Alright lets get this update out of the way. A very big thank you to all those who subscribed and commented!! You guys are awesome. As for the whole 'I will continue if this story is well recieved' thing, it wasn't really like I could stop myself from writing it even if I only got like 3 comments. Once I have an idea, you bet your there's going to be an update.

Okay so I know that some people don't like it when one character is an , but seriously, it's fanfiction, I'm not writing canon, meaning Yesung or whoever will not be like how they are in real life. I don't know them personally, so this is just me characterizing them in my own way and hoping it's believable.

Oh and for everyone who actually know me from livejournal, I am way to lazy to even post over there. Even now I'm so sleepy, the thought of posting on lj gives me...anyways thank you for...well finding me here lol.

Now this chapter is rather long, just over 4k words and it's not funny or upbeat like most of my stories but give me a break lol, I'm just getting started. I'm hoping to make these chapters a whole lost shorter in the future. This one is actually a combination of chapter one and two but I figured why bother to split it when you guys can just read it in one go and have it over with.

~~~

Jessica hands him a packet of nuts and punches him in the arm before running off back to her small group of gossiping teenage girls. Wincing from the sting of the punch a little, Jongwoon attempts to grab her playfully but he’s too slow. The packet feels lighter than usual and he pouts as he realizes that Jessica probably ate half of it already.

‘That’s what you get for being mean to her’ he thinks as he sulkily eats the last bits of nuts that remain. He considers buying another snack but quickly changes his mind as he takes in the long line at the snack stand.

Possibly the entire village and tons of visitors from neighboring towns seemed to have all congregated in Sulnar’s marketplace to celebrate the Cancon festival. It was quite a good turn out and Jongwoon grinned at the sight of his mother proudly displaying her crafts. They had come to the marketplace extra early that afternoon in order to set up her tent in a good spot where she would attract more customers.

Cancon wasn’t about entertainment and interaction; it was also a good way for the locals to make a quick penny. His mother constructed small boats, cups, bowls and other creative stuff from clay or whatever else she could recycle.

Usually Jongwoon would be at her side, helping her draw in potential customers but today he was sharing a tent with his best friend, Tae.

As he passed, his mother looks up and manages to catch his eye, he waves shortly, sending her a thumbs up, she grins in return, ecstatic at the amount of people she was getting. However in the background of her smiling face was a very sullen Luna, who was glaring daggers at a pleading GD.

Jongwoon rolled his eyes at them. The two of them have been practically attached to the hip since their school days. He liked GD and he knew the other man loved his sister very much despite their constant ups and downs. His mother was already secretly planning their wedding.

Tae looks up as he approaches the boot. She tilts her head and nods at someone to her left. His eyes track her movement and he looks over to see Suho waving at him.

Changing directions, he heads over to Suho’s tent display. Just like his father, the boy’s display consists of a variety of dry herbs and roots.

“I guess you’re replacing your papa this time around?” Jongwoon asks, his eyes roaming over the names written on small pieces paper next to certain items.

Suho nods, “He’s still not feeling…that good. Momma said it’s just a passing fever, but…but I’m really worried. I mean, what if-“

Jongwoon holds up a hand to stop him from continuing, “’Ho you need to think positive. I’m sure your mother is right and you’re just over thinking things…again” he gave the younger boy a pointed look. Suho had the tendency to be a little worrywart.

“Okay. I-I guess, you’re right.”

Jongwoon grins, “Of course I am. Being right is what makes me superior to all of you”

Suho rolls his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up into a smile.

“So what’s all this?” he indicates to the herbs.

Suho’s face lights up as he launches into a long explanation of what each herb is for.

Eventually, Jongwoon is able to break away from Suho’s chatter and make it back over to Tae’s tent.

She is chatting with 2 customers; their faces are foreign to Jongwoon so he assumes they are from an outside village. He passes behind her, saying a polite greeting to the customers.

On his section of the long table are several drawn portraits of scenery. At first sketching was a simple mindless hobby he had picked up. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but the hobby had progressed and transformed into a habit he couldn’t break. It had gotten to the point where he couldn’t look at something without thinking, ‘I wonder how it would look if I drew it’. He didn’t think he was that good but after gaining so much praise for his art works over the years he finally decided to put some of them within the Cancon exhibition at a price.

