hidden secrets ━━━━━ 1x1

[Seokjinnie]

X𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 & 𝔰𝔦𝔯 𝔞𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔫 '𝔩𝔦𝔫' 𝔫𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔢 X

indentHe regretted nothing.

indentWell, maybe one thing... Drinking when he had a head injury was a foolish mistake. But everything else that had happened the night before? Never.

indentAlthough he felt a bit of joy that Maron hadn’t outright rejected his kiss, he knew that the older man had probably forgotten it. It wouldn’t do any good for him to say anything to him about it either; best to pretend that he dreamed it all. At least, that’s what he was telling himself as he walked down to the infirmary. He hated seeing the way people looked at him as he walked down the corridors, as if he was some sort of hero because he caught the Queen and got the crown prince to safety. He didn’t do it to be seen as a hero. He did it because it was the right thing to do, it was just instinct to protect a woman who seemed kind to everyone regardless of how it affected her. And it was instinct because he loved Evren, he would do anything to protect him, and Maron too. As he entered the infirmary he was almost immediately met with the healer that had been caring for him. The man couldn’t be that much older than him, but he was making the same expression his father used to make when he was upset with something he had done. A sheepish smile spread across his face as the healer approached him, “Sir Ascelin, I do not recall giving you permission to leave this wing last night. Have I suddenly developed amnesia and just don’t remember giving you clearance? Answer me good sir.” Mu’Ru grimaced, holding up his hands as he glanced down at the ground, “No, you did not give me clearance to leave the infirmary wing, Rolf.” Rolf clicked his tongue as he circled him before grabbing him by the arm, attempting to pull him toward one of the cots, “You’ve lost the right to call me by given name, it’s Assistant Healer Bernar to you.” Upon realizing where the man was trying to take him, he allowed himself to be pulled there, “My apologies, Assistant Healer.” Ascelin carefully sat down on the cot as Rolf immediately began to check him over, “So, Assistant Healer, are you to declare me clear for duty?” His eyebrows furrowed as the other man crossed his arms, looking every bit dissatisfied and hesitant, “Yes, unfortunately. If I had it my way, you would not be cleared for another week, two if I was feeling especially petty. Alas, the King, against the Master Healer’s advice, has dictated that any Knight not gravely injured be cleared for duty. Oh, if you ever end up in this wing and dare to attempt to sneak out again, I’ll have you strapped to the cot. Now, off you go.” Not wanting to further irritate the man, he quickly exited the infirmary wing.

indentA part of him just wanted to go back to his quarters and sleep, but mostly he just wanted to do whatever was needed of him.


•••••


indentHe let out a soft ‘oof’ as his brother pulled him into his quarters. There were a lot of things he wanted to get off his chest and he desperately wanted to tell his brother everything, but he knew very well that he couldn’t. Remon could at least tell some of it, a watered down version of it. His eyes went wide, mouth dropping opening in surprise, “Your Guar— Will Sir Ascelin be alright with that, brother? I feel like given everything that’s happened... But you know what, who am I to deny my dearest older brother?” They both quickly dressed in clothing that wouldn’t stand out as much as their usual expensive silks. He followed silently after his brother down the corridors, out to the stables. The brothers wore smiles on their faces, pleased that they had made a successful escape out of the castle. They split apart in the stables, each going for their own horse. Remon walked up to his horse, a deep gray and black speckled mare he had named Ghoul, stroking her mane before quickly setting up her saddle and mounting her. He followed his brother’s lead, pulling his hood further over his face as they made their way to town. He perked up as Evren broke the silence, his eyebrows shooting up at his brother revealing that he got angry with his knight. The younger prince rode silently alongside his brother as listened, “You might have been a tad bit dramatic. You care for both of them deeply, brother, of course, you’re worried about them getting hurt. But as you said, it is their duty and they are ready to do it. I think it’d be worse if you tried to stop them from doing it because they would be unhappy, and I know you care about their happiness just as much as you care about their safety.” He cocked his head to the side as Evren turned the conversation to him, “You’re changing the subject, but since you got me out of the castle, I’ll allow it just this once.”

indentHis cheeks turned a faint pink, “I really wish I could tell you everything, but I made a promise. What I can say is that I.... I think I might be in love or at the very least beginning to do so? Don’t freak out but, it’s the blonde man from Mama’s masquerade. Oh! Father stuck me with a guard dog of my own now. His name is Sir Garrik Maedad, he really idolizes Sir Ascelin.” The rush of the crowd and dismounting their horses seemed to distract his brother just enough that he hadn’t had the time to process what he had said. He stuck close to his brother, always keeping within grabbing distance. Remon sort of understood now why Sir Ascelin always seemed so stressed, his brother seemed to be some sort of magnet for troublesome people. His eyes darted between Evren and the man who he had bumped into, scanning the man to see if there was any outward sign of a weapon. He relaxed upon noticing any, though still guarded just as Caspian had taught him. His eyebrows once again shot up as his brother introduced himself, the man laughed and did the same. Both men seemingly had forgotten that he was there until his brother let out a sigh, “I’m Mon. It is a tad chilly isn’t it, brother? Since you offered that means you’re paying, I have heard from a friend that’s the rule.” Finn laughed, telling them about his travels as they followed him to a strange smelling tavern. Something felt entirely off about this place despite the fact that he felt safe, the sort of safe that he couldn’t trust. Remon was about to grab Evren and pull him out of there, but was too late because Finn was handing them drinks and it would be too late to leave. His drink tasted bitter on his tongue, so much so that he almost recoiled, but pushed it down. Remon circled the rim of the glass with his finger, “A village nearby, Draera. It’s quite small, but since it’s near the royal city, you may have heard of it.” Rather than just make it up, he used the name of the village their mother had been born in. He knew enough about it that even if he was questioned, he wouldn’t be caught in a lie. Stories of his mother’s childhood in Draera, before Dorin’s rule and the Fae purges began, was how his interest in the Fae had begun. Tuning out whatever Finn instead, letting his brother take the lead since he seemed so interested in the man. Though his brother ought to be careful because if he caught Finn acting even more strangely than he already was, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell Sir Ascelin when they returned.

indentRemon took another sip, slowly becoming used to the drink, and began to pay attention to the conversation again, tilting his head to the side, “Question is, Finn, where exactly are you from? I can’t quite place your accent and I usually have a good ear for that sort of thing.” His eyebrow was arched as he looked the man up and down, not trusting the man in the slightest. He trusted his brother’s judgment, but with how insane everything had been as of late, Remon wouldn’t put it past anyone to try and harm them. He looked up at the man expectantly, ignoring the looks his brother was shooting him. Without even looking he could tell his brother hadn’t appreciated the tone of his question, “Cannot I not ask him that, Ren? It isn’t rude, is it? He asked first, I’m just trying to get to know the man. Harmless, really.” Remon gave his brother a soft smile before raising his glass and trying to urge Finn to answer, “You could always ignore me and keep making flirty eyes at my brother like you’ve been doing, that works too. Sorry that part was actually a little rude of me.” Finn seemed to not be offended at the very least, taking it in stride as he smiled. He didn’t trust this man, but until he did something terrible, he would give him the benefit of the doubt.

