The answer turned out to be "no." San's right arm was smashed and bleeding. Mingi hit his head. Changbin's leg might've been broken and, of course, Hongjoong himself was limping around the ship. The pirates wore sour expressions on their faces. The wolves heard them talking among themselves:
"There's no way we're going to pull this off with so many of us hurt."
That made Minho turn to them, from where he was making Changbin sit down, and say:
"What do you mean? I'll help you out in a minute."
San frowned at him.
"Somebody else can patch me up, but it won't change the fact that I can't fight with my arm being like that."
That made Minho smirk. So, the pirates had no idea what he was capable of.
"Just wait."
The pirates watched the witch disappear in the depth of the ship, only to come back a moment later with a handful of jars and candles. The wolves wrinkled their noses seeing the familiar jars filled with odd fluids and herbs. Minho just started to put them on the floor.
"Light those up for me, please."
Minho pushed the candles in Seonghwa's direction. The other witch was surprised.
"Ah, with what?"
"Your magic, obviously. You just burned the Kraken alive, you can light a candle."
Minho's voice wasn't unkind. He had some issues with the captain and he didn't trust his crew completely, but what he saw in Seonghwa wasn't danger or competition. It was something he recognized from when his boys changed. The uncertainty. The lack of confidence in their own powers. He was sure that the other witch wasn't raised with his kind. He probably discovered his powers by accident. Perhaps something scary happened. Minho could imagine how it affected the other man. But he could also see the potential, the strength. Perhaps, he could help Park Seonghwa bloom as a witch.
Just as he predicted, Seonghwa did simply fine with the given task. A moment later Minho was mixing the herbs with the liquids, burning some leaves and adding them to the paste and then heating it up just a bit. He explained every step to the other witch, who listened carefully, hanging onto every world. It was the first time someone explained how magic worked to him.
Finally, Minho applied the medication to San's arm. Yeosang and Wooyoung were watching him work as if they were ready to intervene if he tried to hurt him. Minho didn't mind the audience. He whispered the familiar words of a spell and watched as shock showed on San's face.
"It- it's doesn't hurt anymore..."
The other pirates looked at them with disbelieve clear on their faces. Even the Captain couldn't hide his interest.
"That's amazing," Seonghwa said. "I never thought we could heal people."
Minho smiled at that.
"We can do good things. Wonderful things. Unfortunately, being a good person involves helping even the most annoying people. Why don't you put this on Mingi's head and I'll go fix up your Captain?"
The comment made Seonghwa laugh. Even San, who overheard it, chuckled.
"Of course," answered the other witch.
Seeing him healing the taller man, Minho couldn't help but feel proud.
...
The next morning was slow. No one was in a mood to get back to the planning. The ship was a mess and so it was decided that a deep cleaning would take place. Worn out after the healing that they did the night before, the two witches were excluded from the event.
It was pretty entertaining to watch the two groups work together. Apparently Jongho, the youngest of the pirates, took likening to Seungmin and they were cleaning the floors together while sharing embarrassing stories about their friends. Yunho and Mingi were in charge of fixing the sails with Jeongin. They were doing fine, but that didn't stop Hyunjin from checking up on his brother every hour of so. The older Hwang was assigned with general cleaning along with San and Changbin. Wooyoung and Yongbok were delegated to the kitchen with the task of cooking something good. Lastly, Yeosang and Jisung were cleaning up the room where most of the planning took place. The huge monster shaking up the whole ship made quite a mess there. The leaders were overseeing it all, of course. It mainly meant stopping Hyunjin, Yongbok, San, Yeosang and Wooyoung from trying to visit each other.
Meantime, Seonghwa and Minho rested in the pirate witch's quarters. It wasn't much, just a bed, little table with two chairs and some storage space. The witches were looking at Seonghwa's sketchbook filled with drawings of his visions when they heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," Minho said.
The door opened and Chan entered the room with a trail in his hands.
"I thought you might want some tea. The boys will be done with cleaning soon."
Minho smiled at him. So considerate.
"Thank you."
The General just smiled back and left, nodding at Seonghwa as goodbye.
Minho poured some tea for himself and looked back at the journal.
"Now, I can't help but notice... Quite a lot of those are connected to your Captain."
Seonghwa's cheeks heat up.
"You two seem close," Minho added.
He was paying attention. He saw how Seonghwa always seemed to be near the irritating pirate. He saw how the short man was never quite as harsh with the witch. He wasn't blind.
