FORMAT AS FOLLOW: Italics - Past | Straight (but really gay) - Present

 

 

My dearest Hyunjin,

You will find it humorous that I haven’t disembarked from my carriage to begin writing to you. I am looking out the window and I am seeing the sights you are blessed with on your many journeys. The mountains, the trees, the ocean mist are all things I remember vaguely as a child. I feel like one again, taking it all in for what feels like the first time. I hope one day we’ll get to view this together and you can recount the adventures you and Aunt Jinsol had. The ones you promised to tell me when we are reunited once again.

You may notice the ink is different here. Had to take a break. But I’m back.

As beautiful as the Kim castle is, nothing will compare to our home in the Jung kingdom.  I see why Aunt Jungeun likes being compared to Queen Taeyeon. She is magnificent, beautiful, and talented. Queen Taeyeon and Princess Seohyun have much preparation to do for the upcoming full moon here.Their location is considered the most vulnerable during this time, something I remember you telling me once.

But they promised to give me a proper tour of the castle once the beast cycle is through. I promised not to step into the library so the princess can witness my face when I open its massive doors. I am told they have the most expansive library out of all kingdoms. They let people from the village and knights borrow books from it too. Each book has a thirteen digit number assigned to it so a scribe knows which person checked out which book. If they don’t return it in time, they are issued a fine in the cost of one finger for each day it is overdue. Fascinating.

I also heard that inside this library holds an old portrait of my parents, older than the one in our trophy room at home. Not to say I won’t try to sneak in when the guards aren’t looking. Our friends have taught me the trick of the trade.

With all my love,

Heejin

Hyunjin delicately folded the letter and tucked it into her plate.

“You have got to have that letter memorized by now,” Hyejoo observed.

At every stop they made on their journey, Hyunjin whipped out the folded piece of parchment. But when Hyejoo peeked over, she didn’t find a map, but a cheesy love letter from Heejin. She had never seen this side of the seneschal before but Hyejoo would know that look from anywhere. It was the same look her mother gave to her other mother’s trading cards whenever she had a delivery trip outside the kingdoms they bounced around in.

Hyunjin was smitten.

Before Hyejoo fake retched, she found another reason to actually feel nauseated.

“Ready to set sail?”

Hyejoo gulped as she looked at the dinky boat that was to take them to the Im kingdom.

It would’ve been a shorter ride on the water if they embarked from the Liu or Kim kingdoms - and Hyunjin hoped it would be the latter to pay a special visit to her pen pal - but the Park sailors owed the Jungs a favor so was quick to volunteer for transportation services.

Also, a full moon was imminent and it would be best if they are in the water if the celestial body made an early appearance. (Hyejoo and Hyunjin hoped the moon wouldn’t make a premature debut because neither of them wanted the captain to witness a wolf transformation on board.)

It’s not that Hyejoo feared open water. When she was in wolf form, she didn’t mind a quick dip to wash the stench of blood from her fur. But as a human, generations of internalized trauma from humans doing unspeakable things to keep wolves in line, from drowning to waterboarding, manifested itself as a fear within the new hybrids.

Hyunjin knew of this, having overcome her phobia years ago when a newly married Jinsol built an indoor pool to impress her new bride Jungeun. Years since the pool was drained, it was filled with sand and gravel to reduce maintenance costs after the attack. She was one of the last to learn how to swim.

“It’ll be quick, Hyejoo. No need to fear,” Hyunjin declared valiantly.

The captain shrugged off the interaction. Being an employee in the Park kingdom came with strange day-to-day events like houses haunted by nine ghosts of different careers or their court musicians declaring there would be a comeback even if they were only declaring it for themselves.

Hyejoo smiled graciously. Since their first mission, Hyunjin and her have gotten close.

(According to Yerim, if Hyunjin had more than a two minute conversation with you, you were considered close.)

Literally and figuratively testing the waters, Hyejoo boarded the vehicle with Hyunjin steadying her.

“You sure Heejin wouldn’t get jealous?” Hyejoo looked down at where Hyunjin’s hands were on her hips.

Scoffing, Hyunjin made sure to board with a loud jump to startle the werewolf. But held onto the mast quickly so she wouldn’t fall in. She swallowed her own pathetic whimper.

“I rescind my protection plan on you.”

“Oh and to think I was going to get you something nice when we were in the Im kingdom…” Hyejoo shook her head mockingly. “But maybe I’d just get something for Heejin.”

“That doesn’t phase me. She deserves all the finest things. Wait until I figure out who you have a crush on.”

“Come on girls, get in the boat,” Captain Nagyung said, casting off. “Unless you two are sirens and would rather take the voyage on your own dealing with sea serpents.”

Wrong species, the knights mused in their head.

The girls made their way to the center of the boat, Hyunjin wondering what she should actually get Heejin and Yerim while she was abroad, Hyejoo wondering if she did have a crush on anyone. If she did, who was it?

---

“And that is why they call them sirens.”

“Woah!” A young Haseul and an even younger Yeojin widened their eyes as their mother Minzy told them the story of the sirens for the thousandth time.

It was their favorite bedtime story and their mother never tired of repeating the tale, never having to consult the fairytale book. But it couldn’t all be a fairytale? People had statuettes of the famous extinct creature in shops and on high class estates.

Like wolves and witches, the sirens were only appreciated for what they could do for humans. Many became actors. Human carpenters built elaborate stages around the rock beds so humans can spend a day at the beach and enjoy picnics and a show. Many also became court musicians, put into large tanks of water and then carted off when the royal event was over.

Minzy scrunched up her eyes at the astonishment on her daughters’ faces.

“There aren’t anymore sirens here right, Mom?”

“Of course not! Or else Mom and Dad wouldn’t have jobs!”

“I was just asking gosh.” Haseul took a large sip of Yeojin’s yogurt drink.

“MOM, SHE’S STEALING MY SNACKS AGAIN!”

“MOM!” Haseul mocked, contorting her face to mimic her sister, taking another healthy sip.

Situated underneath their blanket, Minzy made sure the lamp stayed balanced in the middle of the bed as her two girls bickered. Maybe it had to do with her family background but one couldn’t tell a story without setting the stage. She protected her props more than she did her daughters, moving her small wooden puppets in case Yeojin or Haseul used them as weapons as their insults escalated. She always taught them to be explicit with their emotions.

“RAGGABRASH!”

“DRIGGLE-DRAGGLE!”

“COOTIE QUEEN!”

“LINT ER!”

“MONGREL DOG!”

“HARLOT WITCH!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Minzy gave both of her daughters a pointed look, hoping Vivi didn’t possess keen hearing to pick up the last insult.

(The Dong family did and they heard that wolf slur loud and clear.)

Keeping the lamp at bay, the blanket floated back to its original tent set-up over their heads. Taking deep breaths like their mom taught them to do when frenzied, they calmed down.

“Sorry, Yeojin,” the older one grumbled.

“Yeah, same,” the younger one did the same.

“YEOJIN!”

“AHHHH OKAY! I’m sorry too, Haseul.”

As they settled down and the girls’ blushing cheeks from screaming returned to normal, Yeojin looked up at her mother with a solemn expression.

“Mom, are sirens really gone? Did we kill them all?” Yeojin teared up, feeling rather close to the folklore creatures.

Minzy would’ve scooped Yeojin into her arms but Haseul was quick to it, brushing off the spat they had not even five minutes ago. She cradled her sister close while Minzy smiled. She knew she raised them right.

“Maybe some still live among us…” Haseul resolved, looking above her sister’s head to silently ask her mom if she was doing the right thing by lying. She wasn’t sure if sirens assimilated into the human world but she didn’t like seeing her baby sister cry.

Minzy felt the girls were finally old enough to know the truth but a burly giant cannonballed atop their camp setup to embrace his family, almost tipping over the oil lamp as the Bang family went down...thankfully not in flames.

---

“Chaewon, would you like to join us?” Jinsol offered with a smile.

Now that Hyejoo was far off, it was the mother’s chance to bond with-

“I have plans with Yerim and Yeojin,” the young Jung shrugged before turning away and missing the disappointed look on Jinsol’s face.

Luckily, Jungeun caught the expression and glided over to her wife. The last couple of nights had been hard on them since her episode. Jinsol returned to her overprotective mode and Jungeun walked on eggshells again.

But like good royals, they bypassed the fiasco and painted a new mask.

Much like Jinsol wanted to do with her daughter.

Jinsol didn’t realize her wife was leading her to the old spa room, once filled with the rushing waters from the tributaries feeding into the Jung kingdom. It previously housed a massive pool where Jungeun practiced her swimming (an extra wedding gift from Jinsol). Then later the younger ones, including a baby Hyejoo, had learned to swim there as well.

Now the grandiose tunnel of water was sealed as it could easily hide any human sized monster.

(The updated building plan was vague but everyone knew what “human sized monster” alluded to.)

Besides sewage and drinking water, no other types of water flowed in and out of the castle. The former pool was filled with sand for the knights to practice fighting during the winter. The stained glass windows and wicker chairs collected dust, rarely admired by knights who entered that room for a cardio session.

