“Seven years ago, 1010, was when the history of Goryeo changed forever,” Chaeyoung explained, trying to calm her breathing, “it was a tumultuous period when one of the officials turned against the King of the time – my grandfather – King Mokjong. The treacherous official set fire to the main palace, trapping King Mokjong, Mingyu, and me in it. Helpless and cornered, the King called on the infamous General Gangjo to rescue him and his two grandchildren. But Official Yang and Concubine Kim arrived first.”

Chaeyoung closed her eyes briefly, the images of fire and smoke so clear in her mind that it felt like she was reliving the entire experience again.

The fire was something she did not – could not – discuss with anyone. Not only had her father forbid it, but it also pained her too much to even think about. She had trained her mind to block out the memories when she was awake, but unfortunately, she did not have nearly as much control over her dreams.

At first, she did not want to discuss it, and felt like she couldn’t even if she tried, but Taehyung had been so gentle and understanding. As he pulled her to his warm chest and her back, she felt completely safe. And for the first time, she wanted to tell someone, to share her pain, to finally release the emotions she had bottled up for so long.

Around anyone else, whether it were her close friends or her family, she felt like she needed to be strong, but if it was for him, she could be vulnerable.

With another deep breath, she continued, “concubine Kim and Official Yang pulled Mingyu to safety as I watched my grandfather begin to lose consciousness from the toxic fumes, begging and begging them to save him too. But to no avail. I held my little hand up to Mingyu, only for him to turn away coldly and make his escape alone. When General Gangjo arrived, my grandfather hid me in a corner – just in time for thousands of men to barge in and murder him as I watched, horrified, powerless, and drained.”

She felt his arm tighten around her waist. Whether it was in anger or a gesture of empathy, Chaeyoung couldn’t gauge. Her mind was still lost in the maze of her distant memories.

“After some time, I woke up in a foreign bed, which I later discovered was my father’s hiding place. And the next day, I was crowned Princess,” she finished with a tone dripping in bitterness.

He didn’t say anything for a long while, simply holding her in his arms and allowing her to remain lost in her thoughts until she was ready to be found. Because, somehow, he knew that was exactly what she needed. She didn’t need empty words of sympathy or pity. All she needed was a non-judgemental heart and an open ear. The simple comfort of his presence was more than enough.

“I’m sorry you have such a ty family,” he finally murmured, causing Chaeyoung to laugh despite herself, “if you ever want to borrow mine, you’re more than welcome to.”

She chuckled, wiping the last of her tears away and nestling closer to his warm body instinctively, like he was her own, personal furnace, “I would probably never give them back.”

“That’s okay,” he responded, just as Chaeyoung’s eyes fluttered closed in exhaustion.

“You deserve the world, princess,” she thought she heard him whisper but fell asleep so quickly afterwards that she wasn’t sure whether or not she dreamed the whole thing.

~{❀}~

Taehyung couldn’t sleep. Not with such a beautiful and strong woman in his arms. Not when she had just poured her whole heart out to him and he had felt emotions that he didn’t even know existed. Not when her rose-lavender fragrance filled the air around him so potently that it was impossible to breath in anything but her intoxicating scent. Not when she suddenly rolled over, turning her back to him, and the collar of her hanbok slid down one shoulder to reveal her milky smooth skin.

Any sane man would have done the right thing and pulled the shirt up, but one thing Taehyung had recently discovered was that he was anything but sane around her. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest, trying his best to ignore her exposed shoulder.

A heavy gust of wind shook the frail cottage, followed by a flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder. He watched her slender back expectantly as a slight shiver ran through it and pulled the fur blanket, that was currently enveloping them, up higher to rest just below her chin.

But, with one slight movement of her shoulder, the blanket slid off, and he was once again faced with the temptation of her bare skin.

Unable to resist any longer, he dipped his head down and gently pressed his lips against her exposed shoulder, warming the cold skin with the heat of his breath. He moved a fraction of an inch to kiss the skin beside it, and then brushed his lips against the base of her soft neck.

It wasn’t until she nestled her back closer and pulled his arms around her tighter that he finally realized what he was doing. He knew sharing a bed was a bad idea, because self-control was nonexistent when she was this close. But the problem was, for every no his mind whispered, his heart screamed a hundred yeses.

Gently, and with painfully slow movements, he untangled his body from hers and wrapped the blanket around her snugly. When another gust of wind blasted through the window, he also removed his shirt and placed it around her body to replace his missing body heat.

And then he walked towards a box in the corner, pulling out a blank canvas and a shade of paint that he only hoped could capture the depth the chocolate eyes he had fallen for.

~{❀}~

“Give it up, Jisoo,” Yoongi yelled over the roar of thunder that shook the sky, “we lost.”

Jisoo shot a glare at him over his shoulder, even though a small part of her knew he was right. She had forced him to continue searching for the plant through the relentless thunderstorm, refusing to give up, but as the hail began assaulting her poor horse’s head, she knew it was time to surrender her pride and admit defeat.

“Fine,” she mumbled, beginning to untie her horse’s reins, as the rain rolled off her shoulders in heavy gushes, drenching her from head to toe.

But as she was almost through with the knot, she noticed the stem of a green plant that looked oddly similar to the diagram Mr. Kim had drawn for them.

“Wait, I think this may be it,” she whirled around suddenly and rushed towards the plant.

“Wait, Jisoo – “ Yoongi rushed after her and captured her wrist in his hand, attempting to pull her away.

But it was too late, Jisoo’s foot landed on a raise