Chapter Text
He is kneeling, knees digging into the dirt as he stares out into the open sea.
Staring at where his mother is.
For Beomgyu had poured her ashes down, down onto the waves until they had dissolved into water and now he can’t tell the difference, anymore.
Seven days since her death, and Beomgyu is all alone now.
“Beomgyu,” the Chief Elder of the Village approaches him, looking concerned. “Don’t dwell on it. She is now one with the sea. The Elder Spirits shall protect her.”
“I know…”
“What will you do now?”
“I’m not sure…” He had turned eighteen three days ago. That was supposed to be a big event. A coming of age ceremony was supposed to be held celebrating the occasion, which also served as a chance for anyone interested to court him, now that he is sanctioned to mate.
The ceremony never happened. Beomgyu was too distraught over his mother’s death to hold one, and he wasn’t of mind to find a potential mate anyway.
But now that his mother had officially departed, both in physical form and spirit, Beomgyu is all alone and mateless.
“You are still young,” the Chief says in a comforting voice. “I’m sure you’ll find a mate to be with, after you’ve found peace of mind.”
“Thank you, Chief Elder,” Beomgyu tries for a small smile. “I will. I’m sure that was what my mother would’ve wanted, too.”
She had been so excited for Beomgyu’s eighteenth birthday―gushed how it was the most important date in his life for he'd know what secondary gender he'd present as. She had been making guesses whether he'd be an alpha or omega, since he wasn't born from a beta so that option wasn't possible.
Sadly, she never got to see her son past seventeen years old. Never found out he had presented as an omega, just like her.
The more Beomgyu thinks about it, the more depressing it is, and he shakes his mind as he walks back home.
He really isn’t sure what he should do now. Home… is it really a home, anymore? His mother and him had a little cottage in the village they had been living in for most of their lives, but now he doesn’t want to linger there any longer. Too many memories of his mother.
But if he chooses to move… where will he go? A mateless omega… What can he possibly do?
He’s so lost in thoughts, wallowing in his despair that he hasn't noticed he’d taken a wrong path and is currently lost in a rice field far from the village central, stretching as far as the eyes can see.
There’s a rustling from a tree nearby before someone steps out. From his scent, Beomgyu can tell the other is an alpha, and he doesn’t recognize him.
The alpha takes a step slowly towards Beomgyu, and Beomgyu watches warily.
“Hi…” the other says. “You’re… Beomgyu, right?”
“Umn, yes…?”
The alpha keeps advancing, and Beomgyu is starting to freak out.
“Beomgyu… An omega… A mateless omega…” the guy mumbles, almost to himself. “And whoever is your mate will be…”
Beomgyu widens his eyes in alarm when the alpha leaps, pinning Beomgyu to a tree nearby. It’s then that he notices the other is leaking his alpha pheromones all over, like he’s trying to mate, like he’s trying to mate Beomgyu―
“W―What are you doing? Get off me!”
“You’re Beomgyu, right?” the other retorts, voice wound up tight as he tries to get at Beomgyu’s neck―he’s trying to mark Beomgyu, and Beomgyu is freaking out―“As long as I mate with you, then I can be―”
“What are you talking about? You’re insane! Who are you?”
“It doesn't matter as long as I know who you are! You’re―” Whatever he is about to say is immediately halted when a thump! resounds in the air, then the alpha slumps and slides down, off Beomgyu’s body.
“Beomgyu, are you okay?”
Beomgyu tries to catch his breath when he sees Junsuk, his neighbor, coming into his vision. Apparently, the other had whacked the stranger on the head with a wooden stick.
“T―Thank you for saving me, Junsuk,” Beomgyu stutters, scrambling away. “I have no idea why he just―jumped me like that! I don’t even know him!”
“It’s alright. You’re safe. Come with me,” Junsuk says, grabbing his wrist and dragging him away. Beomgyu is too flustered to think properly and lets him. It doesn’t occur to him that he’s walking from one lion’s den to the next until he notices he’s led into a bamboo thicket, walls on all sides, not a soul around except for them.
“Umn… where is this?” Beomgyu asks warily when Junsuk turns around with a grim look.
“Beomgyu, do you not know?”
“Know… what?”
“The announcement from the Capital. It took a few days for the news to travel all the way to our backwater village, but… It was declared, loud and clear, this morning.”
“What was declared?”
“That you… are the heir to the throne.”
“What?” Beomgyu raises an eyebrow, still confused. “What throne?”
“The throne! The King’s throne! Or rather… not you. But whoever is your mate… and seeing as you’re an unmated omega…”
The alpha that tried to jump him had said that too: that Beomgyu was an unmated omega and that he wanted to mate with Beomgyu. But… why?
He doesn’t have time to contemplate, for before he knows it, he’s knocked down, back hitting the ground painfully as he’s, once again, pinned down by an alpha.
This time, it’s not a stranger though. It’s his neighbor―and although they aren’t best friends or anything, Beomgyu had assumed they got along fine. That they were friends. That the other wouldn’t―try to force him, like that stranger had.
“Junsuk, what the fuck?” Beomgyu tries to be strong when he’s utterly panicking inside. “Did you rescue me just to jump me yourself? Why? I thought we were friends!”
“We are! And that’s why it won’t be so bad, right?” Junsuk exhales raggedly, grounding Beomgyu down, and―gods, the nauseating scent of alpha pheromones are spreading through the air again. As an omega, Beomgyu is biologically supposed to feel enticed, inhaling that alpha scent that wants to make him submit and mate. But Beomgyu would like to believe he’s better than this, that he doesn’t feel turned on when he’s being forced to, with someone he doesn’t even like!
“No, fucking get off me! I swear―”
“Why are you trying so hard to fight this? Would you rather that stranger fuck you, then?”
“I would rather nobody fucks me! I don’t like you!”
“You will learn to, once I mark you!” the alpha roars, slamming his wrists above his head while using his whole weight to keep Beomgyu down, leaving the omega defenseless and utterly at the mercy of him. Beomgyu is starting to feel a real sense of fear as he helplessly stares up at Junsuk.
“It doesn’t matter what you feel for me now―once I claim you, you won’t be able to resist me any longer!” Junsuk flares his nostrils, determined. “And once I claim you, then I can be King! King―me! Can you imagine?”
