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36 | Legends of Darlaria
⨰ summary: You wake up in yet another unfamiliar place. This time, however, these strangers seem to recognize you. With your previous judgments and aspirations thrown out the window, you're now forced to face where your loyalties really lie. Who will you betray? And which General will you choose to stand by his side?
⨰ pairing/rating: yoongi x reader & jungkook x reader | PG-15
⨰ genre: 70% angst, 30% fluff | war!au & magic!au
⨰ warnings: profanity, brief mentions of blood and injuries
⨰ wordcount: 3.4k
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⧖⧗Many, Many Circas Ago⧗⧖
Fighting for your nation should be an honor. And after training in the castle grounds for nearly five years, you were supposedly more than prepared to go to war. Graduation was only a week away.
You hoped it was normal to feel nervous about serving your nation, but then again, your level of discomfort seemed to surpass any ordinary level of nervosity. You’d been unable to get up from your bed, calling in sick from training for the past two days. Any food you consumed didn’t want to stay down. You were constantly ensconced in your thick covers, alone with your thoughts and as a result, spiraling quite intensely.
When the covers managed to suffocate you more than your thoughts, you allowed your head to peek out momentarily to breathe in fresh air. Before you slipped back under your sheets, however, you caught sight of the swirling canvas up on your ceiling. The shades of purple thread undulated in hypnotic movements that you could not discern. It was frustrating, knowing that the readings of the future were just above you, yet in a language you were unfamiliar with. The threads mocked you, reminded you of your lack of skill in divination, and evoked memories of your disappointed parents.
Hajin sensed your low spirits, and though she wasn’t sure why you were so upset, she thankfully didn’t ask any questions. Instead, she did her best to cheer you up.
“Hey, let’s check out the tunnels again before we leave! Ooh, I know! Then, we’ll have a delicious deviled egg feast! Come on, come, Y/N, let’s go!”
Through the tunnels, she took you to the 1st city, which was really the last place you wanted to go, yet you didn’t have it in you to tell her.
“You see all those soldiers?” Hajin asked, giddy with excitement. “We’re going to be one of them! We’ll get to wear their fancy uniforms! And you’ll get to be closer to Jungkook,” she teased with a wink.
You tried to smile, but out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a soldier limping away on a bandaged-up leg. Fresh blood seeped through the white gauze, and more spots blossomed with each pained step they took. You saw a soldier vomiting up her lunch as another soldier held her hair out of the way. Both were holding back tears. A crowd of medics passed by in front of the bush you and Hajin were hiding behind, carrying an unrecognizably burned person on a stretcher. Something told you that they weren’t on the way to the infirmary.
You looked away.
Hajin frowned at your silence. “You’re nervous,” she said.
You nodded, though nervosity was only scratching the surface.
Hajin grasped your hands, squeezing them tightly. “It’s okay,” she said in her most soothing, grownup voice. “You and I are in this together! I’d climb Guseul’s Hill for you, Y/N. Without hesitation and a thousand times over if I had to.” She grinned. “We’re going to march into this damn city next week, and we’re going to kick some Solarian ass! Are you with me?”
You couldn’t say no, not to Hajin’s face, so you faked a smile. “Of course I am,” you said, squeezing her hands back. “I’d climb Guseul’s Hill for you, too, Hajin. I’ll always be with you.” This was the truth.
“Damn right!” Hajin said, letting go of your hands to pump a fist in the air. “Now, come on, let’s get back to the 12th city. Our deviled eggs are waiting!”
With Hajin’s coaxing, you managed to stay out of sulking in bed for the next few days. It was easier to pretend things were okay when you realized you couldn’t possibly screw up your best friend’s dream of marching into the 1st city with you. So you ate deviled eggs and explored the tunnels and kept a pleasing smile on your face, though you felt like crumbling on the inside.
Jungkook wasn’t so easily fooled by your mask of emotions. When he came back to the 12th city under orders from General Son, you greeted him with a wide smile while Hajin gave him an annoyed eye roll, but she failed to hide the grin on her face. Jungkook’s gaze shifted to your fingers tugging frantically at your necklace.
Something wrong? he tapped discreetly in monocode.
I’m fine, you tapped back.
