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

 

Jiwoo wondered what she’d walk into tonight.

For the past few days, her heart melted each time she stepped through her front door. (They only had one door.) Sooyoung was helping Hyejoo improve her penmanship skills. Seeing her two favorite girls hunched over the table, their eyes adjusting to the growing darkness as the sun set, was the best sight to come home to after a long day at work.

Not like she was working hard anyway. Her infectious smile and friendly nature made selling produce very easy.

But not everything was meant to last as this night she walked onto Hyejoo threatening to break their wooden bench - that she balanced easily with one hand - if Sooyoung came any closer.

“It’s in your blood!”

“You’re the only one in our family to be one! Your argument is invalid.”

“Why are they teaching you such big words in school?” Sooyoung ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

Jiwoo dropped her bag loudly to signal an end to the fight or at least a timeout.

“What’s going on here?”

“Mom wants me to submit my name for knight training.”

Jiwoo darted her eyes between the two finally taking them in. Hyejoo was even heaving, a rarity for her. They must’ve been arguing for quite a while.

“Sweetheart, can I talk to you outside?”

Sooyoung gave Hyejoo a warning glare before joining her wife. It took her a whole week to finish that bench, Hyejoo better treat it well. Outside, Jiwoo was waiting with her arms crossed over her chest and brows furrowed. It would have been adorable if not directed at her.

“I thought we wanted her to pick her own career.” Jiwoo knew what it was like having to take over the family business so generations of her family’s efforts wouldn’t be for naught.

“And she can. There’s a variety of jobs knights can do,” Sooyoung knew what Jiwoo was getting at but it was time Hyejoo owned up to her acquired skills. "She could just do carriage search at the border."

Her conversation with Vivi earlier opened her eyes - even if it was really Haseul that did the inspiring. She didn’t want Hyejoo doubting herself and limiting herself to jobs because of fear. (No offense meant Haseul.)

“Then why?”

Sooyoung looked around to see if their nosy neighbors were listening before she gave all her attention to her wife.

“Hyejoo has never been able to know what to do with herself. Remember, she’s the one that quit school. The one that changed jobs faster than we would when she got too close to people, asking us when we’d move next.. I think she’s scared..”

“Of us?”

“Of herself.” Sooyoung corrected, not liking how Jiwoo’s voice cracked at the idea.

Jiwoo remembered what it was like when Sooyoung would venture off. Especially to the still uncharted northern mountain expansion what was deemed Exoland. She’d count the days using chalk and her bedroom wall, washing it afresh when she returned.

She wondered how Jungeun could possibly stomach it.

She should’ve gone mad by now.

(She already is, Jiwoo. Keep up.)

And as much as she hated seeing Sooyoung give up her lifelong career, a part of her was relieved that she didn’t need to be in that position anymore. Could she do the same for Hyejoo? But Hyejoo wasn’t Sooyoung. They knew not to use their daughter…

“Are you sure you’re not using her to fulfill your own dreams?”

Sooyoung felt like she was branded. The thought had never occurred to her but now that Jiwoo said it, she could see where it was coming from. She honestly only had her daughter’s best intentions in mind. Her speed, agility, and marksmanship could prove useful to protecting others.

“No, I would never,” Sooyoung took Jiwoo into her arms, smiling at the citrus smell she now carried everywhere she went. It was like before when they were still just idiots in love. “I just want her to be proud of herself.”

Hyejoo had a better percentage of returning home in one piece against any knight. Maybe even Hyunjin.

“Me too,” Jiwoo whispered into the crook of her wife’s neck, smiling at the smell of apple cider  polish she now carried everywhere she went. It was different but they were still idiots in love.

---

Sooyoung coughed after she downed another shot.

What number was she at now? She was as numb as she was when her back was sore. She actually missed the static feeling in her back. It was a nice reminder of…

“And what do we have here,” the knight next to her wolf-whistled. Jisung something. There were too many of them with that name so she resorted to that name for every knight she didn’t know personally.

