Pairing: Chan & Felix ft. SKZ
Genre: Fantasy/Royalty AU (MAMA 2020-inspired)
!!TW!! : graphic depiction of violence, abuse, blood, injuries, implied sexual harassment, self-harm, amputation (kind of), major character death
(requested by HOlY CRAP SO MANY PEOPLE!)
OKAY THIS WAS A HOT MESS!
I had so many people asking for a third part, I couldn't NOT do it. I apologize in advance for any mistakes, I wrote it in a bit of a rush but hopefully, you'll still like it!
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Felix could feel it – how his home was slowly, but surely deteriorating.
Even though his connection to the forest had been by Minho's ritual, Felix was still a Fae and, as such, he was still intrinsically linked to nature and the magic that coursed through the roots of their very world. As such, even from so far away, Felix could feel how the forest was already suffering greatly from his loss.
He needed to get back.
With the initial threat against his home now gone since he had healed Jeongin, the Warlord's brother, Felix refused to be forced into submission again. The Warlord was determined to break him, and Felix was now determined to fight back and make him regret ever hurting him and his people.
His initial pain and despair had faded in the few days following their arrival. Chan was busy with Jeongin's recovery, so it gave Felix a certain time of reprieve to settle his thoughts, the grief dulling into a scorching determination to be free again.
Every curse could be countered, every ritual could be reversed. If Felix could simply figure out which ritual Minho had used to modify his magic core, then there was no doubt in his mind that he'd be able to figure out a way to nullify its effects and reestablish his connection and his powers. Fae were ancient people with ancient knowledge – if he could simply find his way back home, then had hope that everything would be alright.
But there was still the matter of getting there, now.
The room – cell – he'd been unceremoniously dumped into wasn't exactly spacious, and the iron bars on the window in addition to the iron door rendered the atmosphere a bit heavy. While there wasn't enough to outright sicken him on the spot, there was definitely enough to weaken him a bit and, most importantly, a prolonged exposure would definitely bring about more complications.
It also blocked his only two points of escape, so that was also a problem.
Even if Felix somehow managed to escape his room, however, there were too many people around for him to execute a successful escape. The entire castle and the city attached to it were filled to the brim with experienced and well-trained soldiers, so getting out would be no easy feat.
The Warlord's personal guard dogs wouldn't be easily dealt with, either.
Minho would undoubtedly be the hardest to deal with. He was an extremely powerful mage, and he was obviously willing to go to unimaginable lengths for his leader – as such, he wouldn't hesitate in using offensive magic against Felix and, with his limited powers, the Fae held little doubt that Minho would easily subdue him.
Changbin and Hyunjin, the two warriors who'd managed to capture him back during the invasion, were also notable threats. They were physically stronger than the average man, and they knew how to wield weapons Felix couldn't even fathom touching – if either of them managed to get too close, they'd overpower him in an instant.
Jisung was a wildcard. Out of everyone Felix had met so far, Jisung was the only one who had the decency of looking ashamed of their actions. He was the most humane out of all of them, but that didn't change the fact that he'd still actively participated in the massacre of his people. Felix didn't know what he was capable nor how far his loyalty to the Warlord extended and, as such, he couldn't afford dismissing him.
Seungmin was another to worry about. He was the mage who'd kept Jeongin in stasis this entire time, meaning he was extremely powerful in his own right – not just anyone had the physical resilience to keep up such a demanding spell for an entire month. However, while his abilities weren't exactly offensive, it didn't make him any less of a threat.
And finally, there was Jeongin. Felix hadn't been able to properly gauge what kind of person he was since the only time they "interacted" was when Felix was healing him. Since he was the Warlord's brother, however, the Fae figured he couldn't be much different from his captor, so he'd have to watch out for him, too.
And then there was the Warlord himself.
Merciless and cruel, determined to get whatever he wanted in any way, at any price. He had some sort of goodness to him, if the lengths he was willing to go to in order to save his brother were anything to go by, but this sliver of humanity didn't make him any less of a monster in Felix's eyes.
