“Do you have everything?” Fussed Jungeun, adjusting the scarf they managed to get for Go Won around her neck, tightening the knot. She was going to suffocate, but Jungeun seemed the most worried about her, so Go Won allowed it. “The extra clothes? The coat? Jinsol got you some gloves, do you have them? What about…”

“Jungeun, calm down!” Yerim said, putting one hand on Jungeun’s shoulder, Jinsol following the movement. That made Jungeun stop, and Jinsol snagged the moment to untie a bit the scarf, allowing Go Won some room to breathe. That was good. Breathing was good. Go Won could barely believe she missed it.

“Sorry, it’s just…” Jungeun said, and Jinsol smiled, soft. She was always someone who acted more than she spoke.

“You never went far from us, Go Won. We’re worried.” Go Won blushed, and Jinsol - still the tallest, still blonde - patted her head. “But we know this is what you want. Right, Jungeun?”

“Yes.” The girl in question grumbled, and she turned her eyes away. “Alright, Go Won, time to go to the station. Are you sure you don’t want us to go with you?”

Yerim elbowed her, and Go Won couldn’t help but crack a smile, pulling all of them into a hug.

She was going to miss them.

“I don’t want to see you guys cry in the station, that’s all.” Go Won replied, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear. She missed having it blonde, even if Go Won never remembered having it dyed in the first place. It just felt… Special.

Perhaps she could dye it when she got out of the country, when the soldiers weren’t looking anymore for girls with blonde hair. It would be nice.

“How thoughtful,” Jinsol said, messing up her hair a little more. Go Won beamed at her. “Alright, time for you to go on, okay? Can’t miss this train.”

She nodded.

“Okay.” Pulling her bag with her meager things - a change of clothes, a pair of gloves, a pair of socks - closer to herself, Go Won left the little place she had called home for the past five years, waving at them before leaving.

She walked a block before she heard Yerim calling for her, and Go Won stopped in her tracks, turning to see the girl who was panting, trying to catch her breath.

“Yerim? Is something wrong…?” She asked, and Yerim nodded for a moment, before catching herself and shaking her head.

“No! No, it’s just…” She lets the words wander off, and took a deep breath, righting herself. “We forgot to tell you something.”

“You did?” She was surprised. What could it be? Maybe they wanted to give her a card, or something?

“If you ever miss us, just look at your scarf. We got it knitted for you, and the girl almost killed us when we said it was for today. Worth it, though.” Go Won made a motion to take off the scarf, wondering what could be on it, but Yerim stopped her, grabbing her wrists. “No, no, only if you miss us! Only them.”

“But I already miss you all.” Go Won said, and Yerim offered a smile, hugging her; Go Won hugged the girl back, taking a deep breath to register, for the last time, the girl’s smell.

It smelled like home. Go Won could feel herself relaxing, and then, Yerim separated from her.

“Alright, the message is given. Now go, and find your friends, okay?” Yerim said, and Go Won politely pretended not to see the tears in the girl’s eyes.

“I’ll write every day.” She promised, and Yerim simply smiled.

“You better. We’ve never been to Paris, so tell us everything, got it?” Go Won nodded, and Yerim turned, waving at her before running back home.

Squaring her shoulders, Go Won turned her back, going to the old palace.

The train station was surprisingly crowded, Go Won found, and to avoid her getting lost, Heejin -

“Here, just hold my hand, and keep an eye on your things.” She smiled, softly, offering a hand Go Won promptly accepted. “Lots of pickpockets running around.”

She heard a kid nearby make a vague sound of protest, and wheeze when they got elbowed. Go Won decided to not discuss this, as Heejin made her way through the crowd, Go Won in tow, watching the girl’s back.

The white dress and leather jacket combo looked pretty good on her. Go Won would never be able to pull that off.

They entered the train, and Heejin navigated them to a small room, on a corner, with a bunk bed in a corner, and a little table on another, a big mirror stuck to the wall. The entire room was red and brown, and it looked like something out of a fairytale.

Well, if the fairytale’s bed had its sheets with colorful patches, but still; it gave the room character. Sitting at the lower bunk, putting her bag on the floor, she watched as Heejin moved around the room, like a caged animal, for a moment, before locking the door, making sure the window opened and closed easily.

