The hands lifting him to stand are the ones waking him from his sleep. When he opens his eyes, they are met with a strong orange and rosy glow painted across the sky, and his feet which are levitating above the safe ground make nerves itch in his whole being.

"Jongho?" the boy mumbles still stupefied with sleep, but when he stands on the ground again, his eyes stand wide open. A teasing hand is sneaking around his waist from behind and the hot breath that touches his neck makes goosebumps become visible in the tight and lukewarm evening air.

"Yes.."

A deep blush splays all over Yeosang's cheeks when he suddenly feels the touch of lips against his warm skin, kissing from the hind of his ear down to his shoulder that stays revealed by his shirt. When the man leans even closer until his back collides with his chest, Yeosang lets out a sigh as all tenses suddenly leave his life at that exact moment. Even though he keeps his eyes open, he cannot see anything, as his mind leaves him to escape reality like the other times. Unconsciously, the boy lifts his arms above his head and locks them behind the knight's head, leaning back until his mess of hair rests against the other and he stares right into a set of eyes. Slightly parted lips invite him to a dance, and Yeosang cannot thank him no when the Knights Templar asks him this alluringly.

Their lips gently fuse like lock and key and open the world that hides boundless stars and suns and moons and Yeosang wants to touch them with his fingertips. The closest he gets is to look into Jongho's bright eyes. He senses the warmth of air coming from the knight's nose when pupils flow into each other, starstruck. A warm hand holds his back and chest, caging him in a protective hold that makes Yeosang's stomach flutter with heavenly sensations. The boy tilts his head even more that has Jongho touching his lower lip with his tongue in a beseeching manner and Yeosang weaves the moist texture into his own when he swallows dead air. His body feels on fire for every gap Jongho suffocates between them by how he kisses himself nigh, moving his lips addictively with his own as he lets his muscle tangle in his mouth. The boy cannot comprehend what is actually happening.

_____

Despite Jongho's warning words, were they back at the fortress after darkness. The knight had not been mad at him, no, instead he had seen the fond smile on his face in the light from the lit torches. And Yeosang has never tried that before; if it had been his father, he would have lost his fingers. The whole way to his chamber had glee been falling into the same footsteps as his, and falling asleep graced to be painless.

But what seems unusual about this morning is the way Yeosang awakes from his sleep. He can feel a soft surface touch his lips. But as soon as he startles his eyes open, the touch retreats and it immediately becomes a longing. Yeosang can barely see the outline of the man glimpsing into his black, dilated pupils, but he knows from the fingers lightly trailing around his chin who it is. The one with a heart lapping around in his throat crawls back in the bed until his head hits the headboard, and Jongho has to let go of Yeosang's chin again.

"Why do you kiss me?!" Yeosang erupts, a strike of fear touching the air when the words fill the room, only becoming tighter when he is suddenly frightened that the door to his chamber stands open and his eyes scouts in that direction.

He feels how weight falls to the surface and he moves his tense sight to Jongho again, "Why do you think I do?"

Yeosang stares at him in the darkness; no window allows any light to swallow the knight's glamorous facial expressions, only a single lit candle is placed in the corner. The boy pulls at the taut air and forces it down into his lungs and he pushes his tongue against his teeth while contemplating. He tries to sort his many thoughts because he does not understand why the knight keeps making him feel like this.

"Yeosang," the man says with a voice that turns into a raspy whisper, "why would I not?"

He can feel the warmth seize his body and he tries to glance away, a grim smile is stretching his mouth vilely as he holds his uttering close rather than saying them. But he lies to himself.

"Because... I am a man, and men do not kiss men," Yeosang looks up at the other male, having their eyes undeviating, "And you are a Knights Templar, and you have pledged your life to the church! I am a s-sinner! You cannot-"

"I do not care about the church."

Yeosang furrows his brows as his mind bewilders on its own, his face becomes numb, "W-what?" And what Jongho does, seems so unreal for the boy.

"The church is the full reason to why I am here; trapped in a life I do not wish to live in. That I cannot flee," the rather familiar wording has him holding his breath as he never has conjectured the knight to be this much against the church and its duties - not when Jongho is considered one of the order's best men. Perhaps, they are more similar than what he had believed when meeting this fine, strong determined knight the first time underneath the apple tree, Yeosang thinks to himself, but does not say anything.

"I may not have known you for more than half a season, but I am sure that you know how my last name sounds. Choi. Just like Choi Sander and Choi Emma. But I am no brother to them and the reason why I am called by that is because of my blue eye," Jongho swallows, but Yeosang can still see how he tastes foulness in his mouth.

"Witchcraft," the boy whispers and it has Jongho lacing his sight into his while he considers him, "Has Sander told you?" the knight asks, but Yeosang shakes his head.