Chan fully intended to break his spirit and mend it back together in a way that would suit his needs and desires, uncaring of Felix's own feelings. He treated the Fae Prince as a toy to play with rather than a being with thoughts and emotions, and he would keep on hurting Felix until he got what he wanted.
Felix would rather die – but he'd also rather try everything in his power to escape before resorting to such a drastic measure.
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Violence was Chan's language. He expressed his undying love for the Fae Prince through vicious blows and endless pain, cutting every inch of skin before kissing each wound, then forcing Felix to heal himself while sucking marks into in neck with blood-stained lips.
Every single one of Chan's visits ended with Felix hurting and exhausted. Fighting back only seemed to excited the Warlord even more, but not reacting at all only angered him – the Fae had a hard time figuring out a balance between the two that wouldn't leave him as a bloody mess on the floor.
Chan relished in their size difference, using his greater strength to manhandle Felix as he pleased and force him into submission. He'd touched the Fae against his consent, trying to break Felix's frazzled mind into associating his touch with pleasure as much as it did pain, as if trying to tame a wild beast.
(He hadn't tried to go all the way, thankfully enough. Felix was miserable enough as he was and, though he didn't know what was holding Chan back from fully claiming him, he gratefully counted his small blessings.)
Felix didn't know for how long he endured it. Weeks? Months?
He hadn't left his room once since he woke up there. The muscles in his back were beginning to atrophy from the lack of use, his wings becoming more fragile by the day – their once healthy shine had dulled, the edges fraying because of the lack of sunlight and activity. The constant exposure to the iron door and bars was also slowly beginning to take its toll on him.
Chan's abuse wasn't making things any easier, either. Being constantly forced to heal himself and draw on his powers without being a proper chance to rest and regain his energy was only weakening him even more, and he was slower, now. He'd first thought Chan intended to use him to heal his men whenever they returned from battle but, as it turned out, the Warlord no longer cared about his abilities.
He just wanted Felix, and he was now using the Fae's own gift against him.
Honestly, Felix was starting to lose hope. The few attempts he'd made at escaping had all tremendously failed. He couldn't overpower Chan, even with the element of surprise, and he hadn't been able to step foot past the door even once – the floor of the hallway beyond it was covered with iron tiles, and Felix's feet were bare, meaning he wouldn't be able to get very far. The hallway was also too narrow for him to cross it using his wings, so there was no possible way of making it out unless Felix got his hands on a pair of shoes, or Chan himself carried him out of the tower.
And of course, each failed attempt was severely punished. As much as Chan enjoyed the process of "breaking" him, he was starting to grow impatient, and it showed. He was used to having his way, so Felix's undying willpower was starting to drive him up the wall, and the Fae knew deep down that it was only a matter of weeks, if not days, before the Warlord finally, truly snapped.
He needed to escape before that happened. He needed to—
'CREAK'
Felix stiffened at the telltale noise he'd learned to recognize and dread. Beyond the iron door of his cell, at the very end of the hallway, was a small staircase, at the bottom of which was another door – made of iron too, if the noise was anything to go by. The door below opening could only mean one thing, though: Chan was coming.
Why? He's never come this late before! What is he planning?
Fear was coiling Felix's guts, practically paralyzing him. What if the Warlord finally decided to claim him against his will? No, he couldn't bear that thought. He closed his eyes, fighting back his tears as he stayed tensed, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger (even if he couldn't get very far).
Footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing closer by the second before they eventually stopped just on the other side of the door. Felix curled up on himself even more, praying to every deity he could remember to show him a semblance of mercy—
"Hello...?"
This wasn't Chan.
There was some shuffling on the other side of the door, followed by the distinct noise of the heavy handle turning. Felix's nails were digging into his shoulders at that point, the fear of the unknown gripping his heart as the newcomer pushed the door open and carefully stepped inside.
"Are you- are you alright...?"
The voice was soft, and the tone so gentle it made Felix want to cry. Still, he knew his tears would be wasted in such a place, so he held them back and slowly opened his eyes.
