The dawn had shone over the castle as Hyeju slept soundly in the guest room where she would be keeping her stay. Soft snores came from the girl in her moon pajamas as the sun continued to shine on her through the small crack of her curtains. Sadly, that relaxation would be interrupted soon...
A loud crash had come from Hyeju's room door and Ryujin quickly made her way into the room, for some reason, with a French horn.
"Time to get up!" Ryujin shouts, then blows into that exact French horn, causing a loud alarm like sound to fill the room. And waking up Hyeju so abruptly, the girl had fallen out of her bed, groaning at the rude awakening.
"I can have you fired, you know?" Hyeju groans, getting up and rubbing her tired eyes.
"Yes, yes I do. But you still need to get up" Ryujin throws the French horn down and begins to fix Hyeju's bed. "W-why?" Hyeju questions, being pushed out of her room by Ryujin to the newly installed changing rooms.
"Incase you haven't forgotten, today is the beginning of the umm...well I don't know...BATTLE FOR THE ROYAL THRONE!" Ryujin sternly says and hands Hyeju her clothes and armor.
"Sooyoung is already ready and waiting for you so we can all head to the field for the archery match. Change and meet me at the front gates, got it??" Ryujin says and Hyeju quickly nods. "B-but what about food-"
"We don't have time for that, Hyeju. I'll sneak some cake from the kitchen ok?? Just go and get changed" Ryujin closes the changing room door on Hyeju.
She truly wasn't going to be getting a break anytime soon.
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Hyeju had then changed and quickly ran and made her way to the front gates where Ryujin was.
"Great, now take this and let's go" Ryunjin hands the girl a small bread bun and the two quickly get into a carriage and are quickly met with Sooyoung.
"Good night sleep, I'm guessing?" Sooyoung asks, watching her cousin slowly drift into sleep. "Yeah, yeah...what time is it?" Hyeju questions as she eats the bread bun in her hands slowly.
"It should be around 6am," Ryujin announces and both Hyeju and Sooyoung's eyes go wide. "Huh??"
"They told you this wasn't going to be easy. Mina wants you both bright and early for training." Ryujin says. "Wait- so the competition hasn't even started yet?? You woke me from my sleep for training!" Hyeju furiously yelled at her servant who had a blank expression.
"I follow the rules of Mina. I'm sorry to wake you from your sleep but before the competition starts at noon, Mina needs you girls prepared" Ryujin says and soon the carriage comes to an abrupt stop and all three girls jump out.
The bright sun bugged Hyeju once again and shined in her eyes as all the girls made their ways onto the playing fields. They had soon spotted Mina and Sooyoung just couldn't hide how livid she was.
"I know what you two are going to say, but I'm not arguing with you today. Now Practice-" Mina was rudely cut off by the sound of two girls squealing at the top of their lungs. Those girls obviously being Jiwoo and Yerim who were having a game of tag.
"Perfect...." Mina says and approaches their ruler, Dahyun, with an uneasy smile and hug.
"Looks like we had the same idea huh?" Dahyun says in the nicest tone she possibly could. "Looks like it." Mina replies and the two share an almost awkward laugh, trying their best to ot let their rivalry get the best of them. This competition was more important than that.
"Girls, go practice" Mina and Dahyun say in unison and all the girls head off.
"Hopefully we can put our grievance behind for this competition?" Dahyun asks, holding a hand out wich Mina gladly shakes. "As long as you follow through too" Mina laughs.
"Oh, of course, I promise." Dahyun laughs back.
Of Course they were both lying.
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"How does this stuff even work?" Jiwoo sighs, fidgeting with the bow and arrow in her hands. Did she really have to learn this just for some stupid throne??
"Just align the bow with the string, aim for the target, wind your hand back and then let go" Yerim directs her cousin through the process but Jiwoo was still confused.
"You make it sound simple," Jiwoo says.
"That's because it is" Yerim replies, firing her arrow at her target and placing it perfectly in the middle.
"Woah Yerim, you're amazing" Hyeju boggles.
"Why thank you," Yerim bows and continues on with her training.
"So, you guys like your rooms?" Jiwoo randomly questions. "Yeah, but I would have loved to have shared a room with you instead- HEY!" Sooyoung ducks down when Jiwoo shoots her bows towards her while Hyeju watches.
