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lizzybeth1986 · 29 days

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Rose Gold

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Hana Lee x Kiara Theron

Rating: PG

Word Count: 4, 304 words

Content Warning: Mention of Gun Violence, Character Injury.

Summary: Six months after King Liam and Queen Esther's wedding, Hana and Kiara take their next big step as a couple.

A/N: Set in the P&Tverse. Since P&T spans the timelines of Books 2 and 3 (the Engagement Tour and the Unity Tour + Liam & Esther's wedding), most of this fic takes place after the series is meant to end, and there are references to things that happen there that aren't canon.

The first half of the fic, however, takes place just before the group reunites with the MC and Drake at the safe house (TRR3, Ch 1).

I've borrowed a few elements from Hana's own engagement to the MC in the books: the rose gold ring, the coin throwing ritual at the foundation and the proposal at the lake.

Tagging @hanaleeappreciationweek for Day 5: Romance, @choicesficwriterscreations for FoTW and LGBTQ Archive, and @choicesmaychallenge24 for Hera: Marriage

October 14th, 2017. Half past Midnight.

Foolishness. Sheer foolishness.

The voice inwardly chiding her right now sounded suspiciously like her mother; for that reason alone she was desperate to ignore it.

But what else would one call an impulse to jump out of a car that could take her in complete secrecy to the city's best safe house, only to race to Argyros and Sons - Cordonia's premier jewellery store - for a gift she wasn't even sure would be accepted...a promise she wasn't even sure its intended recipient would want?

"Looking for something specific, Your Grace?"

Surprised, Hana looked up from the case displaying an assortment of glittering diamond rings. The eyes that met hers in a speculative survey were ocean-blue, marked by wizened crow's feet. It was at the tip of her tongue to correct him (Lady Hana, sir!) when she spotted the Twitter feed on the iPhone in his hand.

News sure does travel fast around the Capitol!

But no sooner had that thought left her head, than the riptide of memories began to flood her.

The Homecoming Ball. Hors d'oeuvres. Speeches. Fireworks. Announcements. Please welcome Esther DuPont, Duchess of Valtoria, and Hana Lee, Duchess of Krysanthe. Cheers. Expectant Gazes. And then...

Darkness. Gunshots. The acrid taste of fear.

Hana bit back a grimace. How long would memories of tonight haunt her? How long would it be before she heard people address her by her new title, without memories of the violence that followed?

She held her handbag with a sudden death-grip, forcing herself to breathe. To push forth happier, sweeter memories.

Unbidden, comes the one memory that had managed to keep her sane this night.

Her laughter.

Sharp. Raucous. Loud. Jarring against the tinkling sounds of cutlery and glassware, as far away as one could get from the soft, windchime quality of delicate laughter, that every female courtier was taught to emulate.

She thought she'd known love until that moment, fool that she was. Thought that no matter who she dated, no matter how distant she'd be from those memories of the social season - Esther would somehow remain her first and forever love.

Until she had taken that one fateful look at Kiara's wildly joyous face, heard her cackle - the kind one would never normally dare to do at court - and realized with piercing clarity that if she were to compare her feelings for these two women, they would be nowhere close.

Her love for Esther had all the subdued warmth of a crackling bonfire. But these newfound feelings for Kiara?? They made her feel like she was plunging herself headfirst into a raging volcano.

Something within Hana had trembled violently in that moment; some premonition that felt searing in its finality.

Kiara was the one. She was all Hana had ever wanted, without knowing it; all that Hana would ever want, from now till eternity. The one in whose arms she would want to stir awake, every day for the rest of her life.

Kiara Thorne, or no one. Kiara Thorne, or lifelong loneliness.

The phrase rang in her ears like a verdict: final, eternal, unchangeable.

When Hana opened her eyes, she found to her consternation that they were blurry from unshed tears. Quickly blinking them away, she noted dully how different the rings on the display now looked.

Certainly she must have moved to another part of the store without knowing. Where before she'd seen glittering, brilliant, ostentatious diamonds, set in white gold and platinum...now she saw stones nestled in the embrace of a warmer, almost blush-toned metal.

Rose gold.

The metal that was all the rage in her mother's birthplace Bethulia, for its delicate shimmer and soft pink hue. Mama had told her often enough in her childhood that their barony's love for it went far beyond just the colour...that her mother - Hana's Nanimaa - loved it for being such a perfect union of gold, silver and copper...

A whisper of a memory of Nanimaa, the one time she'd ever seen her. At a fountain, glowing from the glimmer of abandoned coins.

It took her less than a minute to find exactly what she didn't know she'd been looking for. Had you asked the jeweller about her, he would have told you that the newly appointed Duchess of Krysanthe had chosen her ring with the greatest confidence. The confidence of a woman who had probably wooed her beloved, confessed her love, basked in the joy of being loved back.

A confidence Hana didn't feel.

When she returned to the limo, she was greeted with the sight of a pensive Liam, rubbing the frown between his brows absently with his fingers. A telltale muscle jumped inside his jaw.

"Any news?" Hana whispered, almost dreading the answer.

"Yes," his voice was grainy from exhaustion and guilt. "Three people injured. Bastien, Esther's press secretary, and...."

"And?" Her voice had gone small and high, that a fearful child's.

"And Lady Kiara. She was..."

Hana blinked once, then blinked again. Liam's mouth was moving, yet no sound seemed to come out. All that she could hear was a low, keening noise, like a muffled siren...or like the moan of a woman in terrible pain.

Kiara. Kiara. Kiara.

May 12th, 2018. Afternoon.

"How far from the palace are you taking us?" Kiara asks, her voice alight with laughter.

"Not even outside its gates," Hana replies, grinning. Kiara looks down at their fingers laced together, palms almost touching.

They've been together for just six months, and still somehow, the lines on Hana's palm feel as familiar to her now as her own. Without even looking she can conjure up the memory of the heartline on Hana's left palm at a moment's notice - long and deep, starting from her index finger, suggesting she would be a wonderful lover with a very fruitful love experience - and her marriage line, stretching from one end of her palm all the way to her ring finger...suggesting friendly in-laws.

(The thought of luring Hana to marry her under the premise of palmistry is sounding more and more tempting by the minute)

Involuntarily - perhaps to stop herself from checking her trouser pockets once again for that tiny box she took from her vault today - Kiara's hand tightens around Hana's.

Can she dare to hope that fortunate beloved could be her?

She steals a glance in Hana's direction, noting with alarm that her fingers are trembling in Kiara's hand.

"We're here," she says, her voice suddenly small and quivering against the gurgle of water in the courtyard fountain. It's been a palace fixture for several decades now - ornate and imposing - a legacy from King Liam's formidable grandmother, the late Queen Mother Cassandra. According to Kiara's father, the woman had married into the family as a young princess from Monterisso, and for her foreignness alone was expected to be crushed by the strictures of the palace and the expectations of her people - yet in a decade's time she had somehow became the most imposing figure there! There was very little in the palace that didn't have her stamp of approval first.

As they come closer, Kiara sees the one thing Queen Mother Cassandra may not have predicted when this fountain was built - the glimmer of coins, all gleaming in the sunlight like they were minted just yesterday.

Her own smile begins to tremble on her lips, even as she notices Hana swallow a telltale nervous lump in her throat. For the first time since they have gotten here, Kiara notices that Hana's other hand is fisted around something. Something that could very likely be the same coins they just saw in the fountain.

She takes that hand gently in hers, knowing now how nervous Hana must feel; knowing that if they complete the ancient lover's ritual that she so hoped to do today, there will be no going back. She uncoils Hana's fisted hand, finger by quivering finger, watching her face as her breathing quickens. She smiles again - a smile more aimed at reassurance than amusement.

"Are we going to do what I think we're going to do today, ma moité?"

For several seconds, Hana doesn't respond. The three coins in her hand (Heavy. Ornate. Engraved with apples. Ancient) are proof enough. The answer, when it finally comes - almost like it is torn out of her throat for fear that Kiara's feelings may not match her own - is barely audible.

