Yunho's insight. I'm sorry for the late update. Enjoy pups!

"I don't know about this, my lord.." Yunho whispered as Mingi helped him to wash off the grimes. Mingi stopped washing and looked at Yunho, "Why, my lord? Do you not want me?"

Yunho widened his eyes, "That's not it, my lord. I do want you.." Yunho bit his lips, thinking on how to explain it to Mingi. "It's just that, the King would have a fit.. I don't want to jeopardize your ada's(father's) intention to have a good relationship with Vanithien.."

"Ada won't bother about it. We only came here to hopefully find someone that interests me because I don't really have any interest with anyone in Fronithien. He only wants me to have a partner soon as I am the heir, that's all. Fronithien is our first stop actually, and I am grateful for that as I have found someone that catches my eyes."

Yunho blushed, slapping Mingi's bare torso lightly, "I'm flattered, but.. I don't know.." Yunho sighed and Mingi held both of his hands gently. "What's on your mind, my lord?" Mingi asked softly. Yunho kept quiet, not wanting to reveal his inner fear to Mingi. As much as he wants to be Mingi's partner, his fear towards his father is big though he never mentioned it to anyone before.

"Are you afraid of your father, my lord?" Mingi guessed making Yunho widened his eyes at Mingi and gasped a little in surprise before lowering his gaze, "I am.." Mingi hummed, cupping Yunho's cheek gently, "Mind telling me why? How much did he tortured you to the point that it left scars in you..?" Yunho nodded softly, looking at Mingi and his eyes turned a bit grey as he reminisced his first encounter with his father after his mother's death.

[Flashback]

Yunho was only 75 years old at the time, equivalent to 13 years old in human years when he lost his naneth(mother) due to her old age for being a human. He just buried her 3 days ago and was still mourning for her when King Seojoon came to his house, along with several of his royal guards. Yunho was taken aback when they burst into his house without any warning and proceeded to grab him and made him kneel in front of King Seojoon as one of the guards put a hand on his nape, prompting him to bow down to the King.

"Huh, you have your naneth's face." King Seojoon stated nonchalantly as he looked around the house. Yunho frowned, "W-who are you?" as he tilted his head up to look at King Seojoon and the guard that was holding his nape forced his head down again. "Don't talk to your King like that, half-elf!" The guard hissed making Yunho confused again but he stayed quiet.

"...Don't you recognize your own father, Yunho?" King Seojoon asked, surprised that his first born doesn't know about him. Yunho continued to frown before answering, "No, I don't know how my father looked like. Naneth seldomly talks about him, only telling me that he's an elf."

King Seojoon hummed before narrowing his eyes at Yunho and slapped his face making Yunho gasp in surprise. "First time seeing me and you had the nerve to lie."

"I'm not lying. I don't know who my father is."

"IT'S ME! I'M YOUR FATHER AND THE KING OF VANITHIEN." King Seojoon stated furiously, thinking that Yunho was playing with him. Yunho widened his eyes, gaping at King Seojoon as he cannot believe that the elf in front of him is his father. His naneth told him that his father is a nice elf. This is not what he expected to encounter his father for the first time.

"...Alright. What do you want from me, father? You were never here when naneth's alive." Yunho hissed, feeling a bit disappointed as he recalled how he and his mother had a rather rough life because his father wasn't there when his mother needed him the most.

"Cocky, aren't we? I'm taking you with me so you won't try anything to take my throne away." King Seojoon said as he gave a signal to his guards before walking out of the house without looking at Yunho who had started to struggle as the guards dragged him out of the house.

"Taking me where?? What do you mean taking your throne?? I don't want your throne! Let go of me! Is this how you treat your son??" Yunho struggled against the royal guards as they dragged him out of his house to the horses outside. King Seojoon stopped walking at Yunho's last words and turned around, giving another slap to Yunho's face as he looked at Yunho with distaste.

"I treat my son just fine. Just because you are my first born doesn't mean that I will acknowledge you as my son. I'm only taking you with me so I can watch over you before you do something idiotic such as gather an army and start a war to my kingdom."

Yunho glared at King Seojoon, baring his teeth, "I don't want to start any war! Just let me go! I won't even step inside your kingdom! You were never there since I was born and I don't care about you!" Yunho yelped when one of the guards kicked him in the stomach making him doubled over in pain as he wasn't expecting the blow.

"Don't you dare talk to the King like that half-elf! Show some respect!"

Yunho grunted but stayed quiet as they hauled him up onto one of the horses. Yunho saw this as an opportunity to break free and punch one of the guards before leaping off of the horse, running away from them.

"Don't let him get away! I want him alive!" King Seojoon shouted and one of the guards shot Yunho right at his left leg as another guard shot him at his left shoulder. Yunho stumbled to the ground as the pain from his leg and shoulder flared up. He tried to get up to run away again but the pain was too much that he fell right down again.

"Where is your naneth's grave?" King Seojoon asked as Yunho grunted in pain and couldn't focus on the King's words. King Seojoon thought that Yunho is being a rebel and stomped his foot on Yunho's injured leg making the half-elf screams out in pain."Answer me elfling(young elf), where is your naneth's grave?"

Yunho gasped in pain, "B-by the big t-tree behind the h-house."

"Get her out from there, I'm going to bury her in my kingdom." King Seojoon instructed his guards and some of them quickly went to the grave to bid their King's words.

