Regal | BTS Royal AU

4| Arrival

Author's Note:

guess what? chicken butt. my wifi was out all fucking day and it was horrible anyway here's a chap lol love u guys :)

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The trek to Yuldemar wasn't too difficult. Jae didn't stop walking as long as the sun was out and as darkness fell, she set up camp close to Caufil River. As soon as day broke again, Jae was up and moving towards the palace.

She was halfway through the last pastry she had when she saw it. Massive black iron gates adorned with the four intertwining roses on each side, symbolizing the four young men that had once waged war to conquer the lands that became known as Allynth. The roses had become the kingdom's distinguishing seal, even influencing the cadmium red and champagne colors that decorated each flag waving proudly atop the castle walls.

While the gates were something to behold, the what lay behind them made Jae suck in a breath through her dark face covering. A long brick path led the way to the palace, and oh gods the palace. The palace was made with marble that shone like snow and reflected the bright summer sunlight. It was a stark contrast to the greenery surrounding the path and palace. Rose bushes of every color imaginable had been planted in rows throughout the front of the palace and Jae had no doubt there were even more to be found behind the ornate, proud palace.

She didn't dare step out from the shadows of the cluster of trees a couple hundred feet from the palace's entrance. Instead, she stood silently, melting into the shadows with her dark clothing and watched. Competitors slowly trickled in alongside the ones that had already been idling around by the palace gates. Men on horses, men with various coats of armor and weapons, men who had made the journey on foot just like her, some small, and some so massive she wondered if they had been fed growth fertilizer as children. She snorted lightly at the thought, a smirk crawling up her face as she continued to observe and assess each person that joined the crowd.

What they were waiting for she didn't know. But she stayed in the safety of her shadows until a rather decorated member of the guard appeared at the gates. His face was grim and he looked to be at least forty years old. The man opened up the gates and slipped out, facing the crowd of eager men.

The guard's eyes roamed over each and every one of them, not noticing Jae hidden in the shadows, before he spoke in a booming voice that exuded authority. Jae thought this man could probably lead them all into war with a voice like that and anyone would listen to his orders.

"The king welcomes you to the palace of Allynth. There are individual rooms provided for each competitor. You will be shown to your rooms in a few moments. Please use the remainder of today as time to rest and gather your strength as the competition officially commences at the break of dawn tomorrow. A dinner will be held in honor of the start of the first knights competition. Please consider attending if you are not too fatigued from your travels. That being said," the man paused for effect, "may the best men win."

The man, whom Jae would later learn was the Head General of the Royal Guard, abruptly spun on his heel and disappeared on one of the many brick paths in the rose garden. The palace gates were now wide open and servants greeted the competitors, leading horses to stables and men into the palace to their rooms.

Jae finally slipped out of the shadows as the majority of the men had been escorted into the massive building. A shy servant girl that looked to be just a few years older than Jae herself stepped forward, eyes cast towards the beginning of the brick path underneath their feet.

The girl's voice was so soft Jae barely heard her address her and offer to carry her bag. "It's ok, I'll carry it in," Jae said to the girl. At the sound of her voice, the girl finally looked up, shocked to hear a feminine sound in the midst of all the burly men that had shown up. Jae merely winked at the girl, grinning under her the dark black cloth that covered her face and hair, leaving just her eyes exposed to the outside world.