Fear. No one is born with fear. Fear is instilled upon them after they are born. Fear of god, fear of society, fear of anything you can name.

 

And that was the case of the Kingdom of Meido-the Kingdom of Fear.

Every single citizen was brought up in the fear of the Lee family, the rulers of the vast kingdom of Meido which stretched across two oceans and was still growing.

 

But there was one boy who didn't fear them- never cowered in fear whenever one of the aristocrats passed by him, never bowed down to them or their powers, never kneeled down in front of them, never begged them to forgive him even if it was his mistake- Jonghyun.

 

He was born into one of the lower ranked families, growing up in the shady areas of the town. His father was a cobbler and his mother a teacher in the school for the lower ranks. She did earn well considering that it was the only school for the lower ranks where wages were scarce; and it was all because of her gentle nature and knowledge that they were getting by.

 

His father had died due to poor health when he was small, and people considered him lucky as he didn’t live to see what his son's lack of fear had done to his family.

 

But it was his father's death that had triggered Jonghyun to rebel. No medicine could cure him, they had said; only the touch of the healers could.

He saw his mother beg them to save her husband and all they did was close the door on their faces, saying that to be serviced by a healer was a privilege allowed only to the higher ranks. Thus he had to watch his father succumb to his illness, and it was from there onwards that he decided he would never bow down to anyone.

 

The difference between the rich and the poor wasn't only money, but powers too. Powers ranged from controlling the wind, fire, water, thunder and many more and even simple spells for the ones who didn't possess any powers; and only the rich were allowed to practice them. If any of the lower ranks had powers, they were killed in order to maintain the balance between the rich and poor.

 

And this was what Jonghyun stood up against. He didn't like the discrimination at all. He didn't like it when they all were treated like garbage by the rich. He didn't understand why this discrimination had to exist in the first place. Wasn't he the same as the rich? Only just lacking financially and in some other aspects.

 

Due to Jonghyun's outspoken nature he was shunned by the townspeople, no one talked to him, fearing if one of the higher ups got to know about him, they would get punished along with him; no one allowed their children to befriend him and he decided to relocate when they pinned him down for the reason behind all the misfortune that befell his town. They said it was because of Jonghyun and his outspokenness that they were all suffering. His mother too was going with him, but was stopped. They said she was the best teacher their children could get, and losing her would be a great loss to the town.

 

And so they built a small house at a distance of an hour or two from the town. His mother would go into the town to teach and he had to stay behind as he was not allowed inside the town. He roamed the forest that lay beyond the house they built and due to these little adventures of his in the forest, he knew the forest like the back of his hand; but there was only so much he could do in it. His life revolved around his home and the forest, making him feel imprisoned.

 

And to escape the loneliness he felt, he befriended many traders, tourists and visitors who would come to the town. As his house was outside of the town, many people would stop by, taking a rest or either filling up on water, and he would always welcome them, calling them in and talking to them, as these were the only people who talked to him.

 

And among these visitors was one particular boy, Kibum, who he called as his friend. He had stopped by one day to fill up on water and from there on they had clicked off.

Kibum belonged to one of the aristocratic families. He would come here to visit his cousins and instead of spending time with them, he would spend it with Jonghyun, telling him about the happenings in his school and Museoum, the capital city, the place where he lived.

 

Jonghyun liked listening to Kibum's chatter, and he was sure even his mother did. Whenever Kibum came, she would always cook his favorite dishes and spoil him, as if he wasn't spoiled enough.

 

Jonghyun sat outside his house waiting for the familiar sound of footsteps. It was around this time of the year that Kibum had his holidays and would come to visit him, and Jonghyun just couldn't wait for him to come as he had to tell Kibum something.

 

After a few minutes, Jonghyun heard the familiar footsteps and got up a grin on his face.

 

"Why do you live so afar?" Kibum panted. He bent down, his palms resting on his knees as he caught his breath.

 

"Finally!" Jonghyun said as he hit Kibum on his back. "I thought you weren't gonna come."

 

Kibum groaned when Jonghyun hit him, he was about to reply when they heard Jonghyun's mom.

 

"Kibum is that you?" and they saw her peek out through the kitchen window. "Just in time! Dinner's ready!" and she called them in.

 

 

 

---

 

"It seems the Prince is coming back to school." Kibum informed them as he took in another bite of the rice and curry.

 

"The one who went insane and went on a killing spree?" Jonghyun asked.

 

"Jonghyun." his mother said in a warning tone.

 

Jonghyun just shrugged his shoulders at her and continued eating.

 

"Still not scared of the royalty huh?"  Kibum chuckled at that, "Well yes him. He's coming back to school starting from the next month."

 

"Has the security of the institute been increased?" Jonghyun's mother inquired.

 

"Yes, a lot actually, many barricades have been put up, and many passageways have been shut down."

 

"Do they still go around covered in those black hooded robes?" She asked him.

 

"Yeah I think so. I mean I have only seen the younger of the two around a few times, and the only thing I saw were his eyes."

 

"Be careful of them Kibum. Even though you belong to one of the aristocrats it doesn't mean that they won't harm you. And now that the elder one is back, you should be even more careful." She said sincerely.

 

"I'll be careful." Kibum smiled at her reassuringly.

 

After dinner Jonghyun excused himself and Kibum for a walk in the forest, though his mother had protested against it saying it was too dark to fool around in the forest. He somehow dragged Kibum out, replying to his questioning eyes softly, “Something important.”

 

"So what is this something important that you have to tell me that you are dragging me into the forest?" Kibum asked Jonghyun when they were out of his mother’s earshot.

 

"Shh just follow me." and Jonghyun led them even deeper into the forest.

 

"I'll kill you if you are taking me to see a weird mushroom you found. I promise I'll you bury beside it."

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

"This will do." Jonghyun said when they came across a clearing in the forest. "Can you put up barriers so that no one will see us?" he asked Kibum.

 

"It's dark enough! I can't even see you!" Kibum exclaimed.

 

"Please?" Jonghyun pleaded.

 

"Fine." Kibum said reluctantly as he started chanting in the foreign language.

"So what is this something that you want to show me for which you made me cast barriers?"

 

"This," Jonghyun said and he held out his hand, his palm in front of Kibum.

 

"Jong-" Kibum was about to use all the profanities he knew but stopped when a faint glow emitted from his hand.

The light grew in intensity, till it was as bright as a well lighted room.

 

"Jonghyun." Kibum said softly.

 

Jonghyun could see a mixed expression of shock and worry on Kibum's face.

He closed his palm, shutting of the light. "I wanted to show you this." he said.

 

"Oh Jonghyun." and Kibum pulled him in an embrace.

"Who else knows about this?" he asked when they parted.

 

"Only you." Jonghyun smiled faintly at him.

 

Kibum nodded even though he knew Jonghyun was not able to see him. "Since when?"

