Ship/Member: Seokmin/Mingyu Major Tags: Major Character Death Additional Tags: royalty AU, vague mythological past, intergenerational curse, betrayal Permission to remix: Please ask Word count: 3349
dear peb, the second worst thing you have ever done to me is send me that oresteia pdf. the worst thing you have ever done to me is this prompt. hope you enjoy
[1/2] ***
The story is worthy of epic. Mingyu standing above Seokmin, driving his sword into Seokmin’s chest, ending the years of bitter feuding that have plagued their two families. Mingyu is a hero, even if the people don’t think so. Even if nobody else in this godforsaken city believes him, the gods know. They put him onto this, they see him for who he is. The gods know Mingyu’s story.
Mingyu’s story is worthy of epic. That is why nobody quite tells it right.
***
Mingyu knows why he is here. Seokmin’s father murdered Mingyu’s uncle, because Mingyu’s uncle murdered Seokmin’s grandfather, because Seokmin’s grandfather had cheated Mingyu’s great-aunt, because Mingyu’s great-grandfather had betrayed Seokmin’s great-grandfather. The chain was long, but it was traceable. There was a reason why Mingyu’s blood boiled whenever he even thought about Seokmin.
That is why he is here, vying for a spot as Seokmin’s military chief. Betrayal would be the only way he could get Seokmin where he wanted, and the only way to betray someone is to get close to them first. And the advantage of having been sent away for his education is that nobody knows him. His past, his family - none of that matters. All that matters is that he’s able to do the job. So Mingyu spars with the other contenders, shows off his skill in swordfighting and archery, shares his strategies confidently. Really, the others don’t stand a chance when he’s around. All the while, though, his eyes dart to Seokmin, making sure he is watching.
And Seokmin is watching. His eyes are trained on Mingyu, intent on his lithe movement and strong blows. Even from afar, Mingyu can tell that Seokmin is focusing on him, and so he might as well put on a little show. He pushes himself harder under Seokmin’s intense gaze, strains every muscle in his body to keep him hooked. If Mingyu wants his glory, he needs to catch Seokmin’s attention, he needs to make Seokmin need him.
At the end of it all, it’s Mingyu who is the victor. He knew he would be, but nevertheless he keeps his head down when Seokmin moves to congratulate him.
“I look forward to working with you,” Seokmin says, with a glimmer in his eye. Not haughty or cruel, but something almost genuine.
Mingyu smiles meekly. He replies, “As do I.”
And he means it, more than Seokmin can ever know.
***
It doesn’t take Mingyu very long to learn that Seokmin isn’t very sure of himself. It might be understandable - Seokmin is still quite new to being a king, after all - but every word he utters in front of his advisers sounds unsure, like he’s waiting for someone to prove him wrong. In this particular meeting, they are discussing a nearby city whose soldiers are lurking closer to the border. Royal adviser Jeonghan wants to make an attack, but-
“I don’t think we should,” Seokmin posits hesitantly. “They’re not too much of a threat, are they? There’s no reason to suppose they will attack us soon.”
“Seokmin, you trust too easily,” Jeonghan warns, like he has said this many times before. “They’ve caused issues before, and they might cause issues again. It’s better to anticipate them rather than lag behind.”
“Even so,” Seokmin says, voice trailing off a little, “I don’t think we should be too hostile just yet. I think that- well, given where we are in terms of manpower- I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I agree,” Mingyu remarks.
It catches everyone else by surprise - perhaps they weren’t expecting the new military chief to be so vocal so quickly. Seokmin looks the most surprised of all, like he wasn’t expecting Mingyu to agree with him, like he couldn’t believe he had said something right.
“It’s the logical choice, in my view,” Mingyu continues. “There’s no need to make unnecessary enemies. Until they pose a clear threat, we shouldn’t use valuable manpower and resources to cut them off. If they want to advance, they can, but they’ll be the aggressors. I’m not too sure they’ll want that, diplomatically speaking.”
A weighty silence hangs over the room. Nobody is quite looking at Mingyu - not even Seokmin, who’s too busy staring at his own hands, like they’ll move of their own accord.
“Thank you,” Seokmin replies, scarcely audible. “Now if that issue is settled, we can move on.”
Mingyu doesn’t miss the grateful smile Seokmin sends him when nobody else is looking. Before he even realises he’s doing it, he smiles back.
