hidden secrets ━━━━━ 1x1

[skydust]

𝗘𝗩𝗥𝗘𝗡 ✧
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✧ words: 1370 ✧ tags: Ascelin ✧ role: crown prince of ashain

indentEvren wouldn’t say that he was being dramatic. But he was being dramatic.
indentHis brain couldn’t stop reeling over the fact that Lin had told him absolutely nothing about his past. It was like he was a stranger and his best friend all at once. Like he knew only half of him while the other half was a shadow of mystery. Evren could only stare at his friend, eyes searching the man's face after he had dragged his own palms away from his blue eyes.
indentThe pressure was still there, but he no longer had his palms pressing against his delicate eyelids. Instead he felt like something had stirred within him, and it wasn’t anything good. He knew being this attached could only lead to bad things, but he wanted the truth. So he stood his ground until Lin’s eyes met his own. And his friend told him that he truly didn’t tell him anything. Part of Evren wanted to be hurt, but another part was always going to be more curious of the why’s and how’s. Why hadn’t his friend told him of something so important? It made his eyes burn.
indent"If I can ask, why?" Evren said with a tilt of his head. Trying hard to not make his voice crack at the end of his sentence. In an instant the knight was on one knee, almost like he was going to propose, head bowed, and one hand taking Evren’s to press against his forehead. Evren felt himself suck in a breath of confusion. Worry weaved it’s way into his veins and suddenly he couldn’t care less about his own feelings. Then the older knight started apologizing and begging for forgiveness. Evren shook his head to rid himself of thoughts and then started speaking.
indent"No, don't...You don't need to treat me like I'm-I'm some master holding you bound to me. We're best friends. We don't..You don't need to worry about keeping secrets. Gods know I've kept a few. I just...felt hurt that I never knew anything about your past,” he took his knight's hand, and gently brushed his lips against Ascelin’s knuckles. “There's no need for forgiveness. And if you call me your lord again I’m going to punch you across the face,” he said with no real intent to do so in his voice.
indentThen Lin started speaking about his family. And the prince could tell that it was pulling on the knight's heartstrings. It made his own chest ache. The more the knight spoke about his family, the more Evren could see tears well in his eyes. Evren quickly knelt down, brushing away the tears from Lin’s cheeks with the back of his hand in a caring motion.
indentHe understood being protective and aching for family. He too cared about his family. He cared about Remon, his baby brother. Even if he wasn’t really his baby brother anymore, he still viewed him like one. And his mother, he cared about her as much as he cared still about his biological mother. He knew the feeling, and that made his heart ache more. "They sound like sweet people. I can tell you care about them a lot."
indentBut then Lin started begging him not to have his family come here. Evren grabbed his cheeks, a wide eyed look forming on his face. "Why not? We could send protection. Knights to keep them safe. I can do this for you I promise. I can-" He paused, squeezing the other man's cheeks gently before dropping his hands. He looked to the floor. He needed to respect Lin’s wishes. He couldn’t just barge in and make people do things for him just because he held authority. Not that Lin did anything for him because of his authority. At least, he hoped not. "I apologize. I'll respect your wishes. It just hurts to see you saddened by their distance."
indentThen the knight suggested telling him stories of his childhood, and Evren brightened up. "Yes, tell me. If you want, of course." But he stilled with a gasp as the knight unbuttoned his shirt. Evren could feel his mouth gap just slightly as he took in the man’s chest. Roaming a little too much to be normal. He could feel a blush heat up on his neck as Lin grabbed his hand gently and ran his slender fingers over the scar on upper chest.
indentHe totally wasn’t freaking out at that moment. Totally not.
indentEvren let his hand be guided through Lin’s chest and hips. Listening to the stories about his valiant and reckless childhood memories. "That sure sounds like something you'd do,” he said when the knight mentioned a training duel with someone older. He grinned cheekily up at the knight when he mentioned being a warrior and spoke again, "Well you did it. Your father would be proud of where you stand now in the royal court." Then the sound of his voice when he mentioned his sister was one of bittersweetness but a fond smile played on his lips.
indentEvren hoped he could see her again. The prince didn’t know what he would do if Remon was so far away. "She sounds like a lovely girl. And you sounded like a bit of a rascal. Your mother was right, little beast," he teased.
indentAfterwards, Lin started apologizing again. Evren quickly tried to shut it down. "No, no. Don't apologize. You weren't being selfish at all. We...We need boundaries. That's only natural I think. I keep trying to ask for too much and you're much too eager to give. So please don't ask for forgiveness when you've done nothing wrong,” he said.
indentEvren dragged his hands away from Lin’s and rested them on his arms. Gently brushing the man’s forearms with his fingertips lightly and unconsciously bringing himself closer. He frowned again though, taking in all the scars. He sucked in a breath, tears springing to his eyes once again. "But Lin, your scars..." he paused, eyes frantically looking at all of the ones littered across his body. "Was the rest of these all from the training?"
indentUnexpectedly, the door to the library burst open and in came a slightly drunk looking Maron. His mask was gone, and his hair was ruffled like he had been running his hand through it because of stress. Again. He froze when he took in the sight of them, sucking in a breath that might be taken for a jealous lover if anyone paid close enough attention. Maron cleared his throat, gesturing to the two of them. "Woahhhh, did I interrupt something?"
indent"No, s-sorry, I'm just...do you have all these scars too?" Evren said, brushing his eyes with his fingers to try and get the tears away. Maron’s body stiffened at the tears and he slowly made his way over to the two on the floor, before plopping down beside them. He put a gentle hand on Evren’s shoulder, squeezing for reassurance. "Oh Gods, don't cry. It's only natural we get them from this line of work. We signed up for this and we knew we'd be getting one or two of these."
indentThen Maron was unbuttoning his shirt and Evren could feel the heat back on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Maron was much more lean then Lin, but his muscles still showed starkly against his palish skin. His hips were small but his shoulders were broad, and like Lin, scars littered his form as well. "See? I have them too. They don't hurt, if you're worried. They fade after a while. And we'd all endure them again to protect the royal family. It's our honor."
indentEvren sniffed, wiping away the last of his tears as he took in the two knights. "Thank you, I don't think I can ever repay you both."
indentMaron laughed and nudged him gently with his shoulder. "Make us a part of the king's guard and all will be forgiven Evie."
indent"Fat chance,” Evren teased. A silence overtook them, and Evren couldn’t help but squirm. He could feel his face heating up more and he let out a nervous laugh. “So do I take off my shirt now too or..?”

