Hi hi. Just a random idea I thought I would share in the case it might interest you. But sort of like a parallel universe or time travel thing. There's a forest/meadow on earth that is suspended in another time or world. You happened upon it by chance and meet someone there not realising that your lives can only cross in this one place.
inch-resting.....
↳ Snow White and the Park Ranger
2.4k || 100% Light Fluff || Kim Seokjin
Once upon a time—
“Please, let me go!”
—you were birthed as Princess of a marvelous kingdom, as fair as your mother and beloved by all who breathes. But tragedy appeared when your mother passed. Your father remarried a woman and after he, too, passed, your step-mother became Queen.
She was consumed by her jealousy and banished you from the castle.
And now, you were fleeing.
“I beg of you!”
The leaves of the Enchanted Forest crunch beneath your quick steps. A twig snaps as a cry befalls your trembling lips. You continue running, grasping fistfuls of the yellow shirt of your dress as you weave between the grandiose trees cloaking the sky with their canopy. The darkness is thick, shadows that whisper with beasts lurking amongst the wooded thicket.
But you are far more fearful of the Huntsman trailing after you.
He brandishes a sharp knife, gripping it at his shoulder. You turn at your shoulder to find him close and you shut your eyes as you brush past another tree. Someone save me! Please!
Bring me away from this!
As if the magic of the Enchanted Forest answers your desperate pleas — suddenly there is a man standing in front of you.
You are unable to slow your steps and you run into his firm chest. Yet, luckily, his strong arms reach out and he grasps at your shoulders, so that the two of you don’t collide or fall.
“Woah, woah, woah! Are you alright?”
You look up at your saviour. The person who has rescued you.
And your breath is stolen away from your lips. You wonder if this is what your mother always described to you when she used to read those bedtime stories back when the castle was still your home. You wonder if this is it: love at first sight.
The man has plump, pink lips, sheepish eyes and a sharp nose. He is without a sword, white horse or silver armor. Rather, a flat hat the colour of sand on top of his dark hair. His clothing is strange as well, a shirt of the same shade with an emblem on the sleeve — perhaps his kingdom’s crest — and his long pants are much darker.
But still, he is your prince.
“Are you alright?”
“There is a Huntsman chasing after me!” You turn around, still within his embrace. But as your breath catches up, there is no Huntsman. Have you lost him in the forest?
“I don’t see anyone,” your prince says.
“He must’ve gone when he saw you here.”
You turn back to your prince as he steps away from you, gazing down at your dress.
You feel shy. Your red cape is torn from being twisted by branches and your yellow skirt is dirtied from the mud. You never expected to encounter your prince in the Enchanted Forest. You always thought you’d meet him at a ball. But this dress, although dirtied and not as beautiful as the ballgowns the Evil Queen has, it was sewn by your mother. You cherish it deeply.
“Are you cosplaying?” he asks. “Or filming something?”
“Pardon me?” Your brows lift, unable to understand him.
Your Prince frowns. “Are you here alone?”
“Why, of course, I am. I was trying to get away.”
“You said someone was chasing you? Who?”
“I already said, it was the Huntsman.” You sigh. “Oh, goodness, I do not know why he would do such a thing, but it was quite frightening. I had no choice but to flee as quickly as possible!”
“Al-….right then.” He takes a black rectangle from his pants and you watch inquisitively as he squeezes the side. You’re startled when a noise comes from it. Yet the prince speaks into the rectangle. “Hello? Can we get a medic? We have a lost and distressed...unstable female down just off of the granular trail by the Marshall Springs, west of the river. Hello?”
You’re startled once more when he suddenly hits the rectangle with his hand. “Hello? Can anyone hear? Goddammit, why is it not working?”
You wonder if this is a magical contacting device from his kingdom. Perhaps he’s calling his knights. “Is everything alright, my prince?”
He looks up at you. “Huh?”
“I’m quite alright,” you reassure your handsome prince as a bashful smile comes across your features. “Now that you’re here.”
