Promise | Jeong Yunho

8

The next day, you and Yunho received a letter from the castle demanding your return because things with Halaland weren't seeming good- Yunho would have to travel to Halaland to try and smoothen things out. Yunho read the letter to you and apologised for cutting short the tour. You held his hand, caressing it. "It's okay, I had the time of my life with everyone, and you, especially. Thank you for this."

"Are you sure? We can manage two more days-"

"Yunho," you held his face in your hands, shaking your head, "Wonderland needs you. How stupid would it be to stop for two more days just so we could have fun with the threat on our home? And what fun would we have with that worry?"

Yunho held your hands, sighing, "Thank you. You're the best."

"I know," you grinned, "Come on, let's pack. We have a long way to go."

While you were packing, you noticed how Yunho kept glancing at you as if trying to make sure you were okay. You had told him how you'd barely set foot out in Eden, and Yunho had promised himself to show you everything he could. He'd seen how you enjoyed and became a different person when you were out. You caught him staring and he shrugged, scratching the back of his head, finding you standing in front of him. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Yunho sighed, "I just... feel bad. I know how much you wanted to see the lakes."

"You giant," you laughed, "how many times do I need to tell you that it's okay, that I don't feel bad?"

"Probably a hundred times more," he laughed.

You shook your head, straightening his collar, "I don't need to see some stupid lakes to be happy. As long as you're safe, Wonderland is safe, I'm happy- even if I have to stay in my room for the rest of my life."

Yunho bit his lips at your words- how could you say such things so easily and make him flush? "When you say it like that..."

You smiled, hugging him- it was probably the first time you weren't hugging each other for the sake of teasing or annoying. It was the first genuine hug, and for a moment Yunho froze before he relaxed and put his arms around you, resting his chin on your head as he swayed you, sighing into it. He kissed the top of your head, "You're the best fucking partner I could have asked for, you know that?"

"Look who's cursing now," you scoffed, "I thought I was the one with a dirty tongue."

"I used it as an appropriate adjective," Yunho defended himself.

"Well, thank you," you broke the hug, "As your friend and wife, it's the least I should do."

Yunho kissed your forehead, "You're doing great."

You smiled, going back to your packing as if your heart wasn't beating at an unnatural rate and you hadn't wanted to stay in his arms forever.

With Seonghwa, Hongjoong and Mingi, the five of you made plans for the next steps- Halaland was bent on revenge because of the old family rivalry. They had been trying to push for war especially since they had better weapons now and thought Eden would side with them- they could take Wonderland and split it up.

"The important question is, where Eden stands, and if Eden is with Wonderland, would Halaland still fight?" Hongjoong pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Well, Halaland needs to realise that they need more than just brute force to win this war," you said, "Eden is with Wonderland. Combined, we have better defences and can hold fort for longer. All it's going to take is one weak spot for our forces to swarm into Halaland before them, and they'll have no choice but to surrender."

"And we would have to do it discreetly- the element of surprise. Wild cards," Yunho looked at you and you nodded.

"How were the soldiers holding up?" Seonghwa asked Mingi.