It Started With A Kick (Magi/マギ Fanfiction: Ren Koumei x OC)

Standard disclaimers apply! I do not own Magi or any of its characters, only Hyorin and other original characters.

Chapter 1: The Incident

Rushed footsteps and howls of worry echoed throughout the Cheonhyeong Palace―home of the Royal Family of Shi. The supposed to be peaceful morning became an eventful one after an unexpected game of tag ensued in pursuit of a missing princess.

"Milady, please show yourself! Prince Kouen of Kou Empire is searching for you!" A chambermaid called wearily. They've been searching high and low for her since the break of dawn yet not even a tip of her shadow was seen.

Amidst the finding frenzy, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared from behind and upon recognizing him, the servants bowed.

"Have you found her?" he asked.

"Not yet, sir."

He sighed in exasperation but expected all the same. "Outgoing as usual, that student of mine," he commented.

"Geez!" One of the soldiers groaned and scratched his head in fret. "How could Her Highness act like this in such a difficult time? We just lost the war! The fate of the Royal Family is yet to be decided so she shouldn't make a ruckus!"

Everyone released heavy breaths simultaneously. The chambermaid stared at the grey-blue sky in wonder. "Where in the world did Princess Hyorin go?"

Unbeknownst to them, the subject of their conversation was only a few meters away, sleeping like a log on a tree branch.

FLASHBACK

Yesterday afternoon, a post-war trial was held between Kou Empire and Shi Kingdom.

Inside the hall were high-ranking officials and leaders from the different nobilities of Shi and a minority of generals and household vessel users from Kou. They stood in tense silence as the defeated family entered the room, unarmed and surrounded by the victor nation's soldiers.

The chancellor from Kou then formally announced the annexation of Shi and passed sentence to the royal family. "The King and Queen are stripped of their royal status and will be exiled to a distant province in Kou Empire. On the other hand, all children of the King are to be publicly executed through decapitation by the end of the week."

The generals from Shi instantly went pale. "What?!"

"I see," En Shou nodded in understanding. "The King and Queen pose no threat so we're letting them live. However, it's a different case for the youngsters, especially the Metal Vessel users who can start a revolution at any time."

Amidst the cheering that broke out among the Kou crowd, a loud voice echoed with full authority. Ren Kouen, the First Imperial Prince of Kou Empire, spoke from the throne.

"That verdict is revocable. If the families merge, we will consider this as a treaty and lower the punishment to dethronement." His stern gaze was directed at the Crown Prince of Shi.

"How about it? Will you accept the offer, Kim Seojun?" Kouen taunted. "We're giving you the privilege of marrying into our family."

The Crown Prince of Shi barely managed to retain his composure due to anger. Faking a courteous smile, he said, "I'm honored, but I must respectfully decline the offer. I'm already married and have two children."

"That's not a problem," Ren Koumei, the Second Imperial Prince of Kou interjected. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that taking concubines is also a part of the royal tradition in Shi."

However, Kim Seojun remained obstinate to the offer, stating that he had already vowed unwavering loyalty to his wife. Koumei resisted the urge to snort indignantly.

"Are you a flower boy or something?" he muttered with a fan to his face.

Unbeknownst to him, a certain girl caught his mocking remark. If looks could kill, Koumei would already be dead under the glare of Princess Hyorin. She was reciting curses in her head, when a sudden declaration from Kouen drew back her attention.

"Kou Empire's ultimate goal is the unification of the world."

"This political marriage is offered to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Among the several countries in the Eastern Continent, Shi Kingdom was the last to be conquered, proving that your military prowess is one of the greatest. That's why we would like you to join us in our cause and help us in subjugating the West."

A light chuckle pierced through the thick air.

"That again?" Seojun scoffed, his voice was dripping with malice. "Ridiculous. You should have buried those childish dreams along with your dead cousins."

The tension in the court instantly escalated at the mention of Kou Empire's deceased princes. Hell broke loose among the crowd.

"Such insolence!"

"Prince Kouen, please execute this arrogant man!"

With a raise of Koumei's hand, order was restored. Kouen looked at Seojun with disdain. "Aren't you being too confident―" he countered, "for someone who used to hide behind his brothers' backs?"

Whispers of gossip ensued among the crowd at princes' heated exchange of insults.

They seem to have some kind of history. Hyorin mused to herself as she watched her brother. Noticing his fists trembling, her confusion turned to worry.

"Choose." Kouen repeated. "Marry into our family or die with your brothers and sisters and have your parents downgraded to slaves."

"I'd rather die and sacrifice my family before we become your puppets!" Seojun hollered.

Everyone was startled at his answer, but the people of Shi suffered most of the surprise. Kim Seojun was a man known for his wisdom and calm demeanor. Sudden outburst and rash thinking were very uncharacteristic of him. Did the squabble from earlier made him lose his temper?

Amidst the ruckus, Hyorin heard a sniffle. She turned to the younger princess, who silently wept while her arms hovered protectively around her abdomen. Hyorin's eyes widened in realization.

With a wave of the chancellor's hand, the members of the royal family were apprehended by the soldiers. "Detain these fools and prepare for the execution!"

"Wait!" The King of Shi suddenly rushed forward and knelt before Kouen.

"Your Majesty!" Seojun tried to run to his father's side, but was held down by the soldiers. He could only watch helplessly as the king lowered his head to the ground.

"Forgive my son," he said. "This turn of events had simply made him lose his composure. Please give us another chance."

No one had a way of knowing what expression he wore, but the King's feelings were properly conveyed to his people. The people of Shi followed his action and prostrated themselves. They repeated in unison, "Please give us another chance."

The softening of Kouen's gaze was indiscernible to everyone, except to his younger brother. Koumei inwardly smiled.

