Chapter Text
The man that stood before the council was chained to the ground, head hanging low as two guards were on either side of him. He stood before King Park, ruthless in nature with an iron fist wrapped around the entire kingdom. The king had the final say no matter what the council spoke, and usually, his ruling was crueler, sometimes even deemed inhumane, but that was the way of the king, the way he ruled, and he could very well do what he wanted.
Next to the king sat the queen and also the prince, the heir to the throne, Seonghwa. The boy was merely a teenager, looking out to the man who was practically begging for his life only moments ago before being forced to cease his talking. The prince was mortified as he usually was in these interrogation meetings. It never went right, there was never any peace in the king’s decision, and yet, that was what everyone abided by; the king’s rule was the rule of the land.
The reign of tyranny placed the entire kingdom into darkness, crimes, and poverty among the less fortunate and those who were better off still had their struggles. The king only cared about his ruling and benefits and cared even less about the queen and even the prince, a wife, and a son because the only thing that mattered to him was power. It was bleak, so many terrible things transpired, and yet all that mattered to the king was his own riches and personal gain.
And that power was what brought the shabby man before him, shaking slightly, lifting his head up with his lips quivering in fear.
Seonghwa hated this every single time. The unruly consequences, the anguish, and it honestly filled him with dread that he had to watch this happen so much since he was a part of the royal family. He zoned out half the time, practically disassociating from the entire scene before him, because it had become numbing to sit and watch yet another person who had caused no true harm being punished for something so minuscule.
Like most cases, the king would immediately declare treason upon anyone whom he deemed was going against him in any matter. It was never truly the case though, the poor simply steal what they could because that’s all they could do when no one in power would help them (the power being the king only) and some people do get away with it, the less fortunate end up in the same predicament as the man before the council.
Treason by definition, was basically betraying the entire kingdom or even trying to take the royal family down, but no one did that; most people just wanted a better life to survive in this god-forsaken rule.
“So, what do you have to say for yourself, peasant? Think you can just get away with treason under my nose?!”
“Your majesty I–”
“You know treason is a high-class crime. Going against me and my rule has dire consequences and you know what they are.”
Seonghwa wanted this to stop. It was like his father didn’t even know the definition of treason, or simply didn’t care because he only went on and on about how the lowly man committed such a heinous crime when all he did was steal food and didn’t even put up a fight either when he was caught.
“My liege, I’ve done no treason! My family has no food… I was laid off, my wife is pregnant, and my little boy shouldn’t keep eating scraps. Forgive me, please… I’ll do anything to show my loyalty to the crown.” The man began crying and Seonghwa could see the fear in his eyes, hear it in his voice and it made his heart twist in his chest, an ache of sorrow running cold inside him.
Even the guards beside the man looked frightened, standing rigid, eyes fixated only on the king and that nasty grimace he had upon his face.
“You must take me for a fool.” The king stood, walking from where he sat with the council, and made it all the way to the man that was chained down. It felt like everyone was holding their breath, tension so thick a knife could cut through the increasingly suffocating atmosphere.
The slap rang so loud it made Seonghwa flinch.
“Y-your majesty–”
“20 years in prison, no bail. Rot away for your transgressions.”
20 years.
The sentencing has gotten worse, years in prison for almost nothing and it happened often enough that Seonghwa just couldn’t take seeing this happen again and again just because the king said so. He stood up slowly, taking in a deep breath, and knew he’d regret it later.
“Father, stop. That’s too harsh and unnecessary! The man wants food, he wants a better way of life and prison isn’t going to get that for him.”
The silence was deafening.
The king himself seemed stunned by his son’s words, slowly turning and all Seonghwa could do was gulp, knowing well enough he would get an earful for speaking out of turn, for speaking at all in a supposed trial. The queen, too, stood, giving her son a wary look as the king turned back to the chained man.
“Throw him in the dungeon; I’ll deal with the likes of him later.” The guards acted quickly, moving the man to be handcuffed and dragged away out of the council room.
Once the guards left, the king’s attention was back on his son, a glare prominent on his face as he made his way back to his throne.
“My dear prince,” The amount of ice in that tone of voice made Hwa’s entire body shiver. “What have I told you about speaking during these trials? Your words are not only meaningless, but they make me look bad in front of these useless peasants–”
“They’re people…” Seonghwa interrupted. “They’re people who are sick and tired of the way this kingdom is; don’t you see it? The sadness and misery rotting this place–”
“I don’t care!” The king's voice boomed, loud and angry as he moved to be right in front of the prince. “I run my kingdom however I wish and no one has the right to tell me what to do; I’m the king!”
“You’re a sorry excuse for a king!” Seonghwa didn’t even have time to take back what he said as he was slapped clear across the face, sharp and hard enough to knock his head to the side as his teeth scraped his inner cheek; he could taste a bit of salty metallic on his tongue and feel the searing pain bubbling over his face.
“Stop!” The Queen had spoken this time, distraught and running over to pull them apart. “That’s our son, the prince– You have no right laying a hand on him!” She exclaimed, voice wavering.
“Tsk… he said I’m a sorry excuse of a king when he’s just as useless as these peasants; a disgrace to the Park legacy. He’ll never run this kingdom with that attitude, worthless prince.”
The joke’s on the king, Seonghwa didn’t want to rule over this kingdom anyway.
The entire kingdom has been gutted, going down the path of practically a dystopia. Everyone was afraid to do anything for a change and that was why it had been like this for decades. The people wanted change, and Seonghwa could see that in the way people talked, how they were kinder to him but cowardly away when seeing the king; they just didn’t know what to do and Hwa was empathetic, he tried to put himself in the shoes of the common person, and he could feel the turmoil– he simply wished things wouldn’t be so hard.
