#kim junmyeon series

[marshmallow-phd]

A Manor of Shadow and Blood

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won’t let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5

**

The grand hall was lit as bright as midday. Every surface was polished to perfection, reflecting the candlelight at a greater force. Brilliant brass and gold surrounded you as you made your way through the dancing couples, their movements in perfect sync. Wrapped in each other's arms, they spin around without a care for your wandering presence. 

While all who surrounded you were decorated in blacks and whites, your own dress was the color of freshly spilled blood. The heavy skirts that hug from your waist made it difficult to navigate the ballroom. Their fullness was of an older fashion, one that maybe your grandmother would have worn in her youth. The dropped shoulders left you exposed, your skin chilled despite the amount of bodies in here. 

You kept navigating the dance floor, on the look out for something, though you didn’t know what. Then you felt the familiar burn of eyes boring into your back, which sent a shiver down your spine. You whirled around to find the source, the dress brushing at your feet with the sudden motion. Through the crowd, you spotted Baekhyun leaning against the wall. With a single finger, he beckoned you over. And you obeyed. 

Breaking through the sea of dancers, you took in his elegant suit, the hems lined with gold thread that shimmered against black velvet. 

"You shouldn't dance alone," he purred. Arms crossed over his chest, he smirked at you with a grin even the devil wouldn't wear.

"I have no partner," you retorted. He held out a lazy hard. Hardly the romantic gesture. "No, thank you." 

"How about me?" asked a sweet voice in your ear. 

You turned your head to find Junmyeon at your back. He laid a soft hand on your hip to keep you from escaping out of propriety. When you didn’t shove him away, the hand slyly moved to your stomach, pulling your bare shoulder blades into his chest. With the fingers of his left hand, he tilted your chin towards him. 

"Am I a suitable partner?" 

No answer passed your lips. You could think of nothing to say. The thought of him twirling you around the dance floor was not… unpleasant. 

Junmyeon neither needed nor cared for a reply. He dipped his head to your shoulder and pressed a kiss to the skin. A small gasp passed your lips. And then he pressed another. More and more as he climbed up the curve of your neck. Heat rose from every inch of you as you sighed into the affectionate touches. You relaxed into his touch, welcoming each new contact of his lips. 

"It's rude not to share, Junmyeon.”

Your attention snapped back to Baekhyun, who you had forgotten was there. He pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer to you so he stood in front of the minor. 

No, not a mirror. There was no reflection. 

Except… there was. The mirror reflected the floor, the ceiling, the candlelight. You. 

But not Baekhyun. Not Junmyeon. And not the dancers still spinning behind you. 

Fingers snaked through your hair and pulled your head back, your vulnerable neck exposed. From the gallery above, Kyungsoo watched as elongated fangs flashed behind Junmyeon’s lips and plunged into your neck. 

*****

You woke with a start, the blanket flying off of you as you sat up in a fury. Sweet drenched every pore of your skin. Your day old dress clung to your skin in a way that felt suffocating. Each breath was a struggle for your lungs. 

Vampires. The nightmarish tale that had kept you up as a child until you were convinced they weren't real turned out to be true. But how could they be real? 

Creatures of the night. Blood drinkers. Horror stories meant to keep children from wandering about after dark. 

Curling your legs to your chest and encasing them in your arms, you tried to think of a way out. To escape. With what strength you possessed, you slid off the bed and walked over to the window. The sun, so bright and full of life, was just beginning its descent towards the horizon. Night–their domain–was hours away. If the legends were true, then they would all be asleep at this moment. Any risk that was to be taken had to be taken now. 

After changing into a sturdier dress, you retrieved your still mud-covered boots and, keeping them in one hand, you carefully pushed away the pathetic barrier and snuck out of the room. 

Each step was taken with unmatched caution. You tested every board with your foot before fully committing. Any squeak of a floor or stumble down a stair could alert them to your escape. But by the grace of a miracle, you made it to the front door. Fingers trembling, you pulled on the boots and tied up the laces before opening the door only wide enough for you to slink through. 

The next breath taken outside was like the first breath of life. But there was no time to take it in. 

Gathering your skirts in your grip, you took off into the trees. The dirt was dry and sturdy under your feet. Branches and leaves crunched with the weight of your boots. A lady’s delicacy was out of the question as you ran without abandon. You didn't know what direction you were running. But vampires needed blood to survive and they weren’t drinking yours. And Jongdae had brought those buns from a bakery, not their own kitchen. You doubted any of them knew how to cook. That meant a village or town had to be nearby. Junmyeon had lied about the isolation of the manor. If you just kept going, you could find freedom. 

However, your stamina was running out. This was never your preferred activity. Your lungs and throat burned in an unfamiliar way. The sun still shined above. A short respite could be spared. 

You leaned against a tree trunk for support. In your boots your feet pulsed. Only now did you realize that you had run away without food or water. Not knowing where the kitchen was located, you didn't have time to waste on it. You could survive, you told yourself. Just a little farther. The town couldn’t be too far. Unless you were headed in the wrong direction. 

A rustling rippled through the silent forest. You snapped to attention, trying to find the source. 

“The wind,” you gasped between ragged breaths. “It had to be the wind.” 

A low, rumbling growl said it wasn't wind. 

In the distance, large silhouettes emerged. Wolves. Nearly a dozen of them. 

You ran as fast as your crying legs could take you. With their superior nature built for the hunt, the wolves caught up to you within seconds. Their growls and howls grew louder and more threatening behind you. Running from the manor had been easy. Running from the wolves was to be your end. 

Powerful paws slammed into your back. You were thrown to the ground, rolling across the ground as a scream ripped at your throat. The momentum stopped you on your stomach. Hair covered your face, but you could still see your death through the strands. 

Wolves of gray and black gathered in a half moon circle. They had their prey in perfect position. The middle wolf pounced. All you had time to do was throw up your arms to protect your face. Claws raked across your forearm. Another scream echoed through the merciless trees. The wolf landed on the other side of you with pride. Now you were surrounded. A second wolf leapt. 

A blur appeared in front of you and collided with the wolf midair. The two bodies tumbled across the forest floor. A human and the wolf. 

Not a human. 

Chanyeol. The wolf trapped within his grasp, Chanyeol tightened his grip–

Crack. 

The wolf fell limply to the ground, its tongue hanging from its jaw. 

The others appeared seconds later. Not understanding what they were up against, the wolves let you go to attack the newest threat. 

"Are you alright?" Junmyeon knelt down in front of you. His hands were outstretched as if you were the wild animal on the verge of attack. Behind him, snarls and whimpers told of the fight–and who was winning. Despite not answering him, he caught sight of your bleeding arm. "We need to get back to the manor." 

He didn't ask permission before picking you up into his arms and sprinting through the forest. Everything blurred past you, your loose hair whipping at your face. He burst through the manor doors and didn't stop until he was able to set you down in the largest chair. Once you were safe, he fell to his knees, only his palms keeping him upright. The others soon stumbled in behind him, heaving and collapsing onto the floor. Only then did you notice the smoke floating up from each of their backs. Patches of burnt, red skin sizzled on their knuckles and faces. Anything that had been exposed to the sun. 

"Baekhyun," Junmyeon gasped. 

"I already have it." Kyungsoo came into the parlor with bottles stacked in his arms. He quickly passed them around, waiting until the others were quenching their thirst before pulling the cork out of his own bottle and chugging the contents. 

With his bottle empty, Junmyeon tossed it to the side and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Red smears stained the ivory fabric. You shrank back in the chair as he turned towards you. 

"What hell were you thinking!" He growled. "I warned you about the wolves!" 

"Junmyeon, she's shaken up enough," Jongdae defended. Before your eyes, his burnt skin healed to be like new.

"She could have been killed!" 

Your head was pounding. He was… concerned about your life? The legends said that the sun was a vampire's deadliest enemy. It was why they thrived in the darkness. But they had all risked a final death to come after you. 

"Did you hear me scream?" you whispered. You could barely feel your own lips moving. All heads tuned to you. 

Yixing was the one to answer. "Yes. We all heard you." 

"Why were you out there?" Sehun asked aggressively.

You sucked in a sharp breath. There was no escaping the truth now. You stared at Jongdae. "I figured it out.” 

Baekhyun laughed. "At least we don't have to walk around delicately anymore." 

"When exactly did you do so?" Minseok mocked.

"Then you should remember what I said to you before was true. Harm would not come to you within these walls." Junmyeon crouched down next to the chair. His eyes... there was something behind the darkness that tugged at your still wildly beating heart. "I know you were running away. And if you're desperate to get away enough to get yourself killed, then the choice can be yours. We can send you on your way with every provision. Or," he cleared his throat, "you stay here. With us." 

A choice? He was giving you a choice?

Your gaze drifted over the faces that stared back at you. Even Kyungsoo refused to look away while he waited. There was almost a plea in his expression, a subtle beg. But was it to stay? Or for you to run as far away as possible? 

Junmeyon took your attention away when he picked up your wounded arm with delicate fingers. His pleading was much more clear. 

To leave would be the better choice. The more sane choice. But what would happen afterwards? You could claim being lost in the woods. With evidence of the carriage and the missing driver, what else could they believe? After a few days on bed rest, you would be back by your aunt's side, following her every whim. Including indulging her on a "perfectly adequate" suitor because you had no other option, no other path. That suitor who would then become your future. But you didn't want it. You refused to give in to it. 

Already within these few days, you were… changed in a way. They might not be human, but these men would forever be burned into your memory. Who could move you with music the way Chanyeol had? What silent strength could match the aura of Junmyeon? You had been promised that none of them would harm you. The chance for something extraordinary was right in front of you. The kind of chance you had only read about. It just had to be taken.

"I think… I think I want to stay."

*****

The moon became an ever changing friend. You hardly saw the sun anymore. Like the men you had given yourself over to, you lived under the stars. It was oddly beautiful. This time was often forgotten about by you and many others. The night was only a background to your time within your dreams. But now it was your entire world. 

Every evening, you awoke to the dying orange light of the day. Breakfast always waited for you outside the door. It was the rule that no one broke; none could enter your room without explicit permission from you. Those walls remained your safe haven when things grew too overwhelming. 

Despite your decision to stay, discovering that other creatures walked the earth required a step away once in a while. Especially now, with you aware of their true nature, the men were refusing to hold back. 

Dropping from the roof, running around with spectacular speed, and lifting objects that ten men couldn't hold. It was remarkable. Except for the diet and inability to walk in the sun, the… condition seemed more like a blessing.

"You're rather thoughtful this evening,” Jongdae commented. He walked beside you like he did every twilight. 

After you finished your breakfast, you met Jongae at the front doors to go on a walk around the manor grounds. Often others would join you as well. Junmyeon was the most frequent, though Yixing, Changed, and Jongin made many appearances over the past week and a half. Boundaries were constantly tested, but one word from you and they retreated.

"I guess you could say I am thoughtful tonight," you finally sighed. You hadn’t realized that you were being so obviously quiet. Funny, since you would have thought Jongdae would enjoy the silence. You typically had many questions or comments of your own to make. 

"Should I go steal a penny from Sehun?" 

You laughed. "I'd like to think my thoughts are worth more than a single penny.”

"They must be if you've become so skilled in deflecting from them." He crossed over to block your path. Gaze narrowed, he studied your carefully guarded expression. "What are you thinking about so hard? Regretting your decision to stay already?" 

"No," you insisted. "Not at all."

He raised an eyebrow that simply asked, "Then what?" 

"Do you always stay here?" you countered. "At the manor, I mean." 

"We travel," Jongdae answered with a nod. "Not too often. It’s a bit difficult, you see."

"But we like traveling north.” Minseok dropped from who-knew-where, landing with barely bent knees and hands folded behind his back. "In the winter, the night lasts longer. Junmyeon has a small hunting lodge up there. 

A hunting lodge? "Then why do you stay here?" 

Minsoek shrugged. "This manor is bigger." 

"Having nine of us in one household can be a bit volatile,” Jongdae added. He stepped aside to continue the stroll. "We need the room to separate so we don't level a building." 

Your foot caught on an invisible lump in the grass. "You could destroy a building while fighting?" 

Minseok snickered as he caught your stumble and helped steady your stance. His hand lingered at your waist until your sharpened glare made him remove it. "We haven’t crumbled a wall in a few years."

You scoffed at the casual tone. "What sort of fight caused that?" 

"I can't remember." Minseok leaned forward slightly to look at Jongdae for help. But he didn't seem to recall either. 

"Who knows what started it between Chanyeol and Kyungsoo.”

Your mouth dropped open in shock. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had fought over something to the point of destroying a wall to crumble? It didn't feel plausible. Neither seemed like the hot-headed sort. You wanted to know the igniting incident so desperately. 

Both Jongdae and Minseok suddenly whipped their heads towards the front of the manor. 

"What is it?" you asked when neither offered an explanation. 

"Junmyeon's calling for us." Jongdae scooped you up into his arms without warning. At your confused expression, he explained, "We're not leaving you alone out here." Remember your last adventure in the woods lingered in the silence.

The short lived wind whipped at your hair that you still wore loose to cover your neck. As soon as he stopped running, you wiggled out of his arms to be back on your feet. Everyone else was already gathered just outside the door. Several eyed you and Jongdae with suspicious and annoyed glares. You took a step away from him for some separation. 

Clearing his throat, Junmyeon called everyone to attention. "We have to go hunting–real hunting. Now, normally, we all go together, but now that we have our guest," he nodded towards you, "some will have to stay behind with her until the first party… comes back." 

"If you all need to go,” you couldn't quite speak the word feed, "then I'll be alright. For a few hours, at least." You weren't sure how long this excursion would take.

Junmyeon's features softened. "No. We'll go in groups. Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Minseok and I will go first. We shouldn't be gone long." He reached out and patted the top of your head before disappearing into the trees. Kyungsoo gave no goodbye as he followed suit. The last two playfully shoved each other while taking off. 

"Come." Yixing took hold of your hand and started pulling you inside. "I want to show you something."

"But–" You had wanted to ask Jongdae a question, but the traitor was already gone, off somewhere to do something he would never tell you about. So, you let Yixing take you into the manor and up the main staircase at the end of the hallway. At least he let you stay on your own feet instead of insisting on going at his speed. 

Going down an unfamiliar hallway, you were reminded how big this place was and how much you still had to explore. The men occupied most of your time, vying for your attention and pulling you this way and that so you didn’t have much time on your own. It was odd and overwhelming at times. 

During your seasons in town, you were hardly a well-sought after prize. There were prettier girls with grander dowries. You had accepted that fact. Now you were the center of a courting dance to which you knew none of the steps and possessed endless partners. 

Yixing paused in front of a door that looked identical to all the others. He kept his fingers tight around yours as he slowly turned the knob with his free hand. The door swung open. 

The gasp inhaled through your parted lips wasn't enough to convey your awe. 

Maps of all the places you'd heard of and dozens more you hadn't covered the walls like homemade wallpaper. Slipping out of Yixing's grip, you walked further into the study, spinning slowly around to take it all in. The maps were varying degrees of tan, some as light as his skin, others as dark as animal leather. 

