THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 09: Dreams.
By: CEO. FT Ennice.
“Shall we have a duel together?” All sounds around were cut off. Charan narrowed his eyes as he considered his opponent’s stance, facing Young Prince, a small prince from the Atsawathewathin family who had been sent without being able to prepare himself.
“…”
“If you win, you can have anything you want from me.” Khanin did not show any mercy at the moment when they were both sizing each other up.
Khanin’s words tickled Charan’s sense of curiosity, he squinted his eyes a little and carefully observed the conversation’s tone. He tried to assess the young man’s stance. Charan was not sure if Khanin knew the real tradition of Emmaly or not.
This sword battle, Khanin is the party holding the better hand because due to his royal bloodline, Charan must comply with all demands without reason or condition.
But if Khanin loses, they will not have the right to make any agreements or compromises because the other party is of royal blood, meaning they are above the laws of battle in the country. It is unknown if they are aware of these old laws or not…
If they are aware of the proper conduct, it is considered honorable and noble, but if they do not, they are considered to have equal starting points.
“What are the rules?” Charan asked in a cunning tone, hoping to gain some insight into the other party’s true intentions if Khanin knows a lot about this battle.
The qualities of a good ruler are… if the people are aware that what they are fighting for and are doing it willingly it means they can no longer be oppressed, it can be said that the ruler is good.
“The rules are like any other competition, but if you win, you can’t ask me to go back to Emmaly directly like that, it would be considered a request in vain.” The reply was partially explanatory, indicating that Khanin is not aware of the important rules of Emmaly.
It is quite… it will impress Charan.
This child is noble, but not to the point of being a cheat.
“What method will be used? International or Emmaly?”
“International.” Khanin gathered all the chips without fail to avoid being the losing party in every aspect. It is certain that Charan is aware of this. The other party is more skilled in international battle techniques than the practices of the Emmaly people.
“…”
“… anyone up for it, or not brave enough?” Khanin made a face as if he were trying to trick Charan with a small bait. They both knew that no matter what, Charan would not be able to reject this offer.
Because Charan is a person of Emmaly, he firmly adheres to proper conduct more than anyone else.
“Agreed.”
“Good, do you have any rules for cheating or not?”
“No.” Charan’s answer made the young man, who was desperately trying to find a way out in his head, slightly less surprised. He thought Charan would be more playful than this.
Khanin thought that the other party might forbid him from directly asking to return to his country as a way of getting back at the doctor. If so, the second plan he had prepared as a backup might have a chance to be used.
If he won, which… of course, he would win 100 percent, Khanin would ask Charan to let go of this matter. This would not be a direct request to return to the country of Emmaly. Moreover, it would easily cut someone out of his life.
“The loser must not break the promise.” The sweet voice spoke while raising a pinky finger in front of them, signaling a physical gesture for making a promise together.
“The loser must not break the promise.” Charan hesitated a little before replying. He stared intently at the slender white finger for a moment before intertwining his own, drawing a smile from the slender person.
“Then let’s start the competition.”
“Wait…”
“What?”
“I want to compete in a place without people. Wait for all of your friends to leave first.”
“Why?”
“No reason.” The short, unexplained answer led to confusion for the younger person. They exchanged glances, and after a deep breath, Khanin had to weigh the reasons in his heart to accept that sentence.
Upon reflection, it wasn’t too hard to understand something…
“Are you afraid of losing in front of others? Fine, we’ll wait until it’s dark, and then we’ll have our sword fight.”
The evening sky turned dark, and people in the club began to thin out as the clock struck half-past nine. In another thirty minutes, the club would close. Luckily, the situation was favorable for the last two members, who walked out of the door frame just in time for them to settle their victory and defeat.
“Do you have anything to say?” Khanin asked as he stood on the boat, holding his beloved saber, ready and in position, no different from Charan, who borrowed equipment and a racing suit from Paul.
The doctor understood that he wanted to find some sweet time to strengthen their relationship, and the sword fighting activity was just an excuse to cover up their true intentions.
