Chapter Text
On the thirteenth day of the chilly month of September, an air of excitement fills the prosperous kingdom of Drakkaria.
The crown prince, Choi Yeonjun, had just turned 20 years old. A milestone birthday indeed.
The streets are decorated with beautiful flowers. The inviting smell of delicious food fills the air. Music flows through every corner of the shops. The citizens dance and sing, wishing good health and happiness to the eldest of the Choi brothers.
Although… there seems to be strange whispers going around.
The kingdom is bustling with joy at the coming of age of their beloved prince. But inside the palace, there is no sign of celebration.
Inside the palace, an atmosphere of impending doom clings to the high walls. Instead of a celebration, the residents hurriedly prepare… for what?
For a war.
Several voices and footsteps fill the hallway. Prince Yeonjun, still in his celebratory attire, trails behind the king down the long, almost unending passage. His long black hair is a mess under his crown, he wipes the sweat dripping down his reddened face. His two brothers follow right behind.
“Father, wait! What do you mean there's a threat of war?” Yeonjun scrambles after the King, wondering how he got any information in the middle of a ceremony.
‘Father did seem moody ever since we were on the carriage, but we were only greeting the subjects! Wait… did he perhaps find a messenger in the crowd behind me? But it didn't seem like he was looking at anyone in particular…’ Yeonjun's thoughts kept pouring in, trying to piece together the events.
‘That would make sense as to why the king ordered for us to return to the palace immediately, cutting the ceremony short.’
Once they were back inside, the king announced for the palace to amp up security and left the three brothers behind, neither having a clue of what just happened.
And honestly, Yeonjun is a little upset.
One moment he was being celebrated and congratulated, and the next he's being ignored and left in the dark. He would very much like to know what caused his birthday to be overshadowed like this! Call him egotistical if you will.
But his father, too engrossed in shooting around orders, ignores him anyway. “Gather the council right now. I want them to be present for the meeting in less than an hour's notice. Alert the military forces about an imminent threat. Tighten up the security on the border. Especially towards the South-”
Border security…?
“Were we attacked?” Choi Soobin, Yeonjun's brother and the second prince, tries asking this time, but to no avail. He looks visibly anxious, his black hair might just turn silver with the stress.
“Tell the head of knights to prepare their best men. I do not want any member of the Royal family to be unguarded-” their father carries on, only making the tension worse for the brothers. Is there an insider threat?
“Did something happen to someone?” Choi Beomgyu, Yeonjun's half brother and youngest prince, whom he associates with chestnuts, steps forward to try and get an answer out of the king.
But the king simply steps around him and moves on. “I need a report on our weaponry and armor. If you see that there's a lack of anything, send orders for it to be made immediately.”
A flurry of people move away from the king and in their direction. Thoroughly agitated, Yeonjun finally raises his voice. “Can someone please tell us what is going on?” his voice echos off the yellow tinted walls.
The guards around them come to a halt. But their father only lets out a ‘tsk’.
“I do not have time for explanations right now-”
“Are you at risk or-”
“The whole Kingdom is at risk if we do not act fast, Yeonjun!! Why are you not understanding-”
“Well, you won't explain!” He shouts. The guards around him flinch at his voice.
The king turns around, whipping his cape behind him, anger burning in his eyes. He rushes towards him, nostrils flaring. The brothers take a step back in fear.
“This!” his father grabs Yeonjun’s left hand and shoves it right to his face. Yeonjun winces at the tightness of his grip, but the pain is quickly forgotten at what he sees on his arm. He hears a gasp behind him.
There, etched onto his skin, as if it was there all along, are letters… letters he'd never seen before.
“This… is a beacon of war.” The King gestures towards the strange swirls of letters that had formed on his hand. It ran along his wrist and ended on the back of his ring finger.
Yeonjun watches with tears pricking his eyes, humiliated and confused, as the mark grew clearer by the second.
“This mark…” his father continues, “is a sign from the Dragon itself to brace ourselves. So forgive me for not having the time to explain!” He throws his hand to the side. Yeonjun lets out a shout of pain, but his father doesn’t seem bothered by it, as he gazes out the window towards the horizon, “An enemy is lurking.”
Yeonjun looks down at his reddening wrist, trying to see whatever the hell had happened to it.
What is this? He swears this wasn't there before. He rubs at it, hoping to erase its presence. But it refuses to budge. It now looks akin to a mole. A very intricately penned mole.
His brothers are at his side, trying to take a better look at it as well.
He runs his finger over the blackened skin and reads:
Kang-Taehyun
A name..?
“Who's Kang Taehyun…?” Beomgyu echoes his thoughts.
“I… I have no idea…” says Yeonjun. Who is this, if they even exist? How exactly does this hint at war?
