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Under the iron mask
A roar erupts through the crowd as the next round of the melee gets underway. The spectator’s stand rumbles with excitement as the knights from the Jeong and Cho families approach one another. Princess Kahei watches along with inquisitive eyes as the knight from the Jeong family makes his move first, a slash aimed for his opponent’s stomach that just barely misses his target. This is Kahei’s first time spectating a tournament. The occasion is her elder brother’s wedding; a betrothal that brought together the Wong and Park families closer as allies, solidifying their hold on the midlands. Because of the occasion, Kahei finds herself in the front row of the stands, close enough for each swing of the knight from the Cho family’s mace to tousle her hair, causing her to fix her black locks below her tiara once more.
”Gang,” Kahei calls, turning her head to face the man beside her, the head of her royal guard. “Why isn’t Jeong’s knight advancing?”
“Because he’s afraid of losing,” he responds. Gang knows what it’s like to be in his boots. He’s fought in many wars and won even more tourneys in his day. He’s a man of the blade, through and through. “Jeong fights for fame, not for honor.”
“I see,” Kahei says. That’s boring, she thinks to herself. The melee doesn’t go in his favor in the end because of it. Cho’s mace shoots up from underneath, knocking Jeong’s helmet into the stands, bloodying his face in the process. He’s alive, though, and the fight ends there, with Cho headed into the next round of the tourney.
Kahei isn’t too sure that she’s interested in the rest of the melees after that sight. Not that she’s shaming Jeong’s performance and wanted something more to come from it, she’s just not sure if mindless violence is much to her tastes. It feels brutish, gruesome, even. Much less graceful and elegant than a princess like her is used to. She must watch on, though. Her betrothed, Junghwa, is amongst the contestants.
Jungwha is a touchy subject for Kahei. She has only met the prince a handful of times and she’s unsure how she feels about him. She doesn’t think he’s a bad person but she hardly finds herself dying to be in his presence, either. She feels no attraction nor holds any romantic feelings for the boy. Despite that, they are to be wed sometime in the coming years when her father, the King, deems appropriate. Their marriage will tighten their hold on the midlands, making their kingdom and the kingdoms that they’re allied with stronger, and even though marrying Prince Jungwha isn’t something Kahei wants for herself, she knows that she doesn’t have a choice in the matter. Someday in the future, Prince Jungwha will be her husband, perhaps he will even be King.
Kahei is snatched from her thoughts by the bellowing of the herald’s trumpet. An announcement is made and a gasp of shock is drawn from the crowd. A mystery knight has fought their way through the entirety of the preliminary rounds and has gained entrance to the main tournament. Although it is a rule most kingdoms follow, it is a rare occurrence, for a knight from a royal family is usually the most commanding force on the battlefield. Common folk don’t often stand a chance. However, it seems that isn’t the case today, and Kahei’s eyes fall upon the man that the herald deems as the ‘Orchard Knight’. The name is weird and unusual. It comes from the orchard of trees on their shield. Kahei finds herself more interested in this bout than the one prior. Knights usually enter the melee to fight for legacy, fame and honor. The Orchard Knight is anonymous, their armor too dark to make out a face beneath it. Kahei is smart enough to realise that the Orchard Knight is fighting for something else, a different cause, one that she isn’t currently privy to. It gets her invested, wanting to see what happens next.
”Gang,” Kahei calls out once more. “Do you know who this man is?”
”Afraid not, princess,” Gang replies. “If contestants want to conceal their identity, they are permitted. I don’t know why they would, though. Half of the reward for winning the tourney is accredited to your identity and spreading it though word of mouth.”
Gang’s statement solidifies Kahei’s hypothesis. The Orchard Knight is fighting for something more important than recognition.
The herald blows his horn once more as the contestants make their way to the arena constructed for the tournament. The knight from the Kim family unsheathes his great sword and gains an audible ‘oooh’ from the crowd as he holds it out in front of his opponent. This exchange makes the reception of the Orchard Knight’s weapon of choice to be rather lackluster. He wields a rapier, thin and nimble, much like the Orchard Knight himself.
Kim starts the duel in heated fashion, swinging his sword directly towards the Orchard Knight’s midriff in disrespective fashion. Kahei isn’t aware of it until the two were making direct contact with one another but the height difference between Kim and the Orchard Knight is substantial. Kim’s sword itself is almost as tall as the mystery fighter’s frame. It seemed to be working for Kim, for every swing of his blade put the Orchard Knight further on the back foot, wondering if he is perhaps out of his depth here.
Everyone loves an underdog story, Kahei has been told. That didn’t seem like the case for the crowd around her. Steel meets steel and a cheer erupts from her peers. Kim landed a blow to the Orchard Knight’s helmet, causing him to spit blood from underneath his dark mask. He’s still standing, though, his hand never faltering from his rapier. The crowd begins to chant in Kim’s favor. Kahei isn’t ready to give into their peer pressure. Her gut is telling her that the Orchard Knight is capable of something spectacular. He’s here for a reason, after all.
The Knight of the Kim family wants to end this fight sooner rather than later, and with his opponent in an injured state, he decides to go for a killing blow, swinging his sword overhand towards the Orchard Knight. The blade never meets its intended target, though. The Orchard Knight swiftly redirects the flow of Kim’s sword, directing its momentum towards the dirt they’re standing on. Kim is quick to regain his balance, but as soon as he aims to free his sword from its earthly holster, he feels the prick of the Orchard Knight’s rapier against his neck.
Although killing is allowed during tournaments, even encouraged at times, the Orchard Knight has set a precedent of not landing killing blows on his opponents in the preliminary rounds, and he looks to continue that tradition during his run in the tournament, too.
Kim’s hands fall from the hilt of his blade, signalling his surrender, and the herald is quick to grab his horn once more, proclaiming the Orchard Knight as the victor.
Kahei clasps her hands together, a smile spreading across her visage. “Wasn’t that amazing, Gang?!” Kahei asks excitedly. She’s happy that he won. However, this only brings her more questions than answers. She wants to see him fight again. She wants to know who he is.
“Indeed, Princess,” Gang responds, only for a thought to come to mind. “Perhaps I should have enlisted myself this time around. I would’ve if I had known there would be an opponent like him in the rankings.” Gone are Gang’s melee days. He hasn’t participated in years. He still reigns supreme in jousting, though.
“Do you think he would’ve stood a chance against you?” Kahei asks. The only time she has seen Gang take another man’s life was when the man in question had made an attempt to harm her. Other than that, she only has the stories to go off.
“Against me?” Gang replies, laughing at the princess’ question. “None of them would.”
”Who knows, maybe you’ve finally found somebody worth fighting?”
”Sounds like you’ve taken an interest in the mystery knight, princess.”
”Who wouldn’t take interest after a display like that?” She questions as she watches the Orchard Knight disappear into the lists, leaving the contestants to get ready for the most anticipated duel of them all. Kahei sees this as her chance to get answers to her questions. She makes the decision to follow her gut. It’s never led her astray before.
The metallic wailing of the horn directs everyone’s attention back toward the battlefield. The next two fighters have made their way to the arena, and the crowd erupts into cheers when they realise their future King is gracing them with his presence on the battlefield. “Try not to look too disinterested now that the Orchard Knight is gone,” Gang jokes, only to get nothing in return. “Princess…?” He says, turning his head to the side, only to be met with the Princess’ antler adorned tiara resting on the bench in front of where they were stationed.
The guards were too occupied with the beginning of Prince Jungwha’s bout in the melee to realise that their princess, the woman they are supposed to protect with their lives, has slipped past them. She’s hot on the trail of the Orchard Knight, following him through the lists and down beyond the stalls, only to catch a glimpse of him double checking his surroundings before turning into one of the stables on the road.
Kahei’s back presses against the wall, peeping her head around the corner. The Orchard Knight has stopped in his tracks inside, reaching up to remove his helmet. His back is pointed towards Kahei through the peephole in the door. She sees Black, medium length hair. She wants to examine him more. She wants to know if this anonymous fighter is somebody she is familiar with. Kahei is aware of the danger she’s putting herself in, but she’s always been a curious girl, and this is where her curiosity has led her.
Just as the Orchard Knight is about to turn around, Kahei attempts to pull herself back around the corner again, away from the door, only to slip on a patch of muck, causing her to shriek, hands coming to her lips to stop herself, but the damage had already been done. The knight spins on the spot and unsheathes their rapier, holding it in the direction of the scream as they open the door. “Who goes there?!” The knight says, demanding an answer.
When Kahei hears the knight’s voice, it’s almost as if somebody has a grip on her head, shaking it as hard as they can. That’s how caught off guard she is by the ordeal. “You’re a girl?” Kahei asks, shock evident in her voice.