 

"I discovered it when I was 8." he said.

 

"Why the heck are you telling me now then?" Kibum said.

 

"I thought it might weird you out or something. And you know about the law, they'll kill me if they got to know." he mumbled.

 

"Okay but why now?"

 

"It's getting out of control now. It's become hard to keep it hidden. The more I keep it hidden, the more slip ups occur. It feels like I might die due to a sudden outburst of power. So I thought someone ought to know that I possessed powers before I died." he said softly.

 

"You idiot! You should have told me before! I would have helped you!!" Kibum exclaimed. "You need the training to control it, to keep you alive."

 

"How?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"How would have you helped me?"

 

"I-I would have gotten you to the institute! I have the means for it and we even share the same family name! I could get you in as my relative or something."

 

Jonghyun smiled at his response.

"Are you okay with me having powers and all? I mean you don't have any..." and he trailed off. This was the first time they had actually talked about Kibum's powers. Jonghyun knew Kibum could cast spells and all but he never saw Kibum using anything other than the spells and which led him to believe the Kibum didn’t possess any powers.

 

"You," Kibum said as he moved his arms in elaborate movements, "my friend, are mistaken."

 

Jonghyun saw a spark light from Kibum's fingers; it then traveled upwards, leaving waves of fire in its wake, until his whole arm was engulfed in fire.

 

"Fire?" Jonghyun asked in bewilderment as he watched the fire dance on Kibum's arm,

 

"Yes." Kibum said with a proud smirk. He waved his arm, and darkness befell the clearing again.

"So it's decided you are coming with me to the institute." He grinned at Jonghyun.

 

"Mother wouldn't agree." Jonghyun said solemnly.

 

"Leave that to me." Kibum said as moved towards the exit.

"Wait is this the reason why you aren't scared of the Royalty?" Kibum asked a playful smirk on his face.

 

"Not actually, I was a rebel since birth. This just gave me reassurance that if things went out of hand I could fight back with it. But over the years I realized that it's useless. The only thing I can do is make my palms light up." Jonghyun finished with a sigh.

 

"No power is useless, Jjong." Kibum said. "You'll find out your worth soon."

 

Jonghyun just nodded back absentmindedly at him.

"You know your power matches perfectly to your feisty nature." Jonghyun teased to which Kibum came back wittily and they both walked back home cheerfully.

 

 

 

---

 

"No," Jonghyun's mother said when she saw light emit from her son's palm. "No, this can't be happening." she shook her head and sank down into the chair that was there in the kitchen.

 

"No..." she repeated to herself, her face paling beyond reason.

 

"Please mom." Jonghyun said.

 

"No! What if they get to know that you don't belong to one of them? What if they kill you?" She exclaimed, her voice breaking into a sob later on.

 

"Mom," Jonghyun said softly as he hugged her. "My powers are getting out of control...I would die if I do not learn how to control them."

His mother remained motionless in his embrace, and he continued, "I'm having random outbursts of my power now, and suppose someone comes across it and they'll inform to the guards, then death will be certain for me."

 

"We’ll find a way to control it...and if anyone comes across your power, we'll bribe them with whatever we have." She said, breaking away from Jonghyun.

 

"You know that's not possible! Without proper guidance his power will really kill!  All about the higher ups and folk...all they care about is not displeasing the King and will go right away to him." Kibum finally spoke up.

He went to Jonghyun's mother and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "This is the best we can do for him. If he stays here any longer they'll find out about his powers soon, and that would lead to certain death.If he goes to the university, his chances of living might increase."

 

"But you know how he is! He definitely won't keep quiet or keep to himself, he loves meddling in others business. And you said the security has been increased too!" Jonghyun's mother exclaimed.

 

"I know. I'll look out for him. You trust me don't you?"

 

The look on Kibum’s face made her not speak anymore, but she still seemed dissatisfied. Kibum smiled at her, pouring all his will and heart into his expression and she sighed, a small smile replacing the trouble of her face. “You better look out for him.”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened and later filled with ecstasy and he hugged his mother, before hugging Kibum too.

 

 

 

 

---

 

A month passed by, and the time for Kibum to leave came but this time he wasn't going back alone.

Jonghyun's mother let go of her son reluctantly and saw him off at the station. "You are a 21-year-old man, so please act your age and don't do anything stupid."

 

"Mom." He rolled his eyes, but smiled at her brightly the next moment and kissed her goodbye.

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

The ride to Museoum was the most fascinating thing Jonghyun had ever seen. He hadn't slept a wink on the train; he kept looking at the scenery, trying to take in everything his eyes could land on.

 

It was a day and a night trip to the capital from Jonghyun's city and on the way Kibum had explained the basic infrastructure and rules of the university and the dorm to him.

 

After the train, they took a carriage to Kibum's place. Kibum's parents knew about his friendship with Jonghyun, and were happy to finally have a face for his name now.

 

Kibum explained the situation to his parents and they agreed without a second thought about helping Jonghyun get into the university.

 

It took a week for all the settlements and procedures for getting into the university to finish, Jonghyun had to take various tests to show his powers to the council of the university, and he finally got accepted.

 

And a few days later they left for the university. Jonghyun was surprised when he was taken to the dorms. At first sight he had thought that it was the university and reminded Kibum again that he had to go and check out his room back in the dorm.

 

Kibum just gave him a weird look. "This is the dormitory." and he led them both to the three huge white stoned buildings through the vast garden outstretched in front of them.

 

"This is the main building." he said pointing towards the large building in the middle. "The dining hall and the baths and some activity rooms are here."

 

"And our rooms are there." and Kibum pointed at the building to the right of the main building. "Come let's go inside." and Kibum dragged his luggage.

 

"You didn't tell me about the left wing." Jonghyun said.

 

"Oh that? It belongs to the Princes. No one is allowed to go there."

 

Jonghyun gave it one last look and followed Kibum inside the dorms.

 

Settling in and mixing in with the other students was easier than he thought. Kibum had introduced him as his cousin who had just discovered he possessed powers. Jonghyun was surprised that they actually accepted that story and didn't question him further.

 

Jonghyun's time table consisted of a wide variety of classes from alchemy to magic to music, and each one of them was interesting and he loved attending every single one of them.

 

Jonghyun always thought he was the only close friend Kibum had, but it turned out that Kibum had another close friend named Minho.

 

Minho knew everything about Jonghyun and talked to him as if they had known each other since years. At first it felt weird, but Jonghyun got used to it and in fact he liked his company cracking lame jokes and acting goofy just to get on Kibum's nerves.

 

A month into the university and Jonghyun had completely adapted to the university atmosphere. He was a keen learner and knew a bit about most of the things from his mother and hence it didn't take him much time to advance from the beginner level to the expertise. He felt he knew everything about the university, the same daily clockwork routine of the staff; but the atmosphere this particular morning had left him confused.

