Kyungsoo named his daughter Sowon for hope and a week after she was born, Kyungsoo sent Baekhyun with Sowon back to the capital city of Verndina, while he remained in the seaside town of Ostville with Yixing.

Baekhyun arrived in Verndina, not only with Sowon but also with a set of instructions to meet Joohyun and inform her about Kyungsoo giving birth and what had happened to him while he was in Zerura. Kyungsoo also relayed what he planned to do to confront Chanyeol through Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo knew what he was doing would be dangerous and could very severely affect relations between the two countries but at that time, it was the only way he could think of to ensure not only his own safety but that of his people, friends, family and especially Sowon.

Shocked to hear about what Kyungsoo had gone through and feeling accountable for her decision to send him away in the first place; in what was perceived to be a power move, Joohyun instructed the Vallis royal palace to publicly announce that Kyungsoo had given birth to a princess without mentioning who the other parent was.

The news of the royal birth was everywhere. Special monuments around Vallis were also lit up especially to commemorate the event. A public holiday was even planned to celebrate the birth of the Queen’s first grandchild.

Zerura, of course, heard about this and Chanyeol was beyond furious. Not just because Kyungsoo had run away from him and he had failed to track him down all this time. But because Kyungsoo had also now given birth and made his country announce the birth without even acknowledging Chanyeol as the other parent. Especially when he heard that the baby Kyungsoo had given birth to a female omega, which was strongly coveted to inherit the throne of Zerura.

For Chanyeol, the only good thing that came out of this was that he now knew where exactly Kyungsoo was; when the official ambassador of Vallis to Zerura had personally sent him a letter from Kyungsoo so they could meet and finally deal with “unfinished business”. 

Chanyeol needed his heir and he would never let Vallis have her, especially now that they seemed to be gloating that fact in his face with the public announcement and all.

By then, Junmyeon was well aware of Kyungsoo’s running away for a while now, although he had yet to confront Chanyeol about it, even knowing when it could threaten national security and bilateral ties between their countries. Mainly because he felt like it wasn’t his thing to deal with.

Despite being away from the palace and mainly doing his work from behind the scenes, Junmyeon knew what it was Chanyeol was doing or planned to do. In fact, it could be said that Junmyeon was the one who probably planted all these ideas into Chanyeol’s head in the first place. 

So when Junmyeon did too eventually hear about Kyungsoo giving birth to a child, who was also his grandson, he decided to retreat to his vacation home in the mountains because he wasn’t ready to deal with what was coming back to bite at him.

**

On the 6th of March, two weeks since Kyungsoo gave birth and about eight days since the announcement of Sowon’s birth was made, Chanyeol violated an international peace council treaty by entering Vallis with a platoon of soldiers in an unprecedented action.

The moment the train carrying Chanyeol and his platoon of men passed from over the Ostshore channel and into Vallis territory, a border guard had informed the Vallisean royal palace about this action, which was considered to be an unofficial declaration of war.

Hearing about this, Joohyun dispatched Seungwan and four times the numbers of soldiers Chanyeol had with him to the small town of Ostville, where Chanyeol was expected to meet Kyungsoo.

In the convent on the cliff overlooking the sea, Kyungsoo waited in the main church building, sitting on a pew with his back hunched over and resting his forehead on his clasped hands as if he was in prayer despite being not. The royal family of Vallis had long maintained being non-religious.

Kyungsoo was dressed in civilian clothes; a grey jacket on top of a white dress shirt and plain black trousers. His favorite saber was in a sheath and worn a belt on the left side of his hip.

Baekhyun had returned to Ostville a few days earlier just to deliver Kyungsoo the sword he said he’d need. Baekhyun and Yixing both didn’t need to question why Kyungsoo, who had just given birth two weeks ago, would even need his saber.  

They were worried but they also knew they wouldn’t be able to stop Kyungsoo.

The sun would be setting in a few hours and from outside the church on top of the cliff, the sun was already closer to the horizon above the rippling sea.

