When the envoys of the far off human kingdom bring their tributes to the Queen of the fae, they bring in a princess with them, veiled and frail. There’s a surprise among court, whispers floating around: human sacrifice isn’t a thing they do. 

Then Bora, wild and reckless princess Bora of the Wild Hunt, in court for once because it’s winter and thus all good prey is asleep, claims for herself the foreign princess, lifts her veil, and discovers a quiet girl. Her eyes look half dead, and she seems to feel a familiar mixture of fear and relief.

She’s seen that look in the face of every recruit of the Wild Hunt. She grins, wild, throws a bone at her mother - she always has a handful of them stuck in her hair anyway -, puts an arm around the girl and loudly tells anyone who can hear that the Hunt is going to come back earlier than expected.

The girl simply puts the veil back on her face as Bora handles her down to the wing where her court - her soldiers, her friends - rested, away from the intricacies of the bigger Seelie Court. Bora went because it was an important day and so on, but the poor fellas whose origins was that of common peasantry? What had they do with that? As their leader, it was Bora’s duty to be utterly bored by it. Also, deflecting a sophisticated plan of some poor fae looking to get her title. 

Bora had spent years honing herself and protecting the title she got in a bloodbath, and on the name of her mother, she wasn’t going to let anyone take it.

Maybe that’s why Jiu (she’s got Jiu on a fight a few hundred or so odd years ago, and she still refused to tell Bora her real name) looks at her like Bora’s brought a two-headed puppy instead of a human when she arrives on her court.

“Change of plans, folks.” She tells her hunters, as they rise their heads, Bora making her way to the throne she made for herself. With a little bit of magic, she does a small seat for the princess. “We’ve got new company. Do tell us your name, darling. We don’t bite. Much.”

A pause. The human princess takes off her veil, and reveals her face to the rest of her court. Jiu looks at her, nods once. Bora has no idea what that means.

“I’m… Handong.” She says, and her voice is clear as day. Bora smiles. “Your so-called plans are not to eat me, I assume.”

Not a question. Bora likes that.

“No, not at all. And if you must know, we, fae, don’t lie.” She grins, pointy teeth showing, and Handong gives her a quick nod.

She nurtures the girl. She gives her old war books to read, things she got after taking over any country that once had sparked her fancy. There’s always a surprise to Handong’s face when she presents those, like they’re rare copies of books long thought gone.

(Bora finds they are, in fact, exactly that)

 Giving Handong a dismissive wave, she tells the girl to read it and then to come meet her at her room. Jiu helps Handong a lot, helping her with the language of the centuries old books, but she knows Jiu is too entangled with Yoohyeon to cause Bora any sort of jealousy.

Handong, she’ll give her that, is a quick learner. She already knows chess, and so, she’s a darling to discuss strategies with. Maybe that’s why she kisses Handong in such a fervent manner, before taking her out of her rooms to go face her court. Handong is still dazed behind her, but the moment she steps in behind the throne in Bora's court, her face is schooled in a carefully bored look.

Bora can’t help but think she’ll make a good queen.

“Alright, folks, are we ready to topple the Seelie Queen?” She asks, and surprise etches itself in Handong’s face once more before she goes back to looking bored.

The crowd roars in excitement, and Bora looks at the girl she’ll call queen. The humans don’t know what they’ve lost.

She sits upon the Faerie throne with Handong on her lap, and smiles too sweetly at her new court, petting the girl’s soft hair. 

“You know, I do recall a few fair folk being sort of backstabbing, and I wouldn’t like that on my court.” She muses, and looks at Handong, who gives a good look over the crowd of trembling faeries. Jiu is holding a particularly howdy council member down by putting her sabre against his throat, and Yoohyeon, their little betrayer in the midst, is content by her side, rifling through his pockets.“Say, my love, what should I do with them?”

There it is, the surprise Bora loves to see on Handong’s face. She her head, inquisitive, and sweeps a glance over the crowd.

“The color of their blood should be quite pretty for the walls, I think.” She declares, and moans of despair fill the room, together with hoots of excitement from her hunters.

Bora smiles, too pointy, and kisses Handong with a softness she won’t spare for anyone else.