Instead of bookshelves, doorless cabinets waist high lined three of the walls. Their squared shelves were stuffed full of parchment and ink and quills. A lone sketcher's desk sat in the middle, an unfinished drawing laying against the tilted surface. 

"What is this place?"

"It's my personal study," Yixing answered as he laid a hand on the edge of the desk. "Kyungsoo gave it to me after I had accidentally taken over one of the parlors." 

Your awe increased ten-fold. Your initial assumption was that he was a collector, not the original artist. "You drew all of these?" 

He nodded almost... shyly. "I did. I was a cartographer. Before." 

"Before?" You understood what he meant, but you didn't know how to ask for the story. 

Turning his eyes to the parchment, he pinched it between his fingers. "I didn't just love traveling. I loved capturing it on paper. I wanted to make these places into art, but not like every other painting. I wanted them to be perfect. Exact replicas as if you were staying at them from God’s point of view. And I wanted to be the best. I couldn't be, though. I wasn’t good enough." 

You moved closer to him, entranced in the story. "What happened?"

A rueful smile tightened at his lips. "I was given a chance to become perfect. What I didn't know was that I traded everyone knowing my maps for the talent to make it happen." Sorrow rolled from him like the tide warning of an oncoming storm. 

Feeling the pull to comfort him, you reached out and covered his fidgeting hand with your own steady fingers.

"People will be able to know your work some day," you whispered. "I’m sure of it." 

Perhaps you had been a bit too forward, a bit too open. 

Yixing moved gracefully forward to eliminate most of the space between you. A smooth thumb that once must have been calloused when it was human caressed the edge of your jaw. His flickering eyes made intentions obvious. 

Clearing your throat, you stepped out of the touch. "Why isn't this one finished?" You pointed to the drawing on the desk. It was an aerial view of the manor, with the top half of the parchment containing the beginning edges of the garden hedges. Disappointed, Yixing sighed and went along with your distraction. 

"I'm still working out the maze. It is intricate. Much more than I was prepared for." 

"Goodness." You were thankful that you hadn't wandered in there yet, especially on your own.

"Yixing.” 

Both of you turned towards the door to find Sehun standing under the frame. 

"Yes, Sehun?" Yixing said through somewhat gritted teeth. The young vampire wasn't phased. 

"I need to speak with you." 

"Fine." None of you moved. 

Sehun looked at you with a pointed glare.

You received the hint loud and clear. "I'll leave you, then.” 

With more relief than you cared to admit, you scurried out of the room and down the hallway. 

Around the corner, you pressed your back against the wall and forced yourself to take deep breaths that filled your lungs to capacity. Panic had been the response at Yixing's closeness. You didn't mean for that to be the response. You didn't want to be closed off to any of them. But you couldn't help it. Maybe it was merely the closeness of the situation. 

Giving yourself a small amount of grace, you pushed off the wall and made your way downstairs. So used to your time being absorbed by the men that you weren't sure what to do with yourself. Two of the ones that remained behind were currently occupied. As for the three others, they could have been anywhere. 

You wandered around the main floor with a fleeting hope that one would come to find you. Then you saw them. A row of grand doors evenly spaced along the north wall called you forward.

The grand ballroom took your breath away. Not so dissimilar to the one in your dream, though this one’s lack of warmth and light left you heartbroken. Memories of dancing figures and lively music haunted these walls. In the corner, you could imagine a small orchestra strumming their instruments in delight. 

You walked to the center where dozens of pairs used to twirl and bow and embrace each other in time with the melody. Ghostly laughter echoed in your ears. What had once been  bright and golden and full of life was dull, dark, and covered in cobwebs that swayed in the breeze of unknown origin. 

Glancing around, you confirmed that you were truly alone before closing your eyes, lifting your arms, and began a soft hum. 

You danced with an invisible partner in the fashion that your grandfather had taught you as a small child. It was more intimate than the choreographed dances currently popularized. You had always imagined your first ball like this, instead of the disappointment you really experienced. You had pictured a boy you didn’t know catching your eye. As the music was struck up, he laid a hand on your waist.

Just like now. 

Hm. Your imagination was running wild, even pretending the weight of a palm was there on your lower back. And now in your lifted left hand. 

No. That wasn’t your imagination. 

Your eyes snapped open. 

Jongin had taken the place of your imagined partner. He smiled down at you with a feline smirk as his hands tightened around you, refusing to let you slip away. There was no choice in leaving this musicless dance. You had stopped humming but he continued to whirl you around the marble floor. He controlled the dance, in charge of every step. He led with an expertise he shouldn’t have possessed–if he were a man of this age. 

In one final move, he slipped his arm fully around your waist, pulling you so close that no room remained between you. Without breaking the spin, he lifted you from the floor as if you were no more than a kitten and whirled you around like the heroine from your favorite novel.

When the spin came to a close, he set you back on your feet, but didn’t let go. Your lungs heaved from the exercise–and from the way your bodies pressed together. Each rise of your chest brought you even closer to Jongin. He kept your gaze like a stablehand trying to calm a wild horse. His right hand slipped from your fingers, softly tracing the delicate inside of your arm. The touch left behind a fire you couldn’t explain. A cold, simmering fire.

He cupped your jaw as his eyes drifted down to your lips. This was a different reaction to Yixing’s wandering gaze. Not panic, but something similar. 

Jongin held you in place as he leaned down, his lips pressing gently into the corner of yours. The thin breath in your lungs hitched. He lifted his lips only to find a new patch of skin. The delicate skin covering your pulse. Every muscle in your body froze. He kissed the skin softly. Surely, he could feel the race of your blood. 

“Whenever you need a partner,” he said in a hush against your neck, “just whisper my name.”

And then, he was gone. 

You stared off at the empty path left behind Jongin. The sheer hubris.

His name lingered on your lips, wondering if he would really come back like he said. But you kept the whisper inside and left the ballroom just the same. 

[wolveswithblackpearls]

Suho ~ Lily of the Valley

Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.

~Admin J

[dragonowl]

Pathcode:

Light Through a Broken Lens

The Sky That Doesn't End: Part 2 Masterlist Genre: EXO AU, Romance, Mystery Rated: PG

Summery: Exo has scattered. Now in hiding after the Red Force closed in on them and Luhan went missing. Baekhyun finds himself in a small town while he waits until they can reunite again. Guarded after everything that has taken place, he’s not looking for friendship, or anything else, until a light shines through, even as the darkness closes around them.

First, Prev, Next (coming soon). AO3

Chapter 4: Suho: Marseille, France, 10:21

Suho rubbed his eyes as his alarm went off and he tried to force himself awake. He took in a deep breath and reached blindly for his phone to silence the annoying wake-up call, thinking through the things he needed to try and accomplish over the next couple of days before moving on. But his mind was working slowly and he didn’t feel like being productive. 

His attempt to ignore the day was interrupted by his empty stomach, forcing him to pull his eyes away from the ceiling. A deep sigh escaped him as he pushed to his feet and attempted to rub the sleep away. When that didn’t work he shuffled to the bathroom sink in hopes that the water could do a better job than his hands. And maybe give him some comfort as well. 

He felt off.

Or maybe it was just the weather.

The sky was overcast and the humidity was oddly heavy for the overly dry weather of the season. The added moisture in the air should have made him feel more at ease, but he was left feeling rather alone. He looked around his empty house and his shoulders slumped with the wish that he could hear his brothers’ laughter as they goofed around.

The longing was too heavy today and he pushed away all thoughts of productivity as he made his way out, hoping that walking through the countryside would help ease the thoughts away. The hunger that had pushed him to get up was gone now and he decided to just pick up something from one of the local shops if it came back while he was out.

He walked his normal path that was typically unpopulated, through abandoned buildings and ruins that were much older, till he came to the forest. Now that he was among more of nature, he took in a deep breath, reaching for a connection to the water in the plants and the air. The connection was numbing more and more as the days passed, but he’d grown used to it and pushed forward through the woods. Instead of helping him feel more awake, the humidity seemed to be lulling him to sleep and he exited back out of the woods, deciding to go ahead and grab some food and head home for the day. 

His breathing grew heavier and he paused to take a break in an empty pool as the wind picked up. He didn’t have the energy to fight against it and he chuckled to himself, thinking about how the others would call him an old man if they could see him.

Hoping once more that he could gain a little bit of energy from the water in the air he took another deep breath and his heart stilled as his limbs began to tingle as though they’d fallen asleep. It was then that he picked up an unnatural sweetness in the air. He tried to move, but his limbs refused to respond, so he turned his attention to pulling on his powers. He could faintly feel the water in the pipes that opened in the sides of the pool and tried to pull it towards him. Whatever was in the air was dangerous, but if he could successfully submerge himself he would be able to clear it out of his system and get away. 

The Red Force had found him. They’d known his location long enough to set a trap. 

Had they found the others too?

He felt a flicker of hope as water suddenly surged out of the pipes. But his control over his powers quickly disappeared as his eyes blurred and his mind succumbed to unconsciousness.

First, Prev, Next (coming soon). AO3

[eomayas]

exo masterlist

key: smut (s), suggestive (sg), fluff (f), angst (a), request (r), complete (c) [for series], popular(🌷), personal favorite (🌹)

EXO

— airport dads

— sugar daddy line

— exo when angry | r

— exo simping | sg 🌷

— jealous exo

— pda

— being shipped with another idol | r

kim minseok

— best friend | f

— in the morning | s, f, r 🌹

kim junmyeon

— sneakin’ | s, a

— nip slip | s 🌷

— testy | s 🌹

— handsome stranger | f

— strictly business | s, r 🌹

— yours | f, a, r

— wants & needs | s, f, r

byun baekhyun

— baby blues | f, a, r

— unplanned | a, r

— besos | f, r

— frisky | sg, r 🌹

— baby blues (vol. 2) | f, a, r

— soft side | f, r

— the bodyguard | f, a, r

— broken promises | a, r

— (computer) games | f, r

— cream soda | s, f, r 🌷

— all the rumors are true | f, a 🌷🌹

— closure | s, a

— fantasy | sg, a, f

kim jongdae

— coming soon

park chanyeol

— back 2 u | a, sg, r

— new thing (series) | s, f, a, c

— rainy day | s, r

— call me what you want, when you want, if you want | a, f, r

do kyungsoo

— make it up to you | s 🌹

— caught in the act | s, f 🌷🌹

— amore | f

— tender love | f, r

— ninety | a, f

— interruptions | f, sg 🌹

— swervin | s

kim jongin

— d appointment | s, f

— confessions | f, a (sequel to d appointment)

— friendly competition | f

— take a break | f, r

oh sehun

— 10:07 pm | s

— firsts | s, f, r

[marvelous-llama]

EXO recs

most of the mentioned works is 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI

tumblr is based on reblogs not likes, so please reblog and comment under works you like. Show love to the authors and appreciate their hard work

<<next chapters

pls don´t hesitate to hmu, if any of mentioned links doesn´t work or you have suggestions for more fics... thank you so much for all the love and comments

OT9

Exordia Academy by @kpopfanfictrash

Welcome to the Exodus Mall by @yehet-me-up

12 days of lust by @kwanisms

Gaurdian angel series by @marshmallow-phd (Kyungsoo, Sehun, Baekhyun, Jongin, Chanyeol, Junmeon)

Vampire series by @marshmallow-phd (Tao, Chanyeol, Yixing, Luhan, Minseok, Jongin, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun)

Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa collab by @myeoning-call

meant to be by @galactichen

Kim Minseok

Kim Junmyeon

Zhang Yixing

Byun Baekhyun

Kim Jongdae

Park Chanyeol

Do Kyungsoo

Kim Jongin

Oh Sehun

[bunnyjunmyeonie]

Blog Navigation and Fic Recs Masterlist

Note:- All of the works listed below DO NOT belong to me. Credits to the talented authors who wrote them.

Groups:- EXO

Kim Junmyeon / Suho

The Book Of The Dead By @marshmallow-phd

Case File 01 By @xiubaek-13

Not Without Her (Series, Smut) By @myeoning-call

Drabbe Prompt By @decantingstxrs

Kinktober Day 31, Junmyeon (Smut) by @itstheoneshot

Hard Enough (Freinds to lovers, suggestive) by @writemekpop

Snowed Up (Smut) By @bluenereid

Day After Day By @chaecchi

Doctor's Orders (M) by @prettywordsyouleft

Junmyeon Smut By @bluenereid

A Pleasant Way To Beat Boredom, a Junmyeon Drabble by @seawitch62

One Week

Junmyeon Drabble By @kpop---scenarios

Junmyeon Drabble By @itstheoneshot

Junmyeon Request Prompt (Smut)By @yeoldontknow

The Pact by @gamerwoo

Stranded By @noona-clock

Halloween Rumors By @noona-clock

Junmyeon Smut Drabble By @gamerwoo

Junmyeon Request prompt By @biaswreckingfics

Junmyeon Request Prompt By @biaswreckingfics

Junmyeon (Exes To Lovers) Request Prompt By @biaswreckingfics

Replay (Smut, Mature Themes) By @yeoldontknow

Park Chanyeol

The Greatest Gift (Smut) By @wonderlustlucas

Business favours (Smut) By @itschanyeolfic-blog

Free Spirits (Series, Smut) By @exoheadspace

Police Officer AU (Smut) by @seungcheolsthighsss

Dating Park Chanyeol Headcannon By @you-can-be-the-moonlight

Chanyeol Prompt by @lustbile

Bitten By a Spider (Smut) by @byunbhyunz

Oh Sehun

Do Kyungsoo

Chen / Kim Jongdae

Providence (Fake Boyfriend! Chen, a little smut) By @xiubaek-13

Tinted Lips AU (Series, Smut) by @myeoning-call

Kai / Kim Jongin

If Only By @iridescentxstars

Brat By @sinnerforexo

Byun Baekhyun

Let Me In By @xiubaek-13

Heartless By @soujougeurilla

Blindly In Love by @myeoning-call

Xiumin / Kim Minseok

Case File 99 By @xiubaek-13

Far, Far Away by @mrkswrld

Lay / Zhang Yixing

Lu Han

So Handsome (Implied Smut) by @xiubaek-13

Masterlist Posts Of Other Fic Writers:-

Mobile Masterlist Of @marshmallow-phd

Masterlist Of @pesiko

Masterlist Of @hobicomeholla29

Lost In Translation Masterlist By @xiubaek-13

Masterlist Of @oh-beyond aka @myeoning-call

Reading List Of @baekxytocin (Baekhyun fics)

Masterlist Of @byunstation

Masterlist Of @iibonniee

Turn Masterlist (BBH, KJM, KJI, PCY) by @kpop---scenarios

KJM and ZYX by @bluenereid

Kinktober Masterlist Of @mint-yooxgi

Masterlist of @chanyeolsbiggestfangirl

[eightwithcapitale]

continuing this

thanks for tagging me @silverfoxstole!

