7 years later...

Sandara looked at Jiyong with obvious exasperration. The latter standing by the door, holding an ornately carved mahogany chest, and grinning rather brightly at the princess.

"Not another one."

"Yes, another one." Jiyong continues to grin.

Sandara bites her lips and tucks a sigh under her breath and finally manages a graceful nod, "The people are too generous."

Jiyong snickers, "Everything for the ever-dear princess of Koryu's coming of age." He sets the chest among the other gifts that crowded Sandara's receiving room. Sandara always felt that her room was far too big for her. She always thought she was a lone carp in a vast pond, but now with her coming of age celebration, her vast pond is littered with invasive gifts-- thirty chests of assorted ornate dresses, twenty rolls of luxurious fabrics, countless boxes of jewelry of every stone and precious metals. Sandara didn't quite understand why the people are giving her all these things when she was simply turning seventeen, simply turning the age when she can be married off. To her, it wasn't quite a celebratory event. She settles on her seat, back straight, hands folded neatly on her lap.

She fights another sigh down, and Jiyong notices that as Sandara takes that pose, that one when her back is straight, and her robes fold magnificently in itself and would fall in its neutral state-- she looked like every beautiful princesses in art, perfect, cold, and lifeless. It had been like that. For seven years, Sandara had never showed true emotion after the dog had left. That was her very last laugh, her very last cry. Jiyong would always try to coax that something in her eyes, out, but he only manages her to slightly frown, or bite back down a sigh.

Of course they had stayed friends, but it had been rather tense without her guard dog. Now, they had three fully armed soldiers whenever Jiyong and Sandara met, as it is, these three guards are about seven paces away from him. The king called them Jiyong's protectors, but he knew and even Dara knew that they were Jiyong's warden, that those heavy swords hanging on their belts would sooner slit his throat than protect him from anything. It wasn't like he ever forgot.

He is still a prisoner prince of an opposing countrry.

He was lucky he was even allowed to be in Dara's presence.

He did promise him, after all. He promised the dog he'd at least try to keep her happy.

On one visit to the training camp a year in, Jiyong remembers, the dog had a swollen lip and a bleeding brow, wrapping a bandage around his heavily calloused hands, but still all in the dog's thoughts are of his princess, of his sun. His voice now gruff and low, like a man's would say, "Why do you think she's that sad?"

"Isn't it because you left?" Jiyong asks.

The dog shows a brittle smile, "You know what, Ji? You need to let her know you worry about her. You need to let her know what's in your dumb smart head. You tell her that, that thing when you say she looks like art, pretty and dead..."

"Not dead! Lifeless, I said lifeless."

"Yeah? Well, yeah, that... lifeless. Jeez, you're a freaking fancy pansy and you can't just tell her these things. She'd be happy, you know? She'd be happy you care."

And Jiyong thought that it was kind of sad that he was hearing this from the dog who is apparently not old enough to realize he is, himself, in love with the sun. "You know, you should really clean up your speech at this point."

Seung hyun spat on the floor, his saliva red from blood, "I will. I just, you know, need to focus on not getting all my teeth knocked out, and when I am better at this fighting bit, I'll study."

"You sound so busy."

"I goddamn am, and all you have to do is make her a tiny bit happy, you freaking lazy prince."

That was that. He needs to at least break that glass facade for the sake of his brother who was risking teeth, limb and life to come back to her. That was Jiyong's role in this story. He looks at her sadly,

"Princess," he begins, "you must be at least excited that today the dog comes home."

Her face brightens and her smile is like the breaking of the clouds. Jiyong thinks the dog's continuous reference to her as the sun is getting to him. See, dog, the only way I can make her smile is mention you.

"Has he been well? You hardly talk about him."

"He doesn't want you to know... well, mostly anything. He worries too much about you, thinks you'd worry too much about him," then they'd worry about each other. Jiyong wonders if that's bitterness at the back of his tongue.

"Should I worry?" Sandara asks.

"No." Jiyong smiles. Jiyong always smiles when he lies. "He's returning and he's different, but that's to be expected."

"Different?"

He still loves you. "Yes. Uh... He speaks better, like a proper knight. I imagine he'd call you his serenity, or some sort of knighthood nonsense they teach them there."

And she holds up a hand to catch a laugh. "Will he now?"

