Happy Holidays haru_ran! Exchange fic: "The Longest Night" (Part 2)
The rest of the night was filled with laughter and drinking, everyone more than happy to show off their tokens to everyone else. Jaejoong’s drew special attention, enough that Yoochun started joking that it meant he was destined to be a statue in the town square, just so more people could spend time looking at him.
There were enough celebrants on the floor that it took quite some time to notice that any of them were missing. The excitement only grew. None of them knew what would happen from this point onward. There were bits of the tradition that were common knowledge, of course, surrounding the month trial and what would come after, but beyond the tokens, the Solstice night was too important to talk about lightly. Everyone went into it equally unprepared.
After Yoochun’s hundredth statue joke, Jaejoong rolled his eyes and excused himself to get more to drink. He was too sober yet to put up with Yoochun. When he got to the refreshments table, though, a servant met him with a regretful bow. “I’m sorry, sir, but if you’d come with me.”
He blinked, looking back to where Yoochun was laughing with three of their female year mates. It was so typically Yoochun that it made him smile without meaning to. “Right now?”
The servant nodded and held out an arm. “It’s traditional to leave when your patrons are ready, sir. Your belongings are waiting in the hall.”
Tradition. Patrons. He fingered the pouch and box at his belt. “Lead the way.”
Outside, the snow had finally stopped falling. The servant handed him his belongings and shut the door behind him, leaving him alone in the night, the sounds of the continuing banquet filtering softly through the walls, only the glow from the windows illuminating the empty street.
He breathed on his hands and pulled his cloak tighter, wondering if they’d brought him out too early, or worse, too late. Just when he was about to turn around and knock on the door to find out, the faint sound of hoof beats finally carried over the sound of the celebration inside. A four-in-hand pulling an old-styled carriage appeared out of the darkness, driven by a cloaked figure. One of the ones who had sat and observed them tonight, he was almost positive. How he could be positive, he didn’t know, but he was.
The carriage pulled to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. The horses’ breath formed clouds around their heads, making them look like dragons in the dim light from the lanterns and the eye of Jaejoong’s imagination. The driver must have had a steady hand, for he didn’t move a muscle, but the restless shifting of the horses died away until only the sound of their breathing remained. Still the driver didn’t move.
Jaejoong clutched his belongings to his chest, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Just climbing uninvited into a strange carriage seemed unwise, but he was the only person there, and they were obviously waiting for someone.
And there was the question of his rose, a symbol none of his age-mates had ever seen before. He’d done something to earn it, even if he didn’t know what, and ruining that now was unthinkable. He squared his shoulders and marched down the steps, only hesitating again when faced with the closed door of the carriage.
It solved his problem by opening for him. The interior of the carriage was dark, leaving him unable to guess at what might be inside, even as he caught the door to keep it from swinging, but a warm, amused voice greeted him as he climbed the steps. “Finally, Jaejoong. We were beginning to wonder if you were going to wait until dawn.”
That startled him, only the jolt of the horses moving reminding him to close the door and sit down. “You know my name?”
The voice sounded even more amused. “We chose you. We know more about you than just your name.”
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the carriage, he began to pick out the shape of the one sitting opposite him. Details were impossible, but he was almost positive this was the taller of the two who had been there tonight. The one who had been at every function. Now, he was sure this was the one that had been watching him. “Then you have me at a disadvantage.”
There was a telling pause followed by the sound of movement. “Forgive me. A little light, perhaps?”
Jaejoong shrank back into his seat as he felt more than saw the figure come closer, but it was only to light a small lamp near the door. The light wavered, like it knew it had no place in the carriage. For just a moment, Jaejoong was sure he saw it catch and glow in his new companion’s eyes, but then he sat back across from Jaejoong, a small, welcoming smile gracing his lips. Something in Jaejoong caught at that smile, got lost in it, just a little. Obviously this person was dangerous in more ways than one. Jaejoong looked away, studying the rest of the carriage, instead.
It was richly appointed in burgundy and brown, although the weak, flickering light made it difficult to judge much in the way of details. The fabrics of the cushions and curtains made his Solstice clothing look cheap in comparison. It looked like the carriage of a king or an emperor, and he could not think of a single reason that he had been chosen for this. His thoughts must have shown in his expression because his companion laughed softly. “You look uncomfortable.”
It wasn’t a question, but he wanted to deny it anyway. Of course he wasn’t uncomfortable, he wanted to say. Why would he be? Unfortunately, the words drew his eyes back to the man across from him, and he found himself incapable of even so simple a lie. “A bit. I still don’t know anything about what’s going on.”
His companion nodded, and Jaejoong found himself unable to draw his eyes away a second time. This close, he could see how thick the dark cloaks that the masters wore truly were. Much thicker than would be necessary merely to hide an identity. Thick enough, perhaps, to block out the sun. Jaejoong swallowed, mouth suddenly dry as that part of the legends came back to him. “You... You really are vampires.”
When he smiled this time, wider and not a little threatening, Jaejoong was sure he caught the glint of fangs. “Well done. I knew we were right to choose you.” He half-bowed, a gesture he somehow managed to make elegant even while seated. “My name is Yunho, and yes, I am a vampire. And very soon, you will be, too.”
~
Jaejoong wasn’t at all sure what had happened, but the next thing he knew, he was looking up at the ceiling of the carriage. His skin felt clammy, but the cool hand on his forehead made the whole world feel a bit better.
It took another moment or two for his eyes to focus well enough to find the face that was presumably attached to the body attached to the hand. Yunho. He’d said his name was Yunho. Except, instead of the indulgent smile, he was sporting what looked suspiciously like worried guilt.
Oh. Yes. And he’d also said he was a vampire.
The hand on his forehead moved, stroking his hair away from his face, and he heard Yunho sigh in something like relief. “I’m sorry. That was a horrible way to tell you, but this is the first time I’ve gotten to, and I wanted to make an impression.” He grinned sheepishly. “I guess I did too good a job?”
Jaejoong blinked, wondering if he was perhaps still passed out and this was a dream of some sort. He started to sit up, staring stupidly when Yunho immediately moved to help him. He’d been kneeling on the floor of the carriage while Jaejoong was spread out like a fainting damsel across the seat.
“Take it easy. I’d offer you something to drink, but we didn’t bring anything with us.” Yunho settled onto the seat next to him this time instead of returning to the seat across the carriage. The hand on his back was warmer than Jaejoong ever would have assumed, given all the legends said.
“The masters really are vampires?” Not the most intelligent question he’d ever asked, unfortunately, but he thought he could probably be excused, just this once.
Luckily, Yunho was back to looking amused. “I wouldn’t joke about that. I’d show you to prove it, but after your last reaction, I think it might be better if we wait.”
He found himself nodding dumbly. Objectively, he should either be terrified beyond belief or completely skeptical. What sense he could still call upon said this couldn’t possibly be real, but if it was, why was he sitting calmly, or relatively so, in a carriage with something probably just waiting to suck his blood out? But then he thought back to the token he’d received, his rose, the box still at his belt despite everything.
His fingers closed over it without thinking. “My rose?”
The question was greeted with a perplexed look that slowly melted into understanding. “No, you wouldn’t have seen one before. The last person we chose was nearly a century ago, now. It’s getting harder to find ones that deserve it. But yes, that’s our token. A rose forever in bloom.” He spread his hands as if that should have been obvious on its own. When Jaejoong considered it, considered the legends, perhaps it should have been.
“So it is real?”
“Very real. Tomorrow, I’ll show you where it was grown.”
It had obviously been more than just grown, and even then, grown in the middle of winter? The roses in his mother’s garden wouldn’t bloom for months yet. “...I didn’t realize vampires were interested in gardening.”
Yunho’s laughter was more generous this time, warmer, a fact Jaejoong found himself appreciating even more as close as they were. “We can be many things. You’ll see.”
~
This close, the castle was even larger than it ever looked from the foot of the mountain. Bad things tended to happen to anyone who got too close, so no one had gone near it for ages, as far as Jaejoong knew. A good portion of it was hidden in the trees surrounding it, but even with only the moon to see by, Jaejoong could tell it was massive.
With the carriage windows covered, there had been no way to see anything as they approached, only the rattling of the carriage wheels a hint to having passed off the paved roads a while ago onto the path that would have led to the stable yard. His first glimpse, then, came when he stepped out of the carriage and practically onto the front steps of his new home.
While the rear of the castle disappeared back into the trees, this side of it faced onto a large clearing that was nearly impossible to see from the bottom of the mountain. Smaller buildings were dotted here and there, what Jaejoong could only guess were outbuildings of some sort. Obviously if a carriage had brought them here, at least one had to be a stable, and perhaps a carriage house.
Yunho was waiting for him at the top of the steps, one of the massive doors cracked open just enough for an inviting glow to spill out. Jaejoong’s throat tightened for just a second before he reminded himself that everyone did this when they were his age. Perhaps not with vampires, but certainly with the homesickness. He hurried up the steps.
Inside, he finally got his first good look at Yunho. Without the strange way his eyes caught the flickering light in the carriage, he looked completely human. Whatever Jaejoong might have thought or expected when the masters in the castle were mentioned, it wasn’t anything like this man with short, light brown hair and an easy smile. In the carriage, he’d kept their conversation light, obviously trying to put Jaejoong at ease, but sidestepping or deflecting every question Jaejoong could think to ask about what was about to happen. For all he knew, he might still be walking into some sort of elaborate trap, but after spending so long talking to Yunho in the carriage, he found himself doubting it.
If anyone had told him two days ago that he was going to become a vampire, though, he would have doubted that, too.
When Yunho glanced back at him, eyebrows raised, Jaejoong realized he was staring and quickly looked away. The parts of the castle they were passing through were at least as intriguing to look at, if not nearly so... nice. He bit his lip. Nice to look at was as far as he would go.
They passed out of the entry hall, through a small hallway, and began climbing a long set of stairs. “How big is this place?” He didn’t even bother trying to keep the awe out of his voice.
Yunho chuckled. “As big as it needs to be.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense.”
“No? But no more questions tonight. I’ll answer everything I can tomorrow, but for tonight, I think the fact that vampires exist is enough of an answer for any of your questions.”
Jaejoong disagreed. He disagreed completely, but one of the benefits of growing up in a family as large as his was knowing when a battle was impossible to win. This battle, Yunho’s teasing hints at answers that didn’t reveal anything, was as unfair and unwinnable as any he’d ever had with his sisters.
After at least three staircases and enough hallways that Jaejoong had completely lost his sense of direction, Yunho finally slowed to a stop in a hallway flanked on both sides with solid oak doors. “My quarters are near here, and a few others. There are few enough of us here permanently these days that we can spread out a bit.”
He stopped, gesturing for Jaejoong to open a door that looked identical to every other door that he could see. “This one will be yours, at least for now.”
For now? Was that supposed to be comforting, implying that he would be moved elsewhere or be allowed to move? Or did it imply something else, entirely? He stepped around Yunho to open the door, refusing to contemplate anything but the immediate future of a room and a bed. He was completely exhausted, now that he had a chance to consider the option of sleep, the long hours of the Solstice celebration catching up to him.
The room was no more what he’d been expecting than anything else so far. His eyes widened as he took in the windowless, wood-paneled room. It was as mundane as could be imagined, but somehow completely alien at the same time.
“Is it okay?”
He’d all but forgotten Yunho was there behind him as he drifted into the room, bag of belongings clutched to his chest uncertainly. Somehow, he managed to nod. “It’s...”
