“Winter’s almost here.”

Ten wakes up to pitch-black darkness. He is lying on a single bed with metal railings. A thin sheet covers the hard mattress, wrinkles littering the seams. The walls are black and he can’t see anything above him from how far the ceiling’s reached the skies. He can hear himself panting while his pupils dilate, adjusting to the profound darkness. When he throws his legs off the bed, his soles splash into a puddle of water.

Rainwater?

Ten reaches out to his right, opening his palm wide to catch the rain. There’s none. It’s too quiet and too dark and Ten doubts he’s staring up at the sky at all. It seems as if he’s in a dark room, except the space is too vast, too wide, and there is no limit to the breadth and depth of his surroundings. He’s stuck in a limbo of space with an empty floor and a bare night sky. And it’s cold. The water feels like melted ice.

He stands up and is thankful to see that the water’s just shallow enough to reach around his ankles. He can’t see the bottom of the puddle though. From the looks of it, everything below it is pitch-black too. He walks forward, mindlessly mapping out the empty space. He hears nothing but the sound of the water as his feet create ripples on the surface, soft circles crinkling in the puddle. It takes him a few minutes to find a small light from afar, white like a spotlight. When he quickens his pace, the light slowly divides into three poles, thick white pillars standing in the same endless body of water.

Ten breaks into a run, arms swaying on his sides while his breath comes out ragged and thin. He’s nearing the poles now, the beacons of light slowly coming to form the images of three different people. Ten slows down, his stomach clenching when he sees the three bodies tied around the three masts.

Taeyong, Kun and Johnny.

Johnny’s mouth is bleeding, his head lolling to the side while Taeyong remains unconscious, head bowed and body tied around the leftmost pillar. Kun is the only one awake, his eyes pulsing red while he stares back at Ten, a dark smile spread across his lips. There’s blood staining his teeth and lips, scarlet soaked all over his silver robe, and his sword is floating in the black water, bloodstain marking the length of the blade. Ten’s attention immediately shifts to Taeyong and his feet take him to him, padding through the water and weltering ripples around their bodies.

Taeyong’s face is pale, his dark hair curtaining his eyes. Ten’s hands immediately bolt up to touch his face and a shiver runs down his spine when he finds them cold and icy. A soft whimper slips out of his mouth and Ten takes two fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse. It takes a few seconds before he finds it beating languidly under his skin.

“T-Ten!”

Johnny’s voice is nothing more than a breathless choke and Ten turns around to run to him, each step getting more and more difficult as his robe gets soaked in water.

“H-Help me,” Johnny croaks and Ten’s hands swiftly pad through the ropes around his body, finding the knots at the back. He yanks at the ends in an effort to loosen the knots and they tighten with every pull instead. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, a soft mechanic sound starts to echo in his ears. The sound is similar to the creaky noise of pulleys while the wheels move with every turn of the axle and Ten tumbles back when the pillars start to move.

All three pillars begin to descend, the expanse of water coming apart to slowly swallow them into its depths. A scream breaks out of Ten’s chest and he paddles back to Johnny, fingers grasping on the ropes to unknot it from the pillar. The masts continue to sink into the bottom of the water, disappearing into the dark earth akin to quicksand. Johnny is panicking now, his breath coming out in short, shaky inhales and exhales and Ten’s heart is pounding in his chest.

“Hurry, Ten!”

Kun is laughing in the middle, half of his body already gone and swallowed by the gap in the dark water. Ten’s fingers are shaking but he manages to unfurl the first knot, left only with three more. Small waves come crashing into them as Johnny twists his upper body around and Ten instantly freezes when he hears someone choke.

When he pulls his head up to find the sound, he sees Taeyong already awake, body slanted downwards and face too close to the water that he’s almost breathing it in. Kun’s laughter reverberates in the empty space and Ten grits on his teeth, unfurling the second knot behind Johnny. Taeyong chokes again and this time, Ten can hear him gurgling in the water.

“Hang on, Johnny. I’ll come back for you. I promise,” Ten says, running to Taeyong and finding half of his face already submerged in the waters. He uses all his strength to pull Taeyong upright. The Prince’s eyes are all red and his lips ashen and he looks like he’s close to fainting. “Taeyong! Wake up. Please. Look at me,” Ten cries and his hands scramble around Taeyong’s shoulders to find him all roped around the thick pillar too.

The water’s swallowed a good portion of them now, reaching Taeyong’s neck and Johnny’s chest. Ten takes a quick glance at the side and sees Kun leaning the back of his head on the pillar he’s tied to, his eyes staring blankly into the sky and his laughter dying down to a quiet smirk. Ten’s already kneeling in the water, paddling through it and attempting to pull Taeyong out of the sinking hole but every grain of sand is clinging on to him tight.

