#Prince Taehyung
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Love Revocation
Pairing: ImperialGuard!JungHoseok x Princess!Reader
Premise: Only your brothers would be willing to step in and try to change your future. But history isn't easy to overcome, even if it is all but forgotten.
Word count: 3.5K
Author's note: I've been watching a lot of historical k-dramas and c-dramas lately, and I can say it's an addiction at this point! If you have any favourites feel free to share! I'd love to watch your recommendations as well as talk about any mutual ones we love!
masterlist
One foot infront of the other, the crisp air of the afternoon breeze through your robes and hair, the light chatter of people in the market; it all gave you a bittersweet taste of Deja vu. Times like these felt right, but you had the feeling that nothing looked as it should. It could be the small taste of freedom mixed with the claustrophobic fear being chained somewhere. However, where the other end of the chain was you didn’t know. Or you did once, but it was lost with the rest of your memories from all those years ago.
You stopped trying to remember after the first two season changes, then you accepted your circumstances and adjusted yourself to where you were.
Arms full, you smile gracefully at the passing merchants and village people, the ones bowing at you when recognization transpired. You all but skip down the back path heading towards the palace again.
You promised mother you’d finish her painting of the place father asked for her hand today. You had beeen working on it for her birthday, but you were too excited to wait. So it may have been promised 2 weeks earlier then her day.
However, a shroud voice catches your attention before you make it to the next corner. You stop in your tracks to listen. If living in the palace taught you anything it was ‘to always know the concerns of your people’, were fathers exact words. In otherwords you took it as a sign that it was ok, in most situations to eavesdrop… at least a little.
“She is being forced to marry the oldest son of the emperor and empress. Her bloodline will muddy just as theirs already is.” A sinik male voice mocked.
“What do you mean by that?” You heard your brothers fiance ask. She was a headstrong woman. Not only that but she was radiant. The type of woman your brother deserved.
“Everyone knows the young lady is unfavoured by the gods. So if you bear a child with him your children will be inflicted with the same inability.” This time a female voice chimed in. Just as distasteful as the males.
“The princess is kind, witty, social, politically intelligent, well read, impactful, understanding and unworldly beautiful. Our children will be blessed to have her as their aunt.” Tayla lists, you smile to yourself. She didn’t have to defend your honour so seriosuly, but you silently thanked her none the less.
“You have your doubts. There is no way you do not feel some worry about tarnishing your family name. Its reputation will be dragged through the land if your children fail to develope as she has. They will be cursed as she is.”
Anyone talking about your family members however, you just couldn’t let it slide so easily.
“My brothers children will develop into the strongest blood line of these past 1000 years, we are in no need of your concern.” You step in, rounding the corner of the building. Your voice and demeanour remain calm, a smile on your lips as your mother had taught you when it came to political arguments. Remaing calm when the opposing side could not, as strategy she had learned in her youth.
What others said about you didn’t really bother you anymore. As a young child you always felt the sting of their harsh words. Like they were hoping you’d choke on them. But it had the opposite affect. It only drove you to try harder, to learn the ways of the palace. To push yourself past the limits that this life had given you.
“My lady!” Many courteous greetings are followed by formal bows. “Wha-what are you doing here?”
“I was out for a walk through the village to get a few supplies.” Holding up the items in your hands, you sidle up to your future sister in law. Taking a step between her and the small circle of ill intended pupils.
“We didn’t mean anything by it. We were just worried she hadn’t thought it through. Or raised concerns” One of the young males spoke quickly. You stifle a scoff, but continue to maintain your composure.
“I’m sure you are.” You eye him carefully, if you weren’t mistaken he was one of the many candidates who wanted Tayla’s hand in marriage. “However as I am not my mother and fathers birth daughter, you’ll be happy to know my genes will die with me.”
“You are not the child of the Emporer and Empress?” The small crowd gasps in unison. You could laugh at how comical their faces became.
Even so, amongst the mumbling in front of you there is a faint call from behind you, you turn to her.
“Mother and Father saved me when I was young. Knowing I could not cultivate nor could remember where I had come from or how I ended up where they found me, they showed compassion and mercy upon taking me in and raising me with their children.” You explain to her alone. “I am blessed beyond measure. And your children will hold the greatest of titles. ”
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A few days had past since your unexpenctant, informal announcement of your lineage. A very important matter had taken your attention, so you had all but forgotten already. You hear frantic footsteps approach your room. You brace your mind for the inevitable impact that would be your brothers. Your hand doesn’t still as it continues to write on the parchment of your lessons from today. Your doors burst wide open, not bothering to look up at them.
“Are you really planning to take the tether serum?” Your youngest brother demands breathlessly.
“You’re here earlier then I expected, I am almost surprised.” You smile to yourself. If you had placed money on them discovering your plans, it would not have been until at least a week had past.
“Don’t make light of this.” Your eldest brother scolds from the rear, coming up behind your younger brother, closing the doors to conceal your conversation.
“Why would you make such a thing?” Taehyung's bewilderment is something you had became accustomed to. He somehow always seemed shocked by your actions. Considering how long you had been in the family now, you would have thought he had understood you at least a little.
You let out a deep sigh, the air from your lungs feels cold as it leaves your body into the warm air.
“I want to be of use to mother and father in the end. Is that so outrageous as to incur your unmistakable wrath?” You choose your words carefully, not wanting to sadden them with todays ongoings but at the same time you know Seokjin’s fiance has already informed him of the other day.
“We both understand greatly how indebted you feel towards them, but to tether your lifeline to them as someone still young is unheard of.” Seokjin reasons, still standing in the middle of the room, you can see his robes out of your peripheral. Taehyung sits down in the place next to you, trying to get your attention.
“Elder brother is right. If they both pass then so shall you, your soul cannot be separated. You shall serve them into death and upon new life.” His tone turning sorrowful.
This time you look up at him, then towards your elder.
“My dear brothers, It’s no secret that no one would marry me before and now with my birth being admitted, I have somehow lost whatever leverage I may have had.”
“That’s not true.” You see the hurt in the youngers eyes, but what you've said is true. You all know it. You give him a sad smile, letting your hand drop the brush, and placing it over his on the table.
“I cannot cultivate. I have no sense of magic or any prowess. My soul has been deemed weak and now people know that I am not the Emperor and Empress' true daughter.” You direct your smile towards Seokjin. “I have been preparing myself for this outcome since we were young. Please, if you cannot understand me then at least accept that this is your sisters wish.”
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“The last time the two of you bowed this deeply to us was when you were young children and you and our son had broken a priceless family heirloom while you were training in the halls.” The Emperors longest friend muses from his seat. Him and his wife had known your parents since they were young, they were as close as family. Including their son, who happened to be the same age as you. So all four of you had grown up together.
“Uncle. Auntie. We are here to request an inordinate favour from you. One we know may be impossible for you to agree to, but we must ask this of you.” Seokjin’s whole body is tense. Everything he can do to save you from tethering yourself is hanging on this outcome.
“What is it?” Your aunt is more curious then worried by their request. Seeing them kneel before them was a shock bigger then they had ever expected.
Your brothers sit up straight.
“Our sister. As you know she is unable to cultivate. She has no skill in combat. Many have deemed her unworthy to bear our family name.” Seokjin’s voice comes out strong, but his hands are trembling slightly. “However, as you also know. Our sister is competent in the kitchen, and with chores of the home. She is patient and nurturing when she takes care of the palaces many children. She has beautiful skills in the way of art and embroidery. She is generous beyond measure and courteous to others. She deserves to have a future.”
“We both agree. She is a diamond amongst pebbles. But what brings this tone of concern?” Uncle is concerned.
“Our sister has decided to take the tether serum and serve our parents.” Taehyung explains. “We do not know if you have heard the word circling about our sister not being of our blood. But we are here to confirm it. Our parents took her in when I was newly born, she is all I’ve known to be an older sister.”
“We are aware of the talk. We were also there the day your parents found the young lady.” The Uncle assures. “You do not need to worry about our thoughts towards the princess.”
“I am curious to this favour. What do you wish to ask for?” Auntie pushes.
“Our sister wishes to tether herself for she believes no one will marry her.” Seokjin explains. They bow again in unison, as if they had practiced their movements and speech before appearing. “We ask of you to please propose a marriage contract to the Emporer and Empress between our sister and your son.”
Taehyung cuts in quickly before they can be dismissed.“We know he is your only son, but we beg of you. She respects your son and you, uncle and auntie. There are many things she may be useful for.”
“Useful? She is enough as she is. We know that very well.” Uncle states, making eye contact with his wife. The look of understanding flashing between the two, unseen by the young princes.
“Just as we know our son. He has felt feelings of affection for the young lady for quite some time. You might not know this but she was the reason he decided he wanted to join the guard.” The older woman conceals her giggle behind her hand. “I had never seen such a rambunctious boy turn so serious.”
“He knew?” They both shoot up in surprise. Their friend had never mentioned having any knowledge of your sisters situation. But then again, they had never spoken of this either.
“Yes. Our son was adamant that he would protect the princess. We could not sway his mind. Though we did not try to. We have never looked down on her because of her situation. She has become a well rounded beautiful woman, our son would be blessed to take her as his wife.” The Lord nods,
“Does that mean you will agree?” They feel giddy. They could save you.
The older couple share a fond smile.
“There is something our son has been drawn to since he was a young boy. We believe your sister is the key to his happiness.”
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“Hoseok, what are you doing here?” You beam, controlling your feet to not skip your way over to him. A lady never skips…at least not in front of others.
“Princess” He greets you with a bow and warm smile as he always does. “I was summoned by the Emperor and Empress. Why have you come?”
“I was requested by Uncle and Auntie to meet them here.” You explain. “What is going on? Do you think its about Mothers birthday feast tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure, but we should not keep them waiting. Let us go in.” He opens the doors and waits for you to enter first.
You hurry in, smiles directed at your parents then your uncle and aunt.
A large round table adorned with vast plates of food, both your fathers sat near the far end laughing and chatting away, raising a drink to eachother. Your mothers seated next to their husbands also tremendously cheerful.
You share a quick glance before bowing.
“Emperor. Empress.” He greets first.
“Uncle. Auntie.” You greet directly after.
“Children! Come in! Have a seat.” You father cheers happily. Your aunt waves a hand over to you for you to sit next to her.
You bound over to sit next to your aunt. Which just so happens to be next to Hoseok as well.
“We are celebrating this evening.” Your mother informs, her attention on him.
“What are we celebrating Empress?” Formality laced in his words. It made you smile, even if he was like another son to your parents he highly respected them.
“Lord and Lady Jung, have come to us with a proposal contract and we have agreed.” The Emporer boisterously exclaims.
“I’m sorry, Father and Mother I fear I do not comprehend.” You express, eye brows coming to meet in a frown.
You see a flash of something cross Hoseoks face, but you stay focused on your looking between your parents.
Your Aunt grabs both your hands, placing them in the space between you and forcing you to face her.
“The Emporer and emperess have accepted our proposal for our son and you to be wed.” She cheers brightly, hands giving yours a light squeeze.
“I’m to marry-?” You look back at him. Scared to see panic or disgust or even rage on his dazzling features. But there isn’t any sign of darkening. Only red tinted ears give away any emotions he’s feeling. That in itself leaves you astonished adn shaken.
Words of wedding ceremonies are abrupt in your ears. The pattern of the bedding for your marriage suite.
“But, Uncle, auntie. I’m not worthy of marrying your son.” You say it like it is a definite fact, interrupting their excited remarks.
“Nonsense!” Your father bellows, a bright smile never leaving his face, he places his arm around his long term friend, who shares an equally blinding smile. “You two shall be wed! It is a beautiful idea, one I wish we had thought of sooner.”
The laughter from the elders erupts once again, leaving you shell shocked. Remaining quiet you can’t bring yourself to look at anyone, opting to stare at the oak table in front of you. How did these events happen? You had just made the choice to…
A sinking feeling hits you all at once. Your brothers. They were the only ones that knew of your plans, other then the physician you had asked the tether serum about. They would be the ones to try to stop you.
You’d deal with them after this dinner. You’d confront them and talk to Hoseok about his rejecting the marriage proposal.
You just had to sit nicely until then.
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“What did you do?!” You stormed into the study room the next day, you knew your brothers had hidden themselves away. They always resided in the same place to try to escape you when they had done something they knew you would be unhappy with. You had been followed by Hoseok on your way there when you mentioned you were confronting your brothers, upon meeting him that morning.
“Sister. This is a study room. Please refrain from raising your voice.” Your oldest mock scolding you, book in hand.
“Then answer me. I know it was the two of you that have provoked the marriage idea.” You were pulling back your seething temper, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
“Princess~” Hoseok calls calmly from behind you. You could feel him close behind you, not touching but close enough that you felt like you could breathe.
“What all of our parents decide to do we do not hold any influence over. You know as well as anyone.” Seokjin scoffs. The audacity he had to play ignorant at this moment was appalling.
“We may have brought up the idea of a union.” Taehyung supplies from the far end of the room.
“Why would you do this?” Exasperation seeps out of you. There was no point in hiding your displeasure or annoyance at these two. “You know I wish to be tethered.”
“Tethered?” Hoseok speaks again. “Who were you to be tethered to?”
“Mother and Father.” You state, angry eyes set on your brothers, but also not wishing to elaborate. This isn’t how you wanted him to find out. You were all childhood friends, you wanted to tell him yourself when he had time away from his duties in the guard.
“She believes no one shall love her because she is unable to cultivate. She believes she is not worth dotting on.” Your elder brother chimes in, closing his book and sauntering over to you. “But that’s not true. Is it Hoseok?“
“No. It’s not.” Your childhood friends voice is stern, you had never heard it like this before, at least not targeted at you. It sends a shiver down your spine. “Is this why you wanted me to talk my parents out of this marriage?”
“I wanted to be tethered to mother and father because I wish to serve them for eternity.” Your jaw tense. Your core feeling as it had turned into stone.
“Look at me.” You have never heard his voice so cold and low, not even when he was at work. Something in you makes it impossible to deny him, so you do as he orders. You can see the fire behind his eyes, before your allow the flames to consume you you look towards the chilled marble ground. You hear muffled voices of your brother behind you but you can’t react. You feel warm fingers gently push your chin up ever so gently, forcing you to make eye contact. “Princess. Y/n. Is that really why?”
Your voice catches in your throat. A cough threatening to scratch its way out of you. “I am not like others. I cannot contribute to a high class home as I should. I’m…. broken.”
You had never felt so weak as you did in that moment, not since the days yo uhad been found. You could never lie to him. Not once.
He studies your face, searching for something. “Is it the worst to be betrothed to me?”
“What?” His question catches you off guard. You blink at him in confusion. Of course, you knew he would be angry at your decision, or at the very least angry with you for not trusting in him to discuss it.
“I can understand if you wish not to be wed to me because you do not think I’m adequate.” His voice soft like the look in his eyes. Soothing your anger towards your brothers in a instant, your only focus on him and the sad smile on his lips.
“That is ridiculous. I would not want it to be promised to any one else in this entire kingdom.” Why do you feel breathless?
“Good.” His hand slips away from your skin. For a mere second, you miss the contact before realizing what you said. Your face burns with embarrassment, your eyes scrunching closed at how idiotic you sounded to yourself. Had you lost your mind? “Then I will discuss with our parents for the ceremony to be held as soon as possible.”
The shock brings you back out of your inner reprimanding. But before you can formulate words he’s bowing to your brothers and then you and he’s gone.
“W-what just happened?” Your mind struggles to catch up.
Hearing your brothers snicker at you doesn’t’ help, you’re still frozen in place. Frozen staring at the now closed doors that Hoseok, your childhood friend, had left through.