Yunho’s soft smile was more comforting than he would have expected. “A lot to take in?”
Another nod, more sure this time. “It is.”
When Yunho stepped close enough to lay a hand on his shoulder, it was all Jaejoong could do not to lean into it. Right now, Yunho was the only mildly familiar thing in a very large, unfamiliar world, and even him Jaejoong had only known for a matter of hours. “Sleep. When you wake up, someone will bring food. We’ll talk tomorrow, about everything.”
He was starting to feel a bit like a puppet, as often as he was nodding, but what else was there to do? “Thank you.”
The hand dropped from his shoulder, reluctantly Jaejoong might almost have said, and Yunho retreated back to the door. “Good night, Jaejoong.”
He bid Yunho good night, and was left alone, standing in the center of the room as Yunho closed the door behind himself, feeling more isolated than he ever had in his entire life. There had always been family or friends or someone around, not this complete and overwhelming silence. He wondered how thick the walls of the castle must be, to block sound so fully. The other alternative was that no one was there to make any sound, and he refused to believe that.
A large fireplace dominated one side of the bedroom, although the fire had been banked for the night. Or would it be for the morning? The party had gone late enough, and they’d been traveling for at least an hour, so how far could dawn really be?
Near the fire stood a sideboard, a crystal pitcher filled with what looked like water and a pair of goblets on a tray at the end farthest from the heat of the fire. On the opposite side of the hearth was a door that he assumed led to a storage room or a second bedroom. In the center of the room, there was a small table flanked by two exceedingly soft looking chairs. He moved close enough to brush his hand over one, wondering how many lifetimes his family would have to save just to afford something a tenth as costly as this.
But the far side of the room opposite the door was what caught and held his attention. Flanked by a set of matched wardrobes was the largest bed Jaejoong had ever seen. Curtains hung from the ceiling, open now but obviously meant to surround the bed on the three sides not against the wall. How much of that was design, and how much the instinctual need of a vampire for total darkness during the day, even with no windows and walls too thick for the tiniest speck of sunlight to streak through?
He turned away, not ready to contemplate that part of what may be his future quite yet. He hesitated over what to do next, but Yunho had said the room was his, hadn’t he? He put his meager bag of belongings down on the table. The bag looked so small and empty, now, especially in the middle of such a large, impersonal room.
He started pulling things out, setting them in neat rows on the table. He’d decide where to put things later. Right now, he just wanted something, anything, familiar. When the bag was empty and his life arrayed in front of him like a collection of pinned butterflies, he pulled one of the chairs around and sat in it, eyes never leaving the items on the table. His entire life. Or should he say, his past life. He ran his fingertips lightly over the pieces, feeling his heart clench in his chest. Such warm memories felt more foreign than he could have imagined in a room so impersonal and cold. For the first time, he wondered if this was the right decision.
His eyes caught on Changmin’s necklace, and his lips twitched. They really did look like the friendship necklaces children made for each other, even if he’d known better than to say so when his arm was still numb from dealing with Changmin’s wrath. He reached for it, picking it up almost reverently. The woven twine felt rough under his fingers, the interlaced beads bright against the drab necklace. When they broke, they would grant a wish, Changmin had said.
On a whim, he found himself opening the clasp to put the necklace on. He closed his eyes, feeling more than a little bit stupid. If it didn’t work, though, what was there to lose?
~
Without windows or any other way to tell what time it might be, the next day stretched into what felt like half an eternity. The sideboard had had a fresh pitcher of water and another of wine when he awoke, as well as a tray of food sitting close enough to the fire to stay warm until he needed it without burning. He’d tried the door into the hallway at one point, and it wasn’t locked but the warm, dark hallway looked even longer and more imposing without Yunho to guide him. Even Jaejoong’s sense of adventure quailed in the face of that much potential for getting lost or wandering into something he was most decidedly not welcome in.
He studied his room, instead, in greater detail than he’d probably studied any place before. What else was there to do? It was just as lavishly furnished and appointed as what little he’d seen of the rest of the castle. He’d been too afraid to touch much besides the chair and the bed the night before, but a good sleep and a healthy dose of boredom cured him of that particular worry fairly quickly.
The wardrobes and sideboard went quickly enough. He did his best not to dwell on the dark cloak folded into the top drawer of one wardrobe, and instead focused on the array of clothes of every color and fabric he could imagine. All of them looked close enough to his size that he wondered how long they’d known he would be coming here. The thought made his stomach twist uncomfortably, so he put that thought away, too, and moved on.
The second door, next to the fireplace, held the biggest surprise. What he’d thought might be a storeroom turned out to be a full indoor bath, complete with running water. Indoor baths were still a novelty in the city, reserved for the richest and highest ranking families, neither of which his had been. That each room in this place might have one... He stepped out and closed the door behind him quickly, as if someone might discover he’d been in there and disapprove.
He was halfway through trying on his entire new set of clothes, most of which fit shockingly well, when there was a knock at the door. It opened without waiting for his answer, revealing a woman short enough that he assumed she was a girl at first until she looked him up and down in a way that made him wonder if his clothes had magically disappeared. He was considering hiding behind one of the bed curtains when she smiled. “So you’re Jaejoong.”
Would everyone here know everything about him before he did? “Are you a vampire?”
She laughed like it was the stupidest thing he could have asked, and only then did he notice that she was carrying a tray of food. Once he’d noticed it, so did his stomach, which growled at the delicious smell of the food. Her laughter trailed into a smug grin as she moved to set the tray on the table, careful not to disturb any of the mementos he’d left there the night before. “Not even a little bit. You can call me Boa. I’m one of the humans here.”
Did any of the others feel as particularly stupid in their new lives as he did in his? “Humans?”
He must have looked as lost as he felt, because she only snorted softly, reminding him uncharitably of Changmin, before gesturing him closer to sit and eat. “Human, yes. And I’ll be staying that way. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to be offered the change.”
Something in the way she said that sounded almost wistful. Like she wanted to become a vampire. Like it wasn’t a terrible idea. “So you know...”
“About the Solstice?” He could see her weighing the options in her head before she joined him in the other chair, snatching a roll off his plate with another short grin. “About you being chosen? I probably know more than you do right now.”
He couldn’t exactly argue with that, could he? Instead, he settled for eating, hungrier now than he’d realized. He wondered how much time had passed since his breakfast. Would this become his regular routine? Being isolated until someone remembered he existed to bring him food? He choked, coughing harshly as the thought floated through his mind that soon enough, that someone would probably be the food.
She reached over to pat him on the back, face suddenly concerned. “Hey, breathe. You still need to for a while yet.”
If it was supposed to be comforting or amusing, that statement failed at both. He shifted away until she dropped her hand. “Sorry. That was probably a little soon, wasn’t it? I forget, sometimes, that not everyone was raised here, like I was. It’s really not so bad, though. There are worse things to be, and worse places. You’ll see.”
He only nodded, because what was there to say to that? But then he actually looked at her, and she looked honestly sorry, again reminding him of Changmin on the rare occasions he managed to cross a line he hadn’t meant to cross. His hand went to the necklace unconsciously. “I know.” He took a deep breath and forced a smile until he believed it himself. “I’m honored. Really. It’s just...”
Her smile was back, and he hoped it would stay there, this time. That part reminded him more of Yoochun, or his sisters. “Vampires are real? That’s what everyone says.”
A knock on the door interrupted them, and this time he actually had time to ask whoever it was to come in. Yunho poked his head around the door, smile turning wry when he saw Boa. “I thought Seunghyun was on kitchen duty today.”
Boa’s blush very nearly made everything so far worth it. She rose quickly, hurriedly gathering the remains of the meal back onto her tray. “We traded.”
“You mean you were being nosy.” He stepped inside far enough to open the door to let her out. She mumbled something that Jaejoong didn’t catch but that made Yunho laugh as she passed him. He closed the door, then, attention settling on Jaejoong. “So you’ve met Boa.”
“I guess?” He wasn’t sure what had happened could really be called meeting someone, but it sounded nicer than some of the other words he could think of. “There are really humans here?”
He’d almost expected Yunho to deny it, but he nodded. “Quite a few. You sound surprised?”
If he sounded surprised, it was only because he was. “Well... the legends...”
“Ah.” Somehow, Yunho put enough meaning into that one sound to make Jaejoong feel like a gullible child. “I think you’re going to find out a lot of those are exaggerated.” He shook his head, that part of the conversation clearly over as he turned his attention to a close scrutiny of Jaejoong from head to toe. It was everything Jaejoong could do not to squirm, especially when Yunho finally raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Why don’t you get changed? I thought you might want to look around.”
He did squirm, then. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” It was a bit rich for his tastes, yes, the top made of a deep red velvet, and the pants some sort of matching heavier fabric. It had probably cost more than his family’s house.
When Yunho laughed at him, he was at least too upset to squirm any more. “Too many things to mention right now, not least of which is that you aren’t a vampire yet, and you don’t have a status to declare. Wear the blue set, with the silver trim.”
Yunho left him alone in the room to change before he could decide how he felt about Yunho not only ordering him to change clothes, but knowing enough about his new outfits to do so that specifically. He’d already tried on the ‘blue set with silver trim’ so he knew it fit him even better than the red one did, but the fabrics were much less expensive. He hadn’t thought much about it before, but now he had to wonder exactly how much his new clothes said that he didn’t know about. Yet another thing to question Yunho on.
Once he’d changed, he slipped out of his room, closing the door behind him as he received yet another once over followed by an approving nod from Yunho. “Much better.” He gestured down the hall before starting off, going slowly enough this time for Jaejoong to match him easily. “We might as well start at the kitchens. Don’t you think? See if Boa ever made it back down there?”
Somehow, Jaejoong had the feeling that Yunho knew exactly how much that charming smile could win him. Unfortunately, that didn’t make it any easier to ignore. “Right behind you.”
~
They toured the grounds last, and as they left the castle, Jaejoong realized with a start that it was night again. He must have slept longer than he thought, with no way to tell time. He wondered if he’d ever have a chance to see the sun again.
Yunho must have picked up on something of his discomfort, because he offered Jaejoong a small smile. “It’s not as bad once you get used to it. Being one of us, I mean. I remember how hard it was at first, but you adapt.”
How were you supposed to adapt to your entire life changing? To yourself changing, and not just that, but changing so completely as to be something completely foreign to everything you’d ever known was true? He clutched his cloak tightly, shoving all such thoughts away and focusing instead on Yunho. It was surprisingly easy, he’d found, to just focus on Yunho.
Well, Yunho, and the view. It was earlier in the night this time than the last he’d been outside. Lanterns burned on the fronts of some of the buildings, and the moon was high and bright in the sky, casting enough light for even him to make his way around without much help. Through a gap in the trees surrounding the clearing, he caught sight of the city spread out below them, bright lights dotted along streets and between houses, welcoming. The night after Solstice was for friends. He wondered what his were doing then.
He startled when a hand fell on his shoulder, looking up quickly to find Yunho watching him closely. How much could Yunho see in this light? As well as he’d seemed to deal with the dark carriage the night before, Jaejoong was sure the answer was quite a bit.
Yunho’s look of concern turned into a frown. “Jaejoong?”
He was supposed to answer, wasn’t he? “I’m fine. Where are we going?”
The hand on his shoulder didn’t move for a long moment, long enough that Jaejoong expected Yunho to question him again, but instead, he just silently gestured toward the outbuildings. “You were interested in your rose last night. Shall we start in the greenhouse?”
