“Her name is Owl.”

  Rick once told Andrea that this time of the day was called ‘The Blue Hour.’ Before the sun had risen above the horizon but the darkness had already left the sky, the sky would take on a dim blue color but with more and more white streaks appearing every few minutes, like a painter attacking its blue canvas with swift, firm strikes of white paint.

  With Sehun’s help, she had finished her packing. There wasn’t much in her bag – just her daily appliances, her bow and supply of arrows, a few clothes, and the bangle Baekhyun had given her on that night they had kissed. It was safely tucked in the bottom of her bag, for wearing it right now felt extremely weird. Besides, her heart couldn’t take it even with a mere look.

  They were ready to return to the village, but due to a moment of sentiment, Andrea had asked if they could go up onto the roof and… relax for a while. She knew that the next time she came back, Andrea would be gone. In replacement would be Princess Sabrina, leading a mob of Stargazers for a revolution. She wanted to feel the breeze caress her cheek one more time. She wanted to feel the relaxing atmosphere she had fallen in love with around this isolated place, as Andrea Archer, one last time.

  And Sehun understood, so he agreed. He lay on the roof with his hands under his head, as Andrea sat with her chin on her knees and tried to capture the scenery before her with her eyes and let it ink into her brain. She would never forget the three peaceful years she had lived here, both with Rick and alone.

  “The girl,” Sehun explained before Andrea could ask him what he meant – and even scrunch her nose at him for disrupting the silence. “When I said I know how you feel? I… her name was Owl.”

  Surprised that he would be willing to tell her such a close-to-heart thing, Andrea turned her head in his direction. “Did she… leave you, too?”

  Instead of answering her, Sehun stopped staring at the sky and closed his eyes. “Five years ago, when Gillian returned from a journey to China, he returned with seven other people he had rescued. They were all teenagers, around the same age as me, and as four of them were local children from China that had ‘special abilities’, the other three – Jongdae, Minseok and Owl – were prisoners found there. Jongdae and Minseok knew they weren’t from there but not where they really came from because they were orphans, and were raised in China ever since they could remember. Owl was also an orphan who ended up in the dungeons, but she was different – she had witnessed her parents being… murdered, in her hometown, in a country she calls ‘Singapore.’ She was only four when she was seized by the murderers and sold to a rich family in China. So when I first met her, she was so quiet she barely even talked, and could easily blend into the shadows that sometimes I myself didn’t even notice her standing beside the others.

  “A shy, quiet girl who could walk through walls and an arrogant, superior boy who hated everything in the world. Who could’ve thought we’d even talk?” Quietly, Sehun laughed. “But by a few fortuitous chances, we did. And then, somehow, we started becoming… close. She would always know how I’m feeling, and instead of telling me to ‘calm down’ like the other adults, she would tell me it’s alright to accept my frustration and anger, and let it out. Learn to control it by turning the anger into wind – ‘Isn’t that what you excel at? Controlling the wind?’

  “And then I knew more of her. I found out that when she talks, her words are never worthless like Tao’s. When she assumes no one’s looking, she would scrunch her nose in disapproval or silently laugh at someone’s stupidity. When she blushes when all I did was give her a flower I had snatched from the wind, I wanted it to last. I loved seeing the tiny things she hid from everyone else – in the end, except for me – and I loved the way she held my hand and how I could almost gobble her up whole with my hug. I loved…”

  Pain painted his face as he sat up and hid his face between his knees. “She felt the most when she saw family reunions. She wanted to be a Fetcher – you know, those Stargazers who disguise themselves as plain citizens in the Southern Commonwealth and Mark others? She wanted to be one. And I supported her, even though I didn’t really like the idea. What if she got caught? It was such a dangerous job…

  “But seeing her smile every time we witnessed heart-warming family reunions was enough. And she promised me that nothing would happen to her, ‘Don’t you trust me?’ Of course I trusted her. So two years ago, on the day she moved away, promising me that after completing five missions she would come back to see me and tell me how it feels being the one who helped families reunite, I didn’t think much. I thought… I really believed that everything would be alright, except for the fact that I would miss her so, so much.