[skydust]

𝗘𝗩𝗥𝗘𝗡 ✧
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✧ words: 1254 ✧ tags: Remon (Ascelin) ✧ role: crown prince of ashain

indentEvren raised an eyebrow at Remon, knowing very well that they were not from Draera. Evren knew he shouldn’t trust a stranger right away, that was unsafe. But it wasn’t like Finn had done anything to give off a bad aura. Despite his father’s teachings, Evren usually tried to see the best in people. Evren said nothing though as Finn pondered, taking a sip of his drink. His was so sweet that the liquid burning his throat didn’t even matter. Finn was smiling with a twinkle in his purple eyes, almost like he knew that Remon was lying. “Draera. Right. I’ve been a handful of times. Beautiful city, and apparently, full of beautiful people as well.”
indentEvren tried not to spit out the drink in his mouth, instead swallowing wrong and coughing. Remon on the other hand looked almost bored at the answer. Evren remembered their conversation from earlier. That Remon was slowly falling for that blonde man they had met at the masquerade. Evren was less than thrilled about the whole thing. Something about that man made Evren uneasy. As if he was going to get the rug pulled out from under him. Evren was almost a little happy that his father had stuck Remon with a “guard dog”. At least with Garrik around, Evren knew that his brother couldn’t get into too much trouble. On the other hand, as all the knights were, Garrik was loyal to the King. So, Remon was at risk of being linked with a man, which their father wouldn’t be thrilled about.
indentEvren only hoped he was careful.
indentSpeaking of courtships, Evren knew that his father would sooner or later arrange for him to get married. He knew that his whole life. Eventually, he would have to marry a noblewoman, but it made him sick to his stomach. It wasn’t that he wasn’t attracted to women. So that couldn’t be it. But something about the idea of being married to someone he didn’t know was terrifying. All he could think about was his best friends and their reactions. Why was he thinking of Ascelin and Maron right now?
indentHe didn’t even notice that Remon was interrogating Finn until silence broke out at the table. Evren glared at Remon, but Remon only smiled and told him to basically calm down. Evren gawked at Remon as he spoke to Finn, but Finn only smiled. “Well, the answer to that is I travel. I don’t exactly have a home; I mostly just go from town to town and work short jobs to get buy and then move on to the next. It’s nothing brilliant, but I love to travel. Which is why my accent is so strange.”
indentEvren nodded. “That makes sense. Have you been to any other countries?”
indentFinn sighed happily. “Yes, plenty. All beautiful.”
indentFinn looked directly at Evren when he said beautiful, and it took everything in Evren not to drown himself in his own cup of liquor. Evren took another drink, getting used to the sweet taste and drinking more. “I’m always open to more questions, Mon. If you have any. I have to say, you both look awfully familiar. Have we met before?” Finn said, gesturing to Remon. Evren took the time to look at Finn directly. Finn had long wavy hair that fell to his shoulders like curtains of nighttime. And his purple eyes stood out against his tanned skin. Finn caught him looking and laughed. Evren quickly looked away, embarrassed at being caught.
indent“My apologies, Mon. If you’ll excuse us, for just one minute,” Finn said, taking Evren by the hand and standing. Evren wobbled now on two feet but followed. Finn brought him to a corner of the bar. “Care to dance?” Finn said, a grin on his lips and a dark eyebrow raised. Evren looked around, confused.
indent“Here?”
indentFinn laughed. “Yes, here. C’mon.”
indentEvren blushed. “But there’s no music,” he whispered.
indent“Why would that be a problem?” Finn said, grabbing his hands in his.
indentEvren quickly got situated. He usually was the leader of the dance, not the other way around. So, he stumbled on his feet a bit when they started to sway. Finn only smiled at him, and Evren couldn’t help but feel like he was seeing someone else. Flush against Finn’s chest, it was like the man read his mind when he leaned down and whispered against his ear, “Do I remind you of someone you love?”
indentEvren nodded as two people came to mind but said nothing else.
indentFinn nodded, leaning back a bit so they could face one another. “Can I kiss you while you think of them?” Evren nodded again. Finn kissed him, and Evren closed his eyes.
indentHe thought of Ascelin and Maron.
indentEvren ran his hands through the man’s hair and was suddenly shocked at the pointiness of the man’s ears. He sprang back, eyes wide as Finn looked equally as shocked. “You’re fae?” Evren whispered. His eyes widened as he took in the pointed ears and the now feathered wings that showed. “Is that okay?” Finn said nervously. His light wings shifted on his back.
indent Evren only gasped as they did, and Finn stepped back. Everything Evren was taught came rushing to the surface, yet he wasn’t afraid. Evren stepped forward, reaching a hand out, and touching the wings with just a brush of his palm, eyes wide. Finn grinned down at him. “They’re different, right?” Evren nodded, as Finn tried to track his emotions. “They’re nothing compared to the magic though.”
indentAfter Finn said that a gush of wind seemed to come from nowhere from under them, causing Evren’s curls to spring upwards and his shirt to almost come off his head. He laughed as the wind dissipated, the breeze welcome in the hot tavern. Evren looked back at Finn, wonder in his eyes. “Are you scared?”
indent“A little,” Evren admitted.
indent“That’s normal. Especially for people in Ashain. But I feel like you deserve to know the truth of fae. Not what you’ve heard,” Finn said, smiling sadly this time. Finn’s glamour slowly came back, and in a blink of an eye he was human once more. “The truth is my true home is Theidal. But I didn’t lie when I said I do travel a lot. My family are all gone, so I get my excitement from my travels.”
indentEvren nodded as Finn looked in the direction of where they came from. “How about we join your friend again? I feel bad for leaving,” Finn said with a quirk of his lip.
indentBoth made their way back to Remon, Evren’s thoughts rushing a million miles a second. Finn clapped his hands together when they made it back to the table, “Sorry gentlemen, but it seems my time here is up.”
indentEvren looked at him shocked, “You’re leaving?”
indentFinn nodded sadly, “I must get going onto the next town, I’m sure the inn I’m staying at has already thrown my stuff on the street for not checking out earlier. A mistake on my part. But it was good to meet you both. Ren. Mon. We should do this again another time.”
indentFinn shook Remon’s hand and then turned to Evren. Grabbing his hand, he shook it, before leaning in close. “Hold those loved ones close to you, okay?” And then he was walking away, leaving the tavern like he was never there in the first place. Evren turned to Remon, a look on his face.
indent“You will never guess what happened.”

[Seokjinnie]

X𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 & 𝔰𝔦𝔯 𝔞𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔫 '𝔩𝔦𝔫' 𝔫𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔢 X

indentThe awe-filled glances were beginning to make Mu’Ru more and more uncomfortable by the minute. One of the Queen’s sisters had tried to hug him for catching her and told him how amazing it was that someone of his status had been brave enough to run back into the crossfire to save another knight. He had smiled and thanked her, all while he was burning with anger. Maron wasn’t just another knight and how dare she try to imply that he was. Not to mention that some of the strongest knights he knew were not of nobility, but part of the peasantry. They fought twice as hard to be seen and respected; they were strong men and women who earned their rank even when everything was stacked against them.

indentAnd his status? Oh, if only she knew who he truly was. The son of one of the most well-respected military figures in the Unseelie Court. When he had left his father had a colonel, but he had probably been promoted by now given his track record. His father’s status and reputation had given the family a high social standing, not quite the level of nobility, but near enough. But that was Mu’Ru Araelassh’s life, not Sir Ascelin Nolle’s. Ascelin Nolle was not a son of a high-ranking military officer and he certainly had no relation to anything involving Theidal. Well, apart from being raised in the small village of Marvaes, located a little over an hour’s ride from the Ashainian-Theidalan border. He was the oldest child of a lowly merchant and his herbalist wife. He had been born as Mu’Ru Araelassh, but lived as Ascelin Nolle, the sworn sword of the heir to the Ashainian throne. Sometimes he felt like he was neither man at all, but a ghost barely clinging to its last thread to existence. And he had no one to blame but himself for that.

