The comforting feel of long, sleek feathers under his hands helped Insoo sort through his troubled thoughts.  While his palms glided over the white wing pulled into his lap and his dark eyes stared into the speckled darkness of space, his mind returned to Planet MRD-176-HP-25: otherwise known as Earth.  Sleek brows furrowed as his teeth dug into his bottom lip and he sighed.  “Why?”

                Unlike the rest of his cohort, his dogged divination attempts had finally paid off, sending him to quadrant after quadrant in search of his long lost cousin, much like a handful of other select members of the Emperor’s trusted, extended family.  But the universe was large and still expanding and it had taken him years to catch sight of the missing heir.  Even after having succeeded, he could hardly believe it himself.  And he’d been genuinely happy to find the other man; it was almost as if he’d won the longest running game of Find the Invisible Angel.  If that had been the case, he’d be rubbing it in Gunwoo’s face right now.  As it was, his job was done.  He could finally stop searching.  So why was he hesitating to return to the RAS1-Celestial Scion?

                Rubbing at his face when the memory of his cousin reappeared, Insoo took another breath and shoved his wing off, frustrated with himself.  “Star shards,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as his gaze turned to a glare instead.  Floating outside of Earth’s gravitational pull, cloaked in the magic of his heritage, Insoo wasn’t worried that he’d be discovered by any rudimentary technology on the planet, which gave him plenty of time to think, but neither could he just ignore his discovery.  Family or not, the risk of harsh punishment – or worse – was too high.  And Gunwoo’s mother in particular wasn’t a force to be trifled with.

                But he really did like his cousin, even if they hadn’t seen each other for years.  He’d actually envied the punk for fleeing his role like that, not that he could blame Gunwoo in the slightest.  “I wouldn’t want to follow in your parent’s footsteps either,” he snorted, reaching out to nudge the control stick so he could swing the ship around enough to observe the blue and green planet far below.  “And it sort of does make sense for you to come to one of the most obvious places to hide; where the creatures on the planet are trying to use our ‘extinct’ DNA to become copies of us.”  He rubbed his face as he continued talking to himself, agitated with the situation.

                It had taken him nearly four years to hone in on the planet as the most likely place his divinations were pointing him, and another two just to get close enough to find him since there was no personal trail to follow.  Chances were good he was constantly maintaining his circle of protection and Insoo would bet more than a few unichips Gunwoo ‘hated’ pictures of himself since getting any sort of visual recognition anywhere was hard.  “Dammit, Woo.  Now I have to report you,” he scowled, reluctantly reaching out to type in the return coordinates on his control panel.

                The digital screen flickered dutifully under his nimble fingers and a hologram popped up in front of him showcasing the whole of the solar system.  His destination was several systems out and he watched as the image grew smaller until the trajectory line showed the best rendezvous point with the mothership.  “Ugh,” Insoo groaned, shifting in his seat to better settle his wings around the specially designed back that allowed for the appendages to rest on either side of a pole extending from the lower support and branching out into a smaller semi-circle head cushion designed for just his size.  “Use your time wisely, cousin,” he murmured with his finger hovering over the engage button.  “I would say you could try running,” he began with a glance at his wings over his shoulder.  “But I guess you can’t anymore, can you?”

                Taking another deep breath, he tapped the button and felt himself pressed slightly into his seat, despite the anti-gravity field.  Then the pinpricks of stars in the distance drew lines of light in his vision as he warped towards his destination.

                Royal Empress Boa hated waiting.  She had learned to become good at waiting but that did not change the fact it always irritated her.  It felt as if she’d been waiting forever to see Insoo in person, when she knew she’d only received the announcement of his message having arrived but a few moments ago.  That had been when he was several light years away, but he was following up on his instructions to notify her first when there was new information to pass along.  She couldn’t be mad at him for doing just that…

                Huffing in irritation as she clasped her chin gently between her thumb and index finger, her other arm resting across her body, she could feel her attendees’ discomfit.  Jieun, her unassuming handmaiden, was sitting demurely in the corner, white wings folded primly behind her as she waited like a statue for the Empress to command her.  With her simple white shift hanging loosely off one shoulder, she might well have been carved marble, save for the color of her complexion and her hair.  Straight bronze colored locks framed a pale face with almond shaped eyes that flicked from her clasped hands to Boa every so often, careful not to look for too long at any given time.

