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

 

TW: VIOLENCE

 

 

 

Jiwoo let out a satisfied sigh as she fell onto Sooyoung’s shoulder, appreciating the toned muscle supporting her exhausted self. Hyejoo didn’t mind the tight squeeze, situated between both of her mothers, sleeping soundly in Chaewon’s royal blanket. Wrinkling her nose, Jiwoo was going to ask Sooyoung what that blanket’s sour smell was - remembering hearing Chaewon had doused it in some exotic fruit, mixing with the perfume years of wear soaked in.

But Sooyoung’s forehead lines were too deep to ignore.

“What’s on your mind honey?” Jiwoo whispered into the autumn night air.

Forgetting she was next to her family or even that she was riding in a carriage, Sooyoung blinked rapidly. A few hours ago, Jinsol allowing her to partake in a one-on-one meeting with her Head Knight was an honor but also a premonition of what she hoped was to come.

“Just thinking about the future.”

Jiwoo couldn’t help but jolt upwards, making Hyejoo squirm. Did attending a child’s birthday party make her wife go through an existential crisis? But she remained calm. After all, the Jung Kingdom Head Knight and trusty seneschal could eavesdrop from their drivers’ seats.

(Taeyang and Hyorin heard every syllable without trying to but kept their eyes on the path, only a lantern and a full moon to light their way.)

“When we throw Hyejoo’s tenth?”

“Yes that,” Sooyoung reached over and brought Jiwoo’s hands up to her lips. “But also what life could be like once I’m Head Knight.”

“And what would that look like?” Jiwoo indulged at the soft touches her wife was giving her.

Sooyoung was always so hard on herself. Their family was far up the ranks than any other same gender duo in the Kim kingdom - if Queen Taeyeon married, they would be second to her - but that didn’t mean they still didn’t have to work for it. Jiwoo could still feel an unpleasant numbness in her lower back from lugging crates of fruit daily. Sooyoung had begged her countless times to quit and live off of her knightly salary but the Kim kingdom was late to give her or any Kim kingdom employee the pay raise they deserved - payback from the council for Taeyeon assuming the throne without a spouse.

Even if Jiwoo and Sooyoung desired a more stable life - hopefully one within the safety of their friend’s castle walls - they knew the journey would be tough. Jung kingdom Head Knight Taeyang didn’t look like he’d retire in the next few years and Hyunjin would’ve already been trained by then.

“Well you’ll still be as beautiful as ever,” Sooyoung winked, making Jiwoo take her hand back scandalously. 

Even in dreamland, Hyejoo grimaced.

“But I see all of us safe and well-rested,” Sooyoung adjusted herself as their sleeping daughter moved. “And well-fed. This one’s bound to go through puberty soon.”

Jiwoo nodded. Hyejoo did eat a lot for her age already.

(It would only get worse. But that was caused by more than puberty.)

Time would tell what would happen to their future but they knew they would be with each other every step of the way. Stretching to meet each other for a chaste kiss, the two wives groaned as their heads knocked against each other as the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

They couldn’t possibly be there yet. They haven’t even reached the Park kingdom.

“Sir Taeyang, why are we stopping?” Jiwoo mustered the courage, not liking how Sooyoung instinctively locked the carriage doors and drew the curtains at all windows. Even without the proper knight training, Jiwoo’s question left unanswered by their protection squad outside was enough to send goosebumps across her body.

Three howls rang with what was to come. There wasn’t enough time to make a getaway as they were surrounded by wolves on all sides.

Shielding her family behind her body, Sooyoung put her hand to her sword hilt, hoping she wouldn’t have to use it but ready to do anything to keep her family safe.

---

Head Knight position was often chosen by the retiring Head Knight.

What was left of Sir Minho’s badge was recovered after the third wave swept through Seohyun’s castle, so that tradition was out of the question. Other kingdoms chose the most experienced or one with the most wolf kills. 

Hyunjin was the natural first choice with all of her accolades.

But Jinsol was adamant in keeping as much of the younger ones safe as her power allowed. She couldn’t - no one could - bear another premature loss of life so soon. With the influx of newborn werewolves, no one was comfortable putting someone in Heejin’s generation on the front lines.

Jung kingdom implemented the pro tempore clause until Hyunjin was ready. Emotionally most importantly.

(Hyejoo and Yerim thought they were the only ones to hear Hyunjin crying in her room almost every night but hearing Jiwoo whisper to Vivi if there was something they could do down the hallway was proof otherwise.)

The knight-in-place was another castle resident. 

The appointed Head Knight pro tempore flexed in front of the mirror, seeing how years of innovations had made the new uniform sleeker, lighter and form-fitting. Her first assignment was this upcoming full moon so there could be time for adjustments if she saw fit. She even trimmed her hair down to her shoulders so it would fit better in her helmet.

A snort outside the bedroom door brought her out of her reverie.

“Don’t kill my vibe,” Sooyoung pointed an accusatory finger at the guilty court musician.

Holding her hands up in surrender, a thinner and worn out Haseul leaned against the door frame to Sooyoung and Jiwoo’s room. It was more like Sooyoung’s room with how often she slept in there alone since that fateful night.

“You think Jiwoo would like it?”

Dropping her arms, Haseul wasn’t sure how to respond. She herself was in the same silent-treatment boat with someone else in the castle. Jiwoo would most likely love the uniform, flashbacking to the days when a younger Sooyoung used to proudly wear hers, even when not on duty, while in the castle because of the attention Jiwoo would give her.

Everyone and their mother knew Sooyoung aspired for this position since first submitting her name for training. At one point in time, Jiwoo wanted the same.

“Why don’t you ask her?”

As if the three same-year friends were in a pact for how long they could go without speaking to their love interests, Haseul and Sooyoung were winning the competition. 

“I will.. Just give me time.”

The third person in their friend group, Jinsol, at least had her job as an excuse.

—-

“Hyunjin, do I have permission to appoint someone in your place?”

All eyes were on the Head Knight-elect as she looked up from her half-eaten meal. Eyes heavily lidded and shoulders slumping, the Head Knight’s main stoic expression was replaced with one of despondency. To any citizen, it would’ve been a normal sight as she was often portrayed as someone who lacked emotion.

But now the entire castle, and unfortunately the kingdom, knew why the great knight was on leave.

This was what Hyunjin has been training so long for. Not only to live out her family’s legacy and help her sister secure a place in the castle - not that Jinsol and Jungeun would’ve ever kicked them out - but long ago, she had promised Heejin they’d see the world together when she snagged the highest honor of the kingdom (that wasn’t given by blood relations).

But with Heejin gone…

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Nodding solemnly, Jinsol mentally worked through the list of knights she believed were fit for the job. It needed to be someone as brave, as strong, and calculating as Hyunjin but now with her best knights stationed around the suspected wolf territories and rebuilding the Kim kingdom, her choices were limited.

“Jinsol, what if I were to do it?”

Their heads whipped to the other end of the table where a shaky but determined voice rang out.

The next morning, Sooyoung was approved for the Head Knight position.

---

One would think the Jung stables housed dogs as well, judging from the growls and grunts echoing throughout the shabby building.

But it was just newfound best friends Yerim and Hyejoo using their full strength as they challenged each other to one of the toughest competitions known to humankind.

Arm-wrestling.

Hyejoo, having full blood advantage, pinned Yerim down easily. If she was playing against Hyunjin, it would’ve been more of a challenge but Yerim was gaining muscle quicker than normal - for a human at least - this past month thanks to their games.

With the annual New Years ball officially canceled and one of their school instructors doing house visits daily, the castlehold spent the first month of the new year holed up in various areas of their home. Jungeun in her room. Vivi all over the kingdom. Haseul in the classroom. Jiwoo in whatever room Jungeun was occupying. Sooyoung in whatever room Jiwoo was not in. Yeojin in the less populated knights’ barracks. Chaewon in the throne room. The newfound three-member clique in the stables.

Hyejoo, Yerim, and Hyunjin entered a secret fraternity of sorts, yet Hyunjin still kept to herself. They would attribute it to her grief and her default personality.  In the stables, they could be as strong, as agile, as quick as they could without restraint. Almost paradise.

“Why do I always lose?” Yerim pouted.

“Because you never had any training,” Hyunjin monotonously reasoned, swinging from rafter to rafter above them, never missing a grip.

Before Hyejoo could laugh victoriously for winning another match (56-0), she felt herself get lifted slightly in the air as Yerim grabbed her collar. Even without formal workouts, Yerim was really getting stronger by the day.

Hyunjin swung herself around, knowing keeping her sister out of the knight clan was still a smart move.

“No, no, no, don’t hurt her,” a panicked yelp came out, accompanied by a hand tearing Yerim’s arms off Hyejoo.

Feeling her mother take her into her arms, Hyejoo whined as Sooyoung ruined their fun.

It was inevitable Hyejoo’s parents would find out about their alliance. With how much free time they had feeding one less mouth, having less visitors to entertain, and not having their daily cuddle sessions, they would naturally try to bond with their shared daughter.

