Princess Charming for glassfromscars
Title: Princess Charming
For: glassfromscars
Author: chocoyeol
Pairing/s: Joonmyeon/Minseok, mentioned!Yixing/Kyungsoo, mentioned!Chanyeol/Jongin
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 2,853w
Summary: Sometimes Princesses don't need Prince Charmings.
Warnings: mentions of Kris
A/N: I actually had a lot of fun with this one and planning it out. I would have liked expanding the confrontation a bit more but I'm not that good with action sequences. I do hope you like it (◕‿◕✿)
Once upon a time there was a Kingdom named Adamantine, ruled by King Yixing and his wife, Queen Kyungsoo. They had a daughter, Princess Joonmyeon, a fair maiden that had beautiful golden hair like rays of sunlight trapped in strands of finest silk and an angelic voice that soothed all that heard it. It was a fine day in her 16th year when a passing warlock heard her gentle singing that had drifted on the wind like soft feathers. He immediately approached the king, asking for his daughter's hand. When the royal family saw how poor and dirty the warlock was, they laughed at him and chased him from the castle. The warlock, Chen, was furious at his treatment so in the night, as the princess slept, he commanded a dragon to capture her and bring her to his castle in the Whispering Valley. When he had her in his grasp, he sucked her lovely voice into a jar to sing to him whenever he wished. As for Princess Joonmeyon, she was locked in the tallest tower on the right, just above where the dragon rested so it could guard her for the rest of her days.
Around the same time, in the neighbouring kingdom, there was a peaceful period under the reign of King Chanyeol and Queen Jongin. They also had a daughter, Princess Minseok, who was small and quiet, choosing to spend her time in the gardens or in the library. She was past the prime age of marriage and as the days went past, her parents worried for her as she declined suitors, one after the other. Once again, the villain, Chen took an interest in the gentle and quiet princess who smiled so wonderfully at him. Once more, he approached for her hand in marriage but was turned away by the King and Queen. In a rage, Chen cast a spell on the kingdom and took away Princess Minseok to his castle. There, she was made to smile encouragingly at him every day while locked away in a magical glass box.
While one kingdom laid in a frozen sleep, the other rallied its forces to attack the warlock’s castle and save their beloved princess. Many knights failed, even princes from all over came to try and save the princess from the evil clutches of the warlock. Chen watched in his crystal wall as multitudes of men fell to the traps laid around the edge of the valley, those who did make it past were dealt with by the dragon. Often he would let the two princesses watch on, their eyes brimming with tears as they watched the people who fought to save them be utterly destroyed. After a few months, they grew tired and stopped reacting to the painful images. In the world, King Yixing and Queen Kyungsoo mourned the loss of their daughter as the last group of men never returned.
***
There was a creak and the sound of something rubbing against stone was lost in the wind. The dark brick walls of the fortress loomed over a bottomless pit of darkness, the wind rushing through jagged rocks to create eerie whistles and moans like the wails of the countless men falling to their deaths. On the other side of the walls laid a large black dragon, it’s body the size of a large ship, scales glistening in the light of the fire as if containing the night sky in the hard pieces of natural, interlocking armour. Its eyes were a golden brown, when not roaring with anger at the men that threw spears at it, it sparkled with a hidden intelligence, looking more like large puppy eyes rather than a ruthless dragon. While it resided on ground level, a tall tower rose up towards the sky, a foreboding sight, with no doors leading inside, only a single window looked out towards the lone bridge that was the entrance and exit to the forbidden fortress.
It was from that single window a rope of ripped fabric dangled, one end tied to the bolted door inside the tower. The door creaked and the rustling of fabric against the stone walls were covered by the wailing of the wind, the figure inching slowly down the side of the tower holding on for dear life as the wind brushed against them. A fall from that height would either kill them or at least make them scream murder for broken bones, the dragon would be alerted either way. Princess Joonmyeon slowly walked backwards down the side of the building, her head turned and making sure the dragon was not directly underneath her as she descended, the howling wind pushing her back and forth.
Worn out shoes landed on soft earth, Joonmyeon looking nothing like the princess she once was. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun with a ribbon made from a piece of her dress. The once royal blue silk dress with silver sequins was now a faded navy, sequins mostly gone and the skirt torn to make more practical articles of clothing. The fabric was ripped and tied around her legs to make a choppy version of a man’s pants, something women were not allowed to wear but Joonmyeon wasn’t climbing down the tower in a dress. Looking around her, she shivered at the lack of life in the place. It was cold and damp, the setting sun disappearing over the other side long ago, leaving the place in almost permanent coldness. With a shake of her head, Joonmyeon made her way over to the nearest door, keeping to the shadows and flitting from one hiding place to another, looking around often in case someone snuck up on her.
