“Come back!” Kyungsoo yelled playfully as he kept chasing the small flowers that were twirling in the wind. Kyungsoo caught one of the sky blue petals as he smiled brightly and sat down on the grass close to the Glass Lake. The breeze ruffled through his wings, the air carrying more of the small petals around him. He glanced up with wide eyes as he looked for the tan boy that usually came. Kyungsoo pouted as he concluded that he wasn’t coming. He had already waited for two hours and he didn’t want to be late for the Eldertree’s dances.

“Were you waiting for long time?”

“Jongin?” a small voice asked. Kyungsoo looked up as he saw the boy with his wide smile and tanned skin, sitting on a hanging branch over the lake. He held a small circle in his hand as Kyungsoo pointed with his finger towards the shadowed item. “What’s that Jongin?”

Jongin looked up in surprise as he leaped off the branch and walked over to Kyungsoo’s side. Kyungsoo was confused as Jongin put the item on his head, the circle falling down slightly before slipping tightly at the base of his horns. “It’s a flower crown! It took me some time to make it, but,” Jongin stopped before pulling another one that was simpler and placing it on his head. “I made yours better!” He smiled cheekily before taking Kyungsoo’s small hand into his and pulling him up out of the soft grass.

“I brought something too!” Kyungsoo opened his hand to reveal the blue flower that was flying around before. Jongin opened his mouth to say something but Kyungsoo put a finger to his lips as he pointed to the bud. The petals started to turn open, one by one, up into the sunlight. The small anthers start to glow as specks glitter around them in a dance, entrancing them both. Kyungsoo put the flower into Jongin’s hands as he smiled. “If you keep it in a dark place, every time it feels sunlight, it opens! It’s so pretty!” The both giggle as they hear the Eldertrees’ murmur around them in distaste.

And that’s how they fell in love. Years passed as Kyungsoo felt butterflies fill his stomach every time he saw him; in awe of how he had grown up to be snatching his heart that quickly. It was in no time that Kyungsoo was turning nineteen and Jongin twenty in two days’ time. They lay side by side in his tree, Kyungsoo’s head resting on Jongin’s chest. The latter stoked the pale boy’s feathers, the light wings forming a cocoon around their bodies. “I can’t believe how old we are.” Jongin spoke in the calm as he craned his neck to look down at Kyungsoo. “You’re going to be Protector soon and I’m going to be King soon.”

“Don’t remind me.” Kyungsoo said flatly as he got up from Jongin’s chest. He propped himself up, elbows behind him as he looked down to his skirt. “You know that means we won’t be able to see each other at all.” Jongin placed his hand underneath Kyungsoo’s chin, turning his head to look into his eyes. Jongin loved those eyes with all his heart; how they swirled with golden specks in their chocolate brown pools. Kyungsoo hissed silently as he felt Jongin’s iron wristlet sear his skin. Jongin looked surprised as he took a look at the bracelet before throwing it towards the ground.

“I’ll try my best to make a pact between our people.” A large bell rung throughout the land, signaling the end of the afternoon. “I have to go.” Kyungsoo smiled softly as he felt Jongin’s warm lips on top of his before the male leaped off the willow and ran towards the exit.

Kyungsoo closed his eyes as he tried to commit his face into memory; his warm smile, his beautiful eyes and his fluffy hair that he loved to run through with his hands. He sighed as he pulled his legs to dangle off the lithe branch before flapping his wings towards the edge of the Glass Lake. He loved Jongin dearly, but knew that their love was a distant fantasy.
Kyungsoo looked towards the grass wall that divided the two people, the vines slithering their way over the old stone blockade. He fixed his crown of flowers before traveling back up into his tree, the willow’s branches swaying softly in the wind as they lulled him into a dreamless sleep.

                                                                                                -----

“Those monsters!” Another murder had happened in the castle; creating three in total. The king, Jongin’s father, was furious as he paced around the table in a fervor. “Those treacherous creatures in the Falls; they’re behind it!” All of the king’s advisors lowered their heads in fear of the king lashing out violently.

“I knew we should have just killed the whole lot of them! They are to blame for our kingdom’s misfortune!” Jongin stayed silent as he stood to one corner of the cold room. He knew deep down that they weren’t at fault, Kyungsoo would never do it. He bit his lip before he heard a small, quivering voice above the angered voices.

“What about the winged creature? Could he be behind this, my King?” Jongin bit his lip harder as his vision flared red. The rest of table murmured in agreement as Jongin’s knuckles turned white from digging his nails hard into his palms. “And Prince Jongin should do! This will be his chance to prove he’s worthy for the throne.” He looked up, his eyebrows raised and eyes wide as he looked up at the steward.

“Excuse me?” Jongin questioned, his eyes pleading as he looked at his father, but the look in the king’s eyes seemed to argue.

“I am getting old Jongin, and we all know that you want the throne.” He walked over to his son, the red velvet cape fluttering behind him as he put a hand onto Jongin’s shoulder. “Do it for your nation.” He bent down to his ear as he whispered lower than what the others could hear. “Do it for your mother.”