Seokjins full laugh fills the room. “Looks like you’ll be a little bride faster than I will be a groom.”
masterlist
#bts imagines#bts fic#bts fanfic#bts fan fiction#bts taehyung#bts hoseok#bts jin#bts seokjin#bts drabble#historical au#bts writing#taehyung#seokjin#hoseok#jhope dance leader vibes#Imperial guard Hoseok#Prince Taehyung#Prince Seokjin#Could have more parts if anyones interested#Please let me know your fav series!#I'm very tired so please bear with me today
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“Carolina knows and you didn’t see me here. They never did see me here”
— carolina
#bts taehyung#taehyung vante#v taehyung#kim taehyung#taehyung#taetae#tae icons#taehyung icons#prince taehyung#royal aesthetic#themes rp#bts v icons#bts vante#bts v edit#theme aesthetic#kingdom#v bts layouts#taehyung theme#boys#kpop icons#kpop boys#moodboard
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Like a Royal (Prince!Taehyung x Psychic!Reader) Soulmate!AU
Summary: Only those led by fate are meant to show up at Reader's doorstep. When Prince Taehyung shows up looking for a lost item, it's simple to say that the universe played a part in this unexpected love affair.
Word count: 5.1k
Genre: Smut, Fluff
Warnings: spanking, ass grabbing, oral (female receiving), unprotected sex, sex with a practical stranger
Royal festivals were never your thing. Neither were royal balls, royal coronations, royal christenings, or anything "royal" for that matter. There were reasons why you lived on the very outskirts of the kingdom. No, not the outskirts of the major village surrounding the castle. You were on theoutskirts. Your house and business were in a small, cottage-like structure in the woods about two miles from the closest building in the village. It was quiet and peaceful this far from the hub. The only time you had to deal with any other human was when fate allowed it, and you got a customer. They would stay for an hour at most and leave happy or distraught.
You didn't really have "friends." Sure, every once a while, you would talk to the nereids and dryads, but you would not necessarily call them your friends, mere acquaintances at most. You weren't exactly anti-social, either. You just needed the calmness of the forest to focus on your meditations and readings. You really couldn't do that with the constant hustle and bustle of people walking around and talking right outside of your door. Sure, being in the city would have helped with business, but you weren't in it for the money. You were in it to help the people who truly needed it, not those who wanted to know how to swindle another person out of money for their own gluttonous gains or how to make a potion so some young, perky girl would fall in love with a sleaze. If a person truly needed your help, fate would send them your way, and they would end up on your doorstep one way or another.
Another reason why the city bothered you so much was because nature walks would be rare and far between. You swore that you needed one at least once a week, rain or shine, if not more. It was how you were able to truly connect to nature. The way your bare feet would feel with exposed earth squishing between your toes was so calming yet exhilarating that you swore you could become one with Mother Nature. The smell of the trees and grass and dirt was especially intoxicating, even more so if a rain storm had just passed through. Gods, you loved the aftermath of a rain storm more than anything else in the world. The way the sunshine would bounce off of the small beads of water on the leaves, casting rainbows, was absolutely gorgeous to you. You would become so mesmerized by the colorful kaleidoscope that on most occasions, you would need to brace yourself against a tree to keep from falling over onto the ground.
Simply put, you would not be able to survive in the city. It was just not the place for you. That's why you decided to stake claim to the cottage in the woods.
One morning in your little cottage, you woke up to the pale yellow sun creeping through your pastel purple curtains, warming your face. You smiled to yourself as you shielded your now open eyes. The sound of birds twittering along with small Fae chattering away loudly came from right outside your slightly cracked window. Due to the open window, you could also smell the remnants of rain. Your smile widened as this was perfect walking weather.
You threw your quilt off of your body and onto the floor. You didn't want to waste a single second more in the house. In a tornado of fabric, you tripped into a soft, blue and silver long sleeved dress. You didn't even wait to put shoes on before you were out the door. In all honesty, you had forgotten about them. It had been a few weeks since this weather had made an appearance. The birds and Fae that had been sitting in your bushes shot off into the sky, startled by your slamming open the wooden back door. You called out an apology before childishly running off to your typical walking trail.
You slowed as reached a good distant in the thick woods. You paused for a moment and closed your eyes and tilted your head back. Thin rays of yellow sun dotted your face, and your face warmed where the sun hit. It made your face feel weird with the mixture of cool and warm. However, it was that weird feeling that made you love this weather the most.
You took in a deep breath and let the cool, damp air hit your lungs. The air was so damp that your lungs constricted, causing you to cough. You placed your hand on your chest in mere hopes that it would help, but alas, it didn't. As you lifted your head back up, your eyes caught something shiny in the distant, more shiny than the sun-shining raindrops on the leaves. After your cough had settled, you walked over to where you saw the shine.
Hidden in some grass right off of the dirt trail lay a magnificent ring. Curious, you picked the ring up. It was heavy, definitely made of pure metal and gem and assuredly expensive. In the center was a large, purple gem, a musgravite. You held it up to a sunbeam and marveled at how the ring sparkled despite the small bits of dirt that remained. The band was silver and was engraved with intricate designs. It was clearly made by a skilled craftsman.
Upon further inspection, you found what you thought to be a scratch on the inside of the band, but instead, it was a singular letter. A "V." You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion. V? Why would the letter V be on the inside of a ring? Unless...it was the owner's name!
Forgetting all about the walk, you sprinted back to your cottage. Rocks dug into the soles of your feet painfully, but you simply ignored them. You needed to find out who the owner of this ring was and get it back to them as soon as possible. Once you reached your cottage, you slammed open the front door, scaring the birds and Fae that had moved there after you had scared them earlier. The birds flew off to a nearby tree, and the Fae cursed at you before following suit. You ignored them and entered the shop part of your house.
This was where you conducted your business. The walls donned all different types of tapestries: constellations, zodiacs, tarot cards, and suns and moons. Tarot cards were tossed onto a small table that was covered by a deep purple and black cloth. Centered in the table was your crystal ball. On the other side of the room was a smaller table that held your incense tray and a cup of all of your incense and a box of matches. You plucked an incense stick out of the cup, placed it in the tray, lit the match, and held the match up to the end of the incense. You shifted your feet back and forth impatiently as you waited for the incense to take the flame. Once the tip was a bright, almost white, orange, you quickly strode over to the other table.
You plopped down in your plush, yet uncomfortable, seat and placed the ring on the table. You took a deep breath, trying to keep your breathing even. Spells weren't as effective if your blood pressure and heart rate were up. You cringed thinking about what happened the last time. You shook it off and let out a long breath. You then closed your eyes, keeping one hand over the ring and one over the crystal ball and started the incantation. With your eyes still closed, you waited for an image to pop in your head like one usually did, but it never came. You opened your eyes, confused. The spell should have worked. Maybe you were still too anxious.
You slowly breathed in and out for a minute or so more before attempting to do the spell again. Eyes closed once more, you still only saw the inside of your eyelids. There was no image to be found. You were sure you were using the right spell. It was the main one you used when you had customers. You were 100% sure you were correct with it, so why didn't it work?
Later that week, you were sitting at a creek some ways down your walking trail. Nereids and dryads sat around you in awe and wonder as you showed them the ring you had found just a few days prior. Fae you had never seen before had started showing up and creeping behind trees, bushes, and rocks. Even some of the fish were curious as they nipped away at your water-dipped toes.
"(Y/N), where did you find it?"
"Did you find out who it belongs to?"
"Are you going to sell it? I'm sure you could make a lot of money from it."
These were just some of the questions you received from the many Fae. Overwhelmed by all of the questions being presented to you at once, you didn't know where to start. Just as you were about to answer one, you would be asked by another. You basically sat there opening and closing your mouth like a fish.
Fortunately, a nereid by the name of Sila shouted over the rest to silence them. Sila was the closest thing you had to a friend out here in the forest. Everyone seemed to listen to her. She was the unofficial leader, you gathered. You thanked her before going on to speak.
"I was just taking a walk one day to come down here when I saw something sparkly. I went over to it and found this. There's a letter engraved on the inside of the band. A 'V.' I figured it might have been a name or something, so I went back to the cottage to try to find the owner. I tried the spell several times, but I couldn't find the owner. Pawning it just doesn't feel right, honestly."
"But what about all the money?" a younger nereid asked, flipping her long, dark hair over a shoulder and exposing a milky white breast.
You looked down at the ring and shrugged. "Money just doesn't appeal to me like it does most people. Besides, this ring probably means a lot to someone. They're probably looking for it, and if they are, fate will most likely swing them by my shop."
"Wait," Sila said. "You mentioned that the spell you used to find the owner didn't work, right?"
"Exactly," you responded.
"Are you sure it was the correct spell?"
You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion. "Of course, I do. I've used the spell plenty of times with customers. It's probably my most used spell, actually."
Sila's face lit up, and she kicked her feet in the water happily, making large splashes. When she calmed, she turned back to you and squealed. "(Y/N), do you know what this means?" You gave her a confused look. "When you use the spell to find someone or something, and the spell doesn't work, it means that your soulmate is involved somehow." At the sound of the news, the rest of the Fae became quickly excited.
"What? No. There's no way." You shook your head in disbelief. Soulmates? Was there even such a thing? Sure, you were a psychic, and you've read about soulmates before. However, who is to say that psychics weren't skeptical about some things as well?
"Of course, there is! Why else would you have thought that the spell hadn't have worked?"
Maybe Sila was right. You knew that spell better than you knew yourself. You could recite it forwards and backwards in any situation. However, there could have been other explanations for the spell not working...right?
"Look," Sila said, crossing her arms over her bare chest. "Let me come back to your place with you and try out the spell myself and see if it works or not."
You sighed. Sila was not one to usually take no for an answer, so you knew there was no getting out of this. You gave a simple nod, and the two of you were in your shop twenty minutes later.
Sila had her eyes closed with one hand over the ring and one over the crystal ball, just as you had been a few days ago. She recited the spell, and a few moments later, she began to speak.
"I see a man. He has blond hair, not bright blond. It's more of like a straw color like mine. He looks kind of fancy looking. A Lord or even a prince maybe? For some reason, the name Taehyung is popping out. Maybe that's his name?"
You stopped her. "Sila, there is no way that mysoulmate is a fuckingLordorprince. You're out of your mind."
"Then why am I seeing what I'm seeing?" she asked as she opened her eyes.
"I don't know!" You threw your hands up into the air in frustration. You huffed and ran a hand through your hair.
Sila stood up. "Look. Just think it over or something. If fate is truly meant to intervene or have you meet him in this way, let it happen. If it doesn't happen, then I don't know." She shrugged. "I've got to get back home." You nodded to her and bit on your index finger lightly as you thought. Sila went to the door and turned around as she opened it. "All I'm saying is think it over."
Over the course of the next few weeks, you tried not to think about any of it, but it was the one thing that clouded your mind. It clouded your mind so much that you barely left the house, even on those perfect weather days. You had few customers over the course of those weeks, but you tended to them all absentmindedly. You didn't even remember doing a majority of the spells or even what the people looked like.
One day, you were sitting at the table with the crystal ball and tarot cards, just analyzing the ring again as if you hadn't already memorized every little thing about it. As usual, your mind was clouded with thoughts. At first, you didn't even hear the knock on the door. When the knock became louder and more persistent, you were stripped from your thoughts and jumped in surprise. You quickly got up, slipped the ring into your dress pocket, and went over to the door.
"May I help y-" You stopped yourself when you opened the door and saw the person in front of you.
This customer was male. He had straw blonde hair with naturally tannish skin. A few freckles dashed his elegant features. He was tall and handsome and...He was dressed quite fancily in velvety and silky purple clothing. Holy shit. He was the man that Sila had described when she was here. She never mentioned that he was quite this handsome, though.
"You should probably close your pretty little mouth. Don't want to catch any flies," a deep, gruff voice said.
It took you a second to realize that the voice had come from the man in front of you and that you were staring at him. You closed your mouth and cleared your throat. You took a breath and tried your words once again.
"How can I help you?" you asked.
"You're a psychic, right?" There came that deep voice again. It was intoxicating to you, and he had only spoken a few sentences.
"Yes, of course."
"Good. That means that you can help me find what I'm looking for."
He lost something. Another check mark off of the list for soulmate guy.
"Oh? What is this item you are looking for? Perhaps, I can help."
"A ring," he stated clearly.
Your heart skipped a beat, and your breathing hitched. You swallowed thickly as your throat had just suddenly run dry.
"A-a ring you say? Perhaps you could describe this ring. Knowing as many details as possible helps me find the item faster and easier." You tried to keep your composure, but you were failing. You could only pray that this man didn't notice.
The man put a finger to his chin as he thought for a moment. After all, it had been about a month since he had seen the ring last. He would have seen it sooner, but he had only found out about you a few days ago.
"Well," he started. "The ring is made of pure silver. It's made for that of a man. A size 9.5 if you want to get specific. In the center is a purple gem, a musgravite, so not a simple, cheap gem."
"Does it happen to have a letter engraved into it?" Your throat felt thicker, anxious for the answer.
"Yes! It does! A V! So, have you seen it?"
You felt all of the blood drain from your face, and your vision became spotty for a moment.
"I need to sit down," you muttered as you walked over to the table and placed yourself in one of the uncomfortable chairs.
"A-are you alright?" the man asked, noticing your changed demeanor.
You shakily reached into your pocket and pulled out the ring before placing it on the table. The man came closer to the table and looked down.
"That's my ring," he said not a moment later, astonished. "How-"
"I found it in the forest, right off of the walking trail. I tried looking for the owner, but I couldn't," you meekly said, a hand covering your mouth as you tried to control the butterflies in your stomach.
"But I thought you were a psychic."
"I am. However, answer me this. Is your name Taehyung?"
You slowly looked up at the man. His face had now paled as yours had done just a few minutes before.
"No one has called me that in years. Psychic or not, how did you know that?" His voice had raised a little, not out of anger or of fear but of confusion.
You breathed in deeply, formulating your next words. "The reason why I couldn't find you to deliver this ring was because, apparently, if a psychic's vision is blurred on something, that means that their soulmate is involved. I didn't believe it, at least not until now."
"Then, how did you know?"
"An acquaintance of mine helped me out. She found you and told me everything."
"How do I know if you're telling the truth? How do I know if you're not lying?" Taehyung crossed his arms across his chest.
You shakily got up from your seat and walked over to a bookshelf. Shortly after Sila had told you about the whole soulmate business, she came by your place and gave you a thin hardback book labelledSoulmates: How to Tell if They are the One or Just a Waste of Your Time. You pulled it off of the shelf and turned to a page you had looked over plenty of times. You were still slightly skeptic about it all, but things were turning with each new piece of evidence being brought to the surface.
"It says here that if soulmates are to kiss and make love, an instant and unbreakable connection is supposed to take hold. One of-"
"Hold on a second," Taehyung interjected. "I barely know you, and you start coming at me with this soulmate stuff a-a-and making love? This is crazy."
"Believe me, I know. That's what I thought, too, until everything Sila had said about the situation has come true." You sighed. "Look. I know this is ludicrous and outrageous, but what hurt is there in trying? Either you get a one night stand and never have to think about it again, or you get a soulmate for the rest of your life. Besides, how else would I have known your name?"
Taehyung stood there for a moment before stepping towards you. He took your face in his hands and crashed his lips onto yours. You instantly melted into it. It was the best kiss you ever had, and the way his lips conformed to yours just felt perfect and...right. You wrapped your arms around his neck, and he snaked his arms around your waist.
Your hands trailed up his neck to the nape and through his soft locks. There, you grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled, exposing his neck, which you lightly bit. A small noise came from Taehyung's mouth, making you smile softly to yourself. You then latched your mouth to his neck and sucked like a thirsty newborn vampire. Shallow, quick breath sounds passed through Taehyung's lips as he rode in the small but definite ecstasy.
