Chapter 4:What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?

Jinyoung wakes up to an empty house at the break of sunrise. The night had gone by fast as exhaustion hit him; slumping him into Jackson’s bed faster than anything else. He scans the inside of Jackson’s and Bambam’s room and realized that there was a fresh change of clothes laid out on the other bed. He changed into it and ignored how baggy it felt as comparison to the tight dress he had been wearing. The clothes were male clothing and even though Jinyoung was used to men’s clothing rather than the dress Yugyeom had enchanted him with, it was scratchy and rigid. It was nothing like the soft material of his usual prince garments.

He puts them on regardless, including the large cloak. He then scans the scattered room, picking up the dirty dishes on the floor. He reminds himself to clean the rooms later and heads out to find bread set out neatly on the dining table.

He had skipped dinner last night as he fell asleep and couldn’t help but gobble down the bread as fast as his mouth allowed him to.

“How ladylike”

Jinyoung falls off the chair as Yugyeom’s laughed at him.

“What are you doing here?” Jinyoung cried, still trying to calm the shock out of his system.

“I could just leave” Yugyeom chuckled, turning towards the exit slowly. Jinyoung watched his charades for a moment before he realized that he didn’t really want to spend his day alone.

“No don’t!”

“I thought so” Yugyeom chided, clearly expecting protest from Jinyoung. “Like the house?”

“YOU!” Jinyoung scolded realizing from Yugyeom’s cocked eyebrow and sneaky smirk that he had planned this all along. “You knew how awkward it would be for me to live with Mark! You knew he lived here!”

Yugyeom laughed loudly, clearly enjoying himself as he continuously smacked his thigh in time with the roar of his laughter.

“It’s not funny” Jinyoung pouted.

“I thought you would love it” Yugyeom said, wiping the tears of happiness that had left his eyes, the remnants of laughter still making him hiccup his speech. “You get to be close to him”

But he doesn’t know it’s me.

Yugyeom looked at him as Jinyoung’s thoughts form as thought he could hear it.

“I’ll be doomed if he finds out” Jinyoung said sulkily.

“But he won’t. You’re disguise is pretty convincing”

Jinyoung sighed. “You’re right. He wouldn’t find out”

Yugyeom nodded, seeming to know more than he lets on.

“If you have eaten, I have a few things to tell you” he announced the moment the last of the bread in Jinyoung’s plate enters his mouth.

“The queen will still have ways to find you. Even if she doesn’t find you, you will still remain a threat to her”

“Why would she find me a threat? As Snow White, I am nothing but a peasant.”

“I wouldn’t know exactly but if I’m right, she wouldn’t need to know who you are to pin you as her threat”

 “How could she find me if she doesn’t know what she is looking for”

“Her magic. It is only a matter of time before she realizes that you are the only thing in her way of ascending to the throne” Yugyeom said gravely. “That’s why I have to train you”

“Train me for combat? I’ve been trained by swordsman. I know how to swing a sword” Jinyoung stared at Yugyeom in utter confusion. What sort of training would he possibly be able to gain from Yugyeom?

“You are going to need more than a sword to fight black magic, Jinyoung”

 Jinyoung swallowed, closing his eyes as he was reminded of his graze with death as the queen choked him. It had made him so helpless. He had nothing but a knock on the door that had saved him.

I don’t stand a chance.

“Jinyoung” Yugyeom called, snapping him out of the cold of his thoughts. “We will fight her together. I’m sure she won’t stand a chance once I brush your gift”

Jinyoung squints at Yugyeom. He had tried to focus on everything Yugyeom was telling him but Yugyeom had addressed him with only his name and it caused an irritation in him. Yugyeom knew he was the prince and rightfully, he should be addressed as such. No one can call him Jinyoung unless he allows it.

Mark can call me Jinyoung all he wants.

Yugyeom scowls before fake vomiting. “Ew” he groans.

Jinyoung scrutinized the other. The reaction had come out of nowhere as though as he had just heard what Jinyoung had thought of. Jinyoung sighed aloud. He should have known better.

