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restlessmaknae · 1 year ago

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came the light // lee byounggon [bx]

As a princess in exile with a bad reputation, you can't understand why Byounggon would want to spend time with you, but there's no stopping him, let alone the feelings that he evokes in you.

➳ Characters: magical medic!Byounggon x princess!reader/you

➳ Genre: romance, fantasy, magical realism, kingdom au, angst, fluff

➳ Words: 10.2k

➳ Warning: mentions of fire, having a fever, arranged marriages, a prince grabs reader by the wrist without permission

➳ Spotify playlist (title is taken from 'Here For You' by CIX)

➳ A/N: This story had the third most votes in my recent poll, so I hope it lives up to your expectations. 🥰

Check out the fall into you, my abyss // CIX magical kingdom series masterpost!

➳ CIX taglist: @wccycc, @dat-town, @tsunchani, @s00buwu

You were 18 years old when your parents first tried to wed you off to a prince, but his timid self stood no chance against someone like you - someone whose words were like knives aimed perfectly at his heart, cutting into his insecurities and weaknesses. The wedding proposal was called off right after your first encounter with him.

You were 20 years old when your parents tried to wed you off to a prince from a different kingdom, hoping that the rumours about you that had spread over the years died down enough to not scare his family away. You might have spoken with knives, but Prince Sangdo didn’t obey any rules, he overruled them. Even if you asked him to keep his distance - to respect your privacy -, he didn’t listen to you. A week before the wedding was supposed to happen, he visited the palace, he visited you in your chambers uninvited, and what happened afterwards put an end to this wedding as well.

You didn’t regret it one bit - in fact, you wished Prince Sangdo could have rotted in a faraway place -, but it was you who was sent far away from your kingdom, from the cages of the palace where you had grown up. You were sent to Medicalia - the kingdom where some people possessed magical healing powers. Magical medicine was mostly used on the members of the Medicalia royal court including the royal family and the royal army, plus magical creatures that lived in the woods or in the mountains - such as fairies, unicorns and werewolves - or serving the kingdom - such as dragons guarding the palace. Magical medicine was also extremely rare since only magic practitioners could deal with it because they were the ones born with the ability to tame magic, but even they needed thorough practice and extensive training to be able to make use of their abilities to their full potential.

At least, that’s what you were told when you were ordered to pack up and leave after an exchange of letters between the two kingdoms. The magic in your kingdom - Animalia - lied in the ability to tame and speak to animals, and that’s exactly why most kingdoms were always indebted to you. You sent people to other kingdoms to tame their animals - such as the dragons guarding the royal palaces and the unicorns that had an excellent smell to detect magical plants - you shared your magic with them whereas it was extremely rare for other kingdoms to share their magic with others. For instance, Medicalia reserved their magical medics for the royal court while Naturalia boosted the magic of nature, and the trading of their magical plants was limited to their kingdom only.

That’s why it was ridiculously easy to send you into exile in another kingdom, and the only thing your father - the King - said before leaving was to not make more trouble. You were sent off in a carriage with a coachman and a servant, not even a royal guard was sent with you. Then again, what could they possibly guard? You weren’t worth their protection, for sure. You didn’t need to be told that you were only one mistake away from being disowned by your own parents since you were an asset, nothing else. A strategic move, the key to a strengthened connection between kingdoms and a woman forced into producing heirs.

The carriage suddenly came to a halt, but since the curtains were closed, you couldn’t peek outside. Based on the coachman’s muffled conversation from outside, you had a feeling that you were about to go through the gates of Medicalia’s royal court as it was around time you arrived.

A few minutes later, the carriage stopped again, but this time, there was a thud as the coachman got off the carriage and opened the door. He reached his hand out to help you down before doing the same for the servant girl they sent with you.

“They have sent word that we arrived, so they will be here soon to guide you to your… new home,” the elderly man laughed nervously after he stumbled upon the word. Indeed, what could he call it? Home? Runaway hideout? Prison?

You could feel the curious eyes on you as you stood there with the coachman and the servant girl in front of the carriage with your kingdom’s symbol painted over it, waiting for someone to show you to your place. Even though it was kept secret why you were coming here in the first place, you knew that these things didn’t stay a secret for long - at least, not in your kingdom.

“Is she the princess from Animalia?”

“She looks younger than I thought.”

“Is it true that she nearly killed a prince?”

You looked the woman in the eye who asked the last question, and she immediately sealed her lips, grabbing the arm of the woman beside her and turning around to go in the opposite direction. Your gaze didn’t waver, you looked straight into the wandering eyes of the strangers - court ladies, soldiers and servants passing by - with your chin up high. You only seemed weak when you let it show, and you didn’t let it show.

Most, if not all, people looked away when you caught their eyes, and it was almost amusing how they scampered away when they realised that you heard them. So naive of them to assume that you shut not just your ears but your eyes to the rumours around you.

There was one particular boy - a young man probably around your age - who stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of you, squinting his eyes at you. You looked back at him, taking in the messy midnight locks that stuck to his forehead, his sharp jawline that was in contrast to the bright, gentle edge to his almond-shaped eyes, his plump lips that failed to curl into a disapproving line like most people’s who caught your eyes. He wore a burgundy-black tunic that seemed to match the ones others were wearing around you, but it seemed more practical with its bat-wing sleeves than elegant, so you had a feeling that he wasn’t of royalty.

You tilted your head, still keeping the eye-contact, and that’s when he looked away as if he was suddenly reminded of why he was passing by, and started running again. You furrowed your eyebrows in question. What was that about?

You shook your head as a court lady came up to you to assist you with your baggage and show you to your place. You had a medium-sized room to yourself in the court with a bathroom attached to it, the rooms on your end still unoccupied and waiting for possible future guests, except for the one that they reserved for the servant girl who came with you. You were told that the Queen would welcome you the following day, and the same court lady who escorted you would bring you breakfast, lunch and dinner from the royal court kitchen, you wouldn’t need to fetch it yourself.

You thanked the young woman with a bow and a polite smile, and you saw surprise flash across her orbs as she let you settle into your new room. You didn’t ponder over the change in her expression for long, you were used to it after all. The cautious glances in your direction, the nasty gossip behind your back, and the sugarcoated words to coax you into a favour.

Too bad you weren’t one to play the dumb and ignore it all, you stood up for yourself, but that’s exactly what your parents disapproved of, that’s exactly why you were here.

Days passed by, and you seemed to fall into a routine in the meantime. In the morning, you would go for a walk in the garden of the royal court, sitting by the pond as the sun rose on the horizon, breaking the plain surface of the water into many different colours of ripe orange, rose-gold and wild apple-red. The court was tranquil at this time around, and that’s exactly what you needed. Apart from the kitchen staff who woke up early to prepare breakfast, others weren’t up around this time, so you didn’t need to bear more curious glances and more nasty accusations.

After your morning stroll, you would head back to your room, have breakfast, then read until lunchtime. Afternoon was served for whatever purpose the palace had for you: the day after you arrived, you met the Queen, after that, you met Princess Jinhee, on the third day, you were shown to the library of the court (a smaller version of what the royal family had at the palace, but nevertheless as impressive), and today, you were on your way to meet with the ladies who took care of handiwork including embroidery, sewing and tailoring.

The Queen said that these first few days will be about showing you around the court, so you knew whom to ask in need of assistance, and so that the court members could become familiar with you. You didn’t ask whether it was to dissuade their gossip or not, but you didn’t need to know that. After all, it was a wise suggestion on her part, and it wasn’t something you had complaints about. Here, you could freely roam around (with your servants following you if needed), you could spend time reading and painting in your room, and no one would ask you why. Here, you could bathe and clean yourself, you could choose and put on your clothes yourself, you didn’t need others to do it for you. Here, you could eat whatever they offered you, your meals didn’t go through your mother’s restricting wishes.

This day too, you were followed by Huisoo - the servant girl who came from Animalia with you - and Sieun showed the way - the servant girl who was appointed to you in Medicalia - as always, but as you turned a corner, the young man with the squinted eyes from last time halted beside you, his mouth forming a big ‘O’ as he caught sight of you.

“Are you the princess from Animalia?” He asked enthusiastically, and if you didn’t know any better, you would assume that he had heard only good things about you before.