“Ten!” Johnny screams again and when Ten whips his head up to his direction, he finds the water too close to Johnny’s chin now. Ten is already in a state of hysteria and he can hear something ringing in his ears. He shuts his eyes in an effort to shake off the noise and when he opens them again, his eyes settle on something bright across the waters and he finds Kun’s sword floating not too far away.

“I need you to look up and breathe for me, Taeyong,” Ten’s voice comes out ragged. Taeyong does what he’s told and pulls his head up slightly, gasping his first intake of air.

Ten half-swims, half-runs into the waters, hands outstretched to grab Kun’s sword. His fingers curl around the guard as soon as he reaches it and when he turns around to go back, the pillars at Kun’s sides are already gone and so are Taeyong and Johnny’s bodies. All that’s left is Kun and that quiet, sinister smile lingering on his lips.

“They’re dead,” the consort says.

Ten screams.

“Ten!!!”

Ten’s back arches from the bed, his entire body sweating cold. There is a haze of tears clouding over his vision and he blinks back, chest heaving and out of breath. It’s quiet for a few seconds, with the ringing gone and replaced by the sound of the waves as they crash against the hull of the ship outside. They’re still at the sea. Ten’s feet are dry and away from the dark puddle in his dreams. When he regains clarity of his sight, the first thing he sees are Taeyong’s eyes, dark brown and glazed with a bit of honey from the light filtering through the small windows of Yuta’s cabin.

“J-Johnny,” Ten stutters, unable to translate the visuals in his head into words. He can hear something rattling beneath him and he looks down to find that it’s just him making the noise. His body is shaking terribly, causing the thin wood of the bed frame to clatter against the wall and Taeyong has to hold him by the arms to keep him from trembling.

“Ten, wake up!” Taeyong tightens his clasp around his arms. “Johnny’s alright, he’s in the other room. You were having a bad dream.”

Ten’s still breathing rapidly, his chest rising and falling in immense speed. The air suddenly feels to dry that he could choke on it. He turns his head to look around the room, his nails scraping on the thin bed sheets while he takes in his surroundings. The rattling sound starts again and this time, it’s accompanied by the ringing in Ten’s ears.

“God, you’re shaking again,” Taeyong says, his voice laced with profound worry. He lets go of Ten’s arms and scoots closer to him, wrapping his arms around the King instead.

“In my d-dream, you… you were drowning… the Enemy… s-someone caught you a-and I… I couldn’t save you.” The tears are back to staunch Ten’s vision and he struggles to explain the details of his dream. It still feels so real, the ice from the puddle seemingly still latching on to his skin and bones and freezing him underwater. Taeyong’s fingers come up to his hair, his other hand rubbing small circles on his back to comfort him. Ten tries his absolute best to normalise his breathing.

“It was just a dream, Ten,” Taeyong says softly. “I’m right here.” Ten curls his fingers on the sides of the Prince’s robe, the warmth from Taeyong’s skin shifting to his body and coming to soothe Ten’s quivering form.

Ten’s hands slowly reach up to wrap around Taeyong’s chest and he buries his face in the curve of his neck, breathing him in knowing that their days are numbered.

It’s been five days since they’d left the shores of Kyonggi Bay. The number of their sea vessels had dwindled down since leaving the Forbidden City after abandoning three of their fallen ships. The natives lent their sole ship for battle which gives them an end count of fourteen vessels sailing toward the gulf on the way to Siam. Although the Enemy has more ships in their fleet, Ten knows they win by headcount and he feels slightly better just knowing that.

By daybreak tomorrow, they will reach the gulf and catch up with Sicheng’s ships according to Yuta and Doyoung’s estimates. Ten perches an elbow on the windowsill and stares outside to find the sky a little darker than it was a few days ago. They are reaching the gulf and it seems that a typhoon is lying in wait in the midst of the heavens and the seas. Fall is on its way out of season and winter is already on its wake. It’s a good thing Siam only knows of summer and rain. Ten clings to that idea to somehow pacify himself with the hopes of good weather. He’s still relying on the possibility that it may not rain after all.

Ten’s weather theory proves false by nightfall. Not too long after dinner, rain begins to descend from the sky, creating tiny puddles in the deck. The mahogany flooring now looks darker, blemished with the beat of the rain. The downpour stops a little after midnight but the temperature takes a dive close to the freezing point. Ten holds his arms around himself and Taeyong would often sneak up to him and use his hands and arms to share whatever body warmth he has left. Ten returns the affection by constantly tending to the Prince’s injury and making sure that Taeyong gets enough sleep instead of worrying about the King every second he’s awake.