Last Song: Come Inside of My Heart by IV OF SPADES (yep besides EXO's new album, I'm obsessed with this song)

Currently watching: movie, Casino Royale (2006). watching for the first time \\ series, rewatching House MD. currently in s2.

Currently reading: Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, Crimson Peak Novelization, and Sun by Tere Liye

Current obsession: EXO's comeback!! (that includes Kim Junmyeon, Do Kyungsoo, Kim Jongdae, and Kim Minseok my beloveds) House MD, PMcG, and Doctor Who. Basically what's on my blog.

Tagging @ophelia-markov @youcouldbewonderful @mitromana @lordfenric @louisgirlwinx and whoever wants to join can use me as ur tagger!

[marshmallow-phd]

A Manor of Shadow and Blood

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won’t let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5

**

The wind whistled against the windows like a hallowing scream. You tossed and turned, desperate to fall asleep. The first few nights had been somewhat peaceful, due to the fever having a complete hold over you. To fight it off, your body had kept you in a deep sleep, only broken by bouts of blurry consciousness. 

But now… every noise made your eyelids snap open and your heart jump in pace. This unfamiliar place was full of shadows and secrets. Secrets that revolved around the men keeping you here. 

Releasing a long sigh, you stared up at the canopy, the newly formed indentions in the knife floating in your mind. They weren’t there before, you were sure of that. You had used that knife to cut the chicken and it was in perfect condition. No human could bend the metal like that. 

And then there was the speed at which Yixing caught your wrist. 

You sat up with haste. Sleep was not going to come to you tonight. You groaned and rubbed your face with your fingers. The room slowly came into view as your eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight. You had opened the curtain before slipping into bed so you could watch the moon rise into the sky. Looking around the room, you searched for an answer on how to get yourself to sleep. There wasn’t much in this grand room. Simply a bed, a wardrobe, a dresser, the chair–

Wait. 

Pushing the blanket off of your legs, you crawled across the mattress towards the chair. The shape didn’t seem right. Six legs instead of four. An extra shape in the outline. 

“You should go to sleep.”

A high pitched scream ripped at your throat until a cold hand covered your mouth, cutting off the sound. Now fully bathed in the blue moonlight, you could make out the sharp features of Yixing’s face. 

You shoved his arm away to free your lips. “What do you think you are doing in my room?” No gentleman would dare enter a lady’s room like this. Unless– gumption gone, you swallowed thickly. Was the reason you were trapped here finally coming to fruition?

The corner of Yixing’s mouth twitched upwards. He slinked forward like a cat cornering a mouse until his arms trapped you against the mattress, a hand on either side of your hip. Only your elbows kept you from being flat on your back, even more vulnerable. 

“You’re a noisy sleeper,” he purred, his eyes flashing. “It's… distracting.”

You scoffed. None of their rooms were near yours. You were sure that all the ones around you were empty. He shouldn’t have been able to hear your tossing and turning. “Distracting?”

He hummed. His right hand lifted from the bed and reached out towards your face. You flinched at the motion, making him freeze. 

But only for a moment. 

The hovering fingers soon resumed their path. He didn’t make contact with your cheek, however. Instead, his fingers traced the outline of your collarbone. Down one slope and up the other. You trembled at the contact. His smirked only deepend. His fingers moved on to your shoulder, the too loose neckline of the nightgown nearly falling off. 

You should slap him away, scream at him to leave, but you were too petrified to do so. 

At least, you thought that was what stopped you. The coldness of his fingers moved up the curve of your neck, the tips pausing on the pulsing vein. His thumb caressed the edge of your jaw. 

“Go to sleep.”

And like that, he disappeared into the night like smoke from a dying ember. 

You didn’t hear or see the door open or close, but you knew you were alone now. 

And you were furious. 

How dare he come here! How dare he–

Your feet hit the floor, heavy and without a care of being heard. Sleep, in protest of that madman’s orders, would now be impossible. Anger and frustration at your situation fueled something new within you.

You weren’t sure what it was or what it would lead to, but you followed it without question. Donning soft slippers and a thicker slip dress, you found a candle in the top drawer, along with a few matches and a holder. You lit the candle and left your room. 

Out. You needed to find a way out. Perhaps if you could get ahold of a piece of paper and a pen then you could write–

But how would you get it to someone who could take it to your family?

This place–somewhere in its halls or dusty room–had to hold the key. Something here had to be your savior, something to make this hope not without merit. 

You pinched the candleholder tightly in your hand. The tiny flame danced before your eyes, occasionally catching your attention away from where you were going. All of your senses were heightened, on the lookout for the next corner’s surprise. If one of them was awake at this hour, then more could be as well. Running into one of them could be detrimental–or a possibility for answers. Perhaps if you could get one of the others, one of the less… frightful ones, you might be able to plead for help. One surely would take pity on you. 

Or they would simply take advantage of the isolation.

Though that fear lingered in the back of your mind, you kept on your quiet steps. 

There wasn’t much you could see with the light of the candle. The floors, like your room, were of wood boards somewhat taken care of. Portraits and landscapes hung on the walls, but their colors had faded, no longer holding the joy of life they once had captured. 

Taking a left at a fork in the hall, you came to a large door that didn’t open like the others. It slid sideways on wheels like a ladder against tall bookshelves. As carefully as you could, you pushed the door open and glanced inside. 

The room was just a simple parlor, with an unlit fireplace and several stuffed chairs accompanied by small side tables. Most likely an unused smoke room for the gentlemen to disappear to after dinner. 

Across the room was another door, though this one seemed to be the normal kind that swung on hinges. On the other side was probably another hallway. A connecting room like this could be useful as a quick getaway, should the need arise. You mentally noted its existence and stepped inside, slowly sliding the door closed behind you. With a deep breath, you started for the other door.

“I don’t recall you being given free reign of the manor.”

You nearly dropped the candle from the unexpected voice. Careless! You should have inspected the room closer and then you would have seen Sehun clearly leaning back in one of the chairs, fully facing you. His expression was a friendly one, but rather one of deep irritation. It would seem you interrupted… something. Or maybe your mere existence was enough to annoy him. 

“I wasn’t explicitly told to stay in my room,” you argued, though not in a particularly strong voice. “Is there something wrong with me walking about?”

Sehun stood from the chair with inhuman grace. You had never seen someone move so smoothly, without fault or twitch. He had complete control of his lithe limbs and tall stature. Gangly would never apply to him. His steps were noiseless as he sauntered closer, stopping a foot or two away. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” he snarled. “It’s stupid to roam where you shouldn’t be.”

“Stupid?” It was one thing for you to scold yourself in your private thoughts, but you would not be insulted this way. “If I am so unwelcomed in this room then you can simply ask for me to leave.” You raised an eyebrow in challenge, hoping that would cover the pounding of your fearful heart. 

He didn’t appear to notice. His jaw shifted left to right, but no words left his lips. 

“Well, then.” You took your eyes away from him and started for the other door, holding on to that tiny bit of triumph.

An arm as strong as an iron bar flashed before you, blocking your way and refusing to move. Sehun’s palm was spread along the faded green pain of the wall. You shoved and pushed at the barrier, but nothing even made him flinch. He encroached, leaving behind any sense of personal space, much like Yixing just an hour before. He loomed over you, his upper lip curling into a mixture of a snarl and smirk. 

“That bravery is a mistake,” he hissed. You pressed your back against the wall and brought the candle close to you as if that tiny flame was enough to keep him at bay. 

Which was exactly the reaction he wanted. A sly, wicked smirk fully took over. 

Pursing his lips, he blew once, snuffing out the flame. For a few seconds, you were absolutely blind in the sudden darkness. Sehun was invisible to you, despite his closeness. However, you could feel his breath against your chin. It was cold, like a winter’s breeze. It should have been warm. Human breathes were warm. 

That chilling breath grew closer. It traveled from your nose to your cheek and then to your hair, ruffling the strands against your ear. Something nudged against your temple. He took a long, deep breath. His nose. Was he… smelling you?

Your eyes began to adjust to the darkness, absorbing any bits of moonlight that broke through the heavy curtains hanging from the short windows above your head. All you could see of Sehun was the slope of his shoulder and the outline of his hair. 

His head snapped up, making you squeak. But he didn’t acknowledge the jump, his eyes turned towards the hallway you had entered from. A low hiss vibrated in his chest. You could nearly feel it in your own. He glanced at you once, his eyes shining unnaturally in the dark. Then, he ran from the room at a speed no man should possess. 

You ran back to your room, the candle still gripped tightly by your side. Panic gripped you so completely that you passed the door to your sanctuary the first time. Once inside, you desperately searched for a way to lock the door. There was none. Alright. Fine. You would barricade the door then. 

Huffing shallow breaths, you pulled and pushed the armchair so it acted like a weight against the door. It might not be heavy enough to keep it shut forever, but at least entering would be a struggle. You had tried the more fortifying dresser first, but it had refused to shift even a centimeter. The chair was the best you could do. 

Ripping the blanket off of the bed, you draped the heavy fabric over your shoulders and sat down on the floor under the window. Your gaze stayed trained on the door, ears straining for the slightest sound to alert you for whoever came for you next. Sehun's cold breath still lingered against your skin. You rubbed at your cheek to try and make it go away. So close. He'd been so close. 

And Yixing. That was why you couldn't be on the bed. Not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow. Or even the night after that. It was tainted. You shivered at the memory of his closeness and pulled the blanket in closer. That one long cloth was now your shield, your protection. The object that kept you safe. In your mind, at least. In truth, it would be ripped away from you as easily as water slipping through your fingers. But the thought was enough. 

You tucked your chin in between the folds and kept watching the door. Soon, the night would get lighter. Already, the darkness didn't seem as strong. 

How long until one of them came? Until someone tried to push their way inside? You hoped it would be a long time. Even hoped that they would forget about you and you could find a way to make it out, survive the forest, and see your family again. The odds weren't in your favor, but that hope was a life line. 

As the moonlight shifted, your eyes grew heavy. It was a battle to keep them open. Each time they fluttered closed, you lost ground. Sleep that had eluded you so easily before now came back to reclaim its time. The door blurred before you and then sleep claimed its victory.

Tap, tap, tap.

Your eyes blinked open. It was still night. Or, perhaps, it was night again. This darkness felt new. The beginning of a fresh night. 

Tap, tap. 

You looked up at the window above your head. 

Tap, tap, tap. 

Little black dots hit the window before disappearing out of view. You frowned and pushed up off the floor, the protective blanket falling to the floor. Still emerging from sleep, your eyes took a moment to bring the scene into focus. At first, you merely saw a blur amongst the grass. 

Then, it took shape. 

You groaned. Jongdae was waving at you to come down.

You shook your head furiously. Safety was in here. And... though he didn’t feel quite as dangerous as the others, he still made you weary. The memories of Sehun and Yixing were still burnt freshly into your mind.

At your refusal, he visibly sighed. In his other hand hung a small cloth bag. He pulled a small bun from the bag and held it up to you. Your stomach grumbled and gurgled  in response. It looked… nice. You could almost smell the bread's delectable scent. Were you really going to give in to food? 

You needed an ally, you told yourself. He was different from the others. How much you weren't sure, but perhaps you could use that. If you could make him sympathetic to you– 

Mind made up, you turned from the wind and changed into more appropriate clothing. This time, you heeded Jongdae's advice and kept your hair down to cover your neck. It felt highly improper, like a hundred governesses would appear from nowhere to scold you for being so scandalous. But you shoved the invisible tsking women away and moved the chair just enough to exit into the hallway. 

It took some time to find your way outside. Jongdae now waited for you with his back against a lone tree that looked to be one more winter away from death.

"I'll note that food is a way to entice you out." 

You glared at him. "Did you have a reason for standing under my window instead of knocking on the door like a normal person?" 

"Junmyeon had tried to bring you breakfast around sunrise," he said as he inspected the perfectly browned bun still in his hand. "He couldn't get in, though." 

"I blocked the door," you explained casually. 

Jongdae raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed by some measure. “Quick learner." 

"After some… events last night, precaution was necessary." 

"Yixing has restraint." He pushed off the tree and held the bun out to you. "You were lucky that Sehun was called off of you, though. His self-control is... lacking." 

You gaped at him, heat rising fiercely in your cheeks. "How did you–” 

“Know?" he smirked. "Secrets don't exist here. Best you learn that quickly." 

You narrowed your gaze at him. "No secrets?" 

Seeing right through you, he laughed, leaning forward and close to your face. "From us. Not for you." 

The pure arrogance in that reply. "That hardly seems fair."

"That's life,” He shrugged. Looking around for nothing in particular, he said, “Let's take a walk." 

The roll broke easily against your teeth. You chewed on the bite, resisting the urge to moan at its delicious flavor. The inside was still soft and fresh. Finally swallowing, you refused him a single step. "Why?"

"You've been sleeping on a hard floor all day,” he said pointedly. You didn’t want to think about how he possibly knew that. "You need to move." For an extra enticement, he held up the linen bag. More where that came from, he said without speaking. 

The bun in your hand, though all of its warmth was gone, was like heaven in your stomach. But it certainly wouldn't be enough. "Fine." 

You followed him alongside the house, not bothering to speak so you could continue eating. The last of the orange glow of day disappeared into the horizon far ahead of you. Yes, you had really slept for all those sunlit hours. Once again, night, it would seem, was to be your day. Chewing on the last bit of bun, you held your hand for the next morsel. 

"We’re greedy this evening," Jongdae chuckled. 

 "Did you think I came for your company?" You couldn’t help but give a spiteful response. 

Not offended in the slightest, he threw you a rather despicable smile. "Better my company then one of the others."

Though you agreed, you refused to do so aloud. "Are you that different from them?"

He didn't answer. Staring ahead, he reached into the bag and pulled out another bun, holding it out for you. 

"Is this to keep me from asking more questions?"

You managed to make him chuckle. "No. Just to keep you occupied while I answer the last one." 

Too curious, you accepted the bun and took a bite. Jongdae sighed and clasped his hands behind his back, the now nearly empty bag dangling from his fingertips. "We're all different from each other. I'm not more different from them. Though I am better than the others at controlling myself." 

Your steps faltered. "Controlling yourself?" 

He nodded. As you passed under another tree, he reached out and swing up into the branches without exerting effort, sitting on a branch well out of your own reach. 

"What are you? All of you,” you asked in a breathy gasp. All they were capable of doing was adding up, but logic told you repeatedly it was impossible. You wanted to try and rationalize it, even try to convince yourself that you were still sick with fever. But this was all too real to be a mere hallucination. What it all meant, however, you couldn’t understand. 

Hands grasped around two of the branches, he leaned forward and closed the gap between you. "You seem moderately intelligent. I'm sure you can discover the answer on your own." 

"As flattering as that is," you huffed through clenched teeth, "if the answer means danger then you should be the man to tell me." 

"If?" Jongdae laughed, as if he had read your mind. He jumped from the tree, flattening the bits of hair that had fallen out of place with his fingers. Despite playing in the tree like a child, he looked ever so the gentleman.

