On the eve of her birthday, Kei-shuk attempts to assassinate Princess Yona, only to be thwarted by Soo-won. Canon divergence, where Il does not die.
Prologue
Soo-won's week at Hiryuu Castle had been taxing to say the least, but it was nothing compared to what was to come tomorrow night after the celebrations of Yona's sixteenth birthday party. He took out his father's sword from its customary position on his belt, and examined it.
Tomorrow at this very hour, his life would be completely changed. Would he be strong enough to do what was necessary when the time came?
No… the question was never about whether he could do it, he already knew he was capable of it. Every time he saw Il's face, he was reminded of that night, and he knew what had to be done. What's more, he knew he could carry it out emotionlessly without being swallowed up by the consequences.
When was it that he had developed the ability to detach himself from his emotions at will? Was it the night his world was torn asunder because he had inadvertently seen the father he worshipped murdered by the uncle he loved? Was it later, when the burden of keeping the knowledge of his father's murder to himself threatened to swallow him whole? Or perhaps he had always had the innate ability before any of this started. He didn't know.
Soo-won had been a curious child. Much like the mischievous Hak, he often sneaked out of his home without permission to explore the neighboring towns. But unlike Hak, he rarely got caught, and he kept getting bolder and bolder. On the day of his father's murder ten years ago, he sneaked into the supply caravan that was travelling with his father on a business trip to Awa. He had never visited the port town, and well, he barely ever got to see his father. Perhaps Lord Yu-hon would be impressed enough by his stealth skills to forgive him for his transgression.
Lord Yu-hon and his guards went ahead in their horses, and by the time the supply caravan reached the inn in Awa, it was already nightfall. He knew he would get an earful from his father's guards if he got caught, and he really wanted to impress Yu-hon, so instead of going through the entrance of the inn, he climbed a tree to get to the second floor. The sight that greeted him from the window of his father's room wasn't one he would likely ever forget.
His father was facing him, scrunched up in agony with a sword through his heart. And the person who had stabbed him was none other than his uncle, King Il.
He thought he was having a nightmare. His father, the invincible Prince Yu-hon, who had bested thousands of warriors on the battlefield and led the kingdom to unfettered glory, had been stabbed? Plus, there was no way his peace-loving weapon-hating uncle would ever hurt anyone, not to mention his father. His father loved King Il, and supported him wholeheartedly. Why would Il hurt him? This wasn't real! If Soo-won went through the window into the room, he would probably wake up from the dream. Bad dreams always ended at the worst parts!
But as he made to move, his father saw him. He saw Yu-hon's face change from agony to fear. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Soo-won knew by instinct what he was saying. Don't you dare move from that spot, Soo-won. If you move you will die.
At that moment, Soo-won knew this was no dream. Instead, he stayed rooted to that spot on the tree, tears streaming down his face, disobeying every instinct in his body that told him to run to his father. He watched the life leave his father. His courageous, strong father was no more…
He didn't know how he managed to make it back to Kuuto without being seen. All he knew was that if Il realized he was there at Awa during his father's murder, his life was as good as gone.
The news had not reached Kuuto by the time he made it back. His mother was incredibly worried about Soo-won's sudden disappearance of course, but other than that, nothing.
So when Yu-hon's death was hailed as an unfortunate boating accident in Awa, he pretended he knew nothing, driven by the fear that if he told anyone what he had witnessed, they would die too. During his period of mourning, he avoided Yona and Hak. If he saw them, he was sure he would break down and tell them everything. They could never know, especially not Yona. If he told Yona, would she believe him or her own father? Hak would believe him, Soo-won was sure, but what would telling him achieve but put both their lives at risk?
