The language of the Stars

Taehyung was looking at the sky, noticing how the main stars aligned in a particular way with the moons, forming the picture of a tree. It had not happened in fifteen years – he remembered the last time he saw this, profound changes came into his life, leading him to the loss of his parents and this nomadic life. He was not sad per se – he learned to deal with the pain a long time ago – but it made him nostalgic for a time that could not be anymore.

He scribbled quickly some annotations before closing his notebook to hide it in the folds of his clothes. He trusted the men he was travelling with, they became his family along the years but there was still the unknown possibility of them fearing him for what he was.

They knew he was an astronomer, they knew the magus accompanying them casted a powerful spell upon their convoy thanks to his peculiar abilities, but they ignored the extent of them. Hoseok promised they would meet a person who would be able to teach him how to curb them properly – he felt a certain trepidation whenever he thought about meeting the man.

Shutting the tiny curtain down, he moved to his cot and laid on the mismatched blankets, stretching his stiff limbs. He did not mind travelling because he was avid of learning about the diverse cultures of their lands, of discovering new landscapes but it was always hard on his body.

He did not complain – no one ever. It was the life they knew for years on end, never staying more than a couple of weeks at the same place although they visited them back along their journey through desolate lands. They were messengers – had been – until rumors of mysterious murders committed by nomads arrived at the ears of the villagers that once welcomed them with open arms and now were closing the doors of their villages to every stranger passing by.

Their safety in a perilous situation, they had run to the borders not being able to cross until they crossed path with a lone minstrel – a magus of power – who helped them in more than one way. A fragile trust settled between them – Jungkook somehow still wary of him – within the weeks spent together.

“They saw us.”

The voice of Hoseok disturbed the silence of the caravan, drawing the attention of Taehyung back to the present. Raising an eyebrow, he lifted a corner of the silky curtain hanging above him and saw a soft blue light mixed with a silver so pure he had no other choice than to be in awe in front of it, meeting the shimmery spell hiding them from prying eyes.

He lifted his hand, wanting to touch it but the magus was prompt to stop him.

“Don’t. He won’t understand.”

Taehyung nodded, retracting his hand. There was something calling him in this shimmer, a link he wanted to explore but everything had to come in time – patience was the key.

“Is this the work of your cousin?”

Hoseok hummed, seemingly deep in thoughts as he stared at the spell mixed with his own. It was as if he was deciphering a message in the swirls of light. When he deemed himself satisfied with what was hidden to the common eyes, he turned his attention back to his companion.

“And his astronomer.”

The curiosity of the young musician was picked. While Hoseok talked a lot about his cousin, he never once mentioned of an astronomer although it should have been clear to Taehyung that the mysterious person Hoseok wanted to introduce to him could be no one else than an astronomer.

“They’re going to guide us to the castle. You might want to warn Jimin to let the horses do their things.”

The words of the magus were enigmatic, even to Taehyung, but he learned along the weeks to not discuss his orders and do what he was told – it had saved them quite a lot of times.

The musician moved to the front of the trailer and sat outside in a swift movement. Whistling a couple of low notes, he alerted his friend notifying him of Hoseok’s advices. Jimin lifted a hand, thumb and forefinger joined in an ok-sign before drawing his hood over his head to hide his face from the rising wind.

Taehyung took in their surroundings. The rare trees standing along the path offered few if not any coverage from unwanted company. Fields ran on both sides of the muddy road toward the horizon, illuminated by two full moons. No farm could be seen but a dark mass slowly revealed itself to the eyes of the convoy. Towers leapt to the sky, poking at the firmament, while sturdy-looking ramparts protected them from any attackers – hiding certainly more than what Taehyung could even imagine.

The shimmery blue and silver spell he was the only one to see came from the depth of the castle. The closer they came to the fortress, the more he could make out of the notes interwoven into the spell – the incantation haunting. Closing his eyes, he committed them to memories – the melody the first thing he would play once they would be in the safety of these walls.



*



Yoongi joined Namjoon and Seokjin in the high hall as the nomadic musicians played the first notes of a song no one had ever heard before. The counterpoint of the violins was complementing the haunting notes of the clarinet, on a melody there was no doubt was his signature cast. The astronomer was shocked, yet he did not let anyone notice it. Eyes strained on the clarinetist, he listened to each and every note – ears following the lines of the harp and the cello before settling on the last note of the accordion.

