seventeen (1/1)

“Let us go, or wake up.  I’m sick of waiting for you.” Taemin’s desperate screams echo trough the void.  “You started this so hurry up and finish it. I’m here that’s what you wanted, right?”  Minho looked away from Taemin, still kneeling on the ground clutching his arm. Hyora laid mid air as if asleep, but dead still.  But as Taemin cried he thought he saw her finger tips move.  “You were the one who got mean. You stopped playing with me. You stopped talking to me. Why are you making this my fault now?” Her hands clenched in to fists and Minho saw color spread into them.  “Everyone gave you everything you wanted and you were still cold. You didn’t make anything better, and you ignored everything mom told us.” Her brows knitted and her face contorted in pain.  “You were the one who stopped feeling and acted like you hated me.” Taemin finally paused, tears running down his face. “But I never stopped loving you, no matter how much you hurt me.” His voice cracked and he let his rage be replaced with quiet sobs. Hyora’s eyes shot open and the tendrils holding her up dissolved. She fell.  Her body hit the surface of the water and from the splash the gold was washed away.  Clear water washed up on the shore, grass bloomed around them their surroundings came into view.  They were sitting in the forest, at the point where the bridge connected the worlds. Minho looked around.  It was impossible. How were they outside? How were they back at the river? He looked to Taemin.  The elf was gone. All that was there was the excess string he had tied to the knife.  He followed it with his eyes.  It lead across the bridge into the fairy world.  On the bridge Minho could see the fog was clear he could see all the way to the other side.  Taemin was knelt on the bank looking at him.  In the middle lying on the bridge was Hyora.  Her long white hair was sprawled under her and her dress was tangled against her feet.  She slowly rose, holding her head with one hand. She pushed stands of hair from her face.  Minho watched as she moved.  She was graceful like water, but something about her sent a chill down Minho’s spine. The queen of the forest was finally awake again.  The air had thinned and the heavy clouds simply hung in the sky. The tress had calmed and the color returned to the leaves.  But every living thing seemed to be holding it’s breath to see what her next move would be.   Minho looked to Taemin again.  Even from the distance Minho could see his black eyes were wide and he was just as worried. Hyora finally looked around.  Her little brother was crumpled on the bank, injured and scared.  But he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze went past her. She followed it, across the river to the human side.  She saw Minho sitting on the bank looking terrified, right at her.  She noticed the string tied to him, it was slacked against the bridge.  He was still tied to their world.  This was the man Taemin loved.  This was the man she had called out to for help.  How was it possible they were the same?  This man was not human. He did not belong on that side of the river.  She picked up the string that crossed in front of her.  “Stop!” Taemin’s horse voice rang out. “Please, don’t. Please, he helped us. Don’t cut it.  Don’t take him away.”  The frantic tone in his voice broke Hyora’s heart.  If she cut the string she would cut the man’s tie with them.  She could pull his memories and it would be done. She would have her brother all to herself again. No. Taemin would hate her.  He said that he didn’t hate her, but she still had the power to change that.  She heard the yearning voice of the forest urging her to cut it, wanting to pulled her right back under. No. She would stand, she would be stronger.  These two had given her this second chance, she would not waste it.  Hyora pulled one foot under neither herself. Her leg shook, but she steadied herself and pulled the other, standing on the bridge.  She grasped the string, felling Taemin pulling it from his side.  She steadied herself, before she raised her free hand to Minho. “Come here.” Her voice was weak and small, but Minho obeyed immediately.  He started to run across the bridge to her.  As he came nearer she reached out, not trusting her legs.  She touched his shoulder and he braced her with a hand on her back.  “Take me to my brother.” Minho was silent and moved automatically.  He helped her to the other side. “Minho? That is your name?” “Y-yes, it is.” He stuttered.  “Minho, there is something you have to understand.  If you set foot on this side of the river this time you will never be able to go back out of the forest.  