Run Away || Seonghwa (ATEEZ)
Pairing: Prince!Seonghwa x Princess!Reader
Genre: Fluff, Angst
Warnings: Some mild sadness
Summary: The prince had always longed for freedom, but what was true freedom if there was no one to share it with?
Notes: (Y/N) = Your Name
**Not spell checked**
Total word count: 2,175
Life had always been hard for the young prince. Despite what everyone outside the palace walls thought, life wasn’t always as perfect as it may have seemed.
Seonghwa, the prince of the Northern Kingdom, was often pushed to make decisions he didn’t want anything to do with. As his father told him, it wasn’t about it him. He had to be selfless.
But he couldn’t very well be selfless when all he wanted to do was be free.
~
On his twentieth birthday, he was told that he was to be wed to the princess of the Southern Kingdom. This news made his stomach drop.
That night, he had locked himself in his room. With papers sprawled out all over the floor, he planned his escape. He didn’t want marriage. The very idea made his stomach churn. This wasn’t what he wanted for his life.
~
His first attempt at escape went horribly wrong. He had barely stepped foot into town before he was caught. Turns out, one of the servants had been passing by his room when they noticed his door was cracked open. When they poked their head in to check on him, they saw the window wide open with fabric hung out the window. Thinking the prince had been stolen away, they had screamed.
Seonghwa had never seen his parent angrier than the night he was brought back. They had never been more disappointed in their son. They chose to increase security because of his first attempt.
Being stuck was one of the worst punishments he had to face. He couldn’t wander the halls without someone keeping an eye on him, much less step outside without an escort. He could only blame himself for failing to get away.
~
The day his bride came to the castle was chaotic. He had never met a young woman with such personality. She was polite to the King and Queen, but otherwise she was downright mischievous. She’d hide things from him; sometimes even herself. She would send the servants into panic when she decided to disappear, leaving him to be the one to have to find her. If he did, she would make a run for it. Maybe he had fun during these times.
Life with (Y/N) was something. She was lively and hardly left him alone. She got just as bored as he did, if not more. Her favorite thing was to play with his hair while he read and to leave in knots that she called “braids”. She knew how to braid, but she chose to “forget” when she played with his hair just to hear him whine.
“All done!” She said proudly as she lifted her hands away from her latest masterpiece.
Seonghwa instinctively touched at his hair, only to find the usual knots she would weave into his hair. He huffed a sigh and leaned back so she’d have to bare his weight. He nearly knocked her off the stool.
“Sit up! I’m going to fall!” She complained, using one hand to brace herself if she did fall and the other to shove at his shoulder.
The prince gave a cattish grin and hummed a “nope”.
But it was times like this that he wouldn’t trade for the world. The princess gave his life excitement and he would even dare to say that she gave it meaning, but he wouldn’t tell her. She would tease him to no end if she knew.
~
As the day they would wed drew closer, the more he longed to get away. Once they were married, they would be crowned as the next King and Queen. After that, their future was sealed. He loved his kingdom, he really did, but he longed for a life of adventure. No one to tell him who to be or what to do— that would be the life.
~
It came to a point where he confided in (Y/N) to tell this to. They had become close in their time shared together, so much that he trusted her with nearly anything. She would do the same for him, too.
“You’re joking.” She said softly, her head whipping around to see if there was anyone listening in.
They may have been in her room, but there was no telling. Secrets tended to spread amongst the servants like wildfire.
“No. I’ve been wanting to leave for years.”
“Then why haven’t you?”
“I’ve tried.” He rolled his eyes.
“I’m assuming you failed because you’re still here.” She grinned.
Seonghwa groaned and fell back onto her bed, his eyes staring up at the painted ceilings. He felt so defeated. Maybe freedom was something he could never achieve.
“Seongie?” He grunted at his nickname, one that she had given him early on. Did he mind it? Not too much. He had grown fond of it over time. Only she called him that.
The princess laid beside him; her head turned his way. She looked like she was deep in thought. So much that she had a pout forming on her lips. He chuckled at the sight.
“What is it?” He said, his voice even softer now.
Gosh, she loved his voice when he spoke like that. It was sweet and as far as she knew, only for her. He often used that tone when she was worried or when there was a peaceful silence between them.
“Why did you give up? You haven’t tried to leave since I’ve been here.”
That was true. He hadn’t bothered to attempt another escape lately. He shrugged lightly and went back to staring up at the ceiling. Such response had her pestering him to tell her.
“I didn’t want to leave you behind.” He said, finally caving in.
(Y/N) ceased in her actions and froze almost entirely.
“Why?” She asked.
The prince turned on his side and rested his head on one of his hands. He puffed out his cheeks while he chose his words. After a moment, she turned on her side to face him as well.
