Chapter Text
It is on his 20th birthday that Yoo Joonghyuk gets appointed the personal guard of the crown prince. It’s an honour that comes with finishing his ten years in the academy as the best one out of all the recruits. Undoubtedly, he’s the strongest, and in the written examen, he scored 100%. Joonghyuk is by far the best for this job, and so he takes the badge with pride under the envious stares of his fellow trainees.
It is the day after the ceremony and Yoo Joonghyuk dreads his job already. If he wasn’t a professional and wasn’t needed, he would’ve quit already. The crown prince… is insufferable.
Childish and stubborn and sly like a fox he is, all traits that Joonhyuk despises. “Kim Dokja-nim.”, he growls, barely getting himself to spit out the suffix after his name. He doesn't respect the man, but Kim Dokja is older and, well, he’s the crown prince supposed to rule over the land in a decade’s time.
Joonhyuk could get executed any minute if Kim Dokja just says the word, it doesn't even have to be a truth. And while he could certainly fend for himself and flee, his loyalties lie with this kingdom. Joonhyuk doesn’t want to get into a situation where he has to decide between his life and his origin story. He doesn't know what he’ll choose, should that situation arise for whatever reason.
“But Joonghyuk-ah, I’m totally fine, why are you mad?”, the prince complains, as if there’s not blood dripping down his leg from where he supposedly ‘fell down the stairs’. Joonghyuk doesn’t know what happened in reality as he just got introduced and it’s not his responsibility yet, but keeping Kim Dokja in check is his responsibility starting now.
Their first direct meeting as crown prince and personal guard, and Kim Dokja is already acting foolish and if he and Joonghyuk had known each other for ages. He’s too open for his position, and either too clumsy or too reckless to act like he does.
In Kim Dokja’s eyes, Joonghuk must look menacing as he oozes out an aura of annoyance, and that’s exactly the message he wants to convey. “Dokja-nim.”, he starts, talking calmly while the name hurts his tongue, “You are bleeding. You are most definitely not ‘fine’.”
Kim Dokja looks down on himself as if he just now noticed. Yoo Joonhyuk feels increasingly agitated just being next to the prince. He doesn't see how this will work out in the long run and is in awe on how the last guard had survived their job for this long. Maybe they’ve died from stress by now and that’s why Joonghyuk is here already instead of being stuck in a waiting period.
Not that he’d particularly mind it, now that he knows what the real deal is like. “This is nothing, don’t mind it. Happens all the time, as you’ll come to know in the future.” Joonghyuk most definitely does not want to know, and he tells the man that openly.
Kim Dokja just smiles, infuriatingly, as if what Joonghyuk just said was a joke. “Well, it’s your job, isn’t it? You signed up to it, willingly, might I add. So you can’t blame me.” The prince moves further inside his chambers, Joonghyuk following while taking in his surroundings.
He’s never been inside this part of the castle before, and he needs to at least know how and where the crown prince resides. That’s basic defense knowledge. Kim Dokja walks as if he’s alone, not even giving Joonghyuk a hint of attention, such a turn from just moments before. Joonghyuk can’t read Kim Dokja at all.
Having gotten a package with the medical sign from somewhere, the crown prince finally sits down and inspects his injury. If Joonghyuk hadn’t been suspicious before, he’d be at least now. That does not look like a wound you can get from falling down the stairs, regardless of how many flights or how unlucky you might land.
“How did Dokja-nim get that wound?”, he asks despite himself as Kim Dokja hisses curses while disinfecting it. Joonghyuk has never heard such colourful words before. “Not telling.”, he says with an attempt of a smirk, which falls flat when bandages wrapped too loosely around his leg fall to the ground.
Joonghyuk watches in mild amusement as the insufferable man struggles without asking for help. If he did, Joonghyuk would have to help him, but right now, he’s not obligated to.
“You'd think after so many times I'd finally know how to wrap bandages.” Kim Dokja mutters into the room, not really seeming to care if Joonghyuk can hear him. Maybe that's even his objective; making him curious.
Whatever it is, Kim Dokja fails, as Joonghyuk stays still and quiet as usual, observing the prince as he finally manages an at least half-decent compress. He huffs when he straightens up, eyes staring right into Joonghyuk's soul. “You're a useless guard, Joonghyuk-ah. But at least your unwillingness to help told me something about yourself when your lips sure won't. I'll take that.”
He's more cocky than expected, but it's nothing the strongest fighter in his unit —maybe in the whole castle, as Joonghyuk is quite confident in his abilities— can't handle. Even his mental strength is superior to your usual swordsman.
Though Kim Dokja does seem determined to break it with his behaviour, which Joonghyuk hopes despite knowing better, is just an act. “Why are you so intent on conversing with me?”, he asks the prince, who has returned to his smug smile at the question.