Go Won made a vague enquiring noise, and Heejin shrugged.

“Preventions, you know.” She said, and Go Won wondered if it was safe to leave the country with fake papers. Perhaps she should have had more patience, but…

But Paris waited for her, and now she couldn’t regret things. Touching the scarf for a moment, she unmade its knot, setting it aside, taking care on folding it, before setting the gift aside. She could see what she had thought was a wing, but Go Won wasn’t going to check it; she had promised Yerim.

The train took off, surprising her for a moment, and Go Won allowed herself to watch as the scenery outside changed, from the city to its outskirts, from its outskirts to fields of snow.

When the scenery offered no more changes, she looked at Heejin, who seemed distracted with… Well, her. Go Won blushed, and so did Heejin, when she was caught looking, quickly changing the direction of her head, looking outside.

“So…” She hesitated for a moment, and Heejin looked at her, red still vivid on her cheeks, sat on one of the two available chairs. “What do I do, when I meet the ladies in waiting?”

“Well, first you’re going to have to convince their lady in waiting, Viian. No princess Chaewon sees them before convincing Viian.” Go Won made a flabbergasted sound, and Heejin put up her hands in defense. She was not told this. “I know, I know, it’s less than ideal, but - “

“You never told me I’d have to deceive someone!” Go Won protested, feeling flustered. The idea of proving herself as someone she wasn’t disgusted her. “It’s… It’s wrong!”

“And so is leaving the country with fake papers, but I don’t see you complaining about that?” Heejin pointed out, and Go Won closed . Passing a hand through her dark, dark hair, Heejin sighed. “Listen, sorry I was harsh, but it’s actually pretty easy to be Chaewon, you know? Just memorize a bunch of facts, do some song and dance and you’ll get through Viian. And then, the two will just look at you and recognize the truth.”

That… That made Go Won’s heart feel light, but like it was knotting on itself, too. It was a weird, confusing feeling.

“Anyway, are you ready to become princess Chaewon?” Heejin asked, rising up, hands on her hips, the dress swaying gently with her. The bunny pin glinted a bit in the sunlight, and it attracted Go Won’s eyes. “I’ll teach you all I know.”

“What, were you a princess yourself?” She asked, in turn, rising up, and Heejin simply smiled.

“No, I was something even better. But you’re not here to hear about me, are you? Let’s get to work.” Go Won wanted to ask w hat could be better than a princess, but Heejin simply started to lay papers around the floor, ignoring the table, and she soon understood why - it was too much to fit on the table. 

And, with that, Go Won was forced to cram in names and little habits (the aunt who pranced in rivers, the drunk uncle, the cousin with a wart), besides princess Chaewon’s own details about her life. The books Heejin took out from her duffel bag were dull, but Go Won felt she knew more than what they told.

Princess Chaewon had been born in a palace by the sea, as the youngest daughter of the old monarch. She had a passion for butterflies, and at age six she had been given two ladies in waiting - Duchess Sooyoung, who was nine at the time, and Countess Jiwoo, who was eight -, and, supposedly, the three became inseparable, everything they’d do, doing together.

“Rumours says that that’s how the young princess, at age nine, had her hair dyed blonde, which later became a trademark of her.” Heejin said, leaning in closer to Go Won, sitting by her side on the floor, photos and cutouts of magazines all over the carpeted floor. She was too close - close enough for Go Won to feel Heejin’s warm breath on her skin, and while she half-wanted to kiss her, it wasn't the right moment. “Apparently, Jiwoo was the one who originally wanted to dye her own hair, but the mixture fell on the princess’ head - and when they were able to rinse it, it had already been discolored enough to be noticed, so they sort of… Went on, you know?”

Go Won frowned. No, the story wasn’t quite right. She remembered that day - Go Won had seen some girls with dyed her through her window, and had convinced Yves and Chuu to buy the dye for her...

“That’s… Not quite right.” She found herself saying, and Heejin raised a single eyebrow at her as she put her hands on , trying to shut herself up.

Heejin simply leaned in closer, so close she could count eyelashes.

“And how you might know that, hm?” She asked, and Go Won shook her head.

