Chapter Text
Jaehyun's eyes glistened darkly as he sat by the candle flame near the window and watched the snow fall outside. The landscape was quiet and almost untouched, as if no harm could befall them. On this night, Jaehyun believed that maybe it wouldn't change for a while, but he couldn't forget the letter that the king of the South had sent to his father a few weeks erlier. Everything in the Southern part of Asadel was constantly changing, and the king of the South already referred to themselves as the Fire Empire - almost indicating that their power was greater than any of the kingdoms. Jaehyun knew what they expected from the North, that they should bend the knee as quickly as possible and form an alliance and join the Empire. The winters were getting colder every year, and food was sometimes hard to come by in the North, so they were somewhat dependent on the allies. But the Northerners did not like the Southerners and the reverse was also true. However, the Fire Empire was a month's journey away from them, the arrival of the king of the South still seemed far away, but the man had promised not to miss the North during his journey.
Before the North, however, there was the Storm Coast, famous for fishing, Jaehyun heard from his father that they had already bent the knee to the king of the South, but no official letter had yet arrived from them regarding the new alliance. The lords of the River Vale had already negotiated with the king and Jaehyun was sure that they would not oppose the alliance either - in the Vale there was always a great divide between the noble families, it was almost surprising that if a king spent long years on the throne and in this kingdom, it was not surprising if the heir to the throne did not come from the ranks of the ruling family. However, in the kingdom of Emerald Woods, the power was more solid, the king there was the man to whom Jaehyun's hand was promised - the alpha, whom he would have to marry within a year and with whom he would have to start a family. Jaehyun didn't mind the arranged marriage since Emerald Woods was closer to the North than the South. So it was closer to the boy's real home.
Between the Emerald Woods and the North lay a small land called the Promise, built by the ancestors of Jaehyun's family. Now it was just a quiet funeral center with a dark and sinister atmosphere. To the east of the Promise were the lands of the wild tribes, undisturbed by anyone since Jaehyun's father had taken the throne of the North and given these independent tribes a home to live their lives as they had before they entered Asadel's land. The Frozen Lake formed an impenetrable border between the wild tribes and the Storm Coast, a lake that was frozen every single day of the year. In the western part of the North's territory, the red tower of the Forbidden Temple grew tall into the sky beyond the Witch Woods, Jaehyun and his family regularly visited the temple, but no one but them was allowed to enter it. The Witch Woods provided protection for the temple, but at the same time it hid dangerous things. Not to mention that it was easy to get lost for those who didn't know the woods exactly and those who didn't have Jeong blood in their veins could only meet their early death in that place. The Temple was also built by the ancestors of the Jeong Dynasty for the Ancient Gods, the faceless deities who gave their family magical powers. Few people knew that the Jeong Dynasty possessed magic at the dawn of Asadel's creation, but by now magic has largely disappeared from the known world. Jaemin, Jaehyun's younger brother, was the only one who showed signs of magic and they tried to keep it a secret.
Suncrest was right next to the Fire Empire, which was extremely similar to the empire in both customs and culture. Perhaps that's why it wasn't surprising that the young prince of Suncrest was one of the first to agree to merge with the Empire when his father died two years earlier. The only area that didn't respond to the Southern king's request was Flower Island, an island that had perpetual night yet grew more colorful plants than any other area in the known world. The families living there did not consider themselves noble, although their ancestors had lived on this part of the continent before and the island was considered part of Asadel for a long time. By now, the island was completely independent, functioning as an independent territory from the continent, and as far as Jaehyun knew, there might not even be a king sitting on the throne there.
Jaehyun had always thought that the known world ended after the North - behind the huge mountains that the locals called the Spike Mountains, no one had ever ventured and all maps ended there. Closer to the Empire, down south, there was another tiny continent called Soria, which was overseen by a governor who was re-elected every three years by the people who lived there. On this continent, they no longer knew the concept of kingdoms, so they were set up for a completely different lifestyle than the one Jaehyun knew and supported themselves mostly by trade. And to the east of Asadel lay the dark, harsh continent of Yamato. In Asadel, they did not know much about what was happening on Yamato, although the people living there were not enemies, but they were not really allies either. However, his father kept in touch with the tribes living on the Yamato continent and bartered with them regularly.