“Yeonjun.” his father’s voice cuts through their thoughts.
“Yes?”
“I expect all of you to be well prepared in your combat lessons. You understand the direness of this situation, don’t you?” The king proceeds to walk, not even waiting for an answer.
Yeonjun swallows the lump in his throat and straightens his back. “I do, Your Highness.”
“Good. I will need the three of you to be present at the meeting in a matter of minutes. Oh, and Yeonjun?” the king pauses in his track.
“Yes?” Yeonjun looks up at the change in tone.
“Cover that up.”
With that, he leaves the trio behind and continues ahead.
The disgust in his father’s voice makes Yeonjun feel small.
He stands there, left hand in his right, as he tries to focus on the golden embroidery on the carpet, the mosaic on the floor, or the glow of the setting sun on the walls, anything really. Anything to bring himself back into his senses. His eyes are getting hazy from the sheer chaos that has erupted around him, as well as inside his head.
His brothers huddle beside him, looking at the seemingly cursed mark. But no one dares to speak a word about it.
‘Everyone's been acting strange…’ Yeonjun thinks, as he catches yet another person glancing at him. Well, at his hand, to be precise.
They're at the meeting room discussing their battle tactics, and all the while, even in the dimness of the room, Yeonjun feels the prickly feeling of being scrutinised. He pulls up the glove on his left arm, trying his hardest not to let it all get to him and pay attention to the topic at hand. But it's getting increasingly hard with all the eyes focused on him. The councilmen weren't exactly being subtle with their staring.
“No one is allowed to speak a word about the mark, is that clear?” His father's stern voice cuts through the silence in the room and commands everyone’s attention back towards him. Yeonjun looks back at the raised podium to his left where his father sits. His Majesty has his staff in his left hand, his fingers tapping against it in an anxious manner. “No information about the mark, or who it was formed on gets outside the walls of this palace. I cannot have anyone, especially the people of Nova, finding this out.” He lifts his staff and brings it to the ground, the clank of sandalwood against marble echoing off the dimly lit walls.
A series of ‘Yes’, ‘understood’ and ‘your Majesty’ is heard from the seats beside Yeonjun. But something's off.
“... Why? Why especially them?” Yeonjun asks hesitantly.
All eyes are back on him again, and he maintains a straight face despite the uncomfortable feeling of being watched.
His father turns to him and answers. “Well, I'm sure you're aware of the centuries-long feud we've had with the Novanites. That should be reason enough for us to be extra precautious about it all.”
“His Majesty is trying to keep you safe, Young Prince. The Novanites are a bit… eccentric about these things…” the minister chimes in.
“I’m sorry, I don’t seem to understand…?” Yeonjun looks at his brothers seated to his right, who share the same look of confusion. He looks back at the minister who now seems unsure of himself and looks towards his father for permission to speak. Yeonjun finds that he’s had enough of this.
“Father.” Yeonjun stands up, trying to get his point across. “A strange mark appeared on my skin out of nowhere, one which you claim is a sign of war. Somehow, I feel responsible for all that is happening right now-“
His father's eyes soften with guilt, “Yeonjun, son, that is not what I'm trying to say…”
“That seems to be the only conclusion! I feel like I accidentally caused something horrible to happen. So, don't you think I'm owed some sort of clarity on the matter? Or is being left in the dark my punishment? Am I not to be trusted anymore?”
The room fills with murmurs of who's fault the current predicament is, and Yeonjun stands straight, facing his father, as several unknown voices agree and throw the blame at him.
It seems to do the trick, as he watches his father's face fall, go into contemplation and come to a decision, in seconds. With a clack of his staff, he commands the room to be silent. The king looks at the council, fire in his eyes, daring for them to speak another word. They all drop their gazes.
He gets up and walks towards Yeonjun, the click clack of the staff filling the Prince with an odd sense of anxiety. He swallows dryly.
He stops in front of him and asks, “Do you remember how the feud between the Drakkarians and the Novanites started?”
Yeonjun's face contorts against his control, not expecting to be quizzed about history right now. He quickly schools himself and answers, “Yes? The Prince of Nova kidnapped the lady betrothed to our great great grandfather…”
“Well, it was because that lady, the minister's daughter, got a mark similar to yours. It was the name of the Prince of Nova.”
“What…?” Yeonjun is stunned. This was never mentioned in the texts.
The King walks towards the line of royal portraits hung on the wall. “They claim that the prince had her name as his mark as well. The people of Nova hold these marks in high regard. They call it ‘The mark of a soul bond”. They will do everything in their power to unite the two… ‘blessed’ people. Even if it’s against their will.”
