Bricolage [1/20]
Title: Bricolage [1/20]
Author: ixjaydee
Pairing: Jongyu;; TaeSeob;; minor!Minkey;; minor!JongKyung
Rating: PG-13
Genre: drama;; action/adventure;; romance;;
Disclaimer: I own the world, just not the people in it.
Summary: Prince Jonghyun, ruler of the Kingdom of Carmadon had his work cut out for him already. In between taking care of the uneasy townspeople, and searching for a traitor in his midst, he must leave his kingdom in the hands of his younger brother and his royal adviser as he prepares to set out on a conquest to the Unknown World in search for a cure for the disease sweeping through the kingdoms.
The journey wouldn’t be easy. The Unknown World was riddled with shady characters: sorcerers, shape shifters, outlaws, assassins, bandits, monsters of every sort. As if that wasn’t bad enough, things get a little bit more complicated when he falls in love with someone that he should have never fallen for in the first place, a love that would bring the downfall of his kingdom.
AN;; Uh. Nothing to say here really. I'm glad you guys are interested in this at all. My biggest worry was that since this is a nanowrimo, that it would be long-winded and boring to read. The chapter divisions are kinda funky because I wrote this as a whole with no chapter divisions in mind.
Also, I'm working on putting up a reference guide. It'll be updated as the story goes along so it won't have any spoilers.
-
01
--
Jonghyun sighed heavily as he signed the sixtieth scroll. His signing script could use some work. It could definitely use some work. He frowned at his name on the scroll before rolling it up and adding it to the growing stack next to him. He peeked into his inkwell and smiled. Out of ink. He dropped his quill onto his desk in triumph and stood up abruptly to stretch.
His mind wandered back to his royal adviser. Key was a good man. Very manly. He knew his way around horses, swords, fighting, and other things all men should know how to do. However, he knew quite a bit about the womanly world too. Key could cook. He had a small flowerbed he took care of in his room. He could sew.
So it didn’t come as a surprise to Jonghyun when he admitted that he liked men. But such a thing was taboo, even in an open kingdom like Carmadon. Key kept his relationship very secret. It was almost like a ghost. If Jonghyun hadn’t decided to take a midnight stroll in the gardens one night, then he would’ve never known that his best knight swung that way too.
Speaking of his best knight. He finished his stretches and yawned before rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn’t paid a visit to the training grounds in a while. His swordsmanship was probably getting rusty. He opened the door to his father’s study and left the room without a backwards glance.
“And where do you think you’re going?” He came face to face with Key as soon as he closed the door behind him. “Out to the training grounds. I ran out of ink.” He saw Key contemplating on making an excuse to join him. “I believe I’ll join you.” Jonghyun raised an eyebrow as he began to walk.
“Really now? Wherefore my dear Key?” Key’s eyes narrowed at him. “Just for some fresh air.” Jonghyun turned to give him an all knowing smirk. “You better wipe that smirk off of your face before I shove you down the stairs.” Jonghyun held his hands up in surrender as he made his way down the stairs.
“I don’t know how you guys do it though. Keeping it a secret like that.” Key caught up next to him with a distant expression on his face. Then suddenly he chuckled as the two rounded a hallway. “Well, when you need advice on how to hide your forbidden relationship, you know who to ask.”
Jonghyun reached up and squeezed Key’s shoulder as they walked outside, sunlight hitting their faces. Jonghyun squinted and shielded his eyes. “Another beautiful day in the Kingdom of Carmadon,” Key said lazily.
“Yeesh. That sounds like a cheesy start to a legend or something. Before everything goes wrong and people die all over the place.”
“Well, then be glad it’s not the start of a legend.”
--
As they neared the training grounds, the sounds of clashing metal and shouts reached their ears. There were perks and down sides to having a castle built into the side of the mountain. The first perk was that it was impossible to be ambushed from above. The mountain was so steep, it was physically impossible to climb up past the castle.
The second perk was that it was amusing to watch people try and figure out how to enter the castle in the first place. The river went straight through the mountain. At the end of the castle, there was a large grate to protect from intruders that managed to make it through the ice cold water.
The women in the castle always threatened to throw bad children in the water and let them freeze into popsicles if they weren’t good. And for good measure, Jonghyun had a fake body made that he threw into the river to let it flow underneath the grates when the children passed by. He would stand there and make tutting noises as the children stared in horror. “I told Johnny to be a good boy.” He would walk off while the children looked after him in fear.
