Hi! A double update... and I won't be updating till mid week. *bows bows* Time constrains' a ... and I have 3 more chapters worth for editing though I am already done writing. T^T How I wish there is more than 24 hours a day...

Thank you all for your kind comments and also the subscriptions!

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@Sylvia14. Hi ya my friend! You are making educated guesses again!! LOL! Your predictions are pretty accurate (as usual)... Omg... I hope this update does not disappoint! 

And as for the medicine mix up thingy in chapter 31... I think that should be a typo of sorts... but I can't seem to source out the error and edit it.

Just to clarify though, Junho never fed Jaejoong anything wrong. Nevertheless, you are pretty close, medicine will play a big part in later... round 40... since Jaejoong is a medicine man. :p

Ps: I won't even tell you if the feritility herb thing, which is SO random by the way, is or isn't right. I LOLed so hard at that comment! Seriously!! And stop stressing me out!! My life is always significantly harder with you around... WHY?!! Tehee!  *Kidding* Love you best!

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“You ready?” A tall gallant man made some final adjustments to his own armour before joining the other man, who is seated, and sharpening his sword by the table.

“I had general Choi and the maids hide with Changmin already. Any other things I should know?” The man asked, sheathing his sword, before pulling his hair into a tight bun at the top of his head and wrapping his forehead protector across his forehead, tying the headpiece’s knot firmly.

“You fine with losing?” The tall man asked.

“Isn’t that part of the plan?” The man asked nonchalantly.

“The last time I checked, you would rather die than lose. I am just checking if you still mind.” The tall man sheaths his own sword with one swift motion before pulling up his hair as well.

“Of course! But I will let it slide just this once.” The man smoothed the straying strains of thick black hair beside his ears and fastens a long black cape with golden rims to the shoulder pieces. Looking like a dashing, deadly warrior that he hadn’t been portraying for a long time. Wearing a proud, fearless grin as he always does before entering a battle.

“Ha. This will be a historical moment.” The tall man chuckled as he adds on his burgundy cape to his complete gear as well. “The army hasn’t arrived... so I will just tail them for now. You still remember the way back to the residence after escaping later?”

“Yeah. I spent some time with Minnie there before returning.” The king replied, fiddling with the tea cup in his hands as he spins it. Yoochun is supposed to lose a fight to Junho and head off to safety, in the northern general’s estate, until their troops arrive from the capital.

Yunho needs to make sure of the number of rebels before making a move, since he has no idea what the rebels are capable yet.

“And make sure you don’t kill him!! REMEMBER! DO NOT HURT HIM!! No matter what insults he throw you… or Junsu will never forgive you. Yoochun?” The tall man reminded the kingly person as he sits like boss, toying with his boots.

“I know. Stop nagging if you want to be more like a man.” The man, Yoochun chided the other. Yunho smiled and retorted. “!”

“I miss his.” Yoochun said cheekily, gathering his cape and tucking the long piece of black clothe into the side of the girdle. Yunho raised an eye brow at the king, evil smirk on his face. “How many more babies are you planning to make?”

“One is enough. He had a hard time.” Yoochun replied seriously, causing Yunho to burst into laughter, almost falling off the chair.

“You can always get another woman to do the child bearing right?” Yunho mocked, testing Yoochun’s reaction.

“Douche bag!!” Yoochun shouted and hurled the teacup in his hands at the man. Yunho caught in and placed it back beside the porcelain teapot, beside the rest of the teacups.

“Don’t forget your role as a heartless jerk. Behave like one in front of him. Be as heartless as you were once.” Yunho reminded Yoochun again.

“See you later Chingu. Stay alive.” Yunho left his parting words before heading out. He knows Yoochun will not die, but he is still uncertain if Junho will become suspicious.

“Tch.” Yoochun scoffed.

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At nightfall…

Surrounding the fortress, Junho’s men made their way around, coming close to the tall stone walls as they get into a fixed formation as they scale the walls with hook and ropes.

Yunho had already made his way to the observatory near the fortress, ready to tail the rebels after they are done raiding the fort, leaving Yoochun to draw the vengeful warriors out. The king is still seated in Junsu’s room, drinking the last portion of tea left in the teapot. The king’s own escorts consist of only a measly twenty man, but they are prepared as well, they will not win. The group was instructed to display as much cowardice as possible, to trick Junho’s men.

Yoochun is also still considering the amount of damage he will allow Junho to cause, to him and the property.

Invading the fortress, the groups of rebel soldiers were surprised when none of the royal guards did put up a serious fight. Their journey through the fortress is unrealistically smooth as they break into every room of the place, looking for a sign of the king, with Junho leading the way.

“PARK YOOCHUN!!!” Junho immediately made his way to his younger brother’s room, bursting in and heading for the still seated man. “WHERE IS THAT SLIMY ADVISOR OF YOURS? HIDING IN THE CAPITAL?!” The general assumed. He is not very smart.