The suggestion was a good one, so he didn’t bother to protest when Yunho moved off again without waiting for him to answer. Now and then as they walked, Jaejoong would catch sight of another person or two between the buildings. Some of them called out greetings to Yunho, but none of them came any closer. When he finally asked about it, Yunho looked thoughtful, as if he hadn’t considered the actions before. “You’re new. I imagine they’re trying not to startle you.”
Which meant they were probably vampires. He wasn’t sure anything short of that could startle him anymore, especially not after the brief introductions to the humans in the kitchens and those they’d crossed paths with elsewhere on the tour so far. They hadn’t run into a single vampire, yet, and now that Jaejoong thought about it, it seemed even stranger unless he were being actively avoided. “How many of you are there?”
Yet again, Yunho seemed to be able to read his mind for his intention, because he only earned a smile instead of confusion. “Vampires, you mean? In general or here in the castle? I don’t know the answer to the first, but there are about thirty of us here at any given time.”
He blinked, unsure whether that number was supposed to sound high or low. “You mean there are more vampires elsewhere?”
What did it say that he was starting to get used to Yunho laughing at him? “Quite a few. But here’s the greenhouse. You’ll get plenty of history lessons starting tomorrow.”
That sounded enough like a threat that Jaejoong was glad to have something else to focus on instead of asking any more questions. And what a thing to focus on the greenhouse was. He knew what a greenhouse was, of course, or at least what one was supposed to be. His family even kept a small one in their garden for starting small plants and those that didn’t like as much rain as they tended to get otherwise. But in the middle of winter, even a greenhouse wasn’t enough to allow things to grow. It was too cold, the sun too dim and short in the sky.
He could see right away that this particular greenhouse would never have such a problem. Though there was snow scattered on the ground all about the yard outside the castle, around the greenhouse there was nothing but clear ground for at least two good strides. Closest to the walls, Jaejoong could even pick out the tell-tale green of new grass despite the bite in the air. The greenhouse itself was unlike any other one Jaejoong had ever seen, the glass panels made of some sort of frosted glass that glowed softly from within.
His steps slowed, hesitant, until Yunho placed a steady hand against the small of his back, directing him toward the door. “Don’t worry. It’s supposed to look like that.”
Jaejoong was almost certain that nothing was supposed to look like that, but he let Yunho guide him inside nonetheless. As the warm inside air hit him, he stopped dead, mouth dropping open as he took in the scenery around him. Outside, it was the middle of winter, but here in the greenhouse, you’d never guess it. Plants in full summer bloom grew next to ones just sprouting and ones already bearing fruit, but all of them were impossibly large and healthy-looking.
He took a step farther in, attention completely absorbed by a huge rose bush planted near the doors. Each flower was nearly a twin of the one he’d received. “It really is...”
The words trailed off as he realized Yunho hadn’t followed him. He half-turned, looking for Yunho and instead finding a pair of bright, golden eyes studying him intently. He took a half-step back in surprise, very nearly stumbling into the rose bush he’d been admiring moments before, but then Yunho was there again, just subtly in front of him. “Junsu. I didn’t expect you to be working. This is Jaejoong.”
Only then did Jaejoong really gather himself enough to notice the rest of the person, vampire, attached to the eyes that were slowly bleeding from that disturbing, glowing gold into a warmer dark brown. His hair was an unnatural white-blond, and even if he looked smaller than Jaejoong himself did, there was something about this Junsu that put him on edge and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Yunho called his name another two times before Junsu finally looked away from Jaejoong, blinking slightly as if he hadn’t realized he’d been staring at all. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention when you came in.”
With the tension fading, Yunho sighed in fond relief, like he’d been expecting that reaction all along. He walked away from Jaejoong to peer over Junsu’s head where he was crouched at the edge of a path before waving Jaejoong closer. “Jaejoong, come here.”
Despite going closer being the last thing Jaejoong could possibly want to do, he trusted that either Yunho would stop Junsu from eating him or eating him had been the plan all along and there was nothing he could do about it no matter where he was. He finally managed to make himself move when Junsu turned back around, fingers nervously plucking a dead leaf to pieces.
Once he reached Yunho’s side, though, he was glad he did. A small pond had been hidden from Jaejoong’s view by a large berry bush. Koi twisted and flashed beneath the surface and lotus blossoms even larger than the roses dotted the water, but what drew the eye was the shimmer of gold coating the water, eddying around the flowers. “What...”
He could hear the pride in Yunho’s voice, even before Yunho reached out to run a hand over Junsu’s hair, causing Junsu to lean back against his legs. “Magic. Junsu’s magic, specifically. He’s the one who time-locked your rose, too.”
Magic. Magic and vampires and roses that would never die. There was a buzzing in his head and a different one in his skin, and the two combined made his knees go weak, and then Yunho was smiling at him and Junsu was nowhere in sight.
“You really have to stop doing that every time I accidentally change the fundamental truths of your world.” Yunho’s smile made Jaejoong want to forgive everything, even things he didn’t know Yunho had done yet. “By which I mean, I’m sorry. Again. That’s probably another thing I should have led up to. I just thought it would be a logical jump, vampires to vampires having magic. It was when I was changed.”
He looked and sounded so earnest. How did anyone ever stay upset with him? “A lot is different now. Magic doesn’t...” Well, didn’t. “It really... Magic?”
“Magic.” Yunho stood, holding out a hand to help Jaejoong to his feet. “Not all vampires have it, but Junsu does. It’s why he was changed. It...” He frowned, gesturing that they should continue farther into the greenhouse.
Jaejoong looked around automatically, now that Yunho had mentioned Junsu. “Is he gone?”
“I sent him back inside, yes.”
It was strangely a relief, although then he recalled the easy way the two of them had interacted and he felt a bit bad for stopping whatever that had been. “I’m sorry.”
Yunho waved his apology away. “Sometimes, the only thing you can do is remove the difficult element, which is usually Junsu.” He released a slow breath, looking sideways to Jaejoong. “You have to understand the toll magic takes to understand why Junsu is what he is. That will probably be easier when we start your lessons properly, so it might be best if you just avoid him for now.”
Avoiding sounded like a wonderful plan, one Jaejoong was more than pleased to agree with. “Lessons?”
“Here I thought you were listening. Yes, lesson. History lessons. Politics. Geography.” Something about the way Yunho’s smile grew with each topic he mentioned made Jaejoong groan. He’d finished compulsory schooling years ago. The idea of going back now... Yunho finally laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s more interesting than it sounds, and it’s all things you’ll put into practical use sooner or later.”
“Once I’m a vampire?” It was strange, how much easier that it was to accept that concept after even just two days.
“Once you’re a vampire. We chose you, but we still need to make sure you’re worth it.” Yunho stopped, then, placing a hand on Jaejoong’s shoulder so that he would turn to face him. “Not that I’m worried. We’re rarely wrong.”
Although rarely meant that sometimes they were. “What happens if you’re wrong?” Ordinary professions would just release the person they’d Chosen. It carried a stigma to it, but both parties were generally happier than if they’d forced someone to fit a mold he wasn’t made for. Somehow, though, Jaejoong got the feeling that wouldn’t be the case here.
He felt justified in his reasoning when Yunho’s expression tightened before he dropped his hand to continue walking. “Lessons are for tomorrow. Let’s finish up our tour and go see what the kitchens have prepared for your dinner, hm?”
Jaejoong nodded even though Yunho wasn’t looking to see it and hurried after him. He was obviously missing something, but he was still missing so many pieces to this puzzle, he couldn’t even begin to tell which it might be.
~
Over the next few days, he met more of the castle’s inhabitants, both human and vampire, and started his lessons with Yunho. Whatever he had been expecting before the Solstice, it certainly wasn’t the life he found himself living.
Yunho hadn’t been joking when he said the lessons would be interesting, although part of that may well have been due more to the teacher than the subject matter. As far as Jaejoong could tell, Yunho was actually fairly young as vampires went, although he’d never given Jaejoong his real age. He’d been given charge of Jaejoong largely because it seemed no one else wanted the duty. Not that any of them were cruel or unwelcoming, exactly, but they were dismissive, as if he wasn’t yet their equal, even if he might be some day.
Junsu, for good or ill, was the exception, taking a pointed interest in Jaejoong that he found unsettling at best. According to Yunho, once Jaejoong had finally goaded him into talking about the subject. Junsu had been rather like that as a human, too, and as the last person from Jaejoong’s city that had been changed, he was the youngest by far in the castle and therefore much less in control of himself than he should have been. His magic didn’t help matters at all, adding yet another layer of impulses and instincts on top of his vampire ones for him to learn to deal with, and progress was apparently slow.
On the other side of the coin were the various human servants who lived and worked in and around the castle. To his surprise, there were far more of them than there were of the vampires. According to Yunho, vampires of a certain age tended to prefer a migratory sort of existence rather than settling down in a single location. When he thought about it, Jaejoong supposed it made sense. They may not live forever, but even in a thousand years, seeing the same scenery year after year was doubtless going to grow boring. The humans, on the other hand, lived their entire lives often without much contact with outsiders except for the occasional market day or, as Yunho had confided in him during one especially long history lesson, to spread the rumors and superstitions necessary for the continued survival of the vampire race.
None of the humans Jaejoong met seemed to actually mind it, though. In fact, most of them seemed vaguely jealous or at least happy for Jaejoong that he would be changed soon. They looked fondly on the vampires of the castle, treating most of them as extended family or fond acquaintances while the vampires returned the sentiments, each of them seeming to have one or two favored servants that they treated more like children or friends than anything else.
After Yunho’s tour on his second day, he’d been given free run of the castle with only a warning to be aware of himself at all times and to try to avoid the lower reaches of the castle as they were kept too dark for human eyes. Once or twice, he escaped out to the steps of the castle just as dawn was arriving to bask in the feel of the sun on his skin, trying to capture the memory of it to hold forever.
Most of his time, though was spent in his lessons. Oftentimes, Yunho would talk to him or show him interesting passages in a book or manuscript. Sometimes, they would only sit quietly in one of the castle’s libraries, each absorbed in his own work. Or, at least, Yunho absorbed in his own reading, and Jaejoong splitting his attention as equally as he could between his reading and his contemplation of Yunho’s profile. Both were interesting subjects.
Rarely, Yunho would quiz him on one subject or another, shaking his head slightly at Jaejoong’s more fanciful wrong answers. So far, he’d learned that the vampires here protected the town and the area surrounding it due to something referred to only as the Old Contract. He could practically hear the capital letters when it was mentioned, but Yunho had declined to go into much detail, saying only that once Jaejoong was changed, better scholars would come to teach him the details. Elsewhere in the world, other vampires had similar territories, larger or smaller, but the world had been changing more quickly lately than ever before, and there were murmurs of unrest and distrust settling in among the protected territories and outside of them. On top of everything else, vampire numbers were beginning to decline as more grew tired of the world than were made each year. Jaejoong didn’t understand the specifics of it, but Yunho and the others who occasionally stopped in for his lessons always looked especially grim whenever such things were mentioned.
Jaejoong was always reminded of Changmin when the talk began turning serious. Had he listened? Or was he one of those voices the vampires talked so severely about?
Over everything hung the specter of finally becoming a vampire. The more of them he met, the less apprehensive he felt, but also more confused. Why would they have chosen him over everyone else? Why after so long? Yunho talked around the question once or twice, but as time went on, Jaejoong began to realize that there was something he wasn’t being told. Something important that would make everything else make sense, if only he knew what it was.