On the down side though, the castle was always cold. There were too many steps and bumps, and stairs that led to different places. If one wasn’t careful and paying attention to where one was going, then it was rather difficult to find one’s way back. Key knew the castle like the back of his hand, so it wouldn’t do Jonghyun any good to try and get lost in it.
The knights and paiges stopped sparring when Jonghyun approached them. Then turned and bowed respectfully until Jonghyun waved them off to return to their activities. Jonghyun walked in between them, fixing some minor form things until he came upon Minho sparring with Key’s favorite.
“Hey Minho!” Minho looked up in surprise, letting the smaller boy give him a good whack in the leg. Minho let out a yelp of pain and rubbed his shin. “Sire, I can’t help but feel like you did that on purpose,” he growled as Jonghyun put an arm around the younger man.
“Of course I did. Key would have my head if I let anything happen to his favorite person. Right Taemin?” The boy with golden hair smiled brightly as he wiped away some sweat on his forehead. “Of course, dear brother. Though I’d much rather win on my own skill than depend upon your meddling.” Jonghyun nodded and rubbed his shoulders. “Good man. You’ll make a great knight someday.”
Taemin laughed and punched his brother in the arm before turning towards Minho. “I’m sorry, I’ll no longer be able to spar with you today. I’m needed at the stables.” Taemin had a way with horses, no one could deny that. They both bowed low to each other before Taemin handed the practice sword over to Jonghyun. He took it without another word and turned to Minho.
“Ready for another fight? Or would you rather rest for a bit before challenging me?” A challenge hung in his voice, a challenge that he knew that Minho would never be able to resist. The other man wiped some sweat away from his forehead before re-tying his long, wavy hair.
“Is that a challenge in your voice I hear, Sire?”
“I don’t know, is it?” Jonghyun asked with a smirk on his face. He swung the sword around in his hand, getting a feel for it. The training swords were made a little bit heavier than the real ones to help build up arm muscle and stamina. He waved it around, listening to the sounds of the air rushing over the metal.
Minho popped his neck and rolled his shoulders before taking a stance. “I believe it is.” He lunged forward.
--
Taemin hurried through the depths of the castle, hopping down stairs, nearly slipping on the last few to the exit of the castle. “Smooth move there,” he heard a voice call to him. Taemin smiled at the other boy and walked towards him. Unfortunately he didn’t look where he was going and ended up slipping on a puddle anyway.
He groaned and inwardly kicked himself. Way to look cool, Taemin. Way to look cool. He heard chuckling above him as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. “You don’t have any idea how many times I’ve seen that happen today.” Yoseob extended his hand and helped him up.
“Where pray tell are you headed to in such a hurry, Your Highness?” Taemin blushed as he brushed some water off his of clothes. “To the stables. I was sparring with Sir Minho earlier and lost track of time.” Yoseob laughed and signaled for the others to open the gates.
“Mind if I come with you? I’m starting to miss the light of day.” Taemin smiled brightly at him before jumping onto a boat. “Not at all. You’re not following me because Key put you up to it did he?” Yoseob shook his head. Though it was true the royal advisor had asked him to follow Taemin around when he left the castle, Yoseob enjoyed the young prince’s company.
He stepped into the boat and started to push them out with the pole. He flinched slightly when the sunlight hit both of them and made a fake hissing noise before covering his eyes. Taemin rolled his eyes and reached over to punch him in the leg.
“Hey! That hurt! What kind of food are they feeding you?” He laughed as he docked the boat in the proper area and tied it off, waving slightly to the other ferry boys waiting on the bank. Taemin smirked before purposely scrambling off of the boat, causing it to rock dangerously with Yoseob in it.
“Hey! HEY!” He stumbled a little bit before falling over onto the bank, straining to keep the boat close to the shore so he wouldn’t drop into the space between. “Your highness! This isn’t funny!” Yoseob yelped as he struggled to pull the boat closer so he could crawl onto shore. He heard Taemin’s laughter before he felt the boat get reeled in. He crawled onto land and collapsed into a heap on the ground.
“You... You will be the death of me someday.” Taemin’s face loomed over his head for a moment before Taemin extended an arm out to him. “Hurry up! I’m already late!”
