Mrs

Summary: You leave behind your small village to become a knight for the royal palace. The only catch; no one can know you’re a woman. When you’re sent on the journey of a lifetime with the crown prince, you find fate has much more in plan for you.

Tags: Fantasy/Medieval AU, romance, friends to lovers, slow burn, angst, the gf is much cooler than the bf

Warnings: Details of fights/violence, trauma, dealing w/ mental health

CHAPTER ONE—

It had been a long time since you had felt the wind in your hair.

Sitting outside the walls of the ancient castle, you peered out at the capital of Emora seated at the base of the castle hill. The intricate marble architecture, the streetlights illuminating the landscape, and the seemingly never ending stream of wandering people. Moments of peace like this were hard to find those days.

As the sun began its descent in the azure sky, you quickly braided your hair and tied it up with an old piece of twine. As you took a deep breath and grabbed your helmet, the cool metal on your face reminded you of the weight of your responsibility. The weight stays on your chest as you quietly walk back to the castle's outer wall, opening the gate with a key only given to those who live inside. You take one last look at the setting sun as you walk inside the courtyard, back to the life you now call your own. A life of secrecy, yet a life of the only freedom a woman in these times can know.

It had been 3 years since you had left home. Liathren was the name of the small village you had been raised in. The village was quaint, for those in the realm who dreamed of nothing but a warm meal and a small family to come home to at night. Your father, a blacksmith, was not unused to being around war, violence, and the horrors of battle. Drafted into the army to create blades for elite warriors, he came home a changed man. The certain light that your mother had fallen in love with, was gone in the six months that he had been in the Southlands camp. It hadn’t stopped you from sneaking into his workshop at night, teaching yourself how to fight like the boys in Liathren. You dreamt of a life of battle, adventure, to see the world and conquer all it had to offer. A life where you could make your own money, not the money of a man’s. A life where you could go where you please when you wanted to.

That’s why when your mother brought a possible suitor for you to the house, you knew you had to escape.

Being a grown woman in Liathren who had no betrothed was bad enough. Being a woman in Liathren who worked with blades and steel was even worse. The men of the village wanted a small woman who loved baking, having children and being silent. Every night your parents would fight over what to do with you. Eventually that small dream of freedom took hold, and you knew Liathren had nothing left for you.

It had been a terrible month of storms when you left. You packed up a small sack of herbs, food, a jug of water, and the only pair of father’s pants you could find that fit you decently well. You used the sound of the night rain to cover your footsteps, and left only a small note for your mother. Taking off into the night with only that, a cloak, and a single blade stolen from the workshop, you headed to Emora, the capital kingdom.

It had been surprisingly easy to fake one’s identity. Cutting off your hair, binding your chest with stolen cloth, and newfound muscle gained from your journey, made for a convincing male identity. When you showed the foot soldiers the skills you had learned over the years, you were drafted almost instantly. Working your way up over the years took hours of dedication, and a hope that one day you’d make a life for yourself.

Now you stand here, one year of working the night guard for the crown prince under your belt. It was the perfect coverup, and possibly was the only reason you had never been caught as a woman. You had sleeping hours in the early afternoon, when the knights quarters were empty. Always had an excuse to not bathe with the others, or join in on group dinners. The other knights seemed to believe your presence to be one of a man’s, and treated you as nothing less than that.

Walking down the stone vaulted hallway, past looming arches and tapestries of mythical creatures, you spot your daily post up ahead. The flickering torches on the wall illuminated the large wooden door, with ornate golden engravings that shimmered in the evening light. You admire the last rays through the windows of the castle, when you look to your right.

There he was. Prince Jeongguk.

The two of you hadn’t been particularly close at first, only in passing moments would you exchange words. He had a certain charm to him, unlike the other royals in the castle who prided themselves on making others feel like nothing but dirt on their shoes. You had told him, like everyone else in the Kingdom of Emora, your name was Sir Aegon, the name of your great grandfather. He just smiled and said,

“It is an honor to meet you Sir Aegon, I hope you find the castle most enjoyable.”

