a mini vacation for @deerhunteer
The question had been asked with such a childlike innocence and with sparkling eyes haewon didn’t immediately panic . she might have choked on her stew , sending little drops of both coughing into her palm , but otherwise maintained her composure and replacing her momentary surprise with a smile both to the sudden appearance of a little girl and her question .
“ what makes you think that , hm ? “ she asked sweetly with a little nudge of her fingers under the girl’s chin .
“ you’re really pretty . “ the little girl sat down next to haewon on the bench and pinched at the fabric of her dress , one she’d thought was a significant downgrade from the dresses she’d worn at the castle and the fine silks , hoping the less expensive style would blend in more . “ your dress is nice . it looks new ... and you wear your hair down . most women wear it up in braids to keep it out of their face when they work . you don’t have it covered , either . “
Haewon’s smile fell just slightly , looking around in the inn’s kitchen to the other women occupying its other tables . most of them looked the part ; cloths covering their hair and keeping it from their face , dirty aprons covering their obviously old raggy dresses to protect what remained of the fabric , and while most of the women staying as guests were clean skinned , the ones working the inn had grease stains smudged on their arm and caked under their nails . haewon quickly sat on her hands when she caught a glimpse of her own nails , still clean and neatly groomed , before the little girl would take notice . she’d thought her new styling would help her blend in more as they travelled .
“ i’m not a princess , child . just a noble travelling through . “ the disappointment across the little girl’s features actually had haewon feeling slightly guilty for lying , resisting the urge to pinch her cheek in hopes of bringing her mood back up and see those sparkling eyes again . the girl’s attention turned to the man sitting on her other side and catching river mid drink when she spotted the sword sheathed across his waist . she lifted a finger and pointed .
Then it was river’s turn to choke , coughing into his sleeve with a shake of his head , and trying to quickly clear his throat and defend himself the best he could before haewon chuckled , and pulled the little girl onto her lap to pull her attention away from him .
“ he’s not a knight , sweetling . just another nobleman ... “ though it was hard to deny considering river’s own choice in clothing , his black robes exchanged for a downgrade that was still undeniable of the freshness of his fabric . it didn’t help that he always carried himself with his shoulders back and scanned every possible exit in case they needed to make a quick escape . “ see ? he’s carrying it around just as protection in case we meet some bad men on the road . i guess you could say he’s my knight since he’s my own protector , “ she joked along trying to fulfill the girl’s fantasies without breaking her own cover . “ he’s actually boring , if you ask me . nothing like a real knight would be . he isn’t out there fighting dragons and climbing towers to rescue his princess from all the evil monsters locking her away . but you know what he can do ? “ she mused out loud as she pulled the girl more into her lap , loving the way her eyes shone as haewon spoke . “ he’s a wonderful dancer who likes to bring me flowers who is very handsome . so in my eyes , that makes him a prince , not a knight . what do you think ? does he look like a prince ? “
“ he is handsome , “ the girl said , now staring at river like he was really a prince haewon had described him as .
River managed to compose himself and reached over to pat the girl on the top of her head in amusement . “ this prince isn’t fighting off any dragons , unless you could the squirrels that try to steal our food as a dragon . “
“ are their dragons where you came from ? “ she asked . “ mother tells me stories sometimes about the monsters from other kingdoms and how they burn down castles and how the knights always kill them . is that true ? “
Haewon laughed , and shifted slightly so the little girl was sitting between her and river and wondering if parents still told those types of fairytale stories anymore , or if haewon should be feeding into them . it wasn’t as though her own fairytale princess life was going well , though there was nothing wrong with wanting to protect the child from the real world a little longer , then it wouldn’t hurt.
“ no dragons , “ she said , much to the disappointment of the girl who once more looked upset . “ but do you know what we do have ? wolves . “
“ werewolves ? “ she asked .
“ yes . big ones . “ haewon ignored the look river gave her from over his meal , partially a warning if she was about to reveal their secret , which she never would , or if she was about to double down on her teasing .
