Sleep had never come easily for Kyungsoo when he was alone. As a young child, the howling of the wind made the phantoms that lurked in the shadows seem more real. He remembered long nights spent curled up by the window, lying still and motionless under the moonlight until the daylight finally came and the darkness would fade.

Curled against a cold stone wall in the dark, he almost missed it. There was nothing to save him now from the nightmares, and no one to blame for the fact except for himself.

He’d made that choice for himself, and he refused to regret it.

But the silence drove him mad. It was suffocating and thick, broken only by the slow oozing drip of water from the ceiling and the sound of his own chattering teeth - over and over and over until it faded away into the background and his mind began to wander.

Of course, Kyungsoo had never planned to die so young. His own mortality was a strange thing to ponder. He hadn’t thought much of his miserable existence before he’d arrived here. If he’d died then, he supposed it wouldn’t have made much of a difference to anyone. It was only when he’d made the decision to step out from his sister’s shadow had he discovered what it truly was to be alive. How cruel it was then, that he’d only just begun to discover who he was and what he was truly capable of, only to have it all stolen away from him in the matter of hours.

He wondered what it would have been like, if he were to be afforded the opportunity to do it all over again. Would he have told Kai to stay away from him? Would he have pushed away his lover to spare him of the pain?

...Perhaps.

Perhaps not.

His life had always been full of such regrets, ever since he was born. He had been born a bad omen, a sickly child who’d taken its first breath on the day when the moon was darkest. He had believed in its power for a long time, believing that his existence brought only pain and suffering to those around him. After all, his father, a strong man with no sign of sickness, fell ill and suddenly died when he was but a child. His mother, who had already begun to unravel, soon spiralled down a path of no return. His sister, caught in the middle, lost everything and blamed Kyungsoo for all of it.

But he knew now what a fool he’d been. He had been nothing more than an innocent child - and those that he thought would protect him the most had used him as a tool.

The only one who’d never lied to him had been Kai. Perhaps it simply wasn’t in his nature. Perhaps he truly had fallen in love with Kyungsoo at first sight. Either way, Kyungsoo would always be grateful for having had the opportunity to love him.

Ah, but here he was wallowing in his memories again. A fool, drowning in a puddle of his own terrified tears.

How he wished he could see Kai - to touch him one last time, to cling to him, to tell him that he had been truly loved by Kyungsoo, until the very end. But he himself had sent Kai away.

After all, he had been born into this world cold, broken, and alone. It was only logical that he leave the same way.

It was for the best, he continued to tell himself. It was all for the best.

Still, the fat tears that dripped down his cheeks were stinging and hot. He smiled a queer little smile, and muffled his sobs into the crook of his shoulder.

-

He didn’t think Chanyeol would help him. He was in no position to ask for a favor, after all. He wasn’t sure what it was - an act of charity? A sense of obligation? Perhaps he simply didn’t want to owe a dead man a favor. He’d heard the god-fearing moorish had far more superstitions about death than their southern neighbors.

Either way, a few hours before dawn, the person whom Kyungsoo had called for came to him. He couldn’t see the man’s face through the thick wood of the locked door, couldn’t tell whether or not the man bore him ill will or not. But the airy voice that floated in from the gap between the door and the floor was just the same as it always was.

“You wished to see me, milord?” Yixing asked.

“Oh thank the stars,” Kyungsoo croaked, dragging his exhausted body closer to the door. “I feared you might have left again.”

“...I’ve decided to remain here a little while. Until things have calmed down, at least.”

Kyungsoo rested his weary head against the wood, letting his eyes flutter shut as a belated sense of relief washed over him.

“Good. That’s… that’s good.”

“...milord,” Yixing said, after a moment of pause. He sounded a little unsure. “You don’t sound very well. Shall I call for a physician?”

“Nevermind about me,” Kyungsoo said dismissively, rousing himself from his daze and clearing his throat roughly. “You need to listen to me carefully. Northwest of here, there is a mountain passage just beyond the southern tip of the great plains. I’m sure you’ve heard of it before - the Ironwood Pass?”

“Yes milord, I’ve traveled through it many a time. ...why?”

“Wonderful - do you have the quill and parchment I asked for? Pass it over. There is something I need you to do for me, and it would be much easier for me to draw it for you.”

After a short delay, what he asked was pushed through to him under the crack under the door. He grabbed it quickly, drawing out a rough map as he relayed all that he knew to Yixing.

“I know not if such a thing truly exists nor if it can truly do what I’ve read, but it may be our - his - last hope. With your skills, you are the only one who I trust will know what to do with it when you find it.”

Kyungsoo pushed the quill and parchment back under the crack of the door, watching as it was pulled through to the other side.

There was a long stretch of uncomfortable silence as the other man looked over the parchment. Finally, Yixing piped back up.

“Milord, I am not sure if this is a task I would be able to complete on my own. Even if it did exist, I do not have the means to reach it.”

“There is a cave, by the western gate of the fen. Inside of it lives a friend of mine who may be able to aid you,” Kyungsoo instructed, pausing only to stifle a wet cough into his arm. His whole body shook. It felt as though the smoke he had inhaled had burned a hole in his lungs, but he pushed through the pain with a grimace. “He may appear frightening at first, but I can assure you that he means no harm. If you mention my name, he will surely help you - but you will need to guide him like a child, do you understand? His mind is … different than yours or mine, but he will do whatever it is you ask of him as long as you speak to him kindly.”

Kyungsoo stopped, breathing hard for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts. He had put all of his hopes on this - that a man who he’d barely gotten to know would be able to set aside his prejudices and look beyond what Kyungsoo had done to help him.

“...will you do this for me?” Kyungsoo finally asked, in barely a whisper.

There was a pregnant pause, before finally, the other man said to him:

“Why are you so willing to lay down your life for someone who may never appreciate it?”

It wasn’t clear whether or not the merchant was referring to, which left it to Kyungsoo to ponder.

He dragged himself a little closer to the door so that he could rest his weary back against it, and stared at the stone wall.

He thought perhaps of explaining it all - telling Yixing all about what had happened and why he’d made the decision to take the blame for his sister. But he’d made his choice, and no amount of words was ever going to change that reality. He could spend his last hours regretting it and fearing his death, but for what purpose?

No. He’d rather his death be meaningful. To right the wrongs and to take the rightful punishment for what had happened that day. To spare his sister the humiliation of a criminal’s execution and give her the opportunity to live her own life, whether or not it was deserved. And to give Kai a chance. A chance that one day, when he’d finished mourning Kyungsoo, he would be able to find someone else that would cherish him just as much as Kyungsoo did.

Unlike his mother, he knew what love truly was. It was a powerful thing. Pure. It gave him the strength and the courage to sacrifice his life - and gladly was he willing to do it for the ones that he loved.

“My life may have been short-lived, but in the end it was full of kindness and love,” Kyungsoo said in a soft voice. “I may not have been able to spend a lifetime beside him, but to be given the chance to even dream of it was more than I could have ever asked for.”

That was the last thing he would say about it. He fell silent and still, refusing to speak another word until Yixing finally left.

A soft gust of air rushed in from the outside as a door shut and close in the distance. Kyungsoo felt it through the bare threads of his shirt, and closed his eyes, imagining himself on the shore of a far-off distant land.

“Just think of all the places we could have gone. All that we could have seen,” Kyungsoo finally whispered, to the one person who would never be able to hear it. “Our lives - they would have been grand, wouldn’t they?”

“They would have been grand.”

-

For a few minutes after the last word had been spoken, the trio of adventurers found themselves stunned into a stupor, reflecting quietly on the revelations they’d been told of over the last few hours.

At first, it had been hard to follow the threads of lies and deceit that wove itself into an intricate web that had been years in the making - but once it all began to unravel, it could only continue to do so until it laid bare before the three of them.

Kyungsoo’s reputation was as clean as it seemed - he’d had nothing to do with his sister and King Minos’ plot. In fact it seemed as though he’d been a victim of circumstance his entire life. It was no wonder that when they’d first met he’d been as quiet and as frightened as a beaten dog with its tail between its legs.

