Minho ran, pushing past anyone who got in his way. He was aware of nothing but Taemin.

Taemin falling to his death.

He had never felt so much fear in his life. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he wouldn’t make it in time, but he refused to believe it.

‘Even if I did catch him…that stab wound…’

NO.

Minho gritted his teeth, pushing himself harder to reach the boy.

Everything seemed to happen so fast. Just as he Taemin’s body was about to hit the ground, and Minho cried out his name, someone caught him.

Changmin reached him just in time, catching the boy in his arms, and falling on his back with a load groan.

Minho reached them seconds later and kneeled next to them, “Thank you,” he whispered to his brother, voice desperate and grateful. Changmin sat up, cradling the Taemin in his arms. Minho swallowed thickly, panic once again coursing through his veins as he spotted the amount of blood staining the boy’s clothes.

“Brother, take her. I’ll handle the battle from here. She needs help now,” Changmin placed Taemin in his arms carefully. Minho took the small boy in his arms and his eyes flickered from Taemin to his brother, hesitating slightly. “Go!” Changmin demanded. Minho nodded hastily, standing alongside his brother.

“Brother, be sure to kill the bastard for me,” Minho growled, glancing up at the roof where the Atelian soldier stood, his dagger coated with Taemin’s blood.

“He will be the first to die,” Changmin growled.

~~~~~

Minho sighed, leaning against the wall and sliding down to the floor. He glanced down at his clothes, gagging at the sight of the blood.

He had seen plenty of blood, he had killed plenty of soldiers, but the sight of Taemin’s blood on him made him feel sick.

He could only wait outside their room, praying that the physician would step out of there soon to give him good news.

Taemin was going to live. He had too.

They were going to get married. They were going to be together for the rest of their lives.

“Prince Minho.” Minho jumped, coming out of his thoughts to see the physician standing outside the door. He stood up abruptly, giving the doctor a desperate stare, “Well?”

“I did all I could,” Minho felt his breath leave him at the man’s words. “I’m not sure if he will make it through the night,” He gave the Prince a sympathetic stare, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. Minho jerked away, stumbling back. He stepped back and hit the wall, eyes wide and heart aching. “You’re lying,” he whispered. He looked up at the doctor, his eyes b with tears. “Tell me that he will be alright,” he demanded through clenched teeth.

The man shook his head, sighing sadly, “I can’t promise anything. It is up to fate to decide now.”

Minho pushed past him furiously, and burst into the room. He was surprised to see Taemin barely conscious. The bandages around his torso were blood soaked already, and his skin was dangerously pale. He seemed to struggle with every breath he took. When he finally spotted Minho in the doorway, he smiled. He smiled. Of course, Taemin would still give him a smile, even so close to death. “Minho hyung,” he said breathlessly, struggling to even speak. Minho rushed to the side of the bed, kneeling to come face to face with the boy. He gave Taemin the best smile he could muster, but he couldn’t stop the tears that fell from his eyes. Taemin reached out a shaky hand, and wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Don’t cry. Why are you crying?”

“Why would you do that, Taemin? I told you to stay here! I told to stay here and stay safe! Now look at you!” Minho hated shouting at him, but the aching pain in his heart was becoming unbearable, and he could no longer contain his emotions.

Taemin remained calm, “But I helped, didn’t I? It was the Atelian King I killed, wasn’t it? He was…he was going to kill you.”

“But Taemin, you…you’re…,” Minho couldn’t bring himself to say it. He refused to believe that Taemin may…die.

“I’ll be alright,” he promised calmly.

Minho wished he could believe him.

~~~~~

Byungchol pushed the double doors open roughly, clothes torn and stained with blood, “Mother, the Atelians have retreated.”

Sujung turned abruptly, fury etched in her expression, “What!?”

“The King was killed, and they lost all organization,” Byungchol sighed, taking a seat in the closest chair he could find.

The Queen scoffed in disbelief, “How stupid could they be? I gave them direct instructions, I led them into the Kingdom, and they still failed. I can rely on no one.”

“It was Princess Taemin,” Sujung stopped her ranting to glance at her son. “She killed the King. The little coward stood upon a storage house and shot him from a distance.”

It was quiet for moment, as Byungchol waited for his mother to explode with anger. But she was eerily quiet, her jaw clenching and her hands balled into fists.

“An Atelian soldier stabbed her before she could make another move,” he finally revealed, smirking in delight. “Minho left the battle to tend to her, without a second thought.”

Sujung’s hands relaxed at her sides, and she burst into laughter. “Oh just when I thought things would not go in my favor, you give me this wonderful news. Why did you not tell me this first? Is she dead yet?”

