Stone Prince

Florian's heart stopped as he stood tall in front of hundreds of officials, clammy hands clutching at his suit coat to calm his nerves.  The Oak Prince was smiling up at him, hands wrapped around a shining gray object. 

Jimin's crown. 

Jungkook turned to the crowd proudly, lifting his voice a notch so that everybody could hear him. 

"I officially deem one of my very own Oak Soldiers, better known as Florian to those who know him: Stone Prince, one of the three rulers of Noirwood and sworn protector of the North."

After uttering those words, the ravenette placed the crown gently upon Florian's brown locks and stood back, in awe at the newly crowned prince before him. Florian raised his hands up to feel the smooth metal of the crown that had once belonged to his role model, fingers tracing its design. 

The crowd cheered as he stepped forward on the makeshift platform that had been constructed outside of the country home, arms out as if welcoming the people of Noirwood. Florian's heart was pounding as he briefly glanced at Eonjin, who was awaiting her turn to be crowned. Clapping his hands together once, Florian quieted the crowd enough to make a speech. 

"Hello, citizens of Noirwood," he swallowed his fear down as he thought about Jimin standing next to him on the stage, "It is my honor to be crowned Stone Prince after the late Park Jimin. My legacy will be a continuation of his...and I will make it my goal to spread what he stood for across Noirwood during my reign...I am fully grateful for this position and I will not let you down."

He bowed deeply, a sense of relief coursing through him when the crowd clapped and cheered for his princely disposition. Florian turned around, walking back to stand next to Prince Jeon, who seemed overjoyed to see Noirwood accepting the new prince so eagerly. 

"Great job, Florian," the boy hardly heard the words come from Jungkook's mouth as he was nudged because the whoosh of blood thumping in his ears was too loud. 

Thank goodness he was done.

Eonjin was next. 

Florian watched as the former Laurel Prince was wheeled out to center stage, a proud smile on his lips. He raised his arms out for his sister, motioning for her to join him. 

"Ah, my lovely sister Eonjin...I couldn't be more proud to crown you Laurel Princess."

Taehyung's voice was a bit scratchy, but Florian didn't think Eonjin minded much. The girl seemed to have a bit of stage fright, her neck tense and the color in her cheeks filling as more people watched her. Her injured brother wasn't bothered by this however, calming the girl's nerves by taking her hand in his. 

"It's alright," he mouthed to her, facing away from the audience. Giving her hand a squeeze, Eonjin took a deep breath as her brother released his grip. Taehyung snapped his fingers once, and a servant instantly brought him the famous Laurel Crown. 

Oohs and aahs filled the excited air as the beautiful crown glimmered in the sunlight. A soft breeze tousled Taehyung's blonde hair as his both of his hands supported the crown. 

"I know right?! It's so pretty!" he gazed upon the people in the crowd, nodding gaily as they laughed, "There is no one here who deserves to wear this more than Eonjin!"

Florian observed the girl in front of him, who was flattered beyond words, gaping at the gorgeous piece of art as Taehyung held it up. She bent down to his seated level, mouth slightly ajar as her brother placed the crown gently upon her head. 

"Long live Princess Kim Eonjin! I hereby declare her to be the new Laurel Head as I formally step down!" the blonde man yelled cheerfully. 

Eonjin straightened, her first reaction was to look back at Florian, joy flying in her eyes. 

Florian's hand curled into a 'perfect' sign and he smiled at the girl in all red. Eonjin oohed and aahed herself as she spun back around to face the crowd, all sign of fear gone. 

"Noirwood!" she started out confidently, grinning ear to ear at the people in front of her. 

Wow...Eonjin was so much different now that she was officially princess. 

Confident...strong...

Attracti-

"I'm not a great speaker, but you'll have to listen!"

Florian blinked a few times, Eonjin's voice snapping him out of his thoughts. He couldn't deny the fact that the young girl in front of him caught his attention off of the bat.

How could she not? She had her brother's natural charm. 

"As Laurel Princess, I'll strive to beautify such a wonderful land through the creation of many new things. If there's anything I want more than introducing fine arts, education, and a great defense system to this place, it's to re-instill hope in the people again!" the crowd was loving her enthusiasm; many people sported cheesy grins on their faces. 

Florian was one of them. 

"As first Princess of Noirwood, I'll work hard to show you a more feminine power, a classy work ethic, a sexy-"

"Eonjin," Jungkook was cracking up next to Florian. He lifted his hand as a warning, "Don't be too blunt in your words or people will love you too much. I think you may have a group of admirers already."

Taehyung, confused at why his sister had stopped speaking, glanced back at his fiance for an explanation. Three seconds later, through the use of some strange symbols that Florian did not understand, Jungkook had relayed the message to the other. 

The blonde man chuckled, gripping the edges of his chair hard as his feet kicked back and forth. 

"Eonjin," Taehyung looked up at his sister, laughing hysterically, "Keep going, keep going...ahh...I'm dying."

Taehyung's sister cleared her throat, now completely shameless with the crowd. It was as if a switch was flipped inside of her, going from the shy and introverted newbie to the charming Laurel Princess in the span of a minute. 