Even Bita, who had known of the siblings long before the war, was perturbed to know the extent to which Kyungri had gone. And to think that she’d once admired Kyungri for being a woman of commanding presence and power. Bita folded her arms over her chest, staring coldly down her nose at the other woman with contempt.

Beside her, Sehun warred with himself in his mind, clenching his fists and fighting back a bitter wave of regret and shame. He’d treated Kyungsoo with disdain and contempt for longer than he cared to admit - he’d called him names behind his back like a child and made things harder for a man who had never known what kindness even was. He remembered that rainy day months ago. He’d pushed the smaller man around. Called him filthy. Shouted such disgusting things that Sehun wished he could take back. Now that he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the man he’d tormented really was innocent of everything Sehun had accused him to be, he was filled with a sense of great remorse that made the corners of his eyes sting with unshed tears. The next breath he in was shaky and wet.

Kai was the only one who stood there without saying a word, completely expressionless except for a slight furrow in his brow that made it impossible to tell what exactly the dinnish prince was thinking.

“I- I don’t understand,” Sehun eventually choked out, wiping the back of his arm against his wet eyes. “Why did he choose to save you? You have never done a thing in your life to deserve him, and yet he still - he still chose to ...”

He trailed off with an angry sob, looking bewildered and livid with his pale face and haggard appearance.

Kyungri turned away, looking back toward the sea that lay just beyond the edge of the cliff. She walked slowly up to it, sinking to her knees and drawing them up close to her chest.

“...Kyungsoo was always far kinder than I was,” Kyungri said softly. “When we were children, whenever I broke an expensive toy or ruined a dress, he would find some way to say that it was his fault. I suppose he thought he was saving me the humiliation.”

A small smile twitched onto her lips, one that came as quickly as it went.

“Mother doted on him, so she never punished him. Not that anyone would lay a hand on him. He was always such a small child,” Kyungri said. “He was never particularly strong. Nor was he ruthless, or cunning, like the rest of us. But he always protected me in the only way he knew how.”

“You love Kyungsoo,” Kai finally said. His dark eyes burned harrowingly bright, burrowing deep into Kyungri’s cracked heart to set it aflame.

“Don’t want Kyungsoo to die.”

The mask she had always worn cracked with every word, chipping away at her until the only thing left to reflect in the mirror was her true self. It was lost, small, and afraid - that very last piece of her human soul.

She didn’t want him to die.

She’d never wanted him to. And yet, hadn’t she hurt him more than anyone else?

“I have never been a good sister. Not even when we were young. He might have thought I was, but the truth was that I was always envious of the way he was loved by everyone around him. He had something I never would, and for that, I thought I hated him.” She admitted quietly. “But thinking about it now, I don’t think it was.”

She let her hands fold quietly into her lap. Her skin - though pale already - was deathly white now. It made her scars and wrinkles more pronounced, making her look much older than her years.

“My biggest regret was that I could never love him more than I loved that man. That man gave me everything I could ever ask for. Perhaps I was a means to an end, but, all the same - I was his. Just as he was mine. ...and Kyungsoo knew that. He was always willing to give me a chance to find what I’d wanted. But that future is behind me now, isn’t it? All that I have left are my memories and regrets,” she said quietly. The yearning that was deep inside of her grew again, and she found suddenly that her eyes were wet with tears. She buried her face into her arms and was quiet for some time.

Then, it seemed as if she’d remembered something. She silently wiped her face with her sleeve and sat up. She pulled out a small coin purse, rooting around inside of it before digging out a small, carefully wrapped silk handkerchief. Unlike the rest of her clothes that were torn and ragged, it was white and pristine, as if it’d been untouched for quite some time. She looked down at the object in her hands, hesitating for a moment before holding it up and gesturing for Kai to come take it.

There was a simmering look of rage that lurked just beneath the surface, but Kai managed to control himself, snatching the handkerchief from her. Stepping back, Kai began to tug open the loose knot, knowing full well that his two companions were watching closely over his shoulder. He shook whatever it was onto the palm of his hand, and turned it over in his fingers.

A single golden gear. Just like the handkerchief itself, it was immaculate. It was a tiny little thing - in fact, so small that it could have easily fit inside one of Kyungsoo’s small toys. Without even a single word spoken between the three of them, they all came to the same realization of just what it was Kai held in his hand.

As Kyungsoo had once said, Kyungri was just as skilled as he was when it came to tinkering. It was in their blood, after all. And this - this was what she’d replaced without his knowledge, when she’d turned that little toy soldier of his into an explosive weapon of terror.

She’d always been dangerous - it’s just that they were too fooled by her widow act to notice.

“That should be enough to prove Kyungsoo’s innocence,” Kyungri said simply to Kai, as if what she’d given to him wasn’t meaningful at all. She directed the second half of her sentence toward Sehun. “Perhaps if your brother wasn’t as headstrong, he would have been able to discern the truth for himself.”

Sehun’s look hardened, jaw tight and fists clenched in barely controlled anger. But in the end, he bit his tongue and said nothing, taking the handkerchief out of Kai’s hands and tucking it into his waistpocket before turning back to his horse.

Bita waited until he had passed before she silently returned Kai’s knife. Giving him a profound look, she turned away as well, leaving Kai alone with Kyungri.

He held the knife loosely in his hands, looking down at the disheveled figure of his lover’s elder sister. He thought of slicing open - watching her bleed out onto the white stone with the satisfaction of knowing that he would be the very last thing she would see. But he couldn’t. Kyungsoo’s last sacrifice was to give his sister a freedom of choice she’d never been afforded her entire life, and murdering her with his hands would make all of Kyungsoo’s efforts meaningless.

She was no Queen anymore. She had no power and no one left to do her bidding, and without that, she posed no threat. She was just a woman now, one that had lost everything but her name. Perhaps that was punishment enough.

Kai looked down at his knife and quietly sheathed it.

“I see you again, you will die,” Kai said, with a real threat of violence in his voice.

Instead of fear, Kyungri stared at him with eyes full of something else instead. She remained staring as Kai returned to his horse, climbing onto its back. Then, just as they began to turn around toward the direction of the town, she stood up and called out to his back.

“I plan to go northeast, to catch a boat that will take me to the other side of the sea. I will go far, far, away from here, where no one will ever be able to find me.”

She paused, and wet her lips.

“Will you … will you tell Kyungsoo that … ?”

For a moment, his back remained stiff and straight, without a sign that he’d even heard her at all above the howling wind. But there was a deeper meaning behind her words, one whose weight he understood. In the end he gave her an almost imperceptible nod before crying out wordlessly to spur his horse onward.

Kyungri waited until she could no longer hear the sound of the hooves pounding against the ground, and then waited some more.

Then, after a long period of silence, Kyungri finally stood, patting off her skirt. She looked toward the sea, toward the beautiful blue horizon that seemed as distant as it was in their childhood as it was now. She imagined what lay beyond the ocean. A place where she would be loved, perhaps. A place where the one she most wanted to see would be there, waiting for her arrival. And though it was only an illusion, she allowed herself to believe that it was all true.

Sighing softly, she dried her tears and wiped her eyes, combing her fingers carefully through her hair to make herself look presentable.

Then, after straightening her back resolutely, Kyungri lifted her skirts, and stepped quietly off the cliff’s edge.

Though she aimed to fool her brother, she’d never intended to live.

-

“Hey. Wake up.”

Kyungsoo jerked awake with a groan. Reacting to the sound of a man’s voice, he tried to stand before he was even fully awake. But the overwhelming exhaustion and the sudden rush of blood to his head made him stumble and fall, sinking back onto his knees before he even knew it. The door creaked open and Kyungsoo squinted from the ground at the silhouette that stood in the light.

Through his blurry eyes and sleep-addled mind, he thought for a brief moment that the silhouette that stood at the door was Kai, here to save him.

Reality was not so kind, however. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that the person standing there was Chanyeol, still wearing that look of discomfort and shame on his face as he had the other day.

Never one to forget his manners no matter the circumstance, Kyungsoo turned to face him, slowly rising back to his feet with a wince.

They regarded each other quietly for a moment.