But he is scarred, "Yes. They beat manners into him." Jiyong smiles. They beat everything in him, and out. "He has a cut along his brow", Jiyong scratches at his own right brow to demonstrate. "And he's gotten quite tall and huge..." And extremely dark. He's been in the dark for so long, he's actually scared to see you. "But all in all, he is still my brother. He is still Seung hyun." who is still in love with you and refuses to know.

Sandara smiles. "That's good. I could not believe he never sent me a letter, or asked audience during the games," she fumbles with her fingers, "I was afraid he had forgotten me."

"A blind man, if once he saw the sun, could never forget what he has lost."

Sandara looks up to Jiyong. Her brows knit in question, "what is that?"

"Seung hyun said you'd like it if I tell you how I feel."

Sandara purses her lip in thought, then says "... I am unsure how you mean with your words, Prince."

Mostly pity for a brother's loss. But some of it is outrage, he thinks, how could they treat Seung hyun like that? Like a dog?

Jiyong even refers to Seung hyun in his head as such, as a dog to just let that sink in. The pity. The rage.

"I mean nothing." He smiles again. "Seung hyun used to say I'm a one confusing flake."

But Dara continues to regard him. She had always been dangerously sharp, Jiyong notes. "Are you happy he's coming back?" Sandara wonders aloud.

"Yes." And no.

She briefly frowns, before she grows cold again. It's his fault, he knows. Sandara is always like this when people lie to her, and it seems everyone does.

"Princess, please be happy to see him," he needs that, "You do know, I tried my best to be his stand in for you."

Sandara frowns, "Seung hyun is Seung hyun." Sandara says simply. "As Jiyong is Jiyong. You can not replace each other. You... You are important to me, do you not know this, prince?"

He nods, "As you are to me, princess." Jiyong responds almost automatically. "I should take my leave. My brother will come mid-afternoon. I will him to the throne room. See you then, my..." what was she to him? Now that's the question, "My princess."

###

When Seung hyun arrives, Jiyong was there to welcome him by the gates, where the soldiers gives him a stiff salute. Jiyong watches Seung hyun regard the two tin men who looked at him but could not see him beyond who he has become-- Seung hyun the Merciless. Seung hyun returns to them an offhand nod and continues on. Seung hyun feels strange. Those tin men served the king before he left and they always threw their garbage at him back when he was young and being a pest. He could remember how they laughed, and how he laughed... but memories to him... they all felt like someone elses, like there is someone who had his life and spun him this stories. Their names... he could remember them if he really wanted to, but what would be the point?

After the camp, after seven long years, he was no longer a pest. He was a Jungjang* at age 17, and the only thing stopping him from climbing the military ranks was... well, was his insistence to return to her.

"Brother." Jiyong calls out and he watches Seung hyun break into an awkward smile. Seung hyun still does that whenever Jiyong calls him that, calls him his brother. Jiyong thinks it was a little heartbreaking.

"Prince," Seung hyun bows, a fist held on top of his chest. "You look well."

Jiyong shakes his head, "I will break your knees if you start talking to me like that!"

"I am sorry the prince is displeased..."

"Seung hyun!"

"I mean, of course at the cost of my knees, I would rather see the prince satiated..."

"Goddamit..." Jiyong spat.

"But I wonder, I mean... I'd like to see you try... breaking my knees that is?" Seung hyun declares finally his mouth holding a smug smirk, his left brow up in mock skepticism.

Jiyong laughs and takes the armored man by the shoulders. "Stop freaking me out."

"You keep nagging me about my language, and now, I finally sound..."

"...like an ..." Jiyong interjects

Seung hyun smacks him on the head and both of them grin at each other. Then Jiyong watches Seung hyun's smile die. It was like this. Seung hyun reminds Jiyong of someone drowning, and he bobbles to the surface once or twice but mostly he was under. "Hyung," he calls out again, his arm still slung on the other man's shoulder.

Seung hyun looks at him with another small smile, but looks away to stare at the path.

"Are you going to show her this?" Jiyong asks. Seung hyun was still under.

