#exo royalty au

[haveanotherkpopblog]

Once Upon a Dream

Preview

Pairing(s): Byun Baekhyun x Fem!Reader, Park Chanyeol x Fem!Reader

Genre: Angst, Drama, Fluff, Royalty!AU

Word Count: 1.2K

Warnings: Mild Language

Masterlist

Once upon a time, in a far away land known as Ellesmere, there sat a palace. The palace sat tucked into a mountain side, watching over the whole kingdom from its perch. Red, black and gold covered the ceiling, walls, and tables inside the palace. Nobles and courtiers danced around the ballroom as beautiful music mingled with their laughter and talking, creating a harmony you could only wish to hear. Whispers flew through their ears of bets on who the Prince, whom the ball was being held for, would choose as his bride, his future queen.

The doors to the ballroom swung open and two of the contending ladies stepped through. One of noble breeding, the other from a humble background. They made their way down the steps, arms interlocked as the music swirled around them. One turned to the other, a rueful smile on her face as she took in her competitor, her friend’s, appearance.

“You look so beautiful. The Prince won’t be able to keep his eyes off of you,” she said, a bittersweet tone to her voice as she bowed her head. She smoothed the creases of her dark green dress. It shimmered under the pale light of the chandeliers with every step or turn she took. Her dark curls sat high on her head, kept out of her face unlike her usual mane that bounced without restriction.

“Ha!” A cold, chilling laugh turned the pair’s attention towards yet another competitor. A young woman stepped up to them, her fiery gaze upon them. Danger and power radiated off her like heat from the sun. She wore a dark purple with light grey undertones. Her violet hair sat in a pristine bun at the nape of neck. She looked every bit the noble lady she’d been raised to be.

“He might like the way she looks, but when it comes to choosing his future queen, he knows who’ll be able to handle ruling at his side.” The humble maiden smiled a sweet, genuine smile that stabbed the miser’s heart.

“May the best woman win,” she said. The purple-haired noble pursed her lips, looking down her nose. She spared the other lady a fleeting glance before she gave a smile back.

“I plan to.” She turned on her heel and marched away, her hips swaying with each step. The women shook their heads as they watched her walk away.

A loud trumpet blared, drawing their attention to where the herald would be announcing the Prince’s arrival. Their hearts pounded in the chests as the realization dawned on them fully that tonight was the night that lives would be changed, for better or worse. Sweat formed on the brow of the fair maiden as she did her best to steady her breath.

“Here he comes.”

The Prince, young and handsome, stopped before the ladies, offering them each a deep bow. His brown locks, usually free to bounce and dangle as they pleased, had been combed into a perfect side part, giving him the usual Prince Charming glow. He turned to the humble maiden, entranced at how her eyes shone like diamonds under the soft light of the chandeliers.

“May I request this dance?” he inquired.

“Absolutely.” She bowed, slipping her hand into his waiting hand with a smile.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He gave her a grin, leading her to the center of the ballroom.

Another waltz began, and they glided around with complete grace. The other nobles and guests seemed to disappear while time stood still between as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Her gown swirled around them with each twirl as she glided through each step with practiced ease, as if she’d been dancing her whole life.

“Just to think, a few months ago, I didn’t know the first steps to a waltz,” she mused with a thoughtful smile.

“And now no one would ever know that you weren’t born into this life,” the Prince replied. His face grew solemn the longer he stared at her. “I hope you never regret coming here.”

“Why would you say that?” she asked, surprised.

“Well, so much has happened and…” The Prince trailed off as the song began to wind down. Yet, the Prince could not bear to pull himself away from her--not quite yet. “I need to talk to you.”

“Is everything alright?” she asked, her heart beating out of control at six simple words. The Prince sighed.

“It’s been impossible to get even a moment alone with you these last few days, but I need to know--”

“Ahem!” Both she and the Prince jumped. They looked over to see the purple-haired nobel. She didn’t spare the young maiden a glance as she batted her eyelashes at the Prince. “Your Highness, may I be so bold as to cut in?”

“Oh, of course,” the Prince said, startled, and somewhat disappointed. The young maiden placed a soft and delicate hand on his elbow.

“We’ll talk later,” she assured him.

“Yes.”

As the Prince glided away, the young maiden made her way to the side of the ballroom, where she spotted a familiar and comforting face. He stood brooding against the wall, his arms folded over his chest as he took in his surroundings. When he spotted the young maiden, his jaw hit the ground. He called to her, unable to believe his own eyes. She let out a gentle laugh, surprised as well.

“I didn’t know you’d be here tonight,” she said. Servants of the palace walked by them, holding trays with savory food that tickled their noses. She snatched an hor d’oeuvre off a passing tray, popping it into her mouth before others had the chance to see. He nodded his head towards the Prince, oblivious to her previous actions.

“He insisted.” He turned to look at the young maiden. “I guess I should congratulate you.” The young maiden turned her head, furrowing her brows. “You look exactly like one of them. I guess you are one of them, now.” His face darkened as he turned away from her. “This time tomorrow, you might be the future queen. And then our lives are going in very different directions.”

The young maiden followed his gaze to the dance floor. The music was swelling as the guests laughed and drank with each other. Courtly gossip and political satire circled through them like water in a noria. She gave a soft smile, using a gentle hand to turn his attention back to her.

“If I’m chosen as the Prince’s bride, I’ll still be me,” she said. He gave her a rueful smile, looking down at her dress.

“Looking at you now, it’s hard to believe that.” His face turned serious once again, staring off past her shoulder at nothing in particular. “This place has a way of changing people, and some of us liked the girl you used to be. You know that, right?”

“I promise, I’m still the same me, even under this fancy ball gown.” She started grinning, nudging him with her shoulder. “If I ever get too cocky, just remind me that the first time we met, I was taking out garbage and waiting tables.” He laughed, shaking his head.

“Feels like so long ago, now. Can’t believe it’s only been a few months.

“Yeah, but after everything that’s happened, it feels more like…”

#haveanotherkpopblog post #once upon a dream #exo #exo au #exo angst #exo byun baekhyun #exo baekhyun #exo chanyeol #exo fanfic #exo fluff #exo fic #exo fics #exo fanfiction #exo ot9 #exo park chanyeol #exo royalty au #byun baekhyun #byun baekhyun x reader #baekhyun #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun x reader #park chanyeol #park chanyeol x reader #chanyeol #chanyeol fluff #chanyeol x reader #baekhyun x y/n #baekhyun x you #chanyeol x you #chanyeol x y/n

[peachysooxo]

The Kingdom of Us

Chapter 2

pairing: kyungsoo x OFC genre: Royal!AU, nonidol!soo, crownprince!kyungsoo, romance, drama

theme: arranged marriage, modern royalty, enemies to lovers, war, betrayal, eventual smut word count: 3,197 description: Kyungsoo fights his feelings at the engagement dinner being held for himself and Alina. Part of Alina’s past is revealed, Kyungsoo questions his own motives

warnings: mature themes, mentions of sex, mentions of anxiety, minors DNI

Author’s Notes: hi! Thank you so much for your support. We are getting a little deeper into this world, I hope I don’t make you hate Kyungsoo with this story! No significant warnings this time. Photos are not mine. Dividers by @saradika-graphics ! Happy reading (:

KYUNGSOO

I stand at the end of the foyer with Chanyeol and Baekhyun on either side of me. I glance up the stairs every so often, waiting for Princess Alina to join us for our dinner. This entire night was for her, it was merely advertised as being for us. It was another formality I had to pretend to be excited about. I had merely been a guest at these engagement dinners before, now the entire family was elated that it was my turn, it meant improvements and promotions for everyone. Though our engagement wasn’t official, it felt like it. I listen to the chatter from my aunts, mother and cousins, the anticipation of the Princess coming down the stairs was unbearable.

Ah, Princess Alina.

Alina gave me a headache and I barely knew her for five hours. Her push back earlier today was a big surprise to me, she isn’t exactly known for having an opinion. Valencia was embarrassingly behind in their treatment of women, unfortunately all anyone can focus on is Alina’s beauty. Too bad all of said beauty goes to ruin the second she opens her mouth. All I know is that she better go along about our agreement, or I will make every single day of her life a living hell. She’s just another thing thrown in my face because she’s a “good decision”, the “right girl to grow the dynasty”. It never occurred to anyone that I didn’t want any of this. Though I didn’t have another woman in mind, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t find a wife on my own.

“Hey, pay attention.” Baekhyun nudges me. Unlike the rest of the family, I allowed Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Yixing to speak informally to me. I don’t have any brothers and they were the closest I could get to siblings. They were the three men I trusted the most in the court.

“I am paying attention. See? I’m waiting for my prison sentence to grace us with her presence.” I nudge him back, a slight growl in my voice.

“That was harsh.” Chanyeol mutters.

“Excuse me?” I look up at my cousin, his cheeks are red and his eyes are downcast. “Do you want her? You can have her.”

“I didn’t say that.” Chanyeol snaps. “I just think you should be nicer to her. She’s young and scared, I know you don’t want this but don’t take it out on her.”

My eyebrows raise and an unfamiliar burn tingles in my head. My ears ring and suddenly Chanyeol is a threat to me. Never have I felt this toward him, alarm bells sound in my head. This is more reason to not go through with this. What makes angry is Chanyeol trying to tell me what to do with my fiancé. Whether I like it or not, she’s my headache and none of his damn business.

“Is it not a fact, Chanyeol? I was assigned a wife; hand chosen by my parents. It is a life sentence I have to serve. I’m being as nice as I can be. It’s not my fault my parents didn’t think when they chose her.” I explain with shrugged shoulders, clasping my hand over my wrist. The hustle and bustle of the family gathering and talking to one another is almost deafening, I didn’t enjoy these formal gatherings, never have. They felt so superficial, so showy and obnoxious. Half of this family hated each other anyway. The other half were social climbing leeches that wanted nothing else from me but status and support for whatever they do. Most of them are only here out of curiosity. They want to meet the People’s Princess, or so everyone calls her.

A figure at the top of the stairs catches my eye. I wait to see if it’s my forever headache announcing her presence, and sure enough it is. Princess Alina’s shy smile charmed the entire room to go silent and watch her descend the stairs. She didn’t have to say anything at all, it was her presence that was magnetic. The moment she came into my vision, time stopped. I take in every bit of her, studying her for any flaws. It aggravated me that she was naturally so… Lovely.

She was the only genuine person in this room, her smile was honest. Truthfully, I didn’t know much about the Princess. The only thing I did know is when her smile was fake and when it was real. I wasn’t stupid, I did my research. I watched Princess Alina from afar for some time and learned quickly that she wore her emotions on her sleeve. At the many charity events the Princess attended, she’d have that wide smile that showed off her dimples. If she wasn’t pleased, she wouldn’t show her teeth and would narrow her gaze. Tonight, I saw her full smile, dimples and all.

Princess Alina was glowing in a white form fitting dress that flowed just below her calves, a square neckline showing just a small bit of her deeply tan skin. Yellow gold jewelry in the shape of hearts adorned her neck and ear. Every small bit of her was perfectly put together as if she was crafted by hand. Her hair was styled to fall down her back in a braid with small flowers placed strategically intertwined from the crown of her head down into the braid. It was a traditional Valencian hairstyle, she always had her hair in traditional styles for these types of events. I grew annoyed that she was wearing makeup for the simple fact that it accentuated her beauty.

Up until her arrival, I received a photo of the Princess every year and never gave it a second thought or more than a quick glance. Every princess had their photos edited to look much prettier than they really were. It wouldn’t be unfair to imagine that Alina was any different. Now I see her in front of me and she looked exactly like her photos. When we met earlier in the day, I bullshitted that “your photos don’t do you justice” comment. Now, I see that was wrong to do. I should’ve paid more attention. Everyone in the room gathered and lined the walkway to the dining room, watching and whispering compliments as she greets each member of the Doh Royal Family. She certainly didn’t have to waste her time, but she took the time that none of these people deserved. A small part of me disagreed with each sentiment that was spoken because they weren’t enough to describe what I saw in front of me. It’s becoming very difficult to hate someone who’s so…

So…

I couldn’t even find the proper words for her. She took them from my mind and my mouth. Princess Alina was ethereal, there was something about her that made my heart flutter and it angered me. I stop and compose myself, bringing my head back down to earth. I had to focus on the task at hand. I couldn’t let her beauty get to me.

“She is stunning. Your son and the Princess will have beautiful children.” Aunt Micha coos to Mother behind me.

“We’ll see about that.” Mother grumbles under her breath. I roll my eyes and turn to Princess Alina as she stops in front of me, her respectful bow takes me by surprise. She plays her role exceptionally well; I couldn’t ask for more. She offers a soft nod, her lips curving into a smile with emotionless eyes. It’s a relief that she’s devoid of emotions in her eyes. I fear that she would make me retract my stipulations if I saw the true emotions in her gaze. I offer my hand and she gracefully accepts it. I link her arm with mine and escort her to the dining room. Along the way I put my hand over hers and smile down at her.

“My darling, you are so beautiful.” I say lowly. The Princess’ eyes gaze into mine, discomfort at my sweet name for her caused them to well up with tears. Her smile gives her a deceitful glow that can fool anyone into believing she was happy. Were all of her smiles fake? She’s holding back tears. She hates this as much as I do. Everyone in this room believes we instantly fell in love, how wrong they were. We kept our eyes forward and Alina made it a point to greet everyone, it boggled my brain. Why did she have to acknowledge everyone? Princess Alina stops for a moment, stepping in front of me. “What is it?”

She tries to suppress a giggle and adjusts my tie with soft hands. She pats my chest and bows her head. “Your tie, Your Grace. The knot was coming loose.”

“Thank you, Princess.” I lower my head in thanks. A gentle smile comes and goes as fast as I blink my eyes. We bow to Mother and Father, two Royal Guards approach them with customary gifts from Valencia. Princess Alina’s home country offered a gold necklace to the Mother and a gold watch to Father. One of Valencia’s biggest imports was gold, it was customary for a Valencian Royal to gift their future in laws gold jewelry. Of course, Mother and Father delighted in the gifts. King Ignacio and Queen Evelina could’ve just given it to them on their last visit, but I digress. Formalities are everything.

I guide Princess Alina to her place at the table and pull her chair out. She sits, I take the seat next to her and the family all collectively gather around the large dining table. The conversation is light at first, the duchesses ask the Princess what life was like in Valencia. Between the first and second courses of dinner, I thoroughly studied Alina’s every move. I was filled with so much fascination that someone could mistake it for love. Alina does the same whenever I turn away from her, I catch her in my peripheral vision. How curious is it that I want to look at her constantly? Our gazes catch each other’s, and we hold the contact for a few seconds. Alina turns away with red cheeks, her attention focused on anyone else but me.

“So, Princess Alina, how is the alliance your father made with the Azteco Nation? Still strong?” Boram, my cousin by marriage, smirks, leaning forward on the table. Alina’s demeanor never changes, she never shows her cards.

“It is only faring well considering Azteco’s Queen is my sister.” Princess Alina laughs softly. “I fear the only alliance Azteco’s King has with Valencia’s King is that they are in-laws.”

“How wonderful! How is Queen Maria doing? We were made aware that the birth of Princess Daniela was quite traumatic.”

“Boram,” I warn softly. Alina pats my knee under the table and nods to my cousin.

“Queen Maria has recovered well. Thank you for asking,” Alina beams. Murmurs spark down the table at how “well trained” Princess Alina is, how nothing can unnerve her. Mother pays close attention to how Alina reacts, she had been ever so curious if the Princess will crack under pressure. I didn’t understand why Mother was suddenly so displeased with Alina, it was her that chose Alina as my betrothed. Perhaps her own guilt is being projected onto the Princess, but that can just be me overanalyzing this situation we found ourselves in.

“And your relationship with King Daniel? Is there any truth to the rumors?” Boram pries deeper, not satisfied with Alina’s answer. What is she talking about? Princess Alina’s smile fades and her eyes lock with Mother. Mother’s brow furrows and a sly grin appears on her face, her attention turning to Boram.

“Boram, what is this you speak of?” Queen Hyunae questions. “Princess Alina, care to explain?”

I can see the anxiety and stress strangling Alina. She was a deer in the headlights, panic rising on her face. What is it that’s making her so nervous? Disappointing me? A secret being revealed and the possibly consequences? Oh, this is going to get good. The entire room falls silent, not even a pin drop could be heard. She turns her attention to me, begging me with her eyes to stop this from getting out of control. Confusion riddles my mind, obviously it’s something that shouldn’t be revealed at dinner such as this. I shake my head and turn my attention to my troublemaking cousin.

“Alright, enough! Boram, you need to put an end to the gossip that you spread. You’re making Princess Alina uncomfortable. I expect better treatment toward her.” I demand, my acting is so good that everyone believes me.

“My many apologies, Princess.” Father adds, glaring at his niece. “This behavior will not happen again.” The silence brings awkwardness to the dinner table. I decide that enough is enough and I change the subject for now. Regardless, I will find out what it is that Alina is hiding from me.

“Princess. Are you prepared for our rehearsals? Our engagement ball is coming up.” I offer. Alina looks into my eyes and nods.

“It will be delightful, Crown Prince.”

After the disastrous dinner, I suggest that we take a stroll in the palace garden, a place Alina had not been before. We leave together, changing the tune of the family. The Princess takes in the beauty of the garden, something in her calms and changes into serenity. She looks up to the sky and locates the moon, I look in the direction of her gaze and see the crescent in the sky.

She is the moonlight. She must have hung the moon and stars herself, there is no comparison to this beauty she possesses. Stop while you’re ahead, Kyungsoo.

“So,” I break the silence. “You hooked up with King Daniel?”

She stops walking and shakes her head vehemently. “I could never do that to my sister or to you, Your Highness! How disgusting are you?!”

This whole, “hurt you before you can hurt me” thing is only backfiring. I stand speechless, unsure of what to say. The only thing I can think of doing is to drop to my knees and bow, aware that eyes are on us. Confused, Alina sinks down and touches my face out of concern. “Princess, my deepest apologies for insulting you.”

“Never do this again, Your Grace.” Alina replies, a smile on her face to cover her agitation. “It is clear how you truly feel about me.”

What happened between Alina and Daniel? I never got along with Azteco’s king, every rumor I heard about him wasn’t too far from the truth. The puzzling part was how Alina fit in to this, did I not pay enough attention to what she was doing while waiting to be brought to Seoul? I surmised long ago that anyone is capable of hurting the people around them for selfish reasons; I’ve known it, I’ve felt it.

I also understood my circles were much different than the ones the women in this family were in. I take Alina’s hands and we stand together, my arm resting on her upper back. “Princess, everyone has a past. Everyone pretends to wait for their betrothed, but we all know that is never the case. It’s okay if you had a relationship before me. I had relationships before you.”

Alina’s eyes water, pain written all over her face. Slowly, she starts to back away and I can’t help but feel satisfied that I managed to keep her at a distance. “Crown Prince… I didn’t know you did that. It is becoming abundantly clear that this is not going to work. Here I was, the only one being true to our betrothal. I… I…”

“Stop crying, darling. There are eyes everywhere.” I caress my betrothed’s face, pulling her close to me. Alina stiffens to my surprise.

“Please… You don’t need to do this.”

“I wanted to kiss you, Princess. Are you pretending to be shy with me?” I peer closer, feeling her muscles tense in my hold. Alina holds back a sob and looks away, what am I doing? Am I a monster? I quickly loosen my grip on her and kiss her hand, smiling. “A tease, hm?”

“I thought you were much different than this, Crown Prince.” Alina starts. “Why do you hate me? Am I not what you want? Please don’t torture me and let me go. I will accept my punishment, anything is better than what lies ahead if we keep going.”

I stare at my betrothed, shocked at her plea. She was in agreement when she arrived and suddenly that changes? Obviously, something happened between Daniel and Alina, she just didn’t want to admit it. Not yet at least. I refuse to be made a fool with a wife such as her, keeping secrets and lying to my face. I shrug my shoulders and wipe her tears out of annoyance of seeing them. They’re probably not real anyway, just enough to get her out of this conversation.