It’s both funny and frightening how the lingering wake of war has gotten them all huddled up inside their cabin rooms for hours now, watching time tick by in the solace of each other’s presence. Ten is lying in bed, limbs tangled with Taeyong’s for hours now but the closest he’s gotten to sleep is the occasional blinking of his eyes. By the time the rain has pelted down again, Ten’s body is back on full alert. He watches the night go by to barter with the faint daylight, begging for more minutes. The heavy rain turns into soft mist clouding just above the surface of the sea.

“Come back to bed,” Taeyong whispers, the tiny stubbles on his chin grazing Ten’s shoulder when he snakes his arms around his waist.

Ten’s still staring outside the window, watching the morning unfold before his eyes for it might well be his last. He can feel the warmth of Taeyong’s bare chest against his back, the white sheets strewn around their legs in a mess of tepid satin. The King turns around and wraps his arms around the Prince’s neck, kissing him softly on the lips. His eyes are shut tight as the feel of death crawls back to rest on his shoulders. They just stay there, breathing in their tiny space until the gray in the skies starts to brighten lightly doing its best to announce the morning. It’s still cold and the sun’s presence could barely be felt. Ten brings his fingers up Taeyong’s arms, fingerpads mapping through the snare of purple veins underneath white skin.

Taeyong inhales through his nose, his breath coming out in a sigh against Ten’s lips and he touches their foreheads together. “We’re almost there,” he whispers and Ten shivers at the thought. He wants the sunrise to stretch on and take an entire year, but he can already see the smallest ghost of Sicheng’s ships from a few miles away. Taeyong’s fingers slip through his, grasping on to the back of his palms and Ten’s breath hitches at the touch. His chest suddenly feels too heavy.

“We need to get ready,” Ten says softly, eyes heavy-lidded when he mimics Taeyong’s deep breaths.

The Prince takes both of his hands and raises them to his lips, planting soft kisses on his fingers. “Remember what you promised me. If I tell you to run—”

“I will,” Ten cuts in before Taeyong could finish and he kisses him again, lips warm against Taeyong’s waiting mouth and he barely misses that light tremble in the Prince’s breath.

Taeyong pulls the sheets off their bodies and Ten stands up, grabbing the black swordsman robe that’s waiting for him on a small couch near the wall. Ten’s already slipping his arms inside the robe when he turns around to find Taeyong still sitting on the bed, watching him intently. His eyes are still dazed with the aftermath of sleep but there’s that unmistakeable glint of fondness to them. A spark of adoration and love.

Ten’s fingers stop in the midst of knotting the belt of his robe and he stares back at the Prince. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

A soft smile stretches across Taeyong’s lips when he looks back at him lazily. “I love you,” he says gently and Ten can almost feel his heart tumbling out of his chest to land on Taeyong’s feet. By the time the battle begins, neither of them knows what will happen or if they will live long enough to see how it will end. And before it even starts, there’s already a battlefield in Ten’s chest that’s pounding at his ribs so hard he could almost hear them break.

Ten smiles back before turning around to pull a robe from the bottom of the pile sitting on a small wooden desk. The ebony robe is made with thick cotton, its arms etched with intricate patterns that bloom at the back to map out a golden lotus, the tip of its petals curving ever so delicately around the shoulders. Ten folds it once before putting it on Taeyong’s lap.

“What’s this?” the Prince asks, staring at the black robe that’s now nestled in between his thighs.

“It’s a King’s swordsman robe. I want you to wear it.”

“You know I don’t need to look good in battle, right? I’ll end up with blood all over my robe by the time this is all over.”

Ten takes the robe from his lap and its ends drop in a quiet rustle on the floor. He curls his finger at Taeyong and the Prince laughs softly, standing up at Ten’s beckon and walking toward him. Ten holds the robe for him while he slips his arms inside, the cotton fitting so perfectly to hug around the cuts of his biceps. He doesn’t tell Taeyong that he wants him to wear it so he can spot him easily during battle. Ten takes the ends of the belt, snaking his arms around Taeyong before walking right in front to knot the belt in place and iron the front of his robe with his palms.

“As long as it’s not your blood soaking it, I don’t mind you ruining it,” he says, tightening the knot of the belt before stepping back and staring at the Prince from head to foot. A few strands of hair have fallen over Taeyong’s eyes, contrasting with the paleness of his forehead. Black has always looked good on him but he looks even better now with the gold outlining the strength of his shoulders and the creaminess of his skin.