"Only if this is what you want too."

Gold. Silver. Copper. Tossed in one after the other in an ancient lover's ritual - one that Kiara knows only because she'd learned about it from her mother, who'd had friends in Bethulia where this ritual was most popular. Maman and Baba themselves had done it on a trip there when she was a teenager, still squirming over her parents' ability to still act like swoony romantics in their (and this would be said well out of their earshot) "fucking forties!".

Wiser now, Kiara feels the same anticipatory tingles that her parents must have felt back then.

This ritual wasn't for the faint of heart in ancient days. You did it only when you were certain. When you looked at your lover and knew that a life without them wasn't a life worth living.

Well, Kiara muses as she watches a hundred emotions flit in a second over Hana's face, I think I've known that long enough. I've known ever since I saw you fight your father in Shanghai, even when you knew it would cost you everything. Since that one moment, I've been yours.

Planting a tender kiss on the corner of Hana's mouth, she takes the coins. "Ready when you are," she whispers softly.

Hana swallows again, her eyes glistening and moist and relieved all at once. In a silk pouch that dangles from her wrist, she fishes for three coins identical to the ones on Kiara's palm. She breathes deep once, twice, three times.

Kiara links their free hands, grips them tight as they turn their backs to the fountain. Hana looks up, a question in her eyes.

"For friendship!" Kiara says, tossing the copper coin into the fountain. Faint memories of something that almost feels like another lifetime glimmer and fade in her memory. Applewood, sipping water, giggling over their favourite fruits and flowers. The Beaumont Bash. Watching from the sidelines as Hana did the verbel equivalent of ripping out Olivia Nevrakis' spine at the Coronation Ball.

Hana takes out the silver coin, and waits for Kiara to holds up hers'. "For love?"

Engagement tour. Fearing Hana would hate her in Fydelia, but never understanding why that should suddenly matter. Standing with her against a bridge in Paris, each mourning their lost loves.

Finally learning what love really was, when she opened her eyes and truly saw Hana for the very first time.

Kiara nods, touching her forehead to Hana's. "Par amour." Their coins splash in unison in the water.

Her girlfriend lets out a watery giggle as she takes out the final coin, glittering and golden on her palm. Her voice breaks a little as she tosses it behind her. "For...bel- belonging".

Kiara's own sigh releases in a shudder as she lets the final pledge sink in.

There were very few places in the world that truly felt like home to Hana. Not the place where she was born, not the barony that could have been her legacy. It took her months to even find comfort or security in her future in Cordonia - much less belonging.

Without a moment's thought, and without releasing the golden coin in her hand, she cups Hana's face and kisses her. Hana shudders and buries her hands in Kiara's hair, her lips trembling against the unspoken promises in her lover's.

"For belonging," Kiara says it like it is a vow. "And I don't care how long it takes - I give my word right now. I'll never let you feel like you have lost your home. Ever." Another kiss - this time on Hana's temple. "I hope you will always find one. In me."

Hana's smile is warm and dreamlike, her eyes closed as if to savour this moment, her fingers playing with Kiara's curls. She barely notices the sound of Kiara's gold coin landing in the fountain. "I love you, Kiki."

Kiara chuckles at her teasing use of the nickname, brushing Hana's nose with her own. "Together forever?"

Their hands, now free, close around each other. "Together forever."

It's quiet now, except for the sound of collard doves, the rustle of leaves and branches in a light breeze, and their breathing. The air smells of wildflowers, citrus and a subtle floral scent that Kiara knows to be the perfume Hana has been using for months. Orange Blossom. She grins as she remembers. It's a scent Hana has often loved to wear, just for her.

Hana's thumb feathers lightly over the ring finger on Kiara's left hand, almost as if to commit the bare space on it to her memory. Kiara doesn't miss that gaze - bright-eyed and soaked in longing - and how it mirrors a need she has felt ever since they landed at the Capitol last week.

Kiara swallows. She had wanted to take things slow, she really did. Woo her, bathe her in every luxury possible, make this trip even more unforgettable than Hana could ever imagine, and then spring this surprise on her - like a kirsch-soaked cherry topping on an already very tempting Black Forest Cake.

But...but that gaze of Hana's has always been Kiara's undoing.

Simply, she says, "come with me."

Puzzled, Hana looks up. "Where?"

"To Lake Sôse," Kiara whispers, wasting not one more moment and grabbing her hand. Hana lets out a nervous, slightly incredulous laugh as she allows herself to be pulled along.

Kiara isn't sure why she's suddenly rushing this. When she thinks of the elaborate plans she'd been constructing all week - chocolate-dipped strawberries and champagne at one of the Capital's premier restaurants, flowers everywhere, a proposal at the hedge maze with a picture together by the swing to commemorate the occasion - she wants to laugh. She isn't even sure why Lake Sôse was the first place she'd thought of just now.

She takes a deep breath, and grounds herself. Uncommonly impulsive though it may be, her decision has been made. There is even a part of her that seems to prefer it to happen this way!Kiara has never been one for last minute changes of plan...but ever since she fell in love with Hana, she's learned to expect - and enjoy - the unexpected.

It's only when she sees the shine in Hana's eyes that she realises why her mind took the turn it did.

Lake Sôse. The one place Hana Lee has always chosen for solace and comfort. The one place in the Capitol where she felt the most at home. It had been here, Hana told Kiara once, that King Liam had told her his plans to appoint her Duchess of Krysanthe. It was here, hours later, that she'd shared that momentous news with her best friend Esther; where Esther - herself aglow with love and a newfound purpose - hugged Hana and told her that the world would now be Hana's oyster.

She'd brought Kiara to this lake for the first time the day after King Liam and Queen Esther's wedding, following a night when the queen herself had been kidnapped, and Hana had joined the king's entourage to rescue her.

A night that Kiara - in constant fear of losing her forever - had recklessly kissed Hana. In public. In front of the entire court. Braving gazes of teasing approval from Kiara's parents, and near-murderous glares from Hana's. The night everyone outside of Hana's friend circle finally realized the two were a couple.

Kiara remembers the day after that like it was yesterday. Something must have changed fundamentally in Hana that night, because the fear seemed to have gone, and with it the compulsive need for hiding and subterfuge and constantly looking over her shoulder. It was as if Hana had faced what she'd thought was the worst thing that could happen to her, and realized she really was strong enough to face that fear.

You're my safe place among people, Hana told her that morning, her fingers lacing through Kiara's. The one I feel most at home with. I want to bring my safe space..to the place in Cordonia I've always felt safest in.

It is afternoon, and the yellow crocuses behind them exude a warm, buttery golden glow in the sunlight. Hana lets out a breathless, incredulous laugh. "You seem like a woman in a very huge rush today, Lady Thorne."

Kiara's own laughter in response is high-pitched and halting. She tries to hide the moistness of her palms as she makes a blind grab for the small velvet box in her purse. "Believe me, this wasn't the way I'd planned this to go at all."

Intrigued, Hana's eyes follow Kiara's hands, and her eyes widen as she recognises the familiar deep blue velvet, the embossed silver lettering on top. Argyros and Sons.

"Is that --"

"Yes," Kiara says, clearing her throat, "I'd been planning this. All week. It was going to be romantic, elaborate, I was going to sweep you off your feet. Just like I'd planned to ask you out seven months ago."

Hana lets out a watery giggle. We all know how that turned out, don't we, qīn'ài de? Kiara can almost hear her saying.

But the humour stops almost immediately when she looks at the box again, and suddenly Hana seems too still, too shocked...too far off from how Kiara hoped she would react.

Kiara lets out a deep breath, then lets the words gush out of her. She's too scared to stop, too terrified to think - the fear that she may be doing too much too soon is so overwhelming that she knows if she stops she won't be able to bring herself to do this for a long, long time to come. The humiliation would be too strong.

"I'm not one for impulse. I never have been. I've never felt comfortable with anything if I didn't have a plan for it first."