You will be bound like my brother and I. Can you live like that?” Minho stopped suddenly, almost dropping her and looking her dead in the eye. “I can stay? With Taemin?” he couldn’t contain the smile that spread across his face, “I don’t care where I have to be as long as I can see him.” His voice was strong, and it gave  Hyora the strength to give him a small smile too.  “You belong with us.” They continued to cross the river.  When they reached the bank, Taemin was watching them wide eyed. “Minho? Hyora?” Hyora stepped off the bridge and on the grass leaving Minho to stand in front of them.  “The reason I called to you was not your connection to Taemin.  I called to you because you are connected to the forest.  You see, this bridge exists for the same reason you exists. You were born to the forest as a guardian, able to cross between all worlds freely.  But now that you have awakened, you have to choose.  You may go home, or you may reenter the forest as a being of Lyf.”  Minho looked at her while she spoke, but he knew his decision.  It didn’t matter what he was, human or not.  All that was important is he could be with Taemin.  He stepped off the bridge and on to the grass. “I always felt at home in the forest,” he said.  She gave him a small nod. Minho didn’t have time to prepare himself before Taemin sprang up from the ground and in to his chest.  He almost knocked them over in to the water, but Minho steadied them.  He kept his arm pressed to his chest and buried his face into Minho’s shirt. He looked over his shoulder back to his sister. “You’ll let him stay?” “He is a guardian of this fores-” “No, you will let him stay here?” “He makes you happy Taemin, he may stay.” She stepped closer to the couple.  They could see the pain in her eyes “Taemin, I made such a mistake. I was so scared that I pushed you away so you wouldn’t see, when what I should have done was come to you for help.  I’m not strong enough to hold the forest up myself.  I let it control me, and when I realized it was already too late. I was pulled under, all of my worst fears were coming true. I hurt you so much.” She looked so fragile as she stood before them and exposed her feelings. Taemin left Minho’s embrace to face her.  “You did more than just hurt me. You destroyed our relationship, you destroyed a town, made all the humans suspicious of us, put a lot of people in danger, and the castle is wrecked. But,” He reached out his good arm to touch her hand. “I love you. And I’ll stand by you and help you fix it all, if you’ll let me this time.”  Several tears slipped down Hyora’s pale cheeks.  She closed her eyes and all she could managed was nod and a whispered, I’m sorry.  She hugged her brother tight before letting him go.  She took a look at his arm.  “You were burned by the magic.” Taemin’s hand was blackened, and the raw skin cracked in a jagged representation of his pattern.  Minho ripped a piece of his shirt off and wrapped Taemin’s hand in it.  “I don’t know if it’ll heal,” Hyora looked like she would cry again. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” He pulled his hand away from her, but Minho saw his little wince.  He was strong. And now that Taemin had both his sister and Minho with him, there was nothing to hold him back.     (A/N; So by the end of this chapter in case anyone wants to know, I made the river of Lyf and the bridge between the worlds parallel, and the convergence between those two places was Minho.  With as much explanation as I crammed in this chapter anyways I didn’t want to force that in there too.  Also if anyone had seen frozen, I want you to know this story had a way different ending before I saw that movie. I won’t even deny it. But I like how it changed.  C: *Back on chapter 15 CookieLuv left a comment about leaving the forest and becoming human, when I read that I was like omg! I mentioned that Minho was found in the forest and taken to live among humans, and he essentially lost his connection to the forest, like it was asleep in side him and never had a chance to become a part of him.  But now that it has awakened again it’s like a fresh start and he is part of the forest again. This was like the core concept of Minho’s character. You totally got it!* This note is getting longer than the chapter ^^ I wanted to let you all know that this story only has a few chapters left, hoping to make it to twenty or so, and as sad as I am to know its almost done I’m super stoked too. I have other stories and will even be starting a new one that is more fantasy based like this one, of course I would love it you guys to check them out. Love you all!)