(Chapter 13)
The prince of flowery crowns

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Author POV

Location: Batia

Hoseok didn't mean to bump into the young man from Batia. But he was sure glad that he did. How dare the Aureathen prince try to hide such a beautiful man from him.

He had greeted him properly with the Crouris blessed greeting and the young man had returned one from his own language.

But as soon as the Aureathen prince had opened his mouth and revealed he was a prince too, the man had turned into a stuttering mess of apologies. Hoseok hadn't quite understood why, that white haired man beside him was a prince too yet he was happy to hold his hand and not be bothered by his status. So why should Hoseok's matter.

"I'm Hoseok by the way. No need to call me your Highness. I don't rule your kingdom do I?" Hoseok teased. Pleased to see the flush spread across the young man's cheeks.

"Jimin" is all he managed to get out.

"Well might I say it is an honor to meet you Jimin" he added alittle bow as well. Delighting in Jimin's little gasp of breath as he tried to process the situation. That a member of a royal family and future ruler was bowing to him.

"I like the flowers in your hair." Jimin tried to start a conversation.

"Thank you. They all have different meanings." Hoseok reached up to adjust them in his hair. They had been woven into the wooden band he wore in his hair.

"Really what do they all mean?" Jimin looked eager to understand. Hoseok delighted in his interest in his peoples customs. He may have also gotten a kick out of Taehyung's annoyance at the fact he had stolen his companions attention.

"This one here is an iris it basically means faith, trust, wisdom, hope and valor. A beautiful flower if you ask me. You can say so much with it don't you think" Hoseok smiled.

"Yeah, what does this one mean." Jimin reached up to brush his hands along magnolia. A beautiful cream white flower with a yellow centre.

"It's a magnolia. It means nobility and love of nature. Quite fitting I think." Hoseok was happy to indulge as Jimin continued to run his hands along each of the flowers and eyes wide with delight as Hoseok answered his questions.

"Look there is a flower shop a couple of streets down. One of my people set up there. We could get some flowers for your hair. I can teach you their meanings" Hoseok proposed.

Jimin seemed to light up at the idea, nodding his head eagerly. Taehyung didn't want to be left out so he grabbed Jimin's hand, their fingers interlocking. Hoseok couldn't deny that a feeling of jealousy burned in his chest. It wasn't a reaction he was expecting, seeing as he only met the man 20 minutes ago.

He decided to test the waters, he held out his own hand to Jimin. The Batian man thought nothing of it and grabbed it with his own. As he interlaced his fingers with the smaller man's he couldn't help but throw a smug smile over at Taehyung. The white haired prince merely glared at him as Hoseok began to pull them through the crowd and to the stand he mentioned seeing.

"So what do you give as courting gifts in Batia?" Hoseok asked.

"Oh it differs from person to person. But usually we try to gifts something that we make. For example I'm a baker so I would probably gift them something I baked." Jimin responded.

"We use flowers in Crouris. We would weave them into our hair like this. We all have bands that rest in our hair and decorating them with flowers is a tradition." Hoseok explained, gesturing to the wooden band in his hair.

Hoseok heard Taehyung scoff.

"Why gift flowers they die so quickly. Is that really how you want to represent your feelings to your loved one" Taehyung crossed his thickly padded arms over his chest.

Why he was still wearing such thick furs was beyond Hoseok.

"I don't know how you can comment on my people's customs. Don't you savages gift each other with dead animals?" Hoseok retorted in defense of his customs.

"I'm not a savage" Taehyung spat at him, face twisted up with anger.

"Could've fooled me" Hoseok snarked.

"If you lived in Aureathen for a few days you would be thankful for the gift of food and warm furs. You wouldn't last 3 days I bet" Taehyung declared.

"Can you not fight please. I think I see the shop ahead" Jimin was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable next to the disputing princes.

And true to Jimin's words, the mentioned flower shop was ahead. He pulled them both along with his hands in theirs. They thankfully had stopped arguing but their distasteful gazes did not stop.

They stopped infront of the stall, a young woman with long straight black hair and a green Crouris tunic on stood behind.

She immediately bowed upon seeing Hoseok. Greeting him with a 'my prince' to which Hoseok waved away. Allowing her to stand almost immediately after bowing.

"May the daylight shine upon you" Jimin greeted her politely.

"My spring allow your flowers to bloom" she responded the same polite courtesy he had given her.

"So what do all of them mean?" Jimin turned his eager eyes upon Hoseok.

Jimin noticed how the woman behind the stall lit up as well at Jimin's enthusiasm to learn their customs. She inputed occasionally between Hoseok's explanation.

"This one is for you" Hoseok held out a flower and Jimin tilted his head so Hoseok could thread it into his hair.

When he pulled away, Jimin let his hand reach up to brush against the flower.

"What does it mean?" Jimin asked looking up at Hoseok.

"It is a goldenrod flower" Hoseok answered.

"What does it mean?" Jimin inquired.

When Hoseok didn't respond the lady behind the stall answered for him.

"It means encouragement or good fortune. He wants to wish you well and hopes for success in what you want to achieve." the Crouris lady explained.

"Thank you" Jimin said, a smile on his face. "Taehyung should get one too" he said as an after thought.

Hoseok watched as Taehyung's face scrunched up in distaste at the idea of wearing flowers in his hair. But relented under Jimin pout. Nodding his head in defeat.

Jimin picked up one of the flowers Hoseok had mentioned earlier. He remembered it to be the one that meant integrity, strength and victory.

Having the white haired man bend to allow Jimin to place the flower into his hair filled Jimin's heart with joy. The pink-red flower stood out in a stark different between the white hair and dark brown clothing Taehyung wore. But it suited him.

Hoseok paid the woman, slipping another flower from the stall. He turned Jimin and slipped the flower into his hair alongside the the goldenrod. A white camellia.

"What does that one mean?" Jimin asked.

Hoseok didn't answer him, instead pulling away from the stall. Before the woman could answer the curious man's question. After all she knew the answer and it made her smile.

White camellia - you're adorable.

"Good luck my prince. He is certainly a keeper" The woman muttered under her breath and with that got to work placing more flowers onto her stall.

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So did you like the chapter.

I'm dedicating the chapter to msj_hope I kinda want to see how fast you get here, especially since they chapter is from Hoseok's perspective.

Funfact:
Batia has no really courting customs. They gift what they believe the person will like rather than have set customs like other kingdoms

Anyway I hope you liked the chapter.

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Comment?

Bye,
Winter