Hello my beautiful people! ❤
⚠️ This work contains SPOILERS of my previous work "A Wish Upon The Moon"!! Please, read it first if you don't want to ruin your experience with this new work of mine!! ⚠️
Here I can finally show you the prequel to my previous work "A Wish Upon The Moon" lots of you were so kind to request! I'm so sorry for the long wait, it has been a tough couple of months filled with changes in my life and this story has always been here for me to escape from reality. So, just to let you know, this story is going to be 10 chapters long and I'm going to update it weekly on every Monday, but you can subscribe if you don't want to miss any updates and follow me on Twitter (@likeasky21) to chat about whatever ❤
This story is full of music and ambience videos I carefully chose, that's why you are going to find links scattered here and there from chapter to chapter. Please, click on them when you see them to let me drag you in the best mood for of the scene! This entire work is a mix of ONEUS "Come Back Home" video's aesthetics, their absolutely marvelous cover of "Be Mine" and the way these characters had had the power to act in my imagination without my consent, I hope you will enjoy every consequences that came out of it.
Quick language disclaimer: English is not my mother tongue so I apologize in advance for any mistake or strange sentence! I'm also aware princes should be addressed as "Your Highness" while kings as "Your Majesty" but I have grown fond of using the latter to address Youngjo so I just left it like that, I hope you don't mind!
I want to thank D. M. V. K. and S. for being such precious supporters and for baring with all my existential doubts about this book. I don't know what I would have done without your kind words and useful pieces of advice ❤
Now I will leave you to it then, please let me know what you think about it! ❤
***
"Ser Yeo from the East Land!" One of the king's man announced before two knights parted the curtains separating Hwanwoong from the view of the arena. When he stepped forward, the brightness of the sun blinded him for a moment before everything became slowly clear in his eyes: many knights like him were already standing on the battlefield to pay their respect to the king of the Kingdom of Roses who was sitting at the perfect seat to enjoy the most important sword tournament of the year. The crowd of people in the stands that came from the highest to the lowest class was loud and buzzing in excitement while wondering if someone this time would have defeated Ravn.
'Ravn' was an ancient way of writing the word 'raven' and the people of the Kingdom of Roses had started using the nickname to address the prince, Kim Youngjo, from the very first time he had won the tournament at the age of eighteen, the youngest participant who had achieved such record. Ravn who had also always had black hair and who had taken part in the competition looking like a raven in his completely black armor – a gift from the armorers of the court for the occasion – had stood out in the eyes of the public in addition to his remarkable fighting skills so, the nickname had soon become the way everyone would have called him as soon as he held a sword.
Hwanwoong walked down the stairs to reach the other knights as he heard the same man announcing the name of another knight, entering right behind him. He smiled at the cheers and the words of encouragement people were sending to everyone who would walk down those stairs, hoping to go back with Ravn's helmet in their hands. Hwanwoong's eyes found the prince easily amongst the other gentlemen in armor because of his peculiar color. He couldn't help smirking: he was so close.
He mindlessly brushed the handle of his sword hanging at his left side as he started observing every possible opponent destiny would have sent him. He was about to defeat all of them if necessary in order to face the prince in their first and last battle during that tournament.
The loud sound of a horn signaled the end of the welcoming ceremony and the king stood up as everyone went suddenly quiet. "Knights. Court. People." He turned to his right side where the former seat of the queen was still there and still empty as the king wished it to be to honor her absence, before continuing. "Welcome to this year's tournament and thank you to all the brave knights who have traveled all the way here from near and from afar." He said, flashing a smile to the young men standing in front of him, focusing on one in particular. "As you already know, fate will decide who will be your opponent and the only rule is that there are no rules to win your battle. There's a very good amount of money beside the honor of participating for who will be standing alone in the end. Who knows, you might even be able to defeat my son!" Everyone laughed at the king's absurd sentence since no one had managed to even graze prince Youngjo's armor with his sword and he smirked as well, meeting his son's eyes. "The tournament may begin now. Good luck."
The crowd applauded and started cheering loudly for their favorite contestants as the king of the Kingdom of Roses sat back on his throne. A young lady from the court shot an arrow aiming to the sky to let everyone see who would have fought against who in the first match according to where her arrow would have ended up. Hwanwoong turned to his left when the knight beside him was chosen along with another one standing not far. He bit hard on the inside part of his cheeks to keep himself together because he couldn't wait to fight and to beat everyone standing between him and the prince.