(And check on the heartbroken sisters)

Hyejoo would never admit it out loud but she missed her lovesick parents.

“What if it wasn’t me who walked in?” Sooyoung huffed, still cradling her grumbling girl.

“We knew it was you,” the three nonhumans said, one muffled into the Head Knight’s shoulder.

Confused, Sooyoung let go of her precious daughter, stumbling back on the hay but Hyunjin was quick to jump down from the ceiling and catch her quickly. These private “wolf” sessions were doing wonders to her reflexes.

“Your footsteps,” Hyunjin answered Sooyoung’s unasked question. “That’s how I knew. You’re wearing knight boots and the only person who has those in the castle right now is you.”

Jinsol and her were the other owners but Jinsol’s footsteps were louder and hurried when not on missions and Hyunjin’s were barely heard.

“Your smell,” Yerim added. “You smell like chainmail oil and apples.”

When they practiced enhancing their senses on the first week of these wolf sessions, they started differentiating castle residents by smell. Sooyoung’s usual scent of flour and oven ash was replaced with iron and sweat. Vivi smelled more and more like turpentine and opium as she handled the kingdom’s wounds for returning knights and relocated villagers. Haseul smelled like parchment, busy writing music or letters or whatever she wrote in her closed door room. Jiwoo smelled like strawberry three-in-one body wash, in the routine of having shorter showers since birth. Jungeun reeked of valerian and chamomile - everyone knowing what she was using those herbs for.

“And your heartbeat,” Hyejoo finished.

It was steady and shallow. Even when catching them being animal-like minutes ago, it didn’t escalate. Not like Jungeun’s when Jinsol rode home - much more frequently than before - according to the wolf descendants' siblings.

Hyejoo knew of only one person that could make Sooyoung’s heart do that.

---

“MOM!” Chaewon screamed, jumping the last flight of stairs painfully, to get to her heaving mother.

The princess could still see the backs of the second wave of aid down the path and was ready to chase after them but her mother clutched onto her shoulders, silently begging Chaewon to look at her.

“I can get Mom back.”

But Jungeun shook her head. They both knew Jinsol was riding slower than usual to keep pace with the heavier carriages. Before Chaewon rushed down, Jinsol was ready to reroute herself back to the castle, seeing Junguen’s death grip on one of the pillars outside the castle doors. But Jungeun shook her head at her as well.

This was her duty.

And the more she played along with the council’s demands, the safer it would be for all of them.

But Jungeun had to be stronger than that. Her recovery couldn’t depend on one person. On any person. This was her struggle alone as much as Jinsol and her darling daughter wanted to take part of that pain with them.

Jinsol and Chaewon were more alike than they’d like to believe. The two needed to discuss their opposing politics behind wolves but Jungeun knew deep-down, they wanted the safety and well-being of everyone. Wolves included.

It’s just that Jinsol was being forced to kill them to keep their good standing. With the right amount of triggers - all spoonfed to her by the council’s knight training - Jinsol snapped into a different person. They touched the surface of it when Jinsol took her sabbatical but Jungeun, and hopefully Chaewon, knew there was more to it.

“Why?” Chaewon was near tears, not understanding why her mother let herself suffer like this.

Why couldn’t her mother make it go away for good? Why couldn’t Vivi find a cure? Why wasn’t more research done?

“Because your mother has a job to do.”

“Her job is to love you too!”

They were so alike, Jungeun thought, her unnerved child’s face. She knew they loved her - more than she believed she was meant to be loved - but they needed to transfer that love to other things, people, and tasks as well.

“And she does.”

Jinsol and her promised this wouldn’t be a reenactment of their last setback. If Chaewon was in the room with them, she would join as well. An alliance to keep their family going strong no matter how many things were out of control. No matter how much time was against them.

“And she loves you too. Don’t forget that.”

---

Vivi and Jiwoo formed an unspoken pact of their own. With Jungeun relapsing, the two employed themselves as Jungeun’s personal caretakers.

(Technically, that came with the job description as physician and handmaiden.)

With them also not wanting to sleep in their own rooms - for very different reasons as one involved a missing child and the other, a closed-off wife - they camped in Jungeun’s room. Their personal struggles were used for good as it let them keep an eye on Jungeun.

It helped that Jinsol was home every week - even if it was just to sleep armor-clad with her head in Jungeun’s lap - before riding off again. Her attacks were even less frequent than when Jinsol was home.

At least the ones they were allowed to witness.

It also helped that there were less duties around the kingdom as most people quarantined themselves, eyeing their neighbors as potential wolves. Only the Kim kingdom and surrounding villages were attacked but that didn’t stop everyone from getting up in arms. Everyone doubted their closest friends, family, and village people.

(Queen Seohyun was under scrutiny as well. She would be locked up in a reinforced version of Jungeun’s former tower during the next full moon.)

It also helped that Chaewon and Yeojin had a new bond.

How could they not when Yerim, Hyejoo, and Hyunjin would sneak off to the stables for hours?

The new bond between the princess and squire - “a knight for one hour,” Yeojin would add on - was a strange one as it involved them doing chores around the castle. Yeojin was picking up her sister’s slack. Chaewon was hoping this would mean more time for Jungeun to focus on herself.

“Chaewon’s getting better at folding laundry,” Jungeun observed, watching the two newfound best friends take on a mountain of clothes they were behind on from the open doorway to Yeojin and Haseul’s room.

“She takes after Jinsol that way,” Vivi said, knowing mentioning Jinsol was good in keeping Jungeun’s mind focused.

“By folding laundry?” Jiwoo tilted her head in confusion.

“By doing things for me that I can do myself.”

The more she focused on her wife’s timely returns, the less she ruminated on her terrible memories. 

“Her hair too. The color is fading out,” Jiwoo caught onto Vivi’s ploy.

But the new staff member also knew that Jungeun was also a bit nosy. (Something Chaewon has unfortunately taken after as well.) Nothing was better than gossiping among friends. They didn’t share the same age like the other trio of adults in the castle but they held a strong adoration towards each other like close friends should.

“So have Haseul and you talked yet?” Jiwoo brought up the first topic she could think of.

Vivi narrowed her eyes dangerously, making the person who asked that question regret her life choices.

“Have Sooyoung and you slept in the same room yet?”

Darting her eyes between her friends and glad Chaewon and Yeojin didn’t have supernatural hearing, Jungeun was in disbelief. These were pressing matters but she knew they were only discussing this in front of her so she’d have other things to think about.

(In her mind, she thanked them dearly.)

“You know you’re both lucky, the person you love - don’t look at me like that Vivi, you know it’s true - is with you in the castle,” Jungeun conveyed earnestly, hoping they wouldn’t feel guilty. “You should enjoy that, or at least try to.”

But the sorrowful eyes drawn her way was enough to tell her they were sorry for their actions. Vivi and Haseul have gone back to square one in avoiding each other around the castle like when Jungeun did the same when she first married Jinsol. Jiwoo and Sooyoung were acting like a former version of Jinsol and her when they used to avoid speaking of her quests abroad.

Now when Jinsol came home, which was more often than she asked her, she made sure to spend time with all the castle residents, with Chaewon alone, with Chaewon and Jungeun, and with Jungeun alone.

But before, when Jinsol was The Knight, Jungeun was like Jiwoo: avoiding conversations as to why Jinsol was compelled to take this position.

---

Jungeun groaned in pain as she stretched her cramped neck.

It wasn’t every day you woke up with two other women in your bed. Only few times this happened was when she was first attacked. Knight Sooyoung and Vivi used to flank her on both sides as she slept until the next full moon, ensuring she was safe with them at her side.

(Of course there’d be nights Sooyoung was not there and she was keeping another woman in the Kim kingdom company.)

Then Jiwoo and Vivi when she was in denial of her feelings for Jinsol.

Then for months, it was Chaewon and Jinsol after the Great Attack.

Then, Vivi and Haseul after Jinsol rode off as a knight.

(Those nights ended a lot better than the most recent time Vivi and Haseul slept next to each other.)

Vivi was still a constant but this time it switched back to Jiwoo on Jungeun’s other side.

Faded pastel pink and dull auburn hair greeted the queen’s peripherals, marking the first full day since Jinsol’s departure. She would not classify what happened yesterday as an anxiety attack. (Little did she know, they take different forms. Even Vivi was a bit confused with her most recent attack which was only Jungeun feeling hot to the touch.) Jiwoo could’ve been sleeping next to her wife and Vivi could use the time to properly grieve Heejin’s absence. Jungeun was grateful as much as she was peeved.

The moment Vivi and Jiwoo’s eyes opened, Jungeun had the first word.

“You two don’t have to coddle me.”

“We’re not.”

“We just want you to know you don’t have to go through this alone.”

Jungeun didn’t have much to refute, rushing to the bathroom, as another strange attack hit her this morning, this time accompanied by nausea. She was thankful for Vivi and Jiwoo by her side, holding her hair back and rubbing soothing circles up her back.

---

“Your breath is fogging up my mother’s throne,” Chaewon huffed as she polished the cresting rails of the red chair.

