Silence. It was too quiet. Byul's breath hitched at the sight of red seeping through Luhan's tunic; pools of the wretched crimson stained his stomach as he suddenly felt his knees buckle from the abrupt surge of antagonizing pain. Tao's anguished cry ensued, his bloodied arms reaching for his senior's plummeting figure. Byul thrashed feverishly against Chanyeol's grip, her anguished shrieks deafening the opposing party. Tears ransacked her pinkish cheeks as her arms protested against Chanyeol's restrictions, her heart yearning to cradle her fallen lover. "Let me go to him," she begged endlessly, craning her neck to face Chanyeol with glazed eyes. "Let me go to him, please; then you can rid of the both of us, jus tlet me go to him."

The taller vassal surprisingly obliged, his hazy irises glued to Byul as she stumbled forward towards Luhan, who was breathing heavily on all fours. His breath was deafening up close and deep; it sounded bated and throaty. Several groans passed his lips with pained woe as he lifted himself up to eye Byul. Tao's lips pursed into a tight line, apologetic misery glistening behind his onyx orbs. "I pulled the trigger thinking it was aimed towards one of the other men," the dark-haired knight admitted shamefully. "I didn't think they'd digress the aim towards His Majesty.. he really doesn't have long, he's lost a substantial amount of blood," Tao whispered surreptitiously to the mourning lady before him.

"C-can't we just wrap the wound and take him to our infirmary? Or-or --"

Tao shook his head. "He's already lost enough blood; excessive movement will only increase the speed of blood loss."

Luhan leaned his forehead shamelessly upon Byul's shoulder, pushing Tao away in an assuring manner. Tao obediently backed away, keeping his icy glare upon the other three men, his defensive stance taking place before the injured couple. Tao gripped his arm painfully, feeling the surge of blood slip through his calloused fingers. "Don't come near," he croaked harshly, narrowing his eyes even further. 

Byul palmed Luhan's wound gently, biting her lip at the sound of his muffled winces. His warm breath hit her neck, arms lacing around her waist as he tried to stop her from her bustling ministrations. Sweat began to accumulate on his brow as he drew in slow, uneven breaths. "Just let it be," he chuckled hoarsely, lips barely grazing her jaw. "Promise me something before I leave."
"You're not going anywhere," Byul stubbornly muttered, removing her head piece and wrapping the silky fabrice around his mid-area. He stopped her hastily, gripping tightly onto her fingers and using his free hand to twist her chin to face him directly. He could feel Tao's shadow falter as the latter moved quickly to defend the departing couple. Profanities escaped Tao's lips as he ushered them silently to hurry. "I don't have much time before Tao takes you away to a safer place," Luhan whispered gently. "Promise me you'll take care of my men, raise them as if they were your own; take care of my kingdom and --"

"Stop it," Byul whined, squirming in his grip. Luhan didn't budge; he kept his grip on her forearms and pulled her into a forceful kiss, his lips snatching hers aggressively; the hardness of his dry lips scratched at her soft pair, and she could almost feel the warmth of them leaving by the second. Luhan pulled away, only to give her another kiss; and another; and another.

"Promise me, Byul."

"Luhan --"

"My Lady, we have to go," Tao coaxed in a series of pants.

Byul looked away from Luhan for a second that Tao had managed to send Baekhyun, Suho, and Chanyeol to the ground; it seemed that it could be seconds from now that they recover from their blows. "Go," Luhan urged, "but not before you promise me. Take care of my kingdom."
"Luhan --"
"My Lady, please; we can't take His Majesty with us. We have to go, now. Yixing is already manning the ship. We have to cross the trading borders before your men reach us. Please, we have to go."

Byul quickly stole another kiss from Luhan, his lips ghosting beneath hers in a surreptitious peck.

And against his hardening, icy lips, he could feel the warmth of her breath uttering the two words that would provide his afterlife with an eternal source of happiness and closure.

"I promise."

And in the distance, admist her running, Byul swore she could hear Luhan's fading laughter and his diminishing whispered encouragements for her prosperity.

"The young prince rode across the city, past the knolls at the north end of his realm, and stood next to a large stone wall that marked the edge of his kingdom. He would spend entire afternoons -and sometimes even evenings- throwing rocks over this wall, even though the wall would be too tall for him to see where the stones would land. He would heave them as far as possible, and then listen silently for a "thump" as the rock hit the ground.

And one day, an old vagabond approached him and said, "This land was made for commoners and kings, not us."
The prince turned to him and argued, "You're either one or the other."
The old man laughed breathlessly and replied, in a very hoarse, raspy croak, "If that were true, young Prince, we wouldn't be looking for a home right now." He took the rock from the prince's hand and sent it soaring over the wall, and it flew, as if the heavens pulled it from this Earth. The prince stared in shock, stood still as a tree, and listened.

Amidst the piercing silence, he listened, and he listened, and listened; and to his bemused bewilderment, the young prince never heard the thump. "How did you do that?" But when he turned to the vagabond, his amazement quickly diminished into disappointment. The old wanderer was gone. The prince, then, mounted his trusty steer, and rode back to his castle that evening, and vowed that one day, he would escape these walls.. and find that stone."

Byul smiled nostalgically at the story she had previously hand-written. Her long, blond hair fell over her shoulders in flowing curls, her signature red gown adorning her sculpted figure in elaborate weaves.

"You're thinking of him again?"

She turned slowly to her right to find her new secretary at hand, Tao, smiling mischieviously at her with a hidden gleam lurking behind his onyx-coloured irises. She nodded slowly, a smile painting over her picturesque visage. "Of course I am; everybody in this kingdom is."
"He was a great leader.. a great lover, too, I'm presuming."
"You can presume or assume all you want," Byul remarked wittily, "his being a great lover or not, is only for me to know." A devious smile graced her supple lips as a snide chuckle dropped from Tao's lips.

The younger male laid a relaxed hand upon the queen's shoulder. "It's been a half year already, my Lady. I'm surprised you haven't figured that Luhan would've wanted you to move on."

"And I'm surprised that you haven't figured that I have no intetions of marrying." Byul smiled softly at Tao's understanding expression, watching his gaze flutter down to her stomach. A gentle hum escaped past Tao's lips as he began to slowly absorb the realization growing. 

"So you're --"

"I think I'm bearing his child," Byul whispered, with a hint of a beam twitching at her lips. "I think I.. might be able to produce an heir to the throne, Tao. And.. it'll be his heir."