The Castle

"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Roald Dahl.

Jimin was sitting at the end of a large white marble table and in front of him were all sorts of dishes he never had a chance to taste before. He was surprised because he was expecting extraordinary meals in a fantastic world but apparently they ate exactly like humans. Smoked fish, grilled meat, seafood and all kinds of chocolate desserts.

He wondered how he could eat all these wonders alone with Taehyung's company, maybe elves eat a lot?

The master of the mansion was sitting at the other end of the table, at least five meters farther than Jimin.

He couldn't stop looking at him, not because it was the first time he had met a real elf out of his books, but because Taehyung was the most handsome male he met in his life.

His long white hair descended majestically all along his back and we could see the brilliance of his blue eyes from far away.

Of all the elves he saw inside the mansion, Taehyung was certainly the one whose beauty was incomparable.

"I think eating will be more suitable for you than watching me." he heard him say.

The young man blushed as hard as he could be unnoticed in the middle of a tomato plantation.

The duke watched him with amusement as he tasted his meat.

"I-I'm sorry." Jimin mumbled shyly. "It wasn't my intention to disturb you."

"Oh, but you did not bother me." Taehyung shook his head. "It makes me happy that such a handsome man like you admires me but I think you are very hungry after such a long trip."

Handsome..

Jimin nodded with a smile and started eating.

"Then Jimin." the white haired cleared his throat. "What do you desire to do today?"

"Uh? I-I don't know." Jimin bit his lower lip. It was amazing how he couldn't rest his eyes on his. His stare and his presence were both very intimidating. "I don't know this country.. or this world." he mumbled.

"Would you like to walk with me after lunch? I could show you around." Taehyung proposed.

"I wouldn't want to bother you.."

"Jimin, my dear." Taehyung chuckled. "It has been years since I have been living the same thing every day, I needed to meet someone new or experience different things, and I have to admit that I am very happy with your arrival."

"Thank you." Jimin blushed. "That's very nice of you, your grace."

"So, are we going for a walk together later?"

"With great pleasure."

????

As promised, they went out together after lunch.

Taehyung walked very slowly and with elegance, hands behind his back and chin up. Jimin was just watching him and trying to imitate him. There were only a few hours since he met him and he already had a great admiration for him.

The elf realized this and couldn't stop smiling.

"What's this?" the young man asked, pointing to the colored lake.

"Oh, it is beautiful isn't it?" Taehyung smiled. "It is called the Coloribus Conspiratus, the colors of unison. Do you see that couple over there?" he pointed to two strange creatures with green skin and a long pink tail. "Every color has a meaning, an emotion, for example, red represents anger, white, peace and pink, love.When they bathe inside, they will stay together forever, despite all the emotions and all the obstacles that will come up in the future.

"Now it's all pink." Jimin widened his eyes. "They must be very in love."

"Indeed." Taehyung nodded and saw how Jimin was staring at them with a dreamy expression. "Do you have someone you love?" he asked, surprising him.

"Me?" he gulped. "Mm my .. my late father?" he mumbled quietly.

The beautiful elf looked at him sadly and offered him a small smile. "Our love for the family has been in our hearts since our birth, but the love I am talking about now is the feeling we get or the attraction we have towards a female or a male."

"Oh.." Jimin blushed. "I have never had such a person in my life.."

Taehyung approached him and gently put his long hands on his shoulders. "How is it possible?" he asked with a gentle voice. "With such beauty I am sure you had many lovers."

Jimin shook his head. "No one dares to talk to me, people hate me and move away from me." he mumbled.

"But why?"

"Because of the color of my hair."

Taehyung furrowed. "What is wrong with your hair Jimin?" he asked, not believing what he said. "It is very beautiful." he slowly ran his fingers in the diamond hair. "It is very soft and.. very soothing." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Oh, Lord, how can they hate your hair?"

Jimin closed his eyes to enjoy this intimate moment. Apart from his late father, no one has ever caressed his hair that way, the main reason is because everyone was scared of it and the second is that humans could not be in touch with it.

