Work Text:
Once upon a time…
There was a glorious kingdom that was prospering until a deadly disease fell upon its people. No one was able to find a cure for it and the king hadn’t taken any action to save his subjects… until his son fell ill as well.
Desperate to find the cure, he reached out to a certain witch that held the key to find the salvation. In exchange for the recipe, she asked for a small favor - to invite her for their son’s wedding. The king immediately agreed as it was the simplest thing he could give to her. And so he received the precious recipe for the most dreaded disease his kingdom has ever faced.
Going back to the kingdom as a hero, he ordered all the healers and doctors of the kingdom, that hasn’t been poisoned by the killing virus yet, to reproduce it and spread it among people.
His son, prince Jimin, was the first one to receive the medicine. After a week of healing the prince was finally recovered but knowing he'd be now married off to princess Sun of Northern Kingdom, he'd rather give in to the disease and pass away.
It's not that Sun isn't pretty or is cruel and arrogant, no, not at all. It was more like Jimin's desire to travel the world while finding his true love on the way. He wanted to fall in love and experience the magical relationship that his parents share. He didn't want to be married off to a complete stranger but that's the downside of being a part of the royal family he's had to come to terms with.
It isn't that bad though. He'd imagined that he and princess Sun would eventually become friends at least. Her outgoing personality and kind smile has got everyone on their knees including Jimin. However the spark just… wasn't there.
The night before his wedding he saw a shooting star while sitting on his balcony, thinking about everything that is going to happen the next day. He made a wistful wish that night - to disappear and never come back. The latter knew however he'd probably do it at some point since this whole situation is making a hell of his life.
With his thoughts all over the place, he felt exhausted. Finally .
Standing up from the exposed seat on his balcony he turned around to see a gorgeous young man standing right in front of him. Jimin was so surprised and caught up in the moment that he didn't notice the boy's fist full of sleeping powder being thrown at him, making the prince fall asleep immediately.
"Ouch…"
The prince woke up groaning from the headache. What the hell happened?
"Oh, good morning Your Majesty. How was your sleep?" A sweet-like yet unknown voice woke him up, opening his eyes wide. He was lying down on a single bed, not really royalty worthy and not as comfortable as his own bed is. Wait…
"Where the hell am I?" Jimin whispered underneath his breath scrubbing down his sleepies to see better.
He wasn't in his room, that was for sure. He tried to search for the owner of that sweet voice that woke him up. The prince's eyes finally laid on a woman, sitting at the edge of the only window in this room. She was staring at him, her coal black eyes watching him carefully.
Jimin was terrified for three reasons: first, he has never seen this woman ever before. If she was a maid in his castle, he would recognise her… right?
Second reason was that he truly had no idea where he was. He didn't remember that the castle would have such a peculiar room. He did in fact explore the whole castle through and through during his childhood. He'd remember this room… if he was truly at home. The third reason though was probably the most frightening one. The room had no door. Only the window the woman was sitting on.
Was he held as a prisoner? Was he kidnapped? Probably. But how come that he doesn't remember? He just went to bed and fell asleep immediately from how tired he was. Maybe this is a dream. A dreadful one, but still. He will probably wake up anytime soon anyways.
The woman saw the confusion that the prince was going through. "I see that you're confused. I mean, I don't blame you. I would be pretty shaken too if I were to wake up somewhere else than my own room with a complete stranger talking to me." She stood up and got a bit closer to the prince's bed, sitting on its edge.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush and be straightforward with you: you were kidnapped." She said with almost no emotion whatsoever.
"...what?" Prince stared at the witch flabbergasted.
"You were kidnapped, by me actually." She chuckled wickedly, dusting some particles off her dress, as if this situation was somewhat normal. "Your father, king Shin, came to me a few weeks back, pleading for a medicine to the rash disease. I gave it to him, asking for something in exchange - the invitation to your wedding to be precise. Oh, how silly of me to think that the king would make my wish come true…" Sighing too fakely she turned her gaze back to Jimin's still shocked face.
"The king obviously forgot about me. I mean why would he remember the person who saved his entire kingdom, am I right?" Smiling too slyly, Jimin felt uncomfortable, rage penting up in his body.