He, himself, couldn’t even begin to try to change anything. Too young, most would say, too naive to understand the fundamentals of the kingdom, but he begged to differ considering the kingdom was basically being run into the ground.
After the heated conversation with the king, he was told to go to his room by the queen and the prince listened to her. He knew his mother was in a loveless marriage only meant to abide by the king and with old traditions, there was nothing she could do to get out of such an arrangement unless she wanted to get banished. Seonghwa loved his mother, kind and gentle in contrast to the man who didn’t care about either of them.
Seonghwa usually stayed to himself, not having any friends outside the kingdom grew lonely as a teenager and he was home-schooled so he couldn’t even make his own friends even if he tried. The councilman's children were all acquaintances at best and were much too snooty for his liking either, arrogant and flaunting and just something he wasn’t a fan of.
He would prepare for the earful he knew he’d receive later, knowing the king would spew what he always said to him that simply went in one ear and out the other because Hwa just didn’t want to hear it. He was tired of hearing about how he was unfit to be king and he should learn how to rule the land, but he just can’t do it. To take his mind off of things, he began doodling, something he had done since he was a child and was never really good at, but it kept him at peace from the bleak world around him just for a little while.
“Prince, a word.” Seonghwa had peace for approximately 15 minutes before he was interrupted by the king. He knew it was coming so he only put his drawing away, bracing himself before gearing up for what was going to be said.
“What is it?” That probably wasn’t the best response and he didn’t even address the king by title which earned him a hard glare.
“You just have no manners at all. Your little outburst earlier has done nothing but make a mockery out of me in front of the council! When are you gonna learn to not speak without permission and stop empathizing with these heathens.” The king voiced with a bite to his words. Hwa always flinched when the king spoke like that no matter how used to it he should be.
“These people… father they’re just people. I just, I don’t understand why you treat them like this–”
“Because they deserve it!”
“Why? Why do you subject people to these awful things? I don’t understand…” In reality, Seonghwa didn’t want to understand where his father was coming from because his mentality was incredibly skewed and he couldn’t possibly empathize with him.
“The people you speak of more highly than me are the same people who would do anything to see me dead! This kingdom deserves to be ruled like it is because these people don’t care about me; why should I care?! Every single person would do anything to see my downfall and I won’t accept that!” The way the king spoke made Hwa’s blood run cold and made his stomach churn in disgust. It felt like the king's thoughts were out of pure paranoia, ludicrous ideals of something so incorrect Hwa didn’t even know how to respond.
So he stayed quiet.
He only heard stories of his late grandfather, the last king who ruled. Back then, the kingdom was in the midst of taking a turn for the worse and when his father became king, the entire kingdom just plummeted. Tyranny was what took over, only the king had the final say and people had to yield to him no matter what. It was the dark ages, for years the kingdom was cascaded in a dark hue. It was practically depressing just seeing people with their heads hanging low with sadness in their eyes, and fear in their body language.
He wouldn’t understand, refused to even scratch the surface of how the kingdom as a collective was toward the royal family because most of the time, they’re scared because of the king himself. His silence stretched, just looking away before the king cleared his throat.
“You need to be able to rule the people like this, prince. You need to have this iron fist over them so they don’t make a mockery of the Park’s name. You have to learn to be for the Parks, for the rule, and not for these peasants.”
“I just… I can’t–”
“You need to. The moment you show weakness is the moment people begin to walk all over you and no son of mine should be weak.” The king paused before sighing. “You’re still young, you’re still learning, but one day you’ll understand. One day you’ll realize and when you become king, you’ll rule this kingdom just like me.” His father didn’t say anything after that, simply leaving Seonghwa again with all these thoughts that only served to give him a headache.
All that talk and the king didn’t even apologize for slapping his own son in front of the council.
No amount of words could change Hwa’s perspective of the kingdom. His father talked and talked and talked endlessly about how he should rule, but Seonghwa could never do that, would never stoop so low as his father. He was just a teenager, going through his own growth and development and the last thing on his mind was about how he’d be king someday when he was just trying to grow up.
Rather than dwell on his thoughts of the uneventful conversation he just had, he went back to doodling, trying to ease his mind back down; drawing was really the only thing keeping him sane from the world around him.
Days go by without much hindrance.
Seonghwa finished his school work and didn’t even have to deal with yet another trial as he was so often accustomed to. He spent a lot of time in the garden, admiring the greenery while getting a chance to be engulfed by the sweet scent of the many flowers and fruits around him. He found the most peace in this place, surrounded by the beautiful scenery that made each passing day a bit better. He remembered when he was much younger, back when he used to run around so carefree, so full of life. His mother used to sing to him while he played around in the garden, unbeknownst to the outside world and much too young to comprehend anything besides having fun.
Though, as he got older, he learned more and more about the way his father ruled, and now, the garden was a solace. It was a place that took his mind off of the future and gave him a chance to breathe when his mind was spinning too much about the what-ifs of the world. He briefly thought about the previous trial and wasn’t sure if he was gracious or unfortunate to not hear anything that came up about it. He could figure it didn’t end well, as it usually didn’t, and he could only sigh knowing yet another innocent person would be thrown in prison for nothing.