"Hmm, we are. All his plans depend on my dreams, I deliver the good prophecies and the bad ones too."
But maybe Seonghwa was.
"What about you and your general? Are you his adviser?"
The other witch was keen to change the subject. Minho smirked.
"If the law allowed it, I would be his husband."
Seonghwa opened his mouth in surprise. Clearly, he wasn't expecting a straightforward answer like this. He was quick to recover.
"If you're not his husband, how does he call you?"
"His lover. His... honey."
Minho smiled warmly. Just talking about his man made him happier.
"Must be nice, being loved like that," Seonghwa mused.
The darkhaired witch took a sip of his tea.
"It is. I hope you'll get to experience such happiness too."
Seonghwa's smile was sad.
"I doubt it but thank you."
Before Minho got a chance to argue, a huge raven flew through an open window. The bird sat on Seonghwa's and cawed loudly.
"Oh, the dinner is ready."
It was Minho's turn to be surprised. He let out a laugh.
"That explained how you spied on us! Clever!"
Seonghwa scratched his neck awkwardly.
"Ah, that's... Well, it's actually one of the first things I learned with magic..."
"I'm not angry!" Minho stopped his explanation. "I mean it, it's extremely useful. I'm impressed."
That made the other witch blush again. He's grown to respect Lee Minho a lot in the last days. Hearing him compliment him felt good, almost overwhelming.
"Thank you," he said earnestly. "Now, let's go eat."
Minho decided to not embarrass him anymore.
"Lead the way."
...
"Now that we're done with cleaning up after this fuckery..."
"Captain, we killed a mythical beast..." Yeosang interrupted.
"As I said, fuckery. Anyway. What I wanted to say, was that me and General talked..."
That gained some reactions.
"And I decided that we're going to take the Wolves to the island and introduce them to the Princess."
There were sounds of disbelieve, shock but no protests.
"And I suppose that means I should explain how I know her..."
Hongjoong acted like it was the last thing he wanted to do.
"My father was a king's general once. At some point, when I was thirteen, he sent me away to an island. The same island where the Princess was hidden away."
"How do you know she's the princess and not a pretender?" Seungmin questioned.
"Seonghwa's vision confirmed it. But that's not all. She's got the family jewels. The same ones as on the portrait of the Queen hanging in the great hall."
The wolves were quiet. They remember the grand painting that seemed to follow them with her eyes.
"The Queen was the one who hid her away. She knew of the king's affair but she didn't want the child dead. So, she sent her most trusted people with her along with the necklace. She suspected that the King would want her gone soon too. He wanted the power all for himself."
Everybody kept their eyes on his as he recalled what his father once told him.
"My father was one of the trusted ones. That's why once the Queen died, he sent me to the same island."
The room was silent save for the scoff that Hyunjin let out.
Hongjoong looked at him with annoyance. Of course, that the longhaired soldier would have something to say.
"What?"
Hyunjin rolled his eyes visibly.
"Nothing. Just... You're not even a real pirate, You're just some rich brat that his daddy sent away."
"You fucker."
"Hyunjin."
The Captain and the General spoke at the same time. In the background, Yongbok and two witches moved, ready to stop the fight.
"No, seriously? You guys aren't mad?" the longhaired soldier questioned. "We had to fight King's war, when his own soldiers got to hide their kids away!"
"Jinnie..."
Yongbok got to his side and grabbed his hand.
"Innie was barely of age!"
The rage turned into something broken and bitter. As if a mournful creature that lived somewhere between Hyunjin's ribs broke free after a year of denial.
"He was still a kid."
"I know, Jinnie."
Yongbok would never belittle how Jin felt and the taller man knew that. Which is why he didn't push him away. He let himself be gathered in his lover's hands, while his shook and he couldn't tell, if it was because of anger or something else.
"Hyung..."
His brother showed up by his side.
Hyunjin thought that he was probably embarrassed. Damn. He should probably feel embarrassed himself, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Not with Bokkie holding him, Innie half-hugging his side and even Minho hyung patting his arm. He knew that his outburst was perhaps too much and might get him trouble, but as long as his family was by his side, he didn't care.
Somewhere during the time it took Hyunjin to calm down, Hongjoong stopped cursing his name. He was still fuming, but the vulnerability shown by the soldier made him shut up. Thank gods, thought Seonghwa.