However, he quickly came to his senses and pulled a fistful of your own hair, growling in response. A tiny bit of fear mixed with a lot of pleasure glistened in your eyes.
"Don't worry, my dear. I won't hurt you... Much that is. I do have to show someone here who the boss truly is," he whispered roughly into your ear before attacking your own neck.
Loud moans came from your mouth as he instantly found the sweet spot right under your jaw. You clawed desperately at the royal fabric this handsome man donned. With how much lust and wanting you were feeling, you didn't even care if you tore his expensive clothing. He lived such a lavish life that he could probably buy an entire wardrobe filled with clothing such as what he was wearing a million times over and barely make a dent in his pocketful of money. Without another thought, disregarding the buttons on his blouse, you tore the shirt right off of his shoulders. Buttons popped off, scattering across the room, and bouncing off of various objects.
Suddenly, the backs of your legs hit up against a solid surface. You looked behind you to see your bookshelf, and you turned towards Taehyung. A smirk dazzled his light pink lips, and mischief danced sinfully in his piercing eyes. He put his lips lightly back to yours, and it quickly became heated once more.
Your nails scraped down his back. His hands grabbed a hold of your hips and pulled them towards his own. Taehyung's knee slid between yours. With that knee, he moved one of yours away from the other, spreading your legs in the process. At the same time, Taehyung moved his thigh to your core, causing some slight friction and, ultimately, pleasure. You broke from the influx of kisses and hid your face in the crook of Taehyung's neck as the intensity kept building. You rocked your hips, essentially riding his thick, muscular thigh. Small mewls of pleasure made their way to Taehyung's ears between tiny nibbles of his neck.
The sound of Taehyung's deep chuckle almost sent you over. He was amused to say in the least. To see you coming undone, and he had barely done a thing, barely even touched you. You were doing it all yourself by simple thoughts and actions.
"Someone's eager," he whispered in your ear, sending chills down your spine.
You said nothing as you focused on the pleasure between your thighs. You were stopped just short of reaching that much needed climax as Taehyung moved his thigh away from you. You whimpered in retaliation and gave him a pleading look.
"You really think I was going to let you get off without tasting you first?" He smirked as your face went flush with a deep crimson. Your face heated to such a level you thought it would catch fire.
Before you could fully recover from his words, you felt him lift your dress and tug at the waistband of your undergarments. You slid your hands down to meet his and guide the obstructing clothing off of your body. He wasted no time in tossing them to the side and sneaking back under the hem of your dress.
You felt him place his hands on the insides of your knees to try to spread them apart, but you were nervous and tried to keep them closed. However, Prince Taehyung was having none of that. He peeked out from under the skirt and gave you a reassuring look. You decided to forget your nerves for just a second and let him do as he saw fit.
Next thing you knew, you felt light kisses on the insides of your thighs as he alternated between them. The further up he got, the more on edge you became. However, this time, it was more excitement than it was nervousness. He then gave a sudden, yet gentle, bite on your inner thigh right next to your core. You gasped in surprise. That gasp quickly turned into a moan as V placed his lips to your core and began to flick his tongue over your bundle of nerves.
It felt light and sweet at first, but the more he continued, the more intense it became. Your ears and feet began to feel hot with ecstasy. You grabbed the back of his head through the fabric of your skirt and pushed him closer to you. He noticed you were getting closer to your climax and kept the same rhythm but became a little more intense with pressure - not enough to change the ecstasy you were feeling but rather to let you know that he understood your unspoken words.
He reached his hand up closer to you and inserted finger inside. You tilted your head against the bookcase, and your eyes rolled into the back of your head. As he inserted the second finger, you bit your lip, trying to contain any noises that may escape. The combination of his fingers moving against your G-spot and his mouth on your clit sent the heat to the pit of your stomach where you felt that knot tightening. It became tighter and tighter as Taehyung continued his magic.
Your moans loudly filled the air as that knot snapped into one of the best highs you ever had. Your legs shook so badly you thought you were going to fall to the floor in an orgasmic mess. A shiver sent itself down your spine as Taehyung gave you one last lick and came out from underneath your skirt. He popped his fingers into his mouth, savoring the taste of you.
Taehyung slowly stood up and pressed his body against yours. You could feel his hard length against your leg. You could feel that it was big in both girth and length. You thought fervently on how your body was going to be able to take it without getting absolutely wrecked. Your thoughts were briefly broken by soft lips planting on your own. You could taste yourself on your lips, and your erotic feelings and thoughts came crashing back in.
You kissed him back with equal ferocity, leading into a heavy make out session. Your tongues laced together in passion as clothes were slowly falling off of one another. Before you knew it, the two of you were naked and breathing heavily from the lack of oxygen.
The two of you looked longingly into each other's eyes. You noticed Taehyung's were filled with want, need, and lust. The next thing you knew, you were turned around with your back to him and your body up against the bookcase. He took a hold of your hips and pulled them towards him.
You could feel his length up against your ass. From what you could tell, it was of a larger size - not quite the biggest you've ever had, but pretty damn close. Your core pulsed with seductive longing. You pressed yourself closer to Taehyung and wiggled your ass a little to get his attention. You felt a sudden sting land on your right ass cheek followed by a firm grasp. Taehyung placed his chin on your shoulder as he massaged your ass tenderly.
"You ready, doll?" he whispered in your ear.
You gave a curt nod, and he grabbed a hold of his length and placed himself between your folds. However, instead of entering, he just teased you. You whined in protest and tried lowering yourself down onto him. All you received was another slap to your ass.
"Meanie," you muttered.
"Oh, I'll show you who's a 'meanie,' love."
You gasped as he suddenly slammed into you, hitting your cervix perfectly. A load moan escaped your lips as he thrust into you over and over. Your legs trembled beneath you. The only thing keeping you from collapsing to the floor was the tight grip Taehyung had on your hips. You swore he was going to leave fingerprint bruises.
The feeling of excitement and ecstasy filled your whole body, starting from the pit of your stomach and spreading outwards. Your fingers tingled, and your face was numb. As the pleasure in you built, your vision became fuzzy around the edges, and your head became fuzzy.
Taehyung's large hand wrapped itself around your throat for some more grounding, and his grunts mixed with your moans. He slowly became sloppy as he himself grew closer to his climax. The knot in your lower stomach returned and quickly unraveled itself, causing you to seep your juices on to Taehyung's dick. He followed shortly after, cumming deeply into you.
As the two of you came down from your highs, you panted, relishing in the feelings that had just overcame you. It was a truly exhilarating feeling. You shakily turned around to face Taehyung who had a slight glisten to him. He, too, was panting, but a smirk donned his face. You smirked back, loving the look on his face.
"Well," he said between breaths. "That was..."
"Perfect?"
"Indeed."
Your body felt different. It was not exactly a physical feeling, but it was more of a spiritual feeling. You felt closer to Taehyung, to his soul. Maybe the book and Sila were right. Maybe soulmates really were a thing. All you knew was that something was different, and this man brought the most comfortable feeling to your mind, body, and soul.
#taehyung x reader#kim taehyung#bts taehyung#taehyung x reader smut#soulmate au#prince taehyung#prince!taehyung#rainbow smut series#part 6 rainbow smut series#psychic reader#psychic!reader#purple#fantasy#bts smut
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Me,Myself and V "Veautyfull Days" MV photo-foilo 🤎🤍
#bts icons#v wallpaper#bts v#bts kim taehyung#bts teahyung#thv#kim taehyung#bts thv#taehyung#taehyung lockscreens#kim taehyung wallpaper#veautiful days#me myself and v#special 8 photo folio#taehyung photo folio#photo folio#v pretty#prince taehyung#taehyung icons#bts tae wallpaper
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Bring The Fire: character intro
Warnings: Mentions of blood, theft and violence.
Prince Introductions; Taehyung & Jimin.
others; MYG&JH // KNJ // KSJ // JJK
chapter one
“A thief, how pitiful.” The prince droned, inspecting his nail beds, not even sparing a glance to the elderly man bowing by his feet.
“Were you trying to get caught?” The other snorted, hands behind his back as he bent over the crumpled body.
Both the princes were grinning, and despite the innocent display it gave off, people had quickly learnt that it was anything but. The two princes would tag team, tormenting and picking apart whoever they pleased, all while keeping the innocent, child-like smiles on their lips.
“Taehyung, do you think he was trying to get caught?” Jimin pouted, looking at his younger brother.
The younger boy pursed his lips, dropping his hands behind his lanky frame. He crouched down, the materials of his clothes pooling around him.
“I believe so, Hyung. Such a tiny object should have been so easily hidden.” The younger answered as he plucked the silver from the mans trembling hands. “And so little. What did you plan to get with this?” He scoffed, standing up.
“Should we report this to our father?” The younger hummed, looking to his shorter, older brother who faked thought.
The man, shivering on the floor, almost melted in relief at the mention of his emperor. He was a terrifying ruler, but his sons were worse.
“No, I think he has better things to tend to,” Jimin decided, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of his sword. “I think we should take care of such menial matters, don’t you?”
The younger nodded in agreement, already having unsheathed his own sword. He placed the tip of the cool metal under the man's chin, forcing him to look up at his princes.
“Don’t worry, we aren’t going to kill you.” He cooed, pressing the point slightly harder drawing a small trail of blood. “Just teaching you a valuable lesson, we believe you can learn from this experience.”
The man whimpered, choking on a sob as he tried to thank the young princes. The two grinned, Taehyung coaxing the man off the floor by raising the blade higher.
“Shall we go somewhere more,” He paused, his tongue running over his teeth as he thought. “Somewhere more private for your lesson?”
The next time the elder man was seen in town was months later. His left arm completely gone, only the rounded of his shoulder left, whereas his right arm was cut from the elbow. The poor stitching, courtesy of his dear princes, had become infected.
He wasn’t seen again after that.
#dark!bts#yandere!bts#Kim Taehyung#Park Jimin#Bts#ot7xreader#btsxreader#Prince Taehyung#Prince Jimin#Royal bts#Yandere Jimin#yandere taehyung#jiminxreader#taehyungxreader#bts ff#fanfiction#bts fanfic
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Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Relationships: Kim Namjoon | RM/Original Female Character(s), Kim Namjoon | RM/Reader, Bangtan Boys | BTS Ensemble/Original Female Character(s), Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin
Characters: Bangtan Boys | BTS Ensemble
Additional Tags: Yandere Kim Namjoon | RM, Mermaid Namjoon, Mafia BTS, Boss Kim Namjoon | RM, Hybrids, Hybrid Kim Taehyung | V, Cat Hybrid Park Jimin (BTS), Cute Jeon Jungkook
Summary:
This is a brief list of all of my upcoming fics.
#ficlist#bts fanfic#bts#fanfic#yandere#mermaid namjoon#yandere namjoon#mafia au#mafia boss namjoon#hybrids#cat hyrbid park jimin#wolf hybrid kim taehyung#namjoon smut#smut#mermaids#prince namjoon#prince seokjin#prince taehyung
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| Taehyung Drabble Diaries ~ Prompt I |
Alpha Taehyung comes home to you after finishing all his work back at the Solaris Pack. To find out from the Pack's Healer that you had been sick and down with fever.
The Pack members were supposed to be worried. Instead they gazed at him with knowing looks and smiles as a very agitated Taehyung rushed to your shared room.
He finds your pale form laid back against your canopied nuptial bed as you converse with the Pack's Head Healer. There are Healer Omegas rushing to and fro around the room, some brewing portions and others waddling around with arms full of herbs and flowers.
Taehyung clears his throat and all the attention in the room is directed at him. The Healer Omegas stare at him for a second, stupefied. Before rushing out of your bedroom to give you both privacy. The Head Healer exited with a bow and a mysterious smile.
All it takes is three long strides for Taehyung to close the distance between you and him. He wraps his arms around your torso, burying his face in the crook of your neck as he inhales your scent just as usually he would mark you.
One whiff is all it takes from the Alpha to know,
You were pregnant with pups.
Yes Pups.
Not one but two.
Twins. He takes another whiff. You were pregnant with his spawn. His Children. His pups. His Heirs, His babies.
Pride and fatherly love swells in Taehyung's heart as he swoops down to connect his lips with yours. His lips trailing kisses right down to your Womb.
#werewolf taehyung#taehyung#taehyung fluff#taehyung drabble#taehyung drabbles#taehyung fantasy au#prince taehyung
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Asunder (Chapter One)
(Gorgeous banner & linebreaks by @awrkive)
Asunder (Ongoing, Chapter 1 on Tumblr)
Book 2/Prequel of The Legends of the Red-Lions Series
Avvar Warrior Taeyung x Avvar Mage OC
Technically the prequel to the Lowlander but finishes after The Lowlander. Can be read before the Lowlander if you prefer, either story will contain spoilers for the other.
Summary: Before there was the romance of a Lowlander elf and the Hold's best warrior in the shadow of a dragon, there was a much simpler story: a boy and his friends. A boy and his friends who wed each other, and loved each other, and hated each other, while he watched, and regretted, and tried not to drown in his own broken heart. A boy who wasn't just a boy at all but the son of the Thane and a mother slain and a dream that never quite fit. A boy who grew into a strong brave man who still secretly wanted the same boyish things: to love, to be loved, to be free, to be just a boy, a boy with his friends. Maybe the gods never intended for the story to be simple.
CW: domestic violence & child abuse (abusive father), graphic violence, raiding, character death, loss, depression, love triangle, emotional infidelity, divorce, explicit sex, explicit language, heartbreak, unrequited love, major pining, grievous injuries, series still in progress so I don't know everything yet, friends to lovers, angst with a happy ending, fluff,
Read entire work on AO3 | Read chapter one below | Multi-story series masterlist
Taehyung’s fist connected with Do’s nose. He dropped instantly to his knees as a fountain of blood gushed forth. For a moment Taehyung froze, wide-eyed at the damage he’d managed to do sort of by chance. But when Do bolted up, face a mask of rage, Taehyung realized he couldn’t quit in the middle of a fight just because he was shocked by the blood. Not that he was any great fighter at seven years old, and it wasn’t his first fight, just the first one he’d managed to draw blood in. He’d gotten lucky with that punch, just like Do got lucky with the next one and managed to knock the wind out of him with a fist in his stomach.
The other boy, Jungkook ar Mara, jumped onto Do’s back and began pounding on his head. He was small, so it looked more annoying than painful, but it gave Taehyung a moment to catch his breath and then rush forward, shoulder wedging into Do’s back to knock him against a log bench near the edge of the clearing.
Taehyung thought for sure Jungkook was going to be crushed, but he leapt off the bigger boy like a rabbit at the very last second. Do went down hard and lay still, the last opponent.
Jungkook stayed by Taehyung’s side but the wall of children who’d simply watched kept their distance, as if unsure that the show was actually over and not wanting to accidentally become involved by moving too soon. No one else had thrown in to help Jungkook when the bigger boys started to shove him around anyway so Taehyung wasn’t surprised, nor by the fear on their faces as they regarded him now. If there had ever been a time the other children were nice to him, he didn’t remember it, and his father becoming Thane last year in a bloody turnover had earned him fear but no friendships.
Jungkook elbowed him as he wiped the blood and drool and snot and tears from his face and asked, “Did you kill him?”
“I fucking hope not,” Taehyung said. Ama told him not to use that word like Apa did, but it felt right in this moment as together they looked down at Do’s hulking, unmoving form. There were a lot of rocks on the other sides of those logs. He might have just killed Do. He wasn’t sure whether Apa would be proud of him for having his first kill at seven or not, but he knew for sure he’d leave out the part where he pissed himself and vomited on his shirt –which was definitely what was about to happen if he’d actually just killed Do.