At the far end of the bar, Jiwoo waited for her order. She couldn’t read the menu so asked the bartender to get her whatever their most filling dish was. With the influx of money the Kim kingdom granted them, her family could now eat three square meals daily and afford the food made outside their home. No more “there’s food at home” excuses. Her parents were supposed to meet her there but were running late.

Sooyoung looked over the head of Jisung #4 at the awkwardly smiling woman.

She didn’t like how familiar the feeling was seeing a woman alone at a bar like that.

Before Sooyoung knew it, a few members of her cohort started to circle the young woman, asking for a dance, to pay for her order, or to have a conversation with her. She was a heroine - they all secretly doubted her - so they wanted to pay their respects. Jiwoo denied them as politely as she could, looking at the bartender for help but he was too busy talking to a few swindlers whom were trying to talk themselves out of the bill.

“Sorry but I’m waiting for someone.”

“A suitor?”

“No, my parents..”

“So you don’t have a suitor?,” Jisung #7 said.

Sooyoung swallowed her pride to admit that Jiwoo was more than capable of defending herself. Their brief meeting in the castle hallway was first hand evidence of that.

But taking on a pack of werewolves was not the same as a horde of knights.

Werewolves were terrible beasts but a group of knights without the company of a woman for too long was just as dangerous.

“Leave her alone!” Sooyoung was going to get it now.

The knights sneered at her. They already had a vendetta against the girl playing knight who was promoted to castle guard too quickly. Something about the new generation of royalty being more accepting with women knights.

“She’s with me,” Sooyoung announced a bit unconvincingly. 

If Jiwoo didn’t want to speak to her after this evening, she could not blame her.

What she didn’t expect was the farmer to leave her seat and take the empty one Jisung #2 had vacated next to Sooyoung.

Jiwoo was more than capable of fighting them but something stirred within her when she heard Sooyoung defending her. And thankfully Sooyoung didn’t associate with this group of knights. She knew Sooyoung was one of the good ones.

“She’s right. I’m with her,” Jiwoo bit her lip, hoping one day the statement would ring true.

(So did Sooyoung.)

---

Heejin had never seen anyone eat so much.

Even Hyunjin couldn’t beat this girl’s voracious appetite.

When Hyejoo first joined their class, she served herself last during lunch, taking whatever was left. But when Haseul, Vivi, and even Jungeun (barging into the classroom during music lessons) told her to eat to her heart’s content, Heejin was pretty sure Hyejoo had grown multiple stomachs.

Like a goat or cow.

A fact she only knew because the inside cover of her illustrated novels had fun facts.

Hyejoo looked up from her meal to see all of the castle residents staring at her. Chaewon at least had the decency to look away but found herself face-to-face with a blank wall.

“I’m sorry.. I just eat a lot,” Hyejoo pushed her plate away, embarrassed by her behavior. She began humming a light tune to signal she was done.

(A habit Hyunjin noticed right away, wondering where the noise was coming from, ready to strike an intruder.)

She tried eating more for breakfast but her metabolism was fast. She also didn’t want her parents buying more food for her even if they were making far more money than ever before. (She was sure the queen - the one that was always home - had something to do with it.)

“No, we’re sorry for staring. Besides the more work I do in the kitchen the better,” Heejin said, pushing the plate back with a kind smile on her face.

With the two biggest eaters on duty a lot, she didn’t cook much anymore. Heejin was sure dying of boredom was a thing no matter what Teacher Vivi said.

“Yeah, ever since Hyunjin went all Two Musketeers with Aunt Jinsol, Heejin has been cooking less. Thought she was going through it like Aunt Jungeun has been,” Yeojin jabbered with stuffed cheeks.

“No offense Chaewon, we love your mother,” Yerim saved.

“But now that you’re here, food galore,” Yeojin concluded, thanking Yerim with a nod.

Heejin glared at the youngest.

How did she get a hold of her Three Musketeers novels?

Heejin was too deep in thought to feel someone’s feline eyes on her pondering if what Yeojin said was true. What did she mean by “going through it?,” Hyunjin thought.

