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the crimson-haired princess | sinb

w.c ↠ 3.2k

pairing ↠ sinb x gender neutral!reader

genre/s ↠ medieval fantasy!au, runaway princess!sinb, physician!reader, fluff, angst

description ↠ eunbi turned up practically at your doorstep, an impossibly beautiful face beneath a muddy and drenched dress. you took her in, guessing but not quite grasping that she had stumbled free from a faraway life.

warning/s ↠ various injuries, forced arranged marriage

a/n ↠ this is freaking adorable and I love it. the moment this was requested I planned the entire thing in an hour, because I was instantly inspired. I hope you enjoy it anon~ this was an amazing request

requested by anon

-

It was a particularly cool and grey night, not a night that you would expect your life to change. Frigid wind trickled through the gaps in your wooden walls, the shrill cry of the breeze adding to the feeling of loneliness that had settled into the furniture.

Ever since your mother had developed arthritis in her fingers, she and your father had retired to a somewhat extravagant home a few hours away, leaving you to tend to their physician’s shop alone.

Even though you lived in a small village, too far from the palace’s town to receive official orders, there was still a relatively high demand for medicine and therapy. This specific night you were prepping a poultice for the blacksmith’s son, who had terribly burned his underarm.

Your focus was shattered by the sound of struggling from outside. A shallow river ran a few metres from your front door, snaking through the scattered houses of the village, and it sounded like something had been caught in it.

A wounded animal, you theorised, because they were thrashing and roaring through the water - it had happened in the past. You set down your instruments and hurried to save it.

But it was no animal; it was a human.

The first thing you noticed was her vivid crimson hair, tangled and clinging to her face, the colour of an impossibly red apple. She had strikingly beautiful features, glossy lips and a perfectly oval face.

The stranger caught in the river was wearing this expensive, lacy dress that reached down to her ankles, that you imagined had in the past been an ivory colour like marble. Now it was various shades of brown and black mud, the fabric sticking to her skin. She had fallen on her backside, and her face was tight with pain.

The moment she saw you, she reeled in fear and struggled to get to her feet.

“Hey, wait!” You had noticed her inflamed ankle by now, “you’ve injured yourself, don’t stand so quickly!”

Providing evidence for your words, the moment she put weight on her foot, she fell once more onto the rocky riverbed, crying out in pain. You approached, and her head shot up at you, freezing like a rabbit beneath a predator’s gaze.

“Here,” you offered her a cautious hand, attempting to gain her trust, “I’m a physician. I can help. Besides, your dress is all wet; you’ll catch cold if you stay outside.”

She gauged you for a moment longer, and you added with a worried sigh, “please trust me. I can treat you.”

At last, she gave in, clasping her hand with yours. You firmly dragged her out of the water, catching her and slinging an arm under her shoulders. She was just as light as she looked when she lowered her weight onto you, dazed by the multiple falls she had suffered.

Inside your home, you had her recline on the sofa. It was not very soft, but it improved from where she had been moments earlier. Now that you saw her ankle close-up, you could see it had begun to blush and bruise.

Just a sprain, you prayed. You carefully raised the girl’s ankle onto a stool.

“What’s your name?” You asked - a tactic you often used to distract new patients from their pain. As you waited for her response, you found a clean cloth amidst your cluttered clinic and doused it in water from the flask at your hip.

“Eunbi,” she hesitantly answered.

You had to push the wet dress up her calf, wrapping the cloth you had just prepared around her swollen joint. Eunbi hissed and then sighed in relief, covering her mouth with her palm the entire time.

“Eunbi,” you repeated, smiling up at her, “that’s a pretty name. I’ll get you a blanket.”

As you got up to search your cupboards for one of those handmade woollen blankets your mother had left you, Eunbi spoke once more.

“Um…can you help me out of this dress? You can cut it off if you need. I just want it off.”

You regarded her for a moment, only now noticing the depths of the fear and weariness on her face, blueish brown half crescents hanging beneath her eyes. Something was wrong, something she had hidden beneath the surfaces of her attractive features.

