The story that I was about to tell was never an unheard-of around this area. Everyone around here, young or old, had at least known a little of the white castle that was not around anymore. They knew of the legend surrounding the mystique of the castle, and those who had lived in it. Fairy tales of romance, love, passion and dreams were weaved, so as to hide the true side of these myths.

The older generation would recall the place surely, for it was the grandest building of their time. They would remember crowding around the tall iron gates, waiting, just waiting and hoping to see a glimpse of its inhabitants.

The younger generation would recall the little bedtime stories told to them about the beautiful being that lived in the highest tower of the palace, the glamorous tales of his glory, and of course, his fall.

But they never knew his name.

They called it the Labyrinth, a place that sells love, for just one night.

The Labyrinth used to lie on a gentle slope on a small hill. At the foot of the hill where the entrance was, there were two gargoyles guarding the side of the gate. A stone path used to wind up the hill from there, leading up to the top of the hill.

On the right of the path was a Christian cemetery, holding the stones of previous owners, or anyone whose lives intertwined with the history of the Labyrinth, including the servants. Adelio, the one who founded the Labyrinth believed that, regardless of status, dead men are equal. The subsequent owner had no objection towards that viewpoint.

Further up right stood a grand church where the inhabitants will visit once in a while Sunday services were held regularly, and the Three Chamberlains would be sure to attend, putting up a religious front for the rest of the world to see.

The clock tower beside the church used to tell the time for the rest of the townspeople. The structure of magnificent, but going up was absolutely forbidden. Nobody knew the reason, even until today, as those who found up never lived to tell the truth.

And on the left, was where the main building used to stand.

The Labyrinth could be split into three wings, each wing governed by a Chamberlain. The left wing was also known as the Autumn Chamber, guarded by the oldest brother of the three Chamberlains—Cillian. The Chamber was in charge of dealing with all those who wanted to seek employment with the Labyrinth, sorting them into different talents. The servants would be sent to the Winter Palace immediately, while those with the potential to become a Key was sent to the right wing, the Moon City, where they would be trained by trainers under the second older brother—Lucine—before being handed over to the main wing of the Labyrinth—The Winter Palace, where the main activities would take place.

And the rest of the world knew the youngest brother, or the Owner of the Labyrinth, as Yeka.

According to local beliefs, Yeka was never really happy about inheriting the Labyrinth, more fondly known to them as the Palace, from his grandfather, Adelio. He was never cut out for the trade, Yeka had argued. But he was the one who had brought the Palace to its most glorious days. While at the same time, he was also the one who had brought it to its legendary fall.

Nobody knew what had happened to Yeka after the famous fire that had reduced the Palace to nothing but ashes, nor did anybody know if he had been around to witness how his brothers, together with the rest of the Palace dwellers, caught fire like paper dolls, flesh melting off their bodies as the flames ate at them.

Where was he? That was the question nobody had the answer to.

46 years ago.

Late Summer

Winter Palace, Labyrinth

“You own the Palace now, Yeka.” Panyin walked into the room with a sigh. As the oldest member of the workforce in the Palace, Panyin had not looked a year over thirty. He was around since Adelio started the Labyrinth, and now, after Adelio died and Yeka had to take over, thanks to his irresponsible father who had eloped with another woman after their mother died.

“You’re twenty, young man. So jolly well stop acting like a two year old!” Panyin rolled his eyes at the figure that had just slapped his palms against the full-length windows of the room, looking down at the estate that was just being willed to him.

“Panyin,” Yeka started. “Why did Father leave us and his duties as the Palace owner?”

“Because he wants to escape from the world we live in, Yeka.” Silence as Yeka waited for the elder man to continue.

“Our world is one where sex and money is the universal language. Falling in love will only result in heartbreak and pain later. However nice sounding the name Labyrinth is, it is still a harem after all. The whores can’t fall in love, and neither can you, Yeka.”

Yeka gritted his teeth, desperately asking for control. Panyin squeezed his shoulders affectionately and smiled.

“Cade is not a coward, he loved Olisa; that’s why I see you and your brothers here today. But he learnt his lesson after Olisa died. He loved Misae too much to see her being exposed to this trade we are involved in. He can’t afford to make the same mistake twice, not this time round.”

The older man got onto his feet and made his way out of the room, leaving Yeka to make sense of his words himself.