###

Seung hyun had time to bath and dress more appropriately before he gets to see her, and he didn't spend much time in the baths even if Jiyong went through all the trouble heating the water. He just dislikes staying still for too long. He did think he was relatively clean. At the camps, they were given lye soap for the fleas. He thought they were making fun of him the first time the soldier gave it to him, making fun of the infamous Princess's Dog, but at day three, there was tick on the back of his calf almost the size of a small grape. Now, he thinks, he was at least, flea and tick-free. He made sure. He washed his hair with gasoline, just to be sure, then sud the scent off with the lye soap. So this bathing with Jiyong's absurd sudsy bath that smelled something like... milk? And lilies? What? was hygienically unneccessary, but then again, he was meeting her... so he did end up pouring shampoo in his head. Well, he didn't want his head catching fire on a nearby brazier by the throne room. That would scare her.

Even the briefest thought of her made his stomach feel funny. The princess.

The sun.

Jiyong visited him at least once every two months, and on the first few years, he kept asking about her until he stopped... It's just hearing about her made staying even harder than it was, and it was already harder than he could bear.

He finishes his bath, and Jiyong, with his stupid princely thoughts, thinks Seung hyun should slather himself with perfumed lotion...

"Why?!" Seung hyun challenges.

"Your hand, it's peeling like cracked paper... Your skin is so dry. It looks like there's a layer of chalk there..."

Seung hyun looks at his arm that did look like it was a bit... sandy. He sighs, "Do I have to? It's embarrassing."

"What's embarrassing? I do this everyday."

Seung hyun still half , sporting large scars along his torso, grimaces, "That's embarrassing."

"Lotion is not embarrassing. If you're trying to hide how much you changed from her, you start, at least, with this. At least, make her think they treated you like normal, not make you bathe in kerosene."

Seung hyun sloshes the liquid on his arm.... It smelled persimmon and plum. He thinks he would smell like a goddam orchard which would be good. "It's not like that, Jiyong. Kerosene are just really good killing ticks."

"Kerosene is generally good at killing. Including people."

Seung hyun smiles to himself as he haphazardly rubs on the stuff, "Thank you. I mean, for being offended for me."

Jiyong regards the other man, "Are you okay? I mean, are you okay being..." he trails off.

Seung hyun is the youngest junjang in the history of Koryu. He had never felt offended by being called the princess's dog but at the camps, behind his back, he has earned names, Seung hyun the Merciless, death's dog, kerberos. Seung hyun had the talent for killing. Other children discover their bodies can sway to the music, or their tongues are slick with words, or their hands are deft with kraft, but Seung hyun, at 15, after establishing the foundations of weapon handling, discovered his hands, his eyes, his coordination was adept in the art of killing. From daggers to swords, to throwing darts to a bow and arrow, from a slim spear to a hulking halberd, Seung hyun always finds the most efficient way to kill. In the two years of active service, he has killed more soldiers and rebels than he dare count-- a hundred, a thousand? Seung hyun lives in a pool of blood, thick and viscous and deep, and he is drowning. He was so good at it. The other soldiers at first held him in awe, but after an ambush when all his mates were killed and he was the lone survivor awash with blood, his hair gelatinized ropes, chunks of flesh clung to his armour and cloak, the soldiers began to think Seung hyun was rather scary.

He had this knack to kill. He survived an ambush of a scale of 5:1. No survivors. Just him. He saved no one, but himself. And the way he walked back to the camp-- his strides measured, no limp, he was uninjured! Head held high. Eyes unseeing except for the path onwards.

The men looked at him in horror and his commanding officer demanded to know what happened and he reports rather calmly, "We were ambushed. All our men died."

"Did you abandon your troop?"

"No. I killed all the rebels. If we send some barrows, we can pick up our dead, sir."

A more detailed report later would tell his officer that they were taken from the back, first with a rain of arrows that could their numbers in half, then sword weilders of some skill, it was a bad position, and winning was impossible.

"But you lived." The officer accused him.

Seung hyun looked at his officer with dead eyes and said, "You see, sir, I am not allowed to die."

How he survived also meant how brutal it had been. When the rain of arrows stopped, Seung hyun launched himself to the trees that hid the archers, slit their throats one at a time. He refused to count, but his head marked 20. When the slaughter was done, his troop almost all gone.... how many was his men? 50? 40? Only there to deliver some supplies to another war camp, the new recruits were ill-prepared. But they did well, Seung hyun thought, as he dropped from a tree, his cloak flailing about him, his hand slick with blood. He drops his dagger and pulls out his greatsword strapped in his back.

