Peacefulness. Beauty. Perfection. Everything was as it should be, right? Even though she could clearly hear the laughter of children outside, their parents' yells at their safety, the carriages rolling across the smooth roads--every little sound made—it seemed as though she was in her own world. Staring blankly onto the bright beautiful outside, the Princess began to count all that she'd done to fix up this broken kingdom. The rays of sunshine that invaded the blackened room showed the varying emotional feelings she was bearing. But this... this was something she enjoyed. She really liked just sitting in the dark and thinking. It calmed her. It made her feel better. And once she stepped foot in the light once more, an air of relief entered her body. This was just the way she was, and had always been for as long as she could remember.

When the Princess and the BEASTs had arrived, the entire kingdom was a wreck. It had been approximately thirty years since the walls had even protected a living being. The damages done to the village and palace was extensive, all from what was known as the Bloody Massacre. She, however, did not quite know just where she was. The boys had to go through great lengths to uncover the location of her home just as she had wished. They really had brought her back home. When she finally woke up from her dizzying spell, the first thing she saw was the destruction. And then, all made up their minds to fix everything, make it all better, make it beautiful.

No questions were asked as they spent countless hours building new homes and buildings, perfecting the roadways, adding colour to the entire village; each person knew their role. It seemed as though they didn't get any sleep for years. And they really didn't. Good thing no one visited the broken kingdom during that time frame; or else they'd have the shock of their life. They destroyed already damaged walls and replaced them with stronger and cleaner ones. Everything was built to adorn the eyes of the Princess—into a kingdom that would be hers and hers alone.

During this time, each of the BEASTs had a lingering amount of guilt and pain in their hearts. They literally had kidnapped the love of other people. Why? Because she had asked them to. She had wished for a different life. Why? Well, she believed that it was best for her to disappear. They didn't agree with her decision at all, but her headstrong personality prevented her from being swayed from her choice. They knew that it'd be better to watch over her until... until time finally caught up with her and pushes her in the direction that fate wants her to be in.

Sophia didn't question why she was there, for all she knew was that it was her duty to fix the broken parts of it. It never really rang in her mind that this was hers from the start; until they finally entered the burned palace and all she saw were photos of the family that once ruled there. She saw her grandmother, who was a spitting image for her, holding onto a little girl more beautiful than flowers. This kingdom was hers. It was hers all along. Only a fool would try to deny that fact. And she'd bring it back to its former glory for them—the family she never knew and never will.

They rebuilt the entire kingdom to a larger scale. Each room had a special reasoning behind them. One was for music, where one could play as many tunes as they pleased. Another was for books, where one could learn about as many things as they wanted. Then there were multiple bedrooms, where anyone could escape the world and be in their own special place for as long as they wished. The one made for cooking was so open and grand, where one could create and eat to their heart's delight. Outside, a beautiful greenhouse was specifically built for the flowers that Sophia distributed all over the kingdom, to show that beauty took time and effort to achieve. Right beside it was a grove, where trees of all kinds stood strong and proud—the biggest being a wonderful pink cherry blossom tree. Underneath it was a stone bench, where anyone can spend their time to ravel in the utter splendor of life itself. In between the trees and greenhouse was a marble fountain that spewed water at all times of the year. One could easily just sit at its side and closer their eyes as its calming flow eased their soul. Along with those special places, the Princess included grander rooms and fixed up the passageways underneath the property. The BEAST boys had insisted on including safe rooms and hidden pathways, with the thought of another possible war being ensued. At least everyone would be safer with hidden gateways, right?

The palace was built with nothing but light in mind. There were huge windows that let in impeccable amounts of sunshine in every room. They were blocked by darkening curtains of all sizes when one wanted privacy. But the Princess wanted to make sure that she could see her entire kingdom from every aspect of her palace while making it seem like she was truly one with the village. They tore down the wall that separated her from the town, and put a beautiful row of flowers there instead. At the end of their ten year assignment—everything was finally as they had pictured it.

The Princess stayed in the palace, perfecting it even more, while the BEASTs sought out potential visitors. Most of them were families that could no longer live in other kingdoms for a various amount of reasons. The Kingdom of Akore opened its arms for all types of people, from all lands, as a getaway from their old lifestyles. There were no clear lower, middle, or upper classes in the village. Everyone did as they pleased, and they all helped each other to survive. Their way of life was... perfect.