“ are they scary ? do they hurt the princess ? “
“ no . quite the opposite , “ she quickly refuted . “ they’re werewolves that only turn when they have to . they’re strong , fast , and they heal quick when they’re injured . they have the most important job to do in the kingdom . you see , they could use their secret to hurt people and take power , but they don’t . they protect the royal family instead and in return , the king and queen protect their secret . there aren’t that many werewolves left because bad people tried to kill them all , but there’s a few left . they say you can hear their howling every month on the full moon , and that’s when the kingdom is at its strongest . “
“ have you ever seen one before ? “
Haewon lifted her head to peek at river . “ yes i have . they’re magnificent creatures . fiercely loyal . “
The little girl gasped at the new information , looking ready to bounce off the bench from the excitement of a small story that would certainly fuel more stories to be told later among the other children . haewon had noticed the number of kids running around the inns grounds since their arrival the night before , though rather than grow upset from the constant sounds of scurrying and loud speaking , she found it charming that a village would let them freely roam and have their fun .
As the little girl scurried away to join the rest of her friends as they called her over , haewon scooted back beside river so they could finish their meal and prepare for another day of riding to wherever would house them safely next . the traveling days all seemed to blend together , and it was getting harder for her to track which kingdoms they were residing in temporarily when many of them didn’t have their flags raised outside every building .
“ magnificent ? “ river repeated amused .
“ i meant what i said . besides , watching how happy she got listening about it was worth it , “ she said with a longing look to the girl as she and her friends all ran outside . “ children should be able to daydream about stuff like that for as long as they can . i loved it when my maids told me stories about dragons and knights , it made growing up in a castle more bearable . “ she glanced down , breaking from her trance to his sword that stuck out so obviously amongst the other men in the room . “ she was right , though . you do look like a knight . if we’re blending in , at least ... loosen your posture or something . you stick out too much ... both of us do . “ she hadn’t realized how much attention they must have been drawing in with their disguises , and wondered if staying in the village another day would give them a chance to find better outfits that would help them blend in . all it would take is one more child asking if she was a princess for them to inevitably get recognized at the wrong time .
And haewon wasn’t ready to leave the village yet . it was the first time on their journey that she felt safe enough to stay another day , maybe scope out the area and decide if settling for a few months would be a more fulfilling option than continuing on running for the rest of their lives . the people seemed accommodating and friendly , and while they’d had a few stares simply from their choice in clothing , no one seemed to mind them any business . the kids roamed freely . it seemed far enough from any large castles or manors that it would be the furthest from any possible battles or war , which was the safest she’d felt since fleeing baekje all those weeks ago .
River seemed to consider the option . his years of training , on top of his dedication to protect haewon above all else , he’d never took any chances when it came to their safety and had run so far and so quickly baekje’s downfall hadn’t reached their location . he pursed his lips and looked frustrated at the idea of staying anywhere longer than necessary , but after haewon pouted and the light seemed to fade from her eyes , he let out a long sigh . “ fine . another few days won’t hurt . “
It started with searching for a seamstress . unlike the luxuries she had at the castle , with plenty of ladies letting haewon pick the finest silks and take her measurements with the upmost care , she had to settle on a small shop with an even smaller collection of dresses with fabrics that were much cheaper than her silks and a style different from a royal’s . she felt oddly exposed with her tie up corset and shorter sleeve , and river looked even more out of place in a casual outfit he could’ve pulled off if he hadn’t been so determined to find a way to still sheath his sword on his belt .
“ you can’t keep it on you , “ she tried to convince him like trying to pull a child from it’s mother . river returned the same pout she’d given him earlier when she reached to take it from him , the weight of it heavy that she almost dropped it , and him catching it with a bit of a glare how she’d nearly lost something so precious . “ fine ! “ she exclaimed with her hands above her head and scoffing out . “ you can carry it back to the inn , but you can’t hold on to it while we’re here . you’ll scare the villagers and the kids ... and it looks awful in that outfit . “ he still hadn’t stopped glaring at her , his silence enough of an answer as his grip tightened around the handle as if he was unwilling to separate himself from his father’s gifted weapon .
