The Black Pirates

Sixteen

"'The Great Strickland Fire then raged for three days, wiping out eighty percent of the kingdom. The cause of this fire is still unknown.'" Hoseok read and shot me a look, but I was looking at the magical map that laid on the table in front of us. It showed the location of every single dragon and Grand Dragon in the world. My eyes were currently on the drawing of a white dragon with a ribbon underneath it, the dragon itself over the Eastern Continent. In the ribbon, the name 'Yunho' was written in Draconic.

"'Unknown'." I spit and RM sighed.

"If your mother risked doing a spell on you as a new born-"

"Which just as easily could have killed him, mind you!" Seonghwa cut in and I shot him a look before looking at the dragon again.

"Then it's obvious she was desperate to end the magic fire raging through the kingdom." RM said, but I frowned as I remembered something my mother had said. Trust in your soulmate! She called Yunho my soulmate. What does that mean?

"You seem to know about magic." I said and looked at Seonghwa.

"As an expert in magical devices, potions, and spells, I suppose I know plenty." He said and I frowned.

"She-she said something. About soulmates, suggested I had one. What does that mean?" I asked and Seonghwa's eyes widened as his brow furrowed in question.

"To even suggest the concept is... I haven't heard of that sort of magic in my lifetime before, and the last recorded case of soulmates was long before even Jong-Hyun would have been alive! Long before this faery prince was alive!" He said and I frowned as I looked at the map again, bracing my hands on the tabletop as I reached out and lightly touched the white dragon.

"He's going to return-"

"That's not my concern. My concern is if he'll have the Volcano's Heart or not." I said and Jungkook sighed.

"Trust in your dragon-" He stopped as my head whipped around to glare at him then he sighed.

"In Yunho, please. He'll find the ruby." He said and I sighed.

"I need to talk to Seonghwa alone." I subtly dismissed everyone else and they left, leaving me and the magic expert.

"She said Yunho was your soulmate, didn't she?" He asked and I nodded.

"During the ritual, she said to trust in my dragon, in my soulmate." I said and looked at Seonghwa.

"What does that mean?" I asked and he sighed.

"This means there might be a way to break his curse, and that fate will ensure he returns to you in one piece. Fate is funny like that. She'll manipulate, control, but she always gets her way. No matter how hard we try and fight her." He said and I sighed.

"What if he can't find it?" I whispered and balled my hands into fists.

"Your mother's spirit promised to lead him to the ruby, a spirit of this nature is bound by their word. If she doesn't help him to find the ruby, she'll go to the underworld and suffer for all eternity. Surely a witch of her caliber would know this." He said and I nodded, looking at him.

"Seonghwa, I-I feel for Yunho things I haven't felt in years!" I whispered and he smiled softly.

"I know, Wooyoung. I can see it, though I doubt the others can. Somehow, I can see it and I know." He said and I smiled as I looked at the map, frowning as I saw the white dragon begin to fly back West.

"It's only been two days. Is he returning?" I asked and Seonghwa came around then eyed the drawing.

"It appears so. I hope he has the Volcano's Heart." He said and I nodded.

"Can you keep this between us?" I whispered and looked at him.

"The soulmate thing, what I feel-"

"No one will hear it from my lips. I swear by my magic." He said and I smiled as he set a hand on my back.

"Thank you, Seonghwa." I whispered and he nodded.

"Why don't we go get some rest? It appears it'll take him some time to return." He suggested and I nodded, turning and going to my room.

Seonghwa's POV
I walked into the room I was given to sleep in then smiled as I saw him already laying in my bed, half asleep as he slowly moved to look at me.

"Hi." He whispered then I went over, sitting and pulling my boots off.

"Well?"

"It's as we thought." I softly spoke and sighed, tossing my left boot into the corner by Hongjoong's shoes.

"They're fated?" He asked as he moved behind me and I glanced at him to see him on his right elbow, a furrow in his brows.

"His mother said to trust his soulmate during the cleansing ritual, and we both know that's not Jungkook. I swore to him I'd tell no one-"

"You know I won't, Hwa." He said and set his hand on my back as I tossed the right boot with it's partner. As I pulled my shirt over my head, he wrapped his arm around my stomach then pulled me to lay with him, pulling me in to cuddle me.

"What do we do? Yunho's curse-"

"I know." I whispered and sighed.

"I don't think he's told anyone else yet-"

"We only know because we found the stupid bastard half frozen!" Hongjoong growled and I sighed.

"I know." I repeated and nuzzled into my partner's chest.

"Wooyoung needs to break his curse, before it freezes Yunho's heart." I whispered and Hongjoong huffed.

"Well, you said it yourself. In order for that to happen-"

"Everything depends on Wooyoung's magic! There's so much weight on his shoulders!" I breathed and gripped Hongjoong's waist tighter.

"What will he do when we eventually tell him?" I asked and Hongjoong sighed.

"We can't tell him. It'll kill him. All his life, people have been lying and keeping secrets-"

"And we're no better if we don't tell him this, Joong!" I said and looked at him, but he shook his head and softly kissed me.

"We're not lying, we're just not informing him. It's different, okay? Let's just get sleep, look at this with fresh eyes in the morning." He softly said and I nodded, curling back into him and sighing into his chest as I tried to sleep.