~
It was embarrassing, in its own way. While he hadn’t been in the castle more than a few weeks, he was sure he’d been getting better at finding his way around. When he came back to the same hallway for the third time in an hour, though, he had to admit he had gotten himself lost.
Only the hallways that commonly had humans in them were properly lit, to start with, and they all had the same depressingly identical doors. The lack of windows meant he couldn’t even orient himself with an outside landmark. All things considered, the fact that he hadn’t become horribly lost before this was a testament to how quickly he learned. Or, perhaps, how lucky he’d previously been.
He was finally ready to admit defeat and wait for someone to find him when, for good or ill, someone did, indeed, find him. That someone just happened to be Junsu. The blond was already grinning when he came in sight, so Jaejoong knew he must have heard him or smelled him or sensed him by some other, equally unfair vampiric method.
“Lost, Joongie?”
Ever since he’d first met Junsu in the greenhouse and seen how he used his magic to make the plants grow, he’d known something was wrong whenever he was around. It wasn’t until he’d met more of the castle residents that used magic that he realized what that something was. Magic, the very feel of it in the air, crawled under his skin like electricity. The closer Junsu came, the stronger the sensation grew, and the more Jaejoong felt like he wanted to run away without looking back.
Unfortunately, even if he weren’t lost, he knew he couldn’t get very far without Junsu getting to him first. It wasn’t Junsu’s fault the change had damaged him, he had to remind himself. Just an unfortunate consequence. He had to keep reminding himself of that even as Junsu sauntered closer, eyes a familiar, inhuman gold.
Jaejoong’s back hit the wall, his brain skipping from one possible solution to another. “I was looking for Yunho. Have you seen him?” He hadn’t been, not at all, but he could only hope that the name itself was powerful enough to command some response from Junsu.
Junsu did hesitate, but only for a moment, the color in his eyes shifting uncertainly before steadying again as he took another step closer. “I could help you instead of him.”
Sometimes, Junsu reminded him of a child. Other times, he seemed like nothing so much as a rabid dog. Most of the time when Jaejoong had to interact with him, he was a dangerous and unsettling combination of both. “I don’t need help. I was just looking for him.”
When Junsu closed to within an arm’s length, it was all Jaejoong could do not to try to hit him and run. Junsu must have guessed at the impulse, because he grinned, showing off a pair of fangs that made Jaejoong’s blood run cold. Yunho had admitted, once in passing, that they could and did survive almost solely on human blood, although he’d never said where they got it. Jaejoong had the terrifying realization that he was going to find out very soon.
Suddenly, Junsu stopped short, looking at Jaejoong oddly as the color in his eyes swirled and paled. “You’re afraid.”
He laughed. While there were certain situations where laughter could only make things worse, and this was definitely one of them, he couldn’t help himself. Junsu sounded as if he had only come to the conclusion moments before, as if it were something completely foreign, the idea of someone being afraid of him. “You’re going to eat me.”
In a flash, the gold faded completely, leaving concerned, hurt chocolate brown in its place. “I’m not. I wouldn’t.”
“Then you have a very strange way of showing it.” He could have easily pictured a dozen ways for Junsu to react to that, either childish or feral. Nothing would have prepared him for Junsu’s actual reaction, for Junsu to move closer yet, to wrap arms around his back and pull him close enough that he could feel Junsu’s breath on his neck. He froze, and Junsu rubbed a cheek against his shoulder, cuddling him like a child’s toy. “Junsu-”
“It’s not fair. I wouldn’t eat you. We have plenty of others for that. But you’re not my Anchor. But you could be.” He’d seen Yunho deal with Junsu enough to know that the words all made sense, if not necessarily with each other. Or, at least, they were supposed to. This time, he wondered. He didn’t have time to ask before Junsu’s hold tightened, leaving him unable to do more than focus on breathing while Junsu’s nuzzling moved from his shoulder to his neck. When he spoke, Jaejoong could feel the scrape of teeth. “You could be. You could be. If I changed you, you’d be mine instead of someone else’s and they’d never have to change him.”
He twisted enough to get a full breath just as one of Junsu’s fangs caught his skin hard enough to draw blood. The tiny, distressed sound Junsu made over that was enough to make him try again. “We can talk to Yunho. We can-”
“Junsu.”
The force of the command in that one word made every particle of Jaejoong’s being freeze in attention. The effect on Junsu was even more striking. He jerked away from Jaejoong as if he’d been struck physically, his eyes glowing a brighter gold than Jaejoong had ever seen them. He hissed, fangs on full display, but even Jaejoong could tell it was fear driving him more than aggression. He managed to tear his eyes away from Junsu to look down the hallway and immediately saw why. If he hadn’t already been leaning against the wall, he would have pressed himself against it now just to put himself as far out of the way as possible.
Yunho had managed to come upon them without either of them noticing. He was angrier than Jaejoong had ever seen him, but unlike Junsu, his eyes were an icy silver that made Jaejoong glad they were focused anywhere but on him. Yunho held out a hand in Jaejoong’s direction without ever looking away from Junsu. “Jaejoong. Come here. I’ll take you back to your room.”
Junsu stood watching them until they’d gone around the corner and out of sight, but he didn’t take a step to follow them that Jaejoong ever saw. Not that he could have seen much, as quickly as Yunho was ushering him along. The anger didn’t leave Yunho’s face until they were back in a hallway Jaejoong was familiar with.
He tugged at Yunho’s arm until they slowed enough for him to catch his breath. “What happened?”
Yunho glanced at him, the last of his anger fading. “It’s complicated. Let’s get back to your room and sit down.”
Jaejoong managed to wait until they were back in his room, but if Yunho actually expected him to sit and discuss this calmly, he hadn’t been paying as much attention as Jaejoong thought he had been. As the shock faded, though, he realized he had more to question than Junsu’s actions. “What was he talking about? Is that complicated, too?”
“Yes.” Yunho ran a hand over his face. Even if Jaejoong wouldn’t sit down, he was obviously determined to as he left Jaejoong standing near the door. “Everything about Junsu is complicated.”
That wasn’t exactly the answer Jaejoong wanted to hear. “Will you at least try?”
“I was going to tell you, eventually.” Yunho dropped into one of the chairs, leaning his arm on the table. “I just didn’t expect him to make me have to tell you so soon.”
Junsu’s words replayed themselves in Jaejoong’s mind as he searched them for any sort of meaning that he could understand. It all felt as if it would click into place with only the smallest missing piece filled in. “What did he mean when he said I wasn’t his anchor?”
Yunho winced. Jaejoong had been wondering how much of the conversation he’d been close enough to pick up, and that seemed answer enough. When Yunho gestured for him to sit down, Jaejoong only paced a little closer. His nerves were still raw enough that he wasn’t sure he could sit still long enough to have a conversation even with Yunho. “I doubt much of what he said made sense, but I should still start from the beginning. Will you sit? Please?”
“My ears work just fine when I’m standing.”
“I’m not Junsu. I’m not going to attack you.” As if Jaejoong would have half a chance, standing, sitting, or with a ten minute head start. “I just want this to be a civilized conversation. Sit?” When Jaejoong still refused to do as asked, Yunho sighed and finally got around to the point. “I’ve explained the various types of magic.”
He nodded impatiently. Yunho couldn’t possibly think that this was the proper time for a lesson. “And why Junsu’s magic can make him lose control of himself. I understand that. I don’t understand what it has to do with me.”
“It doesn’t. Not exactly.” Jaejoong was just opening his mouth to protest yet another nonsense statement when Yunho continued, shocking him into silence. “It actually has to do with your friend Changmin.”
Jaejoong was sure he must have misheard. It was bad enough to be wrapped up in things he didn’t always understand, but to have Changmin involved? “What? How?”
“Your Changmin has the ability to be what Junsu should have been. Humans are unable to use magic, so if he stayed as he is, he’d never know he was anything special. But when we choose him next year, he’ll find out.”
Jaejoong stared, feeling as if the world had been pulled out from under his feet like a rug. His Changmin becoming like Junsu? The very thought appalled him. But the way Yunho talked made it all sound as if it were already set in stone. He finally dropped into the second chair, very aware of how Yunho would no longer meet his eyes. “And... what about me?”
“Just what Junsu said. You’re an Anchor.”
He couldn’t stop the small, helpless laugh. “That means even less than nothing. Why does no one ever explain anything properly here?”
Yunho huffed in irritation, glancing at him as if this were suddenly Jaejoong’s fault. He must have decided rising to the bait wasn’t worth it, though, because when he finally spoke again, it was to continue his previous statement. “An Anchor is... essentially the counterpart and opposing force to a magic user. You don’t have any magic of your own, but with enough training and time, you should be able to help focus and stabilize their magic. Your emotional bond to Changmin as a human means that once you’re both changed, you should fit just as well as his Anchor.”
“And keep him from becoming Junsu?”
“And keep Changmin from becoming like Junsu. Yes.” He could tell the words were hard for Yunho. Sometimes he wondered what was between them, if Yunho actually cared or if he felt responsible somehow.
He stood again, pacing more slowly as he fitted what pieces he did have into most of a picture. Not quite all of it, not yet, but more than he’d had before. “What if Junsu had bitten me?”
“He wouldn’t have.” Yunho had leaned back in his chair, watching Jaejoong with an unreadable expression. “He knows better than that, but even if he had, nothing would have happened even if he did manage to turn you. It doesn’t work that way. He just...” His voice trailed off into a sigh as he rubbed his eyes.
Jaejoong stopped where he was, frowning softly. “You really care about him.”
“You would too, if you knew him as well as I do.”
Somehow, Jaejoong wasn’t so sure about that. Maybe he would. He certainly felt bad for Junsu. They just weren’t exactly what anyone would call on friendly terms, and now that Jaejoong knew why, he wasn’t sure they ever could be. More likely he wouldn’t. He wasn’t Yunho, who seemed to have something of an infinite capacity to like and understand people. Yunho, who rushed in to save people like a hero out of a story book but still managed to make horrible jokes that were only funny to him.
All of this answered so many questions. Why he’d been chosen, why he was being taught so many new and seemingly pointless things. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge that knowing he wouldn’t be alone here forever made it all a bit easier to accept, even if that knowledge included the hard fact that Changmin would have to be taken away from everything to be with him.
Except he already wasn’t alone, was he?
Yunho stood, apparently taking Jaejoong’s prolonged silence as a dismissal. “If you have any questions, you know where to find me. I’d avoid Junsu’s rooms for a few days, though. They’re in the wing you got lost in.”
With a flash of sudden clarity, Jaejoong realized that he didn’t want Yunho to walk out that door, not yet. It felt too final, as if this had forced some sort of turning point that he hadn’t even realized they’d been approaching. He was to the door before Jaejoong could collect himself enough to say anything, no matter how hasty a decision it might have been.
“Yunho.” He waited until Yunho turned to look back at him curiously, one hand already on the door. “Stay?”
He started wonder if it might have been the wrong decision when Yunho only frowned in worried confusion. “If you’re worried about Junsu, he knows better than to come near your room until you’ve been changed.”
“It’s not that.” Of course Yunho would think it was that. If he’d learned anything about Yunho so far, it was that he was as good at being blind as he was at everything else he put his mind to. That was very blind. “I just want you to stay.”
