"I run in the night
A shadow, I hunt
I'll kill the dark with beacons
of light, of light"

Hunting Shadows - Aurora

I forgot, Spice - o - meter : 🌶️🌶️🌶️

⚡️

"Did you have a dream?" A voice, his voice lilted softly to her, in the space between rest and awake.

Leila fought with herself to open her eyes, enjoying the feel of fingers grazing down her arm.

When she finally lost, she tilted her head back to see the prince fully dressed, sitting on the edge of his bed. He must have gotten up before her, because he did not fall asleep looking so put together.

Leila blushed at the thought, as she took in his waved hair that was brushed to perfection. A new dark blue uniform he wore, understated but expertly tailored to his body. And the aching expression he wore on his elegant face, a mixture of male satisfaction and something like awe as she lay on the bed underneath him, her hair sprawled out behind her.

Are you a dream?

"No, I haven't for the past couple of nights. Did you find out anything else while reading?" Leila questioned, sitting up and pulling his heavy sheets up with her to cover her chest.

His desk was a mess, open books laying across the wooden expanse. In his chair. On the prince's nightstand.

It seemed he had woken up in the middle of the night, furiously looking for answers. Why?

His eyes moved over her swiftly, taking in her sleepy eyes and dark hair that draped over almost bare shoulders. When his eyes finally made it back to her own, her whole body was flushed with excitement.

Not now.

And though the thought of recreating what happened last night seemed to run through both of their minds, too much time had passed without them working towards a resolution.

With her blood, he was at his peak. Glowing, and alive. A shining star amongst the sky. And much less worrisome.

Considering she was still alive despite his feeding. The princess guessed it wasn't the moment to say she told him so. He didn't like being wrong, even when she was the one to prove it.

The prince shook his head, breaking the moment, "No, I'm trying to find a translation for the damned cursed book you're reading. Attempting to read."

"Do you want to look through the poem again? Now that I've told you all of my visions, and you've been researching, maybe something will reveal itself as we go through it again. Maybe something that aligns with the curse as well. We just, we have to keep trying."

Taehyung dipped his head, his pretty lips pressing into a straight line. She tried not to focus too much on them, on what they could do. Instead, on the easy way he listened to her advice.

Taking her wisdom in stride, without any fight.

"We should." He said, sighing.

Leila couldn't hold back her appeased smile as he fetched a longer, more comfortable tunic from his bedside.

She sat up, lifting her arms as he draped it over her head. Fixing it around her hips so that she would be comfortable. When she pushed back the dark, wavy hair away from her face she caught him staring. A few inches apart, but somehow closer than physically possible.

Her brows furrowed, "What?", she asked feebly.
Crossing her arms over her ample chest. Feeling the slightest bit self conscious about how needy she acted the night before.

But the prince just smiled softly as he stood before her. Eyes grazing over her face. Before he lifted his hand, lifting her chin with the pad of his thumb.

"You're just beautiful. In a way that's only written about."

The princess shrugged. He was as well. It seemed to common, surrounded by people that were not entirely human.

"All divine beings are so."

"That's not entirely what I meant." The prince corrected, before turning away to gather the poem.

Leila played with the hem of his shirt, snuggling in closer. Watching as he went through a couple stack of paper to find where Leila had it dropped off the other night. A smile played on her lips, as she took in a deep breath of cedar.

Him. It smelled like winter. Of coldness. Of nights that couldn't be promised.

When he turned back around, his hair still an absolute mess despite his otherwise prim appearance, she let out a small chuckle.

"What?" He said, eyebrows creased with concern as the bed dipped with his weight. He held the poem between ringed fingers.

"Nothing, just nothing. I'll read the poem aloud." She offered, taking it from his hands.

Taehyung huffed, but sat against the headboard. Staring at her expectedly as she began to recite Sorina's written words.

(A/N): In a real book, I wouldn't put the entire poem again but I don't want to have to make everyone go back and forth.

UNORIGIN

'I see you through an eclipse

The sun behind my moon to bewitch

Disastrous all the same

Twin fires, aiming to maim each other

Rapturous desires, cherchez la femme

Brimming and overflowing in villainy

Seas and oceans, all set aflame

Brethren aghast of betrayal's shame

Love, to be a trickling thought,

Death, a hunter's game

They play along, predator and prey

Changing their roles, as destinies are laid

Falling for eyes a misty shade

With lips of a sultry masquerade

Fates tied together like a silken braid

Blade against blood bargains heavy a trade

Mark the promise of the Sun upon her grave

Moon un-wanton to rise berates the un-made

Curse of a thousand years upon her

But the feat of love cast a rampage

Made her twist, made her crave

But he couldn't see her

And she didn't want him,

To see her

Was forbidden, sorely thrilling

The woman of the Moon, majestic her

Tumultuous, it was desperate

Scratching nails and arching spine of hers

Ruthlessly he was bewitched, eclipsed,

As was she, against every unuttered wish

And I recite you this tale

Because it is a backstab, an impale

Because the eclipse I see you unveils

And casts black onto me to tip the scales

Because you truly can't see me now

But unlike before

I can't stop needing you to see me now

My unoriginality reaps, I sow and sow

The seeds of my demise, in the fertile soil seeps

The scent of her beloved and her respite

Fleeting but the relief is

For she is me; soul and mind

Only a flicker of the candles

A puppet of my play, I un-twine

Unwind my moon into steal chain rings

My unorigin dances on the waving sea

It is you, it is her, it is him, bound by strings

Bounded by hysteria and the sea's unending shore

Coal instead of black diamond I am, only pure at origin

For now the Sun and I alike are damned to darkness'

When Leila finished, she looked up. A little shaky from anticipation. The prince had ducked his head, his fingers messing with the midnight of his sheets. That frustrated little line appearing between his brows. Nothing of the otherwise genial man of this morning. Nothing of the passionate man of the night before.

Taehyung just looked drained.

"Nothing out of the ordinary? Nothing else that stands out to you?" Leila inquired lightly, not wanting to send him into sadness like before.

The prince's frown deepened, his hands tensing with frayed nerves, "I don't know. It mentions nothing of what we already know about the curse, or about the origins of the vipera. Nothing directly about why the sun went away. Or what life was like without it. Or how my father and our ancestors came to be. How the eclipse, the man, and the viper are all connected."

Leila shook her head, noting the man wasn't entirely right. It seemed that the pragmatic royal lost his head when his emotions were involved. Or it was the endless count of days where he learned of nothing new, desolate in his ignorance.

The princess leaned closer, boldly placing her chin on his shoulder. Her chest pressed against his back, just enough to feel his heat.

The prince's head turned swiftly to the side, his lips parted, so close to her own. As if every touch between them was new. And maybe it was, because the girl rarely instigated contact between them unless she was attempting to seduce him. But Leila remained focused despite the deep blossom of her heart at his vulnerable expression. Instead, she lifted the poem with her left hand out in front of them, so they both could view it. Together.

"She mentions the eclipse. Fates intertwining, and a curse of a thousand years. Oh, and the moon." Leila listed, gesturing to each cursive line with her thumb.

She felt Taehyung take a deep breath through the curve of his spine. The feel of it reverberating into her chest. Making her feel like they breathe the same, hearts beat the same. An illusion but somehow it felt right.

The prince must have realized that parts of the poem did indeed corroborate their current situation, even in the second cycle of the curse. Gazing up to find that half of his profile showed an expression of intrigue instead of defeat. Perfect.

Leila waited, as his heavily lashed eyes moved across the page. Down. And halted.

The prince's deep voice sounded, a contemplative query, "Is it you, is it her, or is it him. Bound by strings. Something about that line is odd."

"As if she's speaking to the reader. To the outside." Leila concurred, trailing off.

Taehyung's lips were even closer now as he craned his head to speak to her. His irises flickering from her lips, to her nose, and then back to her eyes. When the prince realized he was caught, he smiled apologetically at her. Though Leila ought to tell him he should never feel sorry.