“I’m trying,” Jinsol let out a big sigh as Jungeun brought her down on one of the loungers.

“I know sweetheart, I know. Chaewon will come around. It’s just different with you here for so long.” Jungeun made a mental note to give her daughter a talking to. She may be “of age” but that didn’t mean family time was optional.

Listening to the wind rattling outside, the queens held onto each other. One episode was enough to keep Jinsol planted and now, she definitely wasn’t going anywhere. Why did Jungeun have another attack? Wasn’t she fixed because Jinsol was home? Was Jinsol not doing enough? Did they need to add medication? Or a personal doctor?

“She’s more used to my absence than my presence.”

But they couldn’t.

“I know.”

Each scenario they came up with was harder to stomach than the last. Jinsol didn’t want to think about how Jungeun was relapsing after being on the road to recovery for years. Jungeun didn’t want to think of how disappointed her wife was that she was still suffering.

Neither clause was true but they didn’t know that.

Because they wouldn’t discuss them.

Like trained royals, they rotated masks in a blink of an eye. There was much to do. The Solar New Year festival was drawing near. They’d ask Haseul to sing for the occasion. Then the Lunar New Year festival. They’d ask Haseul to sing for that too, knowing she’d turn down the first invitation. There were contracts to sign, citizens to see, appearances to make, lost time to make up for.

“Are we holding auditions for the New Year’s banquet?” Jungeun cleared .

“Yes, hopefully Haseul will finally show up,” Jinsol straightened her posture but held Jungeun close.

Close.

As close as they believed they wanted the other to be.

---

“Haseul, do you honestly believe I have the range to sing that to her?”

Haseul shrugged as she flopped on the queen’s bed, melting into the soft sheets. It was massive enough to fit more than one body. Perhaps another queen that was unprecedentedly sleeping in her own quarters. Jinsol had insisted on making the strategy room into a bedroom for her new wife. It was atypical but Haseul didn’t question it.

Much like she didn’t question Jinsol begging for courting advice even though Haseul was as single as any knight.

The young court musicians’ daughter suggested since Jinsol was having trouble with speaking  her feelings, she should serenade them to Jungeun. Two weeks ago, Jinsol asked Jungeun if she lived nearby and that was the end of Haseul’s speech lessons.

“Do you know her favorite artists?”

“Michaelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael…” Jinsol listed off, not a breath in-between.

“Musical artists Jinsol."

"THOSE ARE ARTISTS!"

They're turtles,” Haseul clarified, turning her head in time to see Jinsol’s face contort in deep thought.

She hoped she wouldn’t have to call the new, beautiful doctor upstairs to check on Jinsol. The queen was overthinking this. This was the first time Jinsol had felt something as profound as this and what better way to express it than with the most beautiful gift the world can provide? 

Music

Music was in Haseul’s family, in her blood. There wasn’t a day when Haseul wasn’t humming a tune or tapping on a surface.

Jinsol’s family had a musical background too but they didn’t express it much. Or at least they weren’t allowed to. Well, maybe her mothers did now that they were free to do what they will. If they were even still alive that is. Jinsol had no idea and didn’t care to know. 

“Thanks for helping Haseul,” Jinsol reached out to high-five her, getting a palm full of Haseul’s face.

“OWWW!” Haseul wailed, holding onto her eye.

Being a klutz ran in both families unsurprisingly.

---

The Im knights welcomed them with open arms and a plethora of food. She was sure she ate at least three dinners. Something she didn’t mind, especially now that she was feeling her hunger growing and senses sharpening.

“Needed some air?” A voice called from behind but not moving near.

Hyejoo didn’t see Hyunjin at dinner but guessed it was because Hyunjin was out looking for new parchment for her beloved and a shiny rock for Yerim.

Hyunjin had a feeling she knew why Hyejoo was out for a breather. Once the lanterns were blown out, she was planning an escape route. Her ears picked up on how Hyejoo requested extra pillows, probably constructing a dummy person for when the handmaidens would request her presence for meals. They knew not to step into a visitor’s room without permission and as long as they saw a body on the bed, they would suspect nothing out of the ordinary.

The rookie knight also expressed she “wasn’t feeling well” at dinner according to Dahyun.

They wouldn’t leave until the end of the full moon cycle. Wolves were a rarity on the island kingdom but one could never be too careful.

“Those woods to the left,” Hyunjin pointed. “That’s where people who need to do secret business with the castle residents would hide until bedtime. A path there leads straight to the village.”

Hyejoo furrowed her eyebrows. Just because she didn’t have a crush - or was still trying to figure it out, she wasn’t sure - didn’t mean she was going to revel in the affairs other knights revelled.

"Like a secret courtship...or...something..."

She was sure Hyunjin didn’t bask in them either.

The experienced knight crossed her arms, restrained by her quiver strapped to her back. It was emptier now but luckily for her, Hyejoo didn’t turn around.

“I think I’m alright for sneaking people in for a few years, not that I have a crush or anything,” Hyejoo worded slowly, hoping Hyunjin wouldn’t pick that up as blackmail about feelings she didn’t feel she possessed. Just thinking about it made her feel the sickness she faked earlier.

Hyunjin held in a laugh. Heejin and her solidifying their relationship was doing wonders for the castle’s romantic lives. She had hoped Vivi and Haseul would be next - the other older married couples did not need any help in that department - but Hyejoo boarding the love boat was a nice surprise.

But that wasn’t what she was hinting at.

“But thanks anyway,” Hyejoo said and then snapped straight up.

Hyunjin heard the small skip of a heartbeat as the rookie knight connected the dots.

Hyejoo would be spending her transformation on the right side of the castle.

---

“TELL ME WHY WE ARE DOING THIS AGAIN!”

“SHE’S A SWIMMER. SHE LIKES TO SWIM!” Jinsol bellowed, dangling from the top of the castle walls as she supervised the construction of one of her wedding gifts for Jungeun.

A little birdie informed her that Jungeun was an excellent swimmer and while they weren’t even half a day’s journey away from water, she hoped Jungeun would be able to cut her trips short and exercise inside the castle. Jungeun hadn’t spent much time outside the castle since her attack and Jinsol believed she shouldn’t relinquish her favorite hobbies because of a small setback.

Meeting up with the best of architects, they designed a system that connected to the main irrigation channel. Jinsol had three requirements:

1) It wouldn’t mix with the kingdom water

2) The flow of water wouldn’t be tampered with - which is why they were building the tunnel underground and far from heavily settled areas

3) Jungeun would like it

That one she was hoping for the most, having designed the new spa room to mimic the recreation rooms in the Kim kingdom. Jinsol hoped she was doing enough to impress Jungeun and it would’ve been a surprise for everyone until she heard a humming tune follow her out of the castle this morning. Covertness did not run in the Bang family as music followed them wherever they went.

(When Yeojin would be born years later, even her manic stomps around the castle had a rhythm to them.)

Putting Haseul to work, she laughed as she saw her right-hand grimace at the concrete splashing on her apron.

“YOU OWE ME JINSOL!”

Jinsol only cackled harder as Haseul tripped, falling into the (thankfully dried) unfinished pipeline for the third time today.

---

Chaewon kept her expression neutral as Jungeun led her out to the main entrance, wondering what guest she’d have to entertain today. She could have sworn her other mother could have done it instead with her being home more.

Not expecting to see Jinsol cheesing beside one of the smaller royal carriages - less decked out in gold ts to keep a commoner appearance - Chaewon tilted her head to the side.

“You’re leaving?”

(Jungeun and Jinsol pretended not to feel conflicted over the statement they both wanted and didn’t want to hear.)

“Your mother is going to teach you how to drive,” Jungeun smoothed down the shoulders of Chaewon’s coat as she ushered her down the castle steps. It was too slow for her parents’ liking. Jungeun’s heart broke at the despirited look on Jinsol’s face as Chaewon lost the spark she once had when her mother was home.

Before, she would jump into her arms at breakneck speed, putting Jinsol’s knight strength to family-friendly uses.

But they wouldn’t talk about it.

Just like how Chaewon wouldn’t bring it up as she got up to the driver’s bench without help and flurried the reins frantically, tangling around her wrists at each violent movement.

“AND GO!” Chaewon could feel her mother’s eyes on her and expected to be reprimanded for not remembering anything her other mother taught her.

Instead, she saw regret on Jinsol’s face.

Jinsol felt her heart clench as Chaewon’s frustrations grew. She had Jungeun’s impatience and temper. But she unfortunately collected her own procrastination. It shouldn’t have taken years to teach the girl how to drive. Jungeun mentored her just fine but doing circles around the courtyard barely constituted a suitable test. And Chaewon insisted one of her mothers do it.

They were far from an average family but teaching one’s kid how to drive should be a family endeavor. Hyunjin taught Yerim. Vivi taught Heejin. Haseul tried to teach Yeojin. Sooyoung and Jiwoo were drawing straws on who’d teach Hyejoo, remembering what ensued when they taught Hyejoo how to ride a horse.

