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Y/n

The castle felt lonely that day.

Royals didn't bother talking to her as she strolled the bland corridors, and she didn't know why. It had been a week since the last attack. Morale normally returned no more than three days after battles, but something about the recent one seemed to strike a deeper blow for Nionna. Maybe the exhaustion caught up with them. For Y/n, it gave her more incentive to rush to her parents' room and storm through the door without knocking. It didn't matter if that wasn't "lady-like." Not in that moment. Not with so much at stake.

As always, the two were in bed with maps sprawled out in front of them. Hand drawn maps were a delicacy gifted to them by the cartographer, Jung Hoseok, who worked in the shop next to Jungkook's. Both of them had been loyal to the royal family since birth, but with Kayira on the rise, Y/n wondered if loyalty meant anything anymore.

The bedframe was wooden and lacked chips, unlike Prince Park's battered abode. It had a more neutral feel to it, compared to Y/n's painted walls and ceiling. Theirs had no life to it, other than their furniture and white wool rug that contrasted the rest of the beige colors surrounding them. The rug poked out from underneath the giant bed, and Y/n went over and stepped on it with her boots, knowing dirt would slip into the fabric.

"Manners," Mother said without hesitation, her eyes as narrowed as they always were.

"Forgive me for the sudden intrusion, but I wish to speak with you about the state of Kayira and Nionna's relationship, if one could call it that. I want to propose a solution to bring us together and stop all the death. Perhaps a one nation solution, where we rule together instead of apart, and we are allowed in and out of one another's kingdoms-"

"Enough." Her mother snapped as she interrupted Y/n. "How naive must you be to believe a foolish plan like that would work?"

"Mother, there is a difference between naivety and being open-minded, and I am the latter. You, however, refuse to try new things. Throwing swords and arrows at them is not going to change anything, but I wish to bring real change to our kingdoms. How many more soldiers would you like to lose before you attempt peace?"

Father chuckled at that. "When has my daughter gotten so bold, hm?"

"Since I watched yet another burial for innocent men who never asked for this war."

Just like that, her father's chuckle disappeared and was replaced by a frown that sunk his already-sagged cheeks and eye bags. Mother would never be caught dead with a single wrinkle on her face, let alone bags.

"I understand you're upset," Father started with his callused hands outstretched as if that made his point clearer, "but we know Kayira won't negotiate with us."

"How do you know? Have you tried?"

"It's been a year, Y/n. You think we never tried to speak with them? They're animals who want absolute destruction."

"And," Mother said with an eye roll, "they have no manners."

Father patted her shoulder before turning his attention back to Y/n. "We want peace as much as you do, my dear, but when they won't compromise, there's nothing we can do."

Y/n didn't believe that, not for a second. Kayira could be reasoned with; they were humans, just like Nionna. It wasn't like they were monsters. Except for Prince Park, of course. Kayira's royal family had issues, but she believed the civilians wanted peace. Why would they want to fight in a war that would end with most of them dying? If they won, which they wouldn't, they wouldn't have enough people to repopulate Nionna and Kayira anyway.

"Have you tried recently?" Y/n asked, and Father stayed quiet. Y/n wished she could retaliate with shouts and harsh words, but Mother wouldn't like that. "Cowards. If I had the throne, I would try for peace every single day. You know they won't win. They know they won't win. Use that as a bargaining chip."

"Y/n-"

She cut Father off by leaving, not bothering to listen to whatever words he had to defend his cowardice. Her boots left stains on the wool as she rubbed the soles against them, and she marched back to her room to grab her cloak and mask. That led her to the streets of Nionna, where she cradled the two dark objects against her chest as her dress flowed behind her and the civilians praised her presence. Every time someone acknowledged her, she did the same with a small dip of her head and a soft smile, followed by a how do you do? greeting. Empty words, empty life. Maybe even an empty kingdom.

Farmers worked on the fields on the west side, and the waterfalls produced a noise heard from any position in Nionna. Citizens had learned to drown it out, Y/n included, but whenever she stepped out of the castle, they were the first things she heard. The rushing water enticed her to take a swim, but time was not her ally. With the war raging on and her people in danger, she needed a plan. Fast.

Jeon Jungkook waved to her, as did Jung Hoseok, who had a heart-shaped smile and shaggy black hair, the opposite of Jungkook's bunny smile and trimmed dark hair he enjoyed slicking back to show more of his clean forehead. Nionna residents took pride in their glowing skin, blessed by the waterfalls legend said were full of healing waters. No, they weren't, but that didn't stop people from taking a dive into them every day.

All their drinking water came from the six waterfalls, same with the water they drank on a day-to-day basis. Some prayed to the waterfalls and thanked the gods for them. Y/n preferred to believe in humans more than gods, but that didn't mean she hadn't participated in those prayers. She wanted to believe someone, or someones, were in the clouds, watching over them. It gave her more hope, something Nionna and Kayira needed.

"Princess," Hoseok said as she passed, and she bowed in greeting to the loyal cartographer. He had always served the L/n family without hesitation, and she wished there was a way to repay him for his services.

"Hobi, my deepest thanks for your continued support."

Hoseok had a few years on her, and he almost grew up with her. Cartographers were seen as higher-ups in society, and with his now-deceased parents being ex-cartographers, he got the joy of having full access to the castle. That meant she had a slew of nicknames she called him, with Hobi being her favorite.

Hobi did a small bow to mimic hers. "Anything for you"

She grinned, and it felt good to smile with her citizens. She made a mental note to arrange a festival soon so they could celebrate life and being there, in Nionna, the golden kingdom. After seeing Kayira's state, she wanted to encourage thankfulness in her kingdom. Many had it far worse than Nionna ever would, even through all the death they had endured. A celebration could lift morale. If the king and queen allowed it, that was.

Though celebrations were far from her priority; she had to travel. By the time she got to Kayira, it'd be night, but only if she left right away. She said her goodbyes to Hobi, claiming she was going to be gone all night on a walk through the mountains, and exited the kingdom. Hobi was her alibi, and she knew he'd cover for her any day. Childhood loyalty outweighed loyalty to the king, after all.

When Nionna was no longer close to her, she put on the cloak and mask. Heat swarmed inside her from the new layers of clothing, but she had no choice but to disguise herself. It would be worth it in the end. If Prince Park had listened to her plan and at least tried asking around to see if people would support a one nation solution, there was a chance. So, that was what she was doing. It was stupid, yes, but she had to do it.

She had to go visit Park Jimin.

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