"So I took you away from him. A small price to pay for the medicine that brought salvation upon this kingdom, don't you think so?"
That was it. The prince was tired of hearing this nonsense and wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Using the moment of surprise he jumped on the witch, completely taking her down to the ground. "Release me! My father wouldn't beg for a cure from a witch like you! He said it himself he got it from his sister-"
"And who do you think this sister is, my dear?"
Jimin was struck by the realisation. His father never really said anything about his sister beside the fact she is a healer. It can't be…
Using this vulnerable moment, the witch casted a spell that froze the prince on spot (not that it was needed at this moment - he already was frozen).
"Think of this little stay as your dream come true - you did wish to disappear and never come back after all, didn't you?"
And although the prince was frozen to his spot, a single tear managed to escape his eyes.
The witch was gone by the time the spell broke, leaving the prince lying on the ground, alone with his thoughts and weak body. Twisting his body into a fetus position, tears slowly started to fall down his cheeks as he realized what he'd done. What a foolish wish…
He stayed on the ground for several hours, feeling numb and drained at the same time, thinking of how it would just so easier if he just vanished completely from this world. That way he wouldn't have to live in this prison for life and his parents would have moved on easily from him.
That's when he heard the voice.
Not the voice of the witch, no, not at all. It was a deep yet soothing voice of a man that brought him some sense of comfort. At least for a bit. His senses waking up a bit, he tried to focus on the words of the song the boy was singing.
"One day
I wrote a long, long letter to the moon
It would not be brighter than you
But I lit a small candle"
Jimin's eyes felt heavier and heavier with each verse coming, until he eventually fell asleep completely, not being afraid of what's to come next.
Pain.
The unbearable back pain. That's what woke him up this time around. Apparently it's such a good idea to fall asleep on the wooden floor (spoiler alert: no, it's not) and sleep there the whole night. Jimin ultimately regretted this once he was trying to stand up and lie down on the small bed that he was given.
"You okay there?"
Jimin almost trips from being startled by an unfamiliar voice. Slowly turning his attention to the owner of the voice, he freezes. He sees a silhouette of a boy, who's now sitting on the edge of his window. The boy crooks his eyebrows as he gets more curious at the new guest in his tower.
"What the hell? How did you get here? This tower is like 65 feet long!" The prince is flabbergasted to say the least.
The mysterious guy doesn't respond at first. Instead he presses his lips together, debating whether he should actually tell him the truth or leave it be. "Let's just say that I've lived in this hell of hole my whole life and I know this place through and through."
Jimin still stares at him in disbelief. Does that witch bitch really kidnap princes and young boys and takes it as a hobby?
"I… uh, I was here just to bring you breakfast. My apologies for startling you." The boy looks unsurely at the prince and lays down the wooden tray on the nightstand beside the prince's bed. Jimin now watches him curiously. "Wait… didn't you have blonde hair just a few moments ago? Why is your hair red now?"
The male freezes in realization of what just happened. "Uhhh… M-my hair changes colors as my emotions change."
This magical boy just keeps on surprising the young prince. He can't be even mad at him anymore for startling him at first. His now caretaker clumsily gets back to the window. The cherry red hair now matches with the colors of his cheeks. Is he embarrassed…?
Jimin's lips unconsciously stretch into a fond smile. Watching him disappear through the window, he finally looks at his breakfast and realizes how much he has been starving this whole time.
Although the breakfast wasn't as fancy as he was used to in the palace, it was enough for the prince to get out of the bed and go through the stuff that is in his room that could somehow help him escape. He was NOT going to stay there any longer.
After finishing a pretty stable rope out of his bedsheets, he had thrown it out of the window. Not giving into second thoughts, he climbed over the frame.
“Where are you going?”
Jimin almost slipped on the rope.
“Why are you always scaring the shit out of me?”
The now blonde boy smiled for himself. “Dunno, you always seem to do things I wouldn’t expect you doing.”
“Well, what do you think I’m doing now?”
The smile suddenly disappeared. “Are you really trying to escape? You can’t be serious.” The prince huffs. “Did you really expect me to be here longer than it was necessary?”
