The next few days were a blur for Soobin.

They reached Tsuki and fortunately, ATEEZ came just two days later, and then they boarded and were off to the Kingdom of Crocus once again, this time reaching there by the same night. The boys said goodbye to them once again, wishing them luck for what they were about to do once they told them the truth.

"Make the world a bit easier for us too, yeah?" Wooyoung smiled toothily as he spoke. "We pirates already have it hard."

"I'll try but you're still criminals," Yeonjun said teasingly.

"As if you aren't a friend of those criminals," San nudged him playfully and they all laughed at that, wondering and worrying on the inside if everything will really go okay.

"Don't forget us when you're there," Hongjoong said with his usual easy smile. "We will be waiting for the news of your revolt! Make sure to write us a lengthy letter of all the details, yeah?"

"We will be anticipating it," Seonghwa nodded, slipping his hand inside Hongjoong's. "We will be rooting for you from here."

"Thank you."

And then they were off once again, sailing as the night wore on, the secret cave in Cruz echoing the haunting silence they couldn't unhear.

✿

"You dyed your hair black?" Yeonjun said in surprise. They were going to travel to Verda that day. It was a week after they had arrived in Cruz. They had spent that time planning around how to do it and despite luck being on their side, none of them could deny the nervous balls rolling inside their stomachs. Soobin nodded, running a hand through his freshly dried black hair.

"I had dyed it to hide who I am," Soobin answered. "But now I don't have to. And anyway, my roots were getting longer too so it was all just a mix of blue and black anyway. Does it look bad?"

"Not at all," Yeonjun whispered, pressing a soft kiss on Soobin's left eyelid. "In fact, I think I might like this more than your blue hair."

"Why?" Soobin smiled outwardly as he felt giddy with happiness at Yeonjun's affection. Yeonjun gave him a small smirk.

"Atleast you won't go bald," his answer made Soobin whine and hit him playfully. "Hey, it's not my fault that I had to colour my hair like crazy ever since I was young to hide who I am!"

"Well, you don't have to do it anymore," Soobin whispered, not wanting to be loud to Yeonjun whose face was very near to his. He wondered if he could sneak a quick little peck before they had to get their bags out–

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat from the doorway and Yeonjun jumped back, acting casual as he started picking up his bags. Kai looked at them in amusement as he said, "The ride is here. We are all waiting for you."

"We're coming," Soobin said, blushing furiously at being caught by the younger boy.

"Oh, and hyung, black looks good on you," Kai said with a bright smile before slipping away. Yeonjun quickly gave a quick but intense kiss on the lips to Soobin before following Kai out and Soobin nearly dropped the room keys in his hand as he felt his knees go weak.

✿

"Atleast it was only for four hours," Taehyun offered as the cart tumbled over the roads on the outskirts of Verda. "We're there now."

"Don't forget what you're supposed to say, okay?" Yeonjun said nervously, not having wanted all of them there but they had insisted and hadn't let him and Soobin go alone.

("We're not going to let you go in the lion's den all alone, hyung," Taehyun said sharply.

"By that analogy, I'm the cub," Soobin said with a frown. "We can't risk your lives like this."

"And we can't risk yours, hyung," Beomgyu reminded him as calmly as he could, despite the evident frown on his face that showed his anger and frustration.

"We're coming and that's final," Kai had said, waving his fingers threateningly as some sparkles floated around them, indicating that he will use magic to make them let them come along.)

"Hyung, it will be okay," Kai reassured him, looking the most calm of them all, if not a bit excited. "And if they suspect us, I'll use my magic and make it all okay, alright?"

"I don't want to...," Yeonjun hesitated and didn't say anything more. Kai's eyebrows furrowed.

"You don't want to what, hyung?" He asked.

"I feel like we would be using you then," Yeonjun admitted.

"Friends don't use each other, hyung," Kai reminded him, "They help each other. And that's what I'm doing."

"We're here, lads!" The driver said as the cart drew to a stop. The five of them immediately scrambled out of the cart, looking around at the other carts and people that were in a line in front of the gates. The guards were talking and checking all the people before letting them in.

"Thank you for the ride," Yeonjun said with a smile as he placed the money on the driver's hand. The old man gave him a toothless grin as he replied, "My pleasure. Go on now, the line ain't that long!"