Yeojin huffed, fogging the gold up more, and used her rag to wipe it off, streak marks left in its wake. Chaewon immediately went over and shined it right up properly, giving Yeojin a huff.

Yeojin didn’t know what brought on the chore addiction as even Jungeun didn’t get like this. Her aunt might’ve thrown away clothing articles into the nearest donation bin if left unattended but this morning, Chaewon had to be held back from throwing away an entire portrait because the person in it was ugly.

“So what...” Chaewon looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was looking in. “...is the plan again?”

“You came up with it!”

“I know but I need you to relay it to me so I know you understand it.”

Yeojin saw another trait Chaewon picked up from her mothers: excellent leadership skills. It also didn’t help that Yeojin had a fading crush on the girl and would do everything at her beck and call.

“This afternoon, I will ride out to the tributary to wedge something into the pool tunnel entrance as an emergency getaway. Not enough to let water in of course. Then, I will sneak the two seater saddles into the stable and feed the quickest horse, good ol’ Lightning McQueen, extra food and help it recognize the sound of my voice. Then, I will...wait a minute...”

Dusting another portrait, Chaewon turned around innocently.

“I’m doing everything!” Yeojin whipped her rag in the air, suds spraying around the floor.

“Well, I came up with the plan!”

“I can’t do this alone!”

“Then go get someone else to help you!”

“I would but,” Yeojin gulped, turning her back to Chaewon so she wouldn’t see her watery eyes.

She didn’t even know why she was mad. Everyone had the right to have more than one friend. Chaewon and Yeojin had been bonding more than ever. Albeit, it came with a lot of bleaching solutions and white vinegar.

“Yerim’s busy. She’s always busy now.”

Yeojin also didn’t want Chaewon to take offense to her feeling jealous over Hyejoo. In the short span of time the princess and Ha knight knew each other, they had gotten extremely close. Even during music lessons, she was crass enough to ask if Hyejoo could sing or not, relieved that Hyejoo shook her head.

But Chaewon felt bad about the situation too. It wasn’t just Yerim hiding out in that stable.

But even if Chaewon and Yeojin felt jealousy towards two very different people, they would agree that it was best Hyunjin was in the stables with both their (distant) friends.

---

“Myrtle Snow?”

“Dead.”

“Fiona Goode?”

“Dead”

“Misty Day?”

“She’ll come back.”

“She’s dead.”

“NO SHE’S NOT!”

Clearing , Yeojin went back to recounting the reports as Chaewon went through the census. This was supposed to be someone else’s duty but this wasn’t for the faint of heart.

What they were secretly hoping for was not coming across a certain someone’s name. By doing this privately, they wouldn’t have to subject the castlehold to this.

It didn’t fare so well as some residents were born with hypersenses.

Having come from another training session - this one focusing on reaction rates with Hyejoo doing spectacularly as usual, the trio  recognized what Yeojin was reading off of, even from outside the castle walls.

Yerim’s bottom lip quivered at every name followed with a “dead” finalization. An assigned Head Knight was given the task of matching up reports to the kingdom census to get an accurate body count and then notify the families (if there were any). It had to be done by a knight from one kingdom over from the one affected so as not to produce bias in case someone wanted to dramatize the results.

As Head Knight hadn’t been selected yet, Jinsol gave the task to Yeojin, feeling guilty for not letting the squire accompany her to Kim.

Yerim let out a small smile as Yeojin was getting a taste of the job she badly wanted since she was a child.

“She’s not coming back.”

“YOU DON’T KNOW THAT!”

Hyejoo practiced tuning them out, something Hyunjin and Yerim were better at doing, as their senses weren’t as sharp. But she hadn’t heard Chaewon’s voice the whole day and was hanging onto every syllable.

Also hoping not to hear the name they all dreaded to hear again.

“Shall we go through castle staff casualties?”

Hyunjin hung onto every word, listening as Yeojin and Chaewon flipped to the next page, not wanting to see their beloved friend’s name anywhere written on them.

---

Hyunjin felt the air grow colder among them, meaning the sun was bowing down for the day, meaning it was time to head inside to not draw suspicion. She knew Hyejoo had her doubts about her plan but she had the right to.

It was her life on the line.

“I need you to relay it to me so I know you understand it.”

Even with them spending less time together, Hyunjin could see the knight and princess’ shared speech patterns haven’t strayed.

“Why do I need to understand it? I came up with it.”

Yerim sighed. Both knights were as strong as they were hardheaded.

“Okay, we get you into the empty pool tunnel which is large enough for you to roam in your wolf form. Your moms, Yerim, and I will take turns bringing you food and water throughout the day. If you have to go to the bathroom, there is an emergency opening at the top in the middle of the tunnel that you unlatch and push up. It’s quite a ways down but you’ll know because the ridging is different in that area. I’ll check that you closed it correctly when I Aunt Vivi to her visits since you’ll just have your paws.”

“We’re sure the tunnel is securely shut at the other opening? So I don’t drown to death.”

“I checked it this morning when I dropped off Aunt Vivi at the children’s hospital.”

Nodding in finality, the two turned to the door, only to see Yerim sitting dejectedly on a bale of hay.

They knew she wasn’t comfortable with enclosing Hyejoo in a dark tunnel. They reassured her that Hyejoo’s enhanced vision would come in handy and she’d stay close to the castle so they wouldn’t have to travel too far in the darkness to find her. As they’ve gotten close, Hyejoo had learned more and more about Yerim’s progressiveness.

(“Your moms kept you in a cage!”

“It was for protection!” Hyejoo huffed, trying to pin Yerim down. Maybe training her was a mistake as she was gaining muscle quickly. She was bulging through her clothes already.

“Yours or theirs?!”

“What if I killed them?!”

Yerim faltered at the thought. Hyunjin put the horse she was bench pressing down to restrain Yerim from going in and giving the Has a talk about animal cruelty.)

Tilting their head to the side, the two waited for Yerim to catch her through her peripherals, her retinas shifting at their puppylike movement.

(After three and a half hours of squirming, Yerim cooled down. While Hyejoo’s parents’ decision was barbaric, it was way more surprising that Hyejoo was able to shift back even before the full moon sank. From what her parents had taught her, wolves in their purest form lacked control. Lacked discipline.)

Lacked a leader.

In their rendezvous, they drew no conclusions about what the wolf Hyunjin killed - cue pinning Yerim down for another three hours - meant.

(“Well, if you didn’t kill them, you could’ve asked what a leader is!”)

The creature called out to a leader and snapped at the sound of a specific tune. With the vast amount of newborns, wolf cries were hard to distinguish with the cacophony of cries around them but this newborn looked towards the north mountains when a stronger, more intune howl rang out.

(“Then why doesn’t Hyejoo have a leader?”)

Conclusion: The newer generation were more feral and answered to an older pack. Possibly the ones who turned them.

It left the case of Hyejoo’s “leader” open but they’d figure that out after this full moon.

(And after Hyejoo stopped stressing about getting her parents to have a conversation.)

At the faint sound of footsteps approaching, the girls scrambled to look casual, knowing who was approaching based on how they distinguished people.

Yeojin, hiding a saddle underneath her overcoat, walked in on Hyunjin counting horses, Yerim flossing her teeth with hay, and Hyejoo doing push-ups.

---

Chaewon knew it would be different.

When she snuck into her mother’s office, she was usually accompanied by her friends. Sometimes, a friend would be absent due to chores or wanting alone time. Like Yeojin wanting to learn slight-of-hand tricks from Vivi. Or Yerim helping Jungeun donate clothes - all of them looking like clothes they “lost” (aka left lying around the castle). Or Heejin trying a new recipe with Haseul.

But the less people that knew about this, the better.

Opening the bottom drawer slowly, she prepared to memorize the layout of folders so she could replicate the setup. She had just finished having a private dinner with Jungeun in the kitchen - both knowing it was Chaewon doing a mental evaluation of Jungeun but not speaking on it.

The family time was still much appreciated and Chaewon can still feel the sweet kiss Jungeun placed at the crown of her head as she walked her to her room.

(“You really do take after your mother, Chae?” Jungeun squeezed her darling daughter as she turned in for the night.

Chaewon beamed at her mother’s smile. Today was a good day.

“But I take after your height unfortunately.”

Unable to keep a straight face, Chaewon giggled at her mom’s flabbergasted expression. A good day indeed.)

But the drawer was too easy to slide out and Chaewon saw why. Jinsol had taken the folders with her. Or maybe she destroyed them. Or hid them elsewhere.

Chastising herself for not copying their contents earlier, Chaewon figured she needed all the knowledge she could find to help her execute her newly formed plan to get Jinsol home for good. 

She didn’t really have a plan but it was nice to pretend.

(It’s a royal thing.)

Frustrated at herself, Chaewon thunked her head backwards, knocking resoundly against one of the massive bookcases. A dusty scroll fell atop her head as revenge. After threatening the wooden furniture with her eyes, she took a peak at the scroll.

