Counting down the days until you see that I'm eternally yours...

Chapter 3 | The Legend

"Not long ago, the lands of Aranthi were ruled by my father, Kim Jonghyun the second," JR started, his hands clasped in front of him, head bowed as he told his story. "He ruled in the best interest of his citizens, trying his hardest to be fair whilst also ensuring those who broke the law were punished. Unfortunately, there was one particular clan who had been refusing to co-operate for decades now and they decided enough was enough. They broke all the laws, reigned terror upon our peaceful lands, murdering and manipulating innocent people and it was not long before my father ordered a complete exile. Those who returned from the clan would be given an immediate death sentence. Many thought the punishment was harsh as not all from the clan had behaved in this manner, but he did what he believed to be the right course of action. However, the leader of the clan was bitter and vengeful and with the aid of witchcraft, struck my father down when he was most vulnerable..." JR's voice trailed off and the room fell silent for some time.

You watched him as his hands balled up into fists, tightly clenched, desperately trying to keep his emotions at bay. In that moment, you wanted very much to hold him, to tell him everything would be alright, that everything would work out, but even you didn't have enough courage to do something like that for a complete stranger. Instead you sat there and waited for him to continue.

"This-creature who is leader of this clan, he continues hurting my family and terrorising my lands, but unfortunately, now that the time of the Legend is upon us-"
"Your Highness," Dohyun looked up towards JR, shaking his head quickly, indicating to JR that he shouldn't continue.
"Legend?" You looked from JR to Dohyun and then back again. "What Legend?" JR shook his head.
"The Legend..." JR looked up towards you, his eyes filled with a longing which made your stomach churn once more. "The Legend involves you, which is why your life is in danger now."

You took a moment to digest all the information which had just been disclosed to you. From what you could deduce, some horrible creature had been exiled and then returned to kill JR's father, but now, this creature was after...you? You frowned.
"But-I can't be part of a Legend. I don't think you've got the right person."
"But you answered when I spoke your name," JR stated before then reeling off your full name and your date of birth.
"How do you know all those details about me?" You asked, twitching your mouth to one side with a confused expression as you looked away from JR's longing glances.
"The ambush from last night-if that is not further proof to you that your life is in danger then I do not know what is," JR told you rather sternly, whilst reaching over and taking your hand into his. "You need protecting."
"The ambush?" Your eyes widened, recalling the previous night's events suddenly. "You-you were there!" You looked back towards him and watched as he stared at you like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
"I-I was. I saved you," he told you before bashfully glancing away.
"You did..." you trailed off, raising an eyebrow and once again questioning the nature of this so-called King. "Is that why you're here?" You asked him as he slowly raised his gaze back towards you, making you feel a little nauseous. "You're here to protect me?"
"Yes," Dohyun interjected before JR could respond. "We're here to protect you."
You took a moment to piece things together before suddenly remembering something.
"Earlier, when we were outside, you said 'You are destined to be mine'. What did you mean by that exactly?" In an instant, JR had risen from his chair and walked around the table to you. He knelt down on one knee beside you and took your hands into his own again, forcing you to turn and face him as he bowed his head to you, ignoring Dohyun's calls to him to stop.

"In order to be a true King of Aranthi, the King must have a Queen," he looked up towards you, the longing, alluring desire clearly portrayed in his beautiful eyes. "Your destiny was written by the Arethan spirits long ago in the tapestries of time." A lump formed in your throat. "Your destiny...and my destiny...both are intertwined. Do you understand?" He gently asked. When you didn't respond, he decided to make it clearer to you: "You are destined to become my Queen."
"Oh..." you could feel your heart pounding hard against your chest, as hard as your head was beginning to pound against your skull, trying to digest all this information so suddenly.

"You-never really explained what kind of King you are," you stated, trying to digress away from what had just been revealed to you whilst you tried to let the magnitude of the situation sink in. You watched as a smile crossed JR's face, that same beautiful smile from earlier which captured your attention once more. He cupped your face gently with one hand before tilting his head to one side and saying, "Is it not obvious? Were you so captivated by my eyes that you failed to notice the shape of my ears?" You tore your glance away from his eyes and smile and looked towards his ears. You felt your stomach somersault inside of you. He had pointed ears. They were not round like your own. They were pointed. You gasped and with his hand cupping your face, he brushed his thumb across your cheek gently before saying, "How do you feel about becoming my Elf Queen?"