A wrinkle in the universe. The stars watched with cold disinterest as three hooded figures moved through the shadowed chambers that made up space and time, with one supported between the two to prevent him from stumbling and shattering the existing reality altogether.

Hold him steady, the lead figured said. We must disturb nothing.

The second figure shuddered, nearly faltering under the third’s weight. This is folly! Surely the King and Queen—!

Silence! The lead figure hissed. I command it!

Junjin? Junjin! Minwoo, I can heal him but we MUST return to the Underground!

The lead figure said nothing, but merely cloaked them in the mists of time, illuminating Moments of their own lives, surrounding them in the soft glow of past events and memories. In the distance, the stars trembled.

Minwoo!

Do not touch any of them, and do not speak. Trust me, brother. Just follow my lead.

-|-

“They’re what?!”

Dongwan shot up from the seat that he was occupying on the sofa, his mouth twisting into ugly shapes as he glared at Eric. “I’m sorry, say that to me again but slower this time,” he demanded.

Eric scrubbed his hands over his face, already exhausted from the barely-started ordeal of dealing with his cousin in the aftermath of…whatever it was that had just happened in their apartment. He was still damp from the rain but had chosen to instead shuck off his clothes and be left to sit in an old bathrobe that he didn’t even know they had, for the meantime. Although he wanted to do nothing more now than to take an hour-long hot bath (and maybe attempt to drown himself in the process, given what had happened between him and Hyesung), he also needed for Dongwan to understand who—or what—exactly they were dealing with before anything escalated any further. Seeing him making out with Minwoo of all goddamn creatures was a sight that he wished he could unsee and that had been so far one of the worst-timed things he’d walked in on in his life.

“You heard me.” he said, his teeth gritted. He didn’t want to repeat the word ‘immortal’ out loud. “You heard it loud and clear. They’re…not human.”

“Have you lost your—” Dongwan lowered his voice after in deference to Andy, whom they had banished to his bedroom with his dinner so they could argue in peace, “ing mind?”

“Look,” Eric said, exhaling loudly through his nostrils. His heart was beating fast against his ribcage and he wasn’t sure if it was because of rage or because the secret he and Andy had worked so hard to hide from their cousin was practically out in the open for him to see, and still he couldn’t see it. It amazed him sometimes how dense Dongwan was. “Look, I know it sounds insane and believe me, it truly is…”

“Not human?” Dongwan interrupted him. He looked genuinely hurt. “Eric…if you’re homophobic you can just give it to me straight, you know. Don’t…I mean don’t bull me like this.”

The words hit him like a backhand to the face. He couldn’t believe what his cousin was accusing him of, especially given his own feelings for Hyesung. If the situation wasn’t so serious due to all the risks it posed, it would have actually been laughable.

“I didn’t expect this kind of thinking from you,” Dongwan was ranting now, his eyes shining like new coins. “I trusted you, you know…”

“Dongwan!” Eric spluttered. He wasn’t going to sit there and be accused over something he was not. “Will you shut the up for a second and listen to me?”

“No, you shut the up. I don’t get why you’re freaking out so badly over me kissing a guy!”

“Because he’s not just any guy, okay?! Jesus, he’s not even a guy, and that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! I don’t give a about who you’re dating but you’d better believe I’m going to be up on your if you don’t listen to what I have to say about Minwoo right now.”

“Are they criminals?! Is that what they are?” Dongwan backed away, suddenly looking panicked. Realization seemed to dawn on him as he covered his mouth with his hands, gasping: “Did I just make out with someone from the Korean mafia or something? Are they traffickers? Rapists?!”

Eric had never wanted to hit his cousin so badly, if only to get him to shut up long enough to explain. He took a deep breath and tried again: “Dongwan, please. Please shut up and stop shouting everything. I swear to God, I will punch you if you end up announcing to the entire block what we’re talking about.”

“It’s because you aren’t making sense!” It was Dongwan’s turn to throw his hands up and if he was any nearer Eric was sure they would have already started coming to blows. His tone bordered on hysterical. “How does this entire conversation even make sense? What the hell could he possibly be that’s gotten you so riled up? If you claim you’re not homophobic—and I hope to God you really aren’t because we’re going to have some problems—then what the is going on?”

Eric sighed. The long way. He had to do it the long way, then.

“You remember when we went to the lake some weeks ago…?”

Miraculously, Dongwan didn’t interrupt him as he recounted the story from their camping trip a few weeks back, describing the very incident (rescuing the bird that was actually Junjin) that had spurred into a chain of events (the Bird Man, the dinners they had had with them, Andy’s flower-in-a-jar) that had now snowballed into something way beyond his control.