Though it rendered her useless to figure out what that line could possibly mean.

He cleared his throat, his smile crooked with the ability to tear through her heart, "Right. Or she could be talking about herself, my mother, and my father. It seems like my mother didn't like my father's attentions going to Sorina. It made her act, cruelly towards her."

The smile faded off his face. His ember eyes pooling with a nostalgic remorse. And something a bit like anger. They hadn't talked about it, how he felt when she told her of all of her dreams.

He'd just been focused on making her feel better.

The princess cringed, letting her right hand start to play near his ribs at his side. Just floating up and down along him, despite his discomfort from the subject. Leila could tell it was hard for him to reconcile. The two people he loved at odds, without him every truly knowing. His mother's abuse of the daughter of the moon was kept from him. And it was easy enough to paint his father as the villain, as his mother as the saint. That he couldn't protect Sorina from mistreatment.

Leila stuttered, trying to distract him from caving in on himself, "Okay, that's a good theory. What about blade against blood bargains a heavy trade? That line is directly from the second part of the curse. Blade against blood, only one will survive the call."

It remained quiet, though it was the clear the man was pulled out of the past by her revelation.

The man sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Leila scowled, annoyed that she would have to adjust herself further to keep laying on him. She liked it. Touching him without things going further. Just to touch. A need all sentient beings had.

As she squirmed closer to him, pushing at the sheets he jumped from his spot. His hands went to his hair as he paced before her, and suddenly her heart pattered frenetically.

"What? What is it?" Leila gasped out. She sat up, on her knees near the edge of the bed. Processing his emotions, wondering if he figured out something important.

Her panic left her when the young man turned around, grabbing her by her cheeks and pressing his mouth firmly onto hers. Leila let out a confused sound against his warm lips, her eyes screwed shut as he leaned over her, her head in his palms.

He laughed incredulously as he pulled back, leaving Leila stunned and bashful. His larger hands stayed cupping her cheeks, his eyes appraising her. The prince was beaming when he spoke surely, "You're so intelligent. So beautifully fucking intelligent."

The princess preened at the compliment, raising a knowing brow, "I know that. But why this time?"

She was proud that her voice was level, even after the surprise kiss. One that was swift, but still tilted her off axis.

The prince's lips twitched with amusement, his thumb brushing her raised brow. The touch simmering in her body, before he stood up straight. Expression molding into something more serious as he addressed her question.

"Blood. Brethren. Betrayal. We are both in agreement that you can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends, right? That the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb?"

The princess nodded, just happy to see that heaviness gone from his shoulders. He stood taller than he had in weeks. She knew that she could trust him completely now, that he was almost as much in the dark as her. Leila started shyly, playing with the bedsheets so she didn't have to see his reaction, "I would say so, after living here with you all. I feel more attachment to any of you than I do my own family, who is my blood."

It was quiet for a moment. A small sigh leaving the man before her. And while she didn't want him to see the burn across her cheeks, she watched as his form relaxed further. Did he like hearing that she thought of this place as her home?

That he was home to her too.

He stepped away, pacing and she finally looked up after him. His voice staunch as he worked through the briar patch of complexities. Words without meaning and all the meaning, all at once.

"Correct. Sorina's diction...I don't believe she's hinting at blood. I have no blood left, I am the last one of my line. I think she's telling us of a betrayal from brethren in a metaphorical sense. A betrayal of a companion we wouldn't expect."

The air left the room. That trail of excitement that blazed between them extinguished in an uttered gasp.

Gone, was the relief they knew nothing.
Because only in ignorance, can bliss flourish.

"Taehyung, are you sure?" Leila prodded, leaving off the edge of the bed.

The man was further from her now, his back turned. She saw the rigid way he clung to his desk, as if holding onto the material word could take the pain away.

Even as she placed herself closely to him, wanting to reach out and close the gap. She didn't. But he knew she was there, and sometimes it was enough to fill the loneliness. Sometimes she was the only one that could surmount it.

He angled his head towards her, swallowing deeply. A bitter smile dancing across beautiful lips, his eyes blazed darker than night itself, "I don't believe anyone who has outwardly posed as a threat towards you truly is one. I think whoever it is, is hiding their intentions. And it somehow connects to the curse. It seems like in every line, she is talking about a third person. A third obstacle that was involved."

Leila frolicked through the lines of the poem again in her innocence, picking up words like daises. Letting the wind of mystery run through her hair, letting her distrust make decisions. To stay in the field, or to run away.

Gods he was right. And she hated that he was right. And he did not want to be right. Sorina knew Taehyung's father and mother as threats. Betrayal would have to come from another source, because one's adversary cannot betray them. An agreement, an understanding, an alliance is needed for betrayal. Even if they had no other indication of deceit, logic alone would've led them to this conclusion.

But they had more than logic.

Three stained glass windows. Three main symbols of the curse. The poem, talking about several beings. The anti-curse that the prince theorized with the first part of the curse.

Taehyung turned around, a raven perched upon his silence. His eyes taking her in like an anti-dote, like medicine. Leila felt his pain as if it were her own, dark flashes filtering through her mind. She could see the storm clouds, see the despair. Without a second thought she buried herself into his chest, his arms wrapping around her tightly. Achingly. She'd let him suffocate her. She'd let him take every breath if it made his own easier. His breaths we sharp by her ear. And he held her, just held her. His hands gripping to her sides and to her hair and holding her together while he broke apart. She tried to pull back, but he didn't want her to see him. To see tears that prince's shouldn't have. She wanted to let him know that it was okay, and that she would always see him as strong. Worthy of being a leader. That he didn't have to hide his pain anymore, that she would gladly carry his burdens with her heart. Always.

But he held her. So tightly, so tightly. And Leila wanted to stay within his arms forever.

Leila felt it, the change within her. The fluttering and the hurt and the hurricane of feeling rolling from her chest. That brimmed with the essence of the four letter word she had now tasted.

Somewhere. Somehow along the way, figuring out the curse became less about saving her life. Saving anyone's.

And more about giving him peace.

He had lost his parents. Watched Sorina deteriorate until she lost her mind.

And he would lose again.

Someone. Anyone. The nobles, his friends. Jimin. Lily.

Or he'd lose her.

She wanted to help him so badly. Because he had a chance. While Leila had grown up with nothing, he had everything just to have it ripped by him.

Taehyung had a family, but chose a new one. Grew up with them. Felt the warm embrace of their love. And he did not feel safe. Her heart had shattered when she learned about her own people's betrayal. Even just the thought of having one more person taken from him by fate, by their torment was too much.

Loathing coursed through her veins. Blinded with rage, and without mercy.

For a moment, the vehemence that colored her soul frightened her. Because while she never loved the gods, she'd never hated them either.

As she held onto him, and he to her, who could see this as a blessing? To have the human experience of loss and pain and have nothing to show for it. To know that they were not human enough to be exempt from the cruel envy of those who would take, take because they had power to have.

The idea of revenge burned acrid in her lungs. Fuck your blessings. Fuck your curse. Only soothed with the thought of never seeing the prince desolate again.

Leila pulled back when his arms slacked, only slightly. Just enough that his lithe embrace circled around her waist, and she was able to crane her head back.

The prince kept his chin raised, though he lower lip wobbled with the slightest of breaths. His chest hummed to a slower pace, and he blinked slowly. She still saw the rim of moisture that met them, the tension of his throat.

She struggled to find words that would suffice. That wouldn't fall upon his ears like empty shells.

"Are you okay? I mean, it's just a theory. We aren't sure that you're right. You usually are right, but for this...this moment. I wish you to be wrong."

She smiled crookedly till he turned to face her fully, eyes still rimmed with a light pink. A hunt if gold shimmer turning him into Midos. The more he looked at her stiff smile, the more his expression took over with affectionate amusement.