"I can't sleep." Jaemin was standing at the door of the boy's chamber. Jaehyun smiled when he saw his younger brother and motioned for him to come in.
"What's wrong?" he asked as the younger boy sat next to him by the candle. Jaemin was only his half-brother, born from his father's second marriage, but none of that mattered, Jaehyun loved his younger brother exactly as if they had the same mother. Both belonged to the Jeong dynasty, even if Jaemin was the opposite of his brother in almost everything. The only thing they had in common was that they were both born omegas.
“Do you think the king of the South is really heading here?” asked the younger boy. The flame of the candle danced in his steel blue eyes.
"Yes." Jaehyun nodded and looked back at the courtyard which was now covered in an even layer of snow. "I'm afraid he won't like the northern climate."
"Why does he want all kingdoms to bend the knee to him?" Jaemin asked, and Jaehyun thought he could detect a faint hint of nervousness in his voice.
"He wants to expand the power of the Empire, their own territory is no longer enough for him. But it seems that the kingdoms further South are all bent the knee to him.”
“I understand the Vale, there was never unity there, but the other kingdoms have no reason to merge into the Empire. Do you think Kim Junmyeon also bends the knee to him?” Jaehyun gulped at the name of his fiancee, there was no message from the Emerald Woods yet.
"I don't know." Jaehyun shook his head, if he was being completely honest, he didn't really know his betrothed. His father mostly communicated with the man, and until their marriage there was no point in meeting more than necessary anyway. At least that's how most arranged marriages worked.
"The North will not give up its independence." Jaemin said as he too turned his gaze towards the snow covered courtyard. "Everyone here is loyal to our father, and they don't like southerners. I cannot imagine a world where the North is not independent.”
"Me neither." Jaehyun admitted and as he looked at his younger brother, he thought that Jaemin would one day follow his father on the throne of the North. There had never been an omega on the throne in history, but Jaemin was wise for his age and a true Northerner. It would have been unthinkable for him not to follow their father. Jaehyun never wanted something like that, he knew from his childhood that he would marry another king and he would have to leave the North. He was not like Jaemin who had the true North in him and the magic of their ancestors. "Our father will not bend the knee, you can be sure of that. Whatever the king of the South offers.”
"They say he already calls himself emperor." Jaemin and Jaehyun looked at each other for a moment. They both knew that this meant that Asadel was really facing big changes.
*
The golden carriage of the Southern king was quite a strange sight in the courtyard of the Northern castle. The snow was shoveled by the servants early in the morning, but already it started to fall again in small flakes. Jaehyun and Jaemin stood next to their father to greet the King of the South and his entourage. Their father had always been an alpha commanding respect, his black hair and beard were already started to turn gray, but his steel blue eyes still reflected great power. On his head he wore the crown of his ancestors, which was made of the black steel known in the North and a single dark blue gem adorned its forehead.
"Be respectful, even if we know exactly what the king of the South wants." the man said quietly so that only they could hear. The door of the carriage opened in the meantime and they soon saw the king of the South.
"He already calls himself emperor, not king." Jaemin whispered as he turned towards them. Apparently neither he nor his entourage were dressed for the weather here. Jaehyun couldn't even imagine how they had lasted so far in the north without furs.
“Jaemin.” their father whispered disapprovingly.
"King of the North." the man stepped closer to them and bowed his head. He might have been similar in age to the alpha, but his hair was almost completely gray and he wore a golden crown that reminded Jaehyun of the rays of the sun.
"Welcome to the North, Your Majesty."
"Emperor." the other corrected with a smug smile on his face. Jaehyun felt Jaemin fidgeting restlessly next to him. And the emperor turned to them. "Would they be your sons?"
