Chapter Text
Jiwoong was summoned to the throne room. As it stands this wasn‘t something unusual for a Captain of the Royal Army. Yet, in this specific case it could be argued that it was somewhat special that Jiwoong himself was being ordered to appear before his majesty the king. Since apart from fleeting moments and official gatherings this would be the first time he will talk with the king face to face.
The two guards who were escorting him through the long halls of the palace were silent beside him. They stopped before the grand entrance of the palace‘s core.
The throne room was blending in its brightness. The floor length windows were stunning. Specifically in the way they cloaked the big hall in a warm golden light. The walk to the throne seemed endless. So long you could have missed the king if the deep green carpet wasn‘t rolled out to point you the way.
Jiwoong stopped a few meters before the king. He bowed with one knee up and facing down, shoulders impossibly straight.
"Kim Jiwoong, I have heard only good things about you," the king addressed him. "Despite your status as a blacksmith‘s son you have shown true leadership qualities. Your excellent swordsmanship is the pride of our guards if the talking mouths are to be believed and I believe them. Not least because the Crown Prince is one of them." The king chuckled.
Jiwoong resolutely kept his head down but he could feel the gaze of Hanbin on him.
"It is because of my son and your good repute that I grant you this opportunity to prove yourself once more and represent our kingdom of Floraison. You are to amass a team of trusting soldiers of your choosing to accompany you on the voyage across the sea to the Guang Kingdom and welcome the foreign Prince. To bring him safely back to our lands. I‘m sure you have heard of it. Prince Hao of Guang is to be wed to the Crown Prince. I don‘t want one hair of his to be missing when he arrives in the palace. The relations between the Guang Kingdom and our nation are dependent on you bringing the prince safe and sound before my eyes. You will take the St. Bloom as your ship and set sail in two weeks time exactly. Any questions?"
Jiwoong rose from his position and stood with a confidence only years of military training could give you. He opened his mouth and kept his gaze resolutely on the feet of the king. "I don‘t have any further questions. It is my honor to lead such an important mission. I will not disappoint."
The answer seemed satisfactory. "Good. I will remind you of your words."
The king motioned for a servant to step forward and hand over a scroll. Jiwoong took the scroll from the servant and bowed a last time before the king. He made quick eye contact with Hanbin when he lifted his head. With the weight of a new mission in his hand and sunshine on his back, he left the king and the crown prince.
Time flew and Jiwoong was busy with all the planning for the trip to the foreign kingdom. It robbed him of all his time. It was the day before he is set to go out on sea. Hanbin insisted on seeing him before he left. He welcomed him to his private sitting room with a freshly brewed can of green tea.
"Jiwoong, you know there isn‘t anyone I trust more than you to escort Prince Hao."
The soldier took a sip of tea as he observed his friend. He put the delicate cup down with a satisfied sigh.
"I promise I will bring him safely to you. Though... It‘s another matter if you truly want me to."
"Of course I want you to. It‘s for the good of the kingdom. Would I have recommended you to my father if this wasn‘t important to me?"
"I don‘t know, would you? I‘m not sure I‘m the best person for this honestly." Jiwoong shifted and became aware of the weight of the heavy cloak on his shoulders.
"What are you saying?" Hanbin bristled. "I have watched you fight countless times, fought with you even. With a sword in hand your are unmatched." The golden chains on Hanbins jacket made a quiet jingle sound as he swung his arm out to make a point.
"Your praise means much to me. Especially coming from you but I can‘t help but wonder... Is there something specific you hoped to achieve by putting me on this mission?"
„No, not directly..." Hanbin didn‘t say anything for a while. He had a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I see this as a great chance to prove your worth to the king. Not that you need to prove anything."
"I know."
"I want to make you head of the Royal Guards. Father wouldn‘t even have thought about this because you have no noble status but I know there is no better person for that position but you."
Jiwoong let out a quiet grunt. "I know that too."
"Yes, good..."
"And?"
Hanbin looked at him questioningly. "And what?"
"There is something more you are not telling me."
"What could there be more?"
"I‘m not sure myself. Maybe something about another prince perhaps? A prince you are engaged to? Just tell me to throw him overboard and I will do that."
"No, don‘t do that!" Hanbin jumped from his seat and started to roam around the room. "If you could just talk with him a little and get a feel for him. Make him comfortable. That would be enough."
"Alright. Just know I would have done it for you."
"Stop joking. You could get in serious trouble if someone overheard you." Hanbin‘s indigo cape swirled with him as he turned to make another round.
Jiwoong kept to himself that he saw Hanbin smiling before that. "Good then, that it‘s just you and me here."
"I value your loyalty but it should go to the kingdom and not just to me."