This went on for almost two hundred years. No one questioned why the Princess and her guards weren't aging. The citizens didn't want to. It didn't matter to them, anyways. These seven strangers had opened up their hearts and kingdom to house each of the villagers. That was all that mattered. They had a home, where they were safe and happy. This was their dream.

"Still enjoying the dark, I see," a loving tone interrupted the Princess' thought process.

She slightly turned to see one of her shining guards leaning against the doorway. His blonde hair was messily done, but complemented his features wonderfully. A white dress shirt tucked into his dark grey pants, kept clean with a black leather belt was his outfit. The sleeves were neatly rolled up to his elbow, showing his protruding veins and muscular biceps off. No wonder a lot of women in the village liked him. And also the other guards. They were all just so handsome. How could one not fall in love?

"Something about it just calms me down," she replied with a smile.

He took a few steps to enter the otherwise empty room. This was her special place. She'd light candles sometimes and just sit here thinking about life. There were a few pictures of her relatives in a few spots, while the others were scattered all over the palace halls to show her lineage. It was specifically built to allow the most light, yet even be the darkest room in the entire palace. With the flick of a switch, curtains would cover every window and a wooden wall would slide on top of the glass ceiling. The Princess enjoyed spending some nights of the week just staring at the stars, letting the moonlight invade her sanctum.

"You've been saying that for so long; I should really just stop questioning it."

"Yet you'll probably never understand."

Yoseob decided to sit right next to her, and stare out at the world just as she was. There was only enough light to invade their space, while what surrounded them was utter darkness. It was a weird dynamic. "You only do this to the room when you've had that dream." What he meant was that she'd do a contrast of light and dark. As if she was looking for something in between, but could never really find it.

She blinked once before trying to recall the truth. He was right. "It only happens once a year."

"...on your birthday."

"Yeah," she tried not to sigh. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her year. "On my birthday."

The dream they are referring to is one that only comes knocking around the day of her birth. It always starts out the same—she's running from someone. She doesn't know from whom or even why; just that she has to keep running and if she doesn't... she'll die. After a while, she'd find a doorway that would lead to a wonderful grand room. It was too familiar, with one wall covered in mirrors and the other leading to the outside. There would be people looking at her; but she wouldn't be afraid anymore. They weren't enemies, yet she couldn't even clearly name them or even focus in on the details of their faces. In the distance would be seven boys facing her. No matter how much she'd try to get close to them, or even just sharpen their faces; it would all still be a blur. A big giant blur. She'd never, ever be able to tell who they were. The same figure would always approach her and whisper something under his breath. Sophia would never be able to known what it was for she'd wake up right then and there. Every single time.

It wouldn't be the only dream they'd be in. Even in her memories, at least one of those figures would be in it. She never recalled meeting them or even seeing them before, so why would they be in her memories like that? Whenever she'd go back to her past, they'd be there with the BEASTs like they were a part of her life.

Who were they?

"You shouldn't linger on it too much," Yoseob would always say that to her. "Today is a day for you to enjoy yourself, anyways."

He stretched out and straightened his outfit before extending a hand to her. She accepted his offer, her left hand glittering from the beautiful pearl ring on her forefinger. That was something she never remembered how she got it, but knew she could never take it off. Another piece of jewelry that caught the sunlight was her bracelet, which she wore on her right wrist. It knew just how to glisten in the light and look so effortlessly made. Lastly was her hairpin, one shaped like a bow encrusted with nothing but diamonds. She always wore it to pull her hair back for it complemented everything she had. The Princess patted down her white dress before she flicked the switch to open up all of the curtains. Rays of sunshine invaded the private sanctuary, diminishing the darkness she enjoyed so much.

Yoseob hooked their arms together as they walked through the palace. They could hear the giggling of children downstairs as they descended upon the white staircases themselves. A couple of kids were waiting for the Princess, as they threw bundles of flowers onto the floor in front of her. She paused, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, before her guard tugged on her to follow the trail.

"Isn't this too much?" she whispered into his ear.

He couldn't help but grin, for this took him and the others so long to plan and coordinate. "No. I don't think it is."

Sophia smiled warmly at his response. This was definitely an over the top preparation. But that didn't mean that she didn't appreciate every moment of it. As they trailed together, after the wonderful pathway of flowers, one could hear the festival being commenced outside. Wonderful cheers and glorious laughter engulfed every part of the kingdom. There were banners and lively music being played, with games for people of all ages. It was amazing in the Princess' eyes.