“You can hear my thoughts, can’t you?”

He had an inkling that Yugyeom could read his mind. He had responded to his thoughts more than once but the need for confirmation hadn’t been this strong. He is half on his mind to hit the other for his disrespect of his privacy, but also half on the thought of just letting it go. The other was helping him and even though he was a disrespectful child, Jinyoung knows better than to do anything ungrateful. Not that he might restrain himself if Yugyeom crossed lines.

“Yes and your thoughts are disgusting. All you think of is Mark. Ew!”

Jinyoung rolled his eyes, trying really hard to mask his obvious embarrassment. It wasn’t everyday someone read his mind, especially his very private thoughts.

“Get out of my head!” he warned before quickly forcing a topic change by adding, “So if I can’t use swords then what can I do?”

“The enchanted forest blessed you with special gifts. Some of which you have no problem mastering like your whistling”

“So there is more?”

“I don’t know exactly what it would be. But I could feel how different your energy is in comparison to normal humans. You are gifted, Jinyoung. You just need a little help”

Jinyoung felt his heart sank at the overly confident smile on Yugyeom’s face. He hoped that confidence was enough for the both of them because he obviously had none.

-o0o-

“Focus your thoughts on your surroundings” Yugyeom’s voice echoed in his mind as he tried hard to concentrate. They have been at it for hours but Jinyoung is convinced that he could only call birds at this point.

“This isn’t about you Jinyoung. It’s about your surroundings. It’s about the forest helping you get what you want”

Jinyoung focuses on the apple Yugyeom had set on the tree stump. Yugyeom had somehow convinced him he could move it with the power of his concentration. He isn’t so convinced anymore. He was starting to feel light-headed from focusing too hard.

Come on, help me.

Just as Jinyoung is about to give up he feels his body tingling and he saw the tree stump start to grow a stem in amazing speed. A leaf grew from that stem and it swung as it grew. Eventually the leaf was bigger than the apple and the apple rolled off the stump as it was hit by the leaf. The swing of the stem was soft but enough to roll the apple to the ground.

“That was amazing!” Jinyoung cried.

Yugyeom however looked unimpressed, the lines on his face deep. “It’s not fast enough though”

“There is a lot of work to do” he smirked nastily then earned a groan from Jinyoung.

“Again!” Yugyeom shouts, grabbing the apple of the ground and placing it where it belonged.

-o0o-

“So, before the sun sets and the boys come back, there is something I want to tell you” Yugyeom said, taking a bite into the apple Jinyoung had spent the whole day trying to move. Jinyoung groans in acknowledgement barely moving his body from the ground that he had decided to lay on. Magic was tiring. His efforts into summoning his magic were near to futile and he has never felt so drained.

“The spell that I cast to disguise you is the protection you have from the Queen. As long as you remain under it, she cannot harm you”

“But you said she would still find me as a threat even as Snow White. So, under the spell she cannot harm me but she will still try?”

“Yes” Yugyeom said gravely. “And she will find a way to kill you”

“Even if she doesn’t know who I truly am? Even if she doesn’t know I am Jinyoung? She would still try to kill me?”

“True” Yugyeom looked at Jinyoung with a serious expression.

“Then what is the point of the disguise?” Jinyoung exasperated. He felt frustrated. The Queen was too strong as his undeveloped gift only left him feeling helpless. He could try but the queen was too far ahead. What was the use of anything?

“The Queen has black magic that is far more complex and in ways that even I don’t understand, your disguise is what will protect you. It is your strongest weapon against her and it is the best I can do to help you when she finally finds you” Yugyeom eyes flickers with determination and it breathes in a new mix of emotions within Jinyoung. The way he spoke with confidence made Jinyoung feel something he had left at the castle. The way he spoke made him feel hopeful.

“How are you so sure she will find me?” Jinyoung stammered.

