Frozen Fate 2/?
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.
Junsu woke up to a sailor shaking his shoulder. He was surprised he’d actually drifted off. He hadn’t been able to sleep much during the journey. Most of the time he spent lying on his back with his eyes closed, trying not to throw up.
The ship’s crew was kind enough not to laugh at him, and they brought him water and fruit. Junsu drank the water, but he couldn’t force himself to eat anything, even though he was told again and again that having some food in his stomach would lessen the seasickness.
The man leaning over him now had a rough build, a shabby beard, broad shoulders and an intimidating height, but there was sympathy in his eyes. “We’ve arrived,” he said. “You can walk on steady ground again.”
“Thank you,” Junsu said, “I think I’ve learned that I belong there.”
The man laughed heartily. “The best of us have experienced a little faintness before. And I must say you weren’t blessed with a calm sea on your first journey. But yes, perhaps you are more at home on the shore.”
When planning his adventures, Junsu had seriously considered sailing to more distant locations. He would probably move away from that idea. But maybe he would have to let his plans go entirely. Suddenly, his entire future depended on a man he’d never met before.
As he gathered his bags and climbed the stairs to the deck, there was a light feeling in his stomach, probably because it had been empty for so long, but perhaps also because of where he was headed.
It would have been so easy to board a different ship, or no ship at all, to take his horse and run. He didn't have much money on him or a solid plan, but that didn’t bother Junsu much, because it was exactly how adventures happened.
But his family had put their trust in him. He’d promised Junho he wouldn’t run away. And besides, he didn’t want to make them worry about him, not knowing where he’d gone. As he grew up, Yunho would hear stories about an uncle who had ‘disappeared’ instead of ‘gone on an adventure’.
A fresh wind hit his face and forced his eyes shut. It was cold, almost icy, but so refreshing after the miserable time he spent his stuffy hut that Junsu wanted to cry with relief. Land, he would walk on land again. He opened his eyes and any thought he’d had of trying to run away disappeared.
Cryan…was beautiful.
They were in a bay surrounded by high hills. The slopes were green with vegetation but trees were sparse. In the distance he could see mountains, their white peaks disappearing into the clouds. The sun hung low in the sky. Junsu didn’t know what time it was, but he had been told it never reached very high here even in the middle of the day. He didn’t see the snow and ice of the stories, but maybe it was still too early in the autumn for that.
Around them was a harbour, full of ships and activity, much more than Junsu had expected at the end of the world. He knew the harbour of the capital of Soris, but this one was nothing like it. At home all ships were pretty much the same. You could see where they came from by their flags and sometimes their build, but they didn’t come in such a myriad of shapes and colours as he saw here.
There were little boats packed with stacks of what looked like fur, strange long boats Junsu couldn’t guess the purpose of and big ships like the ones at home, all surrounded by little flimsy looking things that only carried one person but were very fast.
The people were also different. Most of them had dark, braided hair, men and women both, and they wore strange clothing which seemed to be made mostly of fur. Junsu had one fur coat at home, but the rest of his clothes were wool and linen. He understood those people though, because he was already shivering despite wearing his thickest tunic. He quickly pulled his padded winter coat out of his bag, glad he’d come prepared.
“You’re headed to the palace, aren’t you?” he heard behind him. He turned around to face the captain of the ship and nodded.
“I’ll ask my men to drop you off near that red building there, do you see it? Follow the road that leads through the city from there, just keep going up, the palace is at the highest point. You would be able to see it if it weren’t for those southerners flaunting their piss-coloured sails.”
Junsu followed the man's pointing finger and saw what he meant. There was a big ship here from the Land of Gold, which was the richest part Soris. They dug up gold and gems there and traded everything with everyone, everywhere. And supposedly they always had good weather, which was why the royal family spent their winters on the Golden Shore.
