The West

Jongin was sitting on a stone bench, in a small garder, built just for him. It was far from the city, separated from the rest of the royal gardens and parks, and hidden from the public. No one could find him there. The boy took a deep breath, letting the cool, evening air fill his lungs. He could feel the last rays of sunshine softly touch his skin, he could hear the nightningales singing their song, which he liked to think was only for him, and waves crashing on the shore, and could almost taste the salt from the sea in the air. But he could not see. He sighed, tighting a grip on a book that was on his knees. He knew there were many roses growing in that place. He was told that the place he always sits in is under an orange tree, with a view on a forgotten bay. All he knew what that there was a cliff a few meters from his bench, apparently a very high one, with many rock underneath it. His brother once said, that whenever they were sitting there at night, the moon would always shine on Jongin, and nowhere else. That the stars would shine at the sky as bright as dimonds, almost blinding Jongdae as well. Jongin laughed then, and ordered his brother to stop joking like that, but the answer he got surprised him.

"Hyung, can you try to describe how does the world look right now?", Jongin asked one cold, December night, when they were sitting in the exact same spot.

"There is your best friend standing righ in front of us, again, eavesdroping, again.", he replied very seriously, but started laughing just a moment later.

"Friend? What friend?", the younger asked confused, tilting his head to the side.

"The moon," his brother whispered, as if it was the biggest secret in the world. Jongin only chuckled, but Jongdae continued, "you are lucky, my little brother. The spirits must really like you. Whenever we are here, it looks as if the moon was shining only for you, as if all the stars in the whole sky were there only for you, watching over you, protecting you...."

"What would they protect me from? I have you," he exclaimed, putting a hand on the older's shoulder. He felt Jongdae relax under his touch, and smiled a bit. "What is bothering you, hyung?" he asked, concern audible in his voice.

"Nothing you should worry about, Jongin. Really," he replied, however it did not convince Jongin. 

"Jongdae...."

"I said it was nothing, Jongin. Stop pushing.," he growled, so Jongin only nodded.

„Have they…. have they done it, again?,” the younger whispered, feeling the weight of the words hanging between them. Jongdae never replied, so Jongin extended his hand, trying to find his borther’s, but when he did, Jongdae quickly pulled back. However, he was not fast enough. Jongin still remembers, how after touching his brother, he could feel something wet, thick and warm on the tip of his fingers. Blood.

"Hyung,” he started again, and Jongdae hummed, „blood is red, right?”, he asked. Jongdae took a moment to answer, but then confirmed. "What does red look like? How do you describe red?”

It was neither a weird nor a new question, as him and Jongdae often played that game. Through that, Jongin could at least imagine the colors of blooming trees, setting sun, or moon.

"Red is like fire - a burning sensation. People say that it is a color of passion. Love… that's what they say is red,” he finished, letting out a deep sigh.

"If red is for love… why is blood red?”

"Because that is what you get when you love. Heartbreak, daggers, and blood. Pain, despair, and a burning sensation.”

"Should love not be a positive thing? You make it sound like it is something bad…”

"To love is to destroy*, Jongin, and to be loved is to be the one destroyed*. Why are you asking?”

"I was wondering... what would everything look like if I was okay... If I was not a burden..."

"You are not a burden, Jongin! Stop saying such things! Who told you that? Tell me and they shall never speak again!," Jongdae exclaimed, getting up.

"No one told me that, hyung, calm down," the younger answered, sighing, "but look at you, what is happening to you, what is happening to our family... everything would be different if only I was not blind...," he whispered, finishing.

„It’s a cruel world we live in, Jongin, and maybe it’s better you cannot see it. Things happened, and things are happening, but none of it is your fault. You are the victim here, and I swear to you, I will find whoever did that to you, and they will pay. But as I said before, the spirits have a special liking in you. Not being able to see with your eyes, does not make you blind. You can still see things with your heart. And let me tell you, in comparison to eyes, your heart will not trick you.”

A ruffling and rushed steps brought Jongin back from his thoughts and focused his attention on the surrounding.

"Who is coming?”, he shouted, and heard a quiet laugher.

"Sehun, Your Highness," the newcomer answered, standing in the entrance to the garden.