 

When he walked down to the hall for breakfast, he saw the staff running from here to there, and two guards were stationed at the entrance to the hall. The supervisors were shouting orders left and right and the hall was abuzz with an excited chatter. The tables were laid witha huge feast, not the regular bread, eggs, bacon and juice.

 

"What's the occasion?" he asked as he sat down beside Minho, who was playing with the little ball of water he had created.

 

"It seems the Princes are going to grace us with their presence from today." Kibum said with a roll of his eyes.

 

"Weren't they already here?" Jonghyun asked him.

 

"They were supposed to. From what I overheard it seems there was some problem back at the Palace and their return got delayed."

 

"You know I haven't actually seen them." Jonghyun commented.

 

"Really?" Minho asked as he snapped his fingers to get rid of the water ball. "Not even a picture?"

 

"Nope. Our town sort of is in the deserted part of the kingdom. We don't get any newspapers or letters. Our only sources of information are the travelers and merchants that come into town."

 

"Well there isn't anything to see much, you'll see it for yourself soon."  And they left for their classes.

 

There was a no show by the Princes for lunch too. But according to some 'sources' the Princes were back as they had seen them going to their dorms. And as the hours went by the excitement in the air kept increasing. Everyone wanted to see what happened to the eldest Prince after that fateful night.

 

And soon dinner was put up too. Jonghyun sat with his friends gossiping about the Royalty.

 

"It seems he killed those people bare handed." Cheondong said.

 

"I actually believe that. There was no blood, no signs of force or anything. I wonder what his powers are that could do such a feat." Minho said.

 

There was a sudden fall in the voices in the hall and a wave of murmur passed through the hall.

"They are here." Kibum whispered to Jonghyun.

 

Two hooded silhouettes walked in, and as soon as they walked in there was a silence in the hall. Jonghyun was surprised that the silence reeked of fear; he had always thought these aristocrats and lords that his town people were scared of were actually scared of someone else.

Jonghyun looked around the hall and he saw the heads bent not even daring to look up. And that was the case at his table too except for Minho and Kibum. Minho continued eating like the starved lion he was and Kibum was following the movement of the Princes.

 

"The one with grey eyes is Taemin and the crepuscule following behind his Jinki." Kibum whispered to Jonghyun.

 

"Crepuscule?" Jonghyun asked.

 

"Well we have never seen his face; the only thing we can see is the darkness that covers his face." Minho said with a shrug as he put down the spoon when he had deemed he had had enough.

 

"Oh." and Jonghyun went back to seeing the dark black irises which were now staring right back at him from under the golden tresses that fell over them. The moment their eyes met he felt a wave of electricity pass through him, which made him realize that finally something had fallen in place.

 

He saw Jinki's eyes widen in surprise, but he soon concealed the surprise with the expressionless stare he had walked in with.

 

Jonghyun saw Jinki lean towards Taemin and whisper something to him. And soon Taemin was staring at him too.

 

Jonghyun saw the dark black irises become even darker as Jinki kept staring at him. And the first time in his life Jonghyun was scared. Scared of losing himself in the endless depth of the darkness that were Jinki's eyes.

 

The Princes made way to their room which was created for them and shut the door after them.

 

When the Princes had settled down the voices in the hall increased by a notch, but it was not the usual loud chatting Jonghyun was used to.

 

"Did you use your powers?" Jonghyun asked Cheongdong effectively breaking the silence at their table.

 

"No." Cheongdong said. "I'm not allowed to use my powers while eating or on someone who is eating, or in water or etc etc. But why?"

 

"Nothing." Jonghyun mumbled. He ignored the curious look he got from Kibum and continued on with his food.

 

 

 

---

 

The next morning was again a no show from the Lee siblings at breakfast, and Jonghyun was pretty much upset at that.

 

He previously wasn't interested much in the Lee family, he was over hating them for what had happened to his father, he didn't despise or liked them, in fact he wasn't even bothered with what the Lee family did; but it felt like something changed yesterday. He found himself more interested about them, especially the eldest one, Jinki.

 

He was pretty sure even Jinki had felt the static that had conspired between them. And one more thing he was sure about was that he had definitely seen Jinki's eyes. They were the most beautiful and the most fearful he had ever seen.

 

The morning class of power training had effectively shut off those thoughts as he learnt new ways to use his powers.

 

After a very exhausting and sweaty training, he went in for a bath, which made him late for lunch. When he sat down for lunch his friends had already finished theirs.

 

"Where were you?" Kibum asked.

 

"Training and then a bath." Jonghyun said as he took a bite of the warm bread.

 

Kibum nodded back and he continued whatever he was talking about with Woohyun.

 

Jonghyun phased in and out of the conversation his friends were having as he watched the other students come and go from the hall.

 

His eyes traveled to the room that was created yesterday morning. The door was a bit ajar and from the space he could see the siblings sitting there. Their hoods and face piece in place. "Don't they ever get rid of it?"

 

Taemin's back was to him but he had clear view of Jinki who was sitting opposite to Taemin.

He felt a smile form on his face when he saw Jinki watching him too.

 

Jinki held the eye contact for a few more seconds and he went back to the conversation he was having with Taemin.

 

Jonghyun settled for watching Jinki's eyes as he had lunch. It was definitely much better than listening to the weird conversation on fish that was going on the table.

 

Jonghyun was no expert at reading eyes or deciphering what the color of someone’s eyes tells. But after a few seconds of watching Jinki's eyes he thought he could understand them quite a bit.

 

He saw Jinki's eyes grow wide, turn a bit darker or lighter according to the conversation, and he concluded that when his eyes were intimdatingly dark they seemed to be troubled; when they were brown they seemed at peace and there were times when they turned shades lighter which he thought glinted joy.

 

He saw Jinki lean forward and tell something to Taemin as he saw him (Jonghyun) dead in the eyes. Taemin turned around instantly and the door closed by itself.

 

Jonghyun stared at the door for a few seconds and was forced to join the weird conversation regarding fish that was still going on his table.

 

The bell rang informing them of the end of the break and his friends dispersed to the respective classes they had.

 

After lunch Jonghyun had alchemy and walked to the class on the top floor where alchemy was held. When he walked to his usual seat in the middle beside the large window, the site at the back of the class stopped him.

 

He saw Jinki sitting in the last row in the corner beside the window, looking out of it. And suddenly Jonghyun's feet had a mind of their own and they carried them to the seat beside Jinki.

 

"Is this seat taken?" he asked, when Jinki didn't even look in his direction.

 

Jinki tore his gaze from the window looked at Jonghyun once and went back to looking at the large conifers outside the window.

 

Jonghyun took that as a yes and sat down on the vacant seat. "I'm Jonghyun by the way." and he extended his hand towards Jinki.

