*Note - How Royals are addressed:
King/Queen - Your Majesty
Princess - Your Highness
Duke - Your Grace
Viscount - My Lord/Lord *last name*
__________________________________
"Whoever thought this was a good idea, I want them fired," Jennie complains as she throws down the metal tubes in her hand.
"It was your idea, your Highness," Jisoo stifles a laugh as she sits on her lawn chair next to her fully built tent.
"I was being sarcastic, Captain Obvious," Jennie says irritatingly.
Technically, Jennie wasn't even supposed to be here. Jisoo and a few of the other fellow royal guards had decided to go camping as a way of team-building and just enjoying time off from the stressful life of being a guard.
So, how did the Princess find herself in this situation in the middle of the woods?
**
A few nights ago and well past her curfew, Jennie decided to sneak out after Jisoo's shift was over. When roaming around the castle, she heard voices from one of the rooms and out of curiosity, she tried to subtly take a peek inside. However, what she completely missed was the fact that the room was filled with some royal guards who had a keen sense of awareness, so as soon as the door cracked, it didn't take long for someone inside to tell the "peeping Tom" to enter. Embarrassingly, she slowly opened the door and was surprised to see that she had accidentally stumbled into a meeting between her parents and some of the royal guards including Jisoo, who were all in an defensive stance at the "intruder."
"Jennie?" Her mother asks first as the rest of the room relaxes. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
Jennie bows as she apologizes.
"Oh, it's alright dear," her mother says warmly. Then, the woman perks up, "Actually, now that you're here, it's best we let you know that your father and I just approved that some of the guards will be having a camping trip. Therefore, you won't be with Jisoo for the weekend and instead your secondary guard will accompany you."
Before she could stop herself, Jennie blurts out, "Can I go too?"
"What?" The Queen, King and even Jisoo all speak simultaneously. Instantly, the rest of the guards start to whisper to each other while Jisoo just looks at her with wide eyes.
If Jennie were under any other circumstances, she would have never suggested such a thing because to be quite frank, she loves her royal lifestyle. However, after her recent heartbreak, a part of her just wants to get away for a while, even if that means having to go out in the darn awful woods and with Jisoo no less.
"Just think about it! Don't you think it would be good for me to experience life outside of the castle? You know, so I can appreciate the life and privilege that I have now," Jennie tries.
"I don't know, darling," the King says skeptically.
"I'd be safe anyways! Jisoo and the rest of the guards will be with me."
Her father looked as if he was about to reject Jennie's idea, but her mother touched his hand, making him pause. Then, the Queen speaks, "You know what? I think that would be a great idea! Not only do I think this experience will be beneficial, but this is a perfect opportunity for you and Jisoo to bond! Don't you think, honey?" her mother looks at her husband.
"Well.. I-uh.. I guess so," her father concedes as he locks eyes with his wife. "That settles it then."
**
So, now here The Princess is, with the sun winding-down and her tent still not properly set up.
"You know," Jisoo trails. "We could, as your mother said, 'bond' if you'd just let me help you build your tent."
"Absolutely not. I don't understand why you couldn't just set up your tent where the rest of the guards are."
"Your Highness, first of all, I'm only here because you were the one who wanted to pitch your tent in a different spot than the rest of the group and the Royal Majesties would kill me if they found out I left you all alone."
"Well, at least those guards listened to my orders of wanting to be left alone- and save your breath. I already know you're just going to say that it's because 'you don't take orders from me.'"
Jisoo doesn't hold her laughter this time, "Exactly. Now as I was saying, secondly, the sun is setting fast. At this rate, you'll never finish in time, your Highness."
"Just you watch, Kim Jisoo!" Jennie says with a new found sense of determination. "I guarantee that it'll be done by nightfall."
"Whatever you say, Princess," Jisoo stands. "While you do that, I'll get our fire going."
--
"HAH! What did I tell you!" Jennie jumps in excitement when her tent manages to stay up for longer than five seconds.
"Well, I must say that I am quite impressed, your Highness," the bodyguard praises. "I think this calls for a celebratory snack, don't you think?"
"For once, I agree with you," Jennie plops down onto the second lawn chair next to Jisoo with a bright smile. "What kind of snack?"
"Why s'mores of course! I mean, we are camping after all, your Highness," Jisoo replies as if the answer was obvious.
"What in the world are s'mores?" Jennie's head tilts a bit.
"Please tell me you're joking," Jisoo chuckles, but it soon fades when Jennie still has a lost look on her face. "Oh my goodness, you're serious. You're telling me that the one and only Princess Jennie has never had a s'more before?"
Jennie shakes her head.
"Well I guess it's your lucky day, your Highness, because you just so happen to be with the best s'more maker in the country, if not the world!"
Jennie gives a sarcastic, "If you say so," but three s'mores later she finds herself leaning back into the chair with content written all over her face.