He stands next to the portrait of the old King. “And so, he kidnapped her a day before she was to be wed to your great great grandfather, Great emperor Kim. When he and the minister went to rescue her, the minister was martyred and our great grandfather injured. This is why the war started.”
“But…they say the Majesty married his own soulmate later.” Soobin matters. “I just assumed that was a way to say he married someone he truly loved but… do they mean…?”
His father lets out a sigh. “Yes, he did. A mere seamster. But they married out of love, not obligation like the Novanites. Nevertheless, the appearance of the mark proved to be unlucky once again, because we faced a severe famine that year…”
“Wait, so why are we not preparing for a famine?” Beomgyu gets up and interjects. “What makes you think that there is only going to be a war?”
“Do you wish to tempt fate, Beomgyu? Don't speak without awareness. All of this happened in the same year.” The King's voice rings across the emptiness of the room. Beomgyu sits back down, head hung low.
The King sweeps another look around the room and turns to return to his seat.
“I just don't understand…” Yeonjun's voice, although hushed, sounds clear in the quiet of the meeting room. “... what the logic of all this is. We don't even know who the name on my hand belongs to!”
“Enough.” A final clack of the staff straightens everyone's posture. “There is nothing more to discuss. You wish for there to be precautions against a famine? That can be arranged. I will not be answering any more of your questions. The council is dismissed.” The King begins towards the exit.
Everyone gets up and bows at the king, wishing him a goodnight in unison. Voices begin to raise and amidst the commotion, someone steps forward from the group of councilmen. “Sire, before we leave…”
Yeonjun watches as the king pauses. “Yes, general?” He can tell that his father is still agitated. What the councilman asks next does nothing to ease it. In fact, it does the exact opposite.
“If the Lord and the Prince obliges, would it be possible to… see the mark?”
Beomgyu sucks a breath through clenched teeth. Soobin grabs his shoulder and looks at Yeonjun. ‘This won't end well.’ he seems to be saying, trying to ask Yeonjun to somehow smooth it out.
“... How DARE you ask such a thing?” their father's voice booms through the room. He turns and walks towards the general who is now bowing low and begging for mercy. “I should have you exe-”
“Father, it's alright!” He cuts him off by putting himself between the two. He then turns towards the rest of the men and says: “I will show it.”
The council watches with bated breath as he proceeds to remove his glove and raise his hand, displaying the damned mark to be viewed by all. Gasps of disbelief fill the room.
“Incredible… I've only ever heard of it in stories…”
“I've never seen one in my life…”
“It wasn't there yesterday?”
“I'm sure I'm well acquainted with my own body to know when a full name appears on it, captain.” he quips back, patience running thin.
The councilmen quickly regain their composure, “Our apologies, your Majesty.” says the captain.
Yeonjun puts back his glove and sighs. He should have expected such a reaction. “Now that you've seen it, I'd appreciate it if you'd all stop staring at it. We wouldn't want people to get suspicious now, would we?”
“Yes, sir. Understood. Please forgive our tactless behaviour.” they bow at him, apologetic, but satisfied at getting their request granted.
Yeonjun dismisses them and turns towards his father, trying to grasp his reaction. Thankfully, his father nods at him and takes his leave. Relieved, he guides his brothers to take their leave as well, following after their father. There's much to worry about after all.
As thunder roars and the rain drums against the leaves, the light from a few candles dispel the midnight darkness shrouding the palace library. Yeonjun sits alone at the table, flipping through book after book, hoping to find something to ease his restless mind.
The candle flames flicker and dance as the chilly air manages to make its way through the cracks in the windows. He pulls his silk sleeping robe tighter around himself.
Yeonjun flips through the pages of yet another book, finding nothing of substance. He sighs, ‘Nevermind…’, he thinks, as he looks at the mountain of books he's gathered to read, ‘There's plenty where that came from…’.
He catches a glimpse of the inscription on his hand. It doesn't look… like an infection, or an allergic reaction. He sighs and discards the books related to skin conditions. He pulls up a pile about prophecies and omens, flips through their indexes to no avail and discards them too. He'd already discarded the books related to hexes and curses after shockingly finding nothing in those either. He grunts and pulls up a pile of books on a completely different topic.
He flips through a few of its pages before giving up and leaning back onto his chair, eyes too dry to keep open anymore. He can feel a mild thumping at the base of his skull, a headache bound to grow if he looks at another cursive letter in this dimness any longer.
He brings up his left arm to drape over his eyes, but ends up staring at it instead.
“A mark of a soul bond, huh?” he mumbles to himself.
Somewhere out there, there's one person eternally connected to him. Is that… a good thing? Or is it no different to the connection he has with the people around him? It's a hard concept to wrap one's head around.