But you weren’t. Because it was three days before graduation. And now there was another thing to worry about.
You’re not fine, Jungkook responded. You’re nervous about being called into the throne room.
He could read you so well.
Don’t worry. I’m sure General Son and the king have nothing but good news for us.
You hoped that was true.
You always knew Jungkook had nerves of steel. You wished you could learn a thing or two from him in that regard, but it was difficult to, considering that yours and his presence have been requested by both the Darlaean General and King. Even now, you weren’t sure how Jungkook wasn’t nervous, standing before these two men weathered and wisened by tragedy and the burden of leadership. You couldn’t imagine this being about good news.
But perhaps it was the divinist in Jungkook who knew all along what this conversation was supposed to be about.
“My daughter, my near son-in-law,” Hoseok said. “Thank you for coming at such short notice.”
General Son stood behind him, watching quietly.
“I do hope we did not make you nervous, calling for you at such an odd time, only three days before your graduation, Y/N,” Hoseok continued. “But time is of the essence. In three days, I will be alone in this grand castle, with the last of my family 11 cities away.” Hoseok paused, only to smile quite proudly at you and Jungkook. You tried hard to hide the confusion from manifesting in your expression.
“Taegi tells me that the two of you are quite talented,” Hoseok said. “He has called you time and time again, the future leaders of the army, though he wouldn’t approve of the fact that I’m now sharing this with you. He prefers to keep his compliments to himself.”
General Son gave no discernible reaction, though you noticed a slight twitch of his left eye.
“You must be puzzled with where I might be going with this,” Hoseok said. “But I am humbly asking you for a favor.”
“A favor,” you repeated quietly. This time, you couldn’t hide the confusion on your face.
“Yes, my dear,” Hoseok said. “I am beseeching the two of you, not as a royal subject but as a father.”
Hajin’s face immediately flashed in your mind.
“You’d like us to protect your daughter,” Jungkook said.
But of course. It made sense now.
Hoseok smiled. “Hajin is… eager,” he said. “Sometimes a little too eager, and I must admit in confidentiality that she is not quite up to par with the two of you yet.”
That hurt hearing this come from Hajin’s own father.
“We’ll look out for her on the battlefield, Your Majesty,” Jungkook said without missing a beat. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect the Princess of Darlae.”
As much as you thought Hajin was perfectly capable of protecting herself, you didn’t want to risk losing a friend you considered a sister. Her father was only doing this because he loved his daughter—the last heir of the Jung Dynasty. He’d do anything to ensure her safety, even if it meant deploying Hajin’s two closest friends to secretly protect her, despite that might hurting her pride. It would truly break Hajin’s heart if she found out. But she’d still be alive.
“I’ll protect Hajin as if my life depended on it,” you said. “I promise.”
Hoseok looked relieved at your and Jungkook’s overwhelmingly positive responses, yet the relief failed to erase the dark circles sagging under his eyes. It pained you to think that he lost sleep over worrying about his daughter going to war.
“You don’t have to worry,” you said. “I’ll ask her to write to you often, and we’ll come visit when we can.” Somehow, attempting to solace another helped you momentarily forget about your own worries.
“That would be lovely, my dear,” Hoseok said, smiling at you with kind eyes. “Thank you. Both of you. But remember, though I ask of you to protect Hajin, never cease to protect yourselves. The two of you are the future of Darlae.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Jungkook beamed brightly next to you. “We won’t disappoint you.”
You could only smile nervously.
“Ah, well, that was what I wanted to discuss with you today,” Hoseok said. “Although Taegi has a few things he wanted to say that he believed would sound better coming from him than me.”
You’d nearly forgotten General Son had been in the room. But here he was, stepping out from behind Hoseok, his face neutral despite the king’s teasing. “You heard from Hoseok what I think of the two of you.” He gave you and Jungkook equally long looks. “This means that I will train you even harder. I will expect even more of the two of you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir!” you and Jungkook chimed in unison out of habit.
“Good, good,” he said. “I’m sure you already know, Private Jungkook, that the war is not a playground.” He stared at you, though it really felt like he was peering into your soul. “Cadet, there are no ranking boards out there and surely no second chances. You must do things correctly the first time or die. That is the reality of the war. You will shed your youth as you shed your cadet title in three days.”
