⚓ Cliffs

@⚓ Soojung It took a few good minutes for Mir to adjust to their distance. Just moments ago, she had been pressed against him, their noses inches from each other. He could practically feel her breath mingling with his. But he'd snapped out of the incongruous imaginations, reminding himself of who she was and who /he/ was. He had no interest in these things - his first and only love was his kingdom. She had priority. And he was sure that any remotely romantic interactions with him was not at all how the princess had imagined her prince charming.

Then again, from the rumours, he'd heard her prince charming was a servant. And if she had imagined a prince charming in the first place, she was incredibly naive and ignorant. No man could ever be charming enough without any hidden agendas or characteristics that were ideal. This was the real world; and fantasies didn't belong here.

"Not a fan of living on the edge, then?" He poked fun of her, purposely removing his gaze from her tinted cheeks. He cursed himself for getting too distracted by them or the how soft they'd feel if he just accidentally brushed his fingers against him.

Her words were a relief then, pulling him out of his destroying thoughts. A grin subconsciously found its way on his cheeks and he eyed her daringly. "So, /now/ you're living recklessly?" There was a challenge in his eyes; one that couldn't wait to see her do this. When she had been queen, he'd always seen her as a distant statue. She seemed uptight, kept too straight by her corset. It always seemed like she wanted to keep a step away from things; if she got too close, it would be dangerous.

Now that he had met her - now that she no longer had that crown weighing on her head - he realised that she was just a young girl. One that was being pulled in too many directions at once. And she retaliated by pulling back, by pulling up; a perfect, straight-laced princess. And there were too little tiny moments in the day she could release herself.

If, for one night, he could do that for her, he would. Even if she forgot about him the next day. So, grabbing her hand, he hurried her down the narrow pathway along the side of the cliff towards the beach. With a laugh, he pulled her towards the ocean, the only place that promised freedom in this whole entire world.

@☁ Mir Before Soojung knew it, Mir had captured her into a waltz hold. "W-Whaa?" She was bewildered by the fact that they were suddenly waltzing on a cliff, the edge of a cliff no less.At least there wasn't anyone but the planktons in the sea that were watching them otherwise, they'd probably ask if they were alright for dancing near the edge of the cliff. She shook her head lightly to clear her thoughts and just enjoy the moment. She smiled as they danced, her thoughts probably completely clear.

When he'd spun her out, she'd let out a soft laugh as she completed the whirl. Things were so different from the way she was used to but she liked it. In fact, she loved the feel of freedom, the feel of the wind tugging at her hair as she moved gracefully. Oh how she wished that moment would never ever end.

When at least half of her right feet was off the cliff's edge, she panicked and practically threw her arms around him in an attempt to safe herself from plunging to her death in the sea. Soojung had her head down as she clung tightly onto him from fear and when she raised it, she was met with his face really close to hers. That caused her face to turn a faint shade of pink as she quickly let go of the other, her eyes not meeting his.

"That's true." She replied to his remark. "Next time, let's not dance at the edge of a cliff, or rather the edge of anything." She said, her cheeks still painted pink from that close encounter earlier before she finally raised her head to meet his eyes. "Say.. I kinda wanna do something." She told him. "I kinda wanna run along the beach, close to the waves for no apparent reason." She continued. "Would you join me in doing that?" She asked with a hopeful smile on her face, before finally realizing how formal her question probably sounded causing her to mentally facepalm herself.

@⚓ Soojung Mir stood staring in confusion at the young princess. What did she mean by it not being her choice? He was sure he'd heard what everyone had been saying - that she'd eloped with a servant to free herself from the title of queen. And be able to love freely, he supposed. Was that not true.

Her next words confused him even more. She? Who was she? And how has she died?

He was about to part his lips to ask her when she directed a particularly awkward question back at him. "Ah," he sighed uncomfortably, averting his gaze and scratching at the back of his neck. "I guess I was scared to fail... Not just my people but... myself." He coughed, finding that the words tasted uncomfortable in his mouth. "I knew I had to get this right. And prove to the other advisors I deserved his position."

Mir really didn't want to continue. He was finding the current conversation invasive and soon he would become defensive. He honestly didn't want to show that side of him to her. So when her attention was captured by the ocean, he was relieved.

And then his breath caught. It was stunning. The way the dark ocean shimmered close to the shore, blue stars captured in its waves. "It's beautiful," he said quietly.

Then he found his eyes directed to her. She looked so at peace here. In awe. This was where she belonged; free and beautiful and with the sea. He was captivated by the way the wind pulled at her hair, the locks caressing her cheeks.

He swallowed hard before pushing himself into action. Quickly he reached forward and captured into a waltz hold. "I think the sea wants us to dance," he grinned, before spinning her in a waltz. It was a lot different out here than in the ballroom. It was free, not restrictive. There weren't any eyes here to watch them - except the blue, beady star ones of the shore.

He spun her out, laughing at the way she effortlessly completed the whirl. For one moment, he forgot who he was - who she was. Then, spinning her out again, her feet got dangerously close to the cliff's edge, and he panicked, lunging forward and capturing her by the waist and pulling her tight against him, away from the edge.

"Phew," he breathed before he realised how close they were. Then he quickly let go, letting out an awkward laugh. "I think we'd better do that further away from the edge next time."

@☁ Mir Soojung heard his question and she sighed, knowing that everybody probably thought she'd ran away with some servant when she really didn't. She shook her head silently as a reply.