He’s silent for a few beats and then he sighs, placing the rectangle to hang off the top of his pants again. “Do you know what your name is?”
“It’s Y/N.” Your lashes flutter. “May I know yours?”
“I’m Seokjin, Park Ranger of Wood Buffalo National Park.” He points to the emblem on his sleeve. You’ve never heard of such a kingdom before, but it sounds absolutely splendid.
“Seokjin,” you murmur the name of your prince to seal it into memory.
“I’ll be able to help you. You don’t need to be scared,” he promises and you’re sure you must be dreaming. He is perfect. “Do you know how long you’ve been out here for?”
“Half a day, perhaps? I’ve been wandering the forest for quite some time.”
“What was your last memory?”
“Well, I was picking flowers and singing to the birds, but then I heard footsteps and I turned around and saw the Huntsman and started to flee. It was such a shame as I had to leave my daisies behind.”
You sigh softly, not noticing his incredulous expression and how he takes another step away from you. “Why won’t you take a seat, Miss Y/N. I’ll try my best to contact some help for you and get an assessment done.”
You’re not sure what he means but you nod, deciding to rest at a tree stump. Prince Seokjin tries to speak into his rectangle again, but there is little answer. It goes quiet as the beautiful forest sings, birds twiddling their song and the leaves rustle.
Your prince breathes out and then he looks at you, mustering a smile.
“You must really like Snow White,” he comments passingly.
But you gasp. How does he know the nickname of what the Evil Queen calls you?
No one else knows. Could it be that he’s working for her?
You stand, careening back from him. Seokjin’s eyes widen. “Are you alright?”
“Stay back!” you shout. You can’t believe you were almost tricked!
“Miss—!”
You flee from him.
“Wait!”
You turn around, tears welling into your eyes as you look at him. You don’t notice the rippling effect in front of you, like an invisible wall only visible to the eye if close attention is paid. You don’t notice it until you step past the boundary line and Seokjin suddenly vanishes from sight.
You slow to a stop. What.
You step back and as if the world ripples, he appears again. Right on the spot you last saw him.
You step forward and he disappears. You step back and he reappears.
Seokjin’s mouth has drawn open. He’s as bewildered as you are.
The magic of the Enchanted Forest is wondrous in ways you cannot and will not ever understand. Your mother once told you tales on how the trees are more ancient than mankind. That the fairies and elves, creatures and beasts, living inside have added to its mystic magic that have both answered pleas and punished wrongdoers when harm is done to the forest.
You are sure this is part of the Enchanted Forest’s magic too.
When you cross a certain point of the area, Seokjin vanishes from your sight and you do from his and when he crosses, you vanish from his sight and you no longer see him as well. It’s as if it’s a doorway and this place crosses between both of your paths.
You quickly learn that Seokjin is no prince of any kingdom. He belongs to a different world entirely.
“...and they lived happily ever after. The end.” You close the storybook he’s given to you, stunned at how your entire life has been simplified in these measly drawings and short sentences. “I...have to live in a small cottage with seven small men?”
“They’re dwarves,” he says.
You look up at him. “And I’m given a poison apple by the Queen?”
“Well, you’re saved by a handsome prince who gives you true love’s kiss…?”
“This is awful!” You sob out and the book falls to the ground. “I don’t want to return!”
Seokjin is wide-eyed, not sure what to say.
“I don’t want to live in a house with, with, with—”
“Dwarves,” he finishes.
“—or be poisoned and brought to an endless sleep, waiting until a prince’s lips touches mine, so I can wake up and live in his kingdom as his!” Hopelessness makes tears well in your eyes.
You were waiting for someone to rescue you — your prince and one true love. But now that you know what will eventually happen, you’re heartbroken. You thought once you were banished from the castle, you could live a peaceful and happy life. But there was still so much waiting for you.
You never return home. Yes, you meet your true love and the Evil Queen dies. But all that misery for a happy ending? The end doesn’t justify the means. It was still frightening. You’ve been chased by the Huntsman already and that fear is enough to make you tremble now. You can’t imagine living with seven small strangers, being poisoned, and brought to a deep sleep while not knowing when you will wake up again.
