⁺◦ 𝔥𝔬𝔱 | 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 .

↳ 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐮 .

blurs of color tore through the room at the speed of a whirlwind. mingyu didn't stand a fighting chance against any of them, no matter how determined you were to hold onto his arm. you held on for what felt like ages, just for mingyu to end up between a wall and a sword. knight roderick pressed the sword against mingyu's neck and there was nothing you could do to stop it.

like a disgruntled child, you flailed about in the arms of the very person who told the king and queen that mingyu was here.

"get off of me! get your hands off of me!" you move in a way that's frightening, doing all that you can to break free from prince joshua's hold.

his grip on you is unbreakable. ironically, it resembles what'll happen if the two of you get married to each other.

in the event that the wedding proceeds according to plan, he'll hold on to you for the rest of his life. he'll do all that he can to maximize the position of power that he's in, while draining you of your happiness.

surprisingly, all of this exercise hasn't tired you out quite yet. even though you're slightly winded, you still have enough air to bark out an order. "roderick, get away from him! i order you to get away from him!"

"i'm sorry, but i can't do that, your highness. my orders come from the king." roderick doesn't have the least bit of remorse threaded through his words.

instead of sounding remorseful, he sounds dignified.

the small audience that might witness mingyu's death grows, once the king and queen stroll into the room.

"dad, please don't do this! just let him go, please. none of this is his fault." you beg your father to show mingyu mercy.

you can hear mingyu struggle to breathe. you can see the way that his eyes have leaned into a nearly lifeless state. you're not sure how much longer he can stay like that, but you know that you've got to do something about it.

"why is she still here?" the king doesn't even bother to address you formally.

well, it's not like i opted for the most respectful way to address him.

i have a very good reason for why i called him dad instead of your majesty. i have to keep mingyu alive, no matter what.

"should i take her to another place in the palace?" prince joshua politely asks.

"yes, take her to her bedchambers." the king replies.

mingyu's slipping away from this world. he's not too far away from death now.

"your majesty, please release him at once. i know that you think he's wronged the royal family, but–" prince joshua drags you away, but you keep talking away. "i beg that you show him mercy and release him at once!"

"release the princess," he instructs prince joshua to release you.

as soon as you're free from the hold that prince joshua had on you, you rush over to mingyu. you claw at knight roderick with all of the strength that you have. every now and then, he moves back. you pull him away from mingyu with all your might. he loses his balance and falls to the ground.

"mingyu, you've got to breathe!" you scream at the crumpled figure on the ground that was once pinned against the wall. mingyu wheezes, trying his best to take in all the air that he can.

you drop to the ground and hold his crumpled form in your arms. you place a hand on his chest to make sure that it's rising and falling in succession. the sensation of relief rushes through you, just before you take mingyu's face in your hands.

"hey, they won't hurt you again." you reassure mingyu, trying to sound believable.

you can see the anxiety that he's experiencing in the way that he breathes. he's breathing like air might steal away to someplace where it's unaccessible.

"(y/n)," mingyu's voice barely sounds.

"no, don't speak. you need to save your energy." you shush him. "i'm so sorry, mingyu. if i had been more careful, then..." you stop mid-apology because you know that dwelling on what went wrong won't fix anything now. "all of this happened because of me."

"get away from him, princess (y/n)." the king speaks, reminding you that he and all of the others are still there.

knight roderick has regained his balance, your mother looks like she's swallowing bile to keep from throwing up, prince joshua looks highly entertained, and the king is looking at you like he has no idea what mercy is.

still, you don't do what's being asked of you. "no, i won't. i'm not leaving his side ever again."

"i figured you'd say that." your response makes the king smirk. "knight roderick, take him to the dungeon and don't let him out until i tell you to do so."

you latch onto mingyu, even more so than before. you hold on to him like his life depends on it. in this case, it actually does.

roderick tries to make mingyu rise, but you keep swatting his hands away. you and knight roderick do this dance for at least a minute.

"use force if you have to, knight roderick." the king interjects.

knight roderick draws his sword from its sheath, the metal shining once it hits the light.

"roderick, please don't do this." you ask him not to follow the king's orders.

without realizing it, you ask him to against the very thing that he was hired to do.

"i don't want to hurt you, princess (y/n), but i will if i have to." knight roderick says, but this time sadness creeps into his voice.

you shake your head, trying your best to clear it. the burning sensation at your eyes signals that it won't be long until tears fall from them.

"(y/n), it's okay. i'll go with him." mingyu's soft voice breaks the silence.

he leaves you and knight roderick in utter shock.

"no, mingyu, that's not happening." you bat away his suggestion.

your eyes lock on knight roderick's, then you shake your head. without speaking, you let him know that he can kill you if it means that mingyu stays safe. you wage war on a knight— and the royal family—without even uttering a single word.