"In case the mystery from the past still bothers you..." the king threw the spear to the side, clanging against the marble tile. "Who do you think that killed your father? And who do you think that messed up your crops and animals?"

Aurora stiffened, and Namjoon didn't move, just staring at each other.

"You –"

"We both know they threw us into a similar situation. But you know very well I went through it before than you."

"It does not matter. I am trying hard to give prosperity to my people. Unlike you, leaving your people in poverty!"

"At least I handle it better, but it does matter, darling."

"Quit calling me 'darling'!" She grunted.

"Then what, Aurora?" Namjoon walked closer to her while the queen tried her best to keep their distance. When her back met the wall, the king, with his deep voice, whispered in her ear, "the angels and devils had bound our fates way before we were born, way before we have power. You and I are similar, but also different."

The silver one slowly made its way down to the tip of the lavender's wavy hair. He graciously placed a hand behind her head before sliding down to the tip of her hair. "You got silver hair."

"It does not matter to you."

"Well, it does to–OH!" Namjoon crouched with his hand in between his thighs. His mouth hung open, blood deepened on his face, and silver scales appeared on both parts of his jaws. His voice strained when he said, "oh serpents!"

Queen Aurora Scarlet threw her long, wavy hair to the back and adjusted her crown. She swept the purple-bluish gown and calmly said, "when I said it does not matter, it does not matter. You are in my kingdom. Therefore, I do not care how our fate is bound to you. Saying an immortal and a mortal has been fated together is ludicrous."

The pain in his crotch faded. Slowly, he got up with a grunt. "And if you're outside your kingdom?" He smirked.

"Still choose to not believe whatever your split-tongued mouth says."

Still smirking, he walked, almost limping to her. He asked, "what do you need from me anyway? People like you usually have intentions of inviting me for dinner."

She stepped back a little and looked elsewhere. "Forget it," she said.

"Okay." Namjoon shrugged. "Thanks for dinner? Bye then, Aurora." He snickered. His dress shoes clicked against the floor. The door creaked, signaling the king of Serpheen had left.

The queen closed her eyes tight. She should have known the king was all behind her loss, her unpreparedness for the throne. With a deadly poison in her courtier's body system, she had to admit she was not ready to lose him yet. She thought it would be a great idea to invite the king to her kingdom, to have dinner together, and to ask for a cure for the poor courtier.

But Namjoon's evil revelation ruined it now. She needed to find the other way to save the courtier.

**********

The night after dinner, she dreamt she had to go to a cave in Serpheen to save the courtier. Lies deep in the Darago Cave, there was a strong elixir. Strong taste and powerful effect. Though the cave was full of bats and the dragon lived in there definitely hated being bothered.

Going alone was certainly dangerous. But Aurora didn't care. The courtier didn't deserve such pain, hence she prepared the strongest armor her people had made for her, a sword and water for her magic.

She was on her way out of the gate when she heard her retinue shout for her and told her that they received a letter sent by a crow. She unfolded the letter and read. It wrote:

don't go alone
- KNJ

Aurora scoffed. "Throw this away," she said.

"But you might need it," said the female retinue.

"Oh, I do not bother, Dita," she said and then walked away with big steps, leaving Dita baffled.

She went to Serpheen by horse, having to pass through three kingdoms, passing through strange beings, strange phenomena, and terrible obstacles. It took her three weeks to reach the mysterious kingdom.

Bats and wyrmlings were flying in the dark sky, screeching and flapping their wings to show that they were having fun. A few serpents and half-human serpents were passing by, but none of them knew of her existence. It seemed the mask on her face hid her well.

"Welcome."

The deep voice made her jump. Behind her was the king of the kingdom, smiling in a black leather hood on his head. Him in all black was nothing new, but him suddenly appearing behind her was. He never behaved that way during the royal's dinner.

"I knew you'd come," he said.

"I do not need your welcome though," Aurora said aloofly as she held her weapon tight.

"You're in my kingdom, honey."

