The Prince's Prince [SeungJin]

Chapter 8

A/N: Saffron artwork credit to Krzysztof Kowalski. No profit is inteded from using this image.

Chapter dedicated to @STAYStrayFromNorm who comments and upvotes:) Thank you so much

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Hyunjin fiddled with the bracelet at he walked towards the meeting hall. It was a meeting he couldn't bail out of but the bracelet gave him courage. Just before going in, he sent some nourishments to the roots. He'd replant it later because while he enjoyed the company he'd much rather see a plant alive than withering.

The meeting was daunting and he didn't even have Minho and Felix with him because they had been sent to practice shooting arrows. At least the image of them failing cheered him up a little. He himself wasn't great with swords but he was decent enough with arrows probably because he could guide the dead wood or as Minho theorised because his imagination was fertile and he imagined whoever had piss him off most recently as the target. The other two however...were terrible at shooting arrows or as he liked to theorised; they lacked imagination. He half anticipated meeting them with clothes full of holes. That was another reason why he should learn how to sew.

"So how do we even get there if there's a desert in between! And you're saying there's rebels too!" His father's loud voice boomed around the room. His father was terrible at keeping his calm. He was also terrible at keeping secrets with how loud he was.

It was worth noting that everyone with a basic education in geography knew that between the two kingdoms there was a desert...but there wasn't only the desert. Also the people that his father was calling 'rebels' weren't rebels; they were just unregulated nomads in between the kingdoms who yes could be dangerous but Hyunjin didn't fault them trying to protect themselves when you had one vulture on one side and possibly another on the other. He wouldn't go so far as to call the other rulers vultures because he simply did not know them enough.

"Your highness, we can pass from the semi-desert just parallel. It will be during the evening and night so that the troops won't suffer the heat but the hours will give us the surprise factor" General Uhm explained.

So much shouting for nothing! Hyunjin had some respect for General Uhm. After all, the other was just doing his family's bidding. Although the general had ambition and craved prestige, he did his work diligently and he had to constantly avoid a minefield and he didn't mean in an actual field but his explosive father.

The meeting was soon dismissed by a very irritated King. He didn't like being wrong and he especially didn't like being proven stupid in front of subordinates.

Hyunjin couldn't care less. He nodded to some family members and nobles on the way: a cousin here, a second cousin there and his favourite cousin twice removed (he still had to try to make her beauty products suggestions). Then he flew away and found a panting Felix and Minho who were play fighting but were passing it off as wrestling.

"Come on, let's go to Haven" an antsy Hyunjin urged. 'Haven' was a slip of tongue but it seemed fitting. The little hut – turned into a liveable cosy cottage – was really that for them.

Minho grabbed him and dragged him to his rooms first. "You can't be seen as you 바보" and they got him to change in plainer clothes – they really needed to go shopping – and a headscarf to hide his very distinct looks. They had enough brain cells to pack some other things too like a few sneaked snacks, games and most importantly: jewellery which they needed to sell. It sucked that they depended on their families for money. They were rich but they had no income coming in their hands. Everything was provided for them but if they wanted to deviate from expectations it was a problem. Still, they had a privilege in all the gifts and items they had which they could resell. They were fine in the short-run.