Frozen Fate 1/?
Title: Frozen Fate
Pairing: Changmin/Junsu
Summary: Junsu is living a carefree, comfortable life in his father’s orchards, planning a big adventure. Everything changes when it is decided that the Prince of Ice will marry a son of one of the southern lords. Junsu learns that sometimes life pushes you in an unexpected direction, and fighting it only makes things worse.
This story is for: rikuma, blake_anita, koreanbxblove, shunluv and lemonademelon
Request: Anything with Changmin
“But where are you going after you’ve crossed the grasslands and defeated the lake monster.” Yunji looked down at him from her seat on the thick branch that grew horizontally from the apple tree.
“Found, I said found, not defeated,” Junsu corrected her. “It might turn out to be a friendly lake monster, you know. If it exists, that is.”
Yunji sighed, obviously having lost interest in the details of the lake monster plan of action. “But after,” she insisted. “Where will you go next? Will you come home then and tell us stories?”
Junsu thought about that for a moment. “I can’t come home empty-handed. I may have to take a slight detour and stop by the markets on the Golden Shore to buy presents for my favourite niece and nephew.”
Yunji seemed tempted by the idea for a second, but then she shook her head. She shot him a determined look from her high position among the leaves. “I don’t need a present. I just want you to come home and tell me everything. And Yunho doesn’t need anything either, he’s a baby.”
“Yunho may have grown into a young man by the time I get back,” Junsu said, feeling a slight thrill at the idea of travelling for so long. “He’s three already.”
Yunji seemed utterly unimpressed. “I’m six.”
There was some logical meaning behind this statement that Junsu simply wouldn’t attempt to grasp. “Oh, of course, that’s right, you are,” he said, as if she would ever let him forget. “But I’m nineteen, and I’ve decided we’ve talked about my future adventures long enough for today. We will be late for dinner. Come down from there.”
Yunji didn’t pout. She knew that didn’t work on her uncle. She shot him her signature glare instead. But Junsu knew she wasn’t really angry, so that didn’t work either.
He raised his arms. “Jump now, or I’ll climb up to get you.”
There had been a time he’d climbed these trees daily himself. Yunji was only just beginning to discover the orchards, and her parents still thought her too young to roam around on her own, but that time would come for her as well. She was the adventurous kind. Junsu had always felt Yunji took after him, even if she was his brother’s daughter.
There was not a moment of fear or hesitation, the girl simply dropped into his arms and squirmed until he had to put her down and she could run off. Thoughts of carrying her or holding her hand for safety were immediately off the table. She liked her freedom, this one.
Junsu picked up the basket with the apples they had been sent to gather.“Stay close!” he shouted after the girl. There hadn’t been any sightings for the past few months, but it was autumn already and the wolves would be more active during the winter.
Or at least that was what people said. Junsu had only spotted a wolf twice in his entire life. They hardly ever ventured this far into the orchards. But people liked to tell each other scary stories to keep life interesting.
Junsu understood that need very well. He felt at home on his father’s lands, the trees were beautiful in different ways every single season, and their pears and apples tasted delicious and provided them with a steady income. But it was so boring here. The most dangerous jobs were collecting honey and climbing to the upper branches to get to the fruit, but bees were easily subdued with a little smoke and Junsu could climb a tree or ladder with his eyes closed.
The stories of the grand adventures he told Yunji he was going to have were only partly exaggerated. His father kept asking him what he wanted to do with his life, and the answer was simple. He would get out of here. He would travel, see places, meet people, learn interesting new skills. And then he would find a woman to fall in love and settle down with. Or maybe she would be just as adventurous as he was and they’d travel some more together.
His father said this wasn’t a solid plan. He kept asking for details like when he would leave, where exactly he would go and how he would pay for everything. Junsu didn’t have all of that stuff figured out yet, but he would get there, and it would be amazing.
“You’re late,” Mina reprimanded her daughter. “We’ll get the kitchen maid to pick some fresh apples next time.”
“But I really liked being outside!” Yunji said. “And uncle Junsu told me about the lake monster.”
Junsu shot his sister-in-law an innocent smile. She sighed an took the basket from him. “Go on. I’ll take this to the kitchen myself.” She gave them both an admonishing look. “It’s your fault if dessert is late tonight.”
