"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live."
~Norman Cousins~

"Wake up."

"Honey, wake up."

"Honey."

"Sweetheart, please wake up."

"Y/N."

"Wake up."

I got up from my hunched position startled. The whispers of the abandoned souls in this forsaken place is louder in my sleep. I couldn't help bug be frantic each time I hear their whispers of agony and screams of horror.

"Honey."

A whisper and a silhouette appeared in front of me.

The figure wasn't a person. It was a soul and I know exactly who it is.

"Hatter?"

The soul of the hatter smiled and vanished, reappearing closer to me.

"Honey, I'm glad we met here."

I stared at the hatter and realized that I heard his voice but his lips did not move to form any word. His voice was in my head.

"Listen, honey. The captain and the huntsman already made it to the end of the mountain. They are waiting for you at the end. I shall escort you there."

Before I could utter a word to reply, he vanished again and a trail of blue light appeared leading to which I presume the exit to this hellhole.

I quietly walked, following the trail. Strangely, I haven't heard anymore whispers since I saw the hatter's soul. I was kind of glad to see him but I would rather see him alive. 

After an hour or so of walking, The trail vanished and I was already infront of large stones that resemble a gate. I was about to pass by the gate but I hesitantly looked back just to see the hatter's soul, looking intently at me.

"Go." His voice in my head said.

"How about you? What would happen to you?"

"Stuck here forever, remember? I won't say that I don't feel good about this place but I feel happy because my sacrifice was for helping you, my special person, honey."

I felt the liquid burn my eyes. My tears won't even fall now.

"Hatter, thank you. Thank you for everything. I wish it did not have to end like this but it did." I sniffed.

"All I wished was for you to stay. Yet, I don't to be the reason for your loneliness. People should chase their dreams don't they? I'll be rooting for that day you reunite with the man you love, your dream, honey."

"Can I hug you one last time?"

The hatter's soul bitterly smiled.

"You'll just pass through. No body, no solid form remember?"

"I'm sorry."

"No more apologies, honey. Go. They are waiting for you."

The hatter smiled and vanished. Not a thing remained from him that I could keep as a reminder of his kindness.

I took a deep breath and turned around continuing my stroll. Passing the rocks which resembled the end of the treacherous mountain.

A few yards away, I saw a cave with light shining from within. It is definitely the cave where the lamp resides. I quickly dashed towards the direction, hope blooming in my mind.

I reached a very narrow bridge and was about to cross when a scream of terror broke me out of focus.

My face drained its color seeing the huntsman get eaten by one of the giant creatures that surround the bridge. He was dead on the spot. The monstrous being biting a huge chunk out of him. Before gnawing the remains of him. I was immobilized by shock and when the creature locked eyes with me, I was as good as dead.

The scream I was about to let out died in my throat when I was suddenly pushed out of the way, my body getting dragged out of the creatures eyesight.

An arm was wrapped around me, covering my lips, preventing me from doing any kind of noise.

"Lassie, it's me. There are three trolls. One of them was already dead thanks to the huntsman but he paid for its death with his life. I assume that the trolls are a family. A mother and father with their son. The huntsman managed to kill the son and the parents were livid. The one who ate him was most probably the mother."

The shock from seeing another one of the men I met die infront of me left me like a withering leaf. The distant growls of the trolls could be heard from our hiding spot and it won't be long for them to find us out.

"Lassie, I know what you saw was not something you would like to witness everyday but there are so much on the line now. Two lives were already spent for this quest. Let's not waste their sacrifices, okay? We'll get the lamp and come back to the sorcerer." The captain rasped.

"Monsters! Over here!" We heard a yell and to our surprise, the youngest prince was the one who did so.

The trolls roared in anger and approached the prince menacingly. The larger one stretch its arm and tried to slash the prince but he was faster. He ducked and held the hand which tried to slash him and the troll turned gold in a short time. Seeing this, the other troll became more furious and charged towards the prince. However, the troll met the same fate as her husband when the prince manage to get a hold of her feet. All the trolls were now dead.

The prince wiped the sweat that rolled down his head and proceeded on crossing the bridge. We followed but he immediately stopped and turned towards us, a look I couldn't discern plastered in his face.

"Leave the lamp to me. I need it more than you." The youngest prince stated seriously.

I blinked, taken aback. "What do you mean? I was the one who needed it to go home."

"I could care less if you return home or not. Besides the captain beside you would agree anyway. He wouldn't want for you to leave him."

"Taehyung, what is wrong with you? I came this far for what? The hatter and huntsman sacrificed their lives for what? For you to steal the one thing that cost their lives for me to get?" I snapped, annoyed at his sudden aggression.

"Let us through, prince. We don't want to lose another acquaintance. The sorcerer wouldn't approve of you behaving this way." The captain clicked his tongue in distaste.

"The sorcerer could go be damned for life! He betrayed us! He took over the castle and the kingdom! The people hailed him as the new king!"

"What? But the sorcerer—" I was cut off.

"I won't let him have this lamp if it means he'll use it to gain more power. I would not let him win." The prince firmly gritted out.

"But he will use it for me to go home. Not any other way." I explained to which the prince scoffed.

"You're pretty but very idiotic, milady." The prince sarcastically remarked. "That guy is greedy and I won't let him get his way through. You would have to fight me if you would insist to get through. I will destroy that lamp and he or anyone would never be able to use it."

"I warn you, prince. Let us through or this would get really ugly." The captain threatened but the prince would not budge from his position, blocking our passage in the bridge.

"Say that when you turn gold, captain." The prince scorned.

