#beomgyu as “the archer”

[nayoungs-archive]

´）﹒✶ easy they come, easy they go . . . ( +💿 )

[hyuukais]

okay so i just finished The Sun and The Star and thus am plagued with thoughts of demigod au’s so here are some of the thoughts:

(some of this is also inspired by The Star Seekers lore and what not)

Yeonjun: okay so,,,i’m kinda torn between child of ares and child of aphrodite. on the one hand there’s that firey almost aggressive drive and ambition. his agility and strength pose a threat on both the battlefield and the dance floor. then there’s also his,,looser temper. however, a lot of that can also translate over as a child of aphrodite. his intense passion and overwhelming compassion. his love and passion for performing such a prime motivator to continue pushing himself. a huge heart with so much love for all those in his life. Not to mention his interests in fashion and beauty and creating statements with clothes (or his flirting on weverse). children of aphrodite do also have their snappy moments as well. which is why i’ll say Yeonjun is a Child of Aphrodite.

Soobin: okay, so, i was actually having a rEALLY hard time with soobin. originally i thought perhaps athena, natural-born leader, but that didn’t feel entirely right. then maybe hephaestus? but definitely not right either. Demeter is a little too child-of-the-earth for him and Iris just doesn’t seem to work. Of course in Star Seekers soobin is an archer, but even Apollo doesn’t feel right. It was only after talk with someone else that it kind of settled where he belonged. Now, it’s be a little weird for a demigod to be unfit for the domain of their parent, but it’s not uncommon. In fact, many children’s mortal parents will actually instill fear of their godly parents element as though it will keep them safe. It’s odd that soobin, despite his inability to swim, comes across most accurately as a child of poseidon. however, the sea is equal parts powerful and terrifying and calm and comforting. a gentle giant, an imperfect leader, introverted and rarely commanding, but caring and willing in all of the ways needed. he reflects well in the push and pull of the tides. plus, getting the entire cabin to himself is kinda perfect. also, horse girl soobin 🤷 thus ends my long-winded, hard-to-decipher reasoning as to why i think Soobin is Child of Poseidon.

Beomgyu: gyu’s very base disposition is rather quiet and muted when you aren’t as close. as soon as you get to peel back layers you find the playfulness everyone talks about. Teasing is a form of affection yet he’s never devoid of kindness and a warm smile. Despite his nature as an introvert, he’s a very good addition to any welcoming committee. Also, the intelligence of children of Hermes is so often undermined despite them being incredibly resourceful and smart, both traits of Beomgyu’s that are commonly ignored. He has a compassion and sense of empathy that aligns well with those who take in all travelers, all those lost or forgotten. somewhat similar to a lost boy, beomgyu finds friends and family in everyone, with time of course. Hence why i think Beomgyu is a Child of Hermes

Taehyun: in an effort to not reduce Taehyun in to the tired “only braincell” stereotype, i wanted to avoid categorizing him under Athena. And after some consideration, i have come to a conclusion. Tyun is smart, he’s seen to be a very logical thinker and seems to have a lot of trivial knowledge. He has great emotional intelligence and physical strength. In any case, he would be able to fight a battle with both brain AND brawn. He’s an eloquent speaker with a dry sense of humor and a teasing nature. It’s a wonderful encapsulation of both a scholar and a fighter; someone known for knowledge AND strength on the battlefield. It’s often forgotten that those are both things honored in Athena’s name as the goddess of knowledge and warfare. Therefore, i think it’s very fitting to place Taehyun as a Child of Athena

Hueningkai: i think it’s really often forgotten that hueningkai is quite literally a musical prodigy. Drums, Guitar, piano, & vocals!!! Like that one clip of him casually playing Beethoven while talking about pikachu stickers ?!?!?? not to mention his almost sunshine-like disposition. there’s absolutely zero question as to whose kid he is. sure,,he could stand to improve his first-aid skills but, in times of need, there is no better quality than his compassion for every person in need. however, not even training from his father himself could save Kai’s archery skills 💀 of course, all of the members are incredibly talented artists, but Kai’s musicianship is on such a level i have no choice but to say he must be a Child of Apollo.

[cafeseoulmate]

idk what this lol i wanted to write a proper full-length fic but finals is beating my ass like crazy :”) anyway this happens in the same pjo au as kang taehyun’s hot boy summer destiny and references it a bit

child of aphrodite!beomgyu who’s also been recently declared the new cabin counselor because he has the best leadership skills among his half-siblings and is arguably the best charmspeaker anyone’s seen in camp for decades (as in he can almost rival his own mother it’s insane and his older half-siblings who’ve left camp long ago are really impressed). he’s also the friendliest and bubbliest out of all of his half-siblings (if that were even possible), a true social butterfly like his mom.

but also beomgyu who likes going on quests with child of athena!taehyun and child of hermes!yeonjun until taehyun finally confessed to his childhood best friend recently, so now it’s mostly just beomgyu and yeonjun. occasionally, child of apollo!hueningkai would join them if he’s not on another quest with his other half-siblings along with child of poseidon!soobin who, contrary to popular belief, actually leaves his post at the infirmary every once in a while.

beomgyu who is exceptionally skilled in using a bow and arrow because he has beef with both eros and anteros on who is the best archer since he was a child (though the gods have already long discussed this among themselves before that it’s one of apollo’s children. no one has the heart to tell any of the three, though). his shots are always lethal and precise and he’s been invited numerous times by his own half-siblings and the entire apollo cabin to lead classes in the summer. he only assists here and there, though, since he doesn’t think he’s that good at explaining things, especially something that he’s been doing for most of his life and feels like second nature to him.

(beomgyu underestimates himself. he’s actually really good at teaching, especially the younger kids.)

but outside of duels and fights, beomgyu would rather spend most of his days making music and drawing at the arts and crafts pavilion, getting inspired by his last quest in the outside world or on a long walk in the woods after breakfast. though he is a skilled fighter (and definitely has a big advantage with his mastery of charmspeak), he thinks his strengths lie more in translating his love of people and his surroundings in art and music. he’s just a child of his mother who’s so full of love so of course he’ll channel it somewhere peacefully and creatively. in his free time, beomgyu’s usually playing guitar with taehyun and humming an original song or sketching trees and portraits in his sketchbook where all creative streams of thought go.

oh and, of course, as a child of aphrodite, he’s always receiving all sorts of love declarations regardless of what season it is. love letters, chocolates, sweets, trinkets, gifts, public declarations at every turn on the training grounds, and even a bold, “i love you,” carved to a tree one time (much to the demeter cabin’s horror). beomgyu’s seen it all, he thinks, and he’s very flattered. heck, at times, he even relishes in the admiration people have for him because what child of aphrodite wouldn’t? he’s still his mother’s son so of course it’s a bit of an ego boost.

but these days, he’s only looking forward to a gift (a letter, to be exact) from one person—you, a child of demeter and a long-time friend of his.

you, the kid who first came to camp on the same night as he did because you happened to be getting chased by the same army of harpies. you, the kid he stuck with even after you both got claimed by your respective godly parents because you were familiar faces to each other. you, one of his go-to friends who’d gladly eat some of his admirers’ sweets and keep the gifts he didn’t want when he asked. you, the friend who always gave him your best harvests come strawberry picking season and saved him some of the meals you’d cook in exchange for him letting you see his creative projects before anyone else.

but more importantly, you, the friend who drunkenly declared to all of your peers two years ago that you have a crush on beomgyu. you, the friend who started occasionally sending him your own short letters and simple gifts whenever you felt like it afterwards, much like the admirers you used to help him ward off. you, who kept being his friend first and foremost and never made things awkward even with your feelings always hanging in the air because you knew that beomgyu didn’t feel the same then and that was okay. you, who gladly let him tease you about it every now and then—until he suddenly couldn’t halfway through the summer when demeter called for you to help persephone with matters in the underworld. you who just disappeared the next day, having stolen persephone’s pearl that was previously retrieved by taehyun on a quest and left before sunrise.

you who told beomgyu the day demeter called for you via mr. d that maybe you need this trip to get over him and go back to the way things were between the two of you, before joking about getting him a souvenir from the river lethe.

it’s a bit stupid even for a child of aphrodite, beomgyu thinks, that he only ever started appreciating your presence (and maybe even reciprocrating your feelings) once you left. though to be fair, you’ve never left camp without notice or without telling at least one person a definitive date of when you’ll be back before. your presence in camp, for most of the demigods including beomgyu, is almost like chiron’s or mr. d’s in that you’re never away for too long.

though you can hold your own in battle, you never liked quests, preferring more to stay and maintain your strawberry fields and vegetable gardens. and that agitated all of your friends on the day you left, especially beomgyu.

even worse, suddenly it’s almost christmas now and from what yeonjun’s heard from his dad and what soobin’s heard from his own significant other (a child of hades), you’re still pretty much indefinitely stuck in the underworld—surviving off of food that demeter delivers and, apparently, warding off the advances of an undead suitor that’s been mentioned around your mutual circle of friends enough times to get beomgyu irritated and threaten sneaking off to get you himself.

(soobin has to hold him back and ask the other aphrodite kids to watch him like a hawk after every declaration.)

child of aphrodite beomgyu suddenly finds himself wandering camp borders and the strawberry fields on most nights these days, terrorizing yeonjun about the mail during breakfast, and reading and re-reading the letters you sent before, scolding himself for taking everything for granted. if not, he’s tending to the plants you’ve left behind along with your half-siblings and keeping a voice memo journal detailing everything that’s happening in camp for when you return (making sure to omit all the misshaps he’s gotten himself into in the meantime because he’s not really that proud of some of them—especially the time he drunkenly charmspoke to taehyun’s partner as a dare before they got together. beomgyu thinks—maybe hopes, too— that you’ll find out about it from taehyun’s partner and scold him for it when you come back. he’s this desperate, okay).

choi beomgyu, on top of being a child of aphrodite, the new counselor of his cabin, a skilled archer, a creative artist, and all-around popular camper at camp half-blood, may or may not also be experiencing love for the first time and it’s messing with his head big time. sometimes, he thinks he’ll go insane thinking about how his half-sibling, kazuha, keeps asking about the red string around his wrist and extending all the way to the camp gates. sometimes, especially on quests, he thinks about sneaking off and finding another one of persephone’s pearls to get to you. but sometimes, he also thinks that it’s just from not being used to your absence for a long time, from not having his child of demeter friend joke around with him and name him the flowers growing around camp.

but what beomgyu’s sure of is that he really can’t wait until spring arrives and persephone comes back to the land of the living with you. he needs to see you as soon as possible and if it takes having to sneak off camp the next time that he’s off on a quest and do some outrageous things to land his soul in the underworld, he’ll do it immediately.

[sleepyowlwrites]

in the absence of originality, we can always play the tape again

last line tag! from @oh-no-another-idea @encrucijada @vellichor-virgo

more fic because even after the tiny scenes my brain is scrrtchhing on my wips

in a place not far from Amarantis but separated by a magical barrier there's a questing party. the place is called Emeralis and the questing party is made up of: Yeonjun, a life enhancer faerie. he literally enhances the magical skills of those around him as well as their health and lifespan, which is why Soobin, a human prince, is much safe around him than his own family, who have retreated to being placeholder royalty after the faeries took over. they deserve to be in charge anyway. Taehyun, a duel-wielding wizard scientist faerie, who is somehow still not the leader of the party despite having the most brains, Beomgyu, an elemental enchanter faerie with pyrokinesis - and the reason for the questing - and Kai, a wolf shape-shifter.

Beomgyu has terrible control of his pyrokinesis, which makes sense because faeries rarely have innate fire enchanting abilities and have to learn it, and he's only able to keep a handle on it when Yeonjun is around. so they're all going on a quest to find a firebird. if Beomgyu wears a firebird's feather, he'll have better control. and trust me when I say that this is urgent.

so our questing party is traveling through the Frost Woods where Kai is originally from when a creeper vine comes out of nowhere and attacks Kai. creeper vines are highly toxic to shape-shifters, so Yeonjun tries to counter with an enchantment. it appears to not work, and the creeper vine injures Yeonjun instead.

within seconds it becomes apparent that the vine is enchanted because there's no good reason for Yeonjun's spell to have failed. Yeonjun, now poisoned, rushes off through the trees. Soobin, an excellent archer, aims at Yeonjun's leg to slow him down, but he disappears into a cave entrance first.

I'd like it noted that Soobin knows that a) Yeonjun heals quickly under normal circumstances, b) Taehyun could heal Yeonjun after they catch up with him and c) he is Yeonjun's friend and doesn't want to shoot him but he's trying to be practical. it was a good idea.

@writing-with-melon @ink-fireplace-coffee @josephinegerardywriter @avrablake OR ANYBODY

[wooahaes]

guess who kept their word and drafted which idols would fit in what fire emblem class.. its me i did. anyways i kinda took classes from the games you said u have played before. and sorry it was a lot i got rlly excited abt it and did a google doc (;° ロ°) ! if these is overwhelming no need to answer the ask 😵‍💫

NICO UR BRAIN AAAA <333 i am so sorry for the long reply thats abt to follow

also omg you didnt have to limit urself like that in any way!! im always open to reading abt other games sdkfhdsf ur so sweet for that tho!! one day i'll get around to playing three houses and other games tbh

i love the vibe that reader is just some rando they picked up. seungcheol picks them up like ok ur the protag now and readers like im the What.

PALADIN COUPS.... ur mind omg. paladin suits him sooo well holy shit + his reclasses!!! <3 i can imagine him being some stern leader of his army but having his soft side for ppl. literally imagine his support convos... just flustered paladin man who goes from this imposing figure to a whiny husband whos so in love w u... <3

omg. wonwoo's base classes all fit him so well tbh. i can def see archer the most if im honest since he fits the quiet stereotypical archer vibe but thief and priest wonwoo UGH <33333 im in love.