When you nodded, still cautiously watching out for the change in his body language, his lips curled into a smile, the kind that made his eyes disappear. Then, he put his hands on his abdomen before bowing in a 90 degree angle towards you.

“My name is Lee Byounggon. I work as a magical medic for the royal family, so if you need any assistance magical medicine-wise, do not hesitate to ask for me,” he introduced himself when he straightened his back, the smile not fading from his lips. Despite his otherwise sharp and cold features from the day you had gotten here, he seemed gentle and warm now. The way he approached you also showed that he wasn’t one of those court members who passed by you as quickly as possible, he introduced himself head-on. He was the first one to do so which made you question:

“Aren’t you scared of me? You must have heard the rumours.”

Byounggon either didn’t seem fazed by your question or he was prepared for it because his facial expressions didn’t change. He was also really easy to read, something that you had not been so used to since so many in the royal circles put on facades to hide behind including you.

“You know… I have a special ability,” the magical medic took one tiny step towards you as if he was about to tell a secret. “I can see into people’s souls through their eyes,” he added with a smile, but you merely rolled your eyes. Even though you were not born and raised here, you knew that such magic didn’t exist here or anywhere else for that matter.

Byounggon also sensed that you didn’t believe him in the slightest because he burst into laughter in the next second, and only when he composed himself, did he continue.

“I’m just kidding, but really… you don’t look like you wanted to hurt that prince, not on purpose for sure,” he explained rather candidly, and you didn’t feel like he was lying. Lies could be covered up with smiles, laughs, sarcasm, diverting the topic or simply escaping the situation, but he… he didn’t look like he was telling a fib.

“You don’t know anything about me,” you pointed out rather coldly nevertheless, your tone intended to lash out at him.

“That’s exactly why I don’t believe the rumours. Why should I judge you when I don’t know you?”

You weren’t one to get surprised, but this did take you aback. The way he said it so unwaveringly was new, unfamiliar. You weren’t used to it, especially not after what had happened to Prince Sangdo. Byounggon didn’t seem like he had ulterior motives to be trusting you like that, but you couldn’t let your guard down over one supportive line.

So you excused yourself, explaining to the magical medic that you were on your way to the handiwork ladies, and told the servants that you could go on. The young man seemed saddened by your sudden announcement, but he did let you go, waving in your way as you were walking away from him.

You were sitting by the pond as always, watching the sunrise a few days later. It would be another day you spent away from Animalia, and you had this pang in your chest that you couldn’t explain. You didn’t miss how you used to live in that palace, you didn’t miss the bravado you had to put on to seem like an obedient, perfect little daughter, you didn’t miss the way you were mocked for not having magic in your veins when both your parents - your mother could tame fire because she was from Elementalia and your father could talk to animals because he was from Animalia - and your sister did. Until the day your magic had surfaced, at least. Afterwards, you were a curse, the mistake in the carefully crafted plans, the wrong in all the rights and the flaw in the flawless family.

You didn’t miss any of it, and yet… you couldn’t quite get used to the freedom that you had here. Despite the fact that you were in exile, you didn’t feel like a prisoner here. Sure, you weren’t invited to Prince Jinyoung and Princess Yunkyeong’s wedding because so many other royal families would be there, and it was your parents’ wish not to be seen at such events, but otherwise, you could be free. You were no one special here, and you liked it that way.

“Oh, I see someone else is also an early riser!”

A cheerful voice disrupted your silent pondering, and you snapped your head back at the sudden visitor. You let out a sigh when you locked eyes with the not so unfamiliar stranger, and turned back to the pond in front of you instead.

“You must have been deep in thought, you didn’t even see me walking towards you,” Byounggon continued despite your attempt at ignoring him, and he only halted when he reached you. You could feel his gaze on you, curious yet tentative, but you didn’t respond to it, you continued looking ahead.

“I was, and it’s because I’ve never met anyone here at this time of the day before.”

“Well, consider yourself lucky today,” the medic blabbered cheerily, and without thinking twice, he sat down on the bench beside you. When you finally looked at him - deeming his action rather brazen -, he was already looking at you, and when you locked eyes, he flashed you a dimpled smile. Why he was grinning at someone like you - a princess from a far away kingdom with a bad reputation, someone who had supposedly almost killed her husband-to-be - was beyond you. Did he have no care in the world? Did he have no fear? Was he merely naive?

“Are you that bored, or are you just set on annoying me?”

“Annoying you?” Byounggon’s smile faltered, his bright features darkening. He looked so hurt suddenly, you almost felt bad for implying something like that. “Am I really annoying you?” He inquired, blinking rapidly with his ocean-deep, jet-black orbs, swimming in genuine care. When you looked him in the eye, you felt like looking into something rare, something precious: like a gemstone containing unknown magic, hidden away from the world for its power. And you… you were probably the last person who was worthy of seeing such a treasure.

You cleared your throat and averted your eyes to the pond, unable to bear his gaze any longer.

“I’m not used to company around here, and I didn’t expect anyone today either,” you blurted out honestly, feeling exposed for what your words might indicate. Maybe the magical medic also felt the weight of it for he seemed compromising instead of butthurt or overly nosy.

“Well, I can leave if you want me to,” he suggested right away, and he got to his feet even before you could tell him to stop. However, when you did confess that he didn’t have to leave, you could feel the grin spreading on his face even without turning his way. Gosh, why did he have to smile so brightly all the time? It was so… unusual for you.

Instead, you asked him to tell you something that he felt like sharing. Like an arrow that was fired, the boy’s words came on suddenly and flew like a river. He didn’t seem to be able to stop from the moment he started talking about his best friend, Seunghun, who was a soldier here, and with whom he had a special connection. When he said that it was a secret why, you rolled your eyes, assuming that he was joking yet again.

However, after he shared with you that he had actually saved Seunghun’s life, you thought that maybe he wasn’t lying about it. Seunghun’s parents had died when their house had caught on fire, and he would have died with them too, but Byounggon - who had been a little boy back then just like Seunghun himself and who had been living close to Seunghun’s home - had noticed the fire and dragged the boy out while risking his own life. His magic had barely resurfaced before the incident, but it had come out in full-force while he had been trying to save Seunghun’s life.

Then, Seunghun ended up at the palace with Byounggon and Byounggon’s father - who was a magical medic himself -, and they had been friends ever since. The two of them with Prince Jinyoung used to play hide and seek in this very garden before, and while he was talking about his childhood days, his eyes twinkled in a different light.

“Have you had friends like that, too?” He posed the question in his good-willed innocence when you were at the topic, but you could merely scoff.

“No. I had no friends at the palace. I couldn’t even consider my sister my friend even though she is only two years older than me,” you confessed, your words loaded with bitter poison. You had always been pitted against each other with your sister, and even though you had tried to make her see you as more than just an enemy, your sister had never let you. So gone was the naive little girl who had believed that she could make everything right if she had given her share of the cake to her sister or to give her the brand new doll you had gotten for your birthday, and it was replaced with the girl who was too mature and wise for her age, nevertheless all too pessimistic.

“It must have been lonely,” Byounggon broke the silence suddenly, shattering your flashbacks into tiny little pieces. Reality struck you hard, his words even more so, and for a moment, you felt like you were about to cry. So you pressed your lips tight and dug your nails into your skin, holding it in.

The medic might have sensed your discomfort or he merely wanted to fill the silence. Nevertheless, he started talking about the upcoming Festival of Day and Light to change the subject, the usual yearly festival for the fall equinox, and why it was special for them. Supposedly, they commemorated the gift of light while also appreciating the fact that darkness was needed for light to exist, so they lit candles while thinking of their loved ones, wishing them a bright year. The best way to light candles was to put them in lanterns and to place them on the little boats that were waiting for them by the riverside, and to watch them float away.

“You should definitely come celebrate it with us. There’s always a fun celebration outside of the court, and there are all kinds of delicacies and music and…”

“Why would I go? It’s not my tradition to celebrate,” you cut off his enthusiastic chatter, but he just shrugged his shoulders, his casual way of handling your harsh words resurfacing yet again.