[Seokjinnie]

X█║ 𝔰𝔦𝔯 𝔞𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔫 '𝔩𝔦𝔫' 𝔫𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔢 ║█X

indentMu’ru knew he couldn’t tell the man why without more questions arising and so he gave a simple shake of his head even though it pained him to see Eve so hurt and upset. There was one thing the hybrid was certain of was that his prince sometimes forgot how complicated the class difference between the two was. Yes, they were best friends, but Evren is his master, and Ascelin is bound to him through their Ferweve bond. Evren was the crown prince and he was a knight, worse than that, to the Ashainians he was even lower due to him being half-fae. As much as his prince hated it, Evren is his lord. The tall knight shivered as the prince brushed his lips against knuckles, letting out a soft chuckle at the threat, “You won’t.” It was strange having someone other than his mother grab his cheeks as Evren was doing, but he said nothing as the prince dropped his hands. A wave of relief washed over Ascelin as Evren gave in and agreed to not send to his family, “Thank you, Evren. I know you mean well and I understand your pain, but unfortunately, it is for the best.” Lin had to try his best to ignore the heated look in his prince’s eyes as they roamed his broad and scarred chest. No one had touched any of his scars since they were first tended to, not even he, so having a person he loved so deeply touch them felt strange even if he had initiated it. The hybrid inwardly winced at Evren’s cheeky smile, ‘Well you did it. Your father would be proud of where you stand now in the royal court.’ He wasn’t sure that that was entirely true, his father had wanted him to be a knight in the Unseelie royal court not in the royal court of Ashain where he could be executed if the king found out what he was. He desperately hoped that both of his parents were proud of him even if they were more worried than anything else. Talking of Nym made him at ease, he hoped that he could see her again, there wasn’t a day that went by when he didn’t think of her, “She is, though I’m sure she became a little more stubborn since I’ve left. We spoiled her like crazy.”

indentMu’ru let out a laugh as Evren teased him about being called a little beast, “Yes, she very much right at that moment as well as every time she called me it.” As much as some of his agony in lying to Evren was relieved, he still couldn’t help but feel like he was still betraying him by keeping his identity a secret, “Your Highness, I have never thought you were asking too much of me.” His eyes followed Evren’s hands as they moved to his arms, letting out a shaky breath as the man stroked his skin softly. Ascelin tilted his head to the side at the sight of a frown on his prince’s face, panicking slightly when tears formed in his eyes, ‘But Lin, your scars… Was the rest of these all from the training?’ The hybrid sighed as raised his hand to Eve’s face, lifting it under the chin with twin fingers, “Some, but not al-” Lin’s hand went to the side, reaching for the hilt of his sword as the door burst open. He let out a groan as he saw who the drunken intruder was, “You couldn’t have knocked, my friend? I am bit underdressed.” Mu’ru held up his hands as his friend gestured between the pair on the ground, “You have not.”

indentAscelin felt a little more at ease as Maron plopped himself down next to them on the floor and tried to comfort the prince in his own way. The tips of his ears went red as the older man unbuttoned his own shirt and showed off his own scars, “Maron is right, Eve. It is our honor to have these scars, it means we have protected and are ready to protect the royal family. We wouldn’t be good knights if we didn't have a scar or two.” As his prince’s tears finally dried up, he shot Maron a grateful look for helping him comfort him. He held up his hand at the mention of the king’s guard and cleared his throat, “Since I have decided that I need to be more open with you both… I was already offered a spot on the king’s guard, but I rejected it before I was officially assigned to Evie. Got punched for it, but even then I knew my place was to be beside you.” He stiffened at the sound of Eve’s nervous laugh, “No, we will put our shirts back on, isn’t that right, Maron?” Lin quickly pulled his shirt back on, buttoning it as quickly as possible. His eyes occasionally glanced over to Maron as he did the same, feeling something akin to disappointment as the older man did so. What is wrong with me? The tall knight stood up, reattaching his sheathed sword to his side before he held out his hand to Evren. He made sure Evren was sturdy on his feet, “I can’t promise you, either of you, that I’ll tell you more about my past if you asked and I cannot tell you why. Just know that I’m not doing it because I do not think of you as friends because I do. There are just extenuating circumstances that I cannot divulge to you.” Ascelin never wanted to hurt either of them, but he was in a position where telling the whole truth meant death. If he died, his family would never get his body nor would they ever know what happened to him. In order to stay in Ashain and keep protecting Evren, he had to lie, “If anyone finds out about those circumstances... It will no longer be safe for me ormy family to stay here and I will have to go.” He looked down at his feet as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, “But again I’ll try to tell you as much as my circumstances will allow me to.”

