"Your majesty," greeted the young stable elf with a bow. The man that was there when Taehyung had first come wasn't present.

"Hi there," Taehyung replied with a smile. "Can I take Mage out for a stroll?"

"Oh, but Sir Namjoon had told my father not to let you go out alone," the elf-boy said.

"I won't go so far. I just want to clear my head," Taehyung tried.

The elf thought about it for a moment. "But I should wait for my father to come b–"

"Please," Taehyung stretched with a pout.

The elf put his head down getting a little flustered as he's never had a prince in a way beg to him in such a manner. "Well I cant go against your word... Give me a second," he said then rushed into the stable. He came out with the beautiful pegasus Taehyung was familiar with.

"Mage!" Taehyung called, running over to her. The pegasus flapped her wings at his sight. Taehyung put his head and hand to Mage's head, connecting them both. Taehyung then got himself on in a swift move.

"Thank you," Taehyung thanked the stable elf who bowed his head in return. Taehyung made sure to wave to him as he took off. When he turned his head to focus on where he's going, his smile dropped.

He made Mage go at the fastest pace so that he got to the shield as quickly as he could. Once at the edge, he remained up in the sky.

"Zorock!" he screamed out, knowing he'd have ears everywhere. There wasn't a response. He tried again. And again. And again.

"You fucking asshole!" Taehyung screamed with all the energy he had in him. His chest rose and fell as he waited for something other than his echoes. Taehyung shut his eyes and made Mage turn around.

"Now is that the appropriate term to address your dear uncle?" a voice said. Taehyung and Mage turned around at the speed of light.

Zorock smiled. "Especially when there is something you want from me?"

Taehyung felt his confidence weaken looking at the elf, but he didn't let it show. Although when Zorock's smirk widened, Taehyung wasn't sure of that as well.

"The secret you said that was being hidden from me, what is it?" Taehyung asked, getting a little closer to the shield.

"Ah, so you still don't know?" Zorock said, putting a finger to his chin. "Well, I suppose I could just tell you."

"Then tell me," Taehyung forced through gritted teeth.

"You'll know once you have your magic–"

Taehyung didn't let him finish his sentence as he shot at the shield with all he had. It hit the shield and dispersed in a grey mist. Taehyung stared at it seeing how that never happened before.

"Well well, I guess it's time to let you know. Oh where shall I begin?"

Taehyung snapped his head away and looked at Zorock, giving the elf all his attention.

"Long ago, a war had broken out between this country and a neighbouring one. An ugly war it was. During that time, an ancestor of ours sought out the help of a powerful elf that changed his gift. A gift that combined all the powers of the four elements into one. The elf was able to lead the war into a victory. The country then was able to prosper and be oh so powerful. The people all began to worship him in either fear or some kind of feeling of loyalty, and so became this monarchy."

Taehyung nodded, but he knew about all of this. His aunt Linda had already taught him about all of this history, but Taehyung didn't dare to interrupt.

"But along with this beautiful gift, came a curse of sort for the royal family that the elf had warned our ancestor of. The firstborn of anyone in that lineage will be born with a gift so wicked and so evil, so purely evil. And with magic stronger than whoever was before them. The King didn't believe the elf who gave him all those powers for some reason and let his first daughter be born."

Now that's something Taehyung had never heard of before.

Zorock continued. "They showered her with love, hoping that keeping her in the light would avoid her from the dark. That wasn't the case when the princess began to use her gift for everything her father was against. At a point, she wanted to overthrow the King himself when he tried to stop her. The King had to lock her up in a dungeon far far away, until she had died of starvation. Her sister, who was the complete opposite of her, saw the terror that her sister had brought. Knowing of this curse, once she became queen, she killed her firstborn with her own hands."

Zorock paused to laugh. "Now if that isn't evil, I don't know what is. Anyways, from then on, that was the fate of everyone firstborn afterwards. No one in the kingdom knew, the queen or princess was hidden for those few months they were pregnant. Then came my wonderful father and mother, who's heart were just too big for their own good. They broke this wonderful tradition and decided to keep their first son."

"You," Taehyung said quietly, trying to process all of this.

"Then after a couple years came your father. Our parents raised us both equally, teaching us the same values and principles. Of course our personalities were different, but we never did a thing to bring our name to shame. My parents saw us both as their children, but the people in the palace who knew of the curse didn't. They forced my father into making Jaewon as the heir to the throne. But that wasn't enough, they wanted me gone. They pushed me to the side, talked bad of me, shunned me. They always addressed me as it or a monster, except for Namjoon and his brother.

