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Pairing: It's going to be a Jun-pairing, but I don't want to spoil it yet. It's either: Sakumoto, Matsumiya or Juntoshi. Jun/Aiba as brothers, and Aiba might get his own pairing.
Rating: up to R
Genre: royality!AU, romance, a bit fantasy,
Plot: To seal the new peace agreement Prince Jun is handed over as a gift to the neighbouring kingdom, the Highlands of Ice. There is a legend surrounding Jun and his sisters and brothers, namely that they hold a secret power which will only be awakened to the fullest when their owner falls in love.
Tired of reigning the Highlands of the Ice the king announces that one of his three sons - Sho, Satoshi and Kazunari - will inherit the throne. As all of them are good men, loyal and talented, he decides to put a challenge to it: Whoever wins the young mysterious prince's heart will marry him and get the throne.*
*Important sidenote: I will not make a love triangle or anything alike. Once Jun decided, he decided. Also Sho and the others won't play dirty.
Note: This is going to be really romantic, I promise :D and I promise you all (!) that the brothers won't treat each other like sh*t. It's super fun to write this! Please tell me what you think <3
“Here,” Sho says surprisingly shortly, making Jun blink. Sho seems to feel a bit nervous, embarrassed almost. When Jun looks at the item in Sho’s hand, his eyes widen.
“This is so beautiful…” he whispers as he eyes the scarf in Sho’s hands, with beautiful filigree flowers on it.
Sho smiles. “Do you really think so?” He hands it to Jun. “It’s yours.”
The scarf feels so warm and fluffy in Jun’s hands, that Jun almost wishes he could bury his face in it and snuggle against it. “But… this is so beautiful,” he stutters. “It sure cost a lot. Isn’t it even cashmere? I cannot accept such a beautiful present.”
Sho laughs. “I wanted to give it to you,” he smiles. “You seem to feel cold a lot, and I think having something warm around your neck… and well… maybe you will feel warmer when you see it and carry it?” He pauses. “Or don’t you like it?”
Jun blushes and shakes his head. “I love it. It’s so beautiful.”
Sho smiles genuinely. “I want you to have it. It was mine before, I got it from my mother, but I think it suits you much better than it does me.”
“I can’t take something your mother gave you,” Jun stutters.
Sho chuckles, takes the scarf out of his hands and throws it around Jun’s neck. “She would have liked you,” he states with a smile. “And the scarf belongs to me, I can give it to whoever I want. If you wear it, I’ll be happy.”
Jun smiles brightly. “Then I’ll wear it all the time.”
Sho laughs lightly. “Just not for dinner please.”
Jun chuckles as well, snuggling against his new scarf. He promises to himself to always cherish this gift, no matter what the future brings.
While they still talk, Kazunari approaches them. He chuckles slightly. “I wish I had a nice scarf too,” he sighs slightly. “Or something alike which I could give you.”
As always his teasing works miracles because Jun can’t help a chuckle and Sho starts to tease his brother right back.
~~~
“You are accompanying us, Yamaguchi-kun?” Jun asks both in relief and surprise. It’s good to know that someone will watch out for them while they are on the road.
“Yes,” Sakamoto answers instead of Yamaguchi. “He will watch out for you. It’s a very kind offer of the brothers to take you on a vacation by the way. They have work and their tasks too, but they decided to show you around. I don’t need to tell you appreciate their effort, do I?”
Jun blushes slightly, but nods nevertheless. “Of course not, Sakamoto-san. I’ll show them my respect.”
“I know it sounds hard, Jun-kun,” Sakamoto continues. “But you have to get used to this place. The more open you are, the easier it will be for you. Because sadly you can’t return home.”
“Come on, Masayuki-san,” Yamaguchi intervenes carefully.
“Jun-kun, I don’t mean anything bad by what I say,” Sakamoto continues a lot softer now. “Tatsuya-kun and I won’t leave your side. But you have to make the best out of it. And these people here are not that bad, are they? Didn’t they treat you very kindly up to now?”
