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hellohailu · 1 month ago

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☽ under the moon, we collide ☾

㊐ one : collision ㊊

SUMMARY │Born and raised in a small isolated village, Ajla has never had any reason to question the beliefs and traditions she was raised to follow. Yet, on the most important day of her young life, a chance encounter with a traveler from the outside sparks a strange and haunting vision. Torn between her devotion to her village and finding the answers to her questions, Ajla must now decide the path she wants to walk.

PAIRING │Jongdae 종대 / Original Female Character

RATING │ T [SFW]

GENRE │ Fantasy!AU, Mythology!AU

LENGTH │ 7,089 words

NETWORK │ @exols-silver-christmas

MANY THANKS TO │ my two extraordinary betas, L. and C. I couldn't have done it without you !

AUTHOR'S NOTE │ This story was written for Ju (@breeze-of-sunlight) for the 2024 EXO-L Secret Santa event ! It is cut into three parts ; the remaining two will be posted sometime in the beginning of next year. This is my first story, so likes, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated ! ∼ Hailu

BEFORE YOU READ │ One of my original characters [Luan] has a name that is very similar to the name of an ex EXO member [Luhan]. Please keep in mind that these characters are not the same person ! While Luhan might end up mentioned in the other parts, Luan has a much more central role in the story and is bound to appear quite often.

Click here to listen to the little playlist I made for this story.

Grandmother once told me that this land was not always ours. It seems hard to believe, seeing how well acclimated we are to the mild weather and gentle winds of this place. Our people have lived here for a very long time: I was born and have grown up here, in this little village, as was Grandmother. The stories she tells, about foreign grounds and harder times, she learned from her own grandfather, a stern warrior who came here from the North with a few hundred others to seek shelter in a more welcoming land.

I am not sure what became of the people that were calling this place their home before we did. Grandmother said they were a peaceful kind, with strange customs and even stranger gods. I heard, most of them left, and the remaining ones adopted our traditions and practices. Eventually, our culture was the only one to remain.

A long time has passed since then, and our Holy One has allowed us to prosper and live in peace. Of all the villages my people have established in this region, I live in the smallest. Our numbers hardly reach a hundred souls, and I know that on this day, each and every one of them is going to attend the ceremony. It takes place every three years, in midsummer. On the day of the second full moon of the season, we can finally reap the fruits of our yearly labour. As a sign of devotion to our Holy One, every daughter who is at least twenty springs of age ought to enter adulthood through an entire week of uninterrupted prayer, after which she will finally be considered adult enough to marry and bear children.

“Ouch !” I say, reaching up to massage the part of my head where Mother has pulled my hair a little too hard. I stop right in my tracks when I hear a disapproving sound behind me.

“Don’t be a child, Ajla,” she sighs. I lower my hand, my scalp still throbbing. “Why is your hair always so tangled ?”

In a sudden moment of realisation, she grabs my shoulders and makes me turn around so I can meet her eyes. I instantly lower them to the ground, as I almost always do.

“You untied it for the night, didn’t you ?”

“I just… it was pulled too tight, I couldn’t sleep,” I tentatively try.

“Remember Ajla, the Holy One despises the arrogant and the vain. I should have cut your hair a long time ago,” she lets an exasperated sigh escape her. “We don’t have time now, we still have to help with the preparations for the ceremony and go get your prayer dress for tonight.” She finishes brushing my long messy blond hair in a hurry, and then braids it into a tight updo at the base of my neck. I hold back a wince at the harsh treatment she gives to my head.

“It is good you got a little sleep nonetheless. You’ll need all the energy you can get for the Prayer. Our Holy One will test your strength in a way you have never experienced before. You’ll never be quite the same after you come out of the Sanctuary, Ajla. It was the same for me.”

I listen silently. It is the first time Mother talks about how hard of a trial the Prayer can be. She is a stern woman, hardened by the trials of life, but she likes to talk about the Holy One, and she reveres Him in a way I don’t think I’ll ever really be able to understand. Our whole community, myself included, is very devoted to our divinity, but Mother believes in His power with her whole heart. She says, her faith in the Holy One is what gives her strength.

I know what the Prayer entails, everybody does, but the gap between knowledge and experience can sometimes prove to be dangerous. An entire week of prayer, locked in a small room with only enough food to keep us alive. It is complete isolation, no contact to the outside world allowed. The Prayer is supposed to test our faith and devotion to the Holy One, and no one is allowed to interrupt. Not that there would even be a possibility to interrupt, as the opening of the praying rooms get nailed shut to ensure nothing will distract the participants.

“Get dressed, we’re going to the storehouse first,” Mother says before leaving me alone in the room. I sigh, and walk towards a small hook attached to the wall. The women of our village must always walk around with their body covered to maintain modesty : for that reason, it is common that we wear a flowy upper garment on top of our dresses, that we call “kiva”. Mine is long enough for the sleeves to almost reach my fingertips. As is tradition, it also has a hood so I am able to properly cover my hair. Father mentioned once, that showing my body too much would only bring me dishonour, that what I was hiding was to only be shown inside of my home in the presence of my close family and, when I am wed, of my husband. That this was the Holy One’s will. Sometimes, I wonder if we do the things we do for the Holy One, or for the sake of some old traditions that have existed since long before my birth.

After making sure my kiva is on correctly, its hood held in place with pins in my hair, I join Mother, who is waiting for me at the doorstep. In a few short weeks, summer will yield to autumn ; the days will become shorter and the leaves will turn orange and yellow. Right now though, the heat, if not quite stifling, is still well present. We start walking slowly towards the storehouse, where we keep all our food, and apart from the bustle of the final ceremony preparations, this day feels like any other summer day.

Yet, when my eyes land on a small stall filled with strange items and foreign designs, I understand that something about today will be different from usual. Today will bring change.

They look different, misplaced in this little village of mine that is not accustomed to receiving visits from foreigners. They are dressed in various colours, some bright and some dark, a stark contrast to the sea of cream and brown coloured clothes that my people commonly wear.

I see a middle-aged woman smile gently at the passersby, showing a few of them the items she is selling. She does not look like me, or any of my people, but I find her utterly beautiful. Her hair is long and dark, draping over her shoulders in messy curls, and she’s wearing a strange embroidered headband. Her long tunic is a deep red colour and decorated at the seams with patterns I have never seen before, leaving part of her shoulders bare, exposing golden, sun kissed skin. It is a couple tones darker than my own, my kiva perpetually keeping it hidden from sun and moon alike. Her eyes all of a sudden find mine, and she smiles at me from where she stands, behind her stall. I look at her curiously, and find myself wanting to smile back.

It is at this moment that I feel Mother’s hand on my back, urging me forward. She takes her place at my other side, positioning herself between the woman and me, blocking my view.

“Do not talk to them, Ajla. I forbid you to even look at them, do you hear me ?” she whispers, her tone serious and authoritative.

“Why so, Mother ? We do not see foreigners very often and–”

“And it is best that way. They are heretics, Ajla. They are not like us.”

I can sense from the tone of her voice that she will not accept any more discussion about the travellers, so I stay quiet and we walk the rest of the way in silence. The storehouse is always a flurry of activity, especially during harvest season. My people mainly thrive thanks to the fruits and vegetables we grow within the walls of the village. While we sometimes eat meat from the small animals we raise, we no longer hunt like our ancestors did. Seeking larger prey would mean stepping a foot in the forest, and the woods are dark and scary, the foliage of the trees thick enough that it is not possible to see the sun from the ground. I have never left the village – Father says, it is best I stay where I belong, in the safety of the walls that have seen me grow – but I heard rumours once, about how the forest and the mountain are places that the Holy One cannot reach.

My thoughts are interrupted by the rumpus of men and women in the storehouse, gossiping loudly as they wash the produce we harvested a few days ago so it can be prepared in the kitchens. Had today been any other day, the presence of foreigners in the village would have surely caused a commotion, but everyone seems to have forgotten them now that the Prayer is approaching.

“Mother ! Ajla ! Over here !” my brother yells, waving his long arms to catch our attention from the very back of the room.

I shouldn’t feel this way, but it breaks my heart just a little to see Mother’s face instantly break out into a bright smile. I have no memories of her ever looking at me with that same affection in her eyes. I had an older brother once, who was Mother’s pride and joy. She was never quite the same after his sudden death at the age of six, brought on by a feat of uncontrollable fever. She cried for years, prayed for days on end, tried everything in her power to give birth to a second son. I can barely remember his face, but I’ll never forget Mother’s tears. In hindsight, I think a part of her died with Adem. Luan was the one that gave her a new breath after three long years of mourning her lost child. And then there is I, Ajla, always stuck in the middle, between Adem’s memory and Luan’s sweet smile, neither truly seen nor completely invisible.

For the next couple of hours, I help with whatever needs to be prepared. It’s hot inside the storehouse, and the effort starts to make me sweat, my kiva keeping my arms and my hair covered not helping with the afternoon heat. Luan’s chatter is a welcome distraction from my thoughts of family, faith and foreigners, even though I still feel nervous about the upcoming ceremony and Prayer. When he asks a question excitedly, I turn and smile at him, answering with as much liveliness as I can muster. He does not seem to pick up on my thoughts and somewhat sour mood, and I thank the Holy One for that. My little brother just turned twenty summers old, and by the time the next ceremony takes place, he’ll be aged enough to be married. Luan has always been adored and doted on by the whole family, including me, and despite his tall stature and long limbs, childlike features still linger on his face, giving him an uncanny resemblance to the older brother that he has never known. For that reason, and to Luan’s dismay, Mother has a hard time letting him out of her sight.

I stop working when I feel the gentle press of a hand on my shoulder. The girl looking at me is dressed in a similar fashion, with a long dress and cream-coloured kiva to match. Under her hood, her hair is some shade of blond, a characteristic shared by many of our people, though her striking grey eyes are a little unusual. She takes my wrist in her hand and smiles warmly. After hours of working here, it seems we are both ready to escape the storehouse mission we’ve been given. We just need to ask for permission first.

“Master, it is getting late and both Ajla and I still need to stop by the tailoress’ shop. I was planning to go now, would you mind if we go together ?” Ema asks, her gaze low. Father is not a bad man, but he is tall and intimidating, and even though Luan is growing up to share most of his traits, I hope he retains the gentleness that has characterised him since he was a baby.

“Rona, didn’t you want to go with our daughter?” Father asks his wife.

“I… I was planning to, but she might as well go now. We have work here still,” she says, and I would be lying if I said I am not a little glad to finally have a chaperone my age.

Luan smiles at my friend. “They will also not be able to see each other again until after the ceremony, so it’s important to enjoy each other’s company now. Right, Ema ?” he smiles at my friend. His back is turned to our parents, and his teasing wink is lost to them. Ema’s cheeks redden, but she nods politely.

Father looks at my brother and accepts without too much of a fight. Other than the fact that Luan has had our parents wrapped around his little finger since his birth, he also has the advantage of being male, which the Holy One has decided would be the stronger and wiser gender. His support is precious, even if we soon will be wed and not part of the same household anymore. Ema and I leave the storehouse, and though the walk to the tailoress’ shop is short, it is filled with excited ramblings from my friend, who seems to be in a vastly different mood than I.

“I can’t wait to prove myself to our Holy One,” she says, and I look at her a bit perplexed.

“Aren’t you scared ? That you are not going to hold up with so little food and rest ?”

“Well, there aren't really any alternatives, are there ? And then we’ll be out, and we’ll finally be able to get married !” She exclaims. “Do you have anyone in mind ?”

It wouldn't matter in the end, the decision is not ours, just like it had not been my parents’ choice to be wed. But I know that Ema is already aware of that fact, and I do not want to crush her spirits. This casual banter feels somewhat good.

“I do not,” I say truthfully. “What about you ?”

“Oh– um, yes, I actually do, you know, have someone in mind,” Ema answers, her face becoming redder by the minute.

I smile to myself. It’s Luan. My friend thinks she's good at hiding her fancy of my little brother, but I am convinced that everybody, including Luan himself, knows about it. I hope the people of my community will take Ema and Luan’s wishes into account when making their decisions. I hope they choose someone good for me, too.

Ema and I were never really close until a few years ago, around the time of the last ceremony. To participate in the Prayer, all girls must be aged of at least twenty springs, but I was born at the very end of the summer, making me half a season too young at the time. Ema was born in the autumn a couple weeks after me, and we both bonded over the knowledge that when our Prayer would come around, we would be the oldest participants.

The shop is small, but peaceful. The business used to be held by a man, until his death a decade ago. His wife has taken over the affairs of the shop since then, handling the business with an iron hand and a heart of gold. Everybody in the village likes Nona, but I like to think she and I have a closer bond. She was Grandmother’s dearest friend, and talking to Nona feels a lot like it used to feel talking to her.

I see the old woman at the back of the room, adjusting a big piece of ivory-coloured cloth. She smiles instantly when we greet her, the curve of her lips accentuating all the wrinkles on her face. Her hair is covered, like mine and Ema’s, but I can see a hint of grey where her hood is a little misplaced on her head.

“Look who’s here ! Aren’t these girls a little late ? Everybody else has collected their dresses already,” Nona says, with a tiny hint of disapproval in her voice. Nonetheless, she heads for the backroom and comes back only a minute later, carrying in her arms two identical outfits.

The shape and looks of the ceremonial outfits never change from one ceremony to another. Year after year, they stay the same simple flowy dress and kiva, and are not decorated with any patterns or symbols. They look very similar to our daily clothes, except for their colour, an almost blinding whiteness, that is meant to represent the participants’ purity, both moral and physical. I have seen this dress on so many girls, yet it’s still hard to realise that in just a few hours, I will be the one wearing it.

“They’re beautiful,” Ema gasps next to me, taking her outfit in her arms with the utmost care, as if it was some fragile thing going to break. This dress has meaning for my people, as the ceremony dates back to long before most of my ancestors were born. It is stunning, and one of the most beautiful pieces of clothing that I will ever wear. Yet, I am not sure how to react, as the weight of what such a garment means slowly but surely crashes on me. Feeling Nona’s gaze on me, I settle for thanking her for her hard work. She gives me a carefully guarded smile.

“You remind me so much of your grandmother,” she says fondly, with a hint of melancholy in her voice. “She was scared too.”

“I– I’m not scared, Nona” I stutter, a little panicked that she would doubt my faith in our Holy One, that I would dare be frightened by the prospect of honouring Him.

“Oh but you are, Ajla. We all are, before we step foot in the Sanctuary. And then we endure ; the hunger, the weariness and the weight of the confessions we make. You’ll learn to endure too. In the Prayer and in life, you’ll endure.”

She slowly grabs my hand and takes something out of her kiva’s pocket to put it in my palm. It's a white handkerchief, embroidered with beautiful pink flowers, a rarity in my community, where clothes are plain and neutral in colours.

“This belonged to your grandmother. She got it from her own mother. She was wearing it on her wrist when she did her Prayer. She wanted you to have it. Her only granddaughter. She wanted you to find your way, for our Holy One to give you strength.”

Even though it is not written in law that the participants to the Prayer must not have any additional garment or accessory, it is not conventional enough that Grandmother thought it would be safe to give me her handkerchief through my parents when my time came. I am not surprised ; for all the love Grandmother had for her culture, her people and her customs, she always found Mother, her daughter-in-law, to be a little too stern.

I thank Nona profusely, and part ways with Ema in front of the shop. We both have to return home now, and we live on opposite sides of the village. I walk slowly, as if getting home later was going to push back the time of the ceremony. With both hands busy holding my dress high in my arms to avoid creating creases, I can only lightly grasp the handkerchief with the tips of my fingers. The sun will set in a couple hours and the heat of the early afternoon is long gone, replaced by steady winds.

I gasp when Grandmother’s handkerchief slips from my fingers, stolen away by a gust of air, and I hurry past surprised passersby, trying to catch up with it as it dances further and further away from me. It seems as if the winds are having fun playing with something I hold so dear to my heart. The delicate piece of cloth swirls around, as light as a feather. Each time I come close to it, the handkerchief starts its crazy escape again, seemingly mocking me.

Eventually, it slips under a table filled with goods on sale, and one of the merchants bends down to pick it up. I stop right in my tracks. Grandmother’s handkerchief is in the hands of one of the foreigners I saw earlier on my way to the storehouse with Mother. I am still a good distance from them, but he’s undoubtedly male. The heretic cradles the cloth in his palms like it's some fragile treasure, and seems to gently brush some dust off of it before raising his head and starts looking around, obviously searching for the owner. Searching for me.

Flustered and still out of breath, I duck behind a nearby wall, a hand on my chest to calm my racing heart. What shall I do now ? Mother said not to talk to them, she even forbade me to get too close. I should let it go, pass them by without sparing a glance in their direction.

On the other hand, I do not wish to let go of the only thing Grandmother has left me. She said it would help me, she said it would bring me strength. Besides, what could happen if I just asked for it ? Surely the stranger will give it back ? I just have to make it quick, so Mother will not see me if she returns from the storehouse earlier than planned. Yes, that is what I should do. What Mother does not know, can not upset her.

I fold my uniform in my arms, forgetting all about not making any creases, and start to make my way over to the stall, with an assurance that is not quite authentic. It is not the first time I see travelers, but it is the first time Mother has explicitly forbidden me to talk to them, her earlier words of distrust engraved in my mind. It is obvious that they do not worship the Holy One ; as otherwise their women would not show their arms and their hair so openly. They could be dangerous, but our numbers outweigh theirs and we are in the heart of the village. The day of the ceremony is the best to trade and sell goods. There is a crowd in the streets, all the shops are open. Nothing can go wrong.

The heretic calmly watches me get closer, his gaze fixed on me. I stop right before the stall, a table filled with various colourful items, the only thing separating us. Up close, I am able to see him better ; he looks about my age, maybe a little older. Unlike Father or Luan, he is not very tall or imposing, only outsizing me by half a head. Like the other foreigners, he is wearing an embroidered headband, the piece partially hidden under loosely curled hair the darkest shade of brown I have ever seen. Though all headbands have similarities in design, patterns and colours differ, making each piece completely unique. He is dressed in a simple blue tunic that is creased and folded all over, and closed at the shoulders by two pins, allowing whoever is looking to see his entire arms.

Busy as I am staring at the man in front of me, I realise a minute too late that he is examining me as well, the shadow of a cheeky smile tugging at the upturned corners of his lips. Not wanting to spend more time than I must in the presence of the stranger, I extend my arm towards him, palm upturned.

“I have lost my handkerchief. I would like to have it back,” I try. He keeps looking at me with the same expression on his face, and I wonder for a moment if we speak the same language. “Please ?” I add tentatively. “Um, it seems like the winds were mocking me, making me run around like that after a stupid cloth,” I explain, conveniently forgetting to mention how dear said stupid cloth is to my heart.

This time, the foreigner’s mouth stretches into a gentle, full-blown smile that reaches his brown eyes, and I wonder for a moment what could be so funny.

When the young man before me starts speaking, he sounds strong and powerful, although not unkind. He has a very light accent I can not quite place. “The winds are mischievous, they love to play. They love to make people dance.”

I still, astounded. I was not prepared for that answer, and I do not know quite how to respond. In the end, I decide to let the conversation run its – hopefully short – course.

“Yes, um, I… guess they do ?” I whisper. “I am not sure I liked this dance very much though.”

“They’re nice enough, once you learn to know them,” he says, smiling brightly as if he did not just talk about the winds as if they were living and breathing. He’s mad. He’s mad, and my handkerchief is still in his hand.

The young man must sense my increasing discomfort, because he lowers his head. Once free from his dark gaze, I slowly exhale a breath I did not realise I was holding. The stranger absently traces the pink flowers embroidered on Grandmother’s handkerchief with his thumb.

“This is very fine and delicate work. The person who made it is very talented. Were you the one who embroidered this cloth ?” he asks.

“I– no, it is very old. It belonged to my grandmother, and to her own ancestors before that,” I finally admit.

“Then it must be very dear to you ?”

“It is,” I simply say.

“Then I’ll give it back. Here,” he says, extending his own arm, the cloth in his hand.

He has nice hands. They are not very big, and they are more calloused than mine, but he has long and slender fingers. His nails are clean and clipped short. He’s wearing several bracelets, some of them made out of colourful threads knotted together, and some thin circles of golden metal that glint in the late afternoon sunlight. None of my people wear jewellery, or any decorative adornments for that matter. Showcasing one’s beauty is to bask in vanity, and the Holy One does not like vanity.

I frown when I notice tiny markings on the arm he’s extended towards me. Scars ? No, not scars. It’s a tattoo. A tattoo made with white ink and barely visible on his skin despite his tan. Fascinated, I let my eyes run along the length of his arm. The patterns and symbols extend from the back of his hand to the crook of his neck, swirling and intertwining delicately around his wrist and his elbow. I stop staring when I hear the man clear his throat. I close my eyes and chastise myself. I can almost hear Mother and her stern voice at the back of my head. Ogling a man – an impure heretic – like that, you should be ashamed !

“Thank you,” I finally whisper, finding nothing else to say. Our arms are both extended, as if waiting for the other to cave in and get closer first. In the end, eager for this conversation to end, I sigh and take the handkerchief in his hand, my fingers brushing his for the shortest of moments.