“Yes, Jaehyun and Jaemin.” the king introduced them. They both bowed politely, but Jaehyun could sense that Jaemin was restless and nervous. The emperor looked at both of them for a long time, his gaze lingering on their unfamiliar steel blue eyes and black hair. Their appearance was unusual in the South, the king of the South himself had dark brown eyes and probably had brown rather than black hair when he was younger.
"I'm glad we could meet in person." the man said, then turned back to the carriage. “Minhyung!”
A moment later, a young boy walked up to the man, and Jaehyun realized almost immediately that it must be one of the princes. The King of the South also had two sons and adopted the Prince of Suncrest when the alliance was made.
“Minhyung is my youngest son.” the man introduced the prince. "Unfortunately, Youngho, my older son, and Taeyong, my adopted son, could not accompany me on this long journey."
"You must be tired, but we prepared a feast in your honor. Please, let's go inside, it's cold out here.” said the king, then showed his guests the way.
Jaemin wringed his hand as they headed towards the dining hall. Jaehyun wanted to say something reassuring, but with the Emperor and his son in the company, he couldn't. It was clear what the emperor intended and perhaps he hoped that he would not encounter any resistance. But if he thought so, then he didn't know the North well enough - and few people on the continent of Asadel could say they knew what the real North was like.
The dining hall was already filled with the pleasant smell of food, and the fire danced with orange light in the huge fireplace, which gave warmth inside the walls of the castle. Jaemin's mother was waiting for them at the table and the king introduced her to the emperor while everyone took their seats.
"Why are you so upset?" Jaehyun asked quietly as the servers started pouring wine into the cups and making enough noise to distract them a bit.
"Because I know why the emperor came here." Anger flashed in Jaemin's eyes for a moment, then his gaze focused somewhere else. Jaehyun turned his own gaze to the same way and saw Minhyung watching them from the other end of the table.
"Everything will be fine." Jaehyun said in a soothing tone as he turned back to his younger brother.
The first half of the feast was almost uneventful, but the tension was palpable. Everyone in the room knew why the king of the South, who now called himself emperor, had come. It was clear that the man wanted to expand the boundaries of his empire and rule all of Asadel's kingdoms alone.
"If I heard correctly, Prince Jaehyun is engaged to Kim Junmyeon." said the emperor and looked at the boy. "We had just been to the Emerald Woods, a really pleasant place, not as cold as the North."
“Jaehyun is indeed the betrothed of the King of the Emerald Woods.” his father admitted. "We agreed on the engagement years ago, and soon the wedding can take place."
"It's a shame." said the emperor. Jaehyun lowered his eyes, it was clear that the emperor wanted to make a marriage proposal along with his alliance proposal. "But if I guess correctly, Prince Jaemin doesn't have a fiancee yet."
“No, he doesn't.” Jaehyun cautiously looked at his younger brother, Jaemin's hand began to shake and he tightened his grip on the cutlery in his hand.
"Jaemin is an omega and Minhyung is an alpha. They are similar in age." the emperor began as he leaned a little forward in his chair. "If our sons were to marry, it would strengthen both the Northern Kingdom and the Fire Empire."
Jaemin dropped his knife with a clatter, Jaehyun could feel his younger brother's anger. Their father turned to them for a moment, there was no disapproval in his eyes, rather he was trying to tell them to stay calm. Jaehyun shivered, Jaemin's eyes turned bright blue for a moment.
"Jaemin is still young, we haven't thought about who would be his betrothed." the king turned back to the emperor. Jaemin turned his head and took a deep breath to calm himself down, but Jaehyun still felt like the room was getting colder despite the fire burning in the fireplace.
"The future of Asadel is the most important thing for me, and for that I also need the loyalty of the North." said the emperor in an even more serious tone. "Merging the kingdoms into the Empire changes everything, it can make everything better. You also know, Your Highness, that the North is currently the largest kingdom in Asadel. Join me and the Empire through the marriage of Prince Jaemin and Minhyung and I promise you that our alliance can only bring you benefits.”