Jun swallows down the tears that prickle in his eyes. Sakamoto is right. Even though he sounds harsh sometimes, he actually has a very caring soul, and growing up he was the only fatherly figure Jun had. He is scared of him sometimes, but respects and loves him too. His father didn’t care much for him, he was just glad that he reproduced a child with the gift. It was Sakamoto who would look after him, hug him, punish him when he did wrong, celebrate his birthday, buy him presents and sometimes just comfort him. “I…” he takes a deep breath. “I’ll try harder,” he promises quietly. “I just…”
Sakamoto frowns slightly. “Just?”
Jun can’t help the blush spreading on his cheeks. “The king told me I need to choose one of his sons. And… I mean… it will decide who inherits the throne. And, they are all good men, I’m feeling so bad if… how am I supposed to…” He pauses, not sure how to continue. He almost expects Sakamoto to scold him for not articulating himself in a better way, but much to his surprise the older man smiles.
“You are really cursed by good heart,” he chuckles. “That’s what you were worrying about… that two of them might be disappointed?”
Jun shrugs helplessly. “They have been really kind. All of them.”
“Jun-kun,” Sakamoto puts his hand on his shoulder. “It’s only been a month. You don’t have to decide anything for now. Besides, no one is going to judge you for your decision. The brothers are not stupid, they for sure realized that their father wants them to tie the knot with you.” He smiles. “In this case you have to think about yourself. It’s a lifelong decision, and you have a chance to actually become happy and make someone happy. That doesn’t sound too bad either, does it?”
Jun blinks slightly. He hasn’t even considered his own happiness. But Sakamoto is right, he is going to marry someone…
“You can’t always be so wary about yourself,” Sakamoto continues. “You are kind towards others, and that’s beautiful, but you also have to be kind to yourself. In a year you’ll lead this country at the side of one of the brothers. You need to take this into consideration now. If you feel so iffy about such a decision, how will you grow as a person then? You have befriended them by now, now it’s time to start considering them as a potential man at your side.”
Jun nods slightly. “I haven’t been seeing it like that,” he admits. “I was a bit naïve, I guess.”
“A bit?” Yamaguchi teases with a grin.
“Okay, a lot,” Jun admits. “I need to… solve this as an adult, I guess.”
“You guessed correctly.” Sakamoto chuckles and pats his head. “As an adult and as the husband of the future king. Everyone is looking forward to your decision, no one is going to judge you. The brothers are handling it as adults too after all, each of them wants to win in the end. You don’t need to be over-considerate. Which of course doesn’t mean you are supposed to take advantage of them.”
Jun smiles. “Thank you,” he says after a while. “Your lectures are always the worst, but they kinda help.”
“Look who is finally finding his cheeky confidence again,” Yamaguchi grins. “But you are right, his lectures are the worst!”
Sakamoto smiles and pokes Jun’s forehead. “You better listen to me. Don’t forget you have to deal with me, if you don’t.”
Jun chuckles. “Believe me, I won’t.”
“No one you deal with will ever forget,” Yamaguchi snickers. “Like seriously.”
Sakamoto looks like he wants to say something but then he just shakes his head and smiles. “Just have fun, little prince,” he says warmly.
~~~
The last days before their departure, Sho and Kazunari have shown him how to ride a horse. Although Jun still feels a bit scared of riding, he is also weirdly fascinated by the horses. They are such elegant beings, and it feels so freeing to sit on their back and move. It’s like flying. Sho has chosen a gentle stallion named Rock for him. A rather big one, but his heart seems to have the same size as his humungous body. Rock because he has the temperament of a rock, Kazu explained to him. “Once you are more confident while riding,” Sho told him. “We’ll look for an own horse for you.”
“I’m very happy with this one too,” Jun says honestly, feeling a bit embarrassed that they even want to give him his own horse.
Sho chuckles. “Well, let yourself be surprised for your birthday.”
Jun blushes when Sho mentions his birthday. He is really thinking so far in advance already. No one ever made a big deal out of his birthday – except for Masaki when he was at home.
It’s a sunny day when they start their little vacation. Kazunari has helped him with packing the necessary things as Jun wasn’t sure what he would need for such a trip, and as Kazunari stated with a grin apparently the other two brothers aren’t too knowledged when it’s about packing the right clothes. And Yamaguchi already started his journey one hour earlier to ensure to be at their destination first to ensure their sleeping place would be safe
Sho helps him on the horse while Satoshi holds the rein. Jun feels like a potato sack between the brothers who know how to ride and do it gracefully.