Deep down, Seonghwa wanted to do something to make a change. He wasn’t entirely sure of what, but even if helping one single person not be put in a continuous situation that was a trial, could give him a sliver of hope at some form of humanity. He didn’t want to be too hopeful because the king always saw something amiss and would put the blame on just about anyone he saw, but going a few days without budding anguish made him feel a bit more at ease.
One of the guards had summoned him, his favorite guard at that. Ren was always good towards him and honestly treated him more like a son than his own father. He grew up getting little gifts from the man, stories read to him, and when the guard wasn’t on duty, he would play with him. Even though Seonghwa was a teen now, Ren still gave him gifts and even sometimes just talked to him about his days and school, and also the chance for Hwa to talk about the arrogant councilman kids.
“You seem happier today, prince.” Ren started when Hwa reached where he resided.
“I wouldn’t say happy, but I’m better than a few days prior.”
“Understandable.” Ren was there during the recent trial; he was quite literally one of the men who stood next to the poor captive who was sentenced so harshly. He was the king’s most loyal guard and yet even he didn’t agree with everything the king had done. Seonghwa found himself and Ren in the same boat, both unable to attain some form of freedom from the likes of the king’s rule. Though Seonghwa was able to find a bit of comfort when he was able to spend some time with Ren and at the very least, the man did keep his hopes up a little.
“I just… I still don’t understand how cruel my father can be. And I feel bad for you because you deal with it firsthand all the time.” Seonghwa wasn’t sure what made him say that to Ren now, but he felt compelled to talk about it. Usually, they try to keep the king’s squabble away from their relaxing time spent together, but something had been nagging him to get some of the thoughts off his chest.
“Young prince, I deal with it because I have to. I know the king is cruel and I wish I could do more myself, but if I even try anything, the king would have my head.”
“What about the other guards? Surely they feel the same way…” Ren sighed, shaking his head at him.
“I wish it was like that. The other guards and councilmen are just as corrupted as the king himself. They’re afraid of the king like everyone else. I also can’t particularly get out of being guard because knowing the king, he’d think I’m conspiring against him.” So, it really wasn’t that easy for him. Seonghwa honestly expected as much; anyone going against the king was just a trial waiting to happen.
“Typical.” Seonghwa sighed. “Also, what did you need me for?”
“As always, I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. Growing up in a tyranny and being so young I bet it feels like you’re growing up so fast sometimes. You deserve to feel at peace and to have fun, but I know it’s difficult because of the king, which is why I wanted to check on you.” Ren’s expression shifted a bit, once calm and stoic turned to that of disdain. “And your father should have never laid a hand on you.” Hwa definitely tried to push that memory back in his mind, but he remembered so clearly that hand coming across his face.
“I appreciate the sentiment, and also it could have been worse.” He tried to laugh it off. There was no telling what the king could do, even to his own son.
“I wouldn’t let that happen—” Ren’s words stopped as he stood up quickly. Seonghwa went on high alert as he watched the guard shield him. His eyes traveled to where Ren was looking, scanning the area before his eyes landed on what looked to be a young boy. He had a bag in his tiny hands and almost seemed as if he was struggling to lift it up. He didn’t look threatening in the slightest, but that didn’t mean anyone else wasn’t around.
“It’s just a kid,” Hwa whispered. The kid actually dropped the bag, whing as the fruit inside seemed to roll out as he scrambled to pick them up. The poor boy looked more or less impoverished, with tattered clothing and messy hair, and just much too young to be doing what he was doing.
“Wait here and don’t move.” The guard soon slowly made his way toward the small child who was too busy picking up the scattered fruit to notice. Upon reaching the kid, Ren whispered a small “Hey” to the child who was startled immediately.
“N-no… please don’t hurt me, mister…” The kid’s eyes were watering, pout on his tiny face as the guard kept his distance.
“Little one, what do you have there?” Ren spoke gently as the kid soon began crying.
“I-I… I needed s-some food and my daddy never came home… Mommy is hungry and my little sister needs food inside my mommy’s belly.”
No wonder the child began to look a little familiar; it was the child of the man who Seonghwa still didn’t know the outcome of the trial. He worried, wondering the odds of this being true.
“Headquarters to Ren. We picked up a disturbance in the garden and were wondering if backup is necessary.” Ren’s little pager went off. He raised a finger to his mouth to single the boy to keep quiet who nodded his head.
“Ren to headquarters. Everything is fine here, just some stray got into the garden but is being removed at once, no worries.”
“Roger that.”
Soon the young boy’s eyes lit up upon seeing Seonghwa, a small smile forming on his face. “Prince!” he whispered screamed and Hwa perked up when he heard the tiny voice. Even though the guard told him to stay back, the kid seemed harmless and definitely wasn’t a threat. He slowly made his way toward Ren and the child, bending down to be at eye level with him.
“You’re quite strong carrying this bag by yourself.” He smiled.
“Daddy and mommy said I’m the strongest! I wish I was a prince. I’d have all the money in the world for my family! Is daddy okay? Do you know what happened to him?” Seonghwa’s entire demeanor shifted, his smile falling at the boy’s words about his father. He looked at Ren who also wore the same expression, though he seemed even more wary.
“One day you will see your dad again, I promise,” Ren replied which made the little boy beam brightly.
“Yay! He promised he’d be back to me and mommy! I gotta go now mister and prince; I don’t want the fruit to go bad and mommy will be worried sick—”
“Intruder!” Seonghwa froze at the deep rough voice of another guard appearing, shouting out to alert the other guards. Ren acted quickly, grabbing the kid’s hand and getting him to quickly move.