“Kang Taehyun… I wonder what they're like…”
His mind conjures up images of a tall man, perhaps a little older than him, with long shiny hair, maybe even a kind smile. ‘They sound… resilient.’ Are they an idealistic nobleman, or a hard-working farmer?
His pondering is cut short by a flash of lightning momentarily lighting up the whole room, revealing two figures entering the library.
“Hah! Had a feeling you'd be here…” says Beomgyu, walking up to him while dragging a drowsy looking Soobin along. Yeonjun is a little worried about the candle in his hand.
“What are you both doing here…?”
“Looking for you, of course! After everything that happened, we were worried about you…” they place their candles on the table next to the one Yeonjun was seated at, since his table barely had any space left.
“Are you alright? Soobin rubs his back, already trying to pacify him.
“I'm…fine. Just a bit confused, I guess?” he says, trying to organise the books on his table as best he can. “I'm trying to find any more information regarding the mark-”
“In books about marriage and partnership?” Beomgyu teases, waving a book at his face and laughing. “Already making plans, are you?”
Yeonjun’s cheeks colour with embarrassment. He tries to snatch the book away from him. “I have no idea where else to look, alright?!”
Beomgyu continues to keep the book out of his reach, booming voice challenging him to come take it if he wants it so badly. Yeonjun runs after him, angrily whispering for him to lower his voice.
Amidst their little tussle, Soobin speaks up: “Maybe we shouldn't be looking through books for information this time, hyung…”
The bickering brothers come to a halt to look at him. “What do you mean?” asks Yeonjun.
Soobin pulls up a chair and gestures for them to do the same. “When the councilmen asked to see your mark, hyung, I noticed that a few of them didn't look as surprised as the others. So, I asked them and found out a few things.”
Yeonjun thinks back to the incident, not really recalling any looks on the people's face other than pure curiosity. He must have been too caught up in his own emotions to notice.
“Well? What did you find out?”
“The mark has appeared on a handful of our citizens before.” he says.
“It has? How have we never heard of this?” asks Beomgyu, a little baffled that he's been ignorant to this fact for all his 18 years. Yeonjun sympathises.
“That's because no one wants to talk about it.” Soobin replies, looking solemn. “Although it's not considered as big a deal as when it appears on a royal, it's always viewed negatively. It's common practice to cover it.”
Yeonjun pulls his robe’s sleeve over his own mark at the comment.
“The mark is said to bring bad luck. They either lose everything they have, or are ostracised from society-”
“I call bullshit!!” Beomgyu bursts out, much to the annoyance of the former, who lets out a sharp ‘shush!’. But Beomgyu seems unfazed and continues on in the same tone. “That simply feels like correlation, not causation.”
“Whether it's causation or not, hyung is not safe…”
“You're just making hyung worry with all your conspiracy-”
“Why are you boys here?” Another voice echos across the library walls and all three brothers sit up straight. “You all should be in bed to get up early for tomorrow's practice.” their father says as he nears them.
The three brothers stand up, pushing the chairs back rather noisily. Soobin mutters under his breath, “We were just going to leave-”
“It seems like none of you have any seriousness about the situation we're in if you're slacking off this way!” their father continues to berate them. Yeonjun has had enough of that all day.
“Appa!” he shouts, startling his father out of the train of lecture he was about to deliver. “... Cut it out. It's just the four of us here. Drop the authoritative tone.”
His father's face goes red, but he eventually complies and composes himself with a deep breath. “... You're right. Force of habit.”
Beomgyu leans over and not-so-quietly whispers, “Quite an annoying one…”. He gets a pinch on both his sides as punishment.
The King shakes his head at them, finally relaxing a little. He extends his hand towards Yeonjun. “Show it to me…”
Yeonjun removes his left glove and holds out his hand again, expecting his father to inspect the mark, but he instead presses the bruised area below it. He hisses.
“Does it hurt a lot?” he asks, looking rather guilty.
Yeonjun looks away. It does hurt. But he doesn't reveal that. “It's… fine”. His act immediately crumbles after his father starts to massage the area.
“... Your mothers chewed me out about this today.” he says, slowing down his massage as Yeonjun continues to wince.
“I didn't mean to-”
“No, no. I fully deserved that with the way I treated you, all of you.” He lets go of Yeonjun's hand and looks over at them. “I'm sorry”.
They all nod, a silent acceptance of the apology. The sound of rain dying down accompanies the sadness in the air.
The king's gaze falls back on Yeonjun as he caresses his hair. Yeonjun can see the way his eyes fill with remorse. “It was your birthday. My son turned twenty years old. I should have been proud, seeing how well my boy has grown. Instead…” he lets out a shaky sigh. “How horrible the day turned out to be. I'm sorry…”
“Don't be. It wasn't under our control…” Yeonjun says, quickly drying his eyes before his emotions spill out.