“Mom?” Chaewon swallowed her pride, feeling like a child again.

“Yes, Chae?” Jinsol held in a voice crack.

“Teach me?” Chaewon sighed as Jinsol took Chaewon’s hands with the reins still in them, showing her how to giddy-up properly.

The blondes held in a breath as their hands touched. It was like they were a family again. The look was unmissed by Jungeun who held in a breath since they boarded.

“You best be on your way. The full moon is coming tonight,” Jungeun pointed at the sky. The Im kingdom would be immersed in darkness by now and she hoped her two daughter-like knights were tucked away in their beds to wait it out.

As much as Jinsol enjoyed having her only child beside her, it wouldn’t be a family outing without her loving wife.

Chaewon shook her head at her mother, knowing what she was going to ask.

“Next time,” Jungeun voiced, understanding her family’s concerns without any words between them.

Once Jinsol and Chaewon repatched their relationship, she’d be able to pick up on these signs again. She’d be a better wife, better mother, better queen. But to the two grinning blondes in the carriage, she already was. Jungeun mirrored their smiles, waving them off to their mother-daughter day.

It was almost perfect.

“MOM RAN HER OVER!”

“WHAT?! THAT WAS BOTH OF US!”

“YERIM, ARE YOU OKAY?!”

“I’M OKAY!”

---

“Dad was supposed to teach me to drive!”

“Well, Dad’s not here right now!”

Haseul ran a frustrated hand through her hair as Yeojin complained loud enough to wake up the whole kingdom. She wanted to impress her parents since she opted out of not joining them on their music tour. Since that attack in the bar, she hadn’t been feeling herself lately.

For the first time, Vivi couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her.

Yeojin stomped off petulantly but hurried back inside the carriage as the weather took an ugly turn. She even locked the carriage door for good measure.

Haseul was in disbelief herself as it started storming in the middle of summer. These things always happened when she was outside. If her parents were here, maybe she could ask why. Once she reached a certain age, she became a bad omen for precipitation. Maybe a generational curse? 

Yeojin pulled her in through her the front window in a valiant effort to save her from the hail. But not without hitting her head, elbows, and knees against the top of the carriage. Cutting the reins with a knife - Haseul didn’t ask why Yeojin carried one but apparently it was for any blood oaths Yeojin might get into in the future - the horses ran to the stable.

One sibling sweaty and the other soaking wet, they crouched on the carriage floor.

“I’m sorry Yeojin,” Haseul whimpered, just loud enough for Yeojin to hear.

Yeojin scrunched her face in confusion. It was only driving. One didn’t need that skill to pass the knight exam. It would be needed to pick up “the ladies” but another noble person could teach her. (Not Hyunjin as she never indulged in that part of knighthood.) But Haseul was adamant, waking her up at the crack of dawn, to get their first lesson in.

But Haseul’s apology meant more than the skill of navigation.

She meant being cowardly enough to not follow her parents, knowing Yeojin wanted to see the world.

She meant bringing disgrace to the family name when she was ridiculed and attacked in that bar months ago.

She meant not making a name for herself before this curse was bestowed upon her.

Yeojin took her big sister into her arms, seeing a mix of expressions cross her face. Kissing her on the crown of her head, she let the sound of the rain that followed Haseul soothe them.

Since the attacks, life had been hard on them. As close as Knight Sooyoung and Jiwoo have been to the royal couple, Haseul was one of their dearest friends as well. The Has moved out shortly after Yeojin was born and Hyejoo was stuck to Chaewon’s side during her 10th that Yeojin never bonded with the girl. She couldn’t pretend she was grieving for people she barely knew. But seeing her sister’s life turn around from not one but two life-changing events, Yeojin transferred her grief there.

One day, Haseul will prove herself worthy as a singer.

She had already proven herself as a wonderful sister more than enough.

---

Haseul almost fainted at the sight of blood seeping from Yerim’s forehead as Jungeun rushed her inside. She could hear the horses galloping outside followed by Jinsol’s screeches meaning the queen was finally giving her daughter driving lessons. 

Vivi had heard the commotion outside and had her kit ready, clearing off the examination table in the reading room as the three of them stepped in.

Hopping onto the table as if there wasn’t a cut threatening to expose her skull, Yerim swung her feet giddily as Vivi wiped the blood off.

“What had happened was-” Jungeun spoke up.

“Trust me, Jungeun, I’m better off not knowing,” Vivi repeated. That phrase on a loop when it came to the young ones in the castle. Looking at the newest victim, the cut was healing nicely - almost too nicely.

Vivi feigned a gasp.

“Ladies, I must ask you both to step outside before I perform this operation,” Vivi pulled out a long needle and a vial of opium she knew she didn’t need the full dose of.

Jungeun was quick to catch Haseul before she fainted a second time, dragging her out by her heels and offering a sympathetic nod to an unphased Yerim and a stressed out Vivi. Once the door was closed, Jungeun and Haseul waited for Yerim’s wails of pain. None came.

Vivi was truly the best surgeon in all the land.

“Haseul, the New Years’ banquet is soon,” Jungeun distracted the both of them, wondering how their handmaiden was stomaching the operation like a champion.

Very different than Yeojin’s operating experience from Vivi’s recollection a few days ago.

(The squire requested spoonfeeding services by another squire while she recovered. Safe to say, Jungeun and Jinsol did not sign that appeal.)

“I have heard,” Haseul strained through a smile, hoping something would disturb them. Yerim crying out in pain, Vivi cursing, or Yeojin barreling down the hallway for a painkiller refill.

Haseul knew what Jungeun was up to. What the whole castle was up to. Since Heejin’s departure, the quest of finding one’s true path was more pronounced than ever. Yeojin was studying again - if studying meant staring angrily at her textbooks and the rope course - for knight training. Yerim was taking her time but keeping her options open, saying she was happy where she was. Hyejoo was out on another mission. Chaewon had her path set out for her since birth.

Vivi was living and breathing her profession. Sooyoung and Jiwoo had enough jobs up their sleeve to allow them to sustain menial jobs at the castle. But Haseul?

Jungeun and Jinsol would be holding auditions for the court musician that would grace the banquet’s festivities. Much like Hyejoo’s acceptance to knight training, they’d be biased for Haseul.

But she turned down every invitation since her last audition, keeping her voice a gift from the ones she knew wouldn’t make her feel small.

---

Yeojin rushed in with a closed box, panting and perspiring. It was almost time for breakfast and the girl has yet to change out of her sleeping attire. This being Chaewon’s birthday made it a special meal and Jinsol even hinted at a remarkable treat in the cart next door.

“What’s in the box?” Heejin piped up, taking another look at the croissants in the oven.

“You don’t want to know,” Vivi and Haseul said simultaneously, blushing at their minds melding.

The young future chef and young future (maybe) knight shared a look, wondering when the two would get their act together. They technically had a kid together. And Yeojin was like one of their own.

Heejin wasn’t allowed to touch romance novels but she knew the married duo was skipping a few steps in-between their path to each other’s hearts.

“It’s Chaewon’s birthday gift,” Yeojin toothily grinned, holding the box near to her chest.

A croaking noise came from within and before the older ones could narrow their eyes, Heejin cleared . Whatever was in that box would maybe outdo Jinsol’s foreign gift in terms of creativity.

“Aunt Haseul, did you hear about the touring troupe auditions in town? They’ll be in the kingdom next year,” Heejin diverted, getting lost in her fantasy of travelling. “You should sign up for it.”

Haseul lifted her shoulders to shrug but the baiting looks from the three, especially from the royal doctor, made her rethink putting off her goals again. If she were to audition, she would have to request time off by the queens themselves. If she were to audition, she’d have to prepare a piece to present. If she were to audition, she’d also have to figure out something nice to wear.

Right now, Chaewon’s tenth birthday was her priority.

There was another day.

During dinner preparation and ballroom decoration, she was running through every song she learned as a child, wondering if it was a step closer to her dream.

---

“Heard your kid ran over Yerim,” Sooyoung teased.

Jinsol and her sparred with kitchen utensils as they waited for the fire to grow.

Jungeun and Jiwoo rolled their eyes at their wives - assuaged they weren’t using real weapons - as they cut vegetables beside each other.

They were all relieved that the blonde royals rode in before the sky dimmed, seeing that the moon was full. For them, this dinner preparation was to distract them all from their own thoughts.

Even if it was Sooyoung’s job, she was constantly moving around the kitchen, the pit growing in her stomach that Hyejoo wouldn’t find a safe refuge to wait out this moon cycle. Jiwoo was more confident in their daughter’s brawns, so she was keeping her wife calm more than herself.

For Jinsol, she needed to get rid of the guilt of running over their precious handmaiden even if it was Chaewon behind the reins. Like the rest of the castle, she was surprised to see Yerim happily dusting the royal portraits rather than lying in bed in agony. She needed to remind herself to give Vivi a raise.

