Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hansol had hoped that finally, no one would bother him today. He was a weary sorcerer, taking over for his master far too early in his life, but alas, no one ever paid him any mercy. The Choi princes made sure of that. The first prince, Jisoo, while seemingly sweet was a true demon behind closed doors and demanded things rather than asked. The second prince was actually a sweet boy, however if you got within two feet of his servant, he’d try to cut your arms off. However, the second prince, Jihoon, rarely bothered Hansol, so he liked Jihoon well enough. The third prince… He could write a seventeen page essay on how the third prince- Seungkwan- grated on his nerves daily. And it was every day he came to annoy Hansol. However, Hansol was currently preoccupied with Jisoo, who was demanding a trace spell upon a lost dagger.

“Can you do it? Or can’t you Hansol? You talk up a big storm about your skills and you tell me a trace spell is hard?” Hansol hated when Jisoo sneered, but he seemed just so determined to mar his face with them so often. Hansol scoffed in response. He took a moment to bite back the insulting quip ready on his tongue.

“I do not talk up a storm about my skills. The townspeople merely comment on my skill for my young age, Jisoo. Besides, I’m next to the only sorcerer this kingdom has. Other than your father, of course.” Hansol leaned on his counter. If it wasn’t Seungkwan, it was Jisoo who had to insult and grind unpleasantly on his last nerve.

“Jeonghan quit magic a long time ago. He said he wishes to never cast another spell. And it’s actually Prince Jisoo, Hansol. Sorcerer or not, you are a subject of my parent’s kingdom.” Hansol did however, gain some amusement from seeing Jisoo’s eye twitch in frustration at Hansol’s blatant disrespect. Hansol didn’t really give anyone a title behind closed doors. He would just constantly forget. But hey, if that meant rubbing some salt into Jisoo’s ever-present egotistical wounds, then by all means, Hansol would embrace his mistakes.

“Yes, but Jisoo, in my store you are but a customer, and I treat you no different , the same as magic treats anybody. But to tell you the truth, the trace spell isn’t difficult, it’s just difficult to pay for it.” Hansol knew his tone and gestures just brought anger closer to the forefront of Jisoo’s mind, but he would push his luck as much as he wished.

“I have an abundance in riches. I can pay next to any sum.”

“Ah, but you and I both know it is not money that pays for magic. It is life.” Hansol did so enjoy taking Jisoo’s power of money away from him. Life was something nobody could hoard or steal for oneself. It made everyone equal to magic.

“What do you need to cast the tracing spell, Hansol?” Jisoo was very close to sighing in exhaustion, and that’s when Hansol usually decides to stop playing around and actually get serious about his job.

“Depends on what the trace is for, how many people we’re tracing, when they last came in contact with the dagger, things like that. Just give me a rundown, and I’ll name my price.”

Jisoo sighed. “I’m tracing the rebels. This dagger belongs to the leader. So I just want to trace him. He came in contact with it this morning when he stabbed one of my guards to death and left it in his rupturing chest, is that enough information for you?!” Jisoo’s growing annoying was apparent in his tone, and Hansol wanted to laugh. Hansol kept it under wraps, but he couldn’t help but think the saddest part about the whole thing is that Jisoo hadn’t even bothered to remember the man’s name. Rather than finding himself unpleased, Hansol smiled.

“Yes. My price is your blood.” Hansol said it like it wasn’t jarring to the ears. Like he was asking Jisoo to pass the salt.

“Wha- My blood!?” Jisoo was quite hilarious looking when he spluttered. Hansol had to keep himself from laughing.

“Yes. I need a jar of your blood. Less than a pint. Barely a cup. It’s a fairly small price.” Hansol wasn’t lying. Some magic came with horrible consequences. Others small sacrifices. Hansol knew blood wasn’t much to grieve over. Hansol raised his eyebrows.

“What will it be, oh great prince?” Jisoo sneered once more at Hansol’s impudent smirk.

“I hate you, Hansol Chwe, and I hope the devil keeps you as furniture in his throne room.”

________________________________________________________________

Jun was on a mission. Not quite like the one he’d been on this morning when he’d stabbed a guard to death in order to cause panic to the castle, but a mission nonetheless.

He had to feed his rebels.

There weren’t a lot of them, but they were highly successful, only being a ragtag team of five, including Jun himself. Jun was the leader, and the oldest. Therefore, Jun found himself stuck with all of the chores, even cooking. Luckily, his beloved younger brother Minghao was nice enough to help him, so Jun had found himself a partner in suffering. DK would help some too, but he was lazy at heart. Mingyu only liked to sleep if he wasn’t fighting, and Chan would run in the face of cleaning, so most of it was left to Jun. Jun knew that Minghao probably didn’t like chores either, but he probably felt like he should help Jun, just because of the link in blood. Jun also liked when Minghao would get frustrated with his work pace, and would scold him in their mother tongue. Something Minghao barely ever spoke in anymore, and Jun didn’t want to admit it was most likely because Minghao wanted to move on from all of that. Jun couldn’t move on, he was still haunted in his sleep, still awoken from her screams. And Jun hadn’t even seen it, Minghao hadn’t covered his eyes in time.

He didn’t wish to think of it. However, things like this, just shopping, Jun didn’t mind so much.

It did make him feel a bit too motherly for his taste, though.

Jun was about to walk onto the market road when he felt his senses prickle at the back of his mind. It set him on edge, raised the hair on his head.

Attack.

Jun swirled around, seeing his rather thin attacker, an average sized black haired boy holding his dagger. Shit, the Prince. Jun backed up, creating space, and regained his bearings. Jun quickly took the initiative and charged the Prince. The Prince was caught off guard and seemed to loosen his grip on the dagger. Jun shot for it. Jun grabbed the dagger and ripped it out of the Prince’s hands, finding an open wound on his arm. Jun tackled the Prince, pinning him down and elbowing the Prince’s wound. The Prince winced, and Jun took the moment to put the dagger on the Prince’s neck. Jun smirked. He had the Prince right where he wanted.

“Hello, Prince. I didn’t expect to see you so soon. Not after I… Well… Took your guard out of commision.” Jun was provoking the Prince with his tone. Jun despised the Prince. Anything to make him feel small.

“You killed him, you bastard. He had a wife.” Jisoo looked to be two seconds away from spitting on Jun.

Jun would like to see him try.

Jun scoffed, inching in closer to the Prince’s face. He wanted to get a good look at the boy he despised. “That’s bull and you and I know it. You don’t pay attention to your guards. You wouldn’t know if he had a goat at home named Bessie that he beds at night. You treat them like pawns in your sick game.” Jun smiled in contempt. Jisoo smiled, giving up the act. The Prince was an actor, as well as a demon, go figure.

“True. I have no need for failures such as he. He died because of his weakness.” The Prince chuckled cruelly, as if he wasn’t speaking ill of the dead. Jun wanted to punch him.

“What’s your name, First Prince?” Jun asked, whispering low into the Prince’s ear.

“I’ll never tell you, bastard.” Jisoo looked away, a pink color dusting his cheeks.

“Ha, embarrassed I’ve caught you, Prince? Well my name is Jun. I’m going to be the man who kills you. Remember me well.” Jun lifted himself off of the Prince, about to flee. Nothing would come of killing the Prince here. His goal wouldn’t be realized.

“Jisoo!” A growl from behind made Jun turn back. The Prince, who was still blushing slightly, panted in obvious rage.
“My name is Jisoo! And I swear to take you and your grotesque rebels down!” Jisoo, as the Prince was apparently named, turned tail and fled down the back alley. Jun shrugged. He wasn’t going to think too hard about Jisoo. He could do that when he ripped the boy’s heart out.

__________________________________________________________

Hansol thought he was done. Jisoo had already come by and given Hansol an admirable amount of shit for the day, so why did the heavens wish to punish him so? What did he do in his past life to deserve this?

“Hansol, are you listening? I’m talking here!” Seungkwan. Seungkwan was a migraine in harsh sunlight. Inconvenient, painful, annoying, and insistent.

“Yeah, and you’ve been talking for over half an hour! Do you not understand silence?” Hansol hadn’t meant to snap, but something about Seungkwan always made him lose his carefully guarded composure.

“Well, yeah but…” Oh god no, please don’t pout. “You haven’t been listening to me!” Hansol sighed. He could deal with Seungkwan whining. Just not pouting.

“I have been listening. I’m just refusing. I won’t teach you magic, I’m not allowed to.” Hansol could teach Seungkwan magic if he really wanted to, but Jeonghan, the queen himself, forbade Hansol to teach Seungkwan. It was a shame, really. Seungkwan has amazing potential, magic waves permeating off of him. If I was a night demon, I’d eat him right up. Hansol coughed.

“Please, Hansol! Magic is dangerous, I know that, but I’ve always wanted to learn to cast it! I just… I haven’t done anything with my life, and I could really accomplish something with magic! I just… I feel like I haven’t lived!” Seungkwan had been begging Hansol for over a month, pestering him daily. He was getting to the point that he might say screw the Queen and teach Seungkwan how to cast his own mouth shut.

“Seungkwan, you’re like, seventeen! You have decades to live your life and make a difference! Why rush yourself into magic? I was older than you now when I started learning magic. You’re young, and you have so much time. Why shorten it with magic?” Hansol argued to Seungkwan about this almost daily. Seungkwan was never one to give up.

“I know! I’m aware of my time. And that’s exactly why I should start now! The sooner I learn, the more good I can do! Despite my overly incessant speech, I really do enjoy making things better for others!” Seungkwan flopped himself ungracefully onto Hansol’s counter, looking up at him in that way he always does. The way he does when he tries to endear himself to Hansol. As if he hadn’t done that already.

“Trust me, Seungkwan, magic does not equate to helping people. Most of the time it does far more harm than good. Magic is the practice of going against fate. People come in here asking for nearly impossible things, and leave more dead than when they came. Whether emotionally or physically. Sometimes both. Magic is amazing in theory, and next to satanic in practice. It is very difficult to learn, even with large amounts of magical power. And it kills people. Not just customers. It kills sorcerers all the time. And that’s exactly why there are so few of us in the first place.” Hansol stopped looking at Seungkwan, something he should’ve done half an hour ago, and set to finding his tarot cards. His clairvoyance could already feel the town whore about to arrive for another reading. It was one of the few things the poor woman actually found pleasure in.

Seungkwan had sat up, and looked seriously into Hansol’s eyes. “Hansol, do you think I’m not aware of all this!? I’ve heard it a million times from you, and two million times from my Dad! I know I sound rather optimistic, but I’m not a naive young girl with simplistic thinking of the world. I know magic is unforgivable. I know the legends. I know the laws. Yet here you are, still doing the impossible, and I’d rather not be left out of the loop. Do you think I don’t hear what the Clergy say of you? Of my Dad? I accept the repercussions of this decision, but you must know of how willing I am. I have no regrets with this decision at all.” Seungkwan wasn’t wavering in the least. Hansol couldn’t deal with him when he was like this. When Seungkwan was logical for once. Hansol sighed, fed up with the constant arguing, an activity that Hansol would put last on his list of things he’d like to do with Seungkwan.

“Look, I’ll cut you a deal. If you can get Jeonghan to allow you to learn magic, I’ll teach you. I’m going to need official documents, though. You’ll also have to choose the magic I’ll teach you. You can only learn three magics, and that’s if you’re above average. You need to choose something you don’t mind casting for life. Only then will I teach you magic.” Hansol found himself slightly alarmed. He hadn’t meant to ever teach Seungkwan magic, but here he was, promising just that. He knew it would be nearly impossible to get Jeonghan to change his mind, but the Queen had always slightly favored his youngest. If anyone could get the Queen to cave, it was Seungkwan.

He prayed the stars were positioned in his favor.

________________________________________________________-

Minghao was cold in the night’s wind, but he made no move to go inside. He would, after all, then be invading the First Prince’s bedroom chambers. And considering Minghao’s position right now, he didn’t want to push the Prince’s buttons. He just hoped the Prince would be here soon. Jun was going to get worried if Minghao didn’t get back soon. Minghao couldn’t risk Jun getting suspicious.

“Minghao. You can enter.” Minghao perked up at the Prince’s voice. He swerved his head in, and threw his weight into the window, off of the ledge. Minghao landed gracefully in front of the Prince, who wore an expression mixed with amusement and impertinence. Minghao dropped to one knee and bowed before the Prince.

“Good to see that you show proper respect. You may raise your head, Minghao. We have much to discuss.” Minghao could tell that the Prince was definitely getting off on Minghao’s submission. The rebel leader’s younger brother working for the First Prince. How quaint. Minghao ignored it. He chose this, he had to get over the rest of what came with this change in loyalty.
“Of course, Sire. You wish to speak of negotiations?” Minghao was speaking politely, even if he was rushing slightly. Jun couldn’t ever find out.

“Yes, I do. I lay down the rules, you take it or leave it. However, I would like to ask… Why did you seek me out? Why do you wish to betray your brother so?” The Prince seemed genuinely confused. Even if he’d never admit it.

“My brother is rash and daft. He rebels yet has no clear purpose. I disagree with his methods. I believe in the kingdom, but most of all, I wish to follow the proper heir to the throne. You, sire. I pledge my loyalty to you and only you. I shall be your loyal servant.” Minghao expected this part to bother him more. But, looking back on it, maybe this wasn’t ever going to be difficult. It’s not like Minghao had an amazing amount of pride or anything. Submitting wasn’t so hard. Besides, the Prince had enough pride for the both of them.

“I see. Following me is the proper choice. I can see why a smart boy such as you detached yourself from your brother’s affections. You are better than him. You can be my little spy. I have heard rumors of you. They call you a ninja. Did you know that?” Minghao shook his head. He didn’t think anybody spoke about him. “Here are my rules. You are at my beck and call. All decisions are made by me, however, I am not so cruel as to not hear persuasions and the like, but if I call for silence, you are silent. You do as I say, when I say it, your loyalty, you… You are mine. I do not accept failure. If you succeed, you are treated as a winner, you lose? You are treated as a loser. I don’t care what you wish for from me, whether it is hedonistic pleasures, to money, to a throne beside me. But you only gain when you make yourself useful, do you understand these terms?”

“Of course, Sire. I accept these terms. I am yours.” Minghao looked into the Prince’s cold eyes, his knee started to ache.

“Good. My name is Prince Jisoo, by the way. But I do so like when you call me Sire, so continue that.” Prince Jisoo waved his hand dismissively and walked toward his overly large canopy bed.

Funny. A king bed for a prince.

“I want you back here in two days. I have plans that will need you by then.” Minghao nodded, and was about to jump out the window when he decided to get curious.

“What plans, may I ask, Sire?” Minghao watched a sickening smirk plaster itself onto Jisoo’s face. He chuckled darkly.

“I have many plans. I must think through them carefully. I need to attain the throne without a doubt. I have a few obstacles in the way. My younger brother, Jihoon? Some of the citizens prefer him for king instead of me. A hilarious gesture considering I am a legitimate first born. However, I will accommodate for this. I shall kill Jihoon. He will perish as soon as I can wrap my hands around his small, ghostly white neck.”

Minghao nodded. Before another word could be uttered, he fled through the window.

____________________________________

Soonyoung didn’t mean to eavesdrop. He wasn’t the type. Jihoon always told him to keep his ears shut and eyes down if he didn’t want any trouble at the castle. He was a lowly servant, taken in only by the generosity of the Second Prince, Jihoon.

However, he knew it might’ve been a good thing he heard this.

He’d been fetching supper for Jihoon, who was currently bedridden, and a whiny kind of tired underneath his sheets. When he passed Prince Jisoo’s room, he hadn’t expected to hear anything at all. Jisoo wasn’t the loud type, nor was he one to keep much company. However, instead of unnerving silence, he heard Jisoo talking to himself.

“Some of the citizens prefer him for king instead of me. A hilarious gesture considering I am a legitimate first born. However, I will accommodate for this. I shall kill Jihoon. He will perish as soon as I can wrap my hands around his small, ghostly white neck.” Soonyoung shivered from the malice in Jisoo’s voice. Jisoo and Jihoon had had a strained relationship since about four years ago, but Soonyoung hadn’t pegged him for murder.

Soonyoung ran fast, the tray of food in tow, and escaped fervently towards Jihoon’s quarters. He realized he’d been holding his breath, and started to pant much like a dog in his fervor to reach Jihoon’s door. He’d be safe there. Jihoon was an oasis that saved him constantly. Once he reached the door, he stopped, and tried to calm his panting. He didn’t want Jihoon to worry. Jihoon had a lot to worry about, and the last thing Soonyoung wanted to pin on him was his own secrecy. Obviously, he couldn’t tell Jihoon about what he’d heard. Jihoon always thought the best in people, and certainly had never thought of one of his brothers as his potential executioner. Soonyoung rubbed his face forcefully with one hand, and sighed. Soonyoung once again put on his ‘Jihoon face’. The face of his sweetest smile, most compassionate eyes, and softest voice.

He’d only do it for Jihoon.

Soonyoung opened the door, and walked in quietly to Jihoon, who was fighting hard to stay awake under the warm bed sheets. Soonyoung put the tray down on the small, round table across from the bed, and moved to Jihoon’s sleepy form.

“...Soonyoung…?” Jihoon yawned. Soonyoung moved to run his fingers through Jihoon’s hair.
“Yes, it’s me. I brought food.” Soonyoung kept his words short and sweet. Just how Jihoon preferred them.

“What kind of food?” Jihoon asked, grogginess evident in his tone. Soonyoung had to fight to keep a laugh down. He looked like a four year old like this.

“Soup, and a sandwich, Also, a hot potato. I know you like hot potatoes!” Jihoon giggled softly at the words. Jihoon and Soonyoung had a little inside joke with each other. If either saw someone they thought was cute, they’d elbow the other and say, ‘hot potato’. They most often said it about each other as a joke, though. Soonyoung smiled.

“Okay, I’ll have it. Can you bring it to me?” Jihoon asked, sitting up slightly. Soonyoung gathered the tray and laid it gently on Jihoon’s lap. He sat down and started petting Jihoon’s hair.

“Jihoon?” Soonyoung asked after Jihoon started eating. Jihoon looked up, his mouth full of sandwich, making him look like a chipmunk.

“Yesh?”

“Yah, don’t talk with your mouth full, you’re a prince!” Soonyoung lightly pushed Jihoon’s shoulder, and Jihoon laughed. “Anyway, I was going to say, I have an errand to run, may I go?” Soonyoung looked composed, he made sure of it. Jihoon wouldn’t suspect a thing. In fact, Jihoon frowned that way he does whenever Soonyoung left. A frown that Jihoon would never admit was a pout, but Seungkwan often teased him for. Soonyoung knew Jihoon hated whenever Soonyoung left him for a number of reasons. One being lack of safety, and another being the fact that Jihoon himself wasn’t allowed out. Ever.

“An errand? Now, at this time of night? Oookay, but I was going to sleep soon.” Jihoon had a hint of a pout in his voice, but Soonyoung knew this was the one night he had to ignore it.

“I know, and I’m sure you can survive falling asleep without me for one night, my dear. I’ll be back soon, don’t wait up, okay?” Soonyoung was already out of the room by the end of the sentence.

__________________________________________________________

DK lulled about casually, taking his time on his way home. Home of course, was the base, and he really only took his time because no one comes to bother DK at this time of night. The townspeople didn’t much know about the rebels, and the rumors that spread of them were far too exaggerated to ever to be accurate, so no one would know of DK’s involvement with them. DK sighed contently. To be truthful, he never figured that he’d become a rebel when he was a small kid and became friends with Jun and Minghao. But fate was a confusing mistress, that’s for certain.

“DK!” DK swerved around to see Soonyoung rushing towards him. DK stopped immediately and waited for Soonyoung to catch up with him. DK watched as Soonyoung stood, hunched over his own knees, wheezing his lungs out.

“Hey Soonyoung, how’s it going?” DK knew that Soonyoung was a servant in the palace. He served the highly secretive Second Prince. Soonyoung was apparently the only servant the Second Prince allowed in his quarters. Rumors constantly went around that the Second Prince bedded Soonyoung often, and that’s why they were so close. But DK knew to take those rumors with a grain of salt. Soonyoung was very nice, after all. Soonyoung came by once and awhile, to DK’s apple stand, and bought two or three of them. Soonyoung said the Prince loved them, especially when they were from DK’s stand. DK constantly had to fight down slight pride from those statements.

“Um… DK, you know how you told me if there’s anything that goes down in the castle that’s you know… Not so good, you told me I could tell you about it?” Soonyoung looked agitated, anxious, and DK wiped the smile off his face. This seemed serious.

“Yeah. I’ll listen, I might even help. What’s going on?” Soonyoung looked at DK like he just saved Soonyoung’s life. For all DK knew, he might’ve.

“Okay, so I was walking past the First Prince’s door, Prince Jisoo is his name. And well… He said he was going to kill the Second Prince. He said he was going to kill Jihoon.” Soonyoung crumpled with every word. DK raised his eyebrow. So Jihoon is the Second Prince’s name. The royal family was very choosy about who knew the Prince’s names and faces. To protect from attackers and the like, so most citizens didn’t know the prince’s names at all.

“Well, that doesn’t sound good at all.” DK thought over in his head what he could possibly do about this. He wasn’t expecting this kind of trouble from Soonyoung.

“Please, DK. I don’t know what you can do, put please don’t let Prince Jisoo kill Jihoon. I just couldn’t bear it!” Soonyoung did look particularly distressed.

“Yeah. Not to mention your position at the castle would be questionable afterwards.” DK saw the list of things that could go wrong for Soonyoung with Jihoon kicking the bucket so early. He assumed that Soonyoung’s life at the castle must be fairly nice, considering his affinity towards it.

“No! It’s not about that at all! I just couldn’t bear-” Soonyoung cut off his exclaim. DK looked over at him curiously, but didn’t push the question he was dying to ask.

“Oookay, well I have one idea, but you’re seriously going to have to trust me on this, Soonyoung.” DK rubbed the back of his head. He really only had one idea. It was far more beneficial to him than to Soonyoung, but it really was the only thing he figured he could do.

“Okay, yeah. I can do that. Anything for Jihoon.” The last part of what Soonyoung said was definitely meant only for Soonyoung’s ears, but he was so twitchy, he whispered it loud enough for DK to hear. DK cocked a brow, but decided to ignore it. He shouldn’t meddle with Soonyoung’s bedroom preferences. And if Soonyoung enjoyed being bedded by a Prince, DK wouldn’t speak against it. There were worse people to be taken by. DK shrugged. Maybe the rumor had some truth after all.

“Okay, well there’s something you should probably know first. I’m… I’m a rebel.” DK waited and watched the stop of Soonyoung’s expression. The stop change into realization and then into one of horror. If it was a different situation, he’d almost find it comical.

“You! You’re a… No! I can’t be here! Jihoon needs me- I can’t-” Soonyoung was rapidly starting to panic and DK was ready to put a stop to it.

“Look, Soonyoung, whatever you hear about the rebels, anything you think right now, just shut it down for a second, okay?” DK spit it out harshly, but he needed Soonyoung to keep it together if he wanted to get anywhere.

“O...Okay…”

“Look, my childhood friends Minghao and Jun lost their sister when they were younger. Her name was Qian. She was the cutest child, but the palace killed her because of their parents debts. After they killed their parents, of course. Jun and Minghao just couldn’t handle the injustice of it all, so they decided to change things. They have harsh and violent methods, and I get that that can put people off, but the palace is not innocent either. Nor the guards. Not even your precious Prince.” DK saw Soonyoung’s feathers get ruffled.

“Jihoon has never-!”

“I know, but still. I’m sure he knows something. He hasn’t stopped it. All I’m saying is it’s not all good versus evil. It’s a huge gray area, and they’re just trying to do right by the people they love, Soonyoung. And I want to help them. They’re my family and I love them, and I want to help them. The rebels aren’t some big bad monsters, we’re just a bunch of ragtag kids who want to make something change. And if you want to change the safety in the kingdom, if you want Jihoon to be safe, then I’m suggesting you join us.” DK looked up from the apparently appealing patch of ground he had been staring down to see Soonyoung surprisingly thinking over this deal. DK hadn’t expected Soonyoung to be so affected by his words, but DK would rather it be easier than more difficult.

“I… I guess I hadn’t thought of things that way. I… Just want Jihoon to make it out of this okay. He’s not exactly the Princely type I guess. A lot of things go around about him, and you’d be surprised about how much of it isn’t true. But… If joining the rebels will help save him, then there’s really no question. I should do it.” Soonyoung eyes had glazed over with determination, giving him a vastly different look to the twitchy kid he seemed to be a moment ago. DK liked this look on him far more. Although he was curious about Soonyoung had meant about Prince Jihoon.

“That’s good. I’m glad to see you care a lot about Prince Jihoon.” Soonyoung looked up at DK, surprised, and looked down again, almost just as fast. But not fast enough to stop DK from seeing Soonyoung’s massive flushed face. DK had meant what he said though. He was glad Soonyoung put his all into his job caring for the Prince. Even if it was because of things they partook in under the darkness of night.

“Wait… Would the rebels be okay with me being Jihoon’s servant and all? I am like… Jihoon’s only servant. I am loyal to him first.” Soonyoung looked at DK, and DK smiled.

“I think so. You’ll be our eyes in the castle. You can tell us things that can ease unnecessary casualties. And we can avoid ever having to hurt Jihoon after all. I mean, if you're so loyal to him, he must be fairly nice.” Or his skills are beyond compare for a virgin like Soonyoung.

“Oh, he is nice! And funny. He always asks me for things, he doesn’t demand. We have inside jokes together, and he likes it when I pet him like a puppy. Especially because he’s always sleepy. Although he really needs to stop talking with his mouth full.” Watching Soonyoung go through the rollercoaster of praising Jihoon and scolding him was highly amusing. However, it did clash with DK’s idea of who Jihoon was. DK laughed anyway.

“How about you come with me and I’ll introduce you to the guys?” DK asked. Soonyoung nodded, visibly nervous. Soonyoung had a passing wish of looking into the future, because he wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t regret this. He shook it off fast, following DK into the forest. The future wasn’t something Soonyoung was impatiently waiting for.

Soonyoung really hoped that Jihoon would be asleep when Soonyoung got back. He didn’t really know if he could face him right now.

Chapter Text

Soonyoung knew that this was something he’d done. He was the catalyst, and he couldn’t take back the fallout. Maybe that’s why facing this seemed so difficult. Maybe that’s why he could barely breathe. Maybe that’s why he could feel the guilt inside him eating away at him like a parasite. Maybe that’s why he was so scared. Maybe that’s why he was holding Jihoon just a little too tight.

“Protect the Palace! The goods are expendable!” Soonyoung heard Jisoo’s thundering voice, even from Jihoon’s quarters. Soonyoung could feel Jihoon shivering in his arms, and he really didn’t want to think about if it was from fear or temperature. He’s not sure he’d be pleased with the answer. Jihoon never liked when things were unsafe in the palace. He couldn’t protect himself, he was too weak. But Soonyoung knew that Jihoon was far more unsettled with his lack of strength when it came to Soonyoung himself. Despite Soonyoung being strong himself, Jihoon never liked relying on Soonyoung’s fighting skills from the slums. Soonyoung never really relied on it either, since he knew that he was very weak compared to most enemies, including the rebels.

“What’s happening down there? You don’t think the rebels will find us, do you? I can’t protect you, Soonyoung…” Soonyoung could feel the concern and worry thick in Jihoon’s voice. He held Jihoon even tighter, still. He could hear the frustration in Jihoon’s words, and found more self hatred for himself amidst the silence. Nonetheless, he pet Jihoon’s hair softly, and hushed his cries by whispering in his ears.

“They won’t come here, my dear. We’ll be fine. You don’t have to protect me, okay?” Soonyoung was glad he didn’t have to add; since I told the rebels- who I am allied with by the way- to not come here because it’s your room, and Jun actually keeps to his words. Yeah, he wasn’t saying that. He had to suppress a scoff that he had felt coming from the irony of it all.

It had been a little less than a week since Soonyoung had joined the rebels, and already he wanted out. There had been no talk of helping Jihoon’s whole ‘possibly being assassinated’ issue, as Jun said It's a process. And in this moment, it was seeming like too long a process for Soonyoung. He didn’t even realize that of course the rebels trying to overthrow the kingdom probably had far more pressing priorities than helping the Second Prince of said kingdom. Not to mention Jun seemed to really despise the Choi’s. He could understand why, but Jihoon wasn’t guilty of Qian’s death. Jihoon was the second prince, and therefore, not the heir. Jihoon didn’t know a lot about the outside world, or even the kingdom itself. He didn’t know about the cruel things that his father’s kingdom has done. No kingdom is free of blood on its hands of course, but really only Jisoo would know of those things, since he was the next king. Despite what the kingdom has done, his loyalties lied with Jihoon. With the kingdom. Yet now he was a rebel. He wanted out, wanted to erase his sins against his only true home.

But how exactly could Soonyoung get out after he already technically betrayed the kingdom he swore allegiance to? After he technically betrayed Jihoon?

Half an hour later, the attack was finally over.

Soonyoung forced himself to stay with Jihoon, who was grasping tightly to Soonyoung’s hands as he slept. Soonyoung didn’t want to see the corpses of the fallen guards. He didn’t want to face what his information leaking had done. His spying. He knew that the rebels were going to attack this morning, that they were going to attack the guards who protected the goods the kingdom sells. The highly overtaxed goods, which was why the rebels attacked it at all, but still. And the only reason the rebels could do it was because Soonyoung had told them how to.

The rebels. He keeps talking about them like he isn’t one of them. Because Soonyoung really didn’t want to accept it. He had been full of bravado when he found himself meeting Jun, and becoming a rebel, but he had felt the regret seep in all too soon. All he wanted to do was to grip Jihoon just as tight as he had before, snuggle deeper into Jihoon’s sheets, and stare quietly at Jihoon sleeping peacefully until Soonyoung himself fell asleep also. And after a few moments of emotional vulnerability he’d never reveal in front of anyone- even Jihoon- that’s exactly what he did.

__________________________________________

Chan’s hurt. It was all Jun could think, now that they were retreating fast. His mind was going ten miles a minute, but not much was getting said up there except for things Jun wished he could erase from his vocabulary. Chan’s hurt, and I don’t know if Hansol can heal him. Usually, a sorcerer wouldn’t be Jun’s first choice for saving Chan’s life. Jun could take Chan to a doctor, but a doctor asks questions, doctors ask for money, and doctors can’t fix people who are half dead. And Chan was apparently a welcome visitor on death’s doorstep.

Don’t think that, you fucking twat.

Chan was bleeding out on Jun’s back from a downright dishonorable arrow wound as he carried him quick to Hansol’s store. The guard who’d shot him had snuck up on a kid, shot him, and hadn’t hesitated to rip the arrow right out again. He knew his rebels were a force to be reckoned with, but treating a sixteen year old kid like that? He hoped that guard hadn’t had any children himself, because Jun had stopped the possibility of the guard ever looking at his children and regretting how he treated Chan. He’d slit the guard’s throat faster than he’d taken down Jisoo. All around him, Jun heard the panicked panting from his rebels around him. However, despite the desperate need for morale right now, he ignored it. He didn’t want to look at Mingyu’s stricken face, DK’s front of a calm face, Minghao’s eerily apathetic one. Jun just looked ahead. And he jogged a little faster.

Jun saw Hansol’s store, just fifty yards ahead, or so, and he forced himself to block out the feeling of Chan’s tiny little heartbeat against his back. Jun crashed open the door, to find a half already prepared Hansol pointing down to the counter.

“Lay him here.” Jun didn’t question how Hansol knew. Jun didn’t question Hansol’s instructions. He just wanted Chan to get out of this alive.

Chan was a kid. The youngest rebel, their little baby. Jun didn’t know why Chan had sought them out, why Chan was so enthusiastic about being a rebel, but Chan had never disappointed. Had always lived to be praised.

Jun laid Chan down carefully on the counter, on his stomach. Jun ripped Chan’s shirt off to let Hansol see what exactly he was working with.

“Oh gods. Palace guards did a fucking number on him. I… Yeah. I don’t know if I can fix this. I don’t know if you want me to.” Hansol looked down, He bit his lip. Jun visibly bristled. He didn’t have freaking time for this.

“Hansol, fix him! He doesn’t have time! We can’t just sit here and debate!” Jun hissed the words out from his gritted teeth, his last front to try his best not to burst into tears and question the heavens in his native tongue. Hansol saw Jun’s plight, put his hands up in surrender, and sighed.

“Look, magic, especially healing magic, doesn’t work this way. Magic requires life as payment, and healing magic is heavy stuff. It asks for exactly what it gives back. This is about ten years of wear and tear on Chan’s body. I need ten years of life as payment.” Hansol looked at Jun, and explained apologetically. Jun could see what Hansol thought of the situation. Hansol was seriously underestimating Jun and his willpower. Jun gazed unwaveringly at Hansol.

“Then take ten years of my life.” Hansol blinked. His mouth opened and closed, Hansol at a loss for words. Hansol took a far too long moment to pause. He shook his head and raised an eyebrow, unsure of Jun’s decision.

“Jun, I know Chan is important to you, but don’t you think this is a very rash and emotional decision? I mean-”
Jun reached out and yanked on Hansol’s collar, dragging him forward off of his feet, and Jun brought his flushed face close to Hansol. Jun could feel his eye twitching.

“Shut up, Hansol. Chan is bleeding out on this godforsaken counter, and I’m telling you take the ten years before I rip out your tongue and use it to clean Chan’s wounds!” Hansol gulped.

“Kay.”

Jun rushed over behind the counter, leaving the strained faces of Mingyu, and DK behind. Minghao still looked startlingly calm. Jun didn’t want to think about Minghao right now. His little brother is probably seething upon Jun’s decision to give up ten years of his life. Jun would be beside himself in anger if Minghao had offered to do it. Luckily, Minghao is the type to save face, and not cause scenes, so Minghao just looked calm, despite what Jun suspected to be anger flushing his ears.

“Give me your hands.” Jun placed his hands onto Hansol’s palms. “Stay still, stay relaxed. This won’t be painful, but you will be tired afterwards.” Jun nodded. Hansol released one of Jun’s hand to place his pale hand over Chan’s chest. “Sana. Vive. Et animam tuam.”

Hansol’s hands began to glow white as if light reflected off of his skin. Jun could feel something leaving him, something important. He instantly felt exhausted, like energy had been stolen from him. It felt like time had sped up for him. I lost youth, Jun heard in his mind. Chan gasped. Jun’s line of sight whipped to Chan, who was breathing, panting hard. He had so much color in his face now, his wounds were healing so fast. Chan was gaining Jun’s life force.

“Jun!” When Chan spoke, he gasped in Jun’s voice, looking at Jun alarmed, like he was still stuck on the battlefield. Chan stopped, and looked around at the other rebels.

“What… Happened?” Chan kept looking around, but no one offered him any explanation. They just stayed still, giving Chan and Jun an indecipherable look. Chan frowned. He looked down at himself, his clothes covered in blood, and ripped to shreds. He ran his hands over his torso, and his stone-still face seemed to have something dawn on it.

“You had Hansol heal me, didn’t you?” Jun could tell that Chan had tried to keep the accusing tone out of his voice, but he just hadn’t succeeded enough.

“Yes. I had Hansol heal you.” Jun kept his words short. He wanted to leave no space for Chan to argue his decision.

“I can’t! I…” Chan looked at Jun in panic. Jun watched as he stopped, closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “Thanks.” Chan jumped down from the counter, and bowed subtly to Hansol. Jun blinked. He wasn’t expecting that at the very least. He shrugged, the less fuss about this, the better. Jun saw the bewildered expressions of DK and Mingyu, and he almost wanted to walk over there just to get them to calm down.

Then Chan turned back to Jun, blocking the sight of the exchange from the others. Chan gave him a look that said, I think you know how I feel about this. We will talk later. But I won’t make a scene here. Chan turned forward again, and walked out of the store, in the direction of the base. Jun quickly thanked Hansol, who just nodded with his lips pressed together, and then Jun and the others followed after Chan. Jun wondered when Chan had grown up so much.

“So… What was that?” Hansol looked over his shoulder to find the stowaway in his back room.
“That was healing magic.” Hansol sighed. He really wanted to ignore the sparkle in Seungkwan’s eyes.

“That kid was on the verge of death… But you brought him back.” Seungkwan was still looking in awe at the counter Chan had laid on as if the counter had some special significance.

“Yeah, I did. But for a price, Seungkwan. The brunette you saw? He gave up ten years of his life so the kid would live. Healing magic is dangerous, it’s difficult, and taxing on the magician. Not to mention pricey. Healing magic asks for a lot of life. Seungkwan, please tell me you don’t want to learn this.” Hansol wouldn’t admit how pathetic his pleading face looked right now. Seungkwan just smiled innocently.

“I want to learn healing magic.”

_______________________________________________________

Jihoon walked softly, his bare feet making very little noise. The guards knew Jihoon’s footsteps, since Jihoon rarely ever wore shoes. He was in bed too much to have many pairs. Jihoon peeked around the corner to see his father’s room, protected by two guards. Jihoon walked up to them, the two of them having stone cold faces, like most guards, but Jihoon could see slight warmth in their eyes. He liked that about the guards. They were all very human. He supposed the guards were most likely reminded about their kids when they saw Jihoon.

Jihoon hated admitting it, but he was small, and rather cute, instead of manly. To add insult to injury, Jihoon was almost an adult, so he wasn’t growing out of this size.

Jihoon nodded his head, and the guards let him in. Jihoon always found his father’s room a tad too extravagant, although, he supposed for king, this was normal. He still didn’t much care for the style. There was handmade embroidered sheets on the bed, the threading of burgundy, shimmering like a jewel instead of mere thread. The walls were gold, the furniture made of rubies and bamboo wood. The pillowcases were silk, and the canopy was light red chiffon. Jihoon didn’t much care for it, but his Dad rather liked it, so Jihoon guessed Seungcheol kept the room like this for his queen.

“Jihoon, my son. Please, come sit with me on the bed.” Seungcheol waved Jihoon over, and Jihoon followed suit, his small feet making more noise in the acoustic room. Jihoon scooted his way onto the bed, it being too high up for him to simply sit upon it. Seungcheol looked at Jihoon, and he tried to recall the last time he spoke to his son like this. Far too long, considering he couldn’t remember. Seungcheol cleared his throat.

“Jihoon, it’s come to my attention that soon I will need to declare a proper heir to the throne.” Jihoon nodded. He knew that his father wasn’t about to pass or anything, but accidents do happen, and the faster an heir is declared, the more stable the kingdom will be. Jihoon did wonder why his father called him here to talk of this. Jihoon couldn’t help but figure his father wanted to ask Jihoon to support Jisoo on his way to the throne. Which, of course Jihoon would have no qualms over. He quite liked Jisoo, even if they rarely talked.

“Yes, father?” Jihoon watched his father’s face pause slightly, like he didn’t quite know how to word it.

“Well… It’s come to my attention... That although Jisoo is the eldest, he is not the heir I wish for the kingdom.” Seungcheol watched Jihoon’s eyebrows shoot up, and Seungcheol almost flinched.

“But… Father, I… Isn’t Jisoo the most proper heir you could ask for? The guards respect him, his sword skills are second to none, and he is a very sharp mind. ...Besides, if not him, then who would you have crowned?” Jihoon could barely keep the confusion out of his voice.

“You, Jihoon.” If Jihoon could get any more surprised, he definitely just did. Seungcheol quieted his confused stutters to continue.

“You see, Jihoon. I love Jisoo very much. He is my firstborn, and I care for him deeply. However, I do not see a fair king in him. I see a bit too much of my father. He was a tad too ruthless to rule a kingdom. You see, as much as a ruler must put their foot down, they must also provide mercies to appease the kingdom. My father ruled the kingdom in fear, and I’m afraid that if Jisoo goes a bit overboard with the power he’s likely to do the same thing. Also, Seungkwan is just far too young. He’s obsessed with magic, and magicians do not become kings. Their lives are too easily snuffed out. And this leaves you. My second son. You are very level headed, an amazing strategist, although not much of a fighter yourself. Jihoon, I see a good king in you. I want you to succeed me.”

Seungcheol ended softly, his hand on Jihoon’s knee. Jihoon looked in his father’s eyes, and found complete confidence there, but it only served to unnerve Jihoon more.

“Father… I… I don’t think this is a good idea. No matter what you may see in me… I don’t think it will last very long. You know how weak I am. I sleep almost sixteen hours a day, I fall ill at the drop of a hat, I may be smart, but I have no strength to protect someone! I trembled in Soonyoung’s arms this morning while we were attacked! I am ashamed to admit my weakness, but it is there! Dad… I… I could die… I’m going to die young.” Jihoon was shaking. His words were heated, and in the kingdom, disrespectful to Seungcheol, but Jihoon could care less. He wasn’t a king, he could never be a king.

“Son… I know that your constitution is weak. I know what the doctors have said. But the length of a king’s reign is not important. Yet, it is the quality of how he served. And fear? Fear is human. You do not have the strength for battle. And feeling invincible is just about the last thing a ruler should feel. Soonyoung is your trusted servant. A friend to you. You trust him, whereas your brother trusts no one. He feels untouchable. He has told me so. He is trying to capture or kill the rebels to prove to me and the kingdom that he should be king, but in the process has made me more sure of you as the next king. However, I do think Jisoo would be an amazing general. I do wish to appoint him as your top general when he is old enough. Jisoo is amazing with a sword, and while he needs work on hand to hand, he has time to master it. Jisoo is fit for battle, but you? You are fit for the throne, my son.”

“But… There’s so much I don’t know.” Jihoon pleaded with his father.

“You will learn. No King is perfect, Jihoon. Trust me when I say I see so much in you. You’re very intelligent. You can become the ruler this kingdom needs.” Seungcheol placed his hand on Jihoon’s shoulder, aiding him with comfort.

“I… -” Jihoon looked up to his father before he cut him off.

“Rule one. Stop thinking in terms of yourself. Start thinking in terms of the Kingdom.” Seungcheol graced the end of his sentence with a silent command.

Jihoon gulped. His hands shook in anxiousness. His future was so unclear. He was the next king, but… There was so much to prepare for. Not just emotionally, but Jihoon needed to learn so much. There was politics, foreign policies, combat skills, at least the basics, he also needed to learn diplomacy and language. Jihoon couldn’t see the end of it all. And last but not least…

“Son, you will have to find a queen.” And there it was. The real dinger of it all. Jihoon needed a partner. Preferably one that benefited the kingdom in some form or fashion. However, as much as the kingdom’s women were beautiful, and most could read, Jihoon hadn’t done much… mingling. Not to mention his height made him a rather interesting choice for women in the kingdom. Being tall was attractive for men, and Jihoon would rather not have him being a prince be the only thing that made women care for him. And even if he was like his father, and decided that his queen would instead be a man, he wasn’t exactly well known to the men in the kingdom either.

“Yes. I know… However, I have not much of an idea of a queen. I… Am not exactly the manliest of men for a woman. Nor much of a man to another man. It would be difficult to catch the affection of someone without using my status, something I wish to refrain from.” Seungcheol nodded.

“I understand your plight. I was very much like you, Jihoon. However, I was blessed to find Jeonghan before my father passed. Someone will come, you just need to wait. For all you know, someone could be in love with you next month, next week, or even right now.” Jihoon shrugged. He doubted it. He really only talked to Soonyoung. Although Wonwoo would stop by to help every few days or so, he didn’t think Wonwoo would ever find a boy with the figure of a child, who was sick often to be very impressive.

“Yes, well I can hope.” Jihoon wiggled his way to the slight fall of of his father’s bed. He waved, and quietly pitter-pattered his way out of the room, and back to his bed. And for once, he wasn’t mad that his bed was his destination.

____________________________________________________

Soonyoung sighed. He hadn’t expected to do this. Actually, maybe he had. Soonyoung didn’t think he’d have the courage to do this so fast, but he had expected to do this at some point. His footsteps were far more confident than he was, and his destination more daunting than he expected it to be.

He had to quit being in the rebels.

Soonyoung hadn’t found the experience more than tiring and guilt-ridden. Studying the palace, telling Jun the more intimate parts of his life at the palace seemed to be the only thing he hadn’t done. Soonyoung refused to speak about Jihoon when anyone asked. He’d talk about Jisoo, Seungkwan, Jihoon’s parents, and even Wonwoo, Jisoo and Seungkwan’s servant. But Soonyoung wouldn’t speak of Jihoon. Not what he looked like, what he spoke of, what he ate, who he talked to, nothing. Jihoon was just for Soonyoung. The rebels couldn’t ask for the moments he held most dear. He was already betraying the kingdom that saved his life. He would not betray Jihoon. Not directly, not when Jihoon had saved his life, gave him purpose.

Soonyoung knocked on the door of the rebels hideout. It was in the forest next to the capital, and took around ten minutes to walk there. The hideout was camouflaged into a huge cliff bearing rock. Mingyu opened the door. He blinked, not expecting Soonyoung until tomorrow.

“What are you doing here, Soonyoung? Jun was expecting you tomorrow.” Mingyu looked behind Soonyoung to make sure he wasn’t followed. He wasn’t.

“I’m here to quit.” Soonyoung took a deep breath. Mingyu wasn’t who he expected to tell, but maybe he could relay the message to Jun, who was a daunting person, to say the least.

“Quit what?” Mingyu’s tone wasn’t yet scary, it was confused, and it almost made Soonyoung feel bad about his decision. Then he thought back to Jihoon trembling in his arms that morning. Soonyoung didn’t feel so bad anymore.

“I don’t want to spy anymore. I want to quit the rebels.” Soonyoung sounded more demanding than he felt. He sounded like he deserved respect, but he felt like pleading for mercy.

Mingyu’s face darkened. Soonyoung gulped. He could feel his heart quicken, he looked for escape. Mingyu pulled Soonyoung inside, and slammed Soonyoung against the wall, painfully gripping Soonyoung’s arms. Mingyu closed the space between them, and Soonyoung could feel Mingyu’s breath on his forehead, and his palms were on Mingyu’s chest, trying to make the distance relatively safe. It wasn’t safe. If it was, Soonyoung wouldn’t feel like crying right now. He wouldn’t be shaking pathetically. He felt weak.

“You won’t quit. Don’t you dare try to cross us, Soonyoung. We will kill you. We aren’t some cute neighborhood rebel boys, we shed blood.” Mingyu growled in Soonyoung’s ear, and Soonyoung shivered in fear. He tried to stay composed. He wouldn’t be scared into submission. He wanted to have his say.

“I’m not trying to cross you. I just want out. Do you know how much it sucks to be responsible for your prince shaking? Jihoon was scared. I know what you do. We heard it. I can’t do it. I can’t betray Jihoon for this. For you. Your cause may feel just, and whatever, I won’t stop you, but I did this to save Jihoon. It’s doing nothing for him. It’s just murdering more people who protect Jihoon. So fuck you, I’m done.” Soonyoung whispered with enough venom to make Mingyu flinch slightly. Soonyoung had to stop himself from smirking.

“You think I fucking care? We’re here to destroy the kingdom, not to help your cowardly prince. It makes me laugh to think about some huge ass prince shaking in his sheets. What, did he piss himself?” Soonyoung grit his teeth. “What does that make you? His bitch? You seem to be awful close to that piss-poor prince. Since he won’t be king, I suppose you like his bedroom skills. Seems to be all he he’s good for, apparently. Especially since you didn’t even trust him to tell about his own life being in danger.” Mingyu smiled, and Soonyoung could feel Mingyu’s lips on his ear.

“Fuck you, Mingyu. Go to hell.” Soonyoung wished he was a hundred pounds heavier, so he could slam Mingyu into the floor like a glass plate. But Mingyu was bigger than him, and Soonyoung wasn’t a killer like Mingyu was.

“I’m sure I will. But first, you’re going to listen to me. Not anyone else, me. You like Jihoon, right? Enough to care for his life, at least. You want to stay by his side, right? Well, if you don’t help us, I might just spill to the guards next time that you are our little spy. You’ll be in the dungeon before you can beg your prince on your knees. And Jihoon? He’ll hate you, and no matter what you say, and he won’t see the assassination coming. And he’ll die. So you better help us, Soonyoung. Jihoon’s life is in the balance.”

Mingyu let Soonyoung go, and Soonyoung slid to the ground. He didn’t know what to say. Did he really think it was going to be that easy? Just walk into the rebel’s hideout and quit?

Yes, he had thought it’d be that easy, because no matter what he’d heard they’d done, they still seemed like fairly nice kids, like him. But Soonyoung understood it now. They were killers. Murderers. They wouldn’t blink if Jihoon died, nor if Soonyoung was imprisoned. Soonyoung cursed DK under his breath.

“Now go, little bunny. Jun wants you here tomorrow, and he doesn’t need to see you like this. Run home to your prince.” Mingyu left Sooyoung there, retreating into the inner room. Soonyoung took a shaky breath and stood up, his knees still weak. He looked at the door of the inner room, and could hear the laughing inside.

The laughter of murderers. Soonyoung thought. And I’m one of them.

_____________________________________________________

“Why are you so adamant on learning magic? Son, I promise it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” Jeonghan rolled his eyes, trying not to focus on his youngest son’s eagerness.

“Dad, look, you have quit magic, but you got to explore it! It’s still a mystery to me, and I just can’t imagine anything better than feeling magic in me. I have potential! Please, Dad, please!” Seungkwan had his hands together following Jeonghan like a puppy. Jeonghan had just gotten out of a meeting with Seungcheol where he had to sit there and be pretty, and he wasn’t looking forward to Seungkwan ambushing him like this. Though he didn’t have much to say to combat how amazing magic was.

“It’s dangerous. And I love you, so I’d rather you not get hurt.” Seungkwan visibly deflated, and Jeonghan stiffened. Seungkwan pouted.

“Yeah, that’s all I ever hear! It’s dangerous, it’s dangerous! But you know what, Dad? Jisoo fights on the battlefield, and that’s dangerous. Jihoon’s... everything is just dangerous! He lives as a danger to himself! And Father? He’s a king! People try to kill him, kill us whenever they have a chance! We’re royalty, and everyone always has a target on our heads. I don’t even know how to protect myself! You’ve kept me in a little secure box for my entire life, and now that I want out, you’re panicking. Well guess what, Dad? I’m going to die someday, whether it’s from magic, or the rebels.” Seungkwan crossed his arms, and Jeonghan could tell he was waiting for him to get his way. Jeonghan knows he spoils Seungkwan the most, but Jeonghan wasn’t humoring this. Not at all, not magic.

“The answer is still no. And it will always be no, Seungkwan.” Jeonghan turned, and left Seungkwan standing there, disappointed, and shell-shocked.

Seungkwan whipped around, trying his best not to stomp to his room. His Dad just didn’t understand. He knew the risks, but he could challenge it. He wasn’t the child everyone saw him as. Seungkwan would learn healing magic.

No matter what.

Chapter Text

Wonwoo held his basket closer to himself and sighed. He smiled, breathing in the fresh air around him. There was the scent of flowers in the air, and Wonwoo wanted the time to bathe in it for days. He craved being outside, and loved the beauty nature had to offer. Wonwoo was most of the time stuck inside, catering to Prince Jisoo or Prince Seungkwan. Prince Seungkwan was fairly nice, he was kind, albeit talkative and very particular about what he liked. Seungkwan was the one who would occasionally ask Wonwoo about himself, about Wonwoo’s family, how he was feeling. Seungkwan was the reason he was allowed the day outside of the castle grounds.

Wonwoo walked toward the large tree, a dogwood in fresh bloom, a sign that Spring was in the air. He sat at it’s base, his basket of goods from the market placed beside him. He looked out at the lake before him, the water glistening, the trees swaying with the wind. He grabbed one of DK’s apples, red and shiny. He took a bite, sighing into it, and finally letting himself relax. The wind fled through the air, washing Wonwoo’s hair aside. A bird chirped above him, and flew North, it's feathery blue fading into the clear sky.

“Haven't seen you here before.” Wonwoo jumped, the apple flying up. A good looking fellow stood over Wonwoo, perfectly catching the half eaten apple.

“Um… Hello?” Wonwoo inwardly cringed at his inability to speak.

“What's your name?” He smiled, handing Wonwoo his apple back, and sitting not quite too close to Wonwoo.

“I’m Wonwoo.” He choked out, finding his mouth suddenly dry. The man had the sun’s light flowing out behind him, his smile more than making up for the amount of shade Wonwoo was in at the moment.

“Hey, Wonwoo, I'm Mingyu. Whatcha doing out here? I never have visitors.” Mingyu’s voice was soft, but Wonwoo never minded volume as much as tone, and Wonwoo rushed to answer his question. There was an undeniable authority to his tone, one that Wonwoo could tell demanded promptness and respect.

“I'm sorry, I just come out here on my few days off, I'm sorry I bothered you!” Wonwoo was about to grab his basket, when Mingyu softly placed a hand on his arm to calm him.

“No, no bother at all. I like company. Especially someone like you.” Mingyu smirked softly, making the action look both friendly and dominating at the same time. Wonwoo gulped and relaxed himself against the tree again.

“So? What brings you here?” Mingyu looked at Wonwoo with a twinkle in his eyes, and Wonwoo felt much more comfortable.

“The view. I rarely get time in nature. I love the atmosphere.” Wonwoo spoke softly, trying to preserve the calm ambience that overtook the conversation.

“I like it too. I usually come to exercise though.” Mingyu laughed, a melodious chime that Wonwoo found himself aching to hear again.

“For health?” Wonwoo inquired.

“Well, kind of. I have to stay I shape.” Mingyu sheepishly fingered through his hair, making it sparkle in the light.

“Really? Are you a border guard? I haven't seen you in the castle.” Wonwoo knew every castle guard’s face, and none of them were as pretty as Mingyu. Wonwoo was confused as to how someone could look that good at all.

“Um, yeah something like that. What do you do in the castle?” Mingyu deflected.

“Oh! I wasn't supposed to… whoops.” Wonwoo was out of the castle purely because of Prince Seungkwan’s kindness. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone he was castle personnel. But Mingyu had been so nice…

“Hey, it's okay! I'm a border guard, remember?” Mingyu comforted. Wonwoo smiled at the effort.

“I guess it's fine then. You have to promise not to tell any one of your guard friends, though.”

With a chuckle, Mingyu answered, “trust me, I won't.”

“I'm Prince Seungkwan's servant. I also serve Prince Jisoo, but he doesn't need me nearly as much.”

Mingyu’s face flashed something dark, but as fast as it came, it left, and he looked astonished. “You're kidding… What're they like?”

“Well… Prince Seungkwan is high maintenance, but he's very nice. He asks me about how I am, and he's why I'm allowed here.” Wonwoo truly liked Prince Seungkwan, and sometimes he even got away with losing the ‘Prince’ title when he called Seungkwan.

“And Prince Jisoo?” Mingyu asked.

“Uh… Well if you're a guard, you know. Besides, I was always told that if I don't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all.” Wonwoo laughed, finding it easy Mingyu’s presence.

“Wow, like that huh? And he's the next King?” Mingyu’s laugh rang out, sounding a tad bitter, but Wonwoo shook his head, thinking nothing of it.

“Well, he's very kingly, for sure… But… Between you and me, he might not be King.” Wonwoo knew he was being a gossip, but he'd never been able to talk so easily with anyone else.

“You're kidding?” Mingyu looked confused, leaning forward, closer to Wonwoo. Wonwoo shook his head.

“Nope. I was passing by the King’s room, and he and Prince Jihoon, the second prince, were talking. I think King Seungcheol wants Prince Jihoon to succeed him.” Wonwoo had been thrown for a loop when he'd heard it. Prince Jihoon’s constitution was weak, albeit being a smart boy. Mingyu just looked away, looking contemplative, but nodded and looked back.

“What's Jihoon like?” Mingyu asked. Wonwoo frowned at the loss of honorific, but spoke anyway.

“Well, he has his own servant, Soonyoung. He'd know more, but from what I know, Prince Jihoon is very intelligent, kind, and caring. Soonyoung adores him. I've never seen anyone that dedicated. Everyone assumes that they're in love, but who knows? Prince Jihoon is quiet though, and always stays in his room. He rarely leaves. He's not allowed outside the castle.” Wonwoo honestly felt bad that he technically had more freedom than Prince Jihoon. Mingyu sighed, and turned forward.

“Sounds complicated. Do you like it there?” Mingyu asked.

“I do, sometimes despite itself.” Wonwoo smiled. Mingyu laughed, looking into Wonwoo’s eyes. He tried not to melt.

“Boy, do I understand.”

_____________________________________
Chan opened his eyes, his body aching, muscles screaming. Despite it, he rolled out of his blankets, and walked to the common room.

“Good morning princess.” DK smiled, looking at him from the opposite end of the table. Chan pointedly ignored DK’s jab, knowing he did it out of motherly affection. Jun sat next to DK, motioning Chan to sit down.

Chan slowly lowered into a seat, and looked at Jun’s fond face.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing better.” Jun looked at Chan softly, a whisper of a real smile, but you had too look close to really see it.

“Glad to be better.” Chan murmured, examining his hands.

“I think this goes without saying, but you need to take a rest. No training or fighting for a little while.” Jun had a soft voice, but the authority in it was overwhelming. Chan nodded, knowing that even if a doctor said he was all better, Jun’s command wouldn’t differ at all.

It was the one thing that set Jun apart from other rebel leaders. Yes, his men were all capable fighters and worth more than ten guards, and yes, Jun and Minghao themselves could take on a small army, but Jun was careful. Careful and caring. He planned every move, and took care of every one of his men. They'd never lost anyone.

“Well, I'm glad you understand. I have to go find Minghao, so DK, you make him some food.” Jun didn't wait for an answer, and swiftly walked out of the room.

“We're glad you're okay, Chan. We were so worried.” DK smiled at him, and got up to make Chan something.

“Thanks.” Chan mumbled.

The silence was deafening.

“DK, can you do me a favor?” Chan looked at DK, trying to stay as stoic as possible.

“Yeah?” DK’s voice was light and cheery.

“Don't let Jun or anyone do that again. If I die, then fine. I can't have that debt on my back.” Chan gritted the words out. Trying to stay impartial to the rest of the rebels was so hard, and on some level Chan knew he had failed, but he struggled to salvage the sentiment anyway.

“Chan…” DK turned around, looking at him with a slightly concerned face. “You’re one of us, I’m not surprised Jun did that for you. We would’ve done it too.” Chan sighed.

“I know, and that’s exactly the issue. If push came to shove, I wouldn’t do it for anyone else.” Chan furrowed his brow, watching DK.

“Chan, you’re so young, we couldn’t expect you to-”

“You’re not getting it!” Chan yelled, scolding himself internally for losing his cool. DK blinked, and waited for Chan to explain. Chan looked at the ground.

“I’m not here for love or loyalty. I’m not like the rest of you. I’m here for selfish reasons. ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’. That’s why. You’re not my family. I’m not like you and Minghao who love Jun. I listen to him because it benefits me.”

“Chan… I… Okay? We won’t save you again.” Chan could tell DK was only saying that to appease him, and sounded more confused then he’d been in a while, but Chan didn’t have the energy to fight him anymore. Chan also couldn’t really clear the air with definite answers. There were things he just had to keep to himself. He sighed again, his shoulders slumping. He felt aged, like he wasn’t some young kid who should be out with his friends and making dumb mistakes. Chan didn’t get that luxury. One more dumb move and he’d fuck everything up.

“How about after you eat, you keep resting? You still look exhausted.” DK chimed in, with a lovely, sweet, and motherly tone, setting down Chan’s plate softly, letting the smell waft through the room.

“Yeah, sure.” Chan decided not to chime in with ‘I always will’.

_______________________________________

“You’re late.” Jisoo bit out from his desk. Jisoo sat with his back to his window, Minghao slowly climbing in, silent as a flower.

“I apologize, sire.” Minghao got down on one knee in guilt, feeling the ache in his chest. Jisoo spun around, and softened at the sight of Minghao’s display.

“Well, I forgive any servant once.” Jisoo stalked around Minghao, fingering through Minghao’s hair, as if it were his own. Jisoo smiled. “And you’re not just any servant,” amusement sewn into his tone. “No, you’re special. You’re my spy.”

“Yes, sire.” Minghao’s skin was hot, trying not to let his skin redden at the intimate touch.

“Well,” Jisoo stood in front of Minghao, looking down at him. “What have you brought for me today?” Minghao fought to keep his head staring ahead at the ground. He wasn’t used to offering so much respect to someone. While instinctively fighting it, Minghao found it easy to do.

“Information. My brother is planning another raid.” Minghao tried to distance himself from Jun’s name. It would taste bitter on his tongue while feeding his own kin to the wolves. Jisoo scoffed.

“Yes, he is quite fond of those. He truly has a one-track mind. What part of the castle?” Jisoo paced around the room, treating Minghao like nothing but a washed-up storyteller that was background noise. Minghao’s chest burned.

“The weapons chamber. They’re going to bomb it open, take supplies, and burn the rest to the ground.” Minghao’s ears were red, and Jisoo chuckled at the sight.

“Let me guess, you’re planting the bomb?” Jisoo inquired, sounding sure already. Minghao nodded. “Ha! Your brother may be a formidable fighter, but he is not a formidable strategist.”

“My brother prefers force.” Minghao toned.

Jisoo gripped Minghao’s hair, pulling Minghao’s head back.

“Do not speak out of turn. You may be a foreign commoner, but you’re part of the Crown Prince’s guard now. That means you show respect to gain it, understand?” Jisoo gripped even tighter, and Minghao visibly winced.

“Yes, sire. I apologize profusely. I regret my actions.” Jisoo slowly let Minghao’s hair go, patting him on the head.

“Good boy.” Jisoo took his finger, and lifted Minghao’s face gently to look at him. “I want you to weaken the bomb, take some powder out. Loud enough to alert my guard but not strong enough to blow down the door. After the blow, make yourself scarce. I’d rather not fight you.”

“Yes, sire,” Minghao sighed out.

“That’s what I like to hear. Now,” Jisoo knelt down to look at Minghao face to face, leaning closer than Minghao thought appropriate. “It’s time for your reward. What would you like Minghao?” Jisoo’s face looked absolutely sinful in the light of the sunset. “You can have anything your little heart desires.”

Minghao blushed, fighting the urge to look away from such a gaze, but he remained in place.

“I have this friend…” Minghao whispered.

“Oh?” Jisoo smiled disdainfully.

“He’s one of the rebels, but… He’s soft on me.” Minghao took in a deep breath,”I believe that if I were to convince him, he would change alliances.”

“And you would like me to?”

Minghao quickly followed up, “not kill him if you could. Just… Capture him. Please, sire.” Minghao bowed his head again, biting his lip in anticipation.

“What is your friend’s name?” Jisoo asked softly.

“DK.” Minghao purred.

“What does he look like?” Jisoo queried.

“Brown hair, dark eyes. Defined nose and long, angular face. Tall.” Minghao listed.

Jisoo stood up.

“Alright, Minghao. I will not kill your friend if possible.” Jisoo fiddled with the strands of Minghao’s hair again.

“Thank you sire.” Minghao answered. Jisoo reached for Minghao’s hand, and lifted him off his knees. Minghao implored Jisoo with his eyes, wondering why Jisoo could possibly have lifted him out of a position of respect. Jisoo cupped Minghao’s face with his hands with the delicacy of holding a baby bird. Minghao found himself leaning into the touch. No one had done this since…

“You’ve done good work here today, Minghao.” Jisoo gazed at Minghao with unreadable eyes. Jisoo dropped his hands and turned toward his desk again. His tone turned as cold as it was when Minghao walked in.

“I expect you to keep up the job.” Jisoo sat at his desk, going back to his plans.

“Yes sire.”

And all you could hear as Minghao left was the leaves susurrating in the wind.

_________________________________________

“He’s this way,” Soonyoung panted, trying to restrain himself from running. The elderly doctor was slow on his feet, but he was the most knowledgeable doctor the kingdom had, and regularly saw Jihoon, and he never had the same sense of urgency that Soonyoung had. The man was considerably large, waddled more than walked, and made his way through the corridor like he wanted to stop and smell the roses along the way.

“Yes, Yes. Now, what did you say Jihoon came down with this time?” The man droned, stroking his slightly overgrown moustache.

Soonyoung turned the corner, and stopped in front of Jihoon’s closed door. He could hear the small muffled whimpers inside the room, to which he winced. He knew that Jihoon was appalled at himself anytime he showed weakness. The moment Soonyoung opened that door, Jihoon would suffer in silence like he always forced himself to.

“Well, the most alarming is his fever. He’s also got aches, pains, and can’t really seem to keep any food down.” Soonyoung explained, the older man finally caught up to Soonyoung, his cane stuck at his left side.

“Well, I’ll take a look. Could be nothing to worry about.” The but it could be something to worry about as well was left unspoken.

Soonyoung opened the door to complete silence, save for the slight rustle of bed sheets. Soonyoung called out softly. “Prince Jihoon?”

The honorific was of course only for appearances, as in moments of weakness such as this, Jihoon did not want Soonyoung to use such distancing language. But people already spoke about the mysteries of their relationship, and neither of the boys wanted to willingly add flame to the fire.

“Soonyoung?” Soonyoung’s heart broke at the small, raspy, voice of his Prince. He was in definite pain, but the grit in his voice, and the sound of his teeth grinding together proved how hard he was trying to fight showing it.

“Yes, it’s me. The doctor is here as well.” He approached the bed, leading the doctor further inside. Jihoon’s small form was soaked in sweat, bundled in the sheets tightly. Soonyoung rushed forward, taking in the stains of blood on Jihoon’s clothes and bed, quickly going for a towel on a piece of furniture farther into the chamber. He scrambled back, wiping Jihoon’s face of blood from the nosebleed he apparently had begun to have in the ten minutes Soonyoung had left.

“Hmm. Very interesting.” The doctor toned, all tone infuriatingly missing in his speech.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on here doctor?” Soonyoung patiently asked, tending to Jihoon, wiping his face of sweat.

“Leave me to tend to him for a few minutes. I’ll check him over.” The doctor’s order was finally serious, and Soonyoung bowed and reluctantly left the room.

He stood outside the door, tapping his foot, fidgeting relentlessly, wondering what could take so long, even though he would always have to step out in the same fashion every time the doctor was called. Soonyoung was growing increasingly worried about Jihoon’s health as of late. It of course was deteriorating, but it was doing so rapidly, and this was the second time this month that the doctor had been called in. Soonyoung couldn’t help the fleeting thought that maybe Jisoo wouldn’t even have time to take Jihoon out, before he slapped his own face. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the poisonous thought. Faith was something Soonyoung had struggled with as a young child, and he was only granted the pleasure of believing in something greater when Jihoon had freed him from the shackles that kept him looking at the ground. Soonyoung had very little faith in this world, but he put all of his remaining belief in Jihoon, and he had to believe… That nothing could bring Jihoon down.

The door creaked open, and the doctor waddled out, slowly and full of hesitation.

“Doctor?” Soonyoung perked up, walking fast to face him.

“Well… There’s good and bad news.” He said.

“And?” Soonyoung would always die of anticipation in these moments. Patience was not a virtue when it came to Jihoon.

“Good news, it might only be a bad cold. These sicknesses always manifest in the Prince a bit harsher than most other people. Bad news? It might be the plague that’s been going around.”

