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cherryblossomcheesecake · 6 years

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How Rare & Beautiful: Chapter 3 - A FFXV OC Fanfic

So, as I mentioned earlier in the preview that no longer exists, sorry for the two month wait. School was a killer, and ruined me both mentally and physically. And then exams finished up on the 25th, only for me to come down with the flu right after. It really sucked, and after a shit night of sleep, I finally managed to pull out a new chapter that's 2,641 words in total. God bless sudden inspiration. Now fair warning, we kinda get into Soo-Min's past life in this chapter, so bare with me. It's gonna be a slow process in revealing what her life was like. Also we finally get to see a bit of what Goryean culture looks like cuz I finally decided what I wanted to do after watching a bunch of movies and staring at a map of Eos for ages. Granted, this is only a brief look into their culture and history but once again, it will be more fully explored in the future. And side note, if you couldn't guess from the names, Goryeans i.e., Soo-Min and Myung-Hee, are a race in Eos based on Asian cultures, specifically Korean since I'm more familiar with that culture (and I kinda stole the name from their history too so there's that). Wow, I need to shut up now. I highly recommend listening to "one summer's day" on youtube as it complements this chapter and inspired it as well. WORD COUNT: 2,641 POSTED: 04.29.17 EDITED: 12.19.17

Master List Previous Chapter

One Summer's Day - Joe Hisaishi

In the past few days, I had grown accustomed to living with Aetius and Myung-Hee. My adoptive father would travel between the Citadel and our large apartment in the mornings and evenings for his duties in the Crownsguard. Myung-Hee had managed to take a small vacation from her role as one of the Prince's nannies to make my transition from the orphanage to their home easier.

My new mother made sure that every possible form of comfort was provided for me, anything from new clothes to collections of books on various subjects. She involved me in minor house chores to keep me busy in order for us to bond and assisted me in the history studies I had picked up in order to prepare to return to school.

However, my time with Myung-Hee was coming to a close as her short holiday was ending soon. I was aware of her worried glances when she believed I wasn't looking, and heard her and Aetius speaking after I had gone to bed. Myung-Hee was concerned that I wasn't ready to return to grade school, that I needed more time to catch up. But with both my adoptive parents working, it was impossible for me to remain at home on my own.

My parents deliberated on what to do for a few nights before Aetius proposed his idea to us at a rare family dinner.

"I was speaking with a few of the other Crownsguard and they suggested we hire a tutor and request that Soo-Min's lessons be held in the Citadel library. That way she will learn what she needs to and we don't have to worry about her safety."

Myung-Hee paused in her eating, as did I, looking towards Aetius with interest.

"Have you spoken with the council of this ideal? Soo-Min's afternoon studies would likely impede on the Prince's private lessons after he returns from his formal schooling." she countered, picking at the salad on her plate.

"The library is quite large; I'm sure they can both learn what they need to without disturbing each other. And besides, this is only temporary. Soo-Min just needs to catch up on a few things before she returns to normal grade school. Even if she does come in contact with the prince during her sessions, it would be good for her to know someone once she goes back to formal education, darling."

I quietly watched them speak back and forth, eyes flicking from one adult to the other. I was eager to start formal lessons again, but possibly running into the prince made me nervous as hell. Despite me being a full year older than him and then mentally 17 on top of that, I was still concerned about possibly meeting the future king of this world and blowing my cover.

Myung-Hee stared critically at her husband before sighing, "Speak to the council first, then we'll look for a tutor."

Aetius nodded before returning to his dinner, signaling the restart of our meal.

It was one of those evenings where I couldn't fall asleep. Myung-Hee and Aetius had gone to bed hours ago, putting me to bed like the eight year old I appeared to be. As I laid wide awake for hours, I eventually pulled myself from the comforts of my bed so I could look through the small amount of belongings that I had brought with me from the orphanage.

I carefully handled the worn-looking bird plush that was no doubt mine, but not at the same time. I handled all my items from the orphanage with the care of a stranger, not really considering them mine at all. There were worn plush toys that were clearly from this body's early childhood, tattered books filled with this world's nursery rhymes and fairy tales, and small bobbles that had obviously been collected due to curiosity.

I began to place them throughout my rather barren room, lining up the plushes along a bookshelf for safe keeping next to the books I had. I placed the small collection of knick-knacks that I had around the room on random surfaces, reaching into my bag and pulling them out one by one.

