Prophecy

Fastening his horse, Jongdae was dashing through the forest, racing with time. When he was in what seemed like the middle of the forest, he stopped, and quickly gathering dead sticks and stones, he formed a circle around himself. He straightened and started whistling. Only three whistles later he heard footsteps.

“Well, well, well, look who’s here,” he heard Kyngsoo’s voice, which made him tense, “So I thought I would see you again tonight. However, I must say, I expected you a bit earlier,” the dead boy laughed, “had too much fun with Min, I suppose?”

“Shut up, carrion!” Jongdae growled, furrowing.

“Now, now, this is not the attitude that helps you in business, young prince, is it?” Kyungsoo laughed, and his laugh froze blood in Jongdae's veins.

"I need informaion, Kyungsoo."

"Don't we all need something?" Kyungsoo raised his eyebrow, chuckling.

"What do you want?" Jongdae said, gritting his teeth.

Kyungsoo smirked, "I want many things, Princeling. One of them is your brother."

"No way!" Jongdae shouted, clenching his fists.

"Let me meet with our brother, I'll tell you how to save the prince!"

Jongdae took a deep breath.

"Save? Prince? So, Xiumin... he's... so he truly is the lost prince?" Jongdae whispered.

Kyungsoo started laughing, "you disappointed me, princeling. I thought you would have figured it all by now. I thought you came here with a question on how to save him, not if he is the prince of the north."

"Tell me! Tell me everything you know!" Jongdae ordered, but Kyungsoo only laughed again.

"First, we make a deal. Let me see your brother and I'll answer your question," he replied, and silence fell upon them.

The night was fading, black sky started gathering slight colors on the east, and Jongdae knew he was running out of time.

"My brother is blind. He will not recognise you. And so are you. What is the point in bringing him here if you cannot see him?"

Kyungsoo smirked, "that, my dear prince, is another part of our deal. There is a way to bring your brother's sight back. And I will gladly tell you how to do it. But you have to bring my sight back as well."

Jongdae growled, "what sick games are you playing, carrion!"

"Calm down, Princeling. Do we have a deal here?"

Jongdae was breathing heavily. But he clenched his fists, and sighed. He couldn't lie that his heart skipped a beat when he heard there is a way to bring his brother's sight back. If there was a chance, he had to take it. So he nodded, and the other extended his hand.

"I believe you keep your promises, princeling," Kyungsoo said quietly, when Jongdae shook his hand.

"Don't worry about my part. I, however, feel as if I was making a deal with the devil himself."

"In fact, my dear prince, we are on the same side in this war. I was brought up to keep my word, and even tho I am dead, I will stick to that."

Jongdae nodded again. "So, tell me, what do I do."

"You have to bring me my eyes back," Kyungsoo ordered, and Jongdae felt like vomiting.

"What do you mean, bring you your eyes back?"

"Focus now, Jongdae, because it is really important. Each time The Ravens killed one of us and took what they needed, they kept it in their quarters. I know everything was destroyed, but they had dungeons. Places, not many knew about. I believe they might have kept their most precious possesions there. I believe my eyes are there. If you bring them back to me, I will be able to see."

Jongdae swallowed loudly, "and the quarters are on my land, right?" he whispered, and Kyngsoo nodded. After a few seconds of silence, Jongdae straightened, "you have my word, Kyungsoo. If only they are there, I will bring them to you. Now tell me, please, how do I save my brother?"

"Take him to the north. The poison only killed his sight, not his eyes. Take him to Baekhyun and Lay. They'll know what to do."

"Lay? Who's that?"

"Oh, right. He changed his name. Look for Zhang Yixing. Tell them that I sent you, tell them that I beg for their help."

"Yixing?" Jongdae mumbled, "do you mean the prince's finace?!" he exclaimed shocked, and Kyungsoo only smiled. "Alright," the prince continued, "I will... If what you are saying is true, and my brother gets his sight back, I will bring him here. You have my word. But keep yours, and tell me how do I save Minseok."

Kyungsoo smirked again, and took a step back, "you don't," he whispered, and Jongdae's eyes grew wider. "You are the one, who will be responsible for his death."

"What... no! No! You're a liar!" Jongdae shouted, angry.

"Listen carefully, princeling. There was only one reason why The Ravens started hunting us down. And it was due to a prophecy."

"For the sake of all gods, stop speaking in riddles!" Jongdae screamed his lungs out, feeling as if he was going crazy.

"Prophecy, about a child born during the darkest of nights, twice smitten by lightings; and a child born to the flames of ice."

Jongdae paled, not understanding a word.

"Because, my dear prince, lighting stikes twice and it burns like ice," Kyungsoo mumbled, and Jongdae felt his head explode. "You and Minseok are the reason for what happened to us."

"I do not understand..." Jongdae said weakly, trying to wrap his head around what he had just heard.

"I will give you one more advice, but for that I will collect the payment whenever it suits me," Kyungsoo offered, and even though Jongdae felt anxious agreeing to this, he felt he had no other choice. "Ask Baekhyun for help. Run to the north, my prince, the time is running out."

"Baekhyun will never help me," Jongdae confessed.

"Unless you make a deal with him. Bring Chanyeol back to life for him, and Baekhyun will do anything for you."

