Kyuhyun woke up to Heechul's agonized screams ringing throughout Boa's mountain castle. "What the hell is going on out there?" The king grabbed his sword from his bedside and cautiously poked his head out of the door. Upon listening closely, Kyuhyun snarled when he heard Eunhyuk's half muffled sobs added to Heechul's crying.

He slowly made his way down the hall, sword at the ready, when Sungmin barreled out of the main hall and slammed into him, sending them both crashing to the floor. Kyuhyun hit the ground with a thump, his sword flying out of his hand and skittering away. "Gods, hyung, what's happening?"

Sungmin shot up and immediately started to push Kyuhyun back into his room. "It's nothing, just go back to sleep."

"Sleep? How am I supposed to go back to sleep when my brother-in-law is screaming like a banshee?"

Sungmin shook his head and continued shoving the king away. Just then, Siwon's ear splitting howl pierced the air, followed by Heechul's tormented wails of, "DON'T HURT HIM, PLEASE!"

"Why are you trying to stop me, they're hurt!" Kyuhyun yelled. With a powerful yank, Kyuhyun wrenched himself out of Sungmin's grip and rocketed towards the main hall.

The young king kicked the door down with a shout, Sungmin following close behind. Leeteuk hollered, "Don't let him in! He can't see this!"

But it was too late.

Kyuhyun let out a devastated scream and fell to his knees as he took in the scene in front of him. Siwon held a distraught Eunhyuk in his arms, quietly wiping away his own tears with his sleeve. Leeteuk sat staring wide eyed at Kyuhyun as Heechul sobbed into his shoulder.

But floating above the heap of people was a sight Kyuhyun wished he could wipe away from his mind.

An image of Ryeowook was superimposed over Leeteuk's staff, the king consort bleeding from cuts and slashes all over his frail body. His head hung low as he sat on his knees, barely able to keep himself up. A mixture of blood and sweat dripped onto his eyes, but he made no move to wipe it away.

Kyuhyun shouted in pure fury when Jaewon came into view, holding a bloodstained whip in one hand and a sword that dripped with blood every step that he took. The usurper cruelly grinned and lifted Ryeowook's chin with the flat of his blade. Kyuhyun's heart skipped a beat when he saw that his husband's eyes were barely open and he was breathing too shallowly.

"What you have just witnessed-," Jaewon looked terrifyingly jubilant for someone who had just tortured someone. "-was a little preview of what will happen if you dare cross me."

"I'll do that and worse to you, you bastard!" Kyuhyun howled. He lunged towards the image, only for Sungmin to yank him back and pin him to the floor. "Let me go!"

"What are you gonna do, jump into the staff and punch Jaewon in the face? Magic doesn't work like that!"

Jaewon, of course, couldn't hear them, and continued on with an almost peaceful smile. "The former king has not been found and that makes me quite upset." Sungmin tightened his grip on Kyuhyun's shoulders, lest the young king try and attack the mirage. "I have made a decision."

"Starting next week, if the former king is not found, I will execute one citizen from a random town." Eunhyuk burst into a fresh set of tears and buried his face in Heechul's back. "If I find that he is being hidden-"

Ryeowook let out a weak cry as Jaewon suddenly struck with the whip, striking his face and sending him toppling to the ground, blood streaming from a fresh cut on his cheek. Kyuhyun made the loudest, most terrified scream that Leeteuk had ever heard anyone make in his lifetime. Jaewon turned back with a fearsome grin, blood splattering his pristine white robes.

"-the consort will get much worse than this."

The image fizzled out and everything went silent. Then Heechul opened his mouth and tearfully began spewing out such terrible profanities that Sungmin wanted to wash his mouth out with soap. Kyuhyun was just shrieking incomprehensibly, thrashing around in Sungmin's grasp. Eunhyuk and Siwon were full on wailing and Leeteuk gathered the two younger men into his arms, murmuring comforting words even as tears streamed freely down his cheeks.