Junsu made to follow his niece, but Mina lightly touched his arm to hold him back. “Junho wants a word,” she said quietly.
“Right now?” Junsu was hungry. Couldn’t his brother wait until after dinner?
“It’s important. He’s waiting for you in the Lord’s study.” There was an urgency in Mina’s voice that made Junsu swallow his next protest. This was serious.
Yunji had paused in the doorway, looking at them with big, curious eyes. Mina avoided Junsu’s questioning gaze and ushered her daughter into the dining room.
Junho was standing by the window, watching the soft shadow of night fall over the land that would soon be his. Junsu stopped by the door and stared at his brother’s back. Junho looked taller since he’d started taking over duties from their father. The seven year gap between them seemed to widen further every day.
Junsu felt a small stab of guilt whenever he thought about the way they were raised, his brother so restricted and he so free. He didn’t care much for the title or the property and responsibilities that came with it, but he would have liked to share his freedom, to grow up like equals. Maybe it would have been better if they’d been born twins.
Junho noticed his presence and turned around. He sat down behind his desk and gave a curt nod to the seat he wanted Junsu to take, one of the gestures he’d copied from father.
“There has been a letter,” he said, getting straight to the point. “From the North.”
They kept in touch with the owners of the lands just north of their borders, so Junsu thought it might be a letter from Lord Jaegal or Lady Gyeon, warning them for a sickness in the trees or a pack of hungry wolves. That would explain why both Mina and his brother had these serious expressions on their faces.
“North where?”
“From Cryan.”
That surprised Junsu. Soris stretched further south from their lands than north, to places where the sun would burn your skin during the summer and the trees were full of oranges and other strange fruits, so they generally considered themselves northerners. But Cryan… there wasn’t anything north of Cryan, it was the end of the world. And it was so far away that Junsu had no idea why there would be an exchange of letters between them and his father. “What does it say?”
“It says…” Junho looked at him. “It says the Queen has accepted our offer.”
So much for getting straight to the actual point. Junsu sighed. He didn’t like this game of questions and answers. But if Junho insisted, he would play. “Would you be so kind as to inform me what exactly our ‘offer’ entailed, oh brother of mine?”
Junho didn’t laugh or frown or snap at him for being childish. Instead, a look of guilt flashed through his eyes right before he turned them away to stare at his desk.
If Junsu wasn’t worried before, he certainly was now. “What is it? Are they declaring war on us? Are they going to stop importing our produce?” Cryan traded over sea, and since the orchards were far from the coast, there wasn't any direct contact between them. But trade could still happen through others and form an important source of income.
“Daddy? Will you come eat?” a small voice sounded from the door.
Junsu watched the grave expression disappear from Junho’s face, to be replaced by an adoring smile for a brief moment. He turned around to face his nephew.
“Uncle Su!” Yunho exclaimed happily. He forgot all about asking his father if he could enter and ran over to jump onto Junsu’s lap. Junho didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t reprimand his son for interrupting an important conversation. Of course, Yunho was only three.
“Hey, you,” Junsu said, smiling. “I haven’t seen you all day. Did you have fun?”
Yunho nodded and pointed at Junsu’s tunic. “What colour is this?” he asked. The mischievous glint in his eyes meant he knew the answer and was testing him.
“Blue,” Junsu said confidently.
Yunho almost looked offended. “It’s brown!”
“Oh, of course.” Junsu smiled widely. He ruffled Yunho's chestnut hair. “You’re smarter than me already.”
Yunho was learning colours. Yunji was also trying to teach him numbers, because she wanted a ‘smart brother’ not a ‘baby dumdum’. Honestly, Junsu was amazed he could already speak in full sentences. They grew up so fast.
Behind him, Junho cleared his throat. Right…their conversation.
“Your daddy was telling me something,” Junsu said. “If you’ll be still, you can sit with me.” He had no idea where Junho was going with this, but if he was going to be reprimanded for something, he could always use Yunho as a shield. ...not that he would actually do that.
Junho sighed, but didn’t protest.
“You…” he started. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably on his chair. “You’ve probably heard that there has been talk of strengthening the bond between our Kingdoms through a marriage between the royal families.”
“Yes,” Junsu bluffed. He had no real interest in politics. Nodding and pretending to know what was going on usually worked fine for him. “So?”
