This is an experiment to see if there really are as few of us as people think.You can also use this to freak out your followers who think you’re 25 or something. Yay!
Guide on how to not marry the Northern Duke [2/2] - End
Title [Guide on how to not marry the Northern Duke.]
Pairing [Northen Duke! Yoongi x Reincarnated! Reader]
Genre [Fantasy Romance, Reincarnation, World in a novel AU, smut, angst]
Summary [You might be a lady with a significant house backing you but Yoongi thinks he’s not lacking anything as a husband candidate. He could give you money, real estate, jewellery, dresses everything you wanted so why did you reject him so confidently? The Duke of the North is getting a stack of marriage proposals daily that could fuel the fire in the fireplace all day long in his office so why did YOU reject him again?]
Words [10,1k]
Warnings [harassment, mention of blood, mention of hunting animals, sexual content: oral sex, unprotected sex]
Rating [+18]
A/N: This is not perfect but I hope you guys will like the ending of this story.
Masterlist // part 1 // I don't do tag lists anymore I'm sorry!
As a quote “knight”, you wear your dress and accessories like armour on your way to the battlefield which is called idle chatting with the noble ladies. You feel like you got accustomed to your circumstances by now being in a new world in a stranger's body.
You completely merged yourself with Y/N. It gives you an advantage that some things come to you naturally but on the other hand, it’s scary because if you accept this as your reality then that means you’re stuck here forever. Don’t be mistaken after you died in your previous life and reincarnated this is something to be grateful for – this is your second chance at living. Even if you’re aware of all that you keep wondering if your family back there is ever missing you or if they are living well, or if your friends or coworkers think about you sometimes. It feels like you’re living a double life. The people around you have a conception of your personality they’ve seen you grow up with them but in the end – you’re not Y/N. If you think about that you feel miserable.
They don’t know you. They now Y/N.
Even if Y/N now is – you.
There’s only one person you can be truly yourself is surprisingly when you’re with Yoongi.
Can’t make much of an excuse today as you’ve avoided attending these events altogether. Avoiding Yoongi. There’s no fantasy romance novel without a hunting competition scene so you know these gatherings quite well. The men go out hunting and the person who gets the rarest animal as prey wins the competition. All this time women are dressing up and gossiping all day. You’re not too keen on joining them today but since you were personally invited you cannot refuse even if you wanted. The moment they set their eyes on you behind their fancy fans you know they are up to no good.
This is the time when the female lead is ridiculed and humiliated so why are you in this situation when you’re supposed to be the villain bullying people? They invite you to sit but their smiles tell you they’re not really happy to see you show up in their circles.
“It’s been a while Lady Y/N.” The first to speak is Duchess Hee; as far as you know, you’ve never talked before. You greeted each other in formal settings but that’s about it. Whilst her expression is controlled you could sense hostility from her. Even though you’re not going out much Y/N is still getting new enemies on top of the old ones – can you call this the buff of the villainess? You’re unsure how to assess the situation so you decided to grasp the atmosphere first and speak carefully for now.
“Yes Duchess Hee, have you been well?” You gracefully sit on the empty chair between two ladies who continuously glare at you. Y/N is a notorious troublemaker who disregards everyone under her status so the ladies seem surprised at how coordinated you are. You just wish things go well enough that no one tries to pull your hair today.
“Of course. I haven’t seen you much these days perhaps were you sick?” It’s obvious that she’s trying to mock you. Everyone knows that you were on probation by the order of the duke after the mishaps you created in the social circles.
You have no idea why she’s attacking you all of a sudden but you need to be smart about this.
The rule is that the one who gets angry first is the one who loses so you need to keep your cool no matter how they try to provoke you. If a reasonable amount of time passes then you can excuse yourself that you’re not feeling well and you can get out of here.
You need to hold out until then.
“No, I’ve been well thank you for asking. I’ve been reflecting on my actions during that time. If I caused trouble I hope the ladies could forgive me with a gracious heart.” Smooth. Some of them seem taken aback that you apologised so they are momentarily at loss of words. Some awkwardly laugh it off and some keep glaring. The duchess however keeps her eyes on you probably trying to find some fault in you to get started.
Since Y/N had a bad temper her visceral reaction was to get angry at the slightest disrespect but you’re different. You’re not that easy to provoke. You’re a modern woman who worked in a capitalistic company for years – some backhanded rude comment won’t do much.
“It feels like the lady is a different person. How unexpected. What could have made you change so much? Perhaps .. a new lover?” You almost spit out the tea when you hear the duchess’ inquiry. This is so unexpected that don’t know what to say for a moment.
“Ah, yes? Well, no I’m not seeing anyone at the moment.” You try to cover up your slip-up but the duchess’ smile is getting bigger but not in a good way. What is she up to?
Is she on the Min Yoongi fanclub as well; because that would explain so much.
“I see. I must have heard wrong then.” She let it go too easily, something smells fishy here. After that, the conversation finally drifted over to other topics like gem mines and dresses. It was clear they were talking in a way that you couldn’t contribute to the conversation but you’re not too sorry about that as you were not going to participate in the first place. Their plan to make you isolated in a conversation to make you feel bad is surprisingly mild. You’ve been expecting much worse.
“The tea is very fragrant. Recently my family imported jasmine tea so I hope the ladies enjoy this fresh taste.” To be honest the tea is pretty bland but everyone agrees and the marchioness looks pleased by the other's reaction. When you’re not saying anything they all look at you.
Since you feel pressured by their gazes you lift the cup to get another sip as you’ve not touched your tea all this time. You prefer coffee however, if you said that it would just be another thing to nitpick.
“Right, it’s delicious.” For some reason the ladies look impatient, they were sure this would work but you’re not reacting how they want you to. No matter how much backstabbing they are doing with their politely crafted insults you’re not budging.
It’s subtle but the lady on your right makes eye connect with the Duchess right before her hand slips and your dress is ruined by the dark liquid. She made it seem like an accident but there’s no way her hand would naturally slip like that – it was intentional.
It’s hot though. Your smile never falters after all this is a good opportunity to make your leave natural.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry my grip is feeble lately. I hope you forgive me.” You internally sigh at the bad acting; she’s even snickering under her nose behind that fan it’s clear what the intention was. She’s not really sorry she just needs an excuse to blame it all on you. If you get angry they will say you make a big deal out of a small mistake. They all saw it so there’s no way they don’t know it wasn’t an accident. There’s no point in proving or arguing.
“I see, maybe you should see a doctor about it it would be unfortunate if the lady gets sick. I will take my leave then I have to change my dress but I hope the ladies will enjoy the tea.” What you want to say is: – Eat shit all of you. You suppress a smirk as you take your leave it’s satisfying enough to see their angry faces since you dodged their attempts at bad-mouthing you. Many people witnessed the scene as you’re surrounded by noble ladies at each table – now they can’t spread false rumours as there are so many witnesses. If you got angry everyone would probably believe the twisted tales they told each other later but you managed to leave them with nothing.
This is pretty satisfying. Fufu.
Even if you’re drenched in tea Y/N is still pretty and eyes naturally follow you when you leave.
“Are you alright?” You’re surprised to meet Namjoon on your way back he holds up a handkerchief so you can clean your hands. You tried not to pay attention to him since earlier but you cannot ignore the fact that he’s been following you since this morning.
You didn’t think you could get away with rejecting the soon-to-be-blackened third male lead (as the second is your brother) but this is too much. What is Min Yoongi trying to do? Annoy you to death with his aid following you around unless you say yes or what?
“I’m not going to explain since you saw everything.” You narrow your eyes down on him but you accept the handkerchief nonetheless from his outstretched hands. Even as you start walking again he keeps following behind you.
“Do you want to say something Mr?” You stop abruptly if you have to listen to him anyway you will just listen to him now. You’re pretty tired from earlier you had to be on your best behaviour even though it was clear they were trying to provoke you.
“Ah, yes. I apologise but the Duke would like you to think about what happened last night and give him a positive answer.” You snort after hearing that – not too ladylike.
“You mean marry the duke?” Namjoon nods. “Ha, alright..” After a moment of followed silence,-“ I considered it again and I’m still saying no.” You turn around thinking that it was the end of it but Namjoon catches up with your steps in no time.
“Can I at least know the reason?” He asked timidly. Quite persistent, well he’s the only one who was with him till the end.
“Like I said I want love in a marriage. If the duke can’t love me then I can’t marry him.” This is good. If Namjoon tells him this he will probably give up now. You come up with such brilliant ideas today that you’re pleased with yourself. However – this was not the end.
Yoongi is riding a horse through the forest he already caught his prey so he’s not too interested in the scenery he’s already on his way back when his aid Namjoon appears.
“Did you tell her my message?” Namjoon bows in front of him as a greeting but looks nervous. He’s thinking about how could he tell the master that the lady rejected him again without a hint of hesitation in her voice. Reading his aid’s mind Yoongi’s brows furrow in distaste. She might be a lady with a significant house backing her but Yoongi thinks he’s not lacking anything as a husband candidate. He could give her money, real estate, jewellery, dresses everything she wanted so why did she reject him so confidently? The Duke of the North is getting a stack of marriage proposals daily that could fuel the fire in the fireplace all day long in his office so why did she reject him again?
“The lady told me to tell the duke she won’t marry you if you don’t love her. She wants a love marriage, not an arranged marriage.” Namjoon is carefully delivering her message to the duke who looks deep in thought after hearing that. Namjoon is also astonished by the fact that you don’t want to marry him. He has the wealth and authority which every woman is after. To think that she demeaned the duke to love her is insane.
He's afraid to see his master’s reaction. In all his years Yoongi never got interested in a woman before if anything it looked like he didn’t even see them. At Balls, he never danced no matter who asked or who tried to get close. The duke was never interested.
The duke didn’t answer but Namjoon thought that this was not the end of this. Yoongi seemed deep in his thoughts all the way back to the camp. The servants unloaded the bear he caught; a rare black bear that will probably ensure his win at the end of the hunting festival.
Back at his tent, he ordered a bunch of romance novels and while Namjoon found it a weird request he always did everything that his master ordered and then the research started.
He had once disinterested eyes but after your rejection he caught himself studying you whenever he could lay his eyes on you. His interest is rarely piqued but you keep showing him interesting things. The mystery of what you’re thinking in your head is driving him mad.
You softly hummed as you were getting ready for the award ceremony you’re in a good mood since you haven’t heard from Namjoon after that and when this is over you could go back to the mansion.
You only listened halfheartedly to the speech the king was giving as you already know who will become today’s winner. Or at least you thought so. In the original, the crown prince got first place with a deer but now everyone is celebrating Yoongi. He shines brightly his hair is perfectly styled and his dark uniform fits him perfectly he’s circled by nobles offering endless congratulations but he looks disinterested in them like always. He keeps looking over the faces when his eyes finally meet yours.
This is not how it was supposed to go. Whilst things deviated from the original little by little with your intervention this scene shouldn’t have changed. Yoongi didn’t have that many scenes within the novel as he usually showed disinterest in most things. You can’t imagine why he would win this competition when he hates bothersome things.