“Plague!?” Soonyoung’s heart dropped as his vocal cords tightened in fear. The doctor continued.

“Have either of you been outside the castle in the last week?” He asked, calm as he always was, no matter the diagnosis.

What the man meant was if Soonyoung had left. And yes, he had, but only for stupid Jun and Mingyu, for the stupid rebels he stupidly agreed to join and stupidly snuck out to see because stupid Mingyu had threatened him.

“Yes… I have.” Soonyoung stopped there, so his voice wouldn’t crack.

“It’s unfortunate, but a plague has broken out in the last two weeks, killing some of the weaker villagers. Some stronger citizens can infect weaker people if they interact. There’s honestly not much we can do if this is the case.”

“What do you mean?” Soonyoung’s voice definitely cracked that time, and he could only fight back the unshed tears as the doctor spoke again.

“If Jihoon has been infected by the plague, I’d only give him about ten days to live.”

__________________________________________________________

Seungkwan knew what being brushed off felt like. The King, his father, had done it countless times, always favoring Jisoo and Jihoon. His brother Jisoo, had begun to do it about four years ago, when he’d drastically matured, and Jihoon couldn’t help but not have time for him, as he was fighting to stay awake for at least eight hours of the day.

The villagers? They were constant, a pain in his side, a small doubt in the back of his head.

An heir and a spare… We don’t need a third one in our hair.

But his Dad? Hansol?

They were the two he counted on to see his worth was not in the order of his birth, but in the traits he possessed.

Seungkwan could make his way around the castle almost unrestricted, and today was the day he was finally going to exploit that.

The castle’s library was a place he found himself in often. Most of the time Seungkwan found himself too impatient to read, but his memories of his Dad reading to him and spending time with him here was too nostalgic to truly leave behind. He’d spend his time here, looking out the window, spying on the courtyard, and thinking about simpler times when his Dad wasn’t stuck in political meetings with his Father all day. This was the place he’d let the atmosphere wrap around him, the best place in Seungkwan’s world aside from Hansol’s shop.

But today he wasn’t here to mourn his relationship with his Dad. Today he was there to disobey his Dad for the first time.

The library was uncannily also the place where the Queen’s seal was kept under lock and key.

Seungkwan made his way into the library silently, the huge architecture outlining the acoustics, and making every breath sound like a song.

This was the hour that the bookkeeper would always take a nap in his office, and Seungkwan knew even if the man were to stir, Seungkwan could lie his way to Sunday, his theatrics a part of him he used to bend others to his will. He’d do it constantly with Hansol, pouting to get his way, whining to get his attention, when in reality, Seungkwan knew he could easily ask and receive a result similar. It just wasn’t as much fun.

The Queen’s seal was on the other side of the library, parallel to the Kings’, hidden behind two wings of government history books, a genre which most nobles who would visit never wanted to get close to.

Seungkwan scaled behind the tall chestnut shelves, every piece of wood carved intricately to resemble a pattern that autumn would smile upon. The entire room smelled dusty, and of ink. The light bent it’s way in, shining in lines over the wooden floor, highlighting the spots and scrapes that could never quite get polished out.

He made his way down the last aisle, surrounded by rather boring titles. At the end was the glass case, locked tight by a large metal padlock, keeping the Queen’s seal inside. Seungkwan smiled, pulling out the key that he’d pawned out of his Dad’s room all too easily that morning.

Sometimes he wondered how he could so easily pull one over on his Dad, but he shrugged, supposing that most parents liked to stay ignorant to their kids.

Walking closer, Seungkwan went to grab the padlock, almost yelping in pain as the padlock burned him.

“Fuck!” He spit out, taking a sigh of frustration.

Apparently his Dad wasn’t as ignorant as Seungkwan first assumed. He’d foreseen Seungkwan disobeying him, and that he’d easily get the padlock key. So, in retaliation, his Dad had used a spell using elemental and enchantment magic, to keep Seungkwan out of the glass case.

Now if Seungkwan wanted his plan to work, he’d not only need to somehow break the spell on his own, he’d also have to cast it again… And Seungkwan doesn’t know anything about magic yet.

He sighed, aware that this was the only way to get what he wanted, so he set out to make a plan.

First things first, Seungkwan retreated from the area and made his way to the magic knowledge section, the smallest and most obscure in the library. It was on the third floor of the library, to the far right, the entire section in the corner shrouded in darkness. It had been an obvious move by the Clergy when the castle had been built, to put the magic section in the least desirable place, to keep curious eyes away, and on ‘the right path’. But Seungkwan was sinning today, and no amount of strategic placement was keeping him away from the knowledge he needed.

He walked up to the shelf on the left, looking for the elemental shelf, for a book that would tell him the basics of how to break and cast a spell. He stopped and saw a red book, and pulled it out. There were two others similar in color, and he pulled them out as well. All three books were relatively thin, but he hoped they’d have something he could use. Then he side-stepped over to the enchantment shelf, where he looked over some of the older looking books. He randomly pulled two out, and walked over to a glistening chestnut table, shining in the sunlight.

Setting the books down, Seungkwan sat in the wooden chair, opening the elemental books first. One was the history of fire magic, so he set it aside. The next seemed to be more of a book on countering fire magic, so he looked through the table of contents to find the ‘Breaking Spells’ chapter, and flipped to it. Leaving that book open, he opened the last red book, and he smiled in glee, as it was a casting book for fire magic. He flipped to the ‘Casting Essentials’ chapter and left it open.

Next were the two enchantment books. As it was the oldest type of magic, Seungkwan hoped that the older books would be the most helpful. He opened the first, to which he sighed, because it had obviously been stuck in the section wrongly, as it was a fantasy story and not a book of any intellectual importance. Seungkwan pushed the story farther down the table, out of his reach, and put the next book in front of him. Opening it, he smirked, knowing he chose the right book, The Basics of Enchantment Magic. He went to the page covering breaking spells on enchanted items.

With all three books in front of him, he scanned the three books looking for the basics for what he’d need to do. It slightly confused Seungkwan, the fact that there were so many steps involved in the process. He knew magic was an intense skill, but all of the magic he’d done in the past, he’d never really done anything. It just happened. Nonetheless, he committed the steps to memory, and hoped that this would work.

Magic, when done from a book, is mostly guesswork, and that was why Seungkwan needed to apprentice rather than try to learn on his own. Magic was dangerous, and used life to cast. If Seungkwan made one misstep, it could kill him.

But he had to try.

Seungkwan got up, and put the books away. Quickly striding down the corridor, he went down the stairs to reach the ground floor. He walked out of the library, making haste towards the Kingdom’s garden. He inconspicuously greeted the guards with a smile on his face, making sure his body language conveyed only the best of intentions. Walking out the door on the far left of the center wing of the castle, Seungkwan came upon the Centennial Garden and beelined towards the Magnolias. Seeing the beautiful yellow blooming flowers, Seungkwan slowly picked six of them, three for breaking the spell, and three for casting. He picked the yellow flowers because of the fire spell it would have to break. The yellow of the flowers honor the sun, and would aid in the elemental base the enchantment included. Next, he went over to the Hibiscus flowers, in the center of the garden. The flower was the most used flower when breaking or casting enchantment spells. As the Kingdom’s flower, it was fitting to be used in the most ancient magic.

He picked two, and maneuvering all the flowers into one hand, he made his way back into the castle corridor. Passing many familiar faces, he waved to them, smiling kindly to hide his true intentions.

“Hello, Prince! May I ask what the flowers are for?” Seungkwan turned his head to find Kim Minhwa, a guard with a rough, low timbre to his voice. Seungkwan smiled, ever the actor, and answered kindly.

“They’re for Jihoon. I wanted to make a bouquet for him.” He lied, the guilt slowly permeating in his gut. He’d have to actually make Jihoon a bouquet later, not that he really minded doing something nice for his older brother, but he didn’t like using him in his lies.

“The flower-arranger would do that if you asked her.” He politely said, and Seungkwan smiled a little brighter. Minhwa was always nice to him, and never tried to make anything too serious. He liked Seojun and Haeun as well, but they liked to parent him too much.

“I know, but Jihoon likes things from the heart. It’s not the same if I ask someone else to do it.” He played on everything he knew about Jihoon, and pulled on every heartstring Minhwa had. He was an actor, and even if it meant lying to those he cared about, he would succeed in whatever he put his mind to.

“That’s really sweet! Have a good day, Prince!” Minhwa waved, and Seungkwan waved as he passed him and made his way into the library once again.

He sighed, dropping his smile, and walked over to where the Queen’s seal was locked up. Setting the flowers down, he set to work.

______________________________________________________

Minghao walked slowly, making his way back home in a calm fashion. The village was bustling at this time of day, and he intended to listen to it and drown out the nausea he felt.

“There you are!”

Minghao winced.

Jun ran up to Minghao, slapping him good-naturedly on the shoulder. Minghao fought not to shy away from the touch.

“I’ve been looking for you! Man, you really disappear when you want to.” Jun laughed, and Minghao stared silently back at his brother.

“Well, anyway, Chan’s woken up, so we’re going to celebrate! Not to mention, Mingyu is actually in a good mood for once, so you have to come make some food with big brother, all right?!” Jun smiled wide, in a way Minghao hadn’t seen in years. Minghao nodded.

“Of course, let’s head home.” He quietly took his brother’s hand in his own.

“Man! This day is awesome! Let’s hope the luck stays!” Jun grinned, turning to Minghao.

Minghao smiled softly back, trying not to liken the pain in his chest to his heart shriveling up.

The rest of the walk home was silent, and Minghao opened the door in a like fashion, when Jun shoved his way inside, and Minghao stumbled in as well.

“What took you guys so long!?” Mingyu shouted, laughing at them.

“Yeah, if you took any longer, I would figured you finally actually talked Minghao’s ear off and he couldn’t take it anymore!” Dino laughed out as well.

All of the rebels were sitting around the table, leaving Minghao and Jun to join them for some friendly banter, as they always did before dinner.

“Hey, Minghao, can we talk buddy?” DK’s strong, kind, voice flittered through the rough shouts and jokes that Jun had quickly joined. Minghao nodded, following DK outside.
The air was nice, cool in the spring season. The trees were luscious, and the wind smelled of flowers, leaving Minghao feeling relaxed.

“So, I have to ask you something, and don’t get too upset, okay?” DK came out, a small apologetic smile on his face. Minghao tried not to soften at DK’s compassion. No matter what Minghao may do, or how far he’ll fall into evil, Minghao will have a soft spot in his heart for DK. He was a friend that stood by him when even Jun was too weak to stand.

“Ask away,” Minghao spoke, soft and quiet, almost blown away by the wind.

“I just… Well I’ve kind of noticed something, and feel free to say I’m completely off base here, but I just couldn’t not ask, and I-”

“Just say it, Seokmin.” Minghao blinked.

“Why don’t you look happy around us anymore?” DK’s concerned face spoke a thousand words… Of sadness, of disappointment, confusion, worry… and lo-

“You’re off base.” Minghao said curtly, trying to make his sudden need to close himself off unnoticeable.

“Really? Because I don’t think so. You’re quiet, but now you only speak unless spoken to, you don’t get jitters before missions like you used to, your eyes don’t smile with your mouth, and… You’ve stopped coming to me and Jun when you get the nightmares.” DK’s words were all true, and they both knew it, but Minghao wasn’t who he used to be.

Younger Minghao would find comfort in DK’s arms, cry his heart out and ask for forgiveness because he kept everything to himself again.

This Minghao was different. He had left the safety of DK and Jun and run into the devil’s arms. He didn’t regret it, he wouldn’t let himself, but no longer was DK truly his friend, or Jun truly his brother. They were strangers, enemies, whom he had to keep close for his Sire’s benefit.

Minghao was a tool. He wasn’t there to feel, regret, cry, or seek comfort… Unless it were for Jisoo. Minghao was to be used, and that was all.

“I’ve just had some things on my mind. Besides, I’m way too old to still be having nightmares about what happened. I’ve moved on.” Minghao grounded out, toneless.

“Age has nothing to do with what happened to Qian, and you know that.” DK was a beautiful voice of reason, of good, he was pure, but he wasn’t where Minghao belonged.

“Qian is dead. And she’ll stay that way no matter what we do.” Minghao snapped, shutting his mouth after, calming himself. DK looked shocked, and a little hurt, but before DK could answer, Minghao spoke again.

“I’m perfectly happy, DK. I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be, and I’m helping the right people, okay? And I’m speaking complete truth here.” Minghao conceded, admitting inwardly that maybe telling partial truths weren’t so bad.

“Well… Okay. But I’m here for you, you know that right?” DK asked, smiling with slight hesitation.

“Of course.” Minghao answered, knowing that he was a traitor, knowing that DK was really only there for the old Minghao… And wondering if his deal with Jisoo had been a mistake or not.

Chapter Text

“Help!” Wonwoo screamed. Another crash rang out, and Wonwoo closed his mouth and retreated farther into the corner. He put his hand over his mouth to keep his incoming sobs quiet. He could hear swords clanging and the screams and cries of the castle’s guards and sickening thunks as they fell. Wonwoo had never been exposed to violence. He'd held weapons, he'd even trained in self defense, but never had he been trapped, scared, and sitting among the blood of his allies. Wonwoo tried not to move. It was becoming increasingly more obvious that the intruders were winning.

Of course, this would happen to Wonwoo on a fairly simple errand. All he had to retrieve was a dagger. A small dagger for Prince Seungkwan. It had been so routine. He left the castle, opened and closed the locked door of the shed, and gone to the far right corner in the back of the shed where the silver is stored. Then a violent blast had knocked Wonwoo off his feet.

“Hey! I think there's a civilian!”

Wonwoo startled and trembled as he stood. The large shed was quiet, and there were five teenagers, strong and intimidating, all staring at him. Tear tracks stained his face, and he turned to the familiar voice that noticed his presence. His feet were shaky, his veins hurt from the intense adrenaline. His eyes widened upon finding a familiar face.

“Wonwoo!?” Mingyu shouted, the concern and shock written on his face. Wonwoo glared at him, upset.

“Mingyu… What the fuck are you doing here?” Wonwoo was internally surprised that he could manage a harsh tone. He wanted to run away. Stop facing the truth, the truth he ultimately had been trying to avoid.

“Wonwoo, I just… You know I couldn't tell you this." Mingyu explained, his allies more confused and standoffish by the minute.

“Really? I think it would’ve been quite simple. Just a few words. But you led me on. You’re just a coward.” To be fair, Wonwoo knew he had been gullible to trust Mingyu. He knew pretty early on that Mingyu must have been lying. He just hadn’t wanted to believe it. His smile and laugh was just so alluring.

Mingyu looked at Wonwoo pitifully, and Wonwoo turned, finally being able to run out of the entrance to the weapons shed. Behind him, he heard a melodic, commanding voice.

“Take the weapons! Before any more interruptions happen!”

Wonwoo wouldn't stop running, berating himself for the all of the days he spent thinking about Mingyu and his hair, his voice, his hands. He felt the ache in his chest, like he'd done something incredibly wrong. He'd fraternized with the enemy… And he had liked it. Loved the attention, loved going back two days later to talk once more, and had just ignored the tells. Ignored that Mingyu couldn't be a border guard, because no one had ever heard of a guard named Mingyu. But still he went, convinced Mingyu was harmless, that eyes like that wouldn't have lied to him, that Mingyu was good. Wonwoo ignored the horrible warm onslaught of more tears, and desperately tried to ignore the realization that he loved being romanced by Mingyu, the fact that if Mingyu sought him out to apologize, Wonwoo would be fooled once more.

Wonwoo ran all the way back to Seungkwan, who hugged him fiercely upon his return. Seungkwan held Wonwoo’s head as the servant cried into the Prince’s shoulder. Seungkwan had questions wrapped around his tongue, but seeing how Wonwoo shook and sniffled, the prince chose to remain silent as Wonwoo cried.

______________________________

“A retreat! A fucking retreat! You wanna explain that, Soonyoung?” Jun spat, yelling at the top of his lungs in the cabin. Soonyoung looked pale, terrified at Jun’s anger, and Jun wondered if it was a sign of guilt. A sign of betrayal.

“I don't- I don't know! It-it should have worked!” Soonyoung’s voice reaching a higher octave in fear. The boy looked antsy, like he'd rather be anywhere else.

“Well it didn't! We had them, we had the weapons! Jisoo should have been away on business, but he was waiting for us! As soon as we took down one battalion, another ambushes us! Not to mention Minghao’s bomb didn’t work! We had to hack away the door! So tell me, if you haven't betrayed us, how did Jisoo get the drop on us?” Jun screamed, kicking the chair across the room, no object in the area safe from his rage.

“I don't know! I thought Prince Jisoo was gone! Wonwoo didn't tell me otherwise!” Soonyoung was shaking in fear, not noticing Mingyu perk up at Wonwoo’s name.

“It should've worked! I did all I could, I swear!” Soonyoung was terrified at the thought of dying here. Jihoon was at the castle suffering, and Soonyoung might die out the forest for something he hadn't done.

“I don't believe that. I think you got cold feet. Decided to cross us. Hoping that you could save your stupid prince on your own. I think you're a liar." Jun grit out, a dark look on his face that Soonyoung couldn't quite place. Bloodlust.

“No! I-” Soonyoung’s sight was filled with tears.

Jun unsheathed his sword.

“I guess more blood must spill today.” Jun stalked closer, Soonyoung backed away in fear, blabbering pleas.

“Please! I'm no traitor! I didn't- please! Jun please!”

THUNK

“I'm tired of this.”

Jun blinked at Minghao, his brother having knocked his sword from his hands easily. Minghao placed himself in front of Soonyoung protectively.

“Minghao! He's-”

“He's innocent!” Minghao roared in anger, immediately calming himself after the outburst. Jun spluttered, absolutely stunned at his brother's behavior. Minghao had never rebelled against him before.

“Brother, I usually leave you to lead your way. But here is where I stand my ground. You're letting your judgement be clouded by your failure.” Minghao explained softly. Jun sighed, his sword still at the ready, spoke. “Alright, elaborate.” Jun conceded.

Soonyoung looked on, still tense and ready to run, but was thankful for Minghao’s interference. Even if he was confused by it.

“I messed up the bomb. I must have measured wrong. It happens.” Minghao shrugged, looking guilty.

“Not to you. You've never ever messed up on a mission. Your focus is razor sharp.” Jun huffed.

“Well maybe it's time for you to accept that I'm not perfect Jun. I'm human, and humans make mistakes.” Minghao spat out harshly. Jun blinked, surprised.

“I never meant to insinuate that you-” Jun was cut off.

“And at that, it's time for you to realize you're not perfect either!” Minghao growled. Jun flinched, completely thrown for a loop at Minghao's display of emotion. Minghao never lost his cool. He was always calculated, always planned every step he took, every word he said.

The rest of the rebels looked on in a twisted awe. Minghao had been Jun’s shadow for as long as they'd known him. Silent and sensitive. The perfect little brother.

“You aren't a strategical genius, Jun. Prince Jisoo easily could've predicted those moves. What you have in strength, he has in intelligence. Stop blaming your subordinates for your fallacies!”

Jun looked as shocked as everyone else did. Never had Minghao tried to take Jun down a peg. Maybe it was time. Minghao was getting older, growing into his own, rebelling in his own way.

“Is there anything else you'd like to say?” Jun asked, sheathing his sword.

“Sometimes I wish you'd think out your plans more… If you don't, you might never get close to your goal before you-” Minghao's voice cracked, his speech clearly taking a turn for the emotional. Jun’s face almost crumpled. His brother must feel so much on his shoulders. Minghao was still young, still figuring out himself and the world around him.

 Qian

Qian was Minghao’s best friend, his sister, the reason Minghao would smile everyday. Jun knew his heart broke beyond repair when she died, but sometimes he forgot that Minghao had it worse. Jun never saw Qian’s last moments before the Palace officers killed her. Minghao had. A small boy, barely a teen, watched his little sister’s last moments. Minghao was stuck with those memories forever, always affecting his thoughts, actions, shaping his personality, traumatizing him. Jun acting recklessly, swinging around a sword must hurt Minghao in ways he never imagined. His mind plays a scene of Minghao trying to handle the idea of Jun going off into battle, possibly being killed, and his heart ached.

“I’m sorry, Ming. Really. I… Didn’t realize this was weighing on you so much. I promise I know you’re human and that you can make mistakes. I know that I am mortal. I know that Soonyoung didn’t betray us. I… I love you, little brother. I promise I’ll be more careful.” Jun whispered the last sentences, hoping Minghao would be comforted.

“Thank you.” Minghao wiped his eyes. Soonyoung let his body relax, knowing he’d make it another day. He watched the two brothers, and on the surface, thought it was heartwarming. But there was a nagging feeling when he watched Minghao sniffle. Like it was… Prepared. He shook off the idea, and ignored the weird feeling.

DK however, would not. DK knew. DK wasn’t fooled.

____________________________________

“Mingyu! Wait up!” Chan. who finally had been let off house arrest by Jun, had sprung back faster than a spring chicken, and had seemingly gone back to normal.

“Yeah, Chan? What’s up?” Mingyu turned to the short, thin kid.

“Where are you going?” Chan asked, curious, eyes wide like a child’s should be. Like he wasn’t a murdering rebel like the rest of them.

“Wherever I want to. Does it matter?” Mingyu scoffed, trying not to let his concern show on his face. Mingyu’s destination was the tree in the field, where Wonwoo would hopefully be.

“I wanted to ask you something.” Chan stood on his toes, obviously nervous, but trying to be strong about it. Mingyu smiled softly at it.

“Go ahead. Let it out, kid.” Mingyu crossed his arms playfully.

“I… Well after the raid where I… You know. I was thinking that maybe I’m not prepared for battle. I was hoping you could… Train me?” Chan smiled up at Mingyu, his small rebel heart melting at the pure trust in the kid’s eyes. Mingyu always had a soft spot for small, unfortunate kids. Especially if they were sick or hurt. When Mingyu has been in the slums he would frequently starve in favor of letting the other slum kids eat what he had stolen.

“Of course. But don’t you think Jun would be better? Or Minghao? They’re amazing.” Mingyu asked.

“They’re prodigies. I can’t mimic that. You’re a fighter, you fight to survive. I can copy that. In fact, I admire it. Besides, fighting fairly is what almost killed me last time.” Chan spoke seriously, showing the bits of him that had matured past his age. Mingyu saw glimpses of the man Chan would grow to be, filling his heart with pride. God, Mingyu was such a sap.

“You’re a good fighter, Chan. I’d almost say you were a prodigy yourself if I didn’t know your background. You’re a natural.” Mingyu laughed.

“But you’re better.” Chan stared up at Mingyu, dead serious. The forest was silent for a strange moment.

Mingyu shrugged. “Okay. I’ll train you. First thing tomorrow.”

__________________________________________

Mingyu had expected that Wonwoo would find him out some point. There was really no way to hide it. Mingyu and Wonwoo could never work, they were on opposite sides of a war. And yet, when they sat in front of the tree, laughing at each other’s jokes for hours, wrestling for fun, reminiscing their pasts, it felt like there was nothing that could tear them apart. Mingyu knew his loyalty was to Jun, the man who’d saved his life. However, the lovely servant to the horrible Prince that Jun was trying to dethrone was just so angelic. It didn’t really process that the timid, cute boy was on the wrong side. Wonwoo had called Mingyu cowardly. Maybe he was. His heart didn’t want to choose between his friends and the boy he was falling for.

“You piece of shit! I’m gonna fucking punch your lights out!” Mingyu looked up from where he was sitting a the tree, to see a raging Wonwoo, stomping his way to Mingyu, his fists tightly clenched at his sides.

“Hello, cutie.” Mingyu smiled, looking smug, despite his stomach dropping. He knew Wonwoo would be mad, but he hoped it wouldn’t… Be so bad? He was being ridiculous, of course it would be this bad.

“That’s it? That’s your response? Hello, cutie? You’re not gonna try and defend yourself?!” Wonwoo shouted, face-to-face with the very alluring rebel.

“Yes, and no.” Mingyu walked forward, closer to Wonwoo, and took his hand. He looked down at the rough fingers, worn with work given to him from royalty, they were very nice hands. Wonwoo stood silently, slightly confused, but respected Mingyu needed a moment. Mingyu felt the calluses, ran his own hands over Wonwoo’s, taking in the fact that no one else’s would feel exactly the same.

“Fine. I implore you. Speak.” Wonwoo whispered.

“I am sorry I lied to you. At first, you were just a pretty face. I can’t say I’m a rebel of the kingdom to just anybody. I never tried to get information about the kingdom from you, I never tried to use you. I just… After I knew you were technically an enemy, I thought I’d never speak to you again. But… You came back. I started to delude myself into thinking this could work. This tree, this meadow became a place of fantasy, and my work with the rebels didn’t matter at all once I saw you.” Mingyu sighed. “However, I am not sorry for being a rebel. This kingdom… I’ve seen it’s horrors up close, and from afar, seen it tear families apart, seen the tragedy that the king creates. I believe in the rebel’s cause. The leader of the rebels… He saved my life. I owe him.”

“... I’m not mad you’re a rebel.” Mingyu snapped his head up to look at Wonwoo, who was squinting angrily at the ground.

“You’re not?” Mingyu asked, confused. Doesn’t Mingyu’s existence go against everything Wonwoo was taught? Sure, Wonwoo wasn’t a prince, but he was a noble’s son.

“No. I’ve known since I was a kid that our kingdom was clouded with prejudice and cruelty. My father would tell me of the tyranny of the old king, and how King Seungcheol is very gracious in comparison. But… When I was young, I was brought with my brother to watch the palace officers apprehend some tax evaders. They were a family of five. Let’s just say there weren’t five after they were done. They… It was just taxes! They were obviously immigrants, the parents had no idea what the officers wanted, the kids were so young… I know the palace is horrible to immigrants, I know the king is relatively clueless to prejudice that happens here, how bad the social classes suffer, how the kids in the slums starve. I know. But… I never thought I could do anything. Noble’s sons are supposed to shut up and take notes until they become a noble themselves. I just tried to ignore it. It was wrong, I know.” Wonwoo curled in on himself, feeling guilty. He felt hurt by Mingyu lying, but he was also so happy that Mingyu never judged him for being who he was.

“I know. It’s easy to forget that other people suffer sometimes. When I’m with the rebels, I forget sometimes. But every rebel has a reason for why they’re fighting. Everyone there has been wronged by the kingdom. I’m just… Glad you’re not mad.” Mingyu smiled, looking into Wonwoo’s eyes, who smiled back.

“Are we good?” Wonwoo whispered.

“Very good.” Mingyu sat down, patting the space beside him. Wonwoo scooted down, sitting comfortably beside Mingyu.

“While we’re on the subject, can you do me a favor, Mingyu?” Wonwoo asked, looking casually into the sky.

“Yeah, sure. What is it?” Mingyu wondered, having no idea what Wonwoo would want.

“Please, take out Jisoo.”

“What?” Mingyu spluttered, not expecting the declaration at all. Mingyu was also astounded by the lack of honorific. Wonwoo never dropped those.

“You see, Prince Jihoon is next for the throne. But… I’m not sure that’s going to happen. If I know anything about the first prince, it’s that he’ll do anything to get the throne. Jisoo is heartless. He’s twisted, he’s got eyes in the dark. I’ve never actually seen him, but Jisoo has a spy. I don’t know how, but I think he’s more powerful than the king or anyone knows. Jisoo is cruel, he’ll rule just as horribly as the old king. Prince Jihoon… If he had the throne, this kingdom would flourish I have no doubt… But…” Wonwoo trailed off, looking troubled.

“Jihoon? Soonyoung’s Prince?” Mingyu asked, not expecting the shut-in, doted on prince to be mentioned.

“Yeah. He’s very nice. Jihoon understands being under the thumb of someone else. He grew up with no freedom, has learned about the kingdom he’s to rule through Soonyoung.” Wonwoo sighed, feeling sad for the sick prince.

“Why? Why doesn’t he just leave? The other two princes do it all the time.” Mingyu pondered.

“Because Jihoon is sick.” Wonwoo said.

“Say what?” Mingyu blinked. He… Never thought that Jihoon was…

“Yup. He’s been ill almost his entire life. He’s always coming down with something. His constitution is very weak. Soonyoung does his best, but Prince Jihoon pushes himself too much. They’re the best of friends. Prince Jihoon saved Soonyoung’s life when they were young. Soonyoung used to be… Well. Not so well off. Prince Jihoon dotes on Soonyoung just as much. I’ve never seen two people care so much about each other. Prince Jihoon has always been respectful, grateful, and very humble. And yet, there is a certain charisma about him that makes you want to make him happy. You don’t want to disappoint him. I could follow a king like that.” Wonwoo smiled, nodding his head.

“I… Is he really that nice?” Mingyu said, his inflection strange, like he was fighting inside himself.

“Yeah. He used to be grumpy as a child, but… Well, when he was ten, he came down with a horrible illness, and he lost the ability to walk. He had to ask for help everywhere, he couldn’t do much anymore. Soonyoung, who was a fairly new servant at the time, was determined to help Prince Jihoon. Soonyoung and Prince Jihoon worked for four years until Prince Jihoon could walk again. It was amazing. Prince Jihoon still has trouble walking when he’s really sick, but otherwise, he’s okay. Soonyoung never let Prince Jihoon give up hope.”

Wonwoo spoke with such adoration that Mingyu’s heart shriveled. Soonyoung really wasn’t a bad guy, and had more tenacity than he gave the kid credit for. Mingyu started to feel guilty for threatening him. And Jihoon… Mingyu had thought he was a hermit prince that only cared about himself. He was wrong.

“Thanks for listening, Mingyu. I just hope Jihoon makes it this time.” He sighed.

“Huh?” Mingyu asked, his heart stopping.

“I wish I had better news. Jihoon is sick again. The doctor says he might only have a couple of days left. If he makes it, he’ll be stronger than he’s been in a long time, but… It’s a gamble. He doesn’t look good right now.” Wonwoo stood up, brushing himself off.

“How’s Soonyoung?” Mingyu asked, trying to stomp down his worry.

“He’s hysterical. He’s trying to keep calm for Jihoon, and Jihoon hasn’t complained a bit to try and not worry Soonyoung. The two of them, I swear. Soonyoung is definitely not alright, but he’s heard this kind of news before from the doctor. Soonyoung puts all his faith into Jihoon, and if Jihoon goes, Soonyoung goes with him. I don’t know how he does it.” Wonwoo shook his head, crossing his arms.

“Thanks, Wonwoo, I gotta go!” Mingyu shot up, not looking for an answer, running off.

“What? Where are you going?” Wonwoo shouted, looking alarmed. MIngyu waved, and ran all the way back home.

___________________________________

Mingyu was almost back to the rebel base, and hoped Soonyoung hadn’t left for the castle yet. He felt horrible. Usually Mingyu wasn’t someone to regret his past mistakes, but when he’d heard that Jihoon was possibly dying, he wanted to hit himself. Of course Soonyoung never spoke about the Prince, he didn’t want anyone to know he was weak, and was an easy target, not to mention Mingyu knew Soonyoung loved the Prince. Sure, Mingyu couldn’t have known that Jihoon was weak, but he had threatened Soonyoung when all the servant wanted was to save the life of the man who’d helped him. Mingyu winced, thinking back to when Jun led him out of the slums. Mingyu would do the same for Jun, and Mingyu had willfully taken advantage of that.

“Soonyoung!” Mingyu shouted, stopping upon seeing him walk out the rebel’s home. He panted, letting himself have a moment.

“Yes? Can I help you? I have to get going.” Soonyoung spat, obviously not pleased that Mingyu wanted to talk to him.

“Yeah, can we talk? Real fast, I promise.” Mingyu asked, sincerely. Soonyoung blinked at Mingyu’s tone, he had been expecting something smug and snarky, not Mingyu looking concerned.

“Uhhh… Sure, sit down.” Soonyoung walked over to the hay bales, and sat down, letting Mingyu join him. Mingyu sat down, looking at his feet, sighing before he looked into Soonyoung’s guarded eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Mingyu admitted. Soonyoung furrowed his brow, gaping. He was trying to find words, but they were lost to him. Mingyu continued.

“Now? Why now? What is this even about?” Soonyoung asked, defensive.

“I shouldn’t have threatened you the way I did. You see, I’d do anything for Jun. He saved my life, led me from a horrible death in the slums. So, I didn’t really think about threatening you if it would help Jun. But… It was wrong. You just wanted to protect someone you love. So, I promise I will do everything I can to help you save your Prince, as atonement.” Mingyu swore to Soonyoung.

“What changed between then and now? Jun threatening me?” Soonyoung asked.

“No. I… I’ve been… Seeing someone.” Mingyu admitted, blushing.

“Oh?” Soonyoung intoned, amused.

“He told me some things about Jihoon, and I realized I shouldn’t have judged you two. He’s someone in the Palace.”

“Wonwoo! I’m gonna punch him for spilling!” Soonyoung shot up, fists clenched.

“Woah, woah, calm down! How’d you know?” Mingyu asked. Soonyoung rolled his eyes.

“Wonwoo wouldn’t shut up about how he was seeing this ‘very attractive guy’ in the meadow, and just gushing about him. You’re just Wonwoo’s type.” Soonyoung spoke.

“Oh. Well, don’t be mad at him. I know you didn’t like speaking about Prince Jihoon, but he said things that made me respect him. Made me rethink how I acted.” Mingyu smiled softly.

“Like what?” Soonyoung wondered.

“How Prince Jihoon grew up sick, fighting for his life. How he couldn’t walk, and how you didn’t give up on him and he learned how to walk because of it. I… I have a soft spot for sick people. Especially kids.” Mingyu shrugged.

“Why? You’re supposedly such a cruel rebel, who kills people… Why kids? Why people like Jihoon?” Soonyoung squinted, awaiting an answer.

“I…” Mingyu sighed, closing his eyes. “ I grew up in the slums. By the time I remembered my own name, I was an orphaned street rat.” Mingyu opened them to see Soonyoung nodding. “I fought for food, I stole, I did every dirty thing I had to so I could survive. I even killed. By all means, I should’ve been heartless, I should’ve turned out a very different person.” Mingyu pursed his lips.

“Then why didn’t you?” Soonyoung crossed his arms.

“I met a woman. Mature, maybe in her late thirties. She fed me, gave me a place to sleep. I hit, bit, kicked, and screamed, but she never gave up on me. She was single, a widow, surprisingly. She taught me how to speak, what honor was, what pleasantries were, how to manipulate people to get what you want. Every Wednesday, we’d go back out to the streets and feed the other starving kids out there, sing for them, let them feel safe. I met so many kids out there, sick, dying, or who would be killed by palace officers. I loved every one of them. Even now I know all of their names. I still go back every couple of weeks to the slums to see the ones who made it. Unfortunately, the woman, I called her Babi, she passed from a plague after a couple years. The hut was raided, I was beaten almost to death. Then Jun found me, and offered me a place with them. Years passed, and we became rebels… I understand dedication, loyalty, and loving someone so much it hurts. I wasn’t the same after Babi passed. I… When I see sick kids, I remember me, I remember the slum kids who passed because they never had a chance. That’s why. I just can’t let it happen to you too.” Mingyu sniffled, and blinked his tears away. He met Soonyoung’s eyes.

Soonyoung looked touched, speechless, and choked up.

“I… Thank you. But… It might be too late…” Soonyoung whispered, his throat closing, the servant trying not to cry.

“I know. Prince Jihoon is very sick. He might not make it.” Mingyu looked down, feeling sorry for Soonyoung.

“Wonwoo, I swear!-” Soonyoung bit his tongue to keep from continuing.

“Look, if he makes it, which you have to believe he will, I will help you. I know Jun has pushed you aside. He’s obsessed with taking Jisoo down, he cares about vengeance, not anything else. I’ll follow him into flames, but I also want you and your Prince to survive. You know, since you love him so much.” Mingyu smiled. Soonyoung look shocked, his face intensely flushed.

“I mean, I certainly care for him but-” Soonyoung stuttered.

“Soonyoung, face it. You’re head over heels for him. Wonwoo said he’d never witnessed love that intense. In front of the guy he likes. You guys have a bond that no one can top.” Mingyu laughed.

Soonyoung laughed wetly, and his giggles quickly turned to sobs, the servant covering his face, crying into it.

“Soonyoung?” Mingyu questioned, alarmed, walking over to Soonyoung, and wrapping him in a gentle hug.

“I d-do… I love him so much… But! What-what if he… D-doesn’t make it? He’s all I have! I had nothing, nothing, nothing! It was dark, and the world hurt, and everything hurt, but then he was there!-” Soonyoung started to sob harder, bordering on hysterical. Mingyu just let the boy babble into his shoulder. Soonyoung sniffled, uncovering his face, letting soft tears roll down his cheeks. “I… I used to be a trafficked sex slave.” Soonyoung whispered in shame.

Mingyu startled. That was the worst fate for any slum kid. If you were lucky, you lived to become a criminal, a little less lucky, you died from palace officers, sickness, or starvation. If you were really unlucky, you were caught by traffickers and sold into the underground sex trade. It was horrible, how it had grown since Seungcheol had ascended to the throne, how so many more kids went missing, and no one cared. Soonyoung had survived that horror…? Mingyu hadn’t given him enough credit.

“I… I was young, One of the youngest. Most of us died. They took their time with the pretty ones, tried not to break them. If you had big eyes, pale skin, lighter hair, they would line you up and send you off to The Cave, where they would hopefully not freeze to death. If you were like me, you ended up with the other Brats and dogpiled in your own shit to try to stay alive. We ate every six days. We fought for food. We could barely talk. Then, one by one, they took a Brat and led them off to ‘Break them in’... Most never came back. If they did, they were bloodied. No one talked about why the blood came from strange places. We hissed at the ones who came back. If they died, we had more food. Then, one day… I was taken.” Soonyoung hiccupped.

Mingyu winced, wondering if he should stop Soonyoung from reliving the experience. But it looked like he needed to talk about it. He stayed silent.

“There were four men, all big, smelly, and scary. They growled, and dragged me against my will to The Dock. It was a small cave that they used to ‘Break the Brats’. Everything hurt. I think halfway through I blacked out. When I awoke, I was discarded in the neck of the camp. I was among the other corpses. They thought I died. It smelled so bad. I limped my way South, in hopes I would make it back to the slums. I collapsed. When I awoke the second time… There he was. Jihoon.” Soonyoung smiled, eyes faraway with adoration.

“He was beautiful. He smelled like lilacs. He was wearing a beautiful robe. It was the one and only time Jihoon snuck out of the castle. He got on his knees and brushed the hair out of my face, and asked what he could do.” Soonyoung laughed. “I thought he was an angel about to carry me off. I asked if I could lay my head on his lap. He giggled like bells. And we sat there until guards found us. Then he brought me back and demanded I stayed. The king was furious. He was terrified Jihoon would get sick. So Jihoon asked if I could be his servant. It was the only way I could stay by his side. For years I only trusted Jihoon, only talked to him, and only saw him. When he lost his ability to walk… That’s when we both grew. I branched out, I learned everything I could, became independent, and socialized, all for him. I regret nothing. In fact, I still think he’s an angel.” Soonyoung closed his eyes, content with his words. Mingyu looked on, in silence. How could he respond? It was so powerful, so heart-wrenching to hear. Soonyoung, by all accounts, should be dead. Jihoon should be crippled. They bring out the best in the other. Mingyu bit his lip so he wouldn’t cry.

“He’ll make it, Soonyoung. I just know it.” Mingyu whispered. Soonyoung nodded.

“I know.”

________________________________

“I love you.” Soonyoung whispered. His chest lifted, the weight off of him. Jihoon’s unconscious body twitched. Soonyoung smiled. He kneeled at Jihoon’s bed. He ran his hand through Jihoon’s hair, soft and limp.

“You saved me. You never judged me. You were there for me, loved me, when no one else wanted to. You are my best friend.” Soonyoung sighed, looking at his Prince lovingly.

“And I love you with all my heart and soul. As a man, I love you. You’re my everything. I love you so much.” Soonyoung smiled, Jihoon peaceful and asleep. Soonyoung noticed the sun rising on the horizon. He stood up, knowing it was almost time for him to leave for the market. Closing the door, he walked out silently.

“... Soonyoung?” Jihoon whispered among his sheets.

_________________________________

Jisoo slammed the store door.

“Jisoo, what on Earth has your jimmies so rustled right now?” Hansol asked, leaning casually on his counter.

“I have things to do, places to be, things to kill… The usual.” Jisoo hissed. Squinting, he looked around the store. “Where’s my brother? Isn’t he always here to bother you?” Jisoo asked.

“Well, if you must know, he’s still sulking because Jeonghan told him magic was a no-go. He hasn’t been by since.” Hansol shrugged, looking indifferent.

“Well, Dad will be pleased. He was getting tired of telling him no.” Jisoo scoffed. Hansol raised his eyebrows, looking at Jisoo, surprised.

“How do you feel about it? Seungkwan wanting to practice magic?” Hansol wondered. Jisoo spun on his heel.

“Well of course I’m against it! It’s dangerous, and Seungkwan is very stubborn. He’s going to blow himself up the moment he gets frustrated!” Jisoo exclaimed. Hansol smiled smugly.

“I didn’t realize you cared so much.” Jisoo spluttered, flushing.

“Oh! Come now, Hansol. I might be cruel, sure, but Seungkwan has never done a thing to me. He’s always been a respectful brother, if not a little distracted.” Jisoo sighed.

“Jihoon’s never done anything to you.” Hansol’s sass cut through the air. Jisoo tensed.

“I didn’t ask you for your opinion, Mage." Jisoo sneered. “If you must know, I do not plan harm to my brother without considering the circumstances. My Father thinks a weak, sick, clueless boy is a better heir than his able-bodied, educated first-born. This kingdom will wither under Jihoon’s hand. I feel sorrow for my brother, why do you think I asked for the poison I did?” Jisoo gritted out. Hansol sighed, dropping his head.

“Yeah, amazingly kind of you, picking the nice poison. Fine, the Sleepful Root is a very peaceful poison, I’ll give you that. So I’ll give you a ‘not as evil as you could be’ award!” the sarcasm bled obviously into Hansol’s tone.

“I don’t come here for your sass. The poison, Hansol. Give it over. I’ve already paid.” Jisoo hold his hand out.

“Fine” Hansol growled, taking the vial of white, cloudy poison and slamming it down on the counter. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “When do you think you’ll use it?” Hansol whispered.

“Don’t get so emotional. You’re supposed to stay neutral, Hansol. Jihoon will be poisoned soon, and he will die peacefully. We will mourn. Then, eventually, I will ascend the throne and bring prosperity to this kingdom. This is how it should be. How it was always meant to be.” Jisoo spoke elegantly. Hansol closed his eyes, furrowing his brow. If he didn’t know how cruel Jisoo was, he’d almost believe him. But he didn’t.

Hansol pictured the future kingdom under Jisoo’s rule. It was not prosperous.

It was drenched in blood.

“Thank you, Hansol, I’ll be going.” Jisoo gripped the vial, and quietly made his way out of the store. Hansol sighed. Rolling his eyes, he looked down.

“Are you going to get up now?” He deadpanned.

“Of course!” The hidden Seungkwan popped up, smile on his face. When he saw the look Hansol sported, Seungkwan turned, looking troubled as well.

“You’re worried about your brother, aren’t you?” Hansol asked, looking at Seungkwan’s soft face.

“Yes. Jihoon has always been… Wonderful towards me. He certainly doesn’t deserve to die. Or die by his own brother’s hand.” Seungkwan whispered, tears gathering in his eyes.

“Hey, calm down, Seungkwan, It’s gonna be fine! Do you really think Soonyoung would ever let Jihoon have poisoned food? It won’t work, I promise.” Hansol took Seungkwan by the shoulders and turned him towards him, wrapping him in a gentle hug.

“Sometimes I hate that Mages have to stay neutral.” He said under his breath, and Hansol nodded. He hated it too sometimes. But it was for a good reason. Personal agendas weren’t allowed. Magic becomes dangerous, toxic, and corrupting when used for evil, but it can also be twisting, damaging and empty when used for good. Balance… neutrality is the only way to keep it safe. If was a defense mechanism built into the art. Mages never took sides during wars, family affairs, domestic or foreign affairs. They were tools that either side could use, but ultimately, never more. Many Mages had fallen losing neutrality, and even more had been killed for not losing it. It was the fate of magic users.

“On another note, did you really think that you would fool me?” Hansol asked, looking amused at Seungkwan.

“What could you possibly… heh… mean?” Seungkwan said nervously, laughing like he knew exactly what Hansol was talking about.

“You do know that Queen Jeonghan hired me to place the enchantment on the Queen’s seal, right? Your Dad doesn’t perform magic anymore, did you really think I wouldn’t know?” Hansol laughed, and Seungkwan groaned, palm slapping his face.

“How did I overlook that!? I worked my ass off to undo the enchantment!” Seungkwan moaned sadly. Hansol belly-laughed, smiling brightly.

“Yeah, I was impressed! I didn’t think you could undo and redo an enchantment of that level. It was somewhat simple, but you didn’t know a lick of magic before you did it.” Hansol smirked, feeling slight pride swell in his chest. He tried to shut it down, but he silently wondered if this is how his mentor felt for him. He figured maybe, but he had to be honest, his mentor had a very different mentality than Hansol did. He was also far older than Hansol.

“Does this mean I can’t learn magic?” Seungkwan looked up to Hansol, pouting, his eyes wide with pleading fear. Hansol laughed again, as he seemed to often do in Seungkwan’s presence these days.

“No, you got the Queen’s seal. You passed my test. You officially have the Queen’s permission, even if it’s technically forged. Mages don’t really care about the specifics of politics. You did what I asked, and you proved yourself. First lesson of Magic, you cannot care about right or wrong.” Hansol explained.

“Yes!” Seungkwan exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Hansol in a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Seungkwan squeezed even tighter. Hansol groaned, slightly in pain.

“Buddy, too much! Let go!” Hansol breathed, and Seungkwan gasped, letting go.

“Sorry!” Seungkwan looked slightly worried, checking Hansol over.

Hansol laughed, finding it hard to be mad at the boy. He wondered if everyday was going to be like this from now, if teaching Seungkwan would resemble this.

If it did, Hansol had high hopes for his future.

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was among many of the books in the back room of Hansol’s shop. Hansol would be back to check on him at some point, making sure he was doing alright. While normally the boy’s heart would flutter at the prospect- however much he would deny this fact- he now hoped Hansol wouldn’t walk back at all.

Seungkwan was supposed to be researching exactly which types of magic he wanted to do first; although healing magic was barred. Even though that was the case, Seungkwan still had healing magic books open, sectioned to the poison section.

He had tried to brush off Jisoo’s plan, tried to convince himself that Soonyoung would never let anything happen to Jihoon, but he just couldn’t. It was his brother, a brother he loved, a brother who tried to talk and catch up with him every time he was well enough to leave a bed. Sure, he doesn’t know if his brother was well enough to lead a kingdom, but he didn’t deserve such malice against him. He wished Jisoo wasn’t so stubborn, that maybe Seungkwan could just convince him not to. But ever since Jisoo changed a few years ago, he was difficult, cold, abrasive. Seungkwan didn’t know if being crown prince finally got to his head or if something horrible happened, all he knew is that, slowly, Jisoo was very different. At first, Seungkwan tried to have sympathy for his brother, especially because while Jisoo had harsh words for him, he’d never threatened him, or really tried to hurt him.

Seungkwan remembered a few years ago when Jisoo was just beginning his change into a cruel prince and he attacked Jihoon. Of course Jihoon forgave him easily, being a kind soul to a fault. Jihoon and Jisoo had a strong bond at the time, and Jisoo apologized profusely, but slowly, he became more closed off. Now Jisoo was planning to kill his own brother.

Seungkwan couldn’t let it happen.

“Seu? How’s it going back there?” Hansol called back, his footsteps creaking on the old wooden floor.

“Good!” He shouted, panicking. He hurriedly tried to shove the healing books under the small desk, and tried to pull the book Types Of Magic And How They Work back into sight. Hansol stepped up, and Seungkwan almost sighed in relief that he hid all the books in time. Then, Hansol stumbled over a discarded book on the floor.

Fuck.

“What’s this…?” Hansol picked it up, and read the page it was on. Hansol’s voice turned dark. “Seungkwan, I’m going to need a very good explanation to why you have a healing magic book open to the poison section,”

Seungkwan turned around slowly, wincing at Hansol’s face. He looked almost livid. It was obvious he wasn’t going to be happy with Seungkwan, but the prince didn’t expect Hansol to be that mad.

“I… I’m sorry?” Seungkwan squeaked. Hansol slammed the book shut, and threw it across the room, not even watching where it ended up with a huge sound.

“No, you’re not.” Hansol gritted out, staring into Seungkwan’s eyes. “You’re sorry I caught you. You have to listen to me, Seungkwan! Healing magic is not a place to start, and I sincerely hope you never learn it ever! It is dangerous, what else do I have to say to get it through your intensely thick skull!” Hansol shouted.

Seungkwan looked troubled, biting his lip. “But-”

“But nothing!” Hansol interrupted. “I know you’re worried about your brother, and I am truly sympathetic to that. But magic has got to be neutral, not based on one’s beliefs! I will not teach you if you will not adhere to my very simple rules!” Hansol lectured. Seungkwan visibly deflated.

“But Jihoon…” Seungkwan whispered,

“Look, Seungkwan.” Hansol sighed, “I cannot, and will not tell you to forget about your brother’s plight. You have the right to worry, and do something about it. However, you can do that without magic. You can warn him, Soonyoung, your father. You can protect yourself with your two hands and not include magic. Magic can’t be used for this.” Hansol explained, softening. “I don’t want anything to happen to Jihoon either. As an official Mage, I can’t do anything at all. But you’re not a master yet, so you can do what you want. Without the aid of magic.” Hansol explained.

Seungkwan nodded. He felt horrible for disobeying Hansol and betraying his trust. He would just have to talk to his father. Jihoon would never believe Jisoo would poison him, he was too kind. Soonyoung… Soonyoung probably already knows, knowing him. Seungcheol would hopefully do something about it. Jihoon was his heir, after all.

“Alright. I’m sorry, Hansol. I really want to learn magic, so I’ll listen.” Seungkwan said softly and sincerely.

“I know. I have a weird feeling this will not be the last time something like this happens. But that’s why I’m here. Mentors are supposed to keep their students from doing something stupid.” Hansol smiled.

Seungkwan reciprocated, gears already turning in his head.

_____________________________________

Seungcheol knew that being a king was hard work. He never got enough rest. He never had enough time for his Queen, or his family. That was the hardest part. Being a king he could handle.

Sometimes he felt like a subpar father. Scratch that, he felt subpar all of the time. His oldest was a moody, dangerous prince, the second was sick and maybe dying, and his youngest was a magical flight risk. He sighed at his desk. He wished he had been there for them more, but so many political and social issues pulled at his attention, he never could. Jeonghan did his best as well, but the kingdom was in political shambles after his father died, and Seungcheol had done his best to fix what his father had ruined.

“You look stressed, what’s wrong?” Jeonghan popped his head into the doorway, peeking in at Seungcheol at his desk. He sighed, and laid his head down.

“I am stressed.” He said into his boring stack of papers.

“Aww, do I need to come in there and help?” Jeonghan cooed playfully. Seungcheol’s head shot up, suddenly more interested.

“Depends on how you want to help,” He spoke, coy undertones present. Jeonghan walked in casually, slightly confused.

“I mean by sitting down and helping you through the papers, how else could I mean it?” He questioned, sitting down on the armchair not far from Seungcheol’s desk.

Seungcheol sighed again, looking down. Stupid beautiful husband got his hopes up.

Jeonghan laughed, completely aware of where his husband’s mind was.

“My love, don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time in our own chambers for that activity, but for now, those policies really must get done. Besides political work, is there anything else weighing on your pretty little mind?” Jeonghan asked.

Seungcheol looked over to Jeonghan, his wonderful life companion, his love, his rock. Seungcheol figured his kingdom would’ve crumbled without Jeonghan’s constant support. He gave up his magic to marry Seungcheol and never looked back, a feat Seungcheol admired him for.
“It’s Jihoon.” He stated, knowing that this subject was hard to approach.

Jeonghan looked down, his face obstructed by the lack of light, but Seungcheol knew his husband was hurting. Their own son, someone they pledged to love until their last breath, might very well take it soon. Watching Jihoon in pain was always so hard for them. Seungcheol remembers many a night where Jeonghan would cry into his arms, upset that Jihoon’s pain would never end. Seungcheol always bit his lip to keep his tears from spilling into Jeonghan’s hair.
“It is… Troubling.” Jeonghan whispered, his voice slightly choked.

“Yes. As a father, I am distraught. You know I love our sons immensely, no matter what. But they are human, they have flaws, like anyone else. As a king, I’m afraid their flaws might not be suited for a king. Jihoon is a wonderful, fair person, and I truly believe he could rule fairly. But his health is concerning. He might not make it.” Seungcheol sighed, gritting his teeth so as to not get emotional.

“What about Jisoo? He’s your firstborn, and very capable.” Jeonghan asked.

“Yes, he is. But…” Seungcheol trailed off.

“But?” Jeonghan prompted, his eyebrows raised.

“I love him dearly, and he could lead an army if he so wished, he has such talent for commanding fear. However, as a king? I see too much of my father in him.” Seungcheol said, looking down.

“Your father?! You really see that monster in your own son?” Jeonghan exclaimed, sounding affronted. He stood up to face Seungcheol directly.

“My father was not a good man. He desired power, exacted revenge on anyone who wronged him, destroyed that which defied him, and used every conniving way he could to get what he wanted. Do I see all of that in Jisoo? Of course not. I love my son, I could never see him as I see my father.” Seungcheol stood up to look at Jeonghan at the same level, overarching the desk. “However, Jisoo does exhibit certain traits that my father did as well. No matter how I have tried to dissuade him, he’s so obsessive. Kings need to learn to let things go. Otherwise, they could destroy the kingdom to get what they want. My father did exactly that.” Seungcheol explained. Of course, he didn’t say the good in his son, how he was efficient, smart, and resourceful, but it wasn’t enough to outweigh the concerning behaviors he exhibited.

“What are you going to do? I love Jihoon, but we know that the world is not kind to the sick, and we know there is a large chance he won’t make it. It’s Jisoo or Seungkwan at that point.” Jeonghan laid out, blunt.

“You think I don’t know that? I have another plan, I have to make these plans, I have to think of every outcome, no matter how painful. Seungkwan is fixated on magic, and he’s never wanted to be king. I would never force him to do something he doesn’t want. He’s not king material anyway. Besides, much of the kingdom has not been kind to him in the past. He has no supporters and it could cause uproar if he were to rise to the throne. Jisoo, I fear will become a force to be reckoned with if given too much power.” Seungcheol explained.

“Then what are you going to do?” Jeonghan asked, confused. Seungcheol sighed.

“I might ask you for another child.”

The room went silent.

Jeonghan was floored, not expecting such a request to leave his husband.

“Are you… Are you really against Jisoo that much? I think he could do well.” Jeonghan asked, a desperate undertone to his voice.

“I would not ask this of you if I didn’t think I had good reason. I know pregnancy through magic is painful. I will not ask you to birth this heir. We will find an alternative, adopt or ask a woman to help, but I really think this is the best way.” Seungcheol walked around to Jeonghan, taking him into a loving hug, and bringing him to sit down beside him on the couch, just right of the armchair.

“There is no guarantee another child will work either. There is never a guarantee!” Jeonghan doubted.

“I know, but don’t you think we have to try? For the kingdom? For our sons?” Seungcheol whispered into Jeonghan’s hair.

“How about this,” Jeonghan started, breaking out of the hug. “Jisoo has been trying to put down the small rebel circle that’s loose in the city. If he succeeds, he will have the throne, but if doesn’t, then another heir will be born.” Jeonghan said, thinking it was fair.

“How long will he have?” Seungcheol asked, thinking it over.

“Until the end of the year. That’s suitable, right?” Jeonghan asked, shrugging.

“Hmmm… That’s a bit… I’ll give him until winter. That’s two seasons, I think that’s enough.” Seungcheol said, hoping that compromise would please his husband.

“Alright. I’ll talk to him about it, okay? Don’t worry about all that for now. You, sir, have work to do.” Jeonghan stood up, grabbing Seungcheol’s hand, and dragged him back to his desk, Seungcheol groaning the whole way. Jeonghan smiled, laughing at his husband’s antics.

Seungcheol sat down at his desk, pouting slightly at the thought of having to go back to work again.

“Will I see you tonight?” Seungcheol asked Jeonghan as he was heading out the door.

Jeonghan turned and winked, a smile following him. “You can count on it, my love.”

_________________________________

Jihoon was sitting up in his bed, awake and thinking clearly for the first time in a week. He rubbed his eyes, feeling tired and sore like normal. He looked around, noticing the light coming from his window. It must’ve been at mid-day, the sun beginning to head towards the west. Jihoon looked beside him to the tray on the small bedside table. He reached over and grabbed the tray, holding it in his lap. First, he downed all the water, just as Soonyoung would normally make him so. The, he grabbed the bread, rough and crunchy, and started to eat it. He usually hated eating as soon as he woke up, but Soonyoung always scolded him until he ate as much as he could.

Soonyoung…

Jihoon furrowed his brow, thinking about this morning, when he’d woken up with Soonyoung talking to him. It was unusual, as Soonyoung was always quiet when he slept, afraid of waking him.

“I love you, Jihoon.”

Jihoon sucked in a sharp breath, swallowing the last of the bread. Had Soonyoung really said that? What had he meant? Like a brother? Like a lover? Jihoon found himself hoping for the latter, surprising himself. Did he really see Soonyoung that way? Sure, everyone who knew of them thought they were intimate, but they both knew it wasn’t the case. Did Jihoon want that to be the case? Jihoon already had almost everything he could want. Soonyoung woke him up everyday, and the first thing Jihoon would see would be his face. Soonyoung talked to him, comforted him, they laughed and joked together, made future plans with each other. There had never been any doubt in Jihoon’s mind that he’d spend the rest of his life with Soonyoung.

But what if he and Soonyoung could be something more? He loved Soonyoung, but was he in love with Soonyoung? Was Soonyoung in love with him? There was so much uncertainty. Jihoon started to think of how it would be if Soonyoung cuddled with him in his bed every night, if he could hold Soonyoung’s hand, and kiss it. If he could kiss Soonyoung on those plush lips of his- Jihoon shook his head, flushing. He took a deep a breath, accepting that yes, he must love Soonyoung as more than a friend. Surprisingly, as uncertain as everything was, it wasn’t so hard for Jihoon to believe he loved Soonyoung.

They always fit. Sunlight to clouds, heat to cold, laughter to tears, they balanced each other. Falling for Soonyoung was probably the easiest thing he ever did. It happened slowly over the years, little smiles, touches, all of the devotion they gave each other. Jihoon chuckled, he couldn’t believe it took him this long to realize it.

“I love you, Jihoon.”

Jihoon startled. He had to figure out what Soonyoung meant. Now.

Soonyoung would be gone for hours, or the whole day, most likely. Jihoon couldn’t wait that long. He felt horrible, albeit slightly better than before. But he never knew when he could take a turn for the worse. He knew he’d only been given a few days to live, and that he could keel over at any point.

But that was his entire life. Everyday, he was cooped up in the castle, protecting his fragile health while everyone lived around him.

Screw that.

He’d adhered to his father’s orders long enough. He was going to leave the castle. It was time for him to make his own decisions, go out and see the kingdom he’d rule one day. He had to talk to Soonyoung right now, and nobody was going to stop him. He hadn’t lived. And if he was going to die soon, he might as well do whatever he wants before that happens.

He threw the blankets back, and slowly got out of bed. He pitter-pattered over to his drawers, where he looked inside, looking for warm clothes. He pulled out a sweater Jeonghan made for him a while back and slacks that had seen better days. He knew that he would blend into the village better if he wore clothes that Jeonghan had gotten him. His Dad had been a commoner before marrying into the kingdom, and always stressed how important it was to relate to the people of the kingdom. Jihoon walked over to the window, where his few shoes lay, and grabbed the warmer, beat up brown boots. He slipped it all on, being careful not to move too fast, so he wouldn’t get dizzy. Nodding at himself in the mirror, he walked back to the bedside table, picking up the water glass. He drank the entire thing in one go, and set it down gently.

He was ready.

Now how the heck was he going to get out?

Jihoon had never done this before. Scratch that, he’d done this once before. He’d done it around a decade ago, which is what ultimately led him to falling for Soonyoung in the first place. What had he done then? Jihoon thought back, trying to remember how on earth he’d gotten past the palace guards. He’d been small, scrappy, and cunning. He gasped.

He remembered now! He’d gotten the guards to let him into the gardens on the border of the palace, and snuck out a small tunnel out of the castle grounds. He smiled, knowing he could pull the same trick all over again. Jihoon usually cursed his small form, but this time, it came in handy. He was relatively the same size as he was when he first used the tunnel, so he’d be able to fit in it again. No one else his age would ever be able to follow in after him.

Jihoon walked out of his room, walking slowly down the hall, trying to calm his heart for the upcoming deception he would have to do.

“Prince Jihoon! You’re up!” Jihoon whirled around, slightly too fast. He steadied himself, and looked up at Haeun, a particularly sweet guard. She always had a smile for him.

“Yes. I feel a lot better. I wanted some fresh air.” He said, getting to the point.

“Oh… Are you sure that’s okay? So soon? Maybe you should rest a little more.” Haeun spoke worriedly. Jihoon smiled softly, in that way he knew melted her kind heart.

“Please? Just the gardens. I think being somewhere so nice will do me some good. I’ll go rest right after, I promise.” Jihoon pleaded.

“Well… Soonyoung isn’t here right now. Maybe I should ask your father-”

“No!” He shouted over her, startling her. She looked back, shocked. Jihoon never shouted.

“Please, Haeun? My father would never let me out to the gardens. He keeps me in all the time. Just this once, please ?” He begged, clasping his hands together. He gave her the cutest puppy-dog eyes he could, and he could see her crumble.

“Ugh… Fine! Just this once, okay? But I’m escorting you out there,” She said, waving a finger at him, an authoritative gesture.

“Okay!” He said, smiling brightly. He turned down the hallway, walking carefully, Haeun right behind him. When they made it to the gardens, Jihoon was breathing heavily from the walk, but his mind was working a mile a minute, figuring out how to shake off Haeun.

“We’re here, Prince Jihoon. Now, where do you wanna go?” She asked. She looked down on him kindly, happy from seeing Jihoon so lively.

“Uhm… I was wondering if I could go to the Prayer Flowers.” Jihoon whispered. The Prayer Flowers were sacred flowers at the end of the garden. They were meant for intense prayer and religious purposes. They also served for an environment of extreme self-reflection or for a place for someone who wants to confess their sins… Before they’re going to die.

“Oh! I… Alright, I’ll stay here, but come back as soon as you’re done, okay?” She said, her face looking slightly sad.

Jihoon nodded and walked towards the end of the garden. He felt horrible for having to use those flowers for his deception. They were sacred plants, and people highly respected the fact that people had to be alone when they were at the flowers. Haeun probably thought he was going to self-reflect there in case he died soon. He shook his head, he couldn’t think about that now. He’d apologize to Haeun later, and get her a bouquet or something to make it up to her.

Before going to the flowers, he took a sharp right towards the edge of the gardens, where the tunnel would be. He got down on his knees, searching for the small opening. He found it when he looked under the forsythia, and found the small tunnel. He sighed, it wouldn’t be a comfortable fit, but he’d make it. He tried to slow his heart, took deep breaths, and started down the tunnel.

The tunnel was surprisingly longer than Jihoon remembered it. It was musky, the aroma like a swamp, and was immensely dark, the only light coming from both ends, and barely lit the tunnel. Jihoon knew this was not a sanitary place, and somewhat feared if being in here could get him sick. He was light-headed, and his knees and hands were falling asleep under him. But he trudged on, knowing that this was the way to get to Soonyoung, and that he had to find out what Soonyoung meant.

Jihoon knew that he could’ve waited in the castle for Soonyoung to come back, but Soonyoung would deny anything ever happened. He’d see Jihoon in the big bed, all wrapped up in the blankets, trying to protect him from the world, and lull Jihoon back into sleep, forcing him to leave it. Soonyoung never did anything to challenge or change things these days. Back when Jihoon was re-learning to walk, Soonyoung never stopped nagging him, never stopped challenging him, making him push boundaries every day. He missed it. He missed the fire in Soonyoung’s eyes when Jihoon surprised him.

So Jihoon wasn’t going to let Soonyoung forget about what he said. He was going to find Soonyoung in town and find out what he meant. If push came to shove, Jihoon would tell Soonyoung he loved him, no matter what was in his way.

Besides, he’s spent too much of his life in a bed. He was tired of it. Sure, it wasn’t difficult to wrap yourself in a blanket and sleep, but what was he really doing then? He was just being. Not living. He wanted to experience the same rush as when he was a child. He wanted to be the same again. He’d been cooped up too long in a room.

Jihoon’s eyes saw the opening in the distance, and he crawled to the light, his head swimming slightly.

Jihoon took his time getting out of the tunnel, sitting on the grass to catch his breath and getting used to the low sunlight coming through the trees. Jihoon slowly got to his feet, feeling his muscles burn and he groaned, his knees already feeling weak. He took another deep breath and looked both ways.

Now if he remembered correctly, he’d gone right when he exited the tunnel, and ended up finding Soonyoung. If he walked that way, he’d end up at the camp that Soonyoung had escaped. If he went left, he’d happen upon the town. So, with his small feet, and aching body, Jihoon started left, and slowly walked toward town.

_______________________________________

Today was Mingyu’s day to visit the slum.

It was always hard to go back there, to see the gaunt faces, the accusing eyes of the people who’d given up. Remembering his old memories wasn’t easy either. But all the children who’d become young teens counted on seeing him, the inspiration for their hope. Because Mingyu made it out of the slums alive. As far as they knew he worked at a fruit stand with his friends, so they had no idea he was a wanted criminal. He owed it to them to go back and feed them what he could, and tell them stories to make their tired eyes sparkle again.

So he walked past town, to where the streets became dusty dirt, and where all the buildings became broken and moldy, and looked into the sadness of the slum.

“Mingyu!” He turned, hearing Giwoo call out his name. The skinny boy ran up to him, engulfing him in a tight a hug.

“Heya, buddy! I’m so glad to see you! Is Mina here?” He asked. Giwoo’s eyes went dark and he looked down.

“No… The plague got her.” He gritted out bitterly. Mingyu furrowed his brow, trying not to shed tears. Poor Mina was only thirteen, and she could never gain any weight no matter how much she was fed. Mingyu loved seeing her. She had beautiful eyes, small and shiny, and made you want to hug her in the tightest hug you could.

“I’m sorry buddy. Is Daejung at home right now?” He said, moving on, trying not to let Giwoo get too sad. He brightened at the mention of Daejung, and nodded.

“Yeah he’s there! I’ll go tell him you’re here! He’ll be so excited!” He exclaimed, and ran left, towards Daejung’s hut.

"I’ll meet you there in a minute, okay?” He called out, waving.

Mingyu went the other direction, in hopes that he’d meet a couple of the other kids before he went to Daejung’s house.