“I wasn’t notified that the fall equinox was created just for our kingdom,” he counter-attacked playfully, and even though you were about to open your mouth to go against him, you realised that you couldn’t. He was right.

Hence, you bit your tongue, and didn’t say anything, just let him talk about whatever came to his mind until you were called for breakfast by Huisoo who seemed quite surprised to see you talking to the medic by the pond. What could you say though? You were surprised, too.

Two weeks later, when you finally managed to fall asleep after tossing and turning in bed for hours, shivers running up and down your spine, you dreamed of a fire.

You were standing inside the fire, the flames dancing around you, and whenever you tried to move, they followed you as if they were your shadow. You looked left and right when you heard a cry on the other side of the fire, and even though you should have felt scorching hot, you could only feel icy numbness taking hold of your legs, unable to move. The cry grew louder and louder until you had to put your hands on your ears to block the frantic sound out. Then, someone called your name, and when you tried to block it out too, invisible arms started shaking you. You fought back, tears pricking your ears, but the arms just wouldn’t let go.

Your eyes bolted open at that moment, but you didn’t feel any better. In fact, you felt even hotter than in that fire, and when you looked at the figure standing above you, his arms holding onto your shoulders, you realised that the part about being shaken must have been real. So had been the part about someone calling your name.

“Princess Y/N, it’s me. Huisoo told me that you weren’t feeling well last night, and you didn’t show up at the pond today, so I came by to see if I could help,” Byounggon explained slowly, gently, as if talking to a child. Then, when he caught sight of you staring at his arms on your shoulder, he let go of you, albeit a bit embarrassed.

You just blinked at him, trying to focus on his face instead of letting the nightmares take hold of you again, but it was difficult when all you wanted to do was to close your eyes and lie in bed. Your head was throbbing, your whole body was quivering, and the last thing you wanted to do was to have a conversation with Byounggon even though he seemed genuinely concerned about you.

“Where does it hurt? How long have you been having a fever?” He asked seriously once you regained more consciousness, and even though you were reluctant to tell him because you didn’t want his help, you were too run down to care.

So you told him that your joints had been hurting since last night, just before dinner, and you had a fever since midnight or dawn, you couldn’t tell because you had been drifting out of dreams (or more like nightmares) for the most part. Byounggon insisted on helping you after hearing about your symptoms, but you declined, saying that you had been used to dealing with such things on your own in your kingdom.

“Does it mean that I have to watch you suffer just because that’s what you’ve been used to?” The medic exclaimed, rather desperate, and even though you knew all too well what he was referring to, you couldn’t help but feel exposed. Wasn’t that what you were doing now? Suffering on your own, like the strong daughter and the perfect princess you had needed to become, just because you had never been treated otherwise? Because you could never show any sign of weakness, let alone accept someone’s assistance when they were willingly giving it to you?

“Fine. Do as you wish,” you gave in after defeating the voices in your head telling you not to let him help you. You were so tired, your body felt like it was twice its weight, and your eyes were heavy with sleep and the last remains of the terrifying nightmare you had, the last thing you felt like doing was arguing.

Byounggon immediately broke into a relieved smile, and as he was getting ready, he started talking about what he was about to do. Supposedly, one’s centre of energy was around their abdomen, so he needed to put his hand on your stomach to be able to heal your energy centre. If you had been in your right mind, you would have probably backed down on your word at this part, but you were still half-conscious, so you didn’t care, even when he touched you. He touched you so gently though, you could barely feel his featherlike touch.

He closed his eyes while he was working with his magic on healing you, and his lips sometimes twitched, probably from concentration. May it be because of his magic working or because you could look at him more closely like this as he was crouching down by your mattress, but you realised that there were dark circles under his eyes. You were reminded of what Sieun had told you a few days ago, that the magical medic had asked her about your daily schedule, especially about when you usually went to the pond. Sieun had told you that she didn’t know why he was asking, but you had a feeling why.

Byounggon must have been waking up earlier to talk with you by the pond, and the fact that he got worried because you had not been there this morning as you had done so for the past two weeks made you feel delirious, as if he was a poison you had a sweet taste of, but you couldn’t let yourself have more.

“It’s done,” the medic announced, dragging you out of your thoughts, and as your head cleared, you realised that your body felt light again. You put your hand to your forehead, but it didn’t feel hot. You pushed yourself up to a sitting position, and indeed, you didn’t feel feverish anymore. It was as if you had just woken from a good night’s sleep.

“Wow, princess, take it easy! You should still rest, you don’t want this illness to come back,” he advised, eyebrows furrowed in worry, and now that you had the energy to smile, you directed a friendly one at him.

“It’s alright. I feel good thanks to you,” you pointed out, and you saw how he tried to hide the grin that was creeping onto his lips. He failed though, alongside the pink that was tinting his cheeks, and the way he needed to clear his throat before he spoke up again.

“Well, it was nothing, really,” he shrugged off your compliment, averting his eyes elsewhere but your face. You were about to ask him to tell you how his magic worked when he caught sight of your paintings, the canvases resting by the wall.

“Did you paint them?” He inquired, a pure kind of curiosity lighting up in his eyes, and you didn’t have the heart to lie to him. So you told him the truth: that it was you, and that you had been painting for some time though your mother had never approved of it since she didn’t deem it appropriate for a princess who should have been learning how to engage in polite conversations and seducing princes instead of doing art.

“Seducing princes? Do you really learn that?” Byounggon asked, rather surprised, but there was a playful smile hiding in the corner of his lips. It seemed that even the medic himself couldn’t decide how much to believe your words.

“Well, she wanted me to. We had books on them in the library, and there was a teacher giving lessons on courting, but he only succeeded in teaching my sister. I made him give up after two lessons,” you shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly.

“Wow, you are so…”

“So?” You quirked an eyebrow challengingly when he seemed to search for the right words. Usually, when you gave people this look, they backtracked, and started babbling or changed the topic, but the medic didn’t.

“Admirable,” he decided on it a few seconds later, and your features softened. It was as if someone had offered you some quiet after the cacophony of the royal events you were forced to attend: you felt comforted, and your heavy heart felt a bit less tight. “I applaud you for how you speak your mind. I find it refreshing.”

You found his approachable personality refreshing too, but you couldn’t tell him that. After all, what good could that lead to? You had already let down your walls around him enough times, you were afraid that if he kept going, he would see behind that admirable facade, and see you as you were: terrified of history repeating itself and being far from perfect when it came to reciprocating other’s kindness. You didn’t deserve his care, you didn’t deserve his kindness.

Instead of commenting on his words, you asked if he had any duties he needed to attend to, and now that you reminded him, he realised that he should go to the palace indeed. However, before he could leave, you thanked him for healing you, and if anything, he gifted you with the widest smile you had seen on him.

“Anytime.”

Coming from him, accompanied by the comet of affection travelling through the galaxy of his jet-black orbs, somehow, you didn’t want to question the sincerity of his words.

The court was in a frenzy because of the upcoming wedding, but those who had some spare time still decided to go to the yearly Festival of Day and Light. You had contemplated not going, but when you asked Sieun about the festival, her whole face lit up, and you had a feeling that she would want to go.

So you told Sieun and Huisoo that you would head out to check out the festivities, but they could go their separate ways afterwards if they wanted to. The girls both objected fervently, but it was only until Huisoo was ever so obviously swept up by a handsome young man with shoulder-length hair at a flower stall, and the other met someone she had known before because then, both of them excused themselves. Which left you alone with the sugarcoated apple in your hand that you had bought for yourself - and one for either servant girl -, strolling around the main market square where the festival took place.

There were all kinds of games for kids who ran around without a care in the world while their parents were running after them or cheering them on. Beside the games, stalls of delicacies - ranging from sugared fruit to freshly-baked bread and dried figs coated in cinnamon - were lined up like tiny little stars dotted on the canvas of cobblestones. Beside the riverside, people either lit up candles or placed them on the little boats that waited by the sides just like Byounggon had told you so. The whole festival was full of cheers, laughter and life, topped by white and yellow decorations in the shape of the Sun, the Moon and the stars.

