Taeyeon knew that something wasn’t right when Lady BoA marched up to her and grabbed her by the elbow, gently dragging her aside for a discussion with a brittle smile on her face.

She frowned.

“I thought you’re meeting us at Nightshade Grove.”

“There’s been a change of plans.” BoA’s voice was as sharp as it was soothing. “I heard my daughters were on the air blip.”

“They helped.” Sensing BoA’s discomfort and wariness, Taeyeon crossed her arms and frowned, pointing out her gratefulness for Irene’s help blatantly.

“Yes, yes. I know. I’m not that concerned over Irene. What I want to know is if Judy had used her magic.” Taeyeon’s frown deepened.

“You could always ask Judy. Or Irene. I’m pretty sure that they’ll tell you.” She blinked as BoA sighed frustratedly, pinching her own forehead lightly.

“I did ask, as a matter of fact. But Irene has a soft spot for her sister.” Both their eyes landed on Judy and Irene, the former giggling as Irene played with her fingers and made funny faces. “She told me that Judy didn’t use her magic.” Taeyeon’s eyebrows raised at BoA’s words.

“And you don’t believe her?” There was a moment’s pause as BoA stared at her, before the older woman crossed her own arms to mirror Taeyeon’s own stance.

“Of course I don’t.” The witch snorted. “My younger daughter has always have had issues with the matter of control. And there’s also that matter of ruins and multiple dead bodies outside.” She gestured with a wave of her hand, the air before them blurring as she showed Taeyeon the bleak ruins that surrounded their air blip. Taeyeon swallowed, looking at the shrivelled and mummified corpses, trapped in their bodies, their faces etched in the pain of death, rotting and crumbling in a field devoid of greenery. The devastation lasted for miles out, even reaching innocent victims at the outskirts. Bile rose in Taeyeon’s throat as she watched a child cry as the witches outside attempted to remove his decaying and rotting foot.

“What happened--”

“Judy’s magic touched his feet. He wasn’t fast enough.” BoA pursed her lips slightly. “Many don’t know it since its rare, but magic bound to Death Patrons have a decaying effect to those it wielder wants to harm.” Taeyeon coughed slightly. “So.”

“She used her magic when Irene got hurt.” BoA’s lips pursed displeasingly at Taeyeon’s words “But I believe you shouldn’t confront her about it. She knows she was wrong. Irene already scolded her about it.” The older woman folded her arms, displeasure clearly on her face at Taeyeon’s advice.

“I believe I don’t need your help in telling me what is best for me to do, especially when it comes to my two daughters.” Taeyeon narrowed her eyes slightly at BoA’s hostility, before giving an offhanded shrug.

“But I managed to stop her from using her magic further. Thats what’s important, isn’t it?” BoA blinked at her words, clearly not expecting those words from Taeyeon’s mouth.

“You managed to stop her?”

“You could say that.” Taeyeon muttered under her breath. “I just told her I understood why she’d done so, and she stopped, because I told her that what she was doing wasn’t helping.” Taeyeon avoided BoA’s eyes as a surge of jealousy mixed with pain filtered across the older witch’s face. “I’m sorry.” She quickly apologised. “I didn’t mean to--”

“No. Don’t.” BoA held up her hand, chuckling bitterly. “Believe me, its better if you don’t apologise. Makes you much easier to hate.” A wry smile twists both their lips slightly. “There’s a favour I’ve been meaning to ask of you.” A sudden sigh from the older witch took Taeyeon aback. “I’ve been thinking of sealing Judy’s powers momentarily and giving her to you.” The words were a difficult speech to force out of the older woman’s mouth, for giving her own younger daughter to another person meant to BoA that she was unfit as a mother for her own daughter, despite their familial ties.

“I don’t accept.” BoA’s eyes shot up to Taeyeon’s own, widening as she crossed her arms. “I think Judy has to make her own decision about that, but at her age, she’s not wise and neither is she old enough to make such a decision in choosing who should be her family. We’re all fantastical beings, related by magical energy and blood. So in a sense we’re all family. I don’t see why you have to force yourself to give away your child when its entirely unnecessary.” Taeyeon frowned. “While I may agree with the point that Judy may need me due to her attachment to me, I disagree with you giving her to me. I will be her guardian, at least until she is of age to decide if she wants to continue as a Bae or a Kwon.” Taeyeon lifted her chin. “And neither will your interactions with her be restricted. I always believe in fair game.” A cheeky grin flitted across her face. “Deal?”

She watched with satisfaction as a stunned look darted across BoA’s face, before the olde rwitch dissolved into laughter.

