TAHANI DIDN'T CARE if her shoes fell to pieces by the time she got back to the palace, she needed to be as far away from that village—from Jimin—as she could.

Trust her to step one foot out of the palace and come back with seven loaves of bread and a whole lot of humiliation. All because she thought the man was cute.

Oh, but he wasn't just cute, was he?

He sparked some kind of childish wonder in Tahani, setting her soul ablaze but also seeming to provide a warmth that she wished she could rest in forever.

Every time he spoke, she forgot her own name. Every time he smiled, she felt her heart skip a beat. Every time he looked at her, she felt herself slowly gasping for air.

What was this feeling?

She finally reached their agreed meeting place, finding her younger sister resting against their infamous tree, fingers tracing the blade of one of her favourite weapons. The night market stalls had all been taken down; the barren land only imprinted with the scattered trees now.

As she approached Verine, Tahani pulled the container of bread closer to herself, shifting her weight to make it easier to carry. Jimin had offered to take it back with her, but she persisted in being alone. She'd said she didn't want to bother him as it was already late and he had a long way to walk back. The truth was that, really, she needed a break from the embarrassment she kept putting herself through.

When the younger girl spotted Tahani, her eyes perked up, although she raised an eyebrow upon seeing the box she was carrying.

"Why do you have—"

"Don't ask," the older cut her off, motioning her chin at Zoë's ribbon that was still fixed in place. "I guess our beloved Liv will not be joining us for the night."

Verine giggled, "I guess not."

"Lucky girl," Tahani snorted, "Living her best life."

"He better be a unicorn," she sighed, "I can't believe we still haven't met him."

"We'd have to wait for Kal to come around, I assume."

The younger gasped, "What do we tell her?"

"Well, it's not like this is the first time Liv's spent the night away," they stepped into the carriage waiting for them, "We could say she turned in early."

"Will that work?"

"I hope so."

When the two returned to the palace, a few of their responsible sisters had already settled in bed. This included Kalliste, and the girls were thankful for that fact as they were not looking forward to the conversation she would have had about Zoë's absence.

On the other hand, Tahani needed to spill. She needed to let out all the crazy thoughts running through her mind, lay them out in the air for someone else to dissect.

She needed someone to make sense of the immense loss of breath she'd experienced. The heart racing, the sweat forming, the fingers shaking. The way she continued to stumble over her words and make a mess of herself.

However, the evening had been slightly taxing on her, both emotionally and physically. So she, too, headed for her chamber, deciding that sometime the following day she would bring it up instead.

THE NEXT DAY Tahani waltzed into the royal library, finding clusters of her sisters already there. Opting for the seat in front of Rowan and between Tova and Sae, Tahani gathered the fabric of her lehenga together before sitting down.

They were all enthralled in their own books, with the addition of Tova scribbling notes into a book.

Tahani frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for someone to acknowledge her presence. When no one did, she shook her arms, hoping the clattering of her gold bangles would cause someone to look up. But, nothing.

"Sisters are fun, they said," she scoffed, "They'll care a whole deal about you, they said."

The three women caved finally, groaning and looking at her, "You're interrupting quality reading time."

"Happy to see you too, Sae," Tahani pouted, finding the smile start to pull at Sae's lips, "Guys, I have to talk to you about something."

"Can it wait?" Tova said tiredly, "I'm trying to plan how we'd attack an enemy kingdom if they ever entered through the west."

"It's about a guy."

That was enough to get their elder sister's attention, and she suddenly shut both books before giving Tahani her full attention, "Listening."

"A guy?" Rowan gasped, "A guy other than Namjoon?"

"Yes, Wannie," she sighed, "Other men exist."

"Continue," Tova rolled her eyes as she waved the younger sister's remarks away, "So, is he cute?"

Tahani cleared her throat as she let her gaze drop to the table. Instantly, the image of him filled her mind again, and she couldn't stop it.

She'd often liken her mind to a book, finding every story she learnt, every adventure she had, would write itself onto a new page every day. Last night, however, the image of Jimin had not only written itself in permanent ink on the paper but painted the parchment in the pink of his lips, the ivory of his skin and the cocoa of his hair. And if she wasn't careful, she'd soon have an entire library of him in her head.

"I guess he was," Sae snickered, pulling Tahani from the trance she's fallen in, "Tell us."

So she did, she told them of the cozy little food stalls, and the jewellery shops. The lovely old lady who sold the handmade books. Then she told them about the baker she'd bumped into—the baker with lips of crimson and skin of the sun's glow.

She told them about how she bought seven loaves of bread from him and made a colossal fool of herself at his place. She told him about how, from the appearance of his home, he didn't seem to make much and that his living situation appeared less than ideal. But she recalled how his smile made her feel like the world held no evil.