Hwanwoong was confident in his sword skills and it wasn't just because he had been training as a knight for his entire life. He was no ordinary knight like the others. He was Yeo Hwanwoong, the one and only prince of the Kingdom of Daisies, the mortal enemy of the Kingdom of Roses from generations. He had been sent there undercover by his father, the king, to face and kill prince Youngjo, taking away the brightest star from the sky of the Kingdom of Roses.
Hwanwoong was very little when his father had started telling him to stop wandering in the forest to learn how to hold a sword and become the strongest fighter in his entire kingdom. Hwanwoong enjoyed sword fighting a lot but he loved to go hunting the most so he had been very annoyed at his father's orders at first. When the king had told him about everything the vile Kingdom of Roses had done towards them though, Hwanwoong had immediately expressed his desire to get revenge in the name of his own kingdom, the Kingdom of Daisies.
He looked at the king of Roses, trying to suppress the anger boiling up inside him. That man had done so many terrible things to his kingdom and his son Ravn was no different from his father according to what the prince of the Kingdom of Daisies had heard. His people were still paying for the consequences of that kingdom's brutality and that sword tournament was about to be Hwanwoong's first and last chance to send a clear message to them not to mess with the Kingdom of Daisies anymore. Hwanwoong's eyes focused again on the prince who was listening to his father's speech with his helmet already on his head: he couldn't wait to fight against Ravn and to kill him.
An arrow landing right at his feet interrupted his thoughts: it was time for him to fight as well.
***
Prince Youngjo won the first round ridiculously easily and so did Hwanwoong. A knight was killed by his opponent who had been so brutal to cut his neck in half and paint the ground of the arena in red for the first time. That sword tournament was a real battle and the risks were high. Hwanwoong looked at the knights who were carrying the body of the unfortunate victim, showing no signs of emotion: he was used to see similar scenarios between his own castle's walls. His father liked to be quite theatrical when he wanted to punish criminals or simply to kill useless prisoners. Hwanwoong hated him so much for that reason, and not just for that one, but that wasn't the right time to think about the king because his eyes had finally met Ravn's on the other side of the field.
It was a moment, a brief moment, but enough for the prince of the Kingdom of Daisies to notice how round and dark the other's eyes were behind his black helmet, somehow piercing through Hwanwoong's soul even at distance. The prince of the Kingdom of Roses was putting back his sword in its case after beating his second opponent who had miserably surrendered.
By the time Hwanwoong had won his third fight, he was trembling out of his desire to finally face the famous Ravn whose sword skills were praised by every bard in their land. Every time he had the chance, he focused all his attention on the other prince, taking notes in his mind about the way he was fighting. Ravn had definitely been taught on how to use his sword: his movements were precise and decisive and he always seemed to predict his opponents attacks.
What Hwanwoong found bizarre was that the blade of the prince's sword was still clean and no blood had dirtied its marvelous silver color: his opponents always showed lots of energy at the beginning but then, they all just declared their defeat before the prince of the Kingdom of Roses had the chance to give them his final blow. Hwanwoong couldn't take his eyes from Ravn, his mind full of thoughts.
Many more young men lost their lives during the tournament that day and the ones who were still standing on the battlefield were starting to get tired after fighting for so long. The competition wasn't all about sword skills and Hwanwoong knew it very well: determination and endurance were the most important qualities a knight should have had. He had to admit his endurance could have been better but he was still amongst the knights who were fighting at their best despite the sun was about to set.
He met prince Youngjo's eyes again when they stood in line in front of the king along with the other last two participants to decide who would have faced who before the final battle: he had taken his helmet off to pay respect to the king and Hwanwoong could see his face better now as well as his medium length black wavy hair brushing his shoulders. Prince Youngjo was as handsome as the bards songs described him and Hwanwoong noticed he also looked fresh as if he hadn't been fighting until that moment: prince Youngjo's endurance must had been good as well.
Hwanwoong smirked when he found himself fighting against another knight instead of Ravn, almost as if they were destined to meet in the final match as spectacularly as he had wished it to happen.