In more ways than one, Eric thought bitterly, leaving out the unpleasant rendezvous that he had had with Hyesung minutes before witnessing Minwoo and Dongwan face in their kitchen, something he considered a pretty unforgivable blow from the universe. When he finished with the tale, Dongwan had crossed his arms so tightly over his chest that he looked as though he was hugging himself.

“Eric…” he said carefully. “Do you hear what you’re saying?”

Eric groaned. “I’m SERIOUS. These guys aren’t human. They’re some supernatural whacked-up nutjobs. Plus…they’re royalty too, which makes them twice as infuriating.”

“You do realize…” Dongwan had started running his hands through his hair. It was a nervous habit, and Eric knew at least one of the things he had said must have unnerved his cousin…as it should. “That what you’re saying makes you sound like you’re certifiably insane, right?”

“Look, man, you have to trust me on this. Even Andy knew. They’ve done magic in front of him before—”

“Magic? Are we talking David Copperfield here or like…Harry Potter?”

“The actual . I’m talking about people appearing and disappearing, things being pulled out of thin air.” Eric pointed at the front door. “You remember how they weren’t even there anymore when you opened the door to call for Minwoo?”

Dongwan snorted. “They could have been on the stairs…” he said, but doubt had already clouded his expression. Even he knew Minwoo and Junjin couldn’t have crossed the hallway to head down the stairwell that quickly. “Wait, so you’re saying they actually disappeared?”

“Can anyone actually move that quickly? He was practically having to drag Junjin!” Worry for the youngest fae tugged on Eric’s mind, but he figured he had plenty of time to think about that later. “As ing stupid as it sounds, they can do magic. Big and small tricks. I’ve seen them do it too. It scares the out of me most times.”

“Is it safe?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, . It’s not safe.”

“And you let them do it in front of Andy??” Dongwan yelped, as though just having connected several important points together. “Are you crazy?”

“Why do you think I’d set rules down in the first place?” Eric’s temper snapped. “I specifically told Andy to not speak with them whenever I wasn’t around, to not even look at them. But then I come home to see you two making out while Junjin and Andy are alone doing God knows what hocus pocus in the bedroom, I mean for all I know he could have taken him while you had your tongue rammed down Minwoo’s throat—”

Dongwan groaned. “Okay. Let’s say it was true…”

“It is true, that’s the point of this entire discussion!”

“Eric, you can’t possibly be serious! Things like these don’t exist!”

“You think I haven’t questioned my sanity enough these past few weeks? If you want further proof you should take a look at that flower Andy has—”

“Hyung!” A distressed shout suddenly broke through the din in time with a new clap of thunder, and both Eric and Dongwan automatically turned their heads towards the source: Andy’s bedroom.

“Andy?!” Eric got to his feet and ran close behind Dongwan, who had sprinted towards the room first. When he got there, the door was already wide open, revealing Andy at his desk, his untouched dinner plate in front of him, while the jar containing the flower Junjin had given him was cradled to his chest.

“Hyung!” Andy was crying, his voice momentarily loud as the storm outside abated for a brief moment.

“Are you hurt?” Eric demanded, making up his mind once and for all to get rid of the strange magical thing Andy had been so obsessed with, but he stopped when his brother shook his head. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s the flower!” Andy wailed. “Jinnie told me to take care of it and I was, I swear, I wasn’t doing anything to it, but…”

“But what?” Dongwan now entered and crouched in front of the jar, peering into the glass. “What’s wrong with it?”

“The flower…” Andy said, looking as though he was trying very hard not to burst into tears. “I think it’s dying.”

-|-

Night had fallen in the Underground, but everything was far from peaceful.

Earth-shakes had ruptured throughout the realm and had left none of the six kingdoms comprising it untouched. Large fissures had appeared at random, had swallowed fields and villages, had caused large swaths of fire, and had crumbled ancient structures. Even the High Kingdom was not spared; the earth-shake had ripped apart a portion of the Golden Wood and had caused havoc and panic even among the members of the High Court. Casualties grew as tremors still rippled throughout the land. The scale of the damage was nothing the realm had seen before in recent history, and the entire incident left most of its denizens understandably terrified.

“Your Highness!”

It was relief that was felt when the High King and Queen returned to the palace, shaken, but largely unharmed and well. It was also confusion that the Royal Guard felt when the Queen broke away from the King almost as soon as they had Shimmered in and started to make her way into the private wing reserved for the Royal Family.