indentThe path he had chosen was a dangerous one, Lin had known that from the moment he made the decision to disobey his father’s order and come to Ashain. He knew that what he had chosen was going to challenge everything he believed in, and it had done exactly that. This is exactly what he wanted, to be respected because of his own actions and not his father’s, to be a knight known for his honor and strength. So, why did it fill him with such pain? Deep down he knew that part of the pain stemmed from all of the lying he did.When he had been young, one of the things he had hated the most was dishonesty, it had made his skin crawl. He had been a boy that would much rather face even the harshest consequence than lie. Ascelin often wondered where that boy had gone because now it was all he did. That boy would be so disappointed in who he had become, pretending to be someone he wasn’t, a man capable of passing lies as the truth with a smile on his face. He felt that little boy’s disappointment every time lied to his friends or looked at his reflection while his glamour was up. Because the pain also came from constantly hiding his true identity for a little over a decade. Ascelin witnessed his people’s oppression every moment of every day, he saw it and did nothing to help them. He felt shame for lying to his friends, the men he adored with his entire being, but the guilt he felt whenever he looked at fae servant or was forced to listen to one of the king’s vile speeches was overwhelming. So much so that it sometimes made him feel sick to his stomach. And as guilty as he felt, he could never do anything about it or else he risked meeting the sharp end of an ax. Mu’Ru would carry that guilt for the rest of his life, carrying it with every step he took. He selfishly clung to life, to being Evren’s sworn sword and Maron’s brother-in-arms, and he would cling to it until the day the shame overtook him or met the ax. Nor did he feel that he deserved redemption or his friends’ love. Honor and respect could only take a man so far and fill as many of the holes within him as it could.

indentAt least he had his duty to lean back on and carry him through when his honor could not. He owed Evren an apology for worrying him the way he had and for making a promise he couldn’t keep. Ascelin cleared his throat as he knocked on the younger man’s door, “Your Highness. Prince Evren, I know you’re not pleased with me at the moment, but please open the door.” With his hearing, he could usually hear Evren shuffling about or the sounds he made while he slept, but the room was utterly silent. Dread rushed through him as he attempted knocking again and was met with the same result. Lin pushed open the door, his heart dropping upon his finding it empty. He quickly shut the door behind him and rushed down the corridors in search of his prince. The most dominant part of his panic wanted to make a big fuss of it, but the more logical part knew that would only irritate his prince more. He stopped, trying to calm himself before he began his search again. There was no way for him to know how much time had passed since Evren had left. Mu’Ru was beyond angry that Evren hadn’t left even a note, but beneath his anger was his anxiety over Evren’s safety. The prince could handle himself well enough, it didn’t mean that he wanted him a position where he had to. He let out a grunt of frustration as he walked back toward Remon’s room. Regardless of where he was at the moment, Evren would have to return to his room. And when his prince did, he would hug him and then scold him until he was satisfied.


•••••


indentFinn’s flattery was nothing special and did nothing for him. He nearly snorted in his cup as the other man explained away his accent as being a result of traveling. It was believable, but he was a brat and he didn’t like the man, so he decided to not believe him just to be petty. Remon raised an eyebrow as his brother and Finn flirted, his head snapping in Finn’s direction at the mention of him asking more questions and them looking familiar. He narrowed his eyes, leaning forward, “Perhaps you’ve seen my brother in your dreams and me in your nightmares, Finn.” He didn’t appreciate the way the mysterious man laughed at his brother, even if it was out of amusement and not mockery. Although he was hesitant to just let Evren go off with a man he didn’t trust, he sat back. Evren needed this in the same way he needed his lessons with Cas. It didn’t matter either way, Evren would never let Remon protect him even if a problem arose as the older prince had told him many times when they were children that, “Younger brothers don’t protect their older brothers, Remon. I’m meant to protect you.” It was nonsense, but he never questioned him just because agreeing meant his brother would hug him extra tight and read him a story before bed.

indentIt didn’t take long for him to lose sight of the pair from his seat at their table. He was left to his cups, his presence a second thought just as it usually was for all but his mother, brother, and Cas. Remon half-expected to spend the rest of the night alone and bored to tears, but it changed when he saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eyes. Before he could even truly think it through, he had jumped off of his seat and headed in the direction he thought he had seen Caspian go in. Perhaps the older man had followed them out here to watch over him and make sure he didn’t get into too much trouble. But he knew that Caspian didn’t have the time for that. His heart dropped as the man he had been following glanced over his shoulder. It was the same blonde hair, albeit longer, curling just below the man’s ears, and the same sapphire blue eyes, though not anywhere near as mesmerizing as Caspian’s. He was both disappointed and relieved that it wasn’t him because he knew the blonde would not be pleased with him. He was meant to be practicing his control over his fire, not galavanting around on horseback with his older brother. Remon walked back to the table, taking his seat with a frown on his face, unsure of how many minutes ticked by. He lifted his head at the sound of his brother and Finn returning to the table. Remon nearly rolled his eyes as Finn announced his departure, “How disappointing, whatever will we ever do without you?” Now, he fully rolled his eyes at the mention of them doing this again, “I must offer my most sincere apologies because I believe my card is filled for the next three lifetimes, but thanks so much for the offer.” Remon shook the man’s hand reluctantly, but only because of the glare Evren sent his way.

indentHe cocked his head to the side, brow raised as he let out a soft hum, “Oh, I don’t know. I feel like I can think up a few possibilities, brother. How about you tell me on the ride back? It’s getting late and I don’t think I have to remind you how protective your Guard Dog is.”

[skydust]

𝗘𝗩𝗥𝗘𝗡 ✧
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✧ words: 1348 ✧ tags: Remon ✧ role: crown prince of ashain