Stark white hair, narrow eyes, a certain naiveté still clinging to his traits – Jeongin.
"What are you doing here?" asked plainly Felix.
The second prince startled, his eyes going a little wide upon being addressed, before he shook his head and bit his lower lip.
"The others... told me some things. I wasn't sure if they were telling the truth, so—"
Felix snorted bitterly at that, closing his eyes again – he couldn't sense any ill intent from the boy before him. "Ah, I see. So now I've become a circus beast to gawk at. Wonderful."
"N- no! It's not like that!" instantly protested the white-haired boy. "I just... I wanted to thank you. You saved my life, and I'm truly grateful for it."
"Your brother didn't exactly leave me much of a choice," huffed Felix.
Jeongin sounded innocent enough, but Felix wasn't in the mood for sugarcoating or lying to spare the boy's feelings. The Warlord was a monster through and through and either Jeongin was aware and didn't care, either he was kept in the dark and deserved to know.
"Ah, I know he can be a little... intense, sometimes. But he means well, he truly does! He didn't realize your own people would banish you merely because you decided to help me – had he known, he'd have surely done otherwise. It was an unfortunate mistake, but—"
"A mistake?" In a flash, Felix was sitting up, glaring daggers at the younger. "This was no mistake, Your Highness. I had no choice in the matter! Your brother invaded my home, burned it to the ground, massacred my people and attempted to kill my only relative left right in front of my eyes – and then your mage destroyed my connection with the forest so they could forcibly bring me here to heal you. And now, even though I've done everything that was demanded of me, I am still forbidden to leave because your brother is a sick man who only enjoys inflicting pain and suffering upon others!!!"
Jeongin's eyes had widened almost comically throughout Felix's little rant. He'd been lied to, that much was obvious – now it was a matter of whether he'd care for Felix's plight, or if he'd stay loyal to his brother despite his guilt. Felix certainly hadn't expected his night to take such a turn but maybe... maybe this was his chance.
"The- the door is wide open," stuttered out Jeongin, gesturing behind him. "It wasn't even locked, so how- how can you accuse Chan of keeping you prisoner—"
Without a word, Felix got up and walked right up to the door. He hesitated for a brief instant before stepping foot past the frame – and an intense pain instantly shot through his foot as the bare sole came in contact with the iron tiles, the smell of burnt flesh almost instantly filling the air.
Felix stumbled back with a pained hiss, instantly focusing what little energy he had left to heal his new injury. As the soothing glow of his magic got to work, he shot Jeongin another glare – this one a little more helpless than angry.
"Even with the door wide open, I cannot leave. Your precious brother made it so."
"That's... I- I don't understand... This doesn't make any sense... They said- they said you were banished when you decided to help, and that- that the grief had sickened you so badly you couldn't leave your chambers, and—"
"This isn't a chamber – it's a prison," spat Felix, finally done healing his foot. "What they have told you is nothing more than a pretty lie meant to spare you the guilt and shame of having condemned an entire kingdom to ruin for the mere sake of your brother's ego."
"You're lying," retorted Jeongin, anger stemming from denial.
"Fae can't lie."
"You're lying!!!"
Unable to stand Felix's presence any longer, Jeongin rushed right out of the room, forgetting to close the door on his way out. Felix listened as his footsteps receded, soon followed by the slam of the other door, and then... absolute silence.
With a sigh, Felix laid back down in bed.
To think I had hoped, for even a second...
No, Felix should have learnt his lesson by now – no one could save him but himself.
It was time to leave.
.
Jeongin was right, the door wasn't locked. Felix needed to use this opportunity while he still had enough strength remaining to recover from the strain escaping would undoubtedly put his body through. So, covering his skin with as many layers of clothes and blankets as he could find, Felix quickly got to work. As soon as he was ready, Felix faced the entrance. The fact that he wouldn't have to exhaust himself pushing the door open couldn't be ignored – if he wanted to escape, it was now or never. So, bracing himself, Felix inhaled deeply... and started running.