“No…” Beomgyu whispers, cursing his lack of strength as an omega. Junsuk isn’t much bigger than him but he is innately strong as an alpha, and that is so damn unfair. For the first time in his life, he wishes he wasn’t an omega.
“No, no…” Beomgyu keeps chanting as Junsuk starts to descent, face coming closer and his fangs are bared, gleaming creepily as he readies himself to bite on Beomgyu’s neck to mark him, and Beomgyu doesn’t want this―“No, don’t touch me, please, stop, I don’t want―”
The first tear slides down his cheek as soon as the alpha above him goes flying. Literally. Crashing against the bamboo thickets with a sickening crunch! Beomgyu blinks his blurry eyes to see someone else, someone he doesn’t recognize, grabs Junsuk’s collar and snarls something he can’t quite hear before Junsuk is shoved onto the ground, definitely more than a few bones broken, then scampers away with a limp.
When the stranger turns around, the first thing Beomgyu notices is the flash of jet-black hair, gleaming splendidly with a golden glow under the sunlights. He’s wearing a red cape that flutters in the wind behind him, and Beomgyu vaguely thinks the stranger looks like something out of a fairytale.
A hero, his mother, who had always been a romantic, would declare. Here to save the damsel in distress!
Except when the stranger, whom Beomgyu despairingly notes is also an alpha, starts walking towards him, Beomgyu has had enough.
“What, are you going to try to jump me too?” Beomgyu growls, definitely looking braver than he feels inside. “I’m not that fucking special! Why can’t you blasted alphas leave me alone?”
“On the contrary, the problem is you are special,” the stranger speaks, and Beomgyu notes it rumbling against his throat, his tone clear and sure―that he’s a confident alpha, speaking with no reserve nor hesitation.
“What do you mean? I’m just a village kid! An orphaned village kid! My mother is d―dead…”
Briefly, Beomgyu almost thinks he sees the alpha’s expression softens, but it’s gone as soon as he blinks.
“I know. And that is why I’m here.”
“What?”
“Have you truly not heard of the news?”
“What news?” Junsuk had mentioned it, but Beomgyu had been too panicked over losing his chastity to care.
“Beomgyu,” The alpha calls out, enunciating his name firmly, almost a reverence to them. “You are the only heir to King Kangyu of the Kingdom of Neverland. Hence, you are now the Crown Prince to our Kingdom.”
“W―What? What are you talking about?” Beomgyu sputters. “What do you mean, heir? I’m not a Prince! I told you, I’m just a village kid―”
“Did your mother ever tell you who your father was?”
Beomgyu pauses, because… no. She hadn’t. It had always been such a hurtful topic for her: she’d never been able to talk about him without sobbing uncontrollably, thus Beomgyu never pushed. He’d always figured he had an asshole of a father who had abandoned them when Beomgyu’s mother got pregnant, and that was that. He didn’t need a father to survive. He had his mother, and that was enough.
Had, being the keyword, Beomgyu thinks bitterly.
“His Majesty was on a trip when he met your mother and fell in love,” the alpha continues. “However, they were separated due to a difference in class. He had to leave and return to the Capital. Your mother… remained here.”
“So, what, he did abandon us like I’d assumed, and now that he finds out he has no other heirs, suddenly he wants me?” Beomgyu bites out.
At this, the alpha’s expression does soften. He replies, his voice more a murmur, less strong, like he’s trying not to wound Beomgyu up further. “That, I do not know. It is not my business to deduce and gossip. I only know my task: which is to find you and protect you.”
“Protect… me?”
The other nods. “Protect the only heir left of the Neverland Kingdom. You are so very important to our nation, and you cannot be harmed―by any alphas, betas, or even omegas.”
“So… what do you suggest I do?”
“Come to the Capital with me. I will lead you to the Palace where your safety can be guaranteed with the Palace Guards. Until then, I will protect you.”
There is something undeniably fluttering when an alpha declares that he will protect you, as an omega. Beomgyu doubts most omegas can resist when hearing such a promise. Still, Beomgyu isn’t persuaded.
“Who even are you?”
“Ah, my apologies. I am the Military General of the Royal Army. Here is my Royal Crest.” The alpha reaches inside the collar of his shirt to tug out a Crest that has been hanging around his neck all this time, hidden by his outfit.
Beomgyu looks at the object, and actually believes it to be true. The Royal Crest is made of pure gold, radiant and reflecting off the sun rays. The Emblazon of their country’s symbol: a white wolf howling against the wind is carved exquisitely onto the surface. He doesn’t think your average trickster can possibly duplicate such an item. Not with real gold, anyway.
So, the person before him perhaps is the Military General. Beomgyu’s not sure of his name, but he’d heard countless tales of conquests the General had achieved, how the man is Neverland’s Ace, powerful and undefeated, of one man that can rival a thousand soldiers.
Still. Beomgyu’s not sold.
"Why should I go with you? I don't even know you."
The alpha only scoffs, hair swaying in the wind as he stares down at Beomgyu who's still sprawled onto the ground. "Are you this naïve? You know an omega can't ascend to the throne, right? Seeing as how you're the only heir of His Majesty... This means whoever is to become your mate will automatically be the next King of Neverland."
"W―What? Really?"
"Yes. And since you are an unbonded omega... This means every alpha and even beta out there will be trying to claim you to become King. Already tried, as we've both witnessed."
The grass is digging into his skin as his hands clench into fists, gazing warily up at the other, wishing the words just now weren't true but knowing deep inside that they were.
"But... You are also an alpha. How can I trust that you don't have hidden motives, too?"
"Because I owe His Majesty my life and would never do anything to harm his son," the alpha says, and Beomgyu is just beginning to see the sincerity in his eyes when he continues, "Besides, I'm not interested in pipsqueaks like you―fledgling little omega who has barely come of age. Barely legal."
Beomgyu makes an indignant noise. "I am of age! I am legal." Since like, three days ago, he adds silently.
The alpha simply raises an eyebrow, doubtful. "Whatever you say, little omega. So will you come, or not?"
Beomgyu looks at the proffered hand and bites on his lip. "I..."
