Y/N POV:
It had been two weeks since I came back to Hell.
It had been going well, slowly well.
I haven't made much progress with Taehyung since I don't know what to say, and we don't talk much.
He always knows where I am and what I am doing, but hardly ever speaks with me.
And on the second day here everyone started to address me as Miss Y/N, instead of your Majesty.
Unbothered, I asked Taehyung why the change and he said I must earn that title again, which I completely understand.
But other than that, nothing else has changed.
I started my classes on queen etiquette; which to be honest, were alright since Miss Hwang was my teacher.
And Taehyung presumably spoke to General Jungkook since he has been teaching me how to sword fight after class, who by the way is a great teacher.
After I finish my class and lessons, I change and go to where ever Taehyung is since that's one of my rules, but obviously, I don't mind.
As I was walking down the hallway, I spotted General Namjoon.
"Excuse me, General Kim?"
"Yes, Miss Y/N?"
"Do you know where his Majesty is?"
"I believe he is in his office."
"Thank you, General Kim."
"Your welcome." as he turned around and walked the opposite way, I did the same
I walked out from the hallway, into the foyer, up the stairs through another hallway that leads to his office.
I was about to knock when I heard an unfamiliar voice inside.
I hesitated and stood there for a few seconds before knocking.
"Who is it?"
"..Y/N."
"Come in."
I slowly opened the door and noticed two people I had never seen before sitting in front of Taehyung.
"This is Miss Y/N, Y/N this is the Water Kingdom's princess, So Rin and her Father, Sir Lee."
I bowed towards them both and they did the same.
"I see, do you want me to leave your Majesty?"
"No, you may stay. Come over and stand by me."
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Now, go on with what you were about to say, Sir Lee."
"Ah yes, well I was about to offer a marriage proposal with my daughter So Rin."
A marriage proposal?...
I stared at my feet but soon felt someone's gaze on me.
I looked up and met Taehyung's eyes but he quickly looked away.
What is he going to say?....will he tell them?...
"She may stay for 3 days and compete against Miss Y/N. I will decide at the end of the 3 days. for my hand in marriage. "
"Thank you, your Majesty." said Sir Lee
I couldn't bear to stay there any longer, so I bowed to everyone and walked out.
I kept walking until I reached my room and was about to go in before I looked behind at his room.
I walked over to his door but stopped because I remembered Taehyung's words.
"...you only sleep in your room..and do not enter mine..."
He said not to...but I am curious...what is he hiding from me? Why can't I go inside?
I turned around to make sure no one was there before quickly going into his room and quietly closed the door.
As I looked around I realized that nothing has changed since I was last here.
But what could he be hiding?....
Then I noticed a folded piece of paper sitting on the nightstand next to his side of the bed.
I picked it up and slowly started to open it.
It read:
Dear Y/N,
It has been exactly one hundred years since you said you hate me. And every day I told myself that it wasn't true, that you were just saying it for some reason. But I have not been able to come up with one. I loved you...I still do, so when you said that, I hoped you would take it back. But here we are...With each day that passes, I miss you more than the last. Y/N, I do not know what to do without you. I can not live without you, but it is what you wanted so it seems I have to make do. Do you know what it is like to have an unrequited love from a distance? I do, and it is excruciating and it never stops. I have wanted to give it all up, but that would be irresponsible. I can't keep letting our past ruin my future. But I love you, so what can I do? Anyway, it is not like you will read this letter..but please come back to me.....you're my soulmate so if I am not with you, everything is meaningless. But no matter I will be here, waiting.
Forever yours, Tae
**********************
I fell onto the floor crying with an aching heart.
Suddenly the paper was ripped out from my hands and I looked up, meeting the eyes of the one who wrote it.
"...Taehyung...."
"What are you doing in here?!"
"I....uh..was...uh....."
"You were told you are not to go in here."
"I know...I just wanted to see..."
"See what! See if I was okay without you?!"
"No! I just wanted to see if anything changed, that's all."
"Well as you can see it hasn't, now leave."
"Taehyung..." I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder which caused him to stiffen
"Look, I know things can't go back to the way they were. But we can make something better, stronger. But at this rate how can we? This is the most you have spoken to me in the last two weeks and at this rate, we will go nowhere." he looked away
"I don't know what to say.."
"Well for starters, let's talk about that letter." I noticed he was hesitant so I took my hand from his shoulder and grabbed his hand to reassure him that it is okay
"As you read, I wrote that letter a year after you...anyway, I wrote more before and after that letter."
"Why did you write them?"
"...I missed you...and they helped with the loneliness. Sometimes it felt like I was talking to you..." he immediately looked at me with an expression of 'I did not want to tell you that'
"Hey..you know I missed you too."
"How was I supposed to know that..."
"You will know now. I wrote poems when I missed you."
"Then since you read my letter, tell me a poem you wrote."
