owned_by_a_cat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
owned_by_a_cat) wrote2015-08-02 02:29 pm
owned_by_a_cat) wrote2015-08-02 02:29 pm
Glass and Steel #2
Title: Glass and Steel
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: HoMin
Genre: Sci-fi / Fantasy, AU
Summary: A celebrated artist on the brink of death. A warrior determined to save him. Meddling politicians and a city in the clouds.
Part 1: Glass
Behind him, the forest stretched into the distance, many days' worth of travel under a thick canopy of trees. The mountains that the forest washed up against like a giant wave were just a line of blue mist visible from the tallest tree… or the floating city.
A broad beach stretched out in front of Yunho, the wide expanse of glittering golden sand dotted with blue and purple shells. Beyond that lay the ocean where the Merchant Guilds plied their trade. And on the border between land and sea stood the Gateway. Two tall columns, wreathed with hide and ribbon and decorated with small golden bells, supported a roof curved like a gull's wing.
The elegant structure looked out of place, standing like a solitary sentry on the beach. To the eyes of the ignorant, it had no function. Yunho knew better, though. He'd stood under that roof more than once, expectation in his heart and fear in his belly, eager to set foot on the invisible stairs that led high up into the sky.
The gate wasn't as unguarded as it appeared, either. Most would have missed the signs, but Yunho knew exactly where on that seemingly empty beach the gate's guards were positioned. Should anyone attempt to breach the gate and gain the stairs, they'd materialise in a flash.
Yunho looked up at the floating city with longing. The rising sun gilded the tops of the tallest buildings and painted the lower ones in shades of rose and peach. The occasional flash of green teased his vision, made him wonder if he imagined it or if his eyesight was really good enough to spot the roof gardens dotted over the city. He was weary from weeks of travel, from too little sleep and too much time spent looking over his shoulder. But he hadn't seen Changmin in months and if he'd only been given permission, he would have set out towards the floating city without a moment's hesitation. As things were going, though, even a few short hours quietly gazing at the place might be too much to ask for.
"Yunho."
He'd heard the soft footsteps approach. Even as tired and travel weary as he was, nobody was going to surprise him. He knew who stood behind him, too. Had known it even before he heard the distinct gravelly voice. Nobody defied the Master of the Warrior's Guild and Yunho didn't cherish the idea of a reprimand, so he turned from his favourite view. He stood and buckled on his sword once more before he bowed respectfully.
"Back in your accustomed place, I see," the Master said softly. "You can't have slept more than two hours."
"Three," Yunho disagreed equally softly, even though there was little chance of them being overheard by anyone but seagulls. "You know how I get this close to the festival."
The Guild Master was one of the few who understood his obsession with the floating city, or rather with one specific artist who resided there. The Guild Master had found his soulmate in the Craft Guild. He had defied customs and rules to marry her and he'd paid the price that ensured the two of them could be together.
It was rare for members of the Craft Guild to leave the floating city, but the Lady Kare worked in wood, so coming to live in the realm of the Warrior's Guild hadn't been a hardship for her. And it had been at the house that she shared with the Master that Yunho had met Changmin.
The young craftsman had come down to the woods to study trees and moss and other materials that weren't available in the floating city. Wide-eyed and serious, he'd been so different from anyone else Yunho had ever met, that the warrior hadn't been able to help himself. He'd literally stalked the younger man, watching him sit for hours in a clearing, almost unmoving until he suddenly picked up his chalk and started to draw like a man possessed. Small details that Yunho, who'd grown up in the woods, had never noticed before took shape on Changmin's sketchpad. Beetles, moths, tiny delicate flowers that Yunho then spent hours trying to find.
He thought he'd been stealthy enough in his pursuit, but those large brown eyes had missed nothing.
"Is it uncomfortable, sitting up there?" he asked one afternoon when Yunho had been craning his neck to get a better view of Changmin's sketch pad.
