The king consort woke up in a dark, dank cell, leaned against a wall bound by thick iron chains around his wrists and ankles. He smacked his lips, wincing when he tasted blood. Ryeowook weakly looked from side to side, making note of the small window in the wall behind him. “Well, that went well.” Ryeowook groaned.

He frowned and lifted his hands up to his eyes, closely inspecting the heavy shackles binding him. Ryeowook snarled and dropped his hands back in his lap. “Tsuhoshi.” he spat. Mined from the deepest caverns in the Sekisetsu mountain range, tsuhoshi was the best material to use for metalwork. However, it was banned for usage because of the consequences of using it for weaponry.  

If in contact with bare skin for too long, it would eventually begin to the blood out of its victims through microscopic needles, as tsuhoshi was impossible to make completely smooth. Eventually, the person wearing the shackles would die of blood-loss, even if there was no blood outside of the body, and god help that person who was stabbed by a sword made of tsuhoshi.

Ryeowook sighed and rested his head on his knees. The only way to get tsuhoshi these days was through illegal smuggling, and if the Nams had access to that...

“Jongwoon-hyung, are you there?” came a tentative whisper. Ryeowook silently rolled to his feet, not daring to reply out of fear. “Hyung, it’s Zhoumi, are you here?”

The king consort could have cried in relief and scrambled to the front of the cell, gripping the bars tightly. “Zhoumi!” He sobbed. “Zhoumi, it’s me!” He heard a breathy gasp and before he knew it, he was looking up into the watery eyes of Henry’s cousin, Zhoumi.

“Your Majesty!” The taller man cried, kneeling and reaching through the bars to clasp Ryeowook’s hands in his own. "Are you all right?"

Ryeowook nodded and clutched the other man's hands. "I'm all right, but where's Jongwoon-hyung? He was captured with me."

Zhoumi shook his head. “I haven’t seen him, but I heard he was down here.” The consort gritted his teeth, but shook his head.

“If you’ve heard about him, then he’s safe,” Ryeowook’s eyes took on a frightened shine and he stared pleadingly up into Zhoumi’s eyes. “But have you heard anything about Kyuhyun?” His heart sank when Zhoumi sadly shook his head.

"But if he was here, I'm sure that I would have heard something about it." Zhoumi reassured him.

Ryeowook let out a sigh and loosened his grip on Zhoumi's hands. "That means Henry's okay, he was with Kyuhyun." Zhoumi's eyes brightened and big smile spread across his face.

"Henry made it out?" When Ryeowook nodded, Zhoumi let out a relieved laugh. "Thank the gods, I was so worried when I couldn't find him!"

The men laughed together, like it was the only bright spot in a world full of darkness, until the clatter of a spear hitting the ground broke their fantasy. Zhoumi turned to Ryeowook with wide eyes and gripped his hands tightly. "I'm going to send a message to Henry, if he's with the king, they'll know you're alive." Ryeowook nodded.

"All right, go!" With one last pleading look, Zhoumi released his hands and hurried out of the dungeon. "Don't get caught! Use your falcon, they can't track bird mail!" Ryeowook warned.

The sound of metal hitting the floor grew louder and Ryeowook quickly arranged himself back in the same corner he woke up in. "Your Majesty!" A voice called, almost completely indistinguishable from the helmet he wore. "I have a gift for you!" Ryeowook quirked a suspicious eyebrow but did not move from his spot.

The soldier came into view and Ryeowook could see the glint of bright teeth curled up into a cruel grin. "I'm positive that it'll surprise you." He snickered, Ryeowook's eyes snapping to the large heap crumpled next to the soldier's legs.

The cell door creaked open and Ryeowook cried out as Jongwoon was tossed into the cell with a sickening thud, his seemingly lifeless head hitting the ground with a crack, blood running from his broken nose onto the cold, dirty floor. With a muffled sob, Ryeowook dragged himself towards the elder as fast as he could while being hindered by chains around his wrists and ankles.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Ryeowook whined, gently placing Jongwoon’s head in his lap. “Jongwoon-hyung, please!” Jongwoon only groaned and slowly turned his face towards Ryeow