1 The Three Princes of Noirwood

~Stone Prince~

Park Jimin bounded up the stone steps of his castle and sped over to the balustrade overlooking the courtyard. His lean body grazed over the smooth stone railing, chest pressed desperately into the cold bars that contained him. Knuckles white from gripping the railing so hard, Jimin grimaced when one of his opal rings tumbled off of his finger and plummeted down to the grass below.

He frowned in irritation but brushed it off, too anxious to get upset about it. His grayish brown eyes scanned every corner of the grass, hoping that what his advisor told him was a lie--was merely hearsay. His eyes moved rapidly across the fields that lay in front of his inherited castle, across gray gates that stood taller than three of his tallest knights, across stone paths that weaved in and out of his beloved rose garden.

'Nothing. Nobody is coming.' He thought.

Jimin sighed. Slowly, he back-stepped off of the ledge he was dangerously leaning over and groaned at the prospect of his family heirloom flying off of his finger. His lips parted in a groan.

CREAAAK.

As he was just about to retire to his quarters for a rest, he heard a peculiar sound coming from the front gates. A creak, yes, a loud, uncalled for one at that. Then...were those angry voices he was hearing?

Launching himself back up onto the railing, he scoured the gates once more. A party of about a dozen or so people that Jimin did not recognize were standing outside of the gate, and they were not there to make pleasant conversation. The lead knight was holding his sword vertically like the bars of the gate that was currently keeping him out. His group of rowdy followers was pooling at the his sides--an infection trying to enter the Stone Castle.

"What are you doing here..." The Stone Prince asked the band of troublemakers at the gate, twisting his lips in disgust.

They were yelling, clearly upset, but Jimin could not make out the words that came flying from their mouths. He carefully stepped down from the railing and yelled aloud to himself in disbelief. If what his advisor told him was true...

'Does that mean that the other banners of the Kingdom of Noirwood have failed the pact?'

Before Jimin could even contemplate this, he was sprinting down the stairs to his armory, gray cape whipping behind him. The yells of the intruding soldiers and the clanks of his front gate being hit were the last sounds to reach his ears as he reentered his castle.

~Laurel Prince~

"Another glass of wine, if you will." A velvet voice slipped out from the silk sheets that the owner of the voice was buried deeply under. "But this time take the messenger with you."

A bumbling servant nodded his understanding and hurried out of the room. The young messenger that had brought Prince Kim Taehyung news that something awful was on its way into Noirwood tagged along. Taehyung did not know exactly what to make of the message, as it was sent directly from the Oak Prince's castle in a rushed manner.

Taehyung had nothing against the Oak Prince, better known to him as Prince Jeon, but he had heard many things about the younger ruler that made him wary to become friends. It was common knowledge that Prince Jeon was a scholar, an inventor of sorts, and also owned the largest portion of Noirwood. He was highly intelligent, bearing great knowledge of all kinds that helped the kingdom when problems arose.

Despite not having the largest army nor the best weaponry, the Jeon family had always reigned with the largest portion of land, near the seafront. Prince Jeon's Oak Castle sat on a large plot of land overlooking the Southern Ocean--alongside the trading ports. Taehyung owned the second largest portion of land, his castle in the center of Noirwood. The Stone Prince owned the least, his castle a meager, sequestered rock when compared with his counterparts' abodes.

In other words, Taehyung felt a little jealous of Prince Jeon, and it wasn't hard to tell from the outside that the two princes were complete opposites. Taehyung took full advantage of his high position, flaunting his wealth throughout his large polished castle, beautifying his keep with grand showcases of gold, silver, and gemstones. He was one to drink, one to party, and one to impulsively fight with outlying bands of thieves and reprobates.

Many members of the Laurel Court viewed him as unfit to rule. They thought he was immature, too bent on gaining more fortune for himself than aiding the people in any helpful way. When Taehyung heard this type of gossip around the throne room, he simply laughed it off. He knew what he stood for, what he truly valued, and never let his critics make him outwardly angry. On the inside, however, their comments bothered him greatly.

"Sir, here is the wine you requested." The servant reentered the room, swiftly dodging layers of silk sheets strewn about the floor. He handing Taehyung the rather full glass.

"Thank you. You may leave now." Taehyung spoke without care to the servant, glancing casually at one of the art pieces that decorated his bedroom wall. "And don't you dare think about drinking the wine Prince Jeon sent."

"Gladly, Prince Kim."

Red faced from exertion and happy to leave his strange master, the servant complied quickly. Taehyung stood up from his large bed and downed his wine glass in one gulp. He wandered over to the mirror and glanced at his tanned face without seeing himself. He was only thinking of what the messenger had said--what that would mean for him and Prince Jeon. If there was trouble coming from the north...then they would need to meet. They would need to hash out the issue, to finally get acquainted with one another.

Taehyung set his wine glass on the vanity a bit harshly. The ornate artworks decorating his spacious room listened carefully to his deep drawl of a voice.

"I need to meet with Prince Jeon. Today."

~Oak Prince~

Prince Jeon Jungkook drummed his fingers on the long wooden table he was sitting at with several members of his court. He glanced at all of them in turn, head nodding at each pair of erudite eyes that met his own. Some Oak Court members cowered away from his thoughtful stare, turning nondescriptly to the side. Despite being the youngest ruler in Noirwood, the ravenette was definitely not taken lightly.