You could always recognise those ships by their yellow sails, which were meant, of course, to remind you of gold, not piss. Junsu supposed the captain was jealous, most northern seamen were. Sailing for the Lord of Gold payed very well, if you got the opportunity. And yes, southerners were a bit arrogant. The sails of this ship were loose and flapping uselessly in the wind, not functional, not rolled up to await the next journey, just for show.
Behind the Golden ship was another one that was familiar. It had normal sails, but on its flag Junsu recognised the sigil of the Lord of White Mountain. This one would have come all the way from the south, too, White Mountain bordered on the Land of Gold.
White Mountain used their ships for trade as well, but usually they sold their salt in the capital and left it to others to distribute it further. Junsu wondered if one of their ships had sailed this far north to send another candidate for the marriage. Perhaps the Golden ship was here for the same reason.
If that was the case, he didn’t need to worry anymore. There was no way Junsu could compete against the riches and beauty of the south, the Prince of Ice would have to be blind not to notice that.
Reassured by this thought, he climbed down into the little boat that would bring him to shore. It moved a lot more than the ship did, and his stomach lurched. Junsu took deep breaths, reminding himself that soon, he would be able to walk around in this strange, fascinating land.
When he asked, Junsu was told that the big red building was a warehouse where goods for trade were stored, oddly named ‘Tent’ by the locals. “That’s a translation, of course,” one of the sailors rowing the small boat clarified. Maybe they really call it that, maybe someone just thought it was funny to make us believe that. I couldn’t say, don’t speak their funny language.”
A different language…Junsu hadn’t thought about that yet. He knew Cryan had been trading and communicating with Soris for as long as anyone could remember, but they also had their own language. He wondered if he would have to learn it.
He had never been in a place where they spoke a different language, or met travellers who did. People from Aruni in the south and west spoke the same words, only with a funny accent.
He felt slightly nervous again when he said goodbye to the sailors, because they would go back to do their job and leave him all alone among these strange people. But on the other hand, that was incredibly exciting. He was more thrilled than scared. He knew he was expected at the palace, but he secretly wouldn’t mind getting lost on his way there.
Behind the red building was a street leading up between houses. He could see the towers of the palace in the distance now, but the other buildings interested him much more. They had funny shapes and were painted in all kinds of bright colours. It was the sort of sight you’d expect to see along the Golden Shore, not in the dark and gloomy north.
Some houses were constructed not only with wood but also bone. It had to be whale, Junsu dreaded to imagine any other animal having bones this big.
The people were even stranger from up close, some of them had symbols on their skin, drawn in black, even on their faces. They payed him little attention, apparently southerners weren’t uncommon in the capital.
There was too much to see, too much to smell and feel. The air was as fresh on the land as it had been at sea. The cool wind played with his hair. When Junsu turned around, he could see the ships in the harbour below him. From the castle he would probably be able to look out over the entire bay.
The landscape was so open and beautiful. Junsu slowly and grudgingly admitted to himself that if he was forced to choose a place to settle down, maybe Cryan wouldn’t be the worst.
The sun was starting to set, or maybe it had already been setting when he left the ship. Walking up this hill reminded him how tired and hungry he was. Getting lost suddenly lost its appeal. Luckily the palace wasn’t hard to find. It was right there, in front of him.
“Lord Junsu?” someone shouted.
Junsu looked up. A woman was walking towards him with quick, angry strides. She wore a pale blue tunic and high leather boots with a fur top. She was also holding a spear, pointed at him.
He flinched back and she stopped.
“Oh,” she said, “forgive me. I did not mean to scare you.” Her words were clear and her pronunciation crisp, yet Junsu could hear she hadn't grown up in Soris. She pointed her spear up and bowed. “Welcome to Cryan, young Lord. My name is Aya. I’ve been assigned the task of guiding you and protecting you during your stay. I’ve been waiting for you to arrive. You are late.”
He flinched again. “I’m sorry,” he said. “My ship was slow.”
