2 days later...

"Piarnoun Morfi...yeah, that's the one!"

"I am sorry but Pairnoun what?"

"Pairnoun Morfi." Jungkook repeated as he peered up from the huge spells book he held in hand. "A spell that enables a person to take the form of any living creature. It is a really hard one to learn and only some people are able to do it."

"So, you are telling me that Seth used this spell on Jimin to take my friend's form and trick me into his trap."

"Yup, pretty much." Jungkook nodded as Aera rubbed her hands against each other as they were starting to go cold. Blowing on them, she looked at Jungkook who was keeping the heavy spells book aside on a table.

Looking at the boy, she bit her inner lip and spoke in deep thoughts. "This realm really is a very mysterious place. When you think you are finally getting to know it something new pops up, something you never even thought could be possible."

"I agree. Though I have lived here my entire life, I still keep getting surprised by the magic this part of the world holds." Jungkook said as he looked at Aera with his doe eyes. "But tell me Aera, how is the other part of the world like? The one from which you come."

Giving a smile, Aera shrugged her shoulders as she played with the hem of the purple dress she wore. "Life comparatively is less 'dope' there." She said as a chuckle escaped her lips. "People depend more on their physical powers and abilities because magic does not exist there, and even if it does, it is very less to be noticed."

Raising his eyebrows, Jungkook sat back on his chair. "I would like to visit it, you know, the muggle realm as they say. Maybe, just maybe, if we bring down the dark forces and peace is restored, you can take us there. Afterall, you are the one who holds the power of being able to control the Forbidden Door."

Silence fell as the two looked at each other, each lost in one's own thoughts.

"Jungkook..." Aera suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "Do you think the Prince is angry with me?"

Two days...

Two days since Falkor had saved her and Jimin...

Two days of Jimin lying unconscious under medical care...

And two days since the Prince had talked to her...

"I wouldn't say he is angry, he is just a bit too busy with his work to talk to you, Aera."

"But, before, no matter how busy he would be, he would atleast say a 'hi' to me but now, he just walks past me without even saying anything." Aera spoke as her throat tightened. She couldn't understand why the Prince's behaviour effected her so much. 

Looking at Aera, Jungkook broke into a soft smile. "Aera, you are just overthinking things. But, I guess, he does seem a bit distant these days. Maybe it is because of Falkor. Falkor is really close to him and seeing the dragon hurt, pains Taehyung's heart."

A guilty feeling took over Aera as she remembered the day when they returned from the Forbidden Forest.

Two days ago...

Landing near the castle grounds, Aera and Jimin got off Falkor's back.

Helping Jimin stand, Aera looked at Falkor who seemed to look really unwell. His blue shining eyes were loosing their glint and his scales were starting to look dull too.

It was as if Falkor's energy was being sucked out of him.

Patting the dragon's head, Aera tilted her head in confusion as she saw the dragon slump to the ground and give a low moan. "Falkor, what's wrong?" She asked as silence responded her.

Seeing the dragon lay motionlessly on the ground was starting to worry the heck out of Aera.

Helping Jimin sit, Aera gave a worried sigh. "I will go call someone from the castle. Stay here, ok?" She spoke as an uneasy feeling made its way in Aera's heart.

She knew that the Prince wouldn't be too happy to know that she had once again gotten herself into danger but above that, she also knew that if anything would happen to Falkor, the Prince would be really hurt because from what she had observed, the Prince was really close to the dragon.

It was as if they were siblings, always there for each other, like a perfect duo.

Walking inside the castle, Aera wondered how the Prince first met Falkor. What was their story?

Knocking on the door of the Prince's room, Aera anxiously waited for him to respond as after a few minutes, the door was opened and a set of blue eyes met her.

"Aera?" The Prince spoke as Aera nervously played with her fingers. "What happened? Why do you look so worried?"

"Taehyung, there is a lot that has happened and it is so that right now, right infront of the castle, Jimin and Falkor are there but that is not the main point...there is something terribly wrong with Falkor. He does not seem well. Please come with me."

Now, accompanied with Taehyung and a few guards Aera led them to the place where her friend and Falkor were resting.

A gasp escaped Taehyung's lips when his eyes fell on the half-dead looking dragon. His eyes then moved from the dragon to the boy who sat next to him.

"I have seen him somewhere before." Taehyung thought to himself but this quickly went away when his eyes once again fell on his dragon.

"Falkor..." Taehyung whispered as he walked towards the dragon and kneeled down. Keeping his hand on the dragon's head, he gently patted it as the dragon gave a light groan. "Aera, where did you and Falkor go? How is he so badly injured?"

Aera found herself at a loss of words because though the Prince's voice was steady and seemed calm, there was a hint of anger mixed in it.

"I-I went to the Forbidden Forest to meet Jimin but things went wrong and I got lead into a trap. I did not know that Falkor had been following me this entire time and when I was about to get attacked, he prevented me from getting hurt by taking the attack instead."

Taehyung's gave a confused look and furrowed his eyebrows. "Attacked by whom? What attacked you?"

"A ghoul, I think his name was Seth."

Hearing this, Taehyung got up. Giving a serious expression he looked towards his guards and ordered them to take Falkor under immediate care. Then looking at the boy, Jimin, he told another guard to take him to the medics room.

Turning to Aera, Taehyung looked at her, as if wanting to say something. His eyes flashed an emotion but before Aera could understand what it was, it quickly went away.

Lowering his gaze, Taehyung stood silent. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked at the girl one last time and then turned around and walked away.