In the weeks that followed, the two of you shared many small conversations together, mainly consisting of him telling you anecdotes of his daily work in court. It was never for long, as most of his time spent in his private chambers were for rest, battle strategy sessions, or for….. entertaining company.

Jeongguk was undeniably handsome, broad frame, raven hair, and soft features that balanced out his rather boyish demeanor. Had you been able to meet under different circumstances, ones where you were not pretending to be a man, you might’ve let him woo you as well. But you quickly shook the thought from your head, you chose this life to be freed from the shackles of marriage, but you can’t deny that the sounds from outside his chambers sometimes annoyed you for more reasons than you’d admit. But like every night, despite whatever occurred in his chambers, you kept your watch outside the door.

Today was no different.

You stood your post, and in a few moments time, surely enough Jeongguk strolled up to the door. “Good evening, your majesty” The words shook in your metal helmet, making them deeper to the listener's ear. “Hello to you too, Sir Aegon, today was an absolute disaster,” He chuckled, yet his eyes gave away more stress than he let on. “It was believed my father found some rebel group planning a coup against the crown. For what reason, I’m unsure of…” He tapped his chin, looking off into the distance. You found yourself staring at his strong profile before clearing your throat, “Who can be sure, your majesty? Anyone worth fighting for wouldn’t go against the crown.”

Jeongguk smiled lazily and tilted his head to the side, examining the details of your helmet. “How I wish I could know what you look like Sir Aegon. It’s quite unusual to not know the face of a close companion.”

Your heart rattled in your chest as your face went hot. “Close companion? Sir but I am merely your quarter’s guard, I couldn’t-“

He laughs, the sound bright like a bell. “You’re so serious! It was just a joke, relax Sir Aegon, I will not reveal your precious identity.” His round eyes gleamed with his expression, before settling into a look of pensiveness

“In all honesty, I do wish at times that you were a member of the court. That way we could be proper friends. It’d be nice to have someone on my side who isn't begging me to finally assume the throne.”

You nod softly, before looking into his eyes, wondering if he had any idea of your true identity.

He gave you one last wistful glance and quietly retreated into his quarters.

It had been 4 in the morning when the coup began. It started with a crashing sound in the east wing, waking you up from the light slumber you had begun to drift into. You looked outside the hall’s window into the courtyard below when you saw them, dozens of men with torches setting fire to anything they could see. In the middle of the enclosure, they were erecting what could only be three posts. Your heart leapt into your throat as you began to understand what the intruders had come for on this night.

They were going to kill Jeongguk and the rest of the royal family.

Before you could even begin to think of answers to your hundreds of questions, you knew you had to stay true to your duty. You swung the doors of the prince’s quarters, storming in to check on him. He jumped out of bed, confused, and almost angry. “Sir Aegon, what is the meaning of this-?!” You ran over and grabbed his arm with your gloved hand, “Your majesty the castle, it’s been-“

Before you could finish the doors slammed open, and a tall, but slender, man with a porcelain white longsword burst in. He bared his crooked teeth with a wild, animalistic grin, and sneered out “Give me the prince, and I’ll make your death quick.”

You knew it was time to put your battle skills to the test. You shoved Jeongguk to the back of the room and grabbed your weapon, a shorter, but sturdier sword with a handcrafted hilt made of fine steel. You charged into battle, making a quick strike to the chest, when the attacker quickly deflected it, and countered. You quickly side stepped, and used your other hand to strike the side of his head. He stumbled over from the blow, clutching the spot where you struck. In an instant you were behind him ready to strike from above, when he managed to turn around in time and slice the sliver of exposed skin at the bottom of your torso. Hissing in pain, you pushed through and used the tip of the blade to slice his face. He managed to get one more strike in before you stabbed his left side, and he crumpled lifeless on to the floor.

You stood over the body catching your breath, when you glanced over to Jeongguk standing in the corner of the room, horrified. You cough once, twice, before croaking out “Are you alright your majesty?”

He stayed deadly silent, staring at you with his mouth agape. You looked down and realized something awful;

Your helmet had fallen off in battle.