His father nods and pats his shoulder, “All of you, head to bed. You deserve some rest after today's events…” he caresses his other sons’ cheeks and turns around to leave.
Yeonjun watches his father's retreating figure in the darkness and feels an uneasiness in his stomach. “Appa,” he calls out to him. “I feel like there's something you're not telling us.”
“And what might that be…” his father turns back to them. They stare at each other in silence, and the king finally decides that they’re too stubborn to back out.
“Fine. There is something a bit odd.” He rubs at his temples. “But… the historians claim that it was just an error.”
“What is it?” The brothers lean closer.
“... The historians who witnessed the war had written that the war was stopped not by our ancestor, as we're usually taught. It was originally written that the Prince of Nova took pity on the broken heart of your great great grandfather, because he lost his father at war. He declared he would not engage in war once Great Emperor Kim ascended the throne. And he kept his word.”
“Took pity?!” Beomgyu shouts in disbelief.
“No wonder this part made no sense…” Soobin says, already thinking through the events in his head.
“Which is why!” Their father interrupts their thoughts. “… it is most likely an error, and we shouldn't be diverting our attention away from the crisis at hand. Enough time has been wasted already, you need to sleep. Out of the library, all of you.”
The trio begrudgingly follow their father out of the room.
After a few minutes of walking, Yeonjun stalls his brothers behind to whisper, “We have to see the record ourselves. It might not have been an error.”
“But why? How’s that going to help?” Soobin asks.
“I don’t know… but something doesn’t feel right here. I feel like we’re missing a large chunk of information.”
The brothers agree to do a bit of snooping around in their free time and head to bed with not a hint of sleep in their eyes.
“What preparations are we going for this time? I heard that there will be a kingdom wide mourning…”
The brothers, having just got back from training, follow the minister around for input on the latest developments. The Day of Victory, the day the war between Drakkaria and Nova had come to an end after they emerged victorious (or so they thought), was arriving soon.
“Yes, you heard right, young prince!” The minister seems pleased that Beomgyu, who was usually not the keenest about the day due to its somber mood, was finally showing interest in it. “Since it is the hundredth year of Victory, it would only be fit to hold a mass mourning for the hundreds of souls we lost during the dark period. The citizens will be invited to light a candle in memory of our soldiers, and later, food and clothes will be donated.” He explains as he makes his way through the corridors of the palace, on his way to make arrangements.
Beomgyu nodded along, very invested after the talk in the library a few days ago. He adjusts the helmet in his arm and jogs to catch up with him, armour clanking at each step. Yeonjun’s a little creeped out by the intensity of his interest but also grateful that he’s doing everything he can to find more information.
The minister continues on, “We are also hoping to host a kingdom wide event a few days prior to The Day of Victory, where the events of the war are recounted in a way the common people would find easy to understand.”
“That’s a great plan, minister! We’ll be looking forward to it!” says Yeonjun. The minister bows at them proudly and goes his way, leaving the three brothers alone. Yeonjun watches the minister turn the corner and hums. His brothers look at him, curious about what he has to say.
“Hmm… odd that we commemorate this day of victory by just mourning, don’t you think?” asks Yeonjun, playing with the hilt of his twin daggers mindlessly. His brothers agree.
“Hyung, I just realised…” says Soobin, looking a little pale. “…if this year marks a hundred years since the war, it's been a hundred years since the mark appeared in the royal bloodline.”
Yeonjun looks ahead, watches the wind blow over the red leaves of the trees. “Would it be too much of a coincidence that I'd get one a hundred years later…?” The leaves rustle louder, as if shaking their head ‘no’ in answer.
Soobin turns his gaze toward the dark clouds, unsure of what to reply, while Beomgyu crouches down to fiddle with a stick. “Who's to say, right…?”
Who’s to say that this wasn’t a sign from the universe to perhaps set things right?
And is the first step to do so, to find this mysterious 'Kang Taehyun'?
After the scheduled battle strategy meeting that went on for longer than they’d expected, Soobin pulls the both of them aside and gestures for them to follow him quietly.
“Soobin hyung, why are we tiptoeing to your room?”
“I don’t want us to get caught sneaking a break. You saw how tight things are going to get from now…”
They sneak behind long red curtains and step behind servants to finally get into his room. They all breathe a sigh of relief on the soft mattress of his bed.
“Soobin, this better be important. You cannot have made us hide behind the poor old servant for nothing. She’s sweet enough to sneak you snacks at night whenever you ask.”
Soobin puts a finger to his lips and shushes both of them. Yeonjun is about to complain about being disrespected as the eldest sibling, when he pulls out a massive book from below his bed.
