Out Of The Castle (Soobin X Reader)

24

  It was another long while before the Queen grew healthy enough to move about the castle and it was a long while after that before she was allowed to address the public. When she stood for the first time after her injury had healed shut, she was in immense pain. It was like putting pressure on an ugly bruise.

  Soobin stood in front of her his palms facing the ceiling as her hands rest on his. He supported her as she stood and as much as he wished to sweep her off her feet at the first sight of pain, he had been told by the apothecary that pain was normal and that he could not baby her, lest she remain bedridden for the remainder of her life. Soobin pursed his lips at this order but he knew that the apothecary knew more of this business than he did.

  During the evenings, he remained by her side, informing her of all the goings on in the castle and the village. During the day he would tend to all of the work that needed to be done. The peace that had fallen over the lands was calming. It gave Soobin time to think and process.

  He found himself glad that the chaos of war had not fallen upon his kingdom, though he found that this was the least of his own worries. Especially now that it was over and done with. He found his mind dwelling on his late father. At the time of the Autumn Equinox, the declaration of war was fresh and it weighed on his mind. Now that the war was no longer imminent, he found himself stepping away from the crown to think.

  He and his father were very close. Soobin had the privilege of saying that he had the best father in the land. Even when the two did not speak for long periods of time, Soobin found himself enjoying the company of his father. He enjoyed his fathers stories and the tips that he would always pass down to Soobin. His father would ensure that Soobin would not make the same mistakes as him.

  Soobin knew he would miss the stories and the tips and he would certainly miss the watchful eye that his father always had over him. As much as he would miss his father, he knew that the energy of his father flowed around him in the breeze, warming the days in the energy of the sun. His father would thrive in the plants in the garden and in the rain falling from the sky. Knowing that, he could rest peacefully.

  "Do not let go of me!" The queen gasped as she grabbed onto Soobin's hands, having walked to the other side of the room nearly on her own. She had some help standing up and Soobin had remained in front of her. As the two of them reached the wall, Soobin moved to circle around her, assuming she could turn by herself.

  "You can turn around on your own, can you not?" Soobin chuckled, giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

  "Perhaps I can. I simply feel more comfortable when you are there to catch me," she responded, giving him a pout as she turned around slowly.

  "You are too sweet, Def-Idelis," Soobin chuckled, keeping his hands under hers as the two of them moved towards her bed once again.

  "I do not remember such a short walk being so exhausting," the queen sighed as she collapsed onto her bed, hissing as her partially healed wound moved.

  "Well, when you bear war scars, simple tasks become difficult," Soobin sighed. "I remember when I was a young boy, my father took me to meet a Commander. He truly frightened me, though nothing about him was frightening. He was taller than me, of course, and he had a confident stature, but he was missing an entire hand. Somehow, the apothecary had helped him to heal, but he could no longer do simple things. He had to relearn penmanship, something that had previously taken him a long while to learn."

  "Why did he frighten you?" She asked as she caught her breath.

  "Perhaps it was because he was such a strong man. A man who was of age comparable to my own father learning the exact same things I was learning to do. His knowledge was vast and that created a great respect within me. I suppose that led to something of a fear," Soobin chuckled as he recalled his penmanship classes with the commander.

  "How sweet," the queen smiled.

  "Def-Idelis, I have something I would like to discuss," Soobin began after a moment of silence. The Queen looked at him with worry. "It is about our wedding, my love."

  "I see," the queen responded with a curt nod.

  "The affair was..." Soobin paused, attempting to think of the words. "Well... you simply deserve more."

  "That is your concern?" (Y/N) chuckled, the worry melting from her expression. "My love, we could have gotten married alone in our nightwear and I would have been simply elated."

  "Def-Idelis, I wish for you to have more. I wish for you to have a happy wedding, one that is not pressured by the time constraints of war. I wish to see you in an extravagant dress surrounded by the most beautiful flowers and I wish for you to wear the most precious gems. My love, I wish for you to have it all," he explained, grabbing his hand and holding it in hers.

  "Soobin, I do not need it all. I only need you."

  Hearing those words, Soobin grew flustered, unsure of exactly what to say. He felt his face flush and grow hot as he gently squeezed his queen's hand. He took a moment to collect his thoughts.

  "Nevertheless, we should have a proper wedding. If not for us, then for the people. A joyous occasion to bring happiness to the people," Soobin suggested.

  "Def-Idelis, I would marry you over and over again without such reasons."

-

  Kai moved through the castle, smiling at the lively atmosphere. Now that the queen was allowed to move about the castle on her own, everyone's mood was elevated. That was the effect that the queen had on the people. Kai was especially glad that the queen was out and about because his sister seemed more at ease. When the queen was still healing, Hiyyih always seemed anxious as she aided the other staff in their work. Now that the princess moved around the castle, Hiyyih excitedly accompanied her everywhere she went, unless the King specifically asked to be left alone with her. In those cases, Kai had found Hiyyih skipping around the castle lightheartedly. He was glad that his sister could find some ease.

  Taehyun seemed glad that his sister was alright although he was much better at hiding his worry than Kai's sister was. Taehyun had been doing very well training the knights. He was very firm with his orders to the men and his training was harsh. Despite his non intimidating stature, he managed to strike fear into the hearts of all of the men who had previously seen battle. It made Kai wonder if there was something about the Northern Kingdom that produced strong royals. From what he had known, the Northern Kingdom was not a war ridden country so there was no reason for these two to be so brave.

  Perhaps they had faced their fair share of hardship that allowed them to seem brave in the face of adversity. Kai believed that the two of them truly deserved the peace and serenity offered by the Eastern Kingdom. Although he knew that eventually the two of them would have to confront the place from whence they came, Kai believed that the residence they had taken up in the castle was well deserved.