Underwater

Unfortunately, this blog is back on hiatus. I’ll be coming on every few days to check replies, but activity will be scarce. I’m up to my ears in schoolwork and I don’t have time to write lately. I’m sorry!

18 - Hip [ Royal AU ]

     Her golden hair was pulled over one thin shoulder, so perfectly shaped that he’d questioned how he’d missed this simple view of her until now. Then again, it was their first night of actually sleeping in a bed together. The night prior was a show that even peasants were warbling about. Kyungsoo thought he would die when the elders sat down to watch— he’d been a virgin, saved for royal union, but the pressure was increased tenfold when their first time was— well, monitored. 

       But, he’d survived it. His new bride had a plethora of natural grace that he didn’t, evident in the subtle gestures used to soothe him when she knew he was nervous. It helped. Now all was quiet, they were left alone, and Kyungsoo felt confident that he was the only one of the pair still wide awake. It was surreal; this beautiful woman was now bound to him, and he to her, but still he felt shy about giving affection. Twenty minutes marked his brain before he’d finally gathered the courage to touch her. It was soft, like the tiny brush of a silkworm, as his fingers dragged along her pale skin and traced the crease of bone. He went from her shoulder to her spine, finally stopping at the last notch buried under milky flesh.

       He checked once more to see if she’d moved - only a hair, he gathered, then maneuvered his way under the thick, pillowy blanket, his heart pounding through his ears as he pressed forward and kissed the first part of her body close enough to reach. His plush lips made contact with the back of her hip, lingering with a caution that melted into greed as he pressed another only centimeters away, then another, continuing until he settled at the curve of her spine. A gentle sigh escaped him and pooled like thin smoke against her shape, his forehead pressing to her back and arms winding over her stomach to draw her in close.

11 - Arm.

     The small box in Kyungsoo’s lap jolted when his ride came to an abrupt halt. His fingers fumbled for the precious item, eyes wide and lips parted to let out a startled noise. He caught the thing before it could spill its contents, muttering a curse under his breath and straightening the royal blue silk of his hanbok. The gama wasn’t comfortable. Kyungsoo detested riding in it since he was a child, but royal tradition would not allow its rulers to travel anywhere without it. The prince expected a mumbled apology from whomever had caused the rough stop, but there was only silence as the glorified wooden box was lowered. 

     He had arrived. Kyungsoo swallowed whatever lump rested at the root of his mouth and straightened with the posture of a king. He wasn’t yet, of course, but rules were still intact even this far away from home. The rice paper screen opened. A hand was offered. Kyungsoo took it without offering the servant any recognition and skillfully climbed out of the carriage with light steps. Thousands of people with foreign faces were gathered behind the neatened walkway to a lavish court. They all wore ridiculous clothing, in his opinion, but not entirely unlike the rags his own impoverished people donned during long work days. That added sympathy to his father’s argument of shipping him off to France. 

     Despite the pounding beat in his chest and the swarm of insecurities that threatened to shatter his skull, the young prince walked forward. His silk shoes pinched over the washed stone, gaze held high and straightforward, while hands hovered at his back. The people of France were silent. A union such as this was certainly the first of its kind; both sides were hesitant. Only the parents of their nations had seen great prosperity through marrying together East and West. It was evident through the many colored eyes that burned into the back of Kyungsoo’s robes. 

     He let out a silent breath of relief when he reached the steps of the grand structure. Awaiting him were King and Queen with faces like stone, and behind them, a princess so beautiful that Kyungsoo had to catch himself. His eyes pricked with interest, then lowered to the ground, his mind desperately trying not to race as he leaned forward into what felt like the deepest bow of his life, arms outstretching to bestow the box he had guarded so heavily on his journey across giant seas. He only lifted his stature when the royal couple accepted his gift. The formalities were hard to get through without sneaking a glance at the girl he’d traveled for. When the giant doors closed, the pressure of a thousand eyes had faded. Now there were six royal ones that weighed him down like rocks.