“Heejin, what is this by the way?” Yerim diverted.

“Breaded chicken s with a tomato and vinegar reduction for flavor.”

“I’m going to call it chicken nuggets and this sauce tastes like a grill so barbecue sauce,” Yeojin bastardized. 

Heejin wanted to slap Yeojin upside the head but Hyunjin beat her to it. The cook sent the knight a thankful smile that went unnoticed.

(Like every other look they shared nowadays.)

Hyejoo didn’t want them pitying her. When she secured a career of her own, she should be able to provide for her parents and herself. Hopefully, a high salary job at the rate she eats.

Hyejoo ignored the voice in her head that whispered “knight” anytime she thought of a job.

But the occupants seated at the table only wanted her to live well. And to live well, one had to eat well. So when Chaewon pushed her plate back towards her - telling everyone at the table to look at their own plates for now - Hyejoo ate until she was actually full.

---

Hyejoo patted her pockets happily.

As the underdog, she had beat everyone in her generation in the Shin kingdom at arm wrestling. Including their precious prince Taeyong, winning his prized knight card collection along with money.

Her family was going to eat well tonight. 

Maybe she could pawn the cards off too.

What even were knight cards?

“Halt, Ha Hyejoo!” A shrill called behind her, causing her to freeze in place.

Only two people in this entire kingdom knew her by that name. She turned around slowly, hoping that each second that passed made her mother less and less angry with her. But her mother was pink and loud.

A good sign if it followed a compliment.

A bad sign if it followed a yell like that.

“What is this I hear about you winning an arm wrestling match against everyone?” Jiwoo screeched, each word louder than the last.

“Mom, I---”

“You don’t think people will develop theories as to how you beat all the knights-in-training--”

“They wanted to--”

“Then what happens then?”

“MOM, THEY LIKE ME!” Hyejoo screamed back, immediately bowing after yelling at her mother.

Jiwoo’s face softened. They had only lived in this kingdom for three months, all of them going by aliases - Chuu, Yves, and Olivia -  to keep their identities hidden. Just when they thought they could start over, word got out of an amazing feat no one in the village has done village.

Hyejoo deserved some semblance of a normal childhood. She could count on zero hands how many friends she had. At least Sooyoung and Jiwoo had each other. Hyejoo had no one her age to play around with, gossip with, even get in trouble with.

“Hye,” Jiwoo apologized. “I don’t want people treating you like a circus act..”

“I know, Mom. I won’t do it again. Promise.”

Her mother gave her a gentle hug as they tried to do often after an argument. Jiwoo feels the weight in her pocket and chuckles, “So how much did you manage to win?”

Hyejoo grinned and pulled out her winnings to show her moms. 

“Oh my gosh are those Dalcom Knight cards? I haven’t seen those in forever!” Jiwoo gushed.

“What are they?” Hyejoo examined the cards, “The Prince said they were his prized collection but I don’t understand what these are?”

Taking the stack of cards in hand Jiwoo began to explain, “These are collectable cards of the kingdom’s knights. They are a way for the kingdom’s residents to learn about the people who protect and defend them on a more personal basis.”

Holding up the top card she went on, “On the front is a photo of the knight with their name and rank. The back has that knight’s kingdom and a blank space for a signature.” Turning the card around to the back showed the Shin Kingdom’s crest and name with a signature reading ‘Wonho.’

“Hmm...did Mom used to have one?” 

“She did, wonder if the prince has her card, she was pretty highly ranked you know--” Her praise of her wife stopped as she shuffled the cards to the last one in the stack. A noticeable look of shock on her face at the sight.

A blonde woman was on the front looking posh and important.

Someone who they hadn’t seen in years.

Someone who looked oddly familiar to the youngest Ha. 

“Do we know this person, mom?”

They did. 

But not this version of her.

---

It would be one of the last archery lessons before the cold season hit.

Hyunjin and Chaewon were hitting target after target without a blink.

Heejin was a little confused but she got the spirit.

Yerim wasn’t even holding the bow in the right direction.