Sehun really liked this place. It was magical, in a way. Although, it seemed like a prison, at times. Beautiful trees, flowers and fruit were making an illision of the place being a perfect hideout, but what he once realized was that it was a cell. High trees and thick bushes were to keep people from coming in, and the prince from going out. He was kept here, hidden from the world, because his parents were ashamed. Sehun did not know any other word that would describe how they treated their son. Building him a beautiful garden, which he could not see anyway, inthe furthest corner of the royal gardens, by the long forgotten by everyone bay, was not what Sehun would consider a lovely gest. He believed Jongin would feel the same in any other part of the gardens. Here, he only looked even more lonly than he already was. The boy looked up, at the sun disappearing behind the horizon. It was a beautiful view, one that always took his breath away, and he wished he had anyone to share this moment with. He wished, Jongin could see it. He wanted the boy to see the sunset, the stars and the moon, the trees and flowers, his mother's roses, and the silver sea that was streaching in front of them. He sighed, saddness washing over him, and he felt a wave of warm breeze hit his face and messes his golden locks.

"Stop messing with the wind, my friend," Jongin chuckled, and moved a bit wanting to make space for the other. Sehun smiled lightly and sat down.

"How are you today, Jongin?"

"I do not know... I am very nervous, as if something bad was about to happen... I came here to calm and think," he explained.

"And how is that going?"

"No well," he growled. There were a few moments of silence, before Jongin spoke again, "Sehun-ah, is the moon up tonight?"

"The moon?," the other asked, surprised. The moon is always up. But when he looked up, the moon was nowhere to be found, "weird," he said, "I don't see it tonight, and there are no clouds on the sky."

"Something happened," Jongin whispered, as an overwhelming feeling of fear took over him. He felt the surrounding him darkness getting thicker, narrowing him. He did not like it. He was afraid of the dark. "Where is Jongdae, Sehun?"

"Calm down, my friend, everything is alright. It is just a moon, it will be up in a blink of an eye. And your brother is still in the North."

Sehun was brought to the castle and taken care of when he was only a few months old. He was an orphan, as the Great War had taken both of his parents' lives, leaving him alone. But the child had spirits watching over him, or at least that is what people are still whispering, as he was taken in by the Royal Family and brought up among them. Sehun's parents used to work in the castle, his mother was the queen's personal maid, and his father was in charge of the king's horse. Probably, if it had not been for how respected and good at their jobs his parents were, Sehun would never have been even thought of.

Sehun would consider his childhood a happy one. Althought without parents, he was given a massive amount of love by the people who took care of him. He was growing up with other maid and servants, old ladies treating him like a grandson, men teaching him manual work and young ladies that were like older sisters to him. He never felt alone, and he always felt loved.

Apart from Sehun, there were only two other boys in the castle. The two princes. No one had ever kept Sehun away from the other boys, and they naturally grew up to be good friends. Sehun was particually close with Jongdae, since the older was the only person he could play with. Being with Jongin meant being with nannys and maids who were taking care of the little prince. They could not play, they could not be goofy, they could not be who they were when it was only Jongdae and Sehun.  Sehun had always been looking up to Jongdae, wanting to be just like the older. He was funny, with a massive smile always on his face when around the younger, he was brave, and he was really intelligent, especially as for a child. Sehun knew Jongdae would become a great king one day.

But then things changed. One autumn afternoon, on Jongdae's birthday, a four year old Sehun was waiting for the prince in the usual place, by the cherry tree that for some reason had always scared Sehun. Jongdae took that place, as he insisted that he felt a connection with that tree, and that it is so far from the main gardens, nearly at the boarder with the woods, that no one would look for them there. Sehun agreed only because he wanted Jongdae to be happy, but he was always on the edge sitting by that tree. It seemed too real for his childish imagination. Whenever he looked at the tree, all he saw was a posture of a woman, bent in a painful way, and when he neared the bark he could make out a bone structure, a woman's face, as if sound asleep. That cherry tree terryfied him each time he was near it. At one point he stopped coming there, telling Jongdae that the tree just too real and it must have been cursed. And the boy had his reasons to think that. It had happened a few times, that when he was there with Jongdae, he thought the tree was acting really strange, as if trying to embrace the prince with its umbrages, hug him or crush. When they were leaving, Sehun would sometimes turn around and he can swear on anything that the tree was crying - golden spurts streaming down from what he thought looked like eyes. But he was only a little boy, and Jongdae would always tell him it was his imagination, however, Sehun knew that the older had figured all the same things he had, but instead of being terrified, Jongdae was peaceful. Therefore, Sehun overcame his fear of the tree and started meeting the other again. They would play for hours, laughing, running and just being children. That day was supposed to be the same, or even better, as Sehun brough a stolen cupcake with one candle in it. It was his friend's birthday, after all. But hours passed and Jongdae did not show up. At first, Sehun thought that his lessons took longer than usual, later that the young prince had to probably do something important after the lesson, but when the sun started to set, he felt disappointead. With tears streaming down his face and his small hands tightly wrapped around the now cold cupcake, he made his way to the castle. He wanted to ask Jongdae why the older had not come to play today, so he quickened the pace following the path to Jongdae's chamber. But he stopped dead in his track the moment he entered the long corridor. He quickly hid behind a massive sculpture and took a peek at the scene in front of him. There was the queen at the very far end, quickly making her way down the hall, with something following her. Sehun had to put a hand over his mouth to prevent any sound from coming out when he reallized that that something was in fact, Jongdae. The boy was almost running, his short legs not fast enough to keep the woman's pace, his head was hanging down, and his shoulders were shaking. The queen stopped in front of the prince's door, and the poor oy behind her did not realize in time and he bumped into her. The queen said something in a low voice and hit Jongdae in the face, making the boy fall to the floor. Sehun gasped, the cupcake falling to the floor. The prince quickly got up and was pushed inside his room. When the door closed, the queen took out a key and locked it, then walking away. Sehun was so terrified that he did not know what to do. So he ran. He ran away, back to the kitchens and his nanny, telling her eveyrthing that he had seen, begging her to go and help the prince. But she only smiled saddly, and told Sehun to forget anything he had seen, as there is no one in this castle who could help the prince. Sehun did not understand, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he was only four.