"You can either stay here and get jumped by every alpha and beta you walk past, or you can come with me and I'll protect you until we reach the Capital where you can properly be crowned as the only Prince of our Kingdom. Have a life full of riches and luxuries, then."
Honestly, Beomgyu doesn't care about the riches and luxuries part. He just doesn't want to live a life in hiding―
"Or you can stay here and enjoy hungry beasts trying to mark and claim you every waking moment―"
"I'll come!" Beomgyu hurriedly says, placing his palm inside the other's own―an agreement. A consent.
A trust that Beomgyu is putting his life into the alpha's care, now.
He pulls Beomgyu up by their intertwined hands. While Beomgyu is busy brushing away all the grass sticking to his clothes, the alpha says, "By the way, now that we're in this together, you should learn the proper way to address me."
"Address... you...?"
"Yes. You may call me General Yeonjun." The alpha―Yeonjun―leans forward, eyes locked right into Beomgyu's with a haughty smirk on his lips, making Beomgyu's heart stutter in his chest when he says, "Don't you forget it, Prince Beomgyu."
Beomgyu purses his lips, willing that unseemly blush from out of nowhere to dissipate from his cheeks. He’s about to stomp past the other to hide his face but it turns out to be a bad idea, for he lets out a yell and falls back onto the ground not a second later, hands clutching his right ankle.
Yeonjun is on him instantly, kneeling next to him to inspect. “Are you hurt?”
“I… I think I twisted my ankle during my struggle with Junsuk…” Beomgyu winces, lifting the hem of his pants up. He can see how his ankle is swollen and even blotching purple, and resists a cry of pain.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner,” the alpha murmurs, surprising Beomgyu at how genuine he sounds. “We need to get you seen by a Healer before we make the long journey to the Capital.”
“I guess…” Beomgyu sighs. He tries to stand up once more in vain. It hurts so much, his eyes are getting teary.
“You can’t walk,” Yeonjun comments. Before Beomgyu is about to snap something at him for stating the obvious, the alpha tucks a hand beneath Beomgyu’s knees, the other at the back of his neck, and actually lifts him up, like a prince would carry a princess in those sappy fairytales his mother always used to gush about.
“Wha―Put me down!” Beomgyu hisses, trying to will away the flush that he’s sure is spreading across his cheeks now.
“How will you walk, then? We need to get you to a Healer as soon as possible to check your injury.”
“Yes, but―I mean―can you not carry me this way? Isn’t there some other way?” Some way where I won’t feel embarrassed that I’m being carried like a newlywed omega into his honeymoon? he bemoans internally.
“Well, I suppose I can swing your body over my shoulder, but then your head will be upside-down and I can’t imagine all that blood rushing into your head will be a very pleasant feeling.”
Beomgyu gapes as Yeonjun has the nerve to―to smirk, as he says this. As if he’s teasing him!
“You’re so mean―”
“I’m trying to help you,” Yeonjun cuts in easily. “I know you are tired. It will be easiest for you to sleep in this position.”
“…Huh?”
“I know you’ve had a long day,” Yeonjun’s voice is uncharacteristically soft as he speaks, “You should rest. I’ll wake you up once we’ve arrived at the Healer’s.”
“And I’m supposed to just t―trust you won’t do anything, that you’ll protect me while I sleep?”
“Yes.” It’s a simple and direct answer, yet… Yeonjun’s eyes tell more than his one word can. The irises are a translucent blue, almost grey-ish from this angle of being so close to him. They're so pretty, like a calm, cloudy sky in the afternoon, like when Beomgyu and his mother would sit on the grass on that hill close to their cottage, his mother weaving flower baskets together to sell for the next day, and Beomgyu would laze around and close his eyes to enjoy the cool breeze ruffling through his hair. Beomgyu feels choked up all of a sudden, and he lets out an exhale to compose himself.
Hasn’t he already decided to put his trust into this alpha, when he had taken his hand?
Trust…
Beomgyu bites on his lip, eyes lingering on those bewitching orbs a little more before he slowly closes them shut.
He tucks his head in, his cheek pressing against a firm chest, and lets the steady heartbeats of Yeonjun’s resounding inside his ear serve as some sort of lullaby before letting himself drift off to the welcoming darkness.
Vaguely, before he falls asleep, Beomgyu notes that he’s able to feel so secured, so at peace, like he’s safe and protected and everything will be alright for the first time since his mother had died.
“You twisted your ankle, but it shouldn’t be too bad,” the Healer tells him, tying the bandages on his foot together in finish. “It should heal in a few days. Just make sure not to run or walk for a prolonged period of time.”
Beomgyu nods. “Thank you.” His eyes drift out to the window where he can see Yeonjun standing outside, polishing his sword. “Do you know if that’s really him?” he blurts out without thinking.
“Pardon?”
“I mean, General Yeonjun,” he jerks his chin towards the window in indication. “Like, that’s really General Yeonjun? Do you know what he looks like?”
The Healer shakes her head. “I don’t. You know war rarely comes to our backwater village, Beomgyu, and that is a good thing. General Yeonjun has never visited here before. But,” she follows his gaze towards the alpha, “I have heard legends about him. He certainly does look the part, does he not?”
“That’s what I’d like to believe, too, but… I’m just… scared. Of people betraying my trust and trying to take advantage of me now that they know who I am…” he confesses.
She gives him a kind look. “I understand what you mean. It must be tough to suddenly find out about your true identity. Especially since your mother is no longer here to guide you.”
Beomgyu sniffs. “Yes…”
“I’m sure she would want you to continue living life to the fullest,” she reminds him. “You just have to try your best. I understand your reservations about General Yeonjun, but sometimes you have to put your trust in a person first in order to gain it back. I’d like to think I’m a pretty good judge of character, and he doesn’t seem to have any ill will, Beomgyu.”
“I hope so, too,” Beomgyu murmurs. He really does. After all, Beomgyu doesn’t have anyone to rely on except Yeonjun.
Yeonjun is all he has, right now.
By the time Beomgyu limps out, Yeonjun is waiting for him in full armor, that red cape of his swaying regally in the wind behind him, and Beomgyu finds himself staring in awe once again.
“Ready?”
Beomgyu nods, though he’s not sure how much they can journey when he’s no faster than a chicken hopping around on one good foot.