***
Youngjo wasn't in a good mood that day. Who would have thought the king's son, the famous Ravn, the most gifted knight in the entire Kingdom of Roses, would have rather been in the castle's library to enjoy one of his favorite books instead of showing off his sword skills just to please his father's expectations. The king bragged about his son whenever he had the chance, especially during the time of the year in which that important sword tournament took place, but Youngjo didn't like that.
The prince of the Kingdom of Roses loved to fight and that was also the reason why he had won the tournament as soon as he had reached the right age to take part in it. He had been loving to hold his sword and challenge many different opponents but it was just a fun activity for him. He had been feeling quite tired lately to hear his father's reminders to be strong, and to smile, and to constantly make everyone see his incredible and remarkable talent as the most precious gem on the king's crown.
Youngjo didn't care about appearances. He didn't care about looking beautiful nor popular, but nobody had ever dug deeper to see what was beyond the surface. So, there the prince was, behaving like the good son he was and participating that tournament despite the other participants were clearly not even remotely able to beat him, only to avoid discussing with his father once again.
He sighed, shaking himself from his thoughts as his sword left a severe cut on his opponent's arm. That big knight was undoubtedly a good fighter but he was quite slow and it might have been too easy for the prince to accidentally hurt him even more very soon. He was visibly tired while Youngjo had just started to sweat a little since the beginning of the tournament. He would have probably been in danger if they would have continued battling like that, Youngjo thought. When their swords collided, he took the chance to speak to the other closely so that nobody else would have heard.
"I don't want to hurt you. Please, declare your defeat." He whispered, the same way as he had done with his previous opponents, before skillfully dodging one of the other's attacks. Youngjo turned around to watch the big knight fall on the ground and then getting up only to give him a furious look.
"I will never, Your Majesty!" He spit on the ground before charging at the prince like a crazy bull.
As soon as Hwanwoong defeated his last opponent leaving him without a finger and crying on his knees, he took a seat on a bench at the side of the arena where all the other contestants would wait for their turn. That was the first time he had the chance to enjoy and observe the prince fighting from the front row. Ravn deserved his popularity judging by how well he was using his sword, his big eyes never seemed to leave his opponent. He was always ready to dodge each attack the big knight would charge at him and his moves seemed calculated and experienced.
Hwanwoong soon found himself enjoying their fight, although he would have never admitted it, especially at some point when the prince tricked his opponent moving in a different direction from the one everyone had been expecting, making the big knight fall back and hit his head on the ground.
People cheered for the prince to finish him, to kill him, to end their match the most entertaining and pretentious way while the big knight seemed to have trouble standing up on his own. Hwanwoong focused all his attention on the prince who was bending down on his opponent, probably about to finish him. The prince of the Kingdom of Daisies frowned when he heard Ravn's voice speaking to the big knight instead, his voice was so low probably nobody else heard but Hwanwoong.
"Surrender, please. I don't want to kill you." Ravn had said to the knight although pointing his sword at him in a quite threatening way, making the crowd scream more. "I won't repeat it a third time."
They didn't have to wait long before the big knight waved his hands in the air at the king screaming: "I-I surrender, Your Highness!!"
Hwanwoong stood up as an unconditional reflex when people gave Ravn a standing ovation as he lowered his sword to put it back in its case. The prince of the Kingdom of Daisies was truly taken aback. He would have expected the popular Ravn to mercilessly kill his opponent without second thoughts instead of subtly convince him declare his own defeat. Hwanwoong had heard stories about knights who still honored the most ancient code of knights according to which, to ask their opponents to surrender was a true act of nobleness and fairness, but there was no way Ravn could have been one of them. Hwanwoong's father had told him everything about Ravn's quests and ruthless attitude, apparently a peculiar characteristic of the Kingdom of Roses royal family. What prince Youngjo had just done several times in front of Hwanwoong's eyes was too different from what he had learnt.
***
Youngjo looked at his father who was enjoying the people's cheers much more than himself before his eyes moved on the last contestant he would have faced in the final match: it was the short knight he had noticed earlier that day for his unusual height and because it mustn't had been easy for a man of his shape to handle such a long sword, although he had a really good technique when he used it. The other knight had gained his attention more than once as he was fighting with other opponents during the tournament and Youngjo had to admit he was very curious about their imminent battle.
