Before I even realize it, hours have turned into days. And those days? Into weeks. Yet we have still received no word from neither Jimin nor Namjoon.

Jin tells me not to worry, that Jimin is the best. But, the best what exactly? It's not difficult to imagine what he's doing out there, and yet my brain is having a seemingly hard time equating the Jimin I know with the merciless soldier than Jin paints him to be.

There have been moments. Times when that darkness, no, that strength seeped through. But even so...

The Jimin I know is so far removed from Jin's tales of conquest and glory.

I shift, trying to adjust myself. I can't even get comfortable on the couch any longer it seems. So, abandoning my book with no great remorse, I stand. I wasn't able to focus enough to read it anyways,  I'm pretty sure that I've read the last paragraph at least twenty times. 

And as I smooth my shirt down over my rapidly expanding belly, I wonder just how long all of this is going to last. I have to be about the size of a small whale already, despite the fact that I should barely be showing at all. According to Jin this is actually rather slow for a Fae pregnancy, and he is continuously saying that I shouldn't worry so much. But I can see it in his eyes. He doesn't really know what to expect. I think that is what frightens me more than anything else.

As if my thoughts alone have the power to summon him, Jin appears. Rounding the corner with his arms overburdened by firewood, he startles me. 

Rubbing my chest absentmindedly, I scold him. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that! I swear, it's like you don't touch the ground at all. I didn't even hear any footsteps!"

I watch with a frown as he laughs at me, bending over to guffaw as if my near heart attack is the funniest thing he's ever seen. If it wasn't for the firewood in his arms, I'd be willing to bet that Jin is the knee slapping kind of guy.

"I'm sorry," he nearly sobs, clearly rather unapologetic as he continues. "In all technicality I wasn't sneaking though. I truly didn't mean to startle you."

I simply glare at him in silence, not pacified in the slightest.

"Hungry?" he asks hopefully. 

If he thinks he can bribe me with food...

Then he is absolutely correct.

Once more we find ourselves seated together at the dinner table as I scarf down his truly wonderous cooking. It's become a habit of ours, eating and chatting together. Every day Jin tells me new stories, and everyday I feel just that little bit closer to Jimin and his world.

Today's story is particularly saddening, making my heart ache for Jimin in an entirely new way.

"Jimin's always been a bit on the rebellious side," Jin tells me somberly. "It honestly surprised all of us when father chose him as crown prince."

"Why?" I inquire curiously, listening raptly as Jin weaves his storytelling magic once more.

Shifting his legs casually, Jin hums in thought for a moment.

"Well," he begins, "the decision was made after Jimin rebelled so hard that we were certain Father would kill him."

I blanch, horrified at the idea that Jimin's father is the kind of man who would even kill his own son.

"He fell in love, you see." He states, watching for my reaction with perceptive eyes.

"What?" I ask incredulously. "Is falling in love illegal in your world or something?"

"No, not exactly," Jin replies quickly. "Though for a Prince it's never encouraged for sure. The problem though, was that he fell in love with a human."

Once again, Jin pauses in order to study my reaction. I'm not sure what kind of reaction that he is looking for, but I'm afraid he's going to have to be disappointed. It isn't that I don't care. On some small level the idea of Jimin loving someone else before me does hurt, or maybe it would be more precise to say that the idea of it makes me uncomfortable. 

But what can I say? 

Eying me carefully, Jin continues. 

"Of course, Father immediately set out to have the woman killed. Almost succeeded too. But at the last minute Jimin spirited her away into the fairy realm. This angered father to no end, but even so it was nothing in comparison to the sin he later committed."

"What do you mean? What did Jimin do?" I inquire impatiently. 

"After whisking her away and avoiding father for a few years, Jimin was forced to take her back to the human world." He says, eyes glistening with pity for his little brother as he continues to reveal more of Jimin's story. "He'd fallen in love with her, but his feelings were one-sided. She already had someone in her heart, one of her own. Of course, Jimin was crestfallen, but also determined to keep her safe all the same."

Throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling, he chuckles humorlessly.

"He placed a multitude of enchantments on her, protecting her from our kind. Unfortunately, this also meant that she could no longer see Jimin. Magic always comes with a price." He reveals.

"How sad," I mutter, more to myself than anything.

"It is, isn't it?" Jin replies absently, still staring at the ceiling. "We we're all so scared for Jimin, and yet he just waltzed back into the palace as if he feared nothing. I think that it was then that we knew..."

"Knew what?" 

It is with a bitter, pain filled voice,  that Jin replies. "Our Jimin was no more."