Clash. Clang. Taehyung ducked as he dodged his opponent's blade, whirling around with a retaliatory blow. His sparring partner, Kim Seokjin, was his cousin and one of his closest friends. They always stuck together as kids, but fought a lot, on the field and in the kingdom. Their personalities, Seokjin being more exuberant and Taehyung being more reserved, often clashed, even more than their swords. But at the end of the day, they were always there for each other.
Seokjin leaned back, the edge of Taehyung's blade grazing his armour. He lunged forward and trapped Taehyung with his blade at his neck. "C'mon Tae, that was almost too easy," he said mockingly.
Taehyung was distracted. It had been just two days since the incident with Chloe at the ball. He couldn't stop thinking about her and wondered how he could find her again. He even took the time to ask the royal staff about her, but had no luck. All he had to remember her by was the imprint of the ruby red dress she had on.
"Rematch. I'm just warming up, Jin," he responded with determination. They both walked to their positions and bowed as they began sparring again. Taehyung swung his sword forward, but Seokjin easily deflected his blow. He advanced forward, forcing Taehyung to back into the corner of the arena, putting him on the defensive. Taehyung stumbled to the ground, unable to hold off Seokin's attacks any longer. Seokjin hovered over him with his blade to his throat.
"Is this what Novea should expect from the heir to their kingdom?" asked Seokjin, teasing his almost defeated cousin.
Taehyung hurled his sword to the ground in frustration. He wasn't completely in his right frame of mind, and Seokjin's insults were not helping. "I'm just having an off-day," he said dismissively.
Seokjin grabbed Taehyung's collar and yanked him to his feet. "There's no such thing as an off-day for a future king," he said as he handed him his sword. They bowed once more, rather quickly this time, and began sparring for a third round.
Taehyung threw the first jab. "Can't anyone just let me breathe in this damn kingdom?" he yelled.
Seokjin blocked it easily. "You need to learn to control your temper if you want to make a suitable king, Tae."
"It keeps me grounded," snapped Taehyung angrily, striking Seokjin with his sword, but he continued to deflect Taehyung's blows.
"Well to me, it looks like a distraction. Just look at you. You can't even land a single point on me."
With this comment, Taehyung's anger intensified and he charged at Seokjin with all his pent up rage. Seokjin's eyes widened at Taehyung's sudden outburst and swung his sword out by instinct. It happened so quickly -- Seokjin's blade cut Taehyung just above his armour, leaving a long slash across his collarbone. Taehyung yelled in pain.
"What the hell Jin! I thought we were just practicing!" Taehyung shouted angrily.
"And I thought you were gonna kill me!" he responded, holding his hands up in defense.
Taehyung's wound started to bleed through his undershirt. He tried to stop the bleeding by putting a hand to his chest, but it was too much. Taehyung fell to his knees and Seokjin knelt beside him, trying to help with the bleeding.
"Get a nurse! Now!" Seokjin yelled out to the guards near the field. "I'm sorry man, I didn't mean to hurt you. It was all self-defense."
Taehyung shook his head lightly. "It's okay. I shouldn't have charged at you like that. You're right, my anger is too much of a distraction, and apparently, a threat too." The cousins chuckled.
The guards approached Taehyung to escort him to his royal chambers. "The nurse is on her way," one of the guards informed him, as they laid him on his bed.
"Well she better be, or someone might just be responsible for my death," he whined dramatically.
Seokjin rolled his eyes at his cousin's antics. "Relax, you won't die from a surface wound," he said. "I'm sure she'll be here soon."
"I'm here, I'm here!" Chloe called out as she burst through the doors. All the heads in the room turned towards her direction.
"It's about time," remarked Taehyung dryly, as Seokjin slapped his shoulder. "OW. What the hell Jin!"
"Oh shoot, forgot about that."