“...the sun will rise soon,” Chanyeol eventually said, just as Kyungsoo finally tore himself away from the knight’s piercing gaze, “and I thought… I thought that you might want some time to prepare yourself.”

Surprisingly, Kyungsoo found no hatred in the other man’s voice. It wasn’t warm, either, but Kyungsoo wondered if his impartiality was born out of kindness or a begrudging gratitude.

Either way, just from the knight’s words alone, Kyungsoo’s heart sank. He’d gone from nearly going crazy from the hours spent alone in the dark to realizing that there barely was any time left before his execution.

Stalwart to the very end, he refused to let any sign of weakness show on his face even if he was left shivering in a threadbare tunic that was far too big for him. Kyungsoo still managed to look proud and noble as he stood up straight and lifted his chin.

“Thank you,” he said with a curt nod.

Chanyeol nodded back but lingered by the door with his eyebrows furrowed as if there was something else he wanted to say. The knight turned back around momentarily.

“I… I asked the priest to visit you,” Chanyeol told him quietly. “I thought that it might… bring you some peace.”

Kyungsoo blinked, staring at the other man in front of him in a new light. Chanyeol was far kinder than he’d thought he could be, if he’d gone out of his way to help Kyungsoo find spiritual salvation.

It was a pity, really, that he’d stopped believing in the Gods long ago.

Still, he thanked Chanyeol for his thoughtfulness, and watched as the knight stepped out of the room and let the iron door slam shut again. As was expected, it was followed quickly by the metal clink of the lock as it was fastened back onto the door.

Kyungsoo finally let his mask drop, the exhaustion and the despair creeping back onto his face as he made his way back to his corner, sinking back down onto the cold stone floor. He closed his eyes, waiting for the darkness to envelope the room again. With a shaky breath, he turned back to his corner and hid his head against the wall.

-

So this was to be his final hour of peace.

How funny it was then, to spend it locked up in a tiny room with only a priest as company.

Said priest was reading quietly from his book of god, as though those words, written in an old moorish variant that Kyungsoo couldn’t even understand, would grant him salvation before his death. It would not, Kyungsoo knew, but he thought it harmless and let the priest talk while staring dazedly at the corner of the room.

“Speak to me your thoughts, milord,” the priest said after he’d finally finished, closing his good book with a thump and placing it onto his lap. His words, though kind, did not match the sharply critical look in his eyes, and Kyungsoo was not fooled for even a second.

“What weight does a dying man’s words hold?” Kyungsoo asked, with a voice that was as hollow as it was sharp as steel. “No importance at all, I should think.”

“But surely, you must have something to say? Your last opportunity to speak to God?”

Pah. So that was what the priest wanted. A guilty, tearful confession from the mouth of a murderer. He doubted that the priest really cared about the damnation of his soul. He was only one last sinner that the priest sought to convert, another name to add to his long list of good deeds. What a joke it all was.

“The words I have wanted to say have already been said to those who needed to hear it. The rest are my own thoughts. Secrets I will take to the maker himself.”

The priest frowned, slowly shaking his head at Kyungsoo as though he were nothing but a fool.

“And are you so sure you will meet him?” The priest asked.

Kyungsoo pondered briefly on whether or not it would be best to allow the priest to have his way. Converting now - perhaps it would provide him some comfort before the noose was placed around his neck? But that would have been a lie. Both to himself, to the priest, and to the Gods they believed in. So he answered truthfully instead.

“I don’t suppose it matters whether I’ll burn in hell, or be let into the gates of Heaven. I don’t suppose it matters if there even is a God willing to hear my prayers. Father, I am a condemned man. What hope is there for me now?” Kyungsoo said with a low, mocking laugh.

The priest stood to his feet with a thinly veiled look of disgust and disappointment, dismissing him and walking away just as so many had in the past.

It should have hurt more than it really did, but Kyungsoo almost found it amusing how quickly mens’ true natures showed themselves. He’d had plenty of people in his life who’d treated him as a tool to use and expected him to do their bidding without question.

Kyungsoo had enough of it. He had nothing left to lose, and gaining another stranger’s respect meant nothing to him.

He turned his head away as the door slammed shut, and tried to convince himself that what he felt was nothing at all.

-

Dawn came. For once, the light did not bring him any comfort.

Kyungsoo was pushed none-too-gently out into the open air, left half-blind and squinting from the time he’d spent in the dark cell. It was strangely quiet, which led Kyungsoo to believe that there had been no one there to meet them. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light however, he realized just how wrong he was. A crowd had gathered for him, lining the entire length of the road from side to side.

They were quiet. Why were they quiet?

Hadn’t he expected a jeering, menacing crowd?

Kyungsoo stood in a stupor for a moment before he was shoved from behind, forcing him to start walking. He did so nervously, stumbling forward as he looked at the faces of those he passed.

He saw numbness. Sadness and grieving. Fear and upset. But more than anything, rather than the anger he’d expected, there was an overwhelming melancholy that saturated the air instead. As if his execution wasn’t something to be celebrated, but an occasion to mourn instead.

Kyungsoo didn’t know what exactly to think. These people … well, it was hard to believe that they would continue to treat him this graciously, when he’d come to not expect kindness out of anyone.

He was surprised again when a group of southerners pushed their way to the forefront of the crowd and began following him down the road. They maintained their distance, and didn’t say a word, but to feel their presence beside him give him an extra ounce of courage to stand up straight.

Every now and again, a rock or a piece of rotten fruit was thrown in his direction. It would have hit him, if not for these people shielding him from harm with their own bodies. Any other dissenters - those who wanted to shout obscenities at him - were swiftly and efficiently silenced by the rest of the crowd.

Kyungsoo realized suddenly that these people were still loyal to him. His sister may have been a terrible leader but rather than abandoning him they had rallied around him to - to protect him. Such an idea was so profound that it rendered Kyungsoo nearly speechless.

What he didn’t know, however, was that his behavior and his good deeds had been noticed by many, many people. He might have been a quiet presence, but he had always treated them with kindness and respect, no matter who they were. Although what he’d been accused of - attempting to murder a figure as beloved as the king consort - was a crime truly heinous in nature, he couldn’t have been the one to plan it, no matter what he said. His sister was the one with the machinations, not him.

His execution may have been a fitting punishment for the crime, but that did not mean it had to be a happy occasion.

Kyungsoo walked on. Barefoot and wearing clothes that were covered in soot and blood, he should have felt disgusted with himself. But he wasn’t.

Even when he heard his name spat with such hatred by someone in the crowd, Kyungsoo’s resolve never weakened as he limped his way toward the gallows.

By the time they finally arrived at the center of the village, it was nearly midday. The crowd gathered around a set of wooden platforms that stood where there had once been the colorful harvest festival maypole.

Kyungsoo was led to the furthest platform where the executioner was already waiting and the gallows had already been put up. Pausing for a moment before he ascended onto the platform, Kyungsoo looked up upon that which would take his life and watched the rope dangle quietly in the wind.

Not long after, he was yanked forward by his chains. He had no choice but to march up the rickety wooden steps onto the platform, standing just off to the right of the center of it. As he waited patiently for his death, he looked across at the other wood platform that sat directly opposite. There was nothing on it except a single, richly decorated chaise.

It remained unoccupied for a few minutes before the crowd finally parted.

Heads turned, following a figure as it made its way through the crowd. Men and women stood reverently to the side and let the figure pass through, allowing Kyungsoo to see clearly for himself that it was none other than the King himself.

The dark and cold looking man who sat down on the chaise was nothing like the man he’d seen desperately screaming and crying over his body’s lover. It was as if someone had out all of the spirit and color from the King, leaving him an empty shell that knew nothing but a cold anger.

There was a regal hawk perched on top of the King’s shoulder, one whose chest plumes the King caressed for a second or two as it spread its wings and let out a fearsome cry. Kyungsoo flinched back at the sound, and was therefore caught off guard when the King turned his icy gaze to meet Kyungsoo’s.

In that moment, Kyungsoo could see it all.