“What a foolish question, Joonghyuk-ah”, Kim Dokja says, Joonghyuk’s name rolling off his lips teasingly; “You’re bound to me now, so wouldn't it be better for us to get along? Well, better for you, to be precise?”
His smile is predatory, and for the first time since entering his schooling, Joonghyuk feels a shiver run down his spine. The crown prince… is more dangerous than he seems to be at first glance.
———
That’s how he remembers his first encounter with Kim Dokja. Since then, three years have passed. To say they've grown closer would be correct, because how can one not if the only person you have constant contact with is your guard. However that doesn't equate to them being open with each other. Joonghyuk is naturally not one to talk much without —and even with— prompting, and Kim Dokja talks about everything but the things that matter.
Him being naturally chatty is part of that, sure, but there's also a mystery behind the man that Joonghyuk hasn't figured out even after years of seeing each other every day. Well, he doesn't really care that much —lies!—, so that's probably why. And even if he did care —which he does—, there's still the difference in position. Joonghyuk may be the physically strongest and his stigmas are feared, but Kim Dokja will be king in a few years.
And, of course, Joonghyuk doesn't know the crown prince's main stigma. Kim Dokja never mentioned it, or bragged about it like expected, so he could very well be smart and keep his immense power a secret until he becomes the most politically powerful man in the kingdom. That, or Kim Dokja's stigma is weak and he's ashamed of it.
Joonghyuk having to escort him everywhere undermines that theory, but he won't voice that or Kim Dokja will most certainly ‘torture’ him. Kim Dokja's torture method's are way worse than any other person's, as they're not physical and nobody can get into Joonghyuk's mind. Nobody but the prince, of course, the person he's been around for years on end and still the only one who can get visual reactions out of him that is not Yoo Mia. But his sister is elsewhere right now, so it's really only Kim Dokja.
"Joonghyuk-ah!", a familiar voice calls out for him, sounding bored out of his mind. With a sigh, Joonghyuk enter's the prince's bedroom, by now a routine and he's long been instructed not to knock. It had been weird at first, unusual, but there was nothing Joonghyuk could've done but follow the command. By now, the walk through the rooms is second nature, he could walk it in his sleep and still bring Kim Dokja medication or any fruit he wished for.
"What is it, Dokja?" By now, he's also been granted the privilege to address the crown prince on eye level. That had taken far longer to get used to, but Kim Dokja had been quite persistent. And, of course, the man also still calls him informally. Joonghyuk doesn't expect it to ever stop, and surprisingly —though by this point, not really— he doesn't mind it.
"I'm bored~", Kim Dokja says as expected, lying on a couch bigger than Joonghyuk’s former chambers. He's upgraded since then, to one closer to the prince, but the piece of furniture is still unnecessarily big. He doesn't voice that, of course not, instead scanning Kim Dokja's body for injuries. Unfortunately, that is still a routine, and even more unfortunately, he does find some.
Kim Dokja's left eye is swollen and there's a small cut on his forehead. When he waves at Joonghyuk to come closer, Kim Dokja's arm looks.. odd. It doesn't quite move like it should, it's more stiff and disabled in it's movements. In moments like these, Joonghyuk wishes he could ignore orders like "leave me alone for the next two hours.", because every time he knows that Kim Dokja will hurt himself when he can't stop him.
Joonghyuk doesn't know why the prince is always hurt, what he plans to achieve with his pain that went on for years. Kim Dokja has told him it's not for the pain itself —he hates it, even— and Joonghyuk had believed him. Though he yet has to learn of the ulterior motive Kim Dokja follows, but he's been strictly forbidden from doing that.
For now, all Joonghyuk can do as the prince's loyal guard, servant and escort, is to tend to his wounds as he cannot prevent them yet. Kim Dokja is still bad at even the slightest medical procedures like applying healing lotion properly, so that's a job Joonghyuk has to fulfil, too. He doesn't mind as much as he should've, he knows, as he bends down a little to inspect the prince's face who starts to blabber about his boredom.
"I haven't been outside for ages, I wanna go somewhere, Joonghyuk-ah!", he says when Joonghyuk conjures up an icepack and a towel to press against Kim Dokja's swollen eye. He doesn't feel the skin underneath the pads of his fingers, as he wears gloves at all times, but he bets it feels soft. Sometimes he wishes the rule not to touch a royal with bare hands would cease to exist so, just once, Joonghyuk gets to touch the crown prince's face.
His thoughts are filthy, and so he deflects from them with practised ease. It's worrying how much practise he has. "You've been strolling around town two days ago.", he tells Kim Dokja, who pouts at his words. Joonghyuk has to close his eyes for a second and turn away to not react to the expression. "You know that's not what I mean, I wanna go outside outside. You'll come with me, right?"