"We're not here to discuss whether what we went through was fair or not," Chan spoke up after the room calmed down. "We're here to make sure no one else will have to do what we had to do."
Hyunjin gave him a short nod in response, a sign that he would behave now.
"We're gonna go to the island and finish the plan with the help of the Princess."
The wolves stayed silent, while the crew looked at each other. Well, they had a ship to get ready for a voyage.
...
The travel only took one day, but the ship and its passengers found themselves far enough south, that the heavy furs were unnecessary. The young men lounged on the deck as the Mingi and Hongjoong made sure they were approaching the island at the right speed.
The moment of leisure allowed the group to spend some time bonding and sharing stories. Changbin and Yongbok were sitting with Wooyoung and his partners, while he explained how he ended up accidentally running away with his sisters to the same island where Hongjoong was. The pirate was quite a touchy person, Hyunjin noticed. He would put his hand on Bokkie's hand to make him focus on an important moment in his story.
Now, Hyunjin would not lie and pretend like he's never been the kind of a man to get jealous. Raised in poverty, he kept wishing for the things other people had. He envied Changbin, at the beginning. But perhaps the conversation with Bok at his parent's house did some wonders because even though he kept his eyes on the pirate, he didn't feel the urge to get up and run to his lover's side. He was quite proud of himself for that.
Instead, he sat with Innie and Yunho, the tall pirate from the foreign land, as he told the brothers about his hometown and the slight differences in culture he noticed. It was nice. Hyunjin never imagined himself speaking with a man from the other side of the war, yet he found more similarities between them than expected. Although, it was probably because Yunho had a personality of a gentle puppy and hating him would be extremely hard.
In a different part of the ship, the witches were speaking with the General. The few other boys were scattered around them but choosing to stay out of the discussion and just listen.
"But really, how do we know she'll be better than the King?" Chan asked first.
"She was raised with the people," Seonghwa answered without doubt. "She knows what we went through. Knows what's the real price of the bread, rice, and peaches. Knows how long it takes to make a beautiful dress. And she's kind."
The General nodded at that, looking deep in thoughts.
"What if it's not the person who's the problem? What if it's the power?"
Minho's face shown that he didn't ask it to be cruel, it was just something he couldn't stop wondering about.
There was no quick answer. Pirates and wolves alike sat in silence.
"I... don't know if it's the power that corrupts. I would like to believe that she'll be different from her father. That she'll care for her people like he cares for himself. But in the worst case, if she turns out to be rotten just like him, I suppose we would have to meet again."
He finished with a smile that made Minho think, that perhaps despite all the differences in their characters, the Witch and the Captain shared some of that same wickedness.
...
The island was this little, green paradise hidden away in the nooks of an uninviting shoreline of the mainland. It was hard to find and even harder to guess that it was inhabited with the little buildings hidden away behind trees.
The tiny village was made up of a group of wooden houses, vegetable gardens and shelters for various animals. The people living here were mostly women. Some of them older, the adults who came to that place years ago to care for the princes. Some younger, like Wooyoung's sisters, who hid here from the war.
It was a place where everybody knew everybody and so the group of soldiers and pirates showing up in mismatched clothes were quite a sight. Especially, when they immediately were led to the Princess.
The wolves weren't quite sure what to expect from the woman on which their whole future depended. The pirates seemed confident in her being a good person, but could she really handle the weight of the crown on her head?
That was the question ringing in Hyunjin's head as they approached the petite woman with dark hair flowing past her shoulders.
"Your Highness," the woman named Jeongyeon called out, getting her attention, "Kim Hongjoong and his crew are here."
The Princess turned around, her long white dress moving with the wind. A beautiful, familiar necklace was the only accessory she wore. She looked at the group with gentle eyes, her expression wavering only for a second, before she understood, who the unknown men were.
"It's good to see you again," she greeted the pirates. "You must be the soldiers that I've heard so much about?"
She looked at the boys standing a bit to the side, clearly not as comfortable as the other half of the group in the presence of a princess.
"Your Highness," Chan spoke up remembering he was their leader, "it's an honor to meet you."
She smiled kindly.
"My name's Jihyo. You must be General Bang Chan."
He inclined his head in response.
"I want to thank you and your men for your help. I really hope we can save this country and change it for the better."
The General took a deep breath. That was it.
"Thank you for your trust. If you don't mind, Your Highness, let's go straight to planning."
Jihyo looked pleased with his attitude. She simply inclined her head before leading them to a more secluded place.