"Raise your head, King," ordered Kouen. "We shall have another meeting. Everyone's dismissed."

The First Imperial Prince of Kou rose from the throne and headed towards the exit, only stopping momentarily at Seojun's side.

"You should not have stolen the crown if you can't live up to it," he said.

With gritted teeth, Seojun struggled to keep his feet on the ground. If it weren't for the worried gaze of his father, he would have already punched the other prince in the face. Kouen left afterwards.

"That was tiring. I didn't expect the Crown prince to be such a prideful person," Koumei whined as he massaged the back of his neck. When Kouen remained silent, he looked at him curiously. "Do you have some kind of history with that man?"

"That's right," Kouen muttered. "A few years ago, I, along with Prince Hakuyuu and Prince Hakuren, had a long-standing rivalry with that man and his two brothers."

"Brothers?" Koumei paused in thought. "I saw the other princes, but they don't appear to be worthy of competing against Your Highnesses."

"Not them. I'm referring to the former Crown Prince and his right-hand man— Hyeonjae and Hyunchuu. Those two were the keystone of Shi Kingdom's military force, until someone assassinated Hyeonjae and framed Hyunchuu."

Koumei had a good guess on who the mastermind was. "Their situation is a bit similar to ours, isn't it?"

Upon reaching a corner, the brothers bid each other farewell. However, before Koumei could leave, Kouen warned him to stay on guard.

"Yes, yes," he said with a dismissive wave of his fan.

Meanwhile, the defeated royal family was escorted to the underground prison of the palace. Hyorin remained silent on the way back to her assigned chamber, completely lost in her thoughts.

It didn't take a genius to realize that the Crown Prince of Shi detested the Kou Empire from the bottom of his heart. It was only natural for opposing factions to clash, but his hatred was on an entirely different level—as if it was rooted on something deep and personal.

Seojun would never agree to a political marriage, Hyorin was sure. Her thoughts kept coming to her sister's trembling form.

At this rate, everyone will die! Hyorin's hands clenched into fists. If only she had her Metal Vessel—

The princess suddenly stopped in her tracks, and the Kou soldiers exchanged looks of confusion. "Hey, move it!" One was about to hit Hyorin with a rod, when she suddenly blocked it and countered with a kick on his chin. In a few seconds, all soldiers were unconscious on the floor.

Hyorin hurriedly left the underground prison before reinforcements could arrive. She headed straight for her Metal Vessel—the only hope she had at saving her family. Seir, the Djinn of Guidance and Agility, spoke in her thoughts and showed her the way.

Much to her surprise, Hyorin ended up in her own courtyard! She was about to rush inside the palace when a disturbing red flashed through her peripheral vision. Near a pond was a man in baggy robes who was crouching down before a flock of pigeons. Despite only seeing his back, Hyorin was able to recognize him.

Ren Koumei! she mentally screamed in dread.

Hyorin slowly walked up to him, making sure her footsteps were as light as possible.

If it weren't for this man—! She unsheathed her sword and raised it just above his head. Just as she was about to strike him down, all the pigeons flapped away and alerted the prince.

Koumei looked over his shoulder. "Oh, if it isn't Princess Hyorin."

Hyorin froze with arms still in the air. Koumei's indifferent gaze trailed from her face to her sword. "Or rather, former princess," he corrected with a smile. Hyorin clicked her tongue and lowered her weapon.

This lucky bastard! She almost had him, if it weren't for those damned pigeons!

Koumei stood and dusted off his robes. "You came here earlier than expected. How disappointing. You seem to be the type who acts before thinking, am I right?"

Her eyes narrowed at his words. "What?" she hissed.

"We have the map of the entire palace, including the secret routes, of course. Soldiers are stationed everywhere. It's practically impossible for you to step foot outside this place."

Hyorin's grip on the sword tightened. "Hmph, you won't know that!"

She charged at Koumei in full speed and almost tripped when she almost immediately hit the brakes. A multitude of soldiers appeared out of nowhere and had her surrounded. Hyorin looked around in confusion and found teleportation polygons behind her. She glanced alarmingly at Koumei's hand, searching for his fan. He didn't bring his Metal Vessel, so how?!

"I have a Household too, you know," he said as if reading her thoughts. Hyorin had no time to retort when the soldiers attacked her all at once.

"By some kind of miracle you managed to escape, where will you go?" Koumei questioned, watching her desperately fight back. "Beyond the borders of Shi Kingdom, there is nothing but Kou Empire. After all, you were the last ones to be conquered in this continent. No matter where you run, I'll be able to find you."

"Got you!" The soldiers hollered as they dived down at the princess to pin her down.

Hyorin thrashed around in a reckless attempt to escape. "Let go!"

"Detain her," ordered Koumei as he started to walk away.

"Don't underestimate me!" With adrenaline rushing through her veins, Hyorin screamed and all the soldiers were blasted away. Koumei turned around in alarm as the princess charged at him once again.

It all happened in an instant. Hyorin's foot met something that it should never had in its existence.

OOMPH! Koumei made a muffled scream of agony as pain spread throughout his lower body. His hands shakily reached for his crotch.

Hyorin was dumbfounded. She definitely aimed for his head. Did the panic cause her to miss? She carefully retracted her foot and gazed at it in wonder. That felt... soft?

"AHH!" The soldiers shouted in unison as the Second Imperial Prince of Kou collapsed on the ground, knocked out by a kick on the balls.

Author's Note:

If Kou Empire is based on China, Shi Kingdom is based on Shilla, one of the three kingdoms in Ancient Korea! ٩(^ᴗ^)۶ The names were randomly made by me so if the meanings made no sense, you know why! The first half of the story is set 6 years prior to the Magi timeline. Koumei is only 20, Kouen is 22, while the main female character, Hyorin, is 16.