soldier, protector ┃ prologue
jung yunho
notes: it’s been ages since i wrote, but i’ve had this idea for way too long and it’s time to come to life.
thank you for reading 🖤
genre: royalty au, knight au, fluff, angst, light fantasy
contains: perilous scenes, some violence and gore, talk of grief and loss, consuming alcohol
pairing: knight!yunho x princess!reader (ot8 in story)
synopsis: After the siege reined down on the neighboring kingdom, a prince is set to be with the princess of Vanelle to build back up the fallen empire. However, with war still on the horizon, a knight is trusted with guarding the princess while she prepares to welcome a new kingdom with a love set to raise rule again for Glassendor. However, love is found with those you find more close, more intimate, and even more risks.
word count: 2k
prologue ┃ chapter 1
—
A light feast of stale bread and dried venison laid on scraps of parchment beneath the setting sun, an evening energizer before the night’s training. The air still carried the scent of smog drifting from the northern kingdom of Glassendor, whose people had began migrating to other villages outskirts from their fallen kingdom. The stench made Yunho’s nose wrinkle as he stood from tightening the straps of his boots.
Maybe Hongjoong will surprise us with hot water tonight, he thought as if it were a daydream. That would truly be a blessing, but even Yunho knew that last week’s fishing had not been as fruitful as it was typically that season. There wasn’t the proper amount of salted carp that the neighboring woodcutters would want to trade for their logs. Especially not enough to heat water for over thirty soldiers. Winter was rapidly approaching on a white horse.
The training knight took a small share of the food, dipping a large mug into the barrel of water at the end of the table. Wooyoung had already saved their usual seat under the seemingly ancient oak tree at the back quarter of the training grounds. It was the only part of the barracks that seemed to hold living nature instead of dusty, treaded ground and cold rocks.
Yunho sat next to the young knight who was sweating through his tunic, gulping down a mug of ale to the point it was starting to dribble from the corners of his lips. His Adam’s apple dipped up and down, as if ale was the only thing keeping him alive.
“Careful, you’re gonna get sick,” Yunho chuckled, patting his back as Wooyoung dropped the mug with a dramatic inhale.
He brought the collar of his shirt up to wipe his lips. “Yunho, you always forget what Captain says about our evening ale—“
“Yeah—a little something to take the spear out of your asses and relax—not the whole damn keg.”
Wooyoung bore his teeth into his bread roll. “Well, I didn’t drink yours, at least..” He pushed the spare mug he dispensed for Yunho into his friend’s hands.
Yunho let out a breath of a laugh. “You never forget me, Wooyoung.” He delighted himself in a generous sip.
Hongjoong was the same age as a majority of the soldiers, being knighted from a squire at the same ceremony as Yunho and Wooyoung. However, Hongjoong knew that the training didn’t end when a sword was tapped on each of their shoulders: after haggling for a piece of land to build the barracks, the responsibility landed on the young soldier to coordinate the duties of his fellow knights to defend neighboring kingdoms and communities.
The man stood leaned against a stone wall by the ration table, arms folded and resting one of his heels at the other’s toes while crossing his leg. When the last knight got his share of meat and bread, Hongjoong grabbed the last bit of food and rested it in a clean cloth from his pocket.
“Do you think Captain has a plan for the war?” Wooyoung asked softly, as if Hongjoong could hear them from across the training yard.
Yunho didn’t break sight of the knights’ leader. “Hard to say, he’s mourning along with Glassendor’s people. The fire is kindling as we speak.” He tenderly put a piece of deer jerky between his teeth.
A strange sense of guilt had draped over the barracks where the knights found solstice. Glassendor was defenseless the night of their attack, families thrusting their babies at the enemies to save them, the castle being overrun by villainous soldiers and demons, monsters that many used to believe only belonged in legends whispered throughout the land. Even the royalty didn’t survive.
Silence fell between the two until Yunho asked Wooyoung if he’d been keeping warm at night, but the light discussion was broken by a black boot perching itself on the large rock in front of the two knights. In unison, the men looked up slowly to see Hongjoong taking a long gulp from a mug, his figure appearing as a silhouette blocking the orange sun beginning to set into the horizon.
Yunho smiled.
“Got enough to eat I hope. Tonight’s a long one, soldiers,” Hongjoong said after lowering his mug while clearing his throat. “But I have certain plans for the two of you.”
Wooyoung quickly finished tugging the top half of his hair back after their leader spoke, his eyes twinkling in attention. “Are you sure, Hongjoong? Are you feeling well?” He sighed with an even bigger smile than Yunho. “I’m so relieved. You know the raid wasn’t your fault, nobody could predict Glassendor would be targeted by such evil. You know, I had wrote a letter to my mother and she said—“
“Wooyoung,” Hongjoong laughed with a crouch, meeting eyes with the two sitting and laying a hand on his tensed shoulder. “Get the rest of that hair out of your face and listen to me.” A black bandana was stretched out to him by the captain, and Wooyoung used it to keep the rest of his fallen hair back to keep his eyesight clear for the evening’s duties.
Yunho joined in with Hongjoong’s chuckles, hiding behind a hand he brought up to cover his mouth.
“You two have been handling the siege on the northern kingdom like true knights,” Hongjoong stated, never breaking gaze with the two who were now still-faced and attentive. “Never change. A soldier who can keep strong even when the world is at its most heavy is one that can be trusted with the next step to bring back Earth’s light.”
He stood, arms folding over his chest. “Kingdom of Vanelle. The one out to the East? Our barracks have received a request from the king and queen. An invite for our men.”