“Ha...ha...ugh!” Mingyu turned, hearing a horrible wheezing sound down the road to his left. He looked in, and saw a young boy, someone he didn’t recognize. The boy was dirty, had gross stains all over his sweater and beat-up slacks, he couldn’t be more than thirteen at his size. He certainly looked like a slum kid, he was tiny, skinny, gaunt, and sick looking. Mingyu decided it probably wasn’t a wind-up and walked down the road. The boy was hunched over, wheezing and leaning on the building beside him. Mingyu felt for the kid, he looked like he was in a lot of pain.

“Hey, are you okay?” He called out, alerting the younger boy he was there. The boy startled upon seeing him, and tried to run away. However, he stumbled and fell to the ground, where he started to wheeze harder.

“Oh shit!” Mingyu dashed to the boy, where he was curling in on himself. The sounds of his breathing was crunchy and strained, and Mingyu had no idea what to do. He bit his lip, and pulled the boy into his arms gently.

“Hey, you’re gonna be alright, okay? I’m not gonna hurt you. You need to calm down.” He whispered into the boy’s hair, stroking his head, trying to ease his breathing. The boy swallowed and slowed his breathing, the wheezing starting to calm down slightly.

“That’s good, big brother is gonna help you, okay? I’m gonna help you.” He said kindly, and the boy looked into his eyes, a pleading there he couldn’t understand. The boy nodded nonetheless.

“Hey, what’s your name?” He asked, hoping to figure out who this was, and where he needed to take him. The boys eyes started to droop, his body relaxing and exhaustion overtaking him.

“My… n-name… I… Ji-” And the boy passed out in Mingyu’s arms. Mingyu sighed, not knowing what to do. Ji? It sounded foreign, like Jun’s and Minghao’s name. Maybe he was an abandoned immigrant? It happens pretty often. If that was the case, Ji had nowhere to go. Mingyu stood up, carrying Ji in a princess hold. He sighed, hating to put this on Daejun, but he certainly couldn’t leave the kid here.

He carried Ji all the way to Daejun’s, where at least the kid could lay down for a while. Mingyu stood outside the small, beat-up hut, and called out.

“Daejun!” He waited for a few seconds for him to pop out.

“No need to yell-” Daejun popped out of his hut’s doorway, and stopped upon seeing the sick kid in Mingyu’s arms.

“Another one?” He asked, his tone sad.

“Yeah, I found him on the way here. He said his name was Ji.” Mingyu explained, hoping that Daejun would recognize the kid.

“I don’t know him, sorry. Never even seen him around, so he must be new to the slums. Either way, the kid has seen better days. Bring him in.” Daejun said, motioning Mingyu to follow him. Mingyu followed Daejun inside, and place Ji on the small, neat pile of dirty blankets on the floor.

“Sorry about this, Dae. I saw him wheezing and I just couldn’t leave him there. He looked terrified.” He said, running his hands through Ji’s hair. The kid obviously had a fever, he was burning up.

“I’ll bet. You said his name is Ji? Sounds foreign.” Daejun walked over, sitting by Mingyu and Ji.

“I think it is. Do you think he’s an immigrant?” Mingyu asked, holding Ji’s hand. The boy had started to shiver in his sleep, and Mingyu’s heart ached for the kid.

“I guess so. If that’s how it is, his parents are either dead or didn’t make it into the country. Otherwise he wouldn’t be alone. You know how immigrants have a death grip on their kids, no way his parents are here if he’s alone like this.” Daejun explained, feeling sorry for the kid. He didn’t want to think about where the kid was from.

“Man, Jun might kill me, but I can’t just leave him here. His heart melts at foreign kids, so maybe I’ll survive.” Mingyu said, sighed. Daejun startled, looking at Mingyu.

“You mean you’re taking him with you? Why?” Daejun asked. Mingyu never brought anyone with him.

“He’s got nobody, and I can’t exactly ask you to watch over him. You have other kids you take care of, man. Besides, there’s a chance he could join the rebels if he gets better.” Mingyu explained. He felt bad that he couldn’t take every kid with him, but most were too beaten down to make it even if they left the slums. This kid looked like a fighter. He tried to run even while wheezing half to death.

“Alright, fine. But be careful. He might be sick with the plague, okay?” Daejun said, trying not to let his worry for Mingyu show.

“Thanks Dae. I will be careful, I promise.” Mingyu promised as he lifted Ji back into his arms. He hoped Jun wouldn’t be too mad at him.

____________________________________

Mingyu wasn’t even a little tired. He was carrying Ji’s entire weight in the princess carry, and he wasn’t even a little tired. The kid was so small and he weighed nothing. He watched as Ji shivered and whimpered into his arms. Mingyu grimaced, hoping Ji would make it out of the worst of the fever soon.

“Soo…” Mingyu blinked, hearing Ji whisper softly. Soo? A name? It was possible, but Mingyu certainly couldn’t decipher. He’d ask Ji about himself when he woke up.

“Mingyu! What the heck are you holding?” DK exclaimed, walking up. DK saw the sick boy in Mingyu’s arms, and sighed.

“You know you’re not supposed to bring slum kids here, Mingyu.” DK scolded, feeling sympathy for the small dirty kid in his arms.

“He said his name was Ji. I think he’s foreign. Had no one to help him.” Mingyu explained, trying to appease DK. DK furrowed his brow and sighed again.

“Gosh… Fine, bring him inside, let’s get him in a bed and try to break the fever.” DK said, accepting that Jun was going to be furious.

“Yes!” Mingyu whispered, happy. DK tried not to roll his eyes at him. DK led Mingyu inside, to Mingyu’s bed, where Mingyu set the boy down. Ji cried out softly at the loss of heat, and in his sleep, he reached out to Mingyu. Mingyu chuckled, and leaned down to cover Ji with the blankets of his bed, and DK left the room, most likely to get water and a rag to put on Ji’s head.

“What’s going on in- What the flying!-” Mingyu whipped around to see Chan, cut him of before he got too loud with a huge “SHHH!”

“Mingyu? Who the hell is this?” Chan whispered, still floored by the presence of Ji.

“A foreign boy I found in the slums. His name is Ji.” Mingyu whispered back, softly getting the sweaty hair out of Ji’s face, to make way for the rag.

“Jun’s gonna kill you!” Chan whisper yelled. He looked slightly panicked at the notion of Jun getting angry.

“Jun will be fine. He wouldn’t have wanted me to leave an abandoned immigrant kid to die. The kid can’t be more than thirteen. He looks younger than you.” Mingyu said, irritation dripping into his tone.

“I guess… I mean he does look young. I feel for him, being so sick.” Chan said, and he sat down next to Mingyu. “I’ll help you watch over him.” Chan said determinedly, and Mingyu didn’t have a reason to argue with him.

DK walked back in, a bowl of water, and clean rag in hand, and set to work putting the damp rag on Ji.

“Hopefully this will help bring the fever down. Remember to get him food when he wakes up, okay?” DK instructed them, to which both boys nodded.

“Good. I’m going to go help Minghao with dinner.” And with that, he left the room.

DK walked out to the main area, seeing Minghao getting out ingredients for dinner.

“Hey, I’m here to help.” DK said cheerfully, Minghao turning to see DK smiling at him. Minghao smiled slightly back, and went back to work in silence.

“Hey, where is everyone?” Jun walked in, confused. “I know Soonyoung’s out back, but where the hell is Mingyu and Chan?” He wondered. The two boys could get some work done for him. DK sucked in a harsh breath.

“Well, they’re both their room.” DK said, choosing not to elaborate.

“Why?” Jun asked, baffled. “It’s not even sundown yet.” Jun said, assuming they were trying to sleep.

“You’re gonna want to see for yourself. But please, be quiet when you walk in, okay?” DK said, sound exasperated. Jun furrowed his brow even more, clueless to what he would see in Mingyu and Chan’s room. The hell were they doing in there? He turned past the main area, and took a right into the hall, and walked into the boy’s room.

He stopped and gasped, already frustrated.

“Jun!” Mingyu whisper-yelled, his eyes widening upon seeing his leader.

“Who… The heck… Is this?” He gritted out, his patience wearing thin. He stayed quietly angry though, something Mingyu was very grateful for.

“Please Jun, I found him wheezing, keeled over down a road. He passed out in my arms! Please don’t be mad, I think he’s an abandoned Immigrant! His name is Ji.” Mingyu pleaded, keeping his voice low. Chan looked slightly panicked behind Mingyu, who’d gotten up to walk toward Jun to explain the situation.

Jun sighed deeply, realizing that no, he really couldn’t be mad at Mingyu for acting the way he did. Especially if the kid was an orphaned immigrant, much like Jun and Minghao.

“Alright, fine! The kid can stay.” Jun whispered, Chan and Mingyu grinning wide and hugging each other in victory.

“You said the kid’s name was Ji?” Jun asked. He did admit, it sounded like a name from his mother country, even if Jun couldn’t tell where he really was from the way the kid looked. No immigrant actually looked all that different. Maybe you could tell from the nose, or the eyes, but most of the time immigrants looked the same as citizens. In this case, it was worrying that Jun only had a name to go by.

“Yeah, that’s what he said. The kid was really weak though, passed out as soon as he told me his name, so I could only think to bring him to Daejun’s. But you know how many kids he feeds already.” Mingyu said, getting serious. Jun and Mingyu sat back down in front of Ji, joining Chan.

“He’s kinda cute. He looks like a little kid.” Chan giggled, looking at Ji’s scrunched little face.

“He is a kid, Chan. His size? Gotta be like twelve or something.” Jun scoffed, chuckling at Chan good-naturedly.

“Wait, does that mean that I won’t be the youngest anymore? Yes!” Chan cheered, grin growing ever wider on his face.

“Haha, this kid. Yeah, you’ll finally have someone younger to take care of.” Mingyu laughed, messing up Chan’s hair. Chan spluttered, flushing, a pout unconsciously taking over his face.
“Do you think he’s nice? Ji, I mean. I wonder how he even got out there,” Chan continued, his curiosity more important to him than staying silent.

“I don’t know, Chan. Orphaned immigrants are usually one of two things; one, they’re terrified and take time to come out of their shell. Two, they’re defensive and aggressive and also take a ton of time to break out of their shell. The kid looks cute, but that speaks none for his personality.” Jun explained, remembering Minghao and himself as kids. Jun was aggressive, mean, distrusting. Minghao had been scared, terrified, shaking wherever they went. They were quite the pair.

Jun heard a small creak behind them, and turned to see Soonyoung looking slowly through the door.

“Hey, what are you guys- Oh my fuck, Jihoon?!” Soonyoung shouted, causing everyone to jump. Soonyoung slapped his hand over his mouth, his eyes terrifyingly wide. Jihoon twitched slightly at the noise.

“Jihoon? Ji… Jihoon? Oh my gosh, is this who I think it is?” Mingyu stood up, suddenly very alert. Had he…?

Soonyoung frantically shook his head, looking at Jun’s dark eyes. Jun stood up slowly, his kind face obstructed by the fury that clouded it.

“Is this your fucking prince?” Jun spat, anger making his nose twitch.

“No! No, I don’t know him, I-” Soonyoung whispered, losing his voice in pure terror for his Prince. Jun wouldn’t… Right?

Mingyu looked between both Soonyoung and Jun, floored that Jun was so angry at Jihoon’s presence. Mingyu saw what was unfolding and quickly tried to mediate it.

“Whoa, Whoa, Jun, we promised Soonyoung that we’d help save the kid, not kill him when he sleeps, that’s completely-”

“Shut up!” Jun roared, startling everyone in the room. He was seething from his fingertips. Mingyu had never, never, seen Jun like this. So angry, inconsolable.

“What the flying fuck is going on in here?” DK stormed in, Minghao right behind him, just as confused.

“Mingyu… Mingyu brought royalty here. That little bitch in the bed is Prince Jihoon.” Jun growled out, unsheathing his sword. He wanted him dead. For Qian.

Minghao smothered his surprised look before attention was caught to it. The Prince? Here? How? Did Jisoo know about this? Does this change the plans? He quieted his concerns, watching the scene intently.

Jun took a step towards Jihoon’s sleeping form.

“Don’t you dare fucking touch him.” Soonyoung’s voice was low, dangerous, almost a feral warning to Jun. Don’t touch what’s mine.

Everyone in the room watched the both of them, completely enamored at Soonyoung’s show of dominance.

“What the hell are you going to do to stop me?” Jun raised his sword, ready to cut down into Jihoon’s chest at a moment’s notice.

Soonyoung backed away from everyone else in the room.

“Because if you kill Jihoon, you’ll have to kiss your spy goodbye.” Soonyoung threatened, seeing Jun hesitate slightly.

“You think we don’t have ways of making you talk?” Jun sneered, malice marring his once beautiful face.

“Jun!” Mingyu exclaimed, affronted at the cruel words from his leader’s mouth. Chan stood behind him, just as upset. The rest of the room was dead silent.

“Even you can’t make a dead man talk.” Soonyoung said, his face flat of all emotion. He was resigned to his fate.

“The hell?” Jun said, tightening his grip on his sword.

Soonyoung whipped out a small knife from his pocket and held it to his own throat, enough to indent the skin, blood about to seep out.

“If you touch a hair on his head, your ‘in’ to the castle will be gone. I’ll slit my throat. I’ll kill myself.” Soonyoung held perfectly still, not a tremble of fear. He was not afraid of dying. Not when it came to Jihoon.

“Soonyoung!? You can’t- I mean, guys can’t we-” Mingyu pleaded, being cut off again.

“You’d really go that far for this rat?” Jun questioned, squinting at Soonyoung’s determined form.

“I think you underestimate how much I love him. I’d do anything for him.” Soonyoung laughed bitterly, the tone confirming to Jun that Soonyoung was serious.

“Jun, I know why you feel that you should do this, but Jihoon was not responsible for her death, okay? Jihoon could barely even walk when she was killed!” Mingyu shouted, pleading for his leader to put his sword away.

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Jun asked, closing his eyes, trying to calm himself.

“Jihoon is chronically ill. He’s sick all the time, and he lost his ability to walk from a sickness years ago. Soonyoung’s help is the only reason he’s still up and about today.” Mingyu explained, Soonyoung looking sharply at Jun’s reaction.

Jun blinked, surprised at the confession. “Wait, you mean-”

“He means that Jihoon couldn’t have had any hand in anything that happened to you. Jihoon’s only ever left the castle once, twice if you count this excursion. I have absolutely no idea how he made it past the guards. He’s been sick almost his entire life, Jun. Is Jihoon really the person to reap vengeance on?” Soonyoung asked grimly, aware that Jihoon’s life was in the balance of what Jun chose.

Jun sighed, muscles tensing.

“Jisoo wouldn’t get the throne if you let him live.” Mingyu uttered into the silence.

Jun froze. He turned to Soonyoung for confirmation.

“It’s true. Jihoon is now the preferred heir to the throne. If he lives, Jisoo will never come to power. Jihoon backs justice, and fairness. He has never agreed with his father’s policies, unlike Jisoo. Where Jisoo is ruthless, Jihoon is kind.” Soonyoung explains. Hoping Jun would concede.

Jun bit his lip, and looked down. His arm twitched.

Soonyoung tensed.

“...Fine.” Jun sheathed his sword, gritting his teeth, he pushed past everyone in the room, and stormed out.

_____________________________

Seungkwan took a deep breath, steeling himself to talk to his father. He never usually did, but here he was, standing outside his office door. For Jihoon.

Most of the time when he spoke to his father, he would direct him right to his dad instead, and Seungkwan would forgotten as the son who wanted too much attention. He hated when his father treated him with so little care, like anything he said had to be taken with a grain of salt strictly because of who he was.

He knocked.

“Come in.” His father toned through the door. Seungkwan curled his fingers on the handle and walked in.

“Hello, father I was wonder-” He was cut off. As usual.

“I’m sorry, Seungkwan, can it wait? Or can you talk to your dad about it? I’m a little busy here,” Seungcheol said, preoccupied with the papers in front of him.

Seungkwan gritted his teeth in annoyance.

“No, Father, it actually can’t wait. And I would assume that as a King, you’d really like to know this information.” Seungkwan spat, trying to reel in his low-boiling anger at being dismissed so carelessly.

Seungcheol looked up in slight surprise. He set down his papers, and looked Seungkwan in the eyes. Finally.

“Alright, you’ve piqued my interest. Come in, tell me what’s going on.” Seungcheol said, motioning his son inside.

Seungkwan walked inside and stood in front of his father’s desk.

“What’s so important.” Seungcheol’s tone clueing Seungkwan in that his father wasn’t really asking, he was demanding.

“I was stopping in by Hansol’s-”

“How many times has your dad told you to leave that poor Mage alone, son?” Seungcheol cut Seungkwan off again.

“Father! Please, let me speak.” Seungkwan remembered why he hated speaking to his father. He was listened to only when his father deemed it necessary enough.

“... Go ahead.” Seungkwan took a deep breath at his father’s words.

“While I was there, Jisoo came in for an order. It was poison. He told Hansol that he planned to poison Jihoon.” Seungkwan got straight to the point, it was the only way his father would listen.

“I’ll talk to him about it.” Seungcheol said, looking back down at his papers. Seungkwan had been dismissed. He didn’t give a crap.

“Whoa, you just heard from your youngest son that your oldest is planning to kill the middle son! You’ll ‘talk to him about it’?! That means jack-squat when your heir’s life is on the line! Do you care so little about-”

“Seungkwan!” Seungcheol yelled, quieting his son. Seungkwan was taken aback at the tone. He’d angered his father.

“If I know anything about my sons, then I know this can be resolved through peaceful discussion. I’m sure there was a misunderstanding.” Seungcheol explained, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

Seungkwan felt the low-seated anger roar into his ears.

“Yeah, but that’s just it, you don’t know anything about your sons!”

“Get out!” his father slammed his hands on the desk, looking flushed with frustration. Seungkwan swallowed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to convince his father any better.

“I will take care of it. Now go cast stupid enchantments with your Mage friend.” Seungcheol didn’t look at him as he sent him out. Seungkwan turned and tried his hardest not to stomp out the door.

His father was blind.

____________________________

Jihoon woke with a start. His body was sluggish, his muscles jelly, and his lungs fire. He coughed, hacking violently in the air. He looked around, and twitched with a start. He was in a strange room he didn’t recognize, in a bed. He remembered making it to a town, but being chased by some awful thieves. He remembered his legs giving out, and being found by a rather beautiful man who promised he’d help him. He assumed that’s why he was here. He’d have to thank the kind man, and quickly find Soonyoung before he went back to the castle.

“God, you’re such shit at this sometimes!” Jihoon jumped at the playful voice getting louder outside the door of the empty room.

“Be quiet, Jihoon is still sleeping!” He heard the whisper-shout, and furrowed his brow in confusion. Soonyoung? Here? It couldn’t be…

The door opened, and the pretty man along with a young boy he’d never seen before strolled in, Soonyoung in tow.

“Soonyoung!?” Jihoon rasped, his throat dry and aching, but so astonished at Soonyoung’s presence in this stranger’s house that he could care less. Soonyoung rushed forward to Jihoon’s side, and enveloped Jihoon in a hug, his desperation obvious from his grip.

“You actual idiot!” Jihoon flinched at Soonyoung’s tone. He let Jihoon go, and stared him down. “How could leave this castle!? You know how dangerous it is for you, and you were literally on the edge of death beforehand, and then you suddenly think you can just sneak out of the castle like nothing could go wrong!? Mingyu found you wheezing on the road, if he hadn’t taken pity on you and carried you here you’d be dead in the slums!” Soonyoung scolded, Jihoon shrinking down in response to Soonyoung’s uncharacteristic anger.

“I’m… I’m sorry?” Jihoon muttered, the tone tilting upwards into a question, not knowing how to react to Soonyoung’s words.

“No you’re not! You’re only sorry I’m mad at you! What was so darn important that you had to risk your life for it?” Soonyoung says, his annoyance thick on his tongue.

“You.” Jihoon bluntly justified.

Soonyoung spluttered, taken aback by the sincere words.

“Hey, Soonyoung, are you going to introduce us?” Mingyu asked, chuckling at their exchange. Chan perked up at being mentioned, and nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh,” Soonyoung voiced, as if he forgot they were in the room. “Um yeah, So Jihoon, this is Mingyu and Chan. They’re…” Soonyoung trailed off, realizing the gravity of the situation. Jihoon was in the rebel’s hideout! Jihoon would find out Soonyoung was working with rebels!

“We found you, and we brought you back to our house. There are a few other people who live here too, but you’ll meet them later,” Mingyu explained, helping Soonyoung. Soonyoung gave him a grateful look, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before Jihoon had to know.

“Thank you, I can’t thank you enough for helping me. I know it was reckless of me to leave the castle, but… I just thought I had to.” Jihoon tried to articulate why exactly it was so important to him. Of course Soonyoung was the main purpose behind the excursion, but there was something else. “I… My father has kept me on a tight leash for years… And now he wants me to rule a Kingdom I’ve never seen. I’ll admit… I was shocked to see the state the town was in.” Jihoon furrowed his brow in worry.

“Well, you weren’t in the main town area. You were in the slums.” Mingyu spoke up, providing information.

“Slums?” Jihoon questioned, not familiar with the word.

“Oh frick, your Pops really does keep you sheltered, huh? The slums are the poor area of town. It’s where most families that are broken or cast-aside by your father’s policies go. Most die. Some make it to criminal activity. Others are slaves, much like your friend was.” Mingyu shared, finding it strange the kid have never been taught any of this. Wouldn’t have Soonyoung at least told him?

“I… I can’t imagine. My father never speaks of it. Soonyoung told me he came from a very… disgusting place when I found him, but I never pushed for specifics out of respect. I have known my father shied away from things of that nature, but to completely disregard those people…? I’m… Very conflicted.” Jihoon looked down, feeling horrible. This excursion was already teaching him things he’d never learned otherwise.

“That’s why we exist. We’re not very pleased with the way your father runs the kingdom. But even more so, how he lets the first prince run amok. We’re rebels, Jihoon.” Mingyu acknowledged.

“Mingyu!” Soonyoung yelped, already fearing how Jihoon would take the information. He turned to Jihoon, who looked at Soonyoung with an unreadable expression. Soonyoung tried to pick out anything positive, but Jihoon looked betrayed at worst, confused at best.

Jihoon was shaken, to say the least. He looked away for a moment, trying to pick apart how exactly this might’ve come out about. His wonderful, loyal, Soonyoung had taken up with rebels of the kingdom? He almost would deny the notion right here if he didn’t know any better. But of course he did, and he decided that no matter what, he’d listen to why. He loved Soonyoung, and he hoped Soonyoung felt the same for him. Soonyoung had been his closest confidant, a treasured friend for most of his life.

“...Jihoon?” Soonyoung’s tentative voice rang out. Jihoon heard the fear of judgment from him.
Soonyoung would never betray him.

Jihoon turned back around, determined to hear why exactly this had happened.

“Tell me why, Soonyoung. I know you’d never betray me, so there must be a good reason why.” Jihoon assured. He smiled, knowing that Soonyoung must be eating himself up inside, no matter the reason why he was here. He wanted to provide comfort for him, knowing that even if the reason was ridiculous, or much more haunting, he’d still come out of it devoted to Soonyoung.

“Well… It all started when I overheard Jisoo in his room. I… usually never hear anything, but I heard your name, so I stopped. He… Jisoo plans to poison you for the throne.” Soonyoung admitted. There was no point in sugarcoating it. Jihoon would either believe him or he wouldn’t.

“I can’t believe that.” Jihoon blurted out, shocked beyond himself. Mingyu sucked in a breath, looking at Soonyoung’s crushed reaction. Jihoon noticed Soonyoung’s face crumple, and he scrambled to backtrack.

“No- I mean, Soonyoung, I don’t think you’re lying. I just… It’s a little unbelievable that my own brother would…” Jihoon searched for words to articulate his apprehension, but nothing quite fit.

“I get it. You used to be close to him. But that changed, Jihoon. He’s changed. He’s hungry for the throne and he’s willing to push down anyone who gets in his way,” Soonyoung explained, trying to tone down the frustration in his gentle voice.

“If it helps any, we really don’t want your brother as king.” Mingyu spoke up, crossing his arms.

“Is there a particular reason why?” Jihoon asked. He pushed back the blanket, and threw his legs over the side of the cot, sitting forward.

“Well, Jun and your brother Jisoo have a bit of history,” Mingyu began, surprising everyone in the room.

“He does?” Soonyoung stammered out.

“Yeah, he does,” Mingyu assured. “It was a while back, before Chan came here. Jisoo met Jun in the streets. Jun helped Jisoo pick up some things he dropped. Anyway, they got to talking, and somehow or another they got on the topic of politics. Jisoo, agreeing with his father’s policies of course had a horrible outlook on the treatment of immigrants, and kinda… Well, he pissed Jun off. Jun started getting angry, and telling Jisoo about the story of… Of Qian. Not knowing he was the Prince at the time, he didn’t really mind sharing the information so much. Jisoo basically told Jun that all immigrants deserved to die and that what happened to Qian was justified.” Mingyu explained grimly. He was always appalled at the blatant disregard for human life Jisoo had. “In the end, Jun found out he was the crown prince, and flipped out. Jun already wanted to destroy the kingdom then, but after that meeting, he had a purpose. He was going to make sure your brother never became king. For all the other suffering immigrants. He’s never cared about being royalty, and honestly, I think he’ll be relieved that you’ll take over the throne instead. Nevertheless, your brother isn’t the angel he used to be.” Mingyu finished, glad to bring Jihoon up to date.

“Who’s… Qian?” Jihoon asked, her name soft and lilting with Jihoon’s breathy voice. Mingyu grimaced. Mingyu had never known her, but he’d heard about her, and he knew she used to be Minghao’s whole world. Jun loved her just as much, but doted on Minghao equally. The rebels avoided her name in front of them out of respect. DK had been the only one to know her, aside from her brothers, and yet she was such an important figure to all of them.

“She’s Jun and Minghao’s younger sister. Unfortunately, palace officers killed her along with their parents when there was a tax confusion.” Mingyu lamented. It was a tragic event, that could’ve easily been prevented.

Jihoon looked stricken. He took a deep breath, and accepted that the way he thought of his family would have to change. It was easy to turn away from immoral policies when you could ignore the damage they caused, but hearing that… His father and brother had things all wrong.

“Okay. I understand.” Jihoon nodded once to himself, and put his hands in his lap, looking up to Mingyu and Chan. “I will do everything I can do help you. My brother should not be allowed the throne for the safety of immigrants, and all citizens of the kingdom.” Jihoon announced. Soonyoung whirled around to Jihoon, dumbfounded at the declaration.

“Whoa, whoa, no you’re not!” Soonyoung refused, “You are going straight back to castle and resting!”

Jihoon raised an eyebrow at the tone. His face stayed determined.

“No.”

“Excuse me?” Soonyoung challenged.

“Soonyoung, it’s about time I take responsibility for the kingdom I will rule one day, rather than lie in a bed and ignore the cruelties that happen here. These rebels have a just cause, even if violence must be used to get there. Many other issues have arisen from the kingdom as well. The state of the slums, the slavery trafficking, the economy of the system, the class differences, and even the treatment of laborers here. My father had tried to fix what his father had destroyed, but he unfortunately made a flawed system built for few people. I love him, I always will, but I will not deny that he has made mistakes. I need to rectify those.” Jihoon stood up, punctuating his belief. He was wobbly, but he stood strong nonetheless.

“Jihoon,” Soonyoung’s eyes became worried, “You know your limits, this isn’t a good idea, this is serious, and you could get killed. You are talking about betraying your family, friends, everyone.” Soonyoung insisted. Jihoon walked to Soonyoung, and took his hand. He looked up into his eyes.

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Jihoon said. Soonyoung blinked. “I’m willing to put everything on the line to protect the people of this kingdom. To protect you. Do you really think I’m going to let you continue helping them without me? You’re my family Soonyoung, you’re my only friend, and I will do anything for you. And if that means that I take up with rebels, then I’ll do it. I never do anything half-assed. Remember?” Jihoon smirked, reviving their old saying. Soonyoung and Jihoon would constantly motivate the other with the saying when Jihoon had been struggling to walk. Soonyoung blushed, surprised at the courage Jihoon was showing. The sight made Jihoon’s heart flutter.

“Alright, we’ll wait for Jun to come back and we’ll think about our next move. I’m sure when he cools down he’ll be happy for the help.” Mingyu smiled, pleased that the two seemed to work out their issues. Mingyu walked to the door and opened it, letting Chan scamper out first to where dinner was being cooked. Jihoon wobbled behind, silently denying Soonyoung’s help. Soonyoung walked behind, clearly preoccupied with Jihoon’s well-being.

“Hey,” Mingyu whispered to Soonyoung, finally speaking up about something he was wondering about.

“Yeah?” Soonyoung whispered back, hanging behind at the doorway with Mingyu.

“So, buddy… I’m not one to judge, but are you really in love with a thirteen year old? Or is he fourteen?” Mingyu asked, genuinely confused. Soonyoung staggered, stunned at the question.

“I… Whoa, oh gosh you think- Oh man.” Soonyoung turned to the whole room and promptly called out, “How old do you guys think Jihoon is for gosh sake?” Jihoon stopped and whirled to Soonyoung, confused at the question, as everyone else promptly called back

“Thirteen-fourteen-I don’t know twelve?” Came from around the room. Soonyoung winced, knowing his age and size were sore subjects for Jihoon. Jihoon flushed in would could be embarrassment? Anger? Soonyoung didn’t know, but he decided to clear the air.

“You guys, for future reference, Jihoon is twenty years old. He’s Mingyu’s age.” Soonyoung called out.

Everyone- DK to Mingyu- looked at Jihoon’s small form, their eyes bugged out in disbelief.

“Uh… You sure?” Mingyu asked, “My age? I… I called him kid!” Mingyu exclaimed, feeling slightly guilty.

“Yes, I’m a tiny, grown-ass man, okay?” Jihoon’s voice growled out, looking annoyed. He forgave the guards for treating him the way they did, since they’d known him since he was twelve or younger, but he wanted the record set straight for them. He was not a child, even if he was sheltered and weak, he was still twenty years old and wanted that to be known.

“Sorry. I had no idea. You look… Well, young? Why?” Mingyu asked, walking to Jihoon. Jihoon sighed, crossing his arms.

“I’ve been chronically ill my whole life, and couldn’t walk for a time. Don’t you think that would’ve hindered my growth some?” Jihoon questioned, and Mingyu nodded, finally understanding.

“Sorry, I guess I just didn’t connect it. So I guess you’re my age? Like Soonyoung?” Mingyu asked, happy to have things straight.

“Yeah, but Soonyoung’s a year older than me. From what we can gather, he’s actually twenty-one or twenty-two.” Jihoon explained. As Soonyoung was born in the slums, the age was quite blurry, but they were sure he was older than Jihoon.

“Oh, dang, I guess we just got everyone wrong, huh?” Mingyu laughed.

“Wait!” A cry rang out from across the room, and they all turned to Chan, who looked stricken. “Does this mean I’m still the youngest?!” He yelled, looking comically upset.

“Afraid so, kid.” Jihoon deadpanned.

Everyone burst out laughing.

It was… Domestic. Comfortable. Like this was how it was supposed to end up. Mingyu smiled, pleased that everything seemed to be alright for the moment.

_______________________________

DK led a tentative Minghao outside for the second time as of late.

“What is it this time, DK?” Minghao toned, sounding disinterested. DK bit his lip, not really knowing how to approach the subject without offending Minghao.

“Well, Minghao… I just… You seem so off lately. You go missing for hours, you seem so lost here nowadays. You just… I saw you notice Jihoon. You knew who he was. You didn’t react with anger like Jun did. You looked like you were working out a problem, and I can’t understand. I feel like we don’t talk anymore, like I can’t get through to you.” DK continued on, ignoring the upset look on Minghao’s face. So much for not offending him. “I… Don’t want to say it but… I feel like you’re breaking away from us. You aren’t… You aren’t thinking of leaving the rebels, are you?” DK asked. It’d been eating away at him for days. Minghao was a wonderful person. Quiet but playful, respectful but powerful. He seemed like a shell of his former self.

“DK, how could you say that? Do you think I could ever lose my hatred for royalty? I hate the people who killed Qian, I hate that people treat immigrants like shit, and I hate the king and Jisoo. I hate them. My sister… I watched her die. I saw them hack her to awful little pieces. I saw her blood. I heard the crunch of her bones. She was my everything, and they took that from me. I can’t leave the rebels, because I will never be able to forgive the people that did that to her. I love her with all my heart and soul.” Minghao gritted out, tears threatening to fall out of his eyes.

Calculated.

“Why do I feel like you’re lying?” DK whispered, his own voice choked.

“I would never, ever lie about how much I love Qian, don’t you ever accuse me of that!” He shouted, pointing a finger at DK.

Truth.

“But would you lie about how much you love Jun?”

Minghao blinked.

“Because I don’t know why you’re acting this way, but it surely isn’t for Jun. You’re not the same anymore. I don’t know whether we can trust you.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

Calculated.

“No, I really don’t think I am.”

There was only regretful silence as DK left Minghao in the night air.

________________________

“I fucking found you, you little bitch.” Jisoo gritted under his breath, looking at the rebel leader a ways away. Jun stood at the end of an alleyway, trying to think, cool down.

He knew that Jihoon couldn’t have much to do with the kingdom’s policies, if anything. He knew that Jihoon probably went through his own struggles. He knew that Jihoon taking the throne was probably the best idea in the end. Yet, memories of Qian still pulled at his mind, taunting him.
Jun choked as someone grabbed him by the neck.

“Not so strong now that I’ve got you, huh?” Jisoo sneered into Jun’s face. Jun looked at Jisoo with contempt, his back smushed against the brick wall of the alley building. His hands were securely around Jisoo’s arm, waiting for his muscles to get tired, so he could strike.

“I’m not here for a duel. I want to talk. Civilly. Well, as civilly as we can get.” Jisoo let go of Jun’s throat, backing away and letting him catch his breath.

“Why?” Jun coughed out, looking bewildered.

“My father says that if I stop the rebels, or apprehend them, I can become king. Of course, my pesky brother will need to be removed from the equation, but in the end, the throne will be mine.” Jisoo smirked, and Jun wanted to gag.

“What on earth makes you think I’ll stop?” Jun growled. He wouldn’t. Ever. If Qian ever-

“Your brother.” Jisoo voiced flippantly.

Jun staggered, looking enraged.

“Yes, your adorable little brother. What was his name, Minghao? He’s so very compliant, isn’t he? A little threatening, I suppose I could have him under my thumb.” Jisoo smiled sickly, his mouth a little too wide, just creepy enough to make Jun shiver. “That is, if I don’t already,” Jisoo whispered.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Jun gritted lowly.

“You really think I wouldn’t? Or maybe I should just have the entire palace army looking for his blood. It’s very easy to hurt you, Jun. You hold so many pawns close to your heart that you are easily manipulated.” Jisoo laughed, feeling superior, like he had won.

“You’re just empty because you love no one.” Jun spat. Jisoo tensed.

He slammed Jun up against the wall once more, the brick digging into Jun’s skin.

“I do have people I loved, you insolent piece of trash. And that is exactly why I need the throne. That’s why I need to snuff. You. Out.” Jun breathed into Jun’s ear. Jisoo seemed to gather himself and let Jun go.

“I’ll kill you first.” Jun blurted, surprising himself. But he steeled himself the moment he realized he meant it.

“You think so?” Jisoo scoffed.

“I’m going to take my time, and kill you in the most pain I can. And then your pesky little brother will ascend the throne. I’ll make sure of it.” Jun barked.

“Remember this, plebeian. If you step out of line… Your brother takes the fall.” Jisoo said one last time, before he slowly retreated from the alleyway.

Jun stood in the alleyway, rubbing his face. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, and rested his head on the brick behind.

Things just got more complicated.

Chapter Text

Seungkwan was having a great time. It was something he often thought at Hansol’s store, among of all the amazing feats of magic, constantly picking fun and sharing jokes with Hansol himself. However, for once, he was having a good time at home. He was in his- frankly, oversized- room and sitting at his desk. He had magic books, open to the enchantment sections, where he would begin studying magic. He had already read through three other books on the basics, and he was in the middle of his fourth. Hansol had urged him to take a break every once in awhile, and he would! As soon as he finished this book, he would take a break for sure.

“Seungkwan, honey, what are you up to?” Jeonghan opened the door to see Seungkwan fumbling with books and chuckling.

“Don’t stop your reading on account of me.” He smiled, looking upon his son, flushed and… Nervous?

“Oh! Hey, dad! What’s up? You need something? I can help, I’m not doing anything.” Seungkwan rambled, cursing himself. He should’ve locked the darn door!

“No, I just wasn’t busy for once, and I wanted to come see you. We haven’t been able to talk as of late.” Jeonghan smiled. Seungkwan tried his best to act natural, but he could not let his dad see his magic books under any circumstances.

“Awesome! Uhhhh… What’s up?” Seungkwan stood in front of his desk, trying to block the view inconspicuously. He tried not to fidget, hoping the books would be completely hidden by his form.

“Nothing too horrible, I guess. Your Father is so stressed, and he’s making all these plans and just getting himself all riled up. You know how he gets. I’m trying to help him with a new policy, but he’s getting his mind twisted up, so I told him to take a break. What about you?” Jeonghan asked.

“Nothing…. Uh, just reading I guess. Nothing interesting. I could walk you back if you want?” Seungkwan nudged, trying to make Jeonghan do anything to leave the room.
“What’s the rush, eager to have me leave? That’s upsetting, I thought we were friends!” Jeonghan pouted, being playful. Normally Seungkwan would egg his Dad on, loving the amusing antics. But now, when his magic education was in the balance, he wasn’t finding anything very amusing.

“Da-ad…” He sing-songed, trying to play along.

“Who’s baby are you?” Jeonghan smiled at his son.

“I’m Jeonghan’s baby…” Seungkwan said, giving in to Jeonghan’s wishes.

“So,” Jeonghan whirled past Seungkwan, startling him. His breath caught. “Whatcha reading?” His Dad asked, before looking down at the incriminating books.

“Nothing!” Seungkwan squeaked, knowing hope was lost.

“Seungkwan… Why on this god-forsaken Earth do you have Hansol’s magic books?!” Jeonghan shouted, looking at his guilty son. Seungkwan hated disappointing his Dad, hating making him mad and seeing him shout. Yet, what was he to do? He wanted to follow his dreams.

“Dad, please, you don’t understand-” Seungkwan walked over, trying to reason, but he was cut off.

“I cannot believe you! After I had Hansol enchant the lock on the Queen’s seal! You had the audacity to use magic to break it! Never in my life have I witnessed such insolence!” Jeonghan interrupted, anger coursing through his veins.

“First lesson of magic: You cannot care about right or wrong.” Seungkwan announced, trying hard not to cower from his Dad’s emotions.

“You!-” Jeonghan’s face was red with anger. “Curse Hansol! How could he teach you without my permission?! How could you!?” Jeonghan shouted, feeling hurt by his son’s blatant disregard for his feelings.

“Dad, I love you, and I care about you-” Seungkwan was interrupted.

“You sure have a strange way of showing it!” His Dad laughed bitterly.

“I have to do this. You can’t keep me back from following my dreams. I will do this, with or without support. I have talent! This is the only thing I’ve ever had potential for, the thing I’ve wanted for years, and just because you want me to stop, it’s not going to change my convictions! I will be careful, and I will stay away from more dangerous magicks but I cannot put my life on hold because you wished for it!” Seungkwan roared, surprising even himself. He’d never stood up to his Dad, always favoring him from his Father, but here he was, face flushed with adrenaline.

“We’ll see about that.” Jeonghan gritted. His Dad scooped all of Hansol’s books into his arms.

“Dad!?” Seungkwan exclaimed, wondering what he was going to do. Jeonghan looked at his pointedly, and turned, throwing all of the books out of Seungkwan’s window.

“Dad!” Seungkwan yelled, worried for the books.

“Don’t worry, Hansol keeps them spelled not to break. They’re just out of your grasp. Why? Because you aren’t leaving this room to pick them up.” Jeonghan said simply, authoritative tone clear.

“What makes you think you can stop me?” Seungkwan remarked, crossing his arms.

“What makes you think that I can’t? Because I don’t have magic?” Jeonghan sneered. “A very good magic lesson, Seungkwan, is that not everything can be fixed with magic.” He preached.

Seungkwan’s heart was racing a mile a minute. What was his Dad going to do?

“Guards!” Jeonghan yelled, and within seconds, a few came, wondering what on Earth could be happening.

“Yes, Queen Jeonghan?” The male guard asked.

“It seems my son has more spunk than I originally thought. It seems the lock that I had built will be needed after all. Please go fetch it.” Jeonghan waved his hand, and two of the guards left swiftly to retrieve the contraption.

“Dad? What lock?” Seungkwan dared to ask, already worried for his fate. His voice felt much smaller.

“I knew that this would be an uphill battle, so I had a four step lock made. You need four keys to unlock it. All of which are in my possession.” Jeonghan explained, knowing he’d won this fight.

“You’re going to lock me in here!?” Seungkwan shouted, flabbergasted. His Dad would go that far!?

“Yes. With no magic books. So good luck trying to get out. Servants will come in three times a day for food, and I’ll station a guard outside your door at all times to make sure you aren’t trying anything funny.”

“I… I don’t know how to enchant a four-step lock…” Seungkwan admitted, knowing he had no way out.

“I know. That’s why I got it. You may have started your magic, but you know nothing yet. I can nip this in the bud and let it fester and die. You will not learn magic by my means. Ever.” Jeonghan vociferated.

“Dad, please! Please don’t!” Seungkwan pleaded, scared.

“You’ve given me no other choice. If you will not listen to me, then I have to take matters into my own hands. I’ll inform Hansol that you will not be attending lessons anymore, and that you will never be allowed back in his store for any reasons.” Jeonghan crossed his arms, looking down at Seungkwan. He felt small. Ashamed.

“Hansol is my only friend, I can’t- please, Dad, I-”

“No. My word is final.” Jeonghan ground out.

“Here, Your Highness.” One of the guards came into sight, handing the huge lock to Jeonghan. Jeonghan nodded to his son, and closed his door. The silence was deafening as the clunks from the lock being placed on his door rang out. Seungkwan bit his lip, suppressing his sobs. As soon as he heard his Dad’s footsteps patter away, he let the tears fall.

___________________________________

Jun came home less frazzled than he thought. Despite the visit from Jisoo, he was far more calm coming back then when he left. He knew that he’d stepped out of line, gone a bit too far. The kid wasn’t responsible, he knew. He also knew that kid was the best bet for a replacement king one day. Jun sighed, opening the door to the rebel’s house. He looked up to see Soongyoung, Mingyu, Chan and the kid… Jihoon, sitting around their table, Minghao and DK silently working in the kitchen. It smelled like they were close to being done.

“Jun!” Mingyu saw him first, making everyone look his way. Soonyoung tightened his grip on Jihoon’s hand, making Jihoon look at it in surprise. Jun bit his lip, feeling awkward. He’d been a little on edge lately, and everyone in the room knew it.

Jihoon slipped his hand out of Soonyoung’s grip, making Soonyoung look at him worriedly. Jihoon slipped off of the tall chair, his legs visibly wobbling. He took his time, but walked over to Jun, stopping in front of him. Jihoon smiled, and bowed.

Jun’s eyebrows shot way up, Soonyoung spluttering in the background. Jihoon stood up straight again, and looked up to Jun.

“Thank you for your hospitality. I would be far worse off if it hadn’t been for you and your friends.” Jihoon thanked softly.

Jun was floored, to say the least. Here was a Prince, a Prince, who bowed to an immigrant, and thanked the rebels that were trying to destroy his father’s kingdom.

Jun decided he might like this kid.

“No problem, kid.” Jun told him, not really knowing how to gracefully accept the thanks.

“Uhhh… Not that this isn’t great and all, but Jun?” Jun looked to Mingyu. “Jihoon is actually twenty years old. He isn’t a kid like we thought.” He explained, and Jun gazed over Jihoon’s immature looking body and height, and was confused.

“Then why are you as short as a twelve year old?” Jun asked, pleasantries forgotten. Jihoon burst out laughing, wobbling dangerously, but wiping his laughter tears nonetheless.

“You are blunt. I like that. Though I don’t enjoy others pointing out my height, that was pleasant honesty. I’m small because my sicknesses stunted my growth. I will not be any taller, I’m afraid.” Jihoon explained, everyone else engaged in the interaction between the two. “With that out of the way, I believe it is high time you and I have a talk, Jun.” Jihoon said, becoming serious. Jun nodded, knowing that it was important they spoke.

“Of course, follow me.” Jun said, motioning Jihoon to walk with him. Jihoon walked after him, taking his time.

“Jihoon!” Soonyoung called from the table, obviously distressed. He didn’t want Jun and Jihoon alone in a room together. Not without him there.

“Soonyoung. I will be fine. I will call for you if I need you.” Jihoon said, bordering on an order. Soonyoung furrowed his brow, pouting. He sat down, not used to being pushed away like that. It was like the Jihoon from years past. He reckoned he missed the spark slightly. Not that he wasn’t huffy from the treatment. He watched as Jihoon walked on the creaky wood floor, and disappeared into Jun’s room.

“So, I hear you’re the preferred heir of the kingdom?” Jun spoke, getting straight to the point. Jihoon nodded, following Jun in sitting on the wooden chairs in the room.

“My father finds Jisoo a bit too… Intense to have the throne. For some reason, despite my ill health, my father believes that I would rule the kingdom better.”

“Do you think you can rule better?” Jun asked, blunt, serious.

“I can’t guarantee I would rule better than my brother. But I would rule more fair.” Jihoon said, gripping his knees. He had to accept his brother wasn’t as sweet as he had been four years ago.

“I like that. Good answer. Do you know full well who we are?”

“The rebels that are planning to take my father and his kingdom down. Mingyu has a big mouth.” Jihoon said, chuckling at his last sentence.

“And? How do you feel about that? Being housed here. Your servant aids us.” Jun said, ignoring the jab at Mingyu. Jihoon was right, the boy had a big mouth.

“I cannot deny that you have shown me hospitality. That is a kindness towards me no matter who you are or who I am. So I am thankful. Through this experience I feel have learned more than I ever could have in that castle. I understand why you rebel. Your reasons are very justified, and for me to say what you’ve experienced is less than valid would be a disgrace on me. I do not blame Soonyoung’s reasoning for joining you either. I’m sure once he heard the plot against me, he visited DK and the rest was history. They always gossiped, and I’m honestly not surprised this is the outcome. Soonyoung would never betray me, and even if he did, what would I have at that point? I follow him just as much as he follows me.” Jihoon explains.

“Does this have a point?” Jun said, waiting for the conclusion. Would he? Was it too much to ask?

“If Soonyoung has thrown in his fate with you lot, I fear I must do so as well.” Jihoon said, the fond look on his face countering his words.

“You don’t seem all that worried.” Jun commented, leaning back.

“My family is not sinless. They have done things wrong, been clouded by the past. It is obvious to me that my Father, and my Dad made most of the immigrant policies they did because of The Citizenship Massacre.” Jihoon said, looking up. He didn’t know how much of his country’s history Jun was aware of.

“Citizenship… What?” Jun shook his head, confused.

“I figured you might not know. Most people don’t talk about it anymore. Back when King Seungcheol’s father, Seungmin was king, he dominated many countries, decided to make them part of our empire. He conquered small country after small country that bordered us, until the kingdom became what it looks like today. Because of this, there were influxes of new immigrants trying to become citizens. The issue was that they could only ever achieve second-class citizenship since they weren’t ‘ethnically’ similar to the citizens. It was honestly poorly hidden racism. Unfortunately, this created an issue. Immigrants who’d been conquered were angered, and took it out on the citizenship office workers. These people were only commoners, and had no control over the citizenship grants. They were only the messengers. But because of the language barrier, the immigrants believed that the workers were just being discriminatory, and decided to rebel. They killed every one of the office workers, slowly and painfully and Seungmin didn’t even try to stop them. In fact, instead of sending the cavalry, he announced that every immigrant that brought him a corpse of an office worker, their entire family would become citizens. It was… horrible. Immigrants fought over the corpses, ripping off body parts, disgracing the workers corpses. But the King stayed true to his word. He granted them citizenship. Citizenship means you have a right to intermarry, you can have lower taxes, you’re allowed to live in the heart of the village, not what you all call the slums. It meant better healthcare for your family, better job opportunities. First class citizenship was and still is everything. This started the citizen’s hatred for immigrants, and all of the citizens demanded that Seungcheol change the policies so immigrants couldn’t be citizens, and that they would always be lesser in the country. He complied. Some of the harsher policies… The ones about taxes and the harsh punishment of immigrants… That might be my Dad. He tries, but his father was one of the office workers who were killed.”

Jun’s lips parted in surprise.

“Jeonghan, my Dad, he isn’t fond of immigrants because of it. Jeonghan begged and begged Seungmin for justice for his father. But as he was just a commoner, Seungmin died telling him he’d never give him justice. Then Seungcheol rose to the throne, and the first thing he did was put the immigrant who killed Jeonghan’s father to prison. Then they fell in love, although it was rumored they were in love before that, and Jeonghan married Seungcheol, swearing off his magic. It’s illegal for a King or Queen to be a magician. After that, the immigrant was put to death, and Seungcheol started to change the policies, along with Jeonghan, who helps him with everything.” Jihoon finished, knowing it was a lot to process. Jun was not only surprised, he was… Sympathetic? Of course he hated the royal family… Or maybe just the King, Queen and Jisoo, but he understood the pain of losing a family member and never getting justice. However, it was that thinking that killed Qian. He shook his head, trying not to feel too much.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Jun said, sounding awkward.

“It was a tragedy,” Jihoon nodded, “However, it does not justify killing a generation of immigrants that did nothing wrong. It does not justify the class inequality, it does not justify the harsh tax laws on immigrants, who because of their status will never be able to afford it. It does not justify the slums, or the sex trafficking trade, or the plagues that no one has aid for. The kingdom is the way it is because of my Father. And although I’ll always love him despite his shortcomings, that will not stop me from doing what I believe is right. I do think putting my brother down, at least somewhat is necessary. I do think my Dad shouldn’t be making any more policies and that my Father’s reign must end soon. I’d like to do it as painlessly as possible. And for that to happen, I will aid you however you need.” Jihoon announced, aware of the betrayal of his family he was putting into the air.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to… I just didn’t expect it.” Jun admitted, pleased nonetheless.

“My Father told me I needed to stop thinking in terms of myself and start thinking in terms of the Kingdom. When I do that, it’s rather easy to block out how my heart hurts for those I love.” Jihoon looked down, his tone sad.

“I’m sorry to ask this of you.” Jun said, and he meant it. He could never imagine having to betray Minghao, or hearing that Minghao was doing something morally wrong. He’d… His heart would break. He didn’t know if he could survive it.

“I know. But it is something I must do. I will stay in the castle, learn what I must, and aid you how I can. We will meet to speak about further plans. Feel free to call on me. Is there anything you have in mind I should do when I leave?” Jihoon asked.

“Round up the palace guards that support your ascent to the throne. Make sure they’re loyal to you and only you. Make sure that if anything happens, they’ll stay out of our way or make sure you’re protected.” Jun said. He didn’t particularly enjoy killing palace guards. He’d much rather they stay out of his way.

“I can do that. I will most likely start with Haeun- Oh my gosh, Haeun!” He exclaimed, looking alarmed. Jun startled, looking over at Jihoon, shocked.

“What!?” Jun asked, clueless as to why Jihoon freaked out.

“I snuck away from Haeun while I was in the garden. She must be going crazy with worry! I really should return.” Jihoon got up, shot up, really, and the blood left his head. He toppled, crashing to the ground. Jun ran over, picking up the fainted boy’s head.

“Damn. His health really does stink.” Jun said, picking him up. He carried Jihoon out of his room, and into the kitchen area.

“Jihoon!” Soonyoung shouted, running from the table to take Jihoon from Jun’s arms, which he gently transferred the boy over.

“What happened?” Soonyoung demanded, sounding accusatory.

“Hold your horses, Romeo. I didn’t touch him. He started crying out about how a girl named Haeun was going to kill him for sneaking away, and got up and fainted.” Jun explained, not wanting the blame for this one.

“Ugh, he always does that. Gets too hyped up and just keels. I’ll take him back. And apologize profusely to Haeun.” Soonyoung said, grunting and trying to get a better grip on Jihoon.

“Mingyu, help Soonyoung carry him back,” Jun ordered, to which Mingyu sighed, and started to get up.

“I’ll go.” Minghao spoke up.

“Oh? Are you sure, I’d feel bad if you miss the dinner you made.” Jun said, slightly stunned that Minghao volunteered.

“It’s fine. Besides, I’ve been cooped up all day.” Minghao reasoned, shrugging. His face staying annoyingly clear of emotion.

“Okay, you’ll show him the way, right Soonyoung?” Jun asked, wanting to make sure his little brother was in good hands.

“Something tells me he already knows the way.” DK jabbed from the kitchen. It was not good-naturedly. He glared at Minghao, who chose to pointedly ignore it.

“I’ve seen the castle already. Not like we’ve raided it a few times or anything.” Minghao said sarcastically.

“Jeez, sorry for caring,” Jun joked, crossing his arms. Minghao walked out of the kitchen, slipping on shoes and offered his arms. Soonyoung gently placed the Prince in Minghao’s arms, who gripped tight.

“Alright, we’ll head out.” Soonyoung said, Minghao following Soonyoung out the door. The room was silent when they both left.

“Jun, I have to talk to you.” DK said seriously, walking towards him from the kitchen.

“Oh? DK, you know how it works around here, you talk to me, you talk to everyone. I only brought Jihoon in that room because you guys were already up to speed.” Jun placed a hand on his hip.

“I don’t think I should tell everyone just yet, I think it would be best if you heard-”

“You know the rules, DK.” Jun said, unrelenting. Fine, if that’s how Jun wanted it. DK straightened.

“I think Minghao is a traitor.” He stated.

Everyone in the room startled, not expecting that to leave DK’s mouth. They were close. Probably the closest pair in the rebels. How could he even utter those words?

“DK. You better have a damn good reason for spouting this nonsense. My brother? A traitor? I think the fuck not.” Jun ground out, affronted at even the notion that Minghao could ever…

“Think about it! One mission out of all them go wrong, and Jisoo knows things he couldn’t have without a spy, and Minghao of all people defends Soonyoung, and says there’s no way he could be the spy. Minghao disappears for hours at a time, and we never know where he’s going or what he’s doing. Minghao lied to my face, he knows that he’s done something wrong. He hasn’t been the same lately. He’s closed off, emotionless. When’s the last time he actually talked to you?” DK said, desperate for them to see something was wrong. He didn’t want to demonize Minghao, but Jun had to know. If only so they could stop Minghao from doing something he’d really regret.

“Oh god…” They looked over to Mingyu who had a shocked and horrified look on his face. “I had heard that Jisoo had a spy but… Could it really be Minghao?” Mingyu said, looking apologetic and hesitant at Jun.

“My brother is not a traitor!” Jun shouted, livid. He would never ever believe it. His brother had seen Qian die. He’d never betray Jun. The other rebels looked at Jun with what seemed to be pity. He wanted to slap it off their faces. It didn’t matter what Jisoo had said to him earlier, Minghao would never. Right? Jisoo was just spouting nonsense… Right?

“How about this? I tail Minghao and Soonyoung and if Minghao does anything out of the ordinary, I’ll report it back.” Chan said, trying to ease the tension. He knew this wasn’t easy for any of them.

“He would never betray us.” Jun stood firm.

“Then Chan won’t find anything if he tails them.” DK said. He looked at Jun, daring him to deny it.

“Fine. Tail them, Chan. Stay hidden. Report back when you’re done.” Jun said, sighing with frustration. He’d get this ridiculousness out of the way, and snap DK’s neck when Chan came back empty handed.

“You got it.”

And Chan was gone.

_____________________________

“Knock, Knock.” Seungkwan jumped at the thumps at the window, and the familiar voice. He breaks out into a smile, seeing Hansol hovering in mid-air at his window. He jumped up from his bed, where he’d been sulking in silence, and ran to the window, opening it slowly.

“Delivery for a Mr. … Seungkwan?” Hansol joked, handing Seungkwan some magic books.
“Hansol! You didn’t! You actually did not.” exclaimed, taking the books and setting them on his bed, running back to help Hansol in.

“I had to. I couldn’t let my student rot away in a tower!” Hansol smiled, Seungkwan taking his hand and carefully helping Hansol through the window. Seungkwan laughed, smiling so wide it looked like it hurt.

“Well, your student appreciates it!” Seungkwan said, rolling on the balls of his feet. He wanted to learn more magic, anything at all.

“Did you lose some weight?” Hansol asked, giving Seungkwan a once-over. He sounded slightly concerned, but Seungkwan’s heart fluttered that Hansol took notice of his appearance at all.

“Probably, but it’s not important. I just haven’t been hungry lately. Too bored I guess.” He reasoned, waving away the question.

“Alright, if you say so. Make sure to keep your strength up, you’ll need it to cast magic. Don’t be afraid if you get a cold or two after starting magic. It can weaken your constitution slightly, and you’ll need time to adjust.” Hansol explained, knowing Seungkwan wouldn’t put his health first unless Hansol made him prioritize it.

“Of course, I’ll make sure to take care of myself. I promise.” Seungkwan smiled, nodding.

“Okay, is there anything you want to go over?” Hansol asked, looking through the books on Seungkwan’s bed.

“Uh… Sure. How do I enchant a four-step lock?” Seungkwan chuckled, pointing to his door.

“This rascal!” Hansol teased, and ruffled Seungkwan’s hair. He laughed, smiling wide. Seungkwan looked up at Hansol’s glowing face, and turned away, trying to will his face to cool down. “You never cease to amaze me, I swear.” Hansol trailed off, looking fondly at the boy’s hair.

“Really?” Seungkwan asked, surprised.

“Don’t get me wrong, you rag on my nerves like nobody else.” Hansol deadpanned, and Seungkwan deflated visibly.

“But… I guess that makes you special.” Hansol voiced, knowing he liked a smile on the boy best.

And smile wide he did.

__________________________

Chan was silent, the sun far on the horizon. He was trailing behind, small, unnoticeable. He grabbed a ratty cloak from a clothesline as he entered town, making sure to not be seen by Soonyoung or Minghao. Minghao was amazing at not being trailed normally, and was a very formidable shadow-like spy as well, but he was horrible at knowing when he was being watched. Often he’d get wrapped up in his own devices, caught completely in his own world, and never know if someone he didn’t expect was around. Nobody usually needed to watch Minghao. He usually never did anything to step out of line.

That was partly why Chan didn’t think it was crazy that Minghao could be a traitor.

Of course, Minghao could’ve done it. He had the time, the ability, the means, and a lot of circumstantial evidence piled up against him, especially with the realization that Jisoo indeed had a spy. But why? Minghao had no motive. In fact, Minghao had motive against betraying Jun. Minghao loved Qian, so why wouldn’t he support Jun, rather than Jisoo, who was horribly discriminatory towards immigrants. How would all of that even work? Chan was confused, but he decided to keep his thoughts on lockdown until he found anything suspicious. He watched Soonyoung and Minghao walk silently beside each other. Many citizens moved away from them, seeing Soonyoung carrying a passed out boy in his arms, it most likely seemed like he had the plague. No wonder people were staying clear. Chan suppressed a chuckle, wondering what the citizens would do if they knew that ‘child’ was their soon-to-be king. He weaved around stands, keeping the three of them in sight, but staying in shadows, yet walking out enough to not look shifty.
The castle was coming closer into view as the minutes walking through the town dragged on. Chan went around, taking a left instead of going straight. He was going another way to overtake Soonyoung and Minghao in distance, wanting to scale the castle walls ahead of time, to hide in case Minghao was going to sneak inside.

He ran around, feet making little sound on the pavement, passers-by paying him no mind. He stopped, seeing the castle wall and gate, and Soonyoung and Minghao coming closer to the guards. Chan quickly scanned the castle walls, trying to find a weak spot in the security, and remembered the far left wall had a small crack in the bricks where most guards steered clear from. Chan could easily scale the wall, and hide in the shrubbery.

He waited for a beat, just to make sure his breathing was settled, that no one would see him, and he jumped into action. He ran across the clearing, hiding in the shadow of the wall for moment. He saw Minghao sending Soonyoung off, looking like he was going to go home.

Chan knew better.

He twirled around, and used the slight crack to steady himself, and launched himself up to the top of the wall. He gripped the rocks at the top of the wall, and hoisted his leg over, and quickly followed suit with the other. In seconds, he was dropping to the ground on the other side. He landed safely, taking but a breath to steel himself, before rushing into the shrubbery surrounding the castle. He sat in the shade under the bush, waiting for any indication that Minghao would be entering castle grounds.

After a good minute, Chan heard a rustle from the trees above, sounding like movement. Chan looked down, grim and disappointed. Minghao was indeed a traitor. He waited for the rustling to pass ahead of him, and listened to the direction Minghao was headed so Chan could follow to eavesdrop.

Truly, here was where he could’ve stopped. He could’ve ended his excursion here with the confirmation of Minghao’s betrayal. But he had to know more. He had to know if he could twist something to his advantage. Any hand he had up on the Prince was well worth the risk.

Chan silently rustled out of the shrubbery, and climbed the nearest tree quickly, eager not to get caught by any party. He’d heard Minghao rush left again, and threw himself from tree to tree. Luckily he rustled less than Minghao because of his shorter height. He sounded like a large bird rather than a person. However, if he made too much ruckus, Minghao would surely know.

He jumped through two more trees, stopping when he saw Minghao in the next one, connecting him to the Prince’s window.

“You may enter,” A masculine, yet soft voice called out from the window. Jisoo.

Minghao climbed in, gracefully making an entrance.

While Chan could see the Prince slightly from the tree he was perched in, he could not see Minghao. Chan had to see everything. He had to know why Minghao was aligning himself with a monster.

He slowly moved from his tree to the closer one, careful to transition to the sturdiest branch to avoid a rustle. He silently peered in from behind a branch, making sure to be out of sight. But here he could see them both.

Minghao was on one knee in front of Jisoo.

It made Chan want to puke. Someone like Minghao, someone as great, as strong, he was kneeling before a morally dark monster with revenge for eyes, blood for a tongue, and evil for a cloak. It made Chan shiver.

“Now that the pleasantries are over, you may rise. Now, what have you brought for me?” Jisoo spoke, moving away from Minghao, who rose slowly and silently.

“Your brother, Jihoon. He has been making plans.” Minghao said, his airy voice piercing the air. Chan furrowed his brow, watching the entire exchange like a predator.

“Oh? You’ve brought me something good this time. I was wondering why you came unannounced. I was worried you were getting too attached to me.” Jisoo laughed, his voice cruel and insincere. “But I see my brother’s disappearance from the castle has made waves even on your brother’s front.” Jisoo sat at his desk, haughty and teasing, waiting for Minghao to answer.

“Yes. My brother and yours have created an alliance. Jun plans to overthrow you and the King, and let Jihoon take the throne.” Minghao divulges, to the point. Jisoo raises his eyebrows, a surprised gesture that looks warped with his dark and cruel eyes.

“I’m surprised your brother didn’t just kill him. It would’ve saved me time, so it is a shame.” Jisoo chuckles, a slight gruff to it. Almost like the subject of Jihoon’s death was… Difficult for him… but he was trying to joke to lighten the mood. Chan scrunched his nose.

“He did try. Soonyoung interfered.” Minghao provided context. He stood very still, stiff but strangely not awkward looking. He was comfortable in Jisoo’s room. Very comfortable. He knew that he shouldn’t move much, or touch anything, but it was still obvious to Chan that the way Minghao regarded the palace room was almost… Fond. Chan gritted his teeth in disgust. Minghao couldn’t actually… With him?

“Well, Soonyoung always was meddlesome. An eyesore, really. He makes my job harder than it must be…” Jisoo paused. “Actually… Your job.” Jisoo decided, looking mischievous. He looked to Minghao, who seemed quite confused. He didn’t look emotionless in front of Jisoo. Only with the rebels.

It made Chan’s blood boil.

“Sire?” Minghao questioned, not knowing where Jisoo was going with his ideas.

“You’re my spy, Minghao. That’s very important, very useful, very good of you.” Jisoo purred, walking to Minghao, and gently taking Minghao’s face in his hands. Chan almost gagged.

“However, I need to know how far you’re willing to go. What will you do for me? Are you truly loyal to me first, and no one else? The thought does cross my mind. So… Tell me. What are you to me?” Jisoo asks softly, a demanding tone under the quiet volume. Minghao immediately lowered himself to one knee. Chan listened intensely.

“Sire, I am your tool, I am just a thing to do with as you will. I follow your words as gospel, and I carry out any needs you need filled. I will go wherever, do whatever you may want. I pledged myself to you, and I’ll do it again. What do you ask of me?” Minghao spoke, and his words were so… Careful. Chan looked on at the scene, a strange sense of affection and loyalty from Minghao. It made Chan feel so absolutely betrayed. It made sense. Finally, a motive for why the hell Minghao would ever betray them, and destroy his brother the way he was at this very moment.

Minghao was in love with Jisoo.

He didn’t know how it happened, or why, but it was so pertinent in the air. Minghao didn’t even act like this around DK or Jun anymore, his once closest companions. It was crushing to see Minghao fraternizing with an enemy, a monster, a murderer, and know that he threw in his lot with Jisoo, no matter what became of his family… Just because of his misguided affections. The love Minghao had for Jisoo could never blossom. Never be healthy. Was it… Dependency? But why? How had Jisoo wrapped Minghao around his finger?

“Very good, Minghao. You’re such a blessing to me, I hope you’re aware.” Jisoo didn’t pause long on the praise, and moved forward. “Now as to what I need from you, it’s no small task. Jihoon will periodically be going back and forth between the rebels and the castle for planning. Next time he visits I want you to poison him.” Jisoo explains, his tone serious, commanding, and very grim.

“I have prepared a poison. He will die painlessly, no need to worry about that, I do not wish to cause pain to my brother. You’ll slip it in Jihoon’s drink, he always drinks a cupful before a supper, as per Soonyoung’s instructions. Once he is confirmed dead, I want you to leave the rebels. It will be quite obvious that you killed Jihoon. A revenge sob story won’t fool them, they’ll know you’re a traitor. So… At that point I want you to come to me. After completing the task I want you to come to my side and serve me. Where you truly belong. We will then plan for my ascension to the throne.” Jisoo announced, his head held high. Minghao lowered his head in submission, and spoke, “Of course, Sire. Your will be done.” Chan knew Minghao was not someone who normally spoke so politely, so formally. He’d been trained by Jisoo then. Chan felt sick to his stomach, watching something this sickening, this wrong.

“Now… You’ve been good, you’ve informed me, and kept my plans at the forefront of your head, you’ve done well. Now, what would you like?” Jisoo asked, voice lilting as he let Minghao rise to see him eye to eye.

“Sire…” Minghao whispered, his eyes meeting Jisoo’s. It was… Intimate, Chan realized as he recoiled.

“The same as before?” Jisoo asked, smirk playing onto his face. But this time, it was much less cruel, more… Seductive, teasing, as if Jisoo knew he had exactly what Minghao wanted.

