Foreword

Hooves thundered across the plain as horses and riders came into a village. The adults began to panic and hide their children for they knew why the riders have appeared. The women ran into their homes to hide their children but, the horses had already come to a halt into the village. Two brothers were standing outside of their home standing on top of a hill watching as children were being forced out of their parent’s arms. “Hyung what do we do?” the younger asked as he held his brothers sleeve, his auburn hair tied in a ponytail.  “We go hide.” The hyung replied. They quietly slipped off of the hill to hide in a barn. They hid behind some hay behind the horses, opposite sides of each other. They stood in silence as they listened to the hurried footsteps outside the barn door, they heard the metal from the riders armor clank as they walked, and taking children and forcing them into caged wagons. Crying and wailing could be heard from the parents and children as they were separated. The armor got dangerously close to the barn. The younger brother froze and tried to find his brother, he saw him, sweat running down his temple as he brought a pointer finger to his lips, giving the younger the signal to be quiet. The younger gulped and tried his hardest to stay as quiet as he could. The barn doors opened and the riders walked into the barn and began to take down the hay and moving the horses, Key saw that his brother would be revealed and then taken away. He pushed the pile of hay down and attacked the riders. One of the riders came in and got Key off of his comrades. The rider cuffed Key’s hands behind his back and tugged him up to his feet. The younger was horrified to see his brother in that state; he jumped out of his hiding spot and onto the riders, “Taemin!” Key exclaimed as he began to struggle against the riders. No matter how much they struggled they were still forced into the caged wagon with billions of other children. The two brothers sat there, in the corner huddled together as they watched children get rounded up, even their friends, Onew and Minho, got rounded up and shoved into the wagon. After every child in that village was pushed into the wagon, the riders left tone with the wagon rolling with them; they were headed for the palace.

*

Jonghyun and his best friend, Changmin, had been brought to the palace earlier for theft and so their punishment was to work for the king. In the meantime, they were being held in the dungeon. “Well, we are screwed.” Changmin said in a matter of fact tone of voice making Jonghyun chuckle “you said it,” He replied. They heard the wagons coming from the outside “Let the fun begin.” Jonghyun said after leaning back into the cell bars and sighing.