You nodded slowly, “I can do that for you. It’ll help you keep sickness away, anyway. But I will have to cut it free as you said. I’m too afraid to disturb your foot.”

You recovered a blanket and draped it over the poor girl, who was now shivering, her lips turning purplish in the cold. Then, as she drew it close to herself, you snatched the iron scissors from your work table.

“Lean forward for me,” you said gently, and she did as you had asked, revealing the low back of her dress, holding the blanket to her front. You hooked the scissors inside the fabric, wincing when you heard the expensive dress tear open. You cut jaggedly, taking care not to graze her skin with the blade till she was free enough to slip out of it.

Her back was petite and ivory, and yet shock doused you as you examined her closer. Minor cuts and bruises littered the stretch of skin, all the way down to the small of her back. When you were younger, you used to get similar wounds by tearing irresponsibly through the forest till you tripped and hurt yourself.

Why had she been running through the woods?

But you remained silent, moving away from her back. You helped her peel off the rest of the wet fabric - ending up with a tattered clump of what was in the past a beautiful dress.

You had freed her now from her soaked clothes, and the wool began to ebb warmth back into her. By the time you returned to her, discarding the rags of her clothing, Eunbi was fast asleep; her head slumped forwards against her chest.

You thought for a moment about waking her and adjusting her into a more comfortable position but decided against it. The distress on her face had finally eased, melting away as she dozed off, and now she was at peace; she was safe between the walls of your home.

Over that night, you returned to her, repeatedly changing the wet cloth around her ankle until you were satisfied it had recovered sufficiently. Her skin was no longer cushiony and pink, it was now matching the rest of her skin. She would have to tread carefully, but otherwise, she was fine.

You finally passed out in your bed at that stage, relieved and simultaneously still concerned. There were other pressing issues, but you would not be able to broach those without Eunbi prompting first. Such as where she had come from.

You rose the following day, and Eunbi was still deeply asleep. Mildly worried, you left her some clothes to change into and left to run some errands. You delivered and helped apply that poultice and exchanged a few potions (non-medicinal ones that had similar effects to alcohol) for a whole basket of fresh, warm bread at the bakery.

Upon returning home, approximately midday, you found Eunbi awake. She had changed into the clothes you had provided, which were hanging from her small frame loosely, and was curiously examining the shelves of dried herbs you had lined up on the walls. She turned to face you, and a bright smile burst across her face, catching you off guard.

“Y-You’re awake,” you stammered, “how’s your ankle feeling?”

“Fine, thank you.”

Eunbi’s gaze drifted downwards, and she swallowed thickly. You realised she was staring at the breadbasket in your arms.

“Would you like some butter as well?” You laughed.

You left the basket on your round dining table, shoving aside a few papers onto the floor in the process, and meandered through the entrance room to the kitchen.

“What’s your name?”

A warm smile passed over her lips. She tucked her fluffy scarlet hair behind her ears, exuding joy.

She spoke up just as you passed through the doorway, and you turned back to face her, surprised.

“I forgot to tell you, didn’t I? I’m (F/n).”

You returned shortly with a jar of butter and a blunt butter knife, as well as a jug of water and a glass. You tore a piece of bread in half and then cut it lengthways, spreading a thick layer of butter onto the fluffy centre and offering it to your guest.

Eunbi devoured it, stuffing large chunks into her mouth impatiently. Before you knew it, it had disappeared, and she was licking the grease of the butter off of her fingers, turning back to you for another piece.

“Oh, uh,” you hastily buttered another piece for her and handed it to her, “here.”

This time she ate slower, and you poured her a glass of water in the meantime.

“You must have been hungry,” you commented amusedly. She looked up at you and nodded thoughtfully, swallowing down some bread. Eunbi seemed to be pondering something, hesitating, carefully examining her words.

“Would it be okay…if I stayed with you for a little while?”

She looked so full of hope, waiting anxiously for your answer.