"You're welcome, by the way," Jisoo says smugly.
"Oh shut it," Jennie says and soon after she lets out a tired yawn. "I think I've had my fair share of Kim Jisoo for the day. So, I'm going into my tent that I built," she stresses. "And have as good of a night's rest that I can muster in this environment."
Jennie stands to stretch, then makes her way inside her tent. Before she zips it closed, she makes sure the two of them share their routine goodnights. It would just feel wrong not to.
--
She's not sure how much time has passed, but she has been tossing and turning in her inflated mattress ever since she had laid down. It also didn't help that she literally jumped at the slightest noise whether it be fallen leaves hitting her tent or branches swaying against each other from the wind.
Jennie is in denial of it, but she's scared.
And when she hears something that sounds like a twig being snapped in two, she immediately sits up and springs off her bed and out her tent. Her eyes stay locked on the tent across from hers with her blood pumping.
She repeatedly mutters 'Jisoo' frantically as she zips open the girl's tent. As soon as Jennie is inside, Jisoo shoots up with alertness.
"Who's there?" The bodyguard tries to say in a serious manner, but her words come out groggy with heavy eyelids, a result from just being woken up.
"It's me," Jennie says in haste as she quickly zips the tent closed.
"Oh...," Jisoo rubs her eyes and starts to lie back down, but then sits right back up. "Why are you in here?!?"
Suddenly, Jennie turns shy and her shoulders drop in defeat, "I got... scared," she mumbles the last word.
"You got what, your Highness?"
Still embarrassed, Jennie refuses to look at her bodyguard as she says the words again a bit more clearly, "I got scared, Jisoo."
Jisoo's mouth forms an O-shape. "Well then, I'll do a quick sweep and secure the perimeter-" Jisoo starts to get up but Jennie places her hand on the guard's arm, making her stop.
"No!"
Jisoo's eyebrows furrow, prompting an explanation.
"I-...," Jennie shuts her eyes. "I don't want to be left alone..."
She expects to hear Jisoo laugh at her, but when she doesn't and instead hears the sound of movement, Jennie opens her eyes.
Jisoo was now on one side of the inflated bed, lying on her side while facing the side of the tent, leaving the other side empty and part of the blanket overturned.
Jennie was a bit confused at first, but then it clicked.
Oh....OH.
"Are you serious?!" Jennie asks in disbelief.
"You got any better ideas?" She hears the bodyguard yawn.
With that, Jennie closes and after a few seconds of wondering why has her life come to this, she slowly makes her way to lie down on the bed next to the girl.
To be quite honest, even with knowing that she's not alone, she still finds herself struggling to fall asleep for an entirely different reason. It just had to be Jisoo of all people to be the one to provide her some sort of comfort.
And so, she's constantly going back and forth between lying on her back or facing away from Jisoo, but her body freezes when she feels a hand on hers. Her heart rate picking up at the sudden contact.
"You're safe, your Highness," Jisoo's voice is just above a whisper, both calm and soothing.
Jennie thanks the universe that it's practically pitch black inside the tent so Jisoo couldn't see how her words made Jennie's cheeks turn bright red.
"I-," Jennie fumbles as she feels the guard clasp their hands together. "T-This stays between us."
"Don't worry, your Highness. That's an order I can follow."
When Jennie wakes up, she struggles to recall how she had fallen asleep so easily after that, but she does frown when she notes the warmth missing from her hand.
----- 21 ----
Ever since the camping trip, Jennie began to see her bodyguard in a new light and started to subtly accept Jisoo's presence more and more. She wasn't exactly overt about it, but the amount of times she would ask Jisoo to leave her alone lost frequency (not that Jisoo would leave her anyways unless under a specific set of circumstances).
The bond that they were supposed to be building since they were fourteen years old was finally starting to take shape over the past three years as they had been opening up to each other little by little. So now, even their conversations flowed smoothly.
While they still weren't exactly friends, there was a sense of mutual respect. And whether Jennie realized it or not, her trust in Jisoo grew and she eventually found herself quite comfortable whenever she was around.
As she began to acknowledge Jisoo's presence, Jennie even started to notice the little things that her bodyguard had been doing for her that she thought were done by her staff. Like the way Jisoo takes Jennie's coffee from a maid, but adds more sugar to it before handing it to Jennie. Or how Jisoo always places a fresh bouquet of flowers in the vase in her room every week.
**
It was one of those rare Saturday mornings where Jennie was able to sleep in. Neither the King nor Queen had planned any event that would require her to wake up early and get ready, so she had more time than usual to sleep and stay in bed. And so, that was the plan.
Or at least it was.
To her dismay, her eyes opened due to the bright sunlight shining on them, so she turned to lay flat on her back. She thought she had closed her curtains enough the night before, but of course, luck hasn't really been on her side.
