The Beauty, The Beast, and The Angel

I

Word count: 1,000 words

Song recommendation: Canzone Stupida - Ultimo
Please tell me if there's another song that would fit!
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I held onto my brother's waist as he urged the horse to move faster, the scene oddly familiar, even though I'd never seen my brother horseback riding. He'd always had private lessons, every Wednesday and Friday, in the field out back. I was told I would eventually receive these lessons, but at the age of eighteen, I still knew nothing of horses.

We arrived at a gate with several guards all in metallic armour, all armed with daggers. My father handed them a scroll, as the guard unfurled it, then opened the gates. A young man came to help us off of our horses, guiding them away to feed them.

Inside, there was a courtyard with stone pathways leading up to the palace, a magnificent 5 tiered building with tiles the colours of the sea decorating the roof, twin dragons guarding the entrance.

We were led inside, my eyes flitting everywhere at once, trying to see everything in this room alone. The walls were covered with beautiful paintings depicting the past royal families, swords and shields hung from the walls, the ceiling covered with an enormous mural of the cycle of death and rebirth.

In the center of the room, there was an elaborate throne, upon which the emperor was sitting. My brother and I dropped to the floor, kneeling to the ruler of Silla. We stayed that way for a full minute, before we rose. The man smiled jocularly at us, greeting our parents, before tuning to us.

"Ah, you two must be the princes of Japan, I've heard great things about you, Akihide," he said, smiling at my brother as he gave a small nod, "I hope your marriage with Fuuyu is going well?"

My brother beamed, "We're hoping to start having children this spring."

The emperor patted his back, then faced me, "Yuma, I'm happy to have you over, and I hope our alliance through marriage will prove to be fruitful."

A servant came to guide me to the room I would be staying in. We were silent as we walked, the man beside me carrying my bags. After many twists and turns, we arrived at a wooden door with a delta on it.

Sensing my confusion, the servant quietly explained, "The best, or most elaborate, rooms have greek letters on them. The quality of the rooms has nothing to do with the order of the letters, they're all very nice."

I nodded, took my bags, then handed the man twelve thousand won. His eyes widened, and he bowed, then quickly walked away. I opened the door, and my breath hitched.

The room was the embodiment of the ocean, with walls painted a light blue, the ceiling painted with overlapping streaks of blue. The curtains were sheer and light pink, the bed has white sheets and tan pillows, the bed frame was a rich, dark brown, the same colour as the door and the drawers. There was a table by the bed with two oil lamps on them, one painted with a blue rim, the other with gold.

There were many other knick knacks, such a random string of pearls in the desk drawers, a silver dagger inside of a book, and a small compartment under my bed filled with sweets.

I put my clothes into the drawers and books on the shelf, only finding a small camellia in the drawer, wilted and lonely. I laid on the bed, relaxing, thinking about what would happen after this. I heard a knock on the door, and my brother came in. I sat up on the edge of the bed, as he sat down next to me.

"So, you're getting married," he started, as I groaned, I'd already had this conversation twice, once with my parents, then with my grandparents, about how this alliance was built on the marriage of the princess of Silla and myself, "And I want you to know something."

He grabbed one of my hands, as I looked into the sad eyes of my brother, five years my elder, "Your marriage might not be a happy one, unfortunately, and you'll be here for the majority of your life, just like how Fuuyu has to stay in Japan with me. I want you to be happy, so befriend some of the people in the palace, I've heard that the girl you're going to marry has a brother, try to bond with him. Remember, I'll support whatever you choose to do, just send me a letter, okay?"

I nodded, unsure of how to face this newfound wisdom from my brother. Yes, he has always been the mature one, and more intelligent one, but he had never been like this.

"Aki," I asked, "Are you happy with Fuuyu?"

There was a silence between us, until he finally answered, "I love her like a friend, and I am fortunate enough to be with a woman whom I get along with. She and I know that we will never fall in love, but I do not despise spending the rest of my life with her."

He kissed my forehead, leaving the room just as my mother and father entered. They gave me a hug, as my father warned me to behave.

I grabbed one of the books I brought along with me, until my eyes began to grow heavy, and I fell asleep with the book still in my hands.

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Hello! It's @VesperAverySage here on the group account! This is our first book we've published on Wattpad, and part of our LGBTQIA+ fairy tale collection. We'll be writing a bunch of fairy tales with a twist, we hope you like them!

(P.S. I'm not very good at updating, I procrastinate a LOT, and this book isn't prewritten so we'll see how this goes!)