"’If' is a fantasy.” He glanced behind you. Scared, you followed his gaze, but there was no one there. When you turned back around, you gasped. His nose was mere centimeters from yours. "It does mean danger. You need to keep your eyes and ears open. Happy or not, you are here for a long while and no one is coming for you.'' 

You swallowed back tears as his words planted firmly in your heart. Now, you truly accepted it. No running, no escape. You were at their mercy. Whatever they were. And though Jongdae gave the impression that he was on your side, his help was firmly limited. Food and company, that was all he was good for. 

Walking once again, you solemnly finished the last bit of bun as Jongdae kept pace. When the second helping of bread ran out, you chewed on your next few words. If you were here for the foreseeable future, you might as well know this land’s history. 

"Who’s house is this?"

"Hm?" Jongdae had been lost in thoughts of his own, it appeared. He blinked himself back to the present conversation. "Oh. The manor is Kyungsoo's." 

"Kyungsoo's?" you repeated. Odd. The answer you had been expecting was the obvious: Junmyeon. He seemed to be the one everyone looked to for answers or leadership. His word was law, yet this land did not fall to him. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, felt too... isolated, cut away to be the rightful owner of this grand place. The few lords you had met before all possessed the same self-awareness and high opinion of themselves. Kyungsoo didn’t give the appearance that he cared about either. 

"Yes,” Jongdae nodded, his previous teasing gone now. “He inherited it from his father. The family used to own as much land as the eye could see. But his father was a gambler. Terrible at cards, wonderful at losing. They had to sell the land to keep the debtors at bay. Now, all that is left is this manor and a bit of the surrounding land, but no tenants. The glory of the family is now reduced to this.” 

You listened to the story with careful respect. It was one sadly more common among the nobility then they wished to admit. Land was constantly switching family names, sometimes it was difficult to keep track. A small fear you had was accidentally reminding a high nobility of their careless ancestor. "What's his family name?" 

"Jongdae! Here's where you disappeared off to." 

Your stroll in the moonlight stuttered to a halt. 

[wolveswithblackpearls]

Dance with the waves,

move with the sea.

Let the rhythm of the water

set your soul free.

(Christy Ann Martine)

Exo Power Series: Suho × Water

~ Admin S

Original date of publishing: January 2020

[yoonia]

Blood Moon Rising | 30

‘As beings from ancient times, the Vampire Clan has undergone numerous changes to thrive in the Modern Age after surviving the Ancient Blood War. As a part of the traveller family in his clan, Jimin has parted ways from the coven until the day his Lords warned him of the lurking danger from inside the clan. And all so suddenly, he was pulled out of his solitary, only to have given the responsibility he had never wished to have, along with the threats that come as a part of the deal.

Born as youngest yet having lost so much, you have given your family your loyalty, your protection, and had been given their love and support that had become the only thing that keeps you going. But what happens when the only people you have put your trust in only repay you with betrayal?’

➥ Character | Jimin x reader

➥ Genre | Supernatural!au, Vampire! Jimin, Werewolf!reader, Angst

➥ Ratings & Warning | PG-13; mentions of assault and usage of poison, depiction of a battle.

➥ Word count | 13,3k words

➥ Part of The Shifters Series | World Map & Glossary | Characters Guide | ⤎ Previous Chapter | Next Chapter ⇢

➥ Masterlist

➥ Author’s Note | I’m sorry this took forever, and I’m also sorry that I couldn’t get this chapter any shorter when it’s a bit more detail and conversation heavy, but we’re getting closer to some more action, I promise. A quick reminder, that as we progress with the story with more possible crossovers between stories happening in the future chapters, I will start referring to the other female characters with their OC names each time they make any appearance in the scenes. Feel free to follow and get to know more about these characters through the Characters Guide page linked above. Enjoy!

Jimin has lost count of how many times he had travelled through the Resting Forest.

He had gone through the same trail for many years, decades, and most possibly even during the past century that he spent more time being constantly on the move, exploring the continent and travelling across the vast land rather than staying secluded within the home castle. The trail has become so familiar to him that he no longer questions the reason why he had found himself running through this forest during the frenzy state that he was in when he was fighting to survive from the poison, sending him far towards the East side of the continent.

It had sent him falling right into your path, causing an encounter that seemed to have been destined to happen.

Jimin stops himself from going down memory lane just as he begins thinking about the entire event, unwilling to let his mind wander too far as he silently follows behind Kim Junmyeon, the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack who is leading him and his Vampire brothers towards the werewolf’s home territory. He looks over his shoulders, immediately meeting Jinhwan and Junhoe’s eyes as they both walk closely behind him. Both of them are wearing the look of exhaustion, looking worse for wear but doing their best to keep their heads up to hide it.

The twin sons of Lord Seunghyun are walking right behind them. Why they have chosen to tag along instead of going ahead with Hanbin who had left earlier is something that Jimin cannot understand. It had seemed like they had decided to stay close to Junhoe, the one who they had looked up to as their protector ever since their young age. The messenger that had come with them, Yeosang, has separated from the group right after the battle had ended to continue with his duty, as the twins had asked him to send out a message to the other Lords’ children to let them know that they have met with Jimin and that the Orphans are gathering in the werewolves’ territory. At the far back, the Siren mage, Hyun, follows silently. His eyes keep flashing between black and silver while he walks, a sign that he is using his spells. Perhaps it is his way of tracing any signs of threat coming along the way, and he is doing so while chatting along with the Enforcer who is walking right beside him in his human form as he had injured his shoulders during the fight.

Behind Jimin and his group of entourage, the rest of the werewolf pack follows, mostly remaining in their werewolf forms to provide security for their Alpha and his special guests. Though the security measures do nothing to stop Jimin from staying alert on their journey. Not only because of the possible threat that may still come, knowing that not all of Jiho’s followers have been put down or apprehended from the previous fight, but also for the fact that the Alpha and his pack seem to be leading him down a secret path that Jimin had never once noticed before when he travelled past this region.

Despite knowing everything about the Resting Forest and the territory surrounding the Blue Moon Pack, there was nothing much that Jimin had known about the aforementioned werewolf pack itself. Nothing else other than its various characteristics which had become the reason why the pack had been chosen as the intermediary of the Peace Treaty. Ever since the end of the Blood War, they have been widely known and proven to be the most proficient mediators in maintaining the Peace Treaty between the Shifters community and the Vampires clan, while their territory has become a neutral ground, as they are strategically situated at the part of the continent which allows them to maintain communication with their alliances with ease.

To the East, the Blue Moon Pack is surrounded by other smaller packs of shifters and small human towns, while they also have direct access to the two largest and strongest packs in the continent—the Supreme Wolf Pack and the Wolf Moon Pack—and their human alliance in the Rivermouth Village. Slightly up to the North, they are merely a coast apart from the restricted area which is the home island of the Fairies, though it had never been confirmed if the pack had ever developed any direct association with the latter, as the Fairies have been mostly known to keep to themselves and remain distant from the other communities in the continent. To the West, the pack is connected directly to more human territories as their closest neighbours, while they have the Vampire clan’s homeland as their farthest neighbour, even if they still have easy access to remain in contact with their representatives within the Vampire clan.

The advantage that their strategic location has offered does come with a price, however, as they are also situated within the proximity of one of the most hazardous parts of the land.

Surrounded by the Resting Mountains which acts like a massive wall of shield to protect them from any possible threat, along with the Resting Forest which acts as the perfect barrier and secured border surrounding the pack’s territory, they are still susceptible to the danger coming from the No Man’s Land down South and the Hunters’ colony on their South West side. The barren land serves as a silent threat, with ruthless rogues and halflings residing within its territory, constantly waiting for the right time to move out in search of new lands to raid. Meanwhile, the Hunters could often be seen lurking around the area, using the excuse of watching over the rogue shifters in order to stop them from coming near the human towns. Yet the shifters community has always known that they are simply lying in wait, anticipating for a chance to strike any unsuspecting pack of shifters before infiltrating their territory to seize control.

With these facts in mind, Jimin wonders if this would be the reason behind the peculiar route that the Alpha is taking him and his brothers upon entering their home territory.

For a long time, there is only one open path that Jimin has known to be the main entrance leading to the Blue Moon Pack’s territory. He knows of its existence and where it is originally located, enough to know to stay clear from it whenever he would travel past this region. Enough to notice that this is not the path that he has in mind. The moment he began to follow the Alpha’s lead, he had expected to see the familiar-looking path that he had been avoiding for many years. Yet, instead of finding himself going around or between the Resting Mountains the way he had expected he would, Alpha Junmyeon has been leading him down below, going through the path beneath the mountains.

“Is it safe to assume that this isn’t your public entrance that would have been the main access meant for your regular guests?” Jimin questions the Alpha after a short period of time walking in silence through the cavern underneath the mountains. His voice bounces against the rocky walls around them, followed by an echo that sounds subtle and smooth. It gives him the slightest hint of how deep this cavern seems to be and how far the journey that they still need to take before reaching the end, but also hints at just how well-maintained this secret path has been.

Right beside him, Alpha Junmyeon responds with a soft chuckle as he nods at the Vampire. “No, this is not our public entrance. Blue Moon Pack has multiple entry points for security measures. Our territory is located in one of the most compromising places in the continent, open to threats and challenges. Both the mountains and the forest have been sufficient enough to hide us from our enemy’s sight, making it hard for those who have never once set foot in our territory to find where we truly are, but we still cannot risk jeopardising our safety during moments like this one.”

Hearing the werewolf’s answer, Jimin simply nods, acknowledging the measures that the werewolf pack has taken to protect themselves from the challenges that they must regularly face. A new sense of admiration grows on Jimin as he silently commends them for being resourceful, proving further that they are truly a worthy ally. He now understands precisely well why you and your family had thought of them with high regard, putting aside the fact that you were once mated with one of the previous Alpha’s sons.

“So that means there are more of these secret passages hidden under the mountains?” Jimin asks, both out of curiosity and also for the sake of not letting his mind goes all the way into wondering about the life you had before he met you. To his relief, everyone around him seems to be preoccupied with the need to focus on getting through the passageway safely to notice the emotional turmoil that suddenly overcomes him.

“Beneath, around, and over. Each one is hidden perfectly with only a few selected pack members and ranked wolves would know how to access, and each one is specially guarded against any possible threat from both inside and outside of our territory,” Alpha Junmyeon explains with a proud smile, before slowly adding, “I don’t think even your mate had any knowledge of all the passages that we have despite having spent quite a long time living with us. She only knew a few of the old ones that the immediate family members of the previous Alphas would use, since she had used them to come and go when she needed to, but there had been a couple of new ones that we had created since the pack has been growing rapidly over the years.”

Jimin gives out a soft chuckle. “Seeing that she didn’t even bother mentioning it in the first place, I’m pretty sure that even if she has figured them all out, she would keep it to herself to protect you and your family. Even from me,” he lightly jokes, smiling wider as Alpha Junmyeon laughs at his comment. Jimin waits until their laughter dies down before uttering slowly, “I guess news travels fast around here,” indicating the fact that the werewolf had somehow found out that Jimin had recently mated with you, a fact that wasn’t supposed to have reached them when neither of you had made it public as it had only happened recently.

Alpha Junmyeon falls silent for a brief moment, giving Jimin nothing but a small smile. “We have a mage who resides with us while acting as our counsellor. A member of the Peacekeepers. She has foreseen your mating while maintaining contact with her mentor, the grand mage, Agatha, who had confirmed her vision to be true,” he later says to Jimin, who is not completely surprised to hear Agatha’s name being mentioned as she had always appeared to be someone who was crucial to the Peacekeepers and their purpose. “Even if we haven’t heard the news from our counsellor, I would’ve still recognised the scent you are carrying and the mating mark that she left on you right the moment we met. I surely hope that my sister—” he stops himself briefly with a chuckle and quickly says, “Oh, forgive me. I mean, my former sister-in-mating. I hope that she is doing well.”

Jimin gives the Alpha a warm smile. “She is surviving and thriving regardless of the circumstances. Due to your relations with each other, I do believe that she will remain to regard herself as your sister-in-mating, as my existence could never erase the history that she had with your brother.” Hearing this, the Alpha nearly stumbles. He quickly turns to Jimin, shocked, quite obviously not expecting to hear the Vampire acknowledging his late brother, your fated mate, without any hint of jealousy. Though his eyes grow soft as Jimin later adds, “She still thinks highly of you as well, and she respects you as both the Alpha and the older brother that she never had growing up. She had even asked me personally to find you if I ever need to when she heard that I was travelling through this area to reach home.”

Jimin turns to the Alpha as they both stop walking for a brief moment, nodding with a smile. “Never would have thought that I would find myself in a circumstance where you would find me first and aid me before I had the chance to reach out. I do wonder, however, how it was possible for you to find us in the first place. Or, more specifically, to know that I would be there in need of help, and to think that you are working side by side with Hanbin, the brother that I thought I had lost.”

Alpha Junmyeon locks his gaze with Jimin for a moment before proceeding with the journey. He has tried to hide it, but Jimin can still catch the glint of tears appearing in the corner of his eyes as he looks away. “I highly appreciate that, knowing that she still thinks of me the same way,” the Alpha says with a soft voice. The moment he turns to look at Jimin once more, there is a bit more warmth in his gaze and his smile as he speaks, “I still think of her as my little sister. I don’t think that it will change anytime soon. Regardless of who she is mated with. And it was an honour of mine to assist you when you were in need. Don’t worry, all of your questions will be answered soon, including why and how your brother had come to be with us.”

Despite his curiosity and the questions lingering inside his head, Jimin simply smiles in return, choosing to be patient about getting his answers. “Thank you, Alpha. For being there for me and my brothers, and for bringing aid to us. And, more importantly, I certainly hope that things wouldn’t change between you and my mate, whatever happens in the future.”

At his comment, Alpha Junmyeon gives a brief nod, before his expression changes. Straightening his back and shoulders, the Alpha puts on a more serious look on his face, acting once again as the host Alpha before he gets too emotional about his sister-in-mating who he hasn’t seen for years. “It won’t take us long before we arrive,” he calmly says as he continues to walk ahead of the group, Jimin quickly following close behind. “These caverns were created as quick passageways, not only to help us sneak in, but also for our emergency escape, so the journey would take much shorter compared to the trip that we normally would have needed if we had gotten through the main entryway. This tunnel specifically was created to lead you straight to the safety chamber within our pack house.”

Jimin reacts with a nod. Then his mind wanders back to the conversation that they shared previously, back to when the Alpha invited him and his brother to his pack for the first time. “Is there where these guests of yours are waiting for us at?”

“Yes, they would be waiting for you there. I’m sure that your brother, Hanbin, had already joined them by now,” Alpha Junmyeon says with a secretive smile, as he continues to make Jimin wonder about who these ’guests’ might have been, as the Alpha had never taken the chance to explain further before they departed towards his home pack. “I’m sure that the safe chamber would be more fitting for this reunion, and for the private meeting that we have prepared for you.”