Though the iron didn't make direct contact with his feet, which he'd wrapped in many layers of blankets, there was still enough of it to weaken him through sheer proximity, and he was already tired from healing himself so many times during the day – he made it about halfway through before a certain numbness spread through his legs and made him fall. He hissed in pain as his bare hands hit the floor, but he forced himself to ignore the pain and got back up, rushing for the staircase. The stairs were also covered in iron tiles, and he almost slipped more than once, but he somehow managed to make it down to the last door in one piece.
It was also made of iron.
Damn it!
He couldn't give up when he'd made it this far. So, gritting his teeth, Felix grabbed the handle and began pushing with as much strength as he could gather. The pain radiating from his palms was intense, and he felt like he could throw up any second, but he kept on pushing and, at last, the door creaked open.
The moment the opening was wide enough for him to pass, he practically collapsed outside, heaving and panting harshly as he tried to catch his breath. He gagged as the pain in his palms became even more intense, aggravated by the coldness of the stone floor beneath him, but he couldn't afford to waste any more time.
Breathing was easier now that he was no longer exposed to iron, so he allowed himself a minute to catch his breath. The moment he felt strong enough to move again, however, he forced himself back to his feet and began running again. Sweat was coating every inch of his skin and his lungs burned with overused, but he was motivated by sheer despair.
Almost there.
If he could only make it outside, then he'd be able to fly away, find a safe place to rest, and then start his journey back home. His goal was just within reach—
"—telling you, I heard the door open."
"You're crazy, Ji. Everyone was forbidden from stepping foot in there, you know that."
"I'm not crazy! I'm telling you—oh crap!"
Felix's eyes widened in horror as none other than Jisung and Hyunjin rounded the corner a few meters away, Jisung's eyes meeting his a mere second later. There was a moment of startled stillness, the two soldiers not quite realizing that Felix was out of his cell when he definitely shouldn't be.
Felix used that opportunity to make a dash for the nearest window and, without hesitation, he jumped.
"Hey!"
"Fuck!"
The startled shouts and expletives barely registered as Felix began falling, a cold wind whipping his face. His wings fluttered a few times, just enough for him to catch his fall on the battlements below, though the landing was still harsh enough for him to twist his ankle pretty badly.
More shouting echoed behind him, and horror settled in his guts as he realized he was running out of time. Scrambling back to his feet, he started running down the battlements. If he could only make it to the East side, where only a steep rift was located, then he'd be able to escape – if he tried running through the plains, they'd catch up to him in no time.
He realized with no little amount of horror that his wings already felt numb, and they already burned with exhaustion. There was no guarantee that he would survive if he jumped – the thought made him hesitate just as he reached the end of the wall.
"That would be terribly stupid, Your Highness."
Fear filled Felix's guts, and he glanced to the side, where none other than Chan stood. He was mere meters away, only a couple of strides separating him from Felix. He looked angry, and the fear and hesitation filling Felix's heart came to an abrupt halt.
He'd take his chances with the fall before taking them with the Warlord.
He glared at Chan. The Warlord realized too late that he was planning on going through with this suicide plan, and he instantly rushed forward to catch him. Without hesitating any longer, Felix practically threw himself over the battlements. For an instant, time seemed to slow, Chan's fingers grazing against the tip of his wings...
And then Felix was falling again – straight out of the Warlord's reach.
His wings began flapping and fluttering at a mismatched pace as he tried to stop his fall before he could hit the pointy rocks at the very bottom. He hit the stone walls of the cliff a few times on his way down, which definitely hurt, but he ultimately managed to land more or less safely.
He was scraped and bruised all over, his ankle throbbed painfully, his wings ached fiercely, and his legs wobbled as he began walking – but none of it mattered when he was finally free again. Determined to put as much distance as possible between him and the Warlord, the Fae Prince ignored his pain once more and began walking.
He was free. Now, it was a matter of keeping it that way.
.
Felix's newfound freedom barely lasted for three hours.