"Well, let's see..." I put my hand into my pocket and pulled out a folded piece of almost ruined paper.
"I have a paper, just like you. Anyway, I will read it."
Our story was a fairytale. Sometimes I could not tell if it was fake or real. But now after losing it, I realize it was full of detail. A great detail I missed before l lifted the sail. I loved you, but it was oh so frail. So now I will repent for my sins in this jail. And hope someday I walk the trail leading to our avail.
"..I wrote this after you left through the portal..back to hell..."
".....why couldn't you just tell me you were not ready?.."
"I don't really know...my only excuse is that I was young and dumb."
"I should have come and tried to talk to you..."
"No. I had to be the one to fix this. So do not blame yourself. So, why don't we move on from our past, and start over?"
"..I would love that." and for the first time he smiled at me
"Good..well I should leave, but I apologize for coming into your room when you told me not to."
"Ah yes, you broke a rule, so that is strike one...but from now on that rule is banished."
"What?"
"Don't get any ideas Y/N, if I ever am here you may come in as well." I turned around so he couldn't see the rose tint on my face and started to walkout
"Well, then I will get going.."
"Y/N?.."
"Yes?" I turned around immediately
"Thank you for coming back to me."
"Thank you for accepting me back."
"Goodnight, Y/N."
"Goodnight, your Majesty."
-A few days later-
It is been some time since me and Taehyung talked, and things have gotten much better.
Although, there is always something in the way.
And this time it was So RIn.
She's been taunting me ever since she arrived, and it is beginning to irritate me.
But today Taehyung had asked everyone to come down to eat today.
So I am currently on my way to the dining room to eat breakfast.
And before I was about to walk in, I heard my name being called behind me.
"Miss Y/N!" I turned around to see Princess So Rin coming towards me
"Yes, Princess So Rin?"
"I just wanted to meet you on my own, how are you?"
"I am well, how are you?"
"I am doing good, but I would feel amazing if I could sit next to the King. There is something I must tell him."
"Of course you can, but why are you asking me?"
"Just to make sure that I am not stealing someone's man, that is very rude. But it does not matter anyway, there wouldn't be a competition if he was yours. Anyhow, bye-bye." she then walked off while I was in shock
"Maybe I should have stayed..." I muttered before walking into the dining room
I then walked to the empty seat on the other side of Taehyung, and noticed her stair on me, but ignored it
As she began to talk with him, I excused myself and walked to the kitchen to speak with the servants
"Uh, excuse me?"
"Yes, dear?" spoke a middle-aged man
"I am not very hungry, so I was wondering if you could make me tea?"
"Of course. What tea would you like?"
"Green tea, please."
"Yes, Miss Y/N."
"Thank you so much..."
"Mr. Yang."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Yang."
"You as well, Miss Y/N."
And so, I bowed and walked back to the dining room to sit back down
"Where did you go?" said Taehyung
"I went to the kitchen to speak with the servants."
"Are they your friends?" So Rin chimed in mockingly
"They are my equals, I respect them."
I quieted since the servants walked in to serve the food and I immediately reached for my tea on the table as everyone talked around me.
I finished my tea and turned to Taehyung who was silently eating.
"Your Majesty, I will leave to my class now."
"I will come by later to see how you are doing." I bowed and walked out to my class with Miss Hwang.
-Two hours later-
I am currently learning about the history of the Kingdom and how it came to be.
Miss Hwang is explaining that this Kingdom was founded millions of years ago by Taehyung's four-time great Grandfather.
"How did he come to be the King of all the Kingdoms?" I asked
"Well, he came from a line of powerful people, meaning they had many powers of all elements. Unlike most people were only born with powers of one element."
"I remember hearing that...Miss Hwang?"
"Can you talk about what happened with his Majesty's parents and the dragons?"
"I am sorry, I can't talk about it. But if you must know, you should talk to him about it."
"I see..." I said as I sat back in my chair
"Here, let's take a short break and I will go get refreshments." I nodded before she walked away
As I was sitting at my desk, I noticed that the ground was slightly shaking and could almost hear faint rumbling.
I got up and walked out of the room to see if I could find out what was going on.
Once I reached the foyer, the sound had become louder.
But suddenly the guards began yelling.
"Attack! Attack! Barricade the Gates!" then suddenly many guards ran out of the castle to barricade the gates
Everyone was in a frantic state running around trying to get places, while I stood there frozen
"Y/N! Y/N!" then I heard Miss Hwang's voice calling for me and hurriedly ran over to her
"Come Y/N, we must go to the shelter rooms below the castle." she said pulling me
While we were speed walking to the shelter rooms, someone suddenly grabbed my other hand.
And when I looked behind me and noticed it was Taehyung.
"Miss Hwang you hurry and head to the shelter rooms, I will take care of Y/N." she nodded and went in the opposite direction that Taehyung was taking me.