The two hurried through the town, Taemin greeting people that saw him with a wave and a smile. He and Jonghyun were no strangers to the town. They visited often, to listen to the people and learn about the going ons. Taemin suspected that his brother only went to get the free food that was always offered to them. Key knew that Jonghyun went only for the food and kept all the food in a basket, slapping Jonghyun’s hand away as it crept closer to it until he listened to everything the people had to say.
The flatlands outside of the town were the only places they could keep the stables. It was the only reasonable place to keep the stables. Horses couldn’t get into the castle, even if they tried. And they had tried, time and time again, only to be rescued from the river by the ferry and stable boys.
The roads in town were too small and far too crowded for them to be used as a main source of transportation. As a result, not many people in Carmadon knew how to ride horses, save for the few that wanted to learn. Past the flatlands was a sharp drop off, a cliff known as Dead Man’s Drop. There were only a couple safe paths through the forest down into the valley below.
Taemin slowed down his pace to a slow jog as he neared the stables. “Sire, you’re late today.” He rubbed the back of his head as he opened the gates to the stables. “Lost track of time.” Yoseob followed in after him, closing the gates behind him.
“Yoseob! Haven’t seen you down here in a while. Are you sure you still remember how to ride?” He rolled his eyes at the older man and huffed. “Of course I do, Doojoon. It’s not something you forget after you learn how to do it.” Taemin was already inside with the horses, patting his favorite one and whispering to it.
“Most of them are already warmed up, save for your favorite and Beast over here.” Yoseob eyed the large black horse that Doojoon gestured to. They had a bit of history together, Beast and Yoseob. But that history ended with Beast throwing him off and galloping back to the stables alone, leaving him to walk all the way across the flatlands. Otherwise, the two got along fine.
Taemin saw the the looks Yoseob and the horse were exchanging. He laughed, opening the gate to lead his horse out. “Do you wanna ride Minjung instead? I can take Beast if you don’t think you can handle him. He’s Sir Minho’s horse after all.” Yoseob shook his head as he approached the large horse. “I know we don’t like each other. But you probably don’t want to be sore when the knights come down for practice, now do you?” Beast regarded him with an almost human quality before lowering his head, allowing Yoseob to take the reins.
“I’m not so bad right?” Yoseob patted the side of Beast’s head and opened up the gate. The two of the led the horses out with Doojoon staying behind to take care of the others. “How’s Lucifer doing these days?” The grey stallion lifted his head at the mention of his name. Lucifer was Jonghyun’s favorite. If he wasn’t in the castle or in the town, he was probably out riding with Lucifer. Lately though, Jonghyun had been to busy to visit his horse.
“He’s fine. He gets a little lonely every now and then. He gets pretty excited when he sees the red reins though. He knows when His Highness is coming.” Taemin nodded. “I’ll be sure to tell my brother to come visit more often. I believe he’ll be coming down with the knights later.” The two bid him goodbye before walking back outside.
The flatlands stretched out farther than the horizon. A light breeze picked up, making the sea of grass ripple gently, beckoning them out for a ride. Both of them mounted their horses, Yoseob having a little bit more difficulty than Taemin (“He’s huge. It’s not my fault.”).
The two of them started off at a slow walk, talking about the weather and the kingdom. Yoseob asked him about the new girl that was presented to his brother to be his bride. Taemin shrugged before nudging Minjung into a trot. “I’m not sure. I haven’t met her. I heard the women talking about her though. Apparently she’s kind of prissy.”
Yoseob followed suit. Beast was behaving quite well today. He had to make sure he got a good brushing and feeding later. “I heard she was crazy.” Taemin laughed at the other boy. “I’d like to give her a chance before calling her that.”
--
The sounds of clashing metal rang louder than ever as Jonghyun and Minho crossed swords. Both of them refused to back off, pushing harder and harder, waiting for the other one to break. Jonghyun twisted his sword, throwing Minho off balance. Jonghyun hit him in the back with the butt of his sword, sending Minho to the floor, but Minho twisted onto his back when he landed to block Jonghyun’s next blow.
He kicked Jonghyun with enough force to send him back far enough for him to scramble to his feet. Jonghyun lunged forward with one hand. Minho smirked, a big mistake. He diverted Jonghyun’s attack, letting his momentum carry him forward. Minho turned and brought his elbow down onto Jonghyun’s wrist, making him drop the heavy sword to the ground. Minho brought his sword up and pointed it towards Jonghyun’s throat.