He had a feeling this wouldn’t be easy. There were eyes all over their house and even with Ren’s response earlier they still saw something amiss. The situation had Seonghwa’s heart pounding, worried this could go south at any moment, but Ren gave him a serious look.
“Run.” He instructed Hwa who also helped escort the kid as fast as possible away from the other guards. Once at the garden entrance, Seonghwa took the kid and ran to the streets to get them as far away as possible. He worried about Ren, worried that he would get in trouble for even allowing this, but his worry now was on the kid who was now crying. Hwa bent down to be at eye level with the child, shhhing him and trying to calm him down.
“I-I… I’m scared. I don’t wanna be taken away like daddy! I need to be there for mommy—”
“Hey, shhh calm down, it’s okay.” Hwa looked around to see if they were far away enough to not be followed. “You’ll make it back to your mommy and see, you still have your fruit. Do you want me to go with you?” The child cleared his face upon hearing that, wide eyes looking so curious and bright.
“Uh-huh! Mommy can see the prince too!
“Then let’s go; lead the way.”
The little boy walked beside Hwa who decided to carry the bag of fruit so the little one wouldn’t struggle too much. The young boy seemed so full of life, babbling about school, talking about how he wished he could be a prince, and just hearing him talk warmed Seonghwa’s heart. They were walking for a while, getting more and more into the poorer part of the city, the parts more unkempt due to the lack of funds that the king never gave. The run-down buildings, foreclosed houses, and the sheer amount of people on the streets was just a deplorable sight in Hwa’s eyes.
He had a feeling he would get in a world of trouble upon his return home, but what he was doing now felt like the most important thing he had ever been involved in even when it was just simply helping a child. They didn’t walk for long until they made it to a park with a makeshift enclosure at the entrance. A bit more walking and soon the boy was bouncing excitedly, skipping towards where a woman resided. The woman slowly stood up, her round belly slightly inhibiting her movement as she hugged the boy tightly.
“Jaejae! You made me so worried.”
“Mommy! I got fruit and the prince is here! The boy shouted which got a lot of others’ eyes on them, gasps and sneers alike followed by a few curses, but thankfully no one caused a full scene.
“Get outta here!”
“The prince? A joke just like the king!”
Well, a few people were more vocal about their disdain.
Seonghwa ignored the comments and put his attention on the woman and child, seeing the mother look a bit wary and on guard, but softened upon seeing how happy her son was. The boy stayed and hugged his mom while Hwa put the bag of fruit down. The woman eyed the bag and then landed her eyes on him, perplexity on her face.
“Prince, it’s an honor, really. Though, I’m not the most trusting, Jaejae seems fond of you.”
“The prince helped me get away from the big mean guards!” Then like a typical young child, the boy got sidetracked upon feeling his mother’s belly. “Ooo one day my baby sister will see the prince!” Seonghwa smiled, heart filling with an equal amount of warmth and dread from this entire situation.
“Anything to help. It’s just fruit and you guys seem to need it more than me.”
“You are too kind,” She paused before a frown formed. “Much kinder than the king…” Seonghwa was well aware that she would feel that way and to be honest, he counted himself lucky that she didn’t just automatically lump him in with the way his father was.
Seonghwa took a moment to just watch the way the boy and his mother interacted, the smiles and laughter, just the smallest amount of happiness displayed in comparison to the dreariness of the atmosphere around them in such an impoverished place. He couldn’t dwell there for long, knowing he was definitely being searched and the last thing he wanted was to drag his guards to that place where the people were just trying to get by.
“I must be going now,” He spoke watching the kid begin to pout and shake his head.
“Nooo, you gotta stay just for a little while, prince!” Jaejae whined, grabbing Hwa’s hand with his much smaller ones.
“I have to go back home, Jaejae.” Then he turned towards his mother. “I wish I could do more, I want to, but—”
“The day you become king, I know things will get better, dear. It might be a decade or more until then, but anything is better than the reign right now.” That was the very last thing Seonghwa wanted to hear.
Becoming king was his born legacy, which, was more so a constant nagging in the back of his head that he was, unfortunately, going to be king someday. Not only this woman, but many other people were looking forward to and relying on him to make a difference when he became king, but he just… didn’t want the responsibility. He didn’t think he was cut out to be king, dreaded it actually, and he felt a pang of guilt knowing that people did look up to him even when he was so young as some form of hope keeping them going.
He swallowed down his thoughts, forcing a smile on his face. “Of course, I’ll try.” He gave a small bow to both of them. “Now I really should be going.”
“Wait, one last thing and be honest, will I see my husband again?” The woman asked and Hwa gulped.
“The nice guard told me that daddy will be back!” Jaejae spoke excitedly. The woman didn’t seem too convinced and Seonghwa didn’t have a straight answer either. He could stay on the side of being positive even if it was far-fetched that the man would be freed, but on the other hand, he should be truthful.
“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but he might be free. I’m not sure of his case and I want to be as honest as I can be.” The woman gave a sad smile, ruffling her son’s hair, shaking her head, and sniffling a little.
“Thank you, prince. We won’t keep you much longer.”
“Bye, price!” Jaejae squeaked as Hwa patted his shoulder.
“Bye, Jaejae, and bye to you too, Mrs.” Soon, Hwa was taking his leave, ignoring once again the snide comments and curses thrown at him as he exited the park.
The sun was beginning to go down and the people around also began to dwindle as time progressed. It was still warm, a crispness added from the slight breeze, a tell-tale sign of an early autumn. Seonghwa enjoyed the walk back home for all it was worth, knowing well enough this good feeling wouldn’t last long when he returned.
