long live the king - nct, markhyuck

♕ 23 ♕

donghyuck heaved heavily, hands resting on his knees, head handing low and eyes closed as he panted with his mouth open, breathing in as much air as he could. all he needed were a few seconds to catch his breath before straightening up again and continuing his race towards his village in slight panic.

the reason for this sudden will to run when donghyuck was everything but a sports person?

the need to reach is village immediately after overhearing a few royal guards in a discussion while he was leaving the palace after his afternoon with mark at the lake.

he wasn't entirely sure about what he had heard, or if his mind had made up something out of nowhere, but he had heard them discussing about catching a resistant and keeping him prisoner for answer.

and well, donghyuck, being the son of the leader of the anti-royalist movement in aes, had to rush back to his village and check with his father what all of this was about, and if everybody was still safe – he also needed to apologise to him, but this would surely come later, once he'll be freed from this panic state.

the tanned male ran as fast as he could, feeling grateful to see that the small constructions from his village were getting nearer and nearer. he was getting more and more out of breath, and his legs were hurting a lot, but he couldn't afford taking another break right now, not when he was so close to the village.

"oh, donghyuck!" a masculine voice called from his side. "everything alright?"

the young male stopped running, turning around to face the other peasant. "hello..." he panted. "do you know... where my father is...?"

"i haven't seen him today, sorry." the man replied. "try the restaurant perhaps."

"thanks." donghyuck was quick to add before bolting away again.

it didn't take him more than 2 minutes to reach the restaurant, kicking the door open with so much force that it made all of the people inside jump and turn around.

"donghyuck, you almost broke the door with how much- "

"where is my father?" the tanned male asked, cutting his female co-worker's words when he caught a glimpse of all of his father's close friends sitting around the table, faced painted with seriousness.

there was a short silence which allowed donghyuck to let his eyes run across the almost empty room of the restaurant. he gulped when he realised that all of the people in there were anti-royalists, but that his father wasn't among them right now.

"where is he?" donghyuck asked again, voice slightly strangled.

"donghyuck..." myunghae spoke, perhaps the only of his father's friends with whom donghyuck was close. "come sit with us."

"just tell me where he is." the tanned male refused to step forward. "i need to talk to him."

"i'll tell you, but please come sit here first." myunghae insisted.

this frustrated donghyuck. "is it because he's still mad at me?" he asked. "it is because of what i told him. he doesn't want to see me anymore."

"it's not this, donghyuck."

"so why?!" the young male raised his voice. "i know i did something wrong, and i'm sorry, but i really need to talk to him right now, it's very urgent."

myunghae sighed at those words. "i know donghyuck but- "

"he was caught by royal guards and brought to the royal palace."