Jonghyun grinned at him, chest heaving with each breath he took before raising his hands in surrender. “I must be getting rusty.” Minho lowered his sword and bowed. “It was a good match, Sire.” Jonghyun dusted off his sleeves before rolling his shoulders.
His hand moved to the wrist that Minho hit and pressed it gingerly before shaking his hand out. “Did I hit you too hard?” Jonghyun laughed and shook his head. “What am I? An old man? I can take a few hits here and there.” Jonghyun moved his dropped sword to the bench and took another fighting stance.
“Ready for round two?” Jonghyun took a few practice jabs while waiting for Minho to shed some of his armor and his weapons. “Don’t you ever get tired?”
“I wish he’d put that much enthusiasm into other things!” Key shouted from the sidelines. Jonghyun rolled his eyes. “I put energy into everything I do. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Suddenly, he felt Minho put him into an head lock and groaned. “This isn’t fair! You distracted me!” Key just gave him an all knowing smile and sat back.
This was the only way he could release his frustrations with his best friend. By letting his lover beat him up.
--
They rode in silence for a while. Yoseob enjoying the cool breeze, sunshine, and fresh air. After a little while, they reached the edge of the flatlands. They slowed their horses to a stop and enjoyed the view over the forest and the valley.
Taemin was enjoying this time with his friend until he noticed something moving in the valley. He shaded his eyes with his hand, squinting at the moving mass. “Yoseob... do you recognize those flags?” Yoseob turned and looked over the valley. A large flag flew at the very end of the moving mass. “I... Anvilis?” Yoseob said in confusion.
Anvilis was the kingdom by the sea. They were a peaceful kingdom, often trading goods from the sea for goods from the earth at Carmadon. “Sire, I know those are their flags, I recognize the design. But the colors. The colors are different. Don’t tell me... those are their colors of war? Has His Highness, your brother, done something to offend them?” Yoseob asked in alarm. They were headed for the path, straight up to Carmadon.
“I don’t know... I...”
“We need to go back. Now.”
Author: ixjaydee
Pairing: Jongyu;; TaeSeob;; minor!Minkey;; minor!JongKyung
Rating: PG-13
Genre: drama;; action/adventure;; romance;;
Disclaimer: I own the world, just not the people in it.
Summary: Prince Jonghyun, ruler of the Kingdom of Carmadon had his work cut out for him already. In between taking care of the uneasy townspeople, and searching for a traitor in his midst, he must leave his kingdom in the hands of his younger brother and his royal adviser as he prepares to set out on a conquest to the Unknown World in search for a cure for the disease sweeping through the kingdoms.
The journey wouldn’t be easy. The Unknown World was riddled with shady characters: sorcerers, shape shifters, outlaws, assassins, bandits, monsters of every sort. As if that wasn’t bad enough, things get a little bit more complicated when he falls in love with someone that he should have never fallen for in the first place, a love that would bring the downfall of his kingdom.
AN;; Uh. Nothing to say here really. I'm glad you guys are interested in this at all. My biggest worry was that since this is a nanowrimo, that it would be long-winded and boring to read. The chapter divisions are kinda funky because I wrote this as a whole with no chapter divisions in mind.
Also, I'm working on putting up a reference guide. It'll be updated as the story goes along so it won't have any spoilers.
-
01
--
Jonghyun sighed heavily as he signed the sixtieth scroll. His signing script could use some work. It could definitely use some work. He frowned at his name on the scroll before rolling it up and adding it to the growing stack next to him. He peeked into his inkwell and smiled. Out of ink. He dropped his quill onto his desk in triumph and stood up abruptly to stretch.
His mind wandered back to his royal adviser. Key was a good man. Very manly. He knew his way around horses, swords, fighting, and other things all men should know how to do. However, he knew quite a bit about the womanly world too. Key could cook. He had a small flowerbed he took care of in his room. He could sew.
So it didn’t come as a surprise to Jonghyun when he admitted that he liked men. But such a thing was taboo, even in an open kingdom like Carmadon. Key kept his relationship very secret. It was almost like a ghost. If Jonghyun hadn’t decided to take a midnight stroll in the gardens one night, then he would’ve never known that his best knight swung that way too.
