…….Chapter 23……

The heavenly spirit waved her right hand over their heads after placing a flower petal on their foreheads to ease their pain; her heavenly power made them close their eyes and slip peacefully into a dream-like state where all their memories could be restored…. It only took an hour and a half to receive a lifetimes worth of information.

….. As they re-lived it all, Taemin adorably purred in his sleep with the thought of the first time he held hands with the Crown Prince under the pagoda; a faint smile could be seen on the kitten’s little face when he first kissed the prince. A joyous tear rolled softly down the tokki’s plump cheek as he saw himself with Taemin in the garden placing a yellow flower behind Taemin’s ear…  As the 5 animals lay there in heaven’s garden, the angel watched over them…. As the wedding day came into their dreams the angel smiled and giggled cutely as the Bunny and Kitten sighed softly overwhelmed with happiness. The angel was soothing the five animals with a pat or a to their fur when they needed it.  Knitting his brows together the tokki grimaced as he fought with his wicked cousin in his dream. With a tear slipping down his black fur, Taemin was pouting and sadly having to re-live the hurtful words Leeteuk called him on the prince’s coming of age day.  Jonghyun would flinch anytime Leeteuk entered his dreams. When Leeteuk and Heechul fought with them in the Prince’s Chambers the night they were poisoned 2 and half months ago, Taemin began trembling, A tear of disappointment and betrayal slipped from the rabbit as he balled his little chubby paws into fists; Jonghyun’s lip curled as he growled, while Kibum’s right hind leg would jerk a tiny bet as their minds were reenacting them running and lunging after the evil men and biting them. The angel lovingly pets the fox and puppy as they whimpered remembering the pain of being kicked and beaten by the men. The little frog’s body was tensing, his jaw clenching with anger towards the traitors…..

As memories of their past quickly started to catch up with the present time they began to stir awake as their dreams faded to black...

Their memories returned to them, they knew it all but it still was a lot to take in and absorb…Enraged by Lord Leeteuk’s monstrous treason when they woke up, Minho and Kibum started talking to each other almost instantly and at the same time, trying to grasp the reality and depth of what had happened. The fox rolled his head and squared his shoulders as he stood up livid, he growled under his breath. The frog turned quickly to the fox and the fox looked at him.  “How could that evil bastard do this to us, to our royals?” Minho shot frustrated.

“We must protect Prince Jinki and Prince Taemin and get to the palace right away!” Kibum remarked earnestly; Jonghyun was so angry he couldn’t even speak at the moment. He rubbed his head with his paw and stood up, listening to Minho and Kibum shout out their concerns. “I just cannot believe Leeteuk wants me to kill and eat Jinki- hyung and for you, Jonghyun, to attack Taemin-nim and or Minho, who is a royal guard, to kill the two princes himself with poisonous skin once he turned completely inhuman. How could he want to turn our beloved Crown into mice? How dare he! We must save the king and queen ASAP! This is insane, who could be this vile! Hyung-nim is his family for goodness sakes!”

“I would also kill you two if I fully transform.” Minho groaned as the fox added “This, I just, urgh!” The Fox grunted in frustration.

“How long have we been trapped in Emerald Fields? How long will our memories remain this time?” Jonghyun finally spoke. Just then they realized the two princes’ were not in their huddle. They looked over their shoulders…

The Crown Prince and his husband were silent and had frozen once they opened their eyes: the angel being the first thing they saw upon waking; Taemin’s eyes welled up with tears, his teeny chin quivered as they both finally recognized her now that their memory had been restored. Gravity claimed Jinki’s tears instantly; they rolled quietly down his furry white cheeks. With his mouth slightly agape and unsteady breath, Taemin’s lip shivered as a silent tear finally slipped from his eye. The three loyal friends noticed Jinki and Taemin weren’t even talking with one another and reuniting, the two princes weren’t even looking at each other… They were looking up at the heavenly lady that helped them regain their memories. The friends quickly shut up and slowly turned to look in the direction in which they were staring; As the three turned to see, The Crown Prince’s voice trembled as he had a lump in his throat, he exhaled a breath he hadn’t known he was holding; he airily gasped sorrowfully “Mother” They saw her as the words left his mouth; eyes widening in shock the trio fell to their knees shedding tears of mourning: bowing respectfully to their Queen. 

“Your majesty.” Kibum and Jonghyun cried staring at the ground beneath their paws as their heads hung low in the best formal bow their animal bodies would allow.

In his frog squat, Minho placed his forehead to the backs of his webbed hands, bowing as well “I am sorry I have failed you, your highness. And I’m sorry I didn’t protect you, and your son and his spouse well enough. Please forgive me.”