“No, you’re staying. I will walk you back to your chambers, Princess.” I give up for now and walk the Princess back to her chambers, continuing the silence between us. She slips in her door and locks it, allowing no room for me to follow her. I walk back to my chambers and slide my phone out of my pocket, sending a message to Princess Alina. I might not want this marriage, but I’m not a heartless man. That look in Alina’s eyes said it all: she really took all of this seriously (as much as I didn’t want to believe it) and I betrayed that by dating despite the laws a betrothal held, or how she might feel about it when she found out.

Kyungsoo Princess, I am sorry for my words. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me.

Darling Wife Okay.

I acknowledge her message and proceed to search forDaniel and Alina rumors on the internet. To say the least, I was bothered by what I saw.

King Daniel weighs options of breaking betrothal of Crown Prince Kyungsoo of Seoul and Princess Alina of Mariposa

Princess Alina of Mariposa Absent from Wedding of now-Queen Maria of Azteco and King Daniel due to Illness

Princess Alina Enlists for Medical Military Service, to get closer to King Daniel or Crown Prince Kyungsoo?

Valencia’s Crown Disputes Rumors of Princess Alina Carrying a Secret Relationship with Brother In Law King Daniel

Fellow Military Nurse discloses the truth: “Princess Alina pines and cries over betrothed Crown Prince Kyungsoo as he gets closer to enemy lines.”

I remember hearing of her presence at my base, but I never wanted to see her. How much truth is in these headlines? Are these rumors? Do gossip websites really need that much attention, why not focus on celebrities? Not one word about Alina had been this controversial, in fact tonight was the first time I heard of any of this.

Kyungsoo Princess, I would like to see you

Darling Wife Why, your Highness…?

Kyungsoo I would like to speak with you

Darling Wife No. Goodnight Crown Prince.

#exo #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #kyungsoo #kyungsoo fanfic #kyungsoo x reader #doh kyungsoo #exo do kyungsoo #d.o. kyungsoo #exo k #exo royalty #exo fic rec #crown prince kyungsoo #kyungsoo as a prince #modern royalty au #exo do #exo d.o. #d.o #d.o. #d.o exo #d.o. fanfic #modern au #k pop fanfic #k pop idol #k pop #exo au #the kingdom of us fanfic

[kimjongdaely]

High Tides [Chapter 12] [M] [Members Only]

Mermaid!AU, Arranged Marriage!AU, Royalty!AU

Pairing: Kai x Reader

Summary: You were sent to land to marry the king in order to form a peace treaty between your two kingdoms. Forced to a foreign world and culture, you know you will live out your life being discriminated and unloved. That is, until you meet who it is you’re marrying.

Prologue│Chapter 1│Chapter 2│Chapter 3│Chapter 4│Chapter 5│Chapter 6 [M]│Chapter 7│Chapter 8│Chapter 9│Chapter 10│ Chapter 11 [M]│Chapter 12 [M]│Epilogue

Ah.

The look in his eyes are delicious. So utterly satisfying. The way the corners of his lips fell, the tremble in his pupils, the draining of color from his skin.

Yes. This is what you were waiting for. To see that regretful expression of shock and horror.

You bring yourself to smile, grinning with twisted pleasure. Finally, you have the upper hand.

"W-What are you saying?" His voice trembles, eyes shaking. "Even if it's only half, they are your kin!"

You take a deep breath, breathing in the salty air. Ah, there's the metallic smell of blood mixed in as well. "What about you, father? Have you ever treated me as your kin?"

A vein throbs in his neck, his expression twisting into anger. "You—! I raised you under my roof, fed you well until you grew into an adult. You even became the Havytte's Queen! Yet you dare bite the hand that feeds you."

You backhand him, the sound reverberating in your ears. His eyes go wide, his mouth open in utter disbelief. It feels good to do that.

But your triumph is short-lived when he swirls around and grabs you by the throat, his grip tightening until it feels like he might crush you. He screams in your face, "You insolent bitch! I'll kill you!"

You dig your nails into the back of his hand, struggling for breath. Your mind begins to fog and the fear settles in like a boulder in your chest.

Read the full chapter here!

#update #high tides #jongin #exo #kai #exo kai #kim jongin #mermaid!au #royalty!au #kimjongdaely

[tsukiwrite]

༺ waltz 'til you're sore ♟ baekchen fic

Every five years Baekhyun is met with his greatest enemy and soon-to-be husband... And at the age of 21, he is to teach him how to dance.

✧ royalty!au ✦ arranged marriage ✧ enemies to lovers ✦ ongoing

When Baekhyun first met Jongdae, he was a brat. Not in the way that Baekhyun was a brat, but instead in the way that made Baekhyun’s blood boil. He was so unlike Baekhyun, there was nothing he could truly see in Jongdae’s eyes as friend-worthy. So there Jongdae was, in pristine pressed clothing that took Baekhyun’s mother 20 minutes to wrestle him into, with a big grin on his face. The worst thing was that it was a kind smile, not one with hidden malice, not a cheeky or cocky one. But a smile any other child would give to a potential friend. But Baekhyun wasn’t looking for a potential friend in Jongdae. After all, why would he want to befriend the one he would be wedded to?

#baekchen #baekhyun #chen #jongdae #chenbaek #exo #exo fic #baekchen fic #baekhyun fic #chen fic #jongdae fic #mlm fic #royalty au #arranged marriage au #enemies to lovers #slow burn #my fic #ongoing

[jazzaiko]

Don't ask again for the moon (1k words)

Pairing: Lay/Chen Rating: Teen Tags: royalty AU, king!Yixing, fox god!Jongdae, inspired by LIT by Lay Written for Tinysparks

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25948252

#xingdae #laychen #jongdae #yixing #royalty au #fox god #exo fiction #exo ff #jazzaikofics

[byuntrash101]

exo masterlist

disclaimer: everything is smut, mdni. everything is idol x fem!reader

✲ byun baekhyun

ＩＮＣＵＢＵＳ： ＣＯＭＩＮＧ ＯＦ ＡＧＥ 🍭| 10.1k - 2 parts

it’s true… you’re in love with your boss: the brilliant doctor park chanyeol. one night you’re woken up by his sweet kisses and bites… This should be a dream come true right? Then why does something feels off about him? ↳ SMUT | DomIncubus!Baekhyun x Reader | Fantasy!AU

ＰＡＲＡＰＨＩＬＩＡ| 30k - 9 parts

1 man; 9 kinks. In each chapter you and your boyfriend Baekhyun explore a new layer of kink. ↳ SMUT; ANGST; FLUFF | HardDom!Baekhyun; Sub!Baekhyun x Reader | EstablishedRelationship!AU; one shot collection

ＢＡＥＫＨＹＵＮＩＥ， ＤＯＮ＇Ｔ ＬＥＡＶＥ ＭＥ | 35k - 6 parts

Don't trust anything in this story. Don't trust the cute bright cover, don't trust the handsome playful flirty barista and do not trust the cute innocent timid girl. ↳ SMUT; ANGST | Dom!Baekhyun x Reader | Mafia!AU, Yandere!AU; action; series

ＤＥＡＬ ＷＩＴＨ ＩＴ | 10.6k - 2 parts

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M U L T I P L E M E M B E R S

ＺＯＤＩＡＣ ＳＰＥＣＩＡＬ － ３５０ ＦＯＬＬＯＷＥＲＳ

Collection of requested drabbles revolving around zodiac dynamics to celebrate the 350 follower milestone (i luv u guys) ↳ SMUT; FLUFF | ZodiacSign!Exo x ZodiacSign!Reader | Domestic!AU, slice of life, drabble collection

#baekhyun smut #exo smut #kpop smut #masterlist #navigation

[quokkacore]

king and lionheart II [k.jm]

summary: joy has come to your kingdom of oceansforte. your prince, junmyeon, is betrothed to the princess of avilux, and the wedding is quickly approaching. while the kingdom rejoices, you, his knight, are secretly in shambles; your dedication to your prince is not simply out of duty, but out of love as well. but as you begin to unravel secrets of the royal court—hidden alliances, forbidden romances, and a deadly plot against your kingdom—you steel your resolve: you must keep junmyeon safe no matter what, even at the cost of being ripped away from his side forever.

pairing: prince!junmyeon x knight!reader

warnings: fem pronouns for reader, language, “period typical” sexism (even though this isnt rlly historical but yall know what i mean—sebastian is the in-world equivalent of an andrew tate fanboy), toxic masculinity, so much jealousy, junmyeon (and all of the kim bros) has/have daddy issues, the exos are younger than they are irl, implied underage drinking in a flashback, classism, y/n has impostor syndrome, handling of weapons, mentions of food

genre: fantasy!au, royalty!au, childhood friends to lovers, angst, a mix of unrequited love and mutual pining

word count: 17.2k

chapter playlist: red velvet - in my dreams // abba - when you danced with me // the oh hellos - soldier, poet, king // abba - fernando // series playlist

a/n: OH BOY did this take me a hot minute. i’m not the biggest fan of this chapter, but please trust the process—although i do love the way the members interact with y/n and each other when they’re not yelling at each other. also happy chanyeol came-home-yesterday-day <3

fic masterlist / main masterlist

CHAPTER TWO: ANDANTE

The blooming patch of rose bushes they were currently in front of reminded you of them. You seemed to be more the single lotus floating in the garden pond, which was wilting. It seemed to be mocking you. 

While they had been walking through the royal garden for almost an hour, they’d been standing in front of those bushes for a few minutes now. As much as you wanted to distract yourself and think of something else, somewhere else, you knew that focusing on them and your surroundings was paramount. 

“So… all of this will become mine once we’re married?” She sounded awestruck, breathless almost. “And I could change whatever I’d like?”

Your eyes trailed across the garden, but you could still hear the smile in Junmyeon’s voice. “It’s royal tradition, dating back to Queen Boram of House Do—first queen of Oceansforte. She gifted this space to her husband as a wedding gift, and their son did the same when he married his wife. Every heir to the throne has since gifted the garden to their spouse as a wedding gift ever since. When we marry, you’ll be able to do whatever you’d like with this space.”

“It’s beautiful as it is,” Mariana murmured, “I don’t know what I’d do with it.”

Your eyes landed on them as Junmyeon sighed wistfully, not taking his eyes off of her. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?”

As his friend, you almost wanted to laugh, to playfully gag and poke fun at him. He looked like a lovestruck moron. As his knight, you hated to admit it, but you were happy for him. He had been so angry and worried that this union would be painful and awkward, and the two of them had clicked into place immediately, like gears with grooves cut perfectly to fit each other. 

As far as these past few days had gone, Mariana had given you no reason to hate her. You felt bad for your feelings toward her when she seemed to think you were amazing, if her behavior towards you were any indication. 

When she spoke to you, she seemed kind enough, soft-spoken. She was a bit shocked when Junmyeon had introduced you as his knight, the member of the royal guard assigned to him. She’d seemed to regard you with wonder.

“Forgive my gawking,” She’d said after a curtsy, “In Avilux, women are not allowed into the military, much less the royal guard. It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Y/N.”

“No offense taken, your royal highness,” You’d told her, “And believe me, I can assure you I am more than honored to serve.”

But still, as someone in love? You couldn’t find it in you to hate her, but you did resent her. Jealousy bubbled in your stomach whenever he offered her his arm, even more so when she linked hers around his. Every laugh, hushed whisper, prolonged stare seemed to build up an invisible wall between him and you, and you weren’t sure how to break through it—you were hesitant to even try. 

It wouldn’t bode well to meddle in their affairs. 

“Still, you could do whatever you’d wish. Say, I don’t know…” Junmyeon turned his head to you. “Y/N, what would you add to the garden if you could?”

You blinked, unsure of what to say. Doing your best to ignore the implication of the question, you offered the princess a small smile. “In truth, my prince, I have so many fond memories in this garden, there’s practically nothing I’d change.”    

“Fond memories?” Mariana’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, do tell, Lady Y/N! You must.”

You managed a small smile. “Oh, they’re mostly of me and the other members of the noble houses play fighting when we were children. I believe I was exceptionally skilled when it came to knocking your betrothed off his feet with toy swords.”

Junmyeon’s ears grew red at the reminder, and Mariana’s head tilted curiously. “So you both grew up together?”

“I lived in the castle from a young age.”

Junmyeon nodded. “Y/N is nobility as well. Our mothers were very close. And Y/N’s father was also a member of the royal guard, so his family was allowed to move into the castle.”

She seemed quite impressed. “Continuing on your father’s legacy, I presume?”

Your smile grew. “I would hope so. My father served as the king’s ward, and captain of the royal guard until he retired last year. His highness’s brother has taken the helm, but I would still hope to serve as Junmyeon’s personal guard when he becomes king.”

Mariana nodded. “Lady Y/N, my admiration for you seems to grow by the day. Are you as good with an iron sword as you were with the toy sword?”

Junmyeon stepped toward you, and she followed. “I’d say she’s even better. Y/N has always been the best at dueling amongst our friends. She’s a pro.”

“Amazing. You must teach me once I’ve moved in. Oh, Father never allowed me to learn—”

“And with good reason,” Another voice said from across the garden. The three of you turned to face Prince Sebastian, who was walking toward your trio. 

While you didn’t dislike Mariana, you detested her brother. Sebastian was haughty, entitled, clearly spoiled as the heir to the Aviluxian throne. Still, out of duty and respect, you managed a bow when he got close enough.

He raised an eyebrow at your gesture. It was clear he didn’t like you, either. “Father was right. Women should not handle such objects.” 

Junmyeon cleared his throat awkwardly.  “Your highness. What brings you here?”

“I was in this wing of the castle when a servant informed me it was time for dinner. I decided to tell the both of you since I was so close already.”

“Thank you, brother,” Mariana said, “But it would do you well to respect the customs of this nation. Just because Lady Y/N would be deemed unfit back home does not mean she’s unfit everywhere. She’s a perfectly capable fighter. Dare I say, an extremely skilled one.”

Your chest warmed at Mariana’s defense, but it waned when Sebastian bit back a scoff. “Honestly, with a woman holding the weapon it’s a miracle His Royal Highness has not been killed yet. Still, I would love to see her try to convince me.”

You looked at the other two, wondering if they would say something. Mariana was red in the face, as though she were holding back a few colorful insults for her brother. Junmyeon was looking simply at the ground, not meeting yours or Sebastian’s eyes. You let out a soft tsk, before letting out a quick sigh. 

“I would love to convince you, your royal highness.” You flashed him a smile that was cordial enough, but likely didn’t reach your eyes. “It’s a shame you and your family are leaving in the morning. I would have loved to invite you to spar with me.”

The prince’s smile grew, but you didn’t find it comforting. “During our next visit to the kingdom, then. I accept, Lady Y/N.”

You bit down on your tongue to avoid saying anything snarky, and maintained your smile. “Very well, then. Thank you.” Your eyes turned to Junmyeon and Mariana. “I shall take my leave then, your highnesses. I hope the rest of your evening is as lovely as this past day has been.”

The princess offered a curtsy in respect, and Junmyeon nodded. “Thank you, Y/N. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

You wordlessly watched them leave the garden, discussing something you didn’t quite pick up. When they were gone, you heaved a deep sigh, shoulders slumping, before heading off in the opposite direction, towards your own quarters. 

Throughout the past week, as always, you were tasked with guarding Junmyeon. This was, of course, not as enjoyable with Princess Mariana around.  

The three of you had gone for a stroll in the Common, a large public space filled with gardens, fountains and swaths of land for all to enjoy. You watched them from behind, a member of Mariana’s royal guard in front. 

The people that passed by all seemed to do the same thing: they would spot Junmyeon, their eyes would widen, and as he and Mariana passed by, they would offer bows and curtsies, and give pleasantries to the prince and princess. And when they saw you, they would grin and greet you as well.

Of course, the kingdom knew that the royal family of Avilux was visiting. They still didn’t know the pretense of the visit, as it had only been publicly announced that it was a diplomatic visit and not the initial planning stages of a royal wedding. 

You watched as the two of them spoke softly to each other, occasionally laughing. You were grateful you had to focus more on your surroundings than them. It gave you the ability to push away your questions. What was so funny? Why were they acting like they’d known each other their entire lives?

“Your highness!” A voice called out to Junmyeon and immediately your head snapped to the direction of the sound. A woman was walking slowly towards your small cohort, a little girl in tow. The both of them had their heads perched down, and while you didn’t register them as an immediate threat, you didn’t lower your guard completely. They could be in disguise, they could be a distraction. 

“Good afternoon, Miss,” Junmyeon said, giving a friendly smile. He looked down at the little girl, who was hiding behind the woman’s skirts. 

“Hello,” He murmured gently. Her eyes widened and she gasped when he acknowledged her, burying her face into the fabric. She couldn’t have been older than five.

“Brigitte,” The woman chastised softly, “Don’t be rude. One day, this man will be king. Be kind and greet him.”

He laughed gently. “It’s no problem, Miss…?”

“Treegrove,” The girl’s mother said, “My name is Elisa Treegrove. This is my daughter, Brigitte.”

“Miss Treegrove. There’s no need for all of that! Not with me. I would, however, ask that you extend such a pleasantry to the Princess.”

Elisa Treegrove curtsied deeply, and Brigitte copied her with the clumsiness of a five year old. Watching the interaction, you thought the little girl seemed quite sweet. The girl and her mother introduced themselves to Mariana and she smiled, kneeling to shake little Brigitte’s hand. 

“Hello, Brigitte,” She said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Brigitte murmured, “...You’re very pretty.”

“I think you’re even prettier,” Mariana answered, “Your hair looks very nice today.”

Brigitte smiled bashfully, reaching up to tug at one of her braids. She seemed to not know what to say next, eyes looking at Mariana, then Mariana’s guard, Junmyeon, her mother. 

And then her eyes landed on you, and her smile turned into the widest grin you’d ever seen on a child. 

“Lady Y/N!” She exclaimed, letting go of her mother’s hand to run up to you. Your eyes widened. You hadn’t been expecting her reaction. You looked up at the people in front of you, who obviously felt the same way. Mariana’s eyes were wide. Junmyeon looked very amused. Miss Treegrove was openly gawking. 

“I’m going to be just like you when I’m big!” Brigitte proclaimed, jumping up and down. “I’m going to be strong and brave and I’ll protect the kingdom, just like you!”

That made you smile, and you kneeled. You bristled at the thought of speaking, but smiled nonetheless. “Going to be?”

She nodded, and you shook your head. “If you’re ready to protect your home, you already are.”

Brigitte smiled, big eyes sparkling. “Th-thank you,” She said finally. You flashed one final smile at her, before nodding at Miss Treegrove. 

“I think your mother needs to get going,” You told her, before offering her a small bow, “I’ll see you again someday, Lady Brigitte. Hopefully, it’ll be the day you go into training.”

She nodded, seemingly mystified, before walking back to her mother. Miss Treegrove gave a final goodbye, saying she had to leave to visit a sick relative, and both Junmyeon and Mariana bid her farewell. 

Mariana looked surprised once they were gone. “I had… no idea you were so popular, Lady Y/N,” She said genuinely. You shrugged.

“The people love Y/N,” Junmyeon explained, “Her father as well. He wasn’t born into nobility but was knighted by my grandfather, so he’s seen as a sort of bridge between the common people and the crown.”

“I wouldn’t say they love me,” You muttered, “That’s a bit much.”

“You’re very admirable.” Mariana straightened her posture. “I have no trouble believing that the people of Oceansforte… care for you so much.”

Junmyeon put his hand on her upper back, trying to get her to keep walking again. He’d already turned his back to you when he began to speak again. “And I have no trouble believing that my people will grow to care for you just as much.”

Heading up to your quarters now, you rolled your head on your shoulders. Yes, standing up all day left your lower back stiff as all hell. However, this particular week you seemed to have been tenser than usual. 

When you awoke in the mornings, your jaw would hurt. You only realized one day after sitting down and forcing your body to relax that you’d been clenching your jaw the entire time. Which meant you had to have been grinding your teeth in your sleep. When you’d asked Minseok, he’d answered with another question.

“Well, are you particularly stressed?”

You’d gnawed on the inside of your cheek. “Having to protect Junmyeon along with a member of a foreign royal family is not exactly the most stress-free of tasks.”

 He nodded, but didn’t ask whether it was due to the responsibility or the emotional taxation. Either way, he knew it was both. 