  “Two months passed. I didn’t hear anything from her, and so I started to worry. Usually one mission took no more than one week. Then, a week later, her Fetching partner was found in the Woods, where he was lying on the ground and bleeding uncontrollably. He told us… he told us that he and she had been found by Royal Guards and brought to the palace, in front of Kang Dae, for trial. He said that they escaped from being hung, but were thrown to the dungeon and tortured.” Sehun’s voice broke on the last word. “He himself managed to escape, but in the end bled to death in my arms, and Owl… Owl she… she must still be in the dungeon that I can’t sneak into… being tortured for our whereabouts and suffering…”

  “Oh, Sehun…” Blinking back tears, Andrea moved next to Sehun and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so sorry…”

  He rolled his eyes, trying to make his tears threatening the corners of his eyes vanish. “It’s not your fault. Besides, she’s not dead.”

  “How can you… be so sure?”

  “Because we’re soulmates.” Sehun’s voice was so firm it startled Andrea. “She is my true love, and I hers.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  As Andrea let go of him, he flipped his bangs once, an indication that he was launching into explanation mode again. “Maybe you don’t know, but among us Stargazers, we have this… belief, that true love, girly, is the most powerful thing ever existing.”

  A memory popped up in Andrea’s mind. “Even more powerful than magic,” she said. “I know. I’ve read about it before in one of the books Chan gave me.”

  He nodded. “One’s true love can always see through his or her glamours or invisibility spells, once he or she has realized in his or her heart that he or she loves the other. That’s why Luhan told me that Jongin thinks that that’s why Baekhyun could see through your glamour on your eyes yesterday at the palace.”

  She gasped. “What?! But… I didn’t know – “

  “Luhan said Jongin said that he had asked Baekhyun if he had seen your eyes turn from brown to violet before he left him to rescue you from the Guards, and he had replied, ‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’ That means he saw through your glamour. And the two of you love each other.”

  “Th-that doesn’t mean h-he’s my soulmate,” Andrea argued, feeling flustered. Baekhyun, her soulmate? Her one true love? And she his? It all seemed too good to be true.

  “Luhan said Jongin said that – “

  “Could you please drop that? It’s annoying.”

  Sehun huffed. “Fine. Jongin said that Baekhyun loves you more than you know. He said he seemed to… come to life after he realized he loves you. As if you had breathed life into him. And after he had met you, he had done so many things he had never dared doing for anyone before – and I have no intention on knowing what he means of the ‘things.’ Those are symptoms of feeling the connection, and falling in love with your soulmate. It is what… Owl and I have. What Gillian and Hazel have. What Luhan and Lilie have. So you and Baekhyun are soulmates. That’s why I had said he won’t hate you. He can’t hate you, girly; it would be like ripping his own heart out, a hundred times worse. He loves you too much.”

  To suppress a sigh, Andrea bit down on her lip. The heavy feeling was there in her heart again. She wanted to believe Sehun's words, she really did, but – “This isn’t really a good time to talk about this, Sehun. And you’re not making sense – “

  “I’m not done. What I’m trying to say, Andrea…” his tone was gentle, but his voice strong and firm. “Is that maybe this connection between the two of you would come in handy in the future. For example, I am very sure Owl is not dead because I still feel this… string, a string that connects the heart of us two. It’s still there. If your soulmate dies, it would feel like the string suddenly snapped or got cut apart – at least, that’s what Orion said when his wife died. I know you don’t wish to listen to all this, but before we return to the village, and before Gillian tells you what else he has found… I want you to at least have some good news. Yes, what he is going to break to you is all considered bad news. And they are proper reasons for a revolution tomorrow, after Baekhyun is coronated.

  “So are you ready now, girly? Are you sure you are ready? Because after we go back to the village, once we step foot into this realm again, you will no longer be who you used to be for three years. You will be a different person, with an enormous purpose to fulfill. And no matter how it ends – with or without a battle, win or lose – you can never go back to your previous life again. Nothing… nothing would be the same for you anymore. Only the fact that I will always be there for you, protecting you, fighting beside you. Are you ready?”

  Andrea looked up into Sehun’s brown eyes flashing with determination – to save Owl, maybe –, clenched tight her jaw, and took a deep, deep breath.

  “I’m ready, Sehun.”

***

  A gush of wind whispered through Baekhyun’s hair, and he frowned. He had spent so much time in front of his mirror dressing himself up and doing his hair – slicked back – but now it was all ruined by the wind on his balcony.