Man, she wanted to see him again.

"I mean," Tova grinned, raising an eyebrow, "the dinner with the Kim Family is tonight."

"Correct," she waited for her sister to explain.

"Meaning, tomorrow evening you will be free again," Sae continued for her.

"Oh," Tahani blinked slowly, "Why would I go back? I'm just going to continue to make a fool of myself."

"You said it yourself; you want to see him again."

"Right," she nodded before shaking her head quickly, "No, wait, no, I don't."

"Take Ro," Tova offered, and the younger girl whipped her head up.

"How on Earth would I be able to help?"

"With you, Tani wouldn't be the biggest egg there."

"Ah," Rowan nodded, "Right, thanks for that. Much appreciated."

THE EVENING WENT by quickly, Zoë had returned before Kalliste could even realise she was gone. A hundred adorable stories of her time with Yoongi rolling off her tongue easily. The sisters all imparted in their tales, Verine also speaking of her time as a warrior of the night, fighting petty criminals and keeping the city safe.

The next morning rolled around, and Tahani stepped into the palace library again, finding Rowan there already, unsurprisingly engrossed in another book.

"Good morning, kanna," she spoke as she neared the table, watching her little sister tear her eyes from the pages in front of her.

"Nini!" Rowan gushed, a smile splitting her face and hair bobbing to and fro, "Good morning!"

Tahani pinched the younger girl's cheek before settling in the seat in front, "How was your rest?"

"Lovely," she pointed to the book in her hand, "Although, Joon recommended this to me yesterday, and I couldn't stop thinking about it."

Tahani wondered if it was the book Rowan was so intrigued by, or the man who endorsed it. For she found Rowan's eyes would reflect the shimmer of the moon, and her smile never faltered when she spoke of that man.

"That reminds me," the older girl lifted the paperback copy of Plato's Republic and placed it in front of her, "I got this for you the other day."

A pleasant gasp fell past her lips, "You didn't."

"I did," she grinned and felt the butterflies again. She wouldn't trade the elation radiating off her sister for the world. And she would continue to do anything she could to keep the smile on her face.

"I love you," Rowan exclaimed, and this made her giggle.

"You better love me kanna, I still tolerate you after knowing of all your crazy flaws."

"Hey!" Rowan feigned offence, "Liking iced beverages is not a flaw. In fact, it is the correct way of life."

"You all will not let that go, will you?" a young voice sounded from the door, and the pair turned to find the rest of the girls pouring into the room.

"Not until we bring you all onto the right side, no," Zoë said as she headed for a shelf while Tova, Kalliste, Sae and Estrella joined the girls at the table.

Elena and Clover walked in, each cradling a dog while another jumped in happily behind them. The minute Tahani saw her, though, she held her arms open and crouched to the ground while the little Shih Tzu picked up speed too, leaping into her embrace.

"Hi baby," Tahani cooed, nuzzling her face into the pup's fur. She wove the dog's soft fluff through her fingers as she continued to speak, "I've missed you so much."

"You saw her yesterday, Tani," Elena deadpanned as she sat on top of the table with Clover.

"And I missed her," Tahani repeated, matter-of-factly, pressing a kiss to the top of the dog's head when it rubbed sniffed her bangles suspiciously.

"Can I be frank with you guys?" Rowan suddenly said, an exasperated sigh leaving her mouth.

"Sure," Tova replied with a teasing smile starting to form, "Although I don't see how changing your name has anything to do with anything."

"Can I still be Elena?"

The girls could practically hear the eye roll in Rowan's voice then, "Anyway, why is this debate such a pressing issue? Can't we all just coexist? I propose a hot-drink-drinkers and iced-drink-drinkers treaty."

"This," Tahani wagged her finger at the younger girl, "This is why you have no friends."

Estrella faked a gasp, "She went there."

"Coming from you," Rowan shook her head before sending a questioning glance at the girls again, "If I don't have friends, then who are you?"

"Ro, we're your sisters. We have to like you."

"Okay, whatever," Rowan huffed, slipping out of her seat, "I'm going to get ready to venture to the village with Nini. The things I do for you. Despite getting nothing in return."

"What's this about leaving the palace?" Kalliste finally asked; clearly, she'd been waiting for the humorous episode to die down before she spoke.

"We just wanted to explore a bit more after the other day," Tahani informed her, "Don't you worry, Kal, we won't go chasing any dragons."

"You know me so well," Kalliste said sarcastically, "That's exactly what I was afraid of."

squEAL do you like it so far?

also, for all those asking, i am tamil! :)