Therefore, the person trying to act as a mediator and facilitator cooperated fully. Paul agreed to leave first, even leaving behind his sword fighting suit and equipment for Charan to borrow, as both were of similar height.
“No contest…” Charan calmly replied with a composed tone. The tall figure in a white suit looked so dignified that even Khanin couldn’t help but admire him, albeit reluctantly.
The doctor looks too good.
But oh well, just because someone appears good doesn’t mean they are; they could be all show and no substance.
“Alright, if you lose, don’t cry.” said Khanin confidently, his sharp words revealing his trust in his own skills. For a moment, he thought he heard Charan chuckle before responding with a sentence that further fueled his irritation.
“We’ll see… don’t block the light.”
Without a referee to signal the start, their sword duel began as soon as they heard the alarm clock. Khanin and Charan stood still, their swords drawn, letting almost half a minute pass without either scoring a point.
They spent time sizing each other up, their gazes locked, until Khanin couldn’t wait any longer and decided to initiate the attack.
Step, step, step.
The rhythm of his footwork synchronized with his newly learned sword technique, Khanin charged forward while Charan retreated, on the defensive.
The young man pressed on until his older opponent was about to cross the two-meter warning line. Khanin lunged forward, touching the middle of Charan’s body with the tip of his sword, scoring the first point beautifully.
0:1.
Khanin took the lead, but he sensed something was off.
His slender legs carried him back to the starting line, his eyes hidden behind the mask, gazing at Charan. The doctor seemed thoughtful, not launching any attacks, only parrying and defending. Why?
Unable to find an answer, Khanin decided to change his strategy. He took a deep breath, calculating the time as the entire match unfolded in his mind.
A minute had passed, leaving almost five more. The winner would be the one to score five points first, according to international rules.
That meant in just a few more minutes, this whole crazy affair would come to an end.
He needed to finish the game quickly…
Khanin initiated another attack, seeking a second point. He continued to be the aggressor, but Charan’s response remained unchanged from the first round. He refused to counterattack, focusing solely on defense and positioning, without seeking an opportunity to score.
Charan’s actions caused the younger player to become flustered, unable to read Khanin’s playing strategy despite some moments when it was time to score. But on the other side, they let it pass by nonchalantly.
Charan confused him until there was only one minute left in the competition… The demeanor of the other player changed.
The tall, dignified figure of Charan bent slightly, his long arms stretched out following the correct stance. Khanin responded to these moves with biting to counter the opponent’s attacks. But this time, it wasn’t as easy as he thought.
The position of the person who controlled the rhythm of the fight seemed to change as Charan found an opportunity to counterattack. The older player stepped forward rhythmically, forcing Khanin to become the retreating party with no other choice.
It’s getting worse…
The person who used to be the attacker in the game switched back to being the defender. In just a split second, the sound of the electronic scoreboard rang continuously several times, surprisingly.
Surprisingly, none of those points came from Khanin’s side. Not even a single score. At this time, the younger player was at a disadvantage.
Charan used a deceptive method to play with his opponent’s familiarity with his movements, striking the lower part and then going for the upper part of Khanin immediately without giving him a chance to regain his stance.
The once-confident player’s composure vanished, anxiety crept in, creating openings for the opponent to score and eventually equalize the match.
Khanin’s game-reading instincts sensed danger. The young man gripped the saber handle tightly in his hand, trying his best to maintain the number one position in the fencing association without faltering. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Sweat dampened the middle of his back. Khanin tried to concentrate and exert force to strike with the sword again, alternating with some retreating steps to find a way to counter, but no matter which direction he went, the results remained the same.
He was blocked by Charan in every direction.
The taller person moved gracefully, with fluid steps and swordplay. Charan’s performance was flawless. In the last ten seconds, Khanin’s heart tightened, everything around him seemed to slow down before the final score signal sounded.