Kiara gives herself a moment to half-smile at the irony of it all. Approaching Hana Lee with a smile and a bottle of water, after that first eventful bite of a Cordonian Ruby was definitely an impulse. So were half the things she had done with Hana since. So will many, many, many of the things they may wind up doing together, if (if!) this leap of faith works in her favour.

She looks up at Hana to see if she's laughing at the memory too. She isn't. In fact, Kiara isn't even sure Hana's reacting yet to what she's saying. Perfectly still, her eyes never moving from the box, so wide that they would go bloodshot if they were widened any further. Kiara swallows, and finds that her throat feels suddenly, inexplicably sore.

"I could never tell what it was about you that changed all that. I still don't. All I know is that...around you, Hana, I feel so much more brave. To let go of the need to plan and organize. To not be too afraid of what will follow - whether it goes in my favour or not. I find myself not just willing, but eager, to trust my gut."

Kiara's eyes search every inch of Hana's face as she opens the box, revealing the ring inside. It's a gorgeous piece, all platinum and sparkling diamonds. The smaller stones form a cluster around a massive one, leading the viewer to believe they are seeing a glittering snowflake, fallen fresh from the heavens.

Kiara had known the minute she saw the ring that it was the one. That it would remind them of the first time they confessed their love. Of their very first date, of the first time they shared Hana's cup of homemade hot chocolate. Of why the two of them will always love winters.

Hana's fingers move, trembling, towards her mouth, her face suddenly flushed. She remembers it too.

"Hana Lee," A frisson of fear slithers down Kiara's spine. "Will you marry me?"

When Hana finally opens her mouth, several seconds later, Kiara has to strain to hear her voice.

"I - I -" her eyes dart away from Kiara as if she's just remembered something important - her beautiful bronzed skin suddenly a little drained of colour. The next few words, she says in a "I.... I'll be back. Give me five minutes? I...just remembered something."

She leaves without waiting for an answer.

Kiara sinks into the grass, covering her face in her hands.

What have I just done?

All the way back from her room in the palace to the lake, the pouch hanging from her wrist feeling only a slight bit heavier, Hana cannot stop mentally kicking herself.

"You fool! You imbecile! Bèn dàn!!" Hana curses herself as she speeds up her sprint into a run, "What happened to your tongue? What kind of reaction was that?? What will Kiara think?"

Her mind now sprints miles ahead of her feet, racing in panicked ferocity over the possibilities.

With any luck, Kiara could still be waiting - puzzled and perhaps a little worried. Or she could be actively panicking, the way she does (on very rare occasions) when a plan goes terribly wrong.

Or...or...

Hana holds the silk pouch from her wrist in a deathlike grip as she speeds up towards Lake Sôse. Or.

The thought of that lovely, open space completely devoid of Kiara, of that beguiling combination of rose and jasmine emanating from her favourite Dior J'adore perfume, makes Hana's stomach drop to her feet.

It isn't until she sees that that heartbreakingly familiar figure of Kiara's, hunched over the grass, that Hana allows herself to breathe.

Kiara is there. Shoulders bent, head buried in her hands, almost stumbling as she tries to get up when she sees Hana.

Morose. Defeated. But still there.

Without another thought, Hana rushes into Kiara's arms, almost knocking her off her feet.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Hana whispers against her hair. "I wasn't trying to run away. I really had to get something. For you."

Kiara pulls back to look into her eyes, and when she does Hana's heart twists at the sight of unshed tears. "I thought I'd scared you off."

Hana's own laughter quavers, pitched high in disbelief. "I've just pledged myself to you this afternoon, body and soul, at the palace fountain. This -" she lifts Kiara's left hand to her chest, her thumb caressing the empty space on her beloved's ring finger " - just makes it so much more real."

Kiara's arms wrap around her, pulling Hana flush to her. Hana can feel Kiara shake as she giggles in response. "...you mean to say that I'd have saved myself so much stress if I'd just remembered those coins."

"Yes, qīn'ài de, a thousand times yes." She cups Kiara's face, pressing their foreheads together. "Place that ring where it belongs, Kiki. I can't wait to see it on my finger."

Hana holds her tight until Kiara's breathing becomes slower, calmer. She raises her newly-adorned hand for Kiara to see - marvelling at how the ring really mimics the glow of a snow crystal in the winter sun.

When they part, shyly, reluctantly, Hana begins to fiddle with the silk pouch.

"Here's what I'd gone to bring."

Kiara's eyes brighten at the sight of the box in her hand; a wave of warmth floods through Hana in anticipation of her response. Kiara gasps the minute she opens the box, revealing a delicate, intricately carved rose gold ring, flanked by small diamonds on all four corners, cradling a bigger one at the center.

"Rose gold," Kiara murmurs in wonder.

"Yes," Hana brushes her fingers over Kiara's knuckles. She'd told her once, long ago, how revered that metal was in her home province Bethulia. How Bethulian jewellers and goldsmiths and young women swore by the rosy hue it exuded. How it was a perfect amalgamation of three precious metals - all highly valued in the province. How tied it was to their folktales and bridal rituals.

"Copper..silver...gold." Kiara's tears glitter like diamonds before she lets them fall. "For friendship. For love. For belonging."

Hana smiles, her hand still stroking Kiara's cheek. "You remembered."

Kiara rolls her still-moist eyes, trying hard not to sniff - it would take out all the humour in this situation. "It's hard to forget a ritual we'd performed just ten minutes ago, ma moité."

"I'd planned to give you this ring a week from now," Hana says, shaking her head at her own impulsiveness as the ring she'd chosen on a fanciful whim so long ago, now finds its home. "I've been holding onto it for far too long."

Kiara caresses the stone on her own finger lovingly, admiring the way the rose gold glows on her skin. When she speaks, her voice is breathless in anticipation. "How long?"

For several minutes, Hana's only response is to pull Kiara back in her arms again. Her hand slides slowly, almost with a tinge of regret, down the dip of Kiara's waist on her left side. The wound that had once served as a constant, searing reminder of so much (of her vulnerability, of her inability to run from pain, of what she'd once considered her failures), has healed in more ways than one - only a faded scar that Hana never fails to kiss, now remains.

"For seven months," Hana's voice shakes at the memory, "Since the night after Homecoming Ball."

With a choked sob, Kiara enfolds Hana into her arms, almost as if she'd want to absorb her into every cell of her body. Fervently, reverently, she presses her lips all over Hana's face - her eyelids, her cheeks, the bridge of her nose, all the little-known, barely-noticed parts of her. It takes her a while - perhaps too long, in Hana's opinion - for Kiara's lips to meet hers, but she welcomes the sweet torture of waiting.

"Mon cœur," Kiara says between kisses, "ma raison de vivre."

When they part, the two women keep each other's hands interlinked, one left hand over the other. Neither of them will remember how long they stay at the lake; only that they never want this joy, this warm afterglow of seeing their dreams come true...to end.

The empty spaces on their ring fingers, over which they'd each stolen such secret, hungry glances today, now bear the mark of their lovers. Now bear the most tangible signs of their love, their memories, their promises, their commitment.

Together forever.

Translation:

Ma moité - a romantic endearment in French, meaning "my other half"

Qīn'ài de - Mandarin Chinese for "my dear"/"darling"

Bèn dàn - Mandarin Chinese cuss word that means "stupid egg!"

Mon cœur - French endearment, meaning "my heart"

Ma raison de vivre - French for "my reason to live"

References for Hana and Kiara's engagement rings:

Kiara:

(Source: Maxine Jewellery)

Hana:

(Source: This article on engagement rings, but the actual pic itself came from Blue Rose Photography)

#hana lee #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #HLAW 2024 #HLAW Day 5 #HLAW Day 5: Romance #series: petals and thornes #lizzybeth1986 #content: fanfic

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hanaleeappreciationweek · 1 month

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We are finally reaching our last day of HLAW!! And we've got such incredible entries - this time also from new people who have sent us such fabulous work! We're grateful to all our contributors - both old and new - for the love and enthusiasm you've shown us so far and hope to see more in store today as well!!

