11 years ago → Jongin and Soojung’s wedding banquet.

The decor was lovely, grand and luxurious, but for king Do it was but an obnoxious reminder of who exactly had won the war and reclaimed all the resources of the losing party.

He felt insulted, denigrated by the very obvious show-off buffet. While gold was plenty after pillaging the defeated, food was always scarce in times of conflict,  and he knew king Kim must have tapped into withering reserves for the sake of humiliating his family.

But he put on his brightest smile regardless and exchanged proper pleasantries with all the guests that came to congratulate him on the marriage of his gorgeous eldest, Do Soojung; tall, slender, long brown hair that had been done up elegantly and a face so pretty that make up was but an obstacle obstructing its natural glow.
The woman was dutifully glued to her new husband’s side. Never a submissive one but always devoted to whatever her princess duties were, she had accepted the arrangement gracefully and stood facing forward with a contained polite smile.

The couple sat at one end of the large table while the king and his queen occupied the other. So long was it that they couldn't speak from across unless everyone else made complete silence. The entire Kim royal family as well as the Do, and the Kim’s allies in the war were there too, not too big of a crowd by royal ball standards, but a crowd either way. A crowd of elegantly dressed men and women mostly in pairs with the occasional lone wolf like was the groom's brother, Joonmyeon, as he sat on his chair, frown in place and accompanied not by a pretty lady but by his loyal right hand man, former colonel Wu Yifan, who had fought alongside him in the war, watched him struggle for his life on the day his body had been so severely atrophied. The two were now inseparable after Yifan had been appointed to be prince Joonmyeon’s legs.

Another man that could be seen aimlessly wandering the hall without a lady by his side was Crown Prince Do Kyungsoo, the perspicacious 9-year-old known in the close circle of royalty for his witty brain yet often eerily quiet mouth; a boy that says too few words too big for his age, a wise ruler in the making. His pregnant mother was by his father’s side, leaving the little one – and oh, how little he was, the short thing – to wander the party on his own, the curious gaze of a child tinted subtly with an air of judgment and criticism he was known for.

“Crown Prince Do, my pleasure to finally make your acquaintance” crown prince Kim Jongin greeted the young boy, treating him with respect despite his own height and age advantage. Jongin was but a teen at the time, merely 17 years of age yet already quite tall and well built from all the sword training his elder sibling had imparted him from a young age; he was gleeful and spontaneous, with an even temper and open mind; skin tan and hair a deep dark brown as were his eyes, but the most prominent feature of prince Jongin were undoubtedly his plush lips that court women were all secretly envious of.

“Oh, Jongin, we meet at last, the pleasure is all mine” Kyungsoo answered with a soft nod of acknowledgement and a small polite smile on his own thick lips.

“I'm afraid you've caught me off guard, your address was terribly informal” the other pointed out with no real anger.

“You know what you are as I do, no need for constant reminders” he said arrogantly, which made the other chuckle because: how odd was it that the younger of them both was the one telling him it was all right to address each other on a first name basis?

“Fair enough then… Kyungsoo” he teased, pulling the faintest of amused smiles out of the other.

“Quite the feast” Kyungsoo commented offhandedly, changing the subject.

“Thank you”

“It wasn't a compliment” the kid added, directing his gaze from the banquet on the table back to the mildly shocked teen.

“Oh?” Jongin expressed lamely.

“In times of need, a feast like this is but the boastful display of a foolish man” he accused haughtily.

“That is my father, the king, you so rudely speak of” the other complained, only mildly upset on his father’s behalf, but mostly intrigued by this little boy who was so brave – or perhaps foolish – to insult a king while he resides in his palace, in front of his son, no less and in the midst of celebrating freshly signed peace – disguised as a wedding –.

“A king with no regard for the needs of his people with the way he wastes precious food” the other continued, unfazed.

“That is where you're wrong. None of this will be thrown to waste” the older clarified, earning a skeptical raised brow from his companion.

“You don't expect me to believe that the royal family will dine tomorrow with tonight's leftovers” he challenged, still incredulous.

“Not us, obviously” Jongin said, ignoring the snort that answered his short statement “But the servants and the palace cattle will make good use of whatever is left. It will not be wasted” he clarified.

“Is that so? Clever” Kyungsoo ceded with several approving nods.

“You think? Then do the feasts of the Do house get dumped out?” he asked, ready to call the other out on his hypocrisy.

“We don't feast, Jongin” he answered simply.

“How so?” the taller one demanded.

“This isn't the first war we lose, my people know hunger and need, it would be inconsiderate of us to make a grandiose buffet while the kingdom starves” he explained with a knowing look “Even in times of prosperity, the cook only serves as much as we can eat; nothing goes to waste in the Do house” he finished, all but puffing out his chest in pride.