“You aren’t the only one the forest blessed with gifts, Jinyoung” Yugyeom smirked, taking his time with pronouncing Jinyoung’s name, purposely trying to irk him. Jinyoung rolled his eyes, refusing to give in into irritation. Yugyeom was doing it purposely and he simply refused to let Yugyeom win.

“Can you see the future or something?”

“I can’t see clear images. I just get vibes and my instincts just somehow knows what is going to happen,” Yugyeom holds a hand for Jinyoung to hoist himself up off the floor. “It’s how I knew where you were when you ran. Its how I knew you were dying”

Something grave passes through Yugyeom’s face and Jinyoung felt a chill past his body. For a moment he wonders what kind of things Yugyeom had seen and just how long those things haunt him. But he quickly hushes his thoughts just in case Yugyeom catches it.

“You should go back. You need to feed four very hungry boys” Yugyeom jumped into the air and turns into his dove form. Jinyoung tried not to stare at the silhouette of dove Yugyeom flying into the sky. Yugyeom left a bit hastily once again.

Jinyoung sighed as he adjusts the overly baggy clothing Jackson had given him on his small frame feeling slightly unlike himself. His world was upside down. Just two days ago he was reading in the quiet castle library. Today, he was a girl in men’s clothing, exhausted of trying to shove an apple to the ground using the power of his brain.

-o0o-

Jinyoung hums to himself as he stirs the soup he had on the stove. He is grateful that he had spent some time in the royal kitchen, watching his servants cook. It wasn’t long before he had tried his hand at it, feeling curious. It was a short lived hobby that he had to fill in his days stuck in the graying castle.

“You sing”

Jinyoung nearly drops the plate he was trying to set on the table. His eyes rake the room to see Mark standing in the door way looking at him with wide big round eyes.

Oh . Was I singing something familiar?

Jinyoung clears his throat rather loudly before allowing himself to speak. “I made soup. Are the others coming?”

Mark seemed to snap out of his trance; his eyes adjusting to the floor, fumbling with his tool bag. “They’ll arrive shortly” he mumbled before quickly climbing the stairs to his room.

And as if on cue, Jackson’s head peeps through the room with a wide smile.

“I smell dinner” he squealed. An echo of excited squeals followed then Youngjae and Bambam were rushing through the door. The boys were obviously hungry and Jinyoung sits himself on the bucket chair he had set for himself. It was slightly short than the other chairs but the dining table was meant for 4 and he didn’t want to impose. He was a guest in the house and he couldn’t possibly trouble them further.

“Is it mushroom soup?” Youngjae asked smelling the bowl set in front of him. “I haven’t had these since I’ve left the village”

Bambam grabbed some bread and let a pleasant hum as he ate his soup.

“Where did you get the mushrooms, Snow?”

“I picked them in the forest” he said. He had actually tested his whistling skills and found that the birds would bring him stuff is he concentrated while whistling. It was how he had obtained mushrooms and herbs. The soup was cooked according to the castle’s recipe. It was Jinyoung’s favorite comfort food. The smell alone made him feel warm like the temporary comfort it used to bring.

“This is delicious!” Jackson squealed. “Are you magic or something!”

Jinyoung choked on his soup.

“It’s too bad Mark isn’t eating his portion. Can I have it?” Jackson asked, unfazed at how choked up Jinyoung was getting.

“That’s not fair! I want it!” Bambam protested.

“It’s ok, boys. There is plenty to go around” Jinyoung stands to pick up the pot of warm soup on the counter. “There is enough for at least 3 helpings each. I thought you guys might be hungry”

The boys looked at him as though they had seen an angel. Their eyes were wide and mouths agape with amazement. Jinyoung quickly felt flustered with all the attention on him.

“I think I should try and get Mark” he mumbled trying to escape but soon he realized he was clambering the steps to his potential doom.

He didn’t know if he wanted to talk to Mark. Mark didn’t know who he was but it was obvious from the start that there was tension. Jinyoung can’t name it but he was pretty sure he was tense on the thought that he could slip up at any moment. At any moment, he could say something and Mark might know who he was.

But it was impossible.