Why does he even ask, he's the crown prince for fucks sake, the only people not obligated to follow his 'wishes' are his parents and the servants working directly under them. Also, Joonghyuk would go just about everywhere just to amuse Kim Dokja. He doesn't want the man to know that, but it seems like he already does, with the way he bats his eyelashes, smile cocky. Why does he still ask then, just to humiliate Joonghyuk?
Doesn't matter what his plan is, Joonghyuk ignores it. "I literally cannot leave you alone, Dokja. You know this.", he responds professionally, putting an old-fashioned band aid onto the cut on the prince's forehead. His stigma isn't meant for first aid, and conjuring support items is the most it can do without going too far against it's own essence and cutting itself off in the process of fulfilling an impossible request. It would be wise for a healer or something similar to stay nearby, but Kim Dokja had rejected the offer anytime Joonghyuk had brought it up.
Eventually, he'd just stopped and kept on using the simple medical supplies Kim Dokja had always kept somewhere in his rooms. "Damn, can't you answer normally just once? A simple yes would've been enough.", the man complains while grudgingly shoving up his sleeve to give Joonghyuk a look at his arm. "So no's not even an option?"
Kim Dokja tries to teasingly smile at Joonghyuk while saying: "Know your place, Joonghyuk-ah.", but it fails when said man presses down onto the joints in his shoulder and triggers a pained whimper. In any other situation, Joonghyuk would've reacted quite differently to that sound coming from the crown prince, but not when he's in pain from something Joonghyuk can't prevent. He still can't stand that thought.
But oh, he knows his place. Behind Kim Dokja, available at all times for the man to come with any and all problems he might face and is open to share —which isn't a lot, to be honest. Early on in their relationship, he'd hated that and felt like a babysitter for an overgrown man child. By now, there's nothing he'd rather do than jump to fulfil the man's every wish.
He's so pathetic.
"Where do you want to go, then?", he asks after applying salve on Kim Dokja's joints, outwardly ignoring the prince's last comment and inwardly ignoring his feelings, like he’s done for so long now. He’s a professional at this point. The man himself, thankfully unaware of Joonghyuk’s turmoil, stretches, now that his arm is numbed by the ointment, and makes himself even more comfortable on the couch, completely disregarding his guard’s personal space.
He doesn’t mind, but acts like he does, out of routine. If Kim Dokja can have that many secrets as the well-known prince, Yoo Jonghyuk, his protector from the shadows, can at least have this one. “Mhm, I’ve been thinking about traveling the lost routes lately, they’re so fascinating.”
He says this with the ego of someone who’s never been in a life threatening situation, and with the naivety of a curious child. It almost hurts having to crush Kim Dokja’s hopes, but it’s for the best to not let the man anywhere even close to those trails. “I’m sorry, Dokja, but I can’t let you go there in good conscience. Even accompanied by a renowned knight, it would be too dangerous.”
Expecting the look of someone who just got their dream crushed, because the crown prince is dramatic like that, Joonghyuk mentally prepares to be as dismissive as possible when he inevitably has to repeat his words to get through the other man’s thick skull.
However, he does not expect the soft tug at his glove that urges him to look at Kim Dokja again, and when he naively does so, he’s met with the strongest and most effective puppy dog eyes in existence. Wow. Joonghyuk knows he’s a weak man when it comes to Kim Dokja being like this, but this is about the prince’s safety, he can’t give in that easily!
“But… you’re the strongest. Won’t it be okay if I go with you? I trust you with my life, Joonghyuk-ah.”
Joonghyuk can admit when he has lost.
———
They saddle their horses at sunrise the next day, and fill their bags with necessities under the watchful and concerned eyes of the queen. Persephone is a woman who gives everyone around her as much freedom as possible for people with so many responsibilities, but she’s also a mother, and Kim Dokja is her only child. She’s understandably anxious, though on the surface, she looks as composed as ever.
“You mustn’t worry about me, mother.”, the prince consoles her, an unfairly confident smile blessing his features as his eyes fly from the queen to his companion, Joonghyuk; “He’ll bring me back in one piece, and with many more experiences and wisdom to claim.”
Persephone’s stare is icy when it lands on Joonghyuk. “He better.”, she says, followed by her goodbyes as the queen has an equally tight schedule as her husband. She kisses Kim Dokja on both cheeks that burn red in embarrassment, then leaves the stables, her expensive dress somehow not even out of place or dirtied even though it had touched the ground. Joonghyuk guesses she uses one of her stigmas to always appear flawless.
Kim Dokja can exude the same elegance when he wants to —he’s her heir, of course she would’ve taught him etiquette— he just doesn't want to most of the times. It’s regrettable and not at the same time, for the few times when he did act like that, Joonghyuk had been horrifically unfocused on his tasks. He can’t allow himself another Fauxpas, but seeing the prince again like this is almost worth it.