As I reached into the bag once again, my hand closed around something smooth and rectangular, making me look to my hand in confusion. However my frown swiftly became a grin as I recognised my old beat up phone, accompanied by it's USB charger. Thank God for small mercies.

I quickly held down the power button to see if it still worked, delighted at the appearance of a bright start up screen. My mood was only dampened by the bittersweet appearance of my phone's background; a photo of my family. I had just turned sixteen when the photo was taken, my mother appearing to be an older version of myself with our matching dark hair and eyes. My father only shared his smile with me, his pale eyes and blonde hair setting him apart from us just as much as his height. My eyes flick over their features before I power down my phone, saving the remaining battery life for the future, for when I need a reminder of what my mother's soft smile and my father's army hardened face looked like.

I placed the old phone behind some books on my shelf, concealing what remained of my past life from the people within my new life. I stared solemnly at the shelf for a few moments before crawling into bed and forcing myself into a state of sleep.

I woke early the following Monday morning, allowing Myung-Hee to dress me in a simple hanbok made of white and violet silk and tulle. She sat me down on a cushion in front of the apartment's couch, regaling to me the history and culture of the people we came from in her soft mother-tongue that was so similar to Korean, sharing the myths and legends of our lands as she began to sort out my dark tresses.

"We Goryeans are a mighty people, strong and wild like the sea we sail." Myung-Hee spoke, a reverent tone lacing her voice as she brushed my hair back from my face. "For many ages, ever since the Lady Leviathan granted us reign of the sea, our people have sailed the coasts of Eos and traded among the nations" she recounted, braiding sections of my hair and tying them off, "We laid claim to shores in the far east, and built our capitol city within a port there. Its beauty is unparalleled by the other kingdoms, untainted by the magic of the Six or the machinery of men, and preserved by our traditions and culture."

Myung-Hee began to twist the braids she had made upwards, careful fingers pinning them to the back of my head. "We have survived through the changes and trials of time by the guidance of our elected counsel of princesses; allowing the people to select who shall lead them through the ages, rather than be bound to a line of succession that could be corrupted." Myung-Hee reached for a small decorative pin, one made of ivory shaped into a lotus flower with a few red beads hanging from it. She slid it into the bun that the pinned braids had created, her hands coming to rest on my shoulders.

"You are apart of this legacy, and one day you will see the glory of our heritage. But for now, we must remain here until the world is safe enough for us to make the journey." my adoptive mother rose from her place on the couch, helping me up from the floor so I would not ruin my clothes. As she straightened out the skirt of my hanbok, Myung-Hee smiled affectionately at me, tapping my nose lightly before speaking once again.

"Now, I have a prince to attend to and you have a tutor to meet." she teased before prompting our leave from the apartment.

It was later in the afternoon when I found myself in the vast library of the Citadel, the prince's private tutor by my side. That in itself was a kind blessing from the king, who had believed that it would be good to socialize his son with me so we'd both have a familiar face at Insomnia Day School.

The tutor had deduced that I had managed to retain my math skills, and that my literature skills were beyond my grade level, which was no surprise to me. I had 17 years of formal education on my side. I only had issues with history and the basic politics we had been taught on the ongoing conflict with Niflheim; these two shortcomings clearly made me the ideal study partner for the prince in the king's mind.

I had begun learning about the surrounding lands and territories of the kingdom as well as others when the library door could be heard creaking open. My tutor paused in his lesson, waiting calmly for the prince to arrive.

He was a small thing, but adorable nonetheless. The prince's wide blue eyes were extremely expressive, obviously curious about my presence. He looked small for a seven year old, however when he grew up, he would most definately make up for any shortcomings with his looks.

I smiled lightly before offering a quiet, "Hello," as my greeting.

At my calm and rather simple acknowledgment of his presence, the prince smiled brightly and perking up like a puppy.

"Hi, I'm Noctis! What's your name?" I almost got whiplash at how quickly the prince—Noctis— spoke, scuttling up into the chair beside me and gazing at me curiously.

"Soo-Min. I'm Miss Han's daughter." I replied, watching as the younger boy lazily swung his legs over the edge of the chair.

"I didn't know Miss Han had a daughter..." Noctis mused quietly, tilting his head to the side, "So why are you being tutored by Nero? I don't think he's ever worked with someone else while teaching me."

I sighed as I stared at the table, getting my story together in my head.