The sound of a horn signaled the beginning of a new match and the big knight quickly left the arena at the speed of a dog, with his tail in between his legs, so that Ser Yeo could take his place. Youngjo pulled off his helmet as he stepped towards the other knight at the center of the arena.
When they took a hold of each other's forearms as the traditional greeting required, they finally stared closely into each other's eyes while the king was giving his usual speech before the final match. Youngjo couldn't help noticing the short knight's face, that had been hidden by his helmet until that moment, was very beautiful: his features were strong and well-defined but somehow delicate, his skin looked smooth as if he took good care of it and that was something knights usually didn't do. The prince of the Kingdom of Roses smiled when he saw the fire burning in the other's chocolate brown irises: he got a feeling he was about to have some real fun with his last opponent.
"I believe you're Ser Yeo." He suddenly spoke. "I see you did very well during the previous matches."
Hwanwoong smirked: "That is me. You are very kind, Your Majesty. Your glory precedes you. I noticed you seem to be respectful of the ancient knight's code but please, do not honor it with me." He tightened his grip around the prince's forearm. "It will be my pleasure to kill you today."
Prince Youngjo outrightly smiled at those words: "I would love to see you trying, shortie. Good luck." He commented before putting his helmet back on his head.
Hwanwoong's mouth fell open at the sudden, quite inappropriate, nickname but he had no opportunity to reply because the king had just announced the beginning of the final battle. They had to part to bow at the king before they pulled out their swords. Hwanwoong took a deep breath, trying not to let the other's words distract him from his main purpose. People went quiet in order to let the two knights focus for the last face-off, their excitement and tension filling the air, everyone's eyes were on them.
The king of the Kingdom of Daisies tilted his head from side to side: he was ready. He had been waiting for that moment for so long. He was going to beat the other prince and to go back home with his head in his arms to throw it at his father's feet. Maybe after accomplishing his mission, the king of the Kingdom of Daisies would have let his son do what he really wanted to do with his life.
Hwanwoong waited for Ravn to make a move but soon it became clear the other was planning on simply standing there, waiting for him to attack first instead: the prince of the Kingdom of Roses was using the same strategy he had used with the previous knights he had faced but Hwanwoong would have made sure the other understood he wasn't any knight. He stepped forward as if he finally was attacking him only to step back right after, performing a fantastic fake attack.
Hwanwoong's face betrayed his surprise when Ravn didn't even move, as if he had already figured what he had had in mind before Hwanwoong could have even put it into action. The prince of the Kingdom of Daisies quickly went back to where he was, taking in account the fact the other had probably been observing him during the tournament as much as he had. He tightened his grip around his sword before he finally decided to attack the other prince for real and to let his last fight begin.
Youngjo quickly dodged the knight's sword before waving his own in the air, performing a couple of tricks the ladies of the court loved so much, aiming at the other's legs right after. He didn't miss Ser Yeo's smile when he jumped, easily avoiding the blade: the shortest was as fast as he had figured.
They both kept attacking without being able to break through each other's defenses until the sun had set at the horizon and the beautiful purple sky above them was becoming darker and darker. At that point, Youngjo knew that Ser Yeo's best qualities were his speed and his ability to bluff because it always seemed as if he were about to hit but then, he didn't. The prince could see why he had been able to both unnerve and tire out his previous opponents. Unluckily for the knight, one of Ravn's qualities people admired the most was his patience, especially while fighting.
Hwanwoong made two steps back right after another one of his attacks had gone to waste. A tear of sweat caressed his temple, slowly dripping down his cheek for the first time that day and that was the moment the prince of the Kingdom of Daisies decided to start fighting for real. His endurance clearly wasn't as good as the prince's so, he would have killed him and he would have done it quickly.
When Youngjo barely managed to dodge the knight's attack, he realized how much he was tired. Despite everyone believed in the legend of the unbeatable Ravn, he knew he had limits and his movements were getting slower after fighting for so long with such a quick witted opponent as Ser Yeo. He was enjoying it though. Prince Youngjo was enjoying their match so much. He couldn't help thinking how easily he had won that sword tournament during the previous years while Ser Yeo was truly making him feel like he was earning his own victory for once. "I'm impressed, Ser Yeo." He commented when the other managed to defend himself again. "Where have you been until today?"