Day 5 is all about the relationships!! Whether familial, platonic or romantic, Hana gives each one her all 🩷 She is also someone who is attempting to learn a new normal - how to continue loving others while also taking care of herself! This is a chance to explore Hana's connections with other people, whether in canon or your OCs, and explore her unique way of navigating them!!

Any content is welcome!! Fanfic, fanart, edits, moodboards, interactive, media, headcanons, screenshots, playlists, meta...even screenshots of your favourite scenes would be great!! Our only requirement is that the content is centered on Hana, and that the depiction of her is positive. You can also send in WIPs in case you don't complete a work!

You can also send in a work on the days following a particular theme - this is no pressure for it to be put up exactly that day! We will also have an extra week for anyone who still needs time 💕 May 4th will be our final official date for entries (to incorporate into our video!) but HLAW will still be open for entries for the rest of the year until the next event!

You'll find all the HLAW 2024 themes here!

Be sure to do the following when you make your posts:

1. Use the tags #hanaleeappreciationweek and #HLAW in the tags (along with the day you made the post for - #HLAW Day 1, #HLAW Day 2 etc)

2. Tag @hanaleeappreciationweek and hosts @sazanes and @lizzybeth1986 in your posts, so we don't miss them!

FAN CONTENT BLOGS are instrumental in keeping the fandom alive - with events and fun activities that encourage us all to contribute and create. They have also been amazing in their support towards our character events. Do check them out to see all the new incredible events and prompts coming up!

@choicesficwriterscreations - Primarily fanfic and fanart (no AI allowed). Check out their rules and roster of events!

@choicesmonthlychallenge & @choicesaprilchallenge24 - Any and all content welcome (No AI content)! They have a collection of prompts you can use for the month of April!

@choicespride - Any and all content is welcome, as long as it is centered around queer characters and/or themes.

@choicesflashfics - Primarily fanfic under a 2500 word count. Every week they use new dialogue prompts. The prompts for the coming week will be out soon.

@choicesholidays - Any and all content welcome, as long as it is centered around one of the holidays listed! Currently, they are hosting Spring Fling!

@choicesprompts - Mostly fanfic preferred! You can check out their current Round Robin event here!

As tomorrow will be our final HLAW day, we'd like to remind everyone once again that we always keep a bonus week for entries!! So if you weren't able to finish your piece on time, you still have till May 4th!! We will also be keeping the event open all year round for entries - so if you finish a piece before next year's HLAW, don't hesitate to send it to us and it will find a place in the masterlist! We will be open all year round! 💕💕

We usually make a thank you video for all our contributors and signal boosters at the end of the bonus week! Typically it is put up on YouTube and we share it here. If you would prefer not to feature, do let us know and we will keep your name out of it based on your comfort levels.

@lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes will be hosting Kiara Theron Appreciation Week (KTAW) on the 21st next month! If anyone would like to be tagged on that or knows people who may be interested, let us know!! The blog for that event is here: @kiaratheronappreciationweek.

Happy Hana Lee Appreciation Week, everyone!!

#hana lee #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #HLAW 2024 #HLAW Day 5 #HLAW Day 5: Family #HLAW Day 5: Friendship #HLAW Day 5: Romance

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jicklet · 1 month

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Wanted to do a little something for @hanaleeappreciationweek, because boy do I appreciate my best friend Hana 🥰 (x)

#hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #HLAW Day 5 #trr #hana lee #riley brooks #v plays trr #v draws things #Hana and my Riley and are both the best friend they never thought they'd have #After Riley's wedding to Maxwell Hana moves in with them and they all live their absolute best lives ♥♥♥#Liam and Drake of course visit often #TRH does not happen.#The End! ☺💞

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masked-alien-lesbian · 1 month

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HLAW Day 5: Relationships

Anytime you need a friend

I will be here

You'll never be alone again

So don't you fear

Riley Rys

There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you

We stick together and can see it through

Cause you've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

You find out who your friends are

Somebody's gonna drop everything

Run up and crank their car

Hit the gas, get there fast

I am here, if you need me, yeah

I'm in the wind, look for me friend

I'm in the stars, when you need me

When you have a friend

By your side

That helps you to find

The beauty of all

When you'll open your heart and

Believe in

The gift of a friend

Raelyn Lee

And I can't be without you

So don't go anywhere

You show me love like no one else has done yet

And with the road ahead

This is the beginning

Of this love story

Knowing clouds will raise up

Storms will race in

But you'll be safe in my arms

Rains will pour down

Waves will crash all around

But you'll be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble

Dreams may not come true

But you are never all alone

Because I will always

Always love you

I wanted to do one for Lorelai and Xinghai but I couldn't find a full body sprite for them, but if I had been able to make an edit for them, their song would have been Perfect by Simple Plan.

@hanaleeappreciationweek

@lizzybeth1986

@sazanes

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cassiopeiacorvus · 1 month

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HLAW 2024 DAY 5

Family/Friendship/Romance

tagging: @hanaleeappreciationweek, @lizzybeth1986, and @sazanes

As we all know, I'm Team Hanara for life, so here's my introduction for Hana and Kiara's three kids.

General Notes

All three kids call Hana “māmā” and Kiara “maman”.

They split their time between Castelsarreillan and Hana’s duchy Anthopolis.

I designed their personalities around the concept of the Freudian Trio where Jolie is the Id, Basim is the Ego, and Oswald is the Superego.

🤘🏽Oswald "Ozzy" Theron-Lee🤘🏽

BIRTHDAY: ♉ 07 MAY 2024

ENNEAGRAM: 1W9 Self-Preservation Instinct

MBTI: ISFP-T The Adventurer

NOTES

Had a goth phase in his teens where he went by “Oz”. Was confused about why Uncle Drake and Titi Tzipporah jokingly called him Ozzy Osbourne because he didn't initially know who that was.

His hobby is jewelry making. He started it out with simple embroidery bracelets but has expanded to metalwork.

Will be the future Duke of Castelsarreillan after Kiara passes on the title to him.

🌻Jolie "Jojo" Theron-Lee🌻

BIRTHDAY: ♐ 15 DEC 2027

ENNEAGRAM: 7W8 Social Instinct

MBTI: ENTP-A The Debater

NOTES:

Is best friends with Liam and Tzipporah’s youngest daughter Corinne. It is an experience every time they're together.

Dyed her hair pink after she heard that Hana wanted to as a teen. Since then, she's experimented with every color under the sun.

When I initially designed her, she looked like a mini-Hana, but has now shifted to looking like a mini version of her grandfather Hakim.

🌊Basim "Bas" Theron-Lee🌊

BIRTHDAY: ♎ 25 SEP 2029

ENNEAGRAM: 9W8 Attraction Instinct

MBTI: ESFJ-A The Consul

NOTES:

Was given his name because he smiled a lot as a baby. Was humorously introduced as "our bouncing baby boy, Basim" by his mothers.

Shares Kiara’s love of languages. As he gets older, he starts collaborating on some of her translation projects.

Like water, he can be a tranquil lake or a raging ocean if you threaten him or his family.

#playchoices #the royal romance #hana lee #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #HLAW Day 5 #cassiopeiacorvusdraws #cassi originals

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thecapturedafrique · 11 months

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HLAW: Day 5—Hana(ra)’s Perfect Wedding!

Like several members of the fandom, I too ship Hana and Kiara together, and though I have yet to write the fic where they fall in love, I’ve long since come up list of head canons about their wedding. I originally meant to share this for Kiara’s first appreciation week, but I wasn’t able to finish on time. Fortunately, one of the benefits to being a Hanara shipper is that their romantic content can work for both characters’ weeks! 😆

Tagging @hanaleeappreciationweek and the stupendous hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

This moodboard was designed to reflect the Pinboard that Hana would 100% make for her wedding to Kiara given the numerous ones she’s crafted in canon.

