Hi! 

TGIF! So here's an update! ^.^

Thank you all for your kind comments and also the subscriptions! *bows bows bows*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POV from Jaejoong

Junsu. This is really bad! He has Junsu!

I am baffled! Why did he have to pop out from nowhere? Isn’t he somewhere far away? I just can’t believe our luck can be so rotten!

Poor Junsu. I can’t even start imagining the things that he will have to go through, again! Don't ask me how I know he had many things going on for him. I have my sources. 

Anyhow, I did whatever I could… but that still isn’t enough. This is so annoying!! Bastard Jung!! He shouldn’t have interfered!! I believe I have an excellent chance when taking on that beast! What the hell was he thinking? Taking my fight from me like that. Bastard Jung is the most contemptible creature I have met by far!!! VILE!!

Nevertheless, I need to be more lucid then ever. Given my situation, I can still turn the tables. I have to! Junsu needs my help… and I am the only person who can return him to where he truly belongs. There is a person pining for his safe return day and night, and I am the only medium by which they can rely on to reunite. To think the gods just made the boy appear so miraculously at my doorsteps a few days ago... Why take him back so soon?

At least I still have that beast’s baby with me.

Looking at my situation from a different perspective… here… I have a totally dependent baby in tow... but that is still to my advantage. I am injured… so much so that I can no longer feel my arm… but since it’s not my dominant hand… I can still function.  However, I swear that if he had damaged a nerve, I am never going to forgive him. I have yet to find out to what extent is my injury. Soft tissue? Bones?

Jung Yunho! How I hate this man! Even more than that beast!!

If that beast for a man is collateral damage, bastard Jung is catastrophe in its purest form!

I need to concentrate on recuperating before I can plan my next step. They will be hunting me down every second of everyday from this moment on. My portrait will be splashed all over the market walls! My name will be the cause of everyone’s paranoia… I screwed up this time. Badly.

Nevertheless, those are the least of my worries. The baby is hungry again. Who will feed him for me?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POV flashback (Yunho)

“Put the baby down, Jaejoong sshi.” I remembered pleading him not to do something he and I would both regret in the future, but his expression was unreadable. The heck is the reason why his face is so damn fine!

I was thinking that even though Chun is my buddy, he is the king after all… and that will makes the infant in his arms the king’s son. Snatching the crown prince or princess from his cradle will only result in the death penalty if he is caught… and I don’t want him living the rest of his life as a fugitive either. We all know who he is now… Kim Jaejoong… he is famous... notorious! He can't run forever.

“Please Jaejoong. I don't want anything to happen to you.” I really did meant what I've said, but his facial muscle remained unmoving... I could see clearly, his recalcitrance, practically emanating from deep within those piercing atramentous pupils of his. God! How I would give anything to see those magnificent eyes mellow with tender love!

Anyhow, from my point of view, I had him cornered... but he most definitely have some sort of back up plans running through his mind. WHY doesn’t he just get my pure and gracious intentions already?! I am offering him a road to freedom! A way out of the fix he happily landed himself in!

Hand the baby over and you will get away scot-free!! Kim Jaejoong!! Jung Yunho is hardly ever such an altruistic person to the bad guys!!

For a brief moment, I actually regretted bringing everyone else to his lodging. THE Jung Yunho actually regretted doing the right thing… believe it or not! Thinking back about how I almost had him slaughtered... if he didn't actually know how to fight so well, I actually feel terrible. Nonetheless, because he could fend us off so efficiently, I am as relieved as I am awed.

Replaying our own fight again and again in my mind, I can’t help but drool at how his sword movements felt so smooth and how lithe his figure is beneath that cape. It’s as if his blades could glide above the still water surface and not cause any ripples. His flow was that good! He was truly a pulchritudinous creature even when angered! Looking at him body move so magnificently… produced a somewhat ic effect on me… and that's such an embarrassing fact!

I can definitely beat him if I want to... but it did be hard… so fighting him is not an option now. The baby will suffer if we do.

“He does not deserve to be a father. It can either be the baby or Junsu. He will choose.” That was what he said. I was a little distracted when he gave me his final answer. The verdict. He will not concede defeat. WHY? Why are you so bent on making us hurt? Kim Jaejoong?! Why are you SUCH a mystery?!

“WAIT!!” I recall trying to implore him more earnestly the second time, but those bloody magical but dead set eyes would not falter. ‘We are not given a choice.’ ‘Yoochun will have to choose this time round.’ Those were the only thoughts running through my mind while watching him evanesce into the woods like a forest spirit.

At that time, I had two options, which includes a torch. I can either let him go for real or pursue him… but since the eastern wind was attacking the torch's flames so mercilessly, leaving me with a weak flicker, I took it as a sign from the heavens to give him a little leeway. However, I did swear therafter, that when I catch up again the second time, sidestepping will not be one of the options.

“HOW DO I CONTACT YOU WHEN YOOCHUN HAVE STATED HIS PREFERENCE?!” He was gone before I could say another word. Who am I kidding?

I did try to follow shortly after, but I am also not foolish enough to get myself lost in that unfamiliar terrain. He is obviously native. My best guess was that he probably had some other people to back him up too. I remember thinking that I might get shot down even before I finish half my trek inside that darn place.

“YAAAHHH!!!  JAEJOONG SSHI!!” Will you look us up again or do I have to hunt you down?

End of flashback

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POV from Yunho

Great!! Simply outstanding!!

The baby is gone. Chun is probably holding his fingers crossed, waiting for me to burst out from some random bushes with his child in my arms… which is not going to happen.

Then I have to tell him that it's either his baby or his lover that he is going to have. He is the king... damn it!! Isn't the king supposed to have the best of both worlds? How will he take this lying down?

