As the day gave up its final breath, relinquishing to the world to darkness, a blurry-eyed and dazed prince moans softly in the stillness of his darkened bedroom. Unwilling to open his eyes to the irreverent night and fatigued beyond his normal imaginings, he throws his goose down comforter over his face and snuggles back into the ever-inviting comfort of his pillow as the rest of the main house begins to stir. He stills, not caring in the least that he should rise and meet the night, and grumbles incoherently to himself before squeezing his eyes tighter and trying to fall back to sleep. Quiet moments pass, and just as he nearly drifts back off to dreamland, a slew of memories flash across his mind. They are blurry, almost out of focus, and seemingly random. Making no sense, yet unbearably tearing at his heart, they flash faster and faster until they still on a solitary dark rooftop. There he is, suddenly in heart-wrenching pain, held down by a monster who he cannot recognize fully. Then, a dark and nearly vicious whisper, so quiet that he cannot understand, comes; promising torment and ecstasy. A flurry of moment flashes before his eyes and he falls. Then, suddenly a mysterious man is holding him, his voice furious yet trembling. Crying out for him. He looks up, seeing the man’s face clearly and immediately shoots up out of bed.

“MIN!” cried out Jaejoong in sheer panic before suddenly clutching he head in excruciating pain. For a moment, he doesn’t know where he is. All he can see, all he can hear, are the memories of last night. The monster’s hands on his body, his sensual yet condescending voice in his ears, his teeth piercing his flesh. The way he looked at him as if he was a mere toy. The way he spoke like that of a master manipulating a slave. The smell of blood. The tinge of fear. The suppressed desire. The voice of wanting. It all swirls over and over, his mind becoming far more chaotic than he had ever experienced in his four hundred years of life. Running both hands through his hair, and bowing his head almost to his thighs, he pulls at the roots in utter frustration as he tries to block out the images and feelings that threaten to take over his very soul.

“No…no…no…no…” he chants, trying to force the images to go away, as they continued to flood his mind –the blurring of rooftops, the moon shining up above, Changmin’s worried face, the balcony to his room, his bed “No…no…no….please…no.”

And suddenly his mind goes blank, there is nothing…and then a flash of his beloved best friend beneath him, eyes heavy-lidded, his face a mix of pleasure and heartache, the scent of familiar blood.

“Jae…” came a sweet voice as a hand landed gently on Jaejoong’s shoulder.

“NO!” screamed Jaejoong, reeling back in a horrified panic, as he nearly climbs the wall backward to get away from the encroaching hand.

“Jaejoong…!” called out Changmin again, terrified at the sight before him, as he climbs onto the bed and grabs his best friend by the shoulders “It’s me! It’s Min.”

“You’re OK, Jaejoong.” he comforted, unable to hide his concern and worry, as he looks at the terrified immortal with loving and imploring eyes “Everything is ok.”

“Jaejoong…” pleaded Changmin heartbrokenly “Love, you’re safe.”

As Changmin’s words settle in, reality hits Jaejoong dead in the chest as his eyes land on the faint remnants of fang marks on his best friend’s neck. What had happened last night with Lord Junsu wasn’t just a nightmare, it was real and that meant: what happened with Changmin was too. Suddenly overly ashamed of his uncontrollable actions, Jaejoong explodes into tears and reaches out for the man that had been by his side for centuries. Immediately understanding Jaejoong’s reaction, the guilt that had always come after a night lost to the Quickening, Changmin wraps his arms around the shattered immortal and hugs him tightly.

“I’m…so…sorry.” cried out Jaejoong between sobs, clutching on to Changmin for dear life –unable to see the look of excruciating pain in his best friends face  as he constricts his arms around him tightly “I didn’t mean to, Min….I’m sorry…I’m sorry….I’m…so…sorry.”

 “It’s ok, Love.” he says comfortingly, trying to hide the pain in his voice through nearly clenched teeth, as he hugs Jaejoong lovingly “Everything’s ok. You’re ok. I’m ok.”

“We’re ok.” he added, leaning his cheek against Jaejoong’s temple and squeezing the trembling immortal reassuringly “I promise.”

“But…but…” stammered Jaejoong through his tears “I…I…hurt…you…”

“No you didn’t.” interrupted Changmin instantly “I’m fine love, really.”