[skydust]

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𝗔 x𝗙𝗘𝗪 x𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 x𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 . . .
ＥＸＰＬＯＲＩＮＧ ＢＯＮＤＳ

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[Seokjinnie]

X█║ 𝕟𝕪𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕚 & 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 ║█X

𝕟𝕪𝕠𝕣𝕒𝕚

indentNyorai had been the private servant and confidante of Remon since the second prince was 10 years old. At 13, the white-haired fae had entered the palace with his younger brother, both brothers having been captured and dragged to the palace were assigned to the King to be observed. Nyorai got lucky and the youngest prince had taken a shine to him and fought for the fae to be assigned to him, unfortunately, his younger brother was not so lucky and stayed as the King’s servant. After two years of working at the prince’s side, they had become close friends, however, his brother was not faring as well as he. His brother made the mistake of accidentally offending the King, Nyorai’s beloved younger brother was executed just a few days shy of his fourteenth birthday. That was the beginning of the end of his patience with the royal family. Remon kept making promises and writing pamphlets, failing to convince his father to treat the fae better but succeeding in giving Nyorai false hope. The more promises the prince made the more frustrated Nyorai became. He had grown tired of false promises and decided to take it upon himself to help his people even if it meant exploiting his friend, so he joined the Syndicate without any hesitation.

indentThe white-haired fae reported to the Syndicate every other month on what occurred with the youngest prince and any other activity happening in the palace. He manipulated and soured the relationship even further between the King and his youngest son, it wasn’t that difficult as the King did enough all on his own. Nyorai continued to be Remon’s trusted servant and advisor, no longer trusting the prince to follow through with anything he promised or planned. It was hard not to laugh or even realize what happened when he stumbled upon the prince crying on the floor surrounded by singed wood. Just as his master so frequently did, he made a false promise of keeping it to himself, though he had planned to include it when he reported to the Syndicate. However, things changed when a blonde fae and mercenary entered the picture and he received a notification to report to the man instead. Nyorai has always been good at being stealthy; it had benefited him greatly since he entered the palace, even more so when he joined the Syndicate. He had watched with a smirk as the blonde fae ran out of the ballroom and after his prince.

indentNyorai knew exactly where the prince was running to and made his way there, trailing far behind the mercenary to avoid being detected. The white-haired fae listened at the door and hid as soon as the door opened, the first person to exit was Remon with red tear-stained cheeks. As soon as the prince was out of sight, he ducked into the room and came face to face with the man, “Lovely, isn’t he? I can tell how charmed you are by that look in your eye, just behind all that rage.” The fae didn’t even flinch as he was slammed against the wall with a knife at his throat, ‘Watch your mouth before I remove your tongue.’ A snort escaped the servant as he raised an eyebrow, “I was told to report to you by the Syndicate, but seeing as you’re here and the ground is singed again, I don’t think I need to tell you.” The blonde continued to press him into the wall but pulled back the knife, “Are you going to kill him now or will you wait? Let me be there when you do it, I want to see the hope leave his eyes as he and his father have made the hope leave mine.” A questioning look on the man’s face and boiling rage in his eyes made him sigh as the knife returned to his throat, “That brat has made promises to me that he cannot ever keep. He’s not favored, ignored by everyone except his mother and brother yet he makes promises and pamphlets as if anyone will ever really listen.” Nyorai raised an eyebrow as realization set in, “I see now. You’d deny it but he fascinates you beyond the Seelie blood in his veins. You want to defile his innocence, go ahead with your looks. I doubt that it would be hard. Let me know how his lips taste, they’ve always looked soft.” And just like that, he realized his mistake, but it was too late to take his words back as the blonde was on him. Nyorai was unable to block the rough and rapid hits.

𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞

indentRemon felt his cheeks burn as the blonde laughed at his jealousy, “Must you treat me as if I am still a child, I am an adult!” He pouted as the man continued to laugh at him and then dropped his gaze as the man stopped laughing, ‘Don’t worry, you have my attention now. I’m guessing you like that, huh?’ The young prince shyly nodded his head, his voice coming out as a whisper, “I do…” He let out a small squeak when he looked back up and into the blonde’s eyes, ‘She didn’t think I was your paramour either by the way. But I can make you all mine if I wanted.’ In all honesty, that didn’t seem all that bad even if Cas was a little rough around the edges. The Summer Court? Did he really belong there? Even if his abilities came from there, how much fae DNA was left in his genes? It couldn’t be much, it would have to be far back in his mother’s ancestry or his father would have been told about it. Remi wanted to ask why Cas felt like he did not belong there, but the frown on the man’s face kept him from questioning it. The comment about his hair had him wincing, “The only reason they use magic on my hair is that my father hates it. It angers him that I strongly resemble my mother.” The prince knew the blonde was serious and flushed as he tucked his hair behind his ear, “I understand. I won’t tell a soul.”

indentIt had been two days since then and he had barely slept since. The fae had snuck into the room the previous night and told him to meet him at a field early in the morning for training. Remon had stayed in bed until sunrise, expecting Nyorai to come in and get him ready for the day, but he hadn’t seen the fae since before he left for the ball. No matter who he asked no one had seen him and the prince was becoming more and more concerned. Nyorai was not the type to just vanish without saying a word and seemingly that’s exactly what had happened. He had already begun to miss his friend’s presence, feeling nothing except loneliness at his absence at his side. His childhood had been a lonely one full of nannies and doctors, short visits with his brother, and lessons. The only friend he had before Nyorai was his brother, but Evren was older than him and had his own friends. Nyorai was his friend and the only friend he had that wasn’t related to him. He hoped that wherever the male went he would return quickly and safely. He didn’t know quite what to wear to a training session, but he threw something together and he thought he looked pretty good as the clothing fit him quite well.

indentRemon followed the directions Caspian had told him, it took him a while to sneak out of the palace without getting caught by a guard, maid, or butler. As he approached the field, he could see a figure in dark clothes with blonde hair and he was immediately filled with excitement. He bounded over to the man, barrelling into him and wrapping his arms around the man’s waist. Remi hugged the man tight, resting his head on the man’s chest before he glanced up at him, “I came! I promise to listen to whatever you tell me to do! I can be very obedient when I want to!” Remon’s teachers knew how well he listened and how obedient he could be if he was in the right mood. If they couldn’t keep his attention, he would lose interest and would slowly stop listening until they could regain it. If you asked his nannies, he was a little terror when his attention was lost and when he wouldn’t listen. He shot the blonde a smile as he let go and it quickly fell, “You sneak around the palace quite a bit, right? Will you let me know if you see someone? He’s my friend, he’s a fae, but he usually glamours himself when he goes around, he has long white hair.” Remon fiddled with his hands as he gazed at Cas with hopeful eyes, “I haven’t seen him in a few days and he never said a word. He always lets me know before he goes somewhere and I’m starting to get very worried.” At the blonde’s answer, he hugged him once more before stepping back, “Alright, I’m ready. I’ll try my best to listen and learn well.”