A wave of distrust spreads through the air around Jimin as his brothers overhear the Alpha’s words. An unsettling feeling rises inside him as well at how vague the Alpha has been about whoever it is waiting for Jimin and his brothers to arrive. But Jimin has no other choice but to trust the Alpha, knowing that Hanbin has done the same by reaching the pack first.

Jimin tries his best to tame his curiosity, not wanting to let it take away his focus as he slowly enters a new and unfamiliar territory. “Can’t wait to meet them,” Jimin simply mutters, as he silently sends his thoughts to his brothers and Hyun, warning them to stay alert and be prepared for whatever is waiting for them at the other end of this tunnel.

Jimin breathes in the fresh night air as he steps out of the long cavern, and he is immediately surrounded by the ripples of force that are a part of the Blue Moon Pack’s signature. It isn’t as powerful or as intimidating as the forces that he had felt in the past when he visited the Supreme Wolf Pack during one of his missions, but it is enough to alert him, to remind him that he has stepped foot into a foreign territory that might not always be so welcoming to Vampires, especially under the circumstances that they are in.

His own powers begin to rise in response, forming a protective barrier around him against the forces that seem to be present to identify him as a new threat. He controls himself, however, until he settles down from his need to fight and the ripples of forces around him start to calm down, settling around him in a more welcoming embrace. He looks around, noticing his brothers doing the same while the two mischievous twins seem completely unaffected. Right behind them, almost looking just as unaffected as Lord Seunghyun’s children, Hyun remains calm as he continues conversing with the Enforcer who had been travelling alongside him.

Jimin doesn’t know much about the siren or his powers, but he could sense that the mage has exceptional control of his powers and magic. His calm and quiet nature might be his way of hiding the true nature of his magic, something that Jimin had witnessed during the fight and back when they were still in the Wiccan community’s hideout. And he is seeing it now here, as the shifter walks past the border without so much of a flinch when the forces around him should be pressuring him from various sides the way they do against the Vampires. To have such a powerful being — someone who is supposed to be a part of a community of shifters that has been living far hidden in their sanctuary for centuries — now working with modern white magic and joining hands with the Peacekeepers, is something that has Jimin wondering and questioning about the boy’s true identity.

Deciding to put his curious mind at ease and focus instead on the events happening in the present, Jimin then turns to the Alpha who is already waiting for him. Together with his entourage in tow, Jimin proceeds to follow him across the open ground which spreads from the mouth of the cavern that they had just walked out from, a gravel-covered pathway marking the way that they are supposed to follow to reach their destination.

As they continue their walk, Jimin silently observes his surroundings. The trees here are much smaller than what he had encountered out there in the forest, but they might be just as capable of giving shelter to everyone walking down this very same pathway. It would have given the Vampires the perfect shield against the sunlight, though it is hard to confirm it now as the day is already turning into nightfall once again.

Above him, the sky appears to be tinted in dark grey, with only a hint of burnt tangerine shining on the horizon as the sun takes its final descent for the night. Jimin cannot believe that an entire day had passed, though the moment he is surrounded by solitude and serenity, it seems as if the long battle that he had just gone through has ended a long period of time ago. He can still feel the aftermath of the battle—the exhaustion, the remnants of the wounds that are still in the process of healing, and the feeling of dread that has been following him since he was forced to fight his own kind. Even his entire senses are still vibrating, as if he could still feel the rumbling of the forest while it was burning in flames.

A massive cedar tree appears before him just as he reaches the end of the open pathway, rising tall from the ground just as Jimin slowly walks closer. It takes him a moment to realise that the tree is growing against the side of a building, with its trunk leaning against the stone walls while its branches are giving the perfect shades to partially hide the pair of wooden doors that Jimin can see peeking through the shadows. As if the tree had come alive at one point and simply decided to rest against the structure, protecting it from any possible intruders with its entire body.

“This building—” Hyun wonders loudly as he steps forward and stands beside Jimin, before he starts voicing the very same question that the Vampire is dying to ask, “Would this be the pack house that you mentioned earlier?”

The Alpha smiles knowingly at the siren mage and answers, “Yes, this is a part of our pack house. Or, if you want me to be precise, you are currently looking at the additional sector of the main house which is placed at the rear end of the entire residential complex. This area is often used to accommodate regular guests or shelter families of Enforcers who are on leave for pack’s duty, which is why this access is provided here to give these guests or the families staying on this side of the house more privacy and the security they need.”

“Ah, I see,” Hyun says, laughing softly. “I was wondering why the Blue Moon Pack would hide its main house so deep into the woods or use such an old building to shelter its members. I half expected to hear that you had simply disguised the house for incomers and unfamiliar guests like us.”

Smiling at Hyun’s curiosity, Alpha Junmyeon shakes his head. “As I have mentioned, this passageway is meant for anyone who needs to mobilise in private while also functioning as an escape route from within the pack. This is the safest route that we could choose for you to enter the pack house without drawing unwanted attention from other pack members, something that I am sure you wanted to avoid,” he explains further while pointing out that he knows that Jimin and his group have been moving in secrecy before reaching this area.

Though it is true that the Alpha knows what Jimin and the others truly need, as gaining attention on their movements and presence in the pack would be the last thing that they need, as it would alert others from outside the pack of what they are trying to do. Having caught in an intense battle earlier had certainly ruined their initial plans, as now a fraction of the rebels had revealed that Jimin did survive the poison. And now Jimin can no longer predict what the rebels would do if they should find out that he had made contact with the Blue Moon Pack, who is supposed to be the neutral party in this entire situation.

Alpha Junmyeon gestures to his Enforcers to open the door for them while he continues to explain, “This door leads straight to the safe chamber in the basement, where our guests are currently staying. For the sake of tonight’s meeting, we have arranged for the basement to be left unused by the pack members. It would give you the privacy that you would need to talk without any intrusions from anyone from the pack. Although, as the Alpha of Blue Moon Pack and the one responsible for the pack’s safety, I would still like to request that I, along with my Beta and Third-in-command, could join this meeting as the mediators and your personal witnesses, as what you are discussing may involve the future of our pack and our treaty.”

Jimin nods, finding no grievance about the Alpha and his ranked wolves being there. “I certainly have no objection to your involvement. This is your home, after all, and we are merely your guests. I would hate to appear as if the Vampires are taking over your territory for the sake of our cause,” he lightly comments before adding, “And also because you seem to know better about whoever it is waiting for me to meet.”

The Alpha laughs while Jimin shows his uncertainty as he thinks about what he might be getting into. “I can assure you that there is no threat waiting for you down there. At least, not from us,” Alpha Junmyeon reassures him as he sees the Vampire’s reaction. “As the one who is providing you space for this audience, I shall instead offer you protection, even if just to make sure that I can send you home safely to my sister-in-mating.”

His statement draws a smile from Jimin. “I’ll hold on to your words then. Lead the way for us, Alpha. Let’s see who our mystery guest is and get this over with,” Jimin says, gesturing towards the door just as one of the Enforcers moves to open them.

The massive door creaks as it opens and the Enforcer steps aside, allowing the group of Vampires and the lone mage to enter first. The entrance foyer is kept dark, while the air inside feels a bit musty compared to the outside, though it grows better as they continue to walk through the area until they reach a long hallway leading to the stairwell that would take them to the lower ground.

Alpha Junmyeon takes the lead with the previous Enforcer to show them the way down, and only then does Jimin finally realises that the other pack members and Enforcers who had been with them had parted ways, presumably to return to each of their own quarters as they are done with their roles for the night.

Unlike the entrance foyer that they had seen earlier, the stairwell doesn’t seem too dark nor cramped, as the entire way down is lighted with small sconces hanging on the walls around them. Once they all reach the basement, Jimin is surprised to find that the open area below is much more spacious than he had previously thought it would be. Though it shouldn’t be much of a surprise knowing that it should hold as many pack members as it could if any danger should ever occur in their territory.

There are a few closed doors in every corner of the room which seem to be leading to more personal spaces. Jimin can only guess that they may be bed chambers for guests or pack members who would need some privacy during their stay here.

Much to his surprise, however, even if the basement area is located deep underground, the air around him feels a lot less musty or damp the way it did when he first entered the building. The cool air seems to flow around him more fluidly, suggesting that there is better ventilation on this level compared to the upper ground.

They continue walking, reaching the far edge of the basement that leads to a long hallway where another set of doors appears right at its end. Alpha Junmyeon turns to Jimin and his brothers, calmly stating, “Here we are,” before he knocks on the door gently to announce his arrival.

The door opens right away, with Hanbin appearing on the other side with a bright smile, already expecting to see his brothers coming. “Ah, you’re finally here. We’ve been anxiously waiting for you.”

Before Jimin could question him more about his comment, Hanbin steps aside and ushers Jimin and the rest of the group to enter the room. Walking past the threshold, Jimin takes his time to look around him and asses his surroundings. Unlike the bare-looking open area of the basement where they had landed from the stairs, this room feels a lot warmer and way more comfortable to settle in.

Instead of a bed chamber, the group finds themselves entering what seems to be a seating lounge. The walls around them are painted in dark grey and navy blue tone of colours. While looking slightly dark, it gives a lot more life into the room compared to the barren space outside, where all Jimin could see was the pale stone walls and bare cemented floors. A plush carpet covers the floor, while a few leather-covered loveseats are placed in various corners of the room, giving it a homey atmosphere that helps calm the unsettling feeling inside Jimin’s chest a little. The sound of the cracking flame from the fireplace draws everyone’s attention, as it sparks together with a subtle flow of a familiar force that sends a deep longing into Jimin’s heart.

As he turns toward the fireplace, two young werewolves step closer, greeting their Alpha first with a respectful bow before turning to Jimin and his group. “Lord Jimin, let me introduce you to my second, Beta Chanyeol,” the Alpha says as the taller one bows towards Jimin, before gesturing to the one standing beside him who is wearing a bright smile on his face. “And this is my Third-in-command, Minseok. I have handed them both the responsibility of accompanying our guests and watching over the pack on my leave, and with your permission, they will act as witnesses for tonight’s meeting.”

Jimin greets them in return, and allows the werewolves to chat with the rest of his group while he turns away, intending to study his surroundings more closely. He notices Hanbin walking closer just then, with his two other brothers walking alongside him. His throat feels constricted as he sees Yunhyeong, looking as if he had just come out of the infirmary, with one of his arms hanging on a sling, though his smile is still as bright as it always has been. Jimin recalls Jinhwan’s story about the attack, how Yunhyeong had taken the hardest blow during the ambush before disappearing in the portal during their dramatic escape. Together with them is Donghyuk, who had left Jinhwan in the hands of the Wiccans in order to find their missing brothers. Since he is here with them, it has appeared that his mission had been a success.

Seeing his brothers all back together gives Jimin a sense of relief. He is overcome with glee to see them all standing there, even if their appearances are filled with fresh scars and wounds.

“So—” he says as they all come to surround him, each one of the brothers holding back as much as they could from getting too emotional that neither of them makes a move for a hug. “Were you the special guests that the Alpha has been talking about?”

Hanbin grins at his brother and shakes his head. “I wish I could say that we were the ones getting all the royal treatment. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Someone else is here to see you. And I bet you’ll be happy to see him too,” he says, as he steps aside, allowing Jimin to get a clear view of the rest of the room.

He turns around to look at the center of the room as Hanbin gestures him to, and sees a round table with a few armchairs that have been strategically placed around it, signifying that this place has normally been used for secret meetings or private dialogues which needs to be done away from the other pack members.

But it is not the round table itself which makes Jimin halt and catches his full attention. It is the male Vampire who is sitting right at the head of the table, silently watching him with a smirk while leaning back in his high-back armchair, as if he has been waiting patiently for Jimin to notice his presence.

In his shock, Jimin’s mind wanders back to a recent event in the past, taking him back to the final moments that he shared with his mentor. Lord Xander’s voice echoes inside his head as he sees the older Vampire flashing through his thoughts, as he is taken back to the moment when the healer Lord was handing him a pair of necklaces before bidding his goodbyes,

“If neither of us could recover in time, or if Death comes to us in our sleep, please make sure to give these to our children. To Laila’s daughter and my son.”

‘My son.'

Jimin blinks away the image from his head, almost unable to believe just what he is seeing. For a moment, he had almost thought that he was seeing Lord Xander sitting there, smiling the same way he would have whenever they would meet. But he quickly snaps out of it, just as the past memory fades away from his thoughts, helping him to realise that the Vampire before him looks a lot younger than his mentor, despite looking almost identical, and with much shorter hair.

Before Jimin can react, the twins beat him to it as they walk around him and rush towards the round table together to greet the familiar face waiting for them.

“Jiwon. Should’ve known that it would be you waiting for us here,” Yongguk comments with a deep chuckle as he slides closer to the Vampire, while the other twin curiously tilts his head. “How did you get here? Why are you hiding in a werewolf pack? Have you been here all this time?”

Jiwon softly chuckles at his cousins, keeping his eyes on Jimin when he gives them an answer, ”It’s quite a long story, actually, and it has something to do with the reason why Hanbin and Yunhyeong had ended up here too.”

Surprised, Jimin immediately turns to glance at his brothers, both of them shrugging their shoulders as if telling him that the Vampire’s words are true.

“Why don’t you take your seats and join me?” Jiwon calls out to the Orphans who are still standing a few feet away from the round table, while the twins had swiftly taken the empty seats right beside him, as if they all belong there. “I bet you boys are tired from the long journey and might be a bit confused. We need some catching up to do anyway. I’m not wrong, am I—Lord Jimin?”

Back at Wolf Moon Pack…

There is something magical about the sunset in the Wolf Moon Pack.

The air cools down the moment the sun begins to descend, while the vibrant colours in the sky seem to blend together like a watercolour painting—iridescent, dazzling, enchanting—as if the space around the pack is coming alive at nightfall. You look up to admire the dark shade spreading in the sky that appears almost purple, while the stars begin to pop out, revealing their beautiful glow one sparkle at a time. As the faint shade of the descending sun fades beneath the foliage across the hill before you, the moonlight above is quick to grab your attention. Its radiating light draws you in, but it is the shade faintly appearing on its edges that has you taking a long, deep breath.

The indistinct shade of red.

Its presence serves as a reminder that time is running out. Ever since it had been determined that the events which had been happening for the past few years—the rebellion rising within the Vampires clan and the coup which occurred in your home pack—have a silver lining, that someone—or perhaps, quite undoubtedly, an entire group of them—is intending to give rise to the Blood War, bringing back the nightmare that had haunted the entire continent for centuries, it has marked the rise of the blood moon as your time limit.

There seems to be a clear reason why that specific night has always been chosen for the rise of chaos and why it was possible for the Dark Alliance to unite their powers to take over the continent. And now that it is evident just how close it is already to the night of the blood moon rising, you cannot help but feel as if you are being pushed into a corner, with limited options to choose on how to stop the war from happening.

But will it be possible for any of us to stop it at all?

“It’s a marvellous view from here, isn’t it?”

