TEASER TWO

fire

“Shall our prayers be thy guide,

In times of sorrow and in times of joy,

Shall the Light in our hands,

Clear the darkness away from thy path,

For we, carriers of Her Faith,

Share the Love of the Goddess with thou.”

Silence fell among the small group assembled in front of the altar. One of them stood up and walked slowly towards the blue flame burning in a bowl on the altar and covered the recipient with its lid. Whispers were exchanged in the previously silent church as people stood up to leave the mass. The priests stood up in turn to tidy up the place, two of them carrying with excessive care the receptacle of the Sacred Fire.

“You did well today, Jongin,” the priest said to his disciple as they put the basin on its pedestal.

“T-Thank you, Father,” the young tan-skinned boy blushed slightly at the compliment.

“You should be ready to start your initiation soon. I will submit a request to the Head Priest to make it official.”

The Disciple bowed deeply and thanked him profusely, amusing the old man. He knew how much it meant to Jongin to finally become a Priest after so many years as a Disciple. It was a privilege given to few selected individuals in the Kingdom of Luce and an honor to be part of the chosen ones. He chuckled as he could literally see the boy jumping of excitement, only to have said boy realize his attitude and apologize in shame. The old Priest smiled and it took all his might not to ruffle Jongin’s hair.

“Ah, Jongin, now that I think about it,” he started, “There is something I must ask from you. Have you done all your chores for the morning?”

“Yes Father. Please tell me, I will execute myself.”

“We have prepared plans for the upcoming Spring Festival but we still need the seal of the King to start with the actual preparations. Could you please take those parchments to the Prince so he could give us his approval?”

Jongin nodded vigorously and followed his elder to the Head Priest’s office, where he was given a thick roll of parchments. He took them with delicacy before rushing out of the church, under the amused gaze of the Priests. It was no uncommon sight, even for the inhabitants of Lucia, to see the young Disciple running so fast in the streets. He was always one to follow his emotions and he always did his best at everything – even trying to finish his duty as fast as possible to impress the Priests.  But this time, seeing him running with such a wide smile on his face could only mean one thing: he was going to the castle to visit the Prince. His admiration for the member of the Royal Family was no secret among the clergy. Suwoong had always been one to impress the Disciples with his majestic aura and his dedication to the Church of Light. He had always made sure to participate in the major religious events in the city and he was known to pray regularly in the castle’s chapel. Jongin had met him during the Spring Festival, six years ago. The inhabitants were enjoying the festival outside and only the two of them were in the church. The Prince was rarely seen outside at the time and Jongin had been the sole witness of Suwoong’s prayer. What happened this day was what led him to join the Church of Light two years later. He was drawn to the Prince’s faith and wanted to share his own.

The boy was brought back to reality just in time to avoid a carriage when a voice told him to be careful. He sighed of relief and yelled a thank you before deciding to use his favorite shortcut. He turned right in a dark alley and ran.

Sehun had always preferred the company of books to the one of people. Books did not pretend to be what they were not; they did not try to gain anything from you. They were just honest to the people who read them and did not ask anything from them but their time and passion. No hypocrisy, no disguise and no fake smiles – this was why the young member of the Royal Family loved them so much.

He was in the Royal castle’s library as always, reading stories written by their ancestors of time when dragons ruled over the White Land. His readings made him dream of a different world – though he liked being who he was, he could not help himself. What if he had been the son of a farmer instead of a member of the Royalty? What if he had found a Dragon’s egg? Or what if he, himself, had been the Prince and Suwoong the son of the King’s brother? Sehun shook his head and sighed. No, that would not have changed a single thing. He was not the Royal Heir anymore, Suwoong was. The youngest was happy with that.

Or was he, really?

He stood up and left the library in silence, the old novel still in his hands. He was still part of the Royal Family and he liked that. He just wondered how things would have unfold if he was still training to rule. No one had asked him his opinion when they made him the heir, he was only eight. Just what if Suwoong had--…

“Hmph!”

The tall man did not have time to understand that he was sitting on the ground, a sharp pain invading his bottom. He slowly stood up, ears full of apologies from the man who had just bumped into him with full force. As he was about to dismiss it, their eyes met and immediately, the atmosphere changed. It was as if the temperature had dropped a few degrees in a matter of seconds. The two men stared at each other, something akin to resentment filling their pupils.

Sehun was known to be a shy and gentle kid – but not when it came to Kim Jongin.

Jongin was known to be a caring and cheerful lad – but not when it came to Oh Sehun.

They despised each other for reasons ignored by all but them. Sehun’s lack of devotion to the Church of Light surely did not help, but the real reason was unknown to so many people that everyone wondered if they knew themselves why they hated each other with so much passion.

“What are you doing here?” the young grey-haired boy asked with clenched teeth.

“I came to see His Highness Prince Suwoong, not you, do not worry,” the tan-skinned boy answered coldly.

“Mind your words, Disciple,” the word felt like an insult in his mouth, “I am still a Prince of royal blood.”

“I see that you still have not stopped this quarrel of yours.”

Both boys were rendered speechless at the sound of the velvety voice. They turned to see the Prince approaching them with a kind smile, sparkles of interest and amusement lingering in his eyes, his servant Baekhyun following closely with a smirk. Sehun cleared his throat, turning his head away to hide his embarrassment, while Jongin ignored him and bowed as low as he could to greet the royal figure.

“Your Highness!” he smiled, “I have come to see you upon Father Gu’s request. He seeks your consent for the upcoming preparations of the Spring Festival.”