“I don’t know. I just… Know it.” Heejin stared her for another moment, and distanced herself a little. “I remember…”

Heejin picked a photo off the floor, and gave to Go Won. It was a little picture, a corner of it burnt and another cut, depicting three girls in black and white: one with a pretty lace dress and dyed blonde hair (the princess, she supposed. It didn’t look anything like her. Go Won wasn’t sure how she was going to pretend to be someone she didn’t look like.), one tall, dignified, who looked like a princess, and one small, who seemed very excited, big eyes full of love.

Yves and Chuu, her mind recognized, as Heejin pointed to the little blonde girl, tapping on the photography.

“That’s princess Chaewon. On her left, it’s Duchess Sooyoung, and on her right, Countess Jiwoo.” Heejin said, and she tapped the photo. “I think this one was taken, maybe, in…”

“It was taken in the palace near the border. It was Yves birthday...” Go Won softly commented, and frowned, stopping herself mid-phrase.

What the… How. How did she even know that?

“I didn’t tell you that.” Heejin frowned, turning back the photo, reading something from it, and was going to say something more, as Go Won tried to convey how exactly she thought she knew that - utterly failing to even grab enough words to do so -, when they felt the train stop. Heejin looked at her, and rose up, going to the door. “One moment.”

Go Won kept staring at the photo in her hands, and it was like a multitude of small memories started trickling in; she remembered how fun Yves (Sooyoung ? The name felt familiar, but also stiff, a name to a noble, and while Yves did match the image of a noble…) had that day, the three of them running through halls, Yves and Chuu trying to catch her, and she still could remember being breathless, looking back, trying not to be caught by them -

“Oh, hell no!” Cussed Heejin, and Go Won looked up, the world outside of her head catching up to her. Heejin was at the door, looking outside, and the murmur of various people speaking at the same time reached her ears. She rose up, and approached Heejin. “At least we’re close to the border…”

She looked outside, on the tip of her toes, and saw a commotion, men in uniforms holding rifles standing guard in front of a room, and her heart sank low.

Soldiers . Go Won could feel herself becoming pale, and she went inside, quickly gathering the photos and carefully stuffing them inside the duffel bag, as Heejin kept an eye outside, talking with their next-door neighbor in hushed tones.

When the sound of a gunshot rang, she let the photos fall from her hand, memories -

where are we going, she had asked, looking behind as the three of them ran towards mother’s room. Chuu lagged behind, but a quick hand offered by Yves solved that pretty quickly, the three picking up the pace and locking themselves inside mother’s room, the soft mauve color calming her a little. Not enough, but enough.

she could hear the screams, the sound of gunshots echoing through the halls, before Yves, with one fearful look, closed the door, and Go Won huddled herself near the bed, watching Chuu pace nervously.

it’s going to be alright, your highness, it’s..., Chuu said, offering her a quiet look, but nervousness shone in the girl’s eyes. Yves huffed at that, approaching the two of them, and it was just her luck she did that - because a soldier started banging on the door, and she retreated, trying to be as small as possible.

over here, said a small voice, and she looked up - a maid, maybe her age, who had opened a panel of the wall. She didn’t know walls did that. over here, the girl called again, and Yves pulled her up, Chuu following close by.

At the same time, a soldier busted the door open, and the maid - little, small, familiar - panicked.

i’ll buy you time, just go!, said the little maid, motioning for them to go, and she watched, being tugged by Yves and Chuu, to go. The last thing she saw, before entrenching herself in the passages of the palace, was the soldier beating the little maid.

“No!” She screamed, and Heejin looked at her with familiar, familiar eyes. She scrambled backward, and Heejin abandoned her post on the door, closing it swiftly behind her. “No, no, no…”

“Go Won, what’s wrong?” Heejin asked, lowering herself so she could be by her side, one hand touching her shoulder with careful fingers, like she was a precious stone. “What’s wrong?”

Words spilled out of , telling Heejin of things she didn’t even know if were true, but she remembered them so viscerally - the fear, the taste of copper in , how Yves fingers were so close and yet so out of reach, how they were just little kids stuck in a war that wasn’t their fault.