The soft natural light of the late afternoon in March seeped through the stained glass windows of the church hall, shining down its focused rays in the deserted church hall, illuminating the dust particles that floated in the air.

The convent and almost the entire town had been evacuated to the neighboring town in case a battle could break out with the presence of soldiers there.

It was quiet and deserted but the silence was then interrupted with Seungwan storming through the church hall and almost running down the aisle to meet her brother at the other end, sitting on a pew near the altar.

Kyungsoo lifted his head and turned around to face his younger sister who stood beside where he sat. She was dressed in her dark blue military uniform- reflecting the official colors of Vallis- with a short sword on her belt.

“I will have to ask you to rethink your decision. Do you seriously want to go up in a sword duel against the Crown Prince of Zerura? I do not doubt your abilities but you just gave birth fifteen days ago! You should rest, not fight against someone who is a formidable opponent too. We can take care of this.” Seungwan pleaded with a slightly stern yet concerned voice.

“No,” Kyungsoo calmly refused his sister, “Only I can do this. According to Zerurian law, it actually is still technically legal and acceptable to settle disputes through a swordfight duel. I have decided that I will do it for my freedom and that of my daughter, so we can be free from the clutch of Zerura. I told you I’d do this alone as the individual Do Kyungsoo and not as a prince of Vallis, which is why I’ve chosen to not wear my uniform today. I am merely representing myself and my daughter, not the country. If I win, we’ll be free.”

“I understand why you do this and I want to support you too but-,” Seungwan sympathized, “-we are extremely worried for you. Not just me and mother but also your friends, Baekhyun and Yixing.”

“I know, Seungwan, I know,” Kyungsoo reiterated, “-but I have to do this by myself. I don’t want our countries to be dragged into war because of my personal problem, which is why this just has to be me and no one else. More people will be implicated if I don’t handle things now.”

“I get it,” Seungwan heaved, her voice dropping, “-but what if you lose? I don’t want to lose you and I know a lot of people feel the same way too.”

Kyungsoo stood up, smiling softly and melancholically as he rested a hand on Seungwan’s shoulder, “I do not intend to lose to Chanyeol this time. Not now.”

At half-past four in the afternoon, Chanyeol and his platoon of soldiers arrived in the deserted town of Ostville. Seungwan held off the Vallisean soldiers, not giving them the orders to engage unless she deemed it necessary, as they waited in an old abandoned castle not far from the convent on the cliff.

Baekhyun and Yixing were with Seungwan too and the Vallisean soldiers, awaiting orders. As much as anyone there wanted to intervene, this was personal and only something Kyungsoo could do himself.

There was not much anyone could do except to rely on their belief and the trust they had for Kyungsoo.

“I will proceed alone,” Chanyeol turned his head to say, taking off his black leather gloves which he then passed to Jongdae.

“Very well, your highness,” Jongdae bowed his head, taking Chanyeol’s gloves.

Chanyeol, Jongdae and a few of their soldiers were already in the convent’s compound atop the cliff, although still a walks away from the main church building which Kyungsoo had aforementioned in his letter to Chanyeol to be the place for them to duel on-and-one with each other.

The other Zerurian soldiers were scattered around the town and its perimeter, all of them including Chanyeol and Jongdae were dressed in the official rufescent red military uniform of Zerura.

Chanyeol, otherwise looking smart and proper as always, especially in uniform, was visibly distressed and his face was a contortion of both anger and fear. He was confident but he wasn’t too hopeful.

“Await orders and if I do not come out from there in an hour, you and the platoon may proceed inside. No matter what you see or hear, do not proceed unless those conditions are met,” Chanyeol ordered, drawing his saber out from its sheath before walking up to the church building with his saber in hand.

“I understand,” Jongdae nodded and once Chanyeol was out of earshot, he sighed, watching Chanyeol walk on the green grass that covered the cliff as the crown prince’s back grew smaller the closer he got to the church hall building.

Grasping onto Chanyeol’s gloves which were still in his hand, Jongdae turned to look out to the sea, feeling the warm wind from the sea which blew everywhere even when winter hadn’t officially ended.  Thick gray clouds were blowing in over the cliff by the sea, signifying an incoming storm.