The alpha answers that for him when he makes a circle with his thumb and index and puts them to his mouth to whistle, a screeching sound resounding in the air.
In an instant, a horse gallops into view, stopping right where they’re standing.
“What…”
“We can’t run around with your injury, now can we?” Yeonjun explains, stroking the horse as a greeting. It’s a mare of a pure black with gray gleaming eyes, looking no less imposing than Yeonjun himself. “This is Estella. She’s my personal horse. She’ll help us on the journey until your foot heals.”
“Oh, umn…” Beomgyu can only stare as Yeonjun jumps up onto the horse, awaiting him.
“Come on, get on.”
“I…” Beomgyu shifts nervously. “I don’t know how to… get on…”
The other blinks. “You’ve never ridden a horse before?”
Beomgyu scowls. “I lived in a small village. We walked!”
Yeonjun gives an amused chuckle, holding out his hand. “Sure. Take my hand. I’ll help pull you up.”
“No, that’s scary. And I can’t leap up so nonchalantly like you with my twisted ankle, remember?”
Yeonjun cocks an eyebrow at a pouting Beomgyu from below before sighing, “Yes, your highness.”
When he hops off the horse, Beomgyu thinks they’re going to have to find another way to travel. Instead, the alpha bends down to encircle his arms around Beomgyu’s waist and physically lifts him off the ground.
“Oh my god, what are you doing―!!” Beomgyu squeaks, swaying in the air as he finds himself holding onto Yeonjun’s neck for dear life.
“Swing your leg, your good leg, over to the other side of Estella,” Yeonjun is saying, his voice muffled into Beomgyu’s chest. He’s heaving Beomgyu up so effortlessly like the omega is a bloated beach ball, up up up until Beomgyu is actually sitting on top of one of Yeonjun’s bent arms, tethering on the edge as it settles beneath his butt, right next to the underside of Beomgyu’s knees, the other arm going around his waist to steady him.
Vaguely, amidst all the embarrassment and bewilderment he feels, Beomgyu notices that, wow, Yeonjun must be crazy strong to do this. His arms muscles are flexing as he holds Beomgyu in place. Just how much does Yeonjun work out daily as part of his regimen as the General of the Royal Army?
“Do you want to cling onto me forever or are you going to get on Estella anytime soon?” Yeonjun’s dry voice sounds out, snapping Beomgyu out of his swooning.
The omega huffs, swinging his good leg over the horse easily at this tall height, and steadies himself on top of the horse. “Maybe warn a guy the next time you do that!” he hollers.
Yeonjun only scoffs, climbing onto the horse after him and settling in front of Beomgyu. “You seemed quite happy clinging onto my neck earlier.”
“I was not―!”
“It’s okay, you know. This time, you should cling onto my waist,” the other interrupts him, taking the horse lead ropes into his hands.
“What!”
“So you won’t fall,” Yeonjun glances back, giving him an obvious look. “Estella is renowned for her reputation of being ‘swift as the wind’. I won’t take the blame if you refuse to cling onto me now when it’s actually required and falls off mid-ride.”
“Is that how you’re supposed to talk to your Prince?” Beomgyu gasps, affronted.
“Oh, are you now? I thought you still haven’t accepted that identity.”
Beomgyu purses his lips because―no, he hasn’t. He’s still not sure if he wants to fully embrace that title yet. But still…!
“Seriously, though. Hold onto me tight. I really don’t want you to get hurt again. Not on my watch,” Yeonjun’s voice turns more solemn, like he’s genuine about this―about not wanting Beomgyu to get hurt, and it makes the younger calms, eyelashes lowering.
“…Really?” he mumbles.
“Yes. I promised you I’d protect you with my life, didn’t I?”
Beomgyu bites on his lip, nodding shyly. He slowly wraps his arms around Yeonjun’s waist and closes his eyes. “Okay. I believe you.”
Yeonjun doesn’t say anything back, proceeding to signal the horse to start, and off they ride.
The wind is blowing breezily across him, leaving a pleasant feeling in its wake, so Beomgyu doesn’t understand why, despite that, his heart is beating a thousand a minute as he clutches onto the alpha tightly, cheek pressed flush against Yeonjun’s broad back the entire time.
They reach the next town by the time dusk arrives, cascading the entire sky in a muted purple. Beomgyu had been to this town before, when his mother and him needed to buy some ingredients for cooking that wasn’t readily available at their village, but those times were few and far between. Beomgyu’s mother hadn’t wanted to travel much out of the village for some reason, and Beomgyu is starting to suspect she did so to keep him from being known. To keep his true identity from being found out by―well, everyone.
So this is still a more or less new town to Beomgyu, and he keeps quiet as Yeonjun leads them to an inn.
Beomgyu is flustered when Yeonjun hops off first and spins around, spreading both arms out at Beomgyu like he’s waiting for the younger to jump off into his arms, catching him like they are in some romantic story.
“Come on. It’s getting dark,” Yeonjun prompts with a raised eyebrow, and Beomgyu tries to calm his breathing. He carefully tilts sideway enough so he can cling his arms around Yeonjun’s neck once again then throws himself off the horse, Yeonjun catching him smoothly inside his grasp.
The alpha carefully lowers Beomgyu until his feet touches the ground, and laughs lightly. “You’re so light for such a tall boy.”
Beomgyu pouts. “It’s not my fault I have high metabolism and never gain weight no matter how much I eat! And trust me―I eat a lot!”
“Right, right,” Yeonjun continues to laugh in amusement, patting him on the head before heading inside, expecting him to follow after.
Beomgyu does, but not before noticing the stares of everyone around them.
Some are staring in awe, some in disbelief, but most are whispering amongst themselves, like they’re seeing a new monument on display the first time.
They don’t dare to approach Yeonjun and Beomgyu, but… Do they know?
That Yeonjun is the General and Beomgyu is the Prince? Have news reached this town, too?
Beomgyu limps as fast as he can to hurry after Yeonjun. The wide-eyed stares and hushed gossips are making him feel anxious.
They check in promptly. The receptionist looks like she had wanted to say something more to Yeonjun when he reports in but shuts her mouth with one somber look from Yeonjun, probably too intimidated to ask anything about the boy behind him―about Beomgyu.
