The King was strikingly tall.

Junsu had heard of the King before, how he was only nineteen summers old when he assumed the throne, but no one had told him concerning how tall or handsome he was. The prince imagined that the King stood almost one head taller than him. He wore a thick fur coat, beneath that was a pair of leggings and tunic. His eyes held curiosity that mirrored his young years, and a hint of mirth and mischief shone from them.

There were rustles heard as the Cardonnans bowed to their king. “All hail Changmin the King, Ruler of the Great Kingdom of Cardonna,” Yunho said leading his men as they kneeled. 

The King nodded and said, “Rise.” His dark eyes however remained fixed on the royal Sevaecians. He then gave them a half bow, because a King does not bow to anyone, not even to his consort. Junsu knew then that his new King was a very proud man. It was not always a good trait, but the King had been brought up as an only son and heir, surely it would affect his personality. 

Eric stepped forward to speak, however the King spoke before him. “Mae govannen, welcome to Cardonna. I trust your journey has been satisfactory?”

“Mae govannen,” Junho replied as he was the First Prince. “I am Junho, the heir of the Kingdom of Sevaecia. And this is my blood brother.” With a mutual agreement in their twin bond, the two Princes crossed their arms and gave the King a Sevaecians customary greeting. “Our journey has been uneventful; we thank you for your great care.”

Junsu lifted his head. “Thank you for your gifts, your majesty.”

He could see the King’s eyes widened slightly as he took in Junsu’s features, perhaps he was pleased to see that his betrothed was not unfortunate looking. “Are you pleased with them?”

“Indeed I am, I enjoy them immensely, especially the Books of Lost Tales. We rarely have such books in Sevaecia.”

“And the coat?”

Junsu hid a smile. “I am wearing it Your Majesty.” 

Something akin of embarrassment flickered in the King’s eyes and those full lips tightened slightly. Junsu could see the King stiffened. He then he realized what he had just done. Instead of answering the King’s question, he had indicated that the King was a fool. Surely he could see that the Prince was wearing them by himself, he was asking questions out of mere politeness. And Junsu, being the youngest son always ready to tease everyone around him, as others would forgive him almost immediately.

His father always said that he should think before he speak, and Junsu chided himself for forgetting that. He knew he did not have the patience as Junho did, nor the eloquent words or majestic charisma the First Prince inherited from their father. Junho was trained since birth as an heir, while Junsu was given slightly more freedom. And as a result Junsu was more…free willed.

Eric cleared his throat once, and Junsu could see the King nodded in understanding. “We should hurry back to the castle,” the King said, “although it is spring here in Cardonna, the weather is still cold and harsh compared to the warm Sevaecia. Let us not stay here any longer.”

Junsu was stunned. This was spring? By the Valar, he could swear it was the worst winter he had ever known! Unconsciously he pulled the fur coat tighter, drawing in more warmth to himself. The King seemed to notice this and he gave Junsu a small smile. 

“Come, let us go.”

 

All the things Junsu had read regarding the Great Kingdom of Cardonna proved to be insufficient to do the kingdom justice. The term ‘Great Kingdom’ was no jest, for the Kingdom itself was massive compared to the small Sevaecia. While Sevaecia thrived from natural resources and warm climate, Cardonna relied heavily on trading. However the kingdom had prospered despite all the winter, as they found gold and diamonds buried deep under the mountains.

Although it was spring time, even almost summer, all Junsu could see was covered in ice and thin layer of the last snow. Forests were mix colors of brown and white, with small pointy leaves peeking underneath the frost. There were no great big leaves like in Sevaecia, only small and needle like. Rows and rows of birch, alder and willow grew tall and strong. The mountains stood far in the East, a moment of fright seized Junsu as he realized behind those mountains was where the King of Kuveth located. 

And with it, the Dark Lord Maglor. 

As they rode further in, houses and sentry posts appeared. Junsu gazed around with wide eyes. Everything was so fascinating and incredibly surreal to him. To survive in the cold, the Cardonnans made their homes from two layers, stones and wood. While in Sevaecia they preferred to have big windows to look at the greenery and golden trees, the people of Cardonna had many small windows in their house. 

Sentry posts stood tall on the trees, weaved ladders made from dried tree roots hang from each post. Sentry guards peeked from their posts and climbed down as they saw their King. One had already ridden away to tell the news to the Castle. They bowed as the King passed, sneaking curious glances at the newly arrived Sevaecians princes. 

Anor was high when they finally glimpsed on the White City, the capital of the Great Kingdom of Cardonna. Junsu always wondered why it was called that but finally he understood. Great white walls surrounded the city and smaller walls on each of her eight levels, where every level stood almost one hundred feet taller than the lower. On the top level was the Castle, so large and tall it almost overshadowed the level beneath. With snow covered every rooftop and stone road, there seemed to be almost no other color except white.

Suddenly he missed the greenery and warm colors of the Sevaecia. 

In front of the White City was the Field of Methedras, where all roads that leads to the White City met. It was one of the few fertile farmlands at the Kingdom of Cardonna and home to farmers, hunters and herdsman alike. 

As they trotted through the Field of Methedras, the main gate on the first level opened. This was called the Great Gate, for it stood forty feet high and it took almost thirty strong men to open it. The Great Gate was made from iron and steel guarded by stone towers and bastions. According to the history book the King gave Junsu, the gate had been breached once during the Last War with Kingdom of Kuveth and since then had been rebuilt using harder metals and more towers were added.

The streets of the White City were bustling with life despite the cold weather. At the third level was the Main Square where the market was located. Junsu could see lines and lines of hawkers, some sold things he had never seen before. His curious eyes were met with inquisitive looks from the hawkers and pedestrians. 

“Make way for the King!” Yunho cried.

Whispers and rumors grew as the people parted. They had all heard of the hopeful alliance between their king and the Second Prince of Sevaecia. With the darkness crept back into the forests, rumors grew at the Shadow of the East. 

At last they arrived at the Final Gate. The Final Gate was the main gate of the castle, made from mithril, the hardest metal in Arda and crafted by most skilled craftsmen in Cardonna. It was manned by the castle guards. Few of the castle guards came hurriedly to take the reins as the entourage mounted off their horses. Behind them was the castle’s courtyard where a band of men waiting, each wearing thick fur coats and robes underneath. 

One of them stepped forward, bowed to the King and kneeled, the others behind him followed suit. “Mae govannen my princes, I am Yoochun, chief advisor of the Great Kingdom of Cardonna. Welcome to the castle, we have prepared your rooms at the South Wing.”

“South Wing? He would not be comfortable there,” said Changmin. “Place him in the Royal Quarters.”

“But, my King, the rooms in the Royal Quarters have not been prepared.”

“Then have it prepared.”

Junsu frowned as he watched the King and the Chief Advisor spoke. He did not like the final almost condescending tone by which the King commanded his subjects. He sounded terribly arrogant. Junsu was sure he would be fine in the South Wing, there was no need for the Royal Quarters. And so once again he spoke without thinking. “I will rest in the South Wing, for you have gone to trouble preparing the rooms there.”

He did not see the way Changmin’s lips tightened. Junho however, knew that his twin brother had publicly disobeyed the King.

 

The rooms at the South Wing were enough for the two Sevaecians prince. It was not as big as their rooms back in Sevaecia, but it was not ‘not comfortable’ as King Changmin put it. The main living room’s walls were decorated with tapestry. The bedchamber held a wide bed with posts richly carved. The fabrics were rich and bright; thick covers and rugs spread out across the room. The fireplace was lit, giving the whole room some warmth that the two foreign princes needed.

“King Changmin of the Cardonna is very fair of face is he not?” Junho watched his brother closely, as Junsu pretended to read one of the books. He did not need to look in their bond to know that his twin was upset. 

Junsu sighed and closed his book. Nothing could escape his brother. “A handsome face that betrays his actions. Am I to be wedded to him? An arrogant and prideful man who thought his words were to be obeyed by everyone?”

“I think you judge him too early.”

“What if I have not?” Junsu stood and began to pace. His mind whirled. He could not forget how the young King spoke, how those eyes seemed displeased at him until the King bid goodbye to them, saying he needed to tend to his duties. 

Junho’s deep voice brought him back. ”Havo dad, dear brother.”

The Second Prince gazed at his twin and as if he suddenly remembered his place, sat down. He did not speak for a while and then nodded tightly, “Amin hiraetha. Perhaps I have misjudged him too soon, for I have only met him. But know this brother, I have not forgotten my duties and if it requires me to wed him, then I will.” 

“Gwador, as happy as I am to hear you, do not forget that he is young. He was thrown as a King only three summers before. He watched his father died, succumbing to illness and now darkness grew once again at the Kingdom of Kuveth. He had far too many things to handle for such young age.”

He moved closer and rested the palm of his hand against his twin’s cheek. “Do not worry, all will be well. Understand him, do not give in to your temper.”

Junsu sought out his brother’s eyes. “I do not know what to do if you are so far away. We might not be able to far-speak, for the distance was far too great.”

Junho’s eyes softened. “I will be here until your wedding in seven days, but I will need to return home soon. Ada is old and the longer I leave him the more worry I will feel.” His embraced his twin close and whispered, “May the Valar be with you.”


-End of Chapter Two-



Glossary:
Valar = gods
Ada = father
Anor = sun
Mae govannen =Well met
Gwador = brother
Havo dad = Sit down
Amin hiraetha = I’m sorry