ENJOY!!

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Chapter 7 – It's Begun

“You have that star struck look on your face Ji” Seungri pointed out as they both sat inside the others' pavilion while a girl attended to Jiyong's hands.

“You don't understand Seungri! He's just so... so... I don't know” Jiyong gushed as he smiled at Seungri. Seungri chuckled as he watched Jiyong giggle and smile like a loon.

Seungri frowned when his attention was averted, he had never seen Jiyong act the way he was. It has been a little over a week and his behavior had been steadily changing. “I'll be right back.”

Jiyong nodded and waved the other away.

Seungri quickly made his way to the guards' quarters and grabbed Youngbae by the arm as he pulled him along behind him. “What the... Seungri what are you doing?” Youngbae asked he yanked his arm from Seungri's grasp and looked at him incredulously.

“Not here” Seungri hissed as he motioned from Youngbae to follow him. Finding a secluded outside pavilion Seungri rounded on Youngbae “What are they doing to him?”

“Wait a minute who's doing what to who?” Youngbae asked as he leaned against a pillar. “Jiyong, he's being weird. He's acting like a love-struck girl, that... the 'king' is doing something to him.” Seungri growled out as he glared at Youngbae who was shaking his head. “He would never do something like that. The king is in fact not magical he possesses no such power to spell someone into what he wants” Youngbae murmured his back stiffening as he stood straight.

“What?” Seungri asked as he flinched slightly as Youngbae pulled him closer “We're being watched.” Seungri relaxed slightly and leaned further into Youngbae. “How did you know?” he whispered “I just do. Why are you so concerned? Hasn't he ever been happy?”

Seungri sighed as he fidgeted a little as he looked around “We're orphans, we've never known our families. We met in an orphanage and from then on we've been best friends... he's like my brother.” Youngbae sighed and then smiled as he patted the younger man's back. “Seungri has Jiyong ever been in love?”

Seungri paused as he was about to say yes but then stopped, sure Jiyong's had a few boyfriends here and there but he's never told Seungri if he was in love with any of them or was convinced that 'they were the one.' “I don't know. I don't think so...”

“It's okay, Seungri he'll be fine give him some space.”

“I know I'm just worried since there's so much threat around. Now that he's all awestruck he's not being as careful anymore” Seungri mumbled his expression truly showing how worried he was as he looked Youngbae in the eyes. “I'll watch him more often Seungri. And he spends quite a bit of time with the king and where the king is, be assured, he's being protected.

“You're right.”

“Of course I am.”

“Shush.”

~*~

Jiyong sat in his chair his mind a whirl of incoherent thought. With a small groan he stood and went to lay down.

“I feel like crap” he mumbled and then curled up and tried to sleep whatever was wrong with him, off.

~*~

Seunghyun sat on his throne as his advisers made suggestions for changing the laws regarding taxes and grain.

He did not want to be there. He hated being where he sat.

Raising his hand the men all quieted for they had begun to argue amongst themselves about what would be best for them.

“Enough. I'll make a decision in due time.”

“Your majesty!”

“You can't put this off! Your majesty!”

Seunghyun ignored the hollers of his advisers and walked passed them.

Outside he stopped and looked around taking a deep breath before he turned feeling Daesung standing next to him. “I hate this life Dae” he whispered softly looking down at his feet.

“Seunghyun” Daesung worried as he looked at the other. “Come on you shouldn't say such things” Daesung murmured and gently pushed Seunghyun towards his pavilion.

Back safely in his rooms Seunghyun quickly undid his hair and sat. Sighing he laid his head on the table and looked at Daesung who was carrying a tray of tea. “My lord?” Seunghyun looked up at the address and smiled at the cup being offered to him. “How are you now, you and Jiyong have been getting along quite well these past days.”

Seunghyun looked at Daesung but couldn't see through the man's smile before he carefully answered “He's enjoyable company. He speaks very vibrantly about where he comes from. Why the interest? Don't tell me you believe in that fool's prophecy?” Daesung made a momentary face before he turned away as he busied himself with the tray.

“I know you will most likely become angry with me but I'm going to tell you anyway. You need to stop that, you are not weak Seunghyun. I know what happened was... it would have killed any other man but you're still here. And that means you are an incredibly strong willed person who knows what's right. I'm not asking you to believe the prophecy, I'm asking that maybe you should start thinking about... that maybe it's time for you to realize that... well it's time to let go and move on.”

Daesung bowed and quickly left the room without looking back.

Seunghyun was about to open his mouth in anger but stopped himself.

Daesung was right.

He sat and contemplated what he had become. Sighing he called for someone to fetch Jiyong for him, he needed a distraction and Jiyong generally was very good at that.

~~*~~

Daesung smiled softly as he walked along the paths to go and get Jiyong. He was hoping and was almost sure that the man was breaking down the wall Seunghyun had built around his heart.

Arriving at the pavilion he frowned when he saw Youngbae rush out.

“Youngbae what happened?” he asked as he stopped the other man. Youngbae, nervous and angry, whispered quickly. “Someone's poisoned Jiyong.”

Daesung gasped as he rushed into the pavilion and pushed aside all the servant girls and some guards to get to Jiyong's rooms. Seeing the situation he quickly took control of it .

He sent everyone who was not needed back to where they needed to be.

The girl, Bochun, was sitting in a chair as she held a handkerchief to her face as tears came down her cheeks.

“Where's Seungri?” Daesung asked when he noticed that the other man was not in the vicinity. “We don't know sir” one of the guards from Youngbae's team answered as he stood by the curtained doorway. Daesung bit his lip, they had started earlier than expected. “Find him, now.”

Bowing the guard left.

“Bochun?”

“Yes?”

“Go get the king for me. Here” Daesung moved over the desk in the corner and grabbed papyrus and an ink well and quickly wrote down some characters before handing it to her. “Give this directly to him in his hands no one is to see this but him. Go. And hurry.”

The girl wiped her face and bowed and quickly left the room at a run her colorful skirts muted in the light of the situation.

Sighing Daesung looked over Jiyong, he wiped the sweat from the boy's forehead, fever, he thought as he placed his hand on his forehead and closed his eyes and concentrated. His hand instantly cooled the skin on the boy's forehead and slowly cooled the rest of his body.

“I wont let things end like this, not this time, I promise.”

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OMG I did just end it there. Go ahead give it to me, what do ya'll think?

Don't be shy tell me. And this chapter came out easier than the last one partly because... things are moving along at a faster pace now. And I've noticed that I've yet to put in this but be aware that I can't do that when the time isn't right, if it'll ever get there. >>

SO.... yeah. Until next time ya'll!