They all thanked and saw the man drive his cart away before joining the line. Beomgyu tried to soothe their nerves when he was himself squeezing Taehyun's hands and Kai promised to make them a tranquility potion once they're inside.

When they reached the front of the line, Yeonjun stepped forward to the guard and showed him his badge that recognised him as an Adventurer.

"We're here to visit the city," he said to the guard quickly while the guard examined the badge to see whether it's real. "These are my friends and they want to see the capital city. I am going to meet some of my aquaintances here as well."

"Hmm," the other guard wrote down the things he was saying. The first guard gave his badge back.

"Two stars, huh?" The guard smiled at him. "Good for you, kid. Unless you stole it. But then again, it's hard to steal from a real adventurer."

"It's hard-earned," Yeonjun grinned, pocketing his badge as he spoke.

"Well, you can pass," the other guard let them in and they all rushed inside, the three youngest looking around in fascination as they saw the large crowd inside and the tall buildings that decorated the sides of the road.

"And I thought Cruz was crowded," Kai said in awe. "Verda makes that look like an easy game."

"It is hard to even walk here," Soobin commented. "Come on, we need to go somewhere so you can make the potion and we can prepare for the night."

Yeonjun lead the way, grabbing onto Soobin's hand. Soobin had told them all to hold each other's hand so that they don't lose themselves in the crowd as they pushed and pulled to make their way through. After pretty much fighting tooth and nail, they ended up in front of a small traveler's inn and made way inside once they were sure that Kai could make a potion there freely.

"Depends on what potion, kid," the old lady behind the counter squinted at Kai as her fingers chucked in their coins into her drawers. "What ya tryna make?"

"A tranquility potion," Kai answered. She stared at him for a few more seconds before saying, "Alright then. Don't burn anything or ya will hafta pay more than all yer room's money."

"I won't," Kai promised.

Once they were all in their own rooms, Kai immediately got to making the potion. Soobin and Yeonjun sat down so that Soobin could explain the rooms in the palace to him as the older boy had forgotten them in the last 12 years. He showed him all the secret passageways he could take as well, for if things went downhill...

Taehyun and Beomgyu were supposed to be their guides out if things went wrong so they joined them as well, learning all the outways of the passageways. Soobin made sure to tell them as much as he could remember, worry creeping inside his mind once again as the gravity of the situation finally started to sink inside him.

✿

"Who are you?" The guard on the outside gate said loudly. "State your business!"

"I'm the prince," Soobin said, lifting the hood off his head to reveal his face. "And these are my friends that helped me return back home."

"Y- Your Majesty!" The guards immediately bowed down to him and Yeonjun and Kai who were right behind him. Taehyun and Beomgyu had already slipped past them all towards the exits of one of the passageways and started their descent inside. "You are back!"

"I am," Soobin said seriously, his face not dropping into a smile at all. "Inform my father and let me in."

"Of course, of course," the guards hastened to let them inside and Yeonjun, who had dyed his hair black as well, and Kai tried to look very innocent and normal peasant-like as they found themselves across a few officials that were about to leave the palace.

"Our prince," one of them said, his face not showing the slightest of emotion as he spoke. "You have returned. What a surprise to see you here. Surely you did not defeat your captors by yourself?"

"No, no," Soobin's smile was so fake that Yeonjun wanted to shudder but it seemed to convince all of the officials, who Yeonjun was sure knew only Soobin's fake smile. "These two peasants here found and helped me out of there. I am taking them to my father to give them the reward they deserve and let them go."

"Is that so?" One of the other officials spoke this time, stroking his beard as he looked at Yeonjun and Kai coldly as if he knew it was lie. Yeonjun saw Kai carefully twist his fingers behind Soobin's cloak and the man's eyes glazed over for a second before he spoke, "Well then, you must hurry inside. Your father has missed you sorely, Your Highness."

"Indeed," Soobin nodded before walking past them, the other two hurrying behind him as they made their way inside. A line of servants immediately attached to Soobin's side, one of them immediately going in between Yeonjun and Soobin.

"Your Majesty!" The man said in a whisper. He did not look happy but rather, terrified. Yeonjun wasn't happy that he had come between him and Soobin but he couldn't act weird so he walked closely next to Kai. "You're back. How? You said you will never return!"

"I did," Soobin whispered back to the man and Yeonjun realised that the man must be someone who knew about the truth of Soobin running away. "But there is something I must do. And I'm back for that."