“Admirable” Jongin admitted “I believe the palace will benefit from learning some of the princess’ ways” he said, referring to his new wife.

“I do hope we both benefit from this alliance” Kyungsoo foretold with a smile bigger than the polite one he had been faking all day, an adorable heart shaped smile.

“We shall” he agreed, and with a smile, he left.

8 years ago → Yeoreum’s first birthday

The rosy cheeked baby that was Kim Yeoreum grew into a beautiful chubby little thing that her mother could hardly handle in her thin arms. It was her very first birthday and everyone from both her family trees had gathered to celebrate.

And birthdays meant gifts.

From uncle Joonmyeon she received a valuable sword; for a woman should be considered no weaker than a man, she is too a warrior and I entrust with this weapon, no battle will be lost, is what he said. Soojung frowned.

From grandmother Kim it was an expensive doll.

From grandpa Kim, a pony.

From grandmother Do, three dresses.

From grandpa Do… his best wishes. Soojung frowned.

From crown prince Do, his very first pressed butterfly.

In the name of little prince Do, a doll.

From the youngest Kim prince, a bow. Soojung frowned.

As soft music played in the background thanks to the palace’s resident musicians, the guests were ushered to mingle around as they sipped and snacked. The women were gathered around the little princess, praising her mother for the baby’s beauty and giving her their motherhood tips. Jongin knew that behind all the helpful tips, they were also being silently judged for their only child was a girl and his wife wasn’t expecting a second one even after a year of Yeoreum’s birth. What is he waiting for? Is what they all think, they believe there must be something wrong with him or her in the baby making department.

He’s had enough of being patronized by subtle hints of disapproval and leaves to walk around the hall without aim until a voice he recognizes – but doesn’t hear often enough to call familiar – calls for his attention.

“Both of your brothers have proved unexpectedly creative gift givers” young prince Kyungsoo teased.

“Indeed, but I must say I appreciate them encouraging my baby girl to be self-sufficient”he replies, grateful for having someone to talk to that won’t judge his every word. Kyungsoo is younger than him yet a very sharp child; only 11 but already a capable archer, and knowledgeable diplomat. He is, however, more inclined to the arts than war and politics; born with a heavenly voice and the – often called girly – passion for butterfly pressing, of all things.

“Isn’t it cruel? If you find it so beautiful, why pin its wings to a wooden plank?”  he had asked him once.

“But it will die, even if I don’t do it, those insects live most of their lives as worms then transform into gorgeous butterflies, but that stage of their life lasts only a blink. Their ending will be tragic regardless of my interference, so might as well”

There is a wide range of topics them both as royals have been instructed on, but Kyungsoo has learned so much more than what is expected of him on his own, things that his personal teachers insist are pointless for an aspiring king to bother with, but it is his passion for knowledge and discovering that drives him. Jongin loves that passion and wishes he had looked at the world with Kyungsoo’s curious eyes when he was younger. All he knows is how to rule his people and win a war if there is one, but he also knows how to preserve a flower in a glass casing. Kyungsoo taught him that.

Kyungsoo also taught him the value of being humble, of forgetting he’s a king to be – that they both are – and just being Jongin.

He’s a friend that he rarely gets to see, but whose company he looks forward to the most.

“My sister wasn't amused” Kyungsoo said with a snicker.

“Your sister is hardly ever amused” Jongin complained with a huff, earning a nod from the other because his wife was indeed a tough one. A good woman at heart, but with a cold uninviting exterior and a hard to please personality.

“A boring marriage, is it?”

“No comment” he said in a monotone, making the younger laugh heartily, attracting a few stares that were quickly diverted.

“You can trust my silence” he joked, half serious.
“She is wonderful… as a friend. I'm afraid I don't see her as the woman she is” Jongin answered honestly.

“Ah, but you made her with child, still” the younger one gave a teasing look.

“I am human, don't expect me to look at her body on our wedding night and remain still” the tallest defended.

“Then you do see her as a woman” he insisted.

“I…” the tan crown prince began before stopping himself “...was about to say something you wouldn't take kindly to”

“Allow me to read your mind. Not a woman you can fall in love with, but a good friend you can cherish and a nice body you can hold at night” Kyungsoo concluded in all seriousness.

“How do you know me so well?” the older joked with a loud laugh, that characteristic laugh of him that made him look… dumb, for lack of a better word; dumb but impossibly endearing, an expression that made him look even below his young age, warming Kyungsoo’s heart because kings to be don’t get to laugh every day, they don’t get to address each other the way they do, and he knows their interactions won’t be as carefree when one of them raises to the throne. Jongin’s dumb laugh is what he’ll miss the most when that time comes.