Daechwita

King Min was woken up by the young servant boy Jido shaking his arm hesitantly, his anxious face lit by the torch in his hands.

The king tossed the boys hands off him, sitting up angrily. "You dare touch the king at this time of night?! I'll have your head for this transgression!"

Jido flinched. "S-sorry, your majesty. But it's the Seer, she has a warning for you."

"She saw something?" The king was out of the bed in an instant, flying down the dimly lit corridor to the witch's chamber.

He burst through the door. "What did you see?"

She hovered over a small marble bowl of glittering blue water. She looked up at him with worry. "It's the young prince..."

"Which one?" Min hissed.

He had two identical twin sons. Agust was a minute older than Suga, and they had just turned ten years old last week.

Every king knew they had only one downfall when they took power. For some, it was disease. For others, mutiny or bad luck. But every king had one downfall that would end their reign.

And King Min's was going to come from one of his own sons.

She shook her head. "I cannot tell them apart. But he will strike you down with your own sword, my king."

"No," King Min growled. "I will rule forever. I will not allow my own son to betray me."

"Wait!" She called after him in fear as he stormed out of her chamber, but he would not listen.

He ordered one of the guards to fetch his sword, and the others followed him as he marched down the gray stone corridor to his sons shared room.

They had been sleeping peacefully in their large bed, but when the king kicked open the door, they both woke up instantly.

"Father- what-"

King Min grabbed Agust, yanking him out of the bed. Since he was the oldest son, Min decided to cast him out of the palace. There were enemies of the Min family who would love to see the young prince dead, so King Min knew the boy wouldn't stand a chance all on his own in the world.

He would be murdered before the week was up, Min was sure of it.

"What is going on?" Suga asked, rubbing his eyes.

Min looked the younger boy over, deciding since he was more soft and passive than Agust, that he would be easier to keep imprisoned in the castle. He still wanted one son close so he could keep an eye on him.

But first, there was something he had to do to both sons.

"Grab them." Min ordered, shoving a confused Agust to a guard.

The other guard grabbed Suga and easily pulled him out of the bed.

"What are you doing?" Agust called out as they were forced to their knees in front of the King. "Father! What's happening?"

The other guard came into the room and handed the sword to the King, who snatched it up and pulled the long silver blade out of its case, watching it gleam under the moonlight that shone in from the window.

"F-father?" Suga stuttered, nervous.

"I won't let anyone get in my way of ruling forever." Min said, pointing the sword at his sons, whose eyes were wide. "Especially not my own sons."

"What are you saying?" Suga cried, and flinched when the sword was swung over to point at him.

"Everyone knows those who are scarred cannot be King." Min scowled, placing the tip of the sword just above the boys right eyebrow.

"Stop!" Agust exclaimed, struggling to get to his feet. "Don't hurt-"

The king sliced the sword down and Suga screamed, falling forward in agony, blood dripping between his fingers as he pressed his hands over his face.

"Su!" Agust tried to grab his brother, but then the now bloody sword was pointing at him and he froze, glaring at his father with pure hatred.

"I bet it's you." Min said coldly. "You've always been more fiery."

"You hurt your own son!" Agust shouted, fingers curling into fists! "How could you! Monster! He never did anything to you!"

"And now he never will." Min nodded at the guards. "Lock him in the dungeon."

"No!" Agust cried, trying to reach his sobbing, bleeding brother, but the guards were carrying the younger boy away. "Stop! Stop it!"

"And you-" The king pressed the tip of the sword into the boys skin, breaking it. A trickle of blood raced down Agust's eye like a red tear. "You won't last three days outside the safety of the castle. My adversaries will find you and kill you, and then I won't have to worry about you ever again."

"I'll come back." Agust vowed. "I will return here and save my brother, and we will kill you."

Min smirked, swiping the sword down over the boys eye.

Agust cried out, temporarily blinded by both the pain and the blood. He felt hands grab him and haul him to his feet.

He was forced out of the room, down the corridor and shoved outside the castle walls.

He painfully opened his other eye and saw they were outside now, and he stumbled in the dark as they walked him to the wall that wrapped around the castle protectively.

The guard opened the gate and pushed him out, locking the door behind him.

It was freezing and the boy was shivering in just his silk pajamas.

He didn't want to leave his brother behind but he couldn't do anything for him right now, so he turned and fled, in search of a safe place he could hide in to spend the night. In the morning he would try to find help for his wound, and tell them what had happened. Surely someone out there would help him.

He ran until he couldn't anymore, and collapsed in a ditch, falling on the soft ferns there.

Exhausted, he shut his eye and fell into a nightmare.