“Yes, Sire.” Minghao admitted in a rush of breath. He sounded as if he was aching, he sounded shameful, like he was guilty.

“What a boy… To want these sort of things so broad in the daylight.” Jisoo gently voiced, his hand reaching and running through Minghao’s hair, softly, intimately. Like he would protect Minghao. Like Minghao was his. But wasn’t he? Chan thought, his eyes starting to blur with tears. He never thought Minghao would be so far gone.

“Sire, I-” Minghao tried, being cut off with a coaxing shush.

“It’s alright. If it is what you need, I must provide. I take care of what’s mine,” Jisoo uttered, his hands petting Minghao, who closed his eyes like it was all that eased his pain. It was… electric, the atmosphere the two created. Chan couldn’t tear his gaze away.

“Yes.” Minghao relented, releasing all the tension that held him. He was truly relaxed.

“Come, this will not take long,” Jisoo took Minghao’s hand, and led him away, Minghao following his every movement. They disappeared to another alcove of the large room, where Chan could not see them.

Chan didn’t wait around to figure exactly what they were up to.

Chapter Text

Chan was grim and silent as he walked into the rebel’s house.

DK, Mingyu, and Jun sat at the table, twiddling their fingers, dreading Chan’s arrival, and as Chan slowly opened the creaking door, they tensed.

Chan stepped in, shedding the ratty cloak which had disguised. He couldn’t be bothered to pick it up, with the way his gut twisted. He blinked away the tears threatening his vision, because this was going to be much harder on them. Much harder. For once, rather than taking advantage of the kindness they’d shown him, he’d have to be strong for them.

“Chan?” Jun’s slightly hesitant voice rang out, breaking the heady silence. Jun was trying to stay steady, but the harsh denial was seeping through his bones and hurting his heart. All he needed to hear was that Minghao wasn’t a traitor.

But Chan couldn’t tell him that.

“He’s the spy.” Chan deadpanned, his tone flat. He looked down, away from Jun’s pleading eyes.

Jun's face crumpled.

“You- There’s- He couldn’t, I’m sure it’s just a- A mistake!” Jun stuttered, stumbling, the delusion thick on his tongue, his head shaking, his muscles burning, Jun couldn’t… Wouldn’t believe it. His body started to tremble, was his vision blurring?

“Jun!” Chan screamed, walking forward and taking Jun’s shoulders in his hands. He gripped tightly, trying to ground his leader any way he could.

Mingyu and DK stood, unsure of what to do. Jun was falling apart, and they were just witnesses. How could Minghao do this? Why? Mingyu looked over to DK for guidance, to try to figure out what to do, and not just leave this to poor Chan, who was just too young to be forced to watch a man crumble into a husk.

“Chan, why don’t you tell us what you saw?” DK spoke up, knowing they both needed someone to lead in the moment, and it would have to be him. Chan calmed himself, and stepped back away from Jun.

“I watched Minghao sneak into Jisoo’s room. There was no denying that Minghao had done it before. Jisoo allowed his entrance, and Minghao told him about Jihoon’s alliance with us. Minghao bowed to him. They aren’t equals. Minghao works for Jisoo. Even worse, the way he acted, the atmosphere… It was sickening.” Chan spat, thinking back to it. How could Minghao ever have fallen for Jisoo? That man… No, that animal was horrid.

“Did he- Did Jisoo hurt him? Threaten him? I swear if he hurt my brother…” Jun trailed off, and Chan could see the gears in his head turning, trying to figure out why his brother switched sides.

“No. Minghao was there of his own free will.” Chan gritted out, anger poisoning his speech. DK and Mingyu gasped, eyeing carefully at Jun. He looked stricken, like someone had knocked all the air out of him.

“Huh?” Was the weak reply he gave.

“Jisoo treated Minghao… Gently? It was certainly awful, but not because Minghao was being hurt… Minghao… Jisoo treated Minghao like he was his pet. Claimed him, pet him, rewarded him for success, and demanded obedience. Minghao is his dog.” Chan explained, a sour, awful taste in his mouth.

“Minghao would never allow that!” Jun yelled, his veins cold, DK and Mingyu silent and clenching their teeth in the background.

“It… Certainly doesn’t sound like Minghao,” DK said slowly, treading lightly. “Some context, maybe?” DK asked of Chan. He glared DK down, and stood his ground.

“I wish I hadn’t seen it, but no context was needed, really. Minghao leaned into his touch, pledged himself to Jisoo, and relaxed in his hold. Minghao ate it up, Jun. Minghao is in fucking love with Jisoo and Jisoo is using it.” Chan laid out flatly. He crossed his arms, looking regretful at Jun. There was no easy way to say all this.

“My brother cannot- Jisoo is the son of the man who had Qian killed!” Jun roared, unable to accept it. “How could he ever fall for him? That awful, awful man? I can’t… Minghao-” Jun choked, his tears threatening to fall. He turned away from them for a pause. He tried to suppress his cries. He took a deep breath, realizing this was not the place, nor the time to lose himself to his own grief. Jun bit his lip, suppressing the emotions inside himself, stopping the tears. Jun set his shoulders. He took a deep breath once again, and everyone in the room froze.

He was back in leader mode.

“Minghao has betrayed us. For now, I want us to keep quiet about what we know. We can use this to our advantage. Now that the spy has been found, we can plant incorrect plans, and keep valuable information from him.” Jun explained, suddenly in leader mode. Everyone nodded, listening in. He was their leader, and as he was there for them, they’d be there for him. “Minghao will be home soon. I might be asking more details of Jisoo and Minghao’s meeting later, okay Chan?” To which Chan nodded, serious. Jun sighed.

“Alright. Act natural I guess.” Jun said softly.

And they all began to plate their dinners.

____________________________________

It was later into the night, and Minghao along with Chan and Mingyu were sleeping, albeit most likely not soundly in their beds. DK however, was up and about. There was no way he’d get much sleep after the news of the night.

Sure, he’d suspected betrayal. He really had, Minghao was being far too shifty for it not to be true. However, what he hadn’t expected was that Minghao had betrayed them because of love. Well, loving Jisooat least. He imagined Minghao in a hostage situation, where if he didn’t do as Jisoo said, then something would happen to him or Jun or any of the rebels. He had never thought Minghao would be capable of loving someone who was an enemy, his enemy.

And yet, here they were.

DK’s heart pinched in a horrible way, and he walked out of his and Jun’s room, sitting at the kitchen table. He knew why he was taking this so hard, and he hated to admit it, purely because what point was there now? DK was in love with Minghao. He’d been in love for a long time. For a short time, he’d thought Minghao loved him too. It had only been about five to six months ago when Minghao would never leave his side, that they’d laugh and joke and talk about everything together. Minghao would lean on DK, and DK would reassure him, DK would do anything to make Minghao smile. They were partners in crime, best friends, and DK hoped that they could be more one day in the future.

Then it all changed.

It was subtle. Slow. Minghao would talk a little less. Sneak into DK’s room less often when he had a nightmare. Minghao closed himself off, and became a shell of what he was before. And they all got used to it. The Minghao of before had disappeared and been replaced with an emotionless, defensive, silent boy who differed greatly from the interesting, funny, sensitive and temperamental friend they knew. They accepted it, maybe thought he was going through a phase, or just in a rut, or maybe he was just maturing. And DK had just kept waiting for Minghao to come talk to him about it, like he always would.

But he never did.

From there, the resentment, the worry, the fear festered until it began to rot their relationship and now Minghao was a traitor, and DK was a lovesick fool who lost the only person he’d fallen for. How could Minghao ever come back from this? He had promised himself to serve their enemy, and was probably well aware of the repercussions his actions would cause. Would they have to kill Minghao at some point? Bile rose in DK’s throat. He couldn’t, not Minghao. Maybe they’d have to put him away, but kill him? What would he even do if that happened?

“Can’t sleep?” Jun whispered, startling DK, causing him to jump in his seat.

“Jun!” He whisper yelled. “Sorry, you just startled me,” He placed a hand over his heart to calm it.
“I guess you were lost in thought too?” Jun chuckled, although it sounded bitter, a little wet even.
“Yeah. I think you can guess why.” DK admitted, his eyes dropping.

“Why don’t we go outside for a bit?” Jun asked, motioning to the door. DK nodded, and stood up to follow Jun out to the forest. They made sure they didn’t make much noise when they stepped outside the creaky door.

The air was chilly, the wind was biting, but the silence comforted them both in the dark brush.

Jun stood there, stoic as he usually made himself. DK wondered how much of it was a facade at the moment.

“I know the news about Minghao hurt us all,” Jun started, keeping the emotion out of his voice, his eyes turned away from DK, looking into the indecipherable distance. DK sighed, following his gaze.

“Yes, to put it lightly.” DK spoke, solemn. “I am upset, of course, but more than that, I wonder how you are.” DK stated more than asked, knowing that if Jun didn’t want to talk then DK wouldn’t be able to push him.

“Are you sure you can handle what’s going on in this head of mine?” Jun laughed, but it was dark, it was sad. Jun was just so sad.

“You know I can take it,” DK whispered, preparing himself.

Jun scoffed pathetically, his eyes weary.

“I’m questioning a lot right now,” Jun began, the whisper low and vulnerable. “Minghao was all I had for so long. My family was all I ever cared about, and when our parents and Qian were killed, the fire in my heart to reap justice on those who took them from me was all I had to keep me on my toes. But I stayed alive for Minghao. Through every moment of trying to find worth in myself, every moment I hated myself for not protecting Qian enough, Minghao was there to keep me upright. I couldn’t keel over and stop moving forward if I’d be keeping him behind with me. I wanted him to heal, I wanted him to get revenge for what we went through together, I wanted so much for him, but most of all I wanted him happy. I wanted him to become his own person and make friends and fall in love and feel safe and be able to sleep at night and I wanted Minghao to smile everyday, uninhibited. I wanted him to live enough for himself and our deceased loved ones. I wanted that for me too.”Jun was crying openly now, his tears silent, hiccups suppressed, but they were there. He blinked with his wet eyelashes, twinkling in the slight moonlight.

“I know. We all just wanted justice. We all just want to be happy.” DK whispered, wrapping his arm around Jun’s shoulder, letting the man lean in for comfort.

“But now I don’t know what I want anymore, I don’t know what’s worth it anymore.” Jun admitted, his voice choked and filled with regret.

“What’s the point in avenging Qian if I lose my only family left in the process? Why should I fight against one of the few people I love in my life? Why would Minghao ever do this to me? Did I not mean anything to him? Did I not do enough, did I not love him enough? I tried so hard to raise him like our parents would’ve and I know I could never have done as well as they would’ve, but what did I do wrong? How could he ally himself with someone who so openly wants me, us, and all immigrants like us dead? Jisoo isn’t just someone that I disapprove of, he’s a murderer who wants me dead, he’s a monster who’s destroyed families under his father’s order. He’s carried out tax assignments and killed immigrants who couldn’t pay mercilessly. He’s not anyone I could ever see my brother falling for. What happened? How could this occur? What did he do to twist my brother around his fucking fingers?” Jun gritted out with his tears. His words turned angry, volatile, like an animal with no defense left.

“Jun…” DK trailed off, trying to figure out how to calm him, comfort him. But how could he deny those words, most of it was exactly where DK was at as well.

“I hate him.” Jun growled, his tears beginning to dry, the wind picking up. He broke out of DK’s hold, walking away a few paces.

“Jun-”

“Jun nothing!” Jun exclaimed looking to DK, right in his eyes.

He looked feral.

“I hate Jisoo. Him and his family have taken everything I love and cherish and try to put down people with hearts and souls and they have no regard for the damage they cause! He’s a monster, I want to see him dead. I want to rip his head off, but not before I take my sweet time fraying his body, torturing him like he’s done to my heart time and time again.” Jun cried, sobbing in earnest. He was so angry, so hurt, so lost. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time, and he’d been so young then. Now it felt like the world had aged him with everything he had to face. The universe wanted to tear him up, see how far it’d have to go before he just broke.

And Jun felt close to breaking.

“Jun, you have to keep fighting.” DK voiced, his words having life of their own. He just knew that there was nothing else to say.

“DK?” Jun questioned, rubbing roughly at his tear tracks.

“This isn’t just about Qian anymore. She inspired our fight, and she will always mean more to us than anyone will know. But this is about so much more now. This is about this unfair kingdom, this is about treating the lower class, immigrants, people with more care, about creating equality that everyone deserves, about teaching the royals that you can’t run a country without caring about the people in it. This is a rebellion. We aren’t just teenagers angry at the world anymore. We’re adults with motivations, means, and we have the strength and ability to make real change that this country has needed for decades. It hurts. We’ll lose people we love, we’re going to sacrifice a lot, but we have to. We have to lose what we love so we can help people in the future protect what they love. Minghao will always mean the world to me, and I’ll never stop loving him, but if he’s thrown in his fate with a man that can’t be bothered with morals, then we can’t protect him anymore. He’s on his own. We have to keep fighting to help the people who need it. All the immigrant kids who will lose their parents if we don’t. All the kids in the slums who never made it. The kids who were made slaves and the people who were made objects without consent. We have to.”

Jun looked at DK like he was a light in the dark. His heart ached, but he knew DK was right. This wasn’t just about his family anymore. This was about protecting people like him in a country that hates them, rejects them, even though it’s their country too.

“You’re right. It’s not just about me or Minghao. I can’t just let my hate for Jisoo guide me. He’s not the reason why I’m doing all of this,” Jun conceded.

“Jisoo certainly isn’t my favorite person, either. But I can say that people do things for a reason. Jisoo will never be innocent in my eyes, but I do think some things even our worst enemies can be forgiven for.” DK said. He thought back to the day he met Jun and his family.

Jun was a defensive child, quick to fight and ask questions later. Minghao was shy but lively. Qian was just pure sunshine. Sassy, funny, and full of laughter, Qian was that family’s whole world.

“You really think that Jisoo has good him?” Jun asked, doubtful. He crossed his arms, looking at DK. DK shrugged.

“I don’t know,” DK admitted, “but I am saying that he might have reason why he’s so angry. Why he hates immigrants so much. I’m not saying it’s right, but people don’t do things like that for no reason.” Jun furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

“Maybe. That doesn’t change how I feel about him. I want to hurt him. I can never forgive him for what he’s done.” Jun said, determined in his feelings.

“That’s fine. Just remember why we do what we do, and we’ll succeed.” DK finished.

___________________________

Mingyu had needed this. Soon, he would be bombarded with his responsibilities with the rebels, and he needed to have this time, these moments to himself to process what he’d learned, to figure out what he’d do next. After the news about Minghao had been broken, the rebels hadn’t been the same. He needed something, his time with someone outside of that. He loved his brothers, but not the same way he loved Wonwoo. Mingyu loved going to see Wonwoo. He wanted to see him everyday, laugh with him, talk to him, hug him.

Mingyu wished he could just lean forward and kiss him.

Wonwoo meant something to him that no one else did. He always wondered if he’d fall in love with someone one day. He thought it’d be a woman, a girl to match him, challenge him. He thought that if he was lucky she’d love him back.

But Mingyu didn’t have that in his future. He fell in love with someone who worked for his enemy, he fell for a man. He wasn’t bothered that Wonwoo was a man, it wasn’t strange in their country. Mingyu just assumed that since he was attracted to women before, it’d just continue, and he wouldn’t fall for any men. But Mingyu guessed he wouldn’t really be who he was if he wasn’t constantly surprising himself.

“Hey,” Mingyu looked up from where he sat, to see Wonwoo walking towards him. Mingyu smiled, and scooted over, making room at the bottom of the tree trunk for Wonwoo to sit beside him.
Wonwoo smiled softly back, and sat down, not far from Mingyu. He leaned over, making sure their shoulders touched. Mingyu tried to collect himself, trying not to blush at how cute Wonwoo was.

“How’s it been?” Mingyu asked, looking into Wonwoo’s eyes, genuinely curious. He wanted to know so much about Wonwoo. Sometimes Mingyu would listen to rubbish just because it was said in Wonwoo’s voice.

“To be truthful, it’s been a little crazy lately. Yesterday Prince Jihoon snuck out of the castle and it caused the biggest uproar when guard Haeun told the King. Everyone and their brother was looking for Jihoon in the castle grounds, but then Soonyoung brought Prince Jihoon home, unconscious and that apparently the Prince snuck out to explore!” Wonwoo told, his actions and words lively, like he’d never expect that situation.

“So he really doesn’t sneak out?” Mingyu asked, wondering how Jihoon wouldn’t get bored.
“He did once. Well, twice now. But he’s usually too sick to do much, although he’s much, much better now. That, and he never wanted to worry Soonyoung, but I guess he’s just getting too old to coop inside all the time.” Wonwoo spoke, voicing his thoughts fast and carelessly. Mingyu figured he wasn’t allowed to express himself much outside of his small time with Seungkwan. He was glad he got to hear about all the places Wonwoo’s mind went, because he was truly wonderful to hear, great to see how expressions mapped themselves on his face.

“Sounds pretty amazing. But I already knew that Jihoon wasn’t home yesterday. He was visiting little old me.” Mingyu smiled, surprising Wonwoo, who started to freak out.

“Wait what the heck do you mean the Prince was with you!? Mingyu what the actual hell?” Wonwoo cried out, looking like his mind was racing with the possibilities Mingyu’s statements held.

“Wonwoo, don’t worry. Soonyoung’s a rebel, so Jihoon allied himself with us. No big deal.” He laughed, looking at Wonwoo’s stuttering and stricken form. He was getting too much of a kick out of this.

“What!? So- But- Huh?!” Wonwoo exclaimed, needing context. Mingyu suppressed his grin, a buzzing feeling in his chest.

“Look, Soonyoung found out that Jisoo was planning to kill Jihoon so he asked us for help… Kinda… And then I found Jihoon after he snuck out, he definitely shouldn’t have in the state he was in. He was so sick I took him to our house, and before we knew it, we had the next in line for the throne allied with us.” Mingyu said, leaving it far more simple than the entire interaction truly was. Mingyu didn’t want to entrench Wonwoo in his drama more than he had to. He just wanted him to be safe.

“Okay, certainly not enough of an explanation, but I guess I can let it go for once,” Wonwoo said, still indignant, but willing to trust that Mingyu kept most of it to himself for good reason. Wonwoo was making funny faces while he contemplated what on Earth Mingyu could be keeping from him, even though he absolved to trust him. His naturally curious mind couldn’t keep quiet, it never could.

Mingyu watched on, just gazing fondly at the silly servant. He felt a strong emotion take form in his chest, and he swelled with it. He couldn’t help but blurt out exactly what he felt.

“God, I love you.”

Wonwoo jumped, and froze. Mingyu slapped a hand over his mouth as he realized what he had said. Wonwoo’s face and neck took on an intense flush, he looked so unsure, and Mingyu cringed, regretting letting his emotions get the best of him.

Mingyu scrambled to stand up, “I’m- I’m sorry, I should just-”

“No!” Wonwoo exclaimed, grabbing Mingyu’s wrist. Mingyu startled, and looked back at the blushing servant boy.

“Wonwoo?” Mingyu whispered, the both of them standing to face each other. “Look, I didn’t mean to blurt that, it’s fine if you don’t-”

“I love you too.” Wonwoo stated, looking down, absolutely red.

“What?” Mingyu said, surprised. His heart had been beating in panic, but now it was racing for another reason.

“Yeah, you dumbass.” Wonwoo said, looking up, his face still flushed. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” Wonwoo justified, his tone quiet and shy.

“I… I guess you’re right. I just couldn’t have been sure…” Mingyu trailed off. They both met each other’s eyes, and burst out laughing.

“Why are we like this?” Mingyu chuckled, wiping happy tears from his eyes. Wonwoo giggled, his hands in Mingyu’s. He shrugged playfully.

“I have no idea.” He laughed, just as clueless.

“Well, at least we’re like this together.” Mingyu amended, his flirting making a comeback.

“You!” Wonwoo exclaimed, hitting Mingyu softly. Wonwoo’s face was bright red, always adorably flustered by Mingyu’s antics. Mingyu couldn’t help but laugh at the adorable reaction.

_________________________________________

Jihoon wasn’t expecting to be allowed more freedom. When he’d woken up back in his room at the castle, he’d almost panicked. How much trouble would be in? How mad was Haeun? How mad was Soonyoung and his Father?

But when his Father had called him to speak, he’d gotten a rather pleasant surprise.

“You’re next in line for the throne. To lock you in the castle seems irrelevant and pointless at this stage,” His Father reasoned, continuing. “You should be able to go where you want as long as you’re safe and you take care of your health. So take Soonyoung wherever you go, and there will be no issue.” His Father explained.

“Of course, Father, I do believe that won’t be an issue,” He agreed, smiling. He wouldn’t have much reason to leave without Soonyoung anyway.

“Of course, you’ll have to deal with Haeun on your own. You gave that poor woman quite the scare. She ran all around this castle scared for your life.” He told him, a light scolding tone evident.

“Yes, Father. I knew I’d owe quite the explanation to Miss Haeun.” He chuckled.

“Well, I’m glad that’s been cleared up.” Seungcheol brushed himself off, standing up from his desk. Jihoon startled, realizing it would be best to bring the subject with his Father now rather than later.

“Uhm, Father!” He began, gaining Seungcheol’s attention. Seungcheol looked up to his son, who was fidgety and seemed nervous. Curious, he inquired.

“Is there something you need to tell me, son?” He asked, walking closer to where Jihoon was sitting.

“Yes, well. I… I think I may have found who I want to marry? I mean- I want to marry them, I just don’t know if they also feel the same-” Jihoon rambled, flushed and vulnerable.

“Whoa, whoa. Alright, son, calm down. Speak slower. You’ve found a potential spouse?” Jihoon nodded, and Seungcheol moved forward. “Well, then I’d like to know who’s caught your fancy.” Seungcheol sat beside his son on his office couch, trying to seem more like a father than a king, if only to comfort his son.

“Well, I didn’t notice much until I really thought about it, but I… I’ve been in love with Soonyoung for a long time, and I want to marry him one day,” Jihoon said, breathless and in a rush, like he was worried everything would change when he admitted it out loud.

Seungcheol’s eyebrows shot up, not expecting his son’s servant to have Jihoon’s affections. Although, he supposed, they spent all of their time together, it wasn’t much of a stretch for this to have occurred. He shrugged, smiling softly. He hadn’t been fond of Soonyoung when Jihoon had brought him home, mostly because he came from an unsanitary and scarring place, and made him quite a risk to have around his son. However, Soonyoung had proven again and again that he was to be trusted and that he always put Jihoon first.

“I can accept that.” Seungcheol toned, gentle but amused. Jihoon looked to Seungcheol, surprised but happy.

“Really?” Jihoon smiled, almost not believing it.

“Yes, I can allow this. If I am putting the burden of the throne on you, I might as well let you marry who you wish. There aren’t any Kingdoms with daughters or sons to marry for alliances, so there’s no point arranging one. Besides, I married a ‘lowly commoner’ and made him my queen. Soonyoung is in a higher position of authority since he works at the castle as a personal servant, so there isn’t an issue there. However, I will give you one condition.” Seungcheol said, becoming stern.

“Yes?” Jihoon swallowed.

“You have to make sure Soonyoung truly wants to marry you too. He can’t do it out of obligation. Make sure there’s real love there. I would’ve never pushed Jeonghan into marrying me.” Seungcheol explained, not very worried about Soonyoung’s response. His son was clueless about love, so he probably inadvertently picked up on Soonyoung’s affections and realized his feelings. He figured it would turn out alright.

“Of course, Father. I will be respectful.” Jihoon nodded intensely, very serious. Seungcheol had to stop himself from laughing at the sincerity.

“Well then, go get your groom, my son.”

_________________________________________________

Chan was horribly conflicted. He knew he shouldn’t have lied. He knew that, but he couldn’t find it within himself to tell the truth. He just kept denying that something could go wrong. When Jun had spoken to him yesterday, he’d spoken about what happened between Minghao and Jisoo, with all the details involved.

All of them except one.

Chan hadn’t said anything about Minghao’s plan to poison Jihoon. The gears in his mind turning, Chan had kept the plan to himself, determined to use the information to his advantage. He had his own mission that wasn’t related to the rebels. After all, he wasn’t here for Jun or any of the other rebels. He was in this team for his own benefit and if he could twist things into his favor, he had an obligation to. Of course he felt some loyalty to Jun, purely because of how much the man had done for him, but he knew his goal was far more important.

The only issue, was how the hell could Chan use this information? He had to get a leg up on Jisoo, but would he really be willing to hurt or even kill Minghao or Jihoon to reach his goal? Could he push himself to that boundary? Cross the line and be that corrupted?

Would his parents look at him the same way again?

And still, Chan couldn’t let himself give up the chance. Jihoon was most likely on his way with Soonyoung at this very moment. And as Chan sat in thought on his bed, Minghao was making the dinner that wouldn’t be eaten if Jihoon drank from his chalice.

Could he possibly take Jihoon hostage? The man was small and weak enough. He could deliver the Prince to his brother and have an exchange. Or could he capture Minghao, the faithful servant? Would Jisoo adhere to his wishes, or just kill them both? Chan didn’t know. Even if Jisoo would adhere to his wishes, capturing Minghao was next to impossible. He’d never had to scheme against everyone he knew. He’d never been pushed this far. He had taken on this burden the day his parents had been taken, but it was this moment that he felt far too young for all of it.

At this point, even if he did give up trying to use this information, how was he supposed to tell Jun about this? How were they to prevent it? How could he explain why he didn’t tell him? Would he also be labelled a traitor? The rebels were all he had, and if he ever wanted to see his parents again, he needed them.

“Chan! Jihoon and Soonyoung are here!” Chan jumped, hearing DK’s fairly cheery voice. He shook his head in fear. What could he do? What should he do?

Could he just let Jihoon die?

He sighed, trying to calm himself. Nothing would be done if he just panicked. He stood up, figuring that he’d just have to figure out what to do in the moment. Maybe he could just yell it out? Or he’d talk to Jun before dinner began.

He walked out into the common area, Soonyoung and Jihoon talking to Jun and Mingyu, looking friendly but serious. He guessed they were talking about something fairly important. He peered over to the kitchen, where DK was smiling softly and Minghao was cooking along with him, no expression present.

Should he say something? Tackle Minghao for the poison? Should he pull Jun aside?

All the thoughts of what he could do, what he should do, clouded and buried his mind, overwhelming Chan. His heart was beating fast, his thoughts racing, and sweat beaded in his hair. He felt frozen in the middle of the room, wanting to do something but his body just not letting him, the pressure making him crack. Everyone one else seemed to blur in front of him, but despite Chan’s plight, no one took notice of his panic. His hands were shaking, his knees weak.

All he had to do was say it.

He just had to tell Jun about the poison.

He couldn’t let Jihoon die, he couldn’t betray any of them, his heart just wouldn’t let him. Even if he got kicked out of the rebels, even if none of them could forgive him for not telling them the truth. Even if his parents would never forgive him. His gut was twisted, his heart in his stomach.

“Jun-”

“Supper is ready!” DK called out, startling Chan, cutting him off.

Chan’s feet were cement.

“Alright guys, we’ll continue the talk after food. Minghao, you have the drinks?” Jun asked, DK placing the plates, Minghao in the kitchen.

“Yes, brother.” Minghao said, no indication of the sin he was about to commit. Chan stayed in his spot. He trembled in fear.

It was now or never.

Minghao placed DK and Mingyu’s chalices, quickly and swiftly placing Chan’s, Soonyoung’s and his own.

“It looks great, DK.” Jun complimented, the steaming plate’s aroma filling the air.

“Thanks! It was just a simple supper. I hope you don’t mind, Jihoon.” DK said, seemingly wanting approval.

“I’m sure it will be amazing, DK. If it’s anything like your apples, then I will be honored to taste it.” Jihoon smiled, reassuringly.

Minghao placed Jun’s chalice, and walked to Jihoon’s seat. He leaned over Jihoon’s small form, and placed the drink down.

“I hope it brings you peace,” Minghao said softly, solemn.

Minghao didn’t move away from Jihoon as the small prince lifted the chalice to his face.

Chan’s heart stopped.

"No!" He screamed, the entire room startling. Jihoon almost dropped the chalice completely. They all turned to Chan, confused and alert.

“Poison!” He hiccuped in a rush of breath, panicked, scared. “There’s poison! Minghao poisoned Jihoon’s drink!” He cried, seeing Minghao’s anger and panic rise on his face as he was ratted out. Minghao’s teeth grit, and he snatched Jihoon’s chalice from his hands.

Jun jumped up, ready to act, but it was too late.

Minghao gripped Jihoon’s neck, and lifted the chalice to Jihoon’s lips. Jihoon thrashed, and Soonyoung leapt out of his seat to tackle Minghao, but the spy held his ground as he kicked Soonyoung in the neck, bringing him down.

“Swallow it, bitch!” Minghao yelled desperately, almost choking Jihoon.

Chan couldn’t just watch, he had to act. Mingyu was frozen, and DK was stricken at the prospect of Minghao committing such an act. It seemed Jun was hesitating as well.

Jihoon’s life was left in the balance.

Chan rushed forward, fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins. This was all his fault, he couldn’t let this happen, no matter how scared he was. Minghao growled at Jihoon’s resistance, and forcefully opened the boy’s jaw. Chan ran across the room, passing Jun and Mingyu, and went for Minghao’s legs.

“I won’t let you, you traitor!” He screamed, diving to bite at Minghao’s ankles. Minghao cried out in pain, loosening his grip on Jihoon’s jaw. Chan then lifted himself to his knees, and slung his arm into Minghao’s waist, all of his strength to break Minghao’s hold on the Prince. Minghao coughed and cringed from the pain, letting Jihoon’s jaw go, stepping back. Jihoon fell to the ground out of his chair, coughing and wheezing. Minghao glared at Chan, looking ready to take him down to get to Jihoon.

Minghao wouldn’t stop, Chan realized. Not until someone was dead.

Chan got up, his footing set in place. He thought back to the lessons with Mingyu, not even a month ago. The harsh cold mornings they would fight until they bled. It hadn’t been for long, but he needed everything he had for hand to hand combat with Minghao.

“You’re really getting in my way? I’ll fucking kill you too.” Minghao snarled, looking a far cry away from the expressionless Minghao from just a minute ago. His eyes were wild.

“You’ll have to if you want Jihoon dead.” Chan bit back, surprised at his own insolence. He did reconnaissance, he would fight with the rebels at his back, but those were against palace guards, not an amazing fighter like Minghao. He was scared.

“Alright, you scrawny little shit, come at me, take me down,” Minghao goaded. Chan furrowed his brow.

It didn’t matter if he won, it only mattered if the poison in Minghao’s hand was gone.

Chan ran forward, Minghao ready for a frontal assault, but that wasn’t Chan’s goal. He could spend all of his energy and Minghao still wouldn’t lose to him. Jun was the only one who could beat Minghao.

Chan rushed to Minghao, whipping his arm out, knocking the poison chalice to the ground, and Minghao looked alarmed, distracted from Chan. The boy leapt forward, turning his body to slam his back into Minghao’s front, slamming the spy into the wall with a violent crack.

“Agh!” Minghao cried out. Chan was about to leave Minghao’s range when Minghao recovered, wrapping his arm around Chan’s neck, keeping the boy flush against him, cutting off all his air.

Chan choked, his arms and legs writhing, his head swimming.

Minghao’s face was contorted, in anger, fear, rage. As if everything had depended on killing Jihoon.

“Minghao, let him go!” Jun spoke up, yelling at his feral brother. Minghao acknowledged Jun, squeezing his arm even harder around Chan’s neck, the poor boy’s face going red and purple. His grunts and struggle for air were painful to watch.

“Not a chance,” He growled. His eyes dangerous, voice livid. “He took away my hope, so I’ll take away his.” Minghao grimly spoke, Chan’s eyes starting to glaze over.

Jun saw his brother, in all his cruel animalistic glory, and realized that this wasn’t his brother anymore. He didn’t have a brother anymore. Chan needed him, and Jun needed to save him.

“Minghao!” Jun yelled, charging forward to the monster in front of him. Minghao realized his brother was going in for a fatal attack. Quickly, he snapped his arm away from Chan’s neck, the boy gasping in relief.

Minghao had to make an escape. But not before leaving lasting damage.

He let Chan wobble on his weak legs, watching Jun hesitate. Minghao smiled, twisted and cruel. He had a part to play, after all.

“This is for ruining my plans.”

Minghao’s arm whipped out, his fist red with emotion. He grabbed Chan’s shoulder with his other hand, and thrust his fist into Chan’s back.

A sickening crunch resounded in the room, and Chan fell to the ground with an awful pained gasp. He was close to unconsciousness, his spine bent inhumanely.

“Minghao!” Jun screamed in anger, rushing forward to hold Chan.

“Maybe now you’ll learn.” He whispered gravely. “You’ll learn you can’t fight against him.”

And as everyone rushed to Chan’s side, Minghao made his escape.

________

Minghao was shaking. He slid down the wall, curled up on the ground. He had to hold himself together to escape safely, but now, secure in the recesses of an alleyway, he felt truly himself. His mask gone, his character washed away. His vulnerability fell free, and he choked on his own actions. The words he’d said, the things he’d done.

What a monster.

Tears spilled out of his eyes, sobbing openly into his hands. He would have to crawl back to Jisoo, his failures and all. How was he supposed to fix this?

The answer was, he couldn’t fix it. Chan had foiled his plan, and now Minghao had to face the consequences. Truth was, no matter the reason, Minghao couldn’t kill someone like Jihoon. He’d diluted the poison, made sure it was only enough to put Jihoon to a death-like sleep. He’d had Hansol aid him with it so the rebels could easily save Jihoon with a trip to him. Then he would’ve told Jisoo that Jihoon was dead and he’d… He’d be able to see her. But he couldn’t let any of the rebels know his plan. He couldn’t blow his cover. Jisoo could see through him too easily. Trying to ally with his family at this point would only put them in terrible danger.

Jisoo had stressed that Minghao was to take them down as ruthlessly as possible. Minghao had hurt Chan, possibly past the point of return, and his chest ached with anguish and regret. He wanted to turn around and apologize. Heal him, nurse Chan back to health and tell the boy how much he meant to him. He loved the rebels, Jun and DK and Mingyu and all of them were his life. They were his brothers, no matter how far he’d fallen. Even if he’d sold his soul, tried to pretend he didn’t care for them anymore, he still did. They were his everything, and he knew that this would tear him apart the moment he agreed to be Jisoo’s servant. He knew how much it would hurt him. He knew what it would do to Jun and their relationship. He remembered his brother’s eyes, looking at him like the utter disappointment he was. He saw Jun about to attack him with deadly force. He wanted to go back. He wanted to undo everything he’d done. He wanted his brother.

But he couldn’t go back. Because a monster like him doesn’t belong there.

He’d made his choice, and there wasn’t any going back. They knew he was a traitor, and he’d made sure to put on the act, play the part of the rebel turned dark.

He’d played Jisoo’s puppet well.

But wasn’t that exactly what he was? He’d bowed to the Prince, followed his orders, pulled himself into security in the devil’s arms. Even if why he did it was completely worth it, even if it wasn’t for purely selfish reasons, he was still a piece of shit.

His body shook with fear, with sorrow, he was terrified of telling Jisoo that he failed. But he had nowhere else to go. If he didn’t do this, if Minghao abandoned his post then she’d surely…

He couldn’t.

No one else knew she was there. No one could save her. She was his best-kept secret, and she depended on him, even if she didn’t know it yet. He had a duty to her, to Jun, to his parents. He had to go to Jisoo.

He stood up, his limbs jelly, his arms weak and tired. His eyes ached in the low light, pink and puffy. He rubbed his face roughly, trying to rid the tear tracks. He took deep breaths, calming himself, suppressing his emotions. He couldn’t show any concern for the rebels. He was Jisoo’s tool. He was just a traitor. Just a monster.

He leapt onto the rooftops.

Chapter Text

“You absolute failure!” Jisoo screamed. Minghao didn’t flinch, stayed on the floor kneeling in submission. He had no excuses. He had failed.

“I give you the most imperative job- Thinking you could handle it! But of course, you fucked it up, just like any other of your kind would.” Jisoo sneered, his face red. “I hope you know what this means,” He said contemptuously, curling his lip.

“Yes, Sire.” He whispered, aware of his punishment.

“I didn’t ask for you to speak, vermin!” He yelled, slightly losing composure. Minghao grimaced from the outburst. “Fine, then let’s commence.” Jisoo said, gathering himself. He stalked over to Minghao’s small form, the air in the room cold and stale, Jisoo’s face dark.
Mingao gulped, trying not to show his fear. He was terrified of what Jisoo would do. Jisoo grabbed Minghao’s hair roughly, causing Minghao to cry out. Jisoo smacked his face, quieting him. Minghao bit his lip to keep his cries in. Jisoo started to drag Minghao by his hair, leading the wincing boy out of his chambers. The castle was asleep, only a few guards were at their posts, and they knew better than to comment on what Jisoo was doing.

They stood still, watching Minghao struggle to keep up with Jisoo, trying to alleviate the pressure on his hair. His head ached, and his face was warm, but his hands were cold and clammy from fear. Jisoo and Minghao turned a few corners, but Minghao couldn’t pay attention with his head in such pain. The moments slipped by when suddenly Jisoo threw Minghao forward, and his breath stopped. Jisoo stood at the top, while Minghao tumbled down the large flight of stairs. His shoulder, his face, his waist, feet, knees, every part of him ached when he finally reached the bottom. He groaned slightly, not being able to keep his disoriented self from the cry. Jisoo quickly made his way down the stairs, strategically walking over the little spots of blood. Jisoo kicked Minghao aside, removing the servant from his path. Jisoo left Minghao on the ground, rolling and panting, trying to bear the aches from his bruised body. Jisoo walked further into the dark room, finally lighting a torch on the far side. The room came into sight, and Minghao was terrified.

It was a dungeon.

Of course, through the door on the other side was most likely where the prisoners were kept, but Minghao was firmly locked on this side. The side where torture takes place.

Minghao began to shiver in fear, his eyes taking in all of the awful devices around. He didn’t even know what some of them could do, but Minghao wasn’t eager to find out.

“I need you to recover at some point, so I’ll be merciful and only give you… Fifteen lashings? A strong mutt like you will get up fast from that, I’m sure.” Jisoo said, as if he were speaking about the weather, certainly not the horror he was about to inflict on Minghao. Minghao wanted to run, to hide. Lashings? It sounded like whipping, and Minghao had never endured that. He didn’t want to. He wanted to go home. He wanted a hug.

“Oh now, don’t cry, mutt. I’ll give you something to really cry about in a moment.” Jisoo hissed, clearly enjoying it too much. Minghao couldn’t stop whimpering in terror. He tried to steel himself for what was to come, but he couldn’t. He hadn’t felt so unprepared in years.

Jisoo strode forward, gripping Minghao’s bruised arm, and dragging him once again. Minghao winced, following on his feet. Jun led Minghao to a bed-like contraption, and pushed him face-first onto it.

He grunted, front side smacking the table hard. Jisoo smirked, positioning Minghao, manhandling him. Jisoo tied down Minghao’s hands and and feet, making sure he was secure on the bed-like table. Jisoo watched Minghao struggle, wanting to be free, but also trying to obey. Amidst his anger, he found it sickeningly endearing. Jisoo leaned forward, and ripped Minghao’s shirt in half. The light cloth lay like a towel under him. Sweat already stained his body, Minghao’s injuries already painful.

Jisoo had no mercy.

As Minghao struggled to stay quiet, Jisoo walked over to the wall, gently taking down a whip. It was long, black, and shiny. It looked like it had been used before. Jisoo seemed very experienced using it. Minghao tried not to watch Jisoo, trying to block out the entire moment. Jisoo walked back, setting up his station to ‘work’. Minghao had never trembled harder. Jisoo reached down, ripping off a small part of Minghao’s torn shirt.

“Here.” Jisoo toned flatly, shoving the wadded up cloth into Minghao’s mouth. Minghao slightly choked from the intrusion, but quickly realized why the cloth was there, so he clamped down on it, and made sure not to let it drop.
Jisoo cleared his throat, stepping away from Minghao. Minghao tried to imagine he was somewhere else. Maybe with DK and Jun, laughing about something really dumb, or maybe hugging Jun awake, or even DK cuddling his nightmares away. He thought about Mingyu and his nice smile, and he thought about Chan. Poor Chan. The boy that was probably in far more pain than Minghao at the moment. Chan could be crying in pain, aching for comfort right now, and it was all Minghao’s fault. He held onto the self-hatred for himself, and let it grow.

He deserved this.

This punishment was for hurting those he loved. For being a failure. For failing everyone and trying to go it alone. This was for Jun, who probably had his heart broken. This was for DK, who was probably wondering how he could’ve done better. This was for Mingyu, who looked so devastated. This was for Soonyoung, who he had hurt. This was for Jihoon. This was for Chan.

CRACK!

“Aghhh!” Blinding, searing, white hot pain bled out from Minghao’s back. He was sobbing, gasping for breath through his nose.

“That’s one. You have fourteen more, mutt.” Jisoo said, clearly unbothered by Minghao’s display of anguish.

Minghao could only feel the stinging pain on his back, how on Earth was he to take fourteen more?

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

“Agghhhhh! Hagh, Agh!” Minghao’s body writhed in pain, his mind blank, his cries muffled but dark. He felt his mind wander and float, his pain felt less intense with every new harsh crack of the whip.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Where was he?

What was happening again?

The pain bled out as his mind began to haze, his thoughts becoming more numb. Minghao couldn’t hear much anymore. Didn’t really know if Jisoo was still speaking, his body relaxed, ready to drift away.

Minghao wanted to sleep. There was a nagging sensation at his back that kept him from it, but he couldn’t remember why.

“-ey! Hey! Hey mutt!” Minghao’s head was lifted roughly by his hair, and he grunted softly. Reality started to bleed back in, and Minghao couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over again. His back burned with unbearable pain. Was it over? Could Jisoo really be done?

“We’re done here, mutt. You’ll be allowed to rot in the cell for a while.” Jisoo said, rather unconcerned. “If you’re strong, you’ll heal.” Jisoo spoke.

Minghao cried in relief and gratitude that it was finally over. He had repented.

Jisoo efficiently untied Minghao’s bloody and bruised wrists and ankles. Minghao took a deep breath, knowing he’d have to get up and walk to a cell in a moment. He let the cloth his mouth drop, the taste left behind of blood and sweat. Minghao moved to try and get up, his back stinging, before Jisoo stopped him.

“Whoa, whoa. You shouldn’t try to get up on your own. Let me do it, you already almost passed out, you’re going to topple if you walk by yourself.” Jisoo said, strangely soft. Minghao felt more clear-headed as Jisoo spoke nicely to him, and he didn’t question the surge of kindness.

“Yes, Sire.” Minghao answered.

Jisoo lightly took hold of Minghao, lifting him into sitting position, and letting him get used to the horrible sting of his wounds. Minghao whimpered, his back the epicenter of bodily anguish.

“Can you stand?” Jisoo asked quietly, waiting patiently for a reply. After a moment, Minghao nodded. Jisoo helped Minghao stand, taking hold of his elbows.

“Good.” Jisoo toned, ruffling Minghao’s sweaty, greasy hair. Minghao was exhausted, just standing an intense effort. Jisoo’s different demeanor was the last place his mind was. Jisoo carefully took Minghao by the waist, throwing him over his shoulder. Jisoo began to carry Minghao to the door, and fumbled with the keys, opening the gate to the cells. Minghao wondered briefly why Jisoo would carry him, but he decided against analysing it. In this state, he wouldn’t get very far anyway.

Jisoo strode through the hall, completely ignoring the cries and broken faces of the dirty prisoners around him. Minghao wondered if they were criminals, or just unlucky. Jisoo walked and turned a corner, veering to the left. He went farther down, when suddenly, he stopped. Another jingle of keys, and the creaky metal cell was open. It was a barred cell, no privacy, completely on display for the other prisoners in the same cells. Jisoo walked in, taking his time, placing Minghao chest-down on the flat cot, pulling the measly blanket up to his waist, making sure not to touch his wounds.

“I’ll be back for you.” Jisoo toned, cold once again. He slammed the cell door, locking it mercilessly, and left just as cruelly as he came.
Minghao let the silent tears leave his eyes. He didn’t know why his chest ached so bad, when it was his back that suffered the wounds. He tried to block out the hurt faces of his family, the betrayal on the rebel’s faces. Instead he tried to focus on the pain, on his next move. Minghao thought about Jisoo, and how on Earth he’d get back into his good graces.

A large part of Minghao hated and despised Jisoo. Jisoo had bent Minghao to his will, taken what Minghao loved from him, and dangled that in front of his face. Jisoo had hurt him, physically, made him feel worthless and treated him like a dog. Jisoo was trying actively to hurt more immigrants like him. And yet, he couldn’t hate him completely. Maybe it was how alone he felt. Maybe it was the soft touch, the reassurance he received from the Prince, that even if he was a horrible traitor, he was useful somehow.

When he’d first begun to try and figure out how to infiltrate the castle, Jisoo had been his last choice. At first, he’d hoped to break in, to do it quickly and efficiently, never socializing with royalty at all. But he soon realized the castle was a fortress to be reckoned with. He had to use a royal to get to his goals. He knew the King could care less about rebels, he’d send a son to take care of it. He’d die if he went to the King. The Queen was even less a good idea, as he helped create most policies against immigrants. The third Prince was a flight risk, too young, too unpredictable. The second Prince had been a mystery child until recently, and no one knew a thing about him. That left Jisoo. Just motivated enough, just crafty enough, just egotistical enough to think he was good enough to manipulate the enemy.

Minghao had slightly underestimated Jisoo. Sure, he still hated Jisoo, wanted to leave him, but he knew he couldn’t. Jisoo had the upper hand, had what Minghao wanted, and Minghao hated to admit it, but he felt dependent on the Prince’s plans and orders. Every time he sunk deeper into cruelty, Jisoo would reward it, letting him mourn the loss of his loved ones, allowing Minghao to punish himself internally, and heal the emotional wounds left behind. When he had no one else, Jisoo would hold him and know his sins.

It was a perfect mixture. Cruel enough to make him obey, but kind enough to make him stay. And even though Minghao knew it, he also knew he wouldn’t leave until she was safe in his arms.
Even if Minghao had used Jisoo to get what he wanted, Jisoo had manipulated Minghao into losing himself. And he hated him for it. How could such a person even exist? His back ached and stung, the raw, bleeding skin trying to scab over. These wounds were from him. And although Minghao felt like he deserved it for hurting Chan and the rebels, they wouldn’t have wished this on him.

He tried to stop blaming himself. But he couldn’t. Maybe one day he’d be able to make it up to them, but for now, Minghao belonged with the monsters.

And thinking this, he fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

_______

It was solemn. Jun knew looking around at everyone, that nobody had the energy to speak. The atmosphere too dark, the dread setting in. They were waiting for Hansol and Mingyu. The rebel had gone out to retrieve the Mage, desperately needing his aid for Chan. From the looks of it, Minghao had most likely shattered the boy’s back. He was getting worse by the minute.

He didn’t want to believe his brother could really be that cruel.

But he saw it with his own two eyes, witnessed the husk of his brother rip what they had left to shreds. They meant nothing to him anymore. Seeing Chan so desperate, so scared, but still willing to risk everything to stop Minghao was painful. When he was hesitating, when he was second-guessing himself, Chan saved the day, at a great cost. The youngest rebel had shown them all up, and now he was passed out in pain in Jun’s bed, awaiting medical help.

Why on Earth did Chan know about the poison?

The question had been rolling around his mind for a bit, but he couldn’t figure it out. If he had known since spying on Minghao, then he would have had so many chances to tell Jun, but he waited until it was almost too late. Why? Jun would’ve been fine if Chan was scared to tell Jun about the plan, and maybe waited a bit to tell him, a day or two. But Chan waited so long, it almost seemed like he was going to allow it to happen.

Jun shook his head. He couldn’t make that assumption.

Maybe Chan knew of the plan, but not the time frame? Maybe he figured it out when Minghao gave the chalice to Jihoon? Maybe Minghao hadn't been as inconspicuous as he thought. It’s possible.

Jun was curious, but his concern for Chan was in the forefront of his mind, and while he wanted answers, he wanted his youngest rebel out of the woods first.

“He’s here!” Mingyu burst through the door, leading Hansol with his tools in a large sack inside.

DK, Jihoon and Soonyoung all stood up to join Jun in the middle of the room, awaiting the conversation.

“Alright, what is it!?” Hansol griped, hating being rushed.

“It’s Chan.” Jun called, getting Hansol’s attention.

“Again!? Wait- Whoa, not Jihoon?” Hansol whipped his head around, and saw Jihoon, up and well. “Shit, okay, what the hell happened?” Hansol asked, serious.

“Minghao tried to poison Jihoon. Chan stopped him. Look, Chan’s in my bed with a pretty bad back, so take a look?” Jun huffed, trying to get Hansol to move along. Hansol nodded, taking his supplies and following Jun and the rest into Jun’s room.

The scene was not a good one.

Chan was still in Jun’s bed, on his front, his black and blue back exposed. His shirt had been cut off to allow Hansol to see it easier. Chan was still unconscious, but he was sweating profusely. Hansol sucked in a harsh breath, realizing that Minghao’s plan went wrong, and this was the awful result. He appraised Chan’s bruises, seeing his struggle to just breathe.

“It’s good you came to me, no doctor could fix this. Luckily, it just seems to be a bone injury. That’s much easier to heal than a muscle or skin tear. I can’t guarantee he’ll be able to move the way he did before, but he certainly won’t die.” Hansol explained, opening his bag of tools. He brought out flowers and oils, colorful and aromatic. Jun furrowed his brow, looking over the supplies.

“What are all these for? It wasn’t like this last time.” Jun spoke up, and the others looked curiously at Hansol. The Mage sighed, accepting they’d need an explanation.

“Look, when we saved Chan last time, the kid was pretty much dead. It was a last ditch effort to save the kid’s life. It’s one of the most crude healing spells. It takes a lot of life energy to complete and you paid the price for the healing session, Jun. Usually, healing spells take time, take supplies. Like most other magicks, flowers are used. Usually plants are the most simple ingredients for spells. This spell needs a mixed Zinnia, which stands for ‘in memory of a friend’, and also white Violets, which mean ‘let’s take a chance.’ Flowers are imperative to many magic spells. It’s why Mages know floral language. It all correlates. The oils are for opening the energy in the skin, for allowing the body to take the magic easier. It means that the transference needs less force and is easier on all the people involved. Lastly, for healing magic, I need large sources of life. Usually that means humans. However, it’s possible to spread the damage among all of you, instead of weakening just one person. The lasting effects will be much less severe if given to all of you equally.” Hansol explains, opening the first bottle of oil. He pours some of it onto Chan’s back, and very lightly spreads it over the bruised area.

“Wait, so you mean that with these, you can help the healing magic along? All of us can help Chan instead of one?” Mingyu asks, sounding hopeful.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Without them, it’s far more dangerous to try and lessen the burden of the magic. Now that I’m prepared, the healing magic can connect to all of you. It’s much safer this way, but much more complicated. So, I’m going to need every single one you to listen to my instructions very carefully. One thing out of line, and someone could very well die.” Hansol explained, dead serious. He cut the stems off the Zinnia’s and Violets, placing the flowers at the top of his bruised back, and placed the stems vertically on his lower back. It was very meticulous, Hansol perfectly placing the objects, taking his time and being very careful.

“Okay, you heard him. Mingyu, DK, we’ll need to listen very carefully. Jihoon, Soonyoung, maybe you two should wait outside. I don’t want you guys to get caught up in this on accident.” Jun said, back in leader mode. Hansol wiped his oily hands on his towel, and grabbed another bottle of oil, and a bottle full of transparent pink liquid.

“Excuse me, but what makes you think I’m not participating?” Jihoon spoke up, still polite. He had an edge to his voice though, like he was affronted that they were insinuating he wouldn’t help.

“Oh- I- You’re not exactly in the best health for this, Jihoon.” Jun stuttered, not realizing Jihoon would even offer.

“Jihoon, you literally almost died about a week ago, and you want to purposefully weaken your body more?” Soonyoung hissed. He felt for Chan, but Jihoon’s health was first.

“Look, that boy risked his life for mine. No matter the reason behind it, I owe him. This is the best I can do for him, and as a rebel just like the rest of you, this is my responsibility just as much as it is yours. I may not have known about you all for long, but I did promise to do all in my power for you. Soonyoung and I will participate.” Jihoon announced, not leaving any room for argument. Soonyoung had no issue helping himself, he expected to, but Jihoon getting involved bothered him. Why was Jihoon so insistent? He wanted to keep arguing, but he knew Jihoon wouldn’t be deterred. And as much as his stubbornness pissed him off, he couldn’t help but love the new life that had been given to Jihoon. Soonyoung was slightly conflicted to say the least.

“Alright. Then we’ll need to do as Hansol says,” Jun orders, his rebels at the ready. They all nodded.

“Okay, I’m going to need all of you to drink from this bottle.” Hansol instructed. He picked up the small bottle with the pink liquid, and firstly gave it to Jun, who was closest. “Now, only drink a small amount, you all need to take some. The more you take, the more burden you’ll receive from the spell.” Hansol explained.

“What is it?” Mingyu asked, curious eyes on the pretty pink liquid.

“Not anything mind-shattering. It’s just pink tea. It helps with balance, and what you ingest helps me gauge how much strain to place on you.” Hansol said. He shrugged, watching Jun slowly uncap the bottle.

Jun sniffed the pink tea suspiciously, before downing a good gulp from the bottle.

“Jun!” DK exclaimed, seeing a good quarter of the bottle gone. Mingyu groaned, along with Soonyoung’s eye roll. They knew he would try this. Jihoon, on the other hand, stayed particularly silent. Jun just smiled, and shrugged. He’d always feel responsible for Chan. The kid was like a brother. All his rebels were his family.

“Here,” Jun said, passing it to Mingyu, who took a good swig, before passing it to DK. DK also drank a proportional amount, and gave the bottle to Jihoon. He quietly thanked DK, and lifted the bottle.

Jihoon as well felt a lot of responsibility for what happened to Chan. The boy had been humorous and pleasant for as long as he’d been around him, and he owed the kid his life.

He drank another quarter of the bottle.

“Jihoon!” Soonyoung screeched, reaching for the bottle, ripping it out of Jihoon’s hands. The rest of the rebels were surprised at the show of dedication, but stayed silent as Soonyoung fussed over Jihoon. “You never listen! Why on Earth do you always always do this! I swear, I’m going to punch that tea right out of you, you-”

“Soonyoung, I think there’s a little left for you too. We need to get going with the spell.” Jihoon responded calmly, completely ignoring Soonyoung’s anger. Soonyoung looked absolutely affronted, but still did what Jihoon said, and drank the tiny bit of liquid left in the bottle.

“Alright, Hansol, what do we do next?” Jun spoke, ready to focus on Chan, absolutely tuned in to the situation. Hansol looked at all of them, the rebels, the prince, and then finally Chan, and he sighed.

“Get in a circle.” He toned, and Mingyu, DK, Jun, Jihoon, and Soonyoung all gathered around Jun’s bed, Chan sweating and panting in his unconscious state, the sight sickening. Jihoon and Soonyoung stood on Chan’s right, and Mingyu and DK rounding out in front and slightly to the left. Jun stood to Hansol’s left, while Hansol stood at Chan’s face to his left, the desk full of his supplies. Hansol picked up the last bottle of oil and poured a small amount on his hands. He handed it to Jun.

“This is to soothe your skin, so everyone put some on both hands. It allows your body to be receptive to the magic I’m going to be transferring to all of you. We’ll have to hold hands.” Hansol explained, everyone else slowly going down the line with the oil.

Finally, Jihoon finished and handed the bottle to Hansol, who set it down. He placed his right hand very carefully at Chan’s nape, the rest of the rebels reaching for each other’s hands. Hansol took hold of Jun’s hand.

“Now, Jihoon. Since we’re not trying to transfer any burden back onto Chan, make sure to not touch him. I’ll tell you when the magic has dissipated. I’m going to need you to lift your shirt and put your free hand on your stomach. It’s a safe place to keep it since we aren’t trying to connect the magic circle. Got it?” Hansol instructed. Jihoon nodded, doing as told. His stomach was caving in slightly, making Soonyoung wince when he saw it. Jihoon kept his face completely blank, and nobody dared to comment on how fragile Jihoon looked.

The room was silent.

“Let the ritual begin.”

_________________________________________

“You look young,” The feminine voice whispered, snaking its way to Minghao’s ears. He sat up, turning to his right. There sat a woman, mostly likely in her early forties, her skin dirty and washed out. Her eyes slightly dull. Yet her voice seemed curious.

“I am young.” He replied, not knowing what else to say to her. She looked through the bars to him, his wounds on display all over his body. He could see her questioning why he had them, why he was so beat up.

“Such a child like you, why are you here?” She asked, her voice soft, almost pitying. Minghao didn’t feel comfortable receiving the concern.

“Because I made a deal with the devil, and he took my soul.” Minghao answered, not really knowing how else to explain it. He barely knew why he was answering her. Maybe he was lonely.

“My name is Jinye Lee. My husband and I were imprisoned about five years ago for tax issues.” She said, clearly wanting to ask for more information on him. Maybe she was lonely too. After five years, who could blame her?

“The name’s Minghao. Jisoo put me in here.” He said, giving into her wish of communication. He had nothing better to do.

“Jisoo? The Prince? How on earth did you survive? He kills immigrants if they’re under arrest. I’m lucky my husband and I are citizens. Even then, our arrest was not peaceful.” She said worriedly, as if he was just an immigrant boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Minghao wishes it were that simple.

“I survived because I can still be useful. Nothing more, nothing less,” Minghao stated, looking down at his legs. They were bruised and dull, like the rest of his skin. He was cold and tired, and his back still stung horribly.

There was silence as the woman took in his words. He could tell she didn’t really understand, but Minghao was thankful for that. He didn’t want her to know what he had done to his family. Afraid of the judgement she might have for him.

“I hope my son is alright out there. He’s still so young, younger than you. It hurts to see children paying for the crimes of this kingdom. I haven’t seen him in so long, I don’t even know if he’s alive…” Her voice cracked, and her choked words cut out.

Minghao sighed, feeling sympathy for the mother. Sometimes he wonders how his mother saw him now, from above. Would she curse him? Or cry for him? Minghao didn’t know which he deserved at this point. He didn’t know which he preferred either.

He looked to Jinye, and spoke out, “What’s your son’s name?”

She looked to him, tears in her eyes, like she suddenly realized he was still there, listening. She smiled sadly at him, the face somehow familiar to him. She looked like somebody… Who?

“His name is Chan. Chan Lee. He was a short, skinny thing when we left him, but he had the cutest little tiny eyes. And his smile was so charming and boyish,” She said, her voice watery.

“Chan?” Minghao’s breath caught. Surely not? No.

“Yes. He was stubborn but playful child. Very headstrong. A bit short. I hope he hasn’t gotten into trouble.” She said, laughing through her drying tears.

“I… I think I know your son,” Minghao breathed out, not really meaning to tell her, especially because he knew what was next.

Jinne jumped, turning closer to the bars. “Really? Are you sure? How is he? How is my baby boy?” Her eyes sparkled, her tone desperate, and Minghao’s heart broke.

All the rebels just assumed Chan didn’t have parents. He never spoke about them, and the few times it was brought up, he had a scarring look on his face, dark and broken. So they never brought it up. But it made sense that Chan was one of the rebels if his parents were prisoners. The boy wanted to free them.

He’s like me. Minghao realized.

But was he really? While they had similar goals, Chan had done his parents proud, doing the right thing and trying to save innocent lives. He’d stayed true to his friends, even if he was in the rebels for personal gain, he still stayed loyal. Minghao on the other hand had thrown away everything for his goal, his morals clouded and mind darkened all in the hopes that he could free the one he loved. Minghao had broken Chan for purely selfish reasons and now the world threw it in his face, presenting him with the desperate mother of his victim. And honestly, he couldn’t turn away from the drowning guilt building in his chest.

“Chan is a really good kid. A bit of a trickster, but really sincere. You should be proud.” He said honestly, he just couldn’t break her heart. He’d done enough of that already. Jinne smiled wide, and sighed happily. She sobbed a little, but it was relief, not grief, and Minghao’s chest tightened.

“So he’s okay? My boy is out there, alright?” She asked, almost unbelieving. Minghao grimaced, but it went unnoticed.

“He’s very strong. I’d believe he could get through anything.” Minghao meant it, as much as he was avoiding the fact that no, Chan was not okay, and it was all his fault. Minghao had no idea if Hansol could heal Chan back to normal. Minghao snapped his spine, but it was the only alternative to snapping the boy’s neck. Jisoo would’ve killed Minghao had he left without any damage being done. Minghao had to hope, just as much as Jinne, that Chan would be alright. If Chan didn’t make it, or was even hindered at all by Minghao’s hand, he’d take full responsibility once this was over.

Minghao wasn’t doing this for himself. It was for her. And he’d take responsibility for what he’d done.

“I’m so glad. It makes the wait easier. Maybe someday I’ll see him again, and he’ll be a wonderful man.” She said, hopeful, strong. It made Minghao’s heart ache.

“I hope you see him as well. You both deserve it.” He whispered.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him, and Minghao tried to smile naturally back.

“I hope they feed you tonight,” Jinye whispered, a bleeding heart of a woman. Truly a mother at heart.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s the second day already. You forget how hungry you are after awhile,” he said, too exhausted to care about it. He knew Jisoo would do this. A simple whipping would not be enough for his failure. Starvation and psychological warfare was Jisoo’s plan for him.

“I would offer you my food but…” Jinye trailed off. She knew she couldn’t.

“I know. They’d take your food as well. Jisoo would find out and punish me worse. The thought is still very kind. You sound like a mother,” Minghao chuckled, Jinye joining, the two of them being unable to do anything else but joke in their dreary situation.

“I try. I have to mother someone,” She laughed, her eyes disappearing. Minghao was immediately reminded of Chan. He really looked like her.

“I get it. Sometimes I can’t stop trying to be a big brother,” He said, sighing.

“You have a sibling?” Jinye asked, curious. Minghao nodded.

“Two. My older brother and my younger sister.” Minghao admitted. Thinking about Jun was still painful.

“Wow, a middle child. Does your big brother baby you?” She said, teasing. Minghao smiled, trying to hide a painful look. Jinye didn’t catch on.

“He used to. Not so much now,” Minghao explained, thinking about his current situation. Last time Jun saw him, Minghao betrayed him. Jun went in for a fatal blow.

“Yeah, I guess you are a little old for that now,” Jinye said, thoughtful. “What about your sister? I assume she’s the baby everyone loves.” Minghao smiled brightly, thinking of Qian.

“Yes. She’s a little sunshine, for sure. Everyone loves her. I’m her big brother who’s wrapped around her finger,” He said, his mind thinking about the little girl that they’d had to leave behind, all those years ago. Her smile. Her laugh. Qian.

“I’ve heard of brothers that would do anything for their sisters. It’s so sweet,” Jinye said, affection gleaming in her eyes.

“I’m that brother. There’s a lot I’ve done for her, and I won’t stop.” Minghao exhaled, nodding to himself. He whispered softly, so Jinye could no longer hear him. “Not until I set her free from this prison.”

___________________________________

“Let me in! I have to speak to him!” Seungkwan startled, hearing the screeching of his brother, Jisoo, through the door. He sounded infuriated, scary. Jumping off his bed, Seungkwan quickly hid his books under his bed, and backed away from the door, hearing the guards and Jisoo shuffle to open the locked door.
“Seungkwan!” Jisoo shouted, red-faced and angry, bursting through his bedroom door and quickly made his way to rush menacingly towards Seungkwan.
“It must have been you, you little snake! Always sneaking around Hansol, you knew! You spilled!” Jisoo pointed at Seungkwan, the young mage absolutely baffled.

“Jisoo? I have no idea what you’re talking about-”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Jihoon. You knew.” Jisoo growled at him, his glare dark and cold. Seungkwan shivered.

“You mean, did I know you were planning on killing your own brother? Yes, I did, and I can barely stand to look at you for it. You’re a monster, Jisoo.” Seungkwan sneered back. He wasn’t going to cower in the face of another controlling family member. Not anymore.

“Did you, or did you not tell anyone? Does anyone know?” Jisoo hissed, pointedly ignoring the insult to his character. He knew he was a monster. Rarely did he relish in it.

“Other than Hansol, who already knew, no. Well, I did try to tell Seungcheol, but he disregarded it like stale bread. He didn’t even bother to speak to you about it, did he?” Seungkwan said truthfully. No one else would’ve known.

“No, our father didn’t bother with any speak of it. You and I both know he believes nothing you say.” Jisoo said, amused. Seungkwan sighed.

“Yes, I know. I told nobody else.” Seungkwan answered, watching Jisoo’s face for his next move. His brother was a killer. He couldn’t exactly relax around him.

“Then how on Earth did the plan fail? How did they know?” Jisoo turned away, whispering to himself. However, the bitterness in his voice made it loud enough for Seungkwan to hear, alarming him.

“You already did it? Where’s Jihoon?! Is he okay!?” Seungkwan screamed at Jisoo, his veins cold.

“Shut your mouth, he’s fine. Unfortunately. My plan did not work, so I suppose I will have to try another approach.” Jisoo said aloud, not really focused on Seungkwan.

“Stay away from Jihoon.” Seungkwan gritted out, his hands fisted, his demeanor cold.

“No.” Jisoo turned to see Seungkwan, angry and red and scoffed. “You’re only a child, you have no idea the stakes this Kingdom faces. What I did had very little to do with Jihoon, and everything to do with what you can never understand. You flitter around, no purpose whatsoever and expect to understand the complexities of what an heir feels? You can never understand me.” Jisoo spits out.

Seungkwan’s dark face doesn’t change. “You aren’t the heir. Jihoon is.” Seungkwan whispers.

“Not for long. I will dispose of him, and if you get in my way I will do the same to you. Don’t make me teach you the consequences of defying a king. I don’t want to hurt you if I don’t have to.” Jisoo says, his eyes warm. For all the threatening he did, he still looked like he loved Seungkwan. Baffled, Seungkwan couldn’t understand it.

“But you sure have no qualms destroying the rest of our family. Not only that, but you have no problems killing our subjects. I’ve seen it, Jisoo. The way you take out immigrants. Our servants are terrified of you. I hate you, our Kingdom hates you and every immigrant hates you to hell and back. You aren’t a King. You’re just a boy who was allowed far too much power.” Seungkwan spat, Jisoo’s features morphing. The love in his eyes was gone. Only fury lay there now.

“You should watch your tongue!” Jisoo, enraged, pulled out his sword at his belt. Seungkwan stumbled back, seeing Jisoo advance with the weapon. Seungkwan bit his lip, his heart rate rising rapidly. His brother wouldn’t… Would he?

“Jisoo. If you really think hurting me is the answer, then all you do is prove everything I’ve said.” Seungkwan titters, nerves jittering.

“I will have proven nothing but that I know how to make you listen.” Jisoo sneers, nearing Seungkwan.