Suddenly, your worries rushed back. A deep, hollow pit began growing in your stomach.
“Oh, Taegi, don’t scare your best soldiers, now,” Hoseok laughed, but General Son didn’t respond. He only stared at you, which made you want to shrink, run back under your covers and stay there until graduation.
Even after you and Jungkook had been dismissed, you couldn’t stop thinking about General Son’s words, replaying them in his gruff voice over and over again in your head.
You must do things correctly the first time or die.
You recalled the limping soldier, his face twisting in pain every time he dragged his injured leg forward, new splots of dark red blood appearing on the snowy white gauze.
That is the reality of the war.
This time, you saw the vomiting soldier on the verge of tears. She was holding her stomach, doubled over as she hacked the contents of her breakfast.
You will shed your youth as you shed your cadet title in three days.
The vision of the completely incinerated body on the stretcher flashed in your mind.
You couldn’t bear it, and so you covered your face with your hands, pressing your fingers hard against your forehead as if that would erase the vivid images from your head.
“You have a lot on your mind,” Jungkook said softly. You were lying on the bed, face covered, and he was sitting at the edge, flipping the page of a strategy book he’d picked up a couple of hours ago. “Was it what General Son said today?”
“I guess…” You kept your face covered. “I’m just… I’m so nervous.”
Jungkook set his book down. “You have nothing to be nervous about.”
But that wasn’t true at all. Most of your life—ever since you began your studies at Botswana—you’ve been told that you were talented. So much so that you were beginning to believe it. But being talented didn’t mean you were invincible. If you were set on fire, you would still die a slow, painful death. Just like everybody else. Just like the soldier burned to a crisp on the stretcher. And if it wasn’t you on the stretcher, you’d still have to witness the flames on the battlefield kill your comrades. You’d come back to the 1st city vomiting and never being able to keep your food in your stomach. Or you’d come back with scars, an unwalkable leg and trauma that would never go away until you were inevitably scorched to death.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you out here,” Jungkook whispered as if reading your thoughts.
You shook your head, your hands coming away from your face. “You’re going to be a hell of a lot busy then, Private, protecting both me and the crown princess.”
“I can handle it, cadet,” he said with a gentle smile.
There was a small pause.
“I know you’re scared,” Jungkook said. “You shouldn’t be.” He leaned back to place a gentle hand over yours.
He knew. Perhaps he knew all along. It was fear that ate your insides, that made you unable to climb out of bed, that made you want to stay in the security of the 12th city. It was fear that was holding you back from becoming your nation’s pride. It was also fear that made honoring your nation simply not worth the trouble. He knew you so well that there was no use hiding it anymore.
“I can’t help it,” you replied, feeling your insides twist. “I’m not like you, Jungkook. I can’t just… go to war because my superior told me to. I mean, I have to, and in three days, I will… But I…” You had to stop yourself from speaking because you could feel tears welling up in your eyes.
“Don’t cry,” Jungkook said, using his free hand to wipe away your tears before they rolled down your face. “Sometimes I think you’re too kind for the war, Y/N.”
“Maybe I am,” you whispered. “No,” you said, shaking your head. “I’m a coward. I’m scared of death, Jungkook. No, I’m scared of the process of death on that battlefield. I’m scared of being in pain. I’m scared of living the last few seconds of my life in panic, in agony, in fear. I-I… I think I’m more scared of getting hurt than inflicting that pain on someone else. I haven’t been sleeping and eating because I’ve been so scared. I haven’t even graduated yet! It’s so pathetic.” More tears rolled down your face. You caught them with the sleeve of your gown. “I don’t deserve to be a soldier.”
Much less be the future of Darlae.
Jungkook didn’t respond for a long time. But you knew he was only thinking of the right thing to say. He wasn’t the best at sugarcoating his words, but he tried very hard to do it for you. He held onto your hand tightly, rubbing his thumb over your skin. Finally, he spoke.
“Well, we need you.”
Your lips parted, but no sound came out.
“The army needs a talented alchemist like you,” Jungkook said, gently. “You think others aren’t scared?” he asked. “They march into that damn field despite their fear, despite their cowardliness, despite their wishes to run back to safety. They do it for their nation, for their loved ones, hell, even for themselves. So do it for something, Y/N. Do it to make a difference. Maybe to fucking win the war once and for all.”