                And on either side of her electronically sealed, sliding door, Haruma and Jongin maintained their boring but mandated vigil.  On board the RAS1, her Royal Guard were hardly needed.  Boa almost felt sorry for them in their stuffy, thick armor that clashed harshly with the pale beauty of their glorious wings.  It was likely they were sweating underneath the layers, despite the temperature control in the royal chamber, but at least they were pleasant to look at.  Since she was so often denied the company of her Emperor due to Council meetings – which she abhorred and heard all about from him later – it was only fair she had visually pleasing angels around in his absence.

                Letting her eyes linger on her personal guard while she waited, she smiled at the bleached tips Haruma had added to his ebony mane, giving him an even more striking appearance.  With more defined cheekbones than his partner Jongin, longer lashes, and the beauty mark resting on his chin, he was indelibly the first to catch the eye.  But when her gaze slid to the left, despite being of non-Royal stock, Jongin was remarkably well put together in turn.  Even just standing there, he exuded sensuality with his soft mouth, chiseled jawline, and come hither eyes she’d seen directed at more than a few angels on the ship – in his rare downtime anyway.

                If she’d had any inclination to stray from Yunho, they might well be at the top of her list, but Boa knew that would be a folly even she wouldn’t be able to wriggle her way out of.  Never mind that her Emperor was honestly all the angel she needed.  When he was around anyway.  “Ah…” she sighed with a pout, tearing her attention away from her guards as she collapsed into the cushioned chair in front of her oval mirror, brushing at invisible lines around her earthen colored eyes.

                A slight whisper of sound and the warning of movement in the reflection let her know her guest had finally arrived.  With a delighted gasp, Boa rose to her feet with a swirl of silver fabric around her legs.  She leveled a beatific smile on Insoo when he glanced nervously at the guards, neither of whom took their eyes off of him, before dropping to his knees with his head bowed in front of her.  His magnificent wings arched over his back with the tips splayed out on the floor like a forgotten cape.

                “Empress,” he murmured without looking up.

                “Dearest Insoo,” she chided, reaching down to lift his chin up with her fingertips, drawing him to his feet gently with continued pressure.  “What news have you brought me?” she practically purred, folding one diamond bejeweled hand over the other.

                Fidgeting in place slightly, Insoo pressed his lips together as he continued looking down, despite the Empress being right in front of him.  “I have found him, your Highness,” he promised in a subdued tone of voice.

                “Truly?” she confirmed, leaning forward just enough so that Insoo had to make eye contact with her.  “You are certain?”

                “Yes, your Highness,” Insoo promised from under the fall of his dark brown bangs.  “Grand Prince Gunwoo has been identified on planet MRD-176-HP-25.  Earth.”

                “Of course,” Boa laughed, as if to herself with a smile playing on her lips.  “Well done, Insoo,” she congratulated as her gaze jumped to her guards with a knowing look.  “Haruma.  Go inform Council Leaders Minki and Amber of this development.”

                Haruma’s eyes danced between Boa and Insoo for the briefest of moments before his lips thinned, but he nodded his head with a slight bow, and exited the room without a word.

                “Jongin.  I will need you to retrieve my husband so we may discuss this before we bring it to the full Council.”

                Like his partner, Jongin did not appear entirely pleased about leaving the Empress with Insoo alone, but neither were they ones to disregard her orders either.  It didn’t matter that she could simply message both parties herself; it only mattered that she told them to go in person.  “Of course, your Highness,” he murmured, bowing slightly more than Haruma had, a mandatory part of protocol due to his non-Royal status.

                As soon as he was gone, Boa took a breath and dropped some of her pleasantness as she regarded Insoo with speculation.  “There’s more, isn’t there?”

                Insoo wrinkled his nose slightly, wings twitching at being under Boa’s direct scrutiny.  “He knows he’s been spotted,” he began with a preemptive wince, one eye closing as the Empress hissed at the announcement.

                “Sloppy,” she announced with disappointment dripping from her tone.

                “It won’t matter though,” he added nervously, his lips as he glanced up to see how her expression would change.

                “Oh?” Boa responded, her curiosity piqued.  She raised one thin brow as she waited for him to better explain the situation.

