All Along | Kang Minhee
pairing | royal knight!kang minhee x princess f!reader
genre/cw | angst, fluff, hurt comfort, royal au, medieval au, blood, injury, mention of minor death, major death(???), betrayal, reader’s ex is evil, crying, hopelessness, but a happy end
wc | 2.0k
notes | loosely based off of ‘the legend of zelda: breath of the wild’
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
He was right. He was right all along. And that's why Y/n was where she was now. Alone, crying, in the middle of the green forest of Kyoto, as the rain poured. He warned her that Gyemin would break her heart. He warned her that it wouldn't last forever. He warned her that he was no good in the first place. But she never thought it would could very well be the death of her. Just like it was the death of her father.
"You were right Minhee... you were right," she sobbed, hugging her knees as the rain soaked her black dress.
"Y/n!" A voice called in the distance, and she could tell it was a very distressed Minhee. And it surprised her, since Minhee wasn't one to talk, let alone yell. But considering the circumstances, it was reasonable. "Y/n where are you?!"
Minhee could’ve left the kingdom of Kyoto. He could’ve abandoned Y/n as her knight, since the king was dead and he was under no rule, just like the rest of the kingdom. But he stayed. He was loyal to his duty. He was loyal to his best friend.
"Y/n! Please!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, even sounding a bit like he was crying too. The sound tore her to pieces.
She forced herself up from her place in the dark mud as she moved towards the sound of Minhee's voice. "Minhee! I'm over here!" She beckoned the royal knight, barely able to see through the rain. But it became clear as day when her eyes fell upon Minhee.
Her heart dropped at the sight. He was limping, an arrow in his upper right arm as well as below his left knee, both gushing with sticky red blood. His soft black hair completely disheveled, blood dripping from his lip and forehead, his uniform torn with cuts all over his arms and legs, even a particularly deep one in his stomach. Yet still, with what strength he had left, he walked over to his first and only love, only thinking about her safety and not his own agonizing pain.
"Y/n, we need to-" he paused, hissing from the sharp pains. "... get out of here. Gyemin... he's after you," he choked out, coughing up a bit of blood. It was a wonder he wasn't dead. He was stubborn, after all.
"Minhee," she sighed, mouth open as tears stung her already tired of crying eyes. "What did they do to you," she reached out to touch his arm but he pulled away.
"Forget about me..." he begged, grabbing her hand as he began to sprint.
As they ran, Y/n heard the frightening sound of a horse whining, signaling Gyemin and his men were near. Fear giving her an adrenaline rush, she picked up the pace, matching hers with Minhee's. Minhee and Y/n had long disregarded their appearance, being covered in blood and dirt, their hair complete messes. Even some of his blood had spilled onto Y/n, causing her to shudder.
The path ahead became blurry to Y/n. Her grip on Minhee's hand loosened continuously. And he only noticed how tired she was when he no longer held a hand in his. Hers slipped out of his, and now, she was on her hands in knees, sitting in the mud.
Her senses were completely overwhelmed. Her ears rang painfully, she could smell only the spring rain, she felt hardly anything anymore but the cold, she tasted the blood that spilled from her lip, and she saw a blurry version of the forest. "How did it come to this," she began, eyes closed as it was less painful that way. She didn't even bother to look up as Minhee knelt before her. "My father is gone, Gyemin is exactly the person you said he was, yet I believed him and not you. And I let everyone down," she took a shaky breath. “I should’ve known he’d turn the minds of our allies. Now I can’t tell friend from enemy,” she said, just angry with herself. “I never thought anything would've led to this," her voice broke, as she made eye contact with the handsome knight, her hands still deep in the mud.
She couldn't keep it in any longer. She began to sob as her body fell into Minhee's arms. He caught her and held her close, comforting her the only way he knew how. She grabbed his bloodied uniform and dried her tears with it. None of this should’ve been happening. It was all wrong.
“I’m so sorry Minhee… you were right all along, I should’ve believed you,” she whispered, clutching him tightly still.
He closed his eyes and stroked her hair. “It’s alright, it isn’t your fault,” he assured, for a moment completely forgetting his immense pain.
She pulled away from him and looked at his wounds again. She cried even more at the sight. She could feel his pain, almost literally. But she stayed strong, and rose to her feet as Minhee helped her up, when in reality, she should’ve been the one helping him. Perseverance was always one of his best qualities.
“There are some old ruins not far from here. Let’s take shelter there,” Y/n suggested. Minhee nodded to her words and started in the direction which she pointed. And not long after, they’d arrived, with no Gyemin in sight.
Y/n looked for a place to rest, when she heard a thud behind her. She quickly turned around, and saw that Minhee had collapsed. “Minhee!” She exclaimed, running to his side, making him look at her. She grabbed his hand and smiled at him, despite her worry. “Minhee… don’t move, I’ll get help,” she assured, though her nervousness showed.
“Y/n…”
”I’ll find someone who is still loyal to me. I’m the queen now, there must be somebody out here.”
”Y/n…”
”And they’ll heal you, and you’ll be better again… everything will go back to the way it was! And we could-“
“Y/n!”
