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— » — « —
Jonghyun stepped back from the window of his bedchamber just as the last of the entourage passed through the castle gates. He had a huge grin on his face, one he had been fighting back all morning and eventually lost to, as he resumed what he was doing.
There was a lot to do that day centring on a banquet to be held and guests to be housed and fed. And while his movements seemed serene enough, Jonghyun was in fact in a rush. Thus, when he finished getting dressed, he bolted out of his chambers, dashed through hallways and down flights of steps, only stopping before the door to the great hall to walk in at a respectable pace—one ‘befitting his title’.
“His Majesty, King Jonghyun!”
The king, while his expression remained unaffectedly regal, internally winced at the echoing of his name through the rather deserted great hall. Grateful as he is for the faithfulness of their sole guard, Jonghyun often found himself wondering why the soldier still bothered with that part of his duty.
“You forgot your crown...again,” Aaron said wryly as soon as Jonghyun sat on his throne. “What sort of king forgets his crown five out of seven days a week?”
“One who takes the weekdays off?” Jonghyun answered half seriously, having pondered the question.
“Too bad you can only dream of being that kind of royalty, eh?”
Jonghyun laughed at that, bowing a little as he let Aaron place the crown on his head. The latter stepped back, nodding at his handiwork.
The king straightened up as if to answer but it was nearly half a minute before he found himself able to instead ask, “Hyung, they’ve arrived, haven’t they?”
“By ‘they’ do you mean Dongho and Minki or...? Because Dongho and Minki are still out hunting,” Aaron responds with a grin, knowing exactly to which ‘they’ Jonghyun was referring. It sure was not Dongho and Minki.
“Hyung...”
“They’re settling in,” the prince did say eventually, chuckling at the self-conscious expression on their king's young face. It had been years ago since he became king at the raw age of sixteen, yet even back then Jonghyun has hardly ever been impatient with anything, but in the rare moments that he was, he would think that he was being impertinent and would be apologetic for it.
Aaron continued, “And banquet preparations are going well. The better should Dongho and Minki return on time.”
“Where have Dongho and Minki gone to?” A voice, fruity and familiar, interjected.
“His Royal Highness, Prince Minhyun!”
“Minhyun-ah…”
Jonghyun barely managed to keep himself seated, waiting until Minhyun had knelt at his feet and stood back up before pulling him in an embrace.
“Welcome home.”
— » — « —
Impeccably presentable as always, Aaron almost found no traces of Minhyun having rushed from his chambers to the throne room as soon as the opportunity presented itself. It was when Jonghyun had pulled him into a sudden embrace that Aaron heard the shortness of Minhyun’s breath as well as the exhaled answer when the king asked if he was all right.
“Of course, I’m fine. I just…missed you, truly,” Minhyun breathed, smiling fondly.
Aaron cleared his throat.
“All of you, especially Aaron-hyung,” he amended with a laugh, stepping back from Jonghyun to receive the older prince’s welcoming hug.
“You look very well,” he observed. Minhyun had grown much in stature and bearing, during his time with the expedition company with other princes and lords under Queen Jisung. It had been a largely successful conquest based on reports they have received, with the group having reached an overwhelming expanse of land and territory in the year and a half they spent together. And Aaron was proud. All of them… they were truly proud of Minhyun.
“And I am glad to see you two to be as well,” Minhyun replied. Looking around, his smile was content. “I have missed these halls,” he added, again with that lilting laughter, one that Aaron and Jonghyun have not heard in over a year.
“Have you, really?” The artlessness in the way the king posed the question was not lost on both princes. The genuine surprise in Jonghyun’s voice was still there as if he is always expecting something to be sorry for, to make up for. Indeed, his expression was that of pure worry. Aaron could tell even now that while their prince is undoubtedly back with them for good, their king is still anxious about any small matter of contention to become grounds for Minhyun to have to set off with the company again.
Minhyun nodded, biting back a chuckle. “I have. However, I do regret coming back for one reason.”
Even Aaron started at this, caught off guard. Yet, anything can happen in a year and a half, and people are most capable of changing. As the king caught Minhyun’s gaze, there was barely a quiver in the smile that Jonghyun wore—eerily similar to the one he had when it had been determined that Minhyun had to leave them.