Maybe they didn’t realize it themselves or hated to admit it but Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were actually quite rather similar to each other. The people around them did certainly notice this though.

Chanyeol pushed the heavy church doors open and shut them close with a loud thud, where he was then met with the sight of Kyungsoo staring him down from halfway down the aisle.

Kyungsoo’s sword was still sheathed and hung from the belt on his waist, while Chanyeol had his out for a while now.

Now that Chanyeol had a better look, Kyungsoo’s expression was rather neutral and almost emotionless. It baffled Chanyeol how Kyungsoo was seemingly not feeling anything about this at all; when Chanyeol himself was drowning in his own emotions.

In reality, Kyungsoo just had a lot more time to process and accept his feelings unlike Chanyeol, which made him far more prepared for this confrontation.

“So you really have given birth already. That was earlier than what we both expected,” Chanyeol commented, lowering his gaze to Kyungsoo’s now flat stomach and then back up towards the latter’s face as a strand of hair fell from his neatly combed blonde hair.

Kyungsoo remained silent, almost impossible to read.

Chanyeol then continued, “It certainly did cross my mind that the announcement of the birth was a lie and that you hadn’t given birth yet, to act as a ploy to drag me out here.” Chanyeol’s tone of voice quickly shifted and he now sounded confrontative, “Where is my daughter, Kyungsoo? Give her to me!”

Kyungsoo quickly answered, “She’s somewhere safe, Chanyeol, and she is my daughter too. I didn’t carry her for nine months and go through eight hours of labor just so I can hand her over to you just like that.”

“We had an agreement!” Chanyeol almost yelled, “You didn’t want to be a parent! You told me you’d hand me over our child once you have given birth!”

“That is true,” Kyungsoo affirmed, speaking loud but clearly, “We did indeed have an agreement around this time last year and I also do recall not wanting to become a parent but now that I am, I have to be responsible for our child. Besides, you lied to me, so our agreement is invalid now. You promised me you’d send me home once this was all over but you planned to kill me all along. If I had stayed in your palace, I’d be six feet under the ground now.”

Chanyeol did not respond to that, not denying it either because he knew it was very much real and there was no use to lie about it anymore with the truth already up in the air.

“We don’t have to do this,” Chanyeol attempted to bargain, gripping the handle of his saber even tighter in his hand.  

“-do what exactly?” Kyungsoo returned, “You expect me to just surrender myself to you, so you can later kill me like you always wanted? I think we both know that I’m not going to just take this lying down. Like I have made it clear in my letter, I will fight for my life here and if I win, I get to walk away with my daughter and there won’t be too many repercussions for Zerura too since we can just consider this a personal matter and not a blatant violation of international peace laws.”

“Fine, if that’s what you want,” Chanyeol hissed, “I will just have to fight you then as you wish. Mind you, I never lose.”

“Of course,” Kyungsoo said nonchalantly, drawing his saber from the sheath, his heart rate already beginning to quicken.

Kyungsoo really hated confrontations and unnecessary violence, especially knowing that he’d have to hurt Chanyeol for his life. But right now, he really felt that this was absolutely necessary.

Little by little, Kyungsoo was beginning to understand the intent to kill, which he could feel a little during that fencing match with Chanyeol last year. Now, Kyungsoo had no reasons to hold back to save Chanyeol’s pride or his ego. He could finally prove to Chanyeol the extent of his full capability and skills.

As the skies grew darker and the clouds gathered above grew thicker, the winds outside began to blow harder and howled, the sounds of it hitting the stained glass panes resonating through the empty church halls.

The storm was approaching faster as if God himself was trying to send a message to those two engaged in a fierce swordfight in his own house.

Soon, the first raindrops were already falling and splattering against the roof and glass windows.

With his saber in hand, Kyungsoo quickly advanced forward with his steady and stable footwork to slash at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol was fast and managed to parry the attack with the blunt side of his saber before quickly retreating backwards to put more distance between himself and Kyungsoo.