Oh. No, Why is he coming your way all of a sudden?
No one in the crowd expected him to stop right before you. No one actually believed he would accept the flower crown as Yoongi had never been involved with a woman before even if a lot of women desired him. But now he’s standing right in front of you handing you the flower crown. Your mouth would be hanging open by now if it hadn’t been for the large crowd that gathered around the two of you. Your father and brother who was standing next to you seem just as shocked as you are.
“What is the duke doing?” You try to push the crown away but Yoongi is relentless. If you won’t accept it gracefully he’s going to put it on your head with his own hands. This would be funny how he places the crown on you with a face that is devoid of any emotions.
“Are you going to reject me?” Hah! He knows well that you can’t. It’s tradition for the winner of the hunting competition to present the flower crown to the woman he wants to court or to a lover. With this Min Yoongi just announced to the world that he’s interested in you!
No matter what you say at this point the angry ladies whose eyes are stabbing you in the back with their intense gazes wouldn’t believe you in a million years that you’re not trying to covet their beloved duke. For a moment you wished you could be like him and read his thoughts for once.
You’re furious inside but you can’t show that. Even if you don’t like it you have to gracefully bow and accept his gift. Your eyes are a different story as you discreetly shoot arrows with your gaze. This means you have to attend the ball as his partner as well which is held on the last day. Originally you wouldn’t want to attend but now you’re obligated to.
Everyone’s attention was clearly on you and that made you sick.
You hurried away before anyone could ask you anything and you decided to rest at the family tent before you have to start getting ready for that bothersome ball. Who does he think he is? If you get entangled with the main leads no one can predict what will happen to you in the future. Normally you would be happy to be the centre of your favourite character’s attention but not when your life is on the line.
You can understand now when they say reading and experiencing something are two completely different things.
You’ve never thought that you would treat this way your favourite character to be honest you should be happy, even if he has an ulterior motive that is unknown to you for now, you’re the only woman he ever asked to marry and you actually thought about helping him somehow but the opportunity is too sudden. Also, what will you do if the story ends? If he lives and you live. You can’t live with him forever you know that this feeling and excitement and affection you have for him will fade away. You’ve always thought of him as a character you liked but he’s not in a book anymore; he’s right in front of your nose. There’s no way you can live in a loveless marriage for the rest of your life.
Can he even fall in love with you? Even at the last line he never looked at a woman. Maybe he falsely interpreted your words from before? Maybe he thought he had to show everyone he loves you like in a fake dating situation. Yes, if you talk to him he will definitely understand.
With a newfound determination, you left to look for him.
Namjoon doesn’t show outwardly that he’s surprised by your sudden visit but you could tell by the sudden hitch in his voice while greeting you.
“-Lady..” You ignore his greeting and go past him inside the inner tent. You’re perplexed for a moment when you see Yoongi’s shirtless back. He was in the middle of changing his clothes when you barged in but he doesn’t look fazed by it.
Namjoon hurriedly follows after you sweat is rolling down his temple as he apologises to his lord for letting you in. You’ve gone too far to back down now so you stand upright and cross your arms.
“Please, lady..” Namjoon struggles to try to get you out before his master unleashes his sword. He doesn’t like to be interrupted. You have no idea that Namjoon is fearing for your life but he actually admires you for your boldness not many can stand in front of his master without trembling in fear and you kept rejecting his marriage proposal. If anyone can be a match for his master it could be you.
“Go back I’ll handle it.” Yoongi dismisses Namjoon but he’s hesitant for a moment before he decides to leave the two of you alone. He has faith in his master that he won’t kill a noble.
During the flower crown ordeal you had so many things to say to him, curse him ask him why – so why is that you’re suddenly speechless in front of him? Yoongi drops the used shirt on the sofa. He can see anger in your eyes. He’s trying to figure out what you’re thinking.
He catches himself thinking that your reactions are quite amusing.
This is a first for him.
After you get over the initial shock of seeing his fit body you gather yourself to speak.
“Does the duke not care about my consent? The duke should know what it means to give out a flower crown. I don’t remember being the duke’s lover.” You’re fuming with both of your hands struggling in a fist.
Instead of replying the duke turned around and started looking for something on his messy desk. When he found it he approached you. Without realising you received it from him and when you looked at the book by the title alone you could tell it was a romance novel.
You can’t picture why the duke has that.
“You said you want love. I’m learning how to love you.” You’re rendered speechless by his words. He looks so serious that otherwise, you would think he’s joking.
“Do you want to marry me that badly?” You ask in disbelief. This doesn’t make any sense.
“Yes.”
He didn’t even hesitate and your heart felt weird because of it.
“Why?”
You’re quite close. Probably as close to him as anyone was ever before. His face doesn’t show anything but you can’t just accept his words. “Why are you willing to go to such lengths to marry me?”
You look deeply into his eyes. Yoongi realises you’re not scared of him. This is also a first. Everyone who knows about his achievements fears him. He’s the Duke of the North, a war demon who never lost a single battle. His hands reach out to touch your face and as he expected you don’t flinch away if anything it looks like your eyes sparkle in the dim lights. He sees fire in them.
“I can’t tell you the reason unless you marry me.” Only family members can know about his powers, he can’t go against traditions. You’re smart and witty and that answer doesn’t satisfy you at all.
Shouldn’t you know everything before you marry someone? – Most of all the reason why they want to marry you.
“What is the duke thinking about? I can’t tell.” You sigh disappointed by his answer but you perk up when he replies.
“That’s what I want to know too.” At that moment his thumb runs over your lower lip feeling with his fingers how you take in a huge breath of fresh air. Your eyes go wide as if you come to a conclusion but before he could ask you about it Namjoon appears again making the two of you break up.
Suddenly conscious of the intimacy of your bodies you step back and Yoongi’s hand falls from your face.
“I’m sorry to interrupt but the lady’s maid is here. The maid said that the lady should start getting ready.” Right. You forgot about the banquet. Knowing that you can’t delay any longer you decide to leave for now but it’s clear that the conversation is not over and Yoongi could feel it too.
“Alright. Please pick me up when I’m done preparing.” Yoongi nods and you leave just like that.
He looks down at the thumb that touched your lips he read this inside the book that could be good to seduce you but he needs more practice. Feeling up your lips was not unpleasant like he thought it would though. You keep surprising him and his chest is starting to feel weird whenever he sees you.
You need to stick to him during the ball this is your best strategy if you don’t want to be chewed out by hungry wolves. Now all of Yoongi’s fanclub is going for your throat so you need to be as close as possible to ward them off. Thinking about how everyone’s eyes will be on you tonight is giving you a headache.
The maid selected a beautiful deep purple dress for you to wear with the appropriate heels and accessories. Your hair is in an updo with some locks framing your face. In this period it takes too long to get ready but there’s nothing you can do about it.
Even if you go while looking pretty or not everyone will try to find fault in you. You can hear it in your head how they will whisper that you somehow bewitched the duke.
No one can be ready when you step into the ballroom while holding Yoongi’s arm your outfits ridiculously matching despite the short notice. Everyone is gossiping like you expected.
They don’t even try to be subtle about it.
The first to approach you is your father and brother and your fingers unconsciously tighten around the duke’s sleeve. The three men exchange pleasantries but your father doesn’t like beating around the bush for long before he asks what everyone is curious about.
“I had no idea the duke was interested in my daughter.” You virtually facepalm yourself when hearing that. That is like saying to my face that I’m no match for the duke. You were known to be notorious but this is getting ridiculous. He should be saying that the duke is not good enough for you!
“I fell in love with her at first sight.” Everyone is silently eavesdropping and it looks like their ears and mouths are reaching the floor by now. Your reaction is not too far behind as well. You were thinking: ‘Don’t tell me that he read this in one of his romance novels as well’.
Can you even avoid getting married to him at this point now? Unlikely as how everyone is so focused on your life at the moment. It feels like you become the century’s sensation with this.
“Haha. The duke is just joking.” You try to lighten the mood but you can’t really get Yoongi and your father out of that weird exchange of looks. If he wants them to believe this he should say it with some emotion damn it. You want to yell this into his face but you don’t of course.
“No, I intend on marrying the lady.” Now he has done it. But seeing your father’s shocked expression is funny. You don’t think there’s anyone in the ballroom who’s not left in shock after hearing that. Even a lady from the Duke’s fan club fainted hearing that.
After your father left many noble couples approached you inquiring about you two was the first thing everyone did but Yoongi didn’t say much regarding the matter besides what he told your father and you were not going to elaborate further so soon after the men talked about business and the wife asked you some general polite questions. Going around for so long soon your feet started to hurt and the dress felt uncomfortable to wear. All you wanted to do was go back to your room and get some rest.
“I’m not feeling too well so I think I’m going to leave.” As a last resort, you interrupt the men’s conversation to get Yoongi’s attention. You reached your limit and just thinking about what happened today makes you feel exhausted. After you got your nanny kicked out you thought that things would calm down for a while but it seems like you were mistaken.
Now you have to deal with an even bigger trouble and his name is Min Yoongi.
“What’s wrong?” Yoongi scans your body looking for the cause of your unwellness which is surprising. You didn’t think he would ask about what’s wrong with you. You expected him to let you go with some curtesy words and while his face is as impassive as ever he is looking only at you.
Thinking about that makes a small shade of pink being introduced to your face. Maybe you have a fever. Yes. That’s probably it.
Reluctant to say it in front of the noble couple you reach for him to whisper into his ears so no one else could hear you. “My feet hurt my heels are uncomfortable to wear.” Thinking that it’s enough to explain why you want to leave you turn around to actually go when the duke holds you by the waist sliding one of his hands under your legs to pick you up. You almost let out an unladylike shriek but you manage to hold it in at the last minute. Your hands circle his neck to find stability.
“What are you doing?” Dropping the honorifics in your panic you whisper yell at him to let you down. This is so embarrassing.
“I read it in a book if a lady tells you their feet hurt you need to carry them.” What kind of stupid book that is – you want to yell but you just lower your head so your eyes don’t meet with anyone as Yoongi carries you out.
Now you’re really not going to live this down. If some were skeptical now they are actually convinced that Yoongi is in love with you.
Can you even call this fake dating? He literally said he is going to make himself fall in love with you so you marry him!
You sit bonelessly on the sofa in Yoongi’s tent. He’s actually going to treat the wound on your feet as you try to grasp the situation. You feel exhausted now that you got to sit down.
If you think this through there’s no way you can claim it now that you have nothing to do with him. It might be your best bet to marry him. From your conversation earlier you keep thinking about what he said about wanting to know what you’re thinking. His sudden interest in you probably has something to do with his mind-reading powers. Could this be that he can’t read your thoughts? That could be possible.
He wouldn’t have asked otherwise so strangely and you keep thinking about being possessed in a novel and refer to him as your favourite character there’s no way he wouldn’t ask about it if he knew. Maybe…
Maybe he can’t read your thoughts because you’re not originally from this world? – Y/N’s family’s power is to block powers so that could be a good explanation as well. You can’t really ask for confirmation since you’re not supposed to know that he can read minds.
