"It feels so strange." Minho spoke as he caress the head of his tombstone in the garden of the palace where Taemin buried him. Its odd really to be standing right on top where you were once buried. Still buried. 

"Do you want to dig it up and see for yourself?" Taemin asked. In a teasing manner of sort.

"I don't think I want to see the old me buried in there." Minho took Taemin's hand to walk into the palace while Jonghyun followed him from the back. They have just arrived and the sun already rose.

"Where have you been?" Onew frowned once he spotted Taemin enter the door of the palace. Everyone has been looking frantically for the young prince. Mostly due to fear that he might have jumped of the silvet cliff to kill himself.  

"Somewhere far." Taemin said. Pulling Minho next to him while Jonghyun stayed at the back. In a way Jonghyun no longer felt like talking. He had been drained for a thousand years worth of magical spells he used to bring back and take care of Minho in the modern world.

"How in-I thought you died. I watched Taemin bury you over a week ago." Onew was startled by the mere presence of the person of who killed himself for his brother to see. 

"He came to me and brought me back." Minho simply answered.

"Where did you go to Taemin? Why would you even do such a thing when you know you have so many people depending on your wellbeing." Onew asked. His tone much, much more serious now. The mere thought of his baby brother endangering himself for a mere man made him boil. He almost went insane when the servants told him Taemin was missing. It was because of his beloved feline that he managed to keep his thoughts straight.  

 "I travelled far. Very far into a place you will never lay eyes on. Believe me brother, I had no choice but to get him back. He is the ki-" Taemin started to tell who Minho really was. That he was the King of the Stars. That he controlled everything this land has to offer. But Minho stopped him before he managed to utter a word.

"My prince, I believe you are very tired right now. Will you excuse him and I to his chambers?" Minho asked Onew who just nodded. Onew was still enraged by the fact his baby brother had endangered himself for a mere peasant. If only he knew who Minho really was and Taemin was puzzled why Minho seemed to not let him tell. 

They walked to Taemin's chambers while Jonghyun seemed to have gone missing. Wandering the palace probably. His eyes always did like to wander and observe. 

"Why won't you let me tell who you really are? Don't you want the respect you deserve as the king you really are?" The prince asked the man. 

"I would rather not." 

 "And why so?" Taemin asked as Minho tucked a lock of blonde hair behind his ear. Causing it to reddened in heat for a little.

"I want to earn your brother's respect for who I am. For who I am to you. I don't want him to pretend because he fears of what I might do." Minho said. 

"Isn't that rather silly?" 

" Its not my prince, believe me. Respect earned out of trust is much stronger compared to respect out of fear."

"My brother might be nice enough to let me have you here. And that Jonghyun too. But my father won't be as willing you see. " 

"Maybe not now but when he needs to." 

And after some time, Minho did show himself worthy for Taemin to Onew. 

He would take care of the young prince silently without uttering a word. Because, when Taemin falls,he catches. Because when Taemin can't sleep, he sings. Because when Taemin has a fever due to fatigue, he will stay up all night to watch over him.

 He would be patient when the ministers of the palace purposely called him the living dead. They did not like the fact that their horrendous tradition didn't went as planned. Because in their opinion, Minho should have stayed dead.

He did not get angry over the fact that even the servants in the palace made fun of him being a toy for the prince. They would whisper behind his back wondering if how much Minho was getting out of this.  

He did not once raised his voice when the king made it hard for him to breathe when he reminded Minho what happened to him. He didn't utter a word when the king would purposely toss him blood flowers, which were meant for graves.

It was not so much that they hated Minho. It was just the mere fact that they thought Minho was a peasant. A commoner that had no place in the palace. They felt that Minho was unworthy and only reason why he was still there was because he was Taemin's. Because Taemin said he would stay. 

 It burned when Taemin watched Minho silently bear all this suffering when he should not. He did not get why Minho wouldn't show all this snotty aristocrats all he could do. That he could burn them into flames, that he could turn the land to dust. It was confusing for the young prince. He felt as though Minho was being treated worse from when he was invisible. And everytime Taemin made a move to utter who Minho is, Minho would silently pull him away. What for is all this? What was Minho waiting for?

It was almost dark during dinner when several guards suddenly came into the palace, wounded. They were marked with a big 'K' on their forehead with a knife. It was gruesome. 

Prince Onew and Prince Taemin along with several other jenerals were summoned to meet up with the king in his court. 

 "I am sure that all of you have heard what had become of our men." The king started off.

"Yes father." Onew replied.  

"The Klavens have declared war on our kingdom and it appears at the brink of dawn their army will start attacking unless we make a deal with them." 

"What about our army? Aren't they enough? " 

"The Klavens have conquered far too many countries and kingdoms. Ours would be the last for them to complete the puzzle. " The king said. 

"Are you suggesting we give in to them at dawn when they arrive?" Taemin asked. 

 "They will outnumber our men. This is not something to play with like your toy." The king said to his youngest son.

"What did they demand for?" Onew asked.  

"They will state their demands tomorrow." 

"That is absurd father. We cannot just give up." Onew said. 

 " I do not want to give up empty handedly but I do not want our people to die. At sun rise, we will meet with them."