The room fell silent, Jaemin did his best not to look at the emperor and Minhyung. Jaehyun carefully took his younger brother's hand under the table, the boy's fingers were ice cold. Jaehyun knew that Jaemin didn't want this marriage without the boy saying the words. He also knew that his father did not want to give up the independence of the north for the sake of the emperor either. None of them agreed to submit to the Southerners, and this could even lead to war. However, the Emperor clearly thought that the solution to all of Asadel's problems was for the kingdoms to bend the knee to the Empire one by one.
"Your offer is generous, Your Highness, but I cannot say yes to it right away." their father finally said in an equally serious voice. "Like I said, Prince Jaemin is still young, we haven't thought about who would be the right alpha for him yet."
"Well, you will have time in the next few days to think about what is the best decision for your kingdom." said the emperor, then got up from his chair and left the hall with his entourage. Minhyung just stood up from the table a moment later and bowed to the king, then looked at Jaemin. The boy looked back at him, but the other could only see icy fury in his eyes before he himself left the dining hall.
*
“You can't let Jaemin marry that boy!” Jaemin's mother wringed her hands nervously as the king leaned against the table. It was already dark outside, and the chamber was dimly lit by candles.
"The Emperor will not leave without getting what he wants." the man said thoughtfully and looked at his sons. Jaemin and Jaehyun were on the other side of the table. The younger boy's eyes flashed bright blue every now and then as he tried to suppress the anger he felt.
"I don't want to marry him." Jaemin said through gritted teeth. "I'm from the North, I'm not going to marry a prince from the South just because his father threatened us in disguise."
"The Emperor will not back down, he clearly wants to rule all of Asadel." the alpha finally said.
"The North must remain independent." Jaehyun said. "It has always been like this, if we kneel, we will be subordinated to the emperor in everything. Father, we need to contact Kim Junmyeon.”
"Yes." nodded the king. "I am sending him a message, the emperor has already visited him."
"We have to buy more time." Jaemin said in a serious voice. "The emperor will only stay a few days, if we ask for more time to think, he must accept it."
“We will do this, in the meantime, Jaemin, you need to control yourself. You could have caused a disaster in the dining hall if your ability was unleashed.” said the man and took out a piece of paper to write the letter to the King of the Emerald Woods.
"I will do my best, father." Jaemin nodded firmly.
“Jaehyun, it looks like we need to move your marriage forward. You will be safe in the Emerald Woods if war does happen.” the king continued to explain as Jaemin's mother stepped next to the boy and put her arm around his shoulders.
"Your father will do everything he can to make sure nothing terrible happens." she promised.
"What if war is inevitable?" Jaehyun asked in a worried voice. "I can't leave the North if I know you're in danger."
"There is no war yet." said the king in a soothing voice. "Not all kingdoms of Asadel surrendered to the Empire, all our hopes are in Kim Junmyeon."
*
Youngho frowned after scrolling through the message his father had sent. It had already been a whole month since the Emperor and Minhyung set off on their journey in hopes of convincing the kingdoms of Asadel to join the Empire. At first Youngho didn't understand why his father wanted so much power, but he soon realized that the future of Asadel was in the hands of their dynasty. For years, the Temple of the Sun had kept scrolls that foretold a dire future for Asadel. And no one could have wanted the continent to be permanently destroyed. Youngho believed that the only way to guarantee their survival was for the kingdoms to bend their knees.
According to the scrolls, their bloodline was blessed, and it was their duty to unite all the peoples of Asadel before it was too late. Youngho knew that he would follow his father on the throne and he also knew that this would mean endless power and responsibility.
"Did our father write?" Taeyong asked as he entered the throne room. Two years ago, Taeyong was the heir of Suncrest, but now his kingdom was part of the Empire, making him Youngho's brother.
“The Northern Kingdom is more stubborn than he thought.” Youngho said and then sighed. "He also made a marriage proposal to the king, but for the time being they asked for time to think and did not give a straight answer."
