The Birth of The Prince and The Raven

Part 10

"Don't hurt him!"

Choi Han had every reason to feel just a bit wronged as he was treated like the aggressor. The knight, and he was definitely a knight, rushed to the pale man's aide with a cry so accusatory that it really did bring Choi Han pause.

However before he had any choice in the matter, he was forced to block another ferocious blow from his attacker. Hateful purple eyes glared holes into Choi Han and this too made him feel a bit out of sorts.

He could swear that the man's eyes had been golden that afternoon.

"Raven–" He hissed, his voice full of too many emotions to properly understand.

And suddenly he was pulled back, the knight positioning himself between Choi Han and his attacker. "He's not. I checked." The knight assured, sounding more like a person trying to calm down an unpredictable beast. "It's okay, Mytho. I'm here."

His eyes flickered and Choi Han could see clearly that there was cold clouded up by the malignant shade of violet. It was a strange combination for a strange pair but Choi Han could really only be certain about one thing.

The two of them truly were dangerous. He couldn't let them rest near Harris Village. Who knew when they might attack an innocent villager who couldn't defend themselves like Choi Han could?

The person he'd exchanged blows with was at the very least a highest grade expert, potentially even a swordmaster. It was strangely difficult to read his strength though. Not because he was stronger than Choi Han but because there was something muddled inside of him.

It was like his eyes. Shining gold hidden and consumed by a malicious aura. It made it difficult to get a true grasp of his strength.

It also absolutely confirmed that he was dangerous.

Still, Choi Han couldn't help but feel his heart prickled by the sight before him.

Through careful guidance and pleading and even some restraint, the knight had finally brought Mytho back to reality and the flecks of purple retreated for the moment.

Only... the heart wrenching look of despair left on his face as he clutched his head and accepted that he had, yet again, lost control...

Choi Han wasn't a cruel person. He had difficulty turning away those in need at the worst of times and it was becoming abundantly apparent that these two didn't mean to be aggressors.

"...I lost again..." Mytho said, his voice edged with anguish. "Every time... it finds where I am weakest and strikes..." He clenched his fists, unable to even look at his knight as the shame overtook him.

But Mytho was nothing if not a brave person. Gathering himself, he stood up, thanking Lohengrin for his assistance and facing the man he'd assaulted with clear golden eyes. "My deepest apologies to you. Are you injured?"

Choi Han could feel the sincerity of it. The grace to his movements that was so unmistakably noble in nature that Choi Han was a bit struck by it.

Despite every poor impression he had of the man, from his suspicious arrival to the midnight attack, Choi Han was left with the overwhelming impression that he was a good man.

Broken in certain ways and in need of help, but beneath the malignancy attacking him, he was an upright and good person.

Perhaps Choi Han was a little on the naive side. He had only really met good people since his departure from the Forest of Darkness and he was the sort who liked to see the good in others.

Or maybe Choi Han was just a bleeding heart. It was difficult to watch the struggle Mytho had just barely overcome without feeling pity.

"I'd like an explanation." Choi Han said firmly instead of a response.

Because Mytho was dangerous, even if he wasn't a bad person.

Because Choi Han was a little naive and couldn't help his desire to help this pitiful person.

But behind all of that, because Choi Han wasn't actually a dumb person and he could sense there was a larger danger hidden behind this single man. He just wasn't the sort of person to let that go. Unchecked danger was, after all, a risk to all of those who innocently couldn't defend themselves against it.

–

"...is it just me, or have there been more crows lately?" Kim Rok Soo remarked mildly as he walked. Rue, who had been walking alongside him, seemed to bunch up and attempt to hide beneath him. It was an awkward thing, considering she still insisted on walking with the grace of a ballerina and clearly didn't want to admit to feeling unnerved.

Kim Rok Soo frowned.

Rue was still something of a mystery to him. He'd begun his general preparations for the novel to come and the children mostly seemed to be settling in well. The black dragon in particular was surprisingly clingy and hardly left his side.

He knew about On and Hong running away from their village, they'd talked to him about it before he'd ever even run into Cale Henituse. He knew the broad strokes of Cale's past from the novel and meeting the man in person. He knew all the terrible things that the black dragon had endured.

All he knew about Rue was that she was on the run and she was a part of the raven tribe. Even the raven tribe bit he'd only learned because On and Hong had sniffed it out.

He knew she was strong because of the skills she'd exhibited while they rescued the black dragon.

He didn't know where she came from and he didn't know what she was running from.

He hadn't pointed out the crows to scare her although now he had a better idea of what she might be running from. The thought made him frown. He wasn't unfamiliar with the idea, On and Hong were similar. Perhaps that was why they clung to her side, sensing a kindred.

But it would never sit right with him.

The sort of home that required escaping from wasn't unfamiliar to Kim Rok Soo either.

"Let's go home." He said, patting her head to assure her.

Some of the tension left but the hypervigilance didn't.

Kim Rok Soo had no interest in learning what she was hiding. If she wanted to keep it to herself, that was her business. He wasn't the sort of person to insert himself into someone else's business.

That said, he also wasn't the sort of person to ignore clear signs of abuse in a child.

He glared at a passing crow, a deep frown maring his expression.

He'd have to get a bit involved.

Damnit.