“Go Won.” Heejin’s voice brought her back, and yes, she was right; she was Go Won. “Listen, you… You don’t know who you are, and that’s fine, but please… Please, don’t let go, not now, okay? The soldiers are going to go away, just…”

“But, what if they find me, Heejin? What if…” Go Won pleaded, and Heejin’s smile was weak, but sure.

“Then we deal with it, okay?” Heejin kissed her forehead, and cleaned her tears with a handkerchief. It was a bit stained, but the stain was green. Mold, probably, but Go Won didn’t mind it much. “But now, let’s go. I heard they were taking people with fake papers and shooting them out, so let’s not be one of them, okay?”

The simple way she put things made Go Won blink in surprise for a mere second, before she nodded, gathering her things - making sure to tie the scarf tightly on her neck; she didn't want to miss the gift that had been given to her -, before Heejin slid open the window, motioning for Go Won to go first. A quick look told her it was snowing; it’d cover their tracks, at least. She jumped out, and Heejin followed soon after, making sure that the window was closed before she let go.

And, with that, they were out of the train, and into the woods.

Arriving in Paris took a car, a horse ride, a bike ride, and there was also a boat. But, in the end, they arrived, a bit ragged, but alive, and decidedly not shot, so Go Won decided it was bound to count for something. Besides, the trip had been fun.

During the car ride, Heejin taught her little things about Sooyoung and Jiwoo that Go Won already knew, somehow; during the boat trip, through a river whose name she had never caught, she asked if Heejin would dye her hair blonde - “to look the part”, Go Won had said, but she had somehow missed having blonde hair. She could remember, having it blonde, before Yerim, Jinsol and Jungeun had dyed it black, but now she felt complete -, and during the brief bike ride, Heejin had stopped with her for a picnic, after teaching her how to dance.

“Come on, it’s easy, if I picked it up just watching, you can, too.” Heejin had said, taking off her leather jacket, carefully folding it and putting it on top of a towel that had been definitely a curtain once. It was velvet, red and shiny.

“But we have no music.” Go Won had protested, feebly, offering Heejin a quick curtsy. Heejin had simply grinned at that.

“No need for music, you just have to know the steps. Mademoiselle .” Heejin bowed at her, and offered her a hand, which Go Won quickly accepted, putting herself in position to dance - one hand in Heejin’s shoulder and the other holding Heejin’s hand, while the other girl’s free hand was in her waist. She felt that wasn’t proper posture, but she was willing to let that slide. “It’s really easy. Just… One, two, three, four…”

A step forward from Heejin made Go Won automatically give a step backward, and then Heejin gave a step to the left, and Go Won followed her. It felt familiar, and soon enough, they were twirling through the grass, laughing together to no song as the world seemed filled with only the two of them.

When Heejin deemed it sufficient - claiming, breathless, to be dizzy, a charming smile making Go Won want to kiss her, to take her lips and claim for her. Blushing, she laughed a little, deciding it was time to lay down before she did something she’d regret. Just imagine that, her kissing Heejin. It’d be… Nice, surely, but it wasn’t appropriate for her. Heejin laid down by her side soon after, producing from seemingly thin air a picnic basket, and Go Won didn’t question it.

Go Won wasn’t too sure what the purpose of learning how to dance been, but relaxing on a meadow, eating finger food that Heejin had probably snagged somehow from the train, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face, had been nicer than expected.

She hadn’t thought she’d be alive. The idea of the soldiers reaching and shooting her frightened Go Won, but she knew Heejin would protect her. Lying on the grass, eyes closed, hair a halo around her head, Go Won couldn’t help but sigh, content.

“What bothers you, your highness?” Heejin asked, and Go Won cracked open one eye, seeing the girl in question fall by her side. She rested on her elbows, and wondered.

“What if… What if I am princess Chaewon?” Go Won asked, fearful, and Heejin inclined her head. “I mean, I have… These memories. Memories of a palace, of… Well. These are, in theory, memories of hers. Maybe.”

There was a pause, and Heejin simply offered her a chuckle.

“Well, if you are her, then it just makes things easier for us, don’t you think?” Heejin shrugged, and looked at the sky. “If you’re her, though, I’d love to hear all about how it is living in a palace, being a noble.”