The man shocked her when he tapped the end of her nose, a soft touch. She scrunched her face, feigning annoyance. The prince laughed quietly, his head falling back, jaw exposed before fixing upon her steadily.

"I as well. I find it endearing that you're attempting to comfort me. It's like watching a ship sink. A delightful ship."

Oh, he surely feels better now.

Leila's smile turned devilishly saccharine as she pretended to straighten the front of his uniform, "I'm trying my best, Yāboo."

The man choked, his eyes widening as she continued to play with his clothes. Playing innocent as she looked back up at him, blinking through her lashes.

As if she didn't just call him an ass in Farsi. And how mouth watering it was that he knew enough to be insulted.

He coughed once more, the corner of his mouth quirked in an annoyingly attractive manner, "Don't worry Ignis, having you here with me makes it all worth it."

Her heart stuttered, her hands pausing at his chest. They were close again, the the territory they said they wouldn't cross. She felt it, from the way his eyes remained on her despite her avoidance. The way not once it felt strange to have woken up next to each other. Like only a month before, they were practically at each other's throat.

"So that you're not alone?" Leila asked carefully, letting her hands slide off his chest.

But he caught her wrists before they fell to her sides, pulling her in closer to him. The prince leaned back against the desk, her lips parting as he leaned down, his words a flutter against her ear.

A barren, yet adoration filled whisper. Saturated with passion, with things they could not speak aloud, "So that you keep me from falling apart in the ways that matter. I hope I do that same for you."

You do, everyday.

فکر می کنم دوستت دارم

Leila's heart sighed when he pressed his warm lips to her cheek, a delicate touch of lace, before pulling back. Emotions bursting within her with no source of relief.

His hands still held her wrists, his thumbs tracing along her skin as he waited for her to talk. Luckily he gave her time to think and let her mind clear.

"How do we do this? Without raising suspicions, and all while keeping up our act." Managed to sputter out, hoping he didn't pay too much attention to just how much his words affected her.

Maybe it meant less to him. He was used to having people care for him. And for Leila, each affectionate word was like snowfall to a person who'd never seen it.

Taehyung luckily answered to her distraction, his eyebrows furrowed as he conjured an idea, "You mentioned the other day about our powers. How the nobles. And I told you about how different degrees and relation to divinity manifests in magic."

"Yes."

"Well if I were someone with ill intentions, I would let everyone believe I am weak. I would feign lesser abilities, and work my way up. The other nobles wouldn't see me as a threat. The the king, the prince wouldn't believe me to be dangerous. Do you see what I see?"

"Yes, but how do we catch someone who has been able to hide for so long? Who knows of the curse, who knows enough to stay in the shadows until it is their time to strike."

"Well if anyone is lying, it can possibly show through their magic. Another way to think about it is like a residue left behind, a marking of someone's power when they use it. If someone is lying, technically their soul will tell their truth for them. And magic is tied directly to the soul. Theoretically. It was something my father was teaching me before he passed. But I have notes on it, on how I can use blood magic to attempt to trace hidden forms of material magic."

Theoretically. Possibly. Leila couldn't even pretend to understand what the hell the prince was talking about, or how it would help reveal someone that was betraying them. And still it was a glimmer, a brittle thread. But at least they had something to go off of now.

Leila cursed the king in her mind, wondering how he could've left the world while his son was rendered blind.

The princess pondered, "So what, we do a day of "fake" craft lessons? And invite everyone we suspect? Even the people we can rule out so far to compare their...magical souls or whatever you just bloody said?"

A satisfied grin broke across the prince's stoic face, thought his eyes told of other treacheries. He finally let go of her arms, coming close enough she let her chin fall back to peer into his gaze. His pretty lips curling around his next words like the talk between sheets.

"Exactly, Ignis. The way you think makes me want to never leave this bed, so make haste. We must all gather in the combat room."

He attempted to leave her standing there flustered. But Leila stepped in front of them, his eyes falling dangerously to her lips as she crooned to him. Purposefully leaving enough space between them for him to yearn for less.

"What if I want to stay here? With you."

The man took in a shaky breath, eyes lingering across her sultry expressing. He closed his eyes, working his angled jaw, clenching his teeth. Hoping he composed himself enough to respond in a controlled manner that did not show just how desperately he wanted to follow her lead.

"If you do as I tell you, we can stay locked up in my bedroom the next several days. Just us. Not worrying about anything else, then where I will touch you next. But, I need to make sure I can protect you. I-"

"I'll protect you too." Leila said, scrunching her face and crossing her arms. Almost offended, if his worrying wasn't so precious.

She had the power to protect herself above all. She had the power to protect him, the fury to do what was necessary. He was the prince of the eclipse, the strongest of vipera. The idea anyone could best them was laughable, a mortifying amusement. Not with their magic, and not with their combined perceptiveness. Even the thought now of anyone trying to hurt him, or hurt her to get to him was enough to set the world aflame. She felt the urge to fortify him, in every breath.

A long, quiet moment filled the air between them. The prince just stared at her for a moment, slack jawed. As if she said something profound.

Her annoyance slipped away, fading into confusion. Wondering why he was gazing at her so adamantly, like she had rearranged the cosmos right before him. Not that she didn't enjoy it.

The raven haired prince looked everywhere. Tracing every part of her face. Lips parted, again peering upon her how those in her temple worshipped the deities. The awed look tainted with an underlying incertitude. As if he couldn't understand what she had said. As if the concept would never truly enter his mind.

What is he thinking? Have I said something wrong?

Before she could begin to protest, Taehyung gave to her the sweetest smile she'd ever seen.

One that replaced every other he had impelled upon her. One without the darkness of the curse between them, or fear of incompetence. He was radiant, skin bronzed, teeth bright against his smooth face that still glittered with remaniants of pith. His eyes crinkled into lines of ink from his dark lashes, his hair shaded over his eyes. A peak of gold glimmering from between his buttoned shirt, a light so beautiful and honey like it dripped from him like evening dew. It made his eyes that gold ember, warmed the skin on her face in a way she'd never experienced. The opposite and yet so inherently similar to the light of her moon. And in his warmth, his blossoming glow of fathomless gold, she finally understood why the people before her missed the sun.

I found it. My reason to continue, in spite of all others.

Her new purpose in life, to make the prince brighten like that everyday.

🩸🩸🩸🩸
(do we like emojis for chapter breaks?)

Taehyung was pensive as they waited for the rest of their companions' arrivals. They had already worked through the plan.

They would convince everyone Leila needed training. That with her being kept in the dark, she was unaware of others abilities. And if they were to work together and bridge the gap between enemies, it would be best not to be surprised.

Taehyung explained that this would work to appease them because the daughter of the moon was able to apprehend many people within the court because they did not know her full potential. She had come to the castle, unable to use her magic. She left being able to destroy the most powerful beings within their world, including herself. Considering Leila shattered glass on the night of her first arrival, and used it to almost impale herself, her tentative allies would not question this opportunity to observe her.

They had stood quietly for a while, the man lost in his thoughts. She took the time to inspect the room to which she had never been before.

It was situated somewhere near the room of mirrors, towards the back of the castle that faced another steep drop of rocky cliffs and winter gray trees.

She liked the wide open windows that shone into the room. It felt like she was floating when she went close enough to the edge. The misty fog that clung to the rocks, hiding the waves beneath its embrace. The moonlight was bright, but there were more than enough silver candles lit around the room. Illuminating the wide breadth of it. The floor was a dark black stone that slipped easily. Making it harder to fight.

The walls were plain of any usual decoration, the ceiling spired to a point. The only thing that remained were weapons, endless amounts of steel hanging on hooks and in deep wooden cases.

Not that they would need any of them. Swords and axes were for those not of Dimidium or Caelestian descent.

When she got tired of searching around the plain room, Leila turned to shake him out of his reverie.

"What powers did your father have?" Leila asked still pacing before the prince.

She knew he didn't like talking about his father. Yet it was still necessary to be told everything he already knew, and she just happen to be curious.