Junmyeon hadn’t made it easy, either. To a degree, you were slightly frustrated at him. Within the palace grounds, him and Mariana had made several attempts to ditch you, be it by slowly drifting away when you crossed with another member of the royal guard and stopped to chat, or tiptoeing quietly away from you in the castle library, or even riding a bit too fast when he showed her the palace’s private beach.

You knew you’d have to speak to him on it once you managed to get some alone time. The whole week had been hectic. Between visits to the Aviluxian consulate, private meetings planning for the wedding, or even things as simple as Junmyeon showing Mariana the Common, you felt like you’d barely had time to breathe during the past week.

Once you’d trudged up the stairs and had found yourself within your quarters, you began the long and grueling task of taking off your armor. 

This was nowhere near as formal as the armor worn for major ceremonies, like military events or royal weddings. Even before you’d realized your feelings for Junmyeon you’d dreaded the idea of his wedding—the silver armor was large, clunky, and much too flashy, paired with excessive fabric and a ridiculous red cape. You hated the idea.

You much preferred the slightly less formal version, like you’d worn the day the Salazares had arrived, as well as all week in their company. Even better was the middle ground between the two, worn very, very rarely, on the nights where members of the royal guard were invited to take a night off and enjoy the company of the royal family and other noblemen. You’d be wearing that on the night of the engagement.

Removing the pieces on your own was hard. Your arms reached for the clasps of the armor, fumbling and eventually flaring in discomfort when you held them in place for too long. 

Each clasp served as a reminder: you are alone. Completely and utterly alone.

“So he challenged you to a duel?” The tall man’s voice wavered as his sword clashed with yours, two days after your agreement with Sebastian.

“Precisely.” You sidestepped, thrusting your sword in the direction of his torso. He barely dodged, letting out a rough, “oomph,” as he did. 

“Is he a fool?” Called another voice, leaning back in his chair while watching you and Chanyeol spar. “You’ll chop his balls off with your sword before he can even whip it out.”

“‘Before he can even whip it out’ sounds so very wrong, Baekhyun,” Sehun muttered, not looking up from his book. 

You stepped back from Chanyeol, but stumbled on your final step. You tumbled onto the ground, landing on your butt and somehow still managing to hold onto your sword. He grinned down at you, walking towards you at an almost leisurely pace. The air of the small courtyard was hot, leaving your chest heaving.

“I’m not sure, Y/N. I mean, if you can’t beat me, maybe Prince Sebastian does have a ch—agh!”

You caught him off guard, using your feet to kick at the side of his shin. He lost his balance, tumbling to the ground with you. You took the time of him falling to pull yourself up onto your knees, effectively straddling his chest as you knocked his sword out of his hand. You held your own up to his throat.

“If Sebastian Salazar is anywhere near as prideful as you, Park Chanyeol, then I can assure you he doesn’t.”

Chanyeol scowled, before tapping the floor twice—the sign that he was conceding. You’d won this round, and now you could gloat and watch him pout all day. You stood, offering out your hand for him. Apparently, he wasn’t that prideful. Although his scowl deepened at the sight of your hand, he still took it anyway. 

When you both stood, you were met with applause. And if it were just Baekhyun, some guffawing as well. 

“That was lovely,” He said, “Do it again!”

“Do what?” You stretched, moving your neck back and forth to loosen the joints. “Spar, or humble our good friend even further?”

“He could use some humbling,” Jongin muttered, “Bedding all of the women in Boram’s Bay fawning over him hasn’t done his ego many favors.”

"I do not bed all of the women in Boram's Bay!" Chanyeol cried in protest.

"That's true," Yixing agreed, "Give him some credit."

Chanyeol's face brightened. "Thank you, Yi—"

"He doesn't bed the married ones, right, Chanyeol?"

Something in Yixing’s tone didn’t sound quite right.

Chanyeol crossed his arms in indignation, rolling his eyes. But you couldn’t deny the redness of his ears. Before you could ask any questions, Jongdae spoke.

“You know who else could use some humbling?” He huffed, crossing his arms. “Prince Sebastian.”

You nodded, wagging your finger in agreement at the suggestion. “He’s an ass, that one.”

“Junmyeon,” Baekhyun muttered, taking a sip of water, “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

You wiped the sweat off of your brow, turning your gaze towards your prince. He was sitting in the seat across from Sehun, next to Jongdae and Yixing. His arms were crossed as he flashed Sehun a disapproving look.

“I cannot simply speak ill of my future brother-in-law, much less the future leader of an allied nation,” He said uncomfortably.

“Oh, please,” Jongdae scoffed, “We know you can’t stand him! Especially not when you know what he thinks of Y/N!”

Junmyeon huffed. “I disagree with him deeply, yes. But for propriety’s sake, I can’t bring myself to offend him. Father would skin me alive if I did.”

You let out an internal sigh. Yes, Junmyeon was the future king. But would it have been so bad if he’d just slapped Sebastian around a little? Even better, give you his approval as future king and let you slap Sebastian around a little?

But in all seriousness, it hurt. Even disregarding your affections toward him. The fact that he didn't see fit to defend a childhood friend, when it was quite literally your life's work to defend him, felt like a slap to the face.

“How lovely of you to defend me, Myeon,” You muttered pointedly. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows and gave you a sideways glance. Jongin let out an awkward cough. Sehun finally looked up from his book, glasses glinting in the sun. He looked expectantly at Junmyeon, who flashed you a quizzical look. 

“Y/N, I—”

“I can understand you not wanting to curse the man or anything of the sort. But you were there when he made those comments. Every time I was in a room with him, he’d say something, and where were you but burying your head in the sand? You wouldn’t even look at me—”

“It would be inappropriate to intervene. If you were to—”

“Has anyone been to the new tavern down in Fairview?” Baekhyun said, trying and failing miserably to diffuse the situation, “I've heard their chicken is lovely—”

“If this is how you’ll practice diplomacy as king, then you’d concede everything to everyone else and leave nothing for us. He disrespected not only me, but also you and your father by implying that your judgment is wrong, and our entire country for letting a woman take the oath of knighthood. Quite frankly, my prince, I find it infuriating that you would stand aside and let a foreign prince do all of that, simply for the sake of propriety.”

You spat out the last word, crossing your arms. When you finished your rant, it was as if all of the air was sucked out of the room. Everyone was staring either at you or Junmyeon, whose face was unreadable. 

You realized almost immediately you’d spoken a bit too harshly. You shouldn’t have said anything about him being king or how he’d rule the country. That simply made everything after your point moot. 

You looked around the table, everyone's faces now awkward. No one dared to challenge you, but no one dared to say anything to your prince. Scoffing, you turned away. 

"Y/N," Chanyeol said, "Wait—"

You tossed the wooden practice sword into the storage bucket, and promptly left the courtyard. 

When you were gone, everyone turned to Junmyeon. He refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

"Well, you can't blame her." Jongin elbowed Jongdae at his words, but the older prince flashed him a nasty look. "What!? She does have a point, Junmyeon." 

"Even if she was a bit crass," Yixing agreed, "Y/N made a fair point. Him insulting our way of living is undermining the sovereignty of what will soon be your own kingdom." 

Junmyeon heaved a sigh. "I can't just—"

"Can't just tell a foreign prince to fuck off, we get it,” Sehun muttered, “But you should have found a way to put a stop to it the second it started.”

“Sehun!” Kyungsoo frowned at him. “Don’t say it like that.” 

“I’m right,” Sehun insisted, “And all of you know it.”

Junmyeon got up from the table. “I’ll see you all some other time,” He said emotionlessly, “I have other matters to attend to.”

And then there were seven left sitting around the table, one standing a few feet away.

“So…” Chanyeol coughed, trying desperately to change the subject, “Baekhyun, you said there was a new tavern in Fairview?”

You were undoing the clasps in your armor again when you heard a knock on your bedroom door. With a huff, you turned your head. “Who’s there?”

“A jackass,” Junmyeon’s voice said, muffled from behind the door, “That’s who.”

You sighed, standing. Your armor was hanging haphazardly off of your chest, half of it still clasped together. Swinging the door open, you met his eyes with a glare. “What? If you want me to apologize—”

“No.” He shook his head. “May I come in?”

You stepped to the side, silently answering his question. When you closed the door, you turned to face him. 

“I should be the one apologizing to you,” Junmyeon mumbled quietly. “You’re right. He’s disrespecting our customs and our way of life. The next time he does that, I’ll put a stop to it. If our families are to merge, he should learn to respect my culture as I respect his. A-and even worse—he’s disrespecting one of my closest friends, and one of the greatest warriors this kingdom has ever seen.”

You huffed, trying to reach for another one of the clasps. “Now you’re pushing it.”

“I’m right on this one. You simply refuse to admit it.”

Smiling sadly, you shook your head. “Fine. Apology accepted... I should apologize as well. I shouldn’t have said that thing about how you’ll be king. I know how worried you are about it and I just… let it slip. I didn’t really mean it. I’m sorry.”

He nodded in acceptance, before tilting his head as he noticed your leather breastplate. His lips quirked up timidly. “Do you want help?”

You slumped with a pout. “Yes, please.”

You held your hair out of the way as he undid the remaining clasps. Here, standing so close to you, in the hidden air of your bedroom, was Junmyeon. In this proximity, you could feel his breath against your neck. You just knew that if you were to turn and look at his face, you’d see his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and lips pursed into a small frown.

You swallowed, wondering what would happen in any other lifetime. Where neither of you were bound by royal duty or sworn fealty to the crown. Where social ladders and caste laws didn’t exist, and arranged marriages were not something in store for either of you.

Would things have been different? Would you still have been as devoted to Junmyeon as you were now?

You knew the answer to the second question was yes. In every life, every death, every universe, every breath and promise, it was all for Junmyeon.

But you weren’t so sure if he felt the same.

When all of the clasps were undone, you opened your wardrobe and stored it carefully inside. Once you were done, you turned to him. 

“You’re my closest friend,” You admitted, “If I’m quite honest, I’m scared things will change once you’re married and you’ve become king.”

He looked down, before sitting on your bed. “Things will change,” He said, “It would be improper of me as a wedded man to be so close and informal with you, an unmarried woman. Besides… I—you’ve heard the whispers.” 

The whispers. The royal court loved a good story, whether it was real or not. Rumors that you and Junmyeon had fallen into bed together at least once, because of how close the two of you were. That you were secret lovers, that any second now despite the laws, Junmyeon would publicly proclaim his love for you.

And if all of those were fake… most of them at least believed that the two of you were deeply, madly in love, but simply too afraid to admit it to each other.

“Yes,” You mumbled, not meeting his eyes. “...All completely ridiculous.”

He laughed nervously. “Precisely. You understand. So… Daresay, our relationship will have to become more formal.”

“I understand. We’re grown now. No more… no more playing around.”

He nodded sadly. “Y/N, no matter what happens, I’ll always cherish you as my close friend. Everything you do for me and for my family, for the crown… don’t think it goes unnoticed. I was born with the privilege that I would always have someone willing to give their life to keep me safe. Every day, I’m grateful that it’s you.” 

“I took an oath, Myeon. For king and country. I intend to keep it.”

You sat down next to him and leaned your head against his shoulder. Your eyes fluttered shut, and you sighed. Knowing that soon, it wouldn’t be appropriate to be in such proximity to him.

The two of you sat there quietly, for god knows how long. You wondered if the silence said everything you wanted to say.

The week before the Salazares returned to Boram’s Bay, the 12 Nights Festival began. The weeks prior to that were filled with Junmyeon and Mariana exchanging letters as fast as the messenger birds could deliver them. You escorting Junmyeon around the city so that he could attend preparations for the festival. And at least twice a week, crying yourself to sleep.

The idea of everything changing so quickly was daunting. Already, Junmyeon was beginning to distance himself from you. He joked less, and seemed more serious. When you were with your friends, things felt more or less the same. With them, you caught him acting more genuinely. He allowed all of you to make fun of him and of each other. 

He seemed relaxed. He seemed himself.

Other times, he was stern. Serious. The times you cracked jokes he would let out one of those exhales through the nose that let you know he found it amusing, but not enough to actually laugh. 

Already, more pressure was being placed on his shoulders. You would stand by when Junmyeon sat in on audiences between the king and his subjects, listening to their requests and issues and how King Ilseong would negotiate to facilitate a solution.

By the time the first day of the festival rolled around, he seemed exhausted, dead on his feet. You wondered how he managed. 

“How do you do it?” You asked him the day before the festival began, while you were walking him back to his quarters after one of these audiences. “You look like the next strong breeze will knock you down.”

He smiled, face turning warm. “If I’m being honest, it’s the thought that by this time next week, Mariana will be back. She said she’s bringing even more people for us to meet. Her cousin Cesar and her ladies-in-waiting. I’m excited—I can’t wait to see her.”

You gave him a tight lipped smile that likely didn’t quite reach your eyes. “That’s very sweet. You seem quite taken with her.”

Junmyeon nodded, grinning. “She is… exceptionally charming. You don’t understand, Y/N… One night, after you were dismissed, we stayed up for hours, just speaking. She’s brilliant. Easily one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met. I-if we could talk about it, we did. It felt as if—as if—”

You watched him fumble with his words. The so elegant, composed crown prince of Oceansforte, left speechless by one woman. You couldn’t believe it. Oh, how the mighty fall.

The 12 Nights Festival rolled around, and you welcomed it with open arms. It was easily your favorite time of the year. Summer was hitting its peak, the streets were lively and bustling. The festival made it just that much better.

The Festival included parades around the country, parties and speeches, all at night, to commemorate the 12 Nights Siege which the founders of Oceansforte had survived some 406 years ago.

Every night a new celebration was held. Speeches were held at different places throughout the country, parties were thrown, every night the streets of Boram’s Bay were lit up with dancing, singing and street markets. Everything around you was lit up beautifully, and was a huge reminder as to why you did what you did.

You loved your home. Nothing could beat it, and although it had its flaws, it was ingrained in you. Always had been, always would be. 

The night before Mariana returned, two days before the end of the festival, three people planned to address the people of Boram’s Bay from a balcony while the rest of the royal family watched from the side. You were to stand guard the entire time, pointedly watching the crowd piled into the Queensquare. 

A few minutes before the door was set to be opened, everyone stood in front of the door, speaking with each other. You were stood with Jongin and Junmyeon.

“Are you nervous?” Jongin said, to which Junmyeon shrugged.

“It’s nothing I haven’t done before. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

You looked him up and down. He was clad in the colors of House Kim: a black, ceremonial military suit, with a red sash over his shoulder and chest. Gold tassels decorated his shoulders, the buttons on the coat embellished with House Kim’s coat of arms. All very nice, except for one detail.

“Your crest is upside down,” You murmured, stepping closer to adjust it.

He chuckled, studying your face. The proximity made your face feel hot. “It’s so heavy. It does that sometimes. Drives me mad.”

Jongin bit back a smile. “Are you sure that’s the only thing?” 

You sent Jongin a vicious glare, but he simply smiled in return. Another painfully obvious reminder that everyone you were close to just knew—but somehow, Junmyeon was none the wiser.

You knew this, because then Junmyeon said, “Well, this coat does feel a bit loose. Maybe I’ll have Cora tighten it around the waist.”

Now that the pin was straightened, you pushed it slightly against his chest to ensure it was pinned properly, before smiling. Out of the corner of your eye, you noted King Ilseong approaching your small group, Minseok following behind him.

You cleared your throat, stepping away. “There you go, Junmyeon. Hopefully that should be all set.”

“Thank you, Y/N. I d—”

“It would do both of you good to keep your distance,” The King interrupted, sending you a particularly nasty glance. You took another step back, shame pooling in your gut. “Especially you, Lady Y/N. An unmarried woman of your stature—”

Your head ducked to look at the ground. Suddenly, the room was dead silent. 

“Father.” Minseok’s voice was gentle. “I think that’s enough. There’s no need to be so—”

“I don’t think it is, Minseok. Junmyeon hardly knows the meaning of enough.” He faced both you and Junmyeon. “You two are to stand within an arms’ distance. L/N, remember your place. Junmyeon will be your king. Not your little—”

“Minseok was right, that is enough. You will address Lady Y/N with the respect she deserves and the title she earned fairly,” Junmyeon hissed, stepping in front of you. “After everything her and her father have done for you and this kingdom, I believe she’s entitled to it.”

King Ilseong took a deep breath, and took a step towards his son. “You are my son, and I am the King. If there is anyone who deserves respect, it is m—”

You sidestepped Junmyeon to place yourself between them both and faced the King. “My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”

Dropping to one knee, you looked at his shoes, not wanting to meet his eyes. “I have overstepped. It will not happen again.”

“Y/N,” Junmyeon said, “You don’t have to—”

“If the King feels I am out of turn, then I have acted out of turn,” You insisted, looking up at him. You turned back to the king. “It will not happen again, my King.”

The King looked down at you. He hummed in approval. “I care about you, Lady Y/N. Junmyeon is correct, both you and your father have served the kingdom greatly. But the law is the law—your House remains Unvalidated, and Junmyeon’s engagement is soon to be announced. Be very, very careful with your behavior. Your House’s reputation depends on it.”

You clenched your jaw at the mention of your House. Your father had worked hard to get your House instated, and you weren’t about to ruin all of his hard work. 

“Of course, Your Majesty,” You answered, voice small. “I will do what is right.”

When you stood again, you moved to join the ranks of the Royal Guard. You were hyper aware of everyone’s eyes on you, the King’s outburst having drawn their attention to you. 

Minseok stood next to you. You focused on taking a few deep breaths, hoping to calm your nerves. During that time, everyone else lined up into their positions, and a few moments later, the servants opened the doors, and you poured out before the Royal Family did.

The Queensquare was relatively small—but it was beautiful. Tonight, it was decorated with banners and triangular flags along the lampposts, flower arrangements placed in windows and above doorways. 

The first to speak was Kyungsoo. Although not a direct descendant of Queen Boram, he was still the heir to House Do, and his house still received tribute during the festival. He was dressed in the colors of his house, a white and gold military uniform with the crest of his house, a dragon holding a sword embroidered into his chest. His hair was slicked back, and his eyes glittered with pride.

“I thank the people of Oceansforte for holding my family in such high regard, even if the reign of the Do dynasty ended 212 years ago. That you still place your trust in us. We are a people strong in courage. I believe if she were alive today, Queen Boram would be greatly proud of the nation we have grown to become.”

He smiled at the applause, the cheering. “Our nation celebrates over 400 years of independence after over 800 years of Aviluxian rule, and some 88 years of rule under Paimonsvale. Here’s to double that, triple that, many dynasties more!”

The crowd in the Queensquare below erupted into even more applause and cheers of agreement. He waved at a few of the people, before stepping to the side. Junmyeon took his place at the center of the balcony. 

He looked breathtaking, and there was only so much you could do to let loose the quietest heartfelt sigh. Next to you, another guard, Jaehyun, raised one of his eyebrows at you. 

“My people! People of my father, and of my grandfather, and of his father before him. We live in an ever-changing nation,” He said, somehow managing to project his voice over the crowd. “Customs change, people change. In the past year, our kingdom has lost much. The difficult harvest season, flooding in Grathport and its surrounding area… the loss of our queen.”

The air turned melancholy, and Junmyeon’s eyes turned downcast for a second. It wasn’t every day that anyone in the royal family mentioned the passing of Queen Yerin. The illness that took her had been sudden, and within less than two weeks she was gone.

“Kings and queens… they come and go. One day I shall rise to the throne. I shall remain there for as long as I am physically and mentally capable, and as long as the people will have me. But this kingdom…”

He spread his arms, smiling as he gestured back at the Queensquare. “This kingdom will, if the gods have it, stand forever. Even if the gods disagree, we will fight until the end! We have carved out our destiny for as long as this kingdom has been an independent, sovereign nation. Let us continue to do so, and let us prosper!”

Everyone in the Queensquare cheered, and his smile grew even bigger.

“Long live the nation!” He declared. 

Long live the nation!”

You raised an eyebrow. You knew this speech in and out—you’d watched him practice, day in and day out. This was new.

“Long live the people!”

“Long live the people!”

Where was this going? Or so you thought for the next few seconds, until Junmyeon roared, so loudly even you could hear the strain in his voice;

“LONG LIVE THE KING!”

“LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Even after all your training to keep your face still, you found it incredibly hard to hold back the gasp in the back of your throat. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched Jongin and Minseok’s eyes snap in their brother’s direction.