***
Mingyu doesn’t mean to watch Seokmin pluck the orange from the tree. He wasn’t even expecting to see Seokmin at all. He was just walking around the grounds, looking to clear his head, to shake off the ghosts asking why haven’t you done it yet? And there Seokmin is, soaked in sun and splendour, as he stands on tiptoes and reaches for the orange. Next to him, a little girl - one of Seokmin’s cousins, Mingyu realises - watches in wide-eyed awe as Seokmin’s long fingers grip the orange and pull.
It comes off into his hands, and Seokmin smiles a satisfied little smile. He kneels down so he is eye level with the girl, not caring for whether his robes got dirty.
“Do you want me to peel it for you?” he asks, honeyed voice carrying across the grass.
The girl nods vigorously, and Seokmin starts to peel the orange. He digs his nails in, making quick work of the peel, stripping it off in one piece. Then, he gently pulls the orange apart, separating the segments with so much precision and care that for a minute Mingyu feels like the orange is more important than anything he’s ever had to do. Seokmin passes the orange segments to the little girl, mirroring her bright grin, and watches her run off to eat.
Mingyu remembers his uncle and his great-aunt and how all his family want Seokmin to die. But they never saw his eyes shine with silken kindness as he gave his cousin an orange, nor did they see the curve of his lips as he smiled wider than any king should. If they did, Mingyu is pretty certain they’d change their minds.
“Mingyu! Over here!”
Mingyu is startled. He didn’t realise Seokmin could see him. Had he known he was there all along? Sheepishly, he shuffles towards Seokmin.
The blinding smile is still on Seokmin’s face, even though his military chief has been basically watching him from behind a tree. Seokmin doesn’t seem to mind that Mingyu saw him in his tender, vulnerable moment. Kings don’t tend to like it when their advisers see them for who they are, but Seokmin doesn’t seem to mind. Something within Mingyu burns at the thought.
“Do you want an orange, Mingyu?” Seokmin asks when Mingyu approaches.
And even though Mingyu knows he’s taller, and he knows that he could reach the oranges much easier than Seokmin can, he doesn’t stop himself from saying, “I’d love one, thank you.”
The orange is sweet, even if the ghosts try and sour his joy.
***
“Sometimes,” Seokmin whispers, more to the candle than to Mingyu, “I don’t know if I deserve all this.”
Mingyu is in Seokmin’s chambers. He probably shouldn’t be - it’s hardly conventional for a king to invite his military chief to his chambers unless there is an emergency. But Seokmin isn’t conventional, and to him most decisions feel like an emergency. So Mingyu sits on a chair opposite him, talking to him until his furrowed eyebrows relax and the tension melts from his eyes in the warm glow of the candlelight. Usually, they talk of defence strategy. Today, the worry seems different.
“What do you mean?” Mingyu asks. “Who else would deserve this?”
“I don’t know. But not me. Everyone expects so much from me, and I don’t think I could ever live up.”
“Everybody knows you’re doing well, Seokmin. The kingdom is fine. You’ve done nothing wrong.” It pains Mingyu to admit to himself that he’s telling the truth. “So why are you so worried?”
“It’s not the people here that I’m worried about. It’s… it’s the others.”
“What others?”
“The ghosts.”
Mingyu’s heart leaps to his throat. “Ghosts?”
“Not real ghosts, but the ghosts of all my family that have suffered at the hands of the Kims. They follow me. I carry them with me every day. They expect me to do something to avenge them, that will end this chain of killings, once and for all. But I’m not like that. I’m not sure I’m a killer. I’m not sure of anything. What I am sure of is that if I don’t avenge my family, I betray them, but if I do avenge my family, I betray myself. And yet I could never even think of betraying my family, because I want to keep them happy. I need to be a good son, but these ghosts are with me all the time, and I don’t know how to keep them happy. How do I keep them happy, Mingyu?”
Mingyu never knew that being understood could be such a horror. Seokmin didn’t tear open Mingyu’s chest with his bare hands, he didn’t rummage around Mingyu’s organs looking for the key to the core of his heart, but he might as well have. Seokmin has said what Mingyu could never have the courage to, and the recognition makes him feel sick to his stomach.
Mingyu’s throat is tight and icy, like he’ll choke if he tries to open his mouth. Distantly, he thinks there’s something tragic about it all - about how similar they both are, about how fate has landed them like this, about how all Mingyu wants to do is to kneel before Seokmin and put his hands on Seokmin’s knees and say forgive me, forgive me, I know.
But he doesn’t do that. Instead, Mingyu grits his teeth. He thinks of his uncle, his great-aunt. He thinks of all the ghosts he needs to keep happy.
