Standing in the Grand Council Hall of the Negal Cemeste with the full weight of the entire council peering at him was not a sensation Grand Prince Gunwoo wished to experience. The only good thing was seeing Changmin again, but even then, these were hardly ideal circumstances. Nonetheless, he swallowed once and stood firm, wings tensely folded against his back. To his right, he could see his mother and father watching him, flanked by their ever present guards and personal attendants. To his left was Royal Angel Hyosung Jun – his betrothed – and her personal guards in attendance. And at his back, kneeling with his head bowed and wings clapped tight against his body, was Changmin.

                Quivering with poorly veiled nervousness, Gunwoo bowed and offered, “Honorable Council members.” A glimpse from under his loose bangs showed that they were all regarding him studiously – the angel representatives seemed unsure while the demon representatives appeared slightly smug – but it was obvious the Khaos and Celestial members were in charge of this meeting.

                Celestial Leader Amber stepped forward and gestured towards him, “Grand Prince Gunwoo. It is good to see you alive and well, despite your… lapse in judgement.” He winced at the calculated insult and tried to ignore the subtle shift of his parents – his mother more specifically.

                “Pardon, Council Leader, but what lapse might you be referring to?” Gunwoo hedged, aware that there were likely several. He immediately regretted the question when he saw an almost bemused quirk at the corner of before she gestured to Minki, the Khaos Leader representative.

                He activated a holo-screen with a number of listings on it and began, “First and foremost, the abandonment of your position as Heir to the Angel Empire as well as your personal guards. Secondly, the voluntary relinquishment of your wings.” A world of disapproval weighed heavy in his voice and his gaze as he regarded Gunwoo flatly. “Had you not done either of those things, Empress Boa Jung may not have resorted to coercing your former standard guard, Changmin, into approaching the protected planet of Omicron.”

                Boa shifted uncomfortably and leveled a disproving glare in the Council’s direction. “It is no crime to send a former guard after his confirmed charge when a mother wishes for her son’s return,” she reminded them primly, falling silent when Yunho placed a hand over hers.

                “Ah. If only it were that simple, Empress,” Amber laughed lightly, shaking her head. Boa opened to speak again but fell silent when the Celestial Leader continued, “We have a contact who is more than aware of what you have been up to behind the scenes. It would behoove you to hold your peace,” she warned simply. Uncertain by just how much the Council knew, Boa subsided, fidgety and more docile than Gunwoo had seen her in quite some time. “Please continue, Minki,” she gestured, stepping back to leave the floor to her companion once more.

                “Per the Discoverer Alpha Prime, Discoverer Beta One Alpha Four voluntarily gave Changmin the vial of Kirin’s blood due to the relationship between Emperor Yunho and Grand Prince Gunwoo.” Very confused, Gunwoo couldn’t help but look between his father and Changmin. He had no chance to ask any questions when Minki continued, “The legality of his decision is under consideration, but it is true that Gunwoo did not have permission to imbibe the Kirin’s blood. As we know, that is an infraction of intergalactic law.”

                “Pardon, Council Members,” Changmin urged as he stood to his feet, keeping his head bowed. “But that was my-”

                “Silence!” He flinched and stopped midsentence as Amber interrupted him. “We have your testimonies. Your contribution is not needed at this time. Nor have we forgotten you, Changmin.”

                “My apologies,” Changmin mumbled, receding to his spot as he knelt where he had been previously.

                Minki looked to Gunwoo again. “Had you never relinquished your wings, the Kirin’s blood would not have been necessary. In addition, you chose planet MRD-176-HP-25 to take refuge on. By your very presence and the technology you had with you, you risked breaking the Non-Interaction Decree of PY 7854 that prohibits direct contact with an underdeveloped planet’s lifeforms. While you did not break this decree officially, your presence drew the attention of various parties that did.” His gaze slipped from Gunwoo to the Demon representatives in attendance and he reminded them, “The involvement of all parties is still being thoroughly investigated.” They wilted just a touch under his reprimand and lost the mostly smug looks they’d been wearing until then.

                “As is the presence of Alphamega on the planet,” Amber added with a frustrated press of her lips.

                “Indeed,” Minki nodded, returning his oppressive gaze to Gunwoo. “Your lapse of judgement turned you into the epicenter of an intergalactic security crisis wherein the Heir to the Angel Empire was at risk of assassination. Should the attempt have been successful, your death would have left little but chaos in its wake, amongst the Angel and Demon Empires. Furthermore, you were the indirect cause of the deaths of several standard and Royal Angels, none of whom needed to die, as well as several human creatures who were little more than collateral damage.”

