it could have been a peaceful and tranquil afternoon, one during which you could take a stroll across the royal gardens in silence, to enjoy the cool spring breeze and listen to the singing of the birds, but unfortunately, it wasn't that kind of afternoon.

that day, the sound of steel clashing against steel accompanied with the grunts of two men was all you could hear across the royal gardens as the two members of the royal family practiced sword fighting together, taking advantage of the nice weather to practice outside and not in the dedicated dojo.

a few more minutes of metallic noises disturbed the atmosphere before the sound of a sword falling to the gravel floor signed the end of the fight.

the two people looked at each other in the eyes, the taller of the two focused on the sword that was pointed at his chest while the smaller blinked in amazement. both were panting hard, taking their time to regain their breaths before the smaller boy lowered his sword and put it back inside its scabbard.

and as soon as the sword was back in his cover, the smaller was engulfed in a hug by the taller male, this time fully knocking the little bit of air he had left in his lungs.

"i'm so proud of you, my son!" the taller spoke, tightening his embrace around his son's body. "you improved so fast... how many times have you been able to disarm me today? at least ten times! and you're still only nine years old!"

the young child giggled, hugging his father back with care before pulling away and bending to grab his father's sword.

"it's because i have the best teacher, father." he replied, handing his father back his sword.

"i'm going to make you the greatest swordsmen of the silver age, that's for sure." the father spoke proudly, ruffling his son's hair. "no one will ever dare defying you or opposing to your future decisions."

their father-son interaction was unfortunately interrupted by a few royal guards who made their presence known with a small cough.

"your majesty, your highness. the queen is waiting for you for the afternoon tea you planned in the royal salon." the guard informed.

"you can inform her that we will be coming shortly." the king replied immediately, barely glancing at the royal guards who simply bowed and left after those words had been pronounced.

the king flashed his son a bright smile after the guards' departure, placing a comforting hand on the younger's shoulder.

"let's stop our training there today. you were amazing, mark."

"thank you, father." the prince replied.

"now, we'll have to tell the queen about all of the improvements you made. and we'll have to celebrate this first time you've been able to disarm me so easily!" the monarch added, his arm now wrapping around his nine-year old son's shoulders before pulling him back inside the castle where they would be able to change clothes and get in proper attire for a well-deserved afternoon tea with the queen, and a small celebration of prince mark's sword fighting exploits. 

as soon as he was changed in proper clothes, the young prince ran across the vast halls of the castle he lived in since his birth, reaching the royal salon in a matter of seconds, and smiling brightly at the sight of his mother seated in one of the beautifully embroidered sofas.

"mother!" he exclaimed before rushing to her side and plopping on the sofa, causing her to bounce on it slightly.

"calm down mark, i'm not going anywhere." the queen replied with a small chuckle, seeing her overjoyed son. "and where is your father?"

"father is changing, he is coming in a minute." mark replied immediately. "but you won't believe what i did today during sword training with father!"

"tell me, my little gem." the queen asked her son, letting her delicate hand caress the side of her son's face.

"i managed to disarm him!" mark exclaimed. "and not only once! at least ten times!"

"well done, my love. you must be so proud of yourself." his mother spoke with a smile never leaving her face.

"of course!" mark nodded. "father even said that i'd be able to become one of the best swordsmen of the silver age!"

"huh, i remember saying the greatest swordsman." a third voice interrupted the mother-son discussion, causing the two royals to divert their attention towards the king who had just stepped inside the royal salon.

"father!" mark bounced on the sofa in happiness. "tell mother how good i was during training today!"

"don't worry, little fighter, i won't omit a detail." the king announced, taking a seat on the heavy armchair that was in front of the sofa.

before the conversation could go further, the kind lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, giving the 'go' for the servants to bring the tea they had been promised.

a couple of people entered the royal salon, setting a few silver platters full of beautiful and delicious pastries on the table before other servants brought the teapot and three cups.

the tea was served in the three cups very carefully, the servants making sure that no drop stained the expensive table on which they would be having their afternoon tea.

"can you bring me my sugar, please?" the king questioned once the servant had placed the cup of tea in front of him.

"right away, your majesty." the servant bowed before heading back to the kitchen where they would be able to find the king's sugar bowl.

"i thought we had agreed that you would slow down on sugar." the queen spoke with a brow raised, causing the king to chuckle.

"yes, but today is a special day. we need to celebrate mark's exploits." the king explained, flashing a smile at his son who nodded happily.