She truly didn't know how much more she would be able to take of this.
👑👑👑
Hours had passed and the competition was about to begin. Hyeju was so nervous that she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her tongue began to swell once she had looked around the field to see rows and rows of people cheering, chatting and watching her every move.
She stood on a podium with the other heirs as Chaewon was scheduled to appear any moment now.
You could just see the sheer look of fear on all of the girl's faces as they saw everyone in the land watching their every movement, breath and stare.
"Fuck, I think I'm gonna faint" Yeojin says aloud, trying to regulate her breathing but she couldn't help but feel light headed.
"Same here" Jungeun says but her attention is soon caught when Chaewon appears and quietly sits on her throne in front of the heirs. Her presence was radiant and her hair and skin was glowing. She truly had the face of a royal.
Kahei had made her way beside her slowly and Mark and Yena appear not too soon afterwards.
"Welcome, welcome all," Mark announces as all bow down before Chaewon. After that was done Mark had continued. "Today we will start the annual Battle For The Throne, starting with our first challenge...archery"
There was a lump that filled in Sooyoung's, Jungeun's, and Jinsoul's throat. They were nowhere near as prepared as they thought they would be.
"So, to get things started as soon as possible, a word from Chaewon will be spoken and the match shall begin" Chaewon's eyes had gone wide as she quickly turned to Kahei.
"I never prepared a speech," She whispered. "All you have to say is that you wish all the girls luck," Kahei replied as Mark turned towards Chaewon with a smile.
"I wish you all good fortune..." Chaewon says and Mark turns back around.
"Alright, may the games begin. First up is the Youth tribe." Mark announced and both Haseul and Yeojin were the only hiers left on the podium. Truly yeojin's worst fear was coming true.
Chaeyeon then quickly handed both girls their bows and arrows and aligned both targets.
"As you can see the targets are marked with numbers. Outer blue is 20 points, inner red is 40 points and center yellow is 60 points. The two hiers with the most points are the winners." Yena announces along with Mark and both Haseul and Yeojin get their bows ready.
"Heirs, please align your bows.." Haseul and Yeojin both bring their bows up and aim for the center.
Both Chaewon and Kahei looked with uneasy eyes as you could just see the nervousness spread on Haseul and Yeojins faces.
Haseul had turned quickly to face Kahei with a smile as she mouths the words "Wish me luck." before she had turned back and fired her target with Yeojin.
Both bows had gone flying and quickly hit the targets. Yeojin had hit between red and blue giving her 30 points and Haseul hit directly on red giving her 40 points.
"Woo go my girls!!" Seulgi yelled from the crowd, making all their heirs beside her cover their ears.
"Heirs, align again" both Haseul and Yeojin aim again, firing in an instant. This time, Haseul had gotten 50 and Yeojin had gotten 40.
"The final score is 160. Haseul has 90 and Yeojin, 70."
Yeojin had sighed, it was over. Both girls made their ways off of the podiums and now it was time for the other heirs.
"Next is the Forest tribe. Jungeun and Hyunjin, please step out"
Both sisters made their ways out and Sakura had quickly dashed out to get the girls their bows and arrows as they quickly aimed for the targets and fired.
Hyunjin had gotten 20 and Jungeun, surprisingly, had gotten exactly a 60. Perfectly in the center and the entire kingdom's eyes went wide.
"No way...." Jungeun was amazed at what she did. There was no way that had actually happened.
"Aim again."
Both Jungeun and Hyunjin aimed again and fired quickly after. This time Hyunjin had gotten 60 and Jungeun 30.
"The final score 170. Hyunjin 80 and Jungeun, 90."
"Impressive." Tzuyu states.
Both Hyunjin and Jungeun made their ways off of the podium with smiles. Maybe this competition wasn't so bad after all.
"Next up. The Sunlight tribe. May the heirs please make their ways onto the podium" Mark announces and both Yerim and Jiwoo come skipping onto the podium.
"Woo, go Jiwoo!" Sooyoung cheered from where the other heirs stood and Jiwoo couldnt hide how pissed she was. Of course Sooyoung would try something like this.
"Wow, who knew you had a #1 fan" Yerim says, aligning her bow to the target. "Shut up." Jiwoo replies.