“I wasn’t trying to kill him,” Taehyung said, so quietly only Jungkook could hear. “I just wanted to help you…”
He turned to look for an adult when suddenly someone crashed into his shoulder, leapt over the log, and settled down beside the bully. Taehyung used the moment to hide the way he swiped at his eyes; no matter what, Apa would be furious if he cried again. He cried too much, Apa told him that all the time, and death was definitely not something to cry over because either it was honorable or embarrassing.
It was one of the older girls who’d crouched beside Do and then said matter of factly, “He’s not dead but you did knock him out cold. Someone should send for a healer…” Taehyung just stared at her and she seemed to think he wasn’t going to do it, so she pointed at someone else. “Hoseok, will you run?” The boy gave her a scared look but took off at her command. Everyone seemed to just accept that there were no adults so suddenly this girl was in charge.
Now she stood stepped over the log to them, demanding, “Well? Does it feel good that you hurt him?”
“Yes,” Taehyung confirmed. “I guess I didn’t want to kill him but he can’t just pick on people smaller than him.” The girl looked at him like he’d grown a second head, so he added, “He’s a piece of shit.”
“Why do you talk like that? It’s not impressive. You’re six.”
“I’m seven,” Taehyung corrected and glared because apparently she didn’t know who he was. “I’m Thane Greybeard’s firstborn son!”
“Oh.” She looked like she was trying to be impressed because it was the right thing to do but couldn’t quite pull it off.
Jungkook ar Mara lifted his hand and admitted, “I’m six.”
“You’re bleeding,” the girl frowned. Taehyung looked at Jungkook’s bloody nose and bloody lip and ruffled hair and the gash beneath his eye. It wasn’t the first time Do and Bjorn and their friends picked on Jungkook ar Mara, but something had made them extra violent today. The teachers tended to look the other way because maybe they were only children now but someday they would be adults and they needed to learn to be strong and settle their own affairs as soon as possible. There wasn’t time to be weak and useless, even if you were small.
Taehyung had watched Jungkook endure the bullying with an impressive stoicism and been confused because it was honorable to endure like he did but it was also weak to be bullied. He’d often seen Jungkook’s older sister Mina ar Mara comforting him before they walked home together after classes. Everyone liked Mina ar Mara but when she had tried to chase the boys off they thought it was even funnier that Jungkook’s big sister was trying to protect him. Once they’d turned their teasing on her, and Jungkook had launched himself at them and managed to get a few kicks in, but he was little and couldn’t do much and that also seemed to make it worse. Taehyung kind of envied them that though –having a brother or sister who would try to protect you like that. He had no one.
Maybe that was what had made him snap today when Do and Breck and Niilo had set in on Jungkook. Mina wasn’t at lessons today. Breck ran off quick when Taehyung kicked him in the stomach, and Niilo only fought back until he realized who Taehyung was, but Do hadn’t cared.
And now Do was passed out in the mud like a drunk pig.
The girl reached for Jungkook, pulling a square cloth from her pocket to press against his eyes. Taehyung frowned because it didn’t seem fair that he was the one who’d jumped into a fight to protect someone he barely even knew but Jungkook was the one getting babied.
“I am too,” Taeyung pointed out, pointing to the blood on his lip. He’d knocked a tooth out when Do punched him but the truth was it was about to fall out anyway. He wasn’t sure what had happened to his cheek but thought Do might have scratched him with his disgusting badger nails.
“I thought you were seven,” the girl said. “Aren’t you Thane Greybeard’s firstborn son?”
“I’m not a baby either,” Jungkook said, suddenly pushing her hands away. He pulled the cloth away and handed it back to her and she looked crestfallen. “We don’t need your help.”
Megeera, one of the village healers, came running into the lesson house yard with the boy called Hoseok, her voice high as she demanded, “What’s going on here? Lessons are done for the day, go home!”
“Fighting!”
“They were fighting!”
“Do’s out, Taehyung killed him.”
“I didn’t kill him,” Taehyung shouted. He spun, glaring, ready to challenge anyone who said it to his face. He decided it was a bad idea to have his first kill at seven because everyone looked horrified instead of impressed so they better not say that about him. The wall of unfriendly stares brought him up short. Ama insisted that over time, the other children would fear him less and he would make friends, but it had been a year now. He didn’t remember ever having a friend in his whole life. He rarely bothered to even learn anyone’s name.
He wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t cry in front of everyone who misunderstood him or hated him and he hadn’t even done anything except help someone who was getting hurt. He turned his back to them, trying to fling the tears from his eyes before they could slide down his cheek.
But the girl saw. He knew she saw, because she gave him the same look he’d seen Mina give Jungkook, like he was a cute little baby who’d been hurt and she was worried.
“You’re hurt too,” she said, and produced another cloth from her skirt pocket.
When she pressed it to Taehyung’s cheek though, a blue light sparked. They both yelped and she dropped the cloth. Just as quickly, she pressed her hand to his cheek again, her eyes going wide as the blue light resumed.
“Karmen!” the boy Hoseok yelled. “You have magic!”
“What? Back away!” Megeera shouted, rising quickly from where she’d been trying to wake Do.
The fear on Karmen’s face was instant and obvious. Every child was warned about the dangerous first signs of magic. Usually something crazy happened, like you accidentally blew up a hut or melted your bed or froze the lake around you and were stuck in the ice until a trained mage could come melt you out. Taehyung had heard about a boy who was plucking a chicken, then suddenly poof! No more chicken. Just feathers and guts everywhere. He’d cried for two days, worried he’d blow up Ama the same way, even though she had pointed out no one in their family had ever shown magic. No mixed blood in his family, just Avvar since the beginning.
Maybe because she’d just seen him wipe those traitorous tears away, and now he’d seen her very first magic, or maybe because he was impressed she was the only other child to jump forward and help, or maybe because she’d looked at him the way Mina looked at Jungkook and no one ever looked at Taehyung that way except Ama and he was just lonely … Whatever the reason, Taehyung grabbed her hand and pressed it to the gash on his cheek that was really starting to hurt as he caught his breath from the fight. It was right above his lip.
“Don’t blow me up.”
“I don’t know anything about…” the girl began but trailed off as her hand glowed blue. It was a beautiful blue light, mesmerizing, and so bright it hurt to look at. Taehyung closed his eyes and tried not to complain at the way it burned against his skin. He just stayed very still, like he was very good at doing.
Suddenly her hand was wrenched away, and Megeera shouted, “What by the Lady do you think you’re doing? You have only seen the first glimpse of magic just this moment and you have your hand to a boy’s face? And not just any boy but the son of our Thane! Are you out of your mind, Karmen ar Hilde?! You are wiser than this!”
Karmen ar Hilde dropped her gaze and fidgeted beside Taehyung. On his other side, Jungkook ar Mara craned his neck, eyes so wide and mouth turned down in a pout so that he kind of looked like a craggie. Taehyung thought Megeera was scolding all of them but he honestly wasn’t listening to any of it. It didn’t bother him for anyone to yell because his apa was the Thane and no one in the Hold was as scary as his Apa.
“I’m sorry,” Karmen mumbled to him. He saw with shock that she’d begun to cry. He had no idea why.
“We must go home and talk to your parents right away about this–”
“It worked,” Jungkook said. His eyes were even wider. He looked at Megeera like he expected her to yell, but then pointed at Taehyung’s face, “You made her cry but she fixed his face and he didn’t get melted or anything.”
Taehyung touched his cheek where, sure enough, he could feel a slight dip beneath the dried blood but it wasn’t a hole in his skin anymore. It didn’t hurt anymore, it didn’t even burn from her magic anymore.
Megeera didn’t know what to say about that. For just a moment, she was without words. It was neat to see that on her face, that confusion because she had insisted something was going to happen and Karmen had proved her wrong and Jungkook had pointed it out and Taehyung had been the start of it because he’d taken the chance and let Karmen try. She had brand new magic and he’d been healed by it! A blessing from the gods, that’s what Ama was going to say about this.
Just as quickly Megeera was back in motion. Do was sitting up now, back to shouting murderous things at Jungkook and Taehyung. Megeera was torn between hauling him off and dragging Karmen to tell her parents she had magic now. More adults were arriving and Taehyung decided it was time to pull a disappearing act.
So he grabbed Jungkook’s arm and tried to flee, but Jungkook stayed where he was, and gave him a confused look.
“We should get out of here,” Taehyung pointed out.
“But… we can’t just leave her,” Jungkook said, pointing to Karmen. “She’s upset.”
“We can’t fix that. She has to talk to her parents now and learn to do her magic.”
“Oh… but I can’t leave yet.”
“Why not?” Taehyung frowned.
Jungkook didn’t have an answer for that, just seemed to believe he needed to remain while there was anything going on. Taehyung didn’t know how to fix that either but he sure wasn’t going to stick around and get in more trouble. Besides, he’d almost killed someone today, and he felt like he needed to go home and be alone for a while.
But it had kind of been nice, for just a moment, to not be standing alone when he got yelled at.
Taehyung cut through the water like a brown trout, swimming a wide circle around Ama. He held his breath as long as he could before erupting through the surface. She laughed as water droplets flew through the air, then reached out her arm for Taehyung to hold onto so he could stay still for a moment. He was so good at moving in the water, Ama said he was the best swimmer she’d ever seen and joked that her great-grandfather had been a fish and Taehyung took after her. But he wasn’t good yet at treading water, and it was kind of scary in this deeper part of the sea where he would sink like a rock if not for her hand. That had happened to him before and he still had bad dreams about it.
He had lots of bad dreams actually. He’d had another one last night, so Ama had brought him to the sea to swim early this morning so he could wash away the sweat and bad feelings. Taehyung wished his dreams were of things to come; Apa’s mother had been a dreamer and even though she died before he was born, Taehyung thought she sounded amazing through the stories Apa told.
Taehyung’s dreams were always of things that had already happened though. Last night he’d dreamed of the day Apa became Thane again. He’d only been five and it had been a scary and confusing day so his dreams were equally as disjointed and confused, but a few things stood out clear: the bellowing shouts that seemed to shake the wooden benches; blood so strong in the air Taehyung could taste it in his mouth; the image of his big strong father rising victorious from the haze of the arena, black with blood, holding someone’s arm. Apa had not looked like Apa in that moment and Taehyung was convinced for days that Apa had died and a demon had taken his place. Ama insisted that wasn’t true, but Taehyung still dreamed it as truth.
His mouth tasted like blood now, so he gulped a mouthful of water and sent it like a fountain through the air.
“Little fish,” Ama grinned, reaching out to brush the hair back from his face. “You need to learn to stay still in the water. Paddle your arms and feet like I taught you.”
Taehyung had been about to insist he was a big fish, not a little fish, but the reminder he couldn’t tread water humbled him. He tried to do what she said, to prove he could, but as his head kept almost slipping under the water, he found himself panicking and paddling more frantically, which didn’t work. Just when his heart felt like it was going to rip from his chest, Ama caught his arm and dragged him close.
“It just takes practice,” she told him with a warm smile.
“I’ll practice all the time!”
“With me,” she quickly added. “It’s not worth drowning over to prove a point. You can come with me.”
“But you’re so busy,” he sighed. His Ama was the best weaver in the whole Hold and had been working very hard on new tapestries for the main hall because Apa didn’t like the old ones. Sometimes Taehyung ran around the main hall while she worked but it wasn’t the same as being home with her and there were too many people and everyone looked at him like he was a feral cat, so he spent most of his time out running around on his own. There was so much to see in the Hold, and he was sneaky and quick. No one ever thought to look for him up on the roof when they realized someone had tied a scarf on their dog or let the chickens out for a stroll or taken a handful of sugar drops! And even if they did happen to see him before he got away, what were they going to do about it, complain to his Apa? One person had tried that and Apa had laughed in their face and scooped Taehyung up to his shoulder and praised him for being so clever and quick. “He’ll make a fine raider if he’s that quick!” Apa had boomed and Taehyung had vibrated with joy at the praise.
Now he went back to swimming circles around Ama, who left bubbles at the surface when she washed the soap out of her long hair. Taehyung surfaced through them and gave himself a bubble beard and eyebrows to make her laugh. He always knew just how to make her laugh.
Even though Taehyung had been born in Red-Lion hold, Apa had insisted Taehyung mostly stay home with Ama in their old hut just outside of the Hold walls for his early years, down on the wetlands. He had rarely gone into the Hold proper –Apa had said it was to keep him safe, and anyway, it suited Taehyung fine, because he got to play with Ama all day and learn from her and watch all the beasts of the wetlands from his window and not be bothered by the other children his age. They seemed annoying back then.
He had seen one group of children often though, the same ones he saw walking the same old path now. Jungkook and Mina walked with their parents, all carrying baskets from the wetlands towards the docks. Mina sort of skipped around but Jungkook walked very still with a basket on his back. There was a little brother with them too, toddling next to his mother’s skirt, and the mother’s belly was big.
“Mara must be getting close to having her new baby,” Ama mused, moving Taehyung to her other arm as they watched. “Looks like they were out crabbing this morning. That will make a delicious dinner for us, won’t it?” She smiled and Taehyung nodded and licked his lips; crab was one of his favorite foods. Ama didn’t do the cooking anymore, they just ate in the main hall everyday where other women cooked for them.
“Ama are you going to have a baby too?”
“What, you think my belly is that big?” Ama laughed and threw him away from her into the water. He paddled back to her, also giggling.
“No! But it’s only me! Are you supposed to have more babies?”
“No, I won’t have more babies,” Ama said. “The gods decided one for me and gave me the most perfect son I could have dreamed of.”
“Did you dream about me, Ama?”
“Oh yes, every day since I was a little girl,” she smiled.
Taehyung clung to her shoulder, practicing pedaling his feet beneath the water, and demanded, “Tell me! Tell me!”
So they floated and slid through the water together, and Ama told him about her dream:
“I dreamed I crawled for days through the mountains, searching desperately for a mountain stream to quench my thirst but everywhere, I found nothing. The skies were bright and blue but the gods offered me no rain. I pleaded with Korth Mountain-Father to give me just one dewy leaf; I begged the Lady of the Skies for a single drop of rain. It wouldn’t be enough to quench my thirst but at least I could die with moisture on my tongue. Maybe it would be enough for me to rise, so I could die on my feet like a good Avvar woman.
“I found a streambed but it was empty. I found a pool but it had dried. I found salt on a stony cliff where some old water must have flowed but there was nothing. I licked the wall, desperate, but there was nothing, and I began to cry but I had not even water in my body for tears. I was dry as the stones around me. I cupped my hands, praying for even tears that I could drink, but there was nothing.
Until plop !”
She lifted her hand and let a trail of water fall on Taehyung’s wet hair. He giggled and flapped his arms so as not to go under and for a moment he managed it, but then grabbed onto her arm again.
“Into my cupped hands dropped a little tadpole, straight from the sky. There were no clouds, no water, nothing, this tadpole couldn’t be anything else except a gift from the Lady. I tossed it into my mouth–”
“No, Ama! Don’t eat me!” Taehyung cried, bought into the story he’d heard so many times.
“But as soon as I felt that little tadpole wiggle in my cheek, I let it slip right out of my mouth and back into my hands. I knew I would rather die thirsty than take the life of that little tadpole. The next thing I knew, the tadpole grew bigger and bigger and transformed into a little boy.”
“You had to drop me then.”
“Yah, you were too big to hold in my hands like that,” Ama agreed. “And as you grew, rain began to fall, even though there were still no clouds. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but the gods sent rain to wash me and quench my thirst and restore all the rivers and ponds and streams. I understood the tadpole had been a gift I almost misunderstood and that now I would never be thirsty again.”
“But you do get thirsty, Ama,” Taehyung pointed out. “You like mountain tea.”
Ama smiled and wrapped her arms around him.
He laughed and poked her chest, “Your boobs are in the way.”
“Of what?” she demanded.