It looks so old and tattered that it might crumble into dust any moment.
“You wanted to look into the records of The War, right? To see if it was tampered in anyway?” He inflates his chest proudly. “I asked the librarian at the Royal academy and managed to find the original copy of the records after weeks of searching. Look!” He presents the book to the both of them with a flair of his hands. Yeonjun tilts his head to read the title.
Record of the Drakkarian events:
Year 1708-1709
The calligraphy on the hard cover was intricate but evidently hand made. The colours were chipping off at the edges, but it was beautifully done nonetheless.
Soobin carefully flips through the pages, making sure not to damage the contents in any way, and yet the room was filled with minute particles of dust flying everywhere. Yeonjun lets out a sneeze and Beomgyu covers his nose in disgust. Soobin finally lands on the page he wanted to show, pulling at their pant legs to join him. They cross their legs and settle down next to him. Soobin points to a paragraph.
‘Upon the death of his father, Great Emperor Kim ascended the throne, after which the prince took pity on his heartbroken state, and called an end to The War, claiming to have no desire to conquer his enemy kingdom. But he went on to sever all ties by calling off any trade, which resulted in a huge famine.’
“Look, look! It’s clearly scratched out! You can tell by looking at the page against a light.” Says Soobin, turning the book in a way that it was illuminated by the light from his window.
And Yeonjun tilts his head to the side, and indeed, it’s very visible that it was. “Someone didn't like the way this made us look, huh?”
“And the passage is worded vague enough to interpret differently!” Beomgyu snaps his finger.
“But I still can't find any mention of a Kang Taehyun…” Yeonjun crosses his arms, upset that he was the only one who didn't make any progress in his search.
He pulls his gloves off to take a look at the mark again, wondering if it changed at all. It hadn't. It's the same, mole-like, cursive letters, spelling out the same name he's had in his head for the past 4-5 weeks. He sighs and puts his glove back on, mood souring.
Soobin and Beomgyu share a glance before moving to comfort him. “Let's keep looking…”
They decide to take the book back to the Royal academy and search some of the records of their citizens, since they had a bit more free time until their next training.
And by the second round of searching in the middle of the night, they'd gone crazy with all the variations of the Kangs, Kims, Kwons & Kyungs, as well as Taehyuns, Taehyungs, Taeyangs and Taewons they came across, but not a single one of them were the name they were hoping for.
“I don’t understand… We've searched the citizen census records, palace workers records, we've searched the deceased records, even the prisoners records! We've searched everywhere!!” Yeonjun was so close to pulling all his hair out. “There’s no one by the name of Kang Taehyun in our Kingdom. Who is this goddamn person? Where are they hiding?”
Beomgyu with his face buried in the book of their family tree groaned a muffled ‘I don't know…!’.
Yeonjun turned to Soobin for some form of consolation, so Soobin replies “I don’t know, hyung. Perhaps we’re not looking in the right place?”
Beomgyu happily slams the book shut at that, but Yeonjun wants to know more. “What do you mean, Soobin?”
“I'm only trying to find a reasonable explanation for this, but… maybe they’re not from our kingdom…?”
Yeonjun feels his hair fall out at the suggestion. Finding them in their own kingdom was a task… now there's a possibility that they're beyond the borders of their kingdom??
“Or, hear me out,” Beomgyu’s perks up. “...maybe they’re a banished criminal!”
Soobin lets out a gasp, “Beomgyu!”
Yeonjun is not in the mood for jokes. He pinches his nose bridge and chides him, “Don’t be ridiculous, my soulmate wouldn’t be a criminal…”
But Beomgyu doesn't seem to want to back down. “You don’t sound so sure. Think about it, what better explanation would there be for this panic of war to arise after you magically grew-”
“I didn’t grow it! It just appeared!”
“-a name on your wrist? The name must be connected to some sort of truly unlawful person, don’t you think?”
Yeonjun looks toward Soobin, asking him to control Beomgyu for him, but Soobin shrugs. “… I hate to admit it, Jun. But that’s the most sense he’s made all day.”
“Hey!” Beomgyu lunges at him, to which Soobin responds in tandem by biting the hand that's trying to strangle him. Beomgyu threatens to scream and wake everyone up but Soobin wouldn't budge.
Yeonjun watches them fight, amused but fond, and truly thinks the suggestion through again. Maybe he's not wrong? There could be a slight chance that… or even if he wasn't a banished criminal, perhaps someone would know…?
Noticing that Yeonjun had gone quiet, his brothers stop their bickering. “So…? What do you want us to do, hyung?” Soobin asks.
Yeonjun just signs at him to wait, deep in thought.
