Fifteen Years Later
"Wooohoooo!" A loud yell echoed around the hill side as the youngest prince of the Lee Kingdom shot past fields of rice. His horse underneath him whinnied with happiness as the prince pushed him faster.
He ran past workers, who would stand and wave to the prince. He ran past the town, where young ladies would blush and whisper to friends. And finally, right as he was nearing the fence that led back into the palace, unexpectedly he passed his brothers. Which wasn't good.
"Yes, so tomorrow, I will be leaving for the day," Prince Min-hyung was saying. "I need to arrive at the palace by nightfall-"
Min-hyung was cut off as a large figure shot passed, causing him to yelp in fear, and hide behind his much shorter older brother. "Hyungnim!"
Prince Jihoon, however, had not been frightened by the fast-moving horse. Instead, he yelled after him. "MINHO! Get your ass back here!"
The youngest prince stopped, after hearing his brother's yell. His horse, now out of breath, turned and started towards the two other royal princes. A sheepish smile crossed his face. "Yes, hyungnim?"
"What are you doing out here! You're supposed to have a meeting with the court masters and the king!" Jihoon scolded.
"I know... but I wanted to take Cho out for a ride!" Minho gave his cutest smile, to try to save him from Prince Jihoon.
Jihoon didn't take it. "Go! Now!"
Minho nodded, and turned to head back to the palace.
"Oh, and Minho?"
He turned back.
"Minhyuk isn't in a good mood. I suggest you agree to whatever he says, alright?"
Minho nodded. "Of course!"
~oOo~
"No Hyung-nim! Absolutely not!"
Minhyuk frowned down at him. "Why not? It's not like you've gone very much before!"
"I don't want to! I am sure that Prince Jisung doesn't want me there either!"
"I'm sure that's not true!"
Minho groaned. "Please... don't make me go!"
Minhyuk rolled his eyes. "You're going, whether you like it or not!"
"You-" Minho sent his brother one last glare before he stomped out of the hall, the masters staring after him.
Minhyuk glanced around at the court masters. "You are dismissed."
All the masters quickly stood up, and exited the hall, leaving only King Minhyuk, Lord Jooheon, and Advisor Bae, who was now so ancient, his white beard hung past his waist.
"I don't think it's wise to tell the prince that he is going to marry Prince Jisung either..." Advisor Bae said, his voice shaky.
"I agree!" Jooheon murmured, shaking his head. "That kid would never go if he knew... it's better to just pass it off as a meeting, rather than a marriage."
"Then how long will Minho be gone?" Minhyuk asked.
"Maybe a few months? Maybe a year? It will be hard, since both are crown princes right now. However, since you are still alive and well, and not going anywhere anytime soon, Minho should be the one staying in the Han kingdom. So, maybe even longer...." Advisor Bae shut his eyes, trying to imagine what it would be like without the teenage prince here, at the castle.
"Then... then he shall leave tomorrow!" Minhyuk said in a weak voice, trying to appear unfazed. "We will have a farewell dinner tonight. Please, alert the chef.88"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Advisor Bae bowed, before exiting the room. Jooheon stared at Minhyuk with worry. It would be hard for Minhyuk to let Minho go out without him. He was always at Minho's side, raising him, and now, it was like he was pushing him out of the nest. And Jooheon could tell that it was hard on Minhyuk. But there was really no way to help him.
Minhyuk would be somber the entire night. As would Ji-eun, who had stopped by the palace to say good-bye to her brother, before she would return to her own palace to take care of her daughter.
Everyone was tense, even as they ate. Minho starred in front of him, not looking up. He didn't want to go, and everyone else was just shocked that King Minhyuk would send his brother away, since everyone knew he loved him more than anything. Even Prince Jihoon said nothing. It was too frozen to make jokes, or laugh. Everyone ate, until finally, Minhyuk set his chopsticks down. "Alright. Everyone pay attention."
Minho's head finally rose. He stared at his brother with hurt eyes. "Prince Minho will be leaving tomorrow for the Han Kingdom. This is our last night together, for a while. So, let's all wish the prince good luck on his journey."
Everyone lifted their cups, with solemn faces. They drank, together, for the last time for a long time. And then, once again it was silent.
Lord Jooheon stepped in, lifting the king to his feet. "It's time for the king to retire for the night. I wish you good luck, Prince Minho," with that, Jooheon and the king left, leaving just Jihoon and Min-hyung with the upset prince.
"Minho..." Jihoon started. "I know you don't want to go, but... Minhyuk would not send you away for nothing... I'm sure his reason is big. Everyone knows he loves you the most. He would never do that without a good reason...."
Min-hyung nodded. "Don't worry, Minho. I'm sure you'll be back soon, and everything will go back to normal."
Minho nodded, staring at his cup, still half full. "I hope you are right hyungnim..." he murmured, stirring the drink slowly with his pinky finger. "I really hope you are right."