They were inside the building and the man lead their way past the guards to a room much farther away from the gates. They finally stopped outside of it and the man said loudly, "His Highness, the prince, is here, Your Majesty!"

The door was opened by a servant and Soobin stepped inside, Yeonjun and Kai trailing inside, their heads bowed. Soobin however, looked straight into the eyes of the man who called himself his father.

His face hadn't changed in the two months Soobin had been away, but his eyes had somehow got ever more colder and indifferent. He stared at the Soobin with wrath evident in his eyes.

"Leave us alone," Soobin said sharply to the servants who immediately bowed and left the room, leaving only Soobin, Yeonjun and Kai inside. "Father."

"You," his father's authoritative voice was targeted towards Yeonjun and Kai. "Leave us alone."

"They will stay right here," Soobin answered back just as authoritatively and his father's eyes widened as he shook in silent anger.

"What did you say to me?" His father gritted his teeth as his hand clenched around thin air.

"I said," Soobin said coolly, "they will stay right here. I know we're not alone, Father. If you have someone on your side, don't you think I should have someone on my side as well?"

"You," his father's anger was evident but Soobin wasn't scared. He was numb. It was like this entire scene wasn't happening to him, but rather to someone else. Someone else's father, someone else's confrontation, someone else's battle. "I was going to spare you, thinking that you're my child, that after me you will have this kingdom and continue my lineage but you've started thinking too highly of yourself, haven't you? Your little stunt of running away has cost you a lot more than you think–"

"I don't want this throne," Soobin interrupted him. His father gaped at him as if what he said was blasphemy. "I've never wanted it. But perhaps, you might know Yeonjun here. You see, that throne is his birthright."

"Yeonjun?" His father stared at the pink-haired boy who finally looked up at the man who he was supposed to finish. Rather than being scared, he felt cold. Like he wasn't going to be a real murderer after this. Like he would have finally avenged and done what he was supposed to do. "Choi Yeonjun? The boy I had them killed?"

"In the flesh," Yeonjun said coolly. "Here to give you... ah, a little gift? But more like, to take something from you."

"GWANGBOK!" Soobin's father thundered loudly and a man appeared from behind the wall behind him. He was draped in a black robe and had a smirk on his face. "Finish off these two vermins. I will look after my son personally..."

"A magician, hm?" Gwangbok chuckled as he cracked his fingers and stepped ahead towards Kai. "Well, don't worry, I'm one too."

"Too bad I'm the strongest one here," Kai said with a small smirk of his own before ramming his fingers in the air and shouting out an incantation. Gwangbok, who was taken aback, flew off his feet and on top of Soobin's father, who screamed.

The door to the room opened and the servants tried to rush in but Soobin stood in their way and said, "Don't come inside. All of you, step out."

He lead them all out; Kai and Yeonjun were going to deal with them until he procured himself his sword. He shut the door behind him and turned to his own servant. "Get me my sword, Minho."

"As you wish, my prince," the servant bowed quickly and left. The female servants standing there seemed shaken and scared so Soobin forced himself to calm down and say, "Worry not. This is for your betterment. Don't let any of the officials or guards find out, or else you will face the fire. I do not wish to hurt you unless you try and hurt the future I'm trying to build for our kingdom."

They all hastened to nod and mumbled out, "Yes, Your Highness!" before scurrying out of the halls and leaving Soobin alone. Just then, Minho returned with his sword in hand and Soobin quickly took it and removed the sheath and gave it to Minho.

"Wait out here," Soobin muttered to him and Minho bowed as he watched Soobin go back into the room. Inside, Gwangbok was being cornered by Kai and he seemed to be struggling a lot. Yeonjun and his father were full on dueling however, and Soobin wasn't sure who had the upper hand.

Yeonjun was young but he wasn't as trained as Soobin's father. And Soobin's father was a skilled fighter but he was getting old and his reflexes weren't as fast as before. He had also gotten fatter over the years because of his greed and gluttony and it made him more susceptible to Yeonjun's attacks.

Soobin decided to focus on Gwangbok and to first get him out of the picture. He strode over to where Kai and Gwangbok were and placed his sword right below Gwangbok's chin. "Tie him up, Kai!"

"Of course," Kai quickly said another spell and this time, Gwangbok's hands started getting tied with a magically glowing rope.