  It was his own fault, anyway; who would have it in their right mind to go out after making so much effort dressing up for his coronation and wedding?

  He was frustrated. He was extremely frustrated that even a tiny moment or a tiny caress of the wind irked him. Everything was either too hot or too cold, too rough or too smooth. Everything was annoying in his eyes he’d prefer throwing them all out, but at the same time the places he stood at felt so empty and lifeless. It was as if colors had lost their cunningness and beauty to him. As if nothing, not even a violet iris floating in front of him in the wind, could make the rage in him disappear.

  The rage of wanting to just hurl everything. The rage that had appeared and stuck in his heart ever since he had left someone’s cottage last evening.

  ‘From now on, you leave me alone!’

  With one last glance at the direction of her cottage where he seemed to have lost his heart, Baekhyun punched the windowpane, whirled around with his cloak flying behind him, and stormed out of his room a second before a guard who wasn’t his tanned-skin best friend entered to inform him that it was time.

***

  It was pitch-black everywhere.

  Holding a torch in her hands, she carefully walked down the steps made of stone, wetted by – she actually had no idea why such a place could be so wet. The water dripped down from the walls, the ceilings, and the floor, but it was impossible to find out where it was from. Maybe just… everywhere.

  Nothing here was normal.

  A screech of metal against metal made her jump. The sound echoed, making it hard to know if the source was anywhere near her or faraway. Taking another deep breath, her foot left the last step and landed in a long, still-pitch-black hallway, the only source of illumination being the torch in her hands.

  She heard a groan – an inhuman, animal groan. Reflexively, she swung her torch to her right, seeing it light up rows and rows of bars of metal – no, not metal. It seemed so much like…

  As soon as she recognized what it was, a gasp escaped her lips, and when her eyes landed on the thing further behind the special bars, she had to bite down on her tongue to prevent herself from screaming and the bile in . “Oh, no… bless the stars, no…”

***

  The crown sat on a soft, wine-red cushion, with a smaller diadem, embed with pink diamonds, beside it. The crown was made of gold, but it seemed to shine different colors when viewed from different angles – a trick of the light Baekhyun didn’t understand why Kang Dae would want to add to it.

  He had long ago given up trying to fathom why his uncle did anything, anyway. Like why the crown that was about to be put on his head seemed to be glowing silver and gold, but with some strange, black smoke coming out from it – or was that just his imagination? Another trick of the light?

  Or why so many royals were present. He had specifically told his uncle that he didn’t want a big audience, but in the end his uncle had just scolded him, remarking that it was his ‘big day.’ Everyone who had attended the feast the previous evening was present; even some who didn’t, came. Ladies were giggling over his ‘handsomeness’ and ‘innocence-killing perfection’ while fanning themselves and being jealous of Princess Celeste, and men were smiling at him, while behind his back, they were actually using this chance to make friends with other kings, dukes or landlords and taking advantage on such a great social gathering.

  It was all about politics, and Baekhyun hated politics.

  A nudge on his elbow snapped him out of his thoughts. “Your Highness?”

  Baekhyun took a deep breath before forcing a smile on his lips. “Yes, Princess Celeste?”

  “Are you nervous, your Highness?”

  Oh, yes. Please forgive me if I dash out and never come back. “Perhaps. After all, this is my… coronation.”

  “Yes. It must be such a pressure on your nerves.” She looked concerned, but smiled, “Do not fret, once this is over, everything will be back to its usual state! The only fact that has changed is that you have a wife,” she giggled, “and a realm to rule. Astonishing, isn’t it, your Highness?”

  Before he could respond, the crowd fell silent, and Baekhyun instantly knew what caused the immediate silence. He turned his head to the very front, and there he was – his uncle, Byun Kang Dae, in a black robe, as usual. But his robe seemed to be glittering…

  A gentle music started playing, and it was Baekhyun’s cue to start walking down the red carpet first, alone, and to soak up all the intense gazes on him.

  “I thank you all,” Kang Dae started as soon as Baekhyun reached the end, with his deep voice, speaking to everyone present. “Many of you have come to the Southern Commonwealth from all parts of the world today to join this ceremony, a ceremony you all must have waited for a good amount of time. All of you, near or far, have been united on the noon of this special day, for one purpose: The Wedding and Coronation of my nephew, Byun Baekhyun.”