Taemin unfroze and bowed to his mother-in-law before getting closer to his husband and placing his tiny black paw on his back, rubbing it to sooth him.  Jinki still hadn’t moved “Mother...I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I had that dream..I could have done something. Mother please forgive me.”  He finally broke down, after the shock and cried openly. “I’m so sorry.” He hopped closer to the kneeling woman, and rubbed his chubby cheek against her knee as he sobbed.

She cooed reassuringly “My sweet Jinki-yah. It is not your fault. There was nothing you could have done my sweet prince.” She his ears backwards down his back.

“It’s my fault” Taemin sniffled. “If I never married your son none of this would have happened. Jinki and mother-nim I’m so so so sorry. I wanted to be your family, not ruin it.” He stressed as he wept; he hugged Jinki with his left arm and pillowed his cheek on Jinki’s shoulder; with his other arm he reach out to his mother-in-law, his little right paw resting on her finger.

“Nonsense Taemin-ah” She scooped her son and his husband up in her arms. “Dry those tears. I’m fine now. I feel no pain. Leeteuk would have done this regardless, it just happened sooner rather than later. Neither of you should feel it is your fault.”She looked down at the frog “And that goes for you too, Chief Choi. You did everything you could. All of you did. You all have proven yourselves time and time again. There is always evil with good, it’s how life works. But now you boys must get King Jinki home quickly. You’ve been poisoned and trapped here for almost three months. Leeteuk will have a coronation soon and you only have two weeks left before you fully transform.”

Jinki sniffled “King?” The tokki blinked and a dangling tear dripped form his eyelash “You mean...Father has passed into the afterlife too?” His chin quivered.

She sighed softly “Yes, son.”

His voiced cracked as more tears fell. “Where is he?”

“His body was so weak when he passed away; it will take him much longer to manifest himself in this world.”

Taemin asked sadly as he sniffled. “Did you both transform into animals too like us?”

“We were so sick from the extra potent concoction and our bodies aren’t as youthful as you all’s thus our bodies couldn’t handle it. We died long before sun up, the night you were all kidnapped. When my soul woke up I thought I was still alive. I saw the King next to me, I shook him.  Suddenly I wasn’t in the bed; I was standing up and looking down at my body and the king’s. I knew then I was dead. My maiden was crying, bawling into my arm but Leeteuk was in the room and he wasn’t crying. Naturally I was highly offended; the man had the audacity to smile at my unfortunate ending. I tried to shake my husband in vain for him to help me. But alas my husband he was gone. I turned back to look at Leeteuk; and for a moment I thought it was a nightmare brought on by the sickness. I was wrong. It was more than a smile Leeteuk had, it was an insolent smirk. I remembered General Choi having extra body guards on us just in case of Leeteuk doing anything for the last two months leading up to the wedding. I put two and two together and knew for a fact he had done this to the king and I. So I ran to your quarters King Jinki to warn you but you weren’t in there. I saw the room destroyed. I saw your clothes strewn across the floor and your wardrobe knocked over, your tables smashed.” she smiled “My boys, you all gave a good fight. I’m so proud of you.”  With tears in their eyes, the five of them nodded and smiled kindly. “Then when there was nothing I could do, my soul vanished and appeared in heaven. There by the grace of the angels, God and our ancestors I was giving all the information about what exactly he did. It was poison. Heechul aided him and a man named Shindong was also his accomplice as you saw in the dreams that restored your memoires. They must be arrested for high treason: the murder of two Sovereigns and the kidnap and attempted murder of their Crown Prince and his spouse. And of course charges need to be brought up for the kidnap and attempted murder of General Choi’s son, Chief Choi, the Crown Prince’s advisor Kim Kibum, and Royal Minstrel Kim Jonghyun.”

“I will not let you down your highness!” Minho vowed. “I will make sure your son gets back to the palace if it’s the last thing I ever do.”

“My Queen, how do we get back? And how do we transform back in to men?” Kibum asked worriedly. “We can right? We can turn the princes back right? I have never studied medicines and potions; is there a miracle potion, an antidote that we can make to become human? And how long will it take?”

Jonghyun wagged his tail “Are you able to change us?”

“While I was searching for you, heaven was busy working on a cure. The flower petals, they harness the power of heaven and can transform you into the men you truly are. Since you were transformed from digesting poison you must eat the petals I placed on your heads that made you sleep; once it is in your stomach it will dissolve instantly into your bloodstream.”

Minho was about to eat his when the deceased Queen stopped him quickly “Wait!  Leeteuk made a regal decree already: Any man seen in Emerald Fields will be imprisoned or worse sentenced to death.”

“How can he make a royal law?” Jinki furrowed his brows. “You mentioned his coronation as well; what else has happened since the two and half months we were gone?”