The following few days were proven to be very productive. The wolves had to admit that they might have underestimated their future queen. They could feel their ears and cheek burn with shame as they learned about the spies in the castle that they missed. Luckily, they quickly applied the new knowledge and a new plan began to form. Along with it, an image of a new kingdom appeared. Hyunjin, who preferred to keep his distance from the Princess, speaking only when talked to and preventing venom from spilling from his mouth and ruining things, felt himself relax, when she voluntarily announced that she doesn't plan on controlling the whole country herself. With unexpected excitement, she went on a tangent about the possibility of having representatives of the people work with her directly. Her energy faded only when she mentioned the possibility of people not accepting her as a rightful ruler after getting the crown by scheming.
"You Highness, with all due respect," Hyunjin said, "as long as you won't actively try to starve your people, they will choose you over your father any day."
The words made the group silent for a moment. Yongbok looked like he was ready to intervene if the comment was considered rude by the Princess. To his surprise Jihyo just bit her lip to stop to smile growing on her face.
"I suppose you're right... The bar is quite low."
Wooyoung barked out a laugh at that and with a slap on his arm send by Hongjoong, the tension was gone. The group went back to scheming and by the end of the night the plan was ready.
...
The moonless night has fallen and the crows have taken their places. The familiar weight of the blade rested in Hyunjin's hand. He should've known from the start that it would end with the sword that was pushed into his hands a year ago. Still, it felt right. The king would die because of what he started.
He closed his eyes for a moment. The metal in his hand. The power running through his veins. He knew that if he blinked, the green light would betray his presence. He focused on the wind on his skin. He would be back in the stuffy castle in a moment. He swallowed nervously. His grip round the weapon tightened. He could use his claws to kill if he wanted to. Any of them could and they knew it, but it felt... more humane this way. Like they weren't proving the crazy King right, that his decision to ban magic was a good call.
Hyunjin shook his head. There was no time for this. He breathed in the smell of forest and then...
Someone whistled.
"Let's go," Hongjoong murmured on his left.
Hyunjin opened his eyes, seeing Kim, along with Seonghwa, running to the wall surrounding the castle. He moved quickly to the front of them. His heightened senses were their best chance at getting in without alarming anyone.
The soldier could hear a fight breaking out at the other side of the castle. He knew it was Yongbok and the trio of the pirates. They were supposed to get everybody's attention and they clearly succeeded. Jin knew better than to underestimate his Angel, but he still felt uneasy, when he couldn't have his eyes on him during the battle.
Still, he and the two pirates managed to ambush the guards by the door without any trouble. Hyunjin gladly slashed the throat of the man who he recognized as one of the bootlickers, who praised the King for starting a war.
They entered the castle. The portrait of the royal family greeted them in the hall. With a wave of his hand, Seonghwa called one of his crows and the bird started to lead them towards where the King was supposed to be.
One of Jihyo's spies was able to pass the information that something was being prepared in the dungeons, but she didn't now anything more. Chan and Hongjoong decided that it would be too risky to use Seonghwa's magic to get there.
They encountered another two guards by the entry to the lower level of the castle, but the distraction provided by the other group seemed to be really working.
The dungeons were dark, spare for a couple of torches. The black crow was hard to see even for Hyunjin. The witch stopped them suddenly. He sent the bird away without a word. Hyunjin already knew why he did that. There was a group of guards around the corner. Five or six of them.
They were at the right place.
Hyunjin turned to the pirates only to find them already looking at him. Hongjoong turned the blade in his hand with a smile tugging at his lips. Hyunjin let his eyes glow. That was it. There was no point in holding back.
Moment later they were pushing though the heavy door with their weapons a bit bloodier and their hearts beating faster.
He was there. The fucking King was right there. Hyunjin watched the surprised look grow on his face. He didn't have a moment to bask in in though, because the man was surrounded by three hooded people. Hyunjin tried to kill the one closest to him, but the person just disappeared into thin air.
"Fuck," he cursed.
In the same moment Hongjoong pointed his sword at the King.
Hyunjin and Seonghwa attempted to attack the other two, but one of them send Seonghwa flying into a wall with just one flick of a wrist right away. Fucking witches.
The other witch used the moment of distraction to lean over to The King and whisper something to him. He smiled. What a disgusting sight it was for Hyunjin. Even worse were the words he overheard.
"The traitors were captured by the south gate."
Yongbok.