[skydust]

𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡 ✧
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✧ words: 1764 ✧ tags: nyorai, remon ✧ role: fae mercenary

indentCaspian watched as Remon left the room, eyes on his fleeting form until the door closed behind him. Caspian sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and clicking his tongue. This was definitely a new development, and he couldn’t decide if it was for the better or not. Remon being part fae changed things. Now all he had to do was figure out how to flip it in his favor. While having a walking fire hazard would be hilarious, it probably wasn’t the best idea. Hopefully. So getting Remon to trust him fully would be his next best bet. He could do a lot of things with a prince as his pawn. Training was only the beginning.
indentCaspian’s head snapped away from his thoughts as the door opened once more, revealing a man with long white hair. Caspian stepped forward slowly. He was obviously fae. If his long white hair didn’t give him away, it was the pointed ears on his head, and the seelie wings on his back. His glamour had fallen, so Caspian took off his. Revealing his own pointed ears. His wings were still tucked away under his coat and bandages. They were starting to ache. And to be honest he expected this conversation to only heighten his annoyance of the world. Then the man started speaking of Remon, and it seemed he guessed right.
indentCaspian surged forward, grabbing the man by the throat and slamming him against the wall. Sneering at the smirk on his face as he pulled a knife from his coat pocket and tucked it against the man's chin with swiftness. With narrowed eyes he gave his first and only warning, "Watch your mouth before I remove your tongue."
indentA snort escaped the man’s throat, and Caspian scoffed. Did he think he was joking? He pressed the knife harder into the man's throat. Drawing a sliver of blood. Then the man started speaking and Caspian raised an eyebrow. The syndicate had other people roaming around the castle? That was news to him, and it only made him that more irritated. He pulled the knife away, but continued to press the man against the wall. "I have everything covered, I don't need your advice. In fact, I'd rather have you not around at all. The syndicate will understand a little blood on my hands. They've been elated with all the red I've collected so far."
indentBut then the man continued about Remon. And the more he talked the more Caspian regretted taking the knife away from his throat. His last straw was what he said last. It made his insides turn with something he wasn’t quite ready to face, and also anger towards the man in front of him for the insult towards Remon. Pulling the knife back up with one hand, and opening the man's mouth with the other, he looked into the sudden spark of fear in the man’s eyes and grinned. "You know, I've gotten sick of this conversation. Frankly, I've gotten sick of you as well. I think I’ve made up my mind. Say goodbye to your tongue."
indentHe rather enjoyed the screams.
indent---
indentTwo days later and Caspian was up early.
indentMore than anything, he felt nervous about the training ahead of him. He didn’t know why, in fact he was rather confident in his abilities after all these years as a mercenary. Trained to kill and quickly with fire at his side. He had gotten little sleep, but that didn’t matter all that much. He had gone days without sleep before, so a couple hours of sleep under his belt was just fine. He had snuck into Remon’s room last night, telling him directions to a nearby field for training, before quickly departing. Now the time had come and Caspian wasn’t sure if his decision on training the young prince was correct. But he wasn’t going to back down now. So he quickly got dressed. Wrapping his wings up in fabric, putting on warm pants and boots, a dark shirt and his long dark jacket over it. Before swinging a satchel over his chest.
indentHe made his way over the field, annoyed at the cold temperature. One thing about being a seelie fae is the sensitivity to the cold. It always bothered him, but over the years of being on the streets and running from court to court, it wasn’t an issue anymore. He didn’t even shiver anymore. Quickly, Caspian spotted Remon making his way over. Once Remon spotted him, the young prince practically ran towards the taller man. Caspian took a couple steps away, but Remon barreled into him anyways. Squeezing the man in a hug. All the air in Caspians lungs was forced out, but not because of the force of the hug. He couldn’t remember the last time someone held him like this, or touched him in a positive way at all.
indentCaspian nodded mutely at Remon’s words, looking down in his dark eyes and trying not to let his emotions get out of hand. He needed to keep them in check for the training to come, but he couldn’t help but crave the warmth of Remon as the younger man pulled away. The moment quickly broke at the mention of a long white haired fae. Caspian only nodded at the description, smiling down at Remon. "Long white hair you say?" Caspian paused, remembering the body he left in the woods. "I'll let you know, little mouse."
indentWhen Remon hugged him again, Caspian could feel his body tense. He wasn’t used to this, it almost felt wrong. But he hugged back anyways, savoring the moment before Remon pulled away and stated he was ready. Caspian cleared his throat, gathering his wits before speaking. "Right then. Pay attention closely to what I'm about to say." Caspian pulled one of his hands up and let his hand lit up with fire twirling around his fingers and burning brightly. "Fire," Caspian began, "Is not about power as one might think. It's about balance."
indentHe let the fire twirl around his hand more, moving almost as if it was alive, before letting it go out. He raised a hand and pressed his thumb gently against Remon's forehead. "You keep your calm here," he paused with his eyes ablaze, letting his finger slowly trail down Remon's nose, lips, and chin, before eventually landing on his heart, "And you keep your anger, here." He pulled his hands away, enjoying the sounds of protest from Remon. He chucked, leaning in close to whisper in his ear before winking and pulling away. “I love when you make that noise. Means I’m doing something right.”
indentCaspian let fire dance around his hand again, before he waved a hand and the fire grew. Dancing around the two of them and melting the snow underneath their feet. Warmth finally returned to their veins as flames glided through the air like magic. Caspian pulled the fire back, almost missing the warm comfort it brought him, but sighing as it warmed his soul. "It's a fickle thing to control. And it takes practice. Luckily, we're starting now. Don't be upset if you don't get it right away. Controlling fire is a difficult thing. Especially when our emotions tend to get the best of our minds."
indentPulling three candles out of his satchel, he knelt down against the ground before placing them in the dead grass that had been revealed by the fire. Before straightening up again. He gestured to the candles, looking Remon in the eyes and grinning. "You see those three candles? I want you to light the middle one without lighting the other three, or completely destroying them." He twirled his hand, letting fire spark against his finger tips. "I'll show you first." waving his hand, the middle candle quickly burst to life before settling into a gentle burn. He snapped his fingers, and the light went out. "There, just like that. Now it's your turn. Keep your emotions in check, and remember your balance. Focus on that middle candle."
indentCaspian watched as Remon tried to wave his hand, without any success at lighting the candle. He walked behind Remon as he continued, before grabbing Remon’s wrist and whispering huskily into his ear again. "Focus, Remon.." He waved Remon’s hand in his grip and suddenly all three candles burst into flames. The wax quickly melted into the grass and then solidified because of the cold. Caspian sighed, letting go of Remon’s wrist and then side stepping in front of him. "Alright. Maybe we should focus on just not destroying the candles for now.” Caspian pulled another candle out of his satchel.“Light just this one candle.”
indentHe sat down in the dead grass, gesturing for Remon to do the same before speaking. “You can practice while I give you a bit of a history lesson.” Caspian cleared his throat before continuing. “Theidal is the fae country, as you may know. Made up of both unseelie and seelie fae. The main language of the control is Tinesh, our standard dialect. The two courts, unseelie and seelie, both rule over our country. We have four side courts that our kings and queens rule over. The high king of the unseelie rules over the winter court, while the high queen rules over the autumn. Then when looking at the seelie court, The high king of seelie rules over spring, and the high queen of seelie rules over summer. Our court.”
indentCaspian watched as Remon practiced, grinning at the focus on his face. “They aren’t bound together by marriage like your kings and queens here. So they have as many lovers as they’d like. Children are rather rare in Theidal though. Fae don’t have children as often as humans do. It’s actually a rather rare thing to occur. Which is why each princess and prince is held in high regard, no matter who their non-royal parent is.”
indent“We have four other languages that are primarily spoken. Unseelie high dialect is called Okrili, and Seelie high dialect is called Aacali. These dialects are mostly spoken by nobility and royalty. Unseelie low dialect is called Eiyili, and unseelie low dialect is called Isali. These are spoken by commoners.”
indentCaspian felt a genuine smile appear on his face as Remon lit the candle without destroying it. He grabbed the candle off the ground and blew it out. Letting his icy blue eyes meet dark ones. “Good job,” he said, Before pulling out another set of three candles and laying them on the ground. “Shall we try this again?”