Bridal Ring Sets

The ring on the left is the one Hana chooses for Kiara; I initially searched for a ring similar to Hana's ring for MC in canon but didn't want a one-to-one match, and then I diverged further by selecting one with a vine design to reference Castelsareillan (aka Rowan’s tattoos which I head canon were tribal in nature and design). The side stones are diamonds since they’re both the ducal stone and Kiki’s birthstone, but Hana went with moissanite for the central stone since it's not as hard and refracts more multi-colored light, representing how there's more to Kiara than what the surface may show and that she is a lot more kind and sweet and thoughtful than her tough facade leads people to expect.

For the ring Kiara gives to Hana*, resetting a family heirloom is very popular in France, especially with traditional affluent families. The ruby was originally from her late maternal grandmother’s engagement ring, and Kiara had it reset in a rose gold band to match her own since Hana proposed first. Due to the canonical Cordonian tradition of lovers throwing a copper, a silver, and a gold coin into a well to guarantee that they stay together for eternity, I head canon that rose gold—which is made of those three metals—is a popular choice in Cordonia for engagement/anniversary jewelry. The wedding band is inlaid with opals since they're the ducal stone of Hana’s duchy, Chrysopolis.

*I was also partly inspired by @masked-alien-lesbian’s beautiful pick to find a more floral design than my original choice, and when I found one with embellishments that mirrored butterflies as well, I knew it was the one.

Bridal Party

In Chinese numerology, 8 is considered one of the most auspicious numbers, with 2, 3, and 6 also being lucky in general. As such, the bridal party is a total of 6 people (3 for each side) who combined with the 2 brides equal 8 in total.

Hana's Bridesmaids: Ally (MOH), Olivia, and Ganga

In my version of events, Olivia actually does offer a genuine apology to Hana in the beer garden scene at the end of TRR2, and so by the time Hana’s planning her wedding, the two have grown close enough for her to ask Liv to be her bridesmaid.

The name Ganga may be familiar to anyone who read Hana’s character page, as she’s one of Hana’s second cousins on her mother’s side. They meet and bond over the course of my reimagined TRH series Silver Spoons.

Kiara's Témoins: Penelope (MOH), Zeke, and Savannah

Instead of bridesmaids and groomsmen, French couples have témoins (witnesses) of any gender/age that stand next to them during the ceremonies. While Penelope is still courteously given the MOH title, Ally is the one who provides the most support in regard to the planning/corralling.

Wedding

Following Moroccan and Chinese traditions, the wedding celebration is several days long. I also head canon that many western regions of Cordonia outside of the five major duchies have three-day-length celebrations, including the regality from which Hana’s maternal family hails. The negafa (wedding planner) is Kiki’s paternal aunt Leïla, who is assisted by Hana’s own aunt Yawen.

Day 1: Castelsareillan

Hammam

In Morocco on the first day of a wedding celebration, the bride spends a day in the hammam (a type of steam bath or place of public bathing akin to a spa) with her companions, treating themselves with multiple body masks, scrubs, and massages as part of a bridal ritual of purification and beauty. Hanara chooses the baths and spa in Applewood visited in TRR2 and attend with their bridal party sans Zeke.

Bachelorette Party

Their joint party is thrown in Côte d'Or, the Cordonian gambling district visited in RoE which in my verse is located in one of Castelsareillan’s vassalages off the coast. Aside from the standard night on the town events, Ally also arranges a series of chuangmen (Chinese door games) for the couple to play: an alcoholic version of the Four Flavors of Life, Q&A Tests, and a Sweet Serenade karaoke session.

The theme is a rainbow, with everyone wearing a different colored dress: Ally in red, Ganga in orange, Kiara in yellow gold, Olivia in green, Penelope in blue, Savannah in purple, and Hana in pink. All of the bridesmaids wear the same cap-sleeved sequined style, while the brides’ outfits are pictured below:

Day 2: Samsara

Henna Party

Both Morocco and India have wedding traditions involving decorating the bride’s hands and feet with henna (mehndi being the South Asian term for the body art itself). Lorelai’s cousin Aparna offers her estate in Samsara (a western regality in Cordonia) as the venue, and the party is a long affair filled with food and music.

Hana wears a pink sari while Kiki dons a green kaftan. Since the brides plan to walk down the aisle the next day, they’re carried to their seats in the amaria (an elegant roofed platform) by four men: Zeke, Drake, Bertrand, and the male cousin Kiara mentions in TRR3 who I named Patrice and head canon is Joëlle’s nephew.

Having forgone a wedding shower, the brides open their gifts during the party, some of which revolve around the traditional “something old” rhyme (with the givers corresponding to whose side they walk on):

Something Old: received during the tea ceremony

Something New: white lotus hair stick (Ally), silver and onyx Berber necklace (Zeke)

Something Borrowed: Scarlet Handkerchief (Liv), Golden Tiara* (Penelope)

Something Blue: garter set (Savannah), nagapadam mala (Ganga)

*The Golden Tiara is the House treasure that was granted to the Amaranth’s when they were elevated in 1600 C.E. It was rumored that while donned, the makeup of any who wore it would remain flawless.

Rehearsal Dinner

The ribbons and bows from unwrapping the gifts are turned into two giant bouquets that the brides use for the following wedding rehearsal in place of the garlands they’ll be using for the real ceremony. They also incorporate some elements of the nischayam, an Indian Malayalee engagement ceremony generally held to formally announce the marriage, which includes exchanging horoscopes as well as the mothiram maattal (ring exchange). Since pigs are favored animals in Chinese culture, Kiara’s pet teacup pig Tambour acts as the ring bearer. At the end of the rehearsal dinner, the couple signs their marriage license following both French and Moroccan tradition (the latter of which call this ceremony Drib Sdak).

Day 3: Chrysopolis

Shutou & Jing Cha

The morning of the third and final wedding day begins in Hana’s manor in Chrysopolis with the Chinese shutou or hair combing ceremony performed by their mothers Lorelai and Joëlle. Immediately afterwards, the two change into their traditional formal wear (Hana in a qungua and Kiara in a takshita) before heading downstairs for the jing cha or tea ceremony, where their aunts have built an ancestral altar for the occasion.

The ceremony is done with both families at the same time, and in return for the tea that the couple offer, their families offer them golden jewelry and red envelopes filled with money called hongbao. They also receive from their fathers the “something old” gift that’s been passed down by their late grandmothers: a set of golden phoenix & dragon bangles for Hana and silver Berber bracelets for Kiara.

Vow Exchange

The exchanging of vows takes place outside in the sunflower garden. Kiki’s four-year-old cousin mentioned in TRH2 serves as the flower girl, and the bridal party are all dressed in a reddish mulberry and adorned with golden jewelry*. The brides change into their white outfits (Hana wearing the same dress as in canon and a veil, while Kiara dons a jumpsuit with a cape) and walk down the T-shaped aisle on the arms of their fathers to meet each other.

Hakim place Kiara’s hand in Hana’s and Xinghai hands them a pair of scissors before leaving the two to continue their march together. In a slightly altered French tradition, they must cut through the rows of white ribbons stretched across the aisle to reach the dais, where they exchange a set of garlands made from roses, fire lilies, jasmine, sunflowers, and Vescovi (magic) flowers in the Hindi jayamala ceremony, a pledge which substitutes their “I Do’s.”

Liam acts as the officiant and joins the couple’s hands together following the Agni Hito tradition of using a red string to represent their fates being bound. He hands them each a lambatha (Greek taper candle) to hold as the brides recite their individual customized vows to one another. They then use the lambathes to light a brazier filled with Heartoak wood which is placed before them.

This functions as the sacred fire for the saat phere, a Hindu wedding ritual continued by the Agni Hito where the couple walks around the fire seven times while reciting specific vows. Each circuit holds a certain meaning. Once the seventh one has been completed, Liam pronounces the two wives, and butterflies are released as they share their first kiss as a married couple.