"Even if this is your kingdom, I do not need your welcome. You can just sit on your bed and read or f*ck with your servants."

Namjoon snorted. "You know I f*ck with my servants?" He then chuckled. "And, I'm... surprised. A graceful, sweet, beautiful queen with an ungraceful, bitter, ugly word. But that's sexy."

Aurora glared at him for a while, then walked passed him with the horse's harness in her hand to guide it.

"Let me show you the way."

"I do not need you!" She hurried to leave him, but Namjoon managed to pull her back.

"You only have water and ice magic, Aurora."

"So what?"

"You're going to Darago Cave, aren't you? The dragon's weakness is never water and ice."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "I have a sword."

Namjoon kept quiet for a moment, blinking his eyes multiple times. He said, "the dragon eats... metal."

"How the hell does a dragon eat metal?"

Namjoon shrugged. "You shouldn't ask. Our world's creatures are usually weird, you know."

She walked slowly, entering the kingdom with the king beside her. "You speak as if you have been into the Earth."

"I have. A lot. When I was a child, father always caned me about that. For leaving Serpheen without anyone knew."

Aurora kept quiet, only looking at him by the tail of her eyes.

"The humans on the Earth are much weirder than ours, you know."

Aurora then said, "then you shouldn't have gone there if you think they are weird."

Namjoon chuckled with his eyes shaped moons, dimples endearingly poking both sides of his cheeks. He then asked, "have you been to Earth?"

The queen of Roska let a moment of silence pass by before she finally answered. "Just once."

"Did you have fun?"

"Never."

"How come?"

"Could not use my power over ill-mannered people."

Namjoon chuckled. "That's normal. The humans on Earth are powerless. I think it's fair enough to visit without power."

Aurora rolled her eyes. She said, "can you shut up? I need the elixir fast."

Namjoon smiled at her. "It's fun to have a friendly talk with someone who has a good vibe. I'm sure you know it. Anyway, let's fill in our tummy somewhere before we continue. Might as well steal some food before we leave. To reach Daragon Cave takes a long time, you know."

"I am not eating what serpents eat."

"You don't have to think much about that. We have food your kingdom has too," he said, getting the harness from Aurora's grip and holding her wrist with the other hand as he smiled. "I know a good place. Let's go."

They ordered a lot of food, food that both of them loved and it was Namjoon paid. With the hood on his head, no one knew the king was there, but he was still careful to keep his profile low.

They were still eating when Aurora suddenly stopped and looked at the king. He was eating with gusto. She spoke, "hey, uhm... your maje–"

With a mouth full, he interrupted. "Just call me 'Namjoon'. That's fine." Cheeks full like a squirrel full of acorns, he smiled at her with the moon-shaped eye smile.

"Okay... well, I used to hear your father was a scary person." Namjoon suddenly stopped eating, and she noticed that. "And you said he often caned you for going out."

Namjoon exhaled a sigh, chewing his food fast, and gulped. "Yeah. He was a scary person." He scoffed, "I'm glad he's dead anyway. But I will never thank your father and Ahpi's king." And then he looked up at her. "When I said we are similar... Just look at our situations. We've been doing things unready."

"At least you handled the poverty well. I don't."

"We both don't and haven't but will never be 'never'. We were both too young when we were crowned, but at least you were way too young than I was. You were only fourteen when your father died." He chuckled. "You're in your twenties now. You grow up too fast."

Aurora didn't know how things between them became more open. It made her feel bad that Namjoon spoke to her as if they were never enemies and never had secrets to hide from each other.

Namjoon added, "it was my fault that your kingdom fell into a terrible situation."

Aurora sharply peered at him. With a dark tone, she uttered, "you ruined my place indeed."

The Serpheen's king smiled again with a deep giggle. "So, let this journey be a way to make up for everything. I'll ask Noor's king whether they can help to bless you, your people, and your kingdom."

"You know people from other kingdoms hate you."

Still smiling, he said, "I don't care. Having your attention is my goal. If they reject my request, it won't be harmful to ruin theirs, too."