Just, starting now, Joonghyuk can’t even afford to blink at the wrong moment, for as soon as they leave the safety of the castle walls, the crown prince is solely his responsibility, and he’s the only thing standing between Kim Dokja and Death, in the worst case scenario.
It is expected of him to get Kim Dokja back safely, or at least alive, by all means necessary. That includes risking and giving his own life in the process, but that’s something Joonghyuk has been prepared for most of his life. By now, he won’t even hesitate to die to protect the other man.
Blind loyalty, some would call it. A cowardly, yet courageous attitude, others would say. Maybe it’s both, perhaps it’s neither. Only Joonghyuk knows what his motivation really is, and the truth is infinitely more simple and complicated at the same time.
“Have a safe trip!”, the stable boys shout after them; “Come back quickly.”, and: “Enjoy your freedom.” All of it is directed towards Kim Dokja, there’s no one there to see Yoo Joonghyuk off. It doesn't matter to him, there’s nobody in the castle he’s close to, anyways, but from the outside, it must look pathetic.
Kim Dokja gives him a look over, signature smile ever prominent and now just fuelled by the awaiting ‘adventure’. “Aw, don’t be sad, Joonghyuk-ah. You’ve got me as your travel companion, you should smile in bliss, not frown.” The prince doesn't know that Joonghyuk does smile at the prospect of traveling with him, on the inside, and he doesn't plan on telling him, ever.
“If you haven’t noticed, that ‘frown’ is my usual facial expression.”, Joonghyuk says as the gates slowly open, revealing a long road going down towards a city lying beneath the castle. He fears that his voice came off as sulky, but Kim Dokja doesn't comment on his tone.
“I really haven't.”, he sounds unusually sincere, “You haven’t frowned around me like that for a while.” Joonghyuk imagines a fondness in Kim Dokja’s eyes, but it’s gone immediately when the clouds move and cast shadows over the prince’s face. “Ah, the gate’s fully open!”, he notes and Joonghyuk is immediately deprived off Kim Dokja’s attention.
“I’ll be back, guys, don’t miss me too much! Come on, Joonghyuk-ah, the lost routes are awaiting us!”, Dokja shouts excitedly while spurring on his horse, white coat fluttering in the wind like he’s some kind of action novel protagonist. Joonghyuk can do nothing but follow the crown prince, expression full of unwanted admiration for a stupid, foolish man.
———
The lost routes aren’t exactly ‘lost’ by definition, most people —commoners and royal blood alike— know where they start and where they end. It’s about the in between, that’s mysterious, and Joonghyuk has never heard about an adventurer that challenged the trails and lived to tell the tale.
So, logically, he can understand the crown prince’s curiosity. Emotionally, he just wants to go home, maybe let himself get grilled by Kim Dokja’s never ending questions and possibly train some more so he can be an even better guard. None of those are an option, except conversing with the man riding next to him, now in a slow pace.
Uncharacteristic for him, though, Kim Dokja has been quiet since leaving the castle, he’s just looking around and while there’s nothing noteworthy to see, his eyes sparkle with wonder. Joonghyuk is reminded of the fact that the prince is sheltered and really only leaves the castle when he feels too cramped.
Since Joonghyuk is a man who can appreciate the quiet, and since it’s unusual to be able to do that around Kim Dokja, he doesn't say a thing until Dokja does so, first. Quite some time goes by like this, with Joonghyuk enjoying the company, until they cross smaller forests and wander further into the darker ones.
“We’re here.”, Joonghyuk says, surprisingly yet the first one to break the silence. Kim Dokja’s head whips around, dark eyes staring into him as if he wanted to suck Joonghyuk’s soul out. He’d let him.
“Really? That’s it? Not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t.. that.” That is a simple tree growing on the left side of the path, only slightly bigger than the ones around it and otherwise blending in perfectly with every other tree. Joonghyuk knows he’s not mistaken in their position. “Yes, it’s here. The first lost route starts here.”
Kim Dokja’s mouth widens in a very inelegant manner, expression the furthest thing from schooled like he was most likely instructed to behave. It’s good nobody’s here to see that, and Joonghyuk won’t tell. Who could he even tell, his sister? Oh, he remembers, he should write to Yoo Mia some time. She’s probably waiting for another report about the royal family by now.
“It looks so inconspicuous.”, Kim Dokja’s voice is filled with awe, “I wonder how many people died in here, and how surprised they were when they realised this was their end.” This is the only side of the prince that Joonghyuk doesn't at least somewhat like. He doesn't know where it came from, but he wants it to leave —has wanted it for years.
There’s something so frightening about the curious expression displayed on Kim Dokja’s face, now, when he thinks about Death. The whole royal family has a weird relationship with it, but it’s never been that prominent with the crown prince, except for a few occasions which Joonghyuk wants to erase from his memory.
