Crimson Crown

⌠49⌡

Jackson stepped out into the fields within the palace's lands, finding Jinyoung dressed in some light protective gear while hitting a makeshift target with a wooden sword. He searched for Jinyoung only after the latter disappeared after breakfast, and wasn't all too surprised to find him being active despite the conversation they had the day before.

"Jinyoung?" The vampire called as he approached. "Why are you out here?"

"Training. waiting for Mark." He replied, barely sparing Jackson a glance as he practiced a variety of moves.

"Training? I told you to rest--"

"I did rest, all day yesterday, just as you asked. It was so boring I nearly died."

"Still, you can't do rigorous movement yet--"

"I'll never be back at 100% if I do not hurry up and get myself moving."

Jackson let out a sigh, shaking his head. He should've known tying the prince down was a difficult feat. "You're impossible to keep up with..."

Jinyoung paused, a smirk rising to his lips. "Moving too fast for the vampire, am I?"

"If I had slept in your room last night I wouldn't have let you move at all, if it were up to me."

The prince instantly flushed, his smirk quickly dying. "W-What do you even mean by that, stop being strange..."

"What did you think I meant?" Jackson chuckled, the latter's expression priceless. "I'm saying I would have made you rest, not come out here to train-- you're the one being strange."

The pinkness of Jinyoung's face deepened as he quickly turned back to his practice, deciding to ignore the vampire from now on. "Ah- whatever. You're just distracting me now. You can go."

Jackson hummed as he walked over to a nearby tree. "I think I'll stay. I want to watch."

"So you can admire my immense skill?"

"So he can laugh at you fall on your arse."

Jinyoung paused, his head whipping in the direction of the familiar voice. Mark stepped through the grass with a large pitcher of water, some shields, and his own wooden sword, greeting the two with a wave.

"I-I will not fall." Jinyoung retorted.

Mark hummed as he set the water down beside Jackson who'd taken a seat against the tree. "In the state you are in, you surely won't be standing for long."

"It is not that bad."

"We'll see. Let's begin with a quick spar, show me how you move."

Mark threw a shield to Jinyoung, the latter haphazardly catching it. The two took a few minutes to warm up before beginning.

Mark and Jinyoung's fighting styles were quite different, but it worked when it came to training. Mark was one to sit and wait; he was patient, and almost always let his opponents come to him. Jinyoung on the other hand, had an issue with waiting and grew anxious if he hadn't made a move yet. He often wanted to be two steps ahead, but in most fights, one has no idea what their opponent's next move is, so Jinyoung's weakness was always unpreparedness.

While he was good with a sword, it was his strategy of using it that needed much more work, and Mark always exploited his flaws whenever they train.

Jinyoung was first to attack after a minute or so of no action, attempting to jab Mark while keeping a healthy distance. While it was a good strategy, Jinyoung always failed to think of backup plans or possible counterattacks, so if the attack doesn't work out then it was easy to get the upper hand. Mark simply diverted his strike with his own sword while using his shield to push Jinyoung downward, instantly closing the distance between them and bringing the prince to the ground. Jinyoung fell with a thud, his sword tumbling out of his hand as he winced and clutched his side.

Mark was still on his feet, staring down at Jinyoung who took a moment to gather his breath. "Sorry about that. But I told you, you're not in great condition."

"I told him too, you know he does not listen." Jackson commented.

"Can we not gang up on me?" Jinyoung grumbled while clicking his tongue in annoyance. He climbed to his feet, needing more energy than usual to do so, but once he'd gathered his bearings he was ready to go. "I can go again. Don't hold back Mark, I know what I did wrong."

By the time he was up Mark had already set down his sword and shield in order to prep for their day's training. "We're not doing this. We're going to practice basic moves and work on your ability to read your opponent. Nothing too physical today."

Jinyoung scoffed in annoyance. "Just come at me! I've got it!"

"No you don't."

The younger huffed, glaring at the swordsman. He was so tired of being underestimated, he wasn't a helpless prince meant to sit around all day, yet everyone insisted on treating him as such, even Jackson. 

The only way he could make anyone listen was to force their hand. 

Jinyoung gripped his sword tightly, waiting for a moment when Mark's back was turned. As soon as he was out of the elder's field of vision, he swiftly darted toward him, sword raised with the intention of knocking him to the ground.

Before he could make his strike, Mark spun around with reflexes seemingly faster than any human should possess. His elbow clashed with Jinyoung's face as he grabbed the prince by his collar, thrashing him down. Jinyoung's back hit the hard ground with a louder thud than before, as Mark didn't have enough time to hold back his strength from the surprise attack.

As soon as Jinyoung was laid out, the swordsman released him, his face now contorted with agitation. "I said stop. We're only practicing basics today, do you understand?"

Jinyoung could barely hear with the way his ears were ringing. His body still thrummed with pain, quickly making him regret trying to take Mark by surprise like that. 

"You got it this time Jinyoung? Need him to flatten your arse again?" He heard Jackson snicker.

He let out a groan, as he turned onto his knees. "Q-Quiet, aren't you supposed to be protecting me...?"

"From what, getting your arse handed to you when it's deserved? No, this is amusing."

Jinyoung shook his head as he attempted to regain himself. His vision was slightly blurry and his nose hurt, but most of all, his mouth had an excruciating ache from where Mark jabbed him with his elbow. He began to taste an odd flavor, familiar, but definitely not supposed to be there.

He spit something out, coating the grass red.

"Fuck Mark..." He groaned.

It was only then that Jackson grew concerned, standing up from where he sat and making his way over to the prince. "Are you okay? Why are you bleeding?"

Mark turned, his expression softening. He was obviously annoyed with Jinyoung, but he didn't mean to hurt him that bad. He walked over to where the younger was kneeling, placing a hand on his back. "You know better than to try and sneak up on me Nyoungie, I did not have a chance control myself..."

"Oh, now you two care..." Jinyoung grumbled while spitting out more blood. He rose to his feet whilst ignoring the two, staggering to the water pitcher. He took a swig, swishing the liquid in his mouth then spitting again to clean out the blood. He could feel where the pain was coming from and ran his tongue over the area-- a gap. He let out a sigh as he turned to the concerned others. "I'm fine. Just a tooth, I'll get a replacement."

Mark shook his head, his face now shaded with guilt. "I'm sorry Jinyoung, I don't know if you are up for this today--"

"Mark can you not treat me like a child? "

"I am not, I'm just being more careful since I nearly lost a friend, and you should be too." He stated, his tone firm as if covertly scolding the prince. He let out a sigh, turning away. "Just... let me know when you are ready to begin."

Jinyoung let out a breath, having lost the energy to argue any longer. He took a seat where Jackson joined him to regain his energy while Mark finished preparing their training materials.