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sarapii-peachy · 6 years

Text

All Hail

Pairing: Ken/Reader (featured as Aurora), Wonshik

Storyline: fantasy!au, royal!au Wonshik is given a prophecy that could change the kingdom of Excelsius forever

Wordcount: 3,983

Notes: R-18 VIOLENCE, CHARACTER DEATH, SEX. This is a dark piece inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth (aka murder, betrayal). Hi. So, there’s a lot behind this. Ever since I first read Macbeth, I knew I wanted to write a drabble inspired by it so this is exactly what this is. Long time coming! Wonshik has this image of working himself to exhaustion for his music and it’s something he’s never satisfied with, and I know he’s so afraid of not leaving behind a legacy (the sweetheart) and this ambition led me to choose him. This is also to honor his 1st solo tour in Europe bc my man really out here doing that aye. Can’t believe I got to witness Kim Ravi tearing up the stage.

Also Ken in Iron Mask??? We moving from Prince Christopher to an actual king fight me.

// ☽ R A V I

Wonshik is exhausted. The battle has left both his spirit and body battered. The elements are much harsher this close to the coastline, wind, sand, and sea spray stinging his face. His ribs ache with every inhaled breath and he cradles his left arm against his chest, strength draining from his body where the knife had pierced beneath his armor. Dried blood cakes underneath his fingernails. Blood of men who were nameless in his eyes, yet still had wives, lovers, children. His victims.

His mind flashes and he once again sees his comrades fall to the invaders, men he’d trained with for years. Men he’d shared his tent with, dined with, now lying cold in the mud. Death did not discriminate and took her prey with swift chance. Not even the most skilled soldiers could hope to rely on their sheer might whenever she lingered on the battlefield.

He and the remaining men quickly bury their comrades before the birds can get to them.

Consequently, Death had decided to spare Wonshik tonight. Rebels from a nearby rivaling kingdom had breached their shore, hoping to sack Excelsius. Wonshik had been sent by the monarchy to quell the invaders. They had been victorious, but at what cost?

He rides now, weary, with the captured enemy convoy back to the castle to bring news of their victory. The dreary landscape of the highlands soon shift to that of his home.

What strength he’d thought he’d lost slowly starts to return at the familiar sight of the castle as they pass through the stone gateway into the kingdom. The rain has stopped and he’s glad to get out of the wind, his men following behind as they shuffle inside the castle. They’re filthy, tracking mud and wet stink in with them and he feels warmth in his chest at the face Queen Aurora will no doubt make upon seeing him.

Two standing figures, the monarchy themselves, await him on the other side of the throne room. On his left stands King Kenneth, Patriarch of the Six Heavens. He’s a tall, striking young man with kind features, his full lips always turned up in a smile. The crown upon his raven curls add to his height and a mantle of gold and rich navy blue, the colors of Excelsius, rest on his broad shoulders. The embodiment every king should be.

To the king’s right is Her Highness Queen Aurora, Lady of Light, a charitable young woman and Kenneth’s one lover since boyhood. Her gown matches her dusky gold complexion, midnight hair plaited back up and away from her face. Her eyes humorously survey Wonshik and his tracked footsteps as King Kenneth moves to greet his friend. Like sunshine personified, a beautiful queen to rule by her husband’s side.

Ken embraces him warmly regardless of his dirty state.

“You’ve proved yourself again, Wonshik. Well done.” He chuckles and claps Wonshik heartily on the back.

“It’s an honor to serve and protect our kingdom, my lord.” Wonshik answers and can’t help the hints of a smile tugging at his lips. Being the childhood friend of the monarch always made formal conversation a bit strange to him.

A son of a nobleman, Wonshik has lived in Excelsius all his life and spent his adolescence playing, reading, and studying here in the castle. He had befriended the then prince Kenneth in riding lessons one summer afternoon, Wonshik there for his knight training, Ken for his aristocratic duties. The two boys soon became inseparable. Although Ken had to spend a majority of his time preparing for the day he would succeed to the throne, the two of them were still able to wreck havoc after lessons were finished.

Ken squeezes his hand on his shoulder and Wonshik’s smile flickers when his refound energy starts to fade and is replaced by the full burden of his wounds. The familiar toll of battle settles over his tired bones. Understandably, Ken withdraws his hand. Queen Aurora steps forward, her expression tender and gentle.