Time seems to slow and speed up at the same time, and I feel slightly nauseous. I close my eyes, overwhelmed, as sound surrounds me, making my ears ring painfully. Why is the world so loud all of a sudden ? After the first few seconds, I get used to the noise and notice a voice in the chaos of sounds. Sometimes, it laughs, the laugh of a young girl, so clear and soft, and sometimes, it sings songs I have never heard before. Several other similar voices then join the first one in a chorus of melodies, and I think I can hear them speak to each other. Some are surprised and some are amused, and I hear them whispering faintly about someone they call “the foreigner”.

When I feel like my heart is beating at a normal pace again, I open my eyes to find myself in a place I have never seen before. Where am I ? Why am I here and how did I get there ? I do not know this place. Trees surround me, casting gentle shadows on the water I find myself standing in. Looking around, I see I am in a forest, although I have never ventured out of the village. I do not know how to swim, yet I am waist-deep in the water of a small lake, wet and shivering. I’m cold. The voices are gone now, barring one ; the chuckle of a man coming from behind me. I turn around and raise my head. After a few moments of blur, my eyes finally focus on the silhouette before me.

The heretic stands on a big rock on the shore, dry and dressed in the same tunic I saw earlier, albeit in a different colour. It is only long enough to reach the middle of his thighs, showing off long but muscled legs. He is barefoot, and he is still chuckling – is he laughing at me ?

I should feel outraged, and angry, that he is allowing himself to be so familiar with me – we have only met for the first time today after all – but somehow, the only feeling I can muster is mild annoyance. I give him a dark glare, and I find myself speaking his name with a scolding tone. I can not quite make out what name ; unable to control my lips or hear the words coming out of my own mouth. I feel like an actress in the middle of performing a play that already has a set ending. At the sound of his name, the man stops laughing and apologises. He looks around, glaring and I find myself doing the same. There is nobody but us here.

Then his gaze is back on me and I feel his eyes slowly slide down from my eyes, to my neck, to my chest, and I wonder for a moment what he is looking at. Then I check my reflection in the water.

I am dressed entirely in white, in my ceremonial clothes, wet from head to toe ; the weight of the water has pulled my kiva off from my shoulders, leaving them almost naked. My dress is drenched, and has become transparent under the effect of the water. My lower body is thankfully still under the water line, but my neck, chest and belly are fully visible. I gasp in shock, immediately crossing my arms over my chest so I feel less exposed ; so the man before me is not able to steal glances at my body more than he already has.

My reaction seems to wake him up from a trance, and both his cheeks and mine start turning red. At least he seems to feel ashamed of his staring, of making me uncomfortable. As he starts to open his mouth and apologise, I blink, and the moment I next open my eyes, I am back at the stall, in the middle of my village. The young man is still before me, but he has taken a few steps back, clutching his tattooed hand as if the contact has burned him. His mouth is open in shock, and though I can not see myself, I can guess he is mirroring my own expression.

I clutch my handkerchief in my hand. And then panic sets in.

“I- what just happened ? Was I dreaming wide awake ?” I ask, more to myself than to the stunned foreigner before me. What sort of spell has he bewitched me with ? Was this dream a trick from the evil spirits Mother is so scared of ?

The man raises his hands before himself, obviously trying to defuse the situation but it does nothing to reduce my anxiety. I take a few steps back.

“I– I must go now. There is still much to do,” I say, on the edge of panicking. My eyes can only stare at nothing, unfocused, as I try to register what happened in the dream, and how real everything felt.

“Listen, I didn't mean… I didn't mean to– to show you anything,” he stuttered. “Don't be scared, no please–”

But I’m already running past the passersby and away from him, my dress balled up in my arms and my handkerchief tightly grasped in my fist, as I try to hold back confused tears. My tiny world feels like it has collided with something much, much bigger. Something unknown. Something frightening.

The rest of the day passes by in a blur.

I see but I am not looking, I hear but I am not listening. I feel like I am wearing someone else's skin.

I keep moving, but it's just habits, as if my movements are controlled by some puppeteer.

Soon my family comes home. They change into their ceremonial clothes, and Mother does my hair again, pulling and twisting the tresses until they are shaped to her liking. My head is throbbing, but I do not feel the pain.

The sun is setting when I finally take my place in the line of maidens who are going to be subjected to the Prayer. I recite the oath that I have learned by heart under Mother’s supervision ; I do not stutter, and the words come out clean and well-spoken, but I feel empty. I am given a bag of provisions, that contains the only things I will be given to eat for the next seven sunrises.

As the crowd celebrates all around us, I feel the weight of someone’s gaze on me. I follow it to find the foreigner staring from a distance, unmoving as the rest of his people pack up their belongings as they prepare to leave. Tomorrow they will be long gone, and I will have forgotten all about what I saw earlier, too engrossed in prayer to care. However, today, my memories of the dream are still too fresh in my mind, and I find my lips softly mouthing the name I spoke in the lake. This time, although the crowd around me is loud and excited in celebration, I can clearly hear what is coming out of my mouth. “Jongdae,” I speak, looking at him. I have never heard of this name. From afar, his eyes seem to widen, but he does not move. We watch each other for a few more moments. He looks sad. I hope this time I am not mirroring his expression.

I am the last one to be led to the Sanctuary. It is near the entry of the village, as it was the first structure that was built here. The Prayer room that has been assigned to me is located in a corner of the building at the very end of a long hallway. I step in, and look around. The wooden walls of my room are thinner than I thought they would be. There is an altar, but no bed, as I am not expected to get much rest. Two giant eyes are painted on the wall, dark and foreboding. They, too, stare at me, intense and intimidating. The space is so small, no matter where I am, I feel seen. Vulnerable. A chill courses through my body when I hear the opening of the room being sealed shut with nails that will only be removed once the Prayer has ended.

First, I do not know what to do. I stand, as if paralysed, in the middle of the room for a long moment. Then I remember Mother, and I remember my oath. I must pray now. I lower the bag of provisions to the ground and kneel on the hard floor in front of the altar. Mother has told me what to say as the opening of a Prayer. We have recited it, again and again.

Forgive me, my Holy One, for my sins. I am here to confess and earn your forgiveness.

Yet, somehow, the words that come out of my mouth are different. More honest.

“Forgive me, my Holy One, for I am not quite sure what to say.” Then I start praying, whispering the words under my breath.

For a moment, I pray for my family. For Father's health, for Mother’s peace of mind, for Luan’s happy spirits to remain and for Adem’s soul to rest in peace.

Then I start praying for my village, and for my community. I pray for peace, for a good harvest and for a mild winter. Talking about winter makes me realise the night has fallen. I shiver and wrap my kiva tighter around me in hope of keeping some warmth.

When time comes to confess my sins, I think back to that moment in the forest ; of the evil spirits that possessed my mind and made me imagine this unholy scene of me almost bare in front of a man. I am ashamed, but I am not sure this vision was my own doing. Do I need to confess if it was not my fault ? In the end, I decide to keep my mouth shut about this event and instead to ask for forgiveness for untying my hair last night.

After that, I realise I have nothing more to say. I try to think, but nothing comes to my mind. As I search for something to pray about, I sit with my back against the wall opposite from the altar. Instead of looking at His eyes, I start looking at my hands. Grandmother’s handkerchief is tied around my wrist, the only touch of colour in my entirely white outfit, and I start thinking of the foreigner.

This dream was not my fault, I am sure of that. Otherwise, why would he have apologised ? The look in his eyes makes me think that he might have known what was going on. Does he know what I have imagined ? Or worse – has he seen the things that I have seen ?

And this place, what was it ? Where was it ? Never would I have dived into water without knowing how deep it was first. Did he push me ? Why would someone do that ?

The more I think about the events of the afternoon, the more I realise my fright is turning to curiosity. Mother said it is not right to be curious, that I must wait for our Holy One to provide the answers. Like a poison, it runs slowly through one’s veins and takes over the mind. It pushes people to do things they would not normally do. Then I realise something else : in this room where I am alone with the Holy One, Mother can not reach. What she does not know, can not upset her.

In between the quiet of prayers, I hear people outside my room, one of which I recognise as the village chief. However, the voices are not coming from inside the Sanctuary ; this building is sacred and not a place for gossip. Instead, the voices come from beyond the wall that is directly to my right, which means they are standing outside the village. The chief is speaking to several people,but I can not make out what they are talking about, nor do I recognise any of the voices he is conversing with ; not until I hear a familiar voice, strong, powerful, and slightly accented, start thanking my leader.

“I would thank you a thousand times if I could, village chief. Our provisions were running low for the rest of our trip and it was urgent we exchanged some of our belongings for food and money. I know you do not welcome strangers often within the walls of your village, and for your generosity I will forever be grateful.”

Jongdae ? He must be leaving the village with his people now.

“You are very welcome,” my leader says, seemingly pleased by the compliments. “Had today been any other day, you would have been quite the sensation. I hope you got what you wanted, for as gracious as I am, I will not be able to let you in the village tomorrow,” he grumbles.

The young foreigner hardly waits a second before replying, probably louder than one should be during a private conversation.

“This is no problem, my community is already grateful for your help. We are going to stay a few more days in the small clearing we saw in the forest, only long enough to allow us to hunt and replenish our provisions.”

They exchange a few more words after that, but I am not focused on their conversation anymore. I simply stare at the painted eyes on the wall.

“What do you think ? What should I do now ?” I wonder out loud, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

Before the dream, I would have listened to Mother and stayed put. I would have prayed about anything and everything, I would have confessed my sins.

But I can not help but feel like something important occurred this afternoon. Who is this man, and who are these people ? Is he working with the evil spirits to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of innocent young women ? And if so, why did he apologise to me ? I have to know what happened, I have to know if he saw the same vision I did, and if so how was it possible ?

Today, my tiny world has collided with something bigger, much bigger than anything I could have ever envisioned. But this time, I am not frightened anymore. I will find this foreigner, and defend myself and my honour. I am in need of answers, and I know there is only one way to get them.

I must leave the village.

#exolss24 #hailuwrites🌻#exo #kim jongdae #chen #exo chen #exo fanfiction

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lettersfromaphrodite · 2 years ago

Text

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

― pairing : Hongjoong x Seonghwa ― content warnings : angst, smut, fluff, pirate au, royals au, slowburn, unprotected sex, fantasy au // mentions of Jongdae and Baekhyun because they're my beta's faves // yes, yes "The Bitter Dahlia" is exactly the one mentioned in «it’s high tide, baby.» ― word count : 28k

― notes : this fic looks familiar? it is! I’m reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is open and feedbacks are always welcome 💌

― summary :

«You’re a pirate aren’t you? Then steal me! Is that so much to ask?» Seonghwa concluded, lightly squeezing Hongjoong’s arm, his voice full of hope. He was talking a bit too loudly for his standard, but now, convincing Hongjoong to take him with them was more important than respecting the label of the peaceful sovereign. «What do you have that I would want?» Hongjoong curiously challenged him, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer to the King.

Seonghwa sighed while tightly fixing on his head the hood hiding his identity, as bittersweet memories of the past flashing through his mind.

He was crowned King when he was in his twenties, reigned over a wide Kingdom and his country loved him for he was a caring and humble man. Seonghwa also dearly loved his wife, which was a rare thing to happen during an arranged marriage whose only purpose was to unify reigns who were in prior conflict. However, the Queen had been seriously ill.

Seonghwa absently played with the familiar rings on his finger, as he reminded how quickly his wife’s life slipped away, murder caused by a group of conspirators leaded by the Governor himself. They made it appear as if it was in fact the King’s will to poison his own wife, so that he could get married once again and furtherly extend his Kingdom without recurring to wars.

“Things change fast.” Seonghwa thought with a dejected sigh. The originally small group of conspirators quickly gained members, and Seonghwa was forced to leave everything and hide. The Governor was now occupying the King’s throne, exactly as he planned.

As the former King, well, he was now part of the Resistance.

«Come on,» Jongdae, the Resistance’s leader interrupted the whirlwind of his thoughts, «they’re probably waiting.» Seonghwa absently nodded at him as they walked towards a familiar inn, their footsteps echoing in the dark of the night.

“The Bitter Dahlia” was the inn that had been hosting their secret meetings for months; Seonghwa knew that Jongdae and Baekhyun - the innkeeper, were brothers and therefore, he quickly understood how their group was constantly informed about any kind of news going around town. The strong smell of alcohol mixed with loud chatters and laughters filled their noses and ears as they quickly got in and closed the door behind themselves, before quickly taking place in front of the counter and ordering something to drink.

«There are big, unexpected news tonight,» Baekhyun nodded at his brother and at the young King, as he finished filling their chalices, «Pirates.» he whispered, slightly nodding towards their directions with his head; Seonghwa’s eyes drifted to the group of young men talking and laughing loudly, not minding whether they were disturbing other people around them.

There were six of them, he noticed. Only one of them was particularly tall - probably the same height as him, currently busy discussing with his crew mates while partially comfortably sitting on the wooden table.

The King studied them for another minute, trying to remember as much as he could about their appearance and their faces, in case he ever happened to run into them in the future.

However, only one of them caught his eyes; he didn’t look particularly tall, and for what Seonghwa could notice in the mostly dark environment of the inn, his hair seemed to be dark blonde, styled in a mullet. He was the one who was talking less, always looking at the others with a smug grin, sometimes admonishing them with a “stop fucking screaming”, and Seonghwa assumed that he was probably the Captain.

«Come back to us unworthy peasants, your Majesty King Seonghwa.» Jongdae joked as he drew Seonghwa’s attention back on the original topic while gently nudging against his elbow.

«I told you not to call me that in front of other people.» The former King hissed, harshly placing his chalice on the counter; Jongdae murmured a quiet apology and Seonghwa nodded with a sigh, before he eventually got up and bumped shoulders with a tall boy, his hair bright red and a black eyepatch on his left eye.

«Sorry, buddy!» the boy cheerfully apologized «I drank too much and I lost my balance for a moment.» he chuckled, absently checking how much of the drinks he was carrying he actually spilled; Seonghwa smiled as he politely answered not to worry, before immediately following the Resistance’s leader through the back door, disappearing behind it.

Seonghwa obviously could not see how the young boy’s expression instantly turned serious as he headed straight to the Pirates’ table, referring the small dialogue he just overheard to his Captain.

The meeting proceeded steadily; Jongdae announced that unexpectedly many people from other villages joined the Resistance, dejected, frustrated and unhappy with the Governor’s laws and too strict politics.

Months had passed since Seonghwa had to leave everything he had in order to run away, and during these months, he learned that there were many groups of rebels all around the Kingdom who firmly believed that the former King was still alive. Moreover, the rebels’ main goal was to wait for the perfect occasion in order to get rid of the unfair and selfish Governor in favour of another magnanimous King, just like Seonghwa was.

Hearing those words, a dejected sigh escaped from the young King’s lips. The Governor reduced the Kingdom on the verge of war and hunger, erasing years of efforts made by both him and his father in order to keep the people in his country as peaceful and satisfied as possible.

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun knew about Seonghwa’s real identity, but they swore to keep it a secret, and if needed, to refer to him by a fake name.

Once the meeting came to an end it was already late at night, and there were barely any costumers in the front of the inn, and Seonghwa decided to get straight back home. His right hand reached to play nervously with both his and his wife’s wedding rings on his left hand; he locked himself inside the small room he was renting and sat on the small table opposite the bed, studying the familiar map speeded on the wooden surface.

There was only one thing that could prove he was King Seonghwa, and unfortunately, part of it was still safely hidden in the depths of the Castle. However, he highly doubted the Governor managed to find out the location of the small labyrinth hidden in the middle of the dungeons that for years hid the documents who contained the proofs of the royal lineage, especially because this information had been secretly passed from a King to another, since anyone who was in possess of these documents could claim the position of King.

Seonghwa was honestly scared of this option, and his feelings only urged him to proceed faster on his lone mission that he meticulously kept hidden from the only friends he had; even though he tried to tell them about it few times, they always dismissed the idea.

«It’s too dangerous!» Jongdae would immediately cut his sentence with a stern grin.

«He’s right, what would we do if you got caught?» Baekhyun would add, his eyebrows furrowed in evident worry.

Anyways, Seonghwa knew what he had to do, and as he folded the small map and hid it under the mattress, he definitely made up his mind: the following night he would have paid a visit to the Castle.

However, as Seonghwa comfortably fell asleep few minutes later on the comfortable mattress of his small room, he was absolutely unaware of the two men who had followed him from a safe distance, well hidden in the dark night.

The next day passed in a blur, since Seonghwa was too busy preparing for his secret mission to leave his room in the first place; he was lucky that the old lady which was renting him the room was gentle enough to deliver him some food for breakfast and lunch, otherwise Seonghwa wouldn’t have eaten at all.

As he carefully got dressed, he made sure to keep a knife well hidden in his boot, just in case he had to fight and his sword was snatched away; although he spent years training and learning sword fight, he wasn’t as skilled nor as strong as the men which were recruited as Royal soldiers, but thanks to the many lessons he took when he was a Prince, he learnt how to fight to defend himself. Being part of the Resistance meant constant sword training but still, Seonghwa wasn’t sure he’d be an actual challenge for a group of skilled soldiers, even thought he was very agile.

At sunset, he secured his hood on his head as he quietly left towards the Castle, the long dark cloak hiding his identity from curious eyes. Seonghwa didn’t have any trouble in finding a way to enter the Castle without being caught, he has never been a troublemaker, but when he was younger he loved sneaking out to spend some days with commoners, in order to feel closer to them. Ordinary life had always fascinated him, and his father always told him that in order to be a good King you would need to see directly your people’s lifestyle without them knowing you were around.

As silent as the snow falling on the ground on a winter night, Seonghwa quickly walked through the numerous corridors illuminated by the dim light of the moon and some torches, trying not to mind all the things that the Governor changed in what once was his home, fists clenching every time he saw a painting of the wicked man hanging on the walls.

Occasionally hiding from the guards on their night patrol, Seonghwa made his way through the labyrinth; the more he got close to it, the more he was sure that the Governor had never took actual interest in it, merely paying attention to its cold stone walls.

The thing was, it was more than a bunch of assembled walls, there was a secret chamber containing few of the most important treasures of the Kingdom, and the documents he was looking for.

Whoever owned it and exhibited it would have been recognized as the rightful King; in case someone were to unfairly occupy the position of sovereign, the King in need to prove his identity could find official documents in this labyrinth, and also a map that would lead him to a place where to find an object only the King could recognize, due to the secrecy of this information.

“Left, right, left, left-” he thought as he swiftly moved between the corridors, remembering his father’s words. “You’ll find your destination next to the black stone,” his step slowly led him into another corridor; from what he has been told, he had to look for a black stone in a wall covered with pebbles of various shades of grey.

“It could be anywhere,” he thought, dejected by this unexpected turn of events; he grabbed a fire torch from the wall, and started meticulously looking for said stone while trying not to make any noise.

Minutes passed, and Seonghwa was increasingly growing both frustrated and impatient; as he was about to give up, he found a small different stone – perfectly round shaped, as he was crouched on the floor.

His father never told him what he had to do once he found it, so he tentatively tried pressing on it, sharpening his ears in case anything happened; he pressed on it again, but nothing changed.

Seonghwa sighed, impatiently placing the palm on his hand flat on the stone while trying to rotate it, hoping that this would actually work because he didn’t have any other idea on what to try with a stone, and hoping for the last time that no one else found out about this labyrinth.

When all the hope he had was about to vanish, something clicked behind him, and Seonghwa immediately turned around to check the opposite wall. Some of the cold stones moved towards the inside, indicating there was the secret room his father once told him about, and Seonghwa only needed to push on it to get inside.

With a tight grip on the torch, Seonghwa pressed against the wall, the newfound door opening with a brief creak; the room was small, humid and full of dust; the ceiling was not too high either, he could have touched it if he raised an arm, and there were big and heavy coffers full of treasures arranged along the sides of the walls.

What actually caught Seonghwa’s attention was the simple wooden table exactly in the middle of the room, looking too ordinary compared to the jewels and gold that partially filled the small room. Seonghwa’s steps warily reached the table, where he found exactly what his father told him: the royal documents and the map.

“Isn’t it too easy?” Seonghwa thought while furrowing his eyebrows in doubt, as he placed the torch in a metal ring hanging on the wall next to him. He cautiously reached for the papers, his movements slow and calculated, fearing to remain trapped inside that small space as soon as he touched anything.

As soon as he realized that nothing was going to happen if he touched and lifted the documents from the table, he quickly folded both the map and the documents, safely tucking them in the inner pocket of his jacket.

Pleased with the outcome and seeing that he wasn’t going to get trapped inside the small room if he decided to touch anything, Seonghwa took few minutes in order to curiously look around the room, since he has never been there and moreover, he had always been curious about what could the many treasures safely hidden from indiscreet eyes be.

A coffer on the right side of the room caught Seonghwa’s attention, and he curiously approached it: it was the only one containing only gold coins, and on top of them, there was a bright brooch studded with diamonds and colourful precious stones.

As he was about to reach out in order to take a closer look to the brooch, a low whistle made him stop in his tracks.

«Well, who would have guessed?» an unfamiliar voice chanted, and Seonghwa immediately turned to face the intruder, fearing for the worst.