“Just stop this. Work for the throne alongside our brother. Stop the needless violence. What happened to you!? Just stop killing people! Stop thinking that violence is the answer! How can you look those immigrants in the eye and hurt them like that!?” Seungkwan yells, terrified of his own family.

“Shut your mouth!” Jisoo lifted his sword, his face a ghost of the kind-looking brother.

“Stop!”

Then there was only light.

The entire room seemed to still, the sparks dying down a second after they began. The burst of sound left the entire scene blaringly silent.

Seungkwan slowly opened his eyes, wondering himself what happened. He looked around, his body stuffed into the corner of the room from the force. Seungkwan cleared his dry throat, he felt weak and tired, but saw the room, scorched and black, and Jisoo, unconscious, on the other side of the room. He was lying at the wall, his sword strewn away from him.

Had… He done this?

He coughed, his chest hurting. His hacking continued for a long minute, Seungkwan ignoring the harsh footsteps rushing towards the room.

Right after he looked up from his coughing fit, he saw Jeonghan, his Dad, rushing towards him in concern.

“My baby, what happened? Are you hurt?” Jeonghan kneeled next to Seungkwan, checking him over for wounds, but he seemed void of injury.

“I’m fine, Dad. I… Jisoo was angry and he… And then this happened.” Seungkwan coughed out, his voice hoarse.

“He attacked you?” Jeonghan questioned, his face stricken. Like he couldn’t believe it. Seungkwan’s heart ached for his father, who wouldn’t want to believe the shambles that was the sibling’s relationship.

“Yes. I… I suppose I defended myself. I didn’t mean to, though.” Seungkwan explained. Jeonghan looked around, taking in the scene. His face was clouded with something… Concern? Guilt? Seungkwan couldn’t pick it out in his dizzy state.

“I’m glad you’re alright.” Jeonghan said, the guards finally coming in. “Take Jisoo to his room. He should be fine. Seungkwan didn’t hit him directly with a spell.” Jeonghan explained, glancing over the scorch marks decorating the wall.

“Spell? I… That was magic?” He said aloud. Of course it was, but he still hadn’t really put two and two together just yet.

“Yes. I think in your panicked state, your inner magic just… Exploded. Every magician has a small reserve of energy for defensive spells. Usually they develop it after… Years of training, but I suppose you created it after very little instruction. Mages usually direct the spell towards someone, and it’s far less crude, but I suppose this is how your magic tried to protect you. Impressive, I admit.” Jeonghan picks up Seungkwan bridal style, taking him out of the room with little effort.

“You’re so much lighter,” Jeonghan comments, walking down the hall towards a guest bedroom that was already made up. He set Seungkwan down on the bed.

“Here. I will have you rest while I send for Hansol.” Jeonghan whispers, leaving the room. Seungkwan, in his exhausted state, couldn’t find it within him to protest.

________

The room was quiet. Chan’s eyes fluttered, still tired, still aching. His sight was blurry, wet. Had he been crying? His own breathing filled his ears, and the room was empty. His throat was dry, and his lips cracked.

The memories came rushing back.

Minghao, the poison, his back.

Chan sat up suddenly, his entire body protesting. He could move, which was good sign. His joints popped and his back felt stiff, but he assumed Hansol had been asked to heal him. No way a doctor could have fixed his back.

How long was he out?

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, Chan got up, his feet sensitive on the wooden floor. He looked around the empty room, and then down at his half-naked form. His shirt was gone, but his pants were still in place, albeit stained with some blood.

Chan briefly wondered what he should do. Of course, it would be nice to stay, he didn’t want to leave the rebels behind. Yet, he couldn’t find a good reason to stay. Once they found out why he refused to give Jun information, Chan wouldn’t be welcome anymore. He should save himself the trouble and leave now. Nodding to himself, Chan takes a shirt out of Jun’s dresser, and throws it on. Then, he goes to window, opening it. He sighs, looking over the familiar room one last time. Then he sticks his leg out the window.

“Chan?! What the hell are you doing?!” From behind Chan in the doorway, DK shouted. Chan startled, falling back into the room, his face heated up in guilt. DK rushed in, the other rebels not far behind, alerted by DK’s shouts. Chan sat on the floor, hunched over, his face hidden by his bangs. He didn’t really want to look at them.

“Chan, get back into bed, you’re still healing! I don’t care your reasons, I’m not letting you out of bed for a long time! You scared me half to death!” Jun shouted, his eyes worried, contrasting his threatening tone. Chan turned away, not letting DK pick him up.

“I was trying to leave.” Chan muttered, deciding the truth was in order. Jun, DK, and Mingyu who was now in the doorway were all taken aback.

“We’re… Sorry. Chan, I really am.” Jun whispered, Chan startling. He surely wasn’t expecting that. He’d… Kept information from them. Almost let Jihoon die.

“You shouldn’t be. There’s no reason to apologize. I told DK the first time I was hurt. I’m not here for love or loyalty. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. You shouldn’t have healed me.” Chan gritted out, the wooden floor stil cold and hard beneath him. The three rebels looked among each other, slightly confused.

“Chan, I know I should’ve helped you. I didn’t protect you from Minghao, I froze. And I’m sorry for that. But I’m not sorry for caring about you. I’m not sorry for healing you, either. You were my responsibility and I failed you. Not the other way around.” Jun said, determinedly. It pained Chan’s heart to hear the love in his voice, and the other rebels voiced their own affirmations. They loved him. But he didn’t tell them the truth.

“I hid information from you. I knew Minghao was going to poison Jihoon. I kept it from you on purpose. What happened what just my own karma.” Chan explained, his tone dark and impersonal. It was time to face facts. He put his personal goals in front of the rebels. He betrayed them.

“Why would you hide that from us? I know I wasn’t receptive to the fact Minghao is a traitor, I know. But I promise I wouldn’t have blamed you for telling me. Did I scare you into hiding it?” Jun asked, his voice guilty. Chan couldn’t bear it. He looked up, seeing the guilt, the concern, the love in all of their eyes. Mingyu, DK, Jun. They were his big brothers, he loved them. Why did they love him so easily? They never blamed him. He was so scared.

And the walls holding everything back broke loose.

Firstly, his lip trembled, his throat choked. He tried to open his mouth to explain but he couldn't keep his tears down.

“I’m sorry! I-I-I!” Chan sobbed, his hands covering his wet eyes. His breath wheezed, trying to intake air, trying to explain himself.

“No, shh! You don’t have to be.” DK whispered, hugging Chan close, both huddled together on the ground. Jun and Mingyu rushed forward as well, kneeling by Chan. He sobbed harder. He didn’t deserve them.

“No! You don’t understand! I- I used you! My parents, they- I just- and I thought I could- But!” He wanted to tell them, they had to know why the guilt was eating him up.

“Your parents?” Jun questioned, eyebrows furrowing. He reached out, rubbing Chan’s back. “Hey, hey, it’s alright. Just breathe deeply and tell us what’s going on.”

Chan did as he was told, trying to will the anxiety away and tried to speak clearly. He coughed, his throat raw and mouth dry, but he wanted to get the words out nonetheless.

“I originally joined the rebels so I could free my parents from the kingdom’s prison.” Chan whispered, voice choked back by emotion.

“You never told us. You never brought up your parents at all. I thought you didn’t have any.” DK said, his hands still firm and comforting on Chan’s arms.

“We all did.” Mingyu added, concern still written in his expression,

“Of course I didn’t tell you. My personal mission was not the rebel's priority, and your mission wasn’t my priority. I was a kid, scared that I would never be able to free my parents so I decided joining was my best option. I wasn’t expecting to… I never thought you would become my brothers.” Chan admitted. It was true. He loved them. They were his family, not by blood but from love, and Chan couldn’t bear the fact that he tried to use them. But he had to own up to it.

“You’re still a kid, Chan. The weight of that on your shoulders… I can relate, and it’s not a wonderful feeling. It’s not your fault that your feelings got mixed up, that you didn’t know what you should’ve done. You were alone with the ultimatum of your life. I can’t promise I would’ve done the right thing like you did. Hell, I didn’t! When it came down to it, you decided that you wouldn’t let Jihoon die, and that you wouldn’t sabotage us. Even I couldn’t find the strength to fight Minghao at first.” Jun said. Chan softened, seeing the regret on Jun’s face.

“He’s your brother, Jun.” Chan quipped, sincerity evident.

“Not anymore. Not after what he did to you.” Jun gritted, anger spilling out.

“No.” Chan insisted, making DK and Mingyu turn to him curiously.

“He’s still your brother, whether he’s done awful things or not. I feel like I let my hatred of the royal family cloud my judgement. Jisoo certainly has a hold on your brother. But that’s exactly it. When Minghao fought me… It was desperate. Scared. Like a wild dog, trying to keep on it’s last leg. Jisoo broke him, Jun. When I consider the cruelties that the royal family is capable of… I don’t know if we should condemn him just yet.” Chan explained.

“You didn’t see what he did to your back,” Mingyu scoffed, unbelieving of Chan’s compassion.

“You’re right. I felt it.” The last words struck the other rebels hard, Jun gritting his teeth. “But everyone is capable of doing awful things for love. He’s not a monster. He’s just a human, making mistakes.” Chan whispered.

“We’ll help you free your parents, Chan. If I had someone left to save, I would rush into that castle, immediately. With or without a plan. I won’t let you lose them, like I lost my family.” Jun declared, sidestepping the topic of Minghao completely. Chan sighed, nodding.

“Now let’s get you back into bed.” Mingyu grunted, standing up.

____________

“... Let me look at his condition!” Hansol could be heard exclaiming through the door. Seungkwan squirmed, waking up from a deep sleep. His head ached, his body felt weak, and the last thing he wanted was Hansol to see him like this. Maybe this situation was inevitable.

“Head inside, Hansol.” Jeonghan said, tone flat. Seungkwan looked over to the door opening, Hansol with his bag of supplies rushed in, Jeonghan slower behind him. As Hansol set down his things, Jeonghan kneeled at Seungkwan’s bedside, stroking his hair with a soft smile on his face.

“We’ll get you taken care of, Seungkwan, sweetie. Dad’s not going to let you get hurt again.” Jeonghan whispers, soft and full of love. In Seungkwan’s weakened state, he leaned into his Dad’s touch, not having the energy to be upset about his lockdown. He wanted comfort.

“Alright, I’ve got my things. Jeonghan. I’m going to need you to leave. I have to check his energy levels and you know you can’t be present for it.” Hansol deadpanned, slightly impatient. He wasn’t exactly a super fan of the Queen.

“Are you sure? It’s not like I-”

“Jeonghan, illegal to do magic or no, you still have magical energy and I can’t have you skewing the results. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement. You know where that leads.” Hansol spat out, tired of the overprotective spiel. No one was better than Hansol in the Kingdom. Not even Jeonghan himself.

“Fine. I’ll be back when you’re done for the results.” Jeonghan huffed, leaving the room after one last gentle pat on Seungkwan’s head.

Hansol sighed, his guard dropped after the exit of the Queen. Hansol and Jeonghan had a very strained relationship. They had the same master, Hansol’s second, but Jeonghan’s only master. Hansol hadn’t been there when Jeonghan chose royalty over magic, but Hansol heard anecdotes from his master. Considering all he heard, their relationship was quite strained. Not to mention difficulty the Queen was giving Seungkwan about his own ambition for magic.

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this,” Seungkwan rasped, and Hansol turned to him, eyebrows raised. He smiled, and walked over to the tired young mage.

“Don’t be sorry. What you did to protect yourself was actually very impressive. Most mages don’t have the capability to use their reserve magic without very intense training. You did it naturally. I’d say you’re a prodigy.” Hansol teased, pushing Seungkwan’s hair out of his face. “Besides, now I get to see you. Which is a reward in and of itself.” Hansol laughs, expression bright. Seungkwan smiles, eyes tired but truthful.
“Alright, I’m going to take a gander at your magical energy. It’s not difficult, and painless. It’s a little intimate or invasive, considering I’m sensing and feeling your energy, your life, in essence, but it doesn’t take long. I’ll begin whenever you’re ready.” Hansol explained, professionally. Seungkwan nodded, letting Hansol have the go-ahead. Maybe he would’ve been more apprehensive with another mage, but Hansol was his closest friend. Seungkwan’s cheeks grew red. He didn’t mind Hansol sensing his energy.

Hansol placed his left thumb on Seungkwan’s forehead, touch soft and loving. Seungkwan held back from leaning into it.

“Close your eyes and relax. Keep your mind clear and worries hidden.” Hansol whispered, tone gentle and reassuring. Seungkwan sighed, letting the tension leave his body. Hansol looked down at Seungkwan, the weaker boy closing his eyes, and Hansol took a deep breath.

Sensing magical energy wasn’t performing magic, per say. It didn’t cost life, because the mage is using their own life force to feel the magical energy of another. It wasn’t a spell, it was a magical checkup, and Hansol knew very well that it was imperative to be gentle and slow, so as not to damage or invade another’s energy.

Hansol closed his eyes, feeling the energy in the room, moving his magic to cusp the corners of Seungkwan’s form. Hansol heard a soft sigh from Seungkwan, most likely unintentional, but Hansol could tell he was relaxed. His heart was open. Hansol carefully began to use his magic to sense the feel of Seungkwan’s health.

His energy seemed healthy, but there was a loss, most likely from the used reserve magic. Seungkwan’s health was significantly damaged, as if he came down with a bad illness. With rest and training, he’d most likely heal up quick.

But sealing was off-limits.

Of course, Hansol would’ve refused the demand to seal Seungkwan’s magic anyway, but the damaged energy solidified his decision.

Carefully, again, Hansol removed his magic from the vicinity, gathering it back inside himself, and lifted his hands from Seungkwan.

“Alright, I’m done.” Hansol voiced, his volume breaking the atmosphere in the room. Seungkwan opened his eyes, still tired.

“How am I doing, doc?” Seungkwan joked, trying to smile. Hansol laughed, entertained by his antics.

“Well, it certainly took a lot out of you, but I think you’ll be okay if you take care of yourself. Go see an actual doctor for some things that can help your energy.” He takes a quick pause. “Now I have to convince your dad that sealing your magic would be the worst thing for you.” Hansol acquiesces.

“Seal my magic!? What do you mean?!” Seungkwan screeched, shooting up from his bed. Hansol startled, quickly going to calm him down.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s okay.” Hansol slowly guides Seungkwan back down to lay in the bed. “I won’t let it happen. Besides, sealing magic is supposed to be a punishment for rogue mages. It was done in a less progressive time where magic was seen as an art to defile nature. While I can do it, I have no desire too. No mage does.” Hansol said, calming Seungkwan. “I won’t let your dad force me to do that to you.” He affirmed.

Seungkwan swallowed. “Why?” He whispered, hesitant. Hansol looked down, Seungkwan avoiding his eyes.

“What do you mean?” Hansol asked, confused. Seungkwan wouldn’t look towards him.

“You were so against teaching me at first. Couldn’t you just seal my magic and be done with me? Like you wanted?” Seungkwan said, his eyes tearing. He didn’t know why he was saying this. He should’ve kept his mouth shut, but in his tired state of mind, he couldn’t help but get honest and emotional.

“Seungkwan,” Hansol toned, soft and slightly guilty, sitting down and reaching to pull Seungkwan’s face towards him in the process. “I know I was against this in the beginning. There was more than one reason why, and it certainly wasn’t because I wanted you out of my life. I just… had reservations. Magic is dangerous, and I don’t like seeing people I care about choose a path that could hurt them.” Hansol explained. Truth was, he did find Seungkwan aggravating when he was forcing the idea of magic on him, but Hansol soon realized his anger and frustration was coming from feelings he was suppressing.

“Why do you feel the need to protect me?” Seungkwan asked, his cheek against Hansol’s palm. His eyes looked up, watery and sweet.

“I thought it was obvious,” Hansol whispered.

And then he leaned down and sealed his answer with a gentle kiss.

____________________________

Clangs were heard from down the prison’s hall. Minghao stirred, his back roaring to life with stinging pain once again. His ribs stuck out, poking the blankets, aching with bruises. Shuffling was heard behind Minghao’s cell, and Minghao struggled to rise. He knew who it was.

“Come forth, we don’t have time to waste.” Jisoo called, his voice still cold, but strangely alluring. Minghao felt his heart burn. He didn’t want to crawl back for forgiveness, he didn’t want to return to Jisoo, but the silence of the prison, surrounded by other pitiful prisoners, Chan’s mother who had nothing but concern for him, the shame that filled him when he starved instead of grimy prison sustenance, was more awful than the traitorous clutches of the first prince.

So he got up.

With his stinging, scabbing back, bruised and bony legs, he rose, and walked to Jisoo.

“Good boy,” Jisoo smirked, as he unlocked the cell. Minghao heard his ankles pop as he neared the opened gate, his eyes looking toward the ground.

“I have a job for you,” Jisoo spoke, his face pleased. Minghao walked out, following Jisoo down the hall.

He refused to look back to Chan’s mother, who was undoubtedly looking at Minghao’s submission in horror.

Minghao followed in silence behind Jisoo, who walked proudly to his own room, guards ignoring them, not even sparing a glance toward Minghao. Minghao softly closed the door, kneeling in front of Jisoo.

“You have done well in your punishment. Three days I locked you down there, with no food, no aid towards your injuries, and yet you still stand. You are absolved of your wrongdoing, Minghao.” Jisoo spoke, and Minghao fought not to flinch at the use of his name. Jisoo didn’t address him that way. Had he truly been forgiven?

“However, while you have absolved your shame, I do need another display of loyalty. Do not fear, I will reward you accordingly if you succeed, but you must do this for me.” Jisoo said, looking down.

“Anything, sire.” Minghao said, his eyes glued to the ground, his chest heavy.

“Your friend, what was his name? … DK? Ah yes, DK.” Jisoo began to walk around, closing in on Minghao like a snake.

“I want you to kill him. Slit his throat and watch the light leave his eyes. Then, I know you are loyal. Then, I will let you have whatever you want.” Jisoo whispered, leaning down to Minghao's ear. Minghao looked up, his eyes not seeing what was ahead of him, glazed over with emotions he couldn’t place.

“Your will be done, Sire.”

Chapter Text

Mingyu was nervous. It made sense, considering where his mind was at. Everything that had transpired back with the rebels was of course his priority, but the slow building anxiety was washing over him, and this moment was all he could think about.

Finally, after a couple of days, the rebel home had settled down. Jun left everyone to their devices. Soonyoung and Jihoon had gone back to the palace after healing Chan had significantly weakened the prince. DK went to work his fruit stand, and Mingyu tended to Chan, who was still weak and emotionally fragile. On the third day after Chan woke up, Mingyu decided to talk to Jun, who thankfully ignored the “speak to everyone at once” rule in light of what had happened last time it was enforced.

It’s not as though Mingyu had been keeping Wonwoo a secret, and considering the interaction Mingyu and Wonwoo had at the raid all that time ago it’s not like Jun had no idea he was seeing someone, but Mingyu still felt the need to be completely honest. He’d been hush about the whole thing because he wanted to protect both Wonwoo and the rebel’s opinion of him. The talk had gone well, Jun had relatively no worries about the relationship, only that Mingyu should be careful and tread carefully, worrying much like a protective sibling would.

Where Mingyu was now, sitting under the tree waiting for Wonwoo, he was glad to have the support of one of the most important people in his life. The season of spring was quickly turning hot, the sun beating down, the temperature sweltering. Mingyu didn’t mind waiting, he always made sure to show up as early as he could, just in case Wonwoo wasn’t late. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with his love.

That’s what it was wasn’t it? Mingyu had already fit Wonwoo into his life, already thinks about him, worries about him and smiles for him, and yet he dreaded the conversation. Not because he was scared, but that Mingyu couldn’t handle rejection at this point.

“You little snake!” Mingyu jumped, hearing the shrill voice of Wonwoo, something he’d only heard once before. Mingyu quickly got up, tripping over himself, to meet Wonwoo, who was marching towards him in a huff.

“I… What’s wrong, Love?” Mingyu asked, confused and rattled. Wonwoo only stopped when he was right in Mingyu’s face, eyes squinted in anger.

“I don’t know what you and your little rebels are planning to do with Jihoon, but I swear if you keep draining him like that I’ll beat your ass, Mingyu, don’t try me!” Wonwoo yelled, agitated. Mingyu, not really understanding, put his hands up in surrender.

“Please, calm down! Explain? Wonwoo I swear I have never meant to push Jihoon, okay? If he was weakened, it was most likely because he pushed himself, and we try not to let him do that.” Mingyu said calmly, Wonwoo slowly backing up and diffusing. He sighs.

“I know, he used to be like that when he was a kid. I guess he’s finally got his energy back. He was always sick, but somewhere he gave up. Ever since the decision that he’d be king, he’s been… Different good, but different in a dangerous way too. He really needs to value himself more.” Wonwoo sighed.

“So?” Mingyu looked hesitant.

“We’re good. I’m sorry I freaked out. I just… If we lose Jihoon, we lose hope for this kingdom. Half of the servants and guards are loyal to Jisoo, and the other half is for Jihoon. We feel protective of him. Well, not as much as Soonyoung but… We still do,” Wonwoo explained, looking slightly ashamed.

“It’s fine, I get it. I’m protective over the rebels too, especially Chan. You just catch me off guard when you’re angry when I see you for the first time in a while.” Mingyu explained, trying not to laugh.

“It’s just… With all of the talk in the Castle, everyone’s uneasy. It's like the entire Kingdom knows everything is about to come to a head, but they don’t know how or when. That kind of atmosphere… It’s not easy to work in.” Wonwoo explained, looking troubled.

Mingyu sighed. “I understand. I didn't realize how stressful this would be on you as well. Part of me wishes that I could able to just take you away from it all. A pipe dream, but a nice fantasy nonetheless.” He looked to Wonwoo, who smiled bittersweetly.

“I appreciate the thought. Being a servant was fine, when I could turn my head from everything I didn't want to think about. It was wrong, but it was easy. Now… With you it's changed. I care, which makes it hard. It's not like I haven't thought about what it would be like together. If I wasn't bound by the kingdom and you weren't a criminal. I have. And… I admit I want it. I want you.” Wonwoo’s voice flittered into a whisper, his wishes traveling out in the wind. Mingyu leaned closer, placing his hand on Wonwoo's shoulder.

“I can do that. I can give you that.” Mingyu spoke softly into Wonwoo's hair. Mingyu could feel Wonwoo tense, hesitant but not unwilling.

“How?” Wonwoo asked in a breath, as if he was afraid that a variation in volume would break the spell of the atmosphere.

“When this is over, I'll give myself to you. You can have me, you'll be safe, I'll lay my weapons down. When we win the Kingdom, you'll win all of me, too. What do you say, love?” Mingyu smiled, his heart beating so wildly he wondered if Wonwoo could feel it from his fingertips. Wonwoo broke his embrace, looking into Mingyu’s eyes.

“I say kiss me, you absolute fool.”

Mingyu didn't dare keep the other half of his soul waiting.

Rough lips laid on top of soft ones, as Mingyu’s calloused hands ran through Wonwoo's uniform hair, thoroughly messing it up, as if everything about Wonwoo was changing with every second he spent with him. And Wonwoo kissed him back like he never wanted to live another second as a Wonwoo left unchanged by love.

Mingyu surged forward, pushing Wonwoo against the tree, his knee separating Wonwoo's legs, making space that Wonwoo readily accepted.

They broke apart to breathe, Mingyu laying his forehead on Wonwoo's.

“Damn, I love you.” Wonwoo seductively admitted, Mingyu’s heart swelled with the declaration.

“And you're mine. Forever, I promise you'll be mine.” Mingyu swore.

And as they began to kiss again, Wonwoo prayed to anything that Mingyu could keep that promise.

____________________________________

Minghao wasn't thinking. He didn't want to think right now. He wanted to stay in the numb feeling that enveloped his whole being.

He had a task. That's all he knew.

Kill DK. Kill him. That's it.

It didn't matter that he could barely feel his arms and legs, the pain of his healing back aching and stinging slowly seeping through his safe headspace.

He knew tears were slowly rivering down his face, but it was irrelevant. He almost didn't notice it, but the more he thought about killing DK, the less numb he felt.

Currently, he was hiding in a large tree a little ways behind DK’s stand, completely silent.

He had a knife in his hand, though he doesn't really remember how it got there. He was gripping the hilt so hard his hand had rubbed itself raw. Minghao looked down at the weapon, and decided it didn't matter.

Nothing really mattered much, anyway.

Distinctly, Minghao tried to remember why he was doing this at all. Lying in waiting, about to steal a life.

Was it loyalty? To whom? All he would remember was the taste of cloth and the feeling of fire in his back. His forehead began to sweat at the thought.

Was he just afraid?

It didn't matter.

Before he began pondering on why exactly he felt so empty, he heard the crunch of gravel and dirt, and he tensed. Was it the target? Or someone else? The strange ache left him the more he distanced himself. Just a task. Just a target.

This is all a game.

As Minghao fought to hold on, DK came through the clearing, forcing him to focus. Minghao stared ahead, taking in the sight of the target, his nice eyes, and unassuming stance, so unnecessarily full of trust. It made Minghao’s head hurt, and he hated it.

Still, he geared up to ambush, waiting until just the right second. When DK finally got close enough, Minghao jumped.

With relative ease, Minghao landed behind DK. Minghao tightened his grip on his blade, and moved forward slightly, inching ever closer.

“Are you going to attack? Or are you trying to follow me home, stray?” Minghao jumped at the harsh words from the man ahead of him. Minghao began to panic. He’d been caught? Had he failed? Was he going to be hurt again? He remembered the white hot of the whip and began to breathe harder. No. He had to stay and fight. He had to. He had to. There was no choice, he had to.

“Well?” DK growled out, back still turned. Minghao braced his grip on the knife once more, and waited for DK to attack. Slowly, DK turned around, tense stance unchanging. However, the look on his face went from apprehensive and angry to… Heartbroken? It was hard to tell, and Minghao didn’t want to focus on his eyes or face too long.

“Oh god… Minghao? Is… Is that really you?” DK asked, looking concerned, slightly horrified.

No, look away.

“It’s not anybody else,” Minghao spat out, his throat constricting, his hands beginning to tremble. What was he doing? Why was he even here?

Because you can’t escape.

“Look, Minghao, I don’t know what Jisoo has-”

“Don’t!” Minghao screamed. Startling even himself. He watched as DK looked even more horrified. “Don’t say his name.” Minghao spat again. DK took a deep breath.

“Okay, I don’t know what the prince has done to you, but something is wrong. Please. Talk to me. Let me help you. I don’t know if you’re in love with him or if he’s threatened you, but this is obviously hurting you.”

“He has what I want. Simple.” Minghao toned, flat. It wasn’t simple, not at all, but he didn’t want to explain. DK’s eyes squinted, worry evident.

“Minghao, please.” Minghao paused at the soft words.

“Minghao?” He questioned softly. Again, the name felt weird on his tongue, as if it was from far too long ago for it to feel familiar. He only remembered one other person using it in the moment, and he hadn’t liked that very much either.

“Yes…? Minghao. That’s your name. I’m DK… And you’re Minghao.” DK slowly explained, inching closer, like Minghao was a terrified animal. He wasn’t far off the mark.

“I know that!” Minghao shouted, lifting the knife from its resting position. “I have to kill DK, kill DK, I have to!” Minghao shouted, moving closer to DK. He had to.

“Who said you have to kill me? Minghao, do you really want me dead?” DK asked, backing away, completely on alert.

“I have to. No choice! It’s not about want! I have to. No more, no more. I have to.” Minghao muttered brokenly, remembering the dungeon, his desire to save, his pain.

“Minghao. Please. Don’t do this. I care about you. You aren’t like this. I don’t think you want to fight me.” DK pleaded, backing away slightly. The walkway was quickly getting darker, the sun close to setting.

“No, no, no!” Minghao shook his head, shaking more.

He’s lying.

“Monster! I have to, a monster has to! She won’t- If I don’t!” Minghao twitched, remembering Qian. He shuddered, fear taking hold again. Not just fear for himself, but for her. “Fight me! Fight me, DK! I know you can snap a neck just as easily as my brother, come on! Fight me!” Minghao yelled, taking another good look at his knife, trying to walk forward and close the distance between them.

“No. I won’t fight you, Minghao. I refuse.” DK grit out, hands in fists.

Liar.

“Why not!?” Minghao’s scream tore out from his throat, his eyes watering again. He ignored it, on edge, in case DK would strike.

“Minghao. I… There’s so many reasons, but… I don’t want to fight you. You alone, I don’t think I can fight against. I hoped I would never have to. When I found out you were… working against us, it hurt me. I can’t fight you. I’ve loved you for a long time.” DK explained, voice soft and accommodating. It was like a curse had been broken, a veil lifted. “I can’t fight the boy I love.”

“You don’t- This is- This is wrong! You’re supposed to fight me! And then I- Maybe I lose, and maybe I get out, maybe you would save her, because I don’t even know if there’s anything left of me she wants to see.” Minghao sobbed, shaking, dropping his knife. He couldn’t feel his fingers anymore, but he could feel the weight in his chest, and the tremor in his voice. It felt like weakness.

It felt like failure.

This is a game.

And we’re losing.

“Minghao, what are you talking about? Who? What’s going on?” DK begins to speed up, less anxious about the distance. More concerned about Minghao’s state.

“Qian! Obviously!” Minghao cries, tears further staining his vision, his movements sloppy, sluggish. “She’s trapped, she’s there, he has her! But I can’t- I said- I’d do anything but, I don’t even know who I is now, I can’t. I can’t go back, but I have to. I have to. I have to go back, I have to kill you, have to, have to, have to.”

“Minghao. Please, explain to me. Where is Qian?”

“She’s in the prison. Trapped. She- She’s- She’s-”

“Wasn’t she killed?” DK broke in.

“No, never, she was never dead. She was taken. But I- I thought she had- but really she hadn’t-”

“Then why didn’t you tell Jun?” DK asked, not letting Minghao speak for too long. He was only panicking worse when he had time to think.

“I couldn’t lose two of them! Not both, I couldn’t- Jun was too much- I need him!” Minghao cried, still sobbing, he was slowly backing away toward a wooden wall. DK let him create the distance.

“You thought… That… You thought Jun would get himself killed trying to save her, didn’t you? You wanted to protect him?” DK realized, his heart aching for his friend.

“I-I- Jun had to be safe. I had to keep him safe. I have to- have to, have to, there’s no other way, I had to-”

“How do you feel about Jisoo?” DK asked, regretting it as soon as it left his mouth.

Minghao screamed.

“No, not the pain! The pain, the dungeon, the- the- I can’t, not again, if I- if I fail I’ll die this time, maybe finally it’ll be over this time. I just can’t-” Minghao crumpled on the ground, crying. DK cursed, and made his way over to Minghao, the discarded knife out of reach.

“Minghao, I’m sorry, I won’t say it, come on, I’m sorry, you don’t have to go back to the prince.” DK comforted, trying to bring Minghao back from the brink of hysteria. Minghao perked up, immediately his tears were no longer taking over Minghao’s face.

“No, I have to go back to the prince. The prince is fine, if I succeed I’m fine. I-I- I want to go back to the prince. Don’t I? There’s nowhere else.” Minghao sniffles, sounding confused and disoriented.

“Minghao, I thought- hasn’t the prince hurt you?” DK asked, baffled at the sudden change.

“No. I don’t think so. I-I don’t think so. But- Qian. I have to. I have to prove my loyalty. I am loyal, I promise, DK I am loyal, I- I-” Minghao trailed off looking at him, muddled and searching, like he had no idea what he was trying to prove, just that there was something that mattered. DK fought not to look away, his face scrunched and eyes red.

“I understand. Minghao, I’m going to pick up your knife, okay?” DK told him, not wanting to scare him anymore.

“Okay.” He whispered, nose stuffy, but voice unsuspecting. DK tried not to cry himself. Minghao’s voice was so… subdued. Like there was nothing left anymore. DK slowly backed away from Minghao, and went to the knife, quietly laying in the road. He picked it up, and brought it back over to Minghao.

“Hey, Minghao?” DK lilted, not making any sudden moves.

“Yeah?” Minghao answered, looking up, eyes wide and innocent. DK felt his heart ache.

“You need to make it look like I died, right?” DK asked, willing to help Minghao, even if who sat in front of him was barely Minghao at the moment.

“Yeah, but I- I- I don’t want to hurt you. I can’t kill you. I couldn’t kill Jihoon, I couldn’t kill Chan, I didn’t want to- is he? Is Chan okay? I hurt him so bad, but I was so scared, for me and him. But-But- Jisoo would kill me if I went back and failed, and it hurt so bad, I didn’t know where I was. The whip, I couldn’t, I just couldn’t, I’m so sorry,” Minghao mumbled, and DK let him for a little while, wanting him to get out some of his disordered, jumbled thoughts.

“It’s okay, Minghao. I’m not going to let you get hurt this time.” He assured. “How about this? How about I cover your knife in my blood, and make it look like you stabbed me, and you can tell the prince that you killed me, okay? I’ll stay with the rebels, stay unseen for a little while, make sure he thinks I’m gone. You won’t get hurt, Qian will stay safe, and I won’t die.” DK reasoned, watching as Minghao’s eyes lit up at the suggestion.

“You’d do that? For me? After everything I’ve done?” Minghao asked, still too trusting, too open in the face of everything he’d gone through.

“Of course, Minghao. I told you, I love you. And I promise I’ll talk to everyone when I go back.” DK said, trying to reassure Minghao.

“No!” Minghao exclaimed, quickly standing up. “You can’t! They’ll hate me, I’m a monster. I’ve already done enough, they don’t need to know all of the mistakes I’ve made. I can’t. It’s too much.” Minghao looked desperate, a look DK never liked very much on him, broken and begging.

“Okay. I won’t. Your secret's safe with me. You’re safe with me, Minghao.” DK assured, trying to placate the boy.

“Thank you. Thank you. I- I- I have to go. The prince. I have to go back.” Minghao rambled once again, scrambled and hurried.

“Okay,” DK finished.

The knife slid unceremoniously into his forearm, and the red that came out was darker and more convoluted than DK ever wanted to admit.

_____________________________________________

“You’re late.” Jun said, sitting in the kitchen, though the entire house was fairly dark. DK wasn't surprised that Jun waited up for him. These days, they rarely fell asleep before checking in with each other.

“Yeah, something came up.” DK answered, holding his sliced forearm up. Jun jumped, quickly making his way to DK, concerned leader face and all.

“What the hell happened?” Jun questioned harshly. DK look down into his eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Minghao happened.” DK grit out, trying not to get emotional. It was difficult, especially when the feelings were so fresh in his mind.

“He fucking attacked you? Why?” Jun demands. DK held his hand up, trying to calm him.

“He was going to attack me. But he didn't. I don't think he could've even if he wanted to.” DK whispered, remembering the scene of it, the look in Minghao’s eyes.

“Explain.” Jun tones, leaving no room for argument. There was a slight desperation beneath the word, something that clued DK in on the fact that Jun couldn’t just forget about his younger brother. No matter how hurt he’d been by the change in alliance, Jun loved Minghao.

“Look, I was leaving the stand when I noticed someone jump down from that tree. I guessed it was a mugger or something, but they didn’t move in. So, I turned around. And… There… There he was.” DK began, voice shaky. He thought back to how Minghao looked. He was so, so, thin, and he was grimy and very obviously injured. He was slightly limping, and very weak looking. His eyes were crazed, and his breath uneven.

It was like seeing a ghost.

“DK…” Jun breathed, “Please, tell me.” The plea was hesitant, perturbed. DK looked back into Jun’s eyes.

“He looked like a battered animal. He didn’t even know his own name, Jun. He barely even knew what he was doing. He was so afraid, so scared he didn’t even let me say Jisoo’s name. It was... indescribably awful.” DK cried, soft slow sobs amidst his explanation. Jun quickly took DK into his arms, letting DK cry quietly into his shoulder. DK didn’t even try to ignore the soft sniffles from Jun.

“I’m sorry, Jun. Really- I- It was just so difficult to see him like that. He’s terrified. But he went back. Damn it, I let him go back.” DK lamented, disappointed in himself.

“Why? Why on Earth would he go back to that monster? If he was treated so badly, why? My little brother- He- He never let anyone do him wrong, so why?” Jun hissed, breaking free from the hold, trying not to scream, trying not to wake up his other rebels.

“Jun… Whatever Jisoo’s done, it’s… It’s bad. He mentioned a whip, he talked about how much it hurt, and I could barely breathe listening to him. It was sickening. It’s almost like he’s… dependent on him, he’s both terrified and yearning. He wanted to go back to him. He wanted to be loyal, to be good. Whatever Jisoo has done to your brother, it’s not only broken him, but he’s trained him. Brainwashed him, I don’t even know, but it’s so bad, Jun. It was nauseating.” DK shuddered.

Silence fell between them, the only sounds permeating in room were sniffles and deep breaths. DK didn’t quite know how to take the cease of conversation. He glanced at Jun, who was walking around, most likely trying to absorb everything he’d just been told.

“But why? Why go to Jisoo in the first place?” Jun protested brokenly. He came back to DK, still confused, still hurting, and asked, once more, “Why?”

“Qian.” DK remarked.

Jun startled, and furrowed his brow, looking up.

“What?”

“He thinks Qian is still alive. Don’t you see? Minghao never loved Jisoo, he wanted to save Qian and got caught in the web. He thought working for Jisoo would get her out. And he never told you because he thought you’d get yourself killed trying to do it your way,” DK refused to look Jun in the eyes. He didn’t want to see what his words would do.

A pause.

“He’s right.”

“Excuse me?” DK blinked.

“If Qian is alive, and it’s not some fever dream he thought up, then he’s right. I probably would have gone headfirst into saving her. No matter the cost. I would’ve gotten myself killed.” Jun said. He looked at the floor, quieting even further.

“I barely thought back then. I only saw what was in front of me, never the whole picture. Now I’m not just fighting for me anymore, now it’s for a cause. But then? I would’ve done exactly as he thought. He knows me too well.”

DK moved to sit down, Jun staying in the middle of the room.

“Please tell me this means you’re not giving up on him,” DK pleaded, wanting only the best for his friend.

“I know you love him, DK. I love Minghao too. And I want to bring him home. But there’s only so much I can do,” Jun gulped, his chest tight.

“If anyone can save Minghao, it’s us. He got in over his head, Jun. He made a mistake. But I know he regrets what he’s done. Even in his state, he was so sorry. We can bring him back. We can’t let him be abused and tortured. It’s just wrong.” DK said, convictions rising, his fists clenched.

“I'll try, DK. I just... I want to have something left of my brother after this is over.”

_______________________________________________________

“Well that wasn't nearly as difficult as I supposed it would be,” Jihoon uttered, leaving his Father's office.

Soonyoung and Chan turned to Jihoon, Chan looking slightly out of his element. Jihoon smiled, eyes crinkling amicably.

“He agreed. I can only guess that my Father is too busy to care about a servant request.” Soonyoung shrugged at Jihoon’s answer.

“Well you know he's been occupied with that alliance and the wedding. Besides, he's probably not going to refuse his hair for no reason.” Jihoon nodded, glancing at Chan, who seemed nervous to be in the castle.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” He asked, eyes shifting. Soonyoung chuckled, patting Chan on the back.

“It's the safest place for you to be. We need more eyes in the castle, and you're still recovering from your back injury. Besides, being Jihoon’s servant is a breeze. He's seriously easy.” Soonyoung teased.

Jihoon squinted at Soonyoung, clearly displeased at the wording, but taking it well nonetheless.

“No offense, but if I'm easy then what does that make you?” Jihoon poked back.

Chan broke in, “Soonyoung is super easy for you,” he innocently admitted, making Soonyoung screech and blush.

“Don't say it like that!” Chan startled at the outburst. He looked at Soonyoung, confused.

“But it's the truth?” He trailed off, making Jihoon burst out laughing. He keeled over, the smile on his face brightening the hall.

Chan and even slightly affronted Soonyoung joined in, the laughter loud enough for the guards to hear down the hall. Slowly, it died down, and Jihoon gave a second before he decided to get back to business.

“Come on, the day is early, we can get a lot done.” He motions Chan and Soonyoung to follow him, and they make the make the turn to walk to Jihoon’s room. He makes a point to take the route that misses Jisoo’s room, not wanting to further Chan’s nerves today.

All three of them quietly and orderly make their way past the guards stationed in the hall, and walk inside Jihoon’s room. Soonyoung closed the door behind Chan, not wanting anyone to be able to listen in on them.

“Alright, firstly we'll want you to change out of street clothes, and into the servant’s uniform like Soonyoung wears,” Jihoon starts. “He usually keeps his clothes in my room since he ends up sleeping with me anyway.”

“Wow, and you say you aren't easy for him?” Chan wisened, making Soonyoung perk up defensively.

“We just sleep in the same bed!” Soonyoung exclaimed, garnering Jihoon’s attention as well.

“I never implied anything different,” Chan said, smirking.

“Can we get back on topic here?” Jihoon deadpanned.

“Of course I-”

But Soonyoung never got to finish his sentence as the half of the room by the door sparked with an explosion.

The sound rocked the room, making Jihoon topple over, unable to stay standing.

“What the hell?” Soonyoung cries, watching the room fly into flames.

“Does this usually happen?!” Chan screams, fear bleeding in.

“No, it doesn't!” Jihoon yells, standing up.

The flames roared to life, completely enveloping half the room, forcing Soonyoung and Chan to back up further.

“What do we do?!” Chan panics.

“The exit is blocked!” Soonyoung exclaims, trying to desperately find a way out as the flames grow more intense, heating the room uncomfortably.

Smoke rose to the ceiling, quickly permeating into the room, making Jihoon wheeze and Soonyoung even more on edge.

“We're trapped.”

As the flames grew like an animal, all three of them wished the statement wasn't true.

Chapter Text

The flames were terrifyingly hot, whipping into the air like breath, erratic and unpredictable. Chan backed up further, trying not to panic at the feeling of his eyes growing warm from the fire.

“Soonyoung, get back!” Jihoon yelled, reaching out for his servant, who was so enraptured from the sight of it, that he didn’t properly keep himself free from the grasp of the flames.

“AGH!” Soonyoung cried out, pulling his arm out of the flames as fast as his reflexes would muster. His elbow was burned, red and already blistering. He winced, trying to ignore his mistake in light of their current predicament.

“How are we supposed to get out of here?!” Chan desperately pondered, sneaking another glance at Jihoon, who was struggling to stay upright with his breathing affected by the smoke, which was billowing into the large bedroom far too fast.

Amidst the crackling of the fire, Soonyoung heard a loud “Thunk!” that shook the furniture.

All three of the boys paused, looking at each other with confusion.

“Get back!” A muffled shout was heard through the flame-addled door.

“Who the hell-” Chan coughed out.

“He said get back!” Soonyoung called out, grabbing Chan with his bad arm and running to the other side of the room, Jihoon already ahead of them.

Then, subsequent loud, violent slams, wooden and splintering were heard from behind the door. The assault against the exit was growing ever more frequent and hurried.

“Is he trying to break the door down?” Soonyoung winces out, looking at Jihoon, still wheezing.

“That’s exactly what he’s doing.” He answered in a huff of breath.
All at once, the door came tumbling down, and the fire flew outwards, attacking whoever was outside the room. Chan almost jumped forward, worried for whoever had been trying to help them. The smoke rose even higher, giving the three slightly better air. Jihoon coughed, trying to see the scene before him.

“Hah! Not so strong now, you stupid ass flames!” They heard shouted from the hallway. Jihoon squinted, trying to place the sound.

“Seungkwan!?” Jihoon exclaimed, catching on to the voice.

“You guessed it!”

And through the flames, he jumped, and all three boys watched as Seungkwan, completely covered head to toe in a blanket, launched himself into the room.

Chan gasped and flinched backwards, obviously not expecting anyone to even attempt to save them so brashly. Soonyoung on the other hand, tried not to look amused, purely because he knew Jihoon wouldn’t be happy with Seungkwan being so reckless. Soonyoung liked to think that it ran in the family.

Once able to stand away from the fire, Seungkwan peeled the blanket off of himself, blinking and looking quite proud in front of them.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jihoon asked, trying to be the concerned big brother.

“Uhh, what’s it look like? I’m saving you,” Seungkwan teased, smirking front of the flames.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you use magic for this? Would be a whole lot easier,” Soonyoung mentioned.

“Firstly, I don’t know how yet. Secondly, a wise man once told me I can’t fix everything with magic. So this time, I won’t try.”

“Okay, great and all, but how do we get out?” Chan yelled over the crackling of the flames.

“Easy, this is a fire blanket. We’re going to walk through the fire.” Seungkwan offered.

“Uhhhhhhh what?” Jihoon muttered, disbelieving.

“Cool!” Chan exclaimed, jittery from nerves.

Soonyoung sighed. “Fine, lead the way, magic boy.”

______________________________________________

Minghao didn’t like the way half the castle smelled like smoke. It filled his lungs and reminded him of what he’d done.

“Good job,” Jisoo said from across the room, not bothering to spare Minghao a glance. He didn’t mind. The air was thick and Minghao didn’t dare break through it. He treaded lightly when it came to Jisoo, lessons on repeat inside his brain.

I didn’t ask for you to speak, vermin!

His fingers twitched. No. That was Jisoo. This was the Prince. No fear. Just praise.

I’ll be back for you.

And he had come back.

“They- They escaped. I-I’m sorry.” Minghao whispered, trying not to get emotional. Had he failed again? He tried not to think about Chan and Jihoon’s faces, the memory of him attacking them both when he was still a rebel fresh and painful. He ignored the way his hands shook on the ground, keeping him upright in his kneeling position. He was so used to being on his knees these days.

A chuckle rang out from Jisoo in his chair, “Don’t worry too much. I wanted them to flee, not to die. I can kill Jihoon another time if need be, but for now I need him to know this isn’t his home anymore. He needs to know this will become my kingdom, and he will not be welcome in it. Setting a fire in his room was just the first step, Minghao.”

Minghao shivered.

“We have much more planned for him. I have many of the guards willing to pledge allegiance to me. The military is already mine, I’ve been in charge of most of our troops for over a year. Soon, my father as well as the queen will be leaving the country. There is a wedding the country over, solidifying another country into our alliance. They can’t miss it. When they leave, my father has agreed to let me be in charge of the Kingdom. Jeonghan convinced him it was a good idea. Really, it’s just an excuse to let me fail so he can easily disregard me and make Jihoon the official heir. But I’m going to subvert their expectations,” Jisoo conspired.

Minghao could feel his heart beat wildly in his chest.

“I’m going to make the entire Kingdom realize who’s really in charge here. I’m their King, and when I’m done with the criminals in our prison, nobody will dare question me. My father will see the people want me, and not Jihoon. Truthfully, if I can pull this off, I’ll be able to avoid killing my brother, it’s not like he won’t most likely die early from health complications.”

“You are the true King, my Prince.” Minghao muttered, his chest filling with a strange weight.

“I know, servant. I know. And when I have my place on the throne, you will be there with me, my proper aid. You have proven your loyalty with killing your friend, as well as lighting my brother’s room aflame with your skills. Don’t think I don’t appreciate your devotion.” Jisoo stood up, making his way to Minghao, and kneeling in front of him, a sight Minghao couldn’t help but love.

“Sire,” Minghao sighed, as Jisoo took a hand to caress Minghao’s cheek.

“You want your reward?” Jisoo asked, smiling in amusement.

“Please, Sire. Please, my Prince.” Minghao closed his eyes.

__________________________________

Safely now tucked away in Hansol’s back room, the four boys were about to explain exactly what had transpired.

“You mean to tell me that your room suddenly exploded?” Hansol asked, a bewildered look on his face. All five of them were sitting comfortably in Hansol’s desk seats, Jihoon and Soonyoung unsurprisingly sharing one large chair. They sat in a circle, Hansol beside Seungkwan, Seungkwan beside Jihoon and Soonyoung, and Chan finishing the shape.

“I wish I could make this up,” Jihoon exhaled, trying not to look too troubled.

“I know you didn’t make it up, I treated Soonyoung’s burn.” Hansol sighed, wondering how long it would take before what he would be faced with got much, much worse.

“Thanks for that, by the way,” Soonyoung added in.

“Not really an issue, I just gave you some herbal balm and some gauze. Honestly, I’m glad you don’t take after the rebels when it comes to healing magic. It’s seriously tricky business.” Hansol says, looking towards Seungkwan, who flushed.

“It’s a burn,” Soonyoung shrugged, “I’ll live.”

“To be frank with all of you, I think it’s fairly obvious who set your room on fire,” Hansol ran a hand through his hair, trying to ignore the pang in his chest.

“Minghao.” Chan solemnly chimed in.

“But we didn’t even see him!” Jihoon exclaimed, slightly jostling Soonyoung as well.

“You don’t have to. Minghao is skilled in pyrotechnics. He probably planted a simple, small bomb in your room. That’s probably why it wasn’t that difficult for the guards to eventually put the fire out.” Chan explained.

“Yeah, after trying to attack us!” Soonyoung yelled, still flustered and angry.

“They were probably acting on Jisoo’s orders,” Seungkwan sneered, thinking about his eldest brother.

Soonyoung slumped. “I know,” He toned, “we barely made it out of there unscathed.”

Hansol snorted, “Only you guys would make out of there almost completely untouched. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if you’re even human.”

“I don’t know Hansol, I’m feeling pretty mortal right now,” Seungkwan whined, rubbing his temples.

“I’m surprised it took this long for a headache to set in. You jumped into a fire!” Jihoon scolds, leaning forward toward his little brother.

“This is hilarious, Jihoon reprimanding someone for being too reckless.” Chan laughs.

Soonyoung shrugs, pulling Jihoon back to leaning into his chest. “To be fair, Jihoon wasn’t always like that.”

“Yeah, Jisoo wasn’t always like that either, but I guess we’re changing pretty violently,” Seungkwan snapped, rubbing his head even harder.

“Hey, Hey,” Hansol walked over to him, leaning down to whisper to Seungkwan. “Do you need to lie down? I did say to take it easy. The harder you push yourself, the longer it’s going to take your energy to recover, and we finally got your Dad to agree to magic lessons.” Hansol said, concerned.

“Yeah, lying down sounds pretty good, actually.” Seungkwan answered, taking Hansol’s hand. Hansol then turned to the rest of the room and addressed them.

“Hey, I’m going to let Seungkwan lie down in my room, then I’ll be right back.”

Hansol then helped a weary Seungkwan up, who did his best not to stumble over his own feet.

“Gosh, we gotta feed you more, there’s no way your energy will heal if you weigh this little,” Hansol mumbled to himself, Seungkwan barely catching it.

With a soft click, of Hansol’s door, the three other boys were left to their devices.

“Sorry about how today went, Chan.” Jihoon apologized.

“It’s not your fault. I was a little uncomfortable in the first place.” Chan pursed his lips together, thinking back on it.

“It must be hard for a rebel to feel secure in the Castle, huh?” Jihoon asked, slightly poking fun.

“Well,” Chan shifted awkwardly. “More like, it’s hard to be in the Castle when you know your parents are in the dungeon just below you.” He lamented softly.

Jihoon paled. “Chan- I- I’m so sorry I had no clue-”

“I didn’t really want you to, so it’s okay.” He said, voice clear. “After a while, you get used to never saying anything about it. Because you don’t want to think about it. But recently, it’s been weighing on my mind more.”

“Chan, seriously, as soon as I can I will do my best to set them free.” Jihoon ground out, not wanting Chan to think this wasn’t important. “I swear it, I will do all I can.”

Chan smiled, closing his eyes. “Thank you.”

Hansol’s door opened very softly, the Sorcerer exiting quietly, so as not to disturb Seungkwan.

Jihoon spoke up, “He’s really got to stop pushing himself so hard.”

Hansol gave him a pointed look. “Yeah, and the sky needs to stop being blue. It’s not likely.”

“Well, actually,” Chan began, “The sky becomes orange and pink like… two times a day so that’s not the most accurate comparison.” Hansol paused.

“Can someone hit him for me?”

“No, now sit back down, Hansol.” Jihoon deadpanned.

Hansol followed suit, sitting back in his chair, trying not to seem too tense.

“So, Jihoon,” Hansol started, grabbing the attention. “I think we can all agree that it seems like things are about to come to a head. Jisoo is being more brash, more open about trying to get you out of the seat of the throne. Your parents are scheduled to leave soon. You know what this means, don’t you?”

“Yes, I know.” Jihoon looked down. “My brother is beginning to go on the offensive. We’ll have to start making plans, we don’t have time to lose.”

Hansol shifted, furrowing his brow. “You know that as a Mage, I cannot help you even if I want to. Anything I do must be paid for, even if I want to lend you a hand.”

“Hansol, we’d never ask you to put yourself on the line for this. We respect the rules of magic.” Soonyoung cut in, reassuring.

“Of course, and I thank you for that. However, even though there is little I can do, I can keep Seungkwan safe and away from danger, and I’m sure he will allow me to.” Hansol stated. Jihoon raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? There a particular reason why? It’s not just because he’s a student, is it?” Jihoon asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes, Seungkwan and I are dating.” Hansol admitted. “I- I know the slight age difference could be jarring, not to mention I’m his teacher, but-”

“No, have at it.” Jihoon chuckled out. “I seriously have no worries if he’s with you. Gosh, I still remember when I was sick and Seungkwan would come in to visit. He’d always end up talking about you. That boy has had a big, fat crush on you for so long.”

At the admission, Hansol couldn’t help but splutter.

“Wait seriously? But he always tried to bother me when I was working-”

“Yeah, that’s how Seungkwan shows affection. He used to prank Jisoo and I all the time as kids. Especially because Jisoo and I used to be attached at the hip.” Jihoon laughed, before quieting.

“I’m sorry Jisoo isn’t the same.” Soonyoung whispered, silence in the room deafening. Soonyoung ran a hand through Jihoon’s hair, trying to comfort him.

“I’m different as well. There’s no use mourning it. We’ve all lost people.” Jihoon states, shoulders hunching in.

“I’m going to be honest, I miss Minghao.” Chan said, breaking the silence. “He’s so… Different now. I wish you guys had known him before everything. He was so funny, always making jokes, scolding us, yelling about cleaning, starting stupid dance battles, he was great! He was a brother to us. A great brother.” Chan reminisced, a wistful look overtaking his features.

“Everyone in the rebels is so scared to talk about him, especially Jun. DK is torn up about it, and Mingyu is just following Jun and ignoring it. They don’t want me to forgive him for hurting me. And while yeah, it was pretty terrifying… That didn’t feel like the Minghao I knew. I still love him, even if he’s going down the wrong path.” Chan explained. He shrugged.

“It’s okay to feel that way, Chan. We love our family, even when they do things we can’t imagine.” Jihoon whispered, looking to the young rebel boy.

“On the note of Minghao,” Hansol cut in, “I have some information about him you might want to know. But… It’s not free.” He said.

“What’s the cost?” Chan asked, eager.

“Well, magic costs life. For a mage, when it’s just information due to their influence, we ask for favors.” Hansol explained.

“So, what favor are you asking?” Jihoon asked, suspicious.

“Well, if Jihoon helps convince the King and Queen to let me date Seungkwan with their blessing, then I’d say the debt will be filled.” Hansol smiles.

“Hansol, you sly dog!” Soonyoung cried out, trying not to break into laughter.

“Yes,” Jihoon giggled, “Yes, I’ll help you.”

“Great! Now that that’s squared away, I’ll tell you what I know.” Hansol clapped his hands together.

“I have a good reason to believe Minghao isn’t doing what he’s doing of his own free will. Well, technically I think he’s being influenced very harshly.” Hansol admitted.

“What do you mean? Why?” Chan asked, on the edge of his seat, worry in his eyes.

“Well, a long while ago, probably before Seungkwan started asking for magic lessons, Jisoo came in with a whip. We had some banter, some hostile words, like we did at the time, and he asked me to enchant the whip.” Hansol started. Jihoon and Soonyoung looked troubled, but Hansol kept going nonetheless.

“I try to stay away from enchanting any object with curses, if at all possible, but it’s what he asked for, and I couldn’t really refuse. I enchanted the whip with a type of curse that enters through open wounds. It messes with logical thinking and emotions. It makes emotions more raw, unfiltered, as well as numb reasonable thoughts. Of course, the more times the whip is used on somebody, the stronger the effects. It’s possible Jisoo could’ve used that whip on Minghao, making him far more susceptible to persuasion and manipulation.” Hansol explained, trying not to feel the regret. Sometimes magic was used for awful, awful things.

“You think Jisoo used that whip on Minghao, and that’s why he’s doing all this?” Chan asked, gritting his teeth in anger.

“No. I think there was an underlying reason to why Minghao started to work for Jisoo. In all likelihood, he probably thought working for Jisoo wouldn’t be too difficult. But, the more he failed Jisoo or angered him, the more… Unhinged he seemed. I think the whip was used to break down his will to disobey Jisoo. He might’ve used it once, or a bunch of times, I don’t know, but I don’t think Minghao would try to kill DK without a lot of pressure.” Hansol rectified. Chan jumped.

“Wait!? Try to kill DK? When?” Chan asked, getting louder.

“They didn’t tell you? Well, I guess I will. The other day, Minghao tried to attack DK, saying he had to kill him. DK told me he couldn’t even get close. He was too… jittery. Displayed pretty obvious signs of torture apparently. DK came in not too long ago trying to ask me if there was anything I could do. There’s not anything I can do, other than reverse the effects of the whip, if it was used. But I’d need Minghao at my fingertips and that’s not possible right now. That’s why I think he must have been whipped. Minghao is cursed right now, and I’m sure it’s having pretty awful effects on his mind.” Hansol broke it to Chan sadly, not looking away from the broken look on his face.

“I’m sorry Chan.” Hansol tried.

“I just… It’s… It’s hard to hear he’s been through so much. I was so… scared of him when he tried to poison Jihoon, but now I’m scared for him.”

“I hope you know Minghao was never going to kill Jihoon.” Hansol said frankly.

“Excuse me?” Jihoon spoke up.

“He was told by Jisoo to poison you. But Minghao doesn’t like killing people, he never has. His brother is more of the type to take out his sword first and ask questions later. So, he took the poison I made back to me, and asked me to dilute it. I then remade the poison so it was just a sedative. You would’ve been in a deep sleep for over a week definitely, but it would never have killed you.” Hansol recounted. Jihoon closed his eyes, looking like the weight of everything was on top of him.

“So he never wanted to hurt anyone…” Chan asked, looking taken aback.

“I was very surprised to hear that Chan was the one who needed healing that day. I thought you wanted the antidote for Jihoon, which Minghao asked me to have ready. He asked me to explain everything to you all so Jihoon would stay out of harm's way. He never told me why he was working for Jisoo, just that it was important that nobody go after him. He said if Jun knew, it would ruin it all. So, when I saw the plan failed, I kept my mouth shut.”

“Hansol, this changes so much.” Jihoon ran a hand through his hair, letting Soonyoung wrap his arms around him.

“I know. I’m sorry it took until now for you all to know. And I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you guys ahead of time, so Chan would’ve never been hurt. But it’s what happened.”

“Do you think,” Chan began hesitantly, trembling slightly. “That when he went back to Jisoo after supposedly failing that he… He could’ve been whipped then? Or tortured?”

Hansol sighed, “It’s possible. Jisoo is not a kind man. He’s smart, and he always gets what he wants, somehow. It’s likely Minghao was punished for not succeeding.”

Chan quickly and roughly rubbed at his eyes. It was obvious he was crying, but nobody wanted to comment on it. They just let him sniffle in silence, let him mourn his friend.

___________________________________________________

His fingers couldn’t keep still.

His heart was beating so hard it hurt.

But quietly, without an utterance of a sound, he followed.

He heard a droning, a gentle sound of speech in front of him, but he focused on his bruised, calloused fingers that ached with every twitching movement.

“Minghao, what was her name again?” The Prince asked.

His mouth moved for him, like it had a mind of it’s own.

“Qian.”

“Very well. She’ll be in the second corridor, along with the other immigrants. Immigrant children aren’t usually killed, so there are most likely quite a few younger ones in there. It might be loud, so keep that in mind.” The Prince explained.

He nodded, not giving a verbal answer.
The dungeon was cold, stale, and the atmosphere was dark. He followed the Prince farther in, his surroundings all a blur.

“She’s somewhere through here. I’ll leave you two alone, it’s the least I can do after your recent successes.” With the polite admission, the Prince turned and left the way he came.

He felt himself grow numb in his arms, feeling deeply unsettled with suddenly being left without the Prince. But he knew Qian was waiting. She was the only thing left that wasn’t taken by Jisoo.

So forward he walked, tuning into his eyes, he searched left and right, through the cells for any sign of a familiar face.

“Qian!?” He shouted out, ignoring the pleading, terrified eyes of the foreign children around him. The teens closer to his age had either fire or defeat in their eyes. But none of them were her.

“Qian!?” He called out again, trying to sound unthreatening so she’d be more likely to anwer.

“Who’s asking?” A rough, feminine voice called out, brash and unafraid. He turned. Searching out the source of her answer. He walked farther in, going to her voice.

“It’s… It’s….” He found himself unable to call out his own name. It slipped his mind often these days. However, the cold dungeon’s corridors had finally led him to her. She turned in her cell, eyes defiant and confident, seemingly ready for any challenge. Immediately, upon seeing him, her eyes turned surprised, soft, hopeful.

Like she’s seen light for the first time.

“... Minghao? Minghao, is that you!?” She cried, rushing forward, reaching her hand out to him from between the cells bars. To reply to her pleas, he ran to her, grabbing her outstretched hand.

“It’s me. Qian, I found you.” He whispered, letting the feeling of her, small rough hand ground him, bringing him to the forefront of his mind. He looked up, seeing her dirt-ridden face, her eyes still feline and bright. They teared up, sniffles ringing out between them.

“Thank you…” She cried softly. “Thank you for coming for me. For remembering me. I knew you would. I knew you and Jun wouldn’t let me stay here forever. I believed,” She sobbed out, her words running away from her, he tried to comfort her through the metal bars.

“I would never forget you. Nothing could make that happen. You’re… Qian.”

“How is Jun? Where is he? What’s happened while I’ve been here?” She asked, concerned eyes looking up at him.

“He’s alive. Things have… Changed. So have I. You needn’t worry. I’ll get you out.” He said, looking away. He tried to recall memories of Jun, but it all just felt like pain. In lieu of his situation, he decided to ignore his thoughts about it.

“...Minghao? Is everything okay? You seem… distracted.”

He blinked, focusing in on her again. His mind was foggier and thinking more and more about the absence of the Prince, but he tried to just think about Qian, her hand, the moment he was in, even if it felt like trying to grab mist.

“I’m fine, really.” Qian squinted at him, tilting her head at the lie.

“How did you even get in here? How are you going to get me out?” She asked, voice suspicious.

“The Prince. I did well, so I could see you. Soon, I’ll be good enough that he’ll set you free. I’ve done well.” Minghao explained, his head beginning to ache.

“You mean Prince Jisoo?! Brother, no! Please tell me you don’t work for him! Minghao, please!” She shouted out, sounding desperate, taking him aback.

“I had to. Everything I did, I had to. For you, For me, For Jun, I had to.” He gritted out, his head pounding harder and harder every second.

“I’m not happy about this. But… Nonetheless, I am so happy you came for me. Just… Please be careful, Minghao. Jisoo cannot be trusted. He’s a monster.”

“I know.” He winced at the throbbing throughout his mind. “I have to go.”

“I love you!” Qian called out as he turned to rush out the dungeon, back to the Prince’s presence.

You'll always come back.

Chapter Text

Following the attack on their lives, Soonyoung and Jihoon stayed with the rebels, meeting together to plan for anything Jisoo had in mind. It was unfortunate that because of Jihoon’s sudden departure from the castle, they found themselves with little information, and little means of coordinating their allies within the castle walls.

“So you’re in agreement? You think we should just hold the raid? With no idea of what Jisoo is planning?” Soonyoung asked, disappointed, but not surprised at the recklessness of his Prince in front of him. Both Jihoon and Jun turned to Soonyoung, who also sat at the table in the den with them. They had been brainstorming their next move when Jun and Jihoon had settled on an offensive frontal attack. A raid.

“You seem to forget, Soonyoung, that Jisoo had no idea what we’re planning. He doesn’t have an advantage in that respect. In fact, I can only assume that Jisoo is underestimating us purely because he believes nothing can keep him from the throne. I’m sure we can infiltrate the castle at least once to maybe have an idea of what Jisoo is planning, and to warn the guards that allied with us. Chan is unbelievably good at espionage, and I have faith in his skills.” Jun explained, not wanting Soonyoung’s protectiveness to steer the mission down a wrong path. Soonyoung sighed.

“Point taken. However, Jisoo’s resolve should also be counted as a factor. I can’t imagine he’d ever willingly surrender, even if all odds ended up against him. I think you both need to be ready to kill him if he doesn’t stand down.” Soonyoung lamented.

A slam was felt on the tabletop.

“No.”

Jihoon’s refusal rang out, deep and low. It had a ring of finality to it.

“Jihoon-” Soonyoung was cut off.

“No, Soonyoung. I cannot stoop to my brother’s level. Yes, he wants me dead, but I still honor our past relationship as not only brothers… But friends. Once he is captured, there may be little I can do to stop him from being killed, and I cannot speak for Jun… But I will not kill my own brother.” Jihoon ground out, intentions made clear. In lieu of the admission, Soonyoung turned to Jisoo.

“It’s not really for any moral reason… But I want him captured first.”

The turn in tune surprised both Jihoon and Soonyoung, but also made them curious, they shared a look that spoke between them, and Jihoon spoke.

“Why?” Jihoon asked.

“The more I hear about the cruelties Minghao has faced from Jisoo, the more I don’t understand. I’ve been thinking back to what DK said to me once before. People do things for a reason. I deserve closure. I deserve to know why Jisoo has done so much against my people. For that reason only, I want him alive. If I think his explanation is lackluster, or if he refuses to speak, I’ll kill him. It’s the least he deserves.” Jun said, his anger absent in his words.

“You’ve changed.” Jihoon said.

“I had to.” Jun answered.

Soonyoung shrugged, “I guess we’ve all had to grow up a little bit.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Jun stopped them. “I want him dead. Jisoo has destroyed so much of my life, and I don’t think the anger could ever truly leave me unless I see the light drain from his eyes. But…” He paused. He looked to Jihoon, who’s attention was razor sharp on him.

“I deserve the closure. Minghao deserves to be free. You deserve to know why he’s turned against you, why he abandoned you as a brother. Immigrants deserve to know why they’ve suffered by his hands. It’s not for him. It’s for everyone he’s hurt.” Jun gritted.

“Somehow, I think it’s a shame you don’t want the throne yourself.” Jihoon muttered out, taking Jun and Soonyoung off guard.

Jun looked away, face calm and solemn. “Despite being the leader of the rebels, I’ve never wanted power. I never wanted the power of ruling over people, and I never wanted to make sacrifices for the greater good, either. Now that I’ve lost so much for my own goals… I understand the consequences of blindly seeking power. And revenge. Nothing will ever hurt more than the thought that if I had better judgement, Minghao would’ve never felt compelled to sell himself to Jisoo. I lost him because of my own anger. The throne is not for me. It is for someone with an unshakeable foundation, and great support.”