As her eyes meet with the knight’s, Kahei can see that their expression is much the same as hers. “You’re Princess Kahei?!” She says, sheathing her rapier once more. She didn’t know that she was being followed, much less being followed by a Princess.
Kahei closes the distance between the two, using her hand to cover the knight’s mouth this time around as she pushes her back inside the stable, closing the door behind them. “Please don’t say that out loud!” She quietly shouts at the soldier. As soon as she’s sure that she won’t speak, Kahei pulls her hand away, only to find a few droplets of blood against her fingertips. “You’re cut,” she realizes, instinctively bringing the sleeve of her gown to her lip. “Let me take care of that for you.”
The knight pushes her hand away. She’s wearing white. it won’t be a good look for her. “You’ll ruin it.”
Kahei won’t let that discourage her, though. “I don’t mind,” she says as she brings the sleeve to press against her bloody lip. Kahei has always been stubborn, and there is nothing that this girl can do to change that. “You need it,” she continues, feeling the girl wince under her touch. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be more gentle.”
”It’s okay,” the girl replies, even though Kahei can feel her tensing her body up at every little touch. “Don’t worry about me.”
She doesn’t respond. She’s too busy juggling her thoughts between cleaning her wound and rationalizing the fact that this girl, the Orchard Knight, isn’t much taller than Kahei herself. To think that she was able to best a gargantuan, hulk of a man like Kim is no small feat. It’s quite remarkable , Kahei thinks.
When the girl relaxes and lets Kahei do what she needs to do, she asks a question of her own. “How did you get here without getting caught? I saw you in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by your own guards.”
Kahei shrugs her shoulders. “I guess we’re both as crafty as each other.”
The knight seems to accept that for an answer. She has to, because before she can get another word in, the same trumpet from earlier is heard in the distance. Kahei can just about make out the words that the herald then shouts at the top of his lungs. Prince Jungwha is victorious. ”Shouldn’t you be there?” The girl questions. Kahei is betrothed to him, after all.
“I should be, but I’m not,” Kahei says, a laugh escaping her lips, a thought coming to the forefront of her mind. “Lady Orchard Knight, what’s your name?”
The girl reaches forward and takes Kahei’s hand into her own. “Sooyoung, princess. My name is Sooyoung,” she answers, squeezing her hand, only a little.
The knight’s name falls on her ears and Kahei swears that it’s familiar to her. She’s heard it before, yet she cannot recall where. She won’t forget it now. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Sooyoung,” Kahei says before offering a curtsey in front of the knight. “You have my favor for the tournament, Sooyoung, the Orchard Knight. It would be a true delight to see.”
Kahei is met with a look of confusion on Sooyoung’s visage, only for a smirk to arise from under the rubble. Kahei knows it has to hurt but she does it anyway. “I suppose I have no choice but to emerge victorious, then,” Sooyoung says, kneeling in front of Kahei. “The princess demands it.”
The Garden of Eden
To say that Kahei got scolded for her actions would be the understatement of the century. Her father, the King, made sure that she would never sneak off like that ever again, especially right before such a crucial moment for her betrothed. The guards will be keeping an even tighter gaze on her because of it. She isn’t allowed to wander off on her own and mingle with the public whenever she pleases. It’s not safe for her and she knows it. The guards are going to make sure she doesn’t do it again. Kahei looks over her shoulder and sure enough, they’re following behind her. She can’t even spend an evening with her friends without being watched.
She pushes those thoughts from her brain as she feels the summer’s breeze upon her skin. The sounds of birds chirping and people chattering fall on her ears as she makes her way through the garden, finding a spot to sit. People offer their seats for Kahei and her friends, bowing in the presence of their princess, but Kahei denies kindly. She doesn’t want to be a hindrance to anyone.
After a few minutes of searching, Hyunjin finds a spot for them to sit, and Kahei’s feet thank her for it. She’s been walking an awful lot today. For now, she just wants to rest and enjoy herself in the sun. The midlands don't tend to get weather like this, so she hopes to make the most of it.
“This place is busier than normal,” Hyeju complains as she takes a seat.
”Naturally,” Yerim replies, leaning into her. “The castle is full of people from the wedding and on a day like this, there isn’t a better place to be than here,” she finishes, hiding herself under the branches of one of the overhanging trees.
“Speaking of people,” Hyunjin adds with a smirk on her lips. “See any boy you like?”
Yerim blinks. “Not really, no…”
“Really?” Hyunjin chirps back. “Not even Prince Min-Su? Everyone has been going nuts over him.”
”He’s not Yerim’s type,” Hyeju interjects, joining her in taking shade underneath the tree.
“What is Yerim’s type, then?” Hyunjin replies.
”Not Prince Min-Su…?” Hyeju answers, scratching her cheek.
Yerim nor Hyeju are interested in any of the princes or lords that are visiting the Castle of Eden, Kahei has come to realize. They have never been interested in any sort of romantics, though. They seem to be more interested in each other, and its been that way for as long as Kahei can remember. Hyunjin mentions the masked gala that’s coming up in a few days. Hyeju and Yeirm seem decently excited about it, which is a surprise to Kahei. They’re not exactly the social type.
The masked gala is all that Chaewon and Yeojin have been talking about these last few weeks. She wouldn’t put it past them to be getting their dresses prepared as they speak. If any of her friends were eager to impress someone of the opposite sex, it would be those two. Kahei hopes it goes well for them. She doesn’t know if she has it in herself to listen to their complaints if it doesn’t.
Kahei eventually tunes out her friend’s conversation, her mind drifting back to the situation she found herself in earlier that morning. She uncovered the identity of the Orchard Knight, her name is Sooyoung, and she’s… well, what is she? She realizes that she knows next to nothing about this girl. She knows her name, that she’s an upstanding fighter, and that she can’t seem to get the image of her face, bloodied lips and all, out of her mind. She’s even thinking about it now, wondering if she is going to get the chance to speak to her again.
”Are you in there?” Hyunjin asks, knocking her knuckles against Kahei’s forehead. The following sound Hyunjin gets in return suggests otherwise.
Kahei blinks rapidly, thoughts of Sooyoung disappearing, vision refocusing on the face that’s actually in front of her at the moment, Hyunjin’s. “Hello, yes, I’m here,” Kahei says, still gathering her thoughts.
An inquisitive smirk pulls on either side of Hyunjin’s lips and Kahei knows that she’s got something up her sleeve. “Where did you go during the final melee today?” Hyunjin asks, her fingers coming to graze against one of the sweet briar roses in the garden.
“What?” Kahei responds, playing innocent.
“At the end of Prince Jungwha’s melee, he pointed towards you,” Hyunjin says as she turns to copy his action, pointing towards Kahei in dramatic fashion. “But you weren’t there anymore,” she continues, poking her forehead. “Where did you go?”
Kahei sighs. “I had to, you know, take care of something,” she lies, hoping that Hyunjin gets the gist of what she’s trying to say.
“Oh, really?” Hyunjin says, her eyebrow narrowing. She isn’t buying that.
“Really!” Kahei rebuttals, doubling down on her lie.
This time around, it’s Hyunjin’s turn to let out a sigh. A dramatic one, at that. “Kahei, she starts. Her hands find their way to rest on top of Kahei’s, letting her know that she’s serious about this. “We’ve been best friends since we were little girls. You can be honest with me.”
Hyunjin is right. She’s done worse things over the years and told Hyunjin about all of them, this should be no different. It feels like it is, though, and Kahei doesn’t understand why she feels that way. It’s odd, to say the least. She shrugs the thought away, deciding to be honest about where she went. “You saw the Orchard Knight, yes?” She asks.
“Yes!” Hyunjin replies. “I’m glad he will be returning tomorrow.”
Hyunjin was always more of a fan of combat than Kahei, opting to watch the knights train whenever she isn’t in her lessons. Kahei isn’t normally like that, but this is something different. Sooyoung is different , she supposes. She knows that Sooyoung fights for a less selfish cause, she just hasn’t figured out what that cause is yet.
“Okay, so don’t shout at me when I tell you this, okay?” Kahei says.
”I don't like where this is going,” Hyunjin replies.
She squeezes Hyunjin’s hand. “Swear that you won’t!”
”Okay, okay!” Hyunjin complains. “I swear that I won’t shout at you.”
Kahei takes a deep breath. Hyunjin likes to dramatize things beyond belief. However, she believes this time around, if Hyunjin were to actually shout at her, it wouldn’t be an overreaction, and Kahei hates it when Hyunjin shouts at her. “I went to try to find out his identity,” Kahei confesses, opting to keep Sooyoung’s secret to herself in the process. Even though Kahei trusts Hyunjin with her life, this isn’t her secret to tell.