You turn away from the window just as Mage Kim enters the room. Her arrival snaps you out of your daze, plummeting you back into reality where you are standing in her quaint kitchen, with bright lights illuminating the room in contrast to the dusky sunset out in the woods.

The pretty mage moves with a gentle flow around the counter, carrying a basket full of fresh vegetables in one hand and an old spell book in the other, which she then places on top of the marble top counter with such ease and grace before turning to you once again to speak, “I always enjoy watching the sunset from that very same window myself after a long busy day of work, though it seems to me that it’s not giving you the same calming effect as it does to me.”

Puzzled by her words, you tilt your head, trying to understand what she is trying to say. Seeing this, Mage Kim giggles a little before tilting her chin towards your hands. “Seeing the way you are clutching that mug so tightly, I can only guess that your mind is not as calm as it looks.”

Raising your eyebrows, you follow her gaze and look down at your hands. Sure enough, you find that not only you are clutching the mug in your hand just as tightly as the way she described it, but your claws have also come out, making their appearance and almost digging into the sides of the mug. Hairline cracks are beginning to materialize on what was supposed to be a flawless-looking mug before the tip of your claws made contact with it.

With a gasp, you quickly retract your claws and loosen up your grip on the mug, before gently placing it on top of the kitchen counter.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your mug,” you start to apologise, while the mage only waves her hand at you and laughs.

“Oh, don’t worry about that old thing. I’ve had that mug for as long as I can remember, so it’s due time for it to crack anyway. I’ve gained plenty of new ones since I moved here so I won’t miss it too much,” she calmly says to you with a smile.

“Still—” you murmur, still unable to look away from the damage that you have done. For any mortal eyes, those tiny cracks may not be visible. But it is quite different when you are looking at it with your eyes. “I guess I got lost and carried away with my thoughts there for a moment. But I did enjoy the tea you made. I promise.”

Mage Kim grins at you as she takes the abused mug out of your sight. “That’s a relief. At least I know that I didn’t really leave you completely idle,” she says, as she continues to unpack the vegetables that she had carried with her while chatting.

“I’m sorry for stepping out while we were having a chat. Yvonne is one of the pack’s elders who had just lost her mate last summer. They’ve been together for 70 years, so it was really hard for her to adjust to living on her own with her kids all spread in different packs. I’ve been helping her deal with her grief, and she would often stop by like this to say hello and chat, and sometimes vent when she has some troubles at home,” she says, not even pausing as she puts some of the fresh goods away and setting aside a couple of them to use later, while you can only watch her closely, admiring how every single thing that she does seems to captivate you.

Even the way she moves enchants you. Sometimes she would appear as if she is gliding above the ground when she walks, while sometimes her moves remind you of flowing water. There is also a familiar sense radiating from her, reminding you of something that you had encountered before even though it is hard for you to point a finger at what it truly was.

“These are all from her, by the way,” she continues to say, waving at the vegetables that she had set up on the counter. “She always leaves a whole basket of fresh produce whenever she comes to visit, as a token of gratitude each time I would spare my time to see her, mostly everything that she had grown and harvested herself from her little garden.”

“That’s so thoughtful of her,” you muse softly, drawing another smile from the mage. “I’m guessing that happens often? Do the other pack members give you offerings like this whenever you help them?”

Mage Kim shrugs as she turns to wash the goods in her sink, refusing your help when you offer, simply telling you to take a seat instead, to which you comply easily just to get out of her way. “I never asked them to, but they always come to drop things in exchange for our help. My mate and I simply try to help out as much as we can for the pack since they have been so welcoming of us since the day we arrived. I figured it was a fair trade, we give and take, and help each other the best we can for the good of the pack.”

For the good of the pack.

It was the same teaching that your father had imprinted in you ever since you were just a pup, growing up under his and your mother’s care. The same teaching that has been passed on within the pack through each generation, shared among the pack members for many years to form a tight bond under your father’s lead. It pains you to think that the very same pack has now been split apart, all because of the coup that began from your sister’s treason.

Pain twists inside your chest when you think about your pack’s fate, and you turn to look at your surroundings just to distract yourself from your own thoughts. It was late in the afternoon when you came to pay the mage a visit, done under Taehyung’s mother’s advice. It wasn’t much of a surprise to find that both the mage and her beta mate had chosen to live in a quiet and secluded area away from the heart of the pack, but it was still a pleasant surprise when you finally found the quaint cottage that they have both been living in. Located on the top of the hill, the cottage has the perfect view of its surroundings—the serene forest, the green hills, and even the riverbed which leads to a nearby waterfall—while it remains a walking distance towards the packhouse, allowing the Beta to travel back and forth so easily each day when he is needed for his duty.

“This is quite a nice place to live, far from the hectic life you would normally find at the heart of the pack. How did you manage to find this cottage?” you find yourself asking the mage when she returns to your side, and you can faintly feel her pride radiating from within her.

“We didn’t. My mate, Seokjin, built this cottage with his own two hands, right after the Alpha gave us this piece of land to work with. We had requested a place where we could find some peace and quiet, to have something different than our daily life, which is almost never peaceful,” the mage answers as she pours some more tea into two different mugs, replacing the one that you had almost ruined and the one that she had left behind in the sink on her rush to see the pack member that had come earlier.

The mage continues her story while sipping on her tea. Her eyes glow fondly as she appears to reminisce about her past. “My mate, Seokjin, wanted to create a place that resembles our old home. Years ago, he and I met during the winter when I was a trainee witch. I was staying in an old cottage that used to belong to one of the mentors in the coven that I was raised in when he came at my door.”

She stops with a giggle, before continuing to tell her story, how she found a sleeping bear on her porch one day, then about the days she spent with that bear before he finally revealed himself in his human form. Mage Kim then tells you a bit more about Beta Seokjin’s past, the history that you had once heard partially from your father but never in full form. You have known before that the beta had once gone feral after losing his home pack and his family during the Rogue War, but you had never heard the story of how he managed to find his way to join the Wolf Moon Pack with his mate until now, as Mage Kim tells you almost in detail of the events that had led them both to this place.

“That old cabin held so many good memories, but what we shared while living there for that short period of time was so precious for both of us that the moment we were given a chance to build something new and create new memories, Seokjin insisted to recreate that same cabin here. Which, as you can see, turned out to be this pretty little cottage that we call home.”

As you look around you, a sight that comes to mind is not an old cabin that would have resembled this one, but another that had been buried deep in your memories. Located deep in the Blue Moon pack’s territory, the old cottage that was built by Jongin’s own two hands, was the home that had held a lot of golden memories of your own with your deceased mate. In the past, your chest would have burned with so much pain whenever you are reminded of those old days, when you pictured the life you had then only to be reminded of Jongin’s passing and how much it had hurt you.

Now, however, the longing that you are feeling for those missing days is accompanied by another kind of yearning. You begin to wonder if you would be able to build a new memory with your second chance mate. Would it be possible for you and Jimin to build your own home, away from the tumultuous lives of an Alpha and a Vampire Lord?

Snapping out of it, you turn to focus on Mage Kim’s gentle voice as she continues talking.

“We would still return to that old cottage in the winter, whenever Alpha Namjoon grants us a break during the cold season and gives permission for us to leave the pack for a while. He knows that my mate still finds the need to hibernate, though it hasn’t been quite as demanding as it was before when his beast counterpart was still dominating him, and it’s always been hard to hibernate completely if we remain in this place throughout the winter. My mate can be extremely grouchy when he doesn’t get the long rest that his bear needs,” she adds with a giggle. “Alpha Namjoon also understands how much Seokjin would have to hold back when he is working alongside him, so he does give us some flexibility to travel and get away whenever we need to.”

Knowing the roles that Beta Seokjin and his mate had to take upon joining the pack, and the sacrifices that had no doubt taken place, you understand why Alpha Namjoon would give them so much freedom. But thinking about two Alphas leading the pack together, with Beta Seokjin stepping back to be the second-in-command, has left you wondering about the pack’s dynamic. Especially now that you have found out that the beta is mated to a white witch, someone who would have been seen as the enemy by the pack had it been under normal circumstances.

“Speaking of which—Mage Kim?” you begin to question her when your curiosity grows stronger. “How are you adjusting to living in a pack, and as a shifter’s mate? I’m sorry, I just can’t help but wonder. It’s not often that a shifter and a mage, someone who has the ability to master witchcraft, would cross paths, much less turn out as mates. I’m sure it wasn’t quite easy.”

“Please, call me Aurora,” she says in return, smiling shyly when she sees you raising your brows. “That’s the name that was given to me at birth. I don’t normally use my given name, for personal reasons, which is why I have requested the Alpha to have the pack call me under the name ‘Mage Kim’, as I have taken my mate’s given name as mine and it would make it easier for me to remain anonymous to any outsider.”

You simply nod, trying to understand even if you have yet to know the full story behind her reasons. A million different questions appear in your head, as you are reminded of the first time you heard Taehyung mentioning Mage Kim when you met him, but you keep your curiosity to yourself as Aurora continues with, “But I do feel like it would be better for anyone who I am personally close with to call me by my real name. Of course, I would appreciate it if you would only call me by my given name when we’re alone.”

“Of course, Mage Kim. I mean, Aurora,” you answer her with a smile, which she returns with a grateful nod.

“To answer your question, it did take quite a while for me to get used to living in a pack of shifters. Before meeting my mate, I had never once encountered any shifter, nor had I ever truly learned a thing about them. I’ve learned so much since then, and then a lot more ever since I joined this pack,” she explains with a soft chuckle. “I’m quite grateful that they welcomed me with open arms. I also had my mentor by my side during the first couple of years I began living here, since it was his place that I was taking over when I first arrived, so that was a huge help as well.”

“How about your mate?” you ask her, when you recall the authority of an Alpha radiating from the werebear when you first met him. “I imagine it wouldn’t have been easy for an Alpha to submit under another leader when he came in.”

Shaking her head, Aurora sighs a little. “Oh, it sure wasn’t. Didn’t help the fact that my mate is quite a hot-headed shifter. Even without his Alpha blood running in his veins, he has already been quite stubborn to deal with,” she says while rolling her eyes, though there is still a sense of fondness and admiration as she talks about Beta Seokjin. “He does have a huge respect for Alpha Namjoon, however, since the Alpha is wise and honourable as a leader. I think sometimes my mate would try to start something with the Alpha just for the fun of it, not because he is trying to challenge Alpha Namjoon’s authority.”

Laughing, you imagine the Alpha and Beta going at each other when they are together. Just like how you had seen them arguing in your vision. “I’m going to guess that there’s been a lot of ‘friendly’ banter between the two over the years?”

Aurora shakes her head again while laughing. “It never stops. And I think Alpha Namjoon enjoys it when my mate would challenge him into some kind of an argument or debate or when he tries to turn the Alpha’s own words against him. He always seems more—alive, when he is with Seokjin,” Aurora carefully says, before she looks at you with deep caution in her eyes and adds, “I’m sure you know what the Alpha is currently dealing with.”

Biting your lips, you briefly nod, knowing what she is insinuating. “Yes, I know very well. I was once in his shoes, quite a few years ago.”

Aurora releases a deep sigh. “That is probably why I was sent here by fate, and why my mate was needed here in this pack. At first, we were merely searching for a way to give my mate a sense of order, for him to be a part of a community once again to give him everything that he had once lost. But then we both realised that we were able to give something more to help the Alpha and his pack,” she begins to speak with a soft voice, as if she feels like someone would be able to listen to her words as she talks about Alpha Namjoon and her mate’s personal business. “My healing powers may not be on par with the best mages in the continent, but I do my best to support the Alpha, and help him through his struggles so he could still do his duty and keep the order in the pack. Meanwhile, my mate would have enough authority to give the Alpha his sound voice and support whenever he is needed, or to take his place when the Alpha is absent.”

“The Mating Sickness—” you start to ask, “How far worse has it been since—”

“I’m afraid I cannot say,” Aurora claims while shaking her head slowly, a hint of sadness appearing in her gaze as she thinks about the Alpha. “But as someone who once battled with the same sickness, I’m sure you know what would happen if he keeps on going like this for a longer period of time. He has been going strong for long enough. But even the strongest being in the realm would still have their limitations.” Aurora looks up, staring deeply into your eyes as she adds, “For Alpha Namjoon, he might as well have gone past that limit quite a long time ago.”

A deep concern flows right through you after what Aurora had just told you. As someone who had once experienced the same sickness and knows damn well what the sickness could do to a shifter, you can imagine the struggles that Alpha Namjoon has to face.

You have met Alpha Namjoon a few times and spent time with him during your stay in the Wolf Moon Pack, and never once had you ever caught any signs of him struggling. Deep down, you cannot help but admire his tenacity, while at the same time, you also know that he would have to endure as much pain as the power that he has to use to hide his suffering, and it worries you even more to think that he had been fighting for so long.

“How are you feeling now, by the way? Does your chest still feel tight? Is it easier to breathe?” Aurora suddenly asks you, and for a brief moment, you have no clue what she is talking about that you instantly fall silent, until you finally remember the reason why you came to visit her this afternoon.

Your heartburn.

Ever since early this morning, you have been getting a series of heartburn bothering you. It started with your heartbeat which continued rising so rapidly, followed by the tightness in your chest that caused you to have trouble breathing. You immediately suspected that Jimin may have been the cause when your mating mark started pulsing, though you had no idea if the pain you felt simply came to you because of the distance and for being so far away from your mate, or if something else was causing it. That it had been a sign that your mate was in terrible danger.

After consulting with Taehyung and his mother, they advised you to see Mage Kim to find answers, which became the reason why you are here, sitting in her kitchen while sharing deep thoughts and stories with a few cups of hot tea.

Immediately, you lean back and start to gently rub your chest, right where you had been feeling pain. You quickly realise that the only thing you can feel now is warmth, while the tightness that had been bothering you is long gone. “Oh! That’s interesting. I didn’t notice it while we were chatting, but it does feel better. Are you telling me that all I had to do was drink warm tea?”

Aurora laughs, looking relieved and amused at the same time. “I wish it was that simple. The tea only helped ease your muscles and calm your nerves. I put a few drops of my remedy in your cup of tea and the snacks I gave you earlier, then I added a calming potion into that one,” she says, pointing at the mug you are still holding. “That’s what did the job.”

Surprised, and absolutely amused, you can only shake your head in wonder. “I guess they weren’t kidding when they said that you give the best remedies. I suppose the wonderful chat we had also helped put my mind at ease that I almost forgot what I was supposed to be doing here.”

Aurora looks out the window from over your shoulder just then, and her eyes immediately widen. “We’ve been talking for so long that I didn’t even notice how much time has passed. I haven’t even started making dinner.”

Turning away from her, you follow her gaze to look out the window, noticing how dark it had gotten out there. “Oh, right. It’s already dinnertime. I’m sorry for taking so much of your time,” you say to her, feeling remorseful for getting lost in the moment. But right as you turn to her and before you even begin to take your leave, the mage stops you right away.