Leaning against the door frame there was a man dressed totally in black, from his hat, to his gloves, to the mask covering his face, to his clothes.

Seonghwa instantly understood who was standing in front of him, and a shiver froze him in place; he recognized those clothes, since the only Pirates who actually dressed like that were the crew called “ATEEZ”, a group of infamous, cruel Pirates that took no side in political matters but only lived following their morals, not minding if they had to shed blood on the way to get what they wanted. They hid their identity only during assaults and robberies, so that the majority of people would not mind about them during every day’s life.

“This is why no one paid attention to them at the inn,” Seonghwa thought, even if he could have never imagines that the loud Pirates he saw were in fact one of the most dangerous Pirates crew in the world: Seonghwa’s hand instinctively placed on the hilt of his sword, but however, he did not intend to unsheathe it, not yet.

«I came to rob this place, but…» the slim man started walking towards him, due to the space being limited, he almost immediately stopped in front of him, «I never thought I’d find out that the former King became a thief.» although the Pirate was wearing a mask, it was as if Seonghwa could feel the smug grin on the other’s lips as he pronounced those words, and before he even managed to think about unsheathing his sword, he found a short blade pressed against his throat.

The cold metal made Seonghwa fear for his life, and since Pirates were generically unpredictable, he decided to not fight back, his arms going limp on his sides in a clear sign of surrender.

«How do you know that?» Seonghwa asked, as he tried to identify the eyes - the only thing he could see, of the man standing in front of him; although he was shorter than him, his threatening aura made the young King settle for the decision of not to move.

«You never know who might overhear your secrets, your Highness.» the Pirate’s voice exuded superiority, and Seonghwa clenched his jaw. He could not be the man he bumped into at the inn; he was taller than the one standing in front of him.

Unless, that man might have reported what he heard to his crew mates, and if luck was on his worst side, the one threatening him was the Captain of the loud group he saw the night before.

«What do you want from me? I’m not in the position to-» Seonghwa’s words were harshly cut off as the Pirate chuckled and removed the blade from his neck.

«Relax, I’m only interested in stealing some of these.» he said, curiously walking around from a coffer to another, examining coins and various jewellery, while Seonghwa still did not dare to move from his spot.

Since the door was still open, Seonghwa realized that he could run away if he wanted, he could even lock the Pirate inside the room if he wanted to, but truth was he was petrified in fear; he studied as the other put the most interesting jewels or those that seemed to be more expensive in a leather bag attached to the belt he had tied at his waist over his refined jacket.

“Didn’t Pirates dress in a scruffy way?” Seonghwa absently thought as he stared at the other’s clothes that seemed to be made of an unexpectedly good fabric.

«What were you doing here, anyway?» the Pirate asked without paying too much attention to the young King, as he was focused on checking another diamond.

«It’s no one of your business.» Seonghwa answered firmly, clenching his fists; truth was, he wasn’t sure how to feel about this whole situation. He was in the middle of what once has been his Castle, his home, looking at a pirate stealing a treasure that he couldn’t call his own anymore, so he didn’t have any right to scold him; especially, because in this very moment he was technically stealing the Governor’s assets, and not his.

«Well, true, but-» the Pirate’s sentence was abruptly interrupted by a series of distant screams followed by the sound of numerous bells ringing frequently and following the same familiar rhythm, and both men exchanged confused looks before staring at the door.

«Intruders.» Seonghwa briefly stated, frowning.

«We have to go, and quickly.» the Captain mumbled as he closed his leather bag and grabbed the other’s elbow, urging him towards the door.

They both rushed out, Seonghwa hastily closing the secret room’s door and running towards the Pirate, who was slightly leaning out from the wall, peaking at their surroundings while making sure the way was clear; from what they heard, the guards were still far from them, but it was better not to risk making avoidable mistakes.

«Did your men get caught?» Seonghwa whispered, lowering the hood if his cape further on his forehead as he started feeling distressed, since if anyone were to see him in the Castle, he sincerely doubted he could actually survive.

«No,» the Pirate mumbled quietly, shaking his head as he started walking, gesturing to the young King with his fingers to follow him, «each one of us was robbing a different place tonight, and they’d never betray me. It’s can’t be us, either.» he finished explaining as they both got out from the labyrinth and almost reached the entrance of the dungeons, an unexpected comfortable silence between them.

Seonghwa knew the Pirate couldn’t have possibly memorized the way out so, sometimes he’d find himself stopping the Captain’s quick steps by tugging on his sleeve, leading him to the opposite way.

«I knew that, I wanted to see if you were still paying attention.» the Pirate would answer every time, obviously lying.

They cautiously retraced every corridor, the noise created by the soldiers and the bells’ ringing getting louder as they stepped closer to the gate that separated the dungeons from the stairs leading back into the castle.

Seonghwa’s steps halted in the middle of the wide circular room surrounded by metal cells, anxiety getting the best of him, and the Pirate stopped few steps further, noticing he was now walking alone. He quickly spun on his heels, turning towards the taller man, a silent question hanging from his lips as he walked back to place a hand on Seonghwa’s elbow.

«Why did you stop?!» he hissed, «The worst part starts now!»

«What if we get caught? They’ll hang me – they’ll hang us, if we get caught!» Seonghwa muttered as he forced his breath to come out as even; despite part of the young King’s face was hidden, the Pirate managed to catch a glimpse of the panic in the other’s eyes staring at the floor.

The Pirate sighed, his hand leaving Seonghwa’s left arm; the young Captain reached behind his ears in order to untie the mask that covered the lower part of his face, and then he tugged Seonghwa’s hood to remove it.

The King’s gaze locked with the Pirate’s, confirming his assumptions about the previous evening: the boy who admonished his loud companions, the same handsome boy who had caught his eyes, was precisely the Captain.

Seonghwa’s eyes were filled with confusion and hidden curiosity as the Pirate’s fingers secured his own mask behind the young King’s nape, before quickly lifting the hood back on his head.

«It’s okay now, we can go.» the Pirate’s unexpected gentle voice seemed to unexplainably soothe Seonghwa’s distressed soul, and the Captain’s hand returned on the King’s elbow but this time, he noticed, the touch was a little bit gentler. Although he was still urging him around, at least he wasn’t squeezing his arm as tightly as before; they began to run, taking advantage of the unexpectedly empty hallway they found, as they sprinted towards the door that would lead them in the garden.

If Seonghwa hadn’t been so scared of something possibly go wrong, he would have thought this situation was paradoxical; he was running almost hand in hand with a Pirate who first pointed a blade to his neck and a few minutes later tranquillized him by lending him his mask.

He genuinely started to doubt the veridicity of the rumours about them, since not only they were helping each other, but the Pirate was also being nice.

They opened the heavy Castle’s door enough to sneak out, not bothering to close it behind them; outside the door that connected the Castle to the Royal garden, there were two rows made up of three wide white columns on each side, meant to support the large balcony above their heads. Quickly, they took shelter behind one of the pillars, their back pressed against each other, carefully examining the situation; there were at least ten groups of soldiers, which meticulously sought in every part of the garden, meaning that it wouldn’t take long before they were found and therefore, they had to act quickly.

The Pirate scoffed, shaking his head and slightly turning around in order to glance at Seonghwa.

«I came from over there…» he whispered, not finishing his own sentence as he pointed towards the canopy on top of the bushes the soldiers were meticulously examinating; Seonghwa immediately nodded, understanding what the Pirate was trying to say.

That part of the garden was way too crowded with enemies and way too distant to reach without alarming everyone in the garden.

«Come with me.» Seonghwa mindlessly took the other man’s hand as he led him towards a familiar oak tree; he briefly explained there was a hole in the wall safely hidden between its leaves and branches, and he always used that as an exit when he sneaked outside the Castle to go to town. Easily climbing on the oak tree and through the hole in the wall, they left the Castle, climbing down the identical oak tree that they found on the other side of the wall.

The young King let out a loud relieved sigh as he let himself slide down the wall in order to sit on the ground, and the Pirate chuckled in response to the young King’s action.

However, the loud screams of the soldiers and the noisy bell kept signalling them that they didn’t catch the intruder, yet.

«I suppose I should thank you?» Seonghwa tried as he untied the mask, handing it back to the Pirate.

«Captain Hongjoong, at your service,» he playfully winked and did a small hint of a bow, as he gently took his mask from the King’s gloved hands, without bothering to wear it again, «and no problem, I feared I had to drag you out of there myself and well, our body proportions aren’t exactly on my side.» Seonghwa gladly took the hand that Hongjoong stretched towards him in order to help him get back on his feet; they had just escaped a rather dangerous situation, it’s true, but they were standing right in front the Castle’s walls in the middle of the night while soldiers were looking everywhere for intruders, so they had better start walking away.

The pale moonlight illuminated their path as they stared walking through the sleeping town, leaving the Castle behind their shoulders; much to his surprise, Seonghwa noticed the other man was indeed a friendly person, and not as ruthless as the rumours said.

“That’s probably because I’m not on his bad side,” Seonghwa deduced as they were busy making small conversation; they began to part ways in front of the inn, Hongjoong heading towards the port, and Seonghwa heading towards his room.

«Oh, by the way!» Hongjoong abruptly stopped and Seonghwa instinctively turned around, noticing that they weren’t particularly distant one from the other.

«Here, catch this!» the Pirate cheerfully said as he threw something at Seonghwa, and the young King frowned as soon as he felt the angular consistency of what he had just caught in mid-air. Slowly and curiously opening his hand, his eyes widened at the sight of the brooch he was staring at in the dungeon was now shining brightly in his palm, illuminated by the pale moonlight.

Seonghwa’s head snapped towards Hongjoong, who was staring at him with a wide knowing grin.

«I owed you one, I could never imagine there were so many hidden treasures in there.» he answered the King’s silent question, eyes not faltering from his confused expression.

«How did you know-»

«I’m a Pirate!» Hongjoong immediately interrupted him, as he was stating the obvious.

With a final wave, the Captain turned around, disappearing in the dark of the night.

Seonghwa woke up in the middle of the morning, and for the first time in a while he slept soundly, satisfied to have stolen the biggest treasure of the Castle right under the Governor’s nose.

Memories of Hongjoong’s gaze flashed through his mind and he sighed, wondering which one was the truth about him: was he really a ruthless and heartless man or was those only exaggerated rumours? Not that he was that interested, of course.

«He can’t be that cold hearted,» he quietly mumbled to himself as he sleepily rubbed his eyes, «and I should stop thinking so much about it.» Seonghwa got up with a sigh, easily getting rid of his own thoughts as he walked to the small bathroom attached to his room.

After taking a warm bath and wearing a clean change of clothes, he sat at his room’s desk and took his time to study the map he found the night before.

The map was made up of well-defined contours of explored territories and of curious drawings of mermaids and sea monsters. Seonghwa traced with his fingers the outline of what was once his Kingdom, a feeling of rage slowly made space within his heart; he was determined to take back his throne, he was determined to end the continuing injustices that common people had to suffer.

Towards a corner of the map, surrounded by boundless sea and curious drawings of apparent dangers, there was a solitary island circled with a bold mark made with black ink. As Seonghwa spreaded the sheet in order to try to get rid of the wrinkles that covered the name below the drawing of the island surrounded with fog, and that name instantly triggered his memories: The Mist.

Seonghwa remembered that when he was younger, his father used to tell him about a mysterious island full of treasures that no one dared to approach, but for all they know, the entire existence of the island was shrouded in mystery.

According to the legends, on that remote island there was an ancient cave, containing the greatest treasures of all the Kings who had ever reigned on his kingdom. However, the thick fog has always prevented adventurers - Pirates and onlookers, from approaching; although many souls blinded by greed had challenged their fate in order to find that incredible amount of accumulated wealth, no one had ever returned.

The more time passed, the more that island became a simple legend passed from generation to generation. Apparently, like every legend it hid a fund of truth.

«The Aurora shard…» Seonghwa whispered, knitting his brows in confusion. Could it be his father was unconsciously pointing him the way to redeem himself?

His father’s stories spoke of a cave; a huge hidden cave full of all kinds of treasures, coins, weapons, precious jewels, diamonds. In the midst of all this, only the true King would have been able to recognize the true and most important treasure of all: the Aurora shard.

«I can’t tell you what shape or what colour it is, since I don’t know myself,» his father’s authoritative but gentle voice had said, «all I know, is that it takes a King to recognize it.»

Seonghwa sank back into his chair, feeling dejected, what if it was really only a legend? Moreover, even if it was real, would he really be able to recognize the Aurora shard? In addition, the most important thing: how was he supposed to get there?

A familiar face followed by a dangerous plan popped into his mind, and he shook his head as if the gesture could have made the idea disappear.

Seonghwa left his room in the late afternoon, quickly heading towards the inn; beside the Resistance’s meeting, he knew he had to face both his only friends about his decision.

The familiar chatter accompanied his short journey to the inn which, being earlier than usual, still did not have much clientele; although some tables were occupied, it was still very quiet.

«Look who decided to show up!» Baekhyun lively greeted him from behind the counter with a bright smile, «I was starting to believe you ran away!» he added, faking to be offended.

Seonghwa nervously swallowed, looking away; he politely greeted him, as always, as he made his way to the counter. «Where’s Jongdae?» he asked, looking around and finding himself looking for someone else’s presence as well.

«He’ll be here soon…» he started, and gradually leaned closer to the King over the counter. «Have you heard about the Pirates?» Baekhyun smiled, satisfied to have finally obtained the interest of his interlocutor; Seonghwa pretended not to know by quickly shaking his head.

«Apparently yesterday night, seven rich residences were robbed,» Baekhyun stated in a low voice, «and one of them was your beloved Castle.» he finished, studying Seonghwa’s facial expression.

«That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I was-» Seonghwa sighed, but before he could finish his sentence, a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders.

«Here’s our favourite King!» Jongdae joked, not loud enough to be heard by anyone else beside them, since they were the only three people standing at the counter.

«Oh, Jongdae! You have the worst timing!» Baekhyun playfully hit the other with one of the rags he used to dry the caliches he had just washed up.

«As I was saying,» Seonghwa urged «I know it was Hon-ATEEZ, because I met one of them in the Castle.» he said, closing his eyes, his heartbeat quickening as he was waiting for the worst. However, he was met with utter silence and Jongdae’s arm tensing and tightening around Seonghwa’s shoulders.

«YOU?! WHAT?!» Both brothers shouted at the same time, drawing attention of the few costumers towards them; however, they quickly lost interest as soon as they saw it was them, since they were used to see both brothers loudly playing around.

Seonghwa sighed and told them everything as he nervously played with the wedding rings which adorned his finger; he told them about the night before, about his meeting with Hongjoong - even tho he didn’t confess them his name, he told them that the Pirate actually helped him get out of the Castle, and most importantly, he told them about the map.

They both listened carefully to every word with attentive eyes and furrowed eyebrows; however, neither of them did anything to hide their disapproval on their friend’s dangerous and irresponsible decision.

«So, you’re going with them?» Jongdae inquired.

«He didn’t ask them yet, why don’t you listen?» Baekhyun immediately answered his brother with an exasperated sigh, the rag was using before long forgotten on the counter and Jongdae shook his head; Seonghwa simply settled for watching them, since he already knew that they would react this way, not that he could blame them.

Seonghwa averted his gaze as Jongdae sighed in what the King would call disappointment, and he headed towards the back door; he silently followed the young Leader, waiting for the others to show up at the Resistance’s meeting.

As soon as the meeting finished, they all walked back into the main hall of the inn, instantly surrounded by the loud familiar laughter and chatters that filled the place; by that time, the inn was finally crowded, so that no one actually would notice a group of people casually walking out from a back door.

Not that they would mind, actually the Resistance’s group who lived in the city knew very well that the citizens would defend and hide them, in case of danger.

Seonghwa’s glance moved towards a familiar table in the corner of the room, who was once again occupied by seven familiar faces. They were laughing about something while one of them looking particularly flustered; Seonghwa deduced that they were probably celebrating the success of the previous night since, after all, no one apart from him knew their real identity.

Hongjoong was sitting facing the back door and exactly like the first time he saw him, he was looking at the others and laughing along with them, sometimes admonishing their too loud voices; instinctively, Seonghwa softly smiled looking at them, the conviction that after all they couldn’t be so evil was inexplicably growing inside of his mind.

Still, he could swear that as he passed by their table to reach the counter, he saw the Captain winking at him; he instantly averted his gaze, ignoring the faint blush that covered his cheeks, and hoping that no one would notice but as his eyes locked with Baekhyun, he knew it was already too late, since the boy was looking at him with a smug smirk and malice in his eyes.

«Don’t.» Seonghwa mumbled, interrupting and preventing any kind of commentary from his friend as he sat on his favourite stool.

Even if the room was crowded, the rectangular-shaped counter remained empty; people always opted to sit comfortably at one of the many tables, rather than alternate between standing and sitting on high and not too comfortable stools, Seonghwa noticed.

However, he has always preferred to occupy one of the side spaces of the counter, distant from prying eyes and without being in the way of those who approached to order drinks.

Seonghwa sat in his usual place, his back facing Hongjoong’s table; with an amused smile, Baekhyun placed a small glass of rum in front of Seonghwa, who politely declined with a flustered expression.

«I didn’t say anything, yet.» Baekhyun chanted, playfully winking while faking innocence, «Jongdae will come around,» Baekhyun softly added, reaching forward to gently pat the other’s shoulder, «we both knew this day would come but,» as he interrupted himself again with a sigh, Seonghwa curiously looked at him, «King or not, you’re a brother to us!»

Seonghwa nodded at Baekhyun, who squeezed his arm one last time before going back to a customer who called him on the other side of the counter; he couldn’t do anything else but look at the other man as he efficiently worked, feeling his emotions turn into a mix of joy, and a hint of sadness.

Seonghwa was undoubtedly glad that his only two friends loved him as if he was a part of their own family, and he was sad about the idea of leaving them behind, although there was always that small hint of loneliness in Seonghwa’s heart since his wife passed away that he still didn’t understand how to fill.

Although he loved them both, in that very moment, Seonghwa believed that he had to make the mission of finding the Aurora shard his own only priority.

«We meet again, thief.» a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts; Seonghwa’s head turned to his left, meeting Hongjoong’s sharp gaze. The Pirate had leaned on the counter with his back, resting his elbows on the surface; everything in his body language told him how confident and carefree that man felt, even despite the bounty hanging on his head.

For a second, the shadow of a thought flashed through Seonghwa’s mind: “How would it feel to live like that?”

«I’m not a thief, Pirate.» Seonghwa sighed and Hongjoong instinctively chuckled, tilting his head towards the King.

«Well… Technically speaking, you-»

«Take me with you.» Seonghwa interrupted the other’s sentence; Hongjoong’s smile disappeared, replaced by a confused frown. The young Captain completely turned towards Seonghwa, his head still tilted to the side, one of his long earring tinkling, wondering how such a question could have come out of nowhere. The Pirate raised an eyebrow, as if to ask Seonghwa to explain himself and the young King tried again.

«Take me with you, next time you sail.» Seonghwa’s determined expression didn’t falter for a second from Hongjoong’s eyes. The boy had the feeling that in that very moment, the Pirate’s attitude towards him had changed completely; the threatening and superior aura was back, and Seonghwa nervously bit his tongue as he waited for an answer.

«I’m sure you’re confused, your Majesty,» Hongjoong answered, a fake grin adorning his face. «We do not sail on a cruise ship.»

Seonghwa scoffed in disbelief, «I know, but I need to go to a place… I’m sure you could reach there.» he answered, mumbling the last part.

Of course, Hongjoong was taken back from that answer, how dangerous was his destination to ask to a group of Pirates to help him?

«Let’s suppose I’m curious,» Hongjoong said, slowly inching closer to Seonghwa; now, he was fully seated and his knee right was touching the other’s left leg, «where would you need to go?» He curiously asked, placing his chin on the palm of his hand.

Seonghwa turned towards him as well, so that now they were facing each other; the young King looked around, in order to make sure they were completely alone in that corner. He briefly noticed that some of Hongjoong’s crew members were looking at them, but he didn’t notice that they were occasionally elbowing each other and pointing at their Captain with curious and amused smiles.

«The Mist.» Seonghwa revealed, and Hongjoong’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

«Nice one, your Majesty. I’m leaving you here.» Hongjoong sternly answered as he was about to get up from the stool and lead back to his companions.

«You can’t!» Seonghwa loudly stopped him, his hand reaching out to hold his forearm, refraining him from standing up. Seonghwa was sure he heard one of the Captain’s friends whistle right after his sudden move, but he might as well be wrong, since his gaze didn’t falter from Hongjoong’s eyes.

«Trust me, you’d better off staying here.» Hongjoong retorted; his posture returned to being relaxed, but the stern gaze didn’t disappear. Back in the previous position, Seonghwa’s legs were now in the middle of Hongjoong’s spreaded legs, everything in their posture indicated how different they were.

«Suppose you kidnaped me instead?» Seonghwa pleaded. «You’re a pirate aren’t you? Then steal me! Is that so much to ask?» he concluded, lightly squeezing Hongjoong’s arm, his voice full of hope. He was talking a bit too loudly for his standard, but now, convincing Hongjoong to take him with them was more important than respecting the label of the peaceful King; on top of that, he was sure no one was interested in their conversation, judging by the constant loud chatter that could be heard all around the room.