Aurora rolled her eyes again.

And Namjoon saw that. "Keep rolling your eyes like that. It's satisfying to see." He winked.

The queen gritted her teeth and lightly stomped the table with her small fist.

"You cutie." The king giggled.

**********

When Namjoon said they were going to steal some food, he was serious. Being able to transform as a small snake made it easier for him to steal, and Aurora? All she could do was divert the attention of the sellers with her ice magic. She gave Serpheen one day of snow and unexpectedly; they welcomed the brief season well and they loved it.

Once Namjoon thought their food was enough, with his tail dragging the average-sized sack, he slid through the crowd, transforming back to his human state, and gave Aurora a sign to leave. When seeing the queen running to him, he couldn't help but grin. The wide smile on her face was contagious and the way she made his people happy. It had been a long time since he felt such warmth.

**********

The night fell in. The king of Serpheen and the queen of Roska–but probably temporary beggars at this point–decided to stop their journey to rest. According to Namjoon, it was already midnight. But Aurora didn't feel like it was already midnight, as Serpheen was always dark like dawn or evening.

They set up a fire and rested under a tree. The atmosphere was quiet, only to have the sound of wings flapping and the noise from the pterodactyl.

Aurora sat while hugging her knees. It was cold. She was in a place full of reptiles after all, and they didn't seem to care how cold their place was. Reptiles had thick skin, and they were cold-blooded. Sarcastically thinking, she was nothing compared to them if she lived in Serpheen.

Suddenly, something wrapped around her shoulders. She then realized Namjoon was so close to her to tuck his hood on her. "I do not need this," she said.

"I don't buy your lie. Try again," he said, tossing the hood's rope into a vacant space in between her arms. "You hot-blooded human can't stand cold, and a half-human like me knows that."

"Are you cold-blooded too?" she asked.

"I am."

"Who is the human in your parents, then?"

"My mother. Apparently, she's my father's mistress."

"Oh."

"Uh-hm."

"Were you... hatched from an egg or coming out as a baby?"

Namjoon snorted and quietly laughed, "where did you learn that?"

Aurora felt blood warming up on her face. "W-well, that was... an assumption."

"You're cute, you know." Namjoon was still laughing as he said, "to answer your question, of course, I came out as a baby." And continued to laugh.

"Stop it!"

But Namjoon didn't stop. That was when Aurora threatened him with her magic. Finally, he stopped. "Woah, woah, calm down, cutie. You know, you've got to learn how to have some fun. Anyway, it's my turn to ask. Why do you speak with formality a lot?"

"They taught me that talking with slang and informality is not pretty."

"Your parents taught you?" Namjoon asked, to which Aurora nodded. "You know, just speak comfortably with me. I'm not your father or mother."

Aurora sighed. "I am used to speaking this way. By the way, why are you helping me?"

Namjoon shrugged with his lips curved downwards and said, "no reason. Just want to redeem everything I've done to you, I think." Another brief silence until the king broke it. "I can read your mind. If you have any more questions, ask."

She looked at him. She had some hesitation, but she thought it was just a question and it wouldn't be hard. "Fate. The matter you said last time," she said. "I am curious about it."

Namjoon stared at her ruefully for a few seconds. "You sure you want to know?" The young queen nodded. The king asked, "you felt nothing today? Like closeness? Between us?"

Aurora slowly shook her head.

Namjoon breathed out deeply. He ran his gaze to the fire and said, "my lover... she looked like you."

Aurora was stunned, but she kept herself composed.

"The fate was decided." He stayed quiet for a few moments. "I used to ignore my future visions, but now. I'm taking them seriously. Oh, I forgot to tell you. I can see the future."

"Those... Those are usually your mind's game."

"That's what I used to think. But you know, Aurora, I've been trying to get close to you because... seeing you is like seeing my lover."

"But I am not her."

"I believe they have reincarnated her into a scary, powerful, small mortal lady." Aurora punched his side, which made him laugh. His laugh faded, and the atmosphere returned melancholic. He said, "my father killed her."

