro’s hand and tucked his own in his pockets.
"Why are you in here then?"
"Oh, I was brushing up on my botany. It's a compulsory module in my academic courses."
Ren raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Botany? Really?"
Goro gave an enthusiastic nod before withdrawing his notebook, flicking through the book in a demonstration before he paused on a previous page and turned the book in Ren's direction. A detailed and annotated sketch of a hyacinth lay across the double page, and Ren noticed with a small amount of curiosity that Goro’s handwriting was neat and thin, filling the lines with the most delicate precision.
"This is my personal favourite.”
Ren quickly scanned over the pages, absorbing the information as rapidly as he could. Botany wasn’t a necessary discipline he had to follow, not when the King cared only for the plants that would look the best in an arrangement on his desk. The most academics he’d done in a long while was basic biology, and even then it was basic coverage, detailing only the most lethal places to target in a war. Botany had never been something required to know.
“Why is botany a compulsory module?” He asked, and Goro looked up, a puzzled expression on his face. “I mean, why do your instructors require you to study plants if you’re going to be a knight?”
Goro closed his notebook and leaned back a little.
“There’s a lot of plants in and around the Court. Along with providing protection, our knights are knowledgeable in many other things. His Majesty calls it ‘well-rounded’.”
“Oh.”
Goro raised an eyebrow, a little teasingly. Ren felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
“Does your King not think the same?”
Ren cleared his throat with a quick cough, staring at the flowers by his feet.
“Not really. He’s more concerned with making us all ruthless.”
Goro gave a soft laugh.
“There’s more to a knight than just being ruthless, you know.” He leaned into Ren’s periphery, a small smirk on his lips. “There’s a whole code of chivalry we’re supposed to follow. Being ruthless isn’t on it.”
Ren waved a dismissive hand in Goro’s general direction, much to the other’s amusement.
“Chivalry is dead.”
“Oh is it now?”
Ren crossed his arms defiantly and turned away.
“Most of the codes are outdated. By that definition Mr Academic, we shouldn’t use them because they’re unfit for purpose.”
“Oh, using my necessary studies against me, are you?”
Ren shot Goro a smirk, filled with derisive amusement.
“What of it?”
“It’s rather childish.” Goro’s tone was light, if a little teasing. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re jealous of my intellectual superiority.”
Ren snorted, a hand flying up to cover his mouth.
“Oh spare me, Mr Academic. Just because I don’t study botany casually doesn’t mean I’m ‘intellectually inferior’.”
Goro shrugged, nonchalant.
“You’d benefit from the academic courses offered in Shibuya.”
Ren furrowed his brows, confused.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Goro’s smirk fell, replaced by a pensive look. He stared down at the patch of flowers between his and Ren’s feet.
“I don’t mean that in a provocative or insulting way. I just mean that there’s more to your life than just knowing how to wage war.”
Ren stayed silent. Goro quickly glanced behind him, catching sight of something in the trees behind, before he looked back at Ren, a melancholy smile on his face.
“I should be going now, my mother’s calling.”
Goro gave a quick bow before turning and walking into the trees in the opposite direction. Ren watched him go, vaguely listening to the rising chirping of birds as night began to set in. Huh. I wasn’t expecting that interaction.
Ren looked back down at the small patch of flowers by his feet as the early evening shadows rose.
Hyacinth. That’s a patch of hyacinth.