It's difficult to see what you're drawing, Yunho wanted to say. But that would have been an admission. "Why don't you come up and see for yourself?"
Changmin set the chalk aside. "I don't know how?"
Yunho frowned. He'd never admit to such a weakness. He'd have gone and taught himself what he needed to know. Artists were clearly more different even than he'd thought. And the idea intrigued him. He dropped from the tree, landing softly like a cat, and approached the young man he'd been watching. "Do you want me to show you?"
The arm around his shoulders startled him from his abstraction. As did the Master's chuckle. "Yes, I know how you get close to the festival. I also know that you've driven yourself and your men extra hard to be back in time. You've earned a hefty bonus for the Guild's coffers, do you know?"
"I've worked with nicer people," Yunho grumbled. "Did they quibble over payment?"
"No. And they apologised for underestimating you and your men."
"For telling us how to do our jobs, more like." Yunho couldn't hold on to anger for long. Not when he was home and the festival was close.
"It will be easier next time," the Master soothed. "Now come and have breakfast. We need to talk."
The Master of the Warrior's Guild had made his home in a large clearing, about an hour's walk from the gate. Made from sturdy timbers and carefully sawn shingles, it blended with its surroundings, disguising its sprawling size and many defensive features. None of the other buildings that dotted the forest was so large and yet so in tune with the trees and shrubs that surrounded it. And Yunho knew whose work that was.
"Yunho!"
He was wrapped in a hug before he could even reply to the greeting. None of the members of the Craft Guild Yunho had met stood on ceremony. The Lady Kare was even less inclined to be bowed to and addressed by rank. A wisp of a woman with deep red hair and ocean blue eyes, she was fierce and fiery enough to have been born to the Warrior's Guild. From the day she'd met the Master, she'd felt at home with the men and women he commanded and Yunho loved her like the mother he'd lost far too early.
"My lady." He lifted her up and swung her around in the middle of the hall, even as he uttered the polite greeting. Her laughter lit up the room as he'd known it would and he thought of Changmin, who could do the exact same thing with but a crinkly-eyed smile.
"You were gone far too long," she chided as she dragged him to the breakfast table and started to heap food on his plate. "Though my husband tells me you made exceptionally good time. And earned a bonus from the Merchant Guild."
"Can we not talk about them," Yunho begged. "They have annoyed me enough. They treated my men like serfs and their own servants like slave labour. Well, they tried."
"They won't do it again," the Master affirmed. "They have your measure now and are well able to see beyond your age."
"That's what that was about?"
"I'm afraid so. They disagreed with my choice of captain, deeming you too young. I insisted."
"Always giving me the tricky jobs," Yunho complained, not really meaning it. He loved challenges and everyone knew it.
"I have an even trickier one for you now," the Master answered his unspoken thoughts. "One that will take all your courage. Yunho… Changmin is sick."
"Changmin?"
"Yes. It's the lung evil."
"No!" Yunho was barely aware that he was on his feet, that he was raising his voice in the Guild Master's house in a most unbecoming fashion. All he could see in his mind was Changmin's face, pale and wan and worn by the illness as he'd seen so many others. He needed to get into the floating city now, permission or no.
"Yunho, listen to me. The Craft Guild has asked for our cooperation. We need to consider our response most carefully."
"I don't—"
"Yunho." Kare's arms wrapped around him. Her perfume soothed his fraying sense of self. "Nobody will keep you from Changmin's side," she said softly. "Nobody would be so cruel. But we need to make sure that nobody can separate you against your will. The councillors who approached us requested temporary assistance. They intend to use our help to arrest the disease. No more."
"They want him married," Yunho realised with the suddenness of a lightning strike.
"Most likely," Kare agreed. "The council has been throwing women in Changmin's way since he came of age. His talent is a rare one and as prodigious as we've not seen in years. His work pays a large part of the city's debt. Of course they want a chance to continue it."
"You agree with their tactics?"