Beomgyu shuffles into the room awkwardly after Yeonjun, glad to be away from all those ogling eyes, then realizes the situation.
“Wait, we’re sharing the same room?” he asks once they’re inside. “Is the Kingdom that poor?”
Yeonjun gives him a flabbergasted look. “No. We’re sharing a room because I have to be around you 24/7 to keep watch over you, and I can’t very well do that if we’re in separate rooms. What if anything happens to you and I’m not here?”
“Oh.” Oops, Beomgyu thinks, but then notices something again. “Wait, but there’s only one bed!”
“Yeah…” The alpha scratches his head. “Apparently they’re all out of rooms with two beds. I should’ve reserved a room beforehand, but I didn’t expect us to stop by this town.”
“You didn’t?”
Yeonjun shakes his head. “No. I assumed we’d travel further.”
“Then why didn’t we?”
“Because you’re still injured and shouldn’t exhaust yourself, traveling too much in one day.”
“Oh,” Beomgyu says again, this time feeling the flutters rising up his chest. Yeonjun had delayed their schedule because he was worried for Beomgyu’s wellbeing. That…
That makes Beomgyu happy to hear, for some reason.
“It’s fine. You can sleep on the bed. I’ll just sit on that chair there.”
“Sit?” Beomgyu gapes at him. “On a chair? The whole night?”
“Yes.”
“Why? How will you sleep, then?”
“I won’t sleep,” the alpha answers him simply. “I have to guard you, remember?”
“Yes, but! You still need to sleep! You need rest! You’ve traveled the whole day, too! Aren’t you tired?”
“This is nothing,” Yeonjun dismisses, taking off his cape and the sword he has belted to the side of his waist. “Go shower. I think there are simple pajamas the inn prepared. Change into those and get some rest.”
“But―”
“Go on, Little Prince. I’d like to take a shower after you, too.”
Beomgyu huffs, stomping into the bathroom, but he’s not giving up!
Once Yeonjun steps out of the bathroom, toweling his hair, whatever Beomgyu is about to say dies in his throat as he stares, watching the alpha’s wet black hair all pushed up off his forehead in messy strands, to the water droplets sliding tantalizingly down his skin, lingering at his jaw before dripping down onto his defined collarbones.
Beomgyu flushes, cursing himself and the alpha too, because, well. Why does Yeonjun have to be so goddamn handsome? It’s so distracting to be around him!
“Not asleep yet, Little Prince?” Yeonjun asks, hanging the towel onto a rack nearby.
“Not until you are, too.”
Yeonjun finally looks at Beomgyu, who’s sitting on the bed on the side next to the wall with the covers pulled half-way up his thighs.
“Come sleep here,” Beomgyu pats at the other half of the bed, currently empty. “This bed is big enough for two people.” In fact, I think this bed is supposed to be big enough for two people, as in a mated pair sleeping together, he adds awkwardly in his head.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why? You’re not going to do anything to me, are you?”
“Of course not,” Yeonjun scoffs, and Beomgyu is feeling a tiny bit offended that the alpha isn’t interested in him at all. “It’s just improper for a Prince and his subject to share a bed together. We’re not equals, Little Prince.”
Beomgyu sniffs, lifting his chin to look up at him in defiance. “Well then, I guess it’s a good thing I don’t consider myself a Prince in the first place, huh?”
Yeonjun tilts his head at him.
“I’m not a Prince,” he emphasizes. “Just a normal village boy whom you’ve deemed to protect for some reason. You’re not my subject. We’re just two regular dudes. Now can we be equals and share a bed?”
Yeonjun barks out an amused laugh. “First of all, a Prince should never say ‘dudes’ so barbarically,” he points out with a lingering smirk curved on those plush lips. “Second, even if you believe yourself to be regular, I am not. I am the esteemed second son of the Prime Minister of Neverland, General of the Royal Army itself. I am far from a ‘regular dude’, as you put it.”
“Must you be so difficult?” Beomgyu groans. “I’m doing this because I’m worried for you, you haughty prick!”
Beomgyu winces upon realizing what he had blurted out. He hadn’t meant to reveal how he was worried Yeonjun wouldn’t get enough rest and lowkey insult the alpha himself in the process.
To his surprise, instead of being offended at the insult, Yeonjun’s expression actually softens. “You’re… worried?”
“B―Because you haven’t rested! At all!” Beomgyu stutters, figuring he might as well tell the truth now that it’s out. “Not on the journey to the Healer’s, which I actually got to sleep a little! Nor on the journey to this town, where I could chill in the back while you had to navigate Estella around! You’re going to overwork yourself if you’re planning to stay up the whole night then keep traveling in the morning!”
Yeonjun is only looking at him with a calm but undecipherable expression on his face, like he’s trying to study Beomgyu closely.
“I―I just don’t want you to conk out and drop dead on the road when I actually need protection from bandits or whatever!” Beomgyu is sputtering nonsense at this point as he feels his face heating up. It must be blushing red by now, urg.
After a moment of Yeonjun simply watching him, he speaks, “I still don’t think this is a good idea. Are you not worried for your chastity? I am an alpha, you know.”
“W―Well, you said you’d protect me, right?” Beomgyu mumbles, lowering his eyes away from Yeonjun’s piercing blues. “And I… I trust you. That was why I agreed to go with you in the first place. I trust you,” he repeats, words surer, wanting to let the alpha know this.
Time seems to pass by slowly as Beomgyu waits for Yeonjun’s respond, eyes not daring to lift up to see how the alpha is reacting. Finally, he hears, “Okay.”
“R―Really?” The younger snaps his head up to see Yeonjun walking towards him, settling down onto the bed.
“Yes. As you wish, Little Prince. Shall we make a deal?”
“A deal?”
“Are you not tired yet?”
“Not really. I did get to sleep a bit earlier…”
“Alright, then. How about this: I will sleep for two hours while you’re up. After, you will sleep, and I shall stay up to guard you the rest of the night.”
“Only two hours?”
“It’s enough for a soldier like me, trust me,” Yeonjun affirms. “Do you think you can do that for me, Little Prince?”
Beomgyu curls into himself, feeling shy at how close they are―they’re in the same bed!―and how surprisingly genuine the older’s expression is while waiting for his answer. Like he really trusts Beomgyu to do this for him―to let him sleep and able let his guard down when he’s been trained as a soldier all his life to always be alert and distrusting of a stranger.