Wooyoung glanced at Yunho before shifting in his seat to sit on his knees while focusing back at the lead knight. “An actual kingdom?” The boys were so used to community defense and small wars over trades or threats to overrun a town. Maybe the letter was sent to the wrong address, or the royalty of Vanelle had the wrong knights in mind.
“You know of Vanelle, don’t be so foolish,” Hongjoong said lightly. “Your village was only thirty miles south of there before you became a page.”
He pulled out a tan piece of paper folded up inside his brown jacket. “I have no doubts the both of you can help carry this request. There’s no determined length of this duty but what I do know is it will end with war.” Yunho swore he saw the captain swallow as his neck tensed.
“Is that not what we’ve trained for?” He asked steadily.
Hongjoong sighed before a small smile graced his face. “Thank the light for the both of you.” He gazed back down at the paper and spoke a bit louder. “Now. The protection of the kingdom, first and foremost and then training of their men in war. Remember, we are allies, and these men have been trained their own way. For defense purposes they requested two knights for near around the clock duty.”
His eyes dart first to Wooyoung. “Ravenous energy, but you grow cold and still as ice when preparing to strike. You will be in charge of coordinating the defense of battle plan as requested by the king. Additionally, you’ll be guarding the throne room when the king and queen hold their courts, ceremonies or whatever other reasons they need to occupy the space.”
Wooyoung scrambled to his feet, his spine straightening and chin lifting. “I’m ashamed to have been sitting down,” he said mostly to himself. His hands clasped behind his back. “I have no idea what this assignment entails but I promise to hold my duty and complete in a manner that honors my fellow soldiers, our community and the light of our Earth.”
Hongjoong laughed softly while placing a firm grip on Wooyoung’s shoulder. He gave it a shake. “Loosen up, Woo, remember we’re still friends and you’ve already proved I can trust you.”
“Thank you, I just didn’t know what to say,” Wooyoung’s voice cracked.
Yunho looked to the knight beside him and one corner of his lips perked up at the watery brim of his mate’s eyes. “My, are you about to cry Wooyoung?”
The other sniffed and gazed at the ground for a moment, kicking the ground with the inside of his foot. “I think some of this stupid dust got in my eye earlier during sparring.” Yunho understood his friend’s emotions though: he was sure Wooyoung never could’ve expected such a heavy duty to be handed to him. Nevertheless, it was a worthy responsibility for the young knight.
Ever since Wooyoung was a page, his heart beat to the rhythm of an assassin and had the voice to move mountains. It seemed that fear itself was afraid of him, as he never shied to voice his thoughts that were sometimes powerful and other times it came off as a bit much (a few thought). As a young boy and even into a squire during his teenage years, many of his teammates doubted his bite was as strong as his bark. They would be learning to fight like “real men”, there was no way Wooyoung could keep up. To nearly everyone’s surprise, the boy ran his body in battle scenarios with quick and cold precision. He danced with a dagger and played the sword like an instrument, his eyes dark and hungry for blood.
It seemed he never uttered a word when fighting, unless it was to hurl a playful insult to get his enemy to fight back. Wooyoung proved himself in the early knight training, and Yunho was one to always believe in him even as pages.
“You are perfect for this,” Yunho spoke, bowing gently to the boy who was dabbing under his eyes with the back of his hands. “Proud is an understatement.”
Hongjoong glanced at the two before focusing back on the creased paper. “Yunho.”
The tallest of the three looked back to the captain, forgetting he also was a part of Hongjoong’s plan.
“You’ll be assigned to the king and queen’s daughter: the princess.”
Yunho’s eyebrows raised slightly at the corners as he brought them closer together. “The princess?”
“Surprised?” Hongjoong questioned with an amused look on his face. “Apparently, she’s got a lot on her plate right now, especially after Glassendor’s fall. Her guard is up, but there’s other things that need her focus right now. It’s a bit more around the clock but the workload will be balanced on occasional nights and various events by a few guards of Vanelle. You will still need to be prepared to fight regardless.”
Yunho straightened his spine as much as Wooyoung’s. All he felt at the moment was confusion. He didn’t want to question Hongjoong too much, he respected him enough for. It was more so why him.
“As courageous and strong you are, Yunho, you are also meek and bright. Approachable, but still deliver the proper defense that will make the princess understand your importance. You have also proven yourself in battle with your intense physique and strength, with as much grandeur as a tower. You are an anchor, yet a protector.”
Yunho’s mid-chest began to warm. Not in a gentle way, but in a way his heart was kindling a fire much like the one that burns in the knights’ captain’s soul. The hairs on his arms stick up, and he hides his hands behind his back and looks to his captain. “I accept. Though… I don’t believe I have a choice.”
Hongjoong then put both hands on each of the men’s shoulders. “I love you both, but no you don’t.” He tilts his head and gives them a play, sympathetic smile.
“Hush!” Wooyoung whined. “Just take our honor.”
Yunho dipped his head in a nod.
“We are a team. We don’t worship one over the other more, they simply trusted me with the choice. Now, you’ll both be fitted tomorrow for armor. In a week’s time we’ll make the travel Northeast to Vanelle. I have much to do with planning how our men can prepare. In the meantime, get to training with the others tonight.”
He jabbed a thumb to the men who were practicing stealth moves to practice when the sun begins to set.
“Actual armor,” Wooyoung elbowed Yunho who was already trying to hide a grin.
Hongjoong turned back to them just as he was about to walk away.
“Remember, this will end in battle, between kingdoms and eventually ourselves.”
—
final note: if you’re still reading i hope you enjoyed 🖤 thank you for the time and more is to come, not sure how many chapters but it will be a longer fic.
enjoy your night x
truly yours, sapphire