"There's no harm in putting food on the table, Yunho," Kare was pragmatic. "As long as nobody forces him to eat. Which is why I don't want you running off without a plan. Your pairing, if you choose to go that route, needs to be impossible to break by a third party."
It was a tall order, seeing how highly Changmin's work was valued. Yunho wondered whether all he possessed was enough to secure even a day of Changmin's skill. "What did the Master offer for you, my lady?"
"Too much," Kare smiled, at the same time the Master said, "Not enough."
Yunho understood. He'd give his very life for Changmin, but he knew that the council wouldn't consider that adequate compensation.
"You have no reason for despair, Yunho." Kare wrapped her arms around him once more. She always knew when someone needed reassurance, and even here, where showing weakness was frowned on, nobody tried to stop her when she went on a mission to cheer someone. "The councillors are bargaining for you, Yunho. Therefore, they're the ones who need to offer a fee. They suggested we choose a fee that can be met by Changmin's skill. That way, once he pays the fee, the council could pass an edict of separation."
"How long do we have until we must name the fee?"
"A while. The Master has pledged your help to save Changmin's life. Whether you choose to be paired or not is up to you two."
"I won't let him die."
"Yunho… you can argue it with him, but keep in mind that in the end the choice is his. You wouldn't want anyone to force your will, now, would you?"
Yunho had left the Master's house in a hurry after being assured that he had permission to enter the floating city. He'd been in no fit state to think up strategies and both the Master and the Lady Kare had realised that fact. It hadn't stopped Kare from impressing on him again and again the need to be careful. Somewhere along the line, her words had registered, because now he stood on the edge of the beach, close to his favourite spot and contemplated his next steps instead of rushing ahead to the gate as his heart demanded.
The idea of forcing Changmin to do anything he didn't want to do tasted bitter in his mouth. But could he really stand by and watch Changmin die? Slowly and painfully and… as far as Yunho was concerned… totally unnecessarily? What would Changmin do if their positions were reversed? Would Changmin honour his choice? And would he, a warrior, have the courage to let his life ebb away rather than reach for the help that was offered?
The question of a fee that wouldn't jeopardise their pairing was a paltry problem by comparison. Yunho was sure that Changmin would be able to devise something suitable in moments. If he allowed Yunho to save his life and agreed to be paired, of course.
Tired of arguing with himself, Yunho wrapped his sword calloused palm around the charm he wore at his throat. Six interlocking glass spheres, each a different colour, curled into his hand, the barely discernible weight achingly familiar. The seventh colour was missing, just like the most important link was missing from his life right then. Changmin had intended it that way, a reminder that his last and most important task was to return. And while the charm looked fragile enough to shatter at an unkind thought, it survived the harsh life of a warrior with the same dogged determination as the man it had been gifted to.
Yunho would always return, from whatever predicament he found himself in. Because Changmin expected it of him.
And maybe… maybe he needed to keep that in mind, now that Changmin's life was on the line.
Yunho drew one final deep breath and then squared his shoulders. He passed through the gate and looked up to where the invisible stairs curved out over the sea and up to the floating city. Only a faint shimmer betrayed their presence and fear clenched at Yunho's gut as it did every time he stood in the shadow of the gate.
The staircase, as the columns and the support struts holding up the floating city were fashioned from a material that was stronger than sword metal but clearer than glass. The technology had been lost over the centuries, but the city still hung in mid-air, supported by invisible columns, unaffected by the passage of time and tide.
Yunho hated that staircase with its invisible treads and lack of a barrier, where a strong gust of wind could make one lose his balance and a single misstep could cause one to plummet into the sea. Accidents did happen and while few died, fewer escaped without injury.
Wary as usual, he lifted his foot and sought the first step of the invisible staircase, exhaling a quiet breath when he found it. Trusting his weight to seemingly nothing but air was the next challenge. He was a warrior, trained to face death and yet… Changmin ran up and down the invisible steps with more confidence than he did. The thought of Changmin, waiting in the city above, steadied him. With a final deep breath he took the second step. Then he started to climb.