“Surely you can stay for a while longer, can’t you? Seokjin isn’t going to return for dinner tonight, as he is still busy attending Alpha Namjoon’s business at the pack house. He’s probably already combing through the buffet dinner by now. Tammy, the pack’s senior cook, makes excellent meat pies, and he would often go mad for it whenever he is eating with the other pack members.”

“Well—I’m not exactly in a rush to go,” you tell her, which is not entirely a lie.

Ever since you came to the pack, you had spent most of your time staying close to your parents. Oftentimes, Taehyung would have to send either his mother or his mate to drag you away, forcing you to join them during mealtime just so you could get a little break from watching over your parents who remain unconscious. You have no doubt that the moment you return to Taehyung’s property, his family would have you joining them again. While you are grateful for their care, it doesn’t stop you from feeling as if you are intruding on their personal space too much, and you feel guilty about it when they have already done so much to help you and your family.

Besides, you also have another purpose to stay with Mage Kim tonight, and you refuse to leave until you have what you needed.

“On that note, I should probably start making dinner,” Aurora says, turning away to pull out a couple of containers from the freezer standing behind her. She sets them all up on the counter, opening them to reveal the frozen meat contained inside, nearly causing you to drool. “How do you like your meat, Alpha? Medium, or well done? Or perhaps, rare? I know that shifters can have different tastes in the way they enjoy their meal.”

“Medium rare, leaning more towards rare, if that’s not too much of a trouble,” you answer her while holding back from licking your lips. Though you can barely restrain your wolf’s hunger when she softly growls inside your head, drawn completely to the sight of the uncooked meat. “It’s the only way it would be fair for me and my wolf. Obviously, she would prefer her meat raw. But when I’m in my human form, I do enjoy a bit of a roast on my meat for a taste.”

“Understandable. That’s actually how my mate would love his dinner too,” Aurora says, nodding. “Of course, the bear inside him would always fight him over it, as the beast prefers the meat all fresh and bloody. But Seokjin could no longer stomach it ever since he started staying in his human form longer. He always says that fresh meat reminds him of the dark days that he spent as a feral.”

Nodding your head absently, you try to recall a little bit more of what you had once heard about Beta Seokjin. You had never once met any shifter who had gone feral for a long time and managed to regain their sanity to be able to return to society and to hold a highly regarded rank the way Beta Seokjin did, so his story had always intrigued you ever since you first heard of him from your father in the past. You had once wondered if he would still lose control even once he had returned to live and function in his human form, or if he had given up the option to shift at all.

A shudder runs through your body as you imagine yourself living without ever getting a chance to shift right back into your wolf form. The feeling of entrapment suddenly overcomes you, as you have always felt so free and alive whenever you are running in your other form.

“But he still hunts regularly while he is running in his beast form, right?” you question the mage as the thought comes into your mind. “I always give my wolf free reign when I need to go out on my regular run, and she always takes the chance to hunt and eat her game all fresh and bloody when she is in control.”

“Oh, obviously,” Aurora answers with a playful scoff. “He still runs in his bear form, though he rarely does it alone. He would do it either when the pack is doing their regular run together, or he would have one or two Enforcers running with him to keep an eye on him. It’s not that he would lose total control when he shifts, it’s just that the bear would take any given chance to take over his body and he would sometimes run free and wild without care. It’s usually during that time when the bear would find a fresh hunt for himself and enjoy his rare, and extremely bloody, meat.”

“Beta Jin would always argue with the bear about it when that happens, I’m guessing?”

She laughs, knowing that her mate would do such a thing just for the sake of it. “Every single time.”

As Aurora prepares for dinner, you can no longer sit down and do nothing, so you give her no choice but to let you help her through it. Soon enough, you are sitting with the kindhearted mage on her dining table, which is small and comfortable enough for two people, though you still find it hard to imagine Beta Seokjin sitting around it in his bear form. Which, according to Aurora, is something that often happens when the Beta is too exhausted to fight against his bear who always wants to show himself in front of his mate.

“He used to do that in our old home, watch over me while I was cooking our meal or when I was messing around with my potions, filling the room with his massive body. I suppose it became a bit of a habit for him that he still can’t let it go once we’re living here, so I’d just let him instead of arguing about it. No matter how stubborn Seokjin can be, his bear is much worse,” Aurora tells you with a soft chuckle. “Seeing him trying to fit into this tiny space is pretty adorable too, especially when he’s sitting with his legs out like a giant teddy bear.”

Seeing that you have only ever met Beta Seokjin while he is being formal and serious in your previous encounters, imagining him being the cute teddy bear that Aurora is describing him draws a smile to your face. “Forgive me, but it is really hard for me to picture the Beta acting in such a way,” you comment with a laugh. “Although, if I have to compare him with Taehyung, then I guess they’re both aren’t so different, after all, if they can truly act differently when they are in their personal space and with their loved ones and just be themselves.”

Right the moment you say this, your mind wanders to Jimin. Finding a mate is always a blessing for a shifter, and you had been given the gift of finding your second chance mate. Despite feeling blessed and grateful, you resent the fact that it had to happen during the circumstances that you are in, where you are unable to enjoy your first moments with your mate the way Aurora and Beta Jin or how Taehyung and his mate, Rhea, could. You barely had enough time to be with each other before you had to part ways, all because you both had to meet on the rise of an incoming war.

Suddenly feeling envious and disturbed after listening to Aurora’s story, you lean back in your seat to try and distract yourself from your own thoughts. That is when your eyes fall onto the old spell book that has been left right on the corner of the dining table. You remember seeing her carrying it with her all the time, and then you saw it again earlier when she came back from tending to a pack member, but you never had any clear view of it until now.

“This book seems pretty old. It looks like it’s falling apart,” you comment as you lean to look closer. For some odd reason, the spell book seems to draw you in, though seeing its dire state, you hold back from reaching out to touch it.

“That’s because that book has been around for ages,” she comments while laughing. “I’m trying my best to keep it as it was. I’ve had the book since I was little. My mother—the woman who raised me—gave it to me. That’s the only thing that was once hers that I still have left.”

“A.C.,” you murmur softly, reading the initials that have been engraved so clearly on its leather cover. The writings around it seem to be fading, yet the initials are still quite easy to read.

“That’s my mother’s initials. She carved it on the cover because she kept losing her books as a child. She told me once how the other kids who grew up with her knew that she was different, and had constantly tried to cause trouble or get her into trouble in the coven. That includes stealing and hiding her book of spells and grimoires right before her rituals,” Aurora explains, looking down at the book cover with a deep longing in her eyes.

“Her name was Agatha. Agatha Carro. That’s where A.C. came from. She was a healer and a clairvoyant, just like me, though the magic and the blood that ran through her had come from black magic, as we were both born and raised in a Dark Coven.”

Agatha. The name rings inside your head, and you are immediately reminded of the Wiccan. Could it be—

“But let’s not go there. I’m pretty sure that my story isn’t what you needed to hear,” she suddenly says, waving you off before your mind could go any further. She leaves her seat to pick up the steaming teapot and begins to refill the empty mugs on the table with fresh tea before returning to her seat. “At least, I know that it’s not the reason why you came to visit tonight and why you had kept me company for hours. I know that you didn’t come here just for an idle chat or to simply cure your heartburn, even if I haven’t heard you complaining about me keeping you here.”

“Nothing about our conversation was idle. If any, it had been quite—enlightening,” you reassure her while picking up your mug of hot tea. You can smell the scent of fresh herbs through its steam, letting you know that she had once again added the same remedy as the one she had given you earlier.

“I was told that you are the one working on the remedy for my parents. I just—I don’t know, I just figured it would only be right if I paid a visit, to say thank you and see how it’s going, or if you have any trouble with it at all,” you finally admit to her. “It was by chance that I was having trouble breathing and experiencing heartburn at the same time, so I had a good reason to ask Taehyung to show me the way to your home.”

Aurora simply smiles at you. “Coincidences often happen for a reason created by Fate. Yes, I have been working on the remedy ever since Beta Taehyung and his mother reached out to me,” she says, gesturing to the sunroom at the back of the cottage that is visible from the dining room. Seeing the altar and the wooden cabinet filled with glass jars containing various herbs standing in its corner, you safely assume that she is using the sunroom as her little workshop where she is making her remedies. “I took a sample of your father’s blood and the antidote that was said to have been given by your mate. Alpha Namjoon said that your mate had also been poisoned and you believed that it might have been the same one that was used to harm your parents.”

Nodding, you tell her everything that Jimin had told you about what the poison had done to his body. “It had similar symptoms to what my mate had said to have happened to him. Taehyung’s mother told me that if it wasn’t for the fact that my parents had the Alpha blood inside them, then they would have—” you stop talking when your throat feels tight. The thought of losing your parents had been haunting you for quite a long time, and you refuse to let it enter your mind again now that you are starting to feel a glimmer of hope. “Did it work? Did you manage to find a way to use that antidote for them? I know that we couldn’t use them directly since the original antidote was created for Vampires.”

Aurora shakes her head. “No, we couldn’t use it. Even if we had, there is no doubt it would only harm your parents more. It seems that the poison that was used on your mate was also slightly different, as we found a hint of wolfsbane added into it through your parents’ blood.”

This new fact makes you frown. “Are you saying that the poison may be the same, but they had deliberately altered it to weaken werewolves?”

“That seems to be the case, yes,” Aurora hums softly as she deeply considers this thought. “Not to worry, though. We are close to finishing the remedy. I’ll spend the whole night working on it and making sure that it will actually work. Just like you said earlier, we’re in the race against time, so I’ll personally make sure that it would be ready before sunrise.”

As the night continues, it turns out that there is no need for you to wait until sunrise comes to have the remedy that you needed. Right after you finish dinner, Aurora simply decides to get right back to work to finish creating the perfect potion that would help heal your parents.

She welcomes you to join her in the sunroom, where the area is filled with her little trinkets, illuminated with nothing but candles, while the scent of herbs and potions keeps flowing in the air around you. You watch her in awe as she gets to work, as she pulls out the samples of blood and altered antidote that she has been working with to create new samples in smaller vials. You even lend a hand when she needs to crush a few different herbs to mix with each sample, until she finally manages to find the perfect mix to eliminate the toxin and the remaining poison from the blood samples. She even uses a hint of her magic to amplify the remedy once she is done, and for once, the sight of the magic practice doesn’t leave a bad taste or an eerie feeling inside you, knowing that the spells she uses—enchanted from the pages within the old spell book—is only done with good intentions.

Hours before midnight arrives, the mage already has a few portions of the remedy that you had needed from her.

“You are truly amazing,” you muse with wonder as you hold the vials filled with the freshly blended remedy that may help heal your parents. “Thank you so much for this.”

True to her humble character, Aurora only waves her hand at you. “Don’t thank me yet. We’ll see if it’ll work to help your parents gain their strength back and for them to finally recover. It’s going to be a rough process of healing after dealing with such a strong poison, and this will only be the beginning of that healing process. I’ll be here to ask for help from the ancestors to lend their strength. Perhaps I can also find more answers by convening a seance to communicate with them directly to ask for their guidance.”

“Ah, that’s right. You told me earlier that aside from being a healer, you are also a clairvoyant,” you say to her, recalling what she had shared and what Taehyung had once told you.

“That is true,” Aurora says, giving you a shy smile. “My mother was a gifted one with that skill, and she had passed on her gift to me.”

Once again, Agatha’s face comes flashing into your thoughts. “I’ve met another clairvoyant, a Wiccan, on my journey here. She showed me a glimpse of the past. She started with the events that happened years ago regarding my sister, long before her rebellion came to rise, to show me what may have triggered her to finally take action to turn the pack against me and our parents,” you carefully tell her, refraining from saying more about seeing Alpha Namjoon and Beta Jin in that same vision. “Then I was also given the chance to see another Vision, left behind by my mate’s mentor and guardian, which we had managed to unlock with the help of the Wiccan. This one took me back long enough to witness the Ancient war, the Blood War, and to see for myself everything that had actually happened during that time.”

Aurora’s eyes grow wide upon hearing this. You haven’t exactly shared this with anyone else but the Alpha, but knowing that she may have the same ability and more knowledge about this gift, you had figured that perhaps you can find some answers from her.

“Have you ever—” you start by asking. “Since my arrival in this pack wasn’t so much of a surprise to you, have you ever envisioned me coming here for help or have you ever seen any signs about the war coming back?”

Aurora looks a bit unsure for a moment before she finally nods. “The spirits spoke to me during one of my seances. They had given me a warning that something is going to happen in the near future. Something so big that would alter the entire lives of everyone living within this realm, and that I would know when the time will come. The messages they sent me had foreseen a part of a distant past that was coming back to the present, that a cycle of events will take place as soon as the pieces that were linked into that past are reconnected,” she says, recalling everything that she had known. “The moment you arrived at the pack, bearing the mark that was given by your mate, I knew that it had begun.”

A sigh slips right through you just as the dreadful feeling that you felt before returns, the unsettling sensation that always takes over when you recall the sight of the Blood War. “The vision had told me something similar. Through the vision that I entered, I was able to understand everything, to know all about the pieces of the past that had caused the war and the possibility of them coming back in the present and reconnecting—”

As you begin to talk about it, the memory of the vision returns to you. They come flashing into your thoughts like a set of moving pictures. The pale Vampires that reeked of blood, the young and mighty Vampires riding the flying dragons, the army of Rogues and Halflings rushing down the mountains before colliding with an army of Werewolves and Lycans in an intense battle, and the deep, bloody red sky above.

“A vision that was left behind by someone who no longer exists in the upper world,” Aurora suddenly murmurs while looking like she is a deep thought. “This Wiccan that you met must have been quite powerful to be able to assist you with one.”

You tilt your head, suddenly feeling curious. “Are you not capable of doing the same?”

Aurora gives you a sad smile. “Not quite yet. I haven’t had that much experience with it to try it with another person, but I have been training myself to create a Vision for myself so I could go back into the past and look into some of the Elders’ memories,” she says as she looks up at you. “Is that what you needed help with? Do you have another vision that you would like to visit?”

You quickly shake your head. “No, not quite. I’m not sure, really. I’m just still quite at a loss, I guess,” you answer her with a defeated sigh. “It’s just—there are so many things that are still bothering me. How much do you know about the Ancient Blood War?”

At the mention of the Blood War, Aurora’s face immediately turns grim, and the unsettling shudder begins to run down your spine even before you hear her answer. “Enough to know that if it should occur once more in the present, the entire realm would succumb to darkness, because the forces that had once stopped the War may no longer exist.”

➥ Special Appearance: Jiwon (Bobby) as Lord Xander’s son

— © 2022 Yoonia, all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any kind, translations, unsanctioned adaptations are not allowed.

[iridescentxstars]

ೃ⁀➷ 𝐊𝐞𝐲: [M] — Mature content/warnings | 🌹 — NSFW | ✨ — Rewritten | ✅ — complete | ❌ — unfinished/discontinued/missing links

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲. 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞.