"As I was saying," Eonjin stepped up all the way to the edge of the stage, chin titled up, "I'm so thankful to be one of the three powers of Noirwood, alongside the Oak and Stone princes. Actually, why don't you two come up here with me?"

Eonjin motioned enthusiastically for the other two to join her, the girl's hands outstretched. 

Florian followed behind Jungkook, who was snickering as he grabbed hold of Eonjin's right hand. Florian took her left hand, and the three bowed to the people they were bound to serve. 

The crowd cheered, and Florian felt Eonjin squeezing his hand hard. It made him glad to have a friendly acquaintance this early in the game. 

After a few moments in the limelight, the three powers bode their farewells to the crowd and moved into a more private room to talk. Taehyung joined the other three, sitting in the corner of the nicely-furnished room, face drawn in a contented expression. 

"Wow," he puckered his lips at the sight of the three powers of Noirwood in front of him, "We're three strong again."

Eonjin

Following the discussion the Laurel Princess had with Florian and Jungkook, she left the room to head back to the inn to pack up the last of her things. The inn would be sold off to some merchant who was willing to pay her double for it, since she was now a member of the royalty. 

Once outside of the countryman's house, she turned her head around, checking to see if anyone was paying attention to her. It was dark out, and she was making her way to the Laurel carriage arranged for her in the distance.

And boy, did it feel good to be princess.  

The night was warm, soft breeze tickling her sore bare feet as she strolled to her carriage, crown still on. The night sure was a magical one for the girl, who felt as if she had teleported into a brand new life overnight. The grass under her feet felt soft and comforting, as if it was encouraging her in her new royal position. 

"Ah...thank you Noirwood..." she mumbled to herself, spotting the carriage just down the drive. 

"I'd like to thank Noirwood too." 

"Shit!" The person's voice caused her to jump, swearing when she nearly stumbled and tripped onto the dirty ground. She spun around, furious at whoever had snuck up on her. 

"Hey, you know it's not nice to sneak up on people!" 

Then she saw Florian standing there, an apologetic look in his eyes. 

"Oh...sorry," he blushed, turning away, "I didn't take you to be much of a scaredy-cat, but..."

"HEY!" Eonjin ran up to him, punching his arm lightly, "I didn't take you to be much of a tease either...but-"

"My bad, princess," Florian ran a hand through his hair, smiling cheekily at the girl standing in front of him. Eonjin rolled her eyes and turned back towards her carriage. 

"Hey. Eonjin. I just wanted to say goodbye before I head north-"

"You already told me bye in the house," Eonjin pointed out, flipping her hair sassily over her shoulder. Florian snorted, picking up his pace to match hers. 

"Well...I just felt like I needed to say it again. I just wanted to reiterate how thankful I am that we are so close already...and..." the boy trailed off. 

Eonjin seemed to understand his suddenly bashful nature, feeling a bit shy herself. Redness twinged her tan cheeks as she bit her lips. An idea came to her mind but...

Don't do it. Eonjin...don't do it-

"Yeah, I'm so thankful for you too," Eonjin peeped before quickly standing on tiptoe to peck the boy on the cheek. 

Florian froze in his spot, hand reaching up to touch the spot that she had kissed. His face no longer held the calmness that was there only moments ago. His mouth hung open and his eyes blinked several times in surprise. 

"Oh...um..."

"That was for saving me from that fall today," Eonjin mumbled, a bit embarrassed that she had actually kissed him. 

On their first day meeting too! 

Damn it, Eonjin. What if he didn't like her like that?

Florian said nothing as the pair continued on their way, almost reaffirming to Eonjin that she had made a mistake. She didn't mean to push him away like that...

"Hey, Florian," she broke the awkward silence after clearing her throat, "I didn't mean to scare you away or anything...I'm sorry if you don't...um, feel comfortable by that it's just you're really nice and uh-"

Florian grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. 

"No, Eonjin...don't take my silence the wrong way-"

"I'm sorry, I just thought that maybe you don't like me like that," the words were out of the blonde girl's mouth before she could stop herself. She blushed, hand covering her mouth. 

Had she just admitted to liking him...this early? 

Fuck. 

However, her worries started to melt away as a smile broke out on the boy's face, his hand squeezing hers tightly. Her heart lifted at his next words. 

"Oh...I um...do kinda like you like that, Eonjin."

Too happy to put her feelings into words, Eonjin let her emotions out through a hearty laugh. Her entire body shook with humor as Florian watched her with a glint of hope in his eye, or so she thought. Florian smiled at her, a laugh spilling out of his lips too. 

What a coincidence that the newly-appointed royalty liked each other. 

The thought made Eonjin ecstatic. 

Before she knew it, the boy had pulled her into a hug, his long arms wrapping tightly around her thin body. His hair brushed against her tan neck as he leaned down, whispering something in her ear. 

"Goodbye Eonjin. I'll see you soon, alright?"

Eonjin patted his back hard, making him to over dramatically groan in agony. 

"Alright, Stone Prince. I'll promise to visit soon."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hmm.

Hmm.

So, I hate to say this...

But this story is coming to an end shortly. 

And a new romance is blooming so. 

Alas, I hope you enjoyed this chapter...a bit of Florjin? Eonian?

HAHAHa those sound terrible. 

Thanks for reading!! :)