“Tonight, your hard work and bravery has given Excelsius victory. Your sacrifices will be remembered in keeping our borders safe,” She says softly. “We will hold a banquet in honor of your men. Please, rest.”

Aurora’s statement resurfaces raw emotion. Their triumph had been nothing less than bloody. He will sleep tonight in his warm bed, safe within the castle walls while slain men lay in shallow graves on the cliffside.

Wonshik swallows. “Thank you, my queen.”

He’s dismissed from the throne room and he hurries to his quarters to wash.

Wonshik’s quarters lie on the other side of the courtyard gardens. Even as a young boy, he’s always loved walking among the greenery, perfumed by wild roses and cherry blossoms, listening to the babbling marble fountain that stands in the center of the gardens.

Yet, Wonshik stops. Tonight is different. Something doesn’t sit well with him, making his already fried nerves buzz in unease when he feels a strange change in the air around him.

A silhouette blooms from the sudden mist rolling from his left. Her feminine figure is shrouded in a long white veil that falls to her feet, opaque, yet translucent enough that her features are just barely hidden. He knew a witch when he saw one, using her magik to masquerade as an object of desire.

“Wonshik, hail to thee, knight of Excelsius.” She breathes. Just by the sound of her voice, Wonshik knows of her beauty. Honey and silk. A second veiled figure materializes to his right.

“Wonshik, hail to thee, Commander of Her Highness’s Comet Guard.” Says the second. He sees the parting of her lips from behind the smoke-like fabric. He gazes into the veil but sees nothing but the hidden contours of her face. He feels himself slowly falling, losing his wit the longer he stares, his feet moving towards her on their own accord. He was no Commander, only a simple sergeant. What were these sorcerers spouting?

A third and final figure emerges from the mist directly in front of him. Wonshik stays rooted to the spot when she approaches. Her touch is intimate, cradling his cheek with a cold hand, looking up into his face as though to kiss him. She leans forward, a lover’s caress.

“All hail Wonshik, thou shalt be king hereafter.” The third murmurs.

He reaches for the veil, entranced, desperate to see with confirmed eyes the beauty that promises such high prophecy. The figure drifts from his touch. He follows with quick steps and it’s almost comical as the figure easily glides away, joining the two others as they start to circle around him.

“All hail,”

His chest tightens when he feels a warm breath fan across his neck. He turns on them, daring to prompt an answer.

But the sisters are quicker and simultaneously step back into the curling mist that now envelopes him. He’s left alone in the gardens as a rose scented breeze chills his skin, shivering in his own sweat and grime.

That night, he sleeps like the dead. He’s grateful for the freedom of no haunting nightmares or strange paralysis that often seized his entire body after battles. He doesn’t feel particularly rejuvenated, but neither exhausted the next morning, like having fallen into a deep abyss the night before.

Daylight is still new, even for a soldier like himself to be up at this hour. Yet, Wonshik finds it strangely peaceful to be up before the birds have begun chirping, the first rays of the sun setting fire to a silhouetted, dark world.

Dawn breaks red and beautiful.

His early rise has given him the luxury of a morning ride through the castle grounds and a few hours of privacy from his comrades before the banquet.

He knew his men well enough to understand that he wouldn’t be the only one uncomfortable tonight. His men had been celebrated with political dinners before, but this was a first for a military disaster of this scale. Although victorious, it wasn’t fair to be enjoying a party when so much Excelsius blood had been spilt.

As he sways in the saddle, his mind wanders to the strange prophecy from the night before. Commander of the Comet Guard? King? Ken obviously occupied the throne, what did this prophecy suggest? How would Ken be displaced? What would Aurora’s fate be?

Another shiver shakes his core as thoughts race through his mind.

No, the prophecy is impossible. Wonshik had no drop of royal blood and was sworn to protect the crown, just a son of a nobleman. Having it simply fall to him is outrageous.

The prophecy was nothing more than a fever dream, he tells himself. Knowing his post-traumatic symptoms, it doesn’t take long to convince himself.