From its browned condition, it had to have been written before she was born. From its lack of wrinkles, Chaewon could see it wasn’t opened many times. The author maybe wrote it once, rolled it, and stored it for someone to come across years later. Jinsol must’ve hastily rearranged before she left as scrolls were usually stacked neatly so as not to roll off the shelves.

“Train 24/7.”

“Be perfect.”

“Don’t date non-royals.”

“Once our daughter marries, she will assume the throne, leaving us to retire in harmony.”

“My wife and I would ask that you reconsider your stance on marriages of conveniences.”

Not recognizing the two signatures at the bottom - one starting with a prominent J, and the other imbuing a star and heart into it - Chaewon wouldn’t rely on this being noticeably lost. There were hundreds of scrolls scattered about - what was her mother even looking for - and by the time Jinsol would notice its absence, Chaewon would have formulated a real plan.

Tucking the scroll into her sleeve, Chaewon turned in for the night.

But not without checking on her mother, who was wrapped in Jiwoo’s embrace and tucked into Vivi’s shoulder.

---

If there was another bond made within the castle walls, it was the love of theatrics. Grasping at her chest and pointing accusatory fingers, Haseul and Yeojin had to regain their breath after running into each other in the last place they’d think of.

The knight barracks.

Yeojin knew Haseul was avoiding Vivi. Maybe they wanted to grieve separately. Maybe one misspoke. Whatever happened on the night they shared a room, it had broken up her favorite adult duo.

(Don’t tell Haseul that.)

“You’re doing more chores than usual,” Haseul observed.

“I could say the same to you,” Yeojin replied.

Haseul knew Yeojin was hoping - like every person in the castle - for a romantic relationship between Vivi and her. They had heard all the excuses. That they didn’t need to prove independence or their feminism by not coupling. If they loved each other, they should be together.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same question.”

Wondering why Yeojin’s blouse was untucked on one side, like something that was hiding underneath it had just broken free, Haseul waited for her answer.

Yeojin was a fidgeter. She could never stay in one place. When she first looked after her, she turned her back for five minutes to rehearse a song and Yeojin was under the bed. The knights’ barracks wasn’t a new location for her. When she wasn’t weighed down with homework - as Yeojin liked to call it even if their home was their school - she would ask the knights for stories about their latest missions.

It’s how Yeojin was the first to know of what Jinsol had become. “Had become.” Past tense.

With most knights rebuilding homes and relocating citizens, the residuals had boring scout tasks like escorting prominent figures and delivering goods. Their biggest job this year was tomorrow on the first day of the full moon: Protect the kingdom.

Something Haseul wondered if Yeojin still felt like doing.

“I guess I don’t really belong here, huh?”

If she could, Yeojin would tell Haseul all about Chaewon’s plan - most of it executed by Yeojin if she may add. That even if it wasn’t official knighthood duties, she felt as if she was protecting the kingdom her own way. Her tasks so far have been manageable but once they embarked on their journey, she would finally be doing her share. But no one could know what that was yet.

Deprived of human contact for days, Haseul took Yeojin into her arms. 

“Ummmmm. Haseul?” Yeojin muffled, cheeks squished against Haseul’s chest and arms. Arms Yeojin hated for how thin they’ve gotten.

“Yes?” Haseul whispered, filling her role of big sister.

Pausing, as if changing her mind about something, Yeojin simply returned the hug, “I love you.” 

She knew Yeojin was hiding something from her. Maybe because she lost her friend - who was legally her niece - but Yeojin hadn’t even bothered asking if she could inherit Heejin’s book collection that she had always borrowed from. While Yeojin did everything and anything - Haseul swore she saw her going to the stables earlier - Haseul kept on with her own responsibilities privately.

Neither ways were healthy coping mechanisms but it was how they served their grief while also serving their kingdom.

Knighted or not.

“I love you too.”

---

“Anything exciting out there?”

Chaewon had to laugh at Yeojin trying to make it seem like she was doing something important.

Alas, she was simply standing on the balcony, looking towards the cotton candy sky. Like any sunset on a clear day. Like every day she spent holed up in this castle, waiting to do her part when she could’ve been taking action. There was nothing exciting about waiting.

When she stepped onto the balcony, she had just missed Yerim, Hyunjin, and Hyejoo getting into a wrestling match in the gardens. As if they had heard her steps from so far away, they had turned mechanically and marched one by one into the stables.

Chaewon made note that they followed a few seconds after the other.

“Should there be?” Chaewon stepped aside so they could both share the middle of the balcony even if there was much room for Yeojin to sprawl out anywhere.

“There could be though! Remember when we saw that red bird fly across the sky and collapse the beams for the local pig sty? It was like an explosion!”

Chaewon appreciated Yeojin making it seem like their lives weren’t monotonous. Something she knew Yerim would do if she wasn’t doing who-knows-what in the stables.

Yerim invited them earlier in the week but Chaewon was busy decoding signatures and seals from older paperwork (aka the mysterious scroll) and Yeojin was helping Princess Seohyun prepare for her trip back home for her official coronation.

A ceremony that Jungeun could only be there in spirit.

(She noticed that Hyejoo and Hyunjin were a bit relieved that Yerim’s invitation was shot down.)

But pretending this lifestyle was suitable was getting harder by the day. Looking Yeojin up and down, Chaewon knew she couldn’t do this alone. If there was always someone to look at things in a different perspective - not optimistically like Yerim or cynically like Hyejoo - it was Yeojin.

Eager hooves disrupted her thoughts and she looked down to see an impatient Jinsol sound the gate bells.

“QUEEN JINSOL IS HOME!” Yeojin screamed before Chaewon delivered the good news, most importantly to her other mother.

Maybe she could entrust Yeojin after all. The announcement of the queen’s arrival was informal - the council would have her for that - but Chaewon found it more to match her style anyway.

Below them, Hyunjin and Hyejoo locked up the gates as Jinsol left her horse to Yerim, sprinting up to the castle to meet Jungeun halfway.

---

“Same old sunset?”

Chaewon almost didn’t recognize that voice.

Hyejoo had grown a couple centimeters since they last had time together. But it was still the same Hyejoo. With how many changes Hyejoo had gone through, Chaewon would hide her envy. In the span of three months, the Ha family had moved kingdoms, moved houses, changed jobs, and lost a close friend.

Chaewon experienced one of those changes and as agonizing as it is - she wasn’t sure which of her friend’s mindsets she was adopting to reason if it was hopeful to wait for Heejin or not - it wasn’t even half of what Hyejoo went through.

Hyejoo’s sunsets were probably even different in the Im kingdom when she visited.

“Same old sunset. Different moon though.”

Chaewon travelled when she could but helping out her mother at home was something she took as her main priority. School, chores, and her cookie cutter appearances were on her agenda as well but they didn’t bring enough change to suffice her wanderlust.

“Why are you standing all the way over there?”

As much as things changed, Chaewon’s fond feelings for Hyejoo’s hadn’t.

It was deja vu to the night of her eighteenth birthday.

Same old Hyejoo.

Same old Chaewon.

Or so they hoped.

Hyejoo fiddled with her pockets. “To be honest Chaewon, I had a feeling you were mad at me.”

Hyejoo couldn’t confront Chaewon that sometimes in the stables, she could hear the princess sit on the castle steps, hear her heart racing for whatever reason - anger, betrayal, despair - then hear her turn around and go back into her safe home.

“I was never mad at you. I thought you were mad at me.”

“WHAT?!”

“I said what I said.”

Hyejoo didn’t prepare for Chaewon to hoist herself up over the railings. She didn’t mean her outburst to cause Chaewon to react that way. But the young Jung just sat on the railing. Knowing she couldn’t explain zooming at the speed of light to rescue her if she fell, she forced herself to stand right behind the princess to steady her in case.

Chaewon hid her winning smile well as she felt Hyejoo near.

“So now that we’ve cleared up that none of us is mad about the other, what did you mean by a ‘different moon?’” Chaewon queried, hoping to get back into the same old routine of meaningless conversations with the knight.

She had been so busy with her plan, she barely made time with Hyejoo. But she would bet most of that time was spent in the stables anyway.

“Well the moon has eight different phases to it. Sometimes it looks like a full circle. Sometimes half. Sometimes one of those French flaky breads my mom keeps trying to recreate in the kitchen for Hyunjin.”

Hyejoo forgot what it was like to make Chaewon laugh. She almost kept rambling but remembered that moon tracking was only a hobby for knights, astronomers, and wolves. At least Chaewon knew she was one of them.

Just one for now.

“You know so much about moons,” Chaewon scrunched up her face. “I don’t remember having a lesson on one in our science unit with Aunt Vivi since you’ve joined us.”

“Oh well I read a lot of books as a kid,” Hyejoo covered up.

Fighting the fist pump she would have given herself - because if she released one hand from her loose grip on Chaewon’s hips, she could fall - Hyejoo was proud she controlled her usual short circuiting around Chaewon.

(Something Yerim joked they should create a training program on.)

“B-b-but you’re still relearning how to write--”

“Doesn’t impact my ability to read, Chaewon,” Hyejoo grinned again, hampering another fist pump.