Yeojin all but gave up and resorted to javelin much to Haseul’s annoyance.

Hyejoo attributed her success to beginner’s luck. In order to keep the current consensus that she was an ordinary girl, she purposefully missed every third arrow, sure not to shatter a window, statue, or bust. But she fell into a comfortable rhythm and soon she was matching Hyunjin and Chaewon.

“Who taught you how to shoot?” Hyunjin asked, ending her question with another bullseye.

“My mother. She used to be a knight.” Hyejoo aimed for inside a flower bed.

“Oh right, sorry about that.” Another bullseye.

“No, don’t be sorry. She spends more time with us now which is great for our family. My mom loves it.” Hyejoo was a meter off center.

Hyunjin knew that wasn’t a subliminal message - the new girl barely knew her situation - but she was still burnt by it. A flash of her parents went through her mind, making her shake her head.

“I think that it’s noble of her,” Chaewon joined.

“More noble than a knight?”

“There’s more ways to be noble than donning armor, Knight Hyunjin.”

“You’re right, I apologize,” Hyunjin ended their conversation with a courteous bow.

Hyejoo was amazed by how much respect Hyunjin got. Not that Chaewon was a tough princess by any means. She cared for everyone. But around town, everyone knew Hyunjin. They admired her. They respected her. They adored her.

All for her brawn and bravery.

Which Hyejoo would admit she had too.

(She was a bit of an egoist.)

Maybe she could be a knight.

And a good one at that.

---

“Halt!”

Hyejoo stopped in her tracks. She really should’ve asked for directions before her mom gleefully sent her on her way.

(“Go get her tiger!” Jiwoo winked playfully to cheer her on.

“Wrong animal, Mom,” Hyejoo joked, feeling much better. It was hard not to when a ray of sunshine was your mother.)

Stopping on the staircase to the third floor where she thought Chaewon was, Hyejoo puffed her cheeks out. She did not have a good alibi for this and having no real connections to the royal family - “My parents are their friends who they thought were dead” - she wasn’t sure how to talk herself out of this one.

Hyunjin gripped onto the intruder’s shoulder, turning them around aggressively.

She couldn’t mess up again. That night at the pub with Haseul still scarred her.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Uh…”

Hyunjin scrutinized the culprit, mentally seeing if they were on the “most wanted list.” But this person’s profile didn’t fit any description she was hunting for. Taking a deep breath, she now had to test if they were a…

“Hyejoo!” Heejin called out. “Chaewon’s looking for you.”

“Hyejoo?” Hyunjin questioned. “Ha Hyejoo?”

“Hello,” Hyejoo waved with the arm Hyunjin wasn’t cutting the circulation off of.

Hyunjin released her hold on Hyejoo. Both of them straightening their composures as Heejin watched with an amused smile at the top of the staircase. It was usually her caught in an awkward situation so she soaked in the moment before her.

“Sorry. I knew you were here but I didn’t...know.”

“No, I shouldn’t have been stalking the princess.”

“You’re stalking the princess?”

“No, that is an exaggeration..”

“So you’re not stalking the princess…”

“More like looking for…”

“Chaewon’s on the balcony,” Heejin intervened.

“Which one?” Hyejoo asked. 

“We only have one balcony now, Hyejoo,” Hyunjin answered for Heejin. Hyunjin wished for this reunion almost as much as everyone else in the castle. The princess deserved happiness. Or at least closure.

“Permission to see her?” Hyejoo asked, one foot already on the step above her.

Heejin and Hyunjin shared a look - this was about Hyejoo and Chaewon, not them, don’t get excited - recalling how broken Chaewon was when the court wanted to overturn the Has’ missing standing to declared dead.

Legally: death in absentia.

“Permission granted.”

---

A gentle knock on the door took the students’ out of the concentration. They were taking an exam, Hyejoo at the teacher’s desk to orally give her answers to Vivi.

(Yeojin was leaning over her desk listening to try and get the answers.)

