royal!au

865w.

If it was any other person who was speaking to him so crudely, the crown prince would have demanded punishment of some sort, but seeing as how it was his close friend Zhoumi, the bold second son of the North who has been with him since their childhood years, Henli could only offer a bemused exhale. "I don't think it befits you to meddle in my affairs, Zhoumi."

The other, older by only a matter of weeks, widely smiles in the privacy of the common room, all servants and guards dismissed besides the two stationed outside the heavy doors. "Henli," he jovially begins with a wave of colored and bound silks, "you're reaching your manhood now, are you not? You have the choice of having eighty-one imperial wives, nine official concubines -- well, technically, they're all used in one way or another --"

Henli wrinkles his nose at this, slightly uncomfortable with the notions of women being treated as , and Zhoumi clucks his tongue. "Your face still remains clean of any hair, too, you're essentially a young boy; no wonder you have yet to pick someone to spend the night with."

"When I grow a beard, it will come, and no goading words will force it to, nor will my decision waver," he says, a polite smile forming as he settles in the cherry oak carved chairs, tracing the engravings in one of the stiff arms.

Zhoumi shrugs, settling back as well with a lift of his teacup. "Whatever you say to warrant your feelings, my dear friend. Shall we discuss socio-economical policies instead?"

The North Prince laughs into his tea as the younger groans, shielding his face. "Please, I beg of you, let us talk about less monotonous matters."

"The Crown Prince of the South, begging?" Zhoumi asks, the ceramic in his hand set down onto the low-set table with a loud clink. "What a sight! Hold up, let me remember this moment for what it is- "

"Oh, hush your blathering," Henli complains. He shoves against the other's shoulder, to which the older repeats with a cackling laugh, arms flailing to steady themselves.

The laughter only stops when the door slowly creaks open, and a head peeks in. Long hair flows over smooth fabric pooling onto the marble floors, expressive eyes hiding under a fringe of black as Zhoumi raises an eyebrow in confusion, but all Henli can do is stare, gazing at the visitor from the peak of her head to the tips of her toes, barely visible underneath the layers of silk.

The young woman looks like she recently woke from sleep, tiredly rubbing at her face and robes in disarray, but when she notices that there's company in the room, her eyes widen and she quickly bows.

"Excuse me," she hurriedly says, face flushing, eyes trained to the floors. "I... I didn't know you had company, cousin."

Henli thinks that he's seen an angel, however disheveled she may be.

Zhoumi tsks playfully. "I told you to change whenever you leave your chambers, young woman. I always have company in the early mornings -- you know that."

The stranger eyes the older with a scowl. "You are barely a few moons older than I... calling me young woman... we will talk later, Zhoumi." She meets Henli's stare with a firm, albeit apprehensive look, and bows. "Forgive me for my state. I'll take my leave."

It takes the sound of departing footsteps to snap the crown prince out of his enamored daze. "Who was that?" he quietly asks.

"Hm?" Zhoumi turns to him, waving a hand in dismissal. "My cousin. She is to stay on my estate for a few weeks before she has to return to the East. My uncle sent her here to assist in diplomatic affairs with the Western kingdom. The ministers are tough to reckon with, I'll say that much- "

"What's her name?" Henli inquires while viewing the doors that the visitor departed through. "What?" he demands, turning to his friend, when Zhoumi releases a harrumph of suspicion.

"You're interested in her, aren't you?" the older accuses, a mischievous smile on his face. "You're- wow. After all the brothels I take you to, and all the maidens in court, you're interested in my cousin. My cousin, who will beat you up if you so much as touch a hair on her head without her permission. Oh, you are so going to be whipped into shape by her- "

"That's enough of that," Henli snaps. "I don't even know her name yet."

Zhoumi grins deviously at him. "Yiyun. Youngest daughter of the Eastern King, interested in political debates, favors playing the guqin despite her father's protests and sweet baked red bean buns. She's a few moons younger than us, you know. Are you going to court her? She'd be very attracted to your physique and charms, you know."