                Dejected about his news, Insoo’s voice was low as he answered, “His wings are gone.”

                “Impossible!” she spat immediately, drawing herself to her full, diminutive height, her spine ramrod straight.

                “I saw it myself,” he added with a nervous glance at Jieun in the corner.  Such information was dangerous to the wrong ears.

                Boa noticed the direction of his gaze and then waved it off as she turned away in agitation.  “He would never do such a thing,” she muttered under her breath as she caught sight of her own wings in the reflection of the mirror, utterly perfect and priceless.  “Without his wings, he cannot inherit…” Boa started to speak before she trailed off as it suddenly made sense to her.  “That would be incentive enough for him.  Maybe,” she hummed, twirling a strand of reddish brown hair around her fingers.

                Insoo remained exactly where he was, very much uncertain of his position in that moment.  “What now, your Highness?” he mused, fiddling with his dark silver uniform when it felt all too confining in that moment.  He watched the calculating look slide into the Empress’ eyes and his belly clenched when her gaze turned to him directly instead of through the reflection.

                “Now?” she smiled, the expression bereft of warmth.  “Now I will need you to fetch me Changmin Shim,” Boa purred as she tapped her cheek with one delicate finger.

                “The Forsaken one?” he asked in surprise, taken aback enough to forget her title.

                “Exactly,” Boa winked.  “Instruct him to wait for me in the garden after the Council meeting.  And remember, Insoo.  Not a word of this to anyone else,” she murmured with a finger over her lips, the gleam in her eyes anything but friendly, despite the unwavering smile on her face.

                “Yes, your Highness,” Insoo responded hesitantly after a moment.  But he offered no further thoughts before he bowed out, leaving Boa alone with her handmaiden.

                Chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully, Boa wandered back to the cushioned seat in front of her mirror and sat down with inherent grace.  Forsaken was a rather loose term to describe any Angel that had failed in their primary duty badly enough to be looked down on by almost the whole of their society.  Losing the Grand Prince when you were his personal bodyguard was considered a massive failure by any measure.  And true to form, Changmin, as well as the Royal Angel Seyong, had been stripped of their titles and demoted to basic brig duty.  By all rights, they should have been sent back to MRD-48-HP-9, the Angel home world Mikhaelis, but Yunho had a soft spot for them and Boa preferred having them closer at hand.

                “Jieun dear,” she called in a pleasantly sweet voice, gesturing towards the handmaiden with a practiced, fluid gesture.  With a quiet murmur of assent, Jieun stood up and wandered over on whispering feet.  “Make me presentable for the Council,” Boa commanded as she continued to stare at her reflection.  “We need to make an impression this day,” she added with a delighted laugh, closing her eyes in contentment as Jieun quietly began threading her fingers through the silken hair, teasing it into ornate plaits and pinned up elegance.

                On board the Neutral Galactic Central Meeting Station (shortened universally to Negal Cemest), the interspecies council discussed the most recent discovery: Grand Prince Gunwoo’s location.  In the Grand Conclave, four partitions denoted where the various racial members of the Council sat: four Angel representatives, four Demon representatives, two Celestial representatives, and two Khaos representatives.  The latter four were actually members of the sentient races that had sponsored the growth and development of Angels and Demons from the same solar system, though their races developed on entirely different planets at nearly the same technological speed.  Traditionally creatures whose bodies consisted mostly of amorphic light and dark particles, they had evolved to a point where they could manifest more solid, physical forms and, when in more diverse company, they embodied fairly androgynous, wingless forms to better communicate with other species.

                Standing side by side in the central platform, Angel Emperor Yunho, resplendent in a shimmering silver suit trimmed with spun onyx thread and ebony clasps, held his Empress’ hand and made their plea to retrieve their long lost son and heir.  “By the tireless search efforts of Royal Angel Insoo Kang, Grand Prince Gunwoo has been located on Earth.  It our desire to rescue our son from this planet so that he may take his rightful place in the ascendancy.”

                As the council immediately began talking amongst themselves, Boa clasped Yunho’s hand in both of hers and looked around the filled room, meeting the eyes of angels and demons alike.  “Please.  He is our only son.  And these past six years have been so hard not knowing if he was alive at all.  Please, your honored personages.  Allow us to get our son back,” she sniffed with tears b on her lashes as her bottom lip trembled.