As soon as she closes her eyes again in hopes to fall back asleep, she hears her door creak open. For a moment, she was scared and nearly bolted straight up to yell out for Jisoo. However, she soon realized who the person might be. She finally had the opportunity to find out who would replace her flowers every Saturday morning. They must not have knocked to make sure they wouldn't wake her up.
You see, ever since she was sixteen, Jennie would take a casual stroll at the castlegrounds flower garden every Friday. These strolls would often be her favorite moment each week seeing that it was a time in which she could truly clear her mind and just enjoy her surroundings. Nothing about the garden would remind her of her status as the royal heir as she was only in the presence of flowers. Granted, Jisoo would be there as well, but during these strolls the bodyguard would typically stand a bit farther than usual so it was as if she wasn't even there.
Each time she walks along the garden path, she would eventually choose a flower patch to spend a bit more time at. She would deem those particular flowers as her "flowers of the week" or in other terms, her favorite flower of the week. However, the title was a secret only kept to herself because she thought no one else would really care. She used to tell Kai in the rare times when he decided to accompany her, but even then he never showed much interest. So, if he hadn't, she assumed others would feel the same.
And yet within a few months of when she started this personal tradition of hers, on one random Saturday and each one following, she would wake to new flowers in her vase that just so happened to be the ones that she claimed to be her favorites. Initially she thought it was Kai, seeing that he was with her on the stroll prior to the morning when it started. But as said earlier, he rarely tagged along and of course new flowers would still appear after they had broken up.
And so, she simply took it as a mere coincidence and never asked her staff about it. But now that the opportunity has arisen to which she may see the mysterious person who replaces her flowers, she had to take it. She could even ask them why they would choose the particular flowers.
So, as soon as she heard the rustling of flowers signaling that the person was at the vase, she slowly opened her eyes. Due to the placement of her bed she could only see their side profile, but it was enough to recognize.
There, standing with a fresh bouquet in her hands, was her bodyguard.
She felt her heart jolt at the sight.
She was about to sit up and pretend to have just woken up, but something within herself tells her not to. Jennie felt that if she were to confront Jisoo now, the girl would stop bringing in new flowers and quite honestly she didn't want to risk that to happen. She always felt such joy whenever she saw her favorite flowers in her vase every Saturday morning and although she now knows that this joy was caused by Jisoo, it didn't make her feel any different. If anything, it had for some reason made her even happier.
And so she stayed still, closing her eyes shut before Jisoo would have the chance to notice that she was actually awake.
**
It makes Jennie wonder why it took her so long to finally notice seeing such things. Especially since Jisoo was the only person who'd get an idea of what her new favorite flower was and thus be able to put them in her vase the following day. Not to mention that Jisoo was the only person who knows that she hates bitter coffee (she would tell the maids, but then she knew that they would feel bad). She could only imagine what other things her bodyguard has been doing for her that she has yet to realize after all the years they've been together.
And without realizing it, she couldn't help but compare not only the easiness of their conversations, but also Jisoo's attentiveness of her to that of her previous boyfriend who only seemed to care about making out.
Overall, it was unexpected for Jennie. To see that in the span of three years, their dynamic had completely changed and she wasn't bothered by it at all.
At the moment, the two were currently standing outside the small hedge maze located not too far from the castle. Jennie would usually come here whenever she was bored and wanted to mess with Jisoo. Her bodyguard absolutely hated it when they would go because Jennie would almost always dash into the maze without warning, leaving Jisoo either panting from staying right on her tail or panicking after losing her for a brief moment. Eventually, it would end with Jisoo grabbing her hand and leading her out of the maze or Jennie would end up getting lost and the two would start playing "Marco, Polo" until Jisoo found her. (Jisoo has done this so many times that she practically knows the maze like the back of her hand.)
"It's a lovely day, isn't it?" Jennie starts as she cruises around the entrance of the maze as Jisoo simply stands still with her hands behind her back, watching her.
"It is indeed, your Highness," the bodyguard takes a deep breath. "So, what is the plan this time? Should I have grabbed my running shoes?" Jisoo asks sarcastically.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Jennie pokes her tongue out. "You know, for someone who is merely a bodyguard, you seem to talk so carefree in front of a royal."
"Well, for someone who is a Princess, you seem to lack etiquette and manners towards her people," Jisoo counters. If it were anyone else, Jennie would've had them fired immediately, but after so many years with the girl especially as of late, their banter had become a new norm between them and so she knows not to take much offense. If she were to be quite honest, she valued their back-and-forth. Knowing that she's a royal, no one would ever dare to act in such a way towards her, so in a sense it was refreshing that Jisoo does.
"You are so irritating," Jennie responds. She's not sure what compels her to say the next line, but it comes out. "Every time I talk to you, I start to feel bad for whomever you marry in the future."
"Your Highness... Are you saying that you think about my love life often?" Jisoo teases.
