The ship and its lights were the only signs of human life in hundreds of kilometers. It was rocking slowly on the calm sea. The night was dark and cold. The stars were twinkling in the sky, their twins dancing on the surface. The ship was made of dark wood. It was almost one with the night sky. A couple of men were out on its deck. Some were looking out into the see, leaning on the railing. Others were lying on the floor, staring at the sky. Two were sitting together, their backs propped against the foremast. They were old friends. Their names were Kang Yeosang and Jung Wooyoung.
"It's been a long time, don't you think?" Wooyoung asked. A cloud appeared when he spoke, the warm air hitting the cold.
"Yhym..."
"Do you think the soldier boys beat them up?"
Yeosang snickered. The smile made his look a bit less like a sculpture, with his pale skin and dark hair.
"Do you have so little faith in our Captain?"
The man with unnatural, white streaks in his hair made a thinking face.
"No," he said after a moment, "I believe in Captain. It's the soldier boys that I doubt. They're supposed to be cursed, aren't they?"
"It's not a curse, if they asked for it."
Another man joined their conversation. His arms were bare, showing off the tan skin and muscles. Wooyoung wrapped the fur jacket closer around his body. How could he walk around like that?
"So... not cursed, alright, but there was a witch involved, am I wrong?"
"You're right."
"Yeah, don't interrupt me then, Choi."
Choi San laughed at that, dimples appearing in his cheeks, softening his appearance.
"Aren't you freezing?" Yeosang asked.
San shrugged. He was born in a colder region, unlike some of his mates. The weather wasn't half as bad as it could've been.
"A bit."
"I told you something got messed up in there," Wooyoung tapped his head, "the last time he fell from the nest."
San rolled his eyes and Yeosang shook his head.
"Come here," Kang said.
"Make space for me then," San said, already walking closer.
The two boys moved to the sides and he slipped in between them. Yeosang started to rub his hands on San's arms, letting out a disapproving "tsk" when he felt how cold they were. Wooyoung put his arm around the other man, but not without muttering:
"If you touch me with those cold hands, I'm cutting them off."
San just laughed louder and grabbed his palm, raising it to his mouth and landing a kiss on the man's knuckles. Wooyoung just scoffed.
"How long is it already" a husky voice asked from the front.
"Thirty minutes? Forty maybe?" Yeosang guessed.
"Too long..." a softer voice said.
Two shadows got closer to the three men. As they got closer, the trio could easily tell Mingi and Yunho apart. They were both tall, but the former had messy hair and sharp features that made him look way more threatening that he attempted to. On the other hand, Yunho had fuller cheeks, but his face was currently contoured with worry. A third person joined them. It was the youngest of the crew – Jongho. You couldn't tell by the way he looked, cause under the fur and leather jacket was a muscular body that he happily used during their various battles. He was waiting quietly until that very moment.
"I think they've gotten in trouble."
...
There was a flash of green light. Seonghwa's eyes quickly scanned the room. The three men on the bed, two at the table, three near the fireplace. Not one of them seemed to hold a weapon, but he knew better than to underestimate them. He could see the emeralds in their surprised eyes, glimmering in the candlelight. They were all on their feet, bodies ready to get thrown in a fight. Seonghwa wasn't a fighter. He looked to his left, where his Captain stood. The man was looking around the room, his head held high. A smirk was resting comfortably on his lips, clearly confident in his plan.
"Hello, soldiers," he said.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked a man near the bed. His voice commanded respect and the scar on his face told Seonghwa all he needed to know. That was the General.
"My name's captain Kim Hongjoong and I wanna strike a deal."
The room was quiet. Seonghwa watched the black marks paint the arms of one of the men by the fireplace. His long hair didn't hide the green eyes shining clearly. If it came to this, he would be the first to attack.
"And why would we want to work with a pirate?" Bang Chan spoke up again.
His voice was calm. His eyes were assessing the situation. Seonghwa knew what was coming. He took a calming breath.
"Because I wanna kill the King."
There was a second of silence, while you could taste the tension on your tongue. Then, the spark ignited the fire.
"I should kill you just for saying that" Bang Chan said through gritted teeth.
"But you won't," the Captain said, making the General even more angry.
"Now, aren't you too confident, pirate."
This time other men spoke up. He was standing next to the General. His eyes were cat-like and something about him made Seonghwa's skin crawl. His Captain didn't back out.
"No, and you know why? Because I know you want to kill him too."
Once again, silence fell upon the room.
"I know it because my dear witch told me so."
All eyes turned to Seonghwa. He didn't say a word. His captain was better with them.
"Witches have different charms, don't they?"
Seonghwa noticed their eyes flickering to the man, who challenged Hongjoong before. His hand became outstretched in a familiar gesture. That was him. The witch who made the seven men invincible.
"What is your gift?" Seonghwa asked. He couldn't help himself. He didn't even realize he did it out loud.
The witch narrowed his eyes.