YOOO WYVERN RIDER JUN??? mage is also cool but god theres something So cool abt wyvern rider jun... he would take naps w his wyvern and be so doting toward them :( just a sweet man. he probably also has snacks for both him And his wyvern... i feel it in my soul....

omg. jeonghans classes... pegasus knight jeonghan is invading my thoughts rn. thief would also fit SO well but i am staring at pretty man on his pegasus looking radiant <3 same w joshua tbh. two pretty besties on their pegasi... ugh my heart <3 i cannot handle this

ooo troubadour or priest dk is not something i would have expected!!! i do love it tho <3 sunshiney dk who honestly heals u a lil just by smiling...

no one look at me over mercenary vernon... no one look at me rn. i cant. i cant. im not strong enough to process the idea of rugged mercenary vernon. vernon with a sword... clutches chest n collapses... god............ men w swords........ anyone w swords actually tbh if i see a woman with a sword im gonna lose my mind bc oh fuck thats hot

ENEMY MINGYU... finally i can beat his ass for being tall. i love his recruitment conditions being so varied just bc it feels like hes just looking for a reason to leave the opposing side. he just looks at mc like man i wanna be over there but i gotta be impressed first :/ or i gotta be flirted with. or i gotta see my best bro. (wonwoo voice you can be flirted with by mc if y ou join our side)

SAMURAI DINO.................. i am listening. dino w sword........ <3 i have no more thoughts im just kinda thinking abt hinata fates rn. honestly they're the same person bc they're both cute losers. nico ur MIND <3

KITSUNE HOSHI KITSUNE HOSHI KITSUNE HOSHI.................... I AM LOOKING !!!!! did i ever mention i did romance both kaden and keaton lmao theyre cute

spear fighter woozi omg... i imagine his supports would have something to do with singing no matter what his class is. just at least a lil. just a lil.

ENEMY MINGHAO AND SEUNGKWAN??? ok minghao i can understand because i think he'd be a cool enemy, esp if he's someone you have to earn the respect of. BUT SEUNGKWAN??? omg. sniper seungkwan too... he could murder. and he WILL....also god. i imagine it being a serious convo, but my brain just went "vernon just walks up to him and goes "hey dude, what the hell?" and then shoves him over." vernon voice wadda hell bulnosaur...

ok i admittedly dont know anything abt pretty much anyone here except vaguely soobin and beomgyu but :0 based off my limited knowledge abt beomgyu, his classes seem fitting sdkfhsdf i feel like i've seen stuff abt him like. being kinda trickster-y before but i might be wrong!!

i love how much thought u put into all of these!! its so cool to read though omg <3 thank u for sharing!!

[teezersfics]

Journey To Wonderland

˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚masterlist˚‧｡⋆⋆｡‧˚

Genere : Fantasy, Royalty, Pirate

Pairing : Secret

Ch.4 / Ch.5 / Ch.6

Chapter 5 : The Judgement

As you heard that you have to compulsorily take basic training for being eligible to stay on this ship, you hold your head in your palms and rethink your decisions. Holding a sword in hand and swinging fists at someone was something you never ever did in your life. You definitely don't want to sound weak by saying you never fought or can't exchange some blows, but it was Beomgyu who never gave you chance to face anyone like that. Thanks to him, but now you have to learn it anyway.

As you are following San to the waist of the ship, the urge to catch his sleeves and stop him from taking you to the training intensifies with each step you take. And the fact that he is walking so fast doesn't help at all. Also, you still haven't adapted sea legs, so it makes even harder for you to catch up with him. 'How am I going to fight with this wobbly legs' you think to yourself.

Any excuse is of no use as you reach the place where the training is taking place and you see all the new recruits. All the new recruits being male, made you the only woman to train among them. The fact that all of them were waiting for you makes you more conscious. As you try to stand behind everyone,your plan fails as an unfamiliar person calls to you.

"No, Jaehwa, come to the front."

Ahhh!!!! Freaking hell.......

Averting your steps, you go to the front. Realising the crews confusion, the man in front of you clears his throat. The fact that he already knows your name.

"Well, don't misunderstand. I called her ahead because she is a little bit shorter than other guys and I want to have a better look at everyone."

That just stains your cheeks and ears red because of the embarrassment.

"So, as everyone is here, let me introduce to some stuff related to your basic training."

Everyone nods.

"Myself Choi Jongho, and I am Combatant and Archer on the ship. I and Master Mingi will be helping you with Combat. Thus include the ways of defending yourself during a battle and how to quickly move through the ship in battle times."

Everyone is listening carefully.

"Next, Master Wooyoung will be helping you with the Shooting and Archery."

"Next, Master San will be helping you all with learning sword skills, as he is the sword master of the ship."

"Some of the times, Quartermaster Seonghwa will also indulge into training, as he excels in all of the skills."

You learn a new piece of information that Seonghwa is actually the Quartermaster of the Destiny.

"Most basic training will be given on the ship, and sometimes the intense training will happen on land, whenever we stop on an island or port. We can practise more efficiently on land and improve our skills. After learning these skills, you can find out which skills you excel and join under particular Masters.

"This basic training is given to all of the crew of this ship, so that everyone can at least defend themselves in the times of battle. After basic training you can decide if you want to practise and polish your skills more."

Jongho tells.

“Also, all of the crew is expected to help with something in the battle situation. May it be helping with sails, canons, fights or even tending each others injuries. Because we all are one and we fight for one aim. Understand.”

You hear a loud and proud ‘Yes’ from all the crewmates, even from those who are not there for training but watching. It's makes you filled with the emotion of pride for a moment until you hear next thing.

“So, let's get started with the training.”

The training was set to begin with basic defence skills. Where they showed you what to do when someone attacks you or tackles you. There were alot of tricks that really makes defence looks easier. This took you a little bit back in memory lane, when you remember Beomgyu and You fighting as kids, even in teenage. Where he always used to tackle you so that you couldn't attack him.

‘Ahh, only if I knew these tricks back then, Beomgyu never stood a chance against me.’ You think to yourself.

Some practicals were also done to let you know how to actually perform those skills. For sure it was all a little bit exhausting, but now that you are training with some bunch of men, you will have to catch up with their stamina.

Finally there was time for the test of the day. Where the skilled crewmates would try attacking the new recruits and they have to defend themselves. As the test started, you were fascinated to see the difference between the strengths of the crew and the new recruits. Now you understand why the Destiny crew is feared, its because they not only excel with swords and guns, but also in physical training and combat skills. It's not just about simply swinging your swords towards the enemy, but also using your intellect to come up from any situation.

Your heartbeats rose when you were announced as the next to perform the test. To fight with you they called a female crew as the task is more physical. You and the another female crew come in the middle of the circle of the crewmates. Allog their eyes watching you both. For building up the tension you both start walking in circle, gazing at each other. But soon she started to make move. Trying to distract you with the moves, she made it look like she was going to attack you and tackle you by your waist. But just when you thought she would come for your waist, she turned you and took you in a chokehold from the back. That made you shock.

Her arms were a little too strong for you to break free from. The chokehold was tight, and you had to think about your moves before you run out of oxygen and have to give up. According to the training you were supposed to make her fall by using your legs. But knowing your moves she already locks your legs making you unable to make her fall. Damn it. You have to think. As you are struggling to break free from the grasp, something strikes in your mind and you impulsively perform it.

You kick in your attackers stomach with your elbow with as much force as possible and soon you headbutt her with the back of your head making her loose the grasp on you with unexpected moves. You take the advantage of this to break free from the grasp. But breaking free from the grasp is not your only task. You have to completely stop her from attacking you again.

As you are still in the lead, you hold both of her hands and kick her behind the knee making her fall on her stomach. You quickly sit on her back pinning her to the ground, hands held tightly behind her back. The rage in your eyes was so strong, that it blinded you, made you hungry for the win.

You didn't even realise that you were panting hard and your opponent was trying hard to break free until you hear claps. You come out of your trance making you loose your grip and stand up. Feeling bad for her, you help her stand up. Unexpected, she shakes hands with you with a faint pained smile before walking off.

“Ohhh, we see you got some moves up your sleeves.” Jongho compliments.

Seriously speaking, it was just your reflexes that worked on their own. It wasn't any expert level move, but you yourself did not expect to perform it.

He comes close to you almost as if to hug you, but he stops in front of you, eyeing you suspiciously.

“Have you already learned this skills?”

His question makes you frown. It's as if he is not just suspecting your skills but your whole life. But, for you, there is nothing to lie.

“M- My Friend once taught me.”

His eyes narrow at you.

“Oh, I see. Well done though.”

He gives you shott applause.

“Okay Crewmates. Training is done for today. See you all in next class.”

He dismisses everyone and leaves, giving you a short look.

As the place clears. San comes to you with a worried expression on his face.

“You did nail your first training but isn't it hurting?” You frown.

“Hurting? What?”

“Your wound.”

He points at your right elbow, and that's when you noticed. You are taken aback by looking at a gash near your elbow. It looks like you are been scratched by the nails.

“Come, let's get you treated.” He says.

“It's fine, I will do it by myself.”

“For your information, wounds on ships gets infected easily. So, it is beneficial to get it treated as fast as possible.”

This new piece of information just leaves you no chance to speak and he just starts dragging you by your pinky finger. ‘Hmm, quiet anti-intimidating for his title of sword master.’

You just follow him without questioning him anything and he leads you to the Sickbay below the deck. As you enter the Sickbay you expected it to smell all bitter like herbs and medicines, but you are amused that it smelled floral. This might be the most pleasant smelling room on this ship. And there the surgeon was sitting behind his little desk. As San makes you sit across him and points out at your elbow, the surgeon just gives you a little smirk and gets off his chair to get the supplies.

“Injured on your first day of work, huh?”

Now, that amused you more than the smell in the room did. Almost the whole ship knew who you were. That made you a little proud and worried at the same time. You just give him a weird look.

‘Another senior spotted on the ship.’ You think to yourself as you spot his armband.

You just give him a weird smile. As he gathers all the supplies he comes to you and checks your elbow.

“Hmm, looks like nails scratches. Did this happen during your training today?” The surgeon asks. Woah, it's like, he can guess someone's ancestors just by looking at their injury.

“Yes.”

“Okay, it will just need a dressing and two days to heal.” He says while applying a lotion on your wound which makes you hiss. Ignoring your whines he continues to tend your wound.

“And, it's done.” He says with a smile on his face.

“You can remove the dressing tomorrow and then keep applying this.” He says handing you a mini jar with an orange-ish lotion in it.

“Thank you.”

“By the way, I am Jeong Yunho, surgeon on this ship.” He holds out his hand for you to shake. Before you could introduce yourself he speaks.

“And you might be Jaehwa.”

“Ahh, yes.” You smile.

“Well you know, after a long time of researching and efforts, suddenly you find out that a girl is going to lead you to Wonderland, that definitely makes you popular on the ship.” He says answering your unasked question.

“Well, if you are done, let's go.” San says.

Yunho eyes him suspiciously.

“Well I see, you are already trying to be friends with her.” He accuses San.

“You got a problem.” San clapbacks.

Yunho just chuckles at him.

“Bear with him ok. He has a bad habit of making friends.” Yunho playfully warns you, waving a bye to you.

“Now that you are done with training, what are you planning to do?” San asks you.

“Nothing decided.”

“Well, if you get bored, I can suggest you to take a stroll around the ship and look for a little work. We'll, I mean now that you are injured you should rest. But sometimes other teams, mostly the kitchen, sails, repair teams needs extra help, but they get so busy completing their work, they forget to ask for help. So, giving them a helping hand, does makes it easy to complete the work more faster.”

You are impressed to know the amount of work that goes on, in the constantly moving ship.

“Well but, as you are helping with the most prioritised task on the ship at present moment, they wouldn't dare to give you any physical or time consuming work, because your time is most valuable for the ship, and captain especially.”

“Why wouldn't anyone dare to give me a work? Do I have a scary impression on the ship?” You ask genuinely.

“They might not scare you, but they do scare the captain. His orders flows like a flu on this ship. If he says that your time is valuable, that means you should be kept free from the ship chores, to do your work in peace and be present any time the captain calls for you. It's the code of conduct that all of the crewmates knows. You will also learn it over the time.”

The more you hear him speak, the more you are amazed to know how the system works on the ship. People here are more quicker, alerted, strong, and skilled than people on the land. Of Course it is all because of training, but your experience of living on the ship, is for sure going to change you as a person, and you are so firm about that.

“Attention mates!!!”

Hongjoong says gathering everyone's attention in the meeting room. All the 7 seniors are present in meeting room with Captain being the host.

“So, everyone met her today, right?”

There is a collective ‘Yes’ coming from all of them.

“So, what do you think about her?”

All the 7 seniors and the captain, meeting her on the very first day was not just a mere coincidence, it was all planned. These eight, plan the fate of the people on this ship, and she was not just the another crewmate, she was someone who was going to not only lead the ship, but lead their future. Her judgement was most important at this moment.

“”I was the one who met her first, she seemed kinda attentive and curious.” Mingi starts.

“Yes, I have observed that too. I have seen her staring at me sometimes.” Seonghwa says.

All of them gives their opinion about her.

“What about you San, you have been the most with her, right?” Captain asks.

“Yes. I didn't sense anything weird from her but at the moment she is so curious to know more and more about all the things.”

After San gives his opinion, there is a silence in meeting room. Everyone is thinking about her and many other possibilities that come with her.

The silence is broken with a question from Wooyoung.

“Captain, what if she is lying all this time and we find it out later? What if we are welcoming unknown trouble?”

Everyone takes in breathe anticipating Captain's next words.

There is a smirk on Hongjoong's face, storm brewing up in his eyes. The expression on his face can be mistaken as for being mischievous but there is most malicious thought inside his mind. All the other 7 knows this look of the madman on captain's face. The only thing captain says before dismissing them.

“You know how we treat our dear traitors, right?”

Chapter 6 : The Story

[callsignjxde]

A Short Guide to the Star Seekers with TOMORROW X TOGETHER!!

————————————————————————————

Soobin as Soule: Archer/Ranger

VR ID: Archer Bin

Strongest stat: WISDOM

Yeonjun as Eugene: Knight/Paladin

VR ID: Sweet and Soft Cotton Candy

Strongest stat: STRENGTH

Beomgyu as Viken: Druid/Mentalist

VR ID: Angel 313

Strongest stat: DEXTERITY

Taehyun as Taho: Adventurer/Sorcerer

VR ID: Spirit of the Moonlight

INTELLIGENCE

Hueningkai as Avys: Mystic/Bard

VR ID: Can’t We Just Summon the Cute Animal?

Strongest stat: CHARISMA

[sgys-closed]

archer beomgyu i have the biggest crush on you

[songofastar]

On today’s episode of TODO, Yeonjun said that in the Star Seekers, he’s “the warrior of the Deer Clan.” Idk if a reference to a Deer Clan comes up anywhere in Star Seekers content, like the pop up book?

To my knowledge, Yeonjun's comment in To Do Episode 65 is the first reference to the Deer Clan. In The Tale of the Magic Island pop-up book, the story begins much like the Nap of a Star MV: Yeonjun, first appearing as a "normal" human boy, suddenly grows antlers and runs away from home into the forest.

I believe this is also the first time they have all officially stated their characters' roles:

Yeonjun: warrior

Soobin: archer

Beomgyu: healer

Taehyun: magician

Huening Kai: summoner

Screenshots with timestamps below the cut for anyone who hasn't seen this section of the episode!