You don’t realise you kept staring at him while you were deep in your thoughts. You wince when he puts the ointment on your wound roughly your hand goes to hold his wrist to stop him.
“Be gentle it hurts.” You look at him with a frown but he actually listens as he becomes more careful with his touches. His hand is full of callouses and cuts probably from wielding his sword. Now that you remember it he was called a war monster in the novel. Most times when he was mentioned he was looped in with his war achievements or his lack of interest in women. It’s interesting to know these little things that his desk is messy and that he’s not as scary as everyone makes him out to be. He can be quite gentle.
“Thank you.” This time you’re sincere.
This is the calmest tone you’ve ever spoken to him now that you’ve realised. You tried to keep your distance as much as you could you were quite rude to him until now. You’re not going to apologise though your anger was justified he did get you into this mess without your consent.
The silence that fills the space is not uncomfortable for some reason.
“It’s just a small cut you will be fine.” His tone is like usual but his actions cannot be told to be.
“W-What are you doing?” His lips are touching your feet. A small warm kiss is planted on your foot as if he’s wishing for your pain to subside. The duke is a rational man – this is probably another scene from that damn novel but why is your heart beating so loudly in your ears? After kissing it his eyes directly meet yours as if he’s searching for something in the depths.
“Did your pain go away? I want to know if the book had the facts right. It doesn’t seem medically accurate.” You’re too dumbfounded to reply but after regaining your senses you pull your feet away and the duke finally gets up from his kneeling position.
“This is not about the pain! It’s to make the girl’s heart flutter!” You avoid his gaze looking to the right after your sudden exclamation. You can’t believe you really have to explain this to him.
“Then did your heart flutter?” This is a dangerous thought – but maybe – just maybe his little head tilt looked a little cute. What should you do? Lie? Tell the truth?
“Everyone would be flustered in that kind of situation.” You try to rationalise what you’re feeling right now is not attraction. It’s going to fade away – he’s just a character you liked in a book. No need to get worked up.
“So – are you going to ask me again or not?” Trying to hide your embarrassment you get to the point. You decided not to run away from him – at least for now. You can come up with a plan later and if it doesn’t work out then divorce is still a thing in this period too.
“Will you marry me now?” He looks surprised. While it’s hard to read his expression you can disamble some of his emotions if you look for it hard enough. After all, he’s not that mysterious Duke of the North – but you don’t think the readers would be disappointed finding this out.
He’s still charming.
“Alright. Let’s get married.”
You said that but you still have some concerns. The novel’s development is truly out of hand this time. It’s also concerning that you haven’t seen the main protagonists yet. Taehyung is absent from the hunting competition but the main couple should meet during the imperial ball.
However – everyone only talks about your marriage with the duke. You were not sure if it was safe to marry the duke but to be honest, this could work in your favour. Now you can’t be the villainess who falls in love with Taehyung at first sight since you will be a married woman. If you don’t interfere they will have no reason to execute you and your favourite character won’t kill you because for some reason he needs you alive – so this is not so bad. Your reputation is slowly but rising among the aristocrats who witnessed your behaviour as you haven’t caused much trouble. If you exclude the scandal with Min Yoongi but it wasn’t even your fault.
Your father didn’t say a word when you said you were going to ride with Yoongi back to the capital. Your brother was a different story – he did try to object but failed as your father dismissed him. You don’t delude yourself that things will be that easy. Whilst your father didn’t object outwardly now because of the public eye it doesn’t mean he can’t reject the proposal when it’s inside the mansion. Wouldn’t be so bad to get out of that house either as you have mostly bad memories from that place.
The duke delayed his trip back to the north until your marriage is settled so now you’re on your way to the capital. Even if you don’t hold a big wedding both families have to agree to the marriage and then give the marriage application to the royal palace for registration only then it could be a legal marriage. It will take some time until everything is sorted out but that’s fine since you need to meet with Jungkook. You need to tell him the news but he probably knows about it by now. Still, you can’t rest until the house of Summer is taken down or someone else takes over his place preferably a better duke than him because a war would not help you survive here either.
“Will you tell me now why we have to be married?” The journey back to the capital will be quite long you decide to get some information out of him if you have to share the carriage with him anyway. The swaying of the carriage makes you uneasy so it’s better to focus on something else.
“We’re not married yet.” No shit Sherlock. You hold back the reflex to roll your eyes. He would look at you like a crazy woman if he could read your thoughts so you’re almost 100% sure this is the reason he wants to marry you.
“If you tell me doesn’t that mean I cannot take back my word since I would know your secret, Duke Min?” Your persuasion might work at least he’s thinking about telling you now.
It’s silent inside there’s no other sound than the carriage rattling on the road and when you’re about to give up trying to persuade him to tell you the atmosphere around the duke changes.
He’s always serious but he looks even more so now.
“Our family’s power is to read the human mind.” You take some fake time to process this – you can’t give him the suspicion that you already know about his powers. So you keep quiet and appear to be thinking before you speak up. Now – this is something to start with:
“So—you read minds. What does that have to do with me? Perhaps, you can’t read my thoughts?” It doesn’t seem like he suspects you he probably thinks you have good intuition. Hopefully.
“I can’t. But that’s not all.” Now you’re actually curious. You stay in your seat anticipating his answer when he instead touches your cheek again. This is not the time to recite some romance novel bullshit. “If I touch you like this I can’t read anyone's thoughts.”
This is crazy. Not just you – but no one. Do you really have some kind of power that you’re unaware of? Even if your family’s power is to deflect other powers that wouldn’t answer why touching you blocks out everything. In theory, it should only work on you.
“You really can’t hear anything?” You’re a bit excited this is new. You carelessly grab his hand that’s holding your cheek startling Yoongi in the process. Thanks to the bumpy road you lose your balance and land right on your companion’s lap. He grabbed you without thinking holding you by the waist both of your legs hanging off to the side your face excruciatingly close to his.
“Sorry, I lost my footing.” You try to get up but the road is really not letting you off the hook. If anything Yoongi has to pull you closer to not fall over with you in tow.
“Were your eyes always this pretty?” One hand goes to put some hair behind your ears. W-What is he saying now? You’re confused for only a moment before you realise. Romance novel.
After this trip is over you really want to know what kind of trashy romance novel he was reading as a reference and you would appreciate it if he did not try all of it out on you in such unexpected situations.
“I can’t believe the duke really said that with a straight face. If you want my heart to flutter you have to do better than that.” You were half joking and half serious but he doesn’t have to know that.
“Like what?” You didn’t expect him to ask but he found you in a playful mood. Since he wants to become your lover you’re going to prank him. After that, he will think twice before reciting such cheesy lines.
“A kiss probably.” You try to smile seductively with just the corners of your lips tilting upwards but that smile soon remains frozen on your face as warm chapped lips meet with yours.
It’s a kiss. The duke is actually kissing you.
It’s awkward your lips are touching but there’s nothing else. To think the duke doesn’t know how to kiss is funny.
You’re the first to pull back as you can’t keep back your laughter anymore. “I guess there’s one thing the duke is not good at.”
His face is as serious as ever but if you look closely he kinda looks offended by your statement. His hand tightens around you it looks like he has a competitive side to him as well. You keep learning new things about the duke.
It’s probably an impulse to prove you wrong but he pulls you back by holding the back of your head in place. It’s not just a peck now it’s transforming into a real kiss as he moves his lips over yours. It’s clumsy but somewhat charming. His tongue comes out unexpectedly but you’re not gonna stop now – you open your mouth to welcome his tongue and intertwine it with yours. It’s messy but it does make your heart flutter.
His breath on your face, his fingers in your hair you’re hyperaware of every little body part that touches his.
Before you get entirely lost in the sensation you pull back, stopping the kiss before it could devour you. You’re not the only one breathing hard the duke is panting as well. His hand is still around your head and his touch is especially gentle.
This weirdly romantic moment is interrupted by the trusted aid Namjoon yet again. It seems like he comes always at the worst moments.
The ride back home felt a lot shorter with Yoongi than when you were on your way to the hunting festival with your family. You feel shy. You get off Yoongi’s lap before the carriage door opens and someone sees you in a compromising position. The nation is shocked enough as it is.
“Maybe my heart did flutter a bit.” The words are quietly uttered but you’re sure the wind carried it away enough for the duke to hear it however, before he could register the hidden meaning behind your words then the carriage door opens and you accept Namjoon’s hand to get off first.
You’re too shy to watch his reaction or afraid to find the lack of it. Only Namjoon can see the rare sigh of his master looking somewhat flushed but he dismisses it, after all, the weather is quite hot here in the capital. He could be just feeling hot due to the long journey. The clothes they bought are not suitable for this warm weather but neither of them complained as this will be a mere visit so there’s no need to buy new clothes that would never be worn again after leaving for the north again.
The schedule suffered a setback as the duke suddenly proposed marriage and until everything was settled the departure was delayed. Yoongi offers you his arm to hold onto and you after a moment of thinking intertwine your arms going in the direction of your father’s office. You spotted the family carriage so they arrived by the time you got off. It’s not farfetched to think they expected your visit as both your father and brother seem to be waiting for the two of you. They are not visibly displeased but deep in their thoughts.
Your brother’s eyes automatically go to your joined hands wearing an uncomfortable expression. Of course, they wouldn’t want to let you go so soon. A part of you like to think selfishly and blame them. A thought enters your mind: they probably want to keep you here since you started to be useful lately. On the other hand, your calmer mind thinks more about the truth that they feel ashamed of their behaviour. If you leave them so early there’s no way they could amend their wrongdoings. Your brother feels guilty after everything that happened and there’s a hint of overprotectiveness in him as well as your brother. Even if you know all this you have no reason to provide them with forgiveness. A person needs to take responsibility for their actions.
You were not planning to leave this early but you decided to accept his proposal now that you know his secret they wouldn’t let you live if you suddenly tried to escape or go back on your word.
Even if you decided not too long ago to go through with it you’re shaking with nerves. You tried to make yourself feel better that you could divorce him once everything is over but now knowing the truth there’s no way you could cut ties so easily. While worrying won’t solve anything you’re still anxious. This is the best you can do for now since being his wife and him needing you means that he won’t kill you even if someone orders it. The plot has already changed but there’s no guarantee that the story won’t try to change back to its original.
Whilst your father looked reluctant to agree to this marriage he didn’t try to stop you surprisingly. He asked you if that’s what you want and when you answered with a yes he relented.
Your brother was a different matter – he kept glaring at Yoongi throughout the entire ordeal. Fortunately, Yoongi did not pay much attention to his animosity as they politely spoke about the preparations that needed to be done. There won’t be a big wedding that you are thankful for. You’re already the talk of the town there’s no need for more publicity.
In the last couple of days, everything seems to settle one by one quietly. The palace agreed to the marriage without objections however they set a condition which you were not expecting. The king wants to throw a ball before you head over to the north in honour of your marriage but you feel like there’s an ulterior motive behind this. Even if you suspect it you have no room to refuse the king so you and Yoongi agree to attend.