“No, I just didn’t know you were stupid enough to think this will actually work.” Says the male simply, almost mockingly. Jimin hates being mocked. That is why he started climbing down with the help of rope again.
“If you wanna seriously hurt yourself then go ahead! Can’t wait for the punishment my mama will give you!”
“YOUR WHAT?” Jimin loses his concentration as the rope starts to break. Suddenly he isn’t as brave as he thought he would be. His pride now comes aside as his now frightened self kicks in. Thankfully he starts to feel tucks that slowly pull him up.
Once he’s safely on the frame of the window, he starts breathing, heavily this time. When he comes back to his conscious self, he hears loud laughing. He deserves it though after all. These escape plans work only in fairytales after all.
Looking up at the owner of the laugh, he is… astonished. Astonished by the boy’s beautiful smile that could’ve healed Jimin instead of that stupid medicine. He sees the sun rays reflecting in the boy’s golden locks, making them glitter like the boy’s hair is partially made of gold. He doesn’t want to stop staring and admiring the beauty of the boy who just saved his life.
"Whatcha staring at? C'mon, get up." Being the angel that the boy is, he stretches out his hand to help the prince. Jimin, still very much in awe, clears his throat and accepts the help.
Once being up on his own feet, he starts wondering. About the mysterious boy specifically. So, he starts asking.
"What's your name? You haven't told me yet."
The boy smiles boxily again. Damn.
"Well you haven't asked for it before and I didn't want to force myself on you since I'm not even supposed to be communicating with you. I'm Taehyung, nice to meet you."
Taehyung. Trying to keep his posture, he narrows himself and bows. "Thank you for saving my life, Taehyung."
The taller boy gets flustered by this. He didn't expect the prince out of all people to thank him. From what he heard from his mother, the royal family is a bunch of douchebags that are too prideful to talk with an ordinary boy like himself.
But now… now the literal soon-to-be king of this kingdom is bowing to him. Maybe they're not all like that…
"Wait, so it was you who was singing last night?" Jimin surprises him with one more question. Taehyung not knowing how to respond goes red again. Literally red. The prince smiles at that. "Cute."
"What did you just say?" Taehyung is not sure what's reality and what's just his wild imagination. Did the crown prince really just call him, basically a hybrid, cute ?
Now Jimin is the one who goes red. "I-I mean it's interesting how you can c-change the color of your hair whenever you change moods. I've never seen something as interesting as this." Says the smaller male while his eyes flicker with curiousness and wonder.
"Ehhh… well my birth mother was a fairy and my father-" The boy suddenly stops. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down a bit, he tries to find the right words. "My father was a coward. Anyways, my birth mother was banished from her home for having a child with a human. She even lost her wings… Maybe that's why I don't have them." Taehyung chuckles bittersweetly as he continues to tell the story of his origin.
"After she tried to start a new life with me, she simply gave up. So she went here, to my stepmother's castle and asked her to give her wings back. In return, the witch asked for me. And of course my mother gave me up as soon as her wings were back. Hah, as if her own son wasn't as important am I right?" Taehyung starts laughing almost too frantically.
It worries Jimin. To him, it really looked like the boy hasn't forgiven his birth mother and isn't over it at all. But that can be changed. With a little bit more time, of course he can forgive her.
The prince just nods, making a signal for the boy that he understands the pain he's going through. "What about the song you sang last night? It was so comforting I fell asleep immediately." Jimin changes, what seems to be, a sensitive subject quickly.
Taehyung's hair grows from navy deep blue to cherry red pretty quickly. The prince cannot help to smile again. How did this boy manage to make him feel so soft whenever he's around him.
"It's… It's something I've created I guess? After my mama bought me a guitar from one of the local markets I kept on playing this one melody that stuck with me… My guess is that it's a lullaby the fairy used to sing to me." Taehyung cringes at the last sentence. Fairy. A goddamn fairy.
"It's really pretty… and so calming. I really like it." Confesses suddenly the young prince. "Do you think you could perhaps… play it again?"
Taehyung had never thought he could be embarrassed these many times in the matter of a few minutes. But here he is, being absolutely stunned by the kind words of… a crown prince.
Suddenly though, his hearing senses are alarming him. She's coming.