Note: it appears that they used the wrong character image from The Doom's Night for Beomgyu, because that's actually Huening Kai's.

[prodtrouver]

Catch These Hands • Choi Beomgyu

Never ever have she felt so comfortable in another school with her old friends. Everyone was friendly and out-going, it was easy to approach everyone. That's how you could make friends despite your short time at school. However, you never expected such a quiet boy to be alone by himself, always watching you and your friends play away.

Pairing: volleyball player! Beomgyu x volleyball player!fem reader

Other characters: Volleyball player! Heeseung, NCT DREAM, a brief appearance of an old friend! Jungwon.

Genre/warning: introvert-extrovert pair, slight angst, fluff, feeling of left out, sport-romance, slow-burn 

no. of words: 3.4k words

You watched the 4 boys challenge each other in a game is basketball. Laughter and mad screams fill the court. Smiles clear on their faces as one of them tried to snatch the ball from the other. Today was a good day, the warm sun covered by a few clouds, the breeze was perfect, and well- breezy.

“y/n, come join us!” Huening Kai yelled, but you shook your head. “I don’t want to play with giants,” you chuckled. They all pouted but went back to playing.

Soobin ran away from Yeonjun, the ball being dribbled by the taller. The next second, he did a lay-up and the boys groan. “Round isn’t over!” You called out, and Taehyun snatched the ball from Soobin.

Once again, you laughed but noticed a figure on the side of your eyes. You look at the bench across from you and see a boy. It’s him again...

His eyes glued on the 4 boys who looked too focused in the game. Suddenly, his eyes met yours and moments flashes in your head...

You bolted down the stairs of your home, and you heard your brother scolding you for your actions.

“I’m not even hurt, Jeno!” You stated, thrilled to finally transfer schools. Jeno pouts at you before he carefully places the plate in front of you. Truth to be told, you are excited, however, nervous. Many of your other friends claimed that the school you’re transferring to is so friendly and jolly.

You don’t know for real, but you are curious how your first day will go. You dropped your spoon when you heard the doorbell ring throughout your house. Jeno quickly gets the door and was greeted by the joyful and giggly voices of his friends.

“where’s our precious y/n?” You bounced off your chair when you heard Jaemin call for your name. His voice like honey and almost motherly will always soothe you. You just love the boy, maybe even more than Jeno.

You jumped into his arms and he laughed before he spun you around. He kissed your head and greeted you a good morning.

“Aw, look at you in another school uniform! I’m going to miss you so much,” Jaemin pretends to cry.

“Yeah! Who am I going to argue with now?” Chenle sulks, but you laugh as a reply.

“Do you want to come in or not?” Jeno said, and they all came in. Soon, a plentiful of food filled your dining table and everyone was getting excited.

You get ready your bag for you will leave any minute. You reached your hand out to grab a piece of candy coin, only for it to touch another person’s hand.

“Sorry,” the boy spoke. You grabbed a few chocolate coins and avoided the eyes of Donghyuck, your ex.

“Y/n, be careful, okay? I hope you have a positive first day!” Jisung shouted as they watched you put on your shoes.

“Yeah!” You shouted before you opened the door. One of your feet already outside the house.

“Don’t forget our volleyball practice after school, though!” And you locked the door. 

You take a deep sigh before finally walking to your new school.As soon as you stepped into the building, eyes were on you. They didn’t go unnoticed by you either; it puzzled you instead. You think that you won’t suit in.

You pull out the laminated paper from your bag. Color coded boxes to symbolize your subjects for that time. Classroom numbers on top of those boxes.

Speedily, you searched for your classroom. After all, it would be terrible for you if you’re late on the first day.

Unfortunately, you crashed into someone.

“I’m sorry!” You spoke and grabbed your schedule from the side. Your eyes met the eyes of the person you crashed into.

They were lovely, almost mesmerizing to look at, but his voice cut your trance off.

“It’s okay,” he said, and helped you stand up. Instantly, he walked away. Your eyes followed him, but you went back to looking for your first classroom.

When you found the room, you were greeted by a shout. “GOOD MORNING, LEE Y/N!”

You jumped and some of them laughed at you. The boy who yelled quickly made his way towards you. He took your hands in his and laughed widely.

“I’m Huening Kai, nice to meet you!” He said and pulled you to a higher level of seating.

“These are my friends! Yeonjun, Soobin, and Taehyun!” The 3 boys waved at you and you grinned sweetly. Huening pulled you to sit beside him and patted your head.

“I heard you’re from SMA and there are a lot of athletic students there. Could you be one of them?” Taehyun asked you, curiosity shown in his eyes, and obviously, it was shown in the others as well.

“Oh, maybe, you’re a tennis player! Oh, oh- a badminton player? An archer!? You might play baseball, maybe basketball-,”

“Hyuka, you’re getting too excited again! Let her speak,” Soobin said and gently patted your shoulder.

“I’m actually... I play volleyball-,”

“WHAT!? REALLY!? WE PLAY VOLLEYABLL TOO!” Yeonjun exclaimed and immediately, Taehyun covered his mouth.

“I apologize, he’s overreactive. Anyway, that’s really cool! I heard the Academy has amazing volleyball players, especially the ones who are in the Varsity team.” Taehyun said, and you laughed.

“Were you in the female’s Varsity team, though? If you are, that’s so sick then! SMA held the girls’ volleyball championship title for 3 years straight!” Hyuka said, slightly patting your shoulders.

“Well, I kinda am- I used to be their second coach, but I stopped because of an injury that happened to me before.” You frowned,

“Is it fatal?” Soobin softly asked, concerned, and a bit disappointed. Your soft smile returned and shook your head. They all sighed in relief, which somewhat confused you.

“Why did you stop playing then?” Taehyun asked, you looked at your hands. “ I just stopped playing, I guess,”

“Don’t you want to play again?”

And that's how you're now standing on the sidelines of the volleyball court. The 4 boys in their orange and black uniforms.

"Who's who?" You asked as you sat down on the benches. They all look at each other before looking at you, "and there's only 4 of you?"

"Not so many males want to play volleyball, so it became a problem, really." Soobin scratched his head while looking at Yeonjun.

"Wait- are you guys... Did you just form your team this year?" You asked them and they all nodded. Your mouth agape because of the shock.

"Okay then... Let me watch you guys play?" You asked, and they all nodded once more. They went to their positions, and you immediately noticed something.

Yeonjun was standing on the right-side hitter's position, Soobin was standing in the middle of the front zone, they were standing on the right side. On the left, Taehyun was standing in the back zone's middle area, and Hyuka in front of Yeonjun from the other side.

"They already have positions..." You muttered unconsciously and watched them play.

You watched them attentively; the way they spike because they don't have other players, the way they pass the ball, it was amazing.

You're just slightly disappointed they don't have other members to increase their okay. You notice something moving from the side of your eyes. You turned your head and saw the boy from that morning.

It's him again, you thought. He moves to sit on the benches a far, a spot where the boys won't notice he's there. Your eyes were glued on him and you never miss the look of loneliness on his face.

"y/n! Come play with us!" Soobin grabbed your hand, snatching your attention from the lonely boy. You nod and take your jacket off. Soon, you enter the court.

It's been weeks since you transferred to BHA.

Everyone was friendly to you. You met other great people and Lee Heeseung, the new player in Team Together, aka BHA's Volleyball Varsity Team.

The boy is there again, his eyes follow the playing figures of the 5 boys. You stood up from your seat and walked towards him.

"Hello," you spoke to him, he flinched. He just looked at you and it made you chuckle. You sit beside him, your hand on your skirt, and the other beside his.

"You've been watching the boys for a while now. Do you have a problem with them?" You asked and his eyes widened. He immediately shook his head and frowned. His eyes moved to stare at the rubbery ground.

"I... They all look so happy and friendly- I'm jealous, I want to be friends," he whispered. You felt your heart melt at the sight. You were about to place a hand on his arm until you heard Taehyun and Yeonjun shout.

"Where are we going to find a setter!? We're not complete and you already want us to join the upcoming Academies Volleyball Championship!?" Taehyun shouted at Yeonjun, who looked annoyed.

"Don't you want this, Taehyun!? That's the reason we made this team!" Yeonjun shouted back, Heeseung stood between them.

"Hey, hey, stop it!" Heeseung gently grabbed Taehyun's shoulder and pushed him away from Yeonjun.

"Yeonjun, Taehyung has a point! We can't immediately join the Championships when we don't even have a setter. We don't have enough time either," Soobin spoke.

You look at the boy beside you and examine his sitting figure. He grabs his arm and made him stand up. His eyes grew wide at your unexpected actions.

"Good figure- Yeonjun, how about this kid?" You shout and pointed at him. His eyes grew wider as he got the urge to run away and never show himself ever again.

The boys walk towards him and examine him. Huening moved to stand behind him, same as Heeseung.

"Hey, kid- do you know how to play?" Yeonjun asked, but he shook his head. The boys look at him, shocked, before glancing at you who looked unfazed.

"You don't even know how to play! Y/n, why him!? We don't have enough time if Choi Yeonjun here wants to join the Championships." Taehyun glares at Yeonjun, who glared back.

"Volleyball is a sport open for everyone. The championship is 3 months away. This boy... What's your name?" You look at him,

"You don't even know how name!" Taehyun shouted, which made Huening rush to his side and nuzzle him away from everyone.

"Choi Beomgyu..."

"Okay, Beomgyu! From this day on, you are now part of Team Together!" You said after you felt something tingle in you when you first saw the boy.

"What!? So sudden-,"

"If you agree to join the championship, I will permanently be your coach. I will train you and tell you everything you have to know... Especially SMA's varsity team, Team Dream. What do you say?" You kept the smile on your face, even if the others have hesitant ones.

They sigh and Yeonjun reached his hand out. You gladly shook it and looked at Beomgyu, who looked distraught. You pat his shoulder,

"Leave Choi Beomgyu to me,"

"No, Beomgyu!" You walk to his side with the ball in your palms.

"You turn your hand when the ball reaches your left ear, don't immediately touch the ball!" You said as you pass the ball to Taehyun.

"Also, jump higher! If you jump that high, the ball won't even go to the other side!" You said before going back to the sidelines. Beomgyu sighs and wipes the sweat off his face.

"Beomgyu, I want you to do it while staying aware of your surroundings!" You clap your hands and motions Taehyun to do a serve.

The ball makes its way towards the other side of the court. Huening passed it to Beomgyu, who jumped high but unable to make the ball go to the other side.

He falls to the ground, his buttock his the floor first, and he groans in pain. The members sigh, feeling hopeless at their new member.

Yeonjun helps Beomgyu stand up, but the disappointed look on his face didn't go unnoticed by Beomgyu. Yeonjun then faces you who looked defeated, but you aren't hopeless at all.

"That's all for practice today- everyone can go home now. Don't forget to change and eat well. Beomgyu, you're going with me," you say and exit the gym.

Beomgyu stood there, his eyes glued to the floor. He felt like crying; he was close to letting others step on his heart. The other boys left the gymnasium, but Beomgyu stayed.

He knew he will never fit in with them. They're such out-going and athletic people, but him? He wasn't out-going nor athletic at all. He's just the boy with no friends at all.

He didn't know what he was thinking when he accepted this.

"Beomgyu, get changed. We're going somewhere," you came back and helped him stand up.

You softly patted his shoulder before sitting on the benches. He stared at you,

"What? I'll wait for you here, so get changed," you smile and Beomgyu nodded. He went to the changing room to clean himself.

Your eyes followed the boy.

His aura screamed introvert and loneliness. You wanted to change that, make him surrounded by people he wants to be friends with. However, it looked like the team didn't want Beomgyu.

You don't know, but there's something about the boy. It makes you feel confident and protective, yet pitiful.

Minutes later, Beomgyu came back. You stood up from your seat. "Let's go watch some boys practice."

Beomgyu wowed when he saw Donghyuck do a dump to the other team.

"So this is Team Dream..." He muttered, and you nodded.

"They're joining the championship again this year, and if we win until the finals, we might go against them." You said, and Beomgyu stepped back. You turned around to look at him.

The panicked and afraid expression on his face was the expression you were expecting. You held his hand and moved him closer.

"Beomgyu, the reason I'm a little harsh on you is because a setter is expected to lead the team. I know that it's too much pressure, but that's why, I'm here to help you. Don't be afraid, I'm here, Beomgyu," You assured him but he shook his head.

"N-no! I'm not good for the job, y/n! I'm not a good setter and I'm never one. I can't even lead the boys, heck, they don't even talk to me! I'm just an introverted boy who wanted to be friends with people who are out of my reach."

"Beomgyu, listen here- you are an amazing setter. You may not have realized it, but it's your low confidence that's crushing you." You say, but he walks away.

You bite your lips as you watch Beomgyu walk away, however; you heard the chant of your brother's team.

Suddenly, you're reminded by the reason you stopped playing volleyball.

"I was like you too, Beomgyu!" You shouted,

"I was scared that people wouldn't trust me because I'm such a lonely person! I wanted to become friends who are out of my reach, but I couldn't. I know how you feel, I know how hard it is to become a setter because I was one too!" He looked at you with a slightly surprised expression.

"But I think it's better than getting the trust of your teammates first than getting your trust broken by them." You look tearful and Beomgyu stood frozen in his place.

"I stopped volleyball because my teammate injured me... I’m fearful experiencing that, so I stopped, but I will never forget the fun I found in volleyball." You walked towards him and clasped his hand.

"I know how you feel, Gyu. I also know you're an intelligent boy. The boys told me they're only waiting for you to blossom and once you're ready-,"

"We will win the championship," Beomgyu turned around at the voices he heard. He bit his lips to endure the tears falling. Huening ran up to Beomgyu and tightly hugged him.

"We believe in you, Beomgyu. I'm sorry we treated you like that," Huening said and broke the hug.

"Sorry, dude-," Yeonjun smacked his shoulder. Soobin ruffled Beomgyu's hair and apologized as well, Heeseung did the same. Taehyun stood in front of Beomgyu, his arms crossed but a smile on his face.

"We have 3 months before the championship, can you practice with us? As a team this time?" Taehyun asked and Beomgyu looked at you.

The wide and sweetest smile danced on your lips. You tugged on his jacket. "What's your answer, Gyu?"

"Yes, I will practice with you!" He shouted, and the boys cheered.

"ONE DREAM! Tomorrow X Together, fighting!" Yeonjun laughed before they all walked away. Food being discussed among them for the night. You were about to follow them until you heard your name called by someone.

"y/n! I didn't know you're here!" You turn around to see Dream running towards you. A laugh escaped your lips, and you saw the 5 boys turn around to look at you.