indent“Well, I either had too much to drink or Finn was fae,” Evren whispered to Remon.
indentThey were making their way back to the stables. The night seemed to be going quickly as the sky turned midnight. Eve was sort of having a panic attack inside his brain. Rethinking his whole ideals and everything after kissing the fae man. Being told about magic was one thing, but being shown it was completely different. It was beautiful in a way that he wasn’t expecting it to be. As he had only been told of the dark side of it. All his life he had been told that it was dangerous. That it was wrong. That his mother had been killed by magic from the fae’s hands, and if he didn’t want to be next, he should never meddle with the fae.
indentBut maybe Eve had judged too quickly.
indentHe always seemed to put his heart before his head. Which was sometimes his downfall in situations regarding being the crown prince. Maybe he had been holding onto this grudge for too long. He bit his lip, thinking about how he hated magic for so long that he didn’t realize the beauty of it. The way it could help so many people. The way of life it brought to the fae. He would have to think more about this. When they had made it most of the way to the stables, Evren grabbed Remon by the arm. “What I’m about to tell you, you cannot tell anyone. Understand? I only trust you with this information because you are my brother and I believe you won’t tell anyone. Especially not our family.”
indentEvren took a deep breath, before burying his face in his hands. “I kissed him,” Evren said quickly. Looking up to meet Remon’s gaze. Evren was sure that worry was evident across his face. Evren knew how his father would react, but he didn’t know how Remon would react. He was scared. “A-And you cannot tell anyone of this. If father knew…” Evren shivered at the thought. Evren swallowed hard, staring at the ground. “Are you…are you disappointed?”
indentOf course, Remon was never disappointed in him. They were brothers after all, and they had each other's back. Evren would always be there for Remon, and Remon would always be there for Evren. They loved each other where their family lacked love. Evren was nervous anyway. He didn’t know how his brother would react. He knew his brother wouldn’t care that Finn was fae. His brother was always in support of the fae, unlike their father. Evren was just worried about how his brother would react to the topic of Finn’s gender.
indentThey were only a few yards away from the stable when Evren heard horse clomps behind them. Turning around, Evren froze as he saw three people dressed in all black with masks covering their faces. What was the most shocking was the wings on their back. Two had feathered wings like Finn sprouting from their back, while the other had wings that looked like dragonfly wings. Evren slowly shuffled towards Remon, his eyes not leaving the group as they got closer. The one with dragonfly wings suddenly moved their hand, and a dead tree root shot up from the snow, moved like it was waving at the two of them, and then shot forward.
indent“Run!” Evren yelled, grabbing Remon by the arm and sprinting towards the stable. If they could get on their horses, then maybe they could escape the group of fae. Evren heard horses behind them and the earth cracking under their feet. Evren barged into the stable with his shoulder, just narrowly missing three ice spears that shot into the wood of the door. The wind seemed to pick up, but unlike the wind that Finn showed Eve, this one was violent, practically whipping them from side to side.
indentThe horses in the stable were whining and screaming, while Evren grabbed the rope of Remon’s horse and shoved it into his hands, “Get on!” Evren screamed over the whistling wind. Three more icicles slammed into the wood next to Eve, one of them cutting his ear and cheek. Evren ran to grab his horse, but a root shot out of the mud and wrapped around his ankle. Evren fell to the ground, struggling against the root that tugged at him. Evren moved to the side and heard a crack in his ankle, and then pain flared up his leg. Evren screamed, desperately trying to get free as he was dragged towards the three fae. Remon came up from behind him, and using a shovel, slammed the edge of it down on the root, effectively snapping it in half.
indent“I thought I told you to get on your horse!” Evren yelled as Remon helped him to his feet.
indentRemon let out a snarky response and practically dragged Remon to his horse to get on. His ankle hurt like hell, but he was able to swing himself onto the horse. Remon and Evren both galloped away, the three fae right on their tails. Another set of icicles shot past Remon, one of them scratching his shoulder. The ground seemed to be caving away at their feet, and the wind wouldn’t stop.
indentEvren could barely see the snow from the ground was whipped up and swirled around them. Both of their horses eventually crumbled to the ground because of the earth crackling, throwing the two of them towards the ground. Evren groaned, looking from side to side for an escape. Luckily, it seemed they were by the woods near the castle. Evren shot up, ignoring his ankle, and dragging Remon up with him.
indentEvren pointed towards the forest. “We can lose them in the forest, we just need to hide. C’mon!” They both ran towards the forest. Evren tried his best to ignore his ankle by biting his lip. Evren grabbed Remon’s arm once they got it, throwing themselves behind a cluster of trees. From their viewpoint, they saw the snow calm down, and their attackers looked around in confusion.
indent“Where did they go?” one of the feathered winged ones said.
indent“I don’t know. Split up and look for them. They couldn’t have gone far.” Said the one with dragonfly wings.
indent“Will do, Eoseal,” said the other.
indentEvren ducked behind the tree, trying to make himself as small as possible. Besides him. Remon was shaking. His chest heaved up and down. Evren quickly scooted over to him. “Remon, you have to calm down or they’ll f-find us,” Evren whispered. Suddenly, Remon's hands seemed to glow. Evren gasped as they sparked, and suddenly a fire was ablaze on Remon’s palms. Remon seemed to panic even more at this, wildly shaking them. Evren quickly grabbed Remon’s wrists, ignoring the burn, and shoved his palms into the snow. The fire quickly went out. Now it was just two princes in the dark, and a secret revealed in between them.
indent“W-What was that?” Evren whispered; his voice full of shock. “Did..did you just do magic?”
indent“I heard something over here!” came a shout.
indentEvren quickly grabbed Remon, smushing them into the crack of the tree. The snow was raining hard now. Their footprints disappearing. Evren thanked the gods for that blessing at least. Evren covered his mouth and Remon’s with his hands as one of their attackers came closer. The footsteps stopped, and then Evren heard an exasperated sigh.
indent“Nothing over here!” said one of their attackers.
indentThe footsteps stepped away, and Evren let go of Remon’s mouth and his own. Breathing a sigh of relief. Evren shivered; his clothes soaked from the snow. The only source of light they had was the moon and the stars. Otherwise, they could barely see two feet in front of them because of the snow. “Well, we’re going to be here a while until they leave…” Evren whispered. Turning to Remon, he pierced his lips, looked at his brother's hands, and then back at his eyes. “So, you might as well explain what happened back there.”

[Seokjinnie]

X█║ 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 ║█X

indentRemon fought the urge to make a snarky retort, nodding his head instead and dropping his voice to a whisper to match his brother, “I don’t think he was the only fae in there.” He quietly followed his brother to the stables until Eve stopped him. His eyes dropped to where Evren had grabbed him, “My lips are sealed, brother.” The younger prince bit his lip at his brother’s confession, fighting back another snarky retort before his face fell at Evren, worried he would be disappointed. Remon shook his head, placing his hand over his brother’s, “Evren, I could never be disappointed in you.” At the sound of rapidly approaching horses, he turned around to see three masked fae. His heart began to race in his chest as Evren shuffled toward him.

indentThe younger prince’s mouth fell open as Evren grabbed hold of him, dragging him into the stables. The wind whipped violently around them, frightening the poor horses contained inside. Memories of the tournament, of his mother collapsing, and of all of the bodies flashed through his mind. His brother shoved Laskha’s reins into his head, screaming at him to get on; at least that’s what he thought Evren had said. He had just thrown a leg over when he heard his brother screaming in pain. There was no way he was going to leave his brother behind, not in this life nor in any other. Snapping out of his fear, he quickly swung his leg off of his stallion and raced toward his brother, grabbing a shovel from the ground. He slammed the shovel down on the root holding Evren, snapping it in half, “And just let you be eaten by a tree? Save your scolding for later, brother!” Remon pulled him to his feet, dragging him to the horses and helping him onto his saddle before getting on his own. He followed his brother on Laksha; his poor stallion galloped as fast as he could, given the poor conditions. Remon let out a soft cry as the stallion crumpled to the ground, throwing him to the ground beside his brother. He glanced up at his brother as the older man yanked him up, pulling him toward the woods near the castle.

indentAs Evren pushed him behind a cluster of tears and the familiar voice of one of the fae that had attacked the tourney filled his ears, he felt a burn simmering underneath his skin. Not now! Fear filled him as he began to tremble, his lips wobbling as the burning sensation and pain began to grow more severe. His brother was speaking to him, but he couldn’t make out the words. He glanced down to see his palms now ablaze, and his body trembled violently as he struggled not to scream in pain and call for Caspian. His mind went to his lessons with the blonde, willing himself to extinguish the flame but failing to do so. The younger prince shook his hands, trying to put the fire out by force, but it only worsened the flames. His fear-blown eyes flew to his brother’s face as the crown prince grabbed his wrists and shoved his palms into the snow. All he could think about was his brother hating him. Evren, the only person in the entire world besides their mother who loved him, was going to hate him and think him a liar. This was a moment he had been afraid of since the first time his flames sparked; he didn’t want to lose his brother.