He reached the upper gate over an hour later. The gate guards saluted him as he passed and Yunho found a smile. A smile that died when he saw no sign of Changmin in the reception hall. The Master of the Craft Guild greeted him instead, and ice-cold fear gripped Yunho's heart.
"He isn't—"
"No. No, Yunho, no," Salia said quickly. "The disease has barely started to show itself. But he works day and night and refuses to see anyone. He doesn't know you're coming."
Yunho released the breath he'd been holding. His work was Changmin's escape, he knew that. He should have expected that he'd seek solace there. "Do they bother him much? The councillors, I mean."
"Yes. I've had to put guards on his door to stop them. There are many who've offered to be paired with him, but Changmin maintains that being paired is a nuisance that distracts him from his work. I've been praying that the messengers would find you before it's too late."
"And what if he refuses to listen to me? Will you accept his choice?"
"Yes. Will you?" She touched his shoulders as she spoke and turned him towards the doors that led into the city, sparing him an answer he didn't know how to give. "Go to him. Go."
Yunho knew the way. He'd walked it often enough before. He crossed First Bridge, then Skyward Square, climbed the stairs to the third level and took the path over the Rainbow Bridge right to Changmin's building.
The large open space was cool and quiet. It was also empty. The suppressed buzz that filled the rooms when Changmin worked was painfully absent.
Yunho checked each room until he found Changmin on the roof, so close to the edge that his toes were curled right over it. The breeze ruffled his hair and his robe. He had his head thrown back, his arms thrown wide and the expressive dark eyes were closed. He looked peaceful standing there, on the edge of the abyss.
And it would take just one small step for Yunho to lose Changmin forever.
Part 3: Confession
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: HoMin
Genre: Sci-fi / Fantasy, AU
Summary: A celebrated artist on the brink of death. A warrior determined to save him. Meddling politicians and a city in the clouds.
Part 1: Glass
Part 2: Steel
Yunho, captain in the Warrior's Guild, was easygoing enough to find something to like wherever his duties sent him. When he was home, though, his favourite place was an oak tree right on the edge of his Guild's realm. An oak tree with a indentation in its trunk large enough to shelter him from sight and stray gusts of wind alike. He settled into the crook of the roots as he'd done thousands of times before, with his sword across his lap. He stretched out his legs and sighed in relief when his back met the wood, finally sure that he was home again.Behind him, the forest stretched into the distance, many days' worth of travel under a thick canopy of trees. The mountains that the forest washed up against like a giant wave were just a line of blue mist visible from the tallest tree… or the floating city.
A broad beach stretched out in front of Yunho, the wide expanse of glittering golden sand dotted with blue and purple shells. Beyond that lay the ocean where the Merchant Guilds plied their trade. And on the border between land and sea stood the Gateway. Two tall columns, wreathed with hide and ribbon and decorated with small golden bells, supported a roof curved like a gull's wing.
The elegant structure looked out of place, standing like a solitary sentry on the beach. To the eyes of the ignorant, it had no function. Yunho knew better, though. He'd stood under that roof more than once, expectation in his heart and fear in his belly, eager to set foot on the invisible stairs that led high up into the sky.
The gate wasn't as unguarded as it appeared, either. Most would have missed the signs, but Yunho knew exactly where on that seemingly empty beach the gate's guards were positioned. Should anyone attempt to breach the gate and gain the stairs, they'd materialise in a flash.
Yunho looked up at the floating city with longing. The rising sun gilded the tops of the tallest buildings and painted the lower ones in shades of rose and peach. The occasional flash of green teased his vision, made him wonder if he imagined it or if his eyesight was really good enough to spot the roof gardens dotted over the city. He was weary from weeks of travel, from too little sleep and too much time spent looking over his shoulder. But he hadn't seen Changmin in months and if he'd only been given permission, he would have set out towards the floating city without a moment's hesitation. As things were going, though, even a few short hours quietly gazing at the place might be too much to ask for.