Here was the anger he’d expected. One that bled a deep red with pain and grief. It was almost too overwhelming to see, but Kyungsoo couldn’t tear his eyes away. The king’s heart - completely blackened by the profound love he held for his husband - was one that demanded bloodshed from the person that had tried to take it away.

Kyungsoo found himself trapped in the man’s gaze, standing there in the bitter cold, as the executioner slowly read out the list of his crimes to the somber crowd.

Eventually, when it became too much for him, Kyungsoo closed his eyes and let it all wash over him like water. This was it - there was no going back. He had promised a life for a life, and this was a promise he intended to keep.

The executioner finally stopped speaking, and he heard something shift around him followed by a loud squeal of something being dragged against the ground. Kyungsoo opened his eyes to find that a rickety wooden stool had now been placed under the noose. When he was nudged forward, he placed a careful foot onto the stool and was helped onto it by the executioner. It creaked and wobbled unsteadily under his weight.

Now was not the time to be terrified, he told himself, as he tried his very best to breathe normally. However, faced with the reality of his own death, it was hard not to. He tried his best not to react when the executioner stepped in front of him, pulling the rope down from where it’d been looped and adjusting its length so that Kyungsoo’s neck would fit at the right height.

Kyungsoo caught the man’s gaze, and for a moment, he held it with eyes that began to suspiciously water.

“P-please…” he begged the man in a soft, quivering whisper. It wasn’t quite clear what he was begging for, exactly. The only thing that he knew was that he was suddenly afraid.

“Wipe your tears, milord. If a man must face his death, he must do it with bravery,” the executioner advised him quietly. He was kind, just like the others were, so Kyungsoo couldn’t do anything other than to take his advice. Steeling himself with a quick, shuddering breath and turning his face to the side to wipe it against his shoulder as best as he could, Kyungsoo waited for his emotions to die down before he nodded stiffly.

The stranger who had stood in front of Kyungsoo and kept the momentary slip of his mask hidden from the crowd now leaned in one last time to whisper into Kyungsoo’s ear.

“Keep your back arched and your hands by your side, milord, and it will be much quicker,” he advised, before stepping away without another word.

His hands were bound in front of him, and the noose slipped over his neck.

Remember you are brave, Kyungsoo told himself, as the rope was pulled taut. It bit into his skin and stole his breath, but he straightened his back and lifted his head anyway as if he felt no pain at all.

Instead of staring out at the endless, faceless crowd - instead of looking into the eyes of the man who had demanded his death - he chose instead to think only of the incandescent happiness he had been given the fortune to experience in his time here.

He finally found his belief in himself - finally understood that the power of his own strength had always come from deep inside of him.

He had done what he’d wanted to do, rather than waiting for someone to tell him. He’d made true, real friends. Ones he’d laughed with and shared stories with.

And he had loved someone, once. With all of his heart.

One day, Kai would grow old and withered, and he would forget about all that had happened in that short year in his long, long life. Perhaps when he married a woman who loved him as much as he loved her, he would forget that there had been someone who had loved him first. Perhaps when his children had married and had children of their own, he would hold his grandchild in his arms and forget Kyungsoo’s name.

But that was alright. He was willing to remember for them both.

He would remember what it felt like, to be wrapped in Kai’s arms, to feel Kai’s warmth surrounding him. He would remember what it felt like, to be told that he was beautiful. He would remember all those quiet moments, when the world around them fell to a hush and the two of them were truly alone.

And he would remember that beautiful night on the fen, when Kai whispered quietly to him: I love you, my little one. My own. My light.

Kyungsoo smiled.

“I love you t-”

The stool gave way violently under his feet.

-

It hurt.

Oh God, it hurt so much.

His neck immediately began to strain under the pressure and Kyungsoo choked on his own tongue, feet kicking in the air as he tried desperately to find purchase on something - anything - that would offer him a brief respite.

It was a hopeless struggle, he knew. His desperation was born mostly out of the fear of pain, rather than a fear of the inevitable outcome.

He couldn’t stop himself from tugging at the noose with his bound hands, his face growing steadily blue and then purple as he tore his fingers to bloody pieces on the rope. Death wasn’t beautiful. There was nothing pleasant about the gurgles of a dying man. No, death was painful and ugly.

Kyungsoo’s fingers grew weaker and weaker, his efforts slowly weakening as his vision began to grow dark and the time between every blink of his eyes seemed to stretch on longer and longer until his arms finally fell to his sides.

Finally, as something in his neck began to give, Kyungsoo found himself lingering in a little space between life and death, one in which he no longer felt pain and the memories of his short life began to blend into the present.

As Kyungsoo stared sightlessly out into the crowd, he found that it was all full of people he once knew.

Had they been there the whole time? Kyungsoo wondered to himself in the emptiness of his dying mind. Ghosts? Apparitions? Or is my mind playing tricks on me again?

Perhaps they were here now to Kyungsoo from this life to wherever it was that came after it.

If that really were the case, then it would be rude to keep them waiting, Kyungsoo thought quietly to himself. So he finally let his eyes slide shut, and said goodbye to the world.

-

Too late.

The streets were already empty by the time they arrived, and with that realization came a sudden spike of fear.

They were too late.

The color drained from Kai’s face, and although he never said a word, a look of sheer dread and desperation spread twisted his features.

He dug his heels into his horse’s side, spurring it from a trot to a whirlwind gallop as he followed the road into the village. He didn’t look back to see if Sehun and Bita were following, nor could he - not when his stomach dropped into a pit that threatened to swallow him whole.

He’d been afraid of this from the very start. Nightmares he didn’t understand at the time - of the death of the one he’d loved the most. When he finally found Kyungsoo, he knew that he’d never be able to let him go. He had promised that he would always protect Kyungsoo, but now it seemed as if he wouldn’t be able to keep that promise.

No - Kai snarled in his mind - I won’t let it happen. It cannot happen!

The two horses burst out from the alleyway, into the main road, just a hundred or so feet away from the village square. Ignoring everything else, Kai focused instead on the swelling wail that erupted from the crowd and the violent sound of someone choking to death. And then he looked up.

A bulging face that was slowly changing colors. Dangling feet, kicking out helplessly in the air and bloody fingers ripping desperately at the rope. And those eyes - those beautiful eyes - slowly fading away.

The world fell away for one horrifying moment - and then it all came crashing back into Kai again.

He bent over the back of his horse, urging it forward as fast as it possibly could. As soon as he was close enough he leapt off of its back, stumbling onto his feet as the horse collapsed in exhaustion behind him.

“SOO...!!!!”

He took off into a maddening sprint towards the gallows.

Brandishing his dagger in his hand, he smashed violently into the crowd, not caring who it was he shoved out of his way. Bita and Sehun quickly fell in behind him, taking up the rear as they helped him push through the sea of bodies.

By this time, the King had stood from his seat, pointing at them with a look of fury.

“STOP THEM!” King Yifan roared to his knights and his guards. They did as they were told, pulling down their visors and drawing their swords and spears as they marched forward into the crowd.

Time was working against the three of them. Someone in the crowd fell back into them, bumping Kai’s shoulder and sending the knife skittering onto the floor. Amongst the panic, it was quickly kicked away from view.

“Quick, find something else!” Sehun shouted, only to again be pushed away in the chaos. By the time he’d found his balance again, he noticed the tall armored figures quickly making their way through the crowd to intercept them.

Cursing, Sehun reached out as far as he could, tapping Bita on the shoulder until she turned to face him.

“We cannot let them catch Kai!” He cried, pointing at the knights before turning away and slipping into the crowd in another direction. Bita had no choice but to take his advice, splitting off from Kai to take off in another direction.

The knights had no choice but to split up as well, leaving just three knights to pursue each member of the trio. To make up for the lack of reinforcements, they held out their shields, pressing themselves shoulder to shoulder to form a solid wall as they continued to make their steady way forward.

