Out Of The Castle (Soobin X Reader)

4

"I plan to try as hard as I can. Truth be told, I've never been very diplomatic, but perhaps I shall visit your library upon my arrival in order to study politics and history."

Soobin's fond smile grew as he looked at the princess, planning her days in her head.

The uneven and uncertain ground soon gave way to a cobbled street that jostled the carriage around, acting as an indicator that they had entered the village. The princess immediately looked out the window at the quaint cottages that passed. The sounds of excited villagers hung in the air as the carriage made its way to the centre of the town. The princess could not understand a word that the villagers said, not even when she felt like she could hear them for an extended period of time.

"Prince Soobin..." she paused, her eyes shifting from the windows to the regal Prince that sat in front of her. "I don't supposed the people here speak the Northern Tongue... do they?" She asked.

"No... it is a language only royalty and certain castle staff have become familiar with in order to deal with diplomatic relations," he responded. "Here we speak Ordiant."

  The princess felt her heart fall to her stomach. Another benefit about the Choi family to the west was that they had already adopted the northern tongue as a commonplace tongue. In the east, she would have to learn the Ordiant tongue in order to be a proficient and communicative queen for her future people.

  "Are there any words I should know before I meet the people?" She asked, almost in a panic.

  "They may say Defia Himel," he told her. She found as he flawlessly spoke in his mother tongue, he seemed more fluent and comfortable and his voice had a controlled flow to it. "They are simply calling you their queen. You needn't worry. I shall not leave your side," he assured her, meeting her eyes comfortingly.

"I suppose before anything else, I shall study Ordiant," the princess sighed, feeling nearly sick with guilt.

  "Then I suppose I shall take advantage of the language while you still know very little, Def-Idelis," he smiled, his soft voice lilting through the air with great poise and control. He drew his hand to the princess's and pulled her in closer, bringing his voice down from a mere mumble to nothing more than a whisper. "Def-Onwen Reh Ren-Estafeald, Def-Elin."  He then leaned back, leaving the princess leaned forward in confusion.

  "What have you said?" She asked him, leaning back in her seat, yet still forward enough to indicate her interest in the subject.

  "You shall know in due time, Def-Idelis." He smiled at the princess, giving a wink to let her know that it was nothing of great importance.

She allowed her mind to linger on it as they rode into the heart of the village, but her mind could not dawdle on the subject for long as she noticed the lively decor that adorned the village. There were banners with foreign tongue on them, presumably welcoming her into their lands. The colours they used were bright and regal, not the dull colours that the villagers in the north could manage to scrounge up.

"These colours are so vibrant," she noted.

"Indeed. We try to source our pigments to the people as well. We allow them to use it for fabrics, or for paints during special occasions. It seems they have saved some for today," Soobin explained, looking at the banners as they passed.

"What do the banners say?" The princess asked, her eyes shifting from the scenery outside to the Prince in front of her.

"Evabi, Defia Himel! 'Welcome, my queen'," he translated, his tone changing as he swapped languages without difficulty.

  The princess attempted to repeat the words under her breath but found that she was unable to pronounce the words. She could see the corners of Prince Soobin's eyes crinkle gently as she attempted to mumble the words with completely incorrectly pronunciation. Her eyes fell to her hands which rest on her legs, and she grew silent.

"Strange for people in a village to use such pure and vibrant hues of purple," she commented in an attempt to direct attention elsewhere.

"Hardly strange. I've seen that typically other kingdoms allow only royals to use purple pigments because of the rarity of such pigments. The cost of brilliant purple pigments is a hefty toll, but it is a small price to pay to see such bright decorations and such bright people," he explained, gesturing to a child that wore a tunic with a purple insignia.

People began to take notice of the carriage and the men surrounding it. They gathered on the streets at the calls of others and began to celebrate their Prince's eagerly awaited return.

"My Lord, you have returned!"

"Our Prince has returned with his wife!"

Soobin collected all of the praise from inside the cottage, a genuine smile gracing his features. The Princess simply listened to the shouts and hoped that they bore good meaning.

The carriage slowed to a stop in the centre of the village that lay at the foot of the castle. Where the castle of the North seemed very wide in its expanses, this castle was very tall and less wide. The width was somewhat proportionate to its height, enough to make the height seem normal for its width. Still, the princess could only see a small portion of the castle and she felt inadequate.

A fanfare was played and Soobin stepped out of the carriage, gesturing for the princess to wait whilst he greeted his people.

She could hear him giving a great speech with such fervent tone. The people seemed lively with such great excitement. His speech only encouraged their cheers tenfold. The princess grew nervous as the carriage door opened slightly. She smoothed down her dress as Soobin offered her a hand, opening the door the rest of the way. The people began to cheer around them, though she hadn't the slightest clue what they said. She put on her best smile and looked to all the people as they cheered. After the fleeting moment, the people dispersed. Some villagers played music on their instruments, some served fresh vegetables and breads, some walked around with flagons of ale. Some people danced in the square. The prince's men awaited the orders of their leader, only to be dismissed and allowed to join the festivities. They acquired their own flagons of ale, speaking amongst themselves and the villagers.

  "Are you still feeling comfortable, my lady?" Soobin asked, turning to the princess that stood by his side.

  Truth be told, the princess was overwhelmed with the new information she had processed. The fact that she could not understand what a single villager said, nor could they understand anything she said, was slightly nerve wracking for her. No matter how she tried to vocalize this in an adequate way, she couldn't seem to get the words out. Luckily enough, Prince Soobin had understood her silence.

  "I promise that I shall not leave your side," he told her, his voice firm with genuine affirmation. He took a second to observe the Princess's expression before he gently grabbed her hand in his and intertwined their fingers. "My hand shall not leave yours for the duration of the night."