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one afternoon of a cold winter's day, when the sun shone with chilly brightness after a long storm, taehyung had always spent most of his time copped up inside the house, when the flakes of snow were falling like feathersfrom the sky, he sat at a window sewing. too caught up in focus of what he was doing, he didn't notice the queen staring at him intently from behind.
taehyung's step-mother, the queen, was a beautiful woman,but proud and haughty, and she could not bear that anyone else should surpass her in beauty. she had a wonderful looking-glass, and when she stood in front of it and looked at herself init, and said,"looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all."
the looking-glass would always answer by "thou, o queen, art the fairest of all."
then she was satisfied, for she knew that the looking-glass spoke the truth. but as taehyung was growing up, and grew more and more beautiful, and when he was ten years old he was as beautiful as the day, and more beautiful than the queen herself. andonce when the queen asked her looking-glass,"looking-glass, looking-glass, on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all." it answered,"thou art fairer than all who are here, lady queen. but more beautiful still is the snow white prince, as I ween."
then the queen was shocked, and turned yellow and green with envy. from that hour,whenever she looked at taehyung, her heart heaved in her chest, she hated the boy somuch. and envy and pride grew higher and higher in her heart like a weed, so that she hadno peace day or night. she had given the boy all those ugly, rotten rags as the pieces of clothes to use, yet the boy's beauty still shone in the brightest. she had also made the boy do the labours around the house to tire the boy, yet it was turned out that taehyung had been nothing but a very hard-working and an obedient sweet child. it only grew the hatred inside the queen's heart, however.
years had gone to pass, taehyung had grown to be more beautiful and the news about the beauty of the prince had somehow traveled outside the castle to the ears of other kingdoms. many princes were coming to court taehyung. and it only fueled the queen's rage because she was so envy of the prince that the boy who had barely reached adulthood had outshone her whilst she still stood as the young queen who was bared alone to rule.
it vexed the queen so much until today, when a kingdom, one that was known infamous for its strength and the great king, had been so modest to visit her castle just to court taehyung. the king of jeon kingdom was a very rich and good man, and much loved and feared by all the people whom he ruled, had shown so much of his charisma even when he had just stepped inside the castle for a mere minute, leaving a trace of wants and curiosity in the queen's heart. the king's lone son had come abreast his father, showing just as much masculinity and charisma oozing from his lanky yet sturdy body for a child his age. the sole purpose of the sudden visit was at least unpleasant for the queen, yet she was too curious to of the man that she followed along the arrangement that was made even when the prince had sneered so much distaste towards his father's agreement.
the little prince was so mad that he had dashed from his seat to outside, presumably the garden. that little kid could do nothing to end the deal as the queen cunningly swayed the king to keep the arrangement. it may not be a good end for the snow white, yet when had the queen been caring enough for him? after all, what she wanted, what she got. and she wanted nothing more than seeing the great king jeon on his knees, all vulnerable, in front of her.
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two years had passed and taehyung was still left in the dark, unknowing of the little deal his mother had arranged with king jeon, just as the queen planned to. the king had been frequently visiting the castle at least twice a year to deepen the connection between his kingdom and the other. the man had been enjoying all of his visits and now could be laughing at ease whenever the queen was present even in the most boring conversation they indulged themselves into. however, prince jeongguk, who always came along with his father still disagreed with the arrangement, disappearing as soon as they arrived to the garden doing unknown things to escape the disappointment stares his father would throw at him.
the little prince now had grown to be such a handsome gentleman, with jet black hair, dark and intense orbs that stared intelligently, strong and sharp jaws, and body twice as sturdy and strong of it was normally supposed to be. he would be such a waste to be paired with taehyung, the queen thought, as taehyung's beauty shouldn't be compared to what was way above it. if the queen didn't have the eyes for the king, she might have fallen for the prince's charm for he to be older and matured one.
the little tantrums the prince threw concerning the arrangement had been noticed also by his father. his worries had grown gradually as time passed, completely smitten by his son and always wanted the best for him. so one day, he had come to visit the queen's kingdom again with an unsettled expression as he settled down in the usual seat he had claimed to be his since the first visit in the castle's dining room, only to break the news of breaking up the arrangement.
the queen was blinded by rage upon hearing the king's request, for her evil plan to have the man for herself was to be ruined like this. she decided that she no longer wanted the king in her sight, ushering the man out of the castle. she was so mad that she secretly laced the drink of the poor man into a sooner death. and she wished for it to be the last time the queen would be seeing the jeon family.
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"you have been so upset since you arrived this morning, why is that?" taehyung asked forlornly.
jeongguk who had been staring on the blue sky, turned to see a distressed taehyung and let out a sigh. "my father had been very sick since last year, and had been bedridden by now. i am just so worried of him." he got up from his lying position on the grass to watch a bird as it rose higher and higher and at last disappeared behind trees.
taehyung had always been sensitive to the topic as such, unconsciously shedding a lone tear whilst looking sympathetically on his friend. "that is so terrible! how terribly you must've felt!" he mused as he hugged jeongguk eloquently.