He says, “Just do what you’re already doing. They’ll be happy with that.”
Seokmin looks at Mingyu. His limbs seem to relax, loosened like Mingyu has fed him fine wine.
“You’re kind to me, Mingyu. You’ll make me too soft, I think.”
Mingyu isn’t too sure about that. Seokmin has been too soft long before Mingyu came into the picture. Why else would he trust Mingyu so much after only a few weeks of knowing him? Unless they absolutely had to, why would anyone trust Mingyu?
Even so, Mingyu chuckles, unable to stop himself. “Who said that was a bad thing?”
***
This is not a conversation that Mingyu’s supposed to hear. Even so, he cannot help but lurk around the threshold.
“Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?” Seokmin asks, sounding uncharacteristically irritated. “Do you think you can change my opinion of Mingyu with spurious facts and whispered rumours?”
“Seokmin,” warns royal adviser Jeonghan, with an edge to his voice, “we just want you to think carefully. We know nothing about the origin of this man, so it might be wise for you to involve him less in… sensitive matters.”
“He is my military chief, Jeonghan. How exactly am I supposed to leave him out of sensitive matters?”
“Perhaps the position ought to be reconsidered.”
“And why would I do that? On what basis? It wouldn’t be fair to anyone, least of all to Mingyu.”
“It would be fair to the kingdom.”
“The kingdom saw Mingyu win the competition! What would it look like if I were to snatch away the title of someone who earned it so obviously?”
“It would look like you’re responsible! It would look like you can make hard decisions well. There may be people who oppose it - so what? When someone so high in the ranks cannot be trusted-”
“I don’t care what you say,” Seokmin interrupts, finally sounding worthy of the crown he wears. “I trust him. I have no reason not to trust him. What wrong has Mingyu ever done to me?”
Bile rises in the back of Mingyu’s throat. Seokmin trusts so easily, so beautifully, too beautifully for the bloody foundations of this palace. Mingyu hasn’t had anyone trust him like this - for the sake of trusting him, rather than because the family name depends on it.
Seokmin believes in him so openly. If it weren’t for the ghosts on Mingyu’s back, Mingyu would be reluctant to prove him wrong.
[FILL] a doom that will never be done with
Major Tags: Major Character Death
Additional Tags: royalty AU, vague mythological past, intergenerational curse, betrayal
Permission to remix: Please ask
Word count: 3349
dear peb, the second worst thing you have ever done to me is send me that oresteia pdf. the worst thing you have ever done to me is this prompt. hope you enjoy
[1/2]
***
The story is worthy of epic. Mingyu standing above Seokmin, driving his sword into Seokmin’s chest, ending the years of bitter feuding that have plagued their two families. Mingyu is a hero, even if the people don’t think so. Even if nobody else in this godforsaken city believes him, the gods know. They put him onto this, they see him for who he is. The gods know Mingyu’s story.
Mingyu’s story is worthy of epic. That is why nobody quite tells it right.
***
Mingyu knows why he is here. Seokmin’s father murdered Mingyu’s uncle, because Mingyu’s uncle murdered Seokmin’s grandfather, because Seokmin’s grandfather had cheated Mingyu’s great-aunt, because Mingyu’s great-grandfather had betrayed Seokmin’s great-grandfather. The chain was long, but it was traceable. There was a reason why Mingyu’s blood boiled whenever he even thought about Seokmin.
That is why he is here, vying for a spot as Seokmin’s military chief. Betrayal would be the only way he could get Seokmin where he wanted, and the only way to betray someone is to get close to them first. And the advantage of having been sent away for his education is that nobody knows him. His past, his family - none of that matters. All that matters is that he’s able to do the job. So Mingyu spars with the other contenders, shows off his skill in swordfighting and archery, shares his strategies confidently. Really, the others don’t stand a chance when he’s around. All the while, though, his eyes dart to Seokmin, making sure he is watching.
And Seokmin is watching. His eyes are trained on Mingyu, intent on his lithe movement and strong blows. Even from afar, Mingyu can tell that Seokmin is focusing on him, and so he might as well put on a little show. He pushes himself harder under Seokmin’s intense gaze, strains every muscle in his body to keep him hooked. If Mingyu wants his glory, he needs to catch Seokmin’s attention, he needs to make Seokmin need him.
At the end of it all, it’s Mingyu who is the victor. He knew he would be, but nevertheless he keeps his head down when Seokmin moves to congratulate him.