indentHis bottom lip wobbled once again as he trembled as Evren pushed them into the crack of the tree, covering their mouths with his hands. As soon as the fae following them vanished, Evren’s hand dropped from his mouth. Darkness surrounded them as tears began to roll down his cheeks as his brother stared at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but all of his words died on his tongue. Remon slowly raised his eyes to look up at his big brother; it was then that he began to silently sob. He couldn’t stop shaking or find the words to explain to his brother what had happened. Horrific scenarios filled his head, scenarios he logically knew were impossible because Evren was nothing like their father, but they filled him with terror nonetheless. Remon was ripped from his thoughts at the feeling of Evren’s hands on his face, gently wiping the tears from his face and filling the sound between them with soft murmurs. He swallowed thickly before he launched himself at his brother’s chest, feeling his arms wrap around him. It reminded him of all those times he had woken from nightmares as a child and had gone running to Evren’s room. His wonderful, loving older brother had held him until he eventually fell asleep, even when it meant not getting enough sleep himself. He could feel Evren’s fingers stroking his hair as he lifted his head from his chest, his voice sounding every bit as broken as he felt, “Evren, p-please don’t hate me. I couldn’t bear it.” The familiar sound of his brother clicking his tongue disapprovingly as he once again grabbed hold of his face and forced him to look into his eyes before scolding him. He couldn’t help the small laugh that fell from his lips, “D-do you remember when Father first told us of that plague? After I ran out of there, he followed, just so he could reprimand me. He slapped me, and as he walked away, I felt this burn simmering under my skin...” Remon told him the rest of what happened that first time, still partially expecting to see hate shining in Eve’s eyes, but of course there was none there.

indentHe kept his hands buried in the snow, and the feeling of his flames still remained just beneath the surface of his palms. Remi sniffled as he slowly stopped trembling, leaving out everything involving Cas, “It’s happened a few other times since then. Please don’t tell Father; he already hates me so much. I don’t think even you and Mama could talk him out of what he would do to me if he found out.” He didn’t need to say it for his brother to know exactly what he was talking about, and a look of furious determination settled on his brother’s face. Never before had he seen his brother look that angry. A watery smile spread across his face as he leaned his forehead against Evren’s, “I love you. You have been and always will be my favorite person in this world, so don’t you ever leave it.” He wrapped his arms around his brother, moving his head to rest his chin on his shoulder.

[skydust]

𝗘𝗩𝗥𝗘𝗡 (& 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡) ✧
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
✧ words: 1537 ✧ tags: Remon, Mu'ru ✧ role: crown prince of ashain

indentEvren didn’t really expect Remon to start crying.
indentHe could understand why he would. This was a big secret coming to light, but when Remon started sobbing, all the other emotions washed away, and all Evren could feel was sadness for his brother. He reached out, wiping his fingers on Remon’s cold rosy cheeks to stop the tears. Evren hated to see Remon cry. His brother was prone to tears in the past, which was understandable. His life had not been an easy one. Evren wasn’t one to judge though, he often got emotional and cried until he couldn’t breathe. Of course, never in front of anyone. He couldn’t allow himself that. “It’s okay, Remon. It’s okay. We’ll get through this together.”
indentRemon launched himself into Evren’s chest, and Eve immediately wrapped his arms around Remon. Using one of his hands to stroke Remon’s hair, he held him tighter. They both shivered, the snow not letting up. Evren knew if they stayed out here all night, they would get frostbite, but for now, Remon was more important as Evren held him. Remon leaned back, begging Evren not to hate him. Evren clicked his tongue, grabbing Remon’s face in his hands, “How could I ever hate you, idiot? I won’t ever just leave when things get hard. That’s not me, and you know it. We’ll get through this, okay? I love you, brother.”
indentAs Remon told him the story about his father, the plague, and the simmering beneath his skin, Evren felt an overwhelming sadness engulf him. Sad that his brother had to go through all this alone. Believing that everyone would hate him if he told anyone. When Remon asked him not to tell anyone, especially not their father, Remon understood. Anger shimmering beneath his surface, if he had fire sprouting out of his hands, he was sure it would have emerged right now.
indent“I won’t tell a soul; you don’t have to worry. I love you too and don’t worry about me dying. Death will have to take me kicking and screaming,” he said, hugging Remon closer. “Now,” Evren said, pulling back from Remon, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can barely feel my toes. Which is not a good sign. We need to get back to the castle tonight, otherwise, we’ll freeze in the snow. I think the fae that were after us are gone.”
indent“Maybe…” Evren grabbed Remon’s wrist, pulling his hands out of the snow. The flames returned to Remon’s hands, but smaller this time. “Maybe we could use your light to find our way to the castle. Otherwise, we won’t be able to make it back. I might also need your help walking…I think my ankle is broken. Your shoulder is also bleeding.”
indentEvren pointed to the large scratch on Remon’s shoulder. Evren could also feel blood leaking from where his ear and cheek got cut from the icicle. Evren shivered. This would be a long night. After they gained the courage to trudge through the snow, Remon helped Evren up. Using one hand to support Eve and the other to hold a flame in front of them. Evren was slightly scared that it would start burning brighter and larger. Setting them both on fire, but looking at Remon’s face scrunched up in concentration, Evren knew that he could trust his brother.
indentThey slowly made their way through the snow, the wind so strong that they could only really see white in front of them. But the light helped. Evren could only hope the gods were leading them in the right direction to the castle. Evren didn’t know how long they walked, but it was enough for him to not feel like the pain in his ankle anymore from the cold. Finally, they saw a dark shape in front of them. Getting closer, Evren realized what it was. “The stables! We’re close,” Evern shouted.
indentAs they got closer, they heard yelling from someone in the distance. Evren gestured for Remon to put the flame out and just like that the flame went out. Evren was still shocked at his brother’s abilities but smiled at Remon to reassure him. Evren could barely see now, but he shouted at the voice. Hoping it wasn’t the fae that were chasing after them.“We’re over here! Please help us! We’re hurt!” The voices got closer, and Evren only realized who it was when they were around five feet away from each other.
indent---
indentAfter talking with Remon, Caspian felt an itchiness in his chest.
indentCaspian couldn’t describe it very well. When he was away from Remon he felt it. Like something was scratching at the cage around his heart begging to get out. Begging to be around Remon. While Caspian didn’t necessarily mind it, he also didn’t like it either. It was new and Caspian hated new. Change was always hard on him, and feeling something, he couldn’t describe made him frustrated. Caspian didn’t even know what he was doing until he found himself in front of Remon’s bedroom door. It was a miracle he got here, but it was easy to glamour himself in front of the guards. Caspian huffed at their horrible security, knowing how easy it would be to infiltrate the castle. He had been able to do it!
indentCaspian adjusted his long coat, rolling his eyes at himself, and swallowing his pride. He hesitated just for a second before knocking on the door. When there came no response, he grumbled. Hating that he had to knock again, he knocked again, this time louder, when there wasn’t a response again, Caspian raised an eyebrow. He grabbed the handle, slowly opening the door with a creak. “Little mouse?” Caspian said, his eyes trained on the ceiling in case Remon was indecent. “I was coming to just…see you.” Caspian said, cringing at his own words. When there was no answer again, he furrowed his brows and then looked down.
indentRemon was nowhere to be found in his room.
indentCaspian groaned. Looking around the room, like Remon would jump out any second to scare him or something. Caspian looked in the bathroom, in the closet, under the bed, and found nothing. It didn’t seem like there was a struggle. It was like Remon just got up and left. Caspian ran a hand through his golden hair. Laughing darkly to himself. “You’re driving me mad,” he whispered to no one. Suddenly he heard the door to Remon’s door open. He turned around and immediately was face to face with Ascelin. Or Mu’ru. If he was being honest with himself, he forgot what the hybrid even went by.
indent“Oh, just the person I was looking for!” Caspian said sarcastically, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.
indentWhen the knight looked around the room and realization crossed his face, Caspian guessed that it was because Remon was nowhere to be seen. “Now, calm yourself. I haven’t done anything to the prince. I have no idea where he is at the moment.” Mu’ru didn’t look any calmer, instead just looked more panicked. When he said that the Crown Prince wasn’t in his room either, Caspian connected the dots. They must have run away somewhere. Caspian didn’t panic initially, but when his eyes were drawn to the snowstorm outside, panic settled into his bones. “Snowstorm…damn it all to hell!” Caspian said, before quickly exiting the room.
indentHe quickly ran down the halls, down the stairs, and to an exit. He didn’t even realize Mu’ru was following him until he made it outside and Mu’ru calmed the wind a bit so they could at least see a bit. Caspian tried to squint, to see anything in the snowstorm, but he saw nothing. He swore again, running further into the snowstorm, Mu’ru following him. “Little mouse! Little mouse!” Caspian said, his eyes wild. He quickly panicked, his heart shuttering. “Remon! Remon, where are you!?”
indentFinally, he saw a light. But it quickly went out when he yelled Remon’s name again. Caspian headed in that direction with a purpose. He eventually heard yelling, begging for help. It sounded like the crown prince. Caspian made his way to them, eventually coming face to face with Remon and Evren, Mu’ru hot on his tail. When Remon spotted them, he whispered something to his brother, before letting his brother stand on his own, and then shooting forward. Remon collapsed into Caspian’s arms. Caspian wrapped his arms so tightly around Remon that he was sure that Remon probably couldn’t breathe for a second. Caspian was shaking, not from the cold. He could barely feel it. But with relief.
indentHe held Remon like if he let go Remon would disappear.
indent“Don’t ever do that again,” Caspian growled into Remon’s ear. He then realized that they were in the presence of two other people, and he quickly stepped away, making note of Remon’s bleeding shoulder, he looked over at Evren and saw the frozen blood on Evren’s cheek and ear. Caspian grinned as Evren glared at him with distrust before he trained his blue eyes to Mu’ru. “Is the little rat alright?” he said snarkily. He quickly realized that it wasn’t the time when Mu’ru lunged at him.

