Mir had never hated his mother.

She had always been a cruel woman, he knew that, but he couldn’t bring himself to hate his own mother. He could see the façade she put on for the public, and he knew she had done terrible things, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually hate her. It was just something he couldn’t help; he always had hope for his mother.

But as he stood in the dirty cell in the dungeon, watching his mother smile as Taemin was tortured, he could feel the anger and disgust burning inside of him. How could someone enjoy watching this? Was she truly so hateful?

The sound of Taemin’s scream, his whimpers, brought tears to Mir’s eyes, and he hated himself for being so useless.

‘I’m so sorry…I’m sorry I let this happen to you, Taemin.’

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect him like I promised, Brother.’

When the skin of Taemin’s back broke open, and he began to bleed, Mir couldn’t control himself. He hurried to the corner of the room, retching into the floor. He felt disgusted, shaky, and weak, but he composed himself quickly. He wiped the side of his mouth, and made his way back to IU, who was sobbing loudly, a hand over in shock.

Taemin’s back was now a mess of blood, and Mir thought he was going to be sick again. “Just stop! Please! Don’t you think that’s enough!?”

On the eighteenth strike, Taemin collapsed, and the guard ceased his actions, glancing at the Queen for approval. “I suppose that will be enough. Your job is done,” Sujung answered casually, before leaving the dungeon.

Mir ran to Taemin’s side, listening to the painful sobs and quiet muttering the boy produced. “Taemin! I- It’s alright, I’ll- I’ll get you help,” Mir cried, watching as Taemin’s eyes closed. “IU, get the physician!”

~~~~~

“He has lost a considerable amount of blood, but what you should truly worry about is the infection. The whip was highly unsanitary, and caused quite an infection.  It has already produced a fever. Also, there is no doubt that he will scar terribly.”

Mir nodded, letting the physician’s words sink in, while his eyes never left Taemin. The boy was lying on his stomach in bed, bandages wrapped around his body. The bit of blood that had already soaked through the bandages caused Mir to shiver. He tried to only concentrate on the slow, deep breaths Taemin took in his sleep.

“Thank you, Doctor,” he muttered absentmindedly, and the man left the room.

IU came in moments after the doctor left, eyes red and swollen from crying, “How is he?”

“The infection has caused a fever, and there will be much scarring, but right now he’s sleeping peacefully,” Mir answered solemnly.

IU approached the bed, kneeling down and taking a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the boy’s sweat-slicked face. “I can’t imagine going through what he has…Being taken away from your friends and family to be thrown into a completely different world…having to hide your gender, and deceive your friends…and then, being away from the only person that made you feel safe in that frightening new world.”

Mir swallowed thickly, watching as Taemin’s brow knitted and he released a quiet whimper. “Sometimes…I feel so selfish for being happy that my brother brought him here. He has brought Minho so much happiness, and he has given me, and many others, such a great friendship. I never wished for any of this to happen to him,” his voice trembled slightly, as he held back tears, “Is it shameful of me to wish he would stay here despite everything?”

 “Not at all…I wish for him to stay too. But he isn’t safe here, without Minho…”

“I know,” Mir whispered. “I couldn’t even keep him out of harm’s way for a week. And even the guards Minho left to keep him safe couldn’t protect him from the Queen.”

“We have to contact Minho, before anything else happens to him.”

~~~~~~

Three days later.

Minho stared up at the low ceiling of his tent, his limbs aching and his eyes heavy, but he couldn’t seem to fall asleep.  He hadn’t slept well for almost two weeks, the battles had hardly allowed him to. And even when he got the chance to sleep, he was always on edge, waiting for an attack. But tonight, those were not the reasons for his insomnia.

He clutched at the wrinkled paper in his hand, going over the words in his head.

Brother,

I realize that you were hoping this letter would be from Taemin. I’m sorry to say, that at the moment, she is not in a state to write.

Things are not going well here.  I can’t say much in this letter, but just know that Taemin is not well. She is not protected here without you.

I don’t wish to worry you, for I know very well that you have many other concerns at the moment. I know you have a Kingdom to fight for, and I don’t wish for this letter to affect your state of mind. But this is urgent.

I am deeply sorry for not protecting her.

