Wonwoo: Blood for Blood, Bloom for Bloom (pt. 4)
photo cred ©
[table of contents] I. II. III. IV.
Summary: honestly it’s just a lot of Tension™ and exposition. there isn’t much showing is mostly telling.
“Jieun,” You cry out. She’s nowhere to be seen, but you can hear her whimpering somewhere in the distance.
“Jieun,” You try again. “Please. I’m scared.”
It’s dark out, the only light radiating dimly from the torches posted on the castle walls. You don’t know how you made it this far beyond the gates without someone finding you and dragging you back, and nightfall had caught you off guard.
You hear a snarl and Jieun’s whimpers get louder. You whip your head around, catching a flash of white in the corner of your eye. The stench of decaying flesh and rotting blood beings to surround you, so you run. Somewhere along the way, you catch Jieun’s wrist in your hand, dragging her behind you. Jieun is usually the one doing the saving, but this time is different.
Your heart is racing and adrenaline is pumping through your veins by the time you reach the castle walls. There’s a small door to the side of the gate, barely big enough for a small child. Luckily, you and Jieun are both young children and smaller than average. You throw the door open and push Jieun into the darkness. It swings closed behind you and you latch it quickly, hearing scratches and hissing not even a second later.
“Vampires,” Jieun stutters. You nod your head.
The adrenaline leaves your body in the form of fat tears, and Jieun pulls you into her arms to comfort you.
“Thank you for saving me.”
-
It’s impossible to tell if it’s the bounce of the carriage over a bump in the crossroads, or the presence looming above you and shaking your shoulder that finally wakes you. Your eyes snap open as you sit up properly, as opposed to leaning on the wall of the car. You can feel a wetness on your cheek and you wipe it away, hoping that Wonwoo hadn’t already seen it.
“Are you alright?” He asks, pulling back to give you as much space as he can in the small carriage. Your legs are still touching.
You nod. “Quite.” You say. You adjust your skirt in your lap, spreading it a bit more evenly to keep your legs from getting too warm. It’s nearing the warm season and the sun’s gaze is becoming harder to tolerate, especially from a poorly ventilated wood carriage. “Where are we?”
Wonwoo’s brows furrow together in concern, but he doesn’t question you. “Less than an hour to Yingan, last I checked. Did you need to make a stop?”
You shake your head. You would love to stop for even a minute, just to stretch your legs, but the yearn to see Yingan again is stronger. You hope that your old room is still being cared for, and that the summer robes you left behind still fit you. Tears start to well in your eyes as your heart fills with longing. Jieun should be here with you.
“Y/N,” Wonwoo starts, sliding his hand across the carriage seat to encapsulate yours. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“I just miss it.” You explain, the tightness in your chest building as you fight against your instinct to start sobbing. “I— I don’t think I can do this alone. Not without Jieun.”
“You have me. I won’t leave your side. Jieun is being taken care of by the best healers that Yingan and Hwangyeon have to offer.” He squeezes your hand and you nod. “Thank you for accompanying me. I know how painful it was for you to leave her side.”
You shut your eyes, trying to block out the mental images of Jieun’s body laying lifeless in her bed, with barely any colour in her cheeks. Wonwoo keeps a steady rhythm of squeezing your head and running a thumb over the back of your palm.
“You know,” You start, keeping your eyes closed. “Before we were sent to Hwangyeon, Jieun and I never saw eye to eye. She was so proper and I was her wily, untamed kid sister. But we always kept each other safe. I’d give anything to go back to that.”
Wonwoo nods, giving your hand one last squeeze as the carriage comes to a stop. The door opens on Wonwoo’s side.
“Your highness, we have arrived.”
-
Seungcheol, the oldest of your three triplet brothers, meets you with teary eyes and open arms. You hoist your skirt up to your knees and run towards him, leaving Wonwoo and the rest of your entourage at the doors.
“Graceful as always.” Seungcheol teases, holding you tight to his chest. He smells like the pine trees that surround the palace, like he always has. Like everything in Yingan does.
You let a watery giggle escape from your lips, letting down the guard that you didn’t know you’d been keeping in place since you left. Yingan was your childhood, full of memories and time that you would never get back. You relished in the feeling.
“My room? My silk robes?” You ask, your heart racing with excitement.