Leaving the house undetected in the meantime becomes quite challenging as the wedding preparations were reduced to be completed in two weeks you were moving in a tight schedule, dress fitting, and writing all the invitations you did not have much time on your hands to sleep not to tell about you private matters that you wanted to take care of before you permanently head to the north. The house staff also seemed busy with the preparations. A room was prepared for Yoongi and his men to stay in the house you couldn’t just let your future husband sleep in an inn whether your family liked him staying or not, there are enough rumours surrounding the two of you as is.
The preparations were not the only obstacle standing in your way sneaking out but the duke decided to follow you almost everywhere. While writing the invitations he used your office as his attending to his paperwork constantly being near you even if you were doing other things in the same room and when you asked why he had to work in your room he just answered with:
“Spending time together is a sign of affection.” He looks up from his stack of papers. That damn romance novel again.
“Have you heard of the line that ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ you should try it sometime.” You shake your head, murmuring it under your nose that he’s unable to hear you but when he looks at you questioningly you decide not to dare and repeat it.
One of these days you were feeling tempted to find that book and burn it so he cannot use it again as a reference. But you have to think about this, in worst case scenario he finds an even more romance infused book with ridiculous lines and plots to recreate. It’s not like you could learn romance through a book but you need to give credit where it’s due as he puts real effort into it at least. Looking at his unique circumstances as a child and as an adult you could see why he would want to learn romance from a book in a practical way. He was never showered with parental love and he had no means of growing fond of people too as he could hear their thoughts. He had no reason to. The means are clumsy but he’s trying hard to fall in love with you and making you fall for him as he put it. You never had a boyfriend who took dating this seriously before. It’s not that everything he does annoy you. You started to grow fond of the romancing lines that he recited with an indifferent face.
He's always honest which makes him a bit unapproachable at first but after spending time with him his honesty while it’s blunt he’s not saying anything out of malice. He’s just too sincere. It’s refreshing as you don’t have to look for underlying meaning. If you ask him something he answers without hesitation it’s good since you don’t have any misunderstandings. When you asked why he wanted you to fall in love with him he simply answered that ‘it means you won’t leave me’. You were so surprised that you started laughing his honesty was so absurd. It was kind of cute.
It took a considerable amount of time and scheming for you to finally be able to meet with the information guild in secret. Jungkook expected you to come by one of these days so he was not too surprised to see you. It felt like greeting an old friend he even teased you about suddenly getting married while having some good tea as company. Now that you both earned each other’s thrust you told him everything he needs to be wary of while operating secretly. Your purpose is to stop the war from happening and you need help to bring down the Duke of Summer but you need to be extra careful with your steps not to seem suspicious. You part ways with a wedding gift as Jungkook called it in your pockets. It’s a communication sphere that you could easily carry with you. It was a short meeting but you couldn’t help it as you had to go back to the wedding preparations.
You’re getting the jitters as you lay on your bed. Tomorrow is the d-day. You’re actually thankful for your brother for once. His purpose was probably just to separate you but that meant you had all day to yourself to get your thoughts in order before the grand wedding without Yoongi looming over your shoulders. It seemed at the last minute you had different opinions on small weddings as you had to send out tons of invitations. The maids made sure everything was perfect for the big day – this is the busiest and most carefree atmosphere this place ever got. It would have been a lot easier if you didn’t need to walk on eggshells all this time. Dodging the servant's rude comments and their ignorant behaviour they all changed when the masters started to change.
You’re only sorrowful that the real Y/N couldn’t experience this. The misunderstanding has been cleared but she’s nowhere to be found. Will she ever come back or you’re stuck as her forever? Time can only tell how things will work out in the end. But one thing is certain you’re not going to give up and you will live through this ending.
Yoongi is even more handsome when formally dressed he doesn’t look nervous unlike you. You join hands at the altar and the priest tells you your wows. The exchange ends like a blur with a light kiss on your lips. The rings on your fingers glisten in the bright light.
You’re pronounced as husband and wife. You’ve married your favourite character. This is crazy but this man in front of you is now your husband. You bit all ten of your nails by the time you’re done preparing for the wedding night. You were bathed very throughoutly and put in a nice nightgown that you haven’t seen before in your life.
Yoongi is already sitting at the edge of the bed when you enter the bedroom and he looks relaxed after his bath.
You later learn that he’s only relaxed because he has no idea what you should be doing on a wedding night.
You were aware of his unfortunate childhood and that the previous duchess and duke were not on the best terms with each other if you could call people who never met each other after getting married even ‘be in a relationship’ and now you’re convinced that their wedding night might have been the start of their miserable life.
Once the head of house Min gets engaged they get a script of how to produce an heir Yoongi explained but seeing the document yourself you feel sorry for the previous duchesses’ they had to endure a loveless marriage and probably a painful first time where their opinions were not even considered.
Sticking it in is not how a married couple should have sex. You don’t know who wrote this but this person clearly never had good sex. It’s weird to hold this piece of paper in your hand but since your marriage with Yoongi is not an ordinary one you learned that he got this paper this morning urgently to read before the ceremony. Even Namjoon were unaware of the contents as he was only the messenger. Arranged marriage is how house Min kept their bloodline going by getting sold daughters living miserable lives. You don’t want to be one of them. Thankfully you have an advantage that the previous duchess did not have; a power that could contain their madness.
You’re sure Yoongi will never try to hurt you if he wants you to be with him and provide him with blissful silence.
“If you try to do what this text says I’ll definitely never forgive you.” You toss the paper to the side after tearing it apart.
Yoongi’s in luck since he married a modern woman. You know enough about sex for the both of you to get a pleasant experience and you don’t think topping it would be much of a feat after reading what the previous heads were doing to their woman. No wonder without knowing or receiving love it would be hard to know about these things. The wives were too consumed by hate because of everything that had happened to them and the dukes had no idea how to love their wives at the brink of their madness. That is truly tragic.
You don’t believe however that Yoongi is not capable of feelings.
Even after spending this short time with him, you could see his character changing and you’re not only speaking about his determination to learn romance through those trashy romance novels. He actually listens, laughs and feels jealous. He used to be pretending to get close to you but you don’t think he did that kiss just to play out a scene. He does things impulsively too.
Initially, his interest was the only thing that fueled him to get closer and keep you by any means.
“What am I supposed to do then?”
This is crazy. Are you really allowed to corrupt your favourite character? Duh, you’re his wife now. The little you in your head reminds you. Y/N is you now even if you tried to deny it so many times this is your reality. You need to stop thinking that the life you’re living is someone else’s and you need to forget that these are characters in a novel.
You’re living in this novel now and this is your reality.
“You should kiss me.” A switch just flipped inside your brain. Just like in the carriage, you straddle Yoongi and his hands grip you through the small gown you wear that doesn’t conceal anything. It’s so thin he could feel your warmth. Yoongi sees your overall aura change, you suddenly look possessed. It stirs something in him seeing you riled up.
The consequences be damned you’re going to enjoy your wedding night with your favourite character.
– The war, the family struggle, the main characters that you haven’t met yet all of that can wait one more night at least. –
Yoongi kisses your lips gripping your bare thighs always listening so well. His tongue messily enters between your lips and you follow along with his rhythm the lack of his experience makes your job easier to dominate the kiss. Push and pull until both of you pant like dogs into each other’s open mouths. The blood from his head rushes to his lower regions. Unaware that he’s getting very aroused by your actions but you could feel the outline of his cock through your thin clothes. He might not know what to call what you do to him but he surely knows how that makes him feel.
That piece of paper definitely didn’t prepare him for you.
Your lips on his neck and your wandering hands are overwhelming him but he doesn’t dare to push you away, no, it feels too good to do that. You not only give him peace of mind without knowing what everyone thinks around him but show him new sensations and make him feel in a certain way. Feel loved. Even the slight pain that he feels as you mark him up is a pleasurable experience for him. Only after you get rid of his clothes that he sees his own cock fully hard. Your hand and mouth are already around it.
Sounds keep escaping his lips embarrassing whines and moans as your hot lips curve around his cock.
It’s warm wet and tight inside that Yoongi’s back arches off the bed shooting his load soon into your awaiting mouth seeing the signs of his orgasm. He cums embarrassingly fast. He doesn’t know what to do to contain this fire licking its way up inside his veins he follows your directions kissing you all over mimicking you hoping that it will feel good for you too, flipping you over as he hovers over your body kissing every inch of your skin making you moan as your fingers card through his messy hair. You hold his face close to your chest his lips kissing over your breasts and nipples. He reaches your pussy with your guidance his tongue first darts out to get a taste. Yoongi can feel his heart beat like crazy you’re wet and glistening for him. He keeps licking and flicking the tip of his tongue over your puffy bud loving how you say his name when he does something you especially like.
His lips are coated in your essence love how messy he gets with his licks. No matter what he does you keep shaking under him sighing his name. Your husband keeps your legs apart deflowering you sinfully with his tongue insistently rolling over and over your sensitive clit until you cum with a cry of his name. You pull him up for a heated kiss catching your breath but your hand impatiently aligns his cock with your wet opening.
Attempting to describe the feeling of how your warm walls hug him is futile but you can guess how good it feels for him when you see his eyes tightly shut and his mouth hanging open in a silent moan. His hips move on their own after you show him the way the initial discomfort after being stretched soon ebbed into a dull ache replaced with pleasure after some perfectly angled thrust on his part. He gets cockier and more confident with his movements as you moan louder when he finds a good spot he’s getting addicted to the feeling when you tighten around him.
He could do this all night with you. With your legs tightly wrapped around his torso or your leg on his shoulder hitting deeper in every position and angle your pussy feels tighter and wetter that he feels his orgasm build rapidly again. He keeps pushing inside you and pulling back until just the tip remains not caring if the bed shakes under you the wet squelch that your sexes make and the creaking of the bed is the song that you listen to all night long.
You lost count of how many times he finishes inside of you his cum dripping down your thighs when his passion finally subsides. The aftermath hits you hard feeling sore all over but utterly satisfied.
After sharing this heated night with your favourite you feel like you could accomplish anything in this life.
Novel. Or real life.
Yoongi got to experience many firsts with you. For the first time in his life, he desperately wants to cling to someone. Be loved and love in return. He welcomes your lazy kisses with his arms strongly holding you to his body. “If I can love, I promise to only love you.”
There’s nothing more you could ask for. Your smile reaches ear to ear and whilst Yoongi needs to learn a lot of things you’re ready to tackle this life with him and hopefully reach your happy ending.
Genre – [Faerie AU, Soulmate AU, Angst, Fairytale AU, Fantasy, Supernatural AU, Strangers To Enemies To lovers AU]
Summary – [Surrounded by barren lowland you and your best friend travel with three light fae companions to see their king after the gibberish inside your best friend’s book pulled you into the realm of Faerie. Things seem to be fine until there’s an encounter with the enemy that separates you from the others, your only hope is a dark fae soldier who’s adamant to keep you alive for some reason.]
Warnings – [angst, blood mention, you have a sword pushed against your throat by Hoseok for a hot minute, slow burn-ish love, mention of freezing to death because it’s fricking cold, action, fight scenes, they don’t even kiss but I swear there’s romance in here!]
