Kyuhyun awoke to the sound of birdsong coming from outside the house. Yawning, he arched his back in a long stretch. However, his eyes narrowed at the sight of the prince lying asleep in the bed beside his. A scowl crept onto his face.

“I only saved you so Severin can be defeated,” he muttered to himself, “Nothing more.” Rising, Kyuhyun changed into his black tailcoat, and, sword in hand and bow over his back, went out the door. The winding path behind the house led him to the nearby forest, his usual hunting spot. Weak sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves above him, giving the forest floor a rather dark, misty look. Kyuhyun breathed in the fresh morning air. Just then, a scuttling sound came from behind a nearby birch tree. Kyuhyun crouched down, cautiously moving forward, using ferns as his shield. There, on the trunk of the tree, was a squirrel, plump and furry, nibbling on a large round acorn. A smile tugged at Kyuhyun’s lip as he readied his bow and arrow, aiming for his target. He on his lower lip as he squeezed his right eye shut. With a single fire, the squirrel fell to the ground, arrow sticking out from its waist. Retrieving his catch, a triumphant Kyuhyun continued his hunt deeper into the forest, oblivious to the two pairs of red eyes watching him from a distance.

Ryeowook sat up in his bed, gazing around him.

“Kyuhyun?” he called. No answer. He sighed.

“Must have gone out,” he thought. He was just about to get up when the pain in his leg reminded him of his injury. He winced as he gazed down at his now entirely bandaged leg. Apparently Kyuhyun must have helped him with the dressing. He could not help feeling a tinge of guilt for his hostility to the man. Kyuhyun had, after all, saved him from the Sev. Ryeowook lay back down again. The minutes ticked by as he lay there, confined to the bed. Restlessness soon crept into his joints.

"I need to do something," he huffed. Cautiously swinging his legs over to the side, Ryeowook tried to ignore the pain as he limped out the door. The wooden house was a lot larger than what he had expected, with about four