                Immediately, Yunho pulled her into his embrace, hiding her face against his chest so that she might not shed her tears so openly.  He was dignity personified as he raised his dark head to await their response, strong jaw clenched and his coffee colored eyes scanning the crowd.

                Celestial Leader Amber spoke first, its favored form feminine in nature, but not overtly so.  “It is not so simple as just retrieving your son.”

                “If the planet were abandoned, perhaps,” Minki spoke up from the Khaos side.  Often mistaken for a female at first glance, it identified as masculine, though he was undeniably pretty all the same.  “The problem lies with the fact that he has taken refuge on Earth, a developing planet that you are all forbidden from specifically meddling or interfering with.”

                “Your heir has made his choice, Emperor Jung,” one of the Royals from the demons spoke, her large eyes sparkling in the overhead light while her whipcord tail thrashed in agitation behind her.

                “Lady Bom has a point,” the sharp featured demon at her side nodded along.  “Perhaps if you had taken better care of him in the first place, he might not have-”

                “Himchan,” Minji warned softly from the Khaos side, its narrowed eyes regarding the demon thoughtfully as he subsided upon her attention.

                “It’s not just about him,” Taeyeon spoke up from the angel partition.  “What about his betrothed?  There is a contractual alliance to be fulfilled as well,” she reminded them all pointedly, brushing at wavy honey colored hair as her delicate face scrunched into a frown.

                “Has Lady Hyosung been informed about her betrothed’s whereabouts yet?” Yixing asked, looking very much as if he’d just come out of a daze.  He shook his head in answer to his own question, sending his short, blonde hair fluttering.

                “A message has been sent to her family already,” Kevin soothed from the Celestial side.  It was another that chose a form that was essentially masculine, but like Minki, he was undeniably pretty in turn, leading to much confusion from any newcomers to council meetings.

                “Your Celestial and Khaotic Eminences.  We of the Demon Council have already petitioned you with the fear that such an alliance between the Jung and Jun families would be too powerful!” Bom spoke up again, leaning forward so that her ample bosom pressed against the fabric of her deep red dress, the whole of which was barely enough to provide sufficient coverage as it rode high up her thighs.

                 “This is not about alliances!” the impassioned Fei – one of the standard angels on the council – shouted amongst her peers, looking slightly out of sort with narrower features and somewhat fuzzy, black hair.  “This is about a missing son and his grieving family!  The least we can do is reunite them!” she gestured frantically, pointing at the Emperor and Empress in their midst.

                Her announcement caused a stir among the room as voices mulled over the argument.  The demons frowned as one, whispering amongst themselves, while the Celestials and Khaosis simply watched in observant silence.  “She’s right,” Yixing nodded sagely with one finger in the air.  Chances were good he was just sleepy, but his expression matched the tone regardless.

                Taeyeon leaned forward to frown at the demon partition.  “If he was your Heir, you know you would asking for the same thing,” she reminded them evenly.

                “Only our Heir didn’t run away,” Himchan shot back smartly, glancing at Minji just in case.  She didn’t reprimand him this time which made him smile just a touch.

                A growing tide of discontent and dissention began to fill the room with each side needing to speak louder and louder just to be heard amongst themselves.  The Celestial and Khaos representatives held their peace until it became apparent that nothing else was going to be resolved.  “Silence!” the four shouted as one, their voices ringing through the open air with a power that resulted in utter quiet immediately.

                Amber brushed the front of her sapphire top off, dispersing invisible dust before she tossed the sun colored fringe out of her star speckled eyes.  “A small extraction party should feasibly be able to get past the humans’ developing defenses in order to retrieve Grand Prince Gunwoo.”

                “However, no open contact with the humans will be allowed,” Minki added warningly, his icy glare even more effective under the equally frost colored hair.  “Your representatives will be on their own should they be discovered.”

                The announcement made the angels nervous, but Yunho’s voice was strong when he answered, “Understood.  Those are acceptable conditions.”

                “Also,” Amber added, exchanging another glance with Minki.  “It is an unnecessary precaution but we do expect that, since this is a matter for the angels to mediate, there will be no demon presence involved.”