“You look well on the horse,” Kazunari says all of a sudden while they follow Sho’s horse out of the town, and Jun wonders again how sensitive he is to other’s moods. He probably sensed Jun’s lack of confidence. Satoshi is still holding the rein, making sure that it will be safe and Rock won’t freak out over too many people. Once the area is more deserted and they actually ride into the country, he lets go though and Jun can ride freely.
It’s a long day, but it feels great to be outside. Although Jun feels tired and his body starts aching once they approach afternoon, he enjoys it. They have a few breaks and ate something for lunch but overall they spend their time on the horse. The landscape is covered in white snow, and in the sun it sparkles beautifully. Jun wonders how the country is able to actually grow fruits and vegetables in this cold and under these conditions. He can’t wait for the brothers to actually show him how the farmers here do their work.
The closer they get to their destination, the more tired Jun gets though. His body feels heavy and his eyelids too. He wonders if he should tell the brothers, but he doesn’t want to get on their nerves and-
It happens so fast that Jun can’t even react. Something on the ground moves, and suddenly Rock rears up. Jun wants to grab the rein tighter, but he was too lost in his thoughts before so that they are too loose for him to grab and take control again. And suddenly Rock just starts rushing forward, so fast that all Jun can do is cling to his neck and hope he won’t fall. He can hear the others screaming behind him, but his ears vibrate slightly in panic and he closes his eyes, hoping that the huge horse will grow tired eventually, and he can just wake up from this nightmare.
He is about to wonder if he shouldn’t just drop down from the back of the horse as his body aches, and his hands feel crampy when there is suddenly the sound of hoofs right next to him and a calm voice, and suddenly Rock stops.
Jun’s heart still hammers against his chest when he opens his eyes, seeing how Satoshi has grabbed the rein of the horse, standing on the ground now and calming it down. “Come down,” he commands.
Jun nods, his body shaking while he gets off the horse. He is too shocked to even cry. Satoshi looks pretty angry though.
“You can never, never doze off when you are on a horse,” Satoshi scolds him. “Never! It’s a wild animal, don’t ever forget that. You always have to be focused!”
“I’m sorry, Satoshi-san” Jun says quietly, although he knows Satoshi doesn’t like him apologizing all the time.
Satoshi opens his mouth to say something, but they get interrupted by Sho and Kazunari approaching them.
“Are you alright, Jun-san!?” Sho almost drops from his horse while hurrying down, deep worry on his face. “You didn’t fall, did you?” He immediately approaches Jun, carefully touching his shoulders and arms.
Jun shakes his head, blushing slightly at the kind gesture. “I’m alright. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Kazunari arrives too, swiftly climbing down from his horse and immediately checking on Jun as well. “J-san,” he says in worry, apparently unconsciously giving Jun a new nickname. “You aren’t hurt are you?”
Again Jun shakes his head.
“How did this even happen?” Sho asks in worry. “Maybe Rock got scared of something.”
“No it’s my fault,” Jun admits, too embarrassed to even look at them. “I wasn’t concentrating properly and couldn’t react fast enough as I should.”
Satoshi raises his eyebrows in surprise. Jun almost expects the other two to get mad at him, but to his surprise Sho just smiles softly. “Well, this was a long day and you have no experience with horses and riding. We should have thought about that earlier. Everyone here knows how to ride, we didn’t even think that our destination might be too long for one day.”
“No.” Jun shakes his head earnestly. “This is not your fault. It’s my responsibility. I was tired and I should have said something.”
Kazunari grins. “It can happen. Please stop being so adorable. You look like a lost puppy that way.”
Sho chuckles as well, and takes Jun’s wrist to pull him towards the old horse. “Come,” he says warmly. “Rock wants to apologize for scaring you.”
Now Jun really feels like crying, but swallows down the tears, having enough of being such a crybaby. When Rock rubs his nose against his chest, he has to smile brightly. “Sorry, old man,” he says softly, touching his neck. “I’ll do better tomorrow, I promise.”