Jaejoong could see the moment Yunho understood what he was asking and why. The start of a smile as he stepped away from the door made it seem like not such a bad decision after all.
continue
comments disabled, please comment on the last part. :)
There were enough celebrants on the floor that it took quite some time to notice that any of them were missing. The excitement only grew. None of them knew what would happen from this point onward. There were bits of the tradition that were common knowledge, of course, surrounding the month trial and what would come after, but beyond the tokens, the Solstice night was too important to talk about lightly. Everyone went into it equally unprepared.
After Yoochun’s hundredth statue joke, Jaejoong rolled his eyes and excused himself to get more to drink. He was too sober yet to put up with Yoochun. When he got to the refreshments table, though, a servant met him with a regretful bow. “I’m sorry, sir, but if you’d come with me.”
He blinked, looking back to where Yoochun was laughing with three of their female year mates. It was so typically Yoochun that it made him smile without meaning to. “Right now?”
The servant nodded and held out an arm. “It’s traditional to leave when your patrons are ready, sir. Your belongings are waiting in the hall.”
Tradition. Patrons. He fingered the pouch and box at his belt. “Lead the way.”
Outside, the snow had finally stopped falling. The servant handed him his belongings and shut the door behind him, leaving him alone in the night, the sounds of the continuing banquet filtering softly through the walls, only the glow from the windows illuminating the empty street.
He breathed on his hands and pulled his cloak tighter, wondering if they’d brought him out too early, or worse, too late. Just when he was about to turn around and knock on the door to find out, the faint sound of hoof beats finally carried over the sound of the celebration inside. A four-in-hand pulling an old-styled carriage appeared out of the darkness, driven by a cloaked figure. One of the ones who had sat and observed them tonight, he was almost positive. How he could be positive, he didn’t know, but he was.
The carriage pulled to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. The horses’ breath formed clouds around their heads, making them look like dragons in the dim light from the lanterns and the eye of Jaejoong’s imagination. The driver must have had a steady hand, for he didn’t move a muscle, but the restless shifting of the horses died away until only the sound of their breathing remained. Still the driver didn’t move.
Jaejoong clutched his belongings to his chest, unsure of what he was supposed to do. Just climbing uninvited into a strange carriage seemed unwise, but he was the only person there, and they were obviously waiting for someone.
And there was the question of his rose, a symbol none of his age-mates had ever seen before. He’d done something to earn it, even if he didn’t know what, and ruining that now was unthinkable. He squared his shoulders and marched down the steps, only hesitating again when faced with the closed door of the carriage.
It solved his problem by opening for him. The interior of the carriage was dark, leaving him unable to guess at what might be inside, even as he caught the door to keep it from swinging, but a warm, amused voice greeted him as he climbed the steps. “Finally, Jaejoong. We were beginning to wonder if you were going to wait until dawn.”
That startled him, only the jolt of the horses moving reminding him to close the door and sit down. “You know my name?”
The voice sounded even more amused. “We chose you. We know more about you than just your name.”
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the carriage, he began to pick out the shape of the one sitting opposite him. Details were impossible, but he was almost positive this was the taller of the two who had been there tonight. The one who had been at every function. Now, he was sure this was the one that had been watching him. “Then you have me at a disadvantage.”
There was a telling pause followed by the sound of movement. “Forgive me. A little light, perhaps?”
Jaejoong shrank back into his seat as he felt more than saw the figure come closer, but it was only to light a small lamp near the door. The light wavered, like it knew it had no place in the carriage. For just a moment, Jaejoong was sure he saw it catch and glow in his new companion’s eyes, but then he sat back across from Jaejoong, a small, welcoming smile gracing his lips. Something in Jaejoong caught at that smile, got lost in it, just a little. Obviously this person was dangerous in more ways than one. Jaejoong looked away, studying the rest of the carriage, instead.
It was richly appointed in burgundy and brown, although the weak, flickering light made it difficult to judge much in the way of details. The fabrics of the cushions and curtains made his Solstice clothing look cheap in comparison. It looked like the carriage of a king or an emperor, and he could not think of a single reason that he had been chosen for this. His thoughts must have shown in his expression because his companion laughed softly. “You look uncomfortable.”
It wasn’t a question, but he wanted to deny it anyway. Of course he wasn’t uncomfortable, he wanted to say. Why would he be? Unfortunately, the words drew his eyes back to the man across from him, and he found himself incapable of even so simple a lie. “A bit. I still don’t know anything about what’s going on.”
His companion nodded, and Jaejoong found himself unable to draw his eyes away a second time. This close, he could see how thick the dark cloaks that the masters wore truly were. Much thicker than would be necessary merely to hide an identity. Thick enough, perhaps, to block out the sun. Jaejoong swallowed, mouth suddenly dry as that part of the legends came back to him. “You... You really are vampires.”
When he smiled this time, wider and not a little threatening, Jaejoong was sure he caught the glint of fangs. “Well done. I knew we were right to choose you.” He half-bowed, a gesture he somehow managed to make elegant even while seated. “My name is Yunho, and yes, I am a vampire. And very soon, you will be, too.”
~
Jaejoong wasn’t at all sure what had happened, but the next thing he knew, he was looking up at the ceiling of the carriage. His skin felt clammy, but the cool hand on his forehead made the whole world feel a bit better.
It took another moment or two for his eyes to focus well enough to find the face that was presumably attached to the body attached to the hand. Yunho. He’d said his name was Yunho. Except, instead of the indulgent smile, he was sporting what looked suspiciously like worried guilt.
Oh. Yes. And he’d also said he was a vampire.
The hand on his forehead moved, stroking his hair away from his face, and he heard Yunho sigh in something like relief. “I’m sorry. That was a horrible way to tell you, but this is the first time I’ve gotten to, and I wanted to make an impression.” He grinned sheepishly. “I guess I did too good a job?”
Jaejoong blinked, wondering if he was perhaps still passed out and this was a dream of some sort. He started to sit up, staring stupidly when Yunho immediately moved to help him. He’d been kneeling on the floor of the carriage while Jaejoong was spread out like a fainting damsel across the seat.
“Take it easy. I’d offer you something to drink, but we didn’t bring anything with us.” Yunho settled onto the seat next to him this time instead of returning to the seat across the carriage. The hand on his back was warmer than Jaejoong ever would have assumed, given all the legends said.
“The masters really are vampires?” Not the most intelligent question he’d ever asked, unfortunately, but he thought he could probably be excused, just this once.
Luckily, Yunho was back to looking amused. “I wouldn’t joke about that. I’d show you to prove it, but after your last reaction, I think it might be better if we wait.”
He found himself nodding dumbly. Objectively, he should either be terrified beyond belief or completely skeptical. What sense he could still call upon said this couldn’t possibly be real, but if it was, why was he sitting calmly, or relatively so, in a carriage with something probably just waiting to suck his blood out? But then he thought back to the token he’d received, his rose, the box still at his belt despite everything.
His fingers closed over it without thinking. “My rose?”
The question was greeted with a perplexed look that slowly melted into understanding. “No, you wouldn’t have seen one before. The last person we chose was nearly a century ago, now. It’s getting harder to find ones that deserve it. But yes, that’s our token. A rose forever in bloom.” He spread his hands as if that should have been obvious on its own. When Jaejoong considered it, considered the legends, perhaps it should have been.
“So it is real?”
“Very real. Tomorrow, I’ll show you where it was grown.”
It had obviously been more than just grown, and even then, grown in the middle of winter? The roses in his mother’s garden wouldn’t bloom for months yet. “...I didn’t realize vampires were interested in gardening.”
Yunho’s laughter was more generous this time, warmer, a fact Jaejoong found himself appreciating even more as close as they were. “We can be many things. You’ll see.”
~
This close, the castle was even larger than it ever looked from the foot of the mountain. Bad things tended to happen to anyone who got too close, so no one had gone near it for ages, as far as Jaejoong knew. A good portion of it was hidden in the trees surrounding it, but even with only the moon to see by, Jaejoong could tell it was massive.
With the carriage windows covered, there had been no way to see anything as they approached, only the rattling of the carriage wheels a hint to having passed off the paved roads a while ago onto the path that would have led to the stable yard. His first glimpse, then, came when he stepped out of the carriage and practically onto the front steps of his new home.
While the rear of the castle disappeared back into the trees, this side of it faced onto a large clearing that was nearly impossible to see from the bottom of the mountain. Smaller buildings were dotted here and there, what Jaejoong could only guess were outbuildings of some sort. Obviously if a carriage had brought them here, at least one had to be a stable, and perhaps a carriage house.
Yunho was waiting for him at the top of the steps, one of the massive doors cracked open just enough for an inviting glow to spill out. Jaejoong’s throat tightened for just a second before he reminded himself that everyone did this when they were his age. Perhaps not with vampires, but certainly with the homesickness. He hurried up the steps.
Inside, he finally got his first good look at Yunho. Without the strange way his eyes caught the flickering light in the carriage, he looked completely human. Whatever Jaejoong might have thought or expected when the masters in the castle were mentioned, it wasn’t anything like this man with short, light brown hair and an easy smile. In the carriage, he’d kept their conversation light, obviously trying to put Jaejoong at ease, but sidestepping or deflecting every question Jaejoong could think to ask about what was about to happen. For all he knew, he might still be walking into some sort of elaborate trap, but after spending so long talking to Yunho in the carriage, he found himself doubting it.
If anyone had told him two days ago that he was going to become a vampire, though, he would have doubted that, too.
When Yunho glanced back at him, eyebrows raised, Jaejoong realized he was staring and quickly looked away. The parts of the castle they were passing through were at least as intriguing to look at, if not nearly so... nice. He bit his lip. Nice to look at was as far as he would go.
They passed out of the entry hall, through a small hallway, and began climbing a long set of stairs. “How big is this place?” He didn’t even bother trying to keep the awe out of his voice.
Yunho chuckled. “As big as it needs to be.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense.”
“No? But no more questions tonight. I’ll answer everything I can tomorrow, but for tonight, I think the fact that vampires exist is enough of an answer for any of your questions.”
Jaejoong disagreed. He disagreed completely, but one of the benefits of growing up in a family as large as his was knowing when a battle was impossible to win. This battle, Yunho’s teasing hints at answers that didn’t reveal anything, was as unfair and unwinnable as any he’d ever had with his sisters.
After at least three staircases and enough hallways that Jaejoong had completely lost his sense of direction, Yunho finally slowed to a stop in a hallway flanked on both sides with solid oak doors. “My quarters are near here, and a few others. There are few enough of us here permanently these days that we can spread out a bit.”
He stopped, gesturing for Jaejoong to open a door that looked identical to every other door that he could see. “This one will be yours, at least for now.”
For now? Was that supposed to be comforting, implying that he would be moved elsewhere or be allowed to move? Or did it imply something else, entirely? He stepped around Yunho to open the door, refusing to contemplate anything but the immediate future of a room and a bed. He was completely exhausted, now that he had a chance to consider the option of sleep, the long hours of the Solstice celebration catching up to him.
The room was no more what he’d been expecting than anything else so far. His eyes widened as he took in the windowless, wood-paneled room. It was as mundane as could be imagined, but somehow completely alien at the same time.
“Is it okay?”
He’d all but forgotten Yunho was there behind him as he drifted into the room, bag of belongings clutched to his chest uncertainly. Somehow, he managed to nod. “It’s...”
Yunho’s soft smile was more comforting than he would have expected. “A lot to take in?”