All eyes turned to see Jungeun at the door, more excited than usual. For a majority of the room, it was a welcome sight. There was a time Jungeun didn’t have her lion smile on her face, her laughter a rare commodity. So seeing her like this was a treasure.

“Sorry to interrupt.”

All heads shook their head no. She could never interrupt.

“May I speak with Hyejoo?”

And before Hyejoo could look at her teacher, she was shoved out the door.

She followed Jungeun until they were in the gardens, standing among flowers buds, hibernating for the approaching winter season. The Jung garden wasn’t in full bloom, its trees bare and grass wilted. The fish that swam in the pond and streams had immigrated inside the castle - Jinsol having built a system of indoor tunnels so the fish could swim freely even in the winter. 

“What is it, Your Aunt Majesty Jungeun?”

Jungeun chuckled at the name.

“I saw your name on the knight candidate list for approval.”

Hyejoo was actually going to crush her mother with her bed when she got home.

“Jiwoo put it down.”

Hold that thought.

“I didn’t know knighthood was of interest,” Jungeun looked at the girl, trying to see if she was right to question it. But who was she kidding? She knew nothing about her. She missed out on so much of Hyejoo’s life.

“It is,” Hyejoo lied.

“If you’re anything like your mother Sooyoung, you’ll be one of the best. I know it. She protected me very well.”

“You ran away under her watch.”

“But then your other mom protected me. My running away was my fault anyway.”

(Not Jinsol’s, never Jinsol.)

“I’ll have to make sure I keep you here at the castle,” Jungeun chided.

The Jung castle.

The place where Hyejoo was born and spent a few years plus two birthday evenings at.

The place where her parents wished they raised her.

The place where she felt more at home and actually accepted as who she is by people that weren’t of blood relation.

She knew that if she took the candidacy, her aunt(s) would find a way to station her here so her parents could eventually move back in. And stability was all she ever wanted for them.

(And deep down, for herself.)

“That is very kind of you Your Aunt Majesty Jungeun,” Hyejoo thanked. And with each growing word, she was more convinced her mothers would get their happy ending after all.

Jungeun sighed lightly in satisfaction. It would be nice to have their original family back together again. She was starting to feel lonely. When was Jinsol due back again?

“Oh looks like a full moon tonight,” the queen gazed at the raising moon looming over the autumn clouds.

Hyejoo froze.

She had been so focused on school, she completely forgot to track the lunar cycle.

Jungeun should be the last to find out, given her history.

“I just realized, I must go,” Hyejoo apologized. “Please tell Teacher Vivi I will finish my test when I get back.”

Jungeun understood. It was best Hyejoo travel back before it was completely dark outside. If Jinsol were here, she would assign a guard for her but so far, Hyejoo had been making it back safely. If Jungeun sent someone with her, they’d have to come back alone and that defeated the purpose of an system.

(Sending Hyunjin and Minho together, the best knights, was out of the question. Last time she sent the best knights together, they didn’t come back.)

Jungeun waved Hyejoo off, enthusiastic that she would one day get to know the girl she saw as a niece.

Another student picked up on the end part of that conversation - having finished the test early - now knowing what to do during her time off duty.

---

“I’m going to make the kingdom safe!”

Hyunjin pounded proudly on her chest and presented a series of wrestling poses.

Even the lake view couldn’t tear Heejin’s eyes away from the new (embarrassing) knight candidate.

Hyunjin was quite young to be considered but her parents’ place in the kingdom allowed her to train early. She would start with small jobs before being in her parent’s positions.

Heejin hoped it would be years before then. With Taeyang and Hyorin’s skills, they would hold their positions until retirement which meant Hyunjin would have to be transferred elsewhere. Heejin didn’t know much about the kingdom she left - Queen Jungeun’s former home - having grown up in the Jung kingdom since she was a toddler. Her parents were lucky they were allowed to take her with them. But what if Hyunjin was transferred there or somewhere further?

“It’s going to be so great, Heejin. I’m going to travel and ride a horse and save people and eat everything,” Hyunjin jabbered.

Heejin tugged the hyperactive girl down.

“And you’re going to come with me.”