For most, this would be a show of loyalty and love to his father. To those who knew, especially when this was unplanned? 

Long live the king—the longer his father lived, the longer he could put off his duty as heir. The sarcasm couldn’t be missed.

And yet… was this because of what had just happened? You forced the thought away. It was too much to think of everything and ignore the crowd in front of you. 

The Queensquare’s reply was so loud it was deafening even from atop the balcony. Junmyeon grinned, expression nothing short of ecstatic at the response—sarcastic in intention. Your heart skipped a beat, but your gut felt like it was made of lead. When he stepped away a moment later, you noticed the sweat on his brow. 

This isn’t going to end well, you thought.

He stepped to the side, his father stalking up to the center of the balcony. Junmyeon exchanged a glance with his father, whose thin-lipped smile gave you no pause that he was secretly fuming.

“My father wishes to address his subjects,” Junmyeon declared, “Thank you, my people. Let us all rejoice!”

He stepped to the side, and King Ilseong stood at the center. He held out his hands, quieting the crowd. Once the silence had died down, he began to speak again.

The king’s speech was a bit longer than Junmyeon’s. He went on about his duty to the kingdom, the people’s duty to their nation. You zoned out, eyes scanning over the courtyard. There in the distance, towards the back of the crowd, you saw a familiar face.

Or at least, you were rather sure it was a familiar face—from here, it was a bit hard to tell. Your memory was a bit fuzzy, but the blonde mop of curls was distinctive of little Brigitte Treegrove. 

She’d climbed up onto an oil lamppost, and was watching the king speak with wide eyes. Every few seconds she’d turn to say something to a man you hadn’t seen before.

He didn’t look like the girl’s father, but you tried to pay it no mind—maybe he was, maybe he was a close family friend, maybe it was none of your business. But you didn’t like the way his eyes would change every time he looked up at the balcony. When he looked at Brigitte, his eyes were warm and kind. But the second he turned, eyes settling on Junmyeon, his gaze turned smug… hungry.

You didn’t know how you knew he was looking at Junmyeon at this distance. But you just knew.

It alarmed you so much you kept your eyes trained on him the entire time. Towards the end of the speech, he looked over Junmyeon one last time, and then… his eyes landed on you.

For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, you locked eyes. His gaze didn’t falter, and from here, his smirk seemed to grow. Your face remained stoic, and he broke away a few seconds later. 

As the king concluded his speech, the man gently tapped on Brigitte’s shoulder. She looked at him and jumped off of her place on the lamppost into his arms. The Queensquare erupted into cheers and applause, but the two of them headed down the dark street behind them. 

You forced yourself to focus. There had to be some logical explanation to it. But you couldn’t shake the strange feeling brewing in your gut.

Next to you, Jaehyun straightened. You mirrored his movements, recognizing this as the sign to escort the royal family back inside. The guards entered last, and the doors shut with a final boom.

“Everyone who is not a personal guard to members of the royal family, you are dismissed.” King Ilseong’s voice was dripping with disdain. His eyes softened when his eyes landed on Kyungsoo. 

“Kyungsoo, my boy,” He said, voice softer, “Thank you. Tell your mother I bid her well.”

“Of course, your highness. Thank you for having me.”

When everyone else had been ushered out of the room, King Ilseong snapped his head at Junmyeon’s direction.

“You fool of a prince,” He seethed, “Why would you even—“

“Is it such a crime to wish my father a long life?” Junmyeon asked, “Especially after so soon after losing my mother?”

The King’s eyes flashed in anger. “How dare you. You know what you said, you know what you meant by it.”

Jongdae huffed. “Could both of you calm down and stop being such—”

Jongin crossed his arms. “Jongdae—”

“Yes,” Junmyeon answered, glaring at his father, “I know what I said. So do you, and so does everyone else in this room, now. The people outside, down in the Queensquare do not. And they likely never will. What they see is completely different from what you or I would, father. I don’t know why you can’t recognize that.”

The king scowled, before glancing around the room. He took a deep breath, before looking back at his second oldest son. “Perhaps it is good that I live long. Then your disgraceful rule will be a smaller stain on our nation’s history. Your disrespect tonight tells me everything I need to know about how you will rule once I am gone.”

He stormed out of the room, Minseok following after him. He was staring at his father with great disdain. 

The doors slammed shut, and Junmyeon shook his head. “Horrible old man,” He muttered, gnawing on his cheek. 

“I don’t know what Mother ever saw in him,” Jongdae grumbled. 

“Enough,” Jongin snapped. “This is supposed to be a happy night, but no. Apparently no one in this family knows how to behave. Not him, prideful bastard,” He jabbed a finger at the door, “Not you, you nosy buffoon,” He pointed at Jongdae, “And certainly not you,” He scowled as he pointed at Junmyeon, “With your—your theatrics. And you all call me the childish one.”

There was a beat of silence, and then suddenly both Jongdae and Junmyeon were in his face, cussing him out. This had happened before—House Kim was a prideful one, and none of the men in the Royal Family were good at knowing when to back down. 

So you did what you usually did when this happened: You, Jaehyun and Sicheng placed yourselves in between the siblings, each of you hoping to separate your assigned sibling from the fray. Your eyes met Junmyeon as you stepped in front of him, and you felt terrible; his voice was angry, but his eyes were misty. Once you got closer, you could tell his lip was wobbling slightly.

You looked at Jaehyun, who raised an eyebrow in question. With Minseok gone, you were in charge. You nodded, silently answering his question. With difficulty, you maneuvered the brothers away from each other. Sicheng pulled Jongin out into the hallway, Jaehyun pulled Jongdae into a room adjacent to the one you were in, and you kept Junmyeon inside of the room. 

Once the other two were gone, all of the fight seemed to leave him. He crossed his arms, shaking his head. 

“Don’t listen to him,” You said.

“Who?” He asked, giving you a sad smile, “My father or my brothers?”

You shrugged. “Whoever bothered you the most. Come, I’ll take you to your quarters.”

He agreed wordlessly, letting you pull him out of the room. Sicheng and Jongin were gone, hopefully in the other direction.

“I… would like to ask,” You said a few moments later, “Why did you say it?”

Junmyeon was silent, before sighing. “I’m… not quite sure. I think I just… wanted to make him angry. It was immature of me, I know.”

“Is it because of what he said about me?”

He said nothing, but his silence told you everything you needed to know

You looked at him. “Junmyeon…”

“I know, I know.” He shook his head. “I’m turning 24 soon. I’m grown. But all of this, it—it’s stressful. It’s bad enough that his ego takes up the entire space in the room… I don’t need him insulting the people I care about.”

With a soft tsk, you huffed. “I can take him reminding me of my ‘place’. People did it all the time when I was still an active member of the court.”

“Still,” He grumbled. “It’s humiliating. He did it in front of everyone to shame you.”

You didn’t tell him you didn’t disagree.

The two of you walked in silence for a few minutes. You tried to focus not stepping on the cracks in the stones beneath you to try and avoid telling him that he was right. There was no need to possibly fuel any drama between the King and the Crown Prince.

“Remember when we were younger?” You asked, voice quieter. “When everything didn’t seem as… set in stone?”

You thought of all of the times you chased each other with wooden swords through his mother’s garden, of running away from parties to look for rooms with enough couches for all of you to sleep on because Yixing was tired and he was too afraid to sleep alone and insisted all of you come with him. You were all so young, so naïve. 

All of that was gone now.

He laughed softly, nodding. “I do. I definitely do. I… there are so many things I would have done differently, knowing now.”

“Like what?” 

His smile grew sad, before glancing at you. “I would have… hugged my mother more. She used to nag, saying that once I got older I stopped hugging her or kissing her like I did when I was a boy. A-and she was right. I stopped because Father would… say things. You know how he is.”

You hummed. Junmyeon’s father was a good king. But he wasn’t a good father. He tried to keep up the appearances in front of the greater courts. But in smaller, more personal circles… He was less than inclined. 

“I… I don’t think it’ll do you well to continue dwelling on what-ifs, my prince.”

“What-ifs are all I’ve been thinking about as of late, my lady.”

You swallowed at the title. You knew he was just poking fun at how you addressed him, but… the sound of him calling you his lady. You liked it, a little too much.

You smiled at him, hoping the heat of your cheeks wasn’t too evident in the dimly lit corridor.

“What other what-ifs have been plaguing you, then?”

“Do you remember when we snuck out to that tavern in Allunya?”

Your eyes widened. Yes, you remembered Allunya. 

You and Junmyeon were 19. It was late summer. On a trip for some Allunyan duke’s wedding, the ten of you had snuck out of the keep and into a village tavern. You’d drank common ale for the first time, and you’d all danced until your feet cramped. It was one of the best nights of your life… and the same night you realized your feelings for Junmyeon.

“How could I forget? Baekhyun drank so much he threw up on the horse on the way back.”

Junmyeon threw his head back, letting out a laugh—a real laugh, not one that felt forced or fake entirely. “Well, it was his first time—I don’t blame him. But… that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. I would have asked you all to do it more often if I’d known we wouldn’t get caught.”

“We were two day’s travel away from Boram’s Bay,” You countered, “I feel we would have gotten recognized if we did that here.”

“Maybe,” He said with a nod, “But I remember dancing with you and never wanting it to end.”

You froze for a second, before swallowing the lump in your throat. 

“...Oh? Is that so?”

 He laughed, shrugging. “For the first time ever, I’d never felt so free. I felt lighter than a feather. I—just for a moment, I had no… responsibilities. I didn’t know Minseok didn’t want to be king yet. Hell, I didn’t even feel like a prince at all. I felt like… well, like a boy, who was out having fun with his friends.”

The swirling in your stomach came to an abrupt stop. Of course that was why.

“Oh. Yes, I can imagine.”

His eyes were warm as he recalled the memory. You wondered how he’d have reacted that night if…

“Junmyeon.” Your voice was shaky, and not because of the staircase you were going up. 

He raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”

“I—” You thought of the implications of it all. If he didn’t reciprocate, he’d treat you differently. You’d lose him even sooner than you were bracing for.

But if he did… 

Then what? You had three months until the wedding. Mariana was likely already in Oceansforte, set to arrive in the morning. When you reached the top of the stairs, you gave him a tight-lipped smile.

“I just think… Tonight, you don’t feel that good. But by this time tomorrow, you’ll be with Mariana and I think you’ll feel a lot better. Don’t dwell on the past, my prince. The future will come before you know it, and… I think it’ll suit you.”

He was silent until you reached his door. “I… Thank you, Y/N. I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for you.”

“You’d probably be in the infirmary,” You joked, “Jongdae packs a pretty punch.”

 He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I mean it. You’re the greatest friend I could ask for.”

You smiled, ignoring the small stab in your chest at the word friend. “You would do the same. Now, go get some rest. Your beloved will be here in a few hours.”

He grinned. “I intend to. I’m exhausted.”

You watched him enter his chambers, eyes warm. But your face fell the second he was gone, and you turned away without looking back.

That night, you dreamed of Allunya. 

The music from the live band—which consisted of a fiddler, a drummer and two singers playing a mandolin and a fiddle respectively—was heartful and cheery, with just a touch of melancholy. They sang of winning battles with friends, spotting former lovers with their new lovers, and old lovers reuniting after years of being apart. 

The ale was going to everyone’s head. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were play-fighting, Kyungsoo watching and drunkenly laughing as they did. Jongin was dozing off at the table. Everyone else was either drinking or dancing, but you and Junmyeon were dancing together.

You were drunk, so by no means were you two the most graceful couple dancing. But despite being so unaware of your surroundings and everything else going on around you, you seemed so fixated on Junmyeon’s face. He was laughing along with you as you got every step wrong and stepped on each other’s feet. 

“Mother would be distraught if she—” He hiccupped, “—saw me now. All those years of ballroom dancing classes done away with a few pints…”

“I’d like to see her try to do the Allunyan Four-Step after three pints of ale, Myeonnie,” You slurred, “I d-don’t think it’d go too well for her—ah!”

You stepped back, slipping on something someone had spilled onto the floor. Your eyes clenched shut, hoping any bruises you’d get wouldn’t be visible to your parents. But a moment later, a hand caught your waist and another the back of your neck. 

When he caught you, you were met face to face with him. Your lips parted. Under the warm lights of the tavern’s fireplace and lanterns, you could make out a bright shade of pink spread across his cheeks. The ale had clearly gotten to him. He looked so… 

“Pretty,” You mumbled as he helped you stand. 

“What?” He asked, “I didn’t hear you. ‘S too loud.”

“I said, ‘that scared me’,” You answered, a little too quickly.

He stepped even closer, gripping your waist. You swallowed at the proximity—your chests were touching now. 

“I-I don’t think the Allunyan Four-Step is danced so close.”

He shook his head, eyes hooded. “I don’t care about the Allunyan Four-Step.”

You gasped when he led you through the crowd, dancing as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Your boots were sticky with spilled ale and other mystery substances spilled on the floor, and you had to lift your skirts with one hand to ensure they wouldn’t get dirtied or that you wouldn’t trip over them. Your free hand fastened itself around his neck for leverage, and the two of you went about skipping—stomping?—about the dance floor.

Some of the older couples stopped to watch and laugh, but not maliciously. You could tell they were happy to see two young persons, so cheerful and carefree and in love—

You stumbled again, but you caught your balance before anything could happen. In love? Where had that come from?

 Junmyeon simply laughed, tossing his head back. Your face softened at his expression. He looked so… beautiful. 

You dropped your skirts, reaching to cup Junmyeon’s cheek. He seemed a bit startled, but relaxed into your touch a few moments later. He grinned at you, and you matched his expression. Just a pair of young, drunken fools, laughing and dancing, holding each other tighter… faces leaning forward…

Your eyes fluttered shut. You almost felt alarmed at how right it felt. At this proximity, you could feel his breath fanning your cheek.

Until a split second later, when Chanyeol drunkenly yelled, loud enough for it to echo across the tavern, “That’s not true, you stump-sized bastard!”

You both jumped in each other’s grips, and when you opened your eyes, an alarmed gaze met yours. 

“Time to go?” Suddenly, Junmyeon sounded a lot more sober. 

“I think so,” You said without hesitating. A moment later, Baekhyun slurred, “I’m just—calling it as I see it!”

He tugged you toward the table by the hand. You ripped your hand out of his. Not just to hold Baekhyun back from Chanyeol. Suddenly, your hand felt like it was on fire.

You jolted awake in your bed. Swallowing dryly, your eyes fluttered shut again. Your hand came up to your forehead, rubbing away the cold sweat that had accumulated while you slept.

“Fuck,” You croaked.

As the envoy of three carriages and three wagons rolled up to the main entrance of the castle, you stood at attention. Parallel to you stood Minseok, who was eyeing the rest of his family nervously. You weren’t sure what had happened in the hours after you left. All you knew was that Jongin seemed to have calmed down, now eyeing Junmyeon, Jongdae and his father nervously. 

There was no time for the dramatics—now was the time to concentrate on the task at hand. One of the carriages opened, a guard stepping out and announcing the Aviluxian royal family and their company.

 From the first carriage emerged King Adriano. When the other two opened, Sebastian and another young man emerged from one, and Mariana and three young women emerged from another. 

The servants took to unloading the carriage, and the Aviluxian guests walked up the castle steps to meet the royal family. They greeted each other with bows and curtsies, King Adriano and King Ilseong embracing briefly. 

“Adriano, welcome back.”

“A pleasure to return,” The King said, “I bring more company.”

“Yes, I see,” King Ilseong answered, “Come, enter, let’s force the pleasantries out of the heat.”

Prince Sebastian laughed softly. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, this is nothing in comparison to summer in the Aviluxian desert.”

He nodded, “Yes, I suppose you’re correct. Still, you’ve traveled far, I assume you’re all tired.” 

Your group of guards escorted the large group inside. Mariana turned her head to look at the guards, and when she saw you, she grinned in greeting. You acknowledged her with a small smile and quick nod of the head. 

Once the gates were shut, she could no longer contain herself. She practically threw herself at Junmyeon with a quaint laugh, who embraced her with a face that looked like he was in heaven. 

“I’ve missed you,” She said.

Junmyeon pulled away. “As h-have I.”

“You’ve grown so fond of each other,” King Adriano said, “It warms the heart.”

The two nodded, but said nothing further. You took a deep breath—this is going to be a long, long week. 

“I was saying.” King Adriano turned back to King Ilseong. “You remember Mariana and Sebastian. This is my nephew, Cesar. He is second-in-line for the throne after Sebastian.”

Sebastian looked proud at the statement, but Cesar’s face remained passive. “The greatest honor, King Ilseong,” Cesar murmured, bowing again. 

“The pleasure is mine,” King Ilseong replied. “Is it your first time in Oceansforte?”

“No, Your Majesty. I’ve been once before but as a boy, to visit a friend of my mother’s on Magpie Island.”

“Magpie Island, yes. A lovely place.”

Prince Cesar nodded in agreement, and then King Adriano introduced Mariana’s ladies-in-waiting and closest friends, Montserrat of the House Cipriano, Isadora of the House Leon and Lisette of the House Peralta. They spoke less, seeming to be the most timid of the Aviluxians. 

They were all served lunch, you watching from behind them as you stood guard. Your lower back was beginning to ache from standing up straight for so long. You were forced to watch Junmyeon and Mariana’s every interaction from feet away, and it killed you. They sat next to each other at lunch. Every now and then, one of them would lean over and whisper to each other, then laugh quietly to themselves as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

And oh, how you burned. How you ached to push yourself between the two and demand they let you in on their little jokes. It felt like a stab to the heart every single time.

You forced yourself to focus on the servants instead, and the Aviluxian guards the family had brought along with them. 

When that was done, you were dismissed to allow for them to discuss entrances in the ballroom for the celebration tomorrow night. 

Minseok caught up to you as you exited the room. He nudged you gently with his shoulder.

“How have you been?”

“As alright as one can be,” You answered. He started to open his mouth and you held up a finger. “I don’t want to talk about it, Min. There are more important things than whatever I have going on in my personal life to think about.”

“Alright,” He conceded. “I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you. Now, who’s coming today?”

“The usual rascals,” Minseok said. “I think everyone wants to meet the only girl that makes Jun nervous.”

You chuckled. “No one’s ever rattled him quite like she does,” You agreed. “The great Prince Junmyeon of House Kim, stuttering because of a girl.”

The two of you waited at the steps of the main entrance, waiting in the meantime.

“You know more than I do,” You murmured, “What happened after the fight last night?”

“I know Jongin and Jun made up,” Minseok answered, crossing his arms. “I doubt anything of the sort happened between the rest of them. Father is… well. You know how he is.”

You nodded, face burning. His words from last night still felt like scratches on your skin.

“Jongdae is just as proud as father is. Junmyeon definitely doesn’t want to bend with either of them. Jongin is more forgiving, at least. More willing to compromise for the sake of the family.”

“And you?” You raised an eyebrow. “I know you were angry last night.”

“You’re my best friend and my second in command. Hearing Father treat you that way made me see red, and reminded me of another reason why I didn’t want to be king. It goes to your head if you’re not the right person. Father was the right person to be king, yes, but not the right person to… be anything else, I suppose. It’s gone to his head and he thinks himself better than anyone in the nation. And because he is king, there’s not much we can do to convince him otherwise.”

You nodded, but didn’t answer. Minseok frowned. “I think you’re the person who’s shown the least amount of emotion regarding the whole thing, even though he was cruel to you. How are you?”

A deep breath left your chest. “I… Sometimes I think I’m used to it. The whispers, the fact that some people think that my House isn’t ever going to actually be Validated. And most of the time I am. But when it’s said to my face like that, and by the king, no less…” 

You bit your lip, blinking a few times and trying to ignore the sudden burning in your eyes. With a huff, you faced away from Minseok. 

“It hurts. I hate to admit it, but I—it makes me feel so small.”

“You can cry if you want,” He said softly, “I’m not gonna judge you for it.”

You shook your head. “No,” You insisted, voice watery, “I don’t want to.”

Minseok sighed. “Y/N—”

“Please don’t.” You wiped your eyes, leaning against the wall. “I’ll be fine.”

He said nothing, but looked upset at your denial of him. A few moments later, the gates opened, and a carriage rolled past it. 