Jinyoung was not who he was now. He was Snow White. He was a girl with skin white as snow, lips red as blood and hair dark as night. Nothing like the Jinyoung Mark knew.

“Mark?” Jinyoung knocked hesitantly. He could still hear the boys rumbling downstairs but inside the room there was nothing but silence.

“Mark?” he knocked again. “Dinner is going to get cold”

“I’m not hungry” a voice replied. It sounded like it was muffled by pillows.

Jinyoung sighed; stumped. Why was Mark being so difficult?

He slowly left the room, returning to his seat amidst the bustling of the boys fighting for the last piece of bread. Jinyoung didn’t feel like eating when he saw the untouched bowl of soup that had been left for Mark.

 -o0o-

It was bone chilling cold. Jinyoung has the thick cloak Jackson had given him wrapped snugly around his body yet it was not enough. He had warm tea in a mug which was quickly turning cold under the unforgiving weather. It was the dead of night and the only light that shined through the forest was the moon and its accompanying stars.

Jinyoung had trouble sleeping and had decided to slip out to star gaze. It was a bad idea. In the castle, he could star gaze from his window inside the warmth of his own room but here he had to sit in the winter night on a makeshift stool. As if on cue, Jinyoung saw a silhouette of a bird (a dove to be specific) flying towards him. Jinyoung barely had to look to know Yugyeom was turning into a flash of light becoming a tall, lanky figure with dark brown locks and soft features.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Jinyoung looked up at the boy and wondered how Yugyeom knew he was sitting in the cold. If Yugyeom read his mind he didn’t bother to respond to it. He seemed to find his answer anyway.

“I forgot to tell you something important about the spell”

“What spell?” Jinyoung asked lazily, feeling a little too tired to respond with too much urgency. He was exhausted but sleep simply wouldn’t invite him.

“Your protection spell; the spell that disguises you,” Yugyeom panted. Warm breath causing puffs of smoke to leave his mouth. “If anyone finds out who you really are, the spell is broken”

Jinyoung lets the information sink in for a moment. It was really nothing to worry about. Jackson, Youngjae and Bambam had no idea who he was before he was Snow. Mark, however, posed a problem.

“So Mark can’t know”

Yugyeom nodded firmly.

“It’s alright. He wouldn’t believe me even if I told him. He doesn’t believe in magic”

Mark was a sore spot for Jinyoung at the moment. He knew it was unfair that he felt angry that Mark didn’t care about him. Mark hadn’t even spared a glance to him. Mark had bluntly tried his best to ignore him. It hurt him when it shouldn’t have because he wasn’t Jinyoung. He was Snow and Mark knows nothing of Snow.

And yet, the thought of how cold Mark was towards him makes his heart feel like it was stabbed.

How ridiculous.

“Aww, you’re sulking because he doesn’t recognize you!”

“YAH! YUGYEOM! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” Jinyoung jumped off the stool to charge at Yugyeom but Yugyeom jumps and the next second he flies off as a dove.

“Who are you shouting to?”

Jinyoung turns his head, body still frozen from where he was cursing Yugyeom to see Mark at the door frame.

Oh , did I get caught?

Jinyoung closes his mouth that had been hanging ajar from shock and adjusted himself. He cleared his throat loudly as he tried to formulate an answer.

“No one” Jinyoung mumbled. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Mark seemed to shift from where he stood, impishly scratching the back of his head.

“You hungry?” Jinyoung said realizing that Mark had probably been rummaging the kitchen. He nodded hesitantly and Jinyoung had to look away from the blush on his cheeks to control his exploding heart.

When did he get so cute?

“I’ll heat up some of the soup if you want”

Mark smiled as he nodded and Jinyoung was too far gone, he almost walked straight into the closed kitchen door.

i'm sorry this is taking so long to finish. When i took up this prompt i wanted to challege myself out of writing angst. and this is a challenge for me! haha. well, now i suffer. i'm having a hard time with proof reading so if you see any mistake be forgiving. 

anyway, come talk to me on tumblr. i write fics there too.