"How's BHA? Is everything okay there? Are they treating you, right?" Jaemin asked, and you laughed. You nodded your head,

"Hey, y/n~ Haechannie wants to take you out again!" Mark wrapped an arm around Haechan's shoulder. The younger pushed Mark away and apologized to you.

"A setter with a setter! A perfect combination!" Renjun spoke, and the boys laughed. You glance at the 5 boys before taking a step back from Dream.

"I'm busy right now- after all, I have a future champion to train!" You intentionally shouted for Team Together to hear.

"Goodbye, see ya!" You said before running towards the 5 boys. Wide and relieved that you're staying with them.

That night changed everything.

Here you are, standing by the audience, hand in hand as you watched Team Together vs Team Dream. Butterflies flying in your stomach when Jaemin did a spike on Team Together.

The past 3 months were honestly the best for you. Team Together won so many matches against other teams despite being a rookie team.

You realized the feelings you first felt when you first met Beomgyu. The times you spent training together, the times you laughed, the times you played, the times when you both almost got hurt... It was all coming to you.

You like Beomgyu- you love him, however, with the championship being close, you didn't want to distract him.

Now that both teams are tied, it scared you. You didn't want them to lose, but you also want them to win. Team Dream was being cheered on by your old school, the same goes for Team Together.

"You think, they'll win this?" Jungwon moves to your side. You didn't spare a glance at the boy and kept your eyes on the match. Your hand gripped on the railing: just one more point and it's victory.

However, Team Together already looks troubled. You don't know how much more they could handle with the pressure of being one point away.

Beomgyu looked like he was about to faint. He was shaking; it was so visible even from a far. Heeseung placed a hand on Beomgyu's back to keep him from falling before they went back to their positions.

Beomgyu shut his eyes before taking a deep breath. Mark was the one who did the serve this time, his jump server caught Team Together off, but they caught the ball perfectly.

Beomgyu looked extremely tired. He was exhausted by Team Dream's plays.

Suddenly, you act without thinking.

Jungwon friend placed a hand on your shoulder while you attentively watch the volleyball match everyone has been waiting for. You slightly lift yourself from the railings.

"What- yah! Y/N! You'll fall!" Jungwon held onto you closely.

You shouted without thinking.

"CHOI BEOMGYU! I LOVE YOU, SO YOU BETTER WIN THIS!"

Everyone was shocked, and it took them back, but Beomgyu took it as an advantage to do a spike on Team Dream. Then the time ran out.

They won. Team Together won. Everyone jumped from their seats, chanting the name of Beomgyu and Team Together.

"TOMORROW X TOGETHER!" Your school chanted, you run down from the benches, and towards the team. Immediately, you jumped into their arms.

"You did it! You won the championship! YOU'RE A CHAMPION!" You jumped and hugged everyone.

"IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!" Taehyun spun you around, which made you laugh. Students gather around the 6 of you, their chants of their names made you smile like a mad person.

You looked at Beomgyu, who was crawled into a ball. You smiled and walked towards him. You tapped on his shoulder, which made him look at you. He smiled widely and hugged you immediately.

"I love you too, my princess." He whispered before he kissed your forehead. Heeseung took your hand and placed you on his shoulder.

"OUR COACH!" Yeonjun and Hyuka shouted, which resulted to you hiding your face. You turn around to see Team Dream's puzzled faces.

"Heeseung, please put me down," you said, and he did. You run towards Dream with TXT behind you.

"So you're their legendary secret coach," Haechan said, his head tilted as he examined the 6 boys behind you.

"Yes, and that was an amazing play. You tired my boyfriend," you pulled Beomgyu close to you. His eyes widened and his cheeks were red.

"Well, congratulations- also, take care of my sister," Jeno patted his shoulder. Their eyes widen,

"SISTER!?"

[restlessmaknae]

building bridges

He was Prince Yeonjun, the oldest of the three Choi boys, heir to the King and Queen of Magic Island, and you were the third-born daughter from a less powerful kingdom, seemingly a nobody compared to him, but he appreciated your sincerity, and it changed everything.

♦ Characters: prince!Yeonjun x princess!reader/you

♦ Genre: kingdom au, fluff, angst, drama

♦ Words: 11.6k

♦ Warning: mention of a minor character’s death

♦ A/N: Inspired by The Little Prince-themed Fairy of Shampoo performance. 💖 Click here to be added to the TAGLIST and to let me know about your fic preferences. 💖

You were sure fate liked to pick favourites. Especially in a world where kingdoms were divided and the possibility of an upcoming war was always looming over the lives of not only the wealthy but also the poor, some were bound to be luckier than others.

There was no way Prince Yeonjun could have gotten seemingly everything that many others seemed to have lacked.

He was simply perfect. Too perfect.

There was no way someone could be as good at everything as Prince Yeonjun had been. An excellent archer, an excellent horse rider, an excellent debater, an excellent spokesman, an excellent fighter and an excellent charmer. Perfect had its letters written all over the boy’s body as even his appearance was flawless from the fine arch of his thick eyebrows, the depth of his midnight-black star-filled canvas orbs, the pointiness of his nose, the sharpness of his defined jawline, the plushness of his lips that seemed just the right amount of mellow and refined, enough to seem ethereal but still very much humane (oh so annoyingly humane!) to the sunkissed mark on his neck that was deemed a mystery by the royal physicians and the delicate way he carried himself around everyone.

Even in a ballroom filled with many royal families, dozens of individuals dressed up in lavishing dresses that were worth years of hard-work for some poor families, he had such a distinctive aura to him that everyone turned their head towards him whenever he walked by. He had a certain smugness to his natural confidence and an undefined charm that couldn’t have been seen elsewhere.

He was, once and for all, Prince Yeonjun, the oldest of the three Choi boys, heir to the King and Queen of Magic Island - famous for its earthly fragrance of the woods after the ever so frequent downpours, the meadow-dotted land of blindingly blue skies and everlasting midnights, the home to the most delicious chocolate-covered fruits out of all kingdoms, the place of only the best traders and the strongest, most stable army of all.

The name of the kingdom was appropriate in more than one sense, having had the most beautiful tiny little houses lining up along the buzzing streets of the merchants and the lively citizens of the most peaceful land, cozy little bridges connecting the different parts above the calmly flowing stream that cut the main market square into two, showcasing a jaw-dropping palace in the heart of the kingdom, and of course, having heirs that shared such a strong bond that it was enviable by others and brothers who seemed too otherworldly for the average people, their beauty unique yet all very much undeniable.

The oldest son, Yeonjun, was well-known amongst the kingdoms for winning multiple friendly competitions between the heirs of the royal couples, let it be horse riding or literary events. Most of the time, he acted according to his oldest son image, ever so responsible and ever so attentive, following his father everywhere he was invited to, but he liked to have his own mischievous moments, especially when he had been younger.

The middle one, Soobin, was a tender-hearted, angel-faced boy, the most gentle of the three, always seen helping out the elderly and smiling gently at merchants, playing with kids around the palace, and nose buried into his beloved books because he still preferred reading over any social event.

The youngest one, Beomgyu, seemed like a quiet one, but only until he felt ready to open up, because his otherwise cold and distant demeanour hid a very much caring and very much wise soul. His ever so hardworking self proved to be an example for many, and his humbleness paired up with his diligence was something that made him an outstanding student, no matter what he had tried to learn.

You, on the other hand, were the middle child of your family, the third-born and youngest daughter, sister to two younger brothers, to the King and Queen of the Eastern Hills. You had never shared a particular bond with either of your siblings, rivalry and competition had always been praised over siblinghood, supported by your parents themselves, and being the youngest daughter meant that you were always compared to your older sisters and not being a boy meant that you were good only as a part of a trade deal, being thrown to whatever kingdom would pay the highest price or offer the most favourable deal.

The kingdom itself was famous for its gold mines and eye-catching jewellery, but nothing more. You couldn’t boast about your lovely architecture as all houses were made of the same brick walls, you didn’t have secret getaways in nature as you only had the ugly hills and the plain city of the houses, you had an old and worn, half-destroyed palace that was always under construction because of the political tension between Eastern Hills and Western Hills - the neighbouring kingdom, the king being the younger brother of your father after marrying into their royal family.

So to have the royal family of Magic Island around had always frustrated you, it didn’t matter if they had been invited to one of your events or you had been invited to one of theirs. Just as much as you had wished not to see how different of a life they all had, especially Yeonjun who was the same age as you, you didn’t have a say in whether you would have liked to attend the birthday celebration of their youngest son either. No was not an option when it came to someone who was good only if they could be married into another royal family.

Needless to say, watching the cozy scene the royal family of Magic Island shared around the table grew a thorny rose inside of the garden of your heart, foolishly longing for the same kind of affection they had for each other, but knowing all too well that not everyone lived in a fairytale, not in your kingdom for sure.

You forced smiles here and there, having to accompany your mother wherever she went as the only princess of the Eastern Hills who had not been married off to someone thanks to your sharp tongue and sometimes inconvenient manners. You were bored out of your mind after the first conversation already, and the more followed, the more lost you were in the sea of faces and voices.

It wasn’t until a certain raspy voice called out for you, stepping beside you and smiling down gently at your mother that you were saved. You didn’t need to look at him to know who he was, it was only the intention behind his words that made you furrow your eyebrows.

“Could you spare her for a moment?” Prince Yeonjun inquired politely from your mother after bowing deeply, his respectful side showing. You only bobbed your head a bit, not too joyful that he was trying to spend some time with you.

Your mother, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be of the same opinion as she waved you two off with an unquestionable glance and turned on her heels to join the mass of people yet again.

The prince noted the way everything had seemed to go as he had planned with a slight smirk in the corner of his mellow lips, dropping just enough of a smile to make you question why he had decided to interrupt your strolling around the ballroom with your mother.

He didn’t ask more questions though, he merely led you out of the room, showing the way to wherever he was going, halting only at a far-away balcony from where you could see the buzzing soul of the kingdom with its colourful houses, scurrying people and busy night life.

“Why are we here?” you questioned him straight to the point, but the commanding edge to your words couldn’t shake his confidence. He flashed a half-grin at you while he was casually leaning onto the edge of the balcony railing.

He looked otherworldly in his long, tailored white coat, decorated with little golden patterns along the edges and big silver buttons that were probably for only appealing purposes because he didn’t button up, his white tunic made of the finest silk and with the most precise embroidery showing underneath, a collar gently framing his neck. He wore matching white silk pants whose ends were tucked into his black boots, the only dark colour in his dazzling, light appearance.

You tried not to concentrate too much on the way the moonlight falling onto him accelerated the plushness of his lips or the way it highlighted his blondish locks, and instead, you looked away, at the city beneath your feet. It was breathtaking enough on its own.

“You looked like you fancy some fresh air, princess,” he explained as if it had been obvious, but you could only scoff in response.

“Do you think you are that good at reading people, Prince Yeonjun?”

“I may be, I may be not.” He shrugged his shoulders, not fazed by your slightly bold question. That’s just who he was though; one of the few people who didn’t mind the way you formed words and reacted to certain situations. “It was worth a try,” he added, displaying yet another attractive smile, the kind that could make your heart take a turn, but you were sure that many other girls would have had the same reaction.

You let out a short-lived sigh, averting your eyes from the market square bathing in the many different colours the night sky painted onto them to the equally tinted canvas of the prince’s orbs. You always thought that he had the darkest and deepest of eyes you had ever seen, but instead of alarming, there was a certain kind of reassurance and warmth to his midnight-black orbs. Funny, isn’t it? How his dark seemed light.

“You cannot seem to be lacking in anything,” you admitted alongside another sigh, letting him know that he was right. Yet again.

To that, he let out a bit of a chuckle. An amused one.

“I would take that as a fluttering compliment from others, but I am not so sure in your case…” He wavered by the end of his sentence, waiting for you to finish it, eyes searching for indication in your own ones. Keeping the eye-contact, you let bitterness drip off your words when you next spoke up.

“Coating our words in sweetness is the only way we can survive, isn’t it?”

“Do you think so?” He quirked an eyebrow in question. Not an amused or a teasing one this time. It was a caring one, an attentive one and a curious one. His lips were sealed tight, firmness overtaking his casual attitude, his mature features sharpening. He was very serious about his question, his sincerity almost searing your skin.

You decided there was no use of lying to him, to him especially. He seemed to have always wanted to earn an honest reaction from you, even if your parents had sometimes reprimanded you for your raw opinion. Prince Yeonjun had never seemed to mind though, let it be about you criticizing his aim even after he had won an archery competition or correcting him about something he had recalled wrongly from a book.

“I learned my lesson when I was young and I tried to stand up for myself against my eldest sister. I was told to behave because I must respect all family members above me and all royal families wealthier than us, so now I should always sugarcoat my words, no matter how unfair it is,” you confessed heavily, your heart tightening at the memory.

Sometimes it was difficult to hold yourself back, you felt like your honesty was like a wild horse that couldn’t be taught how to behave well. It might have been able to be contained for a short period of time but not always and not constantly.

The prince’s eyes widened a bit hearing your confession, but you assumed he must have thought of something similar for he retreated to his previous firm state very quickly.

“Why am I an exception then?” he whispered, almost as if he had been afraid that the truth your words carried would be able to break down walls and destroy the palace. This time, it was quite the opposite though. You were building bridges with your confession.

“You do seem like someone who would not take the truth to heart, Prince Yeonjun. I merely do not know whether you are always that genuine around others, or you fake being genuine just for the sake of your family,” you mused out loud, telling him about the dilemma you had been having ever since meeting him for the first time.

When you had been kids, and kids of the same age, your parents hadn’t thought too much about both of your honesty. However, as time went by, political issues becoming more serious, the tension between the Western and the Eastern Hills rising, and marriage becoming a question on your part, sincerity had never been more discredited.

“I believe you are the one who is good at reading people, princess.” Prince Yeonjun smiled at you gently, a few of his blondish locks falling into his deep, dark eyes, the contrast showcasing just how much of a duality he had in general. He was dark and light, fervent and calm, hateful and loving, and everything in between.

There were a few moments of silence, silence that you embraced dearly, especially after the hustle-bustle at the ballroom with so many unnecessary chit-chats and fake conversations. Here, with Prince Yeonjun, this conversation seemed like the most truthful one you had had for a long time, and your heart swelled with unsaid excitement over this.

However, his next words really confused you.

“I would like to give you an ultimatum. I would ask for your hand in return for you always speaking your mind,” he stated firmly, his eyes not bathing in mischievous glints or teasing sparkles. He was serious, and even though princes had asked for your hand beforehand, it had been nothing like those times before. It hadn’t even seemed like a proposal, more like a suggestion. That’s why it was already more promising than the ones before; you weren’t given the question first, but the chance to ask. So you did.