Both Jiwoo and Yerim align thier bows, aim and release quickly. Yerim hit a sharp 60 and Jiwoo got a round 50.
"Heirs, align again"
Both Jiwoo and Yerim aimed again, hitting the target in an instant. Yerim with another 60 and jiwoo with another 50.
Everyone was impressed by the heir's skills, especially Yerim's. Sooyoung began to worry as the thought of her poor skills would definitely guarantee she would not be winning this challenge.
"Final score 220. Jiwoo has 100 and Yerim has 120" Mark announces.
Both Yerim and Jiwoo high fived before making their way off of the podium. They had this in the bag.
"Next up, the Moonlight tribe. Sooyoung and Hyeju, please make your ways to the podium" Mark says and both Hyeju and Sooyoung quickly make their ways onto the podium, receiving their bows from Ryujin in a flash.
"You're gonna have to win this for us Hye, I'm shit at this" Soooyoung mumbles and Hyeju nods.
Both Hyeju and Sooyoung aimed for the target. Hyeju tried to keep her gaze steady but something inside of her made her quickly turn to face Chaewon who had her hands together in anticipation.
Her gaze was set on Hyeju and the two made eye contact for a split second. The sight of worry in Chaewon's eyes had affected Hyeju more than she had liked when she had let her arrow go as it flew towards the target. Except it didn't hit the target.
Hyeju had missed completely...
"Hyeju!" Sooyoung scolds as she had at least gotten a 40. But Hyeju didn't exactly care. The stare in Chaewon's eyes replayed over and over again in her brain and it was almost like her sight had gone foggy. Chaewon was watching her.
"Heirs, align again"
Hyeju and Sooyoung aimed again. Their bows fired quickly and Hyeju got a clean 30 whereas Sooyoung had a low 20.
"Woo! Sooyoung, that's my girl!" Jiwoo screamed in pleasure, openly mocking Sooyoung with a bright smile. And Sooyoung would have been mad, but it was Jiwoo afterall.
"The final score is.... 90. Hyeju has 30 and Sooyoung, 60." Mark announces, trying to hold back his laughter as he read out the score. He simply just loved to watch others fail.
"It's ok. We have 14 more challenges for a reason...right?" Mina says, earning laughs from the other rules.
Hyeju and Sooyoung both made their ways from the podium and now it was time for the last heirs to show their skills.
"And Lastly, the impeccable Starlight tribe. Heejin and Jinsoul, please make your way to the podiums" Mark announces and gets a cold stare from Kahei. It was no shocker that Mark was from the starlight tribe and his biased attitude towards the heirs was noticeable too.
Heejin and Jinsoul made their ways up to the podiums and got their bows from Yuna quickly.
"We can do this!" Jinsoul reasures but Heejin ignores her, simply just sighing in response. "Just don't make a fool out of us" Heejin align's her bow and faces the target. A small awkward laugh had fallen from Jinsouls mouth as she aligned her bow as well.
Both had taken a deep breath before winding their arrows back and letting them go in an instant, hitting the target like a pinlight.
As Heejin assumed she would get perfect, she was surprised to see she had gotten a 50. Close but not close enough for her. She had assumed Jinsoul had gotten worse but the sight of her arrow straight in the middle proved her wrong.
She had gotten a 60...perfect.
Heejin's jaw was dropped to the floor when she had seen how easily Jinsoul was winning this. She had to be better.
"Align again"
Heejin eyed Jinsoul as she aimed at her target. Maybe it was the way she had stretched her long arms, squinted her eyes at the target, or maybe it was cheating? Either way, once she and Jinsoul had let go, it was clear to see who was paying attention and who wasn't.
Jinsoul had gotten a straight 60 once again and Heejin... 20.
"Jinsoul! Congrats sweetheart!" Joohyun yells from where the rulers are and Heejin almost feels a pang in her heart when her mother doesn't pay her a stare.
"Thank you!" Jinsoul waves back and puts her bows back down.
"The final score is 190. Jinsoul has 120 and Heejin, 70" That score was a pain to Heejin's heart. She hadn't succeeded like she had hoped.
"May all their heirs please make their ways back onto the podium" Yena announces and each and every heir goes back to the podium, standing in a long line in front of Mark, Chaewon, Kahei and the giant chart with their names on it.