“I need to see to our sons,” was the only thing she told her husband in the precious seconds they had alone together before both the Royal Guard and servants-in-waiting flocked over to them. The King had only nodded, having long understood her need to constantly ensure their children’s well-being. He did not have as powerful a magical connection as she did with their sons, but trusted her instincts fully.

“Call for me if you would have any need,” the King murmured. Given the state of the realm, he would likely be in Council meetings until well beyond dawn, assessing the incident, knowing the status of the kingdoms, and laying out plans on what reparations needed to be done. But the Queen knew he would come running if she called; between ensuring the safety of the realm and raising their children, the latter had always proved to be the more challenging ordeal.

The Queen gave him a quick kiss before parting, her palm still filled with her husband’s warmth even long after she left his side. She would assist him as soon as she could be assured where the princes were, and more than once she inwardly cursed at them. Blast and damn. The Unseelie in them ran strong and she pledged that they would feel her wrath given the deep-seated fear they so easily caused for her.

By Danu, when I find them… because she doubted not that she would; her sons were wily and clever and resourceful, and no harm could have befallen them as long as they were together. But then there were only so few places they could go to where her magic couldn’t reach…and the Aboveground was one of them.

(In her head, the old ghosts of the prophecy awoke like the hissing of snakes but no no no, not now, not this time, they could not have gone there…oh Danu PLEASE)

The Queen bustled through the corridors of the Royal Wing with haste, her mind occupied by a single goal. The earth-shake had not damaged the palace, but it was not immune to feeling the trembling that was still occurring throughout the realm. The stones shook underneath her feet and, despite the dangers of stumbling, she quickened her pace, desperate to tap into the power of the Underground in the privacy of her own chambers, in order to scry for her sons further. The earth-shake had somehow also disrupted the flow of her magic and she needed to recuperate in order to regain them, but there was no time. Her sons, her lifeblood, were still missing, and the prophecy was merciless in its taunts, her mind playing back the words to no end like a cursed lullaby.

Danu, please…please…

In a fit of desperation, she attempted to locate them one final time using her own power reserves, despite it already being so dangerously low. The Queen expected to once more be rebuked and so braced herself for the pain, but much to her surprise, the three threads of magic she shot out connected, promptly informing her that all of the princes were not only back within the realm, but were also actually within the palace. Shock at the discovery almost made her cut the connection, falling back into the fear of being discovered for unwanted prying, however it was quick to cool and irrepressible anger took its place.

How dare her own sons make a fool of her! The Queen gave an infuriated growl as she tethered her magic to the eldest prince’s presence before Shimmering directly to where he was, leaving the palace walls shuddering where she had stood.  

-|-

Dying? Eric pushed his way into the room and knelt in front of Andy. The flower within the jar looked dull, nothing like the brilliant bloom that it had been when Junjin had initially made it.

“What’s it supposed to look like?” Dongwan asked, looking entirely puzzled. “It’s just a flower isn’t it?”

“The glow…” Eric murmured, noting the lack of light the flower was emanating. He turned to his brother. “Andy…did anything happen while Junjin was here?”

Without warning, Andy suddenly broke into terrified sobs.

-|-

Crrrracckkk!

A brilliant gold light appeared just as the Queen made her first strike. Minwoo was alert and had put his shield up on time, causing the spell to be deflected onto the walls. Good. She had expected nothing less.

“For Danu’s sake—Mother?!”

The Queen didn’t respond but instead sent another strike as she strode forward. She cared not who saw them. Her ire had crossed all thresholds of her patience and it would be felt. Bright white was met with gold. Again. Again. Again.

“Mother, cease this!”

Hyesung. He was there with Minwoo as well. The Queen directed an attack large enough and strong enough to hit them both, but this time, white was met with purple, quick as a lightning strike. Hyesung’s. She felt her son’s power course through the room as a low menacing hum, and was more than slightly impressed. Hyesung’s primary powers rarely came to the fore as he had not yet learned how to harness them properly; it was assuring for her to know that they were at least able to serve him in times of great need. Such as now.

The Queen used all her fury and the remains of her power reserves to lash out at both her sons. Around them, stone crumbled and glass shattered as the room they were in bore the brunt of the magic. Neither of her sons fought back, and for some reason this added to the Queen’s ire. She sent one attack after another while Minwoo and Hyesung alternated in defense. She had never properly dueled with her sons before, and so had no real sense of the limits of their powers, but in the same way, they too had no concept of the depths of her own magic. The Queen proved this when she broke through Minwoo’s shield at the right time and sliced his cheek with a spell. Blood splattered on the flagstones, but she did not stop.