 

Jinki looked at his hand and turned his attention to the front of the room as their professor walked in.

 

Even the most interesting topic of changing forms of elements couldn't hold his attention as he was distracted by the presence beside him.

 

He watched Jinki from the corner of his eyes. He watched him sincerely write down in the hard bound book on his table.

 

Once or twice his gaze did meet with Jinki and when that happened he immediately directed his attention to the lecture his professor was giving.

 

After the long and eventful day came to an end he walked back to the dorms from the university. He saw the other students move aside to create a clearing in the path and he saw the siblings pass through. He watched them make their way to the dorms where they entered the left wing and he entered the right wing with the rest of the students.

 

The siblings didn't turn up for dinner; they didn't even turn up for breakfast and lunch the following day too.

 

But Jonghyun didn't let that break his hope as he walked to alchemy. And as expected he found Jinki sitting there, he went and sat down on the seat beside him. He tried to make small talk with him, but Jinki kept pointedly ignoring him.

 

Many days continued like this with Jonghyun pestering Jinki and Jinki maintaining a stoic front.

 

One alchemy class as a last resort he asked Jinki to explain a doubt he had, Jinki just blinked twice and continued on with whatever he was writing in that book of his.

 

"Oh come on. This is a part of an important question in the examinations! Just tell me how it changes its color when it isn't supposed to." Jonghyun pleaded.

 

He heard Jinki sigh and lean towards him. "No one knows why it changes. Some say it changes because of the air and some say it depends on the user, changes to different color depending upon the nature of the user."

 

Jonghyun could only stare at him. This was the first time he had heard Jinki speak, and now he wanted to keep hearing that sweet, smooth, velvety, depthless voice. His voice was like warm honey pulling him closer making him gape at him.

 

He saw Jinki stare at him weirdly when he didn't say anything.

 

He collected his scattered wits to himself that were floating towards Jinki and cleared his throat. "Oh okay." he said nodding, acting as if he had understood when he hadn't even understood what Jinki had explained.

 

The bell rang signifying the end of the class and the end of day. Jonghyun walked back to the dormitory, his mind still stuck in the alchemy class he had just had.

 

Jonghyun was scared. This was the first time someone’s voice had such an effect over him.

"What is happening to me?"

 

 

---

 

And as more days passed by, he felt himself get more and more distracted by Jinki, to the point that he was actually up at night thinking about him.

 

Over these past weeks he kept asking Kibum and Minho whether they could really see Jinki's face or were just joking with him.

 

Everyone gave him a weird look when he had gotten that up again.

 

"No really, no one can see his face." Cheondong said finally looking Jonghyun dead in the eyes.

 

Jonghyun sighed as he collected his things and headed for training.

 

Soon it was their first examinations and all thoughts concerning Jinki had escaped his mind as he immersed himself in his books.

 

They were given a week of vacation after their exams. Kibum had decided to go down further into the capital for purchasing some supplies he was running low on.

 

Jonghyun refused the offer of joining him, saying that he just wasn't up for it, and he gave Kibum his share of money to purchase supplies for him too.

 

"I'll be back in a few hours." Kibum said to Jonghyun who had come to see him off.

 

"Have fun." Jonghyun called out to him as he saw Kibum join Minho and the others.

 

Jonghyun walked back to the dormitories, his feet dragging, as he felt some sort of uneasiness in his heart, as if he wasn't thinking about something he was supposed to.

 

He walked through the garden, watching and greeting too sometimes, the other students as they went out.

Soon he found himself in front of his dormitory. He contemplated going in, he wanted to do something, but he didn't want to shut himself inside his room.

 

He sighed as he looked around, and his eyes fell on the left wing.

 

"Jinki." and he knew what he had to do.

 

He walked to the left wing and hid himself behind a few trees present around the building when he saw guards at the entrance to the dorm.

 

"Who goes there?" one of the guards called.

 

"No one." the other guard said. "No one is that crazy to even come here. I wonder how they even accepted you for this job." and guards started to squabble amongst themselves.

 

Jonghyun took that as cue and ran to the other side of the building where the growth of forestry was thicker, to hide himself from the guards.

 

He saw a window open on the second landing of the huge building. He thought for a second and climbed the large pine tree that was nearest to the window.

 

He settled down on the branch that was closer to the window and peered inside.

 

It was an antique room, with dark wooden flooring. Rugs were scattered here and there, and a large bed sat in the middle of the room. Most of the walls of the room were draped with bookshelves filled with books.

 

Beside the bed, in the corner was a table over which he saw a figure hunched over it, many books surrounding him.

 

The familiar golden stresses told him who exactly this room belonged too.

 

"You definitely are insane, aren't you?" Jonghyun said, suppressing the chuckle that rose, when he saw Jinki jump up in surprise, his book falling down.

 

He saw Jinki pull up his hood efficiently covering up his hair and as well as the face piece that covered the lower half of his face, before he turned around. "What are you doing here?"

 

Jonghyun just shrugged in response. "Don't cover up your hair, they are beautiful. Do you know they resemble sunshine?"

 

"How did you get here?" Jinki asked, pointedly ignoring what Jonghyun had said.

 

Jonghyun patted the branch he was sitting on. "By the help of this" and he grinned sheepishly at Jinki. "But seriously! I mean it's such a beautiful day and you are wasting it by studying. Didn't you study enough already during the exams?" Jonghyun asked exasperated.

 

And it was Jinki who shrugged this time, and went back to his book.

 

Jonghyun narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Jinki's back; he didn't know why but he had a sudden urge to just go and wrap his arms around him, and suddenly an idea hit him.

 

"You know Museoum like the back of your hand, don't you?" and he saw Jinki's hand pause midway while turning a page.

 

"So what if I do?" Jinki said a moment or two later.

 

"Good." and Jonghyun clapped his hand in finality. "I'm new here, so show me around the city." he said cheerfully.

 

"And what makes you think I'll do that?" Jinki said as he went back to his reading.

 

"If you don't, I won't go from here. I promise you I can live atop this tree." and he folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the trunk.

 

Jinki sighed as he closed his book. "Just go from here. You'll get us both in trouble if anyone sees you."

 

"I said I'm not going to go unless you come with me."

 

"Ask your friends! They'll take you!" Jinki exclaimed.

 

"All they'll do is take me to the market and stuff. But I don't want to go there! I want to see the other sites Museoum has to offer."

 

Jinki rubbed the bridge of his nose, ‘This guy is even more unbelievable than Taemin.’

 

"Listen Jonghyun," he tried again, "You'll get even more in trouble if you are spotted here when compared to your family status being revealed. So please, if you want to save yourself just go from here."

 

Jonghyun's heart skipped a beat and rushed at such a speed he was sure it would be beside Jinki if his ribs weren't confining it, when he heard Jinki say his name. But he had to focus on the more pressing matter at hand.

