Chapter 19: Dawn tinged with blood

Soyeon seemed stunned by the sudden confession, but she quickly recovered and let out a laugh.

“In love with my brother,” she breathed. “That’s sweet.” She gave him a sneer. “Too bad you won’t see him again.”

Before Baekhyun could register her words, she snapped her fingers. Two gruff men pulled him by the arms once more, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“So you’re choosing death for both you and your dear Chanyeol?” Soyeon asked, smoothing out her long skirt nonchalantly.

“I’m choosing death for you,” he replied calmly, shaking off the hands of her lackeys.

They, to his amazement, let him go, probably out of fear or respect, and he advanced towards her. She backed away, panic warping her features, and he smirked out of sick contentment.

“I won’t allow anyone to hurt Chanyeol,” he said in a low voice, leaning over her.

She gulped and gripped the wall, plastering herself to it, eyes darting around as if expecting her guards to save her. They didn’t. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, bounding her hands with the discarded rope.

“Where are you taking me?” She gritted out when Baekhyun began wheeling her towards the door.

He noticed that all the guards were gone.

“Back to the palace.”

“Are you taking me hostage?”

Her incredulous tone made him laugh humorlessly, and he merely pushed her to walk faster. As they strode through the hallways, Baekhyun wondered to himself how he was going to fight his way through the crowd of soldiers at the gates. However, as they neared the front gates, he saw that there was no need for his worries. To his confusion, and to Soyeon’s astonishment, the soldiers parted to let him through.

He walked through the two lines of men cautiously, shocked by the way they angled their head in respect as he passed them. Outside the gates, he could just make out a figure facing him with crossed arms, with two others next to him. As he walked closer, he recognized the trio, and he couldn’t help but laugh in relief and weary surprise.

“Yah, Byun Baekhyun, you -“

“Hello to you too, Jongin,” Baekhyun said amusedly, pushing an indignant Soyeon to the side while keeping a tight grip on her.

He then faced the other two people behind Jongin and smiled.

“I thought I told you two to stay quiet,” Baekhyun scolded amiably. “Minseok, Daehyun, I am so disappointed in you two.”

Minseok lightly shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “I’m not about to let my friend walk into a death trap without backup.”

“Yeah, hyung,” Daehyun agreed, casually draping his arm over Baekhyun’s shoulders. “Besides, Jongin here will probably have our hides if anything happens to you. I don’t want to die an early death, I’m not married yet, and I still nee-“

Before Daehyun could continue on his melodramatic speech with his flailing arms, Minseok slapped a hand over his mouth and pried him away from a giggling Baekhyun.

“Shush, you talk too much,” he hissed, holding the struggling Daehyun in place.

“Anyways,” Jongin began, drawing the attention away from the two, “just WHAT were you thinking?”

His eyes flashed dangerously as he planted his hands on his hips. If he didn’t look so angry, Baekhyun would’ve busted out laughing at his pose.

“Aw, come on, Jongin,” Baekhyun said. “I’m fine, aren’t I?”

“Why do you never listen?” Jongin demanded, stomping his feet childishly. “I told you to not be a heroic idiot and go alone, but you just had to make us all worry for you. What would’ve happened if we didn’t come here?”

As Jongin drew in a breath, still scowling, Baekhyun smiled.

“But you guys are here, aren’t you?” He said softly.

Jongin let out the breath in a deep sigh, and shook his head before laughing.

“Yeah, we are.”

“Come on, let’s go back to the palace,” Baekhyun suggested, placing an arm around Jongin and angling his thumb towards Soyeon. “Then, we can think about what to do with her.”

Soyeon merely scoffed and rolled her eyes.

---

“Still no sign of Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun asked tentatively, trying not to let his worry show.

Jongin shook his head and resumed his pacing, stopping only to momentarily look out a window.

The day had already faded once again into morning. There was still a few hours left until dawn, but neither Baekhyun nor Jongin could even contemplate the idea of sleeping. The four of them, including Minseok and Daehyun, had returned to the palace a little after dinner time, at around eight. They had thrown Soyeon into a cell without much sympathy and instructed the guards to watch her closely. Minseok and Daehyun then left them, heading to the front again with wishes from both Baekhyun and Jongin.

“Tell everyone to be careful,” Baekhyun had said seriously. “I’ll be with you guys soon.”

Minseok nodded and pulled Baekhyun in for a hug. Daehyun rolled his eyes and snickered, but did the same.

“See you, hyung,” he called with a cheerful wave.