For Jungeun, her nerves shot up every full moon. She knew Jinsol would rather spend the moon cycle cooped up in each other’s arms but Jungeun insisted they spend time with the rest of the family.

“It was an honest mistake!” Jinsol yelled, parrying Sooyoung’s swipes left and right.

But not enough to hurt her.

Not this time.

“So what’re your plans for future mother-daughter days?” Jiwoo queried, offering a sad smile to Jungeun. She knew she was conflicted over Jinsol staying home even if these days were a blessing.

The night Heejin left, Yeojin had sprinted down the stairs and unfortunately called for Vivi’s assistance when they were all lounging in the reading room, making the married pair follow the physician and court musician up as well. They ran up to Jinsol’s office that night to see Jungeun crying into the crook of her neck. 

For the reunited best friends, Jiwoo’s heart broke knowing Jungeun had relapsed. She reached underneath and squeezed Jungeun’s hand which got Jungeun to return the gesture.

“I don’t know yet,” Jinsol placed her “weapon” back into the spoons bin.

Chaewon picked up driving faster than she wanted. What else was there left to teach her?

“Jiwoo and I had to pick up a lot of these new handheld games to bond with Hyejoo,” Sooyoung offered, throwing an arm around Jinsol.

“Does Chaewon play a lot of games?” Jinsol looked over to Jungeun.

Jungeun sadly shook her head. Maybe she’d pick it up with Hyejoo around her but that was not what her wife wanted to hear, knowing she was desperate for hobbies to do with their daughter that didn’t involve anyone else. It was kind of adorable that Jinsol was jealous of the rookie knight who didn’t pose much of a threat.

“I heard she likes fenci…” Jiwoo swallowed the rest of that sentence, not sure how comfortable Chaewon was since Jinsol almost cut her own wife open.

Another sad smile at Jungeun.

A hand squeeze under the table.

Feeling Jinsol deflate, Sooyoung cleared to get her friend to look in her eyes. “You know what Hyejoo loves doing the most besides burning things?”

Jiwoo chuckled at Sooyoung’s attempt to lighten the mood.

(Thankfully, Hyejoo had outgrown that stage. And as envious Sooyoung and Jinsol were of the time their daughters spent together, it made Hyejoo forget her pyrotechnic ways.)

Sooyoung pulled Jinsol in, getting curious glances from their lovers at the far end of the room. She was sure they’d both confess what she whispered into Jinsol’s ear to their respective partners later tonight.

“Don’t tell her I told you this but Hyejoo loves helping me make Jiwoo happy.”

Looking at Sooyoung with newfound wisdom, Jinsol knew the next mother-daughter day would be a party of three.

---

“Let me in, Jungeun,” Jinsol said with such a soft intensity, Jungeun felt her breath escape her.

Jinsol was sure hers left as well.

Jiwoo, Sooyoung, Haseul, and Vivi were sure theirs left as well.

Their eyes widening as they got a glimpse Jungeun leading Jinsol with their hands held towards her bedroom from the stairway they were eavesdropping in. They remained silent until they heard one door close on the third floor. It was a sound they were grateful to hear after months of pining.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

Covering their ears, Haseul and Vivi were amazed Sooyoung didn’t flinch, unphased by the banshee volume Jiwoo emitted whenever she was excited, surprised, or bored. As their hearing returned, the four fell into a melodious laughter, feeling a weight tumble off their shoulders. If only they knew the amount of planning that bonded their four closest confidants to even get those two fools to talk about anything romantic.

“So what’d you do to get Jungeun out of her room?” Sooyoung asked between laughs.

“Built up the story that there was an in Jinsol’s room,” Vivi shrugged.

That only made them laugh harder as Haseul’s jaw dropped. 

“ME? I was the scapegoat!” Haseul pointed to herself, but she couldn’t stay mad at the new doctor. It was for the sake of their friends’ relationship.

(She also couldn’t stay mad at her. Maybe the rumors were true and she was a witch who casted a spell on her.)

“It wasn’t that hard. You visited Jinsol every night,” Vivi draped an arm over Haseul’s shoulder to celebrate their new scheming camaraderie.

(Sooyoung and Jiwoo shared a look after seeing Haseul’s face flushing. Now that their two friends sorted it out, it was time to adopt a new project.)

“She wanted to figure out how to serenade Jungeun,” Haseul confessed.

Haseul wondered from which of Jinsol’s mothers she inherited her voice from. It was stable and sweet, jumping flawlessly from fast poetry to clear high notes. Growing up, the two of them didn’t study music, Jinsol wanting to spend less time with Tiffany when she offered it.

But neither of them needed the training.

Haseul was a little disappointed she wouldn’t be accompanying Jinsol on piano when she surprised Jungeun with a song she wrote. If Jinsol wanted to take a step back from her royal duties, producing music could be another endeavor she took up. Maybe both of them could become a duo to be reckoned with if they ever went on their own troupe tour.

Haseul filed that as another goal she had, almost all of them including the art of music.

Jiwoo clutched her chest at Haseul’s admission. “Did you hear that, sweetheart? Sol was going to serenade Jungie!”

Sooyoung nodded, melting at Jiwoo’s happiness.

Vivi and Haseul prepared themselves again.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

---

Jinsol would never lie about how her day with Chaewon went.

But Jungeun wanted to hear from Chaewon herself, knowing the best time to catch her was while Jinsol did her nighttime routine. Having her absent from the castle for a few hours was a sample of life after Chaewon assumed the throne.

Seeing her daughter tongue her cheek in concentration as she focused on a labyrinth Hyejoo left in her room, she was glad she caught her instead of her wife. It would be like Jinsol with the stuffed wolf toy all over again.

Misplaced jealousy.

And a ploy of (failed) plans to get rid of it.

“Trying to beat Hyejoo’s record?”

“Kind of. I want to impress her when she gets back,” Chaewon said, not tearing her eyes away from the metal ball in the game. “Come in Mom.”

Jungeun took a seat on the bed. Chaewon had rid all of the stuffed animals from her bed but one. (Another thing Jungeun hoped Jinsol didn’t pick up on as the lone wolf remained.) Since Hyejoo voiced her displeasure about the Kirbys, it wasn’t farfetched that Chaewon hadn’t taken them out of her wardrobe since their storytime with Sooyoung.

Jungeun saw it as a sign of Chaewon growing up. She didn’t need the protection or warmth of her favorite collectibles anymore. But like Jinsol, she wished Chaewon would still remain their little girl.

“How was your day with Mom?” Jungeun asked, hoping Chaewon’s answer mirrored Jinsol’s.

When they arrived, her wife’s smile was wide and full. She hoped the reason Chaewon’s was just as big was not to appease her. It was hard to distinguish real smiles among royals and Chaewon excelled at holding in her emotions.

“Really great, Mom. We went out for chicken feet and scolded everyone in the park for feeding bread to ducks,” Chaewon answered, placing the game down.

Jungeun chuckled at the response. She could imagine the two of them causing a scene in the park, only to show off that they wielded power so were allowed to do so. 

“We missed you though,” Chaewon whispered, knowing her older mom wouldn’t be brave enough to say it.

Chaewon was last to walk in on Jungeun’s episode, wondering why no one called her down. Taking the handkerchief from Jinsol, she wiped the sweat off her mother’s forehead. She knew everyone didn’t want to overload her with worries. Chaewon had to transition into becoming a queen. The less stress, the smoother the rite.

Chaewon struggled as much as Jinsol even leaving Jungeun alone just for today.

“I missed you both too,” Jungeun replied truthfully, wondering why she couldn’t let her guard down as easily with Jinsol.

Chaewon was just as important to her but with Jinsol, it was like words were crafted and edited. She knew it was the same case with Jinsol about her. But she didn’t know how to stop. It was bred into them since birth to be coy, be stealthy, be vague.

Not what a loving family should be at all.

“Come here, you,” Jungeun outstretched her arms and wasn’t prepared for Chaewon to fall into them quickly, knocking them both backwards.

Jinsol panicked when she didn’t find Jungeun in their bedroom but smiled bittersweetly when she saw her curled up into her sleeping daughter in her room. Flicking the grey stuffed animal off the bed, she joined them in slumber, holding her dear wife from behind and reaching up to brush hair out of her daughter’s face.

All three Jungs succumbed to the weariness of one of their first family bonding day in years.

---

“This is so pretty. What song is that?”

“Those were lip trills, Heejin,” Haseul nodded down at her two music students as she gave them their first music lessons.

They were only during warm-ups but Heejin had something to comment on every step of the way whereas Hyunjin glared Haseul’s way whenever Heejin fawned over her singing.

Once young Chaewon was born, Haseul’s parents would be Chaewon’s music teachers but that’s not to say she couldn’t practice early when she took over the ropes. But something as easy as teaching two kids music wasn’t as smooth-running as she envisioned.