"In my world, being different from others is like a crime." Jimin said. "You need to look like others in other to live peacefully."

"Your world seems very sad and boring." the elf rubbed his chin. "Fortunately you came to Fantasia, here we accept everyone." he smiled. "Mostly beautiful creatures like you." he patted his head.

"Thank you." Jimin blushed for the thousandth time this day. "Y-you are very beautiful too, your grace." he mumbled.

"Oh." the elf smiled widely. "Thank you Jimin."

????

They walked in the middle of the vast forest, it was impressive how there were hundreds of different creatures, unknown colors and smells that makes you dream. Jimin has never been so excited and happy before. All the books he's read and all the fantastic movies he's watched were nothing in front of the paradise around him at the moment.

They arrived in a small village inhabited by creatures called Pixies. Like the elves, they are beautiful and have long multicolored wings. Jimin saw a group of males and females preparing to ride in a kind of huge carosse. Each of them held a mirror and fixed their appearance before entering. "Your grace, where are they going?" he asked.

"The prince of Rosa must be doing another selection." Taehyung rubbed his chin.

"Rosa?" Jimin furrowed.

"You must be confused." the elf chuckled. "There are a lot of areas in Fantasia and Rosa is one of them, their prince's name is Jin, he has the power of seduction, you have to avoid looking at his eyes not to risk falling under his charm."

"Oh." Jimin widened his eyes.

"These Pixies will show up at the palace and the prince will have to choose some of them."

"But why?"

Taehyung smiled and rubbed his hair. "You are so innocent Jimin." he chuckled. "The prince changes his partner every time he wants to, he chooses the most beautiful creature who will accompany him to the balls, dine with him and of course spend intimate nights in his room. In one word, they are called concubines."

"But.." Jimin mumbled. "Why are they offering themselves to him?"

"Most are desperate for luxury living or have fallen under his spell."

Jimin just nodded with a frown.

Taehyung looks at him and smiles. "This is why I will not let you go near him, I cannot let such a pretty creature like you fall into his hands."

"You're so kind, your grace." Jimin smiled.

The elf just smiled back and kept walking.

They left the village after buying two large Gelatius, a sort of candy made from colored gelatin.

"Mm it's delicious!" Jimin exclaimed.

"I knew you would love it." Taehyung chuckled.

Suddenly, they heard a noise in the other end of the forest.

"What is it?" Jimin asked.

Taehyung looked around and widened his eyes when he realized where they were. "Oh lord."

"W-what?"

"This is the landing ground for unicorns."

Unicorns?

"There are unicorns too?!" the young man couldn't believe his ears. "Oh, there!"

They raised their heads to the sky and saw large white unicorns flying over the trees and ready to land on the ground.

"Jimin, be careful, their landing can be violent!" Taehyung shouted loudly for Jimin to hear him despite the sound of the flapping wings but Jimin was no longer beside him.

"Jimin?" he slipped between the beautiful creatures with the golden horn as they bowed to him. "Jimin!"

There were so many unicorns he couldn't see his new friend anymore.

He didn't know he had fallen on the other side of the woods. A wing had accidentally touched him and with his frail body, he quickly stumbled on a fallen tree trunk and continued to turn on the dirty soil until he found himself facing a large iron bridge.

He got up, his heart pounding. "Y-your grace?" he looked around him and couldn't recognize where he was. The only thing around him was the giant palace he had seen earlier from far away.

????

It was getting late, the sun went down and the wind whistled louder.

Jimin didn't know where to go and he was very hungry, he hadn't had the chance to finish his Gelatius because of the unicorns.

He walked for long moments alone in the dark, hoping to find a way back to the elves' mansion, but each time he found himself at the starting square, as if something was pushing him to get lost.

He gave up after hours and sat down on a rock, admiring the immensity of the palace before him. Lights were lit in almost every room inside.

Suddenly, the wind hit harder and a fog hid the castle.

"Enter the castle." the same woman's voice that had popped up this morning at the faculty said.