Word Count – [10k]
Author note. It’s one of my older fics so I tried to correct the mistakes here and there and rewrote some parts. Originally it was a two-shot story but I decided to combine the edited parts into one so if the story is familiar that’s why because it’s kind of a repost of my old fic in a better package (I hope).
Masterlist – Be part of my permanent taglist to get notified when I upload a new fic or send in an ask.
A lopsided smirk found its place on his features as he slid his hand under your knees and he easily lifts you up in bridal style. You’re pushed against his warm chest and you instinctively curl around his body to steal some of his heat. No wonder he’s not cold his temperature is equal to a portable heater.
”Why would you do that for me?” Looking at him as you raise a single brow in question, you just can’t place this sudden change of heart anywhere.
”I have my reasons.” Hoseok doesn’t elaborate further as he starts walking with you inside his arms, keeping you warm. There’s something in your eyes that ignites a fire to lit inside his stone-cold heart.
”Oh, there you are!” Rounding the big oak tree in your best friend’s garden you find Yoongi sitting under the leaves’ shelter enjoying the shadow and the cold wind that travels through the garden cooling down his skin. Hiding from the heat of the sun his pale face comes into view, playing with the dry grass spots by pouring water over the neglected places on the ground using an old cup, his thin lips forming spells.
A familiar spell is murmured under his nose. He memorised the words now by heart as each syllable spills from his mouth with ease travelling with the wind until you arrive and broke his concentration by pulling his body in for a tight hug when he least expects it. Losing balance as you topple over with your head firmly planted on his chest near his wildly beating heart you look up and giggle finding comfort in his earthy scent.
On a different note, the branches that are happily stretching above both of your heads to reach the sky on a sunny day stand in contrast with the boy’s frown. He tries to hide the fondness he feels for you, but as a long term best friend should you see right through his acts of appearing tough on the outside and the air seems to shift around the two of you without anyone noticing.
Under the oak’s shadow, the tree that Yoongi’s grandmother planted years ago before her death grown to be a spectacular adult tree and now could easily fit at least four people under its protective shadows it soothes him any time he lays under it, Yoongi always felt a connection with it and so did you.
Crown Prince Hoseok has had his kingdom taken from him, and you're going to help him take it back, with a little help from your friends.
Pairing: Hoseok x F! reader
Rating: 18+
Genre: Fantasy AU, royalty AU, smut, angst
Word count: 7.6k
Warnings: Sex, swearing, magical themes, mentions of blood and killing, references to fire, Namjoon on a dragon
Hey there @xjoonchildx and @hobi-gif -- sorry about the blue balls!
Hoseok’s back muscles glisten with rivulets of water from the stream. Fully dressed, he looks lithe, slim. It’s only when he’s like this, naked that it becomes obvious that he’s dense with muscle.
The mark on his shoulder blade, high up, is pale in the bright sunlight. He’s had it since you were children. You’d always planned to ask your parents about it but then the invasion had happened.
Hoseok had been with you in your chamber when the treacherous Halians had stormed the palace, and it’s the only reason you’d both managed to get away without being killed.
No one would have thought of looking for the crown prince of Daranthia in the quarters of a servant family.
You were training to be a royal guard, but no one ever let you forget you were descended from peasants.
Now you’re both in Eosul, a coastal city far enough from Daranthia that you both feel safe, but close enough that you can keep abreast of the turmoil the invasion threw your city into.
Hoseok turns to face you, and you know he’s only done it to show you more of his beautiful body.
Your eyes travel from his shoulders, down his torso, to the hint of darkness just below the water level of the stream.
‘Done preening, my prince?’ you ask, voice heavy with sarcasm.
You and Hoseok played together as children. There were other children living within the palace gates, but none as close in age as the two of you.
The Queen had doted on you like you were her own daughter.
‘Why don’t you join me?’ he asks, smile inviting as he gestures. ‘The water’s perfect.’
You enjoy Hoseok’s easy flirtatious charm. You’ve seen him use it to great effect on the ladies and men in the royal court, and he’s flustered many a servant girl with his beautiful manners and equally dazzling smile.
Perhaps the servants’ quarters were not such an unexpected place to find the crown prince of Daranthia.
The Halian army’s lack of intelligent strategy was your and Hoseok’s gain. You’ll never be caught off-guard again.
You keep your thin chemise on as you enter the stream, and modestly turn your back on Hoseok, which is why you miss the way his eyes linger on the curve of your ass and the line of your straight spine.
You’re nearly done washing when Hoseok asks, ‘Did you ever find out about the mark?’
The reason why you’re so curious about Hoseok’s mark is that you have an almost identical one on your own shoulderblade.
‘Maybe they did it so you couldn’t be swapped with another baby,’ you speculate. ‘All babies look the same, after all.’
Hoseok snorts. ‘I was a very regal baby.’
You laugh and climb out of the water. ‘You’re regal now, my prince,’ you say, teasing. Hoseok’s still wearing the plain garments he wore when he came to see you that day. You’d planned on going hiking in the mountains, just the two of you.
Hoseok doesn’t answer immediately, and you realise he’s looking at your front. The wet chemise hides nothing.
You give him a look to show you’ve noticed his lapse in decorum, and turn pointedly to gather your clothes from the grass.
‘It’s as beautiful a view from the back,’ Hoseok remarks, and he sounds so much closer than before you take a big step forward and look back warily.
Hoseok’s on the bank of the stream with you, but he’s already turned away to get dressed himself.
You don’t want him to have the last word.
‘Same to you, my prince,’ you call.
Without turning around, Hoseok says, ‘If I thought you meant that, I’d take my comfort from you right now.’
You finish getting dressed in silence.
***
You were born with elemental power but you’re by no means good at magic. You can spark a fire if the kindling’s dry enough and there’s no humidity in the air.
As far as you know, Hoseok has no magical abilities.
Both of you combined can’t hold a candle to the man you’re watching juggle fireballs without using his hands.
Hoseok rolls his eyes at you. ‘Come on, we have a lot of things to do. We need food, and lodgings, and a means to make money.’
‘Very practical of you, my prince,’ you say, approvingly.
‘Stop calling me your prince. We’re incognito,’ Hoseok complains. There’s a spark of something in his eyes. ‘Unless we’re in bed, then you can worship this royal ass all you like.’
‘You certainly are a royal ass,’ you agree, ducking the arm he tries to put around your shoulders.
Hoseok turns to go, and a fireball zips past his head, singeing the edges of his hair.
You step in front of him and turn to face your attacker.
The man who’d been juggling fireballs is approaching you quickly.
‘I’m sorry!’ he says, raising his hands up as you square up to him.
This close, he looks more a boy than a man, wide-eyed and worried.
Hoseok nudges you out of the way, and you step aside reluctantly. You haven’t finished your royal guard training, but it’s always been your instinct to protect Hoseok.
He is the prince, after all, and he’s shit at protecting himself.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says again. ‘I got distracted and my fireball went wild.’
‘It’s fine,’ Hoseok says, magnanimous. ‘We’re new to the city, do you live here?’
‘My whole life,’ the man-boy says, beaming at you.
You can’t help melting at sweetness of his smile. ‘I’m Y/N,’ you say.
‘Jungkook,’ he replies. You smile at each other.
Hoseok clears his throat. ‘I’m Hoseok, if anyone was interested,’ he says, dryly.
You roll your eyes. ‘Sorry, he’s had a tough week,’ you say to Jungkook.
Hoseok snorts. ‘We need help. Can you show us around the city, Jungkook?’
***
Your new friend Jungkook knows the city like the back of his hand, eats like it’s his last meal, every time, and is able to control fire almost effortlessly. You’re both in awe of how powerful he is, and flummoxed by how ridiculous he is otherwise.
Hoseok and you are watching Jungkook form fireballs as you train, using sticks Hoseok’s carved from waste timber. You hadn’t realised he was so skilled.
Hoseok’s thrust hits you right in the middle of the chest as you lunge towards him and slip in the mud.
Thankfully the point of his stick isn’t enough to impale you. Neither of you have healing powers.
Jungkook comes running, fireballs extinguished. ‘Are you ok, Y/N? he asks, breathlessly.
He pulls the stick out of Hoseok’s loosened grip and tosses it away, like Hoseok would use it on either of you.
‘I’m fine, Jungkook, we’re just training.’
‘I want to learn to fight too,’ Jungkook says.
From the look on Jungkook’s face as he crouches next to you on the ground, Hoseok’s a little worried about his motivations.
Also, the kid’s obvious strength is mildly terrifying.
‘I’ll train you,’ you say to Jungkook, smiling sweetly at Hoseok.
‘You’re a good fighter aren’t you, Y/N, you swore an oath to protect your people,’ Hoseok reminds you. ‘All your people.’
Jungkook and you spend the rest of the afternoon training whilst Hoseok thinks about how he’s going to reclaim his kingdom and protect his people.
***
You stare at the barmaid who’s just escorted you and Hoseok to your rooms.
Except there’s only one room, not two, and there’s only one bed.
You say immediately, ‘I’ll sleep in the stables.’
‘We don’t have a stables,’ says the barmaid. ‘This is all we have.’
‘We’ll take it,’ Hoseok says smoothly, paying her.
‘I’ll take the floor,’ you say, begrudging.
‘You can have the bed,’ Hoseok says.
‘You’re the prince, I can’t take the bed.’
‘Want to share it with me?’ asks Hoseok.
‘Can you keep your hands to yourself?’ you ask.
Hoseok raises a brow, as though he’s taken aback by your forwardness.
‘I’m a royal prince,’ he says, huffy. ‘Of course I have no impulse control.’
You groan. ‘I’ll sleep in the forest.’
Hoseok says, ‘Don’t be ridiculous. We can share the bed, of course.’
‘I have no desire to be -‘ you break off, trying to find the right phrase.
‘Mounted in your sleep?’ suggests Hoseok.
You stare at him in horror.
‘Ravaged like a siren?’
Your mouth opens, but no words come out.
‘Robbed of your virginal innocence?’
You glare at Hoseok.
‘Have you ever considered that we have matching marks on our backs because we might be blood relatives?’ you ask sweetly.
‘Like siblings?’
Hoseok’s face fills with profound and deep horror.
‘Don’t be disgusting,’ he snaps.
‘Why is that disgusting?’ you ask, voice dripping with honey. ‘Have you had thoughts about me, my prince?’
Hoseok’s getting paler by the second.
He’s muttering to himself. You can’t make out much of it apart from ‘but your ass,’ and something about ‘lush lips’.
You strip off, and to your satisfaction, Hoseok can’t even look your way.
You’re between the sheets and asleep long before he calms enough to go to bed.
***
You’re snuggled against a warm chest, a long leg thrown over your hips.
You turn your face right into Hoseok’s beautiful one.
His lashes make pretty fans on his cheeks, his heart shaped lips are slightly pursed. He looks adorable.
Then he opens his eyes.
‘Good morning, wench,’ he says, affection in his voice.
‘Wench? I was almost part of the royal guard,’ you protest.