He had about 15 drawings with him tonight, but there were over 100 of them in a large, over stuffed pillowcase under his bed. His mother had seen how much paper he used and thus last year for Christmas she had made him a large thick sketchpad, and given him enough charcoal and pencils to last him until he was seventy. He cherished that book and didn’t want to waste the pages foolishly, so he only drew things that really mattered to him in it.

He is rearranging them properly when Tae approaches him, her long red hair tied back in a tight ponytail leaving her rather large forehead even more obvious than usual.

“It took you long enough. I was about to sell all your drawings to Mr. Sticky hands”

Jongwoon screws up his face at her. Mr. Sticky hands was the nickname given to the town drunk, Jungsoo, who was well known for ing in public.

“He’d probably just use them to clean up his ” she adds, as if she had been thinking it over.

He shoves her shoulder lightheartedly.

”He could use them as toilet paper just as long as he pays me my money”

Tae shakes her head at him, turning half way to the side she points at her own display, which are colorful sea shells.  Some of them were naturally beautiful and colorful while others were plain ones that she painted. “You think he would want one of these. I haven’t had much luck getting them sold”

“Well that’s because…”

There’s loud yell from the crowd, followed by several people scattering.

Tae and Jongwoon look in that direction, trying to judge from the faces in the crowd what might be going on.

Jongwoon sighs, “Please don’t tell me someone is trying to pick a fight.” If there’s any violence during CanCon he knows that the security squad will have to step in and the whole festival would be shut down, leaving everyone with no choice but to pack up and go home.

“Hopefully it’s just Jungsoo whipping his out again” Tae perks up and says.

The warning bells for the Village go off so suddenly that the entire crowd flinches. Jongwoon is only briefly able to look confused before several men on horseback charge through the crowd, throwing torches at the tents, causing them to light up in flames almost immediately.

The noise of the people screaming and the thundering of heart seem to deafen Jongwoon but he manages to grab Tae and haul her from the tent before it bursts into flames also.

After narrowly escaping, Jongwoon feels his knees terrible horribly as he looks around the chaos that seems to have unfolded in just a matter of seconds. Villagers were running around screaming like chickens with their heads cut off. He expected to see the men on horseback killing people but instead they were toying with the villagers, chasing them and frightening them but never inflicting harm.

He feels someone tugging on his arm,

“Woonie, come on. I see your mother and sisters! Lets go!”

She doesn’t wait for him to snap out of his daze and starts pulling him behind her. Eventually Jongwoon concentrates on getting his feet to work and stumbles along. When they get close enough, his mother rushes toward him, clawing him over to her side.

Someone bundles themselves against him and he looks down to see Jessica clinging to him, her eyes wide and doe like.

“We must hide.” His mother turns to lead them somewhere but is cut off by a sneering voice.

“Listen up you ing retards!”

A minute passes and Jongwoon realizes that the villagers seem to have paused in their need to escape, he glances around and realizes that the men on horseback have gathered around the perimeter of the marketplace, boxing them in.

“Most of the security squad are unconscious” a male voice from their group points out quietly. Jongwoon follows the direction of the voice and sees that it’s GD, his body language is showing signs that he is pissed off but his face is white as snow, showing his true fear, his left hand clenched tightly around Luna’s right hand.

“Good. Now that we have your attention. I am General Choi and I am here to make an announcement. So shut up!” General Choi looks around with smirk as everyone seems to bite their tongue. “The Overlord has returned to take his rightful place”

Collectively the crowd makes a loud gasp of shock, everyone turning to their neighbors with their mouths agape in horror and disbelief.

Jongwoon’s mother makes a throaty sound. Jongwoon shivers from the sudden chill in his body. He might not have been old enough to know the true horrors the Overlord did, but he knew of the other man’s reputation. It had all seemed like a bad ghost story but now, hearing this man claim that Overlord was back was gut wrenching.

“Why now?” Jongwoon mumbles to himself.