It was simple for him, his feet digging deep to the ground, his full force shifting leg, torso, arm. Then a huge arc. Cracking armor. Breaking bones. Two of the enemies get their helms knocked off and their faces split open grotesquely. Blood. Blood everywhere. Raining at him.

It was simple. One swing. Two. Three. Men drop life spilling out of their gapping wound. One straight swing. One man is split in two. Rebels, Seung hyun thought, had really bad quality armor.

At the end of it, when the screams had died down to low moans and cries and whimpering. Seung hyun felt cold and spent.

It was simple. Killing, it was easy.

"A killer? I am fine with that Jiyong. You are the only one who's bothered by it. I was a slave, apparently bred to fight in the pits. You can say, I was born to be a killer like you were born to be a prince." Seung hyun said and tossed the bottle of lotion to the side, still mildly disgusted. He could taste flowers in his mouth. He begins to dress.

Jiyong shakes his head, "You say you're okay, but you have these dazes when you look like your drowning."

"What?" Seung hyun laughs. "You and your imagination..."

"I am not imagining things." Jiyong declared. His words full of weight and dropped on the floor.

Seung hyun frowned at the other boy . "Yeah? You... you don't need to be upset about it." He walks towards Jiyong and claps his back, "Thank you for worrying about me, but I am..." he sighs, "I am okay. I... I get to see my sun." He smiles briefly and for some reason he felt like his chest grew heavy.

---

Seung hyun wasn't quite sure why his hands are getting cold, or why his chest feels stuffed and heavy and his mind is at strange unknown panic. He was just walking towards the throne room.

He was going to see her!

His hands are so goddamn cold.

Jiyong grimaced at him.

"What?" Seung hyun asked defensively.

"You are scared less."

"I... I am not. Why? Why would I be scared?"

Jiyong quirks his head, "I don't know. Why didn't you see her in the games? She asked me, you know? You were even announced as the Princess's Dog and you won the competition. All the congratulations went to her, and you didn't even go see her."

Seung hyun clucks his tongue, "The games? She shouldn't have been there! The games are nothing but the nobles' pompous version of the fighting pits. It's stupid! Why would they make the princess watch two men fight while people cheer because they have nothing else to spend their money on."

"The king was there, so naturally, she was there too. You do know that you are a sponsored fighter by the royalty? You are literally the princess's dog. The king pays for your equipment, but it's through her, you know? He has bought you wholly for the entertainment of his precious daughter. Every kill you have done, I wonder, is it on her?"

Seung hyun's hang aghast, "What the , Jiyong?!"

"I am just saying. You don't want her to know what you do. She vaguely knows that you are a soldier and got promoted up the ranks. She was so proud of you. But, hyung... Seung hyun, you... are you proud of yourself?"

Seung hyun scowls at Jiyong, and they stop walking by the drawn doors of the throne room, "I..." Seung hyun begins. Proud? Proud of what? All he ever did was follow an order given to him by his princess. All the deaths. All the killings. Those... those were only means to that end.

You are not allowed to die.

That was it. Was he proud? "I am... not. But I do not know why you insist on... She doesn't need to know what I did... what I do..."

"I think she does, hyung. The princess is smarter than everyone gives her credit for. All she does is read, and dance, and sing, and receive gifts. Everyone is just waiting for her to marry and get herself pregnant. You." Jiyong returns Seung hyun's scowl, "are treating her like an idiot."

"What?"

Jiyong enters the throne room without looking back. Seung hyun trails the man, his strides long and quick. He needed to know what Jiyong meant.

But then, the sun.

She comes down from a staircase. Her footsteps are what Seung hyun hears first, rushed little rustles like rabbits skittering in the grass. When Seung hyun looked up, it was... the sun. Her face bright with a smile. Clothed in rich white and pink silk floating around her like clouds in the dusk. He fights a wave of emotion that oddly makes his breathing hard and his eyes a little tingly. He brushes his eyes roughly. She was so bright. He might go blind.

Jiyong watches Seung hyun hold off a cry. Ah, Jiyong thought, this fool. I bet he doesn't even know he wants to cry.