[Seokjinnie]

X𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 & 𝔰𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔫 '𝔩𝔦𝔫' 𝔫𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔢 X

indentThere was one place left for Mu’Ru to look: Remon’s room. It should’ve been one of the very first rooms he checked, but Garrik would’ve sent work if he had seen the prince without him. He just hoped that the second prince’s room would be the end of his journey to find Evren. This couldn’t keep happening—him losing sight of him or being separated because of something he did. He had to stop failing the younger man; he had to start doing better. Ascelin just had to find him first.

indentWhen Ascelin walked into Remon’s room, he was met with two unexpected and unfortunate sights. The room was dark and empty, apart from one person, Caspian. He clenched his fists as he walked further into the room, feeling probably about as unhappy as the other man felt to see him. The hybrid crossed his arms, not even bothering to try to hide the irritation and panic written across his face as the blonde spoke, “Damn it! Prince Evren isn’t in his either. You’re just lucky; finding them is a bigger priority to me than finding out why you’re standing in Prince Remon’s room.” His dark brown eyes followed his to the window, coming to the same realization as the other man. Mu’Ru took off after the blonde, “If either of them are even slightly hurt, I’m holding you responsible!” The faeman offered him no retort or even a glance over the shoulder; it was like the blonde hadn’t even heard him. As they exited the castle, the wind whipped violently around them. He closed his eyes and willed it to calm. His voice joined Caspian’s as he called out for Evren, his panic rising higher as time went on until the blonde caught sight of something, and then he heard it—his prince’s voice.Ascelin took off toward the sound of the begging, coming up right behind the faeman. His heart had been racing in his chest; it all but stopped at the sight of Evren. He ran toward the younger man, stopping just in front of him and pulling the prince into his arms. Mu’Ru held tightly against his chest briefly before pulling away and letting his eyes roam the prince’s body, taking in his condition. Anger filled him as he looked over his shoulder at the blonde and the second prince. His anger, panic, and adrenaline boiled over at the other man calling the crown prince a little rat. Lin lunged at Caspian, pinning him to the ground and landing a punch to his jaw. Dark brown eyes filled with rage were narrowed, and his voice came out in a deep growl, “This has you written all of it; you no good charlatan.” The blonde snarled something out before landing his own punch before Mu’Ru quickly returned it. His arm was pulled back as he prepared to throw another punch when someone grabbed hold of his upper arm. The tall knight froze as Evren begged him to stop. He unclenched his fist and swept the prince up in his arms as he rose from the ground, “You should thank your lucky stars. Prince Remon, I urge you to be careful.”

indentAs soon as Ascelin carried his prince inside, he placed him down on the stairs to look at his ankle. Tears burned in his eyes as he took in how swollen it was, his voice thick with emotion, “I do not believe it is broken, my prince. I would say that it is likely a terrible sprain, but we will have a healer confirm it.” When he glanced up to look at Evren, there was confusion shining in his eyes. The crown prince wiped the tears from his face, all the while questioning why he was crying, “Because I failed you. I should’ve found you sooner. Even if it hadn’t stopped your injury, at least you would have spent less time walking on it. I keep failing you; you should rid yourself of me.” He bowed his head, leaning all the way down to gently press his lips against the swollen ankle. As he lifted his head, Eve was staring at him with a look he hadn’t seen before, “Your Highness?” Evren simply shook his head; Lin cleared his throat, and lifted the younger man back into his arms, ignoring the familiar looks he received as he carried him into the prince’s personal wing, “I will have a healer come to you. We need to get you into a change of warm clothes. After we hear from the healer, as soon as they leave your room, we are going to have a talk, Evren.” The prince’s name slipped from his lips in a near growl, “We have so much to discuss, including new protocols that will be put in place. But do not worry; your father will absolutely not hear of what occurred. You have my word.”

indent
•••••


indentAs soon as he caught sight of Caspian and Ser Ascelin, he felt his heart leap in his chest. He released his brother’s hand, whispering, just in case the two older men could hear him, “He’s a good man, I swear it. Don’t be concerned.” He said it, knowing his brother would likely worry anyway, but left his side and ran toward the blonde. Remon raced toward Caspian, launching himself into the man’s arms as soon as he was close enough and collapsing into him, “Cas!” Caspian was holding him so tightly against his chest that he could barely breathe, but he could find it within himself to care. One of them was shaking, and he couldn’t tell which of them it was, but it didn’t matter because he was safe now. He gave a small nod of his head as the blonde growled into his ear as he buried his face in the faeman’s chest, “I’ll try not to.” Remon missed his warmth as soon as he pulled away, wishing that he was still holding him.