Bita was the first to be intercepted by them, and she cursed loudly when they reached out to grab her. Ducking under them just in time, she managed to reach forward and grab hold of a lancer’s spear. Taking advantage of his confusion, she was able to twist it out of his grip, raising it high above her head and shouting as loud as she could. She dashed forward but before she could get very far a hand took hold of her braid and yanked her backward. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Before they could rip the spear out of her hands, she rolled on top of it, sticking the fingers of her free hand into and whistling sharply. Lady came tearing out of the crowd with a fearsome snarl, sliding protectively before her master and baring her sharp teeth. The hound bit down at the next hand that reached out, chomping down as hard as she could on an exposed wrist and whipping her head back and forth with furious fervor. Of course, there was no way a single exhausted war hound could stop three fully suited up guards, no matter how well trained she was. They were able to quickly subdue the mutt, but it didn’t matter. She’d bought just enough time for her master to spring back onto her feet.

Bita looked for an opportunity, however she was much too far from the gallows to properly aim her spear. Distantly, she heard her husband cry out her name, and turned to find that he was jumping up and down from somewhere in the crowd to her left. He waved his arms, gesturing for her to toss the spear to him. She did, having just enough time to send it flying before she was finally tackled to the ground.

The spear spun through the air and the crowd screamed, scrambling out of the way of its path. Unfortunately, it came up short and fell onto the ground feet away from its target. It looked as though this too would be trampled by the crowd and lost within it - but a sudden deafening roar drew everyone’s attention away. Screams rang out as a monstrous giant appeared out of the distance. It stormed into the square, beating at its chest and swatting away the wave of knights that ran forward to meet it as if they were nothing but flies.

The diversion was enough for Sehun to push his way the mass of bodies, snatching the spear from the ground. He ducked as low as he could, peering between people’s legs until he spotted the wheels of a wagon propped up near the fountain. He ran toward it, climbing carefully on top of it as he tried to find the best angle to aim his throw. The fountain blocked his way, making it impossible for the spear to reach the platform, but there was little time to think. The guards that had been chasing him - though momentarily distracted by Udo’s grand entrance - soon turned back toward him with a grim determination in their eyes. There were only seconds left to spare.

Sehun shouted Kai’s name as loud as he could, leaping into the air as high as he could and throwing the spear forth with all his might.

Like a bird swooping to catch its prey, Kai jumped up from where he’d been hiding in the crowd, catching the spear mid-air with one hand. He used the momentum to turn quickly around and send the spear flying in a smooth, powerful arc toward the gallows.

Speechless, all eyes in the crowd now lay on the path of that spear as it whistled its way through the air. It flew and flew and flew - and just as it began to seem as if it wouldn’t reach - just as it began to waver and wobble - it sliced cleanly through the center of the rope, sinking into the wooden support beam behind it with a loud thock and an explosion of wood chips.

The rope began to fray, slowly at first as the threads began to snap one by one - and then it began to unravel quickly, splitting down the middle and holding on to itself for just a few tense seconds before suddenly giving way.

Just like that, Kyungsoo’s body which had been hanging disturbingly still from the rope now plummeted back down onto the platform with a sickening thump.

-

Kai sprinted to the platform, dashing up the stairs before anyone could stop him. Sehun followed after his friend, holding his arms out to block the guards that tried to give chase.

He was a prince, after all. These knights were just as obligated to serve him as they were his brother. He forced them back with nothing but a dark look before turning to face King Yifan.

As the spare, he had never been obligated to give speeches or to command the people’s attention. However, as soon as Sehun raised his voice and addressed the gathered crowd, they found themselves listening to his every word. He was clumsy at times, stumbling over words he barely ever used - but the conviction in his voice and his confidence made it almost impossible not to believe him.

And yet his eyes remained locked with his brother’s, as if the King was the only one for whom Sehun’s message was meant for.

Piece by piece, he carefully laid the irrefutable evidence of Queen Kyungri’s meddling and the Iron King’s shadowy return. At first, the crowd was quiet, not wanting to believe that a war criminal had hidden in their midst for so long. But the more Sehun talked, the more the tides of opinion began to change.

Whispers began to circulate amongst the horrified crowd. The solemn acceptance of the palisean lord’s execution now turned to a nauseating shame - they had all fallen for a murderess and her husband’s tricks, and in doing so, they’d nearly allowed the murder of an innocent man. Had the three of them come any later, they would all have had blood on their hands. Someone in the crowd fainted from shock, and a wail sprang up elsewhere - and one by one the square fell into chaos.

King Yifan, who wanted someone to pay for what had been done to his husband, was not so easily swayed. Because they were brothers, he had begrudgingly listened to Sehun’s words, but he had always been the type to stubbornly hold onto his grudges. Despite hearing all that had been said, his face remained white with rage. He pointed toward Kyungsoo’s crumpled body, opening his mouth as if to order the execution to continue on - but then the crowd parted.

The giant who had stopped its rampage the very moment Kyungsoo was freed now made its way through the crowd, carefully stepping around the people around it as if strangely unwilling to hurt them. Although the giant made its way to the king, it seemed distracted, head turned towards the gallows as if more concerned with what was happening there than where it was actually going.

Inhaling sharply at its approach, the King stumbled back and lifted his arm, making the hawk on the King’s shoulder spread its wings defensively. The giant barely looked at them though, pulling something out from behind it and hurriedly setting it onto the raised platform. Then it set off toward the gallows, leaving the King behind without a second thought.

As for what he’d set on the ground before him - to King Yifan’s surprise, it wasn’t a thing, it was a person. Yixing stood up, brushing off the dirt from his clothes with one hand, and holding something else in the other. Although he glanced over at Kyungsoo with a concerned frown, he tore his gaze away and walked up to the King, whispering something into his friend’s ear that had the King’s expression changing swiftly. King Yifan stood up straight, looking thunderstruck as he mouthed something back to Yixing. The merchant nodded. Without another word the King leapt off of the raised platform, pushing through the crowd with his hawk perched on his shoulder and Yixing at his heels. It wasn’t clear what Yixing had said that had made the King lose his focus so quickly, but they left in a hurry, disappearing without much fanfare. All eyes slowly turned back toward the gallows where an upsetting scene was playing out in front of them.

Kai was on his knees, cradling Kyungsoo carefully in his arms. Kyungsoo’s eyes were open, but they were a deep, terrifying shade of black that didn’t seem natural. With every wheezing, labored breath, his ruined neck seemed to spasm. The skin was mangled - already changing in color. Although it looked as though it were painful, it seemed as though Kyungsoo wasn’t all quite there to feel it. Kyungsoo looked up at his lover with a small, dreamy smile, one that would have usually melted Kai’s heart if it didn’t feel so wrong.

“Soo…” Kai whispered, returning Kyungsoo’s smile with a watery one of his own. It barely stayed on his face for a second before it was lost to the panic and terror he felt welling up inside of him. He grabbed one of Kyungsoo’s hands, freezing when he felt the torn, blistered skin that had been rubbed raw with blood. Kyungsoo’s jaw worked, and with some difficulty he opened his mouth to speak - but the only thing that came out was a whistling, rattling breath.

Something wasn’t right.

Kai’s happiness at having made it in time had all but faded away as he watched the look in Kyungsoo’s eyes begin to grow distant and dull. Kai squeezed that little hand in his tightly, noticing that those beautiful eyes he had always loved staring into were now looking at something distant. Kai’s mouth turned downwards as the grief began to make his lips quiver.

What was he looking at? Where did he think he was?

“Soo…?” Kai said, as the panic began to leak into his voice. Kyungsoo only continued to smile at him.

A giant’s hand reached out from beside the platform, large fingers brushing gently up against the Kyungsoo’s cheeks.

“Sick?” Udo asked quietly, trying and failing to understand what was wrong with his friend.

Kai sat there, frozen in place, listening as Kyungsoo’s breaths continued to rattle.

He opened his mouth, as if about to call Kyungsoo’s name, but the words seemed to have caught in his throat. Before Kai even realized it, his tears had already begun to drip down onto Kyungsoo’s face, splattering onto those pale cheeks and making Kyungsoo’s eyelashes flutter.

Frightened, Kai reached out with shaking hands to gently massage Kyungsoo’s bruised throat. He didn’t know what to do. Words were spilling hoarsely out of his mouth as he quietly begged his lover to breathe, but those labored breaths only began to slow. The fire inside of him that had always burned bright was slowly turning to ash. He was a brave man - a warrior - and yet despite all of his strengths and his accolades - he didn’t know what to do. It was as if something inside of him began to unravel, taking with it his last shreds of sanity.