                                                                                                                                                                Love,

                                                                                                                                                                Mir

“Damn!” Minho clenched his fists, the letter crumpling in his hand in the process

What the hell happened? Mir couldn’t have been more vague.

And now Minho’s thoughts were filled with all of the horrible things that could have happened to Taemin.

Was he sick? Was he seriously injured?  Who hurt him?

The last question, though, was quite obvious. Byungchol was fighting here with him, and the only other person that had any motives to harm Taemin was the Queen. But what had she done?

Minho couldn’t imagine Sujung harming Taemin herself. She did have an image to protect, after all, and Minho was sure that his father wouldn’t allow Sujung to blatantly harm Taemin without a reason.

He knew that lying around, contemplating what could have happened wasn’t helping anyone, but he couldn’t stop his mind from racing. His concern for Taemin was consuming him, and he couldn’t focus on anything else. He wasn’t sure how he was going to fight tomorrow, with all this on his mind, but he would have to suffer through it.

He wished he could just jump on a horse, and leave. Go to Taemin. Go back to the palace and see exactly what had happened, and who he had to kill for hurting the precious boy.

He could do nothing of the sort, though, and it was driving him insane.

It was impossible for him to be calm when it came to Taemin being harmed…

~~~~~

“You wanted to speak with me, Yunho?”

“Yes, Sujung,” Yunho’s voice seemed strained. His expression was bllank, eyes hard as he glanced at the Queen. “Take a seat,” he motioned toward the chair on the opposite side of the table, and Sujung obliged.

“You seem tense. Are you angry with me?” She took a sip of wine, eyes feigning ignorance, but set in a smirk.

“I heard that you gave Princess Taemin twenty lashes. What is this absurdity, Sujung?”

“I was simply teaching her a lesson. She destroyed Minjung’s precious garden,” she said, seeming scandalized, but her tone was almost mocking.

Yunho’s expression faltered at the sound of his deceased wife’s name, and he coughed, composing himself quickly. “I find it hard to believe that Princess Taemin would do such a thing. I’m sure-“

“I had a great amount of evidence, Yunho. There were three witnesses and the girl was covered in dirt, with the gardening tools at her feet. What else would I think?”

The room was silent for a moment, the air thick with tension. Yunho could see through her lies easily. He had known this woman for years. But she was too clever sometimes, and it frustrated him to no end when she made him feel powerless. He wasn’t going to allow it any longer.

“Even so, you are not to carry out any punishments without acceptance from the council and me.”

Sujung shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips, “I simply did not want to waste time with a trail. It was a simple case, really, and the punishment was carried out quickly.”

“That does not give you the authority to give a young girl twenty lashes for something she may not have done,” he yelled, voice deep and strong.

The Queen didn’t seem affected by his anger, and she continued to drink her wine slowly, the mocking expression never ceasing. “You may all be fooled by that girl’s ‘innocence’, but I see right through her. She is a that is simply using Minho for power.”

“She is my son’s bride, and will not continue to treat her this way. I won’t allow,” Yunho stood, his voice carrying a tone of finality. “From now on, you come to me with any matters concerning her.”

~~~~~

Taemin was confused.

He had woken up, his body aching, his head pounding, and his throat sore. He had no idea what time it was, let alone what day. When he tried to move, his back burned with pain, and he cried out loudly.

When he looked down and saw the bandages wrapped around his body, memories came flooding into his head.

The garden…the Queen…being carried to the dungeon…all the pain…

He shivered at the recollection of that day.

“Oh! Taemin! You’re awake!”

Taemin jumped slightly, glancing over to see Onew standing at the door with a tray of food.

“Onew…,” his voice was raspy, and he tried to clear his throat, but it burned. “What…wh- what-“

“You’ve been in and out of consciousness for three days, Taemin,” Onew approached the bed, and set the food on the table. “Your fever was terrible. We could barely get you to stay conscious to drink any water.”

Taemin’s eyes widened, “Three days!?” He yelled, immediately regretting it when he went into a coughing fit.

Onew helped him sit up, his back stinging a bit just leaning against the pillows. The older man gave him a glass of water, which he chugged quickly. “Yes, three days. So, I’m going to bet you’re starving. Eat first, and then we’ll talk.”