«What do you have that I would want?» Hongjoong curiously challenged him, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer to the King.

«The Mist’s treasure. The Aurora shard is only one of the treasures that lie waiting in that cave.» Seonghwa answered immediately; he had studied the map long enough, and he knew about Pirates being after The Mist’s treasure well enough to understand that this was an interesting yet dangerous offer.

Hongjoong whistled, surprised.

«The Mist’s treasure you said?» Hongjoong’s interest was suddenly tickled, and he leaned forward towards Seonghwa’s face.

«Kidnapping royalty is a serious offense. It won’t do much to lower the bounty on your head.» a boy from his crew suddenly interrupted them, appearing right beside them; he wasn’t particularly tall, but, Seonghwa noticed, his face looked handsome, like he just came out of a fairy tale. How long has he been overhearing their conversation? Was that a habit of this crew?

«Yeosang.» Hongjoong greeted the other, but neither his posture changed nor his gaze faltered from Seonghwa’s face, who was now looking at the boy interrupting him, «How much is the price on your head these days, I wonder?» he added with an amused sigh, as his attention was caught by the precious rings on the hand that still gripped his forearm.

«Will you be joining us?» another boy shyly asked. He was shorter than Yeosang, Seonghwa noticed, but as handsome as well; his hair was jet black apart of a white strand on his fringe.

«Slow down, San,» Hongjoong called out, «we’re pirates, but we’re not fools.» immediately, Seonghwa looked back at the Captain, confused; the Pirate was looking at him with a challenging smirk on his face.

«Compensation. How about the ring?» he asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning back from the King’s personal space.

«Isn’t there something else?» Seonghwa’s reply was immediate, as he instinctively brought his hand to his chest.

“He can’t possibly ask for something like that!”, he thought, frowning. Both Yeosang and San - who was still clinging on the other Pirate’s arm, watched them with curiosity, but neither dared to say anything.

Hongjoong’s smirk turned into a sly grin, as he reassumed his previous position of resting his chin on his hand; his right arm, who was now free from Seonghwa’s tight hold, was now outstretched towards the young King, the palm of his hand turned upward, waiting.

«No one’s forcing you.» he added, pleased by the other’s reaction. Seonghwa sat there, under the strong gaze of three Pirates as he considered on what to do; although he didn’t want to separate himself from something that important, he realized that judging by his reaction, the Pirate found out how to provoke him. Seonghwa sighed, briefly closing his eyes.

“He probably thinks I will run away” he thought; his fingers weakly gripped his wife’s wedding ring as he gazed back to the Pirate’s outstretched hand, gently placing the ring in the middle of it, and Hongjoong’s hand instantly closed around the small treasure.

«I’ll give it back once I’ll find something more valuable.» Hongjoong said, pleased by the outcome of the events; Seonghwa nodded, looking everywhere but at the Hongjoong’s face.

«We sail in two days, your Majesty. Make sure you have everything you need.» Hongjoong’s absently added, now playing with the ring in his hands; again, Seonghwa nodded, and left.

«What do you mean “something more valuable”?» San curiously asked his Captain.

«Hard to say. I’ll know when I find it.» Hongjoong briefly stated.

Seonghwa handed back the keys to his room to Baekhyun, who accepted them with a sad smile on his face; even if the moon was still shining in the sky, it was almost time for him to leave.

«You can come back anytime you want.» Baekhyun mumbled as he hugged him tightly, and Seonghwa didn’t hesitate to return the hug just as tightly.

«This is your home, after all.» Jongdae added, joining the hug; they stayed like that for few seconds, hoping to be able to recall that moment in their hearts if they missed each other. Eventually, with a sigh, Seonghwa released himself from his friends, his hands still wrapped in theirs.

«Take care, both of you.» he forced himself to smile as he nodded at them.

«Good luck, Seonghwa.» Jongdae said; rarely the latter called him by his first name and therefore, Seonghwa learned to cherish all of those little moments.

Seonghwa sighed again, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders; with a final wave, he turned around and started walking in direction of the harbour. He didn’t have much to take with him, other than a few change of clothes the only things he had were respectively two swords and a map.

«You’re here!» a familiar boy suddenly exclaimed, jumping out of nowhere, «The Captain told us to come look for you but we were kinda getting lost.» the boy Seonghwa recognized as San chuckled, and he smiled in return.

«I’m San, by the way, and he is Wooyoung!» Seonghwa’s eyes moved to the boy with dark blonde hair standing next to San who, exactly like his friend, was looking at him with a bright smile, waving his hand as the other pirate introduced him; the trio hurried back to the harbour, which wasn’t too far from where they met.

«Do we have to refer to you as “Your Majesty”?» Wooyoung timidly asked as they reached their destination; Seonghwa chuckled before quickly shaking his head.

«There’s no need to respect any etiquette, Seonghwa is enough.» he politely answered with a smile and with hurried steps, they headed towards the only largest ship among all those moored in the port. Aside from the size of the ship, Seonghwa noticed curiously that there was not only a flag on the mast, but two; under the common Jolly Roger, another flag with their name written on it was proudly waving in the wind.

“I guess they’re not that interested on keeping a low profile…” Seonghwa thought, briefly glancing around.

«Your Majesty has finally decided to join us!» Hongjoong friendly said, walking out from what he guessed were the Captain’s quarters, «Welcome on the Illusion.» he said; Seonghwa noticed that although there were some men busy completing preparations for departure only four boys approached them, and after the introductions, Hongjoong explained they were his most trusted men.

«San and Wooyoung will show you around.» the Captain absently said and without giving him the opportunity to reply, he returned exactly where he had come from.

«Don’t mind him,» San commented his Captain’s behaviour.

«He’s always nervous when we’re about to sail.» Wooyoung finished the other’s sentence, and they started to show Seonghwa around the ship.

Few weeks passed quickly, and Seonghwa quickly got used to living surrounded by pirates, especially because – at least among them, there were actually nice people.

San and Wooyoung – respectively the boatswain and the doctor, were the most outgoing, not to mention that the two were practically inseparable. They would hug a minute, and the next they could be chasing each other all around the ship; Seonghwa thought they were too chaotic not to love them.

Yeosang was probably one of the quietest among them all; the only thing Seonghwa knew for sure was that if you needed him, you’d find him on the crow’s nest, with his peaceful gaze lost towards the horizon and his hair gently dishevelled by the breeze. «It’s relaxing,» he told Seonghwa, a shy smile adorning his lips, «the sea is so boundless, it gives me peace.».

Mingi was a loud one, and probably the clumsiest; Seonghwa was puzzled when he told him he was the master gunner, wondering how could a boy both be able to trip on his feet and almost fall off the ship also and be the one in charge of something as dangerous as cannons and gunpowder.

Jongho was probably the most serious one, despite being the youngest. Since he was the head of the powder monkeys due to his great strength, he spent a lot of time with Mingi; Seonghwa often noticed how the younger would roll his eyes and then laugh at the other’s clumsiness. Something he really enjoyed about Jongho was his voice. Sometimes, the young man would sing or simply hum as he was doing chores and Seonghwa was always more than happy to listen to him, even for few minutes.

Yunho was the least friendly. The young quartermaster made it clear since the beginning that he was not happy about his presence on the ship; however, to Seonghwa’s stupor, he never treated him badly. Although he behaved in a polite way towards him, he always opted to talk to him as little as possible, always preferring to joke around with the others.

Hongjoong was, first of all, his roommate. Apparently, the Captain decided that Seonghwa would sleep in his quarters since there was not a cabin for him and moreover, it would have been easier to keep an eye on him, although Seonghwa ended up falling asleep every night wondering where the other would actually sleep, since he never slept in the same bed with him.

However, Seonghwa casually found out the answer to this mystery when he woke up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare; the first thing he noticed was the figure of the Pirate asleep on the heavy chair of his desk, dimly illuminated by the light of the moon coming through the window and by a candle that was about to go out. Quickly, Seonghwa got out of the bed and instinctively covered him with a blanket; it became a silent routine between them, although neither ever said anything about it.

Among all of them, he was the one he spent most time with, discussing about their journey, or simply sharing stories about Hongjoong’s travels and Seonghwa’s life in the Castle; the young King always preferred to listen to the other’s tales, there was something endearing in the way his eyes lit up every time he talked about the adventures he had with his friends, and the many place they had seen together.

«I could take you there, next time! You should definitely see that!» the Pirate would say sometimes, and Seonghwa found himself nodding, utterly blinded by curiosity and forgetting about the fact that once he regained his position as King, it would be impossible to go anywhere without a small group of soldiers following him everywhere.

The first thing that caught Seonghwa’s eyes about his new room was without a doubt, the ceiling; the King’s eyes travelled in awe over a planisphere that occupied the whole wall above them. However, it was still incomplete; Hongjoong told him about it being a project he made with Yeosang’s help, it proceeded slowly and concerned the whole known world.

Bright colours illustrated a map very similar to the one Seonghwa possessed and the similarity intrigued him, since that map was a legacy of his father.

From what he learned, the young Captain loved drawing, Seonghwa remembered seeing him few times with a notebook and a pen in his hand; at first he thought it was a simple diary board, but in the end, he eventually understood that it wasn’t.

Hongjoong was a severe Captain, but cherished his members deeply.

They set foot on land on a rather small island, so that they could restock the ship before leaving again. Seonghwa couldn’t help but looking around in awe since after all, he had never crossed the borders of his Kingdom before.

«Be careful not to get too far from me or the others,» Hongjoong recommended, «and take this.» he said, as he handed him a short dagger; Seonghwa frowned in response, his confused eyes darting to Hongjoong’s.

«Just in case.» the Captain added; the young King nodded in response, and safely hid the blade in his right boot.

As Hongjoong excused himself saying he had business to take care of, Seonghwa realized that the others were already gone and he had to spend his day with Yunho; although the Pirate wasn’t happy about it either, he did nothing to show it.

«The town’s market district is really nice,» Yunho spoke suddenly, slightly startling Seonghwa, since they had been walking around in silence for most of the afternoon, «Would you like to go there?»

«I’d love to, if it’s not a problem.» Seonghwa nodded with a smile, the other scoffed in response.

«I figured you’d be curious after living locked up.» Yunho briefly stated, now heading towards a different part of town.

The market district was rather small, but it was definitely lively; the streets were full of people, potential buyers surrounded the stalls that were selling different varieties of fabrics, jewellery and food.

Seonghwa’s attention was drawn to a particular fabric, decorated with intricate patterns and while observing it he noticed that Yunho had silently stopped beside him.

They shared a brief glance as they unintentionally overheard a small discussion happening between a seller and a customer next to them, which was making up excuses in order to buy something with a lower price; what caught their attention, however, was the man who had hidden a large piece of fabric in his bag, taking advantage of the seller’s distraction. Seonghwa was about to intervene, but Yunho acted faster: he tightly grabbed a hold of the thief’s wrist which looked up caught by surprise.

«Now, how about you return what you haven’t paid, for?» he said loudly enough to catch the attention of both men who were still arguing, «I’m in a bad mood, don’t make me stain all of these pretty fabrics.» as the thief denied, Yunho tightened his hold on his grip. Seonghwa watched the smaller man tried to punch the Pirate, which was a really poor attempt considering Yunho was twice as tall; Seonghwa quickly understood that the thief and the other man were accomplices, and as a small fight started between Yunho and the thief, Seonghwa managed to cut the shoulder belt of the bag hiding the stolen fabric.

He quickly returned it to the old man who incredulously watched the scene happening, and managed to turn around in time to see that the other thief was sneaking behind Yunho’s back holding a small knife. Seonghwa’s hand acted before his brain could process what was happening; he reached for his dagger and quickly stopped the thief pressing the blade against his throat, not enough to cut his skin, but enough to sting.

«That’s not very loyal, thief.» Seonghwa stated, catching Yunho’s attention.

«Woah! Thanks, buddy!» Yunho flashed him a surprised smile, which Seonghwa immediately returned; however, that small fight gathered a small group of people who started screaming and looking for guards.

«Calling the guards?!» Yunho’s gaze returned on Seonghwa’s, «Time to leave.» they quickly let go of the thieves and headed back from the direction where they came from, breaking into a run; judging from the screams, nobody was following them but people were indeed preventing the two thieves from running away.

Yunho and Seonghwa stopped far enough to not be recognized, both boys panting and crouched down with both their hands on their knees.

«I was wrong, you’re not that bad!» Yunho kindly offered him, and Seonghwa started laughing in response.

«I owe you a big one, your Majesty.» Yunho chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the other’s hair with a bright smile on his face. Seonghwa’s smile widened as soon as he felt Yunho’s gentle touch; he always noticed that he used to do that to younger members, so he felt like the other was slowly accepting him into the crew.

«I would have helped him but,» Seonghwa inhaled, trying to catch his breath after the long and sudden run «why did you? The crew doesn’t exactly have a magnanimous reputation.»

«Let’s say we do some “selective stealing” for a living,» Yunho nodded, smiling, «and with “selective” I mean it’s almost always rich people.» Seonghwa nodded, patiently listening to him, «we all come from different Reigns.

Before joining Hongjoong, some of us were in some really bad situation.» Yunho straightened up, stretching his arms over his head, «We’re Pirates, and we constantly live on the verge of being arrested or to kill someone but… We still have morals.»

Seonghwa deeply inhaled again, feeling his breath steadying and his heart gradually returning to a normal pace; glancing up and seeing the colours of the sky, pink and orange, thanks to the sunset that transform it into a painting, he realized that he hadn’t feel so alive in a while.

That night at the tavern, Hongjoong thought he was hallucinating. He was sitting with Jongho, Yeosang and Mingi while he waited for the others to join them, and the next thing he saw were Seonghwa and Yunho entering the bar-room chattering and laughing together

«Captain, I think… I’m drunk?» Hongjoong knew Mingi was referring to the same thing he’s just seen.

«Finally, Yunho snapped out of it.» Yeosang briefly answered, and Jongho agreed with him.

San and Wooyoung arrived few moments later; both with messy hair and a visible blush on their cheeks.

Later that night, taking advantage of the confusion of the crowded tavern and the others busy playing a random game Seonghwa didn’t understand the rules of, Hongjoong reached out to take a hold of one of the two thin white cords hanging off the collar of Seonghwa’s shirt in order to bring him closer.

«So,» Hongjoong smirked, slowly rolling the thin fabric around his index finger; Seonghwa’s cheeks slightly reddened due of their sudden proximity, «you’re officially one of us, now.» the King noticed how the pirate’s intense glance quickly drifted from his eyes, to his lips and then back to his eyes, before releasing his hold on the fabric.

Hongjoong got back to his original position, his attention caught once again by the game the others were playing; Seonghwa, on the other hand, was confused on why that warm sensation he felt on his cheeks wouldn’t disappear.

He involuntarily locked eyes with Yeosang, who was silently questioning him from the other side of the table with a hint of an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

Seonghwa realized how much his permanence on the ship changed since Yunho started treating him better.

First of all, the air on the ship seemed much more cheerful; the rest of the crew stopped definitively referring to him as “Your Majesty” and started addressing him as “Seonghwa”, which he was very grateful for.

In addition, it was even more fun to chat when they eight of them stayed in the dining room after dinner; much like at the tavern, there were nights where they’d play games, other nights they’d share fun stories and sometimes, Seonghwa could hear about how the others joined Hongjoong’s crew, since they all came from different Kingdoms.

«Wait, you were married?!» San cut him off, slightly rising his head from his forearms resting on the table, as it was his turn to tell something about himself; Seonghwa nodded in response, a gentle smile on his lips as he shortly remembered about her.

«Was she cute?» Wooyoung curiously wondered and Seonghwa kindly smiled, watching him lean comfortably against San’s head, thinking how sometimes they both were like two curious kids.

«She was! We also loved each other but,» he sighed before continuing «sadly, people firmly believed we got along only because of mutual political benefits.» Seonghwa stared at the table, a sad smile adorning his lips, and the others fell silent.

«Is… Is this why we’re going to The Mist?» Jongho asked, implying the matter revolved around her death.

Seonghwa quickly shook his head and explained everything, remembering how he only told Hongjoong the full story, and how the pirate sincerely answered that they don’t take sides in political matters so they’re not interested in them, either. He spent some time talking about Jongdae and Baekhyun, too; about how they welcomed him in their house and treated him like a family member.

«We should visit them again, sometimes!» Seonghwa unconsciously added, resulting in Hongjoong – as always sitting next to him, looking at the King with a confused raised eyebrow. As he finished explaining, they all agreed it was a risky mission, but it was worth a try.

«We trust the Captain.» Yunho explained.

«Yeah!» Mingi quickly added, «He’s gonna guide us right in and out of there!»

Seonghwa turned his head as he felt Hongjoong’s hand ruffle his hair.

«We’re gonna make it.» He simply told him with a gentle smile and truthful eyes.

That night, Seonghwa couldn’t sleep. No matter how much he tossed and turned in his bed, he just couldn’t sleep. He pushed off the covers with a heavy sigh and got up from the bed; he picked up the blanket which Hongjoong usually used and decided to join him on the quarter deck.

«Hey, Hongjoong!» he whispered as he greeted him, stopping to sit on the wooden stairs that connected the deck to the quarter deck.

«Seonghwa?» Hongjoong narrowed his eyes to see the other’s shape tightly wrapped up in a blanket. «Why are you here? Did you miss me?» he teased.

Seonghwa rolled his eyes at him, knowing that he couldn’t see him well due to the only source of illumination being the full moon in the sky.

«I can’t sleep.» he simply answered.

«It happens, you’ll get used to it.» he smiled, «Are you sure you don’t want to go back inside? It should be around… One, two in the morning.» he added, frowning. Seonghwa knew he probably said that because of the cold night breeze, but a sincere «I want to stay here with you.» escaped his lips before he could process it.

Hongjoong nodded, and they spent some time in a comfortable silence, the cold night breeze softly caressed his face and the sound of the waves made him relax a little bit.

«When will we arrive?» Seonghwa mumbled, breaking the silence.

«Oh! You already want to get rid of us?!» Hongjoong dramatically answered, placing on his heart the hand that wasn’t holding the helm and Seonghwa laughed, shaking his head.

«I think… Two months, maximum.» the pirate answered him, turning serious. «Do you know what does the Aurora shard look like?» he questioned few moments later.

Seonghwa shook his head, and sighed, «I have no idea. I’m supposed to find it and then I’m supposed to reclaim the position as King.»

«Supposed to?» Hongjoong inquired. Seonghwa simply nodded, as they fell in another silence.

«Hongjoong?» Seonghwa called out few minutes later, and the Pirate hummed in response, «Tell me about some other adventure of yours.» he demanded, his gaze lost in the dark sea.

Seonghwa always lost track of time during these moments, and tonight wasn’t any different. He thought to be a rather annoying listener since he always asked a lot of things and clarifications as Hongjoong went on but, the Pirate always smiled and answered him with as many details the King asked for.

Seonghwa was so lost immersing himself in the Captain’s story that he didn’t realise the sky was starting to slowly paint itself with warm colours. It was almost sunrise, he realized, so that meant they talked all night.

«Hongjoong?» Seonghwa asked again and the pirate hummed again in response, this time the King could clearly see the gentle smile on his lips as he did. «Why do you sail?»

Hongjoong gently answered to come stand next to him and Seonghwa complied, the blanket long forgotten on the stairs; once they were close enough, Hongjoong kept holding the helm with his left hand and guided Seonghwa’s right hand above his.

«Freedom.» he simply stated, «We’re never “supposed to” do something. We do things because we want to.» Hongjoong explained further, quoting the King’s previous words, as he noticed Seonghwa’s confused frown. Seonghwa absently nodded and turned his head to stare towards the horizon, at the sun rising right in front of them.

«Seonghwa, let me ask you one thing,» Hongjoong’s eyes stared at Seonghwa’s face as he hummed in answer, too distracted by the sunset to notice, «Do you want to resume your position as King because you want to, or because you’re supposed to?»

Seonghwa didn’t answer; he slightly turned his head to look at Hongjoong, who briefly exchanged his gaze before going back looking at the horizon with a relaxed expression.

As he watched how the other’s hair was gently dishevelled by the breeze and the sun momentarily painted his face with various shades of red, he thought that maybe he didn’t have an answer to the pirate’s question.

As his eyes drifted to look at their intertwined fingers around the helm, he thought that maybe he did. He did not realize who initiated the action first, but he found the warmth of Hongjoong’s hand quite reassuring.

«Well, I can come back later, if you want to.» both boys quickly turned towards a smiling Mingi, who was looking at them leaning on the railway.

Seonghwa felt his cheeks burn; he mumbled a weak and embarrassed «It’s okay.» and quickly left, recovering the sheet still forgotten on the stairs.

«So… Pirate King?» Mingi joked further, wrapping an arm around his Captain’s shoulders.

«Mingi, do you perhaps have a death wish?» Hongjoong asked back, annoyed.

As other long days went by, Seonghwa found himself lost in thoughts more than he actually wanted to; not only last night’s events kept coming back into his mind, but Hongjoong’s words kept on repeating. In addition to that, he noticed how often he found himself staring at the Captain or, sometimes, glancing towards him to see what was he was up to.