"There is no use in me telling you that."
His voice was colder than the winds Seonghwa knew from his home in the southern mountains. Colder than the sea they resided on lately.
"Mine is of prophecy" he said.
He saw no point in hiding it. They would find out anyway if they chose to join their crew. Otherwise, this should be enough to keep them away.
The others witch's eyes widened.
"Impossible..." he muttered.
The rest of the men looked confused. They probably didn't know much about magic. It didn't matter. The fact that the witch understood the weight of his words was enough.
"I saw the king being taken down. We did it – our crew. But not alone."
Seonghwa swallowed nervously. Everyone was listening. His Captain let him continue.
"With us were eight men I didn't know then... They all had emerald eyes. Now, we meet."
He looked around the room. They were all here. The General with the scar and the cat-eyed right-hand man. The boy with round cheeks was right behind them! The one ready to attack was next to a smaller man with face full of freckles. And by their side was the skinny, tall boy with foxlike face. Then, there was the shorter man with strong arms and the last one, who was holding a chess piece in his hand like he was about to throw it! For a second Seonghwa became genuinely excited!
"There's no guarantee that you're saying the truth."
It was the witch who spoke up.
"But aren't we right about you wanting the king dead?" Hongjoong asked.
His confidence didn't waver.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave now."
The General's eyes ever shining and his fingers were looking like he dipped them in black paint. The claws were catching the light dangerously.
That seemed like a good moment for retreat.
"Tsk," Hongjoong shook his head. "We'll go, if you insist, but we'll come back in a week. Then, you can give us your answer. You know, after you take some time to think."
The chess piece hit Hongjoong in his chest. He grabbed Seonghwa's arm. The witch didn't need a command – they disappeared in a burst of light.
...
The group was standing still, their positions unmoving. Even though the pirates left, the air was heavy with what just happen. The shock came from two places. One, somebody knew they wanted the king dead. There was no use in acting innocent – they did. But it was a secret, one they never mentioned with each other, because saying it out loud makes it dangerous. Most of them were called traitors before. They knew the feeling, they knew the threat. They very much preferred to be thought of as heroes. Secondly, they just saw two people appear in their, for better or worse, home out of thin air. And leaving just like that. Was the castle, the safest place in the country, so easy to penetrate?
Unsurprisingly, Jisung was the first to move. He walked towards the place, where the two pirates stood just a minute ago and looked around as if he was supposed to find something there. The only sign of their presence was a wet stain on the floor – the snow that melted from their boots.
"How was that possible?" he asked, his voice strained.
He looked at Minho hyung for an answer, but the witch only shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I don't know, Sungie... This isn't the magic I know..."
He hid his face in his hands. What he saw... He didn't know a spell capable of transporting people through space. And if what the other witch said was true, he had some studying to do. Telling future was not a simple task – that man had to have amazing power. If they were to see them again, Minho had to be ready.
Chan flopped next to him. Their General was just as stunned as his lover, but he felt much more anger. That pirate was taunting him. He was so full of himself, so sure that they would agree... Chan wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. He almost did it. He was so close to losing his temper. He shouldn't let it happen.
While the leader and the witch let themselves think about this encounter, the rest of their family tried to shake off the nervousness.
"I can't believe you threw this at him..." Jisung murmured, picking up the white king piece from the floor.
Seungmin laughed at that.
"He was pissing me off, not gonna lie."
Other boys let out laughs at that.
"That wasn't very strategic of you," Jeongin pointed out.
"Yeah, I would expect Jin to do that, but you?' Changbin joined in the fun. "I'm disappointed in you..."
Seungmin jabbed him in his side with his elbow in return.
"Hey, fuck off!"
Hyunjin walked over to them and immediately tried to get the shorter man in a headlock. Yongbok just giggled and sat back on his chair. He felt the tension leaving his body, while watching his friends and his lover being fools.
...
As the two men disappeared from the General's room, they materialized in the woods not too far away from it. Seonghwa let go of his Captain's arm and the smaller man ventured a couple of steps away from him immediately.
"He threw something at me!" he shouted. "Can you believe it?"
"Ah, yes, I've seen it happen."
The Captain started to walk in circles.
"Incredible! The nerve!"
Seonghwa would describe himself as someone who's fairly close to Kim Hongjoong, but at moments like this he wasn't sure if the man was complaining or ecstatic.
"It could've gone better, I suppose," he said finally.
As exciting as it was to finally meet another witch, the reaction to their proposition wasn't looking good.
"Bullshit, they're gonna agree," Hongjoong replied, staying in one place at last.
The witch blinked at him a couple of times, confusion visible on his face.
"How can you be so sure?"
"We're still alive! There's no sound of an army coming after us!"
All good things, yes, but Seonghwa couldn't see how it related to the soldiers agreeing to murder their king.
"Come on, Seonghwa, use your brain! If they're not trying to prosecute us now, that means they're not against our plan, just aren't sure yet."