"Let go of me...!"
With a simple tracking spell, Minho had been able to locate him with ease, and Jisung's trained hound dogs had made quick work of tracking Felix's exact position after that. Upon hearing the animals, Felix had panicked and ran straight into Hyunjin and Changbin's trap – an iron net.
Already greatly weakened from his escape and the resulting injuries he had yet to heal, Felix hadn't been able to put up much more of a fight after that. He'd barely managed not to outright pass out after getting caught in the iron net, so he could hardly do anything when Changbin tied him up before heaving him onto his horse's back.
Felix was now alternating between struggling against his bindings, cursing his captors out, and taking short breaks to try and recover more energy. He could tell they were all pretty much tuning him out, but that definitely didn't stop him from lashing out.
In Fae tongue, that is. At this point, he was a bit too out of it to notice he was speaking a language they couldn't understand.
"You are all pathetic beings undeserving of mercy and forgiveness!" he spat, trying to wriggle off the saddle he'd been strapped onto. "You're just as terrible and cruel as your precious leader! You are horrible people whose souls will burn in a hellfire of shame for eternity!"
Never before had Felix uttered such vile statements, and the sheer fact that he meant every word genuinely scared and pained him. The viciousness of his captor had seemingly tainted his own soul, and he simply prayed he'd be strong enough not to let the Warlord take even more from him than he already did.
Felix eventually grew too exhausted to keep on cursing them out, and he'd depleted too much of his strength to keep on struggling. By the time they made it back to the castle, he was only partly conscious, and he only snapped out of his daze when Hyunjin unstrapped him from the saddle and picked him up.
Felix let out a whimper as the soldier's arms brushed against his bruises, and Hyunjin's arms tightened the slightest bit around him.
"For what it's worth... I am sorry," he murmured softly, just loud enough for Felix to hear. "But you would make everything a lot easier for yourself and everyone else if you simply stopped fighting already."
Felix somehow mustered the energy to glare. "Never."
Hyunjin sighed but didn't add anything else, and they both fell silent after that. With Minho and Jisung leading the way, and Changbin right behind them, their group found their way to the throne room. Upon entering, they found Chan pacing back and forth in the room, and he only stopped the moment he noticed them.
"You found him!"
Hyunjin carefully lowered Felix to the floor before taking a step back as Chan quickly walked up to them. The freckled boy looked away from the Warlord as he loomed over him, gritting his teeth in anticipation, and flinching when the man suddenly gripped his chin to force him to meet his gaze.
Chan hummed lowly, his eyes narrowed at him. "Your spirit is still as strong as ever, Your Highness. I can admire that, but I start to tire from your stubbornness."
"Says the man who can't take no for an answer," huffed Felix.
The Warlord clicked his tongue, releasing Felix's chin as he straightened up – and then he harshly kicked the Fae right in the chest. The air was knocked right out of Felix's lungs as he flew back and crashed onto the floor a few meters away, wheezing as pain flared in his upper body – some bones had most definitely cracked.
As he struggled to regain his breath, Chan stalked up to him with a silent resignation dripping from every step. He abruptly grabbed the ropes tying Felix's arms to his body and used them to turn the Fae around and pin him to the ground, his cheek scraping painfully against the cold stone.
Felix tried to struggle out of his grasp, but Chan merely shifted his hold to pin him down by the next instead.
"You will not give up unless you've truly lost hope," he stated plainly. "I wish it didn't have to come to this, but you've left me no choice."
"What- what are you—"
A stuttered gasp escaped Felix as Chan's free hand suddenly closed around the base of his upper left wing. The Fae stiffened, his eyes going wide as realization dawned on him – but it was too late. The Warlord tightened his grip and, at once, he pulled with all his strength. A scream was ripped out of Felix's throat the same his wing was ripped right off his back, an undescriptible agony spreading through his entire back.
Chan carelessly discarded the now useless appendage and promptly grabbed the next one. Tears spilled from Felix's eyes as he tried to squirm out of his hold.