                Gunwoo’s wings drooped lower and lower with each statement against him. “I understand,” was all he could manage to say. He had obviously done more than he thought he had…

                “I’m not sure you do,” Amber spoke this time, taking the fore again. Gunwoo looked up then in nervous confusion, jaw clenched tight. “You are the sole Heir to the Angel Empire. However, this Council does not recognize your behavior as befitting the next Emperor.” Yunho and Boa exchanged nervous looks in Gunwoo’s periphery. “You have shamed your lineage and your position by voluntarily giving up your wings, and you have besmirched the contract made by your parents to your betrothed, Lady Hyosung Jun.” She nodded once in acknowledgment of that truth, but said nothing otherwise.

                All eyes turned to the Heir as if they were waiting for some sort of response from him. Gunwoo his lips and looked at the collection of leaders before him. “So what is the Council’s decision?”

                Amber and Minki turned to gesture the Royal Angels Yixing and Taeyeon forward. The latter spoke first. “It is the Council’s decision to revoke your title of Heir.” A muted cry came from Boa’s lips before she quickly managed to control herself. “We do not find you suitable or potentially capable to rule in Emperor Yunho’s stead once he relinquishes his leadership.”

                That hurt. Gunwoo felt like he’d been punched in the stomach, though he did everything in his power to keep it from showing. He had always thought, as the only child, his position was secure, that nothing could take it. Apparently he had been wrong, and it hurt. “I…” he gasped, searching for the words before the next out of Yixing’s mouth turned his blood to ice.

                “It is also the Council’s decision to relinquish you of your wings-”

                “No!” came panicked and outraged cries from his parents and Changmin.

                “-as a reminder to you of your decision to give them up in the first place, and a reminder to all of your shame,” he finished with a pained expression, stepping down off the raised platform to approach the younger angel.

                Gunwoo’s knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor, numbness overtaking him. “My wings…” he gasped, finding it hard to breathe at the thought of losing them again. He couldn’t. Not after the first time. “Please no,” he begged in a voiceless whisper, unable to even look up.

                “Council Members! I beg you to reconsider!” Emperor Yunho cried from the side, barely held in place by the uncomfortable presence of Yongguk and Byunghyun who kept him from running in to cause even more of a scene. Haruma and Jongin did the same for Empress Boa, though she herself was stunned into shocked silence.

                “Honorable Council Members!” Changmin called as his shadow fell over Gunwoo, wings partially flared defensively. “If you must take an angel’s wings, take mine in his stead,” he pleaded, bowing over with his wings further extended, a painful offering.

                “Changmin!” Gunwoo choked, reaching for the other angel. Panic lit within his chest as he saw the flaming sword appear in Yixing’s hand. It goaded him to his feet so he could push Changmin behind him as he threw himself to the ground on his hands and knees, head bowed to the floor and wings pressed as flat against him as possible. “Please!” he begged, trembling in his concern. “I accept that I am no longer worthy of being the Heir, but please…” he whispered and raised his tortured visage to peer at the council. “Do not take my wings again. I beg you,” he nearly sobbed as he lowered his head again, pressing his forehead to the floor once more.

                With his gaze averted, he didn’t see Yixing look up at the other Council members as Changmin moved to cover him protectively, arms and wings over his back as if he could defend him from his fate. Nor did he see his mother meeting Lady Hyosung’s gaze intently across the chamber. Gunwoo only knew that his world was hanging precariously in this moment and he was terrified.

                He flinched when the soft and newly recognizable voice of Lady Hyosung broke the stalemate. “Council Members. If I may?” she asked, gracefully standing as she gestured to the floor.

                Amber and Minki exchanged glances and then nodded. “You may.”

                The click of her booted feet was loud as she made her way to stand beside Gunwoo and Changmin, her energy palpable but out of touching distance. “As former Prince Gunwoo’s betrothed, have I no say in this?”

                “You wish for the contract to continue?” Taeyeon asked, brow furrowed and head tilted to the side.

                “Perhaps,” she nodded with a practiced smile, glancing at Gunwoo who somehow managed to gather the strength to look up at her. “May I clarify something first?”

                “Of course,” Amber conceded, keeping her eyes on the young angel.

                “I understand that if we are wed, I would not be the next Empress, as he will no longer be the Heir. However, would our children be able to inherit the title?” she asked plainly, head held high and wings proudly pulled back.

                Gunwoo had not expected that question. It made his stomach twist uncomfortably, but it was clear the Council had not expected it either. Carefully, he looked up at their deliberating faces and then caught Hyosung glancing at him and Changmin out of the corner of her eyes when he turned to look at her. She pretended as if she hadn’t been caught and serenely waited for their response.