Go Won simply nodded, laying down, eyes on the sky as she covertly approached Heejin, little by little. It was going to take a little bit of work to get shoulder with shoulder with the other girl, but Go Won was willing to try.

“You’re not one?” Go Won asked, and the girl laughed. She looked at her, but Heejin kept looking up, towards the blue sky.

She had never thought it could be this blue.

“If I was one, don’t you think I’d be in exile, living the high life, instead of selling fake papers?” Heejin asked, and sighed. “No, I’m just… Just a poor old girl who lost her job, thanks to the revolution.”

And, with that, she rose up, and hadn’t touched the subject anymore as they kept making their way to Paris.

Arriving there made her breathless - the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the…

“The city smells.” She turned up her nose, and Heejin laughed. Go Won couldn’t help but blush, tugging a stray strand of freshly dyed hair behind her ear. “It’s true!”

“Well, yeah, but you probably shouldn’t say it. We’re here, at least, and now we’re going to rest a little.” Heejin nudged at her, and offered her an arm; Go Won accepted it. “Just a day, though, until my friend arranges things with Lady Viian.”

“And where are we going?” Go Won asked, as Heejin guided them through the tight passages of the city, cobblestone rattling under her feet. Heejin seemingly knew the way, somehow.

“To my friend’s house. She got away, and well, got some of that exile nobility, you know?” Heejin grinned, seemingly happy at meeting this mysterious friend, and Go Won felt something tugging at her heartstrings. Heejin seemed happy to be meeting this friend; perhaps they were…?

Shaking her head, she tried to erase the weird feeling from her chest, as they walked through Paris, trying to live in the moment. It was nice, almost like they were stuck in their own little bubble, where nothing mattered.

If only. With a sigh, they arrived at a small house, an orange cat sleeping on the windowsill, and Heejin smiled at that, muttering something about changes. Go Won nervously shifted the weight on her feet, looking at her ratty worn shoes, and wondered, as she heard Heejin knocking on the door, if she could even pass as a princess. Probably not - she just had the instincts -, but at least she was in Paris. Even if things didn’t work out with Heejin, she would always have Paris.

“Coming, coming!” Said a voice that was definitely stuffing its mouth with bread, and Go Won did her best to smooth out the frown forming on her face. The door opened, revealing a pretty girl dressed in a yellow dress, who carried a croissant in and another in her hand.

Go Won suddenly felt much more confident in her feelings towards Heejin.

“Heejin, you got out!” The girl said, eating the entire croissant at once - which just made Go Won impressed, really, that had to be some sort of ability -, before hugging Heejin quickly, hands on her shoulders, and looking to Go Won once before looking back at Heejin. “And, uh….?”

“I’m Go Won.” She said, offering a small curtsy, and looked back at the girl - her hair was a mess. Go Won was almost sure it had crumbs. Almost. “And you might be…?”

“Hyunjin, who has a lot to talk with Heejin, so come in! I’ll show you your room.” Hyunjin replied, and Heejin whistled, low, before Hyunjin sent her a quiet, exasperated look. The trio came inside Hyunjin’s house, and Go Won noticed three more cats lounging around before they arrived at the stairs.“Have you two eaten? I just got some fresh bread, so don’t be afraid to say you haven’t.”

“I’d love some.” Go Won replied, as she looked around; the entire house was done in a soft, light color scheme, that looked very pretty, with photographies in black and white scattered around - although they looked a bit like newspapers clippings, but it matched the quiet vibe. She would have loved to have a little house like this.

Tugging at her scarf, she arrived at a small room, and Hyunjin opened the door to her.  It looked comfortable and warm, and was more than Go Won could ask for. She entered it quietly, and missed the way Heejin smiled warmly at her, doing so.

“I hope you don’t mind you’ll have to share it with Heejin?” Hyunjin asked, and she turned, dyed hair flowing around her for a moment, before settling, shaking her head. “Great! Then rest a little, while I and Heejin catch up, okay?”

Go Won nodded, sitting on the bed as Hyunjin closed the door, waiting for the sound of steps down the hall to disappear, before she laid down, taking off her scarf and hugging it.

It smelled like home. Closing her eyes, Go Won let herself fall asleep, swearing to herself she'd write a letter home later.