Another nod, more sure this time. “It is.”
When Yunho stepped close enough to lay a hand on his shoulder, it was all Jaejoong could do not to lean into it. Right now, Yunho was the only mildly familiar thing in a very large, unfamiliar world, and even him Jaejoong had only known for a matter of hours. “Sleep. When you wake up, someone will bring food. We’ll talk tomorrow, about everything.”
He was starting to feel a bit like a puppet, as often as he was nodding, but what else was there to do? “Thank you.”
The hand dropped from his shoulder, reluctantly Jaejoong might almost have said, and Yunho retreated back to the door. “Good night, Jaejoong.”
He bid Yunho good night, and was left alone, standing in the center of the room as Yunho closed the door behind himself, feeling more isolated than he ever had in his entire life. There had always been family or friends or someone around, not this complete and overwhelming silence. He wondered how thick the walls of the castle must be, to block sound so fully. The other alternative was that no one was there to make any sound, and he refused to believe that.
A large fireplace dominated one side of the bedroom, although the fire had been banked for the night. Or would it be for the morning? The party had gone late enough, and they’d been traveling for at least an hour, so how far could dawn really be?
Near the fire stood a sideboard, a crystal pitcher filled with what looked like water and a pair of goblets on a tray at the end farthest from the heat of the fire. On the opposite side of the hearth was a door that he assumed led to a storage room or a second bedroom. In the center of the room, there was a small table flanked by two exceedingly soft looking chairs. He moved close enough to brush his hand over one, wondering how many lifetimes his family would have to save just to afford something a tenth as costly as this.
But the far side of the room opposite the door was what caught and held his attention. Flanked by a set of matched wardrobes was the largest bed Jaejoong had ever seen. Curtains hung from the ceiling, open now but obviously meant to surround the bed on the three sides not against the wall. How much of that was design, and how much the instinctual need of a vampire for total darkness during the day, even with no windows and walls too thick for the tiniest speck of sunlight to streak through?
He turned away, not ready to contemplate that part of what may be his future quite yet. He hesitated over what to do next, but Yunho had said the room was his, hadn’t he? He put his meager bag of belongings down on the table. The bag looked so small and empty, now, especially in the middle of such a large, impersonal room.
He started pulling things out, setting them in neat rows on the table. He’d decide where to put things later. Right now, he just wanted something, anything, familiar. When the bag was empty and his life arrayed in front of him like a collection of pinned butterflies, he pulled one of the chairs around and sat in it, eyes never leaving the items on the table. His entire life. Or should he say, his past life. He ran his fingertips lightly over the pieces, feeling his heart clench in his chest. Such warm memories felt more foreign than he could have imagined in a room so impersonal and cold. For the first time, he wondered if this was the right decision.
His eyes caught on Changmin’s necklace, and his lips twitched. They really did look like the friendship necklaces children made for each other, even if he’d known better than to say so when his arm was still numb from dealing with Changmin’s wrath. He reached for it, picking it up almost reverently. The woven twine felt rough under his fingers, the interlaced beads bright against the drab necklace. When they broke, they would grant a wish, Changmin had said.
On a whim, he found himself opening the clasp to put the necklace on. He closed his eyes, feeling more than a little bit stupid. If it didn’t work, though, what was there to lose?
~
Without windows or any other way to tell what time it might be, the next day stretched into what felt like half an eternity. The sideboard had had a fresh pitcher of water and another of wine when he awoke, as well as a tray of food sitting close enough to the fire to stay warm until he needed it without burning. He’d tried the door into the hallway at one point, and it wasn’t locked but the warm, dark hallway looked even longer and more imposing without Yunho to guide him. Even Jaejoong’s sense of adventure quailed in the face of that much potential for getting lost or wandering into something he was most decidedly not welcome in.
He studied his room, instead, in greater detail than he’d probably studied any place before. What else was there to do? It was just as lavishly furnished and appointed as what little he’d seen of the rest of the castle. He’d been too afraid to touch much besides the chair and the bed the night before, but a good sleep and a healthy dose of boredom cured him of that particular worry fairly quickly.
The wardrobes and sideboard went quickly enough. He did his best not to dwell on the dark cloak folded into the top drawer of one wardrobe, and instead focused on the array of clothes of every color and fabric he could imagine. All of them looked close enough to his size that he wondered how long they’d known he would be coming here. The thought made his stomach twist uncomfortably, so he put that thought away, too, and moved on.
The second door, next to the fireplace, held the biggest surprise. What he’d thought might be a storeroom turned out to be a full indoor bath, complete with running water. Indoor baths were still a novelty in the city, reserved for the richest and highest ranking families, neither of which his had been. That each room in this place might have one... He stepped out and closed the door behind him quickly, as if someone might discover he’d been in there and disapprove.
He was halfway through trying on his entire new set of clothes, most of which fit shockingly well, when there was a knock at the door. It opened without waiting for his answer, revealing a woman short enough that he assumed she was a girl at first until she looked him up and down in a way that made him wonder if his clothes had magically disappeared. He was considering hiding behind one of the bed curtains when she smiled. “So you’re Jaejoong.”
Would everyone here know everything about him before he did? “Are you a vampire?”
She laughed like it was the stupidest thing he could have asked, and only then did he notice that she was carrying a tray of food. Once he’d noticed it, so did his stomach, which growled at the delicious smell of the food. Her laughter trailed into a smug grin as she moved to set the tray on the table, careful not to disturb any of the mementos he’d left there the night before. “Not even a little bit. You can call me Boa. I’m one of the humans here.”
Did any of the others feel as particularly stupid in their new lives as he did in his? “Humans?”
He must have looked as lost as he felt, because she only snorted softly, reminding him uncharitably of Changmin, before gesturing him closer to sit and eat. “Human, yes. And I’ll be staying that way. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to be offered the change.”
Something in the way she said that sounded almost wistful. Like she wanted to become a vampire. Like it wasn’t a terrible idea. “So you know...”
“About the Solstice?” He could see her weighing the options in her head before she joined him in the other chair, snatching a roll off his plate with another short grin. “About you being chosen? I probably know more than you do right now.”
He couldn’t exactly argue with that, could he? Instead, he settled for eating, hungrier now than he’d realized. He wondered how much time had passed since his breakfast. Would this become his regular routine? Being isolated until someone remembered he existed to bring him food? He choked, coughing harshly as the thought floated through his mind that soon enough, that someone would probably be the food.
She reached over to pat him on the back, face suddenly concerned. “Hey, breathe. You still need to for a while yet.”
If it was supposed to be comforting or amusing, that statement failed at both. He shifted away until she dropped her hand. “Sorry. That was probably a little soon, wasn’t it? I forget, sometimes, that not everyone was raised here, like I was. It’s really not so bad, though. There are worse things to be, and worse places. You’ll see.”
He only nodded, because what was there to say to that? But then he actually looked at her, and she looked honestly sorry, again reminding him of Changmin on the rare occasions he managed to cross a line he hadn’t meant to cross. His hand went to the necklace unconsciously. “I know.” He took a deep breath and forced a smile until he believed it himself. “I’m honored. Really. It’s just...”
Her smile was back, and he hoped it would stay there, this time. That part reminded him more of Yoochun, or his sisters. “Vampires are real? That’s what everyone says.”
A knock on the door interrupted them, and this time he actually had time to ask whoever it was to come in. Yunho poked his head around the door, smile turning wry when he saw Boa. “I thought Seunghyun was on kitchen duty today.”
Boa’s blush very nearly made everything so far worth it. She rose quickly, hurriedly gathering the remains of the meal back onto her tray. “We traded.”
“You mean you were being nosy.” He stepped inside far enough to open the door to let her out. She mumbled something that Jaejoong didn’t catch but that made Yunho laugh as she passed him. He closed the door, then, attention settling on Jaejoong. “So you’ve met Boa.”
“I guess?” He wasn’t sure what had happened could really be called meeting someone, but it sounded nicer than some of the other words he could think of. “There are really humans here?”
He’d almost expected Yunho to deny it, but he nodded. “Quite a few. You sound surprised?”
If he sounded surprised, it was only because he was. “Well... the legends...”
“Ah.” Somehow, Yunho put enough meaning into that one sound to make Jaejoong feel like a gullible child. “I think you’re going to find out a lot of those are exaggerated.” He shook his head, that part of the conversation clearly over as he turned his attention to a close scrutiny of Jaejoong from head to toe. It was everything Jaejoong could do not to squirm, especially when Yunho finally raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Why don’t you get changed? I thought you might want to look around.”
He did squirm, then. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” It was a bit rich for his tastes, yes, the top made of a deep red velvet, and the pants some sort of matching heavier fabric. It had probably cost more than his family’s house.
When Yunho laughed at him, he was at least too upset to squirm any more. “Too many things to mention right now, not least of which is that you aren’t a vampire yet, and you don’t have a status to declare. Wear the blue set, with the silver trim.”
Yunho left him alone in the room to change before he could decide how he felt about Yunho not only ordering him to change clothes, but knowing enough about his new outfits to do so that specifically. He’d already tried on the ‘blue set with silver trim’ so he knew it fit him even better than the red one did, but the fabrics were much less expensive. He hadn’t thought much about it before, but now he had to wonder exactly how much his new clothes said that he didn’t know about. Yet another thing to question Yunho on.
Once he’d changed, he slipped out of his room, closing the door behind him as he received yet another once over followed by an approving nod from Yunho. “Much better.” He gestured down the hall before starting off, going slowly enough this time for Jaejoong to match him easily. “We might as well start at the kitchens. Don’t you think? See if Boa ever made it back down there?”
Somehow, Jaejoong had the feeling that Yunho knew exactly how much that charming smile could win him. Unfortunately, that didn’t make it any easier to ignore. “Right behind you.”
~
They toured the grounds last, and as they left the castle, Jaejoong realized with a start that it was night again. He must have slept longer than he thought, with no way to tell time. He wondered if he’d ever have a chance to see the sun again.
Yunho must have picked up on something of his discomfort, because he offered Jaejoong a small smile. “It’s not as bad once you get used to it. Being one of us, I mean. I remember how hard it was at first, but you adapt.”
How were you supposed to adapt to your entire life changing? To yourself changing, and not just that, but changing so completely as to be something completely foreign to everything you’d ever known was true? He clutched his cloak tightly, shoving all such thoughts away and focusing instead on Yunho. It was surprisingly easy, he’d found, to just focus on Yunho.
Well, Yunho, and the view. It was earlier in the night this time than the last he’d been outside. Lanterns burned on the fronts of some of the buildings, and the moon was high and bright in the sky, casting enough light for even him to make his way around without much help. Through a gap in the trees surrounding the clearing, he caught sight of the city spread out below them, bright lights dotted along streets and between houses, welcoming. The night after Solstice was for friends. He wondered what his were doing then.
He startled when a hand fell on his shoulder, looking up quickly to find Yunho watching him closely. How much could Yunho see in this light? As well as he’d seemed to deal with the dark carriage the night before, Jaejoong was sure the answer was quite a bit.
Yunho’s look of concern turned into a frown. “Jaejoong?”
He was supposed to answer, wasn’t he? “I’m fine. Where are we going?”
The hand on his shoulder didn’t move for a long moment, long enough that Jaejoong expected Yunho to question him again, but instead, he just silently gestured toward the outbuildings. “You were interested in your rose last night. Shall we start in the greenhouse?”