For a time, he wasn't even sure what he had seen. Had his kind, loving uncle truly killed his brother? It seemed completely incomprehensible. What reason could he possibly have? As far as he knew they were on perfectly good terms with each other. King Il ruled the kingdom with his policies, while Lord Yu-hon had strengthened the borders through conquests. They had seemed to make the perfect combination…
Perhaps his father was the one at fault? Had he committed some treason against the kingdom? Soo-won investigated. On the pretense of understanding his father's estate, which he would take over when he was of age, he went through his father's documents, spoke to his father's men and went on various trips around the kingdom. In the process, he discovered many things…
He would accomplish what he had set out to do, no matter who stood in his way. But it was not something he could do as an ordinary noble. However, as long as King Il was alive, he would never stand to see Soo-won on the throne. And so, his path was already set.
Soo-won knew he could do it, he was sure of it. But there would be a heavy price to pay.
Hak would never forgive him. He would no longer be at his side.
And Yona… sweet, untarnished, innocent Yona who hardly knew life outside the castle. Would he make her relive the same pain he had ten years ago? He only wished he had a way to spare her, but there were none.
He had allies now who were counting on him to accomplish what he set out to do. He would have to remain strong.
He had allowed himself this week to say his goodbyes. He had let himself pretend that things were the same as ten years ago. He trained with Hak, walked around castle grounds with Yona, fed Gulfan together with both of them. He acted like there were no barriers between them. But who was he kidding? The Soo-won they had known as a child had been gone for a long time now.
It was hard to pretend with Hak. When Hak had told him to rule together with Yona a few days ago, he had almost broken down and told him everything. But he had restrained himself.
"I will protect you and the Princess until I die." Hak had told him.
After tomorrow, you will never want to see my face again, my friend, he thought.
Soo-won sighed and resheathed his sword. He would walk around the castle. He needed to clear his head if he wanted to catch a few hours of sleep.
Unsurprisingly, he ran into Hak, still hard at work in the training grounds at this late hour. "As diligent as ever, Hak."
Hak paused mid-strike and looked back with a smirk, "If I can't do at least this much, I can't expect to keep beating you, can I?"
Soo-won pouted in mock indignation. "We're evenly matched!"
"But if we were fighting seriously, I would beat you every time."
Soo-won smiled, "That's true. But that's why you're my goal, Hak."
Hak scratched his head and looked embarrassed. "You're still on about that?"
Swinging his glaive around, Hak jerked his head in the direction of the training grounds. "How about it? Want to train with me now?"
Soo-won laughed. "I wish I had your energy, Hak. I think I will pass tonight. I'm going to walk around a bit and then sleep."
"Suit yourself." Then in a teasing voice he added, "But don't expect to reach your goal just by walking around, Lord Soo-won."
Soo-won laughed. "I will keep that in mind, General."
Why was it so easy to pretend everything was normal with Hak? He had distanced himself from his friend over the last few years, but was he truly ready to give it all up? He supposed that was a pointless question…
Hoping there was a way to keep Hak and Yona by his side while still going through with his plan was merely wishful thinking. That was greed. Life wasn't that simple.
He had wandered over to the other end of the castle without noticing, near Il and Yona's quarters.
He felt a strange sense of disquiet. The guards loyal to him were to perform their regular duties tonight. And yet, there were no guards around here. Forget his own men, he didn't see any of the king's men either. What was going on?
A few nights ago, when Yona had unexpectedly barged into his room, she had been frightened that someone was pursuing her. He had genuinely thought she had imagined it from the sounds of the sudden storm that night, but… An image abruptly popped into his mind, unbidden.
His Chief of Staff, Kei-shuk. He was a knowledgeable man, but his ideas of how things should be run often differed greatly from his own. For example, Kei-shuk was strongly of the opinion that both Hak and Princess Yona should be done away with at the same time as King Il, which perhaps made sense logically but it was something which Soo-won fundamentally disagreed with, not to mention-
Soo-won heard a strangled scream. He would recognize that voice anywhere.