He had to prepare himself for the worst upon getting back home. His father would be livid, but he was still more worried about Ren and hoped he wasn’t in too much trouble. Thankfully, it didn’t look like he was being searched for because he made it back home without a hindrance.
However, the very moment he stepped foot into his yard, he was bombarded with all the guards surrounding him, soon forming a line to either side of him as the king stood at the front, fury in his expression and– Ren was nowhere in sight. He couldn’t run or ignore what was happening so he just lowered his head, sighing, waiting to see what his father would say.
“Come with me, now.”
Every tentative step felt heavier as he trudged his way to follow his father. The guards all stayed silent and uniformed in their stance, eyes staying forward without moving a muscle. Seonghwa could feel his body weighing down, consciousness swirling with all the things the king could say to him as well as thoughts of Ren and his condition. Step by step, the longest walk of his life felt like he was being led right to his demise; funny how he was worried about what would happen to him as if he wasn’t the prince. He wasn’t invincible, but as the prince, the most the king could do was yell and keep him locked in his room.
He was led right to one of the smaller rooms, feeling claustrophobic even when he was in his own home— it never felt like home. When he stepped in, Ren was there and that alone made him feel slightly better in this situation, but there was still heaviness in the atmosphere nearly suffocating. Hwa sat down next to Ren at a small table and attempted to quip his lips into a smile, but it only fell the moment the king sat down in front of them.
“I expected more from you, Ren. My best guard, my right hand, betraying me? Letting just anyone get away from stealing from me?!” The king was already raising his voice which made both Ren and flinch. “Lying to others about an obvious disturbance and letting the prince out of your sight? Despicable behavior.”
“Your majesty, if I may speak. There was no real disturbance; it was a child, merely 6 years old at best, wanting food. You have to realize that there is more to this kingdom than just ruling. People out there are starving and you sit here and do nothing about it! To think I’m betraying you when I’m the most loyal guard you have. I’ll take full blame for letting the prince go, but… There was no telling what would happen if the other guards reached that poor child.” Seonghwa’s eyes got wider and wider the more Ren spoke. He defended himself and the situation diligently, not faltering once in his speech as the king only eyed him in blatant disgust.
“So you’d just let anyone steal from me? You’d let just anyone get away with treason right under my nose—”
“You really have to stop throwing the word treason around it’s losing its definition.” Seonghwa had to cover his mouth to hold back the laugh threatening to come out. The comment definitely didn’t make the situation any better and Hwa could see the king seething.
“Stealing from me is going against me which is going against my rule and therefore is treason!” The king slammed his hands on the table, making the two jump from the sound. The king raised a hand, pointing at Ren before pointing to the door. “Get out. I’ll deal with the likes of you later.”
“I’m not leaving the prince in here by himself so whatever you have to say to him, you can do so right in front of me.” The king didn’t take too kindly to that, making quick strides towards Ren before forcefully grabbing his shirt collar and lifting him up. Seonghwa stood then, heart racing so fast at the scene.
“You either leave on your own accord or I’ll call the other guards in. If I do that, then you’re getting thrown in the dungeon until I wanna talk to you. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Ren.” The fire in Ren’s eyes began to fade, a deep sigh leaving him as he fought out of the king’s hold. He spoke no more, simply moving to leave as he gave one final look at Seonghwa before exiting the room.
It was Hwa’s turn to face the music.
At a surface level, this entire conversation was going much lighter than Seonghwa had initially expected, but at the same time, there was just no telling in what way this could go. Ren might have appeared leaving unscathed, but the king was still ruthless, and Ren most likely wasn’t completely off the hook. The king soon made his way back around to sit in front of Seonghwa, displeasure written all over his face.
“I’ve told you time and time again, prince, that you have to stop empathizing with peasants. Aiding them will only give them the okay to come back and steal again and that’s simply not going to happen anymore. You need to start developing that king mindset fast because it’s only a matter of time before you become king. Get it through your thick skull what you should be like as king!” Once again, it was the same spiel he always received. He could never imagine ruling like this, ruling in such a way that only caused agony and despair.
He had gathered his thoughts. There was so much he wanted to say and yet he didn’t want his words to be misconstrued. What he saw in that park still plagued his mind; all those people huddled around, that poor boy and expecting mother, and just the way the city seemed so gloomy in that particular area. He didn’t want to see that again, he wanted something to shift to make people’s lives better than they were.
“Father, I just want better for our people. When I ran off, I saw so many people fending for their lives on the streets because they had nothing and within your ruling, you haven’t done anything for them. It’s your own paranoia making you like this, no one has done any harm to you or the kingdom. To be a king, you should care, you should help, and instead, you do the opposite and I’ve witnessed this for years. You evoke fear into everyone, don’t you see?” He could feel himself becoming more desperate, his voice wavering and growing louder as he grew tired, so tired of this kingdom.
More than anything, despite the king’s rule, Seonghwa also just wanted to be treated like a son for a change.
This was why he relied on Ren so much, he was the father figure he needed, someone who actually cared about him, unlike the king himself. He grew up learning so much from Ren and enjoyed his kindness but also witnessed those situations in which Ren had to fulfill his duties as a guard. Nevertheless, Hwa respected him and adhered to his duties and even in their conversations sometimes, Seonghwa could tell Ren was also tired of the king.
“The people should fear me!” Of course, his words completely went over the king’s head. “These people don’t need my help, they’re lazy, good-for-nothing peasants. That little brat would have been with his father for all I care.”
“What happened to his father?” For his own clarity, he just had to know.