"Please, no, please, don't do this I'm begging you—!"
Felix's pleas were useless in the face of the Warlord's determination, and another blood-curling scream echoed throughout the entire castle as Chan ripped out his upper right wing with barely restrained glee. The Fae Prince was sobbing at this point, his speech slurring as he alternated between begging and whimpering.
Uncaring of his pain, Chan grabbed his third wing.
Felix was outright wailing by the time the Warlord threw aside the third delicate appendage, his nerves set alight with pain and his body convulsing from the unbearable abuse. The Fae Prince was outright delirious by now, lost in a haze of suffering as he begged and cried in his mother tongue.
"LET HIM GO!!!"
Through his sight blurred by burning tears, Felix caught sight of Jeongin, the prince's voice a distant echo in his buzzing ears. The white-haired boy ran up to them with horror painted on his face, but Hyunjin and Changbin promptly stepped forward to hold him back, Seungmin joining them soon after.
Unbothered by his brother's unexpected arrival, Chan grabbed Felix's last wing.
The Fae Prince blacked out the moment the Warlord ripped it off.
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"This is your fault, Jeongin. If you hadn't gone against my orders and went to visit him behind my back, then he wouldn't have been able to escape, and I wouldn't have had to resort to such a drastic measure."
Chan had always been a man who showed his love through actions rather than words. He was the type to love too much, and to care for others more than he cared for himself, the type to risk everything and give up anything if it meant keeping those he cared about safe. Jeongin had always known this, and it was qualities he used to admire in his brother.
Now, though, he realized just how blind he'd been.
He'd always been all-too-happy not to question his brother's actions, figuring Chan knew better than him, and trusting the older was a good enough person to distinguish right from wrong. As such, he never questioned his authority and, whenever he felt uncomfortable with one of his brother's decisions, he merely ignored it.
But this... This wasn't something Jeongin was capable or willing to ignore.
"You ripped out his wings," he hissed, fighting back his tears to the best of his abilities. "He saved my life, and this is how you repay him? By keeping him captive and torturing him!?"
"He's been defying me."
Jeongin shook his head, barely able to make head or tail of what he was hearing. Not only had his brother and the people he'd grown to love as his family lied to him about the circumstances behind Felix's presence, but they were all involved with actively hurting him, too.
No, the prince definitely couldn't condone such actions, even for his brother's sake.
(The sound of Felix's screams would haunt his nightmares 'til his dying breath, that much he was certain of – and the sight of the person he used to admire inflicting such terrible pain upon another being would definitely accompany them every night.)
"You need to let him go, Chan," he stated firmly, angrily wiping his tears away.
Chan's eyes narrowed at him. "Jeongin. Do not test my patience. You are my brother, but that does not exempt you from respecting me as your ruler—"
"I am your brother and as such, I am asking this one favor of you: show mercy for the one to whom we owe my very life," insisted Jeongin. "Please, Chan—"
"I don't want to hear it," cut the Warlord, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. "The Fae Prince is mine, Jeongin. Don't try anything stupid if you know what's best for you."
Never before had Chan outright threatened him, and it chilled Jeongin to the bone. The brother he used to love and respect so dearly was most assuredly gone – had probably been gone for a while, but Jeongin had simply refused to see it.
Biting his tongue so as to refrain from angering his brother further, Jeongin offered a stiff bow before walking out. As the door of the throne room closed behind him, however, only one thought reigned in his mind.
I'm going to help him.
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The door to Fae Prince's cell was now locked, and Chan jealously hoarded the sole key, keeping it on himself at all times. Still, that didn't deter Jeongin from plotting the Fae Prince's escape, and he was quite grateful when his childhood friend, Seungmin, agreed to help him in this dangerous endeavor.
"This isn't right," he'd simply said when Jeongin questioned his motives. "And he saved you. The least I can do is help save him."