*One of the bridal party’s statement pieces is a golden pin in the design of Hanara’s onnamon, pictured below. Mon are Japanese emblems that function similar to heraldic charges, and onnamon specifically are created by women after marriage through modifying her original family kamon. The Agni Hito, being of Japanese lineage, continued to use them within Cordonia. After becoming the Duchess of Chrysopolis, Hana adopted a new mon by turning her mother’s kamon/charge (the cherry blossom) into a butterfly-shape.

Reception

The rice toss is performed while the newlyweds exit down the aisle before everyone heads inside, where the vin d’honour (the French equivalent of a cocktail hour) is held. Kir Royale cocktails made with Cristal champagne and chocolate-coated almonds called les dragées are served, and both mahjong and mancala are played. Once all of the ~200 attendees have been greeted, they drive to the banquet hall with a liberal use of horns preceding the “just married” limo.

Each guest upon their arrival signs the livre des visiteurs (guestbook), delivers their hongbao, touches a set of oranges for good luck, and washes their hands in the orange blossom water. Ouzo and Moroccan mint tea are offered until everyone has been seated for the grand entrance, where under a shower of petals and sparklers, the newlyweds perform a TRR 2.0 Olivia-style change into their reception dresses pictured below (Hana on the left and Kiara on the right):

Thanks to @lizzybeth1986 for sharing the tumblr post with these lovely designs!

They step onto the floor with their fathers for the first dance, which they finish as a couple following French tradition. The song is one that Hana composed titled Le jardin de l'amour and performed by Kaitlyn Liao. The feast itself is a ten-course affair that contains a vast variety of cultural dishes, including drunken shrimp, butter chicken, Peking duck, pork jiaozi, tangine, bird’s nest soup, and seffa. Maxwell serves as the emcee, and toasts are given in between the various acts.

Friends provide most of the entertainment, including a ballad sung by the Cordonian Quartet, but there are also lion dancers and firecrackers following Chinese tradition. Halfway through, the couple changes into their final outfits for the night (a red qipao for Hana and a kaftan jumpsuit for Kiara). Once the last course has been served, the croquembouche (a French dessert that serves as the wedding cake) is wheeled out along with a Cordonian Ruby for the apple-cutting ceremony.

After feeding each other a slice of both, the dancing begins. The party lasts long into the night, but just before the newlyweds retire for the evening, they take part in another French tradition: eating a dish from a brand new pot de chambre (chamber pot). The bottom is lined by bananas and covered with melted chocolate before the leftover alcohol from the wedding is poured in. After the couple’s takes a drink and eats a spoonful of the gooey contents, the rest is left to be finished off by the bridal party.

Honeymoon

Lorelai’s wedding gift is the most expensive home in China, and it is here in Shanghai where Hana and Kiara spend the first week of their honeymoon, which ends with the Mid-Autumn Festival. The second week is spent in Tours, France where they go cycling and visit the famous châteaus before returning to Cordonia just in time for the Last Apple Ball.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sources

#the royal romance #trr #hana lee #kiara theron #hanaleeappreciationweek #hlaw 2.0 #hlaw day 5 #head canons #had the whole thing written out but putting this post together took much longer than expected #but got it finished nevertheless and by the deadline!#now i am going to pass out for the 3 hours i have left before work

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tomtardis · 3 years

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Myanmar Residents Returned To Village To Find It Destroyed By Myanmar Military

Residents of Htei Hlaw, a village in Magway Region’s Gangaw Township that was occupied over the weekend by junta troops, returned home to find burned houses and the remains of an unidentified body.Soldiers raided the village late last Friday and stayed there until 5 p.m. on Sunday, according to residents. Villagers who returned the following day found the body in one of nine houses that had been…

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#Asia #Asia news #Myanmar #Myanmar news #news

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sazanes · 11 months

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Day 5 - Hana's Perfect Wedding!

In my canon, Hana and Kiara's wedding takes place at the lake that Hana discovered in the castle, it's a warm night in Cordonia, so the wedding will be in the castle garden. The ceremony has a garden theme, has lots of flowers and is cozy, close friends and family will remember this night as a celebration of simple and pure love.

@hanaleeappreciationweek @lizzybeth1986 @sazanes

#hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW Day 5 #HLAW #hana lee #kiara theron #the royal romance #playchoices #myart

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hanaleeappreciationweek · 1 year

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We're closer to the end of our week! So far we've gotten such lovely pieces from so many people...headcanons, edits, artwork, fics, essays... and it's so heartwarming to see the love poured into each and every piece we got. We are SO excited to see what more you all have in store, especially for this final prompt!!

Our final prompt for the week is a truly special one. Most of us who are Hana fans were truly disappointed by the wedding she DID get - the coding good ups, the lack of thought, the way the MC comes across...one of our hosts highlighted how awful it looked in this post.

This is a chance for us to reimagine that special day, as a Hana fan. For us to think what it would be like to have a wedding that places Hana at the center with the MC, not tailing behind her and letting the MC hog all the attention.

It's time to reimagine Hana's Perfect Wedding!!

You can present this theme in any form - but in case you need a bit of help with the theme, here are a few prompt asks that could be helpful:

OTP Wedding 1 | OTP Wedding 2

Any and all content is welcome - as long as Hana is the focus of the piece and the depiction of her is positive. We accept any sort of content - fanfic, fanart, edits, moodboards, interactive media, headcanons, screenshots, playlists, meta, headcanons... even screenshots of your favourite scenes! We also accept older pieces (in our Throwback theme) and WIPs. In case you need to look up more themes, here is the main post!

You don't necessarily need to have your piece ready for a theme on the specific day itself - you can always send it later, as long as you tag the post with the day it was meant for (#HLAW Day 1, #HLAW Day 2).

We will also be keeping a buffer week in case you couldn't finish your piece during the week. Our final deadline is 30th June.

Be sure to do the following when you make your posts:

1. Use the tags #hanaleeappreciationweek and #HLAW, as well as the day and theme you are sending it for (#HLAW Day 1, #HLAW Day 2 etc).

2. Tag @hanaleeappreciationweek, and hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes

FAN CONTENT BLOGS have always helped us immensely with our events, and they hold a number of fun and exciting events themselves too! Here are a couple you could try out if you want:

@choicesficwriterscreations - Primarily fanfic. Check out their roster of events here!

@choicesmonthlychallenge and @choicesjunechallenge - Any and all content welcome! Check out their prompts for June.

@choicespride - Any and all content welcome! Here is their awesome prompt list for Pride Month.

@choicesflashfics - Primarily fics under a 2500 word limit. Here are this week's prompts.

@choicesprompts - Currently no events running, but they recently finished a round robin and may arrange for a new one soon.

@drake-walker-appreciation and @maxwell-beaumont-appreciation - These blogs invite content all year round on their respective characters.

Happy Hana Lee Appreciation Week, everyone!!!

#hana lee #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #HLAW Day 5 #HLAW Day 5: Hana's Perfect Wedding

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lizzybeth1986 · 1 year

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Why I gave HLAW a "Hana's Perfect Wedding" Theme

Tbr I like thinking up weddings for all my pairings and fave characters. But with Hana there is an added significance that makes me want it to be extra special for her specifically.

The first two chapters of Hana's playthrough in TRR3, touches on a very interesting and rather painful aspect of Hana's upbringing - that she has been robbed of choice in so many things, especially in the kind of wedding she wanted. We see this both in the safe house, where Hana and MC decide to marry, and at their engagement photoshoot where Hana plans a couple poses.

In both scenes, she dives into the task with incredible enthusiasm, before stopping herself and asking the MC if in doing so she is ignoring the MC's desires for their wedding. The MC can reassure her, but in both scenes Hana is nervous about becoming like her parents, in leaving behind her partner in her desire to fulfill her own dreams for her wedding.