“I look forward to working with you,” Seokmin says, with a glimmer in his eye. Not haughty or cruel, but something almost genuine.
Mingyu smiles meekly. He replies, “As do I.”
And he means it, more than Seokmin can ever know.
***
It doesn’t take Mingyu very long to learn that Seokmin isn’t very sure of himself. It might be understandable - Seokmin is still quite new to being a king, after all - but every word he utters in front of his advisers sounds unsure, like he’s waiting for someone to prove him wrong. In this particular meeting, they are discussing a nearby city whose soldiers are lurking closer to the border. Royal adviser Jeonghan wants to make an attack, but-
“I don’t think we should,” Seokmin posits hesitantly. “They’re not too much of a threat, are they? There’s no reason to suppose they will attack us soon.”
“Seokmin, you trust too easily,” Jeonghan warns, like he has said this many times before. “They’ve caused issues before, and they might cause issues again. It’s better to anticipate them rather than lag behind.”
“Even so,” Seokmin says, voice trailing off a little, “I don’t think we should be too hostile just yet. I think that- well, given where we are in terms of manpower- I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I agree,” Mingyu remarks.
It catches everyone else by surprise - perhaps they weren’t expecting the new military chief to be so vocal so quickly. Seokmin looks the most surprised of all, like he wasn’t expecting Mingyu to agree with him, like he couldn’t believe he had said something right.
“It’s the logical choice, in my view,” Mingyu continues. “There’s no need to make unnecessary enemies. Until they pose a clear threat, we shouldn’t use valuable manpower and resources to cut them off. If they want to advance, they can, but they’ll be the aggressors. I’m not too sure they’ll want that, diplomatically speaking.”
A weighty silence hangs over the room. Nobody is quite looking at Mingyu - not even Seokmin, who’s too busy staring at his own hands, like they’ll move of their own accord.
“Thank you,” Seokmin replies, scarcely audible. “Now if that issue is settled, we can move on.”
Mingyu doesn’t miss the grateful smile Seokmin sends him when nobody else is looking. Before he even realises he’s doing it, he smiles back.
***
Mingyu doesn’t mean to watch Seokmin pluck the orange from the tree. He wasn’t even expecting to see Seokmin at all. He was just walking around the grounds, looking to clear his head, to shake off the ghosts asking why haven’t you done it yet?
And there Seokmin is, soaked in sun and splendour, as he stands on tiptoes and reaches for the orange. Next to him, a little girl - one of Seokmin’s cousins, Mingyu realises - watches in wide-eyed awe as Seokmin’s long fingers grip the orange and pull.
It comes off into his hands, and Seokmin smiles a satisfied little smile. He kneels down so he is eye level with the girl, not caring for whether his robes got dirty.
“Do you want me to peel it for you?” he asks, honeyed voice carrying across the grass.
The girl nods vigorously, and Seokmin starts to peel the orange. He digs his nails in, making quick work of the peel, stripping it off in one piece. Then, he gently pulls the orange apart, separating the segments with so much precision and care that for a minute Mingyu feels like the orange is more important than anything he’s ever had to do. Seokmin passes the orange segments to the little girl, mirroring her bright grin, and watches her run off to eat.
Mingyu remembers his uncle and his great-aunt and how all his family want Seokmin to die. But they never saw his eyes shine with silken kindness as he gave his cousin an orange, nor did they see the curve of his lips as he smiled wider than any king should. If they did, Mingyu is pretty certain they’d change their minds.
“Mingyu! Over here!”
Mingyu is startled. He didn’t realise Seokmin could see him. Had he known he was there all along? Sheepishly, he shuffles towards Seokmin.
The blinding smile is still on Seokmin’s face, even though his military chief has been basically watching him from behind a tree. Seokmin doesn’t seem to mind that Mingyu saw him in his tender, vulnerable moment. Kings don’t tend to like it when their advisers see them for who they are, but Seokmin doesn’t seem to mind. Something within Mingyu burns at the thought.
“Do you want an orange, Mingyu?” Seokmin asks when Mingyu approaches.
And even though Mingyu knows he’s taller, and he knows that he could reach the oranges much easier than Seokmin can, he doesn’t stop himself from saying, “I’d love one, thank you.”
The orange is sweet, even if the ghosts try and sour his joy.
***
“Sometimes,” Seokmin whispers, more to the candle than to Mingyu, “I don’t know if I deserve all this.”