“Yes,” Beomgyu responds, voice firm and sure. “I can do that for you.”
“Thank you, Little Prince.” Beomgyu finds his heart jump at the sudden smile directed at him. It’s not Yeonjun’s usual smirks, or even the amused smiles he sometimes has when Beomgyu does something particularly dumb or embarrassing, but just―
A sincere, open smile. Like Yeonjun’s world is lighting up thanks to Beomgyu, and it makes Beomgyu feel so…
So…
Yeonjun slides down onto the bed and closes his eyes, ready to sleep, and Beomgyu just sits there next to him, his heart struggling to smash itself out of his rib cages.
This can’t be healthy, can it? His heart always going out of control whenever Yeonjun so much as looks at him or, god forbid, smiles at him. His chest tingling with a pleasant warmth.
Can this be…?
Beomgyu spares a side glance at the sleeping alpha, expression suddenly dropping, because…
Even if Beomgyu does feel―anything, towards Yeonjun, it doesn’t mean Yeonjun feels anything back. In fact, the alpha is only bothering with Beomgyu since Beomgyu is a Prince, the sole son of the King, and Yeonjun has some unwavering loyalty to the King for some reason.
Beomgyu doesn’t know how long he’s spent just staring at Yeonjun’s sleeping face, in deep thoughts, so he jerks in surprise when a voice resounds out, “Is there something on my face, or am I just so goodlooking you can’t stop staring at me?”
“W―Wha―” Beomgyu bodily hurls himself to the corner of the wall as Yeonjun peeks an eye out. “I thought you were asleep!”
“I was. But I could feel you staring at me, you know. Call it a soldier’s instinct.”
“I―I didn’t mean to―” Whatever Beomgyu is about to say never leaves his throat, for there is a sudden whooshing sound before something flies past him, imbedding itself on the wall between Yeonjun and Beomgyu.
Beomgyu’s blush instantly drains, all the colors leaving his face as he realizes it’s an arrow―that an arrow had shot at him, narrowly missing him and actually slashed his cheek instead.
That someone had shot the arrow―
Yeonjun is up on his feet, grabbing for his sword the moment the window shatters open with a deafening sound, glass shards spraying everywhere as a barrage of arrows fly inside the room, aiming directly at them.
“Get up, out!” Yeonjun shouts at him, having his hands full deflecting the arrows with his sword. “Get behind me, we gotta go outside―” He’s instructing as Beomgyu scrambles to get off the bed. In his haste, Beomgyu forgets about his swollen ankle and lands on the ground with it first, making him lose his balance and fall down onto the floor. He’s clutching at it in pain, immobile―
Vulnerable, as he’s just a big heap on the floor next to the bed, a perfect target for anyone to shoot at―
It happens in an instant. Beomgyu looks up in time to see an arrow heading straight his way. Everything seems to slow in time as the arrow gets closer and closer, his eyes wide open and in shock, too frozen to do anything, and―
“Beomgyu!” Yeonjun’s voice booms out, cracking Beomgyu’s daze as the alpha flings himself in front of Beomgyu, and―
The next time Beomgyu comes to, Yeonjun is slumped against him, chest to chest, hugging him tight, and when Beomgyu slides a hand up the alpha’s back to instinctively hug him back, his hand only comes away in crimson―as vivid as Yeonjun’s red eyes that are now straining to keep open.
There is an arrow imbedded into Yeonjun’s back.
Yeonjun had taken an arrow for Beomgyu, protecting him with his life like he had promised, and all Beomgyu can do is let out an anguished cry, hand drenched red in Yeonjun’s own blood.
“Y―Yeonjun…” Beomgyu whimpers, hands still shaking as he clutches onto the older’s blood-drenched back. It’s then that he notices the attacks haven’t ceased―of course they haven’t―and the sniper is drawing his bow, yet another arrow heading their way.
“No… No―” Beomgyu breathes. At this rate, a second arrow will hit Yeonjun, what should Beomgyu do―
There’s a grunt by his ear before Yeonjun twists his body around, swinging his sword just in time to deflect the arrow, sending it straight backward and piercing the sniper in the chest.
“Yeonjun, Yeonjun!” Beomgyu gasps as the alpha detaches himself from Beomgyu, swaying slightly before standing up on his feet. “Oh my god, are you okay? I thought you were unconscious―”
“It would take much more than a measly arrow to take me out…” Yeonjun’s voice is raspy, but he still manages to flash Beomgyu a small smirk, probably to calm him down. “Listen… Before the assassins have time to regroup themselves… Can you pull the arrow out for me?”
“What?”
“I’d do it myself, but it is awkward with this angle.”
“But―”
“Hurry, Beomgyu!” Yeonjun shouts, snapping Beomgyu’s attention. “It is alright,” Yeonjun reaches out to link his hand to Beomgyu’s trembling one. “You told me you trust me, right? Then I trust you, too. I trust you to pull this arrow out. Can you do that, for me?”
Again, it’s just like when Yeonjun had asked if Beomgyu can keep watch for him while he sleeps. That had only been less than an hour ago, but why does it feel like forever has passed since?
But Yeonjun… Yeonjun says he trusts Beomgyu to do something as dangerous and life-threatening as pulling an arrow out of his back with no medications nor gauzes to bandage. He trusts Beomgyu to do this for him.
Trusts his life in Beomgyu’s hand.
So Beomgyu, even with cheeks wet with tears and vision blurry―even with his trembling hand still holding tight onto the alpha’s, answers, “Yes. I can do that for you.”
Yeonjun’s grip tightens in Beomgyu’s hand, probably more for the omega’s comfort than his own, while Beomgyu uses his other hand to reach around Yeonjun’s body to grasp onto the arrow imbedded in his back.
With his eyes squeezed shut, Beomgyu lets out a pained cry the moment he snaps his wrist, ripping the arrow out of Yeonjun’s body in one move.
“You are so silly…” Beomgyu can hear Yeonjun’s breathy voice floating above him. When he looks up, the alpha has sweat dripping down his temples and he’s looking exhausted and pale, but still very much alive and standing. “I am the one who is injured, so why are you the one sobbing and looking in pain, instead?”