"Then why are you still here, if you do not wish to be here?"

But he notices how Jongho looks down, and how something quietly passes his expressions, "Sometimes, we do not have a saying in what life wants to give us, and we must accept that fate to bring us the right places," a gentle hand moves the sheets away to find his own in a warm hold. Yeosang blushes profusely and he keeps a raise in his lips from showing.

"I do not believe in what the church says, and I do not believe that you are a sinner, Yeosang. But I believe that I want to kiss you again, if I may be granted that possibility."

The boy stutters over the strong convincing and he cannot stall himself from coming closer to the other man, "A-alright."

_____

Yeosang's hair is braided again, and he takes a mouthful of water after their fifth sparring round. Suddenly, it has gotten so difficult for him to stay focused on his task of steering his sword correctly instead of staring at his opponent's lip tint, but it looks like the other have an even harder task to keep doing; why Jongho pulled them away from the ring to train another place where none would see them. A hand is placed on his neck and slides down and over and under his deep red shirt, around his waist until he feels excitement exploring his body like creating a new map. Yeosang draws in an unstable breath and seeks to turn around to look at the other, "Please Jongho, this round we should take it seriously. Do not just let me win because you feel sorry for me."

The knight hums like he receives the query fully, but suddenly Yeosang feels how he leans forward and kisses his cheek while having doses of pertness sticking to his rather impudent behavior, "I just really urge to fight with you in a different way."

Faintly, Yeosang notices the tint to another intention grace the surface and before he himself falls into the dangerous waters, he bends down, away from the knight's clutching hands, and rolls against the ground. His body throbs with a heavy thrill when his heels ground and Yeosang throws himself to his abandoned sword in the tall grass. As his fingertips grace the firm grip, the other kicks his sword away with the snout of his boot. The boy whirls around to see his opponent merely before arms press down at him and hinder his limbs from moving anywhere, a warm breath makes his head spin.

"You have gotten so fast, very attentive too," Yeosang would have blushed of Jongho's praising if it had not been because of his irked temper, and instead he seeks another possible way out of Jongho's hold.

When his eyes dart downward, the pliable move has Jongho loosening his grip slightly, and Yeosang spends the moment retrieving his wandering sight to stare up into the knight's different eyes. He senses the tenseness of emotions filling them, but his arms are still gathered in Jongho's now softer hands and he is not capable of reaching out.

So he licks his lips and parts their slickness slowly, letting the knight feel how ravishment tears at his being until he must accept the invite. Seduction has never been one of Yeosang's specialties, but the way Jongho's pupils widen and his lips parts astonished by what he sees, Yeosang presumes he does the magic right.

Triumph glees in him already, "What about my kissing, will you test those skills as well?" the boy purrs breathily and he knows that Jongho wavers when his sight staggers to the side and adjusts his thighs that straddle him. Jongho's lips look so plump and perfect at this given time and Yeosang wants to feel them with his fingers. But he cannot when they already steer to the surface of his own in the intimate act. Yeosang lets the knight guide him when he kisses him open-mouthed, and he cannot help himself but liking when Jongho presses him further down against the ground with his tender care while his tongue grasps his own. He lets him win that one match. But Yeosang wins the other match.

Hurriedly while Jongho occupies himself with the kissing, Yeosang slides his hands from the knight's hold, instead braids their fingers tightly together before he breaks the kiss with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He can only reach to think the thought before the smaller pushes him backward and twists an arm around his body and suddenly holds Jongho at lock, head facing the opposite direction than first. Yeosang grins at the knight who grumbles at the unexpected loss of control and he leans against him and whispers into his ear: "I won."

"That was not supposed to happen!" the knight exclaims as he feels the defeat lay upon him. Yet, Yeosang only laughs at him and kisses the side of his head, ignoring all kinds of sweat and dirt that stick to the knight's skin from the long hours of training.

An unforeseen voice yelling above the hill forces him away from Jongho instantly and his heart scatter around as he panics. He turns his head to Jongho, noticing a similar expression playing along with his features and he gets up from the ground while finding his jilted sword by the tree nearby and securing it into its sheath again.

When the intruder is close enough, Yeosang sees how Jongho's surprise changes to irritation, and it can only be because he realizes that the person running down the hill is someone he knows.

"Choi Jongho!!"

Yeosang can only watch from the side what this new boy wants, "Choi Jongho! I have a message from-" the boy starts, but is stopped by the air he needs to breathe in from his running, "-from Higher Commander Park! He wants you and your trainee to come to the commanders' building."

The knight looks at this boy with slight dusk of mystify, "What do you mean, Cailean?"