In the evening, Wonshik is pleasantly surprised that he’s enjoying himself at the banquet. Surrounded by an intimate circle of his closest brothers in battle with Ken and Aurora seated at the front of the hall, the tense atmosphere he had anticipated is nonexistent, instead replaced with one of commemoration and respect.

A few attendants duck in every now and then to assist in serving the meal and musicians fill the air with gentle melodies. Hearty food, ale, and companionship have allowed Wonshik to relax for the first time in far too long.

As the meal comes to a close, the tapping of a glass draws the men's attention to the queen. Aurora places her silver fork down onto the table and turns to address the room before her.

“Gentlemen, your service these past few months have kept our kingdom safe from harm. For this, a certain individual has demonstrated exceptional abilities in the arts of Knighthood and deserves to be recognized,” She pauses to thread her fingers through Ken’s, glancing to him. She smiles softly. “My husband and I have long discussed this decision and it is with great confidence that we present this ceremony before you all.” Aurora pauses again, this time looking directly to Wonshik. When she speaks, her voice rings clear throughout the chamber. “The Crown now calls Sir Wonshik to come before this Court and Company.”

Wonshik rises, his queen’s command and his own internal military discipline instinctively setting his body in motion before he can question what he’s being called upon for. Aurora strides to the center of the room, the king at her side. Wonshik kneels before them.

“Bring forth Starlight, the Great Sword of State.” Ken instructs to an attendant. His tone is authoritarian, not at all like the shy, playful young boy Wonshik had befriended as a child. A servant enters with Starlight, a beautiful longsword encrusted with jewels the color of the sun. Aurora takes the blade and places it so it rests on the young man’s shoulder.

“Sir Wonshik, you have been deemed fit for the high estate of Commander of Her Highness's Royal Comet Guard. Do you now swear by all that you hold sacred, true, and holy that you will honor and defend the Crown and the kingdom of Excelsius at all costs?” asks the king.

Wonshik feels his pulse quicken. The prophecy.

Commander was a position he had sought after throughout his entire apprenticeship. So much pain, tears, and bloodshed, hours endured in the cold as a young trainee, the aspiration of someday commanding his own legion burning deep in his soul. Now, it was finally going to be his.

Was he being awarded for his genuine efforts or simply because of the witches’ vision? The second alternative made his skin crawl, yet here he stood before the monarchy. His mind clicks and the realization almost makes him burst out into sick laughter. He’s able to mask it with a soldier’s self-control, eyes respectively cast to the floor. He already knew the answer.

With his plan, the throne will be his.

“I will.” Wonshik states.

“That you will conduct yourself respectively, drawing your sword only for just cause?” Aurora continues, voice cool. “That you will enshrine in your heart the noble ideals of our Guard to the benefit of your own good name and the greater glory of Excelsius?”

“I will.”

“That you will honor, defend, and protect all ladies, and those weaker than yourself?” asks the queen.

Wonshik raises his head, gaze resting on the woman before him. Sunlight throws itself through the stained glass behind her, casting her in a dazzling halo of colorful light.

“I will.” He murmurs.

She steps closer. “Then having sworn to me these solemn oaths, I, Queen Aurora of Excelsius, do dub you with Starlight, and by all that you hold sacred and holy..Once for honor..Twice for duty..Thrice for chivalry. Arise, Commander.”

Wonshik rises with the weight of a thousand empires on his shoulders.

Excelsius is plagued with a tirade of rain the rest of the bitter autumn. Time passes slowly, each day marked by another bone-chilling day as autumn decays into winter. The palace hunkers down with crackling fires in fireplaces and drawn curtains, children and servants rushing inside with rosy skin and chapped hands.

Ken loves winter. The festivities that came about this time of year never failed to make him smile and his joy was contagious. The queen, however, hated the cold. Despite being wrapped in furs and constantly sipping at hot drinks, Aurora was always frigid and longed for summer. Luckily, Wonshik was always there to boost her spirits.

As newly appointed Commander, Wonshik and Queen Aurora spent a fair amount of time together. Reviewing sovereign borders and drafting battle formations, Wonshik was delighted to find that the queen was no stranger to warfare. Aurora was a warrior queen, unafraid of bloodshed. His admiration for her was mirrored in her own for the Commander.