The Prince lifted his head, almost shocked to hear her speak. Leila try not to get distracted when he started to roll up his sleeves. But the way he pulled the black fabric back, flexing veined wrist was much too enticing.

When she looked up and found him already staring, a knowing smirk rested upon his face.

"He was also blessed by Solis. Our bloodline deity. So he had powers of the sun." He commented easily, letting himself rest against a wooden weapons table.

Leila nodded, as she expected. That much wasn't a surprise. But she was curious, how his other bloodline could've effected his magic.

"Your mother, the Queen?"

Taehyung looked much more tense then, their earlier conversation coming back to him. But another stranger emotion flit across his face. Almost self-conscious.

"My mother was of weaker blood. She didn't have to use her powers often, like those of born of higher royalty. But I remember she could enter someone's mind. Like how you send me images sometimes. I'm guessing she is a lesser bloodline of Lunaiths."

Leila nodded once again, this time slower. He hadn't explained how only sixth major deities spawned various types of magic. She used context to reason that most abilities were like tiny branches spreading from bigger branches.

The moon controlled water, light, psychic abilities, and mysticism. So that would apply to his mother, Sorina, Leila, Namjoon, and possibly Setareh. It would explain why Taehyung's "lesser" abilities were him being able to see images sent from her mind.

It would explain how Sorina was able to send Leila dreams, even through old magic attached to the poem.

"So it's not the curse? That's you're able to see my visions." Leila ground out, avoiding eye contact with him.

As close as they were, and as lust-filled as he had seen her, that was a part of their past that would always make her cringe. When he pretended not to stand the sight of her and she was emoting nefarious images.

She shook away her chill of mortification. When Taehyung gave her a questioning look, she smoothed out her gray simple dress.

The prince spoke again, "It partially is. You've been able to send them to me because we are already connected. If you wanted to work on it, you could send them to other people."

"Why do we have these powers if they are of no true use? We barely need them on the average day. Not like the other nobles, with their lesser powers. Who evolved with new society. Who can help clean the water, change the weather, and sprout fields even without the sun." Leila questioned, feeling disposable once again.

All the other nobles had more practical powers. Lesser magic users across the globe were needed, to keep up the appearance of seasons. To keep up the growth of crops, and the usage of water.

Taehyung and her? They were powerful. But there were no wars to be fought. Nothing where she would need to raise of wall of water, or shards of glass against a villain. Taehyung needed no use to extinguish and raise flames, to let out the glory of the sun in only small doses.

What good were they if they were to stay alive?

Taehyung gestured for her to come closer, sending her disappointment. He brushed across her pouted bottom lip with his thumb, making her smile.

"I've always seen us as symbols. More powerful, and less necessary. We are the sun and moon incarnate, and together the eclipse that changed the world." He answered philosophically.

She groaned, "Please, spell it out for me."

"Humans are fickle minded, as they are inspiring. Tenebrian officials have tried their best to wipe away ancient history, and humans forget to survive. Why would people want the sun back if they didn't know what they were missing?"

Once again, they were reduced to figureheads. Vessels for the deities, characters for the humans. They were there to make people remember what the world once was.

And nothing more.

"Right." Leila said in a hollow tone.

Taehyung attempted to pull her from her misery,
"And you. The moon is still here, but you are it's child. It's disciple. I don't doubt you are the balance to me. That you were meant to make me submit."

His suggestion hung between them, making his lips look that much more delectable.

Leila bit her lip, her hand brushing against his thigh. She watched him tense, gripping onto the edge of the table as she stepped between his open legs.

"And have I? Made you submit?"

The man laughed, his eyes once again stealing between her lips and silver irises, "Not quite."

Leila brushed off his slight, leaning closer so that their noses brushed. Her voice an erotic, antagonizing whisper, "And yet your somehow always on your knees for me."

The man didn't protest, instead placing his hands on her hips and pulling her flush against his front. He stared down at her through his lashes, his smile wrought with debauchery. Fangs peaking without thought.

"It's my favorite place to be."

Oh.

Leila cursed to herself, nervously slapping at his chest. He laughed loudly, catching her hand in his grasp.

Neither noticing as a quiet figure appeared at their side, haunting from the shadows. The loud laugh of the advisor startling them apart. Leila flung herself two feet away, her cheeks mottled with a berry red. Taehyung crossed his arms, showing no emotion to his best friend that decided to interrupt.

Jimin looked between them jauntily, the lethargic vipera uncharacteristically...joyful? He wore his black uniform, his brown hair parted to perfect. Gone was the brooding darkness that seemed to linger around him for the past month.

Who is this man, and where is he keeping the kidnapped advisor?

"Ah! My two favorite fools." He started precociously, before pausing. Tapping his finger along his chin as he stared the princess down, "Leila you might want to stop blushing or else people will think you two were-"

Leila flinched, wishing she could cover her face in her hands.

Taehyung's voice was dangerously tempered, cocking his head as he leaned back on the table to address his friend, "Jimin, you're in quite the mood today."

"I'm glad you inquired, my liege. I have fantastic news. My scouts have relieved two officials of Tenebris that were using our hunting territory as their own, for sport. Pitiful humans. Of course, the men I trained made their deaths appear to be from hypothermia. We will be much better off feeding this spring. And because of this, I'll have more time to spend with my lovely friends."

"Marvelous." Leila stated in a dry manner.

He tsked, stepping closer in the space between them.

"Ah, dear sacrifice, don't pretend you don't miss me. Duty was getting boring, stiff. Un-lively. The prince of the eclipse knows what that is like."

Leila turned her gaze to the prince, wondering if his reaction to his flirtation and insult. But the prince did not glare at the man with annoyance. Instead he swung an arm around his neck. Ruffling his hair from its neatness. Jimin laughed, struggling against his grip without too much aggression.

Instead of the man getting jealous, he began to play fight. Taehyung must have missed the easy friendship with his best friend more than he realized. Wanting to let go of the tension that had sprouted between them since her arrival.

It reminded Leila of what they spoke about earlier. How Taehyung spoke of who was a suspect, and who wasn't.

It is not Garnett, Aera, Jeongguk, Jimin, or Lily. He had said. When Leila mentioned that it is someone they might least expect, he shook is head. They would never.

And watching them now, the way they tussled and laughed as if they both weren't of noble descent, without a care in the world, the tension left her body.

Of course it wasn't Jimin. They grew up together, too close. Too much love between them. And while Jimin had shown glimpses of carelessness, of often came from impulsive loyalty. Leila couldn't imagine, hurting Taehyung. Hurting Jimin, or Lily. That's not the type of betrayal you can live with.

Setareh was blood, but she hadn't grown up with me. And though Leila believes her pure intentions, she's still not untouchable.
The rest of the nobles are close, Taehyung's chosen family. But they have incentives to take power away from him.

The others start filtering into the combat room, and immediately Leila is on high alert. While she cannot use magic to test deceit, she is gifted at observation. Years of training from Elder Fareena and the ability to read body language, soft movements, pauses in speech to uncover the truth.

The irony. Elder Fareena had been the most duplicitous of all. And Leila missed every sign.

It made her back prickle with nerves. That awareness that something just wasn't right.

No. Everyone is a suspect to me. I cannot let my guard down. I have been betrayed once by people I trusted. It can happen again.

I will not sit idly by and let it happen.

The prince just doesn't have to know.

Taehyung settled beside her in the middle of the room, and he was skilled at hiding his true emotions. Only she could see the sharp set of his jaw, the glances he sent to her letting her know he was already watching everyone.

Jimin moved to stand before them, next to Lily who sent her a shy wave. Still tired looking as ever, her skin pale and bags heavy under her eyes. Tall Jin and merry Hoseok squabbled silently, bowing at the pair ahead of them. Namjoon stood straight, sending looks at his friends to shut up. His gaze lingering on Lily a moment longer, concern marring his countenance.