"No. That's not why I left." She told him. "Truth to be told, I didn't have a choice in leaving. It was either me dying or me leaving." She continued truthfully. Flashbacks of that horrifying night played in her mind as she sat there. "She died because of me.. Everyone who had accompanied me on that trip did." She muttered as she looked down, tearing up slightly at the memory . "But let's not talk about that." She knew if she continued, she'd probably start crying there and then and she didn't want to that and risk everything becoming completely awkward.

Soojung turned to look at him as she remembered what he'd said earlier. "You said that you were nervous..Why were you really nervous?" She asked, curious. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to though." She added before turning to look at the sea below them. Her eyes widened as a natural phenomenon happen right before her very eyes. There were blue lights in the sea!

"Oh my- Look at that!" Unconsciously, she grabbed his arm as she tugged on it while her other hand pointed at the direction of the sea. Indeed, there were tiny neon blue lights which looked like stars at the part where the waves crashed onto the sand. "It's so pretty.." Her eyes were filled with wonder as she watched the waves crash into the sand. "I've been living here all my life but not once have I seen such a sight.." She said, still not looking at him as her attention was almost entirely caught by the star-like lights in the sea.

[ In case you're wondering what I'm talking about, it's this

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20140619-seas-that-glow-like-stars ]

@⚓ Soojung "I kind of have to," Mir laughed as he scratched at the back of his neck. "Plus, I had a little tour around the kingdom before I came tonight." He coughed awkwardly, not knowing whether to add the last bit of information. Irritated by his indecision, his mouth blurted out, "I was actually really nervous." He averted his eyes, uncomfortable with anyone knowing how nervous he was. It made him seem weak, pathetic, when he needed to be a strong leader for his people. And he couldn't be that if people could see past his armour - especially Soojung. His kingdom couldn't be a good ally if he himself wasn't.

He cursed himself internally. What was he thinking? This wasn't the time for politics or aristocracy. Soojung wanted to get away from that tonight. He didn't want to be the one holding her back.

So, as she asked him not to judge her yelling, he grinned, showing her an OK sign with his hands and saying, "I promise I won't."

Mir calmly listened as the wind swept away her words. They were muffled but he could still make out what they were. He wasn't entirely surprised - he supposed he understood a little about having people's eyes watching her. And he couldn't help but chuckle at the mention of the advisors. After all, he was one himself, technically. Not to her, of course, but to the late king of his kingdom. And he understood how harsh some of the other advisors could be - he himself had had to be harsh in times before. But that was for the good of the kingdom and the king.

But then her voice drained out and he felt sad. Sad that she had to feel this way. Sad that she had to live this way.

"Is that why you left?" He asked quietly, though he was sure she could barely hear it, what with the wind. "Left the kingdom, I mean. When you were queen..."

{{Mir obviously doesn't know she was under an assassination attempt.}}

@☁ Mir As soon as they reached the cliffs, Soojung drew in a deep breath as she stood there silently. "It's been so long since I last came here.." She said, mostly to herself as she looked into the horizon. She didn't even flinch when he took the jacket off her head before putting it around her shoulders. She couldn't help but laugh at his words and especially when he mentioned how it sounded a little creepy. She nodded in agreement but mostly out of amusement.

"That's actually quite true. Not many people come here..." Soojung turned to look at him. "You sure did your research on my kingdom." She playfully commented before turning to look at the front again. She blinked when he said that they could shout anything at the sea. She flinched silently as he suddenly yelled out loud. She nodded a few times before raising her hands to .

"Don't judge what I'm about to yell." Soojung said before beginning to yell as well.

"Yahh!!! You silly old maids that keep forcing me to learn etiquette!! They're useless to me in the real world!! So why does it even matter when I make a tiny unnoticeable mistake?!" Soojung yelled. "And you old advisors! Why do you keep making me do things I don't want to do?! And the way y'all look at me as if you're silently judging me isn't even polite and yet you're telling me to learn some manners! What is wrong with you people?! Stop judging someone you don't know!!" She continued yelling until she grew tired. "I'm sick and tired of being all prim and proper! Can't I just be me for once?! I want to be Soojung!! Not Princess Soojung!!" She yelled for the last time. "I'm sick of it.." She muttered, her voice growing softer and softer with each word.

@⚓ Soojung Somehow they managed to reach the shore unscarred. Apparently a man in half a suit and a woman in a ballgown hiding her face with his jacket didn't look suspicious in the middle of town. Then again, most of the people who had seen them were drunk anyway so Mir shouldn't have been surprised. As soon as they reached the cliffs, far enough away from the townspeople, Mir hovered behind Soojung, taking his jacket off her head and putting it around her shoulders. Easily, he placed both of his hands on her shoulders and came close to her ear and said, "No one will find you here."

He laughed, pulling back. "Sorry! That sounded a little creepy. He grinned sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I meant, I don't think many people come here. Especially not at this time of night." It was probably to do with the wind. It was wild here, whipping their hair into their faces, tugging at their clothes. Mir was strong enough to keep his footing in it but, just in case, he held onto Soojung's shoulders to make sure she didn't. Although he had joked about it, he didn't want to actually kill her.

"This is the perfect place," he said, his voice raising as the wind picked up. "You can shout anything at the sea and no one will hear you..." Well, except him of course. But he wouldn't tell her that.

"Here," he said loudly. "I'll show you." And he turned towards the cliffs, took a deep breath and then yelled as loud as he could, the wind loud and fast enough to capture it and take it towards the ocean, making it sound muffled. "Go ahead," he patted the princess's shoulder. "Scream anything you want. It's a good chance to get rid of everything you're angry about."

He wanted her to be free of her frustrations, of the things that built up when she was trapped in the princess mould. Everyone's eyes watching her, locking them in. If he could do anything for her, it would be this.