Despite being an outsider, you could feel the kingdom pulsing with the energy of its people, bright and cheerful. When you had been living in Animalia, you had visited the festivities outside of the palace maybe once or twice as a kid, so to be able to see how ordinary people celebrated such a meaningful time here warmed your heart. Suddenly, you felt like you were being surrounded by a community instead of being left alone in the vastness of the icy, jarring unknown.

Maybe it was because of the sentiment or because of the eager ladies by the riverside handing out candles, but you found yourself lighting up one of them when you found a part of the riverside that wasn’t as crowded as others.

“You do know that you need to make a wish when you light a candle. Otherwise, it will be pretty but less meaningful,” a familiar voice spoke up from behind you, and you hid the smile that was creeping onto your lips with a frown.

“You do know that you seem to spend an awful lot of time with me these days,” you pointed out when Byounggon halted beside you, and flashed you a wide smile, the kind that turned his eyes into little crescents resembling the moon above you.

“I am just keeping an eye on you. I wouldn’t want a princess to be sick again or to be sick of boredom,” he retorted cheekily, and you bit your cheek to not smile back at him as brightly as you could. He kept his eyes on you, and the way the moonlight reflected in his orbs and cupped his features in a magnificent halo mesmerised you for a moment. He didn’t need light to shine, he was so bright, so full of life either way, but under the crafted lines of the moon, you wondered what it would be like to make a painting of him one day - and whether you could capture his features as gracefully as your eyes did now.

Byounggon did develop a habit of accompanying you on your morning stroll. Sometimes he was early, more often he was late, but he did show up every day without fail. When you questioned if he had nothing better to do, he said no, and that he was actually looking for company for his morning walks, too. If you hadn’t heard from Sieun that the medic had specifically asked her about your morning visits to the court garden, you might have believed him, but since the servant girl’s remark, you couldn’t have fought the seed of hope that was blooming in your chest.

You let him join you, and you let him talk. You got to know all kinds of stories regarding court life here, and childhood stories of his soldier friend, Seunghun, and Prince Jinyoung, more or less funny ones that cracked up the medic, too. You also got to know about current affairs of the kingdom, and how Prince Jinyoung’s heart was someone else’s, but he couldn’t love her fully because he was going to marry a princess for a favourable trade deal. When you inquired if the wedding could be called off because of the prince’s feelings, Byounggon shook his head, a bitter smile tinting his lips - something that you had ever so scarcely seen on him. You hadn’t been in Prince Jinyoung’s shoes because you had never wanted to sacrifice an arranged marriage for a genuine love, but you could understand why it was difficult for him to marry for convenience.

You liked when Byounggon was talking because you could get to know about how things worked in the kingdom, but you could also get to know about him and his (adorably) gullible personality and his (precious) big heart. Once you realised that his intentions were truly pure, you let yourself be comfortable around him, including this day.

“So you came here to make a wish?” You quirked an eyebrow when you caught sight of a candle in his hands. The medic let out a deep, joyous laughter before answering.

“Well, I came here because I saw you, but yes, I also have a wish,” he flashed you a wide grin, and as he crouched down to put his candle into a lantern, you couldn’t help but ask:

“What are you wishing for?”

“It’s a secret,” he winked at you playfully. If he had been someone else, you would have probably felt offended by the gesture. However, it was him, and you knew him well enough by now, so you merely rolled your eyes at his antics.

“Fine. I won’t tell you mine either,” you retorted with a huff as you followed suit, and lit your own candle. He helped you put yours into a lantern, and placed them beside his own on a nearby boat. You waited a few minutes until the boat was filled up with lanterns and a man pushed the boat off the railing to let it float, to let it get further away from you while you were making a wish.

You watched it go with a sentimental smile, thinking of how much had changed in the last few months, so that you could be a part of a festival like this and wish to have many more moments like this - when you forgot about who you were, and let yourself be, let yourself rest after carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

“You seem to be happy now,” Byounggon remarked gently, quietly, no hint of playfulness in his voice after a few moments of utter silence. You looked at him, humming a yes, and let out a long sigh. When you inhaled, it felt like breathing in a whole new flavour of air.

“Is it because of me?”

Now Byounggon was teasing, his lips quirked up, but you had a feeling that he was doing it on purpose because he was way too pleased with himself when you laughed at the sudden change of the mood.

“Do you think it’s because of you?” You asked back, equally as curious as challenging. You knew that the medic would answer no matter your tone because he always did, and you liked that about him: that he was willing to speak his mind, even if it meant that he embarrassed himself because of his silly antics or that he made your heart flutter with a genuine compliment of his.

“I would like to think that, at least partly, it’s because of me,” Byounggon played along, theatrically placing a hand above his heart. He tried to remain serious, his features unwavering, but his lips twitched slightly, and his whole demeanour changed when he heard music coming from the main market square. They started playing a song - unknown to you, of course - on the drums and there was probably a little bit of guitar as well, and some instrument that you couldn’t quite put a finger on. Byounggon’s face immediately lit up hearing the melody, and it only took a few seconds until he bolted off, exclaiming that you should join him dancing while he was running off.

You followed him swiftly, and watched as he joined the circle of people who started dancing to the music. There were older people, younger ones, even little children, men and women alike, and the different colour and design of their clothes indicated that they were from different classes. You caught sight of Huisoo and the pretty boy from the flower stall in the crowd, and something in you twisted when you looked at them - so carefree, so joyful, so present in the given moment.

Then, Byounggon suddenly showed up by your side, and reached his hand out to you when the music stopped. You looked down at the boy’s hand, then up at him, into his almond-shaped eyes, and your first instinct was to shake your head and tell him no. The medic’s smile didn’t falter despite your hesitation, and maybe that’s what prompted you to take his hand and join him.

No one threw you a nasty glance, no one judged you for being there, no one cared, and honestly, that was the most reassured you felt for a long time. With your hand in Byounggon’s and in a little girl’s on your other side, you followed their lead and mimicked their dance moves. One after another, one after another, and then you lost count of the steps as you got swept up in the stomping footsteps and the echoing melodies.

You didn’t know how much time passed by - it could have been minutes or hours, you couldn’t tell -, but when the dance was over, and Byounggon inquired if you wanted to head back to the court together, you immediately said yes. It was only after a few seconds that you realised that the medic still didn’t let go of your hand, and you watched him take it away with a coy smile and a scratch of his neck.

And that’s when you realised that he was actually right: that he was a part of why you were happy here.

Prince Jinyoung and Princess Yunkyoung’s wedding took place as planned, and since Sieun was obligated to join because she was a part of the royal court here, you told Huisoo that she could spend this day however she wanted, you would be fine on your own. You didn’t like asking them for favours either way; since your mother’s watching eyes weren’t on you, you enjoyed that you could cater for yourself, and didn’t require their services as much. Both girls objected at first, saying that you were too generous, that’s why you started asking them to accompany you when they could break free from their role a bit - like at the festival when they could join the crowd or when you started going to the court kitchen to eat together with others instead of having your meals delivered to your room -, and you had a feeling that Huisoo would take the opportunity to meet up with the pretty flower stall boy from the festival.

That left you with much free time on your hands, preferably spent alone in your room, so you couldn’t bump into your mother who would attend the wedding and be reprimanded for being in the public’s eye. You spent the morning working on a painting of the riverside on the day of the festival, illuminated by the mysterious moon, and you spent the afternoon reading a book on the many magical creatures of the kingdom. You did have quite a few of them at Animalia too, but Medicalia boosted a high number of creatures that you had only heard of before, yet never seen them - such as phoenixes, kitsunes and caladriuses which supposedly had healing powers.

You were in the middle of reading a chapter about phoenixes when you heard a knock on your door. Expecting it to be one of the servants, you told them that they could come inside, but the knocking persisted. Hence, you rose to your feet from your crouching posture, and stepped up to the door to open it. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw who was behind it.

“Mother!” You breathed out in shock, not expecting her to pay a visit to you after the wedding ceremony. She was all dolled up for the event, but the evident frown on her face ruined the innocence of the swan-white outfit she put on.

She walked into the room with much disgust in her eyes, and only after you closed the door, did she turn around to face you. You could already tell that she was frustrated, her feelings shown in the tight lines of her lips and the way she squinted her eyes at you. Not to mention her thundering voice when she spoke up.

