In the Middle of the Night [BANG CHAN FF] ✔️

3. Parade

Everybody in town woke up especially early - the royal army parade was starting at noon and everything needed to be ready by then. People who worked on putting up the decorations, along with the florists, were the busiest. Vendors kept their stores open the whole night, yet still had products to sell, worked on restocking and decorating their displays to make them more appealing and that way boost their sales.

The atmosphere in the castle was similar: servants woke up early to prepare everything for the royal family. An old stableman, responsible for checking the carriage that will carry the royal family, polished the white wood of the carriage with its golden details and put the freshly washed cushions on the seats. His other colleagues took care of the four white horses that will pull the carriage, grooming and feeding them.

After having breakfast, the family returned to their rooms to get dressed. Maids worked around the princess - tightening her corset, polishing her shoes, choosing her jewelry, and after helping her put on a lovely cream-colored dress, they combed and fixed her hair.

"Thank you, girls," the princess said while looking at her reflection in the mirror, "You may leave now as I don't need any more help; I will go outside soon," she stood up from her dresser and saw the maids out. Princess Yona was still feeling tired from last night but she stood straight and graceful as always. She looked out of the window for several minutes until she saw the carriage approaching the front entrance. That was her cue to leave her room and meet with her family outside.

In the army dormitory, new recruits were getting ready to leave as well. All dressed in elegant uniforms worn for special occasions, along with hats they'll put on their heads, they were awaiting orders from the commander. He came into the room and everyone silenced after greeting their superior.

"We are expecting a rather sunny and pleasant day today so there will be no need for any additional precautions. Do you all know your positions in the parade?" the superior commander asked and all soldiers replied in unison with an affirmative answer. Commander then went closer to the top eight new soldiers from the Academy and spoke to them: "Do you, gentlemen, understand your positions?" he asked, looking at each of them.

"Yessir!" they all replied sharp and disciplined.

"Good. Your positions are the most important - you'll be guarding the royal carriage," the commander paused to make sure that his words reached the young men, "Bang." the commander continued, turning to look the young soldier in the eye, addressing them by their last names, "You will be the leader, positioned in the front along with three others - Lee, Seo, and Han - while I'll be in front of you. Younger Lee and Hwang will be on the sides with Kim and Yang riding behind the carriage. Other new recruits will go behind you. Is that clear?"

"Yessir!" they replied loudly again.

"Good. Now grab your horses and we're leaving. There's not much time until the start of the parade!" the commander spoke up louder for everyone to hear, "The royal carriage will be arriving soon! Get into positions by the back gate and wait for me." he exited the room and everyone followed, shortly after.

"Damn, Hyunjin! You got the position by the carriage. You'll get to see the princess up close, you idiot!" Han Jisung whined, hitting his tall friend. Hyunjin just shrugged and purposely smirked, his cheeky response annoying Han even more.

"You really like her, don't you, Han?" Felix asked, fixing the hat on his head. His question was like a trigger, changing Han's focus - he became excited again, bragging to Felix about the princess's beauty and grace until they reached the horses.

"Alright everyone, let's move out!" leader Bang's serious voice came from the front and everyone silenced.

"Chan seems a bit angry today, don't you think?" Han asked Felix but the blond man just shrugged his shoulders in response.