Shining Star//Dimming Light (VOL.2) (Felix X SKZ ONE-SHOTS)

Love From the Shadows (MingLix)

Pairing: Mingi & Felix

Genre: Royalty AU

!!TW!! : angst, arranged marriage, anxiety

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Felix slightly pushed aside the curtain covering the window of their carriage, peering outside. Even if his sight was slightly blurred by the thin veil he was wearing, he could still make out the imposing palace of ivory throning atop a cliff. It overlooked a large city that was obviously bustling with life.

He absolutely hated it.

"Keep that frown off your face, and close that curtain." Felix startled as Minho poked him in the side, promptly closing the curtain. "We're not allowed to show ourselves."

"Or what? We get shipped off to another kingdom so the Princes over there can pick their husbands like one would buy cattle from the market? Oh, wait. Too late for that, isn't it?"

Minho sighed heavily. "Felix, please. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"So what, I'm not even allowed to be upset anymore? Have I even lost the freedom of feeling as I please, amongst everything else!?"

He knew he'd overstepped the moment the words tumbled out of his mouth. A heavy silence fell inside the carriage and, feeling frustrated tears brimming his eyes, Felix promptly looked away from Minho and huddled a bit more against the silky pillows next to him.

"It's not fair," he choked out, feeling a knot of emotions form in his throat and making it harder to breathe. "It's not- it's not fair."

"Oh, Lixie..." He hadn't even realized Hyunjin had woken up, the older now gently pulling him into his arms. "It's going to be alright, baby. Everything's going to be fine."

The soft words and the gentle embrace made Felix's last barriers break, and he burst into tears, stifling his sobs to the best of his abilities as Hyunjin kept on holding him, rocking him a bit as he whispered reassuring lies in his ear. Minho simply watched them, his expression grimly resigned.

It truly wasn't fair.

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"This is ridiculous. Can't we just do this like normal people and sign a contract? Why do you need to go through the whole trouble of political marriage to seal an alliance?"

It was a little funny, how Wooyoung was the most upset out of all of them when he wasn't even the one involved in the entire ordeal. Seonghwa, San, and Mingi had been the ones picked by their father, the Emperor, and no one had had much of a say in any of it, really.

The offer of an alliance with Miroh had come as a surprise. Though their kingdoms were technically neighbors, they'd never had many interactions, both unofficially agreeing to keep out of each other's way for as much as they could manage. As such, none of the eight Princes of Dejavu were quite certain of what to expect of their incoming... guests.

The only thing they'd been told was that a threat was rising in the South, and Miroh had reached out to request an alliance in order to strengthen their borders and fight off the invaders once the time came. And, since Dejavu would become incredibly vulnerable if they lost their neighbors, the obvious solution was to agree to such a treaty. However, for a reason none of the Princes could fathom, their father and the Houses of Miroh intended to seal the deal "the old way".

Marriage, that is.

Three Nobles from Miroh (the hierarchy over there was apparently a little different, they didn't quite grasp the concept because of the lack of information) were now on their way to officialize the alliance between Miroh and Dejavu. As per according to Miroh's tradition, they would offer some sort of performance without revealing their faces, and the three Crowned Princes would then have to pick their respective husband.