When Baekhyun exited, he strolled towards you both with a grin. It faded when he saw your expressions. 

“What’d I do?” He asked with a pout, “I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“Nothing, my friend.” Minseok forced a smile onto his face. “Y/N just has an issue with her emotions.”

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows. “Is this about Junmyeon again? Gods, woman, I don’t know why you don’t just—”

“Keep your voice down!” You hissed, “Do you want the whole kingdom to know!?”

“Oh, they already do,” Chanyeol said, popping his head out of the carriage. “Junmyeon’s the only idiot who doesn’t.” 

You scowled. “All of you vex me so,” You grumbled, “You idiots.”

“What brings the two of you together?”

“I invited Chanyeol for lunch to have a… conversation about some choices he’s been making,” Baekhyun mumbled. 

“Do—not—tell them.” Chanyeol made his way to your little trio, staring Baekhyun down.

“Is this about the Allunyan duchess you’re bedding? The married one?” Minseok asked, picking at some dirt underneath his fingernail. He sounded very uninterested in the whole thing.

Your jaw dropped open. “You’re sleeping with a married duchess?” 

Chanyeol looked at Minseok as if he was planning on stomping on him. His ears were a bright red. “How did you know?”

Minseok rolled his eyes, before lowering his voice to mimic Chanyeol’s, “The whole kingdom already knows.”

“Not me,” You mumbled, confused at the whole situation. Evidently in your time away from court, it had been very eventful.

“Nor does her husband,” Baekhyun said, as if it were any consolation, “Just… most of the court.”

“Why?” You asked Chanyeol, still in disbelief, “Chanyeol, of all the women to stick your c—”

“It’s complicated,” He insisted, before grumbling, “Her husband’s an ass.”

Another carriage entered the gate, and Chanyeol held up his hand. “Not a word of this to anyone else. Understood?”

“I suppose,” Minseok answered, “Doubt they don’t already know.”

Chanyeol huffed, but said nothing.

As this carriage rolled up to the steps, another entered as well, which was followed by a third. Out came Yixing, Sehun and Kyungsoo, respectively.

When the three of them greeted the group, Yixing looked around all of you. “Everyone looks like they swallowed a lemon.”

“Chanyeol’s just told us all a terrible joke,” You said, glaring at him, “Not funny in the slightest.”

Sehun raised an eyebrow. “Is it the one about the Allunyan du—“

“Oh Sehun.” Chanyeol looked just about ready to strangle him. “Not another word out of you.”

“Gods, you’re right,” Kyungsoo groaned, rolling his eyes, “He’s not funny at all.”

Chanyeol looked as if he wanted to burst into flames then and there, but you all chose to ignore it. You and Minseok led the men to the courtyard, where you’d all agreed to wait for the members of the Royal Families until they were done. 

Baekhyun strode next to you as you did, and he offered a sympathetic smile. “You should tell him.”

“I should not tell him,” You said, side-eyeing him, “Not when he’s getting married.”

“You’re thinking of this all wrong.” He shook his head. “You’re thinking that if you tell him he’ll be forced to reject you or accept you—which realistically, isn’t going to happen. Not because he doesn’t like you, but… You know. Because he’s getting married and the law wouldn’t allow you two to be together anyway.”

You gave a deadpan stare. “Thank you Baekhyun. You are so helpful.”

“I don’t mean it like that. I’m willing to bet my money that Jun does love you. But because of the circumstances he can’t give you what you want. Listen, what I’m trying to say is don’t tell him with the intention of giving him your love. Tell him with the intention of letting go of it.”

When you didn’t answer, he took that as his cue to continue. His eyes turned overly wistful, and he put a hand on his chest. Ever the thespian, he began to speak in a bad impression of your voice.

“Junmyeon, I care for you more than a knight should care for the prince she’s been assigned, and more than a best friend should care for their best friend. I’m not expecting anything—you’re engaged, and it wouldn’t be allowed anyway. I simply need to get it off my chest, so that I can heal faster.”

Ignoring his theatrics, you mulled over his words. Did you really even want to heal? You loved Junmyeon and you loved loving him, it was what kept you so dedicated to him. And you weren’t sure what you would do with his rejection, which was inevitable. 

“I… I’ll think about it. It doesn’t sound like such a terrible idea.”

You all sat at the long table you’d sat at the last time—when you’d snapped at Junmyeon. That seemed to have been forgotten as you all sat. Minseok leaned against the table, crossing his arms.

“This is a foreign royal family. Not just Princess Mariana, your future queen, and not just Prince Sebastian, the future king of an allied nation—”

“The jackass?” Kyungsoo asked.

“The jackass,” You confirmed.

“—I’d better not hear that word once he’s around,” Minseok snapped, sending both of you a stern glance, “This is also their cousin Prince Cesar and Mariana’s ladies-in-waiting. Those four have nothing to do with any slights we might have against the two. We’re all adults here. We’ve all been brought up properly, no? Please just play nice. Mariana and her ladies will be apart of our circle and the royal court from here on out. Please be welcoming.”

Nodding, you looked around the circle.  You sighed upon seeing everyone staring at you, waiting for a response. “Everyone here… knows about how I feel. Do not hold that against her. It is my problem alone and not anyone else’s. She is kind and treats Junmyeon well. I do not want her feeling unwelcome here.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. 

“We wouldn’t dream of it.” Sehun patted your back.

“Well, we did dream of it, but now that you’ve asked us not to, we will not,” Baekhyun said, beaming proudly.

“You’re terrible,” You mumbled, laughing.

“What makes them so terrible now?” 

Everyone turned their attention to see Junmyeon arriving with his brothers and the younger members of the Aviluxian envoy. He had his arm around Mariana’s waist. 

“Nothing in particular,” You said, standing out of respect, “I just asked them not to embarrass me in front of our guests.”

Your friends around the table stood, offering bows and respect to the newcomers. They offered their seats, opting to stand around the guests. When you stood next to Baekhyun, you noted his shocked face. His eyes were wide, lips parted in awe. You followed his gaze, eyes landing on Montserrat, who was speaking quietly to Mariana, Caterina and Lisette.

Apparently all Oceansforte men look at Aviluxian women like that, you thought, remembering how similar Junmyeon’s face looked to Baekhyun’s. You had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes. Instead, you rolled your shoulders back and stood up straight.

“Esteemed guests,” You began, smiling, “Today, apart from the brothers of House Kim, my friends and I join you. We are all close friends of the princes and the Royal Family. For those of you who have not met me, my name is Lady Y/N, of House L/N. I am Prince Minseok’s second in command for the Royal Guard, and Prince Junmyeon’s personal knight. It is an honor.”

After a bow, you went around introducing your friends. Each one of them offered the same pleasantries: a brief greeting and a bow. When Baekhyun gave his, he kept his eyes trained on Montserrat the entire time. And when she met his eyes, she bloomed a shade of red and looked down to her lap. 

When you were all done, Sebastian leaned back in his seat—the one you’d just been sitting in. He smiled smugly, before looking at his sister.

“So, Junmyeon, you’ve invited us to spend the afternoon with your friends. Shall we be partaking in any activities?”

“Oh, I hadn’t had time to actually consider what we’d be doing,” Junmyeon admitted, “I left that mostly to them.”

Kyungsoo raised a finger, smiling at the guests. “Jongin and I were thinking of what to do a few days ago, actually. He made a wonderful suggestion. Since we’re in such a large group, we thought that playing Boram’s Triad would take up the entire afternoon and show the guests a side of our customs.”

You grinned at the idea, and saw Chanyeol and Minseok nodding in approval.

Mariana nodded. “I think we’d love to learn. How do you play—what did you say it was called?”

“It’s called Boram’s Triad. Most people call it S.W.S—Skill-Wits-Strength,” Jongin said. 

“Skill-wits-strength?” Cesar asked.

“It’s a set of three games that’s played by eight different teams,” Kyungsoo explained, “The first round eliminates four teams, the second two, and the final round determines the winner. It’s always the same three games in the same order. Archery, to test skill, chess, to test wit, and finally, a sword fight, to test strength. Whichever team wins all three wins the Triad.”

“Isn’t it usually played in teams of three? Each person in the team participates in a different activity?” Junmyeon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kyungsoo shrugged. “We figured it would be better to play in pairs for the first round and then choose who would play each round better.”

Cesar grinned, nodding. “It sounds like good fun,” He said. “Shall we team up now?” 

Jongin nodded. “It’s customary for guests to choose first. Please, choose whomever you’d like.”

Immediately, Mariana stood. She looked excited, which you found endearing. “Junmyeon?”

The prince grinned in agreement. You tried to ignore the clenching in your chest as she strode towards him.

“Well, sister,” Sebastian said, standing from his chair, “All well and good for choosing your beloved, but if you wish to win you must choose strategically. Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol’s head snapped into his direction. He seemed caught off guard, almost surprised that the prince was addressing him. You did your best to resist cackling at his wide eyes.

“Yes?” He asked, voice teetering on uneasiness.

“I’ll play with you. We both seem to be strong, smart men—“

“Strong, maybe,” Baekhyun mumbled next to you, “Smart, I could tell you otherwise.”

You didn’t know what would’ve happened if Chanyeol or Sebastian had heard him, but thankfully that didn’t happen. Instead, Sebastian continued to speak.

“—So I hope we shall win together.”

Chanyeol hesitated. He glanced at Minseok, who raised an eyebrow in a manner that could only be described as threatening. Less than a second later, Chanyeol had put on the fakest smile you’d ever seen him wear, walking towards Sebastian.

“Of course, your royal highness. It’s an honor.”

Cesar opened his mouth, but Montserrat beat him to it. She pointed at—

“Baekhun, that was your name, yes?”

“Baekhyun,” He said gently, “Me, my lady?”

Montserrat nodded happily. “Yes, please.”

He grinned, and the two stood to the side, speaking in hushed tones to each other. 

Lisette and Isadora exchanged glances, and Lisette chose first. Her eyes landed on Kyungsoo, who seemed indifferent—but you knew he probably would have preferred to be with Jongin. Isadora chose Yixing. Ever the gentleman, Yixing gave a bow when he was chosen and expressed how flattered he was.

Cesar was the last to choose. He was silent for a moment, but you didn’t have to think too hard on who he’d choose. Not if he was anything like Sebastian, at least.

 His eyes landed on Minseok, and you resisted frowning. You would have loved to be able to choose Minseok, but then—

“Lady Y/N?”

All heads snapped in his direction. You blinked. 

“Your highness?” 

“Mariana has spoken well of you. You seem pragmatic and capable, may I please join you?”

“Why listen to Mariana?” Sebastian scoffed, “Oh, cousin, you should know by now—“

“I’d rather listen to Mariana than to you, cousin.” The fake smile on Cesar’s face did little to hide the disdain for his cousin, and you slapped yourself mentally for holding prejudice against him. Sebastian’s jaw dropped open, as if no one had ever spoken to him like that before. Given that he was the heir to the throne, that was likely true.

Cesar turned back to you, paying Sebastian’s gaping mouth no mind. “If you wish to choose someone else, my lady, I’d take no offense—“

“No,” You insisted, “Not at all. Please, I’d be honored.”

Cesar’s shoulders relaxed, and you heard Sebastian scoff as you stood next to his cousin.

The rest of the selections went by with a breeze. Sehun chose Jongin and Minseok and Jongdae were left with each other. 

Jongin was nice enough to ask the servants to prepare a set of four targets, plus bows and arrows for each pair. The targets had ten circles, each circle representing a set of points. They were set up in the field between the castle and the castle’s private beach, where you and your friends would chase each other when you were all children.

“So the way we’ve planned it is every two teams get a target, each team gets four shots total—in turns of two,” Kyungsoo explained once you’d left the courtyard and were in front of the arrows.

“How will we decide turns and who plays against who?” Sehun asked.

“I wrote everyone’s teams down on the way here,” Jongin said, “I’ll just draw them from a cup.”

First up, were Minseok and Jongdae against Yixing and Isadora. Minseok and Jongdae made a formidable pair—Jongdae was fairly skilled, and while Minseok as captain of the Royal Guard was more skilled at close combat, he was decent enough when it came to archery. In the first round, Jongdae scored an 8 and Minseok a 7. In the next one, Jongdae scored a 9, much to Minseok’s delight. 

“That’s it!” He said, slapping his younger brother on the back. You laughed from where you were watching, clapping for the loudest prince. 

“I take it you and Minseok are close?” Cesar asked curiously.

“I’m his second-in-command, and I’ve been friends with the princes since I was a girl. He’s a good friend.” You nodded, watching Minseok take up the bow. This time, he had a little less luck. He scored a 6—their total added up to 30. He pursed his lips, evidently slightly disappointed. 

You cupped your hands around your mouth, so that you’d be heard over the wind and the small distance. “Don’t fret, Min. It was a good shot, it’s just a bit windy.”

He shrugged you off. “It’s fine.”

Next up were Yixing and Isadora. The two of them were evidently a bit awkward around each other, and the minute she picked up the bow, you knew she’d likely never picked one up before. As you watched curiously, Yixing gave her a brief explanation on how to use it, and she was able to score a 3. 

You nodded in approval. Without much experience plus the slight wind, it was impressive. 

“Is it common for women in Oceansforte to train with weapons like you, Lady Y/N?” Cesar spoke again, leaning towards you. “Please forgive me if I’m intruding. I don’t mean to pry.”

“Not at all, your highness. I’d say it’s a bit more common now, but it wasn’t very commonplace when my father started training me. And please, just Y/N is fine.”

“Likewise—please just call me Cesar. How old were you?”

You thought for a moment, clapping gently when Yixing scored a 5. “I was about 8. When he wasn’t looking after the king and I wasn’t in class or off with my friends, he was teaching me the basics of close combat and the honor code of the Royal Guard.”

“That’s quite admirable,” He said with a nod, “I take it Mariana has told you of our customs back home in Avilux?”

You bristled. “Yes, but I ask that you respect my country’s customs if we do disagree—”

“Disagree? Nonsense. I think it’s perfectly sensible for everyone to at least have a slight idea how to defend themselves.”

You smiled. “There’s a bit more to it than simply self-defense.” 

“What do you mean?”

You thought of the looks you got at court when it was announced you’d be joining the Royal Guard, the judging stares, the probing questions. “Plenty of things that frankly, I’m not looking to debate at the moment. Too much of a migraine. If you wish to read on it yourself, there’s a lovely book in the castle library that—”

“Oh! Isadora, do be careful,” Sebastian exclaimed as Isadora misfired, her arrow landing in the grass just below the target, “You’ll take someone’s eye out.”

She said nothing, staring at him expressionlessly. And despite not knowing her at all, you could just tell on the inside she was fuming. 

Call it women’s intuition.

Yixing scored a 5, making their score a total of 13. Still, they took it with ease. “I don’t think either of us wanted to sword fight anyway,” He said softly. Isadora laughed, nodding. 

“Quite true, my lord.”

The next time Jongin drew names, Baekhyun and Montserrat were placed against Junmyeon and Mariana. It was very apparent that both pairings enjoyed their respective pairs quite well. 

Montserrat raised her bow, but instead pointed one of the tips of it towards Mariana, who raised an amused eyebrow. 

“With all due respect, your highnesses,” Montserrat said, scrunching her eyes shut in a dramatic manner, “Baekhyun and I are simply much too skilled for either of you to best us.”

“Watch how it’s done, princey.” Baekhyun grinned cheekily at the prince, and suddenly you understood why they liked each other so much. 

“I won’t watch then,” Junmyeon said teasingly, “Because whatever you do, I’ll do it better.”

You bit back a laugh. Junmyeon was loads better than Baekhyun had ever been at archery. 

“He’s so obnoxious,” You mumbled, softly.

“She’s a menace,” Cesar said at the same time. You both met eyes, before laughing softly together.

You liked Cesar, you decided. He wasn’t rude, nor was he overbearing in order to gain your approval. Plus, he’d told Sebastian off earlier, which had Junmyeon and everyone else here beat in that category so far.

Montserrat fumbled with the bow, which caused Mariana to laugh quietly. 

“Your mind games will not work on me this time, my princess,” Montserrat hummed happily. You blinked.

“Mind games?” You asked quietly, glancing at your partner.

Cesar tsked. “Oh, Aviluxian women—especially at court—are exceptionally good at getting into your head. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that being expected to simply sit still and look pretty grows rather boring eventually. My cousin is quite good at it,” He murmured. You raised an eyebrow as he lowered his voice.

“...Sometimes, you don’t even realize she’s there.”

When Montserrat let the arrow fly, you all watched it fly into the 1-point circle. Still, her and Baekhyun squealed as if they’d just struck gold. It was amusing to watch, but it did little to dissuade the sudden uneasiness in your stomach. 

A minute later when Baekhyun fired his first shot, his arrow embedded itself into the 7-point circle. He nodded approvingly. 

Montserrat, again with Baekhyun’s help, lifted her bow and aimed towards the arrow, arm shaking slightly with exertion. She took a deep breath, and Baekhyun leaned in to whisper something into her ear. She glanced at him, smiled, and the next thing you knew, the arrow landed in the 3-point circle. 

They both celebrated accordingly, making you smile. As much as Baekhyun—and by extension, the rest of your friends—could get on your nerves, you really did care about them. Seeing him happy made you happy, even more so when he was playing up his antics.

Baekhyun scored a 9 this time, causing him to flex his muscles, despite them being covered by his several layers of linen. When you looked around the group, you saw your friends laughing at his dramatics. Mariana and her other ladies-in-waiting seemed amused, but Sebastian looked to be rather unamused by the display. 

Their final number of points was 19. Neither of them really seemed to care. 

“At the end of the day,” Montserrat said happily, “I’m content to just learn new customs and meet the members of Mariana’s future court. All good fun.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, Montserrat,” Mariana answered as she and Junmyeon stepped up to their spot, “But as much as you love fun, I love to win.”

Everyone chuckled. You thought back to what Cesar said, wondering how much of it was true. 

He’s second-in-line for the throne, you thought, probably just resentful that his cousins are more likely to rule nations than he is.

Junmyeon was up first, and my, what an impressive archer he was. He rolled his head on his neck, before holding his bow up in a way that showed: he knew what he was doing. From his stance, to his steady breathing, to the unadulterated confidence rolling off of him in that moment. He nocked an arrow against the bow, and aimed, before letting go. 

You watched as the arrow, almost effortlessly, landed in the center of the target. A seemingly perfect bullseye—the first 10 of the game. A stunned silence engulfed the Aviluxians for a brief moment, while the rest of you erupted into applause. To your small circle, it was nothing new. A second later, your guests joined you in applause. 

“Perfect as always, Jun!” Yixing spoke loudly over the wind. “I’m glad Isadora and I weren’t up against you, it would have made our loss look even worse. Good thing it was just Jongdae and Minseok.”

“Hey!” Jongdae’s head snapped to glare at Yixing, but Yixing paid him no mind. 

Junmyeon shook his head, laughing as he did so. 

He handed the bow off to Mariana. When he approached her to help her into her stance, she shook her head. “I think I know how to do it, I want to try on my own.”

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon asked, to which Mariana nodded.

She straightened her posture, grabbing an arrow before nocking it into the bow. She furrowed her brows in concentration, and you leaned your head forward to watch in concentration. While you weren’t the best, you knew the basics. Just from simple observation, Mariana seemed to have learned them all. Her stance was right, she was holding the bow correctly.

And when the arrow landed in the 7-point ring, dangerously close to the border of the 8-point, you realized she might have learned even more than the basics.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. She seemed equally as stunned, but proud nonetheless. When she turned to Junmyeon, he was beaming. The group erupted into applause.

 “Lovely, milady!” Isadora exclaimed.

“You’re a natural, princess,” Montserrat said.

Your eyes spared Sebastian a glance. He was applauding, but he seemed disinterested. He was probably thinking something along the lines of beginner’s luck.

Junmyeon took his turn again, and to no one’s surprise, he shot a 9. Everyone applauded politely, but you’d be lying if you didn’t acknowledge the slight disappointment in your prince’s eyes. 

When Mariana took the bow from his hands, she took her stance again. Cesar seemed to share your curiosity.

“Now we find out,” He murmured in a deep raspy tone, leaning closer towards you, “Is she a natural, or is she just lucky?”

You raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. This was the first time you actually took his appearance in. He was about the same height as Junmyeon. His dark hair was on the longer side. He had a complexion similar to that of his cousins, but his eyes were a piercing hazel green. And unlike Sebastian, who kept a closely shaven face, Cesar sported well-maintained stubble. 

Suddenly, he felt too close, and you took a step back with an uneasy chuckle. “Your cousin is smart,” You said, voice resolute. “I don’t doubt her talents.”

Your eyes shifted back to the couple, and you stiffened when you realized Junmyeon had been carefully studying your interaction. You locked eyes with him, expression unreadable. 

A second later, when the arrow landed, it scored Mariana an 8. Junmyeon’s eyes snapped to his betrothed, and he plastered a smile onto his face as she grew excited. 

Your shoulders relaxed. “The princess is a natural,” You mused, smiling nonchalantly at Cesar, “I expected nothing less.”

 Together, the pair had 34 points, easily leaving Baekhyun and Montserrat in the dust. This meant that they’d advance onto the next round, and that left four more teams to compete. 

The next names that Jongin drew were Chanyeol and Sebastian, up against Kyungsoo and Lisette. Mariana and Junmyeon made their way next to you. Montserrat and Baekhyun stood further behind, murmuring excitedly to each other about anything and everything.

Kyungsoo and Lisette’s turn was slightly embarrassing to watch. While it was evident that none of the Aviluxian ladies had ever handled weaponry, Lisette was much more anxious about the idea of handling sharp objects, which made you want to look away from the interaction as Kyungsoo, who was by no means the warmest person ever, did his best to reassure her. 

“Cesar,” Mariana murmured, leaning her head past Junmyeon, “Can I speak to you?”

The prince blinked, before nodding and standing next to his cousin. You nudged Junmyeon. “She was amazing,” You said quietly with a smile. He grinned.

“A total natural. Even I was shocked.”

There was a quick lull in your conversation as Lisette shot, her arrow landing not even halfway to the target. She didn’t seem to be enjoying herself at all, practically tossing it to Kyungsoo as if it were burning her.

Kyungsoo sighed, before looking at Lisette and saying something too quiet for anyone else to hear. He turned to Jongin after she answered. 

“I’ll be shooting for her ladyship,” He declared. No one seemed to protest.

Until he fired once—ten points. Twice—ten points.

Sebastian raised a hand, “I don’t think this is completely fair—”

“Sebastian, be quiet!” Mariana hissed.

“Just let him do it,” Chanyeol groaned, causing Sebastian to glare. 

Kyungsoo let the arrow fly a third time, and to no one’s surprise, he landed the arrow into the already crowded bullseye a final time. 30 total. The group was left in stunned silence, but it was moreso the Aviluxians.

He turned to Lisette with a smug smile. “I do hope you’re good at chess. I don’t think you’d be the best in a sword fight.”

Lisette, who evidently hadn’t been expecting Kyungsoo to be so good, was silent. A moment later, her mouth fell open, before beginning to laugh.

“I-I am not the best,” She said eventually, “But I will do what I can.”

And when the pair stepped to the side, the two whose turn it was meant to be were left. One looked incredibly bored, the other was red in the face.

“Would you like to take the first shot, your highness?” Chanyeol asked, sounding ready to end it all. 

“I…” Sebastian bit back a scoff. But after a moment, his glare faded and was replaced with his signature smirk. “Yes. Of course.”

The prince immediately rolled his shoulders back before taking his position. From the get-go, it was evident that the prince had been trained well. He seemed even more confident than Junmyeon, but that didn’t surprise you one bit. 

He kept his eyes trained on the target, furrowing his eyebrows in focus. His fingers tightened around the bow, before…

thwap!

A perfect 10. If his head weren’t so far up his ass, you’d have commended him. But since it was, your compliment would have been muffled and he probably wouldn’t have heard you at all. 

Still, his expression grew even more smug. “That is how that’s done.”

He traded off with Chanyeol, who took his stance calmly. Nothing to prove and his desire for competition seemed rather dim, which was strange for Chanyeol. You wondered if he thought Sebastian was bad enough. He probably did.

Chanyeol lifted his bow towards the target, and you watched him take a deep breath, correcting his posture. The initial discomfort in his stance and gaze cleared into an expression of focus, stretching the hand holding the arrow, pulling the arrow taut, until…

“Ah-choo!” 

The loudest, fakest sneeze you’d ever heard Sehun sneeze seemed to echo across the open field, causing Chanyeol to gasp in surprise, body jolting. He let the arrow fly—although probably not on purpose—and it landed dangerously close to the 5-point circle, but still in the 6-point range.

Next to you, Junmyeon stiffened, and you pursed your lips, but it was futile. Both of you erupted into giggles. You hid your laughter by hiding your face behind Junmyeon’s shoulder, and he leaned closer to you to do something similar. 

Chanyeol’s eyes grew wide, and he turned to Sehun. “You little—”

“What?” Sehun asked, trying and failing to hold back a grin, “It’s allergy season. Do forgive me, Lord Park.”

Chanyeol sighed, and briefly looked as if he was considering murder. Both you and Junmyeon took deep breaths, trying to hold back another round of laughter. But before he could say anything, Sebastian broke out into raucous laughter. 

“Sehun, my friend,” He said, causing Sehun’s smug grin to fade, “You are too funny for your own good. You’ll make Chanyeol’s head explode, I fear.”

Sebastian took the arrow, and managed to score another ten—his smug grin was just as unbearable at the death glare Chanyeol was giving Sehun. A few moments later Chanyeol scored a 9, but not before mouthing something in Sehun’s direction. You couldn’t make out exactly what he’d said, but it was safe to assume that it was something vulgar, because Sehun rolled his eyes mockingly.

With totals of 35 against 30, Sebastian and Chanyeol advanced onto the next round. 

That left Sehun and Jongin, against you and Cesar. 

Jongin and Sehun went first, for which you were grateful. As much as you loved the two youngest of the group, they could be a bit of a bumbling pair—which was exactly what you needed to calm your nerves before your turn. 

“Nervous?” Junmyeon asked, sensing your anxiousness. You shrugged. 

“I’ve never been the best at archery,” You mumbled, “You know that very well.”

“I do.” He nodded, watching Sehun splutter as he missed his first shot, arrow lodging itself several feet behind the target. 

Behind him, Chanyeol roared with laughter. Kyungsoo sidestepped him to avoid being his during his flailing laugh. Sebastian didn’t, jumping in alarm when the taller man slapped his shoulder. He looked at your friend as if he had gone mad.

“Do you want tips so you don’t end up like that?” Junmyeon asked, and you nodded urgently. 

“Yes, please.” You watched as Jongin aimed, fired, and scored a 5. “I’ll probably end up more like that, but as long as I’m not making a fool of myself like Sehun.”

Junmyeon hummed in response. “Alright. What I’d recommend—”

“Junmyeon, my darling,” Mariana called. Junmyeon whipped his head in her direction. She and Cesar were walking back towards you. 

“Yes, my angel?” He asked once she was by his side, and you let out a quiet sigh at how quickly she had his attention. As she pulled him slowly away from you, Sehun scored a 4, much to Chanyeol’s amusement.

“How are you at chess?” She asked, and Junmyeon shrugged. 

“I’m not the best. I was going to suggest that you play.” 

Cesar’s arm brushed against yours, and you turned your head in his direction. “Are you ready?”

You sighed gently. “I mean—”

Thwap! Your heads snapped in the direction of the target. You felt your hands suddenly grow clammy when you saw it embedded in the 7-point mark.

It’s not that you were afraid you wouldn’t beat Sehun and Jongin. Cesar seemed calm enough, which gave you the impression he was better than both of them. You were mostly just nervous about making yourself look bad. If you looked bad, maybe they’d think you weren’t worthy. Maybe you’d be cast aside, and then what?

“Lady Y/N,” Cesar said, snapping you out of your thoughts. Your eyes widened at the realization that Sehun was holding the bow in your direction. There were several eyes on you. Sehun looked like he was gearing up to snap his fingers in your face just to be annoying.

“My apologies.” You smiled nervously, shaking your head. “I was thinking about something I needed to talk to Minseok about later.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow, and in that moment you remembered the man you’d seen last night. In the spur of the moment, you’d pulled that out of your ass. But you were right. Even if it was nothing, you wanted to at least let him know you’d seen something strange.

“I’ll speak to you later. It can wait.”

Cesar took the bow from Sehun, and you watched him take his stance. He puffed his chest out, stretching his shoulders. Pulling an arrow out from the quiver, he took a different stance from the rest of those that had stood before him. He stood with his back facing away from you as he nocked the arrow.

“You’re left handed?” You asked.

Cesar glanced at you for a moment, before giving a single nod. “Yes, milady. My father tried to have it corrected, my mother insisted I be left alone.”

He didn’t seem bothered by your interruption, and a second later he let the arrow fly. You stood in shocked silence as it landed perfectly at 10. When he handed you the bow, you felt a bead of sweat forming on your forehead.

“Oh, your highness, how am I supposed to follow that?” You chuckled nervously.

He shook his head. “Oh, you’ll be fine.” 

You gripped the bow the best way you remembered, and put an arrow into the groove of the wood. Clearing your throat, you did your best to stand the way you knew. Your hand was definitely sweatier than it should have been. You were breathing through your mouth—gods, why did you have to think about breathing? Now you were thinking about breathing instead of the proper way to pull the string back. How many fingers? Were you supporting it right?

In your peripheral vision, you saw Mariana whisper something to Junmyeon, lifting her hand to cover his ear. Junmyeon bit back a smile, but did exhale through his nostrils and look down. 

They’re talking about you, you know, a little voice said in your mind.

It couldn’t be true. You knew Junmyeon would never laugh at you, never allow anyone to disrespect you so blatantly… right? Right? Your hand trembled, and the arrow flew. You frowned watching it land in the 3-point circle. 13 points so far, in comparison to Sehun and Jongin’s 20. With Cesar’s help, you would easily pass them. But it wasn’t about that.

Your heart sank, and you sighed. Behind you, a deep voice laughed.

“Prince Junmyeon,” Sebastian gasped between laughter, “You let that defend you!?”

“It’s the wind,” You muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear. 

“Oh, come on, now, cousin,” Cesar said as you handed him the bow. “Don’t be that way.”

You looked down, ashamed. Rubbing your palms against your pants to dry them, Sebastian began to speak again before he was interrupted by Junmyeon.

“With all due respect, your royal highness, I must agree. Lady Y/N is my friend. I would appreciate it if you did not treat her so callously.”

Your head snapped up to look at Junmyeon, who flashed you a sympathetic smile. Mariana nodded furiously in agreement. “Quite right, Junmyeon. Sebastian, it would do our family well if you did not treat my future husband’s closest guard and friend the way you do.”

Sebastian scoffed, but said nothing further. 

“And besides, Sebastian.” Cesar drew the bowstring back. “Just because you are the better archer, absolutely does not mean…”

He let the arrow fly, once more landing in the 10-point circle. Cesar smiled, before turning to his cousin. “...That her ladyship will not best you when you duel later.”

Cesar handed you the bow. “Would you like help?”

You offered a small smile. “A few tips would be nice, Cesar. Thank you.”

He watched you stand, and handed you an arrow. A few moments later, he stepped behind you. You took a deep breath. Mariana and Junmyeon weren’t talking about you, you thought, now that you were calmer, otherwise they would have laughed with Sebastian. You can do this. No one’s laughing at you. No one that matters, anyway.

“Here, your posture should be a bit straighter,” Cesar murmured into your ear, correcting the curve of your back by putting his hand on your lower back and pushing gently. His deep voice and accent along with his touch left goosebumps wherever he went. “Draw the bowstring back to your lip. Raise your elbow a little. No, no, not that high. Like this…”

He took your elbow, lowering it gently. Cesar stepped back, before crossing his arms and smiling proudly. “There. Go ahead.” 

You took one last deep breath, before letting the arrow fly. The second it flew, you closed your eyes out of fear. What if you messed it up again? What if you embarrassed yourself even further, what if this time your friends didn’t defend you—

“That’s it!” Chanyeol roared. 

“I told you!” Cesar exclaimed.

“Amazing, Y/N!” Minseok yelled.

“Dammit, why did we have to go up against them,” Sehun grumbled.

Your eyes flew open at the applause erupting around you. Everyone except Sebastian was clapping. After looking around, your eyes landed on the target. There, just below Cesar’s two bullseye shots, was your own arrow. Yes, a 3 followed by a 9 was by no means as impressive as the two consecutive 10s your partner had pulled off. But after the rush of emotions…

“I knew she could do it,” You heard Junmyeon say. A smile bloomed on your face. When you glanced at him, he didn’t meet your gaze. He was too busy staring at Cesar, at your proximity.

You turned to the prince who had helped you. He was grinning. 

“I hope you’re good at chess.”

taglist: @doderyscoffee @iwishihadabettername @kiwibomb @exo-fics-i-like @eegyo @signnora @cxsmicmyeon @taem-min​ @miramizar​ @pimpnameyannie​ 

if you liked this, maybe buy me a coffee?

#exo scenarios #exo au #exo x reader #exo angst #kim junmyeon x reader #junmyeon x reader #suho x reader #junmyeon scenarios #junmyeon angst #suho scenarios #suho angst

[s0fars0perfect]

so... something i never advertised on this account is a fic that i wrote earlier in this year and have been slowly posting (many setbacks regarding that posting schedule) on my alt ao3

well, i just posted the last chapter so if you like space royalty aus and exo, here's a link!

#we're not gonna talk about how long this fic is #it's not important #but it is a thing #that i finally finished #so #y'know #writing is hard #but honestly #sometimes posting is harder

[huevobuevo]

I still don't know shit about RE but, Desmond/Descole for the virus thing!

HAIIII !!!!!!!!! >____<

okay oh my gott so Descole is giving me MAJOR T virus vibes, specifically the T-Veronica strain from Resident Evil Code Veronica MAJOR LOREDUMP AHEAD MY BAD OG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the Tyrant-Veronica Virus was created by a young Alexia Ashford, granddaughter of one of the original founders of Umbrella. The Ashfords were a noble family praised for its talented members- one such relative being Veronica Ashford, known for both beauty and brains. Then here comes THIS BITCH Alexander Ashford, son of Edward Ashford and an absolute whore. unable to bear children or keep a good highranking position in Umbrella after his fathers death he decides that the normal thing to do was to make clone babies of his ancestor Veronica and hope to god that they become as smart as she was because hes a weirdo and a freak. This gave us the Ashford twins, Alexia and Alfred. Alexia was the brightest of the two, so smart that she somehow became head researcher at the age of ten ? ? ? take ur daughter to work day got fuckin intense ig. she became obsessed with insects (twinning!) and made a virus based off of ant hiveminds and the superior intellect of her predecessors (oh okay). Alexia and Alexander poured their all into using this Virus to create the perfect specimen- until Alfred and Alexia discover their dads weird clone baby plan and the fact that Alfred was a mistake so thats why he was kinda dumb to which they said "okay! so lets just go over there and beat the Shit out of our dad". But instead they infect him with the virus and send his mangled corpse to antarctica where it becomes a hideous monster Diversity Win ! tl;dr T-Veronica is a virus that when infected with the RIGHT person at a SLOW AND STEADY PACE it will offer the victim pyrokinesis through spontaneously combusting blood and a hardened exo-skeleton ALSO A COOL BUG FACE YIPPEEE !!!!!!!!!! there are themes of plants, bugs, fire, hivemind, and royalty when it comes to both this virus and the game itself.

so what the fuck does this have to do with desmond ?

Desmond Sycamore is a man driven by spite and vengeance towards his father and Targent itself for ruining his life. From childhood to his lost family, Desmond had lost so many to Targent and its pursuit for the Azran legacies, causing him to take up the Jean Descole persona and dedicate everything into capturing the legacies first.

He matches the Ashford's theme of inner family turmoils, the cost of the pursuit of knowledge, and vengeance. Desmond can also be associated with the aformentioned "natural" motifs of T-Veronica due to his interest in archaeology and, of course, the Azran Legacies that have controlled his life since The Incident(tm).

When it comes to Desmond interacting with the Virus itself, it'll probably be another incident where he'll try to secure it before anyone else to get their hands on the samples. Maybe his own hubris will lead him to believe that he could handle the mutation, maybe he was forced to by Targent themselves, who knows i might turn this into a fucking AU again god. damnit

I can see him as another Albert Wesker situation where he can KIND OF control the virus inside of him, but through suppressants of course. Without it the mutation will just go haywire and he'll loose control- which would be a REALLY COOL contrast to Hershel's own G-Virus infection but i aint got time to get into THAT (someone please ask me about hershel's infection plsp lsp ls pslspl PLEASE)

#i aint taggin all that #uhhh #desmond sycamore #jean descole #slaigh #IT IS. 3 AM. FUCK

[misswoozi]

I think we need some AU discourse today

please consider you favorite Seventeen, ATEEZ, SNSD, Day6, Twice, BTS, EXO or NCT ships/biases/sub-units in a

royalty AU

90's AU

rock band AU

dystopian AU

...and then send me an ask about it :D

[peachysooxo]

Coming Soon: The Kingdom of Us

pairing: kyungsoo x OC genre: Royal!AU, nonidol!soo, romance, drama

theme: arranged marriage, modern royalty, acquaintances to lovers, war, betrayal word count: TBD description: Princess Alina of Mariposa had only read about romance in books and daydreamed of what her life would turn out to be like with her betrothed, Crown Prince Kyungsoo of Seoul. The problem is, Kyungsoo is nothing like the Prince Charming that Alina read about in fairytales.

Kyungsoo’s life had been mapped out for him since he was born: be the picture perfect son, marry Alina and become King. His every move was calculated and controlled. His heart is closed off and resents Alina for being the symbol of the prison he felt his life had always been.

Between lies, betrayal and secrets, the life Alina dreamed of slips further and further away from her grasp.

warnings: mature themes, mentions of abuse, war, death, smut, minors DNI

Author’s Notes: this story was created after watching 100 DMP and has been ongoing on AO3. The idea of a completely alternate universe where not even the countries that we know of today exist and the earth is filled with kingdoms was fascinating, especially in a modern setting. Writing Soo as a prince is also just an added bonus. Trigger/Content warnings will be clearly listed before each chapter. Please enjoy :)

#EXO #exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #royal au #modern royalty au #kyungsoo x reader #kyungsoo #kyungsoo fanfic #kyungsoo as a prince #exo do #exo do kyungsoo #d.o. kyungsoo #the kingdom of us fanfic #doh kyungsoo #prince kyungsoo #exo royalty #love story #exo fic rec

[alexiososp]

Private Matters by maokun

Hello dear kaisooist, how has your day been so far? Dear listener I hope you are well. Where i am, it is raining, perfect day to be laying down and reading some kaisoo fics.

I want to thank my beta Dudu for proof reading my episode today. For this episode, i am changing up the structure a bit for a few reasons: this fic is ongoing, updating every week, so this episode would sort of be like a teaser ish? to have readers be extra excited for the fic and get to take a peak into the author’s beautiful mind, one that birthed this fic. In between, we will have some questions for maokun, who will grace us with her response. We thank maokun for participating in this podcast, thank you mao, we love your writings and thank you for saying yes to being part of this podcast.

Now for listeners who are not aware, maokun started off as a reader, and now, a writer. Maokun’s first fic was Morning Sickness back in 2014. And from 2014 to today, maokun has authored about 35 fics and counting. A bit more on maokun before we get the episode going proper, maokun has been an EXO-L since 2012, mama era, that's about 11 years. The pull factor that got her into the fandom was Jongin’s debut teaser, and eventually Kyungsoo. They were also the reason maokun got pulled into the ficdom as well.

Moving on, those on the bird app, we are all following the beloved maokun’s latest abo fic, Private Matters. And to have it with a little more pizzazz, it is royalty au.

Already just by looking at the AU, it is quite attractive: omega prince kyungsoo and president's son alpha jongin.

Private Matters by maokun, is predicted to have about 20 chapters, and we are currently in the 8 chapter mark. And as of chapter 8 there is about 35k words. We will definitely see the word count go up as the fic updates.