"I gotta go. My mama is coming back. Please pretend you have no idea that I exist." And with that the charming boy literally jumps out of the window. Jimin, still being quite confused of what to think, smiles nevertheless. Maybe this isn't as bad…
He still misses his way more comfortable bed though.
Taehyung's visits were always the best part of the long days. After they got more comfortable with each other, Taehyung would come up with activities they could kill time with. Jimin of course never rejected them. Spending time with Taehyung was very appealing for the prince's likes.
On one prolonged afternoon, Taehyung brought a guitar with him. He was very embarrassed at first - Jimin could tell that from the bright red hair. Eventually, the redness would fade and was replaced with a very soft purple tone. That was the first time Jimin actually couldn't pinpoint what emotion could he be feeling.
Nevertheless, Jimin loved watching Taehyung play and sing. He played a lot of songs that he found in the music books his mother gave to him. There were mostly the classical ones that would be played at the village festivals he used to hear all the summer while being in his room, not allowed to go and attend it.
"Sing me the lullaby." Says the latter suddenly, without giving it much thought. Taehyung's hair grows red again.
"I only remember certain parts. You know that."
"Doesn't matter. Please." Jimin pouts at him knowing damn well that this trick really does affect people in a good way. Taehyung, as expected, gives in.
"One day
I wrote a long, long letter to the moon
It would not be brighter than you
But I lit a small candle"
The start of the lullaby sends Jimin shivers down his spine. The comforting and soothing voice makes him lie down on his back and close his eyes. He could fall asleep every night hearing Taehyung sing this song to him .
"At a dusky park
A nameless bird that sings
Where are you
Oh you
Why are you crying
You and I are the only ones here
Me and you
Oh you"
Jimin does eventually close his eyes. He imagines the dusky park in front of his balcony. It brings him hope that one day, he could return to that place and sit on the bench until the sun rises completely.
"Following into the deep night
The sound of you singing
Brings the red morning
A step, and another step
The dawn passes
And when that moon falls asleep
The blue shade that stayed with me disappears."
The prince sings the last verse with Taehyung. Throughout the nights when the taller was singing it right before bedtime, he was always the loyal listener that would not fall asleep until the song is over.
When Taehyung finished the song, Jimin immediately fell asleep. He was so used to this routine now that he couldn't help but fall into the dreamland. He smiles at Jimin with fondness as his hair grows a little bit more purple.
Sometimes, Taehyung wouldn't visit for days. Those were the most painful and loneliest ones. He wouldn't know what to do since he didn't have any access to fun or at least time-consuming activities. He would curse on the witch in silence and just lie on the bed all day long. That's when he decided to ask Taehyung if he could lend him some of his books.
Of course he immediately agreed on that. He even offered him to do other exciting activities - such as painting the walls of his chamber.
Jimin was hesitant at first. If the witch found out that he's been hanging out with Taehyung, God knows what she would do to him... and Taehyung, especially. But he gave up as soon as the excited artist came with a handful of art supplies.
"Wow that's... a lot." Remarks the prince, trying to hide his initial shock. He didn't know Taehyung was this passionate at painting.
"I know it is! Isn't it exciting?" Says the latter with an enthusiastic tone. It immediately makes the prince excited as well. This happened a lot of times - Taehyung presenting Jimin something he's passionate about, making the prince excited as much - so called Taehyung effect (trademarked by Park Jimin).
"Let's not waste any more time. Let's start with..." Taehyung's sparkling eyes wander around the room, trying to find the perfect spot for their first work. "This wall." He points at the wall above Jimin's bed.
The prince doesn't hesitate to move the bed forward so they wouldn't sprinkle the bedsheets. Once everything is ready and prepared, Jimin grows unconscious again. "What if... what if the witch- I mean your mother will find out?"
Taehyung stops himself from the first stroke. It's not like he hasn't thought of this possible problem. He just overlooked it for way too long until Jimin brought it up again.
"Well then... Then I guess I will have to come clean. But don't worry. The punishments are never that bad. She would just take away my art supplies or my guitar." He brings up the paintbrush again, not afraid to start painting now. "It's really no biggie." The artist flips his head just to give Jimin an encouraging smile. And Jimin of course takes it as a push forward.
