Banished ♡ Hwang Hyunjin (Part 2)
Warnings: Mentions of violence in later chapters.
Member: Hwang Hyunjin
Genre: Royalty AU, Fluff, Angst
Summary: In which an ancient feud causes the split of two kingdoms, each side being left to their own accord.
Word Count: 1.6k+
one || two
“Your Highness, your father wishes to speak to you” the palace guard stated to the prince, who had been sitting mindlessly within the chambers of his room.
“Yes, I’ll be there” Hyunjin replied, a small smile on his face, an act concealing his true disheartened nature of having to have a conversation with the king. Sure, he had begun to make amends with him progressively day by day, but nothing had proven enough to make up for years of living under the constant harsh supervision of him.
He trudged along the hall towards his intended destination. The audience chamber. Although with Hyunjin being his son, the king had never allowed a soul to enter his own private chambers, claiming it to be unfitting for the conversations he had conducted with his son. Not that he had many conversations with his father, but never had Hyunjin been able to enter any of the vast number of rooms he had claimed for himself.
The prince knocked on the door cautiously at first, composing himself before having the courage to knock. The door had been opened swiftly by one of the guards, which although had proven to be unnecessary, the king insisted on having one to accompany him through the entire castle, as a precaution for any oncoming intruders. Nobody had seen the significance of this but his words had been final therefore it had been henceforth adhered to.
“I believe you wanted to see me” Hyunjin asked, head bowed down slightly in a respectful manner.
“Yes. Take a seat” the King said, beckoning him over to the chair courteously placed opposite him. The room was large in size but nonetheless had been one of the smallest rooms located in the castle.
“I wanted to enquire on how guarding the forest has been” he asked, taking a sip of a drink placed in the goblet besides him. Unaware of what the drink had been, the prince had just assumed it to be an alcoholic beverage of some sort.
“It’s been very beneficial father. I’ve been able to see what the circumstances of the forest are in and how the guards carry out their jobs” Hyunjin replied sincerely, much to his father’s content.
“I’m glad to hear that. I feared that you would be tired of the job and quit, but I must say. You’ve taken me by surprise” the king replied.
The conversation Hyunjin had with the guard a few days ago had flashed through his mind. Now was the chance to ask his father regarding his issue, knowing he had been in a rather uplifting mood.
“Father, I would like to propose the idea of having less people to work there instead. I believe the amount of people guarding the forest is truly excessive” Hyunjin replied, fearing the reaction out of his father as he let his mouth speak before his mind. Based on the way his father’s grip on his goblet tightened and how his knuckles bled white, rage had seemed to surface through his usual cold exterior.
“Excessive? Have you seen the way in which the other kingdom resents us?” he asked, unusually calm considering the venom dripping from his tone.
“Father, they do not seem like the enemies to me. You can’t keep this feud going on forever”
“I’m playing it safe my son. You’re the only heir left to the throne”
“I know you aren’t playing it safe for me at all. You’re afraid yourself. Am I correct?”
“That’s enough. You may leave. If I hear one more word about the way I run this kingdom, I shall ensure you never leave these walls at all”
“Guards, I have a request to make. I’d rather you allow me to enter the forest earlier than usual” Hyunjin remarked, earning a disapproving look by his fellow members.
“But Your Highness, your father wouldn’t allow this” the guard replied, clearly frightened that agreeing to this request would cost him his job. From day one, the safety of the prince was regarded to be the most significant within this whole job. More highly than catching any invaders.
“If my father has any opposition, I can assure you I will take the full blame for it” Hyunjin stated, already seating upon the horse “now, if you don’t have any more concerns, I best be off”
“Your Highness, if this is about the girl, I shall remind you to make sure not to act in haste. You should value your life over this”
“My life, I don’t believe that girl wishes to cause us any harm. Neither do I see her as a threat in any means” Hyunjin replied, smiling softly to the reaction of the guards.