"Yunho."
He'd heard the soft footsteps approach. Even as tired and travel weary as he was, nobody was going to surprise him. He knew who stood behind him, too. Had known it even before he heard the distinct gravelly voice. Nobody defied the Master of the Warrior's Guild and Yunho didn't cherish the idea of a reprimand, so he turned from his favourite view. He stood and buckled on his sword once more before he bowed respectfully.
"Back in your accustomed place, I see," the Master said softly. "You can't have slept more than two hours."
"Three," Yunho disagreed equally softly, even though there was little chance of them being overheard by anyone but seagulls. "You know how I get this close to the festival."
The Guild Master was one of the few who understood his obsession with the floating city, or rather with one specific artist who resided there. The Guild Master had found his soulmate in the Craft Guild. He had defied customs and rules to marry her and he'd paid the price that ensured the two of them could be together.
It was rare for members of the Craft Guild to leave the floating city, but the Lady Kare worked in wood, so coming to live in the realm of the Warrior's Guild hadn't been a hardship for her. And it had been at the house that she shared with the Master that Yunho had met Changmin.
The young craftsman had come down to the woods to study trees and moss and other materials that weren't available in the floating city. Wide-eyed and serious, he'd been so different from anyone else Yunho had ever met, that the warrior hadn't been able to help himself. He'd literally stalked the younger man, watching him sit for hours in a clearing, almost unmoving until he suddenly picked up his chalk and started to draw like a man possessed. Small details that Yunho, who'd grown up in the woods, had never noticed before took shape on Changmin's sketchpad. Beetles, moths, tiny delicate flowers that Yunho then spent hours trying to find.
He thought he'd been stealthy enough in his pursuit, but those large brown eyes had missed nothing.
"Is it uncomfortable, sitting up there?" he asked one afternoon when Yunho had been craning his neck to get a better view of Changmin's sketch pad.
It's difficult to see what you're drawing, Yunho wanted to say. But that would have been an admission. "Why don't you come up and see for yourself?"
Changmin set the chalk aside. "I don't know how?"
Yunho frowned. He'd never admit to such a weakness. He'd have gone and taught himself what he needed to know. Artists were clearly more different even than he'd thought. And the idea intrigued him. He dropped from the tree, landing softly like a cat, and approached the young man he'd been watching. "Do you want me to show you?"
The arm around his shoulders startled him from his abstraction. As did the Master's chuckle. "Yes, I know how you get close to the festival. I also know that you've driven yourself and your men extra hard to be back in time. You've earned a hefty bonus for the Guild's coffers, do you know?"
"I've worked with nicer people," Yunho grumbled. "Did they quibble over payment?"
"No. And they apologised for underestimating you and your men."
"For telling us how to do our jobs, more like." Yunho couldn't hold on to anger for long. Not when he was home and the festival was close.
"It will be easier next time," the Master soothed. "Now come and have breakfast. We need to talk."
***
The Master of the Warrior's Guild had made his home in a large clearing, about an hour's walk from the gate. Made from sturdy timbers and carefully sawn shingles, it blended with its surroundings, disguising its sprawling size and many defensive features. None of the other buildings that dotted the forest was so large and yet so in tune with the trees and shrubs that surrounded it. And Yunho knew whose work that was.
"Yunho!"
He was wrapped in a hug before he could even reply to the greeting. None of the members of the Craft Guild Yunho had met stood on ceremony. The Lady Kare was even less inclined to be bowed to and addressed by rank. A wisp of a woman with deep red hair and ocean blue eyes, she was fierce and fiery enough to have been born to the Warrior's Guild. From the day she'd met the Master, she'd felt at home with the men and women he commanded and Yunho loved her like the mother he'd lost far too early.