indentHis heart lurched as his brother’s knight lunged at the blonde, “No!” He stood frozen as the two brawled in the snow until Evren forced the larger man to stop. Bile filled his mouth as the knight gave him a warning, unable to stop himself from snapping at the man as he walked away, “I have nothing to be wary of!” He quickly turned back around and fell to his knees beside Caspian. His eyes filled with tears, gods, he was tired of crying, as he took in the bruises that had already started to form. He brushed off the comments about his bleeding shoulder, “Forget about me! Your poor face! Look at what that brute did to your face! Good thing you got a few punches in there too.” Remon’s mouth snapped shut at the sound of the blonde’s growl, “It’s not like it’s a lot of blood, and you’re far more important to me than me being injured.” Another growl had him drop his head on the older man’s shoulder as the blonde scolded him. But he couldn’t help it. He had been raised to think that while his father would always see him above the commoners and nonhumans in Ashain, his welfare would never even be near the realm of his brother, mother, or his father because that is how little he mattered to the man and how little he should matter to himself. He bit his lip as the tears began to roll down his cheeks again. He grabbed onto the blonde’s shoulders as he was lifted into his arms, none of them saying a word as they entered the castle and walked to his personal wing.

indentJust as the door shut behind Caspian, his eyes watered, and he tightened his grip on the blonde, “I was scared that I would never see you again. I truly thought we would die out there. We probably would have if that fae from tourney had found us.” Cas’s entire body went rigid as the blonde lowered him to the ground, more growls pushing past his lips, “I’m not sure how many, maybe three or four. But I’m completely certain that the male fae we heard while hiding in the tents was one of them. Kinda sounded like he was their leader, and I think he was the one who threw whatever cut my shoulder.” Rage was radiating off of the blonde in waves, but he felt safe knowing that none of it was targeted at him. His cheeks went pink as he glanced up into Caspian’s eyes, “You know what would make my shoulder feel better? A kiss.” The blonde snorted, but relented and pressed a firm kiss that slowly turned more passionate before the older man cut it short, “If you ever see that man, I hope you destroy him. Make it hurt too.”

[skydust]

𝗘𝗩𝗥𝗘𝗡 (& 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗔𝗡) ✧
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
✧ words: 1560 ✧ tags: Remon, Mu'ru ✧ role: crown prince of ashain

indentEvren gasped as Ascelin launched himself at Caspian, knocking both of them to the ground. Evren was even more surprised when Ascelin threw the first punch. Evren wanted to stop it but something in his gut was writhing, and he didn’t understand it. They continued to pummel each other, as Eve was frozen standing by. When that feeling was done, he quickly shot forward and grabbed Ascelin’s arm, tugging him back. “Ascelin, please! He’s had enough!” he yelled. Weirdly the wind seemed to be calm around them, even though he could hear the whistling of the storm. Evren yelped in surprise when Ascelin swept him off his feet.
indentCarrying him back to the castle seemed to be easy for his knight and Evren questioned if he should be eating more. Evren rolled his eyes as he realized he needed more muscle on him. Besides that, it was a silent affair. The air was thick with emotions that none of them wanted to let out. Evren bit the inside of his cheek as they made it to the castle. Ascelin placed him on the stairs to look at his ankle. Thick with emotion in his voice, he stated that it looked like a bad sprain. Evren was thankful that it didn’t look broken. He was still shivering as his body slowly warmed, as he gave Lin a confused look when he started crying. He wiped the tears off the knight’s face. “Oh, Lin. Why are you crying?”
indentShock danced in his eyes as he heard why Lin was crying. It couldn’t be farther from the truth. Evren stared at him, struggling to hold back his own emotions. He bit the inside of his cheek again, his nails digging into his palms as he stopped himself from leaning forward and kissing the knight. A shiver went down his spine at how hard it was. He didn’t realize his feelings were so strong. Evren cursed Finn in his mind to make him realize his feelings. It would be better, safer, for his friends if he never realized in the first place. His father would kill him if he heard of this. So, Evren tucked his feelings away and simply shook his head at the words Lin was saying. Lin lifted Evren again, carrying him to the hospital wing of the castle.
indent“You don’t need to worry so much,” Evren muttered. “Remon and I used to do this all the time when we were teenagers! This time just…happened to go badly. We don’t need more regulations, and I don’t need to be scolded,” Evren said, though he knew this was a losing battle. He was getting scolded no matter what, and those regulations were going to be put into place. No matter what Evren said. Lin would make sure of it. “Thank you. For not telling my father,” Evren said looking at the ground instead of Lin’s face. He laughed bitterly, “He would freak out if he heard anything of this. If he heard, forget about regulations, he’d banish me to my quarters for the next century.”
indentOn the way, Evren spotted Maron yawning into his hand as he marched through the castle. Shock quickly sprouted to his face as he watched Evren be carried down the hallway. “Woah, woah!” He said, running up to the two of them. “What the hell happened? Evren are you okay?”
indentEvren nodded as Lin explained what had happened. Evren looked away as Maron gave him a disappointed look. Pretending the paintings on the wall were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. When they made it to the hospital wing, the healer quickly gasped as she saw the state of Evren. She took him to a more private room, Lin and Maron joining him as the healer looked at his ankle and his ear and cheek. They wrapped a bandage around his ankle, and his ear and cheek had stopped bleeding enough that it just needed a plaster. Maron looked like he was going to faint the whole time, and Lin didn’t look pleased either as Evren sat there.
indentThe healer cleared their throat, “Well the scratch on your cheek is superficial, my prince, there will be a chunk of the top of your ear split. That I can sew up if you’d like. Your ankle thankfully is not broken. Though I’d recommend you stay off it. You might see some bruising and swelling, and it’s going to hurt. But besides that, I recommend some bed rest. I will not notify the King, as Sir Ascelin suggested. Though I will have to tell him if he comes asking.”
indentWhen they left, Maron ran a hand through his long brown hair. “Well, I’m glad you’re not too hurt. I need to get back to night watch, but Eve, don’t do this again,” he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Evren’s forehead, and then whispered in his ear. “Unless you take me with you next time.” And then Maron leaned back and looked at Lin with a look Evren couldn’t place. They stared at each other for a long time before Maron let out a sigh and shook his head. Maron was out the door after that, the sound of his armor clanking slowly fading. Evren tried not to blush too hard. But he couldn’t help but want Maron to do that again. Evren turned to Lin, taking a deep breath.
indent“You know I’d never replace you, right? I could never do that. Not even if I was ordered,” Evren said in a quiet voice, looking at Ascelin with softness. “I know what I did tonight was dangerous, but it in no way your fault. I should have thought more…a-about the dangers. I’m sorry, deeply.”
indent---
indentCaspian was a bit shocked as Mu’ru tackled him to the ground. He didn’t really think the hybrid had the guts. Mu’ru landed a punch to his jaw, and Caspian hissed at the pain. At being called a charlatan of all things, Caspian snarled, “Charlatan? Big word for a dog.” He punched Mu’ru back, but Mu’ru returned it. He was about to land another when the other prince pulled him back. Caspian laughed as Mu’ru spoke. “Thank my lucky stars? For what? You being a good little dog that obeys his master? Please,” he spat. The guard dog walked away, carrying the other prince with him. Caspian laid his head in the snow, glad that the cold was numbing his jaw. His prince kneeled in the snow at his side, and Caspian took in Remon. “Your shoulder is still bleeding,” he said.
indentCaspian growled as Remon brushed off the concern for his shoulder. “Please, don’t be concerned about me right now. You look half dead,” Caspian said. He let out another growl as Remon once again brushed off the concern. Caspian sat up, “You’re more important than a bruise, little mouse.” He swept the crying prince into his arms, carrying him to the castle and then Remon’s personal quarters. When the door closed behind him, he felt Remon’s hold tighten on him. When Remon mentioned the fae from the tourney, Caspian froze. His entire body burned with rage as he slowly lowered Remon to the ground. Oh, Eoseal had done it now. He growled, “How many of them were there?”
indentHe cursed the Syndicate in his mind, he knew that it wasn’t Eoseal that threw the ice. Since Eoseal was Seelie and had the powers of spring. He couldn’t say that out loud though, and it didn’t make the anger lesson. He would kill them all no matter what. When Remon suggested a kiss would make him feel better, Caspian snorted in amusement but leaned forward anyway. He pressed a firm kiss to Remon’s lips, the kiss turning passionate. But he stopped himself from going any further. He couldn’t ruin Remon, yet.
indentAt Remon’s words, he smiled. Glad that Remon saw his emotions on the matter and knew his stance on the subject. “Oh, don’t worry. I will,” he said. Cas took off Remon’s coat and then unbuttoned Remon’s shirt. When he took it off, he leaned forward, and pressed his lips to the cut on Remon’s shoulder. When he was done, he leaned back, blood staining his lips. “All better," he said quietly. Caspian licked his lips and then got up. He lit every candle in the room with a wave of his hands. And then lit the fireplace with a scrape of his hand. “Get changed into warm clothes, and then under blankets. I’ll find some bandages.”
indentAs Remon did what he said, Caspian entered the bathroom and scrounged for bandages, and then wet a washcloth. He reentered Remon’s quarters and found him sitting on the bed, a shirt in front of him. Caspian sat behind Remon. “This might hurt,” he said quietly. Before cleaning the wound as gently as he could. When it was clean, he bandaged the wound up as quickly as he could. When he was done, he gestured for Remon to put on the warm shirt. When everything was said and done, Caspian stood up and then walked in front of Remon. “I have to go; I have business I need to take care of. Rest, alright?” he said, before adjusting his jacket and then leaving the room swiftly.
indentHe had a little someone to visit.