“Because you’d be trapped here. I’ve seen how sad you get when you look at the town. I’ve noticed that you’re happier when we can go…I don’t think I could bring myself to leave you here knowing you wouldn’t really be happy. I know why you cause trouble around the castle, too.”
He knew she stirred up trouble to make her day a bit more bearable and less boring. He knew she was scared to fall into a routine that would cause her to lose her smile. Perhaps they were more similar than originally thought.
“Besides,” He started. When he didn’t finish, she looked to him and repeated that one word in a question. He smiled shyly and reached out to stroke his thumb along her cheek.
“I think I would miss you too much.”
~
They didn’t seem to speak much about the conversation for the next day or two. Maybe it was out of embarrassment that feelings were put out in the open or maybe it was because neither side knew what to say from there. They merely returned to how they were before knowing one would miss the other.
On the second day, (Y/N) barged into Seonghwa’s room with tears streaming down her cheeks. He wasted no time in taking her into his arms to comfort her. He knew something was wrong and he hated to see her so upset. His heart ached for her.
“What happened?” Her suddenly coming to him in the state she was in had him worried beyond belief.
“Did you get hurt?”
He cupped her face and pulled back so he could see her. He checked her over for any injuries. She could only shake her head between the tears. He pulled her back to him and held her until she had calmed down.
“Seonghwa, let’s run away.” Was all she said.
He stiffened at her request. She told him why she had been crying and he understood all to well. She felt like she wasn’t ready for the responsibility of the crown and her mother had gotten angry when she expressed her thoughts. It was enough for her to be all for the idea of disappearing.
So, they made a plan together. They would leave in the middle of the night and catch a boat out to sea where they would start new lives together. They would be free.
~
Once again, plans fell through, but never had he imagined his princess would be taken from him. Enraged, (Y/N)’s mother broke off the engagement. She claimed that Seonghwa was a horrible influence for her daughter and that was that.
Seonghwa fought for her, though. He was shoving his way past the guards the day she was to leave, calling her name and trying to keep her. She tried to do the same, but neither could stop it. (Y/N) was taken and Seonghwa was left in a state of utter despair. He refused to leave his room for a solid two weeks and hardly said a word to anyone. His life was back to being dull and monochrome. He had no (Y/N) to make his life bright. He had no one to laugh with. It felt like there was a hole where his heart should have been.
Concerned for her son, his mother took up the fight as well. She knew her son had been happier than he had ever been when he was with the princess. She knew, because she had been that way once when she was young. She understood what it meant to be in love— even if he never told her that love was the reason. She could tell, though.
Months had passed, days filled of arguing and pleading, until he was relieved of having to take the throne. His father had seen the light in his son’s eyes go out and he knew that that being King would only make things worse on his son. Yeosang, a close friend of Seonghwa, was given the opportunity to be King instead. Not only was he trustworthy and responsible, he was like a second son to the current King.
This newfound freedom was what Seonghwa had always wanted, but it wasn’t complete just yet. His mother made arrangements so he could get into the ball that was intended for (Y/N) and her new fiancé. He was more determined now. He would rescue her and give her the freedom she wanted too. They would be free together.
~
The ball was crowded, and the smell of perfume was almost to strong. People from all over had come to celebrate the new engagement. He felt bitter. It should have been him standing with the princess. He betted the new man didn’t love her like he did. After what seemed to be an eternity of searching, he saw her.
His heart sank at how unhappy she looked. He knew he needed to fix that, but he had to get to her first. Seonghwa eventually managed to catch her eye and she looked shocked to see him. When his eyes flickered to the doors to outside, her eyes followed, and she caught on.
He was outside before she was, but she saw him first. She crossed the path through the garden and threw herself into his awaiting arms. It had been too long since they had been together.
“What are you doing here?” She asked, her smiling returning.
“I’ve come to rescue you and take you with me.”
“Where?” She was confused, but still interested nonetheless.
“Far away.”
Now confused, she stared at him. Far away? Their kingdoms were bordering one another. How far could they possibly go. Noting her confusion, he smiled widely and bounced on the balls of his feet.
“I’m free, (Y/N). I gave up my status…I’m free.” His eyes brimmed with happy tears. It was like it was finally dawning on him that he would finally get to choose his own future.
“Come with me.”
It took (Y/N) all of two seconds to say yes and they were gone before anyone realized.
~
Years had passed since the day they ran away together and neither of them had regretted it. They saw the world and fell in love all over again each and every day. Now, the two were happily wed and they were inseparable.
“What are you thinking about?” Seonghwa inquired as he set a mug of coffee down for her as she stared out at the ocean from their small cottage.
She leaned her head back and smiled warmly at her husband.
“You. Me. Us. How thankful I am that you came back for me.”
The man, now in his mid-thirties, sat beside her and leaned his head against hers.
“(Y/N).”
Said female hummed in response.
“Run Away with me.”
She laughed.
“Again?”
“Always.”