Seventeen Preferences & Scenarios

Prince Hansol

• second son of the late king, passed off as the "spare" of the "heir and a spare" duo for sixteen years of his life, Hansol is unsurprised when he's sent off to a foreign country to open diplomacy in a form other than warmongering

• after his elder brother Seungcheol's announcement of his betrothal, the court has settled, for the most part

• though there's still some unrest, the future queen knows the names and faces of every potential rebel in the court

• so it's safe, even beneficial, to pack Hansol off as a diplomat

• after a crash course in diplomacy, he's sent on his way

• he's officially escorted by Joshua, one of his brother's close friends, and his entourage of servants is small for a prince

• for all his slight bitterness about being sent away, he's flattered that his brother thinks he can do well as a diplomat

• "and of course you'll come back for my wedding," Seungcheol half asks, looking hopeful, as Hansol boards the ship that will take him to his first destination

• Hansol smiles and nods, reaching his hand out to touch Seungcheol one more time before he leaves

• "I'll miss you," he says, and then he's pulled away by the captain's call that the ship is leaving

• Hansol spends the first week on the ship too seasick to move from his bunk

• and the rest of the voyage relearning the language his mother spoke to him in his cradle before she died

• thinking on it, it's less and less surprising that he was picked as a diplomat

• after all, Seungcheol's mother was nobility of their kingdom, but Hansol's was a runaway from a foreign kingdom with no way of proving her status

• therefore Hansol may as well be a mongrel

• when he disembarks, he's bowled over by the chatter, the noise of hundreds of people speaking that language that should be so familiar, but instead just grates on his ears until his head spins and hurts

• he practically melts with relief when the door of the carriage that will take him to the palace closes

• Joshua, looking no better, reaches out to touch Hansol's hand comfortingly

• "are you okay?" he asks softly

• Hansol sighs and shrugs

• "it's so... it's so much more chaotic than I expected," he murmurs. "My head hurts."

• Joshua winces sympathetically and nods

• "I understand," he says. "It's been almost ten years since I was here... I'd almost forgotten the way the crowded areas sound."

• the rest of the ride is spent in silence

• and when Hansol is introduced to the court, his mother's language falls more gently on his ears than before

• and he's brought to his quarters

• which are ridiculously opulent and beautiful, much more so than his bedroom at home

• he bows his thanks and almost collapses on the bed, the exhaustion of his voyage weighing heavily on him

• after only a few short weeks, Hansol finds himself speaking his mother's language without a second thought

• finding his name clumsy and unwieldy on their tongues, the court refers to him as "Vernon"

• and when peaceful and friendly relations are established, he finds himself smiling and laughing with the rest of the court despite his homesickness