After the two left, Jongin and Baekhyun sat in Chanyeol’s study silently, exchanging only a few words. As time passed, Baekhyun noticed that Jongin became more and more agitated, and he began pacing and looking out the window periodically. Baekhyun realized with a jolt that he was worried about Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun couldn’t deny that he, himself, was also worried for his friend, but he was somewhat surprised that Jongin, the Jongin that spent almost every minute of his life making Kyungsoo miserable, seemed even more nervous than him.

But then again, he thought. They spend a lot of time together. Of course they’re close, despite their childish squabbles.

“Praetor!”

Baekhyun immediately shot up from his seat as one of his soldiers came rushing in through the doors of the study.

“What’s wrong?” He asked anxiously, vaguely aware of the fact that Jongin had joined him.

“The left side lines are crumbling,” he reported, slightly breathless from his running. “We need your assistance.”

“I’ll head right over,” Baekhyun said quickly, putting on his coat.

“Hyung-“

“Jongin, stay here and don’t go anywhere, okay?” Baekhyun said, shuffling around the room, pocketing some important things. He grabbed his sword from off the table and looked at Jongin expectantly.

“Fine,” Jongin huffed unwillingly, sinking back into a chair. “Let me just wait here in this ‘safe’, boring place without knowing what’s going on at the front.”

“Hush, Jongin,” Baekhyun said good-naturedly. “We’re trying to defend the palace here. The enemy is enclosing us on all four sides, so your help will be needed soon enough. For the time being though, just sit here like a good boy, okay?”

He shot Jongin a smile before gesturing for the soldier to lead him to the front.

---

“Praetor!”

Baekhyun greets his soldiers as he nears the left wing of the palace. They were camped out near the side gates, eyes fixed on the iron bars like hawks.

“How is it going?” He asked, kneeling near Minseok who was pouring over a map spread out over a makeshift table.

“We had to retreat because the enemy was literally overwhelming us,” he explained.

“Outnumbered by two to one,” Daehyun added.

Baekhyun bit his lower lip nervously as his eyes quickly scanned the map of the palace.

“They have troops here, here, and here,” he said, fingers brushing the outline of the palace walls. “The main force is centered here.”

He pointed at the front gates.

“However, the side forces are not weak at all. I’m pretty sure Soyeon was banking on the side forces as a distraction, and attacking from the front. It’ll create the dramatic effect she so loves,” Baekhyun reasoned.

Daehyun nodded, but frowned. “She’s captured now, so how do you think she’s controlling her troops?”

“She’s not all that military talented. The one leading the soldiers is probably not her, but someone else,” Minseok said. “Probably one of her many lovers.”

“Yang Seungho?” Baekhyun asked.

Yang Seungho was one of the emperor’s best generals, but it was a well-known fact that he was also the lover of Princess Soyeon. Baekhyun was almost completely sure that he was the one behind the troops, controlling them.

“Maybe,” Minseok replied with a shrug. “It could be someone else though, li-“

His words were cut short by firing gunshots, shocking the trio. They started and turned their attention towards the gates, only to see that the troops were already engaged in battle. Cursing under his breath, Baekhyun withdrew his guns, Daehyun and Minseok doing the same. Without a second thought, they threw themselves into the center of the battle.

As Baekhyun fired bullet after bullet, he let his fighting instincts take over his body. He slid between rows of men, the soldiers falling after he passed them—they did not even notice the bullets sinking into them. He fought with a sort of nonchalance grace, calm, calculated shots.

Yet, once again, he could see that he was fighting a losing battle. The enemy kept coming, a never-ending onslaught of bullets and blades. Nevertheless, he continued fighting, not backing off. However, the men around him kept falling in shockingly numerous amounts, and he knew they had to stop some time.

“Retreat!” He screamed.

His order echoed throughout the ranks, and the soldiers fell back, slamming the iron gates shut behind them. Once everyone was settled down, Baekhyun had the wounded treated and personally walked throughout the men, giving them words of comfort.

Minseok, however, noticed the way Baekhyun was wincing every time he moved his arm.

“Baekhyun-ah, come over here for a moment,” he said, patting the spot on the ground next to him.

Baekhyun walked over, eyes confused and dropped down beside Minseok. He immediately reached over and took Baekhyun’s arm, eyes widening when he saw the spreading blood stain on Baekhyun’s sleeve.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Minseok chided.

“It didn’t hurt that much,” Baekhyun replied, hissing a little when Minseok ripped open his sleeve.

Minseok sighed and continued treating Baekhyun’s wound, binding it tightly with gauze. Daehyun soon found his way over to them, drenched in sweat, and collapsed beside them.

“This is tiring,” he whined, laying on the floor.

“We’re not done yet,” Baekhyun said. “Get ready for the next battle. It’s going to be soon.”

