The whole of Silver Hollow was in a series of uproars at the abrupt announcement of their king the moment he’d returned from the human realm. He had found a bride, and would be married--as soon as possible. If that wasn’t outrageous enough, he had broken tradition to induct a bride that was of a halfling quality. Despite the fact that the girl would undertake the change, albeit a little reluctantly, she was still very much human in most of the eyes of the races, and none were more angered than the Lycanthropes, who saw it only befitting that the clarity and purity of their fantastical races be kept discriminately within their tightknit community. They had been planning to offer Jiyong a young bride of their own, but the appearance of this human halfling had seriously put a stop in their plans.

Yuri ran a hand through her severely messed hair.

“Would it have hurt even fractionally to inform me that he was deciding to do something that was gonna send our whole race into chaos?” The beautiful tan girl leant back in her chair, lazily complaining to another girl behind her. “I mean, I have nothing against that girl that he’s marrying, but our elders are about racial purity, and he knows it.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Remember that accident they orchestrated with the previous Queen to kill the only Lycanthrope halfling in a car accident? I’m not worried about Jiyong being unable to protect himself, I’m more worried about that potential Queen of ours.”

“Mhm.” Her sister turned around, resting her chin and head on the back of the chair as she turned her attention towards her older sibling. “That accident was nasty as heck. And that new Siren girl, Hayeon, was part of the collateral damage of that incident, wasn’t she?”

“Mhm.” Yuri nodded, filing her nails slightly with a heavy sigh. “Worse still, our new Queen is her sister, and I bet you everything that Jiyong hasn’t told her about the role our race has had in her family tragedy.”

“She’ll find out sooner or later.” Wendy mumbled to her sister, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind her ears, her bluish green eyes glowed slightly. “But we won’t go down without a fight either.”

“I’d prefer not to make an enemy out of someone who has Jiyong as a back, please.” Yuri snorted her at younger sister’s naivety. “And I expect she won’t be happy at being forced to become one of us either.”

“Well, its her heritage. She can’t stop it.” Wendy argued, her bright eyes blinking innocently. “Hayeon didn’t have a choice either.” Yuri hummed at her words.

“Are you going to see Hayeon later?” Wendy brightened at the mention of her tiny friend in the water, nodding vigorously. “You told her that our elders caused her family’s tragedy and her brother’s death, didn’t you?”

“Yeah..”Wendy deflated for a moment, recalling the horrific moment that the wild, newly turned Siren had found out about their clan’s secret. She still bore the marks of the battle with the mermaid’s serrated teeth and claws on her neck, and the snappish hissing noises Hayeon had made in her tears and anger at her revelation had haunted her dreams for many nights over. “Sometimes I wish Mom and Dad hadn’t gone and obeyed the elders, getting involved in the accident.” The young lycanthrope mused sadly, picking at her feet. “Then they’d be with us still, and you wouldn’t be so busy.”

“Hey.” Yuri shifted her seat a tad closer to her younger sibling. “They deserved it, and you know that. Despite how much they hated the fact of JYP’s infidelity resulting in a son with halfling qualities, no family should be sentenced to death without a proper deserving reason like Hayeon and Taeyeon’s family was.”

“I know.” Wendy rested her head on her knees. “Sometimes I don’t understand why they’re so particular about racial purity.” The girl picked up a stone and chucked it in the direction of the plushie on their sofa. “Its not like our generation is so particular about it.”

“Thats why when the elders step down and I take over the main seat, things are gonna change.” Yuri declared, smoothing the wayward tendrils of her sister’s hair. “We’re not going to be involved in such terrible deeds any longer.”

“I hope so.” The clearly despondent teenager nodded at her sister’s words, sighing moodily as the silvery sun shone brightly outside their windows.

~~~

Taeyeon sat before the council of strangely dressed men and woman, her pale face heating up with a blush of self consciousness as scrutinizing pairs of eyes stared straight at her, a gloating Jiyong resting his hand comfortably on the handle of her chair. Irene and Yeri clutched her right hand discreetly, eyes drinking in the strange scene and strangely dressed people before them, the younger girl clearly more excited than her older sibling Irene, bouncing on the tips of her feet and whispering excitedly to her stiffened sister.

Taeyeon was grateful that the four of them had abandoned everything to come with her, no questions asked. Granted, all four were orphans and had felt grateful that she had given them jobs when they needed it the most, but to leave everything behind to venture into something unknown with her was definitely going above and beyond.

“Noona, you alright there?” Jonghyun slipped worriedly to the front, patting her hand gently as soon as Jiyong’s oppressive presence left her side. “If they’re being mean, I’m sure we can take them on. Somehow.” The corners of Taeyeon’s lips turned up slightly as she heard a scoff masked with a badly controlled sound of muffled laughter bubbling from Minho behind her. Irene burst into nervous but quiet giggles, and laughter soon crept up infectiously on the five of them, their facial expressions twitching with the immense effort to maintain a serious face and manner.

“The induction into Silver Hollow will be immediate for my wife and her guardians from the human world. If you would all proceed--”

“Your wife?” The outrage spluttering from a heavy set but bearded man drew Taeyeon’s eyes to Jiyong’s peaceful but handsome face, and she nervously swallowed as his good natured face dropped to one of a malicious glower, the enchanting purple of his eyes glinting in the badly lit room.

“Yes.” Jiyong’s voice was cloying, convincing, deadly but smooth, rejecting any other doubts and questions the others had about his decision. “Do you have any...disparing concerns to utter?” An undercurrent of a threatening tone violently made itself known. “I have told all of you when I returned the day before that I have consummated my marriage with Taeyeon, and therefore, have decided to marry her.” A heavy blush painted Taeyeon’s face at his words, and her head instinctively dipped in mortification.

How could he just bl