“Didn’t I tell you not to cause trouble here? Didn’t I specifically ask you to not use your powers here?” She spat the questions like venom, her words sending a bullet through your heart one after another.

“I do not understand, Mother,” you answered, your heart wrenching at the thought that she could assume something like this when you had nothing to be ashamed of. You had not caused any trouble here, and you had never used your powers ever since you had entered Animalia. Even though it had been tempting because you had wanted to see what you could do with it if you had put effort into practising, but you had to bury the thought as soon as it was born.

“Oh, come on, you’re not a child anymore! Don’t play the innocent kid with me,” your mother striked again, and took a step closer to you, looking straight into your eyes when she continued. “There was a fire a few days ago in the palace’s kitchen. I’ve heard that they haven’t found what caused it yet, though it could have been simply out of negligence. With you being here, I don’t think it was accidental.”

For a moment, you had no idea what to say. Then, you felt your blood rise as you balled your hands into fists. Just how could she assume something like that on her own when you were totally innocent? Just how low could she stoop to make you play the bad guy when the fire in your room at the Animalia palace wouldn’t have broken out if it hadn’t been for Prince Sangdo’s lack of manners? Not to mention who was to blame for your powers? Wasn’t it your mother who came from Elementalia and had the power to tame fire?

“Do you really think I visit the palace each and every day, just to burn something there? Do you really think of me so lowly? I have not even set foot in the palace for a month, let alone create a fire in the kitchen, but if you want to blame someone, sure, blame me. That does not mean I am guilty,” you objected fervently, but before she could open her mouth to say something more, you continued. “I wish you would have made a scene like this when Prince Sangdo had come into my room and grabbed my wrist when I had asked him not to touch me that night. If I was guilty then, you would have had your reason to blame it on me now. But I was innocent and I am innocent now, it is only your perception of me that always makes me the bad one in your eyes. The child that does not sit back and watch injustice without speaking up about it, the daughter that would choose painting over marrying a prince, and the girl who did not seem to inherit your powers until she did, and then, you wished she hadn’t.”

Your words flew like the river during a storm - waves crushing violently, heavy winds catching the surface ever so indignantly -, and it felt like there was a thunderstorm in your heart. You wanted to fight, to punch the walls, to knock over the shelves around you - anything to make your mother go away, alas, you could only fight back with your words, and they even didn’t seem to reach her. If anything, they made her even angrier, no sign of remorse in her eyes.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that! A princess knows where to draw the line, but you… you are out of your mind, and being away from Animalia didn’t seem to help either. And I thought-”

Your mother’s words were interrupted by a few rhythmic knocks on the door, and you both snapped your head towards the sound.

“Princess Y/N, it’s time for your lesson,” a familiar voice called, and despite the fact that you had no lesson, let alone with him, you didn’t want to object. Your mother didn’t seem to think it through either, instead, she let out an offended huff and murmured into your ears before leaving:

“Don’t think that you can come back anytime soon with that attitude.”

You gulped down the knot in your throat as you watched her leave, and turned around to be with your back to the door, so that Byounggon wouldn’t see the way your hands were shaking when he came inside your room. You heard him close the door behind him, and fumble with something before he dared to ask:

“Are you okay?”

“How much did you hear?” You retorted back, standing by the walls with your back to him. You tried your best to hold back your tears, but you weren’t sure that you were doing a good job because you could feel your eyes watering despite your best efforts.

“Uhmm… I think everything,” Byounggon admitted after a long pause. You closed your eyes for a moment, the first teardrop rolling down your cheeks, leaving a cold streak behind on your warm cheeks. “I saw your mother leaving the ceremony, and I had a feeling that she would come to you, but I wasn’t sure. So I followed her here. I know it sounds very bad, but I was afraid that she would… do something to upset you or hurt you because you told me that she was the one who wanted to send you away, and I don’t know what exactly happened, at least I didn’t know until now, but I knew you didn’t deserve it, and it really seems you didn’t. And I just… I wanted to protect you from her. I’m sorry I was late,” he rambled incredibly fast, and the more he talked, the more heavily your tears were following.

You couldn’t understand how someone who had never met you could trust you and believe in your innocence even before you had met for the first time. On the contrary, your mother had blamed you for everything, and she had known the full story. How could someone be so pure to you? How could Byounggon care about you so genuinely, so selflessly? He didn’t have anything to gain from caring about you, yet he did so, and it just broke your heart even more.

You heard the medic take a few steps towards you, and when he halted beside you in a safe distance, he immediately caught sight of your silent sobbing. You looked at him from behind the curtain of your tears, watching how he was trying to gesture with his hands, but was unable to decide what to do. So you decided instead of Byounggon himself, and stepped up to him to embrace him.

“Thank you,” you croaked out, your voice coming out a lot more strained and fragile than you wanted to.

You could feel him loosen up, and slowly, gently, he put his arms around your frame, patting your back while you cried against his chest. He was warm, he was warmth itself, and you wanted to get lost in his touch, in his arms, in his voice.

“It’s okay. You can cry with me,” he murmured into your hair, his voice rid of any playfulness or teasing.

Tears like pearls fell onto the silk of his shirt, leaving behind more than just wet stains - leaving behind the last walls that you had been keeping up around yourself to protect yourself, all crumbled down now, and the stories he had never heard before, neither had you shared with anyone else since leaving your kingdom.

The following days, you were cautious about meeting Byounggon, secretly terrified that he would see you as a horrible person, that he wouldn’t understand your pain, and you would end up feeling lonelier than ever before. You had never opened up to someone like on the day of the wedding, and you were afraid that you would need to rebuild your walls, and never let anyone in, ever again.

On the other hand, Byounggon acted the same way, if not more protective over you. He highlighted how much people liked you here in the court, especially since the festival when you had gone out to celebrate with ordinary people, and how your own kingdom didn’t deserve you if they turned their back on you when you had wanted to protect yourself. What’s more, he pointed out that he would have been delighted to meet someone like you when he had been a child because taming fire would have meant that you could have helped save Seunghun’s parents when he had managed to save Seunghun only. Sure, power might come with great responsibility, but it wasn’t your fault that your power had surfaced at a time like that. It merely showed that you had been desperate back then, and no one had paid attention to that part of the story, they had been too quick to send you away.

You felt yourself becoming softer and softer towards the medic afterwards because he was everything you had never had the chance to have - the shoulder to cry on, the one who understood your body language even when words failed you, the boy who always asked for your permission when he wanted to come closer to you or hold your hand, and the one who would fight for you through thick and thin. You had never met a more considerate, more gentle soul, and even his goofy self was endearing to you.

Even when he claimed that he didn’t steal a flower (that allegedly resembled you in his eyes) from the court garden (“because it wasn’t considered stealing if he was on good terms with the gardeners”); even when he managed to fall into the pond when he got scared by a bee during one of your morning strolls, and even when he ran all the way from the palace to you because he thought that you were the one who came down with something in the court, sweating bucks because running wasn’t his forte, your feelings towards him grew stronger and stronger.

Not to mention the time he shared with you the secret he had been keeping about his friend, Seunghun. When he had first talked about the soldier, you had assumed that he had been joking when he had claimed that the reason their relationship was special was a secret. However, when he let you know that by saving Seunghun, he managed to keep him alive as a phoenix, it all made more sense. You could also understand why he was keeping it a secret because phoenixes didn’t have human forms, at least not ones that the books knew of.

You knew the part of the story that Seunghun’s parents had died when their house had caught on fire, and he would have died with them too, but Byounggon had noticed the fire and dragged the boy out while risking his own life. His magic had barely resurfaced back then, but it had come out in full-force as he had been trying to save Seunghun’s life. Since he hadn’t known at first just how much he could have helped the almost burned boy, he had also applied fireflower on his wounds - the flower that was born after fires, so interestingly so, it was almost like a phoenix, born after turning to ashes.

In a way, Byounggon tied himself to Seunghun by saving him because his magic continued to live inside his friend’s body, and whenever the soldier was hurt, it was only Byounggon who could heal him completely. At least, until Seunghun was saved by a girl, and her magic saved him just like the medic’s magic had saved him when they had been young. Ever since then, their magical bond might have faded, but their friendship stayed the same.

