You had arrived home late at night; the clattering of the horses’ hooves upon the entrance to your home had alerted the slumbering King and Queen and all those inside. Once your horse stopped, you leapt down, flushed with the excitement of your travels and from seeing your home in person again.

You were surprised by how much you missed it.

“Mama!” you cried as you saw the front door open. Your mother gasped and came running out despite being only in her nightgown, embracing you dearly to her bosom.

“My goodness, I thought I would never see you again!”

“Is it truly her?” you heard your father ask and you stepped out of the embrace, moving into the hesitant arms of the King. “You are my daughter?”

“Yes, Papa,” you confirmed, glancing up into his tear-strewn face. You smiled and reached up to wipe away his emotions, the older man blinking rapidly at your affection. “I’m sorry I left without warning and only returned now.”

“I thought you… I mean, I was concerned I would never see my Princess again,” he managed to say, now holding you at arm’s length. He examined you from head to toe, soon frowning at your appearance. You knew from the wind and the fast pace of your travels that your once neat hair had fallen from its clasp and would look positively wild around you. But you felt beautiful despite his concern. You were finally able to show your father who you wanted to be, and not look like the perfect little princess you had always been.

It was quite the image for him to accept. Clearing his throat, the King glanced in the direction of Jaehyun and Taeyong waiting nearby and then to the butler who stood at his side. “Humphrey, do make sure to get the chefs to make some tea and a light meal. Our guests and my daughter have travelled a long way. Come inside, all of you.”

You handed the pouch of tea from Marigold to the butler and then followed your parents inside your home to your father’s study, the head of the house sitting down heavily in his chair. You sat down beside Jaehyun and waited for the King to speak.

“I received correspondence from your father; I presume you are Prince Jaehyun?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And you were her travelling party?”

“Where is Jane?” your mother asked before anyone could answer and you took a deep breath.

“She is married and now lives in the neighbouring kingdom.”

Your mother blinked quite a few times and then nodded. “You must miss her.”

“Terribly.”

“That is not of concern right now!” the King exclaimed, looking at you and your unkempt appearance again. “My daughter is home, but my Princess is missing.”

“I am right here, Papa. This is me. This is who I was all along. I may have worn expensive fabrics and did all expected of me and more before, but you never got to see who I am. I want to travel and explore, not be kept as a porcelain doll within these walls.”

He huffed at you, incredulous that you had spoken up so easily. In the past, the most he had ever heard out of you was yes, Papa. Your father remained very perplexed for some time.

The food and tea arrived and you ate and drank happily, feeling the warmth of the meal fill you. Your mother gushed over you and kept feeding you and your guests, eying Jaehyun appreciatively.

Just as you were almost done with eating, your Father cleared his throat. “I won’t allow you to leave here again.”

“I will, I need to visit with Jane. You cannot keep me trapped here any longer.”

“You are the Princess of this kingdom and you will obey by my rules! I cannot risk harm coming to you!”

You stood up, defiant. “Why, because I am the heir to the throne or because you love me like no other?!”

The king’s eyes were wide, but he did not answer.

“I ran away because I, your daughter, was miserable. I was not allowed to experience anything of my own. What little I saw of the world was from my bedroom window or a royal carriage. I wanted to understand our kingdom better. And our people, to get a true grasp of the land so I would know how to become a great Queen one day. How would I do any of that from the little I had in understanding?”

“It is far too dangerous out there-”

“There was equal danger of me remaining in this castle and dying unfulfilled. Instead, I explored, I learned. I struggled, I got dirty and yet I lived to tell another tale. I challenged who I am and discovered many hidden strengths. I learned to love many things around me.” You glanced at Jaehyun who was quietly watching on. You smiled. “Including this man as well.”

Your mother gasped, hiding her glee behind her hand she raised to .

However, your father was still too stressed by your newfound ability of talking back. “You were never to get dirty! I wanted you to live a beautiful life and be safe, my child! You will rule well because you are respected by everyone. You do not know of the dark side of this world and-”

“I now do, some of it at least, and I feel it has helped me understand how to keep the light prevailing.”

“You are very argumentative.”

You nodded, smiling. “I am as stubborn as you, Papa.”

“I refuse it all!” he claimed and you nodded calmly. The King watched your reaction, confused. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes, I did. But I will not agree with you. If you want a trapped bird, I will leave immediately and you can lose your one and only daughter. I will take Jaehyun’s hand and we will marry away from here and live a peaceful life without our titles.”

“You will do nothing of the sort!” your father cried, and then blinked several times. It was as if he only noticed the other people in the room again. Eying Jaehyun for a moment, the King then snapped his focus back to you. “D-Did you just say marriage?”

You nodded.

“I know everything is very unsettling for you at present with our hasty arrival, but I do hope you can come to respect that our love is true. We would like to marry, if you give us your permission,” Jaehyun said, standing up and joining your side. Your father looked between you both, wide-eyed.

“And if you cannot accept it, then we will marry elsewhere,” you reminded but Jaehyun shook his head softly at you. It made you sigh heavily; you were as equally worked up as your Father was now.

