The Dance Of Swords : Shadowed Past

The prince paced inside the dimly lit room, his steps light but restless. The silence pressed in around him, thick like the sealed energy he carried within. Reaching the small table, he lifted the water jug and tilted it only to see nothing fall.

Not a drop.

He let out a quiet sigh, brushing a few strands of loose hair from his face.

"Right. No water. Seven days and seven nights."

Turning to return to his bed, suddenly his body paused mid-step.

Something was off.

He didn't move, but something in the stillness had shifted. Before a full thought could form, a sharp metallic sound sliced through the air. Without turning, he raised two fingers and caught a thin, needle-like blade that had been aimed at him. The air stirred from the force of it, tugging at the edges of his robe.

"Who?"

No answer. The silence deepened And then, everything snapped.

A sharp whistle filled the room as multiple spears came flying shot toward him from every angle, The prince moved without hesitation, ducking, sidestepping, and spinning in smooth, effortless motions. Each weapon missed by inches, slamming into the walls with solid thuds. Dust fell from the cracks, and for a few seconds, the only thing that moved was the air itself. When the last one clattered down behind him, the prince casually dusted his shoulder.

And then—

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Slow, smug applause echoed through the chamber.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," the prince muttered, turning toward the sound. "Are you satisfied now?" A familiar voice replied, "As expected of the crown prince but…."

The man raised a hand and, with a sudden pulse of energy, a long glowing spear and blue aura forming around it like lightning. He took a step back, spinning once and then hurled the spear toward him. As it tore through the air, the blue aura intensified, suddenly bursting into a furious red.

The prince's expression shifted. He crossed his arms before him, forming a shield just in time. The moment of impact sent a shockwave across the room. His robe flared, his feet dragged one step back from the force and With a flick of energy, the prince finally pushed it back.

BOOM.

The attacker was launched backward, slamming into the wall. The room went quiet again, except for the echo of crumbling dust. The prince sighed and walked forward, extending a hand.

"Now will you stop… my friend?"

The man, still sitting against the wall, looked up and smirked. He grabbed the prince's hand and got up, only to pull him into a tight hug nearly knocking the prince's balance.

"I've missed this!"

The prince didn't return the hug. "You always have strange ways of showing it."

They stood like that for a moment until the prince finally stepped back and asked, "Now, how exactly did you get inside?"

Still grinning, the man strolled over to the bed and flopped down, one arm tucked behind his head "By the way, you should exchange this mattress with mine. Too soft. I was able to sleep comfortably on it."

The prince let out a quiet sigh and walked over to him, "How did you even get in? There are guards outside. Aren't you least bit worried you might get punished too?"

The man grinned wider, rolling onto his side like a mischievous cat , "Oh, that? I already knew what your punishment would be… so I simply hid in your room before you even got here."

The prince tilted his head slightly. "And how exactly did you know that?" The man sat up, smirking like he'd been waiting to say it all day. "Because I was the one who suggested it to Uncle in the first place."

The prince narrowed his head slightly. "Daita….Did you really?"

Daita nodded with a dramatic sigh. "He was furious, I swear. He was ready to have you chained to the peak of Mount Hakkai with only thunder strikes for company for a whole month."

"Really?"

"Akira, I'm serious!" Daita leaned forward, hand over his chest "I didn't want to go another whole month without your company. So I suggested this instead. Seven days is manageable."

The room fell into a brief silence before Daita suddenly remembered something. "Ah right! " He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small cloth-wrapped object. "Here."

He placed it into the prince's hand. The prince unwrapped it slowly. A pearl hairpin. His fingers traced its surface, slow and deliberate. Watching him closely, Daita raised an eyebrow.

"You never told me why you asked me to search for this thing. Do you know how long it took? I had to send my juniors personally! They spent over six months running around the empire trying to track this down."

The prince didn't respond. He simply closed his hand around the pin, holding it tightly.

Daita leaned back on his hands, then gave a teasing grin. "Don't tell me… You're secretly in love with some girl and didn't even bother telling your best friend?"

The prince's shoulders shifted slightly, as if to scoff, then his head tilted just enough in Daita's direction.

"I should be asking you that. How many engagement invitations did you dodge in this one month?"

"Sixteen," Daita grinned. "But that's not the point, are you really not going to tell me who it's for? Wait I will guess…..Maybe a secret lover from the last festival? One of the palace maids? Or that girl who threw rose at you last spring?"

"No."

"That 'no' was suspiciously fast." Daita grinned wider. "I think you are hiding something or someone."

"Daita, don't you have someone to flirt with elsewhere?"

"There's no one else locked in a room with me right now, so you'll have to deal with it." Daita raised a brow. "Still, I'll always keep an eye on you. Because if the emotionally constipated crown prince has finally fallen in love, it could very well affect future of Shenghara."

"How will it affect the future?"

"Yes, obviously! What if you run away with your Secret love and leaving everything behind? I can't let that happen. Also," Daita leaned closer, lowering his voice "I don't trust your taste. You'd probably pick the worst possible person."

The prince huffed. "Really? Coming from the man who's promised marriage to every governor's daughter in the empire?"

"Promises are just fancy words," Daita shrugged. "Besides, if you really ask my type, I'd say someone quiet, elegant… strong like me, but not stubborn. And most importantly, someone who doesn't create chaos wherever she walks."

The prince gave him a long look and sighed, shaking his head, "You should just marry a statue."

Daita gasped. "A statue? Are you saying I deserve someone made of stone?"

"You said quiet, strong, and zero chaos. That's basically a garden statue."

"Garden statue…"