So the pair secretly began working on their escape plan. They couldn't risk involving any of the others, painfully aware that they were all too loyal to Chan to ever defy him, even if they knew that what he was doing was wrong. So, while Seungmin carefully researched how exactly Minho had destroyed the Fae Prince's connection to his homeland, Jeongin worked on creating an escape route.
It took them about two weeks but, at last, they managed to come up with a viable plan. Now, it was simply a matter of making it happen.
"Are you absolutely certain the mercenaries' you've hired won't turn on us?" questioned Seungmin, keeping his voice low even though they were in Jeongin's private chambers.
"Absolutely. I'm good friend with one of them, and they're trustworthy. If anyone can get the Fae Prince home, it's them," assured Jeongin, quickly folding the papers Seungmin had managed to recover from Minho's personal library.
(Seungmin had finally managed to find information on the ritual Minho had performed and, though there was no indication as to how to reverse it, it would hopefully be able to help the Fae Prince recover.)
"What about your brother? Won't he just go back for him?"
"I've tasked the group with spreading false trails and frame the Southern Kingdom for it. This will hopefully be enough to get Chan off their back and... give me more time to talk him out of going after him again."
"So... you're about to start a war with a neighboring kingdom in order to save the Fae Prince?"
There was a moment of silence, Jeongin having grown tensed at the accusation. Seungmin sighed, shaking his head – whatever he wanted to say didn't matter, and it's not like knowing all this changed anything about his loyalty to the 2nd Prince.
"So. Tonight?" he asked simply, changing the subject.
Jeongin shook off his daze and nodded firmly. "Tonight."
It had taken a war to take the Fae Prince from his home – if it took a war in order to send him back, then so be it.
.
Chan had spent the last few weeks tending to the Fae Prince. The loss of his wings took an incredible toll on his body and his mind alike, and the freckled boy was now bedridden. He slipped in and out of consciousness, crying himself to sleep as much as he cried himself awake, and his little body was constantly overtaken by tremors and ghost pains, his beautiful face twisting in pain even when he slept.
Tonight was no different from the others. He intended on tending to the prince's back, then he would lay down next to him and hold him as he wept and slept, because the mesmerizing creature was simply too weak to fight him off at that point. The fact that he still struggled in some rare moments of lucidity annoyed the Warlord, but he forced himself to hold back.
Victory would taste even sweeter once the Fae Prince truly gave in.
It was with that thought in mind that Chan entered the Fae's room.
What he didn't expect was to find the Fae Prince laid down on blood-soaked sheets, a thick iron bar protruding from his chest and his skin as pale as snow.
"No!!!"
He rushed to the bed, despair gnawing at his guts as he straddled the Fae's lap, horror making him gag as the still-warm blood spread to his hands and soaked his clothes. Tears spilled from his eyes as he picked up the Fae's lifeless body with much more care than he ever bothered with when the boy was still alive.
"Why would you do such a thing?" he whispered brokenly, holding the Fae against his chest. "Why, why, why?"
"So there is some semblance of humanity to be found in your heart. Good to know."
Chan barely had the time to register the words or the voice speaking them before a searing pain shot through his chest. He froze, his eyes going wide as he spat out blood and, without warning, Felix carefully pulled away from his embrace. The iron bar that had been previously piercing him through and through was gone, and so was the blood.
Or rather, the iron bar was now piercing Chan's chest, and the blood was his, too.
"W- what... How did you..."
The Fae Prince, very much alive, completely pulled away from him with absolute disdain written all over his face. Chan grabbed the iron bar, struggling to breathe as he partly collapsed on the bed.
"It's a simple illusion spell. You would have noticed if you'd just paid a little more attention."
This particular voice was definitely out of place. Chan managed to turn his head, gritting his teeth as he found a familiar man leaning against the wall a few meters away.
"Hongjoong...!"
"This was a long time coming, Warlord," stated plainly the mercenary. "As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. You've spent years spreading misery and suffering amongst countless kingdoms and people – it's now time for you to face the consequences."
.
Felix stared numbly as the life was slowly drained from the Warlord's body, his skin growing paler by the second as his strength withered away.
