The rusted iron gate of the courtyard swung open, pulled by a hooded figure.

“Your highness! Welcome again…please come in.” A sentry clad in grey executed a low bow.

 A long column of such sentries, leading from the monstrous iron gate to the inside of the courtyard, slowly stood back, creating a wide gap in between.

Each one of them bowed their head, after catching a glimpse of King Seokjin, as he walked in and made his way up the marble steps that led into the ancient looking white building. Once inside,  he walked toward the staircase that led down to the prison cells in the basement.

Seokjin stopped as another similar hooded figure emerged out of the darkness in front, walking up the steps from  the floor below. He made a bow and walked over to where Seokjin had stopped.

"Your highness!" The man said, with a wide smile. He placed a hand on his heart and bowed again. "What happened your highness? You look...pardon me saying this...but you look a bit unsettled. Is everything alright?" 

Seokjin's eyes staid still on him for a few seconds before he replied in a low voice, "Yes, of course."
The man in front of him smiled, seemingly in relief.

"But...your highness...I was just informed that Haneul shi left with you, only about an hour ago. Finding your highness back so soon...and unaccompanied! Do you need something your highness? You could have called on us, sent a message through Haneul. You didn't need to take the pains of coming alone!" The man said.

"I needed to speak to the prisoner. It's something regarding my brother. It is rather personal..." Seokjin replied.

"Oh! Of course your highness! I'm sorry for intruding. I will accompany you down to his cell." The man said, turning and extending his hand, in the direction of the cellar, for Seokjin to take the lead.

"Thank you." Seokjin said. He nodded briefly, walking towards the stairs slowly. The man followed him down and as they reached the bottom, Seokjin turned right. 

"Y-your highness...you're going the wrong way." The man said.

Seokjin turned casually and shook his head slightly, his light laugh sounding through the dimly lit corridor."

I'm sorry. I'm a bit disoriented." Seokjin said.

"Oh, of course!...I heard about your disagreement with the High minister-..." The man stopped, looking at Seokjin's face.

What seemed like a look of surprise passed over his face.
"I-I'm sorry, your highness. I shouldn't have crossed my limit. Forgive me." The man said, lowering his head.

"It's okay. Please lead the way. You know I'm disturbed as it is." Seokjin said.

"Of course, your highness!" The man turned and took hold of one the burning torches from the dark stone walls and started walking, nodding to Seokjin to follow.

"How many people do you have here right now?-..." Seokjin asked and the man turned to him in surprise. "I want to make sure you have all your statistics correct." Seokjin's comment was quick and sharp, with a cheerful smile.

"Oh!...yes...there are exactly forty five here tonight." The man said, turning after every few seconds to look at the path in front of him.

"That's your preparation?" Seokjin said, the side of his lips rising in what was almost a sneer.

The man stopped and turned. "Your Highness! You...you asked us to station these many men here..." 
Seokjin's jaw went stiff for just a second, before his face lightened up again and he replied. "Of course...I'm only testing how well you know your plan of action." 

"Oh!" The man seemed to relax and laughed lightly. "I should have known-..."

"Relax, I know you are capable enough to lead a larger group than this...Hanbaek. You've done it before." Seokjin said.

The man in front of him seemed to be thrown off again. "What-...how...do you...know that, your highness?"

"I'm the king, I know a lot of things. Now tell me something...don't you think we could put this prison cellar to good use?...We'll be needing it soon enough."

Hanbaek laughed. "Yes, your highness! Its completely empty but for that boy. We've had fun with this pretty boy we brought. Soon, we'll have to bring in three more."

He did not notice, in his enthusiasm, that Seokjin was silent behind him., as he continued. "This is the best place in the royal family's many properties for keeping the more dangerous prisoners. With no sound escaping beyond the walls, not even heard by hybrids! ...You can do just whatever you want with your prisoners here. The masses don't even know about the existence of this place."

There was no reply from Seokjin as they walked on through the darkness.