"The winner of today's challenge is..." Mark starts off and each heir scrunchies their hands in anticipation.
"Yerim from the Sunlight tribe and Jinsoul from the Starlight tribe."
Jinsoul and Yerim both shared a smile with one another as they watched a tally quickly attach itself next to their names.
"As Jinsoul and Yerim lead in the competitio, I advise all of you girls to do some serious training for tomorrow's challenge....Horse racing" Mark announces and worry begins to form on all the girls faces.
"And that concludes our first Challenge. You may all return to the castle and enjoy the rest of your day" Mark signs off and just like that things are over.
The first challenge was done.
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"Hyeju! What was that!" Sooyoung yells at her cousin as the two stand on the balcony, basking in the nighttime.
"I-I don't know...I had seen Chaewon and-"
"Chaewon!? Is that it? You see one pretty girl and you mess up our shot at winning this??" Sooyoung yells and Hyeju began to grow furious.
"I'm the one messing things up!? Don't act like I wouldn't have demolished you at this game if I was focused. And you shouldn't be talking either since you thirst after Jiwoo every two seconds!"
"Whatever. Will it take me to dye my hair blonde just so you can focus??" Sooyoung asks as both her and Hyeju were only centimeters apart. The anger shown through the redness of their skin and the heavy breaths that fell from their mouths.
"We can't afford to lose this Hyeju....I thought you knew this" Sooyoung sighs and heads back inside, leaving Hyeju to herself as she stared out into the night sky.
She missed days where she could do this without a care in the world. Just staring at the sky with with thoughts of Chaewon-
"Rough day?" A familiar voice spoke and Hyeju quickly jumped back to see none other than the princess herself. How did she even get ther so fast?
"How did you know?" Hyeju jokingly questions as she stares at Chaewon who quickly came to stand beside her at the edge.
"Maybe it was the loud yelling, or Sooyoung angrily walking from here." Chaewon states. "So did you hear everything?" Hyeju asks, hoping Chaewon hadn't heard everything she had said about her.
"No." Oh thank goodness.
"I just wanted to come to my favorite spot, that's all," Chaewon says, breathing in the cool night air around her as she stares at the rose garden beneath her.
"You know, sometimes I just wanna jump off of here. Find my way to the bottom and feel those thorns around me"
"Chaewon that's-"
"I'm joking, I'm joking. It's just...things get rough sometimes too when you're watching your throne be battled for" Chaewon scoffs as she stares at the roses below.
"Can't you just order for your throne back? You technically are the only ruler of this place" Hyeju questions.
"It's not that easy Hyeju. There are laws and rules and-..." Chaewon sighs and removes herself from the edge. SHe couldn't exactly finish her sentence as it brought anger to her more relaxed mood.
"I would love to chat some more but I gotta go. I wish you good luck." And just like that, Chaewon leaves. The smell of her bubblegum scent still lingering around Hyeju as she continues to look around.
It was nice to talk with Chaewon once again but things had changed. Maybe not physically but something had just felt...different. Chaewon didn't seem like her right self anymore. Instead she had felt bleak, numb and painstakingly broken. Hyeju grew curious about the girl.
Hyeju stares up at the sky and then back down to the rose garden Chaewon had been talking about. She wondered how beautiful the roses must smell but soon wondered how those thorns would feel around her too.
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"Heejin. I was shocked to see your performance today..." Joohyun states, facing Heejin who sat on the edge of her bed.
"Sorry-"
"Sorry doesn't cut it Heejin, you now this." Joohyun sighs. There was a silence that filled the room and Heejin yet Heejin still heard noise.
"Maybe you should just follow in the steps of Jinsoul. Seems like she's the only one who has her head on straight" Joohyun leaves Heejin's room and the pang hit Heejin's heart once again.
It was a pang that hurt more than the last time and the discomfort rose in Heejin's chest. She was a failure.
SCORE:
HEEJIN: 0
HYUNJIN: 0
HASEUL: 0
YEOJIN: 0
JUNGEUN: 0
JINSOUL: 1
YERIM: 1
SOOYOUNG: 0
JIWOO: 0
HYEJU: 0
AUTHORS NOTE: I feel like you don't know how hard it is to write a member as a 'bad guy' and try your hardest not to hate them because you love them in real life