You even met the so-called soldier friend and his girlfriend at the court, and after a while, it became a habit of yours to have dinner with them alongside Huisoo, Sieun and the medic himself. You felt light whenever you were around them, that’s why you didn’t take it to heart when they started teasing you or Byounggon who was clumsily trying to get closer to you. Bit by bit, you let him get closer, but you needed to be the one to take the final step nevertheless.

“Byounggon, we need to talk,” you told him one morning, sitting by the pond while the sun was just rising on the horizon.

“T-talk?” He stuttered, extremely nervous for someone who was usually so chatty, but maybe he sensed the serious edge to your words, and he was scared by what was to come.

All was well though, so he was scared for nothing. Your parents had previously sent a letter to the royal family of Medicalia, telling them to take care of you for at least a year more until your sister could settle down with her husband, and you had a feeling that meant that you would never be welcomed in Animalia again. Hence, you had the permission to stay here longer, and you tried to be useful by applying to become an arts teacher in the court. You had your first lessons with the cousins of Prince Jinyoung and Princess Jinhee not too long ago, and it proved to be a success, so that was taken care of.

Nevertheless, you had a feeling that the boy might have thought that you would need to go back to Animalia or worse, marry a prince from a far-away kingdom. Thankfully, neither of them were likely to happen anytime soon, but it warmed your heart how worried he got.

“Yes. I want to talk about you and me,” you broke it down to him, but if anything, that just made him appear more appalled. He visibly gulped, but his eyes were still on you, intent and curious.

“Suuure. Go ahead,” he prompted semi-confidently, and you reached out to put your hand on his, to soothe his nerves. You could tell that it had its effect on him because his lips immediately curved upwards, and he squeezed your hand to hold onto you more tightly.

“I want to thank you for waiting for me,” you started sincerely, but the talkative person he was, he couldn’t help himself, but to interrupt you.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? I’m not like that horrible prince who deserves the absolute worst, he deserves to-” He started getting riled up again, something that he always did when you mentioned some injustice you had encountered at the Animalia palace or he thought of Prince Sangdo. You were sure that he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back if he were to ever encounter the said prince, but thankfully, there was little to no chance of that happening.

“I love you, Byounggon,” you announced, loud and proud, and the medic’s mouth stayed open, probably because he was in the middle of his monologue, but also because he was surprised by your sudden confession. Then, he closed his mouth, his features softening, and he immediately threw his arms around you.

“I love you, too. Gosh, I love you so much!” He shrieked excitedly like a little kid, and hugged you tighter than ever before. You smiled to yourself while he was holding you, amused (and bewitched) at the way he kept saying ‘I love you’ like he would never want to stop.

He couldn’t stop even when Sieun and Huisoo walked by, and they tried to sniffle their giggles while watching you two embrace each other in the middle of the blooming garden, bathed in the rays of the sunrise.

“I’ve told you he liked her when he asked about her morning strolls,” Huisoo told Sieun as they were heading towards the kitchen while the other girl just let out an amused laugh.

“Sure, Miss Matchmaker. What about your flower boy though? What was his name again? Leewoo? Leehan?” Sieun teased her and smacked the girl in the side, playful as ever.

“Ssshh,” Huisoo shushed her, pretending to stay nonchalant about the topic, but she couldn’t help a smile creeping onto her lips as she said: “Well, love might be in the air for everyone.”

A/N: Thank you so much for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think in the comments or as reblogs. I always read them and react to them. 🥰

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for CIX or for other bands, consider signing up for my taglist here.

Hope you have a lovely day/night! *-*

#cix scenarios #cix imagines #cix x you #cix x reader #cix fluff #cix angst #bx scenarios #bx imagines #bx x you #bx x reader #bx fluff #bx angst #lee byounggon x reader #lee byounggon x you #lee byounggon scenarios #lee byounggon imagines #lee byounggon fluff #lee byounggon angst

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justsayyesmiss · 5 months ago

Text

SOURCES

i 1, 7, 182, etc. ii P2025 pp. 80 iii P2025 pp.32 iv P2025 pp.32 v P2025, Severino, pp.489 vi P2025, Severino, pp. 488 vii Ibid. viii Ibid. ix P2025, Severino, pp.489 x Ibid. xi Ibid. xii P2025, uncredited, pp. 284 xiii Ibid. xiv P2025, Severino, pp. 488 xv https://www.forbes.com/sites/leokamin/2024/07/14/here-are-robert-f-kennedy-jrs-richest-donors/ xvi P2025, pp. 204 xvii P2025 pp. 565 xviii P2025, various, 357, 560, etc. xix P2025 pp.237 xx P2025, various, 1, 5, 8, 155, 447, 789, 847, 851, xxi P2025, Namdar, pp. 235, 242 xxii P2025, Gonzalez, pp.246 xxiii P2025, Cuccinelli, 133 xxiv DJT “Your World with Neil Cavuto” Fox News, 17 Dec 08 https://www.mediamatters.org/media/4011792 xxv P2025, Hamilton, pp. 545 xxvi P2025, Roberts, pp. 16; DJT on LIFE LIBERTY AND LEVIN, 1 Sept 24, xxvii https://nypost.com/2023/05/09/trump-found-liable-for-sexual-abuse-defamation-in-e-jean-carroll-case/ xxviii Direct quote from Trump via Reuters article, https://www.reuters.com/legal/trump-deck-testify-e-jean-carroll-trial-2024-01-25/ Jonathan Stemple and Luc Cohen, Jan 25, 2024 xxix P2025, Gonzales, pp. 246, 248 xxx P2025, Hamilton, pp. 550 xxxi P2025, pp. Cuccinelli, 155 xxxii P2025, Namdar, 241, 243, 245, xxxiii P2025 pp.8 xxxiv DJT Moms For Liberty 30 Aug 24 https://youtu.be/eHrTzJxrvbA?si=ezQoSSiwbZx1nKf3&t=4443 xxxv 450 xxxvi 344 xxxvii P2025 pp. 5, 477 xxxviii 104, 664, etc. xxxix 345, 346, 474, 485, 664 etc. xl 258, 553 xli 60-62, 90, 258, 259, 344, 345, 475, 481, 485, 489, 491, etc. xlii 477-478 xliii 89 xliv DJT Moms For Liberty Conference 30 Aug 24 https://youtu.be/eHrTzJxrvbA?si=ggrzjP-DG3D6N8R_&t=4425 xlv 584 xlvi 333 xlvii 60 xlviii 90 xlix 341-342 l 462 li 358 lii 62, 459 liii 6 liv 265 lv https://www.statnews.com/2016/10/20/naturopath-critic-britt-hermes/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1140750/ lvi 449 lvii 3, 581 lviii 451 lix 4, 6, 8, 60, 104, 450,458,461,471-474, 485, 585, etc. lx 8, 89-90, 187, 191-192, 253-254, 260, 471, 478 lxi 6 lxii 104, 642-644 lxiii 338, 344,455, lxiv 338 lxv 141, 458, 471-473, 284, 451 lxvi 461, 473,484, 585,476, 479-480, 489 lxvii 503, 585 lxviii 451, 476, 479 lxix 8, 337,339, 485-486, lxx 488-489, 492, 558, 562 lxxi 5 lxxii 60, 330, 489 lxxiii 473, 484-486 lxxiv 458, 473, 485 lxxv 558 lxxvi While this hypothetical new cabinet and position is fictional, the desire to create a new cabinet-level Immigration agency is outlined on pp.133 lxxvii DJT 30 Aug 24 Moms for Liberty Conference https://www.c-span.org/MyC-SPAN/login/?saveClip=5130863 lxxviii 183 lxxix 12, DJT Moms For Liberty Conference 30 Aug 24 https://youtu.be/eHrTzJxrvbA?si=U1SwfgHdhvwqAfgb&t=4402 lxxx 136-137 lxxxi 138, 150 lxxxii 141, 145 lxxxiii https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/659/1211/318923/ lxxxiv 142, 153 lxxxv 143 lxxxvi 147 lxxxvii 150 lxxxviii 147, 152 lxxxix 153 xc 133 xci 155 xcii 161 xciii 164 xciv 139-140, 148, 151 xcv https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/3035407/Trump-Affidavit.pdf xcvi 365 xcvii 366 xcviii 257 xcix Ibid. c 365 ci 369 cii 424-434 ciii 370 civ 425 cv 371 cvi 372 cvii Ibid. cviii 376 cix 378 cx 390 cxi 376 cxii 518 cxiii 420-423, 445 cxiv 369 cxv Ibid. cxvi 374 cxvii 386 cxviii 433 cxix Ibid. cxx 59 cxxi https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-Second-Half-of-The-Decisive-Decade-Potential-U.S.-Pathways-on-Climate-Jobs-and-Health.pdf cxxii DJT on Rep. Byron Daniels, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 30 Aug 2024. cxxiii https://rumble.com/v5chkyt-live-president-trump-holds-a-rally-in-johnstown-pa-83024.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp cxxiv 1 cxxv 258 cxxvi 109 cxxvii 8 cxxviii 355 cxxix 156 cxxx 204 cxxxi 62 cxxxii 135 cxxxiii 284 cxxxiv 285 cxxxv 370 cxxxvi 15 cxxxvii 561 cxxxviii 582 cxxxix Ibid. cxl 582-583 cxli 587 cxlii Ibid. cxliii 708 cxliv 873 cxlv 48 cxlvi 874 cxlvii 5, 38, 358 cxlviii 258