“Me?” Heejin asked incredulously. Are they sure Hyunjin passed the mental test?

“Yeah, who else is going to make sure I eat well,” Hyunjin retracted.

She couldn’t let the girl know about her small crush on her. It was too soon. They still had some of their baby teeth.

She was allowed to bring Heejin out thankfully. Heejin lost her parents recently. Hyunjin was doing all she can to distract the orphaned girl from her grief. Her own parents were checking the perimeter before the princess’ fifth birthday, allotting the girls their privacy. She hoped that once she was a knight, she’d be able to bring Heejin to further locations.

When she was a knight, she was going to show Heejin the world.

---

Untouched.

Hyejoo exhaled a huge sigh of relief, checking out her space.

Her den was situated not far from where she transformed for the very first time. That little cottage by the stream her parents raised her in was ramshackled thanks to a raid. They were thankfully long gone by then.

Situated between spruce trees, Hyejoo carefully dug her den so that the back of it faced a cliffside. If ever ambushed, she would be able to see them coming and her inhumane traction would allow her to slide down the cliff faster than any human could follow. Like her archery skills at school, she gave the den rough touches so as not to give her true identity. 

Wedged in the entrance, she stuck fallen leaves so it would look like it had been vacated. Outside, her den was comprised of leaves, branches, and twigs.

But the inside made an architect's dream.

Hyejoo packed in the walls with clay to provide extra warmth - Jiwoo’s idea - and stuck sharpened branches around it to pierce those who wanted to tear it down - Sooyoung’s idea.

One had to crawl further in to find there was just enough room to stand, supported by wooden beams she took from their vacated cottage. The extra height wouldn’t be necessary in a few minutes away. 

Tucked away in a small compartment were two blankets - both of her parents’ ideas. One was angled differently on purpose so she knew if anyone paid her space a surprise visit.

Or raid.

Hyejoo had made it without trouble - paying her mothers a short visit. If Aunt Jungeun didn’t look up at the sky, she wasn’t sure if she would’ve made it on time. It placated her that Jinsol was doing diplomatic duties and Hyunjin was on vacation. 

Relaxing underneath the blankets - one from her mothers, the other from Chaewon many years ago - Hyejoo closed her eyes, focused on her breathing, and waited for her transformation.

---

“MOM, MAKE IT STOP.. PLEASE!”

She rattled the cage her parents had to locked her in. Her bones were expanding underneath her skin, her body temperatures boiling, her adrenaline rushing. Tears were streaming down her face as she begged her parents to do something about this excruciating pain.

How was she supposed to survive month after month of this?

Jiwoo was told not to touch the cage no matter what but how could she stand by and watch this happen to her precious child? How could any mother? She consumed her own pain and tried to look at her daughter to tell her that it was okay, her moms were here.

They’d always be here.

Gone were her daughter’s beautiful dark brown eyes. Now they radiated a piercing, golden honey.

It had been years since she came face to face with one of them but this one she wouldn’t roundhouse or flip or punch or throw. This was still her daughter.

“CAN’T YOU DO ANYTHING?” Sooyoung begged to the third adult in the cottage.

They had helped construct the cage for them, having experienced an almost wolf-transformation once for a dear friend. A double matrixed cage, the outer layer coated with silver. But not too much because Hyejoo was still a little girl.

The third person sadly shook their head.

The bite mark was too deep. Hyejoo’s little body absorbed too much of the wolf’s saliva without a fight. Tonight would be the first transformation of many.

Sooyoung joined her daughter and wife in their cries.

The silver stake bouncing as she threw it to the floor.

Before she carried pockets of those weapons but she would never let anything of that kind touch her precious daughter.

---

Hyunjin liked fighting alongside Jinsol. Beneath their icy exteriors were goofballs. (Sometimes Jinsol took it too seriously but Hyunjin always snapped her out of it.) But tonight, she was on her own. She had to be alert no matter what.

