The Night Belongs to the Moon | Taeyong

30 | Before the Moon Wanes

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Taeyong only had enough time for a quick bath before he was required to leave for his meeting with the King of the human realm to discuss the matter of the second boundary breach. It took him the whole morning and the better part of the afternoon to settle the issue regarding rehabilitation, compensation and security. It was already evening by the time he returned to the Night Mansion where a raven was waiting for him perched upon the entrance.

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Later that same night, Taeil was called to the study adjacent to the Mansion Library by Taeyong, who had sent Doyoung to escort him.

The study was modest compared to the rest of the Mansion with a low ceiling from which hung a small chandelier in the centre. The walls were lined with bookshelves except for the one behind the table, which had a large window fitted into it.

With a silent knock, Doyoung opened the door. He waited for Taeil to enter first then stepped inside himself, shutting the door behind him.

'Senior Taeil,' Taeyong said, turning around and Taeil saw Mark standing next to the desk, an expression of worry and fear apparent on his face.

'My Lord,' Taeil greeted and bowed. 'What is the matter?'

'I have received a call for help through a raven,' Taeyong told him. 'It is from Jungwoo and Haechan. The two of them have been captured by the villagers in the south. The area had unrest previously as well and with the news of the second breach breaking out, the locals have revolted.'

'So, are we sending security personnel to the south then?' Taeil asked.

'No, I have decided that I will go myself,' Taeyong spoke, eyes firm.

'My Lord, you can't,' Taeil blurted out. 'They are holding a ransom over you and you should not give in.'

'What the villagers are looking for is a clear answer from me,' Taeyong replied, his tone turning serious. 'And even if it is a ransom, I cannot risk the lives of those who volunteered for the realm.'

'This is not up for discussion, Senior Taeil,' he added with finality. 'I have called you here to merely inform you and ask of you a favour.'

Taeil bowed his head and said, 'Anything, my Lord.'

'I will be taking Doyoung with me. I am afraid I can't speak their local dialect fluently and will need Doyoung's help translating,' Taeyong said. 'I leave the responsibility of the Night Mansion with you in the meantime. I have called Mark here to assist you should you need anything.'

'I will do my best, my Lord,' Taeil said with a deep bow. When he came up, he saw Taeyong's eyes had turned sharper.

'Senior Taeil,' he spoke in a low tone, 'I hope I don't have to remind you that Dal-ae is my Familiar, and even in my absence, she holds the same position. So, I would advise you to remember the significance of the collar on her neck and that I do not like seeing what is mine, hurt.'

'Ye-yes, my Lord,' Taeil replied after a pause.

'Very well, then. That should be all,' Taeyong said. 'I won't be long.'

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Taeyong was standing in front of Dal-ae's chamber. She had remained in her room the whole day, slipping in and out of sleep. Softly, Taeyong knocked on the door in the hope that she was awake and smiled when he heard her say 'Come in.'

The room was dark, blue and cold; It was almost freezing. Dal-ae was sitting by the open window in her white night gown, her long black hair flowing loose over her back.

'Aren't you cold?' Taeyong asked.

'I wanted some fresh air,' she replied, with a shrug. 'Why are you dressed in a suit? Are you leaving again?'

Taeyong's smile faltered for a bit. 'I am,' he whispered and walked towards her.

'Work?'

'Hm.'

'Important?'

'Very,' he replied. He sat in front of her and in the light of moon, her skin gleamed and her black hair shined.

'Give me your hand,' he said, opening his palm for her. Her hand was cold, even for him. He placed his other hand on top of hers and looked into her eyes. 

Suddenly, she felt a rush of warmth seep into her palm. Her eyes widened at this, and immediately she tried to retrieve her hand, but Taeyong held her firm, smiling softly at her.

'I am okay, don't worry,' he whispered and felt her hand relax between his palms.

The breeze blowing around them, rose like a soaring bird in the sky and chilled everything it touched except for the two of them who had enough warmth to last them a lifetime. Taeyong leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, which she returned with equal tenderness, and when they parted Taeyong retrieved his hands.

'Look,' he whispered, glancing at the inside of her palm and Dal-ae saw the shape of moon engraved in black ink on it.

She looked up at him in bewildered awe.

'I will be back before this moon on your palm wanes completely,' he whispered into the night and the wind carried his words for him, sealing the promise.

She kissed him once more before he left, pressing her forehead to his a little longer and holding his face in her hands for just a moment more.

_

Okay guys. Guys! Hi, how are you all doing? :D

We are doing something exciting this week yay! I had this idea yesterday so, here we are now xD

 Contest Alert 

How to enter: Leave a comment on here with your theory on who / what is causing the trouble in the book.

You don't need to justify your theory. It's not a test. Also, there is no word limit so go wild if you wish to! I will consider every answer whether one word or lengthy paragraphs.

Comment on this line right here -->

Time Limit: You have one week's time to comment on here, which means till the release of Chapter 32 next week.

In this time, you can even edit or add to your theory or even delete and write a whole new thing, if you wish.

How will the winner be decided: Whoever gets it right or is the closest in their guess, wins.

Prize: The winner will have the chance to choose any one member of NCT 127 they want a fanfiction (one shot / short story book) about, along with the trope / scenario / premise they want. And I will write it for them.

Note: I am limiting the member selection to 127 only for the sake of me being able to do justice to the character.

Winner Announcement: The winner will be announced with the chapter that will reveal the answer in the book.

And yeah, that's it. If you have any questions, feel free to dm me or just comment here and ask.