CRONYISM

PAGE ONE

The front cover of a pack of fictional trading cards. At the top is a parody of the TOPPS logo that reads “Trump’s.” To the right, where a price would be, is a Bitcoin symbol hovering over the word “Crypto!” Below this is a parody of the Garbage Pail Kids logo, with dripping red letters that read “My Little Cronies.”

In the center of the card is an image of Donald Trump sitting on the ground, small hands thrust forward, with green snakes coiled around him. His long red tie gradually morphs into another snake at his feet.

Below Trump, in red, is the text “The Faces of 2025,” followed by “7 Cronies – 0 Oversight – 1 Chance to stop them!”

PAGE TWO

This is a plain brown card with text that reads:

Great news! With the dawning of a new MAGA regime will come sweeping changes to your rotten, deep-state-infested, totally corrupt government. We’ll purge more than 50,000 useless Federal Employees and replace them with a smaller, more efficient government who are high-status Males, high-value females, and 1000% MAGA, as outlined in astonishing detail in PROJECT 2025.

We’ve prepared this easy guide to help you learn the new names, faces, and responsibilities of these Alphas of the Executive Branch, all of them ready for deployment on Day One! These are… MY LITTLE CRONIES!

PAGE THREE

The front of a trading card labeled “Anti-Vax Max.” A caricature of RFK Jr. grimaces at the reader, flexing his oversized muscles. From his head bursts a green worm wearing a red MAGA hat, and stuck into his right bicep is a syringe labeled “TRT.” He is wearing nothing but a cloth diaper, which is yellow with urine that is dripping out onto the dead bear carcass he’s sitting on.

CAPTION:

Doctor-Supremus, Department of Life

Formerly known as Secretary, Dept. of Health and Human Services

PAGE FOUR

The plain brown back of the Anti-Vax Max trading card. This is the text:

Name: ANTI-VAX MAX

Qualifications: High T, Low IQ, doesn’t even wear a mask on Halloween.

Responsibilities: Revoke HHS regulations, manage Public Health Emergencies by timelines set by Congress; punish Big Tech for “censorship” of COVID truth-patriots; punish LGBT advocates and abortion providers; implement all public health polices according to the Family Agenda,; install Special Representative for Domestic Women’s Health to best serve our nation’s most precious resource and biggest biological mystery: the American “Wo-man.”

Small Government in Action: the Secretary of the Department of Life alone shall set policy, free from so-called “experts” beneath him in their specialized operational divisions. Who needs 10 experts about 10 things when you can have 1 SUPER-expert about ALL things? YOU’RE FIRED!!!

Fun Facts:

Receives important medical news updates entirely via podcast.

Has own line of mail-order supplements to boost your daily Ivermectin smoothie.

Not a doctor, definitely knows a donor [not of organs; to Trump]

Favorite Thing About President Trump: “The healthy, year-round glow of his taut, flawless skin.”

PAGE FIVE

The front of a trading card labeled “Censor Chip.” A goggle-wearing man wields a knife in one hand, and his other hand has been transformed into a blowtorch, which is connected by a tube to a backpack presumably full of lighter fluid. He is wearing a t-shirt with “NPR” written inside a gun sight, and he has one foot propped up on the bleeding corpse of Sesame Street’s Big Bird. In front of him is a pile of burning books labeled “Black History,” LGBTQ+ Rights,” “D.E.I.,” “Woke,” and “Civil Rights.” Behind him, in a garbage can, are signs labeled “Black Lives Matter” and “Sesame St.”

CAPTION:

Chief Disinformation Officer

Maybe Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Maybe Your Local School Board

PAGE SIX

The plain brown back of the Censor Chip trading card. This is the text:

Name: Censor Chip

Qualifications: Knows “Fake News” when he sees it and knows who deserves to have it; appreciates the fair-and-balanced reporting of Szabad Európa in Hungary, Really, really, into whatever it is your kids want to read… and why.

Responsibilities: Chip will influence multiple organizations from the United States Agency for Global Media, the FCC, the Internet, unions, and even your public library. Chip will abolish “woke” fake news that suggests President Trump has ever done ANYTHING wrong, bad, or illegal, even if it’s been legally adjudicated in a “court” of “law.” HE NEVER MET THIS WOMAN!!!

Small Government in Action: Will kill off NPR and PBS, restrict the FBI and CISA from pursuing their overzealous and ideological war on freedom of speech; will bring multiple independent media outlets under Federal Control.

Fun Facts:

Favorite book? THE BIBLE [aka TRUMP: THE ART OF THE DEAL]

Second favorite book? THE BIBLE [aka The Bible]

Afraid of Muppets, Peter Sagal

Favorite Thing About President Trump: Since he’s incapable of lying, he’s the easiest subject in the world to fact-check! Everything he says is TRUE TRUE TRUE!

PAGE SEVEN

The front of a trading card labeled “Trans-Exclusion Susan.” A white, blonde, hyper-feminine woman stands in front of a pair of bathrooms with traditional “male” and “female” images labeling them. She is wearing a blue warm-up jacket and pants like a soccer coach and holds a soccer ball with Trump’s face on it in her manicured left hand. (Trump’s hair looks like the Nike swoosh.) She has a Jesus fish on the front of her jacket, cross earrings hanging from her ears, and high heels, and her face is heavily made up. She is blowing a metal whistle and holding up her right hand like a warning. In front of the “female” bathroom are three identical blonde girls in blue school uniforms emblazoned with Jesus fish; in fron the the “male” bathroom are three identical blond boys in male versions of the same uniform.

CAPTION:

Genital Inspector General

Bathroom Stalls, Locker Rooms, and the Department of Justice

PAGE EIGHT

The plain brown back of the Trans-Exclusion Susan trading card. This is the text:

Name: Trans-Exclusion Susan

Qualifications: An unending devotion to preserving the purity of women’s sports just like President Trump by policing gender anywhere the Trans Agenda may threaten it, including American workplaces, hospitals, courts, and most especially schools.

Responsibilities: Banning anything that educates readers about gender identity; removing Trans soldiers from the military; banning health coverage and medical treatment for Trans people entirely; punishing officials for defending Trans cases in court; deciding just who exactly is a boy and who exactly is a girl once and for all, eliminating LGBTQ parents from adoption, removing Pride flags (and BLM flags) from Embassies and stopping trans surgeries performed by public schools on children without parental knowledge or consent, which is totally a real thing that happens all the time.

Small Government in Action: Remove Trans workplace protections from Title VII and Title IX; unwind Trans policies at OSTP, USAID, the teachers’ union, the DEI office at NIH and more; stop any federal grants that advance DEI/CRT/Gender Identity ideologies.

Fun Facts: The only thing Susan loves more than policing middle and high school girls’ sports are her seven children: Braydynn, Jaydynn, Kaydynn, Flaydynn, Sanguisugabogg, Cialia, and Narthex.

