Between Duty and Love

“Royal balls are such a bore, aren’t they?”

A familiar voice drawled melodiously behind her back. Heejin couldn't help her smile when she heard it.

Hyunjin sauntered in and leaned against the balcony's railing, facing the door through which she just came in.

“Always the same monotonous music and dreadful dance partners,” she sighed wearily and looked down at Heejin with a knowing smile. “I must have lost a toe, or two.”

“I thought you rather enjoyed the attention the ladies in waiting were giving you,” Heejin retorted with a sly smirk.

As the only female member of the royal guard, Hyunjin always caused a stir among guests whenever she attended the royal balls. Women in particular were smitten by her appearance.

Heejin hardly blamed them. Donning her yellow royal uniform and with her long hair falling in waves over her shoulders, Hyunjin looked entirely captivating.

“Are you perhaps jealous, my Princess?” Hyunjin arched an eyebrow in a challenge.

Heejin lifted her chin defiantly. “Do not flatter yourself.”

The guard let out a quiet chuckle. “Forgive me. I got carried away by imagination, Princess,” she said, catching Heejin's gaze.

They lapsed into momentary silence. The only sound was the silent music coming from the ballroom, and the distant hooting of an owl somewhere in the woods beyond the castle's walls.

As it seemed to be her habit ever since she met the girl, Heejin got lost in Hyunjin's dark eyes that held infinite amounts of warmth and tenderness.

“Heejin...” the guard uttered barely above whisper.

Heejin's breath hitched. Hyunjin rarely dropped the titles. In fact, it only happened during those nights when she sneaked through the window to Heejin's chamber. The name would then fall from her lips breathless and needy. The sweetest sound to Heejin's ears.

“Have you thought about my proposal?” Hyunjin asked, moving her hand to place it atop Heejin's and sending a spark of tingles up her arm.

Let us escape together. To the Southern Kingdom. No one will find us there.

Hyunjin told her one night as she held her close in her arms. A beautiful vision but sadly an impossible one.

Tearing her gaze away from the girl, Heejin retreated her hand. “My father would never stop looking for us. I imagine he would start a war with the South if he as much as heard a rumor about my whereabouts.”

The king was a stern man. An excellent strategist but with a fiery temper which had gotten only worse after Heejin's mother passed away. Their relationship was strained to say the least. He couldn't bare to look at her as she reminded him of his deceased wife. But the truth was, he had always favored his sons, especially the oldest one who was his rightful heir.

However, that was not to say that he didn't love Heejin. He cared for her well-being, and Hyunjin was the very proof of that.

Before she became a member of the royal guard, Hyunjin was a simple peasant girl and a excellent hunter. But her whole life had changed during the harvest festival almost a year ago.

The Royal Family was visiting the town to take part in the parade that was held every year before the first day of harvest. It also happened to be a perfect occasion for an assassination attempt.

The arrow was not destined to hit Heejin, its target most likely the king, but whoever fired it had an exceptionally bad aim. Thankfully, Hyunjin did not and she fired her own arrow knocking the other one off course and to the ground under Heejin's feet.

The would-be assassin was easily captured by the guards. But the king wouldn't leave, before he had found the person responsible for saving his only daughter.

That was when Hyunjin stepped out of the crowd, a bow in her hand and a quiver on her back - full of the same arrows as the one that saved Heejin.

And when Heejin laid her eyes upon the dark haired beauty before her, she had only one wish to ask of her father.

“Make her my personal guard. That is, if she agrees, of course. ”

Hyunjin did agree, and done so with a smile that spoke of secret promises. Heejin could not wait to discover them all.

Impressed by Hyunjin's archery skills and grateful for saving his daughter, the king agreed without a second thought.

Hyunjin with her wit and a knack for mischief turned out to be an excellent companion. To Heejin she was like a breath of fresh air, bringing new life into the stale and rigid atmosphere of the castle.

She also happened to be a charmer, and a brave one at that. Whenever they were alone, she made no secret of her attraction towards the Princess. And Heejin could not be any happier about the compliments and attention Hyunjin showered her with, eagerly responding with coquettish remarks of her own.

As time passed, the two grew more and more attached to each other, and their innocent flirting bloomed into something more passionate. Longing looks and sweet words were no longer enough. That was when things began to complicate. Heejin realized that she loved Hyunjin deeply and could not imagine her life without her.

Alas, she was a princess and as such had her duties to the crown. Soon her father would arrange a marriage for her, one that would strengthen whatever alliance he had planned to forge, and Heejin was bound to leave the castle to spend the rest of her days in a loveless marriage.

Hyunjin, however, didn't want to hear any of it. That was why she proposed they flee to a faraway kingdom. She believed they could make it. Heejin, on the contrary. The king would never stop searching for them. Freedom would be just an illusion as they would constantly run and hide.

“I wish we could stay like this forever. But there is too much at risk.” Heejin reached for the girl's cheek, but the guard rejected her touch with a sharp turn of her head, and she faltered retreating her palm.

Hyunjin's jaw clenched and unclenched over and over.

“Forgive me, Princess,” she finally said, “like I said I got carried away by my imagination.” She faced her with a humorless smile that spoke of hurt and betrayal.

“Hyunjin--” Heejin began although she wasn't sure whether anything she said now would change the way Hyunjin felt.

“I suppose we should return to the ballroom. Duty calls,” the guard cut her off and with a nod returned to the ballroom.

Heejin didn't stop her. She had no right to. After all, she did betray her trust and love.

It hurt. A searing, heavy pain filling up her chest. And for the first time, Heejin regretted that the arrow hadn't pierced her heart. Surely, it would have been a lot less painful than the sight of Hyunjin looking broken and disappointed with her.

But what choice did she have? What choice did they have...?

A/N: Written from a tumblr prompt: “Royal balls are such a bore, aren’t they?”. Some people were asking about 2jin and here it is :) This will have a second part, hopefully in the near future. I didn't beta read it because I'm a lazy bum. Thank you for reading and now go stream 'Egoist'! :D