Prompt: The Swineherd, het!JongYu (Junghee)

Whenever the King took out on disguised trips to his Kingdom and beyond...he forever returned with valuable knowledge and precious antiquities. It was no different this time.

But his demeanour spoke otherwise.

It had taken Taemin no more than a glance to know what Jinki had lost amidst collecting riches.

His heart.

King Jinki was smitten and Taemin sighed in relief.

It was high time he bowed to a Queen.

Conquering lands may have been easy...but conquering a lady’s heart was not.

King Jinki paced around his chamber, deciding how he would approach her- deciding on what he would offer in exchange of a rendezvous.

“My every conquest.”

Taemin excused himself with a bow on hearing Jinki’s decision, leaving the King smiling to his handsome reflection.

He had confidence in his previous conquests...for those were the ones that had eventually led him to her.

Taemin led the way, the soldiers holding all the treasure Jinki had ever acquired walking in a queue into the court of King Kim.

Lining up ahead of the throne pedestal, bowing to the King and the Princess, the soldiers uncovered the treasures they had brought. Taemin stepped ahead, greeting the King, before finally bowing deeply to the Princess.

Though not much pretty, she was polite and pleasant; and when she asked him to rise, Taemin saw and realised what in her must have had Jinki so enamored.

Her smile.

He turned back to the King, “Your Majesty, King Kim! His Highness, King of the Lee Isles wishes to claim your daughter’s hand in marriage.” He then referred to the Princess, “Princess Junghee, His Highness has sent his conquests in your honor and requests a rendezvous with you, M’lady.”

Taemin waited for Junghee to respond, only to find the pleasantness of her face fade. She did not glance again at him nor at the treasures that lay in her honor and stood up. “I apologize, Sir. But I will have to refuse.” She excused herself, leaving Taemin wide eyed in confoundment.

But more confounded were the eyes of the one who stood, disguised, amongst the soldiers that had carried the treasures in.

Back at the Lee Capital, Jinki paced around yet again, his perturbed eyes on the trunks of his precious conquests, hinting at the whirls in his mind. There was a glint of anger in the pair, for never had Jinki brought back home defeat.

Taemin watched him seethe; he could do nothing to placate their King, for he was captivated by the Princess intensely. No man, save a lady, had ever induced this unsteady side of his.

He could do nothing again when Jinki set out on a disguised trip another time, towards the Kim Isles, taking the job of the stable boy in the Kim Palace.

Taemin watched Jinki live the life of lowly stature, his perturbed eyes on the Princess, gaining anger as he watched her further, for she smiled like nothing had ever transpired.

A shabby hat sat atop the mess of his hair, and he sat atop a pile of hay, watching as Junghee strolled around the gardens with her handmaidens. He had watched her stroll around every day, watched the cheer in her mien, felt his self writhe in perplexion and anger at her rejection. At a point, he had vowed to take revenge. Vowed to make the Princess pay for his lost pride with the loss of her own...but he had never meant any of his vows. For, though furor rose within him on seeing her merry, it never failed to set his heart racing as well.

There was something different in the stroll she took today, for the group of handmaidens had halted around her, discussing animatedly, before scurrying off in different directions, leaving the Princess with her palms covering her eyes, her sweet voice flitting in the air, reciting numbers.

She began to search- she was surprisingly quick, or the handmaidens were lousy, Jinki could not tell, but he found himself chuckling at the gullibility in her ways.

It was her turn to hide, and now Jinki could tell, she was not quick at all, for it took her the whole count to get herself up on the branch of a tree.

The handmaidens were indeed lousy, for they had glanced everywhere but a foot above, where the Princess sat, holding tightly to the low, thick branch. They gave up on the gardens and entered the palace, leaving Jinki watching the blue of Junghee’s gown from the gaps between the leaves.

He sighed, deciding to do some of the work he was supposed to, only to find her sweet, yet panicked voice call out for her handmaidens.

He waited at the hay pile for a while and gave up his ignorance on not finding anyone respond to the Princess’ calls.

He stepped into the shade of the tree and glanced where she had gathered herself, looking distraught over not being able to get down.

Their eyes met- her pleading eyes and his reluctant, yet modest ones. He lowered his gaze instantly, extending his arm to help her down.

She grabbed it gratefully and jumped down, landing nearly on Jinki, who grumbled, yet helped her up another time, “You are heavy.”

Her eyes widened at his comment, only to crinkle into an amused smile, “I must be.”

Jinki bit his lip, regretting his comment and excused himself before he could ridiculously spite her again in his childish sullenness.

“Stable boy!”

Jinki turned to her call.

“What are you named?”

“...Jinki.”

“Thank you, Jinki.”

Jinki watched her walk away, his stance frozen, yet his heart thumping like never before.

A mere expression of gratitude attached to his name, was all that it took, for him to let go of the bitterness his defeat had caused, for good.

He had been sure he had disguised himself, had sought to cross paths with her for the sole purpose of vengeance.

But watching her as the days went by, he realised, he had no such purpose at all. His vengeance had been his impulsiveness- his struggle to accept defeat, and nothing more.

It had been something else as well.

Why had she refused him?

The heart he could hear louder day by day, was eager to know her reason...but he dreaded, dreaded that her reason may shatter his heart.

“You were never this cowardly, Jinki.” He whispered to himself, but he shook it off and smiled.