Sometimes Hongjoong would notice Seonghwa looking at him and would offer him a cheeky smile, some other time a playful wink; either way, Seonghwa always diverted his gaze as quickly as possible, a faint blush on his cheeks. And so, another silent routine was slowly crafting itself: at night, especially when he couldn’t sleep, he would join Hongjoong on the quarterback. The infinite number of topics they could find to talk for whole nights was surprising, however, the Captain never mentioned that particular question again.

They’d spend most of the morning sleeping, Seonghwa always feeling a little guilty to see Hongjoong sleeping on his desk chair, even if he never complained about his body being aching and sore, not even once.

One sunny afternoon, Seonghwa decided to climb up the crow’s nest, to see if Yeosang’s method to clear his mind worked on him too.

«Well, hello there.» Yeosang kindly greeted him, a warm smile on his face. «I didn’t expect visitors, today.» he joked; the place was wide enough for both boys to sit.

«I needed a quiet place to think.» Seonghwa mumbled, and Yeosang quietly nodded in response.

The young King sat next to the pirate, his back pressed against the wooden railway; neither of them spoke, and Seonghwa understood why the other loved this place so much. The others’ voices were distant, almost a background noise coming up from below them. Wherever he looked, his eyes were lost in the vastness of the ocean, especially that thin line where the sky and the sea seemed to merge together. Seonghwa found it relaxing, to say the least.

«Why am I doing this?» Seonghwa asked out loud few minutes later, rubbing his eyes with an exasperated sigh.

«Like, why are you up here?» Yeosang questioned, a bit confused; the King shook his head and told the Pirate about the conversation he had with Hongjoong; he didn’t need to mention the part where Mingi interrupted them, the fact that they were holding hands at sunset had been the hot topic on the ship for at least three days.

«Well, I believe that everyone by now noticed that you’re pretty comfortable with us,» Yeosang said, «and I also believe that the Captain is trying to make you realize that you can always choose your own destiny.» Seonghwa felt his eyes on him, so he turned his head towards the younger Pirate, «He’s.. Quite fond of you.» Yeosang smiled sweetly, «I see a lot things from here, you know?» the Pirate’s smile widened as he saw Seonghwa blushing.

«L-like what?» Seonghwa adverted his gaze, suddenly pretending to be focused on the fabric of the sleeve of his cotton shirt.

«That you may not realize it, your Majesty, but you’re kinda fond of him too.» Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he blushed violently.

«I-I’m not-» he stuttered, and the pirate softly chuckled.

«I told you, I see a lot of things from up here!» he laughed, and Seonghwa didn’t answer; his gaze went back to the sea, a whirlwind of confused thoughts in his head, as they fell in another comfortable silence.

A few hours later, the young King felt Yeosang gently calling his attention by lightly shaking his shoulder, and he excused himself as he didn’t realize dozing off.

«I told you it was relaxing,» the pirate smiled. «However, we’d better get back on deck, a storm is coming.» Seonghwa nodded, as he complied.

Yeosang’s accuracy was admirable, not even an hour later it started raining and what started as a light drizzle, turned into a real storm.

«Stay in the quarters, I can’t risk you falling off.» Hongjoong ordered him, hastily grabbing his forearm.

«I want to help!» Seonghwa shook his head, both boys were already soaked wet as they both clinged to the ship’s ropes. Hongjoong sighed and nodded, not having enough time to fight with the stubborn young King and went back giving the crew various orders; with difficulty, Seonghwa helped the others and together they managed to secure all the sails without falling overboard.

The feeling of facing a storm in the dark, in the middle of the ocean, was terrifying, and he low-key regretted not having followed the captain’s advice. In addition to feeling his stomach upside down due to the violent and redundant movements of the ship, he was also wet and cold.

However, as quickly as the storm arrived, it passed; it lasted few hours and naturally calmed down. Seonghwa looked around trying to catch his breath, the others were in various parts of the ship, reduced to his own state, happy not to have capsized at sea.

The sun was brightly shining on their head as Seonghwa met Hongjoong’s gaze, and both of them erupted into a wide smile; Hongjoong quickly winked at him, and Seonghwa adverted his gaze with a content smile and blushing cheeks.

Back in the Captain’s quarters, even if they had managed to change clothes, neither of them could get rid of the feeling of cold; Seonghwa was as already in bed peeking at the Pirate, wrapped up in few blankets and obviously sitting uncomfortably at his desk chair.

«Hongjoong,» the young King whispered, and the other boy wordlessly glanced at him, «sleep with me tonight.» he said, realizing too late how ambiguous his sentence sounded; Hongjoong’s face was so confused by that sudden request that Seonghwa couldn’t help but blush and hurriedly explain himself.

«I meant,» Seonghwa hurriedly added, hiding himself further into the mattress, «I’m cold, and you must be cold as well, so I thought that we could share the bed.»

Few moments later, as he felt some weight partially drop onto the bed, Seonghwa peeked out from his hideout, just to see that the Pirate was still rolled up in at least two thick blankets, but now was unsurely looking at him.

«Are you sure you’re comfortable enough?» the Pirate asked further, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but blush further as he reminded Yeosang’s words from that afternoon; he simply nodded in a silent answer, rolling towards the wall to create enough space for the pirate to get in.

Before sliding under the covers, Hongjoong spreaded on the bed the blankets with which he was wrapped so that they could feel a little more warmth.

«Oh, wow,» Hongjoong sighed as he stretched under the covers, «I missed so much sleeping on a real bed.» Seonghwa silently admired his satisfied face from the other side of the mattress; eventually, the young King propped on his right elbow, an embarrassed blush on his face.

«Do you see the line between the cushions?» he asked, and Hongjoong nodded, holding back a smile.

«This is my space,» he patted the mattress next to himself, «and that’s yours.» he said, pointing towards a chuckling Hongjoong. Seonghwa’s blush deepened due to the sudden intimacy of the situation; he had been close to the Captain but it was never like this - even if a small part of himself had to admit that he didn’t dislike the thought so much.

The Pirate simply rolled his eyes as he laughed, shifting on his side so that his back was facing Seonghwa.

«Sleep well, Seonghwa.» the Captain whispered.

«You too, Hongjoong.» he immediately murmured back, wondering if he could fall asleep when his heart was beating so loud and so rapidly that he started to believe it wanted to run away from him.

Seonghwa slept soundly and coincidentally, without having nightmares; as he regained consciousness, he slowly blinked himself awake just to find Hongjoong’s face few millimetres from his.

Seonghwa’s heart probably skipped a beat seeing the other so close to him first thing in the morning; the pirate was still deeply asleep, his lips slightly parted and breathing softly. Apparently, during the night they both shifted and they slept with their forehead leaning against each other; Seonghwa wandered through his thoughts for a bit, trying to label that familiar feeling of warmth and sense of security he felt anytime the other was close to him.

By now, they’d already spent a lot of days together. As he admired his face, his fingers absent-mindedly brushed Hongjoong’s cheekbones, his nose, and the curve of his lips, trying to be as careful as he could not to wake him up.

However, these actions must have tickled the other boy since he slightly scrunched his nose, shaking his head and mumbling incomprehensible things, earning a soft smile from Seonghwa.

«Seonghwa,» Hongjoong groaned, his voice hoarse from sleep «go back to sleep, it’s still early.» he said, not bothering to open his eyes.

«It’s your fault,» Seonghwa mumbled back as a faint blush covered his cheeks, as he hurriedly made up an excuse, «you were on my side of the bed.» Hongjoong hummed back, and the young King shifted his position until his back was facing the Captain, his heart racing for being caught caressing the other’s face.

However, his blush deepened as he noticed that between the two of them, someone indeed had crossed the invisible border outlined by the cushions, but it was not Hongjoong.

His thoughts immediately came to a halt as he felt the other’s forehead gently pressing against his back, and one of his arms tentatively circling his waist.

«Go back to sleep.» the Pirate mumbled again, and the King gradually felt himself drifting back to sleep, his hand unconsciously reaching on top of Hongjoong’s and intertwining their fingers.

The next time they set foot on land, everyone immediately got excited as soon as they heard that the village was holding a big festival.

Seonghwa decided to follow around Mingi and Jongho for the day. Both boys took time to patiently explain to him everything they purchased, and the young King mentally admitted to himself he didn’t care much about gunpowder but he was glad to be helpful carrying around few things.

The day passed quickly, and before he knew it, they were dining together. Yunho placed eight fox masks with different colours on the table, accompanied by as many identical pins. The masks covered half of their faces, Seonghwa noticed, and they all had different colour patterns and were painted with different and precise details.

«These were the best one I could find,» he said pointing to the masks, «and these are for recognizing each other.» he added, pointing at the small golden pins.

«They’re heart shaped… Aren’t they cute?» San commented in a small voice, smiling as he reached out to take one pin and stick in in front of his jacket; the others agreed and imitated his actions, and then the masks were distributed.

“Are they really pirates?” the King thought as he watched them getting excited over heart shaped pins and fox-masks. Seonghwa took the black mask which was adorned with precise gold and white details which resembled small flowers. Instinctively, he glanced up and noticed Hongjoong had chosen the mask which was white and it was coloured with black and red details.

They finished dining together, and headed towards the main streets of the village.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa eventually drifted away from the others; after all, with so many people crowding the streets, it was normal to eventually get separated. Lanterns and colourful garlands decorated the streets of the village, and music, laughs and chatters could be heard everywhere.

Seonghwa didn’t exactly know when and how it happened but, somehow during the evening, both him and Hongjoong got dragged by few people who were dancing in order to join them. The young King held balls since he could remember, so it was not difficult to mimic his various companion’s steps. With the corner of an eye, Seonghwa noticed that the pirate wasn’t having too many problems, either. Finally reunited with his friend, they held hands as they followed the other people’s movements and spun around one more time, and the music momentarily stopped to restart again with another rhythm. They stood there, facing one another and happily smiling, slightly panting as people resumed the dance.

Hongjoong suddenly grabbed Seonghwa’s hand and started walking away from the crowded square, suddenly too noisy for his taste; the King trusted the Pirate and let him lead them away through crowded alleys, until both boys turned into one which was less busy. The lanterns located all around town provided to make everything a bit more romantic and suggestive; Seonghwa started feeling nervous, wondering why the other decided to drag him away all of a sudden.

«I’m glad you were having fun!» Hongjoong exclaimed, letting go of his hand and Seonghwa nodded in response, a bit confused.

«I actually wanted to ask you something,» the Pirate said, stepping in front of him as he took off his own mask. Seonghwa didn’t understand why something in that small gesture seemed so casual and yet so intimate; Hongjoong’s cheeks were flushed, probably due to all the dance they did earlier. The Captain took a big breath, «don’t go back, Seonghwa. Stay with us. Stay with me.» he said, murmuring the last part.

Seonghwa immediately realized why that gesture seemed so intimate to him: he was asking that not as his Captain, but simply as Hongjoong.

A Captain’s request was absolute, and Hongjoong was not only exposing his feelings hopelessly, but he was also giving him the opportunity to say no.

Seonghwa was completely taken aback from that; his eyes widened, glad he was still wearing the mask so that the other couldn’t see his reaction. He feared that as the Pirate closed the space between them with another step, he could have heard his quick heartbeat.

Seonghwa knew better than anyone that someone had to overthrow the Governor and complete his task but, during the last weeks, he slowly came to the realization that spending his days with Hongjoong and the others could be what his heart truly longed for.

He spent so many days locked up in the Castle’s library reading adventures books, he spent so many days feeling in a cage – even if he felt cherished and respected, that now that he tasted what freedom could mean he wasn’t sure he wanted to give it up.

Hongjoong interrupted the other’s train of thoughts as he tentatively reached up to take off the King’s mask, throwing it on the ground; they were looking in each other’s eyes, now and therefore, Seonghwa couldn’t hide nor himself nor his feelings behind a fox mask any more.

Hongjoong’s stare was fierce and intense, and neither this time hid sign of lie; Seonghwa couldn’t help but wonder, what did the pirate see in his eyes? He also wondered if his gaze was eloquent enough for the other to understand his answer.

The Pirate raised his left hand and started playing with the cotton string hanging from Seonghwa’s shirt, just like he did in the tavern; they stared in each other’s eyes in silence, Hongjoong was looking at him with nothing but pure and sincere tenderness, his smile matching his feelings.

Hongjoong’s right hand brushed against Seonghwa’s cheek, and he leaned into his touch. It felt so familiar to him, yet completely foreign and new; the Pirate’s eyes dropped to the other’s lips, however he didn’t do anything. He gazed back into the King’s eyes, looking for any trace of discomfort.

Seonghwa understood how once again the Pirate was bravely baring his soul but yet again, he was giving the King another opportunity to step away anytime he wanted.

They were staring in each other’s eyes, no words needed to be exchanged; Seonghwa wanted to kiss him – like two distant lovers reuniting after lives of waiting, for that was the other made him feel. The young King’s arms had been loose on his sides for all this time; he briefly glanced at Hongjoong’s smiling lips while his right hand rested gently on the Pirate’s cheek.

“I want to stay,” he thought.

As if he heard Seonghwa’s thoughts, Hongjoong tugged the strings of his shirt, and their lips met halfway.

The Pirate kissed him slowly, nothing more than pecks exchanged between soft smiles; everything in that first kiss made Seonghwa understand the sincerity of Hongjoong’s feelings, and he made sure to reciprocate the tenderness in them.

The King will never know, but the Pirate had been thinking about this moment for weeks. He had spent so many lonely nights on the quarterdeck wondering about his growing feelings, that now he was making sure any and every kiss held the confessions of his emotions.

Their lips moulded together at some point; Hongjoong tried to nip at the other’s lower lip and Seonghwa exhaled deeply through his nose. His left arm snaked around the other’s hips to close the distance between them, the unexpected need to feel Hongjoong as close as possible as their kiss got more passionate.

The Pirate’s breath hitched at that sudden move, the hand which was previously resting on his cheek was now entangled in the other’s soft hair; as he felt the other’s firm body against his, his tongue wandered towards the other’s lips, silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss even more.

Seonghwa tilted his head, one of his hands reaching to the other’s nape and his right arm still supporting the Pirate who was standing on his tiptoes; a soft moan escaped both boys as they enjoyed the warmth of each other’s mouth, when a loud, distant and sudden series of noises startled them.

Both boys quickly separated from each other, fearing the worst as their heads turned towards the source of it; however, Hongjoong sighed, and started laughing.

«Fireworks? Really?!» he asked, dumbfounded.

«Look at yourself,» Seonghwa laughed, his arms finding their way back around Hongjoong’s shoulders, «a dangerous and ruthless pirate getting startled by fireworks!» he joked, emphasising the last part.

«Don’t get smart with me, I saw you got startled too.» Hongjoong placed the top of his head against Seonghwa’s chest as he was still chuckling, and the King placed a tender kiss on his hair.

This time, Seonghwa was well aware that the other could hear loud and clear the pace of his quick heartbeat; he blushed and smiled softly at the thought, the other’s arms encircling his slim waist.

«Let’s go back.» smiled Hongjoong, lifting his head to look at Seonghwa, which nodded at him.

As the night passed, they managed to reunite with Yunho, Yeosang and Jongho at some point, and even though the three of them had noticed their suddenly swollen lips and their dishevelled hair, no one had mentioned it.

Days seemed to fly and the crew seemed to get a little more tense and restless each day the ship entered an increasingly foggy area.

“Finally ”, Seonghwa thought, mentally praising both Yeosang’s and Hongjoong’s skills to identify and proceed towards the right route after meticulously studying the map and the stars every day since they left Seonghwa’s kingdom.

The situation worsened day by day: for the purpose of being able to see each other once they stepped on deck, they hanged small lanterns almost everywhere, in order to prevent anyone from falling off the ship; often and willingly the crew kept their spirits up by joking about how more than pirates, they looked like a haunted ship. Things between Seonghwa and Hongjoong did not change much, except the kissing part, of course.

Since the journey started and during the time they spent together, it slowly became a natural habit to exchange innocent and gentle touches; Hongjoong would ruffle his hair or eventually, Seonghwa would caress the other’s face as they woke up facing each other and consequently, it became equally natural for them to become further intimate.

Despite everything, they tried to remain as discreet as possible every time they were around the others, but the crew did not fail to notice some affectionate gestures between the two – whether they were kisses or caresses.

Some would ignore them, some would playfully tease them. The young King often took time to reflect on how things had changed drastically for him; he never thought he could develop romantic feelings for someone since his wife died, let alone a Pirate, yet there he was. It was as if the mere presence of Hongjoong made him feel at ease; even if they weren’t standing close or even if the Pirate wasn’t paying attention to him, Seonghwa somehow felt protected. He was happy; he felt safe again, after a long time.

Still, there was a part of him that felt incredibly guilty.

“Do you want to resume your position as King because you want to, or because you’re supposed to?” Hongjoong’s words managed to breach his soul and now, he didn’t know how to deal with his duties. Which one did he had to follow? His heart or his mind? Which one was the right path for him?

The pirate’s presence made him feel incredibly happy, it was undeniable; however, sometimes he felt like that if he decided to follow his heart, he would betray his Kingdom. Otherwise, if he decided to follow his duties, he knew there was a high probability that he wouldn’t see Hongjoong ever again.

Was it what he really wanted?

The moment his title was restored, he would immediately be covered with responsibilities and duties; he would go back to do what he had always done but this time, he would have been alone. Seonghwa had never made a secret of how essential the presence of his wife was for him; since she passed away he had feel so terribly alone and since his journey started, he slowly came to the realization that every time he was around either Hongjoong or the others, he wouldn’t feel so alone anymore. He wanted to have a family again, he wanted to feel loved again, and it was the exact feeling the Pirate’s company was giving him.

Seonghwa’s eyes wandered over the painted ceiling, travelling back to the small portrait of his Kingdom. He had no idea how things were going back there, but he knew it would be wrong to turn his back on his people. They needed a King after all.

“Whoever could claim the position.” he thought, a familiar face flashing in his brain for a second; he sighed loudly in frustration and he shook his head, realizing that even if him and Hongjoong kissed, he never actually replied to him.

Deep down, Seonghwa knew exactly what he really longed for; he wanted to stay with the Pirate, to sail with him until the end of the world.

However, was it the right thing to do? Could he give up his duties for love?

«San, help me. I think I’m hallucinating!» Wooyoung commented one evening at dinner, gripping San’s elbow as he saw Hongjoong sitting on Seonghwa’s lap and placing his plate in front of him.

«But you are the doctor, Wooyoung!» answered San, holding in return the other’s arm and trying not to drop his fork. Seonghwa laughed, sure as hell his red cheeks gave away his embarrassment; he timidly circled Hongjoong’s waist with his left arm while his right one rested on the other’s thigh.

Hongjoong looked at both San and Wooyoung with an amused expression and a raised eyebrow as to say “why are you even surprised?”, and Seonghwa tried to hide his blushing face behind Hongjoong’s shoulder.

«So… Lovers?» Mingi asked, with a hopeful and happy smile on his face, indicating between them with his fork.

«It’s up to his Majesty to decide that, I’m still an outlaw.» Hongjoong shrugged and nodded towards Seonghwa, while continuing to eat.

Hongjoong didn’t turn his head in time to see that, but everyone else at the table noticed how Seonghwa’s smile softened as he looked at him, and the King delicately traced random patterns against the Pirate’s back with this fingers.

Later that night, Hongjoong led Seonghwa to his quarters while holding his hand, between loud cheers and whistles from the crew.

«So, lover…» Hongjoong began, joining the other boy under the covers; Seonghwa chuckled in response, covering both of them with a blanket.

«Don’t get smart with me!» Seonghwa laughed, «It’s not like I can’t hear Mingi calling you “Pirate King” all the time!»

They laid in bed facing each other, the soft moonlight providing the light that illuminated the Captain’s quarters; as they intertwined their fingers, Hongjoong brought their hands in front of his lips.

«You know,» he said, slowly kissing the other’s knuckles, his gaze lost and enchanted in an undefined point between the two of them, «I never thought I’d catch feelings for royalty.»

Seonghwa smiled, softly «You tell me?» he sighed, «I went from being in love with a docile and peaceful Queen to develop feelings for a man with a bounty on his head!» the King affectionately joked; Hongjoong scoffed a laugh, letting go of the other’s hand, pretending to be deeply offended by Seonghwa’s words.

«What if the bounty on your head ends up getting higher than mine?» the Pirate leaned closer to the King, pressing on his chest so that now Hongjoong was slightly laying on top of him; the Captain shifted, so that he was lifted on his right elbow, his chin resting on the palm of his hand.

«I highly doubt so, short people can be evil.» Seonghwa remarked, a sly smile adorning his lips. The pirate silently raised an eyebrow at him, as his fingers slowly traced random patterns on the King’s chest, from his neck towards his waist; Seonghwa slightly shivered, feeling the other’s cold digits through the thin fabric of his shirt.

«Yet, here you are.» Hongjoong mumbled, his position didn’t falter except for his right leg which was now positioned between Seonghwa’s.

The King shifted his position too, faintly widening his legs so that the pirate could be more comfortable and slightly bent his right knee, which wasn’t the one between Hongjoong’s legs. Seonghwa reached out, circling the other’s waist with his left arm and softly tracing the outline of Hongjoong’s soft lips with the other.