The taller man nodded his head. Alright, he would accept that as a fair point. He still didn't share the optimism of his Captain.
"Shall we go home then?" he asked seeing no point in further discussion.
"Yes, alright, let's go."
The Captain linked their arms ready for the familiar feeling of drowning that took over him every time Seonghwa used his powers to take them from one place to another. He took a deep breath. The next time he opened his eyes, he saw his lovely ship and his crewmates looking at him.
...
A couple of days passed and the group managed to slide right back into their routine. They trained the entire day, joined the king during dinners, if he felt like it, and spend evenings together. Chan tried mentioning them wanting to go home to the old man, but he was dismissed. It made them feel even more agitated.
That evening Hyunjin left the dining hall in a hurry. He went straight to his room, paying no attention to other people. He stopped in front of a mirror. It was grand and covered in gold like everything else in this place. He looked at himself angrily. He was dressed in fancy clothes and there were golden pins adorning his hair. Who the fuck was he trying to fool? He tugged at the jewelry and set his hair free. It was reaching past his shoulders now. He then tried to take off his white shirt, but he had trouble opening the intricate golden buttons. He was close to ripping it apart when he heard Yongbok's deep voice.
"Let me help you."
Hyunjin turned to the other man. Seeing his lovers gentle face made him instantly calmer. Maybe that's why he run in the first place – he wanted to let himself be angry. The castle was suffocating.
Yongbok carefully undid his shirt, revealing Hyunjin's chest which was still moving with deep breaths. The taller man's muscles were all tense, his jaw locked. His whole body was ready to fight. Bokkie took the clothing off and threw it carelessly on their bed.
Hyunjin was ready for scolding, but Yongbok grabbed the training attire he was wearing earlier and passed it to Jin. He quickly started to change his clothes too, while Hyunjin stared at him confused.
"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. "Let's get this out of our system. You're not the only ones who's pissed."
"I love you," Hyunjin replied, breathless.
Yongbok smiled at him playfully. He crossed the room to get close to him. He put his hand on Jin's cheek and then kissed him gently. Their lips moved against each other slowly. Hyunjin felt his body relax.
"I love you too," Bokkie said after pulling apart. "Now, let's go."
They walked through the empty corridors lit by the torches. They stopped by the armory to pick up their weapons of choice. They kept the fingers of their hands intertwined, while sending each other smiles. When they finally got to the training grounds, they were close to giggling. When you feel like you're alone in the castle, with no king to be seen, it can be even fun to sneak around. It reminded them of the days when they had to steal food from camp's supplies. Now their stomachs were full, but the drive that got them in and out of trouble was still there.
Finally, Hyunjin took two swords in his hands and swinged them a couple of times, only to grab them properly and come at the wooden figure – the made-up target. Yongbok smirked seeing his lover in his element. He was holding his blade already and now he approached the other man.
"Try fighting a target that moves."
Hyunjin looked at him over his shoulder, something twinkling in his eyes. Without a word, he lunged at Yongbok. The smaller man deflected his swords easily and so the familiar push and pull began. The moon climbed higher in the sky and sweat built on their skin. The only sound was the clank of their blades and the occasional cawing of a lonely crow. It was almost like dancing. Hyunjin couldn't help but smile when his lover put his sword near his throat and it stopped on Jin's crossed blades. He retreated with ease and took a step back just to aim at Bokkie a second later. Their weapons crossed again. They were both breathing heavily, their chests visibly raising and falling with every breath.
"Truce?" Yongbok suggested.
Hyunjin raised his eyebrow at first, but then nodded his head. It was late, way too late if they wanted to make it to the morning practice. His arms felt heavy and he was quite sure that all the anger left his body an hour ago. He lowered his weapons.
"Alright, Angel, but I was winning."
Yongbok scoffed.
"If that helps you sleep at night..."
"That would be you, actually," Hyunjin replied instantly making his lover smile and shake his head in defeat.
They made their way to their room, stopping briefly at the armory. The castle was deserted at this hour, so they stayed quiet until the doors of their bedroom shut behind them. As they cleaned up before sleep, Hyunjin spoke up:
"Thank you for today. Honestly, I was so mad that I was ready to join those stupid pirates just to get out of here," he joked.
Yongbok smiled but there was something in his expression that made Hyunjin stay quiet and wait for whatever he had to say.
"Those pirates... Would you really come with them?"
"Not without you," Jin responded without a doubt. "And not without the hyungs and Innie, and all of you guys."
Yongbok nodded his head still looking serious.
"But do you want to?"
Hyunjin took a second to think. His first instinct was to say yes, he wanted the king dead and he wanted to make sure he would get what he deserved. But he knew better now, than to just jump without thinking.
"It's tempting," he answered honestly, "but I know it's not the only way. What I want is... to make the decision together. The week is coming to an end. We can't pretend like nothing happened. We need an answer."
That seemed to satisfy Yongbok.
"I'm glad that we agree."
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