As she stuttered to defend herself, Chaewon found herself being pulled closer to an amused Hyejoo. The air must’ve been colder than she thought as Hyejoo was burning up. Just like last year, when they shared a blanket when Sooyoung gave them her life story.

“Didn’t think I’d be able to read those notes of yours, did you?”

They two fell back into their teasing bouts and for now, Chaewon didn’t mind that they were wasting time.

---

Hyejoo was asked to stay back while her classmates went to lunch.

In Vivi’s hand were the back-and-forth notes between Yerim and Chaewon. Hyejoo had caught glimpses of what the notes were about earlier today, most of them surprisingly about her.

(‘Come on Chae. Don’t think I didn’t see you walk in slow motion to make sure your path to school happened to cross Hyejoo’s,’ Yerim wrote quickly.

Hyejoo read the whole note quickly before Chaewon snatched it and scribbled back angrily.)

Holding her hands up, Hyejoo could easily defend that none of those were her handwriting. But that’s not what Vivi wanted. As the only other nonfamilial family member that knows about her identity, Vivi knew that Hyejoo would be able to read this easily from her seat.

For other humans, the angle and the lighting in the desk cubby holes would’ve been difficult but not to an animal with heightened vision.

“You weren’t very subtle about your note reading,” Vivi teased.

Since cutting off training when the Ha family left their cozy cottage for good, Vivi hadn’t seen Hyejoo in years. She was trying to relearn to read but with their income, reading material was scarce. But literacy never truly leaves if exercised occasionally.

Hyejoo blushed. It wasn’t ever her conversation. It was nice to see Vivi again, except this time as a different teacher. Of academia, not animal instincts.

“And not subtle with the blushing either.”

(The teacher would skim the note eventually on her way back to her chambers to see if Yerim - who she guessed would piece together Hyejoo’s identity first - had figured it out yet.)

Hyejoo apologized, saying she’d be more careful, hoping to get out of this conversation. Yerim and Chaewon’s topic of the day was her - how cute she was, that she was skilled in simple combat, if the council could arrange Chaewon to marry her instead.

(That one was all Yerim, loving when she got the upperhand over the princess.)

The entertained teacher excused the blushing wolf, hiding the grim thought that even if Chaewon married Hyejoo, it would mean she’d have to assume the throne earlier than planned.

---

Wondering if her suit would fit as nicely after she had “taste-tested” her cooking - code for: snuck in another meal - Sooyoung checked herself out in front of the mirror again.

Thankfully, her usual critic - Haseul - was out gallivanting with Yeojin in much deserved family bonding. Sooyoung bit her tongue as she missed it as well. Her child and wife had found groups of their own and she couldn’t take that away from them. Especially not when Hyejoo had met people who were of similar species.

Hyejoo had called both her parents in to showcase her new skills like attempting to talk to horses and catching Yerim as she jumped from the stable attic. Both parents pushed their feelings aside to give Hyejoo her full support, thanking Yerim and Hyunjin for being there.

(And vowing to never reveal this to the Jungs until the time was right.)

A throat cleared behind her and Sooyoung was ready to tell Haseul off again.

But instead, it was her exhausted and headstrong wife.

Moving kingdom to kingdom, lifestyle to lifestyle, the two couldn’t hold up silent treatment for that long. Poor communication would imperil their chances of survival. But they had gotten so comfortable in the castle, they put off things for the next day, and the day after that.

They wouldn’t blame any rebellious royal for wanting the cycle of monotony to end.

“Is Jungeun doing okay?” Sooyoung asked, praying she didn’t have to invite Jiwoo in.

This was their room. Jiwoo could enter whenever she wanted. She was never supposed to leave anyway. Hypocritical to think of as she was the one that would be doing the leaving soon. 

“Yeah, she’s doing great. Chaewon has been really curious about council meetings and Jungeun is explaining everything to her.”

Sooyoung pursed her lips and nodded as her beautiful wife stood like a danger outside the doorway.

“Have you come to get more clothes?”

Jiwoo shook her head to keep the tears from falling. Maybe Hyunjin and Yerim can give her a lesson in keeping her emotions at bay. All it took was for Sooyoung to cross the room and tilt her chin up for Jiwoo to lose it.

Closing the door behind her, Sooyoung sat Jiwoo down on the bed and cradled her close. Jiwoo wept loudly, grasping at Sooyoung like she was her anchor. Years ago, a Head Knight proposition would’ve been met with Jiwoo knocking Sooyoung backward with a running hug, kissing her silly.

Unable to fight her own exhaustion, Sooyoung fell back on the bed, taking Jiwoo with her. They held each other, unable to tell who would start talking first.

“Jinsol says she hasn’t had to kill any more wolves yet,” Jiwoo’s warm breath couldn’t be felt over her uniform and Sooyoung found another reason to hate her new job.

It took Jiwoo away from her and now she couldn’t feel her wife’s warmth anymore. Maybe Jiwoo was right to silently protest this decision of hers.

“Maybe you won’t have to either.”

Jiwoo let Sooyoung fill in the blanks to what she was getting at. When Sooyoung volunteered to take Hyunjin’s place, even temporarily, it was like the same feelings of anxiety came up full force. And she had witnessed what it could do if it escalated in her best friend Jungeun. Jiwoo was an optimist but she was also a realist.

While she counted the nights for Sooyoung to come home, she also dreaded them.

With Hyejoo, it felt different. Her skills were unparalleled to any human and even with this newer generation of wolves - apparently they were more unhinged than any knight has ever seen them - Jiwoo knew Hyejoo could hold her own. She still did a quick body inspection to make sure Hyejoo was truly okay and she would keep doing them after every mission.

(Now knowing of Hyunjin’s family tree, Jiwoo felt a little less weight on her shoulders knowing they were partners.)

Sooyoung had proven so much to her and to her kingdom. But maybe not enough to herself.

Jiwoo felt terrible for taking Sooyoung’s self discovery, which she thought was long over, away from her.

“Maybe I won’t have to either,” Sooyoung comforted, unsure if she was lying or being auspicious.

---

Sooyoung tried to tune out Jiwoo’s screams as she kicked at the slim wolf that had torn their carriage doors open, breaking off one of its hinges.

She had never killed a wolf before as they were believed to be almost extinct. But nothing like adding another statistic to her card.

Kicking it’s snout in and hearing it crunch under her boots, Sooyoung took the small victory and hopped out of the carriage to finish the job. She drew her sword out in the open space. Only to be ambushed by another wolf hiding behind the carriage. If she could think, she would be impressed with that plan of attack. It was like it was calculated.

But that would mean that wolves would have the brains to be reasonable.

Which they were not as they were threatening her family.

She screamed as it’s claws tore into her shoulder blades and she could feel its hot breath getting closer, bracing herself for the bite. She could only hope Jiwoo was not looking out and witnessing this and that Hyejoo was still somehow still asleep.

Rather, she was thrown aside, landing quite a ways away as the two wolves, aided by a massive third one that was hiding in front of the carriage, made their way to the carriage. With the waning strength she had, she pushed herself up with her sword but couldn’t support herself, falling back to the ground.

Taking a look at the injured wolf with its nose bleeding out - Sooyoung couldn’t celebrate now - the larger wolf snarled at it and pushed it aside. It then picked up where the smaller one left off and pounced on the carriage, leaving no room for Jiwoo or Hyejoo to escape.

“Don’t kill her please! She’s just a child!” Jiwoo begged the beast.

A child’s loud cry was heard as the hefty great wolf bit into Hyejoo deeply, wrapping its strong jaws around her torso, swallowing her arm whole, to make sure the saliva would sink in accordingly. Then it released its grips, staining the carriage, Chaewon’s blanket, and Hyejoo’s formal shirt. Jiwoo had a strong grip on their daughter, and was able to kick it away, not able to concave its nose in like Sooyoung did to the other but with the same determination to ward it off. 

The sight of her daughter’s blood dripping from its mouth made Sooyoung’s heart clench. 

As if to add more to her failure, the other uninjured wolf got its turn and took the larger wolf’s place. Jiwoo’s leg stretched out once more but Sooyoung watched as this wolf clawed at it, making it twist the wrong direction swiftly. Ghastly cracking was followed by an ear piercing cry.

“MOM!”

“I-I-I’m okay sweetheart. I’m o-o-kay,” Jiwoo choked out, teeth gritting in pain.

Sooyoung fought her own tears from falling as her wife’s screams added to the guilt of failing to do her job correctly.

---

Jiwoo was on her back comforting Sooyoung with light through her new short hair, stripped from her uniform and in her sheer underclothing.

That night haunted them to this day. The panic. The pain. The piercing cries from the people they loved, never wanting to hear those sounds ever again. But Jiwoo would never blame Sooyoung for what happened.

The Dongs had stopped the carriage to confront a suspicious rustling in the woods, feeling like they were being followed. Before they knew what was happening, the Dongs were thrown out of the drivers’ seat meters away, leaving them open to attack. But Jiwoo wouldn’t blame them as well.