"What the–," Gwangbok tried to struggle and break free of his bonds but it was futile. He tried to spell it off but even that didn't work. Kai's rope was strong. Soobin bent low to be face to face with Gwangbok, who's breath hitched when he saw Soobin so close.

"If you want to live, stop struggling," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "If you try to free yourself, your life will end. But if you stay like this, you might get to live some more."

Gwangbok didn't say anything but Soobin could see the defeated look in his eyes. He removed the sword from his chin as Kai tied the magical rope around Gwangbok's feet as well. Suddenly, he heard Yeonjun cry out and he whipped around, feeling scared for the first time since he stepped inside the palace.

Yeonjun had a deep gash on his right arm and he was holding it tightly with his left hand while breathing loudly as he stared at Soobin's father.

"Hyung!" Soobin cried out, wanting to reach out and help me, not wanting to see him in pain but Yeonjun shook his head.

"Stay away, Soobin," he said as calmly as he could. "I'm fine."

"I wonder how you can trust this piece of shit," Soobin's father said to Yeonjun. "He is my son, you know? No matter what he has told you, he still has my blood running through him. And if you think that just killing me is going to avenge everyone I have had killed, then you're–"

"I don't care," Yeonjun said, rolling his eyes. "If you think you can try and manipulate me into hurting Soobinie, then you're dead wrong. Soobin is nothing like you, you bastard! He's one of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever known and you may be his father by blood, but by love, you're the last person he will ever claim."

And with that, Yeonjun started attacking his father once again. Soobin looked away, feeling overwhelmed with all the trust Yeonjun was putting on him. Kai had knocked out Gwangbok and got him into a magical net.

"I'm going out," Kai said, making Gwangbok float behind him. "I will give him to Taehyun and get any guards that might come to stay away. You make sure that Yeonjun-hyung is safe, yeah?"

"Yeah," Soobin mumbled, watching Kai walk out with Gwangbok before turning around just in the moment to see Yeonjun's sword pierce his father's chest. Warm, red liquid sprayed out as Yeonjun pushed the sword in and the two fell on the ground, Yeonjun on top of his father. Soobin couldn't look away, feeling his heart thud uncomfortably fast at the sight of a person, his father, being killed by the boy he loves.

"This is for everything you have ever done wrong," Yeonjun spat out as he twisted the sword in place. Soobin's father's eyes bulged out like a frog's and he croaked, trying to speak but a trickle of blood came out instead. "All those lives you took, all those people who lost their families and friends because of you... A monster like you doesn't deserve to live. A monster like you doesn't deserve to call himself the father of Soobin."

The man gave a last wheeze before fully collapsing onto the floor. Dark red blood oozed out from beneath his body as Yeonjun pulled out his sword and stood up. He nearly stumbled when he took a step back but Soobin was fast enough to catch him from behind.

"I– I did it, Soobin," Yeonjun said, his voice a little scared as he looked at Soobin with an even more scared face. He raised his bloody hands and stared at them in fear. Soobin's heart broke at the sight. "I killed him. I killed y- your father."

"No hyung," Soobin said with a sad smile, his fist clenching tightly as he said the next words. "You killed a monster."

✿

The aftermath of the killing wasn't easy to deal with. It took Soobin a long time to get Yeonjun to be okay again. It's not that he regretted killing the man, but he couldn't remove the sight of the blood stained on his hand and the thought that he really truly killed a person this time.

It was only when the other three joined them that they could both get out of their stupor. Soobin had witnessed his own father dying and the fact that he wasn't sad because of it made him more sad. He hated that he felt so indifferent, like he wasn't who he thought he was. How was he kind and sweet if he could look at a man's death so indifferently?

"It's okay, hyung," Taehyun whispered. "It's hard, but it's not something you should beat yourself up for. Oftentimes, we don't understand our own selves. We do things we don't normally do and we feel things we never thought we will. But if you stay true to yourself, then it doesn't matter. We know you're not a bad person. I've been in your exact spot when I was 15. And I know it's not easy to just let this go but right now, your subjects need you two. You have to get up and face them and tell them the truth. The officials have started creating a ruckus as well."

"Right," Soobin made himself get up. He pushed all those thoughts to the back of his mind because right at that moment, he had to pay attention to something else. His eyes ran to the window of his bedroom. Dawn was breaking. "Are all the people here?"

"We have got the guards to get everyone," Kai nodded. "They didn't really believe us at first so we had to show them the sight of your dead father to make them understand the situation. It's chaos right now, and the rumours are spreading fast."

