The Black Pirates

Thirteen

My whole body hurt. That was the first thing I registered as I woke up, pain everywhere.

"Easy!" I heard and groaned, opening my eyes as my body moved, groaning louder as I saw Seonghwa sitting on a stool beside my bed.

"What... what happened?!" I whispered and he sighed.

"You passed out during the ritual. Yunho carried you in here, you've been asleep for seven days." He said and I lifted my head, looking at him confused.

"Seven days?!" I asked and he nodded.

"We've been worried. Yunho couldn't even hear your heartbeat. We were terrified for a few days." He said and I laid my head back, sighing as I stared at the ceiling.

"Did it work?" I whispered, closing my eyes, but he sighed.

"You don't have faery blood-"

"And my magic?" I asked and looked at him, but he shook his head.

"Still locked away. That's the only way we knew you were alive, Yunho kept looking at your magic." He said and I sighed, slowly pushing myself up onto my elbows.

"Where is everyone?" I asked and he sighed as he grabbed my arm, helping me to sit up in the bed.

"Out in the main chamber, trying to find a way to break your spell. We might need your help though." He said and I nodded, standing with him. As we walked into the main room, I saw everyone pouring over books, scrolls, random papers, anything they could to research.

"WOOYOUNG!" Yeosang screamed and ran over, hugging me and forcing me to stumble back a step as I held him.

"I'm okay!" I breathed, but he shook his head and gripped me tighter.

"We were so worried!" He whispered and sighed into my shoulder.

"I'm okay, I promise!" I soothed then let go and he stepped back, holding my shoulders.

"You're pale! You should eat!" He said and I sighed, letting him and Seonghwa lead me to the middle where Yunho and Jungkook sat with more books and research than anyone else.

"Sit." Seonghwa ordered then I sat and sighed as I looked at the two dragons.

"Well?" I whispered, but Jungkook offered a sad smile.

"Sorry, Wooyoung." He softly said, but I huffed.

"What do we do then? Now I can't take us to the faery capital and my magic is still-"

"Look at this." Yunho said and handed me a book. I sighed then took it and looked at the aged pages, frowning when I saw the art moving in slow motion.

"It's a dragon book, a book spelled by dragon magic. What I want you to look at is this one." He said and flipped the page then my eyes widened as I saw my mother, holding a baby, and holding some sort of necklace over the baby. The necklace was glowing red, the magic making the necklace glimmer, and I saw the baby trying to play with the glowing necklace. Then I saw my mother's smiling face in my head, a raw ruby on a silver chain hanging above my face, heard a baby's laugh. Baby Wooyoung's laugh.

"She spelled me!" I breathed and looked at Yunho.

"Why-"

"Only your mother knows." Jungkook said and I sighed, looking at the photo again.

"Do you recognize the necklace?" Yunho asked and I nodded.

"I remember her holding it over my head, but that's it. I barely remember my mother, she left me when I was too young." I said and looked at Yunho and Jungkook.

"Does it say how we break the spell?" I asked and Yunho took the book.

"No, this isn't in a language I recognize."

"Can I give it a try?" I looked at RM then he licked his lips.

"I'm pretty good with languages." He said then the pirates crowded in as RM kneeled and sat on the ground, taking the book.

"Ah, it's ancient draconic." He said and sighed.

"I'm a bit rusty, but... 'Heir of Fire to the Royal Princess, she used the Volcano's Heart to lock away the powerful magic to avoid another tragedy-' No, that's not it." He whispered and licked his lips.

"'Another massacre-'"

"Massacre?!" I asked and he glanced at me.

"Are you sure that's the translation?!" Jungkook asked and RM nodded.

"It is. It means that his mother locked his powers away with this Volcano's Heart to stop him from killing more. It's common for faery children to get powers, but not infants because of the fact that they have no control over them. If you got your powers as an infant, Wooyoung, then your magic is strong. Your mother had to have been a strong caster in order to lock your magic away to this degree." He said and I sighed, looking at the many books here.

"What do you remember about your mom?" I looked at San then shook my head.

"Bits and pieces, barely anything! The old man at Utopia knew her better than I did, said he'd practically raised her-"

"I don't like where this is going!" Jongho said and I huffed.

"We can't risk returning to Strickland, Wooyoung!" Hongjoong said and I nodded.

"I know!" I whispered, but Yunho sighed.

"But I can." He said and I glared at him.

"Yunho-"

"I can be there and back in a week, in and out without being seen. I can ask him what he knows about your mother, possibly even find this Volcano's Heart-"

"Anti-Faery device, Ice Dragons, Volcano's Heart, Dragon Temple, cleansing ritual, and a faery prince who wants to kill me! Why do I have to be the fucking heir, huh?!" I growled and threw my book down.

"Wooyoung-"

"I never asked for any of this!" I yelled as I stood and groaned as I grabbed my hair, walking away from them.

"I never asked to be some cursed prince, some bastard half kid that wasn't wanted, I never asked for this!" I yelled at Hongjoong as I turned around to face him and he sighed.

"We never ask for our lives-"

"You think this is a life, Hongjoong?! You're constantly on the run, for fuck's sake! Seonghwa can never go home because he has magic, San was abandoned because he dared to want a life beyond some boring ass accountant job, Mingi was cast aside for being too tall! Jongho got kicked out because he is too strong, Yeosang for being too pretty, and Yunho was cursed because he dared to give a damn about someone! What about me?!" I screamed and realized I was crying.

"I was just a random guy in a stupid kingdom in a dumb bar! I wasn't anyone important and I was okay with that! Then you had to walk into my life, you had to drag me into this mess! I just want my life back!" I cried and he frowned.

"I know this isn't what you want-"

"What I want?!" I scoffed and shook my head.

"What I wanted, Hongjoong, was to go home to the guy I loved but then he got killed by pirates!" I finally admitted and his eyes widened.

"What?!" Seonghwa breathed and I shook my head.

"Forget I ever said a damn thing!" I scoffed and turned, going back to the room I had been using.