Daehyun sighed and sat up, squinting at the impending signs of daybreak. For some reason, it did not hold hope, but rather, another seemingly endless tirade of bloodshed.

---

“You request an alliance with China?”

Chanyeol nodded, sitting up straight and leaning over the table seriously.

“Yes, Emperor Hangeng. In an attempt to protect the Korean throne, I would very much appreciate it if you agree,” Chanyeol said, thanking God that the Chinese Emperor could understand Korean fluently.

He almost thought the rumors had been wrong, and that Emperor Hangeng could not understand a drop of Korean. After all, Chanyeol had spent thirty minutes persuading the Emperor to fulfill an alliance with Korea, yet the man had not moved at all, looking at Chanyeol with his fingers entwined, not showing any signs of understanding.

“You mean, in an attempt to secure your throne?” Hangeng corrected with a raised eyebrow.

Chanyeol lowered his eyes, wondering to himself what his true motives were.

Was it for the country?

Or was it for himself?

His mind flashed to Jongin, to Sehun, to his younger sister, to that one bard down the street that had some of the most beautiful vocals, to Kyungsoo, to Luhan, and finally, to Baekhyun.

To Baekhyun who had done so much for him, who was always with him, who sacrificed so much so he could ascend the throne.

All of a sudden, he felt as if he wouldn’t mind if he didn’t have the crown. But disappointing Baekhyun, making him feel like everything he had done was useless and fruitless, was unacceptable.

He looked back up.

“Emperor Hangeng, I do not deny that I am doing this so I can become the Emperor of Korea, but I assure you it is for the greater good.”

“Are you telling me that you wouldn’t mind giving up the crown?”

“Yes.”

Chanyeol looked Hangeng straight in the eyes, his gaze never faltering. Finally, Hangeng lowered his eyes first, feeling the sincerity and truth in Chanyeol’s voice. He gave a small sigh.

“How many soldiers do you need?” He asked, taking out a leaf of paper.

“P-pardon?” Chanyeol asked, shocked by the sudden turn of events. He had not expected it to me so… easy.

“You need troops, don’t you? How many?”

“Five-thousand.”

Chanyeol stared as Hangeng wrote a decree and signed the treaty that was sitting in front of Chanyeol with a flourish.

“Thank… you…” Chanyeol said uncertainly as he retrieved the treaty.

“No problem,” Hangeng said nonchalantly, acting as if he hadn’t just signed an alliance with a foreign country. “Go back and help your friends and steal your throne back or whatever.”

He waved an astonished Chanyeol, who bowed politely, away.

“Thank you very much,” Chanyeol muttered before heading out the meeting hall.

“Chanyeol-shi?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Good luck,” Hangeng said with a smile.

Chanyeol returned the smile and began his trip back to Korea with heightened spirits.

_______________________________

A/N: Omg, I can't express how sorry I am ;__; This is really late, isn't it? It's been, what, a month since I've updated? I'm so sorry guys ;___; It's just that school's really getting to me. I had to rush a seventy page group project in two days, prepare for a forty-five minutes presentation in a few hours, and after that, there were just so many tests and homework, not to mention competitions, volunteer services, and whatnot to care about. I know I'm making excuses, but sorry anyways ;__;

Lol, back to the story. So, it's progressing slower than I thought, but the battle arc should end by the next chapter or so. The next next chapter is probably going to be after the battle, but the effects of it is still there. Anyways, I tried writing a bit more this time, 'cause I noticed that my updates are really short. Am I improving in length? ;)

I just finished writing a very.... Symbolist style Luhan-centric short fic for a contest, but I'm sort of worried about posting it, because really, who understands Symbolist writing? I want to write an analysis on it... but I don't think I have the ability to do it yet. I'm just going to have my friend read it over and see if he understands it LOL. Hint about the story: 'feathers' is one of the main motifs.

A Hunhan fluff romance crack whatever story is also coming up. I'm... like.... 1/4 done with it, asdfgh. I tried making it all angsty and aloof... but... yeah, it didn't work out, I ended up writing... fluff and crack. Goodness >.>

Anyways, thank you all for being patient with me! I love you all~

P.S. I just finished Reply 1997. I love the man. Best drama of the year, with Queen Inhyun's Man coming in close second. Joonhee and Yoonjae ;____; /creys from feels.

Anyways, I'm going to do hw now -cough-probably not, i'm going to make my friend's b-day (which wason 11/8) present or smthn-cough-

Forgot to mention, but please join my one-shot contest: chase me to the end

And the Luhan story is up: the wings dissolve and disappear (it is raining feathers)