Rosekook Oneshot Collection

17. Europa

{sci-fi/fantasy au, royalty, war}

Since when were the moon and
the earth this close to each other?
You shine just by existing.
Can I stay by your side?
⤝❁⤞

Unbeknownst to humans, the universe and its galaxies have been populated with various forms of life from the beginning of time. Each burning star, each rigid planet, each frozen moon serves a purpose. Some are homes to wild creatures, others produce valuable resources, and a selected few even house magical beings.

One such land is called Europa. As one of Jupiter's many moons, it managed to stay hidden for thousands of millennia. Its smooth surface is covered in a thick, icy shell that serves as a barrier between asteroids, comets, and any other forms of invasion.

But, as the years went on and as humans become more technologically advanced, they also grew curious. That perhaps underneath that icy core, there was a large body of water that housed some sort of primitive life. And they were willing to go to great lengths to satiate this curiosity.

What the humans did not know was that the reason they had never discovered this world for billions of years was not because they did not exist, but because they did not wish to be found.

⤝❁⤞

Jungkook leaned against the nearest cherry blossom tree, watching the light breeze carry the blush-pink petals towards the clear, aqua river. The one that dripped down from an opening in the sky like a giant waterfall and ran across the entire middle of their lush lands. It was both a boundary and a connection between the two halves of Europa. One side was warm and green, filled with freshly blossoming flowers, while the other was cooler and darker, speckled with autumn shades of burgundy and orange and falling leaves that crunched under your feet.

The further past the river one travelled, the more extreme the temperatures became. On the spring side, the very far edge of the lands were constantly hot with beaches and palm trees. And on the autumn side, ice castles and snow-capped mountains loomed over the end of the habitable land.

All these places, though distinct and unique, were connected through the same river and the same, dome-shaped sky. The dome above their heads was high and wide. Made of impenetrable elements infused with the oldest of magic, it was both their greatest invention and their most valuable source of protection. Their land was a bubble of space underneath an otherwise solid, icy surface and an endless sea of water. A space that had managed to remain hidden until the humans began to infiltrate it.

But the people of Europa had been preparing for invasions all their lives. They had armies of skilled warriors, and weapons made of the strongest metals in the universe.

But perhaps the greatest defence they had was the person currently standing several feet away from Jungkook. The person who ruled their lands and kept that roof of protection over their heads. Their queen and their high sorceress: Park Chaeyoung.

She stood there, almost at the edge of the river with her hands raised at her sides and her long, sweeping lilac gown billowing in the spring breeze. Rays of sunlight beamed down at her like even they craved her attention, causing her loosely braided, golden hair to sparkle and the silver threads of her gown to glow like tiny little jewels. She wore no crown, and yet it was impossible to see her as anything other than imperial.

Even with her back facing him, Jungkook could tell she had her eyes closed and was in a deep state of concentration. The blue light sparking out of her fingertips and the dancing water molecules in front of her face were ample proof.

He took a few steps closer, careful to not to make a sound – which was quite difficult with all the steel armor and weapons he had on. Then, he reached up to grab a ripe red apple from another tree and began chomping on it as he continued to observe her.