Hyunjin’s jaw almost dropped to the grassy floor below them. “You did what ?!” She barks, not out of anger, but sheer surprise. That isn’t the answer she was expecting.
“Shh!” Kahei says, holding her l index finger to Hyunjin’s lips. “You swore not to shout!”
”Shit,” Hyunjin mutters to herself. She did swear not to shout at Kahei. She goes with the next thing that comes to mind. “What made you do that?” She asks.
“I was curious,” Kahei admits. “You know how I get when I’m curious…”
Hyunjin knows where this is going. “Yeah,” she replies, thumb stroking her own chin in thought. “Like that one time you bribed the cooks to hide you from Gang for a few hours. You ended up serving the King’s dinner, hah, classic.”
“Hey!” She shouts, feeling the urge to shush Hyunjin again. “We don’t talk about that.”
Although she could talk about Kahei’s past curiosities for days, the current one is the most exciting. She can let go of the past for now. “Well, what did you find out, then?” Hyunjin asks. Kahei blinks, and Hyunjin words her question in a way that Kahei can’t ignore. “The Orchard Knight, what did you find out about him?”
Kahei scratches her cheek in thought. “Nothing, really,” she lies, again. “Couldn’t find him.”
She looks at Kahei's sleeve. She doesn’t need to say a word. “Sure about that?”
“Really,” She says, folding the fabrics of her sleeve, hiding the blood stain she got from Sooyoung. “I cut myself trying to catch up to him.”
Disapprovingly, she narrows her eyes. “Show me,” Hyunjin says, almost accusatory.
“No,” Kahei replies, feigning embarrassment. “It’s on my upper leg, and I’m not lifting my skirts up for you. I’m still a princess, you know,” she adds, hoping that’s enough to get Hyunjin off her case.
Hyunjin doesn’t believe her. She knows that Kahei is hiding something from her. However, if it is that important for Kahei to keep a secret, Hyunjin won’t pry further. There is always a method to Kahei’s madness, after all. “Whatever you say, princess,” Hyunjin concludes, turning her attention to the sweet briar roses once more.
Kahei lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. Lying is never easy for her, especially to somebody as close to her as Hyunjin is, but there are times that lying is the correct thing to do. Sooyoung’s life would be in danger if her secret got out. She wouldn’t be eligible to compete in the rest of the melee if people found out that she’s a girl. Kahei doesn’t like it. The thought leaves a bad taste in her mouth.
She follows in Hyunjin’s footsteps and admires the flowers around her. She lets her nose guide her, and it leads her to stop in front of an inflorescence of tuberose. Kahei crouches down and brings her nose to the stigma of a tuberose plant, taking in its scent. This is the one that she’s drawn to. She thinks about cutting it off and taking it back to her room but she knows it will never survive there. Kahei will have to come back here when she wants to smell them again.
The princess stands once more, brushing tiny leaves off her garments before turning on the spot. She looks beyond Hyunjin and her heart skips a beat. Sooyoung? She thinks. In the distance stands a woman with medium length, black hair, and before Kahei can comprehend the thought bouncing in her brain, she’s running.
Her guards are quick to follow. After the orders they got from His Majesty, the King, they weren’t going to allow Princess Kahei out of their sights.
By the time Kahei has made it across the courtyard, she’s out of breath. She’s not cut out for physical activity but it doesn’t stop her from trying. She knows that she doesn’t have time, so she taps her on the shoulder. When the girl turns around, she’s met with an unfamiliar face. This girl isn’t the one that Kahei is searching for. This isn’t Sooyoung.
“Oh!” The girl exclaims, bowing before Kahei. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” she says, and Kahei feels the warmth of embarrassment creep onto her cheeks.
”It’s a pleasure to meet you, too,” Kahei says, curtseying before the lady. “I believe I have made an error. I mistook you for somebody else I know. I’m terribly sorry,” she finishes before her guards catch up to her. They are quick to rein her back in, and she apologizes to them profusely, stating that she thought she had seen a friend and got excited by it. She’s let off the hook, even though she caused so much commotion that even Hyeju and Yerim escape their own little bubble to see if she is okay.
Hyunjin watched the entire ordeal with her back pressed against one of the garden’s pillars. There is something that Kahei isn’t telling her, and it has something to do with what she just witnessed and the Orchard Knight. That wasn’t a coincidence . She can feel it in her bones.
Forbidden fruits
The Masked Gala of Eden is going to be an event talked about for generations, more so than the wedding that it follows, many have said. Every king, prince, princess, lord and lady from all of the lands have been invited, anyone who has made a name for themselves will be attending, Eden’s court room soon to be filled to the brim with people bearing grand, eloquent disguises. The organizers deemed it to be more exciting that way, and they were right, because events like this happen often, but none have been as anticipated as Eden’s Masked Gala.
Kahei finds herself nervous, so much so that one of her lady-in-waitings has to hold her body still in order for the other to slip the string through the final loop of her corset, tightening it against the princess’ body. The air is sucked into her lungs, adjusting to the pressure against her ribcage, exhaling as soon as she finds herself comfortable. She’s well accustomed to wearing corsets, once settled, they feel like any other piece of clothing on her. Now that she has settled, the ladies-in-waiting begin to put their finishing pieces on her look for the night.
The princess herself isn’t entirely interested in the gala. She has too much on her mind these days. Kahei feels like her head hasn’t been the same since the day of the melee, thoughts constantly crowding her brain instead of the important matters at hand: the Masked Gala. She blames her friends for getting her nerves up. All week, they’ve been telling her that she’s going to be the prettiest girl at the gala, that she’ll be recognisable even from behind her mask, that she’ll have hordes of people asking for her hand. The thought alone makes her stomach tremble. That isn’t what she wants.
“Your Highness,” her first lady-in-waiting, Ha-Rin, says, getting her attention. “Is everything alright?”
”Is something the matter, princess?” Her Second Lady in waiting, Bora asks, and Kahei can hear the worry in her cords.
“I don’t feel very well,” Kahei replies. She isn’t sure what’s gotten into her. Her hands are trembling, and she brings them together in order to stop them. She doesn’t want to make herself look this feeble.
Kahei isn’t alone with her ladies-in-waiting. Having gotten ready ahead of time, Lady Park Chaewon and Lady Im Yeojin are just beyond Kahei’s door, ready anytime she needs them. “You’ll be fine, Your Highness,” Chaewon says, and hearing the title come from the mouth of one of her best friends sends a shiver down her partially exposed back. When they’re alone, Kahei forbids them from calling her any sort of title or formality. They call her Kahei when they’re alone.
”What if I’m not?” Kahei responds, unsure of where her emotional frailty has come from. It feels odd to care about such a thing, the Masked Gala, or any other superficial event. It isn’t like her, but Kahei hasn’t felt much like her usual self these last few days.
“Your Highness,” Yeojin interjects, clearing her throat afterwards. “Prince Jungwha will recognise you before his eyes meet with another girl’s, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
That is not something Kahei is worried about. If truth be told, the fact that Prince Jungwha would be at the gala isn’t something that has crossed her mind until Yeojin mentioned it, and even after the idea is placed into her thoughts, it doesn’t bother her. What Jungwha does isn’t her concern. Not until they’re wed, anyway. The thought of their arrangement weighs on her heart a tad heavier tonight.
Kahei can’t hold in the sigh that slips through her lips. “Not that, Lady Yeojin.”
She’s still too caught up in her own little world, thinking about everything that’s been going on the last few days. Is it wrong for her to have hopes of seeing Sooyoung tonight? For all she knows, Sooyoung could be a common girl, one that could never have found herself with an invitation to such an event. Kahei knows that it would be silly for her to get her hopes up, but she does so anyway, and that is the source of the nerves building in her stomach. Not the crowd, not Prince Jungwha, but the happenstance that the Orchard Knight might dawn a new mask in front of her tonight.
”What is bothering you then?” Yeojin asks from around the corner.
“Something silly,” Kahei replies, helping the ladies-in-waiting with fixing her sleeves. “Don’t mind me.”
“We’re your friends, you can tell us anything,” Chaewon says, and Kahei can hear the frown on her lips when she speaks. Chaewon has never been one to hide her emotions. It’s one of the things Kahei likes best about her. Chaewon is always honest with you, even if it is not in your favor.
Kahei cannot tell them everything, though. That is the source of her current struggle, to tell lies to protect another’s truth. “I know, Lady Chaewon,” Kahei says, rummaging around her brain for yet another fib. “I’m worried that I won’t see him,” she continues, and to Kahei’s credit, it isn’t entirely a lie. “What if he’s too busy?”
Yeojin’s eyebrows furrow together. ”If he doesn’t see you, I’ll find him and—“ She says before Chaewon’s hand silences her.