The suggestion was a good one, so he didn’t bother to protest when Yunho moved off again without waiting for him to answer. Now and then as they walked, Jaejoong would catch sight of another person or two between the buildings. Some of them called out greetings to Yunho, but none of them came any closer. When he finally asked about it, Yunho looked thoughtful, as if he hadn’t considered the actions before. “You’re new. I imagine they’re trying not to startle you.”
Which meant they were probably vampires. He wasn’t sure anything short of that could startle him anymore, especially not after the brief introductions to the humans in the kitchens and those they’d crossed paths with elsewhere on the tour so far. They hadn’t run into a single vampire, yet, and now that Jaejoong thought about it, it seemed even stranger unless he were being actively avoided. “How many of you are there?”
Yet again, Yunho seemed to be able to read his mind for his intention, because he only earned a smile instead of confusion. “Vampires, you mean? In general or here in the castle? I don’t know the answer to the first, but there are about thirty of us here at any given time.”
He blinked, unsure whether that number was supposed to sound high or low. “You mean there are more vampires elsewhere?”
What did it say that he was starting to get used to Yunho laughing at him? “Quite a few. But here’s the greenhouse. You’ll get plenty of history lessons starting tomorrow.”
That sounded enough like a threat that Jaejoong was glad to have something else to focus on instead of asking any more questions. And what a thing to focus on the greenhouse was. He knew what a greenhouse was, of course, or at least what one was supposed to be. His family even kept a small one in their garden for starting small plants and those that didn’t like as much rain as they tended to get otherwise. But in the middle of winter, even a greenhouse wasn’t enough to allow things to grow. It was too cold, the sun too dim and short in the sky.
He could see right away that this particular greenhouse would never have such a problem. Though there was snow scattered on the ground all about the yard outside the castle, around the greenhouse there was nothing but clear ground for at least two good strides. Closest to the walls, Jaejoong could even pick out the tell-tale green of new grass despite the bite in the air. The greenhouse itself was unlike any other one Jaejoong had ever seen, the glass panels made of some sort of frosted glass that glowed softly from within.
His steps slowed, hesitant, until Yunho placed a steady hand against the small of his back, directing him toward the door. “Don’t worry. It’s supposed to look like that.”
Jaejoong was almost certain that nothing was supposed to look like that, but he let Yunho guide him inside nonetheless. As the warm inside air hit him, he stopped dead, mouth dropping open as he took in the scenery around him. Outside, it was the middle of winter, but here in the greenhouse, you’d never guess it. Plants in full summer bloom grew next to ones just sprouting and ones already bearing fruit, but all of them were impossibly large and healthy-looking.
He took a step farther in, attention completely absorbed by a huge rose bush planted near the doors. Each flower was nearly a twin of the one he’d received. “It really is...”
The words trailed off as he realized Yunho hadn’t followed him. He half-turned, looking for Yunho and instead finding a pair of bright, golden eyes studying him intently. He took a half-step back in surprise, very nearly stumbling into the rose bush he’d been admiring moments before, but then Yunho was there again, just subtly in front of him. “Junsu. I didn’t expect you to be working. This is Jaejoong.”
Only then did Jaejoong really gather himself enough to notice the rest of the person, vampire, attached to the eyes that were slowly bleeding from that disturbing, glowing gold into a warmer dark brown. His hair was an unnatural white-blond, and even if he looked smaller than Jaejoong himself did, there was something about this Junsu that put him on edge and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Yunho called his name another two times before Junsu finally looked away from Jaejoong, blinking slightly as if he hadn’t realized he’d been staring at all. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention when you came in.”
With the tension fading, Yunho sighed in fond relief, like he’d been expecting that reaction all along. He walked away from Jaejoong to peer over Junsu’s head where he was crouched at the edge of a path before waving Jaejoong closer. “Jaejoong, come here.”
Despite going closer being the last thing Jaejoong could possibly want to do, he trusted that either Yunho would stop Junsu from eating him or eating him had been the plan all along and there was nothing he could do about it no matter where he was. He finally managed to make himself move when Junsu turned back around, fingers nervously plucking a dead leaf to pieces.
Once he reached Yunho’s side, though, he was glad he did. A small pond had been hidden from Jaejoong’s view by a large berry bush. Koi twisted and flashed beneath the surface and lotus blossoms even larger than the roses dotted the water, but what drew the eye was the shimmer of gold coating the water, eddying around the flowers. “What...”
He could hear the pride in Yunho’s voice, even before Yunho reached out to run a hand over Junsu’s hair, causing Junsu to lean back against his legs. “Magic. Junsu’s magic, specifically. He’s the one who time-locked your rose, too.”
Magic. Magic and vampires and roses that would never die. There was a buzzing in his head and a different one in his skin, and the two combined made his knees go weak, and then Yunho was smiling at him and Junsu was nowhere in sight.
“You really have to stop doing that every time I accidentally change the fundamental truths of your world.” Yunho’s smile made Jaejoong want to forgive everything, even things he didn’t know Yunho had done yet. “By which I mean, I’m sorry. Again. That’s probably another thing I should have led up to. I just thought it would be a logical jump, vampires to vampires having magic. It was when I was changed.”
He looked and sounded so earnest. How did anyone ever stay upset with him? “A lot is different now. Magic doesn’t...” Well, didn’t. “It really... Magic?”
“Magic.” Yunho stood, holding out a hand to help Jaejoong to his feet. “Not all vampires have it, but Junsu does. It’s why he was changed. It...” He frowned, gesturing that they should continue farther into the greenhouse.
Jaejoong looked around automatically, now that Yunho had mentioned Junsu. “Is he gone?”
“I sent him back inside, yes.”
It was strangely a relief, although then he recalled the easy way the two of them had interacted and he felt a bit bad for stopping whatever that had been. “I’m sorry.”
Yunho waved his apology away. “Sometimes, the only thing you can do is remove the difficult element, which is usually Junsu.” He released a slow breath, looking sideways to Jaejoong. “You have to understand the toll magic takes to understand why Junsu is what he is. That will probably be easier when we start your lessons properly, so it might be best if you just avoid him for now.”
Avoiding sounded like a wonderful plan, one Jaejoong was more than pleased to agree with. “Lessons?”
“Here I thought you were listening. Yes, lesson. History lessons. Politics. Geography.” Something about the way Yunho’s smile grew with each topic he mentioned made Jaejoong groan. He’d finished compulsory schooling years ago. The idea of going back now... Yunho finally laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s more interesting than it sounds, and it’s all things you’ll put into practical use sooner or later.”
“Once I’m a vampire?” It was strange, how much easier that it was to accept that concept after even just two days.
“Once you’re a vampire. We chose you, but we still need to make sure you’re worth it.” Yunho stopped, then, placing a hand on Jaejoong’s shoulder so that he would turn to face him. “Not that I’m worried. We’re rarely wrong.”
Although rarely meant that sometimes they were. “What happens if you’re wrong?” Ordinary professions would just release the person they’d Chosen. It carried a stigma to it, but both parties were generally happier than if they’d forced someone to fit a mold he wasn’t made for. Somehow, though, Jaejoong got the feeling that wouldn’t be the case here.
He felt justified in his reasoning when Yunho’s expression tightened before he dropped his hand to continue walking. “Lessons are for tomorrow. Let’s finish up our tour and go see what the kitchens have prepared for your dinner, hm?”
Jaejoong nodded even though Yunho wasn’t looking to see it and hurried after him. He was obviously missing something, but he was still missing so many pieces to this puzzle, he couldn’t even begin to tell which it might be.
~
Over the next few days, he met more of the castle’s inhabitants, both human and vampire, and started his lessons with Yunho. Whatever he had been expecting before the Solstice, it certainly wasn’t the life he found himself living.
Yunho hadn’t been joking when he said the lessons would be interesting, although part of that may well have been due more to the teacher than the subject matter. As far as Jaejoong could tell, Yunho was actually fairly young as vampires went, although he’d never given Jaejoong his real age. He’d been given charge of Jaejoong largely because it seemed no one else wanted the duty. Not that any of them were cruel or unwelcoming, exactly, but they were dismissive, as if he wasn’t yet their equal, even if he might be some day.
Junsu, for good or ill, was the exception, taking a pointed interest in Jaejoong that he found unsettling at best. According to Yunho, once Jaejoong had finally goaded him into talking about the subject. Junsu had been rather like that as a human, too, and as the last person from Jaejoong’s city that had been changed, he was the youngest by far in the castle and therefore much less in control of himself than he should have been. His magic didn’t help matters at all, adding yet another layer of impulses and instincts on top of his vampire ones for him to learn to deal with, and progress was apparently slow.
On the other side of the coin were the various human servants who lived and worked in and around the castle. To his surprise, there were far more of them than there were of the vampires. According to Yunho, vampires of a certain age tended to prefer a migratory sort of existence rather than settling down in a single location. When he thought about it, Jaejoong supposed it made sense. They may not live forever, but even in a thousand years, seeing the same scenery year after year was doubtless going to grow boring. The humans, on the other hand, lived their entire lives often without much contact with outsiders except for the occasional market day or, as Yunho had confided in him during one especially long history lesson, to spread the rumors and superstitions necessary for the continued survival of the vampire race.
None of the humans Jaejoong met seemed to actually mind it, though. In fact, most of them seemed vaguely jealous or at least happy for Jaejoong that he would be changed soon. They looked fondly on the vampires of the castle, treating most of them as extended family or fond acquaintances while the vampires returned the sentiments, each of them seeming to have one or two favored servants that they treated more like children or friends than anything else.
After Yunho’s tour on his second day, he’d been given free run of the castle with only a warning to be aware of himself at all times and to try to avoid the lower reaches of the castle as they were kept too dark for human eyes. Once or twice, he escaped out to the steps of the castle just as dawn was arriving to bask in the feel of the sun on his skin, trying to capture the memory of it to hold forever.
Most of his time, though was spent in his lessons. Oftentimes, Yunho would talk to him or show him interesting passages in a book or manuscript. Sometimes, they would only sit quietly in one of the castle’s libraries, each absorbed in his own work. Or, at least, Yunho absorbed in his own reading, and Jaejoong splitting his attention as equally as he could between his reading and his contemplation of Yunho’s profile. Both were interesting subjects.
Rarely, Yunho would quiz him on one subject or another, shaking his head slightly at Jaejoong’s more fanciful wrong answers. So far, he’d learned that the vampires here protected the town and the area surrounding it due to something referred to only as the Old Contract. He could practically hear the capital letters when it was mentioned, but Yunho had declined to go into much detail, saying only that once Jaejoong was changed, better scholars would come to teach him the details. Elsewhere in the world, other vampires had similar territories, larger or smaller, but the world had been changing more quickly lately than ever before, and there were murmurs of unrest and distrust settling in among the protected territories and outside of them. On top of everything else, vampire numbers were beginning to decline as more grew tired of the world than were made each year. Jaejoong didn’t understand the specifics of it, but Yunho and the others who occasionally stopped in for his lessons always looked especially grim whenever such things were mentioned.
Jaejoong was always reminded of Changmin when the talk began turning serious. Had he listened? Or was he one of those voices the vampires talked so severely about?
Over everything hung the specter of finally becoming a vampire. The more of them he met, the less apprehensive he felt, but also more confused. Why would they have chosen him over everyone else? Why after so long? Yunho talked around the question once or twice, but as time went on, Jaejoong began to realize that there was something he wasn’t being told. Something important that would make everything else make sense, if only he knew what it was.