Jennie comes to a halt and her cheeks suddenly feel hot, That is not where I wanted this conversation to go!
"Don't be preposterous! As if I were to ever think about such a-" Jennie huffs as she looks at her bodyguard. "You know what? It's not like you have a love life anyways seeing that you're stuck with me 24/7."
"Who says I don't have one?" Jisoo questions. "The King does give me a fair amount of time off even though it may seem like I'm always by your side."
Jisoo had a point. While she is Jennie's primary bodyguard and with her majority of the time, the Princess does have a secondary guard when Jisoo is given time off. And even when Jisoo is working, she's not technically with Jennie at every waking moment seeing that Jisoo is sometimes called for backup security at other royal events.
But surely that doesn't mean Jisoo has time to be in a relationship. Or wait! Maybe she's seeing someone on our staff!? That would make the most sense wouldn't it?.... Hold on. Why am I even thinking about this!?!? I shouldn't care about nor be interested in Jisoo's love life!
"So, you are dating someone?" Jennie asks and she wants to facepalm herself. What is compelling her to continue on with this subject?
"While I don't believe it is any of your business, your Highness, I will let you know that I am not dating someone per se, but I am talking to someone," Jisoo reveals and that answer just spurs Jennie more.
"Who is it?" The question comes out before Jennie could even stop herself, but she quickly recovers, "I'm only asking to make sure that whomever you say is a real person, of course."
Jisoo laughs heartily in response, making Jennie start to grow agitated, "Be careful, your Highness. One might say you sound jealous."
"I'm not jealous!" Jennie snaps. "I'm only trying to prove that I'm right. I truly doubt you have time to properly get to know someone even during the time in which you aren't working. You're simply too busy focusing on me to avert your attention elsewhere."
"Your Highness, with all due respect, you are my highest priority, but not my only priority," Jisoo's voice turns delicate as if trying to not offend her.
The answer sends a mixture of emotions up and down throughout Jennie's body. Afraid of what she might say or do next, she does what she wasn't planning on doing this time around. She runs into the hedge maze as fast as her legs can carry her, turning left and right in hopes to distance herself from her bodyguard.
The thing is, Jennie wasn't exactly sure what she was mad at. Was she mad at the way Jisoo spoke to her as if she was talking to her like she was a baby? Was she mad that Jisoo doesn't prioritize her as much as she thought? Or was she mad that she wasn't Jisoo's only priority?
How could I not be her only priority? She's MY personal bodyguard. She's protecting a royal for goodness sake! The only thing-no, the only person she should be concerned about is me.
Okay, so maybe she knows what she's mad at.
She's just slightly confused, angry, disappointed and lost all at the same time. So, she continues to run despite the more form-fitting dress she's wearing that's making it difficult. Even after a few moments, she can't tell if she managed to escape her bodyguard because her mind was all over the place, so she just keeps going. Or at least until a hand on her wrist reels her back.
Due to how fast she was running in one direction and then suddenly being yanked the opposite way, Jennie forcefully collided into Jisoo. There was so much momentum that Jennie shut her eyes in preparation to hit the ground, but she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her torso to keep her steady. She slowly opens her eyes, taking in the fact that Jisoo was holding onto her with a grip strong enough to keep them standing, but gentle enough to make sure that she wasn't hurting the Princess.
Without breaking apart, the two pull back just enough in order to face each other directly.
"Your Highness," Jisoo's voice was breathless. "Are you alright?"
Both of them were panting after the chase, but Jisoo's voice came clearly. And yet, Jennie doesn't process it right away because she was too distracted at how close their faces were. She had never seen her bodyguard up that close, so she wound up observing the finer details and contours of Jisoo's face. Her eyes move slowly, starting with Jisoo's eyes, then to her nose, then to her lips and Jennie's breath hitches.
From an outsider's point of view, all one would be able to hear were the ragged breaths of a Princess and a bodyguard in a rather compromising position. Though for Jennie, there was a tiny voice in her head telling her to move. But, there was an underlying question.
Forwards or backwards?
To Jennie's own surprise, it didn't take long for her to find the answer and so she moves.
"We can't."
This time around Jisoo's voice was so quiet, that for a moment Jennie thought she had imagined it. But even then, it was enough. Jennie hesitantly opens her eyes and sees that their lips were nearly touching just as Jisoo spoke up.
The Princess felt like she was splashed with cold water as chills ran down her spine at the realization of what she had done... or rather what she was about to do.
She releases herself from Jisoo's arms and starts to make her way out the maze.
"Your Highness...," Jisoo tries, but Jennie keeps going. "At least let me help you get out."
"I can do it," Jennie says in an unreadable tone and for the first time, the Princess escapes the maze on her own.
One would think that she'd be grateful when she didn't hear footsteps follow her trail despite hearing them for so many years, but instead, all she felt was pain.