Aera stood slightly behind jimin, looking stunning as ever. And annoyed that she was called upon. Again, Garnett was missing by her side. His noble position suspended ever since the murdered of the servant girl.

And Jeongguk, Yoongi, and Setareh filled in next to the rest of the nobles. Her sister smiled softly at her, pushing her hair behind her ear and stepping closer to Jeongguk's side. The man looked proud, his hand flexing as if he wished to place it on her. Yoongi just rolled his eyes, sending a look at the prince that told him that he did not enjoy being around the new love birds.

Her heart pricked with what felt like sorrow. A new emotion she found to be deeper than sadness, more cutting than betrayal. Looking out into these faces, and imagining one of them to be the downfall of the prince. A third piece to this curse that she not the prince truly understood.

Her silver eyes swept like a wave over them. Her steely gaze like the moonlight that cut through the room. For a moment, she let her old self shine through. The girl who never knew emotions, who never new friendship. Who only understood honor and obligation.

In the silence, their group began to look uneasy. Hoseok even flinched away from gaze.

Which one of you is it?

Taehyung placed his hands together, his smooth, captivating voice filling the room, "It is with great pleasure that we meet today. The princess has been practically trained, but did not receive the best magical instruction. No one in her village had heightened abilities. So as part of our truce, I have gathered you here to give a demonstration of what you all can do. And in turn, she will show the full expanse of her abilities. This will allow for no surprises and complete trust between us all. Are we in agreement?"

Everyone perked up, like squirrels from the hollows of trees. They couldn't hide their intrigue, their slight scent of fear at the mysterious tricks of the daughter of the moon. Someone they were bred to vehemently hate. Taught to find horror in.

Leila wasn't sure what they witnessed of Sorina that night. But she could see how it effected them still, in the unease that settled across the space.

"Yes, absolutely." Spoke Yoongi for the group. His eyes were brisk when they touched upon her.

"Perfect." Taehyung commented, before showing off first.

Everyone knew of what he could do. The man lifted his hands to his chest, the golden light heating forth with a crackling energy Leila had yet to experience the full expanse of. She only had seen it, felt it in small doses. But now, the prince easily conjured a sphere of light from within him. Angling it around the room. The gold so bright, like a star plucked from the sky, it burned her eyes to look at. Warmed her face like the air of her home, but wholly. A warmth that touched the deep hollow of her bones.

It felt familiar. Like a home she'd never visited, but belonged to. His light the twin of her own.

Then, he pulled it into him. Without effort, without a single expression of strain across his sculpted face. He extinguished the candles in the room, fueling them back even brighter. Making the flames dances and create shadows against the wall.

And then, he closed his eyes. His lips pursed in mock concentration. Everyone was silent, watching until his face relaxed.

"Right now, I can see into the mind of the princess. Leila wants me to kiss her."

Laughter prances around the room in hushed sounds, as Leila practically breaks her neck to send him a glare of mortality.

"Not true." She said through gritted teeth, wondering what the hell he was playing at.

He lifted open one eye, then the other. Tease. Grinning at her and then turning back to the group, "She's right. But I can tell that Namjoon is thinking about what time he can leave."

The tall man shrugged, looking bashful, "I'm sorry."

The prince laughed, "It's fine. I didn't mean to embarrass you, you were the only one projecting towards me at the moment. Why don't you go next?"

Namjoon nodded, closing his eyes and concentrating as he held his palm open in the air. Soon enough, water droplets collected like rain, floating. The man maneuvered them, closer and closer to the other side of the line that formed.

Until they collected in front of Lily. The girl blushed, as Namjoon gestured for her to open her mouth. She smiled shyly, opening her lips to collect the rain from the air. Covering her mouth after, giggling slightly. Her eyes caught Leila's grin, and the princess gave her a subtle thumbs up.

Jimin smacked Namjoon's arm, his eyebrow raised. The tanned man blushed himself, his smile disappearing before he stepped back in line.

"Yoongi!" Taehyung called out, filling the pleasantly amused silence.

And then, one by one the rest of the nobles showed their powers. Jin, who could fortify stone and make it unbreakable, technically powers of the earth. Hoseok as well, who could make crops grow from the cracks within the walls. Without even acquiring seeds. Yoongi and Jeongguk, who bent several broadswords in front of their faces. Pulled gems from the ground, another product of the earth deity.

Jimin and Lily went next. Lily looked around, placing herself elegantly forward. Pulling a dead flower out of her pocket. Seconds after she closed her eyes, the flower began to bloom back to life. Deep shades of red filling back the petal like blood. Life. Healing. Leila placed it under the ocean.

Her brother was much quicker with his demonstration. Showing his ability to send strikes of air through the air, so quickly it pierced into rock and left holes.

The princess was surprised. For someone with a lower birth, it was a fairly useful skill. As Taehyung's advisor, he could easily defend the prince at a moments notice. It also explains why he was in charge of hunting.

Leila turned to the prince, befuddled. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary from any of their demonstrations. He glanced at her slyly, his eyes turned while his form was straight. The little lines that appeared when he was frustrated settling between his eyes.

Did he sense something?

She placed her attention forward, looking around. He would tell her later.

The prince gestured softly to Setareh, giving her a tentative smile. As if not to scare her. It was allowed by all others, not that she was accepted into their territory. He was allowed to show more kindness to her than Leila in front of nobles.

She was glad for it.

"Setareh? I heard you may have the gift of premonition." The prince asked, waiting for her response.

She lifted her dark head of hair, her skin golden and cheeks full with nutrition. They had been treating her kindly here, the glow back in her amber eyes. She stuttered, "I-I'm not entirely sure. But I can try."

Everyone waited patiently. Leila used some traces of her magic, sending them towards her sister. She didn't want her to feel helpless around the rest of them.

When her younger sister's head lifted again, her eyes held an eerie glow Leila had never seen before. Jeongguk stood protectively by her side, holding up his hands in case she fainted.

"Aera is going to fall." Setareh spoke out, a monotone whisper. Before she blinked rapidly, her eyes losing their silver mist.

Goddess be. She did have powers. Our bloodline had granted both of us powers of the moon. If Elder Fareena knew this, she would've never casted her out into exile. Azita would be so fucking bitter.

Instead, Leila felt proud.

Aera scoffed, her pale hanging in the air as she gestured to her sister, "What is that half-wit human talking about? It's practically impossible-"
Before she could finish her angry sentence, Jeongguk flicked his hand. A long steel pole lifted from the table. Which he used to quickly swipe under Aera's knees.

Taehyung and Leila hid their laughter the best they could, biting onto their lips. The rest of the nobles weren't as polite. Setareh wasn't even paying attention, only staring at Jeongguk with a look of exaltation.

"Jeongguk? What the fuck." Aera growled, her fangs glinting as she picked herself up off from the floor.

"She's not a half-wit. You fell, did you not?" The man replied cooly.

Aera clicked her fangs at him, pushing her way past Jimin. He rolled his eyes and she told him to fuck off, lifting the sleeve of her gown.

Leila screamed, rushing forward as she used a fang to cut down the white expanse of her arm. Aera smiled, her mouth bloody as she ran her tongue along her arm to heal the cut. A similar power to what Taehyung could do, at a much more skilled level.

"It's nice to know you care princess." Aera said hotly, before pulling down her sleeve. Glaring at the nobles, her sister, Taehyung, "Fuck the rest of you."

And with that, the woman stormed out of the room.

Leila felt terrible, wondering if her anger was a mask for her shame. The rest of the nobles bickered. Jimin complained, saying Aera kissed him off when she made a more dramatic exit than he could.

Taehyung raised his hands to calm them down.

"Please, it's the princesses turn. Leila, would you step forward and show them the most true form of powers of the moon." Taehyung hardened his voice towards the end of the phrase, his eyes flashing.

She blinked, eyes narrowing. Is he trying to tell her something? She stood frozen, unsure exactly what he was asking.