Jokes like the one that Yeojin was about to make are fine when they’re alone, but they are not, so they have to be on guard. Anything they say could be repeated. “Aha, don’t worry, Your Highness,” Chaewon interjects, her laugh heard from the next room. “Prince Jungwha will see you, no matter what. The world is at your feet tonight. It won’t be cruel to you.”
The world won’t be cruel to her tonight. Kahei appreciates that sentiment, keeping it close to her heart. She will remember that.
“I think everything is ready, Your Highness,” Ha-Rin says, taking a final step back away from her, admiring Princess Kahei in all her glory.
Bora does the same. “You look beautiful, princess. I have no doubt that you will be the star in the sky of the gala,” she says, fetching Kahei her mask and holding it to her face. “The prettiest princess of them all.”
Tears well up in the corner of her eyes but Kahei refuses to let them fall. They haven’t spent hours working on her look only for her to ruin it with petty sobs. “Thank you, Ha-Rin, Bora. I wouldn’t be that without your help.”
The ladies-in-waiting protest, saying that she would be just as beautiful without their help but Kahei knows that it isn’t true. She will make sure to repay them for not only making her feel this good but also giving her one less thing to worry about.
They nudge Kahei out of her dressing room and she watches as Chaewon and Yeojin’s jaws almost collide with the cold, hard floor below. Kahei is adorned with a black corset on top of a dress, one that’s translucent in sections, showing off soft arms and sleek legs and shoes to match. The look is only complete when Kahei holds up her white mask to her face, her ladies-in-waiting taking the opportunity to tie it around her head whilst they can. There is no doubt in their mind that Kahei will be dancing tonight. She’s going to need both hands.
Kahei looks every bit as beautiful as the princesses Chaewon and Yeojin were told as little girls. The setting sun whines off her mask, reflecting back towards them. Without a doubt, people will know that this woman is a princess. They let out a shriek, rushing to embrace their princess. Nestled in her friend’s hold, the fire of Kahei’s nerves dwindles, if only for a moment.
The castle’s bells ring. It is time for the festivities to begin.
The guards open the doors for Kahei and her friends and she’s immediately met with a sea of bodies, each of which is either moving to the sounds of the quartet’s strings or gathered in conversation. The candles are scarce, resulting in the dim, romantic atmosphere. Kahei swears that she can hear Chaewon and Yeojin swoon behind her. Kahei can already tell that they’re going to have the night of their lives. She wishes that she felt the same about herself.
“Whoa,” Yeojin sounds as they make their way through the crowd of bodies.
”This is amazing,” Chaewon says, taking a few steps in front of her friends, giving them a little twirl. “They should host events like this more often,” she finishes, which Kahei isn’t too sure about. She’s heard how much the gala is costing the crown and how much work has gone into it. It’s safe to say the numbers would suggest this is a once in a generation type of affair.
Before they get too deep into the venue, they’re greeted by a servant holding a tray full of glasses. “Wine, my ladies?”
Odd, Kahei thinks. She’s never been called anything other than a princess before. Although it contrasts with what her friends told her, she likes the idea of being able to blend in with the crowd. Tonight, she’s just a lady. That thought takes some weight off her shoulders. “We would love some,” Kahei says, lifting a glass off the servant’s tray and bringing it to her lips underneath her mask. She doesn’t indulge in drinking often but she feels as if she needs it to keep herself afloat tonight.
As soon as Yeojin places her glass back on the tray, a man asks for her hand, and she gives it. “That was faster than I thought,” Kahei notes, turning to Chaewon.
”Don’t worry,” she says, patting the princess on the shoulder. “Jungwha will find you soon enough.”
”I know, I’m fine,” Kahei says, and as she puts her glass down on top of another servant’s tray, somebody else is asking Chaewon to dance. Although Chaewon initially puts up some resistance, not wanting to leave her friend on her own, Kahei orders her to go and have some fun. If neither of the two enjoyed their night, she would never hear the end of it.
Kahei sighs as she makes her way to the other side of the venue, back pressed against one of the many pillars in the room as she scans the sight in front of her, only for her eyes to land on perhaps the last person she wants to see, her betrothed, Prince Jungwha. He isn’t searching for her, though. Instead, he’s taking another woman by the hand, placing his other on her body. Such a sight is supposed to hurt. A woman should feel pain watching her future husband dance with another lady. It doesn’t hurt, though. Kahei isn’t phased at all.
She does, however, begin to wonder if coming to the gala was a mistake. She hasn’t felt right all week, and the more she thinks about the situation she’s in, the more she feels unsure about it. Would it be rude of her to leave early? Likely , she ponders, watching the sea of people in front of her move in waves, ebbing and flowing, as Kahei herself stands still.
She feels a tap on her shoulder and she’s already thinking of ways to deny their advances. Tonight isn’t her night, she says to herself, until the person speaks. “May I have this dance?” They say, and their voice sends a chill down Kahei’s spine, leaving her frozen in space and time. She knows that voice. It’s the same one that swore to win the melee because she demanded it.
She turns on the point of her heels to see a woman dressed in red, subtle floral patterns etched into the garment with a black mask attached to her face. Kahei’s stomach churns at the sight, knees feeling weak. This feeling is new, yet not unwelcome.
“You’re here,” Kahei says, fingertips reaching out to press against the fabric of Sooyoung’s dress, just to make sure she isn’t hallucinating after having that glass of wine with her friends. She’s not a drinker, after all. Once she has verified that Sooyoung is indeed real, Kahei’s lips spill out the first thing that comes to mind. “But how?”
“You only asked for my name, not my name and title, Your Highness,” Sooyoung says, her own hand coming to meet with Kahei’s, taking it into her hold.
Kahei feels her entire body flush at the gesture. “Can I ask what your full name and title is then?”
“You may,” Sooyoung says, and Kahei can hear the smile behind her mask. She gives Kahei’s delicate hand a fitting squeeze before she continues. “Princess Ha Sooyoung, at your service.”
The grip Kahei has on Sooyoung’s hand weakens a tad with the news. Everything is beginning to make sense to her. More than it did ten minutes ago, anyway. This is why the name Sooyoung is familiar to her. Sooyoung is a princess, just like her. Kahei never got the chance to formally greet the Ha clan on their arrival to Eden, though. Tensions between their kingdoms are at an all time high, strained to an incredible degree. Kahei’s father invited them to the wedding and the following festivities in order to salvage something from this. An alliance of sorts, one could only hope. The Wong’s and the Ha’s have always seen things differently, which has led to many wars throughout the years. Their people don’t have good relations historically. These thoughts lead to Kahei’s question.
”You don’t hate me, do you?” She asks, her voice quivering, almost as if she’s a puppy getting kicked while they were down.
Sooyoung’s laugh is enough of an answer but she goes ahead and gives Kahei what she wants to hear. “No, I don’t hate you,” she says before turning the question back in her direction. “Do you hate me?”
“No, no, I don’t,” Kahei says without hesitation, shaking her head as she does so. “Quite the opposite, princess,” she follows up, and the title falls sweetly off her lips.
Sooyoung picks up on her tone and decides to run with it. “Dare I say that you might be fond of me then?” She asks, taking a step towards her.
“I am, yes,” she replies. However, it feels embarrassing to admit, almost as if she’s confessing her feelings to a lover.
“Does this mean that you’ll accept my offer?” Sooyoung mentions, tugging on their connected hands once more, and Kahei realizes what she’s talking about. Sooyoung asked her to dance, and in her daze, she didn’t give an answer.
Kahei doesn’t respond verbally. Instead, she nods in Sooyoung’s direction, and Sooyoung responds by bringing her free hand to nest neatly against Kahei’s waist. Kahei has never danced with another girl before, only with other boys. Sooyoung’s hold on her feels more delicate than what she’s used to, almost as if she’s too scared to hold on tight, as if she would break if given a forceful touch. Another fluttering feeling shoots from her stomach as she thinks about it.
“Is this okay?” Sooyoung questions, her feathery grasp on Kahei’s body getting a tad heavier.
”Yes,” Kahei says, leaning into Sooyoung’s touch. “I like it,” she finishes, and that seems like the understatement of the century.
Once they begin their dance, the strings kick in, and Kahei feels the romance in the air. She can feel Sooyoung against her body, their breaths mixing as they come close, only to drift apart once more. Dancing has never been something Kahei found pleasure in. However, with Sooyoung dictating her every move, she could get used to it.