The forest had been completely deserted, not a soul had been in sight neither in the forest nor it it’s surrounding areas. Considering it had been rather early in the morning, it could be assumed the other villagers had been within their accommodations as not even Hyunjin’s father had awoken at this hour of the day. All besides one figure had been within sight.
Upon approaching the figure, donned in a hooded cloak and their entire body completely covered from head to toe, the prince had taken a hold of his weapon. A dagger, although small in size, it had been lethal enough nonetheless to combat any intruders. Taking a step off his horse and advancing towards the figure, located at a nearby tree, Hyunjin managed to press them forcefully against the tree trunk, the dagger used as a warning held against their throat, limiting their movements.
“Who are you? And what do you wish to do coming towards here?” Hyunjin demanded, voice wavering slightly out of shock and the suddenness of the situation.
“I don’t mean any harm. I had just been waiting for the market stalls to open” the voice, which could explicitly be heard to be a feminine voice, had replied. But this voice in particular had been familiar to Hyunjin. He retracted the dagger back, sheathing it in his belt to present he had been powerless yet again. He took off the hood worn upon her head, letting out a sigh in both the relief of it not being an intruder as well as it being a person he had been familiar with and planning to meet again.
“I see we meet again” Hyunjin said with a smile, offering his hand for a handshake which you had adhered to.
“Indeed we do. Hyunjin am I right?” you asked, even though you had been sure that had been his name. In all truth, his name hadn’t been able to leave your head ever since your first encounter but you asked as a reassurance.
“Correct. I apologise, for almost injuring you again” Hyunjin replied, completely stunned by the fact that each time you met, he had appeared as a threat to you,
“Apology accepted, as long as it doesn’t happen again” you smiled in response.
“I can’t make any promises again as I initially promised not to come as a threat to you. But I must say, I’m glad to be seeing you once again”
You knew he hadn't meant any harm but it had been coincidental that this had happened twice. Had it been anyone else, you may have been terrified.
“As am I. So, is there a particular reason you’re here this early”
“I should be asking you that question. But first to answer you, I wanted to patrol this area a bit earlier today. How about you? What’s a girl like you doing in this forest alone this early?”
“I always come here pretty early. It’s rather peaceful being here at this time, wouldn’t you agree?” you asked.
The forest had been your only source of peace, away from the crowded village you had come from. Not that you hadn't enjoyed being aeound other people but it had been a change in scenery to be alone once in a while.
“Although I’m here at this hour of the day for the first time, I have to agree with you. Especially with the constant pestering I get at home”
“Pestering? What is your family like?” you asked.
“Well, I live with my father only, but he expects quite a lot from me to be honest. Being the palace guard and all, he just wants me to constantly giving as much as I can in ever circumstance”
You could see the hint of despondency within his demeanour although it had been restricted with the presence of his mask. It had made you wonder the position his father had been in to hold such high expectations of his only son. But you couldn't say that you hadn't been through such a scenario in your past.
“I understand that. My parents expect quite a lot from me in general so I can see where you’re coming from”
“As much as I hate to hear that you deal with it as well, I must admit, it’s nice having someone that can understand me”
“I guess I feel the same way" you smiled "Since we're reunited, tell me about yourself. And please could you remove your mask. It's rather strange to talk to you like this" you asked noting that you hadn't ever seen Hyunjin's face before. But you had enough trust built to accept he was reliable enough for your standards.
"My apologies" he said, taking off the item. From what you could see, he had looked young compared to the age you had guessed the other guards to be. In fact he seemed to be closer to your age. You had to admit aside from his dishevelled hair, he held an elegant look to him. Regal in fact, if he could be compared in such a way, including his posture and his confident strides.
"Is there a problem?" Hyunjin asked but you had noticed there to be a hint of concern in his voice, while he noticed you had began to stray away from the topic of speech
"Not at all. Back to what I asked earlier. Tell me more about yourself"
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