Beomgyu quickly apologizes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, hyung… I was just thinking of any possibility that could arise.”
“No, no. You’re right… there could be a slight chance.” Yeonjun reassures him. “I’ll see what I can do with this. Thank you, Beomie.” he ruffles his disheveled brown hair and tells the both of them to go ahead and sleep. There's not much they can do here anyway, other than losing their sanity going through thousands of names.
That night, Yeonjun stays up a little later to write a letter to a very specific someone. He hopes to all dragons that this would work out. His last ditch effort.
It’s a bright and brand new day and Yeonjun feels just as bright as well, excitement flowing through his veins. He had holed himself up in the Royal academy for hours now, that is, until he recieved something. He rushes around the royal academy’s records, gathering every book that he deems relevant, while holding a letter with a green feather in it in hand.
A letter he'd been waiting for, a letter he'd been betting a lot on. And god, was it worth it.
He can't believe it.
His hands were shaking by the time he finished reading and re-reading that letter.
He found him. He found his soulmate.
And of all the people he'd asked, it had to be the pirates who'd know. Of course they'd know! They're banished criminals from many kingdoms afterall. No wonder they'd know who this mysterious man was who poses a threat to their nation. Or… does he?
“Do you need help with that, Sire?” asks the librarian.
“No, thank you. I'll be done here in no time. I've got this.”
He shuffles around with a bunch of books on historical accounts, hoping to quickly take a few excerpts from them to the meeting that's going on right now. The one he was supposed to be at 20 minutes ago.
‘Oh, father is going to be so furious, but this is all going to be worth it’, he thinks.
He splays out the books and opens them up all at once, jumping from one page to the other. How exciting! Everything's starting to fall into place! He's quickly jotting down points when he hears a voice calling out to him.
“Hyung!! Hyung! You need to get to the meeting right now!” Beomgyu shouts as he runs up to him.
Yeonjun doesn't look up from his research. “I'm coming, I've almost got everything I need for my statement.”
“No, hyung. They're planning on going to war on the Novanites! You need to get over there at this very moment!” announces Soobin.
Yeonjun's string of thoughts feel like they were cut short by a pair of scissors. “What?” The exact thing he was trying to prevent? They’re going ahead with it?
“Yeah, if you were there you'd know! So get over there and stop them right now!!” Beomgyu might as well have dragged him out of the academy himself.
Yeonjun quickly picks the letter up. ‘This will do for now’, he thinks and rushes to the meeting.
They're nearing the meeting room and he can hear the commotion already. He hopes he's not too late. He sprints the last few meters and bursts through the doors. All heads turn towards him. His father gets out of his seat, fuming.
“Choi Yeonjun, where have you been? Do you know how long we waited for you?”
Yeonjun walks right over to his father, not even bothering to look at the progress of the meeting so far. “Father, I don't know what you're planning, but I object to going to war against the Novanites!”
Shocked chatters fill the room as the councilmen try to make sense of the situation.
The king clacks his staff on the ground. Once silence is restored, he speaks. “My boy, you were barely present for the meeting. I would like to inform you that we are not the ones who initiated the war.” He walks over to the table in front of him where various maps and papers were laid out and points at one with his staff. “Our spies have sent reports of the Novanites preparing weapons and training their troops rigorously. Is that not a clear sign that they're planning to attack?!”
Yeonjun shakes his head. “Believe me when I tell you, they are not out to attack us. I have proof!” He presents the letter in his hand to the room. “If you'll let me speak-”
“Is that… is that a letter from the pirates?” His father asks in utter disbelief, noticing the parrot feather attached to the base of the letter. Yeonjun nods, perhaps a little smug.
“You took it seriously?” Beomgyu asks from behind him.
Yeonjun shrugs. “I figured it wouldn't be much of a loss to enquire.”
“”Much of a loss?!” Have you lost your mind? You've been talking to the pirates about our political affairs?” Their father seems close to losing his sanity.
Yeonjun huffs. “I wish you'd have more faith in me than that, father. I've trained well and know how to get the information I want without giving away much.”
“Of all the people you could have asked, the banished pirates? You know that their loyalty changes like the tides that they sail!”
“I would argue it's the opposite, they simply know which side to swim for survival. And right now, they favor us. And I'll make sure to keep it that way. Besides, I've made a few friends amongst them. And they seem to be more loyal than you give them credit for.” He stands his ground.
His father looks at him for a long moment, gritting his teeth, but eventually gives in and walks back to sit at his seat. “... Well then, state your case. We'll see if it's anything worth giving them credit for.”
Yeonjun beams, finally getting the opportunity to explain their weeks of hard work. He looks over at his brothers who give him a nod. ‘Good luck, hyung.’