It was a complete declaration of defeat for the young man…
“Four to five.” The soft voice of the challenger faintly echoed 4:5. It was a close score and not a despicable one when compared to the competition standards, but for Khanin, he didn’t feel good about it at all. Importantly, it wasn’t because he couldn’t accept the defeat, but because…
Khanin knew deep down that the four points he had received were all due to Charan giving him the opportunity to score them.
It wasn’t true…
“Let’s go back.” Charan removed his metal mask before walking straight towards Khanin. Silent and still, he didn’t hear or notice anything other than the breath of the person in front of him.
The club was quiet and empty of other people. The two pairs of eyes scanned their surroundings before stopping at the scoreboard.
Khanin understood… He truly understood why Charan had asked the others to leave first.
Because the other party was confident that the person who would win the sword duel this time…
Would definitely not be him.
The temperature of the nighttime in the English capital dropped rapidly. Charan, with his long strides, followed behind the small figure leading the way, while observing the other person’s demeanor, who had been silent throughout the journey.
Khanin didn’t say a single word, only immersed in his thoughts since they had left the club and walked to the alley near their home. The young man who used to chat and discuss things now had no conversation or words slipping from his beautiful lips, not even a little bit.
And it made Charan worried…
The young man didn’t want to destroy Khanin’s confidence, nor did he want the younger person to behave like this, but he accepted the challenge because he wanted the other party to see the clear picture and make everything easier.
However, it seemed that winning the competition this time had turned into a situation that crushed and destroyed Khanin’s confidence to a large extent.
“Wait…” The older one spoke up, stopping them about three to four meters away from the front door of the house.
“…?” Khanin raised his eyebrows and looked at his companion with a questioning expression.
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“You don’t have to worry about me breaking my promise. I will keep my word—.”
“No, I just want to tell you about both your strengths and weaknesses.” Charan interrupted before the younger one could continue, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
He wasn’t going to demand the winner’s request at this moment, but only wanted to explain something to the young man.
“Go ahead.” Khanin replied calmly, closing his eyes briefly to hide his various worries. He took a deep breath, feeling exhausted, but his worries did not ease.
“Your swordsmanship is in the good category.”
Charan started with a compliment, but Khanin just forced himself to accept it, not being in the mood to listen to such words.
“Uh-huh. That’s it.”
“But that’s by the standards of the people in your world.”
Charan spoke bluntly without any hidden meaning, and the tall man’s voice was emotionless. However, it made the listener widen his eyes.
Khanin stared back at the older man’s face, his eyes expressing clear dissatisfaction with the older man’s words.
“You!”
“I don’t mean any harm.” Charan hurriedly interjected.
His body language conveyed seriousness, and the younger man reluctantly silenced himself, giving Charan the chance to continue. “But what I want to convey is that your world is still too small.”
“What do you mean?” Khanin frowned at the complexity of Charan’s statement.
Although he somewhat understood the meaning of ‘world’ referred to experience, the young man couldn’t help but wonder what the real point was that Charan wanted to convey.
“In real life… you still have many people to encounter. Your weakness is a lack of skill, and you still need to practice. Confidence is something every athlete should have, but having too much of it can lead to carelessness, just like today.”
Charan didn’t deny Khanin’s skills, but one thing that had to be admitted was that underestimating his opponent or having excessive self-confidence was a factor in his defeat today.
“The winner can say anything.” Khanin said in a sulky tone.
“But still, the loser must keep their promise.” The older man reminded him of the reality, his sharp eyes narrowing as they studied the young man’s displeased face before something moving by the window inside the house caught the young man’s attention.
What was it…?
“I know, but can you give me some time? Let me…”
Khanin’s voice lost its importance as Charan’s senses shifted elsewhere. His brows furrowed, and his usually indifferent face now seemed more serious than before, as his mind quickly processed that something was amiss.
Normally, Tattanai’s house would always be brightly lit, but now the inside of the house is completely dark.
Which one is the shadowy figure with more than one person?
