A/N
Thanks so much for checking out my book! The first chapter only has a dash of BTS because its a lot of backstory but I promise this is a BTS-centric fanfic!!! It's gonna get real juicy when they show up so just stick with me. Buckle up and I hope you enjoy!!!
Y/n POV
It was the goosebumps that woke you up that morning. And with that your dream had ended. Fleeting as it was, as it always was, you tried to remember the dream you had just woken up from. It had left you with a warm feeling which not all your dreams did nowadays. Your eyes remained closed as you thought.
A flash. Warm eyes and a sly smile. Then it was gone. It always frustrated you that you could never remember your dreams. But sometimes you knew it was for the best.
Another flash. Dancing and twirling. Fluttering dresses illuminated by candlelight and accompanied by laughter. Then it was gone.
One last, final memory from your sleeping persona. A hand in yours. You couldn't help but smile slightly and shift in your bed. A hand in yours, and a hand on your waist. It felt so nice.
After that scene had also slipped away from your mind's eyes. No more came to warm your cold body that morning. And so, you reluctantly decided to wake.
Light poured in through your chamber's windows, but not the bright, warm, yellow light that spring and summer mornings tend to bring, but the cool toned light that came with the icy air of late in the year. You had opened one of your windows when going to sleep the night before. All of your day prior had been occupied with stuffy rooms with grand, roaring fires forcing their aggressive heat on you. When you retired that night to sleep, you decided to feel the outside air on your skin. You silently thanked the frigid air as it had seemed to have brought you your warm and happy dream. Happy dreams were such a luxury.
The window that stood ajar was tall. It rose from just above the floor high into the air. The tall celling allowed this kind of architecture. Although the window boasted this unnecessarily imposing size, a banister that rose to your chest blocked the opening on the outside. Thankfully or not, this put to rest your late-night thoughts of stepping out of the towering window. Your chambers were on the side of the castle that looked out over the sea. And after a taxing day of being scolded and taught and scowled at, the glacial waves that rolled several hundred feet below didn't seem so terrible.
You blinked these thoughts away and sat up in your bed. Everything around you reminded you that you should not have thoughts like those. Your decadent room and luxurious dresses that hung within it were a constant nudge that your life was nothing to be ungrateful about. To you, it was like all these expensive and outlandish items that filled your everyday life were alive and subtly shaking their heads at you in disapproval because of the ungratefulness that lined these suicidal thoughts.
The crown seems heavy only to those who wear it.
You sat in your bed, under the finest and warmest furs, and thought about the day ahead of you. Not much if you were honest. Class with your tutor, a dress fitting for a new winter gown, and a sudden meeting with your parents which had been called only last night. You parents, the king and queen, were quite meticulous about their schedules so it took you by surprised when a steward had told you of their last-minute summons. But first, you had to make it through breakfast.
As you swung your legs over the side of the bed, your door opened and in walked your personal attendant, Ida. She was a squatty, pudgy woman who had been watching over you for as long as you could remember. She was always in a hurry and her clammy fingers were always doing something. In her typical panicked way of doing things, she immediately rushed to the window. "You foolish child do you want to catch your death?" she squealed as she pulled the two sides of the window to a close.
"I liked the cool air." Your voice was hushed and still waking up.
She turned to you and popped her hip, giving you eyes like you had gone absolutely crazy. "Winter is almost here and you like the cool air?" she mocked you in a high voice which made the edges of your mouth turn up. If it was anyone else talking to you like that you'd be outraged, but Ida was almost like a mother to you. She let out a heavy sigh. "You should be up by now, dearest. The day is upon us and we must be ready!" Now it was your turn to sigh.
She fiddled with some linens in a basket. She muttered hastily while keeping her hands working. "I'll send in your attendants to dress you for today. It's going to be quite cold."
You stood up and stretched. "It's not like I go outside anyways."
She stopped for a moment and looked back up at you with her matter-of-fact expression. "You can go outside!" she huffed. "You're not being held hostage here! Don't be so dramatic; you're a princess not a prisoner."
Sometimes I can't tell the difference. You thought. But you immediately scolded yourself for being so angsty. "Bring on the day, then." You smiled weakly in Ida's direction.
She nodded curtly. "That's the spirit!"
After you had been dressed, you began to walk towards the dining hall. Your room was thankfully fairly centrally located, so the walk didn't take too long. Just a short way from the entrance to the hall, you saw a tall man turn the corner. You instantly recognized him and felt a small smile dance on your lips. "Hobi!" You called down the echoey hallway.
His head whipped in your direction. You saw him smile also. "Shhh!" He replied as he walked happily over to you. "You can't call me that for anyone to hear."
You let out a small laugh, which these days was so rare it felt like sweet cream on your tongue. "Oh, I forgot," You corrected yourself playfully. "Sir Hoseok." You jokingly curtsied to him.
You felt like you wanted to hug him, but you knew it would be inappropriate to when anyone could just walk by. His smile looking down on you made you happy in a way you hadn't been for a while. "Hey, I worked hard to become a knight so I'm gonna milk that title all I can." He said goofily.
I nodded with a toothy smile. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever, Hobi." You sighed.
You'd known Hoseok as long as you could remember. He was a page at the age of 7, following around other knights in the castle all the time. At 15 he became a knight, and you two soon hit it off as good friends, despite him being older than you. Then, when he turned 21, he was knighted. More recently, though, in the past couple of years, Hobi had become increasingly busy with knightly duties. You saw him very rarely and as one of your only friends in this world, it was hard on you. He was a ray of sunshine in your gray life.