The King’s eyes focused on his thumb pressing on the Pirate’s lips, the room suddenly feeling too hot; Hongjoong was still casually laying in his original position, attentive to the other boy’s movements. He slowly parted his lips and let his tongue dart out to gently lick at the boy’s finger, and Seonghwa’s breath hitched and instinctively, he ran his tongue over his lips.

Hongjoong dared a bold move as he swirled his tongue around the King’s fingertip, smirking as he felt the grip on his waist slightly tighten; Seonghwa pulled his finger back as his hand quickly reached over Hongjoong’s nape and connected their lips and Hongjoong sighed, content finally feeling the contact he had been yearning for.

Hongjoong immediately returned the kiss with equal fervour, his left hand gripping tightly at the other’s waist as the other one was entangled in the King’s black hair; Seonghwa let his tongue slip out to swipe at the Pirate’s lips, who wasted no time to comply that silent request. Seonghwa’s hand rested on the Pirate’s hip as he held him close, letting him set the pace and the Pirate lifted his leg over Seonghwa’s hip, which let out a shaky breath as he felt the other’s thigh grazing against his crotch. The boy pressed against the Pirate’s hip, so that he could completely straddle him.

Hongjoong put his weight on his knees, hovering over Seonghwa’s body; he stopped kissing the King’s lips to gently nibble at the other’s neck with his teeth, Seonghwa’s breath hitching as the other bit him a little harder while sucking on the skin. His hand tightened in the Pirate’s hair, giving it a soft tug. Hongjoong looked up at him, eyes hooded and lips slightly parted; the King’s hands were still in his hair, and when he gave it a harder tug again, the pirate closed his eyes and leaned back into his touch, a soft moan escaping his lips. Seonghwa’s hand – which had been holding Hongjoong’s waist, grabbed on the other’s thigh and squeezed it before giving it a harsh tug, causing the pirate to close the small space remaining between their bodies.

Both boys moaned loudly at the sudden contact of their crotches, and Seonghwa let go of the other’s hair as he gripped Hongjoong’s thighs, refraining him to move away. Hongjoong’s hands were resting on the cushion behind Seonghwa’s head, their lips hovering few millimetres one from the other.

The Pirate kissed him again, gently biting sucking on the King’s lower lips as he grinded his hips against the other’s, resulting on Seonghwa’s hands to reach to the pirate’s butt to make him repeat the action. Hongjoong breathy chuckled, complying and feeling the other boy gradually getting hard underneath him.

The kisses were messy, playful bites were exchanged along with soft moans and Seonghwa was loving every minute of it; he was about to roll them over but then he felt the Pirate’s hands holding his wrists and placing them against the pillow. He tried to see as much as he could of Hongjoong’s face but he knew him enough to know that, if the room were less dark, the Pirate would have winked at him; Seonghwa’s mind momentarily went blank as he felt Hongjoong lifting himself off his lap to get rid of his shirt and place one of his hands back on Seonghwa’s bulge.

They kissed again as the Pirate started to tease him with light touches, sliding his palm over his still clothed length, or applying a frustrating amount of pressure on the head with slow, circular motions. Either way, Seonghwa would moan and Hongjoong’s lips would be there to unintentionally muffle the sounds.

«Off.» Hongjoong’s hoarse voice ordered between kisses, tugging at Seonghwa’s shirt. The King chuckled at the other’s impatience as he complied, lifting himself enough to let the other boy take off his shirt.

Hongjoong’s lips immediately reattached to Seonghwa’s before starting to travel down his chest, showering it with kisses and soft bites. Hongjoong’s lips marked the other’s hipbones sucking on his skin before biting it again, before stopping altogether.

«Are you sure?» the pirate asked, breathing heavily and kissing once again that small fraction of his skin.

«Is that even a question?» Seonghwa groaned back, slightly lifting his hips trying to urge the other to proceed. It wasn’t his first time with a boy, he had some experience from before his wedding; experiences which clearly, he had to kept hidden from anyone in the Castle. Still, he had to admit that a young Prince Seonghwa sneaking out to enjoy the company of the son of an in fluent merchant would have been quite the talk around town.

«Seonghwa.» Hongjoong warned, his hands roughly pushed on the other’s waist, so that he was pressed against the mattress.

«Hongjoong.» Seonghwa mimicked his tone, running a hand between his damp hair, «If you stop again, there’s really gonna be a bounty on my head.» Hongjoong chuckled at the harsh reply, humming in approval, as he helped himself and his lover to get rid of the last layers of clothes they wore. Seonghwa sighed at the feeling of cold air against his sensitive member, which was probably already leaking with precome.

Hongjoong sat between his legs and attached his lips to Seonghwa’s length. The King already figured out that the other boy loved to tease probably a bit too much. He would alternate kitten licks to going from the base to the tip with his tongue flat, and occasionally harshly sucking and swirling his tongue over the tip, releasing it with loud pops. Seonghwa’s moans deepened at the feeling of the other’s tongue teasing him so perfectly.

As he felt Hongjoong’s tongue once again around the tip of his length, one of his hands immediately reached to the pirate’s hair to keep him in place. Hongjoong got the hint and decided to leave the teasing for some other time, swallowing Seonghwa’s member as much as he could with a soft moan. The pirate did his best to relax his throat as he started bobbing his head up and down, helping himself with his hand where his mouth couldn’t reach.

It was messy, sometimes Seonghwa would unintentionally push his hips upwards lost in arousal, and the pirate’s hand would immediately stop him by pressing on his hips. Hongjoong moaned around the other’s member as the King tugged harshly on his hair, feeling the pirate’s mouth perfect around him. Interpreting Seonghwa’s increasingly moans as him being close, Hongjoong swallowed his member as deep as his throat allowed him, feeling Seonghwa’s length twitch and warm fluid coating his tongue, as a broken moan of his name left the other’s lips.

Hongjoong swallowed, detaching completely from the other boy, and climbing back on top of him while wiping his mouth and his chin with the back of his hand. Seonghwa let out a content sigh, and reached out to gently kiss the pirate again, faintly tasting himself on the other’s tongue. Hongjoong lifted up, reaching over to the small nightstand next to their bed and taking out a small round jar.

«San and Wooyoung recommended this… aloe, I think it was called.» Hongjoong briefly explained, coating his fingers with its content.

«I don’t know how to-» Seonghwa timidly tensed up a bit, running a hand through his dampened hair and trying to calm down his panting breaths.

«Don’t worry, you can do this next time.» Hongjoong cut his sentence short, as his hand reached behind himself to begin to stretch himself. Seonghwa shifted so that he could sit, caressing Hongjoong’s thighs and showering his face and neck with soft kisses, somehow trying to ease the momentary pain the other felt.

Hongjoong’s uncomfortable hisses turned into soft, breathy moans, which were swallowed by Seonghwa’s mouth, as the pirate gradually got accommodated to the stretch. Seonghwa’s hand caressed the other’s hip as he reached behind the pirate to join the other’s hand.

As Hongjoong was focused adjusting to the stretch, Seonghwa carefully coated one of his fingers with the aloe in excess, and he slowly pushed over the other’s rim, adding his digit to Hongjoong’s two fingers.

The pirate dropped his face in the crook of Seonghwa’s neck with a loud moan, biting on his shoulder due to the sudden stretch.

«Please,» Hongjoong whined, and Seonghwa felt himself getting hard again, as Hongjoong’s fingers – and consequently his, started to move in order to stretch him. His other hand reached out to slowly pump and twist around Hongjoong’s neglected member, carefully smearing precum all over it, carefully avoiding the sensitive tip.

The pirate’s head remained tugged in the other’s shoulders as Seonghwa did his best to remain focused on matching Hongjoong’s pace with his fingers. The King kissed as much of the other’s skin as he could without changing their position, completely enamoured with Hongjoong’s moans and whimpers so close to his ear.

Seonghwa’s hand travelled upwards, from Hongjoong’s member to linger on the other’s neck and the pirate moaned as he felt the King faintly tightening his grip before harshly grasping his chin to kiss him again.

«I want you so much,» Seonghwa whispered between their kisses, feeling almost shy about how hoarse his voice had turned from arousal. He felt Hongjoong’s smile against his lips, as he stopped both their hands from stretching him further.

Seonghwa slightly leaned back, supporting his weight on his hands as Hongjoong guided the other boy’s pulsing member past his rim. Gradually, he slowly inched down on the other’s length as Seonghwa did his best to not move his hips every time he felt the other clench around him, letting him totally adjust before moving at all.

Hongjoong bottomed out stilling his hips, completely sitting on top of Seonghwa, which by now had his head thrown back and lips parted with soft moans. As the pirate opened his eyes and made out Seonghwa’s shape, he was thankful to be partially enveloped by darkness otherwise he was pretty sure he would have come on the spot by that sight alone.

Hongjoong pulled up himself on Seonghwa’s shoulders as he grinded his hips, both boys moaning overwhelmed one by the stretch inside him and the other from the tightness around him. The pirate’s hips moved in circles few times before tentatively lifting his hips to sink back down, clenching around Seonghwa.

Repeating the action, Hongjoong’s hips slowly and passionately started to move on Seonghwa’s as they kissed again, tongues lapping at each others and teeth nibbling each other’s swollen and smiling lips.

The King’s left hand gripped Hongjoong’s waist, his thumb pressing on his hipbone as the thrusted upwards to meet the other’s movements as he was bouncing on him, alternating the motion to grinding on the other’s lap by moving his hips in circles. Hongjoong locked his arms around Seonghwa’s neck, the other threw his head back and the pirate took this opportunity to leave love bites on his neck where he felt the fast beating of his heart.

The only sound in the room were their moans and their bodies colliding, their movements getting sloppier as they approached their release.

Seonghwa felt Hongjoong starting to clench around him more and he swiftly flipped them over, feeling the pirate’s thigh surrounding him and holding him close. The King immediately resumed their previous actions, feeling Hongjoong’s short nails dug lines in his back as he kissed the pirate’s neck while his deep thrusts were bringing both of them over the edge, Hongjoong’s member being stimulated while being trapped between them.

Hongjoong’s legs closed around Seonghwa’s hips and refrained him to pull out, reaching his climax with a loud moan as he felt the other harshly bottoming out inside of him. Seonghwa came too, feeling the other clench impossibly tight around him, suffocating a moan against the other’s skin.

«I’m sorry.» Seonghwa panted few moments later, his head still buried in the pirate’s neck.

«What for?» Hongjoong quickly mumbled in answer, feeling his stomach drop and fearing the worst.

«I didn’t pull out in time.» Seonghwa sighed, lifting on his elbows to place a soft kiss on the pirate’s eyebrow, who immediately relaxed under his touch.

«It’s okay if you want to do that, silly.» Hongjoong chuckled, flinching as Seonghwa slowly pulled out and rolled on his back.

«Are you sure?» Seonghwa asked, timidly.

«Positive. Captain’s orders.» Hongjoong reached out to take one of their shirts and clean them as best as he could, before tossing it on the floor and lie back, embraced by Seonghwa’s welcoming and opened arms.

They fell asleep together not much later, exchanging sweet words accompanied by sweet and content kisses, cuddling under the blankets and in each other’s warmth.

Next morning, Seonghwa realized the whole crew was perfectly updated about their relationship; their friends happily and teasingly called out to both Hongjoong and Seonghwa after seeing various bite marks and hickeys on both their necks and as they got random glimpse of the marks on their chests from their low-cut shirts anytime they moved.

«Damn, Captain! Was there a storm last night?» San asked with his voice purposely loud, faking innocence as he walked towards Hongjoong, Yunho and Seonghwa which were talking on the quarter deck.

«Wasn’t the ship rocking a bit too much?» Wooyoung added with a cheeky smile, appearing right behind his lover.

Yunho almost choked on the water he was drinking, having to walk away from them due to his muffled laughters.

«I could ask you the same thing, you two.» Hongjoong replied with a smirk, narrowing his eyes and hinting at the few hickeys that adorned Wooyoung’s neck; Seonghwa felt lightly embarrassed, but still found funny to watch them playfully bickering.

«So,» San walked towards Seonghwa, linking their arms together. «Who is the top?» he asked, winking at him.

«Oh, my!» Seonghwa laughed, immediately escaping the other’s grip «Hongjoong! Tell your friends to mind their own business!» he added, blushing faintly.

The Pirate laughed in response. «Well, technically-»

«-We’re your friends as well!» Wooyoung added, faking offence.

As they had fun together, Seonghwa knew he would love for this to be his daily life.

«Land! Ahead!» Yeosang’s loud voice rang out from the crow’s nest, catching everyone’s attention. «Actually, you know what? I’m not sure, I can’t see anything.» He added, carefully climbing down and walking towards Hongjoong. «Captain, someone should take the shallop and check ahead.»

Hongjoong nodded at him, «By now we should be close to the Mist. Take some men with you and go check.»

Seonghwa watched as their friends meticulously prepared a rope to attach to both the mast and to the small ship, in case they happened lost sense of direction. It didn’t take much time to see his friends disappear in the thick wall of fog.

Seonghwa spent the morning asking around the ship if he could help, resulting in the crew politely declining his offer.

«We already took care of everything, there’s nothing much to do beside waiting.» they told him.

Dejected, he settled for sitting on the familiar spot he occupied almost every night on the stairs leading on the quarterdeck, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.

He felt a loud sigh, followed by approaching footsteps; within seconds, someone sat behind him and he felt a familiar hand gently ruffling his hair in a familiar and affectionate manner.

«Calm down, Seonghwa.» Hongjoong mumbled, pulling the other boy to his chest; the Pirate’s arms gently snaked around the King’s waist, and he rested his chin on Seonghwa’s shoulder.

«But, what if-»

«No but!» Hongjoong immediately interrupted him; he placed a soft kiss on his shoulder, before gently rocking their bodies, «Yeosang was a cartographer in the Navy. There is no one more suited than him for this task»

«The Navy? Seriously?» Seonghwa asked, thinking about how Yeosang’s behaviour – calm, reserved and composed, actually perfectly matched a Navy’s soldier.

«Both him and Mingi, actually. Yeosang’s father was a Commander, so he grew up on a ship, just like me.» Seonghwa nodded, remembering the time Hongjoong had told him that he had lived on a pirate ship since childhood, having been his father a pirate Captain as well. Illusion, he added, was actually a legacy of his father.

The King furrowed his brow, «Mingi was in the Navy?!» he slightly turned his hand in disbelief, to see Hongjoong chuckling with his intense eyes fixed on the crew restlessly working on the deck.

«He was a powder monkey back in the Navy. I stole them both, just like I did with you.» Hongjoong said with a smug smile, tightening his grip.

Seonghwa scoffed at that. «Oh come on, Hongjoong. I literally had to beg you to take me with you!»

«I would have done that myself, eventually.» He pecked Seonghwa’s parted lips, smiling softly at how the other blushed in return, shyly adverting his gaze.

«Hey, lovebirds!» they turned towards Yunho, who was smiling at them from the deck. «Yeosang has returned. We found it.»

From that moment, everything happened in a blur: a group would have gone first, while the rest of the crew would remain on board to monitor the ship. Seonghwa took a seat on the small boat, watching the rope that connected him and his friends to the ship slowly build up tension, not that he could see much more. There was a torch in front of the boat; a dim light that somehow tried to break the wall of fog around them. Exactly as Yeosang predicted, they touched land few hours later.

Their boots sank in the wet, soft sand and, after each of them had lightened up their wooden torch, they went on together, advancing slowly, staying as close as possible. The absence of any kind of noise besides the wind, the waves and the sound of their footsteps made them inexplicably even more nervous; Seonghwa and his friends were sure that they would not find anyone waiting for them, but they were still in an unknown place and never visited by other people – if not desperate ones like himself.

As far as they knew, they could have found traps along their way. The island did not seem to be large: as they continued, the fog in front of them slowly began to dissolve, until it completely disappeared.

«Oh, now we can see clearly?» Wooyoung mumbled, nervously tightening his grip around the torch «It’s…»

«… It’s creeping me out.» San finished his lover’s sentence; they looked behind their shoulders to see that the thick wall of fog behind them was still present.

«For the first time in the history of our friendship, I won’t order to separate.» Hongjoong said, and Seonghwa’s hand nervously reached out to intertwine their fingers.

«Like hell I would have gone around by myself.» Mingi muttered behind them, making Yeosang giggle. In front of them, rocks began to sprout, gaining in size as they progressed.

«Do you know anything else beside the cave part?» Jongho asked Seonghwa, as they cautiously made their way through sand and pebbles.

Seonghwa shook his head, «I absolutely don’t. I’m sorry.»

They came to a stop in front of a high and unstable rock wall: unable to see its end, they deduced it was a mountain. They agreed on walking around it until they eventually found the entrance; in any case, they gave up on splitting up.

The aura surrounding the Island was terrifying, Seonghwa thought. Despite being in a group and everyone proceeding close enough their arms were constantly touching, he could not help but feel pervaded by constant anxiety, and a vague feeling of being almost observed.

However, from what?Seonghwa was certain that in his father’s stories there was no mention of entities protecting nor the island nor its treasures. Nonetheless, Hongjoong and the others told him about meeting sea monsters somewhere and somehow during their previous trips, so he did not dare to exclude anything.

It seemed to them that they were walking for hours. The fact that everywhere they looked they would see only rocks, sand and fog did nothing to strengthen their spirits. Hongjoong kept holding Seonghwa’s hand firmly, as to silently reassure him.

«Watch out, ahead.» Yeosang mumbled, loud enough for them to hear. They hummed in response, coming to a stop in front a small and narrow downhill consisting of a sharp and rocky staircase.

«Should some of us keep guard outside?» Yunho asked Hongjoong, which shook his head in answer.

«It’s probably foolish but I think we shouldn’t separate.» he said, reaching out the arm that held the torch towards the entrance of the cave.

«Well,» Mingi sighed «After you, your Majesty.» Seonghwa nodded at him, exchanging a small, encouraging smile with the pirate.

The King had not spoken about how he felt, despite that strange feeling of being observed steadily increased with each step.

Carefully they went down the stairs, trying to talk as less as possible, their footsteps echoing against the damp and unexplored walls. The narrow corridor began to widen until they saw a stone arch – engraved with what Seonghwa recognized as runes, waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

At the exact moment they crossed the threshold, the environment suddenly lit up: fire torches lit up consequently, one by one, startling them.

«Okay now, what – and I can’t stress this enough, the hell just happened?» Mingi asked, dumbfounded. His question, however, met no answer.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on analysing in awe their surroundings. Before them, there was a huge hall confined by stones, but most importantly there was an abnormal amount of treasures deposited there: jewellery, coins, weapons and all kinds of wealth laid all around them.

Seonghwa looked around, hoping in vain to find immediately what he was looking for, until his eyes met a small path leading to an isolated casket. He squeezed Hongjoong’s hand, earning his attention. He detached his hand from the other boy, as he carefully walked towards it.

«Isn’t it too easy?» the pirate mumbled suspicious, but followed Seonghwa nonetheless. Seonghwa’s uneasiness worsened.

In addition to all this, he believed to have heard an amused chuckle coming from somewhere near him. With shaky hands, he took the small casket and opened it; inside, a perfectly shaped sphere was laying on soft dark blue velvet.

“It’s completely transparent,” Seonghwa thought. “it could be glass, or crystal.”

Seonghwa had no idea about how the Aurora shard looked like but, between all the ideas he had, it was definitely not a transparent sphere.

However, his curiosity had the better of him and he touched it anyway; as soon as the sphere was in his hands, a faint glow erupted from the centre, becoming gradually brighter and brighter. Seonghwa was enchanted to see various shapes of green, red and blue dance harmoniously in his hands: the aurora’s colours. He was about to turn around to tell Hongjoong he found what he had been looking for when he heard said boy shout his name, his voice full of worry.

«And so, the King has come.» an unfamiliar female voice said from behind him.

Seonghwa turned immediately, almost dropping the shard on the floor in amazement. In front of him there was a female figure who materialized out from nowhere, her consistency almost ethereal. Seonghwa wasn’t sure how he could see her, when it looked like she was made of air itself, but he was certain his friend were able to see her, too.

«I don’t want to repeat myself,» Mingi’s hushed tone came from behind a small mountain of coins «but, what the hell?»

The creature, or spirit, was floating in mid-air looking at Seonghwa with peaceful eyes, eyes which held the same colours that had erupted from the shard few moments earlier. Nobody dared to move, they simply stared at her floating around Seonghwa before coming to a stop, assuming a sitting position in mid-air.

«Why is she not attacking us?» Jongho mumbled, frowning.

«I have no reason to do that,» She addressed him with a smile, although her eyes were still locked on Seonghwa. «the King has come to claim the Aurora shard and the treasures hidden on this island, and I have nor reason nor authority to object.»

«Are you…?» Seonghwa stopped in mid-sentence, wondering how to continue his question, and the ethereal creature smiled softly at him, nodding. The King raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if somehow, she managed to read his mind.

«I am the Aurora shard.» her soft voice echoed in the hall. «I’m also the guardian of this place. But most of all, I am connected to the Kings’ souls.»