“The Queen of Cryan is looking for a suitable partner for her son, to guarantee he will produce an heir before he ascends to the throne.”
An uncomfortable feeling started to form in Junsu’s stomach. He may not know much about politics, but he’d heard stories about Prince Changmin, the Prince of Ice.
Yunho, surprisingly, was sitting completely still in his lap, leaning back against his uncle’s chest. The only sound he made was his breathing. Perhaps he sensed that this was serious.
“You’ve probably also heard the Prince prefers men over women,” Junho continued, staring hard at his desk. “And since our Queen has given birth to three daughters, and there are no men of a suitable age in any branch of the royal family, that causes a problem.”
“No,” Junsu said, absolutely horrified. “You didn’t.” Yunho shifted on his lap. Little fingers pulled at the fabric of Junsu’s sleeve, holding on.
“So,” Junho said, ignoring both of them. “The Queen has turned her eye to the other noble houses of our country.”
“The offer mentioned in the letter was me,” Junsu gasped out. “You offered her me...without asking for my opinion.” He understood they hadn't asked him because they knew he would refuse, but that only made it worse.
Junho still wasn’t looking at him. “Such a tie would bring great honour to our family. And since two men can’t produce an heir themselves, eventually a family member from whomever the Prince marries will be chosen to be raised by them and prepared for that task.”
Junsu had temporarily lost the ability to speak. He could only gape at his brother in absolute horror.
Junho didn’t need to hear another protest. He looked up, into his eyes, and explained his reasons without being asked.
“Yunji or Yunho could inherit an entire kingdom instead of a few trees that are vulnerable to disease and depend on the health of our bees. Or if the honour would go to one of our cousins, they would still be connected to the royal family through them. Imagine the security that would give them, a happy, comfortable life. The future of my children is everything to me, Junsu.”
Junho smiled at his son, who had perked up a bit at the mention of his name, and Junsu knew his shield was being used against him.
“No,” he said, clenching his hands. “No. What about my future?”
“What’s wrong with this future?” Junho demanded.
“Yunho,” Junsu said softly, setting the boy down on the floor. “Go to mommy and eat your dinner, daddy and I will come soon.”
Yunho nodded. His big eyes darted once to his father and back to Junsu, then he ran out of the room.
“I don’t want to move to the North,” Junsu said, raising his voice now that his nephew was gone. “I don’t want to marry a prince and I definitely do not want to get married right now.”
“What’s wrong with the North?” Junho asked, as if that was the biggest problem.
“It cold and empty and…dark!” Junsu exclaimed. Actually, he had planned to visit Cryan one day, just to see if the stories were true. But he didn’t want to go live there…forever.
“You’re just one of the candidates.”
“What?”
“The Prince wants to meet you and a few others before he makes his decision. Nothing is certain yet.”
Junsu took a relieved breath. He thought his fate had been sealed, but there was still a way out.
“But I want you to try and get him to like you,” Junho said, reading his mind. “Please, Junsu.”
“I have plans,” Junsu said, calm again. “I have plans for my future, a future I choose for myself.”
Junho closed his eyes. “When were you going to execute those plans, and how. You don’t even know. I know you don’t. This…this marriage will be so good for us, Su, please.”
Junsu could feel tears welling up in his eyes. “You told me,” he said. “You told me to be happy and free in your stead, to be who I want and marry who I love because you had to carry the burden of being heir and couldn’t.”
“That…” Junsu could see his words had a strong effect on his brother, but Junho refused to give in. “That was when I was younger,” he said, “irresponsible…your age. I'm happy now. You can be, too.”
Junsu decided they’d hurt each other enough for one day. He loved his brother. He didn’t want to argue with him over something that was probably mostly their parents’ decision. This was just like their parents, enjoying a nice meal while their son was informed they were going to banish him to a land of ice, for honour.
“I’ll go,” he said. “I won’t try to run away.”
“Thank you.” Junho looked so sad Junsu wanted to hug him.
“I’ll do it for Yunji and Yunho, not for father, or honour.”
“I understand,” Junho said.
“And for the adventure,” Junsu added grimly.
“Back for dinner?” Yunho asked hopefully.