One evening, the two of them have just finished studying some maps, clearing the table when a servant brings in a tray of spiced apple cider. As they drink, the two teasingly speak of Ken’s recent actions of erecting a huge evergreen in the middle of the kingdom square and of the recent snowfall to the north. It’s nice to be able to move beyond politics and grim topics of weapon effectiveness in battle.

“You’re shivering,” Wonshik says concerned, watching as Aurora’s shoulders tremor violently.

She dismisses him with a shake of her head, pulling a long sip from her drink. “Commander, don’t act so surprised.”

Wonshik moves to her side and rubs his hands against her arms. “I must keep my queen from falling ill.” He teases. She laughs softly and leans into his touch, enjoying the heat from the fireplace. They rest for a while side by side.

Aurora falls asleep with her head resting lightly on his shoulder. The fire has long died, glowing coals barely illuminating the study aside from a slight, dull glow. The two sit in darkness.

Aurora suddenly startles awake with a gasp. His hands come to stable her as she awakens to a sightless world.

“You’re alright, Aurora.” He soothes.

Her breaths calm and he can see her chest fall less rapidly. Her silhouette nods and then the room falls into silence, only broken by the howl of wind against the windowpane. The world sleeps.

“I’ve got you. I always will.” He whispers. He doesn’t move away.

“Commander,” she presses. A warning.

“Is my duty not to protect you, your highness?” Wonshik dips his head, whispering against the shadow’s bare neck.

“Tis, but-”

“And how is my queen in any danger when she is in fact most safest here in my arms..?”

Winter drags on, and with it, the queen’s seasonal depression. She stays cooped up in her chambers, coming out only when coaxed by her husband. The cold is taking a toll on her. Light no longer fills her eyes.

In the meantime, Wonshik regularly meets with King Kenneth to look over inventory supplies for the barracks.

“Her Highness seems unwell,” Wonshik would often state, asking if the queen was taking her meals properly.

The king would reply no with a somber shake of the head. But, she’ll perk up in the spring, she always does, he would add.

The Commander would smile politely. The time to strike was upon him.

“Yes, of course.”

At Wonshik’s suggestion, Ken invites him to a dinner to celebrate old times and the coming holidays. Just the two of them, good friends united over food and drink. Ken is delighted to share his company, to say the least.

The evening arrives, and with it, a horrible snowstorm.

It doesn’t seem to sour the mood, however, as Wonshik arrives to the chambers with a table set with delicious delicacies. Ken stands with clasped hands, a loving king to greet his friend as an equal.

“Come, we have much to talk about, no?” The king chuckles. Wonshik grins and the two embrace like old brothers.

The evening progresses with amusement and comfort and again, Wonshik finds himself enjoying the simple pleasures of life. It was remarkable how things could brighten up with loved ones and good cooking. He laughs with the king now, nearly spilling his wine as Ken recounts a story from their boyhood.

“..And you were so desperate to get her attention that you fell on your ass right in front of her!” Ken snorts. His face is flushed from his drink and he pauses his story to take another swig from his goblet.

Wonshik joins in laughing, feeling the room slowly spinning as he empties his own cup.

“Guess the donkey wasn’t the only ass in that stable,” He chuckles back. Ken howls with laughter, gripping his sides. He beckons for Wonshik’s glass and quickly refills it before wiping at his eyes.

“How thankful I am that we’ve stayed together after all these years, Wonshik,” Ken ponders aloud after a quiet moment settles over the room. He smiles at the soldier a bit sleepily and his eyelids flutter closed for a heartbeat. “A king and his childhood friend, the commander of his queen’s army. Side by side, protecting their quaint kingdom. It’s like something from a storybook,” He says almost dreamily.

“Aye.” Wonshik agrees.

Ken smiles again and his eyelids droop, features slowly relaxing as he drifts off to sleep.

Wonshik rises so quickly that the chair scrapes violently against the floor and stabs his dagger clean through King Kenneth’s chest.

Ken cries out with a wet gasp. His eyes fly open, struggling against Wonshik who only forces the blade deeper.

“Why..?” Ken pleads. “Was I a tyrant?”

He shakes his head. “Nay, a good king. So much so that this was the only way.”

Wonshik studies the look in Ken’s eyes as he continues to choke on his own blood. It’s a look he’s witnessed tens, if not hundreds of times on the battlefield. The look of life slowly seeping away as it leaves the body, the fear of death lingering behind those pupils. No matter how strong their bond, King Kenneth would never understand. Ken has never had to take a life and live with the consequences.