The plan had been simple: lay down and act as bait, while Hongjoong used that opportunity to strike him from behind. With the mercenary's illusionary magic, it had been easy enough to give the Warlord a vision shocking enough that it completely derailed his sharply honed instincts, and it was the opening Hongjoong needed to empale him with one of the bars from Felix's window.
He felt sick, but he knew it was the only way to ensure the Warlord would never hurt him or anyone else ever again.
"Well, I believe we've wasted enough time as is," remarked simply Hongjoong, walking over to Felix with a bitter smile. "Shall we, Your Highness?"
A pained plea came from Chan, and Felix spared him a brief glance, before nodding in agreement. Hongjoong carefully picked him up, and the freckled boy closed his eyes as he was carried out of his cell, trying his best to tune out Chan's dying breaths.
Dying alone and miserable was all the Warlord deserved.
Hongjoong carried him all the way out of the castle, his illusionary magic cloaking them completely and allowing them to bypass all of the guards and soldiers on night watch. They made it all the way to the stables, where a secret entrance was located. It led to a narrow trail that passed through the mountains and led them right into the next kingdom's territory.
As they reached the stables, they found none other than Jeongin waiting for them.
"Here," he said simply, handing Felix a satchel. "This is all the information we could find on the ritual. I hope this will help."
After a moment of hesitation, Felix leaned up and placed a brief kiss to Jeongin's lips. Warmth instantly spread in the white-haired boy's lips, soon followed by a tingling sensation as the Fae Prince pulled away.
"You shall always be welcomed by the Fae, and nature shall aid you should you need it," he stated simply. "May this blessing serve you well – you shall need every ounce of help you can get once word of the Warlord's death gets out."
Jeongin swallowed thickly at that, taking a step back. "Thank you. Safe travels, Your Highness. Hongjoong—"
"You can count on us," simply assured the mercenary. "We'll get him home safe."
The 2nd Prince nodded and, with one last farewell, he promptly left the stables. Felix watched him go with mismatched emotions, but he didn't have the time to linger on them as Hongjoong carefully lifted him onto the horse's back. He tightly held onto the precious satchel he was given as the mercenary settled behind him and, at once, the pair took off through the secret passageway.
After a few minutes of trudging through almost complete darkness, they reached an alcove illuminated by torches, where a group of seven men were seemingly waiting for them. They all perked up when they arrived, quickly climbing onto their own horses – they all knew time was of essence.
As their group began their journey, Felix closed his eyes again, a deeply rooted exhaustion finally catching up to him. He'd endured too much in too little time, and he knew the Warlord's death was going to weight on his soul for the rest of his life. But, despite the price he'd had to pay for his freedom, Felix felt... at peace, somewhat.
He was going home at last.
.
"You didn't tell me you were planning on having your brother killed."
"I knew you wouldn't have approved."
"I would still have supported you, you know that." Jeongin didn't answer, and Seungmin clicked his tongue. "We're framing the Southern Kingdom for his assassination, then?"
Jeongin hummed under his breath, letting his gaze wander on the stretches of wild plains beyond the battlements. Somewhere in the castle laid his brother's corpse and he knew that, once morning came, everything would go to hell – so, he'd enjoy the peace while it lasted.
By his side, Seungmin sighed heavily. "You and Chan aren't all that different, after all. I simply pray you won't lose yourself like he did."
"Will you still be by my side even if I do?"
A wry smile graced Seungmin's lips at that, and he linked his hand with Jeongin's. "Always."
.
.
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OKAY WHY DID EVERYONE WANT FELIX TO DIE!?
Anyway I did NOT expect so many people to get so involved in this AU, you guys really surprised me! But I am here to please and as such, I deliver you the not-so-long awaited 3 part. I hope I scared you enough with the "major character death" tag xD
This was a really long chapter but hopefully I got all my ideas across. Now this AU is REALLY finished, okay? I'm leaving an open ending, feel free to imagine the rest as you see fit!
And see? I AM capable of writing happy endings!... kind of xD