~~~
They are gladly pretty close to their destination. Sho and Satoshi take Rock and Kazunari’s horse with them and ride ahead to prepare everything for their arrival, especially to see that the rooms are warm enough for Jun’s body who is not used to the cold.
Kazunari and Jun go the last part by foot. “I could have gone the last few metres on Rock though,” Jun points out, embarrassed that they had to change plans.
“It’s really not that much of a deal,” Kazunari explains, and sounds honest. “Believe me, otherwise I wouldn’t go by foot. I’ve had enough of riding for today as well.”
Jun nods. “You called me J,” he finally says carefully.
“Hm, I think I did.” Kazunari looks at him nervously. “Do you mind.”
“Not at all.” Jun smiles. “My first nickname actually.”
Kazunari smiles happily. “Great, you’ll be J for me then. How about you call me Kazu? To make things even?”
Jun blushes slightly. “I like that,” he admits. For a while they walk silently and Jun takes his time to take in his surroundings. They are approaching a small town it seems. The sun is already setting, colouring the whole white landscape into a deep red and orange. It looks like nothing Jun has ever seen before. Lights of the town slowly appear in the setting darkness, and it seems like next to the small inn they are staying at, there is a huge lake.
“This is beautiful, Kazu-kun,” he finally says.
Kazu seems to be really happy about his obvious admiration. “You think so?”
“Yes, the scenery… I have never seen something like that,” Jun pauses for a moment to look around, his heart feeling warm from excitement all of a sudden. “I thought my home is the most beautiful place that exists but this here is beautiful too, just different.”
“I’m so happy to hear that,” Kazu says, a slight blush on his face. “I was worried you would never like it here. You know, it’s cold, all the time, but I promise it’s not a bad place.” He squeezes Jun’s arm softly, and Jun smiles, holding back a chuckle by Kazu’s obvious excitement.
They continue their walk, approaching the cottage they are staying at.
“I think Satoshi-san is mad at me,” Jun says towards Kazu.
Kazu looks at him in surprise, then he smiles slightly. “He yelled at you?”
Jun shrugs.
“I thought as much. You looked really down when Sho and I arrived.” Kazu smiles warmly. “Satoshi is not mad at you,” he finally explains, though Jun isn’t sure if he is actually just trying to comfort him. “He probably just freaked out that you might get hurt. He can get very intense in his reactions when he is worried.”
“You think so?” Jun asks nervously, feeling kind of sad at the thought that Satoshi or any of the brothers might be angry at him.
“J,” Kazu smiles warmly. “Satoshi is a few years older than I am. When I was just six years old, I went on a frozen lake, not watching properly, and broke into the ice. He immediately fished me out of it and yelled at me. I cried buckets of tears, and he felt really guilty and told me that he was just worried and didn’t want to lose me.”
“But you are his little brother,” Jun points out. “I’m just anyone. It’s not that dramatic to lose me.”
Kazu chuckles lightly. “You think so?” he says, a smirk appearing on his lips.
Jun blinks. “What?”
“Satoshi is calm and composed. He can be pretty firm if he wants to but he is never getting angry at someone. He just gets worked up when he cares.”
Jun blushes a bit at this revelation, happy that he is apparently worthy enough to the brothers to worry about and get mad at. It also makes him remember Sakamoto’s words though how the brothers really like and respect each other, and that his decision which one to choose is solely his. “I hope you are right,” he mumbles. “You know, I’ve never had friends. Just my older brother and Sakamoto-san, and Yamaguchi-kun.”
“Really?” Kazu asks in shock. “The old creepy general was one of your only friends? Good thing you came here because we are happy to have you around.”
It could be a lie, Jun thinks, because he knows they are courting him, but then… there is no lie in Kazu’s eyes.
“I’m sorry for worrying you earlier,” he says. “I’ll try not to be so clumsy and uncertain anymore.”
“Why?” Kazu blinks. “You are fine the way you are. Don’t change.”
Jun blushes. “I’m just trying to do better.”
Kazu laughs all of a sudden and touches his arm affectionately. “You are still worried about Satoshi, right? Just go and talk to him, little bunny. You don’t need to be scared.”
Jun frowns at Kazu calling him bunny, but has no time to complain. Much to his surprise he realizes he is a bit more confident towards Kazu than he is towards Sho and Satoshi. It’s also easier to talk to him than to talk to the other two. For now though they reached the inn and Kazu immediately drags him inside and pushes him towards the bath.