They were ill-equipped and unprepared at the time. Carriages were built for aesthetics, not security. Weapons weren’t all laced with silver yet.

But they were still here. Sooyoung was still here. Hyejoo was still here. That’s why Jiwoo was terrified of both of her family taking their vows to the kingdom. With the number of wolves unaccounted for after this recent attack, what if wolves attacked Sooyoung and Jinsol? Or Hyunjin and Hyejoo?

Her confidence in their skills could only account for so much.

“I caught Yerim lifting Hyejoo up by just her collar today,” Sooyoung admitted, soaking in the feel of Jiwoo against her.

Part of her decision to be re-knighted was to keep the children safe in the castle, especially since Hyejoo would be noticeably absent every full moon excursion, but also to make up for her lack of expert tactics that fateful night. Like Jinsol - except less induced by the council wanting a poster child - she wanted the wolves to pay for what they did.

“She’s getting very strong,” Jiwoo sighed.

“So is Hyejoo,” Sooyoung brought her head up, finding Jiwoo’s eyes.

When Hyejoo became knight, they didn’t think of what kind of danger they were truly putting Hyejoo in. Knighthood in Sooyoung’s time was less wolf-hunting and more kingdom-joining. But they couldn’t smother Hyejoo for too long.

Hyejoo had honed skills that worked in her favor, skills Sooyoung spent years perfecting (and the past few weeks sparring the fake dummies in the barracks).

“I know, I know. But I have the right to worry about her as her mother.”

Before Sooyoung could chip in that she was her other mother, Jiwoo continued.

“And I have the right to worry about you as your wife.”

Meeting for their first kiss of the year, Sooyoung and Jiwoo forgave each other for the childishness they both used against the other. They both only wanted safety and happiness for their family. They just approached it differently.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get your permission to take this job,” Sooyoung apologized against Jiwoo’s lips.

“I’m sorry I made you think you needed my permission,” Jiwoo whispered back, claiming Sooyoung’s lips again.

As a farmer’s daughter, Jiwoo’s notion of honor and bravery was different. But over the years, Sooyoung was enlightened that Jiwoo was just as brave and strong as any knight she knew. Their interpretations of sacrifice differed.

Sooyoung showed her bravery by facing danger head-on.

Jiwoo showed hers by taking all the precautions to make sure danger never reached them.

But with the many bar fights Jiwoo had been in and how Sooyoung used to triple bolt their doors and windows, they had learned from each other over the years and came to an understanding. Much like they were coming to now.

She would’ve come to Sooyoung sooner - as Sooyoung would’ve come to Jiwoo too - if time wasn’t at such a standstill within castle grounds. It was no wonder why Jinsol and Jungeun took so long to get together (and from what they know, Haseul and Vivi for that split second the night Heejin disappeared)

“Will you come back to this room tonight?” 

“I will,” Jiwoo promised, hoping Sooyoung and her can sleep next to each other again. Like they were supposed to.

(Also, Jinsol was due home tonight so Jungeun would have someone to wake her up from her nightmares.)

They caught each other up on Hyunjin’s brilliant plan to keep Hyejoo safe this coming cycle. Sooyoung had made more vegetarian meals the past few days so more meat was reserved for Hyejoo. Jiwoo had purposefully avoided cleaning the spa room and the adjacent rooms - yelling at anyone with cleaning supplies going down that corridor - so she could use her job as handmaiden to check on Hyejoo when she can.

Even apart, they still were able to make a great plan together.

Deciding to spend some time with Hyejoo, they opened the door to a loud screech.

“JINSOL! YOU’RE HOME!” Jungeun screamed, quick footsteps as she rushed from whatever room she was in.

Sooyoung and Jiwoo couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation but knew that that was the same energy Jiwoo would exude when Sooyoung would come from her mission too.

---

Chaewon would bet her entire inheritance that Jinsol and Jungeun haven’t once released their hold on each other since Jinsol came back. It was her first arrival since going out, the endeavor taking six days and five nights, and the castlehold could feel a shift in the energy.

Sooyoung, Hyejoo, Hyunjin, and Yerim - a quartet Chaewon had yet to see in action - were getting to work on a welcome home feast.

The Jungs were going over logistics and rationing part of their supplies to the Kim kingdom while the kingdom rebuilt itself. New ways to trade were thought out from fossils to bugs to bells to “take on, leave one” swap shops. It wasn’t the most family friendly of conversations but they were together. Sitting in the armchair across from her parents in Jinsol’s office, Chaewon was glad this homecoming felt different.

A good different.

“Wait, I forgot something,” Jinsol’s glasses flew off her face at how fast her head turned upwards.

Releasing her hold from Jungeun, Jinsol rushed over to give Chaewon an encompassing hug.

“Sorry, I forgot to greet you formally when entering,” Jinsol murmured into her daughter’s hair.

Chaewon didn’t even think she needed it, having gone years without banking on a hug from her mother at every return. Among the terrible news, the wolf attack seems to be contained from the Kim kingdom and some rural areas. From what they accounted for and what they hoped, most of the newborn wolves had perished in the militia and army retaliation.

“That’s okay Mom, with a less spread out map, you’ll be home more right?” Chaewon looked at Jinsol hopefully.

She didn’t have to look to know that her brunette mother was chewing on her bottom lip, taking the words out of . Jinsol was relaying facts and statistics but they were imbued with hope.

“We can only hope,” Jinsol said, motioning Jungeun to come to that side of the room so she can hold both her girls again before she had to leave the following morning.

---

Maybe asking for suggestions wasn’t Jinsol’s smartest idea.

Yeojin’s suggestion of dangling steaks from wires to lure wolves in was noted but not taken seriously. Meat was expensive and too precious to waste. Yeojin almost complained about how they had more than enough meat as Sooyoung was making more vegetarian meals than usual, using the excuse that her Aunt Jungeun was craving meat more.

Jungeun didn’t even bother shushing the girl, glad Sooyoung was experimenting in the kitchen to keep busy.

“That’s so weird, I’ve been craving steak like you too,” Jinsol whispered to her wife beside her.

Jungeun giggled and gave her attention to another one of Yeojin’s suggestions.

But Yeojin pressed on about shaving and eating wolf meat as an alternative. Haseul shushed her sister instead, not wanting to ruin anyone’s appetite. She could see Yerim grimace and leave her main course aside to pick at the side dishes.

Jinsol pulled something from her pocket when everyone - mainly Yeojin - ran out of ideas.

“Is that a blunt?”

Haseul slapped her hand over Yeojin’s mouth until Jinsol put the wooden contraption away.

“They call it a wolf whistle,” Jinsol explained, spinning it effortlessly between her fingers. “Some merchant gave it to us as a prototype but we’ve passing it around-”

“Mmmkkk mmm brrmt”

(Translation: like a blunt)

“And we can’t hear anything. Vivi, can wolves hear sounds we can’t?” Jinsol slid the one note flute to the physician.

Not picking the contraption, Vivi thought hard. “That is a theory but not enough testing has been done to prove it. There is evidence they have enhanced hearing as they can hear from distances humans can’t but that’s inconclusive as well.”

Inconclusive since humans didn’t see the need to find out more about wolves other than ways to slaughter them.

“May I?” Sooyoung asked, motioning at the whistle. Rather than getting up and walking to where Vivi was sitting or asking to slide it to her, she stood from her chair, bending over the entire table. Luckily her hair was short and didn’t get into Hyunjin’s or Yerim’s food.

Jiwoo shook her head in amusement.

Hyejoo facepalmed.

Just then a penetrating screech echoed into her ears and she doubled over, hitting her head on the table.

Sooyoung immediately dropped the whistle and the handkerchief she had used to cover the mouthpiece from cross contamination. Knights should be observant of everyone that could be affected before acting out. She would reread the training manual before bed.

“Did you not like the food sweetheart?” Jiwoo amended, rubbing up Hyejoo’s back, glaring at her wife.

Anyone would think it’s Jiwoo blaming her for her cooking.

Sooyoung sank in her chair, realizing she would have to work harder to be a better knight.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Chaewon asked, looking over at Hyejoo worriedly.

“It’s a high frequency undetectable to most human ears,” Vivi said, noting how three people at the table were straining to exhibit their agony - one in the more drastic of categories.

Hyunjin unclenched her jaw and reached under the table to hold onto her sister’s hand, seeing that Yerim was trembling but bouncing in a rhythm to hide it. The sound was grating but not to the point of collapsing. They looked over at Hyejoo who looked like she had just been punched in the gut repeatedly.

“I wonder if Haseul can sing that high,” Jungeun butted in, looking in pity at Hyejoo as well.

She must’ve gotten a spoiled part of the food. They’d look into stricter food regulations for delivery carriages later.

“Then the three of us can go on missions together. The knight, the queen, and the wolf whistler!” Sooyoung jumped up and down in her chair, trying not to make Yerim look like the odd one with her tremors.

She was also distracting the situation from Hyejoo as well. A consoling squeeze on her thigh meant a job well done.

Well almost.

“I think I’m going to finish up my filing,” Vivi said as she pushed herself away from the table and into her private room, nauseated with even the very idea of Haseul out on the battle lines.