"Ah, yes, he told me about it." Suwoong nodded, "Please follow me, we will discuss in my office. Sehun?”

“Y-Yes, Hyung?” The boy stood straight, ready to follow his elder's order.

“Could you please go find Uncle? There is something important I want to discuss with him. Take him to the office as soon as you see him.”

“S-Sure, I will do it right now!”

The grey-haired boy immediately left to find his father, while Jongin turned to follow the already departing Prince and his servant, using the opportunity to observe the overall appearance of the Royal Heir. Prince Suwoong was just as tall as him but something in his aura made Jongin feel like a child in front of him. As always, he was covered in refined white clothes with golden ornaments. He had gloves on and the upper part of his clothing covered him up to his neck. Even inside the castle, the Prince never let his guard down – there were no safe walls, even there. It was only in the comfort of his own bedroom that he took off the gloves and coat covering his arms.

Suwoong let out a sigh of relief when the fresh wind caressed his bare arms. It was only the birth of spring, yet the sun was showering the city with its warm rays. The corridors, despite the open windows, had caught the warmth and it was barely breathable inside. Only the library had enough windows to appease those who wandered inside – the man suspected that it was the reason Sehun started reading in the first place. Suwoong had waited the entire day for this little peace between his meetings to be able to breathe cool air. He turned to Jongin who was discussing amicably with Baekhyun about the upcoming market that was to take place in Lucia. The young Disciple immediately turned his attention towards the charismatic male and handed him the parchments given by the Head Priest. He was invited to sit while the prince looked over what was written. 

The General arrived, Sehun in tow, just as Baekhyun was done writing down the Prince’s modifications. The second heir and the church boy glared at each other but this time, the Prince didn’t pay them any attention. He took the feather from his servant’s hand, signing the parchment, before welcoming his uncle.

“I thank you for your quick arrival, Uncle.”

“Sehun said you wanted to discuss about important matters, it is rare for you to seek my help for trivial reasons,” the middle-aged man answered with gravity. “Is there something related to the Spring Festival?”

Jongin smiled slightly. It seemed that the Prince’s love for the celebration was still present, despite his visits to the Temple becoming rarer. Suwoong nodded, a hint of uncertainty appearing on his face, making his uncle frown.

“I have a bad feeling for this year’s Spring Festival and I do not want to risk my people’s safety. I wish for you to prepare more soldiers to assure the security of the Festival.”

“What do you expect? An attack by Foron? Noctis?” the man inquired, doubtful, “Why would they risk it? Everyone knows that the Spring Festival is the one occasion both Marchai and Aques visit our capital, and soldiers from Aques are everywhere in the city. Attacking Luce at this time would mean suicide!”

“I dreamt of a black fire.”

Jongin noticed the difference in the atmosphere right away. If Sehun and Baekhyun were calmly watching them discuss, their eyes were now fixed on the Prince, wide open, face livid as walking corpses. Even the great General was standing petrified, as if struck by lightning. Suwoong was looking outside, staring at the horizon through the open window. Only his trembling hands betrayed the apparent turmoil burning inside of him. The Disciple frowned. He had also felt slightly troubled by Suwoong’s announcement, as for believers of the Temple of Light, fire was associated with the Goddess – its color was a sign given by Her. A blue fire announced peace, a birth or a wedding, green announced a good season for farmers, orange was for sickness, and it continued like this. However, even if it was not unheard of, black fire appeared rarely.

And it meant death.

Now, if Jongin knew that some Gods were known to send messages in the dreams of their followers, he also knew that the Goddess of Light, Lucie, was not one to do this. If so, then why did even Sehun, who did not worship Her, seem so terrified by his cousin’s statement? And why was the Prince, who was known for his calm demeanor and his ability to always see the good in everything, ready to follow a dream? Was his faith this powerful?

In an instant, everything was over. Suwoong turned towards his cousin and gave him a reassuring smile, going back to his charismatic self. Baekhyun, unlike his usual behavior, remained silent and discreet, his eyes staring at a stain on the carpet. The General sighed and nodded.

“I will talk to our soldiers,” he said. Eager to change the conversation, he looked around and noticed the unopened parchment arboring the King’s seal on Suwoong’s desk. He chuckled lightly, “Your father will appreciate the fact that you do not bother opening his letters.”

“Father loves talking about the Queen of Hatio,” Suwoong smirked, “I swear to Lucie that I have read way more than what I had ever wanted to know about her.”

He grabbed the letter and opened it, walking a few steps closer to the window, appreciating the breeze of the wind on his skin. Taking a cup from Baekhyun’s still shaking hands, he drank a bit, still reading. Sehun and his father were busy talking between themselves, while Jongin was getting ready to leave. Only Baekhyun was still observing the Prince, worry painted all over his face. He could not shake the feeling of dread that had filled him since Suwoong’s mention of the black fire. He was far from being a pious man, yet he had a hunch something bad was about to happen. Caught in his mind, he let out a small shriek when the cup hold by the heir hit the floor.

“Your Highness !” he ran to him, checking any sign of injury, before looking directly at the now pale Prince, “I-Is something the matter with his Majesty the King ?”

“H-He is fine,” he starts, his voice trembling as if he could not believe what he had read, “Father wrote that he and the King of Aques have been discussing for a while now and that they have finally reached a conclusion.”

Sehun looked at his father, expecting some sort of explanation that never came – the General was just as dumbfounded as they were. A discussion?

“Hyung, what is going on ?” the young prince asked, brows furrowed.

Suwoong turned towards them, disbelief and panic written all over his face.

“I am betrothed to the Prince Aques. The wedding will be in three months."

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