"Well, we need to attend to the people," Yeonjun got up as well and Soobin's hand slipped into his. He squeezed the now black-haired boy's hands to let him know that he's still there. That he will always be there. Yeonjun squeezed his hand back.

They got themselves up and to the raised part from where they could see all the people of Verda clearly. Telling the people had been hard. There was an uproar and people were confused left and right, not knowing who and what to believe.

But Soobin firmly announced that Yeonjun will be crowned the king. That if anyone deserved the position it was him. He told the people that he will work hard to correct all the wrongs his father had done and that he will make their kingdom prosper again like it once did all those years ago.

It took time, it took efforts, but they managed to gain the people's trust. They weeded out the officials and came up with suitable punishments for them all.

They decided to hold a coronation ceremony for Yeonjun.

✿

"How do I look?" Yeonjun asked jokingly.

The coronation ceremony had happened successfully and Yeonjun was being taken around Verda on a large palaquin on a horse chariot. Soobin was right next to him on a horse and Yeonjun was waving at the people from the window of the palaquin.

"Beautiful," Soobin said with a small smile, not looking at him. "Like always."

"Really?" Yeonjun's smile had widened but Soobin still wasn't looking at him so he said, "But I think you look more handsome than me. Almost like you are the star of the show."

"Am I now?" Soobin's smile was amused but he was too busy trying to look professional to look at Yeonjun, who wanted the boy to just look at him. In the haste of the entire coronation, he hadn't found time to spend with the boy at all.

Yeonjun wanted to speak more but Kai called him from the other side of the palaquin and he had to move away. The people around the sides of the road were cheering for them and Soobin could hear the hope in their voices; they were going to build the kingdom back again. Make life easier for the people of the kingdom.

Cut the heightened taxes, make things equal for the poor and the rich and not just take from the poor and give to the rich. They were going to make the Kingdom of Crocus prosper once again.

With his friends, Soobin didn't doubt anything. Together, they could do anything. He was sure of it.

✿

"We thought we should see you one last time," Taehyun's smile was a bit sad as he spoke from where he was leaning his head against Beomgyu's shoulder.

"One last time?" Yeonjun's eyebrows shot up at the words and Soobin gaped at them wordlessly.

"We were thinking of joining the Bangtan Pirates," Beomgyu confessed. "We gave it a lot of thought."

"I love you all but Verda is far away from the sea," Taehyun admitted, holding Beomgyu's waist gently as he spoke. "I don't want to let you all go but my dream of joining the Bangtan Pirates still remains. I want to find them and if they let us, I want to join them. Beomgyu-hyung wants to be there with me."

"We don't want to stop you from following your dreams, Hyun," Soobin said gently, pulling the other boy closer into a hug. "We will support you in your endeavours. But don't forget us while you're gone on the sea, okay? Send us letters whenever you can. We will get Kai to magic you some letters as well."

"I don't want you to go," Yeonjun admitted. "But I won't stop you. I'm not going to be selfish. I fulfilled one of my goals in life; you deserve to fulfil yours. And we're going to stay good friends throughout life. If you ever need help, if you need a place to come back to, if you need people to depend on... You know you always have us."

"And you have us as well, hyung," Beomgyu pulled Yeonjun into a hug. Soobin and Taehyun watched the two with a smile on their face. To think that these two got off on the wrong foot at first and are now hugging each other like life-long friends...

Kai entered the palace garden and joined them all in their silent hug fest.

"They told me yesterday," Kai said to Yeonjun and Soobin. "I started crying so they spent last night comforting me but I'm not ready to see them go yet. And I'm not ready to leave you either, hyung."

"You don't have to leave us, Kai," Yeonjun said with a smile. "You can stay as an official. Stay as the royal magician. Soobin's staying as my advisor. You're young, you can be anything you want if you put your mind to it."

"Do you mean that?" Kai asked, his eyes full of tears. "I can stay here as your royal magician?"

"And as our friend," Soobin said, giving him a back hug. "We can call your family here. I'm sure they will love to live in the capital city with you as well."

"Thank you, hyung."

The five boys got into a group hug, feeling their strong bond of friendship thrumming as they held onto each other with all the hope and love in the world.

Somewhere hundreds of miles away, a Lily in a cave smiled happily as it watched over the five boys.

✿