And, like he did then, Kim Dokja switches back to his usual self like a rubber band. His facial features are soft again, pretty like always, and the deathly aura that had surrounded him for just a second has faded already. It’s always faint, but Joonghyuk is gifted with sensitive senses, and so he can feel it.
He’s yet again reminded that, though they’ve known each other for three years already and spoken to each other daily, he knows nothing of worth about Dokja. The crown prince is still a mystery to him, one Joonghyuk desperately wants to get behind.
“Well, then let's go in. I’d imagine we’re an easier target for potential attackers if we keep standing still.”, said man proposes, something Joonghyuk can’t disagree with, and so they enter a path nobody has ever left before them.
———
Joonghyuk knows that time flows different on the trails, but measured in ‘normal’ time, the first encounter with a nonhuman species happens after half an hour. It’s nothing serious —not for a man of Yoo Joonghyuk’s strength— just a magical boar, but it’d be deadly for anyone titled an ‘intermediate knight’ or less.
However it is a good introduction of the concept of Danger to the prince who has never had to deal with any source of stress in life that he doesn't inflict on himself. Despite Joonghyuk’s hopes that this is enough of an adventure and they can go back now, Kim Dokja urges him to ride forward.
Even the horses are against it, but they’re a royal bred, marked by Hades’ stigma [Bow to the King] and therefore can’t disobey orders from a member of the royal family. It goes against all of their instincts of self-preservation, and yet the group follows Kim Dokja’s orders.
Joonghyuk isn’t marked, and by now he’s sure he can overpower Dokja, so he could run away somewhere if it really went against his will, but he doesn't. He stays next to the man who emits a frail but unending aura of Death, and who Joonghyuk subconsciously classifies as more dangerous than the lost routes.
He stays, because he’s afraid of what could happen to the crown prince if he wasn’t there to protect him, and because he can’t bear the thought losing him. Joonghyuk stays because his fragile, foolish heart has long ago decided to only follow Kim Dokja.
Said man, he realises, is expectingly looking at Joonghyuk right now. Had he been too lost in thought to notice he’d been asked a question? Did something occur? Joonghyuk curses himself, for if they were a bit more unlucky, Kim Dokja could be dead by now because of his stupid escort’s distraction.
“You look stressed, Joonghyuk-ah. Are you worried about my safety? I can defend myself just fine, you know, so you’d just have to fight if we were to be ambushed.” Somehow, Joonghyuk doesn't doubt that, even though he’s never seen the prince fight and his body stature looks quite weak.
“Even if that was true, you know I’d still be responsible for both offence and defence. But that’s not it.”, he answers, looking everywhere but Kim Dokja’s eyes. He disguises this is as watching out for anomalies, but he’s not sure if it works. Kim Dokja is quite perceptive when it comes to him, after all.
“Then what’s got you so worked up? I haven’t felt any shift in the pressure around us since you slayed that boar earlier.” This is the difference in experience between a royal and a fighter, and Joonghyuk is glad he can make use of it now. “Exactly. In a place so deadly, not feeling any danger is worse. Means the attackers can hide their presence, at the very least.”
If he expected a startled look or one of at least uncertainty, Joonghyuk would be mistaken. Good thing that by now he knows, that the entity ‘Kim Dokja’ is one that is unpredictable. The crown prince looks thrilled at the prospect of meeting such a dangerous creature, and if it weren’t for the look he sends Joonghyuk, the guard would feel shivers running down his spine in uneasiness.
Either Dokja knows of his feelings, or he’s —rightfully— convinced of his charm, but he works with his dark eyes and fluttering lashes, a deadly combination paired with his sultry words. Joonghyuk can’t resist him when he asks: “But you can feel them, right? You told me once you were sensitive to that.”
He can’t continue doubting Dokja, not when the ethereal man next to him is so sure of Joonghyuk’s strength and will to protect him, not when he remembers seemingly useless information about him. Joonghyuk is undeniably a fool, acting like that, and yet he can’t seem to stop.
“…I can.” The prince is staring at Joonghyuk expectingly. Waiting. His eyes are round and full of wonder, he blushes slightly, if only he could believe Kim Dokja is looking at him like that, not at a dangerous situation like a suicidal fool, but him his loyal guard—
Joonghyuk’s emotions are overwhelming him, so he turns them off. A dry cold is all that’s left when unnecessary feelings are getting repressed, and Kim Dokja’s face loses it’s beauty in Joonghyuk’s eyes. It becomes blurry instead.
He hates that method, it’s his last resort for a reason. However he just needs to cool down for a bit, and then he can return to normal again. “We’ve been followed for a while now. I didn’t say anything because their energy didn’t feel hostile. It’s two of them, twenty metres behind us.”