Unfortunately, this story thread is dropped completely after Ch 2 of TRR3, and the wedding itself is so focused on the MC that PB often forgets that Hana is a bride at that wedding too! She is made to wear dull colours like the rest at her own bachelorette (and two white ladies of the court are allowed to break this rule), and is treated like a bridesmaid more than a bride at her own reception! Especially in the Savannah proposal diamond scene.

Despite being the bride, the MC makes her run errands and she is made to stand in the line of bridesmaids for the bouquet toss in her wedding gown! Honestly...not a dream wedding at all.

So it's always been important to me, to imagine a perfect wedding for Hana. One that centers her. That keeps her dreams - the ones that Hana assumed would never come true - in mind. One that respects her journey and where she came from, combines all the things she loves.

So to me...and I think to many Hana stans... Hana's dream wedding isn't just a typical dream of someone who can't wait to marry the one they love. It's also an opportunity for Hana to live out fantasies and dreams and wishes that she thought she'd never have the chance to fulfill.

Because I'm not sure how many TRR players know about this...I thought I'd talk about it and why it personally mattered so much to me, a bit today. ☺️☺️

Can't wait to see all your HLAW entries!!

#hana lee #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #HLAW Day 5

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sazanes · 2 years

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Day 5 - Hana’s Home/Hana’s Childhood (Hana's Grandmother 🥰)

"I still remember the way she smiled..."

@hanaleeappreciationweek @lizzybeth1986 @sazanes

#hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #HLAW Day 5 #hana lee #the royal romance #playchoices #reference used #myart #digital art

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lizzybeth1986 · 1 year

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HC: The Wedding of Duchesses Kiara Thorne and Hana Lee

(Note: I'd done a shorter HC list of this last HLAW, but really wanted to dive in and explore more questions this time!! You can find the OC wedding asks here and here! I managed to do a few questions from each 💖💖)

How old were they when they got married?

Kiara was around 28, and Hana would turn 27 that year.

How long were they together before their engagement?

A little over six months. Their relationship began perhaps a week or two before Liam and Esther's wedding. They were going to keep it secret...but when Kiara feared almost losing Hana in the battle with Anton and saw her return, she uncharacteristically made their relationship public in a mad rush of relief. They were together and publicly recognised as a couple for six months before the proposal.

Who proposed and how?

...one of my projects for HLAW is their proposal fic 🤓🤓 So I'm not going to say much here except...both?

How long was the engagement?

Around three months.

Where was the wedding?

It was in a basillica at Castelserraillan. A Chinese wedding ceremony was done two days after...but I still need to finalize all the details of that!

They also had a "red string of fate" ceremony a week later, which is very popular among couples in Hana's duchy Krysanthe. The latter ceremony's significance is that it's believed that "the two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break." (the belief can be found in a lot of East Asian cultures but the origin seems to be Chinese).

Who was invited?

Everyone except Madeleine and Drake. Thankfully around that time news seemed to be coming out that the House Amaranth finances were no longer what they used to be, and suspicions started emerging about Godfrey's role in Queen Eleanor's death. It would take a year and a half for that investigation to finally become conclusive, but public opinion had already begun to shift pretty drastically about the family.

Kiara would have not allowed anyone to invite Madeleine regardless - for Hana's sake and for her own sanity.

It is an unspoken agreement among everyone in the group - including Drake - that he cannot attend Hana and Kiara's wedding ceremony. Hana knows he wishes them well, but is also respecting the boundaries Kiara needs to keep in place after his behaviour during the Unity Tour. He buys a wedding gift and keeps it safe, in the possibility that maybe one day they will reach a space where they feel safe enough around him to accept it. It's a risk - because the day may never come - but he does want to be ready in case it does.

Colours/Theme?

Orange and hot pink. It's a popular combination at the time, plus it represents a whole numbers of things.

Pink is Hana's favourite colour and the colour of the barony she originated from. Also...pink was an overarching theme in all the 200 Pinstop boards that Kiara insisted on seeing after Hana inadvertently let that detail slip.

Orange is primarily a nod to the orange blossom, Kiara's favourite flower. But it is also the predominant colour of the Krysanthan ducal sigil: the monarch butterfly.

Bridesmaids/Groomsmen?

Esther was the matron of honour (obviously), and Maxwell was part of Hana's bridal party...but Hana's cousin Chūntáo, and her friend Doralis too (Esther's friend who Hana had a friendly chat in NY with during Engagement Tour, and they became really good friends over the course of the year).

On Kiara's side was Ezekiel, Rashad (her father and his mother had been good friends), her cousin Céleste and a male cousin from her dad's side of the family who I haven't sketched out yet. Kiara's old friend King Liam could have been part of her bridal party but he was their officiant instead 🤗

Big Wedding or Small?

I'd say somewhere in the middle? It wasn't as grand or large-scale as Liam and Esther's...but they were still Duchesses, Kiara was part of a Great House, and they had gained a lot of popularity in the 9 months before their wedding. They got featured in pretty much every prominent magazine in the country.

Wedding Planner?

Carmen! She came in highly recommended by Liam and his brother Leo, and Joëlle especially adored her on sight. Kiara brought her in because honestly Carmen always came prepared with multiple options, and she knew they'd need someone who would center Hana's vision in this while ensuring Kiara got certain things she wanted too - otherwise she knew Hana would worry about being selfish.

Bachelorette Parties?

Officially, there was one joint bachelorette organized by Queen Esther. Kiara and Hana were very emphatic it should happen at a very popular nightclub in Castel. That club is very special to both of them: on her first ever visit to Castel, Kiara took her out there to have a taste of what their community was like. They had loads of fun, including a chocolate fondue party that Esther arranged with Hana's consent (she didn't want to revive bad memories of Madeleine, so she changed a lot of things but still made sure it had everything Hana would love). Hana later found that part one of the best parts of the bachelorette 🤓

The day before that, Kiara took Hana to a fun fair, where there were stalls full of games and cute prizes. Hana won herself several soft toys that day, but her favourite one - a cat she would later name Mr. Bingley - was won for her by Kiara. Hana somehow enjoyed that a lot more.

(Did Kiara know about Hana growing up without toys? Yes. Was that the idea behind this trip? Hell yes)

Wedding Cake.

A deceptively simple looking white cake with pressed edible flowers on the outside, but filled with delectable chocolate ganache on the inside ("Aw," Liam said in mock-disappointment - I'm nicking a headcanon from @cassiopeiacorvus here 😄). I would say that there were red wine chocolate truffles atop the cake as well, and this was also one of the desserts served at the wedding.

Flowers

It was a fall wedding, and this was Hana's bouquet:

There were also pink and orange flowers at the tables, depending on the colour of the tablecloth (which also be either pink or orange. Pink flowers/orange table, orange flowers/pink table)

Dresses.

Kiara wears a lace jumpsuit with a train, and also wears a heart necklace that Hana had gifted her before the wedding. Hana wears a blush pink qipao, with plum blossom detailing on the dress and especially down the back. You can see both on the moodboard.

Both Kiara and Hana represented their duchies with their jewellery. Kiara's had elements of lapis lazuli, considered a very significant stone in Castelserraillan (as it symbolises wisdom), and Hana's jewellery was an amalgamation of both Krysanthe's and Bethulia's favoured stones - amethyst (symbolizing healing, as the duchy was famed for its excellence in medicine) and pink diamonds (which could only be found in Bethulia).

Traditions Important to Them

From Kiara's side, it was the henna party two nights before the wedding. Hana got to meet most of Kiara's family, esp her cousins from Fes, during this ceremony, and the henna was done in Moroccan design. The first initial of their spouse was sneaked into the designs (H for Kiara, K for Hana), and most of the girls giggled about how they wouldn't be allowed to enjoy their wedding night until they'd found their initials on each others' palms. There's also a saying that the darker the colour of your henna, the deeper the love...and unsurprisingly, the henna was very, very dark on both hands 🤗

They had a Chinese ceremony a few days later, for which Hana and Kiara had their hair combing ceremony (Hakim and Joëlle found out the details beforehand and consulted Xīnghǎi and Lorelai about the arrangements, with a trusted person they knew from China guiding them). Hana and Kiara ate glutinous rice balls later as per custom.