Your eyes sparkled with tears. “Jungkook…”
“You’ve always been altruistic,” he said. “Let that fuel you. Feel the fear but don’t let it consume you entirely.”
It was moments like these that made you realize you were talking to the future General of the Darlaean Army.
“Do you ever get scared?” you asked.
“No,” Jungkook said—short and simple.
“Not even of death?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what will happen after I die, but I don’t really care,” he said. “So I might as well live without fear.”
You wished you could share that sentiment. But the truth was, you were a coward. You couldn’t understand what General Son saw in you to think you could be a future leader of the army. Even if you were a decent alchemist, it didn’t matter if you could barely hold yourself together even thinking about the atrocities war could bring. Your fear of pain was rooted in conceited self-preservation, which had no room in military leadership.
“I know you’re doubting yourself again,” Jungkook said.
Your thoughts halted.
“You shouldn’t,” he said gently. “The Y/N I know is resilient. She always finds a way. And besides, I’ll be your extra pair of eyes, though I doubt you’ll need it.”
Just a bit of your anxiety began melting away. “Jungkook…”
“You and I both know that you’re the best alchemist the Training Corps has seen in decades,” he replied. “The nation needs to see your talent. And if you’re too shy for that, then at least know that one day your talent will change Darlae for good.”
You glanced nervously upward at the swirling pools of thread on the canvas above you. “Did the divination charm tell you that?”
“No.” Jungkook smiled. “I can just feel it. Can’t you?”
You weren’t so sure.
As if to make matters worse, the day before graduation, General Son found you staring up at the night sky in the castle orchards. You hadn’t expected him to be taking a nighttime stroll, much less around the orchards, but then again, you weren’t really a divinist.
“You don’t seem very excited about your graduation, cadet.” General Son broke the silence.
You didn’t know how to respond. Instead, you rose from the grass and saluted. “Sir.”
“At ease,” he said. “A lot on your mind, I presume?”
You weren’t sure how to respond without lying or going down the rabbit hole of your embarrassing fears.
“I did tell you six circas ago that things will only get harder from here,” General Son said, quirking his brow. “I hope it hasn’t already started.”
“Just a bit, sir,” you managed to say. “Though most of it’s self-inflicted.”
General Son did not pry. Instead, he allowed silence as he stared up at the fruit trees, his silver epaulets shining in the moonlight. Then, he spoke. “Do you know what it takes to be the General of an entire army?”
You stared at him. “L-Logistically, yes, sir. B-But… I also know that no book can ever teach me what it is truly like to be the General of an army. So no. I admit that I do not know what it takes.”
General Son raised an eyebrow. “You will have private lessons with me every other day now, cadet,” he said. “I will be at my temporary office in the 1st city for most days of the week, and on the weekends, we will travel to the 12th to continue your studies. I hope that this will help you understand what it takes to run an army.”
You completely froze in place.
Was he saying what you thought he was saying? It was too much to digest. In fact, it was simply impossible. There was no way he could ever think that you could become the Darlaean General. Not when someone like Jungkook existed. Somehow, he’d predicted this, too. You remember so clearly now: I may have the traits, but I’m not what General Son is looking for. He had been strangely… jealous? disappointed? that ostensibly, General Son was more fond of you than him, which you didn’t even think was true… Until perhaps now. But it didn’t make sense. How could you be what General Son was looking for? You, who cried uncontrollably at the mere thought of war? You, who Jungkook had to console?
“S-Sir, I’m still just a cadet—”
“I was a cadet once too,” General Son said. “But talent is talent, it doesn’t matter who wields it.”
But what about Jungkook? you wanted to say. Forget about me. He would be so much better.
“Train like you’re already the General of the Darlaean Army,” General Son told you. His cold, black eyes stared you down. Clearly, denial was not an option. “Fight like you’re already commanding thousands of soldiers,” he said. “Do you understand?”
You couldn’t, but you said yes anyway.