"Was she a mortal, too?"

"Yep! A human from Earth..." He sadly smiled. "It seems the angels and evil had reincarnated her into a better person."

"Didn't you protect her, Namjoon?"

"I did... I did," his voice faded. "I did all I could. But my father. Being the strongest one at that moment. He tortured me. He knew my weakness. He kept me captive. His guards threw water at me every day and ordered ice when he could. To this day, I still regret not being able to set myself free."

Aurora didn't expect to hear that from his mouth. The pain he had to go through.

"You know, the moment I knew you were born. I was happy. But I knew I still needed to keep my distance. My father was still alive," he said.

That was when she remembered Namjoon–indeed–kept his distance. He was never pushy when talking to her. He was always comfortable teasing and annoying her when there was a chance. It was always when their fathers were far away from them. Hatred for him grew just because he was always up to mischief. Hatred just grew bigger when she found out he was the one who killed her father.

But every evil has reasons they make their decision.

"How long did you wait?"

"For what? For you?" The two-tone-haired queen–black and silver–nodded. He let out a sarcastic breath. "I never wait. I just... went on with my living, with pain. Every day I woke up feeling hopeless. But thank whoever made you, I felt hopeful again. I got chills when I heard your parents were naming you 'Aurora'."

Aurora let another brief silence surround them as she stared at him. The fact was giving her chills, too. And then, she continued, "Namjoon. What if I am... your dead lover who got reincarnated dies here... again?"

Namjoon whipped his head to her. "No. I'm not letting that happen. Losing past Aurora is enough. I might be a bastard or a player, but I'll protect you even if you're another kingdom's queen."

Aurora felt moved. There was an urge to cry for no reason. She was certain that she wasn't Namjoon's Aurora.

"Just remember, I'm the king of Serpheen right now. I can tame anyone if they plan to touch you."

"Namjoon, you do not need to do that."

"And then what, Aurora? Continue to live with the regret that I've been living with for another thousand years?" He stared at her sharply and Aurora could only stare at him, feeling intimidated. The man with a purple mullet then sighed and told her, "sleep. We have a long journey tomorrow."

The same night, Aurora was dreaming of a girl who was about her age shouting and crying for Namjoon, pleading for the surrounding people to stop hurting him. Her dream skipped suddenly, and she saw a scary scene. The previous king of Serpheen punctured his hand into her chest, grabbing and twisting the targeted organ which resulted in the girl breathlessly telling him to stop.

But he didn't listen. In the end, the girl died in front of Namjoon.

Aurora shockingly opened her eyes, breathless, but still laying on her side with the black leather hood hugging her shoulder.

Namjoon, despite living in a dark world–the creation of hell–was still a creature with a sense that others in that kingdom couldn't possibly relate to. They were most likely to kill the other immortals and mortals ruthlessly, but their current king was different–except at that time when he killed her father.

There were sides that many people did not or had never seen.

Namjoon must have been mad at her father and the king of Noor for killing his father when he had not prepared himself mentally and emotionally to be the new king. In her opinion, it was his father to be blamed, too. Being in an evil world does not mean you have to live evilly every day.

Being in the same situation as Namjoon, she could feel the difficulty. But at least he handled it better than she did. Of course, for someone who had been living for more than a thousand years, he had more experience.

She quietly sat up and only had herself crying at the sight of Namjoon sleeping peacefully across from her. Finally, she understood why Namjoon thought their fate mattered.

She couldn't fall in love with him. She had sworn her life that she would never fall for a half-human immortal, especially him. And that she would mentally prepare to reject him if she could and if she had to.

Even if his lover was reincarnated into her, that didn't mean she must say 'yes', right?

__________

[A/N]

I hope these are fine, Ava T^T and  I hope you like it :'D 💕

[note: only edited with Pro Aid Writing]

no. of words:    2006 (1.1) + 3242 (1.2) = 5248

any feedbacks are welcomes!

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