This masterlist contains all fics that have been archived for various reasons. This does not mean that they are not good enough to read, you are welcome to read and enjoy them. Some of these have been rewritten and the old stories can be found here.

ೃ⁀➷ Kim Jongin | BangChan | On-Going Series | Completed Series | Drabbles | Misc

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢-𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

[ ✧.* ] Something New [part one] [part two] — camboy!jongin x reader x camboy!sehun [@x-ratedkpop] 🌹✅ [ ✧.* ][M] A Dangerous Game — vampire!chanyeol x human!jennifer x vampire!minseok 🌹❌ [ ✧.* ] Soulmates [jongin] [chanyeol] — soulmate!idols x soulmate!readers ❌ [ ✧.* ] Love By CPR — doctor!jongin x reader 🌹❌ [ ✧.* ] Living Arrangements — boss!jungkook x reader 🌹❌

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

[ ✧.* ][M] Rule Breakers — stripper!jongin x parent!ayla [spin off to unwind by @oh-beyond] 🌹✅

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬

[ ✧.* ] His First Love — idol!jongin x reader [ ✧.* ] Warm Caramel And Honey Blonde — professor!jongin x barista!alice [ ✧.* ] Under The Mistletoe — actor!jongin x reader [ ✧.* ] Catch Me If You Can — detective!jongin x gang!reader [ ✧.* ] If Only — ceo!jongin x reader | ceo!jongin x yoona [side] [ ✧.* ][M] Behind Closed Doors — bodyguard!jongin x ceo!reader x ceo!ravi 🌹 [ ✧.* ][M] Play Pretend — vampire hunter!jongin x vampire!reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Wrong Move — detective!yoongi x detective!shai x criminal!jongin [ ✧.* ] Jealous — idol!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] She's A Fighter — student!jongin x student!reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Gentle — idol!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Aim To Please — idol!jongin x dom!reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Ice, Ice Baby — idol!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ][M] Obsession — yandere!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Confession — devil!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] In The Club — devil!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Game Of Possession — idol!jongin x reader [@x-ratedkpop] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Petty Jealousy — idol!minseok x reader [@x-ratedkpop] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] As The Thunder Rolls In — ambiguous!junmyeon x reader [ @x-ratedkpop] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Mirror — idol!yixing x reader [@x-ratedkpop] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Take Care Of Me — sub!baekhyun x mummy!reader [@x-ratedkpop] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Come On Over — idol!jongin x reader [@x-ratedkpop] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Cruel Queen — mafia!chanyeol x mafia!reader [@x-ratedkpop] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] A Point To Prove — idol!yuto x poc!reader [@x-ratedkpop] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Never Love Again — fuckboy!lucas x reader [due to be rewritten][@danseurehonte]

[ ✧.* ][M] A Life With You — yandere!prince!taemin x reader x prince!jongin [present] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] The Gift That Keeps On Giving — ambiguous!taemin x reader x boyfriend!hakyeon [present] 🌹 [ ✧.* ] You're Hired — ceo!taemin x reader x ceo!jongin 🌹 [ ✧.* ][M] Delusional Fantasy — hades!leo x persephone!reader [ ✧.* ] Warmth — idol!jongin x reader 🌹❌ [ ✧.* ] Long Drive — ambiguous!minseok x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Little Wolf — werewolf!junmyeon & werewolf!reader [ ✧.* ] My Darling, You Are Perfect — idol!yixing x alice [ ✧.* ] Happy Birthday, Yixing — idol!yixing x reader [ ✧.* ] Mutual Agreement — idol!yixing x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ][M] Ritual Gone Wrong — demon!yixing x reader [ ✧.* ] Do You Wanna Build A Snowman? — best friend!baekhyun & anais [present] [ ✧.* ] Fucking Fortnite — brother!baekhyun & reader [ ✧.* ] His Awakening — dragon!jongdae [ ✧.* ] Best Of Both Worlds — idol!jongin x reader x idol!jungkook 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Secret Santa — college!namjoon x reader [present] [ ✧.* ] The Competition — idol!sehun x reader [ ✧.* ] Cookie Time — idol!sehun x reader [present] [ ✧.* ] Late Night Coffee — model!sehun x photographer!alice [ ✧.* ] Sweet Like Chocolate — idol!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] I Promise You — idol!jongin x alice [ ✧.* ] First Date — idol!jongin x reader [ ✧.* ] Crayons — ambiguous!jongin x reader [ ✧.* ] Stone Cold — ex!jongin x reader | soulmate!jongin x soulmate!oc [side] [ ✧.* ][M] God Sent An Angel — angel!jongin x reader | baekhyun x reader [side] [ ✧.* ] Tender Love — idol!jongin x alice [ ✧.* ] Study Break — ambiguous!jongin x reader [present] [ ✧.* ] Christmas Crush — friend!jongin x reader [ ✧.* ] Jongin's Christmas Miracle — idol!jongin x ayla [ ✧.* ][M] New Life — boss!jongin x barista!reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Drunk Mind, Sober Heart — best friend!jongin x alice 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Say Yes — fallen angel!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ][M] Jongin The Ripper — killer!jongin x ??? 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Break Me — vampire!jongin x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Consequences — prince!kyungsoo x reader [ ✧.* ] World's Best Dad — best friend!kyungsoo x parent!reader [ ✧.* ] Love Confessions — college!kyungsoo x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Fill Me Up — hybrid!chanyeol x hybrid!reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Naughty Kitty — hybrid!jongdae x reader 🌹 [ ✧.* ] Oh, You Tease — idol!minseok x reader 🌹

[glamourizz]

idol!dream fic series masterlist

liars || z.cl

summary:

"you know I don't lie, chenle."

"your entire life is built upon lies. the hell you mean, you don't lie?"

childhood friends zhong chenle and yu jiah have known each other as long as they can remember with their parents being business partners it was quite difficult for them to not hang out every other day. so when chenle gets into absurd rumors started by delusional fans the first person he goes to is the one person he had sworn never to talk to again.

themes:

fake dating, childhood friends to enemies to strangers to enemies to lovers, angst, fluff, suggestive content but no outright smut, slight smau

characters:

ning yizhuo as yu jiah

zhong chenle as zhong chenle

nct as nct

kim junmyeon as lee daehwon (jiah's manager)

lee hoseok as song baekjin (jiah's bodygaurd)

bae suji as kang soojin (jiah's stylist)

park sohyun as lee saemi (jiah's make up artist)

warnings:

bullying, suicide, drugs, alcohol, and a dislikable protagonist

status:

ongoing (slow updates)

chapters:

prologue

playlist:

lover of mine-5sos, karma-taylor swift, I knew you were trouble-taylor swift, favourite liar-the wrecks, 18-one direction, dress-taylor swift, falling-harry styles

taglist:

[namj00m]

Exo Masterlist

All writings belong and were created by me. If you’re posting my work anywhere please be sure to either credit me or inform me that you are using my writings. Hope you enjoy!

MASTERLIST

✞ - Smut

❁ - Fluff

✄ - Angst

⚐ - One Shot

⚑ - Series

Kim Junmyeon ↳

coming soon!

Kim Minseok ↳

coming soon!

Byun Baekhyun ↳

coming soon!

Kim Jongdae ↳

coming soon!

Zhang Yixing ↳

coming soon!

Park Chanyeol ↳

coming soon!

Do Kyungsoo  ↳

coming soon!

Kim Jongin ↳

coming soon!

Oh Sehun ↳

coming soon!

[marvelous-llama]

EXO recs

<<original book

most of the mentioned works is 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI

pls don´t hesitate to hmu, if any of mentioned links doesn´t work or you have suggestions for more fics... thank you so much for all the love and comments

one shots

Killer by @soobadnoonecanstopher

Chanyeol x f.reader coworkers to lovers, mutual pining - angst, fluff, smut You are back in Korea. You left to rid yourself of a year long crush on Park Chanyeol, but when you see him again your old feelings return.

break a sweat by @breakyeol

Chanyeol x fem!reader (wc - 11.4k) strangers to lovers - smut

And they were roomates! by @youaremy-dreamgirl

Chanyeol x fem!reader (wc - 3.6k) roommates to lovers, mutual pining - smut after an unfortunate run-in, you end up confessing your love to Chanyeol

Verboten by @mybiasisexo

Chanyeol x fem!reader (wc - 9.4k) university AU, enemies to lovers - angst, suggestive? Park Chanyeol is always getting on your nerves, what with his constant teasing. But there might be other feelings brewing under the surface, feelings that are forbidden to have.

Just Give In by @j-pping

Chanyeol x fem!reader (wc - 8.7k) colleagues to lovers, friends to lovers slowburn - fluff Years of working in SM’s production strategy department made you immune to handsome faces -- but not to beautiful souls. A weeklong company offsite tells all.

Dare by @courageouslyfearless

Chanyeol x fem!reader (wc - 3.6k) friends to lovers - angst, fluff

Pretend by @whimsical-ness

Chanyeol x fem!reader (wc - 5.5k) royal AU, arranged marriage - angst, fluff You’re unsure but hopeful about your arranged marriage to the handsome Prince Chanyeol of the neighboring kingdom. But you’re in for an unpleasant surprise when you find out he’s in love with someone else, and completely despises the idea of being married to you. 

series

Entangled by @mybiasisexo

Chanyeol x f.reader exes to lovers - angst, smut Your good friend, Kim Junmyeon, is getting married, and with that news comes a lot of old history with a certain ex that will be present at said wedding–yikes

The 9th Infantry Couple by @justwritedreams

Chanyeol x fem!reader (wc - 15.4k) enemies to lovers - angst, fluff, action, smut You saved Chanyeol’s life, your biggest enemy, and now you will charge.

Sexual Fantasies & Hypnotic by @justwritedreams

Chanyeol x fem!reader (wc - 2.7k + 2.4k) friends to lovers - fluff, smut, crack

[quokkacore]

king and lionheart II [k.jm]

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

pairing: prince!junmyeon x knight!reader

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

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

word count: 17.2k

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

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

fic masterlist / main masterlist

CHAPTER TWO: ANDANTE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Well, are you particularly stressed?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Y/N, I—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Y/N," Chanyeol said, "Wait—"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He seemed relaxed. He seemed himself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Thank you, Y/N. I d—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Long live the nation!” He declared. 

Long live the nation!”

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

“Long live the people!”

“Long live the people!”

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

“LONG LIVE THE KING!”

“LONG LIVE THE KING!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jongin crossed his arms. “Jongdae—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Don’t listen to him,” You said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You looked at him. “Junmyeon…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All of that was gone now.

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

“Like what?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your eyes widened. Yes, you remembered Allunya. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

“...Oh? Is that so?”

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

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

“Oh. Yes, I can imagine.”

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

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

He raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”

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

But if he did… 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That night, you dreamed of Allunya. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Fuck,” You croaked.

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

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

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

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

“Adriano, welcome back.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’ve missed you,” She said.

Junmyeon pulled away. “As h-have I.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Magpie Island, yes. A lovely place.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How have you been?”

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

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

“Thank you. Now, who’s coming today?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Minseok sighed. “Y/N—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What brings the two of you together?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chanyeol huffed, but said nothing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“The jackass?” Kyungsoo asked.

“The jackass,” You confirmed.

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

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

Everyone nodded in agreement. 

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

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

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

“What makes them so terrible now?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Skill-wits-strength?” Cesar asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“—So I hope we shall win together.”

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

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

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

“Baekhun, that was your name, yes?”

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

Montserrat nodded happily. “Yes, please.”

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

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

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

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

“Lady Y/N?”

All heads snapped in his direction. You blinked. 

“Your highness?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He shrugged you off. “It’s fine.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What do you mean?”

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

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

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

Call it women’s intuition.

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

“Quite true, my lord.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Junmyeon shook his head, laughing as he did so. 

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

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

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

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

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

 “Lovely, milady!” Isadora exclaimed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“A total natural. Even I was shocked.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Sebastian, be quiet!” Mariana hissed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

thwap!

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

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

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

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

“Ah-choo!” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That left Sehun and Jongin, against you and Cesar. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You sighed gently. “I mean—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You’re left handed?” You asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sebastian scoffed, but said nothing further. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s it!” Chanyeol roared. 

“I told you!” Cesar exclaimed.

“Amazing, Y/N!” Minseok yelled.

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

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

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

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

“I hope you’re good at chess.”

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[spacequokka]

Pairing: Junmyeon x Reader Genre: Fluff Rating: G Summary: Junmyeon stops for a cup of coffee. Word Count: 0.5k Warnings: None!

Inspired by this post.

It was impossible to go three feet without seeing Kim Junmyeon’s face. Whether it was on a magazine, in a commercial, or slapped on the side of a city bus, he was everywhere. Not that it annoyed you or anything. Nope. Just an observation you made while wiping down the bakery countertop as the last of the morning rush disappeared out the door.

A series of angry honks drew your attention to the storefront windows.

‘Speak of the devil,’ you thought.

There he was, standing on the side of the street with a hand up with a look of determination on his picture perfect face. An elderly woman stood at his side, frail hands curled around his elbow. It was nothing short of magical the way traffic slowed to a stop at his command. Once he deemed it safe, he carefully guided the woman across the street towards the bakery. The second her feet were firmly planted on the sidewalk, traffic went back to its frenzied, reckless flow. She graced his cheek with a kiss while shaking his hand, then continued on her way. It was so wholesome every sweet in the case under your hands wept with a sense of failure.

The bell above the door chimed. “Good morning!”

You returned his sunny grin. “Good morning. What can I get you today?”

Junmyeon approached the counter and eyed each treat. “Ah, they all look so tasty. I’m running a wee bit late for a meeting. Could you toss a few recommendations in a bag for me?” His gaze returned to you. “I trust your judgment.”

You tried and failed to keep from smiling more. “Sure thing.” You pulled out a bag and picked up the tongs. “How many would you like?”

He shrugged. “I guess two or three should do it.” His eyes landed on the coffee station. “Ooh, hazelnut? I have to try it.”

“It’s a favorite with the locals.” You added, picking out a regular glazed donut. “Especially with the weather getting colder.” Maybe he’d like something with custard, too. “We’re getting in some new flavors next week, like apple pie and mint chocolate.” No one can resist a powdered cake donut. “These ought to do it.” You punched in the prices just as he came back with his cup in hand. “That’ll be—”

He held his fancy watch up to the card reader and the order was complete. “Do I need to sign for it?”

“Ah, uh, no.” You blinked and handed him the bag. “Not if you don’t want to.”

“Sweet.” His fingers brushed yours as he took the bag. An odd look crossed his face before his cheery look returned. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” You pulled your hand back and gave him an awkward little wave. “Good luck with your meeting.”

His eyes widened with panic. “Oh, yeah. I should get going.” He turned towards the door but paused for a second. “I’ll come back if I like your choices.”

“I’m sure you will.” You clasped your hands together to keep from fidgeting. He smiled, showing off his pearly whites, then disappeared out the door. Maybe seeing him everywhere wasn’t a bad thing.

⟨⟨ Series ML || Group ML ⟩⟩