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⨰ a/n: it's been a while! thanks for getting to the end of this much-delayed chapter. in terms of updates, there will be one every month/every two months. sorry for leaving for so long :') hope you enjoyed <3 it starts getting pretty real from here on out
please consider telling me your thoughts with a comment, an ask or a reblog :) i love hearing readers' impressions/rambles/predictions! if you want to join the taglist, send in a private message, ask, reply to this post or reblog with your request!
Moodboard
Moodboard for '𝓛𝓮𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓪' by @threeletterslife
𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘦
“I know you’re doubting yourself again,” Jungkook said.
Your thoughts halted.
“You shouldn’t,” he said gently. “The Y/N I know is resilient. She always finds a way. And besides, I’ll be your extra pair of eyes, though I doubt you’ll need it.”
Just a bit of your anxiety began melting away. “Jungkook…”
“The nation needs to see your talent. And if you’re too shy for that, then at least know that one day your talent will change Darlae for good.”
You glanced nervously upward at the swirling pools of thread on the canvas above you. “Did the divination charm tell you that?”
“No.” Jungkook smiled. “I can just feel it. Can’t you?”
.・。.・゜✭・.・。.・゜✭・.・。.・゜✭・
“I won’t let anyone hurt you out here,” Jungkook whispered as if reading your thoughts.
You shook your head, your hands coming away from your face. “You’re going to be a hell of a lot busy then, Private, protecting both me and the crown princess.”
“I can handle it, cadet,” he said with a gentle smile.
𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢
“I know you want to burn,” the General continues. “I know that you must feel as if I am smothering you. But please. Allow me to be selfish for once in my life. I can’t lose you. I can’t bear the thought.”
Oh.
“Oh,” you actually say. Only because you can’t find a single coherent thought inside of your head. Only because you’re screaming and yelling in your mind and none of that can translate into words at the moment.
“It’s irrational,” he says. “I know. I should know better. My clan has always hated me for being weak, but maybe it’s time to embrace it.” He looks you dead in the eyes. “You’ll follow me until you die, you said? Then I’ll do everything in my power to keep you alive.”
.・✫・゜・。..・✫・゜・。..・✫・゜・。.
“If there was no war,” you whisper, “do you think…?”
The General doesn’t meet your eyes. “I wouldn’t doubt it for a second.” ・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・。.・゜✭・
So I made a moodboard for the first time ever! I adore this fic istg
Pictures are not mine. I took them from Pinterest and google.
omg please it means so much to hear you liked my small gift. I wanted the perfect pictures and tried my best(and omg really?? Should I put 'mind reader' on my resume lolol)
The idea to put quotes came when I was reading the latest chapter (i had already saved the quotes from Yoongi when I was original reading it and those lines just...made me stop for a second. Seriously how do you do it!?!??) it just made perfect sense to put them side by side!
Thank you for writing such an amazing fic. 💜💜
its 4 thirty and my phone is at 1 percent but I just spent 2 hrs making a mood board for LOD lol please check it if u wanna I'll post it later. (I really need to sleep I gotta get up early tomorrow)
This is the moodboard for anyone interested!
Oh my GOD IT'S AMAZING. Every photo fits SO well!! My favorite has to be the one with the glowing hand on the chest—it is SO perfectly Solaria that I can't even. (That photo—along with 4 others on the moodboard—is also on my lod Pinterest board so you are a MIND READER!) You even nailed the color schemes!!! The purple and the red ahh!! Everything from the photo placements to Heli to the candlelight is perfect! Thank you so much for taking the time to make such a meticulous moodboard :)
And the pull-out quotes!!! It was a genius move to add them! (Also the colored font wtf? How do you do that LOL??) I love how you can see the two general's starkly different personalities from their quotes! (In the story so far they haven't had a chance to be compared side by side, so this feels special hehe)
Hope you get some well-deserved sleep and again, THANK YOU for making this beautiful moodboard!!!
GHOST APPLES - ice formations formed by freezing rain coating the apples. The rotten apple inside falls out of the bottom of the ice spheres, leaving them perfectly translucent.
Replaying Legend of Dragoons for the first time in years. Game has aged, not that badly in terms of story and characters. Graphics are A Trip, battle system is pretty good for a turn based fight system, and Stonking Deities do I keep fighting off the urge to write a Dart/Shana/Lavitz fic, because man do I ship it.