They stay in silence. It's more comfortable that way anyways. They agreed that Taehyung would draw Jimin's home - ths castle and Jimin would try to recreate the garden surrounding the palace. He's trying his best but he could definitely not reach Taehyung's level of preciseness.
The prince sometimes catches himself staring at the artist. He finds it super adorable when he's painting with his tongue stuck out. And unfortunately, Taehyung always catches him staring. "This way you won't even finish it by the end of the next day. Just saying." Remarks the taller boy, still working on the picture. That does wake up Jimin from the dreamland. His cheeks are burning as he tries to come up with an excuse.
"I'm just... very intrigued by your hair color right now!" Fights back Jimin, pointing to Taehyung's bright purple hair. "It's just hair, Jimin."
"But why is purple? What does it even mean?" The curiousness grows even harder within the smaller one. He hates when he's not able to understand something immediately.
"Dunno... I've never had this color on me." Taehyung goes closer to the small mirror that hangs on the opposite side of the chamber, fingers running through his new hair color. "It looks nice though, don't you think?"
Jimin's cheeks are now on fire. He turns away and slightly nods, not wanting to fully answer the question. Instead he focuses back on resembling the garden he misses so much. "Oh c'mon. You know I was joking, right?"
"Y-yes, of course I know that. It just really intrigues me."
Taehyung goes over to his unfinished outline of the castle and starts painting again. "Ah, please. It's just hair. It's probably because I feel very relaxed right now and comfortable with you." Says the artist with such an easiness in his voice that it makes Jimin's heart bloom like the cherry blossom in late spring. It scares him a bit.
"I'm glad you feel relaxed... and comfortable with me." Both of them turn to each other at the same time and smile. If Jimin would be a half-fairy too, he would probably have the same color of hair as well. Maybe even more intense tone of purple.
Once they finish the painting, it's already growing too dark to continue. Taehyung swiftly grabs all his supplies as he knows his mother is coming back from her daily business trips. Jimin stays still in front of the picture. It's as real as it could get. Just from staring at it, he could feel the smell of grass or feel the summer breeze that used to snuck into his bedroom.
"Why are you crying?" He can sense Taehyung's presence right behind him. It gives him shivers for some reason. He hasn't even noticed there are tears strolling down his cheeks. "I... I just miss home. Really badly." He cannot help himself but cry more. He doesn't like being weak in front of people. He never did. But it's different with Taehyung.
He feels the artist's arms wrapping around his stomach. Giving in the embrace he turns around and hugs him tightly, wanting to feel some of Taehyung's warmth. In this moment, Jimin is sure that this is the best source of comfort he's ever received. He secretly hopes he could have the painter by his side all the time now.
In the next few days, the prince feels alone. The peculiar boy hasn't paid him a visit yet since they painted together the last time. To occupy his mind and thoughts, he starts plotting how to escape this prison… preferably with Taehyung. The prince is quite sure this boy would much rather explore the world than being locked up in this hell hole.
He has also been thinking about all the other powers the boy could possess. Does he have any sort of power? Is he truly wingless? What is his favourite color- Well, to make this as simple as it is - he has been in fact thinking about the boy more than his escape plan. And the fact that he hasn't heard from him in a suspiciously long time doesn't make it easier.
One night, deep in his thoughts about Tae- his escape plans, of course, he hears the familiar melody his heart has grown to.
"At a dusky park
A nameless bird that sings
Where are you
Oh you."
Getting comfortable in his bed, Jimin closes his eyes. Again, he imagines his favourite place in the world - the royal garden in front of his balcony - at the dusk, just like in the song. The summer wind combing through his hair. The smell of grass bathing in morning dew. Him scooting over to a certain boy to warm himself up as he watches the sun rising above the horizon.
It's almost too real. Too good to be true. However he doesn't open his eyes. Not wanting to leave his imagination, he slowly falls asleep.
He wakes up the next morning to see that Taehyung made breakfast for him, as per usual. Jimin always enjoys the strangely arranged food. It's a bit chaotic, but it definitely screams "made by Taehyung".
Mornings are one of those quiet moments the prince enjoys probably the most. It gives him hope that maybe this day will be different. Maybe the witch will release him and he could go home. What's even the point of him being there? He's asked this question himself way too many times now.