Namjoon and his adviser applauded politely while Yoongi stayed impassive. That the strange musicians played his incantation was something he never encountered before, he would have to talk about this with the prince later, in the privacy of their apartments. For now, more urgent matters were in order.

“Hoseok, welcome back.”

Namjoon welcomed his cousin formally before breaking into a huge smile, opening his arms for an accolade. It had been months since they last saw him at the castle – the minstrel always away, up hill and down dale, to learn new songs and bring more information on the war brewing.

To have him back in between the walls of the castle would lighten the heavy atmosphere which settled in during the past few months. Namjoon – and Seokjin – would want to hold meetings with him but for now, it was all about celebrating.

“Hyung, you’re paler than the last time I saw you.”

Yoongi glared at his best friend, the softness clear in his gaze, before pulling the man into a bone-crushing hug. He inhaled the scent of fresh air and lingering magic, looking for a clue of where he had been. The only scent he managed to recognize was of clary sage.

“Sage?”

Hoseok heard the worry in this single word and was quick to placate his friend. The astronomer might look indifferent, but he actually cared a lot about maybe too many things. Who knew him learned at an early age to assuage his burst of anxiety.

“Taehyung was tired, I brewed some for him.”

The minstrel gestured towards the clarinetist who was introducing himself to Namjoon and Seokjin, mysterious aura swirling around him. The astronomer had so many questions about him but before he could share them with his friend, Hoseok dragged him to the group of musicians.

“Let me introduce my travelling companions. This is Jimin” He started, he pointed at the harpist before turning to one of the violinists, “Jungkook and our clarinetist is Taehyung.”

The names of the other nomads were lost to Yoongi as soon as he made eye-contact with the haunting clarinetist. His body was singing – there was no other way to describe the sensations coursing his veins – as they locked eyes. A spark of silver escaped his hands which he was quick to conceal but was not lost by the young musician.

He could feel the worried gaze of Namjoon on them, the prince able to feel the magic he let slip from him in a split second – a moment of weakness due mostly by the surprise of finally meeting one of his kind. Glancing at his friend, he reassured him with a tight smile before excusing himself from the hall.

He needed the peace of his room. He needed to read the stars, he had missed an important piece of information tonight.

He was lost in his stargazing, only disconnecting from his spyglass to scribble furiously on loose pieces of paper, when Hoseok made his way silently into the messy room. The magus sat on an armchair, crossing his legs before casually lighting some lanterns with a flick of his wrist, illuminating the piece with purplish light.

“You found a lumen.”

The tinkling laugh of Hoseok filled the room. The minstrel was too pleased with himself, that much was apparent yet Yoongi did not hold any grudge on him. Such a piece of information was too important to be wasted in the not so secured messenger service.

“One of your kind. Wonderful clarinetist, astronomer and lumen. He needs your guidance.”

“I don’t take disciple, you know that.”

Yoongi crossed his arms as he stared at his best friend, not understanding why the man was so adamant in him having someone just like him by his side. Being able to manipulate light the way he did was a dangerous and much coveted skill, he did not want to subject anyone to this risk. Hoseok – more than anyone else – should know and understand that.

“He wants to control it. His power is too fickle at the moment to be of any real help to a magus in case of a battle. You know how dangerous it could be if we, magus, can’t use him as a good catalyst.”

The astronomer sighed, observing his friend with attention before giving up. There was no way he could refuse anything to the magus, it was a lost battle – one he recognized he could never win since they were children.

“I thought no one survived the ‘great slaughter’…”

“Obviously someone did” Hoseok smiled, getting up from his seat to pat the shoulder of his friend before leaving the room, “I think you’ll be great friends. There’s a good alchemy in the air.”

Yoongi could not help to chuckle at the bad pun, only his best friend could think of something like this. With a sigh, he flopped down on his bed and thought of the events of the night: the convoy, the mysterious musicians and the even more mysterious lumen… Now, he could understand how his melody was found – only a man sharing his own abilities could hear it.

He would have to meet with the boy as soon as possible.