He still hasn’t moved his leg off your hips.
‘You look beautiful,’ he tells you.
‘I could be your sister,’ you tell him.
‘I thought about this before I got into bed with you, whilst you were dreaming.’
He pauses, ‘What were you dreaming, by the way? You sounded delectable.’
Your face warms all over.
‘We can’t be blood related. We wouldn’t have been able to have our naming ceremonies if we were.’
He’s right. Each of you had had a naming ceremony with your mother, and they’d been within less than six months of each other.
Hoseok’s father had died within months of his birth, and your father was the most honest, upstanding person you’ve ever known.
The timings can’t possibly line up.
‘Thank Jaesu for that,’ Hoseok says. ‘Now I can go back to my fantasies about-‘
You cut him off.
‘I don’t wish to hear about your lurid fantasies,’ you say, as haughtily as you can.
Hoseok just smiles. ‘When you’re ready I can share them with you.’
He slips his leg off your hips, and your traitorous body mourns the loss of his warmth.
You try not to let it show on your face.
Hoseok’s already half dressed, muscles im his back rippling as he slips on his loose linen shirt over his breeches.
You step out of bed and gather your clothes.
‘That lacy contraption makes your breasts look delectable,’ Hoseok remarks, ‘but it must be uncomfortable to sleep in.’
‘If you were a gentleman you wouldn’t be staring at my breasts whilst I’m asleep,’ you retort.
Hoseok’s soft boots pad on the wooden floor as he approaches you.
He lifts your hair out of your cloak with gentle hands, barely tugging.
‘Lucky for you, I’m not a gentleman,’ he says, and the smugness of his smirk is almost too much to bear as he reminds you, ‘I’m a royal prince.’
You groan and stomp out of the room.
***
To defeat the Halians, Hoseok has to raise an army.
He’s never been a stickler for the right way of doing things, in fact, he’s always favoured a dirty shortcut if he can find one.
‘You want to what?’ you half-shout.
Hoseok winces, and Jungkook’s mouth opens slightly in what can only be described as a confused pout.
‘The dragon-riders of Eosul are our best bet for defeating the Halians, fast,’ Hoseok says, reasonably, he feels.
‘The dragon-riders can’t be trusted,’ you argue. ‘What if they turn on you?’
‘I have a plan,’ Hoseok says, reassuring.
There’s a beat, two, of silence.
‘I will come up with a plan,’ Hoseok amends. ‘It takes two days to get to the summit of Mount Halji. I’ll have a plan by then.’
You groan and put your head in your hands. Jungkook pats your back, trying to be reassuring.
‘My fire power’s been getting more accurate lately,’ he tells you, smiling sweetly.
‘Accurate enough to defeat a dragon?’ you ask grimly.
***
The hike up Mount Halji starts off easy enough. You’re taking a break even though you’re the only one who seems to need one.
Hoseok’s quiet today, you guess he’s still thinking of a plan.
You spark tiny fires to entertain Jungkook whilst you and Hoseok speak.
‘Do you really think the dragon-riders will help us?’ you ask, quizzical.
‘I used to train with one of them,’ Hoseok tells you.
‘Ah you didn’t say you had a dragon-rider friend!’ you say. This is looking hopeful.
‘We aren’t really friends,’ Hoseok says. There’s a scowl on his face. ‘He’s kind of annoying.’
‘How annoying can he be, if he helps you?’ you point out.
‘Namjoon’s just — annoying,’ Hoseok grumbles. ‘You’ll see when you meet him.’
You light another little fire to lure Jungkook back from the edge of the mountain path.
‘Your frenemy is our best option right now,’ you remind Hoseok.
‘I know,’ grumbles Hoseok. You realise he’s staring hard at your chest. You cross your arms.
‘Sorry,’ Hoseok says. ‘Just trying to see what undergarment you’re wearing today.’
You scowl at him. ‘I don’t ask you to drop your breeches to show me yours.’
‘I wish you would,’ sighs Hoseok, wistful. He smiles at you faintly, then calls to Jungkook to stop running and join you both to continue your journey.
***
The dragon-riders of Eosul live in a well-guarded enclave at the top of Mount Halji.
You’re a little unsettled as you approach the forbidding-looking gates, and beside you, Jungkook’s fallen silent for the first time.
Hoseok, with his lifetime of confidence as the Crown Prince of Daranthia, walks right up to the gates and calls, ‘Is this such a savage place that it doesn’t recognise royal blood when it sees it?’
You step next to him hurriedly. ‘It’s the Crown Prince of Daranthia, Jung Hoseok. Open the gates, please.’
Hoseok eyes you like you’re the crazy one.
‘Do we need some fire?’ Jungkook asks, timid.
Thankfully, the gates swing open.
The group of men standing beyond the gates look just as forbidding as the gates themselves.
The leader, a man so tall you have to look up to see him properly, steps forward.
‘Crown Prince Hoseok,’ he says, inclining his head in the slightest of bows in greeting.
The disrespect! You’ve never bowed to Hobi in your life but he is a royal prince after all.
You’re already stepping forward, ready to tear him off a piece of your mind, when Hoseok says, ‘Commander Namjoon.’
Commander Namjoon’s eyes fall on you and Jungkook. You straighten up and try to look intimidating. Beside you, you can sense Jungkook doing the same. You hope he’s not smiling.
The rudeness of these people rankles.
Beside Namjoon, a shorter man with blond hair and a scar along his neck tilts his head.
‘The Great Hall is ready for our guests, Commander.’ His voice is light, musical, with a silvery quality to it that makes you think of bells.
He smiles at you. ‘My name is Jimin. I’m Namjoon’s second in command.’
His smile is so pretty you find yourself smiling back. ‘I’m Y/N, and this is Jungkook.’
‘Allow us to lead you to the Hall,’ Namjoon says, his deep voice resonating through the emptiness of the entry compound.
As you follow the group, you look around you, awed despite yourself at the scale of the dragon-riders’ enclave. This high up, there’s nothing but mountains to see, a cool mist blanketing the more distant peaks.
The air’s fresh and sweet.
There’s a distant reverberation, a rumble, and you look at Hoseok, worried.
‘The dragons,’ Namjoon says, and you realise he’s been looking at you. ‘There’s a patrol around the periphery every hour.’
‘Who’d want to fuck with a bunch of dragons?’ Hoseok mutters.
‘You’d be surprised,’ Namjoon says. He smiles at you, and you’re surprised by the appearance of dimples in his cheeks.
He’s still as tall, broad and forbidding looking as he was, but the dimples make him look almost attractive.
He moves past Hobi to stand next to you. ‘How did you get saddled with the job of protecting a liability like Hoseok?’ he asks.
His question startles a laugh out of you. ‘He’s my oldest friend,’ you say, loyal.
You’ve reached the entrance of the Great Hall, and Namjoon offers you his arm to climb up the stone steps.
You take it, and he presses your hand into his side as he leads you up to the entrance.
You wait for him to let you go, but he seems content to hold your hand tucked into the crook of his admittedly strong arm as he guides you into your seat at the huge, round wooden table.
He looks at you as you thank him, and the intensity of his hooded gaze makes you feel warm.
Hoseok slides into the seat next to yours. ‘I told you he was annoying,’ he says to you in a too-loud stage-whisper.
You don’t think Commander Namjoon is annoying at all.
‘His arms are bigger than Jungkook’s,’ you say, stupidly.
Jungkook, next to you, lets out a petulant half-whine, half-growl.
‘But I’m sure you’re much better at fire,’ you say, reassuringly.
Hoseok mutters something disgruntled as he turns back to the table.
Namjoon looks piercingly at Hoseok. ‘What do we get in return for helping you?’
Hoseok holds his own. You rarely ever see him serious, but as he faces off against the serious dragon-rider leader, you see shades of the king he was about to become before your kingdom was invaded.
‘How about freedom?’ Hoseok says, so casual you almost miss the meaning of what he says.
Jimin glances at Namjoon.
‘I was most of the way through drafting an agreement with the Emperor of Eosul recognising Mount Halji as an independent state,’ Hoseok says. His voice is still light, but his eyes are intent on Namjoon’s.
‘Help me reclaim Daranthia, and I’ll make Mount Halji an independent state as my first ruling on the throne.’
A muscle ticks in Namjoon’s jaw.
‘The Halian army is huge in numbers, and they have unlimited gunpowder from the caves of Ijil,’ Jimin points out. ‘Defeating them won’t be as easy as summoning our dragons.’
‘I also plan to invoke the Flames of Daranthia,’ Hoseok says.
Your eyes snap to his.
The Flames of Daranthia are a legend every Daranthian child hears about growing up, a mythology passed down to every descendant.
The Flames haven’t been invoked in your lifetime, or in your parents’ lifetimes either.
The legend goes that all full-blooded Daranthians are descended from the fire gods, and that the true royal family of Daranthia are blessed with the power to invoke the flames and lay waste to any enemies of the kingdom. You know Hoseok’s been taught the incantation, it was part of his training as Crown Prince, but you’ve never seen him so much as light fire to a candle without a match.
Beside you, Jungkook looks confused.
For the first time, you find yourself as confused as Jungkook.
***
Hoseok’s stripping out of his clothes, getting ready for dinner.
You turn your back on him to afford him privacy even though he’s insisted you can watch him.
‘Can you invoke the Flames, Hoseok?’ you ask quietly.
He sighs. ‘I know how. It’s never worked for me before,’ he says, and for the first time, you can hear bitterness in his voice.
You turn, wanting to see his face.
He’s shirtless still, breeches low on his hips.
His body is beautiful. He’s beautiful.
He looks at you, and his pretty mouth twists in a smile.
‘Why do you always look at me like that?’ he asks.
‘Like what?’ you ask.
‘Like you’re enjoying what you see,’ he says.
You laugh and turn away.
‘Don’t worry about looking away,’ he says, and there’s a rasp now to his voice that wasn’t there a moment ago. ‘I like it.’
Your eyes fly to his, and he’s taken a step forward, closer to you.
‘Do you need to get dressed too?’ he asks, voice low.
You try hard to keep your voice steady as you reply. ‘I think there’s a dress in my chamber.’
‘Let’s go. I’ll give you a hand.’
‘I can get dressed on my own, Hoseok,’ you say, dryly.
He’s already slipping a shirt over his shoulders, shrugging into it carelessly, letting it drape over his razor sharp collarbones.
‘But I want to help you,’ he tells you.
He follows you to your chamber, down the corridor from his.
You look worriedly at the dress that’s been gifted to you. ‘I’ll just wear what I have on,’ you say.
Hoseok smiles at you. ‘Come on. Live a little. Our kingdom might be a fiery wasteland tomorrow.’
You snort as you take the dress from him. ‘Pretty confident in your ability to invoke the Flames for someone who can’t even light a candle.’
Hoseok laughs, sounding like his usual self for the first time since you arrived on Mount Halji.
You motion for him to turn around and slip the dress on.
‘Ready.’
Hoseok turns, already holding his arm out for you to take.
He stills as he looks at you. The look in his eyes makes you feel like you’re burning up from the inside.