"Namjoon and Jimin?"

Zorock nodded, showing a genuine smile for the first time. "They never believed in the curse, they even tried to stop those murders while they were there, but I guess they do now because of me."

"Is the curse real?" Taehyung asked seeing how Zorock came to a stop after that.

"What do you think? Just look at me Taehyung, look at me! It is. The dark magic resided within me all along. I gave in, I had too. It's the only way I'll get what I want."

"The throne?"

Zorock didn't answer that. "This is who I am, but I was pushed away for that. Then when my own family became scared of what I might become, they did too. I was controlling everything in me all because I knew I had my family by my side, I had their love. When that was gone to, why was I holding back?"

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to be King, like my father. I watched him help all those people, earn their love, be admired. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to show how much of a good ruler I could be, but they took that chance away from me. Jaewon never wanted to be King! I did! You know what one of them said to me? They said the people would never love me if they knew of my curse."

"That's not true," Taehyung started, getting too immersed.

"It is! I was sick of trying to run away from this stupid curse. No one will love me as long as I have this curse etched on me, even the one person I thought would be by my side through everything. Everyone turned away from me, so I did too. They said I was a monster? Well then I am. I'll give them exactly what they said I would. I showed them what I was capable of! They should've never talked down on me!"

"But this isn't the way! You said you wanted to help people!"

"Oh that dream was destroyed long ago. I don't care for them anymore. I'm evil, Taehyung. I'm just so evil, aren't I? They wanted a villain, and so here I am."

Taehyung shook his head. "You don't have to be. You need to show them this curse is wrong, it's not real."

Zorock laughed. A very dry laugh. "Oh, you poor child. Our powers are real, aren't they? When you were born, I lied to your father that I had developed a spell to counter the curse. I was more powerful than him, everyone believed me. Jaewon didn't, he was a smart one, but he pretended to. I was trying to protect you, but your gift will come through, it already is. And when your people know the elf they are all bowing down to has such a curse, they will all turn against you. Hate you, pin you down as the next villain."

"You're lying," Taehyung said, his voice shaking.

"Sure, but you'll know I'm not. And when you do, I'll be ready to welcome you with open arms, something those people will never do," Zorock spit out. Taehyung could just hear the hatred spilling out with each word.

"Oh and next time, cover yourself with a spell to stop the sensors from going off. They'll be coming soon."

"Who?" Taehyung asked.

"Prince Taehyung!" Namjoon's voice yelled, answering the elf's question.

Taehyung stood still, staring at Zorock hoping to find something more in his blank eyes. Then he felt Namjoon right next to him.

"Princ-"

"I'll go to the palace," Taehyung said shortly before turning around and flying back with Mage.

"Taehyung!" Namjoon called, wanting to go after him but he knew that something was wrong. He turned towards Zorock. "What did you tell him?"

"Where's your little army today?"

"What did you tell him?" Namjoon repeated again, losing his patience.

"The truth."

"What truth?"

Zorock looked at him with a frown. "God talking to him really got me riled," he said, throwing his head up and shaking it. He looked back at Namjoon with a fake grin.

"Are you..." Namjoon trailed, his voice softening. He got a little closer with his pegasus to notice his eyes shining. "Are you crying?"

"He reminds me of myself. So fucking naive. He'll learn it the hard way when everyone he loves leaves him. History repeats itself."

"Nobody left you. You left them," Namjoon said.

Zorock wiped the corner of his eye with his knuckle and made sure to keep his smile. "I never left you."

"Nor did I. Now who's lying here?"

Zorock looked at him for a moment, both just remaining quiet. The silence was getting thick and Zorock decided to break it as the words were just dying to be put out.

"Do you still love me?"

Namjoon smiled. A sad smile it was. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Good."

Namjoon took in a breath. He began to say what he always said whenever he saw him, hoping that one day he'll actually listen. He said, "it's not too late. You can change. I can help you change, Taewon–"

"Don't–" Zorock said, shutting his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again. "Don't call me Taewon. And it is too late, and there's nothing to change, and there's nothing you can do to help!"

"Taewon, please," Namjoon said, getting as close as he could to the shield.

"I said don't call me Taewon!" Zorock yelled, his tears resurfacing. Namjoon bit his lip, tears of his own threatening to spill.

"Do you still love me?" Namjoon managed to stay with his chin still kept up.

Zorock turned around. "I think you know the answer to that," he said and vanished in a black smoke.

Namjoon sighed and put his head down on his pegasus, letting himself cry in the quiet forest.

•—•—•

Taehyung's head began to throb as he tried to wrap himself around everything he'd just learned. It all felt so unreal. He walked through the corridors with Zorock's words repeating in his mind. He didn't notice any of his surroundings until he a hand grab at his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

"Taehyung!" Jeongguk called out.

Taehyung just looked at him, taking him a moment to just process who it was. "Gguk..."

"Hey, you good? I called you so many times," Jeongguk began, but Taehyung just looked down at the ground blankly.

"Taehyung?"

No response.

"Tae?"

Jeongguk knotted his brows as he watched the older. With a closer look, Jeongguk saw his eyes watering up. He released the grip on his wrist. Jeongguk carefully cupped Taehyung's cheeks instead with his hands and brought his face to meet his.

"Did something happen?" he asked, voice so soft and careful. Taehyung began to breathe heavily and blink rapidly making the tears fall in the process.

"Hey hey hey, it's okay– it's okay," Jeongguk said, moving his hand to wrap around his neck and pull him into a hug.

"Jeongguk," Taehyung sobbed, wrapping his arms around the younger and burying his head into the elf's shoulder.

"It's okay, I'm here. I'm here," Jeongguk soothed, rubbing his back.

"I-I'm scared, I don't want this anymore. I want to l-leave, " Taehyung choked out.

"Hey everything's going to be alright, you have nothing be afraid of," Jeongguk said. He tried pull back to look at Taehyung again but the older just hugged him tighter.

Taehyung shook his head. "You won't leave me right? You w-won't turn against me, right?"

"I..." Jeongguk trailed, not understanding what the elf was going on about. "I won't leave you. Please don't cry."

Taehyung nodded his head, but he continued to weep until he couldn't. Then when he couldn't, he was too tired for anything, so Jeongguk took him to his room and laid him down on his bed. The second his eyes shut, Taehyung went to sleep.

Jeongguk took a seat on his bed beside him, worried and confused beyond hell on what could've happened to bring down such a cheerful one.

Jeongguk reached out and wiped a tear that managed to slip through. He kept his hand there on his cheek. Then he brought it up to brush back the hair that clung to Taehyung's sweat layered forehead and continued to stroke through it, cooling him off a bit.

"Marsmed dogoppy podus yonlu peelus," Jeongguk chanted slowly, casting a spell that'd help the older sleep well.

He kept combing his finger's through the prince's hair, not having it in him to leave him. Not until the doors to the chamber bursted open, making Jeongguk immediately up on his feet.

"Namjoon," Jeongguk called out as the elf walked towards them.

With a quick glance at Taehyung, Namjoon asked, "what happened to him?"

"I-I don't know. He was just walking around mindlessly then I asked him if he was okay and-and he just started crying."

Namjoon shut his eyes and rubbed the side of his neck, turning his body to the other way.

"You know what happened. Namjoon, what the hell is going on? Tell me, please. He looked so... so broken," Jeongguk said, walking over so that he faced Namjoon again, but for some reason he didn't see much worry in his eyes. They looked more like they were calculating something.

"Please stay with him and let me know when he wakes up," Namjoon said simply and walked away, ignoring Jeongguk calling out to him. Jeongguk watched Namjoon shut the door. He'd never seen Namjoon behave like that before.

Jeongguk walked back over to Taehyung. He floated over a chair from the vanity and took his seat. Even if Namjoon hadn't asked him to stay, Jeongguk would've. For some reason, it pained his heart as soon as he saw the frown on Taehyung lips.

A pain he was so familiar with. A type of pain he never wanted to feel again. He clenched his fist, steam began to come out from his body and even though he didn't know it, his eyes shined blue. Jeongguk wasn't about to let whatever or whomever it is that caused this go so easily.

—•
I HAVENT FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS FIC DW

AND YES YALL WERE CORRECT IT WAS ZOROCK THAT NAMJOON LOVES

This update was like 90% dialogues I don't even know
I feel like I'm forgetting(???) how to write oof

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TAEHYUNGGGG!!!!

How can someone be so damn perfect???
Anyways, I hope he was filled with lots of love and joy on this very special day 💕💖

Bye<3