The captain unsheathed his sword and charge at the prince who almost dodged the slash too late. The captain continued to charge while the prince focused on dodging the hits the captain does. 

"Coward! You are challenging me but running away!" The captain yelled, frustrated. 

Their fight continued until the captain was caught of guard by a kick from the prince. The captain fell down and the prince was about to grip his skin to turn gold when Y/N yelled.

"Get away from him or I stab your heart!"

"Y/N." The sorcerer called, a solemn look displayed in his face.

The challenge between the prince brothers was just made known, everyone leaving the sorcerer's study except for me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'd like to give you a leverage. Something you can use to your advantage in the time of need."

The sorcerer opened the secret shelf where Taehyung's hear was placed, behind the painting. He carefully brought the container of Taehyung's heart out in the open and placed it down his table. He gently pushed it towards my direction, my eyebrow's furrowing in question.

"You want me to have the youngest prince's heart as leverage? What for? Aren't you suppose to take great care of it?" I asked, baffled by the sorcerer's actions.

"The heart of the youngest prince is not only under my care. It is under my control. Whoever holds the heart of the prince has the power to control him." The sorcerer revealed and  I stepped back, terrified of the meaning behind his words.

"So..... you control Taehyung?" Is the only thing that left my mouth, still unbelieving of the words he said.

"Literally? no. Potentially? yes. If the youngest prince is to learn of the whereabouts of his heart, he'll surely do everything to protect it or have it back. The person who has his heart, holds not only his capability  to love but also his life. If something happens and Taehyung turns out to be the beast he is, I want you to let him know that you have his heart. He won't be able to do anything that could harm you. His weakness protects you. Own it." The sorcerer explained.

I touched the container, cringing at the way the hear beats continuously even though it is out of the owner's body. Looking up, I met eyes with the sorcerer.

"Okay. I'll bring it with me." I said, biting my lower lip. "But, I'll only use it if I really need to."

"If the captain dies by turning to gold, you die with him, Taehyung." I yelled, my grip tightening on his heart.

The murderous look the youngest prince blessed the captain earlier was now directed towards me. He smirked looking at me as if I said the biggest joke he's ever heard in his life.

"You stab my heart, yours replace it? Do you really think I'm just some fool hanging around the dungeons of my own palace?" Taehyung scoffed, bewildered. "I expected better from you, milady. Turns out the sorcerer fooled you too."

Taken aback, I stepped backwards when he suddenly started closing on me. 

"Hand it over." The prince commanded.

"NO! Stay back! I'll really stab it if you keep coming closer." I threatened feeling nervous of the decreasing proximity between the prince and I.

The prince let out a mirthless laugh. The sound of his laugh taunting my senses. "I already told you. You stab it, your heart replaces mine. You'll be the cursed beast and be under the sorcerer's power." 

"You're bluffing." I countered, my eyes never leaving his.

"Why would I? Did the sorcerer also told you that it controls me? Funny, how you make a wonderful pawn on his chess game." The prince snickered.

"Stop talking." I hissed, annoyed at the impact of his words on me.

"If the sorcerer told you that the only way out of our world is to die, you would oblige without question won't you?" He mocked.

"Why are you acting like this, Taehyung? You don't seem to be the person I danced with the night of our dinner." I replied, not concentrating on his eccentric jabs.

"I'm tired of being his puppet." The prince growled. "Everything that walks on this land should be approved by him! He is the law here! He hides in the shadow of his position as the royal sorcerer for a long time but now what?! He turned my kingdom against me! Made me look like a prince who committed treason against the throne by killing my brother!"

I gasped, loosening my grip unto his beating heart. "Prince Jimin is dead?" 

The prince grinned, a soulless glint in his eyes. "Golden to perfection. Maybe the sorcerer would put him on display at the castle's gates. 

"Why would I believe you?" I challenged. 

The prince snickered. "You don't have to believe me. You just need to know that I'm not going to back down until that lamp is with me. I won't let the sorcerer- argh!"

The prince could not finish what he was saying because the captain's sword pierced him on his middle, the blade of the sword turning gold right after it pierced him.

"Yoongi, what have you done?!" I turned towards the captain who look determined to kill the prince.

"Go, lassie. It's the only way. We have to get back to the sorcerer in no time." The captain commanded, eyes not leaving the hunched prince on the ground.

"B-but, t-the prince we need to save-"

"Go!" The captain shouted, startling me. "I couldn't kill him. His heart is not in his body. He's just injured."

"P-please d-don't get the l-lamp to the s-sorcerer. You'll r-regret it." The prince whimpered out.

"Go, lassie! Don't listen to him. We did not lose the huntsman and the hatter for nothing, We're bringing that lamp back as we should." The captain urged.

I started running towards the bridge, not before having a one last look at the captain and prince.

'Was death really necessary for me to go back to you, sweetheart?'

A/N

Hi guys? To the old (specially) and new readers I have I would like to inform you that I won't be active here on wattpad and won't update this story regularly. It has been so long since a new chapter was created for this story and I'm glad I was able to finish it before February ends. I'm sorry for the lack of updates but your girl is in college now and guess what, I couldn't even imagine how the people who are in college find time to work on jobs or update their stories here when the professors are always on your ass demanding y'all to do so many things :<

Worry not darlings, we are nearing the end of OUAT ;)

ALSO I MISS THE GUYS TT MILITARY IS COOL BUT I FEEL EMPTIER WITHOUT 'EM :(

And if I may ask, would you choose to go back to jungkookie or just stay with them otherworldly gents? lemme know inyour comments ;) won't affect the storyline tho

THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU ALLL!!

LOVELOTS <3

~RG2108~