“Rotting away in the dungeon until he’s moved to the prison in a few days if he survives.” If he survives?
“Father, this is… this is inhumane!”
“I don’t care!” The king yelled before taking a deep breath. “You’re gonna be on watch for a week, no more running away. Why can’t you be like the councilmen’s children? They take after their parents so well; why can’t you be more like me?” Seonghwa would rather drop dead than be as monstrous as his father. Also, he despised those arrogant children more than anything.
Truthfully, Seonghwa didn’t have anything else to say, knowing anything he said would just piss the king off even more so he opted to just stay silent. Great, he would be more on watch than normal, unnecessary when he didn’t go out as much as it was.
“You’ll understand one day. These peasants aren’t for you; you’ll get older and realize that.” He won’t and never will. Soon, the king dismissed him and he went to his room, feeling all his boiling emotions erupt out of him as he began crying.
He was hopeless.
He wished, just once, that the king wouldn’t be so cruel and naive, but he just couldn’t win; it wasn’t possible to change the king’s ideals even when the prince had some say. He wallowed in his sorrows, trying to envision a future of a flourishing kingdom ruled by someone more compassionate than the king could ever be. Where people would smile and look carefree and the atmosphere wasn’t so bleak. Seonghwa wished that so much, but it was merely a wish; he was the next king of this land after all and even thinking about it now filled him with dread.
For now, he had to think of ways to help those who needed it most. He might just be a prince, but a prince nonetheless. Hwa had a feeling the queen, his mother, could help him, someone who had more power too but was outshined by the king immensely. Together, maybe he could do a little bit of something even if it helps a few people out in his endeavors. He dried his tears and took that building sorrow and dread and turned them into ambition and determination and now he had some brainstorming to do. If the king didn’t want to change anything, Seonghwa would try to be a change for some people.
Over the next few days, Seonghwa came up with a plan to get that innocent man out of prison, bring him back to his family, and give those in the park enclosure some food and other necessities to make their lives a bit more bearable. It was an elaborate plan, one that if he or anyone involved was caught, there would be dire consequences, but he was much too eager more than ever to do something.
He was overly gracious that Ren was only on probation from his duties and warned that if he ever did anything else out of line he would be banished; the perks of being the most loyal guard. However, Ren figured he also had nothing really else to lose if he was going to get banished, it might as well be for something more entertaining. Seonghwa told him of his plans and his mother was also in on it and now they just had to wait for the perfect opportunity.
Such an opportunity arose when it was late enough one night and the guards who were less attentive were on watch. A few guards were a bit more forgiving, but they had to watch out for the tougher guards when executing the plan; they were always watching regardless of who was on duty. In reality, Seonghwa should be terrified of doing all of this, but he played the prince privilege up so even if he received consequences, they wouldn’t be as nearly as detrimental as some people have received.
They got their necessities and disguises, managed to cut the cameras, and exited the mansion without being caught so far. The prison was heavily guarded, surrounded by many, but Seonghwa prepared for this by mapping out entryways with fewer guards and easy openings.
“The southeast entrance would be our best shot and closer to where I believe that man is located.” Ren had spoke. The prince and queen agreed and they made their move quietly and efficiently. They snuck around to the south and unfortunately were met with two guards. Since the cameras were out unbeknownst to the guards, and with Ren’s expertise, it didn’t take much for him to take the guards out before they could even radio in for backup. Adrenaline was purely keeping Seonghwa afloat as he was growing extremely tired, and truthfully, they all were exhausted, but finally making it inside the prison made one weight dissipate from his shoulders and woke them up a little bit more knowing their mission was almost complete.
They were lucky enough to actually find the cell in which the man was held; Seonghwa could never forget that fearful face. They had to be quick though due to guard rotations and every second counted.
“Daejung, you are being freed. By the order of the queen, prince, and myself, we are getting you out of here.” The man looked more alarmed than excited, rubbing his eyes after he saw an illusion in front of him.
“Freed? Is this… real?”
“As real as ever,” Ren replied.
“I am the queen, and my say is just as important as the king’s.” The queen added on and soon Daejung was getting the few things he had frantically and went with them without another word. They made quick work to retrace their steps back to where they had entered, timing every movement not to be seen by the active guards.
It was the home stretch, but everything just couldn’t be perfect.
They must have been spotted because an alarm began blaring ‘Alert 184; escapee on the loose!’ and once they heard that, they all fully sprinted back to the south entrance. A lot of guards swarmed them, but Ren had the most combat skills so he was able to get most of them out of the way, even Daejung helped too. The queen kept Seonghwa safe, making sure he got out. Through all the rush and small fights, they all managed to get out, a few bruises on Ren and Daejung but nothing too serious.
Once off the prison grounds, they first headed towards the park enclosure where they reunited Daejung with his wife and son. Even in the middle of the night, Seonghwa was able to see such a beautiful reunion, tears streaming down the two faces with hushed whispers between them as they sat next to their sleeping son. The following day, they would be back to give everyone food and other necessities and just doing this gave Hwa a small glimpse of what helping looked like and felt like, a sense of humanity he didn’t know could exist.
The trio made it back home safely and Seonghwa got to watch the sun begin to rise, since it got so late it became morning, and for once, he actually felt a sense of happiness. He would go to sleep knowing he helped someone in need and from that day on, he promised himself that he would always do something more to help those who need it. He couldn’t live in fear anymore, and he couldn’t live in the shadow of the king anymore; he was the prince after all, and he was going to start acting like it.