Sooyoung pulls her close again, so close that the ceramic of their masks brush off one another, a giggle sneaking through her lips as it does. None of this accounts for the tightness in her chest, or the goosebumps on her skin. She’s never felt this during a dance before, and she wonders if it’s because Sooyoung is as light as a feather when she instructs Kahei, giving her encouraging words when she moves the way Sooyoung wants her to. She doesn’t understand what she’s feeling but it’s addictive and she never wants it to go away.
When their moment comes to a close, Kahei comes to rest her head upon Sooyoung’s shoulder, feeling the faux knight’s hot breath against her skin. She doesn’t shy away from it. She stands her ground, comfortable in Sooyoung’s hold as she catches her own.
“I’ve got something for you,” Sooyoung says, breaking their breathy silence.
Without removing her head from Sooyoung’s body, Kahei looks up at her. “You do?”
”I do,” Sooyoung confirms before she reaches around into the back of her dress, retrieving the gift that’s been held in place by the tight strings of her black corset. Before Kahei knows it, a white tuberose is held into her field of view. It matches the one on the front of Sooyoung’s corset.
“You were watching me the other day?” Kahei says, relieved that she wasn’t dreaming back then, either. She just got the wrong girl.
”I was,” Sooyoung confirms as her fingers bring the stem of the flower to Kahei’s raven locks at the side that rests against her bare skin.
Kahei nods, not wasting a single moment she has with Sooyoung. “Yes, please,” she requests, heart fluttering at the gesture, even more so as she feels Sooyoung’s fingers tussling with her hair, fixing the flower into place. She can’t help but think about how much of a romantic gesture this would be seen as if Sooyoung was a boy. A prince, even. She wonders if Jungwha would be jealous but shakes the thought. She doesn’t want to think about her betrothed. She only wants to think of the princess in front of her.
The orchestra changes composition and it feels like the entirety of the gala is dancing around them. Kahei and Sooyoung remain stationary, Kahei locked in Sooyoung’s embrace, enjoying the physicality of each other’s company. “Can I ask you a question, Your Highness?” Kahei says, only to hear Sooyoung let out a faint giggle at the title.
”You can call me by my name, princess,” Sooyoung replies, pinching Kahei’s hip through her dress. “But yes, ask me anything you wish.”
”You can call me by my name too,” Kahei complains, shivering under Sooyoung’s touch.
“I won’t,” Sooyoung says, and Kahei can hear the conviction in her voice. “Princess suits you more than it suits me.”
Kahei wants to argue with that but she feels as if it’s something that Sooyoung won’t budge on. Should she call her knight, then? She wonders, only to ask the question that’s been burning on her mind for days now. “Why is it that you fight?”
”Because I can,” Sooyoung replies, looking down towards Kahei once more. “I fight because girls aren’t allowed to, but I can, so I will. Does that satisfy you?”
Kahei nods against her arm. Sooyoung doesn’t need a reason to fight other than the fact that she can. Kahei needn’t put any weight behind her actions. She doesn’t fight for fame, wealth, or honor. She fights because she can, and that is enough to see as noble in Kahei’s eyes. “It does.”
The two go quiet, enjoying their time in each other’s arms. Sooyoung begins to sway to the music once more and Kahei follows in tow, her arms connecting around Sooyoung’s neck, allowing the fighter to place a second hand on Kahei’s opposite hip. Kahei shudders at the act, and Sooyoung laughs at her for it. Kahei wouldn’t call this dancing. To her, this is an excuse to stay as close to Sooyoung as possible, because each little touch from her sends Kahei’s body into a frenzy, and she’s growing addicted to it. She’s never felt it before, and now she wants as much as she can get.
”I want something to remember this night by,” Sooyoung almost whispers in their hold, but Kahei is close enough to hear her loud and clear.
“Is tonight that special to you?” Kahei responds in a similar tone, her mask brushing against Sooyoung’s once more.
“It is,” Sooyoung answers, and Kahei can’t help but feel flattered that somebody like Sooyoung would want to remember this. “You looked so lost before I found you,” Sooyoung says before both of her hands squeeze Kahei’s hips, and she almost melts in her hold because of it. “I hope that tonight has become something to you, too.”
Kahei can’t help but smile behind her mask. “It has,” she confirms, even if it has given her more questions than answers. To say that she has enjoyed her time with Sooyoung would be selling it short. She has never felt this way before, and that thought leaves her even more curious. Is it only Sooyoung that’s able to make me feel this way? She has danced with Jungwha before, rested her body against his, allowed him to touch her where Sooyoung’s hands currently rested, and none of it could even begin to compare to the burning sensation Kahei feels in her chest when Sooyoung does them in his place. She doesn’t understand at all.
“May I have your mask?” Sooyoung asks.
This is not the parting gift that Kahei was imagining. “I can’t continue at the gala if I don’t have a mask,” she says, not that she is against it. If Sooyoung decided that their time had come to an end and wanted her mask as a keepsake, then Kahei would gladly hand it over and return to her quarters. She has already gotten what she wanted from tonight.
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to come to that. “I have the solution,” Sooyoung says as her hands leave Kahei’s waist, much to the princess’ dismay. Sooyoung begins to untie her own mask, allowing it to fall into her hands.
Kahei’s entire body feels weak when she sees Sooyoung looking back at her, coy smirk on her lips. She can’t help but inspect the sight in front of her, not realizing how truly close they had been to one another until Sooyoung’s chestnut colored eyes staring back at her. For one in her life, Kahei doesn’t retreat. She stands her ground, even though she can feel her legs beginning to tremble.
“Copy what I do,” Sooyoung says before she lifts the mask back up to her face, pressing her lips against the inside layer, leaving an imprint of her makeup against it. “Can you do that for me, princess?”
Kahei looks at the red stain on Sooyoung’s black mask, then her eyes move to the culprit, her lips, and what could only be described as a sin claws its way into her mind. It shocks the breath out of her. She doesn’t know where it came from, or why she thought it in the first place. She would have to rid it from her thoughts.
That doesn’t stop Kahei from doing what she’s been asked. Her hands slip to the back of her own head, undoing the little knot that her ladies-in-waiting tied for her. Her mask falls into her hands, and for the first time since they met in the stables, Kahei and Sooyoung meet face to face. “Like this?” Kahei asks, following in her footsteps as she brings the mask back to her face. However, as her lips meet with the ceramic of her mask, the image of Sooyoung’s lips tear their way back into her thoughts, lighting a fire in Kahei’s heart as she presses a kiss against her target. It feels cold, but it feels entirely right. As much as she tries to stow the thought away, it comes back with a vengeance, especially as Sooyoung eyes the pink stain on her white mask. Kahei knows that she’s never been the perfect princess, she knows that what she just thought is impure. Yet, she wonders, are sins supposed to be this sweet?
“Exactly like that,” Sooyoung praises as she hands her own mask over to Kahei, and she does the same, eyes focused on the makeup stain Sooyoung made on the inside of the mask. She needs to close her eyes to stop a floodgate of impure thoughts. “You did well,” Sooyoung continues, taking another step towards Kahei. “Do you need me to put it on you?” She asks, and Kahei responds with a sheepish nod of her head.
Sooyoung puts a hand on Kahei once more and she relishes in the fighter’s touch. She turns her around, draping her arms around the princess’ neck for a moment before Sooyoung fixes her own mask onto Kahei’s face. “Is this okay?” Sooyoung asks before she ties the knot. Kahei nods again, giving her permission to tie it where it rests, tight enough that it won’t come undone without force and Kahei swears that she can feel Sooyoung’s lip makeup pressing against her cheek. She wonders Sooyoung did it on purpose, to leave the stain on her cheek instead.
“May I do the same for you, Sooyoung…?” Kahei asks, her name falling out of her mouth for the first time, and it does so in awkward fashion now that she knows they’re of the same title: a princess, royalty, and here they are, kissing their masks and exchanging them, like all princesses do.
Sooyoung seems to like this. The look is evident on her face, causing Kahei to curse whoever created the idea of a masked gala for taking this sight away from her. She wants to see more of it. ”You may,” Sooyoung answers, turning her back to Kahei, and they soon come to a realization. Sooyoung is too tall for Kahei. A laugh escapes her lips as Kahei pushes down on her shoulders, but she soon complies, allowing Kahei to finish tying her mask.
Once Sooyoung turns to face Kahei again, she sees the end of their night imminently making their rounds around the gala, and Sooyoung knows who he’s searching for. “Tonight has been fun, princess, but I think our time together is about to be cut short,” she says, her eyes gazing past Kahei to land on a certain prince.
Kahei follows Sooyoung’s eyes and she’s met with Jungwha, who is seemingly searching for her with the way he’s inspecting other women and passing them by once he sees behind their mask. He’s done with his fun for the night, now he’s come to ruin mine, she thinks as she turns to face Sooyoung again. She doesn’t want the night to end. There’s still so much she wants to talk about, so much she wants to experience with her. She doesn’t want her fable to come to an end. “Will I see you again?” Kahei finds it within herself to ask.