Jongin took in a sharp breath as he nodded. “Yes, Father.”   

He smiled before dismissing everyone to their quarters as Jongin dragged himself to his own. His heart heaved itself in his chest, dragging him deeper into his despair. He felt exhausted as he flopped onto his bed, plush covers holding his weight as he sighed deeply. He stripped himself of his shirt. feeling the cold sheets ruffle against his skin, missing the warmth that he would find with Kyungsoo. He took one of the down pillows and hugged it to his bare chest as he squeezed it tightly, wishing that his nightmares would never happen. Tears filled his eyes as he thought of his job; his duty for his country. “I’m sorry.” was all he could whisper before willing himself to sleep.

It took Jongin a couple of days to come to terms with himself. He had been creating plans to fake Kyungsoo’s death. He had stayed away from the pale boy for a while, and it torn him to pieces knowing he couldn’t be with him, talking about running away from all of their problems. It was almost evening and he was dreading every single moment of the day. Not only was he having to keep his emotions in check, his father had set him up to meet the Dutchess of Eustaria; Krystal.

It wasn’t that he had anything against her, of course, but he felt extremely lost at the almost instant meeting. He knew it meant something more than just a small dinner, but he went with his father’s request in hopes of getting rid of the fondness that he had with Kyungsoo. The meeting scheduled wouldn’t happen until later down the week, but Jongin still felt anxious.
 

His father had already asked on multiple occasions when he was going to kill ‘the wretched creature’, but Jongin kept saying his overused excuse of him still planning. Every night, he went to sleep with tears streaking his face and waking up with eyes sunken and dull. This time, the curtains were closed, the sun blocked from his sensitive eyes as he woke up to see a guard standing in front of his bed, his hands tucked behind his back as he kept a stoic expression on his face. “The King is waiting for your presence at the dungeons.” The guard left swiftly, the door closed with a soft thud as Jongin was left in the silence of his room. He was all too familiar with the dark dungeons, where the people that wronged the King lay lifeless but still breathing, where they banged at the metal bars at night and would holler at through the darkness as a small cry of help.  

He felt his heart pound in his chest, his fingers turning pale from clenching as he walked down steep stairs to the dungeon. The prisoners looked at him, their eyes sunken into their skulls and their wrists shackled to the wall. The thump of his feet and heart echoed around him as he kept his eyes fixated on the wooden door at the end of the hall. Small whispers of laughter and conversations went around him, filling him with dread as he put his hand on the handle before opening the door.

There his dad stood, his cape off and wearing a plain white shirt, his eyes dead set on the floor. His eyes were red and his arms were crossed across his chest. The room stank of mold and blood and the stone floor was splattered with crimson stains. Jongin sat on the chair as he remembered as he pulled off his shirt and waited patiently for the pain to come.

It was quick and sharp, the sting blazing like a of fire on his back as he stayed silent. Every single whip seemed more painful than the last and towards the end, Jongin’s knuckles were bleeding from him gnawing on them to stop his tears.

“I hope that taught you a lesson.” He heard his father mutter threateningly before dropping the whip onto the floor and closing the wooden door. Jongin couldn’t keep it in as he started sobbing quietly into his elbows, feeling the power to move draining away from his body. He heard the door open again with a creak, but he kept crying.
“Jongin what did you do this time to get you all these whips?” A voice muttered from behind him as he felt air rush onto his burning wounds.

“Were you outside the entire time, Baekhyun?” He turned his head slightly to get a view of the dainty boy but felt a pull on his wounds and stopped.

“Yeah, I made sure to be outside on patrol with some bandages and other things in place.” He pulled Jongin to sit straight before starting to dab the herbs onto his cuts. “The doctor gave me some herbal medicine to help it heal faster. But I would suggest that you provide some type of background to this event because I’ve only been hearing rumors.”
Jongin looked back at Baekhyun with large eyes and his bottom lip jutted out. “Do I have to?”
Baekhyun looked at him with his eyebrows raised, leaving Jongin knowing he had to spill. “So, the King wants me to kill the Protector, but,” Jongin looked up at Baekhyun before continuing. “I fell in love with him.”

Baekhyun gasps before regaining his previous attitude. “You know that you’re going to have do something about it. Your father is going to want revenge after what happened to your mother and sisters.”
“But I know it wasn’t him! It couldn’t be.”
Baekhyun sighed. “I understand, but that love can’t last! You have to know your responsibility. Remember, your kingdom comes before your own wants. Besides, Duchess Krystal is coming this week and its been going around the staff that their arranging your marriage at the moment so that your father can pass the crown.” Jongin scowled as he turned around slowly when Baekhyun tried to wrap the front of his torso. “I’m telling you Jongin, this is just a fantasy. Unless you can get some sort of agreement between them and us, you’re going to have to snap out of it quickly.”

Jongin felt his heart crackle in his chest, as if it was snapping out of its brittle state and crumbling into ash. He felt weak as he pulled his shirt back over his head and held onto Baekhyun’s arm before walking out. There, sitting on the window was a black raven, its beady eyes looking at the two people walking out before flying back over to the Barrier.