“You go first,” he and Sho say firmly. When Jun opens his mouth to argue, Sho shakes his head. “We are used to the cold, you aren’t. And if you don’t believe us, you’ll sure believe that father will get really mad at us if you get sick because we were careless.”
Jun can’t really argue against that, and nods. “Thank you, Sho-san.”
The bath is indeed huge. It leads outside, a natural source as it seems, damping and hot, and soon Jun’s body relaxes in the warmth. He cleans himself up properly and waits until he has warmed up before leaving again so that the others can have a bath too.
The food at the inn is simpler than in the castle. To Jun’s joy there are vegetables too, cabbage and potatoes, and the chef of the kitchen seems to be delighted by his interest in his dishes. “It’s nothing, young prince,” he laughs a loud and hoarse laugh. “It’s simple food.”
“It’s delicious though,” Jun eyes gleam and to his surprise the chef suddenly provides him with a huge cup of hot chocolate after they finished dinner.
“I made some for my daughter. It’s a gift,” he winks.
“But it’s for your daughter,” Jun stutters. “I can’t drink her hot chocolate.”
“There is plenty left for her,” the man explains cheerfully. “She is going to be excited that the pretty prince of our exotic neighbourhood country liked her favourite drink.”
Again Jun is surprised by how kind this country’s people approach him.
~~~
Later that evening Sho and Yamaguchi discuss how to continue their journey. Kazunari plays a card game with Jun, then however he puts the cards aside. “J,” he chuckles. “You are not with me at the moment, are you?”
Jun wants to slap himself for dozing off again. “I’m sorry, it’s just-“
“Just?” Kazu asks curiously.
“I don’t know how to play this game, actually I don’t know any games at all. I only know how to play chess…”
“Really?” Kazu exclaims in surprise. “I’m so stupid, I didn’t even realize.”
Sho apparently heard the commotion as he joins them now. “Something wrong?”
“Yes!” Kazu explains. “Jun doesn’t know how to play any games besides chess.”
Sho’s eyes widen. “Is this true?”
Jun nods, surprised by their sudden shock. “Well, I never had someone to play with me. And I think we all agree that Sakamoto-san isn’t the… well…”
Sho and Kazu exchange a glance before they laugh. “I know I wouldn’t want to play against him,” Sho grins.
Kazu chuckles. “I don’t even know if he knows how to play!”
Jun smiles at their silly banter, suddenly not feeling stupid anymore for not knowing how to play even simple games.
“Do you want to learn one?” Sho asks hopefully. “We have a game that’s similar to chess. It’s called the lady and the wolves”
Nino snorts in amusement. “The metaphor behind it… and our situation.”
Sho blushes. “I didn’t choose the game to compare it to us.”
Jun has to laugh suddenly. “It’s fine,” he says happily. “I would love to learn how to play it.”
Sho nods happily and soon starts explaining the rules, showing Jun how the game is being played by playing a few rounds with him and Kazu. Jun looks at Sho in awe. “You are such a good teacher, Sho-san,” he says stunned. “All of you are so good at everything.”
Kazu smiles warmly. “It’s nice of you to say this, really, but we are not as brilliant as you make us seem.”
“To me it seems you know everything,” Jun argues. “I mean, you Kazu-kun are so sharp and eloquent and witty. And Sho-san… is there something you can’t do?”
Sho blinks while Kazu chuckles. “I would have so many answers to that,” Kazu jokes.
Sho shakes his head wildly. “No, really, Jun-kun,” he says with a crooked smile, clear amusement written all over his face. “There are a lot of things I am bad with. Like cooking or dressing properly, or planning events. If you ask me where I think the Christmas tree should go to, I won’t have any idea. I have also a bad temper and… The list is long,” he admits.
Jun smiles softly. He loves how honest they all are. To his surprise he doesn’t find Sho intimidating anymore, not like at the beginning. He rather finds him really charming and friendly. He has learned a lot of things about Kazu and Sho today. He has seen Kazu’s sensitive side and the way he so easily can read the mood, and he has learned that Sho is not only strict and upfront, but can also be silly and very patient.