“If you don’t have more babies you don’t need them anymore.”
“Well Tae-ya, my body can still exist even when no one needs anything from it,” she told him. “I like my breasts. Our bodies have different needs and uses throughout our lives, just like right now you don’t need that little eel between your legs but someday it may be useful.”
“I like my eel!” Taehyung pouted at her, then kicked off and went splashing through the water again. He did a circle in the water and when he came up for air, realized the ar Maras were out of view, taking the path through the Hold now to double back to the docks where they would put their crabs out in their stall.
He paddled back to Ama, but she looked thoughtful now so he didn’t say anything. Sometimes he was thoughtful too and she would sit there patiently and wait, or maybe she’d say, “You look like you’re thinking big thoughts, Tae-ya, what do you see?”
Finally she smiled at him, “The dream was right. How could I ever be thirsty again with such a healthy, thoughtful, clever son as you?”
“I’m big and strong too!” Taehyung bragged because Ama always seemed to leave those things out but they were the most important of all! “I’m going to be big and brave and fierce like Apa.”
“You will be perfect whoever you are,” Ama said to him. “But I think you are right, you will be tall. You’re already so tall compared to the boys your age!”
“I’m big and strong too. I helped Jungkook ar Mara at lessons.”
“You did? Doing what?”
So Taehyung told her about the bullying and the fighting and even about the girl Karmen suddenly discovering her magical skill. He really tried to embellish the story and make it interesting because he could see by Ama’s face that she was surprised by all of it.
“I knew about Karmen ar Hilde discovering her magic,” Ama admitted, “But I didn’t realize you let her learn on you! That’s very dangerous, Tae-ya!”
“I’m brave,” Taehyung beamed.
“There’s a difference between brave and reckless, my son, and you must learn the difference. It’s very important!”
Taehyung didn’t like that Ama didn’t sound so impressed, and now he frowned at her, “Apa told me to fight bullies and I did.”
“Yes, it was kind of you to help Jungkook ar Mara.” She glanced over and they saw the family opening up their stall and dumping the crabs into place. “It’s good for you to make friends, Taehyung–”
“They aren’t my friends,” he quickly corrected. Apa wouldn’t like that. “I just helped him. I’m the Thane’s son and I’m strong and brave and I wanted to show how fierce I am.”
“You are those things, but even a strong and brave Thane’s son can be happier with friends.”
Taehyung’s face screwed up further, reminding her, “Apa says friends are just people you let close enough to stab you.”
“Yes, and trust that they will not.”
“But… they will.”
“Not always.”
“But you don’t know until they stab you!” Taehyung pointed out. He was getting tired now and wanted to swim back to shore, so he started and was gratified when Ama followed, walking slowly since her feet could touch the ground.
“You sound like your apa,” she said once they’d reached the shore. She wrapped him up in a blanket to dry him off before wrapping it around her own body because he could get his own clothes on without help. “Your apa is wise about many things but when it comes to people… his way is not the only way. I would not have made it this far in life without the help and comfort of friends. It was hard we kept you from children your own age for so long… it’s only natural for you to find others to get along with and play with.”
Taehyung thought about this. It wasn’t right for her to say that about Apa because he was the Thane as chosen by the gods, so obviously his way was the best way and she shouldn’t question him. Apa would be mad if he knew she did, but Taehyung wouldn’t tell.
“Who are your friends, Ama?” he asked slowly because he didn’t really know.
“I don’t have many friends here. Most are back in the Hold I grew up in. But I am working on making new friends here and you can too.”
“Ok but I need big strong friends. I need friends who will help me in battle someday!”
Ama shrugged her shoulders, “There are many kinds of battles in life, Tae-ya, not just ones with axes. A good friend is someone who can watch your back and you watch theirs, and who is willing to be there with you even when the winds aren’t blowing in your favor that day. You don’t have to be big and strong to do those things.”
“But Jungkook ar Mara is too small to be my friend. And he has big eyes like a craggie. It makes him look like a baby monkey!”
Ama suddenly grabbed something from the beach and held it out to him, saying, “Look at this. Do you know what this is?”
“It’s a… seed.”
“It’s a small seed, yes. But if we plant it, it could grow into one of those tall trees there. That tall tree will live longer than us, or could give wood to our Hold for houses or cooking or weapons, or give branches and shade for animals to make their homes. No one but the gods can look at this small seed and know what the future will be like for it.”
“Apa can.”
“No one can, Tae-ya,” she said. “Unless the gods whisper in their ear or their dreams or their heart. So when your heart tells you that you’ve found a friend, listen to the gods.”
“The gods don’t talk to your heart,” Taehyung said, face scrunching up. He began to laugh, “Apa doesn’t listen to his heart !”
Ama gave him a look that he wouldn’t understand for many more years and asked, “You want to be just like your Apa, don’t you, Tae-ya?”
“Yeah!” he said. Of course he did! Apa was the Thane! The gods had said Apa was the best man in the world! He wanted to make his Apa proud and follow right in his footsteps, even if that seemed like a lot of work right now because he didn’t really do the things Apa said very well…
“Let me tell you something the gods have whispered into my heart,” Ama said, beckoning him closer. “You are my child as much as you are your apa’s, and you will be better than both of us combined someday. That is the tree you will be.” She glanced at the docks, at all the fisher families now setting up for business. “And I think you should make friends with Jungkook ar Mara.”
“Why?” Taehyung asked, not understanding anything. He wasn’t actually going to be a tree. People weren’t trees.
“Because your heart sent you to his side even when he could do nothing for you,” she pointed out. “Give it a thought, my son. Don’t blindly follow the path of your father if the gods whisper something else to you. Apa is not a god.”
“He’s chosen by the gods,” Taehyung pointed out. “So… it’s kind of the same thing.”
“No, Tae-ya. It isn’t the same thing. It’s very important you never forget that… Now come, let’s go break our fast with Apa before you have to go to school.” The sudden shift in her demeanor was familiar and didn’t bother Taehyung at all. He was the same way. Sometimes they could talk to each other so seriously like that and then the time was done and onto other things. He thought it was a little strange she wanted him to befriend Jungkook ar Mara and he also didn’t think it was very good, the things she was saying about Apa. Apa was the Thane, chosen by the gods, and he had a legend name and would probably ascend to the heavens as a legend when he died someday. So he basically was a god and he’d be mad if Ama said something else.
But he loved his parents and he didn’t want to cause problems between them, so he would just keep those things secret in his heart, even if he didn’t think he should keep secrets from Apa either. But sometimes Apa was pretty mean to Ama if she did something he didn’t like, and Taehyung didn’t like seeing his mother hurting just because she said odd things sometimes, so he thought that was the right thing to do. Maybe the gods told him that in his heart.
He’d think about what she said about Jungkook ar Mara, but he really just didn’t think he had any use for a friend, especially a little tadpole who hadn’t grown into a real boy yet.
Taehyung was bored. Why did feasts to honor the gods have to be so long and boring? He actually wished Apa had let him be one of the children running around with the serving bowls this time because it kind of looked like fun. You could sneak the foods you weren’t supposed to eat yet, or pretend to forget the adults who were mean to you. Sometimes drunk adults threw things at you or yelled but they couldn’t do that to Taehyung because his apa was the Thane. And you could hide back in the kitchens during all the long boring chants. Augur Cass took forever in her chants and her voice always tried to put Taehyung to sleep. It wasn’t his fault! But gods save him if he actually fell asleep on the dais, Apa would skin him alive, he knew that.
So he pinched his thighs to stay awake and stared straight ahead like Apa wanted him to do. Even though his feet hurt , they were itching so bad to run around. He wouldn’t get to stay for the dancing either and he would have to sleep at his grandfather’s house because Apa and Ama would stay for the dancing and then be too noisy when they got home. He didn’t like being home when Ama and Apa were noisy. Did they like doing that? It didn’t sound like fun to him.
At least he liked sitting up here sometimes though because he knew as Apa’s son, people looked at him with admiration and respect because he’d be just like his apa someday. He didn’t get to automatically be Thane just because of that, he would still have to prove himself through Trials, but it happened a lot that gods favored the son of a Thane in those trials. The previous Thane had two sons but it turned out the gods favored Apa more and he killed both of them during the Trials, but that wouldn’t happen to Taehyung. He was from stronger blood. Apa had explained it to him when he’d begun his training, when he and Apa had finally convinced Ama not to fight it anymore. He’d been training now since he was five and that was why he had even been able to help Jungkook ar Mara that day because no one realized Taehyung was already a good fighter! They had underestimated him. Maybe people looking at him sitting next to Apa on the dais underestimated him now too just because he was seven but like Ama said, they were thinking something small would grow from the seed that was Taehyung. It wasn’t true. The gods had big plans for Taehyung. He’d train even harder!
That was the real reason his feet probably hurt. His shoulders ache. His elbows ached. He had been training by himself because they didn’t usually let boys start to learn weaponry until eight but Apa wanted him to start early and once he was Thane, who could say no? His teacher was extra hard on him this week, Taehyung thought. Not as hard as Apa would be but he was tired, that was true. It was hard work growing up strong like Apa. Very hard work.
Taehyung watched the serving children emerge as soon as the prayer ended with the next round of drinks for the people important enough not to have to fetch their own. Jungkook ar Mara scurried forward and thrust a mug into Apa’s hand. Since he never did that work, Taehyung had no idea why Jungokok ar Mara was the child serving the Thane. He assumed it was a coveted space and certainly Jungkook ar Mara couldn’t have fought the other boys for it. Jungkook raced around like a little mouse, face set in a stern glare until something caught his attention and then his eyes went so big. Craggie.
The children all disappeared again and Taehyung felt an annoying desire to follow them. It was all adults around him now. He felt so separate from the children who weren’t serving tonight, seated in the regular benches or on the ground with their parents. He was important, on the dais with his important father. But being important was kind of lonely…
In a moment of impulse, Taehyung slid backwards off his stool and disappeared behind the dais. He held his breath for a moment but no one leaned back to look at him. A new prayer was starting so maybe no one had even noticed yet. He decided not to waste time and instead crept quickly around the dais and darted behind the nearest rock and then just ran the rest of the way around the outside of the clearing and hoped the shadows obscured him.
He found the other children back by the path down to the kitchens beneath the main hall, which spanned the width of the entire main hall and also into the cave beneath where they stood now. The delicious scents of food were stronger back here, but so too was the stench of blood and raw meat and death. It reminded him of that day and disoriented him for a moment, like he was in the stands again watching his father the lion devour everything around him. He froze in the middle of the path, hearing the thump of severed arms and legs hitting the wood platforms and falling to the ground–
No. Different whumps. The sound of small fists connecting with a smaller body.
Taehyung already saw red, so it was frightening how easily that red transitioned to his bellow, “I told you to leave him alone!”
Jungkook ar Mara had a big stick he was swinging around, but it was too big to be of any actual use. The older boys ducked easily under it, making a game of punching him in his weak spots.
Taehyung ducked under the stick too but thrust it at one of the boys; he was just as tall as the older boy and managed to body him almost to the edge of the deck. In all honesty, he would have pushed him right over the edge if another boy hadn’t hit his back, distracting him. He turned just as Jungkook jumped onto the boy’s back with a rock in his hand, but he dropped it before he actually hit the boy with it. There were two more, so no time to really worry about whether Jungkook ar Mara brained one of them. Taehyung leapt around them and punched one bloody before elbowing the second in the throat.
When he turned around, Jungkook had the rock again, dark blood and tears streaming down his face as he squared off with the remaining boy. Several other children stood just around the fringes. It was eerie, with the pitched prayer echoing around the clearing in the background, and the low flickering light from the pathway torches and kitchen lights and a bright moon. The children were all being terrifyingly quiet in this brawl so as not to attract adults. Taehyung looked up at it and realized it meant the Lady was watching them, maybe Korth Mountainfather too. Would his own father be proud or disappointed if Taehyung helped Jungkook ar Mara kill a boy as a final warning?
No. He got that sick to his stomach feeling again. He couldn’t do that, and clearly Jungkook ar Mara couldn’t either because he was trembling and crying now and let the rock fall from his hand a second time.
With a grunt, Taehyung raced forward and grappled with the other boy. He put up more of a fight than the other three had, and for a very long couple of minutes he and Taehyung rolled around in the dirt, striking with elbows, knees, and fists, grabbing clothing and hair to tug.
Then Jungkook ar Mara yanked the boys’ boots off and threw them off the cliff –an odd gesture, but the boy let out a squawk and freed himself from Taehyung to run down the side path after them. The other three boys groaned and rose, probably to continue the fight because there would be too much shame in being beaten by a younger boy.
These weren’t even the same children as last time, Taehyung realized. No Do or Breck or Niilo, though Bjorn was the one currently chasing down his boots.
“How do you have so many enemies?!” he demanded of Jungkook ar Mara. “You’re six!”
Jungkook ar Mara wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand, his big dark eyes watery enough to catch the reflection of the moonlight like a helpless little doe.
Taehyung turned to the other boys, “I’m Taehyung ar Yeorum, son of Thane Greybeard. If you fight with Jungkook ar Mara, you fight with me. Hakkon Wintersbreath thinks you’re ugly nug-humpers for fighting with someone smaller than you so fight me instead unless you piss your pants when you lose!”
For all his grand-standing though, maybe it was more impressive when a girl’s voice said, “Yes, who’s impressed by picking on a boy smaller than you? I’m embarrassed for your parents. Do they know what a loser you are? Scram!”
Maybe the boys still wouldn’t have gone, but a nearby crackle of electricity changed their mind. Without even seeing who it came from, the boys scurried away in shame and defeat just as another girl flew down the path: Mina ar Mara.
She caught Jungkook ar Mara up in a hug that he tried to squirm away from as she demanded, “Who was it this time? Who did this?”
“They ran off,” the first girl’s voice said –Karmen, he realized. Mina’s glare turned to him, standing to the side, bloodied and dirty, but before he could say anything, Karmen said, “He was fighting on your brother’s side again.”
“I don’t need help,” Jungkook insisted, squirming out of his sister’s hold. “I have to get back to work!”
“You’re injured.”
“I’m strong!”
The boy who had cast the electricity, whose name Taehyung didn’t know, sighed, “Next time just get me and I’ll chase them off.”
Karmen glared at him, “More like you’ll blow them up. You know we aren’t supposed to use our magic until we’ve passed our trial.”
“You’ve had magic for a week and you’re already bossy about it.”
“Stuff it, Yoongi,” Karmen retorted, crossing her arms.
“I’m your elder, speak to me with respect.”
“You’re a year older, so act like it!”
Taehyung backed away slowly as Jungook ar Mara ran past him to grab something from the kitchen. He’d jumped into the fight without thinking, but with more children involved now, he didn’t want to be here anymore. He wasn’t here to get tangled up in all of this.
“We should tell the adults–” Mina started.
“Tell them what?” Yoongi asked. “They don’t care about fighting. You aren’t helping him either when you treat him like a baby in front of everyone.” Mina looked deeply hurt by this but Taehyung thought Yoongi was right. Other children weren’t going to be nice to you just because your older sister was worried. Crying when they hit you wasn’t going to make them stop. Taehyung might not know very much about other people, but Apa had taught him the most important thing: the strongest wins. Jungkook ar Mara was not the strongest, and Taehyung realized he was really stepping into it if he was going to keep getting involved, and then this growing flock of noisy children was going to keep circle around him like this. He did not want to be involved.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Karmen demanded, turning to him and crossing her arms. She looked very angry in the blue light from the magic torches.
“I’m the Thane’s son. I have to go back to my seat.”
“Are you hurt? Do you need any healing?”