---

“How is she?” Haseul asked, waiting in the hallway as Vivi closed Jungeun and Jinsol’s bedroom door.

It had been weeks since they’ve seen an attack and Haseul wasn’t even sure if Jungeun had one. Jinsol had only been gone a few hours and the castle was flashbacking back to a time of secrets and assigning shifts to check on the queen.

“Jiwoo’s in there right now. She said she is going to sleep there tonight to keep her company and I think I’ll join her,” Vivi said, hoping Haseul wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

She wasn’t trying to avoid another situation like their almost kiss but her job was calling her. In no time, she’d be getting requests for home and hospital visits. As there were no major ailments at the castle - she would consider Jungeun’s anxiety and Hyunjin’s grief dire too but the council wouldn’t recognize those as official diagnoses - she’d have to go out.

“Oh…” Haseul figured Vivi was trying to avoid her. “Look, Vivi, I don’t want to ruin what we have now.. This morning, a lot of emotions were running through me.. I was just overcome by them, I’m sorry.”

Vivi wanted to reach out to Haseul but she feared Haseul flinching away again. It was her job to fix problems - not that Haseul needed to be fixed - but this one, she had no solution to.

“What if I want you to ruin it?” Vivi asked gently.

It was not the time and place but she needed a concrete answer before she was buried in work.

“You don’t mean that,” Haseul mumbled out.

She wasn’t as avid a reader as their precious daughter, but she knew that grief sometimes made people act differently. Jinsol went on a war spree. Hyunjin closed Heejin off for years. Sooyoung had just confided in her that she would take the Head Knight position once Jinsol returned.

Vivi wanting her back was too much of a change.

It had to be the grief talking.

Sighing, both women returned to their separate rooms, realizing maybe their bond wasn’t as strong as they thought it was.

---

“That one’s yours.”

“And that one’s definitely yours.”

Jungeun and Jiwoo giggled among themselves as their wives were up to their usual antics: seeing how many chins they can make by crimping their necks. If they didn’t know the two were going to ride out tomorrow afternoon on a life-threatening mission, Jiwoo and Jungeun would’ve relaxed at the sight of their two favorite idiots.

With Vivi locked into the safety of her single bedroom, the two best friends felt like they could talk about their loves without feeling like they needed to walk on eggshells around their lovesick doctor.

Throwing an arm over Jungeun, Jiwoo watched their darling wives make the ugliest faces to win this chin competition. As the Ha family and Jung family met for the second time in their lives, Jiwoo noticed they were merging into similar lifestyles.

Jiwoo was never going to be a queen and Jungeun, never a handmaiden, but their current setup was marginally identical.

One mischievous but determined daughter.

One mother who handled their business at home.

One partner who rode off into the grim uneasiness of the outside world.

Jiwoo wouldn’t lie that she as much as she feared for her family’s life, she feared of also becoming too much like Jungeun. She had seen what too many tragedies in life could do to one’s mental status and while she was less pampered than the queen could ever be, she was afraid she couldn’t handle herself if she reached a breaking point.

“I’m guessing you won’t be sleeping beside me tonight,” Jungeun teased.

The queen saw that the Ha family was finally sitting on one side of the table during dinner. Hyejoo must’ve been so relieved not having to remember whose side she sat on last, keeping a mental list of tableside seating arrangements for the past few weeks.

Sooyoung and Jinsol stopped their chin competition and looked their way, Jinsol throwing over a wink. Jungune felt her cheeks heat up. She excused the hot flash as embarrassment.

“What? I don’t want you third-wheeling us either,” Jiwoo laughed, fending Jungeun off easily.

Maybe too easily.

Jungeun’s self-defense wasn’t as strong as before. Besides an overzealous citizen begging for more rights than the kingdom provided and an assassination attempt here and there, Jungeun didn’t need to work so hard to guard herself from outside threats.

(Internal threats made up for that splendidly.)

And as much as Jiwoo loved sharing with her friend, she didn’t want to lose her fighting spirit that kept Hyejoo and Sooyoung going. Even if she would be waiting in a castle, she needed to stay alert as if they were still living in their shacks and cottages across the land.

“Will you be alright?” Jiwoo asked in a soft voice.

Jiwoo waited for an answer she knew would never come. Jungeun’s small nod was short of assurance and Jiwoo understood. As monotonous their life was, every day was still a little different than the first. But she’d wait here for Jungeun to get better.

Wait for the war to be over.

Wait for Hyejoo to find her place (which she hoped she had found with the Dong siblings).

Wait for Sooyoung to get home.

Wait for everyone to be safe and sound and sane.

Wait for a happily ever after.

---

At the first ringing of the castle gates’ bells, Jungeun was out the double doors, hearing Yeojin scream something briefly. She was glad that Jinsol matched her in enthusiasm, flinging her helmet across the front lawn to catch her safely.

(Haseul tried to catch it but was knocked backwards.)

Engulfed in her arms in no time, Jungeun breathed her in shamelessly, sweat and grime be damned. By the strong sniffing from Jinsol, she grinned that Jinsol was unapologetic in breathing her in as well. They could feel the other let out the stress of the days apart dissipate over them as their hold on each other loosened.

“That’s a trio I didn’t know of,” Jinsol whispered.

“Chamomile, lavender, and valerian?” Jungeun listed, wondering if that’s what she smelled like more than her perfumes and soaps.

Jinsol shook her head, filling in the blanks why Jungeun had those roots running through her system.

“I’m talking about Hyunjin, Yerim, and Hyejoo,” Jinsol corrected, half-hoping, half-dreading why Jungeun was drowning herself in relaxants.

They held each other in the cold air, one that would’ve been filled with the hustle and bustle of preparing for the annual New Years celebration. But they welcomed this silence.

Jinsol saw Chaewon lean against the open doorway. Before she left, she had looked up and saw a silhouette look down from Chaewon’s window. Chaewon watched her leave. Chaewon watched her make the hard choice of letting Jungeun collapse on the castle steps to do her duty. Chaewon had been taking care of Jungeun in her absence.

Just like before.

But looking at a daughter who couldn’t even tell her her personal politics about wolves until provoked in their spa room, Jinsol remembered that Chaewon fit into their promise. Jinsol and Jungeun promised no more secrets. Not with each other.

Not from their daughter.

“How many attacks?” Jinsol asked, loud enough for someone else to hear.

Without glancing behind her, Jungeun knew it could only be meant for their third family member. Before, Jinsol was in slight denial. But this being one of their first conversations since her return, Jungeun knew this time it would be different.

“Three.”

Chaewon nodded solemnly. “Nothing major though. Mom managed them very well.”

As grim the topic was, the two moms couldn’t help but smile at Chaewon’s answer.

“And how many kil-I mean attacks on your end?”

They could practically hear Chaewon’s sharp intake of breath at the question.

(The three in the stable sure did.)

“None.”

---

Sooyoung looked over the map one more time. Jinsol had brought home an updated version with marks of wolf burrows.

The new (technically old) knight was mostly looking to see if Hyejoo’s hideout had been discovered. They had made plans to clear the area out but none of them had a good enough excuse to leave the castle on their own yet without looking suspicious.

But she was also seeing the areas Jinsol and her would be scouring.

“You know, you can take that with you. Just fold it up and put it in your plate,” Hyunjin said from the doorway.

Being of practically the same rank, she didn’t wait for permission to enter - neither should she as they were practically family as Jungeun would say.

“Is that where knights keep documents now?”

Sooyoung recalled them carrying knapsacks which weren’t always secured and often messed with quick turns when in combat. Pockets were more advisable but the suits were built for ornament, not practically.

“I have pretty good memory but I’ve kept a few documents there,” Hyunjin looked over the map as well, looking at the progress thus far.

(Hyunjin didn’t want to think about the last letter she tucked there, now ruined by the salt water she desperately swam in to get to the Kims. Yerim tried to salvage it but to no avail.)

“That comes from the wolf genes? The memorization?” Sooyoung asked, finding it strange to say that to someone other than her daughter. It explained Hyunjin and Yerim’s mother’s behavior the last time Sooyoung saw her.

“No, that’s just from training.”

They looked over the logistics in silence. Hyunjin would’ve discussed that Jinsol was one of the few knights that still carried an additional documents knapsack, filled with all sorts of folders. But Sooyoung would figure that out soon.

As the candle wicks grew smaller, Hyunjin folded up the documents in a way she knew would fit in Sooyoung’s uniform.The exited the room without a word.

The walk down the hall to their chambers was just as quiet.

“You’re never really prepared for what you’ll be faced with,” Sooyoung sighed. “No matter how much training.”

Hyunjin wasn’t sure what inspired Sooyoung to go on this rant but listened carefully. There was a hint that she wasn’t referencing this current mission.

“Have you killed wolves before?”

“Just one. Didn’t think I could do it to be honest.”