“Do not hate your father, Yeka. Cade is only a romantic and there’s nothing bad about that, except for being born to the wrong family.”

And the door clicked shut.

The bright lights of the Palace made an interesting and beautiful view from his room. But Yeka had better things to think about than to observe the lights that he could get to see every single day of his life until his death.

Father is not at fault, but I am? Yeka smiled bitterly at the thought, losing the night for many others to come.

Lucine found Yeka in the library the next morning, diligently looking through the files of all those who lived in the Labyrinth.

“Hi, kid.” Lucine raised an eyebrow cheerfully, pulling a chair to sit beside his brother.

“Stop calling me a kid, Brother. And a good morning to you too.” The owner replied, keeping his eyes on the thick black file on the table.

Lucine rudely took the file off the table, closing it and effortlessly tossing it to the other corner of the room. Turning back, he met Yeka’s flashing eyes with concern in his.

“If I had not remembered wrongly, a certain brother of mine was bawling like a baby when he was told about Granddad’s will.” He reached out a hand to push Yeka’s ash gray hair away from his face, his hands lingering for longer than it should. “You okay?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Yeka retorted, his lips unconsciously curling into a pout as he brushed Lucine’s hand away from him. “I talked to Panyin last night about my duties as an owner. But I still have some questions for you, Brother.”

“And that would be?” Lucine leant back, relaxed on the chair with his eyes closed and waited.

“Why are the whores called the Keys?” Was the first question.

“Or you prefer them to be called the Keyholes? It sounds better than any other name we have for them, prostitutes, hookers, whores…keyholes…” Lucine sniggered. “Icarus, the most expensive KEYHOLE in the Labyrinth…what the…”

Yeka nodded, ignoring the joke. “And that brought me to my second question, who is this Icarus? He signed up as a key seventy years ago, that’s the year when the Palace was finished building. But there was no recorded date of his death.”

“That’s because he’s not dead yet. You’ll meet him soon enough, or you can just ask Panyin about him. Panyin was the one who trained him.” Lucine pushed himself off the chair and swept whatever files there were on the table onto the floor, signifying his need for a change in topic.

“Now, my dearest workaholic of a brother, will you do me the honor of going riding with me? The servants just brought in a pair of spirited white horses, desperately in need of taming.”

Yeka sighed, getting up and picking up the files and replacing them back onto the shelves.

“I hate animals and you know it, Brother. Now leave me alone.”

“You asked for it, Yeka.” Lucine smirked, easily lifting Yeka’s lithe form over his shoulders and carrying the man towards the door.

“Hey—“

“Woah, that looks fun, can I join in?” A head popped out from behind the oak door, grinning at the pair.

“Brother! Tell Lucine to put me down, will ya?!” Cillian, the oldest of the three, walked into the room, leaned against the closed door, while silently contemplating the consequences.

“Well…”

“Please, Brother…for the love of Odin, put me down, Lucine!!”

Cillian smiled and helped to wrestle Yeka out of Lucine’s arms, leaving behind a very disheveled Yeka and a very pissed off Lucine.

“Much as I love to join in the game, Lucine, we need to make some handover speech to the rest of the Palace, and discuss about the Autumn Festival.”

Yeka casually brushed down the tangles in his long hair and heaved a sigh of relief. Anything is better than spending the morning with some wild dirty smelly animal. Thanks, Odin.

The morning had passed without much hassle. It was just a simple announcement to the rest of the Palace regarding the transfer of ownership and the basic layout for the Autumn Festival. It was a simple event, really. In a nutshell, it was nothing but a recruitment fair for the Palace that was held every five years, where the Keys were free to roam about with their personal aides trailing behind them to make sure they do not invite strange men into their rooms. There was no fear of the Keys trying to escape though, not that they have a place to escape to.

The Palace takes care of their own. Definitely.

The theme for the Fair that year, as chosen by the young owner, was “Ragnarok”—the twilight of the gods, the final battle in which the giants and demons would overcome the gods.

Nobody had any idea why he had chosen that title. That night soon became the greatest talk in the village. It was the best Autumn Festival the village had seen ever since the Palace was built. But unfortunately, the Palace never stayed around long enough to see another one.

46 years ago.

Autumn Festival

Labyrinth

The Chinese man struggled through the partying crowd to the booth next to the temporary stage made from a raised platform.

