IMPORTANT: I forgot to mention, I did change my username from ashleymarie321 to taetastic to match my tumblr, so don't think I'm someone else stealing this story lol

~~~~~~

“Wake up, Stupid Prince.”

Minho smiled unconsciously, relieved to be hearing that beautiful voice in his dreams again. He didn’t dare open his eyes. He buried his face in his arms, and fought consciousness.

“Minho, wake up already,” the voice said again. But this time, Minho felt a warm hand rest on his head, and soft fingers massaging his scalp.

It took him a moment to realize the voice wasn’t only in his dreams.

He sat up abruptly, eyes wide and hair sticking up everywhere. He immediately spotted Taemin lying there, giggling softly. “Taemin!” The sight of the boy’s smile was a gift from the gods, and Minho was eternally grateful he could see it again. He leaned down to cup Taemin’s cheeks and kissed him full on the lips. “Are you feeling alright? Do you need anything?”

“Water, please.” Minho helped him sit up, and held the container of water to his lips as he drank greedily. When Taemin finished all of it, he promised to get him food, but Taemin wouldn’t allow him to leave the room just yet.

So Minho sat on the edge of the bed, the boy’s hair and admiring every feature of his face. “The physician said you would not make it, and then he told me you were fighting, and I hoped…I prayed…Taemin-“

“Minho,” Taemin interrupted. He reached up and gripped the Prince’s hair, pulling him down for another kiss that had Minho’s skin tingling. “I promised you that I would be alright, didn’t I?” He whispered when they separated.

“You did…,” Minho mumbled. “But Taemin, you should not have been in this situation to begin with. This should not have happened.”

“It’s my own fault. I’ll admit that I was careless, but I don’t regret doing it,” Taemin confessed stubbornly.

The older boy sighed, his frustration only increasing. “Taemin…I always promised to keep you safe, unharmed…but the moment you arrived in my world, you have been met with nothing but pain.”

Taemin felt the panic slowly rising inside of him as Minho spoke. He was frightened to hear the rest of the Prince’s words. “That isn’t true!” he protested, “I’ve never felt so loved…by you, and my other friends.”

Minho didn’t seem to be swayed by his words. “Maybe you aren’t meant to be here. You would be safer…in your own world.”

“No!” Taemin yelled, sending himself into a coughing fit. He groaned, clutching at his aching wounds.

“I am calling for the physician,” Minho stood, but Taemin took his wrist in a surprisingly tight grip.

“I’m alright,” he said breathlessly, teeth clenched, “We aren’t finished talking about this.”

Minho eyed the boy’s stubborn expression for a moment before he sighed, taking his previous seat on the edge of the bed. “I only want you safe and happy, Taemin. And if that means you must leave me,” he swallowed thickly before continuing, “then so be it.”

“I’m not leaving. It’s not your fault that these things happen to me, Minho. My world really isn’t any safer than this one anyways. Do you remember what I looked like when you brought me here?” Minho was silent as he remembered the bruises covering the boy’s body the day he arrived. “We’re going to get married, we’ll be together for the rest of our lives, you’re going to become King, and give this country peace. We might have some trouble along the way, but we’ll make it because we have each other, right?”

Minho wanted to believe him, he wanted everything to work out that way, but life was always unfair. Taemin was the first good thing to happen to him since his mother died, and the boy was already so close to being taken away from him multiple times. “I wish it could be like that, Taemin. I wish-“

Taemin grabbed his hand, squeezing his fingers gently. “We can keep wishing for all of that to happen, or we can make it happen.” Taemin’s eyes were boring into his own, and it made Minho wonder how he could say such wise things sometimes.

The Prince chuckled, lightening the mood a bit, “You always manage to say just the right things, don’t you?”

Taemin shrugged, smiling innocently. “I’m very good at getting what I want.”

“You know I only suggested this because I love you, right?” Minho placed a finger under his chin, tilting his head up.

“And you know I want to stay because I love you, right?”

Minho sighed, “Do you think I want you to leave me? I would never wish to be apart from you, but when it comes to your safety, I will do anything.”

“I worry for your safety too, Minho. Why do you think I went into that battle? You are not invincible. You may be strong, but not invincible. I’m not completely helpless, either. I have my own strengths, and I can defend myself sometimes. And if I have the strength to defend the people I love, then I’m going to use it.”

Minho knew he was right. He couldn’t seem to forget that Taemin was not always so fragile. He wasn’t the same bruised, beaten, confused boy that came here. He had grown in the time he had been there. “You’re right…I- I just wish you wouldn’t be so rash sometimes. Please… think of your own safety before you do something foolish next time, alright?”

Taemin nodded, smiling widely, “I promise.”

~~~~~

A few days later

Changmin wiped his sweaty hands on the front of his robes, clenching his fists nervously. His eyes never left the door he stood in front of. He couldn’t seem to build up the courage to even knock, and he wasn’t sure why. He had fought bloody battles, killed people twice his size, but he was still frightened of facing a young girl.

‘How pathetic,’ he thought, scoffing.

He had barely spoken to Taemin since the incident.

But after saving his life, Changmin hoped that he could be rewarded with some kind of forgiveness, some kind of closure. With Taemin and his brother. It could never excuse what he did, but he hoped it could repair some trust between them.

When he had heard that Taemin may not make it, he had rushed to his brother’s room faster than he thought he was capable of. He arrived just as the doctor had kicked everyone out of the room.

Now, as he stood at his brother’s door days later, he was determined to see, with his own eyes, that Taemin was doing alright.