Junsu’s heart clenched. He’d thought he could do this. This could so easily be a very temporary goodbye - the journey would take ten days, maybe he’d spend a week in Cryan and then another ten days travelling back - he’d been away from home longer before, visiting family.
But that innocent question reminded him that he might not come back at all if he did get married to the Prince. Would he ever eat another dinner here? He didn’t know if visits were allowed and he’d never seen a traveller from Cryan before, so it would be best not to get his hopes up.
He shook his head and hugged his nephew close, squeezing him tight. Yunho squealed and pushed his little fingers into Junsu’s hair to pull him away. Somehow, Yunho’s hands always ended up in his hair, especially when there was something sticky on them, like honey or apple juice.
Yunji watched them, completely unamused. “Where are you going?” she demanded.
“On an adventure,” Junsu said. “I thought you would have guessed.”
“You don’t look like you’re happy to go,” Yunji commented, incredibly perceptive as always.
“I’m nervous,” Junsu said, truthfully.
When he’d said goodbye to everyone and was about to mount his horse, he felt a small tug on his tunic.
“I said I didn’t need one before, but maybe I do want a present from the Golden Shore,” Yunji murmured. “Maybe a necklace…maybe with a cat.”
Junsu turned around and crouched down so his face was level with hers. He looked into her bright eyes and swallowed his emotions. “A cat necklace,” he managed. “Got it. Don’t fall out of any trees until I get back to laugh at you, okay?” He quickly stood up and turned around.
“I don’t fall!” Yunji shouted at his back. “I’m six!”
The closest city with a harbour was the capital. It was kind of fitting that he would be saying goodbye his home, his kingdom, here where he could see the walls of the royal palace.
Behind those walls were gardens where the three princesses would be living their carefree, comfortable lives, if they weren’t in their southern winter palace on the Golden Shore already. They would never have to go north, because the Prince of Ice wasn’t attracted to women.
Junsu found a captain transporting metal to Cryan, who would take him on board for a low price if he promised not to complain about the slow speed due to the weight of the cargo.
The heavy ship felt steady like solid ground in the harbour, but the sea and the wind weren’t impressed in the slightest. Junsu spent next few days throwing up and feeling more miserable than he ever had before.
NEXT
Pairing: Changmin/Junsu
Summary: Junsu is living a carefree, comfortable life in his father’s orchards, planning a big adventure. Everything changes when it is decided that the Prince of Ice will marry a son of one of the southern lords. Junsu learns that sometimes life pushes you in an unexpected direction, and fighting it only makes things worse.
This story is for: rikuma, blake_anita, koreanbxblove, shunluv and lemonademelon
Request: Anything with Changmin
“But where are you going after you’ve crossed the grasslands and defeated the lake monster.” Yunji looked down at him from her seat on the thick branch that grew horizontally from the apple tree.
“Found, I said found, not defeated,” Junsu corrected her. “It might turn out to be a friendly lake monster, you know. If it exists, that is.”
Yunji sighed, obviously having lost interest in the details of the lake monster plan of action. “But after,” she insisted. “Where will you go next? Will you come home then and tell us stories?”
Junsu thought about that for a moment. “I can’t come home empty-handed. I may have to take a slight detour and stop by the markets on the Golden Shore to buy presents for my favourite niece and nephew.”
Yunji seemed tempted by the idea for a second, but then she shook her head. She shot him a determined look from her high position among the leaves. “I don’t need a present. I just want you to come home and tell me everything. And Yunho doesn’t need anything either, he’s a baby.”
“Yunho may have grown into a young man by the time I get back,” Junsu said, feeling a slight thrill at the idea of travelling for so long. “He’s three already.”
Yunji seemed utterly unimpressed. “I’m six.”
There was some logical meaning behind this statement that Junsu simply wouldn’t attempt to grasp. “Oh, of course, that’s right, you are,” he said, as if she would ever let him forget. “But I’m nineteen, and I’ve decided we’ve talked about my future adventures long enough for today. We will be late for dinner. Come down from there.”
Yunji didn’t pout. She knew that didn’t work on her uncle. She shot him her signature glare instead. But Junsu knew she wasn’t really angry, so that didn’t work either.
He raised his arms. “Jump now, or I’ll climb up to get you.”