The prince gets bored these days. Without a company or anything that could keep him really busy, he just lies in his bed and sleeps. It's all he can do at this point. He even stopped counting days. He knew no-one was going to rescue him.
One morning on a quite warm and sunny day, he finally sees Taehyung again. Jimin could never properly express the gratitude he felt at that exact moment. It's at that moment that makes Jimin realize that he missed him so badly.
He was sitting on the frame of the window, playing- or more like destroying a daisy. The prince could sense it on him, that he was hesitating. But why?
When the dazzling boy finally noticed that Jimin is awake, he froze. Knowing that Taehyung won't be the one who'll start talking, Jimin starts the conversation with a simple "Good morning."
The taller boy remains silent.
"Haven't seen you in a long time. You okay?" Jimin can't help but ask. It's weird seeing him in silver, almost white hair. What is he feeling right now? Is he sick?
"Y-yeah… sorry. Mother just kept on looking after me." Taehyung pauses, debating whether he should ask him or not. He stands up from his already warm spot on the window and moves closer to Jimin. "I want to show you something." Asks Taehyung rather nervously, holding out his hand to Jimin.
The latter had always had trust issues. But for some reason… He trusts this boy maybe too much. He finds comfort and some sort of safe space in him, despite knowing him for not too long. And so he hesitantly takes his hand and lets Taehyung help him to get out of bed.
"Hop on my back." Jimin freezes on spot. "What?"
"Please."
The urge in Taehyung's sparkling eyes reaches to the prince's heart. Unsurely he hops on Taehyung's back as he told him. The boy then goes to the window, carrying Jimin too easily for his liking.
Once they reach the window, the taller gets over the frame of the window and starts climbing to the left side of the tower. Ugly flashbacks suddenly start flashing through Jimin's mind. Has he thanked Taehyung properly for saving his ass?
It's not for too long as Taehyung's room is literally next door- or more like a window. The tower is way bigger than the prince thought.
Once they finally reach the window, Jimin's grip tightens even more than before. He doesn't want to let go yet. "You know you're probably gonna kill me if you tighten your grip even more, right?" Chuckles Taehyung, not caring that Jimin is sending him not a very pretty look. "Don't look at me like that. You shouldn't frown this much. You'll ruin your pretty face with wrinkles."
Jimin felt it again. The fluttering heart, the burning cheeks… it's there again. But instead of replying to Taehyung's remark, he just buries his face in the boy's shoulder instead. "We're here. You can let go of me now if you'd like."
The prince finally turns his attention to the room. It's magical… Just like Taehyung is.
The walls are covered in small drawings and sketches of nature. Jimin can't look away how real all of those drawings look. Taehyung's room is pretty much the same, yet at the same time so different. There's a very familiar guitar right next to the window for example. Or the little painting shrine he has next to his bed.
"So eh…" Taehyung interrupts Jimin's train of thoughts and impressions with an awkward cough. The prince looks at him, red creeping into his cheeks. "Sorry. It's just that your room is so… out of this world. I mean- it's really beautiful, Taehyung. You're really talented." Jimin compliments the artist's work. He's bad at complimenting but he tries. And he definitely did not fail.
The smile that appears on Taehyung's lips was definitely worth it. He hopes to make him smile like this more often… If he can.
"Thank you! But that's why I brought you here. I- I think I found a way out of this tower." Jimin tries to stay calm and composed. "Oh."
"Lemme show you."
Taehyung reaches out to Jimin's hand once again. He leads him to the beautifully carved wooden wardrobe and signals him to push it. The two of the boys try their hardest to move the wardrobe and they succeed. Once Jimin clears off the sweat of his forehead, he finally sees… another painting. This time, it's the woods. Somehow he suddenly can notice the fine smell of pine and rosin he misses very much since he hasn't been able to go to the forest in like… forever now.
"It's beautiful as all your works are… But how is this going to help?"
Taehyung looks almost mischievously at him, knowing more than necessary. "Well… As I said, it's a way out of this tower." Said the taller with such confidence and determination. "And to prove it to you… Just watch."
That's when Taehyung literally walked into the picture leaving Jimin in disbelief. The prince stood still, not being able to move. What the hell just happened?