The royal couple and the seneschal couple had intruded on their lessons, sitting at the far end of the room, promising to keep quiet. Those four and silence never happened. Jinsol was tapping away at the table with Sooyoung joining in to outdo her. Jiwoo’s quiet humming was not as quiet as she wanted. Jungeun was scolding Chaewon for kicking her stomach which then made Jinsol scold her stomach too which made Jiwoo start a tirade wondering when she was next to bear children which sent Sooyoung into a coughing fit.

On her end, Hyunjin was copying her lip trills, trying to impress Heejin by spitting all over the piano.

“You know what? Why don’t we do this another time?” Haseul muttered.

“NONSENSE! You were on a roll!” A loud voice bellowed from the far side of the room.

“We believe in you Haseul!” Another followed.

“Love you Haseul!”

“HASEUL! HASEUL! HASEUL!”

More banging on furniture.

Fighting the blush growing on her cheeks, Haseul dipped her head. It was bait but she knew the comments were genuine. Her brush grew tenfold when a soft voice flowed from behind her.

“You’re doing great Haseul,” Vivi smiled, embracing the court musician prodigy from behind, getting a series of “oohs” from the two young girls around the piano.

Falling into her embrace, Haseul felt her confidence overflow at the kind words surrounding her. They weren’t just staff members, employers, and floormates. They were a family.

And a louder series of "oohs" from the gang across the room brought Haseul out of her reverie as she carried on with the lesson, Vivi not letting her go until the last note was sung. 

---

Hyejoo sniffed the air, not used to the ocean mist and tropical scents mixing in with the wildlife around her.

Im kingdom fauna wasn’t as plentiful as on the main peninsula and she worried she wouldn’t find any food to get her through this cycle. She should’ve raided the kitchen before she escaped but the princess was performing some eagle dance in the grand hall so thought it was best not to kill her vibe.

Whether she knew it or not, Hyunjin had subliminally helped her, starting her off in the right direction for her transformation. There wasn’t a human in sight and she hadn’t run into any human-made creations besides wells and pipelines.

She thought of telling Hyunjin tonight in case the staff asked for her whereabouts but the hypothetical situation of Hyunjin leaving her on this island and sailing back to the Jungs with juicy life-threatening gossip didn’t sit right with her.

(Hyunjin was in fact, worried. But not so much as she was entertaining the royal scribe Chaeyoung. She had found out the woman was an avid reader and was asking for summaries of all the books she knew Heejin read so as to dazzle her when they stopped by the Kim kingdom later.)

A sharp pungent smell wafted through Hyejoo’s nose.

In seconds, she found the root of the scent. If she were human, she’d wonder why someone would leave a perfectly good kill out here. No cuts of venison. The blood wasn’t drained. The antlers were intact. Someone shot it for sport and left. If Yerim was there, she would’ve preached animal rights.

Taking her blessings where they lied - literally - Hyejoo dug in, quenching her animalistic side.

It was reminiscent of the times she messily ate in front of her schoolmates at the Jung kingdom but usually the blood was drained from their meat and they had utensils.

And manners.

Howling, her teeth tore into something sharp. Wincing, she clawed at the offensive obtrusion. But when her fingers touched it, she recoiled in pain. With the lack of wolves in this kingdom, she didn’t even think their arrows would be laced with silver.

Her mind would clear in a few days but Hyejoo stowed that observation in the back of her mind so she could piece it together when she was human again. 

---

Hyunjin was quick to catch the music stand Chaewon threw across the room as Haseul critiqued her singing again.

They were presenting their pieces they have been working on for months. Their homework was to produce an original song. That was Haseul’s first mistake.

Her own sister wrote a song about busters getting popped actually titled “Busters Get Popped.” Next, Yerim wrote a song about her headband self-titled “My Headband.” Heejin didn’t fair well, writing a song about one of her favorite utensils, titled “My Cup.” Then Hyunjin made a satirical piece about her disappointments with today’s generation in a song called “Shaking My Head.”

All subjects Haseul was surprised to hear in lyrical form but she loved a challenge.

What she was getting now with Chaewon’s temper tantrum. Haseul asked her to “feel” the music. Not knowing how, Chaewon sang with the same monotonous tone since music lessons began.

“I don’t do emotions,” Chaewon crossed her arms.

Yeojin held in a snort which thankfully didn’t earn her a slap across the back of her head from her classmates.

“What do you mean, you don’t do emotions?” Haseul rubbed her temples.

Vivi had given them a lesson about emotions last year. She taught them all humans felt them so Chaewon shouldn’t have been an exception. She was as human as everyone in the classroom.

“Princesses aren’t supposed to show emotions,” Heejin recited, having read the royal manual last month.

Everyone in the room waited for the outburst to follow. Since Jinsol had started leaving the castle frequently as an honorary knight, Chaewon’s feelings had been all over the place. It was something they tried to hide from Jungeun as she was going through her own emotional journey.

“Okay,” Haseul took a deep breath, taking a step towards the volatile girl. “For this class, I want you to feel everything you can. Do you know how songs make an impact?”

“When they can chart,” Yeojin chided.

Haseul offered a quick glare before turning to Chaewon who was near tears. Being forced to keep a good face in front of all walks of life just to keep her crown was not something a teenager should have to live through. She saw it with Jinsol growing up and she didn’t want the same for Chaewon.

Especially when she was her student.

Especially when it could cost Jinsol and Jungeun their marriage.

“You wrote a love song right?” Haseul smiled.

Chaewon nodded.

Haseul wondered what brought upon a song like that. Chaewon titled her composition “Pretending.” But hearing the words about wondering if someone will ever say the words they’re feeling, she knew Chaewon wasn’t writing about her nonexistent love life but someone else’s. It would take a jester to not know it was directed towards her parents.

“Just remember why you felt the need to write the song and the feeling will come to you,” Haseul encouraged with a gentle pat to the young woman’s shoulder.

Chaewon nodded again, glad to have a parental figure in the castle when her own parents were falling apart.

---

Being a royal meant being good at tuning out other sounds.

Which is how Jungeun stayed asleep as Chaewon and Jinsol greeting each other good morning, not wanting to leave the softness of their bed or the warmth of their shared favorite family member.

“Did you have fun yesterday?” Jinsol whispered.

Chaewon couldn’t remember the last time she woke up with both her parents on her bed. Sometimes, she’d have to sleep by her mother after one of her crying spells. She couldn’t even remember if Jinsol snored, talked in her sleep, or hogged the blanket.

“Of course, Mom. I know I shouldn’t but I would’ve told you how I felt,” Chaewon whispered back.

Jinsol grinned at that. Chaewon was more adept than she was when she was her age. She remembered having to ask her mothers for permission to speak up, even if they insisted she be honest with them. On her last day with Jessica and Hyoyeon, she almost completely opened up to them before the council ruined it all.

It was short-lived bliss and Jinsol wouldn’t let that happen to her family.

“What are we going to do today? Contract signing? Dubbing ceremonies? Litigation presidings?”

At each mention of their royal duties, Jinsol saw Chaewon’s smile drop. Yesterday, the simple task of driving was enough to make her forget about the crown, the staff, and the throne. It was a normal daughter and a normal mother hanging out in a normal carriage with red velvet seats.

“I’m kidding Chaewon,” Jinsol reached over ruffled Chaewon’s hair.

Marinating on Sooyoung’s previous advice, Jinsol knew exactly what they would do today. They’d have to work quickly before Jungeun caught on but like all Jungs, she knew Chaewon inherited their stealth.

Chaewon wouldn’t admit it but she was much as a soft-hearted individual as her mothers, maybe even more. She kept mementos after their warranted use and even if her ideas were outside the realm of possibility, it was with everyone’s best intentions. Like how she wished they could just stay in bed all day, she knew the day’s activities would be calling them.

A small, sleepy groan shut them up as Jungeun curled up, getting both of her favorite girls to follow.

They needed more moments like the day before.

And hopefully this time, with another Jung by their side.

---

Hyunjin closed her eyes as another wave of water hit her body. She was barely a meter in and she felt like she was drowning.

The squeals of joy from the rest of the residents as they swam in the Jung castle pool brought her back. She looked at the commotion around her. Heejin and Yerim were racing from wall to wall with Vivi refereeing. Hyejoo and Chaewon were babbling away in their mothers’ arms as they kept their heads above water. Baby Yeojin was giggling away as Sooyoung, Haseul, and Jinsol were tossing her back and forth much to their partners’ chagrin.

“Come on Jiwoo, if we drop her, she’ll land in the water!”

 “That doesn’t make me feel any better!”

“Ooh, you’re in trouble!”

“You too Jinsol.”

“Sweetheart, come on!”

“I wish I had a sweetheart,” Haseul sighed.

Haseul had informed them that the Bangs were amazing swimmers since birth but she didn’t want to prove it by letting Yeojin fall in in case she was an exception.

Yerim swam over to her sister, wading effortlessly. Maybe it was because the werewolf genes lost influence at each person being born, Yerim didn’t inherit that ingrained fear of water wolves had. She was letting the water hit her at all angles like it wasn’t burning her at every ripple.

To Hyunjin, maybe Yerim was an exception too.