The darker the surroundings got, the more eager Joonmyeon was to find a good hiding spot and plan out her mode of escape from the unsightly fortress in the middle of nowhere. Golden flames flickered to life, not enough to light up the whole place, but enough to cast a wavering flame against everything, shadows jumping over the walls. Decorations became monsters, insects became flying beasts and animals became giants. Staying close to the walls, she snuck into the castle with a scruff of her shoe. Inside, it was cold and dark, the only light was of the single flames in the corners of the rooms. Joonmyeon let her eyes adjust, squinting into the dark hallways, her hand finding the hilt of a sword attached to a suit of armour behind her. She gripped the handle of the sword once it was free of the metal that held it, the sharp edge of the blade glinting in the light that flickered in the distance.
The first room she came across looked like a treasury, filled to the brim with gold coins and priceless jewels. There was something in the room that gave her chills, the shudders running down her spine like ice cold water had been dripped down her back. There could be unmentionable things laying under those piles of coins, and Joonmyeon is a princess, she didn’t need the treasure. Retreating back out the door, Joonmyeon continued to wander the castle, not coming across anyone or anything, the only movement she saw was some brooms moving on their own, sweeping the floors effortlessly. Two other rooms she poked her head into had her cupping her mouth in horror, no sound coming out no matter how hard she had screamed…in her head. The warlock had stolen her voice and she’s determined to get it back before she left the depressing place.
Going down what looked like the grand staircase, she tripped on the skeleton of what looked like a large rat, sword flung out of her hands and clanging on the stone paving. Joonmyeon froze, rolling into the wall and hiding herself behind some drapes. Waiting for almost an hour, she slowly crawled out from behind the dusty material, hair clinging with cobwebs and nose wrinkling at the musty smell. Edging to the bottom of the staircase, Joonmyeon looked around. It seemed like a throne room, with an elevated platform at the foot of the staircase, a golden throne sitting in the middle of it, the cushions covered with a luscious red velvet material. Next to the throne sat a low table, the top of it littered with various trinkets; glittering brooches, bricks of gold, clumps of precious jewels, glass bottles holding precious items inside. Shaking her head, Joonmyeon held the sword in her right hand, the other hand shifting quickly through the items on the table. Since the warlock had locked her voice away to sing for him every day then it should be there on the table, where he could easily listen to it, the only problem was, she didn’t know which item he had enchanted her voice into.
There was a gentle tapping from behind her, the princess jumping around in shock, afraid that the warlock or his minions had sneaked up on her. Instead she was faced with a giant glass birdcage, made of the finest crystal, intricate designs carved into the see-through rails of the cage, a layer of glass stretched between each rung, so clear it was as if it wasn’t there. Inside the cage was not a large bird or animal of any kind. Knocking on the crystal walls was another princess, her luscious pastel pink locks curled in waves that cascaded down her back like a glistening waterfall, a small silver crown sat on top of her head above a round face with beautifully slanted chocolate brown eyes that was framed by strands of pink. She was dressed in white and pink, light colours that matched her hair, white silk hemmed with folds of pink lace, reaching down to the floor and pooling there in soft piles of fabric. Joonmyeon thought she was a magical creature, for she had never come across anyone so beautiful, so adorable and so inviting. The other princess lifted her foot and she pointed with slim fingers at the crystal chain that bound her ankle, whatever words she said, lost within the confines of the cage.
Seeing as the other princess was being held at the castle against her will just like Joonmyeon, the ragged girl gripped the sword tight and waved for the girl inside to crouch down, not wanting to accidentally hurt her. With a swing of the sword, the cage came crashing down in shards of crystal, showering tiny pieces onto the girl inside harmlessly. Obviously knowing that any chance of escaping unnoticed wasn’t an option anymore, Joonmyeon dragged the other girl over to the table pointing to her throat before motioning to the items.
“O-Oh… Um… You want to find your voice? It’s that really pretty one that he always listens to… It should be in the silver locket with diamonds on the front.”
The princess rummaged through the things on the table before holding up the locket she was describing. It was a simple silver locket on a thin silver chain, the front of it embedded with tiny diamonds, emeralds and rubies to form an image of a rose. The other girl held out the locket with a smile.
“Thank you for saving me. My name is Minseok, Princess of Orion, Daughter of King Chanyeol and Queen Jongin. It is a pleasure to have made your acquaintance. I honestly didn’t think anyone would come to save me, little did I know my Prince Charming become a Princess.”