“Cease this!” she heard Hyesung shout, loud enough to break through the din. There was a flash of purple and the Queen belatedly realized he had launched his first attack against her, the magic wild and unbridled as it barreled towards her with full force. Her shield shattered against his spell and sent her sprawling backwards, the last of her magic now exhausted. There was a moment of shocked silence and horrified disbelief as she fell to the ground, but it was very quickly broken as the Queen felt both her sons Shimmer to her side, Minwoo catching her in his arms before her shoulders hit stone.

“Your Majesty!” Hyesung said, real fear in his voice. She could feel his hands on hers, gentle and probing, as his magic – calming, soothing, healing – suddenly enveloped her and worked to replenish her energies, as well as quell her agitated state. The only child who had managed to inherit one of his father’s greatest abilities and used it as willingly, compared to his primary powers which he always kept hidden. Her second son was a walking enigma. “I apologize, my Queen, I meant no harm—”

“Silence.” The Queen whispered. Her head was near-splitting and she could feel something warm and thick trickle down her nose towards her lip. Blood. Blast.

Minwoo, the side of his face also streaked with blood but the rest of him relatively unhurt, was kneeling on her other side, and with her permission, helped her to a sitting position. Without a word, he tore off the cuff of his sleeve and gently wiped her face.

“Be still, Mother,” he murmured, his words soft. His fingers felt cool against her skin. “You frightened me for a moment there.”

Hyesung bowed his head in deference. His hands were still on hers as his magic worked quietly to replenish her stores. Thankfully he also made no mention of the depletion in her magic, although she was sure they both already knew, given the amount of blood on Minwoo’s cuff. Under different circumstances she would have typically rejected the assistance; it would not do for the High Queen to freely show weakness, but this was not the time to be scant on energy.

And, as though to remind her, another tremor suddenly started, strong enough to rock the palace walls and loosen bits of stone from overhead.

“What is happening?!” Minwoo lifted his head, alarmed, his stance defensive. “Your Majesty, get behind me—” He made to shield her with a spell, but the Queen grasped his wrist and halted his magic, his reaction having confirmed what she had already suspected. “Mother…?” Minwoo asked, his brows furrowed as he glanced at her hand. “What—”

“There is something occurring in the Underground,” the Queen said, attempting to keep her voice steady. “There have been earth-shakes throughout the entire realm and it has been happening since past the third hour. As Crown Prince were you not aware?”

Her tone turned icy and she could see both her sons visibly flinch.

“My Queen—” Minwoo started to say, but the Queen silenced him with a glare.

“You were not in the Underground. Not one of you were.” She declared, softly and dangerously, aware of the Royal Guard standing in the room’s periphery. They had not dared to approach during the duel and still awaited orders now. To get in between an argument occurring between the Royal Family, easily the most powerful beings in the whole realm, would be a death wish.

“Minwoo.” The Queen met her eldest son’s eyes. He did not turn away, although there was now something unreadable in his expression, like a hidden door or a knife in the dark. Blood trickled from his cheek down to the side of his neck, staining his collar scarlet. “I demand from you your truth. Where had you gone?”

The air seemed to vanish from the room as soon as the inquiry left her tongue, and the hush that descended upon them seemed to last an eternity, although it could have been barely a second. In that moment, her trust in her son wavered and she dreaded what his answer could be, because he couldn’t have…they would NEVER set foot in the Above, not after everything they had been told about the prophecy…

“I had taken my brothers to the Outer Realm.” Minwoo said, his face downcast. “Mother, it was a mistake, and I should not have done it. I…I will face all punishments required for it.”

The Outer Realm. There was a smidge of relief at his confession, although it was short-lived. The Outer Realm was not the Aboveground, but was equally a forbidden destination. A visit without having obtained express permission from the King still merited dire consequences.

“What have you done?” The Queen hissed. She was incensed now and could feel her temper rising again. The stones shook with her rage. “Have you altered the stars? Have you changed the course of time?!” she demanded, for the Outer Realm was volatile and contained ancient magic they could not fully understand or control. It was also a place unreachable for her own magic, which would have explained the backlash when she had tried to track them. “Was it your foolishness that caused destruction upon the Underground?”

“I have not, I swear! I had only wanted to show them the realm…” Minwoo raised his hands and exposed his palms. “Mother—I swear…”

“Silence!” she boomed, unable to believe how utterly careless her sons were still capable of being. Apart from the King, only one other Fae had access to the Outer Realm’s Paths, and he was standing in front of her. Minwoo’s primary powers were sourced from the Outer Realm, but despite that it was law for all denizens to not cross over unless it was with the King’s blessing. The Royal Family was not above the law. “Do you not realize the dangers of what you have done? Of what you could have caused? You and your brothers could have been killed—!”