There were times when Jinsol would be called to a meeting or needed to do something “boring” so would send Hyunjin ahead. They never told anyone in the castle of that for fear that someone - especially a certain physician, teacher, and queen - would not approve of solo excursions.

Leaving her horse tied to a tree, she headed deeper and deeper into the woods. She was far from civilization, passing an abandoned cabin a hundred paces ago.

The strange interior of the cabin distracted her from her target in sight. It looked like any standard shack except a large, rusty cage in the corner of the room.

There was no evidence besides the cage indicating what kind of family could’ve lived there. 

She wasn’t playing favorites. She would do this with anyone. And with how close Hyejoo was growing with the castlehold, she had to make sure she could trust her. But something odd about Hyejoo’s vehement demand to leave Aunt Jungeun’s presence left a sour taste in . She shouldn’t have overheard their conversation but her ears were well-trained to pick out certain sounds over others.

It felt normal following her, seeing Hyejoo greet her parents sweetly while they worked in town, helping Jiwoo stack the empty crates so her mother wouldn’t have to do so, then throwing Sooyoung’s tool belt around the highest rafters to aggravate her. After, the new student didn’t head in the direction of her house.

She was heading past the Jung kingdom border.

From what she knew, the Has weren’t sociable people so who could Hyejoo be visiting?

Hearing a twig snap, Hyunjin whipped her head towards the sound.

It followed a fawn’s bleat.

Then a squelch. 

Drawing her sword, Hyunjin approached cautiously.

---

Jinsol has lost all faith in her.

Ever since she unleashed herself at the pub to defend Haseul’s honor, Hyunjin became the counterexample for knighthood. Stripped of her crest and told to turn in her uniform, she was demoted to messenger duty until Jinsol could properly transfer her.

(Even Jungeun couldn’t help. The longer she stayed in the town, the more the town distrusted the monarchy.)

So when the opportunity presented itself, she had to take it.

She gave the horse a tearful goodbye and led it roam an open rice field. A sacrifice must be made in order to secure her and Yerim’s spot in the castle. She looked up, applauding herself for getting the moon cycle correct. 

At the first werewolf that approached, Hyunjin rolled up her sleeves. 

For most people, it was a death trap but Hyunjin knew what she was doing. The less weapons she used, the more the town would be impressed.

---

The werewolf her lips as she finished off half of her first kill of the cycle.

Blood dripping down her teeth, she relaxed against the tree and let the autumn air blow away the smell of death. Being smaller in stature, she didn’t need much to satiate her needs so would eat the other half the next day.

She recalled the conversation she had days prior about her appetite. Ironically, her hunger as a wolf was less intense. She didn’t do much anyway while she was out here. The extra carbs weren’t needed.

(Neither were the extra blankets but how could she part with them.)

The less time she spent outside, the safer.

Some breaded chicken with tomato and vinegar reduction would be good right now for dessert.

Hiding the leftover carcass, the wolf began humming.

To anyone listening, it would’ve sounded like a cacophony of whimpers.

But to the only person in this neck of the woods, the tune was familiar, having heard it at the lunch table after meals for a while now.

In an unprecedented move, Hyunjin resheathed her sword.

---

Jiwoo was running out of fingernails to chew on.

Looking at Sooyoung, her wife sat on her hands and looked at her incredulously.

“What’s yours is mine” did not apply in this situation.

They haven’t seen their daughter in five days and four nights. And in those three nights there was a full moon.

What if something happened to her?

That new coalition, whatever they were called, what if they got a hold of her?

What could they trade to get their daughter back?

Twelve knocks.

Jiwoo ripped opened the door to their small cottage. Sooyoung covered the cage with a blanket in case it wasn’t...

Hyejoo, hair tousled and clothes dusty, did her best to give her parents a reassuring smile.

Only to be pulled in quite violently by them.

“Where have you been?”

“Do you know how worried sick your mother has been?”

“You’ve been worried too, Sooyoungie.”

“That’s besides the point.”

Hyejoo couldn’t hide her grin despite the lecture she was getting. Never before had she felt so free and in control while in her wolf skin. The wind rushing through her fur, the absence of eating off a cold concrete floor, stargazing at night with her enhanced vision.