Mingyu is in Seokmin’s chambers. He probably shouldn’t be - it’s hardly conventional for a king to invite his military chief to his chambers unless there is an emergency. But Seokmin isn’t conventional, and to him most decisions feel like an emergency.
So Mingyu sits on a chair opposite him, talking to him until his furrowed eyebrows relax and the tension melts from his eyes in the warm glow of the candlelight. Usually, they talk of defence strategy. Today, the worry seems different.
“What do you mean?” Mingyu asks. “Who else would deserve this?”
“I don’t know. But not me. Everyone expects so much from me, and I don’t think I could ever live up.”
“Everybody knows you’re doing well, Seokmin. The kingdom is fine. You’ve done nothing wrong.” It pains Mingyu to admit to himself that he’s telling the truth. “So why are you so worried?”
“It’s not the people here that I’m worried about. It’s… it’s the others.”
“What others?”
“The ghosts.”
Mingyu’s heart leaps to his throat. “Ghosts?”
“Not real ghosts, but the ghosts of all my family that have suffered at the hands of the Kims. They follow me. I carry them with me every day. They expect me to do something to avenge them, that will end this chain of killings, once and for all. But I’m not like that. I’m not sure I’m a killer. I’m not sure of anything. What I am sure of is that if I don’t avenge my family, I betray them, but if I do avenge my family, I betray myself. And yet I could never even think of betraying my family, because I want to keep them happy. I need to be a good son, but these ghosts are with me all the time, and I don’t know how to keep them happy. How do I keep them happy, Mingyu?”
Mingyu never knew that being understood could be such a horror. Seokmin didn’t tear open Mingyu’s chest with his bare hands, he didn’t rummage around Mingyu’s organs looking for the key to the core of his heart, but he might as well have. Seokmin has said what Mingyu could never have the courage to, and the recognition makes him feel sick to his stomach.
Mingyu’s throat is tight and icy, like he’ll choke if he tries to open his mouth. Distantly, he thinks there’s something tragic about it all - about how similar they both are, about how fate has landed them like this, about how all Mingyu wants to do is to kneel before Seokmin and put his hands on Seokmin’s knees and say forgive me, forgive me, I know.
But he doesn’t do that. Instead, Mingyu grits his teeth. He thinks of his uncle, his great-aunt. He thinks of all the ghosts he needs to keep happy.
He says, “Just do what you’re already doing. They’ll be happy with that.”
Seokmin looks at Mingyu. His limbs seem to relax, loosened like Mingyu has fed him fine wine.
“You’re kind to me, Mingyu. You’ll make me too soft, I think.”
Mingyu isn’t too sure about that. Seokmin has been too soft long before Mingyu came into the picture. Why else would he trust Mingyu so much after only a few weeks of knowing him? Unless they absolutely had to, why would anyone trust Mingyu?
Even so, Mingyu chuckles, unable to stop himself. “Who said that was a bad thing?”
***
This is not a conversation that Mingyu’s supposed to hear. Even so, he cannot help but lurk around the threshold.
“Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?” Seokmin asks, sounding uncharacteristically irritated. “Do you think you can change my opinion of Mingyu with spurious facts and whispered rumours?”
“Seokmin,” warns royal adviser Jeonghan, with an edge to his voice, “we just want you to think carefully. We know nothing about the origin of this man, so it might be wise for you to involve him less in… sensitive matters.”
“He is my military chief, Jeonghan. How exactly am I supposed to leave him out of sensitive matters?”
“Perhaps the position ought to be reconsidered.”
“And why would I do that? On what basis? It wouldn’t be fair to anyone, least of all to Mingyu.”
“It would be fair to the kingdom.”
“The kingdom saw Mingyu win the competition! What would it look like if I were to snatch away the title of someone who earned it so obviously?”
“It would look like you’re responsible! It would look like you can make hard decisions well. There may be people who oppose it - so what? When someone so high in the ranks cannot be trusted-”
“I don’t care what you say,” Seokmin interrupts, finally sounding worthy of the crown he wears. “I trust him. I have no reason not to trust him. What wrong has Mingyu ever done to me?”
Bile rises in the back of Mingyu’s throat. Seokmin trusts so easily, so beautifully, too beautifully for the bloody foundations of this palace. Mingyu hasn’t had anyone trust him like this - for the sake of trusting him, rather than because the family name depends on it.
Seokmin believes in him so openly. If it weren’t for the ghosts on Mingyu’s back, Mingyu would be reluctant to prove him wrong.
***