A young girl hung off my arm as i humored her with my attention as a drunken man cut off your path. my destination towards the castle temporarily halted. Typically, i would brush past him, however the young girl at your side only shrunk away at the sight of his disheveled appearance.
i knew this man, of course. He often gave you a rough time, unable to swallow his bit-swollen pride and accept orders from a woman who technically wasn't of royal blood. Spending all his time and money in taverns, you were certain if you wounded him, booze would pour out of his body instead of blood.
"May I help you?" i sneered, tilting my chin and looking at him in a collected, calm warning.
"It's a shame the mainland princes' didn't want to keep you over there," he slurred. "Do us a lotta good if you stayed put on the other side of the sea." i remained calm as i took a breath. i looked down to the young girl who clung to me. This man was not only well known to you, but to the rest of the castle town. He wasn't exactly too well liked because of his attitude.
When he saw the little girl staring at his stubble, unshaven face, he sneered. "What are you looking at brat? Huh?!" The verbal attack to the youth was cut short when something was thrown at the drunkard's head. Stumbling back in an over-dramatic fit of drunken balance, he looked at the ground. There lay a single, red apple.
"Even among a basket of perfect fruit, there always has to be one bad apple it seems." my arm was lifted, the only needed evidence the drunkard needed to know that i had thrown the fruit at him. "I suggest you direct your disgust elsewhere and not towards the Isle's youth. They will determine in the future to help or neglect you. You'd be wise to not mistreat them."
"Why you stuck up-" the man had stomped towards me, harshly pushing me back as he grabbed the front of my dress into his fist. The child on my side was knocked away as she started to cry for the man to let you go as he just growled into your face. His breath was horrid, teeth yellow and skin tinged sickly.
"If you keep drinking, you'll last no longer than the season," i calmly told him even in the state you were being held in.
"My lady!" the little girl cried, as a crowd started to gather in a murmur. i knew better than to fight back, it was against your views to harm your people- even if they act so grotesque towards you. You would only tell yourself to grin and bear it.
There was a sudden hush over the crowd before they could even begin to act on freeing you from the no-good drunkard, and it was without surprise as to why. The man was grabbed by the back of his shirt collar as it was yanked back, the shirt riding up to his neck and thrusting him into cut-off, breathless panic.
His grip on my dress released immediately as he was yanked backward until he fell over his feet onto his back on the stone roads. His eyes were squeezed shut and were only opened when the one who had pulled him back and off i squats to come closer to his face. The man froze at the pair of golden eyes glaring down at him with brilliant matching scales under them.
"I do believe I've told you before that the next time you harass my priestess, I wouldn't let it slide," Taehyung sneered as the little girl had rushed back to my side, hugging you around the waist as you placed your hand on her shoulders. "Stay on the ground," he demanded as the drunkard only nodded weakly as the prince stood back up and looked at me. My dress was stretched and messed up around my chest now.
Yet, i smiled warmly to him nonetheless.
"Welcome home, Dahyun," he greeted as he came to my side. He smiled down to the child in front of you, petting her head. "How about I take her home from here?" He told the little girl as she ran off back to her home, leaving the crowd to disperse and the drunkard to be picked up off the road and taken back to the castle by a set of guards that were stationed in town. "I'm sorry you had to deal with him first thing after returning."
"It's nothing I couldn't have handled," i reassured, even if i had no intention of actually instigating a fight. "What brought you into town? Running errands?" He smiled as he shook his head.
"No. I felt your spiritual pressure when you landed. I simply couldn't wait to see you after such a long time," he told me. My heart squeezed in your chest as he then began to lead you back to the castle. I was asked about the shrine and how the offering and sessions were progressing. Taehyung was curious as to what the mainland was like and i offered to show him the goodies you brought back with you once i reached the castle.
All the while my heart pounded in my ears.
The crush you had on your prince only kept expanding in size with each passing day since you were announced engaged. i was sure if that had never happened, i would have grown out of it, however your love for him was deeper than the sea surrounded the island. You were absolutely sure, however, that Taehyung would never truly love you back.
He had always shown that you were his closest and deepest friend he had. Loving you as his first and best friend and close companion that helped him grow. However, you doubted he would ever be in love with you like you are with him, and the knowledge of your betrothal made such a bittersweet taste on your tongue.
i had often attempted to talk to him about the arrangement of our marriage. i wanted to give him the option now that he was a grown man and was able to understand what marrying you would mean. i wanted to give him the option to choose if he wanted you to become his wife for the rest of his life or not. And if he chose not to wed you, then you'd accept that, no matter how much it would break you.
i never had the strength to bring it up though. Too scared of letting him go, when he truly wasn't fully yours. Unable to let go of the fantasy of marrying him, unable to let go of your selfishness.
i let out a sigh as Taehyung had entered the castle with me. He looked at me with furrowed brows and gold eyes.
"That is the fifth sigh since town. Are you unwell?"
"What?" i was unaware of my unconscious sighs until he had said something. "I'm fine. Just tired from the trip is all. I think I just need to rest a bit before I return to my shrine duties."
"I'll make sure to instruct Jimin to keep watch over the shrine's progression until tomorrow. Take a break until then. You've just returned from a long journey that I'm sure required a lot of strength. Do not push yourself."
i nodded. Jimin was the monk in-charge of the shrine when you are absent or unable to manage it for a number of reasons. He often watches it once a month when your body is in such pain that moving from your bed is a battle in itself.
He was a stubborn monk, but he was well versed in his craft i had to admit. He was different from the other monks i've grown up with. For instance, he refused to cut his hair like the others who had clean heads without hair at all. His long, brown locks curled around his ears and over his forehead, occasionally being tied back with a hair string for rituals.
"Yes," i agreed, "that would be nice."
You two had walked further into the castle when someone had rounded a further corner ahead and caught sight of you. Speak of the devil.