“I don’t know for sure.Although, I doubt she could live through that.”

“Don’t underestimate that girl…I may despise her, but I cannot deny that she is irritatingly strong willed,” she made her way over to sit next to her son, staring at him intently. “There’s something strange about her…she is hiding something. But she can’t hide her secrets from me for long. If she lives, I will not give up until I ruin her.”

~~~~~

“Minho hyung.”

Minho turned his head, glancing over to the angelic creature that had called his name. Sharp blue eyes stared back at him, twinkling slightly in the sunlight. They boy smiled gently as strands of his chestnut-colored hair blew astray by the wind, tickling his face. They were laying in the grass, relaxing in their favorite place in the garden.

“Yes, Taeminnie?”

“What are you thinking about?” He asked curiously.

“Nothing…,” he hesitated.

The boy’s lips puckered, creating a slight pout, “Tell meee,” he whined.

Minho chuckled, and gave in immediately, unable to resist, “Just…the day we will marry.”

He was amused to see a soft pink blush taint Taemin’s cheeks, “Oh,” he said simply, “What about it?”

Minho his side toward the boy, placing a hand on his cheek and brushing it gently with his thumb, “How perfect it will be.”

Taemin avoided his eyes in embarrassment, something he found quite cute, “It can’t be perfect, Stupid Prince,” he muttered. “I’m sure a few little things will go wrong. The flowers may be wrong, the food-“

“I don’t care about all of that. It will only be perfect because it will be the day that you will become mine, Taemin.”

Taemin was silent for a moment, touched by the Prince’s words. He stared right back at the older boy, seeing only pure passion…adoration…love swimming in his eyes, “And you will be only mine.”

________

 “Taemin!”

Minho awoke with a start, gasping as he sat up.

It took him a moment to realize he was surrounded by people, all of them sporting worried expressions.

He looked down, only to see that he was still grasping Taemin’s small hand in his own, and the panic came rushing back. He looked at Taemin’s face, his heart constricting when he saw that his eyes were closed.

“No…Taemin!” He stood up, grasping the boy by his shoulders and shouting for him to wake up. “No! Wake up, Taemin! No!” the back of his eyes were burning with tears.

“Minho!” He stopped abruptly, looking over to Jonghyun with wide eyes. “He’s breathing, Minho. It’s alright. Calm down.” Jonghyun approached him with soothing words, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

He looked back down at Taemin, only to realize that Jonghyun was right.

Taemin was still alive.

His breathing was shallow and uneven, but he was still breathing.

The doctor came bursting into the room just as Minho was thanking the gods for not taking his Taemin from him. “What are all of you doing in here? I have a patient that is still in a critical condition. All of you, out!” He shooed them away, and Minho watched as Onew, Key, Jonghyun, Mir and IU all left the room with anxious expressions.

“What is happening to him? Will he be alright?” Minho questioned nervously as he brushed the hair from Taemin’s sweat-soaked forehead.

 The doctor approached the bed, staring at Taemin intently. He felt his pulse, and checked his breathing, leaving Minho to anxiously wait for his answer.

“He’s fighting, Prince Minho,” the doctor finally said, his eyebrows furrowed. “Truthfully, I did not expect anyone to live through this kind of wound, but he is prevailing. This one is strong.” The man gave him a small smile.

Minho looked down at Taemin once again, his smile growing as he watched as the small, short breathes leave the boy’s plump lips.

 “I’ll be taking my leave for now. I’ll be back in an hour to replace his bandages,” the doctor said, before leaving the room.

Minho did not bother to look away from Taemin to watch him leave. He cupped the boy’s cheek, enjoying the feeling of the too-warm skin under his fingers. Better to be warm with a fever, than cold with death.

He lowered himself, leaning his forehead on Taemin’s, “Did you hear that, Taemin? You’re strong. You’re a fighter. Don’t…don’t give up on me, alright?”

~~~~~

A/N: Yay! I didn't take a month this time! lol

I would have had this up sooner, if I wasn't so lazy busy. Ok, I'm lazy.

But I really have been busy with work, graduation, prom, etc.... xp

So, as you all probably knew, Taemin is still alive. Our bb is strong >w< He wouldn't leave his Prince~ lol

& in case you didn't catch on, the Queen revealed that she's been communicating with the enemy country the entire time. She had been helping the King of Atelia, betraying her own kingdom.

Anyways, I really can't thank you guys enough for all the love♥ So many comments ;~; and i can't believe how close I am to 300 subscribers. It seriously blows my mind, because I honestly don't think this fic is all that great lol I feel like the last few chapters have been extremely ish :p and it's unfair to you guys. Thanks for sticking with me and thanks for all the love