What is going on…
“… “
“You, you, listen to me. Um…”
“Shh.” Charan placed a slender finger on the lips of the young person, causing their thin frame to falter. Khanin stopped frowning at Charan’s posture, which kept staring behind him, and decided to open his mouth and ask.
“What?”
“Be quiet for a moment, come here.” With a thick palm holding onto the small arm, Charan pulled Khanin down in sync with the two-layered gaze hiding and observing the unfavorable situation that had occurred.
“There’s someone in the house.” Khanin muttered to himself more than he wanted to get a response from the person next to him.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.” Charan spoke anxiously, not intentionally disturbing his nerves, but the real meaning was that the young man had no idea who the group of people in the house were…
“I will call my dad.”
“Don’t do that.” The experienced man spoke as he quickly grabbed the slim arm that was about to pick up the communication device to make a call, holding it firmly. Charan warned that in case of an emergency, contacting Tattanai could make everything worse.
“Why?”
“Because we don’t know who they are.” The short answer from Charan, accompanied by a clearly stressed face, was significant enough for a smart person like Khanin to piece together the whole story by himself.
Since feeling like someone was stalking them…
That motorcycle…
The invasion of their home today… everything seemed to be strangely connected.
“So what should we do?” Khanin’s anxious heart trembled. It was an uncomfortable feeling, seeing the dark lights around the house, making him even more worried and barely able to stand still.
“Wait outside; I’ll go in.”
“No, I’ll go with you.” The younger man interrupted Charan before he could finish his sentence. His eyes narrowed, and the blinking rate increased with the pace of his heart.
Khanin’s thoughts screamed, echoing the dangerous situation they were facing.
If it’s like Charan said…
If it’s like Charan said…
If it’s really like that…
That means… his father is in danger right now.
“It’s too risky; I want you to wait outside.”
“But my father is in there! Please, I beg you – let me go with you.” The younger man’s eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions, his tone softening at the end of the sentence, causing Charan to weigh the situation in his head urgently once again.
“Fine, but if we go – you must listen to me. Don’t do anything beyond what I tell you.” Charan made up his mind. He didn’t want to waste any more time arguing, and most importantly, keeping Khanin in sight might be safer than leaving him outside alone.
“Okay, lead the way.”
The light from the walkway of the neighboring house seeped through just enough to make out the familiar bedroom in the dim light.
Khanin stepped through the unlocked first-floor door into the interior. The first thing that hit his senses was the sound of someone fighting desperately, coming from the second floor of the house, urging the young man to rush up the stairs.
The left side of the young man’s chest pounded rapidly, his slim hands sweating and soaking gradually in the rhythm of his sprint. Khanin no longer cared about where Charan was in the house or whether he would follow; his sole focus now was Tattanai.
“Khanin, don’t come, run away!”
His father’s shout almost immediately followed the sight of his son’s face appearing in the master bedroom.
Tattanai’s sharp eyes widened, the middle-aged man momentarily losing control, causing his leading position in the fight to falter, resulting in his arm, which was about to throw a punch, being twisted into an awkward position.
“Father!” The young man still could not grasp what was happening. At this moment, the house’s second floor was filled with mysterious intruders surrounding Tattanai. One of them forcefully kicked the middle-aged man’s knee, causing him to fall to the floor in shock.
“Ugh.”
Tattanai gritted his teeth in pain as his opponent grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back. The middle-aged man looked up at his only son, wishing that Khanin wouldn’t come this way, but it seemed too late for that now…
“Father.” Khanin rushed in, heading towards the closest black-clad man, but his body was noticeably slow compared to the tall man.
Flung!
Charan was the one to pull him back while simultaneously delivering a powerful uppercut to the chin of one of the men in black. The tall figure then kicked the man holding Tattanai, helping to free the middle-aged man and regain his freedom.
The elegant figure moved gracefully, utilizing every part of its body effectively. Charan elbowed a man wearing a black suit who had just lunged at him from behind, while Tattanai simultaneously got up and kicked a big, burly man with his powerful leg, sending him flying into the goalpost.
