Mitsuhide cleared his throat. “Ah, Zen? Have you considered… If Shirayuki goes to help the people of Tanburun rebuild, it may be some time before… Well, who knows how long it might take?” A worry line had formed between his eyebrows. “Please think carefully before you decide.”
“Master, your timing is terrible,” Obi put in. “This is the moment you would send the miss away?”
Glancing between them, Shirayuki bent her mouth down. “That’s not… Zen, I promise I’ll hurry. I won’t keep you waiting if I can help it.”
Zen smiled at her expression. Without breaking eye contact with her, he said, “Hey, you three--would you give us a few minutes? We still haven’t finished our marriage interview.”
Shirayuki blinked. "Zen? But... the letter..."
The three attendants smiled knowingly.
Zen held out his hand to her. "I know, Shirayuki."
She wrapped her fingers around his without thinking, her forehead still creased with confusion. The fit of their hands had become comfortable and familiar. To lose that would be hard. Zen wanted to savor it a bit longer.
He waited for the others to retreat out of hearing distance before bending his head to rest it against Shirayuki’s.
"Shirayuki, this may take a long time, you know. This effort for the people of Tanburun."
Shirayuki tightened her grip for a second then started to draw her hand away, her mouth falling open a little. "Zen? What are you saying?"
He wouldn't let her go. "I'm telling that I will be here. Waiting for you." His smile was wry. "It's only right that I wait for you for a while. It's been so long and you've been so patient with me."
The concern smoothed out of Shirayuki's face. She leaned into Zen. “I haven’t minded. I’m glad for all the things I’ve been able to do in order to stand by your side.”
He touched his forehead to hers. "Thank you, Shirayuki." He took a breath. “But I don’t want you to go to Tanburun only because you’re thinking of me. If you decide to go to Tanburun now, it should be because your path is taking you there.”
Shirayuki hesitated, pulling back a little and looking down. “Zen, I…” Her hands tightened on his. When she looked up again, resolve was firm in her eyes.
“Zen, because of you, I changed my fate.” Shirayuki’s face was alight with her passion. She held Zen’s hand to her chest. “I want everyone in Tanburun to know what you’ve done for me. There’s this feeling…that I need to help the people there. So they can see it. I think…this is the next step in my path. It feels right.”
In her mind’s eye, Shirayuki could see the little pharmacy she would open, the worn faces of the people lifting into hope and joy when they realized that they were not alone. She thought of the friends she had made, that she could turn to, who might be willing to help her in this effort. The pharmacists of Lilias would surely have advice. And in Tanburun, Raj might be able to do something or perhaps even the Lions of the Mountain…
She would have to get to know the people in Tanburun, discover what they truly needed. They might be suspicious of newcomers. She would have to earn their trust, show them that there were people they could truly depend on.
Already her thoughts were coming together into a list of where to start. There would be so much to do. Shirayuki could feel her back straightening to hold this new weight.
Zen smiled as he looked at her. He loved her for the determination that suffused her, from the set of her petite shoulders to the way she held her head high when she fixed her eyes on the future.
Shirayuki saw his smile and blushed, turning shy. “I know I’ll be gone a long time.” Her face fell a little. “Zen, are you sure? This…it could be years. What if…?”
Dropping her hands, Zen gathered her into his arms. She went eagerly, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. He bent to whisper in her ear. “Don’t worry, Shirayuki. Our fates are tied together. You can follow your path. Don’t be afraid.”
Shirayuki tightened her hold on him. “I’m not. Not with you, Zen. I trust where our paths are leading us.”
He pressed his lips to her cheek. “So do I.”
The wind stirred their clothes as they held each other, sending the trees around them rustling. Change was coming. Not the change they had expected, but still the turning of a new leaf for the two of them.
“True love removes all insecurities.” - Tony Gaskins
My policy is here.
Lol, you can totally see how bland this is because I rushed it, even though I added a few glow orbs to help take attention away from it. I might finish it eventually some day. Please ignore the swirls; I have no idea why they’re there.
My entry for Day 5 of zenyukiweek2017! I‘m soooo sorry that I have to link it again, but tumblr has decided it hates everything I write and therefore it shall never let me post any stories on here again. -_-
A little backstory to this: this is all HC, I have no idea if this is the actual process of marrying a royal. But whatever! It’s adorable and the image is totally inspired by the opening theme to the first season, along side a couple Disney dances, oh and maybe a few songs as well. I wrote this about two years ago when I was thinking about how I want to learn to ballroom dance and then tried to write out the scene where it happened between these two characters. The rest came later, but I’m proud and embarrassed of this story, so take it as you will!
Synopsis: Zen has proposed to Shirayuki, but now, to tell the kingdom. How do they do that? Why, they have a dance, of course!
fandom: Akagami no Shirayukihime / Snow White with the Red Hair
relationship: Zen Wistalia/Shirayuki
notes: 25 Lives AU written for ZenYukiWeek 2017. some of the prompts overlapped, were used multiple times, and are posted out of order; also i’m not entirely finished with this fic, so i’m sorry in advance >.<
it’s night-time. quietness envelops everything. but there are those who won’t rest. those... will be embraced by the moon, who will cast its rays to illuminate their waltz. the lovers’ waltz.
moods: (night) (romantic) (dreamy) (close)
for zenyuki week 2017, day 4 & 7: secrets and reunion.
listen: youtube (rec-ed for everyone) ✤ 8tracks (mostly rec-ed for US/Canada) ✤ playmoss (some important tracks may not play)
(tracklist under the cut)
tracklist: Oh say can you see - Lana del Rey // Come away with me – cover by Sarah Joy // Harvest Moon – cover by Lucy Rose // Let’s Dance – cover by Eva Abraham // Fly me to the moon/La vie en rose (mashup cover) - Jemma Johnson // Can't Help Falling In Love (Ukulele, Sax, and Cello Cover) – Sarah Joy & friends
---
little bits of the tracks:
1. Oh say can you see (night stroll)
“oh say, can you see my stars?
the night time is almost ours”
2. Come away with me (invitation)
“and I want to wake up with the rain falling on a tin roof
while I'm safe there in your arms
so all I ask is for you to come away with me in the night
come away with me”
3. Harvest Moon (old love, shared dance)
“come a little bit closer, hear what I have to say
just like children sleeping
we could dream this night away
but there's a full moon rising
let's go dancing in the light”
4. Let’s Dance (dancing in the moonlight)
“let's dance
put on your red shoes and dance the blues
let's sway
under the moonlight, this serious moonlight
let's dance”
5. Fly me to the moon/La vie en rose (enchantment, shared dream)
“fly me to the moon
and let me play among the stars
let me see what spring is like
on Jupiter and Mars [..]
hold me close and hold me fast
the magic spell you cast
this is la vie en rose”
6. Can’t help falling in love (meant to be)
“shall I stay?
would it be a sin, if I can't help falling in love with you?”
For Zenyuki Week 2017, day 7: reunion. (@thezenyukiweek)
Zen and Shirayuki take a time to freely stroll through the city, duties and titles left in the background for the moment.
This time it's only about them. Catching up, taking new sights together, and, who knows, maybe risking some dancing. Above all, it's about appreciating each other's company.
(mostly instrumental) (medieval ambiance vibes)
tracks: the village festival - performed by erutan // kingdom dance - alan menken (tangled ost) // song of joy - erutan // fable - adrien von ziegler // greensleves // howl’s moving castle theme - performed by sungha jung // sono koe ga chizu ni naru (acoustic) - performed by haezan villa // the wild waltz - cécile corbel (karigurashi no arriety ost) // for the dancing and the dreaming - cover by lizz robinett