"We should just set up their cells side by side. All four of them. So that they can hear each other's suffering....Your highness, we are here." The man said, beckoning with a casual swing of his hand towards a cell door up ahead on the left, towards the end of the corridor, which they had now reached. There was a faint yellow light emanating from within the cell.

Hanbaek continued in enthusiasm. "It's a pity that this prison is entirely empty except for this boy."

"It is, isn't it?" Seokjin's reply was heard finally after a long silence. Only it wasn't his voice. It was a different voice, just slightly deeper, which had a strange sensuous laziness in it.

Hanbaek turned slowly, his shoulders stiff. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the lean figure of Seokjin in front of him. The figure that he realized only looked like Seokjin. His lips curled back slowly, a growl rumbling in his throat slowly as he got into his fighting stance, ready to attack.

"Who are you?" The man said.

Seokjin laughed. "Aish...you don't even recognise me?...I'm genuinely hurt. While on the other hand, I remember you so well. Lord Hanbaek." 

Hanbaek growled. "WHO ARE YOU?!" His voice was thunderous.

In front of Hanbaek's eyes, Seokjin's  figure seemed to disintegrate. His hair, followed by his face, then his neck and slowly his entire body seemed to flow out as dust and get rearranged to form a completely different figure. A taller, thinner boy, with brown hair, a pretty face and eyes focused on him that conveyed ferocity very clearly.

Hanbaek jumped from his place and landed on nothing. He turned in a flash and the boy appeared around ten feet away from him surrounded by a wisp of golden smoke.

"That the best you can do?...And you are going to beat Jungkook and Jimin?" Sehun laughed, raising his hands as Hanbaek jumped at him again, making a thunderous blood curdling growl.

A blast of red flames hit Hanbaek and he fell to the ground, yelping in pain. The torch had fallen from his hand and landed on the floor, where some scraps and debris caught fire, lighting up the chamber in an eerie orange light.

"YOU....YOU SON OF A ! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"

"Too bad no sound escapes these walls.  Isnt it?...you brought this out by hurting someone I love." Sehun said, stepping up to Hanbaek's side. 

Hanbaek was slowly getting up to his knees, looking up at Sehun, his face burnt red and black, as he huffed in anger, pain and bewilderment.

"That-...that boy?!...I will do far worse to him!...after I kill you." Hanbaek said, getting up to his feet. "I'll make your death so gruesome-..."

“Oh shut up already!” Sehun made an irritated sound. “We both know you’re capable of nothing.”

A deafening growl sounded from Hanbaek as he launched himself at Sehun, who fell back, a wall of fire rising up before him. Hanbaek screamed and withdrew, his arms singed by fire. He stepped back slowly, chest heaving, lips curled back over canines displayed for attack.

“You won't get out of here with these little tricks of yours!...you think you're gonna make it out of here with that pretty boy, don't you?!...you're surrounded by hybrids!” Hanbaek said, grimacing as his burnt skin healed slowly. “You’ll never be able to deal with them alone!”

Sehun laughed. “We’ve made a fool of you twice…with the same trick…remember?”

Hanbaek bristled at the memory. “You killed my friend Do Yoon. You will pay for that as well! I finally have you-…”

“Yeah whatever!” Sehun waved his hand, removing the flame barrier and rolling his eyes. “My point is, after all that, you think I'm stupid enough to come alone?”

Hanbaek's eyes widened. “You…No!” he snarled as he prepared for attack again. “There’s a protective charm around this building's premises! No one entered with you…and no one can enter without our warlock allies taking down that protection!”

Sehun grinned. “Really?”

Hanbaek stopped, his eyes widening in disbelief and rage.

“Have you heard those silly tales where you need to invite a vampire to enter into your household, otherwise he can't?...Well, this is kinda like that, only Im not a vampire. All I needed to break your protective spells was...be inside the gate. To be…invited in.”

Hanbaek lost control at this point, jumping at Sehun, who was standing unguarded. He pinned Sehun to the wall in a split second and had his teeth at his neck.