Favorite Thing About President Trump: The close loving relationship he shares with his own children.

PAGE NINE

The front of a trading card labeled “Handmaid’s Taylor.” A white woman wearing the red robes and white bonnet of a Handmaid from The Handmaid’s Tale grins menacingly as she turns the crank of a machine labeled “‘Health’ Clinic.” Pregnant women of various races march toward the machine and come out the other side in the same Handmaid costume, holding swaddled babies in their arms.

Around Handmaid Taylor are three red circles with lines through them, indicating a prohibition. They contain a prescription bottle labeled “Plan B,” the word “IVF,” and a circular case of birth control pills. A fourth red circle is crossed with prison bars, behind which stands a despairing doctor.

Beneath the whole scene, sperm swim past, labeled with the phrase “Every sperm is sacred.”

CAPTION:

Special Representative for Women’s Health

Department of Life

PAGE TEN

The plain brown back of the Handmaid’s Taylor trading card. This is the text:

Name: Handmaid’s Taylor

Qualifications: Hero of Motherhood, is to Holistic Women’s Health Care what a naturopath is to Holistic Medicine, believes the survival of American life is at stake if the family is not restored as its centerpiece (and as long as “family” means “children raised by biological dads and the mothers who conceived them”).

Responsibilities: Ending reproductive health care from all national and international programs; deployment of federal powers to “protect innocent life”; revoking access to reproductive health care in the military; collecting and publicizing pregnancy data from private citizens and minors; defunding reproductive health providers and travel programs, penalizing divorce at HHS and HUD by restricting aid to single-mother families; incentivize nuclear families of birth; destroying reproductive health care information; investigating/penalizing women’s health care providers, advocates, or defenders.

Small Government in Action: delete terms like “abortion, reproductive health, reproductive life” from all federal programs; elimination of Department of Education, Gender Policy Council and HHS Reproductive Healthcare Access Taskforce; supersede the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; eliminate reproductive health access and distribution programs, end FACE prosecutions.

Fun Facts: Literally none

Favorite Thing About President Trump: His fastidious devotion to the sanctity of marriage as exemplified by his own lived example.

PAGE ELEVEN

The front of a trading card labeled “Concentration Cam.” A caricature of a balding white man with an enormous, sweating head—implicitly Stephen Miller—grins and presses the tips of his fingers together with fiendish glee. He is standing in front of the barbed wire front gates of a concentration camp—the gates say “Arbeit MAGA Frei.” Dozens of crying children in rags are crowded into the camp, staring at the reader; behind them, armed guards are perched on watchtowers. Directly behind Concentration Cam, outside the gates but directly in front of the crying kids who are clinging to them, is an overflowing bathtub labeled “Children’s Tears.”

CAPTION:

Border Czar

Department of Homeland Defense and Resettlement

PAGE TWELVE

The plain brown back of the Concentration Cam trading card. This is the text:

Name: Concentration Cam

Qualifications: White; born without a soul; immune to the widescale suffering of tired poor huddled masses yearning to be free. Believes Mexico no longer qualifies as a first-world nation.

Responsibilities: Ending all immigration, installing political allies in office, evaluating visa applications for high value immigrants; eliminate visas for trafficking and crime victims after they get here, use Blackie’s Warrants to lock exit doors and question every employee at a given bonus that has that ‘foreigner vibe’; reimplement USCIS denaturalization unit; Building! That! Wall!; mandatory detention for all aliens; wholesale border closing powers and expulsion of immigrants and aliens based on country of origin, raise FEMA threshold for disaster assistance.

Small Government in Action: will dismantle the DHS, move CISA and FEMA to the DoT, the Coast Guard to the DOJ, and privatize the TSA; undo CISA’s ability to fight disinformation; eliminate Office of Intelligence and Analysis; move Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Privacy Office to Office of General Council so President Trump can keep a closer eye on ‘em… don’t trust ‘em!

Fun Facts:

Loves horses and tents so much he must be an avid outdoorsman.

Least favorite poet? Emma Lazarus.

Believes Taco Tuesdays should be repealed nationwide.

Favorite Thing About President Trump: his inspiring lifelong commitment to kicking people of color out of their homes.

PAGE THIRTEEN

The front of a trading card labeled “Jill Baby Jill.” A white woman with a long blonde ponytail is dressed in a full black dominatrix outfit, only her face, shoulders, and cleavage exposed. She is grinning hugely, and on her chest are the words “Big Oil,” with the “O” formed by a black ring hanging from her collar. From the hips down she is submerged in a sea of black oil, and oil is also dripping from her shoulders and over her outstretched hands. Dead animals—a fish, duck, and beaver—float on the oil. Behind her is the silhouette of an oil rig.

CAPTION:

Sec. of Science Dominance

Department of Energy Security and Advanced Science

PAGE FOURTEEN

The plain brown back of the Jill Baby Jill trading card. This is the text:

Name: Jill Baby Jill

Qualifications: Owns four SUVs, two jet-skis, and a V8 long-bed truck that runs on diesel and lib tears; believes “climate change” is purely political and therefore doesn’t cause poverty — because how can something cause poverty if it doesn’t exist?!?

Responsibilities: Rescinding all climate polices from foreign aid programs; repealing subsidies for renewable energy developers; stopping tax-payer dollars from combating climate change; eliminating most clean water, air, chemical, pesticide, and nuclear power standards; end programs focusing on climate change science; stop regulating HFCs by ending the AIM act; stopping the technology transition to electric vehicles or green energy sources; updating and reinvigorating the US Nuclear Arsenal; ending nuclear nonproliferation activities; eliminating carbon capture utilization and storage programs; ending gov. focus on climate change and green subsidies, as well as energy efficiency standards for appliances; drilling, mining, and fracking everywhere.

Small Government in Action: Dismantle most of the EPA; eliminate five different alternative energy funding programs; eliminate climate change interference in the DoE; end energy storage and grid-enhancing technology programs; shut down the Clean Energy Corps; eliminate the Office of Emergency Management; end government-made energy decisions and finally let the ENERGY COMPANIES decide what’s best for the energy companies to maximize their profits and shareholder satisfaction! It’s a win-win!

Fun Facts:

Believes the day she was first given a paper straw to be the worst day of her life

If global warming is real, how come it gets cold in winter?

Thinks the People Eater was the best character in FURY ROAD

Favorite Thing About President Trump: “How he always says his solution to beat inflation is ‘drill baby drill’ and — hey! That sounds like my name!!

PAGE FIFTEEN

The front of a trading card labeled “Rando Calrissian.” The panel is filled with a sea of identical white men in grey suits, red ties, and red MAGA baseball caps, all giving a thumbs up. There is only one different figure: A black man with a thin black moustache standing in the very back row, so that only his head and MAGA cap are visible. An arrow points to him from the “Rando Calrissian” title.

CAPTION:

Our Black Guy

A smart one. Not one of the ones that aren’t quite so good.

PAGE SIXTEEN

The plain brown back of the Rando Calrissian trading card. This is the text:

Name: Rando Calrissian

Qualifications: Guess.

Responsibilities: Must stand behind DJT 100% at all times. Literally. At like, rallies and photo-ops and stuff. Just physically be back there somewhere.

Small Government in Action: Having freed America from the totalitarian cult known as “The Great Awokening,” we have eliminated all traces and totally unfair disadvantages brought about by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies, practices, education, support, or requirements from: the United States Agency for International Development, the Military, the Pentagon and State Department, universities, the Coast Guard, the intelligence community, nonprofits, immigration, all Health and Human Services policies, the Department of Education, energy programs, public schools, civil rights laws in government, education, and the private sector; labor policy,Title VII, equal employment policies; the private sector, the family, the Treasury department, the environmental, social, and governance movement, corporations, banks and the marketplace …in fact, from every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation, contract, grand tender, and award, well… we don’t exactly know where we’re gonna put him yet.

Fun Facts:

Is cool if you rap along with all the words in hip-hop tracks. I mean, ALL the words.

You know the one.

Doesn’t even get mad if you hit the hard-R sometimes.

Favorite Thing About President Trump: “The way he almost always gets my name right. You can tell he really cares about you.”

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