Yeosang examines the boy carefully; the neat dark brown hair, sharp nose, and high cheekbones. He is very slim, more than himself he must admit, but he is not taller and Yeosang wonders what relation he has to Jongho other than being a messenger. Yeosang notices the long dark shirt that seems rather absurd to wear on such a warm day.

"Higher Commander Park wants you two to the commanders' building, but I am not told why, sir," the boy persists, "I can follow you if you do not trust my words."

Jongho looks at Yeosang, and he turns his sight away from the other boy when he feels the eyes rest at him. Suddenly he feels the need to swallow tightly, "If Seonghwa wants us there, then sure." The knight then nods at Cailean, and Yeosang gathers his crusader sword before they move back to the fortress. Yeosang walks behind Jongho, not daring to come any closer when they pass the courtyard where so many others are.

Cailean stops in front of the building and looks at Jongho as he offers, "I can wait for you out here if you would like.." But the knight shakes his head, "No Cailean, I am sure you have other things to do than waiting for us. I appreciate your kindness, though."

So the other boy quickly disappears from their eyesight and Jongho sees Yeosang once more telling him how he has no notion of why Seonghwa wants them here. The observation of them both standing there draws a lot of attention from the surrounding knights and servants and Jongho pushes the door open before any more talk will be made of them.

Yeosang can feel the tense atmosphere when he enters the building, and nothing here seems like how it was last time going in here. The first thing is the odd drawings and scripts laying across the masses of maps underneath. The second thing is the yelling coming from one of the rooms. The boy glances over at the knight whose brows are pulled together as he thinks.

"Stay here, I will be back," Jongho says before wandering off in the direction of the loud voices, and Yeosang is left to himself.

His eyes pounce around in the hall, seeing every corner as he tries to ignore the uncomfortable air that fills his lungs with bad luck. Candles are lit along the wall, and he hears how the liquid drips against the floor. At some point, he is not able to keep his inquisitiveness locked away, and he steps toward the long wooden table. Carefully he places his hands against the edge of the furniture, gently trailing a hand across one of the many parchments and scrolls, feeling the rough texture. His eyes drift down to the page, seeing the outlined title and the following text underneath; written in Latin. Some words are foreign to him - he has never seen them before, but he understands the horror they hold. Yeosang strays away to one of the drawings and he reaches out to take it into his hand. Ink is drowning in the darkness, portraying a creature that looks like those monsters from hell, and he does not fail to see the emphasized detail of the long, sharp white teeth penetrating its mouth dangerously. Never has he seen a drawing like this, where the eyes look as hungry as if they had been real, and Yeosang drops the drawing to the table again, fear displaying his heart as questions form in his mouth and he stumbles a step back. Nightmares will already keep him away from sleep.

The detection has made him deaf of his surroundings and the coming thing he discovers is the four knights entering the hall. Yeosang whips his head around and watches Seonghwa walk to him, "Welcome Yeosang," he greets and the boy bows his head with formality, "Please come further in."

The vassal places his hand around Yeosang's shoulder and steers him closer to the other knights. All the stares he senses at him make him suddenly realize that this is all about him. His eyes seek for Jongho, who stands at the side of the room, the two other knights standing on the opposite side; Xalvador and someone he only has seen sitting by the grand table in the feast hall.

When Seonghwa lets go of his tense shoulder again, Yeosang fears that his legs cannot carry his weight anymore.

"This is a special moment for you, Kang Yeosang, although it might seem a bit irruerunt," Seonghwa tells him as he moves to stand in front of him. Yeosang does not know what is the most overwhelming: seeing Park Seonghwa and Park Xalvador standing beside each other for the first time, or the fact that he already knows what will happen very soon. The brothers would have been unable to see the difference between them if it is not for Seonghwa's significant dark blue shirt, the golden embroideries, and the small red cross in the corner of the chest piece.

"This is the moment you will be knighted."

Yeosang does not dare breathe as the vassal's words turn in his mind. How can he even know that he is the slightest ready for serving such duties when the last time he saw his sword fighting was half a season ago. The boy hears someone grumbling something to Seonghwa, all words flowing in Latin: "Nunquam paratus. Vide quam tremat, quam infirme."

But Yeosang understands what Xalvador tells his brother, and he is very sure that they are not aware. So he lets his one knee fall to the stone floor, drawing the attention to him as he asks them, "Tell me the phrase and I shall stay crouched. Worry not, I will be ready."

No one says anything, but the sharp sound of a sword being pulled. Yeosang does not have to look up to know that the weight upon his shoulder is Seonghwa holding his mightiest weapon at him.

"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. This is your oath."

And his life-long pledge is made to the order, and he will follow rules that lead him to act humble and chaste, just like a Knights Templar. Yeosang looks up at Jongho, but he cannot read his facial expression.

⚔︎