None of them moved from their spots, waiting for the other to make the first move as they only exchanged heavy glances but no more words.

In an unprecedented move, Kyungsoo ripped the jacket he was wearing off of himself before flinging it towards Chanyeol who was rather bewildered at such an action.

While avoiding the jacket to avoid from the action being used a ruse to distract him, Kyungsoo quickly retreated and hid under one of the many rows upon rows of church pews.

Even for Kyungsoo, this was a risky move. He would have to have at least his upper body up high enough if he wanted to swing his saber towards Chanyeol for an attack. Under the pew and in between it, there was not enough room for Kyungsoo to swing his saber and that actually put him in a disadvantage if Chanyeol found where he was. Which Chanyeol did anyway.

Chanyeol swung his saber down from above his head vertically to hit Kyungsoo, who managed to evade the attack by moving sideways, jumping over the pews in front of him.

Before Chanyeol could switch his orientation for a lateral attack, Kyungsoo was already swinging his own saber with the blade aimed directly towards Chanyeol’s face because of the elevation advantage he had by still standing on the church pew.

Chanyeol ducked his head fast enough to avoid his face from being cut in half but was not fast enough to avoid getting cut on his earlobes.

With his free left hand, Chanyeol cupped his bleeding ear to make sure it was still there, thinking that Kyungsoo might have cut it off. He still had his ear but Kyungsoo had managed to detach a small bit of flesh from his earlobe, and even maybe perforate a vein.

Chanyeol hissed through the pain as the wound began to bleed and run down his face and neck, staining his red uniform into a darker red that almost appeared black as a result.

Chanyeol felt his face heat up and redden as blood rushed through his head, roaring in his eardrums as he continued to bleed profusely from his ear.

Still cupping his bloody ear with one hand and holding his saber in the other, a panting Chanyeol lifted his head to look up and see Kyungsoo standing on the aisle while leaning against the edge of a pew some rows from where Chanyeol himself was standing.

Kyungsoo looked similarly out of breath too despite being unharmed. He was clutching his stomach and appeared to just appear overall fatigued and pale, which was not something unusual for someone who had just given birth two weeks ago.

Kyungsoo didn’t hesitate and even when he had barely managed to catch his breath, he was already moving out to the center of the aisle.

Chanyeol too moved to the center of the aisle, where Kyungsoo was now standing too, facing him with their swords in their hands.

Boldly, Kyungsoo simply sauntered up the aisle to make his way down to Chanyeol, who didn’t really know what to do when Kyungsoo so calmly approached him like that.

Chanyeol was expecting a dash, a stabbing move, a strike or something else; certainly not just Kyungsoo placidly walking to him like that.

Chanyeol began to hyperventilate and he panicked, fearing defeat because that was not something he was accustomed to. He couldn’t fathom how Kyungsoo was just so fine as if nothing was wrong between them, when Chanyeol himself felt like the earth beneath his feet was giving way.

Despite the chilly weather in March and the storm raging outside, Chanyeol began to sweat through his palms in those short few seconds that felt like an eternity.

Fearing he might even let the saber slip from his hands, Chanyeol moved his arm backward and then forwards in a stabbing move directed towards Kyungsoo’s gut. Or at least that was what Chanyeol thought he did.

Instead, Chanyeol lost the grip of his saber as he could only watch helplessly with a face contorted in horror as the weapon fell to the ground, still being unable to move a single limb out of pure shock that he was facing defeat.

Kyungsoo saw the window of opportunity and took it, striking Chanyeol in the side of his abdomen at that exact spot where Kyungsoo knew Chanyeol had an injury at from the skirmish with his father.

Kyungsoo knew that the wound never really did heal properly because Chanyeol hid it from others and was thus unable to get proper treatment for it. Kyungsoo had heard Chanyeol saying that he suspected a shard of the sword was still embedded there in his flesh because of the pain he felt especially on cold days like these.

Using this knowledge, Kyungsoo had hit Chanyeol where he was the most physically vulnerable.

Chanyeol gasped and choked on his breath as h