Seonghwa nodded, his eyes carefully looking at the sphere in his hand and letting the information sink in.

“If she’s really connected to me,” Seonghwa thought, “This means she could already know what I really desire, doesn’t she?”

«I have a really big favour to ask you. Can you grant my wish?» Seonghwa’s determined eyes found hers, which grinned at him in return; she simply answered with a nod, somehow confirming to the King that she already knew.

«I will, your Majesty.» with a bow, she softly disappeared in thin air, reabsorbed by the shard in Seonghwa’s hand.

He closed his eyes, holding to his chest the sphere for a moment.

“And please protect me, my Aurora.” Seonghwa thought, before placing it back into the casket.

He immediately looked at Hongjoong, which visibly relaxed, the young King walked towards him with hurried steps and quickly placed a soft peck on his lips, pleased at how he caught the Pirate blushing before lightly coughing and averting his gaze.

«Now… What?» asked Yeosang.

«I found what I was looking for,» Seonghwa said, turning towards them. «You can take anything you want.»

He laughed as his friends erupted with a loud cheer, parting ways to collect as many valuable and different things as they could manage.

Seonghwa comfortably sat on the chair next to Hongjoong; their fingers were intertwined in the pirate’s lap, and they were participating in the animated and cheerful conversation of his friends.

«I’m sad Seonghwa didn’t have the chance to see you in action.» Mingi said to Jongho. Seonghwa smiled, remembering how a few days before, when they were coming out of the Mist’s cave, his friend managed to carry a much heavier load than the others.

«I was a baker before joining the crew.» Jongho answered Seonghwa’s silent question. «I basically did a lot of workout carrying bags of flour around. It came pretty handy.» he shrugged, smiling.

«You should have seen him during his first assault,» Hongjoong added, «We knew he was strong, but he carried gunpowder around so effortlessly, we were shocked for a solid minute.»

«I even asked Yeosang if he trained with us!» Mingi said.

«I was surprised you asked me, since you were the powder monkey back then. You should have, at least, noticed him.» Yeosang answered, and they all laughed together.

Jongho winked, «You should have worked for my boss, back in my town.» he answered Mingi, tapping his bicep.

«Were both of you training in the Navy?» Seonghwa asked Yeosang and Mingi, pretending not to know what Hongjoong told him. They nodded, unintentionally coordinated.

«My father was a Commander, I always had a passion for cartography and so I grew up with-»

«A natural talent to get us out of trouble.» Yunho interrupted Yeosang’s sentence.

The pirate blushed, adverting his gaze «You have to admit that the Captain’s sense of direction is really good.» he mumbled.

«Like he said before, I was a powder monkey back then!» Mingi took a sip of his drink, before continuing «Probably the worst experience of our life, right Yeosang?» he mumbled, elbowing the boy next to him, which simply raised his eyebrows and nodded.

«Let’s just say we craved freedom at some point, and caught the opportunity.» Yunho said, «I was a servant for a very rich family. Long story short: the night I met the crew, I guided them to their safety vault after they promised to take me with them.» Seonghwa nodded, feeling happy about the fact that they shared their past stories with him, and about how everyone was more relaxed on their way back.

He also couldn’t help feeling a different kind of warmth within himself. By now, months had passed since he left his kingdom. The more days passed, the more he felt he belonged exactly there, with them.

«How about you?» he asked San, which smiled brightly at him.

«Well, I was a thief… One day I was running away from a small group of guards and… Let’s just say I hid on the wrong ship.» he laughed. Hongjoong scoffed, amused. «It doesn’t look like you’re regretting staying!»

San hid himself behind Wooyoung’s shoulders before sticking out his tongue at the Captain, earning soft laughters from the others. Hongjoong rolled his eyes, and returned playing with Seonghwa’s fingers.

«We deliberately left Wooyoung’s story last.» Jongho commented, chuckling.

«Was he the last one to join before me?» Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong nodded at him, delicately caressing his knuckles with his thumb, slightly taken aback by the King’s question; he was sure they never properly talked about him definitely staying with them. However, it was needless to say that if Seonghwa had decided to stay with him, the pirate would have been more than happy to sail towards countless new adventures with him.

«Yeah well you need to hear this, Seonghwa.» Wooyoung said, looking at him in a serious way. «I got kidnapped. A poor, abandoned hostage after a battle.» Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he heard the others muffled laughters. Wooyoung continued immediately, intentionally increasing the drama in his tone of voice.

«Let’s just say that after few hours tied on the mast, I noticed how there were few injured people due to that fight, and no one was treating them. So I-»

San’s loud laughter interrupted him, «He convinced one of the crew members’ to set him free by saying he felt “terribly sick”, and then started pacing around the deck screaming at anyone of us: “Are you freaking serious?! A pirate ship without a doctor?! What kind of poor imitation of pirates are you?"» San said, imitating his lover.

«And you just let him?» Seonghwa asked his friends, giggling. «We just let him be, he randomly choose a room and claimed it as the infirmary.» Yunho added.

«He literally threw everything and everyone out from there.» Jongho said.

«Well, you forgot to mention that San was his first patient…» Yeosang said, watching the both of them with malice. Wooyoung answered by kissing San on the cheek. The latter’s cheeks turned pink and they all laughed together.

«Seriously? No doctor?» Seonghwa asked quietly to Hongjoong. The pirate shrugged, «We actually had a doctor, but he got… shot.» Seonghwa nodded, understanding what the pirate was hinting.

«But hey, Wooyoung is no longer the only one which decided to stay for love!» Mingi stated intentionally emphasizing the last words, placing his hand on his chin and blinking his eyes innocently; Seonghwa’s cheeks flamed up, and Hongjoong choked on his drink.

«Look at them being all shy!» Yunho chimed in with a loud voice, pointing at them.

«It’s not like we can’t see them exchanging soft kisses basically everywhere on the ship!» Mingi continued, snaking an arm around his friend’s shoulders, «Hongjoong!» he said shyly, playfully mimicking Seonghwa’s voice.

«Seonghwa!» Yunho dramatically mimicked the Captain’s voice, immediately returning his friend’s embrace, and they proceeded making kissing noises in rapid succession.

The King laughed, trying to hide his face behind the hand that the Pirate wasn’t holding.

«Are we really like that?» Seonghwa asked a blushing Hongjoong, which replied with a bright smile and a confident shrug.

The newfound serenity of those days soon came to an end.

«A ship is approaching! Pirates!» Yeosang’s shout interrupted the quiet morning. In no time, the ship was populated with masked men running around and getting ready to fight, the same uniforms for which they had become famous in popular stories all around the Kingdoms.

All the crew was on deck, ready to follow Hongjoong’s orders.

«We don’t take prisoners, and for the love of Mazu, Mingi,» the Captain looked at the tall pirate «This time, don’t sink them until I say so.» the red head answered with a nod and a devilish smile.

«Mazu?» Seonghwa whispered to Yunho, standing on his right.

«The Chinese Goddess of the sea.» he explained with the same hushed voice «she protects sailors, fishermen and sea travellers.» Seonghwa nodded.

«I know you can look out for yourself,» Hongjoong told the King loud enough for him to hear, «Just… Be careful, please.»

He nodded, briefly holding the other’s gloved hand, «You too.»

The enemy ship was approaching them fast, and by the time it reached them, everyone was ready to fight. Their opponents did not hesitate to fire their cannons which fortunately missed the Illusion, even if only slightly.

«They fired from so far away,» Yeosang commented as he climbed down from the crew’s nest «They must be idiots.» With quick steps, the boy informed his Captain that there were no other ships in sight.

Hongjoong clenched his jaw, answering with a simple «Good.» If Seonghwa said he wasn’t nervous, it would have been a lie. He happened to participate in some assaults when he was still part of the Resistance and he had already killed people in the past but, despite everything, he could not prevent his throat feeling dry and his heart nervously pumping in his chest. He breathed deeply, waiting.

He glanced around the deck to see that unlike him, the ones who stayed upstairs to fight in the first lines were a mixture of relaxed and thrilled. Loud cheers and chants raised upon them, and the change of behaviour reminded Seonghwa that, after all, there was a reason if they gained a reputation of ruthless and blood thirsty pirates.

«Fire!» as soon as the other ship was close enough, Hongjoong’s command had been repeated by few other crew members. Even if there were holes on the other ship’s side, they didn’t stop inching towards them.

The King watched as the pirates docked on the Illusion, and prepared to fight the men who were charging. He did not find it too difficult to defend himself: the pirates were physically strong but they lacked technique, so it was not difficult for Seonghwa to get the better of them and be helpful. He had always trained to fight with two swords, so he easily managed to juggle his opponents.

The shouts of the people fighting and falling overboard and the noise of the cannons was deafening, but he got used to that quickly. Chance wanted that he turned his head towards the direction of the Captain’s quarters at the exact moment a man not belonging to their crew headed in that direction.

Seonghwa followed his instinct, springing to the corridor that leaded to their chamber.

“I saw someone, I’m sure of it.” , he walked cautiously with his back facing the wall. It was impossible to hear too faint sounds because of the battle going on behind him, but he did his best.

However, he stopped in his track as soon as he felt a blade pressing against his neck.

«I believe you value your life.» an unfamiliar rough voice spat from behind him. Seonghwa didn’t move. «Take me to the treasury.» the pirate urged, and the King didn’t waver. He shut his eyes close as he felt a faint sting where the blade pressed against his neck. He suddenly struck his opponent with his elbow, detaching himself and taking the opportunity to draw one of his swords as he turned around. Instead of unleashing the second sword, he opted for using the dagger Hongjoong gave him months ago.

The pirate obviously didn’t appreciate the action and pounced at him, but Seonghwa was ready to block his attack with the sword in his right hand and stabbing his leg with his left hand. Seonghwa hoped that the pirate’s scream of pain would be enough to draw someone’s attention on the deck, even though being in the middle of a battle, he doubted someone heard.

The pirate was not taller than him, but he certainly had twice his strength. He managed to kick him in the stomach, taking advantage of his groan of pain to disarm him from his sword. Seonghwa noticed how they had been moving closer to the deck instead of the Captain’s chambers and he only needed few more steps to get noticed by his friends.

With a quick movement, the King managed to get his pistol and shoot the other in the leg, instantly getting up from the floor and leaping towards the deck as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, something in his plan had gone wrong, he realized. He managed to get back on deck but as soon as he heard a loud shot, he felt an atrocious pain on the side of his thigh.

Seonghwa knelt down in reflex, gritting his teeth and turning around, pointing his gun to the pirate’s head which was limping towards him. His opponent did the same. He was aiming his gun to Seonghwa’s head, and before the King’s reflexes to pull the trigger kicked in, he heard a shot. He watched as the lifeless body fell in front of him, in a pool of his own blood.

“I didn’t shoot him, who was it?” he thought as he glanced on his side, trying to ignore the sudden urge to throw up, and he was met with Yunho’s wide eyes, staring at him with worry.

«Thanks, Yunho!» Seonghwa shouted, in order to be heard over the loud noises.

«No problem, buddy! I told you I owed you a big one!» He gave him a wide grin, walking towards him and picking up a sword from one of the fallen men on the deck, handing it to him.

«Can you still fight?» He asked; now that they were up close Seonghwa noticed he had multiple cuts on his sleeve. Seonghwa nodded, his leg was hurting badly, but everyone was fighting to defend the Illusion and therefore, even if the battle was almost over, he couldn’t abandon them. Seonghwa took his friend’s outstretched hand and got up.

«Go on the quarterdeck,» Yunho ordered, noticing that Seonghwa had instinctively shut his eyes in discomfort as soon as he moved his weight on his right leg, «Hongjoong and San need a hand.»

The King complied, trying to hurry up the stairs without causing his injury to bleed even further. San and other men were fighting around Hongjoong, which occasionally left the helm to help the others; the Captain glanced towards the stairs, feeling a mixture of anger and worry fill his veins as soon as Seonghwa appeared.

«San!» he called out to his friend, which after following his gaze acknowledged his silent order and took the helm. Hongjoong reached Seonghwa with quick steps, holding the King’s elbow a little harsher than he originally planned.

«What the hell happened to you?» Hongjoong inquired, his eyes shifting from his neck, to his leg and to his eyes.

«Nothing, really, I’m fine! » Seonghwa shrugged, trying not to make the pain in his voice too obvious.

«Mingi!» the pirate shouted, evident rage in his voice, «Sink them!» the command was repeated few times by the crew members, and the cannons fired few moments later.

He obeyed Hongjoong and sat right next to him until everyone had cleared the area. During the fight, they all had followed Hongjoong’s orders and scattered on the ship, busy fighting for both their life and to defend Illusion; if Mingi and Jongho were busy downstairs handling the cannons with a small part of the crew, Yeosang, San and Hongjoong were steering the ship and fighting on the quarterdeck. Yunho, Seonghwa and Wooyoung were fighting on deck with the rest of the crew.

The King lost track of time, Hongjoong was standing next to him, steering them away from the other sinking ship and nervously glancing at him, his eyes evidently full of worry.

They both had took their masks and hats off, so anytime Hongjoong looked at him, Seonghwa answered with a silent, sincere and pained smile. Eventually, Wooyoung rushed up the stairs of the quarter deck.

«Can you stand?» He asked Seonghwa with his voice full of concern as he knelt next to him and taking off his own hat; he reached down to tore the fabric around his wound, trying to have a better look without touching it. Wooyoung sighed, and helped him up and into the infirmary.

Seonghwa didn’t see Hongjoong until afternoon. Wooyoung treated him and the others who got injured, luckily no one was in serious conditions.

«I’ve seen Hongjoong that angry reaaaaaaally only few times.» San commented, empathizing his words as he was sitting on Wooyoung’s chair.

«And it was scary. Please, don’t get hurt ever again.» the Doctor agreed with his lover.

«I’ll try.» Seonghwa smiled, nodding. Wooyoung returned the smile and finished disinfecting the cut on Seonghwa’s neck. Fortunately, neither the cut on the neck nor the injury to the leg was serious.

The bullet had gone out on its own, decreasing the risk of infection, but walking on it hadn’t been the wisest choice. Wooyoung wrapped a bandage around his thigh, and as soon as he finished, he pointed his finger at him.

«You need to rest a lot, Seonghwa» Wooyoung said with a stern voice «And I’m serious. If I see you walking around or even worse, trying to climb up the crow’s nest with Yeosang before I allow you to do that, I’ll shoot you down myself.» Seonghwa giggled, adverting his gaze.

«Now please, go calm down your boyfriend.» San sighed, and the three of them laughed together.

Back in the Captain’s quarters, Seonghwa watched Hongjoong closing the door behind himself, before silently starting to undress; he was about to get up from the bed in order to help him, when Hongjoong stopped him, with an unexpectedly cold voice.

«I don’t want you to get all dirty again. Plus, you’re not supposed to get up.» he explained shortly after as he was discarding is gloves.

«Are you okay?» Seonghwa tentatively asked, as the pirate took off his shirt. The King looked at the scars scattered on the other’s back, and manoeuvred until he was sitting on the bed’s edge. Hongjoong slouched on his chair, nodding briefly.

They spent few minutes in a slightly uncomfortable and tense silence. Seonghwa was looking at the pirate, and the latter was staring at an undefined spot in the wooden wall.

«I’m just glad,» he sighed, interrupting the quietness. Hongjoong wordlessly got up from the chair, and walked towards Seonghwa, kneeling between his spreaded legs, «I’m glad Yunho noticed him in time.» Seonghwa felt the Captain’s gaze burning its way into his soul.

They stared at each other for a while with shiny eyes who hid a universe of unspoken words, yet they still managed to understand every emotion hid in those soft gazes.

It could have gone worse, they both knew it.

Seonghwa was the first one to lean down, resting his forehead against the Pirate’s and closing his eyes.

Hongjoong was the first one to break the contact, reaching out to lock his arms around the King’s shoulders, hugging him tightly and burying his face into the other’s neck, and Seonghwa returned the hug just as desperately.

«Seonghwa, wake up.» Hongjoong softly shook Seonghwa’s shoulders, and the boy woke up with a soft groan.

«What is it? Is it a storm? Do you need my help?» Seonghwa mumbled, lifting himself on his elbow, without actually opening his eyes.

Hongjoong chuckled at the other’s appearance: eyes closed tightly in a frown and his lips in a cute pout. The Pirate reached out to ruffle the King’s already dishevelled hair, a gesture he did quite often.

«You can’t get off the bed, silly. Wooyoung’s orders were clear.» he said, caressing Seonghwa’s bare shoulder, «I’m here to change your bandages. And to stay with you, I have the day off.»

Seonghwa chuckled at that, «Wooyoung hired an assistant?» he chuckled, leaning back into the mattress, making space for his lover.

«You’d be surprised.» Hongjoong smiled softly at him, helping the other lowering his pants until they were resting around his thighs.

Trying to be as delicate as possible, he removed the bandage almost soaked in blood. Hongjoong disinfected the wound slowly and carefully, as he so often had to do on himself. Based on Seonghwa’s flinches and noises of discomforts he knew when to stop, or to continue.

«I’m sorry.» Hongjoong admitted.

«It’s okay, it will heal.» Seonghwa sighed softly, keeping his eyes closed.

«Not about this, but… We should have fled.» The pirate mumbled. Seonghwa’s eyes snapped open, looking at Hongjoong which gave him a sad smile in return.

«Don’t even think about it.» he started, «we’re pirates, we don’t flee from one single ship chasing us. I just got hurt, like an idiot.» Seonghwa fatiguely sat up, «Give me some time, I’ll be as terrifying as San out there during a battle.» he confidently winked at his lover which smiled in return.

«Why San?» Hongjoong chuckled.

«Have you seen him?!» Seonghwa’s eyes widened «I was trained since childhood using two swords, but him? He’s like some battle God or something.» The Pirate laughed in response, nodding.

«Just don’t get hurt, we’ll handle the rest.» Hongjoong reached out to peck at Seonghwa’s smiling lips, who immediately laid back as he felt Hongjoong tying up a new bandage around his thigh.

As soon as Hongjoong got back from the infirmary, he undressed himself and joined Seonghwa under the covers, his pants hanging loose on his hips.

They shifted position until they were both laying comfortably facing each other; the King slowly blinked himself awake again, to find the other relaxing with his eyes closed. Instinctively, he inched closer until their noses were touching, softly rubbing them together a couple of times before snaking his arms around the Pirate’s waist and pulling him to his chest.

«Oh, now you want to cuddle?» Hongjoong giggled. Seonghwa could easily feel the tiredness in the other’s voice, due to sleepless nights spent guiding the ship through the dark sea.

«I always do.» Seonghwa mumbled, kissing Hongjoong’s forehead as he glanced at him with an enamoured gaze.

The Pirate propped himself up, balancing his weight on his elbows, his chin resting on the palm of his hand; Seonghwa’s eyes slowly opened again, to find the other smiling at him. Instinctively, the young King shifted, laying on his back, giggling and mumbling a confused «What is it?» as his left hand reached around the Pirate’s hip and travelled on his back. His touch was gentle and feather like, but he could still feel the other shiver when his fingers gently caressed some of the scars on his back.

Hongjoong shook his head, holding the King’s gaze without answering. Seonghwa gently manoeuvred them until he managed to gently roll them around, so that he was partially hovering over the Pirate, his right leg leaning over the Captain’s so the wound wouldn’t re-open.

He admired the other’s features until he met the other’s gaze looking at him with tenderness, finding it hard to believe that he was the same man capable of killing people and commit several other crimes. Nevertheless, Seonghwa’s feeling for him didn’t waver.

They spent months together by now, living side by side every single day. The King’s thoughts wandered back to how since the beginning, Hongjoong’s behaviour had always been friendly to him and always made him feel as he was one of them, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but feeling strangely and inexplicably safe around him since the beginning.

«As long as you sail with us, you’re one of us.» He explained as they all dined together the second week after they sailed.

«Hopefully, you’re gonna stick with us.» Wooyoung had commented right after his Captain.

Seonghwa wasn’t sure he could pinpoint the exact moment when he started warming out to him, they probably acted a little bit differently from the beginning. Sometimes he felt like every single choice he made in life had the purpose to lead him exactly where he was now.

The King smiled at the thought about him being formally a Royal and the other being an outlaw – trying to count how many rules he broke since he had to run away, and yet he felt their souls were somehow so similar, compatible and inexplicably connected with each other.

They spent nights together making love, sharing secrets, stories, feelings and comfortable silences. All those moments helped to shape their feelings based on mutual trust and mutual respect.

Hongjoong never looked down on him – he actually never did with anyone in his crew, and the King never looked down on the pirate. Seonghwa had loved before. He had loved and he had lost. If his wife taught him about the innocence of a timid and pure first love, Hongjoong taught him that love could be as unpredictable and as overwhelming as the sea.

The Pirate’s love and adoration for the King was so evident that he didn’t need to say anything about it, Seonghwa – and everyone else, just knew; and he was sure that Hongjoong knew that this feeling was completely reciprocated, too.

Seonghwa reached down, kissing the other’s forehead, then his nose, his left cheek. Hongjoong’s smile widened and he settled for closing his eyes and enjoying his lover’s sudden affectionate gestures, Trying to move his leg as little as possible, Seonghwa’s kisses trailed a path until he reached the first one of the scars the pirate had on his chest: it was on his left shoulder and, Seonghwa thought, looked very painful.

