As they walked, flanked by the security guards, every person they met on the way would stop to bow at them, some of the staff smiling admiringly or waving cheerfully at Taehyung which he returned with a smile of his own. He remembered the first day he came, how those very people had looked at him with skepticism or ignored him altogether. That had been a distant memory, and Kai had been right. All those people were now treating him with respect– friendly, more than he thought he deserved. He had come a long way in a little time of a week."They seem to like you more than Kai." Heechul commented. Taehyung looked sideway at his Dad, and shrugged. "Didn't expect them to?" Heechul paused, and every one paused with him. "No, I knew they'd love you. Because you're wonderful my boy." "That's because they don't know who– what I've grown up to be." Taehyung bit his lip, his past would forever be a sour part in his life. "It wouldn't change a thing, Tae. All the people here" Heechul made a gesture,"Doesn't care about what you used to be. That respect you see in their eyes wasn't because you're a prince, no" he shook his head. "It's because they came to know you're a member of hooligans. They don't just see you as a prince, but a hero, that used his skills to help others in need." "They believe hooligans are heros?" He breathed out, having a hard time wrapping his head around what his dad just said. "Not just them, we all do." Hyoyeon said placing a hand on his shoulder. "So you're gonna make us– hooligans legit?" He asked, looking between his parents. Heechul shrugged. "If that's what you want," he looked over to Kai, and the crown prince nodded. "Sehun's gonna be happy to hear that." Taehyung grinned and his Dad grinned back. "Perfect! I've been thinking of what to give him and Yoongi for–" "No Dad, they don't want anything from you." Taehyung was quick to say. Both Sehun and Yoongi were proud creatures, just because they're mated to the princes didn't mean they intend to take advantage of it. It was love and trust that bind them, not anything else. "I am taking about the traditional gift, as my sons' mates." "Oh!" Taehyung had heard about it during one of his visits to his grandma. It was custom for the Kims to send gifts to the in laws, a way of acknowledgment and gratitude for choosing a Kim as one's mate. "We'll continue on that later, come. There's a lot to show you." Instead of taking them back out toward the front of the Blue House, or out into the areas opened to the public, Heechul led them deeper, to the heart of the oldest section of the ancient castle. Two thousand years of history blended the new and the old parts of the palace, and the oldest part was where he was taking them. “Over two thousand years ago, our ancestor, the great mage of Samhan, built a castle. It was small, but it was his pride and joy, and was as strong as his line. It cannot be seen anymore, as the present blue house was built around it,” Heechul told them, gesturing around them as they walked down a long, dark hall made entirely of large stone blocks, with blackened recessed areas that held iron sconces for torches. “Our family, over the generations, as we grew in power and numbers, built upon and on to it. But we also preserved it. The castle is here, behind these doors, treasured for the foundation it gave us as we flourished.” Heechul stopped them in front of doors so old they were nearly black with age. He pushed on one, and with a groan, the ancient panel swung in to a vast space. It was dark, very dark even with shifter vision. Black shadows covered the walls of a room that echoed, and Taehyung tried to see past the doors. There was something else he noticed. Magic, so ancient that was hard to tell what type it was or whom it belonged to. Taehyung realized the whole place was protected with powerful magic. He hesitated as his Dad stepped over the threshold, taking him along. "I know you shifters could feel it. The place is had been protected by our mage ancestors. It can be overwhelming." The King chuckled and gently tugged Taehyung into the black shadows– the others behind them, and Taehyung was locked in total darkness as the door slid shut behind them. He heard a click from the side, and suddenly there was a humming noise, and lights burst on in front of him.