The Queen had given him a personal bodyguard? Did that mean this place was dangerous, or that they expected him to run away?
“No matter,” Aya said. “You are here now. Follow me. The Prince will welcome you soon.” She turned her head and looked at the sun. “Perhaps right now. We should hurry.”
Junsu didn’t get a chance to ask any questions. Aya took his bag and led him into the palace, past endless corridors and staircases. Her pace was fast and if Junsu hadn’t already been exhausted, he certainly would have been after this walk.
She showed him into a room and left as quickly as she had appeared.
He stood in what had to be one of the towers with a fire burning in the hearth and a few comfortable chairs around it. Two men who had been sitting in those chairs jumped to their feet when he walked in.
“Oh,” one of them said, letting out a breath of relief, “I thought you were the Prince, nearly gave me a heart attack.” The man was wearing a red tunic with a golden ship embroidered on his chest, making it very easy to guess who he was. Even his hair was gold.
“How do you know I’m not the Prince?” Junsu was bold enough to ask.
The son of the Golden Lord looked at him with big, startled eyes, until the other man started to laugh.
“He’s joking, Jaejoong,” the man said. He was wearing black with two white hills on his chest, the same sigil Junsu had seen on his ship. White Mountain was famous for both the piles of salt they extracted from their lakes and their view of the big mountain in the south, so their sigil had a double meaning.
If you asked a northerner though, the ‘hills’ represented neither salt nor mountains, but were decidedly female.
“I’m Yoochun,” the second man said. “And this is Jaejoong,” he gestured at the man with the golden hair. “Who are you?”
“I’m Junsu, son of-“ Junsu started.
“Nice to meet you,” Jaejoong gave him a quick nod, then turned his attention back to Yoochun. “When do you think the Prince will arrive? Do you think his personality is really cold as ice, or is that just something they say because winters get pretty icy up here?”
Junsu was starting to feel a little faint from the lack of food and sleep combined with the sudden warmth from the fire. He shrugged out of his coat.
“I recognise that. Lord Kim of Apples and Honey,” Yoochun said, looking at his tunic. “Didn’t his son get married to the prettiest daughter of Lord Jung a few years ago?”
“I’m the younger brother,” Junsu said.
“That must be nice.” Jaejoong sighed. “That you don’t have any land to give up if you are chosen. Yoochun and I would both throw away our position as heir for this place.” He stared at the window.
It was already dark outside and there was nothing to see, but Junsu could tell from Jaejoong’s expression that their first impression of Cryan hadn’t been the same.
It was almost embarrassing that he was going up against heirs of the Land of Gold and White Mountain. The land of Apples and Honey was small and so poor compared to them, its humble name was all there was to it, apples and honey. Junsu’s father was sometimes called a ‘farmer among lords’, because of his personal involvement with the orchards and the hives. Other lords let their people do all the work for them.
The best match his father had been able to find for Junho was Mina, daughter of Lord Jung, whose land was just north of the Land of Gold but contained only iron ore, not gold or gems.
But Junsu wasn’t embarrassed, or at least he wouldn’t show it. He was proud of his home, he had the right to be. He certainly wasn’t planning on winning this competition, but he also didn’t want to be made fun of.
“I hear someone coming,” Jaejoong whispered nervously.
Three men. Three southern men his mother had selected for him.
Changmin was curious to meet them, but not exactly excited. He knew the Queen always did what was best for their country, and often what was best for her son, but not always both, and the first had priority.
Aya had informed him that Junsu arrived later than the others, but that all three were here now, so he could proceed with the meeting as planned.
His guard opened the door and he saw them standing by the fire. They all turned around at once, and Changmin recognised them by their clothes and appearance both.
Jaejoong, heir of the Golden Lord stood out the most. He possessed a delicate beauty, very pleasing to the eyes. His golden hair fell just past his ears. He wore a red tunic, embroidered with a golden ship. The fabric looked thin and he seemed to be shivering with cold even standing right next to the flames. His ship was the one everyone was talking about down in the harbour, with sails like the rising sun.