He rushed in the direction of Yona's room, his heart filled with dread. I'd wanted to spare her, somehow. Kei-shuk, don't you dare-
Yona was cowering against the wall, a knife inches from her throat, her mouth covered. He barely realized that he had picked Kei-shuk up and knocked him to the floor. His eyes were ice, "What do you think you're doing, Kei-shuk?"
"L-Lord Soo-won," the black haired man stuttered. "I merely-"
Soo-won didn't let him speak, instead moving to take him outside. "I hope you realize that trying to kill the princess is high treason, Kei-shuk."
A hand grabbed his sleeve from behind. "S-Soo-won…" Yona managed between sobs.
Soo-won dropped Kei-shuk and wrapped Yona with his cloak. "I'll be back after I take care of this man, alright? I'll be right outside, so no one can get in."
Once outside, he summoned his guards, Mu-ah and Gyo-ku. "Kei-shuk, you will be placed under house arrest until I decide a suitable form of punishment for you. Normally, a crime like this would call for immediate execution, but on account of all the services you have provided for my father and I, I am making an exception. Mu-ah and Gyo-ku, I want you to escort Kei-shuk to his house."
Kei-shuk bowed his head in shame, "Lord Soo-won, I merely wanted to make things easier for you…"
"I can understand your motivations, but I never remember authorizing you to do such a thing." Soo-won said coldly. "Remember what we are here for. You have jeopardized our entire mission."
Mu-ah tried to argue for Kei-shuk's sake, but Soo-won ignored him.
When he went back to Yona, he found her in the same spot by the wall, shaking and sobbing. He put her to bed, but she clung to him. He stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. "Everything's alright now, Yona. You are safe."
He sighed internally. He was a hypocrite, wasn't he? He was prepared to kill Yona's father in cold blood, but he had fired his Chief of Staff for trying to do the same to Yona. Well, what Soo-won had done was the correct decision. He didn't know what Kei-shuk, normally a level-headed person, was thinking by attempting to kill Yona the night before their mission to assassinate Il, not to mention the day before Yona's big celebratory birthday bash. Had his hatred for the current regime clouded his judgement? If Yona was murdered, not only would Il have doubled his guards, in the resulting confusion, he would have more than likely discovered their assassination plot. Killing Yona today would have offered them no advantage.
But he had to admit that when he heard Yona scream, his heart stopped. The prospect of her death frightened him. The girl who always greeted him with a smile, who ran to him whenever he came to visit, who was always a source of warmth for him.
And so he found himself asking again, was he truly prepared to completely lose Yona and Hak from his life? The fact that he had distanced himself from them for years was irrelevant.
Yona had calmed down considerably. "Who was that man? Why was he trying to kill me? W-was it to hurt my father somehow? Just like when my mother was killed?"
"I don't know, Yona." He said immediately, almost mechanically. "But I will make sure that this doesn't happen again."
She snuggled into his chest and whispered. "Don't ever leave me, Soo-won. I can't bear to lose you."
He stiffened. Her comment angered him. Of course, she didn't know anything, so his anger was misdirected, but she was so naïve! If only things were that simple!
Yona's eyes widened and she backed away from him. Had he said that out aloud? She suddenly looked scared of him. This had been a problem on his trip this time, he kept saying too much. His mask kept slipping in and out, both with Hak and Yona.
He ran a hand through his hair, irritated with himself, "I'm sorry, Yona. I didn't mean to say that."
She looked up at him for a few moments with those big, clear lavender eyes of hers. He was taken aback by their intensity. He put up his customary smile, "Um, is something wrong?"
She was smiling back at him, but her smile looked sad, "Soo-won. It's okay to say what you actually think and not what you want me to hear, you know. I am not that weak. Lately, I feel like I never know the difference between the real Soo-won and the one Soo-won wants to show to the world."
He felt like the floor had given out from underneath him. She had noticed that much?
She touched his hand lightly. "It's okay to tell people things. If not me, you could at least tell Hak. He would listen."
Soo-won said nothing.