“Do you think Minhyung is ready for marriage?” Taeyong asked raising an eyebrow.
"It would have been luckier if Prince Jaehyun didn't have a betrothed yet." Youngho admitted. "However, we were left with no other choice. We just have to trust that the king of the North will not be a fool and accept the offer."
"As I see it, the North chooses its independence rather than bending the knee." Taeyong commented more quietly. "Our father would start a war if the North does not break."
"I know." Youngho nodded, but deep down he still hoped it wouldn't happen. He even secretly hoped that the horrors that would destroy Asadel could not come true.
*
Jaemin woke up early and left the castle before the servants woke up. The morning was bitterly cold, but the snow had not yet fallen as the prince set off towards the Witch Woods. The last few days were awkwardly tense in the castle, his father did not give a straight answer to the emperor, neither regarding the alliance nor regarding the marriage proposal.
However, Jaemin felt even more uneasy that Jaehyun's marriage had to be rushed. Kim Junmyeon assured the king that the Emerald Woods would not turn their backs on the North and would not bow to the South. Still the prince was afraid of losing his brother, Jaehyun understood him the best, he couldn't imagine that they wouldn't be able to see each other every day from now on.
Before he could even reach the edge of the Witch Woods, he noticed the sound of hooves and turned around to see Minhyung approaching on horseback.
"You woke up early, my prince." Minhyung stated as he stopped in front of the boy and dismounted.
“As are you.” Jaemin nodded.
"I like to get up early, and the cold northern air is good for the body." Minhyung explained as he stepped closer to the boy. "I see you're still mad at me."
"You have no idea how I feel about you." Jaemin replied in a husky voice.
"I know you think our possible marriage is a terrible idea." replied the alpha. "I just don't understand why you think that. Does the thought of me being your husband really terrify you so much?”
"I will not leave the North for the king of the South." Jaemin answered honestly.
"Emperor." Minhyung corrected and took another step closer to the boy. Jaemin moved so suddenly that the blade of the dagger glinted in the cold morning light for a moment before the alpha felt it on his neck.
"Your father is greedy." Jaemin hissed nervously. "He thinks everyone will do what he wants, but the North will not bend the knee and I will never be your spouse."
"Are you sure?" Minhyung asked, his voice almost arrogant. Jaemin was about to answer, but soon more hooves hit his ears and a moment later they were surrounded. The riders all wore the symbol of the emperor's sun on their chests. Jaemin knew at that moment that he was trapped. He looked back into Minhyung's eyes and slowly lowered the hand holding the dagger, the alpha's eyes now reflecting calmness.
"I thought you came with peaceful intentions." Jaemin commented, feeling his throat go dry. He was alone, far from the castle and surrounded by the emperor's men and had no idea what their plans were.
"We were, but your father made everything difficult." Minhyung replied in a serious voice. "You don't even know it, but you need our help more than you think."
Jaemin didn't know what to think, but he knew that he's outnumberd by the Southerners. Suddenly screams filled the morning silence and as Jaemin looked back towards the castle he saw fire. He caught his breath and took a step back, Minhyung wanted to grab his arm, but Jaemin was able to escape faster.
"Come with me to the South and you won't get hurt." Minhyung said in a calm voice. "I want to help you."
"No." Jaemin shook his head and tried to suppress the fear that was slowly clouding his thoughts.
"You will only have a future if you come South." Minhyung insisted and cautiously took a step forward. From the corner of his eye, Jaemin saw the riders huddle together nervously. And one of them put an arrow in his bow and pointed it straight at the omega.
"Your plans will not succeed." Jaemin said and he was sure his eyes were bright blue now. He felt the magical power permeating all his senses and was afraid that he would not be able to control himself. He didn't want to hurt anyone, not even the Southerners, but he didn't want to give in to them either.
