“I demand that you take me to your captain at once!” yelled Kyungsoo, as soon as his restraints and gag were removed. He, along with Sehun, had been forcibly transported via a small boat onto a much larger naval ship. “Do you have any idea who I am? This is as an act of war!”

“We are well aware of your royal status, Prince Kyungsoo,” replied one of the sailors with a menacing smile. “But you are a prisoner of the Black Navy now. Your title means nothing anymore. I suggest you behave yourself, or we will have no choice but to punish you.”

“Zitao!” yelled a much shorter sailor, who was struggling to maintain control of Sehun, despite the fact that he was still tied up on the ground. “That’s enough! You heard the orders. We are not to harm either of them. They are extremely valuable. We must take them to Captain Byun at once!”

“I swear, Xiumin. You ruin all the fun. Besides, what difference does it make what we do to these losers? The King has already dethroned their pathetic Crown Prince. The White Kingdom practically belongs to us now.”

Sehun fought even harder against his captor at the mention of Luhan, causing Xiumin to lose his balance and topple backwards onto the wooden deck. Tao came to his assistance at once, kicking the messenger hard in the back of the head as retaliation.

“Hit him again and I will personally throw you off my ship.”

Tao and Xiumin immediately stepped aside and saluted the rather petite captain, who had emerged from the stairs, dressed ceremoniously in a decorated black uniform.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the Port City Prince himself, in all his stunted glory.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he stumbled backwards in shock. “You!”

“So. We meet again. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if your royal highness would recognize me after all these years.”

Kyungsoo struggled to catch his breath. “You’re… you’re him. Byun Baekhyun. Captain of the Port City Fleet.”

“That would be me. Although it’s actually the Black Captain now, if you don’t mind.”

“You’re supposed to be dead! You were… you were captured by the enemy. And killed!”

Baekhyun smiled. “Captured, yes. Killed, no. Unless you believe in ghosts. Who knows? Maybe you’ve been abandoned on a haunted ship. Feeling lucky?”

“How dare you betray us!” spat Kyungsoo, face turning a bright shade of red. “You were ordered to destroy the Black Armada, not join it!”

“Unfortunately for you, the Black Empire is far too resourceful to let a good captain go to waste. In exchange for my life, they offered me a new title.”

“And you accepted?! YOU TRAITOR!”

“I suggest you don’t call me names on my own ship. Or I’ll just have to tell the King that we really tried to deliver our hostages to the castle, but cute little Prince Kyungsoo somehow managed to get himself eaten alive by a swarm of hungry sharks. Whoops.”

“You swore your loyalty to the White King and Queen! How dare you throw away your pledge so carelessly!”

“If I remember correctly, the White King and Queen were killed before your father sent me on that suicide mission. We all knew our pathetic little fleet was no match for the Black Empire’s massive Armada. It’s easy to throw around accusations from the luxury of your gilded palace. Let’s see you put your neck on the line when it really matters.”

“I AM PUTTING MY NECK ON THE LINE. WHAT DO YOU THINK I’M DOING RIGHT NOW? I HAVE TAKEN COMMAND OF THE WHITE ARMY TO RESCUE THE CROWN PRINCE!”

Baekhyun laughed. “Well you’re not doing a very good job. I can’t even imagine what General Suho will do once he realizes he’s managed to lose two White Princes in two days. He should probably just surrender now and be done with it.”

“He will die before he gives up on his nation! Like a true soldier!”

“I’m sure he will. Just like thousands have done before him. And what good will it do? There won’t be anyone left to honor his courage after all is said and done. He’ll be just another unfortunate casualty in this endless war. I apologize for valuing my life slightly more than that.”

Kyungsoo scowled. “You call this treachery a life? A life like yours is just a worthless lie. Nothing more.”

There was a hint of hurt in Baekhyun’s eyes before he replied. “As much as I’ve loved our pleasant little reunion, perhaps we should relocate to my office.” He quickly rearranged his face and frowned down at the motionless body lying beside Kyungsoo’s feet. “I’m afraid my overzealous men have knocked poor Oh Sehun unconscious. “Tao! Xiumin!” he called out. “Carry the soldier to my quarters immediately!” He then looked around and realized that they had drawn a silent crowd. Several sailors had formed a circle around them, eagerly watching the show. “And the rest of you, BACK TO WORK! SET OUR COURSE FOR THE WEST DOCK!”

“YES, SIR!” replied all of the sailors in unison.
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