 

"How do you know?" he asked, dread seeping through his body.

 

"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone about it. So just go from here."

 

'We, that means even Taemin knows about it. Well the truth was going to come out one day or the other.' he thought.

 

"I told you I won't leave unless you show me around." he exclaimed.

 

He heard Jinki sigh as he watched him open his book. "Fine! Do whatever you want."

 

Jonghyun took that as an invitation and jumped into his room. He wandered around as he went from one bookshelf to the other.

 

"Woah you have an amazing collection! Have you read all of them?"

 

Jinki ignored Jonghyun's question and kept staring at that one line in his book. When he was sure Jonghyun wasn't looking in his direction, he stole glances at him, his eyes following every movement he made.

 

This was the first time someone other than Taemin had come into his room, and he didn't know what to do; all he could do was just watch Jonghyun's back. He turned back to his book when he saw Jonghyun turn towards him.

 

"Don't you have any favorite places?" Jonghyun asked as he headed towards Jinki so that he could get a clear view of his eyes.

 

"Favorite place?" Jinki asked, that question had caught him completely off-guard.

 

"Yeah, a place like where you always go to when something is troubling you, or you just want to get away for a breather." Jonghyun said with a shrug.

 

He saw Jinki's eyes light up at that. They were a light Hazel brown now. "Come." Jinki said as he shut his book for good and headed towards the window.

 

"Not using the main entrance are we?" Jonghyun asked.

 

"We aren't allowed to leave." he said as he climbed onto the branch Jonghyun was sitting on previously.

 

"Aren't you going to come? Even after pestering me to show you around so much?"

 

Jonghyun grinned at that as he climbed onto the branch too and followed Jinki down.

 

Escaping from the guards was easy as they were distracted just like earlier.

 

Jinki led Jonghyun to the back of the building where the huge forest was still prevalent. "It's going to be a tough walk." Jinki said.

 

"Oh I'll be fine; I'm used to such stuff."

 

 

 

---

 

All through the way all Jonghyun could think was how lucky he was. He hadn't expected Jinki to actually show him around. But here he was taking him to god to knows where through the winding and steep paths of the forest.

 

What had actually shocked him was that Jinki and his brother weren't allowed to leave the castle at all, Jinki's answer when he asked more about that concerned him so much that he wanted to crush Jinki with the warmest hug he could offer.

 

Jinki and Taemin weren't allowed to leave their dorms; in fact they weren't even allowed to leave their rooms in the castle and were only allowed to come down for meals. They led an imprisoned life and it sort of reminded him of his own life back home.

 

He didn't know why but he suddenly saw Jinki in a new light, maybe with a new fondness too.

 

"We are here." Jinki said finally as he looked at Jonghyun expectantly.

 

After trekking for an hour or two, Jonghyun found himself at the top of a ridge. He saw Jinki sit down under the huge banyan tree, he looked around the area. It was almost like a meadow except for the deep valley that lay a few meters away from him. From this height he could see the whole town, even the clouds that floated over the town and the highest tower of the grand castle. At this height it should have been cold but the sun rays streaming down made him feel cozy.

 

All in all it was a very beautiful place.

 

He sat down beside Jinki under the shade of the tree.

 

"This isn't supposed to grow here." he commented as he the solid trunk of the banyan tree.

 

Jinki shrugged, "One of the things of nature you cannot explain, though some say there is magic in the air here." he said with a hum.

 

Jonghyun nodded and he looked at the setting sun. He watched how the sky around them turned orange bit by bit, casting its glow everywhere.

 

"It's beautiful," he couldn't stop himself from saying.

 

"Yes." Jinki sighed contentedly and he leaned further back into the trunk, his eyes closed. This was the most relaxed he had ever seen Jinki.

 

And Jonghyun found the site beside him far more beautiful than the setting sun.

 

He observed whatever of Jinki's face he could see. He had only seen his eyes and the bridge of his nose and the golden strands that covered his forehead.

He started fantasizing what Jinki would actually look like without the cover.

 

Many images did come to his mind but he thought none of them were fit to be Jinki, and he gave up and pleasured himself with watching Jinki.

 

He saw Jinki's eyes flutter open and he immediately turned away, his face pink like the sky. "Thank you." he said softly.

 

He heard Jinki chuckle and that was the most melodious sound he had heard.

 

"I should be thanking you," he said, "It's all because of you I could come here again after a very long time."

 

"I can understand why this is your favorite place." Jonghyun said a few minutes later. "It's a good place to clear your mind, to think over things or to just escape to when everything is a burden."

 

And he was greeted by two crescents, the happiness the crescents portrayed even outshone the setting sun in brightness, this was the first time he had seen such an expression on Jinki; and he felt his heart flutter at such a display of emotion. “I didn’t know why, but I had a feeling you would appreciate this.” He said.

 

They sat a few more hours in a comfortable silence, watching the moon replace the sun and the stars peeking down at them.

 

"It’s late. Let's go." Jinki finally said as he got up.

 

And Jonghyun followed suit, as they were about to go down Jinki caught hold of Jonghyun's hand. "It's dark and you don't know the way, you can get lost in here easily." and he pulled Jonghyun along with him.

 

Jonghyun thought of telling Jinki about his powers, but he decided against it, because then they wouldn't be able to hold hands.

 

He liked the feel of Jinki's hand in his. His fingers were short and chubby and all Jonghyun could think was how warm, soft and cute they were, completely unlike the image he portrayed of himself.

 

All through the way all Jonghyun could think was how he was going to treasure this time spent with Jinki, because he knew such moments would not come by again.

 

When they reached the dorm grounds, Jinki withdrew his hand from the warm cocoon he had formed with Jonghyun's hand. "Thank you for today." he said and climbed up the tree.

 

Jonghyun stood there and watched as Jinki climbed up the tree and then jump into his room.

Jinki looked at him once and disappeared inside his room.

 

Jonghyun slowly walked to his own dorm hiding from the guards.

 

When he walked into his room he was greeted by Minho and Kibum. Kibum had latched himself on Jonghyun, embracing him in a tight hug.

 

"Where were you? You had us all so worried." Kibum exclaimed.

 

"I got bored, so I went out for a walk." he said smiling sheepishly.

 

Kibum punched him on the arm in response. "We didn't have dinner because of you. Do you know how tired and hungry we are?"

 

"Yeah yeah. Sorry. Let's go and have dinner, I'm hungry too." and he ushered Minho and Kibum out of his room down to the halls.

 

His friends asked him where he had been and all he said he was just discovering the forest. He kept back the information that he was with Jinki, because he knew he would get in trouble if anyone got to know he was with Jinki, and, he wanted to keep it a secret. It made him feel like he was close to Jinki.