“How do I look?” Taeyong asks and something about the situation seems oddly familiar to Ten.

He smiles when he finally realises why. “Like a King,” he says and he knows that’s all Taeyong needs to know.

***

The fog has thinned out over the course of an hour, condensing the mist back to welcome dark clouds and the onset of rain. Ten is standing on the forecastle deck with Taeyong and Johnny while Yuta and Hansol take the main deck. Soldiers are now scattered around the decks of their ships, a few tens stationed at the orlop on every gunport. Jaehyun and Doyoung are on the poop deck to provide Doyoung with a higher vantage point for shooting arrows and to keep a close watch on the wheel. By the time most of the haze has cleared the surface, Sicheng’s ships are more visible, dark bodies covering the stretch of the sea and high masts charging into the skies bearing the flags of the black stallion. Their ships are made of iron and mahogany, the thicker kind that only cannons could break through but would take time to burn. Ten’s not at all surprised to see the ships already lounging in the middle of the sea, facing towards them almost as if they’ve been awaiting their arrival.

And that’s when the first thunder claps in the sky, lightning fizzling out in a spiderweb across the heavy clouds. Ten’s not sure if it’s the low howl of the wind, the constant crashing of the waves or the first descent of rain that caused the little hairs on his body to stand on edge. All he knows is that it came with a series of hot waves that coursed through his veins, lighting up his adrenaline. Ten pulls his sword out, the blade shining despite the dim in the sky and he hears a quick swish from his sides as Johnny and Taeyong do the same. It’s quiet for a while, save for the echo of the thunder rumbling in the skies while the clouds part to welcome more rain. The downpour is heavy, beating on the wooden flooring like a bag of marbles thrown out of the heavens. Ten can feel his shoulders sagging with the weight of the rainfall, hugging the thick cotton of his robe tighter around his skin. The rain surges down, disturbing the peace of the sea and aiding the waves to knock into the hulls of the vessels roughly.

Ten curls his fingers around the railings to keep him rooted on the floor despite the constant rocking of the ship. He squints in the rain, watching Sicheng’s ships slowly unravel their massive forms while they draw nearer. The last of the fog skittering out, replaced with the veil of the heaving storm. One ship doubling in number before becoming five and finally stretching on to fifteen in one long horizontal line. Ten raises his hand when they’re about a kilometre away, signalling his men to slow down their speed. The sudden brake knocks them backwards before the waves pull them back forward. It’s as if the sea wants them to continue moving toward the Enemy.

“Ten!”

Doyoung’s voice sounds like he’s somewhere miles away from where Ten is standing enveloped in the heavy beat of the storm. When he looks back to find the noble standing at his position at the poop deck, he sees him frantically waving his arms on his sides, pointing at two different directions. Ten squints, eyebrows furrowing while he attempts to discern the message.

“Oh, !” Johnny curses loudly from Ten’s side and the King whips his head around in time to see Sicheng’s ships moving in a line from either ends of their fleet. Their main ship is right in front of them, driving straight to their direction.

Ten his head left and right and finds the rest of their fourteen ships huddled closely in a group, and the Enemy’s starting to sail around them in frightening speed. Before Ten could even say a word, Taeyong beats him to it.

“They’re trapping us in!”

Ten can feel his heart clobbering in his chest as he watches the Enemy’s ships crashing through the waves while they poise in a circle around their fleet. Panic settles in his gut, rushing through his body in hot waves. When he finally remembers to breathe, he almost chokes on the rain dribbling down his nose. The King shakes his head, hearing a faint yet familiar ringing slowly filling his ears and he takes a huge gulp of the saliva pooling at the base of his mouth. His throat feels incredibly dry.

Concentrate, Ten. Get your together. “Johnny!” Ten exclaims, shouting above the weighty beat of the rain and the ringing in his ears. Johnny immediately runs to his side, his chest rising and falling while he pants. “Tell all the ships to make a 90-degree turn and to load their cannons. I’ve got a plan,” Ten instructs. Johnny stands there for a couple of seconds, seemingly waiting for him to explain exactly what’s on his mind but leaves shortly after realising Ten’s not going to say anything more.

“They’re coming for us!” Taeyong yells from his left. He’s right. The enemy has started charging towards them and Ten has to grip on the railings tighter to keep him from falling over. The waves are merciless as they wallop against the hull of the ships, coming from the west where the wind blows the hardest.