"it is," replied jeongguk emphatically, hugging taehyung back tightly. they stayed like that for a while, basking with the sweetness of each other's presence to cure the pain and loneliness inside their hearts when suddenly taehyung jumped from jeongguk's grasp to shout excitedly how he could have something to make jeongguk happy and ran ahead towards the small hill.
jeongguk gazed at him, speechless with the upcoming surprise. he hesitated at first, for he could not believe that taehyung meant it seriously yet chose to follow the ashy snow colour haired boy. he went on and followed him. the ruts were very disagreeable to walk on, but presently he led him through a hole in the hedge and they got into a field. there was no path, but taehyung walked away up to it and jeongguk went after him. there was another hedge at the top, and a stile in it, and they climbed over. when they got to the other side, taehyung leaned against the post and gave a wave with his right hand and said, "this is my secret place."
it sloped downhill, and the hedges around it were rather high. with awkward branches of black thorn sticking out here and there without any leaves, and with the blossom lying white on the black twigs like snow. there were cistus and cowslips all over the field, but they were thicker at the damp lower end. the sun shone low down and made such splendid shadows that they all walked about with grey giants their feet; and it made the bright green of the grass, and the flowers down below, and the top of the hedge, and taehyung's ashy snow hair, and the mist behind the bush which was out of the sun, and everything in the sun, so yellow, that just for a minute jeongguk really believed that everything was turning into gold. it was a very lovely field, and when he had a good look at it once again, he said to taehyung, "it is the best place i ever heard of."
taehyung giggled as response, beaming at jeongguk's expression which was so endearing for the prince. "sit down," said taehyung. "we shan't keep this place to ourselves for a day. i still have many surprises for you."
and taehyung showed all the beautiful things in that secret place of his, from the beautiful violets behind, the blue hyacinths, the wren's nest, cowslips, the sounds of ladybugs, and many more. after every fresh thing that taehyung showed, he always eagerly led jeongguk with another burst of energy because there was always something else better.
"it's almost too good," jeongguk said, amused, caught up with the feelings of having taehyung's hand gripping his tightly. they were crossing the field to the opposite hedge.
and they ran to a hollow oak. jeongguk was nearly wild with delight because he had always dreamt playing with one but he had never had one to play with. it looked all solid from the field, but when they pushed behind, there was the door and they crept in, and it smelt of wood and delicious damp. the light came in from the top, where the polydopy hung over like a fringe. jeongguk admitted that taehyung was right, it was the best thing in this secret place.
the place was so peaceful that jeongguk could have never left this place and have not got bored. he felt so refreshed as if all the worries and doubts he had had cleared out whilst he let out the biggest relieved sigh he could muster. taehyung must have come here a lot when he was lonely. too caught up in his thoughts, jeongguk didn't notice taehyung had gone until a few minutes had passed as he still stared at the mesmerising view in front of him to notice a tap on his shoulder.
taehyung stood there, smiling the most beautiful rectangular smile, holding a bouquet in front of jeongguk. the bouquet was so pretty, it consisted of ox-eye daisies, shivering grass, dog-roses, meadow-sweet, cowslips, fox-tail grass, cistus, hyacinths, and more flowers jeongguk didn't even know the name. taehyung brought the bouquet closer to jeungguk, the gesture was so sweet that it cheered up jeongguk to a whole new level. everything looked so lovely, and taehyung proudly stood as the loveliest inside jeongguk's mind.
today was a fine summer's day in the time you can count by tapping your foot on the ground until the ladybugs flied away that jeongguk counted.
the atmosphere felt to be filled with a thick mist of something so sweet that rendering them both in a too comfortable silence. there was like a pull that made jeongguk stand so close to taehyung, something that drew him close to the boy with the most beautiful boxy smile, pure and sweet personalities. in three years he had known taehyung, he had seen the latter growing up to be a very beautiful man whose looks put the most beautiful girl in the world on shame. never in jeongguk's seventeen years of life had he ever felt something akin like attachment or connection with someone aside taehyung, and now there was nothing he could do but admitting the feelings that had grown deep inside his heart that he no longer could stand living without taehyung close by. the lad had made himself a place inside jeongguk's heart and he would never let him leave just that. taehyung stepped lightly from the grass to one of the roots of the old oak and tiptoed. in the same moment the prince swept down from a tall branch. without a word, the two rushed into each other's arms.
jeongguk felt so content just by having taehyung there. he'd found the one his father had been searching for for him, and he was so sure of it when he surged down to capture taehyung's rosy plump lips with his own, sealing a silent promise between them. no matter what happened in the future, jeongguk would never give up to fight only to have them together.
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In the cowslips peeps I lie,
Hidden from the buzzing fly,
While green grass beneath me lies,
Pearled with dew like fishes' eyes,
Here I lie a Clock-o'-clay,
Waiting for the time o' day,
While grassy forest quakes surprise,
And the wild wind sobs and sighs,
My gold home rocks as like to fall,
On its pillars green and tall;
When the pattering rain drives bye
Clock-o'-Clay keeps warm and dry.
Day by day and night by night,
All the week I hide from sight;
In the cowslips peeps I lie,
In the rain still warm and dry;
Day and night, and night and day,
Red, black-spotted clock-o'-clay.
My home it shakes in wind and showers,
Pale green pillar topped with flowers,
Bending at the wild wind's breath,
Till I touch the grass beneath;
Here still I live, lone clock-o'-clay,
Watching for the time of day.
—John Clare's "Clock-O'-Clay" (1793-1864)
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and while there were good times, there were also the ends.
in the midst of those sweet moments, the two young lads had been too focused to notice a pair of dark eyes intensely watching them, deep from inside the shadows, blinded with rage and envy, wanting no more than to separate what sweet was left in that time.
to be continued