[Seokjinnie]

X█║ 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 ║█X

indentRemon hadn’t really noticed the cold when he had left the palace, couldn’t figure out if it was because he was bundled up or due to the fire burning under his skin. Nor could he decide what the look on Cas’ face meant when they locked eyes before he pulled away. Did it mean the blonde was displeased that he had hugged him or that he just simply didn’t care? At the mention of Nyorai, he didn’t see any recognition on the older man’s face, but at least the man had agreed to let him know if he saw the man, “I am not a little mouse.” His voice dropped to a whisper and he knew very well that he must sound petulant, “I’m an adult. Being called little mouse is degrading.” Despite the irritation, he hugged the man again. Even if his father hadn’t been affectionate, very much the opposite, his mother was and he couldn’t help but be affectionate with others. Remi watched carefully as Cas demonstrated his own abilities and explained that fire is balance, not power. The young prince froze as the taller man pressed his thumb against his forehead and slowly trailed down his face before landing on his chest, over his heart. He let out a small accidental whine as the feeling of his touch disappeared. His face flushed as Cas chuckled and leaned in close to him, ‘I love when you make that noise. Means I’m doing something right.’ The tips of his ears and his cheeks turned pink as a pout formed on his face, glaring at the tall man’s wink, his voice trembling, “T-that’s not… Stop trying to fluster me! You are not as charming as you think you are!” That was a lie and Remon knew it, Cas most definitely knew it too.

indentThe young prince was in awe of Caspian’s fire, the other man’s fire was so beautiful. His eyes followed the blonde as he pulled out three candles and placed them on the ground. Remi tried his best to concentrate on just lighting the middle candle, but couldn’t manage to do so. His frustration was building but immediately dissipated as Cas walked behind him and grabbed his wrist. Forget lighting the candle, he was melting at the sound of the blonde’s voice just telling him to focus. The feeling of the man’s touch gave him the motivation he needed, he lit the three and watched as all three melted. He glared down at his boots, angry at himself at having disappointed Cas, “I always end up setting almost everything on fire!” Remon frowned as the man pulled out another candle, “How many do you even have in there?” He listened to the blonde and sat on the ground trying to light the candle. The silver-haired man didn’t want to interrupt and tell the blonde that he already knew about the fae courts, Remon had read numerous books about the fae in his determination to find a way that he could convince his father to leave Theidal and the faes alone. However, it was different hearing it directly from a fae and so he kept silent as he practiced. As Caspian finished, he finally managed to light the candle. Excitement overwhelmed him at having done so and because he had managed to make the blonde smile as well. Their eyes met and Remon grinned at the man, proud of himself for succeeding at something for once. He frowned as the older man pulled out three more candles, “Wait, I have a question!” He tilted his head to the side at the raise of the man’s eyebrow, “You said children are rare for the fae, but what about mixed children? I’m sure they’re even rarer, but since I have fae ancestry there must be some in Theidal. Yet there are no records of any in the books we have about the fae or Theidal, in general.” He saw a sly grin bloom on the older man’s face before he chuckled, ‘Oh yes, there are hybrids.’ The man broke out into a laugh and the prince frowned, “Why are you laughing? I don’t understand, what is so funny about there being mixed children?”