“I didn’t mean to…I didn’t mean to…” he chants over and over, the guilt in his heart almost too much to bear.

For almost an hour, Jaejoong cries in the arms of his best friend; not caring that his behavior would be considered unbecoming for a pureblood of his stature. Changmin, on the other hand, cannot help but feel almost guilty for what he had done. Even though the Prince’s life was in danger, even though he knew there was no other way to save his life, he had known that Jaejoong would be unbelievably heartbroken when the smoke had cleared and he realized what he had done. His heart had ached for it, long before Jaejoong had awoken in the throes of hunger. He had feared it, knowing what would soon come after, and yet he couldn’t deny his dearest love at the moment of his choosing. And, now, holding Jaejoong in his arms, he could no longer deny the fact that what they had done had ultimately done more harm than good.

It was true that Jaejoong had a nearly unnatural attachment to Changmin. Their bond was far stronger than any friendship anyone had ever known and though it had been strained many times since they had come to know one another, they had always stayed together. Frayed around the edges, but still whole, their bond was almost unshakable –almost.

In their world, it wasn’t uncommon for purebloods to pair up over the centuries and form strong, emotionally intimate, pair bonds that would last for their entire lifetimes. Many of the elders of the coven had spent centuries building lasting connections with other immortals so that when the time came, should they choose to do so, the short transition from friend to lover was more a mere step than a leap. Changmin’s parents, being a prime example of such traditions, had been a matched pair for over seven hundred years but only became a couple five hundred years ago. When Changmin met Jaejoong all those years ago, he immediately felt a connection to him. Though it wasn’t in a romantic way, as time passed they began to become closer and closer and his feelings changed. He could never remember when he finally felt the pair bond connection, how old they were or where they were, but from that undefined moment on, it had always been there.

His connection to Jaejoong was just as strong as Jaejoong’s connection to him; that was undeniably certain, but the hesitation Jaejoong had ultimately begun to feel had slowly begun to build a wall between them with each passing decade.  Changmin remembers the day, the very day when that wall began to form between them, and even though a part of him despised it he couldn’t fault his beloved for it.

He had seen the pull, the uncontrollable draw of the human that had ultimately put that wedge between them. He had seen the longing in Jaejoong’s eyes, the sadness in his face. He had heard the desperation in his voice, the needfulness of his heart. He had seen the unbreakable love that would last beyond the cradle of death and the desire for a happier future that course through very veins of his beloved. He had hated every bit of it…and he had hated the man that had caused it all.

He was a simple man, strong and determined, with an air of confidence yet a subtle essence of a caring heart. He had been a farrier, a blacksmith of undeniable skill that had come to reside in one of the small secluded villages under the protection of Jaejoong’s family so long ago.

In those days, the coven was not as reclusive as they were now. Hiding in broad daylight, Jaejoong’s father was a well-known and well-loved noble who was heralded as a king among men. His father’s lands were prosperous, and all those who fell under his charge lived a peaceful, well-nourished life. They had live-in a meager estate atop a hill near the foot a lonely mountain range to the north, surrounded by lush farmlands manned by kind serfs and even kinder villagers. It was a good life, a comfortable life, but for Jaejoong, it was nothing but a gilded cage –a prison.  

Since the year of his birth, being the firstborn of the leader of the covens, Jaejoong was destined to rule and was immediately sequestered at the tender at of five to live a life of training and learning. Determined to raise a pureblood prince of impeccable character, undeniable strength, and unchallengeable intellect, the King refused to allow his son any semblance of fun or freedom. By the age of thirteen, Jaejoong had become an upstanding child in his father’s eyes, and the eyes of the council of elders, but behind closed doors, he was a depressed and lonely young man.

While the early years of his immortal life ticked eerily by, Jaejoong began to gain a rebellious streak, becoming argumentative and defiant, as his heart and mind longed for freedom and companionship outside the walls of his family home. Afraid that his son would do something reckless, and fearing what that would ultimately do to his standing as leader of the covens, his father chose to nip Jaejoong’s behavior in the bud. Reaching out to his only dearest friend, aside from his beautiful wife of six hundred years, the man secretively pleaded with Shim Jin Sang for help. A year later, after many assertions that Changmin would always be kept safe under his care, Shim Jin Sang relented to his best friend’s request and allowed his eldest son to join the Kim family’s household. Acquired to be Jaejoong’s friend, his companion, and his guardian, Changmin –at the tender age of fifteen- was charged with the sacred duty of protecting their most beloved prince and heir.  Their first meeting had been awkward, Jaejoong defiant that he didn’t want to be babysat by another spoiled pureblood, but after some time they had become fast friends.