Seung hyun could only watch her. She grew up, he thought. She had the same face. A small mouth. A cute nose. Bright brown eyes. Her face is obviously a little slimmer. Her body... well... she grew a bit... like... like a... woman? Seung hyun balks at his thoughts. What did he just...

But at that time, his thoughts are cut off to his sun leaping to his embrace, almost three steps from the landing and Seung hyun's brain went haywire. he caught her and then her small body is in his arms. His eyes grew wide!

Jiyong snickers in the background. Laughing at the face he was making. Seung hyun looked like he had just had water poured down his back. His throat went dry. He was horrified. But at the same time he thought, oh she's so small and so warm and  she smells nice. And he was thanking Jiyong in his head for the bath and the goddam lotion. She clung to his neck and he bowed down so she could reach, and there was this thing in his chest... like... like he was happy. But from his peripheral vision he saw robes gilded in gold and immediately he untangles her arms of him and kneels.

As was proper. As he needed to be in her presence. Low and in subservitude.

"Seung hyun?" Sandara calls out confused. She looks at Jiyong and Jiyong gives her a non-committal shrug.

"Princess, nothing but great joy fills me to be in your company again." Seung hyun spills speech he had rehearsed to say since on the road back to her. Great joy. He assumed, but it sounded like a lie, eventhough, he was happy... it wasn't a great joy, it was complicated. It was more of... relief.

Sandara stared at the bent man... and he was that--a man. What did she expect? The boy. He expected the boy who wasn't much taller than her. Who had an easy grin, and mischief always brewing in his head. Who always looked at her with adoring eyes. She thought, as she ran to him, she thought that was him. He still looked at her like that, like she was the best part of his life, but now, him on his knees and looking at her feet, who... who is this?

"Seung hyun?" She asks.

He looks up briefly, but looks away immediately. "Yes, your grace. It has been a long time."

The king joins them and places a hand on his daughter shoulder. He gives her a warning look. He had seen her throw herself at the knight.

Of course, he was fond of the boy who had found a way to thaw his daughter's heart, and he did send the boy to the camps for him to be a knight so he can stay by his daughter's side forever. But now, seeing the two, has him worried. What if... what if they fall in love?

"Seung hyun." The king begins, and Seung hyun still on his knees gave him a bow.

"Your majesty. I have returned."

"Yes. You have. I see your tongue has been whittled down."

"Ah, yes." Seung hyun clears his throat. "There has been improvement, my king."

"I know you want to spend more time with my daughter, but you need to attend to me first." The king said. "We will discuss your oath."

"Of course, you highness."

And Jiyong through all this progression wondered why Seung hyun had spent most of his time on his knees. As if to answer his thoughts, the king commands, "Rise."

The king looks at Jiyong, and Jiyong bends to the waist. Ninety degrees as his station requires. Higher than Seung hyun, but still pretty low and humbled. Hobbled.

Jiyong and Sandara watches the King leave with Seung hyun trailing back behind.

Jiyong's wardens magically appear.

"Seung hyun... he's..." Sandara trails off

"Different." Jiyong finishes off for her.

Sandara looks off and begins to worry.

"I had wondered," Jiyong begins, "why you didn't worry about him. But now I see, you had faith he would return to you unscathed."

"What do you mean, my prince? Is he... is he hurt?"

"No. But even a stone left in the rain will crumble don't you think? Some, some crumble from the inside."

Sandara frowns at him, "I don't understand."

Jiyong smiles at her, "Oh, but princess, you do. You have always been smarter than anyone gives you credit for." He, then, bows. "I shall take my leave then, princess. I will visit you with Seung hyun. He could make us the princess tea. He still makes those. Maybe this time, you can tell him that you can handle it a bit stronger." He eyes her meaningfully, and gave her another bow and walks away.

---

*Junjang- lowest ranking general officer. When appinted in field command, they are usually command 4,000 troops.

A/N: wow, that was unneccessarily long. I understand this needs a lot of smoothing. I'm really not feeling quite comfortable with this story... since it's setting is a bit medieval... so yeah, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What do you think about the brief view of Seung hyun's training? Is it gore-y? Like should this have been an M? I don't know. I think it was quite mild. If you don't know, SH is suffering from PTSD. LOL

Also, still struggling with Seung hyun-centric story telling, hopefully, we can fix that, but right now, he's the most interesting character lol

Comments juseyo. I like comments.