But his mouth stopped at the brink of Sehun's skin and the next moment he was off his feet. His eyes went wide in shock as he was lifted and thrown, his back colliding with the iron bars in a thunderous noise that resonated through the corridor.

“What took you so long?!” Sehun spoke in a raspy voice, coughing, recovering from the force of Hanbaek's hand around his throat.

“Oh nothing! Only about fifty vampires!” Jimin turned back once toward Sehun, giving a glimpse of his black jacket, which was stained in several places with something that shimmered in the pale orange light of the dying flames around them. Blood…

Hanbaek was up on his feet by the end of Jimin's sentence and he pounced again, this time at Jimin. He landed on his feet, his hands locked with Jimin's. Sehun watched with an open mouth, as the vampire twice Jimin's size in width and also towering over him in height…got slowly subdued, brought down to his knees by the young boy who looked barely 18 – one whom Jungkook had referred to as the “little pixie” before their friendship.

Hanbaek was mowed down to the ground, looking more like a handicapped weakling now than the ferocious predator Sehun had witnessed and almost gotten killed by a minute ago. His face contorted, unable to hide his pain, as Jimin twisted his wrists. He screamed as Jimin made a sharp move of his own hand and Hanbaek's hand curved out of it's place, a bone piercing its way out of his skin and blood splurting out.
Sehun gasped behind Jimin.

“Go! Take Luhan and leave!” Jimin shouted, his eyes still on Hanbaek, who was bent over in pain and screaming.

“Wh-what?! What do you mean go?! We came together, we're leaving together!” Sehun shouted, pushing himself off the wall and walking up to Jimin.

“Seokjin and his men knew we would come for Luhan. They have a huge force, Sehun!” 

Hanbaek made an attempt to rise and Jimin was behind him in a split second, locking his neck in his right arm and clasping a hand shut over his mouth, as Hanbaek tried to struggle free, clawing with his unhurt arm.

“We knew that when we came Jimin! We were prepared to take the risk! What's wrong with you suddenly?...why the hell would you stay back here-…”
“Sehun, there is an army of rebels…along with a good nunber of soldiers of the  royal army. They are working side by side!” Jimin panted.

Suddenly, he let go of Hanbaek, slid something out of a pocket of his black jacket and the next second, his hand had moved in a blink-and-you-miss-it swipe. Sehun took a step back, as Hanbaek's body fell forward onto the floor, a pool of blood forming around his head. He clutched at his throat, a gurgling horrid sound from him, making Sehun's hair stand on end.

Jimin stood up, wiping his small blade on the forearm of his jacket, the crimson disappearing in the black fabric. He made the blade vanish from where it had come and released a breath, taking in Sehun's face.

“What, you are scared of bloodshed now? Seriously?” Jimin asked.

“Not of bloodshed, of you.” Sehun answered, removing his eyes from Hanbaek's body.

“One who shows no mercy deserves none.” Jimin said.

Sehun gulped, looking at Jimin's determined face. There wasn't a trace of fear, anxiousness, tension anywhere on it. Rather, there was no emotion in it. The classic poker face he  was so well acquainted with.

“Those are Jungkook's words.” Sehun said.
Jimin smiled. “Yes…and Sehun, he won't forgive himself if an innocent has to die for him-…You have to take Luhan back.”

“WE have to. Remember the deal, Jimin? We both were supposed to fight for Kookie, not you alone.”
“We’ll never make it out that way. We can fight, arm to arm, with fifty…not five hundred…didn’t you hear what I said?...Rebels are part of-…”

“I guessed so much when I saw Hanbaek.” Sehun said, shaking his head impatiently.

 “We have to distract their attention elsewhere. I can keep them busy here, while you both escape-…”
Jimin stopped and glared at Sehun, who had snorted out.

“What is this, some kind of drama?!...this isn't an acting performance...there won't be any miracles here…you'll die, Jimin. Are you stupid?! Even you can't deal with those many men!” Sehun shouted in an incredulous voice.

“Don’t be silly I’m not going to die. I'll get out. But you both need to get out first. That's the whole point of coming here, Sehun…don’t you understand? Go to Luhan!”