Thud!
The collision happened so quickly that Khanin, who was facing it head-on, knew that Charan was not just skilled with a sword but also had close-range combat abilities.
“Take Khanin and run.”
A short command, but one that showed the young man’s expertise.
Charan dealt with the two men who had locked arms with Tattanai and sent them both tumbling to the ground with a single blow. The young man pushed both Khanin and the older man down the stairs before turning to face an attack coming from his left.
Charan dodged the sudden onslaught with agility, while Khanin tried to use his brain to come up with a plan to escape during this hectic time.
“What are you doing, Dad?”
“Don’t worry about me.” The older man pushed the younger one ahead, as if to protect him from danger.
Tattanai went straight down to the lower level, the first thing he grabbed being his own son’s important briefcase, which he had held on to for almost twenty years. He handed it over to Khanin before turning to face the attackers by the front door.
“I have to go back up and help Charan.” Tattanai said in a hoarse voice. There were four of them… even if they were strong and skilled fighters, he could only resist for a short while.
The rank and dignity of Tattanai was several levels lower than that of Charan. If he escaped alone and left the other party behind, it would not be a wise move at all.
“No…” as if foreseeing the future, Khanin shook his head. He reached out with his small hand and grabbed the strong, sturdy arm of the older man to stop him from leaving.
“Listen to me, Nin. Don’t follow me up there, no matter what happens.
Remember the third pine tree. Okay?”
“Dad, don’t go.”
“Before the sun rises, I’ll follow you there.” The thick-handed speaker raised his hands and clasped his small fists together. They exchanged one last glance before the older man withdrew.
Tattanai didn’t hesitate, he ran back up to the second floor of the house, leaving the young boy to anxiously look after him with his eyes.
Khanin was restless almost to the point of madness. He looked left and right before grabbing the nearest lamp to use as a weapon. His thin frame intended to defy his father’s orders, but it seemed the upper party still understood each other somewhat. Tattanai and Charan arrived from opposite sides before the situation became even more chaotic than before.
“Khun Charan, take the lead.” The oldest person present gestured towards the higher-ranking party member.
Khanin was caught in the middle and felt a wave of emotion rise up within him when he saw his father still in such an uncertain state… How sad it was that that feeling only lasted for a fleeting moment!
“Ah!”
Something hit the air loudly, jolting his nerves.
Khanin wasn’t exactly sure what the root cause of the noise was, but he turned around to look. His eyes widened as they fell upon…
Tattanai’s arm was now stained red with blood, and the cause of the injury…
was a bullet fired by one of the men in black suits aimed at them.
The youngest person present felt his body shake uncontrollably as if he couldn’t manage to control it, like a lump of flesh inside his chest was working slowly. Khanin unconsciously held his breath when the impending danger seemed to be worse than he imagined.
“Go!” The thin frame was caught off guard by the current situation, which ended in a familiar thud. Tattanai turned his head and made a signal to Charan before pushing Khanin out of the gate area.
Bang!
“Dad!” The youngest person’s voice trembled. Khanin stumbled, leaving behind his body and the things decided upon by the person who made the ultimate decision.
The door was closed and locked, leaving them all separated from each other.
The hot barrel exploded. Khanin tried to regain his composure and intended to rush back inside, but everything seemed to move slower than Charan. The young boy didn’t have time to move before someone blocked him off with just one arm.
“Let go! Let go! Father!!”
Charan let Khanin scream only once before his thick hand moved and covered the small mouth in front of him. He pushed aggressively, forcing the younger person to retreat from the scene…
Clear drops of water obscured the familiar sight of the dark house, and the light gradually disappeared from Khanin’s eyes.
He couldn’t see anything anymore… not even the shadow of his father, the warm images he thought they shared, or their conversation to understand each other… words left unspoken and love that remained unresolved.
Everything became nothing but a fleeting dream that vanished in a blink of an eye… flying over the horizon.
LINE.
To be continued.
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