“Too much and you and Taemin-ah have to fix it. I don’t have much time left, my energy, my capability to be seen by your earthily eyes is fading. I won’t be able to show myself much longer. He has threatened everyone; he has locked up anyone who knows what happened to us and those that do not bow to his will.”

“Someone else knows what happened to us?” Taemin and the three others asked simultaneously.

“Sort of. Your maiden Jinki-ah, she knows you didn’t run away. Minho, your father was jailed for being loyal to the Crown.”

Beyond livid Jinki’s ear stood up tall. “He told people I ran away!?”

 “That low life I’m going to kill ‘em” Minho seethed as the dog and fox growled in agreement.

“For now calm down; you must remain focused. You will find out more when the time is right. The three of you please Get King Jinki and King Taemin back.” She set the rabbit and the kitten down. A tear slipped from her eye “My Sweet prince, now a King” she sighed proudly. "My dearest Taeminah, remember everything the King and I taught you both over the years.” The two Kings nodded “Thank you for taking care of us while we passed away. Taemin, take care of my Jinki for me. I love you both.”

Taemin wiped his wet lashes “I will mother-nim” She leaned over and kissed their foreheads then touched her fingertips to her lips then blew her kiss in the direction they must travel. A royal sparkling pearlescent aqua path, only visible to their eyes, appeared along the lush emerald ground so they wouldn’t get lost along the way to the palace. The elegant angel began to fade from solid form..

Jinki asked again “Mother?”

“mm?” She smiled softly, a ghostly fog of white started to form around her body.

“Will I see you again? Will I see father?” He hopped forward to touch her hand but his hand went right through hers. They all held back tears at the sight; the tokki’s voice quivered as he spoke sadly. “Mother?”

The apparition answered “I’ll see you in heaven, your highness” She bowed formally to the new king of the SHINee World. The five lost souls bowed. Jinki wiped his tears from his eyes with his long ears. Taemin came up from his bow and hugged his husband again petting him on his back.  

Jinki hopped onto the aqua and looked over his shoulder “Thank you mother for everything. I love you, umma.”

“I’ll always love you Jinki.” She then looked to the fox..“Kibum, there is something your father and the scholars know. The king’s advisor, Lee Soo Man, knows as well; King Jinki and King Taemin would have found out the day after their wedding but we all were sick. The king and I never had time to tell them an important story.” she looked to the bunny and kitten “We had planned to tell you when we planned to give you your present the next day after the wedding, the day we got sick.  Its part of our family history, there is a prophecy that goes along with our family legend. Kibum, when you get to the palace seek out your father and the King’s advisor. He will tell King Jinki and King Taemin what we didn’t have time to. Taemin, find the present the King was going to show you.” She started fading much quicker. “You must hurry. I love you all.”

“We will take care of them, your highness.” The three vowed; they said their goodbyes as they walked over to Jinki.

“I love you, Jinki.” She smiled softly and tried to pet him, but again her hand couldn’t touch him any longer. Her glowing fingers brushed against Taemin’s ear in vain as she said her goodbye’s to him as well.

Taemin smiled “I will make you proud, mother-nim. I will proudly do my duty to our Kingdom in your seat. I will be a Queen you will be proud of.”

“Your friends may call you Queen. But my dearest Taeminah, there is more to your story than you know. You have duel titles dear. In The royal court your official title is King, you are a SHINee King. Be proud of that and fight for it along side your King Jinki. I love you.”

He sniffled “I will” not fully understanding.

“Tell father the same for me, mother. I will fulfill my density upon the throne. Until we met again in heaven, mother.”

“Until our souls reunited, my son. I love you, Jinki.” The New king couldn’t or rather didn’t want to take his eyes of his mother: knowing he would never see her again until his natural end. He couldn’t stop silent tears from rolling down his cheeks either nor could Taemin. As tears of mourning left the married couple they held onto each other as they watched her fade while their friends walked onto the highlighted route.

She watched them gather on the path behind their new King as she continued with a tender smile. “Be brave, you have the power of heaven behind you. The poison you drank fully transforms you at the end of three full months; you’ve been gone two and half months. Remember that leaves you with only two weeks. Do not lose your petals God has given you. You must change back within two weeks or else your memories and your human voices will be gone forever.” They all nodded while she gave a small smile of hope; and before they knew it she dissolved into thin air: gone forever in this world.

At the loss of their mother, The King’s broke down bawling, they faced one another; Taemin stood up on his hind legs. They embraced the other compassionately and cried into each other’s shoulders. The others tried to console  them the best they could; Minho hopped up onto Jonghyun’s shoulder as the puppy and the fox gathered round to embrace them in a group hug………….