The Fairest of Them All

a/n : Just as a warning this one-shot is a little wordy and I was in a rush writing the ending so it might be a little too fast. Also, this is unedited so there might be some mistakes here and there. Please look past those things and enjoy this one-shot. I was so glad that someone requested one with these two since they are one of my favorite crack ships. Enjoy. 😊

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there lived a King and a Queen. The King and Queen were expecting their first born child and the could not have been any more excited. For years and years, the King and Queen have tried many times to have a child, but each of the times, they lost it right when it was about to be born.

The Queen laid in bed, smiling from ear to ear, with her hand placed on her stomach. She was beyond happy that finally, after all the long waiting, she was finally going to have a child of her own. The King walked in and smiled at the sight of his lovely wife smiling.

"Why are you smiling my dear," the King asked when he was beside his wife on the bed they shared. He placed his hand over the Queen's and looked up at her with nothing but love and admiration in her eyes.

"I am just so happy that we are finally going to have a child of our own," the Queen answered. She lifted up her hand and placed it on her lovely husband's cheek. "Are you not happy as well my dear?" She asked with a hint of worry in her tone of voice.

The King was taken back and the words of his wife. "I am beyond happy my dear wife," he smiled as a reassurance, "and seeing you so happy is causing my happiness to excel even more."

The King and Queen sat there on their shared bed, looking at each other with love in heir eyes, and their hands placed on the Queen's stomach. They could not have been more happier.

- two months later -

The doctor stood in front of the Queen who had sweat rolling down the side of her face and her legs wide open on the bed while the King sat beside her, holding her hand for support and whispering words of encouragement to his dear wife.

Minutes past by and the King noticed the look of worry on the doctor's face. "What is it Doctor?" The King asked. "What is the matter?"

"The Queen is losing too much blood. I am afraid that she would not make it." The doctor answered. The King looked at his wife and saw a smile on her face.

"It's okay my dear," she let go of the King's hand and placed it on his cheek. "As long as our child is born healthy, I do not care what happens to myself. Just promise me one thing my dear husband," the Queen whispered. She only had one motivation in her mind and that was to give birth to her child. Once she had heard the doctor's words, her motivation became far more greater. She accepted what would happen to herself as long as her child was safe.

"Anything my dear, anything." The King had silent tears running down his face. He tried to stop them, trying not to let his wife see him in such a way, but no matter how hard he tried to get the tears to stop, they simply would not.

"Promise me that you would look after out child and love it even though I might not be there. No matter how hard it might be, you would look after out child and love it." The King nodded his head, but the Queen wanted to hear the words coming from his mouth. With her hand on his cheek, she wiped the tears of her husband whom she loved with all her heart. "Say it, say that you promise."

The King cleared his throat, "I promise to look after our child and love it for the both of us."

The Queen smiled at his words. Her eyes began to slowly close. The King just then began to hear the cry if a new born baby. He turned his attention to the baby that the doctor held in his arms.

"It is a girl, my King," the doctor said as he wrapped the newborn girl in a cloth that was on the side of the bed. The King smiled, he got up from the side of the bed and walked over to the doctor. He held out his arms and the doctor placed the girl in the arms of her father. He King walked back to his wife and gently laid the crying baby next to her mother. He got on her knees once again beside the bed.

At the sounds of a crying baby, the Queen slowly opened her eyes and stared at her beautiful child. She tried to sit up, to get a better look at her child, but she was far to weak to do it on her own. "Dear," the Queen called out to her husband, "can you please help me sit up, I want to get a better look at our child."

The King carefully helped the Queen sit up and placed the pillows behind her so that she could sit on her own. He then picked up the child and placed her in the waiting arms of the mother.

"She is beautiful," the Queen said in a weak voice. Tears of happiness filled her eyes as she looked at her child that had skin as white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair dark as night. She never saw such beauty in her whole life. Her eyes began to close once again, her breaths began to come out in small huffs, and her grip on the love of her life's hand began to loosen. The last thing she saw was the sight of her two favorite people in the world: her beautiful baby girl, and her lovely husband. She was glad that she was able to witness them both together and for that, she silently died with a small smile on her lips.

"My King," the doctor asked quietly. He did not want to disturb the King as he cried over his his beloved wife's death, but he could stop himself from asking. "What would you name her?" He asked, referring to the child that was now in the arms of her father.

"Jihyo," he said, also in a quiet voice. "I will name her after my wife. Her name is Jihyo."

That day the whole kingdom wept for the loss of their Queen.