He had spent two months at sea, fortunately managing to make it to the Festival in time. It was a place where money could be earned easily, according to the older folks in his hometown. It was a place where its employers were taken care of, and treated with due respect. That was all Tian Ci had asked for.

“Looking for anyone or anything in particular?” Tian Ci could not help but smile at the little girl looking up at him. She was a child of not more than ten, with long blond hair that reached down to her waist, blue eyes that twinkled when she smiled.

“No, I was just trying to make my way to the recruitment booth over there. Where’s your mommy?”

“Mommy? I don’t have a mommy!” The girl frowned, curtseying politely as she made her introduction. “My name’s Amador and I work for the Palace.” She grinned cheekily, signaling Tian Ci to lean in closer with her hand.

“I’ll be waiting for you in my room!” She whispered into his ear, before grabbing his face and pressing her lips onto his.

“See ya around!” The child waved and ran away, disappearing into the crowd.

“Amador, you should really stop seducing men that you don’t know, especially men who don’t know you are a boy. What’s Duke Panyin, or worse, the Chamberlain going to say about this behavior?” Amador turned to smirk at the young woman standing next to him.

Nariko sighed, brushing her jet-black bangs away from her face. It was tough job being Amador’s personal aide, considering the child’s natural recklessness and free spirited nature. But she enjoyed her job; the pay was good enough for her to splurge on clothes, her food and lodgings provided at the Palace. Yes, no job could be better than this. And spoilt as the young Key was, he was certainly intelligent to keep out of trouble. When he wanted to.

“Which Chamberlain were you referring to, Nariko?” Amador asked, trying his best to straighten the creases in his dress. There was a name for people like him: cross dresser, looking like an angel was his natural asset, and he certainly would want to make use of it to the best of his abilities. Well, if you have it, flaunt it!

“Yeka, of course. Cillian goes along with anything, Lucine seldom gives a damn about how the Palace works.”

“Okay…but that’s me! Or would you rather I stay in that Godforsaken tower all day long like Icarus?”

“Shh!” Nariko bent down quickly, putting a finger against Amador’s lips.

“The rivalry between the two of you is as clear as day since you joined the Palace two years ago, Amador. But Icarus is still the public’s man and it won’t help you very much to be on the bad side of the crowd, right?”

“Like hell I’ll care.” The child muttered angrily. Amador could see no space for comparison between Icarus and him, during the beginning, at least. Icarus was a different sort of beauty of his own. He will not seduce, nor tempt. Even when he was taken, Icarus’s spirit can never be tamed nor domesticated. He is a free spirit of his own, and nothing can change that.

As for Amador? There was only a way to describe the child: his favorite hobby includes waving a bottle of beer in front of a desperate alcoholic.

Tian Ci pushed himself through the crowd. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the entire village was there that night. But quickly, the crowd fell silent as sparks began to light up the velvety night sky. The Chinese man stood, transfixed by the beauty of the fireworks against the dark blue heavens. It was like a scene out of a fairytale. Slowly, Tian Ci’s ears picked out the soft strains of violin music in the background as the bright lights from the white castle slowly dimmed, then focused all on a spot in the balcony.

The crowd began to murmur, while some desperately tried to shush the rest up. Three figures stepped into the light. Their tall frames stood high above the rest, and like royal princes, commanded absolute respect.

“Those are the three brothers. The one with the long hair is Yeka.”

“Oh, so that’s the Palace Owner from now on. But isn’t he a bit too young?”

“Heard that he’s only twenty this year.”

“Hush, he’s going to speak.”

Silence enveloped the surroundings. The man who was known as Yeka walked forward. Placing his hands gently on white concrete railings, Yeka leaned forward towards his audience below.

“Good evening, my friends. I hope the night has been pleasant for many of you since the Festival began.”

The voice was soft, like silk. But there was no effort needed to hear him, as the crowd remained silent. So silent that the pounding of heart could be heard so clearly, not to mention, that voice.

“I’ll like to introduce myself as Yeka, the Palace owner. And yes, Yeka is my real name, in case some of you are wondering. Of course, I’ll love to introduce the Keys to you one by one, but I supposed that’s against the regulations that my brothers so faithfully uphold, to the extent of threatening to dump me into the river if I do anything funny.”

There was a brief wave of laughter in the crowd, but it quickly died down again.