Henli's face flames, and he twists away to hide his fluster. "I haven't spoken a word to her, Zhoumi; it isn't certain that she would return my affections."

"Trust me. If anyone can receive her approval, it would be you. Possibly. I'm a little unsure."

"Mhm, thank you for your infallible helpfulness and wisdom, Zhoumi."

—

bodyswap!au : ii

615w.

The pair stand in front of one another, eyes searching, looks of alarm to various degrees on their faces. Amber looks down slightly at her figure, taking in the blonde disheveled hair, the sunken eye bags after one too many late-night practices, the chapped lips she's prone to getting before moisturizing them and heading out into the public limelight. She reaches out with a rough palm and tilts her face this way and that, a smile slowly spreading on her features. "Dude, this is so cool."

Henry was less than pleased. "This is not cool!" he hisses, crossing his arms determinedly, only to uncross them in horror when he brushes them against his- her?- chest. "It's freaking weird, and I'd like to have my body back!"

"I'll say. I didn't know you guys dangled that much." To prove her point, she bounces up and down slightly on the balls of her feet, and Henry wraps frantic arms around her torso, because what the hell?

"Stop that!" he freaks out, unlatching once Amber promises not to repeat her actions. "I swear, I pinched myself at least ten times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. What are we going to do now?"

Amber gives her body a lookover as she considers the next option. "You came to the door in pajamas?"

"Your pajamas!" he seethes, comfortably dressed in a tank and basketball shorts. Amber matches his comfort with a cotton shirt and boxers beneath grey sweats. "We're literally down the hall from each other, Amb."

"Well, first thing is to get dressed, because we need to eat some breakfast if we wanna make it through this. And! Before you say no," she continues, shushing the protesting young man, "I'll help you dress, and you can help me. We can keep our eyes shut if that makes you happy. Deal?"

Henry's mouth thins into a line before he sighs, weariness evident. "Yeah, okay, deal."

It takes a few minutes to gather clothes from both of their closets and rejoin in Henry's hotel room, and the situation of undressing is no less than uncomfortable.

"Chill, man, this is my body," Amber says after Henry shies away from her for the nth time.

He looks at her with wide eyes. "That doesn't mean I don't feel violated."

Amber picks up one of her undergarments, rolling her eyes. "Just shut your eyes or whatever and take off the tank and shorts so I can dress you."

Her best friend complies, muttering under his breath. "When you talk, it's really weird. I keep on expecting... well, you to talk."

"Yeah, same," the blonde agrees, clasping the bra hook around the back, a feat only accomplished from her leaning over her body. "At least I can still sing. If I could just get over you, I would- "

"Oh my god, stop," Henry bemoans, though his voice is muffled when the younger slips a designer tee over his head. "It's embarrassing enough already doing this. I don't need you to toss my songs back into my face all tainted, either."

Amber doesn't comply. "Hey, yeah, think I need a holiday!" she belts out, accompanying the notes with her slipping on knee-length shorts on thinner legs. Henry whacks her on the head when she's done, orders her to close her eyes, and subjects her to the exact same treatment with Shake That Brass on repeat.

Honestly, the whole ordeal wouldn't have been that bad if Hyukjae didn't enter the room, spare key card in hand, at the exact moment Henry was shimmying down the boxers Amber wore, her hand nestled in his hair for stability while the older chanted the chorus to her title track.

—

medieval!au

945w.

The large castle sitting square in the middle of their land has been the center of many smaller conflicts, but it doesn't stop the thrill of competition running up Henry's spine, nor does it stop the appreciative glances he casts at the suits of armor on display lining the halls.

"If only you looked at the ladies of court the exact same way," he could almost hear his mother complain, but fortunately for him, she chose not to accompany him on his current jousting opportunity, waving him off with an excuse of meeting her friends over tea.