"T-Taehyung?"
Taehyung's hand stretched out of the picture. Jimin wants to take it however something is stopping him. It's like he's completely frozen against his will.
Oh no…
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
The very familiar voice sends Jimin shivers down his spine. The witch appears right in front of him, her icy eyes wandering around the painting. She pulls Taehyung's hand out of it with such a power that her little prisoner flies to the other side of the tower and bumps into the hard wall.
"What on Earth is this?" Says the witch with such a calm voice that makes both of the boys scared for their life. Taehyung tries to collect himself, huffing from the back pain he is enduring. He cannot speak yet however as he lost all of his breath from shock and the wall slam.
"Taehyung, I asked you something." She turns around with her eyes throwing daggers at the said boy. Jimin can't see how hurt Taehyung is but hearing the loud noise that was caused by the latter crashing into the wall… He cannot imagine the pain.
"That's… my… painting." Wheezes the artist with all his might, still lying on the floor.
"How come it's magical then? You are just a powerless and useless fairy anyways."
Those words hurt. Taehyung hates being belittled although it's the truth. He hates being reminded that he's just a good-for-nothing accident that doesn't even belong anywhere.
"I… My paintbrush broke… so I searched for a new one… in your chamber…"
"Of course. You found that enchanted paintbrush I took from a magician. You entered my chamber without permission. And…" She turns around to face Jimin again with a sly smile upon her lips. "You even befriended our beloved prince when I specifically forbid you not to talk to him at all. Not to mention you just tried to escape with him." She laughs hysterically. Jimin wants to close his eyes. What is she going to do?
"You, my dear boy, broke almost every rule I set for you. After all this time, after I took care of you, brought you everything you've wanted… all it took was for me to bring another boy here and suddenly you're being all rebellious and ungrateful rascal."
The witch turns away from Jimin, slowly coming up to poor Taehyung, still struggling to stand up. The prince has never wanted to pull out his sword and end someone's life. He silently prays the punishment won't be as bad as he thinks it'll be. Taehyung has been punished enough… right?
"I don't want this type of behaviour in my tower or nowhere near me."
She waves her hand in the air, whispering a spell that causes Taehyung to go up in the air. Jimin stays pinned to the ground still, eyes twitching from all the dread he's enduring right now. The witch goes over to the window. No…
"You were a good boy to take care of, Taehyung. But I don't think I could hold you here anymore. I knew eventually this day would come… but not like this."
Taehyung is struck with the realisation. He tries to fight the spell… but it's no help.
"Goodbye. You were never supposed to be born anyway."
And then she pushed him out of the window.
Jimin wants to scream. His heart is breaking into million pieces at the time. Tears start strolling down his cheeks. If he wasn't bound to the ground by spell, he would probably break down or push the witch out of the tower as well. But he can't do any of it.
The witch immediately turns around to face the prince again, showing no emotion whatsoever. How cruel can a person be to simply throw out the boy you were looking after for almost 20 years…
"As for you, my dear nephew," she says in an almost mocking tone, "we are going to move away to a much…" the witch takes a dramatic pause and tries to find the right words, "... pleasant place."
Jimin wants to punch her. He wants to do so many vicious things. He wants to scream at her for what she's done. He wants to mourn over Taehyung until the tears just stops coming. However he can't. And it breaks him apart.
All he can see in his mind, is the lifeless body of the painter he fell in love with. He hasn't even had the chance to tell him.
"Oh… do you wanna say something?"
Jimin stays silent, only throwing eye daggers at her.
The witch smiles.
"If you would like to say something," says the witch as she waves with her hand breaking partially the spell, "You can."
The pressure on his head loosens. "What in the fucking world has my father done to you that caused you to be the biggest bitch on this planet?"
Her smile drops. She watches her nephew cautiously now.
"Like seriously. Because you just killed someone you took care of all these years… and yet, you didn't even twitch at that. You did it so effortlessly that it makes me sick to my stomach." Continues the prince with a raw, almost threatening tone. "You're a monster. I wish you could rot in hell!" The prince screams out the last sentence as if it made any difference.
But surprisingly… it did.