“Don’t start pissing your pants just yet. We’re not here to exterminate you…although, who would miss you anyway? This is a pretty dull Village. Follow these simple instructions and you would be spared from an untimely destruction”

It was so quiet after he spoke that Jongwoon feared that everyone could hear his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest.

“Three days from now, at dawn’s break, each household is asked to present one female as a gift to the overlord. Any family who fails to have a girl at their gates at dawn, it will be seen as treason against the Overlord, and you will be slain. Any questions?”

Jongwoon felt like he was about to faint. His mother choked on a cry, releasing her tight hold on Jongwoon in order to tug both Luna and Jessica closer to her bosom.

“I have a question” a loud pleading voice shouts over the horrified gossiping of the crowd. The man on horseback, General Choi, eyes the person carefully before nodding. Jongwoon recognizes the man as Minho and he instantly feels a hurtful pang in his stomach.

 Apparently Minho and his wife Victoria had been trying for years to have a child and finally they had gotten something right and Victory had gotten pregnant and 9 months later she had a girl. Suzy was their only child and she had just turned 10 last spring.

Victoria had fallen ill during a terrible plague and had circumed to it when Suzy was just 4. Minho had never remarried, focusing solely on raising Suzy by himself and being a good father. Meaning little Suzy was the only female in Minho’s household. Surely the overlord would not want a 10 year old girl!

Minho’s eyes are hardened with determination as he approaches General Choi.

Before he can speak, a sword is drawn. Jongwoon flinches and his eyes close on reflex. A woman cries out and the crowd makes a startled noise.

When Jongwoon opens his eyes again, Minho is cradling his cheek. General Choi had merely slashed the sword against Minho cheek, creating a thin line of blood.

“Keep your ing questions to yourself”

~~

General Choi and his men left shortly after the announcement. Two brave villagers had attempted to play hero by attacking General Choi. They managed to knock him off of his horse but this only enraged the man and he was quick to reach for his sword, Stabbing one of the villagers in his shoulder causing the other ‘hero’ to back down promptly in fear for his own life.

After most of the younger children had tired themselves out into a well needed sleep, all the adults of within Sulnar gathered in the destroyed marketplace, but this time rather than celebrating their festival, they discussed a much gloomier topic.

“War”

Everyone glared at Jungsoo.

The man shrugged, “Oh come on. We were all thinking it”

It was true though, despite their reluctance to admit it, the overlord’s return meant that there was going to be another great battle for Molten F’aire.

“We must send a message to the king and queen…”

“Why would the Overlord target our village first?”

“…I heard a rumor that Penhail has also been threatened with the same task…”

“Shut up, Yenny, you’re always gossiping. Don’t you think if Penhail was attacked, we would all known about it? Look at what those bastards did to our marketplace”

As the crowd voiced their opinions loudly over each other, Jongwoon and Tae stood off to the side, waiting for someone to take charge and speak rationally. His mother had forced Luna and GD to take Jessica home, ordering them to stay inside and ensure that they lock all the doors securely. Luna had protested at first but gave in immediately when she noticed that Jessica was trembling from fright and possibly the harsh cold night air.

“They are not taking my daughter!” a female voice yells.

Jay, one of the heads of the Justice Counsel in Sulnar, turns toward whoever had spoken, “They are not touching any of our children. The king and queen will be informed immediately. I need at least five volunteers to deliver this message promptly. If the Overlord wants our daughters he’s not taking them without a fight”

The crowds of adults cheer in agreement.

“And if fighting doesn’t work, then we will all be forced into becoming slaves for the Overlord” Jungsoo chimes in happily.

“Can’t we dress this idiot in female clothes and tie him to a post for the Overlord to take” someone mumbles, a hint of irritation in their tone.

Ignoring Jungsoo, Jay voices his opinion on the action they should take.

!!!

The next afternoon finds Jongwoon sleeping in the foyer of his house. He had been all panicky with anxiety all morning and finally worked himself up into a drowsy state.

The alarm bells of the Village sounded harshly, pulling him from his sleep. He lies on the floor in confusion momentarily before his body jerks into flight.

Luna and Jessica rush toward the front door, his mother biting her lower lip worriedly behind them.

“What’s going on?” he questions.