Since he was five, the young man has always been interested in, well, competing, especially when said competing involved riding on a horse and knocking others to the ground with a lance. His father, a well-off lord with several hundred acres of property under his belt, found no harm in his hobby, but his mother was a few knots short of horrified after she discovered he blew off a week's worth of arranged marriage dates with other ladies, and has discouraged his past-time ever since.

Henry admires the arching ceiling and familial tapestries filled with centuries' worth of history, with little thoughts of anything else filling his mind. He's alert enough, however, to notice the knight that steps beside him, glancing up at the bold colors as well.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" he hears, and turns his head to view the knight, who still looks up. "The paintings and colors."

"Yes," Henry agrees easily. "It reminds me how small we are on this soil, regardless of whether we're the poorest lot or one step away from being the crown ruler."

The knight turns his head to match Henry's curious eyes. He's a head shorter and already clad in chain mail, but no doubt athletic and lean. With warm brown eyes and a boyish countenance, the ladies must be fond of him. "You participating in the jousting later?" he asks.

Henry nods. He hasn't changed out of his tunic and fitting pants yet, both laced with fabric gold, so the question wasn't peculiar to be asked. Some young lords attend competitions without partaking in one their entire lives. "I assume you will as well?"

"Yes." The reply is cut short by a couple of giggling maidens rushing down the hall, loud whispers of the knights and lords present echoing. Henry hears his name mentioned several times aloud coupled with obscene remarks, and feels his face turn hot. He's glad that they chose to face the wall and not the other way. "You seem popular."

Henry grumbles. "I had no idea I was that known of. I enter these competitions a few times each year, and it's always something small, so..."

The knight raises an eyebrow. "So you have experience. That's good. I hear some of these fools attending are only doing so because it's the first time in a decade the king has ever sponsored these sort of events, and they're hoping for a glance at the princess."

"The princess?" Henry remembers, from a history tutor a few years back, that the king had a son and four daughters. To his knowledge, the son is next in-line to the throne, and two daughters have already married off to foreign kingdoms. The third daughter is on a trip around the country to discuss policies with different lords, already having expressed her desire not to marry, and the youngest is still holed off within the towers, an alluring prize of wealth and beauty for every male in the kingdom. "Well, it's not as if the princess would show up to a jousting event, would she?"

"She might," the knight replies mysteriously. "She might not, either." Henry isn't sure what to say in response, but the knight continues. "What do you think of the princess, anyhow? Heard she's got a fiery tongue, that one."

Is this knight a loyal bodyguard to the princess, annihilating those in his path whom speak ill of her? "Truth be told, I haven't ever seen her in person, so I can't speak with knowledge. However, it's good that she can stand up for herself, fiery tongue and whatnot -- if she was a pushover, then that would belie her given royal birthright, wouldn't it? Of bossing people around and so forth."

To Henry's surprise, the knight chuckles amusedly. "You seem not to mind that she has a reputation as a disguised shrew."

"Well, I'm more interested in jousting and travelling than I am of women as of now, and even if I was, I highly doubt someone of royal blood would take stock in me. That sounds like more of a fairytale than anything."

"Judging from your clothes, aren't you a young lord?" the knight asks, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you have more faith in yourself?"

He is, but why choose a future lord when your potential suitors extend to other princes from far-off countries? "My status is below hers, regardless. I bet you'd have more luck than I, if you work in this castle." Henry gestures to the crest on the knight's right shoulder.

Before their conversation could extend, a horn sounds to signal the start of the jousting competition. "Shall we?" Henry asks with a light smile. "May the gods allow us the chance of matching up in a duel."

"Let's go," the knight says, and Henry matches his pace to the courtyard. "Who knows? If we do, I'll personally introduce you to the princess myself. I have connections, you know."

The excited pulsing in his ears and the loud cheering that greets them hide the panicked shouts of the royal guards searching for the missing princess.

—

a/n: hahah i have 13 mosquito bites and im in mosquito poison hell

sorry for not updating in so long i swear im working on the bodyswap so here's another sneak peak

also everything about chinese history i got frm wiki

ok thats it lol if youre curious my name is chen. tumb // twit