indentThe laughter came to an eventual stop, 'You don’t need to know why it’s funny, but I’m sure you’ll eventually understand. Now light the damn candles.’ Remon pouted at the lack of answer and sat there glaring at the man across from him for a few minutes. A small squeak escaped past his lips as Cas moved suddenly and pinned him to the ground, a slight growly husk in his voice ‘Little mouse, you better listen and try again. Now.’ Remon softly gulped and bobbed his head in agreement, “Y-yes…” A smirk spread across the blonde’s face, ‘Hmmm? Yes, what?’ Remon tried to look away but the man clasped his jaw and forced him to look into his blue eyes, 'Yes, what, little mouse?’ The prince tried to force the words to come out, he only managed a trembling whisper, “Yes, sir.” He watched with glazed eyes as Caspain pulled back and let him sit up, ‘Good boy.’ Remi’s cheeks went bright red and two of the three candles lit up. His eyes darted between the two lit candles and Caspian, “That wasn’t because of you…”

[skydust]

𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡 ✧
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✧ words: 1512 ✧ tags: remon ✧ role: fae mercenary

indentAt the announcement of Remon having a question, Caspian raised his head. One eyebrow raised as he waited for Remon to go on. After the question, Caspian’s face grew into a grin before he chuckled. “Oh yes, there are hybrids,” he said while breaking into a laugh. His mind went to Ascelin immediately at the mention of hybrids. The knight was a pain in his side to be sure, but nothing that Caspian couldn’t handle. The hybrid was now one of many secrets he had at his disposal. A means to an end if things got too tricky to navigate. As Cas never minded causing a little chaos as things went down in flames. Even if he went with it.
indentThe prince frowned at his laughter though, wondering why he was doing such a thing. Caspian cleared his throat. He probably did look a bit ridiculous. “You don’t need to know why it’s funny, but I’m sure you’ll eventually understand. Now light the damn candles.” The prince only pouted at his answer, looking at Caspian with a glare. Caspian sighed as he looked down at the candles, closing his eyes for a second before snapping them open to look at Remon. Caspian moved, pinning Remon to the ground gently. “Little mouse, you better listen and try again. Now.”
indentCaspian smirked as Remon gave his agreement. “Hmmm? Yes, what?”
indentHe pulled back as he got ‘sir’ out of the prince's mouth. “Good boy.” He almost jumped when two of the three candles lit themselves. Remon’s eyes darted between him and the candles. Before he proclaimed that it wasn’t Caspian’s doing. Cas only laughed, looking down at the candles with excitement before he looked back at Remon. “Good, but not what I asked. I need you to light the middle candle only.” He put the two candles out with a snap of his fingers. Before pulling back and keeping his signature grin on his face. “Now it’s your turn. Remember, keep your calm in your head and your anger in your heart. Control the fire, but don’t let it consume you.”
indentIt took focus and time, but eventually the middle candle was lit. Caspian clapped lightly as Remon got excited. This was the first step in controlling his fire after all. Caspian only wondered if he had enough time for this. Enough time to train Remon. Enough time to do the syndicates bidding. Enough time for all the tasks the King has given him. He would have to figure it all out later he supposed. For now, balance was key. And he’d make sure that in the end, he’d end up on top of what remains of the syndicate and the royal family. He’d make sure of it. Then he’d leave all this calamity behind.
indentEven if it meant losing Remon to the chaos of the world.
indent“Congratulations, little mouse. You managed to not take years out of my life lighting the candle. Now, I think that should be the end of our lesson today. I’ll give you the rest of my candles so you can practice by yourself. But make sure to practice outside. We wouldn’t want you burning down the castle, now would we?”
indentStanding up, Caspian brushed the dirt off his pants. Before looking to the sky as it started to snow. He let out a puff of air, watching as his breath came out in a puff of white. Caspian pierced his lips, before turning and giving Remon a hand in standing up. Once the prince was pulled up, Caspian leaned in close. “Now that I’ve taught you something, maybe you can explain this for me. Why is your brother ferweved to that knight?”
indentRemon’s eyes widened, but Caspian only hissed in his ear. “Well?”
indentSeeing the shock in his eyes, Caspian quickly pulled back. Suddenly confused with himself. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I care so much.” Why did he care what the crown prince did? Or what any of the royal family did for that matter? Why was he even apologizing to Remon? “Maybe it’s because of the ritual. I don’t understand why humans would find the enlacing ritual, something that is sacred to fae, enticing?”
indentWhy did he care about a fae ritual when he had casted himself out of the fae altogether? Maybe it was because-He stopped his line of thinking right there. Brushing past Remon and heading to the castle. “Make sure to practice,” he said as his departing words. His eyebrows furrowed and his grin has turned into a grimace.
indentWhy in the world was he thinking of Remon being his ferweved?
indent---
indentCaspian knew he’d receive a few stares as he headed into the syndicates headquarters. But what he didn’t expect was the amount of glares and harsh whispers thrown his way. He supposed it was only fair because of his new reputation spreading around. Fae killer, they whispered. He didn’t really mind it. Heading into the main portion of the syndicate, he was greeted by another glare. But this one only made him roll his eyes. “Silver. Good to see you.”
indent“Don’t call me that,” Fallon hissed. Grabbing his arm harshly and leading him to a door. Fallon knocked twice before opening the door and practically throwing him inside. Caspian stumbled on his feet but managed to right himself as he met eyes with the syndicate's leader. Iqaella was looking rough to say the least. She had more wounds than last time, and her eyes seemed to carry an eerily light to them as they swiveled around the room before meeting with his own. Caspian cleared his throat, his eyes never leaving Iquella’s as a grin grew across her face.
indent“Iqaella-”
indent“It’s ma’am to you,” Fallon growled. Iqaella raised her hand, and the attention was back to her. She shewed Fallon away with a wave of her wrist. Fallon only grumbled something ineligible before leaving, giving one last glare at Caspian before she left. Caspian swallowed hard, before he started again.
indent“Ma’am, It’s good to see you again.”
indentIqaella smiled something nasty. “I’m sad I can’t say the same.” In an instant he was grabbed by the jaw, yanked down to Iqaella’s height, practically kneeling in front of her. His eyes burned as pain flared up in his cheeks as she sunk her nails into his skin. But he didn’t move. Iqaella still smiled, but it was off. Something dark ruining her features. “I heard you killed some of our own. Now tell me this, Caspian Graham, what do you say of this?”
indentCaspian swallowed back a growl as he spoke his string of lies, “I did. But it was for the greater good! I swear it.” Iqaella released him, throwing him down onto the ground with a shove. Caspian glared up at her, but quickly spoke again. “I’m sure Fallon didn’t inform you, but I’ve been hired by the King as a mercenary, much like how you hired me. They’ve hired me to hunt you all down but if I tell them locations with small numbers, then I can keep up this facade at the castle and take down the royals from the inside. I know you’ve been wanting to know about the Queen. She’s wearing down, and soon she’ll collapse.”
indentIqaella just looked at him, processing the information, before she spoke, “You’ll report to me directly. Understand? No writing letters. I need you here when I need you here, understand? Or I might just have to kill you.” She smiled, before sitting back in her chair. “Now, is there anything you’d like to tell me that I don’t already know?”
indentCaspian thought of Remon as he slowly stood. He shook his head. “No, Ma’am.”
indentIqaella scoffed. “How disappointing. Well you may leave. I’ll see about getting you those…small locations. In the meantime, I’d like to hear something useful the next time you happen to visit.”
indentCaspian nodded, before exiting the room. He passed by Fallon, and the others who glared at him. Passed by those who stared at his back and questioned why his wings were hidden. And then finally he was out of sight, making his way back to the castle on horseback. Pushing against the hard winter’s wind as he made his way back under the moonlight. Now Caspian rarely felt as if he was in danger, as he was the one pulling the strings most of the time. Perfecting his mercenary abilities and following where the money leads him.
indentThough tonight, he felt that danger. And it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. Eventually he was climbing through a window and shuffling his way through the halls. Avoiding any guards or servants that happen to be wandering the halls. Before opening the door to the library only to find all of the candles lit, and Remon in the center of it all. Lighting them with a wave of his hand. Caspian stumbled into the room, looking at all the candles before his eyes landed on Remon.
indent“Sorry,” Caspian said huskily, before wrapping his arms around Remon and kissing him hard.