There had been a time he’d climbed these trees daily himself. Yunji was only just beginning to discover the orchards, and her parents still thought her too young to roam around on her own, but that time would come for her as well. She was the adventurous kind. Junsu had always felt Yunji took after him, even if she was his brother’s daughter.
There was not a moment of fear or hesitation, the girl simply dropped into his arms and squirmed until he had to put her down and she could run off. Thoughts of carrying her or holding her hand for safety were immediately off the table. She liked her freedom, this one.
Junsu picked up the basket with the apples they had been sent to gather.“Stay close!” he shouted after the girl. There hadn’t been any sightings for the past few months, but it was autumn already and the wolves would be more active during the winter.
Or at least that was what people said. Junsu had only spotted a wolf twice in his entire life. They hardly ever ventured this far into the orchards. But people liked to tell each other scary stories to keep life interesting.
Junsu understood that need very well. He felt at home on his father’s lands, the trees were beautiful in different ways every single season, and their pears and apples tasted delicious and provided them with a steady income. But it was so boring here. The most dangerous jobs were collecting honey and climbing to the upper branches to get to the fruit, but bees were easily subdued with a little smoke and Junsu could climb a tree or ladder with his eyes closed.
The stories of the grand adventures he told Yunji he was going to have were only partly exaggerated. His father kept asking him what he wanted to do with his life, and the answer was simple. He would get out of here. He would travel, see places, meet people, learn interesting new skills. And then he would find a woman to fall in love and settle down with. Or maybe she would be just as adventurous as he was and they’d travel some more together.
His father said this wasn’t a solid plan. He kept asking for details like when he would leave, where exactly he would go and how he would pay for everything. Junsu didn’t have all of that stuff figured out yet, but he would get there, and it would be amazing.
“You’re late,” Mina reprimanded her daughter. “We’ll get the kitchen maid to pick some fresh apples next time.”
“But I really liked being outside!” Yunji said. “And uncle Junsu told me about the lake monster.”
Junsu shot his sister-in-law an innocent smile. She sighed an took the basket from him. “Go on. I’ll take this to the kitchen myself.” She gave them both an admonishing look. “It’s your fault if dessert is late tonight.”
Junsu made to follow his niece, but Mina lightly touched his arm to hold him back. “Junho wants a word,” she said quietly.
“Right now?” Junsu was hungry. Couldn’t his brother wait until after dinner?
“It’s important. He’s waiting for you in the Lord’s study.” There was an urgency in Mina’s voice that made Junsu swallow his next protest. This was serious.
Yunji had paused in the doorway, looking at them with big, curious eyes. Mina avoided Junsu’s questioning gaze and ushered her daughter into the dining room.
Junho was standing by the window, watching the soft shadow of night fall over the land that would soon be his. Junsu stopped by the door and stared at his brother’s back. Junho looked taller since he’d started taking over duties from their father. The seven year gap between them seemed to widen further every day.
Junsu felt a small stab of guilt whenever he thought about the way they were raised, his brother so restricted and he so free. He didn’t care much for the title or the property and responsibilities that came with it, but he would have liked to share his freedom, to grow up like equals. Maybe it would have been better if they’d been born twins.
Junho noticed his presence and turned around. He sat down behind his desk and gave a curt nod to the seat he wanted Junsu to take, one of the gestures he’d copied from father.
“There has been a letter,” he said, getting straight to the point. “From the North.”
They kept in touch with the owners of the lands just north of their borders, so Junsu thought it might be a letter from Lord Jaegal or Lady Gyeon, warning them for a sickness in the trees or a pack of hungry wolves. That would explain why both Mina and his brother had these serious expressions on their faces.
“North where?”
“From Cryan.”
That surprised Junsu. Soris stretched further south from their lands than north, to places where the sun would burn your skin during the summer and the trees were full of oranges and other strange fruits, so they generally considered themselves northerners. But Cryan… there wasn’t anything north of Cryan, it was the end of the world. And it was so far away that Junsu had no idea why there would be an exchange of letters between them and his father. “What does it say?”
“It says…” Junho looked at him. “It says the Queen has accepted our offer.”
So much for getting straight to the actual point. Junsu sighed. He didn’t like this game of questions and answers. But if Junho insisted, he would play. “Would you be so kind as to inform me what exactly our ‘offer’ entailed, oh brother of mine?”