The King rubbed at his face tiredly and looked to his Queen. She was smiling and nodded once. “My wife, I am very exhausted. Should we go back to bed?”

“Yes, I believe we should, my dear.” She guided your father to the door and looked back at you with a wide smile, the pair then exiting the room.

“Well, that was rather intense,” Taeyong mentioned quietly as Jaehyun slumped heavily back onto his chair.

You smiled at your friends and then nodded. “It appears we can continue to hold onto hope.”

Unlike the incident in the middle of the night, the next few days were peaceful. You spent them showing Jaehyun and Taeyong around the large palace grounds, pointing out your favourite places and how you had once entertained yourself within the palace’s walls. You had somewhat settled back into the rhythm of titles and servants, but as Bessie came to dress you this morning, you were particularly turbulent. Your father had mentioned at dinner the night before he wished to meet with both you and Jaehyun this morning and you were agitated. You didn’t want to have another fight with him, but you would if it meant you lost your freedom again. You had bouts of feeling selfish for returning with such a strong opinion of the world, but you had already lived many years as the perfect and filial daughter you could be. You had only now to express who you wanted to be and establish it before the King ordered otherwise.

You were desperate to have your voice fully heard.

“How can I tighten the laces properly if you move about like so much?” the frustrated chambermaid implored and you sighed, ceasing your movement at once and tried to remain still. It didn’t last long, you were back to fidgeting and the urge to pace was ever present. Bessie finished your outfit off and you all but ran away from her side. “Be careful!”

“I will!” you called out, darting out of your chambers and coming to a hasty stop when the door to Jaehyun’s room opened. He seemed just as nervous as you were and straightened out his clothes.

You smiled, feeling yourself relax now that you saw the man who had comforted you every time recently. Slipping your hand into his, you noticed Jaehyun slump a little as you both walked off. You even giggled. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He doesn’t approve of our marriage, he ships me back home and contains you here,” he answered immediately and you shook your head.

“My father would have done that by now.”

“Then why is he summoning us?”

“Perhaps, it’s good news?”

You didn’t want to get your hopes up but as you thought over all the variables, this was the idea that was the most logical. You wondered if he would want to discuss your marriage, and how it would tie the kingdoms together. As you walked with Jaehyun down the grand staircase and towards your father’s study, you couldn’t help but think of Marigold and how happy and calm she was on your last visit. You wanted to believe your father would want what is best for you and allow you the chance to blossom into the fine woman you were trying to be.

And you had been right. The next hour was spent discussing your impending union with Jaehyun and what you could and couldn’t do until you were married. You had been so excited for the King’s approval that you had leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly. He was surprised again by your endearing behaviour but chuckled this time instead.

He was starting to accept your change in disposition.

Over the next three weeks, the whole kingdom was full of joy as preparations for your wedding begun. And whilst you had been energetic in the beginning, you clearly hadn’t been listening to all the stipulations your father had given you that day.

Because you had barely seen Jaehyun since.

You didn’t mind it too much when you were summoned for tasks to do with the royal wedding, such as dress fittings or discussing cake flavours with your mother. But when you had free time, you were unable to meet with him. And if by chance you found him around the castle at any given moment, anything further than a quick conversation was refuted by your chambermaid. You now had a grand skill of glaring at Bessie whenever she wasn’t looking, though you were certain she had a fair idea of your frustrations.

The other who knew how irritated you were from being kept away from Jaehyun’s side was Taeyong. He thankfully hadn’t been banned from seeing you until the wedding and spent his days travelling between you both. Some days he would act as a messenger, delivering letters back and forth as your only means of deeper contact. Others, he was the only voice of reason to not pack your bags and leave again.

“You promised you would stick it out, Jaehyun did too.”

“Yes, but I didn’t agree to be separated like this, what does my father think we’ll do?!”

Taeyong smirked. “I am certain he has thought deeply about how casual your sleeping arrangements were in the woods. For his daughter to be gone for less than a month and to return with a man to be betrothed to, he must have grave concerns of what you and Jaehyun might have done.”

“What on Earth do you…” You gasped then, your face flooding with colour as Taeyong chuckled. “It’s not funny! I would never do … do such acts until married!”

“And the King is making sure you won’t,” Taeyong confirmed. You scowled at the book you had been reading before his appearance in the library. Placing it down, you looked over at the older man sadly. He groaned at your expression. “You and Jaehyun are trying to weaken me with all these looks!”

Knowing Jaehyun was just as exasperated by your separation swelled your heart. And made you yearn for him more. You whined immaturely. “Surely you must have some ideas of how I can escape to see him!”

“There’s only two more weeks-”

“Two more days and I will go positively mad,” you cut in desperately, Taeyong’s cheeks darkening with his own strange thoughts. You decided to not pay mind to his reaction and got up, rounding the table to sit in the chair beside him. “Taeyong, please.”