He had lost count of all the things he had felt change within himself…

He knew he was in a state mercurial.

And the only he hoped was for the instant his cowardice would change and he could step towards her with every ounce of his courage.

He took to watching her in his idle time, watching her stroll, watching her read, or just watching her gaze at the sky.

She wore blue the most. From the soft shades to the bold ones.

Her long dark hair would come undone at the end of the day, and though Junghee fussed about it, having a handmaiden help her brush it in her balcony, Jinki thought he quite liked her hair askew, bursting out from the braids and pins and falling onto her forehead, giving an endearing charm to her fussy airs.

She sat in the garden one day, engaged in her book, while the handmaidens picked a few flowers. One of the younger handmaidens sat beside Junghee, a few flowers in her lap and after a tedious time, she jumped up, excitedly handing the Princess a crown she made from them.

Jinki noticed how it took no more than a second for Junghee to smile and cast aside the band of gold and gems; and have the young girl place the crown of flowers atop her head.

Watching her roam around wearing the inflorescent crown till it wilted, Jinki finally had a hint of her reason.

There came one day when Jinki had to break his gaze that watched Junghee relentlessly, for Junghee herself approached him, panting as she stood smiling before him.

“Jinki.” She whispered, “Help me hide.”

Jinki furrowed his brows but when he found a handmaiden roam around, counting as she glanced here and there, he understood the situation. He nodded and led her to the hay pile, behind which she hid and ahead of which he stood guard.

Handmaiden by handmaiden came asking, “Stable boy! Have you seen the Princess?” but Jinki shook his head, smiling to himself when he heard said princess’ soft chuckles from behind the hay pile.

He stood guard for long, putting up the pretense of sorting the hay. The handmaidens left defeated one by one and Jinki finally sighed and headed to the rear, to signal Junghee that she could now leave and win the game. But behind the hay pile, she had fallen asleep, snug against the hay, making Jinki smile.

He thought it was best to let her be, but her endearing sight made him sit by her side, shielding her from the few rays of the sun that spoilt the shade she slept in.

She woke up a while later when the breeze grew a bit stronger and glanced upon the palm shielding her from the sun, her eyes widening. She sat up and looked to her side, finding Jinki sway in mid sleep, keeping his hand raised to not harm her slumber.

She smiled and caught his palm gently before putting to rest by his side, her quiet gesture waking Jinki up.

She withdrew in embarrassment and so did Jinki, and Junghee was gone with a flustered bow, leaving Jinki’s heart hammering, wondering what may have conspired to make her steps so quick and unsteady.

But he raised his palm, reminiscing how her hand had felt against his own, before clenching his fist softly, a soft smile on his face.

Her touch was warm and gentle and Jinki knew it was the hint of how she must truly be.

There were times Jinki would climb up the trees to escape a few of his chores.

He was the King of a nation, but he had been raised well, being taught to do your own work and to help others do their own.

But he now preferred to laze around, watching blue robes and dark hair sway in the winds, hearing sweet chatter and painting a portrait behind his closed eyes when said owner of the blue robes and dark hair, was not around.

The brush halted at faint chatter, and he opened his eyes to glance below from the branch he had settled on.

Junghee and her handmaidens sat in a compact circle, embroidering handkerchiefs. The Princess was the only one struggling, yet she did not give up and finally rested back, letting the other girls have a look at the portion she had finished.

“Why is your rose blue, Princess?” One of  the handmaidens asked, making Jinki sit up alert as well.

“Have you forgotten? It is the lady’s favorite color!”

“But a rose can’t be blue!”

Junghee chuckled, raising her embroidered rose for them all to see, “Why not? It is now.”

“It is, Princess.” The handmaidens quitened with smiles and continued with their work.

Junghee spoke again after a moment of silence, starting on the leaves of her pattern, “To me blue is the color I remember my mother wearing last, blue is the color of my childhood bruises, blue is the color of the sky I forever stare at. To me blue is memory, affection, mistakes, lessons learnt, and dreams. That is why it is my favorite color.” She paused a while, “I read somewhere that a blue rose symbolizes love and I could only imagine how beautiful such a symbolism could be. Ever since then, I have wished to see a blue rose, but it does not exist, hence I chose it as my very first pattern.”

The handmaidens were taken aback and overwhelmed by her words.

And so was Jinki.

He waited for them to vacate the shade and jumped out of the tree, leaning on the bark as he watched Junghee enter the palace, carrying the handkerchief carefully.

A smile had grown on his face, a smile modest, a smile genuine, a smile of knowing, a smile determined to win her heart for sure this time.

Jinki had been restless for days, straining his mind to gather and grasp an idea to win her heart. He had long realized that a heart to be won could not be conquested, especially Junghee’s. And maybe having presenting her with his conquests, having compared her to them, had got him rejected.

He was lost during the days and stayed up nights, thinking of what he could do, what could shake her heart as much as she had shaken his.

And one fine morning he jolted up from his hay bed and hurried towards the market, having finally struck upon what he needed to do.

Taemin had been loitering around town during Jinki’s stay and on seeing his King’s frantic steps into the market, he joined as well, helping him without asking.

Jinki returned soon to the palace, getting his purchase inside the stable with Taemin’s help. Taemin was gone, giving up figuring out what Jinki was