Promise- Minsung

Chapter Sixty Five

Back in the mountain base, Jisung had just woken from a restless night's sleep in an empty bed. He missed Minho at his side... so much so that he had not been able to rest well.

Yongbok arrived at his side by the time the sun was shining. "My eldest cousin has yet to return and our men are struggling," he murmured, bowing his head. "Prince Minho as well as Changbin have both been injured."

"Severely?"

"Not from what I've heard," Yongbok bowed his head. "Your Majesty, are you planning on going out to see them?"

"Yes."

"Please stay here and do not go anywhere. There may be southern black masks waiting to invade at any moment. Please stay here with Princess Lee Hei-ran and Crown Prince Han Yeong until my youngest cousin comes back."

"That is, if he comes back you mean," Jisung muttered under his breath a heavy sigh as he walked off towards his kid's rooms where they were still sleeping, unaware of the chaos that was raging outside of their safe home.

Jisung didn't really want to wake them up yet. The yelling and screams of soldiers in pain could be heard faintly, even through the stone walls and hallways. He didn't want Hei-ran to hear them. Yeong was young enough that he wouldn't remember them, but Hei-ran...

So instead he just stood in the hallways leading to their rooms. He felt a pang in his chest. If Minho were to die, he'd have to raise these two alone. He would force himself to. He would abandon them even if his husband died.

Especially if his husband died.

He knew what it was like to not have either parents growing up. And now he knew what it felt like to be abandoned by a parent who could have come back for you but didn't.

He would never be like that, no matter what.

After a few minutes, Jisung left the hallway and went to stand up in the study which was empty at the moment, staring up at the grassy hills. Just past the hills though, were the forests that were now full of injured soldiers.

And his husband was among them.

~oOo~

Minho heaved an injured soldier off his shoulders and looked around. There was nobody else around except for a few battling young men fighting against several southern men at the same time. Minho hissed as he lay the soldier on the ground and checked his pulse.

He would survive if he got help immediately.

"Go, Prince!" cried one of the young men, seeing him hesitate. "Help him!"

Minho looked them over before he nodded and once again picked the injured man up and hung him around his shoulders, running to where he could get medical help. "Keep fighting!"

He flinched as he heard his men's cries behind him.

Life and death choices. Not his own, but of those around him. A single word from him and they would stab their own chests. They would slaughter the southern men. All it took was one word. Minho hated having so much control. He was tired of it, especially on the battlefield.

Minho returned later to collect their bodies and bring them back to the camp. They were once again spread too thin. While they had taken out perhaps half of the Southern invaders, they were now down to the last fourth of their troops.

"By the time the generals come, it'll be too late for us," Changbin was walking better now, but still carried a small limp with him.

"At least they'll be able to get my body," Minho muttered as he wiped his enemy's blood from his cheek with a strip of his robe.

"Prince, our line is weakening... do we continue to hold it?" Minho looked up, surprised to hear the sound of defeat in Changbin's voice. "It may... it may save more lives if the Odueun King and the other four southern rulers show us mercy."

"We are not going to give in," Minho gritted his teeth. "Our entire kingdoms will be at their disposal. They could slaughter all our people."

Changbin winced and nodded before he turned to the forests that were still full of the sounds of fighting.

"We'll have to pull back to the outside of the capital," Minho finally said out loud. Which meant losing their position in the forest. Outside of the forest, they'd have a disadvantage once more.

"I know... should I give the order?" Changbin looked grieved. That would also mean instead of going through the forests and searching for injured men who could not get to the medical stations themselves that were still alive would be left behind.

"Yes, give the ord-"

"ALL HAIL THE LEE KING!" a loud call echoed around the valley.

All soldiers of both sides stopped fighting for a moment to look up.

Minho's face broke out into a wide smile.

His brother had come.