Taemin took the food gratefully, and began eating much too fast. Onew scolded him, telling him he would get sick eating like that, so he reluctantly slowed down.

“I’m so sorry for letting this happen, Taemin…I’ve just been so busy, but I- I should have kept an eye on you at least,” Onew looked to the floor, eyes overflowing with guilt.

“None this is your fault, Onew. I was stupid enough to sneak away from the guards Minho assigned to me. I should have known better…” He couldn’t believe he had gotten himself into this situation. He shouldn’t have been so careless. He should have guessed the Queen would plan something.

“Don’t blame yourself either. Yes, it was careless, but it’s not your fault that you were framed. The Queen can be quite clever sometimes.”

Taemin sighed, the small action making his body ache. “Don’t tell Minho anything, okay?”

“Uhhh…,” Onew scratched at the back of his neck, “It’s a bit too late for that. Mir already wrote to him. He didn’t give much detail, but Minho does know that something bad has happened.”

Taemin groaned, his head falling back onto the pillows, “Oh no…Minho shouldn’t be distracted by anything. What if he messes up? What if he gets hurt because of me? What if-“

“Taemin, please! Minho may be rash sometimes, but I trust that he won’t let his worries affect him on the battlefield. Have a little faith in him.”

“I do,” Taemin muttered, pouting slightly. “I’m just worried…”

“Would it make you feel better if you could at least write to him?”

“Yes, please!” He said eagerly, finally smiling.

Onew nodded, ruffling the boy’s hair as he stood up, and left the room, returning moments later with paper and ink.

“Umm Onew?” Taemin gave him a questioning glance as he cleared off the table and placed the paper, the ink, and the quill in front of him. “I just…dip this in the ink right?” He asked, pointing to the quill.

Onew chuckled, “Of course. What else would you do?”

“Well, it’s just a bit different in my world.”

Onew shrugged, “Well, I’m going to get the physician. Your bandages need changed. I’ll leave you alone to write.”

Taemin sat up with much difficulty, his limbs shaking slightly. Leaning over the table to write even a bit, made his back sting, so he sat as straight as possible. He took a deep breath before picking the quill, and dipping it in the ink bottle.

Minho,

Do not listen to Mir. I’m perfectly alright.

Well, I’m not going to lie, I’m not in perfect condition. It’s nothing for you to worry about, though. So please don’t think too much about it.

Just focus on the battle. You promised to come back to me in one piece. I’m holding you to that promise.

I miss you terribly, and nothing is the same here, without you. But I’ll wait patiently for you to come back. I understand that you’re doing what you have to do for your Kingdom.

I only have one request. Write me back, if you are able to. I’m desperate to hear from you somehow. I need to know that you’re alright.

I miss you.

I love you.

                                                                                                                                                                Yours Forever,

                                                                                                                                                                            Taemin

Taemin scanned the letter, deciding it was considerably short, but he just didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t want to give Minho too much information. Also, anything else he wanted to say to Minho, he wanted to say to the older boy in person.

Onew came in with the doctor just as he finished looking over his letter.

“Onew, do you have any idea how long Minho will be away?”

“Hmmm there’s no telling exactly how long. But with Minho’s skills, it shouldn’t be too long.”

“Well, I have something I need you to help me with, before he comes back. If you’re willing to…”

“Of course, I’ll help in any way I can. What is it?”

Taemin placed his letter back on the table, before he wrapped an arm around his middle. He let his feet touch the cold floor, and pushed off the bed, “Nnnnhg,” he clenched his teeth to hold back another groan as he stood up slowly, the pain in his back heightening.

Onew and the doctor rushed to him, protesting immediately that he lie back down, but he refused.

Taemin’s hand flew to the gold chocker around his neck, content that no one had taken it off of him, and let his fingers brush the sapphires, “After I recover, I want you to help me fix the garden.”

~~~~~

A/N: Short chapter, I know. But I had to give you guys something lol

I don't have any lame excuses for not updating in forever :p

But I'm giving you a 2min oneshot as an apology^^

Second Chances

Side note: Mir referred to Taemin as "she" in the letter in case someone else read it.

Oh and I changed my tumblr URL

http://taetastic.tumblr.com/

I'll follow back^^

You can never have too many kpop friends to spazz with on tumblr lol