"I tried to tell you the other day, but you ignored me. I wasn't going to bring it up again, at least not for a while, but, after nearly being killed today, I think I would rather not live with any regrets." She said quietly. "I love you, Soo-won."
He already knew that, even though he had tried to ignore it. But what she loved wasn't really him, was it? He laughed nervously, "Of course you love me, Yona. Ahahaha. We are family after all!"
"Stupid Soo-won. You know that's not what I meant, stop pretending!" Yona pouted angrily, her cheeks puffing up like a squirrel's. "Hmph, I totally take back what I said. I hate you!"
Soo-won stared at Yona for a second, shocked by her abrupt transition. Then he spontaneously burst out laughing.
He didn't know why he found that hysterically funny. Was it how Yona had gone from declaring her love for him to 'hating' him in a few successive sentences? Or was it how she had the ability to transition from deeply insightful adult to a complete child in mere minutes? In some ways, Yona had grown up, but in other ways, she had maintained her child-like innocence.
Before he knew what he was doing, he was poking Yona's bloated cheeks. He could not stop smiling. "You are too cute, Yona."
"Geez, stop treating me like a child!" She was still pouting, but she seemed happy.
But you are still a child, he thought.
Yona sighed. "Well whatever, it's fine. Even if you don't accept my feelings, as long as I can be by your side, I'll be happy with that." She was smiling at him.
He felt his cheeks heat up. Again, he felt unsteady, like the feeling of vertigo. How did she have the ability to destabilize him so easily? This stubborn princess with a heart of gold and warmth like the sun who he kept underestimating.
In a split second, he had made his decision.
Soo-won grabbed both of Yona's hands. "Will you marry me, Yona?" It would slow down his plans considerably, and probably anger some of his allies, but he had to make it work.
She clearly wasn't expecting that. First she looked shocked, then puzzled, and then flat out angry. "Don't joke about something like that."
"I was being serious."
"Yeah right. You've never seen me in that light. That's not how marriage works."
I never thought I had the option to see you like that, he thought.
She buried herself in her blanket. "I'm going to sleep, Soo-won. I'm tired. Can you leave?"
"Would you hear me out for a few minutes, please?" he asked gently.
"No," she said flatly. He touched her shoulder but she refused to turn her head toward him.
He realized belatedly that she was crying. "Yona…"
"I've dreamed about getting married to you since I was six years old." She mumbled through her pillow eventually, when she realized he made no sign of leaving. "But I never wanted it to happen like this. Why are you asking now?"
"Because I want to rule the kingdom with you by my side. I know this isn't the ideal marriage proposal but I promise to take care of you."
Yona turned around to look at him. Soo-won felt uncomfortable under her searching gaze but he held his ground, "It doesn't have to be right now. It could be a year from now, or even several years from now. It's whenever you want."
Soo-won had no delusions about the fact that he was being manipulative. He was utilizing her love for him to get what he wanted. But wasn't it far better than the alternative?
He wondered then briefly. Did the fact that he felt entitled to the throne make him a terrible person? He automatically assumed he would be a better ruler than Il, or anyone else Yona might select for that matter. Was he becoming exceedingly arrogant?
"I will marry you, Soo-won." Yona's voice broke the silence, and for a few moments Soo-won forgot to breathe.
He smiled at her, "You don't have to answer me right away, you know."
"Well, I just did." She stuck out her tongue at him a bit defiantly. "In any case, it doesn't matter what I say, because you will have to convince Father."
Soo-won's expression hardened for a millisecond.
"How will you convince him?"
He pretended to think about it. "Hmmm, I don't know. I'll figure something out."
He ran into Hak on his way out.
"I heard someone tried to hurt the Princess." Hak said. "Is she alright?"
Hak slammed his fist against a pillar in fury when Soo-won explained the situation briefly. "I was careless. I can't believe I didn't notice anything was amiss."
Soo-won touched his shoulder. "It's alright, Hak. I didn't either. We should just increase our vigilance from now on."