The last words of Jimin's sentence seemed to bring a change in Sehun. He went stiff, glancing at the end of the chamber, from where the dim light was rising. His breathing became faster as he looked back at Jimin.

Jimin almost smiled. This was the first time he was seeing Sehun look vulnerable. The arrogance in his manner, the calculating rudeness of his eyes was gone. For once, he looked like a teenager, scared to take a step.

“He’ll be okay. Go…he needs you.” Jimin said.

“But-…” 

“Go Sehun! We don't have much time! Either all three of us get a chance to save ourselves or all three die!..CHOOSE!” 

Sehun took a step back, flinching at Jimin’s command. He shook his head, his brow clinched together and he turned and ran towards the end of the darkness, to the light where Luhan was.

Jimin sighed. He turned in the opposite direction, which led to the upper floor. The one which he knew would be crawling with danger in a very short time.
He smiled, his own voice in his mind, reminding him, what he knew were the two biggest truths in his life. Two faces passed through his mind in a flash.

…….
Yoongi
I'll love you till my last breath…

Jungkook
Even if I have to take my last breath, I'd rather do it, fighting for you.
..............................................................................................................................................

Taehyung bit on his thumb, his eyes narrowed to slits. He was hunched beside the slowly dying bonfire they had lit up earlier in the evening. In the eerie glow, he watched Jungkook pace the entire area around the fire for what seemed to be the zillionth time.

Jungkook was just about to pass from in front of him again, his eyes focused on nothing, his hands crossed in front of his chest. Taehyung got up and Jungkook collided with him, nearly knocking him into the flame.

"TAEHYUNG! What the 's wrong with you?!" Jungkook shouted, panic written all over his face, as he almost plucked Taehyung off from his spot and placed him on his feet, onto the other side, safely away from the flame.

"I was about to ask you the same!"  Taehyung said, grabbing Jungkook's arms and attempting to shake him.

"What? Why?"

"I've been watching you walk like a ghoul haunting some old building - for over an hour." Taehyung said. "You're barely talking to me and you seem so absent. What happened?"

"Huh?...Nothing happened. I was just thinking where we should - umm, go next from here, coz we can't stay too long at a-..." Jungkook stopped talking, as Taehyung's face told him exactly how much he was succeeding in lying.

"Jungkook." Taehyung whispered, his eyebrows raised.
Jungkook shook his head. "Tae-...It's not..."

"I don't want you hiding anything from me again, Jungkook." Taehyung said, walking up to him and held his hands. "You don't need to have secrets from me, Kookie."

Jungkook grinned, the anxious feeling in his chest disappearing for a moment. "Kookie."

Taehyung shrugged. "That's what Sehun hyung calls you, isn't it? I like that name, It seems perfect for you. Now tell me...the truth."

Jungkook sighed and looked down. "You won't let this go, will you?"

"I know you're tense about something. Maybe even worried. Who would you share it with, if not me?" Taehyung said. "Please, Kookie."

Jungkook looked up and met Taehyung's eyes.

You're right. I want to share everything with you...everything in my life.
Every moment....

"Taehyung...I wish..."

"What?" Taehyung wrapped his arms around Jungkook's neck.

"Have you ever had this wish?...That you weren't a Prince?...Maybe just a common boy. Even a poor farmer's son. But far away from this madness?" Jungkook whispered.

Taehyung looked into Jungkook's eyes, smiling, his face showing some surprise.

"Yes...very often...But, to be honest, I didn't expect you to ever have felt that way." Taehyung said.

"What?! Why not me?!" Jungkook shrugged. Taehyung chuckled.

"Really? Have you thought that?" Taehyung said. "Then why can't we be farmer's sons? We could just run away. We don't have to be part of the madness. We'll go away and live in some village together." 

Jungkook looked into Taehyung's eyes, for a while, smiling. After a few moment's his smile turned into a grin and he snorted. 

"Yeah, I can totally see you doing a farmer's work in the fields!" Jungkook said, sh