[Seokjinnie]

X𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫 '𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔦' 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 & 𝔰𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔫 '𝔩𝔦𝔫' 𝔫𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔢 X

indentAscelin tilted his head to the side, opening his mouth to ask if Evren really thought telling him that he’d basically been bad at his job all along was helping, but he closed his mouth. The king would likely do more than just banish the crown prince to his room, but he didn’t want to bring that to Remon’s attention. Suddenly, Maron was running up to them, and he inwardly winced. He sighed and gave a small shake of his head, “Evie, here, thought it would be a good idea to run off with Prince Remon without notifying anyone. Then he got attacked in the woods and was injured in the process.” The remainder of the walk to the hospital wing was silent and the stress of what happened weighed down on him heavily. It only worsened as he watched the healer look over Evren’s injuries. Mu’Ru felt sick to his stomach, part of him wished he didn’t exist at all because watching the result of how much he was failing to do the sole purpose of existence.

indentLin’s eyes followed the healer’s back as they walked away before his eyes darted back to Evren and Maron to see the older man whispering something in the prince’s ear, “I hope you’re not encouraging bad behavior, Maron.” Something flickered in Maron’s eyes, and the look on his face was enough to bring what had happened between them to mind. The tips of his ears went pink as he shuffled his feet, but he never broke eye contact with him. Well, that answered the question he’d been preventing himself from dwelling on. The moment was broken by Maron’s departure; it was suddenly just him and Evren. His head dropped, “ I know that, but there’s a part of me that is just constantly... nevermind, forget it, it isn’t important. A serious look settled on his face as the hybrid crossed his arms, “You have been sheltered your entire life. I don’t blame you for wanting to go out and not have to worry about the weight of the world being on your shoulders, Evren. You don’t even need to apologize to me about needing to get out. However,” The tall knight moved to stand directly in front of the prince, “I will still be putting measures in place to protect you because someone is after you and your family. I don’t think either of us needs a moment to figure out why. But I can’t even begin to explain to you what I will do to the next person who hurts you. Amplify my reaction outside by a million, and that... His voice dropped to a growl as he forced himself to move back, “That would still only be a fraction of how I would react.” Before he could even really think about what he was doing, he was on one knee in front of Remon and had the back of one of the prince’s hands pressed against his forehead. His voice was barely audible and raspy as he spoke, “I would smash the world to pieces if you asked me to, Evren. My life is yours to spare or throw away. If you permit me, I will go out there right now and track down the people who hurt you and Prince Remon. Just say the word.” The tall knight wanted to hear the words and be granted permission to let the beast run free and do what the honorable knight could not. But he knew they would never come.

indentEvren would never authorize something like that. When he looked up, the younger man looked horrified at what he had just said, and then his face was cupped in the prince’s hands as he rambled. A passive smile spread across his face as he placed his hands over Eve’s, “Then I will remain here by your side, as my prince commands. Let’s get you to your room and into a change of warm clothes. Ascelin lifted his friend into his arms and carried him to his bedroom. The hybrid closed the door behind him with his foot before carefully placing Evren onto his bed, “What do you need of me, Your Highness?

indent
•••••


indent A thrill ran through his entire being, not just at the blonde’s smile but at the promise. Remon never expected anyone to want to protect him the way Cas did or promise the destruction of someone just for slightly harming his shoulder. Even the older man’s gentleness was a surprise, because who besides his mother and brother would ever be so kind to him? Nyorai had been kind to him, but that had only started because the other man had been his servant. He winced as the older man cleaned his wound; the pain was only a reminder that the moment was real. None of this was a dream, and it was so hard for him to believe that it was real. The prince gave a small nod of acknowledgment as he carefully put the warm shirt on himself. Then suddenly, he was gone. Remon was alone again, and the fear had returned.

indentHis entire body began to tremble as he slowly moved under the covers. The flickering candlelight was his only company. It was as he lay there quietly that he began to wonder exactly how he and Evren had been found. A small part of him, and truly, it was such a small part of him that he wasn’t even sure where it came from or if the attack had been planned by their father. But his father hated the fae so much that he couldn’t even imagine his father trusting them enough for something like that. The more he thought about it, the crazier of an idea it seemed. Or was it? His father was a horrible person, king, and father, but was he truly capable of something like that? Maybe it wasn’t as crazy as he initially considered it, but there was no way it could actually be true. Remon shook his head and buried the idea.

indentHe wasn’t sure how much time had passed between Caspian leaving and him falling asleep, but he was certain that it had been hours. His stomach felt empty as he forced himself into an upright position, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually leave the room or to eat at all. The young prince had been plagued by what felt like a never-ending stream of nightmares that ranged from Evren and his mother’s deaths to his own to Cas abandoning him. All of it made his chest ache and his body feel ice cold. He wondered where Cas had gone and when the man would be back. Remon felt like he had never been more alone now that he knew what having an actual companion was like. It was hard to imagine what would happen to him if Cas ever got tired and left him behind, never to return. He shuddered, not even wanting to think about something like that happening.