“Come on, Hyun. I’ll hold your hand!”

Hyunjin shook her head again, kicking herself for looking weak.

She was supposed to be the brave one of the bunch. She couldn’t even submerge herself for a quick dunk. Cursing her ancestors, Hyunjin stood her ground. Everyone did look like they were having fun.

Pouting, Yerim swam off but another member of the castlehold caught the look. For Hyunjin’s sake, it wasn’t a queen in case they grew suspicious.

“Hyunjin, are you afraid of the water?” Haseul asked hesitantly.

Hyunjin shook her head but her clenched fists contradicted her.

Puffing her cheeks up, Haseul grabbed one of the teething rings off the pool’s edge and waved it in Hyunjin’s face. She didn’t have a child of her own but she felt a strong maternal bond with the younger ones in the castle. Yeojin was basically her own as her parents were on another tour.

“I have no biting problems anymore, thanks though,” Hyunjin deadpanned. She could tell which one was Yeojin’s as the kid had somehow taken over her biting problem.

(She doubted Yeojin was a wolf though. With how long that family was in bandages after injuries, she doubted it.)

“No, not that. I’m proud of you for that by the way. But,” Haseul grasped for words. “Sometimes, when I have difficulty doing something, I make a game of it so it’s more fun.”

Haseul was lying. She didn’t have a problem setting goals and going after it. But Hyunjin was a kid and kids loved games. Haseul smirked as the squire’s eyes darted back and forth as she waved the ring in front of her face.

Slinging her hand back, she threw the ring towards the other adults in case Hyunjin needed help. In a blink, Hyunjin dived in. Little did they know, Sooyoung and Jinsol were watching the interaction, knowing that if Haseul decided on motherhood, she’d be a natural at it.

Jiwoo and Jungeun’s screams at the water splashing around them and Hyunjin coming up victoriously with the ring was worth the smile on Haseul’s face.

---

Jungeun pressed a hand to her heart as she awoke to an empty bed. Whoever had gotten rid of the grey wolf on Chaewon’s bed was a lifesaver. If she awoke with it in her face, it could’ve triggered another attack.

She called out for Jinsol.

She called out for Chaewon.

They were nowhere to be found on the third floor.

Nor the second.

Nor in most of the first.

Crossing over to the shared space they had with the cavalry, an unfamiliar sloshing of water made her quicken her pace. They had skipped out on pipeline barrier checks for the past few years, not thinking that even the slightest of pressure could bring water into their pool again.

But instead of walking into a flood, the residents of the castlehold all waved happily at her. The sand that once filled the pool was scooped out, some of the piles smoothed to give the appearance of a beach shore by one of the pool edges. Yeojin and Yerim were building sand castles.

(Vivi warned Yerim that her head couldn’t possibly be healed by now even if the scarring was a faint line this morning. Yerim wore the bandage for added effect.)

Haseul and Vivi were waiting by the valves to seal the pipeline. Sooyoung and Jiwoo were in swimwear.

“What’s going on?”

A shy Chaewon and a wary Jinsol stepped in front of her, unsure how to tell Jungeun about their gameplan.

And how they got water to flow into the castle pool again.

“You left the castle,” Jungeun pouted, knowing the full moon was still underway.

Jinsol could handle herself. The second blockade to the castle could only be opened down by the tributary opening which meant someone had to ride off into the woods to open it. There were rumors wolves awaited their transformation in their empty pipeline and she didn’t want to think about Jinsol reigniting that aggressive part of her if she came across a stray wolf.

Or worse, a pack of them.

“Chaewon didn’t follow. Promise. I had her command the knights to dig out the sand so we could surprise you,” Jinsol cheesed, hoping Jungeun would see past the negatives to see what she was doing for her.

For them.

“We wanted to have another family day,” Chaewon squeaked, gesturing to the now-filled Jung castle pool. “This time, with you.”

Chaewon had similar worries that that side of Jinsol would make a comeback but when her mother rode in beaming, a clean sword in its shield, she was glad to still have her mom back.

Jungeun darted her eyes between them and pulled them in close, feeling normal once again.

---

Jungeun couldn’t believe Jinsol didn’t just get her her own bedroom.

But a pool.

An entire pool.

She thought the earrings were enough but apparently, Jinsol was bribing her with everything expensive and ostentatious. Crossing her arms as she stepped into her spa room, she took a seat on the lush seats before her.

She wouldn’t deny that they were kind of nice.

Swallowing her thoughts, Jungeun shook her head again.

This was all just a ploy to get her to sleep with her. But then why did Jinsol get her her own room? Confused, Jungeun cupped her face and screamed into her palms.

What she didn’t expect was the court musicians’ kid to be looking in on her from the doorway.

“Haseul right?” Jungeun remembered.

Haseul smiled and gestured if she could sit beside her. Jungeun scooted over. It wasn’t her house anyway so she couldn’t grant anyone permission anymore.

“Tell me this is the last of her gifts,” Jungeun pleaded.

Part of her wanted to believe Jinsol was being genuine but the other remembered that they didn’t choose each other. Jinsol had no right to love her. What better person to ask then Jinsol’s best friend.

“If I said yes, would you believe me?” Haseul whispered, hoping Jinsol was still asleep and none of the many servers in the castle would hear her.

Jungeun shook her head, knowing there was probably another room in the estate just for her.

“Why?”

Haseul scrunched her face up. Did the new queen not know that Jinsol had been head over heels for her since their first meeting? It was a rarity in royal relationships as she remembered Jinsol’s parents wanted nothing to do with each other at the later stages of their relationship. Jungeun’s parents were respectful co-parents more than lovers, which is what their newest transfer knight Sooyoung said.

She could have sworn when Jinsol wasn’t looking, Jungeun eyes softened at every little thing the Jung queen did.

But she wouldn’t rat out her lifelong confidante. Jungeun may be her new boss but she wasn’t her friend.

Yet.

“She knows you like to swim. So she didn’t want you to lose that part of you,” Haseul watched a mix of changes happen in Jungeun’s face, leaving her to read between the lines in her biggest (but not last) wedding gift.

---

“How did you not get that Jinsol was in love with you at that? Haseul basically gave it away,” Sooyoung jabbed at Jungeun, splashing her lightly.

“Listen…” Jungeun whipped her hand out of the water and waved a finger, forgetting how much of a hassle Sooyoung was when it came to teasing her. But her scolding was stopped short as she felt a warm breath behind her.

“It’s only me, my love,” Jinsol warned.

The other residents pretended not to notice Jinsol’s consideration to keep Jungeun’s condition in check.

Embracing her wife from behind, Jinsol kissed her exposed shoulders, which she loved. Any part of Jungeun really. Her lips were shivering, coming from a race against the younger castle members with Yerim refereeing from the pool edge. Yeojin was a surprisingly good swimmer even after not visiting the beach for years. But Jungeun didn’t seem to mind her lover’s cold touch.

“We were just discussing how Haseul was your wingwoman,” Jiwoo smiled as Sooyoung hugged her too, not wanting to be one-upped by their friends.

Feeling left out, Haseul looked over at Vivi who was standing by herself. She did look a little lonely. And her arms did wrap nicely around her waist too whenever they hugged out of the water.

The Jung family was falling back in with each other. The timing was terrible that their own “child” had already moved out but it was time the Bang-Wong family did the same.

Walking over steadily and ignoring Jinsol and Sooyoung sniggering into their wives’ necks, Haseul was overtaken by what could only be described as a tidal wave.

“CHAEWON!”

“COME ON! I DID THIS ALL THE TIME WHEN I WAS SMALL!”

“FIRST OF ALL, YOU’RE STILL SMALL. AND SECOND OF ALL, YOU GOT YOUR MOTHER WET!”

“IT’S A POOL, MOM. SHE’S SUPPOSED TO BE!”

Haseul hung her head low as a sputtering Vivi made her way out of the pool.

Defeated, Haseul used her pent up energy to dunk a giggling Jiwoo and Sooyoung while the Jung family took turns splashing each other.

---

Haseul ducked as a carriage door flew over her head, splitting into pieces on the lawn.

“That’s one way to test for wolf attacks,” the court musician mused under her breath.

It was unfortunate that Hyunjin took on the task of reinforcing the new carriages, knowing she was traumatized by the last carriage incident with the Has and her parents. Hyunjin would’ve joined in the quest to scour the woods for missing Jung kingdom citizens but Jinsol insisted she take in-home assignments until her mind was cleared.

Seething as this carriage easily fell apart in her hands, Hyuning let out a gut-wrenching scream.

Haseul approached Hyunjin cautiously.

Since her parents’ death, all Haseul could think about was how she was reprimanded by them during their family day in the Jung castle pool. They weren’t pleased with her treating Hyunjin like a dog and playing fetch in the water, even if it got her to enter the deep end.

The incident was years ago and the pool was being drained this afternoon but it still made Haseul wary with her future advice-counseling with the new knight.