(Details for what that looks like here)

Who Walked Down The Aisle, And With Whom?

It was Hana...and with her father. They'd made tentative peace by then. Kiara stood at the altar.

Their Favourite Memory of The Day

Hana’s favourite moment at the wedding was doing the Cordonian Waltz with Kiara. It felt full circle to her…this was the first dance her mother taught her, and she was dancing it now with her new bride.

Kiara’s favourite moment was at the dinner, with all the opportunities she got to personally feed Hana. At Liam’s wedding reception almost a year before (ironically Hana and Kiara’s relationship went public that very night), they could only touch each other in secret; now she could be as free about her love as she wanted and no one would stop them.

Catching the Bouquet

Doralis, Esther's former roommate! Hana wound up catching the bouquet at Esther's wedding, and Doralis, who was seriously considering proposing to her girlfriend at the time, caught it at Hana's.

Honeymoon

They rent a villa at Mauritius for their honeymoon, see the Seven Coloured Earth at Chamarel Village, bet on winning horses at Champ de Mars (again, Kiara wins), and enjoy the best of French, Creole, Indian and Chinese cuisine.

On Hana’s request, the couple also go a couple months later to China, to celebrate Qi Xi (most popularly known as “Chinese Valentine’s”) for the first time as a married woman. Kiara loves stargazing, so a lot of their time during the festival goes in that 🤩

#hana lee #kiara theron #hanaleeappreciationweek #HLAW #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #HLAW Day 5 #HLAW Day 5: Hana's Perfect Wedding #lizzybeth1986 #content: headcanon

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thecapturedafrique · 2 years

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HLAW: Day 5—Home/Childhood

Good evening and happy day 5 of Hana Lee Appreciation Week! This is one the easiest days for me to contribute to, as I’ve already spent an extensive amount of time creating head canons for Hana revolving around this very theme. Since PB’s mostly left her backstory a blank page aside from Shanghai being her home town and her having a late grandmother, this leaves us Hana fans to build her one ourselves. I hope y’all enjoy reading mine! 😁

Tagging @hanaleeappreciationweek and the truly spectacular hosts @lizzybeth1986 and @sazanes!

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The Lee’s originally immigrated from mainland China to Singapore in the mid 1800s; they started their own textile company just before the boom hit as a result of WWI

When the Great Depression struck, they moved their business to Shanghai and continued to thrive until the Second Sino-Japanese War began destroying mills and supply chains

The Lee’s left for Hong Kong and were able to recover until their company the Lee Kowloon Group had become the biggest privately owned manufacturer of textiles in China, with a yearly revenue of 25 billion yuan (~$3.5 billion)

Cheung Bao (张宝) [1] was a Cantonese fashion designer who married into the Lee Family; as their second son, Xinghai (星海) wasn’t expected to inherit a controlling share of the family company

As such, Xinghai moved to Shanghai to re-establish the textile market there (since the only real competition was the government) with a subsidiary focused on high quality fabrics aimed at the rich

This move was made several months after he’d married Lorelai Ryuka, who he’d met in Cordonia when he’d gone to accompany his mentor/friend Charles Shang [2] to the celebration of Prince Liam’s birth in order to network

The only daughter of Lady Syeira, Lorelai was heir to their regality Antirrhinum, but after her parents passed, she chooses to relocate permanently to Shanghai with her husband and leaves its stewardship in the hands of her grandmother Floure

Though they both hope for a son, Lorelai gives birth a few years later to a daughter who they name Hana Lee Hua (李花), and she is raised in one of the Rose Garden Villas in the Xuhui District of Shanghai

During her Zhuazhou ceremony, Hana picks the cooking utensil which means she’ll make a good housewife, and later turns out to be a child prodigy (particularly on the piano)

Her parents’ aspirations are thus reignited and they pin all of their hopes onto her, as due to the One Child Policy she will be their only one

While visiting Lorelai intermittently to update her on their regality, Floure spends time with Hana to regale her with fairy tales and Cordonian folk stories [3]

Floure passes when Hana is 6, who is not able to attend the funeral since it’s in Cordonia; Xinghai instead takes her to the zoo where she sees pandas for the first time

Hana is educated from the ages of 5 to 10 primarily by her Taiwanese governess Tài Luó, who after is replaced by Lady Julianne de Montfort of Brittany [4]

Under Lady Julianne, she begins studying etiquette in preparation for her first society appearance at the start of England’s Social Season, after which there is a sharp decrease in time spent with her parents outside of social engagements

While abroad, Hana is also enrolled in the Wimbledon Village Stables, a riding academy where she studies dressage, and she successfully schemes to no longer have to play the piano in public at the age of 12

Though her parents end her lessons since they refuse to spend money on a skill that’s no longer of “use,” Hana’s instructor Lin Changsong [5] already told her that there was nothing else he could teach her

Bao is a central figure in her childhood as well as her primary caretaker at home when Lorelai and Xinghai are out of town; she inspires Hana’s love of fashion design and fosters her talent

Hana herself serves to inspire some of Bao’s own designs, and as canon states, they sew a black cheongsam together the summer before Bao dies, which is only a few weeks before Hana turns 15

Thus sparks her “goth phase” that goes hand in hand with being gifted a laptop of her own in order to attend the online Balissande Finishing School

The phase is also inspired by the black kitten Li Ming her grandmother left to her, but it’s less gothic and more angsty, as she uses her laptop to wax bleak poetry on her Stumblr blog, stream sad romance movies, and indulge in hurt/comfort fanfiction

Hana goes undiscovered for nearly a year, but once Lorelai finds out about the blog, her laptop is confiscated; she dyes her hair pink in retaliation for her 16th birthday celebration, and though it’s only temporary, Li Ming is taken as punishment [6]

At 18, she attends the first Shanghai International Debutante Ball in the dress pictured below, heralding her official debut into society and the start of her parents attempts to have her be chosen by a suitor

Foot Notes:

Bao’s face claim is Vivienne Tam, a real Chinese fashion designer. Credit to @cassiopeiacorvus for the Cantonese HC!

Charles Shang is a character from Crazy Rich Asians; after watching the movie following @mand-delemonde pointing out that Hana should be living the same sort of lifestyle, I decided to have CRA crossover into my version of the Choices world. I imagine Xinghai and Charles bonded over neither being the heir to their respective family companies. Charles was invited to celebrate Prince Liam’s birth since I head canon his niece Princess Cassandra was a friend of Queen Eleanor’s.

This is based on the coin tradition scene Hana shares with her fiancée in TRR3, which she states she learned from her great-grandmother. I’ve fleshed out Lorelai’s side of the family further than is shown, but the details weren’t included in this post since the only Cordonian family member Hana met during her childhood was Floure.

Tài Luó and Lady Julianne’s names are derived from the characters Miss Anne Taylor (from Emma) and Julian (from Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper). Julianne’s surname is due to how I made her the daughter of the Duke of Brittany, a duchy which is extinct IRL. She’s actually a friend of Joëlle’s, who in my head canon is a noblewoman from a neighboring French duchy that’s also extinct IRL, but those details will be shared during Kiara’s appreciation week later this month.

Lin Changsong is a parodied version of the pianist and composer Yin Chengzong. I imagine that if Hana had not been forced to hide her skill in order to keep it from being exploited, Lin would have tried to convince her parents to enroll her in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (which Yin himself joined at the age of 12).

I do plan to have Li Ming and Hana reunite in my post-TRR fic because I could never be that heartless. 🤧

#playchoices #the royal romance #trr #hana lee #hanaleeappreciationweek #hlaw day 5 #hlaw #head canons #this post took me way longer to compile than i expected 😭#no doubt bc i kept adding further details to it lol #we’ll see if i can get tomorrow’s post in before 11 PM EST

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