"My lady." He lifted her up and swung her around in the middle of the hall, even as he uttered the polite greeting. Her laughter lit up the room as he'd known it would and he thought of Changmin, who could do the exact same thing with but a crinkly-eyed smile.
"You were gone far too long," she chided as she dragged him to the breakfast table and started to heap food on his plate. "Though my husband tells me you made exceptionally good time. And earned a bonus from the Merchant Guild."
"Can we not talk about them," Yunho begged. "They have annoyed me enough. They treated my men like serfs and their own servants like slave labour. Well, they tried."
"They won't do it again," the Master affirmed. "They have your measure now and are well able to see beyond your age."
"That's what that was about?"
"I'm afraid so. They disagreed with my choice of captain, deeming you too young. I insisted."
"Always giving me the tricky jobs," Yunho complained, not really meaning it. He loved challenges and everyone knew it.
"I have an even trickier one for you now," the Master answered his unspoken thoughts. "One that will take all your courage. Yunho… Changmin is sick."
"Changmin?"
"Yes. It's the lung evil."
"No!" Yunho was barely aware that he was on his feet, that he was raising his voice in the Guild Master's house in a most unbecoming fashion. All he could see in his mind was Changmin's face, pale and wan and worn by the illness as he'd seen so many others. He needed to get into the floating city now, permission or no.
"Yunho, listen to me. The Craft Guild has asked for our cooperation. We need to consider our response most carefully."
"I don't—"
"Yunho." Kare's arms wrapped around him. Her perfume soothed his fraying sense of self. "Nobody will keep you from Changmin's side," she said softly. "Nobody would be so cruel. But we need to make sure that nobody can separate you against your will. The councillors who approached us requested temporary assistance. They intend to use our help to arrest the disease. No more."
"They want him married," Yunho realised with the suddenness of a lightning strike.
"Most likely," Kare agreed. "The council has been throwing women in Changmin's way since he came of age. His talent is a rare one and as prodigious as we've not seen in years. His work pays a large part of the city's debt. Of course they want a chance to continue it."
"You agree with their tactics?"
"There's no harm in putting food on the table, Yunho," Kare was pragmatic. "As long as nobody forces him to eat. Which is why I don't want you running off without a plan. Your pairing, if you choose to go that route, needs to be impossible to break by a third party."
It was a tall order, seeing how highly Changmin's work was valued. Yunho wondered whether all he possessed was enough to secure even a day of Changmin's skill. "What did the Master offer for you, my lady?"
"Too much," Kare smiled, at the same time the Master said, "Not enough."
Yunho understood. He'd give his very life for Changmin, but he knew that the council wouldn't consider that adequate compensation.
"You have no reason for despair, Yunho." Kare wrapped her arms around him once more. She always knew when someone needed reassurance, and even here, where showing weakness was frowned on, nobody tried to stop her when she went on a mission to cheer someone. "The councillors are bargaining for you, Yunho. Therefore, they're the ones who need to offer a fee. They suggested we choose a fee that can be met by Changmin's skill. That way, once he pays the fee, the council could pass an edict of separation."
"How long do we have until we must name the fee?"
"A while. The Master has pledged your help to save Changmin's life. Whether you choose to be paired or not is up to you two."
"I won't let him die."
"Yunho… you can argue it with him, but keep in mind that in the end the choice is his. You wouldn't want anyone to force your will, now, would you?"
***
Yunho had left the Master's house in a hurry after being assured that he had permission to enter the floating city. He'd been in no fit state to think up strategies and both the Master and the Lady Kare had realised that fact. It hadn't stopped Kare from impressing on him again and again the need to be careful. Somewhere along the line, her words had registered, because now he stood on the edge of the beach, close to his favourite spot and contemplated his next steps instead of rushing ahead to the gate as his heart demanded.