"It's been two days Jungkook. Two days since he last talked to me and I don't know why, but this guilt is eating me up! The guilt of being the reason why Falkor is injured in the first place." Running a hand through her hair, Aera gave an exasperated sigh as she rested her chin on her palms. 

"Tell me Jungkook, why is it that I am getting so affected by the Prince's behaviour. Normally, I don't mind being ignored but why is it that being ignored by the Prince makes me feel all broken from the inside?"

Jungkook's eyes widened as he heard Aera's words.

"So its true..." He thought. "...this little thing called love."

"Aera, whenever you are with the Prince, do you feel anything special?"

"Special?" Aera asked, pulling a face.

"Yeah like, do you feel your heart beating in your chest or do have this longing to spend more and more time with the Prince?"Jungkook asked as Aera tilted her head.

"Uh, doesn't the heart always beat? And doesn't one always want to spend time with their close friends?" 

A chuckle escaped the boy's lips as he shook his head. "You really are very clueless aren't you? Good thing I am here to teach you a bit or two about how love works. They call me the international playboy you see!" Jungkook said, throwing a playful wink to which Aera scrunched her nose.

"Love?" She asked. "What love are you talking about? In love with whom?"

"See, you don't even know what I am trying to say!" Jungkook exclaimed. Pulling his chair closer to Aera, he looked at her with deep eyes. "Aera, you said that the Prince ignoring you is causing you to feel really hurt, right?"

"Yes."

"And you also said that normally you don't mind being ignored by someone, right again?"

"Yeah."

With twinkling eyes, Jungkook smiled. "Then this means that for you, Taehyung is someone special. His behaviour towards you is affecting how you feel which means that in your heart, there is something really strong that had grown for him."

"But we are friends!" Aera spoke putting emphasis on her words. "How do you expect me not to feel bad if my friend ignores me?" 

Shushing Aera, Jungkook continued. "Aera, has there been any moment where you have felt possessive or lets say, jealous, on seeing Taehyung with some other person?"

At this, the girl fell silent as her mind took her back to the moment when she first met Evie. And then to the moment when she heard Evie confess to the Prince.

Weirdly, Aera remembered feeling an emotion that she had never felt before. An emotion that stung her whenever she would see Evie and the Prince together. Was this what they called, jealousy?

"Umm, yes."

Clapping his hands, Jungkook got up with a bright smile on his face. "Perfect! Then I, Jeon Jungkook, am glad to announce that you malady, are falling in love! Now, I must take my leave. Please excuse me."

Surprised beyond measure, Aera sat frozen to her chair as for a minute or two, she could not even breath.

"Love?" The word echoed in her heart and that is when she finally understood what Jungkook said.

"YAH, JEON JUNGKOOK!" Aera screamed as she got up from her seat. Running behind the boy who by the time had walked out of her room and crossed a few hallways she shouted loudly, not caring if anyone else would hear what she was saying. "I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH THE PRINCE!"

It was at this moment, when fate decided that time had come to make her go through a huge amount of embarrassment.

And when I say huge, I mean it!

Her last few words echoed so loudly that anyone standing even two metres away would have been able to hear her. So how could someone, who was just at the turn of the  hallway where Aera was headed to, not have heard it?

Running as fast as she could, Aera turned to her left and before she could stop herself, she collided against someone.

"Ouch!" She mumbled as she rubbed her head. Looking up, she whispered a sorry and was about to continue her persuit when her eyes fell on the person who stood in front of her.

He seemed to look shocked, or maybe, even a bit hurt. His blue eyes looked at Aera, with amusement yet constrain as he helped her gain balance.

"Oh, P-Prince Taehyung." The words escaped her lips as realization hit Aera that Taehyung must have heard what she had so loudly and carelessly screamed.

"Wouldn't it be better if you would be a bit more careful as to whom you are running into." Taehyung spoke, as Aera looked at him, unable to move.

He still held her hands and for some reason, Aera did not want him to leave them. 

"I-I am s-sorry." Aera mumbled, not able to get words out of her lips. It was as if they were stuck inside, refusing to come out. Talking to the Prince and seeing him finally pay her some attention made Aera feel overwhelmed.

"Please be more careful and also, don't go around shouting in the hallways. Noise travels really fast and its not too hard to hear what someone may be saying." Taehyung said as he noticed Aera's cheeks flush bright red.

He wanted to smile, make a joke and continue to hold her hands, but he held himself back as he left her hands and backed away. "I will get going." He said as Aera could not help but catch a hint of sadness in his voice.

And just like that, he walked away...

Keeping her hands to her cheeks, Aera squealed as she looked up to see Jungkook who was giving her a cheeky smile.

"Damn Aera, you are blushing!" He said with a laugh as Aera suppressed a smile.

Truth was that not only was she blushing, but she was feeling exactly what Jungkook had asked her before. Her heart was beating so loudly that she could literally hear it, while she longed to talk to the Prince again.

"Am I...really falling for him? Am I really falling for 'the' Prince Taehyung?" She thought as she kept her hand on her chest and broke into a smile.

To be honest, your author herself is starting to fall for someone (◕‿◕✿)

By the way, who would like to know the backstory of Taehyung and Falkor? Should I write a chapter on it?

Also, notice how I tend to use the pronoun 'he' for Falkor. Now don't come bashing at me for my grammar because there is a reason why I have given an animal the pronoun 'he'. I want Falkor to appear as a creature with human emotions because Falkor is a character that will play a great role in the coming chapters.

Keep smiling keep slaying~