  The crowd applauded, and it rang like thunder in Baekhyun’s ears. He smiled, bowed, and then watched as Princess Celeste, smiling radiantly in her flowery-pink gown, started walking down the carpet along with her father, with the of a calm piece of music.

  “It is both combined,” Gillian told Andrea. “In regular weddings, while one is saying the vows, he or she is to be put on a ring by the other, am I right?”

  Kai, Sehun and Andrea nodded. “While saying ‘I do,’” Kai added. “Then the other does the same, and the wedding is complete as it ends with a kiss.”

  A kiss. Andrea bit down on her lip, hard, preventing the whimper from escaping her lips.

  Baekhyun tried to cheer his mood up, to at least match his mood with the music, because he knew it was the right thing. But annoyingly, a tiny voice in the back of his mind kept screaming to him that this was nowhere near right.

  He managed to mute down the tiny voice when Princess Celeste and her father reached where he was standing, under the stairs before Kang Dae and a bishop, and Princess Celeste’s father tenderly put his daughter’s hand on Baekhyun’s with a sad smile; after all, she was his only and most beloved daughter. Baekhyun then turned to face the bishop with her. A little child was standing near them, the cushion in his hands and the crown and diadem – and even a pair of golden rings he hadn’t noticed before - resting peacefully on it.

  “Yes, Kai,” Gillian said. “But a new rule was set up by Kang Dae, about coronations of royals in this realm. Instead of rings, crowns or diadems replace them and become the symbol of both being married and Crowned, at the same time. There are still rings that prove the wedding promises between the man and the woman, but the precise moment the prince is declared king is when the crown touches his head.”

  Anyone who knew Baekhyun well could see how uncomfortable he is. Anyone who knew him well enough could see the pain, the exasperation, the loss of hope of wanting what he really wanted on his face.

  But unfortunately, no one who could was present.

  “Repeat after me,” the bishop ordered, and with one last mental sigh, Baekhyun did as told, in a monotonous tone.

  “Throughout this memorable day, I have been uplifted and sustained by the knowledge that all your prayers and expectations are with me. It is hard for me to find words in which to express the greatness of my gratitude.

  “I have behind me not only the splendid traditions and the annals of more than a thousand years but the living strength and majesty of this Commonwealth; of societies old and new; of lands and races different in history and origin but all, united in spirit and in aim. Although my experience is so short and my task so new, I have in my ancestors an example which I can follow with certainty and with confidence.

  “Therefore I am sure that this, my Coronation combined with my Wedding, is not the symbol of a power and a splendor that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years I may, be given to reign and serve as your King, and Princess Celeste your Queen, toward a realm of peace, justice and freedom for all.”

  As Baekhyun continued to repeat, the bishop took the crown from the cushion and held it tenderly in his hands, as if it were as delicate as a piece of thin glass.

  “But why today?”

  “As this day draws to its close…”

  “Because, Andrea. Because on the midnight of this same day, nineteen years ago, Baekhyun’s mother gave birth to him.”

  The bishop slowly turned, his face serious. “I know that my abiding memory of it will not only be…”

  “But why – “

  “Oh no, Andrea!”

  “… the solemnity and beauty of the ceremony, but the inspiration of your loyalty and affection…”

  “What – “

  “What if Kang Dae somehow put a spell on Baek’s crown, to secure that he won’t be triggered of his powers until midnight, as long as he wears the crown on his head, where the spell can be directed to his brain?”

  “What if, like what King Miane of Europe did to his own son to claim the throne a hundred years ago, he killed his nephew by putting a crown on his head that was – “

  “I thank you all…”

  “Poisoned?!”

  “From a full heart.” Baekhyun watched as the crown was now hovering above his head, inching downwards with tricks of the lights, making it look like dark tentacles of smoke were swirling out of it and itching toward Baekhyun’s head –

  Suddenly, the front double doors were slammed open.

  “PUT DOWN THAT CROWN!”

[A/N] MY BLOOD IS BOILING WITH EXCITEMENT CAN YOU GUYS FEEL ME -

 /Baek thinks Kai danced well above LOOOOOOOOOOOOL/

P.S. AND I APOLOGIZE TO ALL THE SEDREA SHIPPERS OUT THERE (GUILTILY RAISES HANDS A LITTLE) T__T