Speaking of his best knight. He finished his stretches and yawned before rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn’t paid a visit to the training grounds in a while. His swordsmanship was probably getting rusty. He opened the door to his father’s study and left the room without a backwards glance.
“And where do you think you’re going?” He came face to face with Key as soon as he closed the door behind him. “Out to the training grounds. I ran out of ink.” He saw Key contemplating on making an excuse to join him. “I believe I’ll join you.” Jonghyun raised an eyebrow as he began to walk.
“Really now? Wherefore my dear Key?” Key’s eyes narrowed at him. “Just for some fresh air.” Jonghyun turned to give him an all knowing smirk. “You better wipe that smirk off of your face before I shove you down the stairs.” Jonghyun held his hands up in surrender as he made his way down the stairs.
“I don’t know how you guys do it though. Keeping it a secret like that.” Key caught up next to him with a distant expression on his face. Then suddenly he chuckled as the two rounded a hallway. “Well, when you need advice on how to hide your forbidden relationship, you know who to ask.”
Jonghyun reached up and squeezed Key’s shoulder as they walked outside, sunlight hitting their faces. Jonghyun squinted and shielded his eyes. “Another beautiful day in the Kingdom of Carmadon,” Key said lazily.
“Yeesh. That sounds like a cheesy start to a legend or something. Before everything goes wrong and people die all over the place.”
“Well, then be glad it’s not the start of a legend.”
--
As they neared the training grounds, the sounds of clashing metal and shouts reached their ears. There were perks and down sides to having a castle built into the side of the mountain. The first perk was that it was impossible to be ambushed from above. The mountain was so steep, it was physically impossible to climb up past the castle.
The second perk was that it was amusing to watch people try and figure out how to enter the castle in the first place. The river went straight through the mountain. At the end of the castle, there was a large grate to protect from intruders that managed to make it through the ice cold water.
The women in the castle always threatened to throw bad children in the water and let them freeze into popsicles if they weren’t good. And for good measure, Jonghyun had a fake body made that he threw into the river to let it flow underneath the grates when the children passed by. He would stand there and make tutting noises as the children stared in horror. “I told Johnny to be a good boy.” He would walk off while the children looked after him in fear.
On the down side though, the castle was always cold. There were too many steps and bumps, and stairs that led to different places. If one wasn’t careful and paying attention to where one was going, then it was rather difficult to find one’s way back. Key knew the castle like the back of his hand, so it wouldn’t do Jonghyun any good to try and get lost in it.
The knights and paiges stopped sparring when Jonghyun approached them. Then turned and bowed respectfully until Jonghyun waved them off to return to their activities. Jonghyun walked in between them, fixing some minor form things until he came upon Minho sparring with Key’s favorite.
“Hey Minho!” Minho looked up in surprise, letting the smaller boy give him a good whack in the leg. Minho let out a yelp of pain and rubbed his shin. “Sire, I can’t help but feel like you did that on purpose,” he growled as Jonghyun put an arm around the younger man.
“Of course I did. Key would have my head if I let anything happen to his favorite person. Right Taemin?” The boy with golden hair smiled brightly as he wiped away some sweat on his forehead. “Of course, dear brother. Though I’d much rather win on my own skill than depend upon your meddling.” Jonghyun nodded and rubbed his shoulders. “Good man. You’ll make a great knight someday.”
Taemin laughed and punched his brother in the arm before turning towards Minho. “I’m sorry, I’ll no longer be able to spar with you today. I’m needed at the stables.” Taemin had a way with horses, no one could deny that. They both bowed low to each other before Taemin handed the practice sword over to Jonghyun. He took it without another word and turned to Minho.
“Ready for another fight? Or would you rather rest for a bit before challenging me?” A challenge hung in his voice, a challenge that he knew that Minho would never be able to resist. The other man wiped some sweat away from his forehead before re-tying his long, wavy hair.
“Is that a challenge in your voice I hear, Sire?”
“I don’t know, is it?” Jonghyun asked with a smirk on his face. He swung the sword around in his hand, getting a feel for it. The training swords were made a little bit heavier than the real ones to help build up arm muscle and stamina. He waved it around, listening to the sounds of the air rushing over the metal.