“B―Because―” Beomgyu blubbers, the arrow falling from his hand limply.
“Thank you, Little Prince,” Yeonjun murmurs softly, patting him on the head before turning around, eyes narrowing. “Why did you guys stop the attacks?” he calls out, and Beomgyu realizes he’s speaking to the assassins. “Are you really that nice to wait until the arrow was taken out of me? Or are you afraid you might end up with an arrow to the chest, like your friend over there?”
The ‘friend’ who is very much dead, sprawled across the window sill.
“I am afraid I cannot let you go…” Yeonjun speaks, striding towards the window, and Beomgyu is about to tell him to stop, that’s where the enemies are, but then the alpha sucks in a deep breath before letting out an ear-splitting howl, ringing past the small room, echoing across the trees outside, the leaves rustling as a result.
It sounds like a war cry. Like a wolf calling for his comrades to gather together in times of need. Like an alpha calling for his pack.
The arrows fly past again, the assassins probably panicking and attacking him to stop that sound, but Yeonjun easily deflects them all with his sword, each swing precise to hurl the arrows back towards the assailants themselves.
Then, there are anguished screams resounding from where the assassins are hiding, and Beomgyu notices the shadows of around a dozen people surrounding the inn, all of them making quick work in dispatching the snipers.
“Leave one alive for questioning,” Yeonjun calls out the same moment the door to the room bursts open, a soldier wearing similar armor to Yeonjun but less extravagant bowing and saluting them.
“Jungwon reporting in, sir! We’ve surrounded the complex and seized all enemies. Well… I think Sunghoon and everyone accidentally killed them all in their haste, but I did catch one on my way to you!”
Yeonjun gives him an unimpressed look. “What did I tell you guys about foolheartedly rushing in like that? Did you pay attention during my trainings at all?”
“Sorry, sir,” a different voice―Sunghoon?―speaks up as several of them hops in through the window. “We panicked because we could hear from your howling that you were injured. We weren’t sure of the situation, and had to make certain they can cause no further harm to you.”
“Not me. I am of no importance. What matters is if the Prince is hurt, or not.”
It’s then that the newcomers all slide their eyes to Beomgyu, as if noticing for the first time that he is there, standing behind Yeonjun.
“Ah, Prince Beomgyu―” Beomgyu can see the soldiers starting to kneel, probably to properly bow to him, but Beomgyu isn’t even paying attention to them.
“How can you say you are of no importance, Yeonjun?” Beomgyu berates, offended. “You’re hurt. Your back is still bleeding out!” Spinning around, he eyes the soldier who was speaking to them earlier. “Jungwon… is it? Can you call for a Healer? General Yeonjun needs his wounds attended to, as soon as possible.”
Jungwon only gives him a grin back, saluting. “Yes, Your Highness. I shall call for a Healer, right away!”
Time seems to drag on forever as Beomgyu waits in the hallway, watching the closed door to where Yeonjun is getting treated nervously.
“Do not worry, he shall be fine,” Jungwon approaches him with a smile. “General Yeonjun had been through much worse on the battlefield. An arrow will not stop him.”
“But still…” Beomgyu wrings his hands together sadly. “He had gotten hurt… because of me…”
“…Your Highness is very kind, I am glad.”
“Huh?”
“What Jungwon means to say,” someone else pops up, slapping Jungwon at the back of his head like he’s scolding him, “is that we were not sure what kind of person you would be, whom will one day take up the crown that we will all pledge our allegiance to. But you are clearly very concerned for General Yeonjun, which makes us happy to see, since that proves that you will be a kind ruler one day.”
“Oh…” Beomgyu blinks. He supposes it is a bit dubious, for these soldiers to obey a complete stranger one day, someone they had never met prior, someone unheard of, to be their King. “Are you… Are you part of General Yeonjun’s Army?”
“Yes, sir!” the new person grins, saluting. “Excuse me for my belated introduction. My name is Sunoo. I am part of the Second Division. Jungwon here is in the First.”
“Thank you for coming to our rescue…”
“It was our pleasure, Your Highness!” Jungwon chirps.
“But if you were stationed around here all along, then why… Why have you not made appearance until now? I do not mean to blame you, but… why did you guys come so… late?”
“Ah, that was because we were told to stay put,” a third person walks up to them, greeting him. “Sunghoon, Your Highness. It is nice to finally meet you.”
Beomgyu nods, accepting his bow. “You were told to stay put?”
“Yes, by General Yeonjun himself. He had not wanted to make a ruckage escorting you to the Capital. One, because you might be uncomfortable traveling with a whole army, and two, so as to not draw attention to yourselves that might invite… unpleasant company.”
“Unpleasant company?”
“Yes, like those assassins earlier,” Jungwon grimaces. “He did not want news to get out to alert of your location, tried to keep your information as down-low as possible, but I guess… It did not work after all, for they still found you in the end…”
“I see…” Beomgyu drops his head dejectedly.
“Cheer up, Your Highness!” Sunoo tries to say. “In the end, he managed to keep you safe and sound! I am sure you know this is the most important thing to him―that you are kept safe.”
“I do know, and that is why I am sad…”
“Your Highness…”
The door clicks open that moment, and the Healer steps out.
Beomgyu is up on his feet in an instant. “H―How is he? Is he okay?”
She gives him a kind look. “He is fine, Your Highness. I’ve dabbed herbs on his wounds. He is resting, now.”
Beomgyu is still worried. “May… May I see him?”
She nods, stepping aside to let him in.
Yeonjun is sitting on the bed, inspecting an arrow in his lap. He is shirtless, but his whole torso is bandaged fully, wrapping around his upper body all the way to his back.
“Hello, Little Prince,” Yeonjun quirks his lips upon seeing Beomgyu like he had expected the omega will come in.
“Yeonjun… How’s your wound?”
Yeonjun waves him off. “It is fine. I told you not to worry. One measly arrow cannot hurt me.”
“But it could’ve!” Beomgyu protests, sitting down next to him and leaning back to see the wound. There is a patch of discolored at the middle of his back, red mixing in with green which he assumes are the healing herbs, and Beomgyu winces at how the crimson colors are seeping through the bandages already.