"but still, that much sugar isn't good for your condition, you know it." the queen insisted, recalling how the king's personal doctor had advised him to tone down the sugar because it might worsen his medical condition.

"just for today, to celebrate mark's exploits. i'll stop for real tomorrow." the king pleaded, almost pouting at the queen who couldn't help but sigh in defeat.

"just today, then." she said, making the king grin as the servant approached him while carrying his sugar bowl on a silver platter.

"how many spoons, your majesty?" the servant asked, taking the small spoon in their hand.

"four." "two." the king and the queen spoke together, looking into each other's eyes amusingly.

"make it three." mark stated, earning a nod from the servant who then proceeded to put three spoons of sugar in the tea. and that being done the servant bowed before leaving the three royals together for their little family bonding.

"so, i heard mark was amazing today." the queen declared, taking a sip of her tea while looking at her husband.

"amazing is not enough to describe how well he handled today's session." the king retorted, swirling his spoon in his cup of tea to mix the sugar. "mark was phenomenal. i never imagined he could reach that level at such a young age."

"this is very good mark." the queen spoke proudly, looking at her son with a fond smile.

"mmh." mark simply hummed, having stuffed inside his mouth one of the perfectly baked pastries that the royal chefs had made for their tea.

"you should come and see our next training. mark will truly impress you." the king invited, taking a sip of his tea and humming in satisfaction at its sweet taste. it was rare of him to have tea with sugar because of his condition, and it always tasted so much better with sugar.

"i don't doubt it." the queen replied with a smile, patting her son's head lovingly.

and this is how the afternoon went on for the royal family, leading the kingdom of aes.

full of joy, laughter and love, just like it had always been.

♕

at the same time, on the other side of the kingdom, far away in the lands of aes, still owned and ruled by the king and the queen, an eight-year-old boy wearing worn out clothes was sat directly on the ground, in front of a small pile of earth and surrounded by dozens of other similar heaps of soil.

this place didn't breathe joy, laughter and love, but instead something like sadness, desperation and hate. well, this place was the non-royal cemetery of the kingdom of aes, so how could something else than all those negative emotions come out of it?

the eight-year-old was too familiar with this place where people weren't properly buried and given tombstones. he came here multiple times a week, as an escape from his daily life, and as a way to speak with someone dear to him that he had lost a bit more than a year ago.

"mom..." the boy breathed out, looking sadly at the pile of earth under which he had helped his father bury his mother after her death. "...i am so sorry, mom... i lost it..."

the little boy was referring to a bracelet; a golden chain on which was dangling one half of a sun. this was something way to luxurious and expensive for the peasant that the little boy and his family was, and the boy could have sold it for a lot of money to help his father get out of the hardships they were facing, but the thought had never crossed his mind.

this small jewel had been a present from his mother, one that she had gifted him when he was sill alive, and mostly a family jewel that had been transmitted with the generations passing. the jewel came in two similar bracelets with their half-sun pendants. and their particularity was that the pendants completed each other, fitting like puzzle pieces and forming a full sun once brought together.

and for that, the little boy's mother had kept one for her, then sealing one around her son's wrist. but her son was still young and small, and the adult-size bracelet slipped off his wrist so easily... the young male had learnt with time to always check whether the bracelet was around his wrist or not, but unfortunately this time, he hadn't been as careful as all other times, and it seemed like the bracelet had been able to slip away without him noticing.

"i-i looked everywhere, mom... i... i don't know where or when i lost it..." the little boy spoke, a few tears escaping his eyes. "i-i'm so sorry..." he continued. "i promise i'll find it again... i'll search everywhere for it." he assured.

a cool breeze made the boy shiver, causing him to wrap his arms tighter around his body. the few pieces of fabric he had over his shoulders were definitely not appropriate for the cold weather that was coming, but he didn't have much more.

"mom, i can't live without a piece of you with me." the young male spoke, ignoring the cold making its way into his bones. "i...i will wear yours in the meantime. and as soon as i'll find my part of the bracelet again, i will bring it back to you, i promise."

the young male reached forward, towards the end of the pile of earth, where a small rock had been placed for the family and friend to place flowers and gifts for the deceased. with a shaky hand, he reached for the golden jewel with a half-sun pendant that he had removed from his mother's wrist and placed on the rock after her death.

"thank you for always watching for me, mom." the boy spoke barely above a whisper as he slid his hand through the bracelet, not needing to open it with how loose it was on his small wrist. "i love you. and i miss you."

knowing that he was reaching the end of his free-time period, the young male left the cemetery and ran back towards the small village in which he lived – one of the countless villages belonging to the kingdom of aes for the simple reason that they were on the kingdom's territory.

the eight-year-old arrived home after a dozen minutes out of breath, his hand immediately reaching for his wrist to check whether the bracelet was still there – and a relieved sigh slipped past his lips when he realised it was the case.

"oh, donghyuck!" a voice called, catching the attention of the young male.

"yes?" he replied, turning around to meet eyes with one of his father's friends.

"your dad was looking for you. i think they need help in the kitchens."

"i'll go there, then." the boy – donghyuck – replied immediately, running towards the larger house at the middle of the village, the village's restaurant where food and drinks were served, and where most inhabitants of this zone of the kingdom came to eat every day.

donghyuck pushed the front door open, revealing a wide space in which many used wooden tables and chairs had been spread around the room to create a nice dining area.

"son, you're here!" a voice called.

the young boy's face immediately brightened at the sight of his father seated around a table with a few of his friends, and he didn't wait a second to rush to his side.

"i'm here, dad." he said with a smile. "you needed me?"

"yes, boy." donghyuck's father patted his son's shoulder before turning him towards another young male which was around his age. "meet mujin. he's myunghae's son. you remember myunghae, right?" he added, gesturing towards one of his friends around the table that donghyuck did recognise.

"mmh." the boy hummed, waving at the elder.

"so, mujin will help with the cooking as well today. can you show him around. he's your age, so you guys will be friends easily."

"okay..." donghyuck nodded, diverting his eyes from his father to look at the other young male who was dressed in a similar attire as donghyuck's – and as all of the people there.

the young tanned male approached the other guy with a small smile, inviting him to follow him to the kitchens where donghyuck often came to help the few people cooking there.

donghyuck didn't particularly enjoy cooking, but he had learnt how to do it pretty nicely, and it allowed him and his father to have lunches and dinners without needing to pay for their food, so it was very beneficial for them, and he believes this was why mujin's father had also decided to make mujin help with the kitchen work.

"i don't know how to cook." mujin declared as donghyuck and him were washing their hands and wearing aprons.

"it's okay. they rarely let me approach the pans here. most of the time, what i do is cutting vegetables." donghyuck replied. "that you can do?"

"yes." the other male replied with a nod, not pushing the conversation further.

the two young males stood side by side, each of them with a knife in hand as they chopped the vegetables that were given to them.

a knock came on the window after a few minutes, making the two of them lift their heads.

"food delivery!"

donghyuck and mujin both left their vegetables to go out and greet the guy in silver-lined clothes that was in front of them, sitting on a horse.

the royal guard – he couldn't be anything else considering his clothes – dropped a few heavy bags at donghyuck and mujin's feet before clearing his throat.

"meat and vegetables for the village. next delivery will be in three days."

the two young males bowed as the royal guard instructed his horse to start walking, and as he disappeared from their sights.

kingdoms had lots of flaws, and as amazing as life seemed for royals, the peasants living on their land were usually close to misery.

the kingdom of aes was no exception to that. just like in any kingdom, there was no redistribution of the wealth, no free going out and coming into the territory, and peasants' lives were miserable. but there was one thing that the kingdom of aes was admired for, and that was feeding its population.

with how vast aes' lands were, they could cultivate lots of different species of vegetables and feculent, and they had huge hunt zones and farms for meat. and so, they always made sure to give to every village inside the kingdom enough food to survive. it may not always be enough to feel everyone, but it was already a big help, and the peasants had to spend considerably less money on buying new food.

this was one of the reasons why the kingdom of aes was popular, and why lots of people loved to live during the silver age, the age of the lee dynasty, when life was much less miserable than it could be.

"more food has been delivered!" donghyuck announced as he dropped one of the heavy bags in the kitchen, followed closely by mujin.

"oh, god bless the king!" one of the women working in the kitchen exclaimed, immediately opening the bag to see what they would be able to cook in the next days.

soon, all of the delivered foods had been brought inside the kitchen and donghyuck and mujin were back to their chopping activities in silence.

and afterwards, they were able to join their fathers around the table to dig in the food they had prepared and have drinks in a convivial moment.

and this is how the evening went on for the inhabitants of donghyuck's small village.

sharing a nice – but quite small – dinner, surrounded by friends and with nice drinks before going back to the misery of their lives, just like it has always been.

after a year of inactivity...
@raafirafya it's finally here