It was exhilarating.

It was liberating.

It was going to give her mother a heart attack.

She explained her adventures to her parents, rinsing the blood from in their basin with a sage grout and salt solution. Scrubbing the mixture hard with a washcloth, she hoped to turn around to her parents with a new mindset. But they looked more worried than when she stepped in.

“Are you going to do it again?”

Hyejoo wanted to. She really did but she didn’t want her parents losing sleep and sanity when she was gone. She was almost a teenager so shouldn’t she be taking more responsibility for herself? Not just her human side.

“I won’t if you don’t want me to,” Hyejoo gave up.

Sooyoung and Jiwoo looked at each other and then their tiny (blanketed) cage. Hyejoo would outgrow it soon.

Maybe it was time they outgrew their overprotectiveness too.

---

“Good work fellas...”

“Ahem…”

“...And Queen Jinsol. Until next time,” the head of council dismissed the forum.

They were thinking about extending the number of back routes to each kingdom but for some that were separated by tributaries, that required bridge-building and the bigger issue was how to fund it. Then someone said the expense of trees could do much harm to the environment, which was brushed aside as a red herring. Minho was on duty protecting the castle and Jinsol went in his place.

(She had important research-based errands to run before this anyway and the closer she got to the knights, the easier this would be.)

Being the only monarch there, Jinsol only wanted to stay for discussions about her kingdom’s connection to the three closest to her - Moon, Choi, and Park - but they just kept talking and she didn’t know how to excuse herself.

“Care for a drink, Your Majesty?”

“I best be heading off.”

But as she looked out the window at the full moon, she thought otherwise. Looks like she had to spend another day in the guest room of the Shin kingdom. The rest of the dispatch council left the room, less affected by the lunar calendar than she was.

That evening, she rejected the mistress the council sent her way as a parting gift. Thinking back to her own adulteress parents, she knew better than to follow in their footsteps. If she didn’t love her wife, she might’ve reconsidered. (And maybe she should be more open-minded at why her parents were unfaithful towards each other. Jungeun and her found love. Not them.)

That didn’t mean she shouldn’t put the mistress’ efforts to waste as they shared a dinner together, making sure the woman had more to eat than her.

Not like word of this would get out. It was customary for royals to have affairs outside of their arranged marriages.

But not her.

A page after her dutiful note taking, had one woman’s name written from margin to margin. A woman who was far too magnificent to even make Jinsol consider having an affair. Over the years, she had written this name more than she’d said it aloud to the owner of it. She wanted the opposite to be true but she was doing all of this for the name for her.

Heavens, did she miss her dearly.

Wishing the woman a good evening and making sure she got to her horse safely, Jinsol returned to her notepad. With one final brush , finishing the heart around the name, Jinsol blew out her lamp.

Jung Jungeun.

Jung Jungeun.

Jung Jungeun.

How many pages did her name fill out this notepad and the ones before it?

Turning her head to look at the damned moon, wishing it could change its shape just so she was one day closer to being home, Jinsol whispered into the dead of night.

“I’m sorry, my love. I will be with you soon.”

 

NEXT CHAPTER UPDATE: THE NEXT NEW MOON

Q (ourtuneisohigh): We love the good family dynamic the Ha family has, so why not disrupt it a bit with Jinsol's homecoming. (Lowkey wish I had a knight's card of her, or any card for that matter. Anyone wish to buy me a season's greeting?) In terms of writing dynamics, N is more of my beta and head smacker when I go too far but they contributed to the writing this time and I'm so proud. Thanks for reading and for all the support. If you would like, share your thoughts and predictions, it's about to get wild. Twitter | CC

N (LazyNinja on ao3): Hey everyone, hope your full moon is going well and you enjoyed this chapter. I helped write a bit this time so I am a tad nervous about it. (Wish they could make a knight card for the teachers.. Viseul ranked S pls) Do let us know what you think abou the story so far. Thanks again for reading, stay hydrated. Twitter | CC