Kyungsoo’s eyes began to flutter shut. Something sharp twisted inside of Kai’s gut, and he began to cry even harder, shaking with a roughness he’d never treated Kyungsoo with before. But it didn’t matter, he would do whatever it took to keep his lover awake - and afterwards, when it was all over, then he would apologize and promise to treat Kyungsoo with gentleness he deserved for the rest of his life.

But Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo couldn’t…

“What’s wrong? Why hasn’t he got up yet?” Sehun asked as well, having reappeared at Kai’s side alongside his wife. But then he kneeled down far enough to see the state of Kyungsoo’s mangled throat and the look on Kai’s face.

“No,” Sehun whispered with reddening eyes. “No!”

He stood to his feet and turned away from the sight with a muffled sob, grabbing his hair with his hands. Bita opened up her arms and wrapped them around her husband, holding him close and letting him press his tear-stained face against her shoulder.

“No, no, no, no, no!! We were supposed to get here in time, we were supposed to save him...!”

“Sehun…”

“We were supposed to save him!!”

Standing beside the platform, Udo finally understood. Wordlessly, he dropped to his knees and began to howl in grief, having lost yet again the only family he had left. His cry echoed in the air, bringing with it a finality that made the crowd weep.

-

He wasn’t alone anymore. He didn’t hurt anymore.

Kyungsoo was happy.

He was wrapped up in something warm. Someone’s arms.

...sum’al… apina... sum’al...

That person was whispering something, something Kyungsoo couldn’t understand. But he recognized the yearning in that person’s voice - he knew it just like he knew the yearning in his own heart.

Wet droplets began to splatter down onto Kyungsoo’s face - slowly at first, then quicker and quicker. As if it were raining.

...mal zovya... bina, apina, v’ele bina…

Was that person sad? Kyungsoo didn’t want them to be.

Kyungsoo wanted to lift his hand - wanted to touch that man’s face and comfort him - but he found he no longer had the energy to. So instead he opened his mouth, wanting to tell that person what it was that had always been in his heart. But how could he? When his lungs were full of love and the only thing he had in his fading vision was the beautiful face that had captured his heart.

So when the pull of sleep finally drew him under, turning the world around him dark, he could only give that man one last small smile. He only hoped that it was enough.

“...KYUNGSOO!!”

-

Everything hurt, and it was far, far, far too hot.

He groaned, trying to sit up only to collapse again when he found that his whole body felt like an open, bleeding wound. He winced sharply and grumbled, reaching out his hand to at least push the damn blanket away from his chest.

Something shifted against his bed. Stumbled, skittering movement. The sound of voices, growing loud and more excited around him.

“He’s waking up!” “Quick, quick! Someone call the physician!”

He tensed reflexively when someone touched him, only to relax when he recognized the strong arms of his lover. He allowed himself to be helped up, shifting into a sitting position as he leaned his back against the headboard and opened his eyes.

The light was harsh and almost blinding, and his vision swam before his very eyes in a dizzying way that made him almost want to vomit. He retched, clapping a hand over his mouth.

“Oh, he’s about to be sick. Fetch the wash basin from the other room, would you?” “Steady now, love, you’re alright…”

Slowly, steadily, the world came back into focus. By the time he’d forced the contents of his stomach back down and blinked the spots out of his eyes, he realized that he was surrounded. Everywhere he looked there were people he knew crowding around him. He blinked, frowning.

“Why are you all looking at me like that? Did something happen?” Tao asked, finally putting his hoarse voice to use. That only seemed to send half the room into tears and the other half into watery smiles, as if Tao had said something particularly moving. The king consort blanched, helplessly confused by everyone’s reaction. He looked down at himself, wondering if there was something he had missed - but other than a large, freshly healed scar (that’s strange, when did that get there?) that ran down his chest, nothing else seemed to be wrong.

“Good, good, good,” Someone - was that Yixing? - muttered. Then the sound of a quill scraping furiously against a piece of paper. “The white cedar flower has incredible healing properties… no noticeable side effects… although… some mild confusion and… memory loss...”

Tao’s eyebrows furrowed. He glanced at his husband, who had been sitting beside him since he woke and was now holding onto his waist as though he were a child who couldn't bear to be apart from their mother.

He leaned over, intending to whisper a question into Yifan’s ear. However, as soon as he began to lean over he found himself lost in a passionate kiss, one that tasted salty and bitter with - wait, were those tears? He tried to pull back to look, only for his escape to be blocked by octopus arms that wound their way around his back and neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss.

Tao’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head by the end of it, and he squirmed around until his husband finally let go of him. Taking in a gasp of fresh air, he barely had a moment to gather himself before he found himself at the bottom of a pile of warm bodies. His mother energetically pressed wet kiss after wet kiss against his forehead while Tao’s eldest brother Suho practically wailed, smushing Tao’s head against his bosom and refusing to let go no matter how much the man struggled. Father San the top of his head while Father Wa held his only child’s hand close, pressing a kiss against the back of it. Now, where was … - ah, there he was. Kai, whose eyes were only just a little teary, was squished beside his mother, holding onto Tao’s arm with a relieved smile and no fuss.

Yifan complained loudly in the background, diving into the pile and trying to wriggle his way in so that he could be pressed close his husband as well. With a yelp of pain (that had everyone lightening their grip with a look of guilt) and a long suffering sigh, Tao resigned to letting himself be used as his family’s pillow. He relaxed, looking around the room to find that all of his friends had gathered around him as well. Some of them, (well, mostly Sehun - although Yixing had a peculiar look in his eye as well) looked as though they were barely holding themselves back from joining in, but to Tao’s relief they stayed where they were and met his gaze with only a smile.

He basked for a moment under the weight of their love, content just to stay there for a while, but… there was still something that wasn’t quite yet right.

He felt as though he’d missed someone. He looked from face to face, leaning to the side as far as he could to see who it might be.

And there he was. In the corner of the room, sitting quietly by himself, was Kyungsoo.

The two of them locked eyes, and for a moment, the room fell silent.

No one dared to breathe or say a word, too busy watching the two of them to see who would open their mouth first - and what it was that they would say.

The king consort broke first. After cocking his head for just a second, he raised his hand and beckoned Kyungsoo closer. His family obligingly broke away, save for Yifan who refused to move, and Kai who remained there to give his lover a reassuring smile. Kyungsoo smiled back hesitantly and stepped just a little closer - only for the Chieftainess to lift him up by the waist (heaven on earth, how strong was this little old woman?!) and plop him down onto the bed.

In the aftermath, Kyungsoo sat there still as a statue with a red face and those wide eyes of his. He glanced over at the King’s face with a look of nervous guilt, but Yifan’s face was noticeably neutral, as if he were trying very hard to do so.

Tao said nothing while the two of them exchanged glances, instead quietly observing for himself the cloth strips wrapped around Kyungsoo’s neck. They smelled strongly of medicinal herbs and they were wrapped so tightly around him that Tao wasn’t quite sure what type of wound they were hiding, or what it was that may have happened to him.

The memories came slowly back to him, one by one, of those last moments of the harvest festival that had ended with so much of his blood. And though those memories were unpleasant, making his stomach and his side ache with phantom pain, he found that he did not hold the man before him at fault. He remembered the look of terror on Kyungsoo’s face. He remembered the young lord’s desperate attempts at saving him.

If Tao were to guess what had happened without having been told, he would have already come to the conclusion himself that Kyungsoo had no part in it. So, rather than to dredge up unpleasant memories for them both, he instead asked very simply: “Are you alright?”

Kyungsoo looked up sharply, meeting his gaze with a starry-eyed look of wonder. Before the king consort could really figure out what that even meant, Kyungsoo’s eyes began to fill with water.

Tao looked around in a panic for something he could give Kyungsoo to wipe his tears, but the young lord reached out a hand, touching Tao’s arm softly. Wiping the wetness from his eyes with the back of his hand, Kyungsoo hesitated for a moment before shifting a little closer. He leaned in, and in a move that shocked everyone, he embraced the shocked king consort.