Luna doesn’t answer; she slips her feet into her shoes, pulls the door open and rushes out, completely ignoring their mother’s plea for her to stay.

Jongwoon acts on impulse when he hears the loud booming sound. He dashes toward the door, intent to find Luna and bring her back inside. Jessica screams at him, “Where are you going you idiot!?” her voice is shrill with panic.

“Jongwoon, get your back in here!” his mother’s voice follows him as he runs into the front yard.

The air is thick with smoke, and now that he is on the outside, he can hear the heart stopping screams of his villagers. Everyone is rushing to get to their homes as men on horseback parade around on the streets causing mischief.

The booming sounds appear to be coming from an object that the Overlord’s men are throwing onto the ground. Whatever it is, Jongwoon pauses from shock as one of the overlord’s men throw the object at a nearby house and a few seconds later there was a loud booming sound. The house wasn’t severely damaged but it wasn’t what it used to be either.

A cold hand grabs his wrist and he immediately begins to fight against the hold.

“Jongwoon, calm down!”

The person holding his wrist is Luna; however she looks unrecognizable with her face and clothes covered in dark soot and possibly ashes.

“We need to get back to the house!” she instructs, tugging him back toward their home.

Finding his tongue, Jongwoon chastises her, “Well if you hadn’t run off in the first place, I wouldn’t have to be out here! Why did you leave?”

His only answer is the sudden appearance of GD at his side. He rolls his eyes. Of course Luna would only run off in the middle of a war zone just so she could find GD. Sometimes their crappy undying love made him want to throw-up.

They get back to the house safely and after receiving two slaps behind his head from his mother and Jessica, Jongwoon leads his family into the basement. GD locks the latch on the door and they all huddle together.

“I thought the messengers would’ve reached the king by now!” Jessica whines, wiping at her eyes in frustration.

“There is no help coming” GD says softly.

They all look to him in confusion. “What do you mean no help is coming?” Luna demands.

“I mean Luna, that the messengers did return, but with bad news. Apparently we weren’t the only place those ing goons decided to slash and burn. The seven other villages after us got the same warning. And if that isn’t bad enough, Molten F’aire was attacked at day break, the castle is officially in lock down, no one gets in, no one gets out” Jessica drops to her knees, her fists clenching and unclenching as she takes in GD’s words.

“No! The King and Queen would never just seal themselves off like that…they will send help…” his mother tries to be positive.

“Can’t you see? They had to lock down the castle to prevent the Overlord from getting too close to taking over the throne. The attack was such a surprise that they were unprepared for the size and force of his army. The overlord’s men see the lock down as permission to destroy the villages now. I saw a couple of them laughing while they set fire to Yenny’s house…like-like it was some kind of entertainment. They are sick. I don’t doubt that help will come, but how soon? At day break tomorrow they will…they will expect us to obey their command” GD trails off.

Jongwoon knew exactly why. With no help coming, they would either have to give into the overlord’s demand or face complete extermination. Apparently so far no one, except knights or security squad members, in the seven Villages had been killed.

“I will go with them” Luna says bravely, her words crashing into Jongwoon’s brain and sending an odd chill down his spine.

“No” he mumbles automatically, his voice soft, “No! What the hell Luna?”

GD comes to stand in front of her, he grabs her hands, “I’m not letting them take you anywhere. So just get that idea out of your mind right now”

They all agree with GD’s words but Luna’s face stiffens with stubbornness.

“If I don’t volunteer to go then they’d either take Jessica or my mother! I can’t – I have to be the one to do this. If I go with them, at least my family will be safe. H-help will come, but until then I must do what is right to protect my family”

Jessica charges up to her and shoves Luna hard in the chest, “That’s absolute . No way. Y-you’re not going to sacrifice yourself for us…for me” she sniffles and then giggles hysterical, “I mean, you hardly want me to borrow your clothes and now you want…you – no, no you’re staying. We’ll- we’ll run, we’ll run to out of Molten F’aire, go to a new kingdom” Jessica’s pleads, looking around to catch their eyes.