                “Of course,” the four representatives acknowledged as one, though it was clear they weren’t exactly happy about it.

                “Thank you, your Eminences,” Emperor Yunho bowed carefully, still holding Boa to him.  Only a few seconds behind, the four members of the Angel Council bowed along with him, murmuring their own thanks in turn.

                “We will leave you to decide the nature of who and how you will retrieve your son,” Minki conceded, gesturing at Minji to precede him.  He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to Amber, who reciprocated the gesture, before all four departed, leaving the angels, demons, and the rest of the Conclave behind.

                Smiling in relief at the decision, Yunho glanced down at his wife, drawing her chin up with his fingers so she would look at him.  “See, my love?  Already the Council is with us.  We will have our son back soon,” he promised, kissing her tenderly on the forehead before cradling her head under his chin.

                “Of course,” Boa smiled, the expression hiding the myriad of thoughts running through her mind.

                It was a relief to leave the Grand Conclave, and both Yunho and Boa were grateful for the reprieve granted by their quiet, secure room.  Boa took a seat primly on their oversized bed as she watched Yunho setting his plans in motion.  In a matter of moments, he skimmed through and located the three angels they would be sending to retrieve their son.  “I wish we could send a larger force,” he sighed in frustration.

                “Are you worried the demons will interfere?” Boa offered nervously.

                “I don’t know,” Yunho admitted with an uncertain look over his shoulder.  “The warning from the Khaos and Celestial members should be enough, but I won’t feel well about this until he’s back with us,” the Emperor explained.  “He’s so far from home and all by himself…”

                “Which is why this has to work,” his wife reminded him gently with a gesture towards the holo-screen.  “Who are you sending?” she inquired, taking note that all four of their personal guard, her handmaiden, and his personal assistant were in hearing range.

                “Royal Victoria Song was his flight instructor and a more than adequate pilot who should be able to keep them out of trouble.  Jaeseop Kim was a friend and classmate growing up.  Soohyun,” he gestured at his personal assistant who was standing with a digital recorder held close to his chest, “explained he’d received a message from the angel asking if he could help.  He made a valid point about having familiar faces be the ones to try and convince our son to come back,” he shrugged, musing over his final selection.  “Woo might not remember Jongdae Kim but he was one of the attendants in his nursery before we assigned him his personal body guards.”

                “Oh yes,” Boa smiled fondly, pressing her finger to her bottom lip as she recalled the short, young angel running around after their tottering toddler.

                Yunho quickly typed out a message that he swiped over to Soohyun to preview before he stood up and approached his guards.  “Byunghyun,” he spoke, looking at the shorter, grumpier of the pair.

                “Sir!” he barked in response, his face all angles under the shock of pale yellow hair.

                “I need you to deliver this message to them personally,” he explained, placing a friendly hand on the shorter man’s shoulder.  “Make sure they understand what’s at stake and that they have access to most of my resources in preparation for this journey.”

                “I understand, your Highness,” he bowed politely, standing up to salute before he turned and exited the room, assured that Soohyun would be sending the message and any additional instructions to him posthaste.

                “Boa love,” Yunho murmured apologetically as he turned to regard his wife, wandering over to where she was seated with a sad smile.  “I’m going to take Yongguk to the bridge to see what tracking and long distance observational measures we can implement to keep a better eye on the skies.  Will you be alright by yourself?” he asked, placing his hands on either side of her thighs to look her evenly in the face.

                “I’ll be fine, dear,” she promised, cupping one of his slightly pocked cheeks in her palm.  “I think I’ll go to the garden to clear my head and then take a nap,” Boa assured him, tracing her fingertips through his combed back hair.

                “That sounds like a good idea,” Yunho smiled, the expression reaching his eyes.  “Message me if you need anything,” he whispered, leaning in to press his lips against hers tenderly before pulling back and waiting for her response.

                “I will,” Boa promised, brushing her thumb against his bottom lip.

                “Good,” Yunho nodded, standing up and waving at his guard to follow him.  Haruma and Jongin bowed respectfully as the Emperor departed and then turned to see what their Empress would do.

                “Like I said,” she assured them as she stood up and started walking towards the door.  “I am going to the garden.”  Mutely, Jieun fell into step behind her while Haruma took point and Jongin fell in line at the rear.