For thirty-five years, their friendship grew along with the inescapable pair bond that ultimately came to be. Over those seemingly insignificant years, the King had come to trust Changmin’s judgment when it came to his son and slowly he began to allow Jaejoong the privilege to travel outside the estate's high walls and explore. To Changmin, the life he had was ideal. Living with a well-to-do family, a family incrementally more affluent than his own, and being charged with the care of a young immortal that he was incredibly fond of, he enjoyed his immortal existence happily and believed that nothing in their world would ever be able to dissuade him from his just and noble purpose –until that fateful night.

On the night of Jaejoong’s fiftieth birthday, long after the celebrations of the night had concluded and just a few short hours before dawn’s first light flashed across the horizon, Jaejoong convinced Changmin to accompany him outside the estate's high walls for a bit of fun and exploring. Though Changmin was incredibly tired from the day’s festivities, he couldn’t not deny his dearest friend’s request. So, in the dark of the night, they left the estate for one of the small villages to the east. The night was unseasonably warm, with a gentle breeze stirring up the smell of freshly blooming spring flowers and the lingering scent of the day’s earlier rain shower, and the moon, full and fluid, bathed the glorious night with an ever-inviting glow. It was a perfect night to spend with an even more perfect immortal.

When they arrived in the seemingly insignificant village, Jaejoong was almost too eager to see what the place had in store for him. They traveled from rooftop to rooftop, silently watching the townsfolk as they shuffled here and there, as they explored a place that the young prince had yet to experience. When they landed atop the roof of the village’s humble blacksmith shop, Jaejoong’s attention was caught by the seemingly melodic sound of metal clanging upon metal. Only relishing in ironwork after its completion, Jaejoong had never had the chance to see such a thing being forged before in his life and, upon recognizing the sound that had oftentimes echoed through his bedroom window as he studied through long nights, his interest piqued. Ignoring a warning glance to be careful from his best friend and guardian, Jaejoong quietly climbed down from the safety of the building’s roof to have a look. Sticking to the shadows, as not to be seen by any of the townsfolk, he made his way around the back of the blacksmith’s shop until he spotted the artisan at work. Leaning against the building’s unforgiving wood, he stopped and stared at the majestic man before him.

Banging away on a fiery piece of nearly molten iron, bare from the waist up and glistening with sweat, stood a toned, athletic, and stunningly masculine young man with a strong chin, chiseled features, dark hair, and even darker eyes. Focused intently on his task, the man knitting his eyebrows in precise concentration, he worked the molten iron before him like that of an artisan skilled beyond his years oblivious to his one-man audience. Jaejoong, enthralled by the man’s god-like physique, stood silently as he watched the man work –unable to turn away as he watched the man bend slightly at the waist and quench the soon-to-be-born blade in a bucket of cool water. As the metal slowly began to cool, the man inspected his work before flashing an almost disappointed look. Stepping up to the forge, he shoved the piece of metal back into the fiery hot coals and stoked the fire to reheat it.  

“Inho!” came a boisterous voice a few seconds later, as a man dressed neatly but smelling softly of ale and smoke stepped up under the roof of the open forge.

“Master Park.” came a surprised, yet happy, reply as the blacksmith turned to greet the man who Jaejoong instantly recognized as a lesser human noble under the protection of his family “How are you this fine evening?”

“Very well, very well indeed.” the man replied before questioning “How is my order coming along?”

“All done, Sir,” Inho replied, turning towards his workbench and grabbing a bundle of tools wrapped in a piece of burlap.

“Wonderful…” exclaimed Master Park as he watched the blacksmith hand him his order “My serfs will be well pleased. How much do I owe you?”

“The commission has already been settled by the lady of the house, my Lord.” replied Inho “Your steward delivered payment earlier today.”