They could leave Molten F’aire, she was right. If they packed light and travelled fast they…

“There are at least 3 of the Overlord’s goons in the forest outside each village now. If we try to leave, we run the risk of getting killed even before we made it half way into the woods”

Jongwoon gives GD a stink eye. The other boy was like the bearer of bad news. Jessica wraps her arms around Luna’s waist and clings to her older sister. Luna bends her head a little and places a kiss to the top of Jessica’ head, whispering softly to her.

“They are not taking my daughters” his mother says, her voice croaky with unshed tears.

Luna doesn’t say anything, her lower lip is trembling a bit, showing that she is indeed frightened of what the future may hold but she manages a small smile for the sake of their mother. GD has grown quiet and goes off into a corner of the basement to brood. One by one they seem to all be ending up at the same conclusion. One female at day break or dying…

Turning away from the wall, GD declares, “They are not taking you from me without a fight” GD’s fierce tone, shows his determination and Luna gives him a watery smile.

Jongwoon’s chest tightens with every breath he takes. He cannot allow even the thought of Luna going with these men to even cross his mind. She may be stubborn but so was he. She was not going anywhere.

But if they couldn’t run, or even go to the King and Queen for help, then the other two options would be giving into the demands, or die. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t like the idea of his family dying for some sick bastard’s entertainment. He would gladly take Luna’s place if he could…

A memory pops into his conscience.

Someone had suggested they dress Jungsoo as a woman right…so what if…

It was a pretty farfetched idea, but so far it worked out accordingly. As he breaks free of his thoughts, he sees his mother looking at him with worry and gives her a reassuring smile.

!!!!

By the time early evening came the commotion of the Overlord’s men had died down but none of them rose to exit the basement. Finally, deciding to take his chances in order to put his plan into action, Jongwoon stood up and felt it instantly as all of their eyes landed on him.

“I’m going over to Suho’s”

His mother stands and comes up to him, “What? Why?”

“Uh, I, I want to check on him and his family. He’s such a baby sometimes..”

Luna laughs, “Yes, we all know this, but, but don’t you want to spend my last few hours with me? I mean, it’s not like I’m going to be here…”

Their mother whirls around so fast on her, “Stop saying that. I told you, you are not going anywhere!”

Luna rises to her feet, ignoring GD’s demands that she stay put.

“You know as well as I do that that lock will not keep them from coming down here, Mother. They’re going to come in and kill us all if I don’t- “ her shoulder sag, she bends her head, “I have to do it. I can’t bear it if something happens to all of you and I won’t allow them to take Jessica. I’m the best option we’ve got!”

‘No you’re not’ Jongwoon wants to scream but he keeps quiet, using their argument as a distraction for him to sneak away.

It’s hard not to gasp at the destruction that beholds him when he goes outside and looks at the state of his village, especially as the bright moonlight reveals of the new flaws. However, he doesn’t have time to stray about. There is no one on the streets, making the place seem even more like a ghost town. He knows the route to Suho’s house like the back of his hand and even with only the moonlight to guide him he finds his way swiftly.

After a few minutes of pounding on their door and yelling Suho’s name, the other boy finally opens the door cautiously. When he sees Jongwoon he instantly starts wiping at his eyes, drawing Jongwoon’s attention to the wet trails of tears on his cheeks.

“Woonie! What, what in the God’s name are you doing here? You shouldn’t be out…”

“I need to get some of that…that herb you mentioned, the one that helps you sleep”

Suho looks curious for a moment before nodding. “Okay, I’ll be right back then”

Jongwoon rubs his hands toward to create some friction against the cold. The Drowsy nestle herb should do the trick. Suho had pointed it out to him at CanCon. He had said it was a sort of herbal tea draught that was intended for person who had trouble sleeping, so that they could sleep more comfortably and for longer.

If he was going to go through with his plan, then he needed a distraction that would keep his family to stay out of his way. He would brew the herb as a tea for them and after they had fallen to sleep he would set his plan into motion and get ready.

!!!

So far it was perfect. He had received the herb from Suho and had rushed home. In the kitchen, he had brewed the herb, adding a little sugar to sweeten the flavor a little.

They had each taken a mug, thankful for something warm on their empty stomachs.

…none of them suspected anything.