“What can I do? You have servants around you both until you… sleep,” he mentioned, growing thoughtful. You perched on the edge of your chair in avid anticipation. You knew Taeyong was the cleverest of you all. If anyone could think of a plan it would be him. Soon, he smiled and you grabbed his lower arm impatiently. Turning to look at you, he nodded. “Surely you don’t need all those hours of sleep, right?”

It took another day, but you had successfully gone to bed and now heard Bessie snoring in her quarters to your chamber through the door. Throwing on a simple dress, you then quietly left your room, taking a similar path as you had the night you and Jane escaped. There was an element of déjà vu that travelled through you as you snuck around the grounds, though instead of heading for the Oak tree to meet Jaehyun, you moved faster through the trees and around to the stables.

A horse nickered softly at your arrival and you smiled at it before entering the building as quietly as you could. Taeyong had mentioned the stable-boy had fallen ill recently so no one was staying overnight with the horses which meant the building was unoccupied by anyone that didn’t have four legs and a tail.

Still, you were cautious as you slowly made your way deeper into the stables, looking for signs of Jaehyun. Had you escaped earlier than him? You continued your search, fear keeping you from calling out his name. When you reached the farthest stall from the entrance, you sighed deeply.

“Don’t sound so defeated,” a low voice mentioned and you squealed, a hand quickly muffling the end of it. You spun to see Jaehyun behind you and relaxed immediately, even thumping him on his chest in annoyance.

“There was no need to frighten me! I was already worried that I would get caught on my way here,” you admitted, your arms instinctively wrapping around his waist all the same. Jaehyun smiled at your physical need for him and at his lips lightly.

“Did you miss me?”

“Terribly.”

Jaehyun lowered his head to rest his forehead on yours. “You know, your Father strictly warned me if I so much as used my charms on you before the wedding, he would cancel it. I’m certain he wouldn’t believe me for a minute if I told him it was you who had me under this spell of love first.”

“My parents will be happily tucked up in bed right now,” you reminded and Jaehyun chuckled softly.

“Y/N, you’re absolute trouble.”

His lips found yours then, kissing you softly and slowly. Though the longer he pressed into you, the further your desires grew from being away from Jaehyun for so long. You couldn’t fathom why you had such a hunger within you and your lips soon moved languidly as you tried to understand. Taeyong’s remarks about indecent thoughts cropped up in your mind then and you jumped back, eyes wide with fright.

“Are you alright?”

You were embarrassed to realise how deeply you wanted Jaehyun right now. Looking around yourself, you eyed a grey horse that was watching your embrace avidly. It made you uncomfortable and you turned away quickly. “Rules keep us bound here and apart from each other, I hate it.”

“Once married, we will share everything together,” Jaehyun assured but you looked up at him, doubtful.

“Are you sure? What if my father bans us from sharing the same chambers as man and wife?”

In the dim lighting, you witnessed Jaehyun grow shy and he cleared his throat noisily. “I uh, believe the promise of grandchildren would prevent that from being an issue.”

You blushed deeply at the thought of the act Jane had explained to you in great detail in her latest letter. Although you always had some understanding, now with her addition and the way your body desired Jaehyun, you felt flustered. You stepped back to lessen the fever overwhelming you.

Jaehyun had recovered from his surprise and chuckled again. “Why are you acting shy? You wanted me as your own.”

“Yes, well I do miss sleeping in your arms, but I hadn’t really thought further than that.”

Jaehyun stepped forward and he smiled as he brushed the hair away from your face. “We don’t have to any time soon.”

You smiled, nestling into his arms again. You stayed within them until you saw the light slowly change inside the stables, a groan leaving you as you were far too comfortable to leave Jaehyun. Bessie would be awake soon and the other servants would begin their working day as soon as the moon left the sky. You had to get back to your room before anyone suspected otherwise.

“I will miss you until I can next hold you in my arms,” Jaehyun murmured into your ear, kissing your cheek softly. It made you swell with further adoration for your future husband. “We only have two more weeks.”

“Now that I’ve had a taste of you again, do you expect me to handle another two weeks?” you asked as you tiredly stood to your feet. Jaehyun got up as well and brushed the hay off his pants.

“You already did well with three.”

You nodded. “I won’t last another three days without you.”

“So dramatic,” he teased, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on your lips. It was odd; your mood had shifted back and forth from confident and awkward all night long. Right now, with the desperation you felt with your immediate separation again, you reached for Jaehyun, deepening the kiss and holding him there.

“Should we escape?” you breathed when you pulled away and he looked at you incredulously, your eyes going towards the horses. “We could take a horse and-”

“Little bird, you’re not trapped alone. In this cage, I’m here too.”

“Then what shall we do?”

He smiled. “I’ll meet you here every second night until our wedding.”

You grinned and reached to peck his now swollen lips again. “Not every night?”

“If the princess has dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, do you believe we will be able to avoid being caught?”

He had a point. You agreed and played with the button on his shirt in attempts to delay leaving his side. You knew you had to and looked up at Jaehyun, nodding gently. “Once we’re married, let’s never part from each other again.”

“Y/N,” he called, cupping your hand in his hands, smiling the widest smile you had ever seen before. “I’m never going anywhere in this lifetime without you.”