He took his time to kiss every and each mark the other had on his chest, silently praising him with his lips.

«I… Think I really love you.» Hongjoong quietly mumbled. Seonghwa looked up from the other’s waist, finding the other looking at the ceiling, making him doubt that the pirate actually wanted to say that out loud.

The King slowly kissed his way back to the pirate’s side to his lips, catching his attention. Hongjoong’s piercing gaze was locked on him, and Seonghwa knew that he could have searched for hours in those eyes, and all he would be able to find would be love. The King felt his heart swell.

«I love you, too.» Seonghwa mumbled back, reaching down to connect their lips. They kissed like they had all the time in the world, taking their time to savour the other’s lips. Hongjoong would playfully lick the other’s bottom lip, and Seonghwa would gently bite on the other’s smiling lips in return.

The kiss was full of tenderness and love, even if they occasionally teased each other; they detached with their hearts racing, plump lips and cheeks flushed red.

Hongjoong sighed, his eyes still close. «Yes, I’m sure of it.» he hummed.

Seonghwa smiled, kissing the other’s chest one more time before resting his head on it. Hongjoong’s arms caged him into a warm hug, and Seonghwa fell asleep listening to the other’s rapid heartbeat.

Sadly, Seonghwa had to realize that time didn’t pass so fast when you were confined to bed.

«But Wooyoung, it’s been weeks!» Seonghwa whined and Wooyoung sighed, brushing his hair off his eyes using his wrist.

«It’s not gonna heal if you walk around by yourself, idiot.» the Doctor replied, intentionally pressing a bit more roughly on the wound on the other’s thigh while disinfecting it, earning a hiss from the boy.

«Hongjoong will help me!» Seonghwa’s pleading eyes shifted to the Captain which was busy writing on his journal.

«Uh, no? I absolutely won’t.» He looked up from the papers with a frown. Seonghwa’s shoulders lowered in defeat and he laid back on the bed.

«See? He’s clever, this is why he’s the Captain.» Wooyoung commented and kept tying up the bandage around Seonghwa’s thigh.

His eyes wandered on the ceiling. If there was one thing Seonghwa loved to do, it was to spend time admiring the giant map that the pirate had drawn there. Hongjoong had promised him that since he had to stay in bed, they would have continued the project. In the past weeks, his friends organized so that they would take turns to both work on the drawing and spend time with Seonghwa.

Hongjoong always handed him few papers that he kept on his desk with the map’s sketches, to guide the one who was painting on the ceiling so they won’t make mistakes. Essentially, Seonghwa’s role was to oversee his friend’s work. He still had a lot of fun; he loved spending time with his friends and most of all, he loved seeing Hongjoong focused on painting while sitting on top of a wooden ladder. He loved it so much that sometimes, he would zone out while looking at him and the pirate had to snap the King out of his thoughts.

«Could you please pay attention to what we are doing?» Hongjoong commented once, amused by the Seonghwa’s startled face after he threw a clean brush at his chest.

«A brush, seriously? You just threw you lover a brush?» he muttered raising an eyebrow, placing the brush next to himself. «Will you ever show me your drawings?» he added suddenly and the pirate nodded dismissively.

«Now be helpful, love. Otherwise,» he slightly readjusted his position on top of the wooden ladder and pointed to the other side of the ceiling, «I’m gonna doodle you right on top of your Castle, wearing princess clothes.»

«You wouldn’t dare.» Seonghwa narrowed his eyes.

«Try me.» the pirate answered with a cheeky grin, and Seonghwa clicked his tongue in response with a smile.

Almost a month has passed and their journey was about to end. Seonghwa still had some difficulties on standing by himself but at least, his wound was healing. The thought reassured him, since he didn’t have the courage to face Jongdae after all the months spent fighting side by side. He would have surely mocked him about how he managed to get hurt like a rookie.

«Hey there Your Highness!» Yunho chimed in the quarters, closing the door behind himself and Yeosang. «You’re stuck with us today.»

«Are you feeling better?» Yeosang asked. Seonghwa smiled at them, nodding in response at the pirate’s question. Yunho manoeuvred the wooden ladder until it was placed exactly under the still blank spot on the ceiling and Yeosang took his time to carefully look through the papers neatly placed on the desk, before handing them to Seonghwa with a sly smirk.

As his friends finished setting up – Yeosang would have been the first one to draw and Yunho would hand him the necessary tools he needed, Seonghwa managed to adjust his position on the bed, comfortably resting his back against the soft pillows.

«Keep an eye on us,» Yunho told Seonghwa «If we mess up Hongjoong’s pretty ceiling…»

«… Let’s not think about it.» Yeosang cut him off, waving a pencil in front of the other’s face, while sitting on the top of the ladder. Even if his friends paid enough attention to not mess up the ceiling, both Yeosang and Yunho managed to get dirty with paint.

«Here,» Yeosang said as he painted a long stripe of blue paint on Yunho’s hair «You look like a mermaid, now.» he giggled.

«Do that again and I’ll throw you overboard.» Yunho sighed, slightly waving the wooden ladder and almost making Yeosang fall with a loud yelp. Work progressed slowly but smoothly, the three of them occasionally joking around.

The fact that his friends willingly re-arranged their days so that Seonghwa was less lonely made him truly happy; he was glad to finally feel like he was one of them. Not only was he able to see how his friends prioritised him, with each passing day he felt like his soul was growing a little bit less restless. That feeling of finally having found a home steadily growing inside his heart.

Seonghwa’s eyes shifted towards Hongjoong’s desk, to the box containing the Aurora shard. Deep inside, he knew exactly what he had to to do as soon as he saw both Baekhyun and Jongdae and hopefully, they would agree. The young King had made up his mind long time ago, and Aurora granting his wish was a further motivation to hold on to his decision to definitely step down from his position as King. After all, he knew the young Resistance Leader was perfectly suited for the role.

Lost in thoughts, his fingers mindlessly started to play with the papers laying on his lap. Seonghwa couldn’t help but absently notice the fact that the papers that Yeosang handed him were, maybe, a bit too many. Hongjoong handed him drawings of the map every day but he was absolutely sure they weren’t as many as today.

Curiously, his fingers browsed through the pages, wondering what the pirate could have added this time. The map was almost finished so, maybe, Yeosang picked few pages from his journal as well.

His fingers incredulously leafed through the pages again and again, and everything Seonghwa could recognize was one thing: himself.

All the sketches had one thing in common: every time the Captain drew him, it was because he was far away from him. One of the first things he noticed was that only the King would be an actual detailed figure, leaving the person next to him to a mere sketch.

However, Seonghwa remembered every moment the other portrayed: in one sketch he was finishing tying up the ropes with San, the sun was high in the sky and it was really windy. In another he was chattering with Jongho leaning against the railways, the younger telling him about bow he really valued his friends as his family. In another drawing he was standing on the crow’s nest with Yeosang. Then again, again and again; Seonghwa smiled softly, seeing himself being captured by the other’s eyes. At the bottom of that envelope of sheets, there was the only drawing that captured the King’s face from up close: the pirate portrayed his face while sleeping.

Seonghwa smiled as a tear of happiness unconsciously escaped his eye, his fingers softly grazing over the pencil lines and admiring all the small details that the Captain captured.

«Illusion to Seonghwa!» Yunho’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Both pirates were looking at his face, puzzled.

«Seonghwa?» Yeosang asked, narrowing his eyes and focusing on the papers on the King’s lap, a smug smile appeared on his face as soon as he recognized the drawing he saw earlier.

«Why are you crying over a map-Oh. Wow.» Yunho said with a hand on his mouth, trying to cover the wide smile on his face. «I have to tell Mingi.» He mumbled excitedly, storming off. By that time, Yeosang was ready sitting at the bed’s feet, smiling at his friend.

«I caught him few times. He made me swear to not say anything.» he chuckled.

Seonghwa blushed, «I don’t know what to say,» he mumbled «It’s such a small thing but I feel so happy.» His eyes wandered on the drawings and Yeosang nodded.

«Ah! Young love!» the pirate sighed dramatically while getting up from the bed. «I’ll go get Yunho, otherwise we’re never gonna finish this map.»

Later that night, Seonghwa made sure to hold Hongjoong a little bit tighter as they were falling asleep; the Pirate returned the other’s embrace, resting his head on the King’s chest.

Once again – like all the other times where there was no need for words between them to understand each other, Seonghwa knew that there was no need to tell him about the drawings. After all, with Yunho running around the ship in order to find Mingi, he was sure he – and everyone on the his way towards Mingi, already knew.

«Hongjoong?» he whispered, and the other hummed against his neck in response. «Where are we going when we’ll sail next time?»

«Anywhere you want, love.» the Pirate mumbled, half asleep.

It was a sunny day, around noon; Illusion was docked in a very familiar port. Seonghwa inhaled deeply, incredulously looking at his surroundings in awe.

After months, he was back in his former Kingdom; the first thing he noticed was the few people walking around, the opposite situation during the days when he still lived there. Although it was not a predominantly port town, it had always been lively and full of people roaming the streets, and now it seemed half deserted. Seonghwa suspected what the reason might be, but he settled for thinking it was still too early for people to crowd the streets.

«We’re gonna sail again in four days!» Hongjoong’s voice commanded the crew, before telling his friends they’d meet for dinner at Baekhyun’s inn.

«Do you want me to come with you?» Hongjoong nervously asked Seonghwa, which was hugging close to his chest the leather strap of the bag containing everything he had to give Jongdae.

«I know you have things to do, as well. I will see you tonight.» Seonghwa shook his head and reached out to intertwine his fingers with his lover, before briefly kissing him on the lips. Hongjoong nodded before mumbling a quiet “I love you”, and they parted ways.

The young King didn’t know what to expect; almost five months had passed since he left, anything could have happened to both his friends. A sudden sense of nervousness pervaded him as he walked through the sunny alleys illuminated by the early afternoon sun.

”Please, don’t be burnt down, please be okay-“ his thoughts repeated like a mantra until he turned around the corner to see that apparently, nothing changed. The inn was there, the old wooden signboard was slightly waving in the wind. Instinctively, his steps increasingly quickened until he found himself running towards the entrance, taking a deep breath before opening the heavy, wooden door.

«Honestly? What people don’t understand about the fact that we’re open from-» Baekhyun scoffed, annoyed; he was standing with his back facing the door, cleaning the counter in front of him.

«It’s been five months and you still didn’t learn how to lock yourself inside?» Seonghwa’s soft voice made Baekhyun turn around so quickly he almost felt his head spinning; the boy immediately ran towards Seonghwa to hug him close, and the King returned the hug just as tightly, as his heart was hammering in his chest in a mixture of happiness and relief.

«You’re okay… I was so worried!» Baekhyun’s loud voice echoed between the empty hall; he let go from Seonghwa, just to keep holding his hand.

«You have so many things to tell me, young boy. Let’s go get Jongdae, he has gone full Resistance’s Leader mood.» Baekhyun quickly walked towards the inn’s door, locking them inside.

«Hasn’t he always been?» Seonghwa joked as he followed Baekhyun, which was leading to the backdoor.

«He got worse!» Baekhyun laughed.

Jongdae hugged Seonghwa with the same strength Baekhyun did earlier, a hint of incredulity remaining in his eyes as he looked at the younger boy.

«You really made it!» the Leader would affectionately squeeze his cheeks. «Safe and sound!»

Seonghwa nodded, and they sat down to tell each other everything happened during those months. His friends told him about how the situation got worse since he sailed, his Kingdom was on the verge of a civil war.

The Governor kept adding taxes and the people were getting poorer day by day. The Resistance tried to help civilians as much as they could but, it was almost impossible to see a positive end to this situation. Seonghwa listened carefully, feeling guilty that it took them so long to come back. However, while listening to Jongdae, he was furtherly sure about his decision.

«This is why you have to reclaim the throne as soon as possible.» Jongdae finished his explanation. Seonghwa shook his head in response and his friends frowned, confused.

«I will not, Jongdae. I’m officially stepping down from my title,» he said, taking a hold of Jongdae’s hands. «In your favour.»

«What?!» both brothers asked, unintentionally synchronised.

«I’ve had a lot of time to think about this and Jongdae, trust me. You’d make a great King.» Seonghwa explained. He told them everything: the Mist, the friends he travelled with, Hongjoong. He told them about his feelings, opening their hearts to them. He told them about how he realized that there was no one more suited than Jongdae for this.

Despite his confidence while talking, it had not been an easy decision to make. Seonghwa was definitively giving up his old life: his habits, the luxuries, spending days studying, he was giving up a life that somehow he had always loved.

However, in his heart there was the strong certainty that staying with Hongjoong was the right path for him.

«Seonghwa, I can’t do it.» Jongdae answered dumbfounded, «You are the King, people had always loved you.»

«Why are you talking like there aren’t hundreds people out there ready to blindly follow you because they trust you?» Seonghwa asked back with a kind smile, squeezing the other’s hands.

«He’s right,» Baekhyun chimed in «You’ve been the Leader of the Resistance for years. There are a lot of people loyal to you.»

Jongdae’s eyes found his brother’s, «and also, we can’t force this on him when his heart is now clearly somewhere else.» They remained silent for few minutes, Jongdae seriously pondering the idea before nodding and mumbling a quiet, «I will do it» Seonghwa erupted into a wide smile, and emptied the bag’s contents on the table.

«First of all, promise me you won’t freak out.» his fingers played with the casket’s lock and his friends looked at him, puzzled.

«Aurora, please, show yourself.» he mumbled, opening revealing a large transparent sphere laying on velvet. Just like happened at the Mist’s cave, as soon as Seonghwa touched the sphere, a faint glow began to erupt from the centre of it.

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun looked at it, almost hypnotized by the beauty of the colours alternating inside the sphere. Once again, Aurora materialized as gracefully as the first time.

«W-what the hell just happened?» Baekhyun’s incredulously whispered, and Jongdae remained silent, watching in awe as the woman which seemed made of air itself took a standing position next to Seonghwa. Her robes were gracefully moving as if dancing in the wind, except all windows were closed.

«So, she is the Aurora shard I’ve been looking for.» Seonghwa explained his friends.

«Is this about your wish, Your Majesty?» she looked at Seonghwa with her soft and colourful eyes, pretending to not know already; Seonghwa nodded, exchanging a look with Jongdae.

«Why are you looking at me? What do I have to do?» Jongdae asked; noticing Seonghwa’s eyes glancing at the crystal sphere, he tentatively reached out to touch it with his index finger, right next to Seonghwa’s.

«As I promised, I will grant your wish. I recognise you, Jongdae, as the rightful King.» Aurora smiled softly at him, explaining that as soon as Jongdae would have claimed the throne, the shard would disappear to go back to the Mist Island. «It’s not the first time I helped this Kingdom.» she said, «The rules of time don’t apply to me. I will always be there, until the end of time.» then, she disappeared into the shard after the hint of a polite bow.

«I can’t believe this,» Baekhyun commented, an excited smile on his face. «but wait, you’re officially a pirate now?» Seonghwa nodded in response. Baekhyun scoffed, lightly hitting Jongdae on his chest «Well, brother. You might as well be a King now, but I can see the future.» he said, referring to the first night he saw Seonghwa and Hongjoong together at the inn.

Time passed quickly, they talked and laughed together about everything came to their mind about the long months spent apart and before they realized, it was time for dinner.

Hongjoong was the first one to arrive at the inn; both boys sat together facing the counter where Baekhyun was working, as they were waiting for their friends. Looking around the hall, Seonghwa sadly had to acknowledge what his friend told him earlier; the change was undeniable, instead of the crowded hall, now there were at least half of the people.

«So… What did you do today?» Hongjoong asked, inching closer to Seonghwa.

«Nothing interesting, really. I abdicated.» he answered inching closer as well; their noses were almost touching and he tried not to laugh at Hongjoong’s suddenly confused face.

«What do you mean?» the pirate frowned, confusion clearly written on his face.

«I already told you, I’m coming with you!» Seonghwa giggled, softly bumping his forehead against his lover.

«And who’s going to-»

«Jongdae.» Seonghwa answered, telling him about everything that had happened between them.

«Seonghwa,» Hongjoong’s said with a soft voice, his hands reaching to hold his lover’s under the table, «are you really sure about this? Spending five months on a pirate ship is quite different from-»

«Hongjoong, I don’t think I could spend my days without you,» Seonghwa interrupted him, tightening his grip, adverting his gaze towards the inn’s entrance, «or without them.» he added, nodding at their friends which were now walking towards their table, as always talking loudly.

Sometimes Seonghwa’s gaze met Baekhyun’s and the older would playfully wink at him, nodding towards Hongjoong with his head.

They were sitting in an inn in a distant city near Jongho’s home town, two months had passed since he last saw Jongdae and Baekhyun.

Needless to say, his friends and the crew were all happy with Seonghwa’s decision to stay with them. Eventually, his role became helping Yeosang with the navigation on the crow’s nest. Yeosang was more than happy with this decision: the two had became close friends, so he didn’t mind spending more time with Seonghwa, and the pirate needed someone who would change place with him every now and then.

The relationship between Hongjoong and Seonghwa was pretty much official, so both boys kept on sharing the Captain’s quarters.

Yunho suddenly made them a hurried sign to keep quiet, stealthily pointing to the table behind them, and they all curiously complied.

«I told you it’s the truth!» a rough man’s voice exclaimed, excited. Seonghwa slightly leaned closer to Hongjoong, in order to hear better. «The Kingdom of the West has a new King!» the man proceeded, telling his friends about what happened the day after Seonghwa returned to his former Kingdom. A young man – which some had recognized as the Leader of the Resistance, asked for a meeting with the Governor and then he proceeded to summon a furious female spirit from a sphere which started glowing in various colours, angered by the fact that someone was unfairly occupying the King’s throne.

The man continued, adding that the Governor and his followers had all been executed because of the outrages and wrongdoing done to the people; needless to say, the citizens were more than happy with this decision. As the man continued talking with his friends, Seonghwa felt both happy and relieved to hear those words, even though he never doubted Jongdae. He was happy to know people loved him, and relieved to hear about how slowly he was fixing everything.

The Kingdom was no longer on the verge of a civil war, nor on the verge of a war with neighbouring Reigns.

«You heard that? I created a hero.» Seonghwa boldly whispered to Hongjoong.

After discussing a bit further, the man and his friend changed the topic of their conversations, and the pirates went back to eating. Seonghwa chewed on his food and chuckled at Mingi and San friendly bickering over a plate of food, and at Yeosang and Jongho were pretending nothing was happening even thought they were in between the two boys playfully screaming at each other.

The boy’s heart suddenly felt overwhelmed, and his mind started wandering through everything that had happened to that day; he glanced at his friends, feeling his soul at ease, a content sigh left his lips. A familiar hand softly ruffled his hair.

«You okay?» Hongjoong gently whispered in his ear, probably noticing that he had stopped eating all of a sudden.

«Yeah, I was just thinking,» Seonghwa said, before answering to Hongjoong’s silent question with a smile, «I’m home.» he simply said with a shrug.

Hongjoong’s eyes widened in surprise, before erupting into a wide smile as well.

«You are.» Hongjoong’s voice was gentle, like every other time the other would speak to him.

«Hey, lovebirds! We’re having dinner over here!» Yunho loudly called out to his friends.

«I swear to the Goddess Mazu, Wooyoung and San are more subtle than you two!» Mingi added, an exaggerated exasperated sigh left his lips.

«San, you heard them?» Wooyoung asked his lover, noisily placing his chalice back on the table.

«Is it a challenge?» San finished for him, smirking and raising an eyebrow in mischief.

«No, it’s not.» Yeosang immediately said, politely placing his fork on the plate to rub his temples.

«Yeah please, don’t.» Jongho echoed his friend, still quietly chewing on his food.

Wooyoung erupted into a contagious laughter, and Seonghwa’s hand reached out to Hongjoong’s one and he intertwined their fingers under the table. He knew that he made the right choice. He was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Later that night, after Hongjoong gave the wedding ring back to Seonghwa – who wore it immediately, they made love. Hongjoong’s nails drew red lines on Seonghwa’s back and their fingers lingered on the other’s skin a bit more desperately, in stark contrast to their kisses, which were soft, gentle and caring. They whispered each other’s name almost like a prayer, mumbling quiet “I love you’s” as they came down from their bliss.

With a content smile, Seonghwa played with both the rings on his left hand using his thumb, his right arm was resting comfortably around Hongjoong’s waist, which was laying on his side with his head on his lover’s chest, hugging the other’s hip which were partially covered by the blanket.

«Does it mean you found a better treasure?» Seonghwa’s smug question eventually broke the comfortable silence of the room, as he was referring to the other’s words back at the tavern when the Pirate choose his wedding ring as a compensation: “I’ll give it back once I’ll find something more valuable”, he had said.

The King heard the Pirate’s breathless laugh, before he propped himself on his left elbow in order not to not place his whole weight on Seonghwa.

«As if you didn’t know already.» Hongjoong answered with a wide smile, affectionately kissing Seonghwa’s lips.

Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories. I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.

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#seongjoong scenarios #seonghwa x hongjoong #hongjoong x seonghwa #fanfics #ateez scenarios #pirate au

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