"You guys are too much to handle sometimes," she laughed under her breath.

"Not like a special someone doesn't deserve it!" a new voice interrupted her and Yoseob's dynamic.

Her other five guards approached her, each holding a different bouquet of flowers for the Princess. All looked so stunning in the outfits, just like Yoseob's but personalized in different ways. Kikwang's was a bit tighter, with a light gray bowtie on and a silk vest. Doojoon wore a grey blazer on top of his outfit. Hyunseung had a white rose pinned to his vest. Dongwoon readjusted his tie as he approached the Princess. And lastly Junhyung wore suspenders and some chains attached to his belt. They all had their own styles, but all looked captivatingly amazing. Each member had their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, something that added such attractiveness to their composition.

"Happy birthday!" yelped Doojoon as he ran towards her with an overwhelming hug. He had the biggest smile on his face as she reached out for a wonderful bouquet of white daisies.

"Step aside," Junhyung's confident voice ordered as Doojoon backed away from the Princess. A sly grin was planted on his face as he told her, "This is for you, Princess." He had arranged a beautiful handful of yellow tulips for her.

Hyunseung pushed Junhyung out of his way as he bowed while extending his arrangement of white and purple baby's breath flowers. "Happy birthday, Soph."

"Don't forget about me," Kikwang ran up to her, giving her a handful of blue bells tied together by a white ribbon. "Have a very special day, alright?"

Lastly, Dongwoon approached her with a caring demeanor. He had a bouquet of lily of the valleys mixed with dendrobiums. It was a wonderful arrangement. As he wrapped his arms around her for a hug, he whispered, "Happy birthday, Princess Sophia."

Sophia took a deep breath, to smell the flowers themselves, and couldn't help but grin even larger than before. It was such a delightful surprise to her, and for them to even put in so much effort for one day was amazing in her eyes. Everything was perfect.

"Thanks so much, boys! I love them all."

"Then you'll definitely start crying once you see our present for you," grinned Dongwoon as he backed away from her.

"What?"

"Happy birthday," Yoseob whispered into her ear as he placed a simple pearl necklace within a white gold and diamond casing. It matched her ring, clip, and bracelet amazingly. It was so cohesive, so perfect. It just added onto the items that she'd never stop wearing around.

Sophia looked down, staring at the captivating piece of jewelry he had hung around her neck. "You know I don't like presents, guys."

"We'll take that as a 'thank you guys'," Junhyung tilted his head at her response.

"And for that, we'll just respond with a—" Doojoon added.

"You're welcome!" the six of them simultaneously finished the oldest's sentence.

The Princess spent a few seconds, taking in all of the beauty around her before rushing off into the festival. She really enjoyed spending time with the villagers and children. Their lighthearted personalities warmed her heart, and their caring souls eased her worries. They were what she wanted to protect for as long as she could.

"Awe, I could've have sworn I'd see a tear," Dongwoon snapped his fingers together.

"Ha! You lost the bet! Pay up!" Kikwang punched in him the arm out of excitement.

The youngest BEAST reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch of heavy coins. "Here. Take it."

"Moooooneeeeyyy~" Kikwang sang as he happily hopped away into the game portion of the festival.

The rest of the BEASTs scattered throughout the town, exploring as much as they wanted. This was a place they had built with their bare hands. This was their sanctuary. Their home. Their special paradise. And they couldn't imagine being there with anyone else other than each other and Sophia.

Sophia was approached by people of all ages, thanking her for all she'd done in terms of the education for the children and even the payload in the village. She'd always tell them that it was her pleasure, and that they must enjoy their time while living in her kingdom. Children came up to her with little gifts, their special toys and favorite belongings, but she'd reject them all kindly. The one thing she hated was receiving presents from people, because she felt like she didn't deserve it. Just being able to see their happy faces and hear their joyful laughs was enough to know that she was doing something right. That her time spent on rebuilding a home she never knew or remembered was not wasted.

Little did she know that fate was so close to knocking on her door and once it was recognized, it would pull strings to return her in the arms of her destiny. 

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The first chapter?! a bit short, I know; but I just got too excited omg. ;w; lol. I haven't written one of these in a while. :D What did you guys think? Good start yes? Not quite action or drama packed~ well, for now it isn't hehehehhee. Wanted to focus more on her different life... 

Tell me what you guys feel right now! I hope you all stick around just as you guys did for I am not so easily wooed~