Little did they know, some residents with their doors ajar were all listening in. Jiwoo smiled bittersweetly at the two knights’ bonding moment. Vivi had stopped formulating a plan on how to prevent Haseul from prematurely volunteering her services in case Sooyoung’s suggestion at dinner inspired her. Haseul stopped worrying why Vivi was offended at the thought that she could be on the frontlines. Yeojin wanted the hot gossip. Yerim didn’t need to strain as they all wondered what Sooyoung was referencing.

But hearing Hyejoo and Jiwoo’s heartbeat remain steady meant this wasn’t a secret in the Ha family. Hyejoo was okay with her mother killing one of her kind.

There was much to learn about Hyejoo.

Like how Hyunjin felt about Sooyoung at this moment. She could only think of one incident where Sooyoung would’ve come face to face with a wolf. And when she arrived on the scene, there was only one wolf there barely clinging onto its life.

“When did this happen?” Hyunjin fished for details, not caring that they were at perfect hearing range from the rest of the castle.

“The night of Chaewon’s tenth.”

---

Sooyoung struggled to blink away the excruciating pain of being thrown like a ragdoll.

But Jiwoo’s screams and Hyejoo’s cries were harder to bear.

With her blurred vision, she saw three wolves poached outside the carriage, the bigger of the three pushing the two outside to want an up close view of the damage they caused inside. The fact that Sooyoung could still hear her family - as heart wrenching it was - still meant they were alive.

Which means the wolves weren’t trying to kill them? They didn’t even try to kill her?

And for what?

To derive sick pleasure from the slow death of humans?

Using her bent sword as support, she stood up shakily and saw two more figures join the party. Except these were human shaped.

Taeyang and Hyorin.

In an effort to save the Has in the carriage, they slashed at the wolves with everything they had. Either Sooyoung’s eyes were deceiving her or Hyorin was moving almost at the same speed as the wolves.

Taeyang made up for his lack of speed in pure adrenaline. 

Something Sooyoung wished she had right now.

They were lucky to get a few hits in, Hyorin flipping - Sooyoung was definitely seeing things - off her husband to land a calculating blow into the monster's chest. If they were able to flee after this, Sooyoung knew this one would be left behind.

Snapping out of whatever it was mulling over, the largest of the three beasts put the amateur fight to rest and gave the two knights a final slash across the chests. It motioned to the injured one to do the honors. Blood dripping down its snout, the injured wolf had newfound energy to throw the married duo towards the carriage, knocking it over on its side and partially burying them underneath, blood spraying the road. Jiwoo and Hyejoo tumbled out to the side of the road and Sooyoung choked back a cry.

Whose blood it was more of, Sooyoung didn’t want to figure out. If the Dongs weren’t dead yet, they would suffer a painful bleeding out.

The injured wolf stalked over to finish the job but the larger one stopped it, snatching something swiftly with its teeth from one of them and giving it to the injured wolf as collateral.

The smaller wolf greedily at the blood sleeping through the cloak the larger one gifted it .

(It would later be the same cloak that set off Hyunjin’s first wolf rage when she recognized it.)

It was a confused Sooyoung left with the means to ward off three strong freaks of nature.

Another cry from her wife and a wail of intense suffering from her child gave her the push she needed. With renewed energy Sooyoung staggered over, driving her sword deeply into the distracted larger wolf’s chest.

Turning around to finish the job, she saw her kicked victim struggling to lift itself to the safety of the woods, still maniacally at the cloak’s blood. And the lanky one running away, trying to carry its slain brethren with it. Sooyoung almost voiced out that it was dead already but didn’t bother.

Not like the beasts could understand her anyway.

Finding their fleeting presence insignificant, she tried weakly to lift the carriage. Maybe she could save them. Exhausted, she collapsed against the overturned carriage, keeping her sword at the ready. 

“Hyunjin…” Sooyoung huffed. “Yerim...I’m so sorry.”

Jiwoo crawled over, making sure Hyejoo was at least still breathing, wondering why Sooyoung wouldn’t look at her.

At them.

She reached out weakly to run her hand through Sooyoung’s hair. But Sooyoung cried harder, feeling unworthy to be touched by the hand of a woman she promised to protect for the rest of her life.

---

Chaewon let herself be entertained by the vapor in her breath as she breathed in the midnight air before getting back to business.

Yeojin let out a Brrrrrrrrrrrr-aaaaaaa, McQueen followed them out the stable and to the knights’ barracks entrance. 

(The story of McQueen’s naming traces back to a combination of the kids’ favorite delivery carriage and unable to choose their favorite monarch.)

The knights’ gates would be easier to lock up in silence - something Yeojin had been practicing while she visited the barracks - in case someone was on the balcony looking out into the castle grounds. Also, this particular gate opened to the woods making an escape less obvious.

Chaewon shot down Yeojin’s idea to sneak extra relaxants in their food to keep their family asleep longer than usual.

(Especially since her mother had taken some earlier the week to calm her churning stomach.)

The plan was brilliant if executed flawlessly. (Don’t ask Yeojin to relay it back, she did it twice in the stables to a satisfied Chaewon.) The castle residents would most likely sleep in as Jinsol and Sooyoung would need the extra hours before their four day mission. Vivi would not need a horse to ride out into the kingdom as it would be the day of the first full moon, thus the stables would be empty.

Unless that trio of friends wanted to sneak in an earlier whatever-they-were-doing hangout.

But Chaewon and Yeojin banked on them being back before the sun rose. The council, though powerful and threatening, feared a wolf attack as much as any citizen. Maybe even more so than citizens as they quarantined in their fortified castle that rivalled in size and grandeur than all castles combined.

Which means they would be forced to listen to what Chaewon would have to say, sending her on her way swiftly to protect themselves. And the council would not want to be responsible for any royal for three days or sending them back too late.

Lost in her thoughts, Chaewon didn’t realize they had crossed the castle borders and Yeojin had locked up. Those sleight of hand lessons came in handy after all.

“Ready Princess?” Yeojin called up from McQueen, waiting for Chaewon’s hand to hoist her up.

No more waiting.

Seeing Hyunjin put her life in the council’s hands to give Yerim a place to stay.

Seeing Hyejoo volunteer for a position to secure her parents’ stay in the kingdom.

Seeing Yerim risk a life of adventure outside to keep the castlehold intact.

Most recently, seeing Yeojin risk years of inexperience to fight in her aunt’s place.

But most importantly, hearing Heejin do the most unthinkable to save a crown she couldn’t even touch. The remaining of her peers, it was time Chaewon stopped waiting and answered to a greater purpose. Making sure one particular scroll was tucked into her sleeve, Chaewon pushed herself up and kicked her heels before Yeojin could.

---

“Relay it back to me so I know you understand it.”

“Are you serious right now?”

“I need to make sure you understand it.”

The frigid November air didn’t phase the trio as they waited by the edge of the road, sneering at how freely people rode around as if the full moon wasn’t out. These people were feeling safer as the number of attacks dwindled.

How naive.

“Are you sure it’s the royal carriage that left?”

“I CAN RECOGNIZE A ROYAL SEAL!”

“You sure Tao? You look like you’re lacking sleep.”

“My dark circles under my eyes are naturally like that!”

Another carriage drove by, sounds of merriment and joy seeping from its comfort. This was almost too good to be true. The trio almost felt guilty to attack a child but that was the plan - which they weren’t going to relay as they’ve done it multiple times today to appease their tall leader’s ego.

“And we’re sure the princess is in the carriage?”

“I smelled the expensive perfumes from my post.”

“Really? I smelled pineapples.”

“Will you two SHUT UP?”

“I thought you wanted us to relay the plan back to you, prime leader?”

“I’m not your leader. Do we need to go over how wolves are made?”

“I’m very aware. After all, I’m the one picked to infect the princess.”

“And she’ll answer your call. Just don’t ruin that precious jaw so I don’t have to pick up your slack," Kris warned, ruffling the shortest’s hair.

“I’ll try not to,” Luhan gritted his teeth.

Quiet befell them and they readied themselves to carry out the mission. Decades of discrimination and extermination had brought them to this drastic route.

“What’s on your mind honey?” They heard coming from the west.

An unfortunate royal family’s child was going to be spared but their bond was too strong to sympathize with this family’s future grief. Waiting for the world to turn in their favor had cost them too many members and time.

The preceding mission would mean waiting one more month if the job was done right but it would give them more than enough time to regroup and build their army.

The three wolves silenced their thoughts and didn’t mind waiting some more.

 

 

 

NEXT CHAPTER UPDATE: NEXT FULL MOON

Q (ourtuneisohigh): And we're back! Thank you for being incredibly patient with us this last month. I hope you are all doing well. You'll unfortunately have to wait another month for the next update but this'll give you a lot to mull over. And Heejin fans, don't think we haven't forgotten about you. Twitter

N (LazyNinja on ao3):  Hey readers, it's been a while and we are very happy to get back to the story. Thank you for your support over all this time. We know it's been a very trying time for everyone, we hope you are managing well in this difficult time. deep breaths, drink water, eat meals, try to sleep. we will try to keep this going well and give you all a nice distraction. Please let us know what you've thought of this update! did you see those cameos happening? Twitter | CC