                “Hmm,” Minki hummed after quietly whispering amongst his peers. “That is a possibility we had not considered. But why should we allow it?” he questioned, leaving the burden of validating that suggestion to her alone.

                Hyosung bowed deeply and then gestured to the Council with a slender hand, “For the sake of the Angel Empire of course.” Their brows quirked in curiosity and they waited for her to go on. “As you yourselves explained, by assassination or by judgement,” she added carefully, “the removal of the sole Heir will likely cause a troubling disturbance in the Angel Empire in regards to who would be the next Emperor in Emperor Yunho’s stead.” Respectfully, she paused to bow in the current Emperor’s direction, earning her a nod of concession from him. “As one who has lived among the Elite of the Royal Angels, I have seen that rules of ascendancy and rites of inheritance can be very tricky. Would it not be…” she hesitated to find the right word. “In the interest of continued peace and prosperity for the Angel Empire to maintain the lines of inheritance?”

                Celestial Representative Amber’s mouth quirked into a half-smile and she laughed once, “Provided you produce offspring.”

                “Of course,” Hyosung bowed again.

                More quiet murmuring emerged from the raised dais and Gunwoo felt as if he was going to explode from the tension of it all. Taeyeon stepped forward to speak then, “We will consider your proposal. This is not a decision we can make lightly, but we will deliberate upon this alternative and inform you accordingly.”

                “I understand, Honorable Members,” Hyosung smiled and bowed again before straightening. “Should you decide to allow this alternative, it is my desire that my betrothal to former Prince Gunwoo remain valid.”

                “We accept your request, Lady Hyosung,” Yixing smiled, glancing at his burning sword as if he wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to be doing with it just then.

                Minki seemed to notice his uncertainty and directed their collective attention back to the matter before them. “And what of Gunwoo’s wings?”

                Reflexively, Gunwoo gripped at Changmin’s shirt with one hand, trembling as he held his breath. ‘Please no…’

                “Council Members!” Hyosung spoke up once more, stepping forward and fidgeting with the front of her silver dress. The nervous gesture spoke volumes of how unsure she was in that moment. “While you consider my current proposal, I humbly request that you suspend, at least temporarily, Gunwoo’s punishment.” She looked at the stricken angel slightly behind her and then stood upright to face the Council once more. “Provided that I wed former Prince Gunwoo, I understand that I will share in his shame. I can accept that,” she nodded slightly, never looking away. “However, as his potential future wife, reliant upon your decision of course, I call upon your mercy to allow him to keep his wings. Not for his honor, but for mine, as one who was a part of his lapse of judgement, but willing to share his fate all the same. And for the honor of our children,” she added without batting an eye.

                “Provided you have children,” Amber reiterated with that bemused half-smile back in place.

                “Of course,” Hyosung nodded in agreement.

                Amber waved Yixing back to the dais so they could speak as a group, their voices low and hurried. It was clear the Demon representatives were hesitant, since the alliance between the Juns and the Jungs was something they did not wish for, but they were outnumbered and, other than their Empire’s reluctance, they had no real valid reasons to object. As the Khaos representative mostly responsible for the demons, Minki stepped to the fore and nodded. “We will temporarily suspend Gunwoo’s punishment while we deliberate upon your request, Lady Hyosung.”

                “Thank you,” she smiled brightly, carefully kneeling on the floor with her head bowed.

                “Standard Changmin. Royal Gunwoo,” Amber announced firmly, drawing the attention in the room to herself. “You will be detained until we have reached a consensus on these matters. Once the dilemma of the next Angel Empire Heir has been solved, we will determine what your punishment shall be, Changmin.” The former guard merely bowed his head in pained acceptance, but he kept his hold on Gunwoo all the same. “Emperor Yunho. Empress Boa. We invite you to remain on the Negal Cemeste until these matters are concluded.”

                “We happily accept your invitation,” Yunho nodded as he stood up, knowing the ‘invitation’ was anything but.

                “Lady Hyosung. You are free to do as you please. We will contact you once a decision has been made,” Taeyeon smiled graciously at the other angel.

                “Actually,” a new voice interrupted from the Emperor and Empress’s side of the room. Everyone without fail turned to look at Boa’s personal attendant: Jieun. There was a quality in her voice that they couldn’t just ignore and when they focused, it was easy to see why. She looked as she always had with her plain brown hair pulled back out of her unadorned but flawless face, wearing the simple silver shift of the serving class, but power radiated from her. And her eyes danced with the stars of an entire galaxy.

                Boa stared at her in aghast horror while the Council members mirrored each other’s confusion. “Discoverer,” Kevin whispered at Amber’s side.

                “I see,” she murmured back, gesturing to Minki, Yixing, and Bom to join her in addressing Jieun. “To what do we owe this surprise announcement?” she asked aloud.