“Your Majesty, I…,” he began, “I just haven’t found the answer to our question of who is the queen.”
Jonghyun blinked. “What?”
“The queen,” Minhyun repeated, looking bemused that neither seemed to remember, especially Jonghyun. “Your queen?” he added pointedly at their king.
“Oh,” Jonghyun trailed off until it finally dawned on him. “Oh…”
“Were you supposed to find him a queen?” Aaron seemed incredulous, chiefly because he would never have imagined Jonghyun proactively sending anyone to search for a royal consort for him. Not to mention one from foreign lands—Aaron was under the impression that Jonghyun would prefer someone from their kingdom, regardless of status.
“I—well, not exactly? But we have had that question since Jonghyun became king, haven’t we? ‘Who is the Queen?’ Didn’t we ask that amongst ourselves all the time?”
As always, the subject of his consort, whether real or hypothetical, would turn the tips of Jonghyun’s ears pink, and all he could croak out was, “Surely you had better things to do out there rather than think of the answer to that.”
Minhyun was laughing heartily at his king’s obvious discomfort when the door burst open and a flurry of boots and hunting train made its way towards the throne.
“His Royal Highness, Princess Dongho! His Royal Highness, Prince Minki!”
Aaron was nodding sagely. “I do remember that half the time, today included, we end up with the realization that, at least, we already have a princess.”
— » — « —
Minki was not sure if he was furious with Dongho or grateful that he was still alive because of him. Sure, he was still clinging to him for dear life—as he absolutely cannot walk with trembling legs and was in danger of collapsing any second—and at the same time, he wanted to strangle the princess just so he could stop laughing at everything about their situation.
And, boy, was Dongho laughing. Even as their trusty guard announced their arrival, Dongho cackled non-stop while he supported a half-paralyzed, half-protesting Minki—from the moment they dismounted their horses up until he could deposit Minki unceremoniously at Jonghyun's feet.
“I seriously thought I was going to die,” Minki grumbled, but mustering enough strength to throw himself at Minhyun by way of welcoming him home. “Well, aren’t you early, we’ve only just finished hunting additional chickens for the banquet,” he observed.
“Pheasants,” Jonghyun corrected.
“Whatever,” Minki waved a dismissive hand, letting go of Minhyun to let Dongho have his turn. He then climbed the steps up to the throne. “Didn’t you hear me? I almost died,” he repeated, shaking Jonghyun as if it would help the news sink in.
“I hardly would have thought anyone would nearly die from shooting pheasants for a banquet,” Jonghyun argued while being casually manhandled by his own subject. “Also, you said you thought you were going to die, that’s different.”
Dongho laughed again but this time in harmony with Minhyun. Over a year ago that particular sound—music to the king’s ears—frequently echoed throughout the castle; Jonghyun’s smile upon hearing it again quickly evolved to his staccato laugh even as Minki continued to jostle him.
“Why don’t we move this discussion to the small chamber?” Aaron suggested, signalling to a servant for tea and cakes to be served now that they were all done bowing to Jonghyun—and curtsying, of course, because Dongho is a princess—and welcoming Minhyun home.
“Good, because I need a drink,” Minki hopped down the steps, choosing Aaron to be his crutch this time, consistent with his claim of his near-death experience sapping him of all energy.
“All you need a drink for is being hoarse from screaming too much,” Dongho responded, gathering up his hunting train and bunching up his skirts for easier movement, something he was not able to do while he was dragging Minki around. “We got as far as the edge of the Dark Forest,” he explained to a chuckling Jonghyun, “and for absolutely no reason he started freaking out and screaming. He scared his own horse away after falling off of it—,”
“I was pushed off—!” Minki cut in, indignant.
“—and after badgering me to go find it because he can’t, he followed me in the forest and clung to me the whole time. You all saw him when we came in, except earlier he wasn’t screaming in my ear the way he did in the forest,” he went on, his narration punctuated by peals of laughter as they sat around the table as tea and cakes were served. “Ah, but to be fair, he did let go when the bear came out and I had to wrestle with it.”