 

During dinner his eyes would unknowingly go to the small reclusive cabin, he sighed when he found the door closed. After a hearty meal he went back to his room and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

 

 

---

 

He looked forward to his next alchemy class with excitement; hoping to meet Jinki, hoping something might have changed between them, but all his excitement splintered when he saw that Jinki was back to his usual self. He was back to being cold and distant, back to ignoring everyone; even Jonghyun, as if he hadn't taken Jonghyun to the mountain top during the weekend; and Jonghyun never had felt disappointment like this in his life so far.

 

He went on everyday like he had done previously, though not giving up hope and still trying to get Jinki open up to him.

 

He had only spent some time with Jinki and he felt he had a lot common with him, though he knew they both were very different. And as the days passed he felt himself get more and more attracted to Jinki, like how an Icarus is attracted to the sun, slowly making its way to its end.

 

As Jonghyun walked down to the hall for breakfast he felt the excitement in the air, the many happy faces he saw on his way down made him even more curious.

 

"What's happening?" he asked as he sat down beside Kibum.

 

"Classes end early today. No classes after lunch." Kibum said solemnly.

 

"That's a good thing isn't it?" Jonghyun said as he took a bite of his toast.

 

"It would have been if they allowed us to leave the grounds. But no, we are supposed to stay in our room, even dinner is going to be provided in our room." Kibum exclaimed.

 

"Really now? Why?" he asked as he put down his toast, his appetite for answers far more than his appetite for food.

 

"Don’t know. They said it's an order direct from the castle."

 

"Oh." Jonghyun said as his eyes went to that one place he always had his eyes on and upon finding it closed he went back to his abandoned slice of toast.

 

After lunch Jonghyun lazed around in Minho's room with Kibum. He had already finished all the theory and essays he had to write and he chose to bother Minho and Kibum who were struggling to write their thesis.

 

"Stop whining!" Minho burst finally and sprayed Jonghyun with water when he had had enough of Jonghyun going on and on about how bored he was.

 

Soon he was kicked out of the room by Kibum, he walked to his room a sheepish grin on his face. He would go back their room again after dinner and see how far they had got on their thesis.

 

When he reached his room he slumped down on the bed thinking he would pass the time by sleeping. He ce, twice and got up when he couldn't fall asleep. He went to the window and opened it, to let some cool night air in. His glance fell on the left wing, and all air left him.

 

The Prince's quarters were nowhere in sight. It was doused in thick darkness, hiding it effectively, making it seem like there was nothing there, and panic stirred inside him.

 

"Jinki." was the only thought that was in his mind.

 

He walked down to the Halls and hid beneath the staircase when he saw guards. The guards, who should have been guarding the left wing. The guards were heralding the students who were down, upstairs to the rooms.

 

He watched as the guards left for their rounds after making sure there were no more students dawdling around the entrance.

 

Once the guards left, Jonghyun took the prompt and ran to the huge oak doors, he pushed them slightly, making only a little space for himself and escaped outside.

 

And with each step he took, with each crunch of the grass and gravel under his feet he felt his heart beat even more hard.

 

He walked to the left wing and stopped at where he knew was the door.

 

He stretched out his hand towards the door and watched it disappear behind the dark veil of air. He reached out more and in his breath in pain when it collided with the door.

 

He pushed the door open and entered the building. It was dark inside, and he had to blink many times for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He walked ahead not hearing the opening and closing of the door again.

 

The layout of this wing was similar to that the other one and he walked to where he guessed the staircase might be. He found the stairs soon and started climbing them to where he knew Jinki's room was, the second landing.

 

It was a strenuous job climbing up the stairs; Jonghyun could feel the air thin out around him.

When he reached the second landing it felt like it was practically impossible to breath. He looked at his hands, they had begun to glow.

 

As he was not able to breathe his body was taking up the form that didn't require much air. He could feel that he was losing the sense of his hands as he projected even more light as he went nearer to Jinki.

 

He was about to turn to the hallway that led to Jinki's room when he heard someone call out to him and something warm pressing on his shoulder.

 

He immediately turned around and covered Kibum's mouth, effectively muffling his scream.

 

"What the heck is wrong with you? Why are your eyes glowing like that? And even your hands!!" Kibum shot in a low muffled voice through Jonghyun’s palm.

 

"My eyes are working like in-built torches so that I can see better! And what are you doing here?" Jonghyun said as he lifted up his palm so that the light fell on Kibum's face.

 

Kibum was pale, very pale and that really worried him.

 

"Seeing what you are doing here? You know we aren't allowed here!" Kibum exclaimed as he lowered his hand which had a faint glow like an almost burnt out charcoal.

 

"Go from here fast." Jonghyun said, when saw Kibum wheeze for air. "Any longer and you can die." he said sternly.

 

"I can say that about you too." Kibum countered. "And I'm not going back without you!"

 

"Kibum I'll be back soon. I just have to check on something. You go first; I'm not joking when I say you can die!"

 

Even in this condition Kibum had the energy to roll his eyes at Jonghyun.

 

"You need air to survive! And it doesn't help that your power is fire! And as for me, you can see how my body is responding to the lack of air." and he held up his hand. "I'll be out in no time too, I promise." he said as he lightly pushed Kibum away.

 

"Idiot." Kibum coughed, as he staggered back. "Come back fast, otherwise I'll kill you." and he went down the hallway leading to the staircase.

 

Once Jonghyun was sure Kibum was nowhere near him, he continued.

 

As he neared Jinki's room, he couldn't feel any part of his body, it was like his body had melted.

 

To overcome the absence of air his body had turned itself into a large beam of light, consisting of many small light particles that do not need any air to survive or move.

 

The door to Jinki's room was slightly ajar, and Jonghyun slipped into it through that small space.

 

Jonghyun saw Jinki sitting on the floor, his back pressed against what he guessed was the wall, his head resting on his knees as he had pressed them to his chest; as waves of darkness radiated from his body, dancing around him like flames, but only darker and smoother.

 

Jonghyun finally understood. It was Jinki who was creating the darkness; more likely a large vacuum or void.

 

"Jinki?" Jonghyun said as he neared him.

 

"Jonghyun?" Jinki's head snapped up, as he looked around.

 

"Light?" Jinki said as he stared at the column of gold float towards him.

 

"Can you lessen up this darkness? I want to get back to my body."

 

Jonghyun saw the black suffocating waves get back into Jinki, entering his body and disappearing; making the room a bit more breathable.

 

"That explains why you can always look me right in the eyes." Jinki said as he saw Jonghyun materialize before him.

 

Jonghyun groaned when it was done, getting back to his body was painful.

 

"My eyes can adapt to the darkness and brightness more readily than others. They can even create more light rays for better viewing." he shrugged as he walked towards Jinki.

 

Jonghyun's breath got caught in his throat when he had a proper look at Jinki.

 

The hood and the face piece that he always saw on Jinki were missing; to reveal the most amazing sight he had seen.