If the prince notices the difference in Joonghyuk’s behaviour, he doesn't voice it or he simply doesn't care. Instead, he forcefully turns his horse around, ignoring it’s neighed protests, and stares into the forest.
He won’t find anything, lest their persecutors choose to reveal themselves on their own. It’s unlikely, and yet Joonghyuk has his hand on his sword in preparation. However there’s no movement in his vision but the leaves dancing in the wind, and no sound save for the nervous pawing of hooves.
Joonghyuk doesn’t have to see Kim Dokja’s face to know that he’s disappointed, and questions himself yet again if the crown prince has some mental issues he isn’t aware of himself. He should seriously look into that once they come back to the castle. If they come back.
“You’re sentient creatures, right? So you can understand me when I tell you we won’t attack, least not if you don’t do so first. Please, I’d really like to know you, and if there’s anything I can do to compensate you for your troubles just tell me and I’ll carry out your wishes to the best of my abilities!”
Kim Dokja shouts into the darkness like an idiot, and Joonghyuk is by his side in an instant, his stigma [Demon Slaying] waiting on his lips to be used. “Are you insane?”, he asks instead, coming off as monotone when in any other situation, he’d be furious.
It’s harder reading the prince’s expression like this, since Joonghyuk can’t pinpoint his mimics, but he thinks Kim Dokja looks genuine when he asks: “What do you mean?” As if he really doesn't know the dangers of offering up a deal like that to intelligent monsters.
Whether he does know or not, it becomes meaningless as a young voice shouts out from beyond the shadows. “We accept your preposition.”, it says and Joonghyuk can’t do anything to stop it, even if he were to kill the creature now the deal would still be in tact and in the worst case, Kim Dokja would be punished for ‘breaking’ it since his servant attacked first.
Without looking at the man next to him, Joonghyuk is still sure that he’s ecstatic, now that he gets to see the sentient monster regardless of the other half of his deal. It is as if he loses half his intellect every time he gets face-to-face to something thrill enticing. Like he lives off adrenaline.
Leaves whistle and twigs crack when the creature makes it’s presence noticeable, and Joonghyuk can hear four feet. He’d expected it to be humanoid, based on the voice which seems like that of a young female, so what could it be, did he read the energy flow wrong and it’s actually a centaur?
It turns out nothing like that. What steps out of the darkness between trees does have four legs— but because it’s indeed two entities. Two kids, to be exact, looking to have just started puberty. Joonghyuk stays vigilant regardless. Demons can take on many forms, and he’s not one for blind trust.
“Children?!”, Kim Dokja exclaims next to him, which makes one of them grimace in annoyance. “We’re older than you, okay?! Address us formally!”, the brunet one roars, and then gets elbowed in the ribs by the blonde one. “Don’t mind Gilyoungie, and first please put your sword away.”
Joonghyuk recognises the voice as the high-pitched one that accepted Kim Dokja’s unintentional deal, and stops repressing himself further so he can scowl at the little devil. It's only when the prince —now pretty again— shakes his head silently, that Joonghyuk takes his hand off his sword.
The girl smiles at him in fake gratitude, the boy looks close to a snarl. Vicious little things they are, now that they’re also showing their power levels openly. They’re strong —so much stronger than that boar earlier— and even if Joonghyuk is one of the most powerful fighters in the kingdom, he’s not sure he would leave an eventual fight with Kim Dokja unharmed.
He doesn't know where the source of their strength lies, if it’s genes or a stigma or something else, but Joonghyuk can see a wisdom in their eyes that only comes with an endless life of suffering. The fact that they survived this though, means nothing good for the prince and his escort.
“Thanks for listening. We will now make use of our contract. My name is Shin Yoosung, and that’s Lee Gilyoung. You will refer to us formally, and listen to our following commands until one of us or you breaks the deal. This refers to your… companion as well, as I see he is beneath you in status.”
Their evil little heads are working well, Joonghyuk has to admit, searching eye contact with Kim Dokja to check if by now, he’s finally noticed in what a huge disadvantage they are thanks to him. He’s only slightly satisfied, for the man still looks too curious for someone in his position.
“Of course, Yoosung-ssi. Or should I say Yoosung-nim? But please, do remember your end of the deal, too. ‘Knowing’ someone implies more than just the names and appearances.” Why is he still so cocky, facing danger head on? Does he have so much trust in Joonghyuk’s abilities or is he just suicidal?
Joonghyuk sighs, feeling himself age years just being next to the prince, and then ageing a decade more when he’s hit with the knowledge that, even with another chance at life, he’d still not change a thing. Kim Dokja, of course, reacts to the sound. “Hey, what’re you acting so disappointed for?! Be a little more polite, will you? Even though we’re in a… fickle situation, I’m still your prince!”