“What would you gain from that?” You couldn’t help but ask, the colder breeze of the autumn night dressing your exposed skin in goosebumps.

“Someone who would be willing to tell the truth even when I am too blind to see it,” he reasoned, keeping his eyes on you to monitor your reaction. He might have known you enough to assume that you would neither run away, nor be too shocked by his sudden ultimatum, but you were sure a bit puzzled still.

“I am afraid I do not understand your intention with that, Prince Yeonjun,” you prompted him to further tell you what he had been intending with this marriage because there was always more to such. To seal a deal, to put an end to a war, to overtake the throne and dethrone the current one. More or less innocent reasons, but scarcely was it about real, genuine, business-less love.

The prince nodded as if he had seen such a statement coming, and took a step closer to you. In this proximity, you could see the sunkissed mark on his neck, the few birthmarks dotting his pale skin, the delicate way his dark eyelashes were like little curtains above his thick eyebrows, and the way those oh so defined lips were moving along with his words.

“Despite seeming fine, my father is actually ill. He may not live for too long, and since I am the eldest son, I need to take the throne after him, and I need a queen who is not afraid to go against her king,” he confessed straight away, his voice firm but quiet.

You looked at him, more worried than pitiful, hundreds of thoughts racing through your head. What did he mean by not too long? What kind of illness was it? How long had they been keeping this a secret? Why was he willing to let you know about it? Why you?

“Why do you think I would be suitable to be your queen?” you emphasised, referring to his choice of words. You didn’t come from a particularly powerful kingdom, not even a neighbouring one, and you weren’t even the most intelligent, most polite or calmest princess of all. So why you?

“You have it in yourself. You just suppress it for others’ sake,” prince Yeonjun stated matter-of-factly, not leaving room for any objection. You could see that he really did think so, so you didn’t want to question him any further. “I will give you time to think my ultimatum through. Meet me here at the next full moon! The guards will let you in, and we will accommodate you for the night,” he offered with a hint of a smile and reached for your hand to place a soft kiss on it, looking up at you while doing so.

You bobbed your head, engraving the picture of the moonlight reflecting in his dark orbs in your head before watching as he slowly and gracefully walked away.

When the next full moon arrived, you were there just as prince Yeonjun had told you to. As Magic Island and the Eastern Hills weren’t neighbouring kingdoms, you took off in the morning and arrived close to sunrise, but you didn’t mind. A whole day of travelling meant that you could be away from your family for this time, being accompanied by only a royal guard and the coachman of the horse-drawn carriage you were travelling in.

Prince Yeonjun hadn’t pressured you to answer him the day after his ultimatum as you had stayed for the night that time as well, though he had definitely kept glancing in your direction and he had taken it upon himself to bid you and your family a proper goodbye, telling your parents that if they didn’t oppose, he would be grateful to welcome you into their palace one more time. They had agreed almost immediately, and your mother couldn’t have stopped swooning about just how great of a business partner Magic Island would make and how great of a king he might be one day.

That’s what you had wanted to avoid the most; the prince’s decision about asking for your hand backfiring and your family taking advantage of the situation. Though maybe by being his wife, you could finally be more free from your family, and though it may be a selfish reason, you were also sure that Prince Yeonjun wasn’t the worst person to marry. In fact, you appreciated his honesty, and he did appreciate yours, which was a rare phenomena when it came to you and a prince.

Nevertheless, at least this way your family didn’t mind sending you off when the next full moon arrived, and you were welcomed warmly by the servants and guards, each and every one of them bowing politely and even smiling at you! It was such a striking comparison to your ever so stiff people around the palace that you were slightly taken aback as you were led to a smaller room this time that seemed like one that was used for business gatherings.

You felt oddly out of place in your off-shoulder (but covered with a gown due to the chilly weather of late autumn), multiple-layered lacy dress, its peacock colour a bit dark compared to the light shades in the room. It seemed like everything was much brighter here - not only the people but also the furniture.

You snapped your head back at the sound of the door opening and Prince Yeonjun walked in with his trademark confident aura and a slightly satisfied smile. This time, he wore a similarly long coat as last time, but it was azure now, paired with a more casual shirt that didn’t have any patterns or decoration, it was just plain dark and loose, tucked into his high-waisted black silk pants and topped with dark boots. His blondish locks sat a bit messily atop of his head, and he looked like he was supposed to have a haircut soon.

“Welcome, princess! I hope you enjoyed your ride,” he greeted you enthusiastically, stopping a few steps from you and bowing in respect. You did the same, smiling at him.

“Thank you, Prince Yeonjun. I did have an enjoyable ride, and the warm welcome here was even better,” you admitted, making his eyebrows bolt up.

“Are you telling the truth, right?

“I am.” You nodded, your smile not wavering, yet turning into a more amused one. Even though he deemed you to be an honest person, it looked like he couldn’t quite pinpoint for the time being when you were actually honest or when you were faking it. Lucky him, his ultimatum would keep you to your honesty.

“Then, I am pleased to hear such a compliment,” he responded proudly, offering his arm for you to take while he led you out of the room to show you around the palace and introduce you to the family members you crossed paths with - meaning the youngest prince and his mother this time around.

Even though you had met both of them at multiple occasions, they were also a lot more relaxed and dressed in a lot more casual way than ever before, making you feel slightly uncomfortable in your tailored dress. However, you hadn’t been told about the dress code, and none of them had commented on it, so it must have been just you and that seed of doubt planted in your head by your mother that had always warned you to dress accordingly to others around you.

After showing you around in the palace, you continued your way around the palace, meaning the back garden, the horse barn where you met the horse boy - Hueningkai - that took care of the prince’s “baby” as he liked to refer to his own one, the name making you smile instantly. He also showed you around the small garden and the accompanying vegetable garden where his mother liked to work. You were a bit dumbfounded because your mother would have never dirtied her hands like that but then again, you had nothing close to a vegetable garden around your palace and your mother had always thought extremely highly of herself, not lowering herself down to do such work.

During your stroll, he told you about the fruit trees one by one that were now bare, but you could imagine them blooming and heavy with apricots, peaches, apples, plums and pears, and you also met one of the prince’s friends - a soldier passing by named Taehyun.

You felt as if this place hadn’t even been a royal palace, but more like a family’s home, everyone knowing everyone else, and taking part in activities together. Compared to your life back at home, it was much more casual and… much more personal, you had to admit.

“Would you mind taking a walk outside of the palace? It is well lit, do not worry about that,” the prince inquired as you got back to the entrance of the back garden, halting for a bit, not going anywhere.

You looked up at him, into his star-filled eyes, at the hopeful tug at his mellow lips and the way he was searching for any opposition in your eyes - curious yet nevertheless a bit worried.

“I would be glad if you could show me around a bit,” you told him equally politely, watching as his wavering smile turned into a full-blown grin. He was really something else with that ever so obvious smugness to his ethereal features, but you tried to ignore whatever he was displaying, telling yourself that it was nothing more than than it had been last time.

You didn’t like Yeonjun, you had never had, you weren’t even close to it. You merely appreciated his honesty, and the way he wasn’t two-faced, merely doing what he needed to do to maintain his family’s image, but other than that, he was as much of an ordinary boy when it came to his behaviour as anyone else. You appreciated raw gems like him in a world full of snakes and bets and power over feelings and genuine partnership, but it wasn’t love.

However, as soon as you were ready to head outside, he turned to you, worried, a totally different expression from before.

“Do you need another layer? It might be even colder when we are coming back,” he pointed at your dress hidden under your gown, but you were fine walking around the garden in it, so you declined his kind offer, not forgetting to mention his attentiveness. He hesitated a bit before bobbing his head and letting the servants open the door for the two of you, one of the guards by the side inquiring if they needed company. The prince told him that there was no need to do so, and cheekily added when you were already outside of the palace that he could take care of you himself. You didn’t even doubt his words based on what you had seen during some competitions where he had been participating and that had required physical strength.

You started the walk by getting to the end to the gate that connected the palace and the rest of the city above the stream that cut it into two, and the prince talked a bit with the guards by the fences, referring to them by their names (that was just another thing you hadn’t experienced back in your kingdom) and introducing you to them. They were friendly and polite as expected, letting you out of the palace’s territory, closing the fence behind you two.

The late hour didn’t put an end to the buzzing atmosphere at the market square, people were running from one stall to another, merchants shouting the prices of their goods and chatting with their customers, high-pitched laughter and sweet fragrances filling the air with noise and this odd, homey feeling that you had never been a part of in your kingdom.

You didn’t have such sights back home, you had merchant halls for everyone who wanted to sell their goods, but the process itself was very rigidly inspected, no chit-chat allowed between the merchant and the customer, merely about the product itself. It was said that it had been implemented to prevent crime, but having guards by every stall who looked at the customers as if they had been criminals themselves wasn’t exactly a friendly sight. Not to mention that there was no room for bargaining there or whatsoever. It was controlled in the most systematic way while here everything was… free… and surprisingly working.

In the mass of people, someone did actually bump into the prince, and the prince immediately looked down at the little girl whose eyes widened in surprise.

“Prince Yeonjun!” She exclaimed in awe, putting her hands over her mouth. She looked young, probably around 6 or 7, but the way she bowed to them indicated that she had been taught well.

“Good evening, m’ lady,” the prince said jokingly, making the little girl chuckle. As her eyes formed little crescents while laughing, she took notice of you and put her hands down from her mouth.

“Who is this lady?” she inquired from the prince who crouched down to be at eye-level with her and he looked up at you beside the little girl. You were about to speak up on his behalf, knowing all too well that there were too many kingdoms with all kinds of princes and princesses and your family was definitely not one that could frequently be seen out in the public, but he was quicker, his smirk even faster than your train of thoughts.

“The one I am hoping to marry,” the prince admitted boldly, your eyes immediately widening upon hearing his words. The little girl’s jaw dropped, her lips forming a big O. “Keep it a secret for me though! I am waiting for her answer,” pleaded the prince, a bit of playfulness to his words, the little girl nodding fervently. You weren’t sure that she would keep it a secret for real, but the prince’s charm was definitely working on her so far.

“Do you love each other?” she asked curiously, making you gulp in uneasiness. You wouldn’t have expected a little girl’s questioning to be more nerve-wracking than anything that had happened inside the palace.

“I love her honesty,” prince Yeonjun answered instead of you, his eyes boring into yours. You weren’t sure how to react to that, so you stayed neutral, keeping your lips sealed, your chin up high, wondering what could be those wandering comets in the galaxy of his eyes.

Luckily, the little girl’s mother came by just at this time to fetch up her daughter, bowing politely to the prince and you, the prince proceeding to chatter with her and reassuring her that her daughter was the most polite she could have been. The woman didn’t send you any unwanted glances, just smiled at you, the unfamiliarity of such a scene prickling at your skin.

After saying goodbye to them, you continued your walk along the stalls, the prince stopping by here and there to visit some of them, acting as if the merchants had been his long-time friends, the apparent difference in ranking and clothing diminishing with each and every second you stayed by his side. Here, you were just like any of the many people walking around. It felt odd yet way less pressuring than back in your kingdom.

After the hustle-bustle of the market square, you were strolling streets, mostly Yeonjun telling you about childhood stories that he had made in these streets, the difference between your upbringing yet again showing. You found it fascinating how he wasn’t afraid to tell you about calamities and mishaps he had regretted doing, and things that could have ruined his prince image if word had gotten out. He really put his trust in you, not only with his belief in you having a real queen inside of you, but also with you not wanting anything bad for him.

Even though you liked to keep up an uptight and cold demeanor, he cracked a hole through your walls, and he was just being himself, talking about his childhood memories, making you occasionally laugh with him. He seemed flawed for the first time, and you appreciated him showing this side of him, even if you weren’t sure when you would be ready to do the same.

You ended up on the top of a tower from where you could look down at the kingdom’s tiny little colourful houses, lights sparkling along the streets and the palace in full beauty and its mesmerizingly lit-up form in the distance.

There was a pleasant silence covering both of you as you probably reached the highlight of the day. You had too much on your mind to say anything, and the prince seemed like he was deep in thought, his eyes following the traces of something in the distance. You spared him a glance, just getting lost in his peaceful and composed state, before you averted your eyes to the scenery yet again, breathing in the chilly yet fresh air of this fine night at the edge of winter.

When prince Yeonjun broke the silence, his voice was quiet yet firm, his questions not leaving room for any doubt.

“Do you feel like you would want to be a queen to this kingdom? To them?” He pointed at the dots painting the canvas of the kingdom beneath your feet. You knew all too well whom he meant by them; everyone from the horse boy to the lovely merchants and the cheerful little girl you had run into.“I know it is a lot to ask, but-” he started explaining, but before he could get any further, you cut him off. Not out of rudeness, you merely didn’t want him to clarify something you already assumed.

“Other princes might have asked for my hand, but they had never said that it is a lot to ask, nor had they wanted to do it to make sure that they would stay humble kings. I am not saying I trust you fully, but I do trust you more than those other princes,” you confessed matter-of-factly, your voice not wavering a bit.

You were very much aware of what a marriage could bring about to a princess and her family as you had already seen both of your older sisters being married into other royal families. You knew that it wouldn’t be as magical as childish fairy tales had tried to paint them out to be, but on the other hand, Magic Island’s royal family wasn’t like yours. No matter the intention behind the marriage, you were certain they wouldn’t make your life a living hell.

The prince himself needed a moment to process what you had just said. As you had never really spoken about your feelings towards him, he must have thought that he seemed like a careless, irresponsible and a bit childish prince in your eyes. You could see under his otherwise casual demeanor, you had already seen him interacting with the people of his kingdom and the servants at his palace. You had seen how much he looked out for what he could help with, you could see the genuine curiosity in his eyes every time he walked up to someone, and you could literally feel the affection radiating off him. If anyone, he loved these people and he was loved by his people in return.

“What can I do to make you trust me fully?” he asked instead of reacting to the weight of your words, his question taking you by surprise.

Truth to be told, you didn’t know the answer to it either. Hearts could deceive their owners very easily, thus you were careful not to trust him too much despite what you had seen. After all, you hadn’t known him long enough to form a conclusion, especially not long enough to know who he really was.

“Only time will tell, I guess.” You shrugged your shoulders slightly, him catching the implication behind your words. Time might have been an abstract concept, but he seemed to know what you meant by it.

“Is that a yes then?”

“It is.” You nodded immediately, pondering over the question for a whole month now making you blurt out the agreement almost easily. As marriage had never seemed like something groundbreaking to you, you didn’t mind that there had been no fireworks or long monologues when he had asked you the question last time and now this time. You had a feeling anyway that a formal proposal was also much needed given the formalities of the royal life.