“And you think that’s me?” Jihoon asked.

“I know it’s you,” Jun clarified, “It can’t be anyone but you.”

“I’m a young man who just barely made it to healthy, who hasn’t seen much of the world, and can’t fight, who am I to be a king?” Jihoon doubted. Of course he wanted to be strong, to take the throne for those who couldn’t, but even he had his doubts.

“You are somebody who had to fight to live, you understand the underdog. You find everything you see worthy of respect and preservation because you’re seeing it for the first time, and you’ve got a support system better than any other. Soonyoung would never betray you.” Jun smiled. “You are a worthy king.”

Soonyoung cut in. “So, what I’m hearing here is that because I’m such an amazing servant, Jihoon is fit to be king? Because I agree,” he laughed.

“Of course Soonyoung,” Jun chuckled, “Jihoon definitely benefits from all you do.” Jihoon cringed inwardly, realizing that he had yet to speak to Soonyoung about a very pressing issue. He started to think quickly, realizing that now was most likely the best time to talk about it, because there was no guarantee that the raid would go in their favor.

Soonyoung exclaimed proudly, “You’re damn right he does!” Which spurred on even more laughter between Jun and Soonyoung.

“Speaking of all that, Soonyoung?” Jihoon broke in, turning Soonyoung’s attention toward him.

“Yes?” He asked politely, just like a proper servant should. Jihoon fought not to wince. He started to regret the idea of bringing it up, his stomach twisting. But he knew he had to.

“May I speak to you in private? Outside, maybe?” Jihoon asked, and Soonyoung looked to Jun for permission, to which the rebel leader kindly agreed.

“No worries. We will pick this up later,” And Jun stood up from his seat, a retreated to his room.

Soonyoung followed Jihoon outside into the warm forest, the pressure in the air like it was going to rain. Jihoon nestled the two of them standing across from each other, their forms obstructed to anyone else by the bushes surrounding them. Soonyoung waited a second before opening his mouth, in his normal, friendly way.

“What did you need to speak to me about? Hopefully something good because-”

“I don’t want you to be my servant anymore,” Jihoon blurt out.

Immediately, Soonyoung blanched, face pale and stricken. His eyes were wide with alarm, and he lifted his hands in shock.

“Why!? What did I do?! I’m only protective because you’re reckless!! Is that what this is!? Am I too much!? I-”

“No!” Jihoon burst out once more. He shook his head, trying to rearrange everything to make sense once again. “Please, It’s not because of anything you did… I just… I can’t ask you such an important question while I have any sort of power over you. I need an honest answer not bound by the duty of servitude.” Jihoon explained, desperately trying not to mess this up. He was clumsy, he knew, but Soonyoung understood him better than anyone else in the entire world.

“Ask me what… Exactly?” He hesitated, still weary from the first admission from Jihoon.

“Please, Soonyoung. I have been with you every single day of my life since I found you in the forest that day. I will never forget when I first laid eyes upon you. You were roughed up, scared, but so, so thankful to see me. Little did I know I met my future that day.”

“Jihoon…?” He whispered in astonishment as Jihoon got down on one knee, taking Soonyoung’s hand.

“You were there when I lost my freedom, my legs, and my brother. And every time you took my hand and lifted me up, challenging me, pushing me, and protecting me. I’m going to be a king, soon. Every king needs a queen. Please, Soonyoung…” He smiled and looked into Soonyoung’s eyes. The leaves began to rustle, the wind taking flight, as if every single plant in the whole forest began to swoon.

“Would you be my Queen? Become my other half? Soonyoung… Will you marry me?” Jihoon knew that the timing wasn’t preferable, that the location and atmosphere were subpar, and that his presentation wasn’t admirable, but their bond was strong, unbreakable by any means, and Jihoon had faith. He had faith that even if he were refused, they would never stop caring for one another.

“You… You want me to be your Queen? I- You- You love me?” Soonyoung stuttered, fluttering backwards, confused and dumbfounded.

“I understand that it must be difficult to see me this way, someone you’re used to taking care of offer to provide for you, but I am a man, no matter how small,” Jihoon stayed on one knee, looking up to Soonyoung, his eyes wide and sincere, Soonyoung’s eyes trained on his lowered form. “I want to love you with everything I have. You deserve so much, and I want to challenge myself, and be the person to give it to you.”

Soonyoung knew that Jihoon saw him as an equal, they always had an unspoken respect between them, but this moment here, Soonyoung knew that Jihoon was placing him above his royal self. By releasing him from servitude, by staying below him, looking up to him, Jihoon was treating him like royalty. Like a Queen.

Soonyoung’s heart swelled.

“I could never be more honored than to take your hand in marriage, Jihoon. I have never loved anyone how I love you.” Soonyoung breathed, taking Jihoon’s hand, and lifting him from his position.

“You will always be my equal. In strength, and in love.”

Jihoon’s eyes glazed over with tears, unable to keep everything inside.

“I never realized how much I loved you until I was already so deep I would never find a way out.” Jihoon whispered, squeezing Soonyoung’s hand.

“Promise me that this will work. That you’ll be sitting on that throne, alive and safe when this is all over. Because if you leave, I must go with you.” Soonyoung pleaded, lifting Jihoon’s face gently with his free hand.

Jihoon reached up with his other hand, taking Soonyoung’s rough but lovely hands into his.

“I will do everything in my power.” Jihoon closed his eyes, “but you must promise as well. There is no me without you.”

“I will make sure you have a home to come back to, no matter what.”

___________________

“Dear, are you sure this is the time to be leaving? In all this disarray?” Jeonghan asked, sitting placidly on their large bed.

“You’re the one who urged me that Jisoo could handle the state of affairs for the brief time we shall be gone, my Love.” Seungcheol answered, as he placed his preferred clothes into bags. He always packed his own things, as he never had a servant who knew him well enough to please his picky tastes. Seungcheol wondered if he was the only king who preferred comfort to extravagance and could only stand the latter if the two were combined.

“I’m sure Jisoo can handle it, he is responsible, if not easily angered. However, that’s not exactly what I mean. We both know that we have rebel upstarts in the Kingdom, as well as the fact that Jihoon has yet to return with Soonyoung. Not to mention Seungkwan is now learning magic to properly heal from spatting with Jisoo. Our family is slightly scattered at the moment, and I’m not sure they would appreciate the absence of their Father and Dad.” Jeonghan lifted himself from his seat, and walked over to his husband.

“Do you see what I mean?” He asked. Seungcheol paused in laying out clothes, and sighed.

“I know exactly what you mean. I don’t love the idea of leaving either.” He turned to Jeonghan, “but I don’t have much choice. You know that the country over has had a hard time since my father literally tore it apart.” He took Jeonghan’s hand, feeling over the bumps of his knuckles, a comforting gesture. “To keep the peace and try to start better alliance treaties, it is imperative that we honor the next king and queen of their home. Even if that means leaving our sons.”

Jeonghan nodded, still looking troubled, away from his husband’s eyes.

“Look, I know that Jisoo can handle the rebels if need be. He’d have to be against the king himself to ever fall. And Jihoon has Soonyoung. As long as they are together, I’m sure Jihoon will be fine. They’re probably just off exploring. He needs the outside experience.” Seungcheol reasoned.

“What about Seungkwan? I’m still worried for his health. He’s always been a strong one, but I worry.” Jeonghan intervened, nudging up on Seungcheol’s shoulder.

“I know how you dote on our youngest. As Hansol said, if he learns to control his magic, he should heal just fine. Seungkwan has plenty of life left in him left, trust me. He’ll bounce back, and better than ever. Don’t you worry, my Love.” Seungcheol booped Jeonghan’s nose, making his husband giggle.

“I suppose everything should be fine, then.” He agreed, turning away. “But this is business, Seungcheol, not vacation, remember that. We need to stay alert and ready for anything.”

“Yes, yes, my Love. Whatever you say,” He smiled.

_________________

Seungkwan’s eyes opened, his body cold and stiff. He immediately yawned and curled up into a ball. His head pounded, and his arms and legs felt weak. He closed his eyes, trying to lull himself back into a daze.

A knock was heard at the door. He groaned loudly.

“Sleeping beauty?” Hansol called out into the dark room. Seungkwan heard careful, gentle footsteps creep in, like Hansol was making sure that no movement could possibly spook him awake.

“I’m up, I promise,” he said, trying to save Hansol the trouble. Seungkwan could almost hear the smile in Hansol’s words.

“You don’t look up. You look very comfortable all wrapped up there.” Seungkwan felt a dip in the cot, and furrowed his brow, knowing Hansol had sat beside him to better look at him.

“Stop that.”

Hansol chuckled, “Quit your grumbling. We have to go and you know it. It’s not safe here anymore. As much as I would love to stay in my shop, you know the city isn’t going to be calm for much longer.”

Seungkwan knew Hansol only had his best interests and safety at heart, but Seungkwan was never an especially good riser, taking after his brother, Jihoon. Not to mention, if he could push away the reality that his brothers were about to fight for the throne, then sleep was a welcome distraction, even if it meant losing time with Hansol.

“Look, I know how hard this must be to process. It can’t be easy. But both of your brothers made it clear in some capacity that they’d rather you be safe.” Hansol began to stroke Seungkwan’s back, and it reminded him of when his Dad would help him to sleep as a child. “I want you safe. As Mages, we reap what we sow, and we cannot get involved. Please, I know you’d rather sleep through this, but I need you to be strong. For them.”

Seungkwan tried not to let his eyes water, breathing deeply. This is why he’d fallen for Hansol. He knew him. Better than anyone. Even his Dad. Hansol looked at him, learned about him, and spent every moment with him as though there was nothing more entertaining or precious.

“I needed to hear that,” Seungkwan started to sit up, and lean into Hansol’s embrace. “Thanks.”

“Anything for you.” Hansol patted Seungkwan’s back. “C’mon, we better hop to it.”

Seungkwan and Hansol broke apart, Hansol standing up.

“Where exactly are we headed?” Seungkwan asked.

Hansol started to open his drawers, pulling out some clothes.

“We’re headed to a safe house near the rebel’s home. It’s relatively nearby in the forest outside the city.” Hansol closed the drawer, pulling a bag free from under his cot.

“It’s mostly so Jisoo can’t try and make me use magic for him. He’s cunning and if he saw an opportunity to use me, he’d take it. I hate to leave my shop, but it’s not a good idea to stick around in times of political instability.” Hansol spoke, gathering small needed items and placing them in his bag.

Seungkwan scooted forward to stand up, and leave the comfortable cot. As he stood, Seungkwan coughed, covering his mouth with his hand.

“You alright?” Hansol asked, standing and walking over to him.

Seungkwan looked up at Hansol and nodded.

“Tickle in my throat.” He rasped, “I’ll go grab some water,” and he scurried out.

Hansol watched him go, and resolved to let Seungkwan take more naps. He wondered if Seungkwan’s magic energy was still recovering. It wasn’t strange for new mages to come down with coughing fits or colds after beginning magic.

“Seungkwan!” Hansol called out.

“Yeah!?” He heard the call back.

“Do you think you’re getting a cold?” He asked.

Seungkwan walked back in, looking much better, and smiled.

“Probably not. It’s cute that you’re worried though,” Seungkwan winked, giggling. Hansol sighed amusedly.

“I am your mentor as well as your-” Hansol cut off, realizing they’d never really put a title to it.

“My significant other!” Seungkwan said, beaming and proud, in all his shameless glory. Hansol smiled, chuckling.

“Yes, your significant other. Of course I will worry.”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, walking over to grab Hansol’s blanket off his cot. He handed it to Hansol, and leaned over, kissing his cheek.

“Okay Mom, let’s get ready to leave.”

_______________

Jisoo rolled his neck, his feet slightly aching, but pointedly ignoring it. He was currently making his way down the dungeons, Minghao in tow, silent but alert behind him. He made his rounds earlier that morning, after his parents had left during dawn.

Jisoo could tell that Jeonghan felt uncomfortable leaving him alone, but Jisoo was fully capable of this task. Even more so, this was his chance to make the kingdom his. Make the people understand that no matter who sits on that throne, the kingdom will never escape his iron grasp.

“Sire, where are we headed?” Minghao questioned, slight fear tickling into his voice. Jisoo was aware of the growing instability inside Minghao’s mind, the more Jisoo manipulated him and made him fear a side of himself, the more he came to fear the dungeons.

“The dungeons. We have something to pick up there.” He answered, deciding he was feeling gracious enough to relieve Minghao’s worries.

“Thank you Sire.” Minghao toned back, completely calm once again. Jisoo had to fight off a smirk as he turned the corner. The whip was surely an amazing investment. Minghao certainly hadn’t been completely loyal to Jisoo when he’d approached him, but Jisoo had ultimately twisted the younger immigrant into his own tool, unquestioning and fearing. It was lovely.

Jisoo walked slowly down the stairs, the same ones he had thrown his tool down not all that long ago. Yet, Minghao’s steps were not hesitating nor even gentle, as if he had no reservations about the earlier treatment, and that he had full faith that his “Prince” would never treat him the way “Jisoo” would.

Jisoo walked through the first set of prisoners, making his way back, farther than even Minghao had been last time. This was where he needed to find his lamb, only amongst these things would he find the last ingredient to seal his victory over the clueless populous.

He watched as all of the hopeless faces, slumped bodies passed his free form by. He examined all of the choices in front of him, trying to find the easiest apple to pick.

“Minghao, which one looks good?” Jisoo asked, eyeing every one of them. Now they were curious, sweating, nervous. Why is he here? What does he mean? Their expressions screamed to each other.

“Sire?” Minghao asked, unsure of what he was being asked. He wasn’t even sure why they were here, he remembered the beginnings of fear, but he silenced it with only blind faith towards His Prince. He’d stopped wondering why the Prince did anything. He just followed.

“I have to seal my claim on the throne. The only way to do it is do win the people. To win the people, we need a scapegoat to blame. Of course, we’re going execute two immigrants to win the citizens.” He explained, uncaring of the prisoners hearing and cowering in fear. “So, which two look good? Pathetic, but not empathetic, alright? Can’t have any bleeding hearts ruin the whole thing, so keep from younger ones. This whole room is full of the things…. So pick two.” Jisoo asked, but Minghao knew it was clear that it was a demand. He had to choose.

Decisions were an action that Minghao had disregarded. He didn’t know if he could choose, much less if he should. Shouldn’t he feel like this was wrong? Did he feel guilt? Or did he just feel fear for his own life if he refused? For Qian’s life?

Qian.

She would never accept this. She might never forgive him. Did he care? He felt his body start to tremble. He wanted to obey, he had to. He had to. He had to. He had to.

“Minghao. Now.”

“The two on the end.” The words slipped off his tongue, like they weren’t even his. He hadn’t even been looking at those who he’d condemned. Could he?

And their screams erupted.

“No! No please!-”

“Please no! I need to see my daughter!-”

“I can’t die, I don’t want to please!”

Minghao visibly recoiled. The voices were two males, one clearly younger than the other, but both afraid, pleading.

He shied away.

“Good choice, Minghao. These will do well. I knew I could count on you.” Jisoo placed a hand on Minghao’s shoulder, and Minghao’s body immediately relaxed against his will.

“Your- Your name!” The older man shouted out from his cell. Minghao turned to his pockmarked and wrinkled face, eyes wet with fear.

“Your name is one of ours! You’re one of us, an immigrant!” He yelled out, and Minghao flinched. He was. He was an immigrant, was he? Wasn’t he? Who was he?

“Please, my daughter! My daughter is still out there! Please don’t kill one of your own! Why are you listening to that devil?!” He cried out, emotions raw and tearing at him.

He stuttered out, “I-I- I’m so-” Jisoo quickly cut him off.

“Don’t listen to it, Minghao. You’re my tool, nothing more. You don’t have to worry about the consequences. That’s my job.” Jisoo spoke out, quieting Minghao.

“You’re right, Sire. I apologize.” And Minghao turned away from the man.

“As long as you understand.” Jisoo started walking out. “Now let’s start the preparations.”

Minghao followed.

_____________________

“Are you ready?” Jun asked him.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Jihoon answered.

“I don’t think someone could ever be ready for this, Jihoon. I’ll be here the whole way.” Soonyoung took his hand, giving him reassurance.

“Hey!” Mingyu walked into the house. He walked to Jihoon, his sword in his sheath, his eyes eager. “Seungkwan and Hansol are secure. They settled in yesterday, so we’re ready on that front.”

“Good.” Jihoon breathed.

Chan opened the back door, daggers on his belt, face solemn.

“Everything with our information on it is burned. There’s no record of us existing. Anywhere.” He sighed, walking into the common area with the rest of them.

“Then there’s just DK left.” Mingyu added, looking around, wondering where he was. Jun placed a hand on his shoulder in understanding.

“Let’s give him a minute. This… Can’t be easy.” Jun said, trying not to think about how close DK and Minghao used to be. Trying not to think about possibly having to see his wartorn brother again, because he wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to do whatever it took.

Jihoon turned towards Soonyoung, looking down. “How is your burn?” He asked.

Soonyoung smiled, grateful for the concern. “It’s almost completely healed. It won’t be a problem.”

“Chan, when exactly did you say the guards said they had to be ready?” Mingyu asked, slightly jittery.

“When I snuck in, they were all talking about an event that was today, and that it was going to begin at high noon. I have no idea what though. They just called it ‘The Operation’, like a bunch of children.” Chan said.

“Yeah,” Jihoon cut in, “our guards are… lively souls to say the least.”

As that admission rang out, so did DK’s door opening, his longbow in his hand, arrows on his back. Jihoon had never seen someone more serious in the face of a battle.

It was time.

_______________________

“Minghao,” Jisoo commanded, “By me. Don’t leave my side.” Minghao nodded, immediately walked in formation behind Jisoo. He was regally dressed, in fancy cloths, all dark blues and blacks, a beacon of his power. Gold detailing on his cuffs, showing has every part of him was precious. Minghao as well, was dressed in dark robes, tight and unrestricting, ready to protect his prince at any moment.

Jisoo had his sword on his hip, at the ready for anything, knowing that this was a risky play for him to make. He had to quickly change the public opinion of him, as well as secure his place on the throne after his father inevitably leaves the throne. All while laying unrest to the side and silencing the minority immigrants. He knew he would do it, however. This was all he had left, this was what everything was riding on, this was his duty.

“Sometimes even I wonder if all my plans will fall into place,” The Prince began to monologue, not truly looking for an answer. He walked down the main hallway, the main entrance to the castle just beyond him. “Even I doubt.” He whispered.

Minghao stayed an appropriate distance behind Jisoo, silent and obedient, walking in sync to the soon-to-be monarch.

“However, I have no time to lose faith. This is my chance and I must seize it from underneath all of the will of my enemies.” Jisoo clenched his fists, guards moving out of his way, moving ever nearer to the front of the castle, ready for his destiny.

The execution was about to begin.

_____________________________________

The rebels, save Jihoon and Soonyoung, who could easily conceal their weapons, moved from corner to corner, shadow to shadow through the town.

Contrary to their initial belief, it was relatively deserted, very few people in sight, voices hushed and quiet, like a veil of hesitance fell over the entire village.

“Something seems off. Event or no event, the town shouldn’t be this empty.” Jihoon stopped, turning to Soonyoung.

“Do you think it’s a trap? We are walking freely on the streets, and even if nobody should know our identities, Jisoo could’ve orchestrated something.” Soonyoung began, sweat gathering at his brow, body alert.

“No, it’s not that. I think he’s operating completely separate of our plans. I’m just… Worried for whatever he could be planning that includes so many innocent people.” Jihoon bit his lip, hand ghosting over where his small concealed knives were under his shirt. Would he have to use them?

“Just stick close to me, Jihoon. We’ll be fine.Wherever there’s me, there’s you, and together we’re unstoppable.” Soonyoung reassured, partly for his love, and partly for his own weak soul that was shaking.

“I know Soonyoung. I just wish we could warn the others, this all seems to strange.” Jihoon said, finding himself more calm then he supposed he would be. He was just worried for his friends.

“Jihoon, we have to get moving. We stick to the plan, we’ll meet in the Center Square before heading to the castle,” Soonyoung reasoned, already walking ahead.

Jihoon followed, looking around, and taking in the buildings, how they got nicer and more clean the longer they walked, the farther in they got, the richer the area seemed. As he began to hear more and more chatter and noise in the distance, Jihoon could feel a pit reaching his stomach. Soonyoung beside him looked like his was trying to keep a brave face on him. Jihoon knew that Soonyoung had never liked fighting or being in danger, and liked putting Jihoon himself in harm’s way even less.

This was his duty, however, and even he would not run from it. Jihoon had to cleanse the sins of his family, and restore equality and equity to his home, something that had been stolen from the auspicious area ever since Seungmin’s reign.

“Jihoon, what’s going on up there?” Soonyoung said, his voice wavering. Jihoon looked, and ahead, filling up Center Square was thousands of people, all talking, confused and curious.

“I… I have no idea. Is this the operation?” Jihoon wondered, getting closer, trying to see past the crowd. Soonyoung, his taller height tried to see over the heads.

“No,” Soonyoung breathed.

“What?! Soonyoung, what’s going on up there?” Jihoon exclaimed, trying to see over the citizen in front of them.

“No, he couldn’t be… Jisoo why?” Soonyoung’s voice sounded choked up and regretful.

“Soonyoung, look at me,” Jihoon demanded. Soonyoung looked down to his light, his life, and regretted ever having to tell him the truth of the monster his brother really was.

“It’s a public execution. He’s killing prisoners.”

________________________________

“Jun, what are we going to do? He’s basically got hostages.” Mingyu gritted out.

“I can’t believe he’s doing this,” Chan whispered.

“I can,” Jun gritted out. “Look at their faces. Those two men. They look so defeated. They were probably easy pickings in the prison. Of course he picked two that elicit the least amount of empathy from the people.”

“Stay low, Chan.” DK said, making sure Chan wasn’t too noticeable on the roof. All of them were on building roofs, Jun and Chan were on one roof, and Mingyu and DK occupied the one beside them.

“We can’t exactly go head on here. There’s so many citizens that we would hurt somebody. We’re not even sure that Jisoo will come out for this, and if he does, we can’t attack him because then it will look like an assassination. We’ll be the bad guys.” Jun clenched his fists. “He’s going to use those people as both hostages and scapegoats and our plan is useless here.” Jun shook his head, anger filling his veins, almost shaking with the pure force of hatred he had within him.

“Damn you, Jisoo. Damn you to hell.”

“So what can we do? Anything?” DK asks, looking down, feeling weak.

“We can’t let him get away with this, he can’t just kill those people. We have no idea whether they’ve actually done something wrong or not.” Jun said, wishing he could contact Jihoon, but considering the crowd, he had no idea where he was. “I don’t have a plan, though,” Jun admitted. “Jisoo has repeatedly outsmarted me, and Jihoon was the mastermind of this plan. I’m a frontal assault person, no tricks, no traps, and he knows that. He used my own personality against me. I’ve never been so ashamed.” Jun looked down, white-cold dread spreading where anger ruled not moments ago.

“Citizens! I suppose you are all curious as to why you have been called here!” Jun startled, looking down to see Jisoo on the platform, in front of the prisoners, who were strapped in guillotine setups.

Jun’s heart dropped, seeing Minghao, dead in the eyes and obedient behind the monster, Jisoo. They were both dressed elegantly, and Jisoo exuded power and authority. If Jun weren’t aware of his sins, he’d probably find Jisoo regal and worthy of respect. His lip curled in hatred.

“Today, as allowed by my father, I, your heir to the throne, Prince Jisoo will be trying to regain the balance and prosperity of our past days for our home.” He stood still and strong on the platform, charismatic and awe-inspiring.

“I assure you, I will expend all of my energy, everything that I have to give the people in this kingdom the life they deserve. I want to expel all evil that lives here and make anyone who hurts those we love pay. If you accept me, let me lead you into a life of prosperity, a new age where no one in our Kingdom must suffer because nobody was willing to protect our people from enemies that lurk within us.” His speech rang out, confident, persuasive, and even Jun could see people falling under the spell of such pretty, assuring words, and he had no defense to stop it.

“Oh!” Jun blinked, looking down at an older female voice that rang out. It wasn’t very loud, but he looked anyway. The woman, slightly overweight, was letting a small boy by, patting his head and smiling, trying to let him through to the front.

It was Jihoon.

“Shit!” Jun started, trying to keep calm. “Heads up, everyone, Jihoon is making his way to front, look alive!” he whispered out to them, making sure not to gather any attention.

“What’s he doing?” Chan asked, looking worried.

Jun shrugged. “I have no idea. Let’s just hope he has a plan.” Jun said.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t get killed.” Mingyu muttered out, obviously not meant for anyone but himself, but among the adrenaline, his volume was louder than usual.

Down in the Square, Jihoon slowly made his way through the crowd, Soonyoung still stuck in back. Every person met him with relatively kind eyes, seeing a child, not the man he really was, and let him through.

“Of course, sweetie! Seeing the Prince is an honor!” The lady had said as he passed her, trying to get closer to the platform, trying to stop his brother from commiting more crimes against their kingdom.

“In every kingdom, there are those who want to tear us apart. There are those who decide they matter more than everyone else. They steal, hurt, and connive their way through our common people, convincing us that they deserve our pity. But they only want to use us. This is our country.” Jisoo kept toning on, the crowd raptured, hanging on every word.

Jihoon grimaced. There was no way to make this look good. All he knew was that he couldn’t let those people die.

“We all know these people, but we don’t truly know them. They come from strange places, trying to take our home as theirs. Usurpers, they are! And they want us to lie down and let them take our home from us. Will we let them!?” He yelled out, asking for his answer.

“No!” The crowd screamed.

Jihoon’s heart dropped into his stomach.

The people behind Jisoo were immigrants. Just immigrants. Not criminals, not awful monsters, just people looking for a home.

And Jisoo was going to kill them.

Jihoon steeled himself, moving even faster towards the front of the crowd, he was just in reach of the edge of the platform.

“Will we protect our home!?” Jisoo screamed.

“Yes!” They screamed back.

Stop, Jihoon screamed in his head.

“Will we do whatever it takes to heal our country!?”

“Yes!”

Stop!

“Are you proud citizens of this beloved kingdom!?”

“Yes!”

Please stop!

“Will you help me expel this evil!?”

“Stop!”

The crowd heard his small, but powerful voice, and Jihoon scrambled up the platform, making space for himself in front of his brother’s cold stare.

“These people are not evil! They are just that, people! Looking for a home, meaning no harm!” Jihoon ignored all of the ignorant, staring people that faced him. Little compassion reflected in their eyes, just confusion and annoyance.

“You want to know why they were put in prison!? They weren’t paid enough to pay their taxes! Now tell me, if you just wanted to feed your family, but had barely any means to do so, what would you do? How would you feel?” Jihoon turned their ideas on their head.

“Who is this stupid kid?” Someone shouted out, uncaring and irritable.

Murmurs of agreement rang out, and suddenly, Jihoon knew this would be nothing but an uphill battle.

“I am the Second Prince, Jihoon!” He shouted out, knowing that he wasn’t supposed to have given his identity. It was all he could do. He looked around at the faces of disbelief, his citizens who did want to believe this was who he was.

“Yeah right, brat! Get off the stage!” An older man screamed from the back, and Jihoon fought not to look defeated. How could he make them believe?

“Please, hold your tongues,” Jisoo silenced them with a hand. He walked closer to Jihoon, and discreetly grabbed Jihoon’s wrist, holding it so tight it hurt. Jihoon fought not to wince.

“He is correct. This here is my younger brother, Prince Jihoon. I assure you, he is no child. He is an adult, with severely stunted growth. He’s always been fragile, and weak since childhood, so pay him no mind.” Jisoo explained, leaving no room for Jihoon to cut in. With his arm stuck in Jisoo’s grasp, they were slowly playing a game of dominance.

Who could keep up appearances longer?
“This is the man some have wished for the throne, a small, feeble and easily moved man. While I love my brother, I think we can all agree he is not fit for the throne,” Jisoo smiled, making the audience chuckle. Jihoon blushed, shame filling him. Never before had Jisoo exploited this part of him. It hurt. It hurt so much from someone he used to trust.

Tap, Tap, Tap.

Jihoon heard footsteps, slow but deliberate behind him.

Minghao.

It took everything Jihoon had not to twirl around, but even if he had tried, Jisoo still had his wrist in a bruising death-grip. He had nowhere to go.

Tap, Tap, Tap.

Was Jisoo going to have Minghao kill him right here? In front of everybody? Stage a fake coup, led by Minghao all to paint Jisoo as the hero?

Tap, Tap, Tap.

“I do apologize for him interrupting. Ever since he could walk again, he’s loved to follow me around and make trouble. Honestly, he really is still so much like a kid.” Jisoo looked down at Jihoon with fake affection, but the audience ate it right up.

So gullible, Jihoon hissed.

Jihoon searched the roofs, trying to find where his fellow rebels were hiding in wait, hoping they weren’t into much disarray. If he fell, they’d have to swoop in and turn the narrative to their side. He found them, over to the East, Jun and DK sticking up.

Tap.

Minghao was right behind him, and Jihoon took a slow, deep breath. This is where he dies. Jihoon could only hope when Minghao recovered, he could find it within himself to forgive his wrongdoings. He hoped Soonyoung would live on without him. He hoped Jun didn’t beat himself up over it. They hadn’t planned enough. That was it.

Jihoon took one last look up, almost gasping at the sight he saw.

DK was ready to shoot his arrow.

No, Jihoon wanted to scream. Don’t shoot, he heard in his head even as he heard the telltale sound of Minghao unsheathing his dagger behind him.

This is what he wants!

And DK let go.

“No!” Jihoon screamed, as Jisoo whipped away so fast, the arrow shot right into the wooden floor beside the younger prince.

The crowd began to scream, and Minghao rushed over to Jisoo, looking concerned and protective. Jihoon stumbled, his knees giving out.

“How could you!?” Jisoo screamed out, causing Jihoon to flinch and look over to his brother. His face was red with anger, and eyes wet with tears. Jihoon knew his brother could be quite the actor, but this was disturbing. Nothing behind those eyes were real. Where even was the brother he loved anymore?

“My own brother, trying to kill me!? I thought you loved me!” He screamed, Minghao holding onto his as he slowly stood up.

I could say the same to you, brother.

“Lock this traitor up! And find his accomplices! I thought better of you brother, but you’re just as power hungry as our grandfather!”

Jihoon suddenly felt rough, strong hands lifting him up and carrying him effortlessly away. He struggled, fought, and yelled, screaming obscenities, but he couldn’t reach his weapons. Jihoon quickly thought about the rebels, but his struggling body couldn’t focus enough to try and find them. He thought to Soonyoung, who his heart broke for. He’d probably never see him again.

“Let go!” He screamed one last time, before the guard who had him in his grasp smacked his head so hard he felt blackness surrounding his vision.

Jisoo had won.

Chapter Text

His head pounded, as he sat up from the cold, stone ground. The room was spinning, but even he could tell he was stuck in a prison cell.

“Who are you, little boy?” A gentle, feminine voice called out. Her voice slightly rough and low, but kind nonetheless.

Jihoon groaned, trying to make his dry mouth work. He looked up at the young girl, very beautiful yet concerned.

“My name is Jihoon,” He stumbled slightly over the words. “I’m so sorry to have caught you up in my troubles, miss.”

The girl giggled, kneeling down to get to eye level with him. “You speak super formal. You can’t be an immigrant, right? We’re usually from the slums, we talk more slang than anything.”

“Yes, I am a citizen. Well, a bit more, I suppose.” Jihoon tried to explain, ignoring his headache.

“Then why are you here? This isn’t exactly the lap of luxury, y’know?” She asked, and Jihoon wishes his head was in a better state so he could this girl anything but the unnerving truth.

“Yes, if I am being honest, it is not ideal that I am trapped here. However, I have made a grave mistake, and being mocked by being placed in a cell with you. I apologize for that.” Jihoon grimaced.

“What do you mean?” She asked, confused. She reached out and rubbed at Jihoon’s face, cleaning off what either must’ve been dirt, dried blood or dust, and Jihoon didn’t care enough to figure it out.

“Speaking purely in terms of threats, they see me on the level of a young girl. An insult to both of us, but nonetheless a statement.” Jihoon explained. She giggled, finding humor in his bitter words. Strange girl.

“Well, I’m a prisoner, and you’re a little boy. I can’t imagine either pose too much of a threat to anyone.” She said, sighing and making herself more comfortable on the floor.

“Well I need to. I need to be a large enough threat to change this whole Kingdom.” Jihoon said, looking at his hands. Small, bloodied, rough where there used to be coddled, soft skin. He was a much different person now.

“Wow, you sound like my brother,” She said, chuckling. “When we were little, he’d promise he’d change the whole Kingdom. Make it better for us, make it safe for people like us. Help immigrants have a place to belong.” She explained, wistful, like the whole memory was from a dream, a reality that wasn’t probable to her anymore.

How much hope had been stolen from her?

“What’s your name, miss?” He asked, curious of her origins. Curious about who he’d been imprisoned with in this dreadful defeat.

“My name?” She asked, looking surprised, like no one has asked her something so simple for a long time. Jihoon smiled, trying to coax her further, not to dwell on her current situation.

“It’s like a name from another world. I don’t get called it here. It’s either insults, numbers, or ‘hey you’. Never my name.” She said, eyes downcast.

“I’m sure it’s a lovely name that you have.” Jihoon tried again, not wanting to make her sad.

“Qian.” She whispered.

Jihoon jolted.

“Qian?!” He cried out, louder than intended. She jumped as well, looking baffled and taken aback that he reacted so violently to her name.

“Yes? Something wrong with that?” She asked, confused.

“Is your brother Jun? Junhui? Are you his little sister?” He asked, urgent.

“Yes! Yes, I am! You know my brother?” She asked, face brightening like a sun, smile out, ready to be told good news.

“Yes! He’s a friend of mine. In fact, I owe him very much.” He said, seeing Qian begin to bounce with excitement.

“I was so happy when I saw Ming, but knowing that Jun is alive too!? I’m so happy!” She smiled, unaware of the current situations both of her brothers were in.

A beat of silence.

“Qian, they thought you were dead,” Jihoon said softly, unable to keep the truth from her.

“What? Jun… He thinks I’m dead?” She whispered.

“Well, that’s what he told me. He thought you died the night your parents were killed.” Jihoon explained, not understanding how she was alive, in front of him.

“I… It looked bad. The men, the men that night cut me across the chest, and I didn’t think I’d make it. They broke my arms, and they hurt me real bad.”

She shivered, holding her arms, eyes glazed and haunted with the memory.

“I get it, why he thought that. Ming saw it. Ming saw them torture me. The last thing I remember from that night was Ming crying out for me as I blacked out in pain.” She whispered, not meeting Jihoon’s eyes.

He’d heard the story, but he’d never imagined palace officers would be so cruel. That they would do such awful things. His family’s sins against hers was not few. Could he ever repent enough for them?

“But, Minghao must’ve known I’m alive,” She said, breaking herself out of the memory. “He came to see me. I think he’s even working for that awful Prince Jisoo. Everyone down here hates him. But Ming didn’t say much when he saw me.”

Jihoon’s eyes widened, realizing why Minghao had decided to work for Jisoo. Suddenly so many of Minghao’s actions made sense.

“Qian, something big is happening right now, and your brothers are at the center of it.” He turned to her, catching her full attention.

“Can I count on you to help me?” He asked, hoping they could still turn the tides of this battle.

“If it’s for my brothers, I’ll do anything,” Qian said, proving that devotion ran in her family.

“Then let’s begin.”

____________________________________

Jun, DK, Chan and Mingyu all dashed away, quickly sliding off the roofs, landing on the stone ground. They shed their weapons, hiding them away into bushes that surrounded the upscale houses. They quickly made their way into the crowd.

It was pure chaos, yelling, pushing, confusion. It was perfect for the rebels to shove through and hide in.

“Find them! Search the alleyways! The criminals can’t have gotten far!” Jun heard a guard yell out, making him smirk.

Their plan had been foiled, but they wouldn’t find his rebels. They had to lie in wait, at the heart of the action, to see if they still had a chance to turn the tides.

“I apologize for that awful display.” Jun growled slightly, hearing Jisoo speak once again from the platform. If you’ll give me a short amount of time to make sure security is tight, I will then resume our display. Thank you for your patience.” Jisoo then left the platform, disappearing into the castle.

The crowd began to calm, soothed by Jisoo’s quick thinking, which made Jun bite his lip. They could have benefitted from a riot, but considering how well Jisoo currently had a handle on the crowd, there was no way that they could’ve pulled it off.

How would they turn the tides?

Jun’s mind raced as he squirmed his way closer to the platform. How could they win this, when the only claim to the throne was just disrespected, dismissed, and thrown in prison? Jun didn’t know what they planned to do with Jihoon, but nothing could be good. Torture was most likely, get Jihoon to spill out plans and identities and weaknesses. Considering his weaker frame, it was an appealing choice. However, Jisoo disliked taking chances. He could very well kill off Jihoon quickly, knowing he was the rebel’s only hope of lasting victory. If Jihoon were dead, Jun would have no strategy or allies, as half of the royal guards were loyal only to Jihoon. Soonyoung would most likely be banished from the castle without Jihoon to protect him, so all avenues would be lost.

What could they do?

“Psst!” Jun heard from a few people over. He turned, trying not to be too obvious.

“Jun!” The whisper came from the left, so Jun slowly made his way over there, where he found Soonyoung huddled down on the ground.

Kneeling down amongst the collection of legs, Jun leaned closer to hear Soonyoung.

“What are we going to do? Jihoon’s captured, our guards are inside the castle waiting for Jihoon’s signal, and Jisoo knows we’ve planned something.” Soonyoung says, keeping an eye on his surroundings.

“I don’t know. Jihoon completely subverted the plan the moment he jumped on that platform. He might’ve had a plan that could’ve worked, but he’s not here to tell us. Our strategist is captured and we’re kind of screwed.” Jun mutters, angry and full of dread. This was their chance. But what could they do?

“Well, firstly, we just have to hope that Jihoon can either hold out long enough to be rescued, or finds a way to escape himself. As much as I want to go save him right now this very second, I can’t, and while it kills me, the mission is first.” Soonyoung grits, and Jun’s heart ached for him. It couldn’t be easy to know the man you love is in danger and have to make the decision against immediately going to save him. He certainly knew the old him wouldn’t have had the willpower.

“Secondly, Jisoo has decided to put on a show. It’s obvious that public opinion is his weapon of choice this time. This battle won’t be won with swords or arrows. This battle will be won with reputation and theatrics, something that puts us at a major disadvantage. Jisoo knows that we can best him with military power, but everything from appearance to temperament makes it difficult for people to empathize with us.”

Jun bit his lip, impressed by Soonyoung’s reasoning, but still worried about the problems that lay before him. “Are you sure? Jisoo really took this kind of a risk?” Jun asked.

“Look, Jihoon could attend only so many strategy lessons throughout his life, but every time he did, I was right there beside him. I’ve never strategized, but I can sure as hell analyze a situation. And I’m completely confident that right now, you’re right, we’re screwed.” Soonyoung admits.

“So how do we turn the tables? Win his game? How do we best Jisoo with his own plan?” Jun put out rhetorically.

“Please! All I want is to see her! I just want to see my daughter! Yiyun! Yiyun can you hear me!?” Jun and Soonyoung turned to the platform, hearing one of the men yell out. They couldn’t see him, but they felt the desperation in his voice.

“That man…” Soonyoung whispered, face full of concentration. The crowd had somewhat calmed down, but at the prisoner yelling out, the crowd was confused and talkative once again.

“Yiyun! I just want to see my little girl! I can’t just leave her behind! Yiyun!” He kept screaming, his voice rough and cracking. Jun’s chest felt heavy.

“Oh my god, I have an idea.” Soonyoung said. His eyes wide, turning to Jun.

“Okay, great! What do we do?” Jun implored, frantic. Soonyoung smirked, looking ahead and standing up.

“Absolutely nothing.”

_____________________________

Chan looked around, but he couldn’t seem to find any of the other rebels in the crowd. Weirdly, he was able to snoop through the crowd easily, and he ended up closer to the front than he expected.

“Yiyun! I just want to see my little girl! I can’t just leave her behind! Yiyun!” Chan startled, hearing the prisoner closer to the edge of the platform, only ten meters away.

The father was fiercely struggling against the pillory he was locked in, fists clenched. His face was red, and eyes wet with tears. Chan, in sick pity, couldn’t look away from the sight. His mind had flashbacks to the night his parents were captured.

He shook himself out of the memory, trying to stay in the moment. This was a crucial time for them, and Chan had no idea where Jun or anyone else was. He didn't have any idea what to do, and Jihoon was in danger. Should they save him? How would they accomplish that?

“Papa!!!” Chan heard the scream, and twirled around, getting jostled violently by someone shorter than him who was trying to pass by him.

“Yiyun!?!” the man screamed again, Chan looking down at a boyish looking kid that was crying, reaching out for the man in the pillory.

“Papa!” she screeched, voice high and broken.

“Is that your dad?” He asked her, grabbing her attention. They turned to Chan, tears streaming down her face.

“Yes! She gasped, obviously scared and lost. Chan looked around, realizing that no one had any intention to help this kid and her father.

“I can get you up there, but I don't think I can help you get him out,” Chan admitted, knowing that if he revealed his face to the guards, there was a high chance he would be recognized.

“Anything! Please help me get to my dad!” She cried, trembling, scared. She looked so young, and Chan’s heart ached. His sympathy for this child was growing every moment. No one should pin this kind of grief onto someone that young. Almost with a start, he realized that this kid wasn’t much younger than him. He swallowed, trying to focus.

“Excuse me,” He said, pushing people out of the way. He grabbed the kid’s- Well, actually Yiyun’s hand, and led them past people, bumping into them, not caring at all if he seemed rude. He kept his head down, not worrying if people weren’t receptive to his pushiness. He tried to avoid eye-contact with the people around him, not wanting to be recognized.

After pushing past a few people, he reached the edge of the platform, and pulled Yiyun up next to him.

“Okay, Yiyun, this is as far as I can go. Do your best for your dad.” Chan spoke solemnly. Yiyun nodded, looking both grateful to him and terrified for what lay ahead of her.

Yiyun grabbed the edge of the platform and pulled herself up on the stage.

“Papa!!” Yiyun screamed, running towards the pillory he was stuck in. Yiyun’s father immediately recognized her voice, and started outwardly sobbing.

“My baby! My little girl!” He cried, as Yiyun knelt in front of him. They held hands, Yiyun’s hands white, and her father’s gripping so tightly it seemed like he wouldn’t ever be able to let go. They stared into each other’s eyes, a desperate conversation happening wordlessly between them.

“Papa,” Yiyun sobbed, tears running down her face, red and swollen with grief.

“What the hell are you doing?” A guard from the closest side of the platform yelled, coming towards them.

Yiyun immediately looked stricken, and glanced at the huge padlock keeping her father locked up. It was metal, heavy, polished and new. She couldn’t free him, especially not with her bare hands.

Chan looked on in horror as the guard sauntered over, empathy completely disregarded. The guard came upon where Yiyun was knelt, and grabbed her at her waist, trying to pull her back from her father.

Yiyun screeched, grip tight and unyielding on her father’s hands. The guard had her off the ground easily, she was so small, but her hands were firmly grasped to her father’s.

“Papa! Papa! Don’t let go! Please, don’t let go!” She sobbed, screaming. Chan saw her trying fervently to fight off the guard with her legs, but his hold was strong.

“Yiyun! Yiyun!” He changed his grip to her wrists, so they could hold better, his large hands enveloping her wrists, it didn’t matter if she couldn’t hold on, because he would.

“I love you! Don’t leave me, please! I can’t, I need you! First Mom, and then Sister, I can’t lose you too! Papa!” She screamed. The guard starting waving over more guards to help him, who began to walk to them. Three more armored men began to try to peel Yiyun from her father, but his grip on her was unshakable.

Her hands started to turn purple, her circulation being cut off by his grip. His hands were slipping lower onto her wrists, pulling at her joints. He looked at her hands, worried for her. Of course she was his priority.

“Baby-”

“No!” She thrashed in the men’s grip. “Don’t let go! Don’t you dare let go! It doesn’t matter if you pop them out, or I lose them, I don’t care! I need you, don’t let me go!” She cried. Her tears were dripping down her face and falling to the platform below. Chan bit his lip.

He was fighting every urge he had to go up there and fight those guards off of her. He wanted to free Yiyun’s father for her, but he didn’t think he could. Not barehanded. He could jeopardize everything if he shows himself. Knowing this, he still felt the pull to help her. Who wouldn’t?

Apparently that sentiment rang true, because Chan started to notice the entire crowd was muttering around him, glancing worriedly at the young girl being manhandled on the platform.

“Hey! She’s just a little girl! Let her go!” Chan heard the yell from the back of the crowd, and whipped his head around. Searching, he couldn’t see the protestor’s face, but he had no doubt it was Soonyoung. It was his voice.

Suddenly, it clicked in his head why Soonyoung yelled out. Steeling himself, he slinked farther away from the front of the platform, and yelled out,

“Yeah! First her father, now you want to hurt her? Let her go!” He yelled, quickly kneeling down amongst the crowd to stay hidden.

Slowly, a few others began to heckle at the guards, but it wasn’t substantial. Chan grit his teeth, realizing that this crowd was cowardly, something big would have to change their minds.

SNAP!

“AGGH!” Yiyun wailed, Chan flinching in the crowd. Quickly, he lifted himself up, seeing that Yiyun’s right hand had indeed been dislocated by her father’s grip.

“Don’t let go, Don’t!” She sobbed, her face white with terror. Her father released his grip on her right hand, too worried for her, but seeing his daughter’s face, he couldn’t let her left hand go. He couldn’t give up.

“You’re hurting her! What kind of guards are you? Hurting an innocent little girl!” Chan yelled out, sneaking into the crowd once again.

This time, the outbursts erupted.

“Yeah! Let her go you monsters!” Chan heard from Mingyu somewhere from the left.

The crowd began to follow, now more than half the crowd were actively shouting at the guards, and it looked like the rest were soon to follow.

Chan swiftly moved through the holes in the crowd, moving to the back, trying to find Soonyoung for the next move of the plan. He felt enclosed, and lost among the people around him. So easily swayed by words and actions, it felt strange to know that these were just normal people. That people could be so easy to manipulate.

As Chan got closer to the back of the mob, Chan noticed everyone around him grow in aggressive demeanor, becoming more and more angry at the guards, yelling and heckling louder and louder.

SNAP!

And as Yiyun’s strangled squeal rang out, the entire crowd began to ascend onto the stage in rage.

A riot had emerged.

_______________

When Jihoon’s conversation was quickly cut off by guards hauling him out of the cell, he knew it wasn’t good.

As he was brought into a dark room, and chained down in a wooden chair with heavy metal chains, he had a strange feeling this room might be his coffin. As the two guards left him alone, Jihoon sighed, trying to steel himself for whatever was about to befall him.

“Hello brother,” Came a hiss from outside the cell, sneaking in through the metal bars.

“Jisoo.” Jihoon stated.

“I will have you kneel before me, and stop all this useless struggling. Rebels? Did you truly think that would work? Just let me have the Kingdom. I will make it a utopia,”

Jihoon looked down on his dirty clothes, slightly bruised body, and sighed.

“Maybe. But you’d do it by eradication, wouldn’t you?” Jihoon accused.

“Excuse me?!” Jisoo bellowed, clearly offended. Jihoon didn’t have to see his face to know, even obscured by the darkness, Jihoon knew.

“When I heard you speaking up on the platform, I realized just how much you hate immigrants, you hate anyone that wasn’t born in our Kingdom. Using them as a scapegoat for a power grab certainly is not the end of it. You honestly want them dead. You would try to kill them all, would you not?” Jihoon starts to tear up, shaking his head in complete disappointment.

“I cannot believe you are my brother. I can’t believe you’re such a monster.” Jihoon whispered.

“You don’t understand!” Jisoo screeched. Jihoon jumped, not expecting the unhinged timbre.

“They will take everything if we don’t exterminate them. I have no choice, Jihoon. I will not be so weak as to lose anything else again.” Jisoo sneered. Jihoon began to hear footsteps getting quieter.

Jisoo had left.

Jihoon tried to look up at the ceiling, but found it was too dark to even see that. It was almost pitch black in the cell, he could see colors in the darkness, and at this point he didn’t know if it was real or not. Nothing had felt like reality recently, and he chose not to wonder if somehow this place before him wasn’t real.

He began to hear multiple footsteps nearing the cell, and he tensed, knowing at best he’d be able to see their silhouettes.

Three, he guessed, but he couldn’t be sure.

“This kid? Fuck, I hope he squeals like a piglet. Looks like one. Maybe it’ll be cute.” He heard a gruff male voice from right outside the cell.

The metal door creaked open, and was promptly closed again and locked.

It was four.

Amongst the small bit of light coming in, he could make out three very tall, broad men, and one tall but thin male. They all seemed very calm.

Jihoon gulped.

They… They were The Punishers.

These particular soldiers Jisoo helped train, but The Punishers were the officers that dealt out corporal punishment. Or in some cases, torture. Jihoon assumed they hadn’t seen much action until Jisoo started his tirade. Jihoon hoped they hadn’t hurt anyone before him, but he knew that was a fruitless hope. Jihoon knew that Jisoo commanded these men, he had heard when Jisoo had begun to train his most ruthless soldiers into the next Punishers.

At the time, Jihoon hadn’t been very coherent or healthy, and assumed that the men were only going to hurt horrifically guilty people, but thinking on it, Jihoon had to have known somewhere in his mind that these men hurt whoever they were told to. No questions asked.

“Prince is fucking brutal. His baby brother, and he wants us to fucking wreck him. Not that I’m complaining.” The second one laughed.

The skinnier one inched closer, and licked up the side of his face.

Jihoon fought not to shiver, but it was so disgusting he shook anyway.

“I’m gonna enjoy this, bitch,” he whispered into Jihoon’s ear.

“What does Jisoo want?” Jihoon calmly grit out. He was glad his voice didn’t shake, because he was terrified right now.

“Information. Then, we’re gonna kill you. Slowly.” Jihoon could hear the third one’s smile.

“Well, he wanted us to off you quickly and painlessly after we got the information he needs, but…”

“... We want to have some fun, so we won’t do that.”

Jihoon squeezed his eyes closed. He didn’t want to know who said what. He didn’t want to know them. Didn’t want to see their faces, because he might recognize them. He might start to think of these monsters as people and he couldn’t. He was so terrified, he wanted to cry, but he was so petrified he couldn’t. He hoped it came off as strength.

Jihoon squeezed his eyes closed. He didn’t want to know who said what. He didn’t want to know them. Didn’t want to see their faces, because he might recognize them. He might start to think of these monsters as people and he couldn’t. He was so terrified, he wanted to cry, but he was so petrified he couldn’t. He hoped it came off as strength.

“So what’s first boys?”

“The pearly whites go.” Jihoon heard the skinnier one’s voice reverberate, like he was so damn pleased.

“Get the pliers,” The gruff voice, the leader, ordered.

“Now we’re gonna give you one chance, piglet. Give the names of all of the rebels and your allied guards. I won’t ask again.”

“I cannot do that,” He whispered.

Suddenly, his mouth was being pried open by two dirty, smelly hands, and his jaw couldn’t fight back from the sheer force. His tongue tasted rusty iron, and then he felt a heavy pressure on his left canine tooth.

“Augh!” He choked on his protest, trying to thrash in his chains.

“I hope you bleed pretty, piglet.”

Then, the tool started to pull on his tooth, gums and jaw feeling hot sparks of pain.

CRACK!

“AUGHH!” Jihoon screamed.

Blood from his mouth poured back into his throat, making Jihoon choke and convulse. To him, the room was spinning, the pain in his mouth intense and blinding. He forgot his own name for a moment.

The hands left his mouth, retracting with the tool, which now had his left canine tooth. He shot forward, coughing and spitting out the blood in his mouth.

“I’m glad you said no, pretty piglet, because now we get to play a new game every time you say no. Your brother thought you’d break immediately. Glad to see you’re more interesting than that. I’m so glad we get to ruin you.”

Jihoon could barely hear the men chuckling at him, he didn’t care, his head hurt so bad. Other than the immediate pain, it felt like when he was really sick. He could survive this, he convinced himself. He was used to pain.

“He doesn’t scream like the others do, or cry. I don’t think this is intense enough, boys.”

Jihoon cursed god in that moment.

“What do you suggest?”

“I say we castrate him. Cute little piglet doesn’t need it, anyway.”

Jihoon held his breath.

“Maybe later, but he might not talk if we jump straight to that. Let’s start simple.”

Jihoon thanked god in that moment.

“Thumbscrews?”

A chuckle was heard to Jihoon’s left.

“Good idea. Grab it.”

Jihoon heard the eager footsteps get quieter, heard a loud metal clunk, and then the footsteps came right back.

“Let’s try the smallest finger. It should hurt more.”

Jihoon’s chained wrists were unhooked from the chair and held out in front of him. Two pairs of arms were holding them in place, while nimble fingers grabbed his left pinky finger, and were shoved into a cold, metal contraption. His right one was then put in as well, stuck between a wide, flat bar on the top and the bottom of his fingers.

Jihoon had no idea what this was going to do, but he knew it was going to hurt.

“Names, and your base location, now.”

Jihoon stayed silent.

With the same nimble fingers, a large screw with a handle began to twist, making the two bars holding his fingers compress, crushing his pinkies more and more.

“AH!” Jihoon bit his lip, trying not to scream, but as the bars began to really crush him, he couldn’t stop.

“AHH! AHH!” Jihoon howled, throwing his head back and forth. He couldn’t bear it, he could feel his small finger bones underneath his suffocating skin. They were beginning to crack, and Jihoon knew the bars were going to destroy the bones.

No mercy.

“I love his screams, so pretty,” One man sighed in contentment, making Jihoon’s eyes finally water.

What people would do this? How could they feel peace when his entire vision was white with suffering?

Everything was reduced to pain, pain, pain, pain.

When the four men removed the device, Jihoon was trembling in shock. His eyes were looking at the ceiling, but he saw nothing, focused on nothing. Tears were cool on his warm face, dripping down the sides of his temples.

He couldn’t feel his pinkies.

He was sure they were completely gone.

“They popped like grapes, delicious.”

Jihoon felt blood on his legs.

It was his.

For a moment, he thought he was going to get sick, but he realized he didn’t have the strength. Tears still dripped down his temples, disappearing into his hair. He knew he was sweating profusely, and he could smell salt and metal in the air, his blood and sweat invading every sense.

“He’s not even sobbing yet, what a soldier.”

“Kinda makes me wanna take him, y’know?”

“After he’s dead, then you can take him all you want.”

Jihoon’s breath felt heavy, his chest barely rising enough. How could anybody like this? Seeing this horrific, sickening display of human depravity and feel aroused?

He knew the torture wouldn’t end, he knew that these men would keep thinking of new ways to destroy him, but he didn’t know which torture he’d prefer. The longer he felt his limbs numb from the horrific reality placed in front of him, he didn’t know if it was even possible to have a preference.

He wanted death.

But even that peace would be stolen away from him, knowing that the moment he passes, his body would be disrespected by sexual assault. His throat felt tight.

“But you know what, I’ll let you have a taste, rip his clothes off.”

Jihoon’s chest spasmed in silent sobs.

Jihoon felt a small knife tear it’s way through his shirt, which was then pulled out from behind him. His pants were also torn off, and his underwear as well, but that garment was left under him for him to sit on. Remind him he didn’t have it for even basic modesty.

His body was cold, and it shivered so, and he knew the men around him were looking on in fascination at his embarrassment and pain. He knew the knife lingered around his genitals too long for his comfort, and he hoped whatever came next would finally put him out of his misery.

“Time for something else. Thoughts?”

“Denailing?”

“Good, but we can do better.”

“Breath Denial?”

“Basic. Try again.”

“Lingchi?”

“I like it, but the Prince wouldn’t want an immigrant’s torture used on him.”

“The Pear?”

“Get the Pear.”

As the man walked away, one of the others punched him in the stomach, coming completely out of nowhere. Jihoon coughed, blood escaping his mouth again.

“Wow, I heard a crack. He’s surprisingly fragile.” The man’s words flittered by, Jihoon trying to stay afloat. He had barely felt the hit, and he surely hadn’t realized there had been a crack of bone either. Pain felt numb, nothing really felt real. The fear and dread seemed to drain out of him, as if it found somewhere better to be at the moment.

“He didn’t even flinch, I guess knife wounds don’t really faze him. Interesting.” Jihoon blinked, trying to focus his eyes on what he could see of his body. He saw his legs twitching, but he couldn’t tell if he was really doing it or not, because his legs felt disconnected.

Jihoon’s head swam, trying to escape the room he was in. He wanted to be back in his bed, Soonyoung laying with him, them smiling and joking. He wanted Seungkwan to visit and tell him all about what lovely thing Hansol had done to steal his little brother’s heart once again. He wanted Jisoo to talk with him hours into the night. He wished he was in his Dad’s arms again. He wanted to be in the rebel’s den, laughing with Chan and Mingyu, smelling DK’s cooking as Soonyoung and Jun argued about whatever thing that was on their minds. He wanted to be back in the cell with Qian, hear her strong voice.

Jihoon was unchained, and lifted from the chair. He was dragged carelessly across the cold floor, and thrown onto a metal table, stomach on the freezing metal surface, back feeling the stale air. His limp limbs were rechained, arms above his head, legs straight down.

He couldn’t see a thing, but the terror simmered beneath the surface, his brain trying to stay as lost as possible.

“I need all men urgently! A rebellion has begun! Every soldier report to me immediately!” Jisoo’s frustrated yell rang out from the other side of the chamber.

A silent pause ensued, and then all four of the men walked out of the large cell, locking the door.

“Until next time, little piglet.”

Jihoon puked.

_________________________________

Qian heard the guards yelling and scrambling to leave the prisoner’s chambers. She knew something was wrong. She shifted on the floor of her cell, keeping the dagger hidden underneath her dress. She wanted to follow Jihoon’s instructions, and considering that the guards had almost completely cleared out of the dungeon, he seemed to be uncannily accurate.

“Have my dagger,” Jihoon took out the dagger hidden stealthily underneath his shirt. He took off the holsters as well, handing them both to her, face solemn.

“How did you get this?” Qian asked, afraid that the guards might see it.

“The coast is clear. No patrols for another couple of minutes. Put the holster on under your dress, and keep the dagger sheathed.” Jihoon whispered.

Qian, still astounded, did as asked. Jihoon obligingly closed his eyes, to give her privacy. It was very sweet, considering no other male guard had ever shown her the same courtesy. She lifted her dress, strapping the holster in place. Luckily, she was skinny enough to fit the small boy’s size. She stuck the dagger in, and put her dress back down, shifting to get used to hiding the weapon.

“Okay. Done.” She said.

Jihoon let a small pause pass, probably to make sure she was modestly dressed again. He opened his eyes, and took in her visage, nodding once.

“Good. Now Qian, you have to understand what is happening above us right now. The first prince, Jisoo is executing immigrants, and it seems like he is going to get away with it. The situation is dire.” He sighed. Qian gulped. She didn’t understand how things had gotten so bad while she was locked away.

“Your brother and I are trying our best to stop Jisoo’s reign of terror but I am not sure we can do it. My hope is that Soonyoung, Mingyu, DK, Chan and Jun figure out a way to get the common people on our side, but I have no idea how they would do it.” Jihoon looked back to Qian, making sure she knew how important this was. She did.

“One way or another, Our allies will begin to attack once they realize that I’m down here. I assume that Jisoo will pull out his soldiers here, considering most prisoner guards support him. This will leave the cells unguarded. I want you to take the dagger and try to pick the lock of the cell. Get free, and make your way through the castle. Tell anyone who’s my ally that you’re my friend. Say, ‘I’m Jihoon’s friend’. No one will hurt you, and my guards will keep you safe.” He instructed. She nodded.

“If you think you can get your friends out, do so. But don’t stay too long, and don’t endanger yourself. Don’t get caught. I’m sure putting me in this cell was no coincidence. I’m sure Jisoo is planning on making you his trump card. He knows how much the rebels love you. He wants to use us as hostages.” Jihoon reaches out his hand to her, and Qian softly takes it.

“You have to find your brother. You have to tell him my message. You will decide the outcome of this Kingdom, Qian. I’m sure of it.” Jihoon says, his eyes determined and strong. Qian nodded, unsure and scared.

She didn’t know if she could do it, but she had to help her brothers.

“Okay. I’ll do my best.”

“That’s good. Now my advice-”

“Scrawny, get your ass up!” Two guards came up to their cell. Both stared at Jihoon’s back. It was like Qian herself didn’t even exist.

“Goodbye, Qian. I hope we meet again.” Jihoon stood, turning away from her. Qian’s breathing quickened, concerned. Where were they taking him?

Jihoon was dragged away by the two guards, and she couldn’t do a thing.

With the guards gone, it seemed like Jihoon was speaking the truth. Whispers of a rebellion broke out among the other inmates, their eyes slightly shining, as nothing like this had ever happened before.

It was now or never.

She stood up, taking one last look around, making sure that there weren’t still guards maintaining their positions, but as Jihoon had told her, none seemed to be left. As she carefully unsheathed the dagger underneath her dress, Qian briefly wondered how Jihoon knew all of this information. Where had he been taken? Who was he really?

The questions she had were swirling in her mind as she began to try and pick the lock. It was difficult, the blade was almost too large to fit, but the huge lock accomodated for the metal’s size, and Qian slowly but surely felt the lock moving her way.

Click!

Qian almost dropped her blade. A rush of breath left her, and her fingers began to tremble. She quickly gripped the blade harder, tight enough to hurt. She gulped, and slowly opened the cage door. When she finally walked out of what had been her home for years, she felt her breath pause.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she felt freedom. Making her own decisions, being responsible for her life.

The moment that she’s free, she’s been pushed into a dangerous world that she hasn’t been a part of since she was a young child. Not that she wasn’t still young. Not that she doesn’t feel her blood boil and her limbs sing with freedom and potential and determination.

Everything in her was in battle, and she was about to push herself into another war that wasn’t internal, had more consequences, had more peril and wrong paths to take.

“Ahhh!” Qian whipped her head to the outer door. Far, far off, she heard a man’s scream, the clashes and sounds of battle and war. A war that needed her.

She grit her teeth, and looked around at the curious, jealous faces of the others in their cells. Jihoon had told her she could free any friend or ally she wanted, but she didn’t have anyone that came to mind. She hadn’t bonded with or befriended anybody. All of the younger prisoners came to hate each other because of the manipulation and mind games that the guards constantly put them through. She wasn’t sure if the others would try to kill her or help her. Stuck in isolation, she wasn’t sure how sane any of them were. She turned away from all of their screams, pleas, and curses. Even though it hurt, she was going to have to go alone. They would be freed after Jihoon and her brothers reigned victorious.

She then ran out, pushing through the large door, wondering how long it would be before she was faced with actual battle. She had experience. Fighting for food, for clothes, for mercy, and dominance. She was used to wild animals of enemies, desperate, growling, shameless. As she ran up a flight of stairs to the castle’s main floor, she wondered how different fighting guards would really be. Could she do it with just a small dagger? She’d subdued three people her age at the same time with her bare hands before. Surely she could do this for her family.

“How could you follow him? He shows no mercy!” Qian quickly hid behind a corner. In the hallway ahead, she heard a woman’s voice. The battle was this widespread? How bad was it?

“Jihoon is too weak, and we all know it! With Jisoo we have a chance to achieve greatness!” A gruff male voice yelled back. Qian heard the chink and clash of crossing swords.

“We have a chance for cruelty! Is that what you want!?” The woman screamed back, Qian heard her grunt, as if she were struggling. Qian’s breath quickened.

“Jihoon is close to death and you know it! I care more about this Kingdom than I do about one measly royal child!” He yelled, anger tangible.

“AHHH!” Qian flinched as the man screamed out.

“You only care about your position.” Qian heard the woman whisper. Qian exhaled as the woman seemed to sheath her sword. That must be a guard on Jihoon’s side, and Qian was far more safe with another.

She peeked her head out, hesitant but brave. She saw the man bleeding out on the ground, and quickly looked away. She’d seen too many men in the same position. The woman was already beginning to walk away, farther into the castle. Qian panicked.

“Wait!” She yelled out. The woman whipped her head around, seeing Qian in her prisoner’s clothes, dagger in hand, and immediately grabbed at her sword again.

“Wait! I’m Jihoon’s friend!” She screamed, holding her hands up, keeping her dagger in a non-aggressive position.

“Jihoon…?” She left her sword in her sheath. “What is your name, child?” She asked.

“Qian. He sent me here. He’s somewhere in the dungeon below. He was taken somewhere. He wanted me to find one of you and help end this. I’m an ally.” She explained, slowly walking forward.

“My name is Haeun. I’m one of his guards. Are you sure he didn’t ask anyone to go find him? I could-”

“He didn’t tell me to send anyone, no.” Qian cut in, trying not to let the guard in front of her get too emotional.

“Typical.” Haeun sighed, giving up on her idea to save Jihoon. She could see the guard struggling with it. “He’d rather end this fast than be safe. Alright, I’ll do as he wishes. Where do you need to go, Qian?”

“We need to find my brother.”

_____________________________________

Jisoo could feel rage and frustration setting fire in his body. It took immense self control to not just kill everyone in his sight. How could his plan possibly backfire? Reputation, charisma, fear, and authority, he had it all on his side, the rebels only ever excelling in brute force and guerilla tactics. He had never imagined that the stupid scum would ever turn the tides this intensely.

As he led Minghao deeper and deeper into the castle, abandoning his original plan, he cut down guard after guard that fought against him. He was the best swordsman in the kingdom. That alone should have given him the right to the throne, but his authority and intelligence would give him his eventual prize. He had no doubt he would still win his kingdom.

Jisoo was making his way down to the dungeons, ready to play his trump card. There wasn’t much he could do to end a riot outwardly, but with enough manipulation, he could make anyone do his bidding. That had been proven by Minghao, who faithfully walked behind his master, mindless and obedient. The rebels he could put down if he had something valuable enough.

“Minghao, stay here.” Jisoo ordered.

Jisoo didn’t need to turn around to know that Minghao had listened and followed the command. Jisoo walked past a guard that was downed, but he honestly had no idea if it was his or not. He shrugged, knowing he’d never taken time to learn of men that weren’t useful enough. He opened the large door to the dungeon, taking the flight of stairs down, and swiftly walking to the farther back section, trying to find the girl’s cell. As he tried to remember her lackluster face, he came upon a cell, opened and empty. His heart skipped a beat. His face whipped around, trying to look at all of the cells as fast as he could.

His stomach dropped. She was gone.

Jihoon!

That snake. Jisoo roared in anger, the other filthy immigrants that surrounded him in their disgusting cells flinched back, not daring to be within arm’s distance of him. Jisoo quickly tried to recalibrate. Fine, if the immigrant girl was free, he could find another way to destroy the rebel’s drive. Jisoo figured whatever was valuable enough to Minghao to make him hand himself over on a silver platter would be enough to end Jun’s campaign against him, but he could find something else. If he couldn’t take away their will, then he would crush their hope. He just had to make sure that hope was still alive in the first place.