Lee Gilyoung gawks at him, manners —if he even had them— forgotten. “You’re the crown prince?! Fuck yeah, this is perfect, we’re gonna be rich if we take him hostage, and powerful if we extract his stigma! Let’s flip a coin on what to do with him, Yoosung-ah! Heads for hostage, tails for stigma!”
Joonghyuk feels unwell at the implication of the demon children knowing more about the prince than he does, at least when it’s about Kim Dokja’s abilities, and the man himself seems to share the sentiment.
Yoo Joonghyuk would like to cheer him up somehow, as he can’t stand that glum look destroying those pretty features, but he can’t do so in good conscience. Something like ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let them get you.’ can only be said when he knows that he can beat their opponents easily, and that’s often the case. Unfortunately, however, this situation is a rare exception.
“No way, wait a fucking minute!”, Kim Dokja gasps, finally looking rightfully horrified. As the kids’ eyes narrow in suspicion at the prince’s outburst, Joonghyuk shifts closer towards him, tension filling his body so he can attack in a moment’s notice.
“I can’t even use my stigma, so you won’t be able to, either! And I don’t even know if my parents will pay for me because, technically, they won’t have to as I’m not their sole successor!” Shin Yoosung appears dissatisfied and disbelieving, but it doesn't look like she can do anything about it. For someone so powerful, she doesn't seem to possess a stigma in the interrogation department.
…But Joonghyuk does, and when Kim Dokja grabs his sword arm and gives him a look, he at last realises what he has to do. “I will use my stigma [Lie Detection].”, he announces, and it becomes obvious that the little demons know the power of that stigma when they stare at him.
A grey fog covers Kim Dokja’s body at once, climbing up his legs to his torso to his mouth, like a snake. It fishes for truths and lies on his tongue and, when it’s come to a conclusion, changes it’s colour to green. Proof that the man’s last statement is fully the truth.
Joonghyuk wants to breathe a breath of relief, but small crackling sounds startle him and in an instant, he’s in front of Kim Dokja, sword in his hands. Lee Gilyoung across him looks more than annoyed, and sparks emit in the air above him, causing his hair to stand up slightly.
“What the fuck, that’s not fair at all! We kept you alive to use you, and now you’re not even of worth?! Bullshit! If it weren’t for noona wanting to meet that whacko guard of yours, I would’ve fed you to Titano the second you stepped onto the path!”
He looks close to a temper tantrum, or maybe it’s already starting. Joonghyuk focuses on the boy who seems both so human and deranged without blinking, watching cautiously for any sign of an attack and simultaneously checking his surroundings for that ominous ‘Titano’.
However, Shin Yoosung moves first yet again. She ruffles the boy’s hair from behind, making him squeak, then mockingly bows to the two men in front of her, forcing Lee Gilyoung to do the same. He looks murderous now, though towards his friend. Are they even friends, with that dynamic?
“Apologies for his behaviour, he’s never learnt formal speech. What Lee Gilyoung means, is, that now there’s nothing we can do with you two, crown prince and his escort. We cannot let you go easily either, though, for there’s someone who wants to meet you.”
Ice cold eyes stare into Joonghyuk’s, and he feels as though he’s seen them before, which obviously is impossible. He presumes it’s a memory kind stigma trying to invade his mind, so he breaks the eye contact immediately. Yoosung smiles at him, then, acting innocent.
“Hmph, fine. Making use of the contract yet again; we wish for you to follow us peacefully, in exchange for more information about us. Chop chop, stupid humans, noona is waiting for us!”, Lee Gilyoung exclaims, tone changing completely in the end.
Joonghyuk doesn't know if he purposefully let it slip that he’s not human to keep his part of the deal, or if he’s naturally that careless. Normally, Joonghyuk would tilt towards the latter, but there’s something in the demon child’s attitude that makes him reconsider.
Kim Dokja picks up on it, too, of course. “Wait, if you’re not human, what are you?”, he asks, morbid curiosity again shining through. Lee Gilyoung looks like he’s just waited for that, proudly puffing out his chest. “We’re both the closest and farthest to being human, we’re the mirror you desperately try to hide with a black veil. We, Prince-ah, are Transparence that’s taken on a form.”
His explanation does nothing to help Joonghyuk understand them, but it still counts as ‘information’ and therefore, he and Kim Dokja are still bound to the Transparences. Stupid magical deals working in favour for the party each deal likes best. What happened to objectiveness?
“And who is it that wants to see me?” It’s Joonghyuk’s turn to ask, and he deliberately speaks towards the kid he likes less, Shin Yoosung, because at least her explanations are understandable. When she smiles sweetly at him, he regrets that decision immediately.
“We’ll bring you to Sangah-unni. Usually, she does her meetings with one other person only, so I’m not too sure what she planned for the Prince. If he’s unlucky, though, Han Sooyoung-ssi will have her way with him. That’s not our problem though.”