"I hit my head a few weeks ago and couldn't remember anything when I woke up. I've thankfully been able to regain my math and literacy skills with a bit of practice but I'm having trouble remembering history and politics. My mother and father want to make sure I'm all caught up before I go back to formal school."

"So you get to be my study partner for a while?" is what the boy offered after thinking for awhile.

"Yeah, I guess so." I replied, smiling kindly at the boy. He gave me a wide toothy grin before our tutor called for our attention to finish my lesson so we could move on.

I could see myself coming to look forward to my afternoons with Noctis; the boy was so full of energy and looked around with such wonder that I hadn't experienced in so many years. The prince would talk about anything and everything, asking all sorts of questions about my time at the orphanage. I answered the best I could for the sweet boy, but often found myself giving vague answers or defaulting to the excuse that I was unable to remember.

I indulged him in his little games that he wished to play after the end of our lesson, running through the beautiful gardens of the citadel as we chased each other in a two person game of tag. I followed the little terror through the gardens, darting between rose bushes and hedges shaped into various creatures, the dart of black and cheerful laughter my only clues to where the boy had gotten off to.

I hiked up the skirt of my hanbok, chasing the shadow of the little prince through the maze of a garden. I soon became lost in the hedges, stopping to catch my breath as I looked around. I could faintly hear Noctis' calls from elsewhere in the garden, coming to a standstill as I calmed the beating of my heart, and the heaving of my chest.

I close my eyes, focusing on the space around me and the distant laughter of the young prince. A faint call of "Are you giving up already?" comes from the left area of the garden, sending me off at a near sprint as I wove my way between plants, determined to find the young prince.

I darted around a hedge, following the stone path of the gardens and collided with something much bigger and more solid than a plant.

Stumbling backwards, I almost fall on my ass before a hand grasps my shoulder and steadies me. I look upwards, startled by the assistance in remaining upright, my dark gaze meeting that of the aged green eyes of a man older than my adoptive parents.

"Are you alright, child?" the man asked, his voice rich and cultured as he knelt to my height.

I gazed uncertainly at the man before me, noticing another man lingering a step or two behind him. My brown eyes flicked between the two men before falling to the one in front of me.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry for running into you, sir." I apologized, respectfully bowing my head to him, "I was chasing the prince in the game we were playing and didn't look where I was going."

The man kneeling before me let out a hearty chuckle, shaking his head lightly.

"Fear not child, you meant no harm. Now tell me, you would not happen to be Aetius and Myung-Hee's daughter, would you?" the man responded, curiosity colouring his voice as he regarded me. His companion had come to stand beside him, prompting me to scrutinize the pair carefully. Despite being within the Citadel gardens that were guarded by many Crownsguard, I still valued the good old practice of 'stranger danger' that my mother in my past life had instilled in me.

"I don't see how that concerns you, sir." I replied cautiously, stepping away from the men and allowing the hand to slip from my shoulder. My statement pulled a deep chuckle from the man who still stood tall, amusement glittering in his eyes.

"I do believe the girl has a point, your Majesty." his companion offered between puffs of laughter. My eyes widened as my gaze flew between the man now identified as the king, and his companion, no doubt one of his guard. The king looked towards the man with a small huff, looking rather disgruntled with his guard.

The sound of shoes on gravel came from down the path, turning our attention to the sight of Noctis sprinting towards us.

"Dad!" the dark haired prince yelled at the sight of his father in front of me. The king rose from his kneeling position, turning and bending in order to scoop up his son as he ran into his arms.

"Hello son. I was just getting acquainted with your new friend. Apparently your little game of chase in the gardens got her a bit lost." the king turned to me as he spoke to his son, offering a wink of good humor.

"Isn't Soo-Min great? You know, besides getting lost." Noctis replied with a laugh, looking to me with his midnight blue eyes full of delight.

"Indeed, son. Why don't we depart for the evening meal, so you and Soo-Min may regale your afternoon adventures to Clarus and I with full stomachs. I'm sure her mother would find it easier to collect her from the dining hall." Noctis' father offered, settling his son to rest on his forearm as he looked between us.

"That would be amazing, dad! Come on, Soo! We can tell dad and uncle Clarus all about what we did today, and I'm sure you'll like all the food. I know I do. Well besides the vegetables. Vegetables are gross." Noctis' displeasure for vegetables made me laugh as we began our departure from the garden, the prince carrying on in this manner until we were safely within the corridors of the citadel.

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#ffxv #original characters #ffxv fanfic #noctis lucis caelum #my fics

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