Chloe internally rolled her eyes, remembering the Prince's antics from the other day at the garden, and she wondered if he would recognize her even without her mask. She didn't think it was possible but somehow, he looked even more handsome without his mask."Sorry, Your Highness, I got here as fast as I could," she replied. "Can I see the wound?" Taehyung, who still hadn't made eye contact with her, abruptly took off his bloody shirt to reveal a long cut extending across his collarbones. Chloe gulped, ignoring the Prince's toned stomach, and focused her eyes on the wound. "That's gonna need stitches. Won't take too long, I just need the room."
"You heard the nurse," Seokjin said, gesturing to the guards to follow him outside. "See you on the other side, Your Highness," he smirked before leaving. Taehyung rolled his eyes.
He sat upright on the bed, his legs hanging off the side. "Is it okay if I sit next to you?" asked Chloe. "It'll make it easier for me to stitch you up." He motioned for her to go ahead.
She sat on the bed, getting out her medical kit. She gently cleaned off the dried blood around the wound and on his chest. "I'm just going to put some rubbing alcohol on the wound to make sure it doesn't get infected. This is going to sting just a little bit," Chloe warned.
She began to dab the cloth over the cut when Taehyung suddenly hissed out in discomfort. "Does everyone in this kingdom want to see me in pain?!" he snapped, glancing at her annoyedly. But something about those hazel eyes of hers seemed very familiar...
Chloe resisted the urge to smack him in the face and instead forced herself to smile. "The quicker you let me do it, the less pain you feel, and the faster I can finish up."
"Fine, I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered, brushing it off.
"Wouldn't be the royal nurse if I didn't," she said with a sarcastic smile. Taehyung raised an eyebrow, trying to place where he heard this attitude before. Chloe finished cleaning the wound with a few more outbursts from Taehyung and proceeded to stitch it up. "This is going to be the most painful part. Are you ready?"
"Can I at least get some painkillers first?"
Chloe rolled her eyes inwardly for the umpteenth time since meeting the Prince. "I'm only allowed to give it to patients with serious wounds."
"You don't call this serious?!" he asked incredulously.
"No. Your Highness," she deadpanned. "I'm gonna start stitching now. Just take some deep breaths." Chloe began the process, inserting the needle through the skin and weaving the string in and out across his collarbone, but felt Taehyung's eyes boring into her. Their proximity and the fact that his chest was bare made goosebumps rise on her skin.
"You know, you seem a little familiar," he said, interrupting her thoughts. "Have we met before?"
"I think I'd remember if I met the Royal Prince," Chloe chuckled, brushing it off. "I'm new to the castle." Taehyung contemplated questioning further, but hissed in pain, feeling the needle through his skin. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, are you alright?" she asked, looking up into his eyes. The sudden force of the gaze from his hazel eyes took her by surprise and left her breathless. She never realized how handsome the Prince was until now.
"Never better," he breathed. Chloe snapped out of the trance and returned to his stitches, finishing them up as quickly as possible.
"All done," she said. "Since I'm here, why don't I check up on the cut on your hand?"
How did she know about... Realization dawned in Taehyung's eyes as he connected the dots on who this girl was. "Sure thing, Chloe," he smirked, her name rolling off his lips.
Chloe chuckled. "Well, it's about time, Your Highness. You know for a Prince, you're pretty slow," she remarked casually, checking on his hand.
He laughed surprisedly. Taehyung was still not used to her speaking so casually with him. It was a refreshing change from the serious formalities within the kingdom.
"Anyways, I'm all done," she stated, packing up her supplies, but Taehyung pouted. He finally found her after the river and Ball and he wanted to talk to her longer.
"Will I see you around? Or do I have to be injured for us to meet?" he asked hopefully.
She smirked at him, teasing. "I guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?" Taehyung shook his head in playful disappointment. "See you later, Your Highness." she jokingly curtsied.
"Bye, Chloe," he said with a smile, admiring her as she left the room. He had a feeling this wasn't the last time he would see her.
Elora exited Taehyung's chambers with a grin on her face. She felt glad that she was finally getting closer with the Prince and executing her mission. She had come a long way from healing rabbits to befriending the prince of her enemy kingdom. Elora could still remember that day six years ago when the mission to find the Vida Gem was born...
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A/N: Hey guys! We worked really hard on this chapter and we hope you enjoy it!