After building up the courage to finally knock, he hears shuffling on the other side, before his brother finally opened the door.

“Changmin?”

“Ah Minho, I- I wanted to see how Taemin is doing. Is that alright?”

Minho looked taken aback as his request, but nodded, “One moment,” he said, before closing the door. It was opened once again after a few moments, and Minho allowed him to step in the room.

He spotted Taemin on the bed, his feet dangling over the edge, an arm wrapped around his stomach. As soon as Taemin spotted him, Changmin was blinded by his smile. He hated that he was still so affected by that beautiful smile. “Changmin!” He looked thinner, weaker, but he still seemed to be the same cheerful person he always was. His robes hung loosely around him, and his hair hung gracefully around his face. “I’m glad you came. I wanted to thank you properly. Minho told me what you did,” he looked down at his lap, before looking back up at Changmin with a shy smile. “I don’t know how to thank you enough…” He began to struggle as he tried to stand up, and both Changmin and Minho rushed forward to stop him.

“Oh no, sit back down Taemin,” Minho demanded. Taemin gave up, sitting back down and giving the Prince an adorable pout.

“I can stand, Minho,” Taemin said stubbornly.

“No, no, it’s quite alright. Don’t get up on my behalf,” Changmin intervened, “You need to rest, Taemin.”

Taemin sighed, before looking up at him with those soft blue eyes, and smiling once again, “Thank you, Changmin. I probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

Changmin’s breath caught in his throat as he looked down at that beautiful face. Taemin was…simply an angel. The reluctance and fear that had been in Taemin’s eyes when he spoke to him were gone, replaced by gratitude and admiration. Taemin seemed to have released the grudge he held against the Prince, and Changmin was eternally grateful. He could never forgive himself for his sins, but maybe Taemin was kind enough to.

“It is nothing, Taemin. I’m glad I could be of help.”

Changmin felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced over to see his brother’s smiling face. “I am forever in your debt, Brother. Thank you.”

It felt good to hear Minho call him ‘Brother’ again.

~~~~~

“I told you the little wouldn’t die.”

Sujung grabbed her son by the arm, pulling him into a corner, and muttering furiously.

“I- I don’t understand how…everyone was so sure that she would die,” he whispered.

“Well she didn’t,” she said through clenched teeth. “And now all I hear people talking about is that stupid little brat risking her life to save the Prince. Have you even heard what everyone is saying?” Byungchol nodded, but the Queen continued her ranting. “They think she’s just a little angel that ended the war and saved the Prince! Do you know how that is going to affect the competition!? You don’t stand a chance right now, son.”

“I know!” he yelled. “What do you want me to do about it!?”

He was silenced immediately when Sujung gave a sharp slap across his face. “Don’t yell at your Mother, Byungchol.”

Byungchol stared at the floor, breathing heavily through his nose, “I- I’m sorry, Mother.”

“Good boy,” she cooed, his hair. “Now…we need to think of a new plan. They should be marrying soon, and we can’t let that happen.”

He looked back up at her reluctantly, “Wha- What do you think we should do?”

Sujung sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, “We can’t attack her directly…Minho won’t be letting that girl out of his sight now.  We need to use someone else to get to her, someone that is close to her. I don’t want to attack the Princess directly; I want all her dirty little secrets. I want to know everything that will ruin her. ”

“What about the servant girl?” Byungchol suggested.

“No…that girl is too loyal, it needs to be someone else. She would die before she told us anything.”

“What about…the bodyguard? The pretty one?”

“Key?”

“Yes, he’s been close friends with Minho since they were young. I’ve seen him with Taemin quite a lot, also. If anyone will know something, it will be him.”

Sujung smirked, patting his head once more, “How did you become so smart, son?”

Byungchol smiled at her praise, “Only thanks to you, Mother.”

The Queen chuckled, “Of course…Now, I want you to wait. Let Taemin heal, give them false comfort. I need a bit longer to work out the kinks in this plan, anyways.”

“Mother, I- “

“Sujung.”

The Queen jumped, looking over with wide eyes, at the person who had interrupted them. “Jaejoong,” she growled.

Jaejoong stepped around the corner, “What are you two scheming over here?” she asked, large brown eyes staring at them suspiciously.

“None of your concern, you worthless ,” Byungchol spat hatefully. Jaejoong’s expression faltered, but she quickly brushed off the statement.

“Now, now Byungchol, watch your language,” the Queen said, a mocking smile on her face.

“If you are planning on harming Taemin, please…just leave the poor girl alone,” she stared right into the Queen’s eyes, pleading with her. “Just give up already, Sujung. Are you not growing tired of these games?”

Sujung stepped forward, centimeters away from Jaejoong’s face. Jaejoong’s gaze didn’t falter; she stood firm in front of the Queen. “If I were you, I would not interfere,” the Queen leaned forward, whispering in Jaejoong’s ear, “you do not want to end up like Minjung…do you?”

~~~~~

A/N:

Changmin is finally patching things up with Taemin and Minho :)

And the Queen is causing more drama, like always lol

I feel like the part with Changmin is a bit confusing. He still doesn't know that Taemin is a boy, but since it isn't Changmin's 1st person POV, I still referred to Taemin as "he".

Well, I have the rest of this fic planned out and I think there will be about three or four more chapters. It just depends I guess ;p

In other news...THIS FIC HAS OVER 300 SUBSCRIBERS :O

wtf u guise

wtf

That is the highest amount of subscribers I've ever had on a fic ;~;

And I don't even think this fic is worthy x)

BUT THANK YOU GUYS

SO MUCH

ILOVEYOU

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