The knight turned around to address a quite strong but also precise attack, making their swords collide with a loud clashing sound: "I have been training for this moment." He quite honestly replied before kicking the prince's ankle and watch him stumble on his feet. "I'm going to kill you now."
Youngjo thanked his very good reflexes that allowed him to quickly get up and avoid the knight's sword before he cut his neck from side to side. Hwanwoong indeed fought as if he had been training for a long time in order to kill him. "I'm honored to hear that, shortie." Youngjo genuinely was. He could tell the knight had been working really hard to master his blade that way and it was flattering.
The prince of the Kingdom of Roses laughed when Hwanwoong failed to deliver his following attack as soon as he had heard his words. Youngjo watched the knight land on the ground with his entire body as he found himself thinking that maybe he had just found out another one of the knight's weaknesses. He stepped towards him to enjoy the sight of embarrassment on his face and that was the moment Hwanwoong moved so quickly the prince almost didn't see his sword coming.
Hwanwoong heard the prince hiss in pain when the blaze of his sword finally tore apart the chainmail covering his left arm, leaving an open bleeding cut on his flesh. The crowd loudly reacted in surprise before falling silent, everyone's eyes focused on Ravn who had brought a hand to his arm. He looked at his own blood on his palm: since he had won the tournament at the age of eighteen, that was the first time someone had managed not only to graze his armor but to even hurt him. He needed to be careful, he had to endure it a little longer and Ser Yeo would have surrender for sure.
"You were not mocking me when you said you have been training, Ser Yeo..." Youngjo said, forgetting about that scratch to sway his sword back and forth. "My blood is on your sword now." The prince noticed Ser Yeo's smirk behind his helmet before he stepped forward, thirsty for more.
Hwanwoong definitely hadn't been expecting the other to dodge his new attack and to spin around himself before abruptly hitting his armor at the side of his left hip while throwing a punch at his helmet with his free hand. The prince of Daisies lost his balance and he fell on his bottom before even realizing what had happened, a loud ring filled his ears due to the harsh impact of the metal on the ground. He immediately lifted himself up to fight back but he felt so dizzy for a moment he hesitated. It was a brief moment but enough for Youngjo to kick one of the knight's legs, distracting him before unexpectedly pushing him down on his knees, his sword falling not far from him.
"We are both tired, Ser Yeo." Youngjo pointed his sword at the other's chest. "Please, surrender."
"Why don't you kill him? Ravn!!" Hwanwoong heard someone screaming from the audience.
They were right. Prince Youngjo had him at his mercy and it would have been so easy to kill him. Anyone would have already and Hwanwoong would have even deserved it for underestimating the other's skills, but there the other prince was, asking him to give up to spare his life. Little the prince of Roses knew Hwanwoong would have had no life if he had come back to his kingdom only to tell the king how much of a failure he had been despite his long and tough training. That thought made the prince of Daisies remember he had nothing to lose and a new light of hope turned on in his heart.
Ser Yeo suddenly held Youngjo's blade with his bare left hand, abruptly stealing his opponent's weapon to throw it behind his own back. Then, he immediately crawled on the ground as fast as he could to catch his own sword while the prince of Roses was doing the exact same thing in the opposite direction. When Youngjo turned around, the knight was already attacking him and he luckily managed to avoid the other's blade tumbling on the ground to the side before taking advantage of that position and kick the other's calves. Hwanwoong found himself caught by surprise and he fell on his back, losing his sword once again. This time though, Ravn quickly stood up catching the other's weapon so that he could hold both his own sword in his right hand and Ser Yeo's in his left hand.
Hwanwoong was panting on the ground as he couldn't take his overwhelmed eyes from the other. He found himself unable to believe Ravn had managed to leave him weaponless in the end. The king of the Kingdom of Daisies had told him that if anyone would have ever stolen his sword away from him, he would have deserved to die because that would have made him his biggest disappointment.
"Kill me, Your Majesty." Hwanwoong suddenly said out loud. "Give them what they want." He said, opening his arms to point at the crowd that started to boo at him.
Youngjo gulped, trying to steady his heavy breathing: "I don't care what people want. You don't deserve to die, Ser Yeo." He replied, waving both swords in the air to buy himself some time.