“Very good, very good.” the man said with a smile.

As the two men continued to have a friendly, casual chat about this and that, Jaejoong continued to watch in mild fascination until his attention was grabbed by the feel of a gentle hand landing on his shoulders.

“What are you doing?” questioned Changmin softly as he looked at Jaejoong and then at the blacksmith talking with another man.

“Just watching.” came Jaejoong’s soft reply, the sound of his voice immediately coming off as shy –which was completely unusual for the pureblood prince.

“We need to head back…” Changmin advised, deciding not to put much stock in his best friend’s curiosity, as he looked back at Jaejoong “Dawn approaches and your father will have my hide if he catches us outside the estate grounds after sun up.”

“Alright…” conceded Jaejoong.

When they turned to leave, Jaejoong stole one last glance at the humble blacksmith as he began to bang away on the now molten metal once more and sighed. As they hastily made their way back to the family estate, Changmin never registered the significance of the seemingly insignificant moments Jaejoong experienced under the shadows of the blacksmith’s forge, far too fearful of the punishment he would receive should they arrive too late.  

“I was such an idiot.” Changmin thought as he suddenly felt Jaejoong’s body still in his arms and heard his heartfelt cries begin to wane.

“Better?” he questioned, a few quiet moments later, as he reached up and gently rubbed the back of Jaejoong’s head.

“Yeah…” Jaejoong whispered as he wrapped his arms around Changmin’s waist and sighed.

“Does father know?” he asked meekly “Did you tell him?”

“No…” answered Changmin “Though, I have no doubt he will find out soon enough.”

“Then you better go.” advised Jaejoong, slightly disheartened “If he catches you here, he will…”

“I don’t care.” interrupted Changmin lovingly “I did what I had to do to protect you. If he wants to kill me for it, then so be it.”

“Don’t say things like that.” sniffled Jaejoong worriedly “I…I…”

Suddenly, and without any warning, a loud bang echoed through the chambers of Jaejoong bedroom. Before the irate sound could even register, or before he could even look up to see the source of the sound, Jaejoong immediately felt Changmin being snatched out of his arms mere seconds before a loud thud resounded throughout the room. Opening his eyes in panic, Jaejoong immediately gasped in terror as the sight of his father holding Changmin up against the wall by his throat came into view.

“I ING WARNED YOU!” yelled the irate man; his eyes piercing like daggers, fangs bared, voice cold and deadly; as he tightened his grip on Changmin’s throat and glared angrily.

“Father!” screamed Jaejoong, completely terrified, as he jumped out of bed “Please, don’t!”

“Shut up!” he growled, “I told you what would happen if you let him touch you again!”

“He didn’t…” argued Jaejoong, reaching up and grabbing his father’s shoulder “I swear…”

“LIAR!” screamed the King “I could smell your blood the second I stepped onto the grounds!”

“Father! Please!” screamed Jaejoong seconds before he suddenly clutched his chest in excruciating pain and collapsed on the floor.

“SEE!” growled the King as he turned back to glared at Changmin “This little er violated you and now look at the state you’re in!”

“I swear…I didn’t.” defended Changmin boldly “I was only trying to help!”

“HELP!” screamed the King as he tightened his grip and immediately started cutting off Changmin’s air supply “You call that ing HELP? You seduce my son, steal his precious blood, and then dare to stand there and tell me all you wanted to do was ing help?”

“I WILL ING KILL YOU!” exploded the King, furious and unyielding, as he reached back his hand ready to tear out Changmin’s heart.  

“FATHER!” fired back Jaejoong, reaching out and grabbing the man’s leg in protest “It wasn’t Min! IT WAS ME! WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT WAS MY FAULT!”

“DON’T LIE FOR HIM!” screamed the King.

“IT’S NOT A LIE!” replied Jaejoong as he, with a strength he did not know his possessed, stood up, grabbed his father by his raised arm, and stilled it.

“IT WAS LORD KIM!” he screamed suddenly, no longer caring what repercussions that statement would make.

“BULL!” replied the King in fury and disbelief “HE WOULD NEVER!”

“Father. Please.” begged Jaejoong as he saw how the surprise of his words affected his father and felt the tension in his father’s arm relax ever-so-slightly “It’s the truth!”