“Oh!” "Wow!" Aurora gasped. Not just her, but they all did, with the exception of his parents, and Kai– that Taehyung suspected already knew about this place, after all he spent most of his life in the Blue House and was the crown prince. Taehyung stared in wonder at the ancient and cavernous throne room. It was long and high, a row of single tree-sized stone columns on each side marching up to the throne, where it rested on a low, long dais under stained glass windows. A long, faded rug in creams and reds lay upon the stone floor, from the doors where they stood all the way up to the dais, and trestle tables littered the floor along the walls and among the columns, covered in old serving pieces and goblets, dormant candles resting on antique sticks. “Come, on,” Heechul soft quietly, voice hushed in the great space. They walked together down the runner, and Taehyung stared in wonder as his Dad led them toward the throne.For so ancient a place, it was remarkably clean, not a speck of dust to be seen, the air sweet and fresh. "So beautiful!" Mina said. Electric lights were hidden in the walls and the tops of the columns near the ceilings, and the white light looked silver as the old stonework glowed. When they got to the halfway point, Taehyung saw matching fireplaces on either side of the room, great monstrosities that he would be able to walk into and not worry about hitting his head. Logs the size of small trees were stacked on iron frameworks, waiting forever to be lit, and Taehyung marveled at the level of heat that could be generated if they were roaring, fully aflame. He halted as they got to the dais, the others stopping with him. He gaped at the throne, mouth hanging open in awe. His Dad chuckled, causing Taehyung to snap his mouth shut. "Magnificent isn't it?" Magnificent was the word. The throne was huge. Back near the entrance it looked to just be a largish chair, but up close it was a gigantic spectacle. The great mage must have been a giant, an actual giant to fit on the throne. It was made of wood and stone, carved together seamlessly, as tall as two men and wide enough for at least ten people to sit comfortably on the seat. The seat was leather, dark red and smooth, secured with polished flat iron nails. The armrests were wide enough to be used as seats too, and the only splash of color was an inlaid, hammered gold eagle, wings spread, above where two tall men’s head would rest on the seat back. "He shared the throne with his mate. Yaguar. The shifters deity." Heechul told them. They all sat on the throne as per Heechul's request, and it was big enough to accommodate them all with extra space, as Heechul proceeded to tell them all the wonderful things about great mage and his mate. Taehyung never knew the history behind the royal house until today. And he listened with rapt attention. According to history, Great mage and Yaguar had three sons. The first two were black Jaguars while the youngest son was a white lion. The firstborn and last were Alphas, the middle son was an Omega. When the great mage and his mate decided to ascend after cultivating godhood, two of the sons began to fight over the throne, both thinking they were more suitable than the other, just because they were both Alphas. "I thought the firstborn should be the one to inherit the throne?" It was Dae'in that spoke, eyes full of curiosity. "I am getting there little one." Heechul lifted the boy from the throne and sat him on his lap before he continued. The two Alphas had found their mates and both had heirs, unlike their Omega brother that was in no hurry to have heirs. It turned out the great mage  hadn't concluded if the firstborn was to sit on the throne, his mind was more set on his second son, the Omega. Both alphas were aggressive– as it was with the first shifters. Unfortunately, their greed for the throne cost them their lives– they killed each other in a challenge that neither the great mage nor his mate knew about. "Oh Gods!" Taehyung exclaimed. "That's awful." "It was." Heechul agreed. The only son left didn't want the throne that was the cause of his brothers' death. Thus he chose amongst his nephews, and passed it over to the one with a mild temperament, the only mage amongst his siblings and cousins– Heechul's direct ancestor– with a condition to have a shifter rule by his side. "Our ancestor, was he born from the firstborn or youngest?" Kai asked and Taehyung was surprised. He thought his brother knew all the history. "The youngest. The white lion." "So you and mom share the same ancestor?" Heechul nodded. "Yeah, if you come to think of it, almost every one shares one or two ancestors at some point." That was true. "So what happened to the Omega?" Taehyung asked. "No one knew. He just vanished after that, nothing about him or his mate or children was recorded in history." For some reason, Taehyung felt bad for the second son. They were all started by the sound of Kai's phone. Taehyung watched as his brother answered the call with a wide smile. That alone was enough to tell