Hwanwoong's heart physically ached at the other's words. Nobody had ever told him something like that in his entire life and the last person he would have ever imagined to do it was Ravn, the son of the longest time enemy of his kingdom. Hwanwoong couldn't help wondering if that wasn't all part of a greater strategy of his, an even more humiliating way to defeat him, but the other prince left him with no doubts when he bent down on him the same way as he had with the big knight before him.
"Please, surrender, Ser Yeo. Do it before you seriously hurt yourself for the wrong reason."
"Never!" Hwanwoong didn't understand what he other was talking about as his anger took over and he threw himself at the other, giving his all to take his sword back but the other prince abruptly placed his foot in the middle of his chest to abruptly push him back down. Hwanwoong's entire body shook at the strong impact between his armor and the ground. He desperately wanted to get up to defend himself from the other's probably incoming attack but he failed miserably, unable to move due to the weight of Youngjo's feet blocking his lungs.
"He said he surrenders!" He heard the prince saying out loud and the king quickly made the horn play to determine the end of the last competition and the victory of his son.
People cheered the loudest from their seats and roses started raining on the arena, surrounding Ravn who had won the tournament for the seventh time. He met his father's eyes: he looked so proud of him and that made Youngjo's heart ache even more. He moved his foot off Ser Yeo's chest, offering him his hand the other completely ignored, turning his face in the opposite direction. Prince Youngjo smiled again as he removed his helmet to quickly wave at the crowd before leaving the arena.
Hwanwoong managed to sit up straight only when a couple of knights had come in help to bring him to the infirmary: he had to be clean and well dressed for the victory ceremony of that night.
***
Hwanwoong took another sip of the finest wine of the kingdom the prince had offered every knight who had taken part in the tournament he had just won. The prince of Daisies, who had been sitting alone at a side table, once again focused his attention on Youngjo: he was enjoying the company of two ladies of the court while drinking and dancing lively with them to the songs the musicians of the king were playing. The prince of the Kingdom of Roses looked even more handsome with his clean exposed face, his hair beautifully styled in soft waves and the precious red and silver embroidered clothes he was wearing for the special occasion of the night: he was glowing.
Hwanwoong bit his tongue, frustrated both by the fact he had lost against the prince he was sure he would have beaten easily with his long trained skills and because of the pain he could still feel, on his left hand and in the middle of his chest, after the other had hit him so hard. He sighed. He couldn't take his eyes off the bandage surrounding Prince Youngjo's arm to cover the consequence of that one single time Hwanwoong had managed to break through his defenses. He had been so close.
The prince of the Kingdom of Daisies knew the other would have been a strong opponent but he would have never imagined he would have lost against him last minute with such a dirty trick.
How was he supposed to go back to his father and tell him that, after all the time he had spent preparing for that big battle, he had miserably lost? If Hwanwoong closed his eyes, he could almost hear the king's voice complaining about him being a true disappointment once again. That was the reason he chose to keep them wide open as he took another sip from his cup.
He would have written a letter to his father the next day. He didn't want to think about his future for that night, he thought, pouring some more red nectar for himself. Hwanwoong had been so immersed in his own thoughts he didn't notice prince Youngjo approaching his table until he heard his voice.
"Are you enjoying the feast, Ser Yeo?" He calmly asked, offering his empty cup for the other to fill as tradition required between a knight and a prince.
Hwanwoong gave the other a fake smile as he poured some wine for him. Since he was a prince too, it was the first time for him to serve someone else and it felt strange but he had to keep a low profile to hide his true identity: "I am, Your Majesty. Not as much as the winner I believe, but I am!"
He hadn't been expecting the prince to walk around the table and to take a sit beside him.
***
Please let me know what you think about it! I love to read comments, even the small ones, they mean the world to me! Also, feel free to leave kudos if you enjoyed and make sure to check out my other works in ONEUS fandom! ❤ If you don't want to miss any updates, or you simply want to chat, you can follow me on Twitter (@likeasky21) ❤
One last very important note: one of you absolutely precious artists decided to create a fan art of each chapter of this story and they are about to publish it soon on on their DeviantArt account! I will leave a link to their profile here for you to see when they will come out if you are interested ❤ Please, always support artists like this! I'm still so thankful and flattered by their drawings (they sent me privately and they are so lovely I literally cried) so, here we go: https://www.deviantart.com/shineunderthemoon ❤