Jisoo again walked farther in, where he left Jihoon to be tortured by his Punishers. They were useful tools, and the men told him that Jihoon had not immediately buckled like Jisoo had guessed. Now Jisoo just wants Jihoon to still be alive after whatever those men subjected him too. It couldn’t have been good.

Jisoo turned, finding the dark corridor he’d entrapped Jihoon in. He walked up to the cell, hearing the rough, ragged breathing of his prisoner. At least he was alive. Jisoo took his key, and unlocked the cell door, and let himself in. He took in the sight in front of him, and grimaced. His brother was tied up, naked, and face down lying in his own puke. The stench was enough to know. It was dark, but he could make out Jihoon’s emaciated form, and as he moved to untie him, he noticed Jihoon’s flimsy excuse for a fifth finger on each hand.

Jihoon was still out cold, and Jisoo had to figure out how to move him without too much trouble. His fingers were certainly no longer useful, but Jisoo decided against cutting them off. It would wake Jihoon up immediately, and Jisoo would rather have his charge asleep and useless for the ride.

Jisoo walked over to the wall, and unhooked a cloth, quickly coming back to clean off Jihoon’s face and chest, which had been dirtied by his vomit. He subtly noticed the growing black bruise around his stomach, but he tried his best to ignore it. Jisoo then slowly and carefully lifted Jihoon, supporting his back and legs, and promptly left the cell.

As Jisoo passed the cowering prisoners with Jihoon’s naked form in his arms, Jisoo realized that this was it. The final move. Taking Jihoon for leverage was not an action he ever expected to have to do, but he swore that nothing, no one would ever get in the way of his vengeance.

Jisoo left the dungeon, and began to retreat to his personal quarters. Minghao dutifully followed behind, no questions uttered from his still mouth.

___________________________________

Qian followed Haeun farther and farther out of the castle, coming into the main hall, where the city square full of rioting citizens laid just beyond the larger than life architecture of royalty. Haeun was in front, shielding Qian, but it seemed the main hall was empty of enemies. Most guards either went to put down the riot or went further in the castle to fight off their respective foes.

“Are you ready? You’ll have to search the crowd for your brother, and I’ll most likely be stopped and have to fight off Prince Jisoo’s soldiers. I can only go so far, then it is up to you.” Haeun warned, Qian taking every word as gospel. She was terrified of what laid before her.

She knew though, that turning back was not an option.

“Let’s go.”

Haeun opened the large door very slightly, trying not to make any scene of it. Qian and the guard slipped out, quickly running aside, trying to miss the center of attention completely. They were lucky, as the riot was so overwhelming, nobody had the time to spare to see who had opened the door.

“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” Qian whipped around, a guard, wild and angry broke from the nearby crowd and stalked towards her. She backed away, raising her dagger, but the man was feral, undeterred by the fact that she was armed.

“Out of the way!” Qian ducked away, and Haeun rushed in, quickly crossing swords with the man. “Run, Qian! Find your brother!” Haeun grunted, holding off the deranged guard. Qian hesitated for a moment, unsure if leaving Haeun here was a good idea.

“Go!” Haeun screamed, and Qian jumped, quickly turning closer to the crowd, and pushing her way in.

Limbs were flying everywhere, it was chaos, it smelled like sweat and blood, and Qian could barely see anything substantial that would lead her to her brother. Quickly, she realized that trying to find them in the crowd itself was next to impossible, as she kept getting pushed and hit by entangled limbs, she regretted not trying to find them from higher ground. She was used to being smaller and more agile than her enemies, trying to get a higher perspective hadn’t occurred to her.

Qian stumbled forward and out of the corner of her eye, saw a movement coming toward her. She startled, and felt and felt a strong “thwack!” on her nose, numbing and debilitating.

“You’re all traitors! Traitors to this Kingdom!”

“Corrupt! Every one of you damn workers! Royalty is poison!”

“Get off, you dirty bitch!”

Qian covered her face, her nose in pain and bleeding heavily. Realizing her dagger was useless, she easily slipped it back under her dress into the hidden sheath. She was surrounded by aggressive, furious people, guards and civilians. She saw no end for the violence, she could only try to keep her body from bruising all over with all the bodies crashing into her.

Qian could barely tell if she was crying out, but as her eyes watered with tears, she knew that she had to be. Qian quickly dropped her body closer the ground, covering her face and head with her hands. Maybe she could get out of the crowd by going lower. If she could just get out of the crowd and get to high ground, she could find her brother.

“Let me out! Please!” She screamed, trying to leave the crowd. She was sure her pleas were being drowned out by the chaos around her, but what choice was there? The crowd from behind her migrated backwards, and Qian felt feet stomping on her back, pushing her farther onto the ground, her arms unable to shield her from the massive weight of angry civilians.

“Ow! Help! Stop! Stop!” She shrilled, sure that she heard bones in her crack, distinctly aware that her thin, malnourished body couldn’t take much more abuse.

“-Your hand!” Qian thought she heard someone, but the noise was overwhelming, her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation for more pain.

Her hand was then grabbed, her eyes shot open, still dazed and confused. She was pulled up, her shoulder protesting loudly.

“Ow!” She yelled out, as she finally stood up away from the crushing feet of rioters. She looked in front of her to see the man that helped her out. He was beautiful, but clearly worse for wear among the crowd of rioters.

“Thank you,” she said, rather quietly. He nodded, letting her hand go.

“I saw you go down from over there, I just couldn’t stop from helping. The name’s Mingyu, you?” He introduced. Qian jolted, remembering Jihoon mentioning him.

“Mingyu!?” She exclaimed, startling him. She grabbed his hand again, and looked up. “I’m Qian! I’m Jun’s little sister!”

Mingyu looked at her, ratty and injured, and squinted. ¨I thought you were dead.”

“No, I was just imprisoned! But I almost died! Please, take me to Jun!” Qian shouted out. It was clear that Mingyu was suspicious and taken aback by her presence, but Qian didn’t have time to wait around.

“Please! I have a message from Jihoon!” She insisted, and Mingyu snapped out of his hesitance.

“Okay! Follow me, and don’t let go!” He yelled, and Qian nodded, ready to move. Skillfully, Mingyu weaved his way through the crowd, Qian trying to stay as close as possible. She noticed how he moved, completely free of tense muscles, as though this moment wasn’t imperative to the future of the Kingdom. As if he had done something far more stressful in his life.

Mingyu went farther than Qian had anticipated. She had assumed that Jun would be wherever the worst violence was, akin to a hero. But as Qian followed Mingyu, the man went further and further away from the castle. Eventually, they broke free from the riot, and escaped to a shallow alley, untouched by the chaos.

“Mingyu, I thought I told you to stop picking up strays.” Qian heard from behind her, deeper into the alleyway. She felt her hands tremble. It was masculine, less arrogant, and certainly more mature, but she’d know that voice anywhere.

“I figured you’d want this stray.” Mingyu answered, taking her shoulder and twisting her around to face him.

Jun.

“Brother…” She whispered, taking in his visage. His eyes were dark, but stronger. His hair was much longer than when she left him, and he was so much taller, but she knew it was him immediately.

“Qian…?” His voice broke, face frozen in disbelief.

“It’s me… I swear it’s me.” She said, hyper aware of her dirty appearance, her thin and sickly body. She must look awful.

Jun didn’t say anything. For a moment Qian wondered if he believed her. Mingyu was certainly surprised to hear of her survival. She couldn’t fathom why Minghao hadn’t told Jun.
Despite her fear, Jun surged forward, pulling her into a tight hug. So tight she felt more secure than she had in years. She wrapped her arms around him, fingers shaky.

“I thought you were dead,” He sobbed out. Qian bit her lip trying not to get emotional. His voice, scratchy and desperate, tore at her heart.

“I know. I know. Jihoon told me.” She said.

Jun pulled back suddenly. He looked closer at her, eyebrows furrowed.

“Jihoon? You talked to him?” Jun asked.

Qian nodded, trying to focus on her task at hand. “Yes. He was imprisoned with me.” She explained, the men behind Jun perking up.

“You spoke to Jihoon? Where is he now?” Another man rushed forward, urgent and jerky.

“I don’t know.” She slouched. “He was taken away by two guards. But he sent me with a message.”

The man sighed, and backed away slightly, giving her more room. Jun also let her go from his embrace and Qian stood in front of five men.

“What did he want to tell us?” the smallest of them asked.

“It’s not much but he was very adamant I tell you.” She began, hesitant.

“Tell us.” Jun assured her. Qian nodded.

“He said ‘End it. No matter what.’” Qian relayed.

“Damn it!” The man from before, the desperate one shouted.

“He knew what the risks were, Soonyoung. We all did.” Jun tried to reason, but Qian didn’t think this man was going to listen.

“I know that!” The man- Soonyoung- she noted, snapped. “I just can’t stand the thought that he’s down there, probably dying and he doesn’t want us to even try to save him.” He began to lose volume, the rage being overtaken by grief.

“Look, I’m not happy about it either, but we have to follow Jihoon’s orders. We have to go find Jisoo. We have to end this now.” Another man walked forward, strangely familiar.

DK.

Qian realized this was her brother’s friend DK, grown up. Although she didn’t recognize Mingyu, Soonyoung, or the other man, she did remember DK. He had changed just as much as everyone else, it was jarring in a way.

“You’re right, DK. Chan, go with Mingyu and I. DK, you’re with Soonyoung and Qian. That way, someone who’s familiar with the castle is in each group. Chan, we’ll take the back way, through the trees, and DK, you take Soonyoung through the front. It’s just chaotic enough that you shouldn’t have too much trouble. Find Jisoo, and take him down.” Jun instructed. Everyone nodded.

“Then let’s go.”

The groups took off.

________________________________________

Qian wasn’t prepared to go back in the castle. It’d been her prison for most of her life, and yet she swiftly followed DK and Soonyoung inside, without a peep of protest. Despite her chest beating wildly in fear, she knew that this was far more important.

“Quickly, we need to go past the main hallway. I’m sure Jisoo has gathered in his quarters. He’s always treated it like a fortress.” Soonyoung explained, waving DK and Qian forward. Qian followed after DK, in between the two men. She wasn’t sure what she could do at this point. She certainly wasn’t a warrior, and wasn’t a tactician either, wasn’t even sure about the layout of the castle, beyond what she was forced to memorize of the prison.

“Okay, cut across the main hallway to the left. Jisoo’s room is beyond there.” Soonyoung instructed. DK ran out first, crossing the relatively silent hall. Qian couldn’t help but feel unnerved by the atmosphere.

“Rebels! Get them!” A male voice yelled out from the right entrance to the hallway. Guards rushed in, all clearly under Jisoo’s rule. Qian watched the guards run toward DK, her body hiding behind the large white column. Soonyoung clearly felt conflicted about leaving her there, and helping DK. She made the decision for him.

“Go! He needs you! I’ll be fine!” She whispered. Soonyoung took one last look at her and nodded. He ran out, quickly joining DK in fending off the guards. They seemed to have it under control, but they weren’t exactly making it look easy.

As she stood behind the column, Qian realized that no one had realized she was there yet. Among all of the commotion, it would be relatively easy for her to sneak her way to the left exit. And if it was that easy, then didn’t she owe it to Jihoon and Jun to try to get there? DK and Soonyoung were going to be stuck fighting for a while. She needed to get to Jisoo and stop him. She didn’t have time to lose.

Peeking out from behind her hiding place, she quickly took in the state of the hallway. Just as she thought, Soonyoung and DK were completely occupied with the guards, but the guards were also focused on them, and nothing else. If she went up the right side of the hallway to the front, she would hide behind the tapestry and get to the left exit.

Deciding that was her best course of action, Qian quickly rushed forward to the next column, making sure to not catch any eyes. She tried to listen into the fight beyond her and try to find good cues to run.

“Oof!” Qian dashed off again, realizing that when someone was being hit, the guards would be more likely to watch that than anything else. She used the sounds to make her way closer to the tapestry providing her escape.

As another cry of pain rang out, Qian ran to the last column, quietly slipping behind the tapestry. It was a beautiful, luscious fabric that screamed royalty, but she didn’t really feel the peace of mind to admire it as she slowly snuck to the left.

“Damn rebels! Jisoo will prevail!” Qian flinched at the battle cry of one of the guards. She ignored it in favor of finally making it to the left exit.

She slipped out from behind the tapestry, and quickly dashed down the hallway, passing rooms she’d never seen before. The whole castle was masterfully built, rich details everywhere, the style uniform and expensive. However, despite the beauty of the architecture, this made it difficult to figure out where the hell Jisoo’s quarters would be since it all looked the same from the outside.

Once she began to see doors, she decided she’d just have to try every one. She rushed back and forth to every closed door, trying to see if it was unlocked.

First one, locked.

Second one, locked.

Third one, unlocked.

She opened it, seeing it must be for storage as it was nothing but a closet, and moved on.

Fourth one, locked.

Fifth one, unlocked.

Opening it again, Qian quickly shut it in frustration, seeing that it was a bedroom, but a very much unused one.

She passed the sixth, seventh, and eighth one just as uneventfully, and Qian was starting to get angry.

Qian ran to the ninth door, unlocked but the room was dark. Just as she was about to move on, a voice called out.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Qian shivered.

It was completely involuntary, the voice belonging to the mastermind behind the political unrest.

She turned back to the doorway, the light indeed still low in the room, but she could make out at least two figures. Walking inside, she left the door open, hoping that the rebels would find her more easily.

“The light is on the right of you. I suggest you turn it on. You’ll want to see this.” Jisoo announced, as if he was speaking to more than a lowly escaped prisoner, as if he was gloating to an adversary.

Qian, although hesitant to do anything Jisoo said, as she was used to the mind games he often had guards play on prisoners constantly, did as he said, knowing that saying no wouldn’t give her an upper hand.

As she clicked the light on, the minimal light illuminated the figures before her.

She gasped, her eyes assaulted by what lay in front of her. Of course Jisoo, in his royal attire was there, his evil smile chilling, but it was what he held that terrified Qian.

Jihoon lay limp in his arms, naked and destroyed. If it weren’t for the rising chest, she would have assumed he was dead. His hands looked awful, bloodied and clearly injured, as two of his fingers looked almost gone. His skin was pale, white as a ghost, no blood in his cheeks, massive bruise on his stomach, gash open and red on his thigh. There was dried blood on his neck and shoulders, but Qian couldn’t tell what it was from.

“You’re a monster,” She whispered. She knew that, she’d suffered from his hand for a long time, but Jisoo has retained some form of humanity to her, knowing he had a family, just as Qian herself once. Jihoon was Jisoo’s brother. Yet, he laid in Jisoo’s arms like he was a broken piece of equipment that Jisoo was determined to use.

“Silence, wench! You do not understand what being a monster is, and I can assure you I am no monster. I am but a man, a man that has a mission.” Jisoo growled, taking Qian aback. How would he not be aware of how awful this was? Qian’s face soured.

He truly thought he was in the right.

Qian’s parents dying and her imprisonment was never right. It was cruel. And so was he.

“If you are just a man, then a man like you should choke on your own manhood and die,” She snapped, willing herself not to imagine it in her head.

“Careful, bitch. Jihoon is alive for now, but I have something else you might want.” He spoke in a smug tone.

Qian watched as Minghao walked out from behind the wall to the left of Jisoo.

“Minghao?!” She yelled in confusion. Her brother went to stand next to Jisoo, still as stone.

“What are you doing?!” She screamed. “Jisoo is the enemy! Look at what he did to Jihoon! Jun needs us, come on!”

Jisoo smirked, clicking his tongue.

“I don’t think he can hear you anymore, immigrant.”

Qian halted, looking at Minghao again. He was eerily still, not a twitch or sway to be found, stance perfectly executed. It seemed barely human.

Looking into her brother’s eyes, she saw that they were empty. Like nothing was happening behind them.

“What… What’s wrong with him?” She whispered, trying not to tear up.

Minghao was looking through her.

It wasn’t even like he was ignoring her, or like he didn’t care, it was that he couldn’t. Because it was very clear that Minghao was the one that was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s mine. I made sure of it.” Jisoo cackled, jostling Jihoon in the process. Qian raged.

“What the fuck do you mean by that?!”

“Your idiot brother came to me one night months ago. He wanted to serve me. Clearly, I knew this a scam. No immigrant would ever want to serve me, nor would I ever trust one of your disgusting kind. But I wanted to know what he wanted. I wanted to know what made him so desperate that he would even give me his soul. Do you want to know what it was?” He didn’t say it like a question, but Qian nodded anyway. She couldn’t stop herself.

“You.”

Qian bit her lip so hard it bled.

“You see, I figured it out early on. Minghao was surprisingly hard to manipulate, considering how fast many had fallen before him. But slowly, the more he destroyed his own life, the less he had to lose. And eventually he couldn’t stop himself from coming to me. He told me about you, under the influence of course, but drugging him had been easy once he felt he’d earned my trust.”

Qian tried to ignore the anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. She had to focus. Minghao, as much as she wished, was not the priority right now. The only way to save him was to ignore him right now.

Which Qian hadn’t done since she was first imprisoned, trying to ignore her memories of her family as she mourned everything that was stolen from her.

“Of course, I could tell that he was a weak person beneath it all. I mean, did he really think I didn’t know his plan? Despite his apparent willpower, he couldn’t even resolve to kill Jihoon for you. Pathetic, really.” Jisoo went on, speaking ill of her beloved brother. But Qian knew a speech when she heard one. This was her moment to plan. All she had was a dagger underneath her dress. To take out possibly two assailants.

Minghao’s gone.

One weapon, two enemies. What could she do? Sure, she had to defend herself and fight in the prison, had to hold her own, but she wasn’t trained.

She racked her mind.

“The final move was destroying his mind. Truly, amongst his fear of failure and emotional turmoil, punishing him was mind-altering. Of course, using a magical tool helped. From then on, it was quite the show to see your brother disappear, and become the doll he is now.” Jisoo smiled, pride on his face.

Qian realized that she had one chance, and it would have to work. She’d bet it all on this.

Jihoon was right, in the end. Somehow, the fate of the Kingdom lay in her hands.

But this time, she didn’t feel fear.

She felt powerful.

“How does it feel to know your brother is just my plaything? Surely it breaks your fragile heart, it’s okay to cry-

Qian threw up her dress and whipped the dagger out, eyes dead set on her target.

“Wha-”

She threw the weapon forward with all of her strength.

Bullseye.

“You… Had a weapon?” Jisoo muttered out, the dagger lodged perfectly in his chest, blood creeping out, soaking what was once a regal outfit. Jisoo dropped Jihoon to the floor with a deafening thunk.

“Jihoon made sure I could protect myself.” She whispered.

Jisoo collapsed to his knees, applying pressure to the wound.

“Minghao. Kill her.” Jisoo ordered. Minghao, who was deathly still, moved forward with grace, a malicious force in him. Qian backed away, trying to create distance.

Minghao moved forward with no hesitance, no self-preservation.

Qian was out of miracles, and had only her wits and hands to aid her. She rushed forward, trying to escape the corner she refused to be caught in, ducking under Minghao’s reaching hands. Her brother twirled around, and Qian jolted back.

He caught her.

“No!” She thrashed, trying to will herself forward. She heard tearing, and she knew that he had caught her by the end of her dress. Minghao clearly didn’t have the reaction time he used to, but he was still a force to be reckoned with, and he kicked her legs out from under her.

Qian fell to the ground, her face making harsh contact with the floor.

“Ow!” She cried, arms flailing out, nails scratching the floor with attempts to get away. She kicked out behind her, trying to make contact with Minghao.

Minghao, hand still full of her dress, stomped down on her back, letting the ratty cloth go.

“AH!” She exclaimed, his foot grinding on her spine, making it hard for her to move, much less try to fight him off.

He then took his foot off and immediately kicked her, making contact and making her twist onto her back.

“No! Minghao stop!” She yelled out, despite knowing it had to be useless.

Minghao stepped over her, getting down on his knees, and leaning over her thin form.

“Minghao, please. This isn’t you.”

And as if to prove her point, he wrapped his hands around her neck, and began to squeeze mercilessly.

“Ugh!” She choked, blood rushing into her head, veins feeling strained. He squeezed even harder, and she writhed in pain. Her mind swam, her vision began to blacken, and her chest spasmed.

No.

Qian felt the fight leave her, slowly her eyes fluttered.

Air.

She coughed, gasping, eyes wide and aching, feeling her limbs come alive.

She fought to get up, but her body was fighting her. Her strength was gone.

“Hey, I got you. I got you.” She looked up, and saw Jun, her older brother’s kind face. She couldn’t help it, the tears flowed freely, her face scrunched up in relief. She sobbed.

“I know, I’m so sorry Qian. I’m so sorry I was late.” He lifted her up, hugging her to his chest.

“Jihoon!” Qian heard Soonyoung gasp. She cried harder, thinking about how awful he had looked. “Jihoon-” She tried to speak, but her voice was gone. It came out as a strangled whisper, full of pain.

“Qian, don’t try to speak. He got you good. You need to rest.” Jun spoke.

“Minghao.” She tried. It was meant to be a question, but it lacked the tone. Jun understood anyway. “Mingyu and I knocked him out. Mingyu’s finishing the restraint. We got him. Don’t worry. Jisoo’s out too. Was that your knife?” He asked.

Qian wanted to say it was actually Jihoon’s, but that yes, she had thrown it, but considering she didn’t really have that option, she just nodded. Jun smiled fondly at her, and hugged her tighter.

“You always were a fighter.”

“Not to break this up, but Jun, we have to stop that riot.” Mingyu said, standing above them. Qian nodded, thinking about all the kids like her who might be getting hurt down there.

“You’re right, but how the hell do we stop that? We can’t just yell at them to stop, that won’t fix anything!” Jun said, troubled.

“Jihoon could stop them,” Soonyoung said, Mingyu, and Jun turning to him.

“Soonyoung, that’s crazy. Jihoon looks like he’s dying. He’s not even awake.” Jun said, finding the entire notion ridiculous.

“Well not for long.” Soonyoung said, and then Qian heard a resounding THWACK!

“Soonyoung!” Jun admonished, clearly surprised.

“He has to wake up. He’s going to be King now.” Soonyoung said, and again Qian heard another hit.

“Soonyoung!” Mingyu yelled.

Then Qian heard a groan, coming from behind her. Jihoon was awake.

“Shoonywoun?” Qian heard Jihoon try to speak.

“Fuck, they messed up your mouth.” Soonyoung whispered, sounding amazingly tender in comparison to the unsympathetic words he spoke moments ago.

“Ah no. Ih Hurss.” Jihoon laughed, seemingly giggling at his own misfortune.

“We need to clean you up. We won. But we need to stop a riot, and only you can do it.” Soonyoung said, leaving no room for protest.

“Ohgeh.” Jihoon cleared his throat and tried again. “Oh kay.”

“You’re getting it!” Soonyoung said happily.

Jun and Mingyu were obviously thoroughly shaken by their behavior, but Qian felt that they were just being themselves, in a weird way.

“Fine. Soonyoung, you get him ready, and Mingyu and I will get everyone out. I’ll make sure to send DK to you, okay?” Jun said, moving past his bafflement.

“Okay. Come on, baby, it’s time to get up.” Soonyoung urged.

“Oh kay.”

_____________________________________________________________

Soonyoung supported Jihoon by his shoulder, moving steadily towards Jihoon’s bed. The rest of the rebels were rallying to finally end the riot, and Soonyoung had to make sure Jihoon could finish the job.

“Sh- Soonyoung.” Jihoon said, as Soonyoung gently helped him sit on his bed.

“Yes, my love?” Soonyoung responded, trying to find a cloth to wash him off with.

“You need to cut off my fingers.” Jihoon said, an undercurrent of an order in his tone.
Soonyoung flinched, turning towards Jihoon in horror.

“Why on earth would I do that?” He asked, incredulous.

“Look Soonyoung,” Jihoon lifted his hands. “My pinky fingers will not heal from this. They’re already beginning to rot, I know you can smell it too.” Soonyoung wanted to disagree, but it was already obvious. But cutting them off? Soonyoung wasn’t sure if-

“Cut. Them. Off. That’s an order. We don’t have time for this, and you know it.” Jihoon grit out, eyes determined.

Soonyoung shivered, and quickly opened a side drawer, where he knew a large cutting knife was. He watched Jihoon get off the bed and walk over to the table.

“Do it.” He said, and placed his hands on the table.

“You are the strongest man I have ever met.” Soonyoung breathed, absolutely floored.

“Oh Soonyoung,” Jihoon chuckled. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

And Soonyoung slammed the knife down, crunching through what was left of the skin and bone of his right little finger.

“Fuck!” Jihoon yelled, but didn’t move. His breathing was ragged, but somehow he was holding on. Soonyoung knew he handled pain well, but Jihoon exceeded well beyond Soonyoung’s expectations.

“Well it got me a proposal, so it obviously got me somewhere, Your Highness,” Soonyoung continued to banter.

“I suppose… You have a point,” Jihoon panted.

Soonyoung took that moment to slam the knife down again, and he fought not to flinch at the second crunch of Jihoon’s other finger.

“AH!” He cried out, more anger than pain, and Soonyoung quickly dashed to get the alcohol and bandages.

Soonyoung quickly cleaning Jihoon’s hands up, Jihoon barely wincing the entire time.

“Hello?” Jihoon and Soonyoung quickly whipped around to find Wonwoo at their door.

“Get in here, idiot!” Soonyoung scolded, and Wonwoo quickly walked in, closing the door behind him.

“Oh my gosh, Jihoon are you okay?” Wonwoo asked, seeing Jihoon’s state.

“I’m fine, but since I am naked, I would prefer you didn’t stare.” Jihoon deadpanned, Wonwoo blushing and covering his eyes.

“Sorry! I’m just-”

“I know you’re used to Seungkwan, it’s fine. I’m glad to see you’re okay Wonwoo. We couldn’t reach you.” Jihoon said fondly.

“I know. I was kind of on house arrest because of Jisoo. I couldn’t leave at all.” He explained.

“Well, once we clear everything up, I’ll make sure you stay with Seungkwan at Hansol’s cabin for a little while. Seungkwan has missed you.” Jihoon chuckled.

“I can’t believe how crazy everything is right now. I haven’t been able to see Mingyu in forever.” Wonwoo said the second half underneath his breath, but Jihoon still heard it. He chose to ignore it out of courtesy.

“For now, you should hide in my bathroom, we’ll make sure to come get you afterwards.” Jihoon suggested, and Wonwoo nodded, eyes still covered. He then tried to walk towards Jihoon’s bathroom, but as he didn’t uncover his eyes, he walked right into the wall.

“Wonwoo, you can uncover your eyes to walk to the bathroom.” Jihoon sighed.

“Oh! Of course!” He answered, uncovering his eyes and walking swiftly to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

“He’s ridiculous sometimes, but you can’t help but like him.” Jihoon smiled.

Soonyoung giggled quietly. “I agree.” Soonyoung made himself go back to cleaning Jihoon up.

“Do you think you can do this?” Soonyoung asked, taking in Jihoon’s battered visage.

“I don’t have a choice. The people need an heir. And they won’t accept Jisoo anymore. Besides, I survived the Punishers. No one can say I don’t have what it takes anymore.” Jihoon laughed softly, but Soonyoung heard the bitterness in it. He told himself not to say anything about it.

Whatever Jihoon had been through done there was clearly awful, just based off of the physical wounds. But Soonyoung as well as anyone knew that being tortured wasn’t about the physical wounds, it was about the mental scars that getting hurt like that left behind. Jihoon had been tortured alone, and that was something that would take a long time to fade in Jihoon’s mind. This wasn’t the moment to process that cruelty.

Soonyoung cleaned Jihoon’s leg, and handed his fiance some clothes. As Soonyoung went to dispose of the dirty cloths, Jihoon stopped him.

“Soonyoung,” He said, making Soonyoung stop and turn to him.

“I can’t wear casual clothes. I have to look like a King.” Jihoon said, his eyes looking towards the window in front of him. Soonyoung startled, realizing he had indeed given Jihoon clothes that he usually wore in the castle, or to bed. Jihoon hadn’t worn fancy clothes in years.

“You’re right.” Soonyoung said, and walked back to get clothes that would fit an heir, rather than the clothes that made Jihoon look like himself.

“Here,” Soonyoung handed the outfit to Jihoon, a raw contrast to the blue Jisoo had worn, Jihoon would be adorned in a fiery red, akin to the fire of justice.

“You have such good taste,” Jihoon smiled at Soonyoung.

“Oh Jihoon, flattery will get you nowhere.”

________________________________________________

Jihoon still limped through the main hallway, but he was on his feet, something that Soonyoung could barely believe. It was something that tore at Soonyoung’s heart in silence. Knowing that one point the man before him could not take a single step himself, and now, even after suffering heinous acts against him, he had the strength and willpower to walk on his own.

Jihoon wasn’t the sickly prince he used to be. Somehow, in this moment, the main hallway clear and silent, Jihoon about to end the unrest among the citizens, Jihoon’s evolution became very clear to Soonyoung.

He wasn’t afraid that Jihoon would leave him, or that Jihoon didn’t need him anymore, because their love was strong enough that a lack of dependency wasn’t a cause for severance, but it still made it hard to breathe calmly. Soonyoung was always ready to follow Jihoon to hell, to be there when he lost, or when he struggled, but Soonyoung hadn’t prepared himself to be there when Jihoon triumphed, or when he would become the next king. Soonyoung had sworn to stand at the throne with him, as his equal, but Soonyoung felt as though Jihoon was light years ahead of him. Jihoon was a man with power that rivaled the most bloodthirsty tyrants, but his was purifying, a soft power that left creation, not destruction in his wake.

Soonyoung had to make sure that light stayed lit for the rest of their lives.

As Jihoon pushed the door of the castle open, he stood straighter, and walked forward, limp suddenly hidden, as though he couldn’t imagine showing the citizens his weakness.

Soonyoung followed without hesitation.

_________________________

Jihoon felt his whole body ache and groan in pain, but walking to the platform was relatively easy, making sure he held his head high, stance strong and authoritative. His red suit brought him a sense of courage that he hadn’t known before, and he felt a strength beyond him move him forward to where he belonged.

Jihoon saw that the rebels had indeed cleared the platform, and that while the riot was still alive, it was mostly leftover guards on Jisoo’s side and citizens causing ruckus. Before him, he saw the two men still locked up in the pillory, and a young girl crying softly by one of them. They seemed injured, but somewhat alright. Jihoon felt an exhale of relief knowing that Jisoo had not succeeded in executing anyone.

Jihoon passed them, their eyes looking in both awe and curiosity, and despite himself, he wondered why they didn’t seem particularly afraid of him as no doubt royalty must bring forth awful memories.

Shedding the thought, he walked closer to the end of the platform, and looked out at his people.

“STOP!” He roared, volume coming from deep within. The people stopped, and turned towards him in confusion, but in that moment you could hear a pin drop.

“I am Prince Jihoon. The second prince of this Kingdom. And I am your Heir.” He began, seeing the whispers begin. The anger had dissipated from their faces, but Jisoo’s guards had clearly not gotten the memo that Jihoon had won.

“Jisoo is the heir! Not you!” A guard to the left of the platform called out, and the others left yelled in agreement.

“My older brother Jisoo has been captured. His cruelty against the people of this Kingdom will not be allowed any longer. I suggest you make yourselves scarce before I find you and lock you up with him too.” Jihoon announced.

The guards paled and started to flee as the crowd all rang out in cheers.

Jihoon knew that while the crowd was happy, this issue was nowhere near solved. He patiently waited for the cheers to stop, and as they did, the entire crowd looked at him, their eyes open and ready to follow him. They were waiting for his word, and his authority, something Jihoon had never experienced in his life. He decided he would not let them down.

“My brother Jisoo has been obsessed with obtaining the throne, and he became desperate when my Father, King Seungcheol decided I would be the next King.”

The crowd hung on his every word.

“To try and put an end to me, he decided to blame immigrants for the issues of this country. But I assure you that immigrants have not hurt this country. They are us, with different names and a different language, they are us, in a land that accepts them far less than it should. We are them, with more power, more entitlement, more anger.”

Jihoon walked over to the young girl and the man in the first pillory.

“This girl has done no wrong. Neither this man. Neither their families.” Jihoon pulled out the knife in his pocket, the same one that had cut off his fingers not long ago. He used the point to unlock the contraption, and opened it.

“I will not allow any harm to come to the people of this Kingdom. You are all my people, you all deserve my protection, and you deserve justice.” Jihoon felt his chest pound, and he slowly helped the young girl up, the man hugging her tightly. Jihoon swiftly freed the other man behind the first pillory.

“This Kingdom suffers everyday. Those in the slums die, children are in danger, families are ripped apart, and citizens are stuck in poverty. Immigrants do nothing to contribute to this. It is our royalty who has turned a blind eye toward this suffering for too long.” Jihoon walked back to the center, his voice carrying farther than it ever had before.

“When I become King, I shall no longer let this Kingdom bleed under my care. I shall no longer let those who are sinless suffer, and I shall no longer allow those in power to abuse those beneath them. When I am King, I shall heal this Kingdom from every injustice it has suffered.”

Cheers rang out again, and Jihoon was sure his moment was coming to an end. He was sure that his ascension was affirmed.

“King Jihoon! King Jihoon! King Jihoon!” The crowd began to chant his name, and Jihoon had to fight not to look surprised. Earlier, these very same people laughed in his face, and yet here they were, praising his name.

Jihoon let this moment last, because this would be the last moment he had before every move he had to make had to be for the betterment of his people.

This was the last moment of his victory.

______________________________________________________

Jun felt strangely out of place the moment he walked back inside his house. Chan, Mingyu, DK, and Mingyu piled in, just as loud and sloppy as they would’ve before, but it was wildly different now, everything was different.

“Jun, where do you want him?” Mingyu asked, carrying Jisoo’s unconscious body.

“Tie him to a chair, and make sure his bleeding stopped.” Jun ordered.

“I can’t imagine it hasn’t, the dagger wasn’t very long.” Qian whispered, voice still rough.

Jun still felt his heart swoop every moment he realized she was really there. His little sister. She was alive, and she was with them now. She was free.

“I’m going to put Minghao in his bed.” DK said, carrying Minghao, also knocked out, into his room. Jun didn’t argue, knowing that Minghao had been restrained so well that he wouldn’t be able to get out even if he did wake up.

“When is Hansol getting here?” Chan asked, sitting down at their table.

“As soon as Jihoon and Soonyoung get him. His cabin isn’t super far, but it’s a walk and Jihoon is pretty beaten up.” Jun answered, guiding Qian to sit down across from Chan.

“That’s putting it lightly.” Chan quipped under his breath.

Jun agreed, but he didn’t open his mouth to say it.

“It’s wild that he survived that. I can’t imagine.” Mingyu visibly shivered, and went back to tying Jisoo up in one of their chairs.

“I think the real craziness was Soonyoung. I mean, who the hell slaps the crap out of their fiance like that?” Chan said, still obviously flabbergasted.

“I don’t know man, but Soonyoung and Jihoon have a bond we just don’t get. And we won’t no matter how hard we try.” Mingyu laughed, tightening the knots.

“Yeah, they are the definition of crazy.” Chan agreed.

“Okay,” Mingyu stood up. “Jisoo’s all tied up and he’s not going anywhere. Now we wait for Hansol, Jihoon and Soonyoung.”

___________________________________

It didn’t take very long for Jihoon, Soonyoung and Hansol to arrive at the rebel’s den.

“I don’t exactly know what I can do for you,” Hansol explained.

“Well there has to be something,” Jun said.

Chan, Mingyu, Soonyoung and DK had peacefully retreated to another room, allowing Jihoon and Jun to have a private conversation with Hansol.

“Look, Hansol, we need to get answers from Jisoo. Nobody gets that crazy without a reason, and Jun deserves to know why. Not to mention I’d rather not have to kill my brother.” Jihoon explained.

Hansol sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Look, I can release Minghao from the influence of the whip, that’s the easy stuff. But if you’re looking for some truth serum or something, that is a level of magic I refuse to do. Forcing a subject to tell the truth is a very advanced technique, and while I could do it, it would take weeks, so much preparation and concentration just for it to maybe work.” Hansol explained. “Magic is very useful, and it can accomplish amazing things, but there are some types of magic that mages know to leave in a box to rot. Forcing truth is one of them. Too often it’s abused for personal motives, and I’m too attached to this situation to be able to do this spell without bias towards Jisoo.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Jun asked, becoming increasingly frustrated. Hansol sighed.

“Magic has to be done by a neutral party okay? Direct spells such as a truth spell are very powerful, and if I were to cast it while I’m as biased as I am, it would probably cost me part of my personality.” Hansol said.

Jihoon bit his lip.

“What if you didn’t use a spell like that?” Jihoon asked. Hansol looked at Jihoon, slightly confused.

“Like what?” He asked.

“You said that a truth spell is direct and powerful. But, what if you didn’t use a direct spell?” Jihoon asked.

Hansol thought it over for a moment. “You mean, like instead of casting a spell on Jisoo, use an enchantment on an object that would do the same thing?” Hansol questioned, trying to think about it.

“Yeah, so that way we use the object, and you technically stay neutral. I mean, we’d have to pay you for it, but still.” Jihoon urged. Jun nodded, hopeful.

Hansol furrowed his brow, and shook his head. “A truth spell is still too intense an enchantment. Jisoo’s whip wasn’t a mind control enchantment, it was just a spell that made it slightly easier to manipulate, so it was doable, albeit expensive.” Hansol laid out, furthering Jun’s frustration.

“Come on Hansol, work with us!” Jun snapped.

“Look, there is something I can do, alright?” Hansol said, quieting Jihoon and Jun once more.

“I can do a relatively simple spell, it’s a tracer jar enchantment.”

“Okay, explain what that is, please.” Jun hurried.

“A tracer jar can be used as a detector for things, it changes colors depending on what it’s subject does. So, I can use it as a lie detector. I can’t make him tell the truth, but the jar will make it clear when he’s lying to you.” Hansol explained.

“That’s pretty good, honestly. I say we should go with that.” Jun decided, and Jihoon nodded, agreeing as well.

“How long will the spell take?” Jihoon asked, Hansol walking to the chair where Jisoo sat asleep.

“Oh, probably a couple of minutes. Tracer jars are very simple. They’re a temporary enchantment spell that uses light and water to work. It’s a staple spell that doesn’t take much.” Hansol kneeled down, fishing through his bag, and pulling out a mid-sized glass jar, placing it on the table behind Jisoo.

“What do you need?” Jihoon asked, following Hansol out of the kitchen.

“I need water, a live lightning bug, and a leaf. One from a tree, not a bush.” Hansol listed.

“I can get the bug, it’s dark enough that they should be out.” Jun volunteered, walking swiftly out the door.

“I can get the water and the leaf. Just give me the jar and I will fill it.” Jihoon offered, and Hansol handed it to him. Jihoon limped outside, and Hansol winced watching him, knowing it would take a while for Jihoon to heal. The fact that Jihoon hadn’t even been tempted to ask for Hansol’s healing made the mage proud in a weird way, the second prince was made of strong stuff.

Hansol rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen himself up, as magic done by a tense mage could be finicky, and with how little Hansol had been casting lately, he didn’t want to get too cocky.

He walked to the front of Jisoo, seeing the rip in his shirt where the dagger had pierced him. The rebels had since removed it and patched him up, but Hansol did find it somewhat strange that Jisoo had let such a small wound knock him down. However, considering the stains, he did lose a good bit of blood, so he shrugged and let it go.

“Alright, I have the water and the leaf.” Jihoon walked in, handing the jar full of water to Hansol, and giving him the leaf as well.

“How’s Jun doing?” Hansol asked, putting the jar on the table and reaching back into his bag to get the lid.

“Well he was running around pretty intensely, so I assume he’ll get the bug soon.” Jihoon said, mouth trying not to twist in amusement.

“Wow, such coordination he has, such grace.” Hansol rolled his eyes, sarcasm thick on his tongue.

“I’ll have to stop badmouthing me,” Jun walked in, hands clasped, the bug inside periodically lighting up through Jun’s hands.

“Whatever, oh great rebel leader, just give me the bug.” Hansol said, placing the lid on the table beside the jar.

“Here,” Jun walked over, and slowly opened his hand. Hansol quickly grabbed the bug between his thumb and index finger, and brought it to the leaf in his other hand.

“Sorry little guy, but every spell requires life,” Hansol apologized, then suddenly, the leaf combusted, the fire eating it up instantly, and burning the lightning bug to ashes.

Hansol took the ashes of both, and sprinkled it into the water in the jar. He then closed the lid, and placed a hand on Jisoo’s shoulder, and the other on the top of the jar.

“Lux in via,” He whispered, and the jar lit up, a bright white light emanating from it. Hansol sighed, and backed away from Jisoo and the jar, to where Jun and Jihoon stood.

“So what does the light mean?” Jihoon asked.

Hansol turned his head to Jihoon. “Oh, that light just means it’s connected to Jisoo. When it goes out, the spell is over. When it turns blue, it means he’s lying, and when it’s purple he’s bending the truth. Red means he’s telling the truth, Yellow means he doesn’t know what we’re talking about, orange means that he can’t answer, and green means he’s leaving things out.” Hansol explained.

“Well, then I should wake him up, because he’s been out cold for hours.” Jun said, and walked forward, and brought his hand back, and slapped Jisoo so hard, Hansol flinched.

“Ugh,” Jisoo groaned, and Jun back up, standing next to Jihoon again.

“Good morning sleeping beauty,” Hansol bit out. “How are you feeling?” the sarcasm made Jun laugh softly.

“Oh I feel just wonderful, you peasant.” Jisoo grit out. Head coming up to look at them.

The jar turned pitch black.

Hansol’s breath stopped in his chest.

“What?” He whispered, backing away slightly.

“Hansol, what does that mean?” Jihoon asked, looking concerned.

“That’s… No, that can’t be possible.” Hansol muttered, trembling slightly.

“Hansol, what does that mean!?” Jun shouted, trying to get Hansol to focus.

Hansol, trying to get it together, turns to Jihoon and Jun, expressions pinched. Hansol had to fight to answer them in his shock.

“That’s not Jisoo.”

Chapter Text

“Then who, pray tell, is this, Hansol?!” Jun yelled, thoroughly lost.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” Hansol shook his head trying to ignore Jisoo’s eyes staring at them. “That’s certainly Jisoo’s body. But he’s been possessed.” Hansol tried to get out with stuttering. It was difficult.

“Oh wow, took someone four years, but you figured it out, didn’t you, you stupid fucking mage.” Jisoo- or -Jisoo’s mouth spat out.

“Possessed? Like a ghost?” Jihoon asked, lost among the new information.

“Similar principle, but he was possessed by a mage, and an incredibly powerful one at that, because completely possessing a person and erasing the original personality is not only among the darkest practices, but outlawed for being so incredibly cruel and unethical.” Hansol explained, his head shaking.

“Cruel and unethical, whatever. You’re all just weak. I did what I had to for my goal.” The possessed Jisoo said.

“And what was that?” Jun snapped, anger freeing itself.

“Destroying the Kingdom. I want to tear this entire country to pieces. Don’t think I’ve given up. Possessing Jisoo was my first plan, but I have more.” The body before them began to cackle.

The bedroom doors slammed open.

“What is going on?” Soonyoung, along with everyone else began to flood into the room as well.

“Oh Soonyoung, I wonder how it would feel if I took Jihoon next?” Jisoo’s face smiled in sick glee. “He’d be such a good puppet, no one would suspect him, would they? Not like that. I’d make him kill you first, just so he’d have the memory of the life leaving your eyes, having to live with the fact he killed his most beloved-”

Jun punched Jisoo’s face so hard, the person hiding behind Jisoo’s face was knocked out immediately.

“Okay, what the fuck?” Chan asked, mirroring everyone’s confusion.

“Hansol. Explain.” Jihoon ordered.

Hansol sighed.

“Where do I start?”

_____________________________________

Hansol had let everyone take a seat, Jihoon and Soonyoung to the right with Jun and DK near them, Mingyu and Chan had decided to sit on the left. Qian had stayed with Minghao.

“Magic is a very dangerous tool.” Hansol began, trying to find the right words.

“It’s not something that is good or evil, although it can be very hard to not see magical acts as either a good deed or a bad one. Magic is not confined by these standards, and Mages have to stay away from these definitions.” Hansol sighed, seeing the slight confusion.

“You see, thinking of magical deeds as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ means that it has some personal application to a Mage’s life. You yourself can consider my enchanting of Jisoo’s whip to be a very bad deed, because it hurt someone you love, but I cannot see it that way, because then it becomes too personal. Mages cannot use magic for others in a way that personally affects them. For example, I wouldn’t cast a truth spell on Jisoo, because I am too attached to all of you.”

“But, you cast magic for us all the time? How?” Jihoon asks, mirroring the expressions of those around him.

“The way Mages get around that rule is receiving life in exchange for magic. Mages can always use their own life force for magic they cast for themselves, but as it results in an early death, Mages instead use life from nature, animals, or the person they’re casting for. To heal Chan, I had to take life from Jun, so that way I would stay neutral. I had Jihoon and Jun get ingredients for the tracer jar in order to pay me. This way, I am a neutral party and I don’t use my own life to cast magic.”

“Sure, but why?” Chan speaks up, “Why is neutrality so important?”

“The reason why is that magic done for the good of others or for the destruction of others can corrupt a Mage and their magic. If I were to constantly cast magic for good without staying neutral, my magic would ‘lose color’. Basically I would begin to lose my sense of self, and I would then become an apathetic empty vessel that could be taken advantage of until I eventually died. If I were to keep casting magic for bad, my magic would ‘gain color’ and eventually my magical signature would be dark. I myself would then become overbearingly emotional and irrational, possibly hurting myself and others until I died from it. Magic kills. It is the price we pay for using it. Death is the only outcome for those who use or abuse magic.” Hansol solemnly explains, looking out to the rest of the boys.

“Okay, so the person who possessed Jisoo is… Not neutral then? Not anymore.” Soonyoung provides.

“Yes. The Mage who possessed him isn’t neutral. Possession is a spell that cannot be neutral. There is too high a cost to cast it, and no one can pay for it. That Mage is using their own life force to force their will upon Jisoo.” Hansol shuddered. “It’s horrific. Possession is a type of enchantment spell, a very taboo one. Enchantment is where you take an object, usually an inanimate one, and use life to change it. Like being able to enchant a lock to be harder to unlock. It’s the most common type of magic, and it’s relatively simple most of the time.”

Hansol looked down, ”however, Possession is a type of enchantment where you take something alive, and use life force to override the original personality. You suppress the original life with magic. Suffocate it.”

“I… So… Jisoo…?” Jihoon whispered. Hansol looked at Jihoon’s haunted face.

“He’s still in there. He’s alive in there, and he’s being forced to see everything his body has done. He’s trapped in his own mind, unable to stop himself from doing whatever that Mage wants him to.” Hansol’s pinched face spoke volumes. The rest of the room was silent.

What could they say?

Soonyoung pulled Jihoon into his arms, knowing that the prince certainly needed it. Jun and DK’s faces where unreadable.

Hansol spoke again. “The personality we have been seeing for the last four years was constructed by the Mage, part of their own life force controlling Jisoo’s body. We haven’t seen Jisoo in a long time. And there’s no telling what he’ll be like when he comes back.”

“Comes back?” Jihoon startled.

“Yes. I can dispel the possession. Just as dispelling a regular enchantment. It’s not difficult at all. The weakness of a spell like Possession is that it can easily be dispelled. And easily detected by Mages. If they know to look.” Hansol spoke the last sentence bitterly.

“Then how do you dispel it, Hansol? Please, we have to free Jisoo.” Jihoon almost begs, his heart aching for his brother.

“All I have to do is take my Magic and push the other Magic out. With nowhere to go, it dissipates. It doesn’t even count as casting a spell. Same as looking at Magic signatures.” Hansol stood up and walked over to an unconscious Jisoo, placing a hand on Jisoo’s shoulder. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

For a moment, he stood completely still, and then his face grimaced. After another deep breath, Hansol’s face relaxed, and he looked back to them.

“There. It’s done.”

Jihoon bit his lip, nose scrunched. “That is all it took?”

Hansol nodded, feeling empty. “Yes. That’s all it took.”

The room felt heavy at the comment, the atmosphere adapting to the moods of those who surrounded the limp body of Jisoo. So much destruction, tragedy, injustice, and betrayal could have been avoided with three seconds of silence and a Magic push.

It was disappointing.

It was ineffable.

It was infuriating.

The accomplishment of defeating Jisoo had been desecrated by the fact that the very person they’d been fighting, was the ultimate victim the entire time. A puppet. A figurehead. Jisoo had been but a tool in this master plan of chaos.

“We’re going to need to gather ourselves. He is going to wake up at some point and we’ll need to be ready for anything. We have no idea what being trapped and manipulated did to his mind. He might be nothing like what we expect. He could be fragile, confused, angry, or he could be… Well, he might be unresponsive. He’s lived four years being unable to do anything, so he might not do anything.” Hansol choked out, trying to be realistic. He wished he didn’t have to be.

“I… Can’t imagine…” Chan whispered out. Hansol nodded gravely.

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“God, with everything he’s done… I’m scared of what we’ll see.” Mingyu winced, thinking about the consequences Jisoo would have to face for things he hadn’t truly done.

“Does it matter?” Jun asked. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through it. Like we always do.” The words were said harshly, insensitively, but nobody really had the fight to chastise him about it.

____________________________

The rebels had moved Jisoo to a cushioned side of the room, not wanting to leave him in a wooden chair, but unable to convince themselves it’d be fine if he was out of sight.

Hansol decided that he’d stay until Jisoo woke up, and no one tried to convince him to leave. Jihoon thanked him for staying, and Soonyoung did as well. Neither of them wanted to face Jisoo without Hansol. Jisoo was undeniably tortured with magic, and only Hansol would understand the implications of that, no matter how much love and support the two of them had for Jisoo.

They decided to try and make food, but DK was watching over Minghao, so their best cooks were unable to help.

Despite that, Jun, Qian, Soonyoung and Chan did their best at it anyway, Soonyoung being the only one with actual cooking skills. Jun and Chan had experience, but they weren’t skilled, they just knew basics that they had to know for survival. What Qian didn’t have in skill or experience, she made up for with enthusiasm, listening intently to Soonyoung’s advice, and keeping a watchful eye on Soonyoung’s methods.

“Are you training to be a wife? You’re very attentive, is there someone you’re trying to impress?” Soonyoung teased, poking fun at her.

Qian blushed, embarrassed at the insinuation, but she clearly stated she had her eyes on no one.

“The prison wasn’t exactly a bachelorette playground.” She scoffed, remembering the grimy hands around her that were only concerned with one more second of survival. It had been cold, and impersonal, all of the cruelty the prisoners dealt to each other, there were few nice ones, but they were never pulled out for the guard’s mind games. Qian had made some friends, when she was younger, but quickly realized it was a mute point when those friends could die or get executed any day on royalty’s whim.

She tried to block out the first friend she’d ever lost.

“You’d better not be trying to get married off, we just got you back!” Jun laughed out, giving her a rough but intimate squeeze.

She softened into it despite herself. She hadn’t been hugged in years. And now that the adrenaline of the escape was over, Qian could feel herself slowly letting her barriers down, realizing just how much her time in prison had hurt and changed her.

It was terrifying, knowing that she’d now have to sit down, and heal from everything. She’d been so focused on getting out, on living, that she’d never truly thought about what would happen if she did make it out.

She turned to the boiling vegetables to try and get her mind off of it.

Jihoon and Hansol decided to do some cleaning, although Jihoon was clumsy at it, his royal hands not used to busywork.

They decided to wash down the chairs that held the rebels and Jisoo earlier, as they were covered in blood, dirt and sweat from the events before. Hansol made quick work of it, but let Jihoon take his time struggling with one chair. He forced himself not to laugh, because while Jihoon was inexperienced with cleaning because he was a royal, the man was also inexperienced with muscle coordination because he was sick and in bed most of his life.

He figured it’d be somewhat insensitive to laugh.

Mingyu had decided to ‘go on a walk’ about an hour earlier, but with his lack of subtlety, everyone knew at this point who he was going to go see.

Jihoon had no idea if it was safe for Wonwoo and Mingyu to be seeing each other so soon after the unrest, but he’ll be damned if he tries to keep Wonwoo from anything he wants. The servant was loveable, if not somewhat eccentric, and if the two were happy together, he wasn’t going to try and contest it. Besides, Wonwoo had been safely escorted to Hansol’s hideout in the forest, joining Seungkwan, who’d been napping the day away.

Clearly the rest of the rebels felt that Mingyu deserved Wonwoo just as much, because even the knowledge that Wonwoo was a noble boy turned servant hadn’t even bothered Jun. Jihoon did wonder why Jun had decided to leave Mingyu’s romance unspoken, but Jihoon supposed it was because Jun trusted Mingyu to take care of himself.

“Food should be done soon!” Soonyoung called out, jerking Jihoon out of his thoughts.

Hansol and Jihoon decided to go put up their cleaning supplies and help the cooks with the dishware.

The rebels sat around their far too small table, and made it work somehow. They had to scoot in close, but somehow it felt more friendly than cramped.

They talked about little things, small talk that pointedly never went beyond the surface, not wanting to think about Jisoo, the kingdom, or their shared hardships. It was still nice though, the atmosphere wasn’t strained, just neatly contained in their kitchen where everyone was friends despite their backgrounds dictating that they really shouldn’t be.

After the amicable meal ended, Qian moved to go watch Minghao, telling DK to go eat something, and the tall rebel sat alone while everyone else lent a hand to cleaning.

It was a comfortable silence, something DK was used to, something he often shared with Jun and Minghao, and sometimes Chan and rarely Mingyu. What was strange was how comfortable he felt with Jihoon and Soonyoung and Hansol being part of it as well, the only sour part being the fact that Minghao hadn’t moved at all since he’d been placed in a bed.

DK liked to think he was a forgiving person, tried often to be the voice of reason, tried to be uplifting and cheerful when the rest of the rebels were encased in solemn seriousness. But he couldn’t help but feel a twisted amount of stormy emotions in his stomach, making it hard for him to eat anything.

DK was glad that Jihoon was now next in line for the Kingdom, and that Qian was back and safe, that no one had died in their risky ploy for the castle, but he wasn’t glad in general. Minghao was a limp doll, and Jisoo was similar, and they had no idea what they would be like once they awoke. Even if they weren’t a worst-case scenario, they still would have to go through so much healing and struggle to become a fraction of stable. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, there was apparently someone else behind all this, trying to take the Kingdom down, and destroy it. They had no idea how the King and Queen were going to fit into this either, considering they hadn’t made it back from their trip yet.

It felt like DK was the only one with all of this on his mind, everyone else willfully ignoring these revelations. It was frustrating, even if DK understood it.

And Minghao.

DK fought not to grimace at the thought. Minghao had been such awful collateral damage to the mastermind of this, just a tool to abuse, and it didn’t feel any better knowing it wasn’t Jisoo who’d orchestrated it.

“DK, if you keep thinking so hard, you’re going to explode. Shut your head up.” Jun called out, sounding just humorous enough that it garnered a laugh from everyone else. But DK heard the silent command.

This isn’t the time. Nobody needs to be depressed right now.

DK sighed, knowing Jun was right. Morale was just as important as health sometimes, and no one in this room needed a reality check right now, they’ve had too many of those recently.

DK heard rustling from the corner of the room, and he whipped his head around to see Jisoo sitting up among the blankets and pillows they laid out for him earlier.

Jisoo was awake.

He had a faraway look in his eyes, like he wasn’t even really there, but DK knew he was, as the subtle twitching of Jisoo’s fingers clued him in to the fact that Jisoo was trying to get used to having his body back.

“Guys,” DK called out quietly, and the kitchen went dead. They all turned to see Jisoo as well, Jihoon rushing out to get a better look, and Soonyoung following him.

Jisoo was clearly struggling with facial expressions, because he turned to Jihoon and Soonyoung and his face stayed blank, barely able to blink. His fingers were still twitching, but his toes had joined, his legs still dead.

“Jisoo?” Jihoon whispered out, sounding damningly hopeful.

“Hm-” Jisoo softly grunted, sounding panicked and young, dreadfully young.

“Hey, hey I am here,” Jihoon said softly, kneeling down as best he could with his injuries, hands reached out, hesitating a breadth from Jisoo not wanting to startle him.

Out of nowhere, Jisoo’s arm flung out, slapping Jihoon’s hand away, startling the whole room, and leaving Jisoo shaking, as though he himself had not expected that.

“Hansol…?” Jihoon turned back to the Mage, confused but not hurt.

“He might still be fighting off the dredges of the possession magic. Or I don’t know, trying to use his body after four years and struggling with it.” He shrugged, trying to be helpful.

Jihoon sat back on his knees, trying not to scare Jisoo.

“Can you say anything?” Jihoon tried, trying to give him something easier to focus on.

“-y.. -es…” Jisoo pieced together, mouth barely opening. He began to open his mouth slowly, like he was trying to untense it, keep himself from clenching his jaw shut.

“Take your time, we will wait,” Jihoon encouraged, trying not to sound too happy about finally seeing his brother again.

“-Am I-” he paused, sounding out the words slowly. “A-way-kuh?” Am I Awake?

Jihoon successfully stopped the flinch that fought to rack his body.

It silently broke his heart a little, his older brother whom he had once loved so much, looked up to so much wasn’t even sure what was real anymore, had to make sure this wasn’t a dream.

“Yes. You are. We freed you from the possession.”

Jisoo had an involuntary bodily shudder, and for a moment, Jihoon wondered if he said the wrong thing.

But Jisoo’s mouth twitched heavily, lips fighting some invisible force, and moved into an awkward, unnatural smile. Jisoo’s eyes watered slightly, unable to actually cry yet.

It was makeshift, strange, and not at all what Jihoon had expected, but Jisoo was smiling. Genuinely smiling in happiness. Jihoon let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Maybe he would be okay.

_______________________________

Jisoo had been coaxed into sleeping, and they let him stay in the floor nest they built for him, not wanting to scare him by moving him. Jihoon figured that getting Jisoo would be far more difficult in the future, the more that Jisoo regained his strength. The first prince had been so exhausted by awakening that he’d easily slipped unconscious, but Jihoon couldn’t imagine how scary sleeping could be for someone who’d lost control of their body to some magical force.

Hansol decided to go back to his place and check on Seungkwan, wanting to get a bit of rest for the night. Before he left, he went to Minghao to dispel the magic left on him from the whip. After it was proven uneventful, Jun said he could go, they would take care of Minghao.

Jihoon and Soonyoung offered to go back to the castle, but Jun quickly waved it off, saying they could share his bed, and he’d share DK’s bed with Qian. DK agreed, saying that if he slept tonight, which he was fairly sure he wouldn’t, it’d be at Minghao’s bedside.

Mingyu came back not long after that was decided, and Jun took him to the kitchen to brief him on what happened while he was gone.

It was fairly silent as everyone rustled off to bed.
_____________

The screaming was so loud and raw that it woke everyone up instantly.

It was obvious within seconds that the screaming was coming from Minghao, and everyone rushed to see what happened.

The sight was horrifying, Minghao screaming his head off, and DK trying but failing to stop Minghao from flailing around and possibly hurting himself. Mingyu rushed to grab a lamp and lit it quickly, bringing it back to the room so they could see in the darkness.

Jun rushed forward, trying to help DK, but Minghao wasn’t holding back his strength, and in his hysterics, was next to impossible to calm.

“Everyone, let DK and I handle this! Jihoon, go check on Jisoo!” Jun ground out, amongst the awful wailing Minghao was letting out.

Jihoon nodded and Soonyoung followed him out. Mingyu took Chan by the shoulder and led him out, wanting to give them space. Qian stayed rock still in the doorway, taking in the sight.

Minghao’s nose was bleeding, and the sheets were stained with his blood, but that was the least unsettling thing she saw.

Minghao’s eyes…

It was hard to see them at all, amidst his struggling, screaming, and the low light, but Qian couldn’t look away from his eyes, open wide and filled with terror and regret.

She forced herself to keep watching. It would feel wrong if she didn’t.

Jun and DK worked together to pin Minghao’s limbs down as gently as possible, and Jun tried to comfort him as best he could.

“Minghao, it’s okay! We’re here, everyone’s safe, you’re safe! Calm down, we got you!”

It seemed to fall on deaf ears.

“Minghao!” Qian blurted out, before she could stop herself.

Immediately, Minghao stilled and quieted.

His eyes, big and fearful, focused on her, and his expression went blank.

“I’m sorry.”

And he went limp.
_____________

Jihoon and Soonyoung dashed out to the main area, trying to block out Minghao’s screams, and they found Jisoo wrapped in a blanket, shivering in the corner, his eyes wide and haunted.

“Jisoo, we’re here, it’s okay,” Soonyoung said, going forward. Jihoon staying back because of Jisoo’s reaction to him earlier.

“No, no, no, no, the screams, the screams, I made them scream, a monster, I’m the monster-” He started sniveling, the mutters quick and jerky.

“You’re not a monster, it’s okay, it’s gonna be okay,” Soonyoung tried, but Minghao’s noise was the biggest issue and they couldn’t make that stop.

“Why? Why did I? Why?” He started sobbing, and slammed his back into the wall with a dangerous force that spurred Jihoon into action.

Jihoon sprang forward, going for Jisoo shoulders, holding him in place to keep him from giving himself a head injury.

Jisoo rushed back, falling over into the blankets and shook with fear.

“I’m sorry-” Jihoon was cut off.

“I can’t, you can’t- What if I hurt you? I’ll hurt you again, I can’t- He’s here, he has to be, and then I’ll hurt you again-” Jisoo whispered, as if he was afraid the Mage that possessed him could still hear him.

Jihoon sat down in defeat, feeling helpless. His brother was afraid of being touched, afraid of hugs, because he was so used to hurting the people he loved against his will.

Jihoon remembered the first time Jisoo had attacked him with a sick feeling in his stomach.

It made sense now, why Jisoo had lost it out of nowhere, attacked Jihoon, and then immediately apologized in horror afterwards, only to then slowly lose their relationship as time went by.

It was around four years ago when that had happened, and it must’ve been the beginning of when Jisoo was getting possessed.

Of course Jisoo was afraid of Jihoon getting close. The last time they had been physically close like this was four years ago when Jisoo had almost killed him.

“You are not going to hurt me now, Jisoo.” Jihoon whispered out, grasping at anything.

“I will, I will, he’s still here, he’s still here and- and- and I can’t stop him from hurting you, my hands- my hands just hurt and hurt and hurt and then there’s blood, so much blood-” He cried, face red and swollen.

“We won’t get close, we promise, but take deep breaths, okay? I need you to breathe,” Soonyoung said kindly, and kneeled a safe distance away.

Jisoo struggled to do as he was told, but he did it without hesitation, clearly used to being told what to do.

“That’s good, keep going, slow and deep.”

Jisoo kept taking deep breaths, eyes closing easily, clear that he was focusing only on what Soonyoung was telling him to do.

“Focus on the feeling of the blankets, untense your muscles, one by one, and keep breathing,” Soonyoung began to whisper, lowering the volume to calm Jisoo down.

Jihoon saw the fight leave Jisoo’s bones, breathing easily and slowly, letting himself be calmed.

Eventually, Jisoo fell asleep, and Jihoon and Soonyoung realized that Minghao wasn’t screaming anymore, and that the house was eerily silent.

They went back to Jun’s bed, but lie there with their eyes open, knowing they weren’t going to sleep for the rest of the night.

_______________________________

The morning came, and everyone slowly made themselves get out of bed, despite the fact that no one had really been asleep.

They were all sluggish, as though the events of the day before had intoxicated them, and now they were dealing with the hangover.

Soonyoung started making food with Jun and Qian, while Mingyu, Chan, and Jihoon made small talk at the table. DK was still glued to Minghao’s side.

DK had fervently refused to tie Minghao up again after last night’s debacle, and promised that he would be there if Minghao woke up again. Jun had begrudgingly agreed, mostly out of concern for Minghao’s emotional health.

Jisoo was still sound asleep in the blankets in the corner of the room, and no one was rushing to wake him up. In truth, he needed to eat, but no one wanted to deal with his broken psyche just yet, purely because Hansol wasn’t there yet, and they weren’t sure that they wouldn’t do more harm than good.

They ate in a tired silence, and the sounds of eating were somewhat deafening in the heavy atmosphere.

Hansol showed up right before Qian and Soonyoung finished cleaning, and Jihoon quickly detailed to Hansol what happened to Jisoo the night before, and Jun had DK join him to explain Minghao’s behavior as well. He had Qian take DK’s place.

“Well. Jisoo does seem to be getting better rapidly, which is positive, though we need to be careful not to trigger any setbacks.” Hansol said, “but Minghao’s condition doesn’t sound nearly as good.”

“Why? Minghao should be doing better than Jisoo if you think about it,” Jun questioned, frustration evident.

“Actually I disagree. Jisoo was possessed, which is awful and horrific, but there can be some comfort in the fact that he didn’t actually purposefully do the things he did. It wasn’t him. At the very least, he’s avoided a major shift in his personality, which means that it’ll be easier to reach him. Minghao…” Hansol trailed off, trying to articulate his words.

“Minghao did do everything that’s causing him turmoil. It was a manipulated, altered state of mind, sure, but it was him, and those actions have changed him and his worldview immensely. This means that being pushed back into the environment he resided in before all that happened is going to be really hard. The guilt will be crushing, and all of you are the people that reminds him of his guilt.” Hansol explains.

“Damn!” Jun spits out, biting his lip to suppress the dark emotions lurking in his chest. DK held his hand, trying to calm him down, but Jun could feel how close DK was to snapping.

“I’m sorry, all we can do is wait and see what happens. For Minghao and Jisoo.”

“You are right, and we shall be there for them every step of the journey,” Jihoon tones out.

Jihoon wondered silently how that would really look. Jisoo was a mess, that much was for sure, and Minghao was in a similar state. Hansol was only giving his best guesses based on magic knowledge, but no one truly understood the inner workings of a mind, and when damage like this happened to it, there wasn’t exactly a precedent on what to do.

But Jihoon would be there for Jisoo. He’d already lost his brother once, and he couldn’t bear losing him again.
He knew he was the only one in the house that felt that way for Jisoo, even Soonyoung cared mostly because of Jihoon’s bond with him, rather than actual love for the first prince, but that was to be expected. Soonyoung barely interacted with Jisoo, and everyone else had only ever known a possessed Jisoo, far different from the kind brother Jihoon once knew.

Jisoo awoke minutes after.

He was sluggish and groggy, but everyone except Jihoon stayed a ways away, not wanting to crowd him.

“How do you feel?” Jihoon asked, staying close, but not too close, learning his lesson from last night.

“Awful,” Jisoo said, but he sat up easily, and spoke more akin to his normal tone. “But I suppose that is to be expected. I can move my own body though, and that is the best miracle I could ask for.”

Jihoon smiled softly, forcing his emotions down for now, and focused on his brother.

“Are you hungry?” Jihoon asked.

Jisoo paused, staring ahead for a moment. He turned to Jihoon.

“I do not know.”

“You…? Don’t know?” Jihoon questioned.

Jisoo nodded. “I don’t really remember what hunger feels like…” He trailed off, hands moving to his stomach to push on it slightly.