He laughs softly. ‘I can’t light a candle, but looks like I can make you burn up,’ he says, mocking.
‘I’m getting changed back,’ you say.
He takes your arm and slips your hand into the crook of his.
‘You look beautiful,’ he says, with such sincerity your heart does a funny double beat. Then, ‘bloody Namjoon. If you’re going to be on anyone’s arm it’s mine.’
You mull over his words as you head to the banquet hall, wondering why they make you feel all fluttery and molten inside.
***
The dragon-riders of Eosul fight like warriors, swear like sailors and apparently party like it’s their last night on Earth.
You press a little closer to Jungkook as two large men come barrelling down the hall, narrowly missing you.
‘What the fuck is in the mead?’ you ask.
Jungkook hiccups. ‘No idea. But it’s potent.’
You look up at him and realise his eyes are glazed over. ‘Jaesu, Jungkook, how much have you had to drink already?’
‘Just —’ Jungkook tilts his head to one side, open-mouthed, counting out loud.
You stop listening when he gets past five.
‘Come on, I’m gonna get you some water.’
You’re half-carrying Jungkook to the water fountain when a warm arm slides around his waist from the other side, taking his weight off you.
You look up to see Namjoon, still dressed in the black chain-mail of his armour.
He smiles at you. ‘It looked like you needed a hand,’ he says, holding Jungkook up effortlessly.
You smile gratefully at him. ‘I was just going to get him some water,’ you say.
Jungkook’s smiling to himself, oblivious to you and Namjoon holding him up. He sings a raunchy ballad as you get him to his chamber. The sweetness of his voice somehow manages to temper the fact that he’s singing about fucking.
Namjoon gets him into bed and you pull the covers over him.
Jungkook falls asleep promptly, tucking his hands under his face like a child.
Outside his chamber, you turn to Namjoon. ‘Thank you for helping me,’ you say.
Namjoon tilts his head to one side. A dimple flashes in one cheek.
His chain-mail clad arm rests on the wall beside your head, and he’s standing so close to you, sandwiching you between his broad frame and the wall, that you can feel how warm he is.
The man radiates warmth, both from the sheer size of him, and the intense, fiery look in his eyes.
‘You look very beautiful, blue suits you,’ he tells you.
You can feel yourself melting under his gaze.
A tremendous crash reverberates through the castle, shaking the walls.
Namjoon swears. ‘It’s the dragons,’ he tells you. ‘When everyone gets merry like this, sometimes the dragons get worked up.’
You stare up at him, wide-eyed.
‘You’ll be fine,’ he says. ‘Stay here where it’s safe.’
He’s already turning, running down the corridor, fast despite his size.
You check in on Jungkook, who miraculously, is still asleep.
Then you run after Namjoon.
There’s no fucking way you’re missing a chance to see the dragons in action.
***
You can’t believe you’re watching a dragon fight.
You’re on one of the castle balconies, watching in awe as Jimin wrangles one of the magnificent beasts. His skin glows in the moonlight, and with his light hair, he looks ethereal. Well, he would look ethereal, if it weren’t for the fact he’s inexplicably shirtless, muscles rippling in his back as he leans forward over the neck of the dragon, graceful and deadly.
Next to him, Namjoon, regrettably still dressed, has mounted a dragon with scales as black as his armour. They’re a striking, incredible pair, the size of his beast bigger than the rest of the creatures in the fray.
A flame licks out metres from where you’re standing, and you step back quickly.
Beside you, a throat clears. ‘May I?’
You’re nodding without clarifying, and an instant later, the man who’s asked permission mutters, ‘Force field.’
The air shimmers around you.
‘It’s safer to watch from under a forcefield,’ he explains.
‘Oh, thank you,’ you say, grateful. ‘I’m Y/N, from Daranthia.’
‘Min Yoongi,’ says the man. He looks at you, eyes sharp and penetrating.
You wonder what’s in the water on Mount Halji that makes all the men who live here able to fluster you with their gaze.
‘That mark on your back,’ he says, casual. ‘It looks familiar.’
You’d forgotten that the gown gifted to you is backless, cut almost to the curve of your ass.
You turn away from the dragons clashing in front of you and look at him curiously. ‘Have you seen it before?’
Min Yoongi isn’t in armour like the other men you’ve met so far, in fact, he’s dressed simply, in a velvet jacket and shirt.
He nods at your curious look. ‘I’m a sage from Ijil, across the gulf.’
You’ve never been to Ijil, but that’s not unusual. Ijil’s residents are descended from enchanters and wizards, the whole place teems with magic and wisdom. Or so you’ve heard. Ijil protects its borders by being difficult, almost impossible to find.
He hasn’t answered your question.
‘What brings you to Eosul?’ you ask.
‘This and that,’ he says, vague.
Seeing your incredulous look, he laughs. ‘I’m friends with Jimin.’
A flash of heat licks along the forcefield he’s conjured over the two of you, and Yoongi grimaces. ‘It’s getting hot. Should we go inside?’
You glance at the magnificent beasts flying above you. The conflict seems to be dying down.
You follow Yoongi into the castle and run into Hoseok, panting like he’s run a marathon.
‘Where were you?’ he asks. He runs a hand over his face. ‘I —-‘
He doesn’t finish his sentence because Namjoon strides up to your group. He’s sweating, large chest heaving as he looks at you and asks, ‘are you all right?’
Yoongi stands apart from your little triangle and snickers.
You say, very firmly, ‘I’m fine. Yoongi conjured a forcefield to keep us safe. Good night, boys.’
You turn and walk down the corridor to your room.
You feel eyes burning into your bare back as you go. You’re not sure who you want them to belong to.
***
Jungkook’s eaten his way through most of the breakfast spread by the time you’ve finished nursing your mug of arabica.
He offers you a tangerine he’s just peeled, proudly.
You accept and are rewarded with a boyish smile.
‘Should we practice with our lances after this?’ he asks.
‘Sure,’ you agree. ‘Let me just check on Hoseok and I’ll meet you in the courtyard.’
You knock on Hoseok’s door and push it open when you hear his voice.
He’s on the floor by the bed, stretching. There’s a light sheen of sweat on his skin.
‘Just wanted to check you were ok,’ you say. ‘Jungkook and I are going to do lance practice in the courtyard.’
‘I’ll be down in a moment,’ Hoseok says.
His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and it’s so unlike him you stop.
‘Are you ok, Hobi?’ you ask.
‘What kind of prince would give up on his kingdom?’ he asks.
He looks at you, his beautiful mouth twisting into something that’s more a grimace than a smile.
‘We’ll get Daranthia back,’ you tell him. You kneel in front of him so he’ll look at you.
Quickly, you kiss his cheek, near his mouth.
‘Don’t lose hope, Hobi.’
He’s still staring at your mouth. ‘Y/N,’ he says, husky.
You’re already up, heading for the door.
***
You’re sparring with Jungkook, working up a sweat because although you’ve trained him, he’s taken to it like a duck to water.
Your lances clash, the wood vibrating under the force of your blows.
As you whirl, you realise you’re no longer alone.
Namjoon and Jimin are on the edge of the courtyard, watching. They’re out of armour, dressed simply like you and Jungkook.
Jungkook’s swing would have hit you on the head if you hadn’t leaned back at the last instant. As it is, it catches your hair, flipping it into your face.
You dive for his feet and he stumbles. You lunge the point of your lance against his chest, pinning him to the ground.
‘Can I spar with you?’ Namjoon asks. He’s much closer than before.
You can’t help it, the flirt in you snaps, ‘why? Do you wish to see me impaled on your stick, Commander?’
He laughs, voice so deep it’s like a rumble in his chest.
‘Plenty of time for that later, my lady.’
‘If anyone’s doing any impaling, it’ll be me,’ Hoseok says. He reaches for your lance. ‘Let’s go, Joon.’
You watch apprehensively as Hoseok and Namjoon circle each other, lances braced.
‘Wow,’ comes Yoongi’s dry voice. ‘A clash of manhood.’
You laugh. ‘I believe the other name for lance is penis extension.’
‘Size never matters as much as attention to detail,’ Yoongi murmurs.
His dark eyes flick to yours, and the heat in your face makes his lips curl in a smirk.
‘You could at least pretend to be watching, princess,’ Yoongi says. ‘They’re fighting for your favour, you know.’
‘I’m not a princess,’ you say, rolling your eyes.
‘Aren’t you?’ muses Yoongi.
He jerks his chin to Hoseok and Namjoon, grappling like a kingdom’s at stake.
Namjoon’s stronger, bolder in his strikes, whilst Hoseok’s quick on his feet, pressing any advantage he’s given.
You’d say they’re evenly matched.
The lances clash up in the air, and you watch, worried, as the cross starts listing towards Hoseok.
There’s a sharp crack, a blinding flash, and the smell of burning fills the air.
Both lances are on fire. They fall to the ground.
Hoseok looks up. ‘Jungkook?’
‘It wasn’t me,’ Jungkook pipes up from the edge of the courtyard.
You glance at Yoongi, but he just nods to himself and walks off.
Namjoon glares at Hoseok. ‘Did you just invoke the Flames because you were losing?’
‘Firstly, I wasn’t losing,’ Hoseok replies, a picture of innocence. ‘But also, that wasn’t me.’
Namjoon looks unconvinced.
‘We set off at mid-day,’ he says. He glances at you. ‘You can ride with me, if you wish.’
‘I can ride my own steed,’ you reply, ‘but thank you, Commander.’
You bow politely as Namjoon leaves.
***
You were silly to not take Commander Namjoon up on his offer to ride with him.
The big man looks as magnificent on a horse as he does on a dragon.
You’re starting to think he’d look good mounting anything. Including you.
Jungkook and Jimin are riding ahead, playing a ridiculous but deadly serious game involving low-hanging branches and acrobatics that seem to require boundless amounts of core strength.
Yoongi’s up ahead with Namjoon, reading a tome that looks like it smells of witchery and mustiness. He’s cleverly conjured a leather strap connecting his steed to Namjoon’s stallion.
Hoseok pulls up beside you.
‘Remember when we used to ride in the forests of Paitin,’ he asks.
You smile at the memory. You’re not much of a rider, but Hoseok is. He used to drag you along with him, following the path of the Juran stream that runs through Paitin.
The sunlight filtering through the canopy had always flattered Hoseok’s beautiful profile.
You remember finding an abandoned cottage in the woods once.
You’ll always remember the way Hoseok had held you that one time, the breathless kisses you’d shared. The way his golden skin felt under your hands.
You glance at him, and he’s looking back at you, a smile on his face.
There’s no mocking in it, not that you can see, anyway.
You’re distracted by loud shouting from up ahead.
‘Get the horses to shelter,’ Namjoon commands, doubling back to you and Hoseok. ‘It’s fire demons.’
God damn it.
Fire demons are deeply irritating in so many ways, with their stony bodies and penchants for shooting firebolts. Horses are terrified of them.
You’re already on the ground, taking the reins Hoseok’s slapped into your palm, curling them around your fist with your own.
Namjoon tosses you his reins, and he and Hoseok take off to help Jimin and Jungkook.