Minho popped his neck and rolled his shoulders before taking a stance. “I believe it is.” He lunged forward.
--
Taemin hurried through the depths of the castle, hopping down stairs, nearly slipping on the last few to the exit of the castle. “Smooth move there,” he heard a voice call to him. Taemin smiled at the other boy and walked towards him. Unfortunately he didn’t look where he was going and ended up slipping on a puddle anyway.
He groaned and inwardly kicked himself. Way to look cool, Taemin. Way to look cool. He heard chuckling above him as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. “You don’t have any idea how many times I’ve seen that happen today.” Yoseob extended his hand and helped him up.
“Where pray tell are you headed to in such a hurry, Your Highness?” Taemin blushed as he brushed some water off his of clothes. “To the stables. I was sparring with Sir Minho earlier and lost track of time.” Yoseob laughed and signaled for the others to open the gates.
“Mind if I come with you? I’m starting to miss the light of day.” Taemin smiled brightly at him before jumping onto a boat. “Not at all. You’re not following me because Key put you up to it did he?” Yoseob shook his head. Though it was true the royal advisor had asked him to follow Taemin around when he left the castle, Yoseob enjoyed the young prince’s company.
He stepped into the boat and started to push them out with the pole. He flinched slightly when the sunlight hit both of them and made a fake hissing noise before covering his eyes. Taemin rolled his eyes and reached over to punch him in the leg.
“Hey! That hurt! What kind of food are they feeding you?” He laughed as he docked the boat in the proper area and tied it off, waving slightly to the other ferry boys waiting on the bank. Taemin smirked before purposely scrambling off of the boat, causing it to rock dangerously with Yoseob in it.
“Hey! HEY!” He stumbled a little bit before falling over onto the bank, straining to keep the boat close to the shore so he wouldn’t drop into the space between. “Your highness! This isn’t funny!” Yoseob yelped as he struggled to pull the boat closer so he could crawl onto shore. He heard Taemin’s laughter before he felt the boat get reeled in. He crawled onto land and collapsed into a heap on the ground.
“You... You will be the death of me someday.” Taemin’s face loomed over his head for a moment before Taemin extended an arm out to him. “Hurry up! I’m already late!”
The two hurried through the town, Taemin greeting people that saw him with a wave and a smile. He and Jonghyun were no strangers to the town. They visited often, to listen to the people and learn about the going ons. Taemin suspected that his brother only went to get the free food that was always offered to them. Key knew that Jonghyun went only for the food and kept all the food in a basket, slapping Jonghyun’s hand away as it crept closer to it until he listened to everything the people had to say.
The flatlands outside of the town were the only places they could keep the stables. It was the only reasonable place to keep the stables. Horses couldn’t get into the castle, even if they tried. And they had tried, time and time again, only to be rescued from the river by the ferry and stable boys.
The roads in town were too small and far too crowded for them to be used as a main source of transportation. As a result, not many people in Carmadon knew how to ride horses, save for the few that wanted to learn. Past the flatlands was a sharp drop off, a cliff known as Dead Man’s Drop. There were only a couple safe paths through the forest down into the valley below.
Taemin slowed down his pace to a slow jog as he neared the stables. “Sire, you’re late today.” He rubbed the back of his head as he opened the gates to the stables. “Lost track of time.” Yoseob followed in after him, closing the gates behind him.
“Yoseob! Haven’t seen you down here in a while. Are you sure you still remember how to ride?” He rolled his eyes at the older man and huffed. “Of course I do, Doojoon. It’s not something you forget after you learn how to do it.” Taemin was already inside with the horses, patting his favorite one and whispering to it.
“Most of them are already warmed up, save for your favorite and Beast over here.” Yoseob eyed the large black horse that Doojoon gestured to. They had a bit of history together, Beast and Yoseob. But that history ended with Beast throwing him off and galloping back to the stables alone, leaving him to walk all the way across the flatlands. Otherwise, the two got along fine.
Taemin saw the the looks Yoseob and the horse were exchanging. He laughed, opening the gate to lead his horse out. “Do you wanna ride Minjung instead? I can take Beast if you don’t think you can handle him. He’s Sir Minho’s horse after all.” Yoseob shook his head as he approached the large horse. “I know we don’t like each other. But you probably don’t want to be sore when the knights come down for practice, now do you?” Beast regarded him with an almost human quality before lowering his head, allowing Yoseob to take the reins.