"Do you hear yourself?! How am I supposed to bring a dead person back to life?!" Jongdae screamed.

"I am sure, you will figure something out, Chen." And with that, Kyungsoo was gone, as the first rays of sun touched the ground on which he stood.

Upon entering the room, a small gasp escaped Baekhyun’s lips, as he realized none of the candles was ignited, and that there was someone sitting on a windowsill. The small posture was casting a long and sharp shadow, very uneven and incomplete, with grey spots all over, as if it had been ripped and torn apart. Baekhyun’s heart stopped the moment his eyes laid on the creepy shadow. “What creature is that,” he thought, his heart beating fastly against his chest.

“Baekhyun,” he heard a familiar voice, and it froze the blood rushing through his system. He raised his eyes up from the floor and looked at the person. Another gasp left his lips when he looked straight into brightly shining, violently violet eyes.

“Jongdae,” he whispered, and in the same moment a blinding lighting hit the ground.

“It has been quite a few days, hasn’t it?”, the prince smirked, and made himself comfortable.

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, “what is the prince of the west looking for in here?” he spat, lighting the room back up.

“I am here to talk, Baekhyun.”

“Talk? What could we possible talk about?”

“How about Chanyeol, for instance?”

As the words left Jongdae’s mouth, as softly and innocently as a morning wind in the mountains, Baekhyun tensed and a candle he was holding fell to the floor.

“How do y….,” he started, terrified with the prince’s knowledge, but he was to be met with one more surprise.

“Kyungsoo sends greetings,” Jongdae smirked, more than pleased with the other’s reaction.

Kyungsoo.

Upon hearing that name, a horrifying scream filled Baekhyun’s head, and everything went dark.

Baekhyun slowly opened his eyes, feeling something wet on his forehead, but closed them quickly from too much light in the room. When he opened them again he was met with concern face of Yixing.

"What happened?" he asked, getting up.

"You lost consciousness. Prince Jongdae called me to check up on you," Yixing answered, relieve evident on his face, as he saw his friend getting up.

Upon hearing the name, Baekhyun quickly looked around until his eyes landed on a shape standing next to the window. He felt blood boil inside him.

"Who told you," Baekhyun spat, narrowing his eyes, "how did you know?! How dare you!" he screamed. 

"Baekhyun, calm down," Yixing begged, when lights started flickering in the room.

"I told you," Jongdae replied calmly, "Kyungsoo..."

"Kyungsoo is dead!" Baekhyun yelled at the top of his lungs, and Yixing froze.

"There happens to be an old legend on this side of the world, Baekhyun. It says that when you whistle in dark, it bring back..."

"The dead," Yixing whispered, and Baekhyun quickly looked at him. "Did you... did you really talk to Kyungsoo, my prince?"

"I did, Lay," 

When Jongdae used this name, both of the other boys took deep breaths. "So it is true," Baekhyun whispered, and his heart ached.

"I need your help, Baekhyun," Jongdae confessed, and any bit of authority that he had had earlier whenever talking to the Guardian was gone. "And I have a request from Kyungsoo, as well. I beg you, help me."

Beakhyun was stunned, upon seeing the storm bringer in such a state, but he swallowed and nodded, "why would I help you?"

"Because if you do, I will bring Chanyeol back."

"Liar. He's dead!"

"I said I would bring him back, and I mean it. I have my ways. I will bring Chanyeol back to life for you, if only you help me."

"What do you need help with, Prince?" Yixing asked, too curious.

"A prophecy. The one that sentenced you all to this fate. The one about lightings and ice."

Yixing and Baekhyun exchanged looks, afraid of what the prince knew, afraid of where he knew that from, and more than anything, afraid of where it all was leading to.

But it was Chanyeol they were talking about after all, and Beakhyun missed him so much he was more then ready to give it a try. He just really did not like the prince. But if there was a chance he could get his love back, maybe it was worth a try? He looked back at Jongdae and took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I will help you."

"We all will," Yixing interrupted, "But please tell me, what was Kyungsoo's request?"

"He said that the two of you could bring my brother's sight back," Jongdae said, and both Yixing and Baekhyun smirked, knowing now that it truly was Kyungsoo who the prince was talking to.

"We'll start looking after the sun sets. This is not something we can be searching for in the middle of the library, surrounded by everyone. In addition, no one here likes you, Prince of the West. We have to wait. Let's meet at the entrance an hour after the dusk."

And with that they all went their own ways.

Jongdae quickly got back to his room, and his heart filled with worry upon seeing a black raven on his desk. He cursed under his breath and forgetting about so much needed sleep he grabbed a bag from under his bed and quickly ran into the forest. There, he started preparing a poison for his client, and after a few hours he poured the juice into a diamond vial, and securing it in a bag, he tied it to the bird's leg and let it go. When he came back to his room, all he wanted was to fall asleep, however he was haunted by the thoughts of what he had learnt earlier. Xiumin was Minseok. And he was to be responsible for his death. How would that be even possible. The sleep never came, but instead of that, he felt a sting on his cheek and he laughed sadly, as he remembered the other's sharp punch on his jaw early in the morning after he had kissed him in his hut.

Note to self : do not kiss lost princes without their permission.