Next, Changmin looked at Yoochun, the heir of White Mountain. He had short black hair and the traces of a smug smile on his face. His entire posture was confident. He looked like someone who mastered and greatly enjoyed the art of flirting. There were two white hills embroidered on his black tunic.
The third one was the one who was last to arrive, Junsu, also the youngest, not yet twenty. Changmin looked at him and immediately frowned. Junsu looked exhausted, pale as ice and like he hadn’t had a good meal in days. He had brown hair and brown eyes, warm earthy colours. His green tunic with brown embroidery of a fruit tree was of a thicker fabric than anything the other two had on their bodies, including their shoes. The land of Apples and Honey must know a little bit about winter then.
Junsu had an innocent round face with eyes that might have looked sharp and intelligent if he’d had some energy left in his body.
Changmin was furious that his people had dragged this man into a meeting with him right after he’d arrived, without feeding him and letting him rest first. The young lord Kim would think the Prince of Cryan had no respect for his guests.
So, after a short word of welcome, Changmin turned to him first.
“Did you run into bad weather on your journey?”
Junsu looked surprised to be the first to be directly addressed by him. “N-no, my Prince, my ship was just slow. I’m sorry I arrived later than planned.”
Changmin raised his hand. “Not what I meant. You look terrible. Are you ill?”
“Oh,” Junsu said, averting his eyes. “There was no real bad weather, but it also wasn’t very good. And I’m not used to sailing…”
“I understand,” Changmin said. “Go, eat and rest. I refuse to see you again until you have.”
Jaejoong gasped softly and then quickly lowered his head to hide behind his golden hair. Changmin wondered if his words had come out more harshly than he intended.
But Junsu didn’t seem insulted. He briefly met his eyes, nodded and left the room.
The second son of the land of Apples and Honey wasn’t intimidated by him.
NEXT
Previous
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.
Junsu woke up to a sailor shaking his shoulder. He was surprised he’d actually drifted off. He hadn’t been able to sleep much during the journey. Most of the time he spent lying on his back with his eyes closed, trying not to throw up.
The ship’s crew was kind enough not to laugh at him, and they brought him water and fruit. Junsu drank the water, but he couldn’t force himself to eat anything, even though he was told again and again that having some food in his stomach would lessen the seasickness.
The man leaning over him now had a rough build, a shabby beard, broad shoulders and an intimidating height, but there was sympathy in his eyes. “We’ve arrived,” he said. “You can walk on steady ground again.”
“Thank you,” Junsu said, “I think I’ve learned that I belong there.”
The man laughed heartily. “The best of us have experienced a little faintness before. And I must say you weren’t blessed with a calm sea on your first journey. But yes, perhaps you are more at home on the shore.”
When planning his adventures, Junsu had seriously considered sailing to more distant locations. He would probably move away from that idea. But maybe he would have to let his plans go entirely. Suddenly, his entire future depended on a man he’d never met before.
As he gathered his bags and climbed the stairs to the deck, there was a light feeling in his stomach, probably because it had been empty for so long, but perhaps also because of where he was headed.
It would have been so easy to board a different ship, or no ship at all, to take his horse and run. He didn't have much money on him or a solid plan, but that didn’t bother Junsu much, because it was exactly how adventures happened.
But his family had put their trust in him. He’d promised Junho he wouldn’t run away. And besides, he didn’t want to make them worry about him, not knowing where he’d gone. As he grew up, Yunho would hear stories about an uncle who had ‘disappeared’ instead of ‘gone on an adventure’.
A fresh wind hit his face and forced his eyes shut. It was cold, almost icy, but so refreshing after the miserable time he spent his stuffy hut that Junsu wanted to cry with relief. Land, he would walk on land again. He opened his eyes and any thought he’d had of trying to run away disappeared.
Cryan…was beautiful.
They were in a bay surrounded by high hills. The slopes were green with vegetation but trees were sparse. In the distance he could see mountains, their white peaks disappearing into the clouds. The sun hung low in the sky. Junsu didn’t know what time it was, but he had been told it never reached very high here even in the middle of the day. He didn’t see the snow and ice of the stories, but maybe it was still too early in the autumn for that.
Around them was a harbour, full of ships and activity, much more than Junsu had expected at the end of the world. He knew the harbour of the capital of Soris, but this one was nothing like it. At home all ships were pretty much the same. You could see where they came from by their flags and sometimes their build, but they didn’t come in such a myriad of shapes and colours as he saw here.
There were little boats packed with stacks of what looked like fur, strange long boats Junsu couldn’t guess the purpose of and big ships like the ones at home, all surrounded by little flimsy looking things that only carried one person but were very fast.
The people were also different. Most of them had dark, braided hair, men and women both, and they wore strange clothing which seemed to be made mostly of fur. Junsu had one fur coat at home, but the rest of his clothes were wool and linen. He understood those people though, because he was already shivering despite wearing his thickest tunic. He quickly pulled his padded winter coat out of his bag, glad he’d come prepared.
“You’re headed to the palace, aren’t you?” he heard behind him. He turned around to face the captain of the ship and nodded.
“I’ll ask my men to drop you off near that red building there, do you see it? Follow the road that leads through the city from there, just keep going up, the palace is at the highest point. You would be able to see it if it weren’t for those southerners flaunting their piss-coloured sails.”
Junsu followed the man's pointing finger and saw what he meant. There was a big ship here from the Land of Gold, which was the richest part Soris. They dug up gold and gems there and traded everything with everyone, everywhere. And supposedly they always had good weather, which was why the royal family spent their winters on the Golden Shore.
You could always recognise those ships by their yellow sails, which were meant, of course, to remind you of gold, not piss. Junsu supposed the captain was jealous, most northern seamen were. Sailing for the Lord of Gold payed very well, if you got the opportunity. And yes, southerners were a bit arrogant. The sails of this ship were loose and flapping uselessly in the wind, not functional, not rolled up to await the next journey, just for show.
Behind the Golden ship was another one that was familiar. It had normal sails, but on its flag Junsu recognised the sigil of the Lord of White Mountain. This one would have come all the way from the south, too, White Mountain bordered on the Land of Gold.
White Mountain used their ships for trade as well, but usually they sold their salt in the capital and left it to others to distribute it further. Junsu wondered if one of their ships had sailed this far north to send another candidate for the marriage. Perhaps the Golden ship was here for the same reason.
If that was the case, he didn’t need to worry anymore. There was no way Junsu could compete against the riches and beauty of the south, the Prince of Ice would have to be blind not to notice that.
Reassured by this thought, he climbed down into the little boat that would bring him to shore. It moved a lot more than the ship did, and his stomach lurched. Junsu took deep breaths, reminding himself that soon, he would be able to walk around in this strange, fascinating land.
When he asked, Junsu was told that the big red building was a warehouse where goods for trade were stored, oddly named ‘Tent’ by the locals. “That’s a translation, of course,” one of the sailors rowing the small boat clarified. Maybe they really call it that, maybe someone just thought it was funny to make us believe that. I couldn’t say, don’t speak their funny language.”
A different language…Junsu hadn’t thought about that yet. He knew Cryan had been trading and communicating with Soris for as long as anyone could remember, but they also had their own language. He wondered if he would have to learn it.
He had never been in a place where they spoke a different language, or met travellers who did. People from Aruni in the south and west spoke the same words, only with a funny accent.
He felt slightly nervous again when he said goodbye to the sailors, because they would go back to do their job and leave him all alone among these strange people. But on the other hand, that was incredibly exciting. He was more thrilled than scared. He knew he was expected at the palace, but he secretly wouldn’t mind getting lost on his way there.