The summary from the fic is as follows: The law states only an alpha could sit on the throne; omega Prince Kyungsoo is left with no choice but to wed one and he chooses the president’s son, Kim Jongin.

Well well well, we see maokun setting up the context of the fic by showing us the meeting with the palace secretaries and advisors, followed by Junmyeon presenting alphas to Kyungsoo. And to no surprise Kyungsoo is against all of them until we meet Jongin… Why does Prince Kyungsoo choose the president’s son Jongin? Why is Jongin adamant on saying no? and that, dear listeners, is how their story begins.

The story unfolds in a slow burn manner. And seeing that it has been tagged as childhood trauma, i can sort of see hints of it because there are certain parts in the eight chapters that are already out.

In chapter two for example, when both readers and Kyungsoo are first introduced to Jongin, President Kim shares that this is not the first time the two meet. It is a shocking fact for Kyungsoo, and it makes readers curious as to why Kyungsoo has no recollection of those moments with Jongin.

In addition to that as well, we have President Kim on some occasions apologising to Kyungsoo and saying things like: “Anytime, Prince Kyungsoo. It will be my pleasure to be of any help to you. Though, I’m years late.” and even Junmyeon cautioning Kyungsoo when he speaks to the president.

—-

Now from this section onwards we have some comments and questions and answers for and by maokun.

Talking about childhood, there is a request from an anon in maokun’s curious cat if you would mind adding little anecdotes of KaiSoo's childhood, maybe as a bonus chapter. Those bits and pieces of how baby Soo used to cling to Jongin hyung, the constellation mapping and diaper change.

Maokun’s response was that she most definitely has those in the story plot. She has yet to reveal their childhood past. And there is a lot to tell! Maokun plans this to be included in bits, a little bit of here and there when Kyungsoo is digging into his past. And she will probably add a bonus chapter when the fic is completed.

Trusting the writer’s choice, we will definitely see how it all comes together eventually. And we pause here for a question for maokun: We see many hints of Kyungsoo’s childhood trauma already in the first few chapters, could that be the reason behind why Kyungsoo’s personality can be quite unpleasant to the people around him?

Maokun replied that yes, Kyungsoo’s personality is intertwined with his past and childhood trauma. Readers may have noticed that he doesn’t trust anyone and believes that no one is on his side from the very first chapter. Hence, explaining his hostility towards everyone and how he always has his guard up. But without him realising it, he starts to open himself up to Jongin, thinking that for the first time, thankfully for kaisooists, he actually feels safe with Jongin.

Following the same train of thought, another tag I am excited to see unfold is the Character Development tag. Kyungsoo can be quite bratty and I hope slowly we will get to see pleasant exchanges between the couple because… as much as I love bratty soo I want to see the characters in love. I know we will get there, so we are patient and we trust in the author’s writing choice.

—

Touching a bit on the relationships and how the characters intermingle with each other:

Kyungsoo and his subordinates, Junmyeon and Baekhyun as the secretaries and Chanyeol the bodyguard. Where we are now, these relationships are very… well the prince asks and is delivered? But there are boundaries thankfully, especially when Junmyeon is involved I think mainly because he is one who is able to see the bigger picture of how people are connected to one another and works in the prince’s best interest, whether Kyungsoo sees it or not.

I think another interesting relationship dynamic explored would be between Kyungsoo and Sehun. And the thing is, Sehun is very pleasant, treats Kyungsoo respectfully but also happens to be pleasantly unaware of Kyungsoo’s true intent, which is to wed Jongin.

But im also weary of Sehun’s and Jongin’s affection to one another…but after the last two chapters, chapter seven and eight, i am kind of relieved that it seems that Jongin just likes Sehun platonically.

Now, Kyungsoo’s and Jongin’s relationship starts off by them meeting in an opening ceremony. Jongin teases Kyungsoo to no end. We next see Jongin in the palace where all the other alphas are and that is the start of their… I guess you could say this was their enemies origin story… it gets quite tense as well, their arguments are a bit unpleasant to watch at first then hopefully as the fic continues, I trust in maokun that it will be better.

And the latest chapter, oh my kaisoo! The whole chapter i had my mouth open and giggling and gosh the build up from when that bastard Myungsoo is in the scene and fucking dares to put his palm on Kyungsoo’s cheek, to that abrupt confession from Jongin with his big reveal…

There are so many tension points from his relationships with Junmyeon to Sehun to Myungsoo and to Jongin of course, so many layers to think about… now my question to our dear maokun is, without giving too much of the plot away, what is the next cause of action? Could you give us a snippet of who will be involved in the next conflict?

Maokun tells us to expect political conflicts, primarily between President Kim and The Royal Family while gradually revealing their past. The conflicts will revolve around convincing the people and stakeholders that Kyungsoo and Jongin’s marriage is not political, which in fact it is. Other than the conflicts, you can definitely look forward to Kyungsoo and Jongin putting up a good show for the cameras! And oh well, catching feelings and all that.

Oh myyy! That would be so dramatic! I love maokun’s mind, i really admire how maokun is able to give so many little bits of tension, then slowly string them together. From the beginning till where we are now, we don’t really see President Kim as much as… Jongin, for example, so it will definitely be interesting and dramatic and all things intriguing to see how that will unfold.

—

Now i asked maokun, how close are we into getting to the climax of the story? I can sense that we are somewhere near it.

And dear listeners, I was pleasantly surprised to find that we readers are most definitely not anywhere near the climax. There is still a lot to build to reach the climax and maokun believes that it will exceed 20 chapters.

Smelling the angst during the build up oh my this is going to be legendary. Following up with this I have another question: now from chapter 8 onwards, does it get better in terms of the characters liking one another? or does it get more complicated and tension filled as we go along? Because there are several layers of the characters we still need to see to fill in the plot to get the full picture, several tags that have yet to fully pop out like: childhood trauma and character development. So i guess to rephrase the question to maokun: are we in the middle of the conflict, or is this just the beginning?

Maokun responded that it can go both ways depending on the stage of their relationship. We have passed the reuniting with your childhood friend stage, making him my husband and now we’re entering the stage of getting to know him. They will start to warm up to each other, but of course the bantering won’t end. It’s too good to pass! In chapter 8, Kyungsoo saw pictures of Jongin and him when they were children which will drive him to dig into his past which he doesn’t have recollection of. And this will lead to, well, more conflicts.

—

Okay last question for the day before we reach the final comments, now, we are able to see the expressions clearly in kaisoo because maokun’s writing is very vivid and of course, this being fanfiction, it also has taken reference from the actual real lives of kaisoo as KAI Jongin and D.O. Kyungsoo of EXO. So my last question here is: which moments of kaisoo in reality did you take references from?

There are only two moments maokun took references from. First moment was when Jongin’s dogs crowded Kyungsoo’s at the lake which was based on the actual moment when Kyungsoo met Jongin’s dogs at COEX. And of course the second moment is this:

“Kim Jongin, Prince Kyungsoo is going to melt” was from the fancam where the fan shouted PLAY AUDIO “he’s going to melt”. Of course, we fans find that Jongin was staring at Kyungsoo.

Aw what sweet moments!

Any final comments you want to give us readers and listeners, maybe something to look out for as you slowly unravel their characters, and their bond of love and how they will eventually rule the kingdom?

Maokun started this fic with monarchy in mind. The concept of monarchy is understood and accepted differently by everyone. We heard of how the monarchy ended, how it is still thriving and celebrated, and how people are fighting to put an end to it. But maokun will not get into the specifics in this fic, just grazing the surface. As to not get too political! Now that Kyungsoo and Jongin will officially step into the life as a married couple, the king and queen, you’ll see how much and far it will affect both of them, as they juggle between rulers and husbands, which actually, spoiler, what Jongin fears the most.

Thank you so much maokun for sharing your beautiful fic with us! And i think i speak for everyone when i say that we are all excited for the next chapter which comes out hopefully at the end of the week!

So that about sums it all for this episode, link to the fic would be in the captions, you can also reach me on the bird app, also in the captions.

Have a lovely week dear kaisooists, thank you so much for tuning in, and we’ll see you in the next one. Bye!

[galoresficrecs]

[EXO] Jongdae

LAST UPDATED ON: Dec 2nd, 2022

newly added ✦ || personal faves ✪ || ongoing ✑

ratings:

not rated || general || teen and up || mature || explicit🔞

❧ NOT HERE SHIPS ☙

jongdae x baekhyun x kyungsoo

jongdae x baekhyun x minseok

jongdae x chanyeol x minseok

❧ jongdae x minseok ☙

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✪ Chasing the Sun by XiuChen4Ever [14,5k words] post-apocalypse!au, sci-fi, korean mythology || explicit🔞

✪ Crocus Pocus by XiuChen4Ever [26,9k words] fantasy, magic!au || teen and up

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✪ Ghost of a Chance by XiuChen4Ever [30,6k words] hybrids!au, enemies to lovers, ghosts, murder mystery || mature

✪ Have Your Steak (And Eat It Too) by XiuChen4Ever [82,3k words | 11 ch] hybrids!au || explicit🔞

✪ Hedge Over Heels by XiuChen4Ever [2,9k words] hybrids!au, neighbours!au || explicit🔞

✪ Hoping Fur the Best by unnieunnie [13,9k words] shifters!au, park ranger!au || explicit🔞

✪ I'm Gonna Thrill You Tonight by XiuChen4Ever [5,4k words] magic!au, necromancy!au || explicit🔞

✪ Just Kiss? by zhyixingie [4,4k words] historical!au, age gap, tutor/student || mature

✪ Marine Moving Under Skies by XiuChen4Ever [16,6k words] sci-fi, military!au, modern retelling || mature

✪ Northern Lights by uxiumin [25,2k words | 6 ch] fantasy, royalty!au, mama powers || teen and up

✪ Of Witches, Mixtapes and Memory by unnieunnie [19,2k words] college!au, 1990s!au, slow burn, unreliable narrator || mature

✪ Song of the Stars by XiuChen4Ever [112,3k words | 9 ch] magic!au, fantasy, fictional religion & theology, angst with a happy ending || explicit🔞

✪ Steal Away by XiuChen4Ever [24k words] TW: suicidal thoughts/permanent injury ;; hybrids!au, enemies to lovers || explicit🔞

✪ Tacit Understanding by XiuChen4Ever [48,8k words] a/b/o!au, college!au || explicit🔞

✪ Virgin SacrifICE by XiuChen4Ever [40,4k words] fantasy, dragons || explicit🔞

✪ We Must Wake Up Again by unnieunnie & XiuChen4Ever [2,2k words | 2 ch] afterlife!au || general

✪ You don't have to melt my heart to win it by unnieunnie [18k words] fantasy, magic-users, dragons || explicit🔞

❧ jongdae x reader ☙

[part of Welcome to the Exodus Mall] Reboot by yehet-me-up [26,9k words] f!reader, 1990s!au, mall!au, set in seattle, co-workers to lovers || teen and up

[part of The Cartel] The Money by kpopfanfictrash [8,1k words] 1970s!au, set in florida, crimes & criminals!au || explicit🔞

❧ otn/multi ☙

✪ Just watch, it's like magic by Lolistar92 [33,3k words] jongdae x junmyeon x minseok || urban fantasy, mama powers, prince!junmyeon || explicit🔞

#exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #jongdae fanfiction #chen fanfic

[cherryeol04]

Looking for RP Partner

💖Intro💖

 Hello wonderful people! 👋

I'm looking for some roleplay partners. I don't really have a limit on how many I want to take in or anything, so if you're interested, then let me know in the dms! But before you message me, please kindly read the following notes about me and what I'm looking for. Even if you don't meet all the criteria, I'm more than willing to give you a chance! Though age is a hard requirement that has to be met! Anything with a * next to it is a requirement I’m looking for in a partner.

Most, if not all roleplays will be NSFW

Yes, it'll have some spicy times in it, but it's mostly deemed NSFW because of the themes I like to write.

Dark themes, triggering situations, adult content - everything, of course, will be preplanned with long discussions of triggering topics, hard limits and such.

🔞 Partners must be at least 19+!🔞*

My style is 3rd pov, past tense.

I’m looking for someone who also does 3rd pov, past tense, but I will also accept present tense as well!

Semi to Literate*

I love long replies and I do enjoy giving them as well. However, I understand that sometimes you can't always give long responses, and that's okay too. I just ask no one-liners

Currently looking for MxM pairings and plots!*

I do not stick to one plot!

This just means I'm open to having more than one plot going with many different face claims. So if you would like to plot a pirate au with Hongjoong from Ateez and a wolf au with Chanyeol from EXO, I'm the person for you!

Currently there is no limit for the amount of plots I will do with one person.

I control more than one character

This is different from god-modding

This just means that in our plot, I can (and prefer) to control more than one character. So while my main face claim may be Chan from Stray Kids, I may also play Felix and Seungmin to add a little more substance and character development to the plot. 

While I would like for you to also have more than one character, I don’t expect it of you if you’re not comfortable with it. 

With regards to NPCs (the barista working at the café they visit, or the random people they meet along the way), either one of us can control them at any time as long as it’s to move the plot along.

Preferred platforms:

Line

Discord

As of right now, I think that's everything. Again, if you're interested, pm me! If you have any questions, also pm me!!

⚜ OC Information ⚜

Age: 25+

Time zone: -5 EST

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 8-5

Replies may be sporadic throughout the week, with the majority of replies coming in the evening time.

Weekends will bring more replies, unless I have plans with friends/family or I’m on call for work

My face claims are never set. So if you're looking for a specific person, please review the list of face claims I rp and let me know. Otherwise I'll base my face claims on what the plot is.

❣ Preferred Plots, Themes & Genres ❣

Fantasy Au

Omegaverse AU / Wolf Au / ABO Au

Fluff, Romance, Humor

Horror

Dystopian AU

Post-Apocalyptic AU

Academy Au

Boss/Employee AU

College/University AU

Disney Movie AU

Mafia/Gang Au

Magic AU

Pirates AU

Royalty AU

Soulmate AU

Mythology

Tropes:

Arranged Marriage

Class Difference

Exes to Lovers

Fake/Pretend Relationships

First’s (date, kiss, ect.)

Forbidden Love

Male Pregnancy

Polyamory

String of Fate

💫 Face Claims 💫

*There is no specific faceclaim I want at the moment. Most of my face claims will be male. Looking for more Stray Kids plots!!!*** The 🌸 next to the name indicates my preferred face claim from that group.**

EXO

Chanyeol

Baekhyun🌸

Cen

Suho

Sehun

GOT7

Mark🌸

Yugyeom

Nu’est

Minhyun

Ren🌸

Stray Kids

Chan

Hyunjin

Jisung🌸

Seungmin

Minho

Vixx

N🌸

Hongbin

Hyuk

🖋 Writing Samples 🖋

OC Character - Kayden Park

Kayden was overjoyed. He hadn’t thought tulips would grow at this time of the year, but entering the garden he found a wide variety of them, pristine and in full bloom. They were the one flower that Kayden had really hoped would grow because after he read what their meanings were, he knew almost instantly who he wanted to give them to.

Specifically the red tulips.

Some might say he falls too easily and others might say he loves too hard. But in reality, Kayden couldn’t control who he was or how he felt about people. When he found someone he liked, he became attached to them, trying to be as close as possible while nurturing their growing relationship - whatever it might be. Even if that person got on his nerves all the time, or they ended up doing things that very honestly scared him, ending a relationship just wasn’t in Kayden’s vocabulary.

Red tulips symbolize true love, or a soulmate. Kayden had a specific person in mind and while he wouldn’t say it was true love - hell Atreyu could barely stand him in a good - he did think the other was his soulmate. Despite their ups and downs and the multitude of times he was locked out of the dorm and left to fend for himself for the night, Kayden knew that what he had with Atreyu was special - indescribable even.

And while he couldn’t find the words, he knew the flowers would do the best job. So after carefully plucking five of the tulips, he handed back inside and to his room where he had left his roommate. Atreyu had been in one of his moods again, refusing to speak to Kayden, so hopefully the flowers would double as something to cheer him up.

“Atreyu~!” he sang happily as he opened the door, hoping he hadn’t disturbed the other but knowing he probably did. He braced himself to be hit with a pillow or something, even a “go away” in his harsh and icy tone. But when he got no greeting in return, Kayden took a moment to actually look around the room.

It was empty.

And not just in a way that said Atreyu left to go mope somewhere. It was truly empty. The smile on his face slowly fell as he stepped into the room. His bed was made, but it lacked a lived-in feel - as if a maid had come in and just fixed the bed to make it look presentable. The nightstand next to the bed was barren, everything Atreyu had kept there gone.

Kayden didn’t want to jump to conclusions but his mind was already racing. He crossed the space quickly and yanked open the drawers. Barren. Turning, he moved to the closet next and opened it. Nothing. Everything that had belonged to Atreyu was gone.

He was gone.

As Kayden stood there, reality slowly came crashing down as he realized he was alone. No note. No text. No goodbye. He clenched the tulips tightly in his hand before releasing them and letting them drop to the floor.

Stupid.

He had been so stupid and this is what he got.

Silently, Kayden walked over to his bed and sat down on it gingerly, eyes staring blankly ahead.

Alone.

No matter what he did, he was always going to be alone.

-----------------

ABO AU - Chan, Jisung, Seungmin, Changbin

Jisung laughed and nodded, pulling back some from the other. “Tonight…supposedly.” He said and shrugged. “But my body has been weird lately, so it may hold off another day. I hope it does cause I wanna be able to spend time with you. It’s been so long.”

Jisung had honestly missed the omega. He hadn’t seen Hyunjin since the night of the attack. The last thing Jisung could recall was rolling on top of Hyunjin to protect him from the blade before calling for help. Chan had told him already that if it weren’t for him, Hyunjin probably would have ended up dying. 

So if that meant Jisung suffered from nightmares and a sore side (with a near death experience of his own), then so be it. It was worth it. 

He grunted when Felix suddenly tackled them both, hugging them tightly. “Yeah! What Lixie said.” He said and whined. “Felix, my side.” He hissed softly. 

Chan watched the three, smiling fondly. He walked over and patted Felix’s head gently. “Come in Lix, be careful with them.” He said gently. “They’re both still healing.” 

Seungmin peeked his head out of the kitchen before hiding once more, afraid to face Hyunjin. He felt so guilty still for turning his back on the omega so fast. Things from that had been hectic, chaotic. Feelings were hurt, people were hurt and Seungmin may have chosen the wrong side. 

He still fully believed how things were handled was inexcusable and that was mostly on Chan’s part but knowing the other was Hyunjin’s soulmate and seeing first hand what a soulmate bond looked like through Jisung and Minho, Seungmin sort of understood where everyone was coming from. It couldn’t be helped, the attraction.

He wanted to apologize for being such an ass but he was afraid Hyunjin wouldn’t accept it. He didn’t want to cause discourse in the pack because the others seemed so hellbent on getting Hyunjin in the pack and they were happy. He would be happy too, he just wasn’t sure if Hyunjin would be happy around him. 

Meanwhile, Changbin made his exit from the kitchen and smiled. “We’ll looky here.” He called. “Chan really did bring us a present.” He teased. 

If you have made this far down, thank you so much!!! If you're interested at all in rping, please send me a dm or an ask! I'm looking for long term partners to create beautiful worlds together! 💖

#krp #krp ad #freelance rp #freelance roleplay #freelance roleplayer #stray kids rp #stray kids roleplay #krp au #krp lit #kpop roleplay #kpop rp #literate rp #semi lit rp #mxm roleplay #mxm rp #smut rp #smut rolplay #au rp #au roleplay #freelance rp ad #freelance roleplay ad #stray kids rp ad #stray kids roleplay ad #skz rp #skz roleplay #I swear I'm not that high maintenance #It may seem like a lot but I'm very flexible!

[callmedanquixote]

❥ N A V I G A T I O N

❥ Hello! You can call me DanOh

❥ She / her | 26 | Spanish & English | Ace

❥ INFJ | Sagittarius 🏹 | Wiccan

❥ Who I stan?

SEVENTEEN, WAYV, SUPER JUNIOR, THE BOYZ, DPR, GOT7, SF9, MONSTA X, EXO, NU'EST, ATEEZ, NCT.

Maybe I don't write specifically about all those groups but you can find the members as characters in some of my fics.