~
It was embarrassing, in its own way. While he hadn’t been in the castle more than a few weeks, he was sure he’d been getting better at finding his way around. When he came back to the same hallway for the third time in an hour, though, he had to admit he had gotten himself lost.
Only the hallways that commonly had humans in them were properly lit, to start with, and they all had the same depressingly identical doors. The lack of windows meant he couldn’t even orient himself with an outside landmark. All things considered, the fact that he hadn’t become horribly lost before this was a testament to how quickly he learned. Or, perhaps, how lucky he’d previously been.
He was finally ready to admit defeat and wait for someone to find him when, for good or ill, someone did, indeed, find him. That someone just happened to be Junsu. The blond was already grinning when he came in sight, so Jaejoong knew he must have heard him or smelled him or sensed him by some other, equally unfair vampiric method.
“Lost, Joongie?”
Ever since he’d first met Junsu in the greenhouse and seen how he used his magic to make the plants grow, he’d known something was wrong whenever he was around. It wasn’t until he’d met more of the castle residents that used magic that he realized what that something was. Magic, the very feel of it in the air, crawled under his skin like electricity. The closer Junsu came, the stronger the sensation grew, and the more Jaejoong felt like he wanted to run away without looking back.
Unfortunately, even if he weren’t lost, he knew he couldn’t get very far without Junsu getting to him first. It wasn’t Junsu’s fault the change had damaged him, he had to remind himself. Just an unfortunate consequence. He had to keep reminding himself of that even as Junsu sauntered closer, eyes a familiar, inhuman gold.
Jaejoong’s back hit the wall, his brain skipping from one possible solution to another. “I was looking for Yunho. Have you seen him?” He hadn’t been, not at all, but he could only hope that the name itself was powerful enough to command some response from Junsu.
Junsu did hesitate, but only for a moment, the color in his eyes shifting uncertainly before steadying again as he took another step closer. “I could help you instead of him.”
Sometimes, Junsu reminded him of a child. Other times, he seemed like nothing so much as a rabid dog. Most of the time when Jaejoong had to interact with him, he was a dangerous and unsettling combination of both. “I don’t need help. I was just looking for him.”
When Junsu closed to within an arm’s length, it was all Jaejoong could do not to try to hit him and run. Junsu must have guessed at the impulse, because he grinned, showing off a pair of fangs that made Jaejoong’s blood run cold. Yunho had admitted, once in passing, that they could and did survive almost solely on human blood, although he’d never said where they got it. Jaejoong had the terrifying realization that he was going to find out very soon.
Suddenly, Junsu stopped short, looking at Jaejoong oddly as the color in his eyes swirled and paled. “You’re afraid.”
He laughed. While there were certain situations where laughter could only make things worse, and this was definitely one of them, he couldn’t help himself. Junsu sounded as if he had only come to the conclusion moments before, as if it were something completely foreign, the idea of someone being afraid of him. “You’re going to eat me.”
In a flash, the gold faded completely, leaving concerned, hurt chocolate brown in its place. “I’m not. I wouldn’t.”
“Then you have a very strange way of showing it.” He could have easily pictured a dozen ways for Junsu to react to that, either childish or feral. Nothing would have prepared him for Junsu’s actual reaction, for Junsu to move closer yet, to wrap arms around his back and pull him close enough that he could feel Junsu’s breath on his neck. He froze, and Junsu rubbed a cheek against his shoulder, cuddling him like a child’s toy. “Junsu-”
“It’s not fair. I wouldn’t eat you. We have plenty of others for that. But you’re not my Anchor. But you could be.” He’d seen Yunho deal with Junsu enough to know that the words all made sense, if not necessarily with each other. Or, at least, they were supposed to. This time, he wondered. He didn’t have time to ask before Junsu’s hold tightened, leaving him unable to do more than focus on breathing while Junsu’s nuzzling moved from his shoulder to his neck. When he spoke, Jaejoong could feel the scrape of teeth. “You could be. You could be. If I changed you, you’d be mine instead of someone else’s and they’d never have to change him.”
He twisted enough to get a full breath just as one of Junsu’s fangs caught his skin hard enough to draw blood. The tiny, distressed sound Junsu made over that was enough to make him try again. “We can talk to Yunho. We can-”
“Junsu.”
The force of the command in that one word made every particle of Jaejoong’s being freeze in attention. The effect on Junsu was even more striking. He jerked away from Jaejoong as if he’d been struck physically, his eyes glowing a brighter gold than Jaejoong had ever seen them. He hissed, fangs on full display, but even Jaejoong could tell it was fear driving him more than aggression. He managed to tear his eyes away from Junsu to look down the hallway and immediately saw why. If he hadn’t already been leaning against the wall, he would have pressed himself against it now just to put himself as far out of the way as possible.
Yunho had managed to come upon them without either of them noticing. He was angrier than Jaejoong had ever seen him, but unlike Junsu, his eyes were an icy silver that made Jaejoong glad they were focused anywhere but on him. Yunho held out a hand in Jaejoong’s direction without ever looking away from Junsu. “Jaejoong. Come here. I’ll take you back to your room.”
Junsu stood watching them until they’d gone around the corner and out of sight, but he didn’t take a step to follow them that Jaejoong ever saw. Not that he could have seen much, as quickly as Yunho was ushering him along. The anger didn’t leave Yunho’s face until they were back in a hallway Jaejoong was familiar with.
He tugged at Yunho’s arm until they slowed enough for him to catch his breath. “What happened?”
Yunho glanced at him, the last of his anger fading. “It’s complicated. Let’s get back to your room and sit down.”
Jaejoong managed to wait until they were back in his room, but if Yunho actually expected him to sit and discuss this calmly, he hadn’t been paying as much attention as Jaejoong thought he had been. As the shock faded, though, he realized he had more to question than Junsu’s actions. “What was he talking about? Is that complicated, too?”
“Yes.” Yunho ran a hand over his face. Even if Jaejoong wouldn’t sit down, he was obviously determined to as he left Jaejoong standing near the door. “Everything about Junsu is complicated.”
That wasn’t exactly the answer Jaejoong wanted to hear. “Will you at least try?”
“I was going to tell you, eventually.” Yunho dropped into one of the chairs, leaning his arm on the table. “I just didn’t expect him to make me have to tell you so soon.”
Junsu’s words replayed themselves in Jaejoong’s mind as he searched them for any sort of meaning that he could understand. It all felt as if it would click into place with only the smallest missing piece filled in. “What did he mean when he said I wasn’t his anchor?”
Yunho winced. Jaejoong had been wondering how much of the conversation he’d been close enough to pick up, and that seemed answer enough. When Yunho gestured for him to sit down, Jaejoong only paced a little closer. His nerves were still raw enough that he wasn’t sure he could sit still long enough to have a conversation even with Yunho. “I doubt much of what he said made sense, but I should still start from the beginning. Will you sit? Please?”
“My ears work just fine when I’m standing.”
“I’m not Junsu. I’m not going to attack you.” As if Jaejoong would have half a chance, standing, sitting, or with a ten minute head start. “I just want this to be a civilized conversation. Sit?” When Jaejoong still refused to do as asked, Yunho sighed and finally got around to the point. “I’ve explained the various types of magic.”
He nodded impatiently. Yunho couldn’t possibly think that this was the proper time for a lesson. “And why Junsu’s magic can make him lose control of himself. I understand that. I don’t understand what it has to do with me.”
“It doesn’t. Not exactly.” Jaejoong was just opening his mouth to protest yet another nonsense statement when Yunho continued, shocking him into silence. “It actually has to do with your friend Changmin.”
Jaejoong was sure he must have misheard. It was bad enough to be wrapped up in things he didn’t always understand, but to have Changmin involved? “What? How?”
“Your Changmin has the ability to be what Junsu should have been. Humans are unable to use magic, so if he stayed as he is, he’d never know he was anything special. But when we choose him next year, he’ll find out.”
Jaejoong stared, feeling as if the world had been pulled out from under his feet like a rug. His Changmin becoming like Junsu? The very thought appalled him. But the way Yunho talked made it all sound as if it were already set in stone. He finally dropped into the second chair, very aware of how Yunho would no longer meet his eyes. “And... what about me?”
“Just what Junsu said. You’re an Anchor.”
He couldn’t stop the small, helpless laugh. “That means even less than nothing. Why does no one ever explain anything properly here?”
Yunho huffed in irritation, glancing at him as if this were suddenly Jaejoong’s fault. He must have decided rising to the bait wasn’t worth it, though, because when he finally spoke again, it was to continue his previous statement. “An Anchor is... essentially the counterpart and opposing force to a magic user. You don’t have any magic of your own, but with enough training and time, you should be able to help focus and stabilize their magic. Your emotional bond to Changmin as a human means that once you’re both changed, you should fit just as well as his Anchor.”
“And keep him from becoming Junsu?”
“And keep Changmin from becoming like Junsu. Yes.” He could tell the words were hard for Yunho. Sometimes he wondered what was between them, if Yunho actually cared or if he felt responsible somehow.
He stood again, pacing more slowly as he fitted what pieces he did have into most of a picture. Not quite all of it, not yet, but more than he’d had before. “What if Junsu had bitten me?”
“He wouldn’t have.” Yunho had leaned back in his chair, watching Jaejoong with an unreadable expression. “He knows better than that, but even if he had, nothing would have happened even if he did manage to turn you. It doesn’t work that way. He just...” His voice trailed off into a sigh as he rubbed his eyes.
Jaejoong stopped where he was, frowning softly. “You really care about him.”
“You would too, if you knew him as well as I do.”
Somehow, Jaejoong wasn’t so sure about that. Maybe he would. He certainly felt bad for Junsu. They just weren’t exactly what anyone would call on friendly terms, and now that Jaejoong knew why, he wasn’t sure they ever could be. More likely he wouldn’t. He wasn’t Yunho, who seemed to have something of an infinite capacity to like and understand people. Yunho, who rushed in to save people like a hero out of a story book but still managed to make horrible jokes that were only funny to him.
All of this answered so many questions. Why he’d been chosen, why he was being taught so many new and seemingly pointless things. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge that knowing he wouldn’t be alone here forever made it all a bit easier to accept, even if that knowledge included the hard fact that Changmin would have to be taken away from everything to be with him.
Except he already wasn’t alone, was he?
Yunho stood, apparently taking Jaejoong’s prolonged silence as a dismissal. “If you have any questions, you know where to find me. I’d avoid Junsu’s rooms for a few days, though. They’re in the wing you got lost in.”
With a flash of sudden clarity, Jaejoong realized that he didn’t want Yunho to walk out that door, not yet. It felt too final, as if this had forced some sort of turning point that he hadn’t even realized they’d been approaching. He was to the door before Jaejoong could collect himself enough to say anything, no matter how hasty a decision it might have been.
“Yunho.” He waited until Yunho turned to look back at him curiously, one hand already on the door. “Stay?”
He started wonder if it might have been the wrong decision when Yunho only frowned in worried confusion. “If you’re worried about Junsu, he knows better than to come near your room until you’ve been changed.”
“It’s not that.” Of course Yunho would think it was that. If he’d learned anything about Yunho so far, it was that he was as good at being blind as he was at everything else he put his mind to. That was very blind. “I just want you to stay.”
Jaejoong could see the moment Yunho understood what he was asking and why. The start of a smile as he stepped away from the door made it seem like not such a bad decision after all.
continue
comments disabled, please comment on the last part. :)