 

Jinki was even more beautiful than he had imagined him to be. "Can I sit here?" he asked.

 

Jinki made space for him by moving as a reply.

 

Jonghyun slumped down beside him, not able to tear his gaze away from him.

 

Jinki turned towards Jonghyun, locking his gaze with him.

 

The fear that he had first felt when his eyes had met Jinki that night came back.

 

Jinki's irises were a dark black and were dilated to such an extent that the white of his eyes was only visible at the edges.

 

"What are you doing here?" Jinki asked.

 

"I'm checking up on you." he said a few moments later.

 

Jinki hummed at his response and went back to gazing at the endless sea of darkness he had created.

 

"Why?" Jonghyun asked, breaking the silence as thick as the darkness that had fallen between them.

 

"Why what?" Jinki asked back.

 

"This." and Jonghyun waved his hand at the darkness that lay ahead of him.

 

"The moonless night reminds me of the darkness within me." Jinki gestured to the sky.

 

Jonghyun saw the black veil part, making the night sky visible through the window.

 

Indeed the sky was dark, but not as dark as he had immersed himself in.

 

"Darkness?" Jonghyun asked.

 

"Yes." Jinki replied. "I can make up vacuums or voids and absorb anything in my darkness." he said softly. "Once you get pulled inside my darkness, I can't guarantee anything." He sighed, "Scared?" Jinki asked when he saw Jonghyun shift a bit uneasily beside him.

 

"A bit maybe."

 

"I seem to have that effect on people." Jinki chuckled humorlessly.

 

"Where's your brother?" Jonghyun asked.

 

"In your dorms, even he can't survive this, after all he controls wind."

 

And silence befell again.

 

"So that thing about you from last year is true then?" Jonghyun asked softly.

 

"Yes." Jinki sighed. "It was a moonless night then too." Jinki continued which Jonghyun hadn't expected.

 

"As the days goes by, the darkness that is inside me keeps growing, making me suffocate, making me hate myself. Father doesn't allow us to portray our powers, saying that it is this secret that makes us more powerful than others. As Taemin can control the wind, he could use his powers unsuspected by anyone. But for me..." and he gestured towards the vacuum in front of them.

 

Jonghyun nodded at that, he understood the pain of hiding one's power. His own childhood had been spent hiding his own powers.

 

"The dark sky that night reminded me of the darkness inside me, the loneliness I felt and that's when things got out of hand. After suppressing it for so many years, my powers exploded, covering the whole castle in its darkness. The vacuum created by it killed many workers. When father got to know that I was the one behind it, a meeting was held with the elders. It was they who suggested that I let go of my powers once a month maximum." Jinki said with a shrug.

 

And Jonghyun went back to watch more waves of darkness emit from Jinki.  He understood why Jinki was like this, he understood the pain he went through, and little by little the fear that had grown inside him faded away, giving way to happiness –because Jinki had finally opened up to him-and genuine concern.  

 

"Are you scared?" Jonghyun asked after a while.

 

"I was scared then, the maid who had gotten my dinner for me died right before my eyes and I didn't know what was happening or what to do. But as for now, you can say I'm not that scared. Though not completely, but I have figured out what I can do with this." and he gestured to the vacuum.

 

"Though sometimes in the night I wake up from a nightmare where I have killed my family and loved ones unknowingly." and he looked Jonghyun straight in the eyes.

 

"So what did you do after that? You didn't even come back here." Jonghyun asked.

 

"Mother took me away. She said she had had enough of her sons living like this. Taemin stayed though, said he wanted to complete his studies, but I think it was because he didn't want to leave father alone."

 

"The Queen is alive?"

 

"Yeah, why?" Jinki asked. Jonghyun could see the corners of Jinki's lip quip upwards.

 

"Well she disappeared after that night, so rumors about her getting killed by you or the King came up."

 

"Mother should hear this." Jinki chuckled.

 

Jonghyun looked at him confusion clear on his face.

 

"I agree my father isn't that good of a man, heck he hasn't even been that much of a fatherly figure to us, but the one he loves the most, more than all the power he holds, is mother, hence he couldn't say anything when mother decided to take me away from here."

 

Jonghyun nodded. "You got the thing about your father not being a good man absolutely right."

 

When Jinki didn't say anything and just simply looked at him, Jonghyun continued.

 

"I resented the King, loathed him, hated him from the depths of my very being. But I'm over that phase now, I'm not even bothered about the royal family, except for a few things." and he looked at Jinki.

 

"Why did you hate him?" Jinki asked as smiled sadly at him.

 

"Because of the rules and the laws he made, the distinction he made between the lords and the common masses. My father was in the dire need of a healer, but we couldn't get their help because, it was a privilege reserved for the rich and powerful. I watched him die."

 

"I'm sorry." Jinki said softly as he scooted closer to Jonghyun.

 

Jonghyun shook his head, "Why are you sorry?"

 

Jinki shrugged and just smiled a little at Jonghyun. "You know that day you said my hair resembled the sunlight; I made them like that, hoping that at least that would fade away the darkness inside me."

 

"Here," Jonghyun said as he held out his palm for Jinki.

 

Jinki looked at the small gold and silver orbs that hovered above Jonghyun's palm. He raised an eyebrow at him.

 

"Suns and moons for you." he said with a cheeky smile on his face.

 

Jinki chuckled at that, "Thank you." and he took the orbs in his palm. They radiated warmth but lacked a solid texture, but Jinki could still feel them.

 

"You know it's my dream to go around the world and see everything it has to offer, from the river of gold to the plains of blood, everything." Jinki said thoughtfully after a few minutes as he played with the orbs.

 

"We dream the same dream then." Jonghyun said softly.

 

Jinki smiled at him, and Jonghyun was reminded of the time he had spent with Jinki on the mountain top, he had the same expression, his eyes were crescents then too, all that was different was this time he saw the full beauty of the smile.

 

"Ah my legs are killing me." Jinki said as he got up and went to his bed.

 

Jonghyun saw the veil of blackness clear away, and more of Jinki's room came into view.

 

"Aren't your legs tired too?" he asked from where he lay on the bed.

 

"Yeah." Jonghyun said when he realized how numb his legs were. He walked around a bit and then joined Jinki in bed, where they spent most of the night talking about their childhood, the places they wanted to see, their parents and many other things.

 

In the morning when Jinki woke up, the bed was empty beside him; a parchment was tucked under his pillow.

 

"You sleep like a log, now I understand why you aren't there for breakfast much. You are a Prince try to get up early!! So see you around my now-not-so Elegant Prince."

 

Jinki chuckled at the message Jonghyun had written. He folded the paper neatly and placed it inside the book on his bedside table.

 

Jonghyun saw Jinki at lunch and this time when their eyes met he could see the happiness in them.