-

A year after the death of his much beloved wife, the King married once again. This time he married a very powerful, influential maiden who went by the name of Jae Eun. Her beauty made it easy for the maiden to get the King to accept her as his bride. It also made it so that the King turned a blind eye at all the complaints of his people that marrying the maiden was a bad idea, a very bad idea.

But, the King was desperate. With the death of his wife, he did not want his child, Jihyo, to grow up without a mother figure in her life. So he married Jae Eun despite all the warnings.

The people of the Kingdom saw something in Jae Eun, something that the King did not see himself. They saw the evil in her and for that she was feared by all.

Jihyo grew up as a healthy child, she had lots of friends, she was loved by all of the maids and servants in the palace. Jae Eun was also quite find of Jihyo herself. She saw her as someone she can teach her ways to and for that she treated Jihyo as if she was her own daughter.

-

On Jihyo's sixteenth birthday the King and Queen held a party for her. A party in which they invited just about everyone, including the King and Queen of the White Kingdom.

Jihyo sat in her room, on a chair upfront of her mirror as her maid whom she was closest to in the palace, brushed her hair and got her ready for the party that would be held downstairs. The maid was a little old women who treated Jihyo like she was her own daughter.

"You look just like your mother," the maid, Ji Hee, said when she saw the reflection of Jihyo. She had a smile on her face and her eyes were filling up with tears.

Jihyo, who had her eyes down looking at her hands that were placed on her lap, looked up quickly when she heard the maid mention her mother. She always enjoyed it when the maids and servants talked to her about her mother, she liked knowing what she was like as a Queen and as a person. It made her feel as if she knew her mother.

"My mother?" Jihyo asked, wanting Ji Hee to continue talking about the late Queen.

"Yes Princess, your mother." She braided Jihyo's hair as she continued talking. "You have her eyes, big and the most beautiful brown I had ever seen."

Jihyo smiled. "Tell me more about my mother," she eagerly said, the maid laughed and continued to tell the young Princess about her biological mother.

She told her how she was loved by all. How she always did the right thing and followed her heart, no matter the situation. She also told Jihyo how much of a pleasant, wonderful person she was, how she had the heart as big as anyone else's and a mind that was filled with knowledge and wisdom. "Someday you will be Queen too little one, and I just know that you would rule the kingdom the way your mother did."

Jihyo smiled at her words. She really did enjoy being said that she looked like her mother. Jihyo was just about to ask Ji Hee to keep telling her more and more stuff about her mother when the Queen walked in her room, unannounced.

"Are you almost done getting ready. The people are waiting to see you Jihyo." She said in a stern voice. The maid backed away from the chair where Jihyo sat and bowed her head at the Queen.

"Yes your highness, she is almost ready," the maid said, her head still bowed.

"Hush," the Queen harshly said, "I was talking to the Princess." She turned her attention back to Jihyo, her face becoming more soft.

"Yes, your highness," Jihyo got up from her seat and bowed also. "I just have a couple more preparations to do and then I will go downstairs."

"Very well then," the Queen said and headed back out the room.

"She's such a pissy thing," the maid said with judgement. Jihyo tried not to laugh but failed. A small giggle left , she placed her fingers on her lips to stop her laughing.

"Don't say such a thing." Jihyo said, worrying that someone will hear. "She really is not all that bad once you get to know her."

The maid smiled at the Princess's words. "Words expected from the daughter of the late Queen," the maid said. Jihyo looked at her with confusion. The maid saw how confused she was and so she explained her words. "Always seeing the goodness in people."

Jihyo smiled at her words.

-

Jihyo held her breath. She had finished getting ready and was now on her way downstairs. Her heart started to beat faster and faster. She stood at the top of the stairs, watching the people who were downstairs waiting to see the princess. Jihyo began to get even more nervous as she saw all the people waiting around.

A servant who noticed her presence quickly stood in front of Jihyo. He cleared his throat and said in the loudest voice he could possibly muster, "The great Princess Jihyo of the Glass Kingdom has finally made her entrance."

Eyes from all over the place began to stare at her. With her heart beating faster and faster by the step, the Princess made her way downstairs, her head held up high and her eyes facing forward. Her father, the King, sat in his royal chair on the other side of the room. He had a proud smile on his face when he saw his only daughter make her way through the room. The Queen was standing by his side, a hand placed on his shoulders in a possessive way, and a stolid look on her face.

Many heads bowed as Jihyo made her way to the side of the room where the King and Queen sat. Jihyo kept her head held high, her heart beating faster and faster as each step she took. Whispers from her left and right filled her ear.

"That's the Princess? She look like her mother."

"Her walk is even the same as her mother's, very ladylike, almost like a goddess."

She was now in front of her father the King. She bowed her head.