”You will,” Sooyoung says, taking a hold of Kahei’s hand. What happens next is unexpected, even for Sooyoung. She brings Kahei’s hand to her mask, sliding it up with her own free hand, only to place a kiss against the back of it. A shockwave rips through Kahei’s nervous system as she feels the wet touch of Sooyoung’s lips against her skin. “You will,” she repeats. “I swear it.”
That thought soothes Kahei, reassuring her that this won’t be the last she will see of Sooyoung. Her words remind her of their first meeting. “Do you remember your first promise to me?”
”To win the melee for you?” Sooyoung asks in rhetoric fashion. “I do, yes.”
“Good,” Kahei says, unable to keep the smile off her face. The finals will be in a few days. Kahei knows that Sooyoung will be there. She’s seen enough of her bouts to know she’ll make it.
The prince is nearing. They know that their time together has come to an end.
Sooyoung gives Kahei’s hand one last squeeze. “This is goodbye for now, princess,” she says, and Kahei can hear a hint of sadness in her voice, her impenetrable wall cracking. She doesn’t wait for Kahei’s reply before turning her back on her and walking in the opposite direction, back to where she knows the rest of her family are.
Goodbye, Sooyoung, Kahei thinks as she watches her disappear into the crowd, and she’s left alone with her thoughts for a moment before Jungwha finds her, inevitably asking a list of questions, all of which he would have the answer to if he wasn’t concerned with other girls.
”I’ve been looking for you all night,” Jungwha says as soon as he recognizes her, and Kahei knows this is a lie. He’s been dancing with somebody else. Kahei doesn’t hold it against him, though. There is no love in this arrangement. He isn’t the only one with eyes on another, either. They are both as bad as each other.
When Jungwha takes her hand for a dance, it feels harsh, rough and uncoordinated. It makes her think about how it felt to have Sooyoung guide her through the movements, softly coaxing her where she wanted Kahei to go, and the thoughts leave Kahei’s mind frazzled, to say the least. She’s dancing with her betrothed, yet her thoughts are sinful, full of Princess Sooyoung and things she should not repeat.
For the first time in her life, Kahei doesn’t know what she’s going to do, and the path she’s heading down frightens her.
The Dance of Antlers and Orchards
Fate is a cruel thing, Kahei thinks as she and her friends make their way to the viewing platform for the final day of the tournament. Just as she hoped, the Orchard Knight made it all the way to the final, becoming a popular figure amongst the crowd whilst doing it, much to Kahei’s distaste. The cruel part of it all is the fact that Prince Jungwha has made it to the final, too, leaving Kahei in a sticky situation. To go with her brain or heart, she wonders to herself as she’s greeted by one of her guards, waiting to take them to their section of the stands.
The final duel isn’t taking place just yet, though. The losers of the semi-finals must play each other to determine who comes third on the podium, taking home at least some reward for their bravery. It serves Kahei well, giving her time to get her thoughts in order before the grand finale.
“Who’s going to win?” Chaewon asks as the stands come into view, the drums getting louder with every step closer.
“I think Prince Jungwha wins,” Yeojin answers, turning to the rest for theirs.
“Orchard Knight.”
“Prince Jungwha.”
“Orchard Knight.”
The princess is much too focused on the ending tradition to weigh in on their conversation. When a winner is decided, they are given a crown of flowers to give to a lady of their choice. This act is commonly seen as a proposal. After his antics at the gala, she would be curious to know if Jungwha would bestow the crown of flowers upon her head or if he would find another lady more befitting of it than her.
Kahei’s eyes are forward, watching a banner with tigers on it swing in the distance. Hyunjin nudges her on the shoulder. Everyone is expecting her answer. She’s been a vocal supporter of the Orchard Knight for every round thus far. Her heart is telling her to say that the Orchard Knight, Sooyoung, will win. Her head is telling her that she must side with her betrothed, Prince Jungwha, no matter what. She meets them in the middle. “I don’t know,” she mumbles, approaching the stands.
Once they find themselves at the foot of the viewing platform, Gang is there to greet them. “No running away today, Your Highness,” he says, ushering them up the steep steps.
Embarrassment flushes Kahei’s visage as her friends burst into a fit of laughter. “You needn’t worry, Gang,” Kahei says, taking a hold of his hand as she leads them to their destination. “I have learned my lesson.”
“Good,” Gang says as he makes it to the top, waiting there for Kahei to do the same. “You’re too crafty for your own good.”
A smile spreads across Kahei’s lips. “I know.”
The rest of her friends follow behind her, each of them eager to watch the rest of the tournament with their beloved princess. Just as Yerim is about to take the final step onto the viewing platform, her foot slips, only for Hyeju to catch her by the hand.
”Thank you,” Yerim says, and Kahei can see a red tint glow across her cheeks as she uses her spare hand to brush her hair behind her ear.
”Don’t mention it,” Hyeju replies with a bashful look, one that’s rare for her.
There’s a hint of awkwardness around the two as the group find their way to their section and Kahei notices that the two haven’t stopped holding hands but the thought escapes her as soon as she hears the drums up close and personal.
Kahei comes to a stop underneath her family’s banner, a deer with a crown upon its antlers. It isn’t the only one flying, though. Jungwha’s family banner, a lion, is proudly being waved around the arena, too. It isn’t the banner that catches her eye, though. It’s the one opposite her that does, showcasing two swans crossing their necks. The Ha family’s banner. Kahei’s heart rate increases as she lowers her eyes from the banner to the royalty that stand below it. Her eyes meet with ones that were already looking into hers: Sooyoung.
She lifts her hand, offering a wave in Sooyoung’s direction, and her fellow princess reciprocates the action.
”I didn’t know you’re friendly with one of the Ha princesses,” Hyunjin notes, never slouching on any details.
Kahei bites her lip before answering. “We met at the gala the other night,” she replies, and it’s not entirely a lie. They did meet each other at the gala. It just wasn’t the first time.
”That’s interesting,” Hyunjin muses.
“Interesting how?” Kahei feels forced to respond.
”Just is,” Hyunjin replies before realizing that she needs to elaborate or else Kahei isn’t going to like it. “Everyone knows your families are historically on bad terms. I just think it's interesting that out of everyone at the gala, you made friends with a Ha princess.”
“The matters that our father’s deal with have nothing to do with us,” Kahei starts, crossing her arms across her chest. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be friends with Princess Sooyoung,” she finishes, and by the time she’s done, she realizes that the term ‘friend’ feels wrong coming from her lips when she’s talking about Sooyoung.
“I suppose that’s true,” Hyunjin says, ending the conversation there. She has more questions but she doesn’t want to run the risk of upsetting Kahei. She has enough experience to know that isn’t wise.
The first melee of the evening begins. Regrettably, most of the crowd don’t seem interested. They’re too busy chanting the names of the next fighters, Prince Jungwha, the Orchard Knight. Kahei feels sorry for them. However, she herself falls victim to thinking about the next bout. She will forgive herself for it, though. She has more stakes in this than anyone that isn’t the contestants. Either Jungwha, her betrothed, or Sooyoung, somebody she can’t quantify, will emerge victorious, and she’s mentally preparing herself for what will come after that. Either way, it will bring some sort of controversy, something she doesn’t want to think about just yet.
So, she doesn’t. Instead, Kahei nudges Hyunjin on the arm once more. “What about you?” Kahei asks.
“What about me?” Hyunjin answers.
“The gala,” Kahei clarifies. “Did you end up going?” She questions, and she figures that she’s allowed to, given the fact that Hyunjin just interrogated her about the night and her relation to Sooyoung.
“I did.”
”I didn’t see you.”
”I didn’t see you either.”
”I saw her,” Hyeju interjects, and both Hyunjin and Kahei turn to look at her.
”You did?” Hyunjin asks.
Hyeju replies with a simple hum, one which would’ve been lost on them without her added nod.
“Elaborate, please,” Kahei says, hoping to prod into Hyunjin’s gala experience a tad.
Instead of Hyeju answering, Yerim pokes her head into the conversation, picking up where Hyeju left off. “She was talking to another lady for most of the night,” Yerim exposes. “They danced and everything.”
Kahei’s eyes go wide in shock. Hyunjin usually tells her everything. Yet, much like herself, she’s been rather secretive as of late. “What’s her name?”
Hyunjin mumbles something in response but the sound of steel rattling off is too loud, and the beating of the drums is even louder. ”Sorry,” Kahei says, tapping her on the arm. “What’s her name? I couldn’t hear you.”
