A crown or this? | minsung

🌙crows and lions

As his father had requested, the carts were ready the next morning, perfectly set up.

Minho was still in the training hall, hitting with all his might the duffel bags.

"Now what is the prince of the crow mountains doing here?" His trainer walked in, his black and white tipped beard showing.

"Training"

"Your departure is soon my lord"

"I know..." he stopped his slashes and looked back at him, his mentor for the long years he'd been here. He had this smirk on his face and one brow raised.

"Next time I'll see you you'll have a ring on your finger...are you nervous boy?"

Minho nodded calmly.

"It's all moving too fast...it's too much responsibility at once...I'm only twenty years of age and I have to conceive a child..."

His mentor laughed and tapped him on the back.

"Yes it is a lot...where is your bird? It seems to always be with you"

"My father isn't allowing me to bring Aowin with me..."

"Foolish act, does he not realize she is like another arm to you?"

"I've never been away from her...will you take care of her for me? She won't cause trouble I promise"

"Of course, and be careful in the south...I've heard a lot of the royal family, they are loyal to their own and no one else."

"I will be careful. And watch over yourself, you know how cold these parts of the mountains get"

"I will..." he opened his arms and hugged him. "And stay clear from any trouble, the sun land's people are just like their weather. As we are calm and collected like the snow, they are fire. Do not get too close to the sun, do not catch fire under their spells, do you understand boy?"

"Yes..."

Footsteps made the two of them split apart.

The king arrived with all his loyal servants.

"Come Minho, it is time" he spoke with his deep voice, his jet black hair short and arranged perfectly. Minho nodded and followed him out, going to the carts that started to move as soon as the king spoke.

It was a three days trip to the land opposite to them, to reach the capital point where the huge castle was. He had heard about the waterfalls and the multiple palm trees that took over the hills of that land. He had never been, therefor never seen anything like it.

"I must remind you that their culture varies from ours, their traditions go against ours, but we must respect them when we step foot in that castle."

Minho just responded with a low voice, looking out the window completely out of it. He would fight for his kingdom, for his lands. But marriage was never really his preoccupation.

In fact, he knew nothing about the female gender, his mother had passed and he didn't have a sister to refer to. His country was known for its loyalty, the pure blood from family to family. The same black hair and dark eyes, some with blue eyes.

Now he was going into a country where he knew no one, a place he was very unfamiliar with, a different climate, he didn't have his friend crow with him and he was going to get married in a week's time.

Everything was going great.

Fantastic.

A day had passed in those wagons, the horses were then attached to some poles and they all stood on the ground. Minho starred at the green surface confused, was this truly the grass he had heard off? Growing up in the mountains, their was nothing green or remotely warm, hence the advantage during war.

He stepped on it and immediately took his foot back into the wagon. He looked like a curious but terrified kid. The snow was far into the horizon, home was far for him.

He looked in the opposite direction and saw the bright light coming from it, the green grass being more and more present ahead. He sighed and already missed the cold snow, the breeze feeling he would get on his nose when he walked in the castle.

Another day passed and they made it to the borders between their two kingdoms, a gate stood before them.

It didn't take long before they were let through, after all, it was the king of the north standing before them.

His father rode proudly on his horse, while Minho sharpened his knives in the back of the wagon, studying maps of the territory in front of him and learning the names of the main capitals of the cities.

He stayed inside that wooden bark for the majority of the trip, he knew one thing now, he hated how the sun felt on his skin. He was pale, just like the snow he was used to seing. Now his vision was filled with unwanted colours.

He hated it.

Now it was finally time. He felt the horses stop and a loud crowd of people, the same he had been since they entered the capital. Minho finally got out and onto the burning hot ground beneath him. His fur coat felt boiling now that he was under the sun, still he felt cold inside.

The capital city of the sun lands. Busy, loud and packed, everything he hated. The people there were barely dressed as well, only wearing scarfs around their lower half or dresses made of thin fabric. Their skin was tanned and their hair was a mix of blond and brown all together, like if the sun had burned it blond.

The colour red was everywhere, unlike his dark blue uniform and the flag that was held above their cart. Here, it was either gold or red, which blinded the prince completely. He had never been so lost before.

His father laid a hand on his shoulder and made him tense.

"Come...we will enter the castle" he spoke and all his guard and servants followed after him.

They walked inside the palace and were greeted by high folks, expensive clothing they showed their status and slaves bound to them, it looked like a game or who had the prettiest one. Sickening.

Minho ignored it and kept walking along side his father, going from a big hall to an even bigger hall. Everything in here was to show off their riches, it was nothing like in the crow mountains, there, everything had a reason, a purpose.

They finally made it to the throne room, stepping onto a red and gold carpet leading up to the big throne where a family was seated in their assigned places.

"Lord Oden of the north" the sun king spoke and his father got onto one knee, so Minho followed.

"My king." He replied quickly.

"Rise my friend" the sun king said and they all stood, the two of them walking towards each other before tall man hugged Minho's father and laughed.

"It's been too long old friend."

"It has my lord."

Minho's eyes scanned the room, he could see the queen with her blond hair. They all had it, even the king had pale hair like the sun. But no princesses could be seen, only another man next to the queen was standing.

Unlike everything in this place, his eyes reminded him of the snow. They were cold. Dark and buried in a pit or a void. Nothing like the warm sun or the heat outside. His every movement was calculated, controlled, each breath he took. He stood in a posture that was made to seem perfect, his blond hair, practically platinum, was arranged perfectly. The prince, no doubt. Minho wanted to look away but couldn't, not even for a second.

"About the wedding King Oden..."

"Yes, the papers that are required to sign-"

"No, that is not where lies the problem...our terms still hold, yet their will be no marrige"

Minho locked eyes with the blond man a few feet away from him. He saw his shoulders tense in the most subtle way...yet still distinguishable.

"What do you mean my king?"

"The princess...she" he held his breath for a second and looked back at his wife who lowered her head and placed her hand over her eyes.

"She is dead..."