He smiled sadly. "Have you really missed me beating you in chess that much, Princess?"
You shared a chuckle. "It just gets lonely around here, Hobi."
You looked up at your old friend as he nodded. Hoseok had turned into such a handsome man. You remembered him as a teenager with hair that always stuck up in the back and soft facial features. Now he was defined and mature. You two had always only been friends, but he made your stomach flutter in that moment as he looked down on you.
"I know, y/n. Come and visit me sometime in the knight's wing." His face lit up. "I'm sure all the guys would get a kick out of it."
"Yeah, maybe I will." After another moment of taking in his warm presence, your mind flicked back to reality. Your eyes widened. "I'm going to be so late for breakfast, I have to go, Hobi."
His eyes seem disappointed, but his face was understanding. "Of course, I hope to see you again soon, Princess." He lightly bowed.
"You as well." You smiled as you passed him to reach the door.
As you entered the large room, you were thankful for the warm outfit you had been dressed in. It was cold in the castle this morning and the long sleeves and thick cloak you wore sheltered your body from the inevitable draft.
As always, your father sat at the head of the long table. Your mother sat to his right and your younger sister, Esther, sat to his left. The sounds your slippers made as you shuffled to your seat next to Esther broke the silence that hung over the room. As you took your seat, Esther smiled up at you warmly and you smiled back. She was the only one in this dining hall who loved you. And the only one you loved in return.
"Nice of you to join us," your mother spoke. "late again, but honestly I've begun to expect it."
You stayed silent. Your parent's resentment towards you had only gotten more obvious and agresssive as your 18th birthday came and went last month. 18 years and one month ago, you were, unfortunately, born a girl. Your parents have no use for a first-born daughter; No one in the kingdom did. After your mother had many pregnancy complications, five years later she become pregnant again. Only to have your younger sister. She was the last hope of having a male heir to the kingdom. Although she was also a disappointment, no one could overshadow your great shortcomings.
After growing up with little to no affection from your parents, it was no wonder you weren't amazing at finding a husband—which just happened to be your literal only job as a female heir to the throne. The only place you could find any kind of kindness was from Hobi, Ida, and Esther. Your parents were nothing more than the king and queen to you.
You focused on eating your breakfast. One thing at a time. As the meal was coming to a close, you spoke.
"You summoned me to a meeting in the afternoon, father. Is there a certain topic of conversation?"
He looked up to you with the big, unamused, arresting, brown eyes that filled your childhood memories. "We will discuss it when the time comes, y/n. No sooner." His voice boomed
You were annoyed by the answer but only nodded in response. It was no use to argue. As the king of the land you walked on and the dictator of your life, what he said was law.
After breakfast had ended, you continued with the motions of your day. First, class with your tutor, a kind, older gentleman. Today we went over language and political matters. As he spoke about the state of your kingdom, you noticed something. He was not telling the whole truth.
He spoke in depth about taxes and declarations and relations with the lords and ladies of the kingdom, along with the kingdom's status in regard to your neighboring kingdoms. Everything he spoke you knew and trusted to be true, but he forgets that you live in the center of all of the political matters in the kingdom. You've overheard the meetings and gatherings dedicated to discussing the unrest in the kingdom. Not only have you eavesdropped on these important conferences, but you've heard the passing whispers of castle visitors. You've notices the hushed gossip of the palace staff.
The kingdom was not pleased with the royal leadership. Villages were poor and starving. Even the lords and ladies of the kingdom had fallen on hard times, and with winter beginning, it was only the start of the kingdom's problems. And the root of the land's turmoil? His royal highness.
Little to no efforts were given to aid the people your father ruled, and if care is not given soon, many will not survive the winter. Not to mention the only possible heir to the throne had not yet married showing giving no certainty of your kingdom's future. Suitors had come to try and win your hand before, but obviously none had managed to woo you. It's not like they were bad people; random sons of lords from far far away. They just couldn't break down the walls you managed to put up. To be completely honest, the suitors that came to the castle typically ended their visits early when they realized you weren't interested in getting to know them. You liked to think of it as a mutual agreement not to continue the relationship.
So, if there was so much uncertainty and conflict within the land that your family ruled, why did your tutor speak of the history of salt trade? You decided not to push the matter with your tutor, as you believed he was only doing what he was told. You, as a "useless first-born daughter" were not meant to learn about and discuss policy. You were meant to not make a fool of yourself, and of course find a suitable husband to do the ruling for you.
Your mind lingered on this fact throughout the dress fitting. The dress you were getting was beautiful and perfect for the winter, but your mind was busy thinking and it was hard to appreciate its deep royal blue shade and intricate details.
The fitting had ended, and your heart began to beat a little faster as you got closer to the time of the meeting. You sat in front of the mirror in your room, your hair elegantly draped over your shoulder, awaiting your mysterious council.
Finally, it was time. You picked up a large fur lined cloak and walked in the direction of the throne room. Your cloak dragged behind you making you feel regal. You've been told you were beautiful before, but it was hard to find beauty in a body you had been made to hate so much. Your anxiety peaked and you took a deep breath. You always tried to keep a stone face when meeting with your parents, in order to seem refined and mild mannered, but on the inside, you twitched with fear. Your mind wondered back to Hobi. You wished he was here. He would have settled your nerves. But unfortunately, you were walking into this alone. Uncertainty was one of the things you hated the most in this world.
You pushed the doors open.
A/N
I hope you enjoyed chapter one! In the next chapter we can start meeting some more BTS characters and boy are they Spicy🌶 . If you liked the chapter please remember to vote and comment! Thanksssss!!!