[Seokjinnie]

X█║ 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 ║█X

indentRemon beamed at the praise, he had to fight the urge to lunge forward and hug the older man. He was still smiling at the blonde when a snowflake landed on the tip of his nose. His eyes darted up to the sky as he watched the flurries falling around them, “Yeah, mmhmm no burning down the castle! Oh!” He lowered his eyes and realized Caspian had his hand held out to him, he took the hand that was pulled up. His heart began to race in his chest when Cas leaned in, but what he had expected (and wanted) to happen, very much didn’t. The young prince’s eyes widened as he frowned, the blonde seemed confused with himself as pulled back. Remon hadn’t been at the Enlacing, he had been severely ill the day it was done and his father hadn’t wanted him to ruin it. He tilted his head to the side, “I don’t think my father wanted my brother ferweved to Sir Ascelin because he found the ritual enticing. I don’t really think he considered my brother or his guard dog in it at all…” He said the last sentence mostly to himself as the man had already left.

indentHe didn’t move from that spot in the field after Cas had left him for a while. His heart ached more than he had ever felt before. Why did Caspian care so much about his brother and Sir Ascelin being ferweved? The older man had been upset when he touched his brother’s knight, that had been his intention but it had worked a bit too well. The moment his feet began to feel numb from the cold is when he finally decided to go inside. His room was dark and silent when he arrived, it would likely stay that way for the rest of the day now that Nyorai was gone. The silver-haired prince sat shivering in the darkness for a while before he decided that he wasn’t going to just mope around. Remi grabbed the candles and headed for the library, dismissing the gentleman who was on shift. Even if he was irritated with the fae, he wasn’t going to avoid training just because of that.

indentThe young prince had been practicing for quite some time before he heard the library door open and was about to panic until he saw it was Cas. The tone of his apology made Remi’s mouth go dry then the man was suddenly so close and his arms were around him. He felt his heart start racing in his chest as it had earlier that day except this time was different. He had never been kissed and he wondered if all kisses were like this. Did every kiss make your knees feel weak and your head feel fuzzy or was it because it was Caspian kissing him? Without hesitation he returned the kiss, he kissed him back with fervor. At least he was until he started to think and he truly wished he hadn’t because once he started, he couldn’t stop. Remon placed his hands on the blonde’s chest and shoved as hard as he could, his cheeks burning red with shame, “No! Y-you keep messing with my head and… and I… stop it!” He could feel the burn of tears springing to his eyes as he whipped around so that his back was to the blonde. How embarrassing! This was the second time the other man had seen his tears. He hated everything about this, why was he never anyone’s first choice? His voice came out shaky and broken, “I-I won’t be your ticket to my brother or Sir Ascelin!” He could hear the blonde’s footsteps getting closer to him and he took a step away from the man with a frown. The younger man shook his head as the older man’s hands came down on shoulders and forced him to turn around. He crossed his arms with a pout on his face, the other man’s chuckle only made him angrier, “Don’t you dare say I look cute when I’m mad!” He felt fingers under his chin and his head be lifted to look the blonde in the eye. The man’s touch seemed to have soothe some of his anger; he hated how weak that made him feel and it was clear the fae could tell because another small kiss was pressed to his lips, “That isn’t fair! You can’t just leave me out in the field after getting jealous about Sir Ascelin being ferweved to my brother and then come kiss me hours later!” There was another chuckle that morphed into full blown laughter and he raised his hand to smack the man’s chest, “I am serious! This isn’t funny and I’m quite upset with you!” Caspian smirked as brought his face closer to his own and whispered something in his ear with that husky voice of his, “WHAT? ME?”

