The Legend of Nakrang

Serendipity

The fall evening's breeze, carrying with it the crisp fragrance of earth, enveloped the Crown Prince and his princess consort as they took an evening stroll near the governor's manor.

They were already on their way back, hoping to reach before all traces of the sun vanished.

It had been over a week since Yejin arrived in Jolbon to seek Hyun Bin.

Like the vivacious colors of autumn, the budding relationship between the young couple was vibrant in shades of passionate red, enthusiastic orange and joyous yellow.

Bliss, like neither had ever known, was slowly descending upon them with regal ease.

Now, with guards trailing cautiously behind them from a distance, the young couple was slowly walking with a mixture of amicable conversation and companionable silence.

Even in silence, each footfall on fallen autumnal leaves brought a crunch.

Knowing that they were under the watchful eyes of the guards, Yejin kept a cautious distance of two steps behind her husband at all times, in a mark of reverence.

It was a deliberate distance that a certain Crown Prince was not very happy with.

With an average of every five steps, he would pause to look over his shoulder at her.

Sometimes it was discreet, sometimes it was so painfully obvious that Yejin wondered if Hyun Bin had completely given up on trying to be inconspicuous.

Hyun Bin knew he should not be staring so much at the princess, but it was hard to tear his eyes away.

Night was falling fast; it wouldn't be long before her captivating visage would be reduced to a silhouette in the dark.

Dressed in silk robes of lilac lined with fur, the princess was the epitome of serenity and elegance.

Princess Yejin had to be the closest he could ever get to paradise, Hyun Bin decided - she was looking like a descended fairy indeed, wearing hairpins adorned with butterflies and jade beads in her jet black hair.

The princess looked really good in just about every color; Hyun Bin wondered what her favorite color was-

His foot slipped off a rounded, hard surface, lifting back up higher than it normally should.

"Hnnngh!"

A startled, strangled gurgle and heavy rustling of robes disrupted the tranquility of the surroundings.

Somewhere near flustered feet came the sounds of tiny rocks rolling over each other.

The prince lurched forward, clumsily-

"Watch out, Your Royal Highness!"

The prince teetered dangerously, before regaining his balance with the help of the pair of feminine hands clinging on to him. For how slender she was, Princess Yejin was surprisingly strong as she kept Hyun Bin from falling over.

Impossibly-widened eyes and parted lips greeted his own, before relief gradually took over shock to coax smiles out of the two individuals.

Yejin was smiling, half-laughing at the uncharacteristic manner in which the Crown Prince had almost tripped over a pebble.

Hyun Bin, on the other hand, was mostly smiling out of sheer embarrassment.

How..dreadfully unimpressive that must have been, he thought.

"Are you alright, Your Royal Highness?" Yejin asked, checking him for injuries with her eyes.

"...of course I am." Hyun Bin muttered quickly, cheeks flaming.