How do I put it across nicely? Junsu in exchange for the child... whose gender is still unknown to us. Imagine if the child is a boy. He will be the crown prince of the entire united plains. I can feel chills running along the back of my spine with just the thought of the responsibility I have to bear for causing all this unnecessary hassle.

Am I a babo?!! I am the cause of ALL this! That thought hit me hard on the head. I WAS harebrained enough to actually WANT to help him escape!!!

Now that I have allowed my lower region to rule my head, I am left with an epic aftermath to clean up.

JUNG YUNHO!! GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!! WAHT WERE YOU THINKING?!!

How can you allow your floundering heart guide your actions?! All rational thinking is out of the window. I am an . I have never felt more idiotic.

I need to set my thinking straight. I serve only Park Yoochun. Hell. He is my best buddy! Kim Jaejoong is in no way related to me… yet why can’t bring myself to do anything politically correct around him? I have to keep telling myself that though he looks to be a goddess descended to earth, I must not allow the absurd desires of mine to get the better of me.

Self blame for everything aside! What I don't understand is why the man named Jaejoong would save both Junsu and the baby when he can by all means allow a maternal fetal mortality. From the eye bags, I can tell that the he had possibly stayed up the whole night to ensure that Junsu delivers successfully. Is he in any way related to Junsu? Are they by chance… acquainted?

If he really wants to destroy Chun starting at the core, why not allow Junsu to die? The boy wouldn’t have made it without him.

He didn't hurt the child either. My best guess is that he is afraid of committing infanticide. However, from his body language and the way he goes all out to snatch Junsu from Chun, I can tell that he has more concerns for the boy than the baby. What are his motives? It appears to be quite clear to me now. Junsu.

Jaejoong is from the north isn't he? He is on the same side as the boy. Touching... but that also means trouble. How can I forget that Junsu is the beloved prince of his kingdom before the war? Jaejoong probably can't be bothered about Chun... he most likely wants his prince back at this point in time. That will explain why the child means nothing to him.

This healer has more to him than meets the eye. You know he is no ordinary physician. He can wield a sword like he owns the whole show.

The baby is a bastard seed from Chun, the ultimate enemy. For all we know, the baby might already be dead. The main goal is to rescue Junsu after all right? What do we do now? Give Junsu back and get a possible fake in return? Keep Junsu and risk having the real offspring die?

The decision is Chun's. This is karma.

Anyhow. I will have to find Jaejoong before Chun does. I believe in my own intelligence. As much as I am concerned about the injuries I have inflicted on Jaejoong, I want this to end pleasantly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile… Back in the fort…

“… How is he?” Yoochun sat in a farthest corner of Junsu’s former bedroom while the palace physicians do their job, examining Junsu while the boy continued playing ‘beauty’ in the ‘sleeping beauty’. Not that he had pricked his finger on a spindle or anything; he is just tired and recovering from a massive episode of blood loss which is still in the process of stopping. “Your majesty. We feel that it is safe to say that the boy is out of danger.”

Yoochun and his advisor have come to a consensus that the boy needs all the rest he can get before they can make their way back to the central plains, and even though Yoochun appears to be indifferent about his missing infant son, he is in truth, constantly thinking about it and dying to get his child back. Junsu is of utmost priority at the moment and no one can persuade him otherwise.

No one knows if the mysterious healer will keep or kill the newborn, but they all believe that a child that young might not survive the elements if he is abandoned or exposed to too much negligence and mishandling, Yoochun alike.

What they do not know, and what Yoochun does not know, is that Jaejoong is indeed not one to do an innocent child any harm. Yoochun only assumes the worst. Yunho on the contrary, is more bothered about how Jaejoong will cope with his injury and keep the infant safe and well at the same time, he sincerely hopes that Jaejoong will not be found any time soon. Or at least not by anyone else but him that is. The soldiers sent on search and patrols are just worried about themselves, fearful that their heads might roll if they dare to deliver bad news.

“Not ‘this boy’. It’s ‘the queen’.” Yoochun corrected the speaking physician abruptly, causing Yunho’s jaw to drop. Unable to shut it back up, the advisor gaped while the ‘bystanders’ looked at one another, willing each another to shout “congratulations” first. They do not even have the courage to do so.

“All hail the new queen!” Yunho finally said, winking at the rest to follow. “All hail the queen! May the gods bless the king with a marriage life of bliss!” Yunho knows Yoochun's answer to Jaejoong through this sudden proclamation, and he is not at ease, at all. Jaejoong will not be pleased with the answer.

“SHUSH! Get out.” Yoochun silenced the increasingly rowdy group and sent them scrambling out of the room with just an index finger. The king just wanted his newly anointed queen to get a good rest.

“Chun ah. I will make a move first.” Yunho got up from his position beside the king and dusted his armour with a metal plated hand before turning to leave. His face is one of stern, deep in thought and anxious.

“The child. If possible... I want it.” Yoochun had to take a lot of courage to say it. As much as he wants to appear strong and accepting of the arrangement fate has for him and his newborn, the man still wishes to have a glimpse of the baby he failed to get during the struggle.

Yunho is thrown into disarray again. The pressure is also beginning to build up as his heart goes out to his friend. “No sweat. I will bring it back to you in one piece.” Yunho assured.

Gathering his dark red cape and holding it with a single hand, the advisor bowed his head and exited promptly, shutting the door behind him as he stood outside silently. Taking a while to stone in silence while his neurons send electrical signals to one another at an inhuman speed, the advisor exhaled deeply before turning to his assistant.

“Get my horse. I am heading out.”

TBC

Please do comment and subscribe! *bows*