“Taeyong! I need you to run to Doyoung and take the wheel. Swerve the ship to face the east!” Ten shouts, his fingernails digging on the fine wood of the railings. Taeyong’s eyes are hooded in the rain, but Ten doesn’t need to squint to see the hesitation beating in his eyes. He knows Taeyong would refuse to leave him alone.

“I can’t just leave you—”

“You have to run now! The winds are too strong and it will drift us towards the east. If we continue to face the south, the wind will topple us over and the currents will take us all! We will be at the bottom of the sea before this battle even starts!”

Taeyong bites on his lips. “It will take them less than a minute to get here.” Their ships are starting to move now, huge bodies struggling against the mighty waves to twist sideways and allowing the sides to face the bow of the Enemy’s ships.

“Tell Yuta to have all the ships load their cannons. Open up all the gunports facing the enemy. I will tell them when to fire.” Ten watches Taeyong descend into the main deck, running to Yuta first. It doesn’t take a few seconds before men start swinging around the higher masts to land on nearby ships, instructing them to open their gunports. Ten sinks his teeth in his lips as he watches their other ships slowly shift in angle, creating their own smaller circle inside the Enemy’s round trap.

Sicheng’s ships are nearer now. Barely two hundred metres away. Their entire fleet is still moving towards them in a tight circle, surrounding all fourteen of their vessels. Ten isn’t sure if the drums echoing in his ears are coming from his chest or the constant downpour of the rain.

Turn, Taeyong. I need you to turn the ship now.

It happens painfully slow, but Ten instantly feels the vibration from the hard flooring. The entire ship shakes as it makes a slow turn towards the east, the waves slapping against the body and rocking them to a frightful beat. It almost feels like they’re riding on the bob of a pendulum and Ten cranes his neck to stare at Sicheng’s ship while they make a full shift in trajectory. They’ve barely completed their turn when Ten eyes small windows opening at the sides of every ship, unloading their cannons.

“!” Ten curses before he breathes deep and quick and he shouts his first command. “FIRE THE CANNONS!”

The ship jolts sideways and Ten has to curl his arms around the railings, body crouched down to keep him from toppling over. There’s a series of loud crackles and a deep whoosh before thunderous crashes echo in the beat of the rain and Ten sees fire and black smoke erupting from some of the Enemy’s ships. That doesn’t stop them from approaching, though, and now Ten can see their ships clearly down to the marking and sculptures in the bows and sterns.

“Load them again!!!” Ten can feel the cannon balls being rolled beneath his feet and his eyeballs almost jump out of their sockets when he sees five small windows opening right above the bow of the ship approaching them. Five cannon mouths spring out of the windows in huge black metal and Ten can almost see the small kindle of fire from the depths inside the windows. The Enemy’s about to fire their cannons back!

Ten pulls his head up to the Enemy’s forecastle deck in time to see Sicheng, clad in all black, the blonde in his hair almost unmistakeable in the veil of the rain. There’s a glint of evil and quiet excitement in his eyes. He hears a faint yet familiar voice as soon as Sicheng opens his mouth and the word sends the coldest shiver down Ten’s spine.

“FIRE!” Sicheng screams, a frightening smile tugging at the ends of his lips. It’s as if the entire sea has been pushed to a terrifying quake and Ten’s eyes widen when he sees the small orange in the open windows spark before a huge black ball flies out of the cannons’ mouths.

Ten’s reflexes are not fast enough but he finds himself crashing on to the hard flooring of the deck with the weight of someone else’s body collapsing on him. Taeyong’s dove right in time to push him out of target. One of the cannon balls swishes right above their heads, landing on one of their masts and breaking it. The pole falls sideways and plunges into the sea.

“Ten! Are you alright??” Taeyong sounds frantic. His hands are pulling at Ten’s robes roughly and Ten has to grind his teeth on his lower lip to keep himself on his feet. There is a throbbing pain that’s spreading on the side of his head from the impact of his fall.

“I’m fine. Tell them to fire the cannons now!” Ten yells and Taeyong does what he’s told, yelling at the top of his lungs to instruct the soldiers to let the cannons loose.

The cannons roar into the rain. The torrents are starting to flow massively from the clouds, the skies darkening while thunder rumbles in the hunger of the day. Ten hears a few loud crashes indicating that they hit some ships and he pulls himself up on his feet in time to see the bow of Sicheng’s ship a foot away from their deck.

Sicheng is going to crash their ship into theirs.

Ten doesn’t even get the chance to shout orders before the force of the crash takes full control of his body, throwing him off the deck. A huge tidal wave splashes into the main deck before the bow of Sicheng’s ship drags across the h