“That’s about all I have to say.” A slim slender man suddenly walked out of the shadows before Yeka. With the stranger’s pale lavender locks and soft white skin, he quickly became the attention figure of the villagers. Yeka widened his eyes as a faint scent of lilac invaded his senses. Even with a mask on, the Palace Owner could quickly deduce who the new arriver was.

Icarus?!

Yeka turned to stare at Lucine, who only smirked back in reply. Raising his hand up slightly, he snapped his fingers, giving the band below the cue to start the dance.

The crowd’s eyes were all fixated on the newcomer. The sleek movements of his body moved rhythmically with the music. It was the village’s tribal dance that Icarus was performing. As a tradition, the dance was performed in every major village celebration, as a ritual to the gods above, praying for good fortune for the years to come.

The Sunset Key danced, like water, like silk, like moonlight, or perhaps like snow. Even though he was wearing a mask, his entrancing movements told every individual that he was dancing especially for him or her.

That was Yeka’s first meeting with the famous Sunset Key.

Among the audience, there were only two people not paying attention to Icarus’ bewitching performance. One was, of course, Amador who only snort at his rival’s appearance, envy and irritation obvious on his young, otherwise angelic face. The other was Tian Ci himself.

At first look, the Chinese man had perceived Icarus to be female. There was no trace of doubt about it on his mind. To him, there was nothing worth looking at a whore dancing, seducing lovers into bed with empty promises of love. The person, who had fascinated him more, was the young Palace owner -- Yeka.

Who would expect the owner of such a grand Palace was a young man whose twenty years of maturity had barely left a trace on that handsome face? All dressed in white, with his light ash gray hair playing with the cool night wind, Yeka looked just like an angel who stepped out of his childish dreams.

But at that moment, Yeka was feeling like everything but an angel.

“What’s the meaning of this, brother?” Yeka hissed, mint green eyes pouring venom in his anger.

Lucine sniffled a snicker at his brother’s flamed expression and shrugged.

“You mean you’d rather I leave you standing there to introduce tonight’s itinery by yourself, my dear baby brother?” The older man almost laughed when Yeka’s face turned redder in anger at the overly affectionate term used on him.

Lucine glanced at his audience in satisfaction. Bringing out Icarus was definitely a good idea. At least it gave the moody Key a chance to stretch his legs. At least he thought so, until he noticed a pair of foreign black eyes not concentrating on the dance, but on his brother instead.

Dark green eyes flared with a passion. His. And nobody was allowed to look at him but he.

“Brother?”

The loud applauds and cheering from below woke Lucine out of his self-imposed trance. He shook his head a bit, clearing his mind of the sudden sharp thoughts that came to mind. What was wrong with him?

Icarus took a quick bow of acknowledgement, his hand ready to remove the mask that hid his pretty face from the world. But a hand around his wrist quickly stopped him.

Cillian stepped front, turned Icarus’s hand to have the back of it facing him and smiled as he kissed the smooth skin gentlemanly.

“I’m sorry, friends.” Cillian faced the villagers with an apologetic smile on his face. “The Sunset Key will not show his face except to the one who holds his key.”

Icarus took back his hand, nodding slightly in understanding and proceeded to make his way back to his tower. As soon as he stepped into the shadows, he quickened his footsteps to a run. But not before throwing a quick glance at Lucine.

“The bid for the next master of the Sunset Key begins!” Cillian announced. Almost instantaneously, the crowd came to life.

Cillian’s eyes swept quickly through the colorful crowd. The man Lucine was staring at was gone. But a quick look out from the side of his eyes confirmed that Yeka had left his place at the balcony too.

Icarus sat silently by the glass wall of his bedroom, alone, far away from the excitement of the Festival. He clenched his hands over his chest, tears rolling down his face. His heart, it hurt so much.

His mask lay broken by his side, his long beautiful hair trailing downwards to tickle his feet. But what was the use? No matter how beautiful he was, no matter how many men he could seduce into his bed, he could not get the heart of the man destined to free him from his eternal imprisonment.

His long silky robe fell over a shoulder as his body shake due to his sobbing, revealing the exquisite tattoo of red and silver wings on his porcelain skin.

Glancing upwards at the night sky with tear filled eyes, Icarus realized, much to his misery, that no matter how close the sunset was to the moon, they would always be on opposite sides of the sky.