It had taken more convincing than she thought for it to be left behind at the inn . haewon also set aside her old dress and checked the crown jewels of her father in the small pouch hidden beneath the loose floorboards , and as a remaining measure , even separated herself from her father’s ring she’d kept on a small string around her neck beneath her front . she’d taken river’s outstretched hand and left behind the old pieces of their life to explore a potential new one in the village .
The weather was warm and pleasant . her skin soaked in the sun after weeks of riding through cloudy days and rainy weather , and the ache in her legs from riding for so long seemed to ease with the walking . rumors had spread quickly from the little girl at the inn of the noble couple passing through , village people peeking out of their small shops trying to catch a glimpse of them , all greeting haewon and river warmly with waves and invitations to discuss their travels . the girls had quickly learned of the handsome man’s arrival and haewon swore she heard them whisper about him , stifling her laughter as heads peeked from the shops windows at the giggles that followed .
Haewon and river’s walk was stopped as the same little girl from earlier jumped out in front of them and pointed again at their new choice of clothing .
“ why did you change ? “ she asked , hands going out to touch the much less finer fabrics and frowning when it didn’t feel as soft as the silks did earlier she’d admired so much . “ and where is your sword ? “ she turned to river with the same accusational tone for as small as she was , her voice was quite powerful . “ my brothers were excited to see it ! “
Her little feet stomped on the dirt road , little puffs from the settled dust lifting back into the air again adorably that made haewon smile . “ what’s your name ? “ she asked . “anna . “ haewon lowered herself down to her level , and brushed away the little bit of dust that had settled onto the top of her head . “ and do you always run around by yourself , anna ? where are your parents ? “ a tiny hand lifted and pointed to the biggest house in the center of the village , then fell to start playing with haewon’s hair now that it was level with her shorter stature . “ your parents are the lord and lady of the village , are they ? “ she asked , anna nodding in response . “ so you know the village quite well then ? why don’t you show us around ? “ haewon opened her own hand , offering it to the girl and smiling as she took it .
Soon enough , they were sat by the small pond with anna in her lap and anna’s brothers hanging from river’s arms trying to goad him into a fight to prove he really was a knight and not some nobleman accompanying his new bride on a journey through the realm . haewon noted the other families gathered around to enjoy the pleasant afternoon as if something so casual was an everyday occurrence there; between the laughter of the children and the birds singing from the above trees , she didn’t think a life this peaceful was common outside of the castle .
River’s grunt and eventual overdramatic yell came over when he allowed himself to get tackled by the two brothers who yelped in excitement from overtaking the grown man . the boys proudly claimed themselves victorious and grabbed some sticks off the ground as makeshift swords and pretended to attack river again while he was still down , the playful scene making the princess soften , and the part of her that had died weeks ago seemed to warm back up again as it came back to life .
“ you look sad , “ anna commented as she watched haewon’s expression change at the unfolding scene .
“ i’m not sad . i’m actually very happy , anna , “ she said with a touch to the child’s nose . “ we’ve been travelling for a long time and it’s nice to settle in for a few days to relax while meeting some nice people . “
“ then you should move here ! “ anna happily suggested and stood from haewon’s lap to prove her point . the princess stood short after , bending down to scoop the child up in her arms and carry her with . river decided to follow and had one of the boys hanging on his leg with the other slung over his shoulder , still in the middle of their brawl .
“ we’re here for a few days . why don’t we enjoy our time together with what we have ? “ she suggested , anna’s disappointment clear but accepting as she rested her head on haewon’s shoulder , and allowed herself to be carried all the way home where the children were safely dropped off at the lord’s manor so the couple could enjoy some more time together .
They’d started their way back to the inn to care for the stallion when haewon paused at a familiar scent wafting through the air . lilacs -- her mother’s favorite scent , and haewon’s favorite flower . it was coming from a wooden shop they stood right outside of , naturally following the scent a finding herself in a somewhat familiar scene that had her tearing up . dried flowers from baekje hung from the ceiling . there were large bottles on the shelves filled with oils had been dusted over from age , some of the petals floating inside as they continued to seep their fragrance into the essence . some fresh flowers remained in a water filled vase , though most of the bouquets couldn’t have survived such a long journey and even though most of them had wilted , haewon searched through the shop trying to find the lilacs .