The floor under her feet broke down with a loud thunder, making the witch fall down as if she was truly sent to hell.
The spell was broken and Jimin finally fell down on the floor, exhausted and flabbergasted once again.
How…
Although the monster was gone, he couldn't help but break down and cry again. Taehyung was gone. He didn't even dare to approach the window. It would be the worst heartbreak if he saw the painter's body.
But what now?
He was free, but not at all. How was he going to leave this tower? He remembers his first try at that. That's when the boy saved him. He remembers the endearing smile upon Taehyung's lips that could cure the whole world. Tears start scrolling down his face again. He looks up to see the painting of the night sky. He hasn't even noticed it before. For how long was he locked up here?
"Please… Please come back. I need you." He whispers the last sentence silently, closing his eyes. He sees the boy in white clothes, smiling boxily as usual, stretching out a hand to him. Jimin wants to take it and hold onto it, but he can't reach it.
He hears him laugh. It's probably the most beautiful sound in the universe for him. It sounds too real that Jimin has to escape the dream world. And when he opens the eyes, he can still hear the laugh.
It can't be…
He is now very much wide awake. Whipping his head to the owner of the laugh so fast that he almost breaks his neck, he freezes on spot.
There he is. Very much alive… and ethereal. What catches the most attention though are the ocean blue wings, plastered on his back.
"Surprise! Bet you didn't see that coming, huh?" Taehyung grins at the shocked boy, still sitting on the ground. "But honestly me neither. I really thought I was gonna die there. Good thing I didn't."
Jimin tries to find the right words but they're all stuck in his throat. "Wait… H-how? What? I-"
Taehyung goes closer to him and sits down on the floor as well, facing Jimin. His hair is now radiant yellow, it almost blinds the prince.
"I'm not quite sure. But when I was falling down… I actually thought of you. And how you'd be probably stuck there with that…" Taehyung cringes. He was used to call the witch mother, but now all he feels is resentment for her. "With that bitch." Both of them chuckle at that.
"Anyways I wished for you to be saved. That was the last of my three wishes."
"Wait, you had three wishes?" Jimin never stops being surprised when he's with him. Now he realizes how much he loves it.
"Yes. That was my birth mother's gift actually for my 20th birthday. I didn't know of it until she came to me on my birthday."
He pauses just to stare at Jimin's lost puppy look and pouty lips. It's so endearing for Taehyung that he wouldn't mind staring at him for the rest of his life. But the questions in his sparkling chocolate eyes makes him continue.
"I… My first wish was to actually not be here alone. I wanted a friend. And the next day my mother told me to help kidnap you." Taehyung now sends a very apologetic look in Jimin's way. "Sorry that I didn't tell you."
The smaller boy just chuckles at that. "Of course it was you. Who else would it be, huh?"
The fairy boy grins at that, the guilt slowly leaving his body now. "Anyways. Then I wished to find a way how to get out of here. That happened as well. I told you about my last wish. And now we're here! Ta-da!" He stretches out his hands to end his story, making Jimin laugh out loud. What a beautiful sound.
After a moment, Jimin stops laughing, realizing what happened to him earlier (and what he said out loud seconds before Taehyung appeared).
"Wait… so… Does that mean I got three wishes too? Because I made two wishes as well and they came true…"
"Probably. I mean I heard about the legend where on the most desperate moments in your life you are granted three wishes but only if your heart is true and pure."
"Wow. How do you know all of this?"
"I spent almost 20 years of my life locked up here, Jimin. Don't forget that."
Jimin smiles. "Yeah, that's about right."
They sit in silence for a bit, not sure how to continue this conversation. Jimin is still trying to wrap his head around the things that just happened. One moment he's mourning and crying about the loss of Taehyung, and the other he's sitting on the floor across the latter and laughing until his tummy hurts. "So… now what?"
"Now we go home."
Taehyung stands up, holding out a hand to Jimin. And this time, Jimin is not afraid to take it anymore. They're free.
Before they leave the tower for real this time, Jimin looks around Taehyung's room for the last time. The painful yet joyful memories that took place in this tower will most likely affect both of them forever. And so he makes the final wish albeit a bit selfish one.
I want to be happy and make Taehyung happy for the rest of my life.