Junho didn’t laugh or frown or snap at him for being childish. Instead, a look of guilt flashed through his eyes right before he turned them away to stare at his desk.
If Junsu wasn’t worried before, he certainly was now. “What is it? Are they declaring war on us? Are they going to stop importing our produce?” Cryan traded over sea, and since the orchards were far from the coast, there wasn't any direct contact between them. But trade could still happen through others and form an important source of income.
“Daddy? Will you come eat?” a small voice sounded from the door.
Junsu watched the grave expression disappear from Junho’s face, to be replaced by an adoring smile for a brief moment. He turned around to face his nephew.
“Uncle Su!” Yunho exclaimed happily. He forgot all about asking his father if he could enter and ran over to jump onto Junsu’s lap. Junho didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t reprimand his son for interrupting an important conversation. Of course, Yunho was only three.
“Hey, you,” Junsu said, smiling. “I haven’t seen you all day. Did you have fun?”
Yunho nodded and pointed at Junsu’s tunic. “What colour is this?” he asked. The mischievous glint in his eyes meant he knew the answer and was testing him.
“Blue,” Junsu said confidently.
Yunho almost looked offended. “It’s brown!”
“Oh, of course.” Junsu smiled widely. He ruffled Yunho's chestnut hair. “You’re smarter than me already.”
Yunho was learning colours. Yunji was also trying to teach him numbers, because she wanted a ‘smart brother’ not a ‘baby dumdum’. Honestly, Junsu was amazed he could already speak in full sentences. They grew up so fast.
Behind him, Junho cleared his throat. Right…their conversation.
“Your daddy was telling me something,” Junsu said. “If you’ll be still, you can sit with me.” He had no idea where Junho was going with this, but if he was going to be reprimanded for something, he could always use Yunho as a shield. ...not that he would actually do that.
Junho sighed, but didn’t protest.
“You…” he started. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably on his chair. “You’ve probably heard that there has been talk of strengthening the bond between our Kingdoms through a marriage between the royal families.”
“Yes,” Junsu bluffed. He had no real interest in politics. Nodding and pretending to know what was going on usually worked fine for him. “So?”
“The Queen of Cryan is looking for a suitable partner for her son, to guarantee he will produce an heir before he ascends to the throne.”
An uncomfortable feeling started to form in Junsu’s stomach. He may not know much about politics, but he’d heard stories about Prince Changmin, the Prince of Ice.
Yunho, surprisingly, was sitting completely still in his lap, leaning back against his uncle’s chest. The only sound he made was his breathing. Perhaps he sensed that this was serious.
“You’ve probably also heard the Prince prefers men over women,” Junho continued, staring hard at his desk. “And since our Queen has given birth to three daughters, and there are no men of a suitable age in any branch of the royal family, that causes a problem.”
“No,” Junsu said, absolutely horrified. “You didn’t.” Yunho shifted on his lap. Little fingers pulled at the fabric of Junsu’s sleeve, holding on.
“So,” Junho said, ignoring both of them. “The Queen has turned her eye to the other noble houses of our country.”
“The offer mentioned in the letter was me,” Junsu gasped out. “You offered her me...without asking for my opinion.” He understood they hadn't asked him because they knew he would refuse, but that only made it worse.
Junho still wasn’t looking at him. “Such a tie would bring great honour to our family. And since two men can’t produce an heir themselves, eventually a family member from whomever the Prince marries will be chosen to be raised by them and prepared for that task.”
Junsu had temporarily lost the ability to speak. He could only gape at his brother in absolute horror.
Junho didn’t need to hear another protest. He looked up, into his eyes, and explained his reasons without being asked.
“Yunji or Yunho could inherit an entire kingdom instead of a few trees that are vulnerable to disease and depend on the health of our bees. Or if the honour would go to one of our cousins, they would still be connected to the royal family through them. Imagine the security that would give them, a happy, comfortable life. The future of my children is everything to me, Junsu.”
Junho smiled at his son, who had perked up a bit at the mention of his name, and Junsu knew his shield was being used against him.
“No,” he said, clenching his hands. “No. What about my future?”
“What’s wrong with this future?” Junho demanded.
“Yunho,” Junsu said softly, setting the boy down on the floor. “Go to mommy and eat your dinner, daddy and I will come soon.”