Namjoon’s huge stallion stamps its foot restlessly. You put your face against its nose, trying to calm it.
Beside you, Yoongi’s murmuring what sounds like a calming incantation, his deep voice low and melodic.
You lead the horses away from the fray to a clearing.
Moments later, Jimin and Jungkook run into view, flanked by their horses.
Namjoon’s right behind them.
‘A forcefield would be good right about now,’ he bellows to Yoongi.
Yoongi looks at him and raises a brow. ‘Say magic is better than muscles.’
You laugh despite yourself at Namjoon’s face.
‘Muscles are better,’ mutters Jungkook.
‘Where’s Hobi?’ you ask.
‘Magic is better than muscles. Forcefield us, Yoongi, or I swear to Jaesu –’
Hoseok barrels into the clearing, a fire demon hot on his tail. A bolt flashes past his arm, and you grab him.
‘Get back!’ Hoseok shouts. He tackles you to the ground.
You land hard on your back, Hoseok’s body covering yours.
‘Forcefield,’ Yoongi finally says, casual.
The air shimmers above you, halting the firebolt that would have landed on Hoseok’s back.
Hoseok buries his face in your neck.
‘Am I dead?’ he asks.
‘Not yet,’ you reply.
‘Really?’ he asks. He lifts his head to smile at you. ‘Because it feels pretty fucking heavenly being on top of you like this.’
You don’t want to encourage his bad pick-up lines but you do find him pretty fucking funny, you’re not gonna lie.
***
You’re helping Hoseok tend to the wounds he got in the fire demon attack, in a small brook near the clearing.
He’s trying to convince you that you could have been injured too when he tackled you, and that he needs to check your ass.
You laugh when he makes a big fuss over a small graze near your elbow.
He runs a finger over it gently.
The late afternoon sun makes the water in the brook look like it’s liquid fire. It’s how your insides feel when Hoseok’s touching you like this.
‘Can I see your mark?’ he asks quietly.
You turn and he tugs gently at the neck of your loose top. His lips on your mark make you shiver.
‘I want you,’ he says, simply.
You turn in his arms for the kiss you’ve been waiting for since you started on this journey.
He’s the royal prince of Daranthia, but even if he were just Hobi he’d still be everything you ever wanted.
***
There’s something about Hoseok’s height when he’s got you like this, pinned against a tree, that makes you feel weak at the knees. He’s solid, strong, just tall enough that you have to look up at him to meet his eyes.
You press a kiss to the line of his collarbone, and he huffs out a breath against your cheek.
‘What if someone walks in on us?’ you ask, breathlessly because his lips are tracing your cheekbone, heading south to your mouth.
‘Then they’ll get to see the crown jewels,’ Hoseok says, straight-faced.
You burst out laughing and shove at him. He doesn’t budge an inch.
‘When did you get so strong?’ you murmur.
‘I was always this strong,’ he replies. ‘I just let you protect me because it’s cute.’
You want to slap the smirk off his face, but damn it to hellfire, you want to kiss him more.
Hoseok’s lips are firm, warm like you remember them, and the feel of them on yours makes your toes curl.
‘Hobi,’ you murmur, and he rolls his hips against yours, knowing, ready to give you what you’re asking for.
He slips a hand under the waistband of your cotton breeches, cupping you, fingertips pressing against you.
‘I’ve been thinking about you, like this,’ he tells you, voice raspy against your ear.
‘Against a tree?’ you ask, trying not to moan as his fingers explore.
‘I’ll get Yoongi to magic up a bed right now if you want one,’ he says, and you know he would if you asked, shameless freak that he is.
‘But honestly, any surface will do as long as you’ll let me fuck you into it,’ he continues.
‘Romantic,’ you tease. Your hand slides down his front, over his flat stomach, over the bulge in his breeches. He hisses as you stroke him over the soft material.
‘I’m gonna make a mess if you don’t stop,’ he tells you, hand covering yours, making you still.
His thumb circles your clit slowly, purposefully, like he has all the time in the world despite the urgency you can hear in his voice.
‘Do you want romance?’ he asks, quietly, against your ear. ‘I’d give up my kingdom for you, my love. I would take you right now and run, abandon my people and my responsibilities, if I could guarantee you the life you deserve.’
His voice, low in your ear, raspy with want, coupled with his skillful fingers, makes the moan you’ve been holding back spill from your lips.
‘Do you want that?’ he asks, and there’s a note in his voice now that makes you look at him closely.
‘I want you, Hobi,’ you say, honestly, and he groans then.
‘Stop looking at me like that, my love. It makes me want to give you the world.’
‘Why don’t we start with your cock?’ you ask.
Hoseok’s still laughing as he enters you. He stops talking then, and for a long time, the world’s reduced to his body against yours, the feeling of his cock filling you, the touch of his lips against your skin.
He picks up the pace as you sigh into his ear, body taut like a bow. You marvel over his control, the strength vibrating through him as he takes his pleasure from you and gives you yours.
Afterward, he lays you on the ground with him.
‘Did you mean what you said?’ you ask.
‘That your cunt makes me believe in miracles?’ Hoseok asks, idly tracing a finger over your bare shoulder.
‘Did you say that?’ you ask, horrified.
‘It does,’ Hoseok affirms. ‘But I suspect you’re asking about me giving up the kingdom for you.’
You meet his gaze.
‘In a heartbeat,’ he tells you.
There’s footsteps in the brush, you sit up quickly as Jimin comes into view.
‘We’ve got to go. They’ve got Jungkook.’
***
‘They’ are the treacherous Halians, who’d kidnapped Jungkook whilst you and Hoseok had been cannoodling in the woods.
Namjoon eyes you and Hoseok as you approach but doesn’t say anything.
‘If we take the dragons and fly all night we can be at Daranthia by first light,’ Jimin says.
‘And then we fight?’
‘Then we fight,’ Namjoon says, grimly. He glances at Hoseok. ‘You’d better be ready to invoke the Flames.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Hoseok replies, determined. ‘I’ll do my part. Let’s get Jungkook.’
Namjoon and Jimin exchange a look.
‘The dragons are up on the ridge, waiting,’ Namjoon tells you.
Yoongi looks the most animated you’ve ever seen him. ‘Let’s get the kid back.’
You raise an eyebrow at him.
‘What?’ Yoongi asks, defensive. ‘He’s too muscle-bound for his own good, but he’s a nice kid.’
You, Yoongi and Jimin climb onto one dragon whilst Hoseok and Namjoon mount the other.
Jimin looks over his shoulder at you and Yoongi. ‘Ever ridden a dragon before?’
***
It’s first light when you land on the cliffs overlooking Daranthia. The dawn is stunning, the blanket of night giving way to the pinks and purples of early morning.
To the west lies the sea of Arahi, and to the east, the mountains of Eosul.
Sandwiched in between is Daranthia, the most beautiful city this side of heaven.
Namjoon, now dressed in full battle gear, imposing and terrifying in his all-black armour, looks at you and Hobi.
‘I’ll lead the first wave,’ he says, calm.
The stillness of the air around you is broken by the arrival of the army of dragon-riders.
Dozens of dragons, each topped by a dragon-rider in battle gear, get into formation above your heads.
The thundering of wings is enough to strike fear into your heart, even though you know they’re not here for you.
For the first time, you feel a modicum of pity for the treacherous Halians.
They haven’t got a chance.
‘I’ll see you on the other side,’ Namjoon says.
He mounts his beast, and raises his arm above his head. And then they’re off, swooping towards Daranthia.
Jimin’s already on his dragon. He tosses you a wave as he flies off, tasked with finding Jungkook.
‘It’s just us left,’ you say quietly.
Hoseok nods. ‘Time to invoke the Flames.’
‘In case you haven’t figured it out yet,’ Yoongi says.
You both turn to him.
‘The mark on your shoulder blade. It’s the brand of the royal family of Daranthia.’
Hoseok furrows his brow, perplexed.
Yoongi tilts his head at you, almost exasperated.
‘Invoking the Flames of Daranthia is an inherited talent passed on to those of the true royal family,’ Yoongi says, rolling his eyes. ‘That’s you, princess.’
Your head is spinning.
‘What? Hoseok’s the royal prince.’
‘Call him whatever you want in the bedroom, I don’t care. But there’s only one person here of royal blood, and it’s not him,’ Yoongi tells you, gently.
‘What’s my mark?’ Hoseok asks.
‘It’s the mark of the one who serves the royal princess,’ Yoongi says. ‘It’s ingenious really, swapping you at birth like that.’
Hoseok’s nodding, and you’re struggling to keep up.
‘It wasn’t me who invoked the Flame when I was sparring with Namjoon,’ Hoseok says, awed. ‘It was you.’
‘As much as I’d like to give you time to process,’ Yoongi says, sounding like he’s thinking the exact opposite, ‘there’s a war that’s just begun, and you’ve got the power to stop it before too much blood is shed.’
‘Come on, princess. Let’s get the kingdom back,’ Hoseok says.
He takes your hand, and you repeat the words of the incantation after him.
Moments later, the Flames of Daranthia scorch a path across your kingdom, laying waste to the treacherous villains within it.
And then, the world implodes in the inferno.
***
You, Yoongi and Hoseok have made it to the Daranthian palace.
Jimin’s the first to arrive, landing gracefully in the courtyard with his beautiful, sleek dragon and a sweaty but unharmed Jungkook.
He runs for a hug, and you swipe your thumb over the soot on his cheek. ‘You ok, Jungkook?’
‘I’m good,’ he replies, trying to pull Yoongi into a hug with you. Yoongi ducks under his heavy arm with a muttered, ‘no thank you.’
Next to arrive is Namjoon, sweeping into the courtyard like he belongs here. There’s blood trickling down his sweaty brow, but it only adds to his overall appeal.
Damn, his arms.
Hoseok nudges you. ‘Close your mouth, princess.’
You check to see if he’s bothered by this, but he just smiles.
‘Good job, Hoseok,’ Namjoon says.
‘It was Y/N, actually. Turns out she’s the real princess of Daranthia.’
Namjoon absorbs this and turns to you.
He drops to one knee in front you, all six feet of him, and bows his head. ‘My queen.’
Hoseok rolls his eyes and steps in between you. ‘So fucking annoying,’ he mutters.
Hoseok turns to you. ‘Now that it turns out I’m not the actual royal prince, all I have to offer you is my pretty face, my beautiful body and my cheeky but irreverent charm. Will you still have me, my love?’
You look up at Hoseok, the man you’ve always loved. His eyes are steady on yours.
getting back in contact with people after a depressive episode is so wild because it's like hey sorry i dropped off the face of the earth and never responded to your attempts to reach out for months i was six feet deep in a grave of my own making when i suddenly realized i didn't want to die down there and had to claw my way to the surface inch by inch on my belly like a worm until i felt the sunlight on my face again. anyway how have you been? how are things? but you can't SAY that so you're just like. um. hi. do you still like me 👉👈
"I did not like to be touched, but it was a strange dislike. I did not like to be touched because I craved it too much. I wanted to be held very tight so I would not break."
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