“Well, we could get you some food anyway,” Soonyoung spoke up from the edge of the kitchen.

“Please do not bother yourself on my account.”

Jihoon’s smile grew a bit, because he could clearly tell that this was the Jisoo he knew, a kind, polite young man with a contagious laugh and a curious mind.

The rest of the room, however, was dumbfounded.

Jun especially had to bite his tongue from saying anything uncalled for, trying to remind himself that it wasn’t the time.

Jisoo was still regal in a way, sounded royal like his brother, but it wasn’t aggressive or domineering, it was authoritative but sweet, and was unnatural hearing it from their once-enemy.

“Well, if you change your mind, let me know,” Soonyoung said.

“Of course, thank you,” Jisoo replied.

“What do you remember?” Jun blurted out, unable to stop himself from the rude intrusion.

Jisoo froze, going stiff immediately.

“Jun!” Jihoon admonished, turning his way.

“What? He’s sitting there, acting all sweet and kind and shit, so I just wondered if he could remember anything.” Jun defended, knowing full well that he’d done it out of spite, not curiosity, and the whole room knew it too.

“I remember,” Jisoo grimaced, his whole body curling in on itself, as if to hide.

“So you know? What happened?” Jihoon asked, more gently.

“I know exactly what I have done,” The whimper cuts through the air. “Every moment, every feeling, all of the sins committed, I was there,” He brokenly said.

Jun snorted, arms crossed. Jihoon glared so intensely it could’ve set Jun on fire.

“It wasn’t really you,” Jihoon tried to comfort, but Jisoo shook his head violently.

“There came a point where it was a part of me. There was nothing I could do. I had to feel the way he felt, I had to kill, I had to hurt, connive, and torture. And amidst my agony, and my helplessness, sometimes I couldn’t help but like it. Sometimes, I was him.” Jisoo began to cry, face stony but haunted, his eyes empty and hopeless. His tears looked strange on him, no one had ever seen Jisoo like this. No one had really seen Jisoo.

Jun found himself shaking. All of his hatred, all of his anguish and betrayal couldn’t just dissipate. He wanted to feel sympathy for him, he didn’t want to hate someone who’d been tortured for so long. But Jisoo’s face was the one Jun imagined when he killed people, Jisoo
was his devil, his nemesis, the scum that Jun fantasized putting down and making him scream in pain in his dreams.

But Jisoo was a victim.

Everything Jun thought about him wasn’t true. Jisoo hadn’t done the awful, horrendous things out of hatred and bigotry. He’d been forced.

“You are my brother, Jisoo.” Jihoon leaned forward, but careful not to get too close, for fear of rattling the fragile prince. “You were taken advantage of, controlled, and you did what anyone would have in that situation. Suffered. And tried to adapt. I at least, cannot blame you for what you were forced to do.” Jihoon whispered.

Jisoo began to cry harder, comfort only feeling like pain.

“I did such unspeakable things. I tried to kill you. I never wanted you dead. I love you. You are my brother, you were always there for me, and I attacked you. I cannot believe I would ever do that, forced or not. How can you even look at me?” He blinked, tears dropping like rain. “I am so sorry, Jihoon. I’m so sorry, nothing will ever absolve my sins towards you.” He sobbed, hands shaking, eyes and face red.

“It was not you. I loved you as my brother, even at your worst, how can I not forgive you now?”

Jun’s chest was empty. This wasn’t the closure he wanted. This wasn’t the answer he wanted. He’d wanted Jisoo to tell him he was just evil, and all the time Jun spent hating the Prince was justified.

Now every feeling he had… felt like a waste of time.

Soonyoung walked forward, and put his hand on Jihoon’s shoulder. “He’s not going to heal in a day, Jihoon. I understand the kind of self-hatred that comes from feeling this kind of guilt. Jisoo, I know everything feels wrong right now, but mourn yourself, mourn the time you lost. The life that was taken from you. You deserve all the time in the world right now. Jihoon and I will be here for you,” Soonyoung says.

Mingyu spoke up, “I’m sure Wonwoo will be more than willing to help in any way. When he hears the truth, He’ll be on the same exact page as us.”

Chan sighed, turning towards the shell of a prince. “I’ve never been your biggest fan. I’ve never seen a side of you people like. But even I know when someone needs support. If you ever need a younger friend’s help, I’m here.”

Jihoon smiles at Chan, feeling pride bloom in his chest.

DK grimaces. “I can’t look at you without being angry for Minghao. Even though I know it wasn’t really you. I think the two of you need to talk when he recovers enough. You both have been through a lot. He needs closure as much as you.”

“I understand. I… Don’t know how I’ll face him. The things I did to him… There’s no excuse. But I’ll do anything I can to help Minghao heal.” Jisoo whispers.

“Torture aside, I can’t imagine how Minghao would feel knowing he had sexual relations with someone under a curse.” DK shook his head.

Jisoo jumped slightly. “Sexual relations? With Minghao?” He asked, confused.

“Yeah, I eavesdropped on your conversation. It’s how we realized he was a traitor. I heard you two talking about a ‘reward’” Chan visibly shivered. “It was pretty gross, no lie.”

“Um, I know what you’re talking about, but Minghao and I never engaged in that sort of thing.” Jisoo sniffled, focused on this miscommunication.

“What!? The tension was freaky as hell, what were you talking about?!” Chan exclaimed.

“Well, it depended on Minghao… Sometimes he just wanted to meditate alone, other times he needed physical comfort, such as hugs. But… Mostly, especially then… Minghao asked me to beat or insult him.” Jisoo winced, trying not to recall those memories, but they surfaced anyhow.

“Why on Earth would my brother ask for that?” Jun snapped sharply, causing Jisoo to flinch. Jun took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Well, I could be wrong, but I think he wanted to feel pain. Minghao always seemed like he was repressing guilt for lying to all of you. I think he wanted me, the inflictor of his angst to hurt him out of atonement to all of you. Even when Minghao was under the influence of the curse, he still struggled to allow violence on others … I think it was his own form of self-harm.” Jisoo explained, feeling ants and roaches of guilt and searing regret crawling within him.

“I’m ashamed to say I aided his journey with that.”

Jihoon sighed. “It wasn’t you. It was magic. It was someone possessing you.”

Jisoo shook his head. “I remember too much. Sometimes, there were moments I resurfaced enough to be myself. I couldn’t do much, but I was me, for a little bit of time.” He looked down at his own hands, struggling from within.

“I remember helping Minghao up after I whipped him. Supporting him on the way to the dungeon. I couldn’t break free enough to help him escape, or even get him first aid, because I was pushed down quickly, but I saw what I did. Cursed or no, I will never forgive the scars I gave him. Mental and physical.” Jisoo explained, head in his hands.

“I want to talk to him alone,” Jun announced, making Jisoo look up at him. Everyone in the room looked hesitant, and Hansol and Jihoon’s faces reflected their thoughts on the matter.

“I think that should be allowed. Everyone needs a way to process this. Let Jun have his,” Jisoo said, coaxing everyone to leave.

Slowly, they all filed out of the house, most likely going to the forest nearby together. Jun waited patiently for the door to close.

“I still hate you.” Jun gritted out, wanting honesty between them.

“The feeling is mutual, unfortunately,” Jisoo said, anger beneath the seemingly calm surface.

“I don’t really want to hate you, I know you’ve suffered, probably more than all of us, but when I see your face,” Jun walked closer, stride confident, “I still want to punch the living daylights out of you.” Jun growled. Jisoo stood up, meeting Jun’s gaze.

“I still have so much of him left in me. He twisted every personal thought I had, shaped opinions and made me hate you. Even though I know you helped save me, I want to put you down. I still look at you and see red.” Jisoo whispers, a quiet, controlled anger. It was almost impressive, the fact that he had such a hold on his emotions after every emotion he had was oppressed for years. Maybe that was why he had impeccable control.

“I want to see you in pain. And I know that’s wrong. But I can’t find it within myself to care.” Jun clenched his fists, trying to hold his explosive emotions back.

“It does not matter what is right or wrong. It is how you feel. And I feel like I want to fight you right now.” Jisoo growled. Jun could only comply.

“Then let’s fucking fight.”

Jun launched himself at Jisoo, who was more than ready for the impact. They fell to the ground, and Jun grabbed at Jisoo’s arms, trying to pin him to the ground, but Jisoo had a bone-crushing hold on Jun’s waist with his knees, like he was trying to crush him.

“I just can’t stop feeling anger when I see you,” Jun pants, straining to fight off Jisoo’s hold.

“Then do not try to stop, just hate me. If it’s easier, just hate me.” Jisoo grunted, arms slowly giving in, about to hit the ground. “I do not know if I can stop hating you either, so just let it happen, you fucking rebel,” Jisoo gritted.

“You fucking prince,” Jun spat. “All high and mighty and shit,” Jun smirked, “Now you’re under me, how does that feel?” Jisoo’s face morphed into one of precociousness, one Jun was much more familiar with. “It is not so bad,” He chuckled, “Too bad it wasn’t for long.”

Jisoo flipped them over, straddling Jun, still crushing his hips with his knees, but now he struggled to break from Jun’s death grip around his wrists.

“This is more like it. A commoner under a prince. How it should be, Jun.”

“Fuck off, you prat.” Jun spat, trying to regain control. Jisoo slowly took his hand and placed it on Jun’s windpipe. He was careful not to apply any pressure, a tease of what he could do. Jun’s crushing grip around Jisoo’s wrist was doing little to the situation other than leaving a nasty bruise.

“I could kill you right now. I know it is not me that wants that. I know I don’t want to kill you, but every part of me is screaming to strangle you.” Jisoo panted, biting his lip, muscles tense.

Jun, realizing Jisoo was fighting off inner demons, uses his grip on Jisoo’s other wrist to jerk him forward, slightly startling him.

“Look at me, you little bitch. You wanted to fight, and I wanted to fight, so that’s what’s happening here. Don’t let whatever curse you were under take you away from this moment.” Jun growled. He looked straight into Jisoo’s eyes that were still wide with surprise. “I waited to hurt you. I waited so long to get on equal footing with you. Now, I’m going to leave bruises all over you, make you remember the person who finally took you down.”

“Ow!” Jisoo cried out slightly, Jun putting his strength into controlling Jisoo’s wrists again. Jun thanked the heavens he didn’t reopen Jisoo’s chest wound.

“Remember this moment. Look at the bruises on your wrists and realize a fucking immigrant did that shit.” Jun pulled Jisoo down, taking away his source of balance and flipping them both over. Jun straddled Jisoo, making him sit up and look at him in the eyes.

“No, a commoner did this to me. I thought I said that,” Jisoo smirked, fully immersed in the moment once again.

It was Jun’s turn to be taken aback, realizing that Jisoo had, in fact, referred to him as a commoner and not an immigrant. As if he were a citizen. Something the cursed Jisoo would never have done, this Jisoo, the real one, saw immigrants as people, not things, and Jun didn’t know how to feel anymore. The anger dissipated.

“Jun?” Jisoo asked, noticing the strength leave Jun’s grip. “Jun, what is it?” He asked, tone kind and concerned, unlike anything Jun had ever heard from him. It was sweet. Friendly.

Intimate.

He tried to ignore that it didn’t make him angry this time.

“Nothing. I’m done. I won, and that’s all I care about,” he muttered, standing up, and leaving Jisoo sitting on the ground.

“I don’t think you won, necessarily.” Jisoo teased, a smile on his face. It was strange to Jun, he didn’t know how to respond, but nevertheless he was interested, so he replied, “Oh?”

“I think we’ll have to have a rematch sometime.” Jisoo said, standing up slowly.

And as Jun turned to let the others back in, he realized he wanted nothing more.

______________________________

“Minghao?” Qian whispered, kneeling at Minghao’s bedside. Minghao was sitting up, seemingly awake, but he wasn’t present. With each passing moment of silence following Qian’s inquiry, it became more obvious that Minghao was trapped somewhere far, far away.

Qian tried not to be angry about it. She had waited so long to see her brothers again, years of her life lost, memories trapped in her mind waiting in dark corners, and yet, she felt like she only came home to Jun. Minghao couldn’t be found. She needed both of her brothers.

He was staring at a blank wall, the blankets covering his legs were strewn haphazardly upon him, but Minghao paid no mind. Was Minghao even really in his body at this point? Or was he just a vessel? Just a body that had a tortured soul hiding in it?

“He’s not going to answer. I tried.” Qian twirled around, taking in the sight of DK at the door. He looked just as tired as she felt, but she appreciated him coming to check on them.

“I wish he would. Even if it were to cry, any response I could work with. There’s… nothing.” She whispered, stopping herself from trying to reach to Minghao’s hand. She was scared that if she touched his hand, it would be cold.

“He’s fighting a battle we can’t be a part of. Whatever the outcome of that battle is, we have to face the consequences when he surfaces.” DK explains, walking over to her. “There’s nothing we can do but be here for him.”

“I’ll never leave his side again,” She grits out, trying to keep her burning tears from rolling down her face. DK sighed.

“I swear, your entire family is exactly the same. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for each other,” DK whispered, kneeling down beside Qian.

“Of course.” She said, still looking at Minghao.

“That’s the problem,” DK broke in, words just holding back from being too harsh.

“What?” She said, turning to look at him.

“All of you go too far. Jun wanted revenge for you that endangered his life. Minghao wanted to protect Jun so he faced everything alone. Minghao infiltrated the castle to save you. You could have died by Minghao’s hand, Qian. All three of you need to take better care of yourselves.” He explained firmly. Qian, eyes closed in thought, seemed lost.

“But we always try to-” She was cut off.

“I know you all love each other, and want to protect each other. But all it shows is a lack of trust. Jun should’ve tried to heal with Minghao instead of seeking revenge, which would’ve kept Minghao from being so fearful for Jun’s life. Minghao should’ve trusted Jun enough with the information that you were alive, and we could’ve saved you together. And you,” DK gestured to her, “Should’ve waited for Jun’s help with Jisoo. You put your life in danger, Qian. Right after Minghao sacrificed so much to save you.” He said, tone soft.

“But…” She was at a loss for words.

“I’m not happy about what Minghao did, and how much was taken from us. But I am glad he saved you, Qian. We missed you so fucking much.” DK teared up, voice choked up.

“I missed you guys too. Every awful moment I had in there, I hoped you all would find me,” She whispered.

DK, needing comfort more than anything in this moment, gently pulled Qian into a hug. She willingly stayed there.

_________________

The day passed rather uneventfully, and no one dared to speak about how ruffled Jisoo and Jun had been when they walked in, but the stares were enough for the two to feel unsettled by the attention.

Hansol explained that he kept the tracer jar that was connected to Jisoo, and was going to run a trace on it that night, to hopefully figure out the identity of who had possessed Jisoo.

He explained that he would trace the magical signature that permeated the connection to Jisoo, and he’d most likely know the identity based off the signature, but he couldn’t be sure that it would work.

It was a small lead, but a hopeful one.

Jun could tell Jisoo was hesitant to find out the identity of the person who’d controlled him, but Jun forced himself to ignore it. He didn’t want to notice how Jisoo was feeling at all, considering Jihoon was perfectly capable at playing his brother’s keeper for a while.

Jun convinced himself he cared because of his bleeding heart.

That night passed much more silently than the one before, and they all got some much needed sleep.

__________________________

The morning came and past, until Hansol once again showed up at their door.

Hansol looked like a ghost when he returned with the tracer jar. Jisoo, Jun, Jihoon, and Soonyoung all sat at the rebel’s table, quiet and respectful while Hansol placed the tracer jar down on the table. Nobody wanted to push him to speak.

But they had to know.

Who had possessed Jisoo?

“So, I have traced the magical signature that was left on Jisoo.” Hansol’s voice was hauntingly soft, as if he was speaking to ghosts.

“Hansol, I know this must be hard, finding out such information of a fellow Mage, but please, I must know who did this to me,” Jisoo leaned forward, his voice more comforting than commanding.

“It is-” Hansol sighed, and started again. “I was worried as soon as I knew what spell it was. It is not any Mage who can cast this spell, much less hold it for around four years without detection. My mind immediately gave me images of my old teacher, a Mage that had power and experience like no other I’d seen. I believed him to be unmatched in anything, spellcraft and wisdom.”

“Is that who it is? Your teacher?” Soonyoung asked, eyes narrowed in concentration.

“I would know his signature anywhere. This magic, it is corrupt and twisted, and the Mage who cast it is undoubtedly insane, but no. It is not my teacher.”

“So it is a Mage we don’t know? Who could have possibly infiltrated so far into the castle?” Jun scratched his head, leaning back.

Jihoon’s lips were tight, and Jisoo looked down, his jaw clenched. Soonyoung’s eyes were wide in horror.

“No, I know this Mage. I would know him anywhere. It was not strange of me to see the wisps of my former teacher on this signature. Because, he is the only other Mage my teacher taught. My brother Mage, if you will.” Hansol’s breath shook, he knew that this would change everything. This would break everything. This was the only outcome that they didn’t foresee.

“The Mage that cast this was incredibly clever, hidden in plain sight. He would never be suspected, because what Queen would destroy his own Kingdom?”

“What father would possess his own son?” Jisoo whispered, tears involuntarily rolling down his flushed cheeks.

“This is Jeonghan’s signature,” Hansol tapped the jar, his lip between his teeth. “The Queen was behind this all along.”

Chapter Text

It was two days past the revelation that broke everything.

Jihoon felt like he was living in a different, much darker world.

Jisoo had moved back to his room, and he was currently resting there, Wonwoo providing support. Seungkwan had decided to keep staying with Hansol in the forest, at least for a little longer.

Seungkwan hadn’t taken the news well.

Jihoon understood, the denial, the anger, despair at the thought of their own father putting them through such cruelty. Seungkwan was still in denial because of his tight bond with Jeonghan, but Jihoon could see the seeds of doubt that were sown across his face. Seungkwan already knew how well the pieces fit together, only that he didn’t want to admit it just yet.

Soonyoung had been tiptoeing around Jihoon for the past couple of days, not wanting to bring up the turmoil he was going through, but it was getting more annoying than helpful, and he didn’t want to end up snapping at his fiance.

“I just cannot imagine why,” Jihoon said into the silence, the two of them sitting on his bed together.

“... I can’t either. Only he knows.”

“You know, my father, Seungcheol, has told me stories about Jisoo’s birth. It was a dangerous magical birth, painful and filled with issues, but Jeonghan never once complained during all nine months. He said even though Jeonghan looked tired and worn, he always wore a smile, and spoke about Jisoo as though the unborn baby had hung the stars in the sky.” Jihoon whispered.

“And once Jisoo was born, Seungcheol had never seen Jeonghan cry in happiness until then. Even at their wedding, Jeonghan was able to stay professional and contained, but when he saw Jisoo’s little fingers, and little nose, Jeonghan just lost it.”

“I remember him telling you this,” Soonyoung said softly, letting Jihoon wander in his thoughts.

“Yes. And after Jisoo was born, Jeonghan easily agreed to carry me and Seungkwan as well. No complaints. Just love for the lives he was creating.”

Jihoon closed his eyes.

“We always knew Seungkwan was Jeonghan’s favorite, it was obvious. It was not hurtful though, because I had you, and Jisoo had me. Besides, Seungkwan was so willfully ignored by Seungcheol that I thought it only fair that he capture Jeonghan’s attention instead.” Jihoon chuckled bitterly.

“Never had I thought that meant he would try to kill me, or possess his firstborn son.” Jihoon grit out.

“Jihoon-” Soonyoung was cut off.

“I thought I felt disappointed and betrayed when I thought Jisoo did all of this.” Jihoon whispered. Soonyoung winced at the tone. Soonyoung had no idea how to describe that sound.

“A brother’s betrayal… It is heartwrenching, it is difficult, it is painful. It is also understandable.”

Soonyoung blinked slowly, looking down.

“A brother killing another, conspiring against another… It made so much sense. It was just hard enough to accept, and just easy enough to believe.” Jihoon spat.

“But a father? A loving, tender father? Who held me as I cried, who shed tears when I fell ill, who wiped the sweat from my brow as a babe?”

Soonyoung felt his throat close.

“Nothing can compare to what I feel right now. My…. My own father. My father ordered my death. He ordered my torture. I lost fingers because of him. The father I loved and trusted. Who gave birth to me,” his voice shook, tears and anger intertwining.

“Jihoon-”

“No!” Jihoon yelled, startling Soonyoung.

“I have preached mercy for so long. But the more I think about the atrocities not only I but the people of my Kingdom had to suffer at his hands, the more I want him dead. The more I want to end it. End him.” He grits out, fists clenched. The missing fingers on both hands still sickeningly prominent.

Soonyoung finally found the strength to whisper, “You know that’s a dangerous line of thought, my love.”

“Part of me doesn’t care.”

“The other part of you does. I know you, Jihoon. I know that no matter how much you hurt right now, it’s not in your nature to blame and kill others. You forgive. You heal. That’s why I love you.”

“I don’t love myself very much right now.” Jihoon laughs bitterly. Soonyoung bites his lip, looking down, not knowing how to answer.

“Everytime I close my eyes, I am back in that cell. Names whispered in my ear, naked and afraid. I smell the blood from my fingers. Everytime I close my eyes, I am haunted by my father’s actions. I do not understand how. How he could do this to me, and look me in the eyes again? How he could pretend to love me?” Jihoon’s tears were quiet, but Soonyoung heard them all the same. Soonyoung bit his lip, knowing that Jihoon had been waking up from nightmares since the battle, but not what they held. He’d never felt like he was allowed to ask. Soonyoung had pretended to stay asleep when Jihoon woke from them, because he knew Jihoon hated how weak they made him feel. Jihoon had felt emasculated and weak for many years of his life. Soonyoung felt it would be rather tactless to try to do so now, after he’d faced so much tribulation.

“I do not trust people anymore. I do not feel love like I used to. I will never be the same. I do not care like I used to. I cannot control my rage like I used to.” Jihoon’s eyes looked like fire. Jihoon’s body was tense like a predator ready to pounce. Soonyoung could see the regret swimming in his face, the unspoken apology from Jihoon for snapping at him earlier.

Soonyoung subtly remembered Jihoon’s eyes from the first time the rebels had broken into the castle with Soonyoung’s aid. The Jihoon then cursed his weakness, but allowed himself to show fear, purely because Jihoon had felt hopelessly useless. There had been no point for posturing in his state.

The Jihoon now looked as though he could slay any monster that threatened them, even if he physically couldn’t.

“You are never going to be that Jihoon of before, my love.” Jihoon whirls around at the statement, trying to find comfort in the stabbing statement.

“All you can do is evolve into a new one. Heal, and be better, and different.”

Soonyoung reaches for his lover’s hand, holding it tight.

“You are a changed man in every way. In some ways, it is a detriment. Your patience has thinned, your body scarred, your mind battered, and your trust completely dissected.” Soonyoung scooted closer to his fiance, his King.

Jihoon took a deep breath.

“However, there is a look in your eyes now, a posture in your shoulders that never existed before. There is a confidence, an assuredness that only a royal could possess. And you do possess it. You have sacrificed many things, but you have become a King, my love.”

Jihoon looks to him, his face open, and searching once again. Something Soonyoung hadn’t seen in so long. And Soonyoung knew that this was the man he swore to marry.

“How do I reconcile this? Knowing everything I know now? Becoming what I am? Remembering what I have suffered?” Jihoon moved closer to his fiance, the love he trusted with his body, heart, and soul.

“You let your heart hurt, and let those who love you nurse the hurt. You let yourself hate, and rage, and then set it aside in favor of your reason.”

Soonyoung leaned down, and pressed a gentle, tender kiss to Jihoon’s red lips.

“And then, you deal out the punishment that he deserves. Like the King you are.”

____________________

Jisoo hated his room.

The last four years he spent in here were like a disgusting feverish nightmare, and every sight in his own bedroom reminded him of it.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Wonwoo asked aloud, folding clothes away into Jisoo’s cupboard. Jisoo sat up in his bed.

Wonwoo startled slightly, and turned around, looking apologetic.

“Sorry, it’s just with Seungkwan, whenever he’s silent, it means he wants me to ask him what’s wrong.” Wonwoo explained, nervous.

“No need to apologize, Wonwoo. I rather appreciate you not letting me wallow in my thoughts. They can be dreadfully suffocating.” Jisoo sighed.

“I cannot imagine.”

“That is for the best.”

Wonwoo closed the cupboard and sat on the edge on Jisoo’s bed.

“I know it is what I do for Seungkwan, but I can always be an ear to listen to you too.” Wonwoo said kindly.

“Very sweet of you, Wonwoo. I am unsure if you really want to be burdened with my thoughts.”

“I am stronger than I look.”

Jisoo laid back again.

“It feels like I am in a body that is not mine. That I have invaded someone’s life and taken it over. Which is crazy because this is my body, and my life, but it no longer feels that way. I spent so long being unable to do anything, that now freedom feels imprisoning. I have no idea what to do, and I cannot face my father. I am terrified of him.” Jisoo breathes out.

“It must be strange, finally having yourself back. And now you have to deal with how Jeonghan changed your life. Deal with people you’ve never truly met before.” Wonwoo furrowed his brow, thinking of the rebels. Jisoo had been possessed before Jun ever even interacted with him.

“Yes. I suppose that part does not bother me as much. I still feel anger and annoyance when I look at the rebels, because of Jeonghan’s influence, but I know beneath that is gratitude and admiration for their work. It may have been selfish in the beginning, but Jun and his men have made amazing changes for the good of this Kingdom, and as a Prince, I am happy.”

Wonwoo hummed.

“Are you alright with Jihoon becoming king?” Wonwoo asked, jolting Jisoo a tad.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the whole reason we didn’t want you to be king was because of how Jeonghan was making you act, though we didn’t know it at the time. Now that you are back to yourself, I wondered if you wanted to be heir again? You are still the firstborn.” Wonwoo scooted closer, getting more comfortable. Jisoo sighed.

“I do not wish to be king. When I was younger, I was prepared for the responsibility, and if I needed to, I would try to rise to the challenge, but I think it would be unwise now. Not only do the people of this Kingdom no longer trust me, but my mind is fragile. The pressures of being King would not help me recover. I am too used to being controlled, and manipulated. I am sure I could easily be taken advantage of if I were to ascend to the throne. I am content to lead Jihoon’s army, like Seungcheol planned, and advise my brother on anything he needs, considering I received more training than he did.”

“That’s probably a good idea. I cannot even begin to think of how we could explain everything to the public. And even if we could, what panic would arise from the revelation that a Mage could control royalty to that degree?”

“Exactly. So for now, I am going to stay low, and help Jihoon. And try and trust myself again in the process.” Jisoo blinked, his ceiling decorated and mockingly peaceful.

“So… You are okay with the plan? To capture Jeonghan?” Wonwoo asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Jisoo allowed it.

“I think it is the only option we have. I wish I did not have to join, however. Possessed or no, my father still holds far too much power over me.”

_______________________________

Minghao was still unresponsive, and DK was dutifully still at his side despite his growing fear that Minghao wouldn’t ever respond again. There was a small urge to abandon Minghao, out of pain and anxieties, to try to forget the plight Minghao was in, to focus instead on the looming responsibilities the rebels had to the Kingdom’s future. DK couldn’t entertain the idea without becoming incredibly nauseous.

“Hey…” Jun walked in, tone soft. DK turned around to face Jun, body bruised, thin, and far too strong for all the beatings it’s taken. Jun was a fighter, born that way, raised that way, will probably die that way too. Minghao was the lover between the two of them, and DK wondered if Minghao’s fate had been sealed the moment he decided to love rather than hate.

“Yeah?” DK responded, far too late, the silence communicating everything DK couldn’t bear to voice aloud.

“Can you give me a minute? I want to be alone with him.” Jun asked, eyes soft, fingers tense and rigid. It screamed guilt, regret, and need. DK already saw how the recent events had scarred Jun in new ways. It looked somewhat like maybe, maybe it changed him for the better, because Jun was certainly humbled by it all, but the confidence, the assured attitude he used to boast was nowhere to be found. There was a subtle lack of authority in all of his actions.

DK found it bothered him immensely. Was being humble truly a virtue when the world rewarded, and even demanded that he be unshakably proud?

“Of course, take your time.” DK stood up slowly, legs cramped and sore from sitting so long. Jun smiled sadly, placing a hand on DK’s shoulder as he exited the room. DK grimaced, head turned away from Jun.

Jun settled in beside Minghao, taking care not to touch him, in case it would adversely affect him. Jun turned to his little brother, and winced at his own thoughts. Jun decided to just speak, open the wound and dig into it. His mother tongue slipped out, emotional and sincere.

“I have no way of saying sorry in every way you deserve to hear it, but Minghao… I’m so fucking sorry.” Jun whispered, his throat closing, his teeth chattering from the loud heartbeat taking over his chest. The rush of emotions was almost too much, but the release was freeing. Jun hated feeling vulnerable, but this was a moment where he refused to feel strong.

“There was so much I missed, so much I ignored, so much I should’ve asked, I should’ve done, and I failed every time. All the time. You weren’t even testing me, and I still got everything wrong.” Jun said, tears threatening. His chest ached, the pit of his stomach dark and heavy, in a way that can only be felt when one realizes you can never reverse time.

“You were shouldering so much while I tried to take out my anger on the world. I was childish, blind, and naive. Qian… I loved her just as much as you, and yet I could never have saved her, not the way I was. You did this for her, and for yourself… But you also did this for me. You sacrificed so much to bring her back, to save our family. And I let you sacrifice yourself.”

Jun shivered, his body rejecting his pain. His eyes blurred with tears.

“I abandoned you. I couldn’t bear the idea of you betraying us, so ignored everything. I left you in the wolf’s den, and I let you get devoured.” The shame curdled through his body, tendrils of ice burning his limbs.

“I should be punished for asking more of you, after you gave so much with no return, but I have to do this. This time, I need you to be strong. I need you to come back. This time, when you have to face demons, I will not abandon you. This time, I will save you.” Jun cried, lip quivering.

He couldn’t stop his chest from heaving, the pain surrounding him. Jun let himself fall into the pieces he couldn’t keep together any longer.

His breath caught when he swore he saw Minghao’s fingers twitch.

“Minghao!” He yelled, but he could tell that if Minghao had stirred, he wasn’t going to again.

His eyes were too empty.

Jun buried his face in his hands.

The sobbing resounded, the thin walls barely deafening the racking weeping perfectly clear to DK, who stood silently in the kitchen. He lowered his head, almost as though in prayer, or maybe in mourning for the men in the other room, whom had finally shattered after so much abuse.

DK thought everything felt backwards.

They were closer than ever to victory, the end in their grasp, and yet had less hope than ever.

What was victory?

____________________________________________________

Mingyu sighed, the sunrise surprisingly dull in his eyes.

Today was the day.

The King and Queen were going to be arriving back today, their one chance to remove Jeonghan from the security of royalty.

“How do you feel?”

Mingyu turned to Wonwoo, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he answered.

Wonwoo shrugged, looking back to the sky. “I don’t really know. Ready I guess. A little nervous, but mostly sad, in a way. Watching Jisoo, Seungkwan and Jihoon deal with all this has been hard.”

Mingyu mulled over those words, realizing that, to a point, he felt similar, but from his perspective. He was sure Jun, Minghao, and DK were never going to be the same again. To say nothing of their youngest, Chan. He also felt for Jihoon, but for Soonyoung as well, because he understood the pain that came from the others around you hurting, even if you yourself weren’t hurting the same way.

“I think I’m just really disappointed, or maybe angry. I don’t know.” Mingyu sighed again.

Wonwoo looked back to Mingyu’s face, illuminated by the orange light of the sunrise. “Why?”

Mingyu closed his eyes, letting his head hang back.

“I’m not really sure. Maybe because of how completely Jeonghan betrayed his family. The slums were a place where betrayal was common, understood even. But even then, I never had any reason to distrust my family, they weren’t a blood family, and they left my life just as easily as they came. But never did I have to question their love for me. But the princes of the whole kingdom, supposedly born with a silver spoon in their mouth, has to question whether or not the man who gave them life truly loves them. It baffles me, and upsets me.”

“From experience, I can say that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. Especially where nobility are concerned,” Wonwoo scoffed, sounding bitter.

“I know… your father,” Mingyu said, leaving everything else unsaid. Wonwoo appreciated it.

“I can only hope that everyone can reach a resolution that works for everyone,” Wonwoo comments, letting Mingyu’s hand go.

The sun was up.

“Victory is always empty, no matter whether you’re the victor, or the loser.”

Mingyu stood up.

_________________________________________

Jun, Mingyu, and Chan laid in wait in the trees around the Castle’s gate. DK just across the road, in case of Jeonghan possibly trying to escape.

Jihoon, Jisoo and Soonyoung stood at the front gate, as though to respectfully greet their parents as they return.

Seungkwan had refused to show. Hansol was away as well, for obvious reasons. Wonwoo was inside the castle, Mingyu hoping he wouldn’t have to get involved.

They could hear the carriage from a distance away, teasing their adrenaline. Jun’s hair stood straight on his arms. Jihoon grit his teeth in anger. Soonyoung steadied his breathing.

The carriage was in sight, King and Queen safely tucked inside.

Jihoon felt his throat go dry. Now that the King was back, none of the guards would listen to them. Even if they were more loyal to one of the brothers, the King had full authority. The rebels were on their own. If one of them moved, Jisoo, Soonyoung or him, they would be under suspicion from the King himself.

This had to look like a rebel-planned operation.

More drama and mistrust in the castle was the last thing the kingdom needed, so Jun and his men were on their own.

The clacking and rumbling of the wooden wheels against the stone ground became infinitely loud, and Jihoon knew his fragile hands were shamefully trembling. He cursed it, knowing that it was coming from an intrinsic fear of his own father. Something he’d never entertained the thought of before. He tried to channel the fear into anger.

Soonyoung took Jihoon’s hand in his. Jihoon made no move, but Soonyoung knew he appreciated it. With their new marital status, the gesture did not look out of place.

The carriage was in sight, and rapidly coming towards them, and Jihoon wondered when the rebels were going to rush out.

The moment the lavish carriage, large and loud, clunked over a large and obstructing stone, the rebels swarmed.

Jihoon had no trouble watching in complete shock at their ambush, considering he’d never before seen just how efficient and fearsome they were if he wasn’t among them. Soonyoung, playing the role of the good servant, wrapped Jihoon in his arms, shielding him away from the scene. Jihoon let his anxiety shiver out of him in waves, clutching Soonyoung more forcefully than he had in years.

The yells and metallic sound of fighting rang out behind the couple, and Jisoo’s voice joined the fray, desperately trying to organize the guards to counter the rebels properly.

But of course, as planned, the ambush was too chaotic, and despite Jisoo’s best efforts, Jeonghan was ripped away from the King, and thrown over Mingyu’s shoulder, making off with the Queen before the Royals could even formulate a proper response.

Jihoon heard Jisoo order some guards to give the rebels chase, but Jihoon knew just as well as Jisoo himself that those poor guards were doomed to fail.

“Father! Are you injured!?” Jisoo exclaimed, rushing forward to the King.

“I am unharmed,” He spat out, exiting the carriage, his face red. “But my Queen! My husband!” He yelled, worried and outraged.

Jihoon fought to keep his scoff down. His father’s love was blind.

“I sent guards after them, Father. We need to get you inside! We need to make sure you’re safe!” Jisoo urges Seungcheol inside, and pushing Soonyoung and Jihoon to follow him, seeing as Jihoon was the heir.

The chaos in front of the Castle ended almost immediately, Jisoo silencing everyone in order to keep suspicion at bay.

Seungcheol called Jisoo and Jihoon into his war room for the first time, in order to formulate a plan to retrieve the Queen.

The two did so promptly, but Soonyoung and Wonwoo couldn’t help but feel pity for the King who had no idea that absolutely nobody was on his side anymore.

_____________________

“Tie the bastard down,” Jun sneered, taking great pleasure in seeing Jeonghan’s beautiful face grimace with pain at the rough ropes.

“You will never get away with this you fiends!” The Queen yelled out, the perfect mask not yet cracked.

“Sure, sure, whatever,” Mingyu rolled his eyes, tightening the ropes a bit more in hopes it would shut the Queen up.

“How long are we keeping him here? He makes me nauseous,” Chan groaned, peering out of the kitchen, trying to ignore the royal’s presence.

“I told you, until we get what we need out of him,” Jun called back, his bravado and pride settling back into his demeanor. DK could tell it was somewhat fake, but he decided to pretend he didn’t notice.

“And what is that, exactly? You brutes aren’t trying to weasel royal secrets out of me, because I will never divulge that information!” Jeonghan yelled, fighting uselessly against his restraints.

“Oh,” Jisoo purred, leaning in to face the Queen, looking down on him. “We don’t need that, you scum,” He giggled maniacally.

Jeonghan’s eyes grew darker, and Jun fought not to strangle the monster in front of him.

“You think we need the secrets of your Kingdom? You cannot possibly be so dull, right?” Mingyu chuckled from the right, leaning on the wall behind the Queen.

“We don’t want your Kingdom, you daft bitch, we want you,” DK sneered from the left, Jeonghan fighting not to turn to the harsh voice.

“What would you possibly want me for?” He asked, taking the bait.

“A confession,” Jun breathed right into the man’s face. Jeonghan furrowed his brow, as if he didn’t know what Jun was speaking of. Jun let the simmering rage show a tad, and roughly grabbed the Queen’s chin, forcing the once untouchable royal to relinquish his autonomy to him.

“You see, you must know that we know of your sins, Jeonghan…” Jun growled, delighting in Jeonghan’s slight flinch.

“You thought you were so infallible, so powerful, so clever, that no one would ever notice your ploy, and you underestimated us… You underestimated your son,” Jun spoke with an incorrigible malice, one that sent a satisfying burn throughout his body.

“Seungkwan!?” Jeonghan cried out, breaking from Jun’s grip.

Jun hauled off and and slapped his face.

“Silence!” He yelled, letting the rather frail Queen grapple with the realization that he’d just been slapped. By an immigrant. It left Jun highly satisfied.

“Not your beloved baby, Seungkwan, you whore, but your husband’s heir. You underestimated Jihoon,” Jun retreated from the Queen, and let him wallow in the information.

“... Jihoon?”

Jun sighed, feeling somewhat disappointed with the Queen’s facade, wishing the monarch would crumble already, but he let the roles they were playing control the conversation for now.

“Yes, your son, Jihoon.” Jun reiterated in a bored tone.

“Did Jihoon set you up to this!?” Jeonghan cried out, sounding convincingly betrayed. Of course he would, considering what a great actor the Queen had proven himself to be, but Jun wasn’t fooled.

“No, we did this on our own. But considering you’re the reason he’s missing two fingers, would you really blame him if he had?” Jun looked disinterested, but inside the rage was curling like a poison. He wanted Jeonghan’s mask to crack.

“What!? What on earth are you saying!?” Jeonghan gasped, looking confused.

“I mean, god, if you want to be honest, you should’ve seen this coming… Especially with the way you destroyed Jisoo…” Chan said from the kitchen, sounding way more cruel than his innocent young face could portray.

Jun could see Jeonghan’s hand shake slightly. He smirked.

“If you’re wondering how much we know, you should be aware that we know everything, Queen Jeonghan,” Jun’s silver tongue cut into the monarch with cruel precision.

“I know possession isn’t perfect, but it baffles me how little information made it back to you. Your own soul couldn’t even make it back to you,” Mingyu raised his eyebrow, knocking the chair a bit with his
foot.

“Hansol!” Jeonghan hissed out, gritting his teeth. The rage on his face betrayed his once kind exterior.

“Yes, Hansol, the lovely sorcerer. You know what that means right?” Jun walked back to face the Queen, getting into his personal space again.

“It means your beloved Seungkwan knows just how sick and twisted you are,” Jun sneered, letting the horror overtake the once proud monarch’s face.

“No…” Jeonghwan whispered out, and Jun held his tongue.

He could sneer and threaten, and laugh in Jeonghan’s face for hours, but even he knew that the horror of a loved one’s hatred would cut deeper than anything Jun could say. It was that pain, that regret, that horror that Jun basked in. He couldn’t stop relishing in this monster’s pain, no matter how much it may speak volumes about his own character. He was a broken man watching another man break, and right now, it culled the aches in his heart that plagued his every movement.

So he breathed in this man’s pain like it was a drug.

“You have nothing left. Stop pretending you do.”

Jun jerked, swinging his head to the doorway, disbelieving the sight before him.

“Minghao,” Jun whispered, his chest straining.

“You are a master at taking, stealing, manipulating, breaking, at possessing things. And yet, you cannot hold anything.” The weak boy strode forward, limbs shaky. DK immediately went to support him, Minghao allowing the touch hesitantly.

“Excuse me?” the Queen stuttered out, unable to physically retreat from Minghao’s horrifically haunting eyes.

“After all, you did all of those things to me. Without remorse,” Mingao inched forward, leaning on DK. Jeonghan clearly recognized him. Clearly knew who this thin, pale, sickly man was, and clearly wished he didn’t.

Minghao reached forward and grabbed a fistful of Jeonghan’s luscious hair.

“But you were an absolute fool if you thought you could keep me.”

Minghao carded his fingers, a little greasy and dirty, throughout the man’s hair. Jeonghan looked relatively disgusted at being touched so familiarly by an unwashed immigrant, but Minghao looked unbothered.

Minghao lifted the man’s chin gingerly with his index finger. Minghao looked straight into Jeonghan’s guiltless eyes.

“I am nobody’s kept dog.”

Jun bit his lip to stop himself. From what, he didn’t know, but he felt an urge to do something, anything. But this was Minghao’s moment. Minghao needed this. Needed to feel like he earned his personhood back.

“I…”

“Don’t speak!” Minghao screamed at the monarch, making everyone in the room flinch.

Minghao didn’t scream.

But Jun knew that this was a changed Minghao, and he was willing to let his brother scream in anger all he wanted, if it meant he would have a brother again.

“I don’t want to hear a single disgusting word from your racist, sadistic, filthy mouth.” Minghao whispered, looking down on Jeonghan.

Jeonghan’s face stayed completely still.

“You have demons, you have shadows and ghosts and wretches that have destroyed you, that have made you take your own skin and flay it off to become your armor, you have been a victim, before you were ever a monster,” Minghao spoke, gentle and harsh all at the same time, torturing the man in front of him, much in the same way he had first done to the rebel.

Minghao watched the pathetic man in front of him, the weak, bitter person that they had captured, and no longer saw his devil. He saw a nightmare, a grim reminder of what could happen to him if he refused to heal.

“As you are now, you are much, much more cruel than any man that proceeded you. Whoever destroyed your heart is now a ghost. But you?” Minghao let the man’s face go.

“You are a person, alive and well. And you are worse for it.”

Minghao slowly turned around, DK leading him back to his room, to hopefully rest more.

Jeonghan did not attempt to speak another word.

_________________________________

Jihoon retreated to his room after the meeting with his father and his brother.

Soonyoung was fluttering around the castle, doing his daily duties, at least for a little while longer until he officially became engaged to Jihoon. So, the Prince was alone.

Jihoon found that he did not enjoy being alone much anymore. The memories that still haunted him, the regrets that never silenced themselves, and the current guilt of lying to his Father still ate away at him. He knew it was a necessary evil, which was a term that left a bitter taste in his mouth, but it was true. His Father could never accept the fact that Jeonghan, his beloved, would be the evil behind his family falling apart. His Father couldn’t even accept Jisoo and Jihoon’s broken relationship the past four years. There would be no point in trying to convince him, he’d never believe it.

Not to mention the amount of morally gray areas Jihoon and Soonyoung had been fiddling in. That’s not how they saw it, but the rebels were morally gray, and his Father would never allow such a transgression from his own son, his royal heir.

So Jihoon sat alone in his room, which felt like another world, felt like an echo of the past that he left behind. Jihoon easily remembered the days he spent stuck in his bed, sick and tired, unable to leave his quarters because of his Father’s orders.

Jihoon had always believed that he would be a small, sickly child no matter what happened around him, but he knew that was an identity he’d long since shed. Jihoon hadn’t physically, mentally, or emotionally pushed himself since he was a child, and he wondered if that had been the problem. He’d had no reason to change, to challenge himself, and so a small sickly child he stayed, well past the years of childhood.

Jihoon wasn’t a child anymore.

Jihoon had faced demons and lived. He’d been betrayed by loved ones, fought for his family, his friends, and lived. Scarred, sure. But he lived.

Jihoon looked down at his hands. His bandages would need to be changed soon, to prevent any complications. His father hadn’t even noticed his loss of appendages in his concern for his husband, but Jihoon wasn’t truly offended. The less questions his Father asked, the better. Jihoon hadn’t been close to his parents, not in the same way Seungkwan and Jisoo had, with Jeonghan doting on Seungkwan, and Jisoo constantly under the watchful eye of Seungcheol, being appraised and taught to rule. Jisoo had branched away from any parental bonding early in his teen years, and Seungkwan had only recently shied away from Jeonghan, but Jihoon hadn’t had much of a bond anyway.

In a way, he did love them, he remembered childhood memories where they were the perfect wonderful parents he’d assumed they’d always be. Jihoon had become sick too early in life, surrounded only by doctors, servants, and caretakers. Soonyoung was the one constant Jihoon had been allowed throughout his life, whereas his parents had been too busy, too afraid to hurt him, worried they would worsen his illness.

Still, the entire situation hurt beyond belief. Jihoon had been able to understand their neglect, because they were royalty and he was a sick child, it was inevitable. He had always been able to rationalize it because he thought his parents loved him, and Soonyoung had been there when they hadn’t.

But Jihoon wasn’t a little kid anymore, and he could finally see the things his younger, more naive self had refused to see.

His parents were neglectful, his Father was a blind King that fought to appease rather than correct, that had decided Jihoon was too weak to do anything until suddenly he had needed him because he didn’t like his other son enough. His other Father was a deceitful, cruel mage that had used his own child to try and destroy a Kingdom he had sworn to protect, and in the process committed the ultimate betrayal against the entire royal family.

Jihoon’s family was a damn mess.

It was an understatement, but he chuckled at it nonetheless.

“I leave you for less than an hour, and you’re on the floor,” Soonyoung sighed fondly from the doorway.

Jihoon sat up from the ground and smiled.

“Of course. You know I am just useless without you,” Jihoon laughed.

Soonyoung walked in and knelt by Jihoon , brushing his overgrown hair back.

“I need to cut your hair soon.”

Jihoon nodded.

Soonyoung pulled Jihoon into his arms, leaning his chin on Jihoon’s shoulder.

“When are we going to the house?”

Jihoon sighed, pursing his lips.

“As soon as Jisoo gets back from ‘scouting’, then we shall leave.”

“Are you ready?”

Jihoon closed his eyes and fought off a wave of nausea.

“I will never be ready.”

_______________________

“Come inside, he’s tied up in the common room,” Chan ushered Jisoo, Jihoon, and Soonyoung into the rebel’s house, a place that was becoming increasingly more like home than their own castle.

“Thank you, Chan. I appreciate the warning,” Jihoon said, smiling. Chan flushed sightly, his courtesy being noticed.

Jihoon walked in first, not letting his nerves show. Soonyoung followed, and Jisoo stayed on the outskirts of the room. Jihoon knew that Jisoo had been trained as a soldier to do so in situations that involved threats, but it still hurt to see, because Jihoon could tell Jisoo truthfully just wanted to stay as far away from Jeonghan as possible.

“My own sons… I had truly hoped I wouldn’t see you with these vermin… and yet…” Jeonghan spoke, his eyes sharp and displeased.

“And I had hoped my Father wasn’t a filthy wretch, and yet here we are,” Jihoon bit out, his face perfectly calm but steely.

“Damn,” Mingyu whistled out from behind Jeonghan’s chair. Jihoon shot him a look, and he sheepishly held his hands up. Jihoon couldn’t help but be fond of his antics.

“You are royalty, Jihoon,” Jeonghan began, “and you fraternize with immigrants and lower-class citizens? It’s not right,” the man shook his head.

Jihoon scoffed, feeling a comforting anger fill him.

“You were once a lower-class citizen, Jeonghan. To be quite truthful, you’re lower than the ‘immigrants’ here, you’re a traitor of the Kingdom.”

Jeonghan’s face darkened, and he grit his teeth.

“I did what I felt was necessary,” he spat.

Jun rolled his eyes and walked forward, unable to keep quiet any longer.

“I don’t care what you were trying to do, what I care about is learning what you plan to do next, because if possession was your first try, then I want to nip the next plan in the bud before it transpire.”

“Oh possession wasn’t the first plan,” Jeonghan said flippantly.

Jihoon raised an eyebrow, leaning in closer, “Oh? And what was?”

Jeonghan sighed, and something akin to defeat washed over his face. “It was never supposed to go this far, but I ended up here and my hatred has never truly healed,” he said.

“Consider me the clergy,” Jihoon sneered, pulling up a chair. “Confess.”

Jeonghan smiled ruefully, turning away.

“Why not? I haven’t been able to openly speak about the past in years.”

Jeonghan looked out the window again, watching the rows and rows of people walking into the city, looking tired and hungry.

It was more immigrants.

Jeonghan sighed, feeling sympathy for them. The King was ruthless, his master had to evade the cruel King on more than one occasion, for the King demanded things that weren’t magically possible.

Jeonghan knew from his Father as well, that the King wasn’t someone to mess with or question. These immigrants were here because they had no other choice.

“Jeonghan, you cannot hope to cast anything directly if you are not paying attention.” Jeonghan turned, seeing his master frowning at him, his scold more of a petulant grumble, and Jeonghan laughed.

“I’m sorry, there’s just so many people! I got distracted.” He smiled sheepishly, looking back to his spellbook.

“Yes, well do take care to stay focused,” his master chided once again.

Jeonghan nodded, and started to study the set of enchantments before him.

When his father came home to their small cabin that night, he had a black eye.

“Father!” Jeonghan exclaimed upon seeing the injury, “what happened?”

His Father had waved it off, saying it was only an accident, he’d knocked into a shelf at the citizenship office, and it became swollen before he could do anything about it.

Jeonghan had warily accepted it, but the next week, his Father came home with a bruised shoulder, and Jeonghan finally got the truth out of him.

“The immigrants got too rough today, my son. They cannot speak our language, so misunderstandings happen.”

Jeonghan was taken aback. Those poor, ratty looking families had somehow gotten angry enough to hurt his Father? It seemed strange, to even look at the displaced people that way.

“I thought you were supposed to have translators? Didn’t the King say you would have some people come for that?” Jeonghan asked.

His Father shook his head.

“Nobody ever came. You know how ruthless border guards can be. If they’re not here by now, they either never made the journey at all, or they’re dead. The King cares not if the office has no help at all.”

Jeonghan felt anger and frustration boil in his chest.

“He can’t do that! He can’t just order people out of their homes just to trouble citizens this way! Your office needs help in order to communicate with them!”

“Oh Jeonghan,” his father chided softly, “You would be such a good leader.”

Jeonghan paused, confused.

“Excuse me?”

His Father just chuckled.

“You think about everyone, and that’s what I love about you. Your heart.”

Jeonghan sighed, and left to go soak a rag in cold water for his Father’s eye.

A few more days passed, and his Father kept coming home with small but rather concerning injuries.

“They’re angry, Jeonghan,” he told his son, “They were forced from their homes, and now they cannot get the citizenship they were promised upon their surrender.”

Jeonghan understood, he did. However, he couldn’t understand why his Father and the other office workers had to bear the brunt of that anger. They did not make the rules, they could not rebel against the King anymore than the immigrants themselves.

His Father just smiled, and said that things were surely going to get better soon. So Jeonghan believed him, and smiled back.

It was a month past the relocation, and Jeonghan found himself increasingly more worried as days past by.

“Jeonghan, you are not paying attention!” his master yelled, finally fed up with Jeonghan’s lack of focus lately.

Jeonghan snapped out of his stupor, and looked down, ashamed.

“I am sorry, master. I just cannot focus, no matter how hard I try,” he admitted.

For once, his master took pity, and sat him down to talk about what was on his mind.

Just like his Father, his master reassured him that things were going to look up soon, and so Jeonghan went home early, feeling much better than he had in awhile.

His Father never made it home.

When the panic, the news had finally spread to Jeonghan’s remote cabin on the far side of the city, it was already far too late.

“What- What do you mean?” He stuttered at his friend, Junhee.

“Your father… the workers… They’re all gone.”

Jeonghan had run straight to town, not stopping for anything.

Jeonghan could not fathom the sight of the town square.

The blood was everywhere.

His Father was nowhere to be seen, but Jeonghan knew instinctively that his Father was already dead.

“The citizenship massacre,” Jihoon provided, cutting in.

Jun schooled his face in order to hide his recognition. Jihoon had spoken to him about Jeonghan’s loss in the ordeal before.

“Yes,” Jeonghan growled out, eyes dark. “The scum had killed my Father, and used his corpse in exchange for their citizenship.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Mingyu called.

Jihoon looked to him, and nodded.

“King Seungmin was notorious for being extremely cruel. He laughed when he realized the immigrants had killed his people out of anger and decided that any immigrant who delivered him a whole corpse would receive citizenship for themselves and their family. Jeonghan’s Father was a victim of that,” Jihoon explained.

“He was your grandfather, you insolent brat,” Jeonghan spat out.

“And so was Seungmin,” Jihoon leaned forward, sneering. “I care not for those who I have no emotional attachment to.”

Jeonghan looked incredibly angered at the statement, but he clearly had no words to express it; he remained silent.

“So the old King was cruel, what does that have to do with anything?” Chan asked, genuinely curious.

Jeonghan whirled on him, “it means his blood lives on, his legacy continues to poison this Kingdom, and my Father never truly gets vengeance on the King that laughed at his death.”

Jun’s face pinched uncomfortably. He felt that sentiment, he had felt that way towards Jisoo, and towards Jihoon upon meeting him. He didn’t like seeing the similarity. He turned to see Jisoo in the back, trying to will himself away from the events around him. Jun felt his chest ache at the sight.

“You’re a huge reason as to why Seungmin’s legacy is still alive,” Chan said, “you married his son and had three kids with him!”

Jeonghan finally looked stricken. Anger weaned away from his expression and instead he just looked forlorn. Something Jihoon wished he could smack off his Father’s face.

“It was never supposed to happen that way,” he admitted. “I married Seungcheol with only revenge in mind, but his love soon reached me, and for a long while, he even washed vengeance from my mind.”

“So what was your first plan? Kill him?” Jihoon asked.

Jeonghan nodded his head.

“I thought about assassinating him, I would inevitably be considered the remaining monarch of the Kingdom and be able to orchestrate the entire Kingdom's collapse that way.”

“You wanted to kill him to destroy his Kingdom, but instead you fell for him?” Mingyu asked, bewildered.

“He was a gentle, and kind man, I saw so much love and hope in him, things that I hadn’t experienced since my father had passed.” Jeonghan explained, eyes faraway, as if in a memory. I couldn’t conjure up enough hatred to kill him. I loved him too much.”

Jun rolled his eyes, not humored by the love story.

“So what made you decide to go dark? To possess your own son like a monster?”

Jeonghan glared daggers at Jun, and scoffed.

“Jisoo may be my blood, but he is the spitting image of Seungmin, I do not claim him as mine.”

Jun turned back to the Prince at the stinging words. He could see Jisoo shaking faintly, but he couldn’t tell why. His face was blank, sickenly blank.

“Answer his fucking question, you piece of shit,” Jihoon ordered, walking forward and grabbing a fistful of his Father’s hair. “You spew insolence in my presence, Jeonghan. You may be my Father, but you are also our prisoner. Do not forget that,” Jihoon hissed, ripping his hand out from Jeonghan’s locks.

“Seungkwan grew up,” he stated simply, as though that answered everything.

Jihoon’s eyes flared, “You blame all this evil on Seungkwan?”

Jeonghan shook his head, strangely calm.

“No, it is certainly not his fault. Seungkwan is too pure, too kind to ever think of doing anything for revenge.” Jeonghan smiled, thinking of his youngest. “He looks exactly like a young version of my Father, and watching him, seeing him grow up, looking at him in the face everyday reminded me of everything my Father suffered. That I never truly avenged him, and I couldn’t live with it anymore. I had to carry out my revenge no matter what.”

“So you’re a sick bastard who never got over his own ego well enough to just be happy.” Mingyu said, face disgusted.

Jeonghan became angry once again, “You would never understand, so shut your mouth!”

“Hansol was right, you are insane.”

Jeonghan’s face drained of color at the new voice, and turned his head to the entrance, where Seungkwan had just walked in.

“Baby, no, no, I am not insane, I just had purpose, surely you understand-”

“No I do not!” Seungkwan yelled, tears gathering in his eyes.

Jeonghan started to move erratically behind his ropes, and leaned forward as though it would get him closer to Seungkwan.

“There are some things I had to accomplish, you are so young, you cannot understand yet because you haven’t had to see all of life’s cruelties-”

“Shut up!” Seungkwan screamed, causing Jeonghan to curl away from him.

“You shut your mouth,” He stalked forward and looked into his once beloved Father’s eyes. “You have no idea what I know, what I do not know, what I have suffered and even who I am,” Seungkwan choked out, uncaring of the tears. He shook his head. “Maybe if you weren’t so caught up in trying to kill my brothers, you would have been able to be the Father I needed.” Seungkwan roughly wiped his tears with his sleeve.

Hansol walked in as well, clearly not being able to stay outside at the sound of Seungkwan’s distress.

“What do you mean? I love you so much Seungie, what makes you think otherwise?” Jeonghan spoke out, his face crumpled.

“Do you really want to tell him?” Hansol called out softly towards Seungkwan, making the others in the room look worriedly at each other.

“Seungkwan, what’s wrong?” Jihoon asked, walking closer to his brother.

Seungkwan backed away immediately, as though he were afraid to be too close to Jihoon.

“You shouldn’t get too close,” Seungkwan said quickly, a note of panic in his voice. “You catch things too easily.”

Jeonghan looked at Seungkwan with dread in his eyes, and for once, Jihoon did so as well.

Hansol walked to Seungkwan and let him lean into him, while Seungkwan tried to quiet his sniffling.

Jihoon tried to quiet the fear in his mind, and spoke softly to his brother, “Seungkwan, I haven’t been as attentive as a brother should be, but if something is wrong, please tell me.”

Seungkwan nodded, and took a deep breath.

“I saw the doctor a month back or so. I had not been feeling my best, and I had noticed some startling symptoms that I wanted to understand.”

Hansol fought it, but Jihoon saw the beginnings of a grimace.

“I figured with all of the spells I was practicing, maybe I had caught a small sickness, as is common once your constitution takes a hit from all the magic use.”

Seungkwan wouldn’t look anyone in the eyes, and there was nothing more terrifying than a Seungkwan with no light in his face.

“The doctor didn’t really have the news I was expecting.” Seungkwan swallowed heavily. “I have the White Plague.”

Jihoon’s world tilted sideways.

He could hear the gasps and the awful hysterical cries from his Father, but it was like he couldn’t feel it, like it was all coming through a fog.

No one survives the White Plague, an awful whisper in his head hissed.

Seungkwan’s soft face looked jumbled to Jihoon, and he couldn’t quite understand why Soonyoung was trying to speak to him when clearly Jihoon wasn’t even looking at him.

“Come back, Jihoon. Do not phase out on me now,” Soonyoung whispered in his ear, tone sharp and scathing. It wasn’t sympathetic or comforting, but it did bring him back to his senses.

“He only told me a week ago,” Hansol said, voice hoarse with was what clearly grief.

“I didn’t know how to tell anyone,” Seungkwan cracked a sad smile.

“I’m sorry I made you deal with that alone, Seungkwan,” Jihoon said, looking to his little brother. Seungkwan only shook his head and gave Jihoon kind eyes in return.

“I kept it quiet out of my own preference. But since I will be mostly bedridden soon, I figured I needed to accept it and tell you guys.”

Jeonghan was sniveling in his chair, clearly losing whatever semblance of sanity he had to the awful news, but Seungkwan tried to ignore it. The loss of his Father was a wound he didn’t have time to try and heal.

“What are you going to do with Jeonghan?” Seungkwan asked, pointedly using his name to refer to him.

“Once we got the information we needed, I was planning on killing him and leaving him somewhere for Jisoo and his guards to find. We can’t just keep him tied up here,” Jun explained.

Seungkwan felt the ache in his chest at the flippant admission even though he knew it was for the best. His Father wasn’t himself anymore. He was only remnants of a cracked soul after a forbidden spell.

“I understand.”

Seungkwan left with Hansol still supporting him, and he tried not to let his pride be hurt by it. Seungkwan had always cherished his independence, but Hansol was the only person he allowed to see his weak side, so he quieted his protests every time Hansol offered to help him with something.

Seungkwan blocked out his thoughts of his Father, his brothers, the Kingdom and the future that he inevitably wouldn’t live to see.

An heir and a spare, we don’t need another one in our hair.

He fell asleep before they made it back to Hansol’s cabin. Hansol said nothing and carried him the rest of the way.

____________________________________________

Chapter Text

They realized their mistake the next day.

Jun, along with the others had figured that leaving Jeonghan tied up for one night, with taking turns to keep watch meant they could keep him for one more day of questioning. Jun wanted it for the closure, for his hatred to boil over and steam. The others just wanted to see Jun and Minghao get better.

When Jun woke up, he heard the panicked mumbles from Chan outside in the sitting area.

Throwing off his covers, he rushed out, and saw Chan holding the loose ropes that once held Jeonghan. His eyes were teary and face red with regret.

Jeonghan had escaped.

Jun growled out, whipping around and punching his wall. He cursed, and held his hand. His wall had a subtle dent in it.

Chan looked down, not wanting to meet Jun’s eyes. Jun knew it wasn’t his fault, Jeonghan was a crafty bastard even while insane. He had likely used magic or some other means to ensure Chan would fall asleep.

“What do we do?” Chan whispered.

Jun bit his lip, and sighed.

“The only thing we can do. Wait.”

________________________________

Jihoon watched his Father throw his chair across the room.

“How could they have not found him yet!? These rebels should be nothing but rats! Nothing to worry about!”

Jihoon tried his best to look sympathetic to his Father’s plight, but truthfully he felt little but emptiness.

“I am sure Jisoo and his men will find him soon.”

His Father turned to him with a slightly crazed look.

“Clearly I was right to name you as the next heir. If he cannot do something as simple as find Jeonghan then he could never lead this Kingdom.” He spat.

Jihoon just nodded silently, but inside his head his blood was boiling. His Father was a willfully ignorant man who married a monster and knew nothing but trivialities about his own sons. Not to mention the fact that the kingdom was still in shambles despite how long his Father had been King.

“I will send for you if I need you, Jihoon. Leave.” His father ordered, and Jihoon had enough good sense to retreat from the room promptly.

Jihoon walked the hallways to his quarters again, and once he entered, found Soonyoung folding clothes.

“You know you can have someone else do that now,” Jihoon said.

Soonyoung turned around, and smiled.

“I could, but it comforts me somehow.”

Jihoon nodded, understanding how one familiar thing could ease the heart. Soonyoung was that for him.

“How was the King?” Soonyoung asked.

Jihoon grimaced. “Awful. He’s nearly as unhinged as his father without Jeonghan.”

Soonyoung looked to him, concerned. “He’s supposed to be readying you for the throne.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes. “It’s been made clear that I will be receiving little instruction until Jeonghan returns.”

Soonyoung sighed. “I don’t understand why Jeonghan didn’t immediately return to the Castle. He escaped, so where could he be?”

Jihoon shivered, “I try not to think about it. A part of me hopes that he got lost trying to find his way back to the palace and he died from the elements.”

Soonyoung softened and reached to Jihoon’s hand. “And the other part of you?”

Jihoon sneered, “The other part wishes he would come back so I could kill him myself.”

Soonyoung held his love’s hand and squeezed it.

“That’s not everything though.”

“I do not care for him anymore,” Jihoon denied.

Soonyoung appeared to take in the words, but answered, “He’s your dad. You may hate him with your entire heart, but a younger version of you just aches for a version of him that was kinder, and not such a monster.”

“How dare you be so attuned to my feelings.”

Soonyoung smiled sadly. “It is because I love you.”

“I know.”
_________________________________
Mingyu knew that he needed to stop only meeting Wonwoo at the beautiful tree, but it was like a dream that he kept having, only that every time it kept getting better. Today, they were meeting on Wonwoo’s request.

“Hello,” Wonwoo greeted, and Mingyu held him close, unwilling to let his love stray too far once he was in arm’s reach.

“Why did you want to meet?” Mingyu asked, finally leaving the embrace.

“What, I need a reason to want to see you?” Wonwoo teased, and Mingyu scoffed in response.

“You know you don’t.”

Wonwoo smiled. “I called you here because I have something to ask of you.”

Mingyu furrowed his brow. “What?”

Wonwoo dropped to one knee, and pulled out a ring.

“Will you marry me, Mingyu?”

Mingyu gasped, and looked as if someone had bashed him over the head.

“Wh- why? No, I mean-”

Wonwoo tried not to laugh. “I know it’s not perfect, not the best time, nor the best place. But I want to be tied to you for the rest of my life.”

Mingyu felt his hands shake. “But your father wanted you to marry a noble! And I’m a criminal! You would lose everything!”

Wonwoo shook his head. “My father is retiring soon. And Jihoon promised that once he ascends to the throne, the rebels will be pardoned, and then I will be free to marry you.”

Mingyu felt the breath leave his body.

“I-I… Yes.”

Wonwoo shot up, kissed Mingyu with a fire, and they stayed lost with each other for hours.

_________________________________________

“You look gross.”

Jun startled, looking behind him.

“Can I help you?” He asked, seeing Qian’s indignant face.

“I am tired of you lazing around staring off into the distance. You look crazy.”

Jun shook his head, turning away from her.

“Is this because Jisoo has been coming by a lot?” She asked, and Jun whipped around.

“What! No!”

“Then why is it that you’re always looking into the distance when he’s not here?” She retorted. She walked around and sat next to him.

“I just have little to do now that everything is up in the air.” He justified.

“Oh, really? There’s a lot of chores that haven’t been done. You could busy yourself with those.” She said, looking amused.

“You have a sharp tongue.” He spat.

“Developed it in prison, big brother.” She laughed.

Jun sighed.

“I personally think you’re preoccupied thinking about Jisoo.” She said.

Jun startled once more. “Why do you think this?”

Qian looked at him, face flat. “Besides the obvious, it makes sense. You hated him so much, but then you realized that he’s actually a victim. You can’t make yourself resent him anymore, but you have a lot of residual feelings for him that are probably turning into empathy and interest.”

Jun huffed, “I am not interested in him.”

“Why not?” Qian asked. “He’s a prince, so that’s already pretty special. There’s also the fact that none of us know the real him. You had a clear vision of who Jisoo was in your head, and now you know that’s not him at all. If I were you, I would want to get to know him. You two can probably understand each other pretty well. You both lost so much thanks to this Kingdom, thanks to Jeonghan specifically.”

Jun looked down.

“He’s a prince of the Kingdom that killed our parents, Qian.”

Qian nodded. “He is. But so is Jihoon and you trust him anyway. Why is Jisoo different?”

Jun struggled to answer.

“I… I don’t know.”

Qian patted Jun on the back. “Just think on it. Stay open-minded.”