Leaving Hak on guard at Yona's door, Soo-won entered the King's spacious chambers.
The king awoke with a start at his approach. It took him a moment to recognize him in the dim light, but when he did his voice was laced with fear. Did the king already suspect that he knew the truth? "S-Soo-won, what are you doing here at this late hour? Where are my guards?"
Pitiful King Il, did you really not notice how I systematically replaced some of your own guards with my own? Or has this so-called peace made you so complacent that you ignored it? When he was alone with the king like this, it was hard for him to keep his disdain from showing, but he would need to no longer.
Without preamble he said, "King Il, tomorrow at the princess's birthday celebration you will announce me as Yona's betrothed and your successor."
Il was momentarily taken aback but he then stood up to his full height. "Who I will chose as my successor is my own decision, Soo-won. You have no right to dictate it."
Soo-won took out his sword and pointed it at Il's face. He said coldly, "Do you really think you are in a position to bargain with me? Should I choose to do it, I could cut you right there where you stand. You are no match for me. Murderer." He spat.
"W-what are you-?"
"Don't try to deny it. You were seen that night you killed my father in Awa." Oh, how difficult it had been to control himself in front of Il every time in the years that followed. Years of unrestrained emotions were coming out today, and he was worried that he would lose himself and suddenly kill Il in a fit of rage.
"You will listen to all my demands." Soo-won continued. "You do not have to relinquish your rule officially to me right away. We can agree on a suitable timeframe later. However, you will have to adhere to me on all policies and decisions. Should you try to harm me in any way, my Father's supporters will march against you. You would do better than to test my allies, because your loss is certain. After all, wasn't the frightening prospect of my father's large sphere of influence in the kingdom what drove you to murder him in the first place? His roots run deep."
King Il looked angry, defiant. All traced of pretense between them were gone, "Soo-won, what makes you think I will listen to what you say? I would sooner die than listen to your demands."
"Oh dying would be too easy. We can't have that. You will serve me till the day I die."
"You will regret this, Soo-won…" Il tried.
Soo-won smiled. "Oh, will I now? I wonder what my betrothed will think when she learns her father, who never lets her touch weapons, murdered her beloved uncle in cold blood."
And with those parting words, without looking back, Soo-won strode out of the king's chambers. He would regret nothing.
The next day, at Princess Yona's sixteenth birthday celebration, her betrothal to her cousin, Soo-won of the Sky Tribe, the deceased Prince Yu-hon's sole heir, was announced. While the announcement was sudden, it did not come as a surprise to many, and it was met with great support. Soo-won's father was well-liked even outside of the Sky Tribe, and the prospect of Soo-won's succession of the throne together with the Princess brought new hope to the people. And so history took a new turn…
End notes:
Let me know your thoughts! This is the first time I've ventured into this fandom, and the first time I've attempted to do an AU of this nature. I hope I was able to do the character's justice!
I really love the complexity of Soo-won's character in the manga. I don't really consider him to be the villain of the series. Rather I feel like his ambiguity/anti-hero qualities is what makes him all the more human and the series so interesting because you can never tell how he is going to drive the plot (because really he is the biggest plot driver). I love all the characters and the Happy Hungry Bunch, but for me what does it for me in this series is the complex dynamic of love-hate-betrayal between Soo-won and Yona & Hak. Every time Hak or Yona are in a panel with Soo-won, the conflict makes me breathless (Kusanagi-sensei does an amazing job with that I feel!).
Anyways, the royal cousins make such a good combo even when they are on opposing sides (because really while their methodology is different, they are pursuing parallel paths all the time), I can only imagine the awesomeness that would result if they were on the same side. I don't think it would be all bed and roses certainly, especially because without Soo-won's betrayal, you remove the catalyst for Yona's growth, but I am looking forward to exploring that dynamic in this fic. Hope to see you next time and please leave your feedback if you can :). Constructive feedback helps my writing a lot!