“Mm…if you help me. I have daily medications to make, errands to run as well. I can teach you which herbs are useful in the forest, and you can help me wash laundry in the river. In return for the work, you can stay as long as you need, and I’ll keep you well-fed.”

Eunbi initially wore a look of surprise, which then faded into delight. She smiled, an unrestrained and pure smile, and you realised she was beautiful.

Of course, you had noticed that already. That was the first thing you had recognised about Eunbi. But she had this delicate beauty that ran through every crevice of her, inside and outside; she was bursting with it. It gave you that same joyous sensation that admiring the blossoming trees in spring gave you.

From that day onwards, Eunbi took the role of your assistant.

She was not very adept at anything practical. Apparently, she had never washed clothes before, clumsy and awkward and only half-washing most of the laundry. You showed her how to do it patiently.

You then took her into the forest, and when you let her be, she returned to you with handfuls of poisonous berries. Panicked, you slapped them out of her possession and plunged her hands into the river till you could be sure her skin was clean of toxins.

And, Eunbi was easily frightened by creatures of the forest that you had learned to ignore from early childhood. She ran all the way home to you in tears when a snake had passed her by.

One evening, just as she had begun to acclimatise to her new job, you had left her to wash sheets in the river. You were grinding up herbs when you heard the frantic sound of splashing.

Concerned that she had fallen again, as she had done that multiple times now, you rushed outside to check on her. Eunbi had not slipped this time.

She was tearing through the water, full of bright laughter, uncaring that she was getting drenched and that her feet were slick with mud. She resembled a child, unable to contain the pure joy she had discovered in running through the stream.

Eunbi saw you and halted so quickly that she almost fell forwards, steadying herself by wildly swinging her arms and then beaming at you.

“It’s so cold!” She laughed giddily.

You were breathless, stunned by her genuine allure.

“Eunbi, you’re beautiful,” you said without thinking.

She looked taken aback, her excitement leaking from her expression into blank shock, her cheeks flushing pink. You would have assumed that was something she had heard countless times before, and yet her response was as if it were her first time hearing it.

“(F/n),” she mumbled, folding her arms over her chest, “it’s too cold now.”

You quickly realised this was an invitation, as she swayed on her feet as if swooning. You crossed into the river with Eunbi and slung an arm around her shoulders. She pressed her small body against yours, her warmth bleeding into your dry clothes. Whilst in this close position, you helped her inside.

Holding her like that seemed to bridge a gap that had hung between you both, physical affection becoming a common occurrence.

You were now courting the beautiful, crimson-haired girl. She would hold your arm as you walked together to the woods, finding you on cold nights to cuddle up against you.

It was like you had already married. You were familiar and casually affectionate, and the relationship felt as natural as breathing did.

As she folded clothes one warm afternoon and gazed out of the window, her milky skin bathed in margarine light, your peace would briefly be shattered. There were still secrets to be uncovered, after all.

A sound like thunder rang across the village, making the ground rumble like a mild earthquake. It was a large group of horses from the kingdom, all mounted with royal knights and draped with the royal family’s insignia. Eunbi’s tranquil expression quickly sharpened with intense fear, and she turned to you in desperation.

“I-I need you to hide me,” she spoke with panic and urgency. Although you had countless questions, her face made your stomach go cold. You hurried her into your bedroom on the opposite side of the house, closing the door behind her.

Just as you had removed her from sight, a severe and curt knock on your door drew you back to the entrance.

Standing before you was one of the knights, dressed in light armour and lengths of striking red fabric. His expression was stony, and it was as if he was barely registering you as a person. Instead, he was looking behind you, scanning your messy shop. Now he looked down at you and pulled out a roll of parchment, unfurling it.

“Have you seen this girl?”

The parchment was painted neatly with various colours of ink, and as you took in the image, you realised that it was obviously a profile of Eunbi. The curls of soft ruby hair, the perfect oval face, the pinched nose and glittering eyes. They had captured her perfectly, and yet your recognition of her burned you.

You swallowed your reaction, overcompensating for your mixed feelings by dramatically squinting and frowning at the picture.