Jimin jumped and looked around. "W-what do you want again ?!" he exclaimed.

"Enter the castle." the fog dissipated to reveal only the bridge that led to the castle. "Enter the castle." the voice repeated.

"I don't know who you are but .." he thought he might have to follow the voice as he did this morning and ended up in a better world. "Maybe I should follow you."

He walked on the bridge until he arrived in front of a huge portal and surprisingly there were no guards in there.

He opened the door and rushed inside to be greeted by a huge garden covered with roses that changed their colors. He had never seen such an artistic landscape, a picture as colorful and alive.

He entered the palace and opened his eyes wide when he realized its greatness. The hall was as wide as the village he had visited with the Duke earlier, there were paintings all over the walls, the majority were portraits of ancient kings and queens of Fantasia. He examined them one by one and noticed they all had a different eye color; red, yellow, green. Each of them had a different facial expression, one looked angry, the other kind of joyful or there was one who had no expression at all.

His gaze landed on the last painting, a portrait of a young man with black hair and gray eyes like silver. He looked very cold and rough with his eyes that could pierce your heart.

He must have been the one who reigned at the moment.

But despite his scary look, he was very curious about him, because he had nothing strange. No wings, no tail, no pointy ears. He looked very normal, like a human.

"Ey!" he heard someone scream.

A guard surprised him and ran to him. "What are you doing here ?!"

"Uh..uhm .." Jimin was shaking with fear at the giant gnome. "I just .. I was lost .."

"GUARDS !!" the ugly creature called and four of his companions arrived. "I caught a thief!"

Jimin widened his eyes. "W-what? No! I'm not a thief!" he shouted.

"Who dares to steal inside the castle?" another guard grabbed his fragile arm strongly. "Such a beautiful creature." he caressed his face with his sticky hands. "This is why we should never trust appearances."

"I'm not a thief!" the young man tries to escape from his grap but the gnome was stronger.

"We should be able to sell him in the market, he can get us a good price." they all laughed.

"Maybe sell him to the Prince of Rosa! He likes beauty!"

"Hahaha!"

Jimin screamed with fear and tried to defend himself. "Let me go!"

"Do not think about escaping from us pretty heart."

"What is this concussion all about?" a deep voice surged from behind.

"Y-your majesty!" the guards suddenly stopped laughing and bowed.

Jimin gulped when the king's eyes landed on his. He looked better than his portrait, his hair was darker and his skin was paler.

He was wearing a black velvet ceremonial jacket with embroidered golden roses, black silk pants and black leather boots.

He walked slowly towards him, his hands behind his back.

Jimin's heart beat faster every time he made a new step.

Without a word, the king observed his hair color. We couldn't see if he was surprised or confused because he stood expressionless. "What are you?" he asked with a deep voice that sent shivers through Jimin's body.

"W-what?"

"What kind of creature are you?"

"I-I do not know."

"Sir, this creature wanted to steal your painting." the main guard said.

"What?! It's not true!" Jimin waved his hands.

"He is obviously lying!"

"I'm not!"

"SILENCE!" the king shouted. "You have not answered my question." he looked at Jimin. "What are you? This hair..I have never seen such a color before."

"I said that I do not know." the young man shrugged and jumped when he saw his eyes shifting to red.

"You dare shrugging at your king?" the male approached his face to his.

Jimin didn't know how he felt a sudden courage take over him. "You're not my king." he mumbled quietly.

"Pardon?" the black haired frowned. "What have you said?"

"Y-you are not my king!"

The guards seemed to be surprised at their master.

The king clenched his fists. "Did you just raise your voice at me?" he asked, his eyes becoming a dark red.

Jimin did not answer.

"Guards! Lock him up!" the king ordered.

"Yes sir!" they grabbed Jimin by force.

"No! Let me go!!"

"Shut up you disrespectful shit."

Despite his screams and cries, no one was there to save him.

They walked to the dungeon and threw him on the floor. "Die!" they all screamed before leaving him alone.

????