He was hurt, but the last thing he wanted right now was a brand new mage child trying to heal his cuts or bruises with unsteady magic. He’d already proven he wasn’t afraid, so now he didn’t have to prove it again. Anyway, Apa would want to know why he was beat up and would probably be proud about Taehyung beating a bunch of older boys even if these ones weren’t very much older. Ama wouldn’t be but women didn’t know about those kinds of things. He could see that was true about Mina ar Mara and Karmen ar Hilde too.
“Thank you for helping him,” Mina ar Mara said, with a voice and big eyes that proved he was right about her not understanding fighting. She looked at him like he’d done Jungkook ar Mara some big favor. He’d just joined a fight. It just annoyed him for boys to push around a younger boy. The gods wouldn’t honor something like that, but they would honor him helping someone smaller. Besides, it felt a little good to get to kick and punch someone. That was what Apa talked about, right? The bloodrush of justice!
“I don’t care,” he said and turned away, embarrassed by all their eyes on him. He didn’t know these people and he didn’t want to know them. He made quick steps back towards the dais from the back. Jungkook ar Mara bumped into him along the way, carefully balancing a tray. He looked like shit, even though his wet face seemed to have been washed off. It just made him look like he had cried more.
“Thank you for fighting on my side,” he said, practically sniffling. Taehyung was tired of being thanked.
“I won’t help you again,” he said, glaring. “You need to learn to fight for yourself. You have to get bigger and stronger.”
“I’m growing as fast as I can…”
“Pray to the gods harder or those other boys are going to kill you and it won’t be my problem,” Taehyung snapped at him. Jungkook’s eyes went wide and Taehyung decided it was no use, Jungkook ar Mara was always going to look like a baby with that face. His father was tall but probably he would be shorter like his mother. He looked more like his mother. How embarrassing for a boy. Taehyung was proud to look like both his parents.
“I won’t help you next time,” Taehyung said again, and gave Jungkook’s shoulder a rough shove that made him spill one of the bowls. Jungkook gasped but Taehyung just leapt up the back of the dais and settled back on his stool.
Ama gave him a wild look, clearly confused and worried about why he’d disappeared and why he looked all beat up. He smiled at her to reassure her: I won, Ama, don’t worry. Unfortunately his father didn’t notice at all, just grabbed a mug of beer from the platter Jungkook held up to him, face stoic and stern again. He looked like a grumpy baby. Taehyung was glad he wasn’t like him, a serving child at a feast like this, or small, or getting beat up by the other boys, or sharing his small home with so many siblings, or being the son of a simple fisherman. He knew how to fight! Jungkook ar Mara would never learn to fight or defend himself and he’d just keep getting beat up about it until the other boys probably killed him. The gods favored strength.
From the dais, he saw Mina ar Mara and Karmen ar Hilde whispering to each other as they returned to their seats. The other boys, Yoongi and Hoseok, were right behind them. Were they all friends? They were all around the same age, and three of them were young mages, but he didn’t think they spent much time with Mina and Jungkook ar Mara –not that he paid much attention or knew anything about how people became friends or acted like friends. He tried to forget everyone’s names because he didn’t care.
Taehyung held the ax in both of his hands, even though Apa was annoyed about it because it was supposed to be a single-handed weapon. Every bone in his bottle rattled with each ‘tap’ from Apa’s ax.
“Sparks!” Apa shouted. “I want to see sparks! Meet my force!”
Taehyung did his best to hold his ground but Apa was the strongest man in the world and even his light taps were enough to send Taehyung flying. Even if he tried to swing and meet Apa’s hits, the impact felt like it would explode his bones. He knew Apa was barely using any of his strength but Taehyung didn’t feel like he was managing to show off any of the things his weapons trainer had taught him. He still flinched when Apa took a step towards him. He still got the wind knocked out of him when Apa would send him flying. He was still too slow getting up so that Apa could hit him on the back and knock him down again. He threw up at one point, unable to keep his stomach from emptying after a hard blow, and Apa’s disgusted frown shattered his heart.
A warrior can’t have a soft heart he chanted to himself and pushed to his feet to try again. He tried to show off his speed but it was flagging because it took him so long to try and circle around his much larger father. He tried to dodge blows but maybe Apa was getting tired too because he wasn’t deflecting them as quickly. The edge of his ax touched Taehyung’s shoulder and a moment later a line of blood wept through the cut in his shirt. Taehyung stared at it with shock.
The next blow sent him flying backwards. His breath left him again and he doubled over, stomach cramping as it tried to vomit up nothing.
“Get your ax!” Apa bellowed, furious. Taehyung tried to scramble to his feet but he wasn’t quick enough. He’d barely reached his ax when Apa kicked him, sending him flying again. He didn’t know how long they’d been at it by now, but he knew he felt like he was dying and that he hadn’t gotten to show Apa anything he’d learned yet.
“Do you see this?” Apa demanded of Florin. He grabbed Taehyung by the arm and dragged him up like he was just a weak little kitten. “This is what you teach my son? Is it you or is my son lazy?”
“I work hard–” Taehyung tried to say but Florin spoke over him, “I am sorry, my Thane, I do my best with him but–”
“But what?” Apa demanded, stomping over to him, Taehyung still a limp ferret in his grasp. “What are you saying about my son? He is not big and strong and capable?”
In a burst of strength, Taehyung tried to prove he was those things by kicking at Apa’s ribs. Apa simply tossed him aside and grabbed Florin by the throat.
“If you cannot teach my son to be better I will replace you,” he snarled. “The gods do not waste breath on the weak.”
“I’m one of the best warriors in the Hold–” Florin began indignantly but Apa punched him in the face and tossed him aside as easily as he had Taehyung, shouting, “You are weak! You are worthless! You are not worthy of teaching my son! Run from my sight and do not let me see you again or death will meet you!”
Florin really was one of the most experienced warriors who’d dedicated himself to training since he couldn’t really fight as well anymore because something had happened to his legs. But he was still tough and Taehyung didn’t think there was anything Florin hadn’t been trying to teach him. He was plenty big and brave and scary and strong.
Taehyung tried to stand but found his arms and legs were shaking too badly. Apa stomped over to him now and he could see the fury all over Apa’s face. He’d failed. He hadn’t impressed him. He was the only son of Thane Greybeard and he was seven years old and being taught by another great warrior but he wasn’t getting big and strong fast enough. He hadn’t even been quick.
“Stand up. We keep going,” Apa yelled at him. “We’ll stay here until you do something worthy of your birth–”
“Njal,” Ama called. Taehyung hadn’t realized she was here at all. Apa had them training in one of the circles that was tucked away because he didn’t want anyone gawking at them –now Taehyung understood he didn’t want anyone to see what a bad warrior in training he was. A few people had tried to watch in the beginning but Apa had scared them off. Now, as Ama ran forward, Taehyung could see a healer lurking, and the way people walking by in the distance glanced nervously over. They were all scared of Apa too right now.
“He’s exhausted now,” Ama said. “He’s bleeding and–”
“You think warriors don’t bleed? We are Avvar! We shed blood in training so we may shed others’ blood on the battlefield.”
“He’s only seven–”
“Silence, woman!” Apa shouted and backhanded her. She stumbled backwards, clutching her face.
“Njal!” she said again. “You’re being too hard on–”
“Enough!” Apa roared at her.
“I can fight!” Taehyung shouted, leaping forward and drawing on every muscle in his body to lift the ax. He was afraid Apa would accidentally kill Ama. He got like that sometimes. He forgot he didn’t need to use so much strength. Taehyung understood Ama wanted to protect him, but he was seven, that wasn’t her job anymore. Now he was almost a man and it was his job to protect her! “I’m a warrior, Ama. I’m strong.”
“I know you’re strong but– you’ll kill him, Njal! He’s still young!”
“Make me another baby if you need something small and weak,” Apa said to her, then spat on the ground by her feet. “You have made me a son, now I will make him a man.”
Taehyung lifted his axe, ready to push through and fight harder and do whatever Apa asked of him so he could be the man Apa wanted him to be.
“He’s my son–”
Apa sent her flying again. Ama was very light, tall and thin. The healer Trygve caught her and Taehyung held his breath until Ama had risen to her feet.
“Focus, Taehyung,” Apa growled, blocking his view. “Don’t be distracted by any woman. Women come and go but strength is forever. From now on, I will train you.”
Taehyung gave him a serious nod.
It didn’t last long. Certainly it didn’t last as long as it felt. Apa had already hurt him and frightened the strength out of him and Taehyung’s best efforts were like a tickle. Very shortly he couldn’t even hold the ax up while Apa shouted at him about being weak and pathetic and no blood of his. When blood finally made it hard to see and he was dizzy and his arm hurd so bad he couldn’t help but weap, Apa finally stormed off cursing the gods for giving him such a pathetic son.
Tyrgve crouched beside Taehyung immediately, offering, “Here, child, I will heal your wounds.”
“A warrior doesn’t need healing.”
“A warrior in training does or he will not be strong enough to fight tomorrow,” Tyrgve corrected, hands already glowing blue. “Even adult warriors may seek healing after a difficult day.”
“Don’t get rid of them or Apa won’t know how hard I fought,” Taehyung said before realizing by the confusion on Tyrgve’s face that his words didn’t make sense. Apa had been training with him, of course he knew he hadn’t fought well. But still the impulse gripped him; he didn’t want to be healed. He wanted to wear his injuries with pride like Apa did but… but they hurt so bad. It hurt so bad he could barely breathe. He didn’t like this. He wanted to like this but Apa was frightening and being hurt wasn’t fun and he didn’t like the way Apa had hurt Ama. She wasn’t a warrior!
He lay still as Tyrgve healed the injuries, grateful they were at least behind a rock where no one passing could see them. It was weak to need healing, right?
“Is my Ama all right?” he asked. His wavering voice embarrassed him.
“Yes, she’s all right. She’s at home waiting for you.”
He wished she wasn’t there. Maybe Apa wouldn’t go home right away though. He wasn’t in a good mood as he stomped off, but Taehyung couldn’t tell if he was going towards the Main Hall or taking the path towards their hut at the top of the climbing wall. Apa kept a room off the Main Hall so maybe he would get drunk and sleep there today.
“I will walk you home,” Tyrgve offered as he pulled away. Taehyung looked down at his arms and legs. His shirt was bloody but his shoulder and nose weren’t bleeding anymore, just smeared with red.
“I left some bruises,” Tyrgve explained. “I know you boys wear them like badges. But your arm was nearly broken and you hit your head too many times. You’ll be all right now but please be careful.”
“I’m a warrior,” Taehyung said. “I’m big and strong and brave.”
“I’ll walk you home.”
“I’m not going home yet.”
“Your ama is waiting for you–”
“You aren’t my nursemaid so go!” Taehyung shouted. Tyrgve gave him a shocked look, then stood and walked swiftly away. Good. Ama wasn’t here and Taehyung certainly didn’t need anyone else babying him either.
He’d thought to keep training by himself, now that he was healed, but his legs wouldn’t let him push up. He was thirsty, so thirsty it hurt, and his whole body shivered, cold even though he’d just been sweating so much. He didn’t want to move at all, he decided. Even training right now wouldn’t make Apa happy. Apa was right, he was small and weak. He had to be right, because all Taehyung wanted to do right now was crawl home and curl up in Ama’s lap and cry. That wasn’t the way a warrior behaved.
Instead he was crying right there on the ground, curled up behind the rock. Fear oozed from his body on those tears. Apa was going to kill him trying to make him strong. Apa was going to kill Ama because she wanted Taehyung to stay a baby. Even if he lived, he was only ever going to disappoint Apa. He couldn’t grow up fast enough. If only he had taken training with Florin more seriously but he didn’t really enjoy it so his heart wasn’t always in it and that’s why he was bad at it now. He didn’t really want to swing an ax, he wanted to–
He looked up with fury as someone came around the rock, intruding on his private moment. Jungkook ar Mara gave him that wide-eyed stare and Taehyung shifted like he was going to hit him, certain it would frighten the mouse boy away.
Instead Jungkook ar Mara asked, “Are you still hurt?”
“I’m not hurt. This is what a warrior in training looks like.” Taehyung felt shame and rage turn his face red. How dare this ar Mara brat sneak up on him and catch him crying! He leapt to his feet, dashing the tears from his eyes.
But instead of flinching away, Jungkook argued, “You can’t train to be a warrior until you’re fifteen. You can’t start strength training until you’re twelve. You can only learn um… archery and survival right now. That’s the rule from the gods.”
“Rules like that are for weak people like you. My apa is the Thane!”
“But gods are… the gods…”
“Besides, what do you know? You’re just a little mouse boy! You can’t even fight the other little boys like you!” Taehyung shouted at him.
Jungkook just looked calm and a little concerned as he asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Huh?” Taehyung hadn’t expected the question and just stared at him.
“We’re eating crabs for dinner. You can come eat with me if you want.”
“I don’t want to eat with you.”
“Oh. All right.” Jungkook looked at him like he wanted to say something else but then he shrugged. “The crab is really good.” He turned and began to walk.
Taehyung didn’t care about the crab. He was messy right now and hurting and he ought to go home to Ama to make sure she was ok.
But there was something interesting that Jungkook hadn’t made a big fuss about the way he looked right now. He couldn’t , right? He got beat up by little boys so he couldn't look down on Taehyung for getting beat up by his own father. And maybe if people saw him walking around like this, they’d realize how tough he was. And he was really, really hungry but the last place he wanted to go was the Main Hall where his father probably was.
He pushed to his feet and quickly caught up with Jungkook, bumping into him as he said, “Fine. Your family can be honored to feed the son of the Thane.”
“Uh huh.”
Taehyung’s gaze narrowed at Jungkook ar Mara’s simple response. Did he mean something by that? But he didn’t say anything else. He looked like he was thinking about something else entirely.
They were silent walking next to each other through the Hold. Sometimes people stared at him, but a bloodied boy wasn’t really that interesting or unusual a sight. Belatedly Taehyung worried people might think Jungkook was the one who had bloodied him, but that made so little sense that he didn’t worry about it long. Obviously that was not what had happened.
The ar Mara’s lived in a two-room hut near the docks. It was small, even compared to the hut he and Ama and Apa used to live in. The littlest ar Mara was toddling back and forth across it while Mother Mara and Mina cooked. Jungkook’s father sat at the table doing something with string.
For a moment Taehyung had the laughable urge to hide behind Jungkook. He’d stepped boldly into the hut only to realize that this was nothing like this home. The baby was making a lot of noise and Mina was talking nonstop to Mother Mara and Jungkook’s father sang to himself in a low voice as he worked.
“Ama,” Jungkook ar Mara called. “Can my friend Taehyung eat with us?”
All activity in the hut ceased. The big pot over the fire still bubbled and whatever it was smelled so good Taehyung wanted to cry for it. Suddenly he didn’t think he’d ever been so hungry in his life. The food in the Main Hall was almost always wonderful but Ama’s cooking when they’d lived in the hut hadn’t smelled like that . Suddenly all the training and shouting and bumps and bruises and even the tears pressed down on him, unleashed by the warm smell of whatever was in that pot, and he wanted to cry.
“Yes, it’s all right,” Mother Mara said with a nod of her head. “Are you hurt, child?” Child .
“My father is Thane Greybeard.”
“Yes, I know who you are,” she said. Taehyung glanced at Jungkook’s father, who just gave him a warm smile. Why wasn’t he the one doing the talking? The woman of the house was?
“You’re all bloody,” Mina said. The baby had walked over and Taehyung looked at it with confusion as Jungkook suddenly knelt down for it to hug him. He’d never been so close to such a small child before. He was cute, actually. He wasn’t surprised to see that Jungkook was the kind of boy who would just hug a baby like that. Soft.
“This is my baby brother Yo-han,” Jungkook explained. He picked Yo-han up and the little one laughed and tugged at Jungkook’s hair. He smiled like it was a funny joke and Taehyung wondered what it was like to live with other children.