With time, Jongdae's door was more and more often locked and Sehun could hear his friend's cries and sreams, but he was never allowed to get close to the door. Whenever he was cought wondering near the prince's room, or the corridor, he was always taken away by the maids, carried in their arms with eyes locked on his friend's door, ears filled with the other's desperate yells and banging on the wood. Sehun got to see the older fewer and fewer times, at one point stopping to see him at all. And with time, the cries behind the door died out, the banging went silent, and the only thing that remained was the lock on the crafted wood. Sehun stopped coming anywhere near the corridor when his hyung's room was, the part of the castle becoming forgotten by him over the years. The only person connecting Sehun to Jongdae was Jongin.

It was back then, when the two boys were around five years old when Sehun started spending more and more time with Jongin. Since he did not get to see the older prince at all, he was bored. Spending time with Jongin was different to spending time with Jongdae, and at first Sehun hated it. Jongin was silent and calm, very calm. Hardly ever had he said anything, and he never wanted to play. At the beginning, Sehun did not know why, as no one was allowed to talk about Jongin's condition in the castle, and deffinately no one wanted to discuss this topic with a child like Sehun, so he hated Jongin. He hated him because he was boring. One time Sehun could not take it anymore, and he started yelling at the prince, telling him how he hated him because he was so boring, never wanting to play with Sehun, always sitting in one place all days, having people read to him and do everything for him. "What is wrong with you?!," Sehun yelled, and to his surprise Jongin did not even budge. "I am blind, Sehun," he replied, and even though he did not look at the younger boy, Sehun heard loud and clear the despair in the other's voice. So he did it again. He ran. He ran away, to the kitchens and to his favourite nanny. He was crying the whole night, repeating over and over again how much he hated himself. "Nanna, I did not know. Nanna, I did not want to make him sad. Nanna, he is going to hate me forever know. Nanna, he is going to tell the queen and she will lock me just like Jongdae, or worse, she will kill me. Nanna, I am so scared," he was crying into the old lady's arm, as she was trying to lull him. The next morning Sehun after breakfast, Sehun picked the most beautiful cupcake he had found in the bakery, and went to find Jongin. It was not hard, since he found him in the same place he had elft him the previous day. After many tears and aplogiezes on Sehun's side, which Jongin tried to stop, but failed miserably, the boys became unseperable. Sehun changed his approach towrds Jongin, to which the other started slowly opening up to Sehun. From that day, Sehun was always on Jongin's side, making sure the other is safe, alright and not in danger. He started taking Jongin for walks, always holding the other's hand tightly in his, as if afraid that even the lightest wave of wind would take the prince away.

The boy were growing up, and wherever was Jongin there was Sehun, and other way round. The two was doing everything together, even attending Jongin's lessons. When they reached a certain age Sehun was assigned some duties in the castle, one of which involved always keeping eye on Jongin, to which he gladly agreed. The other task that he was given was taking care of the horses in in the stables. Sehun was more than happy. His life was perfect. He had a great friend in Jongin, and his job involved spending time with his best friend.

But, beside all the amazing moments, there were a few that had Sehun almost end up in grave.

"Sehun," Jongin once asked when they were sitting on a beach. "How does it feel to run?," he questioned, as warm, summer air was hitting his face and messing his hair.