"Come, don't be shy now. The purest forms of the moon are well known." He sent her another knowing look, his voice dipping.

Recognition flared in her mind. The purest forms of the moon.

The swimming lessons. The salt Taehyung placed within the water, after she had discovered herself that she could control that of the ocean. The moon and the tides.

He must have suspected her ability after she broke the glass. Glass pressed from sand, sand made with quartz a rock fueled by the energy of the moon. Knew that she must have possessed other abilities than just the moonlight within her chest.

Leila wasn't sure why he wanted to hide it, but he only wanted her to use the pure form of her power. And the parts the nobles had already seen.

She nodded once, before stepping from beside Taehyung. She didn't want to see anyone else's face as she performed. She was used to the gazes of worship or of fear. Neither praise nor rejection made her feel human.

So she lifted her hands gently, rounded in the air. Calling upon every ray, every tendril of moonlight in the room to surround her. It trailed like ribbons of silver towards her, reviving her. She took in a deep breath, one she'd been holding for so long as she called upon the light.

And then she filled the room. Bursting out of her the light so bright, it was as if they were completely covered in frost.

Then, like a puppet master with a thousand strings, she used the tendrils of light to cut a piece of fabric from each other their clothing. All at once, as if she had several bodies. Several sources of power. She heard gasps and she knew why.

It was easy to destroy with the amount of power she had. As a Dimidium, it was expected of her. To break, like she had when they all first met.
But now, her use of magic was meticulous. Controlled. So scarily accurate, she could slice thinly without cutting. Without hurting.

It was a easy as breathing.

She let the moonlight find its place in the room, situating from a single beam in the window.

Don't be a coward, don't be a coward.

When she finally looked up, everyone was staring at her in shock. Shock because she didn't hurt them? Shock because she didn't do anything more worthy of a deity? Leila did not know.

She didn't want to look at Setareh. She wasn't sure if she could handle the expression of dismay directed towards her from her blood ever again.

The prince moved, his gaze trained on her face. She could tell from the set of his shoulders that he knew she was uncomfortable.

"Thank you everyone, you may enjoy the rest of your evening."

It took several moments, but everyone shuffled out of the room. Until there was only the sound of the gentle rise and fall of the prince's chest.

To which he took her into, embracing her fully. And she let him.

"You did beautifully. They were only impressed by how much you've mastered it, that is all. No one else can control an element that delicately. Nature is disorder incarnate, and what you exhibited...it was the eye within a tempest. Like you are enemy of chaos. Like you have the expertise of Lunaith." Taehyung spoke into her hair, his voice tinged with admiration and pride.

It's because I felt nothing before.

I was a deity. I was not a human, before you. I was something other. Untouched by shame, by fear of failure.

But the words stay caught in her throat.

"Let's go back to my room, so we can talk and you can rest."

Leila paused, putting a hand on his arm to stop him from walking.

"I'm going to sleep alone tonight. Just to see if I have another dream."

I think it will reveal something to me.

"I understand." He agrees, though he seems a little disheartened. He attempted to smile, letting her know it was her decision.

As they walk towards her chamber, Leila lowers her voice. Letting her hand slip into his, the ringed hand too tempting not to touch.

She watched his profile brighten, some of the bite taken off her decision to sleep alone.

"Did you figure anything out? Anyone seem more suspicious than the rest?" She asked, her hand feeling safe in his strong grasp.

All humor left Taehyung's pretty face, a gray cloud cast over him. His dark eyes sobered, remaining on hers for a steady beat. He sucked in a quick breath, "No, and yes."

They paused in front of her door, arriving. But Leila did not attempt to enter her room. Instead crossing her arms along her chest, raising a brow.

"Explain."

His mouth quirked, a smile like forming on his cheek. Before he shook his head, remembering the gravity of the situation.

"I asked you to hide your magic on purpose. I needed to see what it felt like for blood magic to be deceived. And it felt like a knife in my chest. An impale. Strangely enough, like the pork mentioned. It felt like that twice."

"Who was the other person?" Leila asked, panic and apprehension clawing at her chest.

The prince shook his head, jaw tightening. His voice despondent, "I don't know. Because when I say twice, I mean I felt it the entire time everyone else demonstrated their gifts. As if someone knew to use blood magic tonight. To make it impossible to find the exact person."

Leila felt her breath catch, the fear in her body clear in the prince's eyes. Someone they loved, cared for is betraying them.

And they are brilliant at it.

The princess, nor the prince would sleep soundly that night. Haunted by shadows they could not see.

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌓🌔🌕
Sorina
Our first kiss was not our last.

I realized over the last few years, the more I insult him, the more he kisses me. Every I hate you that left my lips, were scorned away with a brush of his.

I learned quickly enough that if I was sweet, he'd use his mouth elsewhere. Between my thighs he'd whisper words of obsession, of needs, of little nothings and I used my thighs to strangle them out of him.

I discovered I liked his touch. And I liked touching him. Far too much.

He is beautiful. The curse wills it so I find it so. But the curse didn't carve his face. His tongue. His chiseled abdomen. It didn't create the look on his eyes as he devoured me.

No, that was all him.

Recently, it had become more.

I had told myself before it was the captivity. It was making me want something physical. Tangible. That I was just lonely, using him. The way he wished me to use him. That's all we wanted. That's all I wanted.

But I also started to believe his smiles, along with his kisses. His words when he would lay outside the cell door, telling me about the history of before and how the world worked. His life before everything changed, and what he wished he could be instead.

He didn't want this. He didn't want to be a king.

His story of his origin made him less a monster, and more a victim to fate. Cruel and unyielding to him as it is to me.

The council had decided my fate. While he wished me to live my life amongst the fields and the stars, oligarchy one.

And when I was captured, my beauty condemned me. All it took was one glance at my moonlight eyes, a glance too long and intrigued from the king, and the Queen and the rest of the nobles knew he would not be able to resist me.

The King spoke often of his loveless marriage, a union made by blood. Royal and noble meant to procreate and make strong Dimidium children. He regretted their mating, a bond that allowed them such.

The Queen had always wanted him, despite her unrequited emotions. And to see him fall for someone else pained her. Scorned her. Left her with the bite of vengeance, that struck every interaction she ever had with me. I was a thorn in her side, burying deeper every time she tried to pluck me out. He felt indebted to her, but no love had sprouted between them. All he could think of was me.

He kept his meetings with me brief, at night. While the Queen was asleep. He never defended me publicly. All because she had made my punishments worse, as intense as he made his feelings apparent.

He had loved before, but he lost her. Long ago. I wondered if I could ever compare. But his affections felt pure. Like I imagine the sun would feel beaming down upon me.

He had not been taunting her all these years.

He had been lonely. Stuck in a life, a role, a duty that he did not wish to live anymore.

He'd apologized. Blamed himself for me being placed in this cold cage.

But he saved my life. The rest wanted me dead in that moment, dead so the curse could cycle through.

I cried for him. I cry with him.

But every night was not so sad. Instead, many were filled with laughter. With awe and amusement. He was charming, and funny, and patient.

He's taught me everything I know now. Of my power, and how to possess it. As I watch moonlight crystalize in my grasp, I think back upon one conversation with him.

"Why, why do you teach me how to use my power?" I had asked, frustrated.

This had been before I believed him. Trusted him with everything in me.

And so, his flirtatious smirk unnerved me, "Because I can. Why would I not? You know nothing of your power, and I know everything. It is only fair that I impart my wisdom onto you."

"Your hubris amazes me. But you are not telling the truth. Teaching me how to manipulate moonlight, how to turn glass to sand and so forth, how to control the tides. I can use it to escape. To hurt someone." I had adjusted myself uncomfortably against the bars, looking at my hands.

Unsure of how I felt about this immense ability. How many nights had I wished I could turn into a bird and fly away. Sink beneath the walls, and find myself in the ground. Strong enough to pulverize through my captors. A fire so that I could burn the king.