"Why don't you look absolutely beautiful." The King said with a sense of fatherly love. Jihyo felt herself smile.

"Thank you father," Jihyo lifted up her head. The King got up from his chair and stood next to his lovely daughter.

"Come now," the King offered his arm to the Princess and she gladly took it. "Let me introduce you to some of the guests."

The King and his daughter set out and walked into the crowd. There the King introduced her to many other Kings and Queens of different kingdoms and there she received countless birthday wishes from people she did not know. She gladly accepted the birthday wishes with a kind smile. Finally they stood in front of the King and Queen of the White Kingdom, one of the three most powerful kingdoms of all the land, the Glass and Scarlet Kingdom being the other two.

Standing next to the Queen and King was their eldest son, Prince Seokmin, also referred to simply as "Prince DK." Jihyo felt her cheeks turn a bright red when she saw the handsome prince.

In all her life she had never seen someone so handsome. With his brown eyes that held nothing but politeness, his dark brown hair that looked as soft as silk, his lips that formed a sincere smile, and his posture that showed just how important he was in society, Jihyo was sure that back home, the Prince had many maidens lined up to just get a glance at said Prince.

"Evening Jun Ho, Mi Na," the King of the Glass Kingdom said, referring to the rulers of the White Kingdom. The Glass and White Kingdom has always shared a close bond between he two rulers, they were like brothers, if not closer. But, due to a full schedule on both parts, they hardly had any time to meet up. It has been about ten years since they had last seen each other; the only type of communication they had was through letters they sent back and forth. "Thank you both so much for joining my Jihyo's special day." Jihyo again smiled at her father's words.

"Well of course my good friend," the King of the White Kingdom said, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Princess Jihyo," the Queen said with a smile, the Princess's gaze left the Prince and she looked at the Queen. "This is our son, Prince Seokmin," the Queen pointed her fingers at the Prince who was smiling and looking at Jihyo with a form of admiration.

Bowing her head, Jihyo said a quick greeting to the Prince and he her. Jihyo's cheeks became even more red when she heard the Prince speak her name. For a reason she did not know of, she quite enjoyed the sound of her name leaving his lips.

"I am sure the two of you would get along well. Why don't you two go on ahead and talk, the grownups have some important matters to discuss."

Jihyo began to get excited. She never had a conversation with a boy her own age in her entire life. Her father had kept her locked behind the palace gate, away from the rest of the kingdom, in fear that something awful would happen to the Princess.

The Prince stepped away from beside her mother and walked over to Jihyo. He offered her his arm and Jihyo looked at it in awe. She looked up to her father who was still at her side, asking with her big brown eyes if it was okay for her to go with the Prince. The King nodded his head, yes, Jihyo retrieved her arm from her father's and placed it in Prince Seokmin's. She enjoyed the feeling of her clothed arm against the Prince's. It felt, right.

Seokmin led Jihyo back into the crowd of people and out the balcony, where there was not a single person in sight. Jihyo began to feel a bit nervous. She began to worry, what if I say something to embarrass myself? What if he does not enjoy being in the presence of me? Those type of question were what Jihyo began to ask herself.

"Would you like to sit?" The Prince stopped the Princess from asking herself many other questions and pointed, with his free hand, to a table on the left side of the balcony that had chairs on each side of it.

"Yes please," Jihyo cursed at herself for how weak her voice came out. But, the Prince did not seem to mind. He actual found it quite adorable and for that he smiled.

He led her to the table and when they reached it, he retrieved his arm from hers. Once again Jihyo blushed as Seokmin pushed back the chair and motioned for her to sit. She said a quick thank you as she sat down. The Prince pushed in the chair and walked over to the other right in front of hers.

They sat in silence, looking at each other, waiting for someone to break said silence. The Prince took the available time to look over the Princess's angelic features. He felt grateful for the way the moon behind him shone so brightly that it was easily possible for him to make out her features. Her bright red lips that formed a slight, nervous smile, Seokmin wanted to know how her lips will feel against his. Her long black hair worn in a braid, he wondered how it will look like worn down, he imagined that she would look even more stunning. He liked all her features, especially her pale white skin that looked even more pale in the moonlight. Seokmin very much liked the light blush on her cheeks and the fact that he was the cause of it made him like it even more, if that was possible.

"You are very beautiful," the Prince broke the silence. The light blush on the Princess's cheeks deepened at his words. The Prince seemed satisfied on the reaction he had on her.

Usually, Seokmin was never this blunt. He never really talked to girls, at all, back at home. It was not that he did not want to, it was simply because when around maidens, he would get nervous and not know what to say. But with Jihyo, it was different. It