However, you decided to spare him with an explanation as to why you had given in. He deserved to know the truth.

“You have the weight of a whole kingdom on you, and if you feel like I can help, I would do so. You treat your people including your own servants right, they treat you right in return, and even though it is all very unfamiliar to me and I still do not understand fully why you have chosen me, I will marry you,” you stated as confidently as possible, looking straight into his eyes, those ever so visible paths that you had not walked up on yet, but you had the chance to look at. You weren’t sure that you would ever be able to get to know all of the hidden forests and secret getaways of his heart, you weren’t even sure that you would be allowed to. You were already lucky that he was genuine in the first place.

“I am sorry to bring you into this,” he apologized suddenly, a bitter smile making its way past his mellow lips. You shook your head, smiling in the same knowing way.

“If we have to marry anyway, we might as well marry someone whom we respect and not despise,” you pointed out, and in that moment, exchanging a glance under the dirty-white light of the moon, covering Prince Yeonjun in a dazzling light as if he had been an angel, his eyes sparkling with tiny little twinkles, eyes not letting go of yours as if he had been keeping them as a hostage, you knew that in your cruel world of hate-filled business-only marriages, at least this one wouldn’t be nearly as horrible as others.

Your parents didn’t need much convincing. After all, they could only gain from this marriage and from the aftermaths of you and prince Yeonjun becoming a royal couple. Even though Prince Yeonjun’s side wasn’t as eager to jump into new business deals as yours, your parents couldn’t keep away from all those nasty politics, and the King of Magic Island didn’t oppose their ideas either.

So in a way, this marriage seemed as fake as any of the ones you had seen before including your own parents’ marriage, but in a way, it was different. The formal wedding and its very much annoying fake smiles, fake glitters and too much celebration definitely left a bitter aftertaste in your mouth, but ever since you had been living in the Magic Island palace because a royal wife was supposed to live with her husband’s family after the marriage, you couldn’t have said that you had actually felt like being a wife.

The royal family of Magic Island didn’t treat you unfairly, they didn’t give you orders or made you do the dirty work. Instead, you were always welcome to have meals with them, to take part in events they organised for themselves and for their own people, they invited you for trips further away from their kingdom, they asked the chefs to make you your favourite kind of lunches, Prince Beomgyu and Prince Soobin always inquired if you were up to join them whenever they were playing something, the Queen liked going into the market and strolling through the streets with you by her side, telling you stories about her own life and how she had ended up marrying the King, and of course, there was Prince Yeonjun, too, your husband.

You could have expected anything, and Prince Yeonjun would have exceeded all of your expectations, proving you right when you had decided to say yes to his proposal because you had trusted him. He didn’t treat you any differently ever since the marriage although he might have enjoyed calling you 'my princess' a bit too much, but other than that, he was as decent as one could be excluding his casual flirty remarks that were way too innocent to be taken seriously anyway.

What you enjoyed the most about your time at the Magic Island palace was that you were made feel like you were welcomed there and anytime you had even the slightest request, everyone was willing to help you kindly and gently. You used to feel like a shadow in your own family’s palace, but now, the Magic Island palace with its enormous stairs, dim-light hallways, cozy guest chambers and light-coloured furniture seemed more of a home than anything else.

On the other hand, the joy in the unfamiliar and the excitement of the warm welcome of the family was quickly overshadowed by the progressive deterioration of the King’s condition. When he had attended your wedding, he had smiled and laughed, occasionally leaving to take his medicine, but he had seemed fine. However, just as prince Yeonjun had told you, he got sicker and sicker day by day, face becoming hollow resulting in more prominent cheekbones, skin becoming drier and paler, his usual high spirit turning into melancholy and some kind of a resignation as if he had already accepted his fate and he just tried to wait for the end, and everyone around him turned to him with worried eyes whenever he coughed more fervently at the dinner table.

Everyone knew that his time was up, and he knew it himself as well, that’s why he asked one of his servants to write down what he was saying, leaving messages for all of his family members including you and Prince Yeonjun. You were left with many letters about ruling, the secrets to a prosperous kingdom, tricks to fruitful debates and tips on how to seem convincing even when one wasn’t even confident about their own opinion, and marriage as well.

“I do not intend to force anything onto you, either of you,” the King stated first and foremost after a dinner when he had asked you two to stay with him for a bit, telling you about the letters he had been working on.

“My son, you know that I have always wished for your happiness, and that includes finding the love of your life,” he started as he looked into the prince’s eyes, making him a bit coy. He had never really appeared anything close to shy, that was just not who he was, but it seemed like his father could make him uncharacteristically emotional and vulnerable.

You watched the scene unfold in front of your eyes with a fond smile, knowing by this time just how tight of a bond Prince Yeonjun had shared with his father. He might not have shown just how much pain he had felt because of the possibility of the King passing away without a final goodbye, but you could tell that he was trying to cover up his dismay by staying as casual and beaming as usually.

However, your smile turned into a bittersweet one when the King averted his eyes from his son to you, and gave you one of his weakest yet still there smiles.

“And the same applies to you, my lovely daughter-in-law. We might not have been given the freedom when it comes to love that we wish to give our people, but I sincerely hope and wish that you will be able to make each other happy. Maybe not as a wife or a husband, but as friends or allies. Or mere human beings who do not wish anything ill for the other,” he explained, and it was almost like a life lesson already, you couldn’t even imagine what would be waiting for you in those letters for he had already been very honest to you, too.

It was one of the King’s wishes that you would read those letters only after he breathed his last, so you couldn’t know, not until one day, he didn’t wake up in the morning, and the Queen’s heart-wrenching weeping didn’t leave room for any doubts. Everyone knew what had happened.

Even though you had known him for only half a year, the King had definitely left its impact on you, he had been one of the best people you had ever had the chance to meet, and you had felt like learning from him whenever you had been around him. Not only about humanity or about what makes a King an excellent one, but also about empathy, love, sincerity, joy and so many more things books couldn’t teach you about, neither could your own parents. You had began to understand why even the guards and servants were smiling in the palace, why the people in Magic Island were so close to each other and why even the market square could operate without any mishaps; it’s because the King had indeed given them an inspiring, loving yet diligent example, and they had followed him obediently.

Needless to say, the whole kingdom mourned his death together, and although his funeral was held private, everyone could say their last messages in front of his newly-built memorial. The coronation of Yeonjun’s took place as soon as it could be arranged because despite the obvious loss, a kingdom needed a King, and the late King had made sure that Yeonjun would become a wise, mature and inspiring one who could lead its people well, thus he had made sure to write everything down he had learned during his years of being the King of Magic Island, and he had arranged everything accordingly.

From the outside, it seemed that King Yeonjun did his duties diligently as best as he could, attending business meetings, visiting other kingdoms to ensure the ongoing support from his own kingdom and to make sure that the deals were still in place, him not going against his father’s previous doings and wishes.

On the other hand, from the inside, you had never seen him more closed-off and it broke your heart. Seeing how such a bright star could fall so quick and land so devastatingly, suffering alone because he didn’t want to accept anyone’s help, there were no worse feelings. Indeed, the brightest stars burn the brightest.

Time dragged on after the late King’s death, and you found yourself accompanying King Yeonjun anywhere where you were needed, but those were mostly formal events, not trade deals or anything more politics-related.

That’s the way you could keep your eyes on the boy (oh just a mere boy!), trying to bear the weight of the whole kingdom on his shoulders, the pain slowly depriving him from the cheeky smiles on his mellow lips, the joyous sparkles on the sky of his midnight orbs and the childishly teasing tone to his words. He became a mere shadow of himself, and you knew why; as opposed to the rest of his family, Yeonjun had never been seen crying. Not even on the day of the news of his father’s death, not even at the funeral, not at the dinner table where his little brothers had shed some tears while looking at the empty seat between the eldest son and their mother. Never. You knew you needed to stop him from destroying himself, you just wished for the right time to come. It hadn’t come.

So one night, you had enough of watching Yeonjun suffer silently, you had enough of seeing how he had pretended to be fine and you had enough of being told that he had been fine, just tired. Maybe when he had given you the ultimatum, he hadn’t promised to be sincere to you, but at least you needed him to be sincere to himself.

Thus, you made your way to the boy’s chamber that was a bit further down the corridor from yours but far enough for you to not bump into him at night.

“May I come in, Your Majesty?” You knocked on his door, letting him know that it was you and not a servant.

You stood there for a solid thirty seconds, your heart in your throat, waiting anxiously for him to willingly open the door, not knowing if he would do so. You felt like you had given him enough time to deal with the remorse on his own, but had you really waited enough? 

Anyway, Yeonjun did open the door eventually. You almost let out a sigh of relief for this act had proved that he didn’t want to shut you out, at least not entirely.

However, the sight of him struck you because not having been dressed up formally and face and hair not being taken care of by the royal maids meant that you could see the dark circles under his eyes, not the ones that were painted by his dark, long lashes, but the ones that indicated just how exhausted he had been. His blondish locks sat messily atop of his head as if he had been running his hand through his hair multiple times. The burgundy silk shirt he wore was so big that it almost seemed like he wanted to hide in it, replacing the ever so tight and fancy formal wears he was displaying whenever he was taking care of his duties. He was also bare feet, a sight that was unusual even in a less rigid palace like theirs.

But it was his eyes (oh those lost universes!) that struck you the most. The sheer devastation in those dark, dark orbs sucked you in, making you feel guilty for ever having been happy. He seemed lifeless, emotionless and dull. The human embodiment of pain; ever so beautiful and breathtakingly heart wrenching. The kind of pain that bled golden lines instead of burgundy ones; appearing royal and outstanding even in his hurting.

“Please, at least you could call me by my name instead,” he spoke up sternly, his voice appearing wary, and probably not just because of the late hour. You felt like you were being reprimanded for something he hadn’t told you beforehand, but you sensed that it was his way of keeping you out of the walls he had been building around himself.

“As you wish, Yeonjun.” You bobbed your head, indicating that you would take his request seriously. You didn’t intend to anger him, not even a bit. “Is it a good time to talk?” you inquired gently, hoping that he wouldn’t want to push you away this time.

You weren’t surprised though when you faced yet another barrier.

“I do not think so.” Yeonjun shook his head firmly, his features hiding every kind of emotion he might have been attaching to your question. You hadn’t even asked him if he was fine because he would always be avoiding the truth, but it seemed like he had a feeling that you would want to talk about feelings instead of politics, and he wasn’t up for that.

“When will it be then?” you insisted, keeping your chin up high. Your confidence would usually make him crack a smile or grin cheekily, but this time, he did neither of those, he stayed as neutral as possible.

“I do not know for now.”

Again. He had been pushing you away with every single one of his sentences that day, yet you weren’t there to just go away so easily. You wanted to push through it, you wanted to push through together with him, no matter how many attempts it would take. You couldn’t look at him when the mourning had been eating away his whole heart and soul, and you wanted to help him. Maybe you couldn’t, but it was worth the try, you assumed.

“You are avoiding me. You are avoiding yourself as well,” you pointed out matter-of-factly, so that it would be out as quickly as possible. Your words indeed seemed to bite into Yeonjun as if it had been the first time someone had dared to tell him about his recent behaviour. Maybe it had really been the first one.

He dropped a resigned sigh, turning away his head, staring ahead for a few seconds before turning back to you and finding your eyes. His gaze could have broken glasses, that’s how powerful and intimidating he seemed, and it hurt, it hurt to see this side of him for the first time and it hurt to know that he did it because of what you had said.

“If you are here to lecture me, I advise you to leave,” he told you sternly, his voice as cold as ice, so unbreakable and soul crashing. His tone was enough to feel like a push, a physical push, and to grab your heart and squeeze it tight, ready to squeeze the last bit of hope out of it. Everything in his expression and body language was like a warning, telling you to stay away, telling you that it would be dangerous to be around him at such times, but you didn’t care.

You wanted to be there for him.

“I am not lecturing you,” you corrected him, sucking in a deep breath to pluck up your courage to keep going. No matter the dismay in his eyes, you felt the fire burning inside of you, prompting you to go on, so you did. “I am offering you an ear to listen to whatever you have to say. You asked for my hand because you wanted someone who can be honest to you and keep you grounded, so now I am telling you that you have to face your feelings, you have to mourn the way you want to, even if it is just for a bit. You may be the King now, but nothing is worse than a King who is not able to face his own feelings. You need to let it out.”

The more you talked, the more convinced you were that he needed to hear such words. The way his eyes widened - almost frightened - indicated that he hadn’t been confronted in such a manner before. As you got to the end of your monologue, his lips twitched and he averted his eyes yet again before turning back to you. It seemed like keeping the eye-contact did make him feel uncomfortable.

“I have to be strong! For my mother, for my brothers, for my people! I cannot appear weak and sentimental. That is not what a good King is about!” Yeonjun exclaimed, raising his voice slightly, his words sounding like an eerie echo in the empty corridor, bouncing off the walls. This was not the Yeonjun you had known; this Yeonjun was full of pent-up anger and frustration. Hurt. Rage. Suffering. Hidden tears. Silent cries.

“Because a King who bottles up his feelings is any better?” you counter-attacked him almost immediately, raising your voice in the same manner. You couldn’t take it, you couldn’t just let him think that his mind-set was right and sustainable considering his state. It wasn’t! It was far from it.

You didn’t know whether it was the weight of your words or the way you dared to raise your voice against the King of Magic Island, but the first crack appeared on the walls he had been building around himself, and the mask fell from his emotionless face, the first signs of confusion showing. His eyes darted between your face and the corridor behind you, searching for something to tell him the answer to your question, his lips quivering a bit when he realized that he had failed to find a solid one.

“I do not know,” he concluded after a minute of his internal turmoil being displayed on his features, letting out an aghast sigh and a curse that might have struck you beforehand, but it couldn’t do so now. In fact, you were glad that you could see through the cracks, that you could feel any kind of emotion coming from him.

This was also the push you needed to walk into his chamber without being invited to and to sit down on a cushion of his, motioning him to follow your example and tell you whatever he wanted to tell you.

At first, you two sat in silence, but you were already grateful for that because he didn’t push you away. You waited for him patiently, listening to the breathing of his that became more and more ragged as time went by, and you watched as he fidgeted with his fingers, clearly unable to know what to do with them.

Then, when he spoke up after god knows how long, his voice came calmly yet shattered just like rain on an autumn night. Just as much as it was well-needed, you didn’t know how it would end; would it turn into a downpour? A thunderstorm even? Would it leave destruction? Or would it be passing by in peace?

