The Black Pirates

Eleven

Yunho was being unusually silent, even towards me, as we walked through the hot sand. I think he was using his magic, because I wasn't sweating even with the hot sun burning down on me, but I wasn't getting hot. That might be my own magic though, except no one was sweaty.

"Yunho?" I walked up beside him and he hummed, glancing at me.

"I'm sorry about your friend." I said and he sighed.

"Jong-Hyun wasn't really a friend, just a dragon like me. He knew what it was like to be cursed for something you couldn't control." He said and I frowned.

"You... you said you got cursed because you dared to love. What's that mean?" I asked and he sighed, looking ahead of himself.

"Before I was this dragon, I was... I came from a small city, just a few hundred humans. My brother and I would play together in the river that ran through the middle of our city-"

"Wait, you're from Halazia?!" I asked and he nodded.

"We played there so much. One day, I went without my brother and met another boy. He seemed shy, sweet, but he just wanted some friends." He said and I noticed the silence behind us, meaning the others were listening too, but he sighed and continued.

"We spent years together, even after my brother had been brought into the Strickland Army. When my brother left, it was just myself and my friend. My mother worried, said it was unnatural for two boys to be so close and not be related." He said and frowned.

"I hadn't realized it, not until my friend said something, but I'd... fallen for him, and he for me. For the next year, we told no one of the relationship we had in secret. Often, we'd sneak out of the city just to be together without fear." He said and sighed, looking hurt.

"What happened?" I asked and he cleared his throat, looking ahead of himself.

"We snuck out of the city together, went further up the river to swim because it was hot. I remember it was so hot that day, some farms were even catching fire. What we hadn't realized is my brother came home from the army, saw us, and followed us." He said and shook his head, holding my arm when I slipped in the sand.

"Thanks." I breathed as he righted me then he nodded and let me go.

"What happened then? Did your brother do something?" I asked and he nodded.

"Out of fear for me, my brother told our mother what he saw-"

"What... did he see?" I asked and Yunho smirked at me.

"Something my younger brother shouldn't have seen." He said and I felt my ears get hot from my flush at the mental images of Yunho naked with some random guy.

"O-oh!" I whispered and he smiled, losing the smile as he continued.

"He didn't mean harm by it, I know that, but- My mother went to the city doctors, claimed I was sick, and we-" He stopped then sighed, stopping in the sand and we looked at him, the others blatantly listening now.

"What happened when they found out?" Mingi asked and Yunho offered a small smile, looking out at the sand all around us.

"They pulled us both from our houses one day, took us to the center of the city. The doctors claimed I'd been tricked, spelled, and that my friend was a siren. That's nonsense-"

"Sirens can't survive on land, not even for a single minute." Hongjoong cut in and Yunho nodded, glancing at me. He was technically only telling me still anyhow.

"When his mother argued that I... I was the one who had approached her son, I started the friendship, the city turned on me. They let him go, but I wasn't so lucky. They brought in a witch, a human spellcaster, and she claimed I was a half-siren, able to trick any with my charms. So, as punishment, she cursed me to be a dragon and I was banished from home. My brother used to try and visit me, but he stopped after the second year. The last I heard, my friend had began dating some girl and my brother said no one spoke of me." He said and I frowned, grabbing his arm and making him look at me.

"It's not wrong to love, Yunho-"

"It was to them." He said, but I rolled my eyes.

"If it's so wrong to love someone, then Yeosang and Mingi should be dragons too!"

"Hey!" Yeosang whined, but I shot him a look and he stopped.

"So do Seonghwa and Hongjoong, Yunho, and I suppose myself as well!" I softly smiled as he frowned at me, but I shrugged some.

"You can't help what you love, and that's not a reason to be cursed. You don't deserve this, to be a dragon just because your mother decided she couldn't handle her son liking guys. That's not something to be ashamed of!" I soothed and he smiled at me.

"Thank you, Wooyoung." He said and I nodded.

"Thanks for trusting us." I smiled and he smirked.

"You're the first human I've trusted in seven years." He said then started walking and I slowed some, watching the dragon-human walk as San stepped up next to me.

"Fucked up, what his mother did!" He breathed and I sighed.

"He can hear you-"

"I know!" He said and I glanced at my friend.

"His brother, I know he doesn't hate." I said and San nodded.

"His brother was just trying to help. His mother fucked up by thinking there was something wrong with him!" He spit and I nodded.

"I know." I whispered and Seonghwa sighed as he began walking next to me.

"There are ways to break a dragon's curse, Wooyoung." He whispered and I hummed.

"How's that?"

"Kill the caster of the curse, use your own magic to break it, or to make the dragon break his or her own curse." He said and I frowned at him.

"How does the last one work?" I asked and he sighed.

"You'd have to ask a dragon, I'm afraid. Good thing you just befriended another one." He said and I hummed as I thought of Jungkook, who I might be able to question.

"We're here." Yunho said and I looked at him then went forward, seeing the Dragon Temple sticking out of the sand.

"Are you ready, Wooyoung?" Yunho asked and I nodded, gripping his arm as he led us into the Temple.