A grin twitched onto Tao’s face as he returned the embrace. Beside them, both of their lovers began to shift uncomfortably and grumble under their breaths, forcing a chuckle out of both of their mouths.

“...I’m alright now,” Kyungsoo finally answered, in a hoarse and quiet whisper. But there was a smile on his face as he said this, closing his eyes to rest his head against the shoulder of the man who would soon be his brother.

“Truly, I am.”

-

At the very end of it all, Kyungsoo kneeled before the King and his court, ready and willing to accept whatever punishment the King thought necessary. Though the friendly faces he counted in the crowd numbered many after his innocence had been thoroughly proven, he knew that the pain and terror his sister and King Minos had caused the King and his people was not something so easily forgiven nor forgotten. Even if he’d helped save the king consort’s life, the man wouldn’t have been hurt at all if Kyungsoo had seen through his sister’s deceptions to begin with.

So he submitted himself for judgment and solemnly kneeled in front of the throne, feeling the prickling gaze of the King upon him.

After watching him for a while, King Yifan finally spoke.

“For the attempt made on the king consort’s life, We charge the deserter Queen Kyungri with treason punishable only by death; if she is ever caught by our scouts and brought back to the Moors, she will be executed publicly without trial. As for the late King Minos, his body will be burned and buried in a pit with no name to mark his grave.”

Kyungsoo nodded, keeping his head low and gaze firmly on the ground. Though it may have seemed a harsh punishment, Kyungsoo knew that they could have been much, much worse. The King was being gracious, and for that, Kyungsoo was grateful.

Now the only thing left was his own punishment.

“As for you, Lord Kyungsoo of the Pale...” the King started, only to pause again. He looked at Kyungsoo quietly, making the young lord sweat for a moment. After what felt like an eternity, the King sighed, the sharp features of his face softening. “We wish to grant you pardon.”

Kyungsoo’s mind went blank for a moment and he blinked. He dared to lift his head, if only to see whether or not the King was jesting with him. Strangely enough, it didn’t seem as if the King was. If anything, he looked oddly… regretful.

Could such a thing really be possible?

“I admit that it was through my willful ignorance that I had been made blind to many things,” King Yifan said quietly, dropping the royal We to address Kyungsoo directly for a moment. “I was a fool who had forgotten that which binds all of our people together. No matter your history, your race, your language - we all share the same desire to love.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to stare in wonder as every word that seemed to come out of the King’s mouth aimed to surprise him.

“I see now what Minos Jogfinnur tried to do,” King Yifan said with furrowed eyebrows, as if the man was deeply troubled by his own words. “He tried to drive a stake between us all, to see us all devoured by those whom we might have called our brothers and sisters. And both he and his Queen succeeded for a while in doing just that, didn’t they?”

The King sighed for a minute, rubbing his forehead. When he next lifted his head, he straightened his back and regained his royal presence.

“We see now that you were as much a victim of their schemes as We were. For that, We…” The King paused for a moment, seeming to consider the weight of his words before finally continuing on.

“We wish to offer you the sincerest and most humble of apologies.”

The room suddenly fell completely silent.

Kyungsoo stared at the King with a look of confused disbelief.

Realizing that the other man didn’t believe him, King Yifan sighed and stood from his throne, stepping slowly down from the dais so that he could stand eye-to-eye with Kyungsoo. He beckoned the man to rise. When Kyungsoo did as he was told, King Yifan folded his hands behind his back. Then - then the King bowed.

“...oh! Oh, I… I don’t ...”

After a second of pause, the court followed suit, one by one lowering their heads until Kyungsoo quite awkwardly found himself the only one standing. As if he were someone worth bowing to.

Had he ever imagined such a thing before? That he would be recognized like this - to be beloved by those he knew and looked upon with reverence by those who he didn’t know. He’d spent too many years in the shadows, that to be suddenly into such a position was something that felt like a dream.

“Please, Your Majesty, you needn’t bow to me, I…”

“You what? You think you do not deserve it?”

The King slowly stood, now addressing him with a face that seemed as cold as ever. Kyungsoo might have thought he’d offended the man, were it not for the shimmering warmth in the King’s eyes that put him at ease.

“We would like to offer you and your people a gift. We will open our gates to the South and share our crops and resources with your people. In exchange, we ask for nothing except the promise of peace,” the King said, extending his hand out toward a stunned Kyungsoo, “And if there is to be an opportunity to build a home large enough for us all, We would ask that you remain here to guide our progress. So, what say you, Master Architect? Will you take Our hand and allow Us to welcome you as our brethren?”

Kyungsoo stared blankly at the hand in front of him.

He wondered for a moment what Kyungri would have thought, if she saw this very scene now. And in his heart, he believed that the beloved sister he still held in his memories would have been proud of him. For he’d finally done what he’d set out to do all along.

He’d found love, won the respect of his peers, conquered prejudices, and brought peace to a land that had been wrought with war. And wasn’t it funny? To think he hadn’t done anything special to earn it. He’d only ever been himself, hadn’t he?

He had only ever been himself.

Kyungsoo reached out, and gripped the King’s hand between two of his own.

All around them, a loud cheer rose, echoing across the stone. Amongst the voices, he found those of all of his friends. A teary-eyed prince Sehun and his grinning bride, standing beside his father and mother. An elated Udo, who, after having been pardoned himself by the King, now stood amongst the crowd as a free man. The tailor and his knight were there - the latter once again wearing Kyungsoo’s metal arm with a smile that beamed with pride. Though he couldn’t see them, he could hear Kai’s entire tribe from where he stood, hearing the Chieftainess’ loud laughed that was quickly followed by a chorus of joyous howls.

But he continued to search the crowd with his eyes.

When he finally found Kai, the man was already waiting for him, looking at Kyungsoo as if he’d stolen the stars. And Kyungsoo, knowing that there was nothing left in his heart except for love, finally allowed his true feelings to show in a brilliant, dazzling smile.

He ran toward his lover, and buried himself into Kai’s open arms.

-

When the two of them were finally wed, the festivities lasted for several days, with a final celebration that was so loud that one could hear it from shore to furthest shore.

“It seems that yet again everything has turned out well, hasn’t it?” The traveling merchant Yixing asked of his old friend Suho, standing beside him under the shade of a tree. Trying his best to appear cold and disapproving, the remaining unwed prince Suho folded his arms over his chest with a cold harrumph. Yixing knew better than to be fooled by the act though, having spotted the wet snot and tears that began to stream embarrassingly down Suho’s face as soon as the last vows had been read. Unable to watch the happy scene in front of him anymore, Suho hurriedly turned around with an embarrassing snivel and stomped quickly away.

“Leaving so soon?” Yixing called out to him, trailing behind him like a duckling sticking to its mother.

Suho was swearing steadily in Dinnish, although the impression that he gave off was much less fearsome than Suho probably thought it was.

Yixing would have called it charming, even, if it were not for the fact that Jong-Dae would have murdered him for saying such a thing about his prince. Still, he continued to follow, sticking to the other man like honey.

“You’re leaving already? Where are you going?” Yixing asked.

[Anywhere but here. Pah! Maybe I should travel to some strange land and find myself a foreign bride. Seems like such a plan has worked well enough for my brothers, has it not?]

[Oh, so are we going bride hunting then?] Yixing asked, switching over to the other man’s language without a second thought.

[...who ever said ‘we’? We aren’t going anywhere.]

[Not without the right supplies, yes, yes, you’re right. Let me go grab my things first. Oh, right - I’ve been working on a new concoction - one that will fill the drinker to the brim with ual vigor and virility. Do you think that would be of use in this quest of ours?]

“...”

[Oh, and we should ask that little fellow to come along with us, this time.]

[...who?]

[That giant boy! He was quite helpful in a pinch, if you remember what happened the last time.]

[We are not going with the giant - no - we are not going anywhere - how will we -]

[Right, right! How did I not think of that before? We would need horses, yes? Of course we would need horses. Fantastic! I’ll meet you at the stables at dusk! Oh, I can hardly wait!]