“I’m not so bad right?” Yoseob patted the side of Beast’s head and opened up the gate. The two of the led the horses out with Doojoon staying behind to take care of the others. “How’s Lucifer doing these days?” The grey stallion lifted his head at the mention of his name. Lucifer was Jonghyun’s favorite. If he wasn’t in the castle or in the town, he was probably out riding with Lucifer. Lately though, Jonghyun had been to busy to visit his horse.
“He’s fine. He gets a little lonely every now and then. He gets pretty excited when he sees the red reins though. He knows when His Highness is coming.” Taemin nodded. “I’ll be sure to tell my brother to come visit more often. I believe he’ll be coming down with the knights later.” The two bid him goodbye before walking back outside.
The flatlands stretched out farther than the horizon. A light breeze picked up, making the sea of grass ripple gently, beckoning them out for a ride. Both of them mounted their horses, Yoseob having a little bit more difficulty than Taemin (“He’s huge. It’s not my fault.”).
The two of them started off at a slow walk, talking about the weather and the kingdom. Yoseob asked him about the new girl that was presented to his brother to be his bride. Taemin shrugged before nudging Minjung into a trot. “I’m not sure. I haven’t met her. I heard the women talking about her though. Apparently she’s kind of prissy.”
Yoseob followed suit. Beast was behaving quite well today. He had to make sure he got a good brushing and feeding later. “I heard she was crazy.” Taemin laughed at the other boy. “I’d like to give her a chance before calling her that.”
--
The sounds of clashing metal rang louder than ever as Jonghyun and Minho crossed swords. Both of them refused to back off, pushing harder and harder, waiting for the other one to break. Jonghyun twisted his sword, throwing Minho off balance. Jonghyun hit him in the back with the butt of his sword, sending Minho to the floor, but Minho twisted onto his back when he landed to block Jonghyun’s next blow.
He kicked Jonghyun with enough force to send him back far enough for him to scramble to his feet. Jonghyun lunged forward with one hand. Minho smirked, a big mistake. He diverted Jonghyun’s attack, letting his momentum carry him forward. Minho turned and brought his elbow down onto Jonghyun’s wrist, making him drop the heavy sword to the ground. Minho brought his sword up and pointed it towards Jonghyun’s throat.
Jonghyun grinned at him, chest heaving with each breath he took before raising his hands in surrender. “I must be getting rusty.” Minho lowered his sword and bowed. “It was a good match, Sire.” Jonghyun dusted off his sleeves before rolling his shoulders.
His hand moved to the wrist that Minho hit and pressed it gingerly before shaking his hand out. “Did I hit you too hard?” Jonghyun laughed and shook his head. “What am I? An old man? I can take a few hits here and there.” Jonghyun moved his dropped sword to the bench and took another fighting stance.
“Ready for round two?” Jonghyun took a few practice jabs while waiting for Minho to shed some of his armor and his weapons. “Don’t you ever get tired?”
“I wish he’d put that much enthusiasm into other things!” Key shouted from the sidelines. Jonghyun rolled his eyes. “I put energy into everything I do. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Suddenly, he felt Minho put him into an head lock and groaned. “This isn’t fair! You distracted me!” Key just gave him an all knowing smile and sat back.
This was the only way he could release his frustrations with his best friend. By letting his lover beat him up.
--
They rode in silence for a while. Yoseob enjoying the cool breeze, sunshine, and fresh air. After a little while, they reached the edge of the flatlands. They slowed their horses to a stop and enjoyed the view over the forest and the valley.
Taemin was enjoying this time with his friend until he noticed something moving in the valley. He shaded his eyes with his hand, squinting at the moving mass. “Yoseob... do you recognize those flags?” Yoseob turned and looked over the valley. A large flag flew at the very end of the moving mass. “I... Anvilis?” Yoseob said in confusion.
Anvilis was the kingdom by the sea. They were a peaceful kingdom, often trading goods from the sea for goods from the earth at Carmadon. “Sire, I know those are their flags, I recognize the design. But the colors. The colors are different. Don’t tell me... those are their colors of war? Has His Highness, your brother, done something to offend them?” Yoseob asked in alarm. They were headed for the path, straight up to Carmadon.
“I don’t know... I...”
“We need to go back. Now.”