Out of nowhere, Kim Dokja’s hands harshly grab Joonghyuk’s left arm, so aggressively he’s sure marks will be left, even through the thick fabric of his coat. Joonghyuk doesn't feel pain, just rage for the prince, never mind his own situation. Han Sooyoung, just the name reeks of cruelty.
Unwillingly, Joonghyuk starts following after the Transparences, leaving the horses behind after Shin Yoosung uses a stigma on them which the man can’t decipher. Kim Dokja is still hanging onto him, somewhat limiting Joonghyuk’s movements, yet he wouldn’t dare tell the prince to stop, for several reasons.
None of them being the fact that he likes the touch, of course, Kim Dokja pressing into his side and hanging onto Joonghyuk like he’s his lifeline. Which, well, he kind of is.
“Joonghyuk-ah.”, he leans into his guard even further, whispering into his ear and focussing becomes irritatingly more difficult. The prince doesn't seem to notice the goosebumps and raised hairs on the skin of Joonghyuk’s neck. “I think they might hear this somehow, so do you have a voice barrier stigma? I do, but I doubt it’s strong enough.”
Of course, Joonghyuk does, it’s his duty to help Kim Dokja out in every possible situation, after all. So he activates [Secretive Whisper] and nods slightly, vary that the entities in front of them are already aware of what they are doing.
“What is more important to you, Joonghyuk-ah? My life or my authority over you?” The question is unexpected, the underlying implications of self-sacrifice… not so much. “What?”, Joonghyuk asks, not bothering himself with formal speech for once.
“Just answer me, and please consider that, if you were to return without me, the king and queen would be able to find out what happened here, with their royal stigma. So you wouldn’t face any repercussions or anything at all, if you followed my command.”
“Kim Dokja.”, Joonghyuk’s voice is cold, though he’s not repressing his emotions. “Your life matters more, in any possible situation. So even if you were to order me to leave without you for whatever stupid reason your foolish brain might’ve come up with, I will have to disobey that one time. Don’t even dare to think about it.”
If being rude and unfiltered get his message across more strongly, so be it. Joonghyuk will not just stand to the side and watch —or even cowardly run away— while one of the two people that matter in his life meets their end, with a smile on his face as if he made the ‘right’ decision.
The man backs away at that, Joonghyuk barely resisting to chase after the movement, and nods. His facial expression is bland, giving nothing away, but his voice is light as ever when he says: “Expected you to say that. You can turn the stigma off now, that’s all I needed to know.”
Without knowing if his answer was satisfying, Joonghyuk does as told, and as soon as the sound barrier falls down, Lee Gilyoung turns around to them, continuing to walk next to Shin Yoosung, just now backwards.
“Keep your flirting to yourselves next time, geez! We may not hear you, but we have eyes, you know, and I don’t really fancy the sight of you guys devouring each other's faces right in front of me. Also:”, he looks at Joonghyuk for a second, then turns to Kim Dokja in mock disappointment. “Him? Really?”
Should he be offended? Self conscious? Annoyed at the child acting omniscient when in reality, he interpreted the situation in the most wrong way? However Joonghyuk feels none of that, instead he notes that he can’t bring himself to lock eyes with either the boy or Kim Dokja, for some reason. His face feels warm, too. Is it a stigma?
The prince acts as Joonghyuk’s tongue, yet again. “It will please you to know that I do not plan on tainting your eyes like that, Gilyoung-nim. And I also did not choose him as my lover, so that mustn’t worry you, either.” Unexpectedly, Lee Gilyoung’s features soften at that.
For someone who threatened them just minutes ago, he acts uncomfortably close to an overbearing parent questioning their kid’s partner. The fact that —from looks alone— it should be the other way around, doesn't help. What also doesn’t help Joonghyuk feel better is Kim Dokja second hand rejecting him, but what can you do?
It’s not like he expected anything else. No, rather he actually didn’t expect anything at all. “At least there’s that.”, the Transparence says with a sigh, only to turn back to forward walking without missing a beat.
Kim Dokja’s poorly hidden giggle is the only thing that keeps Joonghyuk sane around the creatures in front of them, and the prince walking so close next to him and sometimes swaying against him, the only reason he patiently keeps marching.
He doesn’t know how much time passes —neither normal time nor lost path time— but it doesn't matter when Kim Dokja is right there by his side, looking around with that beautiful expression of fascination ever prominent.
Joonhyuk bears the pressure, the danger and the weight of his emotions, all for one man. He does so until there seems to be an opening to the forest, and then it hits him at once. Two immense statuses waiting for them, making it rather obvious that they’ve arrived to wherever the Transparences had planned to bring them.
One status is waiting patiently, hidden somewhere behind a barrier, it seeming warm and inviting. The other one is pure darkness, madness, all the stuff villains are made of, combined.
And that status of murderous intent is rushing straight at Kim Dokja.