“I do not want others to look at me the way I see myself. A mere boy king, ever so weak and unprepared. I am so afraid that they would be disappointed in me after my father who was a role model for many. I am-” Yeonjun started, his voice cracking at this point. His head hung low by this time, then he covered his face with his hands, unable to look into your eyes anymore.

You could feel the frustration steaming from his words, you could feel his doubt and feel his insecurities. Something you would have never expected to see from him were out there, raw and bare.

“No one expects you to be like your father, merely because you are you and he was himself. You can be just as good of a King as he was, but in your own way,” you reasoned, hoping that mere words could lift some weight off his shoulders, but if anything, they just made him more desperate.

“But I do not know how to be a good king,” he cried out, words practically bleeding, stabbing you through your heart. The atmosphere became so dark and hopeless, burgundy and black covering you two, shutting off every single source of light, triggering a suffocating feeling. You were feeling this way, so how could Yeonjun be feeling?

“You will become a good king, eventually. The same way you put your trust into me because you saw that I had a queen inside of me, I am telling you that you have a king inside of you. An exceptional one,” you carried on sincerely, and your heart skipped a beat when you caught sight of the boy’s shoulders shaking.

Yeonjun was crying.

You didn’t hesitate to reach out to him - gently as if you were treating a child yet firmly, not taking oppositions -, yank his hands off his face to prompt him to look at you, and when he did so, you saw the first crystal teardrops sliding down his cheeks, tinting his ever so pale skin in a shining light. You felt yourself tearing up as well, hands gently holding his and pulling himself closer to you, so that you could embrace him with all your sincerity and affection.

You wanted him to share the burden, and eventually, you felt him relaxing in your arms, holding onto you ever so tightly and desperately, his tears flowing like a river, you sobbing with him, and the two of you stayed there, in each other’s arms, crying over the cruelty of fate, the bittersweet memories of the past, the weight of the present and the uncertainty of the future, until Yeonjun dozed off and you stayed there to guard him for the night, eventually closing your eyes when you saw him sleeping soundlessly for good enough of a time.

Waking up in each other’s arms in the next morning was something you wouldn’t have expected beforehand if it hadn’t been for the circumstances last night, but when you turned your head to look at Yeonjun and he was already staring at you, the sparkles moving back onto the canvas of his night sky eyes, you realized that you could have gotten used to this sight.

“Good morning!” He called gently, his voice a bit raspy due to the early hour in the morning and the fact that he hadn’t spoken for some time. His lips curled into a soft smile, and the rays of sunshine that shone upon his features made it seem like he was golden, glowing and bathing in the tangerine and light purple light of the sunrise.

“Good morning!” You reciprocated his smile, finding it easy to be so cozy around him. In that moment, you felt like you two were merely young adults without any title or responsibilities, gazing at each other as if it had been the first time you had seen each other so close and letting your thoughts wander in the maze of your own twisted feelings. “How are you feeling?” you inquired, barely a whisper.

Yeonjun gave you a little nod of his head and a tender smile. He already looked so much better than last night, and you wished, oh how you wished that you had gone to him sooner, so that he would be able to pour his heart out to you as soon as possible.

“Better,” he answered briefly, his fingers tracing the skin on your arms ever so carefully as if you would yank your hand away anytime.

Even though you liked to appear strong and independent, you realized you didn’t mind being so soft and gently caressed beside him. You had grown to like him more and more with each passing day, and last night had made you fall for him even harder. It had been a crash, ever so quick and ever so painful, but oh, that kind of pain was the best you could have wished for!

“Thank you for coming to me last night,” he spoke up suddenly, gently shuttering the silence into tiny pieces. You felt your heart tugging at the way he blinked at you from under his dark, delicate eyelashes, examined you through the lenses of his mesmerizing, jade-like eyes and smiled with those mellow, plush lips of his.

“I reckon it may be difficult, but please… don’t push away those who care about you,” you pleaded almost desperately, but you would have given everything to not see him so heartbroken ever again. Everyone needed a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on from time to time, even the strongest and most invincible kings, and he needed to know that.

Yet, you didn’t realize what you had just said until his eyes widened a bit and clear surprise was written all over his features. Well, if it hadn’t already been evident, you did care about him, and not just as a part of your duty as his wife and the queen. No one had forced you to go up to him last night and stay with him, and he seemed to know that as well for he held you a bit closer to his chest and a bit tighter this time, whispering into your ears:

“I won’t.”

After that time, Yeonjun seemed to be doing a bit better. Not instantly and not on a big scale, but he seemed to have taken your words and your offer seriously, going back to you to talk whenever he had something on his mind. It wasn’t easy for him to open up, you could see that, there were a lot of things he had needed to overcome to be able to pour his heart out, but he did so, and you couldn’t have been more grateful for his bravery.

Because it indeed takes great courage to tell someone about your utmost feelings, and he did so, resulting in you two having heartfelt conversations under the cherry blossom rain that fell from the trees in the palace’s garden, in the grandiose library and in either of your chambers. Even though you two still had your separate rooms, you began to frequently visit each other’s as well.

Soon, as the loss of the late king was still evident on a day-to-day basis but a bit more bearable, the palace was yet again filled with joyous chatter, the childish games of the brothers and more and more events, shared meals and heartwarming moments. The trade talks and business meetings continued on with the King following his father’s advice and making decisions accordingly to what he had been taught.

You knew it had been extremely difficult for Yeonjun to be taken seriously when he had become the youngest King out of all the kingdoms’ monarchs, but he learned a lot, and he didn’t back away, no matter what kind of hardships arose. He stood strong and still like a statue, his people respecting him more and more, seeing a good example in the way he ruled over Magic Island.

Sometimes he needed to be away from the palace for weeks because of a political matter, and during those times, you found yourself wandering in his chamber, missing him with all his cheeky smiles and flirtatious remarks, missing the way he chortled and the way joy bubbled up inside of you hearing his wholehearted laughter, missing the way he ruffled his blondish locks that could seem white or golden depending whether you had seen it at night under the moonlight or during the day under the bright sun, and missing the way your heart was picking up its speed whenever his fingers accidentally traced along your skin or whenever he held you in his arms when it had been you who had been going through a tough time.

You didn’t know whether love was supposed to bloom from mutual respect, trust and sincerity, but you two had sure built up on it, even though the actions had been subtle and cautious. It was odd how someone who was as confident and sometimes smug as Yeonjun could be so hesitant when he wanted to reach out to you, and just how tenderly he touched your face to wipe off a tear or brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear. His dark, deep eyes were always on you whenever he touched you like that as if he had been afraid to hurt you, but you had never, ever pushed him away.

So when once, after he had gotten back from a political trip, you were sitting on a bench in the garden, colourful autumn leaves accumulating underneath your feet, it wasn’t surprising when he reached out to your hand, holding it firmly yet softly.

“You may think that what I’m going to say is crazy, but I have been meaning to do it for some time,” he started confidently, flashing a bright smile at you, but you could feel the slight tremble of his words, and you needed to squint your eyes in question.

“I can stop you nevertheless, you know,” you pointed out ever so cheekily, and you managed to soothe his nerves a bit seeing how widely he smiled hearing your remark. That was the Yeonjun you had known from the start, and this was the side of him you had always wished to see because you would know that he was doing alright if he could be so carefree around you.

“I hope you won’t though,” he protested, your curiosity growing upon seeing the way he was trying to build up his courage to continue. He shook his head a bit, his features softening. He also cleared his throat, an obvious sign he was going to tell you something serious and important.

You raised an eyebrow curiously, your heart picking up its speed. You weren’t sure what he was going to say but you were sure that he was going to mean it.

“So…” He cleared his throat yet again, looking back at you and straight into your eyes. He gave your hands a light squeeze, an indication that he was trying to ground himself. “I think I began to respect you because of your sincerity, but then that respect turned into trust and that trust turned into love, and I know our marriage has started off as more or less conventional, but now I wish this marriage could be as sincere as possible,” he confessed straight away, your lips curling upwards as you were reminded of how it had all started.

He was right; you hadn’t liked him in the beginning. In fact, you had envied him for his seemingly perfect life, loving family and carefree attitude. However, you had wanted to help him, and he had always been way better than any other prince you had met before, and you had trusted that he would stay as decent as ever before.

Then came the death of the late King and with that, all the internal turmoil the newly coronated King had gone through. Cracking through the walls Yeonjun had been building around himself hadn’t been easy. In fact, you had questioned yourself multiple times, and you had needed to push until he had given in, but oh, it had all been worthy for everything that had followed that night when he had first cried his eyes into the croak of your neck. If you had built a bridge based on trust beforehand, now it had been secured with unbreakable pillars.

Your love for him and his love for you were of the most sincere and genuine types, and just like the trees bloomed every spring in the palace’s garden, you were as hopeful about your future with him.

Especially when suddenly he crouched down in front of you, taking something out of his coat’s pocket that turned out to be a ring when you looked at it better. You immediately gasped, Yeonjun cracking a bit of a smile seeing your reaction. His features became solemn yet again only when silence seemed to stretch too far between you two.

“Would you give me the honour and be my wife? My queen? With all the sincerity this time?” he asked, almost pleading. It hadn’t been the first time he had asked for your hand, but both of you knew that the first one had been different. That’s exactly why this time felt more special.

“Yes, I would love to,” you gave in without thinking twice, tears swelling up in the corner of your eyes. You would have never thought that you would tear up at such an occasion, but you wouldn’t even have thought that you would love the one you would marry.

“Oh dear, I was so nervous.” Yeonjun chuckled, his shoulders slumping in relief. You smiled at him gently, watching as he assisted you with the ring, and looked up at you when he finished, almost proud. “I love you. Truly, deeply, sincerely.”

“I love you, too, Yeonjun,” you confessed and just as every single time, you were honest. Those words always came from the bottom of your heart, just like the kiss that followed his sincere proposal, just like the years that followed your marriage.

[a-blue-secret]

CHAPTER IV

BACK TO MASTERLIST

Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V

GENRES: royal au; fantasy au; magic au; friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; king!beomgyu, vizier!taehyun

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: none

WORD COUNT: 3.2k+

AN: I did a little fencing when I was younger, so this is based on my very limited experience. I had fun writing this part- there's not as much angst!

SUMMARY: Best friends turned enemies, Kang Taehyun has managed to trick Choi Beomgyu into his service, and to rule for a year and a day, until his youngest brother would be old enough to take the throne. Choi Beomgyu has no intention of being obedient however, and tries to thwart Taehyun’s orders at every turn. With a growing amount of distrust and lies within the court, will Taehyun manage to keep the kingdom of Gojongja from falling apart?

So how good are you at fencing, Yeonjun?” Beomgyu asked, picking up his foil. He’d already finished getting dressed, and was waiting for Yeonjun to be ready too.

“Me? Oh, I am by no means a master,” Yeonjun said as a servant tightened his gloves. “But I am rather good, if I do say so myself. How about you, Your Greatness?”

“Well, I am a master myself. Be prepared to lose in the sorest ways possible,” Beomgyu grinned. Yeonjun smiled back, picking up his own mask and foil. “Ready?”

Yeonjun nodded, and stepped aside. “After you, Your Greatness.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“En guarde.”

They raised their foils towards each other.

“Pret.”

Beomgyu was rather surprised to see Yeonjun’s stance looking so firm. No one he’d sparred with had looked that comfortable in a fencing stance before.

“Aller.”

Beomgyu advanced almost immediately, thrusting his foil out towards Yeonjun’s side. The elder back-stepped quickly, staying just out of reach. They exchanged hits, moving backwards and forwards as they alternatively defended and attacked. Finally, Beomgyu managed to strike Yeonjun on his back, using the flexibility of the foil to curve it round to touch Yeonjun. They parted, panting.

"Break?" Beomgyu offered. Yeonjun nodded, already taking off his face guard.

As a servant handed them a towel each, they walked over to a table with drinks on them.

"Wow, you're pretty good," Yeonjun marveled, gulping down the water. "No one I've met has ever been able to perform that so well before."

"Thanks," Beomgyu said, patting the towel along his hairline. "It takes ages to master as well. I'm not surprised there are few people you know who can execute it."

"How did you learn it?"

"My father," Beomgyu explained. "He was a general slash Lord. He taught me how to fence, how to do bareback horse riding, how to sword fight, and so much other stuff."

Yeonjun nodded. "Wow. Your father sounds so cool."

Beomgyu smiled. "He was. Anyway, how did you learn fencing?"

"In court. I was born a noble, so it's kind of a given that I had to know how to do it, so I was taught by fencing masters."

"Cool. Here in Gojongja, I believe we have a swordsmanship school where the kids can learn sword fighting and fencing. It's kind of like a summer camp thing I think? I heard we had it anyway."

"I heard that you do."

Beomgyu set down his glass, and placed his mask on top of his head. "Ready to go again?"

Yeonjun grinned. "Get ready to be beaten by me."

Beomgyu laughed, taking his foil from a servant as they walked back. "Oh, you wish."

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

"It almost looked like you were using a whip! How did you do that?"

Beomgyu and Yeonjun finished fencing (with Yeonjun not even managing to touch Beomgyu once), and Beomgyu suggested they go do archery. They were currently walking through the castle to find the door which led to the outdoor fields.

Beomgyu laughed. "You're not going to let go of that, are you?"

"No, I'm not! I've never seen someone do that before!"

Beomgyu let out a chuckle, tapping the side of his nose. "It's a secret."

"...It was luck, wasn't it?"

"What are you talking about?? It was a tactic which I 100% meant to use, and how dare you think otherwise!"

"Yeah it was. Don't deny."

".... Okay fine, maybe it was, but it was still cool, right?"

Yeonjun looked at Beomgyu, and they both burst out laughing. Their light-hearted banter reminded Beomgyu of how it used to be between him and Taehyun. With Taehyun always saying a sarcastic comment, or seeing through Beomgyu's bravado, and then all it took was one shared glance and they'd start laughing. The thought made Beomgyu a little sad, and then angry. He pushed thoughts of Taehyun aside. He shouldn't be thinking about the younger. Right now, it was about bonding with Yeonjun, and becoming friends.

"So," Beomgyu said. "You have any experience in archery?"

"Oh, loads," Yeonjun said. "I'm a bit of a Robin Hood myself."

"Ah," Beomgyu sighed regretfully. "I'm not the best archer in the field, so it seems like in this sport you'll have the upper hand."

"Hey, don't doubt yourself," Yeonjun said. "You never know! You might beat me again."

"No, but archery seriously isn't my strong suit," Beomgyu said. "I remember in one of my archery classes, we were meant to hit the board which was like three metres away, and I managed to get the arrow caught in the tree. Behind us."

Yeonjun laughed. "But this was when you were little, right? Surely much has changed since then."