Behind the red building was a street leading up between houses. He could see the towers of the palace in the distance now, but the other buildings interested him much more. They had funny shapes and were painted in all kinds of bright colours. It was the sort of sight you’d expect to see along the Golden Shore, not in the dark and gloomy north.
Some houses were constructed not only with wood but also bone. It had to be whale, Junsu dreaded to imagine any other animal having bones this big.
The people were even stranger from up close, some of them had symbols on their skin, drawn in black, even on their faces. They payed him little attention, apparently southerners weren’t uncommon in the capital.
There was too much to see, too much to smell and feel. The air was as fresh on the land as it had been at sea. The cool wind played with his hair. When Junsu turned around, he could see the ships in the harbour below him. From the castle he would probably be able to look out over the entire bay.
The landscape was so open and beautiful. Junsu slowly and grudgingly admitted to himself that if he was forced to choose a place to settle down, maybe Cryan wouldn’t be the worst.
The sun was starting to set, or maybe it had already been setting when he left the ship. Walking up this hill reminded him how tired and hungry he was. Getting lost suddenly lost its appeal. Luckily the palace wasn’t hard to find. It was right there, in front of him.
“Lord Junsu?” someone shouted.
Junsu looked up. A woman was walking towards him with quick, angry strides. She wore a pale blue tunic and high leather boots with a fur top. She was also holding a spear, pointed at him.
He flinched back and she stopped.
“Oh,” she said, “forgive me. I did not mean to scare you.” Her words were clear and her pronunciation crisp, yet Junsu could hear she hadn't grown up in Soris. She pointed her spear up and bowed. “Welcome to Cryan, young Lord. My name is Aya. I’ve been assigned the task of guiding you and protecting you during your stay. I’ve been waiting for you to arrive. You are late.”
He flinched again. “I’m sorry,” he said. “My ship was slow.”
The Queen had given him a personal bodyguard? Did that mean this place was dangerous, or that they expected him to run away?
“No matter,” Aya said. “You are here now. Follow me. The Prince will welcome you soon.” She turned her head and looked at the sun. “Perhaps right now. We should hurry.”
Junsu didn’t get a chance to ask any questions. Aya took his bag and led him into the palace, past endless corridors and staircases. Her pace was fast and if Junsu hadn’t already been exhausted, he certainly would have been after this walk.
She showed him into a room and left as quickly as she had appeared.
He stood in what had to be one of the towers with a fire burning in the hearth and a few comfortable chairs around it. Two men who had been sitting in those chairs jumped to their feet when he walked in.
“Oh,” one of them said, letting out a breath of relief, “I thought you were the Prince, nearly gave me a heart attack.” The man was wearing a red tunic with a golden ship embroidered on his chest, making it very easy to guess who he was. Even his hair was gold.
“How do you know I’m not the Prince?” Junsu was bold enough to ask.
The son of the Golden Lord looked at him with big, startled eyes, until the other man started to laugh.
“He’s joking, Jaejoong,” the man said. He was wearing black with two white hills on his chest, the same sigil Junsu had seen on his ship. White Mountain was famous for both the piles of salt they extracted from their lakes and their view of the big mountain in the south, so their sigil had a double meaning.
If you asked a northerner though, the ‘hills’ represented neither salt nor mountains, but were decidedly female.
“I’m Yoochun,” the second man said. “And this is Jaejoong,” he gestured at the man with the golden hair. “Who are you?”
“I’m Junsu, son of-“ Junsu started.
“Nice to meet you,” Jaejoong gave him a quick nod, then turned his attention back to Yoochun. “When do you think the Prince will arrive? Do you think his personality is really cold as ice, or is that just something they say because winters get pretty icy up here?”
Junsu was starting to feel a little faint from the lack of food and sleep combined with the sudden warmth from the fire. He shrugged out of his coat.