The following day, he, Ren, and the queen set off to get the items for those in the park enclosure including food, hygienic items, and blankets. He was glad the king had an extensive meeting with another kingdom about diplomacy things so doing all of this was made easier since the king was preoccupied; he hadn’t suspected a thing yet. The people in the park were so gracious with the little kids cheering as their parents were overjoyed with simple, everyday necessities. This was how people should be treated, with kindness and given a small amount of happiness.
However, like most things, it was only a matter of time before what they did was discovered. The prison guards had told the king about the escapee who was escorted out by a few people and had pinpointed Ren as the main culprit. A trial was called and Seonghwa was begrudging about going, but as always, he, the king, and queen as well as the council had to deal with the unfortunate soul on the chopping block.
What Hwa wasn’t expecting was being met with Ren standing before the council and the king when he arrived.
It clicked immediately what was going on and all he could do was feel the fear running through his mind. The councilmen were talking to each other and the king while Ren stood stoic, chin up as if to stay strong in such a difficult circumstance. All Seonghwa could hear was white noise and watched the councilmen and the king put their eyes onto Ren; he could see the man gulp, shoving down his own fears.
“Remember what I told you last time, Ren? Your warning? It seems you forgot so easily because you wouldn’t have done something so treacherous and ludicrous as helping a prisoner escape! You know what you’re in for right? The consequences of your actions?” The king’s voice was firm with a thorniness to it, filled with disgust.
“You’d put your most skilled and loyal guard in prison? After all I’ve done for you?” Ren sounded less scared and more condescending; he knew he was the best guard, and the king knew it too.
“Prison?” And the king laughed cynically. “You really did forget.” Soon other guards were on either side of Ren who squirmed in their hold. “I don’t want to see the likes of you in my kingdom ever again. You’re hereby banished.” That was the first time Seonghwa had ever seen Ren’s face fall, eyes widened in shock as he began stuttering.
“No… n-no you can't do that!” Most would think banishment was better than prison, on the contrary, banishment automatically made any individual blacklisted. No job in any kingdom, face in the system for anyone to see, and truthfully banishment was as worse as it could get. Banishment was meant for actual criminals, those who were truly treacherous; something like this was not meant for Ren at all.
“I can. You don’t care about being my guard or this kingdom, so I want you out and to rot in no man’s land with all the others banished. Take him away—”
“Stop!” Seonghwa sprinted towards Ren, tears filling his eyes as guards grabbed him and held him back. “I was there too! It was my plan and he just went along with me!” He shouted out which got everyone in the room gasping out in shock. The councilmen whispered among themselves and Hwa could hear his name within their speech while the king looked absolutely bewildered.
“You?” Then the queen stood up as well, face solemn with confidence.
“I was there too. All three of us wanted to do something right and it started with saving a man who was unrightfully imprisoned. Yes, we did it and if banishment is the punishment, then it looks like you’re going to have to banish all three of us!” The guards all around looked perplexed. Seeing the entire royal family against each other was a scene unlike anyone had ever seen.
It was probably the first time Seonghwa had seen the king appear absolutely stumped due to the new information. Unfortunately, unlike the prince and queen, Ren was only a guard, and even with ties to the royal family, he wasn’t a part of the family therefore, he would receive the punishment no matter what.
Ren took in a deep breath, eyeing the prince and queen as he let the breath out slowly. “It was my plan; spare them and I’ll rightfully be banished.” No, no Ren wasn’t supposed to take the fall for what happened.
“Ren, no—”
“I take full blame and responsibility.” Ren looked between the queen and prince again, giving them a sad smile before looking back at the king as his expression fell to a stern stare. “I’ll go without any resistance.”
“Well, it seems a choice has been made. Take him out and update the banished registry.” There were no further words spoken as Seonghwa saw Ren for the last time as the man got taken out of the trial room.
Seonghwa could feel a piece of his heart shattering, an ache that built up in his throat as he let out a sob, crying as he watched Ren completely disappear. No, no, no he cried out, tears streaming down his face as he was escorted out of the room kicking and screaming. He couldn’t believe this outcome and he couldn’t help but blame himself; he got Ren banished. Ren was gone forever and it was all his fault.
The following days went by when Seonghwa felt not only guilt but numbness. Drawing as he usually did to decompress didn’t make him feel better and even some of his mother’s comforting words to stop putting blame on himself didn’t work either. He spent his days in limbo, mind always fuzzy yet bringing back memories of all the times he and Ren hung out. Those moments when he was treated like a son and not a prince, and now he didn’t have that anymore.
Even in the garden, the place he found the most peace, his true solace, didn’t aid his guilt. He tried to reflect and wished to turn back time to do anything he could to stop Ren from being banished, but everything was futile. He would always have that heavy guilt inside of him and he knew Ren wouldn’t want him to be upset, but his mind kept replaying the whole scene, everyone’s word and the final verdict, and how Ren was taken away— Hwa lost his true father figure.
The days began to meld together, time moving slowly; Seonghwa's whole consciousness was grey. The days turned into months which turned into years as the kingdom continued into a downward spiral. The older he grew, the resentment toward his father also grew into complete hatred. Within his early 20s’s he snuck out more, helped more people, and did more for those in dire need. What came with age, came more responsibilities, but also the guards began being on his side more often than not and letting him get away with things because they were all growing tired of the king. As he got older, he realized he couldn’t be stopped anymore as he did his best to show another side of the Park royal family; his mother would help him too sometimes and the few people who he did help, began to not despise him as much.