Yunho was still writhing in pain on the ground as one of the guards picked him up and put him on the horse. Several minutes later, Yunho fell unconscious as the pain was too much for him to bear.

--

Yunho jerked awake when the guard tweaked the arrow that is still buried in his shoulder roughly making the half-elf screams in pain. He hazily looked around and found out that he's in a small dark room and he could see bars at the end of the room. "W-where am I..?" Yunho stuttered out weakly after the guard stopped touching the arrow.

"In the dungeon."

"W-why am I h-here..?"

"Because this is where you belong. Don't think just because you're the first born of the King, you would have a nice room in this palace." The guard scoffed.

"But I d-don't want to be here.. I want t-to go back h-home.."

"So you could make an army and start a war here? No."

Yunho sighed shakily, closing his eyes in pain, "I don't want t-to start any w-war.."

"Yeah, keep saying that. No one believes you anyway." The guard said before he yanked out the arrows from Yunho's shoulder and leg without a warning.

Yunho screamed and his voice could be heard throughout the dungeons as the guard smirked, watching Yunho writhing in pain as he yanked out the arrows.

Yunho's vision is getting blurry due to the intense pain and he's on the verge of fainting when the guard slapped his face a few times. "Don't faint now half-elf. I need to torture you first. King's orders."

"W-wha-" Yunho started but ended up screaming again when the guard stomped his foot onto Yunho's left leg, right on the wound and grabbed Yunho's hair before he kicked the half-elf right at his stomach.

"S-stop! P-please!"

"Quiet! Just take it half-elf!" The guard hissed while kicking him everywhere that he could reach while Yunho tried to cover his head from all the blows.

Minutes later, Yunho fell unconscious again, his hands lay limp on the ground as the guard beat him again and again until he's satisfied.

This continues on for several weeks, the guards keep on torturing Yunho with everything that they could use, beating him with a thick club, whipping his back until it bleeds and more.

--

"My King! You said that you have found your first born and kept him in the dungeon as the guards torture him?" Eden asked, after hastily came into the main hall. Eden just got back for his patrol for 2 months near their border when he heard about it.

"Yes. Why does it concern you?" King Seojoon said while playing with his nails.

"He's just a mere elfling! Why did you torture him?"

"Because he'll try to take my throne. I can't let him do that."

Eden closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down before speaking slowly to make the King see how absurd his words are right now, "My King, your first born is only 75 years old, he's just a mere elfling in elf term.. The same as your second born, they are only months apart..Are you going to kill him?"

"No. I can't kill him. He's still my kin and my blood runs in him. I'm not into kinslaying. That would make me look bad for our neighbouring kingdoms."

"....If you torture him like this, he would become more frustrated and might hold a grudge towards you. It would be bad later in the future. How about making him one of your soldiers, so he could protect your kingdom? You can still control him however you want but don't just torture him like this. Someone that's holding a grudge can do so much damage later on. Since he lived with his naneth, he doesn't have any education about elves so I don't think he could take your throne right now."

"....But what if he betrays me?"

"You can keep an eye on him as long as he stays here. He won't have any chance to betray you because we listen to you, not him." Eden reasoned, trying to think on how to stop the King from torturing Yunho any further.

"...Alright. I'll take your words."

"Can I go and send him to the healing ward, my King?"

"Yes, go ahead but I don't want him to wander around after he's healed."

"I'll be watching him, my King."

"Alright then."

--

"Penneth, wake up."

Yunho jerked awake as Eden touched him, whimpering and scooting himself backwards until his back met with the walls. "N-no.. P-please.. I s-swear I d-don't want to start any w-war.. P-please spare m-me.. Or j-just kill me already.."

Eden sighed softly, looking at the disheveled half-elf, his body scattered with bruises and open wounds, his hair stuck to his forehead as his breathing sounds ragged and shallow.

"I'm not going to hurt you, penneth. Your father sends me here to take you to the healing ward. He will no longer torture you, penneth."

Yunho stared at Eden, not sure if he wanted to believe the royal guard or not.

"If you promise not to take his throne and betray him, he won't torture you any further but he will punish you if you did something that he doesn't like." Eden coaxed him softly.

Yunho burst into tears, nodding his head at Eden, "I p-promise.. J-just please s-stop this.."

Eden nodded his head, slowly getting closer to Yunho and when Yunho let him, he picked Yunho up and brought him to the healing ward.

"I'll try to save you, penneth. Hang in there." Eden said softly to the half-conscious half-elf.

[End of flashback]

"Breathe slowly, my lord. You're fine. You're not there in the dungeon anymore. I'm here, my lord. Breathe." Mingi quickly holds Yunho close, running his hand on Yunho's back once he realizes that Yunho is on the verge of hyperventilating.

Yunho buried his head in Mingi's neck, trying to even his breathing out as he tried to concentrate on Mingi's voice.

Mingi caressed Yunho's hair, calming the half-elf down and after a few minutes, Yunho's breathing finally even out. Mingi pulled back a little, cupping Yunho's face and kissed him softly on his forehead. "Thank you for telling me about this. You don't have to tell more. We can talk about it later when you're fine again. Alright?"

Yunho nodded softly and Mingi took Yunho's hand, bringing them out of the water. "Let's go back to the camp. I'm sure Jongho is back with the herbs."

"Alright, my lord."