                Jieun’s smile was simple, but she gestured at Gunwoo and Changmin before making the same motion towards the Council. “I am happy to see that you are capable of not acting in haste in the matter of the former Prince. However, I do not believe that a lengthy deliberation will be needed to address the current issue.”

                “Pardon, but are you speaking for yourself or for Alpha Prime?” Minki queried cautiously.

                “Alpha Prime of course. It is more than aware of the happenings that have been occurring. On both sides,” she explained, pointedly looking at Boa first before her gaze also settled upon the demon representatives. They looked at each other in uncertain nervousness before the main four took the stage again.

                “So the Discoverers have been privy to information that could have simplified matters, but decided not to share it?” Amber questioned with a perturbed gleam in her eye.

                “Correct,” Jieun nodded, acting as if that was perfectly normal.

                “Why?” Bom demanded, knowing the Demon Emperor’s honor might be at stake.

                Jieun looked mildly confused for a moment before she responded, “It is not our task to keep you out of trouble entirely. Your mistakes as a species are yours to make. And learn from,” she added with a nod towards Gunwoo. “Our role is merely to protect you from yourselves, if the need arises.” The Council members frowned at the reminder that even they were under the watchful eye of someone else… “Alpha Prime felt that with the precarious nature of the current situation, this meeting would be a good chance for me to reveal myself. And perhaps offer counsel for the next step,” she smiled magnanimously. “I believe that none of us would appreciate another Great Feud.”

                “Of course,” Minki sighed, waving for the other members to agree.

                “Well then. If you would all have a seat,” Jieun turned to regard the non-Council members. “This shouldn’t take but a moment,” she promised, turning to dust so that she could move across the room effortlessly and reform with the Council members. They all flinched at the visual reminder of who and what she was, but they didn’t shy away as they turned to head down into the private, inner council chamber to come to a final decision.

                Numb and dizzy with relief, but sick to his stomach about everything else, Gunwoo weakly allowed himself to be hauled to his feet by Changmin. In tandem, they moved to sit near his parents but not too close. The watchful eyes of the chamber guards – two older Royals who had obviously been chosen for appearance and skill – were warning enough. Hyosung returned to her side and remained with her guards as she continued to cast speculative glances at her betrothed and his former guard. It was an uncomfortable situation for sure.

                On the other hand, the wait was mercifully short. As promised, Jieun emerged with the other Council members after a relatively brief meeting. She was also the one to announce their results. “We have discussed the current situation and decided that, yes, the betrothal contract between Gunwoo and Hyosung will be honored. They will not be able to inherit the title of Emperor and Empress, but their offspring shall. Until any such children come of age, Lady Hyosung and former Prince Gunwoo will be their official guardians.

                That being said, the demons have valid concerns about your family alliances. So! Emperor Yunho. Empress Boa. Lady Hyosung. Former Prince Gunwoo. You are all charged with the mandate of meeting with the Demon Emperor in order to come to an… understanding,” she grinned, the expression very much like a star cat that had caught the space hare. Her mirthful energy faded though, as she looked at Changmin alone. “Changmin Shim,” the Discoverer sighed. “It is clear that you are too attached to the former Prince.” Both Gunwoo and Changmin winced at the overt observation. “Nor can your questionable actions in your quest to help former Prince Gunwoo be ignored. Therefore, you are banished to the Itslvoth Galaxy in the Vylorian Quadrant.”

                “Banished?” Changmin exhaled in disbelief, his face paling at the sentence.

                “The Angel outpost there has been silent for too long. You will be part of a squadron whose mission will be to reestablish contact and confirm why it went silent in the first place,” she explained succinctly, clapping once to signal she was finished. The sound made everyone jump slightly. “Now then,” she spoke again, reverting to her softer, normal tone as she made her way to settle beside Empress Boa as if nothing had changed.

                Boa edged away from her slightly but knew better than to try and flee. “I see,” she swallowed at last, reaching for Yunho’s hand absently.

                Taeyeon turned to address one of the standards, “Jungsu. Please direct Changmin to Captain Chanyeol Park.”

                “Yes ma’am,” the taller angel saluted and stepped down to gesture for Changmin to follow him.

                It took every ounce of Gunwoo’s control to not try and keep him there. They both knew it would do nothing more than embarrass them further. But he couldn’t stop his heart from feeling like it was ripping in half as he watched Changmin dejectedly leave the room with only one final look goodbye. When the doors closed, his eyes inevitably drifted to Hyosung. He didn’t know what he expected, but the pity in her gaze wasn’t it. Feeling broken, he looked down and exhaled, attempting to reconcile himself to his unavoidable fate.