“Hyunjin…”

“WHAT?!” Hyunjin lashed out, bowing apologetically when she saw who it was,

Even if their lives had been turned around, life went on. Birthdays, coronations, festivals, troupe auditions. Haseul almost forgot about the upcoming audition if it wasn’t for the flyer Heejin left in the reading room. Relocating her grief elsewhere, Haseul focused on her music.

She wasn’t suppressing her emotions, only giving it a proper avenue to express it in.

As the newly appointed teacher, alongside Vivi, Haseul was crafting the perfect music class syllabus. One lesson in particular: emoting through lyrics, was relatable. Every song she had in mind made her think of her fallen friends and coworkers and in grim thought, it could earn her the troupe spot if she harnessed it wisely.

“I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to the village pub for troupe auditions tonight.”

Hyunjin crinkled her eyebrows. Why her? Why now? Couldn’t Haseul see she was working?

But seeing the small stature of the woman, one that could easily break in half at the jaws of the ferocious beasts that claimed her parents (and if she trained harder, in her hands as well), Hyunjin remembered her duty to protect all the castle residents.

Haseul hoped this distraction would help Hyunjin alleviate her grieving process. She didn’t even think she saw the girl shed a tear yet. Yerim still hasn’t stopped crying and they might have to replace her pillows soon. Dropping one of the carriage wheels, Hyunjin accepted the assignment and went in to freshen up for tonight’s festivities.

---

Hyejoo was glad Queen Nayeon had an addiction to juice as it washed down the stench of blood and carnage from her breath as she toppled in for morning breakfast.

Rationalizing herself for a jog in the woods, no one thought of anything out of the ordinary, only concerned if she had a run-in with a wolf that had somehow settled in their kingdom. Their lack of meatier game had helped kill off the wolf population naturally, but they were still on their toes until the council announced the full extermination of all wolves.

To say Hyunjin was surprised as she walked in was an understatement. The moon hadn’t been fully tucked away yet and here Hyejoo was.

“Good morning, Hyejoo?”

Awed that Hyejoo was able to transform back so smoothly even before her body clock had recalibrated. Only a creature with great control would be able to do that. Sooyoung and Jiwoo either had extra help to train Hyejoo or Hyejoo was a newer breed.

From the wolves Jinsol and her slaughtered, they could still kill into the early hours of the morning following a full moon. Some werewolves didn’t have the discipline to transform back to civil people, staggering into their homes with abnormal facial hair and hunched backs.

“Good morning, Hyunjin.”

But here Hyejoo was before the sun rose, conversing with the royals like she didn’t nearly deplete their deer population the past weekend.

But she did have help. It was a buffet out there and now that the fog in her mind had lifted, she needed to have a talk with Hyunjin.

“Join us, Knight Hyunjin,” Queen Jeongyeon waved over, ignoring their awkward greetings, loading up Hyunjin’s plate. “We were talking about if you two would like to disembark right after breakfast. The waters would be safe and it would be noon by the time you land.”

Hyejoo looked up with Hyunjin with wary eyes, hoping she wasn’t curious as to why they didn’t bond the past few days. Did she check in on her? Were they at the level of their relationship to constantly check in on each other? Or did Hyunjin not bother to knock on her door when she was gone?

Maybe they weren’t as close as she believed.

Or closer than she wanted as Hyunjin clearly knew a deep-rooted secret of hers.

“Even if you run into trouble, I’m sure you can defend yourselves with those fancy silver arrows you have,” Queen Nayeon commented, working on another cup of juice. “Dahyun, what did I tell you about putting your foot behind your head at the table?”

Hyunjin had a soft spot for the princess as she reminded her of Yerim often with how goofy they could be.

Huffing, Dahyun put her foot down.

And Hyejoo metaphorically put hers down as well, staring as the source of her dead meals the past three days gobbled down her breakfast across the table.

---

“Next up, we have Haseul hailing from the Jung estate.”

“She doesn’t look blonde.”

“Oh, she’s not royal, sir.”

The man in the black hat sneered as the young woman stood before them. His beady eyes and sunken face told a story Haseul didn’t want to read. She had prepared to perform in front of the troupe leader and maybe their first chair in a private room. But not for it to be publicized to every villager that squeezed into the tiny pub. Taking her place on stage, she squinted at the blinding chandeliers. All candles were lit for the marketable occasion, adding onto her fright.

Water sounded like a good idea right now and she wished she had the power to conjure up something to cure her parched throat.

People were unruly with their side comments and she witnessed some people running to their horses in tears after they sang. And the troupe leader did nothing to stop them, swayed by majority vote and ruckus.

But Haseul saw a large hand making a thumbs up at one of the front tables, knowing who it was without needing to see her face. Asking her to come would prove beneficial later - maybe to Haseul more - but it affected both their lives from then on.

“And what will you be singing for us today?” 

“‘F-f-friday’ by Lee kingdom’s court musician Jieun.”

“It’s actually Thursday today but go ahead,” the troupe company leader chortled as if he told the funniest joke.

Haseul tried not to look upset as she hugged her coat close to her. It smelled of home, where she knew her voice was loved and appreciated.

Which is what she hoped for as she opened to give the performance of a lifetime.

---

The last time this room had been used for recreation for three days in a row, Haseul wasn’t cursed.

As a new gush of water flowed in, replacing yesterday’s supply, the castlehold waited in various stages around the revitalized spa room. In their usual cliques and cohorts, the Jung family, with all three members present, was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

The last time they had been that close, again Haseul wasn’t cursed.

Jinsol made a convincing drawbridge opening creak sound, entertaining Jungeun and creeping out Chaewon, as they finished their replica of some of the fortresses on their side of the world. It made Jungeun miss the days she could visit these castles in person but as she felt her stress wash away each day they connected as one, she hoped those days would be soon.

Their clothes were sandier than a royal’s should be and their laughs less contained, but they couldn’t care less about the loud and proud emotions they were exhibiting today.

“And on the left side, there was a secret path that led to the village.”

“That’s how the escorts got by, right?”

Jungeun snorted at Jinsol’s jaw dropping. They had to remember that Chaewon wasn’t a baby anymore.

But she was still theirs.

“Um...yes...that is correct,” Jinsol looked to her wife for help.

She couldn’t recall if she had given their little one the talk and she certainly did not want it to be around Yeojin insisting there was buried treasure in the sand dunes and Haseul losing badly in an arm wrestling contest with Sooyoung.

“But I never used them. The path, not the escorts. No, not use. I did but…” Jungeun rose a playful eyebrow as Jinsol dug herself deeper and deeper. “Not like...that. You know. Just friendly, platonic things. Ch-ch-Chaewon, I want you to respect every profession.”

The silence that befell them was marked by Jiwoo and Vivi working together to close the valve to close the pipeline. It didn’t last long as Jungeun and Chaewon fell into a fit of giggles, making Jinsol’s blush deepen.

“Sweetheart, please, it’s not that serious,” Jungeun consoled with a hand over .

“We know you love Mom too much to cheat,” Chaewon added, receiving a high five from her less-confused mother.

Jinsol’s pout disappeared when Jungeun leaned over and kissed her softly, giggling against each other’s lips. Fighting the urge to deepen the kiss, she held tightly onto Jungeun’s hand grazing her jaw. Sneaking in another peck, Jinsol regretted not letting the moment last longer.

So did Jungeun.

“What are you going to use that for?” Jinsol held in a growl at the wretched stuffed beast Chaewon whipped out of nowhere.

(Yerim picked up on the statement and scratched at her bandage nervously.)

“Well the castle is empty,” Chaewon shrugged, placing the overhugged stuffed wolf in the middle of the castle.

Jungeun darted her eyes between her oblivious daughter, making cute dog whimpers, and her wife who was quickly becoming the person she hoped she left behind on the fencing mat. Reaching out for Jinsol, her heart shattered as she felt Jinsol’s hands weren’t open and accepting but balled into fists.

Was this what she looked like when she was changing out of character, when she was spiralling into a person she didn’t want to become?

“It doesn’t belong in a castle, Chaewon,” Jinsol seethed through gritted teeth, hoping not to cause a scene.

(Vivi had picked up on Yerim’s discomfort and was leading the rest of the castehold to a word association game, sending Yeojin out to get supplies.)

Chaewon’s head snapped up.

It was looking in a mirror.

Except Jungeun wasn’t seeing herself in her beautiful daughter’s face but she saw Jinsol. The same anger Jinsol had directed towards the lycan kind. The same distaste she had towards discussions of assimilation. The same rage she had whenever commoners called Jungeun crazy.

All of it was in Chaewon’s face.

“What do you mean, ‘it doesn’t belong in a castle?’”

A deep breath spewed out but they weren’t sure which Jung it came from or if it was from all three.

“I meant it the way I said it. Don’t tell me you think these monsters are just as deserving as people.”

One of their sandcastle walls caved in. 

“But is that not what they are when the moon isn’t full, Mom?” Chaewon barked back.

To Jinsol’s pleasure, the sand buried the wolf in.

“Name me one werewolf that deserves to be here with us.”