“KIM JUNHO!?” “You have the guts to come here without a visiting pass?!” Yoochun acted shocked and angered, putting all his previously unused facial muscles to good use with the dramatic act. Then, drawing his sword, he met Junho’s as the man brings the piece of metal down onto him, resulting in a loud clank as the people around them engage in a fight as well.

“YOU!! I WILL BRING YOU DOWN!!” Junho jumped at the man, chopping down the furniture as the Yoochun moves pass them swiftly, dodging skillfully. Soon, curtains are ripped, cupboards are damaged as the teapot and cups shatter onto the ground below.

“YOU are the trespasser!! Out with your reasons for intruding this sacred ground!” The king said as slimily as he can manage.

“WHAT?! YOU!! TO JUNSU!! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!!” The man smashed the door with his feet in a bid to catch the king, as the man slams the wooden structure into him. “YOU KNOW WHY I’M HERE!!!”

“JUNSU’S GONE!! I NEED SOMEONE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR SON!!” the king almost choked on his words, voice sounding constipated as he puts up with the playboy façade, playing the heartless flirt. “I can’t spend a lifetime looking for him while he might as we all know, already be dead!!” The king made the search for Junsu sound like a waste of his time, having no importance whatsoever.

“YOU ARE DISGUSTING!!!” Junho clamored. He bought Yoochun’s act. “WHAT IS JUNSU TO YOU!?!” Junho would not reveal to the king that he has Junsu, no matter what, that’s what he tells himself.

“Someone I sleep with. Someone who takes care of the crown prince for me.” Yoochun could barely stand himself for sounding like that. He can totally buy his own act. Thinking about how he would slaughter the person too, if he were in Junho’s shoes. “A man has his needs. He will need a new wife once the old one is gone.” Yoochun wanted to puke, but held onto his stomach contents.

Junho’s face is as black as the thunder clouds as he advances at the king. The king inhaled once and held his breath. Curving his body to one side as the other’s angry blows rains down on him, the king allowed the opponents sword’s tip to embed itself to his shoulder blade. Clenching his teeth as the searing pain builds up.

Tightening the muscles around the wound, the man slinked away from the sword and wrenched the weapon out. The wound isn’t deep, so no pulmonary damage is done, but a nick on the scapula bone is inevitable. Yoochun can live with that. He just needed to convince Junho that he is bloody wuss who only knows how to sleep around, and is currently losing the fight, but he had brought it a step further by allowing Junho to actually wound him. That wasn’t want Yunho intended, but Yoochun is too into his role in the drama, for whatever reason.

Pretending to be overwhlemed by the ten odd soldiers, as they take turns to attack him, the king bolted, following the escape route that Yunho had mapped out for him earlier. Running in a zig zag motion down the hallway, Yoochun dove out of the window nearest to the stable, barely missing his landing patch on the stable’s roof. Then, sliding down the wooden pillar into the stable from the roof, like that is the fireman’s pole, the king mounted his new horse and made it gallop out from the back gates, while the rest of his own soldiers open the way for him, before dispersing as well.

True enough, and according to plan, the king is out of the fortress and on his horse before anyone could catch up, headed to the place where Changmin is waiting for him.

The roles are switched the moment the king successfully makes it out of the fortress with the fort’s soldiers and guards. It is now Yunho’s turn to enter the picture. The advisor quickly darted to his horse and rode it cautiously to the main exit of the fortress, lying in wait patiently, lights out.

“Did you guys catch him!!?” Junho entered the hallway, which used to house his father’s court meetings once, looking flustered and panting like a bull. The only person that got close enough to killing Yoochun was him, but he wouldn’t jump out of the window even if he was nuts. Looking down from the top floor, Junho cannot be sure that he can land safely as Yoochun had. The king had much better physics, and so Junho’s unconfident self tells him.

“Junho hyung!! His gone!! We can’t find him!!” “The team lost him!! He is too fast!!” “It’s too dark!! His soldiers had him covered!!” Junho puffed up his cheeks as he listens to his comrades’ explanations.

“What do we do now?!” “Junho hyung!! What do we do?!” The general is no doubt disappointed that he had lost the king, but he is happy that he got to make the man hurt.

“RETREAT!!!” “He got lucky, but he won’t be the next time we launch an attack.” Again, this attack is too rushed, without proper planning. Junho knows Jaejoong will not be the most pleased when they return, but he is sure that he had chased Yoochun away from the northern border for the time being. He is mistaken.

Unbeknownst to retreating crowd, there are a few hooded figures watching them from a distance as they made their way down the hills, near the valleys. “Which part of the map are they hiding in?” A deep voice came from one of the hooded person, while the others make the marking on a fresh piece of map.

“The valleys sir.” The person next to the one asking pointed to the black mark on the map. “Their safe house is quite secluded, but though it covers quite a remarkable area of land… it’s easy to miss out that spot during an area sweep.” “There might be hundreds of rebels residing there.” “We mustn’t go in without proper back up.”