~oOo~
The next morning, it was the coldest the kingdom had seen since spring started. Frost hung to the leaves outside, as Ji-eun once again returned to bid her brother good-bye. She hugged him tight, and whispered in his ear, "Be safe? I'll make sure you come back soon, okay?"
Minho buried his face in his sister's shoulder. "Make sure you don't hurt until I get back, okay?" he whispered. "I won't be here to help you."
Ji-eun nodded. "I'll try my best!" she released her brother as Jihoon came up behind her. The small man shook his head as he gripped his brother's shoulders. "You must come back, alright? Be safe, and don't do any thing stupid!" he gave his brother a quick, rare hug, before scooting back. He turned his back away, so nobody could see him wipe a small tear from his eye.
Min-hyung smiled softly as he approached his brother. Perhaps Minho was closest with Min-hyung, they were the closest in age. It would be hard to leave Min-hyung, perhaps the hardest. The two spent the most time together. And it would be hard for Min-hyung as well. Unlike Jihoon, Min-hyung didn't try to hide the fact that he was crying. He knew that Minho would be able to tell anyways, but he struggled to not let his face turn ugly as he cried.
His face twitched as he grasped onto Minho's shoulders. Minho's back shook as he too started to cry. He really didn't want to go. Leaving his family would be devastating.
Min-hyung stepped back, and wiped the tears that streaked down Minho's cheeks. "Don't worry," he whispered. "It'll seem like a short time, you'll be back before you know it!"
Minho nodded. "I believe you, hyung," he murmured, trying for a smile. "Don't miss me too much!"
"Impossible!"
Minho smiled for real quickly, before it dropped and Min-hyung stepped back, allowing the king to see his brother.
Minho stared at his brother in defiance. He didn't hate his brother, but just didn't understand why had to leave, why his brother was sending him away. And his brother was not going to tell him, he knew that. But it didn't stop him from wanting to know. So, as his brother approached, and the other siblings held their breath, Minho spoke directly to his brother. "Why do I have to go?" he asked. "Why do you want me to go?"
Minhyuk's expression turned to anguish. "I don't want to send you away," he said. "But I have to. For your sake, mine, and all our people."
"Why hyungnim?" Minho whispered.
Minhyuk turned away for a moment, before returning to look at Minho. "I can't tell you now. But you'll find out soon enough, brother." he quickly embraced Minho, before the younger could pull away, and then released him. "Don't think I don't love you. Don't get hurt, and don't feel unwanted. When your mission is done, return home, you understand?"
Confused, and still hurt, Minho slowly nodded. "Okay. I trust you hyungnim."
"Then go. Quickly. So you can come back faster." Minhyuk motioned towards Cho, who stood saddled, waiting for his rider. Sighing, Minho made his way towards his horse.
"Hold on!" Min-hyung called, running forward. Minho turned back as Min-hyung ran up to him. He placed a necklace around Minho's neck. "Keep this, okay. As a gift from your four siblings, alright?"
Minho looked down at the simple pendant.
He looked back at Min-hyung, and smiled. "Thank you. Don't forget about me, alright?"
Min-hyung smirked and nodded. "Of course not, little brother."
Minho nodded, before turning back to Cho, and quickly jumped onto his back. He looked down at his siblings. "I'll return. Just wait for me!"
They waved as Minho turned, and started off towards the gate that led out of the palace. At his side, the general, General Jeon Jungkook, rode next to him, and nodded at Jihoon. Jihoon had ordered the general to go with Minho. Minhyuk had agreed, since they still had many soldiers in the kingdom, but none as skilled as General Jeon. He was one of a kind, and he needed to go with Minho, to protect him.
Behind General Jeon, his brother, Jeon Wonwoo, and Minho's best friends, Young Masters Bang Chan, Hwang Hyunjin, and Kim Seungmin followed. Also with them went Minho's cousin, Lee Yongbok. And following Yongbok, went a group of soldiers, both behind, in front of, and to the sides of the group of royals and young masters.
King Minhyuk had been kind enough to send Minho off with many of his friends. Even as they left, Hyunjin already was making jokes, which was causing both Yongbok and Bang Chan to roll their eyes. Hyunjin was good at lightening the mood though, and Seungmin was already planning where they would stop to rest for the night. Minho was thankful for these boys. Without them, he didn't think he would ever make it to the Han Kingdom. Still, he knew it would be hard to get there, with many obstacles in their way. And there was a reason the general had gone with him. There would be people who wanted the young crown prince dead.
And he couldn't die.
He was the future of the kingdom.
So he would do his job, even if it meant being away from the most important people in his life. He would do it for his brother, and his people. And so, as the group headed towards the Han Kingdom, Minho raised his head, and stared at the horizon, unblinking.
Chapter one is finally done! I hope this is a good start, because it will take a few chapters for the two princes to meet. Just hang in there with me! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!