The silver-coated steel came slashing down, slicing the air in half. Beads of sweat flying off the red-headed young man as his body was trying to cool itself from the heat.
Ashkan panted hard as he was straightening his back letting his grip loosen on the hilt of the sword and bringing it down beside his tall slim figure.
"Okay, Let's call it a day." His trainer said as he clapped his hands in satisfaction at the red-headed boy's sword dance. "You are getting better by the day Your Highness. Your stance is a lot better than before too." he rubbed his gray beard that showed a hint of its original color that he used to have back in the old days.
"You think so!" Ashkan said wiping the sweat that was falling in his eyes with the back of his hands as he placed the sword back in its sheath with the other.
The old man chuckled in that grandfatherly sort of way and said "I can still remember the day when your sword got stuck in the tree bark and you couldn't take it out."
"T-teacher, you should forget that already!" Ashkan said as the same memory popped up in his head. Honestly, he was an utter mess.
He was small, thin, and weak. The sword weighed almost the same as him which used to give him a hard time carrying it. but now, he was tall and slim with a good percentage of muscles on him making the sword weight almost nothing in his grip now.
"I watched you as you grow up into the handsome young man you are," he said, "there is no way I can forget. I feel almost like a father to you." He said patting the younger on his shoulder.
"Speaking of the devil!"
Ashkan turned to look over his shoulder following his teacher's line of sight to find his father Javid walking up to them with a smile on his face.
And yes, that was right. Javid is smiling at his son.
As time passed and Ashkan grew older, the threat to him was now gone. Not because his brothers have forgotten about the throne no, they are just too busy thinking about a way to invade Kemet.
With Azar joining their little community of birds with the Raven as the leader, they got too excited with all the information that they are getting.
Azar was getting them all the information that they needed to know, the man honestly had a talent for spying and gathering useful information.
They were just blind to see one thing…
"Someone's working hard." Javid smiled handing his son a handkerchief to wipe his sweat which he gladly took.
"I can't let myself go back to being weak." Ashkan chuckled tucking the handkerchief in the pocket of his pants that was underneath the chainmail that he was wearing and then turned to look at his father, he was now as tall as his father looking him straight in his eyes with no need to raise his head up.
Javid gave him a small smile before turning back to his normal formal-looking face, it wasn't a pissed off kind of expression, it was more like an emotionless one.
After all, he used to keep this expression up a lot while dealing with his brothers, father, captain Bijan, and literally everyone else in the palace, and because of that, he was called an Owl.
He was lonely, with no one he loves or someone to love him and he wears dark shades only. To them, this title suited him more than being Crown Prince.
"There is something that you would love to hear," Javid smirked playfully.
Ashkan tilted his head at his father, that same move he always does when he doesn't get something. His father didn't need him to talk to understand that.
Watching his son grow up was enough for him to know things about him that can never be said with words. He started to let his son in a little more during these past 10 years.
When he thought about making his son grow apart from him and a threat that he wasn't even sure of, he found that he can never do it. He found that he will regret it forever and it will be the same as back then when he stood by and watched the worst decision he made take place.
He shrugged those thoughts off and looked back at his son. "A letter came in this morning."
"An invitation to Korea."
~~~~
"It's the 2nd Prince!" A guard yelled from behind the palace gates. "Open the gates!"
He yelled making other guards run to the gates and pulling it open. In the not too far horizon, they could see the horses that are coming towards them at full speed never caring about the people who were walking in the streets. Causing them to scatter on the sides of the streets to give space for their prince and his escorts to pass.
The prince and his escort not slowing done a bit rushed through the gates making men step back out of their horse's hooves.
"Welcome home Your Highness!" said the servant who was ordered to welcome the prince.
Joon Wo not even a glance down at the man got down from his saddle and walked inside the palace that he could barely remember now.
"Your Highness!" Dong Hyun said from atop his horse. "Please return quickly because we will miss you." He mocked as he turned his horse to head out of the gates followed with the other couple of men that came all the way here to escort the 2nd prince and then head back.
"Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you in her chambers, Your Highness." The servant said looking down in the dirt having chills from the glares that the prince was giving.
"Lead the way." Joon Wo said. The only reason he said this was because he didn't remember the way anymore here. The realization that a decade has already passed hit him hard, it wasn't the first time that he got that feeling, he got it every now and then whenever he would think of the past and especially when he thinks of his childhood crush…Nefertari.
He walked a few steps behind the servant, nostalgia hitting him hard as he passed the hallways that he spent the first part of his childhood in. Slowly the memories came back to him, memories he thought that he forgot forever and would never come back.
He was bought back to reality when he almost crashed into the servant who came to a stop in front of the Queen's chambers.
He knocked and opened the door when he heard a reply coming from inside. He stepped aside giving room for the prince to go in and after he was inside, he slid the door shut.
"Greetings mother." Joon Wo said holding his head low as he greeted his mother, the mother that didn't even ask on him for once during the past decade.
He was surprised at how calm he was in front of her, he thought that he might have a mental break down when he is in her presence. Not only his mother's presence but also, his sister Jae I.
He noticed her presence in the corner of his eye as he held his head up straight again. Her gaze was digging a hole in his figure, it was a look filled with longing, anger, and relief.
He couldn't say which sensation was more dominant. He looked back at his sister, taking in how she grew up to be a lady now. "Greetings sister."
"Oh, son!" Queen Eun Ae exclaimed. "Look at you and how much you've grown."
If only you cared to ask for me before now you would've seen me grow, he almost hissed out loud. He took deep breaths trying to keep his composure.
"Welcome home brother." His sister said smiling weakly, not sure if it was sincere or not but one thing, he did know was that the word home was starting to sound like poison every time he hears it.
"Have a seat son."
And so, he followed her order and sat across from both of them and crossing his legs on the cushion.
"May I know why I was invited for the Chuseok, Your Majesty." He said looking right in his mother's eyes with a blank stare showing no emotions.
She was taken aback, she guessed that he must have turned to be a calm mature man but this…there is a bloody dark aura emitting from him.
"I haven't seen my son for 10 years so what's wrong with wanting to see him now?" she faked a smile as she took a sip of her tea. "Don't you think so too daughter?"
"Yes, mother." She said. As usual, she was the obedient girl Joon Wo thought and he didn't care to hide the smirk on his face.
"As expected," She smirked. "you are as sharp as ever my son, 10 years with the wolves have turned into one."
He kept silent, despite all the time that passed he still knew how his mother talked and how she liked to pip talk before she would say her illogical request.
"It's time to make you king my boy."