Tale of the Dark Hills | Jeongmin/ BangTwice Fantasy

Battle of the Black Water

Strong sea wind ruffles his silky smooth hair into bird nest, yet the White prince inhales the air, filled with the scent of  sea. Sea, its blue color, sound of the waves, salty taste, fishy odour and the wet touch truly can satisfy all of his five senses. He feels liberated in the vastness of it though he knows that the sea will never embrace him back. Rather, it may drown him to death, just like they tried before. Jeonghan exhales and blinks couple of times to control the tears that are accumulating in his eye palates and the pain pinching his heart. He did survive in his life but never really lived. He has no one in his life, who loves him and now that he is going to look for a life partner, that is too for a political reason or precisely, to quench his own greed for the power. One can't achieve everything in their life, they have to choose and discard options with a practical mindset. Jeonghan gave up on love and chose the power. Land and sea both of them abandoned him, they think he doesn't belong to any of them. But Jeonghan has pledged, he will show them that the land and sea both belongs to him. The White prince curls his fingures making into fist and hit the rails of the deck, in determination.

"My lord"

White prince turns around to answer the call, "Yes captain"

The middle aged captain of the ship looks worried, he licks his lips before informing the prince,"We are entering the black water"

The prince shifts his gaze to the water, within a foot, he can see the color blue is changing into its darker shades, eventually becoming complete black. The time as well doesn't look suitable, the sun is about to go to a sleep, they may have to cross the formidable water in the night. The thought of being in the black water, in the dark, runs an eerie feeling all over his body, but the prince in any way can't show it to his people. Jeonghan keeps a straight face and orders the captain to go on. Joshua, his personal guard, comes closer to him and asks,

"Are you worried, my prince?"

"Should I be?", the prince smirks.

"I am gonna protect you, no matter what", Joshua's gritty remark cause Jeonghan to laugh out loud.

"Oh... what I'd do if you weren't there?", the prince hits the back of his guard, jokingly.

"I wonder, how my prince had convinced the great King for this risky adventure?"

His question turns the genuine heartwarming smile of the prince into a sarcastic one,

"Let me tell you a secret Joshua, the strongest way to convince any White is,  greed"

The prince understands that his guard hasn't get it, though he is not asking anymore questions. So he breaks down it for him,

"My father, the king, doesn't have anything to lose because of this journey. If this endeavor becomes successful, Whites can create a revolution in the field of foreign trade affairs. If not, he will only lose me... and that's not even a loss for him", prince Jeonghan blurts out the last sentence with absolute bitterness.

Joshua feels pity for his prince but remains silent. Showing pity to a royal is not empathy but insult to them.

"No one wants me, no one loves me, no one cares for me either", price Jeonghan declares those sorrowful words, staring at the horizon, which is painted orange after the sunset.

"Are you sure about that?", Joshua asks out of the blue, startling the spaced out prince.

At that moment, an enormous black wave has splashed on the deck, without any warning. The prince and his guard both, have been thrown to the corner, by the force of swashing water. The sea has gone wild, the prince gasps in horror, to see those freaking huge ripples forming in the huge waterbody. The ship has been rocking along with the billowing waves so far, but now the they can feel it shaking, as if they are in middle of an earthquake. The captain frantically starts calling the prince from the rails,