She looked at him as her tears fell onto his wounds, not wanting to hear what he had to say.
“It’s… ahh,” he gasped in pain. “Too… late…”
She cried quietly and put her hands on either side of his face. “No it isn’t… you can’t say that,” she shook her head. “You’ll be fine, you have to be fine. I can’t live without you,” she confessed, hands and head falling onto his chest.
“Y/n…” he smiled through the pain, as she looked up at him, wearing the most pain-filled expression.
“Minhee… no… please…” she whispered.
“I… love you,” he breathed out.
He gave her a sad smile before leaning up towards her, pressing his lips to hers. And she kissed back gently, wanting to remember this moment for ever, because it very well could be her last. She felt him slipping away until his head fell limp onto the ground, lips detaching from hers.
”Somebody please,” she began, gradually getting louder. “Somebody help! Help me!” She screamed as she held Minhee close to her, not finding the heartbeat she wanted to find. Not finding the warmth she needed.
“Princess!” A voice called in the distance, and she recognized that voice anywhere. One of her father’s loyal bodyguards, Jinseong. As well as his other bodyguard Minjoon. They ran to her side.
“Please help him. Do it whatever it takes to get him back. I love him,” she instructed, doing her best to sound brave.
“Yes princess,” Jinseong nodded, and with Minjoon’s help, they carried Minhee away to their secret hideout, far from the castle, which was now overrun by the enemy.
Another figure appeared. Y/n’s handmaiden, Jaehwa. “Princess, follow me to the village of Yoshino. It’s safe there.”
Y/n nodded before following one of the only other humans she trusted.
~~~~~
Y/n stayed in Yoshino for months. Minhee was alive, but barely holding on. He stayed in Kikai, a hideout in Kyoto, populated with the only good people left that lived in the castle and castle town. There, he was treated by skilled medics who were doing there best to bring him back.
”Princess?” Jaehwa’s voice rang out.
”Yes?” Y/n turned her head towards the girl.
”Minhee. He’s back.”
Y/n’s heartbeat sped up ten times faster than before. “Where is he?”
”He’s on his way to the village now. People have seen him in the distance from the surrounding mountains. He-“
Y/n didn’t allow Jaehwa to finish her sentence as she ran out of the house she was staying in, getting a new feeling of happiness she hadn’t had since the fateful day. She immediately went to the stable and mounted her horse, H/n, and galloped towards the path that led to Kikai, planning to meet him on his way.
The horse galloped a bit faster, sensing Y/n’s urgency to get to the place she was headed to. More like the person she was headed to.
There he was. As ethereal as ever. Much cleaner than she last saw him. No blood, no messy hair, no dirt, no torn clothes. Some bruises and scars, of course, but they were a symbol of his bravery.
“Minhee!” She dismounted her horse and ran towards his horse.
“Princess wait!” Jinseong warned. “He’s not the Minhee you once knew,” he explained, dismounting his own horse and walking towards her, standing between her and Minhee.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
”He’s lost his memory. He hasn’t been himself.”
”As your queen, I demand you step aside,” she said. “I want to see him.”
He hung his head. “As you wish.”
She walked up to Minhee’s horse. “You remember me, don’t you?”
Minhee stared blankly at her, scaring her. And she backed away when he slid down from his horse and began walking towards her, saying nothing.
”Uhh, Minhee?” She laughed nervously, backing away as he neared her. And since they were in a valley, she backed away until her back was against the stone wall of the mountain.
“Princess,” Jinseong warned again, ready to draw his sword against Minhee if he threatened her safety.
“Y/n…” Minhee whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek. She melted at his touch and looked into his eyes.
”Minhee,” she sighed with a smile.
Minhee smiled back before quickly capturing her lips in his. Her hands held his face as his held her back and waist. It was happier than their first. Because this time, Minhee wasn’t dying. He had a heartbeat. He had warmth. After about a good minute or two, Y/n pulled away and happily threw her arms around his neck. “I love you too,” she sighed, burying her face into his chest, feeling his arms wrap around her.
Jinseong sighed in relief before sheathing his sword again.
“Now that’s a happily ever after right there,” Minjoon chuckled. “You know, I was always rooting for them,” he stated, mounting his horse as Jinseong did the same.
”No you weren’t-“
”Yes I was!”
Minhee and Y/n mounted their horses as well and rode to the village.
When they arrived, they quickly reunited and went straight into each other’s arms again. Y/n sighed. “You know Minhee… I’m the queen.”
”Which would make me…”
”The king,” she finished. “Are you alright with that?”
”I’ll be anything you want me to be. As long as I get to be with you. That’s all I care about,” he replied.
“How romantic of you,” she giggled.
~~~~~
“Now presenting, the king and queen of Kyoto, Minhee and Y/n!” Announced the royal advisor as the two mentioned stepped out onto the castle’s main balcony, arm in arm.
To think they started out as the princess and the knight. Nobody could’ve predicted this.
“Are you ready for this?” Minhee asked, referring to their next life chapter as he looked down at his beautiful wife.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