"Why am I not going to the shelter rooms?" I said yelling
"You are going somewhere safer, only a few people know about it."
"Why do you care, shouldn't you be helping Princess So Rin instead?" he stopped and looked back at me
"Y/N, you are my priority, not her." then we started running again as he pulled me somewhere
We reached a secret door hidden behind large curtains, that were framing his family's picture and opened it.
"Go."
"What about you?"
"I have to protect my castle."
"Let the guards do it, and come with me."
He then picked me up and set me in what looked to be a hallway that led somewhere.
"I am the King, I have to protect my Kingdom."
"Your Majesty!" a guard yelled
"Now, don't make any noise and try to rest. Here are some matches to light the candles." and began to close the door
"Wait!" he looked at me expectantly
"Stay safe and promise to come back to me."
"Promise." he said and smiled before closing the door and locked it
I walked forward, fumbling around trying to find the candles.
I found one on a wall which helped light the room enough for me to see another next to what looked like a bed.
I lit the other candle and laid down on the bed, waiting for his return.
Silently hoping he would be alright.
-Several hours later-
I was not able to close my eyes, since all I could see were images of Taehyung getting hurt.
The sounds coming from the outside weren't helping either.
With each passing minute, the more my heart began to swell and my eyes water.
Suddenly, I heard the door unlock and open slowly, and close the same.
I sat up waiting to see who would come around the corner.
But what I saw utterly surprised me.
Around the corner came a bloody, battered Taehyung.
I immediately got up and helped him to the bed.
"What happened to you?"
"Nothing, I am fine."
"You are not fine, you are bleeding." I touched his back that was covered with wounds, which caused him to flinch
"Is there something to help?"
"There should be an emergency kit below the bed."
I got up from the bed and crouched down to find the kit.
I opened it up, rummaging through to find the supplies I needed.
I grabbed the disinfectant and a cloth to dab his wounds with, I applied it to the cloth then to his back, causing him to hiss in pain.
Once it dried, I grabbed the jar of cream and applied it too.
Finally, I grabbed a roll of bandage, stood up, and wrapped it around his torso to keep it from getting infected.
"Your Majesty, you should lay down."
"I am fine-"
"Your Majesty, please lie down." he then voluntarily lied down with an expression of a guilty child
As he began to lie down I walked over to sit in the chair on the other side of the room.
"Where are you going?" I pointed to the chair
"Come here." I stood there hesitantly before walking over to him
He sat up to grab my hands and pulled me down onto the bed, putting my head on his chest.
"..why are you...."
"I feel bad for making you worry.......and I miss you."
"I thought you would miss So Rin instead.."
"Why would I?"
"You set a competition between the both of us, so I thought you liked her too."
"Y/N, you are the only one in my heart. I was only testing you, to see how you would handle it."
"...your mean..."
"Do not worry, I no longer need to test you. You are beyond my expectations."
I hid my face in his chest to hide the red on my face.
Then I looked at his chest and stared at the many scars painting it.
"Where did you get these?" I said touching them
"They are not important."
"Everything about you is important to me. Although if you do not want to tell me, do not force yourself." I said looking at him
"I said we have to be honest with each other, and that goes both ways, not one." he took a deep breath and spoke
"...as a kid, I got into trouble often..I disobeyed my father and did not listen to what I was told. So, my father would burn me with one of his powers. His excuse was that it would make me stronger, on the contrary, I think it did the opposite...."
"I am so sorry that you went through that. But I want you to know that what he did, does not make you weak. You are the strongest person I have ever met." he moved down so that we were now facing
"Thank you. And you as well, you are the strongest person I have met." he began to caress my face
"Y/N, you do not know how happy I am to have you back. Without you, I was so lonely and all I felt was an empty void. Again, thank you."
All I could do was hug him since I was so happy, in which he surprisingly hugged me back.
"I am so sorry, I promise I will never leave you again. I will stay by your side forever."
"I look forward to that." he pulled back so he could kiss my temple
"Y/N?"
"Hm?"
"You can call me Taehyung now."
"Oh really?..Even Tae?"
"Of course, you still are the only one that I will allow to call me that."
"Do I get a nickname too?"
"You already have one, My Queen." he said pulling me closer
"Now, I know you did not rest as I told you, so sleep, My Queen."
"But what abo-"
"Sleep, darling." he spoke soothingly
I listened to his request and quickly fell asleep in his arms
-Two hours later-
I woke up due to the fact that I felt something moving me.
I open my eyes and was met with Taehyung's face in an unfamiliar position.
He was carrying me in his arms up some stairs.
"What-"
"Shhhh, go back to sleep. The attack is over."
"Is everyone safe?"
"Yes."
"Good. Where are we going?"
"Our room. Now sleep, it is late Y/N."
"Our room?"
He ignored my question, so I slowly closed my eyes again, surrendering to sleep.
Secretly noticing the peck left on my forehead.