“A bear, good lords,” Aaron nearly choked on his cake, lunging for his teacup.
“Surely you didn’t kill it?” Minhyun asked with concern, as obviously, the bear did not kill Dongho.
“I only scared it away with my best chokehold,” Dongho demurred, looking pleased and bashful at the same time.
Minhyun somewhat paled, one hand unclasping the cloak fastened by his neck and undoing the top buttons of his doublet. The king, upon seeing the action, lost it completely and succumbed to a fit of giggles. “Ah, Minhyun-ah…” was all he could say for a while, though he reached out to his right and grasped the prince’s other hand in sympathy.
Aaron turned towards Minki. “And you were the one who nearly died.”
“Of heart attack!” The youngest prince replied with passion. “And look at him!” he gestured towards Dongho, looking so offended.
“What’s wrong with Dongho?” Jonghyun asked, struggling to sit up straight from having doubled over with laughter. His vision might have been blurry with happy tears, but Dongho looked by and large unscathed despite having wrestled with a bear.
Minki sighed, despair lining his features. “We are having a much-awaited banquet tonight and our princess lost his tiara,” he whimpered, dabbing at his teary eyes with a table napkin.
“I lost my tiara,” Dongho confirmed.
“Oh no…” Aaron responded sympathetically.
“I have others, of course, but…”
“But you just had to lose one of the best that Minhyun gave you,” Minki threw in accusingly.
“Which you insisted I try out this morning when we’re in such a rush to get ready for hunting!” Dongho now huffed.
“All right, enough,” Jonghyun interrupted, with some residue of his mirth still present. Clearing his throat, he turned to Dongho. “We’ll send out a search party for it.”
“It doesn’t have to be today, does it?” Minhyun interposed, correctly guessing that their foremost concern was that they wanted Dongho to wear it to the banquet because of him.
Jonghyun smiled. “We’ll have it found nevertheless.”
— » — « —
Hours later, the great hall was transformed—then full of life and laughter. Jonghyun sat at the high table with Aaron to his right, and with Queen Jisung and Prince Sungwoon, the representatives of their guests of honour, to his left. The rest of Jonghyun’s family sat at the next table of honour with all the other princes of the Wanna One company, a reunion for royalty all who had fought together in a great battle not too long ago.
Daehwi, the only other princess aside from Dongho, had temporarily exchanged tiaras with the latter after hearing of his loss that morning.
“How come you look so good in everything, hyung?” Daehwi cooed, liking the way the dainty coronet sat on Dongho’s head.
“He’s just born that way, as I’m sure he has told you before,” Minki answered for Dongho with a conspiratorial wink at the younger princess.
“I most certainly did not—,” Dongho began but quickly corrected himself, “Oh, yes… Yes, I did.” He laughed again and, to Daehwi’s horror, put an arm around Minki to choke him. “Oh, why must you embarrass me like this every—single—time...”
Unfortunately, someone else looked just in time as Minki started flailing and tapping Dongho's arm. Minhyun’s hand flew to his neck involuntarily before he could nervously laugh it off. He reached for his goblet and looked the other way, whereupon the high table Jonghyun himself was also choking, albeit on laughter over the very animated queen’s antics.
“His Majesty seems to be the same gentle and thoughtful king he was when I first met him,” Seongwoo observed, having looked up at the high table as well. “Sometimes I find myself wondering when he would lead us to battle again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he stays home for at least a year.”
Minhyun furrowed his brows. “What do you m—”
“I agree,” Jaehwan interrupted, nodding. “There should be an announcement any time tonight.”
“An announcement?” Daniel perked up, waiting on the older princes to say more and then looking at Woojin expectantly when no one else elaborated.
“Don’t look at me, hyung, I have no idea what they are talking about,” was all that Woojin could offer him.
Jonghyun stood up, and there was a mass scraping of chairs throughout the great hall when everyone else followed suit. The king looked rather flustered, quite unused to hosting a large gathering, but bravely went on with the customary toast to begin the dinner.