“Well, I can see why Jiyong chose you as his Queen.” She nodded approvingly, clapping a hand on Taeyeon’s shoulder. “You are wise, Taeyeon. And you have my support.” She sighed, looking back at Irene and Judy for a moment. “I’ll hand their safety over to you, no matter how ironic it is, considering that Joohyun is tasked with your protection.”

“You didn’t even need to say that. Even without you asking, I would have protected them with my life.” A soft smile flitted across Taeyeon’s face as her eyes landed on Irene fondly, before turning to Judy. “They’re people that I hold precious.”

“And that also includes our king to, doesn’t it?” Now that BoA’s main worry had dissipated, she clearly found a new found joy in attempting to tease Taeyeon, cackling as a flush of red blossomed across Taeyeon’s own cheeks. “Look at you being embarrassed. Its fine to care for your husband, and even more fine to be in love.”

She her heels, leaving a stunned Taeyeon behind, her words lingering in the younger girl’s mind.

…

Did she really love Jiyong? Taeyeon screamed in frustration as she buried her face in her pillow in their shared bedroom. Her fingers grazed the framed photo of himself that Jiyong had previously given her, half teasing in the photo as he grinned over her sleeping form.

That annoying little .

An almost affectionate feeling rose tightly in her chest as she lightly traced contours of the grinning Jiyong in the photo frame.

Couldn't he have chosen a better photo to frame?

Perhaps she did have burgeoning feelings for this mysterious man that had ripped her from her own world and into his own without any prior warnings, falling into her life like a streak of lightening, powerful and yet endlessly bright, like an incomparable wall of strength and power, but always seemingly hovering over her, concerned about her wellbeing and nothing more.

It probably isn't as bad.

She comforted herself as she tucked her bobbed hair behind her ear, a light but gentle smile playing across her lips.

Taeyeon herself did not notice, but the realisation and acceptance of Jiyong deep within her heart had slowly begun to evolve her into her third phase as a fantastical being.

Slowly, the dark and lilac strands that streamed from her scalp to just below her ears grew lightly, curling neatly to almost touch a few inches from her chin, the strands lightly shimmering and quivering in the dark. The dark colours of her hair faded quietly, quickly receding to a lovely shimmering silver, before a delicate greenish blue permeated its strands, spreading quickly to the ends of her hair, the previous dark and lilac strands already nowhere to be seen.

“Hm.” Taeyeon gave a soft hum of appreciation as a fading warmth quickly spread through her bones, loosening her tense muscles with a surge of power that quickly disappeared into the shimmering seal that pulsate beneath her skin just above her chest, right where her heart lay.

She should really try being better to Jiyong when he returned from whatever kingly duties he had to attend to back in the King’s capital.

Taeyeon stretched, jerking wihh a sudden start at the sight of the unfamiliar strands of colour on her head. She ran her fingers lightly through her bluish-green silvery hair, a sense of surging peace and calm permeating her very being. The realisation that she had feelings for Jiyong had calmed whatever storm that had previously surged within her own heart, leaving it as calm and pristine as the calmest ocean.

It seemed as though that her hair often reflected her own emotions. A light chuckle escaped her own lips as she flopped back onto the bed, pulling Jiyong’s pillow a tad closer to her body, burying her nose into the familiar security of his scent.

…

If everyone believe that for the past hour their king had been entirely at peace while waiting for his answer from the traitor that was his father, they were entirely wrong.

Youngbae glanced at his seemingly peaceful brother, who had his head inclined at a tilted angle, eyes closed as the cold wind filtered through the torture chamber that they had seated themselves in.

Rarely anyone knew, but the quieter Jiyong was, the more dangerous and furious he was. Shreds of his violent anger permeated the wind within the room, smashing dents inconspicuously against the cobbled walls, already worn from years of battling such winds.

“You're going to tear down the building at this rate.” He watched quietly as their youngest brother opened his mouth, both their skins prickling with danger as Jiyong opened his violet eyes, a deadly calm glowing deep within the depths of his irises. He'd only seen Jiyong in such a state twice in his lifetime. The first was when they were thirteen, and he'd broken him out of the dungeon that their father had locked Jiyong in. Jiyong had stood over the mutilated body of his mother, dead and rotting--a present from their ever loving father for his disobedience, and the threatening pool of calm had surged within his brother's eyes. The second time was when they'd risen against the JYP and his minions. The endless amount of calm fury that had surged from Jiyong had helped him defeat the old lycanthrope King, his arrogant mistake having been assuming that neither Daesung, Seungri nor he had any minute importance to him. All three of them had been brutally tortured, and within a minute of seeing the result of them being violently tortured, Jiyong had ended the lycanthrope and his minions’ lives with a snarl and a lethal bite from his lips.

W