Jinsol couldn’t believe her daughter right now. She may not have been born yet but those creatures did a number on Jungeun and her family. Were those nights of Jungeun’s crying and screaming worth integration? They were the reason why it took almost a decade for them to have this type of vacation again.

And they weren’t even off the royal premises to enjoy it because of them too.

“I would but you’ve killed most of them.”

There was a reason why emotions should be handled maturely. Not hidden behind closed doors or disguised as something palatable. Royals never were the best at handling their feelings, keeping them at bay for most of their human interactions.

Chaewon didn’t know where her outburst stemmed from.

Neither did Jungeun.

And Jinsol didn’t want to know.

Unfortunately for them, Vivi and Yerim weren’t able to drown out the last few statements of their arguments, waiting with baited breath to see what would happen next.

The last time the royal family fought like this, was never.

Yeojin couldn’t pick a better time to interrupt as she strolled in, red envelope in her still-bandaged hand. The silence in the room was deafening but it was too late to hide the letter.

Reverting back to her public figure, Jinsol straightened her posture, unable to meet her daughter’s eyes right now. And unable to accept her wife’s touch.

Jungeun took a moment to collect herself but clenched her jaw professionally.

Chaewon didn’t bother.

“What is it, Yeojin?” Haseul beat them to it, not sure it was wise any Jung said anything until they got a grip on their sentiments.

Overcome with shock, Yeojin had her quietest announcement yet. 

“It’s the Kim kingdom…”

---

“An attack? But that can’t be. Wolves are almost extinct,” Haseul reasoned as Vivi hastily packed up her emergency supplies kit.

She didn’t have an official kit for this occasion because this wasn’t feasible. How could that population have multiplied to the point of attacking multiple roads and kingdoms at once? The pounding of commoners at the gates to be let in as refuge was drowning out the rest of the panicked staff’s voices rushing up and down.

“Vivi, you cannot possibly go out at a time like this,” Haseul begged and Vivi put some sort of amulet around her neck, hopefully imbued with wolf repellant.

Vivi might be able to save people from werewolf bites but could she fight one? All Haseul has seen her wield is a butcher knife.

But she wasn’t the only one on her knees as Jinsol hastily fastened her scabbard, needing to see if the Ha family and her most trusted knights were okay.

“What if they’re safe but you’re not?!” Jungeun screamed, holding Jinsol desperately from behind. 

Vivi and Haseul turned away but couldn’t drown out Jungeun’s sobs and Jinsol struggling to keep it together. Other nosy staff members milling about were watching them like a theatre show.

Royals and tears were a rare combination.

But the two at least had the decency to at least not look at them.

“I don’t want to but I have to,” Jinsol’s voice cracked. “If I’m the only royal that doesn’t check the wellbeing of my people, it will only hurt us more. I don’t even want to take Vivi with me but it’s her job.”

“Take me with you,” Jungeun whimpered, slumping against Jinsol’s body.

Jinsol pathetically pried Jungeun’s hands off of her, turning around to take her wife into her arms. 

“Sweetheart, you know what that’ll do and I’m not strong enough to lose you again.”

She meant mentally and emotionally, when Jungeun was still a Kim and Jinsol was the only one smitten, but if she were to lose her physically as well, she wouldn’t know how to survive.

Sobbing against each other, the garments from Chaewon’s birthday party soiled and ruined, the curious stares their way only grew.

Jinsol kissed everywhere she could, wanting nothing more than to take all of those feelings of fear and dread away from Jungeun and toss them to the wolves.

“Auntie?” Three meek voices cried out.

“Mom?” A smaller voice followed.

Shutting their emotions off like clockwork, Jinsol and Jungeun stooped low to make eye contact with the youngest residents in the castle.

“You girls be good, okay?” Jinsol commanded, needing to wrap this up quickly. She needed to ride off before a mob formed, making it harder for her to pass through without putting the entire castle at stake.

Especially not Jungeun who didn’t need to go through this a second time.

“Are you going to fight the beasts, Mom?” Chaewon questioned, her eyes big with curiosity and fear.

The princess wanted to know why they were crying in the open as she was taught that queens shouldn’t cry in public. She didn’t even know her parents could cry to this extent.

Jinsol only nodded, knowing her voice would betray her if she kept talking. She needed to don her monarchal persona. Chaewon would learn about how to do that soon enough. Pressing a quick kiss to Chaewon’s forehead and a long one to Jungeun’s, Jinsol nodded over to Vivi to begin their descent.

Vivi nodded in understanding and gave Haseul a pleading look, hoping she wouldn’t make it difficult on her as well.

“Please look out for each other,” Haseul meekly said, unsure if she could say anything else that might jeopardize Vivi’s concentration.

She only hoped Vivi could shut down like Jinsol to carry out their rescue mission.

Jungeun and Haseul piled the rest of the girls in Jungeun and Jinsol’s room, it being the furthest from the woods and the few rooms without a balcony. Haseul’s own parents were keeping the party guests entertained and taken care of in the ballroom. Thankfully, Haseul had attended school with Jinsol growing up and was able to switch off that worried-parent part of her to make sure the kids were okay.

She looked over at Jungeun who was in another world and gathered the kids in close, channeling her inner performer.

“What story should I tell?” Haseul put on her showface.

Thankfully, they bought it.

“Sirens!” Yeojin shot her hand up.

“Vampires!” Yerim gestured by pointing at her unusually sharp canines.

“Ninjas!” Her daughter Heejin requested.

They all looked over Chaewon who was staring at her mom from across the room, walking over to swaddle her up in blankets, just like how her mom taught her to do. Her mother had secretly told her about how her mom had gone through a phase, but still reminding her that it didn’t change who she was. But the young princess didn’t think she’d get to witness it.

(And she would, for years and years.)

“Werewolves,” the birthday girl decided, sneering bitterly at the barricaded door. “I want to know about werewolves.”

---

Hyejoo and Hyunjin were navigating the ship better than the captain. The sooner they got to shore, the quicker they could make it to the Kim kingdom (where Hyunjin wanted to go), then the quicker they could make it back to the Jung kingdom (where they both wanted to go).

Skies hazier than when they left, their enhanced night vision was proving effective.

They were about to wrap around the Kim kingdom bend at any second.

Hyejoo knew that Hyunjin knew why she could traverse without much light. But why was Hyunjin excelling at it as well? And why did Hyunjin help her during the moon cycle? All questions she couldn’t ask with a third party on board who was doing less captaining than their prior trip.

A watery clunk made them look overboard. A piece of wood thudded against the side of the boat, Hyunjin reaching over to cast it away.

But she needed to do that with another piece.

Then another.

Then another.

Until they realized all around them was debris.

Human-made debris.

Hyunjin grabbed a hold of the wheel as they steered the boat away but the chunks of wood kept pushing them towards their destination they weren’t sure they wanted to visit now.

“What is that?” Captain Nagyung squinted yonder, her hand shaking as she unfolded her map to make sure they were on the right path.

An orange light shone in the distance.

But the sun couldn’t have risen yet.

And it shouldn’t have been rising where the shore would be.

And it was higher than where the sun would’ve been.

A sound pierced through the air.

But it wasn’t a rooster’s crow.

Or a trumpet’s morning fare.

Or even a siren’s call.

Hyunjin looked over to see if Hyejoo was ignorant enough to make that sound with a human on board. But Hyejoo’s lips were sealed tight.

That wolf howl came from the direction of the glowing light. Which was only increasing in size, even as they were trying to sail further from it.

The real sun rose steadily, but it didn’t blind the harsh orange light that was making itself more apparent. More violent and less contained. It was flickering yellow. Then orange. Then red.

Then black.

But the black color was floating through the air unpleasantly, emitting a burning stench that reached the passengers. The haze was smoke this whole time. Unable to hide the feeling of suffocation, they gagged at the intruding smell. 

Ash fell. 

Another howl.

More smoke.

More debris.

This time, the varnished wood surrounding the boat had a royal seal.

They couldn’t prevent the feeling of heartbreak as realization washed over them. Powerless to hide the panic setting in, Hyunjin and Hyejoo couldn’t hide the anguish on their faces.

The Kim kingdom had been attacked.

 

 

NEXT CHAPTER UPDATE: NEXT NEW MOON

 

Q (ourtuneisohigh): Well...here we go. That's all I have to say. My apologies for the late update but it's still the full moon cycle so a small win. Flashbacks were reconfigured for this chapter because we missed Haseul that much. But we were able to work it into the plot well. (We think.) Again, send us your comments and inquiries and thanks for the support. I got snow, hail, and flood warnings just last week and I hope your area is safe and warm.  Twitter | CC 

N (LazyNinja on ao3):  Buckle up everyone, it's about to be a bumpy ride. Thanks again for reading the story, we apologize for being a bit late with this update. We'll try not to make a habit of it but life does get in the way. Thank you for understanding. Missing Haseul vibes were strong with this chapter, we hope we could help put a smile on your face. Hope you all stay safe and take care of yourself. Stay hydrated~  Twitter | CC