Chapter three: A Twist of Fate

Deep down under the ground, somewhere far away from where he wanted to be, sat Hangeng. His head was resting against the wall as he listened to the dripping of water drops somewhere in the corner of the room that held him prisoner.

This was not the way it was supposed to go. No, not at all. How could evil be the one thing that was being victorious… How could it be that those ugly bastards were the ones that locked him up instead of the other way around?

“Heechul…” His voice was hoarse from the lack of water even though he only whispered that beautiful name. The beautiful name of a beautiful man that he barely knew. And yet, Heechul was constantly in his mind, his terrified expression was burned on his eyelids. Hangeng felt sick every time that he thought back to Heechul’s expression the moment he was handed over to his uncle and the Sheriff. Hangeng wanted to murder both of those men for being able to put that expression on the confident man’s face.

There was no question about the fact that Hangeng was kind of obsessed about a man that he barely knew. Heechul’s lips were worth thinking about, needless to say that Hangeng wanted to taste them again… And he wanted to do more. Still, Hangeng wouldn’t say that he was only feeling lust, there was also that unfamiliar feeling of possessiveness of Heechul that he couldn’t shake off.

Suddenly a voice and some footsteps sounded out of nowhere.

“Well, Hangeng, Lord of Summerfield, we have finally caught you.” Hangeng immediately recognized that sadistic voice even without opening his eyes. The Sheriff.

The Sheriff chuckled as Hangeng heard his walking closer to his cell. “And, how are you? Are you happy with your new home?” The sarcastic and dark undertone made the question even worse than just mocking and he refused to answer.

His silence made the Sheriff continue his taunt: “Yeah, it’s a bit cold and wet. But I can assure you that you have the most beautiful cell in my entire prison. A better place to waste away doesn’t exist.”

Hangeng only huffed at his taunting. He could handle this, he would not succumb to mere provoking.

The Sheriff chuckled again but after he realized that Hangeng wasn’t talking, his nice demeanor changed and he hissed: “Did you lose your tongue, bastard? Rogue! Crook!” He called Hangeng several names but Hangeng was still silent so the Sheriff continued.

“The little birds will miss you in the forest of nothing. So will the cripple and the deprived.” The Sheriff’s nice but biting tone was back again. “And not to forget, your accomplices.” He almost spit those words out. “They’ll all eventually pay for their crimes, just like you.”

Hangeng opened his eyes but still didn’t let a word escape his mouth. He was just in time to see the Sheriff kneel down in front of the bars, close to his face. “I would rather have hanged you, myself. Or to sever your head from your body. But the governor is right, to let you rot here until you become crazy from hunger and grief is a heavier punishment. You’re history. The only thing that counts is the present and the future.”

Hangeng still didn’t look up, he could handle this… this was nothing.

The Sheriff stood up again. “Well, I have to go now. I have to get married. My bride is waiting.”

Hangeng was only confused for a second. Then his eyes shot up to the Sheriff’s face and as soon as he saw that smug face, all lose ends connected:

Heechul.

It was almost as if he flew up, he was so quick on his feet. Hangeng gripped the steel bars so hard that his knuckles turned white and he spit out: “Drop dead, you sick bastard!”

The sheriff who had turned away as if he wanted to walk away, turned back to him with a smug expression. And with that sickly sweet voice, he said: “Ah, so you can speak.”

Hangeng tried to calm himself down but it was futile as he imagined Heechul in the arms of this gruesome man. Hangeng gritted his teeth, he wanted to break something and preferably the Sheriff’s jaw.

The sheriff kept on speaking as if it was just a light conversation: “Once Heechul is mine, I will make him obey me. I will make him submissive, he will lie by my feet.”

He leaned closer to Hangeng. “And I will remind him every day off the fact that you are rotting away in this dungeon. He’ll beg me to let you die…” He was leaning so close now that Hangeng could smell his rotten breath, “to free you from your suffering…, Hangeng.”

He couldn’t handle it anymore. Hangeng couldn’t handle any of those revolting words anymore. He let his temper get the best of him and he spit the Sheriff right in his face.

The with leather clothed hand shot out quicker than Hangeng anticipated and he felt his airway being closed. Hangeng barely managed to free himself. And for the first time he was happy for those steel bars because they prevented the Sheriff from coming closer.

With a disgusted face, the Sheriff wiped away the spit on his face after which he shouted for the guards.

Two came running along and they were ordered to deny him of water and bread for three days.

Hangeng barely registered what was happening anymore. It was as if everything was too much for him. Every word too loud, every movement too much and his body too heavy for his legs. He let himself sink down to the floor, not caring about letting the Sheriff seeing him broken, he didn’t care about anything anymore but Heechul.

His mind was only with Heechul…

“Well, I never expected the leader of the rebels to look so defeated.”

Hangeng looked up. It was unexpected to hear a woman’s voice in the dungeon. She sounded vaguely amused and Hangeng wondered who it was as he didn’t recognize her.

She straightened her beautiful made dress. She was clearly a member of higher society but even though Hangeng had spent half of his life among nobility, he didn’t remember meeting her. So, he squeezed his eyes to splits and inquired: “Who are you?”

She pretended to be offended. “Don’t you know who I am? Really? Has nobody told you who I am?”

“Should they have mentioned you?” He bit back. A bit annoyed that he was conversing with such an airhead.

“They should’ve.” She affirmed. “But never mind who I am. It is not for you to know as you are nothing special.”

“What?!” Hangeng spit out, he was a bit offended to his own embarrassment.

“I wanted to see if you are the excellent warrior and leader they made you out to be. But clearly you aren’t so I’ll keep to my special target.”

“Your special target?” Hangeng repeated incredulously.

“Ah, yes.” She said with almost a dreamy voice. “The master painter. He’ll be mine very soon…”

Hangeng suddenly feared for Donghae, if this crazy wench got her hands on him it would not end well. “And how will you manage to catch your target?” He pried a bit.

She gave him a cunning and sly smile. “Well, with the use of my father and some paint, of course.” And suddenly Hangeng got the impression that this girl was not an airhead but that she was crazy to the point of genius. And in the midst of her walking away and his own troubles, Hangeng prayed for Donghae, for if she got her hands on him, hell would freeze over.

I heard the sound of horseshoes behind me. I turned around and watched the stallion walk in an easy pace towards all of us. It was as if Donghae and I had never left… while we surely had.

“Well? Where did you guys come from?” Kyuhyun pressed on.

I turned my head towards him again but I found it rather difficult to answer him. Had we always been here? Had we been transported by the queen? Or was there even another explanation?

“It doesn’t matter.” Donghae decided briskly as he grabbed the stallion’s reigns. “We need to get out of here.”

Kyuhyun looked as if he wanted to protest but Sungmin rendered all of that impossible by hoisting Kyuhyun on the horse.

But I wasn’t as easily distracted by a pretty face and strong arms as Kyuhyun was and I protested. “But what about-”

But Donghae, the bas