“It wasn’t Min who broke our laws!” he added desperately “It was Junsu!”

“That’s a very dangerous accusation, Jaejoong.” came a gentle, slightly amused, female voice from the doorway a second later “And not one to be said so lightly.”

“It’s the truth,” replied Jaejoong as he turned and looked upon his father’s closest consort, Lady Mina, as she stepped fully into the room wearing a long, solid black, lace dress.

“Mina…” grumbled the King as his grip on Changmin’s throat loosened slightly “What are you doing here?”

“Why, saving my dearest from doing something inconceivably stupid, of course.” she quipped lightly as she strode over to the King’s side and placed her hand on his shoulder with a smile.

“Don’t you think you should hear your son out ….” she questioned lovingly as she looked at Changmin’s worried face and gave a slight wink “before you stain your hands with the blood of his only friend?”

“TALK!” ordered the King with a deep growl as he looked at Changmin angrily. He knew he was being irrational, too violent for his own good, but he was so pissed.

“I...I went out last night…” stammered Jaejoong softly “with…without Min.”

The King just growled.

“And Junsu cornered Me.” he continued when his father didn’t reply “Things were said…I tried to fight him…and out of nowhere he suddenly attacked me. Before I even knew what happened, Changmin was there and Junsu took off.”

“I brought him home.” added Changmin “Had Mr. Jin treat him and then…”

“I get it.” grumbled the King as he looked down at Changmin’s neck, noticed the faint fang marks marred into his skin, and suddenly let him go.

“And then…” mumbled Jaejoong as tears began to form in his eyes.

“Enough, I said.” growled the King, fully understanding what it was that Changmin had to do, as he turned to his son with a scowl “I don’t want to hear anymore.”

Silence descended slowly around the room as the King seemingly mulled over the explanation Jaejoong had given. If what Jaejoong had said was true, and Lord Kim did break the law of the purebloods, then the ramifications of said actions were dire; but if Jaejoong was lying, and he accused the Lord of foulest thing imaginable in their world, that would put him in an even more dire predicament.

“Damn it…” grumbled the King as he reached up and rubbed his temple in frustration.

“Father…” spoke Jaejoong softly, fully aware of the man’s troubling thoughts “Don’t do anything.”

“What?” questioned Lady Mina curiously, surely Jaejoong wasn’t suggesting letting it go?

“Let me handle it.” he replied as he looked at Lady Mina and then back at his father “If you get involved with this, it could compromise your authority.”

“Let Changmin and I handle this in our own way.” he implored “Give us leave to do as we see fit and we’ll deal with Lord Kim without having to let the council know about what transpired last night. If they get wind of this, it will cause nothing but the discord between the lesser nobles and that’s trouble you don’t need right now.”

“Jaejoong is right.” added Changmin, understanding his dearest friend’s train of thought instantly, as he stepped up to the King’s side “With the moonlight festival for the summer solstice quickly approaching, any political discord between the nobles could give them leave to try and supplant your position as leader. We can’t allow that to happen.”

“And, just how, do you plan on dealing with Lord Kim?” questioned Lady Mina “You can’t just simply kill him outright. He had too much sway with the nobility right now. If he were to mysteriously disappear, all those who have his favor would immediately look to the King.”

“Death is too good for that bastard,” growled Changmin under his breath as his eyes quickly flickered his true nature.

“Please…” begged Jaejoong “just leave this to me, father.”

The King stood quietly for a few moments; not saying a word, not showing any emotion; until with a gentle nod he acquiesced to Jaejoong request.

“You have my leave to go.” said the King gently “Do as you see fit.”

As Jaejoong and Changmin watched his father and Lady Mina quietly leave the room and shut the door without another word, they relished in the sense of relief that washed over them. Had Jaejoong not spoken up, had not told the truth, Changmin’s life would have ended in an instant. He hadn’t wanted to tell his father about his weakness, the fact that he let Junsu get to him so easily, but the thought of saving face paled in comparison to losing his best friend.

“Do you have a plan?” questioned Changmin as he stepped up and grabbed Jaejoong the second he saw the man clutch his head in pain.

“Yeah…” he answered as he allowed Changmin to guide him back to the edge of the bed and sit him down “But…you aren’t going to like it. “