"Run?," Sehun repeated, surprised and confused. How does one explain running? "Running is like... it is a feeling of freedom," he answered, but did not know if that made any sense to the other.

"One day, I wish I could run," Jongin sighed, a smile appearing on his lips.

Sehun looked at him, and looked, for a good few moments, before an idea appreared in his mind. "Stand up," he ordered, standing up himself. Jongin asked why, but did as he was told. "Because we are going to run," Sehun beamed, but Jongin could not see that. So he only grabbed the other's hand tightly, as he used to do when they were little kids going for walks. "We are on a beach, there is sea on one side, sand on the other, and nothing in front of us, so you do not have to worry. Do you trust me?" Sehun asked, as he felt Jongin's hand shake slightly. The boy swallowed and nodded, a soft smile making its way on his lips. Sehun counted to three and they started running. At first slowly, then faster and fater. At one point, Sehun let go of Jongin's hand andwatched his friend.

"Sehun!," Jongin shouted, "I am running! Running!"

That was one of Sehun's most treasured memories, that he still keeps somewhere deep in his memory.

But then it happened. Jongin was jumping up and down at the shore, his pants wet from the salty water, laughing and shouting like a little child, when he just... disappeared. Never before had Sehun felt so terrified. He kept screaming his friend's name but to no avail, he was looking around, trying to spot anything, trying to understand what exactly happened. And then the though hit him. "He did not disappear. He vanished into nothingness. He is a teleporter." Realizing this, Sehun froze. Jongin can be anywhere. Doing his best to calm down and think straight, he took a deep breath and whispered "find him" into the wind. It must have been his lucky day back then, because thankfully Jongin ended up in the forgotten bay. Sehun knew too well, that if anything happened to the prince, it would be him himself who would be held responsible, and most probably beheaded. They agreed not to tell anyone about it, although some time later Jongin confessed he had told his brother about what happened.

Jongdae.

It had been years since Sehun last talked to the boy, and there were a fwe more to come before their next ecnounter.

From time to time Sehun would ask Jongin to send his greetings to Jongdae, but the prince would only look at him and frown, whispering "I am not sure if I am allowed to, my friend," and then he would disappear, most probably going to meet with the oldest boy. Sehun would sigh and go to the stables, where he spent the rest of the time that he was not spending with Jongin. It was when Sehun was around twelve when he was told that the king bought a new horse just for the prince. Never before had Sehun heard about Jongdae getting anything from his parents so he was surprised. He had been already working in the stable for a few years, and he came across many horses, but when he saw what was supposed to be Jongdae's new horse, Sehun asked himself whether, by any chance, the king did not want to kill his son. Or maybe, his illness took over his mind, and he did not know what he was doing anymore. The horse was massive, Sehun felt as if it was three times his height. The boy's eyes started hurting from looking at the animal's color, darker than the darkest night Sehun had experienced, as if absordbing all the light surrounding them, just like a black hole. Sehun was terrified. The horse looked like death, but not because it was weak, but because it looked as if it claimed lives. For the next three days no one was nearing the animal, everyone too afraid of the animal. But on the third day Jongdae came in. Sehun had not seen the boy for six years, and he was constantly asking himself if it was really Jongdae. There was nothing similar to the Jongdae he knew. Before the prince neared the horse, a few men tried to calm it down as the animal suddenly become very agressive, and they started hitting it with whips. Jongdae quickly jumped in between them, one of the whips hitting him in the face, creating a bloody cut. Everyone froze. "Do it to him again and I will have you all beheaded!," Jongdae yelled, his voice harsh and rough, not what Sehun remembered it to be, and it send chills down his spine. The prince turned around, and jumped onto the horse.

He came back only a few hours later, in the eveing, when there was almost no one in the stables. Sehun was currently sweeping the floors when he heard a clumping, and when he raised his eyes up he was met with the prince's horse. Jongdae jumped down and raised his eyes as well, was met with Sehun's gaze. The younger spotted dried blood on the other's cheek. They stood for a few moments in silence, before the older spoke, and Sehun almost jumped, startled by the other's soft and smooth voice, so different to what he had heard earlier.

"Sehun," Jongdae started, "could you please take care of my horse?"

Sehun's eyes grew bigger, but before he got to stutter out anything coheret, another person came into view, an older man, his teacher, who started talking.

"Prince Jongdae! How was the ride? Give me a minute, please, I will find the best st...," he started lightly, but was interrupted by a cold voice of the prince.