“Heejin!” Hyunjin almost shouts
Kahei watches as Hyunjin twirls her hair around her index finger. This is something for her to ask about at a later date. “It’s a pretty name,” Kahei says to herself before the herald blows his horn, signifying the end of the first melee and the beginning of the next.
The heavens begin to weep as the two contestants take to the arena, rain beating off their steel armor as they ready themselves. Before addressing the opposition in front of him, Jungwha turns to the crowd, to Kahei, and a roar erupts from them, much befitting the lion on his shield. Kahei herself stands along with the crowd but no sound leaves her lips. She must show him some support, she’s obligated to, but it feels disingenuous. He is not her winning candidate.
At the same time, Kahei notes that the Orchard Knight has a lot of fans chanting their name, and she can’t help but feel a tad jealous about it. The Orchard Knight may not have started their journey in the tournament because of her but Kahei feels as if Sooyoung has tried even harder since she made the request. The Orchard Knight is Kahei’s to root for, and she feels vindicated in her feelings, because before she takes a seat again, she swears that she can see Sooyoung staring at her through the low mist starting to form on the battlefield from the rainfall. Kahei nods in Sooyoung’s direction as soon as the herald blows his horn to start their duel, and Kahei must leave it up to her to keep her end of the promise.
The Ha family banner sways in the wind. She hasn’t thought about it until now but seeing the swans dance before her own eyes makes her realize that Sooyoung’s entire family must be in on this. They’re cheering harder than they have for the entire tournament thus far, almost as if it isn’t a secret they’re worried about keeping to themselves anymore.
Kahei watches the corners of Jungwha’s lips curl into a smirk as he readies himself, halberd held tightly in his grasp as the two walk towards one another. Sooyoung raises her shield. Kahei has learned a thing or two about duels over the course of the tournament, and from what she can tell, Sooyoung is already preparing to be on the backfoot for the opening portion of their fight. Her newfound knowledge is already beginning to pay off as she rightfully predicted that Jungwha would start off hot, Sooyoung opting to take the defensive route, much like the rest of her bouts so far.
The orchard of trees on Sooyoung’s shield takes a beating as Jungwha doesn’t hold back any of his strength, his halberd striking down against her steel protection, making significant dents in its structure. Jungwha may be many things but an idiot is not one of them. Like Sooyoung, he has studied his opponent, and he seemingly deems this to be his best approach. Her shield won’t hold up forever and Sooyoung herself must have come to the same realization because before Kahei notices, her rapier has slipped through a gap in his armor, puncturing his skin.
Another uproar bursts throughout the crowd at the first sight of blood spilling into the dirt below and Kahei swears that she can feel the earth below them moving, trembling under the weight of their expectations. Jungwha distances himself to regain his footing in the duel, gauntlet bashing against his chest plate, pumping adrenaline into his system. This was only the beginning.
Kahei’s eyes shoot to Sooyoung and her beaten shield, preparing herself to withstand another onslaught of slashes from her betrothed. Her knees feel weak as she watches Sooyoung take another approach this time, not allowing Jungwha to dictate the duel and taking the fight to him. Her rapier scrapes against his chest plate, not enough to cause substantial damage. No dents, only a scratch. His armor is thick, too thick, even. It looks as if her blade bounces off his chest, and it gives him enough time to grab Sooyoung by the arm, righting his grasp as his halberd rains down against her shield once more.
It is only now that Kahei understands the height difference between the two, Jungwha is easily a head or more taller than the Orchard Knight, and she is similarly lacking in the strength department, seeing as how she cannot wiggle her way out of his grasp.
She feels as if the world slows down as she watches the next engagement happen right in front of her. Jungwha swings his halberd down at Sooyoung with all of his might, and to Kahei’s surprise, Sooyoung drops her shield. It won’t withstand another attack, especially not one as strong as the one that’s coming towards her. Instead, she opts to put all of her weight into tugging downwards, putting Jungwha off balance in the process, and as soon as his guard is down, she thrusts her rapier into the gap between his forearm and hand, blood gushing from his wrist, only to be washed away with the beating rain. Sooyoung has aimed to forego injuring her opponents during the tournament. However, he has put her into a situation where she can’t fight him without going back on her words.
The prince’s name is heard throughout the stands as he shakes it off, his adrenaline carrying him through the rest of the melee as he drops his halberd, taking a hold of Sooyoung with his uninjured hand and throwing her against the wooden frame of the stand beneath Kahei. Sooyoung’s black hair is showing from underneath her helmet as Jungwha pins her against the muck ridden ground beneath them. “Is that all you’ve got?!” Kahei hears him shout, hoarse as ever, as his gauntlets begin to pummel down on her helmet. Kahei feels her stomach turn as she sees blood squirt from underneath Sooyoung’s helmet, her heart in her throat as she watches Jungwha’s hands grip around Sooyoung’s neck, hoping to end the melee and the Orchard Knight where they lie.
The stands go quiet, quiet enough that Kahei can hear Sooyoung struggling to breath. She needs to do something. She looks around and nobody is moving. Nobody is coming to help her. Kahei looks across to her Father, King of the Swans, and he’s standing still, arms crossed over his chest. The banner waves as fiercely as ever. She feels a hand wrap around her own. It’s Hyunjin’s. Kahei doesn’t question it, squeezing as hard as she can, tears brimming on her ducts.
In a last ditch effort to save her life, Sooyoung kicks the inside of Jungwha’s thigh, causing him to slip in the muddy terrain. Her breathing is as heavy as her armor as she clambers to her feet again, hacking at his exposed spots when he tries to steady himself again. A guttural scream escapes her lips as she paints the dirt red, avoiding any fatal spots, but enough to make sure he won’t be getting up anytime soon. The Orchard Knight exposes Jungwha’s face to the world after she removes his helmet, bloodied to hell and back, before she places the tip of her rapier against his throat, exasperated breaths still pouring from her lips.
Jungwha tries to raise his arms to fight back but he cannot. He tries to stand, to kick out at her, but he cannot. He only falters further. Sooyoung turns to the herald. He seems hesitant to end the duel and declare a winner. The crowd knows that the melee is over, though. He cannot fight on, and the crowd begins to sing the name of the Orchard Knight.
Kahei watches as the herald places the crown of flowers onto the tip of the Orchard Knight’s rapier as she becomes acutely aware of the fact that she hasn’t thought this far through her request. She only asked Sooyoung to win the melee for her. She didn’t factor in that Jungwha would get hurt in the process, or what would happen afterwards. As Sooyoung walks to the other side of the stands, towards her friends, family and loved ones, Kahei realizes that she hasn’t thought this part of it through, either. There must be somebody in Sooyoung’s life that she wishes to bless with her own favor. There must be a person that Sooyoung will place the crown of flowers on, and her heart feels like it shatters in two at the thought. Then, she catches herself. She doesn’t know what she’s feeling. Fear? Jealousy? Stupidity? It’s likely a combination of all three, and she feels it writhe through her entire body as she sees Sooyoung hold the crown up into the air.
To Kahei’s surprise, she lowers it once more. It isn’t set on another’s head. Instead, Sooyoung turns her back to her family and limps in Kahei’s direction. The walk isn’t long but Kahei swears that years have passed between the time Sooyoung turned to walk towards her and the time it took her to reach her.
A collective gasp is heard throughout the stands as Sooyoung raises her rapier one last time, nestling the crown of flowers on top of Kahei’s antlered tiara. In many aspects, this act is seen as a proposal. Princess Kahei is already betrothed to another, and to make things worse, she is betrothed to the man that she left on the floor, bleeding, broken and defeated.
What is unknown to the crowd is that The Orchard Knight is a girl. Even if Kahei was a woman that wasn’t sworn to another, it would not be allowed. They would be left to rot in the depths of Eden’s jail for their crimes.
All of this is to say that she, under no circumstances, should ever be having the thoughts that are swirling in her brain, the ones that have been haunting her every night since her eyes landed on Sooyoung’s lips and she wondered what they would feel like on her own. But, she is. Sooyoung opened the floodgates of her sinful ideas and Kahei fears she’ll never be able to close them again.
She’s not sure if she wants to, either.
Kahei feels as if Sooyoung has walked into the castle of her heart with a carriage full of gunpowder and set it off.
A scream erupts from a section of the crowd, and Kahei looks to see Jungwha somehow on his feet, carrying his halberd with one arm. He finds the energy in him to give it one last swing, aiming to end the Orchard Knight’s life once and for all.