“...............................”

And so the three of them set off that very night! On a great and noble quest to find Suho his own great treasure to poke and plunder.

(Little did they know, a few days later, a very irate Jong-Dae would manage to track them down, tying up Suho and forcibly dragging him back home.)

-

Making their last rounds around the village, Kyungsoo sat in a carriage much like the one he’d arrived in. This time, however, his presence was welcomed and celebrated with cheers and merry laughter. He happily greeted those who had come to meet them from the inside of his little window, and when he spotted a very familiar child running alongside the carriage, he grinned, sticking his head out of the window and leaning out of the carriage to wave. The jostling movement of the carriage drew the attention of his lover. Kai looked back from atop his horse to grin fondly at the scene behind him.

Only after he saw the child and the last of the villagers off did Kyungsoo withdraw back into the carriage. Feeling the thrum of excitement roaring through his veins, he changed quickly, stuffing his wedding attire in between the cushions of the carriage. Then, dressed only in a loose fitting white tunic and riding britches, he kicked the carriage door open with his boots. He pulled himself along the top of the carriage until he was able to grab hold of Kai’s hand, and with a hop he settled himself behind Kai.

With a quick flash of a knife, Kyungsoo sliced free the rope and watched as the carriage fell away into the dirt.

Slipping his knife back into his belt, he turned back around and wrapped his arms tightly around Kai’s waist, perching his chin on his husband’s shoulder and smiling as the open gates came into sight.

Sehun and Bita were already there waiting, waving at them from on top of their own horses while Lady barked at their feet. As soon as Kai’s stallion shot past them, they quickly joined, spurring on their horses until they fell into formation.

As soon as the four of them had passed through the gates with Lady at their heels, something inside of Kyungsoo broke loose. The shifting colors of the setting sun were as vivid and bright as his hopes and dreams. The wind tasted like adventure, and he breathed it all in, filling his body with the joy of being alive. Kai urged his horse faster and faster with a loud yip, drawing a delighted laugh from Kyungsoo.

[What would you like to see first?] Kai asked, looking back to Kyungsoo with a helpless, doting love written all over his face.

With a smile, Kyungsoo leaned forward and kissed the man that he loved.

[...everything.]

So they chased after the sun, following after the trail of the whistling trees and the smell of the earth wet with dew. They disappeared into the horizon, never once looking back.

-

The world as they knew it began to change.

The King, once a strong and unyielding ruler, began to open his eyes to new possibilities. He gradually learned to become a man who was always willing to listen and compromise. As for his husband, the King Consort’s days as a fearsome warrior had ended. But he held no regrets. His passionate heart, though weak, would always beat with the rhythm of his people’s drums. He remained true to himself until the end of his days, never once straying from the side of the man that would love him until the very day he died.

With the help of their northern brothers, the southern hemisphere began to flourish. No longer were the people left starving in the streets. There were no more wars to fight, no more sons and daughters sent off into battle only to never return. And though the bloody wounds that had been carved against the earth would take decades to heal, the people learned to rely on each other, uniting hand in hand in search of a peaceful future together.

Though he waited for any sign of her, Kyungsoo never did see his sister again. On quiet nights, when Kai had long fallen asleep and he lay awake in bed, he wondered where she had gone. He hoped that wherever it was, it was a place where she would finally be happy.

As for Kyungsoo himself, he never did quite regain his voice, something which always gave pain to a truly remorseful king who finally saw Kyungsoo’s worth. He’d never again be able to sing a pretty song or speak to the masses, but none of those things had ever mattered much to him anyway. After all, he could convey in a single whisper what it took men years to discover, and those around him quickly learned to listen whenever he spoke.

Poor health would hound Kyungsoo for as long as he lived, a symptom that persisted after many years of consuming a poison that warped his mind. But that didn’t prevent Kyungsoo from achieving greatness. What the King hadn’t realized when he’d made peace with the young lord was that what he and the kingdom would gain in return was the most brilliant mind their kingdom would ever find. With Kai by his side, Kyungsoo would end up traveling the world far and wide, exploring every nook and cranny. And every time he returned home, he would also bring home with him the many things he had learned from his journeys.

In the third year of King Yifan’s rule, he helped expand their territory to the west, charting out the western coast land and building trade posts that would, with time, flourish into cities of their own.

In the eighth year, he discovered how to double the crop yield through the clever usage of an underground irrigation system and machines that could help till the lands. The food stores grew and grew and grew until starvation was no longer a worry.

In the fifteenth year, after learning of the death of his good friend Udo of illness, he came home to see his friend off for the last time and brought with him the blueprints for a city-wide sewage system that would stop the spread of disease.

In the twenty-sixth year, he discovered how to harness wind, water and steam to create machines that worked entirely on their own to power their cities with light.

In the thirty-second year, after the long war with the Angorrans in the far east, he helped doctor a peace treaty that opened their trade routes to the east.

Finally, with just thirty-nine summers of adventure under his belt, he fell ill for the very last time. It was time to return home. His ever devoted husband, who had never once left his side through the years, cradled him in his arms the entire way.

The sickness in him had grown; one which could no longer be aided by medicine. He hung on for a month, living just long enough to see his sixtieth birthday. In the end, he hadn’t been alone. In a room far too small to fit all the friends and family that had gathered there, Kyungsoo died holding his husband’s hand with a small, peaceful smile.

In his short life, he had become a venerable and much celebrated scholar amongst the people, as well as a deeply beloved godfather to Sehun's many children - all of whom he had come to love as his very own. They mourned his death for so many weeks that it would eventually become custom to wear black every year on the eve of the new year. In that way, and in the vast knowledge he left behind, his legacy would never fade.

As for his husband, who outlived his lover by a few years, he lingered just long enough to see the next generation of Kings born. After holding his great niece in his arms and blessing her with a kiss on her cheek, he left to lay down on top of his lover’s grave, and slipped away quietly into the night. It was said that he had wished to join his husband on his journey to the beyond, to follow him as he always had on the very last adventure the two of them would ever embark on.

And though it may have been their last, it truly would be their very greatest.

-

The seasons, they changed, as the lives of many came to be and came to pass.

The kingdom and its streets, they changed slowly as well - but they remained always full of laughter and joy.

That which happened in the many lifetimes of those before them soon became the history that was written down and passed down to the many generations of men and women to come.

Traces still remained though, of those years long past. Should they ever choose to seek them out, they need look no further than the tomb of their ancestors.

There, the greatest thinker that ever lived lay buried beside his warrior prince, to whom his final words were carved delicately into the stone above their final resting place.

though we spent but little time together, they truly were the best years of my life

and i would fall to my knees beneath the beauty of your love, time and time again

if only i could be with you again.
 

-

Thanks everyone for reading.

I started this fic 5 years ago, and I have finished it today.

Even if no one is here to read it anymore, I had fun with it, and I’m proud of that, at the very least.

-

If I still have your attention, could I ask you to do one thing for me?

There’s a lot going on in the world today that I’m deeply troubled by. The racial inequality and injustice in my country has reached a boiling point that cannot be ignored any longer. I find it hard to write for pleasure knowing that there are people out there fighting for the rights to be seen as a human by those who are so willing to kill them.

It’s been 56 years since the Civil Rights Act, almost 64 years since the Little Rock Nine, 104 years since the lynching of Jesse Washington, and yet to this day in 2020, the unjust and cruel treatment and murders of black people are still happening.

If you do have some spare time and money, I would humbly ask if you could maybe look into ways you can contribute. You can help pay bail for the protestors that have been arrested. You can donate to organizations, and help support black-owned businesses. I do not want to use links here because I think there is a lot of misinformation out there right now and I don’t want to link a scam by accident, but if you do have any sliver of free time or money, it would mean a lot to me if you just looked a little into it, even if it’s just to read more about it. I don’t want to pressure you in doing anything you don’t want to do, so don’t take it as an imperative, but for me, personally, this is important right now and I couldn’t post anything in good conscience without writing something about it.

thank you anyone for staying to read to this point, i hope your day is good and that you are doing okay.