"I can‘t help that I like you a little bit more than the kingdom. It‘s cruel, they force you into this marriage when you don‘t even know the man. That they didn‘t even pretend to give you a choice, just so they could fill their pockets with more gold despite the fact they don‘t even do anything with it."
"Jiwoong! Enough!" Hanbin has stopped walking to face the other man. Jiwoong rose from his plush seat and reached out to lay a hand on the shoulder of the Crown Prince. His dark gloved hand in stark contrast to the pristine white jacket of Hanbin.
"You don‘t have to pretend that this arrangement is a perfectly good thing to do. It won‘t make you a bad person to let out some of your grievances. It won‘t make you a bad prince too. I promise."
Hanbin let the tension escape from his body.
"You don‘t have to tell me that... At first I didn‘t know what to make of it. Father married mother out of love and not because of some kind of deal. I had kind of assumed it would be the same for me but in the end it doesn‘t matter. There isn‘t anyone I‘m in love with anyway. The Kingdom of Guang on the other hand is a country with rich resources. If this marriage makes us a stronger country then I‘m happy to marry Zhang Hao." Hanbin took the hand on his shoulder into his own. "Truly. You can trust me on this. I grew up with the mindset to do what‘s best for my kingdom and don‘t have any problem with that."
Jiwoong looked at Hanbin‘s face for any trace of a lie but couldn‘t find one. He squeezed the other’s hand.
"Alright. Then I won‘t bother you further with this."
Hanbin squeezed back and gifted him a smile. "You are a really good friend, Jiwoong."
"You too, your majesty." Jiwoong unclasped his hand and sat back on the soft chair. "For what it‘s worth I heard Prince Hao is elegant as a flower and handsome like one too."
"Yes, I heard the rumors. His penmanship certainly speaks of a certain elegance. As of now I can only attest to his intellect. He writes in our language like he grew up with it."
An eyebrow rose in Jiwoong‘s face. "You exchanged letters?"
"Not many. They take too long to travel. I didn‘t want to tell you because there is not much to tell. We only spoke some platitudes. Nothing of deeper meaning."
"And he is okay with the arranged marriage?"
"If he isn‘t there is nothing in his letter to indicate so."
"Maybe he thinks like you then. The sacrifice is worth it if it is for the people."
"That could be. You know for some people romantic love is not the end of be all. Personal sacrifice, as you call it, can bring some people happiness if it is done for the right reasons."
"I‘m not sure if the reasons are right in this case but that is why I am not a prince."
Hanbin let out a laugh. "You‘re too much of a hopeless romantic to let someone dictate you who to marry. There is a reason you are already this old and still single."
"I am not that old. I‘ll have you know I‘m currently the youngest captain and the first one to be appointed so young too."
"Yeah, too busy working to look for a cute girl or boy."
"I‘m of the belief that if you are meant to be it will happen. No reason to distract myself with people until I find the one and only person for me." Jiwoong busied himself with a refill of tea.
"I hope so, my friend. I will miss you while you are gone. I hope you know that."
"I‘m not sure I‘m worthy of your concern but I appreciate it." He emptied his tea cup.
“Just accept my worry for you. You‘re one of my only friends. How boring will my days be without someone around to gossip to, I wonder."
Jiwoong let out a dry chuckle. "You‘ll manage, your Highness."
"I won't have a choice. Just bear in mind to not prolong the trip, yes? I‘ll need you."
"I know, Hanbin. Cheer up, It will be faster than you imagine. You‘ll have Prince Yujin to preoccupy your time with."
"Ah, don‘t remind me of my brother. I fear he has hit puberty and doesn‘t want to listen to me or our parents anymore. He causes me more headaches than some of my royal duties."
"He‘s fifteen. He is supposed to annoy his older brother."
Hanbin let out a sigh. "What will I do without your rare wisdom, my friend."
Jiwoong didn't let himself be put out by the sarcasm. "The same. You are very capable, with me there or without."
The words seemed to touch the prince."Thank you," he replied. For a short moment they let the feeling that surrounded them sink in. Hanbin was the first to break the silence. "I don‘t want to further stop you from your preparations. Let‘s continue our conversations when you have returned. Hopefully, with my fiance in tow."
Jiwoong nodded. "As you wish, my majesty."
"Yes, now go." The royal guard followed the command and stood up. If he was reluctant to do so you couldn‘t tell but before he left for good, he opened his mouth one more.
"Hanbin?"
"Yes?" The prince looked back up at him.
"I‘ll miss you too."
Hanbin‘s whole face lit up with a smile. A genuine feeling of friendship spreading troughout his body and with a slight ache in his heart he watched his friend leave the room.