                The walk to her personal garden was short and uneventful.  Her guards unhappily left her at the doorway, standing like silent sentinels just outside; she forbid them from entering with her, though her handmaiden was the exception.  Jieun faded away to take a seat along the perimeter inside, demurely sitting on a bench as Boa walked through the rows of carefully maintained flora.  The majority of the room was encased in reinforced, shielded glass so that she could see the cold universe expanding before her while she viewed the fragile beauty of rare flowers protected in the garden.  A faint wisp of space dust ghosted past the barrier, and Boa disregarded it as her eyes focused on someone else.

                “Changmin Shim,” she smiled, stopping several feet away from the much taller individual who turned to look at her in nervous surprise.

                Dark wavy hair framed his tan face, the color of his locks matching the shade of his drab, brig uniform.  Once proud wings slouched behind his shoulders, the tips dragging on the ground when they shouldn’t have been.  His full lips parted as if he wanted to speak, and then he remembered who he was standing in front of.  “Empress,” he gasped, falling to one knee with his head bowed as he waited to hear why she had called him.  “You summoned me?”

                “I have a job for you,” she stated plainly, folding her hands together as she regarded the angel at her feet.

                “Me?” he couldn’t help but look up as he asked, utterly confused.

                She excused the lapse and continued, “As you may have heard, my son Gunwoo has been found at last.”  Cautiously, Changmin nodded in understanding, but she didn’t miss the flicker of hope she saw flash in his eyes.  “Even though he abandoned you and left you to your fate-”

                “It was my fault!” he interjected, bowing his head.  “I shouldn’t have left his side.”

                She noticed his hand ball into a tight fist and nodded to herself.  “Then you might be interested to know he has lost his wings.”

                “Impossible!” Changmin gasped, looking up again in horror.

                Boa had to struggle not to laugh since his reaction was the exact same as hers.  “Unfortunately not,” she sighed, her lips pressed together in thought.  “Fortunately, however, there is a cure,” she reminded him in a whisper as she leaned close, her face nearly level with his.

                Changmin’s face paled and his eyes widened.  “Highness…” he trailed off, searching her visage to make sure he was understanding correctly.  “It is forbidden.  A-a galactic crime,” he added with an involuntary shake of his head.

                “And if you fail or are caught, you will be on your own.  Regardless, no one would miss you,” she shrugged with a falsely apologetic expression.  Changmin’s face became guarded, unsure.  “But if you succeed, you will not only save the only Heir of the Emperor, thereby making me indebted to you,” she shrugged, reminding him of the possibilities.  “You will also be fully reinstated as his personal guard with all the benefits that entails.”

                “But… why me, your Highness?” he swallowed, almost overwhelmed by the path before him.  “I’m not even a Royal…”

                “Time is of the essence, Changmin,” she reminded him quickly, standing up and turning her back on the kneeling angel.  “Will you do this or not?” she asked over her shoulder with her arms crossed over her chest.

                Taking a shaky breath, Changmin stood up and stared at the Empress’ back with balled fists at his side and a storm in his belly.  He knew he wasn’t being told everything, and he knew what the consequences could be.  But if it was true…  If Gunwoo really was missing his wings…  If there was a chance for him to be restored…  If he could maybe change everything…

                “I… will,” he whispered the barest of responses.  And because she nodded in acknowledgement and turned her head away, Changmin didn’t see the tiny, satisfied smile tug at the corner of the Empress’ mouth.

(a/n: I'm on a roll!  haha  So far.  This one was a pain to finish, due to the nature of all the potential intrigue - not my strong point, and my inspiration fled halfway through so I had to drag it back.  haha  But if you've got any questions so far, feel free to ask!  I can't promise I'll answer completely but I'll see what I can do.

One new name I've thrown in here - because he was on a list of preferred characters and I've recently started to appreciate him myself, is Haruma Miura.  He's a Japanese actor most notably from Attack on Titan the movies but he's also been in several other dramas too.  If anyone else is confusing, please let me know.

While we didn't get to Gunwoo personally this chapter, we will be getting back to him in the next one.  I might have updates like this one from time to time, but I don't plan on staying away from our main character too long.  haha

Thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update!  ^_^)