Minseok offered a little curtsy, smiling at Joonmyeon with her cute chipmunk-like grin. Joonmyeon felt her cheeks flush, setting the sword on the table as she flicked open the locket. A golden light streamed from the empty trinket, glittering and warm as it settled on Joonmyeon’s neck, her throat tingling and she coughed a few times, a sound being produced by her vocal chords.
“Oh my… I got it back, I really got my voice back!”
Joonmyeon jumped for joy, tears in her eyes at the fact she can finally speak again after so long. Throwing the locket aside, she grabbed the sword in one hand and Minseok’s hand in the other, tugging the other girl along quickly. So far, there had been no reaction from the hallways of the castle, no sign that the warlock knew of their escaping. Soft pads and sharp clicks of heels echoed through the stone courtyard, the plants long dead and the fountain only dribbling with water. They both almost screamed for joy when they spotted horses in the stables next to the open gates, the swinging rope bridge on the other side not dampening their spirits. That is, until there was a roar from the skies, a black shadow enveloping them as there were wingbeats of terror.
Turning slowly, the two princesses stared up in horror at the beast before them. The dragon was black with an orange underbelly, the scales on its body tough and its angry eyes burned with a murderous intent. Joonmyeon moved in front of Minseok, spreading her arms to shield the other. The dragon blinked and seemed to pause, leaning down and taking a big sniff of the girls before laying down. Minseok moved from behind Joonmyeon, the girl waving a hand to silence her while she slowly inched towards the dragon, her hand stretched out to gently caress the large snout on the dragon, one snap could swallow her but instead, the dragon let out a sound almost like a purr before tilting its head grunting softly.
“Your name is Kris? Kris? Oh, you’re a boy! You’re a good boy aren’t you, Kris? You’re a good boy just working with the wrong person aren’t you?”
She made sounds akin to cooing, Joonmyeon watching in amazement as the dragon nudged her gently and bared its neck for her to climb onto the seat that was strapped there. Minseok looked over at Joonmyeon with that gentle smile and held out her hand. The golden haired princess felt her heart hammering in her chest as she reached to take the outstretched hand, easing herself into the spot behind the other, taking a deep breath and inhaling Minseok’s scent of rose. Arms wrapped around waist and fingers curling around reigns, the dragon started to flap its wings, gusts of wind blowing their hair as they started to rise.
Below them, there was a scream of fury, the warlock raising his staff and shooting spells at the dragon in the sky. Kris roared in pain as the tip of his wing was shot, a rage starting to burn in his red eyes and he opened his mouth to shoot a fireball at the warlock, fuelled by his hatred for the short man. Fireballs and spells were shot back and forth, soon the whole castle was on fire and the warlock Chen was trapped in the collapsing pillars of flames. He raised the staff for one last spell when there was an explosion below, the ground beneath the castle giving way, the whole thing going down into the endless abyss below. The warlock was crushed beneath a flaming piece of falling timber and probably died, they couldn’t really tell since the whole castle and its foothold was crumbling into the bottomless pit that surrounded it. With another roar, this time probably for victory, Kris the black dragon flew over the rocky mountains and over fields of green to take the Princesses home.
***
Two months after their return, there was widespread celebration in both kingdoms. At the castle right on their border, masses of people gathered to witness history. Princess Joonmyeon, now renowned for being skilled with the sword, stood at the top of the steps. She was in white tights, tucked into gold boots, the first woman to don male-like clothing, topped with a gold tunic made of fine silk and a white military-grade sash pinned with various badges. Her long gold hair was pinned up in an elaborate bun on her head while her hand remained on the sword on her hip, always.
Coming up the steps was a familiar pink head, curled locks tied up with a white silk bow. Minseok smiled at the woman at the top of the stairs, her heavy white dress weighing down her arms as she held the bunched fabric to prevent her from tripping on them. When they were face-to-face, the fairy-haired girl let out a soft, nervous sigh. Joonmyeon’s lips forming a fond smile of her own, her hand seeking Minseok’s delicate ones. With a nod, they both turned to the bishop who stood waiting for their signal to begin.
“We are gathered here today for the holy matrimony…”
***
Theirs was a typical story, with a typical villain. But their story showed that Princesses aren’t helpless, they don’t need Prince Charmings. Sometimes all that everyone needs is a Princess Charming.
And what of Kris the Dragon? He’s living happily as their pet, acting as a babysitter for their adopted children later on (and sometimes Joonmyeon rides him into battle, but don’t tell Minseok that).