❥ I'm a slooow writer because I have a work that leaves me drain a lot during weekdays and I also struggle with bipolar disorder on a daily basis so I ask for your patience pls 🙏💖

❥ I will finish all my current and future works. I'm kinda slow cause I write in spanish first and then in english. And sometimes when I don't feel like it's a perfect work I tend to rewrite it a couple more times.

❥ So, yeah. This blog is basically made for me to write all the shitty cliché stuff that I love with the people I like. If you like the stories I write, thank u so much. I hope I can give you a little time of entertainment. 🌸

Masterlist

Last work: Blooming even in the shadows - Chapter 2

Currently working in:

✧ A reverse harem with magic, royalty and our beautiful 96 line (Wonwoo, Kun, Doyoung, Changkyun and Sangyeon) - Completing plot ideas

✧ A creepy(?), sick and questionable story in a mental facility with DPR Ian, Wonwoo and Mingyu. - Writing. Maybe (I really hope so) out in november.

✧ A super cliché college au, friends to lovers, with the beautiful Editor in Chief of the newspaper Doyoung. - Making a list of situations for the plot

✧ A marriage of convenience au, with a lot of juicy drama with Kun and Doyoung. - Rewriting ideas to complete the plot so I can rewrite the chapters I already had.

✧ Rich people, chaebol life, kinda enemies to lovers, with Wonwoo, Mingyu and Jun. - Completing (rewriting) plot ideas.

✧ Soulmate au, lots of drama, angsty but I only write happy endings so don't worry too much, with Kun. - Finding time to write this story. I have the complete sketch but I need to give it shape.

✧ Blooming even in the shadows: My Hogwarts/The Boyz series that I absolutely will finish one day hehe. I just need to catch up with my old chapters and with my plot ideas so I can continue the story well. And I'm trying to reduce the chapters so I'll finish it faster.

[marshmallow-phd]

Scarlet Moon

Genre: Scarlet Heart Ryeo!AU, Time Travel!AU, Alternate History, Royalty!AU

Pairing: OC x EXO OT9

Summary:  This isn’t Gwen’s time. She was from the modern era, with technology and electricity. But during a solar eclipse, she’s transported back into a previous life in a time and place she does not know. Now, as the foreign daughter of a merchant living in a prince’s household, she must tread carefully, watch her back, and guard her heart. But with the princes locked in a battle over the throne, the chances of her making it out alive might disappear.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3

                                        ********

The bright sun felt warm against Gwen’s skin. Chae Ryung half-heartedly chastised her about burning her face, but Gwen hardly gave a listen. It felt like it had been years since she’d simply stopped and took in the light. All she ever did was go to work, do her schoolwork, and watch dramas. She never really took much time for simply… being. After a minute or so, Chase Ryung convinced her to keep walking through the courtyard, but she still went slow, taking in everything.  

The other servants would stop in the middle of their work and glance at Gwen in a fashion they might have thought was sneaky, but was, in fact, fairly obvious. Some gave looks of concern, others, it felt like, of awe. Gwen ran her fingers through her hair, the red catching in the sunlight. She stuck out more here than she ever did back home and it made her stomach queasy. 

“So, Chae Ryung,” Gwen finally said, “what is it that I usually do during the day?”

“All day?” she echoed. She pursed her lips side to side as she thought. “Mostly you keep Lady Hae company. She’s a bit lonely as Prince Suho’s wife. You’re the closest to her station here.”

Suho. An interesting name for a prince. I remembered Papa inquiring after the pale but beautiful woman in ornate clothing. “And she’s sick?”

Chae Ryung nodded sorrowfully. After looking over her shoulder, she lowered her voice as she leaned in. “Some are worried that she doesn’t have much longer and the prince still doesn’t have an heir.”

“Is it that bad?” 

Chae Ryung nodded again. Gwen’s heart went out to the beautifully tragic woman. In the single moment she’d met the Lady of the household, Gwen could tell that she had a kind heart. The look of worry and concern was etched in her mind, not a single twitch giving away possible deception. Spending her days with Lady Hae didn’t seem like too terribly a time. Perhaps she could be another person to lean on, to help Gwen when she stumbled. Because she would certainly be stumbling every other step in this place. 

Gwen and Chae Ryung wandered around the grounds for hours, the latter filling Gwen in on what she couldn’t put together for herself. 

Apparently, this Gwen had had a tendency to be a bit rambunctious, taking liking to archery just as much as needlework. Often, she would be caught joining in the servant boys in whatever rough game they were playing that day. Not exactly a good look for the daughter of a wealthy merchant. It had to be a comical sight, the horrified looks this girl must have produced from the other women around the household as a child. But over the last few years, she’d calmed to be a bit more demure. Chae Ryung went into explaining the wide gray area Gwen was given as an outsider. Though this girl knew the rules of society, she was able to bend them ever so slightly. 

Excellent. 

Coming up on the path was a pond, round and expanding, the edges lined with tall grass and fresh flowers that gave off calming scents. A family of little ducks floated on top of the clear water. Fish in bright colors of oranges and yellows swam freely, their tails creating the slightest ripples on the surface. As they walked around the water, Chae Ryung described a beautiful gazebo that this Gwen apparently loved to hide away in when she wanted to be alone. Disappointingly, though, the gazebo was already occupied by the Prince and Lady Hae. 

Looking like a happy but conservative couple, they drank tea together and spoke softly. Prince Suho smiled at his wife as he brought the teacup to his lips, but as his eyes drifted over to the spot where Gwen stood, the smile changed. 

It deepened, almost. An uncomfortable feeling settled in Gwen’s stomach. She smiled back, though, and waved, to remain polite. She was probably reading into things or misunderstanding them. Prince Suho held back a laugh before turning back to his wife. She still didn’t fully understand the dynamics of this world and could easily misinterpret his actions. And her head still slightly throbbed, so that could be clouding her thoughts as well. 

“It’s inappropriate to stare at a married couple’s private moments,” a high voice snipped. 

Confused, Gwen turned to find an elegantly dressed girl close to her age. Or, rather, this body’s age since this Gwen was a few years younger than the body she’d left behind. 

This new girl’s face was pretty, but it was destroyed by the snobbish and self-satisfied look she wore. Chae Ryung bowed deeply, but Gwen stayed erect. Bowing was not something that came as second nature to her and she didn’t want to do it for just anyone. Not surprisingly, this defiance deepened the annoyance on the girl’s face even more. Sensing danger, Chae Ryung forced Gwen into a bow.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Chae Ryung said with a shaky voice. She gave Gwen a pointed glance that was ignored. 

“Apparently, not only have you forgotten your memories, but the few manners you ever had as well,” her highness sniffed. “I would be happy to be your teacher. Maybe we can make you a more respectful person this time around.” 

“Perhaps we have two different definitions of respect.”

It was subtle, but the girl’s smile strained, stiffening and tightening in the corners. Gwen knew that irritated look all too well from high school. The girls of the popular crowd would often shift into this body language whenever Gwen ignored their insults or countered them with a response they weren’t expecting. It had made her extremely unpopular, but that was never important to her. All she ever cared about was getting out and graduating. It was sad that mean girls had existed back in this time as well.  

“How dare you speak to me that way,” the girl hissed. “You think because you’re a freak of nature you can do and say as you please?”

“Just because I look different from you doesn’t mean that I’m a freak of nature!” Gwen shouted. Her nails dug into her palms as she tried to reign in the urge to respond physically. That particular subject had always been a sore spot for her. She didn’t think she was ugly, per se, but she wasn’t a beauty. Society’s standards, as ever changing as they were, always felt too far out of her reach. “Pretty” was not something she ever saw in the mirror. And, unfortunately, this body held the same face. 

“What is going on here?”

Gwen stiffened at the Prince’s voice behind her. Slowly, she turned around and bowed deeply. Prince Suho had abandoned his wife at the gazebo to investigate. She hadn’t meant to ruin his date, especially since they probably didn’t get many moments like this. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Your Highness.”

Prince Suho looked past her to the girl and then back at Gwen. “Perhaps, it’s best for you to go back inside, Lady Gwen. I don’t want you to tire yourself out and I fear it might get colder. ”

Nodding, Gwen bowed again and walked away. There was no point in arguing. Besides, she didn’t want to hang around this self-important girl, who she didn’t dare give a passing glance to and give her the satisfaction of besting her. Once out of sight, however, Gwen’s bravado deflated. 

“Who was that girl?” She bit her bottom lip in a very unladylike manner as she slouched against the outer wall of a red-painted building. 

Chae Ryung tutted nervously. “That was Princess Yeon Hwa. You’re lucky that her brother stepped in.”

That girl was Prince Suho’s sister? Gwen shuddered, feeling sorry for Suho since he had to be related to her. “Mom always said I was too spiteful. But I wasn’t being disrespectful by looking for five seconds. They just looked like a scene out of a movie.”

“A movie?”

Oh, crap. There you go again. “A novel. I meant a novel. They looked like a scene from a book.”

“Oh!” Chae Ryung nodded, though she wore an expression of confusion. “Still it would have been better to apologize and walk away.”

Gwen shrugged. “Maybe next time.” 

Looking up at the blue sky, Gwen wanted to pout. It was such a nice day. Even with these layers of clothes, she wasn’t too hot and a nice breeze played with her hair. But Prince Suho had told her to go inside. He must have figured she would cause less trouble there. He also said it might get colder. Gwen hated being cold. 

“When I have to stay inside, where do I like to go?” she asked as she looked ot her friend. 

Chae Ryung grinned from ear to ear. She seemed excited as she took hold of Gwen’s wrist and pulled her along to a building near the middle of the compound. It wasn’t a large building, with spaces barely able to be called rooms. That hardly deterred the excitement bubbling up in Gwen’s chest. 

Inside were wooden shelves, thin and easily seen through. But unlike the thick, hardbound novels Gwen was used to, the books stacked here were thinner, flimsy and held together with twine. Another servant girl shuffled up before they stepped into the room. Chae Ryung was needed elsewhere. She urged Gwen to go on ahead and stay at the library for a few hours. 

Within the shelves, she lost herself. 

Reading was always a comfort to Gwen, but she tended to lean towards adventurous fiction filled with romance and challenge. She doubted she would find such stories in the Prince’s library. If she could even read these manuscripts. 

Gwen blinked, reflecting on her presence here. Somehow, she was able to communicate with the others despite the fact that they weren’t speaking English. The real Gwen’s knowledge - at least, with speaking and reading - somehow had remained behind. As her eyes drifted over the Chinese characters written on the spines, she understood what they said. A small laugh escaped her lips. She’d always wanted to know more than one language. All it took was being transported back in time to a different body. 

From what Gwen could make out of the titles of the volumes, they were mostly science based - medical treatments and catalogs of animals and plants - along with a few recorded histories. There were no fictional stories to be found, so Gwen went for the next best thing and grabbed a book that recounted the story of how King Taejo founded Goryeo. 

The wording was a bit dry and straight forward, the author giving only the occasional flourish here and there. Still, like any written word, it absorbed her attention. To receive a recount of history from a source so close to the time that it happened was not to be taken lightly. Gwen walked through the aisles as she read, unaware that another visitor had arrived. In the middle of a sentence about a deciding battle, her pacing was stopped by a soft wall. She looked up and sucked in her breath. 

Prince Suho.

She bowed, thinking that her back would start aching from all this bending over. “I’m sorry, again, for earlier,” she whispered. It was a sincere apology. Though it wasn’t her fault, she’d egged it on and caused the Prince trouble, which in turn could cause trouble for this Gwen’s father. Both men had been kind to her since she woke up and she didn’t want to repay that kindness by being a burden. 

Instead of acknowledging her apology, Prince Suho asked, “Do you really not remember anything?”

Gwen shook her head, unable to meet his eye. She could feel his gaze seering onto her face, however. Warmth tickled at her cheeks and she hoped that it wasn’t a visible heat. The Prince was handsome, with a strong chin and kind eyes. He spoke softly.

“Do you remember why you were at the bathhouse?”

Gwen snapped her head up, confused. Why would he be asking her about a bathhouse? “The bathhouse?” She knew nothing about a bathhouse or what this Gwen would be doing there. 

He sighed. “Truly?” Did he not believe her? Did he think she was faking it to avoid getting into trouble? 

“I-” she stopped. Would she be punished for something she didn’t even do? She tried to be as sincere and honest as possible. She didn’t know what could be done to her if he didn’t believe her. “I’m sorry. I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Prince Suho didn’t look receptive to her answer, but he backtracked anyway as he looked away. “Perhaps I was merely seeing things,” he murmured to himself. Regaining eye contact, he took a step to shorten the space between them. “When I invited you and your father to stay here, I took it upon myself to look after you, knowing your foreignness would make you a target. I’m afraid I’ve neglected on that duty. It has caused Lady Hae great worry.”

Gwen took a step back, her hands behind her back. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. I think I’m causing you more trouble than I’m worth. I promise, I’ll watch my steps from now on. The last thing I want is to be in the way. If you need anything, I’ll do it. I want to be a help, not a burden.” He nodded, the expression on his face softening slightly. Feeling the conversation was over with that last declaration, she bowed and scurried out of the library after replacing the historical text. 

With that haven now compromised, Gwen concluded the best place for her to go was back to her room until dinner. 

                                                    ********

After a few days of managing to stay out of trouble, Gwen ran into Lady Hae on one of her leg-stretching walks. She didn’t seem to be upset about the incident at the gazebo, though she was disappointed that Gwen hadn’t come to see her. Gwen stumbled through an apology, not realizing that she would be so missed. In fact, she thought she was doing everyone a favor by staying out of the way. 

Accepting the apology, Lady Hae asked if Gwen would like to learn how to make lotus lanterns for the upcoming festival. Gwen raised her eyebrows in surprise. Thinking it would be fun and distracting, she agreed and followed Lady Hae to one of the buildings with open walls that allowed a gentle breeze to keep them cool. The temperature hadn’t dropped like Prince Suho had predicted. When Gwen saw who was already at work in the building, she instantly regretted her decision to join. A groan was barely suppressed as she sat down beside Lady Hae.

“Lady Hae, I see you brought a friend,” Yeon Hwa sneered cheerfully. 

It took willpower, but Gwen managed to ignore the princess’s snide remark, instead focusing on Lady Hae’s explanation of how to put the lanterns together. The glue had a potent smell that stung at Gwen’s nose. No wonder they were in a building that allowed the air to drift in and out. It took a few poor looking lanterns for her to get the hang of it, but finally they looked worthy of being hung up for other people to see. Glancing over at Yeon Hwa’s, Gwen huffed internally. Though they were the same design, the princess’ were begrudgingly far superior.

“Lady Gwen,” Yeon Hwa called out. A faux-sweet smile stretched across her lips. “Why don’t you go take the dry lanterns and put them in the Moon building for storage until the festival?” 

Gwen returned a smile just as fake. “Of course.” 

Chae Ryung, who had joined the group soon after Gwen’s arrival, stepped forward. “I can take them, my lady.”

 “Lady Gwen is perfectly capable of carrying them herself,” Yeon Hwa snapped. The evil look gleamed in her eyes, as if she were punishing Gwen with such menial labor. 

Little did she know the request didn’t bother Gwen in the slightest. She was giving the perfect excuse to leave her presence. While making the lanterns, Gwen’s mind had wandered towards the village beyond the walls and - with everyone occupied here – sneaking out on her own should be easy enough. She wanted to see more of this world that she now resided in. 

Filling up her arms with as much as they could carry, Gwen shuffled up the hill, following the directions Chae Ryung had given to the Moon building. 

“Gwen, you’re out of your room.”

Papa walked up, a smile on his face causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle. He seemed out of place in the Goryeo fashion he donned, yet comfortable as the shiny fabric swayed around his legs. He wore the hanbok with dignity and ease. Back home, Gwen prefered less complicated clothing and was still adjusting to the multilayered dresses that needed an extra pair of hands to put on.

“Yes,” Gwen said. “I was helping Lady Hae make lanterns for the festival.” She held them up proudly for him to see.

“Those are very beautiful,” he complimented. Gwen’s smile stretched farther across her lips at the praise. “I’m happy to see that you’re getting back to your old self.”

The joy in his eyes was almost too overwhelming. Gwen thought back to her own father, with whom she was close. They seemed so much alike. Tears threatened to brim her eyes. Within the last few days, she’d grown an affection for this man. He was patient with her and caring. And, as an outsider himself, a small connection that she clung to. “I’m happy that you’re happy, Papa.”

“I have some business to oversee at the house. Please, stay out of trouble.” He gave her a kiss on the head and resumed in the direction he was headed before.

Continuing on her own way, Gwen barely reached the steps of the Moon building before a man in brown clothes ran, bowed, and took the lanterns to store them. He must have been a servant in the Prince’s household. She hadn’t seen him before but she gladly handed the lanterns over. Thankful that her task was now over, she waited and watched as the servant hung the lanterns up on a long string inside the open doors. Now it was time to explore. Taking a different path, she headed for the gate.  

This place was certainly different. Monarchies weren't as widespread in her own time, most nations having moved on to people-elected governments instead of blood-appointed kings. Though it was different, Gwen appreciated the underlining respect that drove this culture. The differences in formal and informal speech and the hierarchy of that respect ran deep within the people. The mutual heritage they all shared made her a bit jealous. She was from a place that didn’t have that. 

The sound of drums broke through her thoughts. They were deep, rhythmic, calling out to anyone who wanted to listen. Answering the call, Gwen followed them. 

In a giant dirt courtyard near the palace stood about six figures, some dressed in red, others in black. They were spaced equally apart in a square structure. Gwen hid among the archways, too fascinated to walk away like she should have. The figures danced in unison and with power – except one of the men in red, who was lacking enthusiasm and proper rhythm. The others noticed and stopped their dance, the drums fading out as well. They all stared at the one who had finished incorrectly as he flopped down to the ground. Gwen covered her mouth to soften the giggled. He was throwing a fit. A grown man by the looks of him, he was acting like a spoiled child. Among the figures was Prince Suho, who seemed exasperated at the situation.

So, those must be the other princes. 

This festival must be important, if royalty was performing. Gwen made a mental note to have Chae Ryung explain it in more detail when she went back to the compound.

A few of the princes ganged up on the one on the ground, criticizing him for still getting the moves wrong after such a long practice. Huffing, the one on the ground jumped up. He pointed a long finger and accused another brother of making a mistake as well. Gwen laughed loudly at their altercation, the noise pushing through her fingers. Prince Suho glanced up in her direction. She took off, scared to be caught. 

Once among the common people, Gwen’s mind eased. She wandered around the city, trying to ignore the whispers and stares that followed. The market was abundant with people. Men gossiped with their friends while the women picked over the vegetables and meats, inspecting for any impurities. Children played loudly and ran through the streets, uncaring if their feet were covered in mud. Different stalls caught Gwen’s attention, some selling soaps and bath grains, others selling intricate hairpins that sparkled under the sun. She made a mental note to ask Papa to come with her next time to buy a few wares. Maybe Chae Ryung could teach her how to place the pins in her hair. 

Leaving behind the market, Gwen came to a small bridge over a shallow river. The water flowed steadily, uninterrupted. She stared down at her blurry reflection, wondering how she could still look so much like herself. There was no railing to obstruct the view, so she bent down for a closer look. 

The face looking back was still round and pale, the soft jaw line giving a youthful appeal. Red hair fell natural, gentle waves that never liked to obey. Not even the multiple hairpins keeping it out of her face could tame it completely. Sea green eyes sat in hooded sockets on either side of a thin nose and average lips. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and apples of her large cheeks from years of sun exposure. Forced to come back to a time that wasn’t hers, the least magic could have done was improve her looks. 

The cries of the villagers reached her ears too late. Searching for the source of the hysterics, Gwen stood and turned as the villagers ducked out of sight. A mad man on a black horse galloped through the market. The rider didn’t care about others around him. He didn’t look back behind him or stop to check on those who dived out of his path. A villager with a traveling pack hanging from his shoulders scurried across the bridge to run away from the rider. In his haste, he knocked into Gwen. She lost her balance, flailing her arms worthlessly, and began to fall into the river that had served as my mirror just moments ago. She closed her eyes and braced for impact with the surly cold water. But it didn’t come.

A steadfast grip snatched her by her waist. When she opened her eyes to see who had saved her from the water, she was face to face with the rider.

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