him who had called. But then Kai's expression turned to one of surprise. Taehyung was curious. If he had wanted to, he would be able to hear what Sehun was telling his mate, but that would be a violation of privacy. He wouldn't do that to his brother. If it was something he should know, he was certain Kai would tell him. He wasn't the only one that seemed curious, all the others were watching, waiting as Kai hung up and smiled at them."Mr. Lee has awaken. He asked to see us" Kai told them, motioning between himself, the cubs and Taehyung. Taehyung's eyes widened. Though he wasn't very close to Mr. Lee, had met the man briefly before he went into cultivation, he was still happy to hear that. He hadn't seen the man for ages. Mr. Lee was a nice man and everyone missed him. Taehyung wasn't an exception. "Sorry Mom, Dad, but we have to go." Kai said, rising to his feet and the cubs immediately followed suit. They seemed to be bouncing with excitement. Hyoyeon waved a hand, "why are you apologizing? It's fine." She smiled. "Though I am gonna miss these little ones. That's for sure." She said. "Don't be strangers, feel free to pester your parents or uncles to bring you over whenever you feel like it okay?" She said to the cubs, reaching to ruffle Mina's hair. They all nodded.  "Will do your majesty! Thank you." Mina gave a curtsey, that left the adult gawking. "She's gonna make a fine granddaughter in law." Hyoyeon beamed winking at Aurora that pretended not to hear her grandma. Scott bowed deeply. "Thank you for having us over." He was blinking at the monarch, clearly waiting to be complimented as well. Heechul laughed softly. "Yeah, a good match for our Dae'in." The boy beamed, moving to where Heechul was and extended a hand, waiting for Dae'in to accept. The little Omega blushed but he didn't let his little mate waiting. "Next time I will also bring my mate along." Jae said, glaring enviously at his siblings. "I will count your words on that." Heechul ruffed the boy's hair, full of indulgent affection. "He has a boyfriend." Aurora said, sticking her tongue out when Jae glared at her, suddenly looking bashful. "He does?" Hyoyeon asked. The little girl nodded. "His name is Stephen." "He's not his boyfriend, Jae has a crush on him." Dae'in corrected. "Don't stay idle, make sure you capture his heart. " Heechul told Jae. "That I intend to do." Jae said smugly, no longer bashful as he had been moments prior. Heechul high fived him, and Taehyung couldn't help but smile. Once again wishing he could one day have a child that his parents would indulge. "Omo! You kids are so cute." Came Taeyeon's voice and they all turned to see her striding into the room, with Jessica beside her. "What did I miss?" She gave Taehyung a kiss on the cheek before doing the same to Kai. Then proceeded to squish the cubs with hugs and kisses, including her daughter. "Nothing much, just history and some family time." Kai told her. "Are you taunting me Kim Kai?" She asked, brows raised in silent challenge. "I wouldn't dare." Kai raised both hands in mock surrender, but the challenge in his tone was there. Taehyung couldn't help but roll his eyes. Typical alphas. He thought fondly. And looking at Jessica giggling, he knew she had seen through his mind. "Though family time is over. We're leaving."Taehyung said, putting himself between his siblings before they started clawing at each other, like they usually did when they were little. "Leaving? Already?" Taeyeon asked, clearly displeased by the prospect. "Yeah, Sehun's grandpa has woken. He asked to see us." "We'll come with you." Heechul suddenly said, with a firm nod. "Yes we're coming. I want to meet him. I've heard a lot of good things about him." Taeyeon smiled, draping an arm around his shoulder. "Is grandma coming too?" Taehyung found himself asking. He really wanted the old woman to see his mate, Sehun and all his close friends at the pack. "I assure you Mama wouldn't miss this chance." Heechul said, smiling. "Jessica will you be joining us?" Jessica shook her head. "Unfortunately I won't be able to." She glanced at Kai and Taehyung. " Send my regards to your mates, both of you." **** It didn't take long before they were back at the pack, stepping down from the chopper. Kris and Yoongi were by the entrance waiting. And Kai watched with a smile as his brother all but dashed into Yoongi's arms. Unadulterated happiness radiating off them. Though it was no doubt Taehyung had enjoyed his time spent with the Kims, but it was also obvious how foreign it had been to be around them with the exception of their grandma. The Kims had to make Taehyung understand nothing would change their love for him o