"You can't know that." replied the alpha. Jaemin looked towards the Witch Woods for a moment, it was the only place that could offer him safety right now. However, his family was there in the castle and he could not leave them behind. As if Minhyung knew what the boy was thinking, he approached him with a quick movement, caught his hand and tore the dagger out of it. Jaemin felt like Minhyung's touch had burned his wrist and hissed in pain. He tried to pull his hand away, but Minhyung just squeezed him even harder and apparently he wasn't surprised that the omega's fingers started to turn blue.
*
Jaehyun coughed from the smell of smoke as he followed his father's instructions towards the servants quarters. The emperor lied to them, he did not strive for peaceful solutions. Instead, he attacked the North in the back and Jaehyun was afraid that this was the last time he would see his home.
“Where is Jaemin?” Jaehyun asked nervously when he entered the kitchen and saw the boy's mother.
"The servants didn't see him, but you have to go." the woman said nervously and led the boy to the back of the kitchen. "I'll find Jaemin, but you go to the Emerald Woods as soon as possible, Kim Junmyeon's men will be waiting for you."
"But what about..."
"Just stay alive!" she asked, then hugged the boy. “You're my son just like Jaemin, even if I'm not your real mother.” she added, then opened the door that was hidden between the cabinets. Jaehyun didn't know what to say, he didn't want to say goodbye because he hoped that they would see each other again soon.
By the time Jaehyun stepped out onto the deserted land behind the castle, the rays of the winter sun peeked out from behind the clouds. He didn't look back as he headed for the shore, knowing that only by boat could he be faster than the Emperor and his men. When he could already smell the salty smell of the sea, he promised himself that he would return to the North and regain the honor of his family, no matter what it took.
*
“Where is Jeong Jaehyun?” the emperor asked as he turned to face the alpha. In the courtyard of the castle, the snow was stained red by the blood of the Northerners, the king kneeled brokenly among the corpses.
"Somewhere safe." replied the alpha as he looked up at the emperor. "I thought you were a better person."
"I thought that you realize that you need my alliance. All you had to do was accept my offer.”
"The North is independent." the man hissed, then looked behind the emperor's back where Jaemin was standing in Minhyung's grip. Jaehyun was able to escape in time and the alpha only hoped that they would buy him enough time to get to the Emerald Woods where Kim Junmyeon could protect him.
Jaemin was angry, but at the same time, there was icy fear hiding in his eyes. The king wanted to tell him that everything would be fine, because everything happens now for a reason. However, when the emperor took his sword in his hand, the king of the North knew that he would not be pardoned. Jaemin held his breath but didn't turn his head as the emperor brought down the sword.
"He should have just agreed to our marriage and everything would have been solved." Minhyung whispered next to the omega.
"No." Jaemin answered and swallowed as he looked at the alpha. "Even then, you would have taken everything and destroyed the North to dust just to have the whole of Asadel." he added with a hiss. Seeing remorse in Minhyung's eyes, he thought that the alpha might not be as bad a person as the emperor himself.
“Prince Jaemin, I'm sorry you had to see this.” the emperor said as he stepped closer to the omega and wiped the blood from the blade of his sword. "If your father had realized that there were only advantages to our alliance, then this bloodshed would not have happened."
"My father only protected his people." Jaemin replied. “Now you're going to kill me too to end our bloodline, right?”
"Why would I do that?" the emperor asked back and smiled softly. “No, you will not die today, Prince Jaemin. You'll come with us to the South and I'll find your brother too. I had no intention of destroying your bloodline. The original plan was for you and Minhyung to get married when we return to the Fire Empire and it is still my plan.”
Jaemin said nothing, feeling that there was no point in protesting. Jaehyun was already on his way to his betrothed, where he would surely be the safest. As far as he knew, his mother was also able to escape, and if that was the case, he was sure that the wild tribes would protect her. He took one last look around the castle and the courtyard where he had grown up and hoped he would never forget the North. He didn't know what awaited him, when he would be reunited with his brother, but he promised himself that if they did arrive in the South, he would freeze the sun falling on the Fire Empire if he had to and do everything he could to return to the North.