Yongguk smiled as he felt something cold pressed on his neck. The pressure isn’t heavy but the message was clear as day; he had entered the area where he should not. “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked back, smile still plastered and face directed toward the afternoon sky, like what he had done previously. The cold thing on his neck pressed harder and a moment later a voice talked; “Do you know where you’re standing right now could get you killed?” The voice sounds so young, Yongguk thought, he calculated it would belong to someone around his own age, younger even. It rang steadily and confidently, like someone who always can calculate where he stands and how was the place he stands on. Yongguk decided he liked that, a voice of a fighter. “I’m talking to you right now” the steady voice said again, Yongguk sensed some authority emanated from him, but Yongguk himself was the authorized one in his troop, so he merely fazed by the man behind him.

The dead silence suddenly broke by a sharp movement from Yongguk; turning around in a whip and grabbing the hand near his neck. He caught the previous cold thing (which is a short sword), priced in a small bloodied slice on his palm but little fracture like this always happened in battlefield. The man opposite him was also fast to let go his own hand and taking step some meters away from Yongguk; another sword already gripped steadily on his other hand. Finally face to face with the man, Yongguk could see him clearly; a youngster clad in dark coloured robe with hair slightly ruffled from the impact of their counter. Kicking up the short sword on the ground, Yongguk jerked forward and swung it toward the young man’s chest. He jumped away right on time, the short sword only ripped his robe, revealing silk fabric inside; bright red with golden dragon embroidered on it.

Upon recognizing the symbol, Yongguk’s smile had turned into a smirk. He stood straight, hand gripping the short sword loosely, walking slightly toward the young man but his opposite suddenly starked forward; swinging his sword in a deadly strike. With a reflex of years in battlefields, Yongguk ducked down, some of his hairs cut off by the blade. With his empty hand, he caught the young man’s robe and jerked him aside, ripping the robe off of him. The young man stumbled and his grip loosened on his own sword; that’s when Yongguk striked back and in a flurry of moments his back was pressed flat against the ground, with Yongguk’s knee pressing on his hip. He jerked and squirmed. Yongguk smiled upon the resistance before easily threw him back against the ground. He really liked it when futile attempts being repeated again and again.

The young man underneath him stopped squirming, panting heavily and stared up on Yongguk with angry eyes. This close, he could see the young face clearer than before; the slightly tanned skin and chapped lips. “There’s no use in killing me” the young man said, still panting. Yongguk tilted his head, interested at the sudden defeated tone. “You wouldn’t” the young man said again, gulping, breath gets harsher. “Wouldn’t what?” Yongguk prompted. But the young man turned his face away, refusing to continue. “I’ve defeated, you may kill me in any way you wish”  he said instead. “Oh? So you thought I would kill you?” Yongguk says with a slight mock, making the other gritted his teeth. “Now that’s not very nice of you, Your Highness”

Yongguk smirked as the man beneath him jerked again in anger, and something alike of excitement stirred inside his chest as he threw the young man back on the ground, harder this time. Not short after, his knee pressed harshly on the other’s hip and a pained voice rang off loudly. “Now, now, Your Highness, don’t you think you’re a bit too much thinking like that of me?” he asked in a feigned confusion, his knee is still on the other’s hip. “I’m a moral man, hunting a fractured prey would be a shame on me” The other breathed harsher as Yongguk pressed harder on his hip, but he gritted his teeth and refused to make another pained sounds. It’s been a long time, Yongguk thought suddenly, so long since the last time he felt this kind of adrenaline rush. Like all your previous cold blood had boiled from a burning fire.

Still smirking, he leaned closer to the young man’s ear, “If I were you, I wouldn’t walk around with that injured hip and carrying only your body and two weapons as your defense” And then, without waiting any respond, Yongguk stood up, pulling the body beneath him as well. Both of the swords laid on the ground and Yongguk decided they would still stay like that. This young man is only a member of Royal Palace, maybe a prince, but he didn’t remember which one, because the royal family tightly closed in their safe confinement, totally closed from the world. So Yongguk deemed he maybe just wandered and lost and stumbled upon wrong situation. But Yongguk could tell he got a decent combat skill, the result would be different, if only he wasn’t already injured. It made all gets more interesting for he knew royal palace never involved straightly in a battlefield.