Half an hour later, Jongwoon sat in a corner of the basement and shed a few tears as he watched his family sleep peacefully. This might be the last time he ever saw them.

He had dragged them all onto a mattress that he dragged from his bedroom upstairs, placing a gentle kiss on their foreheads, even GD.

Cursing at himself for being a cry baby, he roughly wiped his tears.

It was time to man up…and dress like a woman…

!!!

He raided both Jessica’s and Luna’s room, choosing a dull looking kimono from Luna’s closet and using all of Jessica’s facial products. His hair was shorter than most girls in the village but it was not like there weren’t girls with short hair.

While sitting in front of Jessica’s large mirror, he takes in his features. He had always hated having such soft pudgy cheeks and now that he studied himself closely he could definitely see a lot of effeminate features.

He hopes he made a convincing woman, because if he didn’t, then his family was doomed.

He brushes and combs his hair until it likes flat at the sides of his face, he tries to curl the ends of it with the comb but it doesn’t work as well as he had expected it to. He creates a sort of side fringe that helped to hide his forehead a little and further soften his facial features.

Choosing Jessica’s brightest lipstick, which is a ruby red, he applies it awkwardly onto his lips. She had some pink dust in a container and he wonders briefly what it’s for. Assuming it’s makeup he dashes a bunch of it on his face with the large brush. His face looks like he’s blushing bright red, but he doesn’t  pay much attention to it. Don’t all girls look like that?

Stripping off his shirt, he reaches into Luna’s drawer and pulls out a brassiere. He almost drops it in disgust.

‘Come on Jongwoon, you’ve already reached this far’

up his pride he attempts to strap it on.

And fails…

The bloody thing has a mind of its own and eventually he ends up wearing a very slack, very uncomfortably, shifting bra.

Next comes the stuffing, and he piles in two small bags filled with dried peas.

They sag a little due to the unbalanced bra, but they don’t fall out.

‘I’ll just look like someone’s grandmother’

The kimono goes on easily and by the time he looks into the mirror again, he doesn’t believe what he sees.

‘I’m…good God, I’m ugly…and fat-’

By the time, the sun is rising; Jongwoon is outside his family’s house at their gate. He is kneeling in the traditional way; a large straw hat that he had found in mother’s room is on his head, shielding his face from view. He can hear the tearful cries of a mother refusing to allow her daughter to leave. Even though it’s just daybreak, Jongwoon can already feel a mournful atmosphere settling over the village.

He hears the horsemen approach. They are one house away when Jongwoon realizes his entire body is shaking. One of them jumps off the horse and pulls him to his face, Jongwoon’s hands are soaking wet from perspiration and nervousness.

The hat is ripped from his head, a hand under his chin jerks his face upward and he has no choice but to stare into the eyes of a young warrior.

The man is rather handsome, despite the fact that he is also a sadistic .

The man scoffs, “Gods, these women are unpleasant to look at” he releases Jongwoon’s chin. “This village was a waste of my time” he sighs and turns away, completely missing the sneer of hatred on Jongwoon’s face.  The scream of a frustrated child captures his attention and Jongwoon turns away and watches as a man approaches with Suzy under his arm.

“General Choi, this one is 10 years old, unfortunately she is the only female in the household. We had to knock the father unconscious”

‘So this was General Choi’ Jongwoon takes the in the man’s feature once more before turning his attention back to Suzy.

“Whatever, all female’s under 15 are Tessayne’s division. Just put her with the others” he indicates to the large carriage that is being pulled four black horses.

“Come on ugly, I don’t have all day” Choi shoves Jongwoon toward the carriage. A sudden urge to slap the man stirs in him, but before he could put that idea into action, he finds himself being chained onto Suzy by his wrist. The little girl is crying helplessly next to him and he is attempting to pull her closer to his side when something is placed over his head, sending his vision completely black.

_____

Alright, if anyone is feeling testy over Yesung being fat and ugly. Let me just point out that he's not. It was just the first reaction that came to mind when he looked in the mirror. And from the awful way he applied his makeup, of course he would look kind of messed up lol. But no, he's not actually fat..I already did a fat!Yesung fic....I'm not going back there lol.