He nods back and turns, “In my letter to a friend amongst the pirates, whom I will not name, I enquired if they knew of someone named ‘Kang Taehyun’.” He sweeps a glance across the crowd in front of him. “I gave no further details, and he needed none, as he was quite satisfied with the gifts I sent him. In fact, he was so satisfied with the gifts that he went as far as giving me information that I didn't even ask for, but evidently needed.”
He looks around the council and is pleased to see that everyone is listening with their full concentration. He continues: “As we are aware, in a few days, the anniversary of the end of The War is coming up. A war that we lost, according to the historians who witnessed and recorded the event.” he pauses, but doesn’t let the room look away from him to discuss.
“I’m sure you all are confused, but it will make sense soon. All you need to know for now is that the records were tampered with to make it seem like we won, but it was in fact the kingdom of Nova that won the war. And they also have a custom to commemorate that day.”
He brings up the letter once more for the room to see. “My friend mentioned that the weapons and training were for the celebration of the day they won the war. But he did say that they were louder than usual. Why?” He looks at his father. “If you recall, this year marks the hundredth year since the war that severed our ties with the Novanites. We’ve always viewed it as a day of mourning, and it makes sense since in reality, we lost. They’ve always viewed it as a day of victory. And don’t you think a hundred years since victory is a huge thing to be celebrated?”
He pauses and looks around the room to see the members deep in thoughts, some nodding their head and some looking at him with wide eyes. His brothers are looking at him with a tense expression, fists shaking as they silently cheer for him.
“Therefore, father, I would say that this is a false alarm. There is no war preparation. Just a celebration.” He finishes his statement and turns towards his father, seeking his opinion.
The king strokes his chin, turning over the explanation in his mind. Yeonjun decides to strike while the iron is hot.
“I would like to suggest something, though, if Your Majesty would allow it.”
His father raises an eyebrow in doubt, but waves a hand at him to continue.
“I would like to propose that instead of going to war with the Novanites, we go to establish peace. I suggest that we finally establish a friendly relationship with our neighbouring kingdom.”
Confused looks turn into appalled grimaces, as the councilmen start objecting to the statement. Beomgyu and Soobin also exchange glances, mouth agape at the turn of events.
The king commands the council to settle and sets his gaze on his son, “Why, pray tell, are you asking for this, Prince Yeonjun?”
Yeonjun sucks in a deep breath, trying to compose himself for what he is about to reveal. He turns to the meeting and announces with a voice that echoes across the walls of the long and empty room. “I have found his identity.”
His brothers jolt up, their chairs skidding to a halt a few inches behind them, startling the crowd that had gathered.
His father squints at him. “…What?” he asks in a whisper.
With a voice like rays of sunlight spilling from between the cracks of the clouds, he says with his chin held high,
“My soulmate, Kang Taehyun, is the only son and the sole heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Nova!”
Dear Choi Yeonjun,
Why, if it isn't my old friend… nice to hear from you again, your Majesty!
You haven't changed one bit, have ya? Always down to business. Let loose a little! Come by the ships someday! The Crew misses your
stupidsilly face!(They can't possibly banish me again, but I ain't takin any risk today!)
Alright, alright. I know you're whining. I'll get to the juice of it already.
Good news, Majesty!
Our ol’ Gramps claims to know this Kang Taehyun you're looking for! But keep in mind, he's a wrinkly old man who can't tell rum from water.
He says this Taehyun kid was a wee little baby when the old man got banished. Something to do with tryna nab a gold chain off the baby's neck in the crib!
(It's hard to tell what his toothless mouth yaps about.)
Now, if I wasn't a smart guy… I'd think he was lying for the heck of it. But you're in luck! I asked around and sure enough, he was telling the truth. The old man was a palace guard many a tides ago!
Now, getting banished… just for a meager thievery? You tell me in what situation that wouldn't be an overreaction!
Why, I'm sure you can guess where I'm getting at here, right? You're not a dull sword.
But in the case you do need me to spit it out, y’know where to send the goods! I got a few new recruits from your enemy kingdom that could help ya out. Oh, and also to keep our mouths shut about all this, maybe some sweet rum to add to it?
Always a pleasure doin business with ya, my friend.
— Woo
(Here's a free tidbit of info, just coz I like ya. Consider it as charity!
If you're worried the kingdom of Nova is out to getcha coz of the noise they're making lately, well I'd rest easy. It's just their way of remembering the end of war days, my fellow crew say. They like marching around and making a show of their numbers. I do have to say though, they're a lot louder than they were last year.
They're a dramatic bunch, I can tell ya that much. So don't you go rushing to war over a pebble or two being thrown around! I can't have my supply chain cut down now, can I?
See ya soon, mate!)