Seungcheol grins. “Everything is as you left it, duckling.” He says.
You dig an elbow into his gut as he lets you go. “I would imagine that all those years in Hwangyeon have transformed me into the beautiful swan.” You tease, and Seungcheol’s eyes twinkle with fondness and something close to sadness, but not quite.
“You’ll always be our little ugly duckling.” You hear from behind you.
You turn to find Jeonghan and Jisoo standing there, staring at you. They pull you into a hug, burying their faces into your hair. Jisoo pulls you towards your old room, leaving Seungcheol alone to greet his foreign guests. You sit in your room for a minute, ignoring Jeonghan’s instructions to change quickly, just letting yourself be alone with your memories.
Your books lay strewn across your desk, untouched. Seungcheol wasn’t lying when he said everything was as you left it; some of the books are still laying open to a dogeared page. You strip down to nothing but your dirtied shift, throwing the heavier overdress onto your bed. There’s a linen shift hanging off a cast iron hook beside your door that you assume is clean, given the fact that it smells better than the one you’re wearing currently.
On most days, before you left Yingan, you’d have a maid or two to help you dress in the morning. Now, staring at an armoire full of silk and cotton robes, your mind draws a blank. It’s too hot for an intricate, layered evening dress — similar to the one you’d been wearing before — so you settle for an embroidered silk robe that you’re just barely able to lace up by yourself.
“Fuck.” You mutter once you see yourself in a mirror. The light blue silk that had once draped loosely over your body as a young girl now sits as close to your skin as your shift does. It was the cold season when you’d left Yingan, and with your rapidly changing body nothing from the warm season fit properly when it was time to pack up your things.
“Y/N?” Wonwoo calls from the other side of the door with a knock. “May I come in?”
He doesn’t wait for a proper answer before he enters, taking your unamused grunt as more than enough permission. There isn’t a point in even attempting to hide the poorly fit robe from him.
“I don’t know what to wear.” You state, turning away from your mirror and back towards your armoire.
He closes the door behind him and takes a seat on your bed. He doesn’t answer, instead taking in your childhood bedroom with wide eyes. It’s different from your room in Hwangyeon. This room has personality, everything was made custom for you and every corner is full of your belongings.
“That robe is fine. It’s just me and your brothers. The advisors won’t even be—“ He starts to say, but he chokes on his words when you turn around.
You’ve laced the robe as tight as you possibly can, but the ends don’t come together, showing off the shadowing between your breasts and the sheerness of your undergarments. You’d need a second chemise to preserve your decency, but the heat won’t allow for it.
“This robe is scandalous. I look like I’m trying to attract the likes of Mingyu Kim. I’d rather wear my hunting clothes.” You say.
Wonwoo chuckles at the mention of Mingyu Kim and his loose morals, and the fact that Mingyu is already attracted to you regardless. He takes his own turn rifling through your armoire as you unlace your robe.
“Here,” He offers, pulling a light silk dress out for you.
You hesitate. “Wonwoo, this doesn’t lace in the front. You’ll have to help me.”
His cheeks turn pink, but he nods anyway. You decide that modesty would be useless at the moment, you’ve already been gone for too long. Without waiting for Wonwoo to turn away you shrug the robe off your shoulders. He helps you pull the dress over your head, blushing the entire time.
“A king that helps a lady get dressed is unheard of.” You mutter as he begins to lace up the back of your dress.
He smiles. “What kind of a king leaves a damsel in distress?” He says. Being addressed as a damsel in distress would usually offend you, but the way that Wonwoo says it so teasingly leaves your heart fluttering. He continues in complete silence, concentrating on weaving the ties properly.
“There you are,” He says when he’s finished tying the final knot. He uses his hold on you to turn you towards the mirror.
The dress sits awkwardly over your shift, wrinkling in areas where you should have more undergarments to shape your silhouette, but the allowance for extra undergarments is what leaves it fitting comfortably. His hands drag over your waist, smoothing out the fabric, but they linger.
“Is that alright?” He says, quietly in your ear. You spot the darkening of his eyes in the mirror and your breath catches in your throat.
“Yes, thank you.” You say, pulling away from him and hoping that he doesn’t notice how breathless you are. He is married, after all.
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