Yunho nodded. His big eyes darted once to his father and back to Junsu, then he ran out of the room.
“I don’t want to move to the North,” Junsu said, raising his voice now that his nephew was gone. “I don’t want to marry a prince and I definitely do not want to get married right now.”
“What’s wrong with the North?” Junho asked, as if that was the biggest problem.
“It cold and empty and…dark!” Junsu exclaimed. Actually, he had planned to visit Cryan one day, just to see if the stories were true. But he didn’t want to go live there…forever.
“You’re just one of the candidates.”
“What?”
“The Prince wants to meet you and a few others before he makes his decision. Nothing is certain yet.”
Junsu took a relieved breath. He thought his fate had been sealed, but there was still a way out.
“But I want you to try and get him to like you,” Junho said, reading his mind. “Please, Junsu.”
“I have plans,” Junsu said, calm again. “I have plans for my future, a future I choose for myself.”
Junho closed his eyes. “When were you going to execute those plans, and how. You don’t even know. I know you don’t. This…this marriage will be so good for us, Su, please.”
Junsu could feel tears welling up in his eyes. “You told me,” he said. “You told me to be happy and free in your stead, to be who I want and marry who I love because you had to carry the burden of being heir and couldn’t.”
“That…” Junsu could see his words had a strong effect on his brother, but Junho refused to give in. “That was when I was younger,” he said, “irresponsible…your age. I'm happy now. You can be, too.”
Junsu decided they’d hurt each other enough for one day. He loved his brother. He didn’t want to argue with him over something that was probably mostly their parents’ decision. This was just like their parents, enjoying a nice meal while their son was informed they were going to banish him to a land of ice, for honour.
“I’ll go,” he said. “I won’t try to run away.”
“Thank you.” Junho looked so sad Junsu wanted to hug him.
“I’ll do it for Yunji and Yunho, not for father, or honour.”
“I understand,” Junho said.
“And for the adventure,” Junsu added grimly.
“Back for dinner?” Yunho asked hopefully.
Junsu’s heart clenched. He’d thought he could do this. This could so easily be a very temporary goodbye - the journey would take ten days, maybe he’d spend a week in Cryan and then another ten days travelling back - he’d been away from home longer before, visiting family.
But that innocent question reminded him that he might not come back at all if he did get married to the Prince. Would he ever eat another dinner here? He didn’t know if visits were allowed and he’d never seen a traveller from Cryan before, so it would be best not to get his hopes up.
He shook his head and hugged his nephew close, squeezing him tight. Yunho squealed and pushed his little fingers into Junsu’s hair to pull him away. Somehow, Yunho’s hands always ended up in his hair, especially when there was something sticky on them, like honey or apple juice.
Yunji watched them, completely unamused. “Where are you going?” she demanded.
“On an adventure,” Junsu said. “I thought you would have guessed.”
“You don’t look like you’re happy to go,” Yunji commented, incredibly perceptive as always.
“I’m nervous,” Junsu said, truthfully.
When he’d said goodbye to everyone and was about to mount his horse, he felt a small tug on his tunic.
“I said I didn’t need one before, but maybe I do want a present from the Golden Shore,” Yunji murmured. “Maybe a necklace…maybe with a cat.”
Junsu turned around and crouched down so his face was level with hers. He looked into her bright eyes and swallowed his emotions. “A cat necklace,” he managed. “Got it. Don’t fall out of any trees until I get back to laugh at you, okay?” He quickly stood up and turned around.
“I don’t fall!” Yunji shouted at his back. “I’m six!”
The closest city with a harbour was the capital. It was kind of fitting that he would be saying goodbye his home, his kingdom, here where he could see the walls of the royal palace.
Behind those walls were gardens where the three princesses would be living their carefree, comfortable lives, if they weren’t in their southern winter palace on the Golden Shore already. They would never have to go north, because the Prince of Ice wasn’t attracted to women.
Junsu found a captain transporting metal to Cryan, who would take him on board for a low price if he promised not to complain about the slow speed due to the weight of the cargo.
The heavy ship felt steady like solid ground in the harbour, but the sea and the wind weren’t impressed in the slightest. Junsu spent next few days throwing up and feeling more miserable than he ever had before.
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