 

After lunch he walked to his alchemy class and like always Jinki was already there staring out the window.

 

"What do you always look at?" Jonghyun asked as he sat down beside Jinki.

 

"Nothing and everything."

 

Jonghyun shook his head at him; Jinki couldn't help the chuckle that left him.

 

By far this was the best alchemy class according to Jonghyun.

 

 

 

---

 

After dinner, Jonghyun was going back to his room when he heard the students whisper around him; he turned around and saw Jinki making his way to him.

 

"Want to go for a walk?" Jinki asked when he neared Jonghyun, so that only he could hear him.

 

The grin on Jonghyun's face answered his question.

 

They walked down to the huge garden that lay in front of the dorms. At safe distance away from the dorms and Hall Jinki removed his face piece.

 

"Ahh I can finally breath." he said as he sat down on one of the carved rock benches.

 

"Why do you even wear it?"

 

"To look intimidating. Look at me, do I look like King Lee's son?" he said with a chuckle.

 

"You did look pretty intimidating yesterday." Jonghyun said as the image of Jinki's eyes from yesterday came into his mind.

 

Jinki shook his head, "You should see Taemin, and you’ll know what I'm talking about."

 

Jonghyun hummed in response as he sat down beside Jinki on the bench.

 

"I...I have a proposition." Jinki said a few minutes later, breaking the comfortable silence that had befallen them.

 

Jonghyun looked at him curiously.

 

"Will you runaway with me? Away from all of this? To make our dreams come true?" Jinki asked when Jonghyun didn't say anything; as he gestured to his surroundings.

 

"A very tempting offer I must say. But..."

 

"But?"

 

"But I promised mother that I would just study how to control my powers and be back with her." he said a sad smile on his face.

 

"I-I can teach you! As for your mother, can't you try to convince her? It's like we won't be gone forever, we'll be back in a year or maybe two." Jinki exclaimed.

 

Jonghyun smiled faintly at Jinki's excitement. "I told you about my mother, you know how she is."

 

Jinki sighed dejectedly, "I always knew it was an impossible dream, guess mother was right, I'll never find anyone who will dream this dream with me." he said softly.

 

Jonghyun felt his heart pang, with what he wasn't sure, was it guilt? Or maybe sorrow? He didn't know.

 

“It’s alright then, I’ll see you around.” And Jonghyun watched Jinki walk back to his dorm.

 

When he opened the door to his room he was greeted by Minho and Kibum.

 

“What was all that about?” Kibum questioned him as soon as he entered the room.

 

“Nothing,” Jonghyun said as he un-cloaked himself.

 

“That definitely was something! How did you and the Prince get so close that you go out on walks together? What happened yesterday?”

 

The events from yesterday night came to his mind, how Jinki had opened up to him, how he had told him everything about himself, how he said that Jonghyun was the first friend he had made, he couldn’t break the trust Jinki had in him.

 

“Nothing happened yesterday Kibum, please I already have a lot on my mind and I’m tired, please cut me some slack.”

 

Kibum huffed before he slammed the door on his way out. Minho squeezed his shoulder and followed Kibum out the door.

 

Jonghyun spent the whole night thinking about what Jinki had proposed. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised. Even in his wildest dream he hadn’t expected Jinki of all people, the Prince, to be precise, to suggest something like that, but he understood him. After hearing about his childhood, having only his mother and his brother for company, leading an imprisoned life in the castle, and he knew all too well how that felt. He sighed into the pillow; it was his dream too, to go around see the world, to escape from everything; he knew what he had to do.

 

 

The next day, Jonghyun and Jinki went about as if nothing had happened, they didn’t bring up the proposition from yesterday, in their conversation, seeming to avoid it at all cost. Kibum still pouted at him, whenever he saw Jinki and him talking, he would give him a small smile and continue on his conversation with Jinki.

“All in good time Kibum, all in good time,” he thought.

 

 

 

That night after dinner, Jonghyun escaped from the dorms, a bag slung across his back. He made way to the left wing, hiding behind the trees when he saw the guards. When it was clear he ran to the huge pine tree that would lead him to the window.

 

“You scared me!” Jinki hissed at Jonghyun when he saw him get up from where he had jumped onto the floor.

 

He grinned at him as he dumped his bag on Jinki’s bed. “Are you ready?” he asked him, his grin not leaving his face.

 

“Ready for what?”

 

“To make our dreams come true.” And Jonghyun smiled warmly at him.

 

Jinki’s eyes widened at that, “Really? What about your mother? Your friends?” he asked, disbelief laced in his voice.

 

“I wrote Kibum a letter, he’ll understand, as for my mother; we’ll start our journey from there. Our first stop will be my home, where I’ll convince her, and when she knows who you are, she’ll have to agree to it.”  And he stuck out his tongue at Jinki.

 

“Really?” Jinki asked again not able to believe his ears.

 

“Yes, now hurry along.” And he pushed him in the direction of the huge cupboard.

 

“Okay okay.” Jinki grinned at him.They were soon fumbling around, preparing and planning.

 

 

“What is he doing here?”

 

Jinki and Jonghyun looked up from the map that was laid on Jinki’s table, their eyes darting to where the voice had come from.

 

“It’s alright Taemin.” Jinki said as he went to his brother.

 

One look at Taemin, and Jonghyun knew what Jinki had meant that night. One look at him, and you wouldn’t believe that such an innocent looking boy was King Lee’s son.

 

“So he said yes.” Taemin said as he sat down beside the bags on the bed.

 

“Yes.” Jinki smiled at him.

 

“Do you really trust him that much, Hyung?” Taemin asked.

 

“Hey!” Jonghyun said offended.

 

“Yes I do Taem.” And Jinki pulled Taemin up for a hug.

 

Taemin hugged him back, “You’re leaving now?” he said into Jinki’s shoulder.

 

“Yes,” and Jinki pulled away.

 

“When will you be back?” he asked, a pout creeping up on his face.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“But you’ll be back right? Promise me you’ll be back.”

 

“I promise.” And Jinki ruffled his hair as he said his goodbye.

 

Soon they were out of the room, out of the ground, standing in front of the gates.

 

“He didn’t stop you.” Jonghyun commented.

 

“He always knew about me wanting to leave, he knew sooner or later this day had to come.” Jinki said as gave Jonghyun a small smile when Jonghyun squeezed his hand.

 

“So come, let’s be on our way then.” Jinki said as pulled Jonghyun along with him towards the stable.

 

Jonghyun nodded as he tightened his hold on Jinki’s hand, only one thought running through his head.

 

He was outspoken, he was brash...he was fearless.

 

And was glad that the townspeople had kicked him out of town for his fearlessness.

 

Because finally his fearless self had gained a fear, a fear of losing.

 

 

 

 

---

 

A/N:

Something I tried ~

Hope you all like it!^^
Do comment!:D