The idea of forcing Changmin to do anything he didn't want to do tasted bitter in his mouth. But could he really stand by and watch Changmin die? Slowly and painfully and… as far as Yunho was concerned… totally unnecessarily? What would Changmin do if their positions were reversed? Would Changmin honour his choice? And would he, a warrior, have the courage to let his life ebb away rather than reach for the help that was offered?
The question of a fee that wouldn't jeopardise their pairing was a paltry problem by comparison. Yunho was sure that Changmin would be able to devise something suitable in moments. If he allowed Yunho to save his life and agreed to be paired, of course.
Tired of arguing with himself, Yunho wrapped his sword calloused palm around the charm he wore at his throat. Six interlocking glass spheres, each a different colour, curled into his hand, the barely discernible weight achingly familiar. The seventh colour was missing, just like the most important link was missing from his life right then. Changmin had intended it that way, a reminder that his last and most important task was to return. And while the charm looked fragile enough to shatter at an unkind thought, it survived the harsh life of a warrior with the same dogged determination as the man it had been gifted to.
Yunho would always return, from whatever predicament he found himself in. Because Changmin expected it of him.
And maybe… maybe he needed to keep that in mind, now that Changmin's life was on the line.
Yunho drew one final deep breath and then squared his shoulders. He passed through the gate and looked up to where the invisible stairs curved out over the sea and up to the floating city. Only a faint shimmer betrayed their presence and fear clenched at Yunho's gut as it did every time he stood in the shadow of the gate.
The staircase, as the columns and the support struts holding up the floating city were fashioned from a material that was stronger than sword metal but clearer than glass. The technology had been lost over the centuries, but the city still hung in mid-air, supported by invisible columns, unaffected by the passage of time and tide.
Yunho hated that staircase with its invisible treads and lack of a barrier, where a strong gust of wind could make one lose his balance and a single misstep could cause one to plummet into the sea. Accidents did happen and while few died, fewer escaped without injury.
Wary as usual, he lifted his foot and sought the first step of the invisible staircase, exhaling a quiet breath when he found it. Trusting his weight to seemingly nothing but air was the next challenge. He was a warrior, trained to face death and yet… Changmin ran up and down the invisible steps with more confidence than he did. The thought of Changmin, waiting in the city above, steadied him. With a final deep breath he took the second step. Then he started to climb.
***
He reached the upper gate over an hour later. The gate guards saluted him as he passed and Yunho found a smile. A smile that died when he saw no sign of Changmin in the reception hall. The Master of the Craft Guild greeted him instead, and ice-cold fear gripped Yunho's heart.
"He isn't—"
"No. No, Yunho, no," Salia said quickly. "The disease has barely started to show itself. But he works day and night and refuses to see anyone. He doesn't know you're coming."
Yunho released the breath he'd been holding. His work was Changmin's escape, he knew that. He should have expected that he'd seek solace there. "Do they bother him much? The councillors, I mean."
"Yes. I've had to put guards on his door to stop them. There are many who've offered to be paired with him, but Changmin maintains that being paired is a nuisance that distracts him from his work. I've been praying that the messengers would find you before it's too late."
"And what if he refuses to listen to me? Will you accept his choice?"
"Yes. Will you?" She touched his shoulders as she spoke and turned him towards the doors that led into the city, sparing him an answer he didn't know how to give. "Go to him. Go."
Yunho knew the way. He'd walked it often enough before. He crossed First Bridge, then Skyward Square, climbed the stairs to the third level and took the path over the Rainbow Bridge right to Changmin's building.
The large open space was cool and quiet. It was also empty. The suppressed buzz that filled the rooms when Changmin worked was painfully absent.
Yunho checked each room until he found Changmin on the roof, so close to the edge that his toes were curled right over it. The breeze ruffled his hair and his robe. He had his head thrown back, his arms thrown wide and the expressive dark eyes were closed. He looked peaceful standing there, on the edge of the abyss.
And it would take just one small step for Yunho to lose Changmin forever.
Part 3: Confession