"Has anyone asked you to speak? Be quiet or I'll have your tongue cut off," Jongdae threatened, not even looking at him, his eyes still focused on Sehun. But there was something about his eyes that scared Sehun. For a moment, they became violet. When his teach spoke, the prince's fists tightened, his eyes changed color and it became darker in the room, as if the clouds had covered the sun. But everything was gone the moemnt he spoke again, "Sehun? I want you to take care of my hore. Only  my horse. Will you do it?," he repeated, his voice back to what it was a few minutes ago. Sehun looked at his teacher, who stood there, stunned and shocked, but only nodded for the boy to agree, and Sehun knew what the man was thinking. "Who knows what this kid will do to you if you disagree."

"Of course, prince," Sehun replied, bowing as deep as he could.

Jongdae frowned, and Sehun felt almost as scared at that time he lost Jongin on the beach. "Why would you call me prince, Sehun? Are we not friends anymore?," he asked, whispering. 

Sehun stood there shocked, looking at the person in front of him. To Sehun, it was a stranger wearing his long lost friend's face. But apparently to Jongdae, nothing between changed. Just as if Jongdae froze in time, all these years ago. He did not know what to replied, so he just stood there, watching the prince, wanting really bad to find his friend in the boy in front of him, but he could not. His hair was darker, almost the same shade as the horse beside him. His eyes were black, but also sadder, filled with sorrow and anger. They say that eyes are the window to the soul, but if that was true, Sehun did not want to look inside Jongdae's one, afraid of what he might find there. His face looked sharp, harsh and rough. The boy himself look like skin and bone. There was nothing from his old Jongdae in that boy. There was not even the shadow of the smile the older boy was once wearing. There was nothing.

From that day onwards Sehun was only taking care of Jongdae's horse. Due to such an arrangement, the two once again started seeing each other almost every day. But it was different. It was awkward and unpleasant at first, and the feeling would not wear off for a long time. It took them another year to get used to each other, again. But after a year, they once again spending time together, now with addition of Jongin. Most of the time they would just sit in Jongin's little garden, talking about anything the could think of, trying to be normal. Sometimes, while going for a walk, Sehun would spot Jongdae sitting by the cherry tree, with a book in his hand, and he would catch himself thinking that in these moments, Jongdae looked just like the child he was all these years ago. But he knew too well, that these were only illisions. There was nothing left of the old Jongdae.

Living all these years in the castle, Sehun learnt one thing: in the West, being a part of the Royal Family, was a live or die challenge. Only the smartest would survive. And Jongdae was deffinately one of the smartest, since he was still alive.

Now, Jongdae was gone, and Sehun was sitting alone with Jongin, looking at the other worried expression. He raised his eyes up to the sky again, trying his best to spot the moon, but it was not there. His hand made its way to his heart, as he could feel a growing feeling of anxiety burning in his chest.

"I think we should go, Jongin. It is getting late and cold, you cannot get ill," Sehun whispered, whishing to go to sleep as soon as possible, just to finish this day already.

As they were making their way through the castle, it was strangly dark and uncomfortable. Never been had the castle looked so unwelcoming to Sehun. When they were crossing the Great Hall they could hear the queen's voice.

"Your mother came back," Sehun informed Jongin, who suddenly stopped.

"Where was she?," he asked and Sehun frowned.

"In the North? She was called as there was an issue with your brother. Did you not know?," Sehun explain and asked, surprised, but Jongin only shook his head.

"Did she bring Jongdae back?," Jongin asked, his voice filled with hope.

"I don...," Sehun started but was never given a chance to finish, as the queen's loud and clear statement froze the blood in both of their systems.

"The Prince of the West is dead!," she exclaimed, and her voice roamed though the darkest recesses of the castle.

Welcome back my dear readers !

How is everyone doing on this (not so) fine October afternoon? I am updating today because two things happened: I had this amazing idea yesterday night so I just sat down and wrote it down, and it's October 3rd which means it's time to watch Mean Girls !

With this chapter I wanted to give you a little insight into the life in the West. I told you there is going to be a hellatus until december, and even tho I am breaking my words now, I am not giving you Xiuchen, not just yet xD

I think it's a good time to clear out someone relationships that are there between the characters, starting with Jongdae, Jongin and Sehun. I felt like including a little explanation at what happened in their (Jongdae's) lives in the past was quite important, especially since we are going to see Sehun and Jongin again but shhhh no more spoilers ;]

Please enjoy the chapter as I do not know when the next one is gonna be!

Comment, subscribe and upvote, as it would made me very very happy ! :) Share your opinion on this little bonus I have just given you, please ! ;]

See you next time!

Best wishes,

badblood.

* * - quotes taken from The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare