mea rosa aurea || seongjoong || ATEEZ

Chapter 5 : Dazzling Dance

a/n: this chapter is 18+ content heavy. read at your own discretion. this is also the second to last chapter... and literally 21k words... bruh idk what happened :')

Ogres and trolls, large creatures that stood nearly as tall as the gentle giants that were said to have graced the earth since the beginning of time. Probably about twelve feet in height, as tall as some of the smaller trees in the grove surrounding the castle, there were rumors of ogres and trolls that roamed a land so far off it could take a lifetime to travel the distance. They were said to have taken the land for themselves, forcing the giants out to find a new home during a great war that had happened centuries before the prince's own lifetime.

It had been an old tale, one that he rarely looked at because it hadn't quite piqued his interest like the sea dragon or sirens had. Though it still laid deep in the back of his mind, a secret interest that he dared not to tell anyone, not even to the pirate who had told rather heroic stories of his own experiences with the mythical creatures that were once only real in the young prince's book.

But it seemed that the pirate wouldn't be quite himself if he hadn't kept taking Seonghwa by surprise. It was more than just a game now, it was even beyond a routine.

" 'Ave ye ever fought with an ogre before, wee prince?" Hongjoong asked one early morning when the prince had come to the cell right after the sun had risen. It was much earlier than he ever would show up, but Seonghwa attributed it to the fact that the warmer weather gave him the energy he needed to start his day off earlier.

The prince had been sitting where he always was, resting back in his chair with the book in his hand that he had left there the night before. He only looked up for a moment, his gaze finding the pirate before quickly looking back down at the words written on the page. He ignored the fact that the language written there was not one he could read, he knew the pirate couldn't read so it would all look foreign to the other man regardless. The translations would be on the later pages, not that it mattered.

"What makes you think that I would participate in such violence?" The prince asked instead of answering, his own eyebrow rising upwards.

"Ye 'ave a cutlass, a sword, attached to yer waist. I know the royal family has guards 'n warriors to do the dirty work fer 'em, so I am surprised to see the crown prince with a weapon such as that," the pirate walked closer to the prince before squatting down slowly by his side, no doubt just to admire the weapon that was indeed attached to the prince's waist.

Truth be told, Seonghwa had forgotten he had tied the sword just under his main garments that morning. He had become quite used to its presence over the years, so the sword made from silver and metal wasn't something he constantly thought about as he walked around and it would tap against his leg or the wall if he walked too close to it. Though it had been the first time he had worn it when in the presence of the pirate kneeling before him, so he decided to be merciful.

"The men of the royal family are taught proper swordsmanship at the age of fifteen," the prince replied, his body stiffening when the pirate reached out to touch the sword that was buried deep in its sheath so it wouldn't cut anyone.

"So young," Hongjoong murmured, his eyes fully on the sword as the tip of his finger traveled up and down the length of the weapon.

"War can happen at any age," Seonghwa forced himself to keep his eyes on the book in front of him. "If one were to break out, it is required of each able body male in the kingdom at the age of fifteen and above to report to the draft. The royal family is not above that, it is in fact our duty to lead our people no matter how dark the hour is."