“ haewon . “ river’s soft voice from behind had her turning to find the knight holding one of them out to her . it had been wilted , appearing as it had dead for days and the white petals barely holding onto the stem as even just the movement of taking it from the vase had one of them falling to the ground and joining the various colored petals on the wooden floor . the loose stem flopped in her hand , though she held it close to her chest and admired what remained .
She wondered what had become of baekje . if the fire extended from the castle to the surrounding gardens , if the farmers of her kingdom had been affected , if her people were safe . if whoever had instigated the attack decided to keep baekje for themselves and bask in the fortunes of the fertile soil and continue to let her kingdom thrive in her absence , or if they’d let their precious flowers die .
River noticed her sudden shift in mood and lifted under her chin , wiping away one of the brewing tears and held her cheek . he kissed her forehead assuringly , silently stepping away to the counter and buying a small bottle of the same scented oil she’d always wear . it seemed pointless to buy anything as luxurious as oils when they were supposed to be on the run , but the small reminder of home was too precious for her to pass .
The lilac was limp and already dead by the time they’d returned to the inn that night . haewon scurried around the room hoping to find something to preserve it , any book , and loose pages that were floating around , settling on leaving it by the window where hopefully the morning sun would take the last of the moisture and allow the petals to be preserved permanently .
“ i saved every flower you brought me , “ she said as the silence grew too loud for her to ignore . “ even those dead roses you picked outside the gates when there was the uprising . i pressed them between my books . if i could , i would tell the glaziers they were ones i found in the gardens and have them set in glass so i could keep them with me in my chambers as decoration . whenever you were away , i’d look over them and think of you , as i knew you’d come back with more . “ she could feel herself begin to tear up again , the weeks of running having made her numb that she hadn’t sobbed in weeks . river was right there and already trying to console her , pulling her to his chest and pressing his chin to the top of her head to let her cry if she needed . “ what if they’re all destroyed ? “
“ they’re just flowers , haewon ,” he tried to tell her , despite him knowing the deeper meaning behind every one he’d brought her and why he’d continued to bring them even after her engagement in secret . for what he’d never been able to properly tell her , he’d done by gifting her the pieces of baekje that made their kingdom special as a constant reminder for his feelings for her . to anyone else , they might have been a simple gift , but to her , they were all symbolic gestures of his love she’d treasure forever .
The sounds of music coming from outside the window drew her attention away from her grief , along with the blazes of a large fire and people singing . the village seemed to be having a gathering in the center of town , big enough that the sounds of it reached the outskirts to their inn . haewon wasn’t in much of a dancing mood as she kept her face tucked in river’s chest and let out a deep breath to calm herself down ; perhaps it was the sight of the large flames causing the shadows to reflect on the walls that caused her to feel the sudden unease , much too familiar of the final sight of her home going up in the same light .
“ we should go join them , “ river tried to convince her as haewon shook her head . “ we shouldn’t spend the remainder of our night up here feeling sad . why would we waste a happy day to end it like this ? the whole village is probably out there dancing and wondering why we’re not there joining them , and you love dancing . “
“ it’s not the type of dancing either of us are accustomed to , “ she tried to argue , more trying to convince herself than him as she wiped at her face to rid of the tears .
“ it might not be . but it’s us , isn’t it ? we can go out there and recreate the awful dancing we did when we were teenagers and you were teaching me how to move without stepping on your feet . “ river took a step back , haewon frowning at the bit of distance between them , watching as he fell into a deep bow reminiscent of the ones he used with her in the grand hall of the castle as a formal invitation to dance . “ princess , “ he said , peeking up with a smirk so uniquely river it still brought that little flutter in the pit of her stomach . “ would you like to dance ? “
She didn’t give him a verbal answer as she pressed back to his front and grabbed his hand while extending their arms out to the side as she fell into a simple step , hardly considered dancing with how haewon’s head rested on his shoulder as they swayed with the echoes of the much lighthearted , faster step played that required a much different dance . while it didn’t match , it was enough to pull haewon from her grief as river kissed the top of her head and did a very gentle spin .
