3 Days Later...

A lot had happened...a lot had changed...but at the same time, a lot remained the same...

The past three days were hectic, filled with worry and doubt. Uncertain was the future while cloudy was the present.

With every passing second Taehyung fought for his life while with every passing second Aera would feel her heart tighten at the thought of loosing him.

So much energy and life had been sucked out of him that now, there was no guarantee weather the Prince would ever open his eyes again.

Everything was done to try to save him, every speck of magic was used to try to fill him with life but nothing was for certain and hopes of people, which like the flame of a candle, started to flicker and die.

And ofcourse, the one to cause all this, was not overlooked. The one who was the reason of this, was not forgiven.

On returning to the castle, all the details of the events that had occured were narrated to the King and Queen.

Taehyung was immediately put under special care while Evie was thrown into the dungeons. Her fate and what was to be done with her was not yet decided and so for the time being, she was being held prisoner.

Even though it was not entirely her fault for what she did because she wasn't in her right senses when she performed the curse, she was still being punished. 

Evie grieved, feeling nothing but remorse for her own self. Sitting in that prison cell, she would look out listlessly into the darkness surrounding her, feeling dead from inside and not wishing to live.

And this was how the past three days had passed...

///

With her hands supporting her face and her elbows resting on the railing of her window, Aera looked at the bright sun and the vast blue sky.

Two birds who sat on the branch of a tree nearby played with each other while a frog below them croaked loudly.

"For how long are you going to make me suffer, Taehyung?" Aera thought. "For how long are you going to make me wallow in my pain and guilt? When will you wake up? The world has been going on at its pace like it always has, but what about you, Taehyung? For how long is your world going to continue staying at a pause?"

A sigh escaped Aera's lips as she closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm herself and prevent tears from forming in her eyes.

Suddenly, a knock came from the other side of her room's door. "Come in." Aera said absentmindedly, not caring to look at who it was.

The door opened, and in came Jimin who wore a worried look on his face. Taking quick steps, he walked towards the girl. "Aera, you have not eaten anything since morning. Stop worrying me! You may end up getting sick."

"I am not hungry." Aera replied as she looked away, ignoring Jimin's presence.

"Aera, what's wrong?" Jimin asked softly as he held his friends hand and made her look at him. "Is it about the Prince again?"

On hearing Jimin mention the Prince, tears quickly formed in Aera's eyes and she looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. "I am sorry Jimin, I can't help but worry. Every time I try to sleep, every time I try to get my mind off the recent events, the thought of Taehyung not waking up ever again starts to haunt me. It scares me. If only I could have saved him that day, all this would never have happened."

Jimin's expression softened as he saw tears slowly roll down Aera's cheeks. Wiping her tears away, Aera took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Silence fell between the two. 

"Tell me Jimin, why am I feeling like this? Why is it that ever since Taehyung lost consciousness, I feel as if a part of me has broken. Why do I feel so incomplete and lost?" 

Jimin raised his eyebrows on hearing Aera's words. It all started making sense to him now. The reason why Aera was so depressed, the reason why she cried, the reason why she had been distancing herself from everyone after what had happened in the Forbidden Forest was because...she loved Taehyung.

But before he could phrase his thoughts into words, Jungkook barged into the room, without knocking.

His eyes were wide while sweat rolled down his forehead. "The Prince..." He muttered, as he tried to catch his breath. 

"What's wrong Jungkook?" Aera asked as she walked towards him.

"The Prince...he has woken up!"

Both Aera and Jimin froze when they heard Jungkook's words. For some time, neither of them were able to say anything but soon, Aera recovered from the surprise and immediately her eyes lit up with hope.

"You are not pulling my leg, are you?" Aera asked to which Jungkook vigorously shook his head.

Relief flooded her heart and she broke into a smile. "Then what are we waiting for, let's go!"

The three friends now stood infront of a room which had bold letters written on its label saying: EMERGENCY ROOM

They had been told to wait outside for sometime because the King and Queen were currently talking to the Prince. While Jungkook and Jimin sat on the chairs, Aera walked up and down the corridor in a restless manner.

"She seems to be really eager to see the Prince." Jungkook whispered to which Jimin replied with a soft smile, "This is what love does to a person." 

After having to wait for half an hour, the door of the emergency room finally opened and out came the King and Queen.

The Queen's cheeks were stained with tears while the King wore a gloomy look on his face. Seeing their expressions, Aera looked hesitantly at Jimin to which Jimin sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"You are Aera, aren't you?" The Queen asked when she noticed Aera standing beside her.

Aera gave a bow in respect. "Yes your highness, I am."

The Queen on hearing this response, gave a look of suspecion to Aera. "What have you done to my son, young lady? Why is it that when he was unconscious, he kept saying your name? Why is it that even after waking up he mistook me, his very own mother, for you?"

Hearing the Queen's words left Aera in surprise and she shook her head. "I am sorry your highness, I do not know."

"Darling, come on. We need to go." King Edward said as he held his wife's hand. Giving one last look to Aera, the Queen turned around and walked away.

Aera took a deep breath and then looked at Jimin and Jungkook. "Let's go." She said to which the two shook their heads in denial.