In fact, most members of his court regarded him with the utmost respect. Some were afraid of him during the harsh patches when he was ruthlessly hung up on a dilemma, taking his anger out on slacking court members. However, their undying dedication and loyalty to him stayed true even throughout the worst times. Jeon Jungkook was a kind ruler, yet he was by no means hesitant to lay down the law.

His close advisors knew this about him and trusted him; they made sure nobody crossed him as a parent might protect their offspring from harassment. Jungkook was not the type of prince to snap, but if it came to it, Jungkook was not afraid to yell at his colleagues.

Jungkook stood up at his spot around the round table, halting all stray discussions of the approaching band of vagabonds. "LISTEN UP! Yes, now. We can tell the group of men in the north is not coming to Noirwood for trading purposes, nor are they interested in making peace."

The Oak Prince paused to scratch at his chin. A few members of his court drummed their fingers on the oak table. "What we do know is that this group is small, a test group if you will...for the enemy to witness exactly how the three princes of Noirwood will respond to the problem."

The members around him all nodded in agreement. Jungkook stood up from his chair to fetch a map of Noirwood nearby. His dexterous hands spread it quickly across the table.

"Here is the Stone Prince's castle, deep within the woods. See it?" His finger started at the north end of the map and trailed south along the worn page. "And here is the Laurel Castle...ah, you already know where he lives. Who doesn't know where he lives."

Some of the men chuckled aloud at the cool comment. If Noirwood's populace had questionable areas of knowledge about the kingdom, the 'Prince Kim' sector was never lacking. The Laurel Prince's parties drew people from everywhere to his magnificent castle positioned in the middle of the three territories. The Laurel Prince's castle was the source of almost all gossip in Noirwood. One couldn't walk down a road on horseback and not hear 'Laurel Prince' or 'what did Prince Kim do now?' at least a few times.

"And here is our domain along the waterfront." Jungkook circled his index finger over a wide swath of land that included an even wider area of water. "This band of men will definitely come from the north, if I'm understanding this correctly. They will visit the Stone Prince first."

Jungkook flipped the map around so it was facing the others on the table. He brushed back his bangs and bit his lip before continuing.

"It's too bad they aren't coming to us first...I have no idea how Prince Park will handle these evil men. He might miss his chance at diplomacy with them if he acts up. I guess we're left in a waiting game...to see how he handles the situation."

The men around the table grunted and sighed in a confused cacophony. Prince Park was a very secretive and quiet prince that kept his ordeals to himself. His name was rarely on the lips of countrymen, and if it was, it was only because of trading transactions that his castle made with the other two territories.

Prince Jeon and Prince Kim had never met the mysterious Stone Prince before; they did not even know what he looked like. In fact, none of the three princes had ever formally met. Instead, they relied upon their messengers and loose gossip to know what was happening in the different regions of Noirwood.

"Sir, I suggest we send a messenger out promptly to inform the Stone Prince of the news." One of Jungkook's closest advisors stated plainly. "Not saying a warning from us will make him choose diplomacy over violence, but it's worth a shot."

"Of course, of course..." Jungkook trailed off in thought, trying to picture the Stone Prince in his mind. Nothing came to thought. All Jungkook knew was that the man was a great swordsman. "I'm not sure if he will listen though. He never responds to any of our messages. He might think it's a sham...we haven't seen rebel activity from the northern front since my father was Oak Prince. But we have no other choice. Someone call for a messenger."

Many advisors silently expressed their agreement--there was nothing more for them to do but wait on the Stone Prince. As Jungkook rolled up the map, a messenger was admitted into the room to collect the news for dispersion. Jungkook tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to sit at the table next to him.

"I would also like for you to drop by Prince Kim's castle and inform him of the news. Although this might not even impact him, I think he has a right to know." Jungkook paused and looked out the window at the orange sun that had risen not too long ago. "Oh, and also...bring him one of the finest wines from the cellar--the ones we reserve for the best guests. He won't pay heed to my words unless he has a bit of alcohol in him."

The messenger nodded curtly and left the room. Jungkook walked in troubled thought towards the open window and looked north in the direction of the other two castles of Noirwood. He had no idea how both of his counterparts were going to take the news. Jungkook himself did not even know how to take the news.

In a sense, he felt like it was his fault that this was happening to the kingdom. The pact--the original pact that had split the three sections of the kingdom between the three princes--was falling apart. Because of him. Now someone else was trying to seize control of his lands...

Jungkook's uncle.

If only his father were there to stop Prince Jeon's uncle from trying to take over the entire kingdom. But his father had died years ago, slain by a drunken haggler on the path to the northern woods. Apparently, the man who'd slain his father mistook him for a thief because of his wealthy appearance. Because of the terrible mistake, Jungkook rose to the throne at such an early age...and now he was being tested by evil once more.

'Dad...What would you say if I told you Uncle Jeon was back to take over the kingdom? Your brother knows what I've done. I've ruined everything!' Jungkook thought.

'Now that the kingdom is split three ways...

It will be even harder to defend.'

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