The sound of steel grinding together is heard. The guards of the Ha family have stepped in, stopping Jungwha in his tracks, holding him down with swords of their own ready to take his life if they need to. The Guards of Eden take this as a threat to their future King, and all hell breaks loose. Even Gang finds himself getting involved as pandemonium strikes the stands. People begin pouring over the ledges to get involved in the chaos. Out of the corner of her eyes, through the mist, she sees Sooyoung limping to safety. Kahei knows what she has to do, and as much as Hyunjin tries to talk her out of it, she knows there is no reasoning with Kahei. When she sets her mind to something, she must do it, no matter how much danger it places her in.
The rain is so heavy that Kahei can barely see two feet in front of her, her white dress is covered in dirt and muck and her guards are calling out her name, but none of that will stop Kahei from running, chasing after Sooyoung. There is only one place she would go. Kahei is running as fast as her legs will take her. She’s never been an athletic girl, preferring the confines of her room, cosied up with books in hand, but she’s willing to change for Sooyoung.
Kahei puts her shoulder against the stable’s door, ramming against it with all her might, and falling to the hay-filled floor in the process. Before she makes it to her feet, she feels a sharp point against her neck. Kahei’s head tilts upwards to see Sooyoung looking back at her. Her eye and neck are bruised already, her lips busted in multiple places. Kahei winces at the sight.
The rapier drops from Sooyoung’s grasp, allowing Kahei to take it’s place. “What are you doing here?” Sooyoung asks, her throat too strained to shout like she wants to. “It’s too dangerous for you.”
Met with the sight of Sooyoung, Kahei can’t hold herself together. She feels to blame for the pain that has befell on her. Tears brim at the edge of her ducts before falling streaming down her cheeks. “I needed to know if you were okay,” she says, catching her breath as Sooyoung wipes the tears from her eyes. “You promised I would see you again.”
”I did, didn’t I?” Sooyoung replies, a smile pulling on either side of her lips. Even when it hurts, she’s doing her best to reassure Kahei that she’s fine, but she can tell that Sooyoung is scared, too.
Sooyoung is halfway into her princess’ attire, the rest still scattered around the inside of the stable. That isn’t on either of their minds, though. “You’re still wearing it,” Sooyoung notes, running her weak finger across the wet petals of Kahei’s crown of flowers.
Kahei lifts her hand to do the same, meeting Sooyoung’s touch halfway. “I am,” she says, and although she wants to say much more, she stops there. She doesn’t need to ask questions. Sooyoung told her all she needed to know by placing the crown on her head in the first place.
“It looks pretty on you,” Sooyoung says as her thumb continues to swipe across Kahei’s skin, making sure none of her tears stain. “I made the right choice.”
”There was a choice?” Kahei asks, the thought twisting her stomach ever so slightly.
“Between doing it and not doing it,” Sooyoung answers. “There is nobody but you, if that’s what you’re worried about, my princess.”
It isn’t fair, Kahei thinks as they go silent, the sound of rain rattling off the tin roof, drowning out the chaos of the castle. It isn’t fair that Sooyoung can say one little thing and Kahei’s thoughts take a dive. Sooyoung shouldn’t be allowed to call Kahei her princess, but she does anyway, and Kahei allows her to do it, even though she belongs to enough, because she is Sooyoung’s princess. The crown of flowers on her head is enough to tell anyone that.
”Sooyoung?” Kahei says. Sooyoung hums at her but doesn’t say a word, and it takes every bit of courage in Kahei’s little body to say what she wants to say. “I want something to remember today with.” To remember you with.
”Isn’t the crown enough?” Sooyoung asks, and Kahei can’t believe that Sooyoung is teasing her at a time like this. “I might have started a war to put it on your head.”
Kahei shakes her head, her heart beating out of her chest. “It’s not enough,” she says as she brings herself to stand. Kahei is aware that she’s being selfish. Their foolish acts have severed any bond their kingdoms may have been able to forge together, and although Kahei knows that she should care, she doesn’t. Sooyoung is all that matters to her right now.
Intrusive thoughts have kept Kahei awake for days now. Every time she closes her eyes, she sees Sooyoung. Kahei sees Sooyoung in the gardens, greeting her by putting tuberose flowers in her hair. Kahei sees Sooyoung in the lists, practicing her technique with Gang. Kahei sees Sooyoung in her bed, spreading her legs, holding her hand over Kahei’s mouth, making sure they won’t be caught. Kahei sees Sooyoung everywhere, in every way, and she knows that Sooyoung is the one she loves.
She knows loving Sooyoung is a sin, but if this is what sinning feels like, eternal damnation doesn’t sound half bad when weighed against a life with the one she loves.
Kahei’s body is shaking as she steps onto her tiptoes, careful not to place her weight onto Sooyoung’s body as she leans forward, closes her eyes, and softly presses her lips against Sooyoung’s.
Her lips taste of blood and apples.
Her stomach flutters as she comes down from her momentary high. Sooyoung is looking at her with her eyes wide, and Kahei wonders for a moment if she misjudged things. Is this not what she wanted? She thinks, and she feels her world begin to crumble around her. “I’m sorry,” Kahei says, a tremble in her voice. “I got carried aw—
Kahei is met with the taste of blood and apples once more. Before Kahei’s brain can calibrate what’s going on, she finds her back pushed up against a stack of hay, Sooyoung’s hand on her hips, her favorite place, her tongue prodding at her lips. Kahei would be a fool to say no. She lets her guard down for Sooyoung, and she swallows a groan of hurt from the other. She knows Sooyoung’s lips are busted, it’s why she tastes the blood on her tongue, but Sooyoung doesn’t seem to care. She’s kissing Kahei with a hunger and passion she’s felt before and fears that she will never feel again. Even when it hurts, Sooyoung doesn’t want to stop, their ferocious lip lock only breaking when it becomes too much for her to bear.
Tears are welling up in Sooyoung’s eyes, and this time Kahei is the one to come to her rescue. “You’re hurt… you… you shouldn’t be so rough,” she manages to get out, the heat radiating from her cheeks enough to heat up the entire stable.
”Sorry,” Sooyoung says, rubbing the back of her neck. A nervous Sooyoung is a new sight to Kahei but she enjoys it. She’s glad she saw it.
“It’s okay, I liked it, even if it hurt a little,” Kahei says, and suddenly she feels as if she has gained a wave of confidence. “My knight needs to take better care of herself, though,” she adds, feeling possessive as she leans forward to steal another kiss from Sooyoung. “Congratulations.”
Sooyoung lets go of a noticeably large exhale. Kahei is seeing all sorts of different shades of her today and she loves all of them. “Have you kissed somebody before?” She asks.
”No,” Kahei answers. “Just you.”
“Me neither,” Sooyoung admits. “Only you.”
A selfish thought pops into Kahei’s head and before she knows it, it’s leaving her lips. “I want it to stay that way,” she says, and even though she knows it cannot happen, she likes the thought of it.
“I want you to be, too,” Sooyoung says before a knock on the stable door calls an end to their fable.
The look on Sooyoung’s face tells Kahei that she’s been waiting for this, dreading it, but the call still came regardless. “I must leave now,” Sooyoung says, taking as strong of a hold on Kahei’s hands that her weak muscles will let her. “I will write to you. We mustn’t speak a word of what happened here today, what we feel for each other,” she continues, squeezing Kahei’s fingers as she speaks. “But we’ll always have this stable, won’t we?” She finishes, and Kahei is unable to stop the tears spilling onto her skin.
”We will,” Kahei replies, leaning into Sooyoung’s hold. “I’ll write to you as much as I can. I’ll warn you, I’m not terribly interesting,” she says, and a nervous laugh escapes her lips. They don’t have much longer, but this moment will live forever in Kahei’s heart. “Will I see you again?” The lover in Kahei’s heart needs to ask.
”You will,” Sooyoung answers. “I swear it.”
Kahei knows that when Sooyoung promises something, she means it. It may take a lifetime but Kahei knows deep in her heart that she will see Sooyoung again.
”Will you get back to the castle safely?” Sooyoung asks. The ruckus outside of the stable is enough to scare any man, let alone a princess.
”I will,” Kahei answers, returning the squeeze to Sooyoung’s hands, making sure not to hurt them any more than they already are. “I’m just as crafty as you. I hope you haven’t forgotten that already.”
”I haven’t,” Sooyoung says before she lets go of Kahei’s hands. She brings her lips to the crown of flowers on top of her head, leaving a red stain on the white petals. Another knock is heard on the door and Sooyoung lowers her head to press a kiss against Kahei’s lips one last time. As much as she wants to savor it, she cannot. Sooyoung forces herself to pull away from Kahei, walking towards the stable door as she fixes her dress, ready to evacuate. “This is goodbye for now, my princess,” she says looking over her shoulder as she opens the door, her father, the King of Swans, waiting for her in the lashing rain.
“Goodbye, Sooyoung,” Kahei says to herself as she watches Sooyoung leave the stables, taking her heart with her.