“To our honoured guests,” he began, raising his goblet and turning to the people seated at his left, “our dearest Queen, Jisung-hyung, and Sungwoon-hyung…”
Jonghyun then raised his goblet towards the table of honour before him. “Seongwoo, Jaehwan, Daniel, Jihoon, Woojin, Jinyoung, Daehwi, and Guanlin… I thank you for being with us tonight and for the honour of sending our Minhyun home. May you all continue to do great things in the future and may you enjoy the next few weeks with us here in our humble abode.”
There was a great cheer and a flurry of excitement before Jonghyun spoke again.
“To our dearest Minhyun…,” he continued, taking a deep breath and quite some time that Jisung beside him was visibly waiting with bated breath, “…welcome home.”
“That’s it?” Jaehwan muttered to himself after everyone heard the pin drop.
But that was not it, as proven when Jonghyun lowered his goblet and began addressing Minhyun directly.
“Minhyun-ah…about the question of who is my queen,” he went on, looking deep in thought, “I have thought about it, too.”
“And…?” Minhyun prompted.
“I have always thought the answer is you,” Jonghyun said simply, a tad too preoccupied in processing his thoughts that he barely registered the collective ‘ooh’ throughout the banquet hall.
“Oh, dear me…” Jisung’s hand flew to his heart, and he moved a little sideways to get Aaron’s attention from behind Jonghyun. Somebody stop this child! he mouthed to him. The prince could only laugh silently and shrug helplessly, knowing both of them were actually enjoying the spectacle.
“I never had any other answer,” the king went on in earnest, “so I hope you have no more reason to regret coming back.”
Minhyun nodded cheerfully, laughing a little as he responded, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then I’m glad.” Jonghyun smiled, looking the most relieved he has ever been. And remembering his toast, he raised his goblet once more. “Here’s to eating and drinking to our hearts’ content, and enjoying the company of one another. Cheers to everyone!”
Everyone responded in unison, and the feasting commenced.
— » — « —
“Well, there goes a version of ‘love to one, friendship to many, and goodwill to all’ that I have never heard before,” Jihoon said, looking impressed as he sat down.
“What does it mean, hyung?” Guanlin asked him.
“If we’re all not mistaken, I’m fairly certain that right in front of everyone in this room, His Majesty Jonghyun-hyung just told Minhyun-hyung that he’s in love with him—if being his queen is any indication.”
“Oh… That makes sense.”
“Of course, it seems it might take a few more minutes before it finally sinks in.” Jihoon squinted, searching back and forth between Jonghyun and Minhyun for possible signs of delayed embarrassment. “Or is it just me…?”
Guanlin shrugged, offering him food instead.
Jinyoung, who had been listening to them, asked, “Do you think we’re staying for the wedding and coronation?”
“The sooner Jonghyun-hyung knows the better.” Woojin pitched in. “Personally, I don’t mind. The chicken here is great.”
“Pheasant,” Jinyoung corrected.
Jonghyun, having just sat down on his seat and getting ready to enjoy food and wine, noticed Jisung beaming at him with fondness.
“What is it, hyung?”
“Jonghyun-ah, did you just propose to Minhyunnie in the middle of your toast?”
“Propose what?”
“Marriage, of course!”
“I…”
Jonghyun looked over to where Minhyun sat serenely, enjoying a conversation with Seongwoo and Jaehwan.
“I suppose I did.”
“You suppose?” Sungwoon repeated.
“I mean, I did. Of course, I did,” Jonghyun replied slowly. “Aaron-hyung…?”
“Yes, Jonghyun-ah…”
“Did Minhyun accept?”
“Well, he said yes,” he offered tentatively. “Would you like to make sure?”
Jonghyun shook his head. When he glanced at Minhyun again, he found him meeting his gaze. They smiled at each other before returning to their respective conversations.
“It’s fine, hyung, no need.”
Minki put down his goblet, turning to Dongho dramatically. “You know what this means, right?”
Dongho sighed. “I know, I know… We’ll go out first thing in the morning.”
“Where are you going?” Daehwi asked.
“On a search party in the Dark Forest,” he answered with conviction. “It would be a tragedy if I cannot wear that tiara from Minhyun on his coronation day.”
“Ooh, may I go with you?”
“Of course.”
— » the end « —