When the king fell ill, Seonghwa was already getting bombarded with all the formal documents and royalties of being announced king. He grew stronger as a person, but even with all that strength didn’t stop the increasing dread of knowing his time of crowning was upon him. Ruling the kingdom was never appealing to him and he outright despised it, but it was also something he simply couldn’t avoid. Even with the queen still alive and well, the prince-to-king pipeline overturned the queen’s rule.
It was a waiting game. The doctors said the king’s condition was only worsening and Seonghwa had felt bad knowing his king's reign was upon him over his father’s near death. It wasn’t much longer until he didn’t have to wait anymore when one day the king was pronounced deceased and his crowning took priority over the funeral. His father was laid to rest and within the next day, Seonghwa was kneeling on one knee, head bowed as the head councilman placed the crown that belonged to his father onto his head.
“The new heir to the throne, King Park Seonghwa!” The event was live and televised and Seonghwa could barely contain his utter disdain. All the people were cheering for him, swooning over him, and yet all he could feel was the bubbling uneasiness. He missed Ren, he missed when he didn’t have to think, he missed being a carefree child not knowing what happened in the kingdom, and yet now he had no choice but to rule.
He couldn’t undo the damage the late king had done.
One might think it would be easy to just snap his fingers and make everything better within the blink of an eye, but even if he had the final say, there were so many more stipulations and one decision for one group of people would only anger another group and for years he tried to uplift the kingdom out of the ground it was tunneled into and managed to get things a little better but not ideal. It would never be enough and he would have to live each day until he dies knowing he could never make the people happy. He got used to it and did what he could knowing it wasn’t nearly enough to suffice everyone’s needs as king.
Hwa lost his mother a few years later after his crowning, staying at her side until her very last breath and crying as he lost the only person to help keep his head on his shoulders and kept him from drowning in his thoughts. He was a king who had all and yet had no purpose with the semblance of control he didn’t want. Each day dragged, and each day felt the same—
Until one day The Fog entered the kingdom.
Pirates were a long-lived legend that only appeared in The Fog. Seonghwa was sure it was only a folktale, something told to kids to keep them inside during the night, but emergency alarms blared loudly, signaling this wasn’t a drill. Where he lived was rather close to the coast and at the very least he sent his men to fend off the invaders. Honestly, he wasn’t scared, and if anything, this was the most exciting thing he’s witnessed in all his years of royalty. He sat in his throne room waiting, ready to hear back at any moment from the men he sent out, but received nothing.
His wandering mind returned to him when the throne room door was kicked open. There stood a man seemingly shorter in stature with his platinum hair slick back into a ponytail. He was wielding a gun and Seonghwa wouldn’t mind if this man would put a bullet right through his head and end his misery.
“Well, well, well isn’t it King Park? The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty.” The man gave a dramatic bow, chuckling as he did so before standing straight up.
“I must be dreaming; pirates aren’t real—”
“On the contrary, we are very real and I’m the leader, the captain, the pirate king, ruler of the seven seas.” The man stepped closer to him, every stride filled with power and confidence Seonghwa could only wish he had.
“W-what do you want from me? Why have you invaded my kingdom?”
“Well, to take it over, of course. And don’t think you can just call back any men you deployed, they’re most likely dead or captured by now~” The sing-song voice sent a chill up Hwa’s spine; he felt paralyzed to his throne.
“W-why.. why are you—” His words stopped the moment the man grabbed his jaw, tilting his head back for a better view.
“Because I can. Now, you’re gonna be my good little puppet, king, and do as I want.” Seonghwa was beyond shell-shocked, but something deep inside of him was burning. It was a strange feeling he didn’t understand, but his mind was more focused on his ruling quite literally being stripped away from right in front of his eyes—
Maybe the pirate king was some beacon of hope, the solace he could confine in, and someone to take the power away he never wanted to begin with.
“You’re much too pretty for me to hurt you so I need you to respond to me, Highness.” Seonghwa’s mouth went dry, licking over his lips as he gulped thickly. He didn’t even fight it and had no reason to do so.
“I— whatever you want. You can do whatever you want, take whatever you want.” Oh, that smile was twisted and sinister.
“You know, you submit too easily, Highness almost like you wanted someone else to take control.” The man pulls him closer, a smirk splitting across his face. “I find that interesting.” There goes that burning feeling again, almost like he was zapped by electricity.
“I-I…What d-do I call you?” Seonghwa’s voice was so small, strained like he was suffocating.
“Everyone calls me captain, but for you, Your Majesty, from one king to another you can call me Hongjoong.” Then Hongjoong let him go and he didn’t realize how much he was holding his breath until he nearly gasped for air. “I must be getting back to my men. I’ll be back to discuss some diplomacy things and really gauge in on this kingdom. See you later, Park.”
Seonghwa sat there frozen on his throne, reeling from what just happened. His kingdom was now in the hands of the pirate king and he no longer held the power he never wanted. At that moment, he could feel a large weight lift off of him, that pressure in his chest that rattled his bones for years was finally dissipating. He was free, for a small price he was willing to pay.
He didn’t know what this meant for his kingdom. Things could get better, could possibly get worse, but he hoped more than anything that his people could at least become happier under the pirate king’s rule. For a moment, Seonghwa wasn’t the king, or rather in reality, his title was taken away from him without a single struggle. He wasn’t the king, Hongjoong was the king, and Hwa said that the pirate king could do whatever he wanted in turn for the peace Hwa wanted, a clearer conscious, and it made him giddy in a way he hadn’t felt in ages.
Good little puppet— Seonghwa could do that, he could obey.