“Are you injured?” Jungkook’s father finally spoke up. “We can patch you up or send for a healer.”
“I’m already healed. I’m just still… dirty,” he frowned, looking down at his own hands and arms. He glanced at Jungkook, but his arms and face were clean. Everyone in the hut was clean. He was the Thane’s son and he was visiting a family that were fishermen and lived in a small kind of broken hut but he was the dirty hungry one. That was humbling. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I was training and I didn’t wash up.”
“Show him where to wash up, Jungkook, and give him one of your shirts if he wants. We can clean and mend the one he has now.”
Taehyung frowned about that. He didn’t need them to fix his shirt. His own Ama could do that. Did these people not understand who he was? He was the son of the Thane! Everyone in the Hold had to take care of him and treat him with respect! He was the one who kept fighting when Jungkook ar Mara was getting beat up –the only one!
“My sister is really good at it,” Jungkook said as he led Taehyung outside to rinse off. They were right by the waterline, which stank of fish here. Fish skeletons and crab shells and bits of cloth and broken bowls littered the short muddy beach. “At mending but she likes to stitch flowers so if you don’t like that maybe you don’t want her to do that.”
Taehyung almost laughed in Jungkook’s face that of course he didn’t want flowers in his shirt! But then he thought about the shoulder of his shirt with a decorative line of flowers and… Ama might like that and think it was pretty. Ama loved flowers. He kind of liked flowers too, even if he wouldn’t admit it to anyone ever. Apa did not like flowers.
So he shrugged, “It’s fine. Flowers are ok.”
“She doesn’t have to do flowers but sometimes she likes to.”
They slid out of their clothes and rinsed off quickly, then Taehyung carried his shirt back to the hut. Inside Jungkook gave him a shirt he didn’t expect to fit but it did, probably too big for him. Taehyung felt a little bad now to take a shirt from people who didn’t have the blessings he did with his apa but he’d just be careful and return the shirt.
He caught Mother Mara watching him closely as he trailed Jungkook to the table. Baby Yo-han was trying to climb up and Jungkook picked him up and swung him around to make him laugh before setting him down.
“More more!” Yo-han cried, trailing after Jungkook, but Mother Mara had told him and Taehyung to start shelling the crabs.
“We put the meat in the stew,” Jungkook explained as Taehyung held back, staring at the work all of them were doing at the table –all except Yo-han, though after a moment he climbed onto a chair and Mina gave him a crab to try and fail with. Jungkook paused, then offered, “I can teach you if you don’t know how!”
“I know how,” Taehyung snapped. “I used to eat crab all the time with my Ama. We lived on the wetlands.”
Jungkook’s father nodded, “That’s right, we saw your cabin when we would go out crabbing.”
“Yeah, I saw you,” Taehyung admitted, but it suddenly felt strange to speak to another adult who was also Jungkook’s father and inviting him into their house to eat so maybe he didn’t want to be as demanding towards him as he usually was towards adults. He wasn’t feeling like the respected Thane’s son right now but he also wasn’t feeling not respected. He just felt odd here. This place felt strange.
Mina snuck a sliver of meat into her mouth and, when she realized Taehyung had seen her, giggled, “Oops.” He just stared, not sure why it was funny.
The crabs were already cooked anyway, so once the meat was tossed into the pot, there wasn’t much longer to wait before Mother Mara said it was ready to eat. Shelling the crabs had taken longer than the last period of cooking and then Taehyung was given a seat not at the table but around the fire with his bowl and a mug of water, nothing fancier. There were seats for everyone, even Yo-han though he kept climbing up and down until Mother Mara finally made him sit on the floor and he leaned against Jungkook’s legs. Obviously Yo-han thought Jungkook ar Mara was amazing. Taehyung wondered what he’d think when he got older and realized his brother was small and got beat up a lot.
But no one seemed to think Jungkook was pathetic here. Taehyung was used to adults talking over supper, but he definitely wasn’t used to the children doing it too. When Mina or Jungkook spoke, the parents listened with interest and asked questions, like they were two more adults! Sure, Ama spoke closely like that with him, but not around other people, and not at mealtimes since they ate in the Main Hall with Apa.
Taehyung almost wanted to test it out himself and say something, see if everyone listened to him. But what did he have to say? He didn’t want to talk about training with Apa, but that was kind of it for his life except for lessons and spending time with Ama. He didn’t have any interesting stories really, nothing that he thought would interest or impress the people here and he felt that was important, that if he was going to talk, he wanted to say something they would find really impressive. He was the son of the Thane. He was blessed by the gods and they were just fisherfolk but he wasn’t sure they cared about that. No one brought up Jungkook’s fights either, or Taehyung’s involvement. Did they not know Jungkook got beat up all the time? They must know. Or they didn’t appreciate that Taehyung was helping him?
Instead they talked about the baby Mother Mara was carrying and a blessing the Augur had given, and a dream she’d had that the baby was born a beautiful rose with sharp thorns, and about how Mina had won some recognition in her class, and about a whether or not they should still go on a trip they took in the summer to fish at the Great Ocean. Taehyung’s eyes went wide when, pressed by Mina and Jungkook to tell Taehyung, the father told him stories of the biggest, bluest water stretching as far as the eye could see, and ships as big as the Main Hall, and fish that jumped from the water and made laughing noises and were big as a man, called purpoises. And they were smart! Blessed by Bjorn Reed-beard with enough intelligence not to be easily caught. Taehyung had never been from Red Lion Hold, and the only things he tended to hear about were battles and raids and how pathetic the other Holds were, so to hear Jungkook’s family speak with awe about the Blue Fins and the Reed Sea Holds was mesmerizing.
“I’d like to go on a boat like that,” Taehyung admitted.
Jungkook’s father grinned, “Maybe someday you can join us. All young men apprentice at some point.”
“I will be a warrior like my apa,” was Taehyung’s instant response with a laugh. As if he could even pretend to apprentice with a fisherman!
“Every role in the Hold is equally important in the eyes of the gods,” Mother Mara told him. “We are blessed to take that journey. We meet many people, see interesting things, remember to appreciate our home, and the people of the Hold get to remember how much they rely on our fish and crabs!”
“We’re the busiest fish stall!” Mina told Taehyung proudly.
In the face of their pride at their own profession though, Taehyung was embarrassed and defended, “My Apa is the most important though! He’s the Thane of everyone! Maybe if you were warriors too Jungkook would learn to fight and not get beat up by the other boys.”
The instant frowns on all faces present let Taehyung know he had said something wrong.
After a moment, Jungkook’s father said, “The gods encourage us to look after each other within a Hold. Little boys who don’t feel seen or heard try to put others down around them. It is easy to feel strong if you pick on those smaller than you but that’s not true strength.”
“The gods will see justice in the end,” Mother Mara said. Jungkook and Mina sat quietly while Yo-han watched them. He seemed bothered that Jungkook was quiet and tried to climb up Jungkook’s back.
“I don’t bully Jungkook,” Taehyung insisted, feeling like maybe they were confused. “I helped him because I know how to fight and he doesn’t. I think it’s stupid to beat up smaller boys too.”
“It’s really nice of you,” Mina said. “Those other boys are just awful. I hope the Lady drops hailstones on their heads–”
“Mina.”
“They deserve it!”
Jungkook just mumbled, “Someday I’ll be bigger and I can fight my own battles.”
“The gods look after us,” his father nodded. “Sometimes by providing us with friends who can watch our backs.”
Taehyung thought they meant him, but Mina agreed with her father, “Yoongi promised me he’s going to keep watching because he said he needs to practice his magic and he won’t get in so much trouble for using it before his training is done if he uses it helping someone.”
“He shouldn’t–” Jungkook’s father began but Mother Mara shrugged, “Eh, if the boys get themselves blown up…”
“Ama!” Jungkook and Mina both actually laughed at the same time. Mother Mara smiled at them. She usually had a hard look to her but she looked like Taehyung’s own Ama in that moment.
“I’m not scared of magic or of those boys,” Taehyung said. “Apa is proud of me if I fight good so I can help too.”
Jungkook just looked at him and didn’t look very grateful about it, but his parents thanked Taehyung instead.
Soon food was all gone and Taehyung realized he had better get home or Ama might be there worrying about him. When Mina took his bowl, he remembered at least to say thank you to the ar Mara’s for the food and wish them blessings from the gods. Jungkook followed him outside, to his surprise, catching his arm before he could run off.
“Can you teach me to fight?” he asked without any lead up. “I don’t care if boys bother me but sometimes they bother my sister too.”
“Oh.” Taehyung glanced back through the open doorway where Mina was already looking at the torn part of his shirt. He had told her he didn’t mind if she practiced flowers on it which had surprised her but she’d looked really happy about it. If it was too embarrassing he’d just get rid of it; he could have all the shirts he wanted now anyway since he was the Thane’s son.
Taehyung looked at Jungkook for a moment. He was smiling. His family was calling him back inside and he didn’t look annoyed about it because his family all loved each other. Taehyung thought Jungkook’s parents might not even be that mad that he wasn’t immediately obeying them. He felt a little jealousy that he didn’t want to admit, because Apa was the best and greatest warrior in the Hold and wanted him to be great too but having a little brother who crawled on your back and an older sister who fixed things for you and both a mother and a father who listened to you and already thought you were great was kind of… It seemed nice. Taehyung was blessed by the gods! He didn’t want a different family! But maybe he could just eat here sometimes when he wanted to feel what that was like.
So Taehyung answered Jungkook’s request, “Yeah. You need to learn to fight for yourself too. Maybe I can eat with your family sometimes and maybe I can go to the Great Ocean with you too.”
“Yeah, ok.”
“Ok it’s a deal.” They knocked their foreheads together and patted each other’s backs like the adults did and then Taehyung waved at him and headed home.
Was this what it meant to have a friend? Were they friends now? They had a deal where both of them got something they wanted and… Probably Apa wouldn’t be happy to know this was who he had made friends with but at least he could say confidently Jungkook wasn’t going to stab him. His puny arms definitely couldn’t drive a knife in, and Taheyung could disarm him and actually stab him before he tried a second time. No problem.
He wondered what kind of flowers Mina would stitch into his shirt.
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Saluting to the taehyung flag
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Finally proof album is out😭😭😭
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Prompt: As she fell, her only thought was that she had no antiseptic left in the bathroom cabinet and this was probably going to hurt so much that she wouldn’t be able to walk down to the store.
You expected to feel the cold, hard tile when you hit the ground, but it never came. Instead, you kept falling down a dark hole that sealed behind you. You tumbled, head over heels and vice versa, in darkness until another hole opened up, letting in full daylight that temporarily blinded you. You shot out of it like a cannon and into a vibrant blue sky. The ground rapidly approached, and you panicked. At this height and speed, you’d surely die.
But then the most curious thing happened. A tall man emerged from a violet portal, dressed regally with shiny gold accents and a sword equipped on his belt. He looked around as if searching for something, then looked to the sky, jaw dropping when he spotted you, the human meteor. His mouth and hands moved quickly as he recited an incantation. Your speed decreased, but it wasn’t enough to stop you from slamming into him, nearly knocking him right out of his royal boots.
You both laid out on the ground for a few minutes, dazed and winded, until you had the strength to roll over. “Sorry…and thank you.”
He turned his attention to you. “I’m just happy I made it in time.” He gave you a wide, boxy smile. “Namjoon would’ve had a fit.” Your savior got to his feet and dusted himself off. “Speaking of which, we must get going. Can’t risk you being seen.” He extended his hand, and you took it.
“What’s your name?” You asked, brushing grass and dirt off your arms as he pulled stuff from your hair.
“I am Taehyung, Prince of the Glass Kingdom.” When he deemed you presentable, he made a circular motion with his hands and another violet portal opened. “Come now, my dear. You have a realm to save.”
#bts drabble#v drabble#taehyung drabble#taehyung x reader#taehyung x you#bts fluff#bts fantasy#taehyung fantasy#taehyung fluff#v x reader#v x you#v fluff#bts prince au#prince taehyung#prince v#bts scenarios#bts imagines#taehyung imagines#taehyung scenarios
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i can't help falling in love with you
Vmin
Strangers to Lovers
Magic
Royalty AU
Prince Tae & Restaurant owner Jimin
Jimin is a young adult struggling through days. In between of debts, electricity problems, a broken boiler and breakdowns he meets with a man, who claims his hand in marriage is promised to him. Jimin might as well think he finally went mad.
Or.
Vmin arranged marriage au with a sprinkle of angst, magic and love.
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Hey prince!taehyung how did you find out you‘re a sub?
"The king kept giving me submissive woman after submissive woman. I kept getting annoyed because they wanted me to do all the work during sex. Hated it."
"He's a little bit of a pillow princess."
#kim taehyung#bts kim taehyung#taehyung#bts taehyung#character asks#answered asks#answered#prince!taehyung#prince taehyung
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tk fanfic writer gguk
"Prince Taehyung held her tenderly, tucking a golden lock behind her ear. Jieun gasped and the prince got closer, lips just a millimeter away and so soft looking..."
Jeongguk writes down the last words with a lovesick sigh, his handwriting round and curly. According to the gossip he has heard, it's one of the reasons why most people think the author of "The Rose and the Thorn" is a woman. That, plus a commonly rigid mindset and the fact that Jeongguk never showed his face, and signed his works with an anonymous "J.J."
Not that Jeongguk wrote every book by hand, of course. At first he did, the only ones privy to his guilty pleasure the people near him. A group of five, maybe six people at max, and only to them he passed the ink stained pages as he wrote them.
He had always dreamed about becoming a writer but he had no illusions about becoming famous with... these. Imagined stories with the royal heir as the protagonist - tales of star-crossed lovers and intrigues at the palace. He took the name of a female noble he found pretty enough and made her the co-star, furiously hoping that if he wrote "she" instead of "he", people wouldn't be able to tell that he wrote himself into his own work, that he is the starry eyed romantic interest that the fictional version of Prince Taehyung falls in love with.
Jeongguk has always dreamed of becoming a writer, sure, but he kinda doesn't want the fameto be born from absurd fantasies about the soon-to-be king.
It isn't like he would become famous with that. Yeah, "The Rose and the Thorn" (a title he choose randomly at the beginning and now regards with a grimace) is getting popular among his peers, but Jeongguk lives in a tiny village in the mountains. No one outside of it will ever read it - surely no one from the capital.
He doesn't think it will be too popular there, anyway. He doesn't know a lot about politics and what it's happening in the palace, but apparently a lot of nobles are pushing for the second prince, Taehyung's brother, to take the throne. Prince Taehyung has all kind of malicious rumors around himself - with his penetrating gaze, cold attitude and relentless drive against the ones who stand in his path, it's no wonder that many think of him as cruel. It isn't true (Jeongguk knows that) but it's easy to trick the common folk and the lesser nobles as well. It's just a matter of weaving the right tale.
The capital doesn't like its future king. Jeongguk would be worried for the prince, for his safety, if it wasn't for the fact that Prince Taehyung has the military on his side and the law. No one will ever dare to touch him.
Oh, Jeongguk wishes he could touch him. See him from up close. He still remembers when he was little and lost in the forest, and the prince saved him so chivalrously. Maybe it's wrong to idolize someone so deeply after something so small, but can you blame him? He was only 7 years old at the time, the prince barely 9, and yet Prince Taehyung came to his rescue, so gallant and noble! With eyes sparkling like jewels, and he did not smile but his hand felt so warm and-
Jeongguk is interrupted in his musing by a knock at the door.
A frantic and powerful one, followed by many others until he worries that the door will cave under the onslaught. His parents have no reason to be this brutish and so Jeongguk swallows as he rises, sudden unease taking his heart hostage. He opens the door with trembling hands and he manages to see two guards standing there, decked in full armor and with swords hanging on their belts, before they shove something in his face and then, Jeongguk is asleep.