It was in that instance that the Queen noticed her youngest son was also notably missing.

“Where is Choongjae?” the Queen asked, and something impulsively stirred within her amongst the continuous mutterings of the prophecy that she constantly warred with in her mind. It was mother’s instinct, perhaps, and she knew without confirming that something had gone wrong. tightened with worry. “Is he hurt?”

She didn’t miss the twitch in Hyesung’s fingers at the question, but when she looked at him, he had his eyes resolutely on his hands as he focused his magic on her. The sight of it brought about the sudden and irresistible urge to shake both her sons by their shoulders until their brains rattled in their ears.

“He is…resting,” Minwoo answered, but his statement left much to be desired. He paused, as though weighing his words. “The journey to the Outer Realm and back…took a toll on him. He is resting now, in the infirmary. He is with the King’s physician…”

A brazier exploded in one of the corners near where they were situated, and the Queen could feel her magic snap and flare with her anger once more. She still couldn’t fully wrap her mind around what she was hearing, but Minwoo’s words were a confirmation of his brazenness and flagrant disobedience, and now that the truth had been outed, it infuriated her at how they were now left to deal with the possible consequences his actions. Hyesung had replenished a good amount of her magic but she was still far from having regained her usual strength. She longed to give her son another lashing, this time one he would not forget, but she would not waste her own precious magic just so.

What needs must. The Royal Family was not above the law. They must, in fact, uphold it to the letter.

“Guards.” The Queen called out, her eyes still on her unusually recalcitrant eldest. His mouth was set but his expression remained clouded. Hidden. Although it pained her immensely, she would not stand for it, especially at the expense of the safety of her other sons. “Arrest the Crown Prince.”

Hyesung’s hands that were hovering over her stilled at her command. He raised fearful eyes at her and then gave a glance towards his brother. In front of her, Minwoo’s expression flickered as the Royal Guard approached and pulled him to his feet, but he did not dare speak against her command. If anything, her sons knew of their duties to the crown and to the realm. He knew exactly what was coming.

“Mother—” Hyesung started to say, but the Queen raised a hand to silence him.

“For direct disobedience to the command of the King, the abandonment of your post, and for endangering the lives of the direct heirs to the throne, the High Queen sentences the Crown Prince to indefinite imprisonment in solitary confinement. The High King will carry out interrogation procedures and will grant further sentencing as he sees fit.”

“Mother!” Hyesung shouted, and understandably so. Interrogation by the High King was not a painless ordeal and required an intrusive penetration of the mind. Few could withstand the King’s power. “Mother, you will break him!”

“He will not.” The Queen snapped, for even though the punishment was fearful, she also had blind faith in her son’s abilities. She faced her eldest once more. His expression was grim. “You will face the consequences of your actions as you are expected to do, with the full dignity of your birthright. Do you understand, Minwoo?”

“I understand and accept.” Minwoo said. His eyes were shuttered as he gave her a customary nod. “As you command, Your Maj—”

A loud bang! interrupted the proceedings and the Queen instinctively turned around, her arms spread out to protect her sons, even before the rest of the Royal Guard rushed forward to do the same.

“Who goes there?” she demanded. She would not be surprised if the earth-shakes had summoned old enemies, emboldened by the confusion ongoing, to the palace, armed with their hopes to overthrow the throne. Instead of the sight of an intruder as she had expected, however, she was met with the sight of a tall wizened Fae dressed in long scarlet robes embroidered with the High King’s House. The bang had come from the brazier he had unceremoniously toppled when he had Shimmered into the room. The strong smell of herbs that had filled the space completed the identification of their unexpected guest: it was the High King’s physician.

“Your Highness!” the physician shouted after having gotten his bearings. His white hair was askew. “My deepest apologies for the interruption but I require your and the King’s assistance in the infirmary at this very moment—”

“The infirmary?” Something tugged at her mind but would not connect. The Queen was still focused on the maelstrom of heartache and disappointment that was her eldest son. “Deokhwa, can that not wait another moment, I—”

She was startled as the physician interrupted her, because in all the millennia he had known her, he had never done so. When he next spoke, his tone was terse as he said the words that instantly made her blood run cold:

“It cannot, your Majesty. It is the youngest prince. We fear he may be Fading.”

tbc

Author's Notes:
1. The chapter title is a song by KD Lang. It was stuck in my head as I wrote this chapter. :)
2. Thank you to everyone who comments on my stories. I read and cherish them all! I apologize if I'm not able to reply to all of them, however. I'll do better!
3. Take care please!!! ♥