“I recognise that. Lord Kim of Apples and Honey,” Yoochun said, looking at his tunic. “Didn’t his son get married to the prettiest daughter of Lord Jung a few years ago?”
“I’m the younger brother,” Junsu said.
“That must be nice.” Jaejoong sighed. “That you don’t have any land to give up if you are chosen. Yoochun and I would both throw away our position as heir for this place.” He stared at the window.
It was already dark outside and there was nothing to see, but Junsu could tell from Jaejoong’s expression that their first impression of Cryan hadn’t been the same.
It was almost embarrassing that he was going up against heirs of the Land of Gold and White Mountain. The land of Apples and Honey was small and so poor compared to them, its humble name was all there was to it, apples and honey. Junsu’s father was sometimes called a ‘farmer among lords’, because of his personal involvement with the orchards and the hives. Other lords let their people do all the work for them.
The best match his father had been able to find for Junho was Mina, daughter of Lord Jung, whose land was just north of the Land of Gold but contained only iron ore, not gold or gems.
But Junsu wasn’t embarrassed, or at least he wouldn’t show it. He was proud of his home, he had the right to be. He certainly wasn’t planning on winning this competition, but he also didn’t want to be made fun of.
“I hear someone coming,” Jaejoong whispered nervously.
Three men. Three southern men his mother had selected for him.
Changmin was curious to meet them, but not exactly excited. He knew the Queen always did what was best for their country, and often what was best for her son, but not always both, and the first had priority.
Aya had informed him that Junsu arrived later than the others, but that all three were here now, so he could proceed with the meeting as planned.
His guard opened the door and he saw them standing by the fire. They all turned around at once, and Changmin recognised them by their clothes and appearance both.
Jaejoong, heir of the Golden Lord stood out the most. He possessed a delicate beauty, very pleasing to the eyes. His golden hair fell just past his ears. He wore a red tunic, embroidered with a golden ship. The fabric looked thin and he seemed to be shivering with cold even standing right next to the flames. His ship was the one everyone was talking about down in the harbour, with sails like the rising sun.
Next, Changmin looked at Yoochun, the heir of White Mountain. He had short black hair and the traces of a smug smile on his face. His entire posture was confident. He looked like someone who mastered and greatly enjoyed the art of flirting. There were two white hills embroidered on his black tunic.
The third one was the one who was last to arrive, Junsu, also the youngest, not yet twenty. Changmin looked at him and immediately frowned. Junsu looked exhausted, pale as ice and like he hadn’t had a good meal in days. He had brown hair and brown eyes, warm earthy colours. His green tunic with brown embroidery of a fruit tree was of a thicker fabric than anything the other two had on their bodies, including their shoes. The land of Apples and Honey must know a little bit about winter then.
Junsu had an innocent round face with eyes that might have looked sharp and intelligent if he’d had some energy left in his body.
Changmin was furious that his people had dragged this man into a meeting with him right after he’d arrived, without feeding him and letting him rest first. The young lord Kim would think the Prince of Cryan had no respect for his guests.
So, after a short word of welcome, Changmin turned to him first.
“Did you run into bad weather on your journey?”
Junsu looked surprised to be the first to be directly addressed by him. “N-no, my Prince, my ship was just slow. I’m sorry I arrived later than planned.”
Changmin raised his hand. “Not what I meant. You look terrible. Are you ill?”
“Oh,” Junsu said, averting his eyes. “There was no real bad weather, but it also wasn’t very good. And I’m not used to sailing…”
“I understand,” Changmin said. “Go, eat and rest. I refuse to see you again until you have.”
Jaejoong gasped softly and then quickly lowered his head to hide behind his golden hair. Changmin wondered if his words had come out more harshly than he intended.
But Junsu didn’t seem insulted. He briefly met his eyes, nodded and left the room.
The second son of the land of Apples and Honey wasn’t intimidated by him.
NEXT
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