---
He wakes with a gasp and knows immediately that he isn't in his home. The ceiling is too high, the couch is lying on too lavish. Everything is decorated with gold and marble and the kind of materials Jeongguk writes about in his novel.
Not his village for sure.
"I'm very sorry for our rude manners."
Jeongguk turns to the side. There's another couch in front of him and two people sit. Not the ones who knocked him out, though.
One of them, the one who spoke, is a man. A stunning one, his hair silver and the color weaved in his garments too. His clothes are luxurious and regal looking, but they are a very clearly a uniform of some kind. A fancy one, but a uniform nonetheless.
"Allow me to introduce myself: I am Count Park Jimin, royal advisor. I work for the crown, and for the Kim family."
Holy fuck. Royal Advisor. Jeongguk doesn't really know Park Jimin, but he knows about Count Park. Prince Taehyung's most trusted confidante.
(He may have wrote about him - about them - once or twice. In... scandalous settings. The kind of writings that must NEVER see the light of day, something even worse than "The Rose and the Thorn". He feels his face go aflame, but he doesn't dare utter anything.)
"It may be difficult to believe me, but we mean no harm."
At the mention of "we", Jeongguk looks at the other figure sitting there. They look male too, with long legs and a lean build. Imposing and threatening even when sitting down, despite the lack of armor or weapons. Their clothing is all dark as night, less flashy than the count's, and a dark cloak covers most of their figure. They don't look as important as the count, but they emanate an aura of power that it's impossible to ignore.
A guard? Another noble? He is left wondering. Jeongguk doesn't trust his voice, so he simply nods and hope the count will explain what is happening.
"Are you familiar with this?"
Count Park gives him a book and Jeongguk first instinct is to say no, because the cover isn't familiar. Until he reads the title. 'The Rose and the Thorn' is written in elegant cursive on the cover, the letters golden and fancy-looking. Jeongguk feels himself pale.
"This- I'm- how do you-"
"It's a very popular novel in the capital," replies Count Park, a pleasant smile on his face. Jeongguk wonders if it's fake or genuine, and he hopes it's the latter.
"I've read it," he continues, as Jeongguk flushes crimson, "and I love it! Very well written, full of passion. Inaccurate but it's fiction, isn't it?"
"Yes!" interjects Jeongguk, eager to defend himself. "I'm very sorry it reached the capital- I had no intentions- I didn't- I wasn't the one who published it. I just, hmm, just wanted to... write."
It's a pathetic excuse and he hangs his head in shame. Count Park has read it. On a different occasion, Jeongguk would be overjoyed to know such a distinguished man has read his work. But if he's here, brought before him with a kidnapping, the royal palace clearly isn't happy with the novel.
Will he be imprisoned? Hanged? For defamation, or a worse offence?
"You just wanted to write," drawls the count and it sounds predatory, "but you did much more. Tell me, is this how you see Prince Taehyung? Noble and kind? Even... sweet?"
The figure in dark kicks the count's leg with a hiss, but Jeongguk is distracted and doesn't notice. "Oh, he is like that!! I know for sure! He is my prince and I have the utmost respect for him- he shines so brightly, he is so determined and fair and-"
"I'm glad to hear that Jeongguk," interrupts the count, sounding like he's barely repressing a laugh, "and I'm very glad that's how you decided to represent him in your book. Even when we know Prince Taehyung is a cruel man."
Jeongguk is impulsive. He's driven by his heart and his passion, and he never backed down when it mattered. He can't help it. So when he hears the count speaking like that, he steadies his voice and glares at him. "With all due respect, I know that Prince Taehyung is fair and just. Just because some petty noble put those rumors around doesn't mean that they are true. And excuse my audacity, but shouldn't a royal advisor know this?"
His hands are trembling but Jeongguk doesn't avert his gaze. Park Jimin's eyes are sharp and icy, wearing him down to the bone, making him shiver.
Until they aren't. Jeongguk doesn't back down and Count Park relaxes, his frown turning into a smile. He leans back on the couch and chuckles. "You hear, Tae? You got a fan."
The figure in black doesn't answer for a while. Jeongguk can tell they are looking at him, but he doesn't understand why.
And then, they speak. "Jeon Jeongguk," they says, the voice is low and deep. The kind of voice that Jeongguk loves, that he craves. It reminds him of-
The man pulls off the hood in a quick motion and Jeongguk stops breathing. Black hair, sharp eyes. A face he dreamed about for so long. Prince Taehyung looks even colder from up close. He looks stern and intense, even scary.
He looks at Jeongguk, piercing and deep. Like he does in his novel.
"We need your help. And it should be easy: I just need you to write more."
or: After some rumors start painting the future king as a cruel monster, life gets more difficult for Taehyung. Nobles want his brother to rise to the throne and he knows exactly why - he's younger, naive, and easily controlled. He won't let them do that.
But his reputation is shit and he can't do anything about it. Public opinion can be fixed with a forced hand. Until a book catches his attention.
He doesn't know where does 'the Rose and the Thorn' come from, but Jimin brings it to him and explains why it matters. And Taehyung notices - the next time he parades around the city, there's less hatred and more longing gazes. The nobles painted him as a monster. And the book painted him as a kind, romantic hero.
The people don't like the nobles that much. But the book?
Oh, they like it a lot. So he "invites" (kidnaps) the author to his court with a proposition. More books, more stories to mend his reputation. All to be done in secret of course.
Jeongguk doesn't have an hard time accepting. And if maybe he hangs around the prince more than he should, well! A writer needs inspiration. And Jeongguk writes love stories. Prince Taehyung doesn't need to know that Jeongguk imagines himself as the heroine.
Jeongguk lives out his deepest, sappiest dreams and writes them in his books. A book that Taehyung reads, so he's quick to realize that wait, didn't this exact scenario happen just a few weeks ago?
"Of course I have to romanticize even where there's no romance! Like between the two of us! It's a writer's duty to dream up things!"
The problem is, Taehyung is a little shit. Once he catches on, he starts doing things on purpose just to read Jeongguk's point of view a week or month later, when the new chapter inevitably comes out. It's like being directly in Jeongguk's mind and knowing firsthand what makes him weak in the knees, what causes his heart to beat the fastest.
And Taehyung has always been a quick study. Jeongguk's writing becomes a manual he studies diligently, becoming a master in it just as he did with politics and history. Jeongguk dedicates an entire chapter about the time he tripped and Taehyung caught him at the last second, putting much emphasis on his "deep black eyes, gazing straight into her (his) soul" and "his dark hair framing his perfect face" and "his arms, strong around her (his) waist" and... well, actually, another 50 or so mentions of his arms.
Alright. Taehyung gets it. The cute author likes to be wrapped in his arms. Noted.
As a prince, Taehyung is implacable. As a person he's even worse, and so he does his best to reenact that kind of scenario, over and over again.
Every time, Jeongguk is a flustered mess. Every time he writes it into the book because it's exceptional material, okay? He's trying to do his job. It isn't like the prince is doing it on purpose or anything.
"Hey Jeongguk," Yoongi, his editor, tells him one day, "the heroine tripped six times in this chapter so... maybe you can tone it down a little-"
"She's CLUMSY, OKAY????? She TRIPS!!!! not my fAuLt!!!! it just HAPPENS. for NO REASON at ALL, okay?????"
Seokjin doesn't comment on his outburst. He simply straightens his mouth in a thin line and averts his eyes as if saying "yeah, sure" which is infinitely worse.
But Jeongguk cannot be blind to the evidence forever. After a while, he figures out that the more he writes about a trope, the more the prince does it. Or so it seems.
Testing his theory is easy. Before coming to the palace he only had his imagination and daydreaming to go on, after all, so writing 60 pages about a forehead kiss (something that definitely didn't happen, or he would've combusted on the spot) is not really a struggle.
After the chapter comes out, the prince is... fidgety. Blushing every time their eyes meet. Very uncharacteristic of the usually cocky man.
A week later, Jeongguk gets his forehead kiss. The excuse for it is frankly stupid and they both malfunction so badly that it's painful to see but... yeah. It happens.
(And it happens because Taehyung has spent a week building up courage and excuses for himself like "oh wow he really must like forehead kisses a lot I should. yeah. I should give him one for. Realism. yeah.")
Yoongi, the royal librarian, is basically Jeongguk's editor and beta reader which means... he has to read over 70+ pages of flirting and sexual tension and then SEE IT with his OWN EYES. He wants to set the manuscript on fire. He wants to set the two idiots on fire. He's so done with this.
As the novel goes on, Taehyung's character becomes less "trope-ish prince sweeping the princess off her feet" and more like... himself. He's kind and sweet, sure, but he's playful too and blunt, and sometimes he doesn't express himself well and comes out as harsh and cold. It gets more accurate and Jeongguk writes everything - not everything about the prince (he leaves out the bad moments and his weaknesses because he's writing fluff, not angst and the people don't need to know. They don't need to know everything) but everything about how he feels with him. His emotions are so painfully clear on paper that when he writes the heroine saying "I love you", he chokes and crosses it out because it never happened and it'll never happen either.
Describing the heroine gets harder. He stops mentioning her long hair, her dresses and, as the novel's Taehyung gets more accurate, the heroine becomes nebulous. No detail is offered about her, her emotions and feelings are the only thing clear on the paper, stark black against white. The rest is up to the readers' imagination, because... because it hurts too much. It hurts writing "she" and "her", it hurts writing Tae looking at someone else with a soft gaze, even if it's a someone Jeongguk invented. Yes, Jieun is fictional, but she still has more chances than him to marry the prince.
One time Yoongi gives him back his draft, edited and corrected. He offers no comments, but Jeongguk sees a "his raven hair" crossed out, corrected with "her blonde hair". He's so ashamed that the next chapter takes twice as lomg.
The readers want more. They want intimate scenes, they want details, and Jeongguk can't give them anymore. He tries writing a scene only to end up throwing everything away - Taehyung and Jieun aren't the same height, Jieun has small hands, it's "skirt" not "breeches" and she doesn't stain her clothes with ink, doesn't have it under her nails and on her face when she falls asleep on her manuscript. No, Jieun is a noble and she's perfect for the future king. Just like Jeongguk wrote her to be.
In the end, it's Jimin that comes to help. "You know," he says, gaze gentle but with the hint of a smirk, "when I first read the novel I couldn't stop laughing at Tae."
"Because I wrote that he said things like 'preposterous' on a daily basis?"
Jimin laughs. "That too. But it's more about... his tastes in the novel."
Jeongguk looks at him with a frown. Jimin sighs. Two dumb idiots.
"He has always told me he would never marry. Never. At first I didn't understand - he has to, for an heir."
Jeongguk feels a pang. Yeah, he knows.
"I told him it was inevitable, but he is a stubborn mule. And I figured it out a bit later. It's not about wedding or having a family - he likes the idea of those. But not the kind of marriage I kept proposing him."
He doesn't understand. He doesn't get what Jimin is trying to tell him. Jimin sighs. "The reason why I laughed at your novel is that it's very accurate, except for one thing. The heroine."
"My heroine is perfect," scoffs Gguk, because it's true. He crafted her to be. "Tell me Jimin, what does my heroine lacks?"
Jimin looks at him with an annoyed frown and tired with beating around the bush, he blurts out: "Your heroine lacks a dick, Jeongguk."
Jeongguk chokes on his tea, almost inhales it and feels it in his nostrils. He coughs for a few minutes, gasping and his mind working frenziedly but somehow coming up blank.
"You- I'm- but, no! He- he isn't-"
"The only reason he isn't proposing right now," interrupts Jimin, deadpan, "is that he's somewhat convinced you are the one who doesn't like men."
"Me???" he screeches in answer because Jeongguk likes men, yes, definitely. He wrote like 5 books about a very specific man he likes a lot.
"Yeah, I know. It's so obvious it's painful, you probably write odes about his cock."
Jeongguk splutters, but doesn't deny. He isn't good at lying so he better keep his mouth shut.
"But since you always wrote about a man with a woman, he got into his thick skull that that's the only option you contemplate. So. Stop moping and go s-"
Jeongguk flees before he can hear Jimin say more. And then he finds the prince and they talk and yes, Taehyung likes men and Jeongguk likes men and women but he has eyes for one man only so that isn't really a problem. And it's a kind of relationship that isn't unheard of, they wouldn't be the first in the whole realm or anything like that, but it's still strange for most people and Jeongguk is scared.
They worked so hard to make Taehyung's reputation better, what if this makes it plummet again? But the prince's response to this is "fuck what the people think" and that he isn't afraid to say what he wants, what he is.
Jeongguk takes a while to be comfortable with it, not to feel ashamed, but it helps that in the castle you either love Taehyung for who he is or you hate him for what he represents, and since Jeongguk doesn't have any reason to mingle with people who don't love their king, he only hears praises and reassurances.
Taehyung never believed in dynasty anyway, so when they ask where's his heir he says he has no intention of dying any soon, so they better fuck off and leave him alone.
They eventually get married and adopt a lot of children, and Taehyung nominates an offcial heir only when he's old, his hands withered. Jeongguk is beside him, his eyesight so ruined by age that he struggles to read but it doesn't matter, because he doesn't need to write stories anymore. He has lived his best one yet and he already knows it's the final chapters now.
It feels wrong to say they are going towards their happy ending - in most stories (in 'the Rose and the Thorn' too), the ending happens when the characters are young and happy, when they think "this is it, this is happiness". And if that's how it is, then Jeongguk knows that he has already got many, many happy endings.
This is almost like a brand new story.
#taekook#fanfic writer jeongguk#prince taehyung#royalty#noble x commoner#internalized homophobia#but just a tiny bit
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Me, Myself and V " Veautiful days " MV Photo-folio 💙🤍
#bts icons#bts v#v wallpaper#bts kim taehyung#bts teahyung#kim taehyung#thv#bts thv#veautiful days#me myself and v#special 8 photo folio#photo folio#bts tae wallpaper#v pretty#taehyung photo folio#prince taehyung#taehyung kim#thv icons#v imagine#v icons#taehyung lockscreens#taehyung wallpaper#taehyung
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So much BTS lore feels like fanfiction and I can't get over it
Two of the members hated each other at first. They argued a lot and one time, they threw folded clothes at each other and the member who folded them had to come scold them. And now they keep reminding everyone how long they've known each other for. They wrote a song together where they said that "respect is a higher tier than love" and then called each other "my respect."
The smartest member of the group (one the previous two morons btw) didn't know how to tie his shoelaces until highschool. He doesn't eat seafood because he loves crabs. He's a literal geniues and he's so clumsy and such a dork (and I relate so deeply). And that body, guys, I'm telling you. This whole guy was made by a fanfic author.
Their company was near bankrupcy when they debuted. One of the members, who was getting offers from so many other companies, joined this one because he admired another member who was already a part of it. When these two met for the first time, member two was only wearing underwear and member one said "wow, thighs."
Another member came to an audition, not to audition himself but to support a friend. He was the only person from that audition round to get in. The friend did not.
Another member, who was studying to be an actor, was street cast on a bus.
One of them lost confidence and tried to leave before the debut, but another convinced him to come back, because they "needed him."
The whole industry hated them when they debuted and now they're arguably the best kpop group worldwide. (Arguably, read: argue with the wall)
(Add your own pls, I want to make a collection from this)
#in order#namjoon and yoongi#namjoon#jungkook and namjoon#taehyung#seokjin#hoseok#i feel bad there's nothing about jimin#but i'm literally just ranting off the top of my head#tf you want me to say about jimin#he's a prince??#he's Tiny but Mighty??#he's the perfect love interest??#click clack of chelsea boots??#bts#bts army#bangtan#like wow i really am in a mood tonight huh#fanfiction#kpop
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