So, Wonshik begins to laugh like the unhinged man he’s now become. He pulls the king closer, forcing him to look at only him.

“Your wife is with child,” Wonshik breathes. “My child, my heir to the throne.”

Ken’s expression weakens. Tears glisten in his eyes and a new look clouds behind Ken’s pupils, one he’s never seen before.

Heartbreak, betrayal.

“My legacy will reign and yours dies now with you.” Wonshik snarls. The blade twists and the good king gives his last breath in the arms of his most trusted soldier.

When news of the king’s death spreads through the kingdom, it’s like a plague has spread with it. Doors are locked and villagers seldom come outside, the streets deserted and empty with families locked up inside their homes. Grief and fear weigh heavy over Excelsius.

An assassin, rumored to be from the infamous rebel kingdom of Exodus, had broken into the royal chambers and slain the king after he had retired to bed. Commander Wonshik of Her Highness’s Comet Guard had been the one to discover the mutilated corpse of his childhood best friend. He had arrived too late with the assassin nowhere to be found, only an open window leading out into the icy, winter night.

The monarchy is in complete shambles, a political disaster. Immediately, the Commander is nominated for his past service and intimate connection to the late king.

A quiet wedding and coronation crown Wonshik as the new king of Excelsius, Patriarch of the Six Heavens.

Quelling the political unrest is not an easy task and King Wonshik has much on his plate. Kenneth Lee had been a beloved, well respected ruler and the notion of a rogue Exodus assassin sparks a wave of hysteria within the kingdom. If the king hadn’t been safe, what was to become of the common people? Where was the Exodusian army now?

It’s a difficult, burdensome lie to maintain.

The following autumn, Aurora gives birth to a healthy baby boy. Wonshik concentrates his efforts on raising his only son.

Aurora starts to slowly wither away, some would say of a broken heart. The queen’s glowing complexion has fizzled out, the skin beneath her eyes tight with exhaustion and sorrow. Yet, she stays strong for her kingdom. Queen Aurora stations extra men on the borders and increases nightly patrols, reassuring all that they will be safe from war.

A few years pass and the prince is now a young toddler. The threat of an Exodus invasion has died out, though unrest has not dissipated so, a nervous energy remaining over Excelsius like a tensed bowstring.

Wonshik himself has lost his youthful charm, looking haggard and worn with each passing day. Surgeons, doctors, even shamans are called to try and address the king’s sudden failing health, though it seems nothing will do the trick. He’s losing sleep, seeing the phantom of Ken behind every bat of his eyelids.

One moonless autumn night, Wonshik and Aurora lie in their chambers as their son amuses himself with a toy ball in the hallway. He passes the ball between his feet in the doorway. Raven hair curls against his forehead, plump cheeks and full, rosy lips colored with youth. Dressed sharply in royal attire, he’s already very handsome for the tender age of three.

Wonshik’s mind flashes and suddenly he’s standing in the middle of a riding ring. A young boy stands beside him, looking quite sharp sitting atop a leather saddle and gives him a gentle smile.

“What’s your name? I’m Kenneth, but you can call me Ken.” Says the boy. It’s his son, but the phantom has Ken’s voice.

Wonshik can hear the prince’s excited laughter ring out as he chases the ball further down the corridors.

“Why does our child look like him?” Wonshik gasps in horror. Aurora rolls on top of him and plunges Starlight through his heart.

“Did you really take me for a whore, my lord?” Aurora spits through gritted teeth. She’s trembling, both hands tightly gripping the handle of the longsword sheathed inside him. “I was already with child when you tried to bed me. I am loyal to one man and you cast him aside like dirt.”

Wonshik chokes. The fabric of their white bedsheets bleeds with his blood. She grasps his face and leans in close, turning his head to the side and forcing his gaze out toward the hallway. The young prince continues to laugh as he’s heard wandering farther and farther down the corridors.

“Do you not see? He has his father’s eyes,” Aurora hisses. “He is not your son. Your tyrant rule ends here and Excelsius will never be yours.”

The good queen unsheathes Starlight from his chest and looks to the rising sun to the east.

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