“I am a soldier. Injury like this is nothing.” At the unconvinced look from Beomgyu, the other adds, “Besides, I am an alpha. We have superior healing abilities, remember? This will heal in a day or two.”
Beomgyu nods, feeling a little comforted at the reminder. “Still… You got hurt protecting me… I’m sorry…”
“There is nothing to apologize for. It is my duty to do so.”
Beomgyu lifts his eyes up to the alpha. So I guess when he said he’d protect me with his life, he meant it with all his heart… Beomgyu reflects.
“Will you be okay like this, though? How will you sleep when you cannot lie on your back? Is there anything I can do to help?”
Yeonjun lets out a chuckle, ruffling Beomgyu’s hair. “You really are like a little pup. It is okay. I will sleep on my stomach. I do not sleep much to begin with, remember?”
“But is there anything I can do to help? Fetch you water? Help you change into your armor in the morning? Anything?”
Yeonjun’s eyes twinkle at the eager look from the younger boy, like an excited little puppy waiting for his master to throw him a stick to fetch. “May I remind you… You are a Prince―My charge. Not my maid.”
Beomgyu pouts, crossing his arms. “Well, fine. Then as your Prince, I command you to let me do something for you! Because I feel bad!”
Yeonjun only laughs at him in amusement. “Really? That is a command?”
“Yes!”
“Okay.” Yeonjun hums for a moment before tugging on Beomgyu’s wrist, distangling his crossed arms. “Hold out your palm.”
Beomgyu blinks but does as told. He lifts his hand up, palm facing the alpha, and gasps in surprise when Yeonjun slowly touches their palms together, intertwining their fingers one by one.
This is exactly like the moment before Beomgyu had pulled out the arrow from Yeonjun. Their hands were intertwined then, too.
Except… that was in a moment of crisis, and this is decidedly not. This time, Beomgyu can feel the warmth of the alpha through their touch, and he finds his heart beating erratically as a result.
“I noticed it back then, but it is really true…” Yeonjun is whispering.
“Huh?”
“Close your eyes and try to channel all your thoughts and feelings into our intertwined hands. Tell me what you feel.”
Beomgyu is confused but does as told. The moment he closes his eyes and thinks about Yeonjun―about wanting to help him, about how he got injured for Beomgyu’s sake, and how wonderful and heartstopping the alpha is, Beomgyu feels…
A flood of warmth leaving him and flowing into the palm connected with his.
“This…” Beomgyu gasps.
“You are transferring your energy to me. You were giving me strength back then, too.”
“How…?”
“Because you are Royalty,” Yeonjun explains. “Usually, only mated pairs can transfer their energy to each other. That is what being bonded means, after all. Sometimes, very rarely, if an alpha is particularly powerful, he can do that, too. I can, for example. But it is utterly unheard of for an omega to be able to transfer their energy to someone not their mate, unless they have the Royal Blood running within them.”
“Royal Blood…”
“Yes,” Yeonjun says with a smile. “This proves you are without a doubt his Majesty’s child. You are a Royal Omega.”
“Did you… doubt that before…?” Beomgyu asks, a bit hurt.
The alpha shakes his head. “No. It just fascinated me, since I had never went through an energy transferring before―not when I am on the receiving end, anyhow. It felt… nice. And warm. You gave me strength earlier when we touched, Beomgyu. The strength to fight on. And I want to thank you for it.”
Beomgyu sniffles. “Why are you thanking me when you were the one who saved my life?”
“Because I was doubtful, at first, but now I can see… I am glad that it turned out to be you who will one day take up the crown.”
Beomgyu bites on his lip, chest fluttering. Yeonjun’s subordinates had said that, too―how they are glad that he is their Prince.
But Beomgyu still is not sure about this at all. He still thinks of himself as a normal person. A common village boy who now suddenly has an alpha who had promised him he’d protect him with his life―and had.
“I do think the Little Prince cries too much though. When will the Little Prince become a Big King, I wonder?” Yeonjun bemoans, teasing him, and Beomgyu huffs, swaying their linked hands back and forth.
“Don’t be mean, or I will stop the energy transfer!”
“Oh? But I thought that was something you pleaded me to do? You said you’d do a~ny~thing to help me,” Yeonjun enunciates his words with a knowing smirk on those lips.
“That’s―!” Beomgyu can feel his cheeks flaring up into a blush. “J―Just because you’re hurt! And I shall not bully the injured! Even though you are bullying me!”
Yeonjun clutches his chest with his free hand. “Why―I would never dare to, Little Prince!”
Beomgyu huffs, but he can’t help but crack a smile after. His gaze linger on their intertwined hands, and he suddenly has a thought of, If only I can hold Yeonjun’s hand like this. Whenever I want.
As if it belongs there.
Oceans away, in a faraway kingdom, in a palace no less extravagant and grand like Neverland’s own, there is currently an argument going on.
“You sent assassins after the Neverland Prince?” someone is currently bellowing at the one sitting on the throne. “When you knew fully well General Yeonjun was sent to guard him? Are you daft? Of course they would fail the mission!”
“Hold your tongue, General! How dare you speak this way to His Majesty himself, King of Mirage―”
“It is alright, Minister,” the King waves him off. “He is correct. I was too impulsive. I had wanted to nip the bud before it had a chance to arrive at the Capital, but I should have consulted with him first. This plan was doomed to fail from the start.”
The General huffs irritably. “Well, even if you had consulted me, it would not have made a difference. You know I am against this upcoming war.”
“And you know what you are or are not against is of no importance. You are our country's own Military General,” the other reminds him, eyes flashing.
“Yeah, sure. Put me in jail then if you think my opinion doesn't matter, because I'm not going to fight for you,” the General narrows his eyes in challenge at the person on the throne before stalking away.
“General Soobin, hold! How dare you speak that way to―”
“It is alright,” the King sighs, stopping the Minister.
“But―He disgraced you―”
“We need him,” he admits, falling back into his seat. “You know nobody in our whole Kingdom can possibly rival General Yeonjun's strength, except him. We need him.”
The Minister sighs, too. “But he is so…”
“I need him to secure my throne, Minister. I will make him see my vision eventually. The day will come when we go on an all-out war with Neverland, and… I only hope he can deliver General Yeonjun’s head on a silver platter to me when that time comes…”