“I won’t leave,” you decide, placing your foot down.
It seemed like no one could enter this place except for you and Seokjin. The Huntsman couldn’t come when he was right behind you, so you’ll be safe from the Evil Queen and her henchmen.
“What?” Seokjin looks at you, blinking.
“I’ll stay here.”
He looks around the empty forest, appearing at a loss. His mouth opens, closes and then opens again. “I can’t in my good conscience leave a young woman to fend for herself.”
“Why not?” You tilt your head, unable to understand his concern. “I may not be able to defeat my evil step-mother and her magic, but I know the forest well enough and can still fend for myself.”
To prove it, your lips part and you start to sing.
At once, the birds hop from their branches and fly over to your feet. The squirrels emerge from their homes, rabbits from their burrows and a doe peeks out from the thicket. Seokjin is startled, taking a step back at all the animals and forest creatures emerging. Perhaps if he did not truly believe you were Y/N, Princess of your kingdom, and also Snow White from his storybook, he does now.
The creatures scurry away in disappointment when you stop singing.
Seokjin appears surprised. “Your voice is lovely— but I know this place might be your….your…”
“Enchanted Forest.”
“It might be your Enchanted Forest, but it’s also the Wood Buffalo National Park. It could have bears, wolves and bison. It’s dangerous. Especially at night.”
You look at Seokjin. Seokjin looks at you.
He ultimately sighs.
Throughout the next few days, Seokjin brings you supplies. He teaches you how to set something up called a tent and it’s absolutely wonderful to sleep in with the makeshift bed he calls a sleeping bag. He teaches you how to start a fire, brings you a chair that you can easily open up and a lantern for the night.
It starts to become a wonderful place, filled with knick-knacks such as the box that makes a fantastic drink called coffee to a bigger box that’s cold and holds in snacks he brings to you. He tells you these things can run on ‘solar power’ which is power from the sunshine. It’s magic.
Seokjin might not be a prince, but he is a kind man.
You also learn his job is a noble one. He walks through the forest and protects the creatures and heroes that wander in it. And while you may be from vastly different worlds, if there’s one thing you both have in common, it’s how much you cherish and love nature.
“I would like it if you could possibly bring me a shield or perhaps tools of some sort. Any scrap materials that you have no need for.”
Seokjin frowns, seated next to you on the log as he roasts the sweet treat called a marshmallow. His face is warm and glowing by the light of the fire. The forest is quiet but it feels peaceful. You find it’s always peaceful when he’s by your side. “What are you going to do with it?”
“I think I’m going to train and defeat the queen.”
“What?”
You roast the white puff until it’s golden on all sides. “I’ve been thinking that while I want to stay here, I don’t know if it can hide forever. I am not truly free until the Evil Queen has been defeated and I do not want to wait until she poisons me.” Your gaze meets his. “I want to protect myself.”
For the weeks that follow, you fashion sheets of metal into shields and weapons. Seokjin brings you a bow and arrows, and shows you how to shoot. You practice without rest on apples that you collect from the tree by the boundary line. That fruit has become your one true nemesis.
The arrow spirals out and thunks straight into the middle of the apple. It smacks into the trunk of the tree.
“Nice shot!”
You set your bow down, smiling widely at Seokjin who’s been watching you fondly.
“What are you going to do after you defeat the queen?” he asks in a murmur later that evening whilst helping you prepare dinner. He’s been coming to visit you every day now, after his work he says. You’re thankful for it — his company is something you’ve grown to yearn for.
You hum pleasantly. “I don’t know. Perhaps I will return. Don’t you think a cottage would be pleasant here?”
Your face lifts to find his softened gaze. He looks away just as quickly, yet he still murmurs, “Maybe I could bring you supplies.”
The two of you shyly smile to yourselves.
Seokjin may not be a prince, but he might just be the one you love.