And yet, as I stared at my hands I was scared. Because I had never hurt another person. And I was not sure if I could, even if it was to save my own life.

The king had reached through the bars. Even as I protested, because the cut gems scraped along his hand, bringing gold to the surface.

He grabbed my hand, holding it gently. Eyes uncovered, for once, "Because if I teach you. Maybe one day you can escape."

I had shaken my head, "Why can't you just let me go?"

"Because I can't. Because no one else agrees. And if I did things just because I am King, and I believe it to be right, I would be just as bad as those I hate. As Tenebris."

His sense of justice was one thing I liked about him. It was also what I hated.

But he continued, his thumb grazing along her frail hand in a shaky pass, "And I know you should go. It is what you deserve. If you choose to go, I will not stop you. But I cannot survive the thought of doing it myself."

I was pulled out of the distant memory when I heard a familiar set of footsteps. Sure and confident as they headed towards the feared daughter of the moon.

It's him.

I sit up in my bed, one that has been piled with the finest of downy and velvet. A deep blue shade. I turn, lifting the mirror I hid behind the frame. Pinching my cheeks, and lifting my lashes with water by my bedside.

Since the king and Clarisse have both been sneaking me more food, I have filled out since my first year of starvation. My cheeks are filled, eyes brighter, and the color fought it's way back to my lips, my skin. My hair, fuller and an almost iridescent black. I quickly hide the mirror again, standing up and ruffling my night dress.

Letting the collar fall lower than necessary.

Would I play coy tonight? Tease him until he begs. He likes begging.

Or should I play the damsel on distress that needs him?

Both ideas amuse me, as I wait closely by the metal bars.

And finally I see his shadow.

Closer, closer.

And then the King is bathed in golden candlelight.

My heart stutters when I see him, his open expression. That dazzling smile that shines across his face like Venus and Saturn across the sky when he takes in my form. He was wearing a simply, blouse like shirt that flowed at the wrist. Open enough to show the strong, bronzed column of his throat that I had now known the taste of. Trousers that cling to his hips dangerously. His high cheeks and strong jaw blushed red with his recent feeding from her.

Though his eyes blazed with something brighter, uncouth. Exhilarated.

"Come out from the cell." He says, stepping closer. His voice a cooing rasp.

It prickles across her skin. Nips at her breasts and thighs like he has so many times before, without ever fully diving in. I will never be sure of what will happen if I give myself fully to him.

And tonight, tonight the bars between them felt surmountable. Insignificant to keep them apart. Like they would need oceans and fire and shattered glass between them to keep them apart.

It frightens me as much as it intoxicates me.

"What are you doing here? I can't." I say in a despondent tone. Deciding to play coy.

I want nothing else than to step from my confines. To let him kiss me until I forget I'm only a prisoner. To think for one moment his feelings may be more than fleeting lust. I'm addicted to him like I used to be addicted to dreaming of home.

That he won't grow tired of me, and that my nights will once again fill with endless cold.

His black hair is ruffled, a pretty mess as he runs his hands through the tresses. His lips purse, in a pained expression. His eyes soft in a way that only I have witnessed.

He stepped to the bars as I glare at him. He knows how much I hate when he bleeds, so he stops short. Eyes boring passionately into my own.

"I am the King. You can." He asserts, not as a ruler, but as the man who romances me.

This is different. Usually, he tells me of all the things he can't do because he is king.

I cross my arms, raise my brows, "I think I'd rather stay here. It's rather cozy tonight in this hellish dungeon."

The tortured man shakes his head, all seriousness. Tonight. Tonight is indeed different. His lower voice strained, "For once Sorina, just listen to me. Please. And I will never ask anything of you again."

My back straightens as I face him completely. Open and confounded. He jests none. No quick, silly smiles that wiped away longer, lingering ones. No brushes agains the oblivion of their relationship, and then touching back to safety.

"Fine." I say.

What I always say when he finally burrows beneath my skin and refuses to come out.

His answering smile takes my breath, and stashes it in the confines of his heart.

I place on a cloak, and let my smaller hand fall into his own as we tiptoe out of the dungeon. It is strange, feeling the warmth of his hand, his broadness as we walk side by side out of the stone and gem filled underground. I can't see much, but I hear him. Feel him, scent him.

"Not much further." He whispers from behind, his breath tickling my neck and I shiver.

I hear his satisfied chuckle and wish I could push him down the everlasting set of steps. They hurt my knees and bruise my lungs every time I set to complete them.

We make it to the hallway. And there is no one afoot, not even the ghosts that may haunt the castle. Everything is bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, from the main foyer and painted across every closed door.

As we cut across the foyer, past the temple to another large set of doors I sigh, "Are you going to tell me where we are going?"

I try to sound exasperated. Because I'm not sure if I want him to know just how much I enjoy being in his presence, even if it's just for a late night walk.

The king stays silent, only shaking his head slightly. Though his dark eyes were alight with a hidden secret.

Then, my eyes were shrouded in darkness.

I reach out, panicking. The king laughs slightly, his hands shaking with it as they lay over my eyes. I grumble, tripping over a stone as his hard abdomen pushes against my back and throws me forward.

"Keep walking Sorina."

My name on his lips fills the air, a delicious sound. One he tastes and I consume.

Blood pools as I walk forward without my sight. I hear the familiar creaking of large doors, and I feel the burst of wind from the night air.

I inhale deeply, the sharp taste of whisper. Feels the tangible caress of moonlight on my skin. I take it in hungrily, even as he urges me forward further.

Until we stop. His chest heaving against my back, even from our slow place. The blindfold still over my eyes.

"Is this when you kill me? And you free everyone from darkness."

The king stiffens while removing his large hands from over my visage, not approving of my jest, "So dramatic. You can open your eyes now."

I do as he asks. Because who am I to deny him anymore?

When I do, everything changes.

"W-what is this?" I ask, stumbling. Tripping over words and air and beliefs and understandings. My eyes flutter, my hand remains on my chest over a heart that beats so rapidly I feel as if it might stop.

The space. It used to be grassy, empty, this large space sat atop the mountain. With only an oak tree and a wild brush of light purple flowers.

Now, it is paradise. The moon shone brightly, illuminating the new alcove.

There is a path leading through the area, of cut circular stones. I step on one, another. A small pond bubbles, and of course in the center sat a an angel bathing in a fountain. And surrounding the water, surrounding the tree and their purple neighbors, there are hundreds of flowers.

Hundreds.

All in shades she had forgotten existed. Colors I rarely saw in her cell, made luminescent by the moon. Oranges, reds, violets, and pinks all spread across in bountiful rows.

Tears spring to my eyes, though they carry no sorrow. I step forward, disbelieving.

A fence sits at the edge of the cliff, like it would in a pasture.

Another step forward, and I am gazing upon ceramic pots and bowls that collect rainwater and snow for birds.

Another and I see tiny red rocks, placed on the ground that mirror the constellations in the stars.

My heart. My heart. I clutch it. It is soaring too closely to the clouds.

My heart.

I turn, gasping for breath. For sign that this is a trick, or just a dream.

But when I turn, he's staring at me with a look I'd only seen before. When my father looked at my mother.

My heart is torn to bits, as it reaches the moon from whence it came.

"Why?" I ask, my voice a hoarse whisper. Even though I know the answer.

I want to hear him say it.

He steps forward, unsure for once in his life. His brows furrowed, hands open by his side. Dark hair I love to run my fingers through, touched by the cold winter freeze. His amber eyes touched with the darkness I am not afraid of anymore. His lips part, expression filled with longing. He swallows harshly, after his eyes take in my form. The sweet expression on my face.

His deep voice fills the air between them, "You miss your home. And I can't take you home, and I must give you everything. So I brought your home to you."

"Jae, you remembered?"

I use his name. Which I do so rarely. He is the one who shivers now, his lids falling closed over his eyes. He speaks again, more certain.

"There was a garden. A garden that sprawled underneath the stars, stretching past the farm. I'm sorry that the oak tree and lunetta are here but I found a similar fountain from an abandoned building-"

"It's perfect." I say abruptly.

His beautiful eyes open hesitantly, though a grimace remains on his face. As if he still expects me to say the opposite. Or hurl an insult at him, which I usually do.

My heart bursts with affection, finally feeling free enough to do so.

This fool loves me. King, enemy, or neither.

I walk closer, and Jae's eyes widen when he sees me doing so. I watch him with prowling eyes, as his breath quickens in pace. I swear I can feel his heart beat as I approach, and stand before his chest.

When I am so close that my breast are pressed against his chest, my arms wrapped around his center, he lets go of a long breath that turns to fog in the night.

The king looks down past his nose at me, his eyes flickering. Wary. As if he's nervous, despite the countless times my mouth and his own have touched. Despite where his hands have been, and where my mouth feasted upon him.

He wraps his arms around my waist. Holding tentatively. As if I'm as breakable as the branches of the oak after a frost. Like if he holds me too tight, he'll lose me.

And before, his fears may have been rational. When I hated him. When I didn't know who he truly was, or understand why he needed my blood. But that is before I knew he was a soul meant for mine.

Now, he has me. He always will.

And I will just have to prove it to him.

"I want you to make love to me." I whisper, letting the night carry my words to him.

Jae's grip on me tightens, pressing into the bones of my hip. He lets out a distressed groan head flung back in restraint, biting at his lip, "Sorina. You do not know what you ask of."

I knew he would try to be a gentleman. That even though he wanted me, he would think me crazy or a liar for wanting him back. Thinking that she wasn't in the right mind.

So I do my best sultry voice, the one that makes him pull at my hair and grind into my mouth,
"Yes I do. I want my lover to take me in the garden he created just for me. I want his heart, his. All for me. And I him. Take me, now."

And with a fierce cry, he lets go. Of all mortal contraints, of everything but me.

I am upon a field of flowers, little sprouts with soft white heads. And he lays me down gently. More than a man of his height and strength should, and yet he treats me like the flowers crushed beneath my back.

For a moment, he just stares. Situated above me on his forearms, no weight pressing onto my body yet. His hair is crowned by light. His expression softer than snow. His eyes taking me in, as my hair lay sprawled like a darker halo than he had.

His lips part, his words a shuddered gasp, "You're devastatingly exquisite. I'm not sure if I'm dead, and I have gone to heaven."

My hand slides to his chest, and I watch his body quake. His eyes tremble like a moth's wing.

"I am real. And I'm yours."

He falls apart again. His warm, golden skin now flush against mine. Ripped of its clothes and it's mortal confines. He kisses me where moon crests upon my skin, like catching the break of a wave. As if it is his duty to cover every inch of my skin with his mouth.

Kisses everywhere. Kisses till I cry, and I am flooded.

He cherishes me, every brush of his lips accompanied by a soothing hand in my hair. A gentle grasp of my breath. A loving word in my ear, full of honey and promises and protection as he enters me.

"I love you. It's all I know, it's all I want. It's all I will ever know, and you're all I will ever want. Even if you don't love me the same, even if you never do. I love you, Sorina. I love you." The words are ripped out of him, with every thrust. He is quaking above me, his arms strained. Hips meeting every part of me.

I am gasping, fighting for air. Holding onto him so fiercely because he is mine, as much as I am his.

"I love you, Jae. I will die with your name on my lips. Even in death, they will not keep us apart."

And they are shattered. Entirely. Completely. Holding on so tightly to each other as if we both hadn't torn our world apart with our vows.

The sun and the moon meet, and finally I understand why they are one.

I am loved.

He loves me better than anyone could. He loves me so much I'm not sure either of us will survive it.

I love him. More than anything. Against all odds, and above everything.

We settle against the night. My body circled by his arms, and I barely feel the cold. Our entire lengths pressed against each other.

I feel safe.

"We will be together." The king promises, his dark eyes staring intently into mine. Tenderly. He tightens his arm around me possessively, as if what we did only piqued his obsession. Like he needed to feel all parts of me at every moment.

I want that. I want him. I want this every night. Till the end of time.

My voice is croaky from crying out, and my cheeks flush, "How can we be together? With everyone watching us?"

The man absentmindedly begins to play with the black tendril of hair that falls over my chest. His eyes following the way it's softness spreads between his strong fingers. It makes my thighs flush the color of my cheeks.

"I have a plan." He begins, hesitating, "You don't have to say yes, even if it kills me. Even now after this night, you can run from me again. I won't be able to bear it, but it's your choice. It's all I can give."

No.

We have wasted too much time already. And he already looked close to destruction, his face pallid from the thought of her saying no.

"Tell me." I urge.

His fingers pause in my hair. Instead he curls me closer to his chest, so that I can hear his heartbeat. To hear the nervous, staggered quake of it. So that his deep voice rumbles against my cheek.

"We can be together, if they believe I'm punishing you. Torturing you. The queen would never let me continue to be with you in private. And I don't want to be with you in private, I want you all the time. With me, beside me. Do you know what I'm asking of you?" His voice is grave in its disgust, as if he can barely believe he's asking this.

I nod, burrowing my cheek on the smooth expanse of his skin. Wanting to stay an impression.

"I do." I respond softly.

He sighs, tightening his arms around me. I could feel the fear in him. That belief that this is all a dream and I'll rip away from him, screaming at any moment.

"And do you hate me for it?" Jae mumbles against my thick hair.

We still need time to recover. That is why I don't tell him that the thought of him doing all of these things arouses me. Delights me. That he will take what is his, and his will not be able to do anything about it. I already love him, but this idea makes me feel powerful. Wanted. Desired.

Free.

And we would have more time to spend together, truly. Under the guise of my torture.

"No, quite the contrary." I say brazenly, letting my finger trail down his spine.

The king shivers, pressing me impossibly closer. Arching the small of my back with his hand, urging my hips forward. I inhale his crisp, spiced scent and almost moan.

"I love you Sorina. I love you despite all things, despite the fact I know I shouldn't. If the curse breaks, it breaks and at least the time we spent was together. With you. That's all I wanted, was you. I don't know if I deserve you, after all I've done. What I have allowed."

Just his pain at the thought of hurting me tells me all I need to know. He is the king, and he courted me. He never forced me when he has wanted me for so long. He could have had me, but he wanted all of me.

My heart beats madly, and it is only filled with him. I press a kiss to the middle of his chest. Where every inch of food remained within him.

"I love you too. And I agree to this plan. Why hide when it is not us who is wrong, it is the deities. It is fate."

He lifts my chin to kiss me, and the world tilts. His chest a burst of gold, tainted by the silver of my soul.

When he speaks again, it is through trembling lips, "I see you through an eclipse, you've bewitched me. I could be cursed for a thousand more years, and to not have you by my side would be against every unuttered wish. I see you now, and I won't ever stop. I need you now, and you're all I'll ever be. You're my unorigin, I finally have the chance to begin again. And I know it's for the better, because you are my soul and mind and everything. You're just everything, Sorina. My moon, my Lunae."

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(A\N): so WOw! NGL I am crazy for having a story within a story. So many plot lines lol but I promise they all converge and it will all make sense.

Big reveal! Sorina and the King were not at odds. They were in love 😨😨 whaattttt?!? How can this be? It goes against everything we have learned in the story so far! That the king treated her terribly. That he used her body. That they only were involved with each other to take the edge off the curse...What is going on 🤔

Pieces of the poem are just his words that he had said lovingly to her. Lunae was his nickname for her 🥺 sound familiar?

But Taehyung's childhood, he remembers everything so differently. Did he see what only they wanted him to see? Or is something else a foot? We will see eventually🫣

Alright, any questions about any part of the chapter? I know there might be a lot hahaha.