Prince of Hearts

Chapter 4: Shadowfang

[Y/N]

It was early in the morning when Hoseok heard the knocking. He rubbed his eyes, bunching up his blanket in frustration.

Will they go away if I ignore them? He thought, half-asleep.

The knocks only got louder and more insistent.

He cursed, dragging himself out the bed and pulling a tunic over his head.

"Coming."

As soon as he unlocked it, the door swung open. A hooded figure stumbled into the room, brushing past him. Hoseok felt his senses sharpen. He grabbed a dagger from the weapon-stand, pointing it at the stranger's throat.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" He asked.

The figure sighed and pulled back its hood. The eyes that looked at him were familiar, even in the near-darkness.

"Princess!" He removed the dagger. "What brings you here so late at night?"

"Night? It's four in the morning", you said, looking out through the window. 

And sure enough, the sky was now lightening to a dull grey.

"So what brings you here so early in the morning, Y/N?" He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Didn't you hear?" You let yourself drop into the bed.

Hoseok didn't reply.

"Didn't you hear about the alliance?" You repeated.

"I was there, Princess", he replied. "I heard everything myself." 

"Were you? I didn't see you among the soldiers", you said, tilting your head. 

Hoseok walked over, sitting down beside you on the bed.

"I wasn't in sight", he said. "Father--I mean--Grand General gave me the duty to protect the envoy from any assassination attempts. So I was in plainclothes."

"Outside the hall, huh? With the common-folk." You dropped your gaze to the ground.

"Yes", he said, almost like an apology.

"So you know what happened", you said. "What price I have to pay for the peace of this kingdom."

In the dark, you could almost hear Hoseok draw in a ragged breath.

"It shouldn't have been you", he whispered.

He was looking down at his fingers, the way he always did when he was in deep thought.

"Who else? Both of my sisters are married, remember?" You could hear the bitterness in your own voice.

"That's not what I meant, Y/N", he said, looking at you. "You shouldn't have been the one to pay the price."

You couldn't see his face, but you could picture it. Hoseok was always torturing himself about things that weren't his fault.

"We are soldiers. We are the ones who should pay the price. In blood and iron." His voice was heavy with emotion. 

"If you had but  said the word, if you had rejected the prince, we would have fought for you till our last breath." His fingers clenched into a fist. "I would have fought. Until my last breath."

"For what, Hoseok?" You were almost angry at that fool. That selfless fool. "Our soldiers are skilled, but the army of Enmore is too strong."