“ anna will be wondering why you’re not there , “ he tried convincing again , knowing what a gentle spot haewon already developed for the lord’s daughter .
“ she’s very sweet , “ haewon agreed . “ i hope one day she’ll be as beloved by the villagers as they are now . “
River peeked down at the little smile haewon started to form . he chuckled , deciding to move into another gentle spin . this time when he pulled her back in , he welcomed her back into his arms and tucked her head under his chin . “ you’ve always been good with children . “ he sighed , stealing a glance outside the window where a few of the dancing families could be seen in view as the music continued on . “ i like it here . it’s so different from we grew up in the castle with the finest luxuries in the kingdom . even a little outsider like me was treated better than most of the people here were thanks to the king . it makes me wonder how differently my life might have been if father decided to remain in his village before becoming a soldier . “
“ what would you have liked to your life to be ? “ she asked , amused at the prospect of river being anything other than a knight with his skill and pride .
“ i don’t know . maybe a blacksmith ? stable boy . something a lot less stressful than a soldier or sellsword where i could come home to my family every night and not have to worry about the possibility of getting killed every time i leave , “ he chuckled .
Haewon tried to imagine it ; river coming home in the same outfit he had on , maybe covered in soot from working with metals or near a fire , always smiling , doting on his children after a long days work . the image was appealing , but entirely unrealistic for either one of them to have a life so simple when fate had decided theirs already .
“ would you want that ? “ she asked him . there was a tone of seriousness in her question , meeting his eyes and slowly coming to a stop in their dance for him to really consider his answer . should they both grow tired of running , if rumors of baekje reached them that the castle had been destroyed and the kingdom fell to ruins , if whoever ruined her family’s reign decided to keep it for themselves , and there was truly no point in fighting , would settling somewhere be something they wanted ? she’d rather confine herself to a false identity and live with river here peacefully for the rest of her life than fight a losing battle , or safely hide forever if it meant escape with their lives . her question wasn’t just out of curiosity ; she asked it as an offer , a silent proposal to him that if he agreed , perhaps they could change their fate entirely .
Fingers dipped below her chin to keep their gazes locked , and the lightest touch to her lips . “ any life i have with you , princess , is the only one that i want , whether it be as villagers , as wanderers , or as a knight under your leadership . “ her head was lifted more , river leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her lips and letting it linger long enough for haewon to melt into him once more , foreheads pressed , and eyes closed as they let the moment settle into silence . “ i’ll always be by your side . but should fate decide to have your rightful place as queen , i ask you make your own oath to me , now , here , that you’ll never push me aside and pick another . in whatever life we decide together , it will be as husband and wife . i’ll watch another kingdom burn before watching you swear to another man again . “
Haewon’s hand lifted to wrap around the bottom of his thumb and wrist , holding his grasp to her face longer and nodding . it wasn’t a single moment of contemplation in her answer ; he was her only reason left living in such a miserable existence in these past weeks , her only person that could pull her from her dark thoughts ; the dedicated he had to protecting his princess , haewon felt the same to keep living , not for herself , but for him .
“ i need you to promise it to me , haewon , “ he whispered , eyes closed , as if it pained him not to hear her speak right away .
“ i promise . “ her hand lifted once more , pressing her fingers over her heart and sealing it as an oath , not having released river’s hand as his own now felt the erratic beating through her chest . his fingers tightened over hers , and he kissed her once more , this time more deeper than the last as the fire outside the inn window blazed bigger and hotter than before as the music’s tempo grew faster . she barely noticed it , now .
“ that’s all i’ve ever wanted , haewon , was to see you safe , happy , and to be mine ... i don’t care where or how . just be mine forever . “ her grip tightened around his fingers . her heart skipped a beat .