"Let me go!" Kyuhyun managed to roar. "That's my husband! That's my husband he's trying to kill!"

Sungmin wrapped his arms around Kyuhyun, trying hard to hold him still. "Ryeowook!" Kyuhyun sobbed. "Don't hurt him! Take me! Kill me instead!" Sungmin shook his head and held Kyuhyun tighter, letting the young king scream himself hoarse.

Moments later, Boa burst into the room, Joy following close behind with a staff clutched in her hands, tears flowing down both of their faces. "We got the message while we were on patrol, is everyone alright?" Donghae and Shindong hobbled in, supported by two girls on each side. "We heard a lot of screaming, who was it?"

"All of us." Leeteuk said, gently shushing Eunhyuk. Upon seeing the look on Donghae's face, Wendy and Yeri helped him over to the man, Donghae immediately curling around him, beginning to cry as well.

"What happened?" Shindong asked. He and Donghae hadn't heard the message, as they were recuperating in their rooms. The riders, save for Joy, came to get them when they came back from patrol.

"Jaewon sent a message to the mage's staffs." Irene said. "Gave a few minutes for the mages to gather the town and then he-!"

She cut off with a sob and Seulgi gathered her into her arms. "He broadcasted himself torturing the king consort across the kingdom." she snarled. "He said that if someone doesn't hand over the king, he would kill a citizen every week. And if he thinks people are protecting the king-!"

"He's going to kill Ryeowook." Kyuhyun pushed Sungmin off and staggered to his feet, wiping his red rimmed eyes with one hand. "That's unacceptable."

"What do you think you're going to do?" Boa questioned.

"Send a message of my own." he growled.

~~~
 

"Taeyeon, it's Leeteuk-oppa!" Tiffany shouted. Taeyeon whirled around to see her staff glowing a bright sapphire blue, Leeteuk's signature color. "What does this mean?"

"He's sending a private message." Taeyeon breathed. "He must have a plan. Check and make sure we're alone." Tiffany ran around and shut all the windows. Taeyeon murmured a quick protective charm and then lightly touched her staff.

A bright light beamed out and Leeteuk's face appeared over her staff. "Mages of Saebyeok, this is Ileun's co-head mage, Leeteuk." Leeteuk said. "Do not gather the town, this is strictly confidential." Taeyeon beckoned Tiffany closer and the two women huddled around the staff.

"I apologize for the suddenness, but this information is terribly important. I am with the king-" Taeyeon in a breath. He couldn't mean Jaewon, could he? "-the real king, King Kyuhyun I."

Kyuhyun stepped into view and Taeyeon gasped when she saw the usually confident looking ruler so defeated and weak. But she saw the determination in his eyes and she thought that maybe, they still had hope. Leeteuk nodded to the younger. "His Majesty will take it from here."

Kyuhyun faced forward with a serious expression on his face. "You cannot speak of this to any soldier of the castle, as they may relay any information to Jaewon." Taeyeon smiled, that was the king she knew.

"I know-" Kyuhyun took on a somber look. "-that you have all witnessed something terrible, and that you have heard something even worse."

Tiffany found herself nodding, even though she knew the king couldn't see her. "I can't say some of those things won't happen, but I'm determined to make sure at least one of those things will not." Kyuhyun frowned. "I cannot say how long it will take to get to the capital, but if things go according to plan, I will be able to prevent the death of the king consort."

Taeyeon felt a rush of relief flow through

her body as the king kept speaking. "Jaewon will have his forces closest to him, but they will not be enough to match the power of the dragon queen." Taeyeon's eyes widened when Boa came into view, the dragon queen shyly waving. "She has agreed to help on our endeavor to take back the throne from the Nams."

"I know some of you blame me for fleeing, for not staying in the castle and defending my throne." Kyuhyun said. "It was a miscalculation on my part, Jaewon knew exactly when and where to strike to have us escape."

"He cau