[skydust]

𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡 ✧
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✧ words: 1109 ✧ tags: remon ✧ role: fae mercenary

indentCaspian could say that he had done some pretty stupid things during his lifetime. Risks that cut things a little close. Choices that screwed him over for a bit. But kissing the prince of the royal family he was trying to murder was probably one of the stupidest things he’s done in a while. Did he regret it? No. He couldn’t say he did. It felt like a dream if he was being honest. He couldn’t say he’s ever felt the way he felt while kissing Remon in his entire life. Something inside of him clicked into place, like this is what he was missing from his life. Something to cherish and care for, and someone that would cherish and care for him in return. When Remon returned his kiss his heart had never beat so fast for someone else.
indentBut then he was pushed away and reality came back into place. He felt nauseous as he stumbled back. A shaky breath escaped his lips as his eyes focused on Remon and Remon only. He swallowed deeply, as he could feel his heart pounding in his throat. He wanted to run, but his feet were not moving anytime soon. He didn’t know why he felt so open, but it was like Remon was able to peel back his walls and expose the mess of a person that he had tried to hide away all this time. An absolute wreck of a fae, one that had been torn apart by life’s claws. He took a step forward, but Remon was already crying out, accusing him of messing with his head. Which wouldn’t be too far of a stretch.
indentSeeing the tears in Remon’s eyes, Caspian sucked in a breath. Watching as Remon turned away from him to hide the droplets of water racing down his cheeks. He didn’t know what to do, really. He was horrible at comforting crying people. He was even worse at being open with someone, which he could say that he wasn’t going to be doing anytime soon. But the words that escaped Remon’s mouth next left him in shock. A ticket to his brother or Mu’ru? Was that what he thought this was about? Caspian would have scoffed if he wasn’t so shocked. What in the world gave Remon the impression that he was pining after the crown prince or his dog?
indentSteeling his emotions, he slowly made his way over to Remon. Placing his hands on Remon’s shoulders, he turned him around to face him. “Oh, little mouse. You know you’re very cute when you’re mad,” he chuckled, wiping away the tears on the others face with his thumbs. Remon only got angrier, mad at him for calling him cute. It was true though. The prince’s nose got all scrunched up and his eyebrows furrowed in the cutest way. Caspian didn’t realize until now that he had that look memorized. He placed fingers under Remon’s chin, lifting his head up until their eyes met. He pressed another small kiss to Remon’s lips. Letting his eyes flutter closed even when he felt his body shake with nerves.
indentHe felt disgustingly vulnerable that it almost hurt.
indentAt another proclamation that Caspian was just jealous of his brother and the older knight being ferweved, his chuckle turned into full-blown laughter, wet with emotion. He earned himself a smack on the chest, but that only made him laugh harder as a smirk appeared on his face. He leaned forward, whispering into Remon’s ear. “I’m not jealous that sir Ascelin is ferweved to your brother. I don’t know why I’m upset about the whole ordeal really. I think it mostly…has something to do with you. That I can’t be ferweved with you.” His voice carried off at the end. Almost too quiet to be heard. His heart hurt and his hands felt sweaty. He almost wanted to burst into tears as Remon did earlier.
indent“Yes, you,” he said. Wrapping his arms around Remon and pulling him close, Caspian rested his head in the crook of Remon’s neck and let out a shaky sigh. Allowing himself this moment of closeness, just for a minute. “I don’t want to confuse you anymore. But I’m just so confused myself. I just…” he couldn’t say it. He wouldn’t say it. He can’t let his emotions get the best of him. He pulled back, dropping his arms to his side as he looked away from Remon. Anywhere besides Remon’s eyes. “I’m sorry for messing with your emotions. But you don’t know me. You don’t know the things I’ve done. You don’t know the things I cannot tell a soul about. You don’t really know who you’re dealing with.”
indentHe shut his eyes closed, willing the world to just go quiet. He could remember poisoning Remon’s mother. He could remember murdering Remon’s personal servant. He could remember planning the death of his family. He could remember betraying his own kind. He remembers betraying himself. He remembers it all. How could he be someone to Remon when he had betrayed him so furiously already? Caspian took a couple of steps back. His heart broke with each one. He had to do this. He couldn’t face the damage he’s already done. “I think…” Caspian began, eyes dragging to the floor. “I think we should stay away from each other for now. I can’t…I can’t be the person you want me to be. I don’t think I’ll ever be the person you want me to be. You don’t know the person I’ve become.”
indentThe candles flickered around them as Caspian finally looked at Remon. He made his eyes cold, just as his heart sealed itself away again. This time, he wouldn’t let it out. He couldn’t afford the luxury of being Aerais Solumn. Not when Caspian Graham ruled the chessboard. He let himself fall back into the merciless mercenary with ease. Even if that corner of his mind shivered at his coldness. Even if he was betraying himself all over again. He could do it. He would do it for himself. He would do it for Remon’s sake. “I’ve played with your emotions long enough. We can continue our lessons when these… feelings…go away. For now, I think it’s best we pretend we don’t know one another.”
indentHe allowed himself one last look at Remon, studying the heartbreak on his face. Before he turned around and left. Candles dying out just as the door to the library shut. Caspian avoided any knights or servants that may be wandering the halls this late at night. Before finally making it to his room. He had done enough damage for tonight.

[skydust]

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𝗧 𝗛 𝗘 x𝗡 𝗘 𝗫 𝗧 x𝗗 𝗔 𝗬 . . .
ＴＨＥ ＪＯＵＳＩＮＧ ＣＯＭＰＥＴＩＴＩＯＮ

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