Jun’s gaze shifts towards the window, eyeing the outside, his eyes searching the area in front of the cottage while Sho puts the game away.
To his surprise Kazu smiles encouragingly at him. “Don’t worry,” he says softly when Sho is not listening. “Just go to him and talk to him. I think he would be happy. Don’t be scared, little bunny.”
Jun nods, deciding to take Kazu’s advice to heart and goes outside. Satoshi is sitting at the little bridge leading to a hole in the frozen lake. He has put his fishing rod there and seems to try to catch something.
When Satoshi sees him, he gestures him with his hand to come closer. He seems to be happy to see Jun much to Jun’s surprise.
“Are you still angry?” Jun asks carefully, deciding to be more upfront for once.
“I wasn’t angry at all,” Satoshi smiles warmly “I was just worried you would fall and break your bones or something worse. Here-” He hands Jun a fishing rod and helps him adjust the bait to it. “But I won’t apologize for what I told you.”
Jun chuckles. “I wouldn’t ask that anyway.”
Satoshi looks at him thoughtfully before he smiles. “I said I won’t apologize for what I said, but I am sorry for yelling at you. And I would like to tell you that I was impressed and surprised that you stood up for your mistake in front of the others. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Jun-san.” He chuckles. “See? Guess I am feeling pretty bad after all.”
Jun returns his smile carefully. “I’m sorry I wasn’t careful enough.”
Satoshi tilts his head. “I know, Jun-san. But Sho was right. You aren’t used to riding and we didn’t estimate the distance well enough. I went too hard on you. It was our mistake too.”
“Not at all,” Jun argues. “I should have told you guys that my strength was leaving me. And I very much appreciate it that you treat me like a normal person. Everyone else I knew up to now either ignored me or treated me like a mere object.”
Satoshi brushes over Jun’s hair softly. “Now you are sad again,” he says warmly. “Don’t be sad. No one here is going to treat you bad, I promise I and my brothers will watch out for you.”
Jun swallows by Satoshi’s kind words and nods. “Thank you. You are very kind.”
Much to Jun’s surprise Satoshi blushes slightly, before he looks at him carefully. “Do you want to help me catch a fish?”
Jun smiles carefully. “I would love to, but I don’t know how.”
Satoshi chuckles. “I’ll show you.”
Jun watches how Satoshi attaches the bait to his fishing rod, following his steps. Satoshi doesn’t do it for him, instead he explains it patiently and shows it to him, while letting Jun try it himself. It’s a whole new experience for Jun to be treated like that.
~~~
“Your Majesty,” one of the guards bows in front of him. “You have a visitor of the Kingdom of the Luminous Fields.”
Koichi looks up in surprise, so do Nagase and also Sakamoto. Sakamoto frowns slightly, and with a nod from Koichi, approaches the window and looks outside. His eyes widen. “Now here comes trouble.”
“Trouble?” Nagase asks in surprise.
“Who is it?” Koichi asks, not sure if he should feel annoyed by now or not.
“Masaki-sama.”
“And who is that?”
Sakamoto’s lips tug. “Jun-kun’s older brother. And the only one he has a tight relationship with. He didn’t know his brother was sent here…”
A/N: Aaaaand... Masaki appears! He will be featured more now, I promise ;-)
So, Jun is on his trip with the brothers, and Sho and Kazu are stepping up their flirting game? Meanwhile Jun and Satoshi had a little argument (if you want to call it like that)
Seriously, this is one of those stories where I change my mind a hundred times while writing it *lol*
no subject
Date: 2017-06-11 04:13 am (UTC)The three brothers really give their attetion to Jun. Ah~ how lucky Jun send by his father to them. Eehehehe..
Eeh? Masaki didn't know jun is send by their father to another kingdom? Bad father!
I hope he didn't get angry to the three brothers after he know how they treat Jun kindly.
Aaahhh!!!! I love this chapter too, sankyuu for sharing this.
And will waiting for your nexr chapters ^ - ^
no subject
Date: 2017-06-24 01:37 pm (UTC)Yes, Masaki didn't know that Jun was sent there. Which is why he is not happy with the situation and very worried :-(
Thanks so much for your lovely comment! ♥