"No Aera, it seems as if the only person that Taehyung wants to meet, is you. Go, he needs you." Jungkook said as Jimin agreed to his words.

Giving a smile, Aera nodded and turned to the half open door.

She knocked on it and for a few seconds no reply came. She began loosing hope and started to think of going away when finally, a voice came from inside.

"Enter..."

Never before had Aera felt so nervous in her entire life. She felt jumpy, worried and at the same time, eager to see the Prince. With her heart thumping loudly in her chest, she opened the door with her hands that had gone cold.

The door creaked as it opened and as Aera entered, it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the room.

Finally, her eyes adjusted and she could see everything around her with much more clarity. It was then when she saw Taehyung, who she noticed, was looking back at her.

He was lying on a huge bed in the middle of the room while the light of the sun, which entered from the open window fell on him.

A pang hit Aera's heart because now, instead of being greeted by the blue shining eyes of the Prince like usual, she found herself staring at two brown ones instead.

The two looked at each other in silence but soon, this broke when Taehyung managed to whisper, "Aera..."

During the past three days, Aera had planned out each and every detail of how she would meet the Prince once he would gain consciousness. She had thought about what she would say and how she would react when she would be standing in his presence but now, when in reality she stood infront of him and heard him call her name, all those rehearsals she had held with herself went to waste.

A sudden urge took over her and this time, she fulfilled it by rushing towards him and pulling him into a hug.

She held onto him tightly as ever, afraid that if she were to let go, she would loose him forever. She breathed in his scent and strangely, it calmed her, made her feel at peace.

This sudden movement of Aera, had left Taehyung in surprise but soon, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

Unknowingly, a tear fell from Aera's eyes and then another and before she even knew it, she was a crying mess. Taehyung, on noticing this broke away from the hug and made Aera sit beside him.

Holding her hands, he wiped her tears away and looked at her with love filled eyes. "Aera, please don't cry." He said with a soothing voice to which Aera looked back at him and shook her head.

"This all has happened because of me. I failed to protect you, Taehyung. Do you know how tough the past three days were for me without you? I could not sleep, I could not eat, I could do nothing. I was so worried that you may never wake up again and it would be all because of me, because of my failure to protect you." Aera's chest heaved as her voice wavered due to the swirl of emotions inside her.

"I am sorry..." She whispered as Taehyung's eyes softened. Hearing Aera's words made him realize about how much she cared about him and this filled his heart with warmth and increased the love he felt for her.

"No, you are not the one at fault, Aera. I am." He said to which Aera looked at him with confusion in her eyes.

"I am the one responsible for what has happened to me. I wanted to protect everyone...I wanted to protect you so I thought that maybe distancing myself from you would keep you safe; but now I know how wrong I was to think so."

Rubbing Aera's hand, Taehyung gently wiped away her tears. 

"I am sorry Aera if my actions hurt you. I was stupid and I completely understand if you are angry with me but please...don't blame yourself. Don't say that you are a failure because to be completely honest, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. You are the most wonderful person and a great Guardian."

Area was at a loss for words and for a few seconds she sat completely still. But when she finally finished processing whatever she had been told, a scoff escaped her lips and she looked at the Prince in disbelief.

"So all that drama of ignoring was just...to protect me?"

Taehyung gave a subtle nod and in response an exasperated sigh escaped Aera's lips. "Your highness, pardon me for saying this but, why are you so stupid?"

It was now Taehyung's turn to be confused as he tilted his head and muttered to himself, "I am?"

Area looked at Taehyung, not knowing what to say in response. 

"Do you know how much your silence hurt me?" She finally asked. "Do you know how everyday I would spend my time wondering what I had offended you with to be ignored in such a manner? Taehyung, these past few days a lot has happened and it all made me realize something..."

"What is it, Aera?" Taehyung questioned to which Aera's expression softened and she whispered, "That you mean the whole universe to me. Consider this a confession from me to you, a confession that I do not expect a response for but a confession which I have been wanting to tell you for a very long time; Prince Taehyung, I love you."

Taehyung's eyes widened on hearing Aera's words while his heart suddenly accelarated to a speed it had never before.

"I am not d-dreaming am I?" He asked to which Aera raised an eyebrow. "Does is it seem like one?" 

A smile formed on the Prince's lips as he brought his face closer to the girl's and whispered, "Yes, a dream which makes me feel as if I am in Paradise. Take this as my reply to your confession, princess." And he leaned in, planting his lips on hers and pulling her into a kiss.

They crashed together like stars colliding, and then he was kissing her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

A blush quickly crept up Aera's cheeks as she didn't hesitate to respond. Her heart raced while a euphoric feeling burst within her.

Their lips moved in perfect synchronisation, and the seed of love that they had once planted in their hearts for each other, finally bloomed into a beautiful flower.

The spark that they once had in their hearts for each other finally ignited and spread like a wild fire.

And after minutes of having being in each others arms, they broke away, smiling and blushing like crazy. Taehyung rested his forehead on Aera's and looked at her with love filled in his eyes.

"Aera," He whispered as he held her chin and made her look at him. "You have stolen my heart, you have made it yours but you know what, I am not complaining because I love you too."

I do not know if I will ever be complete, but I know whatever I am, you will always be the rest of me~