Still panting harshly, the young prince, or so Yongguk assumed, stared up at him in genuine confusion. Hands gripping his hip, the young prince moved backwards, away from Yongguk. “W-what do you want now?” he asked, pride still latched within his voice. Chuckling, Yongguk walked toward a huge rock and sitting there. “What I want?” he adjusted his position and crossing his hands. “I want you to go home and tend that wound and then I can turn around and enjoying the view here, just pretend this never happened, although maybe the palace would ask many things from you instead” Yongguk says calmly, watching the young prince’s face contorted more. He realized the prince has deep brown eyes, just like the people from Yongguk’s side; different than the black of the people from his own side instead. “You weren’t doing some surveillance here?” the prince asked in perplexion. “Surveillance?” Yongguk tilted his head, “Well, I was, on the view over there” Yongguk turned away and gesturing with his head to the scenery ahead; the bright sky lined up with a horizon of the city of his side. He could feel the prince’s heavy stare on him as he kept his gaze toward the horizon and he wanted to smile wider at that. So young. So curious, but silently scrutinizing. He could feel thousands of questions formed on the other’s head.

“Don’t you want to say something about yourself?” Yongguk decided to ask instead. Taken aback, the prince stared with a slight anger this time, as if his name was the last thing he could protect on him. “I know you’re one of the royal family but I don’t know which Royal Kim are you” Yongguk continued, his upper body leaned forward. The prince didn’t answer right away, Yongguk understands though, giving any details of yourself to the enemy means straight death. He just testing the water, just want to know how far he could push this young man toward the edge with a curiousity he didn’t know he still had toward a person. But seeing the slightly shorter man in front of him, he couldn’t help but to feel that kind of curiousity, like a happy child upon a newfound hidden treasure. Right, hidden treasure, Yongguk knew how it would pull him more and more, without him knowing himself what kind of treasure waiting at the end of the journey. But that’s okay, the thrill was worth it. Or maybe that’s just what he wanted to believe.

“I’m not one of the royal Kim” the prince said, breaking the dead silence between them. “But I know you, you’re one of the Dragon Twins”

Raising one of his eyebrows, Yongguk didn’t say anything and opted to only stare at the prince. Golden is the color of Emperor’s children, so saying that he wasn’t the one of the Royal Kim would be understatement. But his steady gaze told he was telling the truth. “Oh well, I’m more interested how you suddenly knew who I am, actually” Yongguk eventually says, dropping the topic of the prince’s name. “Kyungs— I mean, one of the guards knew there’s someone often comes here but I don’t believe it at first until I saw you with my own two eyes” the prince said. “So you also visits here frequently? Funny how I never met you before” Yongguk said back, sitting again on the rock. “That’s because I usually come in the morning, and the guard knew your reputation”

“Really?”

“You killed his father two years ago”

Yongguk chuckled again, sensing the slight sentimental tone of the young man with a name he still doesn’t know. How young, Yongguk thought while standing up. As he stalked forward, the young prince had let his guard off and stumbled backward, Yonguk’s hands ebveloping his torso were the only one that prevented him from falling on the ground. “Isn’t that what your nation do as well?” he asked and tightened his grip when the prince squirmed in panic. “If I don’t kill that man, then I would give him opportunities to lead your nation’s troop to annihilate mine, don’t you think it was a bit unfair like that?” Yongguk pulled the younger furthermore until their fronts are pressed together, feeling each other’s breath; one is ragged and alarmed meanwhile the other is calm and steady. “That’s one thing the Royal Palace didn’t teach you, Prince” with those last words whispered, Yongguk pulled away and steadied the other before completely releasing him and turning around.

“It’s Daehyun!!” Yongguk turned around right after the name sounding off through the air. Now walking backwards, he smiled before making an exaggerated bow. “It was nice to know your name, Little Prince” he said, hands on his chest. “Now if you could beat me down on our next meeting, you can tell me how are you not included in The Royal Kim, such interesting story you have” he said again and smiled wider as the young prince widened his eyes in an insulted expression. “I won’t loose to you! I’m telling you my name so you would remember that in your last minutes of breath!” Daehyun shouted angrily, voice has raised in pride now and Yongguk could feel it; the thrill bubbling insides, the challenged adrenaline and he honestly just couldn’t wait for it. So he just nodded, head bowed low, and walking away, “The name is Admiral Bang Yongguk, Your Highness, let’s see what kind of combat The Royal Palace had taught you”

END

A/N: I'm sorry OTL