“She’s pretty,” you commented, “who is she?”

The knight’s expression was icy, and he drew his lips into a fine line as if restraining his irritation, “she’s the second daughter of our king. She fled the kingdom the night after learning of her engagement.”

You did not really have time to register this shocking news. If you did think further about it, it would almost certainly have shown on your face.

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve seen her. It’s a small town, so I surely would have noticed a girl like her.”

But the knight looked dubious, searching your shop with his gaze once more.

“There was another person in here, wasn’t there?” He inquired. You had to clench your fists behind your back to stop yourself from trembling. If they discovered you were hiding an alleged runaway princess, you feared tremendous consequences.

“That was my wife. She’s terribly ill, so she’s in bed. It’s very contagious, Sir, you best not catch it and take it back to the castle,” you explained, feigning a worried expression, which was not difficult as you were worried - just not about any fake illness.

He huffed, visibly giving up, “fine. But if I hear from your neighbours about a red-haired girl, I’d like to meet your wife, regardless of how ill she is.” He slammed the door behind him, and you released a heavy, relieved sigh, noticing that every muscle of yours had gone rigid.

Now you returned to your bedroom, where you had Eunbi hidden, discovering her beneath your blankets, forming a small frightened lump. You closed the door behind you and approached her, freeing her. She instantly melted into your arms.

“D-Don’t you think the townspeople will tell them about me? I’ve met almost all of them.” Eunbi was trembling, crying into your chest.

You soothed your hand through her hair, “they won’t, I promise. They’re sharp. They’ll figure out very quickly that there’s a princess that needs saving, just like I did.”

Eunbi withdrew from you, looking up at you with wide, afraid eyes, “are you going to see me differently now? I lied to you.”

You pressed a fluttering kiss onto her forehead, and she blinked out of pleasant surprise, a shy smile gracing her lips.

“You’re Eunbi, aren’t you?” You gave her a reassuring grin, but it did not help; she was still wracked with worry.

“Aren’t you going to ask about it?” She muttered, avoiding your direct gaze. You sighed.

“It’s a tale that’s been told countless times before. A feud crops up between the kingdom and some old duke, and it becomes a thorn in the king’s side. Finally, the kingdom offers up one of their princesses to the duke as a bride to keep the peace, and she suffers every night in a marriage that makes her skin crawl. Am I close?”

You had been spot on, and it had stricken Eunbi directly on a fresh scar that had only recently grown over. Her eyes went glassy, and she buried her face back into your chest, hiccups breaking up her muffled sobs.

“I want to stay here for the rest of my life. I’ve never felt so happy. I’ve learned so much, and I’ve met so many people. Everyone here is so carefree and joyful, and it rubs off on you. I’ve never met anyone like that at the palace.”

Eunbi pulled away again to face you. Her eyes were glistening, sparkling like the way the river did when the moon reflected down on it.

“And, I fell in love with you, (F/n).”

A blush doused your skin, starting from your ears and spreading down to your feet, turning your whole body hot. It felt magical and tingly and you could not even begin to comprehend her words, because they were too large to grasp.

“E-Eunbi,” you began, but she was still speaking like she had been cleared of obstructions and now her words were flowing out freely.

“I want to learn to treat everyone, to remember what ails them. I want to memorise every herb on your shelf and more. But most of all, I want to share a bed with you, to kiss you good night and wake up beside you every morning.”

You could feel your own eyes stinging as you replied, feeling rather like your head was in the clouds, “I want that too, Eunbi. It hasn’t been long and already your presence belongs to this house.”

Because despite your vastly different lives until now, you had become intertwined. You took her face into your hands for the first time and kissed her impossibly soft lips.

“I’ll stay,” Eunbi’s voice was still wavering from the kiss.

“Even if I have to pretend to be someone else for the rest of my life. I am someone else here with you, someone I was always meant to be.”

She kissed you again, and you no longer felt that the walls were aching with loneliness. Your house had become a home that was shared between you and Eunbi.

And no one could tear that away from you.

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