"It was five years ago."

"See? Five years! Not that bad, eh?"

"I was twenty."

"Ah." It was obvious Yeonjun was at a bit of a loss as to what to say to that. Beomgyu laughed, nudging Yeonjun.

"I'm joking! I was five. This wasn't five years ago, don't worry. I've improved since then, I'm sure. I think. I hope."

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

Beomgyu stared at Yeonjun's target. The elder had managed to get two in the bullseye, and three in the red ring. He was watching intently as Yeonjun shot his last arrow.

Thwip!

It landed right in the center of the yellow bullseye, and Beomgyu clapped.

“Whoo! Well done!”

Yeonjun grinned, and playfully bowed. “Well, I did say I was a master at archery.” He sighed a little regretfully, walking up to the target to tug at the arrows. “It’s annoying I didn’t get these three in the bullseye too.”

“You're good, though. Like, really good."

"Thanks. How did you- oh," Yeonjun laughed, seeing Beomgyu's target. Beomgyu had managed to hit everywhere apart from the centre. "Hey, at least you hit one into the red ring, right?"

"That one I shot with my eyes closed."

"Even better!"

Beomgyu laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "I was aiming for the target's leg."

"You what?!"

“Yeah. That was my last arrow, and I thought, ah, whatever, let’s just aim for the leg stand, and then it just flew straight to the red ring.”

Yeonjun shook his head in wonder. “Wow. I guess archery really isn’t your area of expertise, huh?”

“Standing archery isn’t, but I can do it pretty well on horseback," Beomgyu said conversationally, going to take his arrows out of his own target.

“Woah,” Yeonjun said. “I can sort of do it, but isn’t it harder when you’re moving?”

“I dunno,” Beomgyu shrugged. “I find it easier because the momentum adds to the power of the arrow, and I was pretty much brought up on horseback.” He mimed going up and down as if on a horse, and brought an imaginary bow up to eye level and mimed shooting into the air. “Yeah, I find it easier on horseback.”

“That’s so weird! Most people are the other way round, because you have to take your hands off the horse, and your legs are like the only thing securing you. You must have really strong thighs then.”

“Yeah,” Beomgyu laughed. “I do. But my butt’s been hurting like hell recently every time I’ve gotten on a horse, so I’ve been taking a break from horse riding.”

“Well, you still up for a little horse riding session?”

“Hell yeah! I miss Toto.”

“Toto?”

“He’s my horse! Well, I say mine, but really he’s one with nature.” Beomgyu began talking animatedly to Yeonjun about Toto as they walked to the stables. “Oh, and just a fair word of warning: some of our horses are very, um, unique.”

“Unique, huh?” Yeonjun laughed. “We have unique horses back home. One of them has three legs.”

“Three legs? They’re not a race horse, are they?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I said yes, would you?”

“No way! You make the three-legged horse run a race?”

“No, but Nellie is really, really good. Seriously! She’s won three times out of the five races she’s competed in.”

“Three-legged horse wins the race, hmm?” Beomgyu mused. "Well, our horses are even more unique than that."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. You'll see."

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

“I… When you said they were unique, I didn’t think you meant like this.” Yeonjun was staring at a horse in a dumbfounded state. The horse nickered, tossing its orange mane. Yeonjun started a little, stepping away. His wide eyes were fixed on her orange, beak-like muzzle. “How do you even breed these types of horses?”

“Easy. They breed among themselves. No, we don’t cross-breed the different animals,” Beomgyu laughed at Yeonjun’s shocked stare. “Starburst, for example, the horse you’re looking at. She’s just like that. We think a curse, but we’re not sure. Orion over there, though, is a type of elemental horse we found in the woods. He's among the last of his kind, and we're breeding them until they flourish again.” Beomgyu patted Orion's watery muzzle. "We're going to protect you, aren't we? As for Starburst, we're trying to make sure she stays okay while under a curse."

“How old is she?” Yeonjun asked, still standing a good deal away from Starburst.

“I don’t know. I think Taehyun said she’s been around even before he was born.”

“Woah.” Yeonjun raised his eyebrows. “He’s around the same age as you, isn’t he? And Starburst looks so young.”

“Yeah, Kang’s a year younger than me. I dunno, she might be immortal.”

“Can I…?” Yeonjun gestured to the horse.

“Oh yeah, yeah,” Beomgyu said. “Despite her appearance, she doesn’t bite. Well, she doesn’t bite much. Stroke her nose. She likes that.”

“How do you know so much about them?” Yeonjun asked, gingerly reaching out to Starburst. “About court and stuff.”

“Kang and I used to be best friends. He told me so much about everything. Also, I’ve been doing my own asking around. I like horses.” Beomgyu walked up to a greenish horse with a feather-like mane standing in the corner. “Hello, hello. Yes, I’m back now. Did you miss me?” The horse whinnied, tossing its mane before nuzzling its nose into Beomgyu’s shoulder. The boy laughed, stroking the horse. “Alright, alright, I get it. I missed you too, Toto. Are you ready for a ride?” He turned to Yeonjun. “You picked a horse yet?” he asked.

Yeonjun was still staring in surprise at the unusual horses. “I knew you had pegasi,” he said. “Those take part in your wars and parades. I knew about the unicorns, ‘cause we have them too. But everything else?” He turned around, face a mixture of shock and awe. “I didn’t even know half of them existed.”

“Benefits of our long history of preserving wildlife and our abundance of wild forests, I guess,” Beomgyu said, taking out a brush. “Anyway, do you want me to choose you a horse? Tell me what you want and I’ll pick for you.”

“No, no it’s okay,” Yeonjun said slowly. “I’ll go with Starburst.”

Beomgyu nodded. “Good choice. Seems like she likes you as well. Oh! Yeonjun, meet Toto. They said he’s a breed of Amazona Equus. Apparently he’s a parrot-horse? I’ve never seen him sprout wings though, so yeah.”

“Well, uh, nice to meet you, Toto. My name is Lord Yeonjun.” Yeonjun bowed to the horse. Toto regarded Yeonjun for a few moments, before inclining his head in a bow of his own. Yeonjun smiled at Beomgyu in disbelief. “Did he just bow back at me?”

“Yep,” Beomgyu smiled. “It means he trusts you.” Yeonjun gave a smile.

"Okay, so let's go brush and tack the horses. Meet back in front of the stables?" Yeonjun asked. Beomgyu nodded.

"See you then!"

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

"Whoo!" Beomgyu yelled. "Race you to the oak tree!"

"Hey!" Yeonjun called. "That's not fair! You're in front of me!"

"Come and catch up then, slowpoke!" Beomgyu laughed over his shoulder, galloping full speed towards the tree. He yelled out again, the yell turning into an overjoyed laugh at the end. His face was split into a wide grin. God, he'd missed this. The stinging wind whipping against his cheeks, the feeling of the powerful horse beneath his legs, the exhilaration he felt from riding. He'd missed it.

He glanced over his shoulder back at Yeonjun, who was riding behind on Starburst. He grinned. Leaning forward, he patted Toto’s neck.

“You ready? Wanna do the trick?”

Toto flicked his ears, letting out a neigh as they continued to canter towards the tree. Beomgyu laughed. “Okay bud. Get ready, ‘kay? I’m trusting you!”

Gingerly, Beomgyu released Toto’s reins. Toto seemed undeterred, continuing to go forward at a steady pace. Now was the hard part. Gritting his teeth, Beomgyu brought his knees up, closer to the saddle, before slowly easing them up further until he was crouching on Toto’s back. He looked back at Yeonjun.

“Wanna see something cool?” he yelled. Then, he stood up on Toto’s back fully, raising his arms up and letting out a loud whoop. Yeonjun cried out, either in terror or amazement, Beomgyu wasn’t sure. He couldn’t hear much over the whistling of the wind and the happiness in his heart.

“Whoo!” He tilted his head back, closing his eyes. But he immediately shot them open again, seeing that they were close to the tree. He jumped back down into the saddle again, laughing. “Was that fun? God, I haven’t done that in ages.” Toto flicked his ears again, and Beomgyu grinned, riding faster.

When they we're a short distance away from the tree, Beomgyu pulled at the reins, slowing Toto down to a walk. Yeonjun came thundering up beside him a few moments later, grinning and panting hard.

“Oh my god! You actually did that?”

Beomgyu laughed. “Oh, it’s nothing special.”

“Special? You stood on a horse’s back! And at that speed too!”

Beomgyu shrugged. “I find it easier at higher speeds.”

"Wow!" Yeonjun laughed. "I don't think I've ever galloped that hard before."

"Better get used to it," Beomgyu grinned. "Here in Gojongja, we ride hard and fast."

"Evidently," Yeonjun said, still out of breath. "Why don't we, uh, go for a little walk?"

"Okay," Beomgyu laughed. "Follow me. There's a cool lake around here somewhere I think."

Beomgyu and Yeonjun rode side by side, in amiable silence.

"So, tell me Yeonjun," Beomgyu said. "What was your life like in Aruyeonan court?"

"My life? My life was, well, almost ordinary for an Aruyeo noble. I live in a big house, have a large inheritance, have matters within court. I suppose what makes me different, however, is the fact that I always have matters within court. Her Supreme Highness is fond of a few select nobles, and those are the ones which she sees all the time."

"I assume you're one of them?"

"Yes. While you here in Gojongja have meetings with lots of Lords and generals, we narrow it down to five people plus the Queen."

"Ah yes, your Queen does not have a vizier, does she?"

"Queen Erajin does not, no."

"Hmm. Ah, we're near. See that shiny, round thing in the distance? That's the lake. We nicknamed it 'the Shield', because in just the right angle it looks like it's a huge, silver shield."

"Who's 'we'?"

"Oh, Kang and I. We used to come here," Beomgyu muttered. "But anyway! Here we are. You up for another race there?"

"You bet," Yeonjun grinned, already galloping off.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

They reached the lake and dismounted, letting the horses drink and rest for a little. The two of them wandered a little aimlessly around the lake.

You know," Beomgyu said, "I have experience within the Aruyeo court as well. You probably don't remember, but about two or three years ago I came to stay in your court."

"Oh really?" Yeonjun raised his eyebrows. "Hm, no, I don't think I remember."

"You guys were really welcoming," Beomgyu remembered. "Especially this one Lord. I can't remember his name exactly -I think it was foreign?- but he was adopted by the Jinju Choi clan. Kai? I think that's his name? Wait- Yukai? No, no, I remember. Hueningkai. He was really kind."

Yeonjun tripped over a pebble. "Sorry, didn't see the rock. Hueningkai, huh? Hmm… I know a lot of the nobles in my court, but I can't remember seeing a Hueningkai…"

"I dunno. He was really nice. I remember him because he was adopted by this clan, so he wasn't even native to Aruyeo court. And yet, he was welcomed so readily. You could see it, because everyone greeted him so normally. It was obvious he wasn't a pure Jinju Choi, and yet they didn't treat him any differently. It was nice."

Yeonjun nodded slowly. "We in Aruyeo pride ourselves on making no one feel excluded. It's one of the things we are adamant about."

"You guys sure do a good job of it then." Beomgyu laughed slightly. "I must confess, there were times I felt more at home within Aruyeo than I'd ever felt inside Gojongja." Yeonjun gave a small, proud smile.

They stood there, silently. Beomgyu was staring down into the lake, but Yeonjun was looking out back into the direction of the palace. He squinted.

"Hang on… is that Kang Taehyun?"

"Hm?" Beomgyu turned around, following Yeonjun's line of sight. "Oh. Yeah it is."

"And is he riding that horse… bareback?"

"Yeah." Beomgyu turned away, walking up to Toto before mounting the horse. "He's coming to lecture us about staying out. Must be almost supper."

"That's so cool though. He's riding bareback!"

"Eh, he's gonna lose his cool in a minute if we don't get going."

They both began making their way back to the palace, and Taehyun, seeing that they were coming towards him, halted his horse to wait for them.

"Do you know how long you were gone for?" Taehyun glared when Beomgyu was within hearing distance.

"No, and I don't care," Beomgyu retorted. "And did you seriously have to come riding bareback?"

"What, you have a problem with it?" Taehyun scoffed, turning the horse around back to the direction of the palace, Beomgyu a couple of places behind. "You shouldn't have a problem with it. It's better for the horses to have no saddle on them anyway."

"Uh huh."

"You're just mad that I'm right," Taehyun said. "Anyway, would Lord Yeonjun care to join us for dinner? It seems a little mean to get him to eat on his own."

"Since when did you care about seeming mean?" Beomgyu scoffed. Taehyun glared at him.

"Shut up. That's rude."

"Hey, don't tell the King to shut up. That's rude."

"Anyway," Taehyun said. "Would you like to eat with us? You spent the whole day with His Greatness, so perhaps it's only fit you eat with us as well."

Yeonjun inclined his head. "I'd be much obliged." He gave a slight grin. "I've been having meals in my room these last few days, so a change of scenery will be nice."

"Well let's hope there is any food suitable enough to eat," Taehyun said, glaring at Beomgyu. "It's an hour past supper time. An hour!"

"Stop nagging, geez! You sound like a mum. Ow! What the heck?”

Taehyun hit Beomgyu around the back of his head, causing the elder to glare at him.

“I’m the King! You can’t just go round hitting me on the head! What were you doing??”

“Simply trying to knock some sense into you,” Taehyun said calmly. “But then I realised you didn’t have any in the first place.”

Beomgyu rolled his eyes, before slowing down his horse so that he was in step with Yeonjun. “See? Kang has literally no respect for me whatsoever.”

“I can hear you,” Taehyun called. “And hurry up, or you’re not getting any food at all.”

[heartriki]

your tag on that archer beomgyu post HE REALLY DID A CUPID ON US

RIGHT!!!!! like we already like u why'd u go and do that💔

[srcasticking]

TXT Character Sheet(?)

Probably poor translations of their stats, but I wanted to put it out there. The style replicates D&D and their levels are their ages!

Yeonjun:

Lvl 22 Paladin (Knight), MAX STRENGTH

“Sweet and Fluffy Cotton Candy”

Soobin:

Lvl 21 Ranger (Archer), MAX WISDOM

“Bowden-Bin” (old english i think?)

Beomgyu:

Lvl 20 Druid (Mentalist), MAX DEXTERITY

“ANGEL313”

Taehyun:

Lvl 19 Sorcerer (Adventurer), MAX INTELLIGENCE

“Moonlight Spirit”

HueningKai:

Lvl 19 Bard (Mystic). MAX CHARISMA

“Why don’t you just summon cute animals?”

[soobeannie]

hmm so yeonjun knight, soobin archer, beomgyu druid, taehyun adventurer & hyuka mystic🤔