“My sentiments exactly. Where are the main troops? Are they on their way?” The voice spoke again.

“Yes sir. They will need approximately two days to arrive from the capital.”

“How many will be coming?” The voice asked a final question.

“Well over a thousand sir.”

“Good.” “I will head back now to check on the king.” “You, you and you, will stay here till I return.”

“Yes sir!” The other few hooded figures said in unison, bowing their heads as the tallest figure leaves them, making his way back down the slopes.

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Back in the hideout…

“KIM JUNHO!!” “WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT!?” A shrill airy voice demanded the moment the retreating group returns. Stepping in through the main gate, the leader of the pack is met with an arrow shot at him, missing him by a lot, courtesy of an extremely enraged individual.

Shocked, the man looked at the direction where the arrow came from and saw a goddess like person standing by the weapon store, loading another arrow unsteadily. He is very fortunate that the person can no longer be the archer he once was because of his debilitating injury.

“Jae hyung!! Don’t hurt hyungie!!” A shorter figure emerged from behind the door and held onto the person’s hand, holding the arrow pleadingly, imploring the man not to do any irreversible damage. The armed person accedes to the other’s request readily and dumps the bow and arrows, making his way to the horse rider’s side.

“I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO WAIT!! YOU PROMISED TO STAY LOW!!! WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO THAT!?!” The man screamed, exasperated. “THEY ARE ALL GOING TO COME BECAUSE OF THIS!! WHERE DO YOU SUGGEST WE HIDE FROM NOW ON?!!?”

“JAE!! LISTEN!!” “There is no one following us!!” “We checked!!” “That bastard is running with his slimy tail between his legs!” “They were the ones who retreated first!!” Junho tried to reassure Jaejoong, but the man is inconsolable.

“YOU WENT BECAUSE OF THIS DIDN’T YOU!?!” The healer continued as he waves the poster he found in the emptied courtyard after the troops pulled out earlier. Jaejoong is not happy that Junho did what he did. AT ALL.

“THAT JERK NEEDED TO BE TAUGHT A LESSON!!” “I almost killed him!! At least he is hurting!” Junho said proudly. Junsu felt his heart sink a fair bit as queasiness set in. Picturing Yoochun in pain kind of made his heart pound against his ribs uncomfortably, as if throbbing and aching.

“THIS IS A FREAKING RUSE!!!” Jaejoong really wanted to literally vomit blood when talking to Junho, except it’s not that easy to do so, physically speaking. Feeling like choking the overly impulsive general with his bare hands, the healer can barely keep his hands to himself. Had Junho not been his nephew, the healer would have hurt him.

“How can you be so sure about that?!” Junho scoffed, returning the healer’s stare defiantly. He had always felt that Jaejoong relies too much on instinct and what his over thinking tells him. Eyes wide, and desperately looking for a sensible explanation, the healer could not clarify what he meant by a ‘ruse’, and he has no idea what he must say in order to convince Junho that Yoochun loves Junsu too much to simply leave the boy be. “That bastard loves Junsu too much.” He tried.

Jaejoong could sense something amiss the moment he saw the poster. First of all, no one else in the safe house but him knows what Yoochun is willing to do, whenever it comes to Junsu. The king would gladly cross continents just to get Junsu back, this fact, the healer knows. Jaejoong had personally experienced how much Yoochun loves Junsu, even to the extent of giving up their baby in exchange. There is NO WAY the man will just give up searching for Junsu and get himself a new lover, not in a million years.

He can’t tell Junho that though. The general will never believe him, being the dim wit he is. After all, Yoochun did put up a good show earlier, acting all heartless and self-centered. “LOVE?! He could wait to dump my midget like thrash!! You have no idea how much of a jerk he is!! Don’t ever tell me he LOVES Junsu again!!”

“FINE!! YOU WIN, BUT WE STILL HAVE TO LEAVE!!!” Jaejoong shouted and turned to the pack as they continue to cheer for one another’s safe return and partial triumph, drinking themselves into oblivion the moment that dismount their steeds. “LISTEN TO ME JUNHO!!” He is ignored as Junho draws his sword and displays it, brandishing it so everyone can see that he still has Yoochun’s blood, stained on the blades.

No one heard Junsu gasp as he clasp onto his chest. Running back to the room, the boy burrowed himself deep within the sheets and sobbed loudly. Despite what he saw written on the poster earlier, Junsu’s heart did not falter or doubt whatever Yoochun told him